• Just turning on the news lets us know we are living in uncertain times. 

Just a reminder that this is our last Bible study for this season. Next week is the Memorial Day Holiday and then our Summer Break. Watch for our opening lesson after Labor Day.

The Ascension of Jesus

Luke 24:44-53 New Revised Standard Version

44 Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you—that everything written about me in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms must be fulfilled.” 45 Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures, 46and he said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day, 47 and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things. 49And see, I am sending upon you what my Father promised; so stay here in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.”

The Ascension of Jesus

50 Then he led them out as far as Bethany, and, lifting up his hands, he blessed them. 51 While he was blessing them, he withdrew from them and was carried up into heaven. 52And they worshiped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy; 53and they were continually in the temple blessing God.

Luke 24:44-53 New International Version 

44 He said to them, “This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.”

45 Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. 46 He told them, “This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, 47 and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things. 49 I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.”

The Ascension of Jesus

50 When he had led them out to the vicinity of Bethany, he lifted up his hands and blessed them. 51 While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven. 52 Then they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy. 53 And they stayed continually at the temple, praising God.

Luke 24:44-53 The Message

44 Then he said, “Everything I told you while I was with you comes to this: All the things written about me in the Law of Moses, in the Prophets, and in the Psalms have to be fulfilled.”

45-49 He went on to open their understanding of the Word of God, showing them how to read their Bibles this way. He said, “You can see now how it is written that the Messiah suffers, rises from the dead on the third day, and then a total life-change through the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed in his name to all nations—starting from here, from Jerusalem! You’re the first to hear and see it. You’re the witnesses. What comes next is very important: I am sending what my Father promised to you, so stay here in the city until he arrives, until you’re equipped with power from on high.”

The Ascension of Jesus 

50-51 He then led them out of the city over to Bethany. Raising his hands he blessed them, and while blessing them, made his exit, being carried up to heaven.

52-53 And they were on their knees, worshiping him. They returned to Jerusalem bursting with joy. They spent all their time in the Temple praising God. Yes.

Commentaries

• From the Geneva Notes. 

• "The preaching of the gospel, which was promised to the prophets, and performed in his time, is committed unto the apostles, the sum of which is repentance and remission of sins."

• From Matthew Henry's Commentary (c. 1700).

  • "Christ by his Spirit works on the minds of men. Even good men need to have their understandings opened."

• From Wesley's Notes. John Wesley (1703-1791).

  • "Beginning at Jerusalem - This was appointed most graciously and wisely: graciously, as it encouraged the, greatest sinners to repent, when they saw that even the murderers of Christ were not excepted from mercy."

• From the Commentary on the Whole Bible (Jamieson, Fausset and Brown, 1871).

  • "Incarnate Love, Crucified Love, Risen Love, now on the wing for heaven, waiting only those odorous gales which were to waft Him to the skies, goes away in benedictions, that in the character of Glorified, Enthroned Love, He might continue His benedictions, but in yet higher form, until He come again!"

• "Beginning at Jerusalem: Luke 24:47," Charles H. Spurgeon, 1883.

  • "'Beginning at Jerusalem,' must surely mean begin at home."

• From The People's New Testament, B.W. Johnson, 1891.

  • "The last act of the Savior upon the earth was a blessing."

• Holy Textures, Luke 24:44-53, Understanding the Bible in its own time and in ours, David Ewart, 2011.

  • "And as if to emphasize that this blessing of his disciples has not been finished - is still on-going - Luke tells us that: While he was blessing them, he withdrew from them and was carried up into heaven. (Luke 24:51) Might it not be that even in heaven Jesus-now-resurrected is still blessing his disciples?"

Pastor’s Notes

I could not help but notice that the last act of Jesus on earth was that of a blessing; a blessing in their person and the work to which each of them are called, a blessing in reminding them of all that had been done in Jesus lifetime and a blessing of all the promises that are now theirs, a blessing in the waiting for power from on high. He blesses the apostles and even in that blessing he is carried to heaven. The next intervention of God on earth would be the sending of the Holy Spirit in power and blessing for the work at hand.

Tuesday Bible Study KPC 5.10.2022

Scripture John 13:31-35

New Revised Standard Version 

31When he had gone out, Jesus said, “Now the Son of Man has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him. 32If God has been glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself and will glorify him at once. 33Little children, I am with you only a little longer. You will look for me; and as I said to the Jews so now I say to you, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come.’ 34I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. 35By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

New International Version

31 When he was gone, Jesus said, “Now the Son of Man is glorified and God is glorified in him. 32 If God is glorified in him,[a] God will glorify the Son in himself, and will glorify him at once.

33 “My children, I will be with you only a little longer. You will look for me, and just as I told the Jews, so I tell you now: Where I am going, you cannot come.

34 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

The Message

31-32 When he had left, Jesus said, “Now the Son of Man is seen for who he is, and God seen for who he is in him. The moment God is seen in him, God’s glory will be on display. In glorifying him, he himself is glorified—glory all around!

33 “Children, I am with you for only a short time longer. You are going to look high and low for me. But just as I told the Jews, I’m telling you: ‘Where I go, you are not able to come.’

34-35 “Let me give you a new command: Love one another. In the same way I loved you, you love one another. This is how everyone will recognize that you are my disciples—when they see the love you have for each other.”

Commentaries - (the context of this text is John’s account of the last Supper)

From Augustine's Tractates on John: 

• Tractate 57 (13:6-10//Song of Solomon 5:2,3)

  • "Wash our feet, that were formerly cleansed, but have again been defiled in our walking through the earth to open unto Thee."

• Tractate 58 (13:10-15)

  • "...in washing the feet of disciples who were already washed and clean, the Lord instituted a sign, to the end that, on account of the human feelings that occupy us on earth, however far we may have advanced in our apprehension of righteousness, we might know that we are not exempt from sin..."

• From the Geneva Notes.

  • "The betraying of Christ was not accidental, or a thing that happened by chance, but it was the Father who ordained the cause of our salvation, to reconcile us unto himself in his Son, and the Son willingly and voluntarily obeyed the Father."

• From Matthew Henry's Commentary.

  • "Our Lord Jesus does many things of which even his own disciples do not for the present know the meaning, but they shall know afterward."

• From The People's New Testament, B.W. Johnson, 1891.

  • "A rebuke to their ambitious strife, far more powerful than words could have spoken: such a rebuke that never again do we see a hint of the old question, "Who should be greatest?" It was Christ's answer to their unseemly conduct, and a lesson to those Christians "who love the pre-eminence" for all time. It said, "Let him that would be greatest become the servant of all.""

Pastors Notes  

This short text from John's gospel is like a glowing candle in the darkness, a command to love one another amid the realities of violence and betrayal as a continuation of Jesus' ministry in the world. These verses serve as an introduction to Jesus' Last Discourse with his disciples in John. They contain distinctive themes of John's gospel: glorification, departure, and the command to love one another as a sign of discipleship to the world. They are sandwiched between Jesus' prediction of Judas' betrayal (13:21-30) and Peter's denial (13:36-38).

The command to love one another in this text is like a candle in a dark and brutal world, in danger of being blown out by the betrayal of Judas that precedes it and the denial of Peter that follows it. It reminds me of the seeming fragility of the good news of Easter in a violent world. We're now into the fifth week of the Easter season. In each of our lives the good news that Jesus Christ has conquered death and sin is susceptible to erosion by the sheer wear and tear of daily duties and disappointments. In the week that is past, it has been susceptible to explosion in several forms. They include the explosion of a pressure cooker bomb at the finish line of the Boston Marathon, the explosion of a fertilizer plant in West, Texas, and a rumbling collapse of earth in an earthquake in the Szechwan Province of China.

Amid all of this daily wear and tear and sudden explosive damage, is it any wonder that Easter seems to erode and explode as the weeks of the Easter season wear on? What is one command to love one another in the face of all this hatred? What is one man rising from the dead in the face of all this carnage?

Emotional honesty is a wholesome ingredient in the life of faith. It's all right to admit that our Easter zeal now seems a little bit unreal. There is a reason for the old saying "All good things must end someday." Lots of good things erode or wear off with time. Why should Easter be any different? The effects of your pain medication can wear off and only the ache remains. The fizzy excitement of romantic love can wear off and leave you with a flat feeling. Passwords can expire and leave you with denied access. Milk can spoil and leave you with a carton full of stink. Friendships can fade and leave as they only record some reproachfully happy photos. Loved ones die and leave loss behind. All good things must end someday. Jesus tells his disciples he is leaving to return to his Father. His earthly ministry is about to end. He instructs them to love one another as he has loved them, to continue the ministry of his Spirit among them. Talk about a candle in the wind!

Question(s) to Ponder

"It is easy to come up with examples of what loving one another does not look like. Can you think of concrete examples of what it looks like for followers of Jesus to love one another? 

If you knew you were about to die, what would you tell the people you love?

May your study be prayer.

Pastor Michaele

Scripture John 10:22-30

John 10:22-30 NRSV

22At that time the festival of the Dedication took place in Jerusalem. It was winter, 23and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the portico of Solomon. 24So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.” 25Jesus answered, “I have told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name testify to me; 26 but you do not believe, because you do not belong to my sheep. 27My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me. 28I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand. 29What my Father has given me is greater than all else, and no one can snatch it out of the Father’s hand. 30The Father and I are one.”

John 10:22-30 NIV

22 Then came the Festival of Dedication at Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was in the temple courts walking in Solomon’s Colonnade. The Jews who were there gathered around him, saying, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.”

25 Jesus answered, “I did tell you, but you do not believe. The works I do in my Father’s name testify about me, but you do not believe because you are not my sheep. My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.”

John 10:22-30 The Message 

22-24 They were celebrating Hanukkah just then in Jerusalem. It was winter. Jesus was strolling in the Temple across Solomon’s Porch. The Jews, circling him, said, “How long are you going to keep us guessing? If you’re the Messiah, tell us straight out.”

25-30 Jesus answered, “I told you, but you don’t believe. Everything I have done has been authorized by my Father, actions that speak louder than words. You don’t believe because you’re not my sheep. My sheep recognize my voice. I know them, and they follow me. I give them real and eternal life. They are protected from the Destroyer for good. No one can steal them from out of my hand. The Father who put them under my care is so much greater than the Destroyer and Thief. No one could ever get them away from him. I and the Father are one heart and mind.”

Commentaries

• From the Geneva Notes.

  • "The unbelievers and proud men accuse the gospel of darkness, and this very darkness is indeed within themselves."

• From Matthew Henry's Commentary.

  • "Christ would make us to believe; we make ourselves doubt."

• The Good Shepherd [A Farewell Sermon (The last sermon which Whitefield preached in London, on Wednesday, August 30th, 1769, before his final departure to America.)] (John 10:27-28)

• From Wesley's Notes.

  • "Never did any prophet before, from the beginning of the world, use any one expression of himself, which could possibly be so interpreted as this and other expressions were, by all that heard our Lord speak. Therefore if he was not God he must have been the vilest of men."

• From the Commentary on the Whole Bible (Jamieson, Fausset and Brown, 1871).

• From The People's New Testament, B.W. Johnson, 1891.

  • "The sheep who hear his voice and follow him (verse 27). This is the condition of their safety. If they comply with it God's grace will save them from the adversary."

Pastor’s Notes

The fourth Sunday of Easter is sometimes called “Shepherd Sunday,” because the gospel reading always comes from John 10 and invites us to reflect on what it means that Christ is our shepherd. This year, the emphasis is on belonging: as sheep of this Good Shepherd, nothing can “snatch us away.” What are we to do with this assurance that we belong … in life and in death … to God? Surely, this should be a source not only of consolation but also of empowerment. 

(May Lectionary Preview. April 13, 2022 by Cynthia Campbell)

"Sheep know their shepherd because they are his; they walk, graze, feed and sleep in his footsteps, beneath his rod and staff, within constant earshot of his voice. (Debie Thomas, Journey with Jesus, 2016.)

What does all this mean to us as a people in light of the resurrection? Being in the care of the Good Shepherd means we are in a place of safety. And we need to be in a safe place given the events and temperature of today’s world. The Good Shepherd promises protection in the valley of death as well as the journey through depression, despair, and disillusionment. None of these areas are traveled alone for the shepherd travels with us. We are truly protected. No one can snatch you away from his care. No one. No thing can bring you to harm. No one will snatch you away. No one. No thing. 

Safety is essential to our well-being. And there are so many levels where we can be vulnerable.That vulnerability can draw us away from the task at hand. In fact, in the 1860’s, when the Pony Express was looking for riders to deliver mail, they advertised for young men with no family attachments to keep them from performing their delivery duties. Their safety could not be guaranteed through hostile territory and they needed to be focused to stand any chance of survival. 

The Good Shepherd calls us all to ministry but assures us that he is with us to protect us.  We have concerns about our professional, personal, and spiritual lives. We are concerned for the safety of both ourselves and our families. We are concerned about who we can trust with our truth, who we are, who we want to be. With whom can we share our concerns, our grief, our sorrow? Our celebrations and joys and dreams? Who will hold safe our aspirations and hopes and accomplishments? Where can we find safety to share our fears? Our thoughts? Our concerns? Our needs? Jesus is that safety. He is the shepherd you can trust - the resurrected one.

In the resurrection is safety, of course, from death’s grip. But it is also safety from grief that could overwhelm hope; anguish that could crush the spirit; loneliness that might isolate the soul.

In the resurrection is safety because the shepherd sees to it that our needs are fulfilled. In the resurrection is safety because the shepherd is totally committed to the well-being of the sheep. 

Resurrection is safety because the shepherd knows his sheep intimately. Who knows you, truly knows you? Or do most think they do, so much so that you can’t be you?

The empty tomb is a promise of protection. Not from the truth of life, but for the sake of the truth of your life.What is that truth? That you are who you are. That God loves who you are and needs you to be who you are — in every moment of confidence and in every moment of self-doubt. That you are indeed, a sheep in Jesus’ fold and that nothing, no one, no thing, no church, no institution, can change that. Ever.

Question(s) to Ponder

1. Who is committed to the well-being of you? Just you? Anyone else?

2. Have you opened yourself to being a safe place for another in particular?

3. Who truly knows you? 

4. With whom do you feel truly safe, safe with your truth, who you are, who you want to be?

May your study be prayer.

Pastor Michaele

Tuesday Bible Study KPC 4.18.2022

John 20:19-31 NRSV

19When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” 20After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. 21Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” 22 When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 2 3 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.” 24But Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.”

26A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe.” 28Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” 29Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.” 30Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. 3 1But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.

John 20:19-31 New International Version

19 On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.

21 Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” 22 And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”

24 Now Thomas (also known as Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!”

But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”

26 A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.”

28 Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!”

29 Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

30 Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. 31 But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

John 20:19-31 The Message

19-20 Later on that day, the disciples had gathered together, but, fearful of the Jews, had locked all the doors in the house. Jesus entered, stood among them, and said, “Peace to you.” Then he showed them his hands and side.

20-21 The disciples, seeing the Master with their own eyes, were awestruck. Jesus repeated his greeting: “Peace to you. Just as the Father sent me, I send you.”

22-23 Then he took a deep breath and breathed into them. “Receive the Holy Spirit,” he said. “If you forgive someone’s sins, they’re gone for good. If you don’t forgive sins, what are you going to do with them?”

24-25 But Thomas, sometimes called the Twin, one of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples told him, “We saw the Master.”

But he said, “Unless I see the nail holes in his hands, put my finger in the nail holes, and stick my hand in his side, I won’t believe it.”

26 Eight days later, his disciples were again in the room. This time Thomas was with them. Jesus came through the locked doors, stood among them, and said, “Peace to you.”

27 Then he focused his attention on Thomas. “Take your finger and examine my hands. Take your hand and stick it in my side. Don’t be unbelieving. Believe.”

28 Thomas said, “My Master! My God!”

29 Jesus said, “So, you believe because you’ve seen with your own eyes. Even better blessings are in store for those who believe without seeing.”

30-31 Jesus provided far more God-revealing signs than are written down in this book. These are written down so you will believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and in the act of believing, have real and eternal life in the way he personally revealed it.

Commentaries

• From the Geneva Notes.

  • "Either the doors opened to him of their own accord, or the very walls themselves were a passage to him."

• From Matthew Henry's Commentary.

  • "A sight of Christ will gladden the heart of a disciple at any time; and the more we see of Jesus, the more we shall rejoice."

• From Wesley's Notes.

  • "He breathed on them - New life and vigor, and saith, as ye receive this breath out of my mouth, so receive ye the Spirit out of my fullness: the Holy Ghost influencing you in a peculiar manner, to fit you for your great embassy. This was an earnest of pentecost."

• From the Commentary on the Whole Bible (Jamieson, Fausset and Brown, 1871).

  • "And when he had so said, he showed them his hands and his side--not only as ocular and tangible evidence of the reality of His resurrection ... but as through "the power of that resurrection" dispensing all His peace to men."

• "The Easter of Our Senses," Nancy Rockwell, Bite in the Apple, 2015.

  • "Thomas, whose name means twin, stands alone in the gospel. Perhaps we are his twin, each of us standing in his shoes, asking to touch the wounds in which life became unsustainable, more inclined toward knowing the power that fascinates us, than the power that liberates us."

Pastor’s Notes

"For the fourth gospel, the method of atonement is precisely through re-creation." (Pentecost, John Petty, Progressive Involvement, 2011.)

John’s gospel speaks of the new creation at length throughout the Gospel. 

In the creation Story, Adam became a living being when God breathed life into him. Here we have Jesus breathing on the disciples as an act of the new creation. He tells them to receive the Holy Spirit - receive of my spirit - the Spirit in which I ministered while I was on earth.          "He breathed on them - New life and vigor, and saith, as ye receive this breath out of my mouth, so receive ye the Spirit out of my fullness: the Holy Ghost influencing you in a peculiar manner, to fit you for your great embassy. This was an earnest of pentecost."

Then there is the imagery of Ezek. 37:1-14, the prophecy concerning the resurrection of the dry bones where in verse 9 the Son of Man is told to prophesy to the "wind/breath/Spirit" to come and breathe on the corpses, so that they will live again."

John now relates that the resurrection of Christ was proved to the disciples by his presence. It did not happen without the providence of God, that all were assembled in one place, that the event might be more certain and more manifest. It is worthy of notice how gently Christ acted towards them, in not keeping them in suspense any longer than till the evening.they had some time to consider the words of the women who went to the tomb. Now Jesus comes bringing them an experience of their own, the pledge of a new life, while darkness was overspreading the world.

Where the disciples were assembled. They have assembled, perhaps it was faith, religious feelings, or just that they had a need to be together. As to the circumstance of their keeping themselves concealed by shut doors, we perceive in it some proof of weakness of humanity; for, though the strongest and boldest minds are sometimes seized with fear, yet it may easily be inferred that the apostles, at that time, trembled in such a manner as to manifest the deficiency of their faith. They are less courageous than they ought to have been, still they do not give way to their weakness. True, they seek concealment for the sake of avoiding danger, but they gather courage so far as to remain together;

John Calvin says, “He breathed on them. Not one of the sons of men is qualified for discharging so difficult an office, and, therefore, Christ prepares the Apostles for it by the grace of his Spirit. And, indeed, to govern the Church of God, to carry the embassy of eternal salvation, to erect the kingdom of God on earth, and to raise men to heaven, is a task far beyond human capacity. We need not be astonished, therefore, that no man is found qualified unless he be inspired by the Holy Spirit; for no man can speak a word concerning Christ unless the Spirit guide his tongue, (1 Corinthians 12:3;) so far is it from being true that there is any man who is competent to discharge faithfully and honestly all the duties of so excellent an office. Again, it is the glory of Christ alone to form those whom he appoints to be teachers of his Church; for the reason why the fullness of the Spirit has been poured out upon him is, that he may bestow it upon each person according to a certain measure.”

Questions to Ponder

1 Do you sometimes find yourself believing the circumstances around you more than the promise of the resurrected Christ?

2 Have you ever tried to hide in a crowd when you were uncertain or scared? Perhaps even when you visited another church? How did that work out for you?

3 What has God asked you to do during this time of your life? Are you relying on God’s strength to do it?

May your study be prayer.

Pastor Michaele

Today we will look at one of the scriptures of Holy Week. Jesus knows the crucifixion is close and obviously foremost on his mind. The arrival of the Greeks signals to him the end of his ministry to Israel and the beginning of ministry to the world - and that ministry comes through the cross. He gives a final warning to the Jewish people that if they fail to decide now to come into the light they will remain in darkness.

May your study be prayer.

Pastor Michaele

John 12:20-36 NRSV

Now among those who went up to worship at the festival were some Greeks. They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and said to him, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” Philip went and told Andrew; then Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus. Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also. Whoever serves me, the Father will honor.

“Now my soul is troubled. And what should I say—‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it is for this reason that I have come to this hour. Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.” The crowd standing there heard it and said that it was thunder. Others said, “An angel has spoken to him.” Jesus answered, “This voice has come for your sake, not for mine. Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be driven out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” He said this to indicate the kind of death he was to die. The crowd answered him, “We have heard from the law that the Messiah remains forever. How can you say that the Son of Man must be lifted up? Who is this Son of Man?” Jesus said to them, “The light is with you for a little longer. Walk while you have the light, so that the darkness may not overtake you. If you walk in the darkness, you do not know where you are going. While you have the light, believe in the light, so that you may become children of light.” After Jesus had said this, he departed and hid from them.

John 12:20-36 NIV

Now there were some Greeks among those who went up to worship at the festival. They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, with a request. “Sir,” they said, “we would like to see Jesus.” Philip went to tell Andrew; Andrew and Philip in turn told Jesus.

Jesus replied, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.

“Now my soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. Father, glorify your name!”

Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it, and will glorify it again.” The crowd that was there and heard it said it had thundered; others said an angel had spoken to him.

Jesus said, “This voice was for your benefit, not mine. Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out. And I, when I am lifted up[a] from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” He said this to show the kind of death he was going to die.

The crowd spoke up, “We have heard from the Law that the Messiah will remain forever, so how can you say, ‘The Son of Man must be lifted up’? Who is this ‘Son of Man’?”

