Obedient in All Things

So Dick reminded me just now that it's been a long time, over a month in fact, since I posted on here. Sadly I've been swamped with school and work but just haven't remembered to take the time to get something up. So here's a new post and hopefully I can keep them coming on a more regular basis now.

Obedient in all Things
By Matthew Pickens

I think that Matthew 17:24-27 is a fascinating passage that we often gloss over when we read Matthew’s account of Jesus life. This is the passage where collectors come to Peter to ask if Jesus will pay the temple tax. Peter immediately answers affirmatively. When Peter comes into the house Jesus asks him, “What do you think, Simon? From whom do kings of the earth take toll or tax? From their sons or from others?” Peter rightly answers, “From others.” Jesus points out that this means that the sons are free from the tax. His implication is that as Son of God he does not have to pay the tax due to the King of the temple. Yet he then gives Peter instructions to go and catch and fish and promises that there will be enough money in the fish’s mouth to pay the tax for both Jesus and Peter.

The reason I find this passage so intriguing is because it really gives us a fascinating picture of Jesus’ relationship to the Old Testament and to the Old Testament law in particular. We should consider Jesus’ comments about how he is free from this tax. First, we should remember that as the eternal Second Person of the Trinity the temple tax was ultimately due to Jesus. Second, ultimately Jesus was the source and giver of the Old Testament law that commanded the tax. Third, because he is Son of God Jesus was the true heir of the King who commanded and received the temple tax and therefore he was free from it just like any prince would not have to pay taxes to his own father.

This should lead us to ask why Jesus decided to pay the tax anyway. It certainly wasn’t simply because Peter said that Jesus would. Instead this is an example of Jesus’ voluntarily submitting himself to the law on our behalf. Matthew tells us that at the Jordan River John did not want to baptize Jesus because he knew that he was the one who should have been baptized by the Christ. Yet Jesus insists upon being baptized by John “in order to fulfill all righteousness.” (Matt. 3:13-15) This scene tells us that Jesus does not undergo a baptism of repentance because he had any sins of his own that needed repentance but rather in order to identify himself with his Messianic people. Jesus is baptized at the Jordan River to show that he will represent us before God and God accepts this sign of obedience by proclaiming from heaven, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” (Matt. 3:17)

So what we see here in Matthew 17 is the outworking of Jesus’ identifying himself with us. He does not obey this law about the temple tax for his own good. Instead he does it so that as our representative he might be perfectly obedient to all of God’s commands. Paul tells us that the many are made righteous through the obedience of the one Man, Jesus Christ (Rom. 5:19). Theologically when we talk about the imputation of Jesus’ obedience to us we talk about both his active and passive obedience. Here we just mean that God’s law has both commands we must obey and then proclaims the penalty of death for disobedience. Jesus’ active obedience means that he perfectly obeyed all of God’s commands in our place and his passive obedience means that he also bore the punishment for our disobedience when he died on the cross.

So the next time you come across this story about the temple tax in your readings take a moment to remember that 2,000 years ago Jesus lived a life that was perfectly obedient to all of God’s laws so that in union with him you are also considered to be perfectly obedient. He then also bore God’s wrath in your place so that God’s righteous justice is perfectly satisfied. This is what Paul means when he writes to the church in Corinth, “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Cor. 5:21)

A pretty depressing report

Here's a sad note from Justin Taylor. Apparently a recent university study wanted to compare the views of men in their 20s who had never been exposed to pornography against those of regular users. They could not find a single man who had not seen porn for their study. This of course isn't to say that those men are not out there but it should be a sobering warning to us of how pervasive this sin is and how vulnerable we can be to it. Taylor provides a list of resources for battling porn addictions and Nicolas Batzig over at Feeding on Christ recommends a program called Covenant Eyes.

