By Jeremy Bell
I am going to highlight Christian agreement. Finding points of agreement helps build unity among people. Often, disagreements are in the application of fundamental ideas. I will share how Psalm 41 supports Christian salvation fundamentals. I will continue with John and Matthew directly afterwards because these New Testament writers refer to it. Understanding the unity across scripture is excellent theological practice.
Integrity
Integrity is a firm adherence to a code of especially moral values. It also means the quality of being complete, undivided, and whole. In daily life, moral codes and values are debated; personal integrity it pitted against another’s personal integrity. Everyone has them, yet they find that many of the moral values they hold to are in disagreement with the moral codes of others. People fight, they join government initiatives and work to implement laws. Even in extreme situations like murder, people often disagree as to guilt and judgement. Motives are examined and in America, a jury gets involved to reach a moral agreement about the judgement of many accused criminals.
Hypocrisy is a person faking what they are not or believe what they do not. It is a break of personal integrity. People witness behavior that contradicts what one claims to believe or feel and cry hypocrite when it is someone, they find moral objection with. Of course, the hypocrite proclaimers are never hypocrites themselves, right? This is easily seen with celebrities. They are in the business of professional hypocrisy; they literally practice faking characters not themselves and taking on moral values they do not hold true. As they proclaim the evils of gun violence, their job is to make movies that worship guns and their power. And they make lots of money doing it. That is a more obvious example.
In the Public
A less obvious example is the celebrities and politicians who fight for the environment and ask society to change their lives to save the planet. The very things they ask of society to stop are the very things they do themselves in behavior. Their opponents are quick to point out the traveling on private jets and the pollution left behind at Earth festivals. This is hypocrisy.
Celebrities and politicians are easy targets to discuss personal integrity and hypocrisy because they are so publicized. As I alluded to earlier though, which of us is not a hypocrite? When considering personal integrity, which of us can claim we have always been undivided and whole? We may do lots of good things; we may help the old lady cross the street. Some of us fight for social justice. Others of us become wealthy and donate millions to starving and uneducated children in other countries. Yet we’re still hypocrites who have broken our moral codes and values.
In Private
So, if God were to bring us into His presence, we have a problem. God, who is perfectly whole and has never been divided, cannot and will not do this with anything less. We have done some good stuff, but we’re still not whole. So, we appeal to His mercy, which He grants when we turn to Him through the One He sent, Jesus. Jesus was perfect and whole, and He grants, or impugns, His personal integrity to any who would put their faith in Him. When a person puts their faith in Jesus, that person is and will be saved from separation from God. They will actually be in His presence.
God considers the poor, that’s us. We are only wealthy in the hypocrisy and evil department. We are poor in good works that please God. God will preserve and bless. Of course, if we don’t think we need God, or we think we can please God with our lives of personal integrity, the Bible gives us reason to reconsider those thoughts. For some, that’s why they don’t read it. Because their personal integrity tells them their own thoughts are true and just. Even though they are hypocrites.
Hopefully that gives some perspective and things to consider while preparing to hear or read this Psalm. Color coded highlights of motif patterns can be found in my book, Psalms in Motif Visualization. They are by no means the only perspectives or considerations, just the ones right now. So… without further hesitation, here is Psalm 41 and John and Matthew.
[ Psalm 41 ]
Blessed is he who considers the poor.
Yahweh will deliver him in the day of evil.
Yahweh will preserve him, and keep him alive.
He shall be blessed on the earth,
and he will not surrender him to the will of his enemies.
Yahweh will sustain him on his sickbed,
and restore him from his bed of illness.
I said, “Yahweh, have mercy on me!
Heal me, for I have sinned against you.”
My enemies speak evil against me:
“When will he die, and his name perish?”
If he comes to see me, he speaks falsehood.
His heart gathers iniquity to itself.
When he goes abroad, he tells it.
All who hate me whisper together against me.
They imagine the worst for me.
“An evil disease”, they say, “has afflicted him.
Now that he lies he shall rise up no more.”
Yes, my own familiar friend, in whom I trusted,
who ate bread with me,
has lifted up his heel against me.
But you, Yahweh, have mercy on me, and raise me up,
that I may repay them.
By this I know that you delight in me,
because my enemy doesn’t triumph over me.
As for me, you uphold me in my integrity,
and set me in your presence forever.
Blessed be Yahweh, the God of Israel,
from everlasting and to everlasting!
Amen and amen.
A Friend with Poor Personal Integrity
‘My own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, who ate bread with me, has lifted up his heel against me.’ Jesus knew that Judas, His familiar friend was about to lift a heel against Him by turning Him over to the authorities for a beating and then death. But Jesus said to love your enemies and Jesus was perfectly whole and the embodiment of perfect integrity. He washed the feet of Judas. He served Judas. Here’s how the story of the friendship between Judas and Jesus plays out in John 13: 10 – 27. In this part of the book of John, Jesus is washing His disciples’ feet. Peter objects, Jesus explains, then Peter wants his whole body washed.
