Good Morning. A quick question. How many of you have ever seen the movie Of Gods and Men? How many of you have ever heard of the movie Of Gods and Men? A few of you. That is not surprising because it is a foreign film with subtitles. It is actually quite a well-respected film. It came out in 2010 and received critical acclaim. The plot is quite simple. It is a true story about a group of monks who lived in a monastery in the mountains of Algeria. They lived there very peacefully. In fact, even though they were Roman Catholic and they were Muslims they basically coexisted peacefully in the village. The people began to become somewhat dependent on the monks. Relying on some of the basic necessities through their generosity such as food, clothing, and medical care. They had this peaceful coexistence going on. One day, in 1995, the peaceful coexistence was shattered when a group of fundamentalist Islamic terrorists came in and killed some workers. It pretty much caused havoc in that particular village. These monks were faced with a touch decision. Either they remain in the monastery caring for the people and in some sense risking death every day or they jump ship. They leave. They abandon the people that they had been specifically called to serve. When I was looking on the internet, I found a movie trailer from this movie and I thought I would show it because, to me, it shows the very good contrast between the peaceful existence of the monks and now the very tough decision that they are forced to make. (Trailer showed here.)
In case you are wondering where the title Of Gods and Men came from for that movie, it actually is referencing a scripture we will look at in a few minutes from Psalm 82. The point of the title is that these mere men, these monks, who were considered average everyday monks who were called to do a specific purpose for a specific time in this particular village, somehow went to achieve God-like status because of their commitment to the death. To the point of martyrdom. To their willingness to stay with those people. If you have your Bibles, please open up to John 10:30. You may recall we have been looking at the book of John. Today, we are finishing up chapter 10. Chapter 10 was primarily about the metaphor of Jesus as the good shepherd. You may recall at the beginning of 10, Jesus was the good shepherd in contrast to the bad shepherds. Jesus was the shepherd who used the front door when he came in to meet the sheep whereas the Jews were kind of like the robbers and the thieves who came in from a different way and messed with the sheep. Jesus also said that not only did he use the front gate, he said he was the gate. He was the door. If any man would come through him, the gate, he would be saved. We also saw that Jesus was one who knew his sheep. They knew his voice and he knew them and he loved them so much that he was willing to lay down his life for the sheep. Last week, Chris talked about the idea that there was no way the sheep could be snatched out of the shepherd’s hand. The last verse that Chris talked about last week was John 10:30 when Jesus said “I and the Father are one.” As we know, this type of talk would upset the Jewish leaders because in their mind Jesus is making little bit of a too close connection between him and their creator, God. They don’t like that. They decide they are going to pick up stones and try to kill him. That is where we pick up the verse at John 10:31. (Scripture read here.)
Once again, the situation here is that Jesus is causing trouble again. He is saying I and the Father are one. That is a charge of blasphemy. It is an insult to God to put himself on the same status as their creator God. So they pick up stones and get ready to throw them at him to kill him again and Jesus stands there and he says in verse 32 “Jesus said to them, ‘I have shown you many great miracles from the father. For which of these do you stone me?’” All the while Jesus knowing that is not the reason that they are about to stone him. Once again, they go on to say in the next verse “‘We are not stoning you for any of these,’ replied the Jews, ‘but for blasphemy because you, a mere man, claim to be God.’” In other words, you are putting yourself on a status that is a little bit too close for comfort. We cannot accept the fact that you would dare put yourself on the same level as our God, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and Jacob. We cannot stand for that. What does Jesus do? He does an interesting thing. He draws on a very obscure passage out of the book of Psalms. Psalm 82. An ancient passage that probably the Jews were familiar with but probably a lot of us, including myself, aren’t that familiar with. It is a passage that gives an illusion that there are some other types of gods out there. Mere men can be referred to as gods. What Jesus says here is “Is it not written in your law that ‘I have said you are “gods”?’ If he called them ‘gods’ to whom the word of God came – and the scripture cannot be broken – what about the one whom the father set apart as his very own and sent him to the world?” What Jesus is doing is pointing back to this obscure scripture that we don’t know but I guarantee the Jewish scholars knew. It is a scripture once again where the psalmist writer is actually referring to a group of men as gods.
