Stephen
Terry, Director
The
Mystery of the Gospel
Commentary
for the August 5, 2023, Sabbath School Lesson
"Then
I saw another angel flying in midair, and he had the eternal gospel to proclaim
to those who live on the earth--to every nation, tribe, language and people." Revelation
14:6, NIV
Over fifty years ago, I was in
the Army and stationed at Fort Bliss outside of El Paso, Texas. One of the
things I loved to do on weekends was to go riding my motorcycle in the desert.
I learned that speed was what kept you upright on shifting sand, and the sand
dunes were wonderful places to do jumps, provided you landed correctly. I also
discovered that a motorcycle with a flat tire could still work on desert sand
as centrifugal force would keep the rubber tire expanded if you went fast
enough. This discovery came after mesquite thorns pierced my tires and I had to
make it several miles back to town so I could get a tube of "Stop Leak" to fill
my tires and keep them inflated.
I rode a Suzuki 185 cc Street
and Trail bike, and I had a friend, Bob,* who joined in the fun with a 90 cc
Yamaha. He also learned things about desert riding. His Yamaha only had a paper
filter for the carburetor, so he struggled to keep sand out. Eventually he got
a better filter that would trap the sand, so he didn't have to keep constantly
cleaning the filter every few minutes.
One of the places we rode to was
Hueco Tanks, a collection of rock depressions carved out by nature where rainwater
would collect. It was an informal attraction back then. There were no rangers
or buildings, just a very rough road in and out of the area. I went back in the
1990s and found it became a formal park with rangers, buildings, and established
hiking and climbing trails. Despite having none of that when my friend and I
visited as young men in the 1970s, dozens of people would visit the area on
Sabbath afternoons. One of the attractions was a multi-level cave system that
we could explore out of the relentless summer sun. We would get to an upper
level and watch others exploring the levels below. Because of the heat, we
usually wore cut-off denim shorts. Once while we were leaning over the ledge
looking down, a young girl saw us and shouted, "Mommy! There are naked men up
there!" Of course, she could only see our upper bodies as we leaned out over
the ledge, so our shirtless arms and chests made the conclusion seem logical to
her young mind. We laughed long and hard over that experience.
Bob and I had many conversations
during our desert bike outings. Sadly, those conversations ended abruptly one
day. We were talking about God, heaven, and the future. At one point, he flatly
stated that if there were going to be any Mexicans in heaven, he did not want
to be there. I am not sure after all the time we rode together why he decided
to tell me that. He thought because he was white and I was white, I would
agree. I did not. I told him if that were truly the way he felt, he would get
his wish and not be there. I don't know if I should have been so blunt, but I
despise racism in all its forms, especially when expressed by those considered Christian.
Although we both were members of the same church, he refused to ever ride with
me again after that day. I did speak with him again many years later. His life
had gone off the rails, and despite his struggles, he had no desire to find his
way back. He rejected my attempt to reach out to him. His racism still burned
in his heart and his family had disowned him. His hatred of the other had so
dominated his life it drove away family, friends, and potential employers. Hatred
devastates the hater far more than those he hates.
In Ephesians, chapter three,
Paul shares the mystery of a gospel that despite the tendency of fallen
humanity to hate those who differ even in small ways from our own chosen perspective,
people of every tribe, nation, and language will be in heaven and the New
Jerusalem. Matthew tells us Jesus said, "this gospel of the kingdom will be
preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations."[i] If
we exclude others from our presence based on that otherness, how is this to
take place? Some get the idea that preaching the
gospel requires condemning others. When the lost come close, they are driven
away for their differences as though that would win the world for Jesus. But
Jesus did not come to condemn.[ii]
His desire was not to close doors but to open them. Nonetheless the religious
leaders of his day were more than willing to close those doors to exclude
others, and in doing so, like my friend Bob, they exclude themselves.[iii]
Things have not changed much
since then. The Holy Spirit touches hearts and those who have felt that touch
come to church seeking the love of God. But what does an errant child do who has
not experienced love? When offered love, they will test the boundaries of that
love to see if it is genuine or only a false front. But that testing is not
only for their benefit. It is for ours as well. Does our patience demonstrate
that our love is genuine or is it a false veneer easily cracked, allowing our
fear and hatred of everything different to seep through to hurt and wound those
who were already fleeing pain in their lives? All of us are capable of
succumbing to this temptation. Even Paul urged disfellowshipping someone in his
first letter to the Corinthian Church.[iv] In
his second letter, Paul relented and urged a different, loving course with the
individual.[v]
None of us is immune from such failings, but Paul's desire to set things right
again should inform how we treat others who happen to sin differently than we
do.
In Jesus day, the Jews hated the
Samaritans because they felt they practiced an impure religion. That kind of
attitude has not subsided even today in Christianity. Just this week, someone
posted on my Facebook news feed that they had visited a church with Black worshippers
and found it to be an abomination because it was too lively for them. It is unlikely
that person will ever be able to take the gospel to those who respond to it in
a lively manner. Instead of rejoicing in the spirit with fellow believers, they
will be like King Saul's daughter, Michal, peering scornfully down at those
dancing joyfully before the Ark of the Covenant.[vi] The
Bible says she remained childless to the day of her death, symbolizing the
results of such a spirit in our attempts to spread the gospel. Should we give
in to such condemnation of those with differences, we too should expect little
to no fruit for our labors.
Love is to be the guiding
principle of all our thoughts and actions. But our fallen nature has made this difficult
if not impossible. Even Paul struggled with this,[vii]
and who of us is the equal of Paul in spreading the gospel? Paul found freedom
from condemnation for his failings in Jesus,[viii]
and it is this freedom he presented to Jew and Gentile alike. Out of such
teachings came a new faith that sought to establish an equal relationship with
God for both cultures. It was hard to overcome the old prejudices, and
adjustments were made at times to set things right.[ix] But
as the needs of each became apparent in the early church, an equality of love
for one another met that need and the gospel flourished.[x]
Some may scoff at the very idea
that such things could happen, but what is a mystery or even foolishness to
those without the Spirit becomes clear to those led by that Spirit.[xi] The
Spirit is only received when we recognize the path we are on is not loving, it
is selfish, and we do an about face and choose to become the loving beings we
were meant to be. Then the Holy Spirit can enter our lives and hearts.[xii] This
relationship is direct with God. Religious leaders, pastors, bishops, reverends
and whatever they choose to call themselves do not necessarily understand the
Holy Spirit and how we enter and maintain that relationship. Nicodemus, a
leading Pharisee, struggled to understand it all, coming to Jesus by night for
fear of what others might think.[xiii]
He was a wealthy and respected religious leader and found the words of Jesus
compelling, but had not learned to listen for the voice of the Spirit speaking
to his heart. Eventually, he took a stand for Jesus, assisting Joseph of
Arimathea in preparing Jesus' crucified body for burial. This lends credence to
the idea that he eventually found the understanding he was seeking.
The mystery of the gospel can
only become clear through a relationship with the Holy Spirit. One can study
water all they like, but all the studying will never equal the understanding
that comes with immersion. So it is with the Spirit. As King David wrote, "Taste
and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him."
(Psalm 34:8)