Saturday, December 2, 2017

Hello, everyone.  Sorry for such a delay.  I've had some trouble with bronchitis this Fall.  Here's my latest thoughts on Scripture...

^{Luke 23-Right After the Death of Jesus on the Cross}

⁵⁰Now there was a man named Joseph, a member of the Council, a good and upright man, ⁵¹who had not consented to their decision and action. He came from the Judean town of Arimathea and he was waiting for the kingdom of God. ⁵²Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus’ body. ⁵³Then he took it down, wrapped it in linen cloth and placed it in a tomb cut in the rock, one in which no one had yet been laid. ⁵⁴It was Preparation Day, and the Sabbath was about to begin.

⁵⁵The women who had come with Jesus from Galilee followed Joseph and saw the tomb and how his body was laid in it. ⁵⁶Then they went home and prepared spices and perfumes. But they rested on the Sabbath in obedience to the commandment.

  When I read this sad passage I was struck by the last sentence.  "But they rested on the Sabbath in obedience to the commandment."  Even though the Lord Jesus told them that He would rise from the dead, they seemed to miss that point and they lacked our historical perspective.  For these disciples, I would imagine the death of Jesus was as if their whole lives came crashing down upon them.  Still, they rested on the Sabbath according to the commandment.  They were still willing to let God be God.

The verb translated, "to rest" is in four other verses of the Christian Scriptures.

Luke 14:4  But they kept silent, and He took him and healed him, and let him go.  (This done after Jesus silences critics who complain about healing on the Sabbath.)

When they heard these things they became silent; and they glorified God, saying, "Then God has also granted to the Gentiles repentance to life."  (This after they heard Peter testify about the Holy Spirit coming upon Gentile men.)

Acts 21:14  So when he would not be persuaded, we ceased, saying, "The will of the Lord be done."  (The response of people who fail to persuade Paul to avoid Jerusalem after a prophet predicted that he would be arrested there.)

1 Thessalonians 4:11  "...that you also aspire to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you,...  (General advice to the Thessalonians.)

The word means "to rest from labor" but its use in the other four verses of the Christian Scriptures smacks of submission.  They relent, or submit or give up and leave the matter to God.  Even though the idea of submission does not rest lightly with us, I think there is a wisdom and strength in being able to trust God and leave matters in His hands.  It is hard to do when life is going well, but these people at the end of Luke have experienced, for them, the ultimate disaster.  Their whole world, I would imagine, had come falling down upon them.  How hard it must have been to see all that happened the Jesus Christ, watch His dead body be laid in a tomb, and then take a Sabbath's day of rest according the commandments.  I wonder how restful that day was?t Yet that was the best thing for those people to do.  They rested, in obedience to command, and acknowledged that God is still God. 

This sets a powerful example of us, who in the midst of the constant changes of life may find ourselves going through seasons in which some, or many, of the changes we experience are unwelcome.  The good news of life is that everything changes.  The bad news is that things we wish would never change, change as well.  I think a good prayer to pray is that we would have the wisdom and strength to rest, to let God be God, when changes come that are unwelcome and we cannot stop.  There are no life changes that stretch beyond the reach of Christ, whose promises and love cannot be cut off from us by no change, in life or in death.

Hello, everyone.  Hope all is well.  This is a note from my personal Bible study that finds grace in the contrast between two sentences Jesus spoke to Peter and the disciples during the Last Supper.

Luke 22

²⁹  And I bestow upon you a kingdom, just as My Father bestowed one upon Me, 

³⁰  that you may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel."
³¹  And the Lord said, "Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat.

The contrast is astonishing.  Jesus, in the face of betrayal and disaster, speaks of the Kingdom the Father has given Him.  He grants to the disciples the honor of judging the twelve tribes of Israel.  (There are some who believe that we will be assigned a tribe when we enter heaven.  I don't know that for sure, but it is interesting.)  The very next verse, Jesus warns Peter that Satan has asked for him in order to "sift like wheat".  Apparently, Satan, having successfully tempted Judas, wanted to go for the rest of the disciples.

