In Luke 13:10 - 17, Jesus is teaching in a synagogue. During his teaching, he sees a woman who is bent in half. He interrupts the teaching, calls her forward and completely heals her. He sets her free from the binding of Satan. In doing this, he calls her a daughter of Abraham. By calling her a daughter of Abraham, he is saying that she is living by faith. She is doing what Abraham did. Apparently, for 18 long, arduous years, this woman has been faithfully placing one foot in front of the other, practicing her faith, attending synagogue, praying and worshiping the Almighty God. So, in one way, even though bound physically, she is free spiritually. She is free spiritually to worship in spite of her physical ailments. Jesus makes her complete, by aligning her spiritual freedom with her physical freedom.
Now Jesus contrasts this physically bound woman with the hypocritical synagogue ruler who is bound by legalism. He is bound by a list of rules so that the job is easy. Just apply the rules to the situation and totally ignore the human touch, the human side of the equation. In fact, as Jesus points out, the rules are more in favor of animals than they are for humans on the Sabbath.
I have a simple question. If Jesus is all about setting us free (Sabbath or no Sabbath), did he also set the synagogue ruler free by humiliating him and calling him a hypocrite? In other words, does this strategy help to get to the heart of the matter and set two free? Or, are some of us so bound up by our legalism and rules that, even when the inconsistencies are pointed out, we still don't get it?
So, the P.S. is: Can we accept criticism from the Lord and then go and change our ways? I pray that as we see ourselves in the mirror of scripture, we can notice what needs changed and ask the Lord to work in our hearts and minds and change us for His glory!
Saturday, August 24, 2013
Monday, July 1, 2013
Baggage for the Trip
As
I prepare for my summer vacation, I’m studying the scripture in Luke
10:1-11,16-20, where Jesus sends out seventy to all the towns he intended to
visit. They’re told to pray, to ask God
to send out workers for the harvest is great!
They’re also told to travel light, no purse, no bag, no sandals. This scripture captivates me for a number of
reasons. First, it carries that all
familiar “sending” theme of God. God
sent His Son, Jesus to us to give us life.
Jesus sends out his disciples, then sends out the seventy, and finally
in Matt 28, sends everyone out (by again sending the eleven) to baptize, to teach
others what he taught us and to make disciples of all nations. And, in this Matthew passage, we’re reminded
that we don’t go alone, but that Jesus goes with us, even unto the end of the
age. The second reason this scripture
captivates me is that we’re told to travel light. I don’t know about you, but I NEVER travel
light. Lisa and the TSA people at the
airport scanners marvel at my electronics bag.
I love to take all my gadgets and toys with me. And, I usually pack more clothes than I’ll
wear. But, these disciples are told to
go to other towns without even a purse, a bag or sandals. Amazing!
How did they do it? Actually, I
think I know. They were traveling with
the faith, the assurance, and the confidence that they were enough. The Spirit of the Living God lived inside
them, encouraged them, empowered them and went with them. They went with no “preconceived notions,” “prejudice,”
“emotional baggage,” “drama” or “judgmentalism.” They just went. And, the Lord of the cosmos, the God of all
creation, went with them and provided exactly what they needed. How freeing!
How liberating to just be ourselves.
To leave ALL the extra baggage of life behind. To become part of the marvelous creation of God
that simply relies on His grace, His mercy, His provisional love. And, if, as it says in Luke 12:11-12, “When
you are brought before synagogues, rulers and authorities, do not worry about
how you will defend yourselves or what you will say, for the Holy Spirit will
teach you at that time what you should say,” then don’t we trust that the words
will come in other situations, too?
Friday, June 14, 2013
A Tale of Two Sinners
Luke 7:36-50. This is a wonderful story of comparison. It involves a Pharisee (which means "the separated one) named Simon, who invited Jesus to a meal. In the gospels, only two Pharisees are mentioned that engage Jesus in such an intimate way. The other is Nicodemus who approached Jesus at night - not wishing to be seen with him. Simon, however, invites Jesus to a public meal.
The power of this story is the mind reading ability of Jesus and his condemnation of Simon or at least his "leveling the playing field" between Simon and this sinful woman. Simon, on par with his Pharisee-ship and being separated from the world - can't believe that Jesus lets a sinful woman touch him. Of course, Jesus came to the world to save, love, and forgive sinful people. The fascinating part of this is that Simon can't see his own sinfulness.
My prayer is that I would be able to see my own sinfulness, repent every time and lavish such love and devotion and worship on Jesus Christ that I would be much more like the sinful woman, who wept at Jesus' feet, wiped them with her hair and anointed his feet with precious oil.
