Q & A


Matthew 21:23-32Then Jesus went into the temple courtyard and began to teach. The chief priests and the leaders of the people came to him. They asked, “What gives you the right to do these things? Who told you that you could do this?” Jesus answered them, “I, too, have a question for you. If you answer it for me, I’ll tell you why I have the right to do these things. Did John’s right to baptize come from heaven or from humans?” They discussed this among themselves. They said, “If we say, ‘from heaven,’ he will ask us, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him?’ But if we say, ‘from humans,’ we’re afraid of what the crowd might do. All those people think of John as a prophet.” So they answered Jesus, “We don’t know.” Jesus told them, “Then I won’t tell you why I have the right to do these things. “What do you think about this? A man had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘Son, go to work in the vineyard today.’ “His son replied, ‘I don’t want to!’ But later he changed his mind and went. “The father went to the other son and told him the same thing. He replied, ‘I will, sir,’ but he didn’t go. “Which of the two sons did what the father wanted?” “The first,” they answered. Jesus said to them, “I can guarantee this truth: Tax collectors and prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God ahead of you. John came to you and showed you the way that God wants you to live, but you didn’t believe him. The tax collectors and prostitutes believed him. But even after you had seen that, you didn’t change your minds and believe him.

Q & A

Our message begins on a typical Sabbath morning. Jesus had gone into the temple to do what he had been doing all His life (being about His Father’s business). Here he was teaching and explaining the Law and the Prophets when the chief priests and the leaders of the people came up to him.
They asked, “Dude, who do you think you are? WE are the teachers here. These people pay US to tell them how WE interpret the scriptures. WE spent years studying with a respected rabbi before we were allowed to teach. What right do you have to do these things? Who gave you this authority? Where is YOUR diploma?”
Now I know that the Bible doesn’t say that Jesus had a twinkle in his eye and a smirk on his lips when he answered, but I believe He did when He said, “I have just one question to ask you. If you answer it, I will tell you where I got the right to do these things.
Can you see the fear on these priests and leaders faces? You know they were not used to being challenged; not here in the Temple. This was their home turf. I can imagine them starting to sweat and beginning to back away. Then Jesus asked the question, “Who gave John the right to baptize? Was it God in heaven or merely some human being?”
Oh man! They knew it! He was setting them up! They thought it over and said to each other, “There is no way we can answer Him. We can’t say that God gave John this right. Because then Jesus will ask us why we didn’t believe; and there is no way we can defend ourselves there. On the other hand, these people think that John was a prophet, and we are afraid of what they might do to us. That’s why we can’t say that it was merely some human who gave John the right to baptize.”
So these religious leaders did a quick huddle and decided to play it safe. So they told Jesus, “We don’t know.”
Jesus said, “Okay, so you won’t be honest with me. Well then I won’t tell you who gave me the right to do what I do.”
Now right here at verse 28 the story appears to take a sharp right turn. It almost appears that Jesus is changing the subject. But hang on; He knows where He is going with this lesson.
Now Jesus, while he has these leaders’ attention says, “I will tell you a story about a man who had two sons. Then you can tell me what you think.”
Oh yeah! I’m sure that they are looking forward to THIS quiz. After all, they had done so well on the last one!
Jesus began the story, “The father went to the older son and said, “Go work in the vineyard today!” His son told him that he would not do it, but later he changed his mind and went.
The man then told his younger son to go work in the vineyard. The boy said he would, but then he didn’t go to work after all.”
Okay, the parameters of the story have been explained. Now Jesus asks, “So, teachers, which one of the sons obeyed his father?”
The chief priests and leaders answered, “The older one!” Wow! This test was easier than they thought it was going to be! This was not near as tricky as they had feared. The answer was so obvious! The one who obeyed was the one who obeyed, even though he had at first refused. Simple, really, when you thought about it.
Then Jesus told them: “You can be sure that tax collectors and prostitutes will get into the Kingdom of God before you ever will!
What? Why? We answered your question correctly! We know we did!
“Because, when John the Baptist showed you how to do right, you would not believe and follow him. You were the son that said you would but then refused to follow. By your own tongues you have judged yourselves.
But these “evil” people, the tax collectors and prostitutes, did believe. They may have been disobedient at the beginning but then they repented and changed. And even then, when you, priests and teachers of the Law, saw what they did, you still would not change your minds and believe. What good is to say ‘yes’ with your lips and ‘no’ with your actions?”
Now it is our turn to answer Jesus. We sing on Sunday morning; “Follow, I will follow thee my Lord”, “Where he leads me I will follow”, or dozens of other hymns that speak about our obedience to the Lord.
Are we just moved by the music and mouthing the words without thought? If so, how many lies do Christians sing each week? Can we better defend ourselves to Jesus questions than did the “religious” people of His day?
If we can’t do better than they, then what makes us think that Christ will be any easier on us for our disobedience?
We are good people! We know we are. However, the chief priests and synagogue leaders were also ‘good people’. For the most part they were trying to do what they thought was expected of them. They said all the right words, just as they had been taught.
It was their actions, or their lack of actions that was getting them into trouble with Jesus. It is what can get us into trouble with Jesus.
We hear, we listen, we nod our heads in agreement and may even shout, “Amen!” But to what avail if it has caused no change within our lives?
James 1:22 says, “But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.” Sometimes James is misunderstood as saying that people are saved by their actions. He only says that the proof that they are saved is the changes it makes in their actions.
If we have been changed, if we are new creatures, then those around us should be able to notice. I pray that when we sing, “Where He leads me I will follow” we will be singing the truth of our hearts.
Amen.

God bless

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All content (except quotations) ©2011Thomas E. Williams

Originally posted on Saturday, August 20, 2011

Here Is Your Outline – Live It

Romans 12:9-21
Love sincerely. Hate evil. Hold on to what is good. Be devoted to each other like a loving family. Excel in showing respect for each other. Don’t be lazy in showing your devotion. Use your energy to serve the Lord. Be happy in your confidence, be patient in trouble, and pray continually. Share what you have with God’s people who are in need. Be hospitable. Bless those who persecute you. Bless them, and don’t curse them. Be happy with those who are happy. Be sad with those who are sad. Live in harmony with each other. Don’t be arrogant, but be friendly to humble people. Don’t think that you are smarter than you really are. Don’t pay people back with evil for the evil they do to you. Focus your thoughts on those things that are considered noble. As much as it is possible, live in peace with everyone. Don’t take revenge, dear friends. Instead, let God’s anger take care of it. After all, Scripture says, “I alone have the right to take revenge. I will pay back, says the Lord.” But, “If your enemy is hungry, feed him. If he is thirsty, give him a drink. If you do this, you will make him feel guilty and ashamed.” Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil with good.

Message: Here Is Your Outline – Live It

In the early days of manned space flight, I remember sitting glued to the television screen watching as NASA preparied for launch. One of the things that fascinated me was the pre-launch sequence. They would go through a checklist called the go no-go where they would call for a check of all of the various systems necessary for lunch. Each monitoring station would report with either a go or a no-go. If there was a no-go then they launch would be delayed until that issue was fixed. Only when they had a clear go, on all systems, would they be clear for launch.

