When I was young it was trendy to make a hard separation between Christianity and “religion”. Religion was some thing that was old, cold, and man-made at its best, and at its worst it was down right idolatrous. We would revel in the stories of Jesus taking apart the Pharisees for honoring their tradition over truth. But as I have gotten older I have learned there is an important difference between remembering the limitations of religious exercise and simply destroying all tradition.

To destroy tradition is to erase memory and to steal any sense of history from our children. Today we see a horrible identity crisis in young people, I don’t want to be simplistic, but I think it is fair to say this is at least aggravated by the fact that so many children are raised with no sense of history or tradition. Nothing to anchor them and no sense of who they are or where they come from as a people, and therefore no sense of who they are as an individual. This makes them easy prey for the sellers of perverse ideas regarding so called “identity” that currently flood the media and education systems.

Growing up we were Lutheran, and there we plenty of traditions, this may even be why the anti-tradition message resonated so loudly with me back then. There was common cup communion, confirmation, advent and Easter and too many smaller traditions to list. There were candles and evening services with my Mom and Dad on cold nights, dreaming of Christmas while we sang Christmas songs together. Not every thought in my head was historically accurate, but it established in me a sense of history which in turn gave me a sense of hope for the future. I knew who I was, where I came from, what we did as family and why we did it. This gave me a very solid platform from which I could navigate my future. (Too bad I did not make better use of it, but that is another story altogether)

Advent is one of those traditions, that technically is not a Biblical mandate or teaching, but it is a time set aside to remember the gift of God to us at Bethlehem and to remember our hope for the future in Jesus. Jesus has come and advent reminds us of the absolute mystery and wonder of that event. But advent is also a time to remember that he is coming again to bring final justice to all, and eternal life to all that believe. The mess that self-serving human government has made and continues to make, will one day end. Jesus came once many years ago and he is coming again this time to stay.

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given;

This week let’s not allow ourselves to be pushed along by the things we call urgent, and carve out some time to reflect on our history and our future. Let’s allow the wonder of God’s gift to a rebellious and sinful people to soak in a bit. It’s time to fight this anchorless culture and establish a culture and a tradition of remembrance, honor, and hope in Jesus. Start a new tradition or reestablish an old one. Let’s help each other remember that there is hope for the future in Jesus.

Have a great week!

Happy Thanksgiving!

If there was ever a time when we need a holiday like Thanksgiving it is now. Have you ever stopped to think of how many blessings we have just by virtue of living in the modern age? But no matter how we improve things the happiness of our souls seems to be almost completely disconnected from our technical advances and circumstances.

Thanksgiving is a genius holiday, because if people could learn to be thankful we would know a joy that is quite separate from our circumstances. But thankfulness is quite often not a spontaneous outburst, it is a discipline of mind. We need to learn thankfulness because our base animal desires are never ever satisfied. Nothing is ever enough for our base desires, it you don’t believe me check out Twitter or just about any social media outlet sometime. You will find precious little thankfulness there. So let’s get some advice from Paul today and think about how to live counter to this unthankful culture.

Therefore do not be foolish,

Thankfulness changes everything

To be thankful requires us to get our eyes off of ourselves. It forces us to think about what we have been given rather than what we lack. And maybe most importantly, it is something that draws us together. The humility that is required for thankfulness makes it easy to think about others rather than ourselves.

Thanksgiving is a radical change of perspective, and it is the will of God no less. We spend so much time wondering about the will of God, but this passage makes it pretty simple, we are to give thanks and love each other. It’s not too hard.

This Thanksgiving, let’s not forget the whole reason this holiday exists and let’s thank God always and for everything.

be filled with the Spirit,

Have a great week!

Today we are going to look at a side of Jesus that is often overlooked. Too often Jesus is portrayed in modern culture as the ultimate in inclusiveness and openness. In the more extreme modern teachings Jesus has been re-imagined (as if that can be done to an actual historical person) to be more like an emotional comfort animal than our Lord. In fact, “lord” is a word that has almost fallen out of usage completely in American English. Today we are going to look at what it means to have a Lord.

“Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you?

First and foremost a lord is a master or to use a more contemporary term a “boss” or even an “owner” as distasteful as that thought is to modern ears. Bosses do not give instructions for people to consider and discuss, bosses give instructions to be obeyed and carried out. Often when I hear people including myself use the word Lord, I hear in the back of my mind the voice of Indigo from the movie “The Princess Bride”: “You keep using that word, I do not think that it means what you think it means”.

To have a Lord is to relinquish your autonomy and place yourself completely under the authority and rule of that Lord. Jesus is Lord, he is The Lord. Whether people obey him or not, his position is unchanged. He will be the judge of us all in the end and our behavior, while it can not by itself save us, does matter. When Jesus tells us something he expects us to obey him. We are often deceived by our own shortsightedness into thinking that immediate gain or pleasure makes our decisions correct. This is false, Jesus is the judge of what is correct and he is the judge of the whole earth. The freedoms we have are not for our pleasure but rather a gift and an opportunity for us to act in love for the benefit of others in obedience to Jesus.

The result of obedience

Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and does them,

This passage comes from Luke in what is sometimes called the “sermon on the plain”. This teaching has many similarities to the “sermon on the mount” in Matthew 5-7 and they both end with this analogy of building on the rock vs building on the sand. But in Matthew rather than ask the question we have above, Jesus queues up the “house on the rock” analogy with this statement,

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’”  (Matthew 7:21-23 ESV)

It is important to really look at this passage by Jesus and not simply pass it off as hyperbole or try to nuance it out of existence by burying it is some form of systematic theology or church doctrine. The words of Jesus trumps all later doctrine and systematic analysis. We need to hear it in the same way the original hearer did and be equally shocked. Think of it, you go out to hear a preacher/prophet/healer that everyone has been talking about and what do you hear? That your eternal destiny hinges on whether or not you obey his teaching. That is way beyond audacious, I’m quite sure that this left many followers and would be followers completely speechless and others enraged.

