The Meek Rabbi who said 'I AM the Resurrection and the Life'

You can imagine a Galilee or Jerusalem headline saying something like the title. 

An evening spent with the Meek Rabbi who said 'I AM the Resurrection and the Life'.

How do we get our heads around this young Rabbi known as Jesus Christ?

What's He like? Is He humble? Gentle? Or arrogant, domineering? Well, He seemed gracious and gentle most of the time. But some of the things He said are hard to take.

I AM

John the disciple and apostle wrote down many things less noticed by the other Gospel writers. John's Gospel is the place to go for profound, deep, mysterious spiritual truths. 

In John, Jesus makes several unpredicated (i.e. 'straight off the bat') 'I AM' statements. See them with fresh eyes and they are utterly preposterous. Unless He was who He said He was of course!

And Jesus said unto them, I AM the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.                 

John 6:35

Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I AM.

John 8:12

Then Jesus spoke to them spoke again, saying, I am the light of the world: he that follows me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.

John 8:58

I AM the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. The thief comes not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I have come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. I AM the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.

John 10:9-11

Jesus said unto her, I AM the resurrection, and the life: he that believes in me, though he be dead, yet he shall live: And whosoever lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?

John 11:25-26

Jesus said to him, I AM the way, the truth, and the life: no man comes to the Father, but through me.

John 14:6

There are other 'I AM' statements in John. I've listed some which are particularly profound, they came direct from Heaven! It must've seemed perplexing. Who was this Man? Who did He think He was? The religious Jews hated Jesus, in part because of His 'I AM' statements. He was blaspheming.

Jesus was saying:

-He is the eternally satisfying food for our souls

-He had existed before Abraham, the Jewish patriarch born over 2000 years before 

-He is the one true light, allowing things to be seen as they really are

-He is the unique good shepherd, the one spoken of by David in Psalm 23.

-He is the door into the Kingdom of God

-He is Resurrection and Life. He was and is the very essence of eternal, resurrected life beyond this mortal life.

-He is the only way to God the Father, Creator of all. 

Each 'I AM' in the verses above in written in the original Greek texts as 'ego eimi'. (This was he language of formal recording, Jesus may have actually spoken Aramaic).

God introduced himself to Moses as 'I AM who I AM'. In Hebrew, Ehyeh-Asher-Ehyeh.* 

A rigorous Greek translation of the Hebrew Old Testament was made about 250 years before Christ. Known as the Septuagint, and commissioned by Ptolemy II, it was very likely known to the Jewish priesthood in Jerusalem in the time of Christ. The Septuagint scholars also used the Greek, 'ego eimi', for God's self-disclosure to Moses. So 'ego eimi' is used in all the John quotes above and also for the 'I AM', in Exodus 3v14.**

From this we can see that Jesus made outrageous statements about Himself, with very clear implications. He made unpredicated 'I AM'  statements using the same words God introduced Himself to Moses with!

The Meek One

Was Jesus puffed up with self-importance?

Come to me, all you that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and you shall find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

Matthew 11:28-30

Jesus was gentle and compassionate, He was meek, humble. We are to be like Him.

..whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.

1 John 2:6

So meekness is not grovelling. It is not low self-esteem. It is not self-loathing. But it is gentle, compassionate, understanding.

Jesus carried His Divinity in an unpretentious, straightforward, rested manner. He was devoid of pomposity and pretence. He was not 'full of Himself'.

Who We Are

Why say this? Jesus and the apostles make some very high statements about us; believers in and followers of Christ; those who are Born Again. I intend to look at some of them soon. First it's worth saying some are uncomfortable about making these declarations about themselves. But God has extended His family and His nature to include us. The virtue certainly did not come from within ourselves alone. 

It is tempting to try and sound 'humble' as a Christian. However, humility is simply a straightforward and accurate view of yourself. As someone said, it is not humility to say you are useless at Chess when you know full well you are brilliant at it. That is either low humour or setting up a cruel ambush.

We can have a very high view of ourselves, and yet be completely free of the charge of arrogance before God. (Man may still accuse us of arrogance!) Why? Because it is all about Christ in us! 

*    From this statement, theologians have derived the term 'aseity'. This is an attribute of the God who has an uncaused existence. He requires no justification, and has no derivation. He is not created.
God has inherent permanent indestructible existence. To attempt to evaluate Him from inside the Creation is futile, unless He chooses when and how to reveal Himself. He has. It is just that He has chosen how. He has done so supremely in Christ. Science by contrast attempts to evaluate God with an inadequate tool; human knowledge and reason). 
**     To be thorough, the Greek Septuagint uses 'I AM' only once in the translation of I AM who I AM, which it renders ‘ego eimi ho on’. The reason is not clear, it is an interpretative rendering. It is used again for the second part of the verse, where God tells Moses to say 'I AM' has sent you.

