Month: January 2022

Luke 11:37-42, 45-46, 52 NLT As Jesus was speaking, one of the Pharisees invited him home for a meal. So he went in and took his place at the table. ³⁸ His host was amazed to see that he sat down to eat without first performing the hand-washing ceremony required by Jewish custom. ³⁹ Then the Lord said to him, “You Pharisees are so careful to clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside you are filthy—full of greed and wickedness! ⁴⁰ Fools! Didn’t God make the inside as well as the outside? ⁴¹ So clean the inside by giving gifts to the poor, and you will be clean all over.

⁴² “What sorrow awaits you Pharisees! For you are careful to tithe even the tiniest income from your herb gardens, but you ignore justice and the love of God. You should tithe, yes, but do not neglect the more important things.

⁴⁵ “Teacher,” said an expert in religious law, “you have insulted us, too, in what you just said.”  ⁴⁶ “Yes,” said Jesus, “what sorrow also awaits you experts in religious law! For you crush people with unbearable religious demands, and you never lift a finger to ease the burden. … ⁵² What sorrow awaits you experts in religious law! For you remove the key to knowledge from the people. You don’t enter the Kingdom yourselves, and you prevent others from entering.”

Observation

Pharisees and Scribes were the interpreters and authoritative teachers of the Law – the rabbis/pastors who controlled the synagogues which were the places where people gathered locally for worship.  At the time of Jesus, the Law for these two groups included both the Written Law (Torah/Books of Moses) and the Oral Law (their detailed interpretation of how to follow the Law).   Both of these groups were placed on a pedestal (highly respected and considered more spiritual) by the people as religious authorities and spiritual examples to follow.  Jesus is here accusing them of losing God’s perspective by making an idol of traditions (Oral Law) – “you ignore justice and the love of God. You should tithe, yes, but do not neglect the more important things.”

This Oral Torah (circa 200 AD codified in the Mishnah) was a code of conduct expanding on the 613 commandments of the Torah, including a wide range of highly detailed rules on ritual and worship practices, interpersonal relationships, dietary rules, Sabbath and festival observances, agricultural practices, and civil claims and damages.  In the Mishnah’s 60 plus pages on handwashing rituals for all occasions, neglecting to wash your hands in the proper proscribed manner before eating bread could result in excommunication and/or expectations of God’s direct punishment of poverty or death.

Recognize the location here.  Jesus is sitting in a Pharisee’s home at his table.  All of the other guests are probably Pharisees, too.  Jesus is accusing them of looking good but really being “filthy—full of greed and wickedness” because of their practice of placing intolerable legalistic requirements on the people but contriving ways of avoiding the regulations themselves.  Jesus was accusing them of failing to practice what they preached, leaving any sound teaching neutralized and undermined by their hypocrisy.   Jesus accuses them of making idols of their traditions, of being self-righteousness, full of outward form but devoid of inner spiritual purity.  I wonder what Jesus would say at my table.

Impact on Me

Sometimes we want Jesus to be an “unoffending Jesus”—a version of Jesus who agrees with everything we already think, likes what we already like, and wants us to do what we already wanted to do before we came to Him.  We want all the benefit without the sacrifice. But that Jesus is not the Jesus of the Bible. If you reduce Jesus to a cartoon who is not allowed to offend you, then be prepared that such a made-up version of Jesus won’t be able to save or heal you either.  I want to constantly be giving the Holy Spirit freedom to clean the inside of me even when it is uncomfortable, shame producing or painful.

I am completely human.  I have a tendency to think I am right and, when cranky, tired, impatient or angry, I may decide that I also know what is right for you.  In those moments I become those Pharisees, wanting to standardize God’s requirements so I can be the judge of another’s obedience, commitment or faith rather than examining my own obedience to God’s requirements of me.

I have learned through experience that God is not required (or inclined) to live up to my expectations, my plans, my determination of what is right, just or beneficial.  He expects me to listen and obey His will, plans and purposes for me while being an encouragement and help to others to do the same.  When I start imposing my standards for righteousness on another, I become the problem.  I want to be the welcomer on the inside of the gate, not the policeman stopping people outside – “You don’t enter the Kingdom yourselves, and you prevent others from entering.”

Prayer

Father God, Creator of all that exists, You made me human with all of humanity’s faults – emotional, inconsistent, judgmental, rebellious, prideful to name only a few.  When I first came to Jesus and embraced His sacrifice for me, You began the process of convincing my soul to listen and obey His Spirit in me rather than its old mentors, my flesh and the world.  Today, I seek to be more merciful and gracious, one who encourages and demonstrates Your love for others.  Keep me from falling into the very human trap of judging how others are living up to Your standards by reminding me to examine myself to see where we are in the process of my sanctification.  Help me never sacrifice love and justice for following rules or traditions.  I ask this all in Jesus’ name.  Amen.

Lamentations 3:17-24 MSG I’ve forgotten what the good life is like. I said to myself, “This is it. I’m finished. God is a lost cause.” ^19-21 I’ll never forget the trouble, the utter lostness, the taste of ashes, the poison I’ve swallowed. I remember it all—oh, how well I remember—the feeling of hitting the bottom.
But there’s one other thing I remember, and remembering, I keep a grip on hope: ^22-24 God’s loyal love couldn’t have run out, his merciful love couldn’t have dried up. They’re created new every morning. How great your faithfulness! I’m sticking with God (I say it over and over). He’s all I’ve got left.

Observation

The prophet Jeremiah, like King David, was one who freely and publicly lamented before God.  Jeremiah repeatedly warned that, despite their status as God’s chosen people, disaster was looming.  God’s blessing and protection were  conditional on obedience to the covenant (agreement) between them (Deuteronomy 28) and His patience had run out.  If you read 2 Kings and 2 Chronicles, you can see that the moral and legal conditions were not anywhere close to being met. 

So, God allowed the Babylonians under Nebuchadnezzar to destroy most of Jerusalem, burn down the Temple, and carry all but the poorest people into exile.  This conquest went even deeper than the physical loss and devastation for the Israelites because the Temple was seen as the home of God’s presence among them.  No Temple meant God had stepped back, removed His hand of protection and fulfilled His promises for Israel and Judah ignoring their covenant with Him. 

Deuteronomy 28:26a, 35 NIV  The Lord will cause you to be defeated before your enemies. …³⁶ The Lord will drive you and the king you set over you to a nation unknown to you or your ancestors.  There you will worship other gods, gods of wood and stone.

So, under these devastating conditions, it is no wonder that Jeremiah confesses his “feeling of hitting bottom.”  The destruction of the Temple alone was like stripping the nation of its soul, hope and future, a sign that God had abandoned making His home among them.  He has already confessed that God is righteous  (Lam 1:18) and that Judah received its just desserts according to the covenant between them.   Nevertheless, in the midst of the crushing circumstances, he remembers “God’s loyal love couldn’t have run out, his merciful love couldn’t have dried up. They’re created new every morning. How great your faithfulness!”

 Jeremiah, like David in the psalms, always returns from despair to hope, trusting in God’s goodness as he remembers and holds on to the constancy of God’s mercy, compassion and faithfulness.  Like David, Jeremiah has a “but God” ending.  “Things are terrible BUT God is unfailingly good, faithful, merciful, loving and just.”   Jeremiah reminds us to keep our “buts” in the right place.  If we will keep our trust and hope in God regardless of the devastating circumstances or any lack of understanding as to the “why” of those circumstances, God is still good and we can trust in Him!

Impact on Me

This is a difficult book to read.   This book of Lamentations cries out about human struggles still common today – worshipping at the altar of other gods, defeat, loneliness, abandonment, sorrow, pain or agony due to sickness, suffering, loss or death, and shame or loss due to sinful living.  I have been where Jeremiah is at this moment – “I’ll never forget the trouble, the utter lostness, the taste of ashes, the poison I’ve swallowed. I remember it all—oh, how well I remember—the feeling of hitting the bottom.”

However, like Jeremiah, I recognize that there is nowhere else to turn but God when I hit bottom.  Through the bitter, desperate and difficult experiences, when I reach out to Him, I have found Jesus close by, His presence ever more tangible, His comfort ever sweeter.  I am always in a place where all my efforts have failed, my resources proved inadequate, my possibilities exhausted.  Why do I wait until I hit bottom?  Why don’t I cry out on the way down?  Do I think I am weak for seeking His help?  The only weakness in this instance is my faith in His mercy, His provision, His ability to execute His eternal plan and my commitment to be used by Him regardless of the cost to me. 

I am learning as I walk with Him that God is more interested in my character than my comfort.  He takes me to the places that I need to become what He needs me to be to do what He needs me to do.  I need to remember that in the middle of the circumstances.   There is no one and nothing else that is my sure hope.  “But there’s one other thing I remember, and remembering, I keep a grip on hope: ^22-24 God’s loyal love couldn’t have run out, his merciful love couldn’t have dried up. They’re created new every morning. How great your faithfulness! I’m sticking with God (I say it over and over). He’s all I’ve got left.”

Prayer

Lord God, You are goodness itself.  Your faithfulness is unquestioned.  Your mercy and grace never fail.  You are working out Your eternal plan and I am privileged to be an instrument in Your hand.  Give me the wisdom to cry out to You on the way down before I hit bottom.  Remind me when I whine about the circumstances that You have everything in control.  Give me discernment into whether the circumstances are my fault, the devil’s attack, or part of Your will and purpose for me.  I pray that I will be what You need me to be and do what You need me to do in all circumstances.    Make it so, in Jesus’ name.  

2 Corinthians 2:14b-16 MSG In the Messiah, in Christ, God leads us from place to place in one perpetual victory parade. Through us, he brings knowledge of Christ. Everywhere we go, people breathe in the exquisite fragrance. Because of Christ, we give off a sweet scent rising to God, which is recognized by those on the way of salvation—an aroma redolent with life. But those on the way to destruction treat us more like the stench from a rotting corpse. 

1 John 4:4-6 MSG  My dear children, you come from God and belong to God. You have already won a big victory over those false teachers, for the Spirit in you is far stronger than anything in the world. These people belong to the Christ-denying world. They talk the world’s language and the world eats it up. But we come from God and belong to God. Anyone who knows God understands us and listens. The person who has nothing to do with God will, of course, not listen to us. This is another test for telling the Spirit of Truth from the spirit of deception.

Observation

2 Corinthians is written by the Apostle Paul to the church he founded in Corinth.  A faction arose in the church which disputed Paul’s authority and teaching.  Paul had to confront this faction not to preserve any status or position of power on his part, but, rather, to assure that the people were not deceived and derailed by false teaching.  It is the truth that sets people free. 

This is not the only time of conflict or persecution that Paul faced during his Christian life and ministry.  He relates to us that ministry has joy, hope, sorrow, rejection, pain, and fulfillment.  He asks us to remember that one person’s victory is another’s defeat.  Satan is not a good loser and he will do his best to convince us that we are really the losers by trying to discourage us with difficult circumstances, struggles and rejection.  Paul is telling us here that, regardless of our circumstances and the struggles we may face, we always have victory when we are in Christ and working to bring others in.  “In the Messiah, in Christ, God leads us from place to place in one perpetual victory parade.”

Should we be shocked or taken aback when we experience conflict or rejection in ministry?  Should we lose hope when circumstances make it seem like we are on the losing end of the victory parade?  I don’t think so!  Jesus is the incarnate God, the ultimate teacher, full of the Holy Spirit, power and wisdom.  Yet, the crowds that sat under His ministry had varied reactions – some were forever changed, some thought it was a good message and left unchanged, some were offended and wanted to kill Him.  Jesus was overturning sacred cows (traditions held to be above criticism) and this made Him very unpopular with, and even dangerous to, those in authority.  Paul is telling us that we should expect no less when the power of God comes against man made power structures.  Jesus hanging on the Cross did not look very victorious, but it actuality it was the most victorious day in all history.

Impact on Me

There are plenty of times I have felt like I was on the losing side in ministry and watching Satan’s victory parade.  It is usually when things don’t go the way I have planned or get the result I expected within my timeframe and in the way I decided demonstrated success.  Through introspection and seeking God on what I classed as my failures (or, Lord forgive me, when I blamed Him), there are several replies by the Holy Spirit in return.  “Did you consult me on the plan and my desired result?”  “There seems to be a lot of ‘I’ in the planning and not much ‘us’.”   It is then I realize that I was setting the expectations rather than letting God be in control.  I wanted Him to bless my plan rather than listen to His.  I wanted to set the standards for success rather than trust that His plan from the foundation of the world was no longer sufficient.  Have I joined the ranks of those who looked upon Jesus on the Cross and despaired because it didn’t fit my definition of Messiah? 

It is that exact moment, when I look on the Cross and see the blood running down, that I repent for my pride and foolishness, asking forgiveness for doubting God’s plans and the method He chooses to execute them.  While His ways may seem to me like an oddball way to total victory, I resubmit myself to be obedient whether I understand or not.  There will always be people who “belong to the Christ-denying world.”  Sometimes, it will seem like they are victorious over the Gospel.  However, we always have victory over them because “the Spirit in you is far stronger than anything in the world.”  We cannot let circumstances, struggles and trials make us forget that in Christ we are in the victory parade, not just watching one pass us by! 

Prayer

Lord of Heaven and Earth, Messiah, Redeemer, All-Wise God, I pray that You will teach me Your ways and give me insight into how I can serve You best.  When difficulties, trials and struggles come, remind me that You are working all things together for good whether I understand or not.  I set myself to do justly, love mercy and walk humbly – following Your instructions.  I recommit to giving You control over the cost-benefit analysis, like Jesus, trusting that whatever the cost to me, it is worth the benefit to You.  May I always be that aroma redolent with the life of Christ so others might be drawn to the knowledge of Him.  I ask it all in Jesus’ name.  Make it so!