Easter: Forty Days Later

Like the disciples, we have heard the good news that Jesus has risen from the dead. Death is unable to have a grip on Him. If, according to Paul, “the last enemy to be destroyed is death” (1 Cor 15:26), then death is already destroyed. “Death has been swallowed up in victory” (1 Cor 15:54), so that we can taunt death and its powerlessness: “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” (1 Cor 15:55). God “gives us victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Cor 15:47).

This is the good news of the resurrection. This was the good news that the disciples heard on the first Easter. But the question is this: How did the disciples receive the good news of the resurrection? How did the first Easter affect the lives of the disciples from the time Jesus rose from the dead up to the day He ascended to heaven?

Let us look back at the gospel stories and narrate what happened:

Day 1 Morning          

           

John 20:1-2	Women saw the empty tomb, and reported to the disciples that Jesus’ body was stolen. “While the women were on their way,” the chief priests conspired against Jesus’ resurrection (Matt 28:11-15).
John 20:3-9	Peter and the disciples went to the tomb. The disciple who went inside “saw and believed” (20:8). Peter ran, saw the empty tomb and went away, “wondering to himself what had happened” (Luke 24:12).
John 20:10-18	The disciples went home. Mary stayed and Jesus appeared to her. Mary went to report to the disciples: “I have seen the Lord” (20:18). People who heard the women’s testimonies did not believe them (Mark 16:11).

Day 1 Afternoon and Evening

Luke 24:13-35	“That same day… two of them were going to a village called Emmaus” and Jesus appeared to them. They recognized him when He broke bread. “They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem… they found the Eleven… ‘It is true! The Lord has risen’” (24:34). But the disciples “did not believe them either” (Mark 19:12-13).
Luke 24:36-40	“While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them” (24:36). He showed His hands and feet (Luke 24:40).
John 20:19-23	“On the evening of that first day of the week…, Jesus came and stood among them.”

Later…

“Later Jesus appeared to the Eleven… he rebuked them for their lack of faith and the stubborn refusal to believe those who had seen him after he had risen” (Mark 16:14).

Day 8

John 20:26-29

“A week later,” Jesus appeared to the disciples. Thomas was not with the disciples when Jesus appeared last time and he did not believe (20:24-25). Thomas saw Jesus and said: “My Lord and my God!” (20:28).

Days between Days 9 to 40

John 20:30-31	“Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples.”
John 21:1-14	“Afterward Jesus appeared again to his disciples by the Sea of Tiberias” (Sea of Galilee). The disciples were fishing. They did not recognize Jesus (21:4). “This was now the third time Jesus appeared to his disciples” (21:14).
John 21:15-19	Jesus reinstated Peter.
John 21:25	“Jesus did many other things as well.”

Day 40

Jesus appeared to the disciples in Galilee, as He said to the women (28:10). The Great Commission pronounced (Matt 28:16-20; Mark 16:15-20).

The resurrection changed everything. This is particularly true in the lives of the disciples. But if we think that the changes were dramatic and instantaneous, we are wrong. We realize that the good news of the resurrection was gradually understood and received by the disciples. They heard the good news early Sunday morning, but they were not able to fully appropriate it in their lives immediately.

• Mark 16:11 indicates that people did not believe the testimonies of the women.
• Mark 16:12-13 tells us that the disciples did not believe the testimony of the two disciples who walked and ate with Jesus in Emmaus (Luke 24:13-35).
• John 19:19 vividly portrays that they were still afraid of the Jews even though they already heard that Jesus was raised from the dead.
• Mark 16:14 records that Jesus had to appear to the disciples and “rebuked them for their lack of faith and the stubborn refusal to believe those who had seen him after he had risen.”
• John 20:26-29 narrates the unbelievable story of Thomas still doubting even after a week!
• John 21:1-14 reveals that the disciples went back to Galilee not to be “fishers of men” (Matt 4:19; Mark 1:17), but to return to their old profession as fishermen.

If I were Jesus, I would have been really mad at the disciples. But Jesus is patient. Luke writes that Jesus “appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God” (Acts 1:3). What does this mean? It means that the disciples are very slow in appropriating the good news of the resurrection. It required 40 days for them to finally understand it. It required 40 days until their lives were fully affected by the resurrection. The good news of the resurrection was a good news, true, but it was a good news that has yet to permeate their mind, heart, and life.

Let us ponder for a moment: How many days or years does God need in order for us to fully understand and appropriate one simple good news? It is amazing that on the very day that Jesus was risen from the dead, the disciples were still afraid of the Jews (John 19:19). This might be the same with us. On the very same day that we have received the good news, we immediately forget about it, and live our lives as if nothing happened.

