Biblical Passage
Gethsemane
36 Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” 37 He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. 38 Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.”
39 Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”
40 Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Couldn’t you men keep watch with me for one hour?” he asked Peter. 41 “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
42 He went away a second time and prayed, “My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done.”
43 When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. 44 So he left them and went away once more and prayed the third time, saying the same thing.
45 Then he returned to the disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Look, the hour is near, and the Son of Man is delivered into the hands of sinners. 46 Rise! Let us go! Here comes my betrayer!”
Psalm 39:7-13
7 “But now, Lord, what do I look for?
My hope is in you.
8 Save me from all my transgressions;
do not make me the scorn of fools.
9 I was silent; I would not open my mouth,
for you are the one who has done this.
10 Remove your scourge from me;
I am overcome by the blow of your hand.
11 When you rebuke and discipline people for their sins,
you consume their wealth like a moth—
surely everyone is but a breath.
12 “Hear my prayer, LORD,
listen to my cry for help;
do not be deaf to my weeping.
I dwell with you as a foreigner,
a stranger, as all my ancestors were.
13 Look away from me, that I may enjoy life again
before I depart and am no more.”
Reflection
I cannot think of a better reflection during this time of Lent as Palm Sunday approaches.
In today’s text, Jesus is hours away from a chain of events that will bring him to his death. There is no question from a simple reading of the text that Jesus is not looking forward to what is about to happen. Just like any other person, Jesus is not looking forward to their death, especially because he knows it will be a painful thing.
Hoping that there might be another way, Jesus cries out to his Father, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”
I am not sure if there is a more honest and beautiful prayer in all of scripture. In this one short prayer, we see that the heart of Jesus: both man and divine in conflict with each other. Jesus knows that the cross stands in front of him. That he will be torn a part from his Father, abandoned by his disciples, and left alone for the first time.
Ultimately, Jesus ends up submitting his will to that of the Father. Jesus takes on our loneliness, shame, and sin. It is for this reason that the Father glorifies Jesus. Jesus becomes our shame and sin; hedies on a cross so our shame might be taken away.
Inversely, Jesus’ disciples paint a different picture of what is about to happen. Jesus has just told his disciples that he is about to be taken away and that when this happens they will scatter like sheep.
Now the inner three, Jesus’s top students, come with Jesus to pray. Before Jesus leaves them, he has one request: “Pray with me that you might not fall away.”
As it turns out, Jesus’ disciples cannot even do that. Soon after Jesus leaves they fall asleep.
Sadly, this happens multiple times, Jesus comes and asks his disciples to pray, but they fail too. They just keep falling asleep as soon as Jesus walks away.
This story seamlessly demonstrates two realities: The human inability to follow the lead of our LORD, and the love Jesus has for us even when we don’t follow him.
Questions
1. Why did Jesus go to the garden to pray?
2. Why did Jesus encourage his disciples to pray?
3. What did Jesus’s disciples end up doing?
4. Why do you think they ended up falling asleep?
5. What did Jesus end up doing?
6. Why do you think Jesus did what he did even though he knew how he would have to suffer?
7. What does this tell us about God’s love for us?
8. What are some ways we can respond to God for what he did for us?
9. Pray as a family.
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Thursday, March 22, 2012
3.22.12 - The Piercing Arrows of God
Psalm 38
A psalm of David. A petition.
1 LORD, do not rebuke me in your anger
or discipline me in your wrath.
2 Your arrows have pierced me,
and your hand has come down on me.
3 Because of your wrath there is no health in my body;
there is no soundness in my bones because of my sin.
4 My guilt has overwhelmed me
like a burden too heavy to bear.
or discipline me in your wrath.
2 Your arrows have pierced me,
and your hand has come down on me.
3 Because of your wrath there is no health in my body;
there is no soundness in my bones because of my sin.
4 My guilt has overwhelmed me
like a burden too heavy to bear.
5 My wounds fester and are loathsome
because of my sinful folly.
6 I am bowed down and brought very low;
all day long I go about mourning.
7 My back is filled with searing pain;
there is no health in my body.
8 I am feeble and utterly crushed;
I groan in anguish of heart.
because of my sinful folly.
6 I am bowed down and brought very low;
all day long I go about mourning.
7 My back is filled with searing pain;
there is no health in my body.
8 I am feeble and utterly crushed;
I groan in anguish of heart.
This passage, according to the Moravian Text, is all we get of this Psalm for today. However, the rest of the Psalm carries the same tone as this passage, so we can safely assess the idea behind this passage without fear of eisegesis (reading a passage out of context to fit a pre-conceived idea).
David wasn't having a good day when he wrote this passage. He was battling himself, his inner sinfulness, and leaning on God for strength in the midst of it.
