Tag: Jesus

What Meal Did They Eat? | Luke 22

bread and cup with the words of Luke 22:19 (NIV) - And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, "This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me."

Daily Bible Reading

Ezekiel 14-15          

Psalm 140

Luke 22

Today’s Devotion by Tom Siderius (MI)

Luke 22:14-20(ESV) And when the hour came, he reclined at table, and the apostles with him. 15 And he said to them, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. 16 For I tell you I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” 17 And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he said, “Take this, and divide it among yourselves. 18 For I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” 19 And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 20 And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.

We celebrated communion last Sunday at Blanchard church, which is the habit there to do it on the first Sunday of the month.  The thoughts that go with communion include that remembrance of this event with Jesus and the apostles, and then the thankfulness that we have for the sacrifice of body and blood that Jesus is willing to make for us. 

He said “I desire to eat the Passover with you but will not”.  Many believe that the meal eaten was the Passover meal but that is not correct.  For Jesus to be the Passover lamb on the 15th day of Nissan month, this night is the celebration that the Jews did on the day before that on the 14th.  This meal together was in anticipation of the Passover meal and day to come and help get them ready for it.  The name of the meal is “seudah maphsehket” which is the meal that would be eaten before the Passover day coming the next day.  It means concluding meal” or “separating meal” in Jewish tradition.  They would fast on the Passover day until the evening meal which would break the fast with the “seder” Passover meal on that evening after sunset which started the new day the 15th.

Luke 22:16(ESV) For I tell you I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.”

The other thing that Jesus says about this meal is that he will not eat the true Passover again until the fulfillment of time in the age to come.  In it’s place Jesus tells us to do the remembrance of what he starts here in the time until the age to come happens.  He institutes a new covenant going forward that is because of his own shed blood and broken body.  He is the Passover lamb and he fulfills the requirements of the Old Testament lamb. 

What do we have to be thankful for specifically?

Why is the Passover not fulfilled until the age to come?

The answer to our questions may be found in Ephesians where God gives us an understanding of the mystery that has been revealed after Christ’s resurrection.

Ephesians 1:4-10(ESV)  even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love 5 he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. 7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, 8 which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight 9 making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ 10 as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.

God chose us in Christ because He desired to do it.  God gave the agency of salvation in the broken body and shed blood of Jesus.  God has redeemed us from the law of sin and death and made us part of His family in Christ.  When God looks at you, He sees Christ in you and all that means.  The new heaven and earth to come is the time and place when the Passover lamb payment and sacrifice will be completed .  It is finished with the resurrection of those that are raised again to life eternal and included in the age to come.  God shows Jesus this coming glory and that is the focus that keeps Jesus faithful to do the hard things to come after this point in time.

The passage points us to the idea that the communion meal that we share is the preparation for the final “seder” meal to be eaten and drank with the Savior in the age to come.  The new heavens and earth are filled only with God’s righteousness and presence. 

Why does it take a new heaven and earth for these things to be completed?

Our thankfulness of heart should be towards the God who has given us newness of life because He our God has desired to do it for us.  Our thankfulness should also go to the Christ who was faithful even unto death on the cross so that God is able to resurrect him from dead, giving us the way to God.  We celebrate the communion event in remembrance of Jesus’ great love for us as he is faithful in all the events that happen.  Our hearts should overflow with love for God and His Son when we see all that God has done for us.

Prayer:

Our God Our Father, we thank you for the redemption from sin and death that You have given us.  We look to You this day with hearts of gratitude for Your Son and all that is accomplished by his faithful service.  We look with grateful hearts for the coming of the Kingdom of God and for Your love that includes us in it.  Father help to have grateful hearts every minute and hour as we walk with You and Your Son.  In Jesus name we pray.

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By Whose Authority? | Luke 20

Sunset over vineyard rows with a Bible verse from Luke 20:13 overlaid

Daily Bible Readings

Ezekiel 6-7

Psalm 138

Luke 20

Today’s Devotion by Jeremy Martin (TN)

Luke 20 is a literal gold mine of theological doctrine and understanding.  Pretty much any time Jesus speaks we should be dropping whatever we’re doing and paying attention, but there are some very critical understandings that he gives us here that have been “a little confused” (to put it politely) by the modern church.  Starting out in Luke 20:1-2, “And it came to pass on one of the days he was teaching the people in the temple and proclaiming the good news, the chief priests and the experts in the law, along with the elders, approached him, and they spoke, saying to him, “Tell us by what authority you are doing these things. Who is the one who gave you this authority?” ” 

That right there, that last question, is extremely deep and it’s a very easy question to answer if you are going by scripture alone because almost every prophecy of the Old Testament and every gospel in the New Testament is predicated at and dedicated to the explanation that Yeshua (Jesus) is Ha’Messhiach, the Messiah, the Christ: the man anointed by God to be King and Heir, a Jewish man descended from the line of David, granted a large portion of the holy spirit by God which allowed him to perform miracles, sent by God and also subservient and obedient to the God who sent him*.  So is Jesus doing this on his own authority?  Is Jesus equal to God?  Not according to Jesus**.  God has granted him this authority.

Jesus himself reiterates and explains this in today’s reading of Luke 20.  In this evil age, many have confused who “The Christ” is, and what it means to be the Christ, but it simply means “the anointed one”: that’s it.  To be an anointed one (an anointee) it’s simple logic that there must also be a higher authority who initiates that anointing (an anointer).  It’s all over scripture, and especially in today’s reading of Luke 20.

In the “Parable of the Greedy Farmers” that takes place in Luke 20:9-19, we see Jesus telling us who he is and why he’s come.  He also tells us who he is not.  Just listen to the story.

 A man buys a vineyard, rented it out to some farmers, and went away (God made the earth, placed humans on it, and left them to their devices).  Harvest time came and the man sent his servants, over and over, to collect his portion and the greedy farmers beat them up and sent them away empty handed (God sent us the prophets repeatedly to get his deserved portion, our devotion and love, and we ignored and beat them).  The man sent his own beloved son next, and instead of honoring the agreement, the greedy farmers killed the son, the heir, thinking that then they could claim the vineyard. (God sent Jesus to reconcile mankind to himself, and he was killed).  Jesus says in the parable, “Now, what then will the owner of the vineyard do to them?”.

Jesus never claims to be the owner of the vineyard, but does rightfully claim to be the son, the Christ, the anointed one, the Messiah that God (the owner of the vineyard) sent.  How can that in any way be confused?  That is dramatically different than what is taught in most churches.  “Oh, but that’s just a parable”…ok, granted.  Let’s read on.

In Luke 20:41-44 Jesus asks these “religious authorities” of the time “And he said to them, “How can they say that the Christ is David’s son? For David himself says in the scroll of Psalms, The Lord said to my Lord, ‘Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies the footstool of your feet.’ David therefore calls him Lord, and so how is he his son?”.   Well, Jesus, that’s a great question: how can the Christ be David’s son?  How can one who came later have preeminence?

