BEFORE WE BEGIN

The liturgical church year is coming to a close.  The church year begins with the season of Advent, which begins on November 29th this year.  At the end of this cycle, here in November, we consider the Parousia, or Jesus’ second coming. 

Loosely speaking, there are two schools of thought regarding the “end times”.   Evangelicals teach a highly-developed concept of the rapture.  At the seminaries of contemporary churches (i.e. Lutheran, Episcopal, Congregational, Methodist, Presbyterian, Roman Catholic, etc.), they teach a different understanding.  My reflections are based upon this contemporary understanding.  I hope you find my reflections on this topic inspiring rather than disturbing.

AMOS 5:18-24

THE BACKGROUND

Amos lived in the northern kingdom of Israel in the eighth century B.C., before the Babylonian exile. He was troubled by the injustice around him, especially the disparity between rich and poor, and the lack of concern that the rich exhibited for the poor.  If you want to read what is wrong with God’s people at this time, Amos 5:11-13 and 6:4-7 sum it up nicely.

THE DETAIL

• In the first paragraph, God’s people are looking for “the day of the Lord”.  For the people of Amos’ day, this meant the restoration of the glory days, like the time of Kings David and Solomon.  Amos tells his readers to be careful what they ask for. (v. 18)
• He uses the contrast between light and dark, night and day to convey his message of warning. (v. 18b and 20) The bear, lion, and snake are other images he uses to say “Be careful what you ask for!” (v. 19)
• Verse 21 makes a sharp left turn.  When God starts out a paragraph with “I hate”, I think it is time for us to pay close attention.  In Exodus 23:14-17, God tells his people to observe three annual festivals.  They are Passover, Pentecost, and the Booths (or Rosh Hashanah).  Here in Amos, He says that he hates them!  Why?  The answer is in The Takeaway below.
• Worse yet, in verse 22 he says that He doesn’t want their love offerings.  He doesn’t even want to look at them. 
• Even worse, He calls their songs of praise “noise”.  (v. 23) This is not good!
• What does God want? Justice, plain and simple.  (v. 24)

THE TAKEAWAY

Remember last week’s Gospel lesson, the Beatitudes?  “Blessed are the poor…”?  God’s chief concern is for the poor, the meek, the poor in spirit, etc. God expects us to mirror his love and concern for the care of the disadvantaged around us.

I love magnificent worship settings, and find them very uplifting and inspiring.  But if I don’t show God’s love in my daily actions; if I ignore the needs of the poor and broken in my midst, I behave exactly like Amos’ people.  God will find my worship displeasing and unacceptable. 

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

In America, one in five children go hungry.  Twenty percent of our children!  Are we to be like the people of Amos’ day, and ignore this tragic problem?  Or shall we be Children of God, and do His will on earth?

1 THESSALONIASNS 4:13-18

THE BACKGROUND

This passage contains a verse which Evangelicals believe to be the basis for their belief in the “Rapture”. I will be telling you about the other understanding; the one taught at the seminaries for the church organizations listed above.  If you are a devotee of the “Rapture”, I suggest you either skip this lesson, or read on to understand how others might interpret this. 

Most Christians at that time, including Paul, believed that Jesus’ second coming would happen at any moment.  Some Thessalonian Christians had already died, and were buried.  Their loved ones were concerned that the deceased would miss out on this eagerly-awaited event.  Paul explains it to them.

THE DETAIL

• Verse 13 states the concern; some are worried about their brothers and sisters in Christ who have already died.
•  In verse 14, Paul says “God’s got your back!”  (In different words, of course.)
• Verse 15 states, Paul states that “we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord…” He repeats this in verse 17.  He obviously thought that he would be alive to witness Jesus’ return to earth.
• Verse 16 gets to the heart of the matter.  When the trumpet sounds, and Jesus begins his earthward journey, the resurrection of the dead will happen first. 
• Those still living plus the newly-resurrected will meet Jesus “in the clouds”.  (v. 17)  The only details we have about what happens next is that “we will be with the Lord forever”. 
  • Scripture tells us that Jesus will return to earth to conquer evil and establish a 1,000 year reign.  Rapturists believe that this passage means that Jesus descends from heaven, but does a “U-turn” in the clouds taking the raptured to heaven.
• Contemporary Christians interpret this verse differently. The verb “meet” in Greek is “apantesis”, which refers to a custom of the day. When someone was on their way to your home to pay a visit, you would go out to “meet” them before they arrived at your door.  Then, you would escort them into your home.  Therefore, when Jesus returns, we will simply be part of the happy procession to lead him home.  I will give you three examples of this:
  1. When Mary goes to the home of her cousin Elizabeth, Elizabeth meets her on the road to her home.
  2. In the story of the prodigal son, when he returns home, the father runs to meet him “while he is far off”.
  3. After the death of Lazarus, Jesus heads to the scene. While he is still on his journey, both Mary and Martha have enough time and distance to make separate trips to meet him, before he arrives at their home.
• Verse 18 is probably the most important and overlooked verse of this entire passage.  Now that Paul has explained what will happen (that’s what the “Therefore” means), he says we should encourage one another with these words.  Paul thought he was writing words of encouragement, not words to scare people.

THE TAKEAWAY

When Jesus returns, we will all take part in the joyous parade!  It does not matter if we are alive or have already passed.  We will be part of the joyous celebration, and encourage, not terrify others with the good news of the second coming.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

I was discussing with a pastor friend of mine the two different understandings of this passage; I was a little animated in my explanation.  He said “Don, it doesn’t matter.”  That stopped me dead in my tracks.  I thought about it, and realized that he was right.  If we are “in Christ”, it doesn’t matter whether it’s going to be the rapture or a parade—God’s got our back! 

Either way, we should be sharing the Good News, and bringing others to Jesus.  
 

MATTHEW 25:1-13

THE BACKGROUND

The 25th chapter of Matthew contains the last of Jesus’ parables.  The passion narrative begins in chapter 26.  Keep in mind that Jesus told parables to teach us one thing. Each parable contains one God Lesson. If we dig too deeply into these stories, we’re going to miss the God Lesson he intended for us.