What strikes me about this verse is that David sees God's wrath and his sin as two sides of the same coin. There is no wrath without sin to direct it towards, and there is no sin without God's justified reaction to it. David takes the opposite course of action than his first father Adam, who hid from God in shame after his sinful action: he throws himself before God in a flurry of anguish and remorse. David is begging for mercy here. This is not a flippant, "Well, I guess I shouldn't have done that... sorry, God! Now, what am I going to have for lunch?" No no. This is a true understanding of God's sovereignty and ultimate power.
So often when we sin, we hope it will go unnoticed by God. Avoidance is the easiest course of action, and the one most often trod by Christians. David knows that nothing is hidden from God, and seeks restitution with Him. When David is called a "man after God's own heart," this is what the writer was referring to. David was laid bare before God consistently. He lived his life as an open book to God. Even when he stole Bathsheba from her husband and had him killed, when Nathan called him out on it, he did not hide; he wept and repented.
I wonder what would happen if, instead of angrily defending ourselves when we mess up, we lived open lives with God. What would that look like? Would ego or pride have any place in that lifestyle? I doubt it. It wouldn't be easy to beg for mercy from God because of your sin and think you're awesome at the same time.
So as you head into this weekend, may your life be as open before God as Davids was. As God shapes you more finely into the image of His Son, let Him into your life and be honest about where you are in life. You will find no condemnation; you will find only love.
Reflection Questions:
- What was your first reaction to this passage?
- Why was David begging God for forgiveness?
- When was the last time you genuinely asked God for forgiveness?
- What's one way you can live your life more openly with God?
- Pray together as a family.
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Getting Ready For Jesus
Matthew 25: 1-13
The Parable of the Ten Virgins
1 “At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2 Five of them were foolish and five were wise. 3 The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. 4 The wise, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. 5 The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep.
6 “At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’
7 “Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. 8 The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’
9 “‘No,’ they replied, ‘there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’
10 “But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut.
11 “Later the others also came. ‘Sir! Sir!’ they said. ‘Open the door for us!’
12 “But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I don’t know you.’
13 “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.
Psalm 37:27-33
27 Turn from evil and do good;
then you will dwell in the land forever.
28 For the LORD loves the just
and will not forsake his faithful ones.
Wrongdoers will be completely destroyed[a];
the offspring of the wicked will perish.
29 The righteous will inherit the land
and dwell in it forever.
30 The mouths of the righteous utter wisdom,
and their tongues speak what is just.
31 The law of their God is in their hearts;
their feet do not slip.
32 The wicked lie in wait for the righteous,
seeking their very lives;
33 but the LORD will not leave them in their power
or let them be condemned when brought to trial.
Reflection
Have you ever waited for something you were really looking forward to?
I have: Katie and I dated for almost 5 years before we were married. That is a long time!
Katie and I decided to wait to be married because we wanted to both have jobs and wanted to be done with school. While we were dating, there were many times that Katie and I, even our good friends, joked that we should just forget our convictions and get married. Even though we joked and our patience was exhausted, we waited because we new that the prize was worth it, that one day we would be married.
While on our honeymoon, Katie and I were talking at breakfast one morning about how long we had to wait to be married. After a while Katie looked at me and said, “I am glad we waited. I think everything worked out perfectly.”
I looked at her and said, “I could not a agree more.”
In Jesus’s parable in Matthew 25, the brides are in a similar situation to what Katie and I were in; well maybe just Katie. The virgins of Jesus’s parable are waiting for this groom to come for them. Five of the virgins are wise and make sure that if their groom comes at night that they will have enough oil in their lamps to find their way. The other five become impatient and lose faith that their groom will come. Soon the five unwise virgins run out of oil, so that if their groom came at night they would not be able to find their way.
Soon the groom comes and the five wise virgins are prepared for their grooms, but the five unwise virgins are not. The five unwise virgins are soon left outside of their own wedding ceremony because they were not prepared.
Throughout scripture, God’s people are called “the bride of Christ” and God is called “the groom.” Jesus’s audience would have understood who was who in this story. The virgins were the people of God and the groom was God.
In Matthew 25, Jesus is preparing his followers for what is about to happen, Jesus is about to be crucified, resurrect, and then ascend into heaven, leaving his followers. Jesus does not leave without a promise, “I will return again.”
Therefore, Jesus encourages his followers to not lose heart, become impatient, and or unwise. We might not know when Jesus will return; we are always to be ready, for the Kingdom of God will come like a “thief in the night.”
This parable begs a difficult question: Are we ready?
