New Covenant Drama

As a young boy, I was always fascinated with the painting of the Last Supper that was hung on a wall at the First Baptist Church of Royal Oak. I remember that I used to sometimes stand and stare at it for quite a while. There were so many expressions, so many gestures, and then there was that terrible Judas selfishly clutching his money bag. I was very concerned about that. The whole scene seemed so dramatic. And so it was.

But later in life, as I read the story in the Gospels, it seemed dramatic for a different reason. Amidst all those expressions and gestures, Jesus said something earth-shattering as he served the Passover meal: "This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in My blood" (Luke 22:20). A new covenant? What did that mean to his Jewish disciples 1,300 long years after the old Mosaic covenant had been established by God at Mount Sinai? A "new covenant" with God meant that something dramatic was happening before their very eyes!

Jeremiah had spoken of this day over 600 years earlier when he wrote, "Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah" (Jeremiah 31:31). What does this "new covenant" with God mean? I invite you to quickly read through this list of some of the many treasures God intends for us to enjoy in this "new covenant" each and every day! It will encourage your spirit.

1. God makes us His people and puts His words in our hearts (Jer. 31:33; 1 Pet. 2:9).
2. We are born again, as new creations (John 3:3; 2 Cor. 5:17).
3. God reveals His mysteries to us, hidden from ages past (Col.1:26).
4. God is for us (Romans 8:31)!
5. God forgives all our sins, and declares us to be holy, blameless and beyond reproach (Eph. 1:7-8; Heb. 9:14-15; Col. 1:22).
6. We can enjoy God's abundant grace (Rom. 5:15, 17, 20-21; Eph. 2:7)
7. God fills us with His love so that we can love others with His love (1 John 4:7-12).
8. God fills us with His joy (John 15:11).
9. God fills us with His peace (John 14:27; Phil. 4:7).
10. God gives us heavenly wisdom (James 1:5; 3:17).
11. We have direct access to God rather than through a mediator (Heb. 4:14-16).
12. God invites us to ask of Him in Jesus' name like never before (John 16:23-24).
13. Nothing can separate us from God (Romans 8:35).
14. Jesus becomes our friend as He becomes our Lord (John 15:15).
15. God's Holy Spirit lives in us to comfort, guide and strengthen us (John 14:26; Acts 1:8; Gal. 5:16, 22-23).
16. We are seated with Christ in heavenly places (Eph. 2:6).
17. We are children of God and co-heirs with Christ (Rom. 8:15-17).
18. We are blessed with every spiritual blessing in Christ (Eph. 1:3).
19. We're given everything pertaining to life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3).
20. God sanctifies us by helping us to grow mature (2 Thess. 2:13).
21. God gives each of us spiritual gifts for works of service (Rom. 12:6; 1 Cor. 12:7).
22. God prepares good works for us to do for Him (Eph. 2:10).
23. We are included on a mission of eternal significance (Matt. 28:18-20; John 20:21; Acts 1:8).
24. We become God's partners in His work (1 Cor. 3:9).
25. We will live with Jesus for eternity (John 14:1-4)!

We're meant to enjoy every promise on that list every day. And that is just the beginning of all that we can enjoy in God's new covenant with us!

© 2015 by Ken Peters

Encouraging Contrasts on Palm Sunday

Imagine "a very great multitude." Imagine the mixture. Imagine the variety. Imagine the riff raff. This is how the New King James Version describes the crowd that assembled for Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem: "a very great multitude" (Matthew 21:8). A mass of people.

I don't want to stretch things too far in how I imagine this crowd, but I'm inclined to believe that this wasn't an overly orderly scene, and that this wasn't a mob that had time to spruce themselves up for the occasion. I expect there were people in ragged, dirty robes, some with dirty faces from a hard day's work, and even some body odour amidst those congested conditions. I'm imagining a chaotic scene, but with Someone serene at the centre of it all: an unruffled and unwavering Jesus, riding on a donkey into the purposes of God.

But that's not all. This crush of people was a bunch of sinners. Surely with so many there, many not even knowing why as they asked others, "Who is this?" (Matthew 21:10), there must have been sinners in the crowd. Selfish people, mean people, dishonest people, proud people. I'm sure of it.