To the testimony, and to the law! (Isaiah 8:20).   When we look at the original verse in Hebrew that Jesus is quoting here, it’s a little easier to understand, and removes some of the confusion that later scribal bias*** has placed there by no longer writing the holy name of God.  Flipping back over to Psalms 110 we see (in v1): “Yahweh’s declaration to my lord, “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.”  That’s  YHWH God, the Father and creator of the universe, who is stating to David’s lord (authority, ruler, King) “sit at my right hand”.  David’s descendant will be the Christ, the Messiah, granting him preeminence over his ancestor David…but still placing him under the authority of Yahweh, who grants him permission and authority to come and sit at His right hand.

When we read just a tiny bit further down in Psalm 110:4-5, we see “Yahweh has sworn and he will not change his mind; ‘You are a priest forever in the pattern of Melchizedek.’ O Lord, at your right hand is he who will shatter kings in the day of his wrath.”  It’s pretty clear that God is the authority who has invited the Christ to sit at his right hand.  Can we be sure that it is Jesus who is the Christ though?  Absolutely, the entirety of the New Testament confirms this and makes a point to show repeatedly that all of the prophecies of the Old Testament about the Messiah have been fulfilled by the man Jesus, God’s anointed.

Is that really important though?  Isn’t that something that the preacher should worry about, and not me?  Well, if you are calling yourself a Christian, then you should probably listen to the person we’re supposed to be following, Jesus, the Christ.  When asked in Mark 12:29 and following what the greatest commandment is, he quotes the Shema (Deut 6:4-5): “Hear, O Israel! Yahweh is our God, Yahweh alone! Therefore you are to love Yahweh your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.”  Jesus tells us that most importantly: Yahweh alone is our God, and that we should love God.  Secondly,  that we should love our neighbor as much as we do ourselves.  So, how are we doing?

Are we loving YHWH God (who is God alone) more than anything else, more than our desires, our greed, our lusts?  Are we loving our neighbor as much as we do ourselves, and thinking of them as equal to or greater than ourselves?  Do you fall short on these as often as I do?

Isn’t it a little ironic that within the world’s largest current religion, the majority of it’s adherents to a large degree disregard the words of it’s founder?  Even if you have understanding, even if you have faith and believe, we know from James that faith without works is dead.  With that in mind, consider the following reflection questions:

REFLECTION QUESTIONS

What are some physical steps that we could take to show our love for God?

What are some actions we could perform to exhibit that we love our neighbor as much as ourself?

Do you think doing these physical actions above will help your inner spiritual love as well?  Why or why not?

PRAYER

Father God, thank you.  Thank you for sending your servants over and over, and then for sending us your son.  Please grant us understanding and wisdom when we are studying your word, plant your spirit within our hearts and give us the strength to listen and obey your will instead of our own, like Jesus did.  Have mercy on us and reconcile us to you.  In Jesus name, Amen.

* Acts 2:22-36, 10:38, Matt 26:39, John 3:34, to name just a very, very few.

** John 5:30, 7:16, 12:49, 14:28, 20:17, to name just a very, very few.

*** It should be stated that everyone has some form of bias, to be fair.  I pray that my own personal biases are based more upon scripture than tradition.

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I Have Made You a Watchman

Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the people of Israel; so hear the word I speak and gove them warning from me. Ezekiel 3:17 NIV

Daily Bible Readings

*Ezekiel 1-3

Psalm 137

Luke 19

Today’s Devotion by Jeremy Martin (TN)

Ezekiel 1* gives an awe inspiring account of the vision of the throne of God.  If you are interested, there is a devotion from Aug 5th of this year that has a number of corresponding scriptures that describe the courts of heaven in greater detail.  In every account, though, the description of the throne of heaven is both complex and awe inspiring, something beyond the human ability to comprehend, and surrounded by myriads of the (incomprehensibly powerful) heavenly host offering obeisance to the God Most High (YHWH, who is even more incomprehensibly powerful than all of them).   

I like how right off the bat, in Ezekie 1:1-3, this tells us the exact time and the almost exact place that Ezekiel initially saw God**: this is roughly @593 BC, since Jehoiachin went into exile @597 BC.  The Land of the Chaldeans refers to ancient Babylonia, specifically the southern region of Mesopotamia where the Chebar Canal (also known as the Grand Canal or nāru kabari) was located. This area, situated southeast of Babylon near the city of Nippur, served as the primary settlement for Jewish exiles deported by the Neo-Babylonian Empire.

Ezk 2:1-“He said to me, ‘Son of man, stand on your feet, and I will speak with you.‘”.  It’s very interesting, and could be it’s own in-depth study, that the way which God addresses humans is “Son of man.”.  What is a son of man?  A man, of course.  A human.  It’s equally interesting to me that this is Jesus’ primary self designation in all of his ministry on the earth.  This is an important distinction, because in scripture (our measuring ruler) there are at least 30 verses*** that state unequivocally that Jesus was born a man, and 0 verses that state directly that he became a man.  Interesting, no?

In Ezk 2:8-10, when I read those verses, I can’t help but think of the phrase “take your medicine”.  In this instance, it doesn’t sound as if the medicine is pleasant (although it is indeed later described as tasting sweet as honey).  He is ingesting lamentations, mourning, and woe, and then told to go and speak to his people, the Jews in exile.

Ezk 3:10-11:  “Moreover he said to me, ‘Son of man, all my words that I speak to you, receive in your heart and hear with your ears. And go to the exiles, to the children of your people, and speak to them. And whether they will hear or whether they will refuse to hear, say to them, “This is what the Lord Yahweh says.’” This is one of the key things to take away from this, a core principle.  God knows that we’re a stubborn people, just like ancient Israel.  He still attempts to reach out to us, to speak to us in a variety of different ways: whether we will hear or whether we refuse to hear is up to us, but God is trying to say something.

Ezk 3:15-17 “Then I came to the exiles…and I sat there…overwhelmed for seven days. And at the end of seven days the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, “Son of man, I have made you a watchman to the house of Israel, so hear the word from my mouth and give them warning from me.”  This small blurb in v15 lets us know that this vision took it’s toll on Ezekiel.  He sat overwhelmed for 7 days, then the word of God came to him and appointed him as a watchman for his people.  A watchman is defined as “One set to watch; a person who keeps guard; a guard; a sentinel “.  Someone to keep people safe.

Ezekiel 3:18- 21 are some of my favorite verses in the entire book of Ezekiel, I’ve got them highlighted in my bible.   This is the original “if you see something, say something” statement, by God to Ezekiel, with the caveat that if they chose not to listen then it wasn’t his fault, but if he chose not to say something he would be accountable.  What about us though?

That’s a little bit scary, when you carry it over into our modern lives.  How many times have you seen someone engaging in destructive or even self-destructive behavior, and chosen to keep silent for whatever reason?  I think of some very specific examples in my own life, and the times when I’ve kept silent when I should have spoken, and most of the times I think of are just because I didn’t want to be socially awkward. 

Now listen, it is absolutely not our job (nor our privilege) to hound and harass someone who believes or acts different than we do.  HOWEVER, in this present evil age, it seems as if it has become more of an “every man for himself!” and that is directly contrary to scripture.  The second greatest commandment (according to Jesus) is: love your neighbor as yourself.

