PRAY IT! THE TITHE

Let's talk about... tithing, baby!  [Gulp... gag... turns away in awkward embarrassment...]  Money stuff can rub people the wrong way.  It becomes something we *don't* won't to talk about because it can be awkward.

But... here we go, anyway!

Here are a few money/tithing moments that stand out to me:

When I was young, I went to a church that was always in need of a roof.  So, in efforts to raise money for the roof, the following fundraising endeavor occurred:  When it was someone's birthday/birthday week, they were expected to stand up on stage in front of the entire congregation.  The congregation would sing to them.  Then the person would be expected to put money into a birthday box that was equal to their age.  Happy Birthday.  The box never went away.  The roof needed to be re-done multiple times.  If it wasn't the roof, it was air-conditioning or carpet that wouldn't look so bad in wedding photos.  This left a general distaste in my mouth.  Not only was it awkward, but I began to tell myself that I could spend my money better than that church could.  Even though I was beginning to have mixed feelings about God anyway, I hypothesized that we shouldn't care about the color of the carpet nearly as much as starving people... And I was pretty sure in my youthful and cynical mind that the way to go about it probably wasn't the birthday box.  This fundraising colored my view of all things financial related to the church.  Why tithe?  This was not a win for tithing in my mind.

When I was young, I helped with children's church during the summer  It. Was. Amazing.  My mom developed such an awesome program, and one of the many components included tithing.  All of the children would receive ten pennies for that Sunday for their "work".  (Depending on the summer, theme it may have been work in the "orchard" or work in the "armory" etc.)  Pennies could be lost due to behavior.  One of the ten pennies was taken up for offering for God.  They were free to spend the other nine pennies at the store.  Although at first some of the children objected, it did not take long for them to see that they could give God one of the pennies and He still managed to meet their every want and desire at the store.  That was a win for tithing.

When I was older, I didn't attend church or believe in God.  Therefore, my money was mine.  My time was mine.  Everything was all mine... A win for me... Or so I thought...

When I first began re-attending church, I put anonymous cash in the offering plate because I did not want anyone to know how little I was contributing.  I was embarrassed.  And I wasn't all-in.  And I was ashamed that I was not all-in while simultaneously not wanting to change.  It wasn't just money - I wasn't all-in on multiple levels.  I did not have a regard for church or trust in God.  I also failed to have confidence that God could take my little bit and multiply it.  I failed to see the simple math.  I did not see that my little bit plus your little bit plus all the other little bits added up to contribute to some major Kingdom work.  But if I left out my little bit... and so did you... and so did everyone else... thinking that it was inconsequential and not useful... well, then we'd not have anything... 

And now?  I'm all-in with Jesus.  I'm all-in with the Church of the Nazarene.  I'm all-in with PoC.  I'm all-in with tithing.  I trust God to be who He says He is.  Plus, it all belongs to Him anyway... Not just my money... but my time... my "talents" (still trying to figure those out, ha, but I'm sure they exist!)  I belong to Jesus.  I am His responsibility.  

To be frank, there are a million and one thoughts that are zooming around in my brain at warp speed at any given time.  Tithing is not one that consumes my thoughts.  I simply don't have enough room in there.  For whatever reason, I take it with the childlike faith that God encourages us to have.  I simply tithe, trust God to take care of me, and don't think much about it beyond that.  A lot of this is God's transformation in me as I have grown to love and trust Him, coupled with what might be some natural hard-wiring.  (If you've seen the Big Bang Theory episode where Sheldon lends Penny money because she cannot pay her rent... she freaks out... he does not... Anyway, I think I might be Sheldon.  It's that simple in his mind... Penny needs money.  Sheldon has money.  Plus, it would be less awkward to give Penny the money than to pass Penny in the street living in a card board box.  Ha... but, I digress...)

I love Psalm 5:1-3.  I love it... in every version of the Bible.  Although it is not about tithing, this is the verse that comes to mind most often when I think about tithing... or when I think about how everything - all of me - belongs to God.  Here it is in the Message version:  "Listen, GOD!  Please, pay attention!  Can you make sense of these ramblings, my groans and cries?  King-God, I need your help.  Every morning you'll hear me at it again.  Every morning I lay out the pieces of my life on your altar and watch for fire to descend."  

Every day, we have the choice - in our decisions, in our interactions with people, with our finances and health, in all things... from the biggest to the smallest decisions... to lay every last little bit down at the altar, and wait for God to do something with all of it.

So, that's what I try to do when it comes to tithing and when it comes to everything.

So... that's my tithing story.  

