DEUTERONOMY 5:12-15
THE BACKGROUND
This is part of the Ten Commandments, as presented in the book of Deuteronomy. The Ten Commandments appear twice in the bible. In Exodus, they are presented as part of their journey in the wilderness. Here, they are part of Moses’ giving of the law, before Israel’s entry into the Holy Land. There are slight differences between the two, but they are basically the same.
THE DETAIL
- Today’s lesson is about the fourth commandment, keeping the Sabbath. To Jews, the Sabbath begins at sundown Friday, and lasts until sundown Saturday. Christians moved this observance to the day of our Lord’s resurrection, Sunday. (v. 12)
- In the Deuteronomy version, there is great detail on who the commandment applies to. It is not just for devout Jews, but to everybody—even foreigners and slaves. (There is no mention of housewives, who must have prepared their meals!) Even beasts of burden are required to rest on the Sabbath! (vv. 13-14)
- Also unique to Deuteronomy is the reason given. In Exodus, the reason was due to God’s resting on the seventh day of creation. Here, they are reminded of their slavery in Egypt, and that God rescued them from this fate. (v. 15)
THE TAKEAWAY
Whatever the reason, it is God’s desire and commandment for us to observe a day of rest. And not only us, but everyone around us. How then do we justify shopping and eating in restaurants on Sunday after church? (I do this every Sunday!)
2 CORINTHIANS 4:5-12
THE BACKGROUND
This is a difficult passage to understand and apply. I thank you for giving me the opportunity to dig into it.
Paul was being sharply criticized by many in the church in Corinth. Other preachers came in, were more eloquent in preaching, and even boasted about their superiority over Paul. We know that this bothered him greatly, because he keeps coming back to it in this letter. But underneath this defense are some rich lessons for our daily living.
THE DETAIL
- Our reading begins with Paul stating that he and his disciples were not out to promote themselves, but to promote Jesus as Lord. To this task they considered themselves slaves, in a good way. (v. 5)
- This is a reference to Genesis 1:3, when God created light. The insinuation is that the Christian church is God’s new creation, and Jesus is the Light. Paul’s task, as is ours, is to let this light shine; we are to share it with others. (v. 6)
- Remember those red clay flower pots? They were easy to break, and didn’t last forever. Our minds and bodies are just as prone to breakage. Remarkably, God has entrusted the spreading of the Gospel to fragile human beings. (v. 7)
- The life we lead is full of difficulties. The road of life is chock-full of potholes, but we press on. (vv. 8-9)
- We press on, keeping Jesus’ death on the cross in our hearts. We remember and share the story of his suffering. It is part of the Good News message. Many of us even wear jewelry that serves as a remembrance of his horrible death for us. (v. 10)
- Elsewhere, Paul has taught us that in our baptism we die to our old selves, and are now alive in Jesus. We live our fragile lives as living examples of his Gospel message. (v. 11)
- In this way, Jesus’ death is actively at work in us as we live our lives in service to him. (v. 11)
THE TAKEAWAY
Paul starts out on the right foot—“It’s not about me, my preaching is about Jesus, and Jesus crucified!” He cautions all of us to be wary of preachers who amass fame and fortune, rather than those who simply preach the gospel. In our daily walk, we should be Jesus to those around us, in spite of the bumps in the road.
MARK 2:23-3:6
THE BACKGROUND
This pair of stories occurs early in Jesus’ ministry. They are two of the many confrontations that he will have with the authorities.
Israel was full of a variety of believers and non-believers, just as exist in our community today. The Pharisees of Jesus’ day were devoted to the keeping of God’s Law as given by Moses. They, along with the scribes, were doing their best to please God by living godly lives, just as many (not all) Christians do today. We are, therefore, the modern equivalent of Pharisees.
THE DETAIL
- The first scene is of the disciples passing through a grain field on the Sabbath. They pick heads of grain as they walk, which is considered work. They have broken the fourth commandment. (v. 23)
- The Pharisees alert Jesus to this infraction. (v. 24)
- Jesus gives them a history lesson. He reminded them of the story of David eating the holy bread of the temple. The story is found in 1 Samuel 21:1-6. (vv. 25-26)
- Then, he makes a proclamation. It doesn’t win him any friends, and probably raised a few eyebrows. (v. 27)
- The second scene is in the temple, God’s holy house. The Pharisees were poised a ready for Jesus to do what Jesus has done before. (vv. 1-2)
- Jesus is unfazed by their contempt, and asks the man with the withered hand to come forward. He asks a loaded question, which goes unanswered. (vv. 3-4)
- Jesus is angry with them, and heals the man. (v. 5)
- The Pharisees got what they came for, and ran off to find the Herodians, to conspire against Jesus. Herodians were conservative Jews who were politically aligned with Herod. (v. 6)
THE TAKEAWAY
Interesting to note that in the second story, the man with the withered hand did not ask Jesus for healing. Also, Jesus’ question is a life or death question, not something less urgent such as a withered hand. That could wait until the next day.
But what is at question here is the importance of keeping rules over demonstrating love to a person in need. What makes Jesus angry is that the Pharisees chose compliance over compassion.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
While it is important to do our best to obey God’s commandments, the most important one is loving God and one another. It’s easier to stick to the rules, but sometimes God would prefer us to love someone who needs our help.