Putting these passages together

If we take the passages in Luke and Matthew together we see that there is both a requirement and a benefit in obeying Jesus in this age and the next. The storms that hit the two houses are not the final judgment, but rather the storms of persecution and hardship. Obedience to Jesus gives us the strength to stand through anything this world can throw at us. Given the worlds situation at the moment that is something I think every Christian on earth should be thinking about now.

The passage in Mathew though tells us that beyond the pressures of this life there is final judgment, and that is an even greater concern. In the final analysis the question will be, are we walking with Jesus or are we walking according to our own desires? In the final judgment not even religious exploits will suffice only obediently walking with Jesus as our Lord, our Master, and our Boss. Now let’s look at one last aspect of the authority of Jesus. In John, Jesus makes the following statement.

You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am.

If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet,

What does this obedience look like for us?

In a word, following Jesus who is the way. In this story Jesus washed the feet of his disciples very deliberately in order to give them an example. We need to demonstrate the gospel as much as preach it. Jesus made this clear in this example and underscores this teaching with the reminder that the servant is not greater than his master. If he as their master washes their feet then they need to wash each others feet for the servant is not greater than the master.

So this week let’s encourage each other and serve each other, remembering that we are not our own to do as we please, we belong to our Master and we must do as he says and do what he does. We don’t do this to earn our place in heaven, but because we belong to Jesus and we have already been given a place in heaven, thanks to the sacrifice of Jesus. He is our Master and Lord.

Jesus set aside his glory and gave his life for our benefit. As his servants we must follow this example. For us there is only obedience to our Lord or disobedience to our Lord. When we placed our faith in Him we gave our life to him, just like he gave his life to us.

This is a hard passage, not because it is hard to understand but because it is hard for our old selfish nature to hear that we are not our own boss. But the truth is, we are not the our own, we were bought with a price. This is why we need to encourage each other daily, so we don't give up and give in to our own base desires. When we follow Jesus in washing each others feet, so to speak, we demonstrate the gospel and we make it easier for everyone to love and serve each other as we love and serve Jesus.

Have a great week!

Christianity has always been counter-cultural. But in current usage, the term counter-cultural more often than not, describes something the individual chooses to do for their benefit or cause by fighting the cultural norms, sometimes violently. The cross was and is extremely counter-cultural but in a very different way. Today’s passage shockingly describes what it looks like to be counter-cultural for the sake of God and others. This is a difficult subject and a difficult passage, but let’s see what we can make of this as we try to bring this truth forward into today’s world.

For this is the will of God,

Vengeance vs Justice

The desire for revenge runs deep in the human heart often using the notion of justice as a cover for it’s rage. But true justice is in the hands of God alone according to this passage. Even Jesus who suffered the greatest injustice in history did not condemn his abusers, but rather prayed that God would forgive them. Our job is not to bring down the so called “wrath of God” on people that offend us or treat us badly. The actual wrath of God is a fearful thing and it is a real thing - it is not however an immediate thing.

As Christians we should understand the fear of the Lord. And we should understand what the wrath of God would mean to a rebellious and sinful world. Our job is to demonstrate the grace of God not his wrath, in the hope this kindness will lead them to repentance. Like Jesus we are looking to bring forgiveness no matter the personal cost. And as hard as it is to hear, this may well mean suffering injustice without immediate retribution, revenge or justice. We are to follow in the example of Jesus, not the example of this fallen world and our self-serving lower nature.

This can’t be right…

To modern ears this passage seems to get everything wrong, to the point of being totally irrelevant in today’s world. It assumes slavery for one thing and then seems to give abusive slave owners a free pass on their outrageous behavior. And then to top it off asks those being abused to accept this abuse like Jesus accepted the abuse he suffered on the cross. Why would God ask such a thing???

This takes us back to the counter-cultural nature of Christianity. We are to be light in a dark world, we do not repay violence with violence or hate with hate, which can only add dark to the darkness. We are to be salt to this world, something different that improves the world, not something that follows the world in a never ending tit for tat exchange of violence and hate.

But to allow injustice is to empower it, right?

The assumption in this statement is that personally striking back for personal injury is just. Last week we looked at the preceding verses in this passage and saw that God established human government to reward good and punish evil. This passage is talking about taking matters into our own hands and striking out against personal abuse for our own satisfaction. This is not what Jesus did, everything Jesus did was in obedience to God and for the good of others. Therefore he willingly endured evil against his person for the greater good. We need to be willing to pay that same price if we are to truly follow Jesus. This is very, very counter-cultural and grinds against our most basic instincts.

But that makes no sense in a democracy!

This is an interesting thought for those that live under representative governments of one kind or another. (Which by the way is not as common as you might think in this world.) The original readers of this letter had no voice and were truly powerless except to possibly make things worse for themselves and others. For the majority of people in the world today this is still true, so they would more easily understand this passage than those who live in “free” societies where individuals have a voice(however limited) in their own governance.

I think doing good in a state where leaders are democratically selected does mean participation in the process, but we must never participate in the evil that often goes along with the political process. We must demonstrate what good looks like in a world that demonizes everyone but those that look and think and talk like us. This will mean being slandered and misunderstood at times, after all - Jesus was.

But as this passage and others affirm, the best argument against evil is doing good to others. Grouping people up into “us and them” and blaming “them” for all evil is not doing good - it is the prelude to war and one of the main sources of the very injustice we all want to see abolished. Demonizing the “others” is how atrocities of all sorts have been justified throughout history.