It helps to know a little about the wedding customs of the day.  They were very different from how we do it today.  Back then, the groom would come to the bride’s house.  He’d take the bride and her bridesmaids, and make a procession back to his home.  That’s it!  They were married!  In this parable, Jesus teaches us another lesson about the kingdom, by comparing it to one of these wedding processions.

THE DETAIL

So, within the context of a familiar wedding scene, Jesus tells this story: 

• The ten bridesmaids prepare for the wedding feast, and put oil in their lamps.  (No flashlights back then, I guess.) They all filled their lamps, and some also brought extra oil.  (vv. 2-4)
• But wait! There’s a twist!  The groom is delayed.  It grows late, and all ten bridesmaids fall asleep.  (V. 5)
• When the groom finally arrives, some of the girls’ lamps are almost out of oil, but some have their extra flask of oil.  (vv. 6-8)
• There is drama. (vv. 9-10a)
• The groom and the prepared bridesmaids (and we assume the bride) go off to the wedding, and shut the door.  (v. 10b)
• Now for the sad part. When the foolish girls finally return, they are denied entry.  The groom even says that he doesn’t know them!  (vv. 11-12)
• Jesus gives us the moral of the story in verse 13:  “Keep awake… for you know neither the day nor the hour.”  The odd thing here is that all 10 fell asleep, yet Jesus’ point is to keep awake.  I do see that the winners in the story were prepared.  Maybe “be prepared” is also a good point.

THE TAKEAWAY

The point here is that nobody knows when Jesus will return.  Paul had a pretty good idea, and he was very incorrect.  Since nobody knows, we must be vigilant and prepared.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

My favorite bumper sticker:  “Jesus is coming.  Look busy!”  I know this was intended to be funny, but there’s truth in it.  Just make sure that you don’t just “look” busy, but are genuinely engaged in doing his work.

A famous Christian theologian was playing croquet with some of his students. (This is a very old story.)  The teacher asked the question, what they would do if Jesus were to return tomorrow.  One said that he would leave immediately, and make peace with his brother. Another said that he would quit the game, and do good works.  When they asked the teacher what he would do, he said that he would continue playing the game.  The point is that we should have already made peace with our brother, and should already be doing good works.  We should be at peace, knowing that we are totally ready.

If you knew that Jesus would return to earth sometime this week, what would you do differently?  Why aren’t you doing that now?

NOTE:  I am going to change the order, putting the gospel reading second, and the reading from Romans last.  The reading from Romans is a fitting way to finish this week’s study.

JEREMIAH 31:31-34

THE BACKGROUND

The prophets Jeremiah and Ezekiel lived about the same timeframe.  Ezekiel was deported to Babylon along with many other Judeans.  Jeremiah remained in Jerusalem, tending to the spiritual needs of those remaining.  If they were alive today, they would be communicating by email and having Zoom meetings on a regular basis.  Back then, however, communication was quite a bit slower.  But remarkably, their message to the people of God was very similar, as we will see.  After all, they were both God’s spokesmen; the source of the message was the same. Today’s passage from Jeremiah comes from his “Book of Consolation” that we discussed last week.  It is a message of hope and renewal. 

THE DETAIL

• Jeremiah assures the people in exile, both from Israel and Judah, that better days are coming.  God will make a new covenant with his people.  It won’t be like the old covenant.  They broke that one many, many times.  Time for something new. (vv. 31-32)
• This new covenant won’t just be written down in a temple somewhere, it will be written on the hearts of the people.  There will be an intimate relationship between God and his people. (v. 33)
• We won’t have to learn things about God anymore, because all of us will know it all!  (vv. 34-35a)
• Best of all, God will not only forgive our sins, but He will forget all about them.  (v. 35b)

THE TAKEAWAY

The word “covenant” and “testament” mean the same thing. It is easy to conclude that God’s “New Covenant (Testament)” is realized in the life, death, and resurrection of his son Jesus.  Is this what it meant to Jeremiah’s listeners, or did it mean something else to them?  The short answers are no and yes.  Can it be both?  Maybe!

NO

The people of Jeremiah’s time had troubles of their own.  Jerusalem and it’s society was ripped apart by foreign pagans.  It was a time of desperation and hopelessness.  God had not yet put forth the idea of a Messiah. Instead, Jeremiah’s message from God was that God wanted to have a close-knit relationship with them.  God was not interested in worship, at least when it was not from the heart.  Ezekiel 36:24-28 gives the people under Ezekiel’s care the same message.  God wants an intimate, loving relationship.  The message is the same in that passage and this one—Israel and Judah will be restored one day.  When they are, God’s law will be written on everyone’s hearts. Sins will be forgiven and forgotten.

YES

Centuries later, God sent His only son to walk the earth with us.   Jesus taught us his Father’s will, when he spoke his Sermon on the Mount, and when he taught us parables about the kingdom of God.  Then, he died for our sins.  So, the life of God’s son was the final chapter in Jeremiah’s prophecy. Jeremiah most certainly did not know that part of the story.  But he most certainly knew the hope and promise that God gave his people in captivity.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

It is one thing to forgive someone for what they have done.  It is quite another to forever forget about it.  God promises to both forgive our sins and forget them!  We receive this free gift because of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross.  Now, we must not only forgive those who wrong us, but forget about it as well. 

JOHN 8:31-36

THE BACKGROUND

Today’s reading comes from the gospel of John. At this point in the story, Jesus had been gathering disciples, and teaching those around him.  Teaching and clarifying God’s will for the people was one of Jesus’ main missions.  For the most part, Jesus taught to the Jews.  Jesus and the twelve apostles were Jews.  He did, of course, occasionally reach out to the Gentiles, but most of his ministry was to his fellow Jews.  In the gospels, “the Jews” often refers to those who resisted or challenged him. In today’s reading, however, it refers to some followers of Jesus.

THE DETAIL

• Jesus makes a statement to start a discussion.  He is teaching “the Jews who had believed in him”.  This could have been the twelve apostles or others.  John does not specify.  It doesn’t matter, so he leaves that out.  John was like that.  (See John 21:25.)  Jesus tells them that if they “continue in his word, they will be free”.  (vv. 31-32)
• The disciples immediately think that Jesus is talking about slavery (which he is, sort of).  Slavery was commonplace at that time; about 40% of the population were slaves.  The disciples state that they have never been slaves, since they are the descendants of Abraham.  I guess they forgot about Egypt and that the Romans had conquered them.  (v. 33)
• Next, Jesus drives his point home.  We are all slaves—to sin.  But the good news is that if we “continue in his word” (from verse 32), we are set free from the slavery of sin. (vv. 34-36)

THE TAKEAWAY

For those of us who love and follow Jesus, we are freed of the sin that enslaves us.  We are truly free to be Children of God!

