Hindsight
Preface
For many people, the thought of reading or studying the Bible is imposing. As a Pastor and Bible teacher, I’ve often heard people say I don’t know where to start
or I don’t understand what I’ve read.
Many have voiced their frustrations, I am confused how one passage relates to another
or there were too many words I didn’t understand.
Many confess, I find it hard to believe words written thousands of years ago apply to my life today.
Sadly, many set their Bibles aside concluding, I didn’t get anything out of it.
Consider the word but for a moment. Not very imposing, is it? It’s a little three-letter conjunction you use every day in virtually every conversation. Thank you, but
is the polite rejection of an offer. I’m sorry, but
may cause you to question the authenticity of an apology. Even in traffic court, a Judge is likely to give you three options: a plea of guilty, not guilty, or guilty but with an explanation. Yes, I’ve been to traffic court—what can I say? Sometimes when you work for the Lord you have to go very fast! The point is, the word but functions as a great clarifier. It helps us understand, more particularly, what’s being communicated.
In 1923 the Pan-American Conference convened in Santiago, Chile. The New York Times declared that this conference would be crucial, as tensions between South American countries were coming to a head; Argentina, Brazil and Chile were in an arms race, and posturing for war.
Secretary of State Charles Evans Hughes represented the United States. Hughes was viewed by many nations as the only mediator who could ease tensions. He would have to be very clear on the various parties and their positions—especially tricky for an English speaking man, as most of the dialogue would be in Portuguese and Spanish, coming to him through translation.
Hughes, it is said, gave these instructions to his translators: While a running translation is ample for my purposes, you must take great care to give me each and every word after any speaker says ‘but.’
Wise man. The words that follow but in conversation are often of the utmost importance. The same is true where the written word is concerned; the same is true of your Bible.
Consider a few examples: A very complex passage on the birth of Jesus is clarified a bit when we consider a statement like, "Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit." Many difficult teachings in the Sermon on the Mount are set in a clearer context when Jesus used the formula, "You have heard it said… but now I say unto you…" How about the simplicity of the gospel when Jesus boiled it down, "He who believes is not condemned, but he who does not believe is condemned already" as recorded in John chapter three? But is a word you should train your eye to observe—it can be a great tool in your Bible reading.
But is a game changer. But calls for action. The Bible records a conversation Jesus had with his disciples. He asked them, Who do people say I am?
They replied, Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.
Jesus said, "But what about you? Who do you say I am?" But brings the conversation home—this isn’t really about what others think, anymore. Now it’s about you. What do you think?
Consider the three examples I gave earlier—they, too, call us to respond. Do we believe that Jesus wasn’t conceived in the ordinary way? Do Jesus’ teachings call us to abandon the old ways in which we’ve viewed things? Which side of this fence called belief do we stand on? But beckons us to choose.
For many years I’ve joked with members of our congregation that I should write a book called Big Buts of the Bible. Well, you’re looking at it. I’ll encourage you, as I have preached to them for years: Wherever you see that little three-letter conjunction in a passage, highlight it. It can forever change the way you read your Bible.
Introduction
Who is Jesus Christ?
Was he a historical figure who lived and died, or is he still alive today? Was he a prophet, a rabbi, a moral example? Or was he who he claimed to be? And while we’re at it, just exactly who did he claim to be? Is he, because of his claims, as C.S. Lewis famously articulated on his BBC radio program and in his book Mere Christianity, necessarily a liar, a lunatic, or the Lord?
Is he the Jesus we see in old movies: A blue-eyed, white guy with a well-trimmed beard, who sort of glows and speaks with a British accent? Or is he more hip, like a scene from Talladega Nights: I like to picture Jesus in a tuxedo t-shirt because it says, ‘I want to be formal, but I’m here to party.’
Is he the Jesus we hear about in song? The Jesus of hymns and praise choruses: What A Friend We Have? Name Above All Names? Is that how we should respond to him? Or will it be more like I Can Only Imagine: Surrounded by his glory, what will my heart feel? Will I dance for you Jesus, or in awe of you be still? Will I stand in your presence, or to my knees will I fall? Will I sing Hallelujah? Will I be able to speak at all? Or, perhaps, for those less misty, it’s enough that we tap our foot along with the Doobie Brothers, because, Jesus Is Just All Right With Me!
Is he the Jesus pop-culture defines? Jesus as identified by Oprah? Lady Gaga? Sure, John Lennon apologized for his infamous ‘The Beatles are more popular than Jesus’ boast, but Justin Bieber Beliebers believe the Biebs has the upper hand.
Is he the Jesus we’ve seen in literature? Is he Mary Stevenson’s Lord—you know, the one who assured her that when she only saw one set of footprints in the sand it was because he was carrying her? Or is he the Jesus from William Paul Young’s The Shack—a middle-eastern carpenter who hangs out with a portly African American woman (God) and an Asian looking mirage (the Holy Spirit)?