Then Jesus told them, “You are going to have the light just a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, before darkness overtakes you. Whoever walks in the dark does not know where they are going. 36 Believe in the light while you have the light, so that you may become children of light.” When he had finished speaking, Jesus left and hid himself from them.

John 12:20-36 The Message

20-21 There were some Greeks in town who had come up to worship at the Feast. They approached Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee: “Sir, we want to see Jesus. Can you help us?”

22-23 Philip went and told Andrew. Andrew and Philip together told Jesus. Jesus answered, “Time’s up. The time has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.

24-25 “Listen carefully: Unless a grain of wheat is buried in the ground, dead to the world, it is never any more than a grain of wheat. But if it is buried, it sprouts and reproduces itself many times over. In the same way, anyone who holds on to life just as it is destroys that life. But if you let it go, reckless in your love, you’ll have it forever, real and eternal.

26 “If any of you wants to serve me, then follow me. Then you’ll be where I am, ready to serve at a moment’s notice. The Father will honor and reward anyone who serves me.

27-28 “Right now I am shaken. And what am I going to say? ‘Father, get me out of this’? No, this is why I came in the first place. I’ll say, ‘Father, put your glory on display.’” A voice came out of the sky: “I have glorified it, and I’ll glorify it again.”

29 The listening crowd said, “Thunder!” Others said, “An angel spoke to him!”

30-33 Jesus said, “The voice didn’t come for me but for you. At this moment the world is in crisis. Now Satan, the ruler of this world, will be thrown out. And I, as I am lifted up from the earth, will attract everyone to me and gather them around me.” He put it this way to show how he was going to be put to death.

34 Voices from the crowd answered, “We heard from God’s Law that the Messiah lasts forever. How can it be necessary, as you put it, that the Son of Man ‘be lifted up’? Who is this ‘Son of Man’?”

35-36 Jesus said, “For a brief time still, the light is among you. Walk by the light you have so darkness doesn’t destroy you. If you walk in darkness, you don’t know where you’re going. As you have the light, believe in the light. Then the light will be within you, and shining through your lives. You’ll be children of light.”

36-40 Jesus said all this, and then went into hiding. All these God-signs he had given them and they still didn’t get it, still wouldn’t trust him. This proved that the prophet Isaiah was right:

God, who believed what we preached? Who recognized God’s arm, outstretched and ready to act? First they wouldn’t believe, then they couldn’t—again, just as Isaiah said:

Their eyes are blinded, their hearts are hardened,

So that they wouldn’t see with their eyes and perceive with their hearts,

And turn to me, God, so I could heal them.

Commentaries

• From the Geneva Notes.

  • "The death of Christ is as it were a sowing, which seems to be a dying of the corn, but indeed is the cause of a much greater harvest: and such as is the condition of the head, so will be the condition of the members."

• From Matthew Henry's Commentary.

  • "Christ was willing to suffer, yet prayed to be saved from suffering. Prayer against trouble may well agree with patience under it, and submission to the will of God in it."

• From Wesley's Notes.

  • "Unless a grain of wheat die - The late resurrection of Lazarus gave our Lord a natural occasion of speaking on this subject. And agreeable to his infinite knowledge, he singles out, from among so many thousands of seeds, almost the only one that dies in the earth: and which therefore was an exceeding proper similitude, peculiarly adapted to the purpose for which he uses it. The like is not to be found in any other grain, except millet, and the large bean."

• An Abundant Harvest, from The Poor Man's Portions, Robert Hawker, c. 1800.

  • "Had Jesus not descended to the grave, how would he have been the life-giving, the soul-quickening root of all his church and people? But now, by this one precious corn of wheat falling into the ground, and dying, how hath the garner of God been filled, and is now continually filling, with his seed!"

• "The Corn of Wheat Dying to Bring Forth Fruit: John 12:23-25," Charles H. Spurgeon. From Farm Sermons (c 1875).

  • "Brethren, all the spiritual life that there is in the world is the result of Christ's death. We live under a dispensation which shadows forth this truth to us."

• From Augustine's Tractates on John: 

  • Tractate 51 (12:12-26)

    • "Accordingly, brethren, when you hear the Lord saying, "Where I am, there shall also my servant be," do not think merely of good bishops and clergymen. But be yourselves also in your own way serving Christ, by good lives, by giving alms, by preaching His name and doctrine as you can; and every father of a family also, be acknowledging in this name the affection he owes as a parent to his family."

  • Tractate 52 (12:27-36)

    • "Walk, draw near, come to the full understanding that Christ shall both die and shall live for ever; that He shall shed His blood to redeem us, and ascend on high to carry His redeemed along with Him. But darkness will come upon you, if your belief in Christ's eternity is of such a kind as to refuse to admit in His case the humiliation of death."

Pastors Notes

John's record of a group of Gentile Godfearers trying to get to speak with Jesus is quite unusual. The incident occurs during the final days of Jesus' Jerusalem ministry and serves to round off his public ministry to Israel. For John, the desire of these Gentiles to seek out Jesus is what is important. For Jesus, their approach signals the end of his earthly ministry and the gathering of all peoples, Jew and Gentile, together under the cross.

In the final days of Jesus' public ministry, he is approached, indirectly, by a group of Gentiles, Godfearers. You would expect Jesus to be beside himself knowing that his ministry is now attracting people from beyond the Jewish faith, but Jesus is anything but pleased. Their approach draws the shadow of the cross over him. Gentiles will come to the light, but first Jesus must travel to Calvary and be "lifted up." In this moment he will draw Gentiles to himself, along with the Jews; he will draw all those who receive (believe in) the light.

The coming of the Gentiles to Jesus brings with it a very subtle temptation, a temptation empowered by the shadow of the cross. The temptation is evidenced in v27 where Jesus says "what shall I say (pray)?" At this point he puts forward a hypothetical prayer point, something obviously on his mind, but then immediately counters it; "Father, save me from this hour - no way, rather, .... glorify your name." If only the kingdom could be realized apart from the cup of suffering. In the end, Jesus submits to the father's will.

Christ will win his kingdom via the cross, but in the approach of the Gentiles, Satan suggests an easier way. Satan can give Christ all the kingdoms of the world if only he will worship him. The possibility of another way, a way apart from "the cup" of suffering, is a serious temptation for Jesus and drives the agitation evident in this passage.

Jesus warns the crowd that the time is short and the moment of decision is quickly passing them by. If, at this moment, they fail to come to the light they will be left to walk in darkness.

So, the decision of the crowd is urgent. If they wish to be children of light, children of God, and so inherit eternity, they must receive the one who is the light of the world. And so with this call to faith, Jesus' public ministry comes to an end and he moves away from the gaze of the maddening throng.

 Every believer, every minister and congregation, is tempted to realize the kingdom of God apart from the cross of Christ. Although the gospel is the "power of God unto salvation" we are constantly tempted to win the world by evangelistic methodologies, group dynamics, management systems, institutional agendas and the like, as if there is a better way, a more effective way than the cross. The message of the cross, by itself, seems ineffective, weak and foolish, and so needs our marketing initiatives. Yet, it is not the dynamic welcoming congregation that draws people into the kingdom, but rather the Son of Man lifted up.

Let us lift high the cross and trust its power to save rather than be tempted to rest on strategies of human devising.

 Question(s) to Ponder

• "Does the cross have any meaning in today's culture? Does the meaning culture gives the cross have any connection to Christian faith?"

• How is our temptation different to, and the same as, the temptation Jesus faced?

• "Is the 'dying' we are called to do voluntary or forced upon us or both? Does it matter? Why or why not?"

Scripture: Luke 19:28-40

Triumphal Entry NRSV

After he had said this, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. When he had come near Bethphage and Bethany, at the place called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of the disciples, saying, “Go into the village ahead of you, and as you enter it you will find tied there a colt that has never been ridden. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ just say this, ‘The Lord needs it.’” So those who were sent departed and found it as he had told them. As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, “Why are you untying the colt?” They said, “The Lord needs it.” Then they brought it to Jesus; and after throwing their cloaks on the colt, they set Jesus on it. As he rode along, people kept spreading their cloaks on the road. As he was now approaching the path down from the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to praise God joyfully with a loud voice for all the deeds of power that they had seen, saying, “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven, and glory in the highest heaven!” Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, order your disciples to stop.” He answered, “I tell you, if these were silent, the stones would shout out.”

Jesus Comes to Jerusalem as King NIV

After Jesus had said this, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. As he approached Bethphage and Bethany at the hill called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples, saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ say, ‘The Lord needs it.’”

Those who were sent ahead went and found it just as he had told them. As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, “Why are you untying the colt?”

They replied, “The Lord needs it.”

They brought it to Jesus, threw their cloaks on the colt and put Jesus on it. As he went along, people spread their cloaks on the road. When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen:

“Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!”

“Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”

Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!”

“I tell you,” he replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.”

God’s Personal Visit The Message

28-31 After saying these things, Jesus headed straight up to Jerusalem. When he got near Bethphage and Bethany at the mountain called Olives, he sent off two of the disciples with instructions: “Go to the village across from you. As soon as you enter, you’ll find a colt tethered, one that has never been ridden. Untie it and bring it. If anyone says anything, asks, ‘What are you doing?’ say, ‘His Master needs him.’”

32-33 The two left and found it just as he said. As they were untying the colt, its owners said, “What are you doing untying the colt?”

34 They said, “His Master needs him.”

35-36 They brought the colt to Jesus. Then, throwing their coats on its back, they helped Jesus get on. As he rode, the people gave him a grand welcome, throwing their coats on the street.

37-38 Right at the crest, where Mount Olives begins its descent, the whole crowd of disciples burst into enthusiastic praise over all the mighty works they had witnessed:

Blessed is he who comes,  the king in God’s name!

All’s well in heaven!    Glory in the high places!

39 Some Pharisees from the crowd told him, “Teacher, get your disciples under control!”

40 But he said, “If they kept quiet, the stones would do it for them, shouting praise.”

Commentaries

• Exegetical Notes by Brian Stoffregen at CrossMarks Christian Resources.

  • "When Jesus enters Jerusalem, his disciples pray for peace in heaven (and, presumably on earth, which will bring glory in the highest), but his visitation causes a division."

• Commentary, Zechariah 9:9-13 / Luke 19:28-40, Rodney S. Sadler, Jr., The African American Lectionary, 2008.

  • "Because of Christ, there is a pregnant possibility that we will be victorious over the powers and principalities that have oppressed and abused us. We have hope because our God is in this house!"

• Holy Textures, Understanding the Bible in its own time and in ours, Luke 13:1-9, David Ewart, 2013.

  • "...what the authors of the Bible take for granted and fail to mention is that while Jesus is parading in on a colt through one of the back gates, on the other side of the city Pilate is parading in on a war horse accompanied by a squadron or two of battle hardened Roman soldiers."

• "The Things That Make For Peace," Frederick Buechner, Buechner Blog.

  • "Despair and hope. They travel the road to Jerusalem together, as together they travel every road we take - despair at what in our madness we are bringing down on our own heads and hope in him who travels the road with us and for us and who is the only one of us all who is not mad."

Pastor’s Notes   Luke 19:28-40

The Donkey: A Subversive Choice? By Rev. Dr. Janet Hunt

I am wondering at the possibility that the choice of this young donkey was, in fact, intentional for other reasons as well. Indeed, perhaps this choice was downright subversive.

In part, my thinking has shifted because I found myself paging through the book of Easter Stories: Classic Tales for the Holy Season  where I came across a piece written during World War II by a pastor in France. This is a story, or rather a series of short stories shared with his congregation entitled: "How Donkeys Got the Spirit of Contradiction." In these stories, Pastor Andre Trocme leads his people through reflections about the stories in the New Testament where a donkey shows up. Like the one we imagine carried Mary into Bethlehem with Joseph walking alongside. Like the same one which may have aided their escape to Egypt. Like the one the Samaritan might have used to help rescue a wounded man as he moved him to a place of safety where his healing might begin. And yes, indeed, the one we hear about today.

This pastor created scenario after scenario where the owner of the donkey hesitated to allow his animal to be used by these people for their various journeys and where again and again the donkey in its strength and stubbornness refused to bow to her master's fear. His point?  His listeners were living in a time and place in history where fear dominated and where their faith called them to exhibit courage --- perhaps even stubbornly so. As the donkey did again and again. These words introduce these stories:

On a Christmas Day during World War II in Nazi-occupied France, Pastor Andre Trocme gathered his congregation together in the Protestant church in the small mountain village of Le Chambon. The people of the area had formed an underground network for saving refugees, many of them Jewish children. Fear kept them from talking too much to each other ---  none of them knew which of their neighbors might betray them to the German occupiers. The rescuers of Le Chambon knew that they might face concentration camp or worse if found out.

Wishing to strengthen his congregation in their resolve to do what is right, Pastor Trocme told them stories about Jesus' life. Later collected into a book, these original, child-like stories testify to the power of faith to enable ordinary people to risk their lives for strangers. (p. 13)

Oh, I do wonder how those same stories might speak today for I wonder where we are called to exhibit a 'spirit of contradiction' in the face of threat or fear, despair or disillusionment. And so again I do wonder if the choice of a donkey was more intentional in a different way than I first thought. I wonder if as we reflect on 'the donkey' we find ourselves coming to the heart of the meaning of Jesus' actions during the last week of his life.

Certainly this view is supported in The Last Week: What the Gospels Really Teach about Jesus's Final Days in Jerusalem, a collaborative effort by Marcus J. Borg and John Dominic Crossan. In their opening pages they speak of two processions entering Jerusalem on a spring day in the year 30:

One was a peasant procession, the other an imperial procession. From the east, Jesus rode a donkey down from the Mount of Olives, cheered by his followers. Jesus was from the peasant village of Nazareth, his message was about the kingdom of God, and his followers from the peasant class...

On the opposite side of the city, from the west, Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor of Idumea, Judea, and Samaria, entered Jerusalem at the head of a column of imperial cavalry and soldiers. Jesus' procession proclaimed the kingdom of God; Pilate's proclaimed the power of empire. The two processions embody the central conflict of the week that led to Jesus's crucifixion. (p. 2)

Imagine the imperial procession's arrival in the city. A visual panoply of imperial power: cavalry on horses, foot soldiers, leather armor, helmets, weapons, banners, golden eagle mounted on poles, sun glinting on metal and gold. Sounds; the marching of feet, the creaking of leather, the clinking of bridles, the beating of drums. the swirling of dust. The eyes of the silent onlookers, some curious, some awed, some resentful. ( p. 3)

It is so that my other commentaries do not speak of this 'other procession.' And yet, it makes sense, for we do know that there was a more visible military presence in the city on high holy days such as the Passover with the goal of being a visible reminder to the crowds of who or what was really in charge. It follows that these symbols and tools of  'imperial power' would have had to arrive somehow and perhaps this was exactly how this came to be that there were two processions taking place at the same time. And so Borg and Crossan assert that Jesus' actions were very intentional, that he planned this so as to contrast with what was happening on the other side of the city. More than that, by his actions, Jesus drew on the ancient memory of the people who would recall the prophecy of Zechariah:

"Rejoice greatly, O daughter Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter Jerusalem! Lo, your king comes to you; triumphant and victorious is he, humble and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. He will cut off the chariot from Ephraim and the war horse from Jerusalem; and the battle bow shall be cut off, and he shall command peace to the nations; his dominion shall be from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth." (Zechariah 9:9-10, NRSV)

Oh yes, it seems this colt, this young donkey was so much more than a sign and symbol of Jesus' humility. Rather, in keeping with this prophecy, it was a sign and symbol to all those who witnessed Jesus' entrance to Jerusalem that God was not yet done with them. More than that, the prophet speaks the truth that the one riding that donkey had been sent to offer the world another way, another path to victory, an avenue to true peace. And this other way? It surely flew in the face of the chosen values and methods of the powers of this world. It still does.

Question(s) to Ponder

• If Jesus were to ride into my town today, what would be his means of transportation? What signs and symbols would speak today?

• If, in fact, the choice of the colt was subversive and meant to run counter to the 'powers of this world' at the time, what 'powers' would Jesus be working against today? What does Jesus' peaceable entrance contrast with today? What would his message be?

• I am struck by Pastor Andre Trocme's efforts to encourage his congregation to "stubbornly and courageously" reach out to help others in a time when there were real, deadly consequences for doing so. How does THAT message speak today? Indeed, where and how are we called to be "stubbornly courageous" in our compassion --- even to the point of risking ourselves?

May your study be prayer.

Pastor Michaele

Tuesday Bible Study Kanapaha PCUSA 5th Sunday in Lent March 26, 2022

Scripture 

John 12:1-8 NRSV

12Six days before the Passover Jesus came to Bethany, the home of Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. 2There they gave a dinner for him. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those at the table with him. 3Mary took a pound of costly perfume made of pure nard, anointed Jesus’ feet, and wiped them with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. 4But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (the one who was about to betray him), said, 5“Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii and the money given to the poor?” 6(He said this not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief; he kept the common purse and used to steal what was put into it.) 7Jesus said, “Leave her alone. She bought it so that she might keep it for the day of my burial. 8You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me.” 9When the great crowd of the Jews learned that he was there, they came not only because of Jesus but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. 10So the chief priests planned to put Lazarus to death as well, 11since it was on account of him that many of the Jews were deserting and were believing in Jesus.

John 12:1-8 NIV

12 Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. 2 Here a dinner was given in Jesus’ honor. Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him. 3 Then Mary took about a pint[a] of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.

4 But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected, 5 “Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages.[b]” 6 He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it.

7 “Leave her alone,” Jesus replied. “It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial. 8 You will always have the poor among you,[c] but you will not always have me.”

9 Meanwhile a large crowd of Jews found out that Jesus was there and came, not only because of him but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. 10 So the chief priests made plans to kill Lazarus as well, 11 for on account of him many of the Jews were going over to Jesus and believing in him.

John 12:1-11 The Message

12 1-3 Six days before Passover, Jesus entered Bethany where Lazarus, so recently raised from the dead, was living. Lazarus and his sisters invited Jesus to dinner at their home. Martha served. Lazarus was one of those sitting at the table with them. Mary came in with a jar of very expensive aromatic oils, anointed and massaged Jesus’ feet, and then wiped them with her hair. The fragrance of the oils filled the house.

4-6 Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples, even then getting ready to betray him, said, “Why wasn’t this oil sold and the money given to the poor? It would have easily brought three hundred silver pieces.” He said this not because he cared two cents about the poor but because he was a thief. He was in charge of their common funds, but also embezzled them.

7-8 Jesus said, “Let her alone. She’s anticipating and honoring the day of my burial. You always have the poor with you. You don’t always have me.”

9-11 Word got out among the Jews that he was back in town. The people came to take a look, not only at Jesus but also at Lazarus, who had been raised from the dead. So the high priests plotted to kill Lazarus because so many of the Jews were going over and believing in Jesus on account of him.

Commentaries

• From the Geneva Notes.

  • "A horrible example in Judas of a mind blinded with covetousness, and yet pretending godliness."

• From Matthew Henry's Commentary.

  • "Mary gave a token of love to Christ, who had given real tokens of his love to her and her family. God's Anointed should be our Anointed."

• From Wesley's Notes.

  • "It seems Martha was a person of some figure, from the great respect which was paid to her and her sister, in visits and condolences on Lazarus's death, as well as from the costly ointment mentioned in the next verse. And probably it was at their house our Lord and his disciples lodged, when he returned from Jerusalem to Bethany, every evening of the last week of his life, upon which he was now entered."

• From the Commentary on the Whole Bible (Jamieson, Fausset and Brown, 1871).

  • "The only use of [nard] was to refresh and exhilarate--a grateful compliment in the East, amidst the closeness of a heated atmosphere, with many guests at a feast. Such was the form in which Mary's love to Christ, at so much cost to herself, poured itself out."

• "Her Extravagant Holiness," Alyce McKenzie, Edgy Exegesis, 2013.

  • "By her actions, she says, 'I would like to introduce Jesus, the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world, the suffering, serving Son of Man, the Son of God who, for a little while, gave us the opportunity to sit at his feet. I would like to cherish him for one bright, fragrant moment, before the sewage of hatred and violence washes over him and carries him away.'"

Pastor’s Notes

"It is only in John's Gospel that Judas is identified as the one voicing his objection to Mary's action. It is interesting to lay the parallel accounts alongside one another. (See Matthew 26:6-13, Mark 14:3-9, and Luke 7:36-50 to compare the differences.) Matthew's account, for instance, has all the disciples speaking up. Why the difference?"

Perhaps it is simply that Judas is voicing to Jesus what all the rest are discussing in the background. John, remember, is the Gospel that gives the reasoning behind the facts and how the attitudes of the players work in the story. John is known for calling it like it is even if it's not a pretty picture.

"If Mary is the model disciple, then Judas is presented as her contrast. Mary is generous. If the ointment were worth 300 denarii, that is roughly equivalent to a year's salary. Judas is greedy -- taking what doesn't even belong to him. Mary illustrates her faith with actions. Judas talks piously -- "giving to the poor" -- but we know that he is not sincere. Both "prepare" Jesus for burial -- she by the "anointing" and he by the betrayal."

I’ve heard this scripture used to minimize the importance of the Christian obligation to care for the poor and those in need. But I would like to point out that Jesus’ answer to Judas also comes from scripture. It is a quote from Deuteronomy 15:11, the entirety of which reads, 'Since there will never cease to be some in need on the earth, I therefore command you, ”Open your hand to the poor and needy neighbor in your land.”  Jesus is not minimizing our obligation to care for the poor. In response to Judas, Jesus here quotes a verse which explicitly commands it."

• "In the later rabbinic literature, Ecclesiastes Rabbah 7.1.1 states "The fragrance of good oil is diffused from the bedroom to the dining hall, but a good name is diffused from one end of the world to the other." If such a saying were known in the first century, this might be John's way of indicating that Mary's act of devotion would be spoken of throughout the entire world (compare Mark 14:9)." Harris, Hall. Biblical Studies Foundation March 2022

Question(s) to Ponder  

"How do you keep the balance between responding to the ‘poor who are always with us’ and staying ‘still’ in the presence of Jesus?"

Have you ever seen or experienced someone physically caring for a loved one in preparation for that dying person's death? Please describe that experience."

May your study be prayer.

