The Gospels and the Story of Israel

Right now I'm reading How God Became King: The Forgotten Story of the Gospels by N.T. Wright. At first glance, a Christian might see this book and its subtitle and think this is yet another book trying to tell a different story than what we already know.

They'd be right.

The catch is that the story Wright is talking about is one that the Gospels are actually telling. It's the story of Israel's long hard history finding its climax in Jesus of Nazareth. It is, as the title says, the story about how God became king.

Wright has often illuminated many things for me that I haven't been able to see before. It is new to me, but not new to the Bible and certainly not new to the Gospel writers.

N.T. Wright has a knack for pointing out what I call "old-new information" in the Bible. It is new insofar as it is something most of us conditioned by the Western church have never seen before and old because this same information was woven into the minds of the earliest believers. In other words, they saw the things we call "new insights" the same way we see some of the most basic tenets of our faith.

Because this illumination places the light on a broader, more significant picture and because it is "new," many Christians shy away from it. It's easy keeping the Gospels where we've always had them and understood them (usually in isolation or to "prove" Jesus' divinity), rather than take up the challenge of reading them the way Jesus intended us to read them.

One thing I've personally noticed, whether at church or bible studies, is the tendency to read the Gospels in isolation. The only time the Old Testament is referred to is to 1) show that Jesus fulfilled prophecy and 2) to show that we're "getting rid" of the law by contrasting what Jesus' is saying to the OT.

Rarely does anyone ever see the Gospels as the climax of Israel's history. If we read the OT the way the Gospel writers did, we wouldn't have missed the many important aspects of their telling the story of Jesus.

Reading the Gospels against the backdrop of our post-modern secular culture, we're tempted (naturally, Wright points out) to use the Gospels as some sort of apologetic against the historical criticism of late. The skeptics say, "Jesus didn't really think he was divine," and we play their game and go search out the Gospels, picking it apart to use what we find as a way to counter the skeptics. What has resulted is an overemphasis of certain aspects of the Gospel and an under-emphasis of very important aspects of the Gospels.

In this book, Wright attempts to balance out the music to the point where everything is resonating perfectly so that certain aspects aren't drowned out by what our secular culture demands or what the whole of the western church asks for.

Rather than the ever loud JESUS IS GOD, JESUS IS GOD, JESUS IS GOD! Wright turns it down so we can hear it clearly. It's not just JESUS IS GOD. It's Jesus is the God of Israel coming to visit His people and  to dwell among them. He is everything Israel had hoped for and indeed was hoping for, quite desperately, at the time. The Jews had their temple, but no shekina glory, not since the Babylonian siege of Jerusalem in 587BC. Herod's efforts were indicative of the sentiment in Judea at the time, Israel was waiting for their Savior, for God to come back and rescue them from slavery to the Pagans in Rome.

The Gospels tell the story of how God has come back to rescue them from slavery and dwell among them and become their King. Now, rather than the Gospels being mere advice for our personal lives, as is all to common in the Western church today, they can be read for everything they're worth. Jesus is saying something significant, something worth listening to. He is saying that He embodies the God of Israel, that He has come to save His people, that the shekina glory has returned to the temple, albeit in a very different form.

To be continued...

Having a Baby

A few days before Easter I was reading Proverbs. One of the proverbs stood out to me that day...

Many are the plans in a person's heart, but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails. (Proverbs 19:21)

I had a plan in my mind about how the next few years were going to go. Nothing exhaustive, just an idea of where I wanted to be at 27, 28, and so on. I decided internally to let God do the choosing for my present blessing.

He chose fast. I mean...really fast.

I found out on Easter Sunday that I was going to have a baby. Immediately my mind recalled what I read just days before, "...it is the LORD's purpose that prevails."


I feel good about what God is doing. I know His hand is upon us. I'm excited to share this blessing with my wife because I love her so much. I want to be a dad and I know this because I want to share our life with a child who we created together.

My prayer is that my child will grow to be full of the knowledge of Jesus' love. I know that the rest follows after that.

Lord, help me lead them with strong hands.

The One Who Saves Lives

"And he who is wise wins souls" (Proverbs 11:30, NASB).

The NIV translates it, "...the one who is wise saves lives."


What does it mean to save a life or win a soul? Does it mean that you've added a member to your church? Does it mean that you've helped someone avoid death?

