Approved

Luke 11:37-52
I love the subtle connections we find throughout scripture. In fact, we have a good example of one today. We know that the author of the gospel of Luke is also the author of Acts, so look at these two passages, one from today’s gospel reading and the other from a familiar account in Acts.

“Woe to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets whom your ancestors killed. So you are witnesses and approve of the deeds of your ancestors; for they killed them, and you build their tombs” (Luke 11:47-48).

“Then (Stephen) knelt down and cried out in a loud voice, ‘Lord, do not hold this sin against them.’ When he had said this, he died. And Saul approved of their killing him” (Acts 7:60-8:1).

Jesus condemned the lawyers and Pharisees with whom he speaking in the very strongest of terms, going so far as to say they had concurred with the murder of prophets generations before. Based on that passage, then, what are we led to think about the man who would later become one of the greatest evangelists in the history of the Church? When first we see Paul (still called Saul), he is witnessing and approving of the murder of a Christian by a crowd made up of lawyers and Pharisees. (Paul was still a Pharisee at this time, as well.) Are we supposed to like Paul at this point in the story? Are we supposed to expect great things from him as an apostle? Hardly! In fact, Luke would have us understand what a devious and dangerous man Paul really was. And yet, when the time was right even this Pharisee had a role to play in the life of the Christian faith.

Now turn back to the account from Luke. Knowing that Paul will one day find a role in the life of the Church, are we free to assume that those to whom Jesus is speaking are beyond redemption? No! If Paul can be converted, so can anyone. Why? Because the Pharisees and lawyers in Luke’s account are figuratively guilty—they act out their approve of the killing prophets long before. But Paul was literally guilty of aiding and abetting in the murder of Stephen. If Jesus can redeem Paul, Luke tells us, then we must be slow in assuming anyone is beyond the redemptive power of God in Jesus Christ which, by the way, goes for you and me as well.

Prayer: Lord, forgive us when we sin and help us to live as your people, sharing the good news of our own redemption with the world. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Jarring Time

Matthew 21:33-46

According to our gospel reading for today Jesus’ opponents were able to grasp the meaning of his words, but only to a certain extent. “When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they realized that he was speaking about them” (Matthew 21:45). The problem was that while they understood that Jesus was talking about them, they were not able to grasp the validity of what he said. To them Jesus was a nuisance and not the Son of God. The chief priests and Pharisees considered themselves devout people of great faith, but they were so wrapped up in their own expectations that they missed the fact that God was standing (and speaking) right in front of them. What they needed was an attitude adjustment.

In the film version of John Grisham’s novel A Time To Kill, Jake, a young defense attorney, makes his closing argument to the jury. He begins by asking the twelve men and women to close their eyes and to imagine the scene he is describing: the brutal assault on a young black girl by two white men, the various horrific things they did to her, the fact that they ignored her pleas for mercy and how they left her for dead. “Can you see that?” Jake asks the jury. “Now, imagine that little girl is white.” The impact of Jake’s words is instantly apparent. The jarring change in perspective makes all the difference in how the jury members perceive the case at hand.

The chief priests and Pharisees might have been jarred into a change of perspective by Jesus’ parable, yet they were not receptive to what Jesus was saying. What about you and me? Are we receptive to God’s word in such a way that we can hear it and be moved by it? Are we willing to be corrected of our false assumptions, to at least entertain the notion that God’s will is other than what we may expect? It is so easy to condemn the chief priests and Pharisees for their hardheartedness, but unless we are open to God’s word we may miss the chance to be jarred into a change of perspective ourselves. During Advent, as we await the arrival of Jesus Christ, it is important to allow God to speak to us and then to really listen to what God is saying. Otherwise we may well miss the chance of a lifetime. We always have more to learn; but are we really willing to be taught?

Prayer: Lord, allow us to be moved by your word, and when we are reluctant to listen jar us from our complacency that we may live as your people, guided by your will. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Unforgivable

Matthew 12:22-32 According to Matthew Jesus had just healed a blind and mute demoniac by casting out the demon that plagued the man. While the crowds wondered if Jesus could be the Son of David the Pharisees accused him of being of the devil. They reasoned that there was no other way for Jesus to command evil spirits unless he was in league with them. Jesus’ reply to this accusation is direct. He ends by warning the Pharisees that “people will be forgiven for every sin and blasphemy, but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come” (Matthew 12:31-32).

The Pharisees had witnessed the work of God and yet willfully discounted it attributing it instead to Beelzebub. It is this hardness of heart, this stubborn denial of the truth, that separates one from God. If we deny the Holy Spirit’s work we have essentially hung a “do not disturb” sign on our lives telling God to leave us alone. According to Jesus, God is inclined to do just that, to leave us to our own sinful destruction. If, however, we acknowledge God’s work in the world, we will find opportunity for grace and forgiveness even when we fall short of God’s intentions. A willing and obedient faith opens us to God’s grace. A refusal to accept what God is doing leaves us closed off and withdrawn from that same grace.

