new focus for message handouts

On most weeks, there is a handout that corresponds to the message in The Weekly. When I started doing these, my intent was to walk you through a process of getting into the text for yourself. Thus, the handout usually includes observation, interpretation, and application sections. My experience, and your feedback, was that this was marginally valuable to going deeper because much of it was a repeat of what we'd covered in the message.

As of last week, I've got a new focus for these. First, I'm thinking of our Cell Groups and individuals in the church. While we'd said that you could use the old format in a small group, it really didn't work for that. My goal is that this format, while still effective for an individual, is good for a group. Second, the emphasis will be on issues raised in the text and applying it to your life rather than going through the text all over again.

I really do hope that some of you Cell Group leaders use this sometime. The Scriptures are meant to be read, studied, wrestled-with, and lived in the context of community. Taking a Sunday morning message and "growling" over it further in the realities of individual's lives is a faithful expression of what God intends. If you do use it, I'd love your feedback on how it works.

NOTE: There will not be handouts on 04.01 or 04.08 during the Easter series.

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Part 15-Luke 8:22-9:17 "power & authority"

In our last section of Luke (8:1-21), Jesus issued a call to understand what He was saying by responding to it with action. It is action—not mental understanding, intellectual assent, verbal profession, or even heartfelt desire—that is the only true response to what Jesus is saying. He is looking for this message to “produce a crop” (v.15) over time. Without that, can it really be said to have been anything? Without that fruit evident, perhaps the message never really took root.

In Luke 8:22-9:17, Jesus implicitly claims authority over every part of creation and explicitly demonstrates His power to control it. This is important because He is ready to send His twelve closest followers out with His power and authority. They need to understand that if you are following Jesus, there is nothing to fear. The Jews’ past illustrated this thoroughly.


Here are the handout responses:


What does it mean to fear God with an appropriate fear?

Dt 10:12-22 What motivates fear of God? Fear (or reverent respect) is motivated by God’s awesome power and justice. In an age of competing local deities, Moses distinguishes his God as above all other Gods—“God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God” (v.17). A step beyond that, Moses identifies Him as “mighty and awesome,” taking pains to express the ways in which He shows His power mercifully for His people. “He is your praise; he is your God, who performed for you those great and awesome wonders you saw with your own eyes” (v.21). Appropriate fear of God comes as a result of coming to an accurate understanding of who God is and how He deals with us.

Ps 25:1-22 What does fear of God do? Fearing God means that you recognize who God is. You have a sense of the way in which He is beyond anything that we can possibly know or comprehend. The more you know of God, the more that reverent respect increases; the more you learn about Him the more it leaves you in stunned awe. “In you, Lord my God, I put my trust” (v.1). In turn, the more you understand who God is and are filled with awe, the more you want to know Him more—you are drawn to Him by what you know of Him. “Show me your wars, Lord, teach me your paths” (v.4). This self-feeding cycle is what stokes and deepens the relationship that you have with God.

Ex 20:1-26 What does fearing God not mean? Fear does not mean terror, dread, or anticipation of harm. Though “fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (Ps 111:10), God usually comes to mankind with this phrase: “Do not be afraid” (cf. Ge 26:24). God wants us to understand who He is and what immense power He has. But, God does not want this to scare us of make us flee from Him. He approaches us mercifully out of His love for us. “Perfect love drives out fear” (1 Jn 4:18).

How can we handle our fears by avoiding giving into our fear?

Neh 2:1-20 What ultimately keeps us from fear? It is precisely who God is and the manner of His approach toward us, that should keep us from fear! He is not out to get us. He is the God who told Israel “I know the plans I have for you…plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” (Jer 29:11). Why fear the God who wants the best for you—even more of what it truly best for you than you want for yourself!? “If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Ro 8:31).

Ge 15:1-21 Can we count on this? Yes. God promises to protect and bless those who follow Him in faith. As He told Abram, “Do not be afraid, Abram, for I will protect you, and your reward will be great” (v.1). God will get us through any fear-prompting circumstance and bless us in the process.

Jos 1:1-18 What can we do to keep from fearing? The great challenge that we face in avoiding fear is remembering all of this—essentially, not leaving God out of our response. As Joshua prepared to lead God’s people into the occupied land that He had pledged to give them, God reminded him of the key imperative: “Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go” (Jos 1:9). The critical issue was whether or not the people would remember God’s caring presence with them and thus be strong and courageous, or whether they would forget and be discouraged. Their mindset was nearly as important as the unchanging reality.

Pr 29:18-27 How do we keep this in perspective? We have to be convinced, and live according to that conviction, that our reverent respect for God is far more important than any other fear that we could have—greater than any fear that stems from other men. “Fearing people is a dangerous trap, but trusting the Lord means safety” (v.25, NLT). It’s easy to get lost in our concerns about what others think, how they will treat us, what could happen at their hands. But it is only God who can ultimately threaten or preserve our well-being. If we’re going to place our focus anywhere, that’s the place that has a real payoff.

God calls His followers to have courage.

Ex 1:15-22 What marks the exercise of courage? If you fear God only, you will have courage to do what is right—to live by God’s direction regardless of consequence. The Hebrew midwives in this passage knew that Pharoah’s directive was wrong, yet defying a king of Egypt was a fearful thing. “The midwives, however, feared God and did not to do what the king of Egypt had told them to do; they let the boys live” (v. 17). Simply put, they feared God more than men. They were convinced that God was capable of protecting them. They courageously did what was right.

Lk 23:50-56 To do this, what is a courageous person willing to risk? One of the things most precious to us is our reputation—what others think about us. People have even been willing to die for their honor—giving away their life in exchange for preserving their reputation. Like Joseph of Arimathea, courage in the life of the follower of God compels us to willingly yield even our good-standing with people for the sake of following God (vv.50-51).

Ac 4:23-31 This courage seeks to do what? The point of courage as a follower of God is that it is for His (God’s) sake, not ours. We’re not talking about going for the gusto for what we want, for what’s best for us. We are talking about going full-bore, flat-out for what is best for God—for what He wants. One of the most powerful examples of this is when men who had been hiding in seclusion and fear after Jesus’ death at the hands of the authorities become powerful public proclaimers who “spoke the word of God boldly” (v.31) despite the fact that this could still cost them their lives. The simple fact was that they were now courageous enough to do what God wanted regardless of the personal implication.

Dt 33:26-29 This courage is reaffirmed as growing how? The amazing thing is that your courage grows each time you take a chance on trusting God and find that He has come through for you. Each moment of risk is a moment that we take by faith. But when God proves Himself faithful, it becomes that much easier the next time to take that risk. “The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms” (v.27). Take advantage of that refuge, fall into those arms, and you discover that they are worthy of your trust. Courage grows by our active faith in God’s active faithfulness.

Jn 16:17-33 This courage is real because of whom? That’s really kind of obvious, for it is God’s faithfulness exhibited in Jesus that set us upon this road as followers. “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (v. 33). “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you,” God has said (Heb 13:5). We choose courage over fear because God has chosen to be near us.

If you’re going to follow Jesus, making what He says what you do, you need to know that there is nothing to fear. You can courageously follow Him regardless of what threatens you.

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Part 14-Luke 8:4-22 "call"

Sunday’s teaching was a call to understand what Jesus is saying and respond to it with action. It is action—not mental understanding, intellectual assent, verbal profession, or even heartfelt desire—that is the only true response to Jesus’ message. He is looking for His message to “produce a crop” (v.15) over time. Without that, can it really be said to have been anything in our lives? Without that fruit evident, perhaps the message never really took root. To listen carefully by responding is the heart of Jesus' call on our lives. This line of though is evident throughout the New Testament. Consult the following passages to see how they help us understand this truth.

