Weekly Reflections

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For Easter, March 31, 2024

For the Sundays beginning with Easter and following, the first lesson does not come from the Old Testament; it comes from the book of Acts.  We shift our focus from the old promise to the actions of the apostles, who will spread the Good News with the help of the Holy Spirit.

 

ACTS 10:34-43

THE BACKGROUND

The Holy Spirit has called Peter to go to the house of Cornelius in the city of Philippi. Cornelius is an officer in the Roman army, and a Gentile.  But he is a “god-lover”.  This is what they called non-Jews who worshipped Yahweh, but did not fully convert to all the Jewish practices, namely the dietary laws and circumcision. The Holy Spirit called Peter to bring the Good News to Cornelius’ household.  At this point in time, most of the Christians were Jewish, and kept all the Laws of Moses.

THE DETAIL

  • Peter begins his speech by making a bold statement.  He says that “…God shows no partiality.”  Because of what the Holy Spirit has revealed to him early in this chapter, Peter now knows that Yahweh is not just interested in a relationship with His “chosen people”; God loves everyone, showing no partiality to the Jews. (This is very good news to all of us Gentiles!)  (v.34)
  • He then says “You [already] know his relationship with the people of Israel, and the teachings of Jesus [the] Christ.  By the way, Jesus is Lord of all “.  (This is my personal paraphrase of verses 35 & 36.)
  • Peter goes on to concisely explain the life and ministry of Jesus.  (vv. 37-39)
  • He concludes with Jesus’ death and resurrection, adding that he and those who came with him that day were witnesses to all of this.  (vv. 40-41)
  • Now comes the clincher.  Jesus not only commanded them to spread the news.  Jesus is the one ordained by God to will judge us all.  Not only that, everything you (Cornelius) know about the prophets—they all testified about him.  (vv. 42-43)
  • The rest of the story, not included here, is that Cornelius and his entire household believed in Jesus, and were baptized that day.  The Holy Spirit came, and caused them all to speak in tongues, just like those at Pentecost.

THE TAKEAWAY

No longer do the Jews have exclusive access to God’s love.  God sent Jesus to gather us all in, even Roman army officers.  He commands us all to preach the Good News of Christ to everyone, regardless of who they might be.  
 

1 CORINTHIANS 15:1-11

THE BACKGROUND

This reading is really the tip of a huge iceberg.  Chapter 15 is 58 verses long.  After the 11th verse, Paul shifts into a long discussion on the resurrection—its truth and meaning.  Apparently, some believers in Corinth were questioning whether or not the resurrection actually happened.  This would be a wonderful study and basis for a sermon, but who wants to hear 58 verses of the bible read on Easter Sunday?  I do recommend that you at least skim over the entire chapter, if you have time. But let’s focus on what Paul says in these eleven verses.

THE DETAIL

  • Paul reminds them what he had previously taught them, that Jesus lived, died, was buried, and rose on the third day.  (vv. 1-4)
  • Paul provides a long list of Jesus’ post-resurrection appearances. (vv. 5-8)
  • Paul gets around to humbly including himself in the list.  (vv. 9-10)
  • He concludes this section by saying that Paul and the apostles did this for their (and our) benefit. (v. 11)

THE TAKEAWAY

These verses are good for me to read during times of doubt.  It wasn’t just a couple of people making this up—there were many witnesses and many appearances.  We can rest assured that Jesus not only died for our sins, but rose on the third day. He truly is Lord of All!
 

MARK 16:1-8

THE BACKGROUND

For the Jews, the Sabbath begins on Friday evening, and ends on Saturday at sundown.  You are not allowed to do any work on the Sabbath, so completing the burial operations on Jesus’ body had to wait until the first day of the week—Sunday morning.

This passage comes at the end of Mark’s gospel.  Verses 9- 20 are about Jesus’ post-resurrection appearances.  It should be noted that these verses are absent in the older manuscripts of Mark’s gospel.  Some have concluded that these verses were not part of the original gospel, but were added at a later time. 

THE DETAIL

Three women who were close to Jesus are assigned the task of caring for Jesus’ body.  But they had a big surprise waiting for them.  The body was gone!  A young man in a white robe explains that Jesus was raised from the dead, and was no longer there.  The women fled in terror and amazement.

THE TAKEAWAY

Those poor women went to the tomb in grief and left in terror.  They were so filled with fear, they spoke of this to no one.  From the other gospels, we learn that it took some time before the apostles believed them. 

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Why might these women been so full of fear?  Were they afraid of being ridiculed?  After all, who ever heard of anyone rising from the dead?  Don’t we also share this same fear?  Why are we so reluctant to share the good news of Jesus’ resurrection?  We should listen to the young man at the tomb, and not be alarmed or afraid.  We should be like Paul and the others, sharing the good news with others. 

For Palm Sunday, March 24, 2024

The following includes the alternate Gospel reading, which is much shorter than the primary selection.  If Pastor decides to use the longer lesson, I will add a reflection for that passage later on this week.  

 

ISAIAH 50:4-9a

THE BACKGROUND

Most believe that this part of Isaiah was written during Israel’s exile in Babylon, around 550 BC.  They are the third of four song-poems that theologians have called Servant Songs. They describe the experiences of an unnamed servant of the Lord.  Who was this servant?  Some say it was God’s people, in this case Israel.  Some say it describes the prophets.  Christians want to conclude that these words refer to Jesus.  I would like to say yes and no to all three!  But before I do, here are all four song-poems1:

Song One,  Is. 42:1-6  He will bring justice to the nations. 

Song Two,  Is. 49:1-6  I make you a light to the nations.

Song Three, Is. 50:4-9  Turned my back to those who beat me.

Song Four, Is. 52:13-53:12  Bruised for our iniquities.

