Tag: Truth

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God hears and answers.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

I have written this to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know you have eternal life. And we are confident that he hears us whenever we ask for anything that pleases him. And since we know he hears us when we make our requests, we also know that he will give us what we ask for. ‭‭1 John‬ ‭5‬:‭13‬-‭15‬ ‭NLT‬‬

John answers the question many new believers often ask after praying or being led to repent and/or repeating a prayer by another. For some, the idea of a simple prayer holding such immediate and meaningful change in their life is hard to believe and understand. Of course the words are important, but God is looking and listening to our hearts! God knows the status of our need, faith and honest conversion.

John’s words here to the churches, likely in the Ephesus region, are an admonition, an encouragement to continue to follow through with faith, in “parrésia,” boldness, confidence that God is listening and active in our salvation. It is faith that pleases God, so beginning to grow and practice faith, right from the start is critical. Given those kinds of request, earnest and aligning with God’s desires (will), John is confident that God will give us what we ask for. This is good news! Not only that God hears us, but also is at work to answer those requests.

Our whole existence is an exercise and expression of faith. Jesus said, “we have not because we don’t ask.” Jesus also asked, what father doesn’t want to give good gifts? When a child asks for something they need does a good Dad trick them and give them a snake, stone or scorpion instead? No, good Dads only give good gifts! God only gives us good!

These are reminders for those who have walked with Jesus for many years or they are just starting their journey. Asking and believing for eternal life is just the beginning of a long, lasting relationship with our eternal and gracious God. Each prayer, matched with God’s answers help us grow in our faith and grow in our ability to share truth experiences with others. If these letters were written to the believers in Ephesus, this confidence, these moments of faith, plus watching God answer those requests would be quite the powerful testimony.

This is especially important in light of the city where the majority placed their lives and livelihoods in the hands of the fake god – Diana (Artemis). The cultural wars within the city would have as big as the showdown between Elijah and the prophets of Baal. Except in this case, instead of a massive gathering with fire consuming the altar, the people John is writing to would be shining their light one miracle at a time.

This is another example of Jesus commanding his followers to both BE a disciple and MAKE disciples. Being a disciple is growing in faith, confidently asking God for what we need. Making disciples is sharing the good news that the one and only living God does more than just listen – God answers our requests!

Prayer

​Dad,
I knew that you heard me when I pray, when I ask for help, guidance or specific needs. John’s encouragement to the churches in Ephesus remind me that you also answer! It reminds me that you are always working in and through my life. But even more, that those answers to my prayers become a way to share with believers and unbelievers alike. To those in the church it becomes a testimony, and encourages others to pray as well. To those who are curious about you or are frustrated talking to the “universe,” useless statues or believing they are their own god. Hearing my faith stories allows them to experience truth. Thank you for hearing and answering our prayers! Amen.

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Among the hopelessly confused.

Reading Time: 2 minutes

“With the Lord’s authority I say this: Live no longer as the Gentiles do, for they are hopelessly confused.” ‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭4‬:‭17‬ ‭NLT‬‬

The Apostle Paul, writing to the churches in Ephesus, while Timothy was Bishop, hits hard about abandoning the “Gentile” ways. The majority of the city were Gentiles. Cities have a culture, and Ephesus was a deeply religious city. Problem was, it was zealous about the worship of Diana, god of fertility. Diana (Artemis) was the patron deity of Ephesus, Turkey, whose temple was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World! Her giant statue stood in front of the ginormous Greek temple, prominently placed downtown, at the corner of their market and main street. The locals, merchants and marines, all believed their livelihood depended on keeping Diana happy. The entire city was entirely idol worship.

When Paul says the Gentiles were hopelessly confused, he uses two Greek words that mean walking around in futility. The term “mataiotés” refers to the concept of vanity or futility, often used to describe the transient and purposeless nature of worldly pursuits and human endeavors apart from God. Translation – pursuing fake gods, personal ‘em betterment, and seeking higher powers eventually becomes empty and meaningless. Nasty trick, right?