Questions
1. Who are the virgins supposed to represent in Jesus’s parable?
2. Who is the bridegroom supposed to represent in Jesus’s parable?
3. Why do the unwise virgins stop storing oil for their lamps?
4. What happens when the unwise virgins are unprepared?
5. What does this parable tell us about how you are to wait for God’s return?
6. What are some ways you can make sure that you are prepared for God’s return?
7. Think of ways you can prepare for God’s return as a family.
8. Pray for each other.
The Parable of the Ten Virgins
1 “At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2 Five of them were foolish and five were wise. 3 The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. 4 The wise, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. 5 The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep.
6 “At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’
7 “Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. 8 The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’
9 “‘No,’ they replied, ‘there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’
10 “But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut.
11 “Later the others also came. ‘Sir! Sir!’ they said. ‘Open the door for us!’
12 “But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I don’t know you.’
13 “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.
Psalm 37:27-33
27 Turn from evil and do good;
then you will dwell in the land forever.
28 For the LORD loves the just
and will not forsake his faithful ones.
Wrongdoers will be completely destroyed[a];
the offspring of the wicked will perish.
29 The righteous will inherit the land
and dwell in it forever.
30 The mouths of the righteous utter wisdom,
and their tongues speak what is just.
31 The law of their God is in their hearts;
their feet do not slip.
32 The wicked lie in wait for the righteous,
seeking their very lives;
33 but the LORD will not leave them in their power
or let them be condemned when brought to trial.
Reflection
Have you ever waited for something you were really looking forward to?
I have: Katie and I dated for almost 5 years before we were married. That is a long time!
Katie and I decided to wait to be married because we wanted to both have jobs and wanted to be done with school. While we were dating, there were many times that Katie and I, even our good friends, joked that we should just forget our convictions and get married. Even though we joked and our patience was exhausted, we waited because we new that the prize was worth it, that one day we would be married.
While on our honeymoon, Katie and I were talking at breakfast one morning about how long we had to wait to be married. After a while Katie looked at me and said, “I am glad we waited. I think everything worked out perfectly.”
I looked at her and said, “I could not a agree more.”
In Jesus’s parable in Matthew 25, the brides are in a similar situation to what Katie and I were in; well maybe just Katie. The virgins of Jesus’s parable are waiting for this groom to come for them. Five of the virgins are wise and make sure that if their groom comes at night that they will have enough oil in their lamps to find their way. The other five become impatient and lose faith that their groom will come. Soon the five unwise virgins run out of oil, so that if their groom came at night they would not be able to find their way.
Soon the groom comes and the five wise virgins are prepared for their grooms, but the five unwise virgins are not. The five unwise virgins are soon left outside of their own wedding ceremony because they were not prepared.
Throughout scripture, God’s people are called “the bride of Christ” and God is called “the groom.” Jesus’s audience would have understood who was who in this story. The virgins were the people of God and the groom was God.
In Matthew 25, Jesus is preparing his followers for what is about to happen, Jesus is about to be crucified, resurrect, and then ascend into heaven, leaving his followers. Jesus does not leave without a promise, “I will return again.”
Therefore, Jesus encourages his followers to not lose heart, become impatient, and or unwise. We might not know when Jesus will return; we are always to be ready, for the Kingdom of God will come like a “thief in the night.”
This parable begs a difficult question: Are we ready?
Questions
1. Who are the virgins supposed to represent in Jesus’s parable?
2. Who is the bridegroom supposed to represent in Jesus’s parable?
3. Why do the unwise virgins stop storing oil for their lamps?
4. What happens when the unwise virgins are unprepared?
5. What does this parable tell us about how you are to wait for God’s return?
6. What are some ways you can make sure that you are prepared for God’s return?
7. Think of ways you can prepare for God’s return as a family.
8. Pray for each other.
Thursday, March 15, 2012
3/15/12 - Recipe for a Blessed Life
Psalm 37
Of David.
1 Do not fret because of those who are evil
or be envious of those who do wrong;
or be envious of those who do wrong;
2 for like the grass they will soon wither,
like green plants they will soon die away.
3 Trust in the LORD and do good;
dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.
dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.
4 Take delight in the LORD,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
5 Commit your way to the LORD;
trust in him and he will do this:
trust in him and he will do this:
6 He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn,
your vindication like the noonday sun.
***
I recently had a conversation with a student about worrying. He told me he was not going to watch the news in the morning anymore. When I asked why, he told me he had seen a report about all the countries around the world that were armed with nuclear warheads. This scared him, and since he did not want to live in fear, the easiest option was for him to simply keep worrisome information from himself.
Something is wrong here. Is that really our only option? "Life is hard and people are evil; the best way to avoid pain and inconvenience is to bury your head in the sand and hope the bad things are over when you eventually decide to come out."
The Bible tells us something different. Something beautiful.