The post-resurrection stories reveal, once again, the sharp contrast between human stubbornness and God’s remarkable grace. In the words of the Psalmist, we can only marvel at the fact that “the Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love” (Exo 34:6; Num 14:18; Deut 4:31; Ps 86:15; 103:8; 145:8). The post-resurrection stories re-enact the relationship between the Israelites and Yahweh: “They refused to listen and failed to remember the miracles you performed among them. They became stiff-necked and in their rebellion appointed a leader in order to return to their slavery. But you are a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love. Therefore you did not desert them” (Neh 9:17).

The forty days that Jesus spent with the disciples might be more meaningful than we think. There seems to be a connection between the experience of the Israelites in the wilderness and the experience of the disciples. We need to remember that “the Israelites have moved about in the wilderness forty years until all the men who were of military age when they left Egypt had died, since they had not obeyed the Lord. For the LORD had sworn to them that they would not see the land he had solemnly promised their ancestors to give us, a land flowing with milk and honey” (Josh 5:6). If in the Old Testament, God used forty years to kill stiff-necked and disobedient Israelites so that they would not enter the promised land, in Jesus Christ, He spent forty days so that His stubborn disciples might be reinstated into the kingdom and receive the promised Holy Spirit (Acts 1:4-8). He stayed with them. Jesus was patient, not wanting anyone to perish. He wanted His disciples to be able to enter the place which He was preparing for them: in His Father’s house which has many rooms (John 14:1-2).

Is there God?

Since the beginning of history, men and women from different places and fields of study have inquired about God’s existence. Is there God? Does God exist? The Bible assumes God’s existence. There is not one verse which directly states the existence of God, because for the Bible writers, the existence of God is a given fact—it is an accepted reality. In fact, to not believe that there is God, is considered ridiculous. Only fools who are corrupt and those deeds are vile say “The fool says in his heart” (Psalm 14:1).

But still, it is possible to ask the question of God’s existence as it relates to everyday practical human life. There are valid questions that people commonly ask, though silently. They are questions raised everywhere and every time by all kinds of people who encounter the realities of life. They are questions that transcend the boundaries of nationality or citizenship. They are not original questions, as they have already been raised in the past; but they will be recycled, as they will be brought up again today and in the future.

Was there God in the past?

Was there God during the Holocaust, when millions of Jews were murdered by the Nazis?

Was there God every time a bullet hits a body of a soldier during the World Wars?

Was there God when the World Trade Center collapsed, killing innocent lives?

Was there God when the tsunami hit Asia in December 2005?

Is there God today?

Is there God in the market, where there is cheating?

Is there God in the streets, where all you hear are jeepney horns and vehicles’ engines?

Is there God in the subdivision, where there is an atmosphere of individualism?

Is there God in the house, where the drunk father gets home late?

Is there God in the classroom, where the teacher is an atheist?

Is there God in the jeepney, where people sit in front of each other but do not talk?

Is there God in the mall, where what everyone wants is to have and buy?

Is there God in the office, where the boss is demanding and your co-workers are tired?

Is there God in the city, where everyone is busy?

Is there God in the barber shop, where talks revolve on senseless topics?

Is there God in the hospital, where everyone is suffering pain?

Is there God in jail, where convicted criminals abound?

Is there God?

Is there God in the traffic, when you are already late for an appointment?

Is there God when a mother is grieving over the death of her only child?

Is there God in your neighbor’s house when they don’t have any food?

Is there God when a friend comes complaining about his or her miserable life?

Is there God when your best friend is sick?

Is there God when your neighbor has cancer?

Is there God to a hungry old man begging on the street?

Is there God when a car just carelessly cut you through?

So we ask again: “Is there God? Where is He?

Is there God?

Is there God for a family living in the slum?

Is there God for a desperate unemployed fresh graduate from college?

Is there God for the drug addict, whose very life is death?

Is there God for the taxi driver, whose life is in peril everyday on the streets?

Is there God for the peanut vendor, whose earnings cannot feed the entire family of eight?

Is there God for the blind, who sees nothing but darkness?

Is there God for the sorrowful, whose heart is filled with grief?

Is there God for the orphan, who has no one to show him love?

Is there God for the street child, whose mind and heart is filled with fear?

Is there God for the oppressed, the outcasts, the society’s trash?

Is there God for the businessman, whose business is on collapse?

Is there God for the hungry, whose stomach is grumbling and in pain?

Is there God for the son, whose father loves beating him?