Hebrews 6:1-12

What parallels do you see to Luke’s record of Jesus’ teaching? A notoriously difficult passage, at least a couple of things become clear in this passage. Verses 7 & 8 in particular utilize the exact imagery to the call to “leave the elementary teachings about Christ” (v.1) and produce a crop “useful to those for whom it is farmed” (v.7). Land (or hearts/lives) that does produce such a crop “receives the blessing of God.” When it does not, it “is worthless and is in danger of being cursed” (v. 8). In view through all of this language is the outward evidence—“things that accompany salvation” (v.9). As the writer notes, “God is not unjust; He will not forget your work and the love you have shown Him as you have helped His people and continue to help them” (v.10). Leaving the elementary truths about Jesus, we are called to actively live the evidence of our salvation in loving deeds directed to others on God’s behalf. Luke’s call is similar—that we “hear God’s word and put it into practice” (v.21).

What does the text note is reason for confidence of their salvation? This is important “in order to make your hope sure” (v.11). In other words, if you’re looking for certainty and assurance of your salvation, there’s not better basis for it than examining the evidence of your own life.

James 1:22-25

How is listening to the word without doing it described? Merely listening to the word without doing what it says is described as “deceive[ing] yourselves” (v.22). In other words, you may have heard it, but you are not listening. Don’t confuse these two very different things.

In what way does blessing come from the word? If you look into the word and see yourself clearly portrayed by its clear reflection, but walk away forgetting what you look like, the word has not left a lasting impression. Looking intently into the guidance of God’s word is supposed to set you free of your sin. If you don’t leave it with a new degree of freedom, you have not had the word really impact your life. It is by “doing it” that a man “will be blessed in what he does” (v. 25).

James 2:14-26

What is the quality of belief that does express itself in action? James describes faith that is “by itself,” that “is not accompanied by action” as dead (v.17) and useless (v.20). Faith is revealed by what we do, not by what we say (v.18).

How does the examples of demons and Abraham qualify what Jesus means when He talks about belief? According to James, Christians and demons have at least one area of commonality—they both believe there is one God (v.19). In other words, they are both willing to acknowledge that this statement is true. The distinctive is what they do in response. The demons “shudder” for they oppose God (v.19). Christians are to respond as Abraham did as “his faith and actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did” (v.22). Properly understood, our works are the necessary expression of our faith. Neither faith without works or works without faith can stand alone. “You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone” (v.24). This is why I would suggest that Christians and churches should pay as much attention to their acts of faith as they do the basis of their faith.

James 2:12-13

Who are these verses addressed to? James writes to fellow believing Jewish Christians (1:1,2).

What are they to anticipate? They are to anticipate coming judgment: “Speak and act as those who are going to be judged” (v.12).

What reaction is to flow out of that? The nature of this judgment will be that it is merciful (v.13). Their salvation is that God will not treat them as they deserve, but rather out of love (v.8)—that standard by which they are in-turn called to treat others. If they choose to love others, who likewise don’t deserve that love or merit merciful treatment, they will find that they are acting in character with God. The threat that “judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful” is a way of making the point that this is to be the normal dynamic of a believer’s life.

Consider the following passages that expand this teaching:

1 Corinthians 3:12-15 God’s judgment is best understood as “perfect assessment.” God will, for all human beings, perfectly assess the motivations and value of what they have done. No human will earn a passing grade based on what they have done (Ro 3:23, 6:23). But, those who have Jesus to have done what only He could do have been rescued from the consequence of falling short (Ro 3:24-26). Nonetheless, even trusting Him and being saved from ultimate death, Christians still face a perfect assessment of their actions as God determines what we have done—“his work will be shown for what it is” as God “will test the quality of each man’s work” (v. 13). If they have believed and acted faithfully, “what he has built survives” and “he will receive his reward.” If they have not believed and acted faithfully, though saved from destruction, even much of a Christian’s life may be found to have been wrongly motivated or lacking in value—“he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.” The clear picture is that the quality or strength of their faith, as seen evidenced in their actions, has left them precariously close to not being a saving faith. It is as if they were singed by the flames as they were just barely rescued from the fire. We often talk about Christians being judged to be rewarded. This passage clearly conveys the element of peril and shame at a life wasted that will also potentially be a part of this judgment—even for Christians.

2 Corinthians 5:10 Paul makes this teaching explicit in this very clear verse: “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.”

Revelation 22:12 Jesus issues these final words at the end of John’s vision of the end: “Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done.” Even for the redeemed, there is a personal reckoning, a face-to-face encounter with Jesus in our future, in which He responds to the way in which we have lived our lives based on our faith in Him.

Personally, I think I tend to be too comfortable with the fact that “Hey, I’m family! God is my Father. Jesus is my brother. How bad could it be? I’m saved.”

But, as my childhood memories remind me, knowing that you’re securely part of the family does not remove those uncomfortable, even painful, points of confrontation and reckoning. Likewise, my married life tells me that it is possible to be intimately and inseparable connected to another person, and yet look at them across a wide, deep gulf of disappointment, shame, regret. My point is that a relationship can be secure and unshakable. But the interactions within that relationship may be affected by what each person does. In the end, Jesus may overcome our failures that potentially diminished the relationship. However, it seems clear that we will first have to squarely face those perfectly assessed failures and shortcomings as we look our Savior and friend in the eyes. That’s a sobering point of reference for striving toward active expression of faith.

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Part 12-Luke 7:1-8:3 (B) "questions"

Here are my responses for this week’s Luke study guide. Click the link below to read the rest.

OBSERVE // what does it say?

Who has initiated this dinner meeting? The Pharisee named Simon is the one who has extended the invitation to Jesus to come eat with him (v. 36).

What is revealed about the intent of the inviter? Revealed may be a strong word—“suggested” may be more accurate. Luke has already revealed that the Pharisees have generally turned against Jesus and actively working against Him (6:11). The text suggests that this Pharisee is trying to decide for himself who Jesus is. Is He a prophet? This invitation may have been given to allow him a chance to see for himself (v.39). The fact that Jesus does not seem to have been treated with special warmth, or perhaps even customary etiquette (vv. 44-46) may be a further suggestion that this Pharisee was seeking, albeit skeptically.

What does Jesus note in the differing receptions He has received? Jesus notes the aforementioned contrast. This woman, who is not the host, goes out of her way and beyond convention to make Jesus feel welcomed, valued, loved. The host, Simon, has not.

What does Luke’s list of supporters (8:1-3) tell us? Women were actively supportive of Jesus—beyond the sinful woman that we have just seen attending to Jesus. Like her, these women are supporting Jesus in tangible ways—whether by presence (v.2) or resources (v.3) as a result of the impact that His ministry has had on them (v.2). These women range from the obviously needy sinful women such as Mary Magdalene, to women of stature and some means such as Joanna whose husband is Cuza, the manager of Herod’s household. It was not uncommon for women in this time to support a teacher. It is, however, very uncommon for them to be traveling with a Jewish rabbi. Most Jews would view this as highly inappropriate.

INTERPRET // what does it mean?

What does Simon’s response to Jesus’ story about debtors suggest? Simon appears to be hesitant or reluctant as he concedes the answer that appears to be correct (v.43). He may already see Jesus’ point, or at least be wary of what an interaction with Jesus may lead to. Typically, it’s not good for the religious leaders who seem to come out looking pretty bad.

Is Jesus aware of this woman’s numerous sins? Does it matter? Jesus is aware of the woman’s past. The story He tells presumes the presence of many debts or sins (vv.41-42). As he talks to Simon about her, he makes this explicit in noting “her many sins” (v.47).

Is the creditor in Jesus’ going above and beyond what was normal? Yes. Under the law, he had the right to see them prosecuted and punished for the debt that they could not repay. At most, he might set-aside the punishment they were due and forestall collecting the money that he was due to some later time. Instead, he wipes the slate clean forgiving their debt altogether (v. 42). This is an incredible act on the part of the moneylender—not at all in-character for someone who would be in this line of business.