Jesus predicts Peter's soul-crushing failure, yet does not retract the honor of judging one of the twelve tribes.  In the Book of Hebrews (12:25-29) the followers of Christ are promised a Kingdom, one that will never be shaken (it assumes that everything else in this life will be shaken), and if Peter is an example, such grace is not withdrawn even when we fail, and fail miserably.  There is a comfort and a confidence in that grace, that I am still privileged to be part of this Kingdom, even though I can get discouraged, be weak, make foolish choices.  I'm not saying there is no place for repentance, I just find great grace in the contrast of these words.

Luke 22:1-71 (New King James Version of the Bible)
Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread drew near, which is called Passover.  And the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might kill Him, for they feared the people.  Then Satan entered Judas, surnamed Iscariot, who was numbered among the twelve.

Satan was there at the beginning of the Last Supper

In entering Judas, Satan entered someone who was one of the twelve, the closest group of people to Jesus.  One could surmise that Judas may not have truly submitted to the Lordship of Jesus, but Jesus once rebuked Peter with the words "get behind me, Satan!"  Peter was a true disciple.  Can someone who is a true follower of Jesus be influenced by demons without being "oppressed"?  How easy is it for Satan or one of his demons to put a thought into my head? 

Furthermore, Satan did not simply make suggestions and thereby tempt Judas, he entered him. That seems far more powerful and intimate.  It implies control, perhaps, or at least great influence.  Since Satan is an archangel, can angels enter people and act through them?  Maybe they can, but choose not to do so and leave that up to the Holy Spirit, who resides in people who follow Jesus.  Still, it is startling to consider how close Satan was to an event so sacred and that he was allowed to enter someone who was among His closest disciples.  He probably looked just as righteous as the rest, at least on the surface.  I wonder, who are the people most influenced by evil in my community, and how respectable do they appear on the surface?  

Hello, everyone.
I haven't posted since, June, so I hope you've had a good Summer.
I've just finished pondering Luke 21-a passage too long to put in this post, so I'll let you look it up if you like.  In the chapter Jesus first notes the sacrificial gift of a poor widow.  He stated that she gave more than all the rest because she had so little in the first place.  This led to a discussion of the temple, and when Jesus predicted its destruction, the disciples were interested and concerned.

Jesus gives a prophetic lesson that struck me on a couple of points.
First, people going through this terrible time run the risk of loosing everything.  Even family ties are broken and people are betrayed even by those they trusted and loved.  No place is safe, and for many the best option is to head for the hills, a scary thought unless one knows how to survive in the wilderness.  It struck me how people, living during times prophesied in Scripture or during any time of upheaval, could experience this.  They lose everything and don't know what to do or who to trust.  I've been told that I can always trust in the Lord Jesus.  It seems this passage teaches me that I must be ready to count on Him when everything else is gone.  Can I count on Him when there is nothing left and my life is in shambles?

I noted that Jesus gave two instructions in this passage; "don't be deceived" and "watch yourselves."  Phony friends and phony Christs are out there and they seem to show up when we are troubled or weak.  I also need to be careful to avoid becoming self absorbed during trial.  I can miss the work of God if I'm too wrapped up in myself.

This brings my attention to the weather
The weather in Iowa (where I live) is serene right now, but we seem to be in the minority considering the troubles facing other parts of the nation.  I've heard of severe heat in California, fires in Montana and Oregon, and of course the terrible troubles in Texas.  Now another hurricane, Irma, is heading for the east coast.  I need to pray for all the suffering people in our country, and specifically ask the Lord how I can be helpful in the best way possible.  I also need to consider what to do if trouble comes my way.  As mentioned before, the weather in Iowa is fine, but Winter is coming.  We'll see.  Be careful and take care of each other.

Hi, everyone.  I'm still spending time meditating on Luke 19:26, which says-

"For I say to you,that to everyone who has will be given; and from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him."