Is he the Jesus we see represented on CNN? The Lord of demonstrators holding signs that read: ‘God Hates Fags’ and ‘God Is Judging America?’ Is he the Lord of the famous ministers caught in sex scandals and televangelists making ridiculously false claims about the end of the world, all punctuated with pleas to send in your money … Quick!
Is he the Jesus of Christianity? The Jesus of Mormonism? The Jesus of the Jehovah’s Witnesses? Are they all one and the same, or are they very different?
Is he the Son of God, or is he God in flesh? Yes? To which one? Both?
It’s one thing to consider what others think—John Lennon had an opinion and so did Ricky Bobby. But your answer to the question ‘Who is Jesus?’ is key. It will determine how you live in response.
Did you see that but?
The Bible is chock full of buts—thousands of them. And a great many of them lend clarity in answering the question, ‘Who is Jesus Christ?’
Interpreting the Hebrew of the Old Testament, parsing the Greek of the New, or trying to wrap your mind around the Latin of scholars can leave you with a headache. Wrestling with doctrines and dogma can be intimidating. But there’s nothing imposing about the word but—it’s your language.
There is an old children’s riddle: How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time! The Bible is made up of 66 books, each with its own important appearances of the word but. To undertake a consideration of all of those and the light that they shed on the identity of Jesus Christ would be a monumental task. Like eating an elephant, it’s best to proceed one bite at a time. So where to start?
The Gospel of Matthew is a great starting place because it stands as the first book in the New Testament. It offers the Bible’s first account of the entire life of Christ, his ministry and his teachings. Because it was written with primarily a Jewish audience in view, much of Matthew’s content ties Jesus into the whole of Biblical history, and as the culmination of God’s ancient story. By tracing the one hundred eighty-three appearances of the word but in Matthew’s gospel, and a handful of others from across the entire Bible, Old and New Testaments, we’ll gain a clearer and fresher—indeed a much more revealing look—at Jesus.
Big Buts of the Bible: A Revealing Look at Jesus Christ is organized into twenty-eight chapters, corresponding with the chapter divisions in Matthew’s gospel. As such, you will undoubtedly find added benefit and enjoyment reading the passages covered in the full context of their Biblical setting. Each chapter ends with a very brief devotional thought aimed at helping you take away something tangible and applicable in your quest to discover Jesus.
Whether you believe the Bible is God’s word or you simply recognize it as the best-selling book of all time, I trust there’s something worthwhile for you between its covers. Whether you’re new to reading the Bible or a seasoned, serious student, this book will help you get the most out of it. Big Buts of the Bible: A Revealing Look at Jesus Christ will help you get Jesus.
So who is Jesus Christ? Let’s look into it.
1 - But Before
Ancestors and Angels
I’m fascinated by genealogy. But that wasn’t always the case. I was presented with a family tree—a list of names and dates—when I was in my teens. That list sat in the bottom drawer of my desk for a decade before I picked it up again. Then one day on a whim I decided to take it to the local library and poke around. Beyond the names and the dates, I made interesting discoveries. A male ancestor, long considered a hero in family tradition for losing his arm in the Civil War, had actually blown his arm off accidentally while firing his town’s cannon to celebrate the war’s end. Oops! Witnesses reported that he had been drinking that afternoon. Do you think? I discovered that one of my female ancestors was arrested in the mid 1600s at Plymouth Colony. Her crime? Wearing silk in public. Scandalous! History drew me in. It was my history. In that genealogy was a bit of who I am and where I’d come from. Now, I find genealogies fascinating.
For others, a genealogical list holds all the interest of reading a phone book. Names and numbers. Whatever. That is how most of us approach the genealogies in the Bible. Admit it. You’ve turned right past those lists. Shealtiel, the father of Zerubbabel? Who cares? What does that have to do with me?
The Book of Matthew—the first book of the New Testament—begins with a genealogy. Matthew was writing to a group of people for whom ancestry mattered. Because he was writing to a Jewish audience, his introduction of Jesus needed to begin by demonstrating that he was a Jew, and both a descendant of Abraham and a son of King David. The Jewish people had, for centuries, passed down a story that a Deliverer was coming, and that this Deliverer would be one of Abraham’s descendants and a rightful heir to David’s throne. Matthew used the better part of seventeen verses to trace Jesus’ family tree—from Abraham to David, and then from David to the household into which he was born.
Take a look sometime at the genealogy that begins Matthew. Try to read the list out loud. You could easily conclude that the only reason some of these names appear is because God has a sense of humor and laughs at our attempts to pronounce them. Jehoshaphat? Do you think they called him Hose when he was a kid? Phats? Phatty?