So we’re all doormats then…

Here’s where it gets real. We are all free in Christ, so free in fact that temporal pain and suffering are trivial compared to the privileges we have as citizens of God’s eternal kingdom. Would you describe Jesus as a doormat? I guess you might, if you think the cross was a defeat. But the bible tells us, and history has shown us, that it was in fact the greatest victory against evil of all time. So the question becomes, do we believe we are free citizens of God’s eternal kingdom, or do we believe that this present world is all there is and all that will ever be?

To endure temporary hardship for eternal gain is not easy or fun but it is logical and rational and most importantly it is simply the right thing to do. I am not saying we go out looking for trouble but if it finds us, as it often does, we must not simply react, our first reaction is rarely the right one. Indignation and a self-righteous lust for revenge feels justified in the moment, but justice is no friend to the guilty, and we are all guilty before God, none of us can ever stand as righteous before God - on our own.

To stand righteous before God means to stand in faith that the suffering of Jesus fully paid the terrible price that justice demands of us. We were made righteous in Christ by his suffering. We did not earn this grace it was a gift from God. And now, it is a gift we must pay forward to the other thoroughly undeserving people on this earth, so they too may have the chance to respond to this completely outrageous and unwarranted grace of God. And should they respond to this grace positively and repent - true eternal good will come of our suffering, both for us and for them.

What does this look like on a Tuesday?

So what do we do when we are faced with injustice and injury? Do we fight to defend our “rights”? Is there even such a thing as a “right” to not be offended or wronged in this present age? The life of Jesus argues against the idea. Can we really expect to live in a world governed by fallen humans guided by selfish desires without being offended or injured or mistreated? The short answer is - of course not, but responding to this reality is not always straightforward.

Peter tells us plainly in this passage that we are called to suffer at the hands of sinners, because Jesus did. This is true but for me, that “brute fact” needs a bit of explanation if I am to successfully endure injustice. As I think about all of this and the various experiences with injustice and abuse I have seen and had, there are a few things about this aspect of our calling that I find helpful.

The first thing, and the thing that helps me the most is recognizing that the evil in my abusers and persecutors is the same evil that is in me. If you are like me your knee jerk reaction to this statement is something like, “well, not exactly…” but yes, we all wish it wasn’t, but it is. That is the bad news, the good news is that if we can embrace this truth it helps us show grace to others, because we are doing nothing more than reflecting the grace that God has shown to us - toward them. Now think about how great Jesus is, he was not reflecting the grace he was shown for his sin since he had none, through his suffering he became the original source of grace for all sinners everywhere - including us.

Next we need to recognize that it was the kindness of God that drew us to repentance. If all we knew was his justice and wrath we would most likely run away from him in fear and shame. But by showing God’s grace and kindness to others, especially those that don’t deserve it, we clear a path for them back to God, we offer a path of grace for them rather than a threat of judgment. Our response of grace and kindness could help them to take that all important first step on the path to eternal life.

Finally, and maybe most importantly, the suffering in the passage is suffering for doing good. We should all expect to suffer for doing evil. It is not wrong for the police and the justice system to punish wrongdoers. Jesus did good and was treated terribly in return. We also need to consider that doing the right thing will not always be rewarded or celebrated in this fallen world. But we must never respond to this kind of injustice by returning violence for violence or hate for hate. We must follow the example of Jesus.

There is a lot to think about here, so I am not going to try to sum it all up into some cute slogan about how to deal with something as difficult and painful as injustice and abuse. But we have an example in Jesus to follow, we have his Spirit in us, we have his word, and we have the gift of his grace. So we are rich enough to give this grace to others this week. This week take some time to pray through this passage and the ones I have included below. And let’s stop focusing on the way we feel and our need for vindication, and recognize there are eternal destiny’s hanging in the balance for everyone, everyday. Let’s make it easier for those that have yet to see God’s grace find it this week by reflecting that unspeakable and unearned grace that we have received to others.

Have a great week!

We pick up this week, where we left off last week in Peter’s first letter. This week Peter gets down to business and begins to instruct his readers how to live in a world governed by Roman emperors and governors.

Imagine living under Roman rule and you are a servant or slave, a situation that was as likely as not for the original readers of this letter. In fact nearly all of Peter’s original audience for this letter gathered in what would be called home churches now to hear the scriptures, the gospels, and the teachings of the apostles read to them - because they could not read and did not possess copies of these documents. You have no vote, and no prospects to be anything other than what you are. Even the citizens and masters of the day had no real legitimate say in government.

It’s important to understand this if we are to hear this advice correctly. Modern people especially in the west, are used to an unprecedented amount of personal autonomy. No one wants to be told what to do, especially by government, particularly if it is not the government they personally voted for. This autonomy has gotten so overblown today that it has become a problem in its own right for the Church. Because we have forgotten what it means to have a “Lord”.

The original readers of this text, on the other hand, lived everyday under the rule of many lords. What Peter was trying to help them with was obeying the Lord Jesus while not dishonoring the various earthly lords they were beholden to. So let’s get into today’s text…

Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution,

For the Lord’s sake…

The key to understanding this whole passage is in these four words. Everything that Peter is going to ask them to do flows directly from their relationship with, and obedience to, the Lord. Leading an honorable life on earth brings glory to God. As I watch current events it feels like it has been a long time since most people have given any serious thought to living honorably. We are to be subject to earthly authorities in honor of the Lord.

Getting back to Peter’s audience, who are the earthly authorities Peter was referring to? The names are surprising especially when you connect obedience to these people to honoring the Lord as Peter does. The emperor at this time was very likely none other than Nero, let that soak in. Paul in the thirteenth chapter of his letter to the Romans makes similar comments about the Neronian government - this is the same Nero that would some day murder him.