Could you pray for the same "eye opening" experience? Could your eyes be open to your haughty, prideful, judgmental attitude and be humbled, loved and forgiven by Jesus Christ? That's my hope for you! When that happens, life is far more glorious and compelling!
The power of this story is the mind reading ability of Jesus and his condemnation of Simon or at least his "leveling the playing field" between Simon and this sinful woman. Simon, on par with his Pharisee-ship and being separated from the world - can't believe that Jesus lets a sinful woman touch him. Of course, Jesus came to the world to save, love, and forgive sinful people. The fascinating part of this is that Simon can't see his own sinfulness.
My prayer is that I would be able to see my own sinfulness, repent every time and lavish such love and devotion and worship on Jesus Christ that I would be much more like the sinful woman, who wept at Jesus' feet, wiped them with her hair and anointed his feet with precious oil.
Could you pray for the same "eye opening" experience? Could your eyes be open to your haughty, prideful, judgmental attitude and be humbled, loved and forgiven by Jesus Christ? That's my hope for you! When that happens, life is far more glorious and compelling!
Friday, June 7, 2013
Two Things
I need two things very badly! I need slack in my schedule and I need an outward orientation. Said in a different way - I need to have open spaces in my calendar; areas of unscheduled time and with that, an openness to filling the time for someone else. Open space and openness to others.
As I ponder those two things, it seems that the second one is the nut to crack. It's the one Jesus calls me to. It's the one Jesus models in His life. As He traveled the road of ministry, healing, teaching, giving new life, He always had time for people. He had an outward orientation. It seems that He designed His time around serving others, rather than an agenda of "to dos." His whole orientation was outward, other-directed, life-giving, selfless service, rather than personal goals in a daytimer.
So, what would that look like in my life? I mean, in my iPhone, I use an app called GoTasks which stores all my to-dos (I have 19 for today) and it even links them to my gmail account, so they're always in front of me. What if I had only one for today that read, "Open your eyes and your ears to the needs around you. Open your senses to the cries of people you meet and then do something for them!" What if my calendar had large empty spaces in it, so that a response to people was possible? I think that would be a radical shift - a faithful shift - a "turn myself upside down" shift. And, I think that's what Christ's message is to us! So, what's the cry right in front of me? And, what do I do about it?
As I ponder those two things, it seems that the second one is the nut to crack. It's the one Jesus calls me to. It's the one Jesus models in His life. As He traveled the road of ministry, healing, teaching, giving new life, He always had time for people. He had an outward orientation. It seems that He designed His time around serving others, rather than an agenda of "to dos." His whole orientation was outward, other-directed, life-giving, selfless service, rather than personal goals in a daytimer.
So, what would that look like in my life? I mean, in my iPhone, I use an app called GoTasks which stores all my to-dos (I have 19 for today) and it even links them to my gmail account, so they're always in front of me. What if I had only one for today that read, "Open your eyes and your ears to the needs around you. Open your senses to the cries of people you meet and then do something for them!" What if my calendar had large empty spaces in it, so that a response to people was possible? I think that would be a radical shift - a faithful shift - a "turn myself upside down" shift. And, I think that's what Christ's message is to us! So, what's the cry right in front of me? And, what do I do about it?
Wednesday, June 5, 2013
Luke 7:11 - 17
Jesus leaves Capernaum with his disciples and entourage and make the 25 mile walk to Nain. Just as they are getting there, they run smack into a funeral procession. So here's the scene: The Lord of life is leading a parade of joy and celebration that meets a funeral dirge, a death march with wailing and crying, led by a widow who just lost her only son.
Not many words are exchanged in this scene, but when they are, they are full of power. And, as a matter of fact, Jesus speaks commands (not suggestions). He tells this woman - Don't cry! (now, you and I can't even imagine her situation. She just lost a husband, the bread winner and her voice in the community and now lost her only son. She was destined to be destitute and on the fringe of society, if she lived at all. So we can't imagine this) Jesus says Don't cry. Then he tells the boy, "Young boy, I say to you, Get Up!" With that the boy sits up and starts talking.
So, the only Son of God, who is destined to die for us, has compassion on this woman and raises her dead son to life. He does it by his command, his direct statement to the dead person. In fact, he addresses the boy as if he were alive.
It's interesting that there is no mention of the widow's faith or belief or even asking for the Lord's help. Jesus has compassion on her. He stops the funeral procession in its tracks and gives the dead boy life and hands him back to his mom.
