2 KINGS 5:1-17c

THE BACKGROUND

This is a story about a miracle that the prophet Elisha performed in the Northern Kingdom of Israel (aka Samaria).  It is also a story about pride and humility.

Note: The selection to be read in church omits verses 4-6.  I have included them here, to avoid confusion.

THE DETAIL

• Naaman was the head of the military in the army of the Aramites.  Aram was situated just north of Samaria.  It’s capital was Damascus.  Naaman was not only a great warrior, but he was a “great man”.  The Hebrew word translated as “great” in this translation could also be translated as “influential”.  The good news was that this man, who was a great warrior and influential, was highly respected by the king of Aram.  The bad news is that he had leprosy.  Leprosy was a contagious, incurable disease.  A cure for this disease was only discovered in the mid-1940’s. People suffering from it experienced crippling of the hands and feet, paralysis, and blindness.  Because it was so contagious, there were laws which excluded its victims from normal society.  (v. 1) 
• The Aramites went to war, off and on, against the Northern Kingdom.  On one of these battles, a Samaritan girl had been taken captive, and became the handmaiden to Naaman’s wife.  This slave girl knew of Elisha, and believed that he could heal Naaman’s leprosy.  She mentioned him to Naaman’s wife., who must have then mentioned it to Naaman.  (vv. 2-3)
• Naaman is desperate to be cured of this shameful disease, so he goes to the king, and tells him. The king offers to write a letter to the king of Samaria.  In order to hide his shame, Naaman heads south with a mammoth amount of money, as well as ten fancy suits of clothes.  (vv. 4-5)
• Naaman first goes to the king of Samaria with the letter.  The king freaks out!  How can you expect someone to cure leprosy?  He tears his garment as an outward sign of his internal agony.  He’s also afraid that Naaman’s king is trying to start a fight. (vv. 6-7)

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• Elisha, on the other hand, tells the king—“Why did you do that?  Send him to me, so I can show him the power of our God.”  (v. 8)
• So, Naaman proceeds to Elisha’s house, dressed to the nines, riding in a war chariot pulled by war horses, and bringing a treasure chest full of money.  All of this is intended to impress Elisha into doing something for this foreigner.  But Elisha is not impressed.  He doesn’t even come out to see Naaman.  Instead, he sends a servant out to tell him what to do.  What an insult!  (vv. 9-10)
• Naaman is visibly upset.  He has not only been upstaged by Elisha, but he was told to simply wash in the river! He wants nothing to do with it, and leaves in a rage.  (vv. 11-12)
• His servants convince him to do as he was instructed.  In humility, he goes to the river and washes seven times, as instructed. It works!  (vv. 13-14)
• He returns to Elisha, praising the God of Israel.  And he gave him the present of money.  (v. 15)

THE TAKEAWAY

I believe that Naaman had to first learn to be humble, before he could approach the man of God for healing.  The same holds true for us.  It is impossible to approach God without humility.

2 TIMOTHY 2:8-15

THE BACKGROUND

Paul continues to give Timothy (and us) some very useful device, in spite of the fact that Paul is chained and in a Roman prison.

THE DETAIL

• In verses 8 & 9, Paul instructs Timothy to remember something.  And in eight short words, Paul explains why he is not ashamed to be in chains in a Roman prison.  The words below in bold type are the words.  Each has my explanation.  Paul says that Jesus is:
  1. Christ—the Anointed One.  The Messiah.
  2. Raised from the dead—His resurrection is the proof positive we need to put our trust in him.
  3. Descendant of David—He is our king.  The promised rule of the Davidic line has been restored.
• Paul says it is for this reason that he suffers—to bring the Good News of salvation in Christ Jesus to all.  (v. 10)
• What follows is either a summary of his other teachings, or an old Christian hymn which encourages us to be faithful, even in the face of suffering or embarrassment. (vv. 11-13)
• We are reminded that when we Christians argue amongst ourselves, that not only do we accomplish nothing, but we taint the name of Jesus to those [non-believers?] who might be listening.  (v. 14)
• Paul closes with words of encouragement.  Don’t be ashamed, but present yourself with confidence, as you are approved by God himself. Good advice for us as well!  (v. 15)

THE TAKEAWAY

Paul’s eight words say it all.  The problem we Christians have is that we can’t keep it that simple.  We need to wrangle with one another, discussing the finer points of prayer, number of sacraments, what a proper baptism is and isn’t, when to baptize, etc.  We fail to realize how foolish we look to non-believers.  In one breath we say “love your neighbor”, and in the next we argue with our brothers and sisters over details.  Yet, we all agree on those eight words.  Let’s get along!