Is there God for the daughter, molested and sexually abused by his own father?

Is there God for the homosexual, who is living in shame and sin?

Is there God? Where is He? Why is there suffering in the world? Where is the good God in an evil world?

Is there God?

Is there God in politics, where greed and corruption abound?

Is there God in philosophy, where search for truth is never satisfied?

Is there God in economics, where having possessions is the ultimate aim?

Is there God in education, where intellectual activity dominates the practical sphere?

Is there God in science, which often times opposes the person of God and belief in Him?

Is there God in arts, where sensual beauty is idolized?

Is there God in technology, upon which humanity leans and depends for its existence?

Is there God in business, where love of money is both first and last?

Is God in the world? Why are there so little, if no evidence of His existence?

I do not see any wrong in asking these questions. Indeed raising them is inevitable. So long as we are living in this world, these questions will be asked by humanity. The questions I enumerated are indirect questions concerning God. They are in no way directed towards God. Most of the time, these questions just stay in the mind—we do not utter them, we do not say them—although they are deeply rooted in our consciousness.

It is part of our freedom to raise questions. Indeed we can utter these very questions to God. We can tell God and inquire of Him. But it is not fair, I think, if all the answers to these questions are left to God as His assignment. There are elements in the questions that are answerable only by God. This I affirm. Yet when we look back at the questions, we see that we already have the answers to the very questions we ask, especially us who are Christians. Let me illustrate my point by inversing the questions. This time, it is God who asks the questions—and they are directed to believers. GOD IS ASKING: WHO WILL BE ME?

Who will be Me in the market, where there is cheating?

Who will be Me in the streets, where all you hear are jeepney horns and vehicles’ engines?

Who will be Me in the subdivision, where there is an atmosphere of individualism?

Who will be Me in the house, where the drunk father gets home late?

Who will be Me in the classroom, where the teacher is an atheist?

Who will be Me in the jeepney, where people sit in front of each other but do not talk?

Who will be Me in the mall, where what everyone wants is to buy and have and buy?

Who will be Me in the office, where the boss is demanding and your co-workers are tired?

Who will be Me in the city, where everyone is busy?

Who will be Me in the hospital, where everyone is suffering in pain?

Who will be Me in jail, where convicted criminals abound?

Who will be Me?

Who will be My hands?

Who will be My feet?

Who will be My voice?

Who will be Me for a family living in the squatters area?

Who will be Me for a desperate unemployed fresh graduate from college?

Who will be Me for the drug addict?

Who will be Me for the taxi driver?

Who will be Me for the peanut vendor?

Who will be Me for the blind?

Who will be Me for the sorrowful?

Who will be Me for the orphan?

Who will be Me for the street child?

Who will be Me for the oppressed, the outcasts, the society’s trash?

Who will be Me for the businessman?

Who will be Me for the security guard?

Who will be Me for the student?

Who will be Me for the hungry?

Who will be Me for the son, whose father loves beating him?

Who will be Me for the daughter, molested and sexually abused by his own father?

Who will be Me for the homosexual?

Who will be Me?

Who will be My hands?

Who will be My feet?

Who will be My voice?

Who will be Me in politics?

Who will be Me in philosophy?

Who will be Me in economics?

Who will be Me in education?

Who will be Me in science?

Who will be Me in arts?

Who will be Me in business circles?

Who will be Me?

Who will be My hands?

Who will be My feet?

Who will be My voice?

We are the light and salt of the world. (Matthew 5:13-16)

We are the ambassadors of Christ. (2 Corinthians 5:20)

Submission

Submission is a complicated topic. We don’t like it because it implies the removal of freedom. Also, submission has a nasty history. It can be used, and has been used, to abuse women and children, to justify slavery, to oppress workers, to promote dictatorial authority, etc. Many people are just uncomfortable with the word. (In places where suffering is rife, like Africa, even theologians do not like the word submission because it can lead to the justification of oppression.)

Also, to submit is not easy. Like the Israelites, the people of God, we are a stiff-necked people (Exo 32:9; 33:3, 5; 34:9; Deut 9:6; 10:16; 31:27; 2 Kings 17:14; 2 Chron 30:8;  Neh 9:16, 17; Jer 7:26; 17:23; 19:15). Stephen’s words are descriptions that apply to us: “You stiff-necked people! Your hearts and ears are still uncircumcised. You are just like your ancestors: You always resist the Holy Spirit!” (Acts 7:51). We are creatures that are prone to self-will. In the words of William Ernest Henley in his famous poem Invictus (some lines removed):

I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.