Imagining that, I can't help but be struck by that contrast. Here's the morally unblemished Jesus working his way through an adulating crowd that is filled with moral failure. Holiness surrounded by haughtiness. For despite the excited hosannas, this is a people who are destined for such a dreadful judgment that it caused Jesus to weep as He drew near to the city saying, "If you had known... the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. For days will come upon you when your enemies will... close you in on every side, and level you, and your children within you, to the ground" (Luke 19:41-44). 

And yet, Jesus is undaunted. He presses through, accepting their praises and pursuing their salvation. As perfect as He is, He's not put off by their dirty robes or faces, nor deterred by their sinful hearts. He presses through that multitude because they are the harassed and the helpless He wants to save. That gentle Jesus on a donkey had no plans to stop until He reached the cross!

But that's not the only contrast that occurs to me as I imagine Jesus riding through this swarming crowd. This Jesus on a donkey is the Suffering Servant of Isaiah 53 who plans to suffer and give His life for us. But the next time we see Him riding, we're invited to imagine the heavens opening "and behold, a white horse! And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True" (Revelation 19:11)!

Praise God that the same Jesus who died for the masses to which we belong, rose victorious and now reigns as the "King of kings and Lord of lords" (Rev. 19:16)! And He invites us to join "a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, people and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, saying, 'Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!'" (Rev. 7:9-10).

As we open the gates of our hearts to the Saviour who rode on that donkey, we have the privilege of following a great and mighty Lord who will one day gather us all to Himself as He comes to us riding a white horse with the armies of heaven!

© 2015 by Ken Peters

Look for the Cross

Lately I've been increasingly aware of old long-standing lies that are competing for space in my heart with precious Biblical truths that I've also long believed. When the lies get loud enough, I find myself having to ask, what is it I'm going to believe? What am I going to accept as the truth in my life?

When this battle gets fierce -- and I know it is when the lies get loud enough to feel extremely convincing -- there's only one way to be sure of what the truth is: Look for the cross. That's because the cross marks the spot where God showed us the truth about Himself and about His relationship with us. You want to know God who God is? Do you want to know what He thinks of you? Look for the cross. Look at Jesus on the cross: the Lamb of who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29)!

Jesus is the "exact representation" of God's nature (Hebrews 1:3), and that is why He could confidently say of Himself, "I am the truth" (John 14:6). Jesus is where we find the truth, and Jesus on the cross is the greatest expression of the truth Jesus came to reveal. The Apostle John described Jesus' coming by writing, "And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth" (John 1:14). The glory John saw is the same glory Moses was given the privilege of seeing when He asked God, "Please, show me Your glory!" (Exodus 33:18). And when God's glory passed by Moses, the declaration Moses heard was, "The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering and abounding in goodness and truth" (Exodus 34:6)!

There it is again: Truth, mingled with mercy and grace -- which is the very same glory that Jesus expressed on the cross. The cross is the most profound picture of God's mercy and compassion that the world will ever see. In His perfect representation of God, Jesus took what was privately revealed on a mountaintop to make it a public proclamation on a humble hill outside Jerusalem. God's Truth, the incarnate Word of God, hung on the cross to express the truth of who He really is and of what He really thinks of us. 

We hear from that cross the forgiveness that each one of us needs to hear as Jesus even forgave those who put Him there (Luke 23:34). We sense the assurance of His love as He says to the thief who acknowledges Jesus' Lordship in his final hours of life, "Today you shall be with Me in Paradise" (Luke 23:43). And we rejoice in the finality of what He accomplished for us, leaving nothing for us to do to earn the love His sacrifice expressed, as he shouted, "It is finished!" (John 19:30). That is the truth I choose to embrace. And the cross marks the spot where that truth was most emphatically declared.

© 2015 by Ken Peters

Getting in on the Resurrection Story

I don't know how many times I've read it, and yet I still find myself on the edge of my seat (so to speak) when I read the story of the resurrection of Jesus. I just read John 20-21 yesterday, and I felt drawn in by the obvious emotions of all the people involved in the story. I'm left open mouthed, somewhat awestruck by it all.

Go ahead, read it like you're there, like you're watching it happen. Read it slowly so you can imagine all that John describes as the story unfolds.

