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CHAPTER 2

THIS IS WHY I WAS SENT

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So, here we go. I’ll just browse through these gospels to get the general layout. This first part deals with the birth and early years of Jesus and John the Baptist. The life of John is covered here in great detail. I didn’t know he was so special. John was a wandering monk or something; certainly a reclusive fellow. He ate wild food and spent lots of time out in the wilderness. I wonder what he did out there all alone?

Well anyway, the ministry of Jesus is the next topic. Peterson wants me to understand why Jesus Christ was sent to us. Jesus ought to know why he was sent, so maybe I can find something.

There’s a lot of baptizing going on in here, and it seems to go on for quite some time. Scanning ahead, Jesus is having a discussion with Nicodemus, and then a conversation with a woman at Jacob’s Well. A bit later, groups of people have gathered to listen and follow him around. He is gaining some widespread popularity here in Galilee. Oh yes, here it is; this is from the gospel of Luke, fourth chapter, forty-third verse. “I must preach the kingdom of God to other cities also: for therefore am I sent.” Yeah, this is it.

Jesus plainly told the people why he was sent to earth, and this is just exactly where you might expect to find such a thing. Now, my project is to research the gospel, and considering both Luke 4:43 and Matthew 4:23, I know that he was sent to earth to preach the gospel of the kingdom of God. This is perfect; it’s like finding everything in one basket. By reading the preaching of Jesus Christ, I will learn about the gospel of Jesus Christ, and at the same time I’ll be researching why he was sent to earth. Alright, that’ll take care of the whole thing.

Now for some verification. How does this verse from Luke fit into the story? Okay, Jesus said he was sent to preach the gospel of the kingdom. What does he do after that? Hmmm, all along in here he is talking about the kingdom. It’s all over the place, even in that famous Sermon on the Mount. He is preaching about this kingdom to just about everybody, so this checks out just fine.

And what about the end of the story? Let’s see now; his general preaching is certainly over at the last supper. Moving ahead, here’s a closing statement from the seventeenth chapter of John. He’s praying and confirms that God has sent him. He went on to say in the fourth verse, “I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.” Bookends!

These two verses are like bookends. Right near the beginning of the gospels Jesus said, I was sent to preach the gospel of the kingdom, and he goes out to do just that. At the end of his preaching he said, I finished the work God gave me to do. Alright, the context for Luke 4:43 is just perfect--he was indeed sent by God to preach the gospel.

I’ll have to tell dad about this one; he likes these simple things. “Hey dad, are you home? Hey dad!” I guess he’s out. I’ll call Sarah. “Hi Sarah.”

“Hi Philip.”

“Say, I just found one of those verses Peterson was talking about. Remember that thing about why Jesus was sent to us?”

“Yes, I remember.”

“Well, I just found it in the fourth chapter of Luke. He was speaking in verse forty-three and said, ‘I must preach the kingdom of God to other cities also: for therefore am I sent.’ Jesus simply said that he was sent to preach the gospel. So maybe you can tell Peterson I found it.”

“But Philip, he wasn’t talking about anything like that.”

“He wasn’t?”

“No. In fact I’m certain he wasn’t talking about Luke 4:43, because this is the first time it’s been brought to my attention. Jesus was sent by God to preach the gospel. Hmmm, that verse sounds new to me. Gosh, we usually hunt all over the Bible for passages on why he was sent, and they are nothing at all like that. Jesus came to die for us, so we look for verses on sacrifices and dealing with the problem of sin. But your quote sounds valid to me. It has to be valid; Jesus himself is speaking! He came to teach. Boy Philip, you sure have your own way of doing things. How do you find such simple things?”

“It’s just the way I think; this is like a treasure hunt to me. And speaking of treasure, I want to get back to the passage that started my whole project. I don’t know how anybody could miss this verse; it’s Matthew 13:44. Jesus is speaking about a hidden treasure, and now because of the passage I just found today, I know that he was sent to earth to preach about this kingdom. He came to let people know about this treasure. Now Sarah, can I ask something about your class?”

“Sure, go ahead.”

“Tell me about those Bible lessons on this hidden treasure.”

“Well, I’ve heard the verse before, but I don’t remember a discussion. That verse on a treasure hidden in a field is not a high priority; we don’t spend time on it. But I would like to know more. Girls like treasure too you know. So keep me informed. I sure would like to know where you’re going with this.”

“Alright, I can keep you up to date as I move along.”

“Good. Now Philip, I hate to cut this short, but I have to go now.”

“No problem, bye.”

“Yeah, see you tomorrow.”

Holy smokes, this is crazy! Here we have Jesus saying that he came to earth to preach the gospel of the kingdom. He describes the kingdom as a hidden treasure, and now I learn that no one is taking the time to look for it? This is very strange.

Well, I don’t care what everybody else is doing; I’m just going to seek out this treasure on my own. It’s about time somebody does it! After all, this thing about treasure is the gospel of the kingdom, and the gospel of the kingdom is the gospel of Jesus Christ. It has to be the gospel of Jesus Christ, because this is the gospel Jesus was preaching. And surely he knows his own gospel!

I have to find this treasure. I wonder if he talks about the location? I need to know where to look if I want to dig it up. Boy, these four gospels are quite big in themselves. I’ll just have to search until I find it. Here’s one, “the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Well, I think this means that the kingdom is now within your grasp or something; very good, but not what I’m looking for. Aha! Here is something in Luke 17:20-21. “And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, ‘the kingdom of God cometh not with observation: neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.’”

Alright, this verse is important. And moreover, Jesus was speaking to a group of Pharisees. I heard that he had an ongoing debate with some of those people. But yet he said the kingdom is within you. So it appears that this phrase applies to everyone. Gosh, this includes me too!

Everyone has this treasure within themselves, and it’s called a hidden treasure. Jesus must be giving everyone the good news of a treasure which is hidden to them, but is known by him. He must be there to show them how to find it!

Oh, look at the time. I’ll just have to pick up on this project tomorrow.

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Got some good sleep last night. The morning air smells fresh and clean. I feel good today; ready to take on the world. Good thing too, cause here comes Smitty.

“Hey Philip. Have you figured out the gospel yet, or are you still dreaming of hidden treasure?”

“Well, now that you mention it, I am researching the gospel of Jesus Christ, which is certainly about a hidden treasure. And not only that, but I just discovered a verse which declares, ‘the kingdom of God is within you.’”

“Oh no, not that! Don’t be such an idiot. You’re starting to sound like one of those eastern new age people. Better get yourself into a real Bible study in a hurry; you’re really slipping off the edge. Philip, maybe I’ve been a bit hard on you, but now I’m starting to get concerned about where you’re going with this. I don’t want to see you lose your soul. This independent study of yours is not a good idea; you’re going in the wrong direction. Why don’t you join Sarah in that Bible study group? They’re doing it right; they’re reading the entire word of God to put the gospels in proper context.”

“Mr. Peterson said that very same thing.”

“Well, you better listen to him. Peterson has been trained in the best schools. He knows all about the word of God. Can’t you get it into your head? Bible study is not so easy. It takes lots of time, and you need guidance to stay on the right track.”

“Okay, I hear you. And you sound more sincere this time.”

“I am very sincere. Philip, you need to think about this.”

“Sure, I’ll think it over. And Smitty, I want you to stop being so rough with me.”

“Maybe I will. But Philip, you’re such an easy target. You’re really out of the mainstream. These Bible things have been studied for hundreds of years. Do you really think you can turn a few pages and find something new? Great scholars have done all the work; the interpretation is finished. You’re nuts to think you can go in there and figure the whole thing out on your own; it’s a foolish idea. You’ll need some help from the experts.”

“Maybe so.”

“Good, I’m glad you’re coming around. Get yourself back in the mainstream.”

“Alright, maybe I could use a little help.”

“Well thank God; you’re finally coming to your senses.”

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Later on that evening, Philip was thinking about the conversation. He might have a point. Great scholars have been studying the Bible for hundreds of years. “Hey dad! Are you out there?”

“Yes, go ahead.”

“I was just talking to Smitty and he gave me a lot to think about. He said I sound like one of those new age people, but I only repeated what I read. I said the kingdom of God is within you; it’s a quote from the Bible. Jesus said it.”

“Son, don’t worry about it. No matter what you do or say, there will always be someone who is ready to criticize. You can listen to them, but just think it over for yourself to see if the criticism is valid. In this case you were simply repeating something Jesus said.”

“Right.”

“Well then, there’s nothing to be concerned about. I can’t think of a better Christian expert than Jesus Christ himself, so you can just ignore Smitty’s advice. If there is any uncertainty about that particular verse, you might want to confirm the passage by checking the other things Jesus said. If the verse is valid, you should be able to fit it into the context of his other statements.”

“Alright, I can do that.”

“And Smitty’s comment was about new age?”

“Yeah, eastern new age.”

“Eastern, hmmm. Well, I think Jesus might be familiar with the East. Any Christian who uses the term ‘eastern’ in a negative way is criticizing the birthplace of their own religion. He was born and taught right there in the middle east. Palestine is located just north-east of Egypt. And do you remember the three wise men in the nativity story?”

“Oh sure.”

“It is said that they came from the East. So that influence was there right from the start. There’s nothing wrong with noticing an eastern influence in these gospels. It was simply the culture of that time and place. You’re doing fine son, anything else?”

“Yeah, Smitty said that the Bible has been studied for hundreds of years. He thought I was foolish to try to figure it out on my own. He wants me to get some help. So dad, what about all those great scholars?”

“Well, part of that is very true. Scholars have been studying the Bible for hundreds of years, but now you have to consider the situation we have today. Have you noticed all the different Christian denominations?”

“I saw a bunch of them in the yellow pages.”

“Right. So these organizations have different views on things; this is what separates them. Many of these differences are the product of Bible study. All these well meaning scholars have studied and studied and have come to various conclusions. I can see as much division among Christians as there is agreement. Great Bible scholars have been searching for the one ultimate truth, but the result of all this research has simply added to the separation. It’s rare to find two people who believe the same thing. I don’t think you should worry about those old ideas. You seem to be taking a fresh look at the whole thing, and I’m fascinated with this kind of research. I’ll be here if you need some help along the way.”