It's a statement by Jesus in His parable of the faithful and unfaithful servants.  In it He tells the story of a ruler who gives money to three servants and commands them to trade and make a profit.  Two of them do so, but the third, because he fears (and despises) the ruler, simply buries the money.  The import of the message is that we should make the most of whatever gifts we have been given, including gifts of the Holy Spirit, by investing in the lives of others and in the Gospel.  Failure to do so can mean that we will lose what we have.  

I've found that Jesus made this, or similar statements, in other parts of the Gospels as well, and I find pondering them to be instructive.  This is what He said earlier in Luke's Gospel

Luke 8:16-18 speaks of "taking head how you hear" and setting our lamp on a lampstand.

"No one, when he has lit a lamp, covers it with a vessel or puts it under a bed, but sets it on a lampstand, that those who enter may see the light.  For nothing is secret that will not be revealed, nor anything hidden that will not be known and come to light.  Therefore take heed how you hear.  For whoever has, to him more will be given; and whoever does not have, even what he seems to have will be taken from him."

Other verses in the Gospels associate "light" with good works, and may mean being public in our obedience to Jesus.  In this day and age, even going to church is a sort of witness, for it is no longer culturally required.  "Hear" can mean to understand and obey, not merely listen, so I should be conscious that my obedience to Jesus, or lack thereof, will ultimately come to light.  That should be in the back of my mind as I go about my day, and as I reflect upon it as the day closes and night falls.   

I've started studying the parable of the "talents" in Luke 19.  I looked at the verses just before the beginning of the parable and compared it to the verses just before the same parable in Matthew and Mark, as well as a verse on a similar topic in Acts.  Here are some thoughts. 

            Acts 1:6-8  Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, "Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?"  And He said to them, "It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority.  But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."

            Matthew 25:14-30 has his version of this parable, and the verse before it says, "Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming."

            Mark 13:32-37 has a shortened version, in which Jesus warns His disciples to "watch"-be diligent and alert.  The verse before that version of the parable says, "Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away." 

a. There are things the Father knows that you do not, will not and probably never will learn.  He will always know more than we know, even though we grow and learn forever.  For now, ask, "where is the presence and the power of the Holy Spirit?"  (Acts)

b.  Pay attention, to the gifts you have, to how you are using those gifts, to the people with whom you have some influence.  Ask yourself daily, "am I ready to meet my Master today?"  If not, why not?   (Matthew)

c.  His words are food for the soul, and will never pass away.  Have I pondered them today?  (Mark)

These are some thoughts about how to be one of those people who hear "well done" when they meet Christ.  

Holy Thursday  

John 13:34-35  

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.  By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."

Today is Holy Thursday (or Maunday Thursday), the day we remember the Last Supper.  It was during the Passover, when Jesus and His disciples joined with people from all over Israel. They remembered when God brought deliverance and judgment to Israel when they were enslaved and made them a separate nation.  It was during this observance that Jesus declared that bread and wine represented His broken body on the cross and His lifeblood shed for sin, thus bringing about our Sacrament of Holy Communion.  On this night, when all had failed and, by any observance, evil would win, that Jesus said and did all this.

Our church will have a Tenebrae worship service tonight.  It's an ancient tradition that consists mostly of readings from Scripture and music.  During the service, the lights of the Sanctuary are progressively dimmed.  The purpose is to worship the Lord aware of the context of what He endured; that all this happened in the presence of fear, denial, betrayal and death, and it was in this context that Jesus commanded us to love one another and then He secured our salvation on the cross.  As we remember and worship, we note that the Holy Spirit is at work in our lives, and even the darkest moments do not overwhelm Him.  All this we remember when we gather in church tonight.   

Thursday, April 6, 2017

Luke 16:16-17  The law and the prophets were until John.  Since that time the kingdom of God has been preached, and everyone is pressing in to it.  And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one tittle of the law to fail.

Love People, Use Money

Jesus had just told the parable of the Unjust Steward, which, among other points, teaches us that we are to love people and use money, not the other way around.  Before that He had told the parable of the Prodigal Son, showing how valuable people are to the Lord, including those who, at times, are far from God as well as those who are near.  

