JEREMIAH 17:5-10
THE BACKGROUND
During Jeremiah’s time, both the Egyptians and the Babylonians were strong adversaries. God’s people were threatened from both sides. Some advocated forming an alliance with Egypt against the Babylonians, others supported doing the opposite. In today’s reading, Jeremiah begins by saying “Thus says the Lord…” This indicates that he is not offering the hearers his opinion; he is alerting the listener that the words about to be spoken come directly from God. We are about to hear what God has to say about the situation.
THE DETAIL
- The first sentence is a real attention-getter. If you put your trust in “mere mortals”, and turn away from the Lord, you are cursed. Note that this is an either/or statement. There is no room for trusting in both. (v. 5)
- The Lord says that trusting in other people is like planting a shrub in the desert. There’s no hope of survival. (v. 6)
- Instead, those who trust in the Lord will be blessed. (v. 7)
- Trusting in Him is like a tree planted by a river, growing rich and strong. It is able to withstand threats of heat or drought, and will bear fruit continuously. (v. 8)
- Here, God asks a rhetorical question. It’s sort of like the question that men ask about women—“Who can understand them?” (v. 9)
- Finally, God reminds us that He tests our minds and our hearts. He knows in whom we place our trust. (v. 10)
THE TAKEAWAY
This passage uses the word “trust”. You could easily substitute the word “faith”. The meaning would be the same. It is clear from this passage that we should put our faith and trust in God. We should not pin our hopes on promises made by mere mortals. All too often, we put too much trust in our friends, family, and elected officials. Yet, they come and go. Our trust should be devoted to God and God alone. Anything else is asking for trouble.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
I’d like to say that I ascribe to this message totally. But is this really true? I trust my wife. I trust my family and certain friends. We must depend upon others to successfully navigate our daily lives. But ultimately, it is only our faith that saves us. Trusting in the Lord is our only true hope for the future.
1 CORINTHIANS 15:12-20
THE BACKGROUND
Much of Paul’s first letter to the church in Corinth was written to address concerns that had arisen there. There was some disagreement within the congregation about the resurrection of the dead, as stated in the opening verse of today’s passage. You may recall from last week’s reading, that Paul provides a good list of eye-witnesses of the resurrected Jesus. (1 Cor. 15:5-8)
THE DETAIL
- It is clear from this first verse that some in Corinth claimed that there is no such thing as the resurrection of the dead. Paul challenges them with logic, stating that you cannot say that Jesus was resurrected, and yet not believe in resurrection. (v. 12)
- Paul continues with this logical line of reasoning, stating that if there is no resurrection, then even Jesus did not rise from the dead. And if Jesus did not rise from the dead, then our faith is in vain. In other words, if Jesus did not rise from the dead, then he was simply jus another very good preacher. (vv. 13-14)
- To make matters worse, if Jesus was not risen from the dead, it makes all the apostles liars! (v. 15)
- The remainder of the paragraph addresses the consequences of not believing in the resurrection (vv. 16-19):
- This king of faith is futile—it gets us nowhere. It is like believing in the Easter bunny.
- Our sins have not been forgiven, so we still bear them all.
- Our loved ones who have died have no hope of eternal life.
- If we pin our hopes on an un-resurrected Christ, we are a pitiful lot.
- But since we do (don’t we?) believe in the resurrection, Jesus is the “first fruits” of the dead. [And the little list above is null and void.] (v. 20)
THE TAKEAWAY
I will be the first to admit that I find the resurrection of the dead a difficult concept to comprehend. I have many unanswered questions about the details. But Paul makes it clear in this chapter of his letter that:
- There were many, many eyewitnesses to the resurrected Jesus.
- Without believing this, Jesus was just a really nice guy. Nothing more.
Since we are all disciples (followers) of Jesus Christ, we know that Jesus was the son of God. We trust in the witness of those who have gone before us. We proclaim the resurrection of the dead when we recite the creeds, even if we do not have all the details. We have faith.
