Luke 6:43-45

“Notice what you notice.” If I had not put the two gospel passages side by side, I would have said that Luke had nothing to add that Matthew had not already said (yesterday), including the same words, almost verbatim! However, I would have been wrong! Luke gives us something to grab onto – in this case, figs and grapes: For figs are not gathered from thorn bushes, nor are grapes picked from a bramble bush (v. 44). While Matthew writes in generalities, Luke adds some specifics. It’s a good teaching tool, helping us to see the meaning more clearly.

But I also wonder if Luke isn’t somehow looking forward to Holy Week, with his mention of thorns (crown of…) and grapes (the two cups of wine mentioned in Luke 23). Just wondering…

Slava Bohu!

Matthew 12:33-37

“Notice what you notice.” Matthew again on good and bad trees and their fruit… It’s intriguing that Matthew has this item in chapter 12 when he had already covered it in chapter 7 in the Sermon on the Mount. I can’t recall any other items like this (similes, metaphors, analogies, parables) that are repeated by any of the Gospel writers. That lends credence to the notion that Jesus spoke the same words to different crowds on a number of occasions.

Again, Jesus has been confronted by the Pharisees, the “brood of vipers”. But this time Jesus confronts them directly, bluntly: How can you speak good, when you are evil?(v. 34) I’m surprised that the Pharisees’ response is so restrained: Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you (v. 38). Rather, I’d think He might be headed for the cliff again!!

I’m intrigued by the “careless word” comment: …on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak (v. 36). I went to some commentaries to see what they had to say. Mostly they said that our “careless words” reflect our character: “the random utterances which, as being more spontaneous, betray character more than deliberate speech” (Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers). So, be careful about your idle chatter.

Not much pops up for me today…

Slava Bohu!

Matthew 7:15-20

“Notice what you notice.” So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit (v. 17). The context here is “false prophets”. We should feel blessed that those who lead us at St. Andrew’s do not appear to be “false prophets” or “diseased trees” or “wolves in sheep’s clothing”. And it’s not just the clergy – people who lead our various ministries are seeking the Lord. I regularly look around the table at our Men’s Groups’ meetings and see an entire group of Godly men – and not just in our Men’s Groups, but throughout the congregation!! I feel sorry for churches that do not have men like this in their congregations. No doubt you ladies could say the same about those women with whom you interact.

I don’t mean for these thoughts to be self-congratulatory. Carol and I are simply blessed to be here, to be part of it all. I don’t think any of us imagine that we “have arrived”. I often feel like we are living in heaven on earth, except that we cannot see the Trinity face-to-face. But how much better could heaven be than when we gather on Sunday mornings! Even our Gathering time is a full blessing, just to be with God’s people!! Let‘s just be thankful for what we have and pray for those who do not share the same sorts of blessings, especially for those we have left behind in the Episcopal Church.

Slava Bohu!

Matthew 7:7-14

“Notice what you notice.” For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few (v. 14). Strange that today’s reading would follow Patrick’s sermon from yesterday, where he asked us to look again at our “assurance of salvation” (my words, not his). I enjoyed Patrick’s sermon; I’ve always had trouble with the “once saved, always saved” theology. Although quite a bit different from universalism, it’s still just a one-sentence, one-time pronouncement.

But I also have trouble with the “narrow gate” and the “few who find it”. To me, “few” implies a substantial minority, something on the order of 10-20%. So is this “a few” of the world population? …or “a few” from our U.S. Christian nation population? …or “a few” from our St. Andrew’s congregation? The previous verse (…wide…easy…destruction…many…) offers some comfort. I doubt that most of us feel that we are choosing an “easy” route. I don’t mean to imply that we are “working our way to heaven”, but we do tend to look around and compare ourselves and our behavior to others – we seem to imagine that God is grading on a curve and that we’re at least in the top half of the class!

There is also consolation in verse 11: If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him! So if we are asking, with repentant hearts, for God’s mercy and grace in Jesus’ name, how can He refuse?

Yes, it’s all very confusing! We’re blessed to be part of St. Andrew’s where we know we will get good solid Bible teaching from David or whomever has the pulpit on any given Sunday. My bottom line for all this: Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful (Hebrews 10:23).

Blessings!

Luke 6:37-42

“Notice what you notice.” Luke’s Gospel on judgment… Some days I read the passage over and over before something hits me. Not today. Right away I saw three things I wanted to comment on.

First, Luke adds a strange item to the parallel section in Matthew, where he says Give and it shall be given to you, good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you (v. 38). I’ve always read this verse financially and have seen it quoted financially. After all, it’s LUKE and he spends more time on finances than all the other Gospel writers. But to read those words in a judgment context, it’s a completely different sense!