The Pharisees, a tragic group

The Pharisees, religious leaders of the day, derided Him.  The Pharisees were, to me, a tragic group.  They had some things in common with modern-day evangelicals.  They believed that all people should be zealous and dedicated to prayer and to study carefully the Scriptures with an eye toward living accordingly.  They should have gladly followed Jesus as their Messiah but they were troubled with pride and love of money.  They became some of Jesus' biggest enemies.  

Be in earnest to seek God

Christ responded with another parable, Lazarus and the Rich Man, but before that He said something that struck my eye.  In the two verses noted above Jesus said that the preaching of the Kingdom of God saw people pressing into it, implying that our spiritual and devotional lives should be a matter of earnest to us.  

All of the Bible is valuable, even the parts with which we struggle

Then He said that not one "tittle" would pass from the Law.  In some of the letters of the Hebrew alphabet, the letters that correspond to the English "r" and "d" for example, are almost identical.  One little change in the marking can turn the letter from one to another, implying that He had no intention of doing away with the Law of the Hebrew Scriptures.

  Jesus then gave an example of the law against adultery in the Scriptures.  He affirmed it, and held His disciples to a very high standard.  The moral law of the Hebrews Scriptures is affirmed in the teachings of our Lord, and, it seems to me, that even the more ceremonial aspects of the Law are still valid.  They are not essential to our salvation (writes the guy who had a very non-kosher breakfast this morning), but it all still has much to teach us.  All of the Bible is important, even the parts we don't like, or don't understand, or can't see how they apply to day.  Consider it all carefully, but be careful not simply to disregard something just because it is hard to understand.

PS  I claim no expertise at all in biblical languages.  I'm just trying to learn.

Tuesday, March 14, 2017

Luke 15:12 (NRSV)

¹²The younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of the property that will belong to me.’ So he divided his property between them.

This is part of the story of the Prodigal Son, and the commentaries that I have available to me note that it was not unheard of to divide an estate before death, but the son who wants his share is not showing much respect for his parents and family.  The precedent for that in the Hebrew Scriptures is Deuteronomy 21:7, and soon after that (Deuteronomy 21:18-23) the death penalty is imposed on a "willful, rebellious and disrespectful son who refused to change".  I wonder if the father in this story could have gotten his younger son in serious trouble if he wanted to do so.  As the passage in Deuteronomy continues, the penalty for such behavior in a son is that he was to be stoned and hung on a tree.  Paul, in Galatians 3:13, wrote that Jesus took the curse of the Law for us when he was hung on a tree.  There's a connection between the cross of our Lord Jesus and the story of the Prodigal Son.  The prodigal is us-you and me-but he is treated with restraint, and later great grace, because Jesus was hung on a "tree" and cursed for us.  Such grace is offered freely, but purchased at immeasurable price. 

Luke 13:35  "See!  Your house if left to you desolate; and assuredly, I say to you, you shall not see Me until the time comes when you say, 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!'"

Friday  February 17, 2017  The words of Jesus, particularly the part about the "house" being left desolate, arise in various statements of judgment in the Hebrew Scriptures.  Ironically, the second part-"blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord"-is a quote from Psalm 118:26, which is part of the greeting the people of Jerusalem give to Jesus during His triumphal entry. (Luke 19:38)  According to the Anchor Bible Commentary, This psalm was a hymn of thanks for "deliverance from battle" that became part of the greeting pilgrims received on high holy days, particularly Passover.  One could surmise that Jesus in this statement refers to the re-establishment of  the Temple in the latter days, but that is  something for the Lord to achieve.  For us today, let's  consider the matter of motive.