ROMANS 3:19-28

I am also going to change the order on this reading from Romans.  There is a lot of nitty-gritty detail in this passage.  If you don’t want to wade into the “deep water”, you can just go to The Takeaway.  I’ll put the detailed explanation after the takeaway, for those who want to take a deeper dive.

THE BACKGROUND

I like to read the first three chapters of Paul’s letter to the Romans as one big unit.  You could skip the greeting, and begin with 1:16.  Keep in mind that the church in Rome was made up of both Jewish and Gentile Christians.  One thing I like to do is substitute two words for words in the text.  When Paul says “Jews”, I substitute my church denomination.  When he says “Greeks”, I substitute another denomination.  This makes it more real; and it is closer to what Paul was trying to say.

Anyway, in the first three chapters of Romans, Paul presents a panoramic view of the sinfulness of mankind.  He starts with pagan idol worship, but slowly turns the gun around, aiming squarely at the Jews and Greeks.   There’s no escaping it—we are all a sorry, sinful lot.

THE TAKEAWAY

Verses 23 and 24 are at the heart of this passage. Paul makes his two main points:

1. Everyone has sinned, and do not measure up to God’s expectations.
2. For those who have faith in Jesus, our sins are forgiven*.

This gift of forgiveness is free to those who have faith in Jesus.  Later in Paul’s letter, he uses the phrase “free gift” often.  (5:15, 5:16, 5:17, 6:23)  All you need to “do” to claim your free gift is to believe in Jesus!

* The word “justification” in this context is a legal term.  When someone was accused of a crime, and was in court, they could explain why they did what they did.  If the judge believed that their actions were acceptable, he would claim that the defendant’s action was “justified”, and the charges would be dropped.

THE DETAIL

• When Paul talks about “the law”, he referring to Jewish law.  You know, like the 10 commandments, and all the detailed laws in Deuteronomy and Leviticus.  Paul states here (and elsewhere) that the law is there to make us accountable—accountable to the point that we shut our mouths in guilt.  (vv. 19-20)
• Paul now sets the law aside, and talks about what God has done for us (God’s righteousness).  In fact, all the prophets were like weathervanes, pointing to this righteous act. (v. 21)
• The righteous act that we are talking about is the gift of God’s own son, for all who believe.  (v. 22)
• Paul reminds us what he has just told us in the previous chapters—we have all sinned. Everyone.  (v. 23)
•  The Good News is that by God’s grace, our actions have been “justified”/forgiven. It is God’s action that does this. It is a gift.  (v. 24)
• During Paul’s time, and earlier, the high priest would make a blood sacrifice for the peoples’ sins.  God himself made a blood sacrifice of his son’s blood for our sin.  We, too, receive this atonement through faith in Jesus. (v. 25)
• God did this to show that He is a righteous God.  He loves us so much that He did this for us.  (v. 26)
• So, what have you got to brag about?  Can you brag that you are a Jew, or a Greek, or a Baptist or a Lutheran? Can we brag about being good or doing good deeds?  Paul emphatically says “NO!”  God has all the bragging rights.  (v. 27)
• Salvation comes not from keeping God’s rules, but by living our lives in faith. It is a free gift from our Father in heaven.  (v. 28)

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

When someone gives you a precious gift, how do you express your gratitude?  Should we not express more gratitude to God for his free gift of salvation?  How will you do this?

ISAIAH 45:1-7

THE BACKGROUND

Israel was defeated by the Babylonians (now Iraq).  They were carted off to Babylon, where they were expected to assimilate into Babylonian life.  Sixty years passed.  Israel is incapable of fighting against the Babylonians, to regain their freedom; they appear to be doomed to never see the Promised Land again.  Cyrus II is the king of Persia (now Iran).  He is poised to defeat the Babylonians, and release the captives.  Cyrus and Persia do not worship the Jewish god Yahweh.

THE DETAILS

• Through Isaiah, God addresses Cyrus II, calling him “his anointed”.  That is the English word.  You know the Hebrew and Greek words, they are “messiah” and “Christ”.  This had to be an outrageous statement to god’s chosen people in exile.  How could a pagan king possibly be Yahweh’s “anointed”?  He doesn’t even know God’s name!  (v. 1)
• God is going to make things easy for King Cyrus, paving the way, breaking down doors, and giving him treasures hidden away in secret places.  (vv. 2-3a)
• The reason God is doing this is clear.  It is for the sake of his captive people, who he lovingly calls “Jacob” in this text. This is good news for Israel, because they are not able to free themselves.  The shocking thing is that God calls upon a non-Hebrew to be his servant, His anointed one.  (vv. 3b-4)
• The last paragraph is a proclamation that our Lord God Yahweh is the one and only god; there are none besides him.  (vv. 5-7)

THE TAKEAWAY

Either we or someone we know has been faced with an impossible situation, only to be saved from disaster. How did that happen?  People of faith believe that is by God’s loving hand. How has God surprised you in your faith walk? 

1 THESSALONIANS 1:1-10

THE BACKGROUND

This letter from Paul to the church in Thessalonica is probably the oldest writing in the New Testament.  It was even written before any of the gospels were put to paper.  These are the opening lines to his letter.  It follows the typical format for most of his letters.