 

1  Table from “Reading the Old Testament”, Bandstra, chapter 10.  Thompson Wadsworth Publishing

 

THE DETAIL

  • The first thing to note that this song is written in the first person (“me” instead of “he”).  It is a personal recounting from an unnamed person who has been called the Suffering Servant.  Could this be Isaiah’s testimony?  (v.4)
  • So, the servant’s ears are opened, and he listens to God’s directives.  He obeyed God, and “did not turn backwards”.  (vv. 4-5)
  • Because of his conviction, he endures pain, suffering, and humiliation.  (v. 6)
  • He is unmoved.  The words “I have set my face like flint…” are striking to me. Flint is a rock that is so hard that they used to make cutting tools from it.  This is determination!  (v. 7)
  • The remaining verses show dignity and resolve in the face of danger.  They seem to me to be like a boxer in a ring with his feet firmly planted.  “Bring it on!” the servant seems to say. (v. 8)
  • And finally, the servant proudly declares that “It is the Lord God who helps me…”  With God on his side, the others don’t stand a chance.  (v. 9)

 

THE TAKEAWAY

So who was this servant?  The Bible doesn’t say!  Let’s look at two or three possibilities.

  • Early Christians were quick to see Jesus in these words.  The suffering described in Songs 3 & 4 is very descriptive of what Jesus endured. But think about it for a moment. These words were written over 500 years before Jesus walked the earth.  The people in exile would not have said “that’s Jesus!”  Imagine going into a publisher today with a manuscript that does not make sense, and asking for it to be published.  “No, it doesn’t make sense now, but it will in 500 years.” Do you think they’ll publish it? No.  These songs must have made sense to the people of Isaiah’s day.  These words were preserved for over five centuries before they applied to Jesus.  But they sure do apply to Jesus’ suffering…
  • Perhaps it applied first to God’s people, suffering for their faith in exile.  They were in a foreign land which had weird religious beliefs, customs, and language. The Jews most certainly were outcasts. They were probably ridiculed, and perhaps at times even suffered physical pain for their faith.  These songs could have provided them with a spiritual strength to stand up to the opposition, and remain faithful. 
  • Perhaps Jesus recalled these words during the final days of his time here on earth.  Maybe he drew strength from these words.
  • Maybe we can also draw strength from these words, whomever they describe.  We are God’s people.  These words are also for us.  They can describe all of us who suffer for being steadfast in our faith to our Lord in the face of adversity.  Yes, I believe that these words were written for all of us.

 

PHILIPPIANS 2:5-11

THE BACKGROUND

It is believed that this passage is actually the words to a hymn sung in the very early church.  Paul uses these beautiful words to instruct and encourage the church in Philippi.

THE DETAIL

Let’s divide this hymn into three sections.

  • The opening line instructs us to have the “same mind” that Jesus had.  The Greek word used here for “mind” is phronēte, which also means “thinking2.  One could say that Paul is encouraging us to be so much like Jesus that we actually think like Him. (v. 5)
  • Next comes a very interesting point.  Jesus used to be in heaven with his Father, but he chose to set all that aside and take on human form.  Not only did he do this, he came in the most humble form—a poor carpenter’s son born in a barn.  Worse, he suffered a humiliating death for us.  (vv. 6-8)
  • The song concludes with a hymn of praise. (vv. 9-11)

THE TAKEAWAY

Jesus gave up everything he had going for him, up there in heaven.  Yet, he obeyed the will of his Father, and became like us.  Not only that, he suffered and died a humiliating death. All this he did because of love. 

We are called to “have the same mind” as Jesus. As his disciples, we are to think and be like Jesus.  Just as Jesus was a humble servant for his Father, so should we.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Humility and servitude are not valued commodities today, any more than they were in Jesus’ time.  Are we truly prepared to be like Jesus, think like Jesus, and be willing to obediently suffer like Jesus, if called to do so?

 

2 I do not know ancient Greek.  This fact was taken from the commentary found in www.workingpreacher.com.

 

MARK 11:1-11

THE BACKGROUND

This is not the primary Gospel lesson for this Palm Sunday; it is the alternate Gospel lesson.  The primary Gospel lesson involves Jesus’ betrayal, trial, and death on the cross. 

THE DETAIL

  • Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem with his disciples in tow.  He sends two of them ahead to get a donkey colt.  The instructions are interesting, and match exactly what happened.  Was this yet another miracle, or something that had been prearranged?  We do not know.  (vv. 1-6)
  • Some put their garments on the beast, and Jesus climbs on.  A crowd forms.  Some throw down their garments into his path, others use palm branches.  They shout praises to Jesus, and say “Hosanna”. (vv. 7-10)
  • After the “parade”, Jesus checks out the temple. It’s late.  He goes back to Bethany to spend the night.  (v. 11)

THE TAKEAWAY

  • What an odd way to end a passage!  “Party’s over, let’s go back to Bethany.”  Bethany shows up several times in the Gospels. It is where Lazarus lived with his sisters Mary and Martha.  Jesus healed a leper there.  Jesus’ feet were anointed there. Bethany, perhaps Lazarus’ home, must have been a sort of home base for Jesus and his disciples.  It was only two miles from Jerusalem, about a 40 minute walk.
  • There are a few words that we use in frequently church, but many do not know their meaning.   Halleluiah is one.  I challenge you to define “glory” to me.  Hosanna is also one of those words.  I don’t think a worship service goes by that I don’t say or sing this word a half a dozen times.  What does it mean?  I looked it up (again!).  The Webster definition means “a cry of acclamation and adoration”.  More important to know is what it meant to the Jews of Jesus’ day.  In Hebrew, it meant “pray, save us!”  They also said “Blessed is the coming kingdom of our ancestor David!”  Clearly, they were waiting for a political uprising, and the restoration of the kingdom of Israel.  Jesus did indeed save them, but he gave them something more precious than a political kingdom.
  • Why did Jesus ride on a young donkey?  A triumphant king should make his victorious entry on a war horse.  Jesus had the power and authority to do this.  But Jesus chose this animal, I believe, to demonstrate his humility.  You cannot sit tall and erect, chest puffed out in pride, and do it all atop a baby donkey! 
  • The road to Jerusalem also leads the opposite way. Going towards Jerusalem meant pain, insult, humility, intense suffering, and death.  Jesus could easily have made a U-turn, and saved his hide.  But he went “uncomplaining forth”, to obey the will of his Father.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Jesus obeys the Father silently and humbly.  Fame and fortune were at his fingertips.  He could have had it all.  But he chose this path out of love for us. 