The language Jesus actually spoke in was probably Aramaic, Koine Greek was used by the writers.

Kosher Laws for Meat --Part 3 ---Chewing the Cud

More on Leviticus 11v3. We have already discussed how the Old Testament Law contains 'types', illustrations intended to show us something about Christ. We have looked at a possible allegory about the Godhead symbolised by the cloven hoof. These illustrations are subjective and personal; use them as far as they make sense to you in the view of the full New Testament revelation.

Whatever parts the hoof and is cloven-footed and chews the cud, among the animals, you may eat.

Leviticus 11:3

Last time I talked about the imagery of the cloven foot. Now for chewing the cud.

An animal which chews the cud normally feeds on grass or other vegetation. It then swallows it, and part-digests it. It is brought up to chew again, often multiple times. Why? To complete digestion and extract all the nutrient. 

The food is very specific, usually grass. The animal chews it over repeatedly, over a period of time, until it has extracted all the goodness.

How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word.

Psalms 119:9

Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.*

Psalm 1:1-2

The Word of God is a very specific food, a singular input into out psyche, our being. Just like an animal eating only grass. It enters through the 'eye gate', not the mouth. The mouth can then be used to consolidate the Word within us, as we read it out loud.

The entire Word is uniquely God-breathed. It needs repeated reading, combined with meditation. We need to 'ruminate' on it, day and night. We are in a hostile climate, and increasingly so. We need to nourish our souls with real food.

A pig on the other hand is an animal which does not chew the cud. It is not Kosher**. 

The famously-blunt healing evangelist Smith Wigglesworth is recorded as having opened a minister's lunch centred around a hog roast with this prayer:

'Lord, if you can bless what you have cursed, then bless this stinking pig'.

Presumably the ministers were a little uncertain about how to proceed. Correct theology would've resolved the conundrum.

A pig itself will eat just about anything, and gulp it back pretty quickly.

The world offers many forms of reading and audio-visual entertainment. They often offer instant gratification. They are designed to look and sound instantly appealing, to grab our attention. They are easily digested, but not really worthy of prolonged or repeated attention. They do not nourish the deeper parts of the soul, and they may also poison it. The wicked feed from these things, and behave in line with them.

Paul instructs

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

Romans 12:2

Our minds are transformed by washing with the Word, the Bible. 

Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.

Ephesians 5:25-27

Notes:

*The Law was the Word of God in Levitical times. It is still valuable to meditate on it: that is what I'm doing here. It does need to be seen in the light of the New Testament and of the remainder of the Old Testament. We need to assimilate it into our worldview, but we need to understand the context of of it.
**In the current age, the Church age, we are not forbidden from eating its meat.
We are not under the curse of the Law anyway.
Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”—
Galatians 3:13
The curse of the Law is recorded in Deuteronomy chapter 27, starting in verse 9, and on into chapter 28. The Israelites cursed themselves if they broke the Law of Moses.

 

Kosher Laws for Meat --Part 2 ---A Meditation on a Cloven Hoof

 Back to Leviticus. Bear with me.

-Whatever (animal) parts the hoof and is cloven-footed and chews the cud, among the animals, you may eat.

Leviticus 11:3

In Part One I examined why God gave this demanding set of laws to the Israelites, the rules from the Pentateuch, Exodus onward.

Some people have said they are perfectly reasonable. Well God is a Holy God and we can't usefully argue. But seen as a whole I do think they are very difficult indeed to keep and quite burdensome. These meat laws are some of the easier ones. I like Kosher animals best to eat anyway.

Jesus spoke to the Galileans

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

Matthew 11:28

The Law leaves you weary and heavy laden. It is an exponentially increased version of the cares of this life! Not only must you handle the cares of the world, like everyone else, you must strive to stay in God's good books too!

So Jesus told us to come to Him. He's fulfilled the Law for us, nailing the rules and charges against us to the cross!

(God made us alive with Christ) by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.

Colossians 2:14

Anyway, why the cloven hoof command?

First, we need to see that the Law is a pointer to Christ. In theological language, it contains 'types', shadows and analogies to truths whose substance lies elsewhere. The truths are the 'antitype', the reality. That reality is Christ.

