Removing the Fraud from the Mirror; Matthew 21-24

May the mumbling commence!

Are we fraudulent in our faith?  It is a question we have to ask ourselves honestly when we examine our lives.  It is a question that the religious leaders of Jesus’ day neglected to ask honestly of themselves.  Read from Matthew chapter twenty-two:

Then the Pharisees went off and discussed how they could trap him in argument. Eventually they sent their disciples with some of the Herod-party to say this, "Master, we know that you are an honest man who teaches the way of God faithfully and that you don't care for human approval. Now tell us - 'is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not'?"

But Jesus knowing their evil intention said, "Why try this trick on me, you frauds? Show me the money you pay the tax with." They handed him a coin, and he said to them, "Whose face is this and whose name is in the inscription?"

"Caesar's," they said.

"Then give to Caesar," he replied, "what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God!"

This reply staggered them and they went away and let him alone. (Verses 15-22)

Jesus called them frauds.  What was fraudulent about what they were doing?  The answer is not easy for us to understand because of the gulf of time and culture.  In the Jewish culture of Jesus’ day, graven images were a big time no-no.  It violated one of the Ten Commandments in their eyes.

The Jewish leaders who confronted Jesus with the tax question should not have been carrying Roman coinage because of the images that they held – the image of Caesar, who was worshiped by some as a god.  It was the reason for the moneychangers in the temple – temple tax could not be paid in Roman denominations because of the images on the coins.

Yet the Jewish leaders easily produced a Roman coin for Jesus.  That is one of the reasons that Jesus called them frauds.  In many ways, they were living lives of deception.  Later in Matthew, Jesus goes through a long line of these deceptions of the religious leadership.

It is an interesting question in this season of presidential election.  How does our faith intersect with the ways that we pay tax to our government?  Are we willing to give back to government what is theirs to begin with?  Who graces our bills and coins?  Former presidents and historic figures grace them.

Jesus did not deny the need of paying taxes to the government.  Let us not be hesitant to pay our share of the tax.  It supports needed programs and subsidies.  It invests in our future as a nation.  The money may not always be spent in the way that we would like.

Even so, in our country, we have the power to vote people into and out of office.  We have the ability to write to our representatives and speak our minds.  We have the privilege of helping to unseat the many powerful political action committees that in actuality run our government.

Yes, we give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.  Let us boldly exercise our faith as we interact with the political leaders of our day.  God created government to serve the people.  Let us make sure that we are watchdogs that keep the government honest.  The lure of corporate money is entirely too strong.

And let us ask ourselves how we bring into the sanctuary of God our political ideals.  How do we distort the worship of God because we create barriers within the congregation?  Each way we do these things, we show ourselves to be fraudulent.

Let us be true to God and to one another.

Enough mumbling for now…

Peace Out

  

Elite Enough for Marriage? Matthew 19-21

May the mumbling commence!

Are you married?  Do you know that you are called to be elite?  It is daunting when I read the passage from Matthew chapter nineteen where Jesus talks about divorce and marriage.  The Phillips translation sheds new light on the Greek for me.  Read it below:

When Jesus had finished talking on these matters, he left Galilee and went on to the district of Judea on the far side of the Jordan. Vast crowds followed him, and he cured them.

Then the Pharisees arrived with a test-question. "Is it right," they asked, "for a man to divorce his wife on any grounds whatever?"

"Haven't you read," he answered, "that the one who created them from the beginning 'made them male and female' and said: 'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh'? So they are no longer two separate people but one. No man therefore must separate what God has joined together."

"Then why," they retorted, "did Moses command us to give a written divorce-notice and dismiss the woman?"

"It was because you knew so little of the meaning of love that Moses allowed you to divorce your wives! But that was not the original principle. I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife on any grounds except her unfaithfulness and marries some other woman commits adultery."

His disciples said to him, "If that is a man's position with his wife, it is not worth getting married!"

"It is not everybody who can live up to this," replied Jesus, – “only those who have a special gift. For some are incapable of marriage from birth, some are made incapable by the action of men, and some have made themselves so for the sake of the kingdom of Heaven. Let the man who can accept what I have said accept it." (Verses 1-12)

God allowed divorce through Moses because we know so little of the meaning of love.  Consider that.  Marriage was designed by God to be a sign of the faithfulness and love of the covenant that is established between God and His children.

