Worth More than Sparrows

Yeshua knew that the disciples and the generations to come after them would face times of intense persecution.  At those times, it might seem as if HaShem had lost control of events or forgotten about them.   Unlike those early believers, we here in America, do not face physical persecution.  However, we do face hostility in the form of indifference, ridicule, or perhaps even attacks on our character.

But, Yeshua encouraged His disciples by saying, “Are not two sparrows sold for a cent?”  Perhaps He had in mind the pigeons and turtledoves that the poor brought for offerings in the Temple. Archaeologists have uncovered numerous dovecotes from the Second Temple Era, which evidence pointed to a large pigeon and dove industry during those days.  The Jewish people raised the birds primarily for food……a poor man’s meat.

No one regarded the small, inexpensive birds as valuable, “Yet not one of them is forgotten before HaShem 12:6) “Not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father” (Matt. 10:29). Yeshua reasoned that if HaShem remembers even an inexpensive bird and takes note of its fall to the ground, how much more so will He remember and take care of you who are more valuable than many small birds.

His consolation sounds similar to the words about our daily provision: “Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.  Are you not worth much more than they?” (Matt 6:26) The bird-comparison does not guarantee invulnerability.  He did not say that sparrow will not fall to the ground or that believers will not face tragedy and sorrow!!  If HaShem allows the birds to fall to the ground, He may also allow the disciples to face mishap, ill circumstance, and death……..but not apart from His concern, care and wisdom.  Yeshua’s words assure us that HaShem is mindful of our suffering and His hand directs our course.  Therefore, the Master’s disciples should be fearless and confident.

Don’t we wish we could have heard those words directly from the Master’s lips?  However, James’ letter to the believers tells them not to be amazed that these things will come upon them. “Count is all joy my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness………that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”

The Master assured the disciples that even “the very hairs of your head are all numbered.”
(Lk. 12:7) Therefore we can be assured that everything is under His control.  Even those of us who are losing our hair!!

Jesus and the Fig Tree.

It was morning and Jesus was hungry.  He was looking for something to eat when he came upon a fig tree. The fig tree had only leaves and no fruit.   You might review the story found in Matthew 21 and Mark 11. He told the fig tree……”May you never bear fruit again!”  The tree died!   This has caused Christians to scratch their heads trying to figure out just why Jesus cursed this tree.  After all, it was not the right time of year for figs.  The non believer would say that this was an example of a petulant man not getting what he wanted.  It seems to indicate that the Lord had neither wisdom, or virtue in His curse of the tree.  So say the unbelievers.

Christian theologians have also added their ideas.  Most seem to think that the fig tree is symbolic of Israel and that Jesus is criticizing faithless Israel for not recognizing Him as the Messiah.  We don’t actually know why the Master said these things to the tree but we also know that He never wasted words or actions.  Perhaps we are overlooking a deeper meaning here.

Although the two accounts in both Matthew and Mark vary slightly, they both record this incident which I believe must have been rather important and was written for a specific reason.  There is nothing in scripture to suggest this was an off handed remark to be taken lightly.  That both men recorded this incident means that there was some significance attached to both the fig tree and the Messiah’s reaction to the lack of fruit.  We must then look beyond the incident itself to what lies behind his reaction to the barren fig tree.

Let’s dispense with the notion that Jesus was angry and frustrated with the tree.  This is our reaction to the incident……not what we read.  It wasn’t recorded that Jesus was angry at the tree.  If Jesus could turn water into wine and feed five thousand people with a five loaves of bread and two little fish……then He certainly could have found a few figs on this tree regardless of the season.

As for interpreting this as a curse on Israel, that seems to take dangerous liberty with God’s intentions, affections and promises that we find all throughout the Hebrew Scriptures…….. especially since Jesus equates His curse of the fig tree and the resulting withering of the tree as a demonstration for  faithful disciples. (Matt.21:21)

We need to look beyond the tree episode and read the story in its context.  Jesus has just made his triumphal entry into Jerusalem, sandwiched between two visits to the Temple.  Therefore perhaps the temple and what it represents is central to the fig tree incident.

God had ordained the Temple to be a place where He himself would meet with His people, hear their prayers and forgive their sins.  But that was about to change.  The corrupt priesthood had so polluted the temple itself that God provided His own Messiah to come and bear the sins of the people.  No longer would the Temple be necessary and no longer would people need to bring their sacrifices to obtain forgiveness.