But we have to preach about submission, because the Bible has many passages dedicated to it. It is a crucial and important aspect of the Christian teaching. But we don’t have a choice but to preach about submission, because the Bible teaches it. We are called to submit to God (James 4:7), to others in our relationships (Eph 5:21; introduction to Christian marriage, 5:22-33; instruction to children and parents, 6:1-4; slaves and masters, 6:5-9), to civil authorities (Rom 13:1), and to our pastors (1 Cor 16:15-16; 1 Pet 5:5).

To submit is basically to surrender one’s will to another’s authority. It does not mean demeaning one’s self or being made less than one is. It just means you are accepting who we truly are: as finite and weak creatures. So why do we need to submit? It is because on our own we are not smart enough, we are not strong enough, we are not great enough.

We recognize the authority that is greater than us. We do not fight or oppose someone we know is greater than us (He>I; cf John 14:28; 1 John 4:4). The problem is that we are prone to assert ourselves even in the face of someone we must admit is greater than us. We can be like this with God. We do not recognize His authority over us and question His wisdom. We think we know better than Him. We think we are the Lord and our personal opinions are better. We want to be God’s adviser about how we should live our lives.

We also do not realize who we are in His presence. And we act as if we are high and mighty, like unsinkable Titanics or unbending poles or unbreakable walls. This is in contrast to the attitude of bible characters. In the presence of God, Abraham said: “Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, though I am nothing but dust and ashes, what if the number of the righteous is five less than fifty?” (Gen 18:27-28). David, the man of God’s own heart could not but affirm his own worthlessness (1 Sam 13:14; Acts 13:22): “Have mercy on me O God… wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin” (Psa 51:1-2). Isaiah could not but confess his sinfulness: “I am a man of unclean lips” (Isa 1:5). This is the same with Peter who confessed to Jesus upon seeing Him: “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” (Luke 5:8). We cannot boast anything to God. When He asks us to submit, we do not have the tiniest right to refuse. Paul said: “Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought” (Rom 12:3).

The recognition of authority is applicable in all our relationships. In particular, children must submit to their parents (Eph 6:1; Col 3:20), and members should submit to their pastors (1 Cor 16:15-16; 1 Pet 5:5).

Let me illustrate what not surrendering is. My wife is way better than me with directions. I can easily get lost when I am driving. But even with this realization, it is hard for me to submit to my wife’s advice. No matter how she instructs me, I do not believe she knows what she is saying when we are travelling. I did not recognize her authority. And because of my arrogance, we have repeatedly got lost. My failure to submit caused us time and led us to anger and frustrations. In human relations, if no one wants to submit, we will end up fighting. This is why even in husband and wife relations, one has to be under: understanding.

In submitting to God, three things are important:

a. We must surrender our own will: “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me, yet not my will, but yours be done” (Luke 22:42).

b. We must surrender our own desires: “Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart” (Ps 37:4). It is letting go of our desires and to follow the desires of God. This is not easy. It demands a large sacrifice, the sacrifice of freedom.

c. We must surrender our own wisdom: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; ⁶ in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight” (Prov 3:5-6).

Why is it very hard to submit even if we know that we are surrendering ourselves to a generous, compassionate, merciful God? (Ps 23:1-6). It should be easier for us to submit ourselves to God who really cares for us (1 Pet 2:7). We know that God can be trusted, and yet we do not submit. We carry the concept of a loving God around with us in our back pocket as a comforting presence but in reality we have bought into our society’s lie that we can make it on our own. God is not a back pocket God. He is not a convenient power that we can pull out when we mess up and need Daddy to fix it. He asks us to trust Him and let Him be our guide.

The key to understanding submission is Jesus Christ. He exemplified submission, humility, and obedience throughout His life. Philippians 2:5-8 is appropriate here:

In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:

⁶ Who, being in very nature God,
    did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
⁷ rather, he made himself nothing
    by taking the very nature of a servant,
    being made in human likeness.
⁸ And being found in appearance as a man,
    he humbled himself
    by becoming obedient to death—
        even death on a cross!

There is no greater picture of submission than Jesus Christ. Although He was God, He humbled Himself. He did not consider equality with God, even though He could have used it for His own advantage. He could have annihilated everyone who opposed Him and told terrible rumors and judgments about Him. He could have snapped the necks of his opponents like twisting a tiny twig. He could have given then terrifying diseases. And yet, as Isaiah said, “He was oppressed and afflicted, yet He did not open His mouth; He was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so He did not open His mouth” (Isa 53:7).