Indeed the love of God and faithfulness of God to us is impossible for us to fully grasp.  The love that I have for my wife falls woefully short of this ideal.  But striving toward that quality and quantity of love is a part of my Christian walk as a married man.  It is also the part of the Christian walk of a married woman.

It is no wonder to me that Jesus told his disciples that this kind of marital love is difficult to live up to or into.  It takes a special gift – one that not everyone has.  I humble ask God for this special gift.

I ask for this gift for my own sake, for my wife’s sake, for my son’s sake, and for the sake of all the lives that God will see fit to touch through my life.  There, with the grace of God, go I!

Teach us the full meaning of love in faithfulness in our lives – through our own marriages and/or the marriages of those around us.  Yes, teach us, O Holy Spirit!

Enough mumbling for now…

Peace Out

Here's Our Sign; Matthew 16-18

May the mumbling commence!

Sometimes, I wish for a plain sign before that will show me the way the God wants me to go.  I look for something obvious.  But, in the search for something obvious, I miss the small signs for the next steps.  I miss the small voice of the Spirit of God.

When the people of his day confronted him about a sign, Jesus denied them a sign.  Read from Matthew chapter sixteen:

Once the Pharisees and the Sadducees arrived together to test him, and asked him to give them a sign from Heaven. But he replied, "When the evening comes you say, 'Ah, fine weather – the sky is red.' In the morning you say, 'There will be a storm today, the sky is red and threatening.' Yes, you know how to interpret the look of the sky but you have no idea how to interpret the signs of the times! A wicked and unfaithful age insists on a sign; and it will not be given any sign at all but that of the prophet Jonah." And he turned on his heel and left them. (Verses 1-4)

Only one sign would Jesus give them.  That sign was the sign of Jonah.  Other gospel accounts of this interchange add something like this: just as Jonah was in the belly of the fish for three days and three nights so will the Son of Man will be in the earth for three days and three nights.  Both Jonah and Jesus would be brought back from the dead – Jonah because of disobedience and Jesus because of perfect obedience.

This sign of the three days is obvious.  But I think there is another part to this sign that we miss when we focus only on the surface.  What was Jonah’s sign to the people of Nineveh?  How did Jonah preach to the enemies of Israel?  Read from Jonah chapter three:

On the first day, Jonah started into the city. He proclaimed: "Forty more days and Nineveh will be overturned." 

The Ninevites believed God. They declared a fast, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth. (Verses 4-5 NIV)

Jonah’s preaching to the Ninevites was combative.  Jonah simply proclaimed what his greatest desire for Nineveh was – to be overturned and destroyed.  He preached nothing more, nothing less.

How would you and I respond to such a frontal attack from a people that we have dominated for so long?  How would you and I respond to one lone voice?  It would be much like the equivalent of the person who walks the sidewalks carrying the sign that reads, “The End Is Near.” 

I would expect little response.  I would be unlikely to respond myself.  It is a little insignificant whispering to our ears.

But sometimes it is the voice of the living God.  The Ninevites recognized that voice and repented, one and all – from their livestock to the lowliest person to the king.  That recognition and response is worthy of repetition.

Yes, the sign of Jonah for Christ included the obvious allusion to the three days and nights.  But there is something else operating here.  Jesus was calling them to recognize the still whisper of God through his actions and interactions with them.

May we notice the obvious in our lives – God’s Spirit moving among us.  May we also notice the small and still whispers.  May we recognize God’s Word spoken to us – even if it is spoken in a combative way.

May we see the sign of Jonah in Jesus in all its fullness.  May we see the sign of Jonah in Jesus’ confrontation with all the things in our lives that compromise our sinful and fallen nature.

Enough mumbling for now…

Peace Out

The Illusions of Wealth; Matthew 13-15

May the mumbling commence!

Many times I worry about where my life is going.  I worry about my welfare.  And I couch this worry in the human ideals of wealth and influence and power.  It is patently wrong to worry in such a way for a Christian.  Christians’ welfare comes solely from the Lord – nowhere else.