Both Peter and Paul were under no illusions about either the integrity, or even the sanity, of Nero. Nevertheless they also knew that human government was established by God for a reason, it was established for our good and His honor. The fact that evil men corrupt every human institution does not give us license to disregard its importance. Our governments have always been and still are corrupted by sin, like everything else humans touch. Yet without them things would actually be far worse, because the same human corruption in society without the restraint of government would very quickly lead to chaos and violence.

Silence the ignorance of foolish people

Moving on there is another reason given for living honorably as citizens of earthly governments.

“By doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people”.

Well in the age of the internet, social and corporate media manipulation, and globalism there is certainly no shortage of ignorance or foolishness. Doing good however, is still the godly answer, not picking a side and blindly joining the fray. What’s more, for this to work it can’t be just hiding in your house and thinking good thoughts either, it needs to be living and doing good in such a way that it silences the madness of the unbelieving and rebellious world. Politics is politics it never really changes, at its heart it is driven and corrupted by a lust for power and control. Sin in other words. People have a keen eye for sin in others but for some reason a difficult time seeing it in themselves.

Doing good begins with recognizing our own sins and confessing them to God and turning around and going the other way. Repentance to use word rarely heard anymore. By the grace that God has given us in Christ we can be instruments of good in God’s hands, but not because we are good but because God is good and in spite of our past sin He is still willing to work through us.

Live in freedom

So we must remember our true king, our eternal king Jesus has set us free. We are free from the slavery of sin and we are free to do good. So we must use our freedom for good. In the U.S. these days there is a lot of talk about freedom, but so much of this so called desire for freedom is nothing more than a desire to do as we please. While few would say it this bluntly the desire is too often for a freedom to sin, not the true freedom from evil that allows us to live to God’s glory and do good to others.

Peter tells us to “live as people who are free”, but knowing the condition of the human heart he quickly adds,

“not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God”.

Peter knew that we only have two choices, to be servants of God and find true freedom, or we can be slaves of sin with all the pain that follows. We hate sin in others but far more often than we are willing to admit, we want to have it both ways for ourselves. We want the blessing of God and the autonomy of sin. This week let’s not kid ourselves, self-righteously calling out the self-righteousness in others and showing contempt for those who hold offices in the governments that God has established for our good. But instead, let’s take the opportunity that the grace of God affords and do good to others showing the proper honor to everyone we meet.

So, “for the Lords sake…”, “Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor.” (or President, or PM, or Governor, or whatever)

Have a great week!

The Church throughout its history had various takes on politics and citizenship. It has at various times been deeply political(often to its own harm) and at other times refusing to even discuss politics. This second group represented the attitude of the church I was raised in. Through the years since my childhood however I have been involved with many churches in many countries as a missionary, and in my studies I have read about a great many more. What I can say after all this is that politics and the Church have a troubled relationship. Enough said, I resolved early on not to let this Substack become just another political rag.

So how are we to reconcile our citizenship in the kingdom of God, with the politics and governmental authority of this world? Peter gives us some of the best advice on this I think, so for the next few weeks I think it would be encouraging to look at our “dual citizenship” and how to resolve the inevitable tension between the two.

Let’s begin with Peter’s first letter, chapter 2.

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation,

The first thing Peter calls to mind for his readers is that they have a calling and an identity that is above their bare existence on earth as human beings. He also reminds them that they have a citizenship that is above any earthly citizenship. Just look at the labels in this passage: chosen race, royal priesthood, holy nation, and a people for his own possession. I don’t know about you, but when I look in the mirror in the morning those are not the first things that spring to mind. You might be saying of course not, me either! But actually this is not good, because for a Christian these labels are the truth, it is my feelings and assumptions that are constantly trying to lie to me.

Not only is this our true identity in Christ, we were also chosen with a purpose. We were chosen to proclaim the excellencies of the one who called us out of darkness into his marvelous light. We were nothings and nobodies, now we are God’s people. And we belong to God because He has extended His mercy to us, even while each of us were living entirely for ourselves in utter opposition to God. If this description does seem to fit you it is only because you have not yet recognized the darkness in your own heart, and the outrageous grace that God is showing us day by day through his mercy.

We were all living in rebellion until the grace of God came to us through the death and resurrection of Jesus. He is our king because he has conquered the power of evil, and he has given us everything we need. And everything have that is good and eternal resides in him. He is the source of our life - and he is quite literally our future. We are a part of his holy nation now, and we are priests in the new temple.

With that truth in mind it becomes clear that some kind of response is required, if we are to embrace our citizenship in God’s kingdom. So let’s read on…

Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles

This language sounds a bit foreign and dated even in modern translations particularly in the west because most of us have never personally had to face an actual exile. Exile is something we tend to watch on the news rather than experience. Sojourners is a bit easier for us to grasp because anyone that has had the blessing of travel knows what it is like to be a foreigner - and sometimes even a hated foreigner.

My first experience with this was in Brazil over 30 years ago. I was having breakfast in a cafe with my family when someone inserted himself into our conversation and asked if we were Americans. When I said yes he proceeded to tell me exactly how I thought, and why exactly America was evil, and how that was manifested in me. I smiled and let him talk, but that was the first time in my life I felt like a true sojourner, I was a stranger in a foreign land. That experience stuck with me and I often thank God for it, because over the years I have learned much from that exchange. It taught me things about travel and more importantly, it taught me things about my own attitude towards strangers and foreigners.

But here Peter tells us we are all exiles living as foreigners in a land that does not love or understand us. In fact, Jesus tells us in the gospel of John that the world hates us, and we should not be surprised, because it hated him first. So how should we act as exiles and visitors? Peter gives us two categories of things to think about in this regard.

First, we need to deal with our own “passions of the flesh”. Interestingly, in modern English passion has actually become a positive word. Which is confusing because the bible consistently considers our passions, or more accurately, our “feelings and desires” as things that need to be controlled. In biblical terms, to be led by our physical desires and feelings is the road to destruction. So Peter’s first advice is to gain mastery over these feelings and desires, to abstain from them, to set them aside. We must live in freedom from these desires, they must not rule us, if we are to live as we should and represent ourselves as true and free citizens of the kingdom of God to this world.

