Your word is a lamp to my feet
And a light to my path. (Psalm 119:105) Mount
Baker
Beacon Volume 02, Number 53
12/31/2023 Published by
Mt. Baker
church of Christ Location:
1860 Mt. Baker HWY
Mailing Address:
P.O. Box 30821
Bellingham, WA 98228
(360) 752-2692 Sunday:
Bible Classes..........9:30 AM
Worship..10:30AM; 6:00PM
Wednesday:
Bible Classes.........7:00 PM
Web site: Mt. Baker church
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Editor......John Bass
| In this issue:
THE PURPOSE OF PARABLES
Danny Linden This last Sunday I preached on the kingdom parables of Matthew 13. One thing we did not discuss was Jesus' explanation to His disciples why He spoke in parables at all. It is true that parables are easier to remember, but the disciples also saw how they could inhibit understanding in those who did not know the proper interpretation.
Secrets of the kingdom. “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given” (Matt. 13:11). Jesus did not reveal all information about His work and even His true identity all at once. Different people were given different levels of knowledge at various times. Jesus could speak plainly to His inner circle of disciples and know that they were ready to hear those teachings. Others were given a veiled version for now until everything was revealed.
Testing of hearers. “For to the one who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away” (Matt. 13:12). Those who latch on to smaller revelations will be rewarded with more information, but those who squander those opportunities to learn from Jesus in small ways will have greater truths held back.
Resistant hearers. “This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. Indeed, in their case the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says: 'You will indeed hear but never understand, and you will indeed see but never perceive. For this people's heart has grown dull, and with their ears they can barely hear, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them” (Matt. 13:13-15). Jesus spoke in parables because He knew how corrupted many of the people were. When He arrived on earth, the Jews were in a sad state. They are mere decades away from a fiery judgment from God that would be seen in the destruction of Jerusalem in 70. The simple truth is that many of the people hearing Jesus' teachings have already made their choice: they do not desire to follow God under any circumstances. Why should they be given anything they can use to hurt the cause of the kingdom? Truth will be revealed in greater clarity later, but for now, Jesus can offer these parables that are easy for scoffers to dismiss.
A blessing for those who seek truth. “But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. For truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and dd not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it” (Matt. 13:16-17). What is quickly discarded by the scoffer is treasured and carefully considered by the faithful listener. The parables contain deep truths that are a blessing to those who are looking for a path to reconciliation and fellowship with God. This is part of the fulfillment of the promise that Jesus gave earlier when He said, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened” (Matt. 7:7-8). The eager disciple who honestly hears the words of Jesus and is willing to accept even the hard things will find that the doors are opened and the answers are revealed.
Conclusion. As we study God's revealed words to man, we find some hard things that are designed to turn away scoffers and self-centered alike. Paul warned the Corinthians that the message of Christ crucified was “a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles” (1 Cor. 1:23), but to those who are called, “Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God” (1 Cor. 1:24). Read God's word with an open heart of faith as one who desires to mine great spiritual truths and you will be rewarded richly. Top
TWO TEMPLES IN EPHESUS
Jim McDonald When Paul began his preaching in Ephesus (Acts 19), he found a beautiful temple there erected unto “Diana”, an idol the Ephesians worshipped. The Ephesians believed that their city was the “temple keeper”, for the idol goddess and an image of her had fallen down from Jupiter to them (Acts 19:35). The temple in Paul’s day was one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. What Paul looked upon when he saw that structure was a building which had been twice rebuilt. The building before him was the third which had stood on that same site. It was claimed that the building was the first Greek temple which was built entirely of marble and as such was a very expensive edifice. The building was huge — a bit larger than a football field and while there were other temples to the goddess in the Grecian world, the Ephesians claimed that the temple was of their special oversight and keeping.
The goddess was identified as “a virgin goddess of the hunt, the wilderness and the moon, who, despite being a goddess of childbirth was nevertheless known for her chastity” (Temple of Artemis, Wikipedia). The goddess had “virgin priestesses” who were in essence “temple prostitutes” making fornication a part of most idol worship of the ancient world. When Israel in her wilderness wanderings had been attracted to the worship of the Moabites and 24,000 fell by a plague God sent upon them for their wickedness, it is clear that fornication was part of the rites (Numbers 25:2-8). Later, when John wrote to the seven churches of Asia, in his letter to Thyatira Jesus condemned the church for tolerating a woman named Jezebel who called herself a “prophetess that teacheth and seduceth my servants to commit fornication and to eat things sacrificed to idols” (Revelation 2:20). And, while “fornication” is sometimes used figuratively to describe worship of anything other than Jehovah, and “eating food sacrificed to idols” in the passage was literal, that leads us to conclude that “fornication” was literal as well. The worship of this idol goddess had a tremendous hold on the people of Ephesus. Demetrius, a silversmith there who made silver images of the idol, said, “All Asia and the world worshippeth” her (Acts 19:27). This was not literal of course, but worship of her included huge numbers.
Several years later when Paul was confined in Rome as a prisoner, he wrote to the Ephesian church: “So then ye are no more strangers and sojourners, but ye are fellow-citizens with the saints and of the household of God, being built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the chief corner stone; in whom each several building, fitly framed together, growth into a holy temple in the Lord: in whom ye also are built together for a habitation of God in the spirit” (Ephesians 2:19-22). Thus, while there was the elaborate, expensive temple of the goddess Diana in Ephesus, there was also another temple there. This was not a physical but spiritual structure. In worldly men’s eyes that “insignificant temple” could not compare with the magnificent marble structure erected and dedicated to Diana, which beauty was admired by men all over the world. It should not be forgotten, however, that the magnificent temple was the work of man. While it was an old religion in Paul’s day, likely already 1,000 years old, and lasted another 300 years after he was gone, it is gone now. In AD 268, Goths raided the city and set fire to the temple of Diana which severely damaged it. It continued to stand in that damaged state for another couple of centuries. Finally, in the early years of the fifth century, what remained of it was dismantled and most of its material from which it was made went to constructing other buildings. The images of the goddess in that temple before whom thousands bowed and adored can now be seen in a museum of the restored city of Ephesus and in the Museum of London. However, they are now not objects of worship, but objects of curiosity.
However, that insignificant temple in Ephesus to which Paul wrote still exists (although not in the site which was once Ephesus). It can be found in all corners of the world today, and while still not admired by undiscerning men as they admired Diana’s temple, to those who know its worth see it’s true value. That temple is His church. And while to some it is an inconspicuous, inconsequential object, to Christians it is a thing of beauty because it was designed and determined by God before our world began. It was purposed by Him to be His dwelling place on earth in time and His possession in heaven for eternity. It will continue to exist so long as God will be, for while heaven and earth shall pass away, God, His Word, and His temple will never pass away (Matthew 26:35; cp. Daniel 7:14). That temple stands and will continue to stand because it was built and designed by God. Top
Created by John Bass, last updated. 01/07/2024 The Mount Baker Beacon is a weekly publication of the Mt. Baker church of Christ, Bellingham, WA.
Send all questions, comments to the editor, John Bass at (360) 325-5149 or johnbass2468@gmail.com |
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