There's Mary, and it seems some other women, approaching the tomb in the early morning darkness, and as they get closer, something doesn't look right. Something's wrong.The stone has been rolled away! How? Why? Where's Jesus? Has someone desecrated His body? They run away, frightened at the thought of who else might be watching them in the darkness, and they find Peter and John and tell them what they saw. What could be happening after all the horrors of what happened on Friday?

Then there's Peter and John running to the tomb, with Mary desperately trying to keep up, running through the thinning darkness as dawn gradually approaches. They find the stone moved away just as Mary said, and inside are the linen cloths lying on the slab, with the facecloth folded there by itself. Who did this? And where is Jesus' body? Peter and John stumble home utterly confused and unsure what will come of what they've seen.

Mary is left standing outside the tomb, weeping now. Weeping because this has all been far too much these past few days, and all she wanted to do was to take care of Jesus' body so that He could have a proper burial. And now someone has deprived Him of even that.

Before we read on, it's worth pausing to ask if we ever feel the way Mary, Peter and John must have felt. Do we ever ask ourselves or ask God, "What's going on? This doesn't make sense! I want to find You, Lord. I feel so alone."

That's how Mary felt. I'm sure it's how Peter and John felt too. So when Mary suddenly saw a man she thought to be the gardener, she asked him if he could help her find Jesus amidst all her confusion. Then that gentle man said to her, "Mary!" and her eyes were opened! It was Jesus! There's Jesus! Alive! Standing right in front of me, speaking to me! So she fell at His feet and clung to Him with tears of joy! But Jesus told her she must go and tell the disciples that He was alive.

Again, we've got to stop and ask if it's possible that Jesus is standing right in front of us and we haven't even recognized Him. All He needs to do is say our name – and how thrilling it is when we hear Him say our name – and we see Him standing there! We see Him where we couldn't see Him before and our alarm and despair dissipate, just as the darkness does as the sun begins to rise. We still may not understand what's going on, but it's enough to see Him standing before us, speaking to us softly and lovingly. A Light has come and we find such comfort in His light.

There's so much more we could explore from this story – a story I never get tired of imagining. Wouldn't it have been something to personally witness the resurrection? But perhaps in a way, we can, right here and now. 

I believe God wants us to experience the excitement of that morning every time we discover the risen Christ amidst confusing and troubling circumstances of our own life. He's there even when we don't recognize Him. But to make sure we do, He speaks to us in a voice we can't mistake – a voice that provides all the comfort we need! And though He may not answer a single question we have, it feels enough to know that Jesus is indeed alive, loves us, and still remains our glorious Lord and Saviour!

© 2014 by Ken Peters

People-Watching with Jesus

Can you imagine Jesus having a moment of uninterrupted downtime while sitting amidst a crowd of people? It always seems like the crowds would never leave Him alone. But in Mark 12:41, we’re told that "He sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting money in the offering box" (Mark 12:41) as if no one even knew He was there. This is Jesus people-watching. Imagine that. Imagine Jesus actually being able to sit down in a public place in Jerusalem during the Passover week, unaccosted by the crowds. It was only a few days before His crucifixion, and yet there He was just sitting and watching the people of the city, all of them unaware that the Prince of Peace was sitting off to the side lovingly studying their movements. I find that a mesmerizing scene.

I can imagine a gentle and thoughtful expression in his eyes as he watched the faces of one person after another visiting the treasury to place their offerings. What must he have been thinking as he watched them all? Matthew 9:4 and 12:25 tell us that Jesus could know people's thoughts. Perhaps He knew the thoughts and motives, the boasts and fears, of every person He watched at the treasury that day. He obviously knew enough to know that most "contributed out of their abundance," but that the poor widow He saw "put in everything she had, all she had to live on" (Mark 12:44). The fact that He knew all that meant that He seemed to know more than what you or I could've been sure of.

And He must have been sitting alone as He did this people-watching, because once He saw the poor widow put in her "two small copper coins" (v.42), He "called His disciples to Him" (v.43) to explain what He'd just seen. Can you imagine that? Something like, "Hey guys! Come here! I just saw something amazing!"

