Can the blind lead the blind?

“Then came his disciples, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the Pharisees were offended, after they heard this saying? But he answered and said, Every plant, which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up. Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind…Can the blind lead the blind? shall they not both fall into the ditch?” Luke 6:39, Matthew 15:12-14 (Combined)

It is interesting that this analogy of the blind appears in two places and spans two separate subjects. In one place (Luke 6), our Lord is showing how we are blind leaders of the blind when we attempt to remove specks from our brother’s eye while blinded by a beam. (Ref. Question 9)

The Matthew account presents to us the hypocritical Pharisees as blind leaders that will eventually cause themselves, and those they are leading, to fall into a ditch. Jesus asks, “Can the blind lead the blind?” He did not ask, should they, could they, or may they, He asked, “Can they?” The implication is that they cannot. Any of us would agree that it is an impossibility, and we will study this impossibility.

In the age in which we live, education has become a necessity. Unfortunately, it has become common to look to education, teachers, institutions, and books whenever a field, an idea or an endeavor unfamiliar to us, presents itself. I say “unfortunately” because this habit transfers to the spiritual realm all too easily.

When we find a passage of Scripture that is hard to understand, we may reach for a commentary to explain it. When we have difficulty in life and find ourselves tangled in emotion and unable to think objectively, we sit before counselors, ask opinions, and take advice. We scour books to deepen our spiritual understanding, when all we can gain from these things are the opinions our fellows. As well intentioned as it may be, and as good as it may be, when man offers his solutions, it is just one degree of blindness helping another. It is like someone with cataracts helping another with myopia. Jesus would ask, “Can the blind lead the blind?”

Blindness is an excellent analogy. Jesus used it often to describe the condition of the religious teachers of His day. The Matthew 23 account, where Jesus chides the Pharisees, He uses the word “blind” five times. In John 9:39-41 Jesus states, “… For judgment I am come into this world, that they which see not might see; and that they which see might be made blind. And some of the Pharisees which were with him heard these words, and said unto him, Are we blind also? Jesus said unto them, If ye were blind, ye should have no sin: but now ye say, We see; therefore your sin remaineth.” Here, and many other places, there are examples of blindness depicting the spiritual condition of man. Being healed of blindness can stand as a parallel and metaphor to our first encounter with Christ. The thought of blindness and our state of sinfulness being allegorically equal offers something very special when it is carried over to other Scriptures like John 9:32, “Since the world began was it not heard that any man opened the eyes of one that was born blind.”

The blindness, however, that we examine here is the blindness of humanistic leadership. The “help” of our modern Christian leadership can be engaged at nearly every level of spiritual growth. There are those on academic levels from so-called Sunday school teachers to seminary professors. There are counselors offering help to those who need emotional stability or help dealing with tragedy or loss. There are those who claim special powers of healing and deliverance from every bondage – mental, physical and spiritual.

Actually, not unlike the other modern specialist fields, the modern “minister’s” domain is becoming more and more specific and professional. If anyone, in our country today, felt a desire to become more spiritual, or to attain peace with God, they could find thousands of books, thousands of tapes; they could attend hundreds of seminars all across the country, churches, study groups, Bible studies, sermons, and lectures. Yet, with all this help and knowledge at our disposal, our hearts are in turmoil, our minds are troubled, our churches fragmented, our families torn. A church starts on one side of town and another loses longtime members in a bitter split. Pastors, once held in high esteem, leave their towns in disgrace of sin.

How Did This Happen?

Why is the body of Christ so divided and diverse when we all use the same Scriptures, worship the same God, and all supposedly share the same goal? Are all these sources of help doling out faulty information? Are they false prophets, or are they simply “blind leading the blind”? We can come to no other conclusion when we look at the results of 2000 years of “Christianity” purportedly under the leadership of the same Spirit of God, for the outcome blatantly betrays us. We are not traveling the straight and narrow path, we are not even on the broad way; we are hardly moving.

Sometimes, when we read of the power that early Church had in Jerusalem, in the writings of the apostles, and even the writings of Josephus, the martyrs recorded by Foxe and such; it looks as though we are going backwards. We are not moving… we are not in the road… we are in the ditch.

What has gone wrong? Where did we miss the mark? Many different people have many different answers to that question. I submit that we went wrong on guidance.[1] We looked to man to help us along our way not knowing that he was as lost as we, as blind as we, and in need of the selfsame guidance that we were seeking. John 16:13, “Howbeit when HE, the Spirit of truth, is come, HE will guide you into all truth… and HE will shew you things to come.”

If we cannot rely on the Holy Spirit to guide us, how can we rely on Him to keep us, seal us, and ultimately save us? If we do claim to rely fully upon Him, why do we run to man and seek his opinion? Why do we depend upon the honor of man to tell us the truth? If he knows the truth, where did he find it? If your teacher learned truth from other men, it is worthless to you, even if he learned at the feet of Christ Himself, what prevents you from doing the same thing? We have tripped at the same stumbling stone as our fathers; we have placed our trust in men. Galatians 1:11-12, “But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man. For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.”

Other than Christ Himself, our guides are blind, our books are foolishness, and our lives are destined for the ditch. We must look to Christ. He has come, by the Spirit of God, to teach His people Himself. Nothing is more important to our Christian walk than to be in fellowship and communion with those with whom we are supposed to be walking. Since the apostles, all of us have the SAME access to God. No one has secured some special heavenly communication and later been commissioned to share their “special wisdom” with the “less fortunate.” Whether people claim this divinity or not, they certainly do imply their superiority by hawking their wares and selling their “Gospel” to those who are seeking and unsuspecting.

The Truth of God, filtered through man, is no truth at all. There is truth and righteousness, grace and the knowledge of God waiting for those who seek them. The answers to your life long questions are waiting in God and in you. Look to Jesus alone for the knowledge you seek. Go to Him and learn of Him, and you will find rest for your soul. The source of Solomon’s wisdom awaits your bowed knee.

The Creator of the universe is willing to infuse your contrite heart with His power. The Son of God is again willing to open eyes, blind from birth, and replace your teachers, your books, your pastors and counselors. Your Guide is not blind. He can see from here to eternity and back. Do you waste your time with these earthly and temporal helps? Jesus asks, “Can the blind lead the blind? Shall they not both fall into the ditch?”

[1] More information can be found in the booklet or audio CD “On Guidance” by this author.

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Is it lawful on the Sabbath days to do good?“Then said Jesus unto them, I will ask you one thing; Is it lawful on the sabbath days to do good, or to do evil? to save life, or to destroy it?” Luke 6:9

When a person decides to keep God’s Sabbath Day, seemingly out of the woodwork comes everyone to offer opinion, criticize, scrutinize, or in some cases, open their denomination to you for membership. If the subject of Sabbath comes up in discussions, we are apt to hear stories about how impossible it is to keep the Sabbath and how “Jesus changed all that Sabbath keeping stuff.” It is not a subject for the unprepared as the passions are deep and various.

Some have chosen to avoid the subject altogether. I cannot blame them. It is unfortunate that such a pleasant thing as Jehovah’s ordained rest should be so tiresome. It is equally unfortunate that God’s gift of the Sabbath Day should become a matter of debate and division. But so it is when men confuse and convolute the simplicity that is to be found in Christ.[1]

Let us begin with the apostle’s words in 1 John 5:2-3, “By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.” How sad that the Commandments of God are grievous to many who claim to be Christ’s.