I am going to flip back on the screen really quickly. You don’t have to flip there in your Bibles. Basically, in Psalm 82, there are two references, 82:1 and 82:6, where the ‘gods’ terminology is used. Once again, reading from 82:1 it says “God presides in the great assembly; He gives judgment among the “gods”.” Reading farther down in verse 6 he says “I said, ‘You are “gods”; you are all sons of the Most High.’” This is a strange passage. Has anybody ever come across this passage in Psalms? It is one of those passages where you just skip over it because you don’t know what to do with it. You don’t know what it means. To be honest, it is a passage that many scholars scratch their heads over. They just don’t get it. Some would suggest what the psalmist is referring to is the Greek pantheon of gods; you know Zeus and all the other types of gods out there. Maybe in some sense that is what the psalmist is referring to. It really doesn’t fit the context. It especially doesn’t fit the context of what Jesus is saying. Many scholars tend to agree that this reference to calling these men gods he is really speaking of the leaders of Israel during that time. The judgers, the rulers, and the Pharisees. All those types of people. The leadership of Israel. He is talking about the people who were considered to be handed the very words of God through the commandments and through all the other stuff. They were given the very words of God to be stewards of the word of God. Not only just to hold on to that but to actually take the word of God and apply it to the people. To teach the people. To help the people be spiritually and emotionally and physically whole. In other words to come back into right relationship with their creator. That was their charge. That is what their responsibility was. So when they were doing that job well, in some sense they were acting as if God himself were there. There is not a disconnect between the words of God and the works of God. God does what he says he is going to do and he accomplishes those words through the works of men. When the words and the works are working together, there is some sense that these men can be elevated to the status of gods. That is what he is saying. You are like gods.
Once again, referring back to John what Jesus is saying, “If he called them gods to whom the word of God came – and the scripture cannot be broken – what about the one whom the Father set apart as his very own and sent into the world?” So this is Jesus’ logic. He says if these mere men, these rulers and judges of the days, could in some sense be referred to as gods then what about me? What about the one who was set apart by God the father and sent into the world to do the works of God. He may be even alluding to John 3:16. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son.” He set him apart so that anybody who believes in him would not perish but have eternal life. He could be referencing even back there where in the beginning of John it says “In the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word was God.” Once again, Jesus is saying if these guys can be, in any vague sense of the idea, considered gods then what about me. What about the one who the word had become flesh? John 1:14 “The word became flesh and made its dwelling amongst the people.” So do you follow Jesus’ logic? It is pretty straightforward.
As we know, the Jewish leaders didn’t receive what Jesus said right away. They didn’t believe it. Basically, Jesus goes on to say don’t necessarily follow my logic. I don’t care if you don’t follow my logic. Just look at the works. Just look at the miracles that I do. Look at the things that I am doing and let those things begin to be the judge. He goes on to say “Do not believe me unless I do what my Father does. But if I do it, even though you do not believe me, believe the miracles, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me and I in the Father.” He is referencing back that verse 30. What he is saying is don’t look at the arguments that I just gave you. Look at the fruit of my works. Once again, what are the works that he has been accomplishing since the very beginning since he stepped foot into ministry? He began to heal the sick. He began to give sight to the blind. He began to help the lame walk. He helped the social outcasts begin to fit in. He helped the woman at the well who was struggling with addictive behavior. He helped her become whole. Those were the very works of Jesus. That was Jesus’ agenda and what he is saying is my agenda, Jesus’ agenda, ties so closely with the Father’s agenda that when we are working together you can’t tell us apart. In other words, the Father and I are one because we are working together. I am a perfect representation. Once again, you cannot separate the words of God from the works of God. That is what Jesus is saying here. Don’t look at me. Look at the miracles. That in itself becomes the testimony that indeed the Father and I are one. That is kind of the end of that story.