So what, you might say. What I've just described has nothing to do with the point of the story. Or maybe it does. For me, these thoughts highlight something that really encourages me. They tell me that our loving Saviour, Jesus, is a people-watcher. He's sitting in heaven and watching you and me right now, and He takes special notice when we take a step of faith. He gets excited, and perhaps He says, "Hey Father!" or "Hey angels! Come here! I just saw something amazing!" Jesus sees our fears and our faith as we take risks that reflect our trust in Him -- the kind of risks that widow took -- and he boasts about us to those around Him.

That's because He loves each of us as much as He loved that widow. No act is too small to go unnoticed, and no step of faith too trivial, or too fraught with fear, to go unaffirmed by the God who sees everything that's in our hearts. And that's encouraging for anyone who feels like they haven't got much more than two small copper coins to offer God.

© 2011 by Ken Peters

Holy Saturday

I never pay attention to the Saturday between Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday. It's like the oft-ignored middle child of the Easter weekend. After all, it's nothing but an in-between time -- dead space between two major events. Right?

Upon reflection, I'm not so sure. In some circles, this day is called Holy Saturday. It's the day Jesus was in the ground. A precious seed buried. The disciples struggling with uncertainty. A time of unresolved tension and unanswered questions. Yet even though it was a day of discouragement for all those who mourned Jesus' death, it was also a day not far from breakthrough -- a day of then unknown possibilities.

Does that sound like it could be relevant for anyone dealing with disappointment and confusion in their walk with God? It does to me. It's a beautiful picture of the fact that, with God, there can be hope in the darkness; expectation amidst apparent defeat. A seed may be buried, but there's something going on just beneath the surface. And it's about to sprout forth! This helps me to see that I needn't be so fearful of the unresolved things in my life.

Life is so full of untidy outcomes and unexplainable circumstances, that it's helpful to reflect on a Holy Saturday when God waited...  He chose to let the followers of His Son live in the empty, worrisome space called uncertainty before He moved that stone. In God's wisdom, there needed to be a Saturday, when the minutes may have felt like hours, before the events of that glorious Sunday unfolded!

There's something holy about waiting when God is the One who's in charge. And there's something good about feeling the tension of an uncertain outcome that provides us with the thrilling opportunity to trust God in the dark rather than only when it's obvious how God plans to see us through. I think I need to develop a greater appreciation of the Saturday before Resurrection Sunday.

© 2011 by Ken Peters

The kind of strength I need

I tend to think of the apostle Peter as a big strong fisherman who could haul in heavy nets full of fish, heave on heavy canvas sails and pull up heavy boats onto a beach. I tend to think of him as a man who had gained his self-confidence from his broad-shouldered, man-against-the-elements approach to the livelihood he'd embraced. And so it doesn't surprise me that when Jesus told Peter that He was praying for him so that his faith wouldn't fail (Luke 22:33), Peter responded by saying that he'd go to prison and even die for Jesus (v.33)! That's when Jesus warned Peter that'd he'd actually deny that he even knew Him -- not once, but three times before that very night was over. And when that happened, and the rooster crowed just like Jesus said it would to signal Peter's denials, it says that "the Lord looked at Peter" (v.61) and that Peter "went out and wept bitterly" (v.62).

The strong man no longer felt strong. The strength he thought he had had failed him. I'm sure the Lord's look was a look of love, but Peter must have felt exposed nonetheless. Exposed as weak -- something he'd never thought himself to be. And through that experience, Peter must have learned that the kind of strength he needed -- and would soon have -- was of a different nature than the forcefulness and aggressiveness of a seasoned fisherman. He needed a strength of heart that came from heaven and that depended on God rather than on guts.

And I have to wonder which sort of strength I'm most inclined to depend on when the pressure is on. Is it the strength of my own momentum as I push to get things done for God, using the forcefulness of my own will to try to make things happen as I offer God a helping hand? That does sound a little like me in the seasons of life that appear more like me doing work for God than like God doing His work through me. Or is it a peaceful yet determined strength of heart that comes from patiently seeking and hearing the voice of God, obeying Him as He leads me? Because I know that only one of those strengths will stand the test of adversity, and only one will bring God glory as I seek to follow Him.

© 2011 by Ken Peters

Seeing the Cross

This morning, over 50 churches in Winnipeg closed their doors for one Sunday so that we could all worship Jesus together in one place, at Winnipeg's MTS Centre. It was estimated that 12,800 people were in attendance! And at the center of it all, hanging high above the chairs that filled the floor area was a huge 24-foot cross.