What is the biggest driver of how you respond to Jesus? Jesus talks about the woman’s love (v.47) and her faith (v.50). These two elements are described as being linked to her being forgiven from her sins (v.48), having been saved (v.50), and going on in peace (v.50). Faith and love are linked…interchangeable?...both necessary?... to the interaction that she has had with Jesus and the way that she is responding to him. Could it be that these two are inherently inseparable (spend some time pondering 1 Cor. 13—in particular v.13) in how we respond to Jesus if we’re really fully responding appropriately? Her actions in response to Jesus equally express faith and love, as Luke makes clear, but it would not be a stretch to see it as also expressing future hope. The question may be: Is your response to Jesus full on each of these dimensions?

Why is Jesus’ statement of forgiveness so inappropriate in their minds? Telling a person that their sins were forgiven was not unheard of. In the past prophets had pronounced on God’s behalf that people’s sins were forgiven (2 Sam. 12:13; Is. 40:2). But Jesus’ statement is direct. He speaks for Himself, not on God’s behalf. Priests routinely told the people that there sins had been forgiven (Lev. 4:20, 26, 5:10, 13), but it was after they had done the necessary prescribed sacrifices and religious observances. In their eyes, there was no way that the expressions of love that she had just lavished on Jesus met these requirements.

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Part 11-Luke 7:1-8:3 (A) "questions"

Here are my responses for this week’s Luke study guide. Click the link below to read the rest.

OBSERVE // what does it say?

What is the emphasis of 7:1-10—the miracle healing or the centurion’s faith-filled quest for help? Who takes the initiative? What does this reveal about faith? The emphasis is almost totally on the Centurion and his initiative. Jesus is responsive to the man’s faith. The extent and confidence of his faith leaves Jesus amazed and commenting on it to those around Him.

What does Luke reveal about this gentile’s relationship with the Jews? This gentile has a good relationship with the Jews—even having a favorable assessment of them as a people and actively supporting their institutions. The Jews had as much disdain for gentiles as gentiles had for the Jews. It’s interesting to note that here, it is the Jews willing to plead the case of a gentile because he had acted to tear down the barriers that existed between them. It’s ironic that that Jews were unwilling to be the active force in that reconciliation and serve as the bridge to the Savior of the world. Paul will call this to mind and make this a prominent part of Jesus’ followers’ agenda (cf. Gal 3:26-29; Eph 2:11-22)

INTERPRET // what does it mean?

In 7:11-17, who takes the initiative? What does this reveal about faith? In this incident, Jesus is clearly the one taking the initiative. The mother gives no indication of faith before or after. Jesus acts of His own accord. It is clear that Jesus is not subject to faith. He can act in miraculous ways when He wants to whether or not the person has faith. Ephesians 2:8 makes it clear that it is through faith that we have been graciously saved by God. But even this faith is not something that comes from us, but “is the gift of God.”

What does Jesus risk in His interaction in this incident? Jesus is willing to risk being viewed as ceremonially unclean (cf. Nu 19:16), not to mention having violated the norms of behavior for a funeral. Jesus repeatedly asserts that something being unclean or not is an internal matter of the heart, not an external condition (Mk 7:14-16).

In 7:18-35, why does Jesus respond to questions about who He is by noting what he has done (vv. 20-23)? While anyone could claim to be the Messiah and people could argue about their opinions regarding whether John or Jesus were the Messiah, it’s hard to argue the evidence. At the very least, the things that Jesus is doing speak to an undeniable power. More, the power they reveal is a power that is doing good—healing, restoring, giving hope to the hopeless. The Jews had many prophetic descriptions of what reality would accompany the coming of the Messiah. While the element of present judgment is absent, it is hard to miss that these things represent the positive element described in those passages.

What point is Jesus making about John in the verses that follow (vv. 24-29)? Jesus appears to want the crowd to understand the nature of John’s questions. He points out that John’s original ministry was one that was based on being willing to say the unpopular thing regardless of the public’s response. John was not a “reed swayed by the wind,” a politician who says what people want to hear and follow the guidance of public opinion. No, from the beginning, John was a strong messenger who said what God wanted him to say because He believed it and would be faithful to that task. The implication for the crowd is that they should not view John as a fraud, or think less of John because he is now struggling with confidence in the face of his imprisonment.

What point is Jesus making about the religious leaders (vv. 30-35)? The religious leaders had not been open to John’s message or manner of responding to it by being baptized as a sign of repentance. In this, it was evident that they had “rejected God’s purpose for themselves.” As he goes on to note, their rejection cannot be explained by faulting the approach or nature of the messenger’s ministry. John was a prophet living a hard-scrabble existence of deprivation and isolation, with a demanding message of impending judgment and a fitting response, yet some dismissed him as demon-possessed. Jesus, on the other hand, has a ministry characterized by extensive interaction with the crowds, often in the setting of eating and drinking with those of questionable character. Yet, some reject Him too asserting that He is a “glutton and drunkard” (in our language: “Jesus is a pig and a lush”). Such harsh negative responses have little to do with the style of the ministry, but are rather a response to the substance of God’s message. Those who are spiritually wise can see past the style to the substance because of the outcomes of both men’s ministries.

APPLY // how do I respond?

As I studied this week, the thing that really hit me was the way in which I often fall prey to the lie that God’s ability to work in my life hinges on my degree of faith. God is not limited by anything, least of all me. The reality is that, even when my faith may be described as shaky, God can do whatever He wills in and through my life—even regenerating life. Thank God for the gift of faith!

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Luke Interactions

Over the last several weeks as we've returned to our Luke study, I've had some interactions with some of you by email and in-person that dealt with questions or comments you had regarding something I said in a message. Great! They were important enough that I thought I'd share them so that others can benefit. Remember, you can always leave a question or note something by leaving a comment. I'll be sure to reply. Two are noted below.

>>> One of you noted that I had not shared material from Matthew that would have provided more content than the section of Luke we were studying does. The name of our series is "according to Luke." My aim is to communicate Luke's account of Jesus' life and teaching. If Luke did not include material that Matthew does, he does so for a reason. I want to honor that. Occasionally I'll reference what another writer says if it has special bearing, or has a critical aspect that I'd like for us to note while dealing with a teaching. But, beyond that, I'm trying to let Luke speak.

We should note that God thought it valuable to have four different accounts from four different perspectives. We're tempted to think one homogenized account (call it "Mattarklukohn") would be easier to deal with. And, it might. But it also might not be as richly nuanced. Our various accounts give us men of varying personality, background, and ethnicity emphasizing different aspects of Jesus' life and teaching for varying purposes to different audiences. If we had that one blended account, we lose a gospel written just for us--the gentiles Luke writes for.

>>> Another listened to what I said about Jesus' response to various situations (e.g. being struck, having your cloak taken) after the Beatitudes and noted: "Your explanation on Jesus' advice in dealing with unreasonable folks seems a bit odd to me. Almost as if Jesus was suggesting that a well-meaning person should become passive aggressive in the face of adversity." Good observation! Jesus does respond in a manner that transcends the "good" and "bad" choices that are typically our focus. Jesus' response is a transcendent kingdom response which puts love into action. You are right to note that it does have an affect similar to passive-aggressiveness in that it uses your adversary's force or action to your favor--a kind of moral jujitsu. It is not passive aggressive, however, as Jesus doesn't view the person as His adversary. He doesn't aim to beat them. He doesn't seek to look to gain personal advantage. Rather, He looks at them as His neighbor. He aims to love them. He aims to do what is ultimately in their best interest. Jesus' true action in love merely reveals their action for what it is--wrong, inferior, impotent.

A great example of this is when Martin Luther King Jr. advocated nonviolent protest and civil disobedience in the struggle for civil rights. Was he being passive aggressive in creating situations in which the authorities would end-up looking so bad as they used fire hoses, police dogs and batons to deal with them? No. He was taking active steps to do what he viewed as right even in the face of evil which sought to oppose it. In that encounter, evil was seen for what it was because Dr. King and his fellow protestors did not respond with evil in return.