LUKE 17:11-19

THE BACKGROUND

In today’s Gospel, Jesus heals ten lepers.  I believe that this miracle was to demonstrate to others that his spiritual prowess was on a par with Elisha’s.  But other dynamics are also at work here. 

THE DETAIL

• Jesus is headed to Jerusalem, which will be is a one-way trip.  But at the time of this story, he is in the border area between Galilee and Samaria.  While the Jews tolerate Gentiles, they hate Samaritans.  Oddly, Samaritans worship the God Yahweh, but have somewhat different traditions than Judean Jews.  I guess their “wrangling” over details went ballistic at some point in time.  (v. 11)
• Ten lepers approach him, but at a distance.  As lepers, this was required by Mosaic Law.  After all, they were highly contagious.  (v. 12)
• They call Jesus “Master”, which was normally a title for Jesus that only his disciples used. I take it as an expression of humble admiration.  They ask for mercy.  (v. 13)
• Jesus heals them on the spot, and tells them to show themselves to the priest.  This was the instruction from the Torah—if you were cleansed from leprosy, a priest needed to examine you.  If he deemed you clean, you could re-enter society.  If not, you were still an outcast, and could not touch or come in contact with anyone.  (v. 14)
• One of the ten was so elated at being cured, that he returned to Jesus, shouting praises to God.  “And he was a Samaritan.”  (vv. 15-16)
• Jesus is quick to point out that this “foreigner” was the only one of the ten to return and praise him.  He sends the former leper on his way.  (vv. 17-19)

THE TAKEAWAY

This story, and the story of the good Samaritan, makes it clear that Jesus’ promise of saving grace is not reserved for “God’s Chosen People”, but for everyone; it is for the most despised group of people you can think of.  Even this despised Samaritan.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Why is it, then, that if a foul-smelling homeless person steps into the back pew of our church, we are disgusted, and can’t wait for them to leave?

HABAKKUK 1:1-4, 2:1-4

THE BACKGROUND

We know very little about the prophet Habakkuk, other than that he was a prophet to Judah during the first stages of Judah’s downfall to Babylon.  The first two chapters of the book are a dialogue with God.  The third is a psalm-like prayer.

THE DETAIL

• The first chapter, which is exemplified in verses 1-4, seems to challenge God with the question “Why, God, are you allowing these brutal Babylonian pagans to conquer your chosen people.  As bad as we are, we are certainly more righteous than they are.”  In verse 4, the “wicked” are the Babylonians, and the “righteous” are the Judeans.  Habakkuk simply cannot figure God out.   Habakkuk asks why would God allow this to happen?
• The second paragraph, from the second chapter, has Habakkuk shrugging, and taking his place on the ramparts.  (More on ramparts in the Takeaway.)  In faith, he will await God’s answer.  And God does just that.  God tells Habakkuk to write down the holy vision, and make it understandable even to a runner.  (vv. 1-2)
• The vision calls for the people to be patient.  God will make things right, but it will take time.  Just wait for it.  (v. 3)
• In the final verse, “the proud” are the Babylonians—their spirit is not right in them. “The righteous” are the Judeans.  God’s chosen people are told to live lives of patient faithfulness.  (v. 4)

THE TAKEAWAY

A couple of weeks ago, I had the privilege of walking on the ramparts of an old castle in France. From the ramparts, the outer walls of the castle, I had a clear view of the surrounding countryside.  It is a beautiful place to go, when you are in prayer. Or in Habakkuk’s case awaiting an answer to prayer.

We all know and believe that God answers prayer.  But we often want immediate answers.  God answers in his own time, and calls on us to be patient and faithful. 

2 TIMOTHY 1:1-14

THE BACKGROUND

This is Paul’s second letter to Timothy.  Paul is in a Roman prison.  His hopes of being released are fading fast.  In spite of this, Paul has words of strength and encouragement for Timothy.  This reading can be grouped into three sections. 

