This VERY long Blog is in responce to Kevin's very appropriate note about Focus on the Family, and how they're not very focused on the point at present.
In chapter 9 of Ezra, Ezra had retuned to Jerusalem from the land of captivity to find that the Priests of Israel (I’m using this as a parallel to the Christian church of America (which I feel is pretty appropriate)) had not separated themselves from the peoples of the lands, with respect to the abominations of the lands.
This is Ezra speaking (Ezra 9:3-6) So when I heard this thing, I tore my garment and my robe, and plucked out some of the hair of my head and beard, and sat down astonished. Then everyone who trembled at the words of the God of Israel assembled to me, because of the transgression of those who had been carried away captive, and I sat astonished until the evening sacrifice. At the evening sacrifice I arose from my fasting; and having torn my garment and my robe, I fell on my knees and spread out my hands to the LORD my God. And I said: "O my God, I am too ashamed and humiliated to lift up my face to You, my God; for our iniquities have risen higher than our heads, and our guilt has grown up to the heavens.
Note that in this scripture Ezra, who hadn’t sinned with respect to the abominations of the lands, declares to God, “I AM ASHAMED… for OUR iniquities… and OUR guilt.” He is owning the sin of his people even though he hadn’t sinned. I am humbled in witnessing that instead of being filled with righteous indignation Ezra is filled with shame and guilt.
This takes me to Ezekiel 22:29-31 and God said, “The people of the land have used oppressions, committed robbery, and mistreated the poor and needy; and they wrongfully oppress the stranger. (is this not what the Christian church has been doing in the religiosity that they’ve embraced, forgetting to love, forgetting Jesus, forgetting the point, and rather worshiping the religion?) So I sought for a man among them who would make a wall, and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found no one. Therefore I have poured out My indignation on them; I have consumed them with the fire of My wrath; and I have recompensed their deeds on their own heads," says the Lord GOD.”
In chapter 10 of Ezra there is a word that still slightly evades me but I am intrigued by it and I believe it is the answer to all of the questioning we have when faced with such atrocities as we are today. As Kevin said “its hard to know what to do with these types of people” Ezra 10:1 Now when Ezra had prayed, and when he had confessed, weeping and casting himself down before the house of God, there assembled unto him out of Israel a very great congregation of men and women and children: for the people wept very sore.
Ezra prayed and confessed (I believe that Ezra stood in the gap for the Priests of Israel, just as God had been searching for someone to do in Ezekiel) The word translated into English is “Pray (prayed),” but in Hebrew it is the word “Palal,” which means to judge or make a judgment.
Ezra judged and then confessed. Ezra himself brought the sins of the people before God. He had to see the truth, he had to first make judgment, declare TRUTH which in this case was the absolute presence of sin, and then he made confession of that sin before God, and he wept and cast himself down before God, showing humility and repentance for the sins committed. Ezra stood in the gap.
One of the last things that Jesus said to his disciples before he ascended was this:
John 20:21-23 So Jesus said to them again, "Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you." And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained."
I never realized the magnitude of what Jesus was saying here until this word, Palal, was made known to me. I mean what had the Father sent Him to do? Was it not to Love and to bring Forgiveness, to make atonement, to cover the sins, to tear down the veil and bring communion with the Father back to restoration. Is this not what He was asking of us here? Sin is a veil that blinds the trespasser from truth and light, it creates a gap between the child and the Father. But Jesus so clearly said that if you forgive the sins of any they are forgiven them and if you retain them they are retained. He is calling us to do what Ezra did, to stand in the gap, to tear down the veil, and to forgive (not to judge and condemn (or retain), but to judge and remit).
This is mainly my point. We can get mad, look at the sin and become furious and repulsed, separate ourselves from it and fear the righteous wrath of God that will ensue; or we can choose to live as Jesus lived, loving AND standing in the gap for those who are being veiled from the truth.
I’ll take it just a little further. It is recorded in several different books of how Jesus withered a fig tree. For over 20 years of my life this bothered me and I could not see a point for His having done that. I mean it clearly states that it wasn’t even the season for figs, the tree should not have even been baring fruit at that time, yet Jesus killed it for having no fruit.
Immediately after this, one of the most popular verses in scripture occurs, “So Jesus answered and said to them, "Have faith in God. Assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but also if you say to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' it will be done. And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive."
Then Jesus says, directly after this, "And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses.
I believe that these three different very popular scriptures all following each other (the fig tree, the mountain verse, and then the forgiving anyone their trespasses) are all completely related! I believe that Jesus judged the fig tree and spoke truth over it. The truth was that it bore no fruit (even though it wasn’t the season for fruit). This judgment withered the tree and I completely and totally believe that we’ve been given this EXACT same authority to wither fruitless trees by simply judging them.
BUT Jesus directly after this said that we can move mountains into the sea. To me, in my opinion if a mountain needs to be moved into the sea, either the mountain is an obstacle (like something causing someone to bear no fruit) or the sea is an obstacle (like a gap separating someone from their Father). So what’s it gonna be, are you gonna have faith to wither trees, or are you gonna have faith to move obstacles (and maybe cause a little fruit to grow)???
And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him!
I guess what I’m trying desperately to embrace is that even though THE CHURCH looks very corrupt at times, and even though a lot of their principles can make your stomach churn, and even though they are doing a pretty good job of keeping people from entering the kingdom, well we are apart of it. And if we see sin encompassing God’s house, the people who’ve been given the eyes to see that sin should step up against it and seek God for forgiveness and restoration and a tearing of the veil. We probably shouldn’t just call it what it is and watch it wither because Jesus has given us the keys to move the mountain.
I say this, but I am always the first to speak death to the tree. I am trying to change. I am trying to embrace the flip side and believe for the mountain to be moved. I am certain that this is what Jesus is asking of us. I really don’t think he wanted the tree to die, I think he was showing us what we can chose to do.
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