Authority Even on Bad Days

Tomorrow commemorates what believers know to be "Good Friday." Good because of the fruits of the day, not so much the specifics. This morning, I was thinking about some of those specifics. One, in particular, the control Jesus demonstrated through everything that happened that day. He never freaked out. He never cursed anyone. He never disobeyed Our Father. He never reacted at all. Despite the pain and ridicule, despite the false accusations and betrayals, Jesus was always in control of His own thoughts and behaviors; the practice of authority which pointed directly to the Father and controlled the amount of attention anyone other than God would receive. Good Friday and its events are part of a whole, the "Story of Jesus," or "The Resurrection," or the "Salvation of the World." That is the intent. Because of Jesus' submission to the Father; because of His desire to bring glory to the Father by maintaining authority over His own behavior. 

As children of God, those who claim to trust Him, we are called to walk in the same authority, in the same control over ourselves. A freakout, cursing our enemies, disobedience, the unchecked reaction to circumstances and the behavior of those around us --these things only serve to demonstrate how little we fear God. If we cannot even control our own tongues or our own hands, we are puppets, slaves to our own feelings; we have no authority. If we cannot, by our actions, point to the One we claim is our life and our Lord, we are pointing to someone or something else; we make the things of this world larger than the God who created it. And if we cannot control our reaction to the terrible, untrue, uncalled-for accusations or opinions of others, we give them weight; we signal to anyone watching that for the rest of history, the authority of those who persecute us is greater and more worthy of remembrance than the authority of our God.

Remember Sarai (Sarah), the wife of Abram (Abraham), who was upset by her servant's mockery? Short version: Sarai didn't trust God. Instead, she made her own way. And when that backfired, she engaged in bitterness and childish behavior instead of being a blessing to the world (a foundational tenet of God's promise to Abraham). Sarai's failure to submit to God led her to doubt the promises she was given, promises that defied age or the opinions of others. Sarai had been chosen by God to bear Abram's seed; Hagar, her servant, had not. Sarai was the wife of the one God had chosen to be "father of many nations"; Hagar was not. Sarai possessed control over the running of the household; Hagar possessed nothing. Sarai had the promises of God. Sarai had authority. But she walked in pride and mistrust and relinquished her authority.

If Sarai had trusted God, time would not have had authority over her; she would have waited for the promised child, her child. Jesus trusted through a violent physical death, was raised as promised, and ascended to heaven where He sits exalted at the right hand of the Father today. 

If Sarai had submitted to God, she wouldn't have been so upset by Hagar's behavior (behavior Sarai invited by not trusting God in the first place) and would have had authority over her own behavior. Jesus remained silent in the face of His accusers. By choosing to place the burden of proof on them and cast the eyes of the world on the lawlessness of His murderers, He revealed His innocence and His authority. 

If Sarai had feared God, she would have understood her authority as one chosen by God, and her responsibility as a blessing to those who did not know Him. Jesus spoke and conducted Himself as One given authority from heaven. Could He have used such authority to condemn each and every one of us? Yes, indeed. He chose instead to be condemned that we might be saved, using His authority to secure for us reconciliation with the Father. Jesus was and is the Light of the World. We are reminded of this even as we remember the dark events of a "Good Friday," and the authority with which Jesus met them for the glory of the Father He so wholly obeyed.

Photo courtesy Christine Dewade

Midweek: NKJV Foundation Study Bible

This is a keeper! Thomas Nelson has again provided me with a complimentary copy of one of their fabulous Bibles. This one is the NKJV Foundation Study Bible, Wide-Margin Edition, due for release on April 7, 2026. Just to give you the basics (from the publisher's description):

• Wide margins (1.3") on every page for insights and personal notetaking
• The full text of the New King James Version
• Concise study notes provide helpful comments on passages of Scripture
• 300+ theological notes draw attention to the most important doctrinal content (and are indexed in the back by location and title)
• NKJV translator's footnotes offer clarification and information about original language texts
• In-Text subject headings
• Words of Jesus printed in red
• Book introductions give background information
• 32,000+ end-of-page cross-references
• A concordance
• Satin ribbon marker and gilt-edged pages
• Presentation page
• 8-point type
• Full-color maps of Bible lands

The book I chose is brown Leathersoft™ and is available for pre-order through Amazon, Cokesbury, and christianbook.com. 

Now that we've dispensed with the particulars, please allow me to give you my thoughts.

The format of the text is, I think, terrific. The study notes and cross-references are helpful, but the wide margins for notetaking are a dream come true! Of course, that perk necessitates smaller print and eliminates some of the supplementary articles; but if your eyes are still sharp (or your optometrist is) and you find additional articles to be superfluous, you will enjoy the freedom to journal or make your own notations a bit more liberally.

My greatest concern is with the quality of the book. The cover and its gold-stamped lettering leave me to wonder if it will stand up to normal wear and tear. The Leathersoft™ editions I have reviewed before seemed more durable; this is thin and stiff --think of the plastic, bank-issued checkbook covers of the past. I can almost picture the stitching unraveling, the cover cracking, and the print wearing off with regular use --particularly if this will be a Bible you carry to and from church. I would recommend keeping it as an "in place" Bible, for bedroom or family room, where durability would not be of great concern. If, however, Thomas Nelson would eventually offer this wide-margin edition in leather or a hardcover, I would heartily recommend it and probably give up my current "church" Bible for a copy of my own.

What Does John 1 Reveal About Jesus?