To some, giving God one day of their seven is as though they are being asked to give up something to which they are entitled, something that they own, or something that is owed them. How can those who seek communion with Christ neglect the time He has set aside for that communion? How can we consider it a grievous task to come aside and rest awhile? It is because man has added to the Commandment and made it into a chore of duty and drudgery. He has done this OUTSIDE of the Scriptures, yet we still consider man’s words over the Scriptures of truth.

The Jews created documents that, with the intention of keeping the Commandments, made them more difficult to keep. The “Sabbath day’s journey” is a good example. The Sabbath day’s journey was intended to place an explanatory, or definitive framework around the Scripture. The Law they refer to only says, “See, for that the LORD hath given you the sabbath… abide ye every man in his place, let no man go out of his place on the seventh day.” (Exodus 16:29) Somehow, Jewish leadership decided how far it should be that a man can wander “from his place” without breaking the Commandment. They came up with 2000 paces or yards, how they arrived at this distance is unclear.

Nevertheless, we find that many think to travel farther than “a Sabbath day’s journey” on the Sabbath is a violation of the Commandment and therefore, sin. But, the Scriptures make no such assertion. When we read the Scriptures pertaining to Sabbath we will find that Sabbath is not a grievous restriction, nor a calculated observance, but a day set aside, sanctified, and made holy by voluntarily ceasing from our labor and honoring God’s request to remember Him.

The Sabbath Is a Gift

When you read, for yourself, the Scriptures that pertain to Sabbath, you will find that the Commandment is not a grievous one, nor one that requires more than you can do, but a Commandment of love and promise. It is a Commandment that bears a gift from God.

In the days of old, the Bible records an execution associated with the breaking of this Law. A man was found gathering sticks on the Sabbath and for that, he lost his life. Without understanding, we may find it hard to take comfort in a gift that we are forced to receive. But it was not the lack of acceptance of this gift that caused his death; it was his despite of God’s Commandment.

The gift is not the Commandment and the Commandment is not the gift. The gift is to be found in obedience to the Commandment. When we place our own interests above the Commandment, are we not placing ourselves above our Lord? As says the Lord Jesus, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him. If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them.” (John 13:16-17) The operational phrase is, “Happy are ye if ye do them.” The happiness, blessedness, and the gift are to be found in the doing.

When we submit to God’s Law we will find, in our obedience, that the Law is not grievous. When we go only to the Scriptures, we will find that the Commandments are not difficult either. The Jews of Jesus’ day (and the naysayers in our day) made the walk of faith into difficulty and impossibility. “We can’t do this on Sabbath day and we can’t do that” say they, while the blessed Scriptures may be completely silent on that particular subject.

We need to take our cues from the words God has spoken in our heart, and our conscience, and forget the traditions of men. We make living by our faith impossible when we add to or take away from what God has plainly said. When you ignore the Word of God within you, your conscience and Guide, and hold to traditions of men, you make “the word of God of none effect through your tradition.” (Mark 7:13) When you ignore the Commandment and hold to tradition you bring to life the word of warning Jesus gave to the Pharisees, “Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition.” (Matthew 15:6)

Jesus was astounded that these well-learned men, these scribes and Pharisees, could not see the clear intent of Sabbath day. These men, along with everyone in their tow, had ceased to worship ON the Sabbath and had begun to worship the Sabbath itself! They were accusing Him of violating and desecrating their “god sabbath” by healing a blind man!

There are those who struggle with Sabbath worship even today. Mankind always seems to teeter and totter back and forth across lines and boundaries, words and laws, definitions and excuses. He never seems to get it right; he never seems to be able to balance himself. Should we go for a walk? Should we make a sandwich, should we feed the homeless on Sabbath? Should we use electricity, city water or phone service? Because, by using these services we are causing others to work on our behalf on Sabbath day (neither thy manservant nor maidservant). The arguments and explanations are seemingly endless.

The sad fact is that this Commandment can be easily kept and held in reverence, perfectly and completely by anyone wishing to simply honor God’s will over their own. There is no need to wonder if you are breaking the Commandment if you are getting your information from the Scriptures and living in such a way as not to grieve the Holy Spirit or violate your conscience. The Holy Spirit will guide you; He will not allow you to break God’s Commandment, even in ignorance. No one is better equipped to keep God’s Commandments better than the “New Testament” believer.

There is no need to create rules, set up boundaries, write down lists of acceptable unacceptable behavior; you have within you the Author of the Commandment, promising to lead you and guide you into all Truth. He will not let you violate the Scriptures, He will not let you sin against God, but you must obey Him.

I recently met someone who felt there was a conflict with the Sabbath when they worked in a homeless shelter feeding the indigent. They spoke of all the work they had to do, cooking, cleaning, washing up, and wondered why God would hold them accountable for breaking His Commandment. I submit that they were letting the commandments of men take the place of the Commandment of God. No Commandment forbids doing good on Sabbath. Contrarily, it is a wonderful day for it, a wonderful day indeed!

“Then said Jesus unto them, I will ask you one thing; Is it lawful on the sabbath days to do good, or to do evil? to save life, or to destroy it?”[1] The observance of Sabbath is not a part of traditional Quaker faith and practice, neither on the first day (their day of worship) nor on the true Sabbath. Your author departs from Quaker tradition at this point, compelled to esteem the fourth Commandment, the life and practice of Jesus, the life and practice of the Apostles, and recorded early church history above Quaker understanding as examples of proper Christian behavior and righteous living.

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Matthew 9:5 Mark 2:9 Luke 5:23 (Combined) For whether is easier, to say to the sick of the palsy, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and take up thy bed, and walk?

To convince the scribe in this story that his theory on identifying Messiah may be flawed, Jesus offered a question, “Whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Rise up and walk?”

The answer to this question is difficult for we know He is not speaking of merely saying either of the choices given, but is asking, which is easier to do. For with Jesus, to say or to do was the same thing. (It should be that way for us as well.) In this case however, the question was, “If I am who I claim to be, I can forgive sin. If I am who I say I am, I can heal diseases as well.” To which the scribe, as a scholar of the Old Testament, must attest. It was clear in the Scriptures that Messiah would be able to do these things. Then Jesus says,

“But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (then saith he to the sick of the palsy) I say unto thee, Arise, take up thy couch bed, and go unto thine house. And immediately he rose up before them, and took up that whereon he lay, and went forth before them all and departed to his own house glorifying God. And they were all amazed, and they glorified God, and were filled with fear, saying, “We never saw it on this fashion. We have seen strange things to day.” (Matthew 9:6-7 - Mark 2:10-12 - Luke 5:24-26 Combined)

Now what will the poor scribe do? The man has just seen Messiah’s prophecies come to pass before his own eyes and he is left with no other alternative but to believe. The record here says they glorified God and were filled with fear. This was a reaction any of us would have had.

