Episode 161 - Your life is like a vapor - James 4:13-17

James 4:13   Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— 14 yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. 15 Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” 16 As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. 17 So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.

In our last episode, James called out brothers in the church who judged others. Essentially, they were putting themselves in place of God, James argued. What is at the root of that attitude? Pride. 

One might think that James is moving to a different issue in verse 13. He is no longer talking about judging others. Yet, you don’t have to read much further to discover that he’s still addressing the issue of pride. It’s just expressed in a different way.

James' hypothetical statement apparently reflects an attitude among some of the believers to whom he’s writing whose pride leads them to think they are on top of life, that they are the master of their own lives and nothing can stop them. James deftly exposes the reality that we are finite, mortal creatures. The first “silver bullet” in this errant and arrogant attitude is “you do not know what tomorrow brings.” (14a) None of us are omniscient. We should not act like we have absolute knowledge or control over what happens in our life when it’s clear that we don’t. 

James follows that with a rhetorical question that he answers. “What is your life?” This is an important question for us today. If we have the attitude that we can make plans to increase our own sense of security or success, it reveals an unrealistic expectation that we are going to be around indefinitely as the “king of the hill.” It’s a little more subtle than playing judge to those around us. But, fundamentally, we’re still acting like we’re our own god through this kind of thinking. Jesus addressed a similar kind of attitude by telling people not to be anxious about their earthly needs. “Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these (earthly) things will be added to you.” (Matt. 6:25-33)

James' answer to his question is, “For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.” (14b) Compared to eternity, this earthly life is like a vapor that quickly disappears. All of our efforts to serve ourselves and our pride are pointless and with no eternal value. 

James’ antidote to this arrogant attitude is not to simply be passive and allow whatever might happen to happen. Rather, make plans for intentional activity but submit to God’s direction and authority over the turns our life may take that are outside of our control. James says of their attitudes that they are boasting, which reveals their arrogance. “All such boasting is evil,” James asserts. (16b)

This section and chapter conclude with James’ statement, “So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.” (v. 17)

Let’s consider this for a moment. Someone might ask, “How do I know what is the right thing to do?” How do you think James would answer that question? I think he would answer, “Ask God for wisdom. He will give it to you.” It’s important to realize that the God of the Bible is not some supernatural force with a “dark side” that seeks to deceive us and lead us astray. Our God has revealed his character within the Scriptures and, most clearly, through the Incarnation of his Son Jesus. He has also given us the Holy Spirit to guide us in truth and wisdom. 

Prayer: Heavenly Father, lead us in wisdom and humility that in this short life you’ve given us, we may seek what is of your eternal kingdom that is to come. Thank you for providing everything I need today.

Episode 84 - The Whole World is Going After Him - John 12:12-26

John 12:12   The next day the large crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. 13 So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!” 14 And Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, just as it is written,

John 12:15   “Fear not, daughter of Zion;

behold, your king is coming,

sitting on a donkey’s colt!”

John 12:16   His disciples did not understand these things at first, but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things had been written about him and had been done to him. 17 The crowd that had been with him when he called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to bear witness. 18 The reason why the crowd went to meet him was that they heard he had done this sign. 19 So the Pharisees said to one another, “You see that you are gaining nothing. Look, the world has gone after him.”

John 12:20   Now among those who went up to worship at the feast were some Greeks. 21 So these came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and asked him, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” 22 Philip went and told Andrew; Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus. 23 And Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 24 Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. 25 Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26 If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.

It would be easy to handle this Scripture in multiple sections. However, I have a purpose in treating this as a whole. That purpose is to help you see the consistency of prophecy given to prophecy fulfilled. When we see how often God reveals something that will happen and then later fulfills it, it should increase our confidence and trust in the God of the Bible. 

The historical context is the very first Palm Sunday. We celebrated that a few weeks ago. But, it is worth reviewing in order to see what unfolds from that event. Jesus has recently raised Lazarus from the dead and the report of this sign is spreading among people in and around Jerusalem as they arrive for the Passover celebration. It’s created excitement and faith in Jesus among many. But, it’s also fueling the hatred and rejection of his antagonists. 

John records that people are coming out to see Jesus as he enters the city because of this miracle. Furthermore, they are waving palm branches and shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!” (v. 13) Why is this important? First, the palm branches were symbolic of the nation of Israel. As a people who are under the thumb of the Roman Empire, they are looking for hope of deliverance from that. The cry “Hosanna!” is a verbal expression meaning “Save us!” The cry is the crowd citing Psalm 118:25-26. Then, they add, “even the King of Israel!” This is not from the psalm. But, just like the crowd who had been miraculously fed and wanted to make Jesus the king, so this crowd wants Jesus to be their Messianic King. In this, we see how the people understand Jesus’ miracle as evidence that he is the One who God has sent to fulfill His prophetic promises from long ago. 

Jesus’ response also fulfills the prophecy from Zechariah 9:9 which says, “Zech. 9:9   Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!

Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem!

Behold, your king is coming to you;

righteous and having salvation is he,

humble and mounted on a donkey,

on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”

What’s important is that Jesus is not coming into Jerusalem riding on a horse like a conquering king, but one who is humble, righteous, and bringing salvation. It’s not what they expect. Even John records that his disciples did not understand the significance of what he was doing until later. But, God is fulfilling His promises.

In response to the crowd that was going to see Jesus, the Pharisees (his antagonists) respond, “You see that you are gaining nothing. Look, the world has gone after him.” (v. 19) I love how John records people saying things out of their own evil motives, yet God superintends the words to reveal a significant truth. In this case, this statement reveals that all the efforts of mortal mankind against God’s purposes will “gain nothing.” Furthermore, in the greater context of this book, their hyperbole that “the world has gone after him” is proof that God is accomplishing his purpose. Earlier in John’s gospel we read, “For God so loved the world . . . “ (3:16) That was the point in sending His own Son into the world is for the world to come to him. So, is it true? Is that prophecy fulfilled? Look at the beginning of the next paragraph.

In verses 20-23 John records that there were some Greeks at the feast requesting to see Jesus. The Greeks represent “the world.” They are not Jews. They are not among “his own” as suggested in John 1. However, they are representatives of the outsiders who God is making His own. John records this to help us see that everything is falling into place of God’s plan and promises. We know this because when Jesus is told that these Greeks are seeking him, he recognized the significance and says, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.” (v. 23) Jesus is telling us that the Father is fulfilling his word. He understands that the Father’s time for him to go to the cross is very near. 

In view of this, Jesus speaks his prophecy about his own death that will soon happen and the significance to those who follow him. To summarize Jesus’ point in this teaching, he is not calling his followers to be suicidal. When he says, “whoever hates his life in this world” is drawing a comparison of our attempts to seek fulfillment in this life/world compared to the eternal and perfect life he calls us to. In that respect, our priorities upon God’s plan and God’s eternal kingdom and the eternal life he offers us should negate our desire and obsession to only find pleasure in this short, mortal life. 

When we realize that the God of the Bible has revealed His plans and consistently does what He says, it should give us confidence and awe, and desire to serve Jesus and align our priorities with His eternal plans.