Now as a Christian, Paul, the once super-orthodox religious Jew, writes about Laws and religious observances.

Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ.

Colossians 2:16-17

This dietary law, like all similar laws, is a shadow pointing to Christ. The Jews were in a holding pattern waiting for the Christ. The Law served to gather them and keep them as a people until that time. After the time of the Gentiles, I believe it will do so again, this time with the goal of getting them to acknowledge the One they have rejected.

A cloven hoof is made of one piece of Keratin. But it bifurcates into two 'toes', which contact the Earth. 

The Father and the Son are of one substance. Jesus clearly stated

I and the Father are one

John 10:30

Yet the Son manifested for a time in a mortal body. He was here for about 30 years about 2000 years ago.

The Son existed in Highest Heaven before the incarnation.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.

John 1:1-2

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

John 1:14

SO John 1v1 tells us that Jesus Christ the Messiah was with God in the beginning, and that He was God. In other words, he was both separate and of the exact same essence. 

Have a think about the cloven hoof. Two toes, one block of matter. Do I know exactly what God had in mind here? A safe diet? Maybe, in part. I only know what it is saying to me right now!

The Godhead is three, and the Holy Spirit is a servant, and also a person. The Father and the Son show us a cleaving in the Godhead. The aim is to include humanity in the family of God. The consummation of the cleaving is seen on the Cross.

And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

Mark 15:34

The Father and the Son were willing to be torn into abandonment on the one hand and grief on the other. God did not shelter Himself from the extremity of emotion here.

Jesus was not cool, calm and collected in Gethsemane either, anticipating the Cross.

He returned to prayer three times when yielding to the Father about what awaited in a few hours. He was strengthened by an angel, Luke tells us, and yet he was strengthened so He could return to prayer yet more earnestly.

And being in agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.

Luke 22:44

At some point shortly thereafter, the matter was settled, and Jesus told the disciples, who had fallen asleep, to move on with Him. Jesus was at prayer for some time here. Then came arrest, sham trial and crucifixion.

And of course, there was resurrection !

The cleft was made so we could be included in the cleft.

 

Consider Moses. He asked to see the Glory of God. What is the Glory of God? It is first and foremost the character of God. It is Love. Not the sentimental, emotion-dependant, temporary sort. The real thing.

And the LORD said, “Behold, there is a place by me where you shall stand on the rock, and while my glory passes by I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by.

Exodus 33:21-22

Moses saw God from within the cleft.

And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit,

Ephesians 1:13-14 (NIV)

The word 'included' is not there, strictly, but it does spell out the implications of the passage. We are incorporated into Christ, we are at one with Him just as He is at One with the Father!

But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility

Ephesians 2:13-14 (ESV)

We  have been made one with Him. Who? With Christ. And therefore with the Father and the Holy Spirit!

Check a few translations in case you think I'm being selective. 'Both one' is 'amphoteros heis'. It means 'both one'.

We are joined. We are of the same substance. Amazing! Hard to take in, and presently impossible to see the full implications of this!

We have not been joined only, like a joint in a piece of furniture. However good the joint, there are two pieces. We have been made one. With God, with Christ. With the Holy Spirit.

In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you.

John 14:20

At John 10v30, Jesus said He was one with the Father. In this verse He extends the relationship to the disciples!

The unity has been described as the same sort of inextricable oneness which happens when you peel a pile of potatoes and mash them together thoroughly. You can no longer tell which was which.

Now Jesus was God and Man, Spirit and mortal flesh. So we cannot say there is no separation. There is a very definite individuality about the Father, the Son, about the Spirit, and about us. But the inner essence of who we are is of the same.

Hebrews chapter one concentrates on the deity of Christ. Chapter two focuses on His humanity. 

For both He that sanctifies and they who are being sanctified are all of one: for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren

Hebrews 2:11 (NKJV)

So we can see the essence of the unity in the family of God, and of the completely committed covenant relationship we have when we are Born Again of the Spirit into that family.

Once that amalgamation has occurred, no separation is possible. If a man tastes of the things of God, he can walk away. But once he has been born of the Spirit, he has entered into the eternal realm. The eternal realm is, obviously enough, eternal. It doesn't change. Its inhabitants are permanent citizens.

We are one and yet we are separate, just as the Trinity is One. We will never be the Father, and we will never be the Saviour. But we are in Him, completely and totally. We are of the same eternal essence.

So we see that God is ultimately looking, not for our moral performance, but for Himself in us. Only Himself in us will perform morally to His requirements! We have that treasure in mortal bodies, in Jars of Clay. It often takes a while for the treasure to shine through! 