I chatted yesterday about my own problems with being overly judgmental. But I forgot to mention the other half of that. As God has helped me to become less judgmental, He has also replaced judgment with encouragement. I say this as modestly as I can – I have become a Barnabas! See Acts 4:36-37. An example… On Friday Carol was running Rachel’s shop. A 30-ish young lady came in to see Rachel and engaged us (Carol, mostly) in conversation. At some point I interrupted and told the lady how striking her glasses were on her face. She beamed and said that she had only had those glasses a couple of weeks and was still unsure of how they were on her – even to the point of taking them off regularly in conversation because of that imbedded insecurity. She left the shop really full of joy, a big smile on her face. It didn’t cost me anything to offer that encouragement.

But encouragement is more than just making someone happy. It can often be the beginning of a longer conversation about faith. A word of encouragement opens the door to a more personal conversation. Somehow an encourager is more trustworthy in the eyes of that recipient. What easily becomes a continuing conversation can lead to a simple question, like “Are you part of a church nearby?” People seldom take offense at that question when it has been preceded by a positive compliment. Try it. Ask God to help you become an encourager!

A second item I saw was Jesus’ comment that A disciple is not above his teacher (v. 40). While it is true that our world has seen thousands of great scholars in science, math, philosophy, etc., I daresay that each of these scholars has someone else they can point to as having paved the way for them. We often think of the trio of great Greek philosophers – Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. We can easily see that Aristotle and Plato had someone to look up to, but Socrates certainly did not come by his worldly wisdom by himself. His teacher(s) is (are) never mentioned, but they surely existed!

Finally, a very small item, “hypocrite”. We have seen Jesus use this term to berate the scribes and the Pharisees, but here Jesus uses that term for any of us who are overly judgmental. Small item, but it did catch my eye!

Blessings!

Matthew 7:1-6

“Notice what you notice.” Do not judge… and “pearls before swine”. A couple of good lessons here.

I’ve had to work on my being overly judgmental. In a sermon a few years back our pastor in Texas told us that our worst trait was often our best trait taken to a negative extreme (or words to that effect). He then gave us an example, that teachers (good trait) are inherently judgmental (bad trait). His words hit me right at my heart!! I had both traits, the good and the bad. Since then I’ve tried to catch myself and offer a prayer when judgment rears its ugly head. That happens a lot when I see someone who is very overweight. Who am I to judge…!!?? I’m carrying 30+ pounds that I don’t need!! But thank God, mostly now I catch myself and offer a prayer for that person.

Do not give dogs what is holy, and do not throw your pearls before swine, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you (v. 6). Mostly we can reason our way through what Jesus was saying here, to not waste our “holy” words with someone who is completely unreceptive. But the swine part… Most of us have not been around swine (pigs) very much, but we can easily imagine pigs trampling pearls underfoot if we throw pearls into their muck. But, attack us…??!! YES! Pigs can be brutal! And not just wild boars! Domestic pigs are big and have a very low center of gravity. They can easily take your feet out from under you if you’re not careful, especially a temperamental new sow if you interfere with her young piglets or any grown pig if you get in the way of their food. So now you have a vivid illustration of wasting “holy” words – those attacks can be vicious if you are sharing with someone who is totally unreceptive. This happened to me with a younger brother not long ago, when he really lashed out at me for constantly pushing Jesus on him. Instead, pray and wait, wait and pray!

Blessings!

Luke 12:22-34

“Notice what you notice.” Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys (v. 33). My Study Bible had a comment on this verse: “The danger of riches and the need for giving are characteristic themes in Luke.”

Luke has always been my favorite Gospel. Some might think it’s the economist in me. But more realistically I became an economist because of my background (raised in poverty) and my appreciation for perspectives that Luke provides, so much more than the other Gospel writers. In this particular quote, Sell your possessions and give to the poor, the Jesus in Luke is much more radical than the parallel section in Matthew. Later in the story of the “rich young ruler/man”, all three Synoptic Gospels have Jesus saying something like “Sell what you have and give to the poor”. That similar phrase stands out here in today’s reading because Luke included it and Matthew did not.

One other item is different between the two accounts. Matthew has Jesus saying …your heavenly Father knows that you need them all (food, drink, clothing) (Mt. 6:32) whereas Luke has the same words, but he also adds Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom (v. 32). The NKJV is even more pointed: It is the Father’s good pleasure… I do not spend enough time thinking about our Father’s love for us or His “good pleasure” in providing for us and our families in our earthly life, let alone His kingdom! It’s one thing to be thankful for what we have; it’s quite another to see joy in our Father’s face as He looks down upon us. That’s a bit harder to process – but glorious in doing so!

Slava Bohu!