Well, sure, if we are going to be flying way above the atmosphere, we would want to make sure that everything was in top shape and fully ready before we put our faith in this piece of machinery – Right?
I mean, if things go wrong, the consequences could put our lives at risk.
Aren’t our lives at risk by the choices we make everyday? Hey! Just living is risking our lives.
But there is something even more important than our lives.This life is but a moment in time.We are like the grasses of the field that flower for a short time and then are cast into the fire.
How is it with your soul?We live in a world that is broken and if we are not careful it can cause cuts and bruises to our souls – that eternal part of us.We have our eternal life to guard. Fortunately we have this “Operator Manuel” that we call the Bible.And we need to read it through over and over and become familiar with what it has to say.
Bible study is like astronaut training. We have to become familiar with the strengths and weakness.Where to look for trouble spots and how to correct them.
You have probably seen a TV show or movie where some untrained person is suddenly put in the position where they have to land the plane. That only works in fiction.
My point here is the only way to be prepared is to prepare! If the only Bible you know is what I or someone else has told you, you are about as ready to live the Christian life as I am to pilot the Mars Lander. We need to be prepared by reading the Bible for ourselves.
I know, sometimes we look at the Bible and think, “I could never read all of that.”The truth is that it is really simple. Just like eating an elephant; you take one bite at a time. There are lots of good reading plans out there (check the internet) that break the Bible into daily “bite size” bits.
I used one from the Gideons, that was designed to let you read the whole Bible through in a year.The first time through, I’ll admit was just a – read and check it off my list as done – sort of reading. It wasn’t “study” as much as it was complete the task. Maybe that wasn’t the best attitude or the best reason, however it got me into the Word.
Since then, I have used study plans that concentrate on parts of the Bible such as the Letters of Paul, the Psalms, Proverbs, or the first five books of the Old Testament.
As you read, ask yourself questions such as; who, what, when, where, why, and how. Ask what did this mean to the people who were there? What does it mean to me now?
Maybe you can join a Bible study group where you can share questions and ideas with others. Studying with others is great, however, keep it mind that it is YOUR life that you are training for, so you must take the responsibility.
Maybe you can join a Bible study group where you can share questions and ideas with others.
So, after you are trained, you are now ready to fly!
A daily devotional time will help you to “top off your tank”.
A prayer will help to set your navigation – your flight plan for the day.
Now you are ready for the “Preflight Checklist”
Our reading from Romans lays out a plan for living almost like a “preflight checklist” for life. (You were probably wondering when we were going to get into the scriptures today!)
1. Be sincere in your love for others. CHECK
2. Hate everything that is evil and hold tight to everything that is good. CHECK
3. Love each other as brothers and sisters and honor others more than you do yourself. CHECK
4. Never give up. CHECK
5. Eagerly follow the Holy Spirit and serve the Lord. CHECK
6. Let your hope make you glad. CHECK
7. Be patient in time of trouble and never stop praying. CHECK
8. Take care of God’s needy people and welcome strangers into your home. CHECK
9. Ask God to bless everyone who mistreats you. Ask him to bless them and not to curse them. CHECK
10. When others are happy, be happy with them, and when they are sad, be sad. CHECK
11. Be friendly with everyone. CHECK
12. Don’t be proud and feel that you are smarter than others. CHECK
13. Make friends with ordinary people. CHECK
14. Don’t mistreat someone who has mistreated you. CHECK
15. But try to earn the respect of others, CHECK
16. and do your best to live at peace with everyone. CHECK
17. Don’t try to get even. Let God take revenge. In the Scriptures the Lord says, “I am the one to take revenge and pay them back.” CHECK
18. “If your enemies are hungry, give them something to eat. And if they are thirsty,
give them something to drink. CHECK
This will be the same as piling burning coals
on their heads.”

19 Don’t let evil defeat you, but defeat evil with good. CHECK
Maybe we should go through this “preflight checklist” as we start each day. Imagine how different our day would be.
Also, remember that despite what a popular bumper-sticker says, Christ is the pilot – not our co-pilot. As a friend of mine has said, “If Christ is your co-pilot, you need to change seats.”
Amen.

God bless

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All content (except quotations) ©2011 Thomas E. Williams

Originally posted Monday, August 15, 2011

A Carpenter Talks About Farming

Matthew 20:1-6

“The kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out at daybreak to hire workers for his vineyard. After agreeing to pay the workers the usual day’s wages, he sent them to work in his vineyard. About 9 a.m. he saw others standing in the marketplace without work. He said to them, ‘Work in my vineyard, and I’ll give you whatever is right.’ So they went. “He went out again about noon and 3 p.m. and did the same thing. About 5 p.m. he went out and found some others standing around. He said to them, ‘Why are you standing here all day long without work?’

