‘Without a Cause’

But this cometh to pass, that the word might be fulfilled that is written in their law, They hated me without a cause.

John 15:25

Christ is utterly blameless.  As ‘the Only Begotten of the Father,’ He is ‘full of grace and truth.’  According to the Gospel account, He ‘went about doing good’ and ‘healed all who were sick.’  By His own testimony, He did ‘always those things which please (The Father).’  The Father’s testimony was, ‘This is my Beloved Son,’ in Whom I am well pleased.’  What cause would anyone have to hate Him?  Christ is the Light of the world.  By His coming, He brought light.  In contrast to that light there is darkness.  There is the darkness of pride, of hatred, of selfishness, of revenge, of exploitation and of manipulation.  Christ’s life and ministry stood in direct opposition to all that darkness.  One of the most damning characteristics of human depravity is that men love darkness rather than light because their deeds are evil.  The cause of their hatred of Christ is no fault of Christ’s.  He stands willing to forgive.  His nail-pierced hands remain outstretched, and His heart remains open.  For generations the Gospel bell has tolled over hill and dale in the farthest flung corners of the earth.  Even now the invitation peals forth to all who will receive Him. ‘Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved.’  Trade your hatred of Him for love for Him.  In Him you will find a most Loving, Willing Savior.

Our Kind and Loving Savior,
we love You because You first loved us.
We pray daily that You will teach us better how to love You more.

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning

If…Then

Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord.  If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.

John 15:20

Christ is logical and factual as He presents truth to us.  As He was preparing His disciples for the trials that lay ahead for them, He set forth the simple truth in a most logical manner.  He says, ‘If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you.’  This is an ‘if/then’ statement.  If the basic premise is true, then the consequence logically follows and is true as well.  It may not be comfortable for us to contemplate or to face, but that does not change the fact.  As his own execution drew near, the Apostle Paul wrote that all that ‘all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.’  This persecution will come from the same sources from which it has always come.  Christ died at the hands of the secular authority, egged on by the ardently religious.  The fanatical religionists opposed Christ during His life and ministry.  Those who had turned religion into a business engineered His mockery of a trial, and delivered Him over to the secular arm of government.  The secular arm then carried out His execution.  If it was so of Christ and we are His, then, according to Him, it will be so for us.  If we understand this, then we will be better prepared to face it. As we have looked to Christ to bear us up in all other circumstances, so we will look to Him to bear us up in that hour.

Our Wise and Holy God,
we rejoice that You have put us in Christ,
and that we are His forever.
We praise You that we receive the same treatment that He has received,
because of our association of Him.

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning

‘Remember The Word’

Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord.  If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.

John 15:20

Christ is an excellent teacher.  Part of good teaching is review.  As Christ was preparing His disciples for the harrowing experiences which were coming to them shortly, He reviewed with them a statement which He had made to them earlier.  He says, ‘Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord.  If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.’ Christ already spoke to the matter of the world’s hatred of those who are His.  He now broaches the subject of that hatred spewing into active persecution.  He associates that persecution with Himself first.  We will consider this subject for the next little while.  When Christ says, ‘A servant is not greater than His master,’ He is preparing His disciples to come to terms with the fact that the enemies of Christ would treat His disciples as they had treated Him.  This has a valuable application for us.  Because we are Christ’s, we identify with Him.  We need not be belligerent, or pugnacious.  We may not be loudly proclaiming this association in every context yet it will be apparent to those who are paying attention.  As the servants of Christ, we are not greater than our Master.  Christ, Who is Our Head, is not here. We, who are His Body, are here.  Therefore, we accept that those who oppose Christ, will also oppose us.  As Christ prepared His disciples, so by this record, He is preparing us.  ‘A servant is not greater than His master.’

Our Gracious Savior,
we rejoice that You are our Master and that we are Your servants.
We praise You that You have granted unto us the high privilege,
of receiving the same treatment that You did,
because of our relationship with You.

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning