Gospel for October 8, 2023

START WITH SCRIPTURE:
Matthew 21:33-46
CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

Jesus continues to confront his adversaries, using a parable as his medium.  Previously, he had confounded their challenge to his authority through key questions; he had also pointed out their unrepentant pride with a parable about two sons (Matthew 21:23-32).

Now Jesus tells a parable with a familiar setting — a vineyard.  The vineyard and the vine were familiar Old Testament symbols, signifying the nation of Israel (cf. Isaiah 5:1-7; 27:2-3; Jeremiah 2:21; 12:10; Ezekiel 17).  Telling such a story, featuring a familiar image for Israel, would certainly arrest the attention of the chief priests and Pharisees.  Surely they understand that he is talking about Israel, and specifically about them.

In short, here is the outline of the parable — the landlord has planted a vineyard, complete with wine press and tower.  He leases this vineyard out to tenant farmers — basically, they are sharecroppers.  When the landlord sends his own employees to collect his share of the yield, his servants are beaten, killed and stoned to death.  When he sends his own son, assuming the tenants will treat him with honor, they plot his death.  Their logic is that once the heir is dead, they will get his inheritance.

After telling this parable, Jesus returns to his interrogative method — he asks the question:

When therefore the lord of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those farmers?

Somehow, the Pharisees and priests have gotten involved in the story.  They seem oblivious to the point Jesus is making, and describe in colorful terms what will happen:

 They told him, “He will miserably destroy those miserable men, and will lease out the vineyard to other farmers, who will give him the fruit in its season.”

Once again, Jesus springs the trap, using the very Scriptures that these men should know, from Psalm 118:22-23:

Jesus said to them, “Did you never read in the Scriptures,
‘The stone which the builders rejected,
the same was made the head of the corner.
This was from the Lord.
It is marvelous in our eyes?'”

This metaphor was another fairly familiar Old Testament image (cf Isaiah 28:16).  The cornerstone of a building is considered foundational — it unites two intersecting walls.  Jesus picks up this image from the Psalm and applies it to himself as the Messiah — saying that those who reject him will find themselves crushed by that stone.  This image of the cornerstone will be repeated by other New Testament writers, signifying that Jesus is foundational to salvation and the church, and that one’s response to him will determine one’s destiny (Ephesians 2:19-22; 1 Peter 2:5-7).

Jesus now makes it quite clear — without parables, questions, dialectical method — exactly what he means:

Therefore I tell you, God’s Kingdom will be taken away from you, and will be given to a nation producing its fruit.  He who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces, but on whomever it will fall, it will scatter him as dust.

The point is taken — the tenants of the vineyard represent the chief priests and the Pharisees, and also all their predecessors who rejected the prophets who came on behalf of God.  Now, Jesus is prophesying his own death represented by the son of the landlord.  But he is also warning the leaders that the tables will be turned — the son who is killed is also the cornerstone.  And when they reject him, they will be crushed. God will raise up a new nation which produces fruit — this new nation will be the church.

This time the adversarial leaders get it.  They realize Jesus is accusing them of rejecting both the prophets, and the Son himself:

When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they perceived that he spoke about them.

But they are stymied.  Just as Jesus had paralyzed them earlier by asking where the authority of the popular John the Baptist came from, now the leaders are aware that they are powerless:

 When they sought to seize him, they feared the multitudes, because they considered him to be a prophet.

His arrest and the execution will come, as Jesus knows.  But he uses his popularity with the people as a screen. He will choose the time and place that he is to offer up his life as a sacrifice.

APPLY:  

Our study of the Bible includes the Old Testament for a very good reason — it is impossible to fully understand and appreciate the New Covenant introduced by Jesus without understanding that he fulfills the promises and hopes of Israel.

The images in this passage — the vineyard, the cornerstone, the allusion to Psalm 118 — all remind us that the story of the New Testament is continuous with the Old Testament.

And we must be careful not to read any anti-Semitism into this passage.  The chief priests and Pharisees do fail to recognize Jesus as the Messiah, in fulfillment of the prophecies.  But the first believers, the early church, and Jesus himself were Jews.

What they do see is that the promises of God, the Messiah, salvation, and the church, were to be for all people — Jews and Gentiles alike.  Paul interprets this very well in a passage that deserves to be quoted in full:

Therefore remember that once you, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called “uncircumcision” by that which is called “circumcision”, (in the flesh, made by hands); that you were at that time separate from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of the promise, having no hope and without God in the world.  But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off are made near in the blood of Christ.  For he is our peace, who made both one, and broke down the middle wall of partition, having abolished in the flesh the hostility, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man of the two, making peace; and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, having killed the hostility thereby. He came and preached peace to you who were far off and to those who were near. For through him we both have our access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God,  being built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the chief cornerstone;  in whom the whole building, fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord;  in whom you also are built together for a habitation of God in the Spirit (Ephesians 2:11-22).

This passage not only reminds us that Christ is our chief cornerstone, but that all who believe are now incorporated into the household of God, both Jews and Gentiles now made one in Christ.

RESPOND: 

The tension is building as Jesus draws closer and closer to the end.  His parables and his questions are surgical. Jesus exposes the hostility of his adversaries, which becomes more and more apparent.

But Jesus also makes it clear to us just who he is, and what we should believe.  He is the Son, who is rejected by the tenants and killed.  And he is the cornerstone of our faith and our church — and those who reject him reject him at their peril.  But to those who believe — what he has done is marvelous in our eyes.

Lord, you are the cornerstone of my faith.  May I build my life on your foundation. Amen.

PHOTOS:
"Cornerstone" by Brett Jordan is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.

Epistle for October 8, 2023

START WITH SCRIPTURE:
Philippians 3:4b-14
CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

Paul focuses on his own autobiography as a witness to the Gospel of grace that he proclaims.  In this passage we see through Paul’s eyes his own transition from a self-righteous overachiever to a man completely dependent upon Christ.

He begins by demonstrating to the Philippians that he has a great personal resume, in purely human terms.  He has every reason to be:

confident in the flesh,

if the goal is to be reached through human achievement.

The list he offers highlights his accomplishments as a highly committed, deeply religious person:

circumcised on the eighth day, a member of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless.

His place in the Judaism of his day, regarded as the true faith of the Chosen People, was absolutely secure.  Not only had he received all the normal marks of an observant Jew (circumcision, a place in the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews), he was a member of the most exclusive religious “fraternity” of his day — the Pharisees.

To be a Pharisee was to be a part of a highly scrupulous group.  The word Pharisee means those who are set apart. They were renowned for their strict observance not only of the Law of Moses, but also of the Oral Law — that body of interpretations and applications that had been passed down by generations of rabbis.

Moreover, Paul’s zeal for his faith was so intense that he sought to root out those whom he regarded as heretics, this new Jewish sect that were called Christians.  His quest to rid the world of this threat led him to Damascus — and conversion!

Yet, Paul could honestly say that his devotion to the law of Moses was so impeccable that he was blameless.

However, compared to the glory and grace that Paul had come to know in Christ, his own accomplishments are meaningless to him:

Yet whatever gains I had, these I have come to regard as loss because of Christ. More than that, I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and I regard them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ…

Note the three-fold reference to loss, which illustrates that Paul has given up all of the achievements and credentials of his former life.  In comparison to knowing Christ, his long list of merits are mere trash.

Paul reiterates the core of his message of grace when he outlines his new aim — to be found in Christ:

not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but one that comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God based on faith.

Throughout his epistles, Paul has made it clear that it is impossible to establish one’s own righteousness by obedience to the law.  While the law is holy and just and good, the human capacity to fulfill the law invariably falls short.  Only by complete surrender through faith in Christ does the believer receive the:

righteousness from God based on faith.

Paul states clearly his own personal mission statement:

I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the sharing of his sufferings by becoming like him in his death, if somehow I may attain the resurrection from the dead.

This highlights an important aspect of Paul’s spirituality — that faith in Christ means identification with Christ’s cross and his resurrection.  We can see that very clearly in Galatians 2:19-20.

I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Nevertheless, Paul confesses his own deep humility, acknowledging that he is still in the process of growing when it comes to following Christ:

Not that I have already obtained this or have already reached the goal; but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Beloved, I do not consider that I have made it my own; but this one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus.

There are two key points that seem striking here.

First, there is the paradox that Christ has already made Paul his own, yet there is a response still required in order for Paul to continue to make Christ his own.  Christ’s grace has already accepted Paul as he is.  But Paul is aware that identifying with Christ’s crucified and resurrected life requires that he press on to make it his own.

There are several analogies that spring to mind — we are embraced by someone who loves us, but we also must embrace them in return if we are to experience the completion of affection.

But Paul’s own analogy brings us to the second point — Paul uses an athletic analogy to describe himself:

forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus.

One can almost see the stadium and the runners as they are being cheered on by the crowds.  Paul runs his race so that he may cross the finish line and receive the ultimate prize.

So, the analogy prevails.  He has been selected for the “team” by the grace of Christ. It is time to forget those previous efforts of achievement that fell short of victory, without looking back.  And now he strives to perform in the spiritual contest with his utmost effort so that he may fulfill the high calling of Christ.

APPLY:  

Ours is an achievement-oriented society.  From our first report cards that our moms put on the refrigerator to the lists of awards and honors and degrees that follow our names in our resumes, we are hungry for recognition.

While this may be admirable and desirable from a human point of view for our resume building, this is not how we experience the glory of Christ.

Christ’s grace is available to all, from the president of the United States to the homeless woman pushing a shopping cart filled with her only possessions.

As Paul tells us, Christ has taken hold of us by grace.  He has already offered himself to us completely and without reserve.  He emptied himself of all but love, and offered his life on the cross so that he might raise us up with him.

What response should this elicit from us?  If we fully grasp what Christ has done for us, it inspires us to give all that we have and all that we are to follow him.  This is the path to sanctification.

We remember, however, that even this striving:

toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus

is still not our accomplishment.  It is not something that we achieve, but rather something that we receive by grace.

As Paul reminds us in his paradoxical statement earlier in this letter to the Philippians:

work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, enabling you both to will and to work for his good pleasure (Philippians 2:12-13).

No matter how intense our effort, how earnestly we press toward the goal, we are enabled to do so only by God who is at work in us.  That is why we are truly humble before God, who is the author and finisher of our salvation.

RESPOND: 

Years ago, I was seeing a Christian counselor about my depression.  He recommended a book that helped me to apply all of my theological training to my personal problems.

The book was The Search for Significance by Robert McGee.  I can sum up the message very simply — we are taught in our culture to base our self-worth on our performance and the opinions of others.  Our accomplishments and the opinion of others become the mirror in which we measure ourselves.

Unfortunately, even the most accomplished and most popular persons in the world, in their most honest moments, must accept that they fall short of perfection. The Gospel of Jesus Christ has nothing to say to those who do not accept that they are sinners.

The Gospel of grace tells us that we are already accepted for Christ’s sake.  We are loved.  There is nothing more that we need do in order to be more acceptable to God. Our acceptance by God is not based on our performance or the opinion of others. Christ has performed all that needs to be done for us to be reconciled to God. And Christ’s opinion of each of us is that we are worth dying for!

When I read McGee’s book, and began to apply its message in my own life, it liberated me from the effort to establish my own righteousness or to “prove” myself.

And, when I could accept that I was already accepted by Christ, I was free to give my very best effort to press on toward the life that he envisioned for me.

I had “made the team” already.  But now I didn’t want to simply sit on the bench.  I wanted to excel and perform at the highest level possible — not for my own sake but for Christ’s sake.  My motivation for obedience and excellence was no longer to bolster my ego or my resume, but gratitude for what Christ has done for me.

Our Lord, whatever I have accomplished is rubbish in comparison to the glory of knowing you through your death and resurrection.  I receive your grace with humble gratitude, and press on toward the goal of your high calling.  Amen. 

PHOTO:
“Philippians 3:13-14” by Brett Jordan is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license. This image is designed to be wallpaper for an iphone.

Psalm Reading for October 8, 2023

START WITH SCRIPTURE:
Psalm 19
CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

This Psalm celebrates two of the primary methods of God’s self-disclosure to human beings — creation and the law. The first may be described as “natural” or “general revelation,” the second as “special revelation.”

The heavens themselves — the cosmos, the stars, the planets, the sun and moon — are described in this powerful personification as a being that can proclaim God’s glory.

Who can look at the stars and the sun and not be filled with a sense of wonder?  The Psalmist declares that although the heavens don’t speak with words, nevertheless:

Their voice has gone out through all the earth,
their words to the end of the world.

The Psalmist’s metaphor comparing the heavens to a wedding tent from which the sun like a bridegroom emerges and begins to run his race with joy is especially vivid.  There is a sense of celebration with each new day.

The second half of the Psalm from verses 8-14 extols the law of God.  It is perfect, sure, right, pure, clean, makes wise the simple, rejoices the heart, and is true and righteous. Because the law comes directly from God, it is a transcript of God’s character and his will.  The wise person seeks these precepts above all else.

Two metaphors indicate just how precious the law is. It is more precious than gold. It is sweeter than honey.  Honey, even in Middle Eastern cultures today, is a very valuable commodity that has at times been used as currency.

Then the Psalmist turns to the function of the law in verse 11 — to warn and reward the servant of God.

However, there is a caveat, a warning. The law in and of itself cannot bring righteousness:

Who can discern his errors?
Forgive me from hidden errors.
Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins.
Let them not have dominion over me.
Then I will be upright.

The Psalmist is confessing the inability to perfectly obey the law, and appeals directly to God’s mercy for sins that the Psalmist can’t see in himself, and for aid in preventing voluntary sins.

Not only does the Psalmist pray for right actions, he is also praying that his words, and indeed his very thoughts, might be pleasing to God!

APPLY:  

There are two primary sources for our knowledge of God — nature and Scripture.

To completely deny the possibility of “natural theology” seems to contradict the Scripture itself.  Not only can the mind deduce from the existence of creation that there is a Creator, but there is even a sense in which the natural law also reveals God’s moral law.  Paul writes:

For the invisible things of him since the creation of the world are clearly seen, being perceived through the things that are made, even his everlasting power and divinity; that they may be without excuse. (Romans 1:20).

However, the revealed law of God, which is contained in the Scriptures, is a far more reliable and direct source of knowledge of the ways of God.  Contrary to our tendency as modern-day Christians to denigrate the use and purpose of the law, the Psalmist makes clear that the law is a powerful source of refreshment, joy and enlightenment.

At the same time, he reminds us that our ultimate source of righteousness is not the law but God himself, when he says:

Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins.
Let them not have dominion over me.

The law, as Paul says:

  is holy, and the commandment holy, and righteous, and good. (Romans 7:12).

And it is said that the law is a transcript of the very nature of God.  But the law cannot save us. The law tells us of the righteousness of God; the law convicts us of our own unrighteousness; but only God in Christ Jesus can impute righteousness to us.  Our efforts to fulfill the law in our own strength will only end in frustration.

Thanks be to God that Jesus has fulfilled the law for us in his perfect life and in his sacrificial death! By our faith in Christ, his righteousness becomes our righteousness.

RESPOND: 

Every time I look at the night sky or walk in the woods, I praise God as my Creator.  But it is when I read the Scriptures that the holy, righteous, merciful and loving nature of God becomes clear to me.  Nature reveals to me the power and beauty and creative majesty of God — but the Scriptures interpret to me the purpose of creation and the meaning of life itself.

I am grateful both for the book of nature, and the books of the Bible to aid in my understanding of God.  But it is the witness of the Spirit in my heart that completes my knowledge of God.

Lord, how I love to look at the works of your hands and praise you! And how I need to study and understand your Word in order to obey you! May your Spirit speak to me in your many languages to bring me closer to you!  Amen!

PHOTOS:

"Psalm 19:1-2 Helix Nebula" by Kahunapule Michael Johnson is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic license.

Old Testament for October 8, 2023

START WITH SCRIPTURE:
Exodus 20:1-4, 7-9, 12-20
CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

The Ten Commandments are regarded in Western culture as the foundation of Judeo-Christian law and morality.  These ten “words” aren’t exhaustive.

The Torah (the first five books of the Bible — Genesis to Deuteronomy) includes over 600 laws, commandments and precepts in the law-giving sections (Exodus to Deuteronomy).

The Ten Commandments are essentially relational, prescribing the duties of humans toward God and one another.

God initially declares his claim on Israel.  He is Yahweh their God, who has delivered Israel from slavery in Egypt.  The covenant between Yahweh and his people is predicated on this history.  Before he was their lawgiver, he was their Savior and Liberator.

For a more complete treatment of the Ten Commandments please see:

OLD TESTAMENT FOR MARCH 4, 2018

The first four commandments may be described as “vertical.”  What I mean is that they address the human relationship with God.  First, God commands their absolute allegiance to himself.  No other gods.  The second is an amplification of the first — no worship of images.  The faith of Israel requires strict monotheism and no handmade objects of devotion.  God is the maker of all creation.  It is not creation that is to be worshiped and adored, but God alone. St. Paul repeats this thought in his letter to the Romans when he describes those:

who exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. (Romans 1:25)

The lectionary for this week skips the verses that describe God’s character as jealous (verses 5-6).   God is described in very personal terms here — he is jealous of his worship, and punitive toward those who are disloyal; and loving toward those who love him.

Third, they are not to misuse the name of Yahweh.  This isn’t simply oaths or cursing, but the attempt to manipulate the holy name of God for personal gain, or as an incantation.  A name in the Hebrew mind contained in it the very nature and identity of the person.  So, to misuse the name of the Lord is to affront the very nature of God himself.

Fourth, the Sabbath is to be a day of rest for the people and their creatures, commemorating the culmination of creation when God rests from his acts of creating.  Just as God’s name is holy, so is this day to be holy — set apart.

In other words, there are to be boundaries between what is holy and what is not holy, even in our schedules.

These commandments may be summed up in this way — there is but One God who is to have no rivals, a holy name, and a holy day.  This is to remind Israel of the God who has delivered them.

The final six commandments (verses 12-17) might be called “horizontal” laws addressing the relationship between human beings — people are to honor their parents, refrain from murder, adultery, theft, false oaths and covetousness.

The concluding verses of this week’s lectionary passage illustrate the chasm that exists between the holiness and transcendence of God, and the frailties and mortality of the Israelites.

All the people perceived the thunderings, the lightnings, the sound of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking. When the people saw it, they trembled, and stayed at a distance (Exodus 20:18).

This is why they ask Moses to act as an intermediary between themselves and God:

They said to Moses, “Speak with us yourself, and we will listen; but don’t let God speak with us, lest we die.”

Moses comforts the people, but also warns them that all of these paranormal phenomena are intended to evoke their worshipful awe and fear:

Moses said to the people, “Don’t be afraid, for God has come to test you, and that his fear may be before you, that you won’t sin.”

Time will tell whether this holy awe persists and prevents the disobedience of Israel. Those who know the rest of the story are aware — the answer is no. All will fall away except for a remnant — those few like Joshua and Caleb who will follow Yahweh all the way to the Promised Land.

APPLY:  

One truth that our lectionary reading emphasizes is that we are not to equate ourselves with God, or diminish God in any way.  He is not “my buddy” — his very presence causes Israel to tremble with fear.  If there is no awe and fear in our worship, it might well be asked if we are worshiping God or worshiping ourselves!

The law reminds me of the very holiness of God, and the very personal nature of my relationship with God and with other people.  If I love God, I will want to worship him alone, worship no other substitutes, honor his name and set aside a day for worship; and if I love other people, then I will obey all of the “horizontal” commandments as well — from my heart.

As 1 John 5:2-3 says:

This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands. In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands.

RESPOND: 

Harold and Jane were not a very religious couple but tried their best; they only went to church once a year. As they were leaving the church, the minister said, “Harold, it sure would be nice to see you and Jane here more than once a year.”

“I know,” replied Harold, “We’re very busy people, leading active lives but at least we keep the Ten Commandments.”

“That’s great,” the minister said. “I’m glad to hear that you keep the Commandments.”

“Yes, we sure do” Harold said proudly, “Jane keeps six of them and I keep the other four”.

Over the past years as I have written this SOAR Blog, I have sometimes been bemused at the selections made by the lectionary editors.  I believe that the lectionary is a wonderful tool for Bible study, for reading in church, and for preaching the Word.

However, the Revised Common Lectionary does not cover the entire Bible in three years.  And from time to time, the verses that are sometimes omitted within certain passages seem to imply a particular theological slant or, at the very least, avoid controversial subjects.

For example, in our passage this week, the lectionary reading deletes the description of God’s jealous character, and the consequences of worshiping any substitute or idol other than God:

I, Yahweh your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and on the fourth generation of those who hate me, and showing loving kindness to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments (Exodus 20:5-6).

As difficult as such a passage may be for our modern sensibilities, I think we need to hear the whole story.  This excerpt reminds us that there are consequences when we worship anything other than God.  We become estranged from God, and our infidelity to God has ramifications for the generations that come after us.  More positively, though, the reverse is also true. When we are loyal to God and seek to worship him, there is an even greater and longer blessing for our children and for thousands of generations who come after us.

Lord, your law shapes my understanding of your character and my response to you.  You alone I worship.  I have no other gods beside you. I honor your name. And I worship you each week, all because these commandments have helped to guide me in my relationship with you.  But I am also grateful that my love for you now leads me to fulfill these commandments, not merely because they are a duty but because they are a joy.  Amen. 

PHOTOS:
“Exodus 20” by Tim Green is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.

Epistle for December 25, 2022

START WITH SCRIPTURE:
Hebrews 1:1-4; 2:5-12
CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

This passage is a wonderful summary of the nature, character, and mission of Jesus.

The writer of Hebrews begins by reminding us that the mission of Jesus is consistent with the message of the ancient Hebrew prophets.  God has spoken through them in the past, as enshrined in the Hebrew Bible.

However, Hebrews tells us that God has now spoken his ultimate word in the person of his Son.  Here we find a very high Christology that echoes the Gospel of John and the Epistle to the Colossians, among other New Testament writings.

The Son is described as the heir of all things, through whom he also created the worlds. This is consistent with the Prelude to the Gospel of John where John makes clear the identity of Jesus as God and as an agent of Creation:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being (John 1:1-3).

To remove any doubt about the divine-human nature of Jesus, John also says:

And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of the Father’s only Son, full of grace and truth (John 1:14).

Hebrews also stresses that the Son is directly related to the Father in his divine nature:  

He is the reflection of God’s glory and the exact imprint of God’s very being, and he sustains all things by his powerful word.

These descriptions of the Son as the image of the Father are very close to that of Colossians:

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers—all things have been created through him and for him (Colossians 1:15-16).

Hebrews is establishing the divine credentials of Jesus as the very Son of God, and as the church comes later to describe him — as the Second Person of the Trinity.

Jesus is God.

And then Hebrews focuses on the human nature of the Son, and what he accomplished in the flesh:

When he had made purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.

Of course the purification of sins is accomplished by his sacrificial death on the cross, which Hebrews will further explore throughout this epistle.  But this is the perfect example of what the divine Son of God accomplished in his human incarnation.

In Hebrews 2, the writer uses Psalm 8 as an expository text to demonstrate the Son’s work.  He makes clear that God has not chosen to accomplish his purposes through angels, but through his own Son who has become a human being.

His purpose is to subject all things under the feet of human beings, despite the fact that they seem insignificant in the cosmic scheme.  But the Psalm proclaims that God has made humans:

 a little while lower than the angels, and has crowned them with glory and honour.

But it becomes obvious that though the Psalm promises that God would subject all things under the feet of humanity, it hasn’t yet happened.  Instead, this promise has been fulfilled already in Jesus on behalf of humanity:

but we do see Jesus, who for a little while was made lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honour because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.

Jesus becomes the representative Man who allows himself to be made subordinate to angels and even suffers the consequences of death for the sake of all people.  Hebrews calls him the pioneer who makes their salvation perfect through sufferings. Later, Hebrews 12 refers to Jesus as the pioneer and perfecter of our faith (Hebrews 12:2).  This sense that Jesus is pioneer, i.e., the first, is in harmony with Pauline thought about Christ as the first fruits (1 Corinthians 15:23), and in Romans 8:29 where he is called the firstborn within a large family.

All of this is in accordance with God’s plan for whom and through whom all things exist. Hebrews makes it clear that this mission of the Son, on behalf of the Father, is all relational and familial:

For the one who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one Father.  For this reason Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters, saying, ‘I will proclaim your name to my brothers and sisters, in the midst of the congregation I will praise you.’

Even as the Father and the Son are united in relationship, so those who belong to Christ are now part of the family of God.

APPLY:  

This passage illustrates the importance of doctrine in understanding what God has done for us in Christ.  The Son of God, fully human and fully divine, has accomplished for us what we cannot accomplish for ourselves.

In the words of Philippians 2:6-7:

Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God,
did not regard equality with God
as something to be exploited,
 but emptied himself,
taking the form of a slave,
being born in human likeness.

Jesus came down to our level so that he might lift us up to his level.

Because of what Christ has done, we are now by faith a part of the “Royal Family.”

We become heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ (Romans 8:17).

RESPOND: 

When we think of Christmas, it is nearly impossible not to think of angels — Gabriel, who makes his announcements to Zechariah and Mary; the heavenly host of angels who announce the birth of Jesus to the shepherds.

We see angels everywhere — on Christmas wrapping paper, ornaments, and at the tops of trees.  Our favorite movies feature angels — It’s a Wonderful Life comes to mind.

But Hebrews keeps our fascination with angels in check.  We are reminded by Hebrews of the supremacy of Jesus:

He is the reflection of God’s glory and the exact imprint of God’s very being, and he sustains all things by his powerful word. When he had made purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.

Because of Jesus, we have an inheritance that will never perish, never expire, never fail.

Lord, my mind reels when I consider that you have emptied yourself and taken upon yourself human form and suffered so that I might be delivered from sin, death and the devil. Thank you that you have called me your brother. With your help, may I never make you ashamed.  Amen.

PHOTOS:
"Hebrews 1 - the Son, glorious, creator, sustainer, upholder" by Martin LaBar is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 2.0 Generic license.

Gospel for October 16, 2022

START WITH SCRIPTURE:
Luke 18:1-8
CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

As Jesus so often does, he tells a parable designed to shock his listeners in order to stress his point.

What might his listeners find shocking about this story?  While he begins with a spiritual point, about the importance of persistent prayer, the “hero” of the story is a judge of very dubious character.  The judge neither fears God nor respects people.  In other words, he feels no accountability to anybody! The judge is an atheist and a misanthrope!

The second shocking aspect of this story is the judge’s disregard for the widow.  Anyone even lightly familiar with the Hebrew Bible is very aware of the requirement for compassion toward widows.  The judge’s refusal to hear the widow’s request to defend her from her adversary would have outraged those who heard Jesus’ parable.

However, even this atheistic, misanthropic judge is worn down by the persistent prayers of the widow. He declares:

Though I neither fear God, nor respect man, yet because this widow bothers me, I will defend her, or else she will wear me out by her continual coming.

What Jesus implies, and what he says, is this — if this is how an atheistic judge behaves toward a persistent widow, how much more will God hear your prayers when you cry out to him constantly? Here are his exact words:

Won’t God avenge his chosen ones, who are crying out to him day and night, and yet he exercises patience with them? I tell you that he will avenge them quickly.

This is the same formula that Jesus uses earlier when he compares the Heavenly Father with earthly fatherhood, especially in regard to supplicating prayer:

“Which of you fathers, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, he won’t give him a snake instead of a fish, will he?  Or if he asks for an egg, he won’t give him a scorpion, will he?  If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?” (Luke 11:11-13).

If, then, the unjust judge will grant the petition of the persistent widow, how much more will a righteous and loving God hear the prayer of his chosen? 

And then, almost as a kind of footnote, Jesus notes that there is a scarcity of faith:

Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?

Not only is there a lack of persistence in prayer — Jesus looks ahead to the end of time and questions whether many will persist in faith in him! The foundation of persistent prayer is faith.

APPLY:  

Jesus is addressing a fundamental issue of faith — how does a person keep on praying when he/she doesn’t see any results?

The answer Jesus gives is that when you don’t get answers to prayer, keep on praying!  He gives an extreme, almost absurd analogy — if an atheistic, hardhearted judge will finally give in to the persistent lobbying of a widow, how much more will God:

 avenge his chosen ones, who are crying out to him day and night?

His emphasis on prayer is not at all about “technique” or “method” in prayer, but on the very foundation — faith.  If we believe that God is our Father who cares about us, then we can be assured that he hears us when we pray, no matter how long it may take.

RESPOND: 

I’m haunted by Jesus’ final statement in this passage:

when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?

We live in an era that leans toward narcissism and self-sufficiency, propped up by the illusion that technology makes us nearly omniscient and omnipotent.

But we are still mortal.  Wives lose husbands and become widows.  We cannot protect our children from a dangerous world.  We all face threats to health that increase as we age. The daily news reminds us that none of us can predict financial markets, catastrophes, or global events.

The man or woman of faith prays at all times based not on his or her own character, but on the character of God.  God is not the capricious, insensitive judge of the parable, but a loving, caring Father who answers prayers according to an eternal timetable.

While prayers may not always seem to be answered in the short-term, in the long-term God meets us where we are.  Our part is to have persistent faith.

Lord, I confess that some of my prayers seem to go unanswered, concerning people and issues that are deeply important to me. I am reminded that you care more about those things than I do — and you know more about those things than I do.  So I pray not to change your mind or to get my way, but so that my mind can be closer to your mind.  Amen. 

PHOTOS:
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"Chalk Board" by Dave Linscheid is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 2.0 Generic license.

Epistle for October 16, 2022

The Greek word here is theopneustos, which is a cognate of the Greek word for God (Theos) and for breath (pneo). The word pneuo shares an etymology with pneuma which is the word for breath, wind — but also for Spirit.

START WITH SCRIPTURE:
2 Timothy 3:14-4:5
CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

Paul is urging Timothy to remember the Christian doctrine he has been taught from his childhood, and to continue to preach the Gospel faithfully.

Paul begins this passage with a preposition of contrast (“But”), in order to emphasize how Timothy is to be different from the evil men and impostors (2 Timothy 3:13) of the last days (2 Timothy 3:1) that are coming.

Instead, Paul urges Timothy to stick with what he has been taught, implying that Timothy’s teachers — including Timothy’s mother, grandmother, and even Paul himself — are trustworthy.

Though Jews, Timothy’s mother Eunice and grandmother Lois were early converts to Christianity — and they had no doubt used the Hebrew Scriptures to demonstrate the Messianic ministry of Jesus.  Paul is confident that the Hebrew Bible points to Jesus:

the holy Scriptures …. are able to make you wise for salvation through faith, which is in Christ Jesus.

Therefore, when we read of Paul’s strong endorsement of Scripture we are aware that he isn’t speaking of his own letters, or the Gospels, but of the Hebrew Bible:

Every Scripture is God-breathed and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

This statement combines a high view of Scripture with an emphasis on the pragmatic nature of God’s Word.  Scripture is God-breathed. The Greek word here is theopneustos, which is a cognate of the Greek word for God (Theos) and for breath (pneo).  The word pneuo shares an etymology with pneuma which is the word for breath, wind — but also for Spirit.  What I’m getting at is that God has breathed his own thoughts into the minds of the prophets and Psalmists.

However, it is important to note that Paul stresses the pragmatic effect of the Scriptures.  Nowhere does he insist that Scripture establishes scientific or even historical inerrancy — the purpose of Scripture is to teach theological doctrine, and provide moral guidance that establishes standards of righteousness.  When the man or woman of God knows the Scriptures and applies them, then they are:

thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Paul has established the source of authority — God’s Word — and then follows that with an injunction to Timothy about how he should conduct his ministry.  Paul emphasizes the gravity of his command by pointing out that Timothy’s ministry has ultimate significance:

 I command you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at his appearing and his Kingdom….

And what is Timothy to do?

preach the word; be urgent in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with all patience and teaching.

His preaching is to be urgent, especially in keeping with the eventual judgment that will come with the advent of the Kingdom!  And he is to be negative when necessary (reprove, rebuke) and positive (exhort).   And yet he is encouraged to be patient. 

This is not a recipe for success — it is a recipe for faithfulness.  Paul advises Timothy to preach urgently in season and out of season — in other words, whether it is popular or unpopular.  For Paul knows that the time is coming that even Christians will become fickle:

For the time will come when they will not listen to the sound doctrine, but, having itching ears, will heap up for themselves teachers after their own lusts; and will turn away their ears from the truth, and turn aside to fables.

Nonetheless, Paul admonishes — no matter what others may do, and no matter how the “crowd” wants to seek out teachers that will cater to them, Timothy is to be faithful at all times, knowing that faithfulness may come with a cost:

 But you be sober in all things, suffer hardship, do the work of an evangelist, and fulfill your ministry.

APPLY:  

How are we to be faithful in our own era as we seek to evangelize this generation?  We must begin with the same source that Timothy had — the Scriptures.  We are reminded that the Apostolic teaching that Timothy had also received from Paul and others has also been included in our canon as part of the New Testament.

We also share the same challenges — people have a tendency to look for teachings that support their own prejudices and preconceptions.  This is a very real issue in the online world today.

We are told that there are computer algorithms that read our tastes and preferences, and tend to serve up advertisements and articles that are tailored to our likes.  So, it is possible that a person may only read articles and ideas that merely confirm what they already believe!

We must remember that the Word of God isn’t a kind of “mood ring,” like kids used to wear years ago, that simply reflects our own thoughts.  The Scriptures are God-breathed.  They don’t conform to our views; we are to conform our lives to the Scriptures!

RESPOND: 

I have wrestled with the statement Every Scripture is God-breathed from the moment I acknowledged Jesus as my Lord.  Unless a person has been living on a desert island, it would be impossible to miss the fact that the authority of Scripture has been questioned and even maligned for centuries.

Yet Scripture is the primary source for our knowledge of God, the saving work of Jesus Christ, the ministry of the Holy Spirit, and the coming Kingdom of God.  If we don’t have the Bible, we don’t have the Gospel!

I was recently in a friendly on-line discussion with a skeptical non-Christian who had grown up in the church, who criticized the “bronze-age god” of the Old Testament.  I’m aware that this expression has been coined by contemporary atheist writers as a derogatory slam.

Here is my answer — St. Augustine points out that God accommodates the understanding of people where they are.  If God seems to our modern sensibilities to be a bronze age god perhaps it is because he revealed himself to bronze age people.  God accommodated the understanding of Abraham, Moses and the prophets from the so-called bronze age. 

It seems to me that God is far more pragmatic than we are when it comes to teaching doctrine and ethics.  Understanding the Trinity, the Incarnation of Jesus Christ as God and man, the Virgin Birth, and other doctrines of the Christian faith requires our very best thinking, at a very high order.

However, a relationship with God requires faith, love and obedience.  In the words of Forrest Gump, “I may not be a smart man, but I know what love is.”

Obviously this doesn’t begin to address all the questions that the modern age has about Scripture, but it does remind us that we have to ask the right questions when it comes to reading the Bible.

For example, when it comes to the Creation story, we can look to scientists and historians to tell us when, what and even how. Those are questions that scientists and historians are clearly equipped to address.  But the Bible tells us the most important question, at least when it comes to our relationship with God and the meaning of life — Who created us, and why. 

Our Lord, as I study your Word, teach me what I need to know about you in order to deepen our relationship, and how to serve you more effectively.  Amen. 

 PHOTOS:
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Psalm Reading for October 16, 2022

START WITH SCRIPTURE:
Psalm 119:97-104
CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

Psalm 119 is unique.  It is one of about a dozen acrostic Psalms in the Hebrew hymnal, each stanza based on a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet.  It begins with Aleph and ends with Tav.

What sets Psalm 119 apart is that it is the longest Psalm in the Psaltery, with 176 verses; and also the longest single book in the Bible!  In fact, by itself Psalm 119 is longer than 17 Old Testament books, and 14 New Testament books!

Psalm 119 is devoted almost exclusively to the celebration of Yahweh and his holy law.

Our lectionary reading is only a small part of the total — focusing on the Hebrew letter Mem.  But this section lifts up the central theme of Psalm 119:

How I love your law!
It is my meditation all day.

This is the “first principle” of Hebrew faith — that God has revealed himself through the law.  Hence, meditation on the law makes one wise, righteous.

In fact, the Psalmist’s focus on the commandments gives him a leg up on his enemies, his teachers and the aged!

Your commandments make me wiser than my enemies,
for your commandments are always with me.
I have more understanding than all my teachers,
for your testimonies are my meditation.
I understand more than the aged,
because I have kept your precepts.

In other words, it would seem that simply studying the laws, statutes and commandments of God has given the Psalmist an unsurpassed advantage in life.

A common Biblical metaphor for the righteous way of life is walking with God (Enoch in Genesis 5:24; Noah in Genesis 6:9; Abram in Genesis 17:1; Israel walking in obedience to God’s law in Exodus 18:20, etc.), and this Psalm alludes to this Godly walk:

I have kept my feet from every evil way,
that I might observe your word.

And yet another frequent metaphor in Scripture is the imagery of the Word of God as honey that is eaten by the reader (cf Psalm 19:10; Ezekiel 3:2-4):

How sweet are your promises to my taste,
more than honey to my mouth!

As the Psalmist ingests these words, they give him wisdom to discern good and evil. And to avoid the evil:

Through your precepts, I get understanding;
therefore I hate every false way.

APPLY:  

For the Hebrew believer, the laws and commandments of God were paramount.  The law, delivered to Moses on Mount Horeb, forms the foundation of the covenant between God and Israel.  The law provides a way of life, of worship, and of righteousness to the Israelites.

For the Christian, the law is more complicated.  Paul strongly affirms that the law:

indeed is holy, and the commandment holy, and righteous, and good (Romans 7:12).

So, the Christian is never at liberty to denigrate or deny the law of God.  However, Paul’s insight is that the law can’t deliver the righteousness that it demands.  The perfect standards of the law cannot be attained by sinful men and women, no matter how good we are.

Thus, Jesus has fulfilled the law on our behalf through his sinless life and his atoning, sacrificial death:

For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus made me free from the law of sin and of death.  For what the law couldn’t do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God did, sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh; that the ordinance of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit (Romans 8:2-4).

Are we to meditate on the law, as the Psalmist did?  Yes.  But we also realize that Jesus fulfills the demands of the law on our behalf; and through the Spirit fulfills the moral and spiritual law through the law of love written on our hearts.

RESPOND: 

When I was in seminary I wrote a paper that had a rather pretentious title — “The Dialectic of Law and Grace in John Wesley’s Theology.”  Actually, despite its high-falutin’ title, the premise was relatively simple.