So, the question that must be faced is this: Which procession are we in? Are we in the death march, funeral procession? Have we lost hope, lost energy, given up? Are we shuffling off to the grave, wailing, crying, forlorn? Or, are we in line with the Lord of life? Are we dancing, praising, witnessing, and marveling at what the Lord is doing?
Notice this. That once the two processions meet, the Lord's parade trumps the death march. Jesus Christ stops the funeral and it completely disbands. The Lord of Life overcomes death. The Prince of Peace wins.
And finally, when all of this happens, what is the result? There are shouts of joy and amazement and a response of fear! I mean, it's not ordinary to watch a corpse sit up and start talking. Jesus always turns the ordinary to the extraordinary. He always turns the world upside down for us. And, he does this in a good, loving, positive way! Praise the Lord Jesus Christ!
Not many words are exchanged in this scene, but when they are, they are full of power. And, as a matter of fact, Jesus speaks commands (not suggestions). He tells this woman - Don't cry! (now, you and I can't even imagine her situation. She just lost a husband, the bread winner and her voice in the community and now lost her only son. She was destined to be destitute and on the fringe of society, if she lived at all. So we can't imagine this) Jesus says Don't cry. Then he tells the boy, "Young boy, I say to you, Get Up!" With that the boy sits up and starts talking.
So, the only Son of God, who is destined to die for us, has compassion on this woman and raises her dead son to life. He does it by his command, his direct statement to the dead person. In fact, he addresses the boy as if he were alive.
It's interesting that there is no mention of the widow's faith or belief or even asking for the Lord's help. Jesus has compassion on her. He stops the funeral procession in its tracks and gives the dead boy life and hands him back to his mom.
So, the question that must be faced is this: Which procession are we in? Are we in the death march, funeral procession? Have we lost hope, lost energy, given up? Are we shuffling off to the grave, wailing, crying, forlorn? Or, are we in line with the Lord of life? Are we dancing, praising, witnessing, and marveling at what the Lord is doing?
Notice this. That once the two processions meet, the Lord's parade trumps the death march. Jesus Christ stops the funeral and it completely disbands. The Lord of Life overcomes death. The Prince of Peace wins.
And finally, when all of this happens, what is the result? There are shouts of joy and amazement and a response of fear! I mean, it's not ordinary to watch a corpse sit up and start talking. Jesus always turns the ordinary to the extraordinary. He always turns the world upside down for us. And, he does this in a good, loving, positive way! Praise the Lord Jesus Christ!
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
Faith of the Centurion - Luke 7:1-10
I'm studying the Luke 7 passage that is often titled, The Faith of the Centurion. This occurs immediately after the "Sermon on the Plain." What is so fascinating about this passage is trying to discover the root of this faith. Apparently there is a much larger back story to this than meets the eye. For example, this soldier must have had a large compassionate heart for the Jews. He built them a synagogue in Capernaum and apparently could "say the word" and have Jewish Elders go get Jesus.
But, here's what interests me. In verse 3 it says, "The centurion heard of Jesus and sent some elders of the Jews to him," So, in those few words, "heard of Jesus," lies the rest of the story. What did he hear about Jesus that led him to ask for just some healing words for his servant? What did he hear about this great healer? Did the centurion hear that he was God and man? Did he hear that he could simple speak the word of healing and it would be done?
And, just I wonder "what he heard about Jesus," I also wonder who he heard it from. I asked this question of a life-long missionary, Sue Howard, and she gave me an interesting insight. She said, he probably had many people who were preparing his heart for this sudden burst of faith. In other words, it wasn't just someone explaining the power of Jesus or sharing a testimony, but it was a number of stories, witnesses, events, experiences, and buzz that the centurion heard. The evidence must have piled up and tilted his heart toward a profound faith. This profound faith caused Jesus to be amazed! In fact, according to scholars, Jesus was only amazed twice in the gospels. Once in Mark 6:6, when he was amazed at the lack of faith in Nazareth and this time in Luke 7:9, when he was amazed at the faith of this gentile centurion.
So, saying all that, it won't be surprising if my sermon touches on our witness, sharing, story telling and sharing what Jesus Christ has done in our lives. We have no responsibility at all for converting people or "saving" people, only God does that. But, we truly do have responsibility for telling others what Jesus has done in our lives.
Another interesting issue in this text is the Jewish elders' spin on why the centurion deserves Jesus to come. They say he deserves it because he loves the people and built the synagogue. It's the work righteousness piece. The centurion himself says that he is not worthy for Jesus to enter his house. He had a humble heart and a respect for the culture that says a Jew would be defiled entering a gentile's house.