Depend upon the Lord and God’s Word for your welfare.  The message is clear enough as Jesus explains the parable of the sower to his disciples in Matthew chapter thirteen.  Read it below:

"Now listen to the parable of the sower. When a man hears the message of the kingdom and does not grasp it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is like the seed sown by the road-side. The seed sown on the stony patches represents the man who hears the message and eagerly accepts it. But it has not taken root in him and does not last long - the moment trouble or persecution arises through the message he gives up his faith at once. The seed sown among the thorns represents the man who hears the message, and then the worries of this life and the illusions of wealth choke it to death and so it produces no 'crop' in his life. But the seed sown on good soil is the man who both hears and understands the message. His life shows a good crop, a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown." (Verses 18-23)

The worries of this life and the illusions of wealth can and will choke the Message – the Good News – of Christ Jesus in our lives.  That’s right.  If we allow the worries of life and the allure of wealth to detour us, the Message will be choked out of our lives.  We will produce no fruit for the kingdom of God.

Did you hear that?  The allure of worldly wealth is an illusion.  I preach to myself and to you: “Don’t allow the deception of wealth to fool you.”  All the comfort and faith and hope that we put into worldly wealth is for not.  It is like pouring sand down a rat hole.  Worldly wealth is an illusion based upon true wealth in the Lord.

What is true wealth in the Lord?  True wealth is found only in listening to God’s Word and obeying.  True wealth in the Lord is made evident in the production of fruit that will last – the fruit of the kingdom.  This kind of wisdom will produce a crop that will be many times what we will expect it to be.

Listening to God’s Word and obeying is an essential part of a robust prayer life.

Why worry when you can pray?  Why worry when you can sit at the feet of Jesus?  Why worry when you can busy yourself at doing what God has called you to do?

Prayer is key to winning this interior battle.  Trying to seek God’s will is key to winning this battle.  Living in Christian community is key to winning this interior battle.

Yes, the allure of illusion in worldly wealth pales in comparison to the true wealth found only in the Lord.  Once you have tasted butter the substitute of margarine will never seem the same again.

Show us true wealth, O Lord.  Answer our prayer. 

May we listen and obey what we hear.

Enough mumbling for now…

Peace Out

Gentle and Meek; Matthew 10-12

May the mumbling commence!

We are called to use gentleness to see, understand and heal.  This call is evident in the life of Jesus.  Read from Matthew chapter twelve:

Large crowds followed him and he healed them all, with the strict injunction that they should not make him conspicuous by their talk, thus fulfilling Isaiah's prophecy:

'Behold, my servant whom I have chosen,

my beloved in whom my soul is well pleased;

I will put my Spirit upon him,

and he will declare justice to the Gentiles.

He will not quarrel nor cry out,

nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets.

A bruised reed he will not break,

and smoking flax he will not quench,

till he sends forth justice to victory.

And in his name Gentiles will trust' .

Then a devil-possessed man who could neither see nor speak was brought to Jesus. He healed him, so that the dumb man could both speak and see. At this the whole crowd went wild with excitement, and people kept saying, "Can this be the Son of David?" (Verses 16-23)

Gentleness does not seek fame or fortune.  Jesus ordered people not to make him conspicuous by their talk.  Jesus wanted a quiet calm about him so he could listen for the call of God on his life – so he could listen for the soft cries of the vulnerable.  It is this kind of attention to godly detail that well pleases God.

When Jesus lifted his voice it was for justice – not to quarrel or cry out.  Jesus was always gentle with the vulnerable.  Jesus did not get caught up in his own good works.

How many times have you or I caught ourselves celebrating something that we did in the name of Jesus only to miss an obvious opportunity to serve God in another way.  Yes, we should listen to those who would encourage us and to those who criticize us – but these things should not be our only diet.  Our diet is based first and foremost on the Word of God.

If we are not careful, we will miss the opportunities to heal the mute – to give those without a public voice a chance to speak their heart.  We will miss opportunities to guide the blind to sight.  If we get caught up in our own little worlds, we will miss these things…

Keep us humble and gentle, O Lord, so that we may see and seize the chance to minister to all people in our lives.  In this way, we will allow the Spirit of God to flow through us to others.  If we can master this attitude of Christ, there will be wild and exciting times that many people will flock to see and strive to understand.

All of this effort to glorify the precious Name of God!

Enough mumbling for now…

Peace Out

Knowing and Being Known; Matthew 7-9

May the mumbling commence!

What does it take to have access to the presence of Jesus in the end times?  Is it what we have done and not done?  You know, does our access to Jesus stand upon the preaching that we have done and the miracles that we have done in the name of Jesus?  No!  Gaining access is not about what we have done.  It is about who we are.  It is about being known and knowing.  Read from Matthew chapter seven:

"It is not everyone who keeps saying to me 'Lord, Lord' who will enter the kingdom of Heaven, but the man who actually does my Heavenly Father's will.