“Thanks.”

“So, is there anything else?”

“Yeah, one more thing. Both Peterson and Smitty said that the Bible is the ‘word of God.’ They said I have to read the entire Bible to put the gospels in proper context. But as I was thinking about their advice, it didn’t make a lot of sense to me. I just figured that Jesus would have been quite capable of coming up with his own context.”

“Yes, of course. He knew about the teachers who came before him. If he wanted to quote one of those early Bible prophets, I don’t know what would have prevented him from doing so.”

“Right. So I’m thinking the context for the gospels should be in the gospels themselves.”

“Exactly. You have the right idea. Perhaps Mr. Peterson wanted you to pick up on the historical context. But just as you mentioned, Jesus will probably come up with that on his own.”

“I’ll be watching for it.”

“Good, and I like your thoughts on context. Christ is the ultimate expert on Christianity.”

“Yeah, and what about this ‘word of God?’ Mr. Peterson said the Bible is the word of God. What was he talking about?”

“Oh son, that’s a huge topic. It has to do with context also, but maybe we can put it off for some other time.”

“Alright.”

“Let’s just sit back and relax a bit before bed. Are you still worried about Smitty?”

“Not really. I’ll just ignore him from now on.”

“That’s fine. And you’ll have plenty of time for this project over the summer break. Just remind me of that last question. This ‘word of God’ is a big topic. We’ll cover the subject, but you already have the best approach. You should find the primary context right there in the four gospels.”

“Right.”

“And son, don’t let those Bible experts worry you. Think for yourself. It’s fine to consult the experts, but in the end take a little time to draw your own conclusions. People like Smitty are well meaning, and most of the experts have good intentions. But they can make mistakes. Your job is to remain clear-headed so you can avoid those errors. Just keep everything simple. Simplicity will protect you from the big blunders.”

“Don’t worry about the experts, and keep it simple. Alright, that’s going to work for me. That’s just the way I like it.”

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BASIC THEOLOGY FROM CHAPTER TWO

-- Jesus knew about his mission (Luke 4:43);
he was sent to preach the Gospel.

-- Philip’s strategy is simple: use one teacher.
Avoid mixing verses from different teachers
and different periods of history.

-- Jesus is coherent,
so an interpretation based on his words,
will yield one coherent gospel.

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CHAPTER 3

THE FORGIVENESS AND JUSTICE MIX-UP

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Great, summer break! I’m going figure out this gospel. And since Jesus Christ is the best expert on Christianity, I’ll simply stick with his words. This strategy may take me out of the mainstream, but for me it’s the only way to go.

I also need a perfect start. There’s an old saying: “Well begun is half done.” Do things right in the beginning and it builds a good foundation to move ahead quickly. Starting with the founder of Christianity is excellent, but even his words have been translated from one language to another. There’s always a chance that a word was printed in error.

Dad wants me to check key verses in the context of the other things Jesus taught. That’s a wise strategy; it has some discipline to it. Everything has to fit together, kind of like a big puzzle. A good fit will bring verification as long as I stick with the words of one single teacher. Peterson wants me to include other Bible books, but that doesn’t sound right to me. Mixing teachers together is not a good idea. I don’t think that would verify anything.

But now on to that perfect start. “First things first” is the old saying. And Jesus would certainly know where to begin. If the founder of Christianity says “start here,” I’ll have it. Aha, here is something. He is speaking in Matthew 6:33 and says, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God,” fantastic! This is that perfect start; the kingdom of God comes “first.” Hmmm, nothing about Romans or Corinthians in here.

This is terrific. I’ve been on the right track all along. Matthew 4:23 said Jesus preached the gospel of the kingdom, and now I find that he wants his students to seek the kingdom of God first. Alright, that settles it. The kingdom of God is a rock solid starting place.

“Philip, will you help me move the sofa?”

“Sure.”

“Here, take this end; that’s good. And what’s my busy son been up to these past few days?”

“You know mom; I’m researching the Bible.”

“Yes, I know, but what’s the big attraction? You seem to have lost interest in everything else; you’re turning into a real bookworm. Guess I shouldn’t criticize, since I tried the scholarly approach once myself.”

“You did?”

“Yes, I started reading the Bible years ago, but gave it up after about a month of study. I had a hard time understanding it. Some people wanted to teach me about the gospel, but when they started talking about the old covenant, I knew it wasn’t for me. They said those animal sacrifices took place a long time ago. But they had God connected to the idea, so it made me feel a bit uncomfortable. I can’t associate a loving God with those cruel things. But enough of that, I want to hear about your discovery. You seem to be off to a lively start.”

“Oh mom, I found a ‘treasure gospel.’ Jesus was preaching about a treasure hidden in a field, and I’m going to figure out how to dig it up. In Matthew 6:33, he said to seek that kingdom first, so I’ll simply take his advice and do that first. Yeah, I’m off to a great start.”

“Oh I see, a treasure hunter. Do you know where to look for this kingdom?”

“Well, he said it’s within; the kingdom is within you. Mom, that was just one single statement, so I have to verify that verse and then figure out how to dig up the treasure. It may take some time since I do have to read the gospels before I can start pulling things together.”

“Hmmm. The idea of treasure is interesting, but all that bookwork sounds pretty tough to me.”

“It’s the thought of those riches; that will keep me going.”

“Well Philip, if careful study finds treasure, you will find it. And listen, if you come up with something big, I want the inside scoop.”

“Sure mom, you’re in on the project.”

“Alright, so let’s move the sofa back in place. And just by chance, we’re having a bit of a treasure for lunch today.”

“Pepperoni Pizza?”

“You got it.”

“Cool. And look at this; I just found eighty five cents under the cushion.”

“Great start for a treasure hunter.”

“Yeah, great start.” Very good. It was fun talking with mom, but I may have spoken too soon about this treasure. I only found one verse on it so far. Jesus was speaking, but I have yet to find any confirmation. Hope I can dig up some verification.

Let’s see, where was I headed? Oh yes, I just found this thing on “first.” Jesus gave the first step in Matthew 6:33. Now on to the whole verse. “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” Hmmm, so what does he mean by “these things?” I’ll check out the context. Alright, this is from the Sermon on the Mount. This part of the sermon is about wealth and where to find real wealth. The immediate context starts in Matthew 6:19. “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth.” Oh terrific, this is about treasure again. Perhaps it will confirm my earlier research.

Here’s the whole thing (Matthew 6:19-21). “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” Oh sure, this is good confirmation. He is talking about a heavenly treasure again, and this gives the context for “these things shall be added unto you,” as well. This is another treasure! One heavenly treasure, and he has just added the earthly material things.

Holy smokes, two treasures now!! And this confirms the verse I found days ago (Matthew 13:44). Terrific, the talk I had with mom was right on target. Just as I thought, this gospel is about a treasure, it really is. Alright, I have to call Sarah on this one. “Hey Sarah.”

“Yes.”

“I wanted to let you know that it’s official now. I’m a treasure hunter.”

“Philip, what are you talking about?”

“Sarah, you asked me to keep you up to date on my Bible research. I just found good confirmation that the gospel is about a treasure and you wanted me to keep you informed. Don’t you remember?”

“Oh yes, I’m sorry. Things are a little chaotic around here. I had something else on my mind. Please go ahead; I want to hear about it.”

“Well, the overall picture is that Jesus was sent to preach the gospel of the kingdom of God. And as I checked out these gospels, this is exactly what he was doing. It was his main theme. He was preaching this gospel of the kingdom to just about everybody. He described the kingdom as a treasure hidden in a field, and he went on to say that the kingdom is within you. So I found it; this is the gospel.”

“Wait a minute Philip. Are you sure about that?”

“Well of course--this is the gospel Jesus Christ was preaching, so this is the Gospel of Jesus Christ.”

“But this is different than the gospel I know about. I never heard that gospel before, and I’ve been in this Bible study group for years now. Philip, what about the problem of sin, how about that? How is sin forgiven?”

“I don’t know. I haven’t seen anything on forgiveness yet. But I can look it up for you.”

“Alright, go ahead. I want to see what you come up with.”

“Okay, this shouldn’t be very hard. Here is something from the sixth chapter of Matthew, verse fourteen. ‘For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.’ Sarah, that’s right here in the Sermon on the Mount. So when we forgive others, God will forgive us; that was easy. This is how forgiveness comes. Now, doesn’t that answer your question? Sarah, are you still there?”

”Yes I’m here. But Philip, there has to be more; it doesn’t sound complete to me. Aren’t you overlooking a few things? Where’s the rest of it?”

“The rest of it? Sarah, what are you talking about? You asked how to be forgiven, and Jesus says in here that if we want to be forgiven, we need to forgive others. If we forgive others, then God will forgive us. So what’s the problem?”

“Philip, your research sounds so different to me; just give me a moment to think. Is that verse on forgiveness complete? What about God’s justice? Doesn’t justice have to be served? The law has been broken. Doesn’t somebody else have to pay the price for the sin so the sinner can be forgiven? What about God’s justice?”

“Sarah, what in the world are you talking about? Explain your idea of justice.”

“Well, If someone commits a crime, then a person who didn’t do anything wrong has to suffer. Wait a minute; that didn’t sound right. Let me try again. If someone commits a crime, then someone else who is perfectly innocent has to suffer for the crime. That’s God’s justice.”

“Sarah, you are describing injustice. If a person goes to court and gets punished for a crime they did not commit, it would be a travesty of justice. Justice means that if a person commits a crime, they themselves are the ones who have to suffer the consequences.”

“But Philip, how is a person forgiven? If justice means they have to be punished, then how can a person be forgiven if they are guilty of a crime?”

