There can be no more beautiful phrase then that which Jesus uttered and which Luke dutifully recorded in the nineteenth chapter of his Gospel – “For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.”
In one brief sentence, Jesus summed up his entire reason for being on earth; his mission was to look for, to find, and to save the lost. No wonder he spent so much time with sinners and unwanted persons. Throughout his ministry, Jesus was called to task time and time again by the Pharisees, the Saducees, and the Biblically-literate elite. And for what cause? Because he repeatedly violated the letter of the law in eating with sinners and tax collectors and prostitutes, in healing the sick and diseased and demon-possessed on the Sabbath, in not washing his hands before eating to make a point.
All these “violations” were, in fact, Jesus’ way to make his point… he had come to seek and to save that which was lost and the only way to do that was to put aside the legalism of the day and show them what true love and forgiveness was.
***
A friend pointed something disturbing (and something I’ve NEVER seen before) in a parable Jesus told about pounds.
Essentially, a nobleman decided to go away to claim a kingdom. Before he left, he charged ten of his servants to occupy until he returned, giving each ten pounds. Apparently, the citizens of his new kingdom didn’t care too much for this nobleman and sent a message letting him know they would not have him reign over them.
After the nobleman returned, having secured his kingdom, he called his servants to see how much they had gained by trading. The first one had gained ten pounds on the one and the nobleman put him in charge of ten cities with deepest thanks because he had been faithful in a little. The second servant had gained five pounds and the nobleman put him in charge of five cities. When the third servant approached, he returned the original pound wrapped up in a napkin and accompanied by protestations of fear of the nobleman.
The nobleman takes the pound away from that servant and gave it to the one who had ten, not heeding the protestations of others who pointed out that the guy already had ten pounds.
The tragic part of this parable – the part I’d never seen before – relates to the remaining servants. What happened to them? There were seven more, yet they are not even given a passing nod or mention. I’m not sure what happened to them, but it is tragic that they are never mentioned again, having fallen out during the wait.
***
God does not condemn increase of wealth. As a matter of fact, He encourages it throughout the Bible. It should be noted that the increase of wealth God encourages must have the correct reason for being gathered and that the heart of the gatherer must be to-Godward.
In Proverbs 13, the point is made that wealth accumulated by vanity or non-meaningful ways will be diminished, but it is the gathering made by one who labors that will increase.
God blesses labor and honest work of man’s hands and brings to nought and confounds the vain increase of those whose hearts are not right toward Him.
Showing posts with label legalism. Show all posts
Showing posts with label legalism. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Friday, April 06, 2007
Blessings and Curses While Coughing from A to Z in Rememberance
Deuteronomy, of a surety, holds the most impressive array of blessings and curses I have ever read anywhere. The list of blessings God puts forth to the Israelites is relatively short compared to the list of curses, but that small list of blessings encompasses every aspect of life… the basic end result of receiving all those blessings is that you would never want for anything. Period.
The list of curses for not following God’s commandments, however, is most impressive and detailed. There could be absolutely no misunderstanding what would happen to the Israelites if they did not follow God’s commandments; the detailed descriptions are far too graphic to leave room for any speculation.
One of the curses that fascinated me was that the Lord would smite them (the Israelites) with a consumption, and with a fever, and with an inflammation, and with an extreme burning. Why should this be interesting?
In 1918, tuberculosis (TB) was a major epidemic in America. It is interesting to note that fever and chills is one of the symptoms for this disease. For a while, TB was known as the “Jewish disease,” with Jewish immigrants being blamed for the spread of TB in the United States. This is understandable given the level of prejudice against Jews at the time, but interesting since God had spoken so many years before that He would smite the Israelites with consumption – the other popular name for TB.
As if that wasn’t enough, God also specifically stated He would smite the Israelites with all the diseases of Egypt, which thou wast afraid of; and they shall cleave unto thee. Would it then surprise you to know that archaeologists have found Egyptian mummies, dating as far back as 2400 BCE, that were diagnosed as having had tuberculosis?! I don’t think God messes around when He stipulates the conditions of a curse (or a blessing).