In 'that day' many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, didn't we preach in your name, didn't we cast out devils in your name, and do many great things in your name?' Then I shall tell them plainly, 'I have never known you. Go away from me, you have worked on the side of evil!'" (Verses 21-23)

If we read the first thought only, we might conclude that entering the kingdom of Heaven is about doing.  Entering the kingdom of Heaven is about doing the Lord’s will.  Then doing would include preaching and teaching and performing miracles in the name of Jesus, RIGHT?

On this thought alone, I might say, “Yes”.  At least until I read the next paragraph I would say, “Yes”.  But the next words of Jesus lead us in another way.  Even those who rightly proclaim that they have preached and done miracles in Jesus’ name are sent away.

If we preach and teach and do miracles in Jesus’ name just to say that we have done them – to earn brownie points if you will – then we have missed the point.  We do God’s will for us; that is good.  Yet we must be God’s child first.  What we do grows out of who we are.  We need to be Christian before we can rightly do Christian.

To be Christian we must pay careful attention to who Christ is and what Christ means for our lives.  We must understand the salvation of God through the death and resurrection of Jesus.  Our hope relies on faith in this marvelous act alone.  This is a part of knowing Jesus.

Another part of knowing Jesus and being known is paying careful attention to the way that Jesus taught and lived his life.  Jesus is not only our Savior through his death and resurrection but he is also our role model.  We are to do as Jesus does.  This doing grows from our being immersed – abiding in the Vine of Christ using the imagery from the gospel according to John – in the life and teachings of Jesus.

Through the teachings and life of Jesus, we see ourselves through Jesus’ eyes.  We see who we are and who we have the potential to become.  It is in this journey that we learn to know Jesus and that Jesus learns to know us.

It is this depth of knowing that is our way to Jesus at the end of all things.

Pray with me: “I want to know you Jesus.  I want to be known and changed by you.”

May it be so.

Enough mumbling for now…

Peace Out

Way to Be! Matthew 4-6

May the mumbling commence!

Way to be!  The Sermon on the Mount begins in Matthew chapter five with the Beatitudes.  Way to be!  I find it enlightening to read the Beatitudes in various translations.  Today I will put the NIV translation and the Phillips translation for us to look at – to compare and contrast.

"Blessed are the poor in spirit,

for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 

Blessed are those who mourn,

for they will be comforted. 

Blessed are the meek,

for they will inherit the earth. 

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,

for they will be filled. 

Blessed are the merciful,

for they will be shown mercy. 

Blessed are the pure in heart,

for they will see God. 

Blessed are the peacemakers,

for they will be called sons of God. 

Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,

for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 

Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.  Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” (Verses 3-12 NIV)

"How happy are the humble-minded,

for the kingdom of Heaven is theirs!

How happy are those who know what sorrow means

for they will be given courage and comfort!

Happy are those who claim nothing,

for the whole earth will belong to them!

Happy are those who are hungry and thirsty for goodness,

for they will be fully satisfied!

Happy are the merciful,

for they will have mercy shown to them!

Happy are the utterly sincere,

for they will see God!

Happy are those who make peace,

for they will be sons of God!

Happy are those who have suffered persecution for the cause of goodness,

for the kingdom of Heaven is theirs!

And what happiness will be yours when people blame you and ill-treat you and say all kinds of slanderous things against you for my sake! Be glad then, yes, be tremendously glad – for your reward in Heaven is magnificent. They persecuted the prophets before your time in exactly the same way. (Verses 3-12 Phillips)

Way to be when you are poor in spirit – when you are humble-minded.  Way to be when you recognize and embrace your limitations.  You are on your way to the kingdom of heaven.  Way to be when you mourn – when you know what it means to mourn.  Way to be when you have lived the blues and sing the blues.  You will be comforted and encouraged.

Way to be when you are meek – when you claim nothing for yourself.  Way to be when you know your place in God’s kingdom.  The whole earth is yours.  Way to be when you are pure in heart – when you are utterly sincere.  Way to be when you are transparent and true to the life God has called you to.  You have earned an audience in the presence of the Almighty One.

These ways to be run counter to all that we know in our culture.  But, as Christians, they are the only way to be.

Enough mumbling for now…

Peace Out