Ask almost any evangelist and they will tell you, the Gospel of John is where they suggest people begin reading the Bible. The Gospel of John has been printed and distributed on its own, exclusive of the rest of the New Testament or the entire Bible for years because of the way Jesus' identity is revealed. Full disclosure, even as a seasoned believer, I find John's gospel pretty meaty and, sometimes, a lot to take in. The first few verses, for example, reveal there is the Word of God, there is God, there is one Creator; He is Life, and He is Light. In less than sixty words! That's a lot to grasp! As John's description unfolds, we see that Jesus is the One he describes and that Jesus came to earth as a man! Why would He do that?! Again, John seeks to explain; but not before he reveals some other very pertinent facts about Jesus.

In John 1:36, He is the Lamb of God. In verses 37 & 38, He is a teacher: Rabbi, He is called. Verse 41, the awaited Messiah. Verse 49, the Son of God and King of Israel! And in verse 51, Jesus Himself says He is the Son of Man, fully human and fully God. So, while we are introduced to Jesus, while we are presented with His identity in explicit terms, I think it's important for every reader to notice how Jesus' identity is revealed to us in the events that John records. We find that in this very first chapter of John as well.

One of the two who heard John speak, and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which is translated, the Christ). And he brought him to Jesus.

Now when Jesus looked at him, He said, “You are Simon the son of Jonah. You shall be called Cephas” (which is translated, A Stone). ~ John 1:40-42

Jesus calls Simon, Cephas, meaning "rock or stone." Jesus was either delusional, or He knew something about this man --maybe something Peter didn't even know about himself.

In verses 47 & 48, John records Jesus' meeting with Nathanael:

Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward Him, and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit!”

Nathanael said to Him, “How do You know me?”

Jesus answered and said to him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.”

John has revealed Jesus as El Roi, the God who sees. He is the God who saw Hagar in the wilderness as she fled her mistress, Sarai. He is the God of the Old Testament as well as the New. He is the God who sees us today. He is the same yesterday, today, and for all eternity. And the Gospel of John reveals this to its readers over and over, tying in the whole of Scripture to show us the God we seek.

As we read the Bible it is essential we pray for the Holy Spirit to not only open our hearts to what is being said, but what is not being directly expressed as well; that we ask for help in "connecting the dots," and we do our part to read faithfully and expose ourselves to all of Scripture. God is not hiding from us. He desires to make Himself known and does so through His living Word.     

Photo courtesy LuAnn Martin

Racing with the Heroes!

Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

~ Philippians 3:13, 14

How do you imagine Moses? Long grey beard, longer grey hair, slightly stooped, moving at the speed of a teenage boy on his way to English Lit class, a roughly hewn staff in his grip? How about Esther? Regal robes, dripping with gold and precious gems, the slightest sheen on her beautiful olive skin, perfect posture and equally perfect coiffed hair, the most tasteful tiara --dignified and opulent but not overstated. What of Jacob? David? Daniel? Mary? Paul? These are some of the heroes of the Bible. Heroes we've never met; heroes whose images we develop from the information in the Scriptures and our own imaginations. But they really existed. They really faced the same types of trials and troubles we face. They really endured. Heroes really walked the earth.

As they do today. Just as those of old, today's heroes don't persist in and of their own capabilities. They do it for the glory of God. They labor with the tools they've been given. They serve eagerly, obediently, and completely. Take, for instance, this hero; I'll call her "Ellie." I attended a women's retreat with her many years ago. Because of a serious back injury, and in order for her to simply last the weekend, she had to take frequent breaks, in bed, surrounded by pillows and heating pads. She had, just a short time before we met, undergone two surgeries for cancer and had lost her mother to cancer as well. She spoke candidly about her circumstances, but they did not consume her; she had not abandoned her faith in God, but admitted there were days in which she struggled to worship. Nevertheless, there she was, toughing it out that she might know her Lord better.

Another hero I've met along the way I'll call Jeanne. She, too, suffers from back issues, issues that cause problems with her hips. She is stooped and walks --no, runs with a noticeable limp. She is one of the hardest working people I know, the glue that holds her supervisor's schedules together. Her supervisors, by the way, are pastors and church leadership; they say she is a tremendous encouragement to them!

There's "Leena" who came to Jesus during her time in prison, was released, and suffered a debilitating stroke shortly after. "Dina" who walks with a cane, has had multiple back surgeries, carries a small pharmacy with her, and worships like she has the energy of a ten-year-old! "Maddy" suffers from severe cognitive delays, but at the drop of a hat will tell you, as eloquently as enthusiastically, how good her Savior is! "Tara's" back injuries were so severe, she cannot stand to look anyone in the eye. She is bent as though picking something from the floor and looks at the world from the very tops of her eyes. She carries a small pillow under her arm as though it is part of her anatomy. And there's "Lori" who, in a year's time, suffered a lawsuit, sorrowed over the rape of her daughter, and received cancer diagnoses for her husband and her! 

These are heroes because they are heroes of faith. Each and every one was seeking and/or serving the Lord when we met. Not a one grumbled or complained, but each was as honest about their situation as they were assured their Redeemer was with them in it. Heroes of the faith are not relegated to the past. They are not necessarily the people who have very public platforms or can fill arenas. They are the people whose lives are typical and burdensome, uncertain and mundane, who keep going because they know their Savior awaits them at the Finish Line --a finish line they cannot see, but they know it's there in all its glory at the end of this race.