Pastor Michaele

Tuesday Bible Study  March 22, 2022

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Tuesday Bible Study 3rd Sunday of Lent KPC 3.14.2022

Luke 13:1-9 NRSV

13At that very time there were some present who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. 2He asked them, “Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way they were worse sinners than all other Galileans? 3No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish as they did. 4Or those eighteen who were killed when the tower of Siloam fell on them—do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others living in Jerusalem? 5No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish just as they did.”

6 Then he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it and found none. 7So he said to the gardener, ‘See here! For three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree, and still I find none. Cut it down! Why should it be wasting the soil?’ 8He replied, ‘Sir, let it alone for one more year, until I dig around it and put manure on it. 9If it bears fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.’”

Luke 13:1-9 New International Version

13 Now there were some present at that time who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. 2 Jesus answered, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? 3 I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish. 4 Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them—do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? 5 I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.”

6 Then he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree growing in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it but did not find any. 7 So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, ‘For three years now I’ve been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven’t found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?’

8 “‘Sir,’ the man replied, ‘leave it alone for one more year, and I’ll dig around it and fertilize it. 

9 If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.’”

Luke 13:1-9 The Message

13 1-5 About that time some people came up and told him about the Galileans Pilate had killed while they were at worship, mixing their blood with the blood of the sacrifices on the altar. Jesus responded, “Do you think those murdered Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans? Not at all. Unless you turn to God, you, too, will die. And those eighteen in Jerusalem the other day, the ones crushed and killed when the Tower of Siloam collapsed and fell on them, do you think they were worse citizens than all other Jerusalemites? Not at all. Unless you turn to God, you, too, will die.”

6-7 Then he told them a story: “A man had an *apple tree planted in his front yard. He came to it expecting to find apples, but there weren’t any. He said to his gardener, ‘What’s going on here? For three years now I’ve come to this tree expecting apples and not one apple have I found. Chop it down! Why waste good ground with it any longer?’

8-9 “The gardener said, ‘Let’s give it another year. I’ll dig around it and fertilize, and maybe it will produce next year; if it doesn’t, then chop it down.’”

*In using an apple tree Peterson (Message) makes it more understandable for today’s reader but loses the prophetic meaning of the Fig tree as a symbol of Israel.

Commentaries

• From the Geneva Notes.

  • "Great and long suffering is the patience of God, but yet he eventually executes judgment."

• From Matthew Henry's Commentary (c. 1700).

  • "The same Jesus that bids us repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand, bids us repent, for otherwise we shall perish."

• From Wesley's Notes. John Wesley (1703-1791).

  • "Either we may understand God the Father by him that had the vineyard , and Christ by him that kept it: or Christ himself is he that hath it, and his ministers they that keep it."

• The Truett Pulpit, Angela Reed. 2016.

  • "In this season of Lent, the church has an opportunity to seek restoration and renewal through the discipline of confession and heartfelt repentance."

• "A Plain Account",Troy Hochstetter, 2016.

  • "Let's remember where we are in Luke's story: Jesus has decided to go to Jerusalem with a group of fellow Galilean pilgrims when they decide to share some news tainted with self-righteous anger."

• "How to Survive the Sequester, Syria, and Other Threatening Headlines," Matthew L. Skinner, ON Scripture, Odyssey Networks, 2013.

  • "The word translated as 'repent' is, at its root, about thinking and perception. It refers to a wholesale change in how a person understands something. It implies an utter reconfiguration of your perspective on reality and meaning, including (in the New Testament) a reorientation of yourself toward God."

• "Exegetical Notes by Brian Stoffregen at CrossMarks Christian Resources.

• "I note that the 'sin' of the fig tree is not that it is doing something bad, but that it is doing nothing! It is just taking up space in the orchard."

Pastor’s Notes         (with quotes by  John Petty on March 01, 2010 at 10:54 AM in Bible, History, Lectionary, Liturgy, Religion, Theology | Permalink

The reading begins with "some present" who tell Jesus about Pontius Pilate staging some kind of raid during which people from Galilee were apparently killed.  

EXCERPT: Josephus records such a disturbance. To construct an aqueduct to bring water into Jerusalem for a distance of about twenty-five miles, Pilate used money from the temple treasury at Jerusalem. When he made a visit to the city, large crowds clamored against this act. Pilate then sent disguised soldiers to mingle among the multitude and, at a signal, to attack the Jews. (Antiquities of the Jews, Book XVIII, chap. III, par. 2; Wars of the Jews, Book II, chap. IX, par. 4) If Luke 13: 1 does not refer to another incident, it may have been at this time that Pilate ‘mixed the blood of Galileans with their sacrifices.’ This seems to imply that he had them slain right in the temple area. Since the Galileans were subjects of Herod Antipas, the district ruler of Galilee, this slaughter may have been at least a contributing factor in the enmity existing between Pilate and Herod up until the time of Jesus’ trial. Source: Josephus: Antiquities of the Jews

There are many other known instances of Pilate's brutality. The word "Galileans" appears three times.  These "Galileans" would have been pilgrims in Jerusalem.  Luke wants to make sure we know that Pilate mistreated Galileans, and that an air of violence pervades Jerusalem.

Jesus responds by asking:  "Do you think that these Galileans were bigger sinners than all the Galileans (hamartoloi para pantas tous Galilaious) because they had suffered this?"  We do not know if they thought this or not, but it wouldn't have been surprising in the least if they did.  Many people think the same today.  If something bad happens to someone, they must have deserved it in some way.

This is Deuteronomistic theology, which operated on the principle that if Israel did right, things would go well, and if Israel did not do right, tragedy would ensue.  That was true on a national level, and also on a personal level.  Bad things don't happen to good people.  Bad things happen to bad people.  In the New Testament, and in our text, Jesus challenges that idea.  No, those Galileans who suffered were not bigger sinners than other Galileans.

Jesus supplies his own example:  "Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them--do you think they were bigger debtors than all the people living in Jerusalem?" 

EXCERPT:Encyclopedia

Bible commentator, Matthew Henry, references contemporary theologian Dr. Joseph Lightfoot, who identified the Pool of Siloam with the Pool of Bethesda and conjectured that the Tower of Siloam may have been supporting one of the five porches of the Pool of Bethesda mentioned in the Gospel of John,[Jn 5] and that the 18 victims were killed by the falling porch. This was contested when the real Pool of Bethesda was discovered in north Jerusalem.

Other Bible commentators have speculated that the Tower of Siloam may have been part of a Roman aqueduct connected to the Pool of Siloam.[4] At least two aqueducts are known to have carried water to the pool from the Gihon Spring, but these aqueducts were built into the ground, not on elevated viaducts requiring towers.

Jesus' example, however, contains a twist.  In the first instance--Pilate's random violence--Jesus undermines the idea that the people who suffered were "sinners" (hamartoloi) and thus deserved it.  In the second instance--the falling tower--Jesus undermines the idea that bad things happen to people who are in debt (opheiletai).

Granted, most translations have something else here.  KJV has "sinners" again.  NRSV has "worse offenders."  NIV has "worse sinners."  The Greek "default position" on the word here,  opheiletes, however, would be "debtors."  The word appears seven times in the New Testament.  In six of them, the word is rendered "debtors."  This is the only exception.  

In both instances, Jesus calls for repentance on the part of the crowd.  Repentance--metanoete-- It means "turning and moving in a new direction."  Jesus calls people away from thinking of suffering as punishment for sin or punishment for debt.  Think for yourselves!  Change your mind!  "Why don't you judge for yourselves what is right?" (12:57)

In the parable of the fig tree, the fig tree was a symbol of Israel.  (See Isaiah 5:1-7 and Hosea 9:10.)  The owner of the vineyard came to the fig tree looking for fruit, but found none.  The owner then lets the gardener know of his disappointment with the  unproductiveness of the fig tree.  "For three long years, I've been trying to find figs on this fig tree, and I'm fed up!  Cut it down!  It's just taking up space!"

Most scholars accept that the owner of the vineyard is God.  He's mainly in the vineyard business, but apparently thought it might be interesting to have a fig tree among the grape vines.  The fig tree, however, fails to produce fruit.  Earlier in Luke, John the Baptist had said to "bring forth fruits worthy of repentance" (3:6) and "every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down" (3:9).  Under God's rules --his unproductive fig tree certainly qualifies for demolition.

If God is the owner of the vineyard, then Christ is the gardener.  He replies, "Lord, let it alone"--kyrie aphes auten.  Aphes also means "forgive."  It is a word Jesus will use from the cross--"Father, forgive them (aphes autois, 23:34). 

In other words, the gardener says, "Lord, forgive that dumb fig tree.  Turn it over to me for a while.  I'll tend to it and see if we can coax some fruit out of the thing.  If it works, great!  If not, you will have to be the one to cut it down.  I won't be cutting it down myself because I'm in the saving business, not the cutting down business."  Joel Green says:

Not incidentally, the parable also holds for the possibility of fruit-bearing in spite of a history of sterility--or, in human terms, the possibility of change leading to faith expressed in obedience to God's purpose.  If it announces a warning of judgment, then, it also dramatizes hope. (p. 515)

God is, of course, quite correct.  It's God's vineyard, and he doesn't want unproductive fig trees taking up space.  When it comes to running a vineyard, you have to figure that God knows what he's doing.  But Christ protests.  Turn it over to me.  Let me try some forgiveness on that tree.  Who knows?  It might work.  If it doesn't, I'll forgive it again from the cross.  In no case, however, will I ever go back on the forgiveness I have pronounced on the world.

Question(s) to Ponder

1. Where is God when good people suffer? Do people deserve to suffer?

2. Would the gardener be justified in cutting down the tree?

3. How long should God give a person to repent?

4. After reading this parable, how do you think God feels about the person who does nothing for the kingdom?

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Tuesday Bible Study KPC 3.8.22

Scripture: Luke 13:31-35

31At that very hour some Pharisees came and said to him, “Get away from here, for Herod wants to kill you.” 32He said to them, “Go and tell that fox for me, ‘Listen, I am casting out demons and performing cures today and tomorrow, and on the third day I finish my work. 33Yet today, tomorrow, and the next day I must be on my way, because it is impossible for a prophet to be killed outside of Jerusalem.’ 34Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! 35See, your house is left to you. And I tell you, you will not see me until the time comes when you say, ‘Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.’”

Luke 13:31-35 NIV

31 At that time some Pharisees came to Jesus and said to him, “Leave this place and go somewhere else. Herod wants to kill you.”

32 He replied, “Go tell that fox, ‘I will keep on driving out demons and healing people today and tomorrow, and on the third day I will reach my goal.’ 33 In any case, I must press on today and tomorrow and the next day—for surely no prophet can die outside Jerusalem!

34 “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing. 35 Look, your house is left to you desolate. I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.”

Luke 13:31-35 Message

31 Just then some Pharisees came up and said, “Run for your life! Herod’s got your number. He’s out to kill you!”

32-35 Jesus said, “Tell that fox that I’ve no time for him right now. Today and tomorrow I’m busy clearing out the demons and healing the sick; the third day I’m wrapping things up. Besides, it’s not proper for a prophet to come to a bad end outside Jerusalem.

Jerusalem, Jerusalem, killer of prophets,  abuser of the messengers of God! How often I’ve longed to gather your children,  gather your children like a hen, Her brood safe under her wings—  but you refused and turned away!And now it’s too late: 

You won’t see me again  until the day you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of God.’”

Commentaries

• From Matthew Henry's Commentary (c. 1700).

  • "The wickedness of persons and places which more than others profess religion and relation to God, especially displeases and grieves the Lord Jesus."

• From Wesley's Notes. John Wesley (1703-1791).

  • "On the third day he left Galilee, and set out for Jerusalem, to die there. But let us carefully distinguish between those things wherein Christ is our pattern, and those which were peculiar to his office. His extraordinary office justified him in using that severity of language, when speaking of wicked princes, and corrupt teachers, to which we have no call; and by which we should only bring scandal on religion, and ruin on ourselves, while we irritated rather than convinced or reformed those whom we so indecently rebuked."

• From the Commentary on the Whole Bible (Jamieson, Fausset and Brown, 1871).

  • ""He seeks to kill me, does he? Ah! I must be out of Herod's jurisdiction for that. Go tell him I neither fly from him nor fear him, but Jerusalem is the prophets' slaughter-house.""

• From The People's New Testament, B.W. Johnson, 1891.

  • "Herod's most marked characteristic was unscrupulous cunning. The Lord uses the term to indicate that he understood the scheme. It was an artifice of Herod and the Pharisees to get him away. Herod was afraid to kill him on account of his popularity."

Pastor’s Notes

A woman was entering hospice care. Most of her grown children were there. Some live nearby. Others had traveled a great distance and were there for the duration.

"Mom is troubled," they told me. "She thinks she has not done enough. Can you assure her that God loves her?" Well, this is the classic message of grace, of course and I did so with ease.

Though her body was rigid with pain, her mind was still clear. She was able to hear me and was able to understand. Her mouth voiced the Lord's Prayer when we shared it. She reached out her arms in gratitude when I left. She stayed only a couple days after that. It was not too late.

Not too late for God's gifts to embrace her in promised forgiveness and love. And surely not too late for her children to gather close and return to her some of a lifetime of love and care she had extended to them over and over and over again. It was not too late.

It seems to me this is the central message of today's Gospel reading for you will notice that Luke offers this scene relatively early in the narrative. It is not too late.

Oh, we can be easily distracted by the ongoing feud between Jesus and Herod and we can wonder about how the powers of the world fit into the drama before us then and now. Only Jesus turns his back on Herod. He dismisses him and his not insubstantial status and power. And he turns his heart towards Jerusalem. In the grand scheme of things this is what is important.

And so we hear and we are led to believe it is not too late. Not even for those who have broken the heart of Jesus. And Jesus' heart is broken, clearly it is. For we hear him now crying out his heartache over Jerusalem --- that holy city which had been the seat of God's presence since ancient times. Jerusalem, where he found his home as a boy in the temple. Jerusalem, which would soon claim his life.

"Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!"

He knows he has loved completely, but whose love has been thrown back at him.  He is betrayed. This is the lament of one who has suffered rejection and who will too soon suffer unspeakably and die at the hands of those who have rejected him. 

Only the story is not done yet.

• Not for the Pharisees who warned Jesus of Herod's intent. 

• Not for his disciples standing nearby.

• Not for the crowds who have been listening to his teaching nor the broken in mind, body, and spirit who have received his healing. 

It was not too late then and it is not too late now. Not even for you and me. We, who even at our very best often reject the promised protection and love of  God. We set ourselves up to try to live in a world on our own where for all of our best intentions, we will not do, can never be enough. And where our hopes turn to cynicism and our resolve to do good too often dissolves under the pressures of the world. And at our worst? Well, we know that is not a pretty sight..

Again, the cry of Jesus is one of betrayal. It is directed at those with whom God's best gifts have been invested, people like you and me. Jesus weeps over all those who turn their backs on his love. But it's not too late. 

In this season of Lent turn back to the One who loves unconditionally and forgives beyond measure.

Question(s) to Ponder

• Have you chosen at times not to rest in God’s grace? Have you thought too much or too little of yourself? Neither are in keeping with God's intent. What are the consequences of those decisions on your relationship with God?

• Are there times when you forget that you are one of the brood? That God watches over you as a mother hen? Do you ever venture out on your own forgetting God’s care?  harm's way.

• Have you ever felt you didn’t need God’s forgiveness as much as the next guy does because you weren't as bad? Do you tend to see others as vulnerable and extend mercy?  Or try to make them pay for their misdeeds toward you?

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Tuesday Bible Study KPC March 1, 2022

Scripture

Luke 4:1-13 NRSV

4Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, 2where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing at all during those days, and when they were over, he was famished. 3The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become a loaf of bread.” 4Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘One does not live by bread alone.’” 5Then the devil led him up and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. 6And the devil said to him, “To you I will give their glory and all this authority; for it has been given over to me, and I give it to anyone I please. 7If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.” 8Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.’” 9Then the devil took him to Jerusalem, and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, 10for it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you, to protect you,’ 11and ‘On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.’” 12Jesus answered him, “It is said, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’” 13When the devil had finished every test, he departed from him until an opportune time.

Luke 4:1-13 NIV

4 Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, 2 where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry.

3 The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.” 4 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone.”

5 The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. 6 And he said to him, “I will give you all their authority and splendor; it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. 7 If you worship me, it will all be yours.”

8 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.”

9 The devil led him to Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down from here. 10 For it is written: “‘He will command his angels concerning you to guard you carefully;

11 they will lift you up in their hands,  so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.”

12 Jesus answered, “It is said: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.”

13 When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time.

Luke 4:1-13 The Message

4 1-2 Now Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wild. For forty wilderness days and nights he was tested by the Devil. He ate nothing during those days, and when the time was up he was hungry.

3 The Devil, playing on his hunger, gave the first test: “Since you’re God’s Son, command this stone to turn into a loaf of bread.”

4 Jesus answered by quoting Deuteronomy: “It takes more than bread to really live.”

5-7 For the second test he led him up and spread out all the kingdoms of the earth on display at once. Then the Devil said, “They’re yours in all their splendor to serve your pleasure. I’m in charge of them all and can turn them over to whomever I wish. Worship me and they’re yours, the whole works.”

8 Jesus refused, again backing his refusal with Deuteronomy: “Worship the Lord your God and only the Lord your God. Serve him with absolute single-heartedness.”

9-11 For the third test the Devil took him to Jerusalem and put him on top of the Temple. He said, “If you are God’s Son, jump. It’s written, isn’t it, that ‘he has placed you in the care of angels to protect you; they will catch you; you won’t so much as stub your toe on a stone’?”

12 “Yes,” said Jesus, “and it’s also written, ‘Don’t you dare tempt the Lord your God.’”

13 That completed the testing. The Devil retreated temporarily, lying in wait for another opportunity.

Commentaries

• From the Geneva Notes.

  • "Christ, being carried away (as it were out of the world) into the desert, comes suddenly as if from heaven, having fasted for forty days and overcoming Satan three times, and thus begins his office."

• From Matthew Henry's Commentary (c. 1700).

  • "Christ's being led into the wilderness gave an advantage to the tempter; for there he was alone, none were with him by whose prayers and advice he might be helped in the hour of temptation. He who knew his own strength might give Satan advantage; but we may not, who know our own weakness."

• From Wesley's Notes. John Wesley (1703-1791).

  • "The wilderness - Supposed by some to have been in Judea; by others to have been that great desert of Horeb or Sinai, where the children of Israel were tried for forty years, and Moses and Elijah fasted forty days."

• From the Commentary on the Whole Bible (Jamieson, Fausset and Brown, 1871).

• From The People's New Testament, B.W. Johnson, 1891.

• Contemporary Commentary, Studies, and Exegesis:

  • Commentary, Luke 4:1-13, Ruth Anne Reese, Preaching This Week, WorkingPreacher.org, 2016.

    • "The son's identity, honor, and status is rooted in his family's honor and status. Jesus does not need to gain these things by giving in to the devil's temptations"

Pastors Notes

Notice that all three temptations have an underlying theme to change to Jesus' destiny. All tempt him to betray his true identity, misuse his power, and avoid his mission. In each instance the devil encourages Jesus to think of his own comfort, his own physical desires until finally he tempts him to worship another god than the Almighty. In essence, Satan is asking Jesus to deny his identity as the Father’s begotten, forego his mission to earth, and use his divine power to perform parlor trick level “miracles.” Jesus has been fasting for an extended time and is notably hungry. He has been isolated with only his own thoughts about his mission journey that ends in crucifixion. There is no record of his Father intervening during these 40 days. Jesus is truly alone in this trial. The devil is quite willing to take advantage of the situation and tempts Jesus where and when he would seem to be most vulnerable.  

Why would the Father allow this? Perhaps it was Jesus’ human nature that needed the lesson. Human nature will always clamor for comfort. Human nature wants to be applauded. Human nature wants to take the easy way out. Jesus was truly human as we are and so his human nature would be active in every way as ours. This nature had to be brought into submission to the spirit. Jesus was alone in the wilderness to show us that we can stand against evil beings and our own desire to take the easy way out. Jesus’ time of testing reminds us that we need to remember what God said even in the midst of other voices and desires. Satan can easily use the things of this world to entice us to go against God because of our human nature. Our nature can destroy any ministry. No matter how powerful the call of God is in our life we must bring our humanity into check or it will cause us to fail.

Secondly, we need to take time alone with God to hear what God says to us about our journey and what may hinder our mission. During Lent, Christians are supposed to ask one way or another what it means to be themselves, who they are in the eyes of God.  

The purpose of Lent is to look within and let God deal with our hearts. Sometimes we think too highly of ourselves and need to humble our hearts. Sometimes we just need to know we are overcomers with Christ and discover what God desires of us. Other times we need to adjust our attitude or be delivered from prejudice and unforgiveness. Many of us were taught as children to examine our conscience daily. I’m not sure that many still exercise that discipline but Lent gives us a dedicated time, a reminder to once again examine who we are in reference to who God desires us to be.  

Finally, Lent gives us an opportunity to see our limits and remember those who came before us. People just like us with problems and character flaws but who overcame adversity by the power of God. We remember that we are surrounded by the household of God. We are sinners redeemed by grace. Saints who are limited by our flesh but still seeking to imitate Christ. And so we begin with a time of evaluation and testing. 

One thing to help you along. Scripture says “The Devil retreated temporarily, lying in wait for another opportunity.” Jesus is letting us know that you will continue to be tested. So remember who you are and to whom you belong.With each mission will come a time of testing - and know that it will come when you seem the most vulnerable. Stay strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.

Question(s) to Ponder

As you consider Jesus' forty days and nights in the wilderness, is it helpful to you to think about his experience as 'testing' in addition to simply 'tempting?’

What encouragement do you see in Jesus’ victory over temptation?

Did you ever consider that this was not the only time Jesus was tested? How does that affect your idea of testing and temptation?

Tuesday Bible Study KPC 2.15.2022

Luke 6:27-38 NRSV

27“But I say to you that listen, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. 29 If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also; and from anyone who takes away your coat do not withhold even your shirt. 30Give to everyone who begs from you; and if anyone takes away your goods, do not ask for them again. 31 Do to others as you would have them do to you. 32“If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. 33 If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. 34 If you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to receive as much again. 35 But love your enemies, do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return. Your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High; for he is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked. 36Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

37“Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven; 38give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap; for the measure you give will be the measure you get back.”