A gentle word of correction, a loving nudge in the right direction, perhaps an inspiring and applicable bible verse, or even a simple “Hey man, God loves you.” can alter someone’s course.  Be a good servant, feed the hungry, clothe the naked, visit the sick or imprisoned, help the widows and orphans, and take no personal credit.  Love and glorify God.  Take criticism lovingly, be unoffendable, and live the love that Jesus exemplified.  I am absolutely not endorsing slamming someone over the head with scripture until they comply, but  shouldn’t we be taking care of each other, in love?  I suppose what I’m really saying here is, “Hey man, God loves you.”.  Pass it along.

The Kingdom is ready: gather them in****.  Is everyone going to listen?  Is everyone going to care?  Is everyone going to immediately correct course by seeing your example and submit themselves to the will and authority of God?  Nope, probably not, but you will have done your job.  Ezk 3:27 “But when I speak with you, I will open your mouth, and you will tell them, ‘This is what the Lord Yahweh says.’ The one who hears, let him hear, and the one who refuses, let him refuse, for they are a rebellious house.”

REFLECTION QUESTIONS

  1. How many times have you seen a friend or family member doing something contrary to God’s word?  Think of 1-3 examples.
  2. Did you say or do anything to correct that?  Why or why not?
  3. What are 3 ways you can think of that we could, non-judgmentally, offer a better course of action when we see our brothers (or sisters) going astray? (Be specific)

PRAYER

Father God, please forgive me for all of the times when I was too timid to speak your word when I should have.  Give me the words, and open my mouth when it is needed, to tell others of how very much you love us.  Use me as you see fit, to your glory.  In Jesus name, Amen.

* All scripture quotations will be from the REV translation today.

** It should be noted that since it says in scripture that no man has seen God directly (John 1:18,  1 John 4:12, 1 Timothy 6:16 ), that the instances where this is described in scripture are most likely through an agent (as in Ex 3:2-4 when the angel of YHWH in v2 is then referred to as YHWH in v4, among many other examples), a vision (such as this one in Eze 1, among many others), or a dream (Job 33:14-15, among many others).  This one is clearly stated as a vision, in Eze 1:1.  Agent, Vision, Dream: remember, these are the ways in which man can see God (and live).

*** Luke 2:7, Matt 1:21, Gal 4:4, Heb 2:14, Heb 2:17, Acts 2:22, Acts 17:31, 1 Tim 2:5, Rom 5:15, John 8:40, etc. There are at least 30 verses in the NT that reiterate that Jesus was a human being who was born a man,  appointed by God and empowered by the spirit of God.  This is not counting the @80 times “son of man” was used (primarily as a self identification by Jesus), and in addition to the myriad of verses from the OT describing the requirements of the Messiah as being a human Israelite male descended from David (Gen 3:15, Deut 18:18, 2 Sam 7,Psalms 89, etc).  Pretty solid evidence, particularly when weighed against later “became a man” theories with 0 verses confirming them directly.

**** A message given to my blind father, in a vision.  The one who hears, let him hear.

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Parables: What the He…ck? | Luke 16

"If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead." Luke 16:31 ESV, with a backdrop of autumn foliage.

Daily Bible Readings

Jeremiah 48-49

Psalm 134

Luke 16

Today’s Devotion by Jeremy Martin (TN)

Entering the Kingdom of God | Luke 16:16-17

I suppose I’d be a bit remiss if I didn’t point out an important verse that should have probably come up at the end of yesterday’s devotion about the Unrighteous Steward, but since it’s still in our reading today let me point it out, Luke 16:16-17 says: “The law and the prophets were until John. From that time the good news of the kingdom of God is being proclaimed, and everyone who enters forces his way into it. But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one ornamentation of the law to fall.”  (REV translation, see yesterday’s note about that).

There are 2 points I’d like to mention in these verses.  Firstly, everyone who enters into the kingdom will be forcing their way into it: it’s not easy, and it goes against our sinful nature.  If you are not struggling with yourself, correcting yourself, and constantly trying to improve and give glory to God, don’t be surprised when you don’t get to enter in to the Kingdom, Jesus himself has told us we’re going to have to force our way in.  Push harder, if you’re not.

Secondly, Jesus said it’s easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one tiny bit of the law to fail: that is, the law as given in the scriptures.  I know that a lot of our modern churches teach that adherence to the law is unimportant: that’s old testament stuff,  we just need to do what Jesus said.  Well, that’s my whole point; Jesus said it was important.  Just something to consider.

The Rich Man and Lazarus | Luke 16:19-31

Jesus taught a lot in parables.  ALL of them make you think a little bit, and while most of them I understand pretty well (I think), to be honest some of them have always confused me a little bit.  I will be very honest with you all and tell you that of them all, this is the parable that confused me the most, the parable of “The Rich Man and Lazarus” (as my Bible header reads).  You’re probably all familiar with it.

In this parable, which takes place in Luke 16:19-31, we see a rich guy who is super rich: living the good life, wearing fancy clothes, and having huge feasts daily.  Then, in contrast we have Lazarus, a poor guy who is super poor: living right outside the rich guy’s gates, starving and destitute, covered in sores, and ignored.  Since this parable is kind of a continuation on the other parable in Luke 16, I encourage you to go back and read yesterday’s devotion about the “Unrighteous Steward” if you haven’t already: the rich guy in this parable probably wishes he did.  It should also be noted that this IS a parable, which takes place after the rich man dies (and before the resurrection/judgment/establishment of the kingdom).

So they both die, the parable goes on to say, and the poor man goes to rest in “the bosom of Abraham”, whereas the rich guy lies down in torment: thirsty and suffering in flames.  This parable is where a large portion of the orthodox (mis)understanding of “Hell” comes from, by the way.  While everyone who reads the Bible can clearly see that there will be a lake of fire that the wicked are tossed into, this parable is likely one that led to the idea that they’d suffer there for an eternity of torment.  There are a couple of verses that I suppose could be read this way*, but the majority of verses that speak of the wicked after punishment** are finite, and describe the righteous walking on their ashes.  But what happens to the dead between death and the resurrection/judgment?

Let me be very direct and not dissemble in any way: I believe in the sleep of the dead, because that is what the Bible describes.  It does raise a question though, if we are being honest: even though this is a parable, why would Jesus describe this particular scenario in such a fashion?  I could speculate and say “those who sleep sometimes have nightmares” and also “God will not leave the guilty unpunished” and neither of those things would conflict with my overall understanding, but the truth is: there is no single Bible verse that says anything like that directly, it’s pure speculation.

More to the point, I’ve got some experiential knowledge that most people don’t get.  I’ve actually died (2/14/2022).  I laid on a table dead for about 5 1/2 minutes.  I’ve read a lot about NDE’s (Near Death Experiences…most seem a little “iffy” honestly), so let me tell you about mine.  After I died, I was still self aware: just like when you’re asleep and dreaming you have a sense of “self”.  I couldn’t see anything, but I was aware that I was “me”.  It felt like I was in a dark cave, and I had the sense of waiting.  I could hear a low susurration around me, so I had the feeling that I wasn’t alone.  That was it.  I wasn’t uncomfortable, I wasn’t scared, I wasn’t in torment, I was just…sleeping (the book of Enoch has a startlingly similar description of the state of death: it’s a “non-canonical” book but is quoted in the Bible).

