The Underground Scribe: May 2025

Jews and Gentiles as One (His Mysteries #3)

Imagine Israel, God's chosen people, unique in the earth as ones belonging to God. They received the covenants, the commandments, the order of worship, the promise and bloodline of Messiah, the promised land, and were the means through which God revealed Himself to the world--what it meant to be people of God contrasted with what it meant to be people who weren't. And no matter how many times they blew it, mistakenly or deliberately, and how many times He had to punish them, His love and faithfulness to them never failed. It never will.

Gentiles, by contrast, were without hope. False worshippers. Even Jesus came for Israel first, healing the daughter of the Syro-Phoenician (Gentile) woman only because she demonstrated great faith after He told her, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel" (Matthew 15:24). He had previously sent His disciples to preach only to Israel, saying, "Do not go among the Gentiles...go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel" (Matthew 10:5-6). Israel was the focus. Gentiles, with few exceptions, were excluded.

Imagine, then, the adjustment Jewish Christians were called on to make when Paul preached, taught, and wrote about the mystery of Christ (Ephesians 3:4). "Which in other generations," Paul says (Ephesians 3:5-7), "was not disclosed to mankind, as it has now been revealed to His holy apostles and prophets by the [Holy] Spirit; [it is this:] that the Gentiles are now joint heirs [with the Jews] and members of the same body, and joint partakers [sharing] in the [same divine] promise in Christ Jesus through [their faith in] the good news [of salvation]. Of this [gospel] I was made a minister by the gift of God's grace given me through the working of His power" (AMP 2015). While there was some mention in the Old Testament of God's grace coming to the Gentiles--e.g., "The Gentiles will hope in Him" (Isaiah 42:4); "And in you [Abram] all the nations of the world will be blessed" (Genesis 12:3)-- no one expected there could ever be full equality between Jews and Gentiles. Yet Paul received this truth by divine revelation and was compelled to preach it.

Paul was to make plain to everyone, he writes in Ephesians 3:9-12, the mystery regarding the uniting of Jews and Gentiles into one body, which until that point had been hidden through the ages in the mind of God. But now, through the church, the multifaceted wisdom of God was to be made known even to angelic rulers and authorities in heavenly places. That's right. Not only to the peoples of the earth, but to angels. This is, Paul writes, in keeping with God's eternal purpose that He carried out in Jesus, in Whom we have faith and therefore confidence to approach God Himself.

No wonder Paul was arrested. Praise God that he was as free to preach as he was, and stayed alive as long as he did.

Father God, those of us who are Gentiles praise You all the more for the plan You had all along: to bring us into Your presence and fellowship, with Israel, through the reconciliation ministry of Christ. Like little children, we are so, so glad to be included. To all the reasons we already have to praise You, Lord, we add this marvelous mystery.

Which first? Prayer or the Word?

I heard something interesting recently that has stuck with me--"The most important aspect of the Christian life is prayer." Interesting because no doubt some would counter that the Bible is primary. Right up front I will say this is a false dichotomy; no serious Christian would question that both are absolutely vital and to that extent the debate is useless. Still, I'm intrigued enough to dig into this a little.

Picture a person in a remote area of the earth who has no Bible, perhaps has never heard the gospel, and maybe never even heard of Jesus. Can--should--this person cry out to God in prayer anyway? Absolutely yes. Romans 1:19-20 teaches that we are able to perceive the reality of God through His creation, and that furthermore He has revealed Himself to humans via their inner consciousness. Verse 20 even concludes by saying if we don't know He's real we have no excuse, period. The fact that this person has no Bible doesn't negate the fact that the biblical principle stands. If he or she is remote enough from popular culture or the world system, and remains relatively unaffected by the world's wisdom, s/he may even cry out to God more readily, because God's appeal to that person's inner consciousness is less tainted. Say this one pleads to the true God for help, or for truth. Will God answer? Yes! And because we can also argue that with God and people it's all about relationship, and relationship means direct communication, we can make a case that the most important, the most primal, aspect of the Christian life is prayer. Did I, smack-dab in the midst of Western culture, cry out to God before I read the Bible? I did.

However, some will argue for the primacy of the word, and they have a lot of biblical legs to stand on. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 says, "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work" (NIV; emphasis mine). Here, Paul instructs Timothy that the person in possession of all of Scripture is thoroughly equipped for everything good. That would seem to cover it, wouldn't it? Another important verse is Romans 10:17: "So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God" (NKJV). Put this together with Hebrews 11:6--"And without faith, it is impossible to please God..." (NIV)--and we can follow the sequence:

Word > Hearing > Faith > Pleasing God

How, then, do we please God unless it all starts with the word? We don't. But perhaps the most compelling argument is from John 1. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning" (AMP 2015; emphasis mine). Here we have absolute proof that Jesus is the Word. And we know that His word (the Bible) is living because He is living. How, then, can the W(w)ord be less primary to the Christian life than anything?

Again, in a very real sense none of this matters. No Christian who is sold out to God would propose that we don't need both all the time, every day, like we need the air we breathe. Why, then, do such discussions even arise? I suggest for this reason:

Though many Christian practices (reading/listening to/hearing the word, prayer, baptism, communion, obedience, etc.) should be common to us all, we are all individuals in Christ: no two alike, each one a different specific part of the body. Therefore the assignments on our lives differ. Let's say this one has a passion for worship, even though she also partakes in all other aspects of the Christian walk. Let's say that one has a passion for fasting and prayer, even though he also fulfills other roles in the church. And then there's the one who studies the Bible every chance she gets, maybe even taking classes or getting a degree, without ignoring the rest. And the ones who operate in "this gift, but not that," as the Holy Spirit distributes them according to His will. Which area is "more important" to each of these people? The one God has especially anointed them in, drawn them to, gifted them for. Even the world knows we should play to our strengths, and it's no different in the church.

