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^1-4 After this, Jesus went across the Sea of Galilee (some call it Tiberias). A huge crowd followed him, attracted by the miracles they had seen him do among the sick. When he got to the other side, he climbed a hill and sat down, surrounded by his disciples. It was nearly time for the Feast of Passover, kept annually by the Jews.

^5-6 When Jesus looked out and saw that a large crowd had arrived, he said to Philip, “Where can we buy bread to feed these people?” He said this to stretch Philip’s faith. He already knew what he was going to do.

⁷ Philip answered, “Two hundred silver pieces wouldn’t be enough to buy bread for each person to get a piece.” (The Message)

‘The world is to be fed by the co-operation of Christ and his Church.’ F.B. Meyer

”We are workers together with God…” (2 Cor.6:1/1 Cor.3:9). Jesus gives to us the privilege of teaming up with Him in order to perform the miraculous. Even when we don’t have an answer to the challenges He poses (let alone the right answer) He still works with us to grow us, to ”stretch” our faith. He always knows what He is going to do. He is not dependant on us for advice.

‘Christ often tests us to see what we shall say and do in the presence of overwhelming difficulty, but he always knows the way out.’ F.B.Meyer

”Two hundred silver pieces” would not have been enough; but neither were they going to be needed. Jesus had another way. Faith recognises that God has other ways we may not yet have comprehended.

Take your stand with God’s loyal community and live,
    or chase after phantoms of evil and die.

²⁰ God can’t stand deceivers,
    but oh how he relishes integrity.

²¹ Count on this: The wicked won’t get off scot-free,
    and God’s loyal people will triumph.

²² Like a gold ring in a pig’s snout
    is a beautiful face on an empty head.

²³ The desires of good people lead straight to the best,
    but wicked ambition ends in angry frustration.

²⁴ The world of the generous gets larger and larger;
    the world of the stingy gets smaller and smaller.

²⁵ The one who blesses others is abundantly blessed;
    those who help others are helped.

²⁶ Curses on those who drive a hard bargain!
    Blessings on all who play fair and square!

²⁷ The one who seeks good finds delight;
    the student of evil becomes evil.

²⁸ A life devoted to things is a dead life, a stump;
    a God-shaped life is a flourishing tree. (The Message)

At the heart of this next set of Proverbs we find two, back to back, about generosity. Although Scripture does not endorse what we might label ‘prosperity teaching’, there is surely no doubt that it pronounces blessing upon generosity and the generous (see v.17a also) . For myself, I want to inhabit that ever enlarging world of generosity, don’t you? The turned-in world of stinginess tends to be small, and has the tendency to grow even smaller as the years go by.

‘ In all of my years of service to my Lord, I have discovered a truth that has never failed and has never been compromised. That truth is that it is beyond the realm of possibilities that one has the ability to out give God. Even if I give the whole of my worth to Him, He will find a way to give back to me much more than I gave.’ Charles Spurgeon

 “I’m not interested in crowd approval. And do you know why? Because I know you and your crowds. I know that love, especially God’s love, is not on your working agenda. I came with the authority of my Father, and you either dismiss me or avoid me. If another came, acting self-important, you would welcome him with open arms. How do you expect to get anywhere with God when you spend all your time jockeying for position with each other, ranking your rivals and ignoring God? (The Message)

”…I know you. I know that you do not have the love of God in your hearts” (v.42 NIV).

If genuine love for God Himself is not the mainspring of ‘ministry’, self-love is likely to be the driving force. Such self-love shows itself in ugly warts like working for human approval, and the pride which manifests itself in a competitive spirit.

Every leader in the church must examine his/her own heart, and seek to live ‘for an audience of one.’ Our calling is to walk humbly before God, desiring His will and glory, and repeatedly crucifying every expression of pride, arrogance and self-promotion.

‘ Democracy demands that little men should not take big ones too seriously; it dies when it is full of little men who think they are big themselves.’ C.S. Lewis

The Father who sent me, confirmed me. And you missed it. You never heard his voice, you never saw his appearance. There is nothing left in your memory of his Message because you do not take his Messenger seriously.