1. The greeting, verses 1-2.
2. Thanksgiving and personal remarks, verses 3-7.
3. Words of encouragement, verses 8-14.

THE DETAIL

• In spite of Paul’s impending death, he writes of the “promise of life”.  He is referring, of course, not to life on earth, but eternal life.  (vv. 1-2)
• Paul is thankful for Timothy and his family, who have been pillars of the church.  Paul would love to see him again, but probably knows that this will not happen.  Perhaps this is the reason for the tears.  (vv. 3-5)
• He reminds Timothy (and us) that through the Holy Spirit, we have the spirit of power, love, and self-discipline.  That’s quite a combination!  We’ll see why we need all three in the next verses.  (vv. 6-7)
• Timothy is encouraged to not be ashamed to stand up for Jesus or Paul.  We sing a song about standing up for Jesus.  It’s a fun and happy song.  But back in Timothy and Paul’s day, Jesus was considered by many to be nothing more than a criminal who was executed by the Roman authorities.  And now Paul is in jail and will surely die there. Both facts offer a lot of opportunity for embarrassment and shame.  But Paul reminds Timothy of God’s grace—the loving grace that the Father had by sacrificing His only son for us.  This is something to be proud of.  (vv. 8-10)
• Paul goes on to say that this is why he preached the gospel, and is why he is suffering for it. He encourages Timothy to have the love, power, and self-discipline (remember verse 7?) to do the same.  I love the beginning of verse 14—“Guard the good treasure entrusted to you, with the help of the Holy Spirit…”  (vv. 11-14) 

THE TAKEAWAY

We are blessed to live in a land where all are free to worship and practice their faith as they chose. We need to be committed to preserving this right for all people of faith, not just to those who believe as we do. Nobody should have to suffer for their faith like Paul and so many Christians of his day did. 

FOOD FOR THOUHT

What is the “good treasure” that is mentioned in verse 14?  How do we guard it?
 

LUKE 17:5-10

THE BACKGROUND

Earlier in Luke, chapter 14, Jesus warned the disciples of the cost of discipleship.  In the four verses just ahead of today’s reading, Jesus warns his followers of being a stumbling block to other’s faith, and of being willing to forge others, even if they do it repeatedly.

THE DETAIL

• In response to all the above, the disciples ask Jesus to increase their faith.  Obviously, they recognized the need for more faith for the challenges that lay ahead.  (v. 5)
• Next, Jesus tells them a parable.  He uses the example of a slave/servant and his master.  I’ll try to explain this in the Takeaway.

THE TAKEAWAY

There was a TV series that my wife and I loved, called Downton Abbey.  It was about an English aristocratic family, their social circle, and the lives of the servants.  We also watched a program called “The Making of Downton Abbey”.  It was explained that it was not proper for the family to thank the servants each time they did a task to serve them.  If the family did this, they’d be thanking everybody all day long.  After all, it was the servants’ job to do what they did.  No thanks was required or expected.  We modern Americans are not accustomed to this, so Jesus’ parable might seem odd.  Maybe knowing how servants and masters interact, we might better understand his parable. 

By telling this peculiar parable, I think Jesus is telling them that it is not how much faith you have, but about the quality or strength of we have.  Strength of faith comes from doing.  It comes from teaching, healing, feeding, picking up those who stumble and from forgiving.  It’s like spiritually pumping iron!  But if you think about it, this is simply our job as Christians.  We should not be looking for thanks, praise, or even for heavenly “brownie points”.  It is simply what we should be doing as lovers of God, servants of our Lord. When you get to that point, you’ve got a strong faith.

Amos 8:4-7

The prophet Amos lived at a time of prosperity for both Judah and Israel, the northern kingdom.  He was not from the prophets’ guild, but was a farmer.  When the Lord called, he heeded the call to be a prophet.  At that time, commerce was in high gear.  So much so, that businessmen were more acquiring wealth than justice and equity.  They often ignored the Law of Moses (Leviticus 19:36) and cheated the poor.  Amos reminds these people that God is taking notice of their dealings, and remembers.

1 Timothy 2:1-7

Here is an interesting, almost contradictory instruction from Paul to Timothy.  He urges Timothy to pray for everyone, including those in political authority, such as kings.  This might make sense to you and me, but things were different back then.  

