Have you ever seen football players point up to heaven when they make a touchdown catch, sack a quarterback, or recover a fumble? I am talking about things that take place every week in the National Football League and many other sporting events to be sure. Some of the athletes point up to heaven when they accomplish a big play, one that they are paid to do I might add.
I have never seen an interviewed player asked why they point up to heaven. Common sense would dictate the players who do this are thanking God for the accomplishment. However, I cannot be certain, as I have not heard for myself the reason why any player would give God thanks for a touchdown. Some of you are wondering where I am going with this. To them I say, “Patience whippersnappers, all things in time.”
Thanking God for something good happening is a good thing, isn’t it? Aren’t we commanded to be thankful? Indeed we are. Unfortunately, it’s not quite that simple; nothing scriptural ever is. Lets take a look at some scripture and see what the Lord is instructing us about being thankful.
Always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus (Ephesians 5:20)
And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of our Lord Jesus giving thanks to Him through God the father. (Colossians 3:17)
Be anxious for nothing but in everything by prayer and supplication let your request be made known to God. (Philippians 4:6)
In everything give thanks for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. (1 Thessalonians 5:18)
And we know that God causes all things to work together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28)
Some of you will say, “There, that settles it, so it is a good thing when a player points up to heaven when he does something good on the field.” However, if you notice, the scripture verses make it clear that we are to be grateful for all things. All things; now that is a big pill to swallow. In other words we cannot pick and choose when we are going to point to heaven and give God an acknowledgement of thanks.
All things means all things, its just that simple. If a football player, or anyone else for that matter, chooses to acknowledge God when they do something great they also need to acknowledge God when something bad happens. Not just the touchdown catch in the end zone, but also the dropped pass in the end zone, the fumble that was recovered by the opposing team and of course all the players must point to heaven when the other team wins the super bowl and begins taunting the losing players right on national TV. Remember; give God thanks in all things.
The pitcher who strikes out the opposing team and wins the game can only point to heaven if that same pitcher agrees to point to heaven when someone blasts a grand slam against him and his team looses in the bottom of the ninth inning.
To be fair, I am not picking on professional athletes, as we are no different than they. Walk up to any Christian at church and ask them how things are going and they will invariably praise God for some event that has turned in their favor. Yet, I don’t know of any Christian who gives God praise when they lose their job. Have you ever heard of a Christian who said, “Praise God my company is closing and I will probably be out of work for many months?” Either have I.
Some Christians claim that the verses instructing us to praise God mean we should give God the glory only when things are going good, and accept the bad things but not necessarily praise God for them. However, that flies in the face of the verses I have listed and it raises other questions. When a Christian football player catches a touchdown pass to win the game he may have been covered by a Christian cornerback on the opposing team who failed to keep his opponent from catching the ball. What is the determining factor in God’s logic here? Does God love the Christian player who caught the ball more than He loves the Christian player covering him?
It is easy to see how complex and confusing things can become when we try to determine God’s reasoning. A Christian can ask, “Why is my child sick when other Christian children are healthy? Does God love them more than me? Fiddlesticks. One can never measure God’s love by what we see as blessings. If that were true then God would have never allowed Jesus to suffer and die in the manner He did. And if there was no crucifixion then would be no complete demonstration of God’s love for us, as there would be no atonement for sin.
So the next time you see a football player, or any athlete for that matter, praising God for a great on field play remind the TV set you’re watching that the Bible says “all things.” If God is in the touchdown catch, He is also in the fumble. As Job said, “The Lord gives and the Lord takes away, blessed be the name of the Lord.” (Job 1:21)
That’s easy for Job to say, he didn’t have to deal with all the problems we have.
I think you get my point.
Thursday, January 3, 2008
Friday, December 28, 2007
Even the Dogs
Both Matthew and Mark tell a story about a Gentile woman with remarkable humility and love. Matthew 15:22-28 and Mark 7:26-30 detail how a non-Jew appeals for help from Jesus for her demon possessed daughter. The story is intriguing on several levels because at first Jesus ignored the woman as He was teaching his disciples, but her constant calling out caused Him to take notice of her. I will tell the story in my own words.
Jesus decides to go to the region of Tyre so He could spend some quality time with the boys (His Disciples). Lo and behold a woman comes up to them who is from that region and she starts askin for a favor. Jesus doesn’t say anything He just keeps talking to the boys. But after a while she is startin to drive them crazy and one of them says to Jesus, “Yo teacher, can we put a muzzle on the dame in the back I can hardly hear you for all her yappin.” Jesus just keeps talking and doesn’t pay any attention to her.
Finally, all the disciples have had enough and tell Peter to do something. Peter stands up starts cracking his knuckles and says to the Lord, “Maybe me and a few of the boys should make this woman an offer she can’t refuse.” Jesus now sees the situation is preciously where it needs to be for Him to have maximum impact. He says to the woman, I was sent only for the lost sheep of Israel.”
The disciples are delighted by the statement and call out, “Three cheers for Jesus Hip hip hurray, hip hip hurray, hip hip hurray. They start giving each other high fives and tell the Lord that He was right to put this Gentile woman in her place. Then something incredible happens. The dame walks right up to Jesus and bows down before Him and said, “Lord help me.” The apostles are speechless as they look at Jesus to see what He is gonna do.
Jesus says to the woman, “It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” You could have heard a pin drop. Then the woman looks up at Him and says, “Yes Lord, but even the dogs get to gobble up the crumbs that fall from the masters table.” The Lord smiled. He says to the woman, “Go, your child is well.” Then the woman humbly leaves.
Some commentators try to diminish Jesus’ comment to the woman and state that the word dog means “house dog” or “domesticated animal” as opposed to a scavenger. They claim it is not a derogative statement. The commentators who feel this way are completely off in their thinking. Call any woman from any culture a “dog,” domesticated or otherwise, and they will be insulted, and rightly so.
What is remarkable about this scene is the woman’s humility. There is no love between the Jews and Gentiles of Jesus day. The Lord’s initial comment about being sent to the lost sheep of Israel states as much. Nevertheless, His comments are to bring out an understanding to His disciples as well as to demonstrate the measure of love this woman has for her daughter. The fact that God loves the child as well was something the disciples were not ready to accept.
A woman that did not love her daughter as much as this woman did may have spit at Jesus for the comment he made. She would have also harbored anger and hatred towards the apostles for their comments about sending her away. Just think of what could have happened if this woman did not take all the abuse that she was faced and stormed away embittered by the experience.
What if she had gone back to her village and told everyone how Jesus spoke to her and how the apostles forced her to go away. She would have had to endure more traumas from her demon-possessed daughter and her village would have become angrier because of the injustice of it all. Then when Jesus’ disciples would have visited their village after His resurrection the people would not have welcomed them in and the salvation message would not have been accepted because of the bitterness they would have held.
Yet, because of this woman’s faith that the Lord would heal her daughter, she remained at His feet until he answered her request. Another thing to keep in mind is the woman’s trust. She leaves Jesus when He tells her she can go and she trusts Jesus at His word. Keep in mind that most people brought their sick to Jesus and watched Him heal them right before their eyes. Others brought Jesus into their homes and had Jesus heal relatives in their own homes. This woman believed Jesus when He told her that her daughter was well and went away taking the Lord at His word.
Now the woman will tell the people of her village what happened and how her daughter was healed. Her village will be receptive when the next generation of evangelists comes to her town and tells everyone about the Lord’s resurrection and love for everyone. Thanks to this “dog” her Gentile neighbors will see Jews in a different light and may come to the salvation the Lord intended for all mankind.
Yes, “Even the dogs” possess great faith that believers talk about two thousand years later.
Jesus decides to go to the region of Tyre so He could spend some quality time with the boys (His Disciples). Lo and behold a woman comes up to them who is from that region and she starts askin for a favor. Jesus doesn’t say anything He just keeps talking to the boys. But after a while she is startin to drive them crazy and one of them says to Jesus, “Yo teacher, can we put a muzzle on the dame in the back I can hardly hear you for all her yappin.” Jesus just keeps talking and doesn’t pay any attention to her.
Finally, all the disciples have had enough and tell Peter to do something. Peter stands up starts cracking his knuckles and says to the Lord, “Maybe me and a few of the boys should make this woman an offer she can’t refuse.” Jesus now sees the situation is preciously where it needs to be for Him to have maximum impact. He says to the woman, I was sent only for the lost sheep of Israel.”
The disciples are delighted by the statement and call out, “Three cheers for Jesus Hip hip hurray, hip hip hurray, hip hip hurray. They start giving each other high fives and tell the Lord that He was right to put this Gentile woman in her place. Then something incredible happens. The dame walks right up to Jesus and bows down before Him and said, “Lord help me.” The apostles are speechless as they look at Jesus to see what He is gonna do.
Jesus says to the woman, “It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” You could have heard a pin drop. Then the woman looks up at Him and says, “Yes Lord, but even the dogs get to gobble up the crumbs that fall from the masters table.” The Lord smiled. He says to the woman, “Go, your child is well.” Then the woman humbly leaves.
Some commentators try to diminish Jesus’ comment to the woman and state that the word dog means “house dog” or “domesticated animal” as opposed to a scavenger. They claim it is not a derogative statement. The commentators who feel this way are completely off in their thinking. Call any woman from any culture a “dog,” domesticated or otherwise, and they will be insulted, and rightly so.
What is remarkable about this scene is the woman’s humility. There is no love between the Jews and Gentiles of Jesus day. The Lord’s initial comment about being sent to the lost sheep of Israel states as much. Nevertheless, His comments are to bring out an understanding to His disciples as well as to demonstrate the measure of love this woman has for her daughter. The fact that God loves the child as well was something the disciples were not ready to accept.
A woman that did not love her daughter as much as this woman did may have spit at Jesus for the comment he made. She would have also harbored anger and hatred towards the apostles for their comments about sending her away. Just think of what could have happened if this woman did not take all the abuse that she was faced and stormed away embittered by the experience.
What if she had gone back to her village and told everyone how Jesus spoke to her and how the apostles forced her to go away. She would have had to endure more traumas from her demon-possessed daughter and her village would have become angrier because of the injustice of it all. Then when Jesus’ disciples would have visited their village after His resurrection the people would not have welcomed them in and the salvation message would not have been accepted because of the bitterness they would have held.
Yet, because of this woman’s faith that the Lord would heal her daughter, she remained at His feet until he answered her request. Another thing to keep in mind is the woman’s trust. She leaves Jesus when He tells her she can go and she trusts Jesus at His word. Keep in mind that most people brought their sick to Jesus and watched Him heal them right before their eyes. Others brought Jesus into their homes and had Jesus heal relatives in their own homes. This woman believed Jesus when He told her that her daughter was well and went away taking the Lord at His word.
Now the woman will tell the people of her village what happened and how her daughter was healed. Her village will be receptive when the next generation of evangelists comes to her town and tells everyone about the Lord’s resurrection and love for everyone. Thanks to this “dog” her Gentile neighbors will see Jews in a different light and may come to the salvation the Lord intended for all mankind.
Yes, “Even the dogs” possess great faith that believers talk about two thousand years later.
Friday, December 21, 2007
Gabriel, Zacharias and Mary
I could never be an angel. I have neither the patience, nor tolerance for people and would be tempted to tell them what I think rather than do exactly what God assigned me to accomplish. Sometimes I wonder what the angels are thinking when they look at man and see him struggle with faith. The story of Jesus’ birth is found in Matthew and Luke, however only Luke 1:5-38 describes in detail the announcement the angel Gabriel gave to Zacharias and Mary concerning their miracle babies. I want to focus on the reaction of both Zacharias and Mary when the angel Gabriel appears to them. I’m going to give Gabriel the day off and I will take his place when he makes the announcement to Zacharias and Mary. I will tell the story in my own words.
The Lord God almighty looked down from heaven and saw the pain of Zacharias and his wife Elizabeth because they were childless. Then the Lord said to angel lowest class Ron, “Hey Ron, why don’t you head on down to the temple in Jerusalem and tell my pal Zach that he and the Mrs. are gonna get a visit from the stork. So I make my way down to the temple and appear to Zach. Zach sees me and nearly has a heart attack. Angelic visits are not an everyday experience, at least not to Zach so when he sees me he nearly passes out.
I say to Zach, “Don’t be scared Dude I got some great news.” Zach says, “I hit the lottery?” ‘No man, something much better, the Lord has heard your prayers and you and the Mrs. are gonna have a baby.” Zach looks a little dumbfounded and says, “I stopped praying about that when the wife turned forty. “Why I stopped chasing her around the house ten years ago.” I can see this isn’t going to be easy so I say, “This is important so pay attention. “This kid (your baby) is gonna be 'The Man' when he grows up and everybody is gonna be glad he was born because he will talk about the Messiah."
Zach says, “How shall I know this for certain? “My wife and I are old geezers so how are we gonna have a baby?” I look at Zach and say, “What are you stupid? What do you mean how will I know this for certain? It’s real simple, just go home get the wife drunk and then take advantage of her. Before long she will start to become real crabby and then she will have cravings for foods that she has never liked before. In a few months her belly will grow so big she won’t be able to see her feet." I continue, “You must have heard about this when other women got pregnant?” Zacharias says to me, “I know all about that. I just didn’t think the Lord was gonna answer my prayers this way.” I say, “Nobody ever does.”
A few months later the Lord God almighty looks down from on heaven and sees a young woman named Mary. God says to me (still the lowest ranking angel in the kingdom) “Go down to Jerusalem and tell Mary that she is gonna have a baby and the world will never be the same again.” So I say to God, “Are you sure this is a good idea I mean after all the last time I did this that guy Zach didn’t even know anything about women, or babies or much of anything else.” The Lord says to me, “This time things will be different I promise.”
So I appear to Mary and say, “Hail favored one.” Mary is a little concerned about what I just said, as she could not understand why a poor girl from Nazareth would receive a visit from an angel who calls her a favored one. I’m beginning to like this kid. I can see why God choose her. I tell her that she is gonna have a baby and the world will be talking about him from now on. Mary says to me, “How is this gonna happen since I am a virgin? I tell Mary that God calls the shots and when He say’s something is going to happen, it will happen. Mary says something to me that still sticks with me to this day. She said, “I am the Lords bondservant let it be done according to your words.”
When I go back up to heaven I see God and say to Him that even though I wasn’t so sure about that Zach fellow, He really knew what He was doing with Mary. God looks at me a little funny and says, “I knew what I was doing with Zach as well.” To make a long story short everything worked out according to God’s plan and I even got my wings thanks to Mary and Zach.
The two reactions of the news presented to both Zacharias and Mary are noteworthy. Zacharias was looking for a sign from the angel that would solidify his belief while Mary was merely asking how a virgin could conceive a baby. I would have figured an appearance by an angel of the Lord was enough of a sign for Zacharias, but apparently not. As for Mary, she was asking a logical question about an event that still mystifies humanity. If we spend some time thinking about it each one of us is a bit like Zacharias and Mary. We need to keep in mind the proper response when the Lord answers our prayers. Mary had the proper response.
The Lord God almighty looked down from heaven and saw the pain of Zacharias and his wife Elizabeth because they were childless. Then the Lord said to angel lowest class Ron, “Hey Ron, why don’t you head on down to the temple in Jerusalem and tell my pal Zach that he and the Mrs. are gonna get a visit from the stork. So I make my way down to the temple and appear to Zach. Zach sees me and nearly has a heart attack. Angelic visits are not an everyday experience, at least not to Zach so when he sees me he nearly passes out.
I say to Zach, “Don’t be scared Dude I got some great news.” Zach says, “I hit the lottery?” ‘No man, something much better, the Lord has heard your prayers and you and the Mrs. are gonna have a baby.” Zach looks a little dumbfounded and says, “I stopped praying about that when the wife turned forty. “Why I stopped chasing her around the house ten years ago.” I can see this isn’t going to be easy so I say, “This is important so pay attention. “This kid (your baby) is gonna be 'The Man' when he grows up and everybody is gonna be glad he was born because he will talk about the Messiah."
Zach says, “How shall I know this for certain? “My wife and I are old geezers so how are we gonna have a baby?” I look at Zach and say, “What are you stupid? What do you mean how will I know this for certain? It’s real simple, just go home get the wife drunk and then take advantage of her. Before long she will start to become real crabby and then she will have cravings for foods that she has never liked before. In a few months her belly will grow so big she won’t be able to see her feet." I continue, “You must have heard about this when other women got pregnant?” Zacharias says to me, “I know all about that. I just didn’t think the Lord was gonna answer my prayers this way.” I say, “Nobody ever does.”
A few months later the Lord God almighty looks down from on heaven and sees a young woman named Mary. God says to me (still the lowest ranking angel in the kingdom) “Go down to Jerusalem and tell Mary that she is gonna have a baby and the world will never be the same again.” So I say to God, “Are you sure this is a good idea I mean after all the last time I did this that guy Zach didn’t even know anything about women, or babies or much of anything else.” The Lord says to me, “This time things will be different I promise.”
So I appear to Mary and say, “Hail favored one.” Mary is a little concerned about what I just said, as she could not understand why a poor girl from Nazareth would receive a visit from an angel who calls her a favored one. I’m beginning to like this kid. I can see why God choose her. I tell her that she is gonna have a baby and the world will be talking about him from now on. Mary says to me, “How is this gonna happen since I am a virgin? I tell Mary that God calls the shots and when He say’s something is going to happen, it will happen. Mary says something to me that still sticks with me to this day. She said, “I am the Lords bondservant let it be done according to your words.”
When I go back up to heaven I see God and say to Him that even though I wasn’t so sure about that Zach fellow, He really knew what He was doing with Mary. God looks at me a little funny and says, “I knew what I was doing with Zach as well.” To make a long story short everything worked out according to God’s plan and I even got my wings thanks to Mary and Zach.
The two reactions of the news presented to both Zacharias and Mary are noteworthy. Zacharias was looking for a sign from the angel that would solidify his belief while Mary was merely asking how a virgin could conceive a baby. I would have figured an appearance by an angel of the Lord was enough of a sign for Zacharias, but apparently not. As for Mary, she was asking a logical question about an event that still mystifies humanity. If we spend some time thinking about it each one of us is a bit like Zacharias and Mary. We need to keep in mind the proper response when the Lord answers our prayers. Mary had the proper response.