LUKE 6:17-26
THE BACKGROUND
Today’s reading goes to the core of Jesus’ teaching. This passage is usually called Jesus’ “Sermon on the Plain”. In Matthew 5 & 6, we read of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. Here, Luke describes a different location—a level place. But if you read the Sermon on the Mount, you will notice some similarities as well as some differences. We don’t go into that sort of analysis here, but I encourage you to do that for yourself.
I have often wondered: “Why would Jesus repeat himself, once on a hillside and once on a level place?” This is what I’ve surmised. When a presidential candidate is on the campaign trail, he or she gives a speech to the listeners. Some of this speech is tailored to the needs of the crowd, but the core of the speech will be the same throughout the entire campaign. The conclusion that I’ve come to about Jesus’ speeches is that its contents are the core of Jesus’ ministry-mission. They are part of reason why he was sent to us in the first place—to tell us what is important to God. I have a feeling that Jesus spoke this message more than twice in his life. These two gospel writers chose to only include one occurrence in each of their accounts.
THE DETAIL
- In the previous verses, Jesus was on a mountain, praying with his apostles (the 12). Afterward, at the beginning of our passage, he came down [off the mountain], where he was joined by his disciples*, and a “great multitude”. Note that this large group also included people from Tyre and Sidon. These were gentile areas. (v. 17)
- We read about the people who came to hear and see Jesus. Some wanted to hear his teachings. Others came out of desperation. They were ill, either physically, mentally, or spiritually. They came to be healed. (v. 18)
- Jesus cared for them, healing them, and teaching them. What a sight it must have been, to see “the power came out from him”, as he healed the sick! As you may recall from my explanation of previous healing accounts, Jesus did this for two reasons. First, he did this out of love and compassion for those in need. Second, these miraculous healings alert those around him that Jesus is something out of the ordinary; somebody who requires them to stop, listen, and contemplate. (v. 19)
- Now that Jesus has accomplished his two-fold purpose in healing, it is time for him to teach. These next verses sound very much like the Beatitudes of Matthew 5. We’ll summarize them in the takeaway. (vv. 20-23)
- New to this speech are a series of “woes”. These are in direct contrast to each of the “blessed” statements. You can make a little chart, if you like, to line each up with the other. (vv. 24-26)
THE TAKEAWAY
Most of Jesus’ teachings, the Sermons on the Mount and Plain, as well as his parables tell us about what is most important to God. Jesus uses the phrase “the kingdom of God” to explain these priorities. Since we are unfamiliar with kingdoms, the words lose their value to us. I suggest that we consider these teachings to explain to us what God’s World is like. These are the priorities and values He holds dear. They should be the priorities and values we also hold dear. This is how we should think and behave in “God’s World”. If you take a close look at these, they are in direct contradiction to normal human values. We value the “woes”! This is not good. If we are Jesus’ disciples, then we need to try to embrace Jesus’ values, not our own human values.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
In case you’d like a list of human values, here’s a starter list for you. Compare this to Jesus’ “blesseds” in today’s reading, as well as his parables about the lost sheep and coin, the Good Samaritan, etc.
- Look out for #1, because nobody else will.
- Keep your own back yard clean, and don’t worry about the others.
- It’s all about getting ahead, about being Top Dog.
- The lead dog in a dog sled team has the best view. BE THE LEAD DOG!
- Avoid the sick, lame, and lazy at all costs. They just want to take your money.
- I’ve worked hard for my money. It is all mine. I don’t owe anybody anything.
- Don’t worry, be happy!
- Life is short, grab for the gusto!
I think we have a long way to go, before our world conforms to God’s world, don’t you?
* In Luke, the apostles are the 12 that Jesus chose to be his inner circle of pupils. Luke uses the word “disciples” to include not just the 12, but all of the followers of Jesus. This is why we are all Jesus’ disciples. We, too, follow Jesus in our daily faith-walk.