Jesus used the fig tree as a symbol of the temple.  He didn’t curse with fig tree in anger.  He was pointing to the judgment of God.

As the cursed fig tree would no longer be a source of food, so the Temple would no longer be the place for redemption. God always desired repentance from his people and it was offered to them through the sacrificial system.  Now … Jesus’ sacrifice became the one true source for redemption and therefore the system that had been in place for thousands of years was at that point, not necessary.  The brick and mortar of the Temple symbolized the place that God would meet His people.   Now that one place was no longer fit to serve God’s purposes.

No, Jesus wasn’t being ill tempered when He pronounced a curse on the fig tree.  He was announcing both the judgment and mercy of God!  Both the fig tree and the temple would no longer serve useful purposes.

It would be in 70 A.D. that the temple did fall and the curse of the fig tree would be remembered.

Is The Bible For Real?  Why Do We Need It?

In this age of Skeptics, New Agers, Millennials and the general disbelief in God, Jesus or the anything biblical, I decided to find some answers that might help me and perhaps others in facing the skepticism of our world.  Let’s face it.  Christians are becoming the minority group in the world.  Facing the truth of the Bible and the principles found therein are becoming as obsolete as that old black and white TV.

The real issue of accusations against the Bible can be summed up rather easily.
Why do you submit to the Bible’s authority?  Why do you allow it to dictate how you live? Why should anyone give allegiance to a book that discourages looking out for number one?

When people ask, “How can you believe the Bible?” some Christians mistakenly respond with a history lesson.  They display charts, manuscripts, statistics, quote some unknown archeologist, cite historical verification, etc.  The questioners remain unmoved, because historicity isn’t the issue.  Authority is the issue!  Here are a few answers that might help us to come to grips with this problem.

There are basically four factors of unbelief.  I am not the author here but quoting my source from a book called “Questioning Evangelism” by Randy Newman.  Highly recommended.

1. Plausibility. Isn’t it reasonable to believe that a God who created us could, if He wanted to, communicate with us?  Just how would He do that?  The most likely way would be to give us a collection of inspired writings.  So isn’t it possible that a god would connect with us through a written verbal form?  If it was only to teach each person singularly then it would be difficult to come to any conclusions.  But our God wanted to teach all humans about who He is and what He wanted from humanity.
2. Messiness . The Bible is messy.  The Bible isn’t easy to read. It is long and repetitious and was written by forty different authors.  It contains a diversity of locations, languages, genres, and literary styles.  The authors seem to invite contradictions and unbelievers are quick to point these out.  If God is the author one wonders why He wasn’t clearer in making His point.  But these are the very qualities that  give credence in making scripture correspond to our own complex nature……..the intellectual, emotional, social and physical components of our unique personhood.  The Bible challenges us into seeing our lives as unique and a created humanity.  Despite our all of our efforts in solving the problems of life around us, we still face the ultimate reality of death.  Man must face his destiny and he will never solve that dilemma  on his own.
3. Reality. Perhaps now is the time for the history lesson. The multiplicity of manuscripts, the historical and archeological support from without and the presence of authenticating material from within the Bible point to accurately recorded history.  However, we must declare What the Bible says rather than how the Bible says it.  Let’s tell the story……the Bible’s story. The Bible’s story is actually our story.  It’s what we need in our life to carry us through the trouble times that will come to all of us.
4. Need..There are a variety of ways of reading Scripture.  Many people prefer the narrative approach which means telling the gospel as a story.  Everyone has a story to tell, in one form or another.  Jesus used parables in relating the truths of God.  Just how God wants us to relate to Him and to others.  However, we must not get bogged down in storytelling. Otherwise the Bible becomes just another narrative.  Man has always wanted to find meaning in life…the Bible has the answer.  We were made to have an intimate relationship with this all loving and powerful, sovereign God.  Something within each being cries out for intimacy with a “higher power”.   People are looking to find this “higher power” through Buddhist teachings, spirits directly speaking to them, or New Age thinking.  The storyline of all mankind should connect people to their roots, beginning with Creation and realizing how much man has fallen from intimacy with God.  By making ourselves into little gods we are designing our own path and yet that path leads nowhere.  By telling others that they bear the nature of God and that by reading the Bible they will find the Good News they have been searching for all along.