As you pray today, I encourage you to reflect upon your tithing story.  Maybe you've had experiences that have negatively impacted your view.  Or maybe your experiences have been great.  Maybe you've viewed your "little bit" as so little that it wouldn't be missed.  Maybe tithing is very simple for you, or maybe it is a battle every time to write that check (or push the give button if you tithe electronically...)  Regardless, I encourage you to spend time with God.  He loves you.  He cares for you.  He's listening.  Maybe He wants to have a conversation.  

Pastor Celia

FAMILY IT! — Wednesday Family Devotional — “Street Hero”

My parents started giving me an allowance when I was about six or seven.  The funny thing is, I don’t remember actually getting the allowance.  I don’t remember how much I got or what I used it for.  What I remember is having to put some of it in my gold bunny bank to take to church for the offering.  That part is burned into my brain, mainly because I so didn’t want to do it.  I can still picture the bookcase where my bank sat, my hand hovering over the coin slot with a nickel or dime ready to drop in, and wanting so much to put the money back in my pocket.  It seemed like such a sacrifice to give those cents up!

I wish I could say that my parents’ example helped me early on.  It didn’t.  I struggled with tithing and giving to God for over twenty years.  I heard a great analogy that really helped me see the full picture in giving to God.

Start by having different members of your family look up these verses:  Deuteronomy 14:22; Leviticus 27:30; Exodus 23:19; Malachi 3:10.  The Bible is pretty clear: God wants us to set aside at least 10% of what we make and give it to his church to be used for his ministry.  Let’s make this more visual.  Get out a piece of paper and draw 10 cantaloupes on one side with your family’s name written above them.  Come on, go with me on this.  Draw 10 cantaloupe circles and pretend these are your allowance or paycheck.  Ten percent of those would be one whole cantaloupe, right?  Write God’s name on the other side of the paper and draw one circle under it to stand for the one cantaloupe.  Be sure to cross out one of your ten as well, because you gave it to God.  He says this isn’t supposed to be the leftovers after we pay the bills and buy all the things on our “want” list.  He asks for our first fruits, to be the first thing we give money to.  So we give him that cantaloupe right away.  Now, looking at your picture, it doesn’t seem like a big deal.  God has just the one he asks for, and you still have nine whole cantaloupes for yourself.  Good deal!

But then life starts to happen.  You know what I mean: bills.  For grown ups, it’s paying for the house, the lights, the heat (or air conditioning), the groceries, etc. etc.  For teens it’s gas for the car and maybe the insurance.  It’s a dress for prom and movies and late night pizza runs.  Even kids have things they want to buy: new video games or Legos or the latest American Girl doll.  Suddenly those nine cantaloupes start disappearing!  (Cross some of them out.)  Now it doesn’t look like such a good deal.  Now we really want that one cantaloupe back in our pile.  After all, God doesn’t really need it, does he?  The Bible says he owns the cattle on a thousand hills, after all.  What’s he need with my puny cantaloupe, anyway?

The temptation is to take that tithe, that gift back from God.  We feel it would be smarter to wait until we’ve paid all the bills, spent all the money on what we need and want, and then if there’s extra, give that to God.  Basically, you’re cutting open ALL of the cantaloupes, eating whatever you want, and then maybe giving a piece or two to God right before the next payday…when you’re going to get 10 more cantaloupes to eat.  It seems wise, more responsible that way, doesn’t it?

Here’s the problem.  Read Malachi 3:8-9.  Ouch!  Rob from God??  That’s not what we’re doing…is it?  Well, think about those cantaloupes again.  What do you see when you cut open a cantaloupe?  Orange flesh and seeds, right?  When we eat them, we eat as much of the fruit as we can, then toss the rest.  But when we give it to God, he not only uses the entire fruit, but he also scatters the seeds.  He sows opportunities for Kingdom growth like we could never do on our own.  When you choose to invest in God, you help spread opportunities through mission works, building projects, radio messages, support for disaster victims, help for families in crisis.  Do you get it?  When we eat the fruit ourselves and just give the leftovers to God, we “steal” the opportunities in the seeds that come from having faith that God will take care of us now matter what.  

After all, that’s what it’s really all about.  We’re hesitant to give not because we don’t love God, but because we’re afraid there won’t be enough to go around.  We’re not sure God will provide everything we need…and everything we want.  But look at his promise to us at the end of Malachi 3:10: “And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need.”  He’s practically challenging you to take a leap of faith, to trust him to provide, and to watch for a downpour of blessings all because you were faithful to obey.  

Has your family taken the tithing leap of faith?  If so, share stories about how God has proven himself faithful in your faithful giving.  How has he come through for your family?  (By the way, we’d like to hear those stories, too!  If you have a tithing story, I’d love it if you’d share.)