A Carpenter Talks About Farming

Has it ever occurred to you that Jesus told stories about really “odd” farmers?
Maybe it is because I have grown up in the Midwest where agriculture is so important.Or maybe it is because of all those hours working in my mother’s half-acre garden.Or maybe it is because I worked on a dairy farm and for Pioneer Hi-Bred Corn. Whatever the reason, the stories that Jesus told about farming, always have seemed a little “off” to me.
Maybe it was because he was a carpenter and not a farmer. But then again, he had a pretty good grasp of fishing and shepherding. Those parables hold up very well with the realities of those professions.
However, these stories of farming? Well, here, let’s examine them for a minute.
He told a story about a farmer who scattered seeds on the path, amongst the rocks, and into the thorns. Now in that day and age, seed was precious. To have seed to plant, you had to save part of last year’s crop, which meant that you could not eat it when times got tough. If you consumed it all today, you would starve tomorrow.
Also the seed was scattered by hand as you walked through your field. You had precise control of where the seed landed. Why in the world would a farmer waste seed by throwing it where it had little or no chance of growing. That would be a very foolish or a very nearsighted farmer indeed who would waste his precious seeds.
Jesus also told the story about the farmer who had planted his crops and “an enemy” came and threw “weed seeds” in with his crop. Then he told his help not to pull the weeds because it would damage the crop. Certainly not what modern farming practice would dictate? The weeds would be using up vital nutrients that should be going to the crop.
A good farmer does everything he can to get the weeds out and keep them out. We use various methods to keep our crops clear of weeds. We hoe, pull, mulch and spray to control those weeds. When we see a field that is full of weeds, we tend to believe the farmer is lazy or does not care enough about his crops to protect them and keep them clean of weeds.
Now the part about an enemy who sewed weed seeds. Really? I can not imagine that happeing in modern times. Did “enemy farmers” actually resort to sabotage against their neighbors? I do not know for sure, however it seems unlikely.
For one thing, how much time did this enemy farmer spend harvesting weeds to gather those seeds. Did he intentionally not plant crops one year so that he could grow weeds? Seems pretty odd to me.
Then in today’s gospel reading we meet another peculiar farmer who has a vineyard. His grapes have grown. His vineyards have done very well indeed, what we would call a bumper crop and now it is time for the harvest.
His problem was that he had more work than he had workers.
The solution was simple enough, go into town and hire ‘day laborers’. And that’s what he did. He offered those that he found a fair wage for their day of labor and they accepted the contract without negotiation.
However, the landowner soon discovered that there was still more work than workers. So, back to town and hire more workers. He offered them the same contract as he had the first workers and again they accepted and went to work. Several times he did this right up until almost too dark to harvest.
In each case the farmer promised each group a “day’s wages”. A day’s wages means that each person received enough money to feed himself and family for the day.
Finally, the job was done and it was time to dole out the pay.
This is where the “blip” in this story starts. He pays everyone the same, no matter how long they worked. I wonder what union these folks belonged to?
Those that came latest were paid first. They took their wages and felt glad to be able to feed their families for another day.
At last it came time to pay those that were hired first. Well, understandably the ones that worked the longest were upset because they earned “only” the same as the people who worked the shorter day. That means that although the earned the same for the day, they made less per hour than the ones who came later in the day. They were upset.
Do you see what I mean, that none of these stories make sense? Not if you are actually thinking that they have anything to do with agriculture!
Of course, that is the point, they are not stories about farming.They are stories about the Kingdom of God.
When scattering the seed that is the Word of God, we are to be like the nearsighted farmer and scatter seed everywhere. We are to tell everyone about Jesus.
We understand that not everyone will listen – but we are not to prejudge them. Let God do that, it is His job.
Maybe He will spend some time cultivating the rocky ground and clearing the weeds, so that the next person who sews seeds of the Gospel of Christ will find good soil where the bad soil had been.
I, for one was a hard packed path on which nothing could grow. I heard the word, had seed scattered on me, countless times before it started to grow. Thank God that enough people were willing to cast seed in such an unlike spot as my soul.
And, of course, we are not to pull the weeds from the field. Again, that is God’s job to sort out the good from the bad.
Frankly, we would be very bad spiritual weed pullers. We can only see the past and the present. (Although sometimes we can’t see the present because it is hidden by our knowledge ot the past). So we make judgments without knowing the “rest of the story”. God can see clear to the end which makes him the only one who can determine whether it is a weed or valuable plant.
And, in today’s gospel reading, we understand that, while paying farm works a full day’s pay for an hour’s work makes little financial sense, if you realize that when “paying” workers in the Kingdom of God for bringing in souls, it makes sense.
The reward, life eternal, is the same regardless of when you enter into it.Nobody gets half of an eternal life, or a quarter, or and eighth.The reward is the same for all.
So it doesn’t make any difference when you started “working” for God – as a youngster, or as an oldster – the reward will be eternity with God.
Remember, when we work for God, the pay is always fair – and the retirement plan is unbeatable!
Praise God.Amen.

God bless

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All content (except quotations) ©2011Thomas E. Williams

Originally posted Thursday, August 18, 2011

What Comes Out of Your Mouth?

What Comes Out of Your Mouth?

Matthew 15:10-20
Then he called the crowd and said to them, “Listen and try to understand! What goes into a person’s mouth doesn’t make him unclean. It’s what comes out of the mouth that makes a person unclean.” Then the disciples came and said to him, “Do you realize that when the Pharisees heard your statement they were offended?” He answered, “Any plant that my heavenly Father did not plant will be uprooted. Leave them alone! They are blind leaders. When one blind person leads another, both will fall into the same pit.” Peter said to him, “Explain this illustration to us.” Jesus said, “Don’t you understand yet? Don’t you know that whatever goes into the mouth goes into the stomach and then into a toilet? But whatever goes out of the mouth comes from within, and that’s what makes a person unclean. Evil thoughts, murder, adultery, other sexual sins, stealing, lying, and cursing come from within. These are the things that make a person unclean. But eating without washing one’s hands doesn’t make a person unclean.”

I can hear my mother calling me, “Tom, time to eat. Go wash your hands.”

I’d come in from playing – climbing trees, playing soldier (which meant getting ‘shot’ and rolling down the hill) and most likely I’d been catching grasshoppers or toads or snakes.So in I come and dip my hands into water and dry off on a towel.

“No, go back and use soap!” Mom would scold. Funny, MY kids were the same way; always in too much of a hurry to ‘scrub’ away the dirt before coming to the table.
Parents are always concerned with what goes into their kids’ mouths. “Get that out of your mouth.You don’t know where that has been!”
We are concerned about cleanliness because we are concerned for their health and well being. We are also concerned about what comes out of their mouths What are we teaching them – by word and by example?
“What did you say, young man! Don’t make me wash your mouth out with soap!” Yes, I’ve had my mouth washed out with soap!And I’ve washed my son’s mouth out with soap.
Oh, I wish it were really that easy to cleanse the heart. Here Jesus called the crowd and said to them, “Listen and try to understand! What goes into a person’s mouth doesn’t make him unclean.It’s what comes out of the mouth that makes a person unclean.”
This is one of the most straight-forward statements Jesus ever made. No parable was needed to make this point. He just says, “Listen up! What you eat will not harm you as much as what you say!” No further explanation should be needed. Right?
But then the disciples said to him, “Do you realize that when the Pharisees heard your statement they were offended?” Yes, the Pharisees were offended. Jesus had, once again, dismissed one of the Mosaic laws of cleanliness. Or at least that is what they heard. They had a scroll full of things that could make a person unclean! Who was this Jesus to come along and say that eating unclean animals, like pork, would not make you unclean!
Jesus didn’t actually say that we should not wash our hands before we eat or that it was okay to eat just anything that we picked up off the ground (no 7 second rule here). He was trying to get the point across that what we say (and by extension what we think) can have far more impact on our lives than a little dirt eaten with our lunch.
I’ve often been amazed at the number of times it is recorded that there was such a conflict between Jesus and the Pharisees. Because, of the various sects of Judaism, the Pharisees were closest to teaching the same things that Jesus taught. In Matthew 23:3 Jesus even tells his listeners, “So be careful to do everything they tell you.” However, He quickly adds, “But don’t follow their example, because they don’t practice what they preach.”
I have four children with very different personalities. My oldest son would never argue with me. I’d tell him to do something and he say, “Okay.” He wouldn’t do it – but he didn’t argue. My oldest daughter would argue with me. I’d tell her what to do and she’d give me 50 reasons that it can’t or shouldn’t be done. Then she’d go do it.
Which is better? To argue and obey? Or to agree and disobey?

Here, Jesus was saying that the Pharisees did not argue with the commands of God, but they did not follow them.

Here is what Jesus said about the Pharisees in today’s reading, “Any plant that my heavenly Father did not plant will be uprooted. So, leave them alone! They are blind leaders. When one blind person leads another, both will fall into the same pit.”Finally! A parable! I imagine Peter has been sitting on his hands, bouncing in his seat just waiting for a parable so he can say, “Explain this illustration to us.”

Finally! A parable! I imagine Peter has been sitting on his hands, bouncing in his seat just waiting for a parable so he can say, “Explain this illustration to us.”