Timothy, and all Christians living under Roman rule were required to walk a tricky walk.  The Romans “asserted human Caesar [w]as the only Lord over the empire and the only living son of the Roman deities.” * All Roman subjects were expected to worship all the Roman gods and hail Caesar as their only Lord.  In the latter half of this passage, Paul states that there is only one god, and that Jesus is our means of salvation, not Caesar.  

According to this passage, we should all pray for everyone, including our political leaders.  At the same time, we need to recognize that our ultimate trust should not be placed in the hands of any other human except Jesus.  

*Sunggu Yang, Sept 11, 2022, Working Preacher.org

Luke 16:1-13

Here is one of the most perplexing of Jesus’ parables.  It has been a troublesome passage to understand for wise bible scholars throughout the ages.  I will not attempt to explain everything that Jesus says here.  Anybody who claims to have all the answers to everything said here is not to be trusted.  But let’s study it, and see if we can figure out what Jesus’s main point was.  After all, all parables were taught with the purpose of making only one point.

At the time, wealthy businessmen employed stewards to manage their business for them.  Sometimes they were slaves, and sometimes they were freemen.  Common practice of the day for these stewards was to charge a heavy markup on goods.  From this markup, they would pay Roman taxes, as well as make a lot of money for their owners, as well as taking a big cut for themselves.  In the financial community, for example, it was not uncommon for some to charge 25-50% interest on loans.  

In our parable, the steward learns that his benefactor disapproves of his methods, and he is going to be fired.  If this steward was a slave (it does not say), he would have been sentenced to hard labor.  The steward presumably eliminates his cut, thereby gaining some business allies.  The benefactor likes this clever move, and does not press charges.

Verses 8b-13 are Jesus’ conclusion to this parable.  Some of his sayings here are downright confusing.  But the main theme throughout is that we should be both faithful and clever, when faced with life’s challenges.  

In a way, this is one of the most applicable of Jesus’s parables for us.   Living our lives according to the teachings of Jesus is not always easy in this day and age.  Our bosses sometimes require us to work on the sabbath, lie and even cheat for the company at times.  It is fun and easy to sing “Stand Up, Stand Up For Jesus” at church.  But if your boss is breathing down your neck and your children expect dinner on the table, sometimes being a Christian is a tricky walk.  We need to get clever, and find a way through this maze we call life.

DEUTERONOMY 30:15-20

THE BACKGROUND

Deuteronomy is a sort of sequel to the book of Exodus.  It is presented as a final discourse between Moses and God’s people.  There are a few chapters of review of God’s saving acts, followed by many chapters of the Law of Moses.  These laws will define Israel, and set them Part from their neighbors.  In the final chapters, like the one we read from today, Moses calls on the people to make a decision.  Chose the God who saved you, and live by His rules, or chose another god.  Chose Lord God Yahweh, and live.  Any other choice is death.  This message mirrors today’s Gospel lesson.  Let’s summarize these two together.

PHILEMON 1:1-21

THE BACKGROUND

Paul wrote this letter to the affluent Christian named Philemon.  We know that he was well-off, because he was a slave owner.  We’ll come back to that, but first, notice the other addressees mentioned in verse two, in particular Apphia.    This was a Christian woman.  In a society dominated by men, it is significant that a woman is mentioned..  The early churches were small, and met in peoples houses.  This church met in one of these three’s house.  

Paul is going to ask (or command!) Philemon to do something that is not something Philemon wants to do.  It appears that Philemon expelled (or gave to Paul) one of his slaves named Onesimus.  Something unpleasant happened between him and Philemon, but we do not get the details.  Paul calls Onesimus “his child” (v. 10) and “my own heart” (v. 11).  He calls on Philemon to embrace Onesimus not as a slave, but as a brother!  (v. 16)  He is told to welcome Onesimus as Philemon would welcome Paul.  In other words, Philemon is asked (or commanded) to look upon Onesmius through the eyes of Christ, and not through human eyes.  

We, too, are called upon to look at others through the eyes of Christ, rather than society’s lens.  It should no longer matter if one is rich or homeless,  black, white, Asian, etc.  It isn’t always easy, but I’ll bet it wasn’t easy for Philemon, either.