THE DETAIL

• He begins by naming the senders & recipients of this letter, and then greeting them.  It was written by Paul, who included his two assistants’ names Silvanus (also known as Silas) and Timothy.  It is addressed to the people of the church in the Greek city of Thessalonica.  He greets them with a blessing of grace and peace.  (v. 1)
  • Grace, the free gift of God’s mercy and love.
  • Peace, in this case, is “shalom”; wholeness to life and completeness, more than a sense of calm.  If you have the first, the second follows.
• In the second paragraph, Paul praises them for their work.  In particular, he praises them for their faith, hope, and love. These familiar words may also be found in 1 Corinthians 13, especially verse 13.  Besides these three words, latch onto the word “conviction” in verse 5. (vv. 2-5)
• Paul is proud to say that in spite of persecution, they “became imitators of us [Paul, Silas, and Timothy] and of the Lord [Jesus]”.  It always strikes me odd and slightly conceited that Paul tells others to “just be like me!” I now believe that Paul was offering himself as a role model for those going through difficult times.  Jesus, of course, is the perfect role model.  But they had only heard stories about Jesus.  Paul and Silas were there in person.  (v. 6a)
• We now learn more about that conviction.  Paul, Silas, and Timothy came to Thessalonica, taught, and brought many to Jesus.  Some leaders of the synagogue didn’t approve, and stirred up trouble.  There was persecution.  I recommend that you read Acts 17:1-9, to get the whole story.  But the point is that Jesus’ believers there were steadfast in their faith “in spite of persecution…”. (v. 6b)
• This church’s evangelical work is so exemplary, that the news of it spread far and wide. (vv. 7-9)
• Verse 10 is interesting, and worth explaining.  It is a reference to the Parousia, or Jesus second coming.  At the time this letter was written, only about 20 years after Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection, Christians believed that Jesus return would be a little different than we now understand it.  They believed:
  • Jesus was returning very soon.  We now know that at least 2,000 years would transpire before this event.
  • When he returned, after a time of conflict, God would emerge triumphant over evil, and Jesus would reign on earth.  The “wrath that is coming” refers to this time of conflict.  Their beliefs on Jesus’ return were simple. Book of Revelation wasn’t written until about 50 years later.  The message is that they should remain faithful, knowing that God will make things right when Jesus returns.  That is actually what Revelation tells us, anyway.    (v. 10)

THE TAKEAWAY

The Gentiles in Thessalonica left the religion of their families, and became Christians.  Imagine that!  What would it take for you to even change denominations, let alone religions? Their enthusiasm was so great, it caught on.  Others could see their energy and love, and wanted to be a part of that.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Do we display this level of enthusiasm to those around us?  Shouldn’t we? How do we make this happen?
 

MATTHEW 22:15-22

THE BACKGROUND

Jesus is nearing the end of his ministry.  He is in high gear, teaching through the use of parables.  More and more, he is annoying the Pharisees, the High Priest, and other leaders of the established religious organization.  He challenged their thinking, and they didn’t like it. It is good to remember that Jesus was also a Jew, as were almost all of his followers.  He was criticizing his own “church”.  (It really wasn’t called a church, but rather a synagogue.) Increasing, he is making enemies, and they are out to get him.

Also, this passage speaks of Herodians. Most Jews hated the Romans, and everything they stood for.  Herod, who was also a Jew, worked with Rome for his own personal gain both in political power as well as financial gain.  Herodians were Jews who supported Herod’s work.  In a sense, they were traitors to Israel.  But they were seizing the day, and reaping the benefits of supporting Herod and Rome.

NB:  Jesus is into politics here, and I’m afraid I am going to break one of my rules, and also talk politics.  I hope this does not offend.

THE DETAIL

• The Pharisees were so upset with Jesus that they teamed up with the hated Herodians. Their hope was that between the two groups, they could set a trap and shame Jesus in front of his followers. (vv. 15-16a)
• The start out by buttering him up in verse 16b. 
• Jesus sees right through their ploy.  (v.18)
• We all know the rest.  The coin is shown, and Jesus says the famous line “Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” 
• Dumbfounded, they walk away. 
• Jesus clever answer was perfect.  If he said “It is lawful to pay taxes to the emperor”, he would have been called a traitor to the Jewish cause.  If he had said it was not lawful, he would have been called a traitor to Rome.  He would have most certainly been reported to the authorities by the Herodians. 

THE TAKEAWAY

Jesus won the battle, but what do we take away from this story?   

One thing it does not mean is that God is not interested in politics and governmental structures.  In Ezekiel 34, God rails on the religious and political leaders of the day.  (He calls them “shepherds” of his flock.)  They neglected the needs of his flock, and God was not happy with them. God is very interested in how the leaders care for his people.  He holds them accountable; he will judge them.  Many would like to say that this means that God is not interested in taxes.  But I don’t think that’s it, either.  Taxes can provide care for the poor, needy, widows, orphans, etc.  Good government, good “shepherds”, are doing the Lord’s work, if they tax from the abundance and care for the disadvantaged.  My takeaway is the last part of verse 21—“…and [give to] God the things that are God’s.” 

I also think about how Jesus challenged the thinking of the best people of faith in Judea—the Pharisees. 

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

1.  What are “the things that are God’s”, that we should be giving?  Here are a few of my thoughts.

• Is part of this “giving” ensuring that our elected government officials are genuinely concerned about the poor, needy, and disadvantaged?  These are God’s concerns; they should be ours as well.
• Jesus showed compassion to the needy by healing the sick.  He also preached that we should share from our abundance. (“If you have two coats, give one away.”)  Since we are to be imitators of Christ, shouldn’t we heal the sick poor, by taxing the rich?
• Part of this “giving” having a good sense of stewardship.  Realizing that everything we have is a gift from God.  Sharing and tithing, therefore, are simply giving back what was already His.  This holds true for individuals, organizations, and governments.  All are accountable to God.

1. What would we do if Jesus returned, and challenged how we thought about God?  What if he told us that some of the things we were doing that we thought were godly did not please the Father?

ISAIAH 25:1-9

THE BACKGROUND

In theological circles, Isaiah 24-27 is called the “Isaiah Apocalypse”.  An apocalypse is a style of writing which talks about the “end times”.  Some churches use the name “The Apocalypse of John” for the last book of the New Testament, instead of “The Revelation to John”. So today’s passage can be considered to be a look to the future; a glimpse of the end as revealed to Isaiah.

THE DETAIL

The passage can be divided into two sections, verses 1-5 and 6-9. 

• The first section is praise to God for all his saving acts.  These actions do not reference a specific time or place; they are a general summary of God’s loving acts for his people.  As such, it makes it easy and appropriate to extend this praise to our time and place. 
• The second section shifts to a heavenly scene. God prepares a luxurious banquet for us, his people.  The power of death is destroyed, and our tears are wiped away.  The people of God rejoice!