Second, we need to live honorably and do good so that we may demonstrate the truth to this world, rather than just talk about it. The net result of such actions is that even the unbelievers will have to admit the truth and give glory to God on the “day of visitation”. Which takes us to the final point of this passage, what is the “day of visitation”?

The day of visitation is synonymous with terms like the “day of the Lord” it is what we have been talking about for weeks. There is a day coming when all created beings will have to give an account to their creator. It is the final judgment, and on this day everyone will have to admit the truth and give glory to God. Some with joy and some with unending regret.

So what does this look like as we go about our lives this week? For many of you in the U.S. this is an election season. Politics is in the air constantly, but we have a king and a nation that is quite independent of earthly kingdoms and rulers. Does that mean we stand mute? I don’t think so. Does that mean we join a faction and fight with all our might. No, that is not the answer either.

Jesus is again our example, he refused to be drawn in to the political controversies of his day, but he always did good and spoke the truth fearlessly. To walk in his way means we do good to others and we speak the truth - but honorably. We do what we can to help others to see, both in our words and deeds, that there is a kingdom that is uncorrupted by money and power. It is an eternal kingdom and we serve an eternal king, one that has laid down his life so that anyone who accepts him as the true king may live forever.

This week let’s get caught up with our role as a holy priesthood remembering that a priest is primarily an intermediary, one who advocates to God on behalf of another. Let’s not allow ourselves to get caught up the hysteria of the news peddlers. Let’s be a true priesthood and good citizens of both heaven and earth this week and intercede for a lost and dying world while doing good and speaking the truth.

Let’s help each other stay on the path of Jesus through all the current confusion and - have a great week!

This week we are going to look at a parable that is often used, somewhat out of context, to teach about money. That is not to say that this story can not be used to teach on other subjects, it is just that taking a parable out of its original context will not give you the meaning that was intended when Jesus told the story. This parable is included with the other parables we have been looking at because it shows us something about how we are to live in this time between the first coming and the second coming of Jesus.

“For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property.

Initial observations

So let’s look at the initial setup of this story. It begins with, “For it will be like”. This phrase is the clue that this story is describing the same time of waiting that he has been referring to previously. Once again we see a master leaving on a journey and leaving his servants behind. This is now the second story that is built on this basic framework. The first time Jesus used this setup was to explain the difference between two servants, one who remained faithful to the end, and the other that gave up on the master returning and became selfish and wicked.

This story is an expansion on that idea. Now there are three servants and they were not all given the same gifts and responsibilities. The lesson here then is in the comparison between these three servants all of which were given gifts and responsibilities.

The Faithful Servants

The three servants that Jesus describes were given different amounts of resources, “each according to his ability”. So although the gifts were not distributed evenly they were distributed justly. None of these servants were asked to do more than they were able. I think this is an important side note in this story, given our current cultures confusion regarding, equality, equity, and justice.

The first two servants performed as expected and each of them managed their gifts well. They each were profitable to their master, if this sounds too mercenary for your taste consider some of the other metaphors that Jesus uses, like seeds bearing crops in the parable of the sower, or trees bearing good or bad fruit. Jesus does have an expectation of return on the gifts that he has given us. It is difficult to read this story and not come away with that conclusion.

In this story the reward for the faithful servants was the pleasure of the master and an increase in their responsibility and authority. The only thing I would point out here is that they did not get the same amount to start, nor did they produce the same amount in the end, but both got the same reward and praise from their master. Jealousy over gifts and position are unnecessary, something I think Jesus repeatedly tried to teach his disciples.

The last servant however is an entirely different story.

The Unfaithful Servant

Judging from the amount of detail given by Jesus about this guy, I think it is safe to say that this servant represents the main point of this story. I see this is a cautionary tale at its heart. The first words out of this guys mouth say a lot about who he is, and the condition of his heart. Compare his attitude with the simple obedience of the two previous servants.

‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed, so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.’

It seems that he understood the servant/master relationship as one that only benefits of the master.(Something the first two servants prove to be false) In this servants mind his relationship with the master was something more like oppression than service and his misunderstanding of the character and love of the master guided all his decisions thereafter. This “victim mentality”, if you will excuse the phrase, caused him to relate to his master through paralyzing fear, rather than love, gratitude, respect, or even a sense of responsibility. So he did nothing with the gift that was given to him and intended to just give it back, assuming the master ever returned. He “quiet quit” to use another recent cultural trope. He thought he could just “opt out” of his calling and responsibility, disregard his gifts and live for himself.

The master did not take this mans assessment of the situation well though, and responded to the servant in a way that may have surprised him(and us).

‘You wicked and slothful servant!

If this response surprises you, think about this passage from the sermon on the mount.

For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you.   (Matthew 7:2 ESV)

This servant has wrongfully judged the master(think God) to be grasping, self serving, and unjust, so that is exactly the way he treated him. He was judged in the same way he himself judged others. But more than that, the master explained to him that he was not even living consistently with his own warped and twisted understanding of the master’s character. Because if he really believed what he was saying, he would have given that money to the bankers so that he would have something to show for the gifts he was given when the master returned.

I think the last servants response shows a poorly disguised contempt for both the gifts he was given, and his master that entrusted him with them. He seemed to be projecting his lack of character onto his master. Maybe he was offended to be given less resources than the others, maybe he didn’t think the master was really coming back, who knows. But for whatever reason he had no interest in serving the master or putting those gifts to their intended use. And in the end his explanation was nothing more than an insulting and worthless excuse.

What about us?