LUKE 14:25-33

THE BACKGROUND

Jesus has been preaching, teaching, and healing.  He has acquired an enthusiastic following.  People are excited, and want to see and hear more.  It is time for a reality check.  Jesus warns them that if they intend to follow him, it will come at great cost.  They need to be prepared to give up everything.  Especially at that time, if you decided to follow Jesus,  it could mean severing ties with friends and family.  It could cost you your job and social standing.  Just like Moses, Jesus calls his followers to chose.  Jesus calls his followers to not be distracted by outside influences like family or money matters.  What matters most is following Jesus— putting God first.  We call this the cost of discipleship.  

OK, sure.  We live in a generally Christian society, so most of us live in Christian families.  But we have many other distractions that can draw us away from a total commitment to following Jesus.  

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

What are the things that pull you away from a solid relationship with God?  How can you reduce or eliminate these influences?

Since I am traveling without my laptop, I will be giving you much shortened reflections, as time permits.  

PROVERBS 25:6-7

BACKGROUND

There is no error in the selection; verse 7 ends in mid-sentence.  I suggest crossing out the sentence fragment, or looking up verse 8 for the rest of the sentence.

Proverbs is a book of wisdom.  What we have in Verses 6-7a is a wise saying.  This is the gist of what Jesus will teach us in the gospel lesson, so let’s move on and summarize this with the gospel.

HEBREWS 13

BACKGROUND

These are the author’s concluding remarks.  They offer a wealth of advice for daily living. This is as applicable for us today as they were when first written.

LUKE 14: 1, 7-14

BACKGROUND

Jesus is at a dinner party where he notices some curious selfish behavior.  I believe this might have reminded him of today’s proverb.  He elaborates on the proverb, and what he says makes good sense.

He goes on to give some advice to the host of the party.  I’m not sure that this set very well with that host, But it is good advice for us to consider.  I’m not sure that we should be taking Jesus’ advice to earn heavenly brownie points.  But God the Father and Son are intensely interested in having us care for the disadvantaged.  How many times have I harped on this subject?  How many times have They harped on this subject? In the USA and locally, one in five children go hungry.  What are we doing about this?

ISAIAH 58:9b-14

THE BACKGROUND

The large book of Isaiah can be broken into three parts—the time before, during, and after Judah’s exile in Babylon.  Today’s reading comes from the last part.  God’s people have returned to the Promised Land.  It doesn’t take long before they start going astray.  Each of the two paragraphs mentions one particular expectation that God has of his people.

THE DETAIL

• God calls his people to turn to him and cry for His help.  “The yoke” He is referring to is their sinful nature.  He gives two examples—“pointing of the finger” and “speaking of evil”.  I’m sure that the real list was longer, of course.  (v. 9b)
• Here are two expectations of God; two God-like behaviors that He would like to see. They should offer food to the hungry, and satisfy the needs of the afflicted.  (v. 10a)
• The remainder of this paragraph list the blessings they would receive, if they did these things, instead of the above-mentioned bad things.  (vv. 10b-12)
• Now, the emphasis shifts to keeping the Sabbath day holy.  When God calls working on the Sabbath “trampling on the Sabbath”, you get a sense for His attitude about this.  He wants us to put our own interests aside on this day, and take a break.  (v. 13)
• Again follow some of the blessings we receive, when we follow this path.  (v. 14)

THE TAKEAWAY

It is clearly stated, time and time again in scripture that we are to care for the less fortunate around us.  This includes the hungry, the orphans and widows, etc.  This is very important to God.  Somehow, it is less important to us.

Recently, I learned that the word Sabbath means “stop”.  For people of faith, this means stopping work.  For the people of that time, and for Jews today, the Sabbath begins on Friday at sunset, and lasts until sunset on Saturday.  Christians moved the Sabbath day to Sunday, the day of our Lord’s resurrection.  They argue that each Sunday Sabbath should be a “little Easter”.  Whichever day we chose, the concept is the same.  God wants us to have a break from our labors every week.  In our house, we try to refrain from doing chores on this day.  Instead, we do “other stuff”, like talk with family, go for a walk, etc.  If I’m working on some sort of project, I try very hard to not work on that project on Sunday.  It’s impossible to take Sunday off, when your boss orders you to work on Sunday.  But the concept is the same.  God wants us to take a break and honor him.