 The Bible story line awakens within us a God- implanted desire for a happy ending! We can assure people that the dread of death makes sense.  However, we can declare to them that each and every human being has eternal significance.  By reading the Bible in its own completeness they will find their very lives are of great value……because they were meant for something better, something eternal.

Even in these skeptical times, when the Bible is tossed into a pile of irrelevant books it is there to be read and studied.  It will always be there.  Ready for those who realize their great need of finding the true meaning to life.

Sheep and Goats / Wheat and Weeds

In our Bible class we are beginning a study on the relevance of Christianity in today’s world.  Not too many years, ago this topic would not have been discussed.   Living the American dream in a Democratic society included faith in a Divine Creator. Millions believed that Jesus was God’s chosen Messiah, bringing redemption from sin and a belief that our faith would be honored by spending an eternity in God’s presence.  Sunday was a day that most American families attended church services.  In fact, there were “blue laws.”  Certain items could not be bought or sold on Sunday.  So where are we now in the 21^st century?

According to the book we are reading called “Good Faith”, the authors have come up with figures that express the thoughts of so many people in today’s world.  Christianity is simply not relevant and perhaps even hostile to a society that wants to be free from the shackles and restraints of the Biblical commands.  There is no heaven/hell, no rewards or punishments and that the “Faith of our Fathers” is simply not applicable in our society.  Surely man can come up with solutions in solving the world’s problems.  Death can be delayed; sickness cured, and the after- life can take care of itself!

Unbelief in God as well as “Me First” mindset seems to fit.   If it pleases Me then it is right for Me! Besides, if there is a God and He is Love then He isn’t going to send anyone to hell…..if there is a hell!

Jesus then had it all wrong. Not only Jesus, but many of the prophets from Scriptures.  We simply can’t vision a God that has a giant scoreboard up in Heaven, keeping track of everyone down here. That idea may seem strange and perhaps even primitive to our minds but when reading passages in the Bible we can’t refute the idea that God is indeed keeping His eyes on us.

Jesus uses metaphors in much of His teaching about Heaven vs. Hell and those who will be rewarded in the coming Kingdom.  Here is what Matthew tells us. (25:31-33)…… “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a Shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.  And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left.”

Here, Jesus is telling his audience that there will be a time at the end of the age when man will be judged. The Shepherd will be God himself.  The sheep represents believers, and the goats represent nations of people who have not come to faith. This same imagery can be found in Ezekiel 34.  The Prophet talks about the lost sheep of Israel and the shepherd of the tribe of David will feed them.  Jesus will feed the flocks of Israel but there will be a judgment among the sheep.

Then the Lord told the parable about the wheat and the tares. (Matt 13:30)  ”Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.”

Wheat and tares carries the same type of judgment.  The good vs the evil or those who will not be permitted to enter into the glories of the New Kingdom.

As believers, we are not to shy away from the difficult times in which we live.  We are “here and now” and must speak up where others are silent.  Speaking up for our faith might not change minds but you will be honored of the Father.  Good faith involves living up to a commitment; doing good works because you are a Christian; and being prepared to answer those who question your beliefs.

Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness and more faith will be given to you.

Time to engage the culture!

Winning by Singing.

Nothing arouses us more than music.  Perhaps it is a familiar song from our childhood; a military march which stirs our patriotic pride; a meaningful hymn from our worship.  Music is part of our soul.

In Isaiah 49:13 ”Sing for joy, O heavens, and exult, O earth; break forth, O mountains, into singing!”  The prophet is telling us that all of creation will burst into song.  I believe this speaks of the new creation…the Messianic Age….when all things will be made new. But even before that day arrives, the scriptures are replete with music: singing coupled with joy, thanksgiving and worship.

In my other blog I wrote about the sounding of the Shofar signaling the return of the Lord….  the blast of the trumpet. In the Hebrew Scriptures, the Shofar was used to call the people to arms, for an assembly, or even to provoke the troops going into battle.  But singing?