I think you know the answer. But why is it wise to win souls, to save lives? Do we get rewarded?


To win a soul over to Jesus and in effect save them from their own destruction is wise because it is part of our calling to make disciples. We are to fill the earth with God's glory and as the Word of God germinates within us, we must allow our roots to take hold in good soil and spread accordingly.


To save a life is to win them over to Jesus. To win them over to Jesus you must be His disciple. To be His disciple you must take up your cross daily. Inch my inch, you have to live the Gospel.

Knowing God Through Prayer

We know God through prayer. It is our access to His throne.

Prayer is often seen as a means to request something from God. It is indeed. But, we must not forget that prayer is a way to come to God, to share your mind with Him and be with Him.

Yes, we pray for supplication, but we also pray for forgiveness, for praise, and to simply be with Him. We sit at the kings chair listening to His words of wisdom. Imagine the young child of a ruling King. Anxious to be with his father, he follows him through the chambers of his castle.

The next time you pray, try to pray that God would just be with you.

Does God bless our work?

I've been thinking about this lately. Even though what I do at my job doesn't have a direct link to church or evangelizing, does God still want us to work hard?

I think He does. I think He blesses our hard work and our diligence. Working hard is a reflection of the Gospel in us.

If we do the job, do it right, and keep our integrity in all of it, God's hand will bless what we do and we will yield fruit.

Prayer Before Meal

We pray before our meal. But what are we saying?

It's an acknowledgement that our provision comes from God. We "bless" our food because we are saying that God gives to His children.

It's actually a form of worship.

Jesus, Christ.

Many people still think that "Christ" is a last name for Jesus. I know it doesn't seem like a big deal, but knowing what we mean when we call on the name of Jesus is important.

Christ is a title. It means "anointed one." It's the greek form of "Messiah."

If I were the CEO of a company my card would look like this:

Daniel Maldonado, CEO.

CEO is my title.

So, in our modern way of title giving, it may be more appropriate to write:

Jesus, Christ.

But, of course, it doesn't flow as nicely and tradition will dictate how we refer to Jesus going forward.

The Jesus I Know

Peace enters into my heart as your sacred name lands upon my lips. Sweet like honey, your words find their place in my soul. 

You lead me to green meadows. You sit with me beside still waters. Your wisdom fills my thoughts as I ponder the richness of your splendor. 

Radiant like the sun, your eyes stare into mine with a passion I cannot explain. You cover me with your wings, you guide me into your fold. 

Jesus. 

Your name is sweet. 

I am a withering tree without the water from your heart. Fill me with your well of love and I will live.

What do you see in a man like me? That you would even consider showing your grace? 

My King, I kneel before you.

My Father, I stand in awe.

My Savior, I weep of joy.

Sovereign Lover, find me, search my heart. Know me and consume my thoughts. 

In all of this Lord, I am speechless. No words can describe how I feel except this...

I LOVE YOU.

-Daniel Maldonado

The Disjointed Body

The body of Christ seems disjointed, even from the inside. We seem to work against each other because of our doctrinal differences. We are perceived to not be of one mind. 

It is because of this seeming disjointedness that the secular world looks on in judgment. They attempt to disqualify us because we are a separate people, calling others to a separate life. In their conviction, they hate us. 

Because their judgement cannot stand on its own, they attempt to justify their criticism by pointing at our fragmented religion. You've got your Catholics, Evangelicals, Methodists, Anglicans, Presbytarian, etc. and so they look on and say, "See! You can't even keep it together."

Here's what I say.

What is a stranger doing criticizing the disputes I have within my family? If I am in my household, a stranger has no right to involve him or herself into my disputes. 

Get out. 

They neither understand our disputes and will never attempt to because they are operating under a worldview that presupposes Christianity is wrong. Pointing to our internal discussions and disputes only serves as their justification for rejecting the faith. 

They do not understand that the Church is not a building. The Church is not a denominational title. The Church is living and breathing. It is a community of believers corporately connected to Jesus Christ. We are a body with many parts that contain different functions. 

But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be.If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body. - 1 Corinthians 12:18-20 (NIV)

Lets put away that foolishness of the secular world who believe we are disconnected. We are eternally connected to our Savior. Nothing can snatch us from His hands. Our disputes are family disputes and no stranger can enter into that conversation until he has become part of the family.