Then I woke up, surrounded by a very concerned and wide-eyed group of physicians, one of whom was holding a pair of AED paddles.  “Are you ok?” one of them asked (Dr. Neal Barry, I think it was, now my primary cardiologist).  “Yeees…” I said, “are you ok?”.  Please note that your experience may vary significantly, but at the time of my death I was NOT living a righteous life. 

In this parable, the rich man says “Let me go back and tell them…”, and is told in v31: “If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, they will not be persuaded if one rises from among the dead.”.  This, I think, is one of the 2 main points of this parable.  FIRSTLY, come on man, if you’ve got that much wealth, don’t you think you should have given that guy a little love? (See yesterday’s devotion “True Riches”).  SECONDLY, this was some heavy foreshadowing, because Jesus WAS raised from the dead.  True to the parable though, the people didn’t listen to Moses and the prophets, and most of them didn’t listen to Jesus either.  What about you?

REFLECTION QUESTIONS

  1. Do you feel like following the law (the 10 commandments specifically) is important today for Christians***? Why, or Why not? 
  2. What about the rest of Jewish law? (again: why, or why not?)
  3. What lesson did you think was prominent in this parable?
  4. Why do you think Jesus used these specific circumstances in this parable?

PRAYER

Father God, please lead us.  Help us to listen when you speak.  Forgive us of our many shortcomings.  Lead us into the kingdom, and give us the strength we need to enter.  Help us to understand, and to listen, and to act in the manner which glorifies you.  In Jesus name, Amen.

* Rev 14:11-could be read this way at a stretch I suppose,  but to contrast please see note about Jude 1:7 below. Rev 20:10 describes an (unique) ongoing torment for the devil, the beast, and the false prophet that lasts (literally) “for ages and ages” (not forever) but that is a special circumstance and an end is implied for the devil in Eze 28:19 and Isa 14:15.  Mark 9:43 and 48 notably mention “where their worm does not die and their fire is not quenched” but even more notably, these verses are not found in the earliest manuscripts and are “later additions”, so they’re not used at all by knowledgeable scholars when debating this issue as there is strong evidence that they were added by later copyists. Isa 57:21 does say, “there is no peace for the wicked”, but the word for peace can also be translated as “completeness” so it’s not really convincing that this is a proof verse.

** Jude 1:7 describes Sodom and Gomorrah as suffering the “vengeance of eternal fire”, yet those cities are no longer burning, suggesting the fire’s effect is irreversible extinction rather than ongoing consciousness.  Similarly, Malachi 4:3 and Psalm 37:20 (among others) indicate the wicked will be turned to ashes or consumed away, contradicting the idea of indestructible, eternal burning and seeming to support the concept of an irreversible extinction instead.

*** Disturbingly, the Catholic church omits #2 (graven images) in order to continue some practices without condemnation, and says “it’s just part of no other gods“, and splits the covet commandment at the end into 2 to make 10.  Conversely, almost the entirety of the rest of the Protestant churches completely ignore #4 (or, #3, if you’re Catholic) about the Sabbath.  Curious, no?

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I Go to Prove Out my Oxen

Jeremiah 39-40            

Psalm 132        

Luke 14

-Devotion by Tom Siderius (MI)

When we read the Parable of the Great Feast in Luke chapter 14 it does not have the same points in our culture that it did in the Jewish culture of that time.  Read together from the NLT version.  There are 3 excuses that Jesus shows us in the parable where people excuse themselves from the invitation of the great feast.

Luke 14:15-24(NLT) Parable of the Great Feast
15 Hearing this, a man sitting at the table with Jesus exclaimed, “What a blessing it will be to attend a banquet in the Kingdom of God!”
16 Jesus replied with this story: “A man prepared a great feast and sent out many invitations. 17 When the banquet was ready, he sent his servant to tell the guests, ‘Come, the banquet is ready.’

When we read this section, it is in the overall context of Jesus’ conflict with the leaders there they refuse to tell him whether healing someone on the Sabbath day is godly or sinful.  They are judging Jesus to accuse him of not following their law to diminish his influence on the people and raise up their standing as the religious leaders.  The excuses that are brought to the parable are all religious in nature and are not what God intends but traditions of the Jews had set up.

18 But they all began making excuses. One said, ‘I have just bought a field and must inspect it. Please excuse me.’

In Leviticus 27 we find a whole series of instructions about how to dedicate a field or property when it is transferred from owner to owner, and when the Jubilee returns it to the original family.  The implication that Jesus gives in this excuse is that the man cannot come to the feast of the master because he is doing something very religious and good.

19 Another said, ‘I have just bought five pairs of oxen, and I want to try them out. Please excuse me.’

You would think that this man could just go try out his new oxen anytime or would have done it before he bought them. And that this would not interfere with his going to a great supper feast.  It isn’t that he is going to see if the oxen are any good, but rather the Jews had set up an elaborate system of dedicating animals to the special purpose of honoring God.  Especially oxen which were the tractors of their day. The man was planning to go out and dedicate these animals to be a blessing of strength with God watching over them.  Very religious but not a good excuse to miss the feast.

20 Another said, ‘I just got married, so I can’t come.’

Another religious excuse comes from the year after being married being dedicated to making the new wife happy and settled.  Traditionally they would not take any invitations to dinner or events outside of their family. Read from Deuteronomy 24:5.

Deuteronomy 24:5(NLT) A newly married man must not be drafted into the army or be given any other official responsibilities. He must be free to spend one year at home, bringing happiness to the wife he has married.

Another great religious excuse but not for the invitation of God to come to a great spiritual feast in the Kingdom.

21 “The servant returned and told his master what they had said. His master was furious and said, ‘Go quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and invite the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame.’ 22 After the servant had done this, he reported, ‘There is still room for more.’ 23 So his master said, ‘Go out into the country lanes and behind the hedges and urge anyone you find to come, so that the house will be full. 24 For none of those I first invited will get even the smallest taste of my banquet.’”

We then read who comes to this great feast in the Kingdom of God in the future.  God calls those that lame, blind, deaf, or poor in spirit, the outcasts of the religious society that the Pharisee and Sadducees had constructed.  Thei religion was a construct of man based maybe originally on good purpose, but where the regulations they imposed were not truly Godly.  God cares for all those that will turn to Him and accept His Son as the Messiah.  God is the author of salvation He has decided to this for us.  Jesus Christ is the way that God give us as the pathway to Him.  Not religious regulation but the true relationships of faith with our Father God and His Son.

REflection Questions

So, what are the lessons for us today to help us in our walks of believing?

Why is religion always so against the true purposes of God?

What deceives us to make religious regulations instead of the compassion of God for people?

Prayer

Our great Father God, we praise You for Your great mercy and kindness to call us to Your purposes.  Help us this day to find Your path and walk it with You and Your Son.  Thank you for the care that You give to us in every situation of life.  Father, we look so forward to the great banquets of the Kingdom of God to come.  Give us today the bread of our need so that we are able to do Your will.  We pray in the wonderful name of Jesus Christ this day.

