Author: Dave Dishman (Page 342 of 475)

After months of organizing, traveling on planes for what felt like days, dealing with jet lag, and riding a bus into the countryside, I stood at the site of ancient Corinth. I was excited to visit the city where Paul lived and worked, the city of the New Testament. The town now consists of ruins—well preserved and walkable.

I strolled through the foundations, and contemplated the bema seat of judgement. I savored the moment as I imagined what life must have been like for Paul and Priscilla and Aquila and Sosthenes and other members of the growing faith community. Where did they make their tents?

Then the busses arrived. At first I was annoyed, which really wasn’t fair, since our group arrived on a bus as well. But I liked having the place to myself. As dozens of noisy South Korean tourists descended in two enormous groups, chattering the whole time, I grew super annoyed. Can’t they quiet down?

I turned back to my spiritual experience, ignoring them as best I could—until I heard soft singing from the other side of the ruined city. Not in English, but in Korean, the words amazing grace, how sweet the sound…infused the area.

A hundred or more tourists surrounded the tree you see pictured above. They sang Amazing Grace with reverence, along with several other hymns. I teared up, as I do now writing this. The Holy Spirit jabbed my heart, and I stood rooted, joining my fellow followers of Jesus—from the other side of the world—worshipping on holy ground.

Convicted? Of course, how stupid of me. I constantly find myself annoyed by people—not the best attitude in a missionary.

I spent lots of time and energy and money to get to Corinth, to experience a place where the Christian faith took root, to contemplate the legacy of Paul.

Then, the Lord graciously displayed that legacy with busloads of beautiful, musical Koreans.

Praise God.

I Corinthians 1 in week thirty-four of reading the Bible cover to cover

The Bible, as far as I can tell, never identifies a people group based on their skin color. Notice this description from Isaiah as he speaks a prophecy against the people of Cush:

Go, swift messengers, to a people tall and smooth-skinned, to a people feared far and wide, an aggressive nation of strange speech, whose land is divided by waters.

Cush consisted of parts of modern day Ethiopia and Sudan. People from these countries are tall and smooth-skinned, even to this day. They are also black. But the Lord, speaking through Isaiah, failed to mention this fact. Instead of skin color, the Lord described the Cushites using other characteristics—height, skin quality, stance toward outsiders, language, the land they lived upon.

While noting these various aspects, the Lord remained most interested in whether the people of Cush followed him. After a devastating season described by Isaiah, a dramatic conversion was to occur. Isaiah writes that gifts will be brought to the Lord Almighty from a people tall and smooth-skinned…

Which strikes me, because I work with several followers of Jesus from the region formerly known as Cush. These men and women serve the Lord devotedly, and indeed bring their gifts before him. I’m better for knowing them, and proud to be their friend. Fascinating to see a promise in scripture fulfilled in their lives.

Which again has nothing to do with the color of their skin.

Isaiah 18 in week thirty-four of reading the Bible cover to cover

Photo by Emmanuel Ikwuegbu

Over and over phrases and attitudes I find in the Bible jolt me.

Isaiah prophesied to the people of Israel, preparing them to trash talk their captors, the Babylonians, when finally freed from bondage.

On the day the Lord gives you relief from your suffering and turmoil…take up this taunt against the king of Babylon.

Isaiah started gently, referring to the natural world:

Even the junipers and the cedars of Lebanon gloat over you…

Not so bad, but he’s just warming up. Next he plays an scene from a horror movie:

The realm of the dead below is all astir to meet you…it rouses the spirits of the departed to greet you—it makes them rise from their thrones…all your pomp have been brought down to the grave…maggots are spread out beneath you and worms cover you.

Dragged into the underworld by the grasping hands of skeletal kings, dumped on a bed of maggots and covered with a blanket of worms. That’s legit.

A section of this passage refers to the fall of Satan:

How you have fallen from heaven, morning star, son of the dawn! You said in your heart…’I will make myself like the Most High.’ But you were brought down to the realm of the dead, to the depths of the pit (see verses 12-15 for the full quote).

Trash talking the Babylonians, trash talking Satan. The King of the Universe trash talks whoever he wishes. Take note—pridefulness and putting oneself above God particularly draws his ire.

Which makes for a good lesson for all of us.

But I’ll admit, with football season starting, the fact that Isaiah taunted with such animation and creativity inspires me. Week zero here we come!

Isaiah 14 in week thirty-four of reading the Bible cover to cover

Photo by Brock Wegner

Sitting in a jail cell, legal proceedings going on above him, Barabbas strained to hear any word of his fate. Difficult since the stone walls blocked individual voices—only the shouts of the crowd reached his ears.

Arrested for insurrection, Barabbas knew his crimes called for death. He held little hope, but still his head jerked up when he heard the crowd roar, Barabbas! His insides collapsed when next he heard, Crucify him! A pause, then louder, Crucify him!

Barabbas saw his life ending on a bloody cross.

Led from his cell, Barabbas steeled himself against a rush of anger. But emerging into the crowded square, no one even looked his way. The mob aimed its fury at a man he didn’t recognize.

The crowd hungered for the death of a different insurrectionist, one in the process of overturning the powers of sin and darkness. As Pilate handed Jesus over to the executioners, he released Barabbas, who stood blinking with dumb luck.

Who was the first person Jesus died for?

Barabbas.

What happened next for Barabbas? No one knows. Some say he followed the crowds to Golgotha and watched the crucifixion. I imagine he got out of town before Pilate realized his mistake and arrested him again. Either way, Barabbas disappeared from history.

The first person Jesus died for, the first man whose death penalty Jesus took upon himself, walked away without a word of thanks.

I want a better ending to the story. I want to discover that Barabbas changed his life, followed Jesus, and later became the bishop of Africa or something. But no. This story helps me realize that Jesus died with no expectations, his death places no hold on anyone.

We all choose and despite the Lord’s goodness, some like Barabbas choose to look and walk away.

Matthew 27 in week thirty-four of reading the Bible cover to cover

Portrait of Barabbas by James Tissot (1836–1902)