Rejection Simply stated, to reject something is to refuse or disown it. I would venture to say that all of us have experienced rejection and the cruel sting it carries. Rejection can come from different places and at different levels. We can be rejected by a job opportunity or a sports team, or we can be rejected by someone we love. Each rejection brings its own level of sadness, disappointment or pain. I recently read the book of Joshua, where the tribes of Reuben, Gad and part of Manasseh chose to settle not in the Promised Land but instead had asked to settle on the eastern side of the Jordan river. A review of Scripture reveals that this request was not to the Lord, but to Moses. (Numbers 32: 1-5). While we read in that same chapter that it was Moses who granted this request (32:20, 28, 29, 33, 40), it is what these tribes say in verse 19 that impacts me most: “For we will not have an inheritance with them (the other tribes) on the other side of the Jordan and beyond, because our inheritance has fallen to us on this side of the Jordan toward the east.” To understand this, let’s go back to verse one of chapter 32, speaking of the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad: “So when they saw the land of Jazer and the land of Gilead…”. The root of their request is rejection. They rejected the inheritance that God promised and prepared for them, based simply on what they saw with their own eyes. Does this sound familiar? Let’s go back to the beginning, to the book of Genesis. In chapter 2, God gives to Adam and Eve freedom to eat from any tree in the Garden except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Gen 2: 15-17). In chapter 3, we know that Satan deceives Eve to eat the fruit from that particular tree. Verse 6 states “When the woman saw that the tree was good for food and that it was a delight to the eyes…”. Eve saw with her eyes and rejected all that God had given her, to take that which He had not given to her. The tribes of Reuben and Gad did likewise. They each rejected God by rejecting His promise and His gift for that which was a delight to their own eyes. It may seem harsh to say that the tribes rejected God, but by refusing the gift of the Promised Land, they were saying that their choice of land was better than His choice for them. Scripture reveals that God’s people consistently rejected Him through sin and disobedience. We see in 1 Samuel 8 that the Israelites desire a human king to rule over them, not God. God says to Samuel in verse seven that “they have rejected Me from being king over them.” The rejection of God continues into the New Testament, as we see Jesus being rejected by the very people He came to save. In Matthew 21:42, Jesus repeats the prophecy of Himself from Psalm 118:22 “The stone the builder’s rejected, has become the Chief Cornerstone…” In addition, Jesus prophecies of His rejection in Luke 17:25. I think the most significant rejection of Christ is when Pilate proposes to release Jesus according to custom, and the people instead choose Barabbas while the chief priests exclaim “We have no king but Caeser.” (John 19:15). In chapter one of Romans, Paul writes that people “exchanged (rejected) the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures.” What about today? Can we say that we differ from those in the Bible? Do we not at times reject His promises to settle for what looks good to our eyes? Do we proclaim Christ as our King, yet place others (or ourselves) on the throne of our life? Do we exchange His glory for the glory of created things? Though we know the pain and hurt of rejection, we often reject the One who will never leave or forsake us. The Creator of all, the Infinite One, full of love, grace and truth, is still being rejected by His creation. And yet, He still loves. He still restores. He still redeems. If, like the prodigal son, you’ve rejected the love of the Father to pursue that which is pleasing in your own eyes, come running back to Jesus! His arms are opened wide for you as He waits for your return!
The Veil Veils conceal, hide, shadow or obscure something from us. I believe that if asked to describe a veil, most of us would speak first of a bridal veil. I still remember the excitement and joy I felt the moment when I was able to lift the veil from my bride’s beautiful face and kiss her. The veil served as a curtain between the now, I could see her, and the not-yet as I waited to lift the veil. The Bible speaks of veils in both the Old and New Testaments. The most recognized veil is the one that hung in the Temple. That veil hung between the holy place and the Holy of Holies and served to screen the ark of the testimony (Ex 26:31-34; 40:3). The veil tore from top to bottom when Jesus “gave up His spirit” while on the cross (Matt 27:51). Isaiah 25:6-8 speaks of a veil as well: “And the Lord of hosts will prepare a lavish banquet for all peoples on this mountain; a banquet of aged wine, choice pieces with marrow, and refined, aged wine. And on this mountain, He will swallow up the covering, which is over all peoples, even the veil which is stretched over all nations. He will swallow up death for all time, and the Lord God will wipe tears away from all faces, and He will remove the reproach of His people from all the earth; For the Lord has spoken.” What a beautiful, prophetic passage of what is to come! And while the passages in Exodus & Matthew describe a physical veil that separated us from God, the veil spoken of in Isaiah is one that cannot be seen. It is the spiritual veil that separates the peoples and nations of Earth from being in the full presence of God. We know that a spiritual realm exists. We see that throughout Scripture, notably in Genesis, Job, Daniel and Revelation. Yet there is a veil between the spiritual and physical realms that sometimes feels as imposing as the Temple veil, and other times as thin as a bridal veil. I recently felt how thin that veil can be as I sat beside a friend and brother in the Lord whose earthly life was ending. His glory day was coming as he edged ever closer towards eternity. Prior to his passing, he experienced what some would describe as a ‘near death’ experience. He described a place of beauty, filled with castles and with a radiance of jasper all around (see Rev 4:3). My friend sensed the presence of Jesus, and he desperately longed to see Him, face to face. Yet as the day passed, he was told “No, not yet”. “You’re to go back”. With tears he cried out that he did not want to return to earth, he wanted to see his Jesus, but again was told, “No, not yet”. What to make of all this? At times, heaven and Jesus can seem so far from us. We long to see Him, to feel His physical touch, to experience His beauty and grace in ways we have never known, and most importantly to see him face-to-face. But instead, we hear, “No, not yet”. Fellow believers, rest easy. That veil is not as thick and impassable as it may seem. Throughout the time of passing for my friend, God revealed His presence of love and grace through dreams, visions and most significantly through the touch and presence of others. The veil was so thin as you could feel Jesus’ presence in the room. You could hear nothing but hope and anticipation as my friend expressed his love for his King and the desire to worship at His feet! Until his last breath, it was Christ’s love and my dear friend’s eagerness to see his Savior that led us all to his bedside. The veil of the ‘now and not yet’ has never felt more sheer or more beautiful to me. We sang hymns as my dear friend led us right up to the throne of grace, but this day, only he would cross over into the “not yet”. For him, the veil was lifted. We are indeed in the time of, “Now, but not yet”. As God’s children, we are to yearn for His presence. We see and feel all of creation groan under the pain of sin. Disease and despair are seemingly ever-present. But we have this hope and His name is Jesus! Soon He will come, and all will be made right according to His Word. Jesus’ death tore the Temple veil so that we now have access to God through His Son, Jesus Christ. Take heart: The remaining veil will be removed as declared in Isaiah! A banquet has been prepared for us. There will be no more pain and no more tears as the radiance of God shines throughout the heavens. I know this to be true as His Word declares it, and my friend experienced it! I want to encourage you. Rest in His truth: The time is near, the veil is thin and soon, we will see him face to face!