An even better example is Jesus on the cross. Despite all the coercive power of the world's kingdoms--power capable of unjustly convicting a man and executing him--Jesus' willingness to die without resistance, and God's vindication of Him in resurrecting Him to life, exposes the nature and deception of that power. They do not stand for good. They cannot ultimately prevail. The situation is not reversed by a battle between the Legions of Rome and the angelic host leading to an outcome that everyone simply has to accept. It is reversed through a loving act of sacrifice that results in a gift offered through an invitation that all are free to accept or reject.

The point is, Jesus was not aggressive in response, but loving. In this, the reality could be exposed and changed.

Thanks for the great interactions people! This is the way the Bible is meant to be studied--in a group of local believers wrestling with its meaning and application. "Spirit of God, guide us into truth!"

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Part 10-Luke 6:12-49 (C) "teachings"

This is our third week in “The Sermon on the Mount” as told by Luke. Week one, we focused on observing what Luke says. Week two, we turned to interpreting & applying it. This week, we take a closer look at the core issue in this passage—the primacy of love. What does the Bible say about love? Look-up the following passages and note what they say about the topics noted.

Matthew 5:43-48; Luke 6:27-36

Love based on Reciprocity: Our love is not given to others because they love or are even kind to us. Quite to the contrary, we are called to love even those who hate us and actively do us harm—those who are against us. This is how God treated us. The only way in which our love is to be reciprocal is that we proactively love others as we would like them to love us.

John 15:9-17

God’s Love for Us: God has loved us through Jesus in the same way that He has loved Jesus Himself.

Expressing Love to God: We remain in God’s love by obedience—following His guidance and direction on how to live because we trust and love Him in return.

Love’s Greatest Expression: The expression of love to God by giving it to others is supposed to fill us with joy. We delight in loving Him. This extends even to laying down one’s life for one’s friends. God’s call is for us to make loving each other the basis for how we treat each other.

1 John 4:7-21

God’s Character: God is love—a holy love that is beyond anything we know.

God’s Expression: God has made the extent of his love for us by sending His one and only Son into the world—ultimately as a sacrifice to take away our sins. This is real love. And this love is given for our gain—that we might have eternal life through Him.

Experiencing God: When we encounter love, we are encountering something that comes from God. We place our trust in God’s love for us.

Living with Each Other: Since God loved us in this way, the very least we can do is love each other in response. We love because He first loved us. We know how much God loves us. Love for each other flows out of our ongoing love for Him. Love validates our belief that we are living life with God. It allows us to approach Him, and each other, with confidence.

John 13:34-35

Witness in the World: Talk is cheap; actions are costly. Our love for each other is the way that the world will convinced that we are His followers.

1 Corinthians 13

Qualities of Love: Love, since it is of God, has a certain character. Love is selfless, goes the distance, is gentle, celebrates truth, and can be counted-on through anything.

Priority of Love: Love is the essential priority in all that we do. Without it, the greatest of words are just words. Without it, all of the wisdom of the world is irrelevant. Without it, you could give everything to what is right, but find-out that you had gained nothing because you did not do it in love.

Galatians 5

Exercise of Freedom: As we express our trust in God, and the guidance of His Spirit as we seek to follow Jesus, we do so in love. Not only love for Him, but love for those around us. This means that we may choose to limit the freedom we are convinced He gives us because others think that what we are doing leads them into doing what is wrong. If we live freely in order to love fully, freedom becomes the servant of love. Our freedom in love allows us to consider and seek the best interests of our neighbors. This is, after all, what we would hope that they would do for us.

Relationship to the Spirit: The Spirit of God actually yields the output of love in our life when we as led by it in our freedom.

Clearly, love is not a secondary concern for a follower of Jesus. As you add your thoughts up on the basis of these texts, how do you put them all together into an understanding of what love is? How do you define love?

Equally important, how do you give or express love?

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Part 9-Luke 6:12-49 (B) "teachings"

This teaching known as “The Sermon on the Mount” is told by Luke & Matthew. Our two-week study will be in Luke as he relates it. Last week, we focused on observing what Luke says. This week, we turn to interpreting & applying it. Next week, we’ll talk more about what love is and how it can change the reality of this life.

INTERPRET what does it say?

In this teaching, Jesus proclaims that material realities of this world and the immaterial realities of the next—intersecting now in our life—are somehow connected.

What can you say about the nature of their relationship from this?

The relationship between the realities of this world and the immaterial realities of the next world are connected, but not in the way we think. Those material conditions that we would view as fortunate are, in Jesus’ view, actually unfortunate. Those conditions we view as fortunate are actually unfortunate. It appears that God values those life circumstances which leave us desperately aware of our deepest basic needs, that do not clutter our life with distractions, that make us long for something better, that put us at odds with the mass of humanity because we have begun to follow Jesus’ way of living. James picks up on this same theme in his letter (1:9-12; 2:1-13).

What other NT passages point to and describe this reality?

A few clear examples come to mind. In 1 Corinthians 1:18-2:5 Paul makes the point that our lack of wisdom, strength, and influence is not a cause for concern but an opportunity for our weakness to reveal God’s strength. The relationship between what we perceive to be advantageous in this world is seen to be something that can in the way from God’s perspective.

Later in the letter (8:1-13; 10:23-33), Paul points to people who do not feel that they can eat food that has been sacrificed to idols without sinning in doing so—this is the relationship they see between the physical and spiritual realities. He points out that this relationship is not accurate (8:4-8). To the contrary, what is around is God’s and cannot affect one’s spiritual well-being if dedicated to God’s glory (10:27-31).

Another example is found throughout the writing of James. James rails against those who hear but do not do (1:22). He faults those who consider themselves religious but do not exercise self-control or self-sacrifice (1:26-27). His big point is that we should not deceive ourselves and view ourselves as living a spiritual reality that our material reality does not evidence or confirm.

Throughout the beatitudes and woes (vv.20-26), the “now” and “then” nature of these realities is prevalent. In the teaching which follows (vv.27-49), the focus is squarely on the “now” aspect. What does this tell us about what Jesus thinks about how we should respond to His teaching?

While the reversal of circumstances that Jesus points to is clearly in the future (20-26), the response to this is on how we act right now (27-49). Right now, we are supposed to love those who hate, curse, mistreat, or strike us. We are to forego retaliation, go the extra mile to repay debts and meet needs by giving freely and generously. We are to take the initiative and make the sacrifice to treat others as we would like to be treated. We are to make judgment of others secondary to our primary job of self-examination. We are to concentrate on seeing the spiritual realities of our heart expressed in the tangible actions of our material world. Jesus is clearly talking about a world that will someday be different. But, He clearly expects that, among His followers, it must begin to be different right now as believers bring these two realities back into their right harmonious relationship.

With this backdrop, Jesus zeros His teaching in on love—a love that extends to those who hate you (v.27), a love that treats others as you would be treated (v.31), a love that is expressed in concrete actions. Do you agree or disagree with this statement: A follower of Jesus is called to love everyone they come into contact with in extraordinary ways (i.e. beyond what is ordinary)?

The more I study Jesus’ life and teaching, the more that I am aware of the centrality of His call to love God by expressing love to others.

For much of my life, I’ve thought of love for God as something defined by how much I wanted to go to church on Sunday, how energetically I sang the songs, the quantity of time that I spent in prayer, the quality of my study of the Bible, or how much I had made progress in being good (defined in my mind as not doing the obviously wrong things).

I see it differently now. Going to church on Sunday can be the easiest thing in the world—an escape from a difficult broken world where I can be with like-minded “safe” people. I can belt-out the songs but still be subject to the ancient prophet’s criticism that my words ring hollow with no accompanying “real-world” actions that evidence God’s deeper concerns. I can spend much time in prayer but never conduct a conversation that has any substance with the lost around me that I am charged to reach. I can have deep study of the Bible but never have it take root deeply in me through living expression. I can be good in the sense of not doing wrong while being bad in the sense of not doing the right.