If your family is still hovering at this step, talk about what’s keeping you from taking the leap.  What an awesome opportunity to decide right now to commit to give to God as a family!  In my experience, the only real way to do it is just to do it.  Make the commitment, give to God, and you will be amazed at how he shows himself faithful to you!!  Close your time together thanking God for all the ways he provides for your family and the world.  Thank you, Lord!

EXPLORE IT! - The Tithe

About 3500 years ago, several eastern kings joined forces and conquered the five great cities of the Jordan Valley, including the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah.

Later, these five cities started a revolution that was quickly squelched after a great battle near the Dead Sea.

Many people were carried off to the north, including Abraham’s nephew, Lot.

When Abraham heard about this, he gathered up the Amorites who were allied with him at The Great Trees of Mamre and set out in pursuit of the invaders.

Abraham’s surprise campaign was successful, and they brought back all of the captives and their belongings, including Lot and his family.

After the victory, all of the kings came out to greet each other.

And King Melchizedek of Salem (which would later become Jerusalem) came out to greet Abraham and give him a blessing.

In response, Abraham gave a tenth of his possessions to Melchizedek.

This passage would later serve the Christians who wrote the New Testament as a precedent for tithing to God… with Melchizedek being a symbol of an eternal representative between God and his people.

The King of Sodom then tried to give all kinds of riches to Abraham in gratitude, but Abraham refused to accept them, saying that he did not want anyone to ever say that “Sodom made Abraham rich.”

But we’ll learn more about Sodom some other time.

Abraham’s grandson Jacob also promised to give God a tenth of all he had after God appeared to him and promised to protect him.

And the tithe was also a part of the covenant between God and his people Israel (the descendants of Abraham and Jacob) when he met with Moses on Mount Sinai and he promised to marry himself to his people. Back then, this was called “firstfruits.” And the people would offer God the very best they had to offer of their crops and herds.

Much later, the prophet Malachi accused God’s people of robbing God. And the people were like, “How can anyone rob God?”

And Malachi told them that one way was through their tithes and offerings. They were not giving God their best, but instead offering him the worst of their crops and offering animals that were diseased. Malachi told them that God didn’t want them to give at all if they were going to give him crap like that. And the people repented and renewed their covenant with God.

Around 2700 years after Abraham, the Early Church father Irenaeus wrote about whether or not Jesus did away with the tradition of tithing or if he continued it.

He says:

“Instead of the law enjoining the giving of tithes, he told us to share all our possessions with the poor.”

[…]

“[the Jews] did consecrate the tithes of their goods to him, but those who have received liberty [Christians] set aside all their possessions for the Lord’s purposes, bestowing joyfully and freely not the less valuable portions of their property, since they have the hope of better things.”

And so the Early Church believed in a tithe, however, the tithe they believed in was not just 10%, but 100%. And this was given willingly, and not by force! They loved the poor so much that they gave everything they had. All their belongings they had in common and they shared their income and their possessions with each other… because they loved each other and they loved their neighbors that much!

READ IT! - May 23-29

David says in the Psalms: “For the earth is the Lord’s and everything in it.” Do your finances and possessions belong to you or to God? Whose stuff is it anyway? Think about that as you read these passages.

From the Torah: Genesis 28:10-22

From the Former Prophets: 1 Samuel 15:10-31

From the Latter Prophets: Malachi 3:6-18

From the Books of Wisdom and Poetry: Psalm 112:1-10

From the Late Books: Nehemiah 13:1-14

From the Gospels and Acts: Acts 4:32–5:11

From the Epistles: 2 Corinthians 9:6-15

From the Torah

Jacob left Beersheba and set out for Harran. When he reached a certain place, he stopped for the night because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones there, he put it under his head and lay down to sleep. He had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. There above it stood the Lord, and he said: “I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying. Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south. All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring. I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”

When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he thought, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it.” He was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God; this is the gate of heaven.”

Early the next morning Jacob took the stone he had placed under his head and set it up as a pillar and poured oil on top of it. He called that place Bethel, though the city used to be called Luz.

Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God will be with me and will watch over me on this journey I am taking and will give me food to eat and clothes to wear so that I return safely to my father’s household, then the Lord will be my God and this stone that I have set up as a pillar will be God’s house, and of all that you give me I will give you a tenth.”

Genesis 28:10-22

From the Former Prophets

Then the word of the Lord came to Samuel: “I regret that I have made Saul king, because he has turned away from me and has not carried out my instructions.” Samuel was angry, and he cried out to the Lord all that night.