THE TAKEAWAY

For people of faith, the end times signify hope and promise, not fear and foreboding.  Through the gift of His Son on the cross, God truly has destroyed the power of death. For this saving act, we shall sing His praises!

PHILIPPIANS 4:1-9

THE BACKGROUND

These verses are a portion of the closing lines to Paul’s letter to his beloved church in the Roman city of Philippi (in modern day Greece).  If you want to read about how this church got started, and what Paul did there, turn to Acts 16:9-40.

THE DETAIL

• There is no doubt that Paul dearly loves this church. (v. 1)
• Two women in this church were in conflict with one another.  Paul encourages them to resolve their issues.  He calls upon an unnamed “true partner” (“yokefellow” in other translations) to intervene.  Some believe that this partner might have been Lydia, who is mentioned in Acts 16, but this is just an educated guess.  Paus reminds them all of the fine work these women have done to spread the Gospel. Finally, he reminds them that their names are “written in the book”; they will both spend eternity in heaven, so shouldn’t they settle their differences now?  How might this apply to our own lives?  (vv. 2-3)
• He encourages them to “always be glad and gentle with one another”.  (vv. 4-5) This is given in spite of all the troubles that were brewing within that church:
  • Power struggles (1:15-17)
  • Suffering (1:29)
  • Grumbling and arguing (2:14)
  • Forcing Gentile Christians to conform to Jewish Law (3:2)
  • Personal conflict (4:2-3)

Paul tells them to find peace through prayer (vv. 6-7).

• Verse 8 is beautiful, and worth of serious meditation.
• Paul closes this section by offering himself as an example.  While it may sound a little conceited to us for Paul to do this, you must agree that there is merit in this suggestion.  (v. 9)
  • True

THE TAKEAWAY

All of our names are “written in the book”.  We should all strive to set aside our differences, and work together to build up the Body of Christ.

We still live in troubled times.  Our nation is torn apart.  Our churches are in conflict with one another.  Within our churches, members grumble and argue.  Join me in keeping our minds fixed on things that are:

• Pure
• Right
• Holy
• Friendly
• Proper

(v. 8a)
 

MATTHEW 22:1-14

THE BACKGROUND

In my red letter edition of the Bible, these pages of Matthew’s Gospel are all red.  Jesus is doing a lot of teaching.  In the very next chapter, He will go to Jerusalem to teach some more.  There, he will die on the cross.  These are some of his final lessons for us.  In these passages specifically, he is engaged with the Pharisees. He’s trying to get them to repent for their blindness in failing to recognize John the Baptist and himself. 

This parable of Jesus is a wild one.  It is easy for us to get derailed, and miss the point by focusing on the detail.  Let’s pick through this, and try to find the God Message for us.  It follows two similar stories about a king, rejection of the desired participants, and the welcoming of outsiders as replacements. This one is similar, but different.

THE DETAIL

• Jesus tells us that this story is about the “kingdom of heaven”.  (v.2a) 
• This parable is about a king and a wedding banquet for his son.     (v. 2b)
• The king first invites deserved guests to the wedding feast, but there is refusal and violence.  (vv. 3-6)
• The king is upset, and takes action.  (v. 7)
• Then, the king invites others—ordinary street people to the banquet .  This is similar to the vineyard stories we have recently studied.     (vv. 8-10)
• But then it gets weird.  The king sees that someone is not wearing the proper clothes to the banquet.  He has them thrown out!        (vv. 11-13)

THE TAKEAWAY

The point of the parable is the same as the last two parables—those who “should” be first to enter the kingdom will be the last.   Because of their confidence and arrogant piety, they are rejected.  The common street folk come to the banquet instead.

The business about the proper clothing is unusual, and doesn’t sound like Jesus’ love and forgiveness. Let me offer this explanation.

• Back then, a white robe was the appropriate attire for attending a wedding banquet.
• In the book of Revelation (7:13-14) the saints (all believers) of the church wear white robes as a symbol of their holiness. 

Perhaps in this parable Jesus is saying that you need to believe in him (wear the white robe) in order to attend.  You can’t come to the banquet (go to heaven), if you don’t believe in him.

I think I’m going to start wearing a suit and tie to church again, just in case…  (This is meant as a joke.) 

ISAIAH 5:1-7

BACKGROUND

This story occurs early in Isaiah’s role as a prophet. He has a difficult task, because the people of God are not doing what God wishes.  In this case, Isaiah speaks to them using a parable. 

DETAILS

• Isaiah says he will sing them a song.  Other translations say that he will sing them a “love-song”.  (v. 1)
• He tells (or sings) them a story about a friend who plants a vineyard, hoping it would produce sweet fruit. (v.2)
• The listeners are invited to participate, and help the owner decide what to do.  I like to think that clever Isaiah is like a fisherman, teasing the fish with the bait. (v.3) 
• Bad news!  The grapes are bitter.  I’ve read that in the original Hebrew, “bitter” is actually “stinking grapes”!  (v. 4)
• The landowner decides to destroy his vineyard, because it has not provided the hoped-for delicious fruit. (vv.5-6)
• Now, Isaiah “sets the hook”.  God in the story is the landowner, and the vineyard is Israel. God had rescued Israel from slavery in Egypt, and “planted” them in the Promised Land.  He had hoped that they would grow into a beautiful people, bearing sweet fruit of honesty and justice.  They did not.  So now, he will “unplant” them.  A trip to Babylon is in Israel’s future.  (v. 7)

TAKEAWAY

Isaiah chose the literary form of a love song to tell Israel of their disobedience to God.  It might seem odd to call this a love song, since He decides to destroy His “vineyard”.    God loves his people!  We have all known about a marriage where a spouse is not living up to the other’s expectations.  This is exactly what is going on between God and His people.  He loves them, and wants them to grow; but he also wants them to be good, and live up to His expectations.  He expected honesty and justice (v. 7b), but His people let Him down.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Even today, honesty and justice are in short supply. If you doubt that statement, just turn on the television.  We are bombarded with Fact Checks and accusations of Fake News.  Social injustice is at such a level of frustration that rioting and mass shootings are weekly occurrences.  Things haven’t changed one bit since Isaiah’s time.

More than ever, we need Jesus!