Friday, December 14, 2007
Ananias and Sapphira
Acts 5:1-11 tells the story of Ananias and Sapphira, a married couple who owned a piece of land and sold it for the purpose of donating the money to charity. The early Christian church was undergoing persecution and, as a result, there appeared to be financial hardships for a number of families. As a means of offsetting the financial hardships, some of the better off Christians provided financial support to the apostles with the understanding the apostles would distribute the money as needed to the less fortunate believers. Barnabas, the man who would eventually go on missionary journeys with Paul, sets an example of this in Acts 4:36. He sold some a piece of land and gave the money to the apostles.
Enter Ananias and Sapphira, a married Christian couple apparently with no children, who also decided to sell some land and make a donation to the apostles. Unfortunately, when Ananias presented the donation he told the apostles that the money he was presenting was all the money he received from the land. Wrongo! The couple actually kept some of the money for themselves. Ananias had every right to keep as much of the money as he wanted, it was his to do so. The simple fact is they could have kept all the money for themselves and have done no wrong (Acts 5:4) that notwithstanding, they decided to give some of the money away apparently to look good to their fellow believers.
Then Peter, apparently guided by the Holy Spirit, confronts Ananias about the transaction prompting Ananias to cover his original deceit with another lie. This results in an apparent stroke and his sudden death. Then some young men come and bury Ananias. When his wife enters the room some time later, Peter confronts her and asks the same questions about the amount of money they received for the land. She, like her husband, tells a lie and falls dead at Peter’s feet. The young men return and bury her as well.
The problem is the story of Ananias and Sapphira caused the Christians of the day to be very fearful of God. Yes, that is a problem. After the word got out about A and S there was great fear in the community (5:13). I’ll bet! Some of those people were probably changing their pants when they began thinking about some of the things they may not have been too honest about in the past.
Think about what I am saying. Let’s say that I am alive in the first century A. D. and I know Peter and some of the other Christian Big Wigs of the day. I see Peter right after a church service and I say, “Hi Pete, how’s it going?” Peter says, “Yo dude, how are things going between you and the Mrs?” Now the Mrs. and I were engaged in a fifteen-minute brouhaha about our latest phone bill right before the church service. That notwithstanding I say to Peter, “The Mrs. and I are doing great, it’s like were on a second honeymoon.” I ask, “How are you and Mrs. Peter doing? In a vain attempt to change the subject and he tells me he just bought her a new dress. I say, “That’s great” and make haste getting out of there.
You may have noticed that there is a slight variation between what I said about how my wife and I are doing and the actual truth. Does that mean that the feet of the young men who buried A and S are going to bury me as well?
So now I got a real problem. You see I have to decide whether or not I can ever tell even the slightest lie. When Peter’s wife sees me in the church parking lot and asks how I like her new dress do I tell her the truth and insult her, or tell her a little lie so as not to hurt her feelings? Yet, if I tell her a lie the young men who buried A and S may be working the shovels again this time for me. All this because I tried to spare a woman the pain of being insulted.
All humor aside, Ananias and Sapphira are not mentioned again in scripture. Neither is the act of selling things and giving them to the apostles for distribution. Well, so much for socialism. Like everywhere else, socialism failed in the first century as well. To be clear on the subject of giving, Paul does mention the support he has received from churches and encourages churches in more prosperous provinces to be generous to churches in area where poverty is more prevalent.
This lesson here is not about giving, it is about giving for the purpose of being noticed as apparently, A and S felt that Barnabas had received some recognition for his generous gift and they wanted some kudos for themselves. The gift presented by A and S was accepted, as there is no indication the money was returned to whoever survived them. So the gift was honorable, but the attempt at gaining recognition was not.
As Paul points out in 2 Corinthians 9:7` we need to be cheerful givers. Our actions need to be seasoned with unconditional love. Unconditional love is love without expectations.
Enter Ananias and Sapphira, a married Christian couple apparently with no children, who also decided to sell some land and make a donation to the apostles. Unfortunately, when Ananias presented the donation he told the apostles that the money he was presenting was all the money he received from the land. Wrongo! The couple actually kept some of the money for themselves. Ananias had every right to keep as much of the money as he wanted, it was his to do so. The simple fact is they could have kept all the money for themselves and have done no wrong (Acts 5:4) that notwithstanding, they decided to give some of the money away apparently to look good to their fellow believers.
Then Peter, apparently guided by the Holy Spirit, confronts Ananias about the transaction prompting Ananias to cover his original deceit with another lie. This results in an apparent stroke and his sudden death. Then some young men come and bury Ananias. When his wife enters the room some time later, Peter confronts her and asks the same questions about the amount of money they received for the land. She, like her husband, tells a lie and falls dead at Peter’s feet. The young men return and bury her as well.
The problem is the story of Ananias and Sapphira caused the Christians of the day to be very fearful of God. Yes, that is a problem. After the word got out about A and S there was great fear in the community (5:13). I’ll bet! Some of those people were probably changing their pants when they began thinking about some of the things they may not have been too honest about in the past.
Think about what I am saying. Let’s say that I am alive in the first century A. D. and I know Peter and some of the other Christian Big Wigs of the day. I see Peter right after a church service and I say, “Hi Pete, how’s it going?” Peter says, “Yo dude, how are things going between you and the Mrs?” Now the Mrs. and I were engaged in a fifteen-minute brouhaha about our latest phone bill right before the church service. That notwithstanding I say to Peter, “The Mrs. and I are doing great, it’s like were on a second honeymoon.” I ask, “How are you and Mrs. Peter doing? In a vain attempt to change the subject and he tells me he just bought her a new dress. I say, “That’s great” and make haste getting out of there.
You may have noticed that there is a slight variation between what I said about how my wife and I are doing and the actual truth. Does that mean that the feet of the young men who buried A and S are going to bury me as well?
So now I got a real problem. You see I have to decide whether or not I can ever tell even the slightest lie. When Peter’s wife sees me in the church parking lot and asks how I like her new dress do I tell her the truth and insult her, or tell her a little lie so as not to hurt her feelings? Yet, if I tell her a lie the young men who buried A and S may be working the shovels again this time for me. All this because I tried to spare a woman the pain of being insulted.
