How Long

How long , O Lord? How long until You wipe away every tear from our eyes? How long until that last enemy, Death, is destroyed forever? How long until we stand before Your throne? Father, how long until You embrace Your little ones? How long until I no longer have to look into my brother’s eyes and weep with him for his dying mother? How long until cancer kills no more? Come, Lord Jesus!

Cleanliness is Next to Godliness?

I heard the saying often growing up: “Cleanliness is next to godliness.” But is it true? Is this really the case, or is this a cultural misconception? Is God squeaky clean?

Jesus didn’t wash his hands before he ate.

In Matthew 15, the Pharisees and scribes asked Jesus why he didn’t follow the tradition of the elders and wash his hands before he ate. He took this opportunity to share with them a simple truth about the kingdom of God.

Cleanliness is not next to godliness.

At least not in the way the religious leaders thought. They were so concerned with what was entering their bodies that they neglected what was coming out. They missed a very simple truth that is the heart of the gospel.

All have sinned.

All are covered in the stain and dirt of sin. Wallowing in excrement. Content in foulness. Rotting away.

Enter Jesus.

From his throne on high, he steps down. Walks toward you. Kneels down in his flowing white robes. Robes so white, bleach would stain them. Hot, glowing, blinding white. But he kneels down into the mud and filth. He touches you. He reaches out his hand and pulls you toward himself, embracing you in his arms. He doesn’t seem to mind that his robes are now filthy too. But the filth doesn’t seem to stick to him.

Up from the ground he pulls you. He motions to his servants, and they bring clothes. Clothes more perfect than anything you’ve seen before. Clean, starched white clothes. They lead you toward a place where you are washed clean.

As you look around, you see others. You weren’t the only one in the mire. These others have been washed also. There’s something about them. A fragrance. An air. Something you’ve never seen before. It’s Jesus. They smell like him.

Cleanliness is next to godliness.

But it is a different kind of cleanliness. The kind only Jesus can offer. Only Jesus can wash your stains clean. Only he has the power to remove sin, by his blood shed on the cross in your place. This cleanliness is not a result of any attempt to clean yourself. It is only by admitting sin and turning in faith to follow Jesus that you can be cleansed. Reaching out to take his hand. Receive the cleanliness that leads to godliness. Be washed by the water.

Should Christians Pray for the Peace of Israel?

Psalm 122:6 says: Pray for the peace of Jerusalem! “May they be secure who love you!”

Should we as Christians be praying for the peace of Israel (and Jerusalem)? I love loaded questions, and this one is definitely a proverbial can of worms. But I think this is an important question for Christians and how we deal with the Scriptures. My answer may surprise some, and is sure to outrage others. I will attempt to proceed cautiously, fully aware that I am tip-toeing through a mine field.

I want to start with the words of Paul. In his first letter to Timothy he wrote:

First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. (1 Tim 2:1-4)

My first answer to the question ‘Should Christians Pray for the Peace of Israel?’ is ‘Yes’. We should follow Paul’s exhortation to pray for all people. This is a qualified response. Israel in this case is treated no different than any other nation or people group. In this way, we pray for the peace of all.

Here’s the part where mines start exploding and people start losing limbs. You see the question is flawed. Biblically speaking, must we pray for the peace of Israel? Here’s where how we interpret the Bible (hermeneutics) creates all kinds of issues. Many Christians will point to passages such as Genesis 12:1-3 where God promises Abraham that He will bless those who bless him, and curse those who curse him. The argument from here is that blessing Israel (and the Jewish people) is blessing Abraham. Is that a valid interpretation?

Based on how the New Testament and early church interpreted the Old Testament and the life of Christ, this interpretation is problematic. First, the question must be asked, who were the members of the early church? The obvious answer from the New Testament is that they were Jews. All of the 12 disciples were Jews. Paul was a Jew. Barnabas was a Jew. The foundation of Christianity was Jewish followers of Jesus who preached the gospel on the day of Pentecost to more Jews – 3,000 of whom converted. By chapter 4 of Acts, several chapters before persecution drives the majority of the church out of Jerusalem, Luke records that the number of believing men in Jerusalem totaled over 5,000. Add in women and children, and the number of Jewish believers was likely over 10,000 very shortly after Jesus’ ascension.