Anyway, I'm simply going to pray for the faith of this centurion! Come Lord Jesus! Speak your Word and change the world! (just like when God spoke the word and created the world in Genesis)
But, here's what interests me. In verse 3 it says, "The centurion heard of Jesus and sent some elders of the Jews to him," So, in those few words, "heard of Jesus," lies the rest of the story. What did he hear about Jesus that led him to ask for just some healing words for his servant? What did he hear about this great healer? Did the centurion hear that he was God and man? Did he hear that he could simple speak the word of healing and it would be done?
And, just I wonder "what he heard about Jesus," I also wonder who he heard it from. I asked this question of a life-long missionary, Sue Howard, and she gave me an interesting insight. She said, he probably had many people who were preparing his heart for this sudden burst of faith. In other words, it wasn't just someone explaining the power of Jesus or sharing a testimony, but it was a number of stories, witnesses, events, experiences, and buzz that the centurion heard. The evidence must have piled up and tilted his heart toward a profound faith. This profound faith caused Jesus to be amazed! In fact, according to scholars, Jesus was only amazed twice in the gospels. Once in Mark 6:6, when he was amazed at the lack of faith in Nazareth and this time in Luke 7:9, when he was amazed at the faith of this gentile centurion.
So, saying all that, it won't be surprising if my sermon touches on our witness, sharing, story telling and sharing what Jesus Christ has done in our lives. We have no responsibility at all for converting people or "saving" people, only God does that. But, we truly do have responsibility for telling others what Jesus has done in our lives.
Another interesting issue in this text is the Jewish elders' spin on why the centurion deserves Jesus to come. They say he deserves it because he loves the people and built the synagogue. It's the work righteousness piece. The centurion himself says that he is not worthy for Jesus to enter his house. He had a humble heart and a respect for the culture that says a Jew would be defiled entering a gentile's house.
Anyway, I'm simply going to pray for the faith of this centurion! Come Lord Jesus! Speak your Word and change the world! (just like when God spoke the word and created the world in Genesis)
Friday, May 10, 2013
Jesus' High Priestly Prayer - John 17
On Mothers' Day 2013 - May 12th, we're studying John 17:20-26. It is the final section of Jesus' high priestly prayer. What a powerful way to end his teaching time on earth. Jesus has just finished the last supper with his disciples. He modeled servant leadership by washing their feet and he is now praying for himself, his disciples and for all those who will be touched by their teaching. In fact, Jesus is modeling his prayerful life as he begins the transition back to glory with his Father and he is continuing to pray for all of us even right now. [do you feel it?]
Jesus is praying repeatedly that we would be one, just as he and the Father are one. And, I believe that as we strive to be more and more like Jesus, we move closer to being one. I love the fact that Jesus is praying for those whom the Father gives him. Even Jesus does not choose who will follow, but only the Father. For me, that makes sense, as I have a strong belief in the sovereignty of God. (See Romans 9 for a look at this)
I wrestle with our responsibility as a result of this prayer. Is our task to strive harder or just believe harder that Jesus did the work and as long as we believe it, we're moving closer to God?
Maybe our work is two fold. Believe is the first piece and then respond in love to one another is the second piece. And, then in that response, others will know that God is real and that He sent His one and only Son to draw us to Him!
I'm also struck by the fact that as Jesus prays for all those who are touched by "his disciples'' teaching, that this includes each generation of parents and teachers. We all have a role in teaching others what we've learned in terms of God's love, forgiveness, and sacrifice.
So, Lord Jesus, pray for us that we "get it," that we are bold enough to pass along our hope and faith that was instilled in us by our moms, dads, and relatives.
Jesus is praying repeatedly that we would be one, just as he and the Father are one. And, I believe that as we strive to be more and more like Jesus, we move closer to being one. I love the fact that Jesus is praying for those whom the Father gives him. Even Jesus does not choose who will follow, but only the Father. For me, that makes sense, as I have a strong belief in the sovereignty of God. (See Romans 9 for a look at this)
I wrestle with our responsibility as a result of this prayer. Is our task to strive harder or just believe harder that Jesus did the work and as long as we believe it, we're moving closer to God?
Maybe our work is two fold. Believe is the first piece and then respond in love to one another is the second piece. And, then in that response, others will know that God is real and that He sent His one and only Son to draw us to Him!
I'm also struck by the fact that as Jesus prays for all those who are touched by "his disciples'' teaching, that this includes each generation of parents and teachers. We all have a role in teaching others what we've learned in terms of God's love, forgiveness, and sacrifice.
So, Lord Jesus, pray for us that we "get it," that we are bold enough to pass along our hope and faith that was instilled in us by our moms, dads, and relatives.
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