Putting God first in our lives is not an easy thing. But as Jesus’ disciples, we are called to think like him, and be like him.  Let us keep reminding ourselves of his obedience, and “let the same mind be in us that was in Christ Jesus…”.

For March 17, 2024

PSALM 51

Normally, we don’t look at the Psalm, except to read it as an opening worship.  But this one is extra special.  It is a beautiful prayer and meditation about our sinful nature, and our relationship with God.  It is a perfect prayer for us during our Lenten journey.  In my Lutheran denomination, we are very cognizant of our sinful nature.  Every worship service begins with a liturgy of confession & forgiveness.  We sort of take a spiritual “bath” prior to worship. We don’t go the “fire and brimstone” route, with lots of guilt being inflicted on the worshipers, but we do recognize our uncanny ability to disobey our Lord at every turn.  Martin Luther liked to say that we Christians are at the same time both sinners and saints.  Also, every Sunday is also supposed to be a “Little Easter”, so we take care to ensure that the Good News of the gospel shines through.  Lent is a time to confront our shortcomings, knowing that God loves us, and has forgiven us through the gift of His son.

I am especially fond of verses 10-12.  In years past, these words were part of a song that was included each week in our worship service.  This song is etched in my heart—it was, and still is, true worship.  Look at those words, and make them yours!

 

JEREMIAH 31:31-34

THE BACKGROUND

This passage is one of those “dual meaning” passages.  Originally, it was written during or just after Babylonian captivity.  It was written over 500 years before the birth of our Lord.  There is certainly no way that they could have heard these words and thought “They’re talking about Jesus!”    It was a message of hope to the captives that a better day was coming.  Since Jesus’ time, however, it has taken on new meaning.  It is quoted in Romans and Hebrews, and hinted at in Matthew, Mark, and John.  We’ll look at both meanings, since they have the same message, especially to us Christians.

THE DETAIL

  • This passage starts out by looking forward to the day of hope and promise.  The Lord will make a new covenant with us.  Other words for “covenant” include charter, treaty, pact, and testament.  (v. 31)
  • The new covenant will not be like the old one.  Jeremiah reminds them that God freed them from captivity in Egypt, and was “their husband”.  He loved and cared for them. (v. 32)
  • The new covenant will be richer than the old one.  No longer will the law be written on stone tablets, but within their hearts.  We will have intimate knowledge of God and God of us.  He will forgive us, and completely forget about our sins. (v. 33)

THE TAKEAWAY

  • We divide our bible into two parts—the Old Testament and the New Testament.  The Old Testament was God’s covenant promise with Moses and the people of Israel.  The New Testament is God’s covenant promise sealed by the blood of Jesus on the cross.
  • We live in the time between Jesus’ first and second coming.  Jesus has come.  He has died for our sins, and gone back to heaven.  He will come again to reign on earth.  While we wait for his return, we have a partial fulfilment of this scripture. Jesus has laid out God’s will before us. It can be “written on our hearts”, and is, in part.  But this prophecy will be fully implemented after his return.
  • The New Testament writers quickly recognized Jesus in these last verses.  Through Jesus, our sins are completely forgiven.  We have a fresh start, a renewed relationship with our Lord. 

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

How does His law and His will get “written on our hearts”?  I think prayer and studying the scriptures is a good start, don’t you?
 

HEBREWS 5:5-10

THE BACKGROUND

The book of Hebrews is one of those books of the bible that I try to avoid.  It is so dense and complicated, that it is easy to get distracted or bored, and move on.  I am thankful that we get to study it now, because it requires me to do the hard work of understanding it.  Unfortunately, we are going to need to learn about a couple of things before we can begin to understand this very precious passage.

Jewish High Priest 

There was only one of these at a time.  Only Levites were allowed to be priests; the high priest must be from the house of Levy. He alone was allowed to enter the Holy of Holies on Yom Kippur, to be in God’s presence.    He alone was allowed to the make sacrifices for the sins of the people.  He was the people’s sole connection with God.  The author of Hebrews tells us that Jesus is our high priest.

Melchizedek

He was a priest and a king at the time of Abraham.  He is only mentioned in Genesis 14:18-20 and in Psalm 110:4.  Abraham gave offerings to him, in reverence to Yahweh.  By contrast, the Levite line of priests was established many years later, at the time of Moses and Aaron, after slavery in Egypt. Since Melchizedek lived well before Moses and Aaron.  His qualifications to be a priest could not be linked to them.  He was a priest long before the Levites had this responsibility.

THE DETAIL

The writer of Hebrews is writing to the Christian Jews 

  1. To explain Jesus’ divinity in Jewish terms. 
  2. To show that he served as their (and our) high priest.
  3. From where his authority came to serve in this office.
  • Jesus was not of the house of Levy; he was from the house of Benjamin.  He was not qualified to be a priest, according to the Law of Moses. If you read Psalm 110 through a Christian lens, you might conclude that David is referring to the messiah. Therefore, God states that His son is a priest according to the order of Melchizedek.  He doesn’t have to be a Levite.  This is the point that the author of Hebrews is making; Jesus is fully qualified to be our high priest through the order of Melchizedek.  (vv. 5-6) 
  • Verse 7 calls to mind Jesus’ prayers in the Garden of Gethsemane.

 

THE TAKEAWAY

We do not need the convincing argument that is presented here to know that Jesus is our Lord.  Through Jesus we have direct prayer access to God the Father.  Through Jesus’ obedient suffering on the cross, our sins are forgiven, and we have eternal life!  Hallelujah! 