Luke 6:27-38  NIV

27 “But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them. Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you.

32 “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that. And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full. But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

37 “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. 38 Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”

Luke 6:27-38   The Message

7-30 “To you who are ready for the truth, I say this: Love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst. When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the supple moves of prayer for that person. If someone slaps you in the face, stand there and take it. If someone grabs your shirt, gift wrap your best coat and make a present of it. If someone takes unfair advantage of you, use the occasion to practice the servant life. No more payback. Live generously.

31-34 “Here is a simple rule of thumb for behavior: Ask yourself what you want people to do for you; then grab the initiative and do it for them! If you only love the lovable, do you expect a pat on the back? Run-of-the-mill sinners do that. If you only help those who help you, do you expect a medal? Garden-variety sinners do that. If you only give for what you hope to get out of it, do you think that’s charity? The stingiest of pawnbrokers does that.

35-36 “I tell you, love your enemies. Help and give without expecting a return. You’ll never—I promise—regret it. Live out this God-created identity the way our Father lives toward us, generously and graciously, even when we’re at our worst. Our Father is kind; you be kind.

37-38 “Don’t pick on people, jump on their failures, criticize their faults—unless, of course, you want the same treatment. Don’t condemn those who are down; that hardness can boomerang. Be easy on people; you’ll find life a lot easier. Give away your life; you’ll find life given back, but not merely given back—given back with bonus and blessing. Giving, not getting, is the way. Generosity begets generosity.”

Commentaries

• From the Geneva Notes.

  • "Christian charity, which is very different from worldly charity, not only does not revenge injuries, but is even extended to our most grievous enemies, and that for our Father's sake who is in heaven: in well doing it is not at all seeking its own."

• From Matthew Henry's Commentary (c. 1700).

  • "These are hard lessons to flesh and blood. But if we are thoroughly grounded in the faith of Christ's love, this will make his commands easy to us. Every one that comes to him for washing in his blood, and knows the greatness of the mercy and the love there is in him, can say, in truth and sincerity, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? Let us then aim to be merciful, even according to the mercy of our heavenly Father to us."

• From Wesley's Notes. John Wesley (1703-1791).

  • "These seem to be proverbial expressions, to signify an invasion of the tenderest points of honour and property."

Pastor’s Notes

We are a people that constantly asserts our ideal of freedom. We are free to think as we choose, to act as we see fit, and to treat others as we think they deserve to be treated. Few of us realize that we quickly lose our freedom as a result of our attitudes toward others. We find ourselves required to keep up the walls we establish to separate ourselves, walls of anger, prejudice, or unforgiveness. We become slaves to our own emotions, beliefs, and behaviors toward the other person(s) that we deem as deserving of our treatment. 

But that is not what Jesus taught. Jesus’ lived his life expressing self-giving love even in the utmost of adversity. He participated in God’s life - forgiving all who asked, reaching out to those who came against him, never giving up on people. Jesus set the standard of the quality of discipleship that was beyond the norm for teachers of his day. He still expects that quality of discipleship from of us. He calls us to forgiveness, kindness, mercy and demonstration of God’s unlimited love. The same love and forgiveness that we ourselves have experienced.

God does not keep score of how many times we need God’s forgiveness and we cannot keep score where others have wronged us.  After all, what did we do to deserve God’s forgiveness?

"The word used here for love, agape in Greek, does NOT mean romantic love, liking, or even friendship. What it does mean is whole-hearted, unreserved, unconditional desire for the well-being of the other. Expecting nothing in return."

 Freely love. Freely forgive. Free yourself from judging who should be forgiven and quit keeping score of how many times you have been hurt. Then you will be truly free…in Christ.

Question(s) to Ponder

Have you ever seen the Golden Rule applied? How did it change the situation? The people involved?

How have you applied the Golden Rule in your own life? Think of one instance where applying it changed your situation?

Scripture

Luke 6:17-26 NRSV

17He came down with them and stood on a level place, with a great crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea, Jerusalem, and the coast of Tyre and Sidon. 18They had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases; and those who were troubled with unclean spirits were cured. 19And all in the crowd were trying to touch him, for power came out from him and healed all of them.

20Then he looked up at his disciples and said: “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. 21“Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you will be filled. “Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh. 22“Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you, revile you, and defame you on account of the Son of Man. 23Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, for surely your reward is great in heaven; for that is what their ancestors did to the prophets. 24“But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation. 25“Woe to you who are full now, for you will be hungry. “Woe to you who are laughing now, for you will mourn and weep. 26“Woe to you when all speak well of you, for that is what their ancestors did to the false prophets.

Luke 6:17-26 NIV

17 He went down with them and stood on a level place. A large crowd of his disciples was there and a great number of people from all over Judea, from Jerusalem, and from the coastal region around Tyre and Sidon, 18 who had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases. Those troubled by impure spirits were cured, 19 and the people all tried to touch him, because power was coming from him and healing them all.

20 Looking at his disciples, he said: “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. 21 Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh. 22 Blessed are you when people hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man.

23 “Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For that is how their ancestors treated the prophets. 24 “But woe to you who are rich, for you have already received your comfort. 25 Woe to you who are well fed now, for you will go hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you will mourn and weep. 26 Woe to you when everyone speaks well of you, for that is how their ancestors treated the false prophets.

Luke 6:17-26 The Message

17-21 Coming down off the mountain with them, he stood on a plain surrounded by disciples, and was soon joined by a huge congregation from all over Judea and Jerusalem, even from the seaside towns of Tyre and Sidon. They had come both to hear him and to be cured of their diseases. Those disturbed by evil spirits were healed. Everyone was trying to touch him—so much energy surging from him, so many people healed! Then he spoke:

You’re blessed when you’ve lost it all. God’s kingdom is there for the finding.

You’re blessed when you’re ravenously hungry. Then you’re ready for the Messianic meal.

You’re blessed when the tears flow freely. Joy comes with the morning.

22-23 “Count yourself blessed every time someone cuts you down or throws you out, every time someone smears or blackens your name to discredit me. What it means is that the truth is too close for comfort and that that person is uncomfortable. You can be glad when that happens—skip like a lamb, if you like!—for even though they don’t like it, I do . . . and all heaven applauds. And know that you are in good company; my preachers and witnesses have always been treated like this.

24 But it’s trouble ahead if you think you have it made. What you have is all you’ll ever get.

25 And it’s trouble ahead if you’re satisfied with yourself. Your self will not satisfy you for long.

And it’s trouble ahead if you think life’s all fun and games. There’s suffering to be met, and you’re going to meet it.

26 “There’s trouble ahead when you live only for the approval of others, saying what flatters them, doing what indulges them. Popularity contests are not truth contests—look how many scoundrel preachers were approved by your ancestors! Your task is to be true, not popular.

Commentaries

• From the Geneva Notes.

  • "Christ teaches against all philosophers, and especially the Epicureans, that the greatest happiness of man is laid up in no place here on earth, but in heaven, and that persecution for righteousness' sake is the right way to achieve it."

• From Matthew Henry's Commentary (c. 1700).

  • "Woes are denounced against prosperous sinners as miserable people, though the world envies them. Those are blessed indeed whom Christ blesses, but those must be dreadfully miserable who fall under his woe and curse!"

• From Wesley's Notes. John Wesley (1703-1791).

  • "In the following verses our Lord, in the audience of his newly - chosen disciples, and of the multitude, repeats, standing on the plain, many remarkable passages of the sermon he had before delivered, sitting on the mount. He here again pronounces the poor and the hungry, the mourners, and the persecuted, happy; and represents as miserable those who are rich, and full, and joyous, and applauded: because generally prosperity is a sweet poison, and affliction a healing, though bitter medicine. Let the thought reconcile us to adversity, and awaken our caution when the world smiles upon us; when a plentiful table is spread before us, and our cup is running over; when our spirits are gay; and we hear (what nature loves) our own praise from men."

• From The People's New Testament, B.W. Johnson, 1891.

  • "Those who seek to be universally popular. Whoever does his duty will meet those who oppose him. Christ was reviled and slandered. These four woes are addressed to four classes: (1) Those who worship wealth; (2) those satisfied with their present life; (3) those who live for present enjoyment; (4) those whose aim is human praise and adulation."

Pastor’s Notes

Jesus is helping to us see God’s intention and desire for our lives. He points us in the direction of living the new life that we can have in Him. Jesus calls His followers to live differently from those who do not know Him; those who do not see clearly.

I wonder if one of the reasons the church lacks the power it had in the past is because we are working so hard to show the world that we are “just like they are” that we have become “Just like they are”. We are just as preoccupied with getting rich. Marriages are just as fragile. We are just as addicted to power. We are as obsessively competitive about our children. We are more ‘individual-minded” than community-minded. Our business ethics are determined by what is to our advantage (Christians are just as likely to “pay someone under the table”). We may even  watch the same shows and laugh at the same crude jokes. Those outside the church see this and conclude that all this talk about “Jesus changing my life” is more of a slogan than a reality. They see no evidence of God’s transforming power in those who claim to follow Him.

In Luke 16:17-26 Jesus makes four statements that start with the word “blessed” and then four that start with the word “woe”. Each of the “blessed” statements has a counterpart in the “woe” section. Jesus identifies four areas where we should be thinking differently from those around us.

Wealth The first warning Jesus gave is about wealth. In our world, people equate riches with success. People who make more money are deemed “more significant”. Money translates into influence. Almost all of us would like to have more money because deep down we believe that this would solve most of the problems we face in life.

The people of Jesus’ day looked at wealth much as we do. They actually believed that those who had riches we “blessed by God”. The poor were therefore not blessed. Imagine the shock of the crowd when Jesus said, “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.”

Jesus follows this with the words, “But woe to you who are rich, for you have already received your comfort.”

Jesus wasn’t cursing money as a means of exchange. Many people serve money. Riches are bad when they become our source of security and the driving force of our lives.

Comfort

Next, Jesus said, “Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied.” Jesus is not saying that hunger and famine are good things in and of themselves. We should be working to alleviate all such suffering. However, physically hungry people tend to be focused people. Have you ever searched the cupboards for something to eat? People who are truly hungry are even more focused. Jesus say we need to have that kind of hunger for righteousness (or the things God considers to be important).

Jesus restates it, “Woe to you who are well fed now, for you will go hungry.” When we are “satisfied” we stop working, reaching, and growing.” It is the curse of the “good enough”. Jesus wants His followers to be constantly hungering for a deeper and fuller relationship with God.  

Soren Kierkegaard addressed the problem with a story:

A duck was flying with his flock in the springtime northward across Europe. During the flight, he came down in a Danish barnyard where there were tame ducks. He enjoyed some of their corn. He stayed, for an hour, then for a day, then for a week, then for a month, and finally, because he relished the good fare and the safety of the barnyard, he stayed all summer. But one autumn day when the flock of wild ducks were winging their way southward again, they passed over the barnyard, and their friend heard their cries. He was stirred with a strange thrill of joy and delight, and with a great flapping of wings, he rose in the air to join his old comrades in their flight. But he found that his good fare had made him so soft and heavy that he could rise no higher than the eaves of the barn. So he dropped back again to the barnyard, and said to himself, “Oh well, my life is safe here and the food is good.” Every spring and autumn when he heard the wild ducks calling, his eyes would gleam for a moment and he would begin to flap his wings.  But finally, the day came when the wild ducks flew over him and uttered their cry, but he paid not the slightest attention to them.

This can happen to us. We can become so comfortable in the world that we become spiritually lazy. I get the feeling there are a lot of people in the church who simply want to “pass”.  They want to look good to others and feel that they have fulfilled the requirements to get to Heaven. Once again the Lord draws attention to the fact that the Christian faith is not about fulfilling certain assignments . . . it is about living in dynamic and intimate relationship with God. The Lord wants us to hunger for a deeper relationship rather than being content with superficial spirituality.

Having Fun

We hear people all the time saying, “I just want to enjoy my life”. The problem is that it is empty. It is like the veneer on a piece of particleboard. It looks good on the outside but what is on the inside will not stand the test of time.

The pursuit of pleasure is like a drug. We always need a little bit more pleasure to help us get our “high”. Jesus speaks to the “good time mentality” when he says, “Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh.” Later he adds, “Woe to you who laugh now, for you will mourn and weep. “

Jesus is not against laughter. In fact, the Bible tells us that laughter is good medicine. Kent Hughes writes, Jesus does not mean, “Blessed are grim, cheerless Christians,” though some believers have apparently interpreted it this way. Robert Louis Stevenson must have known some preachers like that because he once wrote in his diary, “I’ve been to church today and am not depressed.” Jesus speaks against the superficial and shallow laughter that characterizes the world. As believers, our joy should come from our relationship with God. 

In the book of Ecclesiastes Solomon tells us that it is better to go to a house of mourning than a house of feasting. The reason is that the house of mourning makes us realize the shortness of life. It causes us to address ultimate issues. The house of mourning forces us to consider what is really important. It points us to the eternal rather than the temporary. True happiness comes when we are able to look at the sometimes harsh realities of life and rest in the Lord. Our joy is a joy that does not disappear even in the toughest of times.

Popularity

We all see the power of peer pressure in teenagers. The desire to be accepted and popular can lead kids to do all kinds of dangerous and foolish things. Peer pressure is not only something that affects teenagers. There is nothing wrong with having people like you. The Bible tells us that we should have a good reputation with outsiders. However, the question is: “What are you willing to do to be popular?”

Jesus said, “Blessed are you when men hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man. 23 “Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For that is how their fathers treated the prophets

Not the key words: “because of the Son of Man”. Jesus is not saying it is good to be disliked. The blessing comes when we choose to stand with Jesus Christ and others reject us because of that fact. When people dislike you because you are a follower of Jesus, the Lord reminds us that “great is our reward in Heaven”. We have chosen the right path and it will lead to eternal blessing. Remember also that being popular does Those who celebrate you today will just as easily turn on your tomorrow. The only dependable relationship is with Christ.

Jesus warns us in verse 26: “Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for that is how their fathers treated the false prophets.” When everyone is singing our praise we should be on guard. We should ask, “Are we popular because we have compromised or sold out the gospel?” We should also ask if this popularity has come with a price tag. It is better to be faithful and hated by the world than to be popular at the cost of your soul.

We must choose between two worlds: the immediate and the eternal.  Many of us wouldn’t mind being rich, or just enjoying life. Some of us may even like being popular.  If we are honest who of us would not say these things are things we desire. I would like to try all of those things. I tend to believe that having these things would make life more enjoyable. I do not believe the desire is necessarily sinful.

Jesus taught us that there are two roads. There is the broad road that leads to destruction and the narrow road that leads to life. We have a choice whether we are going to follow the ways of men or the ways of God. We make that choice many times every day. We can crave the same things everyone else craves and put all our focus on present enjoyments or we can see the big picture and reach for the bigger prize of eternal life with the King.  We can live for glory in the present, or in eternity.

The Lord calls us not only to believe (or “make a decision” or “have an experience”) but also to follow. The reason for this is that those who really believe Jesus is the Savior will eagerly follow Him.

Jesus wants us to enjoy the journey of serving Him in this life, however, He is much more concerned that we enjoy the destination. May God help us to desire the same thing.

And may your study be prayer.

Blessings

Pastor Michaele

Question(s) to Ponder

Do you want to be rich, satisfied, enjoy life and be popular more than you want to be faithful to Jesus Christ? 

 Do I think I would be more significant/valuable (in the world and with God) if I had these things?

How am I different from my unbelieving friends in my values and my way of living?

Luke 5:1-11 NRSV

Once while Jesus was standing beside the lake of Gennesaret, and the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, 2he saw two boats there at the shore of the lake; the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. 3He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little way from the shore. Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat. 4When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.” 5Simon answered, “Master, we have worked all night long but have caught nothing. Yet if you say so, I will let down the nets.” 6 When they had done this, they caught so many fish that their nets were beginning to break. 7So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both boats, so that they began to sink. 8But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!” 9 For he and all who were with him were amazed at the catch of fish that they had taken; 10 and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. Then Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people.” 11When they had brought their boats to shore, they left everything and followed him.

Luke 5:1-11 NIV

One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret,[a] the people were crowding around him and listening to the word of God. 2 He saw at the water’s edge two boats, left there by the fishermen, who were washing their nets. 3 He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from shore. Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat.

4 When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.”

5 Simon answered, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.”

6 When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. 7 So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink.

8 When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” 9 For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, 10 and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon’s partners. Then Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will fish for people.” 11 So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.

Luke 5:1-11 The Message

5 1-3 Once when he was standing on the shore of Lake Gennesaret, the crowd was pushing in on him to better hear the Word of God. He noticed two boats tied up. The fishermen had just left them and were out scrubbing their nets. He climbed into the boat that was Simon’s and asked him to put out a little from the shore. Sitting there, using the boat for a pulpit, he taught the crowd.

4 When he finished teaching, he said to Simon, “Push out into deep water and let your nets out for a catch.”

5-7 Simon said, “Master, we’ve been fishing hard all night and haven’t caught even a minnow. But if you say so, I’ll let out the nets.” It was no sooner said than done—a huge haul of fish, straining the nets past capacity. They waved to their partners in the other boat to come help them. They filled both boats, nearly swamping them with the catch.

8-10 Simon Peter, when he saw it, fell to his knees before Jesus. “Master, leave. I’m a sinner and can’t handle this holiness. Leave me to myself.” When they pulled in that catch of fish, awe overwhelmed Simon and everyone with him. It was the same with James and John, Zebedee’s sons, coworkers with Simon.

10-11 Jesus said to Simon, “There is nothing to fear. From now on you’ll be fishing for men and women.” They pulled their boats up on the beach, left them, nets and all, and followed him

Commentaries

• From the Geneva Notes.

  • "Christ reveals to the four disciples whom he had taken unto himself the office of the apostleship, which would be committed unto them in the future."

• From Matthew Henry's Commentary (c. 1700).

  • "When Christ had done preaching, he told Peter to apply to the business of his calling. Time spent on week days in public exercises of religion, need be but little hinderance in time, and may be great furtherance to us in temper of mind, as to our worldly business. With what cheerfulness may we go about the duties of our calling, when we have been with God, and thus have our worldly employments sanctified to us by the word and prayer!"

• From Wesley's Notes. John Wesley (1703-1791).

  • "They had followed him before, John 1:43, but not so as to forsake all. Till now, they wrought at their ordinary calling."

• From The People's New Testament, B.W. Johnson, 1891.

  • "Tristam (Land of Israel) says of the fish in the Sea of Galilee: "The shoals are marvelous, black masses, many hundred yards long, with their black fins projecting out of the water as thick as they could pack. Any net would break that enclosed such a shoal.""

• Commentary, Luke 5:1-11, Arland J. Hultgren, Preaching This Week, WorkingPreacher.org, 2010.

  • "God often becomes manifest in the ordinary, even seemingly unnecessary events of a person's life ? events which nevertheless are in accord with some purpose that is or is not known."

Pastor’s Notes

• "First Look: Luke 5:1-11," Lee Koontz, Reflectious, 2010.

  • "Being a follower of Jesus is less about doctrine or theology than it is about reaching out to people with grace, compassion, and love."

I have never been much for fishing but my brother loved to fish. He knew all about different baits to catch the particular fish he was after. He knew when it was a good time to fish and when to just let the fish be fish. He knew about hooking the fish, and playing the fish till it was exhausted and easier to reel in. He always seemed to be able to find where large numbers of fish were just hanging out waiting to be caught. He never came home empty-handed but even on his best days he never pulled in a catch that threatened to sink the boat.

On one occasion he caught a Marlin which took hours to reel in. I understand it was quite a battle until he got it on the boat. It was simply a matter of who was going to give up first.

One thing my brother insisted on from his fishing companions was to focus on the fish. There was no time for talking, comparing rods and reels, or debating who was the better fisherman. For him, fishing was serious business. There would be time for all the fish stories and comparisons later. But first - we fish. No cell phones, no electronics, no conversation, no distractions - just fish. Fishing seems to be a good place to start explaining following Jesus in ministry. 

First if you want to catch a fish you need to go where the fish are. That means you are concerned about the fish enough to put forth the effort to find out about them, to discover their need, to go get them.

Then there is the bait. Not all people are drawn by the same conversation. Some desire a relationship, some will debate scripture, some just want you to hear their opinion, some want to know what God has done for you. And sadly, there are some who don’t know there is a God. You need to know where they are in order in life to relate or they may ’spit the hook’ the minute there is a little pressure on the line. 

Patience - Fish sometimes take a while to reel in. You must be patient and consistent in your efforts. Few fish are ready to jump into your boat. Allow the time it takes. Move at their speed.

If you want to catch big fish then you need to push away from the shore and into deep waters. Little fish may be easy to catch in large numbers near the shore but the big fish need deeper waters. Although the bigger fish may take a little more fight to get into the boat. I’ve been told that schools of smaller fish often follow the larger ones to get their leftovers. One large fish may have dozens of followers with them.

Lastly, you won’t catch any fish if you sit at home and talk about how to do it. You need to drop a line in the water to catch even one fish. Sitting in church or comparing talents, responsibilities, and arguing over who is the best fisher means nothing. Whether you are talking about people or fish the rules are about the same.

GO FISH!

Question(s) to Ponder

What have you learned about fishing for people?

What are the reasons people don’t catch fish?

Tuesday Bible Study Kanapaha Presbyterian Jan 25, 2022

Luke 4:21-30 NRSV

21Then he began to say to them, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” 22All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth. They said, “Is not this Joseph’s son?” 23He said to them, “Doubtless you will quote to me this proverb, ‘Doctor, cure yourself!’ And you will say, ‘Do here also in your hometown the things that we have heard you did at Capernaum.’” 24And he said, “Truly I tell you, no prophet is accepted in the prophet’s hometown. 25But the truth is, there were many widows in Israel in the time of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, and there was a severe famine over all the land; 26yet Elijah was sent to none of them except to a widow at Zarephath in Sidon. 27There were also many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian.” 28When they heard this, all in the synagogue were filled with rage. 29They got up, drove him out of the town, and led him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they might hurl him off the cliff. 30But he passed through the midst of them and went on his way.