What saves our spirituality, faith, religion, relationship—whatever you call it—from being a purely abstract construct is making it tangible to the other human beings who live around us. What ensures that these things are really true to us is the fact that we act on them to those with whom we have relationships. In this regard, Jesus sets the hurdle high. The accurate test is not how we treat those like us, who treat us well, from whom we have something to gain. The only ultimate valid measure of our love for God expressed through others is how we love those hardest to love. This is a painful realization that is difficult to respond to. But, it is in this understanding that we can be confident, assured, and hopeful. This is where life full and lasting resides as we remain in the life Jesus lived.

APPLY how do I respond?

Is your faith framed more around personal self-improvement of your character, or around selfless sacrifice to love others for the sake of Jesus? Both are inherently what a follower of Jesus is about. The question is, what is the relationship between these two. Do we seek to be better people so that we can love others better? Or do we seek to love others better and in the process become better people? This is not an academic question.

Much of Christianity has, in the words of one writer, become “moral therapeutic deism.” God is fairly distant and removed, content to be a small modifier in one portion of our life. Our interaction with Him largely has the benefit of being a “therapy” to make us better moral people on the margins of our behavior. Is being incrementally “better” people really the issue? Was it ever? Isn’t it the point that we could never get better on our own through our own efforts? Isn’t this why He had to die for us? The core of our identity is not that we are “good” or “better” people. It is that we are forgiven.

I obviously think we should become “better” or people who are more “good.” This is the essence of what it means to remain in Christ, to be transformed, to be reborn. But the call is to do this in the context of going to, serving, and loving people. If our focus is on ourselves and our desire to be better people, these other things may never happen. But, if our focus is on others and our willingness to go to them, serve them, and love them, you can’t help but become a “better” person who is more like Christ. That relationship seems critically important for us to understand. It is the distinction that was so painfully evident in the contrast between the miss-the-larger-point Pharisees and the understand-what-this–is-all-about ministry of Jesus.

Consider your own spiritual life and religious expression. How much of what you do as a Christian is essentially just about you? How much of what you do is about God disconnected from any bearing on the human beings with whom you are in relationship? How much of what you do is explicitly about someone else? Serving them, helping them, giving to them, loving them. If we’re followers, do our footprints appear to walk the same path Jesus describes here?

I urge you to undertake a spiritual experiment. What would happen if you reprioritized your spiritual life and religious expression to make it primarily, or at least equally, focused externally? What if you knew more unbelievers better as a result of your time at church? How would your time praying change if you were intentionally and deeply involved in the lives of unbelievers on a daily basis. How would your time in the scriptures change if you were forced to confront God and your faith through the eyes of those who do not share it? Would you sing or listen differently if you’d been regularly involved in witnessing to others about the God who has changed your life? Might our fellowship be more meaningfully if we were all making real, costly sacrifices to serve others beyond our church?

It’s an experiment I’m trying to incorporate into my life. I urge you to start looking for ways to do the same. Things can change. They will. If my heart has truly been changed, then I am a part of that unfolding revolution. I hope my spiritual “patriotism” is deeply held enough to compel me to lay down my life for another.

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Part 8-Luke 6:12-49 (A) "teachings"

Here are my responses for this week's Luke study guide. Click the link below to read the rest.

OBSERVE // what does it say?

Compare Luke 6:20-49 with Matthew 5:1-7:29 for these similarities & differences to understand Luke’s specific emphases:

A) The number of beatitudes

Luke has four beatitudes. Matthew has eight.

B) The order of the beatitudes

Using Matthew’s list as a reference point, Luke includes 1, 4, 2, and 8 in his list.

C) The progression of themes in the beatitudes

Luke’s order seems to move from a general condition (e.g. poor), to a result (e.g.
hunger), to a response (e.g. weeping), to a cause (e.g. persecution).

D) The manner of address

Matthew’s beatitudes are in the third person (e.g. “Blessed are the/those who…”). Luke’s beatitudes are in the second person (e.g. “Blessed are you who…”).

E) The characterization of those addressed

Luke’s characterizations could be read as pointing only to the material realities of this world. He speaks to the poor, the hungry, and the persecuted.

Matthew’s characterizations make it clear that spiritual realities that transcend this world are also in-view. Thus, he speaks to the poor in spirit, those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, and those who are persecuted because of righteousness.

Additionally, Luke makes no disparaging references to Gentiles as Matthew does since he is writing to them, rather than a Jewish audience (cf. Mat. 5:47; 6:7; 18:17).

F) Luke’s unique inclusion

Unique to Luke is the list of four woes that stands in contrast to the statements proclaiming blessedness. The content is not really new, merely a restatement of the prior statements from the opposite perspective.

G) The temporal analysis

Luke places more of an emphasis on the fact that these realities speak of something that is already happening (cf. “now” 6:21, 25) rather than just being statements about a distant future.

Who is present at Jesus’ teaching (v. 17)?

Three groups are noted to be present. First, there are the twelve core disciples that Jesus has just chosen to be in His inner-circle. Second, there is “a large crowd of disciples” that were already following Him from a distance (v. 17). Third, there is “a great number of people from all over Judea, from Jerusalem, and from the coast of Tyre and Sidon.” Jesus was simultaneously addressing his committed apprentices, his interested followers, and the curious public.

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finding God's will (I)

Human beings have often tried to find the will of God. Whether sifting through an animal's entrails or consulting the spirits of the dead, people have always wanted to know: what does God want? This is no less true today for Christians. While we don't typically resort to drawing lots or observing the movements of the stars, listen carefully to the language we use and you'll see that we are just as preoccupied with trying to answer that question in the specific decisions we face. The language we use is widely-accepted, but is it consistent with what the Bible says? Do we have the right expectations about how much of God's will should be knowable to us?

We start with the conviction that history is entirely His story. This notion that everything that has ever happened in the universe has been part of God's predetermined plan is referred to as God's Sovereign Will. This does not mean that God has caused everything that has happened to happen. But, it does mean that He has not been frustrated in accomplishing His ultimate plans despite the actions of human beings that run contrary to them (c.f. Dan. 4:35; Acts 4:27-28). This ultimate aspect of God's will is something that, at best, we only know in hindsight regardless of whether what has happened appears to have been good or bad.

Additionally, God has given us guidance on how to live--His Moral Will. This refers to God's revelation in the Bible teaching human beings what they should believe and how they should behave. Expressed another way, the Bible represents God's communication to us about what reality truly is and how real life can be lived. It guides us into a way of being that puts us at harmony with who God is (c.f. Lev. 26; 1 Thes. 4:1-3). This is the reason that we gather together on Sundays around God's Word, and spend time in it alone during the week--so that we can know and live in a manner consistent with what God has clearly conveyed.

The question is whether or not God has an Individual Will for every person. This captures the idea that God has an ideal, detailed life-plan uniquely designed for each human being that we should seek to discover and pursue. This is usually the thing that Christians have in-mind when they talk about wanting to find God's will. They are looking for some detailed information for their particular circumstance--the house they're contemplating buying, the job they're considering taking, the person they are possibly marrying. Like a child going to a parent asking "What choice should I make?" they are looking for very specific guidance (c.f. Gen. 24; Eph. 5:15-17).

But, the Biblical pattern is that God treats us as mature children that He has raised well. The notion of God having a will for every individual as described above that we should seek is plagued with problems and is not what the Bible teaches (that will be the focus of Part II). For the moment, the contrast between a parent's treatment of an immature child and a mature child is helpful to gain a basic understanding.

When a child is young and immature, a parent will give them little responsibility and close supervision. Instructions are detailed, assuming no basis for understanding and leaving nothing to the child's improvisation. Movtivation is extrinsic--the threat of a time-out of spanking. A mature child is treated much differently. A parent gives them complete responsibility and freedom to decide what to do. Rather than detailed instructions, the parent assumes that certain values are held and that general principals have been taught that will be sufficient guidance to making the right choices. Motivation is intrinsic--coming from within the child as something that they want.