 

JOHN 12:20-33

THE BACKGROUND

At this point in John’s gospel, Jesus has just raised Lazarus from the dead, and has made his triumphant entry into Jerusalem on a donkey, with palm branches and praises all around. Jesus is drawing large crowds wherever he goes.  In the verse just before our passage, the Pharisees say to one another “Look, the world has gone after him

THE DETAIL

  • The “world” has indeed gone after him.  In this case, some Greeks approach the disciples, and ask to see Jesus.  They relay the request to Jesus.  (vv.20-22) 
  • In verse 25 he says “Those who love their life will lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life”.  I do not believe we must actually hate our lives.  Jesus is telling us to put God’s plan for our lives above all else, even if it means putting our life at risk. 
  • Jesus appears to ignore the request, but does so indirectly at the end.  Instead, he uses this as a teaching moment.  He speaks of the cost of discipleship.  Of putting service to Him above all else, including one’s own life.  (vv. 23-26) 
  • The powerful words that attracted my attention are:  “Whoever serves me must follow me…”, presumably even to death, if necessary.  (v. 26)
  • This passage gets very interesting in the second paragraph.  He is still talking about the cost of doing God’s will.  But now, he speaks about himself, rather than his disciples.  Jesus is troubled, because he knows what lies ahead.  But he left his heavenly home to teach, preach, and die for our sins.  He is on a mission, and that mission is about to turn dark.  But he doesn’t bail out of the mission.  He is faithful to his Father’s mission.  He has a job to do.  (v. 27) 
  • You can tell that he is resolute in carrying out his Father’s plans.  Instead of asking to be saved from this ordeal, Jesus says “Let’s do this!” (My translation.)  In a voice from heaven his Father basically gives His son the go-ahead.  (vv. 28-31)
  • Jesus finally gives those curious Greeks somewhat of an answer.  He says that he will “draw all people to himself”.  The people of Israel considered themselves to be God’s only chosen people.  With the coming of the Messiah, God choses to include everyone;  even us Gentiles.  (v. 32)

THE TAKEAWAY

When Jesus climbed on that donkey to enter Jerusalem, he knew where he was headed.  The road he traveled into Jerusalem also points in the opposite direction; he could have decided to save his life by going in that direction.  In spite of the pain and humiliation he is about to subject himself to, he presses on. He presses on to do his Father’s will, to be God’s ultimate expression of His love for us.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Jesus challenges us to put God’s mission for us above our own plans.  Jesus is setting the bar high.  Are you in?

For March 10, 2024

NUMBERS 21:4-9

THE BACKGROUND

The people of God have are wandering in the Sinai wilderness.  Jews consider this time the honeymoon part of the relationship between Yahweh and his people. It is during this time when Mosaic Law was expanded to become the 613 Laws of Moses so diligently observed by the Pharisees of Jesus’ time.  All these regulations laid out how the people of God could “get the attention of Yahweh and then be in the divine presence.”1  It detailed how to be in a long-term relationship with God.

Those who followed Moses out of Egyptian slavery were a miserable lot.  They complained at every turn.  By the time we get to chapter 14 in Numbers, God has had enough.  He declares that He is going to purge the flock.  That generation will not see the Promised Land. Chapter 14 is an interesting read. Moses does some serious negotiation with Yahweh, and makes Him modify His plans. 

THE DETAIL

  • By the time we get to our passage in chapter 21, the Jews have already been to Mt. Sinai.  God provides them with food and water, during their entire journey.  But they are sick of eating manna, and tired of all the desert walking.  They complain to Moses. (v. 5) 
  • God does not take it well—this is the last straw. He sends poisonous snakes, and they kill many Israelites.  God is working his plan of attrition, as outlined in chapter 14. (v. 6)
  • But wait!  There’s more!  The people go to Moses.  They repent. This softens God’s heart, and his divine grace shows through.  He doesn’t eliminate the snakes, but provides a way for the people to save their lives. (vv. 7-9) 

THE TAKEAWAY

The main reason for the inclusion of this passage from Numbers is it’s connection with the Gospel lesson.  But it is a good lesson to study all by itself.

God has chosen the people of Abraham to be his favorites.  He has delivered them from slavery, and cares for them daily on their journey to a land he has promised to them.  He loves them.  But they are a contrary lot.  They complain at every turn, and God’s compassion is continually tested.  He decides to wait for the new generation of Israelites to mature, before they arrive at the Promised Land.  More than once, he alters his plans, because of Moses’ intervention.  In this passage, we see God’s love and grace in action.  He knuckles under when His people are sorry, and they want to start anew. He doesn’t take away the scourge, but He provides a way for them to save their lives. 

I find comfort and assurance in this story.  God keeps changing his mind out of love for us.

 

1 “Reading the Old Testament”, Barry L. Bandstra, Wadsworth/Thompson Learning, chapter 4.

 

EPHESIANS 2:1-10

THE BACKGROUND

Paul’s letters always begin with a greeting, followed by a foundational theological statement.  Our passage follows this statement.  The passage also contains one of my most cherished Bible verses.  (vv. 8-9)

THE DETAIL

  • The first paragraph (vv. 2-3) are written in the past tense.  They refer to the time before we knew Jesus, and claimed him as our savior.  Paul says that, because of our sinful lives, we were “dead men walking”.  (My phrase, not Paul’s)  Paul paints a dark picture of life outside the grace of God.
  • Verses 4 & 5 are the turning point.  God snatches us up out of our dead and dreadful lives, and saves us.  This He does by His “grace”2.
  • Beginning with verse 6, and going to the end, this passage is all written in the present tense.  Now that we are believers, not only are we alive with Christ, we are raised up with him, and get VIP seating alongside Jesus! (v. 6)
  • Just to make things clear, Paul restates who and what saves us.  It is God’s free gift to us, those who believe.  We have nothing more to do with it than believe.  We can’t brag about it, because it was a free gift.  (vv. 8-9)
  • God did all of this beforehand.  Now, it is our job to respond to the free gift by doing his work on earth. (v. 10)

2 A pastor friend of mine defines grace as “God’s love, freely given”.

THE TAKEAWAY

This passage makes it crystal clear to me where my salvation comes from.  It is not from earning it through an accumulation of divine brownie points; it is a free gift.  I can’t “work my way to heaven” or “get right with God” by doing good things.  But I do those good things because of God’s grace, his undying love for me in spite of my failings. 