This passage of Scripture is among the most comforting I have read in my lifetime. Here we see a full picture of God's desire for the Christian: Not ignoring evil, but transcending it through complete trust and reliance on God. How can we do this? Because we understand the fragility and temporal nature of this world. It may be evil, yes. It may be difficult. But this is why Paul so ardently urges us in Colossians to set our minds "on things above, not on things of this world" (3:2). This world is not our home, and we are at rest with Christ firmly at the forefront of our lives.
The phrase in the beginning of verse 3 of Psalm 37 really sums it up perfectly: "Trust in the LORD and do good." This is the cry of our lives as Christians. Our hope is not in which country has the most warheads to protect us, or in how much "better" the world becomes throughout our lives. Our hope, our lives, our mental state; it's all dependent on Christ. And Christ never fails.
Reflection Questions:
- What do you find yourself worrying about in your daily life?
- What's holding you back from offering that up to God?
- Is it difficult to trust God sometimes? Why or why not?
- Are you living your life in daily dependence on God?
- What's one thing you can change about your life today that reflects your trust in God?
- Pray with your family that God would teach you how to trust Him more, both together as a family and independently.
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Cleaning the Outside VS. Cleaning the Inside.
Exodus 19:10-20:21
10 And the LORD said to Moses, “Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow. Have them wash their clothes 11 and be ready by the third day, because on that day the LORD will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people. 12 Put limits for the people around the mountain and tell them, ‘Be careful that you do not approach the mountain or touch the foot of it. Whoever touches the mountain is to be put to death. 13 They are to be stoned or shot with arrows; not a hand is to be laid on them. Whether people or animals, they shall not be permitted to live.’ Only when the ram’s horn sounds a long blast may they approach the mountain.”
14 After Moses had gone down the mountain to the people, he consecrated them, and they washed their clothes. 15 Then he said to the people, “Prepare yourselves for the third day. Abstain from sexual relations.”
16 On the morning of the third day there was thunder and lightning, with a thick cloud over the mountain, and a very loud trumpet blast. Everyone in the camp trembled. 17 Then Moses led the people out of the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. 18 Mount Sinai was covered with smoke, because the LORD descended on it in fire. The smoke billowed up from it like smoke from a furnace, and the whole mountain[a] trembled violently. 19 As the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke and the voice of God answered him.[b]
20 The LORD descended to the top of Mount Sinai and called Moses to the top of the mountain. So Moses went up 21 and the LORD said to him, “Go down and warn the people so they do not force their way through to see the LORD and many of them perish. 22 Even the priests, who approach the LORD, must consecrate themselves, or the LORD will break out against them.”
23 Moses said to the LORD, “The people cannot come up Mount Sinai, because you yourself warned us, ‘Put limits around the mountain and set it apart as holy.’”
24 The LORD replied, “Go down and bring Aaron up with you. But the priests and the people must not force their way through to come up to the LORD, or he will break out against them.”
25 So Moses went down to the people and told them.
Exodus 20
The Ten Commandments
1 And God spoke all these words:
2 “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.
3 “You shall have no other gods before[c] me.
4 “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. 5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, 6 but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.
7 “You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.
8 “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. 11 For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.
12 “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you.
13 “You shall not murder.
14 “You shall not commit adultery.
15 “You shall not steal.
16 “You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.
17 “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”
18 When the people saw the thunder and lightning and heard the trumpet and saw the mountain in smoke, they trembled with fear. They stayed at a distance 19 and said to Moses, “Speak to us yourself and we will listen. But do not have God speak to us or we will die.”
20 Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. God has come to test you, so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning.”
21 The people remained at a distance, while Moses approached the thick darkness where God was.
Matthew 23:23-32
23 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. 24 You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.
25 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. 26 Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.
27 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. 28 In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.
29 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous. 30 And you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ 31 So you testify against yourselves that you are the descendants of those who murdered the prophets. 32 Fill up, then, the measure of the sin of your ancestors!
Reflection
I think many Christians misinterpret the law. In the Exodus text today, God comes down on Mount Sinai and gives the Ten Commandments to the nation of Israel. This is a holy moment in the life of Israel. The Holy God who is perfect and set apart from sinful people is coming down to his people. This is why Moses tells the people of God to “prepare” themselves by washing their clothes and sustaining from sexual relations. In this moment, the Holy God comes down to earth to give his law.
Many view the “law” as a restricting agent that somehow bound the nation of Israel to legalism. This is far from the truth. The “law” is a sign of God’s covenant with his people. The people of God are to keep the law out of obedience and worship to the God who saved Israel from slavery in Egypt.
By the time Jesus arrived on the scene, many aspects of this beautiful law had been manipulated wrongly. Many Jews had focused more on keeping the law instead of worshiping their God out of their covenant relationship with Him. They believed that they had to obey every aspect of the law and subjected themselves to it. In other words, they made their relationship with God about what they did, not what God did. This is what moves Paul to write, “Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin” (Romans 3:20).