The relationship between a parent and a mature, grown child is the closest picture to portraying what the Bible says about how we find and do God's will. Next week, we'll talk about why the idea of an individual will is problematic, how you make decisions if that isn't something we should be seeking, and deal with a couple of qualifiers, questions, and examples.

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smiling addiction

This video was a powerful opener to the message we heard at Granger Community Church while visiting this past weekend (post below: "my life should be easier than this"). It depicts the suburban legend that everyone's life is really okay, since this is really what we want. Or, that if it's not, that there is some easy magic fix for it. We're all addicted to wanting to smile our way through life. The words of the song are as powerful as the video images (NOTE: the video contains depictions of addictions being fed...not that any of us don't see those daily).

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my life should be easier than this

I'd like to tell you about the message we heard at Granger Community Church when we visited this past weekend. It was the last part of their current series: "Suburban Legends: How to keep the suburbs from killing your soul." While I'd been interested in the topic, it spoke to me personally to another situation that I am facing. This message was titled "My life should be easier than this." Click Read More for a summary.

John 9:1-3 tells about an encounter Jesus had with a blind man. An exchange takes place between Jesus and His followers:

"Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?"

"Neither this man nor his parents sinned," said Jesus, "but this
happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life."

The orientation of the disciples was past and causal. They wanted to focus on why this had happened. Jesus' orientation is future and result. His focus is on what will happen as a result of this. Anytime we suffer something bad in our life, we're faced with this basic choice to make: we can stop at "why?" or we can choose to ask "what's next?" Listen to how the message makes the point in this passage clear: "You're asking the wrong question. You're looking for someone to blame. There is no such cause-effect here. Look instead for what God can do." So often, the bad sfuff in our life seems really bad because we don't consider what God is going to be able to do through what is happening.

Another choice that we have when life is not easy is whether we will be overcome with grumbling or provoked to remember His goodness. No sooner did Israel escape from Egypt than they began to grumble about the conditions of their wilderness life. They quickly forgot about the goodness that God had showed them, freeing them from four centuries of slavery and sparing them from the power of the Pharoah's army (Exodus 16:1-3). Again and again, the Bible reminds us to remember. In Psalm 13, life is not as easy as David thinks it should be. He honestly throws his feelings at God (vv.1-2):

"How long, O LORD ? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your
face from me? How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and every day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me? "

It's worth noting that the people closest to God in the scriptures are those who took their relationship with Him seriously enough that they honestly wrestled with all life with God. They made the sharpest allegations about Him, the harshest criticisms of Him, the most direct requests to Him. But, they did not stop there. They chose to remember (vv.3-6):

"Look on me and answer, O LORD my God. Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in
death; my enemy will say, "I have overcome him," and my foes will rejoice when I
fall. But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. I will sing to the LORD, for he has been good to me."

God will take the grumbling, the complaints, the allegations, the criticism, the questions we direct His way. In fact, I think He even graciously considers this worship as we consider Him Worthy of even our inadequacies (which are really what's in-focus in these things even if we don't know that). God will take it with the hope that we will remember how good he has been to us. When life is not easy, we make the choice to overcome with grumbling or to remember His goodness.

There are two other choices we make in the face of life's difficulties.

We make a choice to become bitter or to become better. Naomi was a woman who had suffered great personal loss, had no real viable future, and was consumed with grief (Ruth 1). Returning to her home, she sought to change her identity--the way in which people knew her--to Mara, which means "bitter." She does not contemplate the possibility that God is acting to make her or her life better. The songwriter gives expression to this choice that has to be made with these words (Psalm 71:20-21):

"Though you have made me see troubles, many and bitter,
you will restore my life again;
from the depths of the earth
you will again bring me up.
You will increase my honor and comfort me once again."

The last choice we make is whether or not we will be closed or open. The reality is that our perspective, and thus our sense of possibility, is always limited. We often see ourselves at a dead-end. Our appreciation of God's power is always less than what His power really is. Our ability to understand and make sense of what is happening is always inadequate to comprehending His ways of acting. It is natural to be closed to anything other than what we see, understand, or think is possible. And yet, we're talking about God. The reality is that God always has at least one more move. God always has something that He can do that is beyond our appreciation. Paul writes about this in Romans (8:28) when he reminds them of this certainty,

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love
him, who have been called according to his purpose."

If it were up to us, we'd choose to make life easier. But we don't get to make that choice. That does not mean that we don't have any choices to make when life is difficult. We choose...

...to have a past/causal orientation or a future/result orientation
...to stop at asking "why?" or to go on to ask "what's next?"
...to be overcome with grumbling or to remember His goodness
...to become bitter or better
...to be closed or open

These were helpful reminders for me, provoking thought and reflection about an area of my life where I think things should be easier than they are. I hope they prompt the same for you.

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From Abraham to Jesus

Recently, we went to Grand Rapids for the "Abraham to Jesus" exhibit at DeVos Place. This is the largest collection of biblical artifacts ever to go on tour around the world. And it is the most comprehensive--spanning the time of Abraham (approximately 2200 B.C./B.C.E.) to the fall of Masada after the Jewish Revolt of 66 A.D./C.E. and the razing of the temple in Jerusalem. It was absolutely fascinating, thus this subsequent post. I would encourage everyone to go even though you'll have to travel Columbus, Ohio for the next couple of weeks (Nov. 13-26)--the next closest location during its North American tour). Click below to hear more about the exhibit.

The exhibit was laid-out chronologically by eras of biblical history. This helped keep the history of the Bible organized as you looked at all of the different pieces. Following Israel's history as a people and the powers they interacted with, some portions included a lot of Babylonian items, others Egyptian, Assyrian, Greek, and Roman artifacts. The earliest pieces were some copper javelin heads and a curved sword.

Some noteworthy pieces were the highlights of the exhibit:

An Assyrian wall relief created during the time of King Sennacherib depicting his conquest of Lachish (c.f. 2 Kings 18:13-19:36) in 701 B.C./B.C.E.. What's cool about this is that it has the only proven depiction (there may now be an Egyptian depiction if the Jews are the Hyksos) of the ancient Jews leaving the city in flight of Assyrian soldiers. Below is the portion that shows Sennacherib on his throne.



The Tel Dan Steele (a black basalt monument found in a hill or "tel" near the town of Dan in northern Israel) which was erected by an Aramaean King sometime in the 8th or 9th centuries to proclaim his victory over the ancient Hebrews. This was found in 1993-94, so it is a very recent discovery. The amazing thing about this is that it contains the first archaeolgical evidence that verifies the Bible's information about Israel having a king named David (1010-970 B.C./B.C.E.). The steele includes the phrase "house of David."




One of the really cool pieces on display was a burial (or "ossuary"...bone box) box shown above. It is not the one that was in the news not too long ago labelled as belonging to "James, Son of Joseph, Brother of Jesus." This one very probably belonged to the family of Simon of Cyrene, the man who carried the cross of Jesus on the way to His crucifixion (Matthew 27:32; Mark 15:21; Luke 23:26). The inscription reads "Alexander, Son of Simon, the Cyrene." Mark's account lists the names of Simon's sons--Alexander and Rufus. Cyrenica was a city in the eastern part of modern day Libya.


Masada was a palace-fortress that King Herod had built on a 1300 ft. bluff near the Dead Sea. After he stopped using it, it became a Roman garrison until Jewish zealots seized it as a last-ditch refuge following the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D./C.E. 70. Approximately 1,000 Jewish patriots lived there for a year until the Romans constructed a giant earth ramp and assualted the city. History records them as finding all of the inhabitants dead in a mass suicide that was intended to deny the Tenth Legion and Rome its victory. Clay pots used to store their food during the seige had been pieced together and were on display. Amazing how moving a simple piece of pottery can be.

