Year 9, Day 212: Hosea 13-14

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These final chapters of Hosea run the full gamut of relationship with God.  It begins in full judgment mode.  God speaks of judgment at the hands of Assyria, which we know comes to pass.  God compares himself to a lion or bear when He speaks about judgment coming upon them.

The interesting perspective in Hosea 13 is where God places the fault for the impending judgment.  Yes, there is mention of idolatry, which is frequently lifted up by God as an offense, for obvious reasons.  The last thing God says before speaking of Himself as a lion or bear, though, is that they forgot Him.  He says that they had their full when He brought them into glory and they forgot Him.

This is sad.  They forgot God because of God’s generosity.  They forgot God because their life was so good.  It isn’t like God didn’t fulfill His promises.  It isn’t that God couldn’t protect them.  They forgot God because God lived up to being God!

Given this, Hosea 14 is an incredible chapter.  This chapter begins with an appeal to return to God.  God promises to restore them.  God promises to heal them.  God promises that they will dwell under His shadow once more.  God promises that the last word is not going to be that of judgment and wrath but of healing and restoration.

Judgment and wrath are a part of the equation.  Like a parent who punishes their child for wrongdoing, God punishes the Hebrew people.  God punishes, though, not as an absolute retribution but as means for correction and restoration.  God punishes so that we learn and can be restored.  As dark as Hosea can be, this truly is a message of hopefulness for a sinful humanity in the presence of a holy God.

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Year 9, Day 211: Hosea 11-12

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Hosea 11-12 show us a bit of the mind of God.  He knows that the people are wandering away from Him.  They are not responding to His prophets’ calls for return.  They are not responding to the small disasters He brings.  He is torn at the prospect of bringing Assyria upon them in a great judgment.  God loves these people as a child.  He knows that like a child, they must be disciplined.  This pains Him.

There is a root issue with humanity that is causing this conflict within God.  The people called out to God in Egypt, and He brought them forth.  The issue is that the more they were called, the more they grew apart from God.  It started in the Exodus.  As soon as they were free from the Pharaoh’s grasp, they rebelled against God by rebelling against Moses.  They weren’t happy with the judges.  They weren’t happy with God and they demanded a king.  They weren’t happy with the Davidic Kings so they appointed their own.  They weren’t happy with a temple in Jerusalem so they built their own in their own kingdom. The people constantly pushed the envelope.  They want to be their own master, not a follower.

This is an inherent flaw in humanity.  We want power.  We want control.  We want to be the master.  The major issue, though, is that if we are all trying to be the ruler then we are no longer in community.  We are in opposition to each other.  If you don’t believe me, look at organizations around the world.  How many organizations are founded under a common goal.  Yet, as the organization grows, factions grow within it.  The organization splinters.  Soon there are factions within factions as people try and grab power.  We want to be the master, not the follower.

That is what makes God’s teachings so difficult.  It is also what makes His teachings so freeing.  He calls us to give up our desire for control. We are to follow Him and His leading.  As we give up our need to grab for power, we can instead focus on the task at hand.  As we give up our need to grab power, we gain meaning and stability in life.

God isn’t calling us to be docile subservient human beings without minds.  He wants us to be leaders and role models.  He wants us to speak truth in the lives of others.  Ultimately, He wants us to do it while following Him.  That’s the big issue that Israel faces as they stare down Gods judgment in the form of Assyrian conquest.

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Year 9, Day 210: Hosea 10

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Hosea 10 has all of the conviction of Hosea 9 without the personal anger.  While Hosea 9 called for a personalized vengeance against a generation, Hosea 10 calls for a generic judgment because of unrighteousness.  Hosea 10 displays a much clearer mind while removing a good portion of the human passion.

Take the opening verses.  Israel is called a vine that bears fruit.  However, the more fruit they bore – the more prosperous their nation became – the more they depended on themselves and became convinced of their own superiority.  The more their county improved in status, the more they built altars to their own greatness.  Hosea accuses the Hebrew people of reaping the generosity of God without returning any of the praise that is deserved.

