Blog – Page 140 – Read Through the Bible

March 29 / John 8:37-59

John 8:37-59

I have said before that I regularly try to insert myself into these Bible incidents. Today (as a bystander) I find myself consistently sympathetic to the Jewish leaders. Jesus is speaking words that they’ve never heard before. He is making claims about His Father, God, that sound outrageous – even blasphemous to them. I understand that their real concern may be political, either a concern for someone inciting an insurrection against Rome or of someone establishing Himself as a new Jewish leader. Either way, He is a threat to their way of life.

Setting that aside and forgetting what the 1^st-century Jewish leaders heard from Jesus’ words, now I put myself as a 21^st-century believer reading and hearing Jesus’ words – knowing that I have a responsibility to hear Him and act on whatever He is saying. And He is saying a lot!! Jesus is warning us against our pride and stubbornness and our self-satisfaction for who we are and where we’ve come from. He is warning us about the devil and his murderous ways, his seeking to kill our body and soul with his deceitful tricks. He is telling us about His relationship with the Father and (knowing what we know about His death and resurrection) how His relationship with the Father can be ours also! And He is telling us who He is, who He was from time eternal, the great “I AM”! Jesus may have left the Jewish leaders confused and angry, but He leaves us with clear Truth and begs our humility and our worship. Love Him!!

March 28 / John 8:12-36

John 8:12-36

You judge according to the flesh… (v. 15a) I’m wondering about Jesus’ words for today’s society. I’m thinking of the context of same-sex relationships and “transgender” issues. I think of what Jesus might say to people today who support and affirm same-sex and transgender issues, “You are looking at these issues from a very worldly perspective. But I was there at creation and at every conception since time began. We three created man (and woman), each and every human creature in Our image and ordained the institution of marriage. Who are you to change that? Your worldly wisdom is flawed.”

In truth, I don’t know at all what Jesus would be saying about these issues. I know my own perspective and my following of historic, traditional Christian teaching. I could well be wrong; if so, I pray that God will enlighten me.

March 27 / John 7:53-8:11

John 7:43-8:11

The woman caught in adultery… Today’s reading is one of the shortest that we’ll have all year. It is also an incident that is not included in most of the earliest manuscripts. But to me it’s one of the most powerful of all of Jesus’ activities. It shows His wisdom, His empathy, His righteousness, and His mercy. It’s a powerful story!!

So, where’s the man? I’ve often wondered that question. But today I thought further about the hypocrisy of the Pharisees and scribes in bringing only the woman forward. They are showing blatant favoritism toward the man! However, maybe this was a strategic move on the part of the Jewish leaders. They may have reasoned that an obvious question when they brought the woman to Jesus would have been for Jesus to ask about the man. And if Jesus asked about the man, the leaders had Him trapped. If He asked about the man, Jesus would have already been appealing to the Law! The obvious next step would have been stoning the woman! Deal with the man later – the leaders could easily say that the man had escaped. But Jesus bypassed it all – He just stooped down and wrote in the dirt. Brilliant! We need that same Holy Spirit wisdom for questions that the world is asking today. Come, Holy Spirit…!

March 26 / John 7:25-52

John 7:25-52

My mind is on the Holy Spirit these days. We just finished our four-part, “Three Streams” (Scripture, Sacrament, Spirit) Lenten series at church this past Wednesday. Michael brought the previous “three streams” talks together with a number of references and applications from the second half of Acts 2 (Pentecost, ff.), then Brian and I shared our own “three streams” experiences. Discussion and questions that followed focused on the third stream, the Holy Spirit and His work in our church, and how we are weak at St. Andrew’s in that third stream. So now, today, our RTB reading has yet another (John’s sixth) mention of the Holy Spirit in John’s gospel (see also John 1:32-34, 3:5-8, 3:34, 4:23-24, 6:63): But this He spoke of the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive; for the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. (v. 39). John has much more to say about Jesus and the Holy Spirit in his later chapters 14, 15, and 16.

