Peter Misselbrook's Blog

Sep 11 2019 - Daniel 1 – Daniel's training in Babylon

We have been reading of the siege and destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians; the failure of the inhabitants to listen to the warnings of God through his prophets that preceded it, and their lament over the suffering of the city that followed its destruction. With the Book of Daniel we take up the story from the perspective of Babylon.

The book starts with the results of the Babylonians siege of Jerusalem. The king of Judah was taken captive and articles from the temple were taken off as trophies to be displayed in the temple of a Babylonian god. Israelites from the royal family and nobles were taken from Jerusalem to be put into the civil service of the king of Babylon. The best of the young Israelite men were chosen for this training and work – fit in body and mind. The king wanted them to remain fit for his service and so provided them with food and wine from his own provisions.

And here we are introduced to four of those young men, Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. These were all given Babylonian names.

Some of our family have recently decided to go vegan – to eat only plant based products. We have discovered how challenging it is to find tasty and nourishing recipes to cook for us all to enjoy when they come to eat with us. Well Daniel and his friends went vegan. They decided that they did not want the king's food and wine; they wanted nothing but vegetables to eat and water to drink. They did not want the Babylonians' food since it would undoubtedly include items which would be prohibited by the Jewish food laws. They also seemed to believe that water would be better for them than wine. The Babylonian official consigned to look after them was troubled by this suggestion. He believed that a diet without good Babylonian meat would leave them weak and prone to illness and that drinking water in the climate of the Middle East would result in sickness – remember the Apostle Paul's advice to Timothy, "Stop drinking only water, and use a little wine because of your stomach and your frequent illnesses" (1 Timothy 5:23). But Daniel wisely suggested that they should be allowed this diet for ten days and for the official to assess their health at the end of that period. This was agreed and after the ten days the four young men "looked healthier and better nourished than any of the young men who ate the royal food" (Daniel 1:15). So they were allowed to continue with their vegan diet.

And these four young men did well in their Babylonian language and culture studies, preparing them for the service of the king of Babylon. But the Book of Daniel is careful not to attribute this to their diet, or solely to their native abilities, but records that God gave them knowledge and understanding. God was with them and honoured their determination to honour him. So, when they were brought before the king of Babylon:

The king talked with them, and he found none equal to Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah; so they entered the king’s service. In every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king questioned them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters in his whole kingdom. (Daniel 1:19-20)

It's never easy to live consistently and single-mindedly for Christ in a society which wants us to conform to its own behaviour. It may seem tempting to cut ourselves off from society and live in a holy ghetto of Christian fellowship. But Christ calls us to be a blessing and witness to the world around us – to be salt and light. We need the help of God's presence, wisdom and strength to live like that. How can we bless the world around us through a distinctively Christ-like lifestyle?

Father God, we thank you for the Lord Jesus who gave himself for us. Thank you for his perfect life and for the blessing he brought to all whom he met. Help us by your Spirit to give ourselves wholeheartedly to your service and to the blessing of the world in which we live. Give us the wisdom to make good decisions in our day-to-day lives.

Sep 11 2020 - Matthew 14:13-36 – The cost of compassion

Yesterday's reading ended with John the Baptist being put to death so that a corrupt king might not break his drunken oath or lose face with his friends. When Jesus heard the news of John's death, "He withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place" (Matthew 14:13). John was Jesus' cousin and had prepared the way for his ministry. Jesus must have been deeply saddened by John's execution. He wanted time on his own to grieve, to think and to pray.

But the crowds would not leave him alone. They walked round the lake to get to the spot where his boat would come ashore. How would Jesus react? We read, "When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick" (14:14). Jesus does not remain in the boat while sending his disciples to disperse the crowd. He has compassion on the crowds and puts their needs before his own – he ministers to them: "The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many" (20:28).

Jesus' actions are remarkable; he heals and feeds the crowds when his own soul is aching. His ability to minister to others when needing comfort himself comes from his absolute confidence in his own mission. He is doing the work the Father has sent him to do and he is confident that his Father will provide him with the resources he needs: "I have food to eat that you know nothing about" (John 4:32).

Jesus calls us to follow him. We are to minister to others even when our own souls are aching. It’s a hard call. There have been many times when I just wanted to have time to myself – time to think, to pray to be restored. And there is nothing wrong with that. But how have I responded when others have come to me with their needs at such times? This is the moment of testing; am I sufficiently confident of the call of Christ upon my life that I can minister to others when I myself am in need? I am all too aware of my own failings in this area.

I am strangely encouraged by the story of Peter. He really is a man of extraordinary faith. He is not content to wait for Jesus to get into the boat; he wants to walk out on the stormy water to meet him. And at Jesus’ word of command he steps out of the boat and does walk on water. He is a man of great faith and strong determination to follow Christ – at least for a moment. But he is also a man who is quickly overwhelmed by the threatening storm and begins to sink. Jesus gently rebukes his lack of faith even as he grasps his hand and rescues him.

We need to recognise the uniqueness of Christ. Each of us is broken. Each of us is in need of the ministry of Christ by his Spirit. Each of us also needs the ministry of others; this too is the means by which Christ reaches out his hand to us. Each of us not only needs to feed Christ’s sheep, we also need to be fed. There is something deeply disturbing about Christian leaders who project themselves as those without needs; those always ready to minister but never needing ministry.

How then are we to retain the balance between an unfailing servant spirit, ready always to minister to others, and the very real need we each have to receive ministry? This is a continual challenge. The resolution needs to be found in the ministering community rather than in the lone super-minister. We, corporately, are the body of Christ.

Lord Jesus, you look right through the image I project to others to see my heart with all its weakness and failings. Restore my soul and strengthen me through the ministry I receive from others so that I also may minister tirelessly in your name.

Peter Misselbrook