Paul’s words to us futility seekers is to BEWARE. It only leads to dark, closed minds and hardened hearts. No one seeks “enlightenment” trying to pursue dark, closed minds and hearts! Paul warned that it only leaves us with no sense of shame (apalgeó: callous, to cease to feel pain, to be past feeling), living for lustful pleasure and eagerly practicing every kind of impurity. The non-God/fake god route literally yields an empty, passionless, gluttonous life! But every “Gentile” I know thinks they are the exception. They can beat the odds, they’re special. They believe they can find and live the happy fulfilled life sans the living God. And every single time they are deceived by their own arrogance and end up hopeless, yet still trying to prop up the lie that it’s working.

Paul explains that the only way to escape this Gentile-foolery is to instead, “let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. And, by putting on a new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy.” I say to my fellow Gentiles, I beg of you – give it up. Quit trying to customize your own religion to become something or someone that is impossible to be without Jesus.

Prayer

​Dad,
Growing up in a non-religious family, there were a few who tried to better themselves through enlightenment, and some that even thought church attendance and volunteering would suffice as a path to the good life. In the end, they found their attempts to be empty when facing death. At the end of their days they desperately wanted truth and answers about the afterlife. Those things can only be found in You. Thank you for your patience and grace in our searching, our longing. May you meet each soul with mercy as they turn their hearts towards You. Amen

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A blameless man gets blamed.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

“There once was a man named Job who lived in the land of Uz. He was blameless—a man of complete integrity. He feared God and stayed away from evil. He had seven sons and three daughters. He owned 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 teams of oxen, and 500 female donkeys. He also had many servants. He was, in fact, the richest person in that entire area.” ‭‭Job‬ ‭1‬:‭1‬-‭3‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Let’s be honest, God is certainly not overly concerned about creating mystery and tension in our human experience! The book of Job is one of those proofs. Job is the oldest written book in the Bible, from an unknown author about an unknown man. Job presents more questions than it does answers, but it is a fascinating read!

We are introduced to Job in poetic storytelling fashion – “There was once a man…” But remember, this is no fairytale! He lived in the land of Uz. Where is Uz and why does it sound so similar to Oz? Uz is a bit of a mystery as well. It is believed to be ancient Edom, and was located in the northwest corner of Arabia, southeast of Israel. Today it would possibly be Uzbekistan. When was Job alive? Many scholars place Job in the patriarchal period, around the same time that Abraham lived (Genesis 11:28–29). Even though we know very little about Job, he was noted to be blameless (“tam” perfect), a man known for absolute integrity (“yashar” refers to living in accordance with God’s laws and principles, embodying integrity and righteousness). Additionally, he stayed clear of evil in his dealings with others.

Not only was he a straight up solid, honest man – he was really wealthy. Not just wealthy in the currency of the day (animal stock), but also in the amount of ranch-hands he employed. And, he and his wife had 10 kids! Wow, Mrs. Job must have been a very busy woman as well. It is noted that he was the richest guy in the region. It doesn’t take much of a stretch to realize this, the people who knew Job and saw what he had would have completely believed this guy was BLESSED by someone. I would say he was blessed by God, the creator of all things. Others, may have thought he was blessed by nonexistent little g-gods. Some may have even thought that Job was such the richly righteous guy that he was PERFECT and deserved the wealth, massive land ownership and large family. This is just the kind of setup to tell us what ended up happening to Job and it would rattle everyone’s ideology AND theology!

The story shifts from a scene on earth to a scene that takes place in the heavens. “One day the members of the heavenly court came to present themselves before the Lord, and the Accuser, Satan, came with them.” Job‬ ‭1‬:‭6‬. Read the story for yourself, but be warned, it’s a rough ride to figure out the one thing we all want to know – WHY? Lots of Biblical scholars try to explain Job as though it were simple and clear. I have some thoughts, but I enjoy the mystery more than clarity at this stage of my life.

