Is This a Trick Question?

Matthew 9:1-8

“Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Stand up and walk’?” (Matthew 9:5). According to Matthew this was Jesus’ question to a group of scribes who doubted his authority to forgive the sins of a paralyzed man. Is Jesus serious? Of course it is easier in that case to say “your sins are forgiven” than to say “ stand up and walk,” at least if we really expect something to happen. But that’s not the point.

The point is that the God of grace and forgiveness is also the God of hope and healing. To trust God in one area of our lives is to trust God in the other, and what God offers in each case is just as real. How often do we forget our need for forgiveness? How often do we focus solely on our need for wellbeing as we see it? And yet forgiveness, a release from the power of sin over our lives, is every bit as important as alleviating our illness or pain. In a very real way the sins of the paralyzed man kept him weighed down. Assuring him of God’s love allowed him to stand spiritually, just as healing him allowed him to stand physically.

Which is easier to say? If we slow down and pay attention we will see that by God’s grace we receive both healing and forgiveness and that in God’s love and mercy we find that we are strong enough to live as God intends.

Prayer: Lord, help us to stand as a forgiven people, healed of that which keeps us from you. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Everything We Do

1 Corinthians 10:14-11:1

There are some messages that are a bit difficult to decipher. Does anyone ever read the fine print of a rental agreement? If we did, would we understand it? Of course life is filled with double-speak and noise. Maybe that’s why a verse from 1 Corinthians caught my attention today. There Paul has a pretty straightforward message for his readers. “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do,” he says, “do everything for the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31). Whatever you do, do it for the glory of God, period.

These words are straightforward, yes; but they are full of implications as well. Obviously there are things that we cannot even pretend are for the glory of God. If that is the case, don’t do them. If we feel we have to hide or slink or dart about, then we are not living as we should. But if at all times we are willing to give God the glory then we will find ourselves moving in new directions and living more openly. What Paul is saying really isn’t that difficult to understand. Live as though every thing we do, every movement we make is an act of praise for the Creator. Live in such a way that others will appreciate who God is. Live so that all may see the joy and the anticipation that comes from knowing Christ and him crucified.

Everyday there are a thousand choices to be made, and everyday we will struggle with them. But if our primary consideration involves the glory of God, then by God’s grace we will find those choices to be less imposing and more fulfilling.

Prayer: Lord, help us to live to your glory in all we do, and help us in our living to be guided by your will. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Seeking the Imperishable

1 Corinthians 9:16-27

A little later today I will officiate at the funeral of the father of a co-worker. As a pastor, of course, funerals are something I do fairly often; I must have done well over a hundred in my career. But few of the things I do are as meaningful to me as ministering at the time of death. Why? In large part, I think, because the transition from this life to the next is entirely in God’s hands, and we Christians live and die with the promise of the resurrection always before us.

Paul speaks to the reality of the resurrection in our epistle reading for today. “Athletes exercise self-control in all things; they do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable one” (1 Corinthians 9:25). The imperishable wreath that Paul is talking about is the joy to be found in the presence of God once this life is ended and the life eternal has begun. Clearly our objective is more than an imperishable wreath, like so many silk flowers. But this is a helpful image to keep in mind.

Later today as I share the good news of God’s work in Jesus Christ with those who have lost a loved one I will strive to remind them of the hope we all share, the imperishable wreath for which we long. I will try to offer them a glimpse of grace and I will trust God to be at work through me offering comfort. I will rejoice with them as they remember a friend and relative. And I will grieve with them as they accept the loss they have suffered. And we will do all of this to the glory of God who, in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, has paved the way to eternal life for all who are claimed by God. This is the imperishable wreath for which we strive. This is the grace by which we live and die.

Prayer: Lord, in your mercy be with all who mourn this day offering the comfort and hope that only you can give. In Jesus name. Amen.

What’s All the Fuss About Oxen?

1 Corinthians 9:1-15

What clarity Paul provides for the understanding of scripture. “For it is written in the law of Moses, ‘You shall not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain.’ Is it for oxen that God is concerned?” (1 Corinthians 9:9; quoting Deuteronomy 25:4). And with that one question—Is God really concerned that much about oxen?—Paul helps us to focus on what is really important in the faith.