Early in the morning Samuel got up and went to meet Saul, but he was told, “Saul has gone to Carmel. There he has set up a monument in his own honor and has turned and gone on down to Gilgal.”

When Samuel reached him, Saul said, “The Lord bless you! I have carried out the Lord’s instructions.”

But Samuel said, “What then is this bleating of sheep in my ears? What is this lowing of cattle that I hear?”

Saul answered, “The soldiers brought them from the Amalekites; they spared the best of the sheep and cattle to sacrifice to the Lord your God, but we totally destroyed the rest.”

“Enough!” Samuel said to Saul. “Let me tell you what the Lord said to me last night.”

“Tell me,” Saul replied.

Samuel said, “Although you were once small in your own eyes, did you not become the head of the tribes of Israel? The Lord anointed you king over Israel. And he sent you on a mission, saying, ‘Go and completely destroy those wicked people, the Amalekites; wage war against them until you have wiped them out.’ Why did you not obey the Lord? Why did you pounce on the plunder and do evil in the eyes of the Lord?”

“But I did obey the Lord,” Saul said. “I went on the mission the Lord assigned me. I completely destroyed the Amalekites and brought back Agag their king. The soldiers took sheep and cattle from the plunder, the best of what was devoted to God, in order to sacrifice them to the Lord your God at Gilgal.”

But Samuel replied:

“Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices

    as much as in obeying the Lord?

To obey is better than sacrifice,

    and to heed is better than the fat of rams.

For rebellion is like the sin of divination,

    and arrogance like the evil of idolatry.

Because you have rejected the word of the Lord,

    he has rejected you as king.”

Then Saul said to Samuel, “I have sinned. I violated the Lord’s command and your instructions. I was afraid of the men and so I gave in to them. Now I beg you, forgive my sin and come back with me, so that I may worship the Lord.”

But Samuel said to him, “I will not go back with you. You have rejected the word of the Lord, and the Lord has rejected you as king over Israel!”

As Samuel turned to leave, Saul caught hold of the hem of his robe, and it tore. Samuel said to him, “The Lord has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today and has given it to one of your neighbors—to one better than you. He who is the Glory of Israel does not lie or change his mind; for he is not a human being, that he should change his mind.”

Saul replied, “I have sinned. But please honor me before the elders of my people and before Israel; come back with me, so that I may worship the Lord your God.” So Samuel went back with Saul, and Saul worshiped the Lord.

1 Samuel 15:10-31

From the Latter Prophets

“I the Lord do not change. So you, the descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed. Ever since the time of your ancestors you have turned away from my decrees and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you,” says the Lord Almighty.

“But you ask, ‘How are we to return?’

“Will a mere mortal rob God? Yet you rob me.

“But you ask, ‘How are we robbing you?’

“In tithes and offerings. You are under a curse—your whole nation—because you are robbing me. Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it. I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not drop their fruit before it is ripe,” says the Lord Almighty. “Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land,” says the Lord Almighty.

“You have spoken arrogantly against me,” says the Lord.

“Yet you ask, ‘What have we said against you?’

“You have said, ‘It is futile to serve God. What do we gain by carrying out his requirements and going about like mourners before the Lord Almighty? But now we call the arrogant blessed. Certainly evildoers prosper, and even when they put God to the test, they get away with it.’”

Then those who feared the Lord talked with each other, and the Lord listened and heard. A scroll of remembrance was written in his presence concerning those who feared the Lord and honored his name.

“On the day when I act,” says the Lord Almighty, “they will be my treasured possession. I will spare them, just as a father has compassion and spares his son who serves him. And you will again see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not.

Malachi 3:6-18

From the Books of Wisdom and Poetry

Praise the Lord.

Blessed are those who fear the Lord,

    who find great delight in his commands.

Their children will be mighty in the land;

    the generation of the upright will be blessed.

Wealth and riches are in their houses,

    and their righteousness endures forever.

Even in darkness light dawns for the upright,

    for those who are gracious and compassionate and righteous.

Good will come to those who are generous and lend freely,

    who conduct their affairs with justice. 

Surely the righteous will never be shaken;

    they will be remembered forever.

They will have no fear of bad news;

    their hearts are steadfast, trusting in the Lord.

Their hearts are secure, they will have no fear;

    in the end they will look in triumph on their foes.

They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor,

    their righteousness endures forever;

    their horn will be lifted high in honor.

The wicked will see and be vexed,

    they will gnash their teeth and waste away;

    the longings of the wicked will come to nothing.