The Dead Sea scrolls were discovered in a cave between 1947-1956. They have been dated to between 21 B.C./B.C.E. and 61 A.D./C.E.. As a result, they are the oldest surviving biblical documents that we have. The exhibit featured fragments from the scroll of Isaiah. It's a far different thing to contemplate an ancient piece of the scriptures than it is to see the same text neatly printed by our high-tech printing presses in our modern Bibles.

While these were the noteworthy pieces that it was easy to get excited about, what surprised me was how struck I was by the assortment of household items from each era. Seeing simple items like make-up containers, dishes, bowls, cups, and combs evolve over more than two thousand years was stunning. By Jesus' day, if you had money, you could buy very fine ceramics--delicately crafted and intricately decorated. Glass that was semi-translucent was begining to come on the scene. Fascinating stuff. The walk-away value was that these aren't just fanciful stories. These are tales rooted in times and places and people. The longer we look, the deeper we dig, the more that what we learn confirms what we already knew through the scriptures.

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According to Luke Series Recap

We'll be taking a break from our "According to Luke" study until January. Here's a recap to help you remember where we've been...


KATA LUKAN/According to Luke
Beyond the Shadow of a Doubt
the evidence of eyewitnesses

To recall all of the study sheet responses that we have covered, click "Luke" at the end of this post. Here is a rundown of the pericopes we have covered :

Part 1- Luke 2:41-52 "the son of a father"
Part 2- Luke 3:1-20 "the one who goes before"
Part 3- Luke 3:21-4:13 "the father of a son"
Part 4- The Jewish Basis for the Gospel
Part 5- Luke 4:14-44 "claim & confessions"
Part 6- Luke 5:1-32 "followers"
Part 7- Luke 5:33-6:11 "controversies"

We'll return to the study with: Part 8- Luke 6:12-49 "teachings."

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Part 7-Luke 5:33-6:11 "controversies"

Here are my responses for this week's Luke study guide. Click the link below to read the rest.

OBSERVE // what does it say?

Does Jesus have an awareness of the conflict leading to ultimate rejection that He will face (v.39)? Yes, Jesus seems to be aware of the fact that some will perceive what was--the Jewish understanding of God and how to live Torah faithfully toward a particular destiny they expected--as better than His redirection of these.

What dilemna is Jesus creating for the religious leaders in His response that centered on David (vv.3-4)? Read 1 Samuel 21:1-9 for the account and Leviticus 24:5-6 for the pertinent law. Jesus created a problem by citing this biblical example because the scriptures, and all of the religious leaders prior to the ones He was dealing with, had not judged David and his actions as unlawful. In creating the parallel between His incident and David's, Jesus forces them to judge both. To find Jesus and His followers guilty would mean overturning centuries of precedence and labeling prior relgious leaders as wrong.

What is revealed about the religious leaders' motivation (vv.6-7, 11)? The religious leaders are now actively keeping tabs on Jesus with the hope of catching Him doing something wrong so that they could discredit or punish Him. They were looking for some way to do harm to Jesus.

What is revealed about Jesus' resolve before these leaders (v.10)? Jesus is not blind to their agenda. He will not, however, seek to elude their scrutiny or hide his actions. Jesus looks around at them and does what He does in a public face-to-face confrontation. He will force them to look Him in the face as they form their judgments and hatch their plots.

INTERPRET // what does it mean?

Is fasting good or bad practice for a Christian (vv.34-45)? Jesus notes that the time will come when He is gone and "in those days they will fast." Fasting had a long history in Jewish religious expression. Of course, so too did sacrifices. So, that's not a conclusive guide. Jesus fasted (e.g. Mat 4:2). He also gave direction on how to fast (e.g. Mat 6:16-19). But, this still doesn't tell us whether this was to remain the normal practice under the new covenant. In the early days of the church, fasting continues (Acts 9:8-11, 13:1-3, 14:22-24). The epistles (or letters) to not address fasting. Since then, Christians of many traditions have affirmed fasting as a biblical and beneficial spiritual discipline.

What did Jesus say in that Matthew passage (Ch. 6) about fasting that might guide our practice?

He connects fasting to prayer (v. 16).
He assumes that fasting will continue (v.17).
He warns that fasting can be misused (vv. 16-17).
He advises fasters to keep their activity between them & God (v.17).

Are there patterns evident in when fasting occurs? In general, it appears that fasting is often appropriate in these situations:

In conjunction with prayer.
When discernment and guidance is needed in humility for a consequential decision.
In moments of great significance & consequence.
In spontaneous response to perceived needs and dramatic events that prompt sorrow.

Beyond these, Christian experience since have testified to fasting as a means of developing willpower to control natural appetites as a means of discipline to live as a disciple. The answer would appear to be that fasting is anticipated to be a good practice of Christians, though great latitude exsists in how and when it may be undertaken.

What do the images of old & new wine & wineskins represent (vv.36-39)? Jesus' comments also include reference to old and new garments. But, the wine and wineskins work together to complete the metaphor. Wine is the content and the wineskins are the form. Jesus is saying that the old content (i.e. the old understanding of how one relates to God and what God is doing with Israel) fit the old form (i.e. circumcision as a mark of being in the covenant community and worship through sacrfices at the temple for Jews). The new content (i.e. the surprise that God only requires circumcision of the heart and has a final sacrifice in Jesus intended for a new temple, the church) requires a new form (i.e. a global community including non-Jews that is the residence of God in the Holy Spirit proclaiming a new message of salvation). These statements are only brief summaries that will be further developed, but they should be adequate to help you identify the form and content that He is speaking about.

What does Jesus mean when He says that He is, "Lord of the Sabbath?" (v.8)? (See Mark 2:27 for elaboration on what else Jesus said). Jesus is claiming the perogative to be the master of the day set aside as uniquely for God. He has the right to determine what is or is not behavior consistent with the intent of a day that expresses worship to God. .

What intent does Jesus see behind the Sabbath (v.9)? How does that truth inform our other religious activities? In short, His guiding principle is that doing good and helping one's fellow man is not at-odds with making the day about God. In fact, God's desire in establishing this day is that man would benefit from it--not be burdened by it. When we think about other activities that engage in (or don't) that we think of under the heading of "spiritual" (or not), the criteria can't be whether or not people benefit from them. Some people will say that a counseling ministry, or financial education class, or mentoring for the children of single working moms isn't really "spiritual" because it isn't primarily about God but about helping people. Jesus seems to say that we've got that backwards. If we who are spiritual are truly worshiping, we will do so best when we are helping people for, by, and to God. Jesus' brother James may have said it best: "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world" (Ja 1:27).

APPLY // how do I respond?

In the eyes of many religious people--then and now--the issue is: do you do the right things before God? Clearly, there are right things that we are to do. There are habits that we are directed to incorporate into our lives such as worshiping together, celebrating the eucharist, baptizing disciples, reading the scriptures, praying, etc.. And, there are behaviors that ar to result such as caring for the needy, giving our resources away joyfully and generously, controlling our tongues, being peacemakers, etc.. There are right things that we are to do before God.

But, these right things are only right if based in a heart with the right motivations--humility before God, gratitude to God, obedience under God, love for God, etc.. And, the right things we do for God are not limited to what others define them to be. The fact is that life is messy and times change. People have opinions and form judgments that may not reflect God's. You and I are to feel the freedom and empowerment to go through life seeking to do the right things, whatever those end-up being, paying attention to the reasons that are motivating us. That's where God's focus and concern is. That's where ours should be.

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Part 6- Luke 5:1-32 "followers"

OBSERVE what does it say?

What does Simon Peter's response to Jesus (v.5) indicate about his state of mind toward Jesus leading-up to this moment? Simon Peter appears to have already been favorably disposed to Jesus as a religious teacher or newly recognized prophet. He is willing to be deferential to Him based on what He knows of Him. Chapters 1-4 of John's account of Jesus' life inticate that these men had already been sporadically following Jesus when He was active in the region.