Enough, already It has become increasingly apparent to me that as a society, we define people and things using narratives that fit our specific belief system. Many of us rely on news media and social media to form our definitions and beliefs about people and events, rather than taking time to investigate for ourselves. By doing that, we allow other people to impact our beliefs to the point where we embrace definitions and descriptions that may not be accurate. One such example is Jesus. For centuries, people have tried to define Jesus in ways that conform to their beliefs often making them feel comfortable about their choices. Yet often times, these definitions are in direct contrast to what Scripture says about Jesus and what Jesus said about Himself. Why do I bring it up? Because enough is enough . We are at a time and place in history where things are being ascribed to Jesus that are in direct conflict with what He said about Himself. I have heard over these past few years statements such as “Jesus was a radical.” “Jesus was a feminist”. “Jesus was a socialist”. And most recently, “Jesus was woke”. ENOUGH! Jesus was, is, and always will be God. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.” (John 1: 1,2). “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14) Some of us define Jesus to reflect what we wish for Him to be as it will justify our own opinions and beliefs, be they political, social or otherwise. Friends, let me say that not only is that a wrong thing to do, but it is also dangerous as you walk the line of blasphemy. We have the Bible, in which the Lord reveals Himself in both the Old and New Testaments. And we have the One who reveals Christ to us, the Holy Spirit. Of Him, Jesus said, “and He will guide you into all truth… And He shall glorify me.” (John 16:13,14). Yet we persist in using our own definitions that glorify an ideology! Was Jesus a feminist? NO! Feminism is a man-made definition to describe an ideology promoting the equality of women. We should not take human ideologies and use them to define the Infinite and Perfect. Jesus was clear in His teachings and in His actions that women are equal in His sight, but that does not allow us to define Him as a feminist to serve our own purpose. Was Jesus radical? NO! While His teachings were counter-cultural, the eternal One who formed the universe should not be humanly defined by labeling Him as radical. Being fully God, Jesus came to demonstrate the true nature of God which had become corrupted through the administration of man-made rules. That isn’t radical, it is Truth. Truth that rights wrongs. Moses brought forth the Law- grace and truth were realized in and through Jesus Christ. (John 1:14,17). The truth of Jesus can be called radical only to someone who follows their own truth and elects to mold Jesus into his/her own beliefs. What about Jesus being ‘woke’? “Woke” is a derived African-American Vernacular Term (AAVT) dating to the 20 th Century that initially described being alert, well-informed and awake to racial prejudice and unequal treatment of people in society. More recently, “wokeism” has been broadened to incorporate the promotion of liberal-progressive ideology and policy. John 1:3 states that “All things came into being through Him (Jesus) and apart from Him, nothing came into being that has come into being.” Is it possible that the One who is all-knowing and who created all things would need to become alert, aware or well-informed about anything? Of course not! Again, it is another way by which people seek to conform Jesus into their own ideology to justify their words and actions. But what did Jesus say about Himself? Great Question! Scripture records seven key statements from Jesus as to who He is- they are called the seven “I am” statements: 1. I am the Bread of Life (John 6:35) 2. I am the Light of the World (John 8:12) 3. I am the door of the sheep (John 10:7,9) 4. I am the Good Shepherd (John 10: 11,14) 5. I am the resurrection and the life (John 11:25) 6. I am the way, the truth and the life (John 14:6) 7. I am the true vine (John 15:1,5) So, when I say, “Enough, already”, I am exhorting people to stop defining Jesus in their manner and instead look at His words as to how He defined Himself. Stop conforming Jesus into our likeness! Yet people in positions of authority and prominence continue to promote false definitions. So when you hear or read of people saying that Jesus was ‘such and such’, before accepting it as truth and repeating it to others, examine Scripture to see if it aligns with what He said about Himself. If it doesn’t line up, discard it! “Abhor what is evil, cling to what is good”. (Romans 12:9) Jesus said: “I am the Alpha and Omega” “…who is, and was, and is to come, the Almighty”. (Rev 1:8). That’s my Jesus!