In another sense of the calm sanity of this chapter, we even hear God’s perspective on the kingdom of Israel.  God reminds them that they were beloved from the very beginning.  However, they loved to do their own thing.  They were stubborn.  They rebelled against God.  Therefore, they would be delivered into a yoke of bondage to help teach them.

Then the Hebrew people are given great advice.  They are told to sow righteousness.  They are told to break the ground – a symbolic reference to their hearts – that is fallow.  They are told to look to God.  They are told to seek Him.  They are told to chase righteousness.  They are also told that the result of such action would be steadfast love.  To know God’s love, all they need to do is repent.

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Year 9, Day 209: Hosea 9

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Hosea 9 is a dark chapter, revealing the depth of pain that can exist in humanity.  The speaker in this chapter calls out to God in a voice of vengeance.  The author of this chapter gives voice to his confidence that God will judge.

The author calls out to God and asks that God give them miscarrying wombs.  He asks that their breasts be dry.  In other words, he is calling for the evil generations to be put to an end.  He asks that the Hebrew people in Israel be judged for their sinfulness.

To make matters worse, the prophet is confident about his position.  In the concluding verse, the author says that “My God will reject them because they have not listened to Him.”  The prophet Hosea is convinced that his position is warranted and justifiable.

What can we learn here?  First of all, human beings who are wronged have long memories.  In fact, not only are memories long but they tend to fester and focus over time unless there is intervention.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that Hosea is wrong.  Clearly God does bring the Hebrew people under judgment through the Assyrian army.  The prophet is correct in his assertiveness and his confidence.  But it does go to show that human ire once aroused is a powerful thing.

What else can we learn?  God’s judgment doesn’t come for a simple reason.  The Hebrew people proved themselves wrong.  The Hebrew people hurt others.  They Hebrew people walked away from God.  The Hebrew people did enough against righteousness to warrant this kind of call out to God for vengeance.  People are watching what we do.  God is watching what we do.  That isn’t meant in a creepy way, but it is meant as a meaningful reminder.  God is aware of our actions and the fruit of who we are.

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Year 9, Day 208: Hosea 8

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Hosea 8 continues the shift from the Lord’s displeasure at the priests to His displeasure about Israel in general.  Now that we understand that things have gone poorly because of the leadership, it’s time to understand what it looks like when it goes bad.

The overarching issue is that the people cry out that they know God but they really don’t know Him.  Because of the poor leading of the religious elite, the people are in a state of misconception.  They don’t know what a meaningful relationship with God looks like.  In fact, it’s a fair bet that they don’t really know who God is.  The poor leadership among the religious teachers has led to ignorance among the people.

The people have also set up their own kings.  When Israel split from Judah, the people wanted a king to replace the lost line of David.  However, they didn’t consult God.  They established a leader who was right in their eyes, not a leader who was right in the eyes of God.

Because of their ignorance and their rebellion, the people then made their own gods out of gold and silver and other natural things.  They continue to do what seems right to their own eyes because of their ignorance of God.    In fact, it is so bad that God says they are incapable of innocence.

This last judgement is brutal.  They are incapable of innocence.  The reason that is harsh is because if they aren’t innocent, then by definition they are guilty.  The have gotten so comfortable living according to their own judgment, God can’t dismiss it anymore.

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Year 9, Day 207: Hosea 6-7

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Hosea 6:6 is one of my all-time favorite verses of the Bible.  God tells us that He desires steadfast love and not sacrifice.  He desires knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.  These two qualities speak not only to the heart of God, but to how humanity continues to hurt Him in our relationship with Him.

Take them in reverse order.  God desires knowledge of Him rather than burnt offerings.  I think there are two points to consider here.  First. Remember the priests that God has been prophesying against in the last few chapters.  What are they doing wrong?  The priests aren’t teaching people about God and His ways!  The fact that God desires knowledge of Him more than burnt sacrifices tells us why He is so angry at the priests.

Furthermore, think about a burnt sacrifice.  Anyone can take an animal to the priests.  Anyone can offer a sacrifice.  Just because a sacrifice is made doesn’t mean that there is relationship or desire behind the sacrifice. It is entirely possible to treat a burnt offering like we treat taxes.  None of us enjoy paying taxes, but we do it because it is expected.  The same situation existed in Israel.