Luke 11:1-4

“Notice what you notice.” Luke’s “Our Father”… It’s natural to compare Luke’s “Our Father” with Matthew’s. I saw three distinct differences and one other possible item:

1. “Lord, teach us to pray…
2. “…this day…” vs. “…each day…” or “…day by day…”
3. The Matthew ending, “But deliver us from evil…” and following…

I’m surprised that I did not notice a few days back in Matthew 6:7-13 that there is no introductory “Lord, teach us to pray.” To me, that was always part of the introduction to the “Our Father”, that the disciples wanted to learn how to pray. Matthew includes the “Our Father” in his “Sermon on the Mount”, where praying is one of the three disciplines to which Jesus was speaking (in addition to giving and fasting). Luke has the disciple’s request in no particular location – it simply begins chapter 11 where the end of chapter 10 is the “Martha and Mary” story. (NOTE: Chapters and verses in Scripture were added much later.)

Matthew has Give us this day our daily bread…, whereas Luke has “each day” or, more emphatically in the NKJV, “day by day”. Thank you, Godspell, for this last phrase standing out so vividly!! Reflect a bit on “this day” vs. “day by day”. The former implies our daily needs requests coming before God, whereas the latter has a longer-term ring to it, almost like we don’t need to pray for our daily bread every day. A very different perspective…! The former is manna in the wilderness; the latter is our weekly shopping trip to Kroger’s. Strange…!

Finally, But deliver us from evil… I’m sure we all appreciate Matthew adding this deliverance line! Why is it not included in Luke? Who knows?? Also, the NKJV in our Chronological Bible adds For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. Our local radio station when I was growing up, KMOX in St. Louis came online and began its daily broadcast at 6:00 am with a glorious rendition of the sung “Our Father”. I couldn’t imagine the “Our Father” being sung without that glorious ending. It’s a real glory sighting for me to have it now in my head!!

Slava Bohu!

Matthew 6:25-34

“Notice what you notice.” Worry. Jesus lays it out and makes it sound quite simple. His words are so simple, in fact, that my Study Bible has only two comments on these ten verses – and even those two comments add almost nothing to our understanding of what Jesus says. Plain and simple – just read it and comprehend.

So Jesus’ talk of worry covers food, water and clothing, right? No. That was His message to those listening back then. They had to WORK for their food, water and clothing. For us today, I dare say none of us are concerned about our food, water or clothing. We simply go through our pantries, refrigerators and freezers to figure out what to eat tonight, after we have previously perused the thousands of items to buy at Kroger. And water? Turn on the faucet. Clothing? I won’t even go there.

As a quick aside, I mentioned two days ago that I would be watching for Matthew’s comments about Gentiles. Today he adds another, that the Gentiles are busy seeking after food, water and clothing (v. 32). Why would he mention the Gentiles in this context? Were not his Jewish brethren concerned about the same things? Strange!

It’s the last item of worry that Jesus mentions that is His message to us today: TOMORROW!! Tomorrow’s worries!!! Money. Health. Kids. Retirement. Or bigger issues – politics, the environment, society’s ills, Russia, China, terrorists…! That’s just a quick list of things that I came up with. You can add your own. I’m sure there are many more!

What is Jesus’ response to our “tomorrow” worries? It comes in the prayer He taught His disciples (our reading from two days ago): Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven (Mt. 6:10). “Your will be done on earth…” He tells us that if we are seeking His kingdom and His righteousness, all these other things will be “added”. If we could really say “Your will be done” to all our worries, I dare say we could reduce our worries substantially. What’s that simple phrase? “Let go and let God!”

Slava Bohu!

Matthew 6:16-24

“Notice what you notice.” Fasting. Wealth. Our eyes. Three topics, a few sentences for each. Only a few words, but a lifetime of lessons! Again, who can disagree with Jesus’ direct words? But as I said yesterday on the topic of “giving”, our Men’s Group has spent hours looking at our responsibilities as providers for our families and at the same time saving for our own retirement. And with all that, the other half of giving and saving is “wealth hoarding”.

How much do we need to put away for retirement? We can budget for our normal expenses, add in some reasonable amounts for relaxation and enjoyment, then factor in some expected growth of our wealth over time and come up with a target figure for our retirement savings. But, (1) how long will we and our spouse live and (2) how do we plan around natural catastrophes or huge unexpected medical expenses and (3) what is our responsibility to leave something for our children after we are gone? Somehow we have to tie all this back into our giving. Do we follow John Wesley, who said, “Earn as much as you can, save as much as you can, and give away as much as you can?” Or do we put our church or our giving to needy causes in our wills? What to do?

Bottom line: …lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven (v. 20) and You cannot serve God and money (v. 24). It’s a good day to be doing Avanza!

Slava Bohu!