Matthew 23:13-24

Let’s remember to pray for Jim and Marty.

“Notice what you notice.” It’s hard for me to relate to a lot of what Jesus is talking about in these verses. Swearing by the temple or the gold in the temple, by the altar or the gift on the altar… For the most part, we don’t hear people saying that they swear by this or that. Most common is “I swear on my mother’s grave.” Or in the courtroom, “Do you swear…?” So that paragraph is a bit lost on us unless we do some serious Old Testament research.

However, I have strained (scooped) many a gnat or fly out of my drinks and have never intentionally swallowed one!! And never have I ignored a beetle or a cricket in my drink and figured I would just drink it rather than scooping it out. That all sounds preposterous!! But what Jesus is saying is that the scribes and Pharisees were so fastidious in their small points of the Law (or their additions to the Law), but were ignoring items that were more problematic for them to deal with – things like equal justice for all or mercy instead of harsh judgment.

I don’t know where we (or I) stand on matters like this. But the one example that constantly hits me is our U.S. evangelical focus on abortion and same sex issues. Don’t get me wrong – I am on the same side of these issues as the larger evangelical community. But for that larger community there seems to be altogether too little focus on the poor, the orphans and the widows – or the “stranger in our midst”. Especially the stranger in our midst – so many billions in other countries or waiting at our border, hoping for a better life. I don’t mean to get political, but world poverty has been an issue on my heart for more than 50 years, since I first saw real, ravaging poverty in slum villages in Vietnam. We have so much, they have so little. I do believe that we in the USA are …straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel (v. 24).

Slava Bohu!

Matthew 23:1-12

Let’s remember to pray for Jim and Marty.

“Notice what you notice.” Jesus says in verses two and three that the scribes and Pharisees have the proper authority to speak to the people, but that they do not act on what they preach. That is, He tells His followers to listen to their words, but not to follow their actions. Then He goes on, by way of explanation, to hit on a verse that troubles me: …and they love the place of honor at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces and being called rabbi by others. (vv. 6-7) It troubles me because it’s another pride fault in my life. I like being referred to as “Dr. Ruppel”. I like speaking to a crowd and having people tell me what a good job I’ve done. I even like you RTB’ers telling me to stay with this group when I was ready to drop it after ten years. You truly touched my heart, effectively saying, “We love you too much.” Yeah, I like all that…too much!!

So how to overcome that pride thing? The last two verses in today’s reading speak truth – be a servant and be humble. I try to give the glory to God whenever I am complimented on this or that thing. I know I’ve been blessed with a number of gifts and without those God-given gifts I would never be in any position to receive “the praise of men”. I think I do the servant thing OK, but it’s a hard thing for me to be humble. I’m working on it.

Slava Bohu!

Luke 20:41-44

Let’s remember to pray for Jim and Marty.

“Notice what you notice.” Matthew and Mark place today’s reading right after the scribe questioning Jesus about the “great commandment”. Luke, however, places these verses after the Sadducees’ questioning Jesus about the resurrection of the dead. Even with different preceding verses, both Mark and Luke have the crowd (presumably the Pharisees) unwilling to ask Jesus any more questions. So with His listeners silenced, Jesus decides to ask them a question, as to how David can call his Son “Lord”. I find it interesting that Jesus has taken the initiative in asking that question after He had silenced them with His responses. He was teaching them how little they knew, in spite of their great knowledge.

Matthew’s final verse in this incident is even more telling: And no one was able to answer Him a word, nor from that day did anyone dare to ask Him any more questions. (Matthew 22:46) The scribes and Pharisees had no answers and now no more questions. After Jesus had answered so perfectly the Sadducees’ question about the resurrection and the scribe’s question about the great commandment, we must surely wonder why the Pharisees (some of them) didn’t just throw in the towel and sit at Jesus’ feet and learn all they could from Him. It’s a simple answer, really: pride! The same thing that keeps us holding on to our own “idols”. Folks, let’s never get to the point where we have stopped asking Jesus questions…!

Slava Bohu!

Mark 12:28-37

Let’s remember to pray for Jim and Marty.

“Notice what you notice.” We noted yesterday (and Mark has it today) that Jesus was quoting Psalm 110:1, “The Lord said to my Lord…” (v. 36). I went back in my Study Bible to look at the notes for Psalm 110. These notes said that the scribes regularly assumed that this verse referred to the Messiah. However, the Study Bible also noted that some scribes saw in this verse that David was referring to his son, Solomon, and was calling him “my Lord” since Solomon was now the king and had a higher rank than David. Interesting…!

Again I see the power of reading only a few verses instead of two or three chapters at a time. Today we meet a scribe to whom Jesus accords great honor: And when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, He said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” (v. 34) In contrast to the other Pharisees, this scribe seems to be asking genuine questions, seeking truth. This scribe heard “them” – his colleagues? – disputing with one another and Jesus, and seeing that Jesus had responded well asked a sincere question (v. 28). Then he gave strong support to Jesus’ response, going further by saying that these two commandments were much more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices (v. 33b). Essentially he was setting himself (and Jesus) against the temple authorities (mostly the Sadducees) and their regimen of daily sacrifices, placing personal beliefs and behaviors above public displays – no matter how well-intentioned these public displays were. I can imagine the reception he must have gotten from his fellow Pharisees, both lauding him and chastising him for siding with Jesus against the Sadducees.

So, did this scribe later become one of Jesus’ followers? Maybe we know him, from later in the Gospels or Acts…??

Slava Bohu!

Matthew 22:34-46

Let’s remember to pray for Jim and Marty.

