"Jesus replied, "Are you not in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God?" Mark 12:24
This is an amazing response to a question about marriage in heaven. Indeed the Sadducees were wrong because of both things. It is the human condition to doubt because of ignorance and a lack of faith. He is talking to very religious people here. To infer that they do not know the Scriptures is a bold statement in and of itself.
Not only were they commended by their fellow man, they were commended by God. As much as I love the approval and encouragement of human beings, I primarily desire to be commended by God. Man pleasing is addicting. I desire the kind of faith that pleases God. How do I know the ancients were commended for their faith? Hebrews 11:1 is one of my favorite verses in the whole Bible. It says, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Now that is faith. Not seeing and believing, hoping and trusting in God. Faith that was without the whole Bible, without the church, without the Messiah, without thousands of years of written history, without faith that is based on the experiences of walking with and knowing God. Like Adam and Eve, like Noah, like Ruth, like Abraham, Isaac and Joseph, like Moses.
"Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience, not knowing that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?" Romans 2:4
The Bible has much to say about kindness, and the importance of being kind. In fact, kindness is one of the fruits of the Spirit listed in Galatians 5:22-23.
Forgiveness must be two-way, seamless and sincere. The line from the Lord's Prayer should remind us of this process. "Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us." You can't ask for forgiveness if you are not willing to grant it. This is not a legalistic opportunity to claim that our sins are not forgiven, or that we are condemned for not forgiving. It is a rule of living and is a matter of the heart. Otherwise people would just go through the motions of forgiveness without really forgiving. That is why we must constantly remember that forgiving is two-way. Forgiving others as we are forgiven. It is also seamless, meaning that since forgiveness is a matter of the heart it is not trapped in space and time. I sometimes need to ask for forgiveness for not being very willing to extend it. God knows our heart about such things. We can't fool God. Our relationships with one another are no mystery to Him. He knows how we really feel. We should feel convicted about such matters. What in the world gives me the right to hold somebody as a judged hostage in my heart. He forgave so we forgive. What He forgave is so much more egregious than what we forgive. No comparison.
We hear plenty of Biblical advice on a bunch of subjects and merely hearing that truth basically does nothing for us unless we put them into action. I want to, and I am sure you want to also be that man who built his house on the rock. Note that we are not encouraged just to build our house on a rock, but THE ROCK! We should know who that is. Jesus is the Rock.So it is wise to listen, then take to heart, then practice what we hear, then we can be that wise man who builds his house on the rock.
We know this story. There is more than one miraculous feeding shared in the Bible. I think because the principle herein is not event-driven but heart-driven. We sometimes solve problems without consideration of what our heart would tell us to do. We make worldly excuses about insurance not covering it, or it making too big of a mess, or logistical issues. It is so easy to apologize or to just say sorry it can't happen. We would love to help but for whatever reason it is not just possible. That is not to say that there are times that we should not respond, because God doesn't want or need us to get involved or take responsibility. Every time we solve a problem we must also make sure that we are addressing the heart issue. We deal with a lot of people and food at Grace Harbor Church. It gets crowded and it gets messy. It gets awkward and it becomes a complicated process. But compared to the good and the blessing that comes out of it, it is worth it.
Why does Jesus speak in parables so much? Why are so many of the teachings in Christianity so illustrative and so personally applicable? It is because truth is a matter of the heart, not just the brain. If someone in their heart is not going to hear, they won't hear. They will hear nothing or what they want to hear. If someone in their heart does not want to see, they will not see. They will see nothing or see what they want to see. This is why so often we read people wrong. Our heart which is so intricately connected to our nature and spirit always reflects who we really are and what we really feel, too often in spite of our faith.
"He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth." Isaiah 53:7
As I reflect on this week and prepare for Maundy Thursday night services, I penned the following: He had lived a great portion of his life in relative obscurity, a hard-working carpenter from Galilee. He had been to the Temple in Jerusalem for Passover observances in the past, and had impressed the Jewish religious elite with his knowledge, wisdom and intellect, far beyond his years. As a youth, however, He was not a threat. When He started his ministry, things changed. He became a very real threat to the Jewish religious establishment, not only to the legalistic doctrine and ritual of the day, but to their financial security as well, as the “fees” paid by Jews to participate in the Passover sacrificial activities lined the pockets of Jewish religious leaders. So they followed Him; they spied on Him; indeed, they stalked Him, all the while waiting for that one slip up where He would claim He was God, blasphemy punishable by death.
"Jesus spoke all these things to the crowd in parables; He did not say anything to them without using a parable. So was fulfilled what was spoken through the prophet; "I will open my mouth in parables, I will utter things hidden since the creation of the world." Matthew 13:34-35
The Old Testament is full of prophetic words foretelling what Jesus would do. This particular prophecy is foretold in Psalm 78:2, where the use of parables is explained as a future teaching tool. People need to hear stories in order to understand truth. Raw doctrine is not easy to consume. An illustration so often really brings home the point of teaching. This is a sound and practical practice. All pastors and teachers use parables or stories to illustrate the points of the teaching they are trying to convey. We must find common ground experiences in order to be able to teach the principles of the Word of God. For example, illustrations about television would have been out of place in the time of Jesus, because folks wouldn't know what you were talking about. Today, some illustrations about farming are more difficult to apply because not as many people are familiar with farming as they were even 50 years ago. Parables about supermarkets would be more teachable.