Paul wrote this as a “before and after” situation. But to me, the need is ongoing. As humans, we are drawn to sin like moths to a flame.  We are in continual need of God’s saving grace.

A pastor once told me that the word “salvation” means “God’s salvaging operation”.  I recently read that some people somewhere in Scandinavia discovered an intact sailing ship from the 1700’s.  They engaged the services of a salvage company, and carefully brought the ship off the bottom.  They restored her to her former glory.  It was a big salvage operation.  God is like that in our lives.  He continually plucks us up off the ocean floor, and restores us to life.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

In what ways have you caused yourself to sink to “the bottom of the ocean”?  What can you do, to prevent this from happening again?  (This is what we call repentance.)  God has better things to do, than to be continually fishing us out of the water.  Let’s fix that.  But thanks be to God for His undying love and grace, and the gift of His son!

JOHN 3:14-21

THE BACKGROUND

In the beginning of John chapter 3, we find the dialogue that was the meeting of Jesus with Nicodemus.  Our passage today is Jesus’ teaching moment, which is the result of that encounter.  We are not sure if Nicodemus heard these words or not.  But they were spoken in response to the subject of their discussion—what (and/or who) saves us.

THE DETAIL

  • Verses 14 & 15 are a direct reference to our Old Testament lesson for today.  For the Israelites, their lives were spared, if they kept their eyes fixed upon the serpent of bronze.  For us now our lives are spared, if we keep our eyes fixed upon the cross of Christ. 
  • Verses 16 & 17 show the love of God for us, giving us His son so that we inherit eternal life, rather than condemnation for our sinful lives. 
  • Verses 18 – 20 contrast light with darkness. Jesus is “the light” in the Gospel of John.  Darkness, on the other hand, is life without The Light. 
  • As with our passage from Ephesians, deeds come after God’s saving grace.  They are not the means for achieving His grace; they are our response.

THE TAKEAWAY

It is easy for us to take the free gift, and walk away. True gratitude and love are expressed when we show our gratitude by doing God’s work in our surroundings.

For March 4, 2024

EXODUS 20:1-17

THE BACKGROUND

God began his relationship with his chosen people when he chose Abraham and Sarah to parent a great nation.  Many decades later, they find themselves in Egypt, serving Pharaoh as slaves.  God, with Moses’ help on the ground, delivers his people from slavery.  They wander in the desert wilderness for 40 years.  During this wandering, they find themselves at the foot of a holy mountain—Mount Sinai.  It is here that God gives his people some basic rules for living.  We call these rules the Ten Commandments.

THE DETAIL

The Ten Commandments may be broken into two sections or tables.  Table One concerns our relationship with God (vv. 1-8).  Table Two concerns our relationship with others. (vv. 9-17) God begins by reminding them of what He has done for them.  He reminds them that they have been in relationship for a very long time, and that he has cared for them on their life’s journey.

THE TAKEAWAY

Many sermons have been preached on this passage.  I would like to focus on verse 5b  “…for I the Lord your God am a jealous God…” and verse 6 “…[I am your God] showing steadfast love... to those who love me and keep my commandments”.  God loves us to the point of being jealous.  He wants our love in return.  Keeping his commandments are just one way of showing Him our love and gratitude.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

If we are honest with ourselves, we must admit that we regularly break most of these commandments. What can we do about that?
 

1 CORINTHIANS 1:18-25

THE BACKGROUND

We Christians do cherish the cross.  We wear it as a necklace or earrings.  Many of us have a cross on a wall in our homes.  It has come to symbolize our faith in Jesus, and that is a good thing. But we need to remind ourselves of what the cross really was two thousand years ago.  It was the method that they used to execute the worst of society’s criminals.  A modern day equivalent would be the electric chair or a hangman’s noose.

THE DETAIL

  • Paul begins today’s passage by splitting people into two groups:
    • Those who are perishing (non-believers)
    • Those who are being saved (believers)
  • Paul states that reverence to the cross is foolish to those who don’t believe.  If you’re a non-believer, it’s downright ridiculous to cherish an implement of execution.  But If you are a believer, “it is the power of God”. (v. 18)
  • Paul quotes Isaiah 29:14b in verse 19.  Keep in mind that Paul is quoting from memory*, so the words don’t exactly match.
  • In verses 20-22, Paul challenges the reader to consider God’s wisdom, which is far different than human wisdom. 
  • Paul drives a stake in the ground, when he says “… but we proclaim Christ crucified…”  (v. 23a)  He is saying that, foolish or wise, this is what I believe, and I don’t care what others may say.
  • He wraps it up nicely in verse 25.

THE TAKEAWAY

There is some graffiti that was unearthed in Rome.  It makes fun of a Roman named Alexemenos for worshiping Jesus on the cross.  It must have seemed odd to non-believers back then for people to worship someone who was executed in this manner.  We wouldn’t think of wearing a necklace which had a little gold hangman’s noose on it, would we?  That would be foolish. But we do understand the power of the cross.  We proudly proclaim Jesus’ dying on the cross as our key to salvation.

 

*He could also be quoting from the Septuagint, which was a Greek translation of the Old Testament, written a couple of centuries before Jesus arrived on the scene.  It frequently differs somewhat from our translations of the Bible from the Hebrew.
 

JOHN 2:13-22

THE BACKGROUND

Jesus goes on a rampage in the temple.  I must admit that this story has always been a puzzle to me.  Why did Jesus do this?  Let’s investigate it together.   