It has been said by many that the most important thing in our head is our concept of God. I think this story illustrates that axiom very clearly. So, given our constant exposure to a godless and often God hating world, we need to regularly evaluate our own view of God’s character. Do we see him as loving and generous, or has the world twisted our thinking to see Him as stingy and cruel? Do we hold back when we should be giving? As difficult as it can be to ask these questions of ourselves I think it is important that we do.

I think this question is the question Jesus is asking his disciples as he told them this story. He wanted them to examine themselves and ask, “Which of these servants am I?”.

What were we given by the master?

Life, energy, material resources, education, encouragement, skills, friends, family - for most people the list goes on and on. For Christians who have experienced and known the grace of God, His mercy, forgiveness, and the promise of eternal life gives us an absolute embarrassment of riches. We have all this and more in Christ and it should absolutely compel us to respond in kind to others. But does it?

What does investment of these gifts look like?

The most important question before us today is once again, what am I going to use my gifts for today. For some there is a fixation on the future, for others there is perhaps more of a fixation on the past. But the past can not be changed and the future is unknown - today is the day of salvation. Today we will either use our gifts in service of the Master - or we won’t.

For he says, “In a favorable time I listened to you, and in a day of salvation I have helped you.” Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.  (2 Corinthians 6:2 ESV)

None of us will wake up tomorrow, every time we wake it is today. If we do not use the gifts we have been given today, as the 5 foolish virgins learned only too late, then we do not use our gifts at all. At the masters return we can not go back in time to make corrections nor can we make excuses like the wicked servant in this story.

We invest in the Masters kingdom whenever we use the gifts he has given us to bless others. Will we see the benefit of this investment? Probably not directly or immediately, but when the Master returns he will not forget what was done and we will be rewarded with entrance into his joy forever.

So this week, let’s remember the price Jesus paid in his service to us and not focus on the cost of our service. Whatever price we pay will be nothing compared to what God paid to redeem and restore our rebellious and wicked souls. The joy of the Lord is found by those that serve Him, not by those who serve themselves. So let’s take inventory of what resources God has given us in Christ and look for places to invest those gifts.

Have a great week!

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Today we are continuing on from last weeks passage to look at a very famous but not always easy to interpret parable of Jesus regarding how we should live as we wait for his return. Remember, we are still in the context of answering the disciples questions regarding the destruction of the temple and the coming of the Son of Man.

“Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom.

Watch Therefore

A story like this can be made to say many things depending on the meaning you assign to the various elements in the story. So, to keep our interpretations from running completely amok,(which is always a good idea) first let’s look at the moral of the story according to Jesus.

“Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour”.

Last week we discussed what “staying awake” looked like for the disciples and for us. But this week the characters in this parable actually all fall asleep, but they do not all have the same outcomes, because some are wise and some are foolish. This is a very interesting expansion of the teaching on being prepared for the coming of Jesus. Beyond being told to simply stay awake it seems that wisdom prepares for a longer than expected wait. It shows us something of a difference between legitimate rest and the dangers of the drunken and careless deeds of the night that Paul was referring to in the passage last week. This story also takes a slightly different tack on the contrast between the good servant and the debauchery of the evil servant described in the passage just before this one.(I have included that story below)

The Bridegroom was Delayed

In this parable Jesus is adding to his previous warnings to, “stay awake” and remain “faithful servants”, the idea that his return may well take much longer than we expect and therefore, we should be watchful for we do not know how long it will be. In this story Jesus talks about the importance of preparing for a possible extended wait. The question today is then, “how should we live in light of an unexpectedly long delay in the coming of the Son of Man(Jesus)?” who is here depicted as the “Bridegroom”.

In this story wisdom was preparing for a long wait and foolishness was not preparing at all. The difficulty in this story is trying to understand the nature of the oil and the lamps that the wise virgins brought. They all fell asleep so unlike the earlier metaphor of sleep, the difference here is not that they stayed awake, but their preparation. They all brought lamps, they all fell asleep, but five of the virgins came prepared for a long wait and five did not.

The Oil

Now Jesus could be telling them to simply be prepared in their hearts for a potentially long wait. And maybe so, but even that begs the question, “what does being prepared in your heart for a long wait look like on an average day”?

So what are our options for the extra “oil” in this story. One way might be to consider the oil to be our salvation by faith, meaning that 5 had faith and 5 did not. While that might be a simple solution it does not really fit the story very well. Did the 5 foolish virgins run off to find some more faith? Taken as faith then, this story could be told as, “10 virgins came to wait for the bridegroom, 5 had extra faith and 5 had only the faith they came with”. This seems a bit odd to me and if you make the oil the Holy Spirit it gets no better. Remember the point of the story according to Jesus is, “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour”. He is telling this story to his disciples who are all believers, so what is the extra oil really talking about?

What else could it be?

What other options are there? Let’s get this story back into the context of the other stories in this group of parables. We just examined what the life of a fully awake disciple of Christ looks like, sobriety, faith, love, and hope. Let’s look at the oil as our preparation for the return of Jesus. That seems to fit well with the moral of the story that Jesus provides. Perhaps we could understand this preparation as, we fill our lamps with the works that flow from faith, love, and hope. These good works provide the light that we walk in. That is why there is no time to do this when the bridegroom returns, this oil is prepared before the return. When the Bridegroom returns there is no time to get more “oil”. That is why the oil is there even when they sleep, it was prepared beforehand by their walk of faith, knowing that there was no telling when the Bridegroom would come.

You might be thinking, “but isn’t that a type of works salvation?”. To this I would once again appeal to context. In the previous story, Jesus compares a faithful and an unfaithful servant, I have included the text below. In the parable following this one we see three servants that were given money and expected to make profit with it. They were expected to be fruitful with the gifts they were given, the servant that was cynical, selfish, and lazy was not fruitful and his gift produced nothing. He was rejected upon the return of the master while the faithful servants were blessed. After that parable, Jesus describes the final judgment. Here he explains the difference between those that he “knew” and those he did “not know”. Those Jesus did not know did not act on their love and faith and hope when they had the chance, those he knew and rewarded - did.

