“When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good … she took some and ate it…” (Genesis 3:6, emphases added).
And so began the story of human gratification – a pattern that is repeated by men and women over and over in the biblical story:
“The sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were beautiful and they took them” (Genesis 6:2, emphases added).
“When Shechem son of Hamor the Hivite, the ruler of that area, saw her, he took her …” (Genesis 34:2, emphases added).
In all of these examples – and many more – we see the same pattern repeated. The Hebrew words for “saw” (ra’ah), and “took” (laqach) are identical in each case. We see the same pattern of stimulus and response, seeing and taking, seeing and doing – with essentially nothing between them.
We have expressions for this pattern today – “impulse buying,” “see and grab,” “instant gratification,” and so on. The very number of such expressions shows how common the pattern is in our society. Yet if we go back to the biblical accounts, we find something interesting. The pattern of see+take or see+act so often recorded in the narrative books of the Bible is said almost invariably of those who rejected or did not know God.
When we look at the accounts of those who followed God, we see stories that just as invariably show a different pattern: “see+consider+act.” This pattern is often clear in stories of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, of Moses, Joshua, Gideon, and other servants of God. Look at a single example:
In 1 Samuel 24, we find the story of how David saw an opportunity to kill Saul, who was hunting him, but after brief reflection, did not. This has everything to do with instant gratification. David had already been anointed to replace Saul as king (1 Samuel 16:1-13), and it was only a matter of time before David would become king in Saul’s place. In this instance there was a very rational reason to go along with the drive of “see+take.” Yet David resisted the desire to take Saul’s life, considered the situation, and waited once he saw God’s will in the matter (1 Samuel 24:3-6).
In examples like this we see the people of God placing thought and the application of knowledge between seeing and acting – and time and again they are credited for righteousness in doing so. The nature of the opposite approach is also repeatedly made clear. Take a single example of that also: “Desire without knowledge is not good— how much more will hasty feet miss the way!” (Proverbs 19:2). We can see and desire, but if we do not think about what we need to consider – apply knowledge to the situation – then our hasty feet “miss the way” which is so often a synonym for sin throughout the Hebrew Bible.
This pattern of delayed versus instant gratification, of placing thought between seeing and taking or other forms of action, is not just something that applies to wise shopping habits – it is a principle as broad as life itself. Interestingly, while God doubtless does not need to delay before acting, we find scriptures that indicate that he nevertheless does pause and consider. We see him waiting before acting in the days of Noah (1 Peter 3:20) and in the days of Lot (Luke 17:28). And we see God’s way of seeing, considering, and then acting extolled in the Psalms: “But you, God, see the trouble of the afflicted; you consider their grief and take it in hand …” (Psalm 10:14, emphases added). Even God considers between seeing and acting. How much more should we do the same!
When we think of Roman centurions and the Bible, we invariably think of Cornelius – the Roman commander who was the first Gentile to be converted – or perhaps the centurion whose servant Jesus healed, or the centurion who stood by the cross at the crucifixion. But there are actually some ten of these Roman military officers mentioned in the New Testament, and if we look at them we can see an interesting pattern in how they fit into the biblical narrative.
Centurions are often said to have been the backbone of the Roman army – the officers in charge of the units of infantry called “centuries” which usually numbered around eighty soldiers in the time of Christ. They were generally experienced men who had moved up through the ranks, and although some were very stern, many were honorable individuals, as those mentioned in the New Testament seem to have been. In this article we will look briefly at each of them.
1. The centurion who asked Jesus to heal his servant (Matthew 8:5-13; Luke 7:1-10). This was the man of such great faith we are told that Jesus “was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd following him, he said, ‘I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel’” (Luke 7:9).
2. The centurion at the cross when Jesus died (Matthew 27:51–54; Mark 15:38–39, 44–45; Luke 23:44–47). This officer uttered the words: “Truly this was the Son of God!” (Matthew 27:54), and tradition says he became a believer.
3. Cornelius, the centurion who became the first gentile convert (Acts 10:1–7). Acts tells us this soldier and his family were devout and God-fearing. A man of prayer, Cornelius also gave generously to those in need.