PHILIPPIANS 3:4b-14

BACKGROUND

In the verses just preceding today’s selection (vv.2-4a), Paul warns his Gentile Christian friends to beware of people we call Judaizers.  The Judaizers wanted the Gentile Christians to conform to the old Hebrew practices, including circumcision, the dietary rules,  and obeying all the Laws of Moses.  Paul even calls the Judaisers “dogs”.  Back then, calling someone a dog was a terrible insult.  These “dogs” were even bragging about themselves and their Jewish piety. 

DETAIL

• Paul tells the Philippians that he has better bragging rights.  He gives us his resume.  Paul himself was a Pharisee, and was the best of the best!  (vv. 5-6)
• But then, Paul surprises them all, by saying that all that is worthless.  Compared to knowing Jesus, all those spiritual practices are garbage.  The King James Version even uses the word “dung” instead of garbage.  (vv.7-8a) 
• Here is the gold nugget in this passage.  (vv. 7-8a)  (More on this below.)
• For Paul, knowing Jesus and being more and more like Jesus is all that he wants out of life.  (vv. 10-13)
• He likens his spiritual struggle to a foot race. (v. 14)

TAKEAWAY

Verses 5 & 6 give us a glimpse into what it meant to be a Pharisee.  You might remember that last week I said that Pharisees got a bum rap.  Here, from Paul’s pen, we see that there was a good side to being a Pharisee.  Their motives were noble, but they failed in the execution.   

Let’s look at verses 8b & 9, and break it down into three parts:

• All I want is Christ, and know that I belong to him.
• I could not make myself acceptable to God by obeying the Law.
• God accepted me simply because of my faith in Christ.

This is important.  God’s acceptance is there for us, simply by believing in Jesus as his Son.  Obeying the Law does not bring us closer to God, only faith does that.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Paul was a tireless, accomplished evangelist for Jesus. He brought thousands to the faith. His letters to the early churches have provided us with a precious source of knowledge.  Yet, Paul felt that his spiritual journey was not complete. He was still running the race.  I wish that we (including myself, of course) would all have his hunger for spiritual improvement. 

To this day, people of faith seek rules, by-laws, & guidelines for their faith walk.  We want someone to break it down into simple steps for us  Jesus tells us it is simply about love.  Do our church rules reflect the Law of Love, or something else?

MATTHEW 21:33-46

BACKGROUND

We get another parable about a vineyard!  These parables, this week’s and last week’s, come right after the Pharisees have challenged Jesus’ authority.  Both of these parables form Jesus’ response to that challenge.

DETAIL

• This parable starts out almost exactly like Isaiah’s.  Coincidence? I doubt it.  Jesus knew his bible, so I’m sure that he knew of Isaiah’s love-song parable.  I’ll bet that the chief priest and elders were also familiar with the song.  Maybe Jesus starts out his parable like this to get their attention.  But then, his story takes a sharp turn.  (v. 33a)
• When the landowner sends people to get his share of the crop, they are murdered by the renters.  They even murder the landowner’s son as part of a takeover scheme. (vv.33b-39)
• Then, Jesus asks them for an answer.  “What will the landowner do?”  They answer correctly, and in doing so incriminate themselves.  (vv.40-41)
• Jesus quotes Psalm 118:22-23 in verse 42.  More on that below.
• Then, Jesus lowers the boom, telling them that the keys to the kingdom are being taken away from them.  They will be handed over to those “who do what he (God) demands”.  In other words, the followers of Jesus will be God’s beloved, and not the chief priest and elders.  (vv. 43-44)
• This does not set well with them, and they start working out ways to get even.

TAKEAWAY

As with Isaiah’s parable, the landowner is God, and the vines are his people.  The renters are the people who have been put in charge of caring for the “vines”, God’s precious people; the chief priest and Pharisees. The son in the story is, of course, God’s son Jesus.

Jesus is basically telling them that they have done a lousy job of caring for God’s people, and that they are fired.  He states that His followers will now become the true heirs of the kingdom of God. 

When Jesus quotes Psalm 118, he is referring to himself being the stone the builders rejected.  We know now, that he would indeed be rejected most completely.  Cornerstones are the first stones set, when building a new structure.  It is the point from which the entire building is measured.  We also know that he and his church will be the “New Jerusalem”.  This is what the early Christian church called themselves.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

I keep going back to Jesus’s conclusion to the parable (v 43):

“I tell you that God’s kingdom will be taken from you and given to people who will do what he demands.” 

(I’ve added italics to emphasize my point.)

What exactly is it that God demands of us?

After reading today’s passage from Philippians, It is clear to me that it is definitely not obeying the Law of Moses, or any church rules for that matter.  Instead, the answer comes from Jesus’ lips and Paul’s pen:

• 37 He [Jesus] said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the greatest and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”  (Matthew 22:37-40)
• “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything; the only thing that counts is faith working through love.”  (Galatians 5:6)

So, the answer is love, believing in Jesus, and putting that love into action..

EZEKIEL 18:1-4, 25-32

THE BACKGROUND

Ezekiel and Jeremiah were both prophets for Israel before and during their exile.  This was around 598-571 BC.

THE DETAIL

• Today’s reading starts out with God telling Ezekiel that he has heard the people of Israel complaining.  They are repeating an old saying over and over again.  The interesting thing to me is that the people Jeremiah is caring for are complaining, saying the same phrase that Ezekiel’s flock grumbles!  (Jeremiah 31:29-30)  Here’s the phrase:

“Sour grapes eaten by parents leave a sour taste in the mouths of their children.”

This is an odd way for them to complain that they are being punished for the sins that their parents committed.  They’re trying to blame their parents for their going into exile.  This multi-generational punishment concept is taken from the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:5), which states that God will punish to the fourth generation “of those who reject me”.  But even as far back as Deuteronomy (24:16), God says no to this.  Here in Ezekiel God says the same in greater detail.  (vv. 1-2)

• People are being put to death for their sins in this passage.  It seems harsh and unfair.  But we must remember that we’re talking about sin, and “the wages of sin is death”. (Romans 6:23a)  We all sin, and we all will die.  (v. 4b)
• Blaming parents for your wrongdoing is nothing new, is it?  It is a slick way of dodging the guilt.  (I’m thinking of the comedian Flip Wilson’s famous line “The devil made me do it!”) God is not playing this game (vv. 25-29)
• God and Ezekiel make it very clear that we are responsible for our own actions.  They make it equally clear that God does not want to punish us, he wants us to live.  “Stop sinning and live!”  (vv. 30-32)

THE TAKEAWAY

It is so easy to blame someone else for our mistakes. To this day, we like to blame our parents for our bad traits.  In this passage, God tells us that we have no one to blame but ourselves.  The good news is that He is waiting for our repentance. Because of Jesus’ death on the cross, we have forgiveness and life.  He has taken the burden of our sins to the cross with him, so that we can live without this burden.  Thanks be to God!