THE DETAIL

  • Jesus was near Jerusalem for the Passover, so he and his disciples went “up to Jerusalem”. Jerusalem was built on a high hilltop, so “up” is appropriate. 
  • When he sees all the commercial activity going on in the temple, he becomes angry, and makes a mess of things.  He says “Take these things out of here!  Stop making my Father’s house a marketplace!”  (v.16)
  • His disciples recalled Psalm 69:9.  (v. 17)
  • Jesus is questioned by the Jewish authorities.  Jesus, of course, turns this confrontation into a teaching moment.  It appears to be a riddle of some sort.  To the Jews, it seemed absurd to rebuild this magnificent stone temple in three days.  Jesus, of course, was referring to himself and not a stone building.       (vv. 18-22) 

THE TAKEAWAY

As I stated earlier, this story was puzzling to me.  Part of the temple practice required the people to bring an animal to the Lord’s temple to be sacrificed for various reasons.  Many would show up, and buy their sacrificial animal on the spot. Since many came to the temple from distant lands, they would need to exchange their currency for local tender, in order to make their purchase.  It all seemed very practical.  So why would Jesus be upset?  The answer lies in his word in verse 16, and his disciples observation in verse 17. Jesus had a zeal or passion about keeping the Lord’s house pure.  The Lord’s house should be a place of worship and nothing else.  But over time, practical matters crept in, creating a distraction from what was important—worship.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Lent is a good time for us to reflect on many aspects of our spiritual lives.  This can include questioning why we go to church, and what we do there.  Quality worship can be summarized in the word ACTS.  That stands for:

  • Adoration—Praising God.
  • Confession—Admitting our failure to live up to His expectations.
  • Thanksgiving—Thanking God for his many blessings.
  • Supplication—Asking God to provide for our needs.

Anything we do in church that is more than this is not worship, but extra.  What might this be?  Are we there to:

  • Worship God or be entertained?
  • Offer praise and thanksgiving, or get a religious “warm and fuzzy”?
  • Connect with God, or do we treat church more like a Christian club?
  • Discuss our relationship with God, or discuss politics and current events?
  • Gather to glorify God for what he has done for us, or gather to conduct “church business”.

To be sure, many of these “extra” things are part of being a responsible modern Christian.  But they have their time and place.  Knowing Jesus’ reaction to the “clutter” in his Father’s house, we should work hard to prevent to cluttering up our worship time. We should adopt a little of Jesus’ zeal for God’s house and purity of worship. 

 

For February 25, 2024 2024

GENESIS17:1-7, 15-16

THE BACKGROUND

At the conclusion of the story of Noah and the flood, we learn the details of the dispersion of his descendants across the world. Immediately following this, begins the story of Abram and Sarai (chapter 12).  God promises Abram that of him he will make a great nation.  But Sarai is barren, and no heir is forthcoming.  In accord with local customs & practices, she offers her servant-girl Hagar to bear a surrogate child for them.  Ishmael is born of this union.  They think they have their ducks in a row, and God’s promise will be fulfilled through Ishmael.  But they have a big surprise in store for them.

THE DETAIL

  • This passage begins by telling us that Abram is 99 years old at the time of this God-event.  God appears, and states that he is going to make a covenant with Abram. (vv. 1-2)
  • God repeats the promise he made earlier (12:1-3), that He will make of Abram “exceedingly numerous”; He will make Abram “the ancestor of a multitude of nations”.  (vv. 3-5)
  • Next, God renames Abram, saying that his name will now be Abraham.  (v. 5) He does the same with Sarai in verse 15. We will discuss the significance of renaming in the takeaway below.
  • Our text eliminates verses 8-14.  These verses give the details of the cutting aspect of the covenant (see second bullet below).  But instead of cutting animals, this time it is circumcision. 
  • Verses 15 and 16 turn God’s attention to Sarai. He begins by renaming her, and then states that He “will give you a son by her”.
  • What we do not see in this selection is verse 17. When Abraham hears what God said (in verse 16), he “fell on his face and laughed…”  In my paraphrase of this verse, Abraham says “How’s THAT going to happen—I’m 99, and Sarah is 90.  Seriously, God???”

THE TAKEAWAY

“In the ancient world, having the authority to give names implied mastery.”*  You may recall that Adam named the animals in the Garden of Eden. Jesus renames Simon Peter.  In our text, as part of the covenant, God renames Abram (“Exalted Father” in Hebrew) Abraham (“Father of a multitude of nations”).  Both Sarai and Sarah mean “princess” in Hebrew. But the point of renaming them is that they now belong to God; it is a binding relationship, such as a marriage.

In modern times, when we make a binding promise, it is usually written on paper, sealed by a notary, and sometimes registered with a county clerk. In Old Testament times, the promise was bound by cutting animals in two.  Details of one such covenant is found in Genesis 15:9-11.  But in the case of God’s covenant with Abraham, the cutting is more personal; it is circumcision.  Circumcision was practiced in some other ancient cultures.  The illustration below is taken from an Egyptian hieroglyph.  But for Abraham’s clan, this procedure would take on a new religious meaning.  It seals the promise between God and the people of Abraham in a very personal way.

undefined

Just as we read last week with Noah, God is the initiator of the promise-making.  It is God who draws near to Abraham and Sarah, and wants to engage in a close relationship.  In both cases, the humans involved are obedient, but God is the one desiring the relationship.  He wants this same relationship with all of us.  If you are in doubt, pick up a bible and flip through it.  It is full of God’s reaching out to us, our failure, and His forgiveness.

As a result of Abraham’s faithfulness, God does the impossible.  Abraham and Sarah do miraculously bring Isaac into the world. Isaac is the fulfillment of God’s promise.

* “Reading the Old Testament”, Barry L. Bandstra
 

ROMANS 4:13-25  

(I strongly recommend reading The Message for this passage.)

THE BACKGROUND

If you have ever belonged to an organization consisting of two very different types of people, you know that there can sometimes be problems between the groups.  In most of the early churches, the congregation consisted of a mix of Jews and Gentiles.  In 49 AD, Emperor Claudius expelled a large segment of the Jewish population in Rome, including the Christian Jews.  This left the Gentile Christians behind, in charge of keeping the church going.  The Christian Jews returned after Claudius’ death, five years later, finding Gentiles in church positions they had vacated. This must have made for some tense moments.  Christian Jews placed high importance on the keeping of Old Testament Law and traditions. In this passage, Paul explains the importance (or the lack of importance) of keeping these laws and traditions.