While some of the people sincerely cried out "blessed is the One who comes in the Name of the Lord" in worship to Jesus, it is not far-fetched to guess that some, perhaps many, worshipped with an agenda.  What they really meant was "blessed be the One who finally gets rid of these Romans".  I don't blame them for feeling that way about the Roman Empire.  Had I lived back then I would have felt the same.  But if that is the case, then many rejected praise for anger when their expectations were undone; and their praise came to nothing.  The question for me today is, am I willing to worship without an agenda, to worship even if I don't understand or are disappointed, or find my dearest hopes have not come to pass?  Perhaps praise is true praise only when it is without "strings".  For our praise to be truly so, we must echo the prophet Habakkuk:

Habakkuk 3:17-19 (NKJV)
¹⁷  Though the fig tree may not blossom, Nor fruit be on the vines; Though the labor of the olive may fail, And the fields yield no food; Though the flock may be cut off from the fold, And there be no herd in the stalls--
¹⁸  Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation.
¹⁹  The LORD God is my strength; He will make my feet like deer's feet, And He will make me walk on my high hills. To the Chief Musician. With my stringed instruments.

Dear Lord, teach me to worship with a sincere heart, with no demands and with a consistency that defies circumstance, disappointment and even heartache.  In the name of Jesus I pray, Amen

Luke 13:22-24  And He went through the cities and villages, teaching, and journeying toward Jerusalem.  Then one said to Him, "Lord, are there few who are saved."  And He said to them, "Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able."

Thursday, January 26, 2017  Another narrow place is the narrow path, with walls on either side, where the Angel of the Lord confronted Balaam while he was riding him mule. (Numbers 22:22-40)  Perhaps one characteristic of the "narrow way" is that we cannot avoid being confronted by the Lord in prayer.  We must be vulnerable, honest and willing to be convicted of sin.  There is no "sneaking by" on a narrow road.  There is if the road is crowded and wide.

Tuesday, January 11, 2017

Luke 12:1-12 (NKJV)

¹  In the meantime, when an innumerable multitude of people had gathered together, so that they trampled one another, He began to say to His disciples first of all, "Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.

            The word for "hypocrisy" literally means "a reply".  The word indicated an actor-someone playing a role.  It later developed the negative connotation of being false, insincere, acting like someone you're not.  Think of an actor who wears a mask in order to portray a role.  The hypocrite wears a "mask" by being insincere, unreal and untruthful; by acting like they're someone other (usually better) then they really are.  An interesting application of this is in Galatians 2:13 in which the Apostle Paul confronts Peter and other Christians who have separated themselves from other Christians of a Gentile background because they do not keep the proper dietary laws, etc.  Paul knew that Peter and his friends did not, could not, adequately keep those laws so he confronts them for thinking of themselves better than they ought.  Perhaps also because they did not consider these other Christians with a different background and different habits and attitudes as unworthy of fellowship; that they were someone less than who they really are.  Could it be that we are hypocrites not only when we act like we are better, or other than who we really are, but also when we treat others as someone less than who they really are.  Maybe we are hypocrites when we force others to wear a "mask" as well as when we wear a "mask" ourselves?

Tuesday, January 3, 2017

To Fear or Not to Fear

Luke 12:4-7

"And I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do.  But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him!  Are not five sparrows sold for two copper coins? And not one of them is forgotten before God.  But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.

In this challenging passage Jesus gives what appears to be impossible advice:  Do not fear those who can kill the body.  I, for one, find the thought of confronting people willing to kill my body pretty frightening, so I move on to the next verse, which I believe tells me how one overcomes a fear of murder.  It is the fear of God.  The word for "fear" also can mean "awe" or "reverence" and I tend to lean more toward that connotation because for the follower of Jesus, God is our Father.  We are invited to approach Him boldly.  Jesus clearly depicts the Father as God who loves us most dearly.

Yet, the word "fear" as in "do not fear therefore; you are more value than many sparrows" is the same word for "fear" that we find in "fear Him...who has power to cast into hell".  So we are to fear and yet not fear, and I think there is a balance in this somewhere.  There is hell.  There is damnation, and a person trifles with God at their own risk.  Perhaps, while still holding on the understanding of God as our loving Father in Christ, we should dare to pray for a vision of God as Judge of justice and wrath.  Perhaps those people who have a clear understanding of that side of God find that is the reason they have in themselves the resolve to choose death rather than to face Him in such circumstances.  I am not suggesting that we back away from the understanding of God is our loving Father, but perhaps just a little bit of trembling in the midst of our awe and reverence wouldn't be such a bad thing after all.