One way to notice God’s hand was still on His people in the area of TB was the fact that although many Jewish immigrants brought TB with them to the United States, the Jewish population died of TB far less often than people from other groups. When God chooses someone, He really chooses them!
Another interesting item that caught my eye was a verse in Luke 11, From the blood of Abel unto the blood of Zacharias, which perished between the altar and the temple: verily I say unto you, It shall be required of this generation. And there we have the earliest form of the saying, “From A to Z” when used to describe a period/event/thing involving everything.
The other verse that always amuses me, and which took me years to fully comprehend, is Luke 11:42, But woe unto you, Pharisees! for ye tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass over judgment and the love of God: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone. It took me many years of reading this verse to finally realize what Jesus was saying here. The Pharisees were known for being extremely legalistic, following the letter of the law down to the least little jot and tittle. Here, Jesus was throwing that very legalism back in their faces by pointing out that, yes, they did indeed tithe religiously… down to the most humble herbs that grew in their garden. But what had they left undone in pursuit of such obedience to the letter of the law? They had passed over the love of God. They had passed over the concept of judgment. Their focus was on obeying the letter of the law and completely ignoring the Spirit behind that law and the power thereof.
In turning to the Psalm portion of today’s reading, I realized Psalm 78 is a detailed list of all God’s miracles, signs, wonders, and salvations for the Children of Israel as He led them out of Egypt. This list of amazement is coupled with the petty desires and flagrant rebellion of God’s chosen people as they sought after their own lusts and constantly ignored and despised the cherishment of God.
All in all, an interesting reading…
The list of curses for not following God’s commandments, however, is most impressive and detailed. There could be absolutely no misunderstanding what would happen to the Israelites if they did not follow God’s commandments; the detailed descriptions are far too graphic to leave room for any speculation.
One of the curses that fascinated me was that the Lord would smite them (the Israelites) with a consumption, and with a fever, and with an inflammation, and with an extreme burning. Why should this be interesting?
In 1918, tuberculosis (TB) was a major epidemic in America. It is interesting to note that fever and chills is one of the symptoms for this disease. For a while, TB was known as the “Jewish disease,” with Jewish immigrants being blamed for the spread of TB in the United States. This is understandable given the level of prejudice against Jews at the time, but interesting since God had spoken so many years before that He would smite the Israelites with consumption – the other popular name for TB.
As if that wasn’t enough, God also specifically stated He would smite the Israelites with all the diseases of Egypt, which thou wast afraid of; and they shall cleave unto thee. Would it then surprise you to know that archaeologists have found Egyptian mummies, dating as far back as 2400 BCE, that were diagnosed as having had tuberculosis?! I don’t think God messes around when He stipulates the conditions of a curse (or a blessing).
One way to notice God’s hand was still on His people in the area of TB was the fact that although many Jewish immigrants brought TB with them to the United States, the Jewish population died of TB far less often than people from other groups. When God chooses someone, He really chooses them!
Another interesting item that caught my eye was a verse in Luke 11, From the blood of Abel unto the blood of Zacharias, which perished between the altar and the temple: verily I say unto you, It shall be required of this generation. And there we have the earliest form of the saying, “From A to Z” when used to describe a period/event/thing involving everything.
The other verse that always amuses me, and which took me years to fully comprehend, is Luke 11:42, But woe unto you, Pharisees! for ye tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass over judgment and the love of God: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone. It took me many years of reading this verse to finally realize what Jesus was saying here. The Pharisees were known for being extremely legalistic, following the letter of the law down to the least little jot and tittle. Here, Jesus was throwing that very legalism back in their faces by pointing out that, yes, they did indeed tithe religiously… down to the most humble herbs that grew in their garden. But what had they left undone in pursuit of such obedience to the letter of the law? They had passed over the love of God. They had passed over the concept of judgment. Their focus was on obeying the letter of the law and completely ignoring the Spirit behind that law and the power thereof.
In turning to the Psalm portion of today’s reading, I realized Psalm 78 is a detailed list of all God’s miracles, signs, wonders, and salvations for the Children of Israel as He led them out of Egypt. This list of amazement is coupled with the petty desires and flagrant rebellion of God’s chosen people as they sought after their own lusts and constantly ignored and despised the cherishment of God.
All in all, an interesting reading…
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