Messiah came with a long and detailed list of prophecies that he would fulfill. These prophecies were misunderstood and misapplied and caused nearly a whole nation to miss the Messiah. Jesus was not averse to proclaiming his familiarity with these prophecies and attaching His life and works as fulfillment. Read this story recorded in Luke 4:16-22,

“And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read. And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written, The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord. And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him. And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears. And all bare him witness, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth. And they said, ‘Is not this Joseph's son?’”[1]

As He traveled, He never missed genuine opportunity to use this anointing. Through this He was seen by those of open heart as the Messiah and to those of closed mind as a blasphemer, lawbreaker, a man gluttonous and drunken. The honest folk received him gladly under this premise: “…When Christ cometh, will he do more miracles than these which this man hath done?” (John 7:31) The miracles showed them (and us) that His power exceeded the norm, but what is that to us today? Today Jesus, the Messiah, is still the ONLY healer and He is the only one who forgives sin. When Jesus asked the question, “Whether is easier, to say arise and walk or thy sins be forgiven thee?” we can see His objective was to demonstrate His authority to do either or both at will.

True Grace

There is more to glean from this question of Jesus. What we must draw from this story is that the one who has power to heal, has power to save. What we can draw from His question is that one will be as easy to accomplish as the other. Jesus is uniquely qualified to effect conversion of the soul, proven by His ability to heal. It is He alone who has this power and the sovereign will to use it on our behalf. We are to learn that we are desperately helpless in both of these situations. We can save our soul from destruction as easily as we can make a lame man walk again. Both of these are so far from our level of ability it is ludicrous to attempt either one.

Today, it is commonly taught to play games of forgiveness in our mind. It is not uncommon to hear that we can make ourselves better through “inner healing” or by “forgiving” ourselves, unfortunately, neither is possible. Our guilty conscience before God does indeed wreak havoc with our health and well-being, but forgiveness and healing are gifts from God given to those who seek forgiveness from Him. It is, after all, His Law that is broken. It would be foolish to tell people to “forgive themselves” when they transgress against their fellow man, but it is borderline blasphemy to instruct them to do so when they sin against their Creator. Forgiveness is appropriate only from the one who was offended, what good can come from someone trying to alleviate the condemnation of God by “forgiving himself?” If you are under the condemnation of the Judge of all the earth, you need to seek the forgiveness in His court alone.

To attempt to speak to your own paralyzed legs to cause them to leap and lift you from the floor will likely prove to be a disappointment. (Unless, of course, you are told to do so by Christ.) It is with that futility in mind that you should approach the idea of effecting your own salvation or forgiveness. It should seem as impossible to you, to forgive your own sin as to infuse strength into an inert limb. Forgiveness is a gift of God in the person of His Son Jesus Christ. Christ, sought and found, will answer all the questions of sin, forgiveness and guilt. To attempt to remove guilt by the pretense of “forgiving” yourself will never have lasting results, to say nothing of eternal value.

When you attempt to “better” yourself, “forgive” yourself, or in any way attempt to bring about your own salvation, it would behoove you to ponder this question of Jesus, if only for a few minutes, “Whether is easier to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Rise up and walk?”

[1] The gracious words were not great oratory; they were words of meaning. It was as if Shakespeare were reading Hamlet’s soliloquy to you, or as if you were transported in time to hear Lincoln himself give the Gettysburg address – not to hear the best reader, or the best actor, or orator, but to hear the author himself. Jesus was reading a prophecy that the entire synagogue knew could only be speaking of Messiah. Then with more audacity of any prophet or priest ever known, He said, “Isaiah’s prophecy of Messiah is fulfilled…today… in your ears!” Is it not amazing that in our day we have theologians going to and fro telling us that Jesus never claimed divinity?

Why do you think evil in your hearts?

Matthew 9:4, “And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts?”

Jesus approached a man suffering from palsy and said “...Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee.” Then He asked some of the scribes who were watching Him, “Why did they think evil thoughts?” Here is a curiosity. God is about to do a wonderful thing and the religious leaders are on the outside looking in. They feel that they are outsiders and respond by finding fault. They comment, “This man blasphemes.” This comment was what caused Jesus to turn to them and ask the question, “Why do you think evil thoughts in your heart?”

It would be good practice to answer Jesus when He asks a question (especially when we find ourselves exemplifying the traits of the one being questioned.) If we find ourselves thinking evil thoughts, it would do us good to answer the query, “Why?” We should feel shame for the similarities in the thoughts we have about our brethren in Christ and the judgment poured upon Christ by the Pharisees and scribes. Even the worst examples of Christianity, in theology, in doctrine, or in practice, do not deserve our criticism. We must ask, “Why do I think evil thoughts?”

What are these “evil thoughts?” Evil thoughts are clearly identified in Scripture. From Luke 6:45 and Matthew 12: 35,

“…an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of a man’s heart his mouth speaketh.”

From Matthew 15:18-19 and Mark 7:20-23 “But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, false witness, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.”

We also know that, though this is an impressive list, this is not an exhaustive one. Although the heart of a “faith pretender” likely won’t lead him to practice all of the worst ones mentioned here, their thoughts can be as dangerous. After we read this list, we must then ask, “Why do evil thoughts arise in our hearts – thoughts of pride, foolishness, suspicion and even blasphemy? Perhaps it would be easier to consider this objectively by looking at the example given in the story above. Why did the scribe engage suspicion and accuse Christ of blasphemy? Simply because the scribe did not believe that the man he saw in front of him was the Messiah. Why did he not believe it? It was because Jesus did not fit the mold that the scribe (and tradition) made for Him.

Human nature is to avoid responsibility. Also, this nature avoids servitude. The knowledge of Christ and the subsequent acceptance of Him as Messiah will require both. He thinks, “If I only search for the Christ, I am counted among the faithful and not compelled to obey Christ.” This convoluted thinking is practiced by many. Not only the scribe, but also modern seekers who look into Christianity and discover that finding Jesus as Messiah means to take Him as Lord. Not wanting to do the latter, they stay in “search mode” and determine never to find anything for sure. Because they are searching they assume an air of sincerity.

However, the day we find Christ, the search is over. At that time we must either give up or give over to Christ, or we must reject Him. Those who do not wish to reject Him (because they indeed know He is Lord and Christ), nor wish to serve Him (because they want their own way and yet do not want to appear as infidels) can purposefully remain in that state of uncertainty, remaining skeptical, objective, undecided. We enjoy these words being attributed to us, as they tend to lend to the bearer an air of intelligence, sobriety and cerebral superiority. It makes us seem as if we use analysis instead of some silly faith and so we will appear not to “jump to conclusions.”

The scribes were not much different. However, these men who saw Christ Jesus were not intelligent; they were blinded by closed eyes. They were not being analytical so they could believe; they were being critical so they would not have to. We who have Christ revealed to us and hold out for “proof” or who choose to remain “open minded” are literally playing with fire.

Those who turn their heads, close their eyes, or stop their ears, are only making provision for more self-indulgence and more self-rule. They only avoid the “giving up.” The “surrender” is the threshold over which they cannot seem to step. All lives, before surrender, are lives of evil thought, evil surmising, doubt, fear, and skepticism. All the while, they ride the fence, socializing with God’s people; they pretend to be intelligent and open-minded Christians. They pick apart and criticize; they try to hold others back to avoid “fanaticism.” They fancy themselves as those who keep organization and order.