We could stop right there but knowing Jesus he always has something else up his sleeve. There is usually a second point that he is trying to get. We have to remember Jesus didn’t have to prove anything to anybody. He didn’t have to prove that he was God to the Jewish people. He did not have to make a convincing argument. So when people came at him with questions and demanding an answer, what he would often do is shine the spotlight back on them to disclose some of their failures. Some of the things that they weren’t doing. When these Jewish people heard the reference to Psalm 82, they got a little nervous. They probably got a little bit shaky. If you read the whole passage, we see that Psalm 82 is an indictment, an accusation, against the Jewish leaders for not doing their job. We see that if we go back. Sandwiched between those two references that I gave you, verses 82:1 and 6, are at least four verses that serve as an indictment that say you were given the very word of God. You were given the responsibility to care for your people but what happened is you began to be influenced by the corrupt people, by the rulers. You began to take bribes. You began to work on the side of the unjust. You began to work on the side of the wicked people. As Chris mentioned last week, work on the side of the Romans for their personal gain. What he is saying in 82:2 and following is that you guys have messed up. Instead of defending the poor, you have been defending the unjust. He says in 82:2-4 “How long will you defend the unjust and show partiality to the wicked?” How long are you going to do this? He goes on to basically say do your job. Your job is to “Defend the cause of the weak and the fatherless. Maintain the rights of the poor and the oppressed. Rescue the weak and the needy. Deliver them from the hand of the wicked.” In other words, care for the people that can’t care for themselves. That is what he is saying here. That is the indictment of the people. They were given the responsibility, the authority, and the power to be able to use the word of God to bring the people back to a relationship with God to make them whole and complete, and they messed up. Really what the psalmist goes on to say is I have given you this elevated status. It might be a little bit of sarcasm there. I have called you gods. But basically because you messed it up, you are going to die as mere men. He says that in verse 6 and 7. He says “I said, ‘You are “gods”; you are the sons of the Most High.’ But you will die like mere men; you will fall like every other ruler.”
As I was writing this sermon, you know who came to mind? Gadhafi. Gadhafi was president for 42 years. He started out good and the respect of the rest of the world. He had the opportunity to make Libya a great country, a prosperous country, a safe country for people to live. What happened is his mind was corrupted and he began to focus on greed and filling his own coffers. He was able to last for 42 years. In some sense, he was considered god-like. In fact, I was looking up a reference to him and somebody actually gave him the title King of Kings. What happened to that King of Kings? He ended up in a sewer and ended up getting shot like a dog. That is what happened. Someone who was given a god-like status ended up in the sewer dying like a dog. As I thought through this passage, the hardest thing I had to deal with was what is the application in this thing? Is there an application for all of us together that somehow could come out of this without making it too contrived?
What came to me totally out of the blue was that movie trailer. I don’t think I had ever heard of the movie. I have never seen the movie. For some reason, I felt prompted to just type in Of Gods and Men. This movie trailer comes up. The more I watched this trailer and began to research a little bit and look at some of the reviews and read some of the blogs on some of the monk sites that were talking about this movie I said this is like the perfect illustration. Because it fits the context so well of Psalm 82 and John 10. It fits it so well. Once again, stepping back, what is the situation in that movie? It is quite simple. You have a group of monks and monks are called to a life of prayer and meditation and fasting and feasting on the word of God. Become nourished by the very word of God. But they are not supposed to just sit there and chant all day long. They are supposed to take that very word of God that they have been given and be steward of it in the environment that they have been given to. Even if the environment is a hostile area with people of faith that they don’t even believe in. They are there to be a steward of the word of God that has been handed down to them. They did that so well. Because they were so faithful, they saw the connection between the word of God and the works of God, and they were so faithful to the very end to the point of being martyred. They were martyred. They were killed. This is a true story. In some sense they had been elevated to a god-like status. Like gods. As I thought about this, all they were doing was following Jesus’ example. That is all they were doing. What did Jesus do? Jesus once again, as the very word of God, the incarnate word, the word that we celebrate at Christmastime in a couple months, he came to earth. He became flesh. I like how Eugene Peterson writes it in The Message. “The word became flesh and he moved into our neighborhood.” Not just out in the suburbs where everything looks nice and pretty. He moved right into the city. Right into the middle of the people that wear their challenges on their sleeves. Their faults on their sleeves almost as a badge of honor. He says I am going to go right in there and when I get in there I am going to start rolling up my sleeves and I am going to take out my agenda and I am going to start ticking it off. What was his agenda? Give sight to the blind. Set the prisoners free. Help the lame walk. Give the people back a sense of the wholeness that they were missing. The thing that is causing them from coming back into relationship with God. That is what he did. That is what these monks were following. Jesus knew the connection between the word and the works and he was a perfect representation of that. That is why Jesus alone can be called God.