In this story the rejection of the foolish virgins by the Bridegroom is worded in the same way as the rejection of those in the final judgment story, ‘Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.’ So I think this story illustrates the difference between an “end of the world prepper”, to use a pop culture phrase, and a true servant of God. True servants of God and disciples of Jesus will be serving, and loving until the end. Even if they fall asleep from fatigue their works will follow them, they will awake to find Jesus, they will be prepared, and Jesus will accept them into eternal joy.

This Week

So what are we to do with this parable? Do we out of fear scramble to make sure we have enough “good works” to be accepted by Jesus when he returns? Absolutely not. Our salvation and new birth in Christ are a gift of pure grace received through faith alone. On the other hand our good works do flow out of our faith, in fact they are inseparable. If a fruit tree bears no fruit it is not a good sign. A thoughtless, careless, unexamined and unexpressed faith may in fact be no faith at all. With that in mind, I think it is wise to take Paul’s advice to the Corinthians seriously.

Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test!   (2 Corinthians 13:5 ESV)

Our hearts are quick to abandon faith and sink back into selfish unbelief. This week let’s encourage each other to love and good works. Works that are not born of fear, or pride, or unbelief, but in true faith and a genuine love of others. As we do this we will have fellowship with both God and people and we will have nothing to fear no matter when our Bridegroom returns. In a world increasingly hostile and violent to faith in Christ we must all the more lean into fellowship and encouragement.

So to sum up, to be watchful in the way Jesus commands in this passage is to tend to our faith, keeping it fueled by practicing truth, and allowing it to burn brightly in this dark world as we wait for Jesus to return.

Remember the simple things like faith, hope, love, and encouragement, and have a great week!

Today I am going to get a bit more technical than usual since a lot has been written and said about the second coming over the years. I would like to slow down a bit and really look at this passage and its context to see what it says and also what it does not say. But don’t give up, before I finish I will bring this back to walking the way of Jesus.

“But concerning that day and hour no one knows,

This passage is part of a much larger dialog that Jesus had with his disciples regarding the destruction of the temple, his second coming, final judgment, and the coming full realization of the kingdom of God. This whole conversation starts with a statement by Jesus that the beautiful temple the disciples were admiring was going to be thoroughly destroyed. This set of prophecies and parables in Matthew 24 and 25 are in response to the following two questions from the disciples.

...“Tell us, when will these things[the destruction of the temple] be,

As we go through this passage today and many of the passages in the weeks to come it’s important to remember what questions Jesus was answering for his disciples. Since two questions were asked, it’s not always obvious what Jesus is referring to in his responses. I think it can be shown that he is responding to both of these questions, but he alternates from one to the other. For example, in the two passages just prior to this one he says the following things, I will summarize because the passages are a bit long.

In verses 29-31 he speaks of the sun and moon being darkened, a sign in the heavens of the Son of Man, he describes how the tribes of the earth will mourn, how the Son of Man will come in the clouds, and that his angels will be sent out to the four winds to gather the elect.

It is hard to see this language as a description of the destruction of the temple, no matter how fanciful your interpretation. So this clearly is in response to the second question they asked regarding the sign of His coming and the end of the age.

However in the very next paragraph he changes his focus. In verses 32-35 his focus is not on the tribes of the earth but something much closer to home as he says, when you see [the things he was describing earlier regarding the destruction of the temple and the tribulation surrounding that event] then you know he[not me] is at the gates[of the city presumably]. He goes on to say that this[present] generation shall not pass away until all these things are accomplished[that generation was in fact still around in 70AD].

So in the course of two consecutive paragraphs Jesus has discussed the answers to both of the disciples queries. The question then becomes which event is Jesus discussing in the paragraph we are examining today? Is it the hour of destruction that awaits Jerusalem, or is it the hour of Christ’s return that is being described? In today’s passage Jesus repeatedly states that it is the time of the “coming of the Son of Man” that is unknown. He is describing a normal day where people are working and getting married, not a gruesome siege that ends in the fiery destruction of the temple and the city. And, as in the earlier passage where the angels were sent out to gather his elect, we see in this passage that some are “taken” while others are “left”. And the passage closes with a strong warning that the disciples(and we) must “stay awake” because the Son of Man is coming on a day we do not expect(the fall of Jerusalem came as no surprise after a terrible three year siege by the Roman army).

How are we to live in the light of this unknown day?

There are many more details in this passage to be sure, but the gist of this prophetic warning is very clear and it is directed to the disciples, not the city of Jerusalem that is about to be judged. I always like to work from the big picture down to the details so let’s start with the main idea of this passage. The simple overarching message is to “stay awake”. The uncertainty of the day underlines how important it is to stay awake at all times. But what is “staying awake”? This passage does not really elaborate, but Paul gives what I consider to be commentary on this teaching of Jesus in his first letter to the Thessalonians:

While people are saying, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief. For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness.

So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, are drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,  (1 Thessalonians 5:3-9 ESV)

Paul is speaking to a church far from Jerusalem consisting of mainly Gentiles, so I think it is safe to say Paul was not describing the fall of Jerusalem. But this day will come without warning according to Paul and he gives the Thessalonians the same advice that Jesus gave his disciples. His advice is simple, Paul describes “keeping awake” as sobriety, faith, love, and the hope of salvation.

Faith

Faith in the all sufficiency of the work of Christ. This is the beginning and the end of our walk on the way of Jesus. We must never stray from this fundamental truth. Faith connects us to the grace of Jesus and moves us to action to extend that grace to others.