No, God’s concern is not strictly for the wellbeing of farm animals. The issue is much broader and much more pressing. If oxen should be allowed to benefit from their work, so should people. Paul of course is staking a claim for himself and those who serve the gospel as apostles, but the point goes much further. One with a generous heart does not begrudge the wellbeing of others, nor does he or she deprive others of what is fair and just. Oh, and by the way, God is the one who decides what it fair and what is just. For example, Jesus used the example of an ox stuck in a well on the Sabbath (Luke 14:5-6). Who would be so callous as to leave the animal there until the next day? Surely then, Jesus healing the sick on a Sabbath was acceptable for it addressed the wellbeing of people.

So Paul isn’t really talking about oxen; he’s talking about what is fair and what is just according to God. How we approach public policy, how we deal with economics, what we do with our income all should be measured by this standard.

Prayer: Lord, help us to care for one another as you would have us to do, so that your justice may guide our lives. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Going to the Dogs

Matthew 7:1-12

Sometimes one verse of scripture can shed light on a completely different verse or section of scripture. In the midst of our reading from Matthew today we hear Jesus say, “Do not give what is holy to dogs…” (Matthew 7:6a). I think one way to understand these words is as a warning not to take the faith lightly but to safeguard it from misunderstanding or misuse. Being judgmental toward others within the community of believers, for example, opens the gospel to contempt by those outside the faith and wastes the opportunity to demonstrate God’s love in Jesus Christ.

What, then, does this tell us about Jesus’ encounter with the Canaanite woman later in the book of Matthew? There Jesus says, “It is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs” (15:26). Assuming that the term “dogs” has the same meaning in each instance, Jesus is making a serious claim. He believes that what he has to offer as the Messiah is not intended for those from outside the boundaries of Judaism, that his focus must be on the house of Israel. That changes, of course, with the heartfelt affirmation of the woman, whose faith in Jesus’ ability to heal far exceeds that of many of Jesus’ own people.

So here is the point. The Christian faith should never be misused or taken lightly. But it IS to be shared freely with all who will hear it, regardless of who they may be. The gospel is potent stuff, with the power to change lives and alter perspectives, allowing us to see others the way God intends them to be seen.

Prayer: Lord, help us to hold our faith in reverence and to live the gospel everyday. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

What, Me Worry?

Matthew 6:25-34

If I didn’t know better I might think that Jesus was talking directly to the people of Israel as they made their way along the path of the Exodus. “Therefore,” he says, “do not worry, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’” (Matthew 6:31). Food and water, of course, were major points of contention between the people and God, with Moses caught right in the middle. Ultimately God provided manna and quails as food for the people (Exodus 16:13-15), and water from the rock at Massah (17:5-7). Did the people of God not learn from this experience to trust God for all of their needs? Jesus seems to think not.

For decades the character Alfred E. Newman has graced the pages of Mad Magazine along with his personal slogan, “What, me worry?” Is it possible that Newman has caught the meaning of Jesus’ words? Is it possible that we, too, should adopt a “what, me worry?” attitude in life? Certainly, as far as our trust in God is concerned we must learn to rely on our Creator by whose hand we are continually guided and cared for. If we have learned anything from our history it should be that God is with us and is ready to offer what we need. Jesus’ advice is to quit asking, “What will eat or drink?” and to start affirming, “What, us worry?”

Prayer: Lord help us to give up our worrying about the future and to trust you to provide for us as you have provided for your people all along. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Is He Kidding?

1 Corinthians 7:1-9

I don’t think Paul was being intentionally funny but the last verse of the reading from 1 Corinthians today sounds a little like a gag from a standup routine. “For it is better to marry than to be aflame with passion” (1 Corinthians 7:9). There’s on old Henny Youngman bit that goes, “A fellow asked me, ‘Who was that lady I saw you last night?’ I said, ‘That was no lady, that was my wife.’” Paul’s joke is just as good. But did Paul really think marriage would cure passion?

Ah, but that’s not the point, is it? And that is why context is so important in Bible study. One verse may sound like a joke, but when seen in the broader picture its tone changes and the real meaning becomes more readily apparent. In fact, one of the strategies for understanding scripture is to use the general to explain the particular, the whole to help make the individual pieces clearer.

Paul is not talking about the effect of marriage on the relationship of two people. He’s talking about the propriety of human relationships in light of the reign of God and the imminent return of Jesus. If we take the one verse we might not see Paul’s intent. When in doubt, look around.

Prayer: Lord, help us to understand your word for our lives and to live accordingly. In Jesus’ name. Amen.