Heavenly Mandate

Luke 3:1-14
According to Luke’s account, John the Baptist gives clear guidance on what one does in order to live a righteous life. “And the crowds asked him, ‘What then should we do?’ In reply he said to them, ‘Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none; and whoever has food must do likewise.’ Even tax collectors came to be baptized, and they asked him, ‘Teacher, what should we do?’ He said to them, ‘Collect no more than the amount prescribed for you.’ Soldiers also asked him, ‘And we, what should we do?’ He said to them, ‘Do not extort money from anyone by threats or false accusation, and be satisfied with your wages’” (Luke 3:10-14). The underlying theme is community, caring for one another and living in right relationship. Those with plenty should care for those in need. Those in authority should be careful not to abuse their power. In fact, all that is required to live a godly life seems to be summed up in John’s admonition to the soldiers, “and be satisfied with your wages.” Those who seek more than they need—be it in terms of wealth or power––are at risk of God’s judgment. “God said it, I believe it, that settles it,” quipped the old-time preacher. Here, the faithful obedience for which God calls is straight-forward and clear-cut. If you have enough, be satisfied with it as you seek to care for those who are without.

What also strikes me about these words is the complete absence of any human mandate. All the generosity, hospitality, responsibility, restraint, and respect, that John’s words imply are to be established according to the will of God and not because of a governmental decree or social policy. Regardless of what legislatures or agencies may (or may not) decide, the role of the believer is obvious: care for one another in obedience to God. As Paul says of the fruit of the Spirit, “There is no law against such things” (Galatians 5:23b).

How might John’s words inform our living today? For one thing, the people of God must demonstrate the human capacity for generosity and compassion instead of waiting for or demanding it of others. Governments serve a vital purpose and can do many good and essential things. But caring for others and sharing with those in need is too important to be relegated to elected officials. Likewise, while there are many points of disagreement between people of faith, there should be something close to unanimity when it comes to caring for the lost, the lonely, the poor, and the outcast. There are many ways to address the needs of the world, but only one Spirit necessary to motivate our actions.

John lays down an indelible pathway toward the coming kingdom with his challenge to “be satisfied” with what we are given as we work to mend the brokenness of our neighbors. As the old-time preacher reminds us, “God said it, I believe it, that settles it.”

Prayer: Gracious God, help us to live with love and compassion for those around us, meeting needs and mending wounds, and so to live as an example to the world of what it means to follow you

A “No Zombies” Gospel?

Galatians 5:1-15

A college English professor of mine made the point that you can tell a lot about a society’s mindset by noting the themes found in its science fiction. For example, Japan is the only nation to ever experience a nuclear attack. Japan is also the birthplace of the Godzilla, a made-for-film reptile supposedly transformed by nuclear radiation. During the cold war there were many films and books that dealt with World War III and the expected aftermath. The early days of the US space program led to stories about space travel and the arrival of aliens from other worlds. Now as we become aware of more and more bio toxins in our environment and of new strains of viruses that continue to develop we see a renewed focus on…Zombies, you know, those flesh-eating creatures who are dead yet living. The national media has carried stories recently detailing the so called “Zombie Apocalypse” and the creatures themselves have found an expanded role on TV and in the movies.

And then we read Paul’s words from Galatians for today: “For the whole law is summed up in a single commandment, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ If, however, you bite and devour one another, take care that you are not consumed by one another” (Galatians 15:14-15). Yikes! What is Paul talking about? Well, not Zombies, that much is sure. Paul is warning us that cut-throat behavior can lead to unforeseen consequences. While the entire law of God can be summarized in love for our neighbors, the willingness to claw our way to the top and to turn on one another leaves us vulnerable to being clawed, bitten, and devoured ourselves. Let’s call it––not a Zombie Apocalypse––a contagion of self-centeredness that grabs hold of us and won’t let go until we have made ourselves ruler of the mountain no matter the cost.

Consider the preceding verse. There Paul says, “do not use your freedom as an opportunity for self-indulgence, but through love become slaves to one another” (v. 13). This is very un-Zombielike behavior. While it still leaves us vulnerable to one another, it does not lead us to the sorts of activities that Paul condemns. Instead, approaching each other in love allows us to demonstrate grace and to be enveloped by God’s will. It also could save us from tearing each other apart.

Prayer: Lord, bless us with community and with the guidance to find it. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Something to Strive For

Galatians 5:1-15

Freedom is a tricky thing. Just because we are free to do something doesn’t mean we should. I think we’d all agree on that. I may be free to eat four cartons of ice cream at one sitting, but that would be stupid. I love ice cream, but I’m lactose intolerant so it would make me horribly ill. That’s a pretty limited illustration, but think about the first time you got to drive a car by yourself—no adults with you, just you. What a feeling of freedom! And yet, there were places you should not go, things you should not do, and there were always limits on how fast you were to drive and how the car was to be operated. The sense of freedom did not come with permission to be reckless or irresponsible. The tricky part about freedom, then, is learning how best to use it, and were to draw the line.

Paul was concerned about the members of the Galatians church abusing the freedom of the gospel. Just because they were no loner under the law did not mean they were no longer responsible for what they did. “For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters;” Paul writes, “only don’t use your freedom as an opportunity for self-indulgence, but through love become slaves to one another” (Galatians 5:13). If you want to use your freedom to its best advantage, Paul is saying, give it away. Concentrate on the needs of others, care for those in your community as though you were a slave in their household. Do this and you run less risk of going astray.

It was probably not what Paul’s readers wanted to hear. To have tasted some sort of freedom and then be asked to give it up—why would they do that? But the point is this: it was in freedom that Jesus Christ died for our sins that we might be saved from death and sin. As disciples of Jesus we must strive to live as he did, not looking out for ourselves, not taking advantage of others even if we have the freedom to do so, but by serving one another in true love and community. Come to think of it, that may not be what we want to hear Paul saying, either. But the truth is that in Jesus Christ we are free to be what God created us to be, which is a loving, compassionate, merciful people. And that is something to strive for.

Prayer: Lord, help us to live our lives, not wrapped up in our own needs, but devoted to the needs of others, so that together we might live in a community of love. Amen.