“Oh, that’s simple. This kind of forgiveness comes with mercy, and since we are talking about God, it would be by the grace of God. So God forgives sinful behavior through the mercy of God. And according to what Jesus is saying here, this mercy comes when we forgive those who commit crimes against us. If we forgive others, God will forgive us. God extends his mercy to those who forgive others. See how it works?”

“Gosh Philip, I’ll have to think about this one. I understand your explanation, but it doesn’t fit my lessons. Give me a little time to think. This is almost like a shock to me.”

“Don’t you want to play with your toys?”

“Toys? What are you talking about?”

“Oh, Katie just walked into my room. She wants me to read to her. Katie, I’m busy right now. I’ll get one of your toys.”

“Oh Philip, I have to go now anyway. Katie is so sweet. Why don’t you just go ahead and read to her? She’s your little sister; give her some attention.”

“Okay, you’re right. She really is a good kid. I’ll let you go for now and read to her.”

“That’s fine. And say hi to Katie for me.”

“Sure thing, bye now.”

“Bye.”

“Sarah says hi.”

“Hi.”

“But Katie, she’s already gone. Okay now, get me one of your books.”

“Read to me from your book.”

“Oh, this is the Bible. It’s too hard for you.”

“Is Jesus hard to understand?”

“Well no, Jesus is not hard to understand. Actually, he isn’t difficult at all. He seems to be very simple and straightforward.”

“Will you read it to me?”

“Hmmm, maybe we can give it a try. Katie, let me know if you can understand this. It’s called Matthew six, verse fourteen. Can you say that?”

“Yes.”

“Well go ahead.”

“Matthew six.”

“That’s close enough. Now just listen to this: ‘For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.’ Katie, I know you are just a small child, but do you know what that’s about?”

“It’s about forgiving people.”

“Do you know what it means?”

“Say it again.”

“If you forgive people when they sin against you, God will also forgive you.”

“It means if I forgive, then God will forgive me.”

“Good, you seem to understand it. Now Katie, what about this? A person does something bad, and the judge punishes someone who didn’t do anything bad. Is that justice?”

“No. Justice is the bad person gets punished, not the good person. If the good person is punished, it’s not fair.”

“Good, so you really did understand it. That question wasn’t so hard, was it?”

“No, it wasn’t hard.”

“Gee, I wonder how Sarah got it wrong. She had the whole thing turned upside-down!”

“What?”

“Oh Katie, I was just thinking to myself.”

“Was Sarah bad?”

“No, Sarah wasn’t bad. She was just confused about something.”

“Philip, am I a good girl?”

“Yes, I think you’re good. Do you forgive others?”

“Yes.”

“Then you’re in great shape; you don’t have anything to worry about.”

“Good. Thanks for reading to me.”

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THOUGHTS FROM CHAPTER THREE

-- Seek ye first the kingdom of God (from Matthew 6:33),
and ‘first’ certainly means first.

-- The Gospel of Jesus Christ is indeed a treasure gospel
(Matthew 13:44, 4:23 and 6:20).

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CHAPTER 4

A GENUINE TRANSFORMATION

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“Hi Philip.”

“Oh, hi Sarah.”

“Listen, I want to ask you a favor.”

“Go ahead.”

“Do you mind if I stop by for a visit? I need to get out of the house. Mom and dad are having a little disagreement and I just want to avoid the whole thing.”

“Sure, come on over. My dad can pick you up.”

“That’s not necessary. It’s a short walk, and I could use a little fresh air.”

“Okay, see you soon.”

“Bye now.”

“Dad, Sarah is coming.”

“Great. What’s the occasion?”

“Nothing really. I think it’s problems at home. She wants to get away for a while.”

“I see. Maybe she’ll stay for dinner.”

“Is it okay mom?”

“Sure thing. I’ll be ready if she wants to stay.”

“I’m glad she thought to come here; Sarah is always welcome.”

“Good.”

“Oh, and by the way son, Katie said she understands the Bible. It was a proud moment for her.”

“Yeah, Katie is so little, but she understands the part about forgiveness, and she has a good sense of justice too. I could probably read the whole gospel to her. Jesus did speak very plainly. It’s the older part of the Bible that gives me a problem. And dad, you told me to remind you about the ‘word of God.’ Mr. Peterson brought it up. He said that the four gospels have to be seen in the context of the whole Bible, because the Bible is the ‘word of God.’ Smitty said that very same thing.”

“Yes, I remember the conversation. Philip, you have the right idea on context; this other thing is open to challenge. Jesus used the phrase ‘word of God’ with his own disciples (Luke 8:11). So the term is legitimate, but the way this term is being used is questionable. Most experts feel comfortable saying that the Bible is the word of God, but they don’t agree on what the term actually means. Some think it means that every word in the Bible comes directly from God, and therefore every word in the Bible is of equal importance to every other word. With that point of view, the letters of Paul are elevated to a level equal to the words of Jesus. And with that same logic, this group may go ahead and use the entire Bible as if it is being spoken by the same person. Many people believe that they can move about from one book to another and still remain in context.”

“Gosh, that sounds rather strange to me. Isn’t that like being in a library and shelving the book I’m reading to pick up a different book to look for the context?”

“It might be that bad, but that’s just one extreme side of the issue. The other side takes a more pragmatic stand, saying that these books are just what they appear to be. They are simply the written records of men passed on to us from a bygone era. And of course there are points of view all up and down the two sides. But your understanding is the safe ground. This ‘word of God’ phrase can be used carelessly, so I would caution you about putting every word in these many books on equal footing, or assuming that the verses contained in all these books are contextual. If it’s right, that’s fine. But if it turns out to be wrong, you would have a complete distortion of meaning on your hands.”

“I’ll stay away from it.”

“I’m with you son. Something rather odd is going on here. I think this ‘word of God’ phrase is being abused. Jesus used that term with his own disciples. I would advise you to do a little research and dig up what he said to them.”

“Alright, I’ll look into it.”

“Good. Now Philip, do you think Sarah got delayed?”

“She’ll be here. Maybe I can meet her along the way.”

“Can I go too?”

“Is it alright dad? Can Katie come along?”

“Okay, but make it a short trip.”

“I understand. Come on, take my hand.”

“Is Sarah far away?”

“I don’t know. Just a minute; I think that’s her. Why is she coming from that direction?”

“Is Sarah lost?”

“I don’t know. Hey Sarah!”

“Yes, I’m coming.”

“Why did you take the long way?”

“I had to make a detour. Hi Katie. I’m so happy to meet you.”

“Hi. What happened?”

“Oh Katie, I had to go around the block to avoid this guard dog. Philip, you should have seen him! He was huge, with long straggly white hair. At first he looked a bit sheepish, but then he swung around to threaten me, just like a big wolf. I had to turn around. He didn’t follow me, so everything is okay now. You two just left the house. Do you want to do some walking? It’s a pretty day.”

“That’s fine with me.”

“It’s time for me to go home now.”

“Katie, we just got started. Don’t you want to walk with us?”

“I better go home.”

“She’s worried about that wolf. I better take her back. She has this old book; the wolf eats the grandmother. It’s called Goldilocks or something.”

“Red Riding Hood!”

“Yeah, that’s it. I wonder why that story was written for children; it’s quite rough for kids. Katie likes the book, but the wolf scares the heck out of her.”

“You have to remember; that’s an old story. There were packs of wolves out in the woods back then. I think the story was there to warn the children not to wander far from their own home. It would keep them safe from harm.”

“Sounds right. Hey mom, Katie is back; Sarah’s with me. We’re going to walk a bit more.”

“Sure, have fun.”

“Which way do you want to go?”

“I’ll follow you. Now Philip, I want to hear more about this thing we were talking about yesterday; it was about forgiveness. You quoted a verse saying God forgives us when we forgive others.”

“Yeah, but are you sure it’s alright? You weren’t very comfortable with that verse.”

“Oh, that was yesterday. I was thinking it over, and since you were quoting Jesus himself, I didn’t want to ignore his words. But I have more questions. That statement on how sins are forgiven is too simple. God forgives us when we forgive others? It’s too short or something. What about forgiveness and the Lamb of God. And what about the people who have a hard time forgiving others? It’s not always easy to forgive. And what in the world does this kind of forgiveness have to do with seeking a hidden treasure?”

“Sarah, that’s a lot of questions. You really have been thinking about this.”

“Yes, I just want to check my understanding of scripture. So Philip, why are you looking for treasure? I thought the first thing we had to do was to be saved from our sins.”

“I just want to pay attention to what Jesus was teaching. I’m simply following his instructions. He said ‘seek ye first the kingdom of God,’ and he described the kingdom as a treasure, so I’m after the treasure. He said to do that first, so that’s what I’ll do first.”

“Alright, so you’re just following his instructions. Hmmm.”

“Sarah, maybe we should think about your questions in the context of this treasure to see what happens.”

“Yeah, how would it all work out?”

“Let’s see, 'kingdom of God.' Now since this is about God, and God is eternal, this kingdom lasts forever. Eternal means once gained, it can never be lost. And not only that, but I just learned yesterday that God’s kingdom will provide the earthly things we need as well as heavenly things. It’s from the Sermon on the Mount.”

“Now Sarah, since Jesus was talking about worldly things, it means that this is something we need to find right here on earth. This wasn’t about the afterlife. This is something we should be seeking right now. It covers the inner spiritual life, and the outer material things we need as well. It takes care of everything. And once gained, these treasures can never be lost. Do you follow this so far?”

“Yes, I got it.”

“Good. So if I gain both treasures, and they can never be lost, then I would have nothing to worry about. Others may want to steal the treasure or remove it, but since it cannot be lost, it will never be taken away or stolen. This means I will remain happy regardless of what others try to do. That’s perfect security, and a secure person should find it easy to forgive. It’s the vulnerable people who have a hard time forgiving others. They are anxious because they have never found the eternal treasure. On the other hand, a person who is happy and secure finds it easy to forgive others. So there you have it; this answers the question about forgiving others. If a person finds it difficult to forgive, just go after the treasure first, and the problem of not being able to forgive will simply disappear.”