John Wesley’s study of the Bible led him to conclude that God’s law is holy and just and good, like Paul said.  Wesley believed that the ritual and ceremonial law of sacrifices and diet were types that symbolically pointed to the priesthood and sacrifice of Jesus.  In his life, death and resurrection, all of those ritual and dietary laws were fulfilled and were no longer required.  Jesus is our sacrifice. Therefore, the sacrifice of animals is no longer required.

However, Wesley said that Jesus never contradicted the moral law that had been revealed in the Old Testament — in fact, Jesus doubled down on the moral law!  For example, murder is bad, but anger is the beginning of the murder of a brother; adultery is wrong, but lust is the objectification of a woman and the root of adultery.  In other words, the moral law isn’t merely external — it is internal.

Wesley summed it up like this — the law drives us to Christ by showing us, as though in a mirror, that we are loathsome sinners; Christ’s grace forgives us as he fulfills the law on our behalf through his life, death and resurrection; and then Christ drives us back to the law as a helpful guide to growing in grace.  What is behind the law is always the law of love which leads us to love God, neighbor, and even our enemy!

So, along with the Psalmist, we can also say:

How I love your law!
It is my meditation all day.

Our Lord, how I love your law!  Your law reveals to me what holiness looks like, revealed in your consuming love.  It also reveals to me how far short I fall when I try to fulfill the law in my own strength. Thank you for your grace in Christ Jesus that fulfills the law on my behalf, and for your Spirit that writes your law of love on my heart.  Only through you am I able to live the life to which your law calls me.  Amen. 

PHOTOS:
"How sweet are Your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth. (Psalm 119:103) #godsword #honeybee #bee #honey #red #redflower" by Jeanette's Ozpix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic license.

Old Testament for October 16, 2022

In those days they shall say no more, The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge. (Jeremiah 31:29)
[Image: “Sour Grapes” by Geoff Johnson]

START WITH SCRIPTURE:
Jeremiah 31:27-34
CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

Jeremiah’s prophecy now looks beyond the “doom and gloom” that has comprised most of his oracles.  The “weeping prophet” sees the hope that God promises.

There are three motifs in this particular passage from Jeremiah 31:27-34.

First, Jeremiah employs an agricultural metaphor to illustrate that Yahweh will grow Israel and Judah anew in their land again.  He says that Yahweh will:

sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of man, and with the seed of animal. 

This is in contrast to the recent catastrophe that Israel and Judah had experienced, when they were plucked up, broken down, destroyed and afflicted — first by the Assyrians in 722 B.C., and then by the Babylonians in 587 B.C.  Now they would be built up and planted.

This is to be a blessed reversal — the people have been uprooted and deported from their homeland, and one day they will be returned and replanted in their homes.

In the second section, Jeremiah addresses the difficult question of who is responsible for the judgment that has befallen his people.  He refers to what may have been a familiar proverb in his time (see Ezekiel 8:2):

In those days they shall say no more, ‘The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge.’

The meaning of this expression is pretty clear, and has Biblical roots — the second of the ten commandments prohibits idolatry, and warns that the sins of the fathers will be visited on the third and fourth generation of those who hate God (Exodus 20:5; Deuteronomy 5:9).

However, Jeremiah holds out the hope that the children of those whose sins have led to judgment and destruction will be able to break that cycle.  In fact, those who are innocent won’t suffer for the sins of others.  Instead, each person will bear personal responsibility for their own moral choices:

But everyone shall die for his own iniquity: every man who eats the sour grapes, his teeth shall be set on edge.

It might be helpful to note that the imagery of the vine and the vineyard are commonly used to describe Israel.  The sour grapes that set the teeth on edge result from those who have been unfaithful to God.

Third, Jeremiah foresees a new covenant that Yahweh will establish with Israel and Judah.  Their fathers — as we’ve seen above — had broken the covenant that had been made hundreds of years earlier when they had been led out of Egypt.  Jeremiah doesn’t identify Mt. Sinai, or Moses, but it is clear that he has in mind the covenant of the law revealed to them in the wilderness.

And Jeremiah makes reference to the deep sense of betrayal that Yahweh has experienced because of this broken covenant:

my covenant they broke, although I was a husband to them, says Yahweh.

The imagery of Yahweh as husband to Israel is also used by Isaiah and Hosea to describe the intimate relationship Yahweh longed for with Israel.

But this new covenant will be different.  Instead of being written on tablets of stone, or on parchment, this will be a law that God will write on their hearts.  The external law will become internal.  And this inward law will herald a new and deeper relationship with Yahweh:

I will be their God, and they shall be my people: and they shall teach no more every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know Yahweh; for they shall all know me, from their least to their greatest, says Yahweh: for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin will I remember no more.

This promise that God will forget sin is best fulfilled in the Gospel through Jesus Christ.  Sin is washed away and forgotten because of Christ’s sacrifice.

APPLY:  

Social Scientists and psychotherapists point out that addictive and dysfunctional behavior tends to be generational.  Children of an alcoholic are more likely to be alcoholics than children of non-alcoholics.  Children who come from an abusive background are more likely to be abusive.  Children of divorced parents… well, you get the picture.

For the person raised in a difficult, dysfunctional home, this can be discouraging news.

But Jeremiah has hopeful news:

In those days they shall say no more, ‘The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge.’

In other words, the cycle of family dysfunction can be broken.  It is true that the children of the Israelites and Judah suffered because of the sins of their parents.  But it is not inevitable that children must perpetuate the sins of their parents.

What is the solution?  Jeremiah points to it:

I will put my law in their inward parts, and in their heart will I write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people: and they shall teach no more every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know Yahweh; for they shall all know me, from their least to their greatest, says Yahweh: for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin will I remember no more.

When we turn to Christ, the law of the Spirit is written on our hearts, and we are new creatures in Christ.  We can overcome the addictions and the ghosts and the bad memories of the past because we now can know Yahweh, and know that our sins are forgiven.  And what a miracle — that an all-knowing God is willing to forget our sins.

RESPOND: 

I was listening to an interview on the radio years ago that I found fascinating.  The subject of the interview was a social scientist who had committed his life to studying sociopaths and psychopaths — people who tend to either be aware of social mores of right and wrong and choose to ignore them in order to benefit themselves; or in the case of psychopaths, people who really don’t know the difference between right and wrong.

As he began to study sociopaths and psychopaths, he began to study his own family history, and he discovered that his own family was full of sociopaths and psychopaths!  And as he studied his own psychological profile, he discovered that he also had a strong tendency toward sociopathology!

