Pastors vs. Pornography & the Gospel According to … Caiaphas?

There are two things I’ve read and heard that have really struck a chord with me this past quarter. I meant to write and share these things earlier and I finally am before these thoughts escape my mind forever.

1. Porn and Paper Pastors_Pyromaniacs
   http://teampyro.blogspot.com/2009/04/porn-and-paper-pastors.html        

   This is one of the best blog entries I have ever read and was incredibly rebuking for myself. Please read it for yourself for your own good (and to understand a little of what I’m writing). This article immediately reminded me of the time when I was applying for college applications. I knew I wanted to go to UCLA. Why? It wasn’t for the academics, social life, or sporting events – it was because I wanted John MacArthur to be my pastor. I had been recently exposed to the resource of itune podcasts, which provides you with a seemingly endless supply of sound doctrine from pastors like jMac and John Piper. To not beat around the bush, I realize now that I began to idolize these men and favor their teaching over my own pastor. I had neglected what God had given to me out of an overflow of His grace and made something good into an idol. 

   Reflecting on those dreams now, I am very glad I did not get into UCLA, and thus, did not go to Grace Community Church. Coming to UCI and going to Berean made me appreciate my pastor beyond just the teaching, but as a man who strives to conform to the image of Christ yet is prone to wander; he is a real man to me. John MacArthur would never have the time to meet up with me, would never give me a high five, maybe wouldn’t even know my name. Is jMac a good preacher? I will give a resounding ‘yes’. Will I ever have a personal relationship with jMac? In all liklihood no. 

   While obviously reading and listening to other pastors is not in itself, bad, it is the neglect of the reality in front of you that makes this mentality very dangerous. Pornography sets unreal expectations for real women and in the same way, media establishes the same for your home pastor every Sunday. Women you see in pornography will never bother you about taking out the trash, doing your homework, or with homework help while media pastors will never pray for you, keep you accountable, much less know your name. So as John says in 1 John 5:21 to bring a conclusion to his book,

   “Little children, guard yourselves from idols.”

2. Gospel According to Caiaphas, the Gospel of Substitution_Matt Haney
   https://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=922081251302        

   To help with my response, I’ll post the main passage Matt Haney uses in his message which comes from John 11:47-53

   ⁴⁷Therefore the chief priests and the Pharisees convened a council, and were saying, “What are we doing? For this man is performing many signs. ⁴⁸“If we let Him go on like this, all men will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.”

    ⁴⁹But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all,

    ⁵⁰nor do you take into account that it is expedient for you that one man die for the people, and that the whole nation not perish.”

    ⁵¹Now he did not say this on his own initiative, but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus was going to die for the nation,

    ⁵²and not for the nation only, but in order that He might also gather together into one the children of God who are scattered abroad.

    ⁵³So from that day on they planned together to kill Him.

   Some quick context is needed to demonstrate how mind-boggling this is. Jesus had just raised Lazarus from the dead and the pharisees, feeling threatened, wanted to eliminate the threat. In many bibles, this passage comes from a portion titled “Conspiracy to Kill Jesus”. 

   If you notice the bold, who really knows nothing at all? One man die for the people so that a nation can be saved? This is indeed, expedient for each and every one of us. Wow, the irony! I listened to this sermon in between early morning and normal service on Easter and it helped me prepare my heart for the Gospel message I would later hear.

   Here we have Caiaphas, the great high priest, the most powerful spiritual leader. Yet in God’s sovereignty, he utters the very Gospel while plotting to kill Christ. I found this incredibly ironic and this shows that God’s plan for man’s redemption as seen in His word, involved all sorts of people whether the blind beggar or the most powerful religious figure at the time. Though Caiaphas certainly did not intend to bring God glory with his words, readers today can be confident that God is active and moving in and among men.

   The bible is amazing. The end. 

Grace on the Cross

In my study of Mark, I ran into a discrepancy of sorts that I did not know existed, yet in the end I found myself being in awe of God and his grace.

This grace was granted by God and Jesus but is not your standard Gospel message. In fact, this happens before Christ dies. This message truly testifies to the importance of reading the entire Bible closely for a more profound understanding.

The initial passage that started this adventure of sorts for me is found in Mark 15:32 which says,

³²“Let this Christ, the King of Israel, now come down from the cross, so that we may see and believe!” Those who were crucified with Him were also insulting Him.

What’s interesting here is that we don’t see the usual story that’s painted in Luke, where only one of the robbers hurls insults at Christ while the other one defends him. Instead we see that both robbers were insulting him. Wait what? This account also shows up in Matthew 27:44 which says,

⁴⁴The robbers who had been crucified with Him were also insulting Him with the same words.

These “same words” are also used by the people walking by and by the scribes and the chief priests, words of mockery and ridicule. So what happens to Luke’s account in Luke 23:39? This reads,

³⁹One of the criminals who were hanged there was hurling abuse at Him, saying, “Are You not the Christ? Save Yourself and us!”

 ⁴⁰But the other answered, and rebuking him said, “Do you not even fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation?

 ⁴¹“And we indeed are suffering justly, for we are receiving what we deserve for our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.”

 ⁴²And he was saying, “Jesus, remember me when You come in Your kingdom!”