^39-40 “You have your heads in your Bibles constantly because you think you’ll find eternal life there. But you miss the forest for the trees. These Scriptures are all about me! And here I am, standing right before you, and you aren’t willing to receive from me the life you say you want.

^41-44 “I’m not interested in crowd approval. And do you know why? Because I know you and your crowds. I know that love, especially God’s love, is not on your working agenda. I came with the authority of my Father, and you either dismiss me or avoid me. If another came, acting self-important, you would welcome him with open arms. How do you expect to get anywhere with God when you spend all your time jockeying for position with each other, ranking your rivals and ignoring God?

^45-47 “But don’t think I’m going to accuse you before my Father. Moses, in whom you put so much stock, is your accuser. If you believed, really believed, what Moses said, you would believe me. He wrote of me. If you won’t take seriously what he wrote, how can I expect you to take seriously what I speak?” (The Message)

‘The witness of John the Baptist, the witness of the divine miracles, and the witness of the Word of God all unite to declare that Jesus Christ is indeed one with the Father and the very Son of God.’ Warren Wiersbe

Here is the third strand of ‘testimony’ Jesus calls upon: the Old Testament Scriptures.

”You study the Scriptures diligently…” (5;39). Indeed the Jews did. The Scribes could even tell you how many letters there were in the Old Testament. But it’s been pointed out that they were like people who admired the medicine bottle, but didn’t take the medicine; they were like someone in raptures over the beauty of a jewellery box, but who fails to see, and prize, the precious Jewel inside.

”You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life” (5:39,40)

We must beware of any form of Bible study that leaves us with bigger heads rather than bigger hearts of love for Jesus.

In particular, the Jews prized the law of Moses. Again, Jesus showed they were missing the whole point. If they were truly listening to Moses, they would be listening to Him (45-47).

”And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.” (Luke 24:27)

Jesus is the centre and soul of all Scripture. May God give us eyes to see Him everywhere in our Bibles.

But the witness that really confirms me far exceeds John’s witness. It’s the work the Father gave me to complete. These very tasks, as I go about completing them, confirm that the Father, in fact, sent me. (The Message)

I have testimony weightier than that of John. For the works that the Father has given me to finish – the very works that I am doing – testify that the Father has sent me” (NIV)

Not only did John the Baptist testify to Jesus’ identity, so did ”the work” He was doing; that work given to Him by the Father. His entire extraordinary life (and death) causes us to ask, “What kind of man is this?” (Matthew 8:27). That Jesus was a man is evident, but what sort of man? What type? Ordinary men just can’t do what Jesus did. He supernaturally healed all manner of sickness and disease; He manifested extraordinary power over evil powers; He brought dead people back to life. Furthermore, after He had been executed, He returned to life three days later. So when we investigate the life of Jesus honestly, we are forced to ask, ”What manner of man is this?” How can we account for such a life if He is not God?

Furthermore, when we read the fourth gospel, we find that John has constructed it around a series of seven ”signs” (”works”) of Jesus. These signs point to Jesus’ identity. When John, towards the end of this gospel, states his clear purpose, he says:

” Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book.³¹But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” (John 20:30,31)

 “I can’t do a solitary thing on my own: I listen, then I decide. You can trust my decision because I’m not out to get my own way but only to carry out orders. If I were simply speaking on my own account, it would be an empty, self-serving witness. But an independent witness confirms me, the most reliable Witness of all. Furthermore, you all saw and heard John, and he gave expert and reliable testimony about me, didn’t he?

^34-38 “But my purpose is not to get your vote, and not to appeal to mere human testimony. I’m speaking to you this way so that you will be saved. John was a torch, blazing and bright, and you were glad enough to dance for an hour or so in his bright light. But the witness that really confirms me far exceeds John’s witness. (The Message)

According to the Old Testament law, the testimony of two or three witnesses was important (see Num.35:30;Deut.17:6)

The word ”witness’ is a key theme in John’s gospel. In this next section, up to the end of the chapter, Jesus brings forward three witnesses who testify on His behalf. The first is John the Baptist. We have already been introduced to him in the early part of this gospel, and have been privileged to ‘sit under his ministry.’ We have listened to his Jesus-focussed, Christ glorifying ministry. We have seen how he repeatedly pointed away from himself to the Lord, and to His supreme sacrifice. Humanly speaking, John was at the centre of a ‘revival’ movement. Crowds of people flocked to hear him. Yet John was happy to ‘lose his congregation’ to Jesus. He saw himself as the best man, not the Bridegroom; and he was clear that the bride belonged with the Groom.