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

It is never too late to repent and receive God’s forgiveness.  Who have you hurt in the past?  Isn’t it time for reconciliation?

PHILIPPIANS 2:1-13

THE BACKGROUND

Have you ever heard a sermon based on a hymn? That’s exactly what Paul is doing in today’s reading.  He took a popular hymn of the time, and used it to instruct the church in Philippi on how to be “in Christ”. This entire passage is precious, so it is difficult to pick out a few golden nuggets.  But here goes.

THE DETAIL

• The hymn itself is in verses 6-11.  The beginning of our passage are sort of a warm up to this. “Live in harmony by showing love for each other.”  Need we say more?  “… think as if you were only one person.” (v.2b)  That could be interpreted poorly, if one doesn’t look at the big picture.  We know that Paul (and God) value diversity of talent and spiritual gifts.  He states in 1 Corinthians that all the spiritual gifts in their various forms work together to form the body of Christ.  What he’s saying here is that the whole church must live in harmony.  If you have been active in any church or other organization, you know that the road to living in harmony can become rocky.  Disagreements arise in the best of churches.  Paul is just encouraging Christians to get along, and work together in harmony. (vv. 1-4)
• In order for them to get the right frame of mind for this harmony and caring for each other, He tells them to be like Jesus (v.5). 
• He reminds them of the hymn they already know and sing (vv. 6-11).  Allow me summarize.  Warning!—I’m starting in the middle:

Verse 8—Jesus was humble.

Verses 6 & 7—He didn’t have to be humble, he truly was God!  But he gave it all up to become like us.  He became a servant to all.

Verses 10 & 11—we praise God for the beautiful example that God has given us through his son.

• In Paul’s conclusion, he uses the word “obey” three times.  When somebody repeats themselves twice, it means that what they’re saying is very important.  Obedience comes up again in today’s Gospel lesson.  (vv.12- 13)

THE TAKEAWAY

How do we obey God? Look at the first paragraph again. We are to be humble, and love one another, working together as a tight unit.  Verse 5 sums it up—“…think the same way that Christ Jesus thought…”  In other words, be like Jesus!
 

MATTHEW 21:23-32

THE BACKGROUND

Jesus has just cast out the moneychangers from the temple.  He also healed some people in the temple complex.  The church leaders challenge Jesus’ authority to do this.  Jesus answers them with a parable, and challenges their thinking.

THE DETAIL

• I guess if someone came into my church and tore things up, I might ask them “who do you think you are, to do this to my church?” Jesus knew their hearts, and they didn’t realize who they were talking to.  (v.23)
• Jesus asks them a question; two, actually, but who’s counting?  He asks where John the Baptist got his authority from.  Their answer required some cleverness, because they did not take John seriously; they did not repent.  But John had a huge following, and they didn’t want to start a riot.  So they said “We don’t know.”  (vv.24-27a)
• I love Jesus’ answer in verse 27b—“Then I’m not going to answer your question, if you won’t answer mine!”  But Jesus makes his point by telling them a parable (vv.28-30). The story makes his point very clearly.
• The father in the story has two sons.  He gives them both the same order, to work in the vineyard.  The older son refuses to work, but later on does the work of his father.  The younger son agrees to work, but never does. 
• Jesus’ question (v.30b) is “which son obeys the father”?  The answer, of course, is the older son.  This, the Pharisees answer correctly.  But in doing so, they indict themselves.  Jesus has seen through their false piety.  He knows that even though they work hard at keeping the letter of the law, they have totally ignored the spirit of the law—the law of love and mercy. The Pharisees were so content with their law-keeping that they did not see the feel to repent to the likes of John the Baptist or this son of that carpenter (Jesus). 

THE TAKEAWAY

We all sin and fall short.  Periodically, we all need to reflect, reexamine, and yes, even repent. 

So, what exactly is repentance?  It begins with self-examination.  Next comes the realization of where and how we have let God down*, by thought, word, or deed.  Sometimes, it is something we’ve done.  Often, it is something we should have done, but didn’t.  Then, you confess this shortcoming either in prayer with God by talking to another human being.  Sometimes the other human being is your pastor.  At other times, it might be the person you sinned against.  Finally, and most importantly, you make a “U-turn”. You do something to ensure that you don’t do it (or not do it) again.  If you do all this, it is called repentance.  Anything less is a worthless pity-party.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

I think the Pharisees get a bum wrap in the New Testament. They had thoroughly analyzed Holy Scripture, and figured out how to live their lives in a God-pleasing way.  That way was by living in total compliance to the Laws of Moses.  They were confident in their theology; they did not feel compelled to do the “repentance thing”.   

In many ways, we have become more like the Pharisees than Jesus’ disciples.   I believe that the worst thing we Christians can do is feel so confident in our beliefs that we close our minds, and lose our perspective.  Look back at Philippians 2:5-8 for a clear perspective. Let’s be Jesus’ disciples.  Let’s be like Jesus!

* Some call this a “sin”.  That’s OK, but I prefer a more precise definition: 

God has high expectations for all of us.  God sets the bar high, too.  But he knows what our capabilities are.  Any time we know God’s expectations and we fall short, that (to me) is a sin.  We let God down by not living up to his expectations of us. 

JONAH 3:10-4:11

BACKGROUND

This passage is the conclusion of a famous Old Testament story—Jonah and the Whale.  At least that’s what we called it in Sunday school class.  This and last week’s story about Joseph are fun and interesting.  But what’s the God Lesson in this tale? 

By this point in the story, the whale is long gone, and Jonah has completed his task.  What follows is a curious story about a prophet with a bad attitude and a God with unfailing love and patience.  But first, let me give you a rundown of the whole story.  You may find this story in the first two chapters of Jonah. It is a fun story, and I encourage you to read it for yourself.  But look for the God Lesson.