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Asking Good Questions

Jeremiah 37-38

Psalm 131

Luke 14

-Devotion by Jeffrey Seiders (MN)

Key verse: Jeremiah 37:9, Psalm 131:3, Luke 14:34

The most talented educators can communicate complex ideas/thoughts in simple words and have a unique ability to let their students fail gracefully (which allows them to learn from their mistakes). It is normal to have roughly 14.1 years of education for adults aged 25-54, and even we (because I’m included in that range now) still struggle to listen and follow the directions of our best educators. I encourage everyone to ask questions when they don’t UNDERSTAND the direction they’re given. However, that’s not usually why we ask questions.

A failure to LISTEN and FOLLOW directions is a problem we, as God’s creation, have almost always struggled with. The classic “what did you just say” or “sorry, can you repeat that, I wasn’t listening” questions come to mind. The first scriptural account that comes to mind is the “fall of mankind” found in Genesis 3, where Adam and Eve do the one thing they were explicitly told not to do (eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil). Fortunately for us, God knew this would happen and set a plan in place for those who can’t/don’t listen very well (John 3:16-17).

The “right” words to speak are often convicting and few. In Jeremiah 37:9-10, God speaks to Jeremiah the prophet and tells him to inform the king of Judah that they should “not deceive themselves” for the army of Chaldeans “would rise up and burn this city with fire.” Jeremiah’s job wasn’t easy, and his gift of prophecy might seem more like a curse to many of us. Imagine telling your boss, leader, and/or president (insert those in authority over you) that something bad is going to happen (and they aren’t going to listen to you). Doesn’t sound very fun, enjoyable, or convenient, right?

Of course, what happens to Jeremiah as he shares God’s words with His people (vv.15, 38:6, 15-16) isn’t likely to happen to us, but the fear/anxiety we allow to plague our minds might lead us to think it is bound to happen. Maybe it will, maybe it won’t. Regardless of that, we should not fix our minds, eyes, and hearts on what might happen (anxiety) or has already happened (depression). David had a similar yet different experience with persecution, and yet he wrote and lived out Psalm 131 (to the best of his ability). Go ahead – read those short three verses. Imagine if we all aspired to live a Psalm 131 life. I’m sure it would be torture for lots of people in my community alone.

In Luke 14:26-35, Jesus teaches the true cost of following him, and if you thought living a Psalm 131 life was hard, Jesus wants us to go above and beyond that. If you love your father, mother, wife, children, brothers, sisters, or your own life more than you love the LORD, you can’t be Jesus’ disciple (v.26). If you don’t take up your own cross (or aren’t willing to suffer), you can’t be Jesus’ disciple (v.27). If we don’t orient our lives around God and His will (v.33), we can’t be Jesus’ disciple. God has spoken to us and given us His son, but are we willing to listen and obey His words?

REFLECTION Q’s

  1. Jeremiah was given some harsh words to speak to God’s people. What has God spoken to you? How can they be implemented (used) in your church, life, school, and/or work?
  2. Psalm 131:1-2 lists a few characteristics about David (ex: my heart is not proud, my eyes are not haughty, I don’t concern myself with great matters or things too wonderful, I calmed and quieted myself, I am content). Which one do you struggle with the most? How can you work on your weakness? Which one do you do well? How can you bless others through that?
  3. Jesus teaches many intriguing things in Luke 14. Pick one idea/concept/phrase you like and dig deeper into what that idea/concept means in Scripture. For example: “Anyone who has ears to hear had better listen” (Luke 14:35), also found in Mark 4:9 and Matthew 11:15, is often used to warn listeners that what is said is very important. How can your research help you explain your chosen idea/concept/phrase better?

Prayer

Dear God Almighty – Thank you for being a great God of truth, righteousness and love. Help me to not be deceived. Show me how to live my life in accordance with Your Word and Your way. Help me listen well to You and the things You want me to learn – and then boldly speak what You want me to speak. In the name of Your Son Jesus I pray.

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The Narrow Door

*Jeremiah 35-36

Psalm 131

*Luke 13

-Devotion by Jeremy Martin (TN)

There are some verses in scripture that make me really nervous, and in our reading of Luke 13 today is one that’s right up at the top of my list.  I would even venture to say that if there aren’t any scriptures that concern you, or make you want to do better, then that should in and of itself be extremely concerning because we have all fallen short.

Before we get there though, I did want to touch lightly on the Jeremiah 35-36 portion of our reading today, because there’s one of those “one-off” stories that I like so much hidden in there, because it reveals something to me that I didn’t previously understand or give much thought to.

The Story of the Rechabites (Jeremiah 35)

God told Jeremiah to go invite all of the house of the Rechabites into the temple in one of the rooms, and give them wine to drink.  They all declined, and cited the words of an ancestor, saying “Our father told us we were told never to drink wine, or build a house, or sow seeds, or plant a vineyard, but that we were to live in tents like an alien in the land where we rest”.  So, an entire generation (or more) of this family had obeyed, never drinking, never owning a house, never farming, just dwelling in tents and herding animals, presumably.  This seems like a pretty big ask, but it’s what their ancestor had told them, and they’d listened and obeyed faithfully.

God knew about these guys, and had them summoned.  God tested them, to see if they were remaining true.  When they passed this test, the reward is staggering, I don’t know if you’ve thought much about it.  This statment: “…Because you have obeyed the commandment of Jonadab your father and kept all his precepts, and done according to all that he commanded you, therefore this is what Yahweh of Armies, the God of Israel, says: Jonadab the son of Rechab will not lack a man to stand before me forever.” (Jer 35: 18-19, REV).  God is upset with Israel because they have not kept the commandments that were given to them from God, but as a result of the house of Rechab’s faithfulness, they “will not lack a man to stand before” God, forever.  Consider the statement of Gabriel, when he introduced himself to Zechariah: “I am Gabriel, and I stand before God.” This is one of the highest honors imaginable.

Moving on to the Luke 13 reading today.  The examples of “accidents happen” in Luke 13:1-5 are somewhat eye opening, but don’t in and of itself make me especially nervous, except for the repeated “repent or perish!” statements.  The parable of the barren fig tree in v6-9 is a little more concerning to me because while I feel like I’ve repented pretty good, how much fruit am I bearing?  I don’t always see the fruit that I’m bearing, so I’m always concerned a bit about “meeting performance standards”, as it were.   This one should make us all pay a little closer attention, because it’s clearly laid out to us that we are expected to bear fruit, that steps will be taken to assist, but if we don’t then we’ll be cut down.

The story of the infirm woman in v10-17 is pretty important to me because: I believe in keeping the Sabbath.  This is one of the verses that was shown to me in my youth as a proof text that we didn’t need to, but I note that Jesus never said that it was an option, he only clarified that it was OK to do good deeds during it.  He still kept the Sabbath, just as it was intended, and since he did it, I’ll do it (without standing in judgment on whatever anyone else decides to do, that’s above my pay grade).  Is a servant greater than his master? Not me, I’m not even fit to be a servant, but God is merciful.  This isn’t the bit that worries me though, and makes me lay awake at night.