This brings us to the first quality that God desires.  He desires steadfast love over sacrifice.  Remember that anyone can offer a sacrifice.  The only people who love are people who genuinely care.  The only people who show love are people who are in a vested relationship.   God wants relationship and love over blind meaningless obedience.

This makes God’s critique of the people pop.  In verse 4, God tells the Israelites that their love is like a morning cloud or like the morning dew.  It might be present for a small time, but it is fleeting and easily disperses.  It evaporates. In Hosea 7:14 God accuses them of beating upon their breasts instead of crying from their hearts.  In other words, they make a shallow show of their faith.  In Hosea 7:16 God says that they return, but not to the Most High.  They are trying to appease the gods, but not trying to be in relationship with the one true God.  The people are faking relationship instead of giving God the genuine thing.

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Year 9, Day 206: Hosea 5

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Hosea 5 is another chapter of judgment.  The very first verse shows us exactly where God intends to place the blame.  Once more Hosea speaks words against the priests.  Once more Hosea indicates that the role of the priests has been bad for the house of Israel.  Their example and their teaching has allowed the people to stray from God.  In fact, God calls them a snare.  That’s not a good comparison at all.

The most disturbing aspect of this chapter is how God categorizes Himself from the people’s perspective.  God says He is like a moth and like dry rot.  What is it that moths do?  Moths come in and destroy clothing, or bedsheets, or towels, or flour, or pasta, or actually anything that is natural in origin.  To be clear, it is the larvae, not the moths, that do the damage.  Dry rot is a type of fungus that attacks wood – things like wagons and support beams in homes.

What’s interesting about this is that God is claiming the role of that which destroys one’s livelihood.  To be more precise, God is saying that this is the role that the Israelites are putting upon Him.  The Hebrew people are saying that God is in charge of taking away their livelihood.

I’m not entirely sure that this is an inaccurate description.  Don’t get me wrong.  I personally think that God enriches life and makes life better.  My opinion is not the only one, though.  Many people think that God forces them to give up things they enjoy – primarily sinful things.  Many people think that God takes the fun out of life.  Many people attribute the removal of luxury and opulence from their life to God.  I can imagine someone who doesn’t want to repent and give up the sin in their life thinking of God as a moth or dry rot.

Now come back to the fact that God’s issue is with the priests.  If the priests aren’t teaching God’s ways, or introducing people to why God’s ways are fulfilling, or allowing people to live comfortably outside of God’s ways, the people would see God in this negative light.  The priests are there to help people see God in a light of righteousness, hope, and blessing rather than a light of moths and dry rot. 

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Year 9, Day 205: Hosea 4

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In Hosea 4, we leave behind the story of Hosea and his prostitute wife.  Instead, we turn to a declaration against the priests.  God has issue with the religious leaders.  He has an issue with the people who ae supposed to be shepherds among the people.  There is no verse in this chapter where this becomes clearer than verse 6.  “Since you have rejected knowledge, I reject you as priest.”

At first, this seems like a scary thought.  God is rejecting His priests.  God is taking those who are supposed to be closest to Him and turning them away.  If anyone should have the eye of God, it is the priests.  They are now rejected.

Rather than be scared, it is more appropriate to ask why this is happening.  What is causing the priests to reject wisdom?  The reason is stated simply in verse 8.  The priests are feeding on the sin of the people.  In verse 10 Hosea says that they cherish whoredom and wine, which take away understanding.  The priests are rejecting wisdom because they would rather have the sin in their hearts.  They reject the ways of God to pursue their own desire.

This has a disastrous effect on culture.  When the priests reject knowledge, they reject righteousness.  They can no longer teach righteousness to the people.  Instead of being a good example, they become a temptation and a source of validation for sin.  Because the priests have neglected their duty, swearing, lying, murder, stealing, and adultery are running rampant.  When the priests fall away, God has little recourse except to bring judgment and exile to get the attention of the people.

As with most chapters in God’s Word, there is a lesson here.  In fact, I think there are two lessons.  First, it is important for the religious leaders to continue to be bastions of righteousness.  When the religious leaders fail, so does the community.  Second, we should be careful when we notice things like swearing, lying, murder, stealing, and adultery becoming more and more commonplace in community.  When both things are happening at the same time, we can be sure that God will be none too pleased.