All humor aside, Ananias and Sapphira are not mentioned again in scripture. Neither is the act of selling things and giving them to the apostles for distribution. Well, so much for socialism. Like everywhere else, socialism failed in the first century as well. To be clear on the subject of giving, Paul does mention the support he has received from churches and encourages churches in more prosperous provinces to be generous to churches in area where poverty is more prevalent.
This lesson here is not about giving, it is about giving for the purpose of being noticed as apparently, A and S felt that Barnabas had received some recognition for his generous gift and they wanted some kudos for themselves. The gift presented by A and S was accepted, as there is no indication the money was returned to whoever survived them. So the gift was honorable, but the attempt at gaining recognition was not.
As Paul points out in 2 Corinthians 9:7` we need to be cheerful givers. Our actions need to be seasoned with unconditional love. Unconditional love is love without expectations.
Friday, December 7, 2007
The Rich Man and Lazarus
Jesus tells a story about a rich man and a poor man in Luke 16:19-31. As the story goes, a rich man enjoyed life immensely and a poor man, Lazarus, was in poor health and could only beg for help, as he was apparently unable to work. They both eventually die and Lazarus ends up in heaven and the rich man ends up in hell. At face value, it appears that Jesus is telling a story about the ills of money. However, like anything else I look into in the bible, it is apparent that there is more here than meets the eye. I will tell the story in my own words.
Once upon a time there was this really super rich guy who dressed in the finest threads and had a chauffeured limo to boot. Now there was this homeless dude named Lazarus who was plopped down by the rich guy’s main gate. Lazarus was there everyday begging for some morsels that the rich guy might drop, by accident of course, as he was getting out of the limo. Sometimes Lazarus got a crumb, sometimes he didn’t.
Before long, Lazarus dies and gets carried away by the angels. He gets a first class escort to Abraham’s house and sits beside old Abe at the dinner table with servants and everything. Eventually, the super rich guy kicked the bucket and was buried.
In hell, the rich guy looks over a great chasm and sees Lazarus over at Abraham’s place and they are porking out. The rich guy says, “Yo, Abe, I could use a little help over here why don’t you send Lazarus over and dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue because I am getting fried in this place.”
Lazarus says to Abraham, “I’ll be happy to go over and give him some water after all I know what its like to be in need of sustenance.” “Why is he only asking for a drop of water from my finger to his tongue? That won’t do anything for his thirst.” Abraham says, “No my son its not his thirst that is tormenting him it is all the disparaging remarks he made about you when you were at his front gate. You see he had important dignitaries coming over for dinner and other social gatherings and you were the first thing they saw when they got out of their limos. It wasn’t an appealing sight and it devalued his status in the eyes of his important guests. That’s why he cursed you whenever he would walk by you. Now his tongue is burning as a reminder of the things he said to you. That is why he specifically asked that you be the one to touch his tongue. Because he knows when that happens he will be forgiven and his torment will ease.”
Then Abe says to the guy who used to be rich, “Child, you seem to be forgetting something.” The used to be rich guy says, “What, what, what am I forgetting?” Abe says, “Back in the day, you had all the fixings and trimmings and Lazzo here didn’t have squat. Now you’re the beggar and he’s got food coming out the yahoo. Are you beginning to smell the coffee?” The guy who used to be rich says, “Hey man you gotta send somebody over to my brothers and warn them about this place because I don’t want them coming here.” Abraham says to the used to be rich guy, “I know you don’t, and we both know why.” The used to be rich guy hangs his head in shame and apprehension.
Lazarus says to Abe, “Why is he so afraid of his brothers coming to be with him?” Wouldn’t that help ease his pain?” Abraham says, “No my child, he knows that his brothers will hold him accountable for their demise. You see the rich guy was the oldest of the family sons and it was his Judaic responsibility as the oldest son to be an example for the other family members to follow. The other sons will blame him for their being sent to Hades and that will only make matters worse for him.
Jesus told this story to the religious leaders of that day (Luke 16:14) because they believed that God loved rich people, that’s why they were rich. Jesus was trying to get them to understand that they had a responsibility to the poor and infirmed, as Lazarus was both, because the poor were children of God as well. The religious leaders believed only those who are rich and powerful would end up in heaven and the poor and sick were cursed by God and deserved hell.
This story was Jesus’ way of setting the record straight.
The story does not suggest that all rich people go to hell and all poor people go to heaven it is just the Lord’s way of removing class distinction as a means of determining God’s judgment. The story of Job clearly stresses the point that even those who do right in the sight of the Lord may see evil at an unimaginable scale.
As believers we must get away from the notion that when someone suffers its because they did something to deserve their demise. The saying “I must be doing something right because good things are happening to me” is a false understanding of our relationship with God. Things that occur on this planet can be complex and confusing and may not have anything to do with whether or not we are following closely to God’s instructions. The first century Christian leaders were following God’s instruction and they all suffered terribly and most faced execution as a result of their commitment to God.
Indeed, the same needs to be said of our Lord who chose to live as a homeless vagrant rather than a king. What did He do to deserve that?
Once upon a time there was this really super rich guy who dressed in the finest threads and had a chauffeured limo to boot. Now there was this homeless dude named Lazarus who was plopped down by the rich guy’s main gate. Lazarus was there everyday begging for some morsels that the rich guy might drop, by accident of course, as he was getting out of the limo. Sometimes Lazarus got a crumb, sometimes he didn’t.
Before long, Lazarus dies and gets carried away by the angels. He gets a first class escort to Abraham’s house and sits beside old Abe at the dinner table with servants and everything. Eventually, the super rich guy kicked the bucket and was buried.
In hell, the rich guy looks over a great chasm and sees Lazarus over at Abraham’s place and they are porking out. The rich guy says, “Yo, Abe, I could use a little help over here why don’t you send Lazarus over and dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue because I am getting fried in this place.”