Christ is asking, “Why do you doubt everything you read in the Scriptures? Why do you criticize the deeper brethren who don’t see things the way you do? Why is it you call dedication “going overboard,” call sober Christians “stuffy,” and sanctified persons, “fanatics”? “Why do evil thoughts arise in your heart?”

How Would You Answer?

Our answer will not be much different than the scribe’s would have been. The scribe was looking at total humiliation at the first sign of accepting this Galilean carpenter’s boy as Messiah. All that this scribe ever said would have to be retracted. All he ever believed would have to be changed. He would likely be put out of the synagogue, and rejected by his own family. All of his future aspirations would be put into jeopardy. So he decided to find fault and back it up with Scripture. After Jesus said to this man, “Thy sins be forgiven thee.” The scribe says, “Who can forgive sins but God alone?” He was reasoning to himself, “He can’t be Messiah if He is a blasphemer!”

He holds Jesus up to perfection to see if He measures up. Jesus fails his test. Jesus always fails tests designed by man. He always will. You will never prove that He is God. He will have to prove it to you.

You must learn the origin of “evil thoughts” and why they appear. You must learn that good and proper theological arguments are sometimes used to justify a lifestyle or to get your own way. Debate and skepticism accomplish nothing if surrender does not follow when truth is discovered. Some enjoy the search, but searching is useless if the seeker refuses to find.

God lovingly guides us to the Savior by people and events entering and exiting our life all the time. Information, evidences, internal witnesses, all appear to bring us along the way that leads to eternal life. Care should be exercised to weigh everything, examine everything, and look for our Guide’s signature in it. If you reject what He sends there is no assurance that He will send it again. Examine rather, why you are rejecting what you really feel compelled to believe. Ask yourself, why do you think evil in your hearts?

How is it that ye have no faith?Mark 4:38-40, “And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish? And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?”

Have you ever wondered what the Lord wanted the disciples to do? I have. Did He want them to speak to the storm like He did? Did He expect them to stand on the bow of that boat and say, “Peace, be still? The Lord Jesus Christ is on this vessel and has commissioned us to go to the other side!” Is that what Jesus expected them to do? I think He did.

Faith – true faith – requires a word from God directly to us. It is imperative that we hear from God, personally, the word, the commission, or the orders to go or to do or to speak. Not just some vague Scripture reference to an action or unction of centuries past, but a fresh word from God. This personal word was present in the command, “Let us go over to the other side of the lake.” When the snag in life comes, (in this case a storm) the authority and commission of those who are called should come to the fore. Remember Jesus’ words to his disciples,

“And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven. Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.” (Luke 10:18-19)

The problem was that these men were fishers. They were well acquainted with the destructive power of the sea. They had known of lives being claimed out there on that water. They would have to change their minds and habits about very familiar things – a task very difficult indeed. The ingredient missing here was faith. “How is it that ye have no faith?”

The Lord wants and even commands us to have faith saying in Mark 11:22b, “Have faith in God.” This is rendered in Greek, “Have the faith of God.” Unswerving, confident, and assured faith that what God promised He is able to perform. This is why Jesus could, without flinching, place the two adjectives, faithless and perverse in the description of His disciples. In Matthew 17:17 the Lord chided the disciples for not having faith enough to cast out the demon in a boy who was brought to them, “Then Jesus answered and said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you?”

How Important Is Faith?

We should place as much importance on faith as the Lord did. Our concern for ourselves and doubting God can put us in the category of perverse. Look who is included in the list of the damned in Revelation 21:8, “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.” What a list on which to have an attribute of your personality included!

When Jesus tells His disciples the reason they could not cast the devil out He used the phrase, “because of your unbelief.” He did not say they didn’t have enough faith or that their faith was not large enough, He said that it was not there. “How is it that ye have NO faith?” The disciples must have wondered in themselves, “Do we need a greater faith?” But Jesus told them, “I say to you that if your faith were the size of the smallest seed it would have been enough. The problem was that faith wasn’t there at all.

Jesus’ words and actions said clearly, “You doubted my word. I gave you power and authority over unclean spirits and you doubted it.” This tenacious demon played the same role as the contrary wind and sea was to the prior mission. They had opportunity to learn this earlier. Had they learned the lesson from the Sea of Galilee they would have spoken to this demon and cast it out. Alas, they had no faith in this situation either. They did not speak to the wind in faith and they likely did not speak to this demon either. They had the command, the word, they knew what action to take, but they did not have the faith.[1]

Do we disappoint God when we doubt and fear? I believe, for the most part, we do. Especially when it comes to everyday provisions. We hear Jesus say, “…for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things”[2] we can hear a sadness in His voice that we do not comprehend this in reality.

However, many times, in order to keep from disappointing God, we err in the other direction – presumption. We presume God’s favor or blessing when, though we have no word from God, we capriciously take from the Bible someone else’s' promise or prior record of God’s provision and arbitrarily claim it for ourselves. Claiming that we are practicing faith, we mock the God we allege to glorify for our provision.

How is it that we have no faith? I submit it is because we have not heard from God. We have not sought commission by Him to live, work, or play, nor have we heard His voice in any matters of our life. How can we have faith, or live by faith if we have never heard the Word of God in any area of our lives? We are not living by faith... we are living by hope. Hope is good, but it is not faith. We hope God is in control. We hope He will bless us in next week’s business. We hope He will expand our borders and make our way prosperous, but we have no real word from God upon which we may lay claim and no promise upon which we may rest our full assurance of faith.

We know what to do, but we have not been told to do it. We know the job to be done, but we have not been commanded. When we are working under our own power and the storm looms overhead and we hear the thunder roll and the see the seas swell, our faith is exposed as only hope because we have no commission to call upon.

Faith Comes By Hearing

All we need to hear from our God is to go and do this or that and we would be strong in our faith. We would know our commission. No one in a right frame of mind wonders whether God is ABLE. We wonder if He is willing. We wonder if He is willing because we do not know His will! We must hear a word from God. We must hear the Word of God. Here is one of the most misunderstood principles in Christendom today. It is misunderstood mainly because the most misunderstood Scripture is so often used to teach in this situation.

“So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Romans 10:17

If you mistakenly define “the Word of God” as “the Scriptures,” you have rendered the power of this truth impotent. You will not receive faith from reading, nor will faith come by study, faith comes by HEARING. It is when you receive your commission to “go to the other side of the lake” that you have the faith to say, “Peace, be still.” But you have to HEAR it. We cannot presume it, we may not read the promise made to someone else two centuries ago, but you must hear for yourself.

Many of us are living our lives having never consulted God about the direction that they are to go. You may assume He wants you to do this or that, you may presume He will bless your efforts if you do the best you can, but if you want to claim to live by faith, you must hear from Him about your direction and purpose in life.

If you want to have faith you must hear that voice that authorizes you to overcome any obstacle. If you want to have faith – true faith – you must HEAR the Word of God. “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” We cannot group the whole Church into this category of faithlessness nor blame them for not exercising faith.

There are some who have heard the Word of God, who know the direction and purpose for their lives. They have been commissioned and told where to go and how to get there.

Like the disciples were told to go to the other side, some have received their orders. It is to those who know their instructions that Jesus addresses His question. “I gave you orders, I empowered you to overcome all obstacles, how is that ye have no faith?”