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Year 9, Day 204: Hosea 2-3

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Hosea 2 & 3 tells us an unthinkable story.  In the end, God tells Hosea to go back to Gomer and take her as a wife.  She has been unfaithful.  She has gone off and acted in adultery.  She has tired of Hosea and is off pursuing her dreams through other men.  God tells her to go and bring her back home and love her.

Our natural reaction is to wonder why.  How could Hosea take her back after she went off and was blatantly adulterous?  More to the point, how is it that God could even ask Hosea to do such an unthinkable act?  How can a righteous God think that it is a good idea for Hosea to take his wife back after all the unfaithfulness she has knowingly done?

That’s actually the point.  This is why God is holy, or different, from us.  Our first impulse is to wonder how God could ask such a thing from Hosea.  We wonder how Hosea will ever trust Gomer again.  How could he possibly love her without fearing what she might do again?  God’s first impulse is to love.

This is how God views us.  We are rebellious.  We chase after our own desires all the time.  We promise devotion to God, yet we stray at the first opportunity that we are tempted with our heart’s desire.  We are as unfaithful in our hearts as Gomer was unfaithful to Hosea.  Yet God takes us back.  He promises to restore us just as Hosea was asked to take Gomer back.

What’s interesting is that I can understand the words.  I can understand what God does.  I can understand God’s overarching plan from Abraham, through Egypt, through the exodus, through David, through the period of the kings, through the exile, through the redemption, and ending in Jesus.  While I can understand everything, I can’t necessarily live it out without His help.  He is forgiving even when He knows we will rebel.  He looks at those dwelling in sin and sees them as the redeemed they could be.  He continues to take humanity back even while we continue to pursue our own ego.  I get what He does; I struggle to know how He is able to do it consistently and perfectly all the time.

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Year 9, Day 203: Hosea 1

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Hosea is such a bleak book, especially after reading through the Gospels.  Don’t take that as judgment, however.  The Gospels tell the most awesome story in the Bible.  Hosea tells the story that it was necessary to tell at that time.  It might not be as much fun to read, but to neglect the point of Hosea only weakens us.

The point of chapter one is that the northern nation of Israel has broken their relationship with God.  It could be said that it is irrevocably broken because God tells them, “I am not your God.”  That’s not quite right, though, because we know that God will forgive and those few who are repentant in exile will return under the Persians.  For the time being, though, God is preparing to send them into exile.  God says as much; He also has Hosea say it symbolically through his marriage to a prostitute.

Look at the names of the children that are produced through the marriage of Hosea and Gomer the prostitute.  First comes Jezreel.  This is a reminder of where it went bad for the Hebrew people.  It is also a reminder of where God will show His power to them.

The second child is called no mercy.  This is a message about how God will deliver His wrath.  God will give no quarter.  The kingdom of Israel will go into exile in an especially brutal manner.  The people have abandoned God, God intends to show them what life is like when people abandon God and His protection.  They had everything which they threw away to chase after the desires of their own hearts.

Finally, the third child is called Not My People.  That’s a beak name to be sure.  God has sent a clear message.  The people can expect no help from God.  The people have prostituted themselves out to other gods.  Because of this, they are no longer God’s people, they will receive no mercy, and they will experience judgment in their own land. 

The story is bleak to be sure.  The story is always bleak when we abandon God.  When we chase after our own desires and convince God that He is no longer important to us, we can expect nothing better.

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Year 9, Day 202: Matthew 28

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Finishing out Matthew 28 gives us a continued glance at humanity.  There are stories here.  Each story has different actors.  Each of the actors have different things to reveal about the human condition.

Look at the religious leaders’ story first.  The guards report what happened at the tomb.  Specifically, they mention that the body is gone.  The religious leaders take this information, apply a little money, and buy off the soldiers.  They spread a lie.  To be fair, these religious leaders can’t believe Jesus was raised from the dead; therefore, the story they are spreading is the only logical story.  To bad it’s wrong.  What’s interesting, though, it that it shows us what people in charge typically do when challenged.  People in charge apply resources at their discretion to make their world make sense and to protect their influence and status.  When the religious leaders face a situation they cannot control and do not understand, they apply money and power to make sure they remain in charge.