To this Jesus said, “Seriously, Peter? Don’t you understand yet? Okay, I’ll be a little more graphic for you. Don’t you know that whatever goes into the mouth goes into the stomach and then into a toilet?
Listen, whatever goes out of the mouth comes from within. It shows what kind of a person you truly are and that’s what makes a person unclean. Here are examples of the unclean things that I’m talking about, evil thoughts, murder, adultery, other sexual sins, stealing, lying, and cursing. These are the things that make a person unclean, Jesus said.
I praise God that Jesus’ blood can wash away these impurities that make us spiritually unclean. Without His grace we could never stand in the presence of the Father. Our sins would keep us forever separated from the holiness of God. But because He paid the price of our sins, God no longer sees them. So we can come to God any time any place – even if we have dirt under our fingernails.

Glory to God. Amen.

©Thomas E Williams 2011

Originally published Monday, August 15, 2011

“But Who Do You Say I Am?”

Matthew 16:13-20

When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” They answered, “Some say you are John the Baptizer, others Elijah, still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He asked them, “But who do you say I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God!” Jesus replied, “Simon, son of Jonah, you are blessed! No human revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven revealed it to you. You are Peter, and I can guarantee that on this rock I will build my church. And the gates of hell will not overpower it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you imprison, God will imprison. And whatever you set free, God will set free.” Then he strictly ordered the disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.

“But Who Do You Say I Am?”

That is THE BIG QUESTION – isn’t it?
When Jesus arrived in the villages of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “What are people saying about who the Son of Man is?”

The disciples, who would have done some shopping at the local shopping mall, and maybe stopped in at Floyd’s barbershop, would have picked up on the local gossip – what people were saying about Jesus behind His back.
This was the information Jesus was looking for; who did the shop keepers, the mothers with small children, the subsistence farmers and fishermen.What was the buzz among these people? What did National Inquirer have to say about Him?
The religious leaders knew who He was, He was a trouble maker. He was someone cutting in on their power – their interpretation of God’s word. There was no mystery as to what they were saying about Jesus. They wanted Him gone – the quicker the better.
However, it was important for Jesus to know if the general populace was catching on to the message He was giving. Were the people preparing for the messiah? So He asked His disciples.
The disciples replied,”Some think he is John the Baptizer, some say Elijah, some Jeremiah or one of the other prophets.” Humm … interesting that they thought some long-dead prophet had returned to life.
So, most people still had not realized just who it was that walked among them. Who it was that fed them – spiritually and physically. They realized that He was a man of God. But they had not yet realized He was the God of Man.
Now Jesus put His disciples on the spot by asking, “And how about you, guys? Who am I to you?”
These were His hand picked disciples to whom He was speaking. They had not only seen the public miracles they had also seen “behind the curtain” – so to speak. They had heard the public teachings and also had Him give them private instruction.
Now he asked that big question, “Who do you say that I am?”
Peter spoke first. Now I have to admit that I am a bit like Peter – never one to hold back with an opinion or observation – here he jumped in with both feet and his mouth open.
“Dude, You’re the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”
Jesus came back with a verbal hug when he said, “God bless you, Simon, son of Jonah! You didn’t get that answer out of books or from teachers. My Father in heaven, God himself, let you in on this secret of who I really am.
For all his brashness and for all his impulsiveness, Peter was in tune with God. The answer came so quickly to his lips, that Jesus knew where the answer came from.
I heard a street preacher from Baton Rouge say that a woman approached him one day a say that she KNEW he was telling the truth – ‘cause nobody could lie that quick! There is a truth in what that woman was saying. It is easier and quicker to speak the truth than to think up the lie.
Hang on to your seats because, here comes a change or direction. Jesus had been asking “Who do people say that I am?”Now he tells Peter, “I’m going to tell you who you are, really are. You are Peter, a rock.”
I like the fact that Jesus was praising Peter here. Along with a pat on the head, he gets a new name. He looked into Peter’s life and saw not the fisherman, not the quick tempered, not the denier, but He saw the man of God that Peter would become.
I have been told that Jesus was doing a play on words here. That Peter’s original name meant pebble and that by calling him Peter, he was literally calling him Rock.
Now I don’t read Aramaic so I can’t personally verify that story – but I like it. I know from reading the stories He told, that Jesus had an amazing sense of humor and anyone who can come up with a quick pun is my hero.
Anyway, So Jesus is now saying that Peter has grown from a pebble to a rock. And He has a job for this rock to do.
Here He says, “This is the rock on which I will put together my church, a church so expansive with energy that not even the gates of hell will be able to keep it out.”
Did you catch that part when we read the scripture?
We, His church, can attack the gates of Hell. When I was younger, I thought that Christianity was purely a “defensive” religion. That is, we are protected by God by our belief. And we are. However, we are also to be an army that “attacks” evil, even the gates of Hell.
Jesus now says, “And that’s not all. You will have complete and free access to God’s kingdom, keys to open any and every door: no more barriers between heaven and earth, earth and heaven. A yes on earth is yes in heaven. A no on earth is no in heaven.”
Wow! No more barriers! Remember that Jesus was talking to a conquered people who lived under the rule of Rome. Think what these simple words meant to them. He told this powerless person, “You have the power!”
We, who have been captives of sin, we have the power! We aren’t just freed from sin, we are given the power to attack evil. Let’s be on the offensive!
Next Jesus did something that I don’t truly understand, He swore the disciples to secrecy. He made them promise they would tell no one that he was the Messiah.
For a long time I thought that was to protect Himself. Remember, He already had people in authority, trying to capture or kill him.
Now, I wonder if He meant to protect His disciples. He was not done preparing them for the adversity they would face. So, perhaps, like a father sheltering his children, He was asking them to keep this secret for just a little while longer. Until the time came when they could say boldly that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah, the true son of God.
Now, in this time and in this place, the question for us is, who do we say He is? And what are we going to do about it?
Amen

©Thomas E. Williams 2011

Nothing But Division

Gospel Reading: Luke 12:49-56

“I have come to throw fire on the earth. I wish that it had already started! I have a baptism to go through, and I will suffer until it is over. “Do you think I came to bring peace to earth? No! I can guarantee that I came to bring nothing but division. From now on a family of five will be divided. Three will be divided against two and two against three. A father will be against his son and a son against his father. A mother will be against her daughter and a daughter against her mother. A mother-in-law will be against her daughter-in-law and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.” Jesus said to the crowds, “When you see a cloud coming up in the west, you immediately say, ‘There’s going to be a rainstorm,’ and it happens. When you see a south wind blowing, you say, ‘It’s going to be hot,’ and that’s what happens. You hypocrites! You can forecast the weather by judging the appearance of earth and sky. But for some reason you don’t know how to judge the time in which you’re living.

Message: Nothing But Division

(Click here to hear sermon)

Our gospel reading brings an image we seldom see of Jesus. We see a glimpse of the one who will sit in judgement on that final day. As we read in 1 Corinthians 3:11-15 “After all, no one can lay any other foundation than the one that is already laid, and that foundation is Jesus Christ. People may build on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, or straw. The day will make what each one does clearly visible because fire will reveal it. That fire will determine what kind of work each person has done. If what a person has built survives, he will receive a reward. If his work is burned up, he will suffer the loss. However, he will be saved, though it will be like going through a fire.”