[1] Excerpt from the audio book “On Faith” by this author.

[2] Matthew 6:32

143.   What things?

Luke 24:19, “And he said unto them, What things?”

Owners of stores and markets wonder sometimes how their business presents itself to the public. Even after much training and orientation, an unmotivated employee can make an entire multinational company with years of experience look like a band of novices to the public. Fearing this, they send “shoppers” hired by the company to their stores. They are there for the express purpose of reporting how they are doing and how the company appears to the public.

In the story from which our question comes, we see Jesus doing this. We see Him walking along, “shopping” His disciples as if He were a stranger. He held back their recognition of Him facilitating candid responses to His questions.

He asks such a question that the disciples are flabbergasted at the ignorance of this stranger. “Where are you from that you have not heard of the man from Galilee that has turned this whole country upside-down?” “And the one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answering said unto him, Art thou only a stranger in Jerusalem, and hast not known the things which are come to pass there in these days?”

Word of what was done in Jerusalem, the life of Jesus and His subsequent execution, must have rung throughout the countryside. The story must have been on everyone’s lips and in everyone’s thoughts over the past three days. You can imagine the conversation at the town well and in the market. “Did you hear about the teacher Joshua?” (Jesus’ name in Hebrew/Aramaic) “He was crucified by the Romans for treason.” Or “…He was crucified for blasphemy!” Everyone probably had his or her own version of the story.

The Pharisees would gladly be giving reasons for His death and spreading stories about how it all came to be. Then there would be pure rumor, having no basis in fact at all, that would spread among the itching ears of Jerusalem. It was a situation ripe for gossip, rumor, and innuendo. But, what was the truth? When, why and how did it all happen?

Even as His discouraged Disciples walked, the Pharisees were plotting a rumor campaign to purport the theft of His body in the night to offset the fact that it was now missing, even under armed guard! How would Jesus check the knowledge and readiness of the disciples with whom He would soon entrust the everlasting Gospel message?

When they asked, “… hast thou not known the things which are come to pass there in these days?” And he said unto them, “What things?” “Tell me what things you are talking about.”

“And they said unto him, Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, which was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people: And how the chief priests and our rulers delivered him to be condemned to death, and have crucified him. But we trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel: and beside all this, to day is the third day since these things were done. Yea, and certain women also of our company made us astonished, which were early at the sepulchre; And when they found not his body, they came, saying, that they had also seen a vision of angels, which said that he was alive. And certain of them which were with us went to the sepulchre, and found it even so as the women had said: but him they saw not. 

In searching out their knowledge, Christ found their facts to be accurate, but they themselves, discouraged. They had their facts straight, but they were unsure how those facts were to be interpreted. They exposed their doubts when they confessed, “…we trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel!” Their voices trailed into mumbles that could be read clearly as, “…but alas, it was not to be.” Christ saw that they were feeling defeated in their hearts for they thought Christ, the “great and mighty Prophet,” was dead. It was as if they were apologizing for the fact that He was unaccounted among them. “…And beside all this, today is the third day since these things were done.”

These words showed that they had discussed the prophetic sign of Jonah that Jesus had spoken of in earlier days. He had promised that in three days He would rise from the dead. Then, as if to lend some credibility to Christ, they added, “Yes well, women of our company, which were early at the sepulchre, told us an amazing story when they did not find his body, they came saying that he was alive.” But then he adds sadly and reluctantly, “…but we went there and were not able to confirm their story.”

Jesus was unable to take any more of their sadness and lack of faith and said, “O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken: Ought not Christ to have suffered these things …to enter into his glory? And [then,] beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.” At this point He was still unknown to them. They assumed this stranger was a student of the Scriptures and happened to know much about Messiah. They gained encouragement from Him and invited Him to stay with them. He did so. That evening He opened their eyes to who He was and then departed from their sight.

The disciples did not pass their test but they did not fail either. They knew the how and the when but, the why was wrapped in emotion and self-concern and therefore difficult to be fully known. Jesus helped in two ways; He turned them back to the Scriptures.

The Scriptures are an invaluable source for the wavering, doubting, or discouraged Christian.

They offer stable words from God; promises and immutable prophecies that can place disjointed events and facts into an eternal perspective and paint a mural of understanding in the heart of the believer. Sometimes this understanding is not even one that can be related in word, but an underlying knowing that gives comfort in times of doubt.

The other way Christ helped them with their discouragement was by His physical presence. When they asked Him to stay He “…made as though He would have gone further… but they constrained him.” Jesus then changed His plans and stayed with them. Sometimes our presence can be a great encouragement to those who feel left alone.

Sometimes with encouragement, the Lord will stay with us a little longer in our time of doubt and fear, or in the time of embarrassment over our performance on our pop quiz.

So, How Would You Do? 

If our Savior wanted to check you out as a possessor of the Gospel message, how much of it could you relate accurately? Do you know who Christ was? Why Christ was? Do you know what things transpired in Jerusalem that day and how they affect you and what effect they have on others?

If Jesus gave you a little pop quiz to see how prepared you are to relate the good news to the world, how would you fare? What “things” do you know about God’s plan of Redemption? Do you know who was responsible for the death of Christ and why? Do you know why He was raised the third day? Do you know how all of this fits into Scripture and fulfills thousands of years of prophecy? Are you sure that your Savior has risen indeed and is now seated at the right hand of the Father on High? Does He live in your understanding and in your heart? Is your way dedicated to Him? Does your heart burn within you as He opens the Scriptures to you?

If Jesus appeared as a stranger and asked of the hope that is in you, could you tell Him of the events that changed your life? Could you give a clear and understandable story of the things in your life that led you to such hope... if He looked at you and asked, “What things?”

~

Matthew 12:39-40, “But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas: For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.”

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Enjoy this meditation from the Questions of Jesus .

Q. 120 Where is the Guestchamber?Luke 22:11, Mark 14:14, “And ye shall say unto the goodman of the house, The Master saith unto thee, Where is the guestchamber, where I shall eat the passover with my disciples?”

The rituals and traditions of some faiths are a fascinating study. I once heard a story of a young girl learning from her mother how to cook the holiday roast. “You must cut it like this before you put it in the pan” mother said with conviction as she removed four full inches from the end of the roast. “Why?” the young lady asked. “I don’t know,” the mother answered with a look of confusion, “but I’ve always done it – perhaps we’ll ask Grandma tonight. After all, she told me to do it” That night at dinner, the matriarch of the family was finally asked by the granddaughter, “Why did you teach Mom that the end of a roast should be removed?” She answered, “Back in those days… we had a very small oven!” So it is with rituals and traditions. The actions last long after the reasons are forgotten.

In order to look at traditions we need to stand back to consider them. Objectivity and reason must rule the deliberation. We also must realize that while all ordinances may be ritual all ritual may not be ordinance. The Church has found itself involved in liturgies and observances that have done much harm and little good over the years. People, otherwise civilized and kind, tear apart congregations and families with questions of rituals and all the intricacies of their observance. Are they required? How often? So on and so on, ad infinitum.