Sobriety

While the meaning of this is obvious in the sense of excess alcohol consumption I doubt that is all that is intended here. The world is in darkness, the world is asleep, the world is intoxicated with any number of distractions that blunt its awareness of and response to the truth. We must remain sober in a world that would rather think about anything other than the coming kingdom of God. We must stay focused on Jesus and his coming kingdom in a deeply distracted world.

Love

Love as we have discussed many times before is, “benefiting others at my expense”, the love we give to others is one of the main channels of God’s love in day to day life. As we love others we reflect the love of God and demonstrate the reality of God’s kingdom to the world. Love is the primary “work” of the believer. It is the outward sign of our inward faith and a demonstration of our hope in Christ.

Hope

As we discussed last week hope lies underneath our Christian walk in many ways. We take hope for granted often I think, because it is such a big part of our motivation to do anything - everyday. Everything we do that involves the future whether it’s later today or 100 years from now is based on a hope of some sort. We literally can’t live without hope.

But the hope that is in Jesus is on a whole different level, this is an eternal hope, this is a hope with substance. Our hope is more than just a vague belief that things will work out. We hope in the one that died and rose again, the one that healed the sick and raised the dead. The eternal Son of God who was the pattern of creation and the foundation of the age to come. The Jesus who humbled himself and gave his life for us so that we may have eternal life, there is nothing more to prove, our hope is sure.

This week, let’s encourage each other to excel in the daytime works of faith, love and hope keeping each other awake and sober as we navigate together the madness of a world living in denial of the God that created it, and his Son who gave his life to save it. Jesus is going to return and although we have no idea when, it doesn’t matter, because until then we have plenty to do - if we stay awake.

So once again, have a great week!

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Whenever times get difficult and uncertain enough to generate fear it seems that people start talking about the return of Jesus, or at least what people now call the “apocalypse” (though that word has in recent years come to mean something completely foreign to its original meaning in biblical literature). Our current days are fearful and very uncertain. To those that are a bit older it often feels like we no longer live in our world at all, but have somehow been transported into an alien and frightening world. As the world teeters and rocks many people are beginning to wonder if this really is, finally, the end of the age.

To be clear, I don’t think it’s bad to reflect on the second coming, I don’t think we ponder this reality enough in fact. Jesus gave repeated and explicit instructions on how we were to live as we wait in anticipation for his return. But this series will not focus on the usual second coming fare of, “Who is the Antichrist?” or “What day will he return?”, as we look at the actual teaching of Jesus we will see that Jesus does not even speak on the subject of the Antichrist and specifically declares that we are not to know the day of his coming. Instead this series will focus on how we should live in the time between the 1st coming of Jesus and his ultimate return. We will focus on how this hope can help and encourage us as we wait for that glorious day.

I am hoping to make this series more practically focused as well, concentrating on how we are to act while we wait, and what our attitude should be. We will focus on the hope that lies ahead and the work that is still undone, instead of dreading each passing day. We work in hope because with the return of the King will come the final consummation of the Kingdom of God as well. The barrier between God and Mankind will finally and forever be removed and we will live with him forever. For the believer this is not a dreadful fear, but a blessed hope and a source of strength in these troubled times.

With this introduction let’s begin with the following passage from John:

“Let not your hearts be troubled.

This passage is one of the passages that inspired the creation of this entire site. “On Walking the Way” was intended from the beginning to be an encouragement to action, not simply another discussion of Jesus’ words. It is to be a motivation to walk in his way. But as we see in the broader context of this passage, the way we walk is built on a very specific and powerful hope, the hope of the return of Jesus our King.

Let not your hearts be troubled

Jesus says this on the heals of telling his disciples that he is leaving and he is about to be betrayed, so he is asking them to trust fully in him through the time of uncertainty that is about to come. Of course this puzzles the disciples for many reasons, not the least of which is that they were pinning their hopes for the coming kingdom of God on Jesus, and if he is leaving what is their hope? Thankfully Jesus does not just say he is leaving he explains that he is coming back for them as well. It seems he has mentioned the fact that he is going to prepare a place for them before, but the shock of his blunt announcement that he is leaving without them has caused them to forget.

I will come again

…and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. This is really the hope Jesus was trying to get the disciples to embrace in their shock and grief at the thought of his leaving. Jesus was leaving for a reason, to prepare a place for them (and us) so that, we can be with him forever. But he further confuses poor Thomas with the next thing he says, “you know the way to where I am going”. Thomas was baffled, he didn’t know where he was going so how could he know the way?

I am the Way

The secret to this passage, if you can call it that, is understanding where Jesus was going. He was going to the Father. But more than that he told them, “I am in the Father and the Father is in me.” This is why Jesus is the way to the Father, because Jesus and the Father are one. As this dialog goes on we learn that the goal of his leaving is not only reuniting with his Father and preparing a place for them. Jesus tells them all, “In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you”. He was not leaving them alone until he returns, he was sending them a helper, the Holy Spirit. It was through the work of the Holy Spirit that they would know and understand what Jesus was saying. But more than this, Jesus and the Father would come and make their home in them(and in us).

Walking in this Hope

For the disciples who heard this, all of this was still a future hope and honestly pretty confusing, but for us only the second coming of Jesus remains a future hope. The Holy Spirit has already been given to teach us all that we need to know to walk the way of Jesus to our eternal hope and destiny. We now have the fullness of God indwelling us, so we do not need to fear even death.

So our hope now consists of two parts, our present fullness in the Spirit of God and our coming hope for the return of Jesus and our eternal home. I think the perfect close for these thoughts is in John’s first letter.

See what kind of love the Father has given to us,

May this hope inspire and strengthen us this week as we face the uncertainties of the future knowing that the Father and the Son reside in us through the Spirit. And may we use the strength we have in the Spirit to walk in His purity, for we are never alone and our future is with Jesus forever!

Have a great week!