On that final day, some will be welcomed as a good and faithful servant – see Matthew 25:21 “His master replied, ‘Good job! You’re a good and faithful servant! You proved that you could be trusted with a small amount. I will put you in charge of a large amount. … Come and share your master’s happiness.’)

Some will be turned away to whom he will say, “I never knew you.” as in Matthew 7:21-23 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord!’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the person who does what my Father in heaven wants. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, didn’t we prophesy in your name? Didn’t we force out demons and do many miracles by the power and authority of your name?’ Then I will tell them publicly, ‘I’ve never known you. Get away from me, you evil people.’

So, understand, when Jesus spoke of families being torn apart, it wasn’t a threat. It was an observation. The culture was already fragmented and his clarification of the scriptures would further fragment it.

Let me explain.

  • For nearly 500 years the Jews had berm without a true prophet of God.

  • The original temple, the heart and soul of Jewish life had been destroyed in 587 BC

  • At the time of destruction, most of the upper class of their religion, government, and society had been enslaved and carried away to foreign lands.

Eventually, many returned to rebuild the temple in 538 BC

However, they found that in their long absences, the Jews that had been left behind, had intermarriage with non-Jews. These were the Samaritans.

When the Samaritans offered to help rebuild the temple, they were rejected. So they moved about 40 miles north of Jerusalem and built their own temple.

This division created great hatred between both sides.

Israel, who had previously been given God’s word through the prophets, began to be divided into groups with – very – political, religious, and social agendas. They also differed in their beliefs and traditions about the Messiah.

The religious tried to live the law of Moses as the understood it, but each group interpreted the scriptures from such varied perspectives that Jewish Society became more and more divided. As a result, the true understanding of who the Savior would be became confused.

Once the voices of prophets fell silent, the priests and their fellow Temple workers, the Levites, became the highest officials among the Jews and claimed for themselves the right to interpret scripture.

However, the office of High Priest became corrupted as it was bought and sold during this time.

  • Many Jews felt that the priests and Levites did not fulfill their responsibility to teach the law correctly,

  • a new group evolved who sought teach the law. Known as scribes, they model themselves on Ezra, who had helped his people feel an urgency to learn and to obey the law.

In 167 BC Cyrus the Great conquered the Babylonian Empire, including Jerusalem and outlawed the Jewish faith, forbidding circumcision and desecrating the temple by offering swine on the altar.

Many Jews resisted, led by a family known as The Maccabees . The Maccabean war eventually brought freedom to the Jews and created a Jewish Nation for the first time since the fall of Jerusalem.

At the same time the hasideans, meaning the pious, formed. They showed their Devotion to God by trying to live every miniscule aspect of the law of Moses as they understood it.

Other religious groups also emerged during this time. Each claiming the – exclusive – right to interpret the scriptures.

(Sounds a lot like many modern groups, amen?)

  • The Pharisees came into being soon after the maccabean war. They became very influential and Jewish Society by introducing a narrow focus on food laws and on ritual Purity, aspects that were rooted primarily in their – oral Traditions, – not scripture.

  • The Sadducees, on the other hand, rejected any appeal to oral tradition and held strictly to the five books of Moses, turning their backs on the writings of other prophets.

Oh yes, let’s not forget that the hated Romans conquered the middle east and occupied Israel in 63 BC.

Jesus came into this mess of mixed messages and misunderstandings and – amazed his listeners because, “Unlike their scribes, he taught them with authority.”

(Matthew 7:28-29)

Some there were, who embraced Jesus’s message of God’s gift of forgiveness through his Son’s sacrifice. And there were those who reject the gift. Families were divided by their beliefs concerning Jesus. There are still those that accept, those that reject, and families are still divided because of Jesus.

Jesus said, “I have come to throw fire on the earth. I wish that it had already started!

Now, let’s talk about that fire in the biblical context.

In the bible Fire is a represents so many things. It can represent the

  • presence of God — as in the pillar fire in Exodus (13:17-22) and the tongues of flame at Pentecost (Acts 2:1-4).

  • It can also represent the final judgment as in Revelation, Satan and his army are consumed by fire (20:7-10).

  • Fire also represents purification — Zachariah (13:9) and Malachi (3:2-3) each refer to God’s intention to purify Israel like a refiner purifies silver by fire.

Jesus is the embodiment of all of these images. Jesus, as part of the Godhead, embodies the presence of God which simultaneously judges and purifies.

The division of which Jesus speaks is a result of the purifying fire he bears. The kingdom of God he proclaims represents a new order governed not by might but by forgiveness, not by fear but by courage, and not by power but by humility.

Those lured by the temptations of wealth, status, and power; and those who rule now will resist this coming kingdom for it spells an end to what they know and love

Therefore Jesus — though coming to establish a rule of peace — brings division, even to the most intimate and honored of relationships, that among family.

But if Jesus’s call to a new way of relating to each other — through forgiveness, courage, and humility — stirred up division during his time and that of the early church, what does it bring today?

There are Christians in some parts of the world who continue to face opposition and persecution. However, we Christians in the western world are seldom openly persecution for the sake of our faith. So, how are we to understand Jesus’s pronouncement that he brings fire and division rather than peace? Just observe how fragmented the Christian denominationsare today. Aren’t families still divided by their beliefs?

Jesus asked his listeners how it is that they could predict the weather but not understand the signs of the times. Can we do our own weather forecasting by discerning the signs of the times? There are few biblical end-time prophecy left unfulfilled. And those could be accomplished quickly.

I don’t know when that trumpet will sound and time will cease! But I do know that it is two thousand years closer than it was when Jesus berated them for not knowing. And I know that it will come suddenly and unexpectedly like a thief in the night.

Hear these words from 2 Peter 3:10 “The day of the Lord will come like a thief. On that day heaven will pass away with a roaring sound. Everything that makes up the universe will burn and be destroyed. The earth and everything that people have done on it will be exposed.”

Knowing that the day of the Lord will come without warning, what are you and I to do in preparation?

I enjoy watching YouTube channels about Bushcraft, survival, self sufficiency, and prepping. I Was A Boy Scout and I believe in being prepared. We do not have a doomsday bunker filled with a stockpile of weapons to fight off the zombie hordes. However, we do have duffel bags packed with about a week’s worth of clothes plus freeze dried food and water and some basic tools. These are in case of fire, flood, or winds. These preparations will be useless on the Day of Reckoning. To be prepared we need to live the life of service as commanded by and demonstrated by Jesus listen again to Matthew 25:31-40

“When the Son of Man comes in his glory and all his angels are with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. The people of every nation will be gathered in front of him. He will separate them as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right but the goats on his left. “Then the king will say to those on his right, ‘Come, my Father has blessed you! Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. I was hungry, and you gave me something to eat. I was thirsty, and you gave me something to drink. I was a stranger, and you took me into your home. I needed clothes, and you gave me something to wear. I was sick, and you took care of me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’ “Then the people who have God’s approval will reply to him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you or see you thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you as a stranger and take you into our homes or see you in need of clothes and give you something to wear? When did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ “The king will answer them, ‘I can guarantee this truth: Whatever you did for one of my brothers or sisters, no matter how unimportant they seemed, you did for me.’

