Heavy Rocks

After Jesus came back to life and returned to His home with God, Peter and John began to teach that Jesus is the culmination of Israel’s history and prophecy, the Messiah.  They preached that Jesus’ sacrificial death is enough to forgive sin. Since this was counter- Judaism, they were brought in for questioning by the Sanhedrin, the religious rulers (think Taliban).

“Who said it was okay for you to be teaching the people?” the rulers asked them.

They answered, “Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, but whom God raised from the dead…He is ‘the stone you builders rejected, which has become the capstone.^‘”

Why are they talking about rocks?

Because that’s what Jesus did when He was challenged with the same question a few months earlier. In Luke 20, Jesus adds something to His reply.

“The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone^…Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces, but he on whom it falls will be crushed.”

Now to us, this sounds crazy. Answering with nonsense about heavy rocks? But to the university-educated, “lawyers and doctors” of the Sanhedrin, it spoke volumes. It was a scholarly reference that revealed a level of education not often found in “GED”-level educated men like Peter and John. It revealed they had a fine teacher, who took their education farther. Hence the comment by the rulers, “…[when] they realized they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.”

What does this rocky reference mean?

It is a reference to Jewish prophecy. Even though a short statement, it conjured up the whole context it was birthed from. It became a metaphor for an idea more complex. For example, try explaining to a foreigner, who knows nothing about the USA, the following statement and the understanding it immediately brings to our minds. “Four score and seven years ago.” Or “I have a dream.” To understand it fully, we have to dig into the history of the metaphor.

God is a Rock with a relationship.

To the ancient Jewish mind, Rock refered to God. Not only did this metaphor conjure up the idea of large pieces of granite,  it went further. The word for rock was used in poetry to compare God to a mountain where his people can run for protection from their enemies. In Genesis49:24, God is called Israel’s Rock.  God is a rock with a relationship.  He protected those He knew and who knew Him back.

A “rocky” break-up.

God warns the Israelites throughout the Old Writings that their relationship with Him as a nation would break. In Isaiah, He says this, “but for both houses of Israel he [the Lord] will be a stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall. And for the people of Jerusalem he will be a trap and a snare.”

A reading through the words of the ancient prophets, reveals that Israel did not want a relationship with God. Oh, they said they did! But, when it came down to actually working at being friends with God, they wouldn’t do it. God, the rock, became their enemy.

The enormous and everlasting rock to come!

In Daniel 2, the rock metaphor expands. Daniel is interpreting the king’s dream as a prediction about the future kingdoms of the world, represented by a statue made from different materials. The dream uses the metaphor the Hebrews understand, mountains and rocks.

“While you were watching, a rock was cut out, but not by human hands. It struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay and smashed them…But the rock that struck the statue became a huge mountain and filled the whole earth…Now we will interpret it to the king….The God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever. This is the meaning of the vision of the rock cut out of a mountain, but not by human hands—a rock that broke the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver and the gold to pieces.”

What a hopeful, uplifting passage! To the Israelites at the time, enslaved and in exile in other lands, it spoke of the Rock Protector destroying their oppressors and establishing a just and enduring kingdom.

God didn’t waffle with his prophecy. He goes on record with the timeline. Three world kingdoms after Bablyon would see the rise of this “rock not cut by human hands.” It is during the reign of that third kingdom, Rome, that Jesus speaks His astonishing and unbelievable words.Why astonishing? Why unbelievable? Because the rock kingdom is not a kingdom for Israel after all.

Israel rejects the Rock.

Jesus said,

A man planted a vineyard, rented it to some farmers and went away for a long time. At harvest time he sent a servant to the tenants so they would give him some of the fruit of the vineyard. But the tenants beat him and sent him away empty-handed. He sent another servant, but that one also they beat and treated shamefully and sent away empty-handed. He sent still a third, and they wounded him and threw him out. Then the owner of the vineyard said, ‘What shall I do? I will send my son, whom I love; perhaps they will respect him.’ But when the tenants saw him, they talked the matter over. ‘This is the heir,’ they said. ‘Let’s kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ So they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. What then will the owner of the vineyard do to them? He will come and kill those tenants and give the vineyard to others.”

When the people heard this, they said, “May this never be!”

Jesus looked directly at them and asked, “Then what is the meaning of that which is written: ‘The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone? Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces, but he on whom it falls will be crushed.”

The tripping rock is Jesus.

Peter and John name that stone… Jesus. An ancient Jew equates a stone with God. So rightly, they understood that Jesus was claiming authority straight from God. Not only does that anger the powers-that-be, it insults them. Because they understood the metaphor from Isaiah… Israel rejects the rock that is God.Which means the rock that becomes a huge mountain (a place of Godly refuge) and fills the whole earth from Daniel’s prophecy, is not for them. It is given to others. The kingdom of the rock is for those who embrace the stone. The stone becomes the capstone for another people, another kingdom, not Israel.

Who is crushed?

Israel trips over the stone, but who is underneath the force of this Rock? He on whom it falls will be crushed. Who is destroyed by its weight? Again, you must understand a metaphor. A metaphor more ancient than any other.

So the LORD God said to the serpent, “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.” Genesis 3:15

Jesus, the rock not made with human hands, is the destroyer of the first rebel, Satan.