Previous to Paul’s statement in Romans 3:20, he cites the Old Testament; this supports his point that we cannot save ourselves by actions. Only God can save us.
Even in the Old Testament God wants his people to understand that fact. That is why God sends many prophets to call the nation of Israel back to pure worship of God, not a relationship that is built on meaningless action.
This is the same complaint that Jesus has against the Jews of his day. They were focused on “cleaning the outside of the cup,” or doing works, instead of reflecting on the state of their heart as they worshiped God. Some Jews were even teaching that people had to do certain actions or “works” to save themselves.
In many ways this was also Luther’s complaint against the Catholic church of his day. He felt that they were commanding him to do “works” to be saved. The Catholic Church was asking him and others to focus on “cleaning the outside of the cup” when Luther knew that many priest’s hearts where not in the right place of worship.
God’s grace and mercy has always saved His people through faith. Our works are always done in worship to God for what he has done for us & out of thankfulness and love.
Reflection Questions
1. Why did God want Israel to “consecrate” itself before he came down on the mountain?
2. Why did God give Israel the 10 commandments?
3. What were the Jews of Jesus day doing that Jesus confronts in the Matthew text?
4. Why do you think Jesus wants us to clean the inside of the cup (our hearts) before we worry about the outside of the cup being clean (our actions)?
5. How do you need God to clean the inside of your cup (your heart)?
6. What are some ways we can reflect what God is doing in our hearts as a family?
7. Pray for each other.
10 And the LORD said to Moses, “Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow. Have them wash their clothes 11 and be ready by the third day, because on that day the LORD will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people. 12 Put limits for the people around the mountain and tell them, ‘Be careful that you do not approach the mountain or touch the foot of it. Whoever touches the mountain is to be put to death. 13 They are to be stoned or shot with arrows; not a hand is to be laid on them. Whether people or animals, they shall not be permitted to live.’ Only when the ram’s horn sounds a long blast may they approach the mountain.”
14 After Moses had gone down the mountain to the people, he consecrated them, and they washed their clothes. 15 Then he said to the people, “Prepare yourselves for the third day. Abstain from sexual relations.”
16 On the morning of the third day there was thunder and lightning, with a thick cloud over the mountain, and a very loud trumpet blast. Everyone in the camp trembled. 17 Then Moses led the people out of the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. 18 Mount Sinai was covered with smoke, because the LORD descended on it in fire. The smoke billowed up from it like smoke from a furnace, and the whole mountain[a] trembled violently. 19 As the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke and the voice of God answered him.[b]
20 The LORD descended to the top of Mount Sinai and called Moses to the top of the mountain. So Moses went up 21 and the LORD said to him, “Go down and warn the people so they do not force their way through to see the LORD and many of them perish. 22 Even the priests, who approach the LORD, must consecrate themselves, or the LORD will break out against them.”
23 Moses said to the LORD, “The people cannot come up Mount Sinai, because you yourself warned us, ‘Put limits around the mountain and set it apart as holy.’”
24 The LORD replied, “Go down and bring Aaron up with you. But the priests and the people must not force their way through to come up to the LORD, or he will break out against them.”
25 So Moses went down to the people and told them.
Exodus 20
The Ten Commandments
1 And God spoke all these words:
2 “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.
3 “You shall have no other gods before[c] me.
4 “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. 5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, 6 but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.
7 “You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.
8 “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. 11 For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.
12 “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you.
13 “You shall not murder.
14 “You shall not commit adultery.
15 “You shall not steal.
16 “You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.
17 “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”
18 When the people saw the thunder and lightning and heard the trumpet and saw the mountain in smoke, they trembled with fear. They stayed at a distance 19 and said to Moses, “Speak to us yourself and we will listen. But do not have God speak to us or we will die.”
20 Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. God has come to test you, so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning.”
21 The people remained at a distance, while Moses approached the thick darkness where God was.
Matthew 23:23-32
23 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. 24 You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.
25 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. 26 Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.
27 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. 28 In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.
29 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous. 30 And you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ 31 So you testify against yourselves that you are the descendants of those who murdered the prophets. 32 Fill up, then, the measure of the sin of your ancestors!
Reflection
I think many Christians misinterpret the law. In the Exodus text today, God comes down on Mount Sinai and gives the Ten Commandments to the nation of Israel. This is a holy moment in the life of Israel. The Holy God who is perfect and set apart from sinful people is coming down to his people. This is why Moses tells the people of God to “prepare” themselves by washing their clothes and sustaining from sexual relations. In this moment, the Holy God comes down to earth to give his law.