Jesus Christ submitted to the Father, even if it meant death. In the Philippines, we have not suffered for Christ to the point of shedding blood (Heb 12:4). When I went to Vietnam, it was my first time to be face-to-face with Christians who were persecuted. Several of my students experienced literal beating. One of them had his property taken by the government. One of them went missing for many days, with his family worried; he was arrested and beaten repeatedly. And yet, after all these experienced they had, they were still studying and preparing to be pastors. 

Like Jesus Christ, and like the Vietnamese pastors, we must be willing to surrender our lives, our future, and everything to God. 

Hardened Hearts

Mark 6:45-52[1]


This is not a part of the sermon series on commitment from Mark 6:30-44, but the story here happens immediately after the feeding of the five thousand.

Immediately Jesus made his disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. ⁴⁶ After leaving them, he went up on a mountainside to pray.

⁴⁷ Later that night, the boat was in the middle of the lake, and he was alone on land. ⁴⁸ He saw the disciples straining at the oars, because the wind was against them. Shortly before dawn he went out to them, walking on the lake. He was about to pass by them, ⁴⁹ but when they saw him walking on the lake, they thought he was a ghost. They cried out, ⁵⁰ because they all saw him and were terrified.

Immediately he spoke to them and said, “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” ⁵¹ Then he climbed into the boat with them, and the wind died down. They were completely amazed, ⁵² for they had not understood about the loaves; their hearts were hardened.

What strikes me in the passage is 6:51-52, where Mark tells us that the disciples were so amazed because they had not understood about the loaves, and because their hearts were hardened. What does this verse mean?

Darkened Mind

The Gospel author, Mark, tells us that the disciples were amazed because they had not understood about the loaves. The description used about the disciples was that they were very and exceedingly (lian ek perissou) astonished (6:49-50a). There is nothing wrong with being surprised, but the problem is that the astonishment of the disciples was not grounded in awe but in ignorance. The disciples should not be surprised anymore at this point, having experienced Jesus’s miracles. Their obvious ignorance and inability to understand Jesus Christ is also already evidenced by (1) their previous inability to recognize Jesus Christ while he was walking on water (6:49; as if there was someone else who can walk on water); and (2) the fact that they become so terrified when they saw him (6:50b).

The disciples were eyewitnesses of the miracles of Christ, yet they did not understand who he is. The feeding of the five thousand is just singled out because it is the most immediate miracle. The miracle happened on the same day, just a little less than five hours ago, and yet the miraculous display almost did not leave an impression on them.

The gospel of Mark reeks with other stories that paint how dumb the disciples were:

• the parable of the sower (4:1-20): “When he was alone, the Twelve and the others around him asked him about the parables… ¹³ Then Jesus said to them, ‘Don’t you understand this parable? How then will you understand any parable?’” (4:10, 13)
• the calming of the storm (4:35-41): “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!” (4:41)
• unclean and unclean (7:1-23): “After he had left the crowd and entered the house, his disciples asked him about this parable. ¹⁸ ‘Are you so dull?’ he asked” (7:17-18)
• the parable of yeast (8:14-21): “Aware of their discussion, Jesus asked them: “Why are you talking about having no bread? Do you still not see or understand? Are your hearts hardened? ¹⁸ Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear? And don’t you remember? ¹⁹ When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?”…  ²¹ He said to them, “Do you still not understand?” (8:17-19, 21)

It seems that we can be with Jesus, and yet fail to understand who He is and what He does. We may have seen and experienced how he worked in our lives and yet feel distant from him. It can be like staring at a physics magazine, with all the amazing symbols and equations explaining the wonders of the universe, and yet in all their splendor we do not understand it. Or it is like staring at a canvass, and your friends are saying how magnificent the art is in its meaning and significance, and yet no matter how much you try, you have no idea what they are talking about. Or it is like being in one of my classes, where I am teaching the grand mysteries of God’s Being and Work, and my students are just staring at me and having no idea what in the world I am talking about.

This is what was happening to the disciples. They were in the presence of “the Holy One of God” (Mark 1:24), “the Son of the most High God” (Luke 1:32), “the image of the invisible God” (Col 1:15), “the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being” (Heb 1:3), the One who was “with God in the beginning” (John 1:1-2), “the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end” (Rev 1:8, 17-18; 21:6-7; 22:13). They were in the presence of “the mystery once hidden from the past ages and generations… which is Christ” (Col 1:26-27). The only problem was that they did not understand who He is! Jesus’ words to Peter applied to all of them: “Get behind me, Satan! You do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns” (Mark 8:33).