Some book ideas for Christmas

Just realized it's been a while since I posted something here. Hopefully I'll get something more substantial up in the next few days. In the meantime, if you need to give people some last Christmas ideas here are some book recommendations from a few people:

• Nicolas Batzig top 20 on Biblical Theology - Nick's a church planter for the PCA in Savannah, GA. Most of the books on this list are excellent. Anything by Vos is worth reading even though it can be a tough go. The same applies for Robertson. The Ortland book is a nice short (and hopefully cheap) read. I would also recommend Richard Gaffin's Perspectives on Pentecost and Stephen Dempster's Dominion and Dynasty. My number 1 recommendation for covenant theology developed through redemptive history remains Michael Williams' Far As the Curse Is Found.
• Derek Thomas' book recommendations for 2009 - Thomas teaches systematic theology at RTS Jackson and is the pastor at First Presbyterian Church (PCA) in Jackson, MS. I would particularly recommend Chapell's book on worship, Fisher's Marrow of Modern Divinity, and the Theological Guide to Calvin's Institutes from this list.
• Sean Lucas' book recommendations for 2009 - Lucas taught church history at Covenant Theological Seminary and has recently returned to the pastorate in the PCA in Mississippi. From his list I would really recommend Keller's Counterfeit Gods and Fisher's Marrow of Modern Divinity (hint that this keeps coming up).

A note from Al Mohler on Thanksgiving

Here's a post from Al Mohler asking what atheists do on Thanksgiving. Raises the very good point of what to do with blessings that cannot be attributed to human effort.

Just a quick few verses to meditate on tomorrow:

Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures. (James 1:16-18)

Movies and worldviews

Here's a helpful link from John Frame reflecting on movies and whether or not is appropriate for Christians to watch movies that involve violence, gore, language, or sex. Frame helpfully points out that the real conflict that Christians have with these kinds of movies is not the sin depicted on the screen but rather the underlying worldview that suppresses knowledge of God and worships the creature rather than the Creator. On that basis we need to be conscience not just of how we watch a rated R movie but even how we watch Disney cartoon films. There's some very good theology influencing the apologetics and ethics behind asking whether or not Christians should see certain movies and why. Frame has an unpublished book on the topic that he has made available free at the website he shares with Vern Poythress. (HT: Feeding on Christ)

New edition of Themelios online journal

The new edition of Themelios is now available from the Gospel Coalition. Edited by D.A. Carson this usually has some very interesting articles and its worth checking out for the book reviews if nothing else. I haven't had time to read the articles in this edition yet but you can get to it online here so feel free to leave your thoughts on anything in there in the comments.

Letter from a Reformation Martyr

Here's an interesting post from the Aquila Report. This is a letter written by Guido de Bres to his wife from prison less than two months before his execution for Protestant beliefs during the Spanish Inquisition. De Bres was the author of the Belgic Confession and it was written from where he ministered in the low countries to the Spanish Government to try to clarify what Protestants believed and to explain why they were not a radical movement like the Anabaptists but rather desired to reform the church.

Particularly interesting in the letter is how much de Bres trusted in the good providence of God even in the face of his own impending martyrdom. It expresses a heartfelt confidence in what we confess in Article 13 of de Bres' written confession and is a wonderful example of why it is so important that we do not only believe that God is our Father but that as omnipotent Creator he works all things out for good and that his decrees are both right and certain:

We do not wish to inquire with undue curiosity into what he does that surpasses human understanding and is beyond our ability to comprehend. But in all humility and reverence we adore the just judgments of God, which are hidden from us, being content to be Christ's disciples, so as to learn only what he shows us in his Word, without going beyond those limits.

This doctrine gives us unspeakable comfort since it teaches us that nothing can happen to us by chance but only by the arrangement of our gracious heavenly Father. He watches over us with fatherly care, keeping all creatures under his control, so that not one of the hairs on our heads (for they are all numbered) nor even a little bird can fall to the ground without the will of our Father.

In this thought we rest, knowing that he holds in check the devils and all our enemies, who cannot hurt us without his permission and will.