Many view the “law” as a restricting agent that somehow bound the nation of Israel to legalism. This is far from the truth. The “law” is a sign of God’s covenant with his people. The people of God are to keep the law out of obedience and worship to the God who saved Israel from slavery in Egypt.
By the time Jesus arrived on the scene, many aspects of this beautiful law had been manipulated wrongly. Many Jews had focused more on keeping the law instead of worshiping their God out of their covenant relationship with Him. They believed that they had to obey every aspect of the law and subjected themselves to it. In other words, they made their relationship with God about what they did, not what God did. This is what moves Paul to write, “Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin” (Romans 3:20).
Previous to Paul’s statement in Romans 3:20, he cites the Old Testament; this supports his point that we cannot save ourselves by actions. Only God can save us.
Even in the Old Testament God wants his people to understand that fact. That is why God sends many prophets to call the nation of Israel back to pure worship of God, not a relationship that is built on meaningless action.
This is the same complaint that Jesus has against the Jews of his day. They were focused on “cleaning the outside of the cup,” or doing works, instead of reflecting on the state of their heart as they worshiped God. Some Jews were even teaching that people had to do certain actions or “works” to save themselves.
In many ways this was also Luther’s complaint against the Catholic church of his day. He felt that they were commanding him to do “works” to be saved. The Catholic Church was asking him and others to focus on “cleaning the outside of the cup” when Luther knew that many priest’s hearts where not in the right place of worship.
God’s grace and mercy has always saved His people through faith. Our works are always done in worship to God for what he has done for us & out of thankfulness and love.
Reflection Questions
1. Why did God want Israel to “consecrate” itself before he came down on the mountain?
2. Why did God give Israel the 10 commandments?
3. What were the Jews of Jesus day doing that Jesus confronts in the Matthew text?
4. Why do you think Jesus wants us to clean the inside of the cup (our hearts) before we worry about the outside of the cup being clean (our actions)?
5. How do you need God to clean the inside of your cup (your heart)?
6. What are some ways we can reflect what God is doing in our hearts as a family?
7. Pray for each other.
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
The One Who Overcomes Death and Slavery
Exodus 12:21-51
21 Then Moses summoned all the elders of Israel and said to them, “Go at once and select the animals for your families and slaughter the Passover lamb. 22 Take a bunch of hyssop, dip it into the blood in the basin and put some of the blood on the top and on both sides of the doorframe. None of you shall go out of the door of your house until morning. 23 When the LORD goes through the land to strike down the Egyptians, he will see the blood on the top and sides of the doorframe and will pass over that doorway, and he will not permit the destroyer to enter your houses and strike you down.
24 “Obey these instructions as a lasting ordinance for you and your descendants. 25 When you enter the land that the LORD will give you as he promised, observe this ceremony. 26 And when your children ask you, ‘What does this ceremony mean to you?’ 27 then tell them, ‘It is the Passover sacrifice to the LORD, who passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt and spared our homes when he struck down the Egyptians.’” Then the people bowed down and worshiped. 28 The Israelites did just what the LORD commanded Moses and Aaron.
29 At midnight the LORD struck down all the firstborn in Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh, who sat on the throne, to the firstborn of the prisoner, who was in the dungeon, and the firstborn of all the livestock as well. 30 Pharaoh and all his officials and all the Egyptians got up during the night, and there was loud wailing in Egypt, for there was not a house without someone dead.
The Exodus
31 During the night Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, “Up! Leave my people, you and the Israelites! Go, worship the LORD as you have requested. 32 Take your flocks and herds, as you have said, and go. And also bless me.”
33 The Egyptians urged the people to hurry and leave the country. “For otherwise,” they said, “we will all die!” 34 So the people took their dough before the yeast was added, and carried it on their shoulders in kneading troughs wrapped in clothing. 35 The Israelites did as Moses instructed and asked the Egyptians for articles of silver and gold and for clothing. 36 The LORD had made the Egyptians favorably disposed toward the people, and they gave them what they asked for; so they plundered the Egyptians.
37 The Israelites journeyed from Rameses to Sukkoth. There were about six hundred thousand men on foot, besides women and children. 38 Many other people went up with them, and also large droves of livestock, both flocks and herds. 39 With the dough the Israelites had brought from Egypt, they baked loaves of unleavened bread. The dough was without yeast because they had been driven out of Egypt and did not have time to prepare food for themselves.
40 Now the length of time the Israelite people lived in Egypt[a] was 430 years. 41 At the end of the 430 years, to the very day, all the LORD’s divisions left Egypt. 42 Because the LORD kept vigil that night to bring them out of Egypt, on this night all the Israelites are to keep vigil to honor the LORD for the generations to come.