This can be our experience too. We can be staring at the words of the Bible, and yet we do not understand what it means. We can be staring at the mighty work of God in our midst, in our family, in our church, in our neighborhood, in our school, and yet we do not understand or have an idea what is going on. We can be staring at the face of God himself through a child in need of help, and completely ignore Him. We may be listening to the words of God Himself through His servants, and yet we are oblivious and clueless about it. In fact, we may be at God’s sanctuary and yet our minds are absolutely blank.

Hardened Heart

The reason the disciples did not understand, according to Mark, was because their hearts are hardened. This is a scary thing to say. The train of thought of Mark is like this:

            Petrified body: The disciples were terrified and astonished.

            Why petrified? Darkened mind: They lacked understanding.

            Why darkened? Hardened heart: They have hardened hearts.

What does it mean for the disciples to have a hardened heart? This question becomes more interesting especially in the light of the fact that Jesus says to some Pharisees in Mark 10:5 that they also have hearts that were hard: “It was because your hearts were hard that Moses wrote you this law” (Mark 10:5). This means that in terms of their hearts, the disciples were no different from the Pharisees!

The Bible is rich with allusions about hardened hearts. The most popular is the hardened heart of the pharaoh (Exo 4:21 7:3, 13; 9:12; 10:1, 20, 27; 11:10; 14:4, 8). According to the prophet Samuel, God did not harden the pharaoh’s heart; the pharaoh hardened it himself: “Why do you harden your hearts as the Egyptians and Pharaoh did?” (1 Sam 6:6). Samuel belongs to the minority group here, because others think otherwise. Joshua has a different interpretation: “For it was the LORD himself who hardened their hearts to wage war against Israel, so that he might destroy them totally, exterminating them without mercy, as the LORD had commanded Moses” (Josh 11:20). Paul defends God’s sovereignty: “God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to harden” (Rom 9:18)

According to Joshua and Paul, it is God himself who hardens the hearts of people! But why would God do such a thing? If God will harden people’s heart, there is no way they can understand, repent, and be saved. This is absolutely frightening! In fact, this same frightening realization can be seen in Isaiah 6. When we read Isaiah 6, we usually stop at verse 8, but the succeeding verses actually spell bad news:

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying,

“Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?”

And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”

⁹ He said, “Go and tell this people:

“‘Be ever hearing, but never understanding;

be ever seeing, but never perceiving.’

¹⁰ Make the heart of this people calloused;

make their ears dull

and close their eyes. 

Otherwise they might see with their eyes,

hear with their ears, 

understand with their hearts, 

and turn and be healed” (Isa 6:8-10)

Why would God do such a thing as to harden anybody’s heart so that they, in turn, cannot be saved? (Isa 6:10). I can rationalize it, and say “surely God’s grace is greater,” but this would mean that the Scripture lied. In the first place, what is so special about us and how different are we from pharaoh that God would exempt us from having hardened hearts?

We can free God from terrible accusations when we understand what it means to have a hardened heart. For God to harden people’s heart does not mean that God takes away people’s capacity to choose God and do what is right. It does not mean that God makes people’s hearts to become so calloused that they become immune to God’s conviction.

Rather, it means that because we have ignored God’s conviction so many times, God decided to leave us alone. The Holy Spirit who convicts our hearts about sin and judgment has withdrawn from us, not because He arbitrarily chose to, but because we have not been listening anyway. This, I think, was what happened to pharaoh, who was so double-minded that although he felt convicted several times, he decided to go against his better judgment. So finally, God hardened his heart, meaning, He withdrew his convicting presence from him, so that he might receive the punishment of his disobedience. 

This is hard teaching, and I tremble at its truth: because of our own doing and because we have continuously grieved the Spirit, God chose to withdraw the Spirit so that we no longer feel conviction. I do not want to judge anybody, but I see this everywhere (including myself). I see believers claiming to be reading their Bibles, are hearing deep sermons, and are being challenged by many about many things, and yet do nothing appropriate in response. They have become experts in disobeying God that God’s words no longer reach them. Their hearts are now calloused. They have now returned to their previous lifestyle and they are either denying it or are clueless about it. Paul writes about the evidence of a hardened heart: “I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. ¹⁸ They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. ¹⁹ Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, and they are full of greed” (Eph 4:17-19).

Is There Hope?

Failure to understand and to possess hardened hearts are looming possibilities for every follower of Jesus Christ. The disciples experienced these things, despite their unique calling (1:16-20; 3:13-19), privileged instruction (3:31-35; 4:13-20, 34), commissioning, gift of miracle-working power, and participation in Jesus’ ministry (6:7-13, 30, 35-44).[2]

But is there hope for those who fail?