Psalm 112:1-10

From the Late Books

On that day the Book of Moses was read aloud in the hearing of the people and there it was found written that no Ammonite or Moabite should ever be admitted into the assembly of God, because they had not met the Israelites with food and water but had hired Balaam to call a curse down on them. (Our God, however, turned the curse into a blessing.) When the people heard this law, they excluded from Israel all who were of foreign descent.

Before this, Eliashib the priest had been put in charge of the storerooms of the house of our God. He was closely associated with Tobiah, and he had provided him with a large room formerly used to store the grain offerings and incense and temple articles, and also the tithes of grain, new wine and olive oil prescribed for the Levites, musicians and gatekeepers, as well as the contributions for the priests.

But while all this was going on, I was not in Jerusalem, for in the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes king of Babylon I had returned to the king. Some time later I asked his permission and came back to Jerusalem. Here I learned about the evil thing Eliashib had done in providing Tobiah a room in the courts of the house of God. I was greatly displeased and threw all Tobiah’s household goods out of the room. I gave orders to purify the rooms, and then I put back into them the equipment of the house of God, with the grain offerings and the incense.

I also learned that the portions assigned to the Levites had not been given to them, and that all the Levites and musicians responsible for the service had gone back to their own fields. So I rebuked the officials and asked them, “Why is the house of God neglected?” Then I called them together and stationed them at their posts.

All Judah brought the tithes of grain, new wine and olive oil into the storerooms. I put Shelemiah the priest, Zadok the scribe, and a Levite named Pedaiah in charge of the storerooms and made Hanan son of Zakkur, the son of Mattaniah, their assistant, because they were considered trustworthy. They were made responsible for distributing the supplies to their fellow Levites.

Remember me for this, my God, and do not blot out what I have so faithfully done for the house of my God and its services.

Nehemiah 13:1-14

From the Gospels and Acts

All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had. With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all that there were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned land or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone who had need.

Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means “son of encouragement”), sold a field he owned and brought the money and put it at the apostles’ feet.

Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, also sold a piece of property. With his wife’s full knowledge he kept back part of the money for himself, but brought the rest and put it at the apostles’ feet.

Then Peter said, “Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land? Didn’t it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn’t the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied just to human beings but to God.”

When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died. And great fear seized all who heard what had happened. Then some young men came forward, wrapped up his body, and carried him out and buried him.

About three hours later his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. Peter asked her, “Tell me, is this the price you and Ananias got for the land?”

“Yes,” she said, “that is the price.”

Peter said to her, “How could you conspire to test the Spirit of the Lord? Listen! The feet of the men who buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out also.”

At that moment she fell down at his feet and died. Then the young men came in and, finding her dead, carried her out and buried her beside her husband. Great fear seized the whole church and all who heard about these events.

Acts 4:32-5:11

From the Epistles

Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. As it is written:

“They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor;

    their righteousness endures forever.”

Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.

This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of the Lord’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, others will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else. And in their prayers for you their hearts will go out to you, because of the surpassing grace God has given you. Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!

2 Corinthians 9:6-15

HOPE! - Jesus the Groom

In the second part of chapter 3 John contrasts Jesus' talk of being born again with a scene of Jesus baptizing. Jesus goes into Judea with his disciples and baptizes. John the Baptist is also baptizing people nearby, at Aenon. 

And John's disciples tell John that Jesus is also baptizing people, more than John it seems.

John replies that "A man can receive only what is given him from heaven. You yourselves can testify that I said, 'I am not the Christ but am sent ahead of him.' The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom's voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. He must become greater; I must become less."

He finishes by saying "Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him."

This passage is meant to show John's acceptance of Jesus' superiority as well as a further emphasis on belief in him as the path to eternal life.

In the world at the time that Jesus began his ministry, Jewish girls would get married typically between the ages of fourteen and fifteen. Husbands were typically in their mid-twenties. The family of the husband would pay the “bride price” or dowry. And the husband would go home to prepare a place for her — which often took months or years to prepare.

And the bride had no way of knowing when the groom would come for her. She just had to be ready. When everything was finished, the groom and his friends would go get the bride. They would gather in the courtyard, and the man would take the woman into their home and consummate the wedding. And the best man would actually stand outside the door and shout when he could hear the evidence that the marriage had been officially consummated. (I know, right?) This would in turn trigger a long celebration with family and friends.

But this is also what John the Baptist was talking about when he came up with the parable of Jesus as the groom and himself as the best man. When John says that his “joy is made complete” at the “coming” of Jesus, this is what people would say about the best man when he finally got to stop listening in on the marriage consummation. “His joy is made complete!” Jesus shows up to start the wedding (he marries us, his church), and John’s job is over now that Jesus has come.