So, to this reference in verse 39… For us at St. Andrew’s the Holy Spirit has been given because Jesus has been glorified!! We have been filled with the Holy Spirit! However, when Archbishop Beach spoke about this third steam he said that we are constantly “leaking” and that we need to continue to be filled up, that it’s a daily thing for us – a constant infilling of the Holy Spirit. I believe we now have the responsibility to come to know the Holy Spirit better, to learn more about Him and then to come to know Him more personally, for our own benefit and for the benefit of our entire church. Let’s agree together to pray regularly a “Come Holy Spirit…” prayer, for our own lives and for the full life of St. Andrew’s Anglican Church.

March 25 / John 7:1-24

John 7:1-24

But after His brothers had gone up to the feast, then He also went up, not publicly but in private. (v. 10) I’m trying to understand Jesus’ actions, not just His words. He did not want to go up to the feast publicly – that is, He did not want to join one of the caravans of pilgrims traveling from Galilee to Jerusalem. Yet when the crowds at the temple were the most packed, He appeared teaching. So why His behavior?

I’m sure He would have been besieged by His fellow travelers if He had joined a larger group. In fact, His presence in any caravan would likely have multiplied the size of the group to unmanageable proportions for the three-day caravan and the overnight resting spots. Maybe He was aware of this and did not want to trouble His fellow travelers? Maybe He wanted a more restful journey, possibly through Samaria where He was less well known? Lately He has been teaching more to His disciples and less to the larger crowd, so maybe He wanted to go it alone with them? I’m opting for this last thought, that He just needed some “alone-time” on His journey, knowing that He would be facing the larger crowds and the Jewish leaders at the Feast.

I’m also imagining Jesus’ courage at showing up in Jerusalem at these large feasts. He knew that His time had not yet come, but still – the crowds, the questions, the demands, the Jewish leaders…!! It would not be a restful, spiritual retreat for Him! We’ll be following Jesus’ time in Jerusalem for the next week – three+ chapters in John’s gospel. I’m sure we’ll have more questions than answers!

March 24 / Matt. 17:24-18:9; Mark 9:33-50; Luke 9:46-50

Matthew 17:24-18:9, Mark 9:33-50, and Luke 9:46-50

…where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched. (Mark 9:48) Jesus is citing this verse to “describe” hell (or some aspect of hell). In so doing he is quoting Isaiah (also in verses 44 and 46, left out in some manuscripts), but what’s intriguing to me is that this quote is the very end, the very last verse of Isaiah’s 66 chapters! Here is the entire verse: And they shall go out and look on the dead bodies of the men who have rebelled against Me. For their worm shall not die, their fire shall not be quenched, and they shall be an abhorrence to all flesh. (Isaiah 66:24) That entire section in Isaiah, beginning with verse 66:15 is speaking of the end times and the final judgment. It is often the case in Scripture that a speaker or writer cites one or two verses, but is reflecting to his audience an entire larger portion of Scripture that provides the larger context. So it is with Jesus’ quote here.

There are four vignettes covered in these three readings today, one of which is covered by only one author, two of which are covered by two authors, but only one which is covered by all three Gospel writers – the question of “Who is the greatest?” I note in the second link below that each of the writers has a different introduction to this discussion. But Jesus has the same answer, no matter how the question is raised: Humility! If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all. (Mark 9:35b) Just that…

March 23 / Matt. 17:14-23; Mark 9:14-32; Luke 9:37-45

Matthew 17:14-23, Mark 9:14-32, and Luke 9:37-45

And when they came to the disciples, they saw … scribes arguing with them. (Mark 9:14) As I note in the second link below, Jesus had taken Peter, James, and John with Him for His Transfiguration, leaving the other disciples behind, presumably nearby. And the scribes were there also, presumably still in the region of Caesarea Philippi. [NOTE: A few verses later they came to Capernaum. (v. 33a)] That is to say, the scribes who had followed Jesus to the other side of the Sea of Galilee and who consistently hounded Him when he was in and around Capernaum, these same scribes had also traveled some 20-30 miles north to the region of Caesarea Philippi. There was no let-up for them in attacking Jesus. But with no Jesus around, the scribes took to attacking Jesus’ disciples.