4 and 5. The two centurions who arrested Paul (Acts 21:32). Acts tells us that when a disturbance against Paul broke out in the Temple, two centurions were sent with their men to stop the violence, and they then took Paul into protective custody. The centurion who saved Paul from being scourged (Acts 22:25–29) was most likely one of the two who had arrested him.
6. The centurion who took Paul’s nephew to his commander (Acts 23:17). This centurion accommodated Paul’s request and thus helped save him from the Jewish plot to kill him.
7 and 8. The centurions who escorted Paul to Caesarea (Acts 23:23). The commander Claudius Lysias called for two centurions to assemble soldiers and to take Paul to Felix, the Governor, for Paul’s protection.
9. In Caesarea, the Governor Felix commanded a centurion to guard Paul (Acts 24:23).
10. Julius, a centurion of the Augustan Regiment (Acts 27:1–43). Julius and his men escorted Paul to Rome with other prisoners. In Sidon, Julius kindly permitted Paul to visit his friends who might provide for his needs (vs. 1, 3). Later in the journey, when a great storm arose, acting on Paul’s counsel Julius prevented the crew from escaping and after the ship was wrecked, Julius again intervened to prevent the soldiers from killing Paul and the other prisoners (vss. 11, 31–32, 42–43).
Although we only know the names of two of these centurions, Cornelius and Julius, the New Testament shows us that they all played some role in establishing and furthering the Christian faith. While the importance of Cornelius is obvious, the other centurions, who are mentioned in the book of Acts, all played some part in protecting Paul and allowing him to both carry the gospel as far as Rome, and to bring his message of faith to many there who had turned to Christianity. The centurions who had a vital part in Paul’s protection are shown to have often acted decisively, with discretion, with kindness, and sometimes with great courage. While diligently fulfilling their military duty, several of these soldiers were important in the development of Christianity, and the others among the group certainly helped in the spread of the faith.
The extent of these centurions’ contributions to the growth of the faith is evident in their portrayal given by the New Testament, even though – because they were often seen as representatives of the hated Roman oppressors – most centurions were shunned by the ancient Jews. Yet the honorable and often faith-serving nature of the ten centurions found in the New Testament is clear. As Christians, we might well look back and admire the faith of some of them, and we might well thank them all for their service!
A number of years ago, a cartoon had the unlikely subject of a group of fleas sitting in what appeared to be a large pillared lecture hall, listening to an impassioned speech from a flea behind a podium. On the podium was a sign reading “There is no dog!” – and it became clear that the “pillars” of the lecture hall were, in fact, the hairs of a dog seen at the same magnified size as the fleas!
So the subjects of the cartoon were obviously “Afleists” who did not believe that dog existed, but the context was not one in any way suggesting that human atheists who don’t believe God exists were to be equated with fleas – it was simply looking wryly at the idea of how it is possible to be very unaware of things around us.
The cartoon might remind us of the apostle Paul’s words to the learned philosophers of Athens regarding the creation of all things by God: “God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us. For in him we live and move and have our being…” (Acts 17:27-28).
Like those earnest fleas debating the dog’s existence among the very hairs of the dog, we humans sometimes “don’t see the forest for the trees” when it comes to seeing the nature of the ultimate reality in which we live. But religious people can be no less susceptible to this problem than atheists or agnostics. We may not ignore the clear imprint of the Creator in the physical creation, but the problem of not seeing the forest for the trees can apply to us in a different way, nonetheless.
We read in the Gospel of Mark the story of how shortly after performing great miracles in which Jesus fed the multitudes: “The disciples had forgotten to bring bread, except for one loaf they had with them in the boat. ‘Be careful,’ Jesus warned them. ‘Watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees and that of Herod.’ They discussed this with one another and said, ‘It is because we have no bread’” (Mark 8:14-16).
When Jesus realized the disciples’ lack of vision in this situation, he chastised them: “Why are you talking about having no bread? Do you still not see or understand? Are your hearts hardened? Do you have eyes but fail to see …” (Mark 8:17).