Luke 4:21-30 NIV

21 He began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”

22 All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his lips. “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?” they asked.

23 Jesus said to them, “Surely you will quote this proverb to me: ‘Physician, heal yourself!’ And you will tell me, ‘Do here in your hometown what we have heard that you did in Capernaum.’”

24 “Truly I tell you,” he continued, “no prophet is accepted in his hometown. 25 I assure you that there were many widows in Israel in Elijah’s time, when the sky was shut for three and a half years and there was a severe famine throughout the land. 26 Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them, but to a widow in Zarephath in the region of Sidon. 27 And there were many in Israel with leprosy[a] in the time of Elisha the prophet, yet not one of them was cleansed—only Naaman the Syrian.”

28 All the people in the synagogue were furious when they heard this. 29 They got up, drove him out of the town, and took him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, in order to throw him off the cliff. 30 But he walked right through the crowd and went on his way.

Luke 4:21-30   The Message

God’s Spirit is on me; he’s chosen me to preach the Message of good news to the poor, Sent me to announce pardon to prisoners and recovery of sight to the blind, To set the burdened and battered free, to announce, “This is God’s time to shine!”

He rolled up the scroll, handed it back to the assistant, and sat down. Every eye in the place was on him, intent. Then he started in, “You’ve just heard Scripture make history. It came true just now in this place.”

22 All who were there, watching and listening, were surprised at how well he spoke. But they also said, “Isn’t this Joseph’s son, the one we’ve known since he was just a kid?”

23-27 He answered, “I suppose you’re going to quote the proverb, ‘Doctor, go heal yourself. Do here in your hometown what we heard you did in Capernaum.’ Well, let me tell you something: No prophet is ever welcomed in his hometown. Isn’t it a fact that there were many widows in Israel at the time of Elijah during that three and a half years of drought when famine devastated the land, but the only widow to whom Elijah was sent was in Sarepta in Sidon? And there were many lepers in Israel at the time of the prophet Elisha but the only one cleansed was Naaman the Syrian.”

28-30 That set everyone in the meeting place seething with anger. They threw him out, banishing him from the village, then took him to a mountain cliff at the edge of the village to throw him to his doom, but he gave them the slip and was on his way.

Commentaries

• From the Geneva Notes.

  • "Familiarity causes Christ to be condemned and therefore he often goes to strangers."

• From Matthew Henry's Commentary (c. 1700).

  • "The doctrine of God's sovereignty, his right to do his will, provokes proud men. They will not seek his favour in his own way; and are angry when others have the favours they neglect. Still is Jesus rejected by multitudes who hear the same message from his words. While they crucify him afresh by their sins, may we honour him as the Son of God, the Saviour of men, and seek to show we do so by our obedience."

• From Wesley's Notes. John Wesley (1703-1791).

  • "A person of spiritual discernment may find in all the discourses of our Lord a peculiar sweetness, gravity, and becomingness, such as is not to be found in the same degree, not even in those of the apostles."

• From the Commentary on the Whole Bible (Jamieson, Fausset and Brown, 1871).

  • "Our Lord's long residence in Nazareth merely as a townsman had made Him too common, incapacitating them for appreciating Him as others did who were less familiar with His everyday demeanor in private life. A most important principle, to which the wise will pay due regard."

• From The People's New Testament, B.W. Johnson, 1891.

  • "This seems to have been answered to their whispered words and the thoughts he read in their hearts. They had heard of his fame in Capernaum, but they knew him as a poor young man, and his family was poor. "If he has such power as fame reports, let him better his own condition.""

Pastor’s Notes

First he puts words in people’s mouth, by assuming that they are going to quote a proverb to him and then that they will demand miracles. Next he responds to them based on what he assumes   they were going to say, and tells a story about Elijah that ends up condemning them for their exclusivity and suggests that, like Naaman, others will be healed and not them. No wonder the congregation was furious. 

I suppose that Jesus read their body language, read their non-verbal cues, on that Sabbath morning. He wasn’t fooled by nostalgia or the idea of returning to his old hometown. He knew he couldn’t go back to the way it was when he was a child. Nor did he really want to return to that time. He knew this town. He had grown up with its judgment and narrowness.

“Sentimentality is repressed brutality” said Freud.  Perhaps Jesus sensed the schmaltz in the cutesy pooh, “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?” maybe there was an unrecorded, “Gee but you’ve grown” thrown in?  

Whatever it was, Jesus was not about to milk the marketing opportunity or play the PR violin. He was not for sale. He remembered how they had treated his mother and whispered about his “virgin” birth.  They wanted to group her with the prostitutes who lived on the edge of town   . He had seen how Samaritans passing through had been rejected, and how the tax-collectors were despised. Of all people he would know their thoughts. After all he grew up as one of them. But he had walked away.

That’s the thing about this Gospel.  It just won’t let you rest at home. Once you get it, you become marginalized like Jesus. Suddenly, yet imperceptibly his truth, his inclusivity, his compassion, his humility become yours and you can never go back. Once we have seen what Jesus sees and become what Jesus is, we don’t fit back at the school reunion, the parties, or  under the yellow ribboned, old oak tree. Going home is a nightmare just like Nazareth was for him. So much for the “family values” lobby.     

Once you are in Christ you leave your old values behind and can never go back to what you were.                                    

Question(s) to Ponder

• How does Jesus mismanage the congregation so badly that he goes from, “ All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth” and ends up with, “ …all in the synagogue were filled with rage. They got up, drove him out of the town,…”?

• "Do we feel entitled to the work of Jesus among us? Do we think that Jesus should do ministry for the church first?"

January 18, 2022

Luke 4:14-21 NRSV

14Then Jesus, filled with the power of the Spirit, returned to Galilee, and a report about him spread through all the surrounding country. 15He began to teach in their synagogues and was praised by everyone. 16When he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the sabbath day, as was his custom. He stood up to read, 17and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written: 18“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, 19to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” 20And he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. 21Then he began to say to them, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”

Luke 4: 14-21 NIV

14 Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread through the whole countryside. 15 He was teaching in their synagogues, and everyone praised him.

16 He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read, 17 and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:

18 “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

20 Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. 21 He began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”

Luke 4:14-21 The Message

14-15 Jesus returned to Galilee powerful in the Spirit. News that he was back spread through the countryside. He taught in their meeting places to everyone’s acclaim and pleasure.

16-21 He came to Nazareth where he had been raised. As he always did on the Sabbath, he went to the meeting place. When he stood up to read, he was handed the scroll of the prophet Isaiah. Unrolling the scroll, he found the place where it was written,

God’s Spirit is on me; he’s chosen me to preach the Message of good news to the poor,

Sent me to announce pardon to prisoners and recovery of sight to the blind, To set the burdened and battered free, to announce, “This is God’s time to shine!”

He rolled up the scroll, handed it back to the assistant, and sat down. Every eye in the place was on him, intent. Then he started in, “You’ve just heard Scripture make history. It came true just now in this place.”

Commentaries:

• "When Is It Jubilee?" Melissa Bane Sevier, Contemplative Viewfinder, 2019.

  • "When is it Jubilee? We’ll never see it. But we can access the ideal, just as the ancients did, by celebrating it, moving toward it, and dreaming of justice."

• A Provocation, Richard Swanson, Provoking the Gospel, 2019.

  • "That is the thing to notice this week: the crushed and the broken have their names recorded in the Book of Heaven. God is at work healing the Creation."

• Commentary, Luke 4:14-21, Ruth Anne Reese, at WorkingPreacher.org, Luther Seminary, 2016.

  • "Luke 4:14-21 is the opening scene in the ministry of Jesus. It is Jesus' manifesto for the work ahead."

• "A Peculiar Power," David Lose, ...in the meantime, 2016.

  • "Power – at least the power of the Holy Spirit, the power, that is, of God – is demonstrated not by any accomplishments or attributes one claims for one's own self but only through what it accomplishes for others."

• Commentary, Luke 4:14-21, Karoline Lewis, at WorkingPreacher.org, Luther Seminary, 2013.

  • "...the God of Luke-Acts intentionally and continually invades, initiates, and even invites any and all theological deliberation, exploration, and imagination. Such theological thinking takes time and cannot be straightforwardly encapsulated in convenient statements of theoretical intent. Rather, Jesus’ words are a call to real life, real people, real time. This is God in our present and in our reality."

• "Cliffhanger! Jesus Rejected at Nazareth!" Alyce M. McKenzie, Edgy Exegesis, 2013.

  • "...But now, we need to stop woolgathering and listen to what he has to say. He's seated now and has opened his mouth to speak."

  •  

• Exegetical Notes by Brian Stoffregen at CrossMarks Christian Resources.

  • "Being "spiritual" does not mean escaping the world, but a radical engagement with the poor and oppressed of the world."

Pastor’s Notes

Matthew 13:53-58, Mark 6:1-6a, Luke 4:16-21

All four gospels report that Jesus was rejected by his hometown and home synagogue.

All four gospels say that a prophet has no honor in his own hometown.

Luke’s version of the story is the most intricate and interesting of the gospels. Once again, Luke is the master storyteller.  We will focus on Luke’s version, but reference Matthew and Mark’s accounts as well.

-When Jesus had finished these parables, he left that place.  He came to his hometown and began to teach the people in their synagogue, Matthew begins the story with these words. Jesus had finished teaching these particular parables and now goes to the synagogue of his hometown Nazareth. Mark’s gospel simply says that Jesus came to his own hometown and his disciples followed him.

He went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, as was his custom. Luke also tells us it was the custom of Jesus to attend synagogue on the Sabbath (and implies that it should be our custom to attend weekly worship as well.). The Gospel of Mark also emphasizes that this event occurred on the Sabbath. The Jewish synagogue Sabbath worship consisted of a reading from the Law and a reading from the prophets, and that a guest rabbi could select any passage from the prophets that he chose to. 

The following verses come uniquely from the Gospel of Luke. 

-He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. We can see that a scroll of the Book of Isaiah was in Jesus’ hands. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written:

-"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." Jesus quoted from Isaiah 61:1,2a.  By quoting Isaiah, Jesus states the themes of his mission: “Good news to the poor, release to the captives (in prison), recovery of sight to the blind, freedom to those who are oppressed, and a declaration of the year of the Lord’s favor.” The life of Jesus became a living out of his first sermon. The manifesto of his calling.

Jesus did not quote the line from Isaiah about vengeance. Jesus intentionally omitted the quotation about vengeance, and I believe that this was the foretelling of Jesus’ ministry to come. There are far too many people of all religions who practice vengeance today, and self-righteously claim that their vengeance is from God. 

And he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. There is tension in Luke’s description of the event. We can imagine all eyes riveted on Jesus,

-Then he began to say to them, "Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing." These prophecies will be taking place now in Jesus’ ministry. Luke ends the story here.

However, in Matthew and Mark’s gospel, the story continues with the hometown people taking such offense that Jesus thought so much of Himself that the townspeople wanted to hurl him off a cliff outside of town.

His family lived there and he was known in the town. They knew him as Mary’s son, the carpenter’s kid, a member of the working class with no formal education. None of his siblings were anything special. They had heard of the miracles done in Capernaum and wanted to see the show but they were too familiar with him to see the call of God on his life. 

Vs 24 Jesus will tell us that a prophet is without honor in his own country and it is because of that familiarity. The people in his own hometown did not believe in Jesus. His family and friends were too close to him and that familial closeness got in the way of seeing the true and full identity of Jesus. Because of that, Jesus worked no miracles in their lives. Even though they saw Jesus read from the scroll, the word of God, they could not believe his words.

And he was amazed at their unbelief. The key to discipleship is always belief, belief in God, belief in Jesus. We soon will hear many stories of deep and simple trust in Jesus to heal and restore lives.  But the family and friends of They were so angry at Jesus that they were going to kill him. The people of God often become angry when they hear that God loves other people outside of their predetermined boundaries. From the perspective of the hometown people, God’s love should be confined to the Jews. Nowadays, we play similar theological games when we believe that God’s love should be confined to those we deem as worthy.

I recall one particular story of a young woman returning to her hometown to see her family after ten years away. There were still folks that remembered her from school as a shy girl, an excellent student but little else. A couple of days after arriving she came upon an accident outside of the little town. As she pulled up beside the ambulance she grabbed her doctor’s bag and ran to help. There on the ground were several patients, one with an object through his chest. She immediately moved toward him after identifying herself to the police o the scene. One of the ambulance attendants remembered her by name but told her to stay out of the way shouting at her that he was an EMT and trained for such an emergency. She responded that she was trained as well and quickly produced her medical license and ID as head of Cardiac-Thoracic Surgery at a very prestigious hospital. 

Question(s) to Ponder

Why do you think that Jesus was not accepted in his own hometown and the synagogue of his boyhood?

Have you ever dismissed someone’s wisdom because of the way they looked or spoke? Have you ever been angered by someone else’s achievement beyond what you knew of them “back in the day?”

Have you ever been dismissed by others for no reason? How did it affect you? What did you do about it? 

May your study be prayer.

Pastor Michaele

Pastor had a positive COVID test this evening and is asking for prayer.

Scripture

John 2:1-11 (NRSV)

2On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. 2Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. 3When the wine gave out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” 4And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what concern is that to you and to me? My hour has not yet come.” 5His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” 6Now standing there were six stone water jars for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. 7Jesus said to them, “Fill the jars with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. 8He said to them, “Now draw some out, and take it to the chief steward.” So they took it. 9When the steward tasted the water that had become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the steward called the bridegroom 10and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and then the inferior wine after the guests have become drunk. But you have kept the good wine until now.” 11Jesus did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of Galilee, and revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.

Jesus Changes Water Into Wine (NIV)

2 On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, 2 and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. 3 When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no more wine.”

4 “Woman,[a] why do you involve me?” Jesus replied. “My hour has not yet come.”

5 His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”

6 Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons.

7 Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water”; so they filled them to the brim.

8 Then he told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.”

They did so, 9 and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside 10 and said, “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.”

11 What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.

Jesus Changes Water Into Wine (Message)

2 On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, 2 and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. 3 When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no more wine.”

4 “Woman,] why do you involve me?” Jesus replied. “My hour has not yet come.” 5 His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”

6 Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons. 7 Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water”; so they filled them to the brim.

8 Then he told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.” They did so, 9 and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside 10 and said, “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.”

11 What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.

Commentaries

• From the Geneva Notes.

  • "Christ, declaring openly in an assembly by a notable miracle that he has power over the nature of things to feed man's body, leads the minds of all men to consider his spiritual and saving strength and power."

• From Matthew Henry's Commentary.

  • "Though we need not scruple to feast with our friends on proper occasions, yet every social interview should be so conducted, that we might invite the Redeemer to join with us, if he were now on earth; and all levity, luxury, and excess offend him."

  • From the Commentary on the Whole Bible (Jamieson, Fausset and Brown, 1871).

    • "As the miracle did not make bad good, but good better, so Christianity only redeems, sanctifies, and ennobles the beneficent but abused institution of marriage; and Christ's whole work only turns the water of earth into the wine of heaven. Thus "this beginning of miracles" exhibited the character and "manifested forth the glory" of His entire Mission."

  • From The People's New Testament, B.W. Johnson, 1891.

    • "Satan gives his good wine first; so the drunkard finds it; so did the prodigal son. Afterwards he gives the bitter; red eyes, pain, hunger, wretchedness."

• Commentary, John 2:1-11, Karoline Lewis, Preaching This Week, WorkingPreacher.org, 2013.

  • "It is more than poignant that the mother of Jesus brackets his life, surrounds Jesus’ earthly ministry. She is at the beginning of his career and watches him die. She is the nurturing force when he is the Word made flesh, a shared parenthood with God, the father.

  • "The Wedding at Cana,""Marriage," Frederick Buechner, Buechner Blog.

    • "And so it was also, we hope, with the bride and groom at Cana and with every bride and groom-that the love they bear one another and the joy they take in one another may help them grow in love for this whole troubled world where their final joy lies, and that the children we pray for them may open them to the knowledge that all men are their children even as we are their children and as they also are ours."

Pastor’s Notes John 2:1-11

There is no parallel of this miracle of the “water into wine” in the first three gospels.

Message: Jesus transformed the 180 gallons of guilt (Jewish legalism, traditions and rituals) intended for purification into 180 gallons of grace. We remember John 1:16, where the Bible says, “We beheld his glory, the glorious presence of the Son of God, and from his fullness, (the fullness of six large vats of wine,) from his fullness, we all have received grace upon grace upon grace.” The Law (the first five books of the Old Testament) was given through Moses but grace and truth were given through Jesus Christ. From His fullness, we all have received grace upon grace.

In the gospel of John, the miracles are always called “signs.” The miracles are never called miracles but signs. For example, if you drive out of the parking lot of our church, you will see all kinds of signs at the nearest intersection. You will see one particular sign painted red, with white paint. The sign simply says, “Stop.” It is a stop sign. You never think that this is a piece of metal with red and white paint on it. You don’t examine the ingredients of the metal or the paint. You simply read the message. “Stop.” You ask the question, “What is the message of this sign?” So it is with the signs in the Gospel of John. You ask, “What is the message in this sign?” The signs in John’s Gospel have messages and you focus on the message more than the sign itself.

What is the message of this sign of water into wine? The message of the sign is that Jesus took 180 gallons of Jewish laws, the rituals of purification, and transformed them into 180 gallons of grace. Jesus took 180 gallons of guilt, 180 gallons of laws, laws and more laws, 180 gallons of “don’t do this and don’t do that,” 180 gallons of laws that numbered more than 600 regulations. Jesus then transformed these religious regulations into a new religion, a new wine that would burst old wine skins. Jesus transformed the old religion into the new religion. The miracle was a sign. The miracle had a message and you have to get the message. You stop at the intersection outside of church and see red and white paint painted on metal. You better get the message. “Stop.” It is the message that is important.

There is a grand message to Jesus’ first sign: 180 gallons of guilt are transformed into 180 gallons of grace.

180 gallons of grace. There is enough grace here for a whole city, enough grace for a whole state, enough grace for the whole wide world. From God’s fullness of grace, right up to the brim, we all have received grace upon grace upon grace. We love that line in the text where the vats are filled up right to the brim, right up to the top of the lip of the cup.

What does this sign mean for us today? Our relationship with Christ and our Christian faith are to be abundantly full of the grace of God. It is so easy to transform one’s religion into a thousand legalisms and ten thousand regulations. True faith is not obeying a thousand religious regulations but true faith is being filled with the fullness of God’s grace, love, Spirit and truth (from his fullness, we have received grace upon grace upon grace.)

-On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. “The usual festivities (of a wedding) consisted of a procession in which the bridegroom friends brought the bride to the groom’s house and then a wedding supper. Seemingly, the festivities lasted seven days.” (Raymond Brown, THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN, V. 1, p. 98. This course will primarily use Raymond Brown’s commentary on JOHN as we study the Gospel of John.)

We cannot locate the village of Cana. Perhaps it was in the hill country, nine miles north of Nazareth. (Brown, John, V. 2, p. 98).

-Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. According to John, Jesus already had his disciples.

-When the wine gave out, the mother of Jesus said to him, "They have no wine." The reader gets the feeling that “the mother” is in charge.

-And Jesus said to her, "Woman, what concern is that to you and to me? Woman is not a term of rebuke but was Jesus’ “normal polite way of addressing women (Matthew 15:28, Luke 13:12, John 4:21)”  (Brown)

-My hour has not yet come." “My hour” is a technical term in the Gospel of John and is used nine times in this gospel to refer to the hour of his crucifixion and death on the cross. (John 2:4; 8:20; 12:23, 27; 13:1; 16:2, 25, 32; 17:1.)

-His mother said to the servants, "Do whatever he tells you." The reader feels as if “the mother” of Jesus is in charge.

-Now standing there were six stone water jars for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. These were large jars that held twenty to thirty gallons. Today, we recall that the average size of a garbage is thirty gallons. This was a large container.

-Jesus said to them, "Fill the jars with water." And they filled them up to the brim. We love the detail. The jars are filled right up to the brim. We recall the Biblical theme, “Fill to the brim our cup of blessing.” Jesus had these large vats filled right up to the brim.

-He said to them, "Now draw some out, and take it to the chief steward." So they took it.

-When the steward tasted the water that had become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the steward called the bridegroom and said to him,

-"Everyone serves the good wine first, and then the inferior wine after the guests have become drunk. But you have kept the good wine until now." In this particular gospel story, Jesus brings the good wine. The new wine of Jesus’ grace, truth and love replace the inferior wine of the Old Testament rules, regulations and rituals. The old wine is the Law; the new and good wine is the Gospel.

The good wine in this story is similar to the “living water” in the story about the woman at the well, which we will study later. In the first three gospels (Mark 2:9 and parallels, page 43 in our textbook), we find Jesus using “the symbolism of new wine in old wineskins in order to compare his new teaching with the customs of the Pharisees. Note that this incident occurs at the beginning of the Synoptic account of the ministry just as Cana is at the beginning of the Johannine account.”  (Brown, JOHN, V. 1, p. 105)

-Jesus did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of Galilee, and revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him. The Gospel of John is known as the Book of Signs. These signs all reveal the glory of Jesus, the shining light of God living in him. At each of these signs, someone comes to believe in him. In this event in the Gospel of John, the disciples believed.

Here’s your sign.

May your study be prayer.

Luke 2:1-20 NRSV

2In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered. 2This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3All went to their own towns to be registered. 4Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David. 5He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child. 6While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. 7And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

8In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: 11to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host,[b] praising God and saying,

14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors!”

15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. 17 When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them. 19 But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

Luke 2:1-20 NIV

2 In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to their own town to register.

So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

“Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

Luke 2:1-20  The Message

1-5 About that time Caesar Augustus ordered a census to be taken throughout the Empire. This was the first census when Quirinius was governor of Syria. Everyone had to travel to his own ancestral hometown to be accounted for. So Joseph went from the Galilean town of Nazareth up to Bethlehem in Judah, David’s town, for the census. As a descendant of David, he had to go there. He went with Mary, his fiancée, who was pregnant.

6-7 While they were there, the time came for her to give birth. She gave birth to a son, her firstborn. She wrapped him in a blanket and laid him in a manger, because there was no room in the hostel.