Mark was not ashamed to record the failures of the disciples, but this was not because he wanted to make a vendetta against them. It seems that Mark was so honest in his accounts in order to encourage his readers that discipleship does not entail perfect knowledge and obedience all the time. Like the disciples of Jesus Christ, followers of Christ today may fail every now and then. But even so, there is hope. The gospel ends with a note that even though the disciples were scattered when Jesus was crucified (14:27-28), they will be gathered back after the resurrection:  “Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him.⁷ But go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you’” (16:6-7). That Peter is especially mentioned in important, because it means that even the one who denied Him vigorously can be restored (Mark 14:66-72). Peter made a blunder big time, but he too can be restored.  

Jesus’ disciples are called back to Him. Amidst our failures and culpable mistakes, He still calls us to himself and meets us. So if you feel like or know that you have drifted apart from God, and the evidence is that you have lost your once passionate desire to worship and serve God, or you feel as if you are no longer convicted about many things in life, Jesus wants to meet with you. Why don’t you meet Him in Galilee, where He is going ahead of you?

The gospel of Mark is an astonishing mirror though which succeeding disciples might see themselves. The gospel seems to teach us that even though the disciples failed so many times, they were still Jesus’ close friends, servants and apostles. This means that despite our failures, we can continue to be Jesus’ servants. Jesus is not looking for perfect disciples; He is looking for willing disciples. So as Jesus commissioned His disciples, imperfect they may be, we are also commissioned to teach, proclaim, and heal as we go back to our own places.

[1] Commentaries consulted include Robert T. Stein, Mark (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2008), 320-29; and William L. Lane, The Gospel of Mark (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1974), 233-39.

[2] Stein, Mark, 329. 

Reward of Commitment

Mark 6:30-44

This is the third of my three sermons on commitment, based on Mark 6:30-44. In this sermon, we will be dealing with the rewards of commitment.

In Part I of our sermon series on commitment, the passionate commitment of the people to be with Jesus Christ was highlighted. The people were so committed to being with Him that they ran 10-13 kilometers just to be with Him. They were not hindered by personal exhaustion and external obstacles. They kept running towards Him. We emphasized that the foundation of commitment is intense and active love for Jesus Christ.

In the second sermon, we realized that the people did not only follow Jesus Christ. They also remained. And they remained until it was already dark. If the foundation of commitment is passion for God, the evidence of commitment is remaining in Him. Christianity is not just about an initial encounter with God. In fact, it is the act of remaining in Him that constitutes the more difficult part of our Christian life.

The story picks up and continues:

By this time it was late in the day, so his disciples came to him. “This is a remote place,” they said, “and it’s already very late. ³⁶ Send the people away so that they can go to the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.”

³⁷ But he answered, “You give them something to eat.”

They said to him, “That would take more than half a year’s wages! Are we to go and spend that much on bread and give it to them to eat?”

³⁸ “How many loaves do you have?” he asked. “Go and see.”

When they found out, they said, “Five—and two fish.”

³⁹ Then Jesus directed them to have all the people sit down in groups on the green grass. ⁴⁰ So they sat down in groups of hundreds and fifties. ⁴¹ Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to his disciples to distribute to the people. He also divided the two fish among them all. ⁴² They all ate and were satisfied, ⁴³ and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces of bread and fish. ⁴⁴ The number of the men who had eaten was five thousand.

What I like about the last part of the story is summarized in verse 42: “they all ate and were satisfied.” Following after Jesus Christ, no matter the obstacles may be, and remaining in Him no matter what happens, results in being filled and satisfied. This is the reward of commitment: fulfilment and satisfaction.

I like this part of the story because fulfilment is hard to come by these days. As we progress through history, it seems that our needs have increased, and being satisfied seems like an illusory dream. The moment we attain what we think we want, something new and better comes out and our hearts are depressed again. Our lives today are characterized by painful ironies: (1) we own a lot (including non-essentials and possibly garbage), but we feel we are poor; (2) we are surrounded by food and food providers, but hunger persists; (3) subdivisions rise here and there, and yet we are surrounded by the homeless or people with less-than-home living condition; (4) we have access to a lot of information, but ignorance is still bliss; and (5) the rich become richer and the poor are still poor.

Self-fulfilment and satisfaction are words and realities that are almost too ideal to achieve. If Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is true, then achieving self-fulfilment is next to impossible for many. But also, even Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is now outdated. Revisions had to be done with it (like adding Wifi and Battery, as humorous editors like to add). 