I’m imagining myself as one of these disciples who had been left behind when Jesus took the three up the mountain. And these disciples (myself included!) were not yet filled with the Holy Spirit. They (we) must have been overwhelmed by these learned scribes – they (we) must have been really longing for Jesus to return! How happy they (we) would have been when they (we) finally saw Him! Frankly, nothing has changed in 2000 years. We are still thrilled when we “see” Jesus, when we encounter Him with our brothers and sisters at church, or when He joins us in our most difficult places. Scribes may argue with us, but we know “…Him in Whom we have believed.” (II Timothy 1:12)

March 22 / Matt. 17:1-13; Mark 9:2-13; Luke 9:28-36

Matthew 17:1-13, Mark 9:2-13, and Luke 9:28-36

And He was transfigured before them, and His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became white as light. (Matthew 17:2) And He was transfigured before them, and His clothes became radiant, intensely white, as no one on earth could bleach them. (Mark 9:2b-3) And as He was praying, the appearance of His face was altered, and His clothing became dazzling white. (Luke 9:29) All three writers make some effort to describe what Jesus’ Transfiguration looked like, but I daresay that we do not have the words in our language to truly describe His appearance! Mark focuses on His clothes; Matthew and Luke also describe His face. Luke is clearly lost for words: the appearance of His face was altered… None of these three Gospel writers were there at the Transfiguration; they had only the reports from Peter, James, and John, who tried to describe what they had seen. I am awestruck every time I read these accounts. Some day we will all see Jesus in all His glory. Now that will be a glory sighting!!

March 21 / Mark 8:27-9:1; Luke 9:18-27

Mark 8:27-9:1 and Luke 9:18-27

And calling the crowd to Him with his disciples, He said to them, “If anyone would come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me.” (Mark 8:34) Both Matthew and Luke have Jesus speaking these words (and those that follow) to His disciples. Only Mark has Jesus calling the crowd to Himself. Mark has them in Gentile territory, in the villages around Caesarea Philippi, so Jesus is speaking these words to a Gentile crowd. I posted two years ago that we should read Jesus’ words to His disciples as if He were speaking directly to us today. So Matthew and Luke would have Him speaking directly to us, while Mark would include the “outside” world also. What to make of that? No doubt Jesus is offering comfort to all humankind – if they simply follow Him. But in today’s world, if you watch or read the news you’ll see that our “salvation” rests with which political party we are following or the latest COVID vaccine information or another stimulus check or whatever. Following Jesus is seldom seen as the answer to our problems. However, I do recall David citing a survey source where committed Christians were the lowest percentage “fearful” among all survey groups. Following Jesus…

March 20 / Matt. 16:13-28

Matthew 16:13-28

For the Son of Man is going to come with His angels in the glory of His Father, and then He will repay each person according to what he has done. (v. 27) I’m always intrigued by these “rewards” verses. See also Mt. 5:12, 19:27-30; Luke 6:23, and others. I’m going to quote John S. here, something he posted a couple of weeks ago that really hit me:

“One additional thing to note here: actions/deeds/works matter. While it is quite evident that one cannot earn one’s way into heaven by works of the law (Rom 3:20; Gal 2:16), it is also true that faith without works is dead (James 2:14-26), and Jesus is quite clear here that what we do will serve as the basic evidence for what kind of resurrection we will see on that Day. This is one place where (some of?) the reformers went too far with “sola fide” (faith alone).”

I believe John was referring especially to John 5:28-29. “…actions/deeds/works matter…”. So our actions, our deeds, our works – are they earthly or heavenly activities? Verses like these quoted or cited above make me want to do more, personally, but really what I prefer for myself is to do what I can to motivate others to want to do more. To get others to be more involved…! For others to feel Holy Spirit power in their lives as I have felt a number of times in my life…! There’s not much that thrills me more than to see the rest of you plugging away at these daily Scripture readings – reading, digesting, posting, sharing. God is honoring your efforts to get to know Him better! …and in that I rejoice. Yes, and I will rejoice… (Philippians 1:18b)