Let us examine Christ’s question, “Where is the guestchamber?” What a wonderful question to ask those who think it compulsory to prepare and participate in the Eucharist. What a question for those who feel it is essential to place common bread in their mouth and call it the body of Christ and those who pretend to drink His blood by drinking wine or juice.

They may find themselves in debates about how and why and with whom it is to be done. Churches split, families quarrel, while theologians (Catholic and Protestant alike) bark out Scriptures to “prove” their points. Should the wine be fermented? Is the bread allowed to be leavened? Should we serve the cup first or the bread? Should we use individual cups or share one? What should the cup be made of? Who is qualified to serve?

Who is qualified to partake? Is this service essential for salvation? Does the bread actually become the flesh of Christ? (Transubstantiation) How often should we do this each year…each month… each week? The questions go on indefinitely. One question, however, about this night that is never asked is the one Jesus asked, “Where is the guestchamber?”

Bread is easily purchased at the market or from church supply stores – perfectly round (if you are into Sun worship) or square if you like matzos or broken into tiny pieces, whatever is your tradition. We can find certified leaven free, kosher, salted or unsalted, crackers, or matzos.

The wine can be bought at the same places and may be from California or Israel, it may be fermented or unfermented, red or rosé (never white). Some see nothing wrong with using water in its place and to others that is sacrilege. Are all these concerns valid or can we participate in the Lord’s supper with a coffee and doughnut? (This is not said to offend but to provoke thought.) What is important and unimportant about the way this communion with Christ is carried out.

Another Idea

Quakers did not hold to the conventional idea of the “Lord’s Supper.” The Quakers (as indeed we all should) focus more on the communion and less on the supper. As a matter of fact, the supper becomes a symbol that complicates and obscures the Truth of this service.

You may meet an old friend and you say, “Let’s have dinner.” Don’t you assume that your intention is, not to eat, but to fellowship with your friend? When a gentleman asks a lady out for dinner, should we assume he is hungry for food? The symbolic gesture is just as much apparent in the Lord’s supper. The Lord is not hungry, nor does He care what is served. He comes for the fellowship, the communion, and the company. He does not ask, “Where is the unleavened bread I require?” Nor does He ask for pedigrees on participants. He asks, “Where is the guestchamber that I may eat the Passover with my disciples?”

The fellowship that Jesus requires is the communion of the heart. The company He desires is the humble disciple, eagerly awaiting words from the lips of his Lord – awaiting orders, awaiting corrections, awaiting encouragement. This is the fellowship He desires “as oft ye do this” (as often as you eat) to meet with Him and fellowship. As often as you raise a glass to quench your thirst, consider the blood with which you were purchased.

As often as you place food in your mouth to give yourself strength, gain strength from the body that was broken for you as well.

This fellowship is carried on in the heart. This is the guestchamber where resides the Savior, the lover of our soul. It is the guestchamber that is swept and garnished, where the door is opened to receive the Savior whenever He knocks. “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will SUP with him, and he with me.” (Revelation 3:20) Herein lies the fellowship, the communion, the company, it is the Lord’s SUPper that He desires. There is no fussing about who is invited, no worries about condition, color or location of the bread and wine, no silly debates, no presumptuous priesthood to serve these “holy elements,” just the pure fellowship of the heart. This is the true communion in the true guestchamber with the true bread.

The Guestchamber Is Key.

If it is a room, then the furnishings of the room become important. If it is a place we are to go, then when we go and where we go and who goes becomes very important. If the table of the Lord is a tangible table, then even its composition may be of some importance. But if the table, and the bread, and the wine, and the room are only a symbols of a greater spiritual existence, then it all becomes totally unimportant and diverting, dividing and distracting, illusory and bothersome.

Where is the guestchamber?

It is within us!

Most of the problems we encounter are problems that could have been avoided with ease if we had been fresh from fellowship with the Captain of our Salvation. The communion we need is daily communion, not a yearly or a monthly or even a weekly eating and drinking of “holy” bread and grape juice. The symbols mean nothing compared to the fellowship they represent. Paul, teaching on this very thing says, “For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. For he that in these things serveth Christ is acceptable to God, and approved of men. Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another.” (Romans 14:17-19)

But is anything wrong with an actual guestchamber and a tangible table and physical bread and wine? Yes, they are to be rejected. These items are to be rejected because they occupy a place in our minds that only the real and true articles should occupy. For example if I asked you, “When was the last time you had communion?” You may think back to the last time you sat with others in a service and participated in the Eucharist (or Lord’s Supper if you prefer).

If you asked me the same question I would answer, “This morning.” If we participate in “communion” at church, do we feel a need to do so at home? If a person partakes of the Lord’s Supper in church to satisfy the Scripture’s request to do so, is there a desire to continue that supper throughout the day? No, unfortunately the satisfaction of the pure Commandment cannot come from two sources – one source real, the other merely a symbol.

To live in truth, we must choose – let us choose the substance over the symbol. The question that settles the issue is “Where is the guestchamber?”

Where is your faith?Luke 8:24-25, “And they came to him, and awoke him, saying, Master, master, we perish. Then he arose, and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water: and they ceased, and there was a calm. And he said unto them, Where is your faith? And they being afraid wondered, saying one to another, What manner of man is this! for he commandeth even the winds and water, and they obey him.”

A story is told about a circus performer who walks among the crowd after successfully walking across the high wire suspended above a gorge, and asked, “Do you believe I can go across pushing a wheel barrow?” The crowd chanted, “Yes! Yes!” Then stone silence fell as he prepared the wheelbarrow for the narrow journey and not a word in answer came when he asked, “Now, who would like to ride?”

Corresponding action is the ONLY indicator of unfeigned faith.

The Bible records a question that is often quoted, but seldom answered. “What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? Can faith save him? It is most uncomfortable to answer the question because it shows us to be faithless in many cases. We must admit, however, that faith without actions that corresponds to the faith is not faith at all. And, “Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.” (James 2:14-24)

The action that corresponds to faith (or the lack of action) is not only a marker of absent faith, it can also provide clues to us indicating in what or where we have placed our faith. Jesus made the same point this way, “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” (Matthew 6:21) Behind the words is the principle that we live what we believe. Or as a Mississippi preacher friend of mine says, “We be livin’ what we believin’.” If what Jesus and my friend say is true (and I believe it is) then we may look into our own lives and easily see where our faith lies. “Where is your faith?” becomes more than a rhetorical question. It becomes a question of introspection. Your faith is somewhere, where is it?

Sometimes the action that exposes our misplaced faith is only a mental process. When trouble arises we may look for help. The process of looking starts with a mental inventory of useful items, people, and resources. When faced with a problem we might immediately think of a friend to help us who has expertise or political power. When faced with a loss we may think of our insurance policy or our savings account. When a health issue appears we may want to consult with a doctor of reputation among his peers. Where our thoughts go is to our treasure, and where your treasure is, there is where you will find your heart of faith.

When King David was faced with trouble he said, “I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth.” (Psalms 121:1-2) Could it be said that David had misplaced faith? Never a man had chariots and horses, armies and men so devoted to him as David had. He was truly a man of resources, but his attitude was, “Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the LORD our God.” (Psalms 20:7) Can anyone see a man here who doubts God? Do we have to ask David, “Where is your faith?”