Look now at the disciples.  They hear the report from the women.  They go to where Jesus said to meet them.  They meet the Lord.  Yet doubt is among them.  Human beings – even ones who are trying to follow God – experience doubt.  God knows their hearts; He knows the doubt within.  He still calls them into action.  It’s been said all along through the Gospels that Jesus cares more about willingness than aptitude or perfection.  The disciples aren’t perfect.  They doubt because their eyes are seeing a man they know to be dead.  They ran when Jesus was arrested.  They’ve got an imperfect track record with Jesus.  Jesus still puts them into action and makes them a part of what God is doing in the world.

Finally, look at the people I have long considered the true heroes of the story (besides Jesus, naturally).  The women.  The Mary’s and their friends.  Here are women who followed Jesus, and in many instances they financed His ministry.  They existed behind the scenes happily allowing the disciples to get first billing.  When the disciples fled, because they were better known and in greater danger, the women stayed at the cross.  They buried Jesus.  They were there when He was raised.  They were the ones who were allowed to be the first preachers of the resurrection.

What can these behind the scenes women teach us?  They teach us humbleness in their willingness to play secondary roles throughout much of the story.  They teach us that faithfulness is possible in the darkest hours.  They teach us that the path that leads us past the influence of doubt is paved with obedience.

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Year 9, Day 201: Matthew 27

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The crucifixion story gives us another lens to view humanity.  There are those who do the right thing under stress.  There are those that make poor decisions.  There are even those who let others make decisions for them.  All of these dimensions of humanity are visible in this chapter.

I enjoy looking at Judas.  I personally think he was a man who believed Jesus was the Messiah.  I believe he wasn’t trying to get Jesus killed but trying to give Him a clear opportunity to overthrow the Romans and the Hebrew religious leaders.  This is why I believe he returns the money in this chapter.  He thought he knew what he was doing, but he realizes too late that things aren’t going as planned. He made a poor decision and had no escape plan.  Under stress, he erred.  It ended up costing him his life through another poor decision made under stress.  Unable to experience forgiveness and grace, he takes his own life.

On the other hand, look at the religious leaders.  They are getting what they want.  They appear to be in control.  In other Gospels we hear that they incited the crowd against Jesus.  They make a poor decision because they are getting what they want and don’t realize what it is doing with their relationship with God.

Speaking of the crowd, look at the decisions they make.  Only a week ago, the crowd was ready to crown Jesus king during the triumphal entry.  They marveled at His teaching and His miracles.  Now, because of the bloodlust in the crowd, they cry out for His death.  Worse, they even beg for a known murderer to be released into their midst just so that Jesus dies.  They are suffering from mob mentality and making poor decisions as they check their brains at the door and let others think for them.

Not everyone makes a bad decision, though.  The soldiers around Jesus – even though they aren’t supporting Jesus – at least have the ability to recognize something significant when it happens.  At Jesus’ death, they recognize that between the earthquake, the sky darkening, and the temple curtain tearing that Jesus was something special.  These uninformed and often uninterested Romans could sense there was something special at work.

Then there are the women, Joseph of Arimathea, and a few other scant spectators.  Regardless of their grief, their loyalty remains.  They can think through the stress and turmoil.  They make the right decisions.  They mourn at the appropriate time.  They don’t abandon Jesus even on the cross.

Human beings are interesting people.  Some of us are more capable of making good decisions than others.  Some of us make decisions based upon our environment or stress level.  Some of us are able to separate our circumstances and make the right decision regardless.  We see it all as Jesus is on the road to the cross.

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Year 9, Day 200: Matthew 26

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Matthew 26 is filled with an amazing amount of familiar stories.  Granted, we have entered into the crucifixion stories, stories with which Christians are usually familiar.  Here Jesus begins the final chapter of God’s grace given to us.

There is something unusual about these stories, however.  We know the rebellion, the violence, the legalism, and the trial.  What we often miss is how God is holy.  By holy, I mean different.  We fail to truly grasp the difference of God in these stories.