HEBREWS 12:18-29

THE BACKGROUND

I’ve already said that this book was written to explain Jesus’ place in Jewish theology.  But there are two more things to know about it.  First, this is a sermon.  It is one very long sermon!  More importantly, it’s primary emphasis is about faith, as we will see today. If there’s a third, it is that the writer uses contrast in his sermon.  He compares the good vs. the bad, then vs. now, and so forth.  Today, it is a Then and Now, a Tangible vs. Intangible comparison.

THE DETAIL

• He starts out by stating that we Christians don’t have a belief based on something we can touch, see, or hear.  Back in Moses’ time, they did.  Never mind that if you touched Mt. Sinai you would die (according to tradition).  (vv. 18-21)
• What we have is the invisible Mt. Zion, the heavenly city of God.  Everybody is there—God, Jesus, angels, and those who have gone before us (“the assembly of the firstborn”).  This is what we believe in.  We believe by faith, not by touch, sight, or sound.  (vv, 22-23)
• Jesus’ life-saving blood is contrasted with the death-dealing blood of Abel.  (v. 24)
• We should not waver in our faith (“refuse the one who is speaking”), like the Israelites did so many times.  (v. 25)
• At Sinai, God shook the earth with his voice.  Soon, God will shake both heaven and earth with His voice, as foretold in Haggai 2:6 “For thus says the Lord of hosts: Once again, in a little while, I will shake the heavens and the earth and the sea and the dry land…”  (vv. 26-28)
• So, keep the faith, and give thanks, knowing that “God is a consuming fire”.

THE TAKEAWAY

By definition, faith is the belief in something not seen.  Remember what Jesus said, when “doubting Thomas” touched Jesus’ scars?  “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.”  (John 20:29)

LUKE 13:10-17

THE BACKGROUND

Jesus is still on his way to Jerusalem.  It is the Sabbath, a day of rest, worship, and teaching.

THE DETAIL

• It was common in Jesus’ day for a traveling teacher to preach the Word in the synagogue on the Sabbath (Saturday).  Jesus does just that at some undisclosed place.  (v. 10)
• Jesus heals a woman from a crippling illness of 18 years.  (vv. 11-13)
• The leader of the synagogue speaks up, objecting to Jesus working on the Sabbath.  In most cases, the Law of Moses is clear-cut on this subject.  Regular work was not allowed.  You weren’t even allowed to travel, except to go to worship.  On the other hand, it was OK to work to save someone’s life on the Sabbath.  Healing a crippled person was in a gray area.  Jesus took one side, the leader took the other.  (v. 14)
• The list of work not allowed was very well defined, as defined in a non-biblical text that listed them.  One of the verbs listed was “to lead”.  You could not lead a farm animal on the Sabbath.  Jesus turns the tables on the leader of the synagogue, when he uses the example of leading an ox or donkey to a water trough to water the animal.  He knows that they all do this, so he calls them hypocrites.  Can they break the law to give their donkey a drink, but we cannot heal this “daughter of Abraham”???  (vv. 15-16)
• The point is made, and his critics are put to shame.  (v. 17)

THE TAKEAWAY

Jesus repeatedly ignores the letter of the law when it comes down to showing love and compassion for others. The laws are a good guide, but the Law of Love overrides everything else.  Sometimes, it is easier to stick to the rules, and turn our backs to those in need.  Jesus is telling us to put love above all else.

JEREMIAH 23:23-29

THE BACKGROUND

This part of Jeremiah’s story occurs at a pivotal moment.  Jeremiah has been speaking for God, condemning the practices of the king of Judah and the prophets of the king’s court.  He has nearly been executed three times for treason, solely based on his opposition to them.  Earlier in this chapter, God (through Jeremiah) has presented his vision for His people—that they should “… act with justice and righteousness,… do[ing] no wrong or violence to the alien, the orphan, and the widow…” (v. 3)  Instead, “… their eyes are on your dishonest gain, for shedding innocent blood, and for practicing oppression and violence.” (v. 17) Speaking up against these acts brought Jeremiah nothing but grief.  Very soon, the tide will change.  Babylon is about to change their lives forever.