Passover Restrictions
43 The LORD said to Moses and Aaron, “These are the regulations for the Passover:
“No foreigner is to eat of it. 44 Any slave you have bought may eat of it after you have circumcised him, 45 but a temporary resident or a hired worker may not eat of it.
46 “It must be eaten inside one house; take none of the meat outside the house. Do not break any of the bones. 47 The whole community of Israel must celebrate it.
48 “A foreigner residing among you who wants to celebrate the LORD’s Passover must have all the males in his household circumcised; then he may take part like one born in the land. No uncircumcised male may eat of it. 49 The same law applies both to the native-born and to the foreigner residing among you.”
50 All the Israelites did just what the LORD had commanded Moses and Aaron. 51 And on that very day the LORD brought the Israelites out of Egypt by their divisions.
Matthew 21:33-46
The Parable of the Tenants
33 “Listen to another parable: There was a landowner who planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a winepress in it and built a watchtower. Then he rented the vineyard to some farmers and moved to another place. 34 When the harvest time approached, he sent his servants to the tenants to collect his fruit.
35 “The tenants seized his servants; they beat one, killed another, and stoned a third. 36 Then he sent other servants to them, more than the first time, and the tenants treated them the same way. 37 Last of all, he sent his son to them. ‘They will respect my son,’ he said.
38 “But when the tenants saw the son, they said to each other, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him and take his inheritance.’ 39 So they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.
40 “Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?”
41 “He will bring those wretches to a wretched end,” they replied, “and he will rent the vineyard to other tenants, who will give him his share of the crop at harvest time.”
42 Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures:
“‘The stone the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone;
the Lord has done this,
and it is marvelous in our eyes’[a]?
43 “Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit. 44 Anyone who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces, but anyone on whom it falls will be crushed.”
45 When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard Jesus’ parables, they knew he was talking about them. 46 They looked for a way to arrest him, but they were afraid of the crowd because the people held that he was a prophet.
Reflection
As Israel prepared for the final judgment, they were asked to take the blood of a lamb and spread it over the doorframes of their houses. When the Angel of Death came at night, the Angel would pass over the homes with blood covering their doorframes.
Through the blood of many lambs, the first-born children of Israel where saved from the Angel of Death. In turn, the people of God were also set free from the oppressive slavery that they had been under for over 400 years.
Fast forward to the time of Jesus: the Son of God stands among the people of God telling a parable. Jesus speaks of a landowner whom has a vineyard that he rents to farmers who are to care for his crop. The farmers first kill off the landowners’ servants, and then finally the landowners’ son in hopes of stealing the landowners land for themselves.
This parable is all about the people of God. In the parable, the Jewish people are the farmers whom have been given a vineyard by God, the landowner. God sends multiple prophets and kings to tell the nation of Israel to give back to God for what he had given them. Yet the Jewish people refuse to follow and worship God.
Finally God sends his Son, thinking that the people of God will respect him, yet they do not. Jesus knows that his fate will be the same as the prophets and kings that came before him. Jesus knows that he will be killed as he urges the people of God to worship the God who gave them their land.
It is for this reason that the gospel, the Kingdom of God, is opened up to those who are not Jewish. His own people rejected Jesus so that he might become a sacrifice for the whole world, “to Jews first and then to Gentiles” (Romans 1:16).
When Jesus is killed, he becomes like the lambs that Israel used to cover their doorframes on the night of Passover. He becomes the one who saves us from Death and slavery.
That is why we hope in him. Just as the Psalmist writes, “May your unfailing love be with us, LORD, even as we put our hope in you.” As we hope in him, God is the one who not only saves us from “sin” but saves us from death and slavery!
Questions
1. Why did Moses have the nation of Israel put the blood of lambs over their doorframes?
2. How does this action save Israel from death and slavery?
3. In Matthew 21:33-46, Jesus tells a parable about a landowner and farmers. Who is the landowner and who are the farmers in this parable?
4. What is Jesus saying to the Jews of his time through this parable?
5. How is Jesus like the Passover lamb?
6. What about this fact helps you place your hope in Jesus?
7. What are you still a slave to? What do you need Jesus to rescue you from?
8. Pray for each other.
21 Then Moses summoned all the elders of Israel and said to them, “Go at once and select the animals for your families and slaughter the Passover lamb. 22 Take a bunch of hyssop, dip it into the blood in the basin and put some of the blood on the top and on both sides of the doorframe. None of you shall go out of the door of your house until morning. 23 When the LORD goes through the land to strike down the Egyptians, he will see the blood on the top and sides of the doorframe and will pass over that doorway, and he will not permit the destroyer to enter your houses and strike you down.