And yet, he was a well-adjusted, happy husband with happy kids.  And he asked himself why he wasn’t an ax murderer or worse.  Then he answered his own question. He had a wife who loved and nurtured him.  And he had learned the difference between right and wrong, and had actually developed the ability to empathize with others.  Love made all the difference.

However, he said, after finding out what his psychological profile was, he joked that his wife did hide the sharp knives!

Our Lord, we acknowledge that there are consequences for sin — whether we have sinned, or we suffer because of the sins of others.  Write your law on our hearts so that we may turn away from evil and toward you.  Amen. 

PHOTOS:
“Sour Grapes” by Geoff Johnson is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 2.0 Generic license.

Gospel for October 3, 2021

START WITH SCRIPTURE:
Mark 10:2-16
CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

This passage seems to address two unrelated issues — divorce and children.  But in fact it might be said that they are integrally related.  Jesus addresses the centrality of the family as husband, wife, and children and emphasizes how vital they are to the kingdom of God.

The Pharisees are continuing a “gotcha” campaign in which they and other hostile groups attack Jesus with tough questions.  Here, the question relates to divorce:

Some Pharisees came, and to test him they asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?”

Note the male-centered nature of their question.  The criterion they apply is a man’s right to divorce his wife!

The circumstances of divorce at this time were that it was all male-driven.  A wife had virtually no rights, and if she were divorced and her parents did not receive her back home, she would likely become a beggar or a prostitute.  The response that Jesus gives seems in part to be a defense of the vulnerable social position of women!

Jesus follows his usual practice with the Pharisees — he turns back to Scripture, and then provides his interpretation.  Although the law of Moses permitted divorce, he assesses the necessity of such a law:  

“Because of your hardness of heart he wrote this commandment for you.

In other words, he tells them that divorce was a concession to their sinful nature, perhaps to prevent a greater wrong like domestic abuse or worse.

But then he provides the positive framework of God’s original intent for marriage, grounded in creation itself:  

But from the beginning of creation, ‘God made them male and female.’ ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.”

Jesus is quoting from Genesis 1:26 and Genesis 2:24, as if to establish that this was God’s “original will.”  God designed man and woman to be complementary and united as one, and to remain married. Divorce was an imperfect answer to the circumstances that followed the fall, and might be described as God’s “permissive will.”

But when Jesus later elaborates to his disciples on the circumstances of divorce, he makes it clear that there is no such thing in God’s plan for “no fault” divorce.  In fact, if a man sought a divorce in order to remarry, he would be guilty of sin:

“Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her;  and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.”

It doesn’t seem to be coincidental that this discussion of marriage and divorce should be followed by an incident involving children.  The focus on children as the fruit of a Godly marriage is deeply ingrained in the Biblical culture.  Psalm 128:3 describes a blessed man in a happy home:

Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house; your children will be like olive shoots around your table.

But there was still the attitude that children should be “seen and not heard.”  Or at least that seems to be the attitude of the disciples:

People were bringing little children to him in order that he might touch them; and the disciples spoke sternly to them.

The response of Jesus was a complete contrast to the disciples:  

But when Jesus saw this, he was indignant and said to them, “Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs.

Jesus even uses children as an example of the kind of trusting attitude required to enter into the kingdom of God:  

Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it.”

And we see an example of the deep humanity and warmth of Jesus:  

And he took them up in his arms, laid his hands on them, and blessed them.

APPLY:  

Such passages as these can be explosive in our time, when marriage is imperiled.  Although the oft-cited statistic that 50% of all American marriages end in divorce has been challenged, divorce is still a major challenge to the family.

Let’s be clear about God’s intent for marriage:

• God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them (Genesis 1:27).  In order to fully comprehend the nature of God, we must understand that God’s image is reflected in both male and female. (Needless to say, same-sex marriage is not implied in any way in this Biblical understanding of marriage.  The complementary nature of male and female that represent the fullness of God’s image is presupposed in the Scriptures).
• ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife,and the two shall become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two, but one flesh. To be one flesh isn’t merely descriptive of the sexual dimension of a marriage, although that is included.  It also describes the emotional and spiritual intimacy that God intends for husband and wife.
• And of course, the Biblical blessing of Biblical marriage is childrearing and the stewardship of creation: “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth” (Genesis 1:28).

But are there circumstances that permit divorce, even after Jesus has clearly stated that divorce is the result of hardness of heart ?  Well, yes.

• Jesus states that the sexual violation of the covenant of marriage is grounds for divorce: And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for unchastity, and marries another commits adultery” (Matthew 19:9). If one partner in the marriage commits adultery, Jesus makes it clear that divorce is permissible.
• Paul even insists that a believer should remain married to an unbeliever because of the positive witness they may make in the life of the unbeliever and on their children. However, abandonment seems to be grounds for divorce: But if the unbelieving partner separates, let it be so; in such a case the brother or sister is not bound (1 Corinthians 7:15).  Paul does not make clear whether the believer in such a case is permitted to remarry.

With these Biblical presuppositions made clear, we must view divorce objectively but also compassionately.

We must be very careful not to stigmatize those who have suffered divorce.  We should consider some of the causes of divorce — adultery, abandonment, alienation of affection, abuse, alcoholism and substance abuse.

The truth is that divorce is a little like war.  War is a terrible evil, but it may sometimes be necessary to prevent a greater evil.  In the same way, divorce is also evil, but it may sometimes be necessary to prevent a greater evil. A wife who is victimized by domestic abuse should not be counseled to remain in a marriage that is dangerous for herself or her children.

We need to remember that when Jesus was sternly decrying divorce to the Pharisees he was speaking to a patriarchal culture in which men held all the cards and all the power.  Women were mere property.  Jesus denounces divorce, in my opinion, in part because of his concern for the most vulnerable.

However, “no fault” divorce is never an acceptable solution for a married couple who begin their marriage as committed Christians seeking God’s will for their lives.  They should seek Godly counsel, and prayerfully seek reconciliation.

Marriage is central to the well-being of children, and the stability of a culture.

Marriage should not be entered into casually, or without prayerful, Godly instruction.

RESPOND: 

I have said almost nothing about Jesus’ warm encounter with the children, and his rebuke of the disciples:

 “Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs.”

We are to come to him as little children, in innocence and trust.  But I would also add that this close connection between Jesus’ teaching about divorce and this encounter with the children and their parents may not be coincidental.  The protection and rearing of children is one of the primary purposes of the family; we do not have children merely for our own personal fulfillment.

Lord, I thank you for the gift of marriage, and the gift of my own marriage.  I pray for Christian marriages in this selfish age.  Unite couples as one flesh in you, and strengthen their relationships!  Amen. 

PHOTOS:
“Divorce – scrabble 3” by Cordell and Cordell is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.