Prayer: Lord, we do not always acknowledge you as we should. Help us be open to your grace and live as you intend. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Something Greater

Matthew 12:1-14

According to our gospel reading for today Jesus said to the Pharisees, “I tell you, something greater than the temple is here” (Matthew 12:6). He was talking about himself and about God’s presence in the midst of the people. God’s work in Jesus was far more profound than the religious institutions of that day. In fact a part of Jesus’ ministry was to set the hearts of the people on God and not on religion per se. But few of the Pharisees seem to have understood what was going on. The institution-law and temple-was what they knew, and Jesus was flaunting it.

In fairness we shouldn’t be too hard on the Pharisees. One of the challenges that we must address today is how to serve God in and through the church without letting the church become the focus of our devotion. When we gather to worship we must remember that something greater than the church is there. When we talk about the future, about stewardship, about ministry and evangelism, about what it means to be faithful disciples, we must remember that something greater than the church is there. When we argue about doctrine and about who is more faithful to the scriptures, we must remember that something greater than the church is there. Otherwise we become the Pharisees of our day.

Something greater than the church is here! It is the Spirit of God at work, leading, teaching, building up, challenging, making restless, confounding, inspiring, and doing so much more. If we rely solely on brick and mortar, if we cling to the fellowship that we find so comforting, if we hold tight to “our kind of music” or “our kind of worship” then we will miss the opportunity to join in the magnificent things that God is doing. Truly, something greater than the church is here.

Prayer: Open our eyes, O Lord, and let us see what you are doing and how we might join you in that work. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Finding the Norm

Mark 2:13-22

How you ask a question can say a lot about your assumptions. For example, here is a verse from today’s reading in Mark. “Now John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting; and people came and said to him, ‘Why do John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?’” (Mark 1:18). People were curious about the spiritual practices of Jesus and his disciples. That’s understandable. But notice how they express their curiosity. John and the Pharisees and their disciples fast (which is obviously the way it should be done) but you, Jesus, and your disciples do not fast (which is obviously not the way it should be done). How different the question sounds if we simply turn it around: Jesus, you and your disciples don’t fast (which is obviously the way it should be done), but John, the Pharisees, and their disciples do fast (which is obviously not the way it should be done).

So much of life depends on what you consider to be normal. My cousin grew up using Miracle Whip on sandwiches, but my father hated it so we used mayonnaise on our sandwiches instead. I hate short athletic socks because when I was in school you wanted your tube socks to reach practically to your knee and to have wide stripes at the top. But my kids won’t let me out of the house in shorts and socks that go much above my shoes. It all depends on what you consider to be normal. During this ministry Jesus was offering a new way, a different approach. He didn’t fast when others fasted, he didn’t shun sinners, tax collectors, or prostitutes.

But what about today? Is Jesus’ way the norm, or is Jesus the exception. Where there is a neighbor in need whose example do we follow? If we have a choice between the golf course and an hour of our week for worship to whom do we turn for guidance? Whose understanding of sacrifice, of giving, of service, of obedience to God do we see as usual? Does Jesus represent for us the way it should be done, or what it means to get too hung up in religion?

Finding the norm in life means finding the patterns that offer the most meaning to our world and that lead us to the most faithful manner of living in the here and now. So do we start with Jesus? Or do we find Jesus to be the odd man out?

Prayer: Lord, you alone offer the path to abundant life. When we find ourselves challenged to choose you or to stray after idols, help us to remain faithful that your will might be done in our living. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

God's Concern Is Always About Justice

Nahum 1:1-14
Luke 11:37-52
The oracle of the prophet Nahum against Nineveh makes two distinct claims about God. One is that “the Lord is good, a stronghold in a day of trouble; he protects those who take refuge in him, even in a rushing flood” (Nahum 1:7-8a). But Nahum also asks, “Why do you plot against the Lord? He will make an end; no adversary will rise up twice” (v. 9). Can there really be such a divergence in God? Can God really be a source of such comfort and of yet of such judgment?

Luke’s account confirms that in Jesus Christ God is quite willing to make such a distinction. “Woe to you Pharisees!” Jesus says (Luke 11:42, 43, 44). And “Woe also to you lawyers!” he adds (vv. 46, 47, 52). Why does Jesus condemn these prominent members of his society? Because they do not “give for alms those things that are within” (v.41), “and (they) neglect justice and the love of God” (v.42), and “do not lift a finger to ease” the burden of the people (v.46) and have “taken away the key of knowledge…” and “hindered those who were entering” (v.52). God’s concern is always about justice. Divine judgment upholds it and God’s grace provides for it.

The temptation is to decide who in Luke’s account best represents us, and, frankly, few of us would ever willingly identify with the Pharisees or lawyers. But just as God offers judgment and grace, we as individuals and communities stand in need of both. As sinners we need God’s corrective judgment, and unworthy as we are, God remains faithful in the covenant relationship between God and God’s people. When we read scripture, when we pray and seek God’s guidance, when we participate in the life of the community of faith, we should expect and respond to God’s judgment and grace alike. It should inform our politics, our economic choices, our family relationships, our view of others, our understanding of patriotism, and every other facet of our lives. Indeed, as Americans enter the voting booth this coming Tuesday, it would behoove us to pause a moment to ponder where our nation stands in God’s judgment and how we can best reflect God’s grace in our policies.

God’s concern is always about justice. Our concern should always be about justice, too.

Prayer: O Lord, help us to receive and respond to your judgment while rejoicing in and reflecting your grace at all times. In Jesus’ name. Amen.