Kosher Laws for Meat What are these about? Part 1

What can we learn about the heart of God from these obscure dietary rules? First, I want to loom at the Law of Moses itself.

The Law Itself

And the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying to them, “Speak to the people of Israel, saying, These are the living things that you may eat among all the animals that are on the earth. Whatever parts the hoof and is cloven-footed and chews the cud, among the animals, you may eat.

Leviticus 11:1-3

As a student and a new believer, I once went to help on a Christian camp for primary school children in Kent, England, run by Scripture Union. The kitchen surfaces were all covered in some form of protective film when we arrived. Turns out an Ultra-Orthodox Jewish group were using the boarding school building the week before. Even the stainless steel sink was 'protected'. Their food was not to be contaminated by the residue from Gentile food.

To this day observant Jews will eat only Kosher food. Even many Jews who would not consider themselves to be religious will still avoid a diet which violates Leviticus! So only Kosher food is acceptable according to the Pentateuch. These are the five Books of Moses and the Law. In the Old Testament they are Genesis through to Deuteronomy. Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14 are the relevant passages if you want details.

But the most Orthodox and zealous Jew will not keep all the Law all the time! And God sees that!

Let's talk about the Law and why it was given.

The Law was an all-pervasive set of rules. It constrained all areas of life. Although it was given to the Israelites through Moses, the laws originated from God. Let's not forget that, or deny that. It was not given by a different God, it's the same God who was in Christ. It's hard not to see the laws as being a little intrusive at times! When Jesus came to Earth as mortal man, John noted a difference.

For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.    

John 1:17

The Law contained truth. It wasn't especially gracious. Therefore John draws a distinction. He feels the relief personally. God, very literally, turns out to be human! He likes people and accommodates them! He's righteous, certainly. But He's gracious too. Those who are contrite before God find Him attractive. He isn't in a hurry to point out the faults of these people. 

The Law though was a demanding taskmaster. But we can't try to claim the God of the Old Testament is different to the God revealed in Christ. Why did the Israelites get a harsh, unfriendly deal? Briefly, the people under Moses were still full of self-righteousness and self-belief. They thought they had been delivered because of their superior virtue. Anyone with this mindset will encounter God's harshness. The Israelites were actually under a promise, a promise made to Abraham hundreds of years before. God was honouring a promise. He was not besotted of the moral purity of the Israelites. But they assumed their God was making a performance-based selection when He chose them. No. They were selected because God was faithful to Abraham, and so blessed and freed his progeny. Abraham himself was chosen only because he believed God. His character wasn't ideal either, which is obvious when we  read Genesis chapters 12-25 fully.

Abraham's Reward and the Promise to his progeny

And he (Abraham) believed the LORD, and He counted it to him as righteousness.     

Genesis 15:6

Then the LORD said to Abram, “Know for certain that your offspring will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs and will be servants there, and they will be afflicted for four hundred years. But I will bring judgment on the nation that they serve, and afterward they shall come out with great possessions.

Genesis 15:13-14

On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your offspring I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates       

Genesis 15:18

So God promises Abraham that his descendant will be captive 400 years and then be delivered into a Promised Land. It's a promise: no conditions are stated. God is faithful and true. That's all you need to know.

But by the time the Israelites are delivered, they are saying

All the people answered together and said, “All that the LORD has spoken we will do.” And Moses reported the words of the people to the LORD.

Exodus 19:8

Can you imagine that? There's a lot of pride and presumption in this statement. There's a huge wodge of conceit in there. Surely a more appropriate response would be 'what will this awesome and holy God demand from us? How are we ever going to keep Him happy?' 

If they'd approached Him like that, He would've spelt out His merciful nature and reassured them, I'm certain. But they came in conceit and hubris, full of themselves. 

God responds appropriately. He shows them it's no trivial task to please Him, if it's you doing it by yourself. Indeed it's completely impossible. So God gave them an impossible set of rules intended to show His holiness and character, while at the same time intended to demolish their self-belief.

The Law is not a 'because you're worth it' message!

Not because of your righteousness or the uprightness of your heart are you going in to possess their land, but because of the wickedness of these nations the LORD your God is driving them out from before you, and that he may confirm the word that the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.

Deuteronomy 9:5

This misunderstanding between promise and moral performance continues to this day.

God is not looking for your moral substance. He's looking for Himself in you!

How does that happen?

You must be born again.

Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

John 3:3

Next Time. What is the cloven hoof thing all about?