Prayer

​Dad,
Early on in my faith journey I learned a very important lesson. You are God, I am not. You are always right, true and just. When things don’t seem right or make sense this side of eternity, I am 100% sure that it is my human perspective that cannot see nor understand the full scope of your will and your ways while here on earth. I knew then what I am still confident about today – I live on a broken planet among broken people and we all exist in the shadows until the full light of Jesus Christ is revealed at the end of days. Amen.

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Unexpected stories from extraordinary people.

Reading Time: 2 minutes

“Many people have set out to write accounts about the events that have been fulfilled among us. They used the eyewitness reports circulating among us from the early disciples. Having carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I also have decided to write an accurate account for you, most honorable Theophilus, so you can be certain of the truth of everything you were taught.” ‭‭Luke‬ ‭1‬:‭1‬-‭4‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Luke was not one of Jesus’s original 12 Apostles. So he wasn’t an apostle, but he sure acts like one. It is believed that Luke was most likely one “of the seventy,”. History tells us that Luke was a really smart guy! He was a physician, a theologian and a historian. If you see the trifecta of those skill sets you know why Luke starts his gospel, his account of the life of Jesus with such bravado. “Many people have attempted…” but I also have investigated and decided to write an accurately ordered, successively, one after another account!

According to history, Luke had not been a follower of Jesus before he died. Being biologically Jewish but culturally Greek, he had to have followed the controversial stories of Jesus admitting that He was THE Messiah. Luke became a believer, then a follower of THE WAY (a common phrase used to describe Jesus people). Luke not only journaled, he also journeyed with Paul, eventually writing the book of Acts. Luke was the best of biographers, writing one about the life of Jesus, the other the life of the early Church. It is believed that Luke wrote Acts in such a way that Paul would present the “book” to Caesar himself in Rome. Acts is a full testament of truth about the power of Jesus to transform a religious terrorist into an evangelist while watching the fulfillment of a promise of bringing salvation to the Gentiles as well.

Luke writes to Theophilus, a title given to a person of great wealth and influence. It is not clear whether this man was a High Priest in Jerusalem just after Jesus’ day, or that Theophilus was a high-ranking, influential Gentile official. Most likely the latter. Either way, Luke tells Theophilus, “you can be secure in the truth” of what you have been taught.

Secure in the truth – oh how I wish this generation would anchor themselves to the faith they were raised in, knowing that it is not a truth, it is THE truth. These facts about Jesus aren’t “my” truth nor “our” truth – it is God’s truth. These two books (Luke and Acts), written by Luke, were used to bring many people to faith in Jesus Christ, and to believe in His death and resurrection! Then help guide them to follow Jesus, obeying what he taught, doing what he did for the rest of their lives. Luke’s book are more than just stories about Jesus, they are also systems of how to live our life being a disciple and making disciples. Thank God for His living Word inspired, directed and recorded by men like Dr. Luke!

Prayer

​Dad,
The consistency and wonder of your Word just continually amazes me. Most of the men and women recorded in the Bible were just normal, if not ordinary people. However, then comes these really unique and driven people like Doctor Luke and the Apostle Paul. Thank you for working in and through all of us, making wise the simple and using the weak to speak to powerful rulers. Amen.

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The religious seeker.

Reading Time: 2 minutes

“One of the teachers of religious law was standing there listening to the debate. He realized that Jesus had answered well, so he asked, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?” ‭‭Mark‬ ‭12‬:‭28‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Mark is tricky in writing about this moment with yet another religious leader. As we make our way through the gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, one of the rhythms we are used to is this lead line, “one of the teachers of the law…” It’s normally the cue that Jesus is about to be setup in an attempt to find justifiable cause to arrest him for some egregious religious infraction the religious leaders cooked up to silence him. Ah, but this one is different. This religious teacher is different. He’s not a trapper, he’s a seeker! This teacher was searching, not trying to set up the savior.