What potential barrier to healing does the leper anticipate Jesus having to healing him (v.12)? What is Jesus' directive after (v.14)? The leper likely anticipates that Jesus will not be willing to heal Him because He will not want to become "contaminated" and unclean. Typically, healings even by "miracle-workers" of the day would entail touching the person to spread salve or speak incantations. This would be all the more the fear when Jesus is in a public place surrounded by a crowd. Jesus' direction is essentially to follow the law in Leviticus and go to the priest to be examined and proclaimed clean (Lev. 14).

As a result of this incident, and Jesus' directions to the leper, what begins to happen (v.17)? The word begins to spread even further. People come to hear Him teach and be healed. As it turns out, the word also spreads among religious circles as they begin to shadow him to monitor His activity.

The paralytic and friends want him to be healed to walk. What is Jesus' priority focus (v.20, 22-24)? Jesus' priority is forgiveness of the man's sins. Healing his physical disease seems to be an afterthought, offered as a proof of the easier claim that cannot be verified.

INTERPRET what does it mean?

Why is Simon Peter's reaction to Jesus' miraculous guidance telling Him to leave--to "go away from me" (v.8)? Simon is reacting in a general way to someone that God must be present in or working through. Simon figures that only God can be behind what just happened. Knowing that he's a mere mortal--morally frail and completely inferior to an Almight Holy God--Simon is experiencing the gut reaction that is frequently related in moments like these recorded in the scriptures.

In light of the issue of willingness, what's the real miracle that Luke is focusing on in the account of the healed leper (v.13)? What is Jesus' intent in His directive to the leper about what to do next (vv. 14-16)? The real miracle here is Jesus' unwillingness to abide by the conventional understanding of what was clean and unclean (Lev. 13:45-46). In this act, as in many others, Jesus is clarifying the intent of the law given long ago. He is clarifying the ethic or motivation that is behind its specific dictates. Jesus' directive reveals that He wants to be sure that the Jewish religious establishment must grapple with what He has done and commit to a judgment regarding the man's healing. They would now have to take a position and go on the record.

Why does Jesus respond to looking for healing by making the outrageous claim to forgive the man's sins (v.20)? Jesus is interested in the man's whole healing, but sin is the fatal disease that really defines his life. In this moment, Jesus is clarifying the real point of what He's doing--the real thing that's wrong in this man's life. He does this knowing full well that the potential charge of blasphemy carries deadly consequences (Lev. 24:13-16).

APPLY how do I respond?
Luke has laid-out a few realities for us to consider in these pericopes:

• We are all in need of Jesus' guidance and healing, and can count on His ability, wisdom, and willingness.
• Jesus' ministry is open to all--scandalously open--so long as a person open to Him, recognizing their need and letting Him meet it.
• Jesus doesn't care about what people say about Him as He is the One to initiate contact with sinners and spend time with them.
• The task Jesus calls us to is seeking, not separation.

I said it Sunday, but I'll say it again. My observation and experience is that one of our great failings as 21st Century North American Christians is the degree to which we have made following Him about separating ourselves from those who don't. We value time at church and with other Christians more than that which we spend with those who are not. We hide in our own Christian subculture (books, music) rather than wading into the deep pool of the culture at-large where those who don't believe are swimming. We talk about work or school being our "mission field," but know that our interactions with people there are under fairly tight constraints. Our doors aren't regularly open allowing them entry into our lives. I think this is the case because our hearts aren't open either.

So, the obvious question is why? I think we like to feel that we are somehow different, that we're not like them. I think we're sometimes rooted so shallowly in what it means to live as Jesus did, that we're afraid that we'll end-up doing what they're doing. I think we forget that the point is about loving them as He has. I'm walking away from this section asking: "What if Jesus really does want me to go live with and love those who don't follow Him?" It's elementary, I know. But, it's usually the simple basic stuff that would change everything if we just started living them.

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Part 5- Luke 4:14-44 "claim & confessions"

OBSERVE

Jesus’ first words of teaching lay claim to the prophet Isaiah’s message (61:1-2 & 58:6?). Take some time to revisit Isaiah’s prophecy, which ends up being closely related to what is happening through Jesus. Isaiah wrote during a time in which Israel was declining and the Assyrian empire conquered the northern part of Israel’s divided kingdom (722 B.C.) Though Judah, the southern portion, was spared, Isaiah warns them that their safety is temporary because God will use an even stronger empire-the Babylonians- to punish Israel for its sin (587 B.C.). Even as he gives this terrible prediction, he sounds a note of hope: one day, God will act to restore Israel. Like a new exodus, he will send an anointed one to lead them out of political and spiritual oppression. Ultimately, God will establish a kingdom through Israel that encompasses all of the peoples of the earth. Spend some time reading what Isaiah wrote through these representative chapters: (the questions that follow interact with these Isaiah texts) 1-4, 34-35, 40-44, 51-62, 66

INTERPRET

What does Isaiah tell us about why God is ready to judge Israel? (CH 1-2)

• they have forsaken YHWH, the Holy One of Israel. They have turned their backs on Him (1:4).
• they go through religious motions without actually doing right (1:10-17).
• their leaders are crooked and corrupt (1:23-26).
• they have adopted bad practices and wrong ways of thinking (2:6-9).

In God's coming judgment, what does Isaiah reveal about His intent?

• He wants them to stop doing wrong and learn to do what is right (1:16-17; 2:4).
• He wants to make them be willing and obedient, not resistant and rebellious (1:19-20).
• He wants Israel to be an example and the source of a new reality for all people (2:1-5).
• He intends to teach people to humbly respond to Him (2:10-22).
• He will pay people back for what they have done (3:8-26).

In God's coming judgment, what does Isaiah say that gives reason to hope?

• the oppressed will be relieved, the defenseless defended (1:17), strength will go to the weary and power to the weak (40:29).
• a day will come that represents a whole new age without the bad things that are part of this present age (2:3-5).
• God will be present amon His holy people (4:2-6; 40:11) and will be seen by all (40:5; 42:6-9) as the One True Eternal God (43:10-13; 44:6-23).
• God will give humanity a new start (43:18-21).

APPLY

As I have been working my way through Luke, I have been repeatedly struck by this question: "Am I more like Jesus or the people who opposed Him?"

Obviously, most of us Christians reflexively identify ourselves with Jesus. We know that we're called to deny ourselves and make costly sacrifices for others. We know that we're to proclaim Jesus regardless of reaction and consequence. We know that we're not fundamentally different than sinners.

We know all of this. But do we do any of it? Have we made doing it a hobby or a lifestyle?

If I am completely honest with myself, and willing to really weigh the evidence of my consistent actions, I have adopted a mindset very similar to the religiously smug opposition that Jesus encoutered. I have adopted a lifestyle of separation from "those people" rather than one of seeking them and making every effort to communicate God's love to them. Caught-up in the American Dream and the comfortable lifestyle of suburbia, I don't know that I've really ever made a truly costly sacrifice for someone else that was the result of self-denial. My gifts are always within my budget, planned around my needs and wants, and typically to church-goers who I subconciously view as having "earned it" or will be able to "pay it back" in their involvement in the church. When it comes to people who are physically or financially suffering, I tend to find myself repelled or judgmental about their own foolish behavior or indifferent to their unfortunate circumstances since "this kind of thing just happens."

Perhaps I'm being too harsh or making sweeping generalizations. Then again, maybe not. Jesus' definition of who was with Him was seen in who joined with Him in the kind of life that He was living. In other words, you could see who followed Jesus because they did what He did. You do not see Jesus defining who was with Him based-on who was becoming a better person who acts better or who was most active among other followers. It is impossible to separate Jesus' mission from His identity, even though most of us are willing to confess His identity all day long while letting His mission be something that we're not "gifted" or "called" to.

My prayer for myself and you is the same: May we increasingly be people who genuinely live like Jesus. May we be people devoted to living according to the new reality that God has brought into existence by making it our new reality. May we be the people who evidence humanity's new start.

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