Providing shelter, food, water, clothing, health care, protection, love and support, caring for your neighbor, and loving your enemies, these are the things will pass through the fire unharmed.. Simply put, “Always do for other people everything you want them to do for you. (Matthew 7:12a) That is how to be prepared.

And then pray that God’s kingdom comes. Come, Lord Jesus!

The good will of the Lord Jesus be with all of us. Amen!

Portions of this sermon used information from “The Lost 500 Years” by S. Kent Brown & Richard Neitzel Holzapfel

“It is NOT Sink or Swim”


Matthew 14:22-33

Message: “It is NOT Sink or Swim”
Today’s Gospel reading takes place immediately following the feeding of the 5000. Jesus had sent His disciples by boat toward the other side of the sea while He stayed behind to dismiss the people.
After sending the people away, he went up a mountain to pray by himself. When evening came, he was there alone.!
It had been an amazing day of teaching and miracles. Jesus had been surrounded by and sought by thousands of people clamoring for His attention.
He had not only been teaching the masses, but also training the disciples.
Now, He sought time alone to be with His Father in prayer. I can imagine the conversation going something like this:
“Hey, Dad, I had a good day today! A few of them actually saw past the miracles and understood that it wasn’t about filling their stomachs. They really got it!
I tell you, being human isn’t easy, this body is so worn and tired that I think I could sleep through a storm at sea!
Well, I’d better go check on the disciples. They’ll be starting to worry. They’re coming along but its slow going with some of them.
By the way, You’ve got some sense of humor giving me Peter as a disciple. And James and John! What a pair!
Anyway, they are like children at times, and at others they show great insights of understanding about what our purpose here is all about.
I’ll call ya later. Bye, Dad, Love you!
So, by now the boat was hundreds of yards from shore and bouncing like a three-year-old on a sugar high; and trying to sail into the wind. If you have ever tried to stand up in a small boat that is being tossed around by the waves and the wind – or tried to walk on a water bed, you can get some idea of what it was like for Jesus to walk on this rolling carpet of water.
Okay, so sometime in the darkest part of the night – that part before sunrise and when the moon has gone down – Jesus comes hiking through the peaks and troughs of the waves like he was strolling through a meadow.
The disciples see Him and begin screaming like little girls in a snake pit. They believe Him to be a ghost. It’s not clear if they think He is just any ol’ ghost of if they recognize it is Him and believe Him to have finally been killed by His many enemies.
I am sure He was bewildered by their behavior. As far as He was concerned, He was not doing anything so incredible. However because He is ever compassionate, He yells out, “Dudes, it me, calm down!”
At this point, Peter (ever rash, impulsive Peter) says, “Okay, if its you, command me to come to you on the water!”
I doubt Peter had thought this through – he quite often did not think it through until after the fact – however, he had some concept of the fact that, alone he could not step onto the sea and walk, but that if Jesus “commanded” him to do it, that he would also give him the ability to follow through on it.
There is a lesson there for us. When we are commanded, we are also empowered. This goes beyond what Paul means when he says in 1 Corinthians 10:13, “(God) will not let you be tested beyond your strength.”
It means that we do not have to rely on our own strength when we are doing the will of God. God’s strength is sufficient to what ever the task is that is set before us.
So, Peter asks Jesus to order him out of the boat. I’m sure that Jesus smiled like a proud parent when their child takes that first unaided step, when He said, “Come on ahead!”
So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus. – UNTIL – he noticed how strong the wind was, at that point his fear of the wind and the water became stronger than his faith in Jesus. The result was that he started to sink. In his fear, he shouted, “Lord, save me!”
Jesus could have used him as an object lesson to the other disciples and let Peter struggle in the water and find his own way back to the boat.
However, in His compassion, He immediately, reached out, caught hold of him, and said, “You have so little faith! Why did you doubt?”
I do not think that Jesus was speaking only to Peter here. After all, Peter had shown enough faith to get out of the boat while the others were still cowering and whimpering. Peter’s small faith had let him walk on water – if only for a little while.
When they got into the boat, the wind stopped blowing. At this point, the men in the boat bowed down in front of Jesus and said, “You are truly the Son of God.”
This was not the first time that they had said this. But here again they had just been reminded of it.
We are like that sometimes too, we “know” that Jesus is Lord. However, sometimes we fail to act on that knowledge. We, at times, forget the times when Jesus has been our strength, our rock, our guide, our savior, and let our gaze shift to the troubled world around us. We become overwhelmed with the size of the situation we face.
It is times like this when Jesus reaches for us with outstretched had and lifts us from the sea of troubles in which we would drown.
Is He hurt by our lack of faith? Yes, I think so. Is he disappointed in us for our lack of faith? Does He abandon us, give up on us? No! In love he lifts us and sets us on solid ground. Amen.©Thomas E Williams 2011

©Thomas E Williams 2011

How Long, O Lord?

Hebrew Bible Reading Genesis 32:24-30
New Testament Romans 9:1-5

Message: How Long, O Lord?
With whom did Jacob wrestle? Our scripture starts by saying, “a man wrestled with him until daybreak”
I remember hearing a great sermon that claimed it was a metaphorical story about Jacob wrestling with his own deceptive nature.
It has some credibility when you consider that when he starts the contest he is named Jacob, which means supplanter or deceiver. When the match was over he was named Israel which means God perseveres or contends
However it is clear who Jacob thought he had struggled against because at the end of the story, Jacob says” I have seen God face to face”
Have you ever wrestled with God?
I have! Many times. I wrestled with him at my conversion. I felt God pulling me toward Him and I wanted to believe. However, I wanted to keep one foot in the door. My life was much like the person in the old hymn “Almost Persuaded” by Philip P. Bliss which says,
“Almost persuaded” now to believe;
“Almost persuaded” Christ to receive;
Seems now some soul to say,
“Go, Spirit, go Thy way,
Some more convenient day
On Thee I’ll call.” “Almost persuaded,” come, come today;“Almost persuaded,” turn not away;
Jesus invites you here,
Angels are lingering near
Prayers rise from hearts so dear;
O wanderer, come!

“Almost persuaded,” turn not away;
Jesus invites you here,
Angels are lingering near
Prayers rise from hearts so dear;
O wanderer, come!

“Almost persuaded,” harvest is past!“Almost persuaded,” doom comes at last!
“Almost” cannot avail;
“Almost” is but to fail!
Sad, sad, that bitter wail—
“Almost,” but lost!

“Almost persuaded,” doom comes at last!
“Almost” cannot avail;
“Almost” is but to fail!
Sad, sad, that bitter wail—
“Almost,” but lost!