But the inclusion of this history is critical. For the Jewish audience, Matthew is attempting to pick up God’s story where it had been left off. The Jewish people were looking for a Deliverer with great expectation and Matthew is about to tell them, here he is.
The Big But
Matthew records a crucial detail of Jesus lineage:
This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit.
This is a very big but. Matthew uses the word but to clarify that Mary’s pregnancy was not the result of husband and wife relations with Joseph, but rather that Jesus was conceived of the Holy Spirit. This is what is meant by Virgin Birth—that Mary was a virgin and became pregnant by an act of God. You could refer to this verse as the Virgin Mary’s big but—then again, that doesn’t sound very flattering, does it? Point is, this is what people are saying they believe when they repeat the words of the ancient Apostle’s Creed: who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary.
And that is really the weight of this entire opening chapter of Matthew’s Gospel: this Jesus was not conceived in the natural way, but rather in a super-natural way.
The virgin birth is of great importance to the Christian faith. More than just seeming to fulfill details that prophets had revealed centuries earlier, the manner of Jesus birth allows for many other important teachings about him. Elsewhere in the Bible, for instance, Jesus is portrayed as not having begun at birth in Bethlehem. He is said to have existed eternally. He is said to be God having stepped into human flesh. Here’s another but about it from the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Philippians: Jesus Christ, who being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made Himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.
The Bible also teaches that Jesus lived his life on earth without sin. Here’s another big but and a close cousin, the big yet, from the book of Hebrews: For (in Jesus) we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who was tempted in every way just as we are, yet, was without sin. This couldn’t be the case if Jesus were simply human offspring. The Bible teaches that sin entered into the entire human race through Adam in the Garden of Eden.
Whatever you make of those historical doctrines of Christianity, realize here that the virgin birth is critical to them. If Jesus is simply the biological child of Joseph and Mary, then those other teachings are in doubt. But, if it is a God thing …
More Buts About It
Joseph and Mary’s engagement took a reality television show turn: ‘Betrothed and pregnant! She says the baby is God’s!’ Next time on Tyra!
His soon-to-be wife being found with child would have, no doubt, caused great heartache and anxiety for Joseph. Theirs wasn’t a culture that overlooked pregnancy out of wedlock. In their day, people were stoned to death for it.
Matthew goes on to tell us that Joseph considered how he might end his relationship with Mary without causing her public shame. He uses the word but to show us that God intervened: (Joseph) had in mind to divorce her quietly. But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.
With this but, Matthew demonstrates that God’s work continued beyond conception, in preparing the family setting into which Jesus would be born. Being pledged to be married in Joseph and Mary’s day, was the final stage of engagement known as betrothal. So binding was this betrothal period that a certificate of divorce needed to be written to break off the relationship. Discovering Mary to have been pregnant at this point would have been scandalous. We see that in Joseph’s thinking ‘How can I break this off?’ Matthew tells us of Divine intervention; God sent an angel to bring assurance to Joseph.
The angel began: Don’t be afraid.
Sure. The woman he is engaged to turns up pregnant and it is not his child. Then an angel arrives telling him not to worry. Not exactly an ordinary occurrence. The angel assured Joseph that this was all God’s doing. Mary would have a son and they were to name the child Jesus. To the Jewish culture of the day, names were very important. Take Hose, for instance. I mean Jehoshaphat. His name meant ‘God judges.’ Another example from way back in the story of the Jewish people is found when God changed Abram’s name to Abraham, and in meaning from ‘father’ to ‘father of many nations.’ To a Jewish audience this passage on how Jesus got his name would have been significant. This name, Jesus, is of vital importance. Jesus literally means ‘God saves,’ and the angel declared that this child, Jesus, will save His people from their sins. The Apostle Peter left no buts about it in the Book of Acts, saying: salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.
In his Gospel, the Apostle John included this big but to clarify: whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. That name is Jesus.
Matthew goes on to say that all of this happened to fulfill prophecies spoken long ago: the virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means God with us. Here we are, right back to that teaching of God taking on human skin and living among us. It’s all part of the story.
Joseph took the angel’s message to heart. We’re told: Joseph took Mary home as his wife. But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. With this final but, Matthew reinforced the point one more time—Jesus was not an ordinary child.
But Wait, There’s More
A glance through the genealogy in chapter one will reveal an oddity for Jewish genealogies of the time period: there are women on the list. A closer look at the women included will reveal that each had a pretty big but of their own. I mean that, of course, in the kindest way.
For Tamar the path into the line of Christ begins in Genesis 38 where we read: But Er, Judah’s firstborn was wicked in the Lord’s sight, so the Lord put him to death. Er was Tamar’s husband. And it was the death of her husband that marked the beginning of a winding road that eventually landed her right here, in