Here’s the part that scares me.  In Luke 13:22-30, Jesus tells us of “The Narrow Door”.  When asked by someone in one of the many cities and towns he was passing through, “Lord, will just a few be saved?” Jesus replied with the following (in v24-28): “Exert yourself intensely to enter in by the narrow door, for I say to you, that many will seek to enter in and will not succeed. When once the head of the house has risen and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and to knock on the door, saying, ‘Lord, open to us.’ Then he, answering, will say to you, ‘I do not know where you are from.’ Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets,’ and he will say, ‘I tell you, I do not know where you are from. Depart from me, all you who practice unrighteousness.’ There will be sobbing and gnashing of teeth, when you will see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, but yourselves cast out.“

That’s the part that keeps me up sometimes at night, because I’ve got a painful and deep understanding of my impurities, of all the terrible things I’ve done in the past, of all the improper things my innermost being thinks at times, and of the times when I don’t discipline my eyes enough to not gaze upon things that displease my God.  I’m really trying to be the servant that pleases his master, but I know of the thousand thousand ways in which I fall short.  I thought at one point after my repentance that I was becoming holy, but God has revealed to me my innermost failings, and although many of my sins have been removed from me, I still fail daily.  I try daily to do better, but I know in my heart when I’ve fallen short.  Every time I am impatient, every time I gaze twice in a direction my eyes shouldn’t be pointed in, every time I am ungracious in my heart to another one of the people God has created here, I am poignantly aware that I am falling short.  I am still trying, and I would rather try and fail than to give up.  To God be the glory, no matter what.

There are myriads upon myriads of people who have lived far better than I have, who have from their youth been loyal servants to the living God, who are just better people than I’ve been.  If some of these people will be told ” …I do not know where you are from. Depart from me…” what possible chance do I have, to enter into the kingdom, to pass through the narrow door?  It terrifies me, as it should terrify us all. Not everyone who thinks they are going to make it into the kingdom is going to. 

Here is one of the realizations that I have come to: it’s not about me.  It’s about God.  I’m going to do the best that I can in the time that I have left in this life to honor God.  Not because anything I could ever do would make me worthy of entry into the kingdom, but because I want to please God.  He saved me, literally.  Why me?  No clue, I certainly wasn’t worthy of the effort, but He did.  I really want to enter through the narrow door.  I want to see you there.  We all need to exert ourselves intensely, to constantly strive to improve, to be holy, to seek righteousness, and to humbly confess that even if we are allowed to enter through that narrow door: it is solely because God is merciful, and not because any among us deserve it.  To God be the glory.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS

  1. Are there any other verses that come to mind that make you a little concerned when you consider them?
  2. What does reading this chapter in Luke make you want to do differently in your life?
  3. Do you think that your salvation is already assured?  Why, or why not?

PRAYER

Father God, you have been gracious to me beyond my deserving, merciful to me beyond my understanding, and shown me more grace than I can put into words.  Thank you.  Please continue the good work that you have begun within me, be faithful to complete it, and help me enter into the narrow door if it is your will.  In Jesus name, amen.

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Give us the Bread of Our Need Today

Luke 11:2

Jeremiah 27-28

Psalm 129

*Luke 11

-Devotion by Tom Siderius (MI)

In the gospels of Matthew and Luke the disciples of Christ ask him how they should pray. He tells them to pray as follows.

Luke 11:1-2(NLT) As he finished, one of his disciples came to him and said, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.” 2 Jesus said, “This is how you should pray:

Today we call it “The Lord’s Prayer”.

Luke 11:1-4(NKJV) Now it came to pass, as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, that one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.”
2 So He said to them, “When you pray, say:
Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.
Your kingdom come.
Your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.
3 Give us day by day our daily bread.
4 And forgive us our sins,
For we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us.
And do not lead us into temptation,
But deliver us from the evil one.”

The Aramaic language translation of some of the phrases are “let it come, your kingdom”, “let it be done, your will”.

How would that change your perspective of the prayer?

Jesus tells us to pray to “Our Father”. This is completely new to Jewish people because they never had addressed God as their Father. This is the change that comes to us today as the children of God. Then he goes to the main part of the prayer. There are seven parts to the prayer. Three parts are for God, and three are for us to do for God. In the middle is the food we need as our daily bread. Think of this prayer as an inversion of statements.

Things that are for God

1.)  “Your Name may it be holy”

2.)  “let it come soon, your kingdom”

3.)  “Let it be done, your will on earth as it is in heaven”

In the middle is bread

4.)  “Give us the food of our need today”

Things that we need to do

5.)  “Forgive our sins as we have forgiven those who sin against us”

6.) “Let us not yield to temptation”

7.)  “Rescue us from the evil one”

“Your name, let it be holy”

does not give us any responsibility for making God’s name holy.  We can no more make God’s name holy than we can make fire hot. The phrase “make the fire become hot” is not something we are able to do.  The same is for making the name of God holy.

Isaiah 6:3(NLT) They were calling out to each other, “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of Heaven’s Armies! The whole earth is filled with his glory!”

God makes His name holy which is the center of who He is and is His nature. God demonstrates his holiness in His love for people and in the salvation that He brings to His people.

“Let it come soon, your kingdom”

Luke 17:20-21(NLT) One day the Pharisees asked Jesus, “When will the Kingdom of God come?” Jesus replied, “The Kingdom of God can’t be detected by visible signs. 21 You won’t be able to say, ‘Here it is!’ or ‘It’s over there!’ For the Kingdom of God is already among you.”

Jesus’ kingdom is not from here on earth but is from heaven. It comes to us in the person of Christ. It is both near to us and far away. It is soon but we do not know when. It comes alive when we obey God and do His commandments.

The help we gain by praying for the coming of God’s kingdom is that it gives us a connection with all past, future and present events and persons. It encourages us who are involved in the doing of God’s will in the current heaven and earth. Our prayer is for the will of God to be done here and now. And then we pray for the new heavens and earth to come..

“Let it be done, your will on earth as it is in heaven”

God’s will is done in heaven always but God’s will is not yet being done on earth except when His people obey Him. God directs all of history but gives each person the freedom of will to choose what they do and how they act. When we do God’s will now the kingdom comes alive today in our lives. Prayer connects us to God every day.

“Give us today the bread of our need today” (Aramaic translation)

It is in the middle of the prayer and is generally the focus of our daily lives. We are concerned with our food, but also all the things that it takes to live in this world. That is what the term “bread” means in the prayer.  God is concerned with everything that we need to live.

It is not a prayer to get riches or wealth but to meet our needs in every way we need. Our food, clothing, shelter, and health are all in God’s care.

John 6:32-35(NLT) Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, Moses didn’t give you bread from heaven. My Father did. And now he offers you the true bread from heaven. 33 The true bread of God is the one who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” 34 “Sir,” they said, “give us that bread every day.” 35 Jesus replied, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.

How can we change from the desire for physical bread to the desire for spiritual bread?

“Forgive our sins as we have forgiven those who sin against us”

See how Jesus connects God forgiving us of our sins to our forgiveness of others.  This wasn’t the way that the Jews treated people at that time.  In many ways they wanted God to forgive  them, but they didn’t take any responsibility to forgive others. 

What should be our attitude toward those who have wronged us? 

Why is the forgiveness of others so important to our walk with Christ?

“Let us not yield to temptation”

These words are filled with difficulty:  What is temptation?  Or is it trials? 