THE DETAIL

• Right away, you can sense the tone of this passage.  God is angry with the king and his court prophets.  God reminds them that he is both near and far; they can run, but they cannot hide.  God sees everything.  (vv. 23-24)
• God attacks the court prophets for leading His people astray.  They have told His people lies; lies which support the king’s agenda, and not the Lord’s.  (vv. 25-27)
• In the end, God says “let them tell their lies”.  But let His prophet (Jeremiah) speak the truth as well.    The wheat/straw sentence was puzzling to me.  I take it to mean this:  Both wheat and straw are from the same plant; but the wheat provides nourishment, while the straw is provides none.  Jeremiah and the court prophets are all prophets, but only one provides wholesome prophecy.  (v. 28)
• The Lord’s final statement is ominous—His word is like fire.  It is like a hammer.  This is no idle threat!  (v. 29)

THE TAKEAWAY

The more things seem to change, the more they remain the same.  In today’s religious communities, there are two distinctly different “schools”. One strives to care for the disadvantaged—foreigners, the poor, widows, and the underprivileged.   The other supports leadership that is more interested in programs for the wealthy than for the poor. 

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

I wonder what God would say to us today?  Could He be speaking now, and we’re just not listening?

HEBREWS 11:29-12:2

THE BACKGROUND

I will continue to say this, because it is so important to understanding the book of Hebrews—this book was written to help the Christian Jews to understand Jesus’ place in the world of Jewish theology.  They had a firm understanding of Yahweh through reading the Old Testament.  The question before them was how Jesus fit into this picture.  Before Jesus, one gained God’s favor by keeping The Law of Moses.  With Jesus, it comes though faith.  Is this something new?  The author of Hebrews says no, and explains why.

THE DETAIL

• We are presented with a very long list of faithful Jews from Old Testament scripture.  (vv. 29-32)
• We read of the suffering they endured for their faith.  (vv. 33-38)
• He then states that all these faithful people did not, unfortunately, receive the promise (of the Messiah).  The good news is that we do receive the promise!  (vv. 39-40)
• The final paragraph tells us what we should do.  I’ll summarize it in reverse order. 
  • Remember that Jesus endured the shame of the cross, and sits at God’s right hand.
  • Remember that Jesus is our pioneer and perfecter of our faith.
  • Let’s set aside our sinful ways, and run the race of faith that is set before us.  Sometimes, we must persevere, especially when faced with difficulties such as those mentioned in verses 33-38.

THE TAKEAWAY

Over the eons, many have suffered for their faith.  This was certainly true for the early Christians.  They were called upon to persevere in the face of adversity; to have suffering endurance.  Even today, occasionally, we are called upon to stand up for Jesus.  When this happens, it’s time to lace up our running shoes, and run the race of faith!
 

LUKE 12:49-56

THE BACKGROUND

Jesus has “set his face on Jerusalem”.  He continues on, knowing what lies ahead.   He has taught his followers what all of this will mean, but many don’t get it or don’t want to get it.  Last week’s reading hinted at the anxiety that Jesus must have felt.   In this week’s reading, Jesus’ feelings are more evident. 

THE DETAIL

• It is clear to me that Jesus is anxious about what he is about to endure, and would like to get it over with.  By “baptism”, I believe he is referring to his crucifixion.  (vv. 49-50)
• Our Prince of Peace is not talking peace here, but division.  It was true for his followers, back at that time.  To follow Jesus meant that they must step away from their former traditional Jewish lives, and become Christians.  This would mean confrontation with family members and friends. Many would have to choose between Jesus or family & friends.  These lines of separation still exist.  But we’ll save that for the Takeaway.  (vv. 51-53)
• The final paragraph might be understood to refer to the “end times”.  But, I prefer to think instead that Jesus was talking about his immediate future.  Everybody was happily following him down the road.  Jesus knew exactly where that road would lead, but others apparently did not. I think this passage was meant for them. (vv. 54-56)

THE TAKEAWAY

Many of us are fortunate to be able to live our lives in the same Christian community as our friends and family. Sometimes, there is a cost to following Jesus.  Sometimes, family members will differ on issues of morality or faith.  This is when it is important to return to holy scripture and review the life and teaching of Jesus.