“Gosh, it all fits together.”

“Of course it fits. Sarah, the treasure comes first, then everything else can get straightened out. The eternal treasure changes a person, and with this change they will find it easy to forgive. They forgive others and God will forgive them. So it seems that everything gets resolved once we take the advice Jesus was giving. Seek the kingdom of God first. Just find that treasure, and everything else will fall into place.”

“But Philip, what about the Lamb of God. The justice and the grace of God is covered when the Lamb of God suffers for my sins.”

“Sarah, I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m reading the gospels right now, and I haven’t come across anything like that. And besides, we got into this yesterday. Justice means the person who does the crime is the one who takes the consequences. If an innocent person is punished for something they didn’t do, it’s not fair. That would be an injustice.”

“Well yes, but what if the innocent person volunteers to take the punishment on my behalf. Isn’t that different?”

“Why do you keep talking about the innocent being punished?”

“Philip, I have to. It’s the gospel.”

“It is?”

“Yes, that’s the gospel of Jesus Christ; it’s the good news.”

“Really? Are you sure about that? Jesus preached the gospel, and the gospel he preached is nothing at all like that. Sarah, is this the thing Mr. Peterson has been teaching you?”

“Yes, exactly.”

“Did Jesus teach it? Was he teaching this to his own disciples?”

“I’m not sure, but it’s the gospel.”

“Hmmm. Sarah, is this kind of gospel found by taking verses from various books of the Bible and bringing them all together?”

“Well yes, we cover the entire word of God looking for it.”

“Now Sarah, that kind of thing is quite unusual. Normally, context is established by staying in the same book. Dad and I were just talking about this. It’s very odd to assume that the written records from different places and different periods of history provide context for one another.”

“But that’s the way it is. It’s the word of God.”

“Sarah, did Jesus say that the innocent suffer for the guilty? Is that the way he spoke about the law?”

“I don’t think so.”

“And did you check to see what Jesus said about the lamb?”

“Not really.”

“I’m going to look it up. I’ll check out what he said about the law, and I think I’ll look up his comments on the lamb as well. These things about justice and the lamb don’t sound right to me.”

“Philip, what’s the problem? Out of love, the Lamb takes on my sin debt. What’s wrong with that?”

“Maybe I should start by asking a question. Now, is it better for a person who commits a crime to change from criminal behavior to law abiding behavior? Or would it be better for the criminal to have an innocent person take the punishment for them? Which is best?”

“Well, a change in the person would be best. A change in behavior would be best for the community and best for the criminal as well.”

“And wouldn’t it be best for this change to take place without anybody suffering?”

“I guess so.”

“So that’s why I’m following the instructions Jesus gave. Finding this treasure first is the path most likely to change a person. If the criminal finds tremendous wealth, there would be no need for criminal behavior. People break the law out of dissatisfaction, so if a dissatisfied person becomes satisfied, they would experience a change in their own behavior. If they find great wealth, they would simply forget their old criminal ways. And if a criminal goes through a real transformation, then the judge is very likely to suspend the sentence and give the person a second chance. That’s the normal way of justice and mercy.”

“And Jesus was speaking about this very transformation. He said we have to change.”

“So there you are. Jesus himself was preaching about a transformation. Sarah, a change in the person is the proper way to go. Just passing the punishment on to the innocent isn’t going to solve the problem. In fact, that might actually undermine the normal system of justice. If a criminal thinks someone else is going to pay for the crime, why should they change anything? There’s no consequence to their criminal behavior.”

“But Philip, the consequence would be that the criminal would feel more guilty about doing the crime since it is their loved one who is being punished.”

“Gosh Sarah, that’s loading more guilt on a person who is already in bad shape. That would cause them to feel even worse than they did before, especially if they continue to make the same mistakes over and over again. Wouldn’t it be better for them to find God’s treasure so that they can be lifted up and forget all those old problems?”

“I guess so. Philip I have to think about this. It’s all new to me.”

“Hey, look here; we’re right back at your house. Guess I just got caught up in the conversation.”

“Oh, this is good. I’ll just go back to my room. Things have probably settled down by now.”

“Are you sure? Mom and dad were looking forward to seeing you.”

“Oh please say hi, but this might work out best. Everything should be better now.”

“Okay, take care.”

“I will. Thanks for the walk.”

“Bye now.” Sarah’s thinking sure is surprising. She must be under a lot of pressure these days. And not only that, but these are the things she is being taught! Gosh, I’m going to have to reconsider the idea of attending Peterson’s class. All this about the lamb and the innocent being punished, it doesn’t sound right to me. Understanding the law is important. Jesus will cover that topic, and he may talk about the lamb as well. I want his viewpoint on these things. He speaks clearly, and he’s not afraid to say what he thinks either. Hmmm, I’ll look into it for sure.

“Hi Son, where’s Sarah?”

“Oh dad, we were out walking and ended up at her house. She just decided to go back inside.”

“We were looking forward to having her, but this might be best. Maybe her problems at home are not so serious. You can just remind her that she’s always welcome here.”

“Good, she’ll be happy to hear that. Mom, it looks like we’re going to have some extra food.”

“It’s alright Philip; leftovers are no problem.”

“Hey Katie, maybe we can go out late tonight and feed that wolf.”

“No thanks. I’ll eat it.”

“You’re too little to eat all this food.”

“Just watch me. And don’t feed that wolf.”

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SIMPLE STRATEGY FROM CHAPTER FOUR

-- Restore the normal understanding of
context and justice.

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CHAPTER 5

SUMMING UP THE LAW AND THE PROPHETS

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Little league today, but maybe I can fit in some research. Alright, what’s this thing about the lamb? Sarah was talking about the lamb and the law yesterday; time to check it out. Let’s see, this is from Luke 10:3. Jesus is speaking and says, “behold, I send you forth as lambs among wolves.” He’s sending a big group of his own disciples ahead of him to every city. He is talking about lambs, but this is not about himself.

Jesus was not speaking of himself as a lamb, but as the protector of lambs. He is the good shepherd; the disciples are in his care. He was warning them about the wolves out in the cities. Wolves are the people who get together to devour those who get in their way. The Romans ruled at that time, so they had the power to do what they wanted. Jesus was concerned about the safety of his disciples. The lambs he was talking about were to be protected, not sacrificed.

The other reference is from John 21:15-16. Jesus appeared at the sea of Galilee and said to Simon Peter, “Feed my lambs,” and a moment later he said, “Feed my sheep.” Again he was speaking of himself as the shepherd. Considering his point of view, those lambs were not to be punished. This is not about lambs taking punishment for sinners. On the contrary, these lambs were getting the best of care.

Sacrifices were taking place in Jerusalem. I don’t think Jesus got along with the ones who were in charge of those things. The two sides looked at things differently. Alright, so now I need to know how Jesus felt about those sacrifices at the main temple.

What about those doves? They were sacrificed too. Let’s see, Matthew 21:12. says, “And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the money-changers, and the seats of them that sold doves.” Not so favorable. He overthrew the seats of those who sold doves for sacrifice. Jesus was not very pleased with this thing. He may have wanted these salesmen to move to another location, but overturning benches is quite a strong reaction. “Hey mom, listen to this.”

“Yes, I hear you.”

“Remember the sacrifice thing?”

“Not really?”

“Mom, you told me about some people who were teaching the old covenant, and you felt uncomfortable with the idea of sacrifice.”

“Alright, now I remember.”

“Well, it looks like you have some pretty good company. I think Jesus had a similar point of view. He was kind to the lambs and doves. He was speaking of kindness and protection with regards to lambs, and I just found that he got angry with the people selling doves at the temple. It appears to me that he didn’t like this tradition of sacrifice.”

“I’m not a bit surprised; it’s a normal reaction. Sacrificing animals in the name of God is offensive. Everybody should know that by now. Philip, I have a quick chore to do. Can you watch Katie for me?”

“Sure. Come and read with me Katie.”

“Okay.”

“Guess what this is about.”

“What?”

“This is about your favorite topic; it’s about wolves! Do you want to hear it?”

“Did the wolf eat anybody?”

“I don’t think so. Jesus was protecting his seventy two lambs from the wolves. They were in his care, and they all came home safely.”

“Oh good.”

“Jesus has always been known as the good shepherd. A shepherd protects his lambs, so this is about kindness. But there was also a warning.”

“What kind?”

“Well, he warned his friends to stay away from the wolves; those were the people with the political power in this case.”

“Philip, where did the wolves come from?”

“I don’t know exactly. I think they were imported to the area by outsiders. This Palestine was taken over by a foreign country, and outside rulers who are not welcome have to use force to stay in power. They usually have a corrupting influence on the lands they rule.”

“What’s corrupting?”

“Well, they give money to the people who do what they want. And if the outsiders don’t get their way with money, they get together with the people they corrupt and use violence. It’s just like a pack of wolves; they eat up those who get in their way.”

“Did Jesus kill the wolves?”

“No. Jesus is peaceful in here. His disciples called him ‘rabbi,’ which means teacher. So as a teacher, he was there to teach, not to hurt anyone. I think he wanted people to love each other and be kind to the animals. And it seems that a great many people in Palestine liked this message of peace and kindness.”

“Philip, is Jesus a Christian?”

“I don’t think so; I think he’s Jewish. Jesus is a rabbi in here, so he is Jewish.”

“When did he change to Christian?”

“I don’t know. I don’t think he ever changed to Christian.”

“So what happened?”

“Katie, you are now asking about church history. I don’t know anything about church history. I’m researching the gospel Jesus preached to his own disciples. It appears to me that Christians may have picked up on a different kind of gospel. But this is an important topic, so we need to move ahead carefully. Let’s look up the law he taught.”

“Philip, what about the treasure? I thought you were looking for treasure.”

“Oh sure, I am looking for treasure. Seeking a treasure is the gospel Jesus actually preached; it was called the gospel of the kingdom. We’ll get back to that as soon as I clear up this thing about the lamb and the law. Come on, we’ll look it up together. Sarah was talking about the law and how punishment can be passed on to an innocent lamb.”