The first clue Mark gives us is this, “he realized Jesus had answered well.” So many people say they know all about Jesus, all about Christianity, but have ever read about him or definitely not experienced him for themselves? Turns out they’ve only heard comments from others who have also never met the real Jesus. This religious outlier was different because he really wanted to know the truth. Jesus was excited to share it with him.

We’ve seen Jesus use this version of the Shema before. This time, the man seeking wholeheartedly agreed with Jesus.

  • Yes, there is only one God and no other.
  • Yes, we are to love God heart, soul and strength – AND love our neighbor as ourself.

Then, surprisingly the religious teacher adds a critical commentary about the inefficiency of the law in regard to sin – He says about the most important thing is in fact “more important than to offer all of the burnt offerings and sacrifices required in the law,” (12‬:‭33‬). Jesus was delighted with his summary and said “You are not far from the Kingdom of God.” Basically, he gets it.

His next step towards full citizenship in the Kingdom of God would be faith in Jesus as the Messiah who would be the finality, fulfillment and completion of the Law in every way. Who was this religious leader in Mark 12? We don’t know. My guess is that once this religious teacher, likely from team Pharisee rather than team Sadducee, watched as Jesus went to the cross as an innocent man. Then followed the story, hearing about Jesus resurrection from the dead. And, after putting all the pieces together, just like other very faithful Jewish people, he believed in Jesus as the Messiah who came to reconcile all people to God. The Bible does not tell us what happened to him, but I think there’s a good chance we’ll find him when we get to heaven.

Prayer

​Dad,
It is so good to read about a few of the religious teachers, lawyers and leaders who honestly sought after truth! You promised it wouldn’t be hard to find truth if people actually looked for it. Same today, right? For those who seek they will find! You are not hiding. You are not avoiding or ignoring those who look for truth, you welcome it! Thank you for seeking us first, loving us first, and pursuing us always. Amen.

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Is this is good enough?

Reading Time: 3 minutes

As Jesus was starting out on his way to Jerusalem, a man came running up to him, knelt down, and asked, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” “Why do you call me good?” Jesus asked. “Only God is truly good. But to answer your question, you know the commandments: ‘You must not murder. You must not commit adultery. You must not steal. You must not testify falsely. You must not cheat anyone. Honor your father and mother.’” “Teacher,” the man replied, “I’ve obeyed all these commandments since I was young.” ‭‭Mark‬ ‭10‬:‭17‬-‭20‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Mark lays out a scene that every Rabbi, teacher or pastor would love to have happen. A man RUNS to ask Jesus about eternal life! Whoa. Where do we start? What do we say? Jesus banters back with an odd response.

The running man opened with “good teacher.” Good. Good. Good. The man compliments Jesus. Jesus volleys and hits it back to the man with a question, “why do you call me good?” Then Jesus follows it with a strange, but 100% true statement, “only God is really good.”
Jesus continues with a good declaration. One that clearly the man was already doing – the man was living a good life! “You know the commandments,” Jesus said. Is that a question? No. Jesus knows this is a good guy, doing good things. Then Jesus lists the “good” standards of the law, all of which are horizontal, mano-e-mano, human to human measures of good.

No murder – ✅.
No adultery – ✅.
No stealing – ✅.
No lying – ✅.
No financial cheating – ✅.
Honor your parents – ✅.

This guy was a saint, an Eagle Scout, a really decent good man. Check. Check. Check. He’s good! He humbly told Jesus, “I’ve obeyed all these since I was a kid.” So, why was he asking Jesus how to get eternal life? What was missing? He was already good and we find out he was already living the good life! What’s not adding up here?

Mark writes that Jesus (emblepó) deeply stared, engaging into the man’s soul and truly loved him. Jesus saw what was missing in his life. And in that moment Jesus’ love for him caused him to reveal the truth. There was one thing keeping him from really knowing God, thus really loving God.

