What Does Jesus Know About Self-Denial?

What is self-denial?

We might know that Jesus calls us to it, but what exactly is He is calling us to?

In the Gospel of Mark, as Jesus moves toward the cross, it becomes clear that He both knows what is coming and that He has a choice in the matter. When He eventually arrives in the garden of Gethsemane, His prayer to God is simply this: “Not what I want but what you want” (Mark 14.36). Those don’t sound like the words of someone being coerced; those sound like the words of someone being obedient.

As the passion scene unfolds Jesus’ resolve to the Father’s will remains, even though He has full knowledge of what it entails. When the mob shows up to arrest Him, He welcomes them (14.43-50); When He is accused by the chief priests before Pilate, He stays silent. All of this occurs with Jesus knowing not only the suffering that awaits Him, but also knowing that He is perfectly innocent and undeserving of it all.

Execution by cross was not akin to getting lethal injection. There was no more degrading way to die in the ancient world than by crucifixion. New Testament Professor Helen Bond describes it in detail in her article, “A Fitting End? Self-Denial and a Slave’s Death in Mark’s Life of Jesus.” She writes:

“Stripped naked, the victim was humiliated and shamed as he suffered extreme agony, perhaps for several days, until, overcome by suffocation and exhaustion, he met his merciful end. So offensive was the cross that civilized people preferred not to talk about it, and few Roman writers ever dwelt on any of the details. Cicero described crucifixion as ‘the greatest punishment of slavery,’ while Josephus labelled it ‘the most pitiable of deaths.’”

Becoming a Slave

Several chapters before the passion narrative, in Mark 9, Jesus sits his disciples down and He tells them, “If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all” (Mark 9.35). Perplexing words to hear. I have to imagine that the disciples were left wondering in that moment what Jesus meant and what a servant of all really looked like. Thankfully, they would not have to wonder for long.

Remember Cicero’s words, quoted by Bond, “The greatest punishment of slavery.” What happened on the cross was not Jesus simply dying the death of a citizen. He was dying the death of a slave, and that for the sake of others. He was innocent of all charges and unworthy of the death he was being served, and yet in obedience to the Father’s will He embraces all of it.

In other words, Jesus doesn’t just teach the disciples, on the cross He fully embodies for them what He’s been teaching. He becomes His teaching. He teaches the disciples that to follow them they must become a least of all, and then on the cross He becomes the least of all. He teaches them that to be his disciples they must be a slave to all, and than on the cross He becomes a slave to all.

Becoming Like Jesus

If we ever wonder what self denial looks like, here it is. It is to become a servant to all.

If we ever wonder what it is to be a servant to all, here it is. It is to choose obedience to the father, over and above obedience to ourselves.

And if we ever wonder where we look to see the servant-of-all-self-denial, here it is. Not only is Jesus our Savior, who denied Himself for us. He is our model now for what it looks like to deny ourselves for Him.

Where do I go to find rest?

I amaze myself sometimes, at just how irrational I can be.

Life can feel so extremely busy these days, with a family, a congregation, a home, a yard, vehicles, pets and so forth. I find myself regularly seeking out moments of rest; little chances in the day or in the week to catch my breath and to feel some level of emotional and spiritual refreshment. More times than not, I seek this rest in things like movies, news websites and skateboarding. The reason I seek rest in these things is because I have this unspoken belief that rest will come through more “me time;” through forgetting about my responsibilities and tasks and burdens for a few moments and focusing on the things that I enjoy and that I can get lost in; things like movies, news articles, skateboarding, etc. The funny thing is though, very often I come out of those “restful” activities, more fatigued than before, or at least no more rested.

Now at the same time, I continually come to passages in scripture that speak about rest, and they always point in the same direction, and it is not more “me time.”

Psalm 23.2 - He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul.”

Matthew 11:28 – “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”

Hebrews 4:10 – “For whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from his.”

In these passages and so many more, God is the source of the rest. He is the one producing it and the one inviting us to receive it.

The Irrationality Part

Here is the irrationality of it all. I know that the things I choose to find rest in won’t every give me the kind of rest I am seeking from them. I know it deep it down. I also know that God can and will give me the kind of rest that I need. And yet, still I continue to choose the one at the expense of the other.

Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with enjoying enjoyable and relaxing activities. God gave us all of them, and I am sure thankful that He did! But the fact of the matter is that true rest will never come from those things. It will come from Him. It will come from Him as we come to Him and, and whether for the first time or the five hundredth time, we place our trust in Him. It will come as we, by faith, through prayer, in worship and with Scripture, throw all of our worries, anxieties, doubts, sins, pressures and ambitions before Him. That is where rest lives! In the arms of an all-loving, all-knowing, all-powerful Father.

And it makes sense doesn’t it, that rest would be found in Him alone? In dictionary terms to rest is to cease all movement; to make no effort; to be still. It is to be relieved of all of the weight that we are carrying. Well, God is the only one who can fully support us, the only whose shoulders are able to bear the weight that we carry and so to relieve us of everything we’ve been carrying. He is the only one strong enough to carry us, so that we can cease moving; so that we can feel light, as if we are being carried on wings of eagles. No relationship can do that. No sport can do that. No sit back and relax type of entertainment can do that.

The Plan

To be honest, I plan to continue watching films, reading the news and riding a skateboard, as time allows. But by God’s grace, I will stop expecting those things to be the answer to my stress and fatigue, and will stop doing those things at the expense of time spent with Jesus. At the risk of sounding cliche, I plan to seek and find my rest this week not in more “me time,” but in more “He time.”

Bible Review: “The Westminster Study Bible"

“The Westminster Study Bible (NRSV Updated Edition): With the Deuterocanonical/Apocryphal Books”

Published by Westminster John Knox Press, 2024.

It is hard to summarize all of the things that I am excited about in this new Westminster Study Bible, but let me try.

First, I am excited to see the NRSV translation in another study Bible. Like any good translation, the NRSV is not without its debates and controversies. It has its strengths and weaknesses. Still, I find it to be a solid translation for any 21st Century English Bible reader. Published in 1989, the NRSV was intended to serve both devotional and scholarly needs. It was to be readable to the average person and attentive to manuscript discoveries and advances in scholarship. I have found it to be both of these things.

Of course, the Westminster Study Bible is not simply the NRSV, but the Updated Edition of the NRSV, which makes it even more exciting! As of 2021, the NRSV has done a fresh update of language, translation and important textual notes, improving upon the excellent work done in the 1989 edition. In other words, this is an accurate and modern translation for both reading and studying the Scriptures.

Second, the Westminster Study Bible is simply a fantastic study Bible. It actually happens to be the first study Bible to utilize the NRSV Updated Edition, but even as others undoubtedly follow in its path, it will continue to stand out. The explanatory notes in the bottom third of each page are some of the most consistently helpful notes that I have seen in a study Bible, providing aid for, again, both devotional and scholarly aims. The editors dig into the linguistic, historic and cultural context of the most significant, debated, and perplexing verses, while providing cross-references for each as well.

Along with explanatory notes, each book begins with at least two pages of meaningful introduction, covering the theological purposes of the book, the authorship, date and major issues, and ending with a reading guide. The reading guide is perhaps the most unique part of the introductions, and it is what I expect will be one of the most helpful tools for both new and seasoned Bible readers.

On top of the explanatory notes and the introductions, the Westminster Study Bible ends with a dense index, that includes a catalogue of mini essays on immediately relevant issues, like the Bible and Science, the Bible and Gender and the Bible in public life, as well as a massive reference list to subjects and themes throughout the Scriptures, and finally eleven of the most biblically important geographical maps.

Finally, the inclusion in this Bible of the Deuterocanonical/Apocryphal books, and with study notes, is for me a great thrill. It is no mystery that Judaism and the early church recognized that some of the Deuterocanonical/Apocryphal writings were valuable. They are included in enough ancient lists of inspired writings, that we know even if they weren’t considered scripture, they were considered helpful to faith formation. As Jerome puts it, even if not canonical, they were edifying. This means that almost certainly the New Testament writers were influenced theologically by these books. And that means that at the very least that they are valuable books for gaining deeper insight into the hearts and minds and actions of the early Christians. So, how exciting to have those resources included in your study Bible and with study notes to better understand them! It is yet another resource that instead of having to go find elsewhere, you have included in your study Bible.

