Because all four Gospels tell the story of Jesus’s death and resurrection we get a number of vignettes, not all of which are covered from the pulpit each Easter weekend. One of my favorites is the story of Peter cutting off Malchus’ ear. It’s my favorite because in my flesh I admire Peter’s desire to do “something”! Even more than that I admire Jesus’ cool head. Despite the burden He was bearing He took no joy in vengeance; He stayed on mission. He also, according to John’s gospel, took a moment to heal Malchus’ ear. The other three Gospels protect both Peter’s and the guard’s identity but John, writing at a later date, names names and he is also the only one who mentions the restoration of the ear. I won’t read into the text, but I believe it’s safe to observe that Jesus’ act of kindness to the guard, Malchus, also wiped away all evidence of Peter’s offense. Had the authorities ever wanted to pursue Peter for striking a temple guard, they would have had to declare him righteous because there was nothing there to accuse him of. It was as if he had never acted. Hours before Jesus went to the cross to exchange our sin for His righteousness, He essentially did that for Peter, He wiped away Peter’s transgression.
So imagine Malchus trying to get “justice.”
Malchus: “Sir, one of those disciples cut off my ear.”
Judge: “Looks to me like you have two ears.”
In Revelation 12:10 Satan is called the accuser of the brethren. So imagine Satan bringing your name before the judge!
Satan: “Scott is weak in his faith, he forgets to pray first, he loses his temper, he loses his focus, he fails to complete his tasks…..”
God: “Looks to Me that he has been washed by the blood of My Son, I see no sin on him, he is absolutely clean!”
“He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” ~2 Corinthians 5:21
John 4 records the interaction between Jesus and the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well. In the first verses she is clearlyidentified as a “Samaritan” – someone of a mixed race with whom Jews had little to do. A “woman” – someone a Jewish man ought to steer clear of. And, a “serial adulterer” that a righteous person should shun. But Jesus, after using the I.D. to prove Who He is, blows right past that to her need for eternal life: “but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life” (John 4:14).
Today, despite prison reform for thieves and swindlers, despite Weight Watchers and workout routines for sedentary over eaters, we live in a day where certain sinful behaviors, certain consistent temptations, are labeled as” identities;” unchangeable aspects of someone’s very nature. When viewed with a little detachment, one can clearly see:
a) Satan’s hand – you must accept what I do as who I am – imagine saying that to your PE teacher back in the day as he smacks the candy bar right out of your hand!
b) God’s wrath – Romans 1 says that as we suppress that worship of God and turn to the worship of creatures, He will give us over to unnatural lusts.
That said, if you are told from the very beginning this is WHO you are, it’s no wonder that we have folks who identify themselves accordingly.
Jesus didn’t make an issue of this person’s race, gender, or sin proclivities when He offered her the Water of Life. His concern was for her salvation. Brothers and sisters that’s where our concern needs to be, too. We aren’t going to beat Satan at his game in the media or by flying anti-rainbow flags. Jesus is coming back on a white horse and He will deal with all that nonsense once and for all!
We need to love individuals and share the gospel with individuals. If those individuals are believers struggling with this sin, then they need to be reassured that it’s just “a” sin not “the” sin. Holiness is the goal for all of us. We all struggle with being honest, with being faithful, with being just, with being loyal, with being pure of thought. Their proclivity is a leaf on the tree, the root of which needs to be made holy by the blood of Jesus.
Pastor Scott
P.S. The genesis of this blog was a rainbow flag flying in front of a church that previously seemed to have shown no such sign. As I drove past I realized that their intention was to be loving, not to condone evil, their unseen error was believing the “identity deception.”