“Why did she say that?”

“I’m not sure. She called it the gospel, so I need to find out if Jesus taught anything like that. But hold on; wait just one minute.”

“Wait for what?”

“Katie, I forgot to look up the word ‘sacrifice.’ Maybe Jesus said something about it. Sacrifice, sacrifices, here is something.”

“What does it say?”

“Matthew 9:13 says, ‘But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice.’ Holy smokes! Out of all the ancient writings, Jesus picked out this statement. I think he was quoting from an old scripture.” (Hosea 6:6)

“Philip, what did you find?”

“Well Katie, all morning I was wondering about this idea of passing punishment on to the innocent. Back in the old days, people bought lambs and doves to have them sacrificed at the big temple. I had to find out how Jesus felt about that. And just this very minute, we found something.”

“What?”

“Well, out of the thousands of verses in the old books, Jesus picked out a negative.”

“What’s that?”

“Negative means no. ‘Not sacrifice’ means no sacrifices. He selected this from all the old teachings: ‘I will have mercy.’ Mercy is kindness, so this supports the verses on lambs and doves I found earlier this morning. And this fits his personality too; love one another, no violence. I think his lessons on kindness are good. What do you think?”

“Yeah, it’s good.”

“And the people of Palestine thought so too. They liked the message.”

“Philip, are we finished?”

“Hold on. Just one more thing. This idea of the innocent taking punishment for the sins of others is about the law. Jesus taught the law, so I want to see if it supports what we already found. Katie, if his description of the law fits what we just read, then I think we have this thing all sewed up.”

“Sewed up?”

“Oh, it means we did our homework, and we deserve the conclusion that comes from our study. Then we can celebrate.”

“Can we get some ice cream?”

“Yeah, great idea; we’ll celebrate with ice cream.”

“It’s a birthday.”

“Yes, the birthday of kindness. We’ll celebrate the good news of kindness and the good news of the treasure--a rebirth of the gospel of treasure and kindness.”

“So where’s the ice cream?”

“Katie, we have to look up the word ‘law’ first, remember?”

“Hurry up. I’m ready to celebrate.”

“Alright, I’ll try to do it fast. Katie, look at this one; it’s about the law and the prophets. Dad told me to look for references that would give us the historical context. So we have Jesus talking about these old prophets and the law right here.”

“Good.”

“It’s from the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 7:12). Oh sure, I know this one. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. That’s a famous verse. And gosh, this little statement is a summary of the law and the prophets too; wow, this is big!

“What’s the matter?”

“This is fantastic! Do you know what just happened?”

“What happened?”

“Katie, I just realized that I don’t have to read those old books.”

“What old books?”

“Oh, the Bible has lots of old books that are hard to read, but here we have Jesus himself summing up the law and the words of the prophets by making one simple statement. That’s terrific. He says, ‘this IS the law and the prophets.’ Do you know what this means?”

“No, what?”

“It means that Christians who read the old part of the Bible have to come up with an interpretation that will support his conclusion--Jesus is the boss you know. So this one little statement takes care of all the old prophets and their books. Katie, Jesus is summing everything up right here, and this is the very thing experts have been trying to do for centuries. Bible experts read these old books to come up with a conclusion to preach to the people. And just think, they’ve been digging up all these things about sacrifices and such. But Katie, there was no need for all that extra work since Jesus already did the work for them. He wrapped the whole thing up on his own; he gave the conclusion right here.”

“And he’s smarter than anybody.”

“Yeah, you got it. Gosh, this is so simple. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. He is speaking of kindness, not the innocent taking punishment for the guilty. Experts pick up on all these sacrifices and such. But on the other hand, Jesus recalls the old books and prophets, and says, ‘do unto others.’ He is simply speaking about good behavior. Quite a difference, don’t you think?”

“Yeah. Philip, is it time to celebrate?”

“Okay, let’s go.”

“I’m home!”

“Whoops! It’s mom, bad timing.”

“So, what are you two up to?”

“Well, we were just on our way to celebrate with some ice cream.”

“Philip, isn’t it a little early for that kind of thing?”

“But mom, we just hit a milestone. I got right to the heart of this Bible study. Jesus summed up all the old books and the prophets; it’s Matthew 7:12. He did most of the work for me, so Katie and I were just about to celebrate when you walked in.”

“Well alright. It sounds like something nice, but we need to think this over. Let’s cook up a couple of grilled cheese sandwiches, and on the side we’ll try a banana, some walnuts and a little ice cream on top. How about that?”

“Should we take it Katie?”

“Yeah, I’m hungry. It’s a deal.”

“And maybe a little ice cream while we’re waiting?”

“Philip, I have a better idea; you can do the cooking. It’s not so hard.”

“Okay, I’ll try.”

“Can I help?”

“Katie, you can get the stuff from the fridge. Hey dad, grilled cheese over easy?”

“Sounds tempting, but do you know what you’re doing?”

“No, but mom is watching me.“

“Well then, I want my grilled cheese nice and crispy, and put in a slice of tomato before you fry it.”

“Really? I’ll try that too.”

“Plain cheese for me.”

“Katie, did you study with Philip today?”

“Yes daddy.”

“And what did you learn?”

“Stay away from the wolves and no sacrifices.”

“Oh, that’s very clear honey. Did she get it right Philip?”

“Yeah, she got it right. Sarah was talking about the lamb of God yesterday, and when I looked it up she turned out to be all wrong.”

“Be careful Philip; don’t say Sarah is wrong. The story you read may simply look different to you. Everyone is entitled to come to their own conclusion on what they read. Discuss it with her if you want, but don’t say she’s wrong. Be tolerant of the opinion of others.”

“Alright, I’ll be careful.”

“And son, that Pauline gospel has been very dear to the hearts of many people. It has given hope to millions down through the ages. I don’t want you to criticize a belief that has been such a big help to so many people.”

“I understand.”

“And besides, just think about how little you’ve done so far. Did you finish up the four gospels yet?”

“No sir. I just got started.”

“Then perhaps Sarah read some things you haven’t seen.”

“Oh sure, that’s very possible. She has been studying for a long time.”

“Well then, you should ask her to show you the gospel verses that back up her views. I’m sure she’ll have something to say.”

“Yeah, and I might just see her today. Which reminds me, I have to put on my uniform.”

“Son, you’re not finished.”

“Sorry, but I have to go now. I’m already late.”

“Who’s picking you up?”

“Jeff’s mom.” Now, where’s that uniform? Oh no, I forgot to put it in the hamper! This is not a pretty sight. Well, I’m still the same player on the inside; it’s the inside that really counts in the end.

“Philip, where are you going dressed like that?”

“Little league.”

“Oh no you don’t!”

“Mom, it’s too late to do laundry.”

“Philip, I’m not happy about this.”

“Sorry, it won’t happen again. There they are; they’re waiting for me. Got to go, see yah.”

“That uniform, it looked so dirty.”

“Don’t be concerned honey. It’s baseball, not a fashion show.”

“But I always want him to look his best.”

“His performance out on the field will make up for any little imperfection on the outside. And besides, it looks like interpretation is his game. I never saw anyone dive into the Bible the way he has.”

“I hope his independent views don’t get him into trouble. Religion is a very touchy subject.”

“He can take care of himself; he’ll be fine. And besides, the inquisition is over; those old days of extreme intolerance are long gone.”

“We still have politics. A person’s beliefs do make a difference.”

“Yeah, but our son is going to think for himself. He has a bright future. And this is probably just another phase he is going through. This month it’s the Bible, next month it will be outer space or something. You know how he is.”

“Maybe we can get him a cookbook. I wouldn’t mind having a French chef in the house.”

“I wish you luck, but I don’t think it’s going to work. You have a bright son, and he’s looking for treasure. What more do you want?”

“You don’t really think he is going to find anything, do you?”

“I don’t know, he might find something. I’ve always had a feeling that the really important things in life are the least understood. Life holds so many hidden mysteries. Good luck is a mystery. Everyone wants it, but the real key to good fortune is unknown. Contentment is another example. It’s so important to life, and yet no one seems to know how to dig up that treasure.”

“Contentment is a nice one.”

“You see? Everyone wants these things, not to mention vitality, creativity and self-confidence--those are the abstract pearls of life. But what does a person do to dig up those treasures? They are hidden, and yet they are so vital to a good life. The inner abstract qualities are the real treasures.”

“I think you’re right.”

“Sure. And our modern culture is only set up to support the superficial things. These important subjective qualities are being neglected. If Philip could pick up on the key to that kind of treasure, he would really have something. He might find it; these gospels may hold the secret.”

“I guess he could come up with the key to those inner treasures. Yeah, that would be something.”

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SIMPLE REFERENCE FROM CHAPTER FIVE

-- “I will have mercy, and not sacrifice”
(from Matthew 9:13).

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CHAPTER 6

NEITHER LAMB NOR DOVE BUT SPIRIT

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“Philip, are you all right?”

“Oh, hi Sarah. Yeah, just a sprained ankle. No big deal; I played two innings on it.”

“You didn’t.”

“It wasn’t smart to keep on playing, but we won the game big time. I thought you might be there.”

“Yes, I wanted to come, but it was impossible. I’ll make it next time. Did you see a doctor?”

“No. Really, it’s nothing.”

“Alright then; I just wanted to check. Is it okay if I call again later? I can’t talk much right now.”

“Sure, call back anytime.”

“Great, bye now.”

“Philip, do you want some breakfast?”

“Thanks mom, but I can get it for myself. And I might spend the day reading in my room.”

“Good. That’s perfect.”

Alright. So now’s the time to move through the entire gospel story. And I’m not going to use this “word of God” kind of context either. It’s too risky to assume that the thousands of verses in these many Bible books provide context for one another. On the other hand, these four gospels should give the information I need to fit everything together.