THE DETAIL

  • The opening line says it all.  Abraham did not keep his promise with God through obedience to the law, but through faith.  The law was given through Moses, who lived 600 years after Abraham. Abraham, therefore, had no Old Testament or Ten Commandments; Abraham’s righteousness was based purely on his faith in God and God’s promise.  (v. 13) 
  • Verses 14 & 15 further support the statement made in verse 13.
  • Paul expands upon this further in verses 16-22. The bottom line is the same as the opening line—getting right with God (being “reckoned as righteousness”), is not based upon our actions, but upon only our faith and nothing more.
  • Paul then sums it up by saying that it is no different for us Christians than it was for Abraham.  Abraham was “reckoned to him as righteousness” purely on the basis of faith.  What “reckons us to be righteous” with God is not our actions; it’s all about faith. (vv. 22-25)

THE TAKEAWAY

Paul is not throwing out rules and laws.  Elsewhere, he points out their value.  He tells us that it is the laws of Moses that provide us with a good conscience.  They provide the framework for living together in harmony.  But the law not the road to salvation, any more than it was for Father Abraham.  It is our faith in Jesus Christ, his death on the cross, and his resurrection that saves us. 
 

MARK 8:31-38

THE BACKGROUND

We are about halfway through Mark’s gospel at this point. Jesus has been preaching and teaching, healing and performing miracles.  Jesus and his disciples are on their way to the villages of Caesarea Philippi, on foot, of course.  As they walk, they talk.  It is on this road where he asks them who they think he is.  This is where Peter proclaims Jesus to be the Messiah. Today’s passage comes right after that event.

THE DETAIL

  • Jesus must have felt comfortable with his disciples. After all, Peter has just declared Jesus to be the Messiah.  So he tells them what lies ahead; he will suffer, die, and rise again in three days. (v. 31)
  • Peter takes him aside, and “rebukes” him.  (v. 32)  I wondered what he might have said.  Then, I discovered what Matthew tells us— Peter said “God forbid it, Lord!  This must never happen to you!” (Mt. 16:22) 
  • Jesus’ response seems a little harsh.  In fact, it is the same response that he gave Satan at his temptation (Mt. 4:10).  Why would he react like this?

As is typical for Jesus, he turns this into a teaching moment.  We might want to entitle the second paragraph “The Cost of Discipleship”.  Let’s look at what he says.

  • He tells his disciples and the crowd that followed that if they want to be his followers, they must deny themselves, take up their cross, and follow him. (v. 34, italics emphasis is mine) The cross in that time was the equivalent of our electric chair—a device for executing the worst criminals.  This must have been a shocking statement.  Jesus was challenging their thinking; to reconsider their priorities. He must have known that they would suffer for believing in him.
  • Verse 35 is an interesting paradox.  It must have been puzzling at the time, because Jesus offers a small explanation in verse 36. 
  • He hits the nail on the head in verse 37. What is your life actually worth? How much would it cost you to buy eternal life?  (You can’t earn it.  It’s too expensive. )
  • Knowing what’s in store for his followers, he encourages them to not be ashamed of what is about to happen.  It is part of the divine plan.  If they are ashamed of the divine plan, they’re going to find themselves in an “awkward position”, when Jesus returns in glory. (v. 38)   

THE TAKEAWAY

Jesus was sent to earth with a mission.  He had a long list of things to do.  The last but not the least of these tasks was to suffer and die for our sins.  It was probably not something that Jesus was looking forward to, at least to the suffering.  Maybe Peter’s rebuke was yet another temptation for him.  A temptation for Jesus to avoid the pain. The temptations he endured in the wilderness were similar in nature to the rebuke he received from Peter.  No wonder he called Peter Satan.

We are all Jesus’ disciples here on earth today.  We must be prepared to sacrifice for our beliefs.  Jesus makes it clear that this is a life or death decision.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

When we shy away from an opportunity to share the Good News of Jesus to those around us, aren’t we in some way ashamed of sharing the gospel?   (Please note that I’m saying “we” and not “you”.)  But it’s true, isn’t it?

For February 25, 2024

GENESIS17:1-7, 15-16

THE BACKGROUND

At the conclusion of the story of Noah and the flood, we learn the details of the dispersion of his descendants across the world. Immediately following this, begins the story of Abram and Sarai (chapter 12).  God promises Abram that of him he will make a great nation.  But Sarai is barren, and no heir is forthcoming.  In accord with local customs & practices, she offers her servant-girl Hagar to bear a surrogate child for them.  Ishmael is born of this union.  They think they have their ducks in a row, and God’s promise will be fulfilled through Ishmael.  But they have a big surprise in store for them.

THE DETAIL

  • This passage begins by telling us that Abram is 99 years old at the time of this God-event.  God appears, and states that he is going to make a covenant with Abram. (vv. 1-2)
  • God repeats the promise he made earlier (12:1-3), that He will make of Abram “exceedingly numerous”; He will make Abram “the ancestor of a multitude of nations”.  (vv. 3-5)
  • Next, God renames Abram, saying that his name will now be Abraham.  (v. 5) He does the same with Sarai in verse 15. We will discuss the significance of renaming in the takeaway below.
  • Our text eliminates verses 8-14.  These verses give the details of the cutting aspect of the covenant (see second bullet below).  But instead of cutting animals, this time it is circumcision. 
  • Verses 15 and 16 turn God’s attention to Sarai. He begins by renaming her, and then states that He “will give you a son by her”.
  • What we do not see in this selection is verse 17. When Abraham hears what God said (in verse 16), he “fell on his face and laughed…”  In my paraphrase of this verse, Abraham says “How’s THAT going to happen—I’m 99, and Sarah is 90.  Seriously, God???”

THE TAKEAWAY

“In the ancient world, having the authority to give names implied mastery.”*  You may recall that Adam named the animals in the Garden of Eden. Jesus renames Simon Peter.  In our text, as part of the covenant, God renames Abram (“Exalted Father” in Hebrew) Abraham (“Father of a multitude of nations”).  Both Sarai and Sarah mean “princess” in Hebrew. But the point of renaming them is that they now belong to God; it is a binding relationship, such as a marriage.