In the face of fierce enemy armies, King Jehoshaphat chose a seemingly suicidal response.  In reading 2 Chronicles 20:22, we read where he did an amazing thing,.  He ordered the Levite singers into battle ahead of his warriors.  Did you catch that?  He sent the Singers!!! The amazing thing is that this tactic worked above and beyond any normal military response.
“As they began to sing and praise, the Lord sent an ambush against the Ammonites, Moab and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah, so that they were routed.”

So here is an amazing double meaning.  “Out of the mouths of babes and infants you have founded a bulwark because of your foes, to silence the enemy and the avenger” (Psalm 8:2) This verse later quoted by Jeshua  (Jesus ) contains a play on words. Hebrew has layers of meaning in one word. We have a few in English.  You can think of many I’m sure however, perhaps not the richness of biblical Hebrew which is usually associated with God.

The word “bulwark” also has the primary meaning of strength and valor, with a secondary meaning of praise. This one Hebrew word captures the essence of the entire story of the army that won by singing.  They sang with strength and valor giving praises to the Lord!

A wonderful story to remind us that singing helps win victories in your own life as well.

The Secret Things

How God is working in this world?  I sometimes rationalize and say “God is doing this because…..”.  If I really knew His workings then I would have the mind of God…..knowing all things.  None of us can speak for God although I have heard people try.  When reading the prophets in the Hebrew Scriptures I believe that they were relating truths that God wanted His people to know.  However, God only told them what needed to be told.  He never told them why.

There are a great many things we do not know which the Scriptures have only hinted.  We are left guessing at what lies beyond the edge of our perception.

Here’s a few for you.  What is the reward of the righteous and the punishment of the wicked after the grave? Is it always hell fire and damnation?  What is the nature of Messiah? How do we reconcile His divinity with His humanity?  What is the nature of God?  How can He be fathomed and explained? What about the problem of evil? What is the role of the Adversary, and how do we reconcile his presence with the sovereignty of God? How is it that God both chooses His people and assigns them choice? How will the age culminate and when will the Master return?

These and similar matters, are always of great interest to Bible students. Our minds and souls are naturally curious to probe these mysteries and the Scriptures offer insight into all of them but we peer them as a man peers into a dim mirror.  Paul said in 1st Cor. 13…. “ For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.”  Therefore we know in part and understand in part, because there are secret things that belong to the Lord.

When reading Deuteronomy 29:29 “The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this Torah.” Moses said these words to the people when they didn’t understand how God was working.  However, God didn’t leave them clueless.  He gave them the ordinances that they were to follow to be a people set apart for Him.  They were to be His chosen ones, a kingdom of priests that would pass on the words of His commandments to generations that followed.  And then, of course, the Gentiles were to receive the grace shown to Israel through the Messiah which was embodiment of God’s goodness and love.

Ironically, things which are essentially unknowable and intangible are the things which divide us, one from another.  Differences of opinion and interpretation on theological issues typically define the borders between one belief system and another.

Things that are inferred from the Scripture but left unanswered often cause the most problems between us.  When we attempt to take possession of the secret things of the Lord, we find that they slip through our hands and leave us fractured and divided.  We cannot create unity when unity depends on us defining the indefinable!!

We should learn to let the secret things remain the Lord’s and expend our energy in accomplishing clearly what is revealed.

“He is the one we proclaim, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ.” Col 1:28

Blowing the Horns

I enjoy reading about the Biblical Feasts that are listed in Leviticus and Deuteronomy.  We, as Gentile believers don’t pay much attention to these feasts because they were given to the Jewish people but because our Lord celebrated these feasts it should be interesting to us also.

Rosh Hashanah is called the New Year and it is a great a festive celebration.  Rosh Hashanah this year will be celebrated on the 10^th of Sept.  For observant Jews there will be the blast of the shofar (trumpet) with much feasting and celebrating.  However, despite the fact that it is celebrated in September, it is not actually a name given by God,  or for that matter even the date is wrong.

In Leviticus 23:23-25, God tells Moses that on the first day of the seventh month there shall be a holy assembly commemorated with trumpet blasts. So the words Rosh Hashanah are nowhere to be found.  Actually the name is Yom Terah.—–The day of the Blasting Shofars or Feast of Trumpets!  Why is this at all important to us?  What’s going on?

Since  New Testament theology is rooted in the Hebrew Scriptures, we can better understand what the  blowing of the Trumpets means to us.  Matthew speaks clearly about trumpet blasts.