God doesn’t lead us into temptation or give us trials. We are tempted from our own selves, and this causes us trials in life when we sin and disobey God. Temptations are of our own making.

James 1:13 (KJV) Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:

Our human nature is to do what God has told us not to do. The prayer is then for God to help us to resist and then avoid the trials of  the making from our own self-destructive nature.

“Rescue us from the evil one”

Can be translated as “deliver us from evil” or as “deliver us from the evil one”. 

There is a personal and impersonal side to Satan. He does not have power to directly affect us when we are in fellowship with God. But we need God’s help for deliverance from the evil one. Our human failing and sin defeats us when we do not trust God in our lives. Fear defeats God’s promises and help.

Job 3:25 (KJV) For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me, and that which I was afraid of is come unto me. 26I was not in safety, neither had I rest, neither was I quiet; yet trouble came.

Job is almost destroyed by Satan because of his fear of God not blessing him. Our prayer to God is in the name of Jesus Christ and our trust that God will help us in every way is what will defeat the Satan in our lives.

John 14:12-14(NLT) I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father. 13 You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father. 14 Yes, ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it!

We see a great example of prayer in Ephesians where Paul prays for the church and the people in it.  This is a good guide for us to follow.

Ephesians 3:14-21(NLT) When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, 15 the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. 16 I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. 17 Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. 18 And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. 19 May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God. 20 Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. 21 Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen.

What can we do to improve our prayer each day as Jesus taught us and then trust in our Father in heaven to be with us?

Prayer

Father God our Abba, help us to change our hearts to be obedient to Your Word and direction.  Thank you for changing our thoughts to be like Your thoughts.  Thank you for changing our eyes to see like Your eyes and hear with Your ears.  God, You have given us grace and mercy without measure and we love You.  Thanks for the Gift of Your Son who has redeemed us and make us able.  We pray in the wonderful name of Jesus Christ this day.

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You Must Die!

*Jeremiah 25-26

Psalm 128

*Luke 11

-Devotion by Jeremy Martin (TN)

Jeremiah had a pretty tough go of it.  His prophecies spanned 5 kings, and occurred from about 627BC to 586BC.  In chapter 25, verse 1 gives us a very solid understanding of exactly when this bit is occurring during that span.  The thing that I find really poignant about Jeremiah’s entire ministry is that almost all of the people that he’s trying passionately to save reject him.  Every now and then you’ll see an ally come out of the woodwork, but for the most part he’s spurned, ridiculed, and ignored, beaten and jailed, even though he is constantly pleading on God’s behalf for a return to God.

In Jeremiah 25:2-7 you can almost hear the pleading in his voice as he begs the nation to repent and return to God, but they continue to ignore him and “do their own thing”.  As a result, he tells them of the punishment that is about to be inflicted upon them (The Exile), and actually tells them how long it’s going to last (when Daniel is reading the scripture in Daniel 9:2, Jeremiah 25:12 and Jeremiah 29:10-13 are likely the verses from which he discerns that the allotted time is up and starts praying to God about it).  Once again, they don’t listen.

Moving on to Jeremiah 26 in verse 3, we see again a heartfelt pleading from both Jeremiah and God: “It may be they will listen, and every one turn from his evil way. Then I will change my mind about the evil that I am planning to do to them because of the evil of what they are doing. “(REV)   So then, the people finally listened and…

No, just kidding.  They absolutely did not listen.  Instead, in Jeremiah 26:8: “Now when Jeremiah had made an end of speaking everything that Yahweh had commanded him to speak to all the people, the priests and the prophets and all the people laid hold on him, saying, “You must die, yes, die. ” (REV).  Man, talk about ungrateful.  Thanks fellas.  This is a guy who has put his own life on hold in order to obediently do what Yahweh God has commanded him, to try and redeem this nation, and his reward?  They all grab him and talk about murdering him, and later they probably do.

There were a number of relevant historical events that occurred during this timespan of Jeremiah’s ministry, as follows:

  • King Josiah rediscovers the Book of the Law (621BC), and does extensive religious reforms across the land (good).
  • The Battle of Carchemish (605BC) was a decisive win for the Babylonians against the Egyptians,  establishing Babylonian dominance in the region.
  • Three major Babylonian deportations: the first in 605 BC (including Daniel), the second in 597 BC (including Ezekiel), and the third following the final siege.
  • The destruction of Jerusalem and Solomon’s Temple by Nebuchadnezzar’s forces in 586 BC after a prolonged siege.  (THE DESTRUCTION OF THE TEMPLE!!!!)
  • The assassination of Governor Gedaliah and the subsequent forced flight of the remaining Judeans to Egypt, where Jeremiah likely died around 570 BC.

Now here is an interesting bit about that last bullet point.  It doesn’t say in the Bible when and how Jeremiah died specifically, but strong Jewish and Christian tradition asserts that he was stoned to death in Egypt around 570 BC.  According to these extrabiblical sources, such as the writings of Tertullian and the Lives of the Prophets, Jeremiah was forcibly taken to Egypt by Jewish rebels who disobeyed his warnings. Enraged by his continued rebukes of their idolatry and rebellion, his fellow countrymen martyred him in Daphne (identified as Tahpanhes in Hebrew). This tradition is often linked to the reference in Hebrews 11:37 regarding saints who “died by stoning.”  It’s not in scripture though, so that’s all speculative and based on tradition (and I view most tradition in the church very, very warily, and with good reason).

In Luke 11, we see a disturbing similarity, a historical repetition.  Jesus has come to the nation of Israel, to turn the hearts of the children back to the Father, and is met with a similar response by the religious and political authorities of that time.  This chapter has a couple important bits in it before we get to the Pharisees: notably, in verses 1-4 we have another account of the Lord’s Prayer, and in verse 28 he reiterates that it’s not who you know (even if it’s Jesus) that makes you blessed, but “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it.”

In Luke 11:37-52, Jesus really lays in to the Pharisees.  He talks about being clean, and the law, and pride, and what’s important, and just really points out a couple of fatal shortcomings on their part.  Now, keep in mind: Jesus says only the things that God told him to say (John 12:49), so when he’s chastising these authorities and warning them about their behavior, it’s just like Jeremiah, it’s for a reason: to change their actions and return them to good favor with God.  They’ve gotten a little off track, have been going in that direction for centuries, and he’s just trying to get them back on course because these are the things that God commanded him to speak.  How do they respond?

Luke 11: 53-54: “And when he had come out from there, the experts in the law and the Pharisees began to press upon him vehemently, and to provoke him to speak of many things, laying in wait for him in order to catch something that he might say.” (REV).  We know how this turns out later.  “He must die!”…sound familiar?

If Jesus had come in smiling benevolently and saying “God loves you!”(true), “and God is love!” (also true) “and you guys are doing great!”  (not true at all) they would have welcomed him with open arms.  Much like we love to hear similar things from our religious figures.  Everyone likes to be flattered, and to have their ears tickled.  When people tell us pretty lies, we love it.  Nom nom nom, we just eat it up.