In modern times, when we make a binding promise, it is usually written on paper, sealed by a notary, and sometimes registered with a county clerk. In Old Testament times, the promise was bound by cutting animals in two.  Details of one such covenant is found in Genesis 15:9-11.  But in the case of God’s covenant with Abraham, the cutting is more personal; it is circumcision.  Circumcision was practiced in some other ancient cultures.  The illustration below is taken from an Egyptian hieroglyph.  But for Abraham’s clan, this procedure would take on a new religious meaning.  It seals the promise between God and the people of Abraham in a very personal way.

undefined

Just as we read last week with Noah, God is the initiator of the promise-making.  It is God who draws near to Abraham and Sarah, and wants to engage in a close relationship.  In both cases, the humans involved are obedient, but God is the one desiring the relationship.  He wants this same relationship with all of us.  If you are in doubt, pick up a bible and flip through it.  It is full of God’s reaching out to us, our failure, and His forgiveness.

As a result of Abraham’s faithfulness, God does the impossible.  Abraham and Sarah do miraculously bring Isaac into the world. Isaac is the fulfillment of God’s promise.

* “Reading the Old Testament”, Barry L. Bandstra
 

ROMANS 4:13-25  

(I strongly recommend reading The Message for this passage, but the comments below relate to the verbiage in the NRSV.)

THE BACKGROUND

If you have ever belonged to an organization consisting of two very different types of people, you know that there can sometimes be problems between the groups.  In most of the early churches, the congregation consisted of a mix of Jews and Gentiles.  In 49 AD, Emperor Claudius expelled a large segment of the Jewish population in Rome, including the Christian Jews.  This left the Gentile Christians behind, in charge of keeping the church going.  The Christian Jews returned after Claudius’ death, five years later, finding Gentiles in church positions they had vacated. This must have made for some tense moments.  Christian Jews placed high importance on the keeping of Old Testament Law and traditions. In this passage, Paul explains the importance (or the lack of importance) of keeping these laws and traditions.

THE DETAIL

  • The opening line says it all.  Abraham did not keep his promise with God through obedience to the law, but through faith.  The law was given through Moses, who lived 600 years after Abraham. Abraham, therefore, had no Old Testament or Ten Commandments; Abraham’s righteousness was based purely on his faith in God and God’s promise.  (v. 13) 
  • Verses 14 & 15 further support the statement made in verse 13.
  • Paul expands upon this further in verses 16-22. The bottom line is the same as the opening line—getting right with God (being “reckoned as righteousness”), is not based upon our actions, but upon only our faith and nothing more.
  • Paul then sums it up by saying that it is no different for us Christians than it was for Abraham.  Abraham was “reckoned to him as righteousness” purely on the basis of faith.  What “reckons us to be righteous” with God is not our actions; it’s all about faith. (vv. 22-25)

THE TAKEAWAY

Paul is not throwing out rules and laws.  Elsewhere, he points out their value.  He tells us that it is the laws of Moses that provide us with a good conscience.  They provide the framework for living together in harmony.  But the law not the road to salvation, any more than it was for Father Abraham.  It is our faith in Jesus Christ, his death on the cross, and his resurrection that saves us. 
 

MARK 8:31-38

THE BACKGROUND

We are about halfway through Mark’s gospel at this point. Jesus has been preaching and teaching, healing and performing miracles.  Jesus and his disciples are on their way to the villages of Caesarea Philippi, on foot, of course.  As they walk, they talk.  It is on this road where he asks them who they think he is.  This is where Peter proclaims Jesus to be the Messiah. Today’s passage comes right after that event.

THE DETAIL

  • Jesus must have felt comfortable with his disciples. After all, Peter has just declared Jesus to be the Messiah.  So he tells them what lies ahead; he will suffer, die, and rise again in three days. (v. 31)
  • Peter takes him aside, and “rebukes” him.  (v. 32)  I wondered what he might have said.  Then, I discovered what Matthew tells us— Peter said “God forbid it, Lord!  This must never happen to you!” (Mt. 16:22) 
  • Jesus’ response seems a little harsh.  In fact, it is the same response that he gave Satan at his temptation (Mt. 4:10).  Why would he react like this?

As is typical for Jesus, he turns this into a teaching moment.  We might want to entitle the second paragraph “The Cost of Discipleship”.  Let’s look at what he says.

  • He tells his disciples and the crowd that followed that if they want to be his followers, they must deny themselves, take up their cross, and follow him. (v. 34, italics emphasis is mine) The cross in that time was the equivalent of our electric chair—a device for executing the worst criminals.  This must have been a shocking statement.  Jesus was challenging their thinking; to reconsider their priorities. He must have known that they would suffer for believing in him.
  • Verse 35 is an interesting paradox.  It must have been puzzling at the time, because Jesus offers a small explanation in verse 36. 
  • He hits the nail on the head in verse 37. What is your life actually worth? How much would it cost you to buy eternal life?  (You can’t earn it.  It’s too expensive. )
  • Knowing what’s in store for his followers, he encourages them to not be ashamed of what is about to happen.  It is part of the divine plan.  If they are ashamed of the divine plan, they’re going to find themselves in an “awkward position”, when Jesus returns in glory. (v. 38)   

THE TAKEAWAY

Jesus was sent to earth with a mission.  He had a long list of things to do.  The last but not the least of these tasks was to suffer and die for our sins.  It was probably not something that Jesus was looking forward to, at least to the suffering.  Maybe Peter’s rebuke was yet another temptation for him.  A temptation for Jesus to avoid the pain. The temptations he endured in the wilderness were similar in nature to the rebuke he received from Peter.  No wonder he called Peter Satan.

We are all Jesus’ disciples here on earth today.  We must be prepared to sacrifice for our beliefs.  Jesus makes it clear that this is a life or death decision.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

When we shy away from an opportunity to share the Good News of Jesus to those around us, aren’t we in some way ashamed of sharing the gospel?   (Please note that I’m saying “we” and not “you”.)  But it’s true, isn’t it?

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