As the worship began, there was so much to capture my attention. The thousands of voices singing passionately to Jesus was such an inspiring expression of devotion and unity. But as I sang from my chair and casually turned to look up at the cross hanging high above the crowd, I had an unexpected emotional response that brought tears to my eyes. I suddenly felt as though I was at Golgotha, the hill on which Jesus died, looking up at the cross on which Jesus was crucified.

There was a crowd around the cross at that time too. They too had to look up to see the cross as it was placed high atop a hill. Some in that crowd were looking up in confusion, and others with compassion, while others in mocking derision. But Jesus willingly gave Himself to hang high above them all, humiliated before them and yet eager to save them. And for a brief moment, I felt as though I was there amongst the onlookers, staring up at the cross of Jesus, wondering at the magnitude of it all, and tears rose up in my eyes. I couldn't help but think, He put Himself on that cross for me. What a scene that must have been.

Today, on January 9, 2011, the crowd around the cross I saw was of a different sort. We were united in our response of praise and gratitude to Jesus who died to save us. For today was no crucifixion scene. Today was a celebration of the exaltation of the One who hung there on a cross so long ago, and who has now been exalted to the throne above every throne!

But for a brief moment, I saw Him there, high up on a cross. And His love for me seemed as clear to me as it has ever been.

© 2011 by Ken Peters

A poem for the holiday weekend

A favourite poet of mine is a rather modern dude who used to freelance for Rolling Stone magazine in the 70's and who co-authored a book about U2 in the 80's. His name is Steve Turner. His poems have a freestyle sort of feel to them as he often mixes his British wit with cutting satire. Many of his poems also offer a refreshing perspective on many familiar spiritual themes.

As Easter approaches, I'm reminded of a poem Steve Turner wrote about Easter that feels appropriate for our times.

It's called,
Christmas is really for the Children

Christmas is really
for the children.
Especially for children
who like animals, stables,
stars and babies wrapped
in swaddling clothes.
Then there are wise men,
kings in fine robes,
humble shepherds and a
hint of rich perfume.

Easter is not really
for the children
unless accompanied by
a cream filled egg.
It has whips, blood, nails,
a spear and allegations
of body snatching.
It involves politics, God
and the sins of the world.
It is not good for people
of a nervous disposition.
They would do better to
think on rabbits, chickens
and the first snowdrop
of spring.

Or they'd do better to
wait for a re-run of
Christmas without asking
too many questions about
what Jesus did when he grew up
or whether there's any connection.

© 2009 by Ken Peters

Would I Crucify Him?

The day after Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem, Luke provides a dramatic picture of the contrast between two groups of people. There we see the chief priests, scribes and leading men wanting to kill Jesus, but the general populace wanting to catch every word that dropped from His lips.

Now I have to ask myself: Who am I more like? The “chief priests and the scribes and the leading men among the people” (Luke 19:47) or “all the people [who] were hanging on to every word He said” (Luke 19:48)?

I certainly don’t want to kill Jesus, but I also don’t think that I’m often as mesmerized with the words of Jesus as Luke describes the people to be that day. So if I’m not quite like either, who am I more like? Well, because I do in fact love Jesus, I must be more like the people. But sometimes I’m conscious of a subdued irritation with Jesus—a barely concealed consternation over unanswered prayers or unanswered questions. A feeling that Jesus has let me down or that He has not done what I expected or wanted. And I can see in those turbulent emotions and disappointments that I’m capable of being more offended with Jesus than in love with Him, except by the grace of God. The truth is, apart from God’s grace, I can't be sure that I wouldn't have been among those who, shortly after Luke 19 (in Luke 23), shouted, “Crucify Him!”

How many of those people were disappointed that Jesus didn’t do what they thought He should do? Oust the Romans! Set up His Kingdom and revive the glory days of Jerusalem! It’s only with God’s help that amidst unanswered prayers and unmet expectations, we can see Jesus for who He is, love Him as we do and be hungry for His Word. And as we choose to trust Him with every longing in our heart, knowing that His will is always good, acceptable and perfect, we will grow increasingly eager for every word of wisdom—and for every moment in time—that He lovingly shares with us.

© 2008 by Ken Peters