So because the story ends with a note that all the people who remained with Jesus ate and were all satisfied, I feel excited! There is fulfilment and satisfaction when we remain in Christ! The Christian life is not only characterized by tiringly running after Him and painful waiting with bugs. To use a common metaphor, there is a rainbow at the end of the rain. The world will never satisfy us, no matter how much we remain in it, love it, dwell in it, embrace it, or even abuse it. But those who commit themselves to the Lord will be satisfied. We will be filled. As the writer of Hebrews wrote, “He rewards those who earnestly seek Him” (Heb 11:6).

The Art of Waiting

What’s interesting is that the people did not know that Jesus had planned to feed them. They stayed, knowing that there was no food around. They just stayed for the sake of listening. They stayed not because they knew Jesus would feed them. None of them knew that Jesus would perform a miracle. Even the disciples were anxious because they did not know the plans of Jesus Christ. We can learn from these people. The Christian life is a matter of remaining in Christ, even when we do not know His immediate plans about our future. It is a matter of having faith, and trusting that God knows our needs. We just keep on remaining in Him even when the details of how He would satisfy us are not so clear. Sometimes, all we have to do is to wait and be patient. The promise of waiting is spelled by the prophet Isaiah:

“Even youths grow tired and weary,

and young men stumble and fall;

³¹ but those who hope in the Lord

will renew their strength.

They will soar on wings like eagles;

they will run and not grow weary; 

they will walk and not be faint” (Isa 40:30-31).

We live in a fast-paced world, so waiting is not really our strength. We are an impatient generation. We want results, and we want them immediately. We even have some sort of a strict timeline about what will happen when. We all get tired, and quitting is always an alternative. There are better things to do. There is possibly a greener future waiting. We can take chances, pack our things, and leave. But this simple statement in verse 42 is extremely encouraging: those who remain will someday be filled. Remaining committed to God is important, because the reward of our faith is sometimes waiting at death: “For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not confess the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh. Such a one is the deceiver and the antichrist. Watch yourselves, so that you may not lose what we have worked for, but may win a full reward” (2 John 1:7-8).

Our comfort is that when we remain in Him, we know that we will be filled and satisfied. We do not know when or how, but we know that we will be satisfied.

What is Satisfaction?

But what does satisfaction mean? When we look back at the story, there was nothing special about bread and fish. The bread was probably stale and the fish was probably some sort of dried fish. They can get such things from somewhere else. They were nothing special. Yet they became filled and satisfied with what was given to them by Jesus Christ. No complaints. So the questions for us are: If God gives us something that can fill us, will we be satisfied? Will we be content?

According to an anonymous thinker, “Happiness isn’t getting all that you want. It’s enjoying all that you have.” This is certainly true. Sometimes we become unhappy because we are looking at what others have. Another person wrote: “Know that the people who are richest are not those who have the most, but those who need the least.” This hits the bulls eye. People are unhappy because they think they need a lot; when in fact, what depresses them are luxuries and pleasures they do not need in the first place. It is when we desire for more that we feel discontent and poor. This is why the Scriptures admonish us:

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” (Heb 13:5).

“Whoever loves money never has enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income. This too is meaningless” (Ecc 5:10).

Twelve Extra Baskets

The people were all filled and were satisfied. In fact, there were twelve basketfuls after everyone ate. For some of us, maybe we are still at that stage when we are remaining in Christ while enduring our hunger. We are still waiting for Jesus Christ to make a miracle in our lives.

But maybe for some of us we are already experiencing the fullness and satisfaction as rewards of our commitment to Christ. I can confess that I belong to this group. God has been so gracious to me and He has blessed me abundantly. I have had my share of hunger and suffering. When I decided to follow Christ and become a minister, I experienced not eating for several days while I was at the Bible College. In order for me to wash my clothes, I had to scrape the soap leftovers of others. But because I followed Jesus Christ, and continued to remain in Him, I am now able to eat three times a day, and I have money to buy soap for my laundry. I am not rich, but I know that I am blessed. I am very satisfied with what God has given me.

Did you ever wonder why there were still twelve basketfuls of leftovers? Among 15,000 people, 12 basketfuls is nothing. It will probably only take 500 people to eat 12 baskets of bread. Also, the people could have decided to just keep the leftovers to themselves. There were leftovers that the disciples were able to gather because the people experienced contentment and satisfaction. I think the only way that we are able to give back to the Lord and give to others is when we are truly satisfied. When we are not satisfied with our lives, we can tend to hold back our leftovers and keep them for ourselves.