Jesus Knows
‘Jesus said to him, “Someone who has bathed only needs to have his feet washed, but is completely clean. You are clean, but not all of you.” For he knew him who would betray him, therefore he said, “You are not all clean.” So when he had washed their feet, put his outer garment back on, and sat down again, he said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you? You call me, ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord.’ You say so correctly, for so I am. If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.”
“For I have given you an example, that you should also do as I have done to you. Most certainly I tell you, a servant is not greater than his lord, neither is one who is sent greater than he who sent him. If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them. I don’t speak concerning all of you. I know whom I have chosen. But that the Scripture may be fulfilled, ‘He who eats bread with me has lifted up his heel against me. From now on, I tell you before it happens, that when it happens, you may believe that I am he. Most certainly I tell you, he who receives whomever I send, receives me; and he who receives me, receives him who sent me.”
Jesus Troubled
When Jesus had said this, he was troubled in spirit, and testified, “Most certainly I tell you that one of you will betray me.” The disciples looked at one another, perplexed about whom he spoke. One of his disciples, whom Jesus loved, was at the table, leaning against Jesus’ breast. Simon Peter therefore beckoned to him, and said to him, “Tell us who it is of whom he speaks.” He, leaning back, as he was, on Jesus’ breast, asked him, “Lord, who is it?” Jesus therefore answered, “It is he to whom I will give this piece of bread when I have dipped it.” So when he had dipped the piece of bread, he gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. After the piece of bread, then Satan entered into him. Then Jesus said to him, “What you do, do quickly.”’
Matthew Records the Handover in His Book, Matthew 26: 36 – 50
Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and said to his disciples, “Sit here, while I go there and pray.” He took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and severely troubled. Then he said to them, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch with me.” He went forward a little, fell on his face, and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass away from me; nevertheless, not what I desire, but what you desire.”
He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, “What, couldn’t you watch with me for one hour? Watch and pray, that you don’t enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Again, a second time he went away and prayed, saying, “My Father, if this cup can’t pass away from me unless I drink it, your desire be done.”
Jesus’s Friends
He came again and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy. He left them again, went away, and prayed a third time, saying the same words. Then he came to his disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Arise, let’s be going. Behold, he who betrays me is at hand.”
While he was still speaking, behold, Judas, one of the twelve, came, and with him a great multitude with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and elders of the people. Now he who betrayed him had given them a sign, saying, “Whoever I kiss, he is the one. Seize him.” Immediately he came to Jesus, and said, “Greetings, Rabbi!” and kissed him. Jesus said to him, “Friend, why are you here?” Then they came and laid hands on Jesus, and took him.
Judas Hated, Jesus Loved
John quoted this Psalm and Jesus knowing it as a literal event that would take place. It’s sad. In the Psalm there is a poor person requesting mercy and his friends are hoping for his failure, hoping their friend will die. They go and talk behind their back, likely never imagining that anyone would do that to them. Jesus is turned over by His friend and He is sorrowful. He is sorrowful about many things, but he was troubled in spirit regarding Judas even though He knew Judas would betray.
This Psalm is also encouraging. It reminds us, even Jesus, that the personal integrity of friends is not the personal integrity that will provide the mercy to save us from death. It is the grace of God and resting on His promises. Enemies will not triumph, and hypocrisy will see an end. Anyone who is an enemy can be washed and made clean when they recognize they are an enemy and bad friend. When a person recognizes they are integrity breakers completely divided and lacking, and turn to Jesus for wholeness, then they are washed completely. The nature of betrayal is forgiven, and a new nature is born. A nature of the Holy Spirit, the nature of perfect integrity, the nature of Jesus. This is the Nature of Joy.
Resources and Notes
All scripture in this article is from the WORLD ENGLISH BIBLE (WEB). The World English Bible (WEB) is a Public Domain (no copyright) Modern English translation of the Holy Bible. The World English Bible is based on the American Standard Version of the Holy Bible first published in 1901, the Biblia Hebraica Stutgartensa Old Testament, and the Greek Majority Text New Testament.
For more related to this blog, check out my post on Practical Steps to Worship God in Spirit and in Truth.
This is a reliable translation, but it is always good to read other translations as well. Biblegateway.com has a multitude of translations to read from. It is a great resource.
Another great resource is Biblehub.com. There are multiple translations, commentaries, and so much more. Great research can be done on this platform.
One more I use regularly is Gotquestions.org. This is a great site to answer questions and find threads of related questions.
There are many resources. The key is that God wants relationship directly with you, the individual. His primary source for revealing who He is and growing in intimacy is His word, the scriptures. Don’t just read for instruction. Analyze and read for understanding. Explore, ask questions, and be transformed in Jesus every moment you possibly can. There is no dispute this is a key desire of God. People are brough to the Father, in the Son, by the power of the Holy Spirit. This… This is the Nature of Joy.
Jeremy is an author, musician, and business intelligence manager. His mission is to equip and encourage those in Christ, to equip and encourage others in Christ. Jesus, Christ, is the Nature of Joy and melody of the heart. Jeremy unites business analytics (business intelligence), songs, and Scripture for Christian living in the power of the Holy Spirit.