I took an extra day off this week to get some painting done in our home. The bending over to cut in along the baseboard and stretching up to cut in along the ceiling hurt my back more than I remember. I blamed my rather sedentary occupation and was consoled by a family member who reminded me that I was also a grandfather of 8…
So I have a LOT of empathy with Randy, and those to whom this article was aimed (yes, it’s a bit of an advertisement for his book), but that just means he’s a more gifted blogger than am I. 🙂 Enjoy! Pastor Scott
200+Randy Alcorn’s Blog by Randy Alcorn / Mar 4, 2024 at 4:07 AM//keep unread//hide
Our society holds on to youthfulness with a white-knuckled grip. We worship youth and consider the elderly at best, useless; and at worst, disposable. God’s perspective is very different: “Gray hair is a glorious crown; it is found in the ways of righteousness” (Proverbs 16:31). Titus 2 encourages both older men and women to be examples to those who are younger, and to teach them God’s ways.
I love to be around older people—that is, older people who have sweetened with age, not those who have soured. Choose which you’d rather be. (And since I’m turning 70 this year, I guess I’m an “older person” too, though I feel no need or desire to retire. I’m as excited about ministry as I’ve ever been, so I’ll trust God to make it clear when I need to start cutting back.)
As you grow older, you can be one of those godly older saints people love to be around. The more you’ve walked with the Lord, the more you’ll have to offer your children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, friends, neighbors, and church family. Remember, if God didn’t have a purpose for you here, you wouldn’t be here. (As I’ve written previously, those who’ve retired from jobs still have great opportunity to serve God in the next season of life. Even if you’re unable to physically serve, your prayers, giving, and influence can have eternal impact.)
Last December, a reader named Sharon ordered copies of my book Seeing the Unseen to hand out to teens. She’s almost 70 and works with the youth at her church and its associated school. Sharon gave a talk to high school girls on her wedding anniversary (which has previously been a very difficult day, since her husband died five years ago). She wrote us:
I am so excited! I am having lunch with the 40 girls who received Seeing the Unseen. I am going to have pizza delivered to the school, and I want to hear from them. I should tell you the school is located at our church, so I see so many of the girls on Sunday. Tell Randy several of the girls have told me their family is using his devotional as a family devotional. Is that awesome or what!
And because our Father has me with the teens every Thursday night, I already have a connection with them. …To be able to pour into their lives more of Jesus AND TO GET EXCITED ABOUT HEAVEN AND ALL THAT IS TO COME helps this daughter of the King know why she is still here. …My talk on December 13th was such a gift to me.
I am a big word picture person. So here’s my word picture! Our Father invited me to go to work with Him. He sat me in the front row, and I got to see Him touch the lives of those sweet teens. Just watching our Father be God, here and now, makes me soooooo excited for Heaven and the New Earth.
She also wrote:
As far as ministry after 70: well, let me tell you! It gets bigger and better! I am 69 years old. I have been with teen ministry for 30 years. I pray every summer, “Father, please place me where You want me; if I am no longer effective, move me.” I think I might add this to my prayer this year: “Father please keep me from breaking anything while I am playing dodgeball and baseball with the teens!”
We NEVER retire from God. We just let Him move us where He wants us.
Whatever your age, how might God be calling you to make an eternal impact for His kingdom?
Romans 6:1-14 reminds us that God, through the death of Christ, defanged sin in our lives. But because we live in the flesh, walk in the world, and Satan still roams the earth we have to always be mindful of that truth (v. 11) and we have to always be intentional about not letting any part of us (Physically, mentally, emotionally, or spiritually) be used as a tool of evil (vv 12-14). Grace freed us from the consequence of sin (Romans 4 & 5), but practical freedom from the power of sin takes some cooperation from me, because my flesh defaults toward itself. Think about a car that pulls to the right, on a narrow windy road, filled with potholes; do I dare take my hand off the steering wheel or my eyes off the road? Well neither should I go on cruise in my day to day life! I need to make sure every thought is taken captive and I’m not bringing shame on His name! Amen? – Pastor Scott
6 What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? 2 May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it? 3 Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? 4 Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection, 6 knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; 7 for he who has died is freed from sin. 8 Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, 9 knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again; death no longer is master over Him. 10 For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. 11 Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus. 12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts, 13 and do not go on presenting the members* of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. 14 For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace.
*“Members” [mélos] was used in antiquity of instruments of war and implements (“working parts”) of a ship. Paul used it in relation to the various functions of human personality.
Grace Notes 