How highly Jesus rated John. What honour He placed on him:

”John was a lamp that burned and gave light, and you chose for a time to enjoy his light.” (35)

Apparently, there is the idea in these words that John was a lamp that ‘burned up’. His blazing ministry was costly to him. His life was more than just a passing ‘flicker’. But he never lost sight of the fact that Jesus is ”the Light” (John 8:12). He wanted people to come to Christ. It is still God’s purpose that, when we hear John in the gospels, we too should turn to Jesus.

Warren Wiersbe comments about John that ‘…the Jewish people were excited about his ministry. However, their enthusiasm cooled, and nobody lifted a finger to try to deliver John when he was arrested by Herod. The leaders looked on John as a ”local celebrity” (Matt.11:7-8), but they did not want to receive his message of repentance…Whenever God raises up a spiritual leader who commands attention, there is always the danger of attracting people who want to bask in his popularity but not submit to his authority.’

John wants us to look to Jesus alone for salvation; Jesus who is ”…the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (1:29). Although John is dead, he is still speaking. Are we listening?

Thus Midian was subdued before the Israelites and did not raise its head again. During Gideon’s lifetime, the land had peace forty years.

²⁹ Jerub-Baal son of Joash went back home to live. ³⁰ He had seventy sons of his own, for he had many wives. ³¹ His concubine, who lived in Shechem, also bore him a son, whom he named Abimelek. ³² Gideon son of Joash died at a good old age and was buried in the tomb of his father Joash in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.

³³ No sooner had Gideon died than the Israelites again prostituted themselves to the Baals. They set up Baal-Berith as their god ³⁴ and did not remember the Lord their God, who had rescued them from the hands of all their enemies on every side. ³⁵ They also failed to show any loyalty to the family of Jerub-Baal (that is, Gideon) in spite of all the good things he had done for them. (NIV)

Carey Nieuwhof often quotes Gordon McDonald, who told him, ‘They quickly forget you!’ McDonald’s observation concerned the scenario where a pastor moves on from a church. I am sure that this is not always true in every case I’m also clear in my thinking that there are actually good and healthy reasons why it’s right and proper to be forgotten. One man’s terse advice to preachers was: ‘Preach the gospel. Die. Be forgotten!’

But in the case of Gideon, there was something else going on. It wasn’t so much forgetfulness as ingratitude.

It seems to me that basic courtesy in society is not what it was. These may be the musings of an old man who is looking at the world of the past through rose tinted spectacles. But it feels to me that I see more and more of a sense of entitlement, and a lack of appreciation, and especially among younger generations.

Ingratitude can be the father of many unwanted children. It was spiritually disastrous for Israel. But their disloyalty to Gideon’s family was just one symptom of a greater malaise: they had once again turned away from God.

And he said, “I do have one request, that each of you give me an earring from your share of the plunder.” (It was the custom of the Ishmaelites to wear gold earrings.)

²⁵ They answered, “We’ll be glad to give them.” So they spread out a garment, and each of them threw a ring from his plunder onto it. ²⁶ The weight of the gold rings he asked for came to seventeen hundred shekels, not counting the ornaments, the pendants and the purple garments worn by the kings of Midian or the chains that were on their camels’ necks. ²⁷ Gideon made the gold into an ephod, which he placed in Ophrah, his town. All Israel prostituted themselves by worshiping it there, and it became a snare to Gideon and his family. (NIV)

A lady told me something about a dentist she worked for over many years. She said, ‘He was ahead of his time. In any clinical decision he made, he was thinking solely about the patient, and was taking into account what the result of his action might be twenty years down the line.’

