DEUTERONOMY 30:15-20
THE BACKGROUND
The book of Deuteronomy consists mainly of one, very long address of Moses to his people. They are about to enter the promised land without him. Most of this address is a reading of “The Law of Moses”, including the Ten Commandments. After today’s reading, Moses sings a song, and dies. Today’s reading occurs at a pivotal moment in the story—it is time to decide.
THE DETAIL
- God’s people are given a choice—life or death, prosperity or ruin. The choice is theirs. (v. 15)
- Moses has just given them a very long list of rules; laws to obey, if they chose to be His people. There are 26 chapters of laws, starting at chapter 4! Moses tells them that if they chose to follow these laws and love God, they will prosper. (v. 16)
- On the other hand, if they reject these laws and the Lord God Jahweh who gives them, you will perish. (vv. 17-18)
- Heaven and earth are called as witnesses to their decision. Life or death. The choice is theirs to make. (v. 19)
- By loving the Lord, and obeying Him, He will fulfill the promises He made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. (v. 20)
THE TAKEAWAY
We, too, have a live or death decision to make. By putting our trust in God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, we are assured of life eternal. Just as important, by entering into a loving, obedient relationship with God, we receive innumerable blessings. They aren’t always monetary. Sometimes they are spiritual. But they do come, don’t they?
PHILEMON 1:1-21
THE BACKGROUND
Paul’s letter to Philemon is one of those rare treasures. Paul was in prison in Ephesus. He would be in there for two years! Philemon was a wealthy Christian living in Colossae. Philemon has invited Paul to stay with him, when he is released from prison. Philemon owned slaves, which was not uncommon. One of these slaves, a man named Onesimus, escaped from his master. He could have been crucified for this. Onesimus found his way to Ephesus, where he helped care for Paul in prison. In Roman prisons, one was rarely fed, was kept in darkness, and received little or no exercise. Many prisoners, after their release, were blind, crippled, or both.
THE DETAIL
- The letter starts out in Paul’s typical style. First, it states who it’s from. (vv. 1-2)
- Next comes the greeting of grace and peace to the recipient. (v. 3)
- Also typical, the recipient is mentioned to be in Paul’s prayers, but the tone is different. There is personal warmth and love. It may just be Paul, buttering up Philemon, but it might be more. Perhaps there was a genuine friendship here. (vv. 4-7)
- He zeroes in on the request, calling it more of a command, even though he could do it out of love. (vv. 8-9)
- He names Onesimus, but he also calls him “my child” and Paul his “father”. He says that he has become useful to both of them. (vv. 10-11)
- Paul wants to send Onesimus back to him, but wants his OK first. He states that things have changed. He might still be a slave, but is now their brother in Christ. (vv. 12-16)
- He’s requesting that Philemon take him back, welcoming him as he would Paul. And Paul will pay for any damages (or theft) that Onesimus might have done. (vv. 17-18)
- To emphasize his sincerity, Paul takes the pen from the scribe, and writes this promise in his own hand. (v. 19)
- Paul closes by lovingly applying a little more pressure. (vv. 20-21)
THE TAKEAWAY
Apparently, Philemon had converted to Christianity, through Paul, on a visit to Ephesus. In desperation, the runaway slave traveled the 150 miles from Colossae to Ephesus to seek Paul out. Paul could have sheltered the slave, maybe helping him escape to Greece. It would also implicate him by harboring a runaway. Instead, he puts his trust in Philemon’s faith, and asks him to receive Onesimus in the spirit of reconciliation—the same spirit of grace that the Father has for our transgressions. He sends Onesimus and a disciple named Tychius to Colassae with the letter. Doing this would be dangerous for Onesimus, and very awkward for Philemon. In the end,, we do not know what Philemon did. What we do know is that fifty years later, the bishop of Ephesus is a man called Onesimus. Is this the same person? We will never know.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
Would you have heeded Paul’s request, and forgiven Onesimus?
LUKE 14:25-33
THE BACKGROUND
We are in the middle part of the Gospel of Luke, the teaching part. Jesus traveled from town to town, teaching in the synagogues and on the hillside. He is drawing a crowd.
THE DETAIL
- We learn that “large crowds” are following Jesus. I’m sure that some of these followers were hanging on each word, learning, and growing in faith. I’ll bet that many were simply curious, waiting for him to perform another miracle. He stops, turns to the crowd, and speaks. (v. 25)
- He tells the crowd that if they want to be his disciple, they must hate their family and their life. If they’re not prepared to do that or “carry the cross”, they can’t be his disciple. We’ll discuss “hate” in the Takeaway. (vv. 26-27)
- He next provides them with two parables to make his point. Both have to do with measuring the cost of an endeavor before undertaking it. (vv. 28-32)
- In conclusion, he states that you cannot become his disciple unless you sell all your possessions. (v. 33)
THE TAKEAWAY
This is a difficult teaching, to be sure! This teaching is labeled “The Cost of Discipleship”. Jesus has certainly challenged his crowd and us as well. First, let’s talk about the word “hate”. There are three points to be made.
- Jesus clearly is not advocating that we hate anybody, especially our family. Jesus’ message is about love—not only our neighbors but also our enemies.
- You could say that he was using hyperbole—making exaggerating sentence to make his point. If you’ve ever said “If I told you once, I’ve told you a thousand times to…”, then you’ve used hyperbole to make a strong statement.
- The Old Testament uses the word “hate” to indicate “less loved”. A prime example of this comes from the story of Jacob and his wives Rachel and Leah. Jacob was in love with Rachel, but tricked into marrying Leah first. The bible states that he “hated” Leah. (Genesis 29:31) In the verse prior, it states that Jacob loved Rachel more than Leah. Also, Jacob and Leah had six children together. I don’t think he really “hated” Leah. Perhaps Jesus meant “hate” in this sense.
Whatever the case, Jesus is making a strong case for measuring the cost of being his disciple. He wants to weed out the thrill-seekers from the faith-seekers.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
If you had to choose between Jesus and your family ties, would you leave your family to follow him?