“And He will send His angels with a loud trumpet call, and they gather His elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.” (Mt. 24:31)

And again in 1 Cor.15:52. “In a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable and we will be changed. ”

In the light of these readings it is clear to see that Yom Terah is not about remembering the past but it will be a future event.

The Feast of Trumpets points to the coming of Yeshua, (Jesus) and our being transformed from this body into an incorruptible body.  This will be the beginning of the Messianic Age. It will be the Kingdom of which our Lord spoke.  His time on earth brought the beginning of the Kingdom, of which the church is a part.

No one knows when the Lord will return. However the blowing of the shofar will certainly be a heavenly one signaling the Lord’s arrival and the beginning of His long awaited return. We are told there will be a new heaven and new earth.  Old things will pass away.

“We who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the Trumpet call of God, and the dead in Messiah will rise first.  After that we, who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. “
(1 Thessalonians 4:15-17)

Wow……..what excitement for believers.  Are you ready?

Baking Cakes

I recently came across an article concerning a baker in CO.  who refused to bake a cake for the wedding of a gay couple.  This couple felt it was against the law for him to refuse to provide a cake.  Of course they could have gone to another baker who would have made the cake but they felt their civil rights were being violated and it became a matter of principle.  Their case is known as Masterpiece Cakeshop vs Colorado Civil Rights Commission.  The baker in question could have easily given in to their requests to bake them a cake, but his Christian values prevented him from doing that.  Instead the case is now coming before the Supreme Court and will evidentially be decided by them.

Just a cake???  No, this is a question of values and personal commitment.  The baker might easily lose, in which case he might also be fined and put out of business.  He is willing to take that risk.  The article which I read was written by an attorney who knew the “ins and outs” of civil law and what is entailed in this squabble.   I will not bore you with the details of the laws………not only in Colorado but laws of the nation as well.

We know that most laws provide justice for those who need it.  They both prevent injustices in our society and act as a safety net to provide for the well being of the citizenry.  God is the giver of laws and did so to provide for His people what they needed in order to be of service to their fellows as well as teaching obedience to Him.  His laws are predicated upon human nature.  Mankind seeks what is best for himself…..(our sin nature) ……..and not for the good of others. God provides for repentance and forgiveness.  Going to jail isn’t in the equation and neither is imposing big fines.  Now back to the baker.

After reading this article thoroughly I am still confused about the laws in question.  Why bother?  It becomes a matter of conviction. To me it concerns the civil rights of one group being imposed on another.

If the guy really doesn’t want to bake a cake why should the state of Colorado become involved or the Supreme Court for that matter?  The guy owns the bakery.  He should be able to decide for whom and when he will bake his cake.  This doesn’t involve life or death, or committing a bodily crime against the person(s) in question.  The baker should have the right to decide. It is his decision. This is a privately owned company.   If civil rights are involved here then his rights should be considered before the guys who want the cake. They aren’t suffering from abuse or a crime committed against their persons.

My advice:   Go to another baker and buy your cake………then you can have their cake and eat it too!!

When the Answer is No!

Perhaps more articles, books and blogs have been written on prayer and any other topic.  I have also commented on prayer so this will not be a new revelation.  Just a few more thoughts on the subject.  I’m sure most of you have heard these comments or perhaps might have ideas of your own.  Good.  Keep those thoughts in your life.  God is always there and whether our prayers go exactly the way we expect or want He is listening.

That being said…….we know that we don’t always get what we ask for.  Moses wanted to enter the Promised Land.  More than anything, he wanted to finish the journey, cross the Jordan and stand on the soil of the holy land that God had promised Abraham many years before. God said “No.”  End of discussion.

Moses pleaded with the Lord, “Let me I pray, cross over and see the fair land that is beyond the Jordan” (Deut. 3:25). Ordinarily Moses got what he asked for. Whether he asked for miraculous provisions, amazing signs and wonders, direct answers from heaven, or divine assistance and rescue, God heard the prayers of Moses and answered them immediately.  But not even Moses got everything he wanted.  Despite his earnest entreaties, God refused to allow Moses to enter Canaan.  The Lord replied to his prayers, saying.”Enough speak to me no more of this matter!”  (Deut 3:26)

The Lord is gracious and compassionate.  He delights to answer the prayers of his children.  He opens His and hand and satisfies the desire of every living things.  If an earthly father gives good gifts to his children when they ask him, how much more so does your heavenly father delight to answer our prayers.  Yeshua teaches us.” Whatever you ask of the Father in my name He may give to you. (John 15:16)  Nevertheless, the answer to prayer is sometimes “No.”