8-12 There were shepherds camping in the neighborhood. They had set night watches over their sheep. Suddenly, God’s angel stood among them and God’s glory blazed around them. They were terrified. The angel said, “Don’t be afraid. I’m here to announce a great and joyful event that is meant for everybody, worldwide: A Savior has just been born in David’s town, a Savior who is Messiah and Master. This is what you’re to look for: a baby wrapped in a blanket and lying in a manger.”

13-14 At once the angel was joined by a huge angelic choir singing God’s praises:

Glory to God in the heavenly heights, Peace to all men and women on earth who please him.

15-18 As the angel choir withdrew into heaven, the shepherds talked it over. “Let’s get over to Bethlehem as fast as we can and see for ourselves what God has revealed to us.” They left, running, and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in the manger. Seeing was believing. They told everyone they met what the angels had said about this child. All who heard the shepherds were impressed.

19-20 Mary kept all these things to herself, holding them dear, deep within herself. The shepherds returned and let loose, glorifying and praising God for everything they had heard and seen. It turned out exactly the way they’d been told!praising God and saying, 14“Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors!” 15When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. 17When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; 18and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them. 19But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

Commentaries

• From the Geneva Notes.

  • "Whole armies of angels, who compass the majesty of God round about, just as soldiers, as it were."

• From Matthew Henry's Commentary (c. 1700).

  • "Peace is here put for all that good which flows to us from Christ's taking our nature upon him."

• From Wesley's Notes. John Wesley (1703-1791).

  • "Mary seems not to have known that the child must have been born in Bethlehem, agreeably to the prophecy. But the providence of God took care for it."

• "The First Christmas Carol," Luke 2:14, Charles H. Spurgeon, 1858.

  • "Although it would be a high sin, and an act of misdemeanor against the Sovereign Court of Heaven to pay the slightest adoration to the mightiest angel, yet it would be unkind and unseemly, if we did not give to holy angels a place in our heart's warmest love."

• From The People's New Testament, B.W. Johnson, 1891.

  • "When the Lord stooped from Divine glory to take upon him humanity, he stooped to its most lowly estate. An Oriental inn is thus described: 'The khan is usually much on the model of the Eastern house, but of much larger extent. Four rows of apartments are so constructed as to enclose a large yard with a well in the center where the cattle may be kept. The outer wall is usually of brick upon a stone basement. The apartments are entered by the guests from the yard, and are elevated two or three feet above the level of the yard. Below and behind the row of the travelers' apartments was often the row or the long room of stables, into which the floors of the apartments being a little extended, formed a platform upon which the camels could eat.'"

Pastor’s Notes - from an article by  John Petty on December 20, 2010 at 11:28 AM in Bible, History, Lectionary, Liturgy, Religion, Theology | Permalink

Luke was not writing history.  He was writing theology in narrative form, which is much more important and much more interesting.  He starts off by noting the big wheels of the world and how they like to jerk people around.  Roman power makes Joseph dance to its tune, sending him across the country to get "counted" so that Rome could get more efficient at taking his money for taxes.

Whenever Caesar, or local governors like Quirinius, ran censuses, there would be uprisings and revolts.  The tax burden was already excessive, and people lived in a grinding poverty, under the boot heel of Rome, that was getting worse, and not better.  Some historians trace the emergence of the zealots--we could call them pro-palestinian terrorists--to the uprisings against the census of Quirinius.  The zealots, in turn, were part of a chain of events that led to the Roman-Jewish War of AD 66-70.

Luke is writing about the true "savior of the world," one from the line of the great King David.  He looks to Bethlehem, the city of David, and not to Rome, the city of Caesar.  All the synoptics take this point of view. 

In verses 6-7, Luke uses strong language to assert the birth of Jesus--literally, "But it happened, in the existence of them, there the days are fulfilled of her bringing forth."  It doesn't read very smoothly in English, but notice how Luke underlines the birth with three key words:    It happened (egeneto) in the happening (einai), the bringing forth (tipto).

Jesus is identified as Mary's "first born son."  The word is prototokos.  It will pop up again in Colossians 1 where Jesus is described as "the first born of all creation."  (Did the author of Colossians know Luke's gospel?  Was the author of Colossians, with his notable cosmic vision and high christology, expanding on Mary's "first born son" and proclaiming him the "first born of all creation"?) 

There was no room for Joseph and Mary in the kataluma.  The word refers to the upper room of a house, the guest room--not, in other words, some wayside hotel, barn, or cave.  In the case of Joseph and Mary, the guest room was already taken--Uncle Zechariah from Wichita had already claimed it--and they had to stay in the other "room" which, at night, would be home for animals, but during the day would be cleaned up and used by the family... 

The birth is announced to shepherds in the field, and not to the powerful in rich palaces.  The scandal of the virgin birth is not so much that Mary was a virgin.  Lots of famous people were said to have been conceived by various gods, including Caesar Augustus himself.  The scandal was that Jesus--a poor kid from a jerkwater town--was born of a virgin.  (The image of the shepherd also is a reminder that King David, soon to be mentioned yet again, was also a shepherd.)

Whenever the word "angel" appears in scripture, I think:  "window into heaven."  Angels tell what is happening from the perspective of God.  The shepherds are bathed in light (perilampo)--the glory (doxa) of the Lord!  The shepherds were absolutely terrified--the word phobos is used twice.  What's more, it's mega.

The angel announces "good news (euangelion) of great joy for all the people"--or, in my translation:  "...a joyful message to you, a great gladness, which will be to all the people." 

Luke didn't invent the word euangelion.  It was a word that was commonly applied to Caesar.  "Euangelion!  Good news!  Caesar is victorious in Gaul!"  In the case of Jesus, the "good news of great joy" is for "all the people (panti to lao)"--not just the powerful, in other words, as was commonly the case, but rather all the people, even, ironically, the very people who thought "good news" was only for them.

The word savior (sotare) appears only three times in the synoptics--Luke 1, Luke 2, and John 4.  It was a politically-charged term since, after all, Caesar Augustus was known as "the savior of the world."  He had brought order to the world after a long war.  Great poets, historians, and politicians lauded the peace of Augustus.  Luke's announcement of Jesus as "savior" is a way of saying, "Jesus is Lord, and Caesar is not."  Moreover, this "savior" comes from the house of David.  He is not only "lord," but "messiah."

The angels go into heaven, and the shepherds "said to one another (allelous)."  All the shepherds are involved in the discussion.  They go immediately to Bethlehem and see (idomen) "this thing that has happened (gegonos, again) which the Lord has made known (ginosko) to us."  (With the repeated use of ginomai/gegonos, and the use of ginosko (knowledge), I wonder if Luke is taking a swipe at the proto-gnostics, those who elevated "knowledge" over the base material world.)

The shepherds share what they have learned.  Already, we get signs of the mutuality and reciprocity of the kingdom of God.  The shepherds share with each other, and with Joseph and Mary--no privileged information here.  The words of the shepherds stir "all" who hear them.  They return praising God.

Meanwhile, "Mary was keeping together (suntare) all these words, bringing them together (sumballos) in her heart."  Just as the shepherds experience mutuality and, one might say, "wholeness" with each other, Mary also experiences this "wholeness" in her heart.  Sunetare has the sense of integration, taking into oneself.  Sumballos has the sense of bringing together, even throwing together.

Thus is born the true savior of the world--not Caesar Augustus, the oppressor, false savior of the world, protector of those with power and privilege, but Christ the Lord, whose birth is "good news of great joy for all the people."

Questions to Ponder?

• Why do you believe that God announced the birth of his son to shepherds and not to the kings, rulers, or religious leaders?

• Have you ever considered the political ramifications of the birth of the Christ child who would be called Savior of the poor and marginalized? What was the full meaning of messiah to the Jewish mind? Did that idea threaten the leaders in Israel?

• Why do you think God sent an entire army of angels to announce the birth of Jesus when only one was needed to bring the message to Mary or the dream to Joseph? Was there a difference in the situation? 

• Was this God’s declaration of war on sin? Was an army needed to break through the darkness surrounding the promised land in the time of Roman occupation?

• Do these questions make you think of Christmas as more than just a simple birth of a baby born in an obscure town?

Merry Christmas and may your study be prayer

Pastor Michaele

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December 14, 2021

Tuesday Bible Study December 14, 2021 KPC

Luke 1:39-45    (vs 46 begins the Magnificat)

In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.”

46And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, 47and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, 48for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed; 49for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name. 50 His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. 51He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. 52He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; 53he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty. 54He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, 55according to the promise he made to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants forever.” 56And Mary remained with her about three months and then returned to her home.

Luke 1: 39-56 NIV

39 At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!”

Mary’s Song

46 And Mary said: “My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me— holy is his name. His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation. He has performed mighty deeds with his arm; he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.

He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble.  He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty.  

He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful to Abraham and his descendants forever, just as he promised our ancestors.”

56 Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months and then returned home.

Luke 1: 39-56      The Message

39-45 Mary didn’t waste a minute. She got up and traveled to a town in Judah in the hill country, straight to Zachariah’s house, and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby in her womb leaped. She was filled with the Holy Spirit, and sang out exuberantly, You’re so blessed among women, and the babe in your womb, also blessed! And why am I so blessed that the mother of my Lord visits me? The moment the sound of your greeting entered my ears, The babe in my womb skipped like a lamb for sheer joy.

Blessed woman, who believed what God said, believed every word would come true!

46-55 And Mary said, I’m bursting with God-news; I’m dancing the song of my Savior God. God took one good look at me, and look what happened— I’m the most fortunate woman on earth! What God has done for me will never be forgotten, the God whose very name is holy, set apart from all others. His mercy flows in wave after wave on those who are in awe before him.  56  Mary stayed with Elizabeth for three months and then went back to her own home.

Commentaries

• From Matthew Henry's Commentary (c. 1700).

  • "It is very good for those who have the work of grace begun in their souls, to communicate one to another."

• From Wesley's Notes. John Wesley (1703-1791).

  • "And she rejoiced in hope of salvation through faith in him, which is a blessing common to all true believers, more than in being his mother after the flesh,                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   which was an honour peculiar to her."

• From the Commentary on the Whole Bible (Jamieson, Fausset and Brown, 1871).

  • "What beautiful superiority to envy have we here! High as was the distinction conferred upon herself, Elisabeth loses sight of it altogether, in presence of one more honored still; upon whom, with her unborn Babe, in an ecstasy of inspiration, she pronounces a benediction, feeling it to be a wonder unaccountable that 'the mother of her Lord should come to her.'"

• From The People's New Testament, B.W. Johnson, 1891.

  • "These two godly women are the first human prophets of the New Testament."

Pastor’s Notes - What can we say about Mary?

 In Luke's Gospel, the pregnant teenager Mary, the mother of Jesus, moves from the deeply personal to the explicitly political in her famous Magnificat (the first word in the Latin text, "magnifies"). “God,” Mary exclaims, "has been mindful of the humble state of His servant...the Mighty One has done great things for me." This peasant girl who a few months later would bear the Son of God then praises God the Mighty One because He has "brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble. He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty" (Luke 1:48–49, 52–53).

 Protestants emphasize a caveat that both Catholics and Orthodox acknowledge, that Christians honor or venerate (duleia) Mary as the Mother of God, but we do not worship her (latreia), which worship is due to God alone. We give honor to the saints that have gone before us such as Moses, Abraham, Paul, and even more modern theologians such as Thomas Acquinas but hesitate to honor Mary in the same manner. The concern is that we might put Mary on the same level as the savior or cause people to worship her as co-equal with God, perhaps a holdover from previous misunderstandings or Catholic tradition.

           Nevertheless, you might argue that no woman has influenced western history and culture more than Mary. Mary was a woman of exemplary faith. She was a peasant girl from a working class neighborhood of carpenters in Nazareth, a village so insignificant that it is not mentioned in the Old Testament, in the historian Josephus (c. 37–100), or in the Jewish Talmud. "Can anything good come from Nazareth?" asked Nathanael (John 1:46). Her angelic encounter took place in an unknown, ordinary house, not the temple. When the angel Gabriel foretold the birth of her son Jesus, Mary responded in words of faith that have echoed through the centuries: "I am the Lord's servant, may it be to me as you have said." Her bold belief startled her pregnant cousin Elizabeth, who exclaimed "in a loud voice: Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished!"

Catholics remind us of another "Marian" truth that is easy to overlook but nevertheless stupendous. In some mysterious way the incarnation resulted not only from the work of God the Father but also from the will of the Mother Mary. Numerous church fathers acknowledged Mary's active cooperation in the history of salvation. According to Thomas Aquinas (Summa, III:30), human redemption depended upon the consent of the pregnant teenager Mary. She did not ask to bear the Son of God, nor was she compelled to do so. She might have said no, or like Zechariah responded to Gabriel's staggering annunciation in disbelief. But she did not shrink from God's call on her life, and instead enriched all humanity by her willing participation and obedient submission.

Finally, Eastern Orthodox believers emphasize that the son of Mary would be the Son of God, God made flesh, and so they honor her with the technical term theotokos ("bearer of God"). This term theotokos bestowed upon Mary by church fathers since the third century acknowledges her special role in redemption; she is nothing less than the "Mother of God." But when the term gained official status at the third ecumenical council of Ephesus in 431, the intent was to emphasize the full divinity of the son more than the privileged status of his mother. Mary did not give birth to a mere man (christotokos), she bore a child who was fully divine.

Although Luke doesn't elaborate on Mary's reasons for visiting Elizabeth, it's easy to imagine why a girl with a story as crazy-sounding as hers might make such an urgent journey. Tradition tells us that Mary is only thirteen or fourteen years old when the angel Gabriel appears to her. In her cultural and religious context, her pregnancy is a scandal. At best, it renders her an object of scornful gossip. At worst, it places her at risk of death by stoning.

Needless to say, she needs safety, affirmation, empathy, and companionship. She needs someone to recognize, nurture, deepen, and celebrate the work of God in her life. Someone who will receive, not reject. Love, not judge. Nourish, not condemn. She needs sanctuary - a safe place to be until she is ready to again face the world with her new situation.

In this Gospel story, Luke essentially describes the first Christian worship service in history. Mary and Elizabeth — the young and the old, the unmarried and the married, the socially established and the socially vulnerable — finding common ground in their love for Jesus. As Henri Nouwen describes it, "God's most radical intervention into history was listened to and received in community." What a gorgeous and challenging example for us to live up to.

Into this whirlpool of questions comes an outpouring of blessing: "Blessed are you among women," Elizabeth tells Mary, "and blessed is the fruit of your womb." "Blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord."

Elizabeth astutely connects the dots in Mary's story; she makes the connection between trust and blessing. In Elizabeth's mind, Mary's "favored" status has nothing to do with wealth, health, comfort, or ease. Her blessing lies solely in her willingness to trust God and to surrender to God's will. To lean hard into God's promises and believe that they will sustain her, no matter what.

I wonder how desperately Mary needs this blessing by the time she lands on Elizabeth's doorstep, exhausted and scared. How badly she needs someone to remind her that even after the angel leaves, the light fades, and the vision recedes, God's faithfulness remains. My guess is, Mary carries Elizabeth's blessing in her heart for the rest of her life. 

 Once Mary receives both community and blessing, she finds her prophetic voice. At the end of our Gospel reading, she bursts into song. Not just any song, but a radical, hope-drenched song that soars with promise for the world's poor, brokenhearted, and oppressed. Dietrich Bonhoeffer describes the Magnificat this way: "It is at once the most passionate, the wildest, one might even say the most revolutionary Advent hymn ever sung. This is not the gentle, tender, dreamy Mary whom we sometimes see in paintings.... This song has none of the sweet, nostalgic, or even playful tones of some of our Christmas carols. It is instead a hard, strong, inexorable song about the power of God and the powerlessness of humankind."

 As we come to the end of this Advent season, may her words encourage you to receive and share the gifts of community, blessing, and hope. The Messiah is coming! So make haste. Be blessed. And magnify the Lord.

Questions to Ponder

• What darkness, what despair, does Mary’s song bring light and hope to for you in the midst of your life this season?"

• A blessing called sanctuary - a place to go when you are in trouble - "Where will we go, like Mary, to find and receive such a blessing? How will we open our heart, like Elizabeth, to offer it?"

• "Do you have a favorite artistic rendering of Mary? What do you see when you experience it?"

• "Does anything leap for joy within us? Can we feel the stirring of new life? Of age old hopes? Of the impossible longing to become possible?"

May your study be prayer.

Blessings, 

Pastor Michaele

References:

Clendenin, Daniel B. Taking Sides: Reversals. The Journey with Jesus: Notes to Myself. Journey with Jesus Foundation, 2005.

Thomas, Debie. https://www.journeywithjesus.net/essays/2034-a-visit-and-a-song

November 23, 2021

Luke 21:25-36 NRSV

“There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on the earth distress among nations confused by the roaring of the sea and the waves. People will faint from fear and foreboding of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see ‘the Son of Man coming in a cloud’ with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to take place, stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”

Then he told them a parable: “Look at the fig tree and all the trees; as soon as they sprout leaves you can see for yourselves and know that summer is already near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near. Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all things have taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.

“Be on guard so that your hearts are not weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of this life, and that day does not catch you unexpectedly, like a trap. For it will come upon all who live on the face of the whole earth. Be alert at all times, praying that you may have the strength to escape all these things that will take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.”

Luke 21:25-36 NIV

“There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea. People will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken. At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”

He told them this parable: “Look at the fig tree and all the trees. When they sprout leaves, you can see for yourselves and know that summer is near. Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that the kingdom of God is near.

“Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.

 “Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you suddenly like a trap. For it will come on all those who live on the face of the whole earth. Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man.”

Luke 21:25-36 The Message

25-26 “It will seem like all hell has broken loose—sun, moon, stars, earth, sea, in an uproar and everyone all over the world in a panic, the wind knocked out of them by the threat of doom, the powers-that-be quaking.

27-28 “And then—then!—they’ll see the Son of Man welcomed in grand style—a glorious welcome! When all this starts to happen, up on your feet. Stand tall with your heads high. Help is on the way!”

29-33 He told them a story. “Look at a fig tree. Any tree for that matter. When the leaves begin to show, one look tells you that summer is right around the corner. The same here—when you see these things happen, you know God’s kingdom is about here. Don’t brush this off: I’m not just saying this for some future generation, but for this one, too—these things will happen. Sky and earth will wear out; my words won’t wear out.

34-36 “But be on your guard. Don’t let the sharp edge of your expectation get dulled by parties and drinking and shopping. Otherwise, that Day is going to take you by complete surprise, spring on you suddenly like a trap, for it’s going to come on everyone, everywhere, at once. So, whatever you do, don’t fall asleep at the wheel. Pray constantly that you will have the strength and wits to make it through everything that’s coming and end up on your feet before the Son of Man.”

Commentaries

• From the Geneva Notes.

  • "We must be sober and watchful both day and night for the Lord's coming, so that we are not taken unexpectedly."

• From Matthew Henry's Commentary (c. 1700).

  • "When he comes to judge the world, he will redeem all that are his from their troubles."

• From Wesley's Notes. John Wesley (1703-1791).

  • "That ye may be counted worthy - This word sometimes signifies an honour conferred on a person, as when the apostles are said to be counted worthy to suffer shame for Christ, Acts 5:41. Sometimes meet or becoming: as when John the Baptist exhorts, to bring fruits worthy of repentance."

• From the Commentary on the Whole Bible (Jamieson, Fausset and Brown, 1871).

  • "Though the grandeur of this language carries the mind over the head of all periods but that of Christ's second coming, nearly every expression will be found used of the Lord's coming in terrible national judgments, as of Babylon, &c.; and from Lu 21:28, 32, it seems undeniable that its immediate reference was to the destruction of Jerusalem, though its ultimate reference beyond doubt is to Christ's final coming."

Pastor’s Notes

Material from Andrew Prior “Apocolypse When”

What is Luke saying? We naturally read the text about signs of sun and moon and stars as physical events. I think he intends this. But the text is also— perhaps mainly— about fear. The "roaring of sea and waves" is a symbol of the "primordial chaos" becoming resurgent. People "faint from fear and foreboding" is a translation of "breathe out life."

Peoples' breath will be taken away.  In Gen 2:7, human life is connected with breath.  To say that peoples' breath will be taken away is very close to saying that people will die. (John Petty)

Luke's text is about our interior life, and its terror, as much as it speaks about what may happen in the physical world.

At an ordinary Christmas dinner in 1965 I went back to the sideboard to help myself to more desert. Something stopped me. I stood still for so long my mother came to ask if I was all right. I could not answer her. There were no words a ten year old could use.

I had not learned the word apocalypse. It means revelation. At that moment something had been given to me. On that Christmas day there had been an unexpected birth, a sudden insight, new life. Still innocent, the newly born child of my Christmas knew— I knew, with sudden dread— that there was more to life than food and presents. And I began the long, slow apocalypse of a boy child... where the interior life was denied.

I had to learn, to decide, and to choose, whether that which was born in me was a christ-child a little lower than God, or my own private heart of darkness and horror.  

The apocalypse is not some future event, but a present one.  Everyone lives in a situation of impending doom—apocalypse—all the time.  …  At one time or another, for every person on earth, everything that used to feel solid and sure will start to come apart.  Paul Tillich called this "the shaking of the foundations." Jesus said to expect it:  "For it will come upon all the ones dwelling on the face of all the earth." (John Petty)

There were no words then, but I think the solidity of my life began to come apart that Christmas. I learned unknowing.

There is no life without the terrors of the interior. It's why we Australians pilgrimage to the heart of the country; we cannot stay away.

Our rejection of refugees is not really the fear that they will bring the violence of Syria into the country; that is a mere surface distraction, the thing you see when you don’t want to see. What we fear so deeply that we cannot bear to see it, is the breath-taking (Luke 21:26) and heart stopping fear we see on Syrian faces. If we faced their physical destruction and deprivation, we would lose the anaesthesia of our settled lives, and the pretence that life is safe and certain.  The interior would rush to the surface, flooding us with all our years of denial.

To ask who am I is to confess that I don't know anything fundamental. It is a breath away from the crushing knowledge that I one day will not be. Better to bring a TV and microwave for the tent than to discover the Centre is not empty, but full of unwelcome life.