Lazarus says to Abraham, “I’ll be happy to go over and give him some water after all I know what its like to be in need of sustenance.” “Why is he only asking for a drop of water from my finger to his tongue? That won’t do anything for his thirst.” Abraham says, “No my son its not his thirst that is tormenting him it is all the disparaging remarks he made about you when you were at his front gate. You see he had important dignitaries coming over for dinner and other social gatherings and you were the first thing they saw when they got out of their limos. It wasn’t an appealing sight and it devalued his status in the eyes of his important guests. That’s why he cursed you whenever he would walk by you. Now his tongue is burning as a reminder of the things he said to you. That is why he specifically asked that you be the one to touch his tongue. Because he knows when that happens he will be forgiven and his torment will ease.”
Then Abe says to the guy who used to be rich, “Child, you seem to be forgetting something.” The used to be rich guy says, “What, what, what am I forgetting?” Abe says, “Back in the day, you had all the fixings and trimmings and Lazzo here didn’t have squat. Now you’re the beggar and he’s got food coming out the yahoo. Are you beginning to smell the coffee?” The guy who used to be rich says, “Hey man you gotta send somebody over to my brothers and warn them about this place because I don’t want them coming here.” Abraham says to the used to be rich guy, “I know you don’t, and we both know why.” The used to be rich guy hangs his head in shame and apprehension.
Lazarus says to Abe, “Why is he so afraid of his brothers coming to be with him?” Wouldn’t that help ease his pain?” Abraham says, “No my child, he knows that his brothers will hold him accountable for their demise. You see the rich guy was the oldest of the family sons and it was his Judaic responsibility as the oldest son to be an example for the other family members to follow. The other sons will blame him for their being sent to Hades and that will only make matters worse for him.
Jesus told this story to the religious leaders of that day (Luke 16:14) because they believed that God loved rich people, that’s why they were rich. Jesus was trying to get them to understand that they had a responsibility to the poor and infirmed, as Lazarus was both, because the poor were children of God as well. The religious leaders believed only those who are rich and powerful would end up in heaven and the poor and sick were cursed by God and deserved hell.
This story was Jesus’ way of setting the record straight.
The story does not suggest that all rich people go to hell and all poor people go to heaven it is just the Lord’s way of removing class distinction as a means of determining God’s judgment. The story of Job clearly stresses the point that even those who do right in the sight of the Lord may see evil at an unimaginable scale.
As believers we must get away from the notion that when someone suffers its because they did something to deserve their demise. The saying “I must be doing something right because good things are happening to me” is a false understanding of our relationship with God. Things that occur on this planet can be complex and confusing and may not have anything to do with whether or not we are following closely to God’s instructions. The first century Christian leaders were following God’s instruction and they all suffered terribly and most faced execution as a result of their commitment to God.
Indeed, the same needs to be said of our Lord who chose to live as a homeless vagrant rather than a king. What did He do to deserve that?
Saturday, December 1, 2007
The Woman Caught in Adultery
John chapter 8 1-11 tells the story of the woman caught in adultery. This story is not found in the original manuscripts that make up the New Testament. The story probably made its way into the canon over time. I believe it was originally known to the Christian community as one of the many stories told about Jesus. John may have actually been the one to tell the story to other believers, but elected not to write about it in his gospel. As John points out in chapter 21:25 that there were many things Jesus did that were not written down because they are too numerous to mention. Still in all, the likelihood of this story having actually taken place is a virtual certainty.
The story begins with Jesus teaching in the temple and the religious leaders of the day presenting Him with a woman accused of adultery. It is difficult from the text to determine the exact nature of their accusation. Was the woman married and yet caught with another man? Or was she a prostitute that was with a married man? Either way she would have violated the seventh commandment. I believe the woman was a prostitute, as the religious leaders had no trouble finding her when they needed to bring her before Jesus.
I am going to tell the story in my own words:
Jesus goes into the temple of Jerusalem to teach the people who had gathered to hear Him. While He is talking He is rudely interrupted by the local religious chieftains who set a woman before Him. The Lord stops speaking and looks at them. He says, “Gentlemen, I am surprised to see you here, being that the people who come here actually want to learn more about God.” They are not amused and say, “This woman was caught in the act of adultery, in the very act.” Really,” Jesus says as He looks around, “When that happens there is usually someone else present, I mean like her lover.” “I don’t see him here; did he miss the bus?”
They continue to accuse her in front of the assembly hoping to embarrass both Jesus and the woman. They say to Him,” Moses commanded that a woman like this be stoned to death, we were just wondering what were your thoughts on the matter?” Jesus does not answer them but rather stoops down to the ground and begins writing with His finger. We do not know what He wrote but I believe it was the Ten Commandments. If it was then it was the second time God wrote the Ten Commandments (see Exodus 32:16).
After He finishes writing, He stands up and says, “You are correct. Moses did command that a woman like this be stoned and I think you should uphold the law. I just command that the one who throws the first stone be without sin.” Then Jesus stoops down again and continues to write on the ground. One by one the entire assembly begins to leave the temple beginning with the oldest. The older men had been married for many years and knew from their wives and Mother in Law’s opinions of them that they were true sinners. That’s why the older ones left first.
The younger ones who were not married, or were not married long enough to hear what their wives were saying, stuck around to see what was going to happen. These guys actually thought they were doing pretty good at living the law so they were reluctant to leave. Give them a year or two of marriage and they too would discover just how miserable they actually are. Eventually, the younger ones leave as well and only Jesus is there with the woman.
Sidebar: Did you notice that only Jesus and the woman remain? Think about that. Jesus was in the temple teaching the people who had come to hear Him (John 8:2). Now, however, He is alone. That means the very people He was teaching were the ones who wanted to stone the woman.
Then Jesus says to the woman, “Woman where are they? Did no one condemn you?” The woman answers “No one Lord.” Then Jesus says, “Neither do I condemn you; go your way. From now on sin no more.” Jesus could not condemn the woman because He did not come for that purpose (John 3:17).
The truth of the matter is that Jesus could have thrown a stone at her and then all the others could have stoned her as well. Jesus did not say they could not stone her He only said the one who was without sin had to be the first to stone her. That’s why Jesus said to the woman “Neither do I condemn you.” Once Jesus refused to condemn the woman she could not be stoned. It is interesting to note that at no time did she ask Jesus for forgiveness. This is not a story about repentance; it is a story about judging others.