There was another love, another god in his life. Oh, he was a commandment keeper, but he was holding on to something else, something that would keep him earthbound verses heaven-bound. He was rich! Jesus peered into this man’s soul and saw his true love, his true hope, his true heart. It was stuff and things. It was possessions and wealth. He wouldn’t make it to eternity because his heart was chained to his riches. Jesus, now answers the question the man did not want to hear, but desperately needed to hear, “There is still one thing you haven’t done,” he told him. “Go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven.” Jesus even offered him a chance to be a disciple, to experience God in flesh, here on earth. Jesus said it for AFTER you’ve sold everything, “come, follow me.” Jesus offered the man, not goodness, but greatness! If he wanted to be great in God’s Kingdom.

The man’s eager face, once filled with goodness, now fell to sadness because he was really really rich. Goodness is great until it replaces God. Well, how can anyone really be saved from themselves? Jesus told us, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But not with God. Everything is possible with God.” The miracle lies within complete surrender to God, giving all and not holding onto anything that gets between us and His love. With this good man it was his possessions. What about us? Is it pleasures, our plans? Hey! The guy likely believed that his wealth was a blessing from God. And, what if it was? But God did want him to amass wealth, he wanted him to give it away to bless others. But his wealth became what Christians call an idol. Rachel in the Old Testament stole and hid her father’s household idols. Michal helped David escape through a window and then took a large household idol and placed it in his bed to fool the guards. Idols are trinkets, statues or anything that becomes a secret hope, a secret faith, a secret life or pleasure. It’s a way for us to give “most” of our heart to God, but not all of it. God hates idols because they keep us appearing to be good, but in our hearts we’re not sold out for Him.

Prayer

​Dad,
What a story to help me get at the real issues in my own life. At first, it’s easy to just breeze through this as “rich man” issues – it is far more than that. It’s a story about being good vs great in Your Kingdom. Making you first and giving you every part of my heart, soul and strength should be a daily, hourly, priority in this life, in this world. Help me direct my passions towards you! Amen.

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Are we missing leadership gifts?

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Here are some of the parts God has appointed for the church: first are apostles, second are prophets, third are teachers, then those who do miracles, those who have the gift of healing, those who can help others, those who have the gift of leadership, those who speak in unknown languages. ‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭12‬:‭28‬ ‭NLT‬‬

The Apostle Paul, in an object lesson, compared the body of Christ, the Church, to a functioning human body. Each part has its unique abilities and each is necessary. Within this illustration, Paul lists the equivalent “parts” that God has appointed for the leadership structure of the Church. Although we are not given any specifics on how the Church functions in day to day operations. And, we are not given any specific polity on how the Church should run corporately. We are given a leadership model.

I have come to realize that the governing of the body is not nearly as important as the people who God has gifted to lead it. Although this is frustrating at times, I understand that it had to be designed this way to survive and thrive through centuries of global and local changes that culture would inevitably face. Our “modern” Churches are no longer similar to the way it looked in the first century Church.

Paul does however list the kinds of gifts as a reflection of Church officers. He even writes that these are just “some” of them. Apostles, prophets, teachers, miracle workers, healers, helpers, leaders and those who speak in tongues. Paul highlights that these are important gifts in the body of Christ. Does your church have apostles or prophets? I am still not sure where our modern day apostles are, nor prophets for that matter! There are so many times, I wish there were clearer apostolic leaders in the big “C” Church.

RANT WARNING!

We have such denominational factions that I can’t see us agreeing on who those folks would be. Was Billy Graham one of them? Would men like Tim Keller be considered an apostle? Both men were certainly highly qualified and carried the authority as an apostle. The Greek just defines apostle as a commissioned messenger, one sent on a mission. It seems we have had these among us, yet would not define them as apostles.