Of course, we know that God is different.  He has a plan nobody could imagine.  He plans to save humanity by dying.  That’s different, and it is also correct.  But that’s not what I mean.

Look at Jesus’ actions.  He is continually doing what is best for other people and not what is best for Himself.  He walks right into being handed over to the enemy knowing it was coming!  He doesn’t defend Himself against the false accusations of others.  He does ask God to let the cup pass from Him, but He doesn’t pursue the request.  His eyes are focused on God’s plan, not Himself.

On the other hand, look at the other characters in the story.  Judas wants some money.  Perhaps he is trying to force Jesus to prove Himself the Messiah, but even in that case Judas is still pursuing his own desires.

Look at the religious leaders.  They want Jesus dead.  They want Him removed from the sphere of influence in Jerusalem.  They want the crowds to be under their control once more.  They are focused on themselves.

Look at the disciples.  When someone comes to anoint Jesus, they only see the waste.  When Jesus asks them to pray, they can only focus on their need for sleep.  When Jesus is trying to talk to them about how the crucifixion is going to play out, they can only focus on their potential guilt.

Look at Peter specifically.  When Jesus is about to be arrested – having heard Jesus talk about what would happen on multiple occasions – Peter reaches out and cuts of the ear of Jesus’ opponent.  When trying to listen in on the trial, Peter is discovered and seeks to protect his own anonymity by denying Jesus.

As the crucifixion approaches, we see human beings looking out for themselves.  We see Jesus pursuing God.  That’s the difference.  That’s the holiness of Jesus.

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Year 9, Day 199: Matthew 25

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I have long held that this chapter is the scariest chapter in the Bible.  This chapter causes more fear within me than any chapter in Romans or Revelation.  This chapter is all about the characteristics of those who get to enter the kingdom versus those who hear Jesus says, “I never knew you.”  I know I’m not perfect.  I know I am sinful.  I know God is a forgiving God.  All that said, I don’t want to be the person who gets to hear God’s Son say, “I never knew you.”  I want to enter into the wedding feast rather than experience gnashing of teeth.

How do I alleviate the fear?  The first step to alleviating fear is to remember context.  Matthew 24 was all about Jesus telling us that since we cannot know His return, we should live in relationship with Him every day.  Today we get to see consequences for such a choice.

In the parable of the virgins, there are five virgins who do what is necessary and are prepared.  There are also five who do not.  The five who do find their way into the feast.  The five who do not find themselves spending so much time getting ready that they miss their entrance.  It isn’t that they were overly evil people.  It isn’t that they weren’t qualified.  The reality is that they didn’t make the grade because they simply didn’t do their job and weren’t ready.

In the parable of the talents, the pressure gets ratcheted up.  No longer is there a distinction between success and failure.  In the case of all three servants, nobody lost.  Two people gained and one person returned exactly what was given.  Nobody lost.  That’s part of the issue.  Maintaining the status quo isn’t good enough.

What’s the point here?  Context from yesterday is crucial here.  The servant who is sent away is sent away because he didn’t try.  He didn’t risk.  He didn’t use what was given to him.  His goal was avoiding failure when the master’s goal was attempting something.  He had the wrong goal and it cost Him.  God wants us to trust Him in that so long as we try, He can do wonders with our effort.

The final parable – the sheep and the goats – is perhaps the scariest.  This sorting is so scary because in both cases neither group really seems to be aware of what they were doing right or wrong.  Neither group knows they are aiding or refusing aid to Jesus.  Once more, however, the thread of effort comes through.  The sheep who are welcomed are received because they acted.  They helped.  They received.  They saw the lowest as a venue for love and grace.  The group that is rejected is because they did not do.  They did not look upon the least with pity or mercy or love.

Matthew 24 tells us to live every day like we mean it.  Today we see consequences for inaction.  If we aren’t prepared, if we don’t use what God gives us, if we don’t display His grace and love then we might just find ourselves outside with the gnashing of teeth rather than inside sitting at the feast with our Lord.