Ancient rock talk is deep. Maybe you’ll even go a little deeper?

A Woman’s Words

The Bible, a book recorded in antiquity, has great regard for women. So much so, it records the words of women. Whole sermons, in fact.

Guess who.

Comment away. And don’t use your concordance!

You make me strong and happy, LORD.
You rescued me.
Now I can be glad and laugh at my enemies.
No other god is like you. We’re safer with you than on a high mountain.
I can tell those proud people,

“Stop your boasting! Nothing is hidden from the LORD, and he judges what we do.”

Our LORD, you break the bows of warriors, but you give strength to everyone who stumbles.
People who once had plenty to eat must now hire themselves out for only a piece of bread.
But you give the hungry more than enough to eat.
A woman did not have a child, and you gave her seven, but a woman who had many was left with none.
You take away life, and you give life.
You send people down to the world of the dead and bring them back again.
Our LORD, you are the one who makes us rich or poor.
You put some in high positions and bring disgrace on others.
You lift the poor and homeless out of the garbage dump and give them places of honor in royal palaces.
You set the world on foundations, and they belong to you.
You protect your loyal people, but everyone who is evil will die in darkness.
We cannot win a victory by our own strength.
Our LORD, those who attack you will be broken in pieces when you fight back with thunder from heaven.
You will judge the whole earth and give power and strength to your chosen king.

Favoritism in the church?

Our church has a Meal’s for Mom’s ministry where we take food to families that just had a baby. Its a super help, and I appreciated it when Henry was born. It helped keep us sane with an insane baby!  The ladies who run it do a terrific job getting volunteers and continuing the service uninterrupted despite the natural discouragement of working with volunteers. My question is…

Why is it that they have a hard time getting volunteers for folks that people don’t know well? I always feel obligated to help on the lesser-known couples, because I know they will struggle to fill the spots. But, of course, when its someone in leadership who needs the meals, the spots fill quicker than you can spit! What is up with that? Are we Christians are WHAT? Why are we showing preference?

My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don’t show favoritism! Because Jesus himself said, “If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” Matthew 5:46-48

Please, go out of your way to help those that it is hard to help. Those you don’t know. Those you won’t get any credit for helping. Those who aren’t your favorites.

Pen and Paper

It is a rare bird who likes to write things out. I don’t. This blog is a daily discipline for me…or spanking  if I put it off. (Lots of those!) But, in an age where culture highlights emotion and restrains reasoning, putting your thoughts into something you can read and evaluate is invaluable.

In my counseling ministry, I give homework. Most of it requires a good deal of writing. The woman who applies herself to the task, witnesses change. The one who shirks the papers, usually persists in her bad habits with little change. Making a record of your life, thoughts, circumstances, insights and desires helps you apply truth to your days in concrete ways.

Know thyself!

One of the hardest things to do, if you are an emotional person, is to keep a thought journal. Not a feeling journal, but a on-going record of what is “unconsciously” and comfortably happening up there in your brain. Every 30 minutes, write down, “What was I just thinking?” Nothing is too trivial. Nothing is too mundane. Nothing is too shameful. You will discover your thinking habits with time; what your brain automatically reverts to imagining when you shut off the active thinking centers. Those thoughts are what is forming the core of your character. They need to be examined in light of the gospel. To read a bit about what God says our thoughts should be, click here.

Harried Schedule

Feel like you aren’t getting everything done that you should? One way to find out how you spend your time and if there are more hours in your day than you realize, is to record your weekly schedule. For a few weeks, jot down what you did in every hour of the day. Then, evaluate where you can “redeem” the time for a more profitable or important activity. Plan out a new weekly schedule, based on your evaluated and corrected time,  that you can follow to get everything done that needs to be done. Remember, 8 hours of sleep is a non-negotiable! Really. Don’t cut back on sleep to get it all done.

In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat… Psalm 127:2

Troubled Spirits

Thoughts are often at the root of our moods. Where our thoughts go, our emotion follows. The bible says that war rages in this non-physical realm of our thoughts. It is here that we win or lose battles for our soul.

I was recently shocked to discover that for some, this notion of writing down thoughts is a complete mystery! I’m afraid I gave poor instructions because I didn’t realize it was a skill. I thought everyone could recall their thoughts! But, for so long this lady had lived by her feelings, she had no idea how to turn her feelings into a concrete statement. Simply teaching her this skill went a long way to solving her emotional problems.

Making Decisions

When worried about a course of action, the only way to go is to write it out! Not only does it give you a record of your thought-process for later when you need to evaluate your decision, it helps you not overlook vital arguments. A simple way to start is with three columns: Pros, Cons, I need more information on this…

Bible Disciplines

Another great time to put pen to paper is when reading the Bible and praying.Transferring what you read into your own words (even straight copying is beneficial!) involves visual, mental and bodily action; three different senses are involved, making the chances for recall much greater than reading alone! Asking yourself a few questions about the verse ups the recall factor even more. What does this verse say? What does it teach me about myself? What does it teach me about God? How can I respond?

A prayer journal is a great conerstone of faith. I have a terrible memory. Writing down what to pray for and how each prayer was answered helps me remember how God moves in my life. It is what keeps me praying. It is what proves prayer works.

If you are struggling in any of these areas, why don’t you go the next step and being to write?