Are denominational leaders automatically deemed apostles, even though they don’t all agree on minor details of theology? I find it completely fascinating that Paul lists some of the more powerful, supernatural gifts as necessities in the body of Christ! And yet, there are many denominations that don’t believe these gifts are still in operation today. Miracles, healing and tongues are so divisive that many churches just ignore them – or worse, teach that they are demonic if practiced today. It seems our ignorance of truth and wisdom paired with our legalistic pharisee-ism is still as destructive today as it was in the first century Church!

Paul does not apologetically encourage these gifts, he declares them as acceptable and helpful to the Churches. It is not stated, but I often wonder if the churches in Rome even accepted or agreed with the churches in Corinth? Yes, Paul’s letters to the Corinthian churches are extravagantly different than his other letters. Yet Paul wrote to Timothy, Senior Pastor and later Bishop at Ephesus, “all scripture is God breathed and profitable for teaching, correction, conviction and training. This includes the letters to Corinth!

As Paul concludes this illustration about the body, he introduces a powerful cliffhanger with these thoughts, “So you should earnestly desire the most helpful gifts. But now let me show you a way of life that is best of all.“ And boy oh boy does Paul tells us about the way of Love! The same Apostle who gave us 1 Corinthians 13 also gave us Corinthians 12 & 14. We can’t just choose what scriptures we like and ignore the ones we don’t like! I believe we are missing some gifts in the body of Christ. We probably ran them out of churches because we didn’t know how to humbly submit, nor how to yield control.

Prayer

Dad,
After reading several places where leadership gifts are listed, I aways wondered what happened to some of them. It seems the Church has settled for just pastor/teacher. I think we are missing out and that we need all the help we can get! My prayer is that we continue to lean into your word, obeying it and set our denominational and/or pre-conceived beliefs aside. Your Word is truth! Amen.

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The suburbs of Babylon.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

The Lord gave Jeremiah the prophet this message concerning Babylon and the land of the Babylonians. This is what the Lord says: “Tell the whole world, and keep nothing back. Raise a signal flag to tell everyone that Babylon will fall! Her images and idols will be shattered. Her gods Bel and Marduk will be utterly disgraced. For a nation will attack her from the north and bring such destruction that no one will live there again. Everything will be gone; both people and animals will flee. ‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭50‬:‭1‬-‭3‬ ‭NLT‬‬

God finally tells Jeremiah, God’s spokesperson, it was time to start announcing the end of the 70 year captivity in Babylon. Cheers erupt that Babylon will fall! God tells Jeremiah that the destruction will be so great that “no one will live there again.” Which was true, and oddly it is still true. The ancient city and the attempts at resurrecting a modern city by Saddam Hussein, have both fallen. But mysteriously and spiritually disturbing, the spirit of the city lives on until the end of all things. Babylon shows up in Revelation 😱!

Babylon is the city of the antichrist that has existed since the first anti-God city in history (Gen 11:1–9). God used the world leaders of Babylon to discipline Israel (2 Chronicles 36). And, it will continue to exist until Jesus returns and destroys it (Rev 17:1–19:5). So although the city was sacked and rebuilt several times in ancient times, it is common knowledge that the city is an archetype of evil. Evil that is perverted and pervasive through the entire human experience on the planet! Babylon’s great object lesson is its self-will to BE God.

A place where every leader, every resident has one common unquenchable desire – to be and do whatever they want! Babylon is the personification, the epitome of sin itself. The idols of Babylon are all spiritual, dark, demonic forces all providing “alternatives” to God, but also promising things that only God can provide – fake gods of weather, wealth, power, sex, and even eternal life! So whether they are stone or wooden poles or statues, shiny golden facsimiles of ancestors or enlightened humans – they are all lifeless objects that can do nothing, nor fulfill nothing. These are physical idols that humans worship because their own disorder desires are drawn to anything other than the real God, creator of all things.

So as a representative of all that is fake, unforgiving, dead and worthless – idols play a role in substitutionary fakery still today! And will do so until the very end, when Babylon the great, the “mother of prostitutes and of earth’s abominations,” will find its finality in fire 🔥. You can read about her ending and all who desire to follow after her in Revelation 18.