 ⁴³And He said to him, “Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise.”

Why is Luke’s account so much different than Matthew and Mark? There is hardly a mention of the robbers, much less the repentant sinner we hear spoken of so often. Why does John not even mention them? What’s more important is – why does it matter and what does it mean?

First I believe it’s safe to assume based on the accounts of Matthew and Mark that Jesus was indeed ridiculed by both robbers. Why does Luke speak of only one criminal who was “hurling abuse”? This requires a better understanding of the message Luke wanted to portray in his book.

As most know, the Gospels each address a different part of Christ. Matthew, the king. Mark, the servant. Luke, the miracles and healing. John, the deity. According to scholars, Luke was very interested in the healings because of his background as a doctor, but also “pointed out Jesus’ concern for the poor and oppressed”. My bible’s introduction to Luke also says, “The theme of joy is felt throughout the book, as Jesus’ coming brought joy as well as hope and salvation to a sinful world”.

If that holds true, that Luke wants to point to the hope and salvation, then Luke’s inclusion of the robber’s last minute repentance is a demonstration of sovereingty. While the other accounts have the robbers join only in a chorus of unbelief, Luke chooses to testify to the saving grace and mercy of a man who repents on the brink of death literally minutes, even seconds, after belittling the God-man. Luke found someone who was present at the crucifixion and caught something the others missed or neglected. It’s funny how Luke’s account is the only one we really hear about, but thanks be to God for his inspired work.

This shows that God is truly sovereign and he is mighty to save even the criticizer of his son on the brink of his death. I believe this testifies that our salvation truly is not of ourselves, but is all in God’s hands. We are no more deserving of grace than the robber who repented and we all deserve an excruciatingly eternal death. How difficult is our salvation that only God can make it work, and praise to Him that it is in accordance with his will that he unites sinful man with Himself.

“The Middle Man”

My fate was sealed, ‘all’s lost’, said I,
my heart was black as pitch,
as I perchance to lift my head,
I saw the far man twitch.

A thief be he, his life condemned,
my comrade in the dark,
and thus we hung, beneath the sky,
all now grim, all now dark.

To the middle now we cast our hate,
our eyes thus fixed on Him,
the soldiers truly earned their keep,
His body! Oh, so grim.

The venom spewed from our hearts black,
sly tongues, we pricked the mark,
yet, the middle Man just hung there, red,
His blood amidst our bark.

As the far man hurled his hate,
to the middle I did seek,
His outward form was bruised and beat,
yet in my heart, He now did speak.

My soul awake! Tis beauty now!
I spoke…’Remember me’,
from outstretched arms, I heard Him cry,
“Today, you shall be with Me…”

Beauty for Ashes, Beauty in Music

This will not be anything profound. I just wanted to show the passage where I got the title “Beauty for Ashes”.

This is a great chapter in Isaiah often titled “Exaltation of the Afflicted”. It’s a great passage to reflect on in which many of God’s attributes are put on a glorious display and where the sinner is shown divine grace.

Isaiah 61 (specifically verse 3)

“¹The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me,
         Because the LORD has anointed me
         To bring good news to the afflicted;
         He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
         Toproclaim liberty to captives
         And freedom to prisoners; 
    ²To proclaim the favorable year of the LORD
         And the day of vengeance of our God;
         To comfort all who mourn, 
    ³To grant those who mourn in Zion,
         Giving them a garland instead of ashes,
         The oil of gladness instead of mourning,
         The mantle of praise instead of a spirit of fainting 
         So they will be calledoaks of righteousness,
         The planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified. 
    ⁴Then they will rebuild the ancient ruins,
         They will raise up the former devastations;
         And they will repair the ruined cities,
         The desolations of many generations. 
         Strangers will stand and pasture your flocks,
         And foreigners will be your farmers and your vinedressers.
    ⁶But you will be called the priests of the LORD;
         You will be spoken of as ministers of our God 
         You will eat the wealth of nations,
         And in their riches you will boast. 
    ⁷Instead of your shame you will have a double portion,
         And instead of humiliation they will shout for joy over
         their portion.
         Therefore they will possess a double portion in their land,
         Everlasting joy will be theirs. 
    ⁸For I, the LORD, love justice,
         I hate robbery in the burnt offering;
         And I will faithfully give them their recompense
         And make an everlasting covenant with them. 
    ⁹Then their offspring will be known among the nations,
         And their descendants in the midst of the peoples.
         All who see them will recognize them
         Because they are the offspring whom the LORD has blessed
    ¹⁰I will rejoice greatly in the LORD,
         My soul will exult in my God;
         For He has clothed me with garments of salvation,
         He has wrapped me with a robe of righteousness,
         As a bridegroom decks himself with a garland,
         And as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. 
    ¹¹For as the earth brings forth its sprouts,
         And as a garden causes the things sown in it to spring up,
         So the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise
         To spring up before all the nations.

In addition to the passage, here is a song titled “Beauty for Ashes” by Shane & Shane. Simple yet encouraging.

 

 

Finally, I just wanted to post perhaps the best song cover I have ever heard in my life. This has nothing to do with Maplestory or Christianity, but it is a beautiful display of talent in which many can be inspired.