Archive - July, 2009

Is He Serious? (2)

July 29, 2009 in Jesus with 6 Comments

“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. And if anyone forces you to go a mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you.”

Matthew 5:38-42

Was, and is, Jesus really serious here? If so, you’d hardly guess it  by how we live; especially, here in the states. In America, we fight for what is ours. God has endowed us with life, liberty and property. The Declaration and our Constitution establish such. The Gadsden flag reads, “Don’t Tread On Me.”

Jesus sure seems to pour cold water on Christianity as it functions in America. Apparently, the kingdom heart wasn’t designed to buy into the gospel we sell around here. Stuff is stuff. It’s all a gift of God. But none of it is enduring. So then why do we cling to it like it is?

Inevitably, someone is going suggest that “theft is condemned in the scriptures,” and it most certainly is. Therefore, private property rights are inherent of God. I agree, to a degree. Jesus though isn’t discussing the issue of property rights. He’s discussing how we view property.

Invariably, someone is going to say, “But what about self-defense?”. Once again, I am not convinced that Jesus is talking about the right of self-defense here. Too, regardless of what one might infer from elsewhere in Scripture, we still have to ask, “Did Jesus then not mean what he said?” Or, as I have posed, “Is he serious?” Keep in mind, he offers no exceptions or qualifications. How would his hearers have understood him?

I see this passage as the test of how much stuff, time, or a reputation means to us.  Must we always have the upper hand? Must we always have the last say? Are our possessions really ours?

Is Jesus really serious about turning the other cheek? Is Jesus really serious about going the extra mile, even when it comes to property? Is Jesus really serious about giving to beggars or maybe panhandlers, and not refusing those who would borrow from us?

All He Could Do

July 27, 2009 in Uncategorized with 5 Comments

It was all he could do, but it was beautiful to my ears.

Last Friday morning, I lead singing at a  local nursing home devotional service conducted by members of 16th & Pile. To my right was a man who lay the entire time reclined in chair. I never once saw him open his eyes. Upon my initial recognition of him, I presumed he was asleep. As we sang, though, I noted a distinct sound coming from his direction. His eyes remained closed and his mouth stayed shut, but the sound clearly came from him. He was humming the tune, never missing a beat. He continued the trend for all six songs I lead.

There’s something about worship in song that stimulates us when nothing else can. It brings us to life. It energizes us from lethargy and awakens us from slumber. It generates a response from us when nothing else might. That’s the amazing power of song!

After we were done, the  man continue to lay there with his eyes closed. He never responded to anything else anyone around him was doing. But when united in song, he apparently did all he could do and it was beautiful to my ears.

Is He Serious? (1)

July 23, 2009 in Christian Life, Faith, Jesus with 5 Comments

The Sermon on the Mount, I believe, is both loved by us and in ways lost to us. We need it in more than we can imagine. From it we understand our roles as “salt” and “light” (5:13-16). Deep-seated convictions are carved from it (cf. Matthew 5:31-32). Without question, from both the remote and specific contexts of Matthew, The Sermon on the Mount is the essence of living in God’s kingdom.

But I’ve noticed the tendency to be very selective with where we tread in The Sermon, as well as with how hard we push its precepts. In our world especially, it’s hard to push too hard and remain consistent. Take for instance, Matthew 6:19-34.

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures upon the earth…” Here we have verb action that is Greek present tense and in the imperative mood. Jesus is being very specific here. Essentially, he is saying, “You must not lay up stores of treasures here on the earth.” But we do. All of us. And we will go to great lengths to justify it. But is he serious?

Later he says, “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?” (vv. 25-26). The key word throughout the remainder of the section is anxious. He reiterates and reinforces his point. But when are we not thinking about these kinds of things? People experience tons of anxiety over these matters. But is he serious?

Are we really supposed to “not worry” about our lives (v. 25, NKJV)? Is he serious? Have we sinned if we do? Before responding, remember that he offers no caveats whatsoever. If he didn’t want them to get the wrong impression, I think he would have issued a caveat.

Is He Serious?

July 21, 2009 in Faith, Jesus with 1 Comment

Scripture humbles us. It shows us how little we know and how little we are. Believe it or not, I’ve grown to love Scripture for that reason.

Those for whom Scripture is important have their favorite passages, and our fidelity to the text is important to us. And it should be. But before we emphasize this over that, we need to be certain that there is a certain level of consistency to our treatment of God’s Holy Word.

An honest consideration of the sayings of Jesus should leave us frequently asking, “Is he serious?”  His message was that hard-hitting. It was radical in so many ways. But before we label some of his statements as hyperbolic, let’s think about them.

So I’d like to look at a few and discuss them. I hope you’ll join me.

Open Mouth, Insert Foot

July 20, 2009 in Uncategorized with 1 Comment

 

 

Jesus was accused of casting out demons by Beelzebub the “prince of demons” (Mark 3:22), a sign of the great lengths to which his adversaries would go to discredit him. It was an absurd notion void of all common sense. Jesus, though, seized it and illustrated its foolishness with:

 

How can Satan cast out Satan? If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.  And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand.  And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but is coming to an end. But no one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first bind the strong man. Then indeed he may plunder his house. Mark 3:23-27.

 

You’d think the scribes would’ve liked to have taken that accusation back, given how irrational it was, but rationality in their treatment of Jesus seemed hardly their concern. I envision them walking away pouting, eyes fixed on the ground under which they walked and minds already redirected on how they could entrap the Messiah without looking so foolish in the process.

 

We all have those “open mouth, insert foot” moments that we’d love to have back but can’t. The comment was uttered. “Send” was already clicked. The enveloped was already dropped in the blue mailbox at the post office. In those situations, hindsight really stinks!

 

I suppose this is why God would encourage us to think before we act (Proverbs 4:23-27). It’s altogether too easy to be thoughtless given how we live our lives. Thinking takes time, and time is a precious commodity lost in the commotion of everything that bides for it. But we are doing ourselves any favors by not taking the time to think through things before we act. We are setting ourselves up for embarrassment and regret. Maybe through contemplative forethought, we won’t have to live with the grief that shadows thoughtless actions!

 

 

 

 

 
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