Ripping off the mask, subterfuge and subtlety of Babylon the “great,” we find the essence of sin and disobedience to God. It is not to difficult for me to look inside my own heart and see glimpses of the cursed city. At times, I see myself and others secretly wishing to live in the suburbs of Babylon. Oh, not the center, nor downtown Babylon, but rather the short drive to the outskirts and edges of the city where fake promises seem to be within reach. Where will I live? The city of self, or the city of God?

Prayer

Dad,
It doesn’t take much to realize that Babylon is far too accessible and alluring even for those who love you and want to be obedient to your will and not our own. It seems that the fancy bright lights, exhilarating sounds and delightful smells of Babylon are seductively powerful. But it is with your grace, mercy and power that is also calling, begging me to come away and be centered on the city of God, the Kingdom of Heaven. I pray that I will resist the suburbia of the fake city and focus on the city designed for me to live abundantly within it. Thank you for your warnings and your Word! Amen.

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Ignore and substitute.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

For you ignore God’s law and substitute your own tradition. Mark‬ ‭7‬:‭8‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Do you ever find yourself amazed that Jesus cuts through the complicated minutiae of religion and clarifies truth? Ah, it’s so obvious after Jesus says it, yet so painful when he says it directly to you!

As we get older, it is completely normal to establish patterns and customs of the way we like to order our day and live our life. Habits and systems are ways to control the chaos that life can bring. Most religious rituals started out as earnestly simple with all intent of purity in our heart. It’s when they become rote, rigged and mindless routine that it becomes disconnected from relationship.

Earlier in this passage, the religious leaders saw that Jesus’ disciples were eating with defiled, dirty hands. It’s important to note, it’s not that they saw filthy hands and stood aghast that anyone would eat like that. No, it’s what they did NOT see that bothered them.

They did not see the disciples do the typical ritual cleansing before eating anything or using anything that would touch their mouths. The ritual cleansing was this idea that any item that came in contact with the body had to be “washed,” but the Pharisees used an odd word for cleaning their utensils, cups, and dishes. They used the Greek word, “baptizó,” to dip or sink. This wasn’t a health code, it was a religious addendum to an Old Testament purification exercise.

Following the “letter of the Law,” and missing its intent was a favorite pastime of the Pharisees. The Law of Moses did prohibit contact with many things known to be unclean; and if any one had touched them they were seen as “unclean.” This cleansing was a health code, but had a hidden spiritual code to it as well. The command was given to the people so that a person would not approach the temple until they had cleansed themselves by the washing, prescribed in the Law. The spiritual object lesson was that by means of these ceremonial and bodily washings the Jews might be awakened to the necessity of spiritual cleansing when they came before a Holy God.

The Pharisees elevated and twisted the command to be purely an outward act of looking more holy by exceeding the simplicity of cleanliness to a legalistic practice for show! They even insulted their parents and God himself by adhering to and misquoting Ezekiel 20:18, “Do not follow the statutes of your parents or keep their laws or defile yourselves with their idols.” They made the simple spiritual lesson of “washing,” or preparing your heart to meet with God into an arrogant act of faking righteousness!

Now, as we often might do, we look at the religious practices of the Pharisees and say, yeah, “boo on organized religion,” or “deconstruct everything and cancel all the religious rules.” We would be missing Mark’s point of writing this story. Jesus was angry that God was misrepresented! And God’s Law was twisted and tweaked for human gain. Jesus said, “You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you, for he wrote, ‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship is a farce, for they teach man-made ideas as commands from God.’ For you ignore God’s law and substitute your own tradition.”

We have the fulfillment of all the Law of God in and through Jesus himself. We complicate God and do similar as the Pharisees – even today. We have to stop adding things to the gospel! We have to quit making it difficult for people to see Jesus in us. The only people that respected the Pharisees were other religious leaders! The normal folk, despised them and feared them.