Jesus was certainly capable of giving his own disciples what they needed to know. I’ll simply go by his words. And as I move along in the story, all the pieces of the puzzle should come together to give one coherent picture. The final fit will show me if I got it right or not. This is the correct way to think about context; everything spoken by the same person should fit together. Good plan. Now it’s time to get to work.

The gospel starts in John 1:1. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” Aha, this Word is not a reference to the Bible, so this mix-up is already showing itself. Hmmm, but I also need to hold off and see how Jesus used the term “Word of God.” He is sure to talk about it later.

Look at this; John 1:9 is already making a hopeful declaration. “That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.” Light removes the darkness. Alright, this gospel is off to a very good start. Moving right ahead, I don’t see any preaching in this big introduction. The first part is about the birth and early years of Jesus and John the Baptist. These two seem to have a deep connection to one another. John plays a major role in this gospel; I think his activities pave the way for the later entrance of Jesus.

Here is something. Sarah brought up the topic of “forgiveness of sins,” and Mark 1:4 says, “John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.” Water is used in baptism, and water could be symbolic of that kind of cleansing. Unfortunately, this section does not describe John’s baptism in detail. I don’t know the words he spoke as he baptized, so I don’t know how John’s baptism of repentance helped people with the forgiveness of sins. For now, all I can do is move ahead.

John is speaking in Luke 3:16. He said, “I indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire.” After this announcement, Jesus made his grand entrance. I better pay close attention to this; it might set the tone for the entire story. Matthew 3:13 says, “Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him.”

Gosh, he came to John to be baptized. Whatever John was doing, Jesus was sure pleased with it. But John was embarrassed by the situation. Matthew 3:14-15 says, “But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me?” Jesus replied, “Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness.” So they went ahead with it. Alright, the very first act of his was to be baptized by John.

Now, why is this happening? John’s baptism was for the remission of sins. I don’t think Jesus needed anything like that. Here is more from Mark 1:10, “And straightway coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon him.”

Wow, just look at all these things: repentance for the forgiveness of sins, heaven being torn open, and the Holy Spirit descending. Something big was going on here, and I have no idea how it all fits together. But one thing I can say for certain--Jesus very clearly connected himself to John.

“Here, hold my frog.”

“Katie, he’s just going to hop away.”

“Put your other hand on top like this. Don’t smash him.”

“But Katie!”

“Just hold my frog. I’ll be right back.”

“Alright, but don’t be gone too long.” Oh boy, how am I going to study like this? I’ll just stop and think for a moment. Now what’s going on in here? Let’s see, the location of this baptism is interesting since there was a great temple in Jerusalem not far away from the Jordan River. But Jesus and John were conducting their business away from the temple, out in the countryside. It sounds as if they had no connection to the activities at the temple. In fact, here in the third chapter of Matthew, John is scolding some of those Pharisees (Matthew 3:7-10). So the division between these two groups is already showing up.

Now, I need to keep in mind that both sides claimed a Jewish heritage, but they appear to be divided and in separate camps. It looks as if they wanted nothing to do with each other. And these foreign rulers probably had a hand in this situation. Romans would have supported the Pharisees and teachers of the law who co-operated with them. Foreign domination would have had a big effect on those who held the prominent positions. I suspect that many of the great spiritual leaders of this period were pushed aside during this foreign occupation.

Well, in any case, animals were being sacrificed at the temple in Jerusalem. That side was promoting the idea that God wanted sacrifices for the forgiveness of sins. But on the other hand, John was out by the Jordan River preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. These two groups sure had different ideas on how sins are forgiven. And it appears to me that Jesus very clearly connected himself to John.

Now where’s that Katie? I want to get back to the story. Maybe I can turn a page with my elbow. Oh yeah, here we go. After the baptism, Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit out into the desert for forty days; this is from the fourth chapter of Matthew. The tempter came along to offer worldly things, but Jesus rebuffed the temptation.

Gosh, look at Matthew 4:6. Holy smokes! It looks like the tempter is the first one in this story to quote scripture. This may serve as a good lesson; it shows that these books can be abused. The devil has just taken the word of God and turned it into the word of the devil. And he did so by simply opening his mouth and quoting scripture. This is like turning a prince into a frog! “No offense intended little one. How are you doing in there? I’m going to do my best to get you back outside soon, don’t worry.”

So, back to the story. The very next day John was speaking with some people from the temple and confirmed that Jesus is “the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost” (from John 1:33). Now, this is the second reference to the baptizing ministry of Jesus. And look here; in this same section Jesus made another public appearance. He approached the area and John said, “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world” (John 1:29).

Aha! This is the verse Sarah was talking about; it’s about the lamb and taking away sins. Jesus didn’t say it, but this is a quote from John the Baptist. Okay frog, I need these hands to make a call. You’re on your own. “Hi Sarah.”

“Oh, hi Philip.”

“Do you have a few minutes?”

“Not really; I’m cutting tile. Mom and I are finishing the kitchen. The job wasn’t getting done, so we just decided to do it ourselves. But go ahead; I can take a little time out. What’s on your mind?”

“Well, I just found that verse on the Lamb of God, John 1:29. It’s a quote from John the Baptist.”

“Yeah, that’s it. ‘Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.’ Oh good. So now you can see what I’m talking about.”

“I guess so. I can see where you got the idea, but how did you interpret this to mean sacrifice and passing punishment on to the innocent?”

“Philip, it’s obvious. It’s about the Lamb of God and taking away sins, so it must be about the sacrifice of the Lamb of God. Don’t you see the connection?”

“Well, I’m not so sure. Sarah, I need to be careful with this verse. I don’t want to end up questioning your beliefs. Dad just told me to be careful with this kind of thing.”

“Philip, don’t worry about it; I’m not that sensitive. Just go ahead and say what’s on your mind.”

“Alright. It’s just that Katie and I were reading about this yesterday (Chapter Five), and there are many verses in which Jesus was preaching about the law. He even spoke directly about sacrifices, and it appears to me that he favored kindness. On top of that I noticed that every time he made a reference to lambs, he was talking about his disciples, not himself. Jesus was referring to a ‘lamb’ as something to be safeguarded. His lambs were to be protected, not sacrificed. And I think John would have used the term just as Jesus used it.”

“Oh, I see. Philip, I think you have a good point.”

“Then it’s okay?”

“Of course it’s okay.”

“So I can finish up the idea?”

“Go right ahead.”

“Well you see, when John said ‘behold the Lamb of God,’ I think he was saying that Jesus is like an innocent lamb who was about to be sent out among the wolves. This is about the safety and innocence of Jesus, and the dangerous situations that lie ahead.”

“I guess that’s possible.”

“Sarah, in all probability, John and Jesus were using the term ‘lamb’ in a similar sense, and that was with reference to protection and innocence. John was concerned about the safety of Jesus, just as Jesus was concerned about the safety of his own disciples. So these two close associates were probably thinking along the same lines. If you want to pick up on the idea of lamb for sacrifice you would have to associate John’s quote with the thinking of the Pharisees. That kind of connection doesn’t sound right to me. John and the Pharisees didn’t get along with each other. I don’t think you should assume that John was thinking about lambs in that same cruel way. Connecting John the Baptist with the Pharisees isn’t right; it’s the wrong association.”

“Gosh, that makes perfect sense. Jesus and John didn’t get along with the Pharisees. But they sure got along with each other.”

“Of course, they were close associates; they formed a tight connection right here in the beginning of these gospels. I just finished reading this section on the baptism of Jesus by John. Baptism plays a major role in this story. I’m looking forward to the next section, since John has just announced that Jesus is about to start baptizing. I want to see how he does it.”

“Oh Philip, I hate to disappoint you, but Jesus didn’t baptize anybody.”

“He didn’t? Are you sure?”

“I think so. Mr. Peterson told us that Jesus didn’t baptize.”

“Hmmm. But why did John the Baptist announce that Jesus is coming to baptize with the Holy Spirit and with fire? It’s from Luke 3:16.”

“I don’t know.”

“And something similar to that came up in John 1:33. John said Jesus is ‘he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost.’ So naturally I was looking forward to the baptisms Jesus was about to perform.”

“I understand, but I’m simply repeating what I was taught. Mr. Peterson said that Jesus didn’t baptize. But I do think there’s a puzzle in here. It’s common for people to get confused in this section. Perhaps you can work this out so all the pieces fit together; you seem to be good at that.”

“Maybe I can.”

“Philip, give me a moment to show you the verse at the heart of this confusion. Here it is, John 4:2. On the basis of this verse, Mr. Peterson thinks he didn’t baptize. The Bible starts out by reporting that Jesus was actually baptizing in both John 3:22 and John 3:26. But then the fourth chapter of John says that it was not Jesus who baptized, but his disciples. Some people point this out as a contradiction, but Mr. Peterson said the gospel writer left in the two earlier statements and later tried to clarify it with John 4:2.”

“Oh, that does sound strange. Why didn’t the gospel writer just clarify his original statements?”

“I don’t know.”

“Well anyway, I took some notes. I’ll look at these verses later.”

“And Philip, I also have to warn you about the confusion going on with regard to baptism. It’s a hot button topic. Raise the subject and you might end up with a big debate on your hands.”

“What’s the problem?”

“Well, the dispute is about everything. For example, some groups baptize tiny infants. Other denominations say that a person has to reach the age of accountability so that they can reason for themselves before being baptized. Not only that, but there’s a disagreement on how baptism is to be performed. Some do it by dipping people in water, and others by pouring water over the head; that’s another hot issue. And simply with regard to the general topic, there are those who think baptism is of vital importance, and the other side feels baptism is not so important.”

“Gosh, that’s something.”

“Yeah, so here’s my advice: don’t even mention the word. Everyone has already taken a firm position, so getting into the baptism debate is just a big waste of time.”

“Okay, I hear you. I’ll just study the topic on my own. Thanks for the advice.”

“You bet. So I have to go now.”

“Oh and Sarah, one last thing; I’ll make it short.”

“Go ahead.”

“My dad suggested that I ask you about the verses on sacrifice for sin. Where are those gospel references?”