I believe that God enjoyed the faith of Job, Noah and Daniel, and I believe that YHVH enjoyed David’s faith. David’s faith was different. It had a humble and unassuming quality. Although it was a no nonsense faith, it never even encroached disrespect. Jesus even mentions (I believe with a smile on His face) a time when David ate the shewbread in the Temple, which is unlawful for any man who is not a Priest to eat, and asked the Pharisees what they thought of that. It is no wonder that David was known as a man after God’s own heart. [1 Samuel 13:14, “…the LORD hath sought him a man after his own heart, and the LORD hath commanded him to be captain over his people…”] The eternal reign of Christ in the new Kingdom has been prophesied for years as the “the throne of David.” David’s relationship to Jehovah was so close that he once circumvented the office of the priest and a man was killed in the process. David grieved for Uzzah and believed it was his fault that he died. [2 Samuel 6] With all these ideas in our head, we are left with this mystery pertaining to David’s relationship to God. But a day came in the life of David where his actions would show, loud and clear, where his faith was. This was a day that grieved the Lord and things were never the same after this event.

“And Satan stood up against Israel, and provoked David to number Israel.” (1 Chronicles 21:1) What could be so bad about taking a census? Look at the figures that were given to David. “And Joab gave the sum of the number of the people unto David. And all they of Israel were a thousand thousand and an hundred thousand [1,100,000] men that drew sword: and Judah was four hundred threescore and ten thousand [470,000] men that drew sword.”(Verse 5) These statistics were to verify the POWER available to David as king. It was obvious that the object in which David placed his faith was changing, and it was deplorable to God. David’s action showed where his faith was. He no longer looked unto the hills as in the days of his youth. He no longer was saying that some trust in chariots and horses, for his actions are now speaking louder than any words of his past. But why did he falter?

Always Enough

I remember going away to school and, for the first time, I was in charge of my finances. In some homes Dad keeps the wallet and balances the checkbook, in my home, my Mother was the one. She taught me how to spend money and how to save it. I remember setting up an account at the school for needs and supplies that would eventually crop up as the year progressed. “How much money are you going to put in there?” I asked my mother. She told me that there would always be enough, as long as I only bought what I needed. I lived by the faith that what my mother told me was true. For many months I never looked into that account or even cared how much was there and, just as she said, whenever I needed something I could go to the clerk and ask for an amount and there was always enough.

But the day came when I wanted to buy MORE than I needed. What do you think was my first thought? My faith in Mom was instantly transformed. I could not count on what was out of my control, namely the will and ability of my mother; I had to rely on what was within my power and possession. My actions showed where my faith was. It was in me.

The Disciples were skilled boatmen. This was not their first time at sea. David was a man of war skilled in every area of battle. When it came time to take inventory of assets it should come as no surprise that these men counted on their own power. David realized what he had done and repented. After the ordeal was over David likely heard within himself the words, “Where is your faith?”

That thought never occurred to the disciples, however. They rowed and rowed. They used every trick in the book. After all hope was gone and their resources were exhausted, and they worked hard to no avail, they went to Jesus. Asking Him why He did not care if they perished, Jesus looked around at the panting men who were totally spent trying to recover themselves, and asked, “Where is your faith?”

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Why are ye so fearful?Matthew 8:26, “And when he was entered into a ship, his disciples followed him. And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: but he was asleep. And his disciples came to him, and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us: we perish. And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm. But the men marvelled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him!” Also refer to: Mark 4:40, Luke 8:25

One of the beautiful things about having four Gospels is reading the same account from three or four perspectives. This account of Jesus calming the storm is no exception. In one he asks, “Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith?” in another, “Why are ye so fearful? How is it that ye have no faith?” and then finally (as this story only appears in only three of the Gospels) He asks, “Where is your faith?”

From this story, take notice that the lack of faith is an indicator to Jesus that they are full of fear, or vice versa if you prefer, but it is obvious that faith and fear are mutually exclusive forces. More so than a discussion of faith, we want to consider the question that brought about the self-examination, “Why are you so fearful?”

Many of the answers to the questions Jesus asked were for our information not His. Even if we do not hold to the idea that Jesus “knew everything” or could “read minds,” we must agree that His wisdom far surpassed mankind’s. He asked, “Why are ye so fearful?” not because He did not know; He asked in order to initiate an internal and self-questioning process within the disciples. He was saying, “Stop, wait a minute and think! Why are you so fearful?”

This self-examining process is an essential part of the Christian faith that is lacking in most of our personal lives and certainly in conventional congregational worship. This process cannot be bypassed, done in haste or hurry, nor can it be accomplished in formulaic steps or procedures. It is a meeting of minds, so to speak, a meeting of reality within us that can only be accomplished through honest questions and honest answers.

In silent contemplation, we listen to the Word of God (the living Christ) within us, as He evaluates our condition and queries us, we answer Him and our answers may candidly determine our shortcomings and expose the necessary changes. But it is the waiting; the silent waiting upon Him that will present light to our souls and refresh our innermost being. The noise of our lives and noise of our churches attest to the lack of quietness within our spirits. Quietness is uncomfortable to most, because it naturally reveals the noise in our souls. We try to avoid this candid meeting with Christ from occurring within us, for we dread it may make our fears of our Father’s displeasure a reality. Noise is necessary to keep this honest, internal conversation from happening, lest we find ourselves convicted in our favorite lifestyle and then obliged to change it.

Peace with Our God

It is the lack of our Father’s approval that deprives of serenity; we want to feel His hand of salvation on us so that we can feel peace, but we avoid feeling His hand of correction. How can we have one and not the other? Do not both touches of His hand come at once? The writer in Hebrews 12 says, “For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons… Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? …that we might be partakers of his holiness. Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness…” (Verses 6-11 abridged, emphasis added) It is the pain of correction that brings about the feeling of being true children of your Father in heaven, as well as effecting lasting changes in our lifestyle that please Him.

But we avoid this pain. Sometimes we mistakenly think that the absence of discomfort we feel resulting from the singing or orchestrated harmony with others when we are making “joyful noise,” is His approving hand on our lives. But relief is not remedy. Our temporary comfort is no more a sign of healing than drug-induced pain alleviation is an evidence of a medical cure.

We are fearful because we do not know our future; we do not know our future because we do not have faith in God. We do not have faith in God because we are not in communication with Him; we are not in communication with Him because our sins have created a painful barrier between us. Sadly, what has been forgotten are the words of the Old Testament Prophet Isaiah: “Behold, the LORD'S hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.” (Isaiah 59:1-2)

Now that we know the answer, let us hear the question again, “Why are ye so fearful?” When faced with a trial of our faith we naturally think of ways we have displeased our God. It is as though we have a delinquent debt to the local hospital and we find ourselves in need of their services again. Though they may treat us through mercy, we know, because of our debt, we do not deserve it. You should live in such a way so that no debt, no sin or shortcoming should be outstanding, as you approach the Father in prayer.

Why are you so fearful? It is likely that you feel afraid in your trials because your disobedience and your recent failures give you no assurance that God is in control or will help in time of need. Selfish acts and concerns are often responsible for faithlessness and fear. Don’t live in a manner where only your interests are preponderant. In doing so, you will surely consider the storms that rise as obtrusive impositions into your world or even punishment for your sin.