In this situation, the disciples missed the meaning of Christ’s message by looking too closely at their own circumstances, the details of their own situation. Sometimes we can make the same mistake: we miss the message because we take it too personally.
It is often said that when studying the Bible we should always ask “How does this verse apply to me?” That is indeed a useful principle of personal study, but we should also be careful not to let our study of the Bible become self-absorbed to the point that we miss the bigger picture that is sometimes there. It is always good to remember that we are not the subject of the Bible, and that God is. The Bible is not just the revelation from God, it is primarily the revelation about God. Our study should also ask the question “What does this verse show about God?” If we study only to see what applies to us and to others, we can miss the message that is of forest-size proportions by concentrating only on what applies to some of the trees.
Instead of focusing on the stories we know well about Peter and the other leading disciples and what may be unfounded legends and traditions regarding the others, whenever possible this book, by R. Herbert, looks at what the Bible tells us about the group as a whole – something we often read over without thought. Yet what the New Testament tells us about the group Jesus chose is not simply background information and often teaches some profoundly important lessons that were written for our education. Lessons from the Lives of the Twelve Disciples is available in formats for computer, e-book reader, or smart phone, Download a free copy from the e-books page on this website, or from FreeChristianEBooks.org, here.
Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him. “Teacher,” they said … “Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory” (Mark 10:35–37).
People will go to great lengths to get the best seats in a restaurant, a theater, or at some important public occasion, but James and John outdid themselves in their asking (apparently with their mother’s urging – Matthew 20:20–21) for the seats at the right and left hand of Christ in his coming kingdom. We should remember that this event took place shortly after Jesus had already promised his apostles that they would all “sit upon thrones” judging the twelve tribes of Israel in the kingdom of God (Matthew 19:28). The request made by James and John was not just for great authority, but to be elevated to the highest positions of all at Christ’s right and left hand.
The audacity of these two disciples may seem remarkable in what they asked, but in reality, James and John were not the only disciples enamored by the thought of ruling with power. Mark shows that the other disciples were extremely angry once they realized the two brothers had made this bid for prominence in the group (Matthew 20:24). While the other disciples’ reaction may have been one of “righteous indignation,” it is perhaps more likely that they were simply angry at being almost outmaneuvered in regard to who would be the greatest among them.
Yet we should notice that Jesus did not rebuke the disciples regarding their desire for these elevated positions. Rather, he first asked James and John if they were able to “drink the cup” he was going to have to drink – referencing, of course, his coming suffering (Matthew 20:22). Jesus then patiently explained to all the disciples that the greatest among them must be the greatest servant (Matthew 20:25–27) and tried to help them to understand that before any such elevated positions in his kingdom were assigned, he must suffer and die (vs. 28).
After this, Jesus continued on the way to Jerusalem where he knew he would sacrifice his life, but we do not know if the disciples learned the lesson he had attempted to teach them. There is nothing in the gospels that indicates they understood or applied the lesson at that time. We can almost see them jostling with each other to get to be closest to Jesus as he rode, humbly yet triumphantly, into Jerusalem (Matthew 21:1–11). But the events that soon took place must surely have brought the lesson back to their memories.
After Jesus’ betrayal, when it came to the time of his death on the cross, the only ones who were lifted up at his right and left hand were the two condemned individuals who were crucified on either side of him (Matthew 27:38). We can only wonder if James and John realized the irony of that fact, and if they saw in it the lesson Christ had tried to teach them – that those who get to be elevated on the right and left hand of the Son of God are not the great of the world who rule by the world’s power, but those who lose their lives and who symbolically, spiritually, are crucified with him (Galatians 2:19–20).
The lesson is clearly there for us to understand and apply also. The apostle Paul explained this spiritual fact when he wrote that: “God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:6). We are all given the opportunity to sit with Christ in his kingdom, but we should not focus on who will be closest to his right or left hand – rather, as Paul affirms: “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God” (Colossians 3:1). The goal is not to obtain the best seat possible, but to serve and sacrifice and to eventually sit together with him.
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