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Year 9, Day 198: Matthew 24

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Matthew 24 is a difficult chapter to read.  It is so easy to read Matthew 24 at fall into the temptation of predicting the end is near.  How often do we see people doing this very thing?  How often do we hear and see people using this tactic of fear against others to try and coerce them into godly behavior?  In fact, if we think about it, isn’t the act of doing so merely going to produce people who are unrighteous on the inside but appear righteous outside?  Didn’t Jesus condemn such life yesterday with the religious leaders?  Seeing this chapter as a chapter designed to allow us to predict the coming of the end of the world and thus instill fear into others produces the very thing that Jesus condemned in Matthew 23.

That being said, Jesus does tell us how to recognize signs.  In fact, in Jesus’ comparison to the fig tree Jesus tells us to do that very thing!  He tells us to watch out for betrayal.  He tells us to understand that the world will have elements that hate us.  He tells us that famine, earthquake, and war will all be present as we draw to the end of the age.  He tells us to be careful to not follow after false christs.

What is Jesus’ point if not to give us the ability to know the end of the age?  Look at where Jesus ends.  Jesus doesn’t tell us to go out and threaten people with the fear of Hell!  Jesus tells us to use this knowledge to get our own house in order.  After all, has there ever been a period of human history where a war wasn’t being fought?  Has there ever been a time in human history when we haven’t heard of earthquakes, the threat of famine, or droughts, or people turning on one another?  Jesus is telling us that because these things are ever present, we cannot know when the Lord will return.  If we cannot know, then it is vital to live our life as if He could return at any moment.

In the end, this should be unnecessary.  Shouldn't a disciple of Christ follow in His example?  Should we not live lives worthy of the grace we have received from Him?  Therefore, the warnings we receive from Christ are not meant as tools for us to threaten others with fear!  They are tools to help remind us to keep on the straight and narrow.

Jesus didn’t come to earth and scare people into belief.  He loved them into belief.  It is His disciples – in a very personal and secluded moment, mind you – who are the benefactors of this teaching.  Faith brings us to Christ.  Recognition of the evil within each of us and the world around us continual reminds us of why we need Him.

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Year 9, Day 197: Matthew 23

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Matthew 23 contains a long diatribe against the religious leaders.  The crucifixion is coming quickly.  He is almost done with His ministry and a few things need to be said openly.  Jesus has questioned the religious leaders before.  He has spoken parables against them.  Now is the time to speak openly about their error.

What is it with which Jesus has an issue?  Jesus is concerned that the religious leaders are giving off an appearance of righteousness but covering up what truly lies within.  Actually, I don’t think that is quite right.  Jesus is concerned that those who follow the religious leaders will develop the same traits.  Jesus is concerned that if the religious leaders put on holiness like a cloak to cover up the greed and power hunger that lives within then those who follow them will learn to live the same way.

In short, if you read through this list of woes, there is a strong sense that the inside of the religious leaders doesn’t match the outside.  Human sinfulness lies within while a coat of cultural purity masks its presence.  Jesus argues that their forefathers – the ones who killed the prophets and ultimately watched God’s judgment come upon them in the form of Babylon and Assyria – were just like them.

Here we get to the heart of Jesus’ argument.  Religious leaders, much like every other human being on the planet, have evil within.  All people are subject to the temptations of greed, lust for power, lust for popularity, lust for control, and the like.  Those who bury it within are prone to succumbing to its effects.  That’s what Jesus is talking about.  The only way to truly combat the evil within is to bring it to the surface so that we can do daily battle against it.  The religious leaders look perfect but are corrupt within.  Jesus is teaching His disciples to look real on the outside and the inside, acknowledging the struggle that truly exists between humanity and righteousness.

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Year 9, Day 196: Matthew 22

Theological Commentary: Click Here

The wedding feast is a haunting story if I’ve ever heard of one.  The king – the single greatest authority in the land -prepares a feast.  Yet, when the time comes, those under him can’t be bothered to attend because their lives are so busy or because they have a lack of interest.  I can’t imagine saying no to a king’s feast.  Jesus’ point, though, is that this happens all the time.  Every single person on the planet has been invited to a feast in the presence of God.  He wants to be in relationship with us.  Yet, how often do we all turn to God and indicate that we have better things to do, different plans than Him, or that we really can’t be bothered?  This is a haunting story because it exposes a characteristic in each of us – the faithful and the rebellious.  We are our own people and have our own ideals, dreams, and agenda.  Sometimes we clash with God when we should be focused on getting ready for the feast.