Mark faced such terror as Jerusalem was being destroyed, but there was a comfort. "In those days," as the city fell, the sun would be darkened, they would see “the Son of Man coming in clouds” with great power and glory…. and the elect would be gathered from "the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven." (Mark 13:24-27)

Luke lived with the fact that Jerusalem had fallen, but ten or fifteen years later, the Son of Man had not come. He held to the faith that it would happen. There would be a rescue. That is Luke's great insight and hope. When the signs are clear, don't be afraid. They are good news!  "When these things begin to take place, stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near." (Luke 21:28) Be alert!

Except it has not come, still. Michael Coffey, waiting by the fig tree, laments

now the leaves brown and pirouette to the ground

and the branches look like weapons and the wind blows

through us and we are naked in our waiting in our weakened faith

Yet something about us cannot let go of the hope of him coming.

 so why do we gather still and so, watching twigs sprout and bud

spying every last ficus cariga, eavesdropping to hear if you will curse it

or finally flower all hopes and dreams now shriveled on the branch (op. cit.)

 It is because we are living in apocalypse. For all our comfortable houses, and our shutting of doors to block out the sound of the couple fighting in the street, we are living in the agony of fear and not knowing. It comes through the walls on our TVs. Syria on screen is the Syria in our souls— dissonance, agony, violence, lack of reason, terror.

What frightens me most of all, is that if I despair, I am the violent denier, veins bulging. I refuse life to the child born in me. I do not let him grow to find that apocalypse reveals resurrection and kingdom of God . My despair is but deep repression of my raging terror, tinder for yet more violence.

The text this week is strangely appropriate. We are soon to celebrate the life of the Christ-child. But if we refuse his humanity; that is, if we will not own and live with the terrors of not knowing and the fears of death, how can he save us? For in such a refusal, we refuse the terrors of our being human. We retreat toward the violence of the entirely animal, and exist, unconscious. We do not follow him.

Questions to Ponder

• Do you believe that Christ is coming again? Does it give you hope?

• What does a 'posture of hope' look like for you in the day-to-day? 

• What are those experiences or events which have shaken your world and how do you initially respond? 

• How would you like to respond?

• Do you remember when you, like our author, first realized there was more to Christ’s coming at Christmas than angels and a baby born? How did your heart respond?

• Have you ever stopped to seriously consider that there were still people outside the stable area living in the fear of everyday life even while the Son of God was being sent to provide salvation for all? And that there still are people outside the joy of Christmas living in the apocalyptic conditions of which these verses warn us?

Reference: 

https://onemansweb.org/apocalypse-when-luke-21-25-36.html

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November 16, 2021

Matthew 6:25-33 NRSV

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ For it is the Gentiles who strive for all these things; and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

Matthew 6:25-33 NIV

25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life[a]?

28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

Matthew 6:25-33 MESSAGE

25-26 “If you decide for God, living a life of God-worship, it follows that you don’t fuss about what’s on the table at mealtimes or whether the clothes in your closet are in fashion. There is far more to your life than the food you put in your stomach, more to your outer appearance than the clothes you hang on your body. Look at the birds, free and unfettered, not tied down to a job description, careless in the care of God. And you count far more to him than birds.

27-29 “Has anyone by fussing in front of the mirror ever gotten taller by so much as an inch? All this time and money wasted on fashion—do you think it makes that much difference? Instead of looking at the fashions, walk out into the fields and look at the wildflowers. They never primp or shop, but have you ever seen color and design quite like it? The ten best-dressed men and women in the country look shabby alongside them.

30-33 “If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers—most of which are never even seen—don’t you think he’ll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you? What I’m trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God’s giving. People who don’t know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met.

Commentaries

Powery, Emerson. Commentary on Matthew 6. https://www.workingpreacher.org/commentaries/revised-common-lectionary/eighth-sunday-after-epiphany/commentary-on-matthew-624-34

Jesus recognizes the problem of possessions for his first-century audience.

He challenges people to take a position on wealth, a potential threat to God (6:24). In this regard, he operates in the spirit of the prophet Amos.  The power of this alternative god is as real today as it was in the first century.  Wealth competes with God for the human heart.  Capitalism is one of the serious challenges for contemporary Christians.  Failure to recognize the class divisions our economic system perpetuates coincides with a distortion of the meaning of Jesus’ famous prayer.  The language of forgiveness (i.e., “forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors” 6:13) is understood falsely as only an internal spiritual condition rather than an external action of debt relief.

• "God Cares about Money (Matt 5:1-2; 6:19-21, 24-33)," John C. Purdy. Chapter 6 of God With a Human Face (1993), republished at Religion Online.

  • "If our trust is expressed as obedience, then we will not worry unduly about food, shelter, and clothing. If we take care of the things God cares about, God will take care of the money. God really does care for money - in the most practical, matter-of-fact sense."

  •  

• Kingdom Priorities-Verse Commentary on Matthew 6:19-34, Jirair Tashjian Christian Resource Institute.

  • "In these statements, the distinction is not between soul and body. Hebraic thought, unlike Greek philosophy, did not make such a distinction. The distinction is rather between a life which has meaning and purpose derived from God and a life that is merely concerned with the drudgery of daily existence."

Pastor’s Notes

We worry about the things in our lives we cannot see; and yet faith, according to St. Augustine, "is believing what you cannot see, and the reward of faith is seeing what you have believed."  "Worry" is the optimum word.  Worry and anxiety are synonymous, and anxiety is the curse of our century.  We worry about things we cannot control, and sometimes we worry about not being able to just be in control.  Many times we worry just for the sake of worrying.

Getting our thinking right is what is important in life.  After all, both John the Baptist and Jesus began their preaching ministries with the word "repent."  What does it mean to repent, but to develop a new way of thinking--to turn from your old way of thinking and devote yourself to kingdom thinking.

The answer lies first in striving for the Kingdom of God--a kingdom not of power, not of might, but a kingdom of mercy, justice, and grace.  It is a kingdom of forgiveness and love, where prejudice is unheard of, and pride and conceit, they just plain do not exist.  It is a kingdom where greed is absent.

We find ourselves striving to prepare for the future, for tomorrow, without really living in the present.  Yet the present determines how we plan for our future and how we profit from the mistakes of the past. 

I find Jesus to be again telling us to get our priorities in order and let God renew our minds so that we see, think, and act as God would have us to be. Worry changes nothing about our situation but does rob us of the joy of the moment, the lessons of the past, and the vision of our future.

Questions to Ponder

1. What other things do people worry about today besides clothing and money?

2. What are some things which you worry about?

3. What should we do instead of worrying?

4. What does it mean to seek first His kingdom? How can we do this? Can you give a specific example?

5. What is the difference between planning and worrying?

Let us pray.  Great God, I thank you for today, for this moment, for this present that we have.  The present is a gift from you that each of us in our lives must use to its very best.  Help us to seek first your kingdom right now, in the present, and to fill our lives with kingdom thoughts so that every today and every tomorrow is better because our today has been lived well.  In Jesus' name.  Amen. 

Blessings

Pastor Michaele

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Tuesday Bible Study November 9, 2021

Mark 13:1-8 NRSV

13As he came out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Look, Teacher, what large stones and what large buildings!” 2 Then Jesus asked him, “Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone will be left here upon another; all will be thrown down.”

3When he was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked him privately, 4“Tell us, when will this be, and what will be the sign that all these things are about to be accomplished?” 5 Then Jesus began to say to them, “Beware that no one leads you astray. 6 Many will come in my name and say, ‘I am he!’ and they will lead many astray. 7When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed; this must take place, but the end is still to come. 8 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be earthquakes in various places; there will be famines. This is but the beginning of the birth pangs.

Mark 13:1-8 NIV

13 As Jesus was leaving the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Look, Teacher! What massive stones! What magnificent buildings!”

2 “Do you see all these great buildings?” replied Jesus. “Not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.”

3 As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John and Andrew asked him privately, 4 “Tell us, when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are all about to be fulfilled?”

5 Jesus said to them: “Watch out that no one deceives you. 6 Many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am he,’ and will deceive many. 7 When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 8 Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places, and famines. These are the beginning of birth pains.

Mark 13:1-8 The Message

13:1 As he walked away from the Temple, one of his disciples said, “Teacher, look at that stonework! Those buildings!”

2 Jesus said, “You’re impressed by this grandiose architecture? There’s not a stone in the whole works that is not going to end up in a heap of rubble.”

3-4 Later, as he was sitting on Mount Olives in full view of the Temple, Peter, James, John, and Andrew got him off by himself and asked, “Tell us, when is this going to happen? What sign will we get that things are coming to a head?”

5-8 Jesus began, “Watch out for doomsday deceivers. Many leaders are going to show up with forged identities claiming, ‘I’m the One.’ They will deceive a lot of people. When you hear of wars and rumored wars, keep your head and don’t panic. This is routine history, and no sign of the end. Nation will fight nation and ruler fight ruler, over and over. Earthquakes will occur in various places. There will be famines. But these things are nothing compared to what’s coming.

Commentaries

• From the Geneva Notes.

  • "The destruction of the temple, city, and whole nation is foretold, and the troubles of the Church: but yet there are many comforts added, and last of all, the end of the world is described."

• From Matthew Henry's Commentary.

  • "See how little Christ values outward pomp, where there is not real purity of heart. He looks with pity upon the ruin of precious souls, and weeps over them, but we do not find him look with pity upon the ruin of a fine house. Let us then be reminded how needful it is for us to have a more lasting abode in heaven, and to be prepared for it by the influences of the Holy Spirit, sought in the earnest use of all the means of grace."

• From Wesley's Notes.

  • "Two questions are here asked; the one concerning the destruction of Jerusalem: the other concerning the end of the world."

• From the Commentary on the Whole Bible (Jamieson, Fausset and Brown, 1871).

  • "They no doubt looked upon the date of all these things as one and the same, and their notions of the things themselves were as confused as of the times of them. Our Lord takes His own way of meeting their questions."

• Commentary, textual points, and illustration idea, Scott Hoezee, Center for Excellence in Preaching, 2015.

  • "About the time we think we do have it all cased, we may bring to Jesus our prize cause or idea or project and like excited children lay it before him. Mark 13 reminds us, however, that when we do so, there is at least a chance that what we'll get from Jesus by way of a response might just cause the looks on our faces to change rather swiftly!"

• "The Pony under the Pile," Alyce M. McKenzie, Edgy Exegesis, 2012.

  • "[Winston Churchill] He also offered this advice in the darkest days of World War II: 'If you're going through hell, keep going.' This saying is an apt summary of the good news that is to be found beneath the pile of fears and famines, pains and persecutions of Mark 13."

Pastor’sNotes Olivet Discourse

A. The destruction of the temple and its implications.

1. (Mar 13:1-2) Jesus predicts the destruction of the temple.

Then as He went out of the temple, one of His disciples said to Him, “Teacher, see what manner of stones and what buildings are here!” And Jesus answered and said to him, “Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone shall be left upon another, that shall not be thrown down.”

a. Teacher, see what manner of stones and what buildings are here! The disciples seemed like tourists amazed at the sites of the city of Jerusalem. They had good reason to be amazed, because the temple compound, as remodeled by Herod the Great, was one of the magnificent structures of the ancient world. The Jewish people were justifiably proud of this great building.

i. This temple was originally rebuilt by Zerubbabel and Ezra (Ezra 6:15) but greatly expanded and improved by Herod. It was the center of Jewish life for almost 1,000 years – so much so, that it was customary to swear by the temple (Matthew 23:16), and speaking against the temple could be considered blasphemy (Acts 6:13).

ii. After Herod’s work, the temple was huge – nearly 500 yards long and 400 yards wide. Herod’s rebuilding started in 19 b.c., and was not completed until 63 a.d., taking more than 80 years. The magnificent temple compound was finished only seven years before it was destroyed.

iii. The beauty of the ancient temple is well documented. The Jewish historian Josephus says that the temple was covered on the outside with gold plates that were so brilliant that when the sun shone it was blinding. Where there wasn’t gold, there were blocks of marble of such a pure white that from a distance strangers thought there was snow on the temple.

iv. The comment of the disciples – see what manner of stones and what buildings are here – is especially appropriate given the massive stones Herod used in building the temple. Today, tourists can see some of these massive stones, at least the ones used to build merely the retaining wall for the temple compound. These cut, quarried blocks of limestone are so big – some 50 feet wide, 25 feet high, and 15 feet deep – that most modern construction cranes could not lift them.

v. As great as the temple was, Jesus never hesitated to claim that He was greater than the temple (Matthew 12:5). For many Jews of that day, the temple had become an idol – it subtly began to mean more to the people than God Himself meant. The temple was a good thing, but good things can become the worst idols. Sometimes God sours even good things if we allow them to become our idols.

b. Not one stone shall be left upon another, that shall not be thrown down: Some 40 years after Jesus said this there was a widespread Jewish revolution against the Romans in Palestine, and the rebels enjoyed many early successes. But ultimately, Rome crushed the Jews of that day. Jerusalem was leveled, including the temple – just as Jesus said.

i. It is said that at the fall of Jerusalem, the last surviving Jews of the city fled to the temple because it was the strongest and most secure building remaining. Roman soldiers surrounded it, and one drunken soldier started a fire that soon engulfed the whole building. Ornate gold detail work in the roof melted down in the cracks between the stone walls of the temple. To retrieve the gold, the Roman commander ordered that the temple be dismantled stone by stone. The destruction was so complete that today researchers have some difficulty learning exactly where the temple was.

ii. “Now, as soon as the army had no more people to kill or plunder... Caesar gave orders that they should now demolish the entire city and temple... this was the end which Jerusalem came to.” (Josephus, Wars of the Jews, 7.1.1) Interestingly, Josephus tells us that the Romans never intended to destroy the temple, but were driven to it by the fierceness of Jewish opposition and by accident. (Wars of the Jews, 6.4)

iii. The literal fulfillment of this prophecy establishes the tone for the rest of the prophecies in the chapter. We should expect a literal fulfillment for these other prophecies also.

2. (Mar 13:3-4) Jesus’ prediction brings up two questions in the minds of His disciples.

Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked Him privately, “Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign when all these things will be fulfilled?”

a. As He sat on the Mount of Olives: The Mount of Olives is a hill that rises above the temple mount. Between the temple mount and the Mount of Olives lies a small valley, the Kidron Valley. From the Mount of Olives is a dramatic view of the temple mount.

b. Tell us, when will these things be? As Jesus sat with His disciples on the Mount of Olives, they could see the majestic structure of the temple. With this view, the first question in the mind of the disciples was about the destruction of the temple. Jesus said it would be destroyed, and they wanted to know when. Mark does not record Jesus’ answer to this first question, but Luke does in Luke 21:8-23.

c. What will be the sign when all these things will be fulfilled? The second question is answered in the remainder of Mark 13.

i. This question was asked perhaps as they remembered the events surrounding the last temple’s destruction: the temple was destroyed in the context of national judgment and exile. If the temple will be destroyed, then what will become of Israel and the Jews?

B. The flow of history until Jesus’ return.

1. (Mar 13:5-8) Jesus describes general world conditions during the period between His Ascension and the time immediately preceding His Second Coming.

And Jesus, answering them, began to say: “Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am He,’ and will deceive many. But when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be troubled; for such things must happen, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be earthquakes in various places, and there will be famines and troubles. These are the beginnings of sorrows.”

a. Take heed that no one deceives you: Jesus warns of the danger of false messiahs who come in His name. They will pretend to be Jesus or representatives of Jesus, but they will not be true representatives of Jesus.

b. Wars and rumors of wars: Jesus reminded us that before He returned there would be many wars and threats of war on the earth. In troubled times, many people assume that the end of the age is near, but Jesus said that wars and rumors of wars are not signs of the end.

i. “Our Lord’s outlook upon this age was not that of one in which there should be a gradual cessation of strife between the nations, by the victory of the preaching of His Gospel, until the whole earth should be reduced by that preaching to a condition of peace.” (Morgan)

c. Such things must happen, but the end is not yet: Things such as false messiahs, wars, famines and earthquakes have certainly marked man’s history since the time of Jesus’ Ascension. In effect, Jesus said, “Catastrophes will happen, but these do not signal the end.”

i. Man has often thought that such things would signal the end, but Jesus would point to a more specific sign to watch for.

d. These are the beginning of sorrows: Jesus said these calamites were not specific signs of the end, but were the beginning of sorrows, which is literally the beginning of labor pains. The idea is both of giving birth to a new age, and perhaps implying an increase of intensity and frequency in these calamities.

Questions to Ponder:

• "What is the good news in a lesson like this one? How would you share that message with others?"

• "How do you hear Jesus' words today? Is it fair to equate the smaller ways in which our worlds 'come to an end' with what he speaks of now? Why or why not?"

Final Thought

I don't know exactly what to make of lessons like these.  Wars and rumors of wars, earthquakes and famines have been headlines on the evening news for as long as I have been paying attention. And yet in and through it all, it seems that Jesus is no closer to returning than he was the first time I thought to ponder it.  So perhaps, in the end, part of the gift that is ours to receive from words like those in our lesson now is the promise and the certainty that even though we don't fully understand how,  in and through the worst that happens, God is still active --- if not in it and through it then in spite of it.  Or perhaps words like these call us to simply stand still in the certainty that in fact, no matter what, we are called to always keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, lest we be distracted or misled by others who would claim to be him.

The disciples were still enthralled with the impressive work of men's hands, even if those hands were the evil hands of Herod. They were indeed distracted, So we hear Jesus' real message of, "Watch out" calling them and us back to what is impressive to God.

To all the Saints at Kanapaha - blessings.

Pastor Michaele 

References:

Guzik, David. https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/guzik_david/StudyGuide2017-Mar/Mar-13.cfm)

Hunt, Jane.thttp://words.dancingwiththeword.com/2012/11/looking-in-wrong-direction.html

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Life after Death - A Study for All Saints Day October 26, 2021

Scriptures

John 11:32-44 NRSV

When Mary came where Jesus was and saw him, she knelt at his feet and said to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, he was greatly disturbed in spirit and deeply moved. He said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Lord, come and see.” Jesus began to weep.  So the Jews said, “See how he loved him!” But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?” Then Jesus, again greatly disturbed, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone was lying against it. Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, “Lord, already there is a stench because he has been dead four days.” Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?” So they took away the stone. And Jesus looked upward and said, “Father, I thank you for having heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I have said this for the sake of the crowd standing here, so that they may believe that you sent me.” When he had said this, he cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with strips of cloth, and his face wrapped in a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.” Many of the Jews therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what Jesus did, believed in him.

John 11:32-44 The Message

Mary came to where Jesus was waiting and fell at his feet, saying, “Master, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died.”

33-34 When Jesus saw her sobbing and the Jews with her sobbing, a deep anger welled up within him. He said, “Where did you put him?”

34-35 “Master, come and see,” they said. Now Jesus wept.

36 The Jews said, “Look how deeply he loved him.”

37 Others among them said, “Well, if he loved him so much, why didn’t he do something to keep him from dying? After all, he opened the eyes of a blind man.”

38-39 Then Jesus, the anger again welling up within him, arrived at the tomb. It was a simple cave in the hillside with a slab of stone laid against it. Jesus said, “Remove the stone.”

The sister of the dead man, Martha, said, “Master, by this time there’s a stench. He’s been dead four days!”

40 Jesus looked her in the eye. “Didn’t I tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?”

41-42 Then, to the others, “Go ahead, take away the stone.”

They removed the stone. Jesus raised his eyes to heaven and prayed, “Father, I’m grateful that you have listened to me. I know you always do listen, but on account of this crowd standing here I’ve spoken so that they might believe that you sent me.”

43-44 Then he shouted, “Lazarus, come out!” And he came out, a cadaver, wrapped from head to toe, and with a kerchief over his face.

Jesus told them, “Unwrap him and let him loose.”

Revelation 21:1-6   NRSV

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “See, the home of God is among mortals. He will dwell with them as their God; they will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them; he will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more, for the first things have passed away.” And the one who was seated on the throne said, “See, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this, for these words are trustworthy and true.” Then he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give water as a gift from the spring of the water of life.

Rev 21:1-6 NIV

21 Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,”[a] for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’[b] or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

5 He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”

6 He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life.

Rev 21:1-6 The Message

1 I saw Heaven and earth new-created. Gone the first Heaven, gone the first earth, gone the sea. 2 I saw Holy Jerusalem, new-created, descending resplendent out of Heaven, as ready for God as a bride for her husband. 3-5 I heard a voice thunder from the Throne: “Look! Look! God has moved into the neighborhood, making his home with men and women! They’re his people, he’s their God. He’ll wipe every tear from their eyes. Death is gone for good—tears gone, crying gone, pain gone—all the first order of things gone.” The Enthroned continued, “Look! I’m making everything new. Write it all down—each word dependable and accurate.” 6-8 Then he said, “It’s happened. I’m A to Z. I’m the Beginning, I’m the Conclusion. From Water-of-Life Well I give freely to the thirsty.

With All Saints Day upon us it seems appropriate to look into our beliefs about life after death. The Gospel reading assures us that even those who have died and departed this world are alive in the presence of God. This must be true or else Jesus would have not been able to call Lazarus back to this world. But Lazarus does return to this life at the sound of his name ringing through eternity. It was a good thing that Jesus called him by name, for we know that one day in the future the power of God will call forth all those who have ever lived and we will return to our true home.

An Authorized Look into the Life Beyond (from the Writings of Harold Bryson)

Every few years the great popularity of a movie like Heaven Can Wait (1943; remade 1978) or book like Don Piper’s 90 Minutes in Heaven: A True Story of Life & Death (2004) reminds us how much people want to know about what happens to them after they die. “Inquirers could better turn to divine revelation for this kind of insight,” writes Harold Bryson. In the apocalyptic visions of John the Revelator, the “expressions ‘a new heaven and a new earth’ and ‘the new Jerusalem’ give us insight into what believers call heaven.”

What John sees—“a new heaven and a new earth”—is not a replaced, but a redeemed heaven and earth. They teem with life precisely because the impediments to life with God and his people are overcome, and the obstacles to intimacy are removed. Intimacy with God does not exist in isolation; it involves community relationships with all those who love and serve God. 