If God gave me everything I asked for in prayer, it would be same as giving me the power of being God. I might arbitrarily change the color of the sky or the chemical composition of water, turn back the clock in time, or wish upon a star!! Obviously God has to reserve the right to say no to our prayers.  James the brother of the Master says, “You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures” (James 4:3)

Well, my prayers are seldom about the money in the bank, or the oil well that isn’t producing, or winning the lottery.  Even when we ask with the right motives, God still might have to say no.  When we pray, we need to trust in God’s wisdom and kindness, knowing that He has our best interests in mind. Though we don’t always get an affirmative answer, we can be confident that our prayers are heard.

Just as Moses longed to enter the land, so too, Yeshua awaits His return to this earth.  He awaits the day of redemption when He can return at last and reclaim His own people and His disciples and thereby bring His great redemptive work to its conclusion. We do not know when He will return.

When that glorious day arrives then all our prayers will be “Yes.”

The Two-Edged Sword

When reading about the 12 apostles there is one that stands apart from the others.  Yet, we know so little about him.  His name is Simon the Zealot.  So how does this chosen apostle play out in his commitment to Jeshua (Jesus)?

Religion is a two-edged sword.  On one hand we are told to be faithful even if it means we must lose our lives.  We as disciples are called upon to have faith in God, trust in our Messiah and obey His commandments.  This is the narrow path that leads to life.  On the other hand, religious convictions can become a source of strife, enmity and hatred between people and nations.  We can see how this is playing out in our world.

The Master chose as one of his disciples a man named Simon, the Zealot.  Actually this is not the proper translation of the text. The old KJV had it right………The Greek text of Matthew and Mark introduce one of the Yeshua’s disciples as “Simon the Cannanean”.  Translators and scribes stumbled over the unusual word.  I personally can’t even pronounce the Greek word or hope to spell it correctly .. it is “Kavavaioc” .  My word processor doesn’t know Greek!  The King James translators chose to translate it as “Simon the Canaanite”.  Thanks for the error! Simon has the embarrassing honor of being the only Gentile disciple among the twelve…….and a Canaanite at that!  On the other hand he might have been Jewish and lived in the Galilee area. The word Canaanite might have been a political term.  Theologians have their own ideas.

Actually the mysterious Greek word attempts to transliterate the Hebrew word “kanana” which means the “Zealot.”  The anti-Roman, Jewish revolutionaries of first-century Judea called themselves Zealots.   However, all peoples living in that area hated the Romans not only the Jews.    Luke recognized the word and translated it as Simon the Zealot.  In modern vernacular, we would call him Simon the Terrorist!  However, this Simon chose to follow a Jew whom he believed was the promised Messiah.  He must have been accepted by the inner circle of apostles and we see him listed as one of the twelve.  Interesting!

Judea and Galilee were filled with political and religious zealots who resorted to violence to advance their purposes.  They felt it was a just cause to kill Roman soldiers anytime or place.  Terrorists like the Zealots prove that zeal can be misplaced.  Paul is another example of misplaced zeal.  Prior to his Damascus road encounter, Paul pursued the believers with the zeal of a zealot.  In his epistle to the Philippians, he mentioned his history as a persecutor of the believers as evidence of his “zeal” for God.

Our Lord did not back away from confrontations with Romans, Pharisees, Sadducees or Gentiles.  He treated them all with respect.  He taught patience and love…..go the extra mile; carry two cloaks instead of one; respecting one’s neighbor……even if he is a Samaritan!

So perhaps having zeal and being a zealot are two different aspects of one religious conviction.    We do far better to emulate the Master who was zealous for His Father’s house (John 2:17) and for His Father’s will. We should be “zealots” for good deeds and zealous for the Messiah and His kingdom.  This means ruthlessly rooting out from our own lives those things that lead us to sin and cause us to depart from our appointed service to others.  We can be useful Zealots for the Master.