The next two stories – taxes and marriage – show the focus of the religious leaders.  They are trying to trap Jesus, and they go about it in a very worldly manner.  They ask Jesus about taxes.  Jesus responds by telling them that taxes are not something God is all that concerned about.  Let the world rule itself in worldly matters!  The Sadducees then come and want to talk about marriage, especially when it comes to producing heirs through remarriage.  Jesus brushes this question off as He did the one about taxes.  We are His bride, after all!  Which marriage is more important, one done in the world or one done in heaven?  Again, let the world rule over worldly matters and let the divine rule of the divine.

We then come to the greatest commandment.  Love God with all your heart, soul, and mind.  With whatever is left, love your neighbor.  Note that God doesn’t say anything great about pursuing our own dreams and looking out for number one.  Everyone can look out for themselves.  That’s just human nature.  It takes a divine perspective to be willing to put the other ahead of the self.

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Year 9, Day 195: Matthew 21

Theological Commentary: Click Here

The triumphal entry signifies the last week of Jesus’ ministry before the crucifixion.  It is a bittersweet story.  It marks the point where Jesus’ ministry gets more desperate, more direct, and more pointed against the religious leaders.  This also means that His teachings get easier to understand and inherently more challenging.  It also indicates that we’ll see the flaws in humanity more clearly.  After all, we start this week of Jesus’ life with a crowd shouting Jesus’ praise.  We’ll end it with a crowd shouting for His death.

Jesus goes in for the kill when some religious leaders come to challenge Him.  They want to know from where His power comes.  Jesus won’t tell them because they refuse to acknowledge the truth in their hearts about John the Baptizer.  While this is an impressive twist that Jesus does, I think the lesson in this story is that honesty is the best policy.  The religious leaders get nowhere because their inability to be honest.

What if the religious leaders had admitted that John was from heaven?  That would have opened the door for Jesus to ask some hard questions.  Why didn’t they believe if they thought he was from heaven?  That question would have led to a good place of analysis and faith eventually, though.  It would have been a hard question, but Jesus could have used it to lead the religious leaders to truth.

What if the religious leaders admitted that John’s power was human and not divine in origin?  They would have had to face the crowd and realize that their opinion was one in the minority.  Again, Jesus could have used that opportunity to show them the truth.  Jesus could have used that to open the door to discussion about why so many people disagree with them.

Instead, the religious leaders refuse to commit.  Because they refuse to commit, no fruit can be born in their life.  They don’t come to truth.  Their lives are left unchanged and they are allowed to go on existing in their own fabrication of reality.  Answering Jesus’ question would have been harder than not answering, but it would have had a much greater opportunity to end in truth rather than the lies they chose to believe.

This same thread is woven throughout the rest of the chapter.  The fig tree refuses to fruit.  It is denying its purpose.  Rather than grow fruit – a hard process that costs something, the tree simply produces leaves.  Because the fig tree is unwilling, like the religious leaders who were unwilling to acknowledge truth, it is cursed.

 Take the story of the two sons.  One seems unwilling at first but is willing in the end.  That son is praised.  The other son displays willingness on the outside but has a heart of stone on the inside.  That son is rejected.  We continue to see that we must be willing in order to bear fruit and do God’s will.

Lastly, there is the story about the tenants.  The tenants want to keep all the harvest to themselves.  They don’t want to face the reality that the owner of the land has the right to it – or at least some of it.  They don’t even respect the son of the owner of the land.  They try to live in denial of the truth.  They try to live in a world of their own making.  Instead of living at peace with the landowner and embracing a shared prosperity, they end up being killed and replaced.  The religious leaders who refuse to take a stand – and in doing so refuse to give Jesus an opportunity to lead them to a place of better truth – are about to be replaced with disciples of Jesus who come willingly from the ranks of fishermen and tax collectors.

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