“Notice what you notice.” I have always had trouble understanding this quotation in verse 44: The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand, until I put Your enemies under Your feet”. (I have added the caps for further clarification.) Here Jesus is quoting Psalm 110:1, a psalm written by David. My Study Bible helps me a lot in understanding this verse. Their notes clarify the first six words at the beginning of that quotation by substituting “God” for “The Lord” and “David’s Lord” for “my Lord”; then they explain the verse a bit further. So here’s their explanatory note: “God said to David’s Lord, i.e., David’s superior – ultimately the Messiah…”. That helps me see how Jesus was confounding the Pharisees and challenging them that David’s descendent (the Messiah) was also his Lord.

I hope this helps others.

Slava Bohu!

Luke 20:27-40

Let’s remember to pray for Jim and Marty.

“Notice what you notice.” When all three Synoptic gospels report on the same event, it is often difficult to find something to say on days two or three. Thankfully, Luke tends to be the most different of the three writers, so it’s easier to find something to say on day three. Today is no exception. There were a number of items that Luke wrote differently than Matthew or Mark, but what caught my eye was today’s next-to-the-last verse: Then some of the scribes answered, “Teacher, you have spoken well.” (v. 39) The scribes were Pharisees and differed with the Sadducees as to the resurrection. So when Jesus answered the Sadducees’ question by confirming that “the dead are raised” (v. 37), He shot down the Sadducees and pleased the Pharisees. Luke is the only Synoptic to note the Pharisees’ affirmation of Jesus’ response.

Luke is also more clear than Matthew or Mark in phrasing the Sadducees’ context for their question (vv. 29-31) and in clarifying the realities and activities of the afterlife (vv. 34-36). All in all, we get a more complete coverage of this event from Luke.

Slava Bohu!

Mark 12:18-27

Let’s remember to pray for Jim and Marty.

“Notice what you notice.” And as for the dead being raised, have you not read in the book of Moses, in the passage about the bush, how God spoke to him, saying, ‘I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not God of the dead, but of the living. (vv. 26-27) When God appeared to Moses in the “burning bush” incident, the Israelites had been in Egypt more than 400 years. All the patriarchs were clearly long since dead. So I can see where the Sadducees were coming from. To me a reasonable interpretation of Exodus 3:6 would be God saying to Moses that He is the God who appeared to Abraham when Abraham was alive, but Abraham is now dead. And He is the God who appeared to Isaac when Isaac was alive, but is now dead. And the same with Jacob. But Jesus clarifies those words that God spoke, declaring that God is the God of the living – that is, that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were alive with Him when He spoke to Moses.

I can see the logic of the Sadducees’ position, but Jesus is telling them that they are wrong and that the Pharisees are correct – there is an afterlife. That is, Jesus is revealing truth for what is otherwise a confusing and arguable passage. Does that make sense?

Slava Bohu!

Matthew 22:23-33

Let’s remember to pray for Jim and Marty. Sorry for the late post – it’s been a family weekend and I wanted to devote my time to them.

“Notice what you notice.” Jesus and the Sadducees… For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. (v. 30) So here’s what’s funny. How many times have you heard someone speak of someone who has died and they say something like “I’m so looking forward to seeing him/her in Heaven”? Or “…and now she’s gone to be with him (her husband of 47 years)”? It seems like this verse 30 contradicts those thoughts, especially if Jesus was speaking with real knowledge of what the afterlife would be – and we naturally presume that He is speaking from what He knows is true. So what is this afterlife really like? Let’s pursue that thought these next few days.

Slava Bohu!

Luke 20:20-26

Let’s remember to pray for Jim and Marty.

“Notice what you notice.” Luke is more straightforward than Matthew and Mark as to the dilemma in which the Jewish leaders were trying to trap Jesus: So they watched him and sent spies, who pretended to be sincere, that they might catch him in something he said, so as to deliver him up to the authority and jurisdiction of the governor. (v. 20) It’s helpful to put all three Synoptics together. Both Matthew and Mark mention the Jewish leaders’ conspiring with the Herodians, which clarifies Luke’s comment. The Herodians were supportive of Roman rule and of the requirements to pay taxes to these ruling authorities. So if Jesus spoke against paying taxes, the Herodians could report Him. If He spoke in favor of paying taxes, the Zealots among the Jews could work to enrage the people against Him. They had a well-conceived plan. But Jesus had His Holy Spirit guiding Him. No contest…!!

Slava Bohu!

Mark 12:13-17

Let’s remember to pray for Jim and Marty.

“Notice what you notice.” There’s not a whole lot different in the three Synoptics’ accounts of “Paying Tribute to Caesar”. One item of note, however, is who meets Jesus with this tribute question. Matthew reports that the Pharisees sent some of their disciples and the Herodians. Mark reports that the Pharisees themselves came, along with the Herodians. And Luke is the most different. He reports that “they” …sent spies who pretended to be righteous (Luke 20:20). Strange!

There is one curious item that is consistent across all three accounts, the closing phrase, And they marveled at Him. (v. 17) This phrase could be about the Herodians, who did not have an axe to grind with Jesus like the Pharisees. Or it could have been disciples of the Pharisees or “lesser” Pharisees, again with less venom toward Jesus than their leaders. Or it could have been the larger crowd. To me I have no doubt that Jesus attracted new followers with each of these challenging incidents – maybe not immediately, but I have no doubt that many of these witnesses were among those 3,000 who believed Peter’s message and were baptized on Pentecost (Acts 2:41). Thankfully, we continue to marvel today…!!

Slava Bohu!