In the same sense as we take the word of God in whatever format it is given to us, whether the Bible, whether a sermon, whether it is music, whether it is Christian radio or a Christian book, whatever it is; as we take those words of God, it could even be just the experience of God that we have had, we take that revelation of God and we don’t sit on it. We don’t confine it to four walls of a church. We take it and begin to take it out and apply it into our context whether it is at home or work at Starbucks or working as a teacher or working as the weatherman or wherever it is. Take that into the context and see what happens. Begin to do the works of God. Through the power of God allow that to be released and watch and see what happens. That is what we are called to do. When you do that what happens? In some sense people begin to see the likeness of God. You might notice I will stop short of saying they are going to see gods. That they are going to see us as gods because I wrestled with this passage this was the hardest part. What do I do with this? Do I imply that people are gods? To do so, at a minimum, would be arrogant. At a maximum would be cultish because there are religions out there that people believe they are actually gods. Mormons being one. Whatever you read about Mormonism, one of the ideas is that they believe they are eventually going to be gods. They are going to get their own planet or whatever. You have the situation here where we are to take the word of God, we do the works of God, and we begin to experience God but yet we are not called gods. Personally, I don’t believe either the psalmist, or Jesus, or even the movie producers implied that we should ever refer to a man or woman as a god. What they did imply is that maybe you need to start living out the titles that you have been given. Specifically the title of child of God.
If there is any passage that is very clear about the fact that everyone who would call themselves a Christian is a child of God, it would be back there in John 1:11. “He came to those which were his own, but his own they did not receive him. To those who received him” in other words received him as Lord and Savior, “those who received him, who believed in the power of his name, he gave them a right and a privilege to be called a child of God – a child not born of natural descent or human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.” What a privilege. What a right. What a birthright that every Christian has been given. Once again not to sit on. Not to put the title on their back or on a bumper sticker. But to basically take that knowledge and that title and all the stuff that goes with it, which includes the authority of God, the power of God through the power of the Holy Spirit living within you, and the responsibility to take it and apply it into your context to begin to do the work of God. To continue the work of God. His agenda of bringing the world back to him. Of bringing that spiritual, emotional, and physical wholeness in the context that you have found yourself. It is often dealing with the least of these. That is where he is going to deal with it most. God is not going to use the great and the mighty. He is going to use the low. We see that in Corinthians. God uses the weak things of the world to shame the strong. That is what he is talking about there. What happens is when we begin to do that, when we make that word and works connection, when we begin to really see that, what happens is the people that we are ministering to, unbeknownst to them, they see a spark of the divine. Lest we get a big head, it is not designed to look at us to see the spark in us as if we were some sort of a god. The whole purpose of that spark is that people would begin to see Jesus. The living word. Not just the written word. When we do the works and do it effectively, they actually begin to see Christ and don’t even know they are seeing him. Given enough time, what happens is just like Jesus was saying in John 10 he was talking about the idea that when you see the miracles, when you see the works of God amongst the people of God, when you see the fruit of the word beginning to manifest itself and be made known, what happens is the people know with their head and they begin to understand with their heart that the Father and the Son are one. They finally begin to get it. Without proof-texting. Without anything trying to prove that Jesus was God, they begin to click it. They see that one-to-one connection. In closing, what they begin to see the scripture, I think it is John 1:18 where John says “No one has ever seen God, but God” speaking of Jesus “the one and only who is at the Father’s side, has made him known.” That is how they will see God. Let us pray.
