Luke 11:5-13

“Notice what you notice.” In yesterday’s reading about building a firm foundation I noted that Matthew, with his “rain, wind, floodwaters ” trio was somewhat more comprehensive than Luke who only mentioned floodwaters. Today we have another clear difference between the two writers in telling the same “story”. Luke closes today’s reading with If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him! (v. 13) Matthew writes that the Father will “give what is good” or “give good things” (Mt. 7:11). I’ve often wondered about Luke’s “Holy Spirit” wording, seemingly out of context with the bread (in some translations), fish and egg requests. Luke clearly has a substantial focus on the Holy Spirit. Online I found the following quote: “<Luke> mentions the Holy Spirit fifteen times in his gospel and a full fifty-five times in Acts. Compared to the meager six mentions in Mark and the twelve in Matthew, it is clear that this is one of Luke’s key themes.” (https://markmoore.org/index_htm_files/Holy%20Spirit%20in%20Luke.pdf) It could be that Matthew’s “good things” are spiritual gifts, but that would also be out of context. So Luke’s mention of the Holy Spirit here puzzles me.

We’ve seen a lot of duplication in the Synoptic Gospels, especially between Matthew and Luke in Matthew’s Sermon on the Mount. At times, each writer will also have an item unique to his Gospel. That occurs in the first half of today’s reading. No other writer has a friend showing up at midnight with the house devoid of food, necessitating a call on a neighbor for three loaves of bread. Luke’s focus here is not on friendship, but persistence. Later on Luke offers a parable about the widow and the unrighteous judge, with persistence again as the main focus (Luke 18:1-5). Again, Luke is the only writer covering this parable.

So much to learn…!

Slava Bohu!

Luke 6:46-49

“Notice what you notice.” Luke’s account of building on a firm foundation… I already mentioned yesterday that Matthew was more comprehensive in his telling of this metaphor. Luke only mentions the floodwaters and the foundation, while Matthew covers the entire structure, adding the rain and wind that could do damage to the roof and the walls. But this should be no discredit to Luke. Damage to the roof and the walls from rain and wind can usually be repaired, but if the foundation is swept away, the house is gone!

Actually, Matthew does not mention the roof and the walls – I added that myself. Matthew’s focus is also on the foundation, the wise man who built his house on the rock (Mt. 7:27). A dear friend of mine back in Richmond was a masonry (block and brick) contractor. He named his firm “The Rock”, no doubt taking off from this verse. My partner and I years earlier had named our basement business “Cornerstone Construction” from Psalm 118:22, The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone.

So for both Matthew and Luke, the bottom line is the foundation. Both writers ask us to consider our foundations. Luke writes, Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and does them… (v. 47). Jesus’ words to us today are the same words He delivered to the crowds years ago, that have been so well preserved through the ages in the Gospels. But He also sent His Holy Spirit to further guide us, to highlight those “still small voices” (I Kings 19:11-13) within our souls through which He speaks. We also have our spiritual leaders – preachers and writers who guide us. Finally, we have each other – those people within “the body” with whom we share our thoughts and our prayer needs and who turn to us for the same. Where would we be without each other…??!! Glory!

Slava Bohu!

Matthew 7:24-29

“Notice what you notice.” After the challenge of yesterday’s reading, today we have one that is a Fred and Carol favorite. It is a section of Scripture that we chose for the Gospel reading at our wedding – the house built on a firm foundation. We chose this reading because we wanted our marriage to be built on a firm foundation, Jesus. We had met in a Bible Study and grown in the Lord together for the 3+ years that we had known each other, so we knew each other and each other’s faith pretty well when we finally got married. We’re so pleased to recall our wedding every time we read these verses.

It can be easily overlooked that Jesus in Matthew’s Gospel talks about the rain, the floods and the wind, in essence referring to the three main structures in a house – the roof, the foundation, and the walls. When all three structures are well built, the house is more solid. Luke is the only other Gospel writer to refer to this metaphor and he only mentions the foundation, not the roof or walls. In this sense Matthew is more comprehensive. Rain and wind can ruin a house as much as floodwaters.

It’s also intriguing to me that in another life I was a concrete contractor, building poured-wall (not block) basements. Although we seldom dealt with rock in digging out to set these foundations, we did make sure that we followed local building codes for setting our foundations (mostly on clay). We were very exacting in our measurements – if the diagonals were more than one-half inch “out of square”, we would reset the walls. Another contractor was going to come in on top of our work to set the walls and the roof. If the foundation was “square”, building the rest of the house was much easier and the house would be much more well-built.

Finally, I noticed Matthew’s closing comment, that Jesus was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes (v. 29). We have seen this before, in Mark 1:22 and Luke 4:32. It’s nice to bring these little pieces together.

Slava Bohu!

Matthew 7:21-33

“Notice what you notice.” Here we have, in my mind, one of the scariest verses in Scripture, with Jesus speaking: ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness’ (v.23).

So what does it take for one of us to become an “unknown”. Not doing the “will of My Father” (v. 21)…? So we ask ourselves, “What is the will of the Father, what does He want from us?”

And who are the “many” to whom Jesus is referring: On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord,… (v. 22). Here’s my most positive take on these verses. Maybe these “many” are already in the group of “goats on His left” at the last judgment (Mt. 25:31-46), to whom He says, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels… (v. 41, ff.). If that’s the case, don’t be on His left!! Follow the example of the “sheep on His right”: ‘For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ (vv. 35-36). Let’s get to work!!

If any of you has any wisdom to share, please do so!!

Slava Bohu!

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!