We can not be a little bit Christian anymore than we can be a little bit dead. We are or we are not.
My heart was yearning for God! However, my mind would not let me let go of my own self will. Why couldn’t there be a way to ‘test’ God? Couldn’t I have a 90 day trial with a money back guarantee?
Imagine my surprise to find in Malachi chapter three verse ten, “Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in my house, and thus put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts; see if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you an overflowing blessing.”
Over the years, I have met many people who tithe because they believed. However, I’m the only person I know of who believed because they tithed.
I took God at his word and put him to the test. I began tithing and the blessing began to flow.
What happened was that the money that had seldom lasted all the way to the next payday, started to last. Even though I was tithing when I hadn’t before.
I couldn’t believe it. It didn’t make sense, but it worked. This “God thing” was working!
Now hold on a minute – I will not let you be misled here. I am not saying that if you tithe, that vast wealth will come your way.
Anybody that reads about the lives of the disciples will see that they certainly did not become wealthy men.
My point is that I put God to the test and He passed. He did what He said He would and proved to me that I could trust Him. That was a beginning.
Over the years, I wrestled with God. I have argued with Him over health issues, family relationship, and employment concerns. And I have to say that even when things didn’t work out as I had envisioned them — God was able to make a blessing from them when I was able to leave them in His hands.
It is okay to argue with God – even to be angry at God. Read the Psalms. Many of them were songs of anger and hurt.
Sometimes you have to ask God to let you see the situation through His eyes. And sometimes you just have to yield and say, “Not my will but thine O Lord!”

Remember – at the end of the wrestling, comes a blessing.

FOR FURTHER CONSIDERATION
I find this hymn to be a thought provoking telling of the story that takes it from the past to the present and into the future.
Come, O Thou Traveler Unknown
1. Come, O thou Traveler unknown, who still I hold, but cannot see! My company before is gone, and I am left alone with thee. With thee all night I mean to stay, and wrestle till the break of day; with thee all night I mean to stay, and wrestle till the break of day.
2. I need not tell thee who I am, my misery and sin declare; thyself hast called me by my name, look on thy hands and read it there. But who, I ask thee, who art thou? Tell me thy name, and tell me now. But who, I ask thee, who art thou? Tell me thy name, and tell me now.
3. Yield to me now, for I am weak, but confident in self-despair! Speak to my heart, in blessing speak, be conquered by my instant prayer. Speak, or thou never hence shalt move, and tell me if thy name is Love. Speak, or thou never hence shalt move, and tell me if thy name if Love.
4.’ Tis Love!’ tis Love! Thou diedst for me, I hear thy whisper in my heart. The morning breaks, the shadows flee, pure, Universal Love thou art. To me, to all, thy mercies move; thy nature and thy name is Love. To me, to all, thy mercies move; thy nature and thy name is Love.
Words by Charles Wesley

©Thomas E Williams 2011

“WHERE IS THE CHRISTMAS BABY?”

“WHERE IS THE CHRISTMAS BABY?”

Hebrews 1:1-4, (5-12),
John 1:1-14

MESSAGE FOR CHRISTMAS IN JULY
Wait! We read the gospel reading and this is a Christmas celebration … Where is the Babe in the Manger?
The four gospels each begin differently.
Mark’s Gospel skips the birth and goes to when Jesus began His public ministry.
Matthew and Luke’s Gospels each have stories of the miraculous birth,
John’s Gospel, as we just read, does not give us the traditional “Christmas Story” with shepherds, angels, and wise men.
There is no mention of the Christmas birth.
Or maybe there is!
Let’s look.
John is not interested in relating the story of Jesus’ birth on earth.
In John’s gospel, he makes it clear that the Christ who came into the world, predates the world and in fact is the one who created all things that were created.Hear again his words, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all.”
It helps if we understand that the Gospel of John was written primarily to a Jewish audience who were familiar with the Hebrew Scriptures.
So, his gospel begins with a retelling of the creation story from Genesis.
Those faithful Jews understood that the Word of God was a powerful force for creation.
So he was just explaining that Jesus was the Word of God personified.
There is no question here of John’s theology. Jesus is God in human form.
Let’s take a look at what Paul has to say along that same line in his letters.
We think of Paul mostly ministering to the Gentiles – non-Jews – US.
However, Paul always began by going to the local synagogue and explaining to the Jews how Jesus was the Christ and how He fulfilled all that was written in the Law and the Prophets.
In First Corinthians Paul tells his readers, “I first gave to you that which I also received; the Jesus died for our sins, according to the scriptures, that he was buried and rose again on the third day, according to the scriptures.” This makes it clear that he expected his audience to be somewhat familiar with the scriptures, that is what we call the Old Testament.
Here in Paul’s general letter to the Hebrews, he echoes John’s Gospel by saying, “Long ago God spoke to our ancestors in many and various ways by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom he also created the worlds.
He is the reflection of God’s glory and the exact imprint of God’s very being, and he sustains all things by his powerful word.
He and John were in total agreement that Christ predates the World and is in fact God.
And how were these messages received by the people who heard them? “He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him,”says John.
His own people – who were “his own people”?The descendents of Abraham, Jacob and Isaac; those who followed the Law of God and revered the prophets of old; the people who had been prepared, generation after generation; these were the people who rejected Him.
It was the religious people who could not see past their own self-important, self-proclaimed role as “God’s chosen people.”
And in the book of Acts, it relates how when Paul stood preaching (not just in a synagogue) but in the temple at Jerusalem he was dragged out and it was these religious who then attempted to kill him.
There is a warning to us here. Right?
Lord, Let us not get too sure that we have all the answers and that others are always wrong in their beliefs.
There is still much for us to learn.
So the Jews, his own people, rejected Him.
Now, wait!, let us not assume that ALL the Jews rejected this new understanding about the messiah.
Jesus was not just the Messiah, a godly leader, but that He also is the very embodiment of God.
Most of the early “Christians” were Jewish.
Christianity was not a NEW religion it was just another sect of Judaism.
And in the beginning, many thought it was ONLY for the Jews.
So, I guess even those who got it right – still got it wrong!
We have got to be so careful not to limit our God! Amen?
Remember the promise from God to Abraham that we talked about several weeks ago? The promise that ALL people everywhere would be blessed because of his seed.
Over the past several weeks we have seen that promise passed on to Isaac and then to Jacob.
Over the years, some people forgot the purpose of the promise and began to think of themselves as “specially entitled” by their status of caretakers of the Law from God.
John realized that the Good News was meant for all people when he said, “But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God.“
Praise God that he had a plan for the non-Jew – US! Amen?
Likewise, Paul had the awakening of his ministry to non-Jews and it is recorded in Acts22:17-21 where he says, “
After I had returned to Jerusalem. While I was praying in the temple courtyard I fell into a trance and saw Jesus saying to me, ‘Hurry and get out of Jerusalem quickly, because they will not accept your testimony about me.’And I said, ‘Lord, they themselves know that in every synagogue I imprisoned and beat those who believed in You. And while the blood of your witness Stephen was shed, I myself was standing by, approving and keeping the coats of those who killed him.’ Then He said to me, “Go, for I will send you far away to the Gentiles.”
Some Christ Mass story so far – Huh?
Are you still wondering where the new born baby is in this Christmas story?
Hang on just a little longer and I’ll show you where I found the baby in this lesson.
Christ’s birth was miraculous and marvelous.
The fact that it conformed to the predictions of the prophets helps to confirm it.
The fact that shepherds and wise men were informed of it was wonderful.
However, as we celebrate this Christ Mass in July, let us remember that Jesus was an active force in the world L-O-N-G before He was a baby.
He was STILL an active force in the world while He walked it as a man.
But more importantly He IS an active force in the world TODAY!
Through Him WE, who receive him and believe in his name, He gives power to be REBORN as Children of God.
It is We who are born again because of Christ’s birth, WE are the true babies in this Christ Mass story.
Praise God!
Amen!