Notice that Jesus did not ask, “Why are you afraid of storms?” That would be a silly question as it is well established that storms are dangerous. He asked, “Why are ye so fearful?” Jesus was awakened by His disciples asking, “Master, carest thou not that we perish?” Not only had they become fearful of the tempest, but they had also surmised, in their fear, that Jesus did not care if they died. They did not doubt His ability to act as much they now doubted His willingness to act on their behalf.

Jesus asked them about their fearfulness. They were not only afraid of the storm (which was normal); He asked them why they were full of fear. “Why are ye so fearful?” “Where is your faith?” “How is it ye have no faith?” These questions would sober any honest Christian, and initiate self-examination. You may feel that fear is out of your control. However, you should remember that the fear you feel is in inverse proportion to your faith in God. Your works exemplify and give evidence of your faith in God… and your works are within our control.

When weather, out of your control, pitches and tosses your boat, you can bravely steer ahead on into the waves and remain afloat only if you know that you are going where you were told to go, doing what you were told to do, and serving your Master and not your own interests. Steer, go, do, and serve! All are works within your control. It is only the one who seeks the easy way, or who looks for the loopholes, who fears when the way grows dark and ominous. Those who dodge responsibility and perform only the least that is expected are uncertain that God cares, or doubt that He would use His power to save.

You are not to be cowardly and worthless, trembling and unsure. You are to hold in high regard your commission and the Commissioner. You may only exemplify that respect by your servile attitude and selflessness. Then you can function in true and trusting faith. You can live in full assurance that if He says to go, you’ll go until you arrive. If He says to do, you’ll do until you are done. You will fear nothing because you are not your own, you are bought with a price. You have nothing to fear as you live day to day doing only that which pleases Him. So then, “Why are ye so fearful?”

Have you not so much as read?Luke 6:3, Mark 2:28, Matthew 12:3-8, John 7:23 (Combined)“But he answering said unto them, Have ye never read so much as this, what David did, when he had need, and was an hungred, he, and they that were with him? How he entered into the house of God, and did eat the shewbread, which as not lawful for him to eat, neither for them which were with him, but only for the priests? Or have ye not read in the law, how that on the sabbath days the priests in the temple profane the sabbath, and are blameless? … But if ye had known what this meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless. And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath: For the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath day.”

This is one of few accounts that appears in all four Gospels and is a lesson often lost in the mire of arguments about the Sabbath day. Let us focus on Jesus’ question, “Have you not so much as read…?” Notice that He uses this question to preface the references to the Law of Moses and David the Prophet. Christ almost has a tone of surprise in His voice, wondering how this concept had eluded their reading and study. Let’s look at the Scripture Jesus quoted:

Hosea 6:6, “For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.”

The “knowledge of God” is more desirable than offerings and sacrifice. Hebrew prose had poetic values; to repeat a thought in the next phrase with different words of the same meaning was common when the writer was trying to emphasize a point. There are many examples of repetition for emphasis throughout the Old Testament to demonstrate this. By pairing up the repeated thoughts synonyms can be found. Here we see the word “sacrifice” used as a synonym to “offering” and “knowledge of God” in synoptic position with “mercy.”

By this verse we may learn that revelation of the knowledge of God will not only reveal Him as merciful; it also places demand upon us to be merciful in order to live in concord with Him.

It is fascinating how often this “New Testament” concept appears in the “Old Testament.” Psalms 40:6 says, “Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire…” Psalms 51:16-17 repeats, “For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.” God’s desire for mercy and not sacrifice is an ancient one. We must not think that God desires sacrifice – His desire is mercy, submission and a contrite and obedient heart. Once, this same concept of sacrifice being second to righteousness, condemned and deposed a King with almost the same words that Jesus quoted from Hosea: “And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.” (1 Samuel 15:22)

David: An Example for Us

David was so intimately familiar with Jehovah that he saw no conflict (and certainly no sin) in eating the forbidden shewbread in the temple. Jesus somehow applied this example of familiarity with the Lawgiver to His disciples who were gathering corn to eat on Sabbath. There is a mystery here that has not been revealed. David knew something to which we have not been made privy; there is something here like a back door or a peek into the Spirit circumnavigating the letter of Law without breaking it. Though it is elusive and difficult to know it in its fullest sense, its truth is contained in the verse:

“The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath: For the Son of man is Lord even of the Sabbath day.”

Those who hear in this verse that we can do whatever we want on the Sabbath Day because it was made for us, or those who think Jesus said that He can do whatever He wants because He is Lord of the Sabbath, somehow giving Himself permission to break the Commandment, simply don’t understand this verse. It is deeper than this.

There is more to this than wholesale negation of the Law. We cannot do whatever we want yet we are called and compelled to seek God and learn of Him and gain the knowledge of Him and seek Him with our whole heart. This is so we can live, move, and have our being in Him, without fear, without condemnation and still live a life free from sin (not freedom to sin.)

The simple application to this is that, possibly, what we think is sin …may not be – and what we think is not sin…is. Our difficulty comes from the fact that we don’t know God! As much as we may delight in our experience of Him, as proud as we may be of the road we have traveled, as far as we think we may have come, we may still go outside on a starry night and look up and know that this saying is true: “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:8-9) Why do we not know Him? Jesus said it may be because we have not so much as read His Scriptures.

We must make ourselves familiar with our God. How are we to do that if not by reading His Scriptures? We must learn of His ways and make them our ways. We cannot continue as marginally obedient children, or part-time doers of the Law. Nor can we consider ourselves sinless solely by virtue of what some would claim to be an “abolished” Law. We must learn of Him.

We must read His Law, His Prophets, and the testimony of Jesus Christ.

The Scriptures provide insight beyond anyone’s years; they contain the intelligence that created the world, the heart of love that gave up to death an obedient Son to save the rebellious ones. We may no longer blamelessly saunter through Christian bookstores hungrily begging for scraps.

We cannot continue expecting tradition, and ceremony to satisfy the eternal need for true and meaningful communion.

We may sit no longer at the feet of mere men asking advice, seeking direction, or attempting to gain some second-hand guidance. How can we ask our most gracious God, who gave the Scriptures, preserved them, and freely dispersed them throughout the world, to speak to us, give us guidance, and day to day leading if we refuse to read, the gift of all earthly gifts, the Scriptures? Do you expect God to tell you something twice, or three times? Or do you demand that He write a letter, mail it, deliver it, open it, and read it to you? What must our heavenly Father do to teach you?

The Bible is the book of all books. It contains answers to questions with which you are struggling right now. It has insight to impart to you that could make next week into a miracle instead of a massacre.

By writing a Bible, our God has lifted the requirements of holiness to hear a word from Him. Anyone can read it. Anyone can hear the words He spoke and spark within them the light of understanding to begin the journey toward peace with God. What a gift! To be given, without prerequisite, a window into the mind and heart of God.

You may be ignoring the most wonderful love letter ever written, all the while pleading for intimacy and “the knowledge of God”; all the while living in unnecessary sin and ignorance. To what extent must He go to make His way known to you? How will you stand before Him and plead ignorance of His ways, knowing He could look at you and ask, “Have ye not so much as read?”

Acts 2:30 - “Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne;”
Acts 17:28 - “For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring.”