Jesus said some amazing and some mysterious things. This statement has a little of both. We certainly do not fully comprehend the inter-relationship of the Trinity. We do not fathom how the Father has committed all things to the Son. But, I do believe He has. The Father and Son have an intimacy of relationship that cannot be understood in human terms. They have a symbiotic thing going on that defies definition. I can accept this. I can appreciate that how the Trinity works together is beyond me and how the Father and the Son know one another in a cosmic, seamless way happens whether I get it or not. You see, we don't have to understand to believe. I can accept things that I don't understand. I actually am blessed by the mystery of things that I cannot comprehend. If I can't completely understand it then for sure I shouldn't be trying to control it in any way, shape or form.
We often use this verse to describe God's omniscience, that is, His knowledge of everything. God knows everything that has happened, is happening and will happen. He does that without interfering with our free will. That is a power we are maybe incapable of perceiving. This verse is in context given to assure us of our value. In a comparison with sparrows, Jesus illustrates that we are far more valuable than little birds that are sold for a penny, and God knows all about them too. Even when they die. He also assures the crowd He is teaching that we should not fear so much those that can kill our bodies and be more concerned about those who can kill our souls. Thus saying that our souls are more valuable than our bodies. I believe a strong case can be made from the passage that contains this verse that we don't completely understand how much He values us. Or to be more personal, how much He loves us.
Tradition has a weird way of become the 'word of god'. I remember back in the church I grew up in that there was a certain way that communion had to be conducted. Certain words had to be said by certain individuals, in a certain order. These words or individuals could not be changed. In this particular case the question is about support for parents and whether or not it is considered a gift to God. So, basically what what happening was that the Pharisees had figured out that they could call their support of their parents giving. Thereby turning the tradition into law. Of course that lowered the amount of their giving since the parental support was counted. This meant that they could keep that other money for themselves.
The Pharisees had become expert at making rules for the sake of rules. They had rules about the rules about their rules. You know what I mean. If not, just try to read the fine print on the back of the stuff you sign all the time. Legalism for the sake of rule-making is funny business. This is why the truth has to be kept simple. Well, it seems that the Pharisees had a boatload of rules about what people could eat and what they couldn't eat and when they could eat it and with whom they could eat it and how many times they had to wash their hands before and after they ate it whenever they ate it, with whom they ate it, depending on what it was.
"Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent" John 17:3
Jesus is praying to His Father. How any religion can deny the Trinity or that Jesus is the Son of God is beyond me. Jesus defines what eternal life is. Not necessarily the first answer we might give. We are inclined to talk about eternal life being associated only with the hereafter. Somehow we have so closely associated eternal life with heaven that we can't wrap our minds around a larger concept of eternal life actually being something that you receive at salvation. I think this is why people think somehow they fall in and out of God's grace and that since their salvation is at risk, then eternal life can only begin after physical life ends.
The 'righteous' in the days of Jesus, (or should I say self-righteous?) were prone to call everybody but themselves 'sinners'. This verse is our Lord's response to an inquiry about why He dare eat with 'sinners'. Specifically pointed out in the previous verse is a particularly notorious and hated group of 'sinners' called tax collectors. This time of year tax collectors are not the most popular people, that is for sure. Even those associated with those who are collecting taxes hear a lot of grief, because who wants to pay taxes. Well, we have to, I understand, but so much? Especially considering how irresponsible those are who administrate all those monies. In our country, the system is pretty sick, and definitely needs a doctor. But that system is only a reflection of the sickness of our society and culture. It is so easy to throw stones. It is so easy to categorize into us and them and cast aspersions and blame.
"I know, my God, that you test the heart and are pleased with integrity." 1 Chronicles 29:17
After David has prayed the dedicatory prayer for the generous gifts of God's people to build The Temple, he says these words in verse 17 as he goes on praying about the people of God and about himself and their relationship with the Only One True God. At this juncture in his soul-searching prayer, it gets very personal. You see David, although he is the leader, he can never escape this sense of personal responsibility for his own life and wants to make sure before God of the integrity of what he is doing and saying. Just the first four words are an amazing sentence starter for all of us to do some soul searching. Say it with me... "I know, my God.." First thing that comes to me is how much I do not know. Second thing that comes to mind is how much I appreciate that He knows me and yet loves me. That is really about all I know for sure sometimes.
"Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him. " Psalm 34:8
Hello everyone! I hope you all are having a great week so far. I just wanted to share this verse that came up in my readings lately, because even though I know we all have heard this verse before, I think we always hear the first half, and forget or miss out on the second portion. That part brings immense comfort to me: "blessed is the one who takes refuge in HIM"! With all the craziness that life brings, we are often easily tempted to take refuge in earthly things that only bring temporary respite. How much more would we be refreshed if we took our comfort and refuge in Him?! We could do this by taking a quiet moment alone with Him, breathing deeply and meditating on His words, reading some scriptures or a devotion book, praying and listening, etc. I'm sure there are even more ways to find our refuge in Him. What do you think? What are ways that you take refuge in God? Let me know what works for you. Let's ponder and work through scriptures together, that's the best way to go deeper and discover more truth.
I cannot believe there is a 2,000 year old translation for a term that describes busybodies. Although as I read through the Bible, there have been plenty of them from the beginning of time. I am sorry to admit that the local church has become somewhat of a safe haven for busybodies. Okay, let's all agree what the main practices of busybodies are. 1.) They are nosy, sometimes under the guise of wanting to be well informed so as to be able to pray accurately. 2.) They are gossips, after all, when you have accurate information and are quickly done praying about it, shouldn't everybody know? Especially adding their own spin on what is really going on. 3.) They are not spending their time doing what they should be doing. Hence the idea that if they were not idle and were busy they would not be busybodies.
Posts
All Comments