Jesus summed up God’s law – love God, love people. Jesus summed up how we should treat people, “love them LIKE I have loved you!” How has Jesus loved us, accepted us, forgiven us multiple times over? How often has God been patient with us, merciful towards us? Do not ignore God’s law and substitute our ideas of holiness, righteousness or forgiveability and pass them off as godly!

Prayer

Wow! I love Your word. I love Jesus words that cut through my religiosity, my judgmental attitudes and competitive comparisons to others. But oh how it stings when I must make decisions based on truth rather than customs. Help me, Oh God, to live to represent you well! Amen.

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Desires for decompression.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

The apostles returned to Jesus from their ministry tour and told him all they had done and taught. Then Jesus said, “Let’s go off by ourselves to a quiet place and rest awhile.” He said this because there were so many people coming and going that Jesus and his apostles didn’t even have time to eat. Mark‬ ‭6‬:‭30‬-‭31‬ ‭NLT‬‬

The New Living Translation takes too much liberty here describing the disciples reconnecting with Jesus and with each other. Of course, it’s true, they had just returned from their assignments and I’m sure they were full of stories and a lot of questions. But Jesus did recognize their need to get away from the crowds and just be alone, together. Mark notes that there were so many people with so many needs that no one got a chance to even eat. Eating in New Testament times was very much like it is still today in the middle east. It’s a LONG process involving several courses of food, but it is clear that long conversations and long stories are the priority over the main course being served. A meal easily could last a couple of hours! I don’t think they had any concept of “fast food,” or just grabbing a bite to eat.

Even though Jesus’ intentions are given, Mark lets us know that the crowd had figured out where the group was going and were waiting on the other side of the boat ride. “So they left by boat for a quiet place, where they could be alone. But many people recognized them and saw them leaving, and people from many towns ran ahead along the shore and got there ahead of them.” Maybe there was time to talk on the boat? With the crowds gathered, Jesus just could not ignore their passion to hear the words of God. Compassion once again drove Jesus to work while there was still light!

I find that in full time ministry these kinds of dilemmas happen far too often. Pastors used to brag about zero vacations and no days off, thinking it was honoring the responsibilities of ministry. Jesus intended to get away from the crowds with his team! He would often slip away at night or before sunrise to pray and spend time with Father God, but in this instance he wanted the group to get some rest. No breaks, no rest, no quiet, no solitude is a recipe for personal disaster! The difficulty was that Jesus ministry time on earth was rather brief – just three years. Three years to establish His mission of being the living gospel – the good news that God had prepared the way to make things right with sinful humanity and repair the breech that had been created in the very beginning of creation.

The crowds, that Mark wrote about, the ones who represented sheep without a shepherd, would be the object lesson or picture of humanity searching for something more than the misery of life under the religious and political leaders of that day. That crowd has only grown larger!

Look around the current situation in our world today. With unending ability to see around the globe from our screens, we know that the United States is not the only country in religious and political crisis. So, even though it is necessary to find places of quiet to rest, it is also possible to be available when the hurt and heartaches of the crowd stir up a passion and a hunger to hear the voice of God for themselves. Will we be available to speak truth and feed them the bread of life? Is the Church ready to set aside its bickering, complaining and judging hearts to BE the gospel of life for those who are searching? I hope so.

Prayer

​Dad,
You see how tiring it is to be serving in the Church today! You see how exhausting it can be to carry the hurts, struggles and sicknesses of families. Yet, out on the horizon, I see a crowd forming. A crowd filled with despair and grief. A gathering of people who have discovered that they have been lied to and are living in that lie. Sheep who are looking for their good shepherd. The crowd is coming! Will I be ready? Will we be ready? Will we have the strength and clarity to give them the bread of life, the living water – your good news? Help us Oh God, in our time of preparation, to not lose heart, hope or strength! Amen.