“Oh, that’s easy. Just check out John 3:16, and also look up the last supper. Jesus spoke about the blood sacrifice in Matthew 26:28.”

“I got it, John 3:16 and Matthew 26:28. Terrific, thanks again.”

“Sure enough, take care.”

“Bye now.”

“Philip, where’s my frog?”

“Oh Katie, good timing. I was just about to look for the little guy.”

“He got away?”

“Well, not exactly. I had to talk on the phone. Oh, there he is. Now, you stand on that side.”

“I got him!”

“Good, now let’s take Mr. frog outside.”

“But Philip, he’s my pet.”

“Now Katie, listen to me. Living in a house is not a frog’s life. This little fellow is a creature of the outdoors, so let’s get him back outside. Frogs are very special you know. They have a deep connection with the heavens. At night they like to sit in a puddle of water under the stars; that’s where they’re happy. Have you ever heard them singing?”

“Singing?“

“Yes, they sing to each other all night long. It’s a special kind of frog song; only they can understand it. Now, you don’t want your frog to miss out on the evening concert, do you?”

“Oh no! I’ll take him outside.”

“Great idea.” Alright, so much for the frog. Now back to my own connection to the heavens. These four gospels are pulling my attention to the kingdom of heaven, but this sacrifice thing is holding me up. I want to move along to the hidden treasure.

Sarah gave me John 3:16 and Matthew 26:28. I’ll just look up those two verses and move on. After all, it appears to me that I just found good evidence that Jesus and John the Baptist had their own way of dealing with the forgiveness of sins.

But anyhow, here’s the first one; it’s John 3:16. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Hmmm, so where is the part about sacrifice? I’ll check the context; maybe the sacrifice part is in the surrounding verses. Okay, this is the discussion with Nicodemus about being born again. This is about the Spirit of God and the light of God.

Now, here is something. Jesus says in John 3:17, “For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.” Okay, the idea of saving the world is here, but I can’t find what she was talking about. Why did Sarah gave me this verse? This whole section is about being saved by God’s Spirit. Nothing about a sacrifice in here.

But this section has been a help to me. I’ve heard people say: “I cannot save myself,” so this third chapter of John is important in that respect. It shows that the saving grace comes through the Spirit and light of God. And this fits in perfectly with Luke 4:43. Jesus was sent to preach the gospel of the kingdom of God and along with his preaching, he must have been passing out the key to the saving grace and the light of God. I have yet to figure out how he did it, but at least the pieces appear to be coming together.

So on to the next verse. These things from Peterson’s class don’t seem to be going anywhere, but thankfully, this is the last one. Matthew 26:28 says “For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.” Oh yeah, this is it; blood is being shed for the forgiveness of sins.

Now on to the context. This is from the last supper, and Jesus took bread and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink ye, all of it; for this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins” (from Matthew 26:26-28). This is about eating his body and drinking his blood. Hmmm, a very unusual statement. This needs to be explained. Maybe I can find something similar to this elsewhere.

Oh yes, John 6:54. “Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.” This is very much like the last supper statement and the disciples spoke up in John 6:60. “This is a hard saying; who can hear it?” So the disciples were just as puzzled by the idea of eating his body and drinking his blood as I am. Alright, this is leading up to something.

And sure enough, Jesus cleared the whole thing up in John 6:61-63. With reference to his flesh and blood, Jesus said, “Doth this offend you? What and if ye shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before? It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.” Aha! So just as in John 3:16, this is about the Spirit of God.

Yeah, this explains the whole thing. Life comes from his words, and he is not speaking of physical flesh and blood. Jesus is giving the picture of his body and blood as spirit, and spirit is that which is unseen. So the blood he was speaking about cannot be seen with the physical eyes.

And this explains why he overturned those benches at the temple as well. “Flesh profiteth nothing.” Those doves were mere physical flesh and blood. That didn’t count for anything. Those old sacrifices were just cruelty without a purpose. Jesus endorsed the spiritual things, not the physical. Gosh, no wonder he got rid those dove sellers. So Jesus went right back to speaking about the Spirit of God. He sure was consistent; he returned to the topic of spirit time and time again.

Alright, that resolves the issue surrounding this reference to blood in Matthew 26:28. And something else just fell into place. The treasure I’m seeking is hidden. And now I know exactly why it’s hidden. This is about a spiritual treasure, and spirit is unseen. This is why Matthew 13:44 says, “treasure hid in a field.”

Okay, but now I’m faced with an even bigger question. If the treasure cannot be seen, how will I find it? Wow, that is a problem!

Well, I just got started. If the answer is in here, I’ll track it down. I’m going to find this hidden spiritual treasure. Nothing left to stop me now.

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SIMPLE THEOLOGY FROM CHAPTER SIX

Restore the original context:

-- John 3:16 is about the Spirit of God.
And likewise, Matthew 26:28 is about Spirit.

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home

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CHAPTER 7

GIFT OF GOD AND INNER CLEANSING

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“Philip, is Katie with you?”

“No mom. Did you check outside?”

“I’ll go look for her.”

“Okay.” Time to finish the first chapter of John. Most of the followers were called disciples, but the ones closest to Jesus were called apostles. He is gathering a few of them right here. That was simple, so on to the next section.

The second and third chapters of John recall the early days of Christ’s ministry. Looks like we have a wedding and a shortage of wine; Jesus performed his first public miracle, changing water into wine. There are many references to miracles in these four gospels, but I’m looking for the treasure, so my attention will be on his teaching. Next is the story of Nicodemus, but more information is needed before I tackle this thing about being ‘born again.’

Let’s see. As I move along in John’s gospel (John 3:22-26), quite a lot of baptizing is going on here, and it appears to be taking place over a period of several months. This section contains a general description of the ministry of Jesus with his disciples in the Judean countryside, and John the Baptist with his disciples in Aenon. Baptizing was going on in both camps. These activities seem to parallel one another, and since the Holy Spirit is associated with baptism, I can rest assured that something quite important was going on. Jesus is baptizing right here in John 3:22. It says “After these things came Jesus and his disciples into the land of Judaea; and there he tarried with them and baptized.” So yes indeed, he was baptizing.

The very next verse (John 3:23) starts off by saying, “And John also was baptizing,” giving evidence that the previous verse is correct. And just beyond it (from John 3:26), a group came to John the Baptist and spoke about Jesus: “Rabbi, he that was with thee beyond Jordan, to whom thou barest witness, behold, the same baptizeth, and all men come to him.” So now I have two verses declaring that Jesus is baptizing, and just this morning I found two verses in which John the Baptist said that Jesus is coming to baptize (Luke 3:16 and John 1:33). Four verses that support each other, and Mr. Peterson is teaching Sarah that Jesus didn’t baptize? Something isn’t right.

John 4:2 is used to show that he didn’t baptize. Here are verses one through three: “When therefore the Lord knew how the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John, (though Jesus himself baptized not, but his disciples,) He left Judaea and departed again into Galilee.” Now, looking back at the two verses that say Jesus is going to baptize and the two saying Jesus is baptizing, I’m going to start by assuming that he did baptize and see what happens. Maybe I’ll find a way to accept the truth of all five verses without saying that the gospel writer got it wrong and later tried to clarify his statements in John 4:2 as Sarah mentioned.

I need to look for something in the context of these verses. Good, here’s a clue. John 4:1 says, “When therefore the Lord knew how the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John.” This verse comes just before the one used to change the meaning of the other four. It seems to indicate that the number of people coming to be baptized by Jesus was increasing. So now I can just imagine what was happening. As more people were coming, it seems likely that Jesus did the baptizing at first, and as time went on he simply taught the disciples how to baptize so that they could help him with the increasing numbers. Eventually he gave the entire job of baptizing to the disciples.

This supports the truth of all five verses, as well as eliminating the prospect of a contradiction. But even without this scenario, even if I want to accept the idea that he didn’t baptize, I still have to assume that Jesus was involved in the activities of his own disciples. His disciples were baptizing and as their teacher, he was there to oversee the whole operation. So without any question, Jesus was quite involved in this early baptizing. The most likely scenario is that he was baptizing and simply passed the job on to his disciples as the crowds grew larger.

“Young man, we need to have a talk!”

Uh oh, this doesn’t sound so good. “Yes mom, I’m on my way. What’s up? I see you found Katie.”

“But Philip, it wasn’t so easy to find her. She was all the way down the hill. When I asked about it, she said something about a frog concert and finding the right puddle under the stars. So what’s this all about?”

“Mom, she was keeping a frog in the house. I wanted her to take it outside, so I just explained how frogs love singing under the stars. I guess I did dress up the idea just a bit.”

“Philip, you know how impressionable she is. She really loves that little frog.”

“I’ll be more careful from now on.”

“Alright, and help me keep a closer watch on her. She should never be outside by herself.”

“Okay. Come on Katie, let’s go study together.”

“Good, I like to study.”

“Oh mom, can I ask a question? It’s about baptism.”

“I don’t know if I can help, but I’ll try.”

“There seems to be a lot of confusion on the topic.”

“Yes, go ahead.”

“Well, this first section of the gospels shows large numbers of people being baptized over a long period of time, and a normal reading would strongly suggest that Jesus was very involved in these baptisms. John said twice that he was coming to baptize, and another two verses say that he was actually baptizing. Now, here’s the puzzle: Sarah said her study group is thinking that Jesus didn’t baptize anybody, and I can’t figure out how they came to that conclusion. Mom, what’s going on here?”

“Oh, I might be able to give the general picture. Philip, you have to remember that a great many religious denominations view the crucifixion as the central event in the history of mankind. They call it the crowning sacrifice. I suspect that the early history of baptism in these gospels could be an awkward subject for them.”

“What’s the problem?”

“Well, just think about it. First of all, sin is what separates us from God, so any reference having to do with a cleansing of sin has to be important. Solving the problem of sin is a central theme for all the big denominations.”

“Yeah, Sarah and I went back and forth on this very thing. She was talking about how sacrifice has fixed the problem.”