We’ve gotten a little off track too.  So why is it that we tend to scorn and despise anyone who tells us that we need to change our behavior?  Why do we wish bodily harm on anyone who is offering constructive criticism, or pointing out an error in our thinking?  I mean seriously, it’s a huge character flaw, in all of us.  This isn’t just ancient days stuff, even today I don’t know anyone who just absolutely yearns for correction…but we should.  David, a man after God’s own heart prays to God and asks in Psalm 139:23-24: “Search me, O God, and know my heart. Examine me and know my anxious thoughts. Yes, see if there is any idolatrous way in me, then lead me in the everlasting way!”  Search me.  Check me.  Correct me when needed, and lead me…in the everlasting way.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS

  1. How do you react when told that you aren’t meeting expectations in “X” area?
  2. How do you react when told you’re amazing in “X” area, even though you know you’re not?
  3. Which is truly more loving: pointing out a flaw for potential correction, or ignoring flaws and using flattery?
  4. Isn’t it ironic that on the above question, our perceptions of which is more loving are flip-flopped with the reality most of the time?
  5. Why do you think that is, and how can we change it?

PRAYER

Father God, Please search my innermost parts and help me to know my own shortcomings.  Show me how I can do better.  Please help me and guide me, forgive me when I fall short, and discipline me.  Please mold me into the person you want me to be.  Help me to listen more, and to speak less.  In Jesus name, Amen.

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Martha, Martha, Martha!

Mary listened to the Lord's teaching at his feet

Jeremiah 21-22

Psalm 127

*Luke 10

-Devotion by Jeremy Martin (TN)

            Ok, to be fair, in the target verse I took the title from there are only 2 “Martha”s, but every time I read this verse I think of the old Brady Bunch television show and crack up laughing.   In the context of the show, Jan (a younger sister) would often complain that Marcia was receiving all the attention, leading to the whined repetition of her sister’s name. This is often (and incorrectly) quoted as “Marsha, Marsha, Marsha!” (it’s actually “Marcia”, pronounced the same, spelled differently).

            The sentiment expressed biblically is exactly the same though: hey, why are they getting all the attention, when I’m the one doing the work here?  How often do you feel as if you’re going above and beyond when _______  (insert any name here) is really just not trying nearly as hard.  I know I’m absolutely guilty of that at times, both at my job and at my home. 

            Here in America (where I live), we have a phrase: “phoning it in.”.  It implies that the person in question is too lazy to even show up to work, and they are “phoning it in.”.  I say with shame that I have on occasions in the past when I have felt like I was shouldering the majority burden of a load around the house called out to my wife “Hey, it’s 865.”.  To which she’d go, “What is?”  and I’d reply “that’s our area code, so when you’re phoning it in you’ll at least get close to where we live.” (I know, I know…).

            The problem with that is, and I’ve said this many times: when we stand before the throne of judgment on the last day, what other people have done will not enter into the conversation.  Each person’s actions are between them and God, when we make preliminary judgment we’re taking a dangerous action.  Remember the parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector (in Luke 18)?  The Pharisee was puffed up by all the things he had done, the Tax Collector just begged God for forgiveness, and only one of them went home justified that night before God.

            The verse that the title is taken from is near the very end of this chapter, and says (Luke 10:41-42): But the Lord answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things,but one thing is necessary; indeed, Mary has chosen the good part, which will not be taken away from her.” (the REV translation is used throughout this devotion).

            Like us, Martha is anxious and troubled about many things.  Jesus tells her, and us, though: but one thing is necessary.  What is the one thing?  To listen to Jesus.  To sit obediently at his feet and listen to the things that he tells us.  Mary got to do this in person, to gaze up at our Teacher as he spoke.  We have to rely on the scriptures, and the urgings of the spirit, but the one thing that is necessary remains the same.  Listen to Jesus.

            So backing up in this chapter, Jesus says and does a few things.  Let’s listen to Jesus.  If you flip back to the previous chapter (9) Jesus sends out the 12.  At the beginning of this chapter, he sends out the 72, with roughly the same mission.  One of the things he said to them stands out to me, in verse 3 he says “…I am sending you out as lambs in the midst of wolves.”. 

            When I first began attending Atlanta Bible College, freshly come from life as a career criminal (yes, of course there’s a story there…), Kent Ross asked me about a week in how I was doing with it all.  Kent was awesome.  I had to think about it really hard, so it took me a second to answer him, and I said “Kent, I feel like a wolf among sheep.”.  He just smiled and patted me on the shoulder and said “It’ll get better”, and he was right.

            When the 72 returned, they marvelled that even the demons submitted to them.  Jesus warned them not to rejoice in this, but to rejoice instead that their names were written in heaven (presumably in the “book of life”).

            When a certain expert of the law (Jewish Orthodox Law) asked Jesus “What must I do to obtain life in the age to come?” (ie, the kingdom of God), Jesus replied, “What is written?”.  The implication here is that the understanding and practice of what is written in scripture can lead one to life in the age to come, in the kingdom.  The man quoted the Shema (Deut 6:4-5), the absolutely most important commandment, and followed it with Leviticus 19:18.  Both are pasted below, since Jesus himself said that this was the greatest and the next greatest commandment both here and in other accounts (in Mark 12:29-32).  You should know these verses and have them memorized, because according to Jesus these are the most important commandments:

The Shema, The Greatest Commandment (Deut 6:4-5): “4“Hear, O Israel! Yahweh is our God, Yahweh alone! 5Therefore you are to love Yahweh your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. “

The Golden Rule, the second greatest commandment (Leviticus 19:18): “Do not take revenge or bear a grudge against any of your people, but you are to love your neighbor as yourself; I am Yahweh. “

            In the parable of the Good Samaritan, just after this conversation, Jesus tells us who our neighbor is that we are to love.  It’s everyone, every other vessel of clay that the Lord God Yahweh has made, which is all of us.

            What else did Jesus say?  Well, Jesus has a God, and tells us that his God and our God are the same God (John 20:17).  He says that God has sent him and that he can only say and do the things that God has told him to (John 12:49).  Jesus tells us that the Father, Yahweh, is greater than he is (John 14:28).  Jesus tells us that he is the Christ, the one whom God has anointed, the man whom God has chosen to be the king (John 4:26).  How has the modern church confused and altered such simple teachings?  Like Mary and Martha in this story at the end of Luke 10, we need to understand that only one thing is necessary: to listen to Jesus.

            If you really want to listen to Jesus, and want a concentrated dose of what Jesus said, I really think (ie, it’s my opinion) that reading and putting in to practice Matthew 5-8 are probably the most important things that we can do to become citizens of the kingdom of God, and to have our names written in the book of life.  Please read it for yourself, and tell me if you agree.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS

  1. Do you ever fall into this trap, of comparing yourself to another human instead of measuring yourself up against God’s expectations?
  2. What is the best way to avoid this pitfall, and how can we implement it in our daily lives?
  3. How often do we just shut up, when we are praying, and try to listen?  If we’re talking more than we’re listening, doesn’t that imply that we view the relationship in a skewed fashion?

PRAYER

Father God, please forgive my arrogance when I judge others.  Help me not to do that, help me to avoid the things that can trap me in wrong thinking, and please create in me a clean heart and renew a right spirit within me.  Teach me and help me to listen, guide me and give me the courage to follow, hold me and help me to know I am loved.  Thank you God, in Jesus name, Amen.

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