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.