The story does not end there. We do not know whatever became of this woman. Jesus instructs her not to continue her life of sin. Since prostitution was the only income she was provided, her life would dramatically change. Few men even today would marry a former prostitute. Women of Jesus day were not employed the way men were. Women could do jobs like those of a servant, or they could make pottery, or garments and sell them at the market place. Yet, they would be hard pressed to earn a good living at those jobs.
This woman’s future was uncertain at best. No longer would she be wearing fine gold necklaces and jewelry on her arms and fingers. From now on she would live like the other commoners in the community with one exception. Everyone would always look down upon her because of her former trade. No doubt she had a rough go of it for the rest of her life.
The people who looked down on this woman forgot the one thing Jesus said that was the most important thing. “Neither do I condemn you.” We should keep this in mind whenever we see people who don’t measure up to our Christian expectations.
The story begins with Jesus teaching in the temple and the religious leaders of the day presenting Him with a woman accused of adultery. It is difficult from the text to determine the exact nature of their accusation. Was the woman married and yet caught with another man? Or was she a prostitute that was with a married man? Either way she would have violated the seventh commandment. I believe the woman was a prostitute, as the religious leaders had no trouble finding her when they needed to bring her before Jesus.
I am going to tell the story in my own words:
Jesus goes into the temple of Jerusalem to teach the people who had gathered to hear Him. While He is talking He is rudely interrupted by the local religious chieftains who set a woman before Him. The Lord stops speaking and looks at them. He says, “Gentlemen, I am surprised to see you here, being that the people who come here actually want to learn more about God.” They are not amused and say, “This woman was caught in the act of adultery, in the very act.” Really,” Jesus says as He looks around, “When that happens there is usually someone else present, I mean like her lover.” “I don’t see him here; did he miss the bus?”
They continue to accuse her in front of the assembly hoping to embarrass both Jesus and the woman. They say to Him,” Moses commanded that a woman like this be stoned to death, we were just wondering what were your thoughts on the matter?” Jesus does not answer them but rather stoops down to the ground and begins writing with His finger. We do not know what He wrote but I believe it was the Ten Commandments. If it was then it was the second time God wrote the Ten Commandments (see Exodus 32:16).
After He finishes writing, He stands up and says, “You are correct. Moses did command that a woman like this be stoned and I think you should uphold the law. I just command that the one who throws the first stone be without sin.” Then Jesus stoops down again and continues to write on the ground. One by one the entire assembly begins to leave the temple beginning with the oldest. The older men had been married for many years and knew from their wives and Mother in Law’s opinions of them that they were true sinners. That’s why the older ones left first.
The younger ones who were not married, or were not married long enough to hear what their wives were saying, stuck around to see what was going to happen. These guys actually thought they were doing pretty good at living the law so they were reluctant to leave. Give them a year or two of marriage and they too would discover just how miserable they actually are. Eventually, the younger ones leave as well and only Jesus is there with the woman.
Sidebar: Did you notice that only Jesus and the woman remain? Think about that. Jesus was in the temple teaching the people who had come to hear Him (John 8:2). Now, however, He is alone. That means the very people He was teaching were the ones who wanted to stone the woman.
Then Jesus says to the woman, “Woman where are they? Did no one condemn you?” The woman answers “No one Lord.” Then Jesus says, “Neither do I condemn you; go your way. From now on sin no more.” Jesus could not condemn the woman because He did not come for that purpose (John 3:17).
The truth of the matter is that Jesus could have thrown a stone at her and then all the others could have stoned her as well. Jesus did not say they could not stone her He only said the one who was without sin had to be the first to stone her. That’s why Jesus said to the woman “Neither do I condemn you.” Once Jesus refused to condemn the woman she could not be stoned. It is interesting to note that at no time did she ask Jesus for forgiveness. This is not a story about repentance; it is a story about judging others.
The story does not end there. We do not know whatever became of this woman. Jesus instructs her not to continue her life of sin. Since prostitution was the only income she was provided, her life would dramatically change. Few men even today would marry a former prostitute. Women of Jesus day were not employed the way men were. Women could do jobs like those of a servant, or they could make pottery, or garments and sell them at the market place. Yet, they would be hard pressed to earn a good living at those jobs.
This woman’s future was uncertain at best. No longer would she be wearing fine gold necklaces and jewelry on her arms and fingers. From now on she would live like the other commoners in the community with one exception. Everyone would always look down upon her because of her former trade. No doubt she had a rough go of it for the rest of her life.
The people who looked down on this woman forgot the one thing Jesus said that was the most important thing. “Neither do I condemn you.” We should keep this in mind whenever we see people who don’t measure up to our Christian expectations.
Friday, November 23, 2007
Bible Secrets Revealed: Peter
One of the many things I find intriguing about the Bible is the subtle way the writers tell the readers about someone or something without actually stating the point. Lets take a look at Peter the apostle who is also a fisherman. Peter is probably the most outspoken apostle of all the apostles chosen by Jesus. We know him to have many opinions and see him as a leader because his name is constantly mentioned in the gospels. However, we do not know what Peter looked like; or do we? John 21:1-11 tells the story of Jesus appearing to several of the disciples after His resurrection. The disciples are fishing and Jesus asks them if they have any fish. They reply no. He then suggests they cast their net on the one side of the boat. They did and caught many large fish.
At first read one would not see my point about the description of Peter. Since Peter’s physical description is not provided in any of the verses unless, of course, you look deeper into the verses and find the clues. The one clue I believe emphasizes Peters size is found in John 21:11. Peter goes into the water and drags the net full of fish all by himself right up to shore. I’m going to paraphrase the story in my own words. You can read it for yourself in John 21:3-11.
Peter says to his chums, “Hey guys, I’m going fishing. Anybody game?” His chums say, “You betcha, we’re game.” They all go out to the Sea of Tiberias, or Sea of Galilee as the locals call it, and fish all night yet catch nothing. They are tired and more than a bit irritated. These guys are professional fisherman and when they go out to fish they expect to bring home the bacon. But, like I said, they have been at this all night and, nada.
By now dawn is beginning to break and there is a man standing at the shore. The man says to them, “Children, did you catch any fish?” The disciples look at each other and think, “What is this guy, a comedian? Why would we have stayed out all night if we had caught fish? What a screwball.” But being honorable men they answer, “No.” Then the guy says to them, “Cast your net on the right hand side of the boat and you will find a catch.”