Throughout the book of Acts, the pattern of the missionaries is clear. Step 1, go to the synagogue and try to win the Jews. The first believers in each city the apostles went to were Jews.

The northern kingdom (Israel) had been exiled by Assyria in 721 BC. The southern kingdom (Judah) had been exiled in 687 BC by the Babylonians. Only a small group returned from the exile to rebuild Jerusalem and the temple. Peter addresses his first letter to the “elect exiles of the dispersion.” This is a term for Jews who had never returned from exile. Likewise, James addresses his epistle “To the twelve tribes in the dispersion,” another reference to the exiled Jews.

The Old Testament develops the idea of a remnant returning from exile (eg. Isa 10:20-22; Jer 3:12-16). Parallel to this was the idea of a new exodus that would far exceed this exodus from Egypt. Many interpret this exodus as still to come, but I think early Christians had other ideas. In Luke 9:31, Jesus is on the Mount of Transfiguration. Luke writes that Jesus began to speak of his ‘departure’. The word rendered departure is the Greek word ‘exodus’, from which we get the English word. Jeremiah writes of this exodus,

“Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. And this is the name by which he will be called: ‘The Lord is our righteousness.’

“Therefore, behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when they shall no longer say, ‘As the Lord lives who brought up the people of Israel out of the land of Egypt,’ but ‘As the Lord lives who brought up and led the offspring of the house of Israel out of the north country and out of all the countries where he had driven them.’ Then they shall dwell in their own land.” (Jer 23:5-8)

Jeremiah connects the “righteous Branch” of David with this new exodus of people returning from exile. Luke connects this exodus with Jesus’ death. Peter and James write to the exiles. The church starts out Jewish. I’ll allow you to put the pieces together.

Obviously, this is far from an exhaustive argument, but the New Testament picture of the church is that the exiles are returning from captivity to become the true Israel (Isaiah 40:3-5; cf. Matt 3:1-6; John 1:23). This is the Israel of God, but is far from the religion of the scribes and Pharisees (cf. Acts 7, Matt 21:18-46). To this Israel the Gentiles are “grafted in” to create a unified body (Rom 11; Eph 2:11-22; Gal 3:15-29). Through this Israel, descended from Abraham, all the nations of the earth have been blessed. Some other relevant passages: Jeremiah 31:31-34; Luke 22:20; Hebrews 8; etc.

All this is to say that when Christians pray for the peace of Israel, the Christian understanding from the beginning has been that Israel and the Church are one in the same. To pray for the peace of Israel, is to pray for the Church. I fear we have strayed far from this understanding, and have coincidentally misunderstood and misapplied the New Testament.

Some may say this is “Replacement Theology.” That is simply not the case. It is not that the Church replaced Israel, but the true Israel found the Messiah, who turned them away from traditions of men and back to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. This ‘assembly’, for that is what the word ‘church’ (Gk: eklessia) means, gathers together to worship the God of Israel and expand the borders of His reign upon this earth by the proclamation and demonstration of the gospel.

May God be gracious to us and bless us
and make his face to shine upon us, Selah
that your way may be known on earth,
your saving power among all nations.
Let the peoples praise you, O God;
let all the peoples praise you!

Let the nations be glad and sing for joy,
for you judge the peoples with equity
and guide the nations upon earth. Selah
Let the peoples praise you, O God;
let all the peoples praise you!

The earth has yielded its increase;
God, our God, shall bless us.
God shall bless us;
let all the ends of the earth fear him! (Psalm 67)

Note: this has long been viewed as a “covenant theology” understanding, but I differ from many traditional covenant theologians in how this plays out in practice. But that’s for another day.