In general, prayer and the Bible are both so mandatory for us that it's impossible to say one is more important. But as an area of concentration for a particular individual--the scholar/scribe or the prayer warrior, say--one or the other may receive slightly more focus, as a part of God's overall grand plan.

May the rocks cry out anyway, the very air molecules pulsate to the name of Jesus.

Prayer for a Fruit Tree

Lord, praise you for apple blossoms

in my tree's third year

third year

(third day)

I choose to see significance

a blessing

a sign

a word from You.

Lord, praise you for no end

to the wonder of life

of spring

plants leaf

bud

bloom

fruit

food from You.

Lord, praise you that it's my own tree

blooming now with hope

virgin hope

of firstfruits

my own joy as I watch

for apples, these apples

my personal gift

from you.

Whose Image and Inscription Does it Have?

Three of the four gospels record the story of the scribes and chief priests questioning Jesus about paying taxes. Actually, like some of the other questions people asked Jesus, this was an attempt to trap Him in something He might say. The leaders didn't pose these moral, ethical, or legal dilemmas in person, but typically sent spies--ordinary people Jesus hopefully wouldn't recognize and who pretended to be sincere. All I can think is that none of the people who participated in these schemes had spent enough time with or around Jesus to learn much about Him. If they had, they would have known He could read their thoughts and was impossible to trick.

Let's take a moment to appreciate the security and peace of mind in knowing we serve a God like that. He cannot be deceived. He cannot make a mistake. Following Him will never, ever lead us wrong.

The spokesman for this particular group, as recorded in Luke 20, begins with flattery that serves two purposes. "Teacher, we know that You speak and teach correctly, and that You show no partiality to anyone, but teach the way of God truthfully. Is it lawful [according to Jewish law and tradition] for us to pay taxes (tribute money) to Caesar or not" (Luke 20:21-22, AMP 2015)? Besides trying to butter Jesus up, these words stress His upholding of truth and of Jewish law. They then follow with a yes/no question regarding Roman law, setting Him up in a lose/lose situation. Because of the tension between the requirements of Jewish and Roman rule, He could be brought up on charges either way.

Jesus says, "Show Me a Roman denarius. Whose image and inscription does the coin have?" They are all too willing to reply, "Caesar's." Can you imagine them hanging on what He'll say next? Salivating for Him to fall into their trap? What He says is this: "Then pay to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's" (Luke 20:24-25).

I like to just sit and ponder the brilliance of that answer and how it rings down the ages to apply to us today. But, specifically, let's think right now about the significance of the image. The coin was Caesar's; it bore his face and had been issued by the Roman government in his name. So, yes, give it back to him (pay your taxes). It follows logically, then, that we give to God the thing that bears His image.

What's that?

It's us. Human beings. Us and only us.

It's easy for religious folk to think they owe God sacrifices, prayer, time in church, church work, ceremonial practices, and so forth. Many of the Jewish leaders were content with outward religious acts, and a lot of people today are, too. But if we examine the logical implications of what Jesus said, we arrive at the crucial takeaway that has nothing to do with taxes at all: We bear the image of God. Therefore we give to God what is God's--our whole and very selves.

In Him All Things Hold Together

Years ago, my husband worked at a university and would occasionally bring home copies of The Chronicles of Higher Education, a newspaper for college faculty and staff. The front-page story of one issue caught my attention in a big way. While I don't remember the article's title, I'll never forget its topic: The Theory of Everything. In simple terms, this is a hypothetical theory or equation within the field of physics that, if found, will explain, predict, describe, or unify the entire universe, accounting for all particles and forces, known or yet to be discovered. I had never heard of this theory before the moment my eyes fell on that article, and was stunned. "But that's Jesus," I said. "What they're looking for is Jesus."

Most of Colossians 1, especially from verse 13 on, speaks of the greatness of Christ. One of my favorite phrases in the Bible, part of verse 17, is usually translated as "in Him all things consist" or "in Him all things hold together." Here's the entire verse from the Amplified 2015 version:

And He Himself existed and is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. [His is the controlling, cohesive force of the universe.]

Proverbs 8:22-31, describing how Jesus was fully part of the creation of wisdom long before the physical creation, is a supporting passage. While I am someone who loves and respects academics, at this point I can't help but see how true the truth of Isaiah 29:14 is: "...And the wisdom of their wise men will perish, and the understanding of their discerning men will be hidden" (Isaiah 29:14b, AMP 2015).

1 Corinthians 1 expounds further. Picking up in verse 20: "Where is the wise man (philosopher)? Where is the scribe (scholar)? Where is the debater (logician, orator) of this age? Has God not exposed the foolishness of this world's wisdom?" Verse 25: "[This is] because the foolishness of God [is not foolishness at all and] is wiser than men [far beyond human comprehension], and the weakness of God is stronger than men [far beyond the limits of human effort]. In verse 27, Paul writes that God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and the weak things of the world to shame the strong, so that (v. 28-29) He might reduce to nothing the things that are, so that no one may boast in the presence of God.

The Theory of Everything has not been found. It won't be. What holds the physical universe together isn't a force, theory, or equation. It's a person, and His name is Jesus Christ.

He Does All Things Well

"See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these" (Matthew 6:28b-29).

Lord, praise you for detail. Nothing is too big nor small, too everlasting nor fleeting, that you won't lavish on it your perfection. Praise the Lord.