There are seven men in the boat and they are all facing in different directions depending on how they are casting their nets. So four look over one side of the boat and three look over the other side. One of them says to the group that he will cast a net on his side while those on the other side say if you do you will make the guy mad because he wants us to throw the net on this side. “What are you talking about,” he complains, “ he said the right side of the boat and that is this side here.” Now a near scuffle results as they began arguing incessantly about which side of the boat is the right side.
One of them, tired of the whole situation, throws a net over on his side of the boat. He then feels the net fill with fish and calls his friends to help pull it over to the boat. All the men join in and pull the net close to the boat and tie up the net so the fish can’t escape. John, who only knows of one man who can do something like this, looks over to the shore and sees that it is Jesus. He says to Peter that it is the Lord. Peter looks over and sees it is his old friend and wants to get over to Him as fast as possible. So he jumps in the water and swims to shore.
The other disciples begin rowing the boat to shore, as they are about one hundred yards away. As the boat nears the shore the net, laden with fish, begins to start dragging on the bottom of the sea and acts as an anchor. Then the obvious takes places. Some in the boat start complaining that the others aren’t rowing hard enough and that’s why the boat is not moving. The others say they are rowing hard and the fish net is dragging one the bottom of the sea and that’s why the boat is not moving
They are still about 50 feet from shore and the water is knee deep. The time is early spring and the water is cold, so none of the guys in the boat want to get wet. After all they heard Peter scream when he jumped in so they know its cold. One of the disciples says to the others, “Let’s unhook the net from the boat and row to shore.” The others agree and they untie the net and let it loose from the boat and then row to shore.
When they arrive at the waters edge they all step from the boat to the beach without so much as getting their tootsies wet. They see Jesus standing there with Peter who is nearly shivering because he is soaking wet and the air is cool because it is early in the morning. There is a fire and fish are cooking on it.
Jesus say’s to the group, “Why don’t you bring in the fish?” The disciples look at each other and then look down. They have no intention of getting as wet as Peter. Then Peter, who has nothing to lose, walks out into the water and grabs the net by himself and drags it to shore, a feat six other men could not do.
This should tell you a little about just how powerful the man was. The fact is he dove into the cold sea when the other disciples would not even get their feet wet even though they all knew it was Jesus who was on shore. That alone speaks volumes about his commitment to the Lord. Then he goes back into the water to retrieves the net the other disciples refused to bring to shore also speaks volumes. Peter is a large and powerful man with a large and powerful heart.
Funny that none of the writers of the New Testament mention that, or did they?
At first read one would not see my point about the description of Peter. Since Peter’s physical description is not provided in any of the verses unless, of course, you look deeper into the verses and find the clues. The one clue I believe emphasizes Peters size is found in John 21:11. Peter goes into the water and drags the net full of fish all by himself right up to shore. I’m going to paraphrase the story in my own words. You can read it for yourself in John 21:3-11.
Peter says to his chums, “Hey guys, I’m going fishing. Anybody game?” His chums say, “You betcha, we’re game.” They all go out to the Sea of Tiberias, or Sea of Galilee as the locals call it, and fish all night yet catch nothing. They are tired and more than a bit irritated. These guys are professional fisherman and when they go out to fish they expect to bring home the bacon. But, like I said, they have been at this all night and, nada.
By now dawn is beginning to break and there is a man standing at the shore. The man says to them, “Children, did you catch any fish?” The disciples look at each other and think, “What is this guy, a comedian? Why would we have stayed out all night if we had caught fish? What a screwball.” But being honorable men they answer, “No.” Then the guy says to them, “Cast your net on the right hand side of the boat and you will find a catch.”
There are seven men in the boat and they are all facing in different directions depending on how they are casting their nets. So four look over one side of the boat and three look over the other side. One of them says to the group that he will cast a net on his side while those on the other side say if you do you will make the guy mad because he wants us to throw the net on this side. “What are you talking about,” he complains, “ he said the right side of the boat and that is this side here.” Now a near scuffle results as they began arguing incessantly about which side of the boat is the right side.
One of them, tired of the whole situation, throws a net over on his side of the boat. He then feels the net fill with fish and calls his friends to help pull it over to the boat. All the men join in and pull the net close to the boat and tie up the net so the fish can’t escape. John, who only knows of one man who can do something like this, looks over to the shore and sees that it is Jesus. He says to Peter that it is the Lord. Peter looks over and sees it is his old friend and wants to get over to Him as fast as possible. So he jumps in the water and swims to shore.
The other disciples begin rowing the boat to shore, as they are about one hundred yards away. As the boat nears the shore the net, laden with fish, begins to start dragging on the bottom of the sea and acts as an anchor. Then the obvious takes places. Some in the boat start complaining that the others aren’t rowing hard enough and that’s why the boat is not moving. The others say they are rowing hard and the fish net is dragging one the bottom of the sea and that’s why the boat is not moving
They are still about 50 feet from shore and the water is knee deep. The time is early spring and the water is cold, so none of the guys in the boat want to get wet. After all they heard Peter scream when he jumped in so they know its cold. One of the disciples says to the others, “Let’s unhook the net from the boat and row to shore.” The others agree and they untie the net and let it loose from the boat and then row to shore.
When they arrive at the waters edge they all step from the boat to the beach without so much as getting their tootsies wet. They see Jesus standing there with Peter who is nearly shivering because he is soaking wet and the air is cool because it is early in the morning. There is a fire and fish are cooking on it.
Jesus say’s to the group, “Why don’t you bring in the fish?” The disciples look at each other and then look down. They have no intention of getting as wet as Peter. Then Peter, who has nothing to lose, walks out into the water and grabs the net by himself and drags it to shore, a feat six other men could not do.
This should tell you a little about just how powerful the man was. The fact is he dove into the cold sea when the other disciples would not even get their feet wet even though they all knew it was Jesus who was on shore. That alone speaks volumes about his commitment to the Lord. Then he goes back into the water to retrieves the net the other disciples refused to bring to shore also speaks volumes. Peter is a large and powerful man with a large and powerful heart.
Funny that none of the writers of the New Testament mention that, or did they?
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