In terms of weaknesses, there are not many. One though would be the very thing I have already counted as a strength. The inclusion of the Deuterocanonical/Apocryphal books could be confusing to evangelical readers who are unacquainted with them. If you are passing this Bible on to a new believer, some conversation and explanation around this would be important.

But apart from that I have only positive things to say about this Bible. I am excited to continue using it, and I completely and sincerely recommend it to anyone looking for a new Study Bible. I expect this will prove to be a valuable resource in the world of Study Bibles for many years to come.

Book Review: “Come and See"

“Come and See: A History of Theology of Mission”

By Glen Scrivener and Justin Schell

Published by Union Publishing, 2022.

The aim of “Come and See” is laid out on page one: “to help you grasp what God is after in the world.” What a beautiful purpose with which to write. And what an amazing purpose to be on the receiving end of, because what Christian does not want or need a biblical reminder of what God is up to in the world?

After a brief introduction Scrivener and Schell set out to meet that purpose. Over the course of twelve chapters and one-hundred-twenty-three pages, they cover an incredible number of topics, all serving that one goal. They examine the doctrine of God and mission, the Old Testament and mission, the New Testament and mission, a history of mission, the influence of the reformation on mission, the church and mission and much more.

Now, if that sounds like a lot of different aspects of mission to cover in one book, it is. Through the years I have found a lot of reward in studying the mission of God and the missionary movements. By my own slow reader standards, I have read a lot of books on mission. Books about the history of mission, books about the Bible and mission and books about the different philosophies of mission. But I have rarely found a book like this one, that puts so many aspects of mission into the same book binding.

Of course, Scrivener and Shell are not able to go into the same kind detail that many of those single aspect books do. For example, they don’t have the space to examine the history of mission in the same detail as Stephen Neill does in a book like, “A History of Christian Missions.” Still, the detail that they are able to go into is beyond impressive, making for an exceptionally well-rounded book.

On top of that, they write in ways that exude experience, knowledge and white-hot passion for the subject at hand, and furthermore for the author of that subject. You cannot read what they write without catching their excitement on every page, for God and His mission.

Whatever you end up paying for “Come and See,” its worth it. You will get your money’s worth simply because of how much solid biblical content on such a variety of aspects of mission is packed into a short book. You will also get your money’s worth because they really do accomplish what they set out to accomplish. When I finally put this book down, I did so with a fresh, overflowing excitement for exactly what God is after in the world.

Another book I recommend to… every Christian (and non).

Book Review: “The God of the Mundane"

“The God of the Mundane: Reflections on Ordinary Life for Ordinary People”

By Matthew B. Redmond

Re-Published by Cruciform Press, 2021.

Equally convicting and encouraging.

I will be honest, I did not go into this book expecting too much. I am generally drawn to titles like “Radical,” “Crazy Love,” “Don’t Waste Your Life,” etc. Books that I expect are going to call me to some new and gnarly heights. Not ones that sound like they are aimed at comforting me in my normality. Well, 1) the aim of this book was definitely not to comfort me in my normality, and 2) this was truly the most radical book I have read in a long time.

I can’t remember the last time I finished a book and felt so laid bare, and yet so stoked at the same time. “The God of the Mundane” exposed so much of the unhealthy and ungodly ambition that has lived in me for so long. It also stirred up in me a new excitement for all that God has done and can do through the ordinary activities of my life and through all of the mundanity of my days.

The book is quite perfectly titled. Redmond’s mission in this book is, as the title suggests, is to talk about the God of the Mundane; to talk about how God is concerned with, involved with, and working in the things that take up most of our time on earth. He is not only involved with extraordinary accomplishments, as our ambitions often suggest, but He is also the God of the the diaper changes, the lawn mowings, the friend hangouts, the meal preps and the long drives. He is present and active in the big stuff, and He is right there in the little stuff.

This simple truth was so unbelievably reassuring to me. My sights are most often set on the crazy and the radical. So much so, that at times I forget that God even cares of about the quieter parts of my life, much less is active in them!

All this to say, I loved this book. I will repeatedly read this book. And I highly recommend this book.

My guess is that most of us get to focused at times on the radical and forget how much God cares about the mundane. Because of that, I think this this book will resonate will almost every Christian. And since its only 130 pages, it is accessible to almost every Christian too.

I seem to keep recommending every book I review lately, but I just keep reading books that are worth recommending. This is another one.