Such forethought is an important element of good leadership, but it is often sadly lacking.

Another area where I think we may see Gideon’s decline is found in today’s short passage. No doubt Gideon’s intentions in making the ”ephod” were good, but there were unintended consequences for Gideon and his family, and for the entire nation.

‘I would gladly put the best construction that can be upon the actions of good men, and such a one we are sure Gideon was.’ Matthew Henry

This seems to be the common consensus among commentators I have read. Gideon meant well. But as Henry goes on to say: ‘Many are led into false ways by one false step of a good man.’ May God help us. How much we need His wisdom in our decision making (James 1:

Tom Hale explains: ‘The original ephod was a garment worn by the high priest (Exodus 28:6-14); to this ephod a breastpiece was attached (Exodus 28:15-28), in which were kept the Urim and the Thummim (Exodus 28:29-30), small objects by which God’s will could be determined. Since Gideon had acknowledged God’s rule over Israel (verse 23), perhaps he thought that by making this gold ephod he could provide Israel with an additional means of discerning God’s will.

Though Gideon’s original intention may have been good, the ephod he made soon came to be regarded as an idol. Far from helping Israel discern God’s will, it became a snare leading the people into idolatry.’

 The Israelites said to Gideon, “Rule over us—you, your son and your grandson—because you have saved us from the hand of Midian.”

²³ But Gideon told them, “I will not rule over you, nor will my son rule over you. The Lord will rule over you.” ²⁴ And he said, “I do have one request, that each of you give me an earring from your share of the plunder.” (It was the custom of the Ishmaelites to wear gold earrings.)

²⁵ They answered, “We’ll be glad to give them.” So they spread out a garment, and each of them threw a ring from his plunder onto it. ²⁶ The weight of the gold rings he asked for came to seventeen hundred shekels, not counting the ornaments, the pendants and the purple garments worn by the kings of Midian or the chains that were on their camels’ necks. (NIV)

I remember hearing Doctor Howard Hendricks tell a story about a young man having a conversation with a godly, and very elderly pastor. The old minister was asked, ‘At what age will lust cease to be a problem to me?’ His reply, ‘Son, when I reach it I’ll let you know!’

But my point here is not primarily about sexual temptation. It’s about temptation in general, and our spiritual vulnerabilities, which can be there even towards the back end of life and ministry. In Hebrews 12 we hear this call and warning: ”See that no one is sexually immoral, or is godless like Esau, who for a single meal sold his inheritance rights as the oldest son. Afterward, as you know, when he wanted to inherit this blessing, he was rejected. Even though he sought the blessing with tears, he could not change what he had done” (vv.16,17). It seems to me that the ”single meal” may appear in various forms.

It is a sad, and regrettable thing, to see once great spiritual leaders go into decline in later years; and it does seem that this may have happened to Gideon. We must never forget, of course, that he appears in the Hebrews 11 gallery of faith (v.32), but he is mentioned alongside the likes of Samson, who was indeed a very flawed individual.

Today and tomorrow I’m going to highlight two areas where I think Gideon may have slipped.

When the people wanted their great military hero to rule over them, and establish a dynasty, he rightly refused. God alone was to be Israel’s King.

‘Gideon rejected their generous offer purely on theological grounds. He would not take the place of Jehovah God. Every Jew should have known that the mercy seat in the tabernacle was the throne of God from which He ruled in the midst of His people.’ Warren Wiersbe (see Ps.80:1;99:1)

But then he did a quite baffling thing. Having rejected the kingship, he lived like a king. He had great wealth, and, as we will see, many wives and at least one concubine. All of which reminds me that we can live below the level of our convictions. We can speak in one direction and live in another. The danger of hypocrisy lurks around every corner, and constant vigilance will be required to detect it, and deal it the death blow it so richly deserves, recognising that one such blow will never be enough. Hypocrisy is one tough cookie: it is highly resilient.

‘Nobody would deny that this courageous soldier deserved honour and rewards, but his ”retirement plan” seemed a bit extravagant.’ Warren Wiersbe