Meditation - Story as told by Dorothee Soelle 

Rabbi Mendel wanted to know what heaven and hell looked like, and the prophet Elijah took him to show him. Elijah led him into a large room where a big fire was burning and where there was a large table with a huge pot of spoons that were longer than their arms, and because the people could not eat with these spoons, they sat around the table and starved. Rabbi Mendel found this room and what he saw there so terrible that he quickly ran outside…. Then Elijah took Rabbi Mendel to heaven and into another large room where a big fire was burning and where there was a large table with a big pot of steaming soup on it. Around the table sat people with the same spoons, but they did not have to starve because they were feeding each other. 

.

John’s striking images must be handled with care. Initially Bryson interpreted them, as many people today are tempted to do, in an individualist and consumerist way. “I once sang about a beautiful place with streets of gold and gates of pearl. I even thought of having a mansion in heaven,” he admits. But now he realizes that John’s visions betoken:  incredible intimacy with God. John describes the New Jerusalem as coming down from heaven like “a bride adorned for her husband” (21:2b). The rejuvenated city is teeming with life “precisely because all of the impediments to life with God and his people are overcome, and all of the obstacles to intimacy are removed,” Bryson observes. This “intimacy with God does not exist in isolation; it with all those who love and serve God.”  perfect relationships with people. In the immense city that sports elaborate walls, foundations, and gates (21:9-27), God announces, “See, I am making all things new” (21:5b). Bryson realizes that John “did not have the mind of an architect or a decorator, but of a theologian…. [The city’s] newness is in the regard to the redemption of human relationships.”  complete wellness. The inhabitants of the city shed no more tears, for death and pain have “passed away” (21:4b).  total absence of evil. “Life on earth is never ideal because of the continual presence of self will, self trust, and self assertion in everybody’s life.” ... Believers experience an existence free from their own selfishness and from the self centeredness of others.” “I once thought about heaven in terms of what I would do and see there,” Bryson concludes. “Now, because of Scripture, I think of heaven in terms of...intimacy with God and with God’s people.”

• Incredible intimacy with God. John describes the New Jerusalem as coming down from heaven like “a bride adorned for her husband” (21:2b). The rejuvenated city is teeming with life “precisely because all of the impediments to life with God and his people are overcome, and all of the obstacles to intimacy are removed,” Bryson observes. This “intimacy with God does not exist in isolation; it with all those who love and serve God.”  

• Perfect relationships with people. In the immense city that sports elaborate walls, foundations, and gates (21:9-27), God announces,  “See, I am making all things new” (21:5b). Bryson realizes that John “did not have the mind of an architect or a decorator, but of a theologian…. [The city’s] newness is in the regard to the redemption of human relationships.”  

• Complete wellness. The inhabitants of the city shed no more tears, for death and pain have “passed away” (21:4b).  

• Total absence of evil. “Life on earth is never ideal because of the continual presence of self will, self trust, and self assertion in everybody’s life.” 

Questions to Ponder:

1. Harold Bryson notes that we are often so caught up in the present that we do not think much about the past or future. Yet, some events do cause us to ask “What is life like beyond the grave?”When have you reflected on this question? Did it leave you comforted?

2. Of the four aspects of the New Jerusalem that Bryson notes, which is most appealing to you? How is it opposed to the individualist and consumerist lives we lead? 

3. How did the meditation—a rabbinic story about Rabbi Mendel’s glimpse into hell and heaven—enhance the insights in John’s vision of the New Jerusalem in Revelation 21:1-8.

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This place of intimacy that we call heaven is the home to all saints. In the Bible to be called a “Saint” refers not to a special Christian; rather it identifies those who refer to Jesus as special; that is, those who call Jesus the Christ, are called saints. Those who claim Jesus as God’s way for the world are those who are set apart to live the Jesus way. We become saints not because of our goodness but because of God’s goodness. We are set apart as followers of Christ because of God’s action seen and understood and claimed in Christ. On All Saints Day in a local congregation we may well name as a Saint someone who is widely known to have been less than an exemplary Christian. But don’t we all fall short of the glory of God? Paul called the church in Corinth Saints. He also calls them sexually immoral and lots of other negative things. They were not Saints because they lived holy lives but because Jesus gave his life to redeem them.

To all the Saints at Kanapaha - blessings.

Pastor Michaele 

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Tuesday Bible Study KPC October 12, 2021

Mark 10:35-45 NRSV

35James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came forward to him and said to him, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.” 36And he said to them, “What is it you want me to do for you?” 37 And they said to him, “Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.” 38But Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?” 39They replied, “We are able.” Then Jesus said to them, “The cup that I drink you will drink; and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized; 40but to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared.”

41When the ten heard this, they began to be angry with James and John. 42So Jesus called them and said to them, “You know that among the Gentiles those whom they recognize as their rulers lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. 43But it is not so among you; but whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, 44and whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all. 45For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.”

Mark 10:35-45 NIV

 Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him. “Teacher,” they said, “we want you to do for us whatever we ask.”

36 “What do you want me to do for you?” he asked. 37 They replied, “Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory.”

38 “You don’t know what you are asking,” Jesus said. “Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?” 39 “We can,” they answered. Jesus said to them, “You will drink the cup I drink and be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with, 40 but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared.”

41 When the ten heard about this, they became indignant with James and John. 42 Jesus called them together and said, “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. 43 Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 44 and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. 45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Mark 10:35-45      Message

 James and John, Zebedee’s sons, came up to him. “Teacher, we have something we want you to do for us.”  “What is it? I’ll see what I can do.” 37 “Arrange it,” they said, “so that we will be awarded the highest places of honor in your glory—one of us at your right, the other at your left.”

38 Jesus said, “You have no idea what you’re asking. Are you capable of drinking the cup I drink, of being baptized in the baptism I’m about to be plunged into?”

39-40 “Sure,” they said. “Why not?”

Jesus said, “Come to think of it, you will drink the cup I drink, and be baptized in my baptism. But as to awarding places of honor, that’s not my business. There are other arrangements for that.”

41-45 When the other ten heard of this conversation, they lost their tempers with James and John. Jesus got them together to settle things down. “You’ve observed how godless rulers throw their weight around,” he said, “and when people get a little power how quickly it goes to their heads. It’s not going to be that way with you. Whoever wants to be great must become a servant. Whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave. That is what the Son of Man has done: He came to serve, not to be served—and then to give away his life in exchange for many who are held hostage.”

Commentaries

• From the Geneva Notes.

  • "The magistrates according to God's appointment rule over their subjects: but the pastors are not called to rule, but to serve according to the example of the Son of God himself who went before them, for in doing such he also was a minister of his Father's will."

• From Matthew Henry's Commentary.

  • "If Jesus would gratify all our desires, it would soon appear that we desire fame or authority, and are unwilling to taste of his cup, or to have his baptism; and should often be ruined by having our prayers answered. But he loves us, and will only give his people what is good for them."

• From Wesley's Notes.

  • "Them who by patient continuance in well doing, seek for glory, and honour, and immortality. For these only eternal life is prepared. To these, only he will give it in that day; and to every man his own reward, according to his own labour."

• From the Commentary on the Whole Bible (Jamieson, Fausset and Brown, 1871).

  • "In the kingdom about to be set up, this principle shall have no place. All My servants shall there be equal; and the only greatness known to it shall be the greatness of humility and devotedness to the service of others. He that goes down the deepest in these services of self-denying humility shall rise the highest and hold the chiefest place in that kingdom; even as the Son of man, whose abasement and self-sacrifice for others, transcending all, gives Him of right a place above all!"

Pastor’s Notes

Many of us have our own ideas of what the Kingdom of God will be like - James and John apparently had their ideas. From today’s reading we have the impression that they felt they were ready to rule with Jesus after a few years of walking the roadways in his shadow. We read last week Jesus’ promise that ‘those who have given up houses and lands will be rewarded in this life and in the world to come they will have everlasting life.’ James and John seem to think that they are ready to collect on those promises. They ask Jesus for seats of honor in his kingdom. Jesus in so many words tells them they are not ready.Then there is the discussion of what it will cost to follow Jesus in his suffering. (recall that Jesus also promised persecution). In the end Jesus tells them that only God decides the divine seating arrangement. 

I have often wondered about that seat at the right hand of Jesus in the kingdom. Were James and John aware that they were asking to take God’s seat? Scripture tells us that Jesus sat down on the right hand of the Father and we know what that seat cost him in this world. God is seated to Jesus’ left.  And yet they thought they were ready. They had no idea.

We talked last week about counting the cost of discipleship and the way to heaven. What is the cost? Suffering? Humility? Self-abasement? Service to others? Perhaps like James and John, you and I are only at the beginning of understanding the demands of this call to follow Jesus. And no, maybe none of us will ever get it completely right. At the same time, we are so blessed to have in Jesus the perfect model of what this journey looks like at its most faithful. 

As we approach “All Saints Day” we will remember others in history who impacted the church’s journey to this point.

And yes, we are also fortunate to be able to look back on our personal lives to see others, who embraced what it was to follow Jesus. Many of those who followed faithfully were servants to those of their time - they served others as Christ served. They did not think it was beneath them to become servants to God and God’s people.

Jesus says the greatest will be the servant of all. How are you doing?

Questions to Ponder

• What does it mean to be a servant? Who taught you what it is to serve?

• Can you be both church leader and servant of all?

• What examples can you offer of those who have drank the cup that Jesus drank or were baptized with his baptism? How does their witness inform your life? 

• How do the words of Jesus now shape your understanding of what it is to follow him? What will it mean to you to be baptized with his baptism or to drink the cup that Jesus drank?   How shall you be a servant?

Tuesday Bible Study 10.05.2021

Gospel Mark 10:17-31 NRSV

Mark 10:17-31

17As he was setting out on a journey, a man ran up and knelt before him, and asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 18Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. 19You know the commandments: ‘You shall not murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; You shall not defraud; Honor your father and mother.’” 20He said to him, “Teacher, I have kept all these since my youth.” 21Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said, “You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” 22When he heard this, he was shocked and went away grieving, for he had many possessions.

23Then Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!” 24And the disciples were perplexed at these words. But Jesus said to them again, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! 25It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” 26They were greatly astounded and said to one another, “Then who can be saved?” 27Jesus looked at them and said, “For mortals it is impossible, but not for God; for God all things are possible.”

28Peter began to say to him, “Look, we have left everything and followed you.” 29Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields, for my sake and for the sake of the good news, 30 who will not receive a hundredfold now in this age—houses, brothers and sisters, mothers and children, and fields with persecutions—and in the age to come eternal life. 31 But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.”

Mark 10:17-31 NIV

17 As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. “Good teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

18 “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone. 19 You know the commandments: ‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, you shall not defraud, honor your father and mother.’[a]”

20 “Teacher,” he declared, “all these I have kept since I was a boy.”

21 Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

22 At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth.

23 Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!”

24 The disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said again, “Children, how hard it is[b] to enter the kingdom of God! 25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”

26 The disciples were even more amazed, and said to each other, “Who then can be saved?”

27 Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.”

28 Then Peter spoke up, “We have left everything to follow you!”

29 “Truly I tell you,” Jesus replied, “no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel 30 will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age: homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields—along with persecutions—and in the age to come eternal life. 31 But many who are first will be last, and the last first.”

Mark 10:17-31 Message

17 As he went out into the street, a man came running up, greeted him with great reverence, and asked, “Good Teacher, what must I do to get eternal life?”

18-19 Jesus said, “Why are you calling me good? No one is good, only God. You know the commandments: Don’t murder, don’t commit adultery, don’t steal, don’t lie, don’t cheat, honor your father and mother.”

20 He said, “Teacher, I have—from my youth—kept them all!”

21 Jesus looked him hard in the eye—and loved him! He said, “There’s one thing left: Go sell whatever you own and give it to the poor. All your wealth will then be heavenly wealth. And come follow me.”

22 The man’s face clouded over. This was the last thing he expected to hear, and he walked off with a heavy heart. He was holding on tight to a lot of things, and not about to let go.

23-25 Looking at his disciples, Jesus said, “Do you have any idea how difficult it is for people who ‘have it all’ to enter God’s kingdom?” The disciples couldn’t believe what they were hearing, but Jesus kept on: “You can’t imagine how difficult. I’d say it’s easier for a camel to go through a needle’s eye than for the rich to get into God’s kingdom.”

26 That got their attention. “Then who has any chance at all?” they asked.

27 Jesus was blunt: “No chance at all if you think you can pull it off by yourself. Every chance in the world if you let God do it.”

28 Peter tried another angle: “We left everything and followed you.”

29-31 Jesus said, “Mark my words, no one who sacrifices house, brothers, sisters, mother, father, children, land—whatever—because of me and the Message will lose out. They’ll get it all back, but multiplied many times in homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and land—but also in troubles. And then the bonus of eternal life! This is once again the Great Reversal: Many who are first will end up last, and the last first.”

Commentaries

• "Money," sermon discussion from Frederick Buechner, Frederick Buechner Blog.

  • "Jesus says that it's easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God. Maybe the reason is not that the rich are so wicked they're kept out of the place but that they're so out of touch with reality they can't see it's a place worth getting into."

• Holy Textures, Understanding the Bible in its own time and in ours, Mark 10:17-31, David Ewart, 2012.

  • "If we imagine Jesus looking at and loving us, I wonder what is the 'one thing missing' he would see. And what is it that he would ask us to do in order to finally be fully following him?"

• Exegetical Notes by Brian Stoffregen at CrossMarks Christian Resources.

  • "Perhaps... the problem was his attitude towards the 'many possessions' -- that they were symbols of having been blessed by God. He couldn't give up these symbols of his 'good' life in order to receive the heavenly treasure."

Pastor’s Notes

Jesus was saying that it was nearly impossible for a person that trusted in their own riches to be born again spiritually. But with God, all things are possible! 

Now Jesus wasn’t referring to a sewing needle when he talked about a camel going through the eye of a needle. The “eye of a needle” was referring to a small gate within the larger gate at the entrance to a city. It was common to build an ordinary door in the huge gate so that common folks could go and come in the city without leaving the large gate wide open all the time. But here’s the catch: For a camel to get in, he would have to take off the burden of all he was carrying on his back, and kneel down and crawl through the door. So Jesus was comparing the rich young rulers' many possessions as a burden to him. He was giving his treasure more importance than service to God. He had made an idol out of his money. For that reason, he went away very troubled at what Jesus told him. He was unwilling to change his ways and kneel to God.

The disciples were wondering who then can be saved? Jesus responded that it was impossible for men to save themselves. We need God’s help. Jesus is the answer. If we want to be saved, we must look to Jesus for our salvation. That’s what Jesus meant when he said for with God all things are possible. Jesus wants to help us with our burdens in life, the things that are pulling us down and keeping us from being all we can be for God. If we give up trying to do it all by ourselves, and rely on him, God will give us all we need.

Question to Ponder

1. What are you trying to do all by yourself? 

2. Have you given something or someone more importance than God?

3. "I am fascinated by the rich man who kneels at the feet of Jesus today. Is it possible that he actually believes he has kept all the commandments all of his life? Is this arrogance or eagerness? What do you think?"

Tuesday Bible Study KPC 9.27.2021

Gospel Mark 10:2-16 NRSV

2Some Pharisees came, and to test him they asked, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?" 3He answered them, "What did Moses command you?" they said, "Moses allowed a man to write a certificate of dismissal and to divorce her." 5But Jesus said to them, "Because of your hardness of heart he wrote this commandment for you. 6But from the beginning of creation, 'God made them male and female.' 7'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, 8and the two shall become one flesh.' So they are no longer two, but one flesh. therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate."

10Then in the house the disciples asked him again about this matter. 11He said to them, "Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her; 12and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery."

13 People were bringing little children to him in order that he might touch them; and the disciples spoke sternly to them. 14 But when Jesus saw this, he was indignant and said to them, "Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs. 15Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it." 16And he took them up in his arms, laid his hands on them, and blessed them.

Mark 10:2-16 NIV

2 Some Pharisees came and tested him by asking, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?”

3 “What did Moses command you?” he replied.

4 They said, “Moses permitted a man to write a certificate of divorce and send her away.”

5 “It was because your hearts were hard that Moses wrote you this law,” Jesus replied. 6 “But at the beginning of creation God ‘made them male and female.’[a] 7 ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife,[b] 8 and the two will become one flesh.’[c] So they are no longer two, but one flesh. 9 Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.”

10 When they were in the house again, the disciples asked Jesus about this. 11 He answered, “Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery against her. 12 And if she divorces her husband and marries another man, she commits adultery.”

13 People were bringing little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them, but the disciples rebuked them. 14 When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. 15 Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” 16 And he took the children in his arms, placed his hands on them and blessed them.

Mark 10:2-16 Message

10 1-2 From there he went to the area of Judea across the Jordan. A crowd of people, as was so often the case, went along, and he, as he so often did, taught them. Pharisees came up, intending to give him a hard time. They asked, “Is it legal for a man to divorce his wife?”

3 Jesus said, “What did Moses command?”

4 They answered, “Moses gave permission to fill out a certificate of dismissal and divorce her.”

5-9 Jesus said, “Moses wrote this command only as a concession to your hardhearted ways. In the original creation, God made male and female to be together. Because of this, a man leaves father and mother, and in marriage he becomes one flesh with a woman—no longer two individuals, but forming a new unity. Because God created this organic union of the two sexes, no one should desecrate his art by cutting them apart.”

10-12 When they were back home, the disciples brought it up again. Jesus gave it to them straight: “A man who divorces his wife so he can marry someone else commits adultery against her. And a woman who divorces her husband so she can marry someone else commits adultery.”

13-16 The people brought children to Jesus, hoping he might touch them. The disciples shooed them off. But Jesus was irate and let them know it: “Don’t push these children away. Don’t ever get between them and me. These children are at the very center of life in the kingdom. Mark this: Unless you accept God’s kingdom in the simplicity of a child, you’ll never get in.” Then, gathering the children up in his arms, he laid his hands of blessing on them.

Commentaries

• "Communities of the Broken and the Blessed," David Lose, ...in the Meantime, 2015.

  • "It's a community, in other words, of those who know their need and seek to be in relationship with each other because they have learned that by being in honest and open relationship with each other they are in relationship with God, the very one who created them for each other in the first place."

• Dependence Needs, Karline Lewis, Working Preacher, 2015.

  • "This is an opportunity to preach the absolute necessity of dependence, which the Genesis text suggests is a fundamental characteristic of God."

• "Legal, Intended and Permitted,'" D Mark Davis, raw translation and exegesis/questions, Left Behind and Loving It, 2012.

  • "At this point, the original question posed by the Pharisees has been answered and it is the answer that they knew all along. However, the story continues, indicating that there is a greater point to this story than what the law actually says."

• Lectionary Blogging, John Petty, Progressive Involvement, 2012.

  • "The episode closes with Jesus taking children into his arms, 'blessing them'--a strong word, kateulogei, used only here in the four gospels--and 'laying hands on them.' The children had been brought so that Jesus might touch them."

• Holy Textures, Understanding the Bible in its own time and in ours, Mark 10:2-16, David Ewart, 2012.

  • "I think the calling remains the same: To discern the work that God is doing in our lives, and to let nothing separate us from that."

• "We See Jesus," Alan Brehm, The Waking Dreamer, 2009.

  • "The concept of incarnation is an affirmation that Jesus really and truly does show us what God is like. When we look at Jesus, we see him embracing the ones nobody else would embrace. We see him confronting the religious people with the falseness of their self-righteousness. We see him forgiving sinners and restoring people to their right mind. And we see him freely and joyfully playing with children!"

Pastor’s Notes

In the first part of the Gospel reading (Mark 10:2-16), From the beginning of the first century AD there was a great debate amongst Pharisees as to what were lawful grounds for divorce according to Deuteronomy 24:1. According to Shammai and his followers it was adultery, whereas Hillel and his followers said it was anything which caused annoyance or embarrassment to the husband, even including his wife burning his toast! This seems to be the background to verses 2-12.

When asked His view on this, Jesus takes them back to Genesis 2: 24, which He clearly sees as the foundational text on marriage. Jesus stresses that marriage matters, and women matter – wives are not to be discarded for the flimsiest of reasons. Jesus doesn't just say this: the way He treats women in the gospels shows that women matter too. Does the way we treat others as well as our words to others, show that they matter to us? And do we hold as high a view of marriage as Jesus clearly does? Jesus quickly draws a distinction between divorce as allowed by Moses and the permanency that God wills for marriage. Jesus clarifies that Moses permitted them to divorce because of their “hard hearts.” In other words, they had closed their hearts to God’s will. The people placed their own desires before what God had commanded. 

In verses 13-16 Jesus goes on to stress that children matter too, having no time for His disciples treating them as if they were of no importance. Jesus takes the opportunity to point out that coming to Him with a childlike (not a childish) faith is the key to receiving the greatest blessing anyone can receive, before fervently blessing these children (which is what the Greek word used here for "blessed" means). Again not only by His words, but also by His actions, Jesus makes clear that children matter.At this point, the original question posed by the Pharisees has been answered and it is the answer that they knew all along. However, the story continues, indicating that there is a greater point to this story than what the law actually says."

We need to be Child-like to enter the kingdom

How do we become like children? I think it starts with recognizing that everything we have, and more importantly everything we need, comes from God. As we get older we like to think that we can handle things on our own. We don’t like to think of ourselves as being needy, but that is exactly what we must do. Accompanying that understanding is trust. Little children trust that their parents will provide for them. We must place our trust in God that He will provide for our needs. And like little children, who know to turn to their parents for help, we must continually bring our worries, our concerns, and our problems, to our heavenly Father. Finally, we must be obedient, like little children, to God our Father, and His will for our lives

Question to Ponder

• How much do babies, children and young people matter to us?

• What do our values suggest is more important – money or people?

• What keeps you from really becoming childlike?

• Have you ever kept praying for something when you knew the answer already?

• How do we view people who are poorer/richer than us?

• How do we treat people who are poorer/richer than us?

• Often people in more affluent areas can have wrong ideas, thoughts, and understandings of people in poorer parts of town, and vice versa. How can we work together when we seem so different?