“Right, and that is called the ‘gospel of Jesus Christ.’ Jesus died for my sins.”

“But mom, that’s not the gospel Jesus preached. He taught the gospel of the kingdom. It’s about seeking a hidden treasure.”

“Okay, I understand you found a different gospel, but you asked me about resistance to the idea that Jesus baptized.”

“Right.”

“So I need to finish up.”

“Oh sure.”

“Well, first of all, water is used in baptism and water represents a cleansing. The spiritual implication of that kind of ceremony would be a cleansing of sins.”

“Yeah, John’s baptism was called the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.”

“Good. So you’ve already made the connection. Now, if the cross becomes the focal point with regard to the forgiveness of sins, then why in the world would Jesus be involved in a ceremony suggesting that a person is being cleansed of their sins at such an early date? The timing isn’t right. Most people are comfortable with the baptizing taking place after the crucifixion, after the price of sin was paid, but those baptisms prior to the cross become a kind of puzzle. In fact, there are large groups who hold the position that the people baptized by John had to do it over after the crucifixion took place.”

“Oh boy, that is strange. Especially since John is the one who baptized Jesus.”

“So, can you see the dilemma? People who feel that this early baptizing was nothing more than a ceremonial washing, or perhaps a model of things to come, find it difficult to accept the idea that Jesus could have baptized anyone. If they do accept it, they would be saying that the baptisms Jesus himself performed had no particular purpose other than an example of things to come.”

“Okay, I get it. These early baptisms don’t fit the idea of sacrifice for sin; the timing isn’t right. Well, that’s not a problem for me. I just found good evidence that Jesus didn’t like the idea of sacrifice anyway. A closer look at this early baptizing is now in order. And besides, this baptism had something to do with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is God, so it had to be more than just symbolic. Now mom, did the disciples continue baptizing people?”

“Yes. Jesus sent them out at the end of the gospels. I think it was called the great commission. So the baptisms did continue, and I think the early church did it as well.”

“Hmmm, something special was going on here; too bad about all this confusion. These early baptisms had to be more than a bath. A lot can be forgotten in two thousand years.”

“Yes indeed. The details on baptism may have slipped away.”

“Yeah. Well anyway, thanks for the help mom.”

“You bet. Now, where is that little girl? Looks like we both lost her this time. Katie!”

“Here I am. Philip, when are we going to study?”

“Right now. And thanks again mom.”

“Sure thing.”

“Now Katie, I have another nice puzzle for you. I want to see if you can put two and two together.”

“Four!”

“Oh, not that two and two.”

“Which one?”

“Hold on; just listen to this. We know the disciples were students of Jesus. He taught his own disciples, and the Bible starts off by saying that Jesus baptized people. Do you understand this so far?”

“Yes. Jesus taught the disciples, and he baptized too.”

“Now, a bit later the Bible appears to say that more people were coming to be baptized and it was the disciples who baptized, and not Jesus. Can you tell me what happened?”

“Not yet. Give me another hint.”

“Well, Jesus was their teacher. Right?”

“Right.”

“He knew how to baptize, and he was the teacher of his own disciples. Do you follow this so far?”

“Yes.”

“And more people were coming to be baptized.“

“Oh, I know! Did he teach the disciples how to baptize so they could help?”

“Terrific Katie!”

“Did I win?”

“Well, you said the very same thing I was thinking. I’m not absolutely certain, but it sounds right to me. I don’t think the gospel writer would intentionally leave misleading statements behind him. His job was to say things clearly, and if the gospel writer knew that Jesus didn’t baptize, he would have said so right from the start. I think we have the right idea Katie. I get the strong impression that Jesus himself was baptizing, and we also know he was baptized by John. This baptizing activity went on for quite some time, and Jesus was an enthusiastic supporter of the whole thing.”

“What’s baptizing?”

“Katie, I have to say at this point that I really don’t know. Nothing is said about the actual procedure. But I do know it has something to do with water and the Holy Spirit. So we certainly have to look into it.”

“What’s the Holy Spirit?”

“The Holy Spirit is God. John was told that Jesus is coming to baptize with the Holy Spirit--so it has something to do with bringing God to the people. This early baptizing sounds important to me. What do you think?”

“Oh yes, God is important. Everybody should know that.”

“Well Katie, mom just explained something to me. It seems like the big scholars are not so inclined to put much emphasis on the early part of this story. But I’m with you; I think the Holy Spirit is important. And all these early baptisms are clearly linked to the Holy Spirit, so we need to move ahead to figure it out”

“Yeah.”

“Here comes a very well known event. Maybe we can find something in here. Jesus meets a woman at Jacob’s Well. He is talking about the ‘gift of God.’”

“Oh good, I like gifts.”

“It’s John 4:10; this gift of God sounds like a treasure.”

“Is that the treasure Philip?”

“I don’t know. Jesus had a name for this gift of God; he called it ‘living water.’ The term ‘living’ has a nice sound to it. Hmmm, this might be the treasure.”

“Katie, I wonder if this is another one of those spiritual things people cannot see. Yep, here it is; living water is spiritual. The context shows me that the woman didn’t know what Jesus was talking about. She thinks he meant water from Jacob’s Well. But in John 4:13-14, he corrected the woman and said, ‘Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.’ So Katie, this ‘gift of God’ is spiritual water. It can’t be seen with the eyes. Living water is invisible.”

“Philip, how can this be the treasure if we can’t see it?”

“Oh, that’s a great question. Invisible things can be very important. Happiness is invisible. You want happiness, don’t you?”

“Yes. Is living water happy?”

“I don’t know, but let’s think about this. And maybe some ideas about ordinary water will help us understand this living water. Now, how does water help us in our everyday life?”

“Philip, I drink water when I’m thirsty.”

“Right, so water maintains our life when we drink it. What else does water do?”

“I clean with soap and water.”

“Alright Katie, I think you got it. Water maintains life when we drink, and water comes to our rescue for cleaning. So now we need to think about this ‘living water.’ It’s the ‘gift of God.’ This is very special water. Spiritual water from God would clean us on a very deep level. I’ll bet Jesus was giving out spiritual water to maintain a vibrant life and clean a person from the inside. We clean our body with soap and water every day, so why not use God’s water to clean the whole person, including the soul. Do you understand this Katie?”

“The gift of God is soap and water for the soul.”

“Sounds right to me. Soap and water for the soul, and a battery charger for the spirit.”

“A battery charger for the spirit.“

“Katie, you’re really sharp today; I’m so proud of you.”

“Thanks, I have to go now. Mommy! Mommy!

“Yes honey, what’s up?”

“Jesus was giving a gift. Living water cleans the soul and charges up the battery too.”

“Oh honey, how exciting. I think you’re getting close to the treasure.”

“Yes, this could be the treasure!”

“Terrific, you two make such a good team. My two little theologians.”

“Mommy, what’s a theologian?”

“They’re the people who read the big books and try to understand them. Oh and Philip, how is your ankle?”

“Fine, but I need get out for some exercise.”

“Yeah, that would be good.”

“And mom, I’m not so little; I am almost as big as you.”

“Yes, I understand. But you’re both growing up so fast.”

Alright, time to wrap this up. Let’s see now. Jesus was talking about this living water; it’s the “gift of God.” He had to be giving out this gift, or he wouldn’t be talking about it.

Hmmm, this has something to do with baptism. There had to be something special going on to attract all those people. The gift of God sounds special, and water was used at baptism. There must be a connection. I’ll bet this baptismal water is symbolic of the living water. This is the time he would talk about it; the baptizing just took place. The timing is right.

Now, Jesus continued speaking with the woman at Jacob’s Well. In John 4:23-24 he said, “But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.” He went on to say, “God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.” Of course, this is a perfect fit. Worship in spirit, and we already know John was told that Jesus is coming to baptize with the Holy Spirit. Yeah, I got it now: Jesus was teaching the people how to worship in spirit, and the water used in baptism represents this “living water.”

It all fits together, but unfortunately, a couple of things are missing. What is this living water, and how does a person worship in spirit? These are big questions, and I think there’s a connection to baptism as well. This early baptizing was not a symbolic washing, nor was it a rehearsal of things to come--these baptisms were real!

Jesus was in charge. Baptism was the real thing right from the start, but where are the details? I don’t know what happened during this ritual. John was preaching “the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.” Living water is spiritual, and as the name suggests, it would have a lively cleaning action. I’ll bet God’s living water could clean up this sin problem. Gosh, this is really big, but I need a break. “Hey Katie, let’s take a walk.”

“Where are we going?”

“Let’s look for your frog.”

“Yeah, let’s go!”

“Mom, Katie and I are going for a short walk.”

“Alright, but not too far.”

“I understand. Here Katie, take my hand. We need to walk together from now on; no more journeys on your own. What about that big wolf? Weren’t you afraid out here by yourself?”

“I forgot about the wolf. I was thinking about my frog.”

“Oh I see. Pure love dispels all fear.”

“What did you say?”

“Oh Katie, I was just thinking to myself.”

“You sure do think a lot.”

“Yeah, I like to investigate and analyze, and you like to love that little frog. We make a good team. I pull things apart, and you bring everything back together again. We’re a good team.”

“Yeah. Philip, what’s impreshable?”

“Say it again?”

“Impreshable.”

“Oh, impressionable. It just means that you believe what you’re told. It’s not so bad; you’ll get over it. When you grow up you’ll realize you cannot believe everything you hear. Even the experts get things wrong. Boy, do they ever! But that’s okay; we’re a great team. We’re going to figure this whole thing out on our own.”

“Yeah, we’ll figure it out. Philip, what are we figuring out?”

“Well, we’re thinking about life, and that’s an important topic. Everyone needs life. Living water sounds like the flow of life; it sounds like the flow of energy and vitality. Living water sounds like a treasure that anyone would be happy to own. It’s the gift of God, so it has to be something special. I think these people were coming to get baptized so that they could have this living water.”

“Is living water invi