The setting for the story is post-exilic Jerusalem.  The Israelites have endured their 60 years in exile, and have returned to the Promised Land for a fresh start.  The prophet Jonah has been commanded by the Lord to go to the Assyrian city of Nineveh, to preach a word of repentance.  Nineveh was not a Jewish city; they worshiped pagan gods.  So, this was dirty work, and Jonah did not want to do it.  Jonah does head out on a journey, but not to Nineveh.  He heads for Spain on a boat.  Spain is in the opposite direction!  A storm kicks up, and everyone fears for their lives. They draw straws, and Jonah is thrown overboard to lighten the load.  It doesn’t stop there, it gets even better.  A “big fish” (no mention of a whale) swallows Jonah whole, and drops him on shore—right where he needs to be, to walk begin his walk to Nineveh!  So, Jonah begrudgingly resigns himself the task, and goes to Nineveh.  When he gets there, he doesn’t even go to the city center—he stops short, says a one-sentence prophecy, and leaves.  The king hears of the prophecy, and everybody repents—even cattle!  Our story is about what happens after this pitiful but effective prophesy.  This is where today’s passage begins.  It is not about Nineveh, but about Jonah’s reaction to Nineveh’s repentance, and about Jonah’s attitude.

DETAILS

• First of all, God saw that they were repentant, and did not destroy them, He forgave them. (verse 10)
• Jonah’s reaction might surprise you.  He was angry and upset!  He prays to God, telling him that’s why he headed for Spain; he knew that God would forgive them.  He says “… you don’t like to punish anyone, not even foreigners.” (Italics added for emphasis.  Jonah has had it; he’s fed up.  He just wants to die.
• The story takes a few twists and turns in verses 5-9, with a shelter and a vine.
• God summarizes the situation, and tells Jonah why he spared the city.  (vv. 10-11)

TAKEAWAY

In the time after they returned from exile in Babylon, God’s people in Judah were highly focused on being good and righteous.  They carried this to extremes, by doing things such as forbidding Jews from marrying non-Jewish people.  They ignored the directive given to Abraham to be a light to the nations.  The prophet Isaiah reminded them of this order, but they chose to focus only on being good and holy.  They didn’t want to ever go back in exile.  They thought that by keeping all the laws, they would avoid God’s wrath.

In our story, Jonah represents the self-centered attitude of the people of that time.  God calls him, and Israel, to a higher calling; to be a light to all nations.  Jonah/Israel doesn’t want any part of it.  They just want to keep their own backyard clean, and nothing more.  God’s response to this stubbornness is steadfast love. He grows Jonah some shade, at least for a little while.  His words in verse 11 show his love for all people, not just the Jews. 

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

It is not enough for us Christians to “keep our noses clean”.  God has expectations for us.  For some, it is spreading the Gospel.  For others, it is caring for others, teaching, giving, loving one another. 

What is God calling you to do?  Are you simply keeping your own backyard clean, like Jonah, or are you acting on this call?  Either way, God is there beside you, to help you along.
 

PHILIPPIANS 1:21-30

BACKGROUND

Paul is in prison.  We’re not sure exactly where or exactly why.  But we do know that he is there because of his preaching the Gospel. This is a letter to his beloved church in Caesarea Philippi.   

DETAILS

• He starts right off with something astonishing.  He says that he has a choice to live or die, and he is considering his options!  Interestingly, he would prefer to die, to be with Jesus.  A friend of mine at White Oak would tell often tell me that her nightly prayer was to die, and go to heaven to be with Jesus and her husband. God finally answered that prayer. But Paul is young and healthy.  I think he’s just weary of the trouble he runs into, trying to spread this wonderful Good News.  But Paul chooses life, “…to help you grow and be happy in your faith.”  It is because of his mission that he chooses to press on.  (vv. 21-26)
• The second paragraph is an invitation for the Philippians to join him in the struggle to share the good news.
• Verses 28-9 are words of encouragement—“be brave”.  He knows that they may suffer for sharing the good news. After all, he’s in prison for it. 

TAKEAWAY

Paul was dedicated to his mission to spread the good news, regardless of cost.  In the end, it would cost him his life.  Most of us are fortunate in that we don’t have to risk our lives to share the Gospel message. What’s holding us back?  God is calling us to share the Good News, and love those around us.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

I’m thinking of the words to the song “This Little Light of Mine”.  Let’s sing it like we mean it, and show it in our actions!

MATTHEW 20:1-16

BACKGROUND

Jesus is teaching his disciples about how it works with God, about how God’s way is not like our way.  He uses a parable to make his point.  They are surprised at the ending.

DETAILS

The parable starts out easy enough.  The landowner needs some work done in his vineyard.  He hires workers at the usual pay.  They start working that morning.  As the day goes on, he hires more and more workers. At the end of the day, everybody gets a full day’s wages!  It doesn’t seem fair to the workers.  The landowner basically says that what he pays is up to him.  Be happy with your wages. 

TAKEAWAY

Jesus does not interpret this parable, other than stating that “the last shall be first, and the first shall be last”.  Over the centuries, several understandings have arisen for the meaning of this parable.  I will offer mine.

• In the verses preceding this parable, Jesus and his disciples have a discussion about how to get to heaven.  Jesus tells them that it is impossible (Matthew 19:26b).  Peter complains, saying that they have sacrificed a lot to follow Him.  At the end of Jesus’ answer, he also says his “the last shall be first, and the first shall be last” saying.  For this reason, I believe that the two stories are connected.
• Matthew tells us that this parable is about the kingdom of heaven.  We have already heard some kingdom parables, such as the lost sheep and the lost coin.  In these, we discover the importance that God places on those on the fringe of society—the lost, the outcast, the forgotten.
• We know that God forgives, and welcomes repentant sinners into the kingdom of heaven.  We know that even a death row criminal is saved, if he or she accepts Jesus as their savior.  This is what is at the heart of this parable.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

It is easy for us lifetime Christians to be resentful when someone who has led a wild and evil life, and comes to Jesus in their old age. That is not fair!  Where’s the justice? 

Let us be more like God, and less like Jonah.  Let’s rejoice in the recovery of the lost.