©Thomas E Williams 2011

THE LAW OF THE FLESH & THE SPIRIT

THE LAW OF THE FLESH & THE SPIRIT

GENESIS 25:19-34,
ROMANS 8:6-11
MESSAGE
“Mom always loved you best!”
That was a running theme with the Smothers Brothers. For those of you old enough to remember them.
For those of you who are too young to remember the Smothers, let’s just say that the argument that started with “Mom always loved you best” ended with some absurd and humorous story.
What a terrible feeling that would be in real life – to think that your parent loved your brother or sister more that they loved you.
Unfortunately children are often raised with the feeling that their parents are playing favoritism and they are on the short end of the bargain.
It may not even be true – but if the feeling is there – it doesn’t matter if it is factual. The hurt is the same..
Here is what I did with my kids.
“I love you best,” I told my oldest son. “Don’t ever tell the others that I said that.”
Are you shocked that a parent would do that?
Well, here is the rest of the story.
I also told that to my oldest daughter, my youngest son and my youngest daughter. I told all of them the same thing. And it wasn’t a lie.
They were such different personalities, such different people, that I did love them each “best” but differently. My point in doing this was to let each of them know how special they were to me.
The story of Esau and Jacob reads like a “what not to do – cautionary tale” Dad has his favorite and Mom has hers.
I often a wonder how two children of the same parents, raised in the same household, can be SO DIFFERENT! These twins were certainly polar opposites.
“A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches.” Proverbs 22:1.
Here are the meanings of the names given these children: Esau equals hairy H A I R Y not H A R R Y, and Jacob means supplanter. A supplanter is some one who takes what is not theirs and holds on to it. Makes you wonder what were their parents thinking.
Hairy? Imagine how cruel other children would be to a child named Hairy. Especially in the pre-pubescence years when he would not have been hairy. His name would be said in such a mocking tone.
And Supplanter? Oh come on! And he grew up to be devious and manipulative? Who would have guessed? What chance would this kid havc to have grown up with close friends?
According to our scripture reading, these two never got a long even in the womb. Although that could just be a mother’s interpretation of a very active pregnancy. But the prophesy “Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples born of you shall be divided; the one shall be stronger than the other, the elder shall serve the younger.”
How much of this prophesy did Rebekah share with her husband and with the two boys?
The older serving the younger was very much at odds to the cultural expectations. The older son always got a double portion of the inheritance and was the one who received the blessing which was a very real thing to these people in that time.
When we say we are “blessed” we only understand a shadow to what it meant to them. It was something worth going to war or killing for.
So the scene is set and all these years of rivalry between them comes to a head over a seemingly simple thing like lentil soup.
Esau comes in from hunting and says, “Let me eat some of that red stuff, for I am famished!”
It must have not been a good day of hunting or he would have something to eat or to add to the pot of stew that Jacob was cooking.
And when he says that he is famished, he is saying that he is literally going to die if he does not eat something.
Really? How far from home were these two boys? It sounds to me like he was exaggerating just a little.
At any rate, Jacob replies, “First sell me your birthright.” Wow! Right of the bat, go for the biggest payday he could ask for. How long has this lust for his brother’s birthright been on his mind? He is the younger son (by less than a minute – he was hanging on to Esau’s heel – so he had to have been immediately after). That fact must have been eating at him for a long – long time.
The birthright. Here is what is at stake. At their father’s death, his property would be divided amongst all his living sons. However it isn’t an equal sharing. If a man has four sons, his property would be divided into FIVE equal shares and the oldest son would receive TWO shares.
In the case of Esau and Jacob that means that Esau would inherit 2/3rds and Jacob 1/3. So it isn’t an ALL OR NOTHING it is only a matter of degree of inheritance.
Do you remember the parable that Jesus told of the prodigal son? The father (who was still alive) gave his sons their inheritance when the younger son asked for it. This means that the father now owned nothing. The older son received his 2/3rds and the younger son his 1/3. Remember how the older son berated his father for holding a party to welcome back the impoverished younger son. He basically says, “You always loved him best,” even though he had received the larger share of the inheritance.
It is all about greed!
Back to Esau and Jacob. Jacob has just ask for his brother’s birthright in exchange for a bowl of lentil stew. What does Esau do? Does he say, “Get real, brother! Just give me some stew and I’ll bring you some wild game next time.” Does he just laugh and walk on home? No! He says, “I am about to die; of what use is a birthright to me?”
Interesting, While Jacob was lusting after the birthright – Esau thought so little of it that he would trade it for a bowl of soup! Or maybe he thought, “I’ll get the soup now and then deny that I made this deal.”
But Jacob wanted to ratify the deal – to get the notary seal on it. He says, “Swear to me first.” In those days, before legal contracts were written, witnessed, and notarized, an oath was sworn before God that each party would uphold their part of the bargain. And Esau swore it.
For his part of the bargain, Jacob gave his brother the stew and threw in bread and drink at no extra charge. He more than fulfilled his part of the contract.
Where do we see ourselves in this story?
Are we Jacob and we’ve just scored a major (if underhanded) victory over our older brother?
Are we Esau who is more concerned about the immediate present than planning for the future?
Are we the parents who, by our actions, have set these two brothers into this rivalry?
No one in this story is blameless. Each of these characters is living in the flesh (as Paul puts it). They are so much more concerned with the material world that they are ignoring the spirit that God has placed within them.
Paul says, “To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.
How different would this story have been if their minds had been set on the Spirit?
“Would the parents show love and support for their children and celebrated their differences instead of using the differences as wedges to drive them further apart?
Would Esau have been a different sort of brother? Would he have built a relationship of love and trust between himself and Jacob that would have had him ASK for rather than DEMAND a bowl of soup?
Would Jacob in loving relationship with his father and his brother have trusted them to make fair provisions for him? Would he, in love, insist that his brother sit and eat with him – without his brother even asking?
What a difference it makes to set our mind on the Spirit.
Hear again the words of Paul: But you are not in the flesh; you are in the Spirit, since the Spirit of God dwells in you. Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
Since the Spirit of God dwells in us, we are to treat all of God’s creation differently. We are to lift up and nourish those around us.
In the parable of the sewer, Jesus is asking us to spread seed (the love of God) everywhere. He knows that some with wither and some will flourish for only a little while but some will bear fruit in abundance.
Realize that in this parable,that we are not asked to “Plant” seed. We are to broadcast it. To throw it far and wide even onto unlikely soil.
This is a call to service.
Today we have seen a bad example in the lives of Esau and Jacob who were living their lives strictly in the flesh, that leads to death.
We have had the assurance from Paul that we are no longer bound to the flesh (the material world) that we are now children of God and live in and through the Spirit.
Now that we are no longer bound to the law of death, we are to reach out to those still living in the flesh and bring them to the Spirit of life.
Here is your bag of seed. Hold up the Bible
Now.
Go
Scatter seed.
Amen.
©Thomas E WilliesWilliams 2011
at 1:10 PM

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