24 “Obey these instructions as a lasting ordinance for you and your descendants. 25 When you enter the land that the LORD will give you as he promised, observe this ceremony. 26 And when your children ask you, ‘What does this ceremony mean to you?’ 27 then tell them, ‘It is the Passover sacrifice to the LORD, who passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt and spared our homes when he struck down the Egyptians.’” Then the people bowed down and worshiped. 28 The Israelites did just what the LORD commanded Moses and Aaron.
29 At midnight the LORD struck down all the firstborn in Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh, who sat on the throne, to the firstborn of the prisoner, who was in the dungeon, and the firstborn of all the livestock as well. 30 Pharaoh and all his officials and all the Egyptians got up during the night, and there was loud wailing in Egypt, for there was not a house without someone dead.
The Exodus
31 During the night Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, “Up! Leave my people, you and the Israelites! Go, worship the LORD as you have requested. 32 Take your flocks and herds, as you have said, and go. And also bless me.”
33 The Egyptians urged the people to hurry and leave the country. “For otherwise,” they said, “we will all die!” 34 So the people took their dough before the yeast was added, and carried it on their shoulders in kneading troughs wrapped in clothing. 35 The Israelites did as Moses instructed and asked the Egyptians for articles of silver and gold and for clothing. 36 The LORD had made the Egyptians favorably disposed toward the people, and they gave them what they asked for; so they plundered the Egyptians.
37 The Israelites journeyed from Rameses to Sukkoth. There were about six hundred thousand men on foot, besides women and children. 38 Many other people went up with them, and also large droves of livestock, both flocks and herds. 39 With the dough the Israelites had brought from Egypt, they baked loaves of unleavened bread. The dough was without yeast because they had been driven out of Egypt and did not have time to prepare food for themselves.
40 Now the length of time the Israelite people lived in Egypt[a] was 430 years. 41 At the end of the 430 years, to the very day, all the LORD’s divisions left Egypt. 42 Because the LORD kept vigil that night to bring them out of Egypt, on this night all the Israelites are to keep vigil to honor the LORD for the generations to come.
Passover Restrictions
43 The LORD said to Moses and Aaron, “These are the regulations for the Passover:
“No foreigner is to eat of it. 44 Any slave you have bought may eat of it after you have circumcised him, 45 but a temporary resident or a hired worker may not eat of it.
46 “It must be eaten inside one house; take none of the meat outside the house. Do not break any of the bones. 47 The whole community of Israel must celebrate it.
48 “A foreigner residing among you who wants to celebrate the LORD’s Passover must have all the males in his household circumcised; then he may take part like one born in the land. No uncircumcised male may eat of it. 49 The same law applies both to the native-born and to the foreigner residing among you.”
50 All the Israelites did just what the LORD had commanded Moses and Aaron. 51 And on that very day the LORD brought the Israelites out of Egypt by their divisions.
Matthew 21:33-46
The Parable of the Tenants
33 “Listen to another parable: There was a landowner who planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a winepress in it and built a watchtower. Then he rented the vineyard to some farmers and moved to another place. 34 When the harvest time approached, he sent his servants to the tenants to collect his fruit.
35 “The tenants seized his servants; they beat one, killed another, and stoned a third. 36 Then he sent other servants to them, more than the first time, and the tenants treated them the same way. 37 Last of all, he sent his son to them. ‘They will respect my son,’ he said.
38 “But when the tenants saw the son, they said to each other, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him and take his inheritance.’ 39 So they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.
40 “Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?”
41 “He will bring those wretches to a wretched end,” they replied, “and he will rent the vineyard to other tenants, who will give him his share of the crop at harvest time.”
42 Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures:
“‘The stone the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone;
the Lord has done this,
and it is marvelous in our eyes’[a]?
43 “Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit. 44 Anyone who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces, but anyone on whom it falls will be crushed.”
45 When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard Jesus’ parables, they knew he was talking about them. 46 They looked for a way to arrest him, but they were afraid of the crowd because the people held that he was a prophet.
Reflection
As Israel prepared for the final judgment, they were asked to take the blood of a lamb and spread it over the doorframes of their houses. When the Angel of Death came at night, the Angel would pass over the homes with blood covering their doorframes.
Through the blood of many lambs, the first-born children of Israel where saved from the Angel of Death. In turn, the people of God were also set free from the oppressive slavery that they had been under for over 400 years.
Fast forward to the time of Jesus: the Son of God stands among the people of God telling a parable. Jesus speaks of a landowner whom has a vineyard that he rents to farmers who are to care for his crop. The farmers first kill off the landowners’ servants, and then finally the landowners’ son in hopes of stealing the landowners land for themselves.
This parable is all about the people of God. In the parable, the Jewish people are the farmers whom have been given a vineyard by God, the landowner. God sends multiple prophets and kings to tell the nation of Israel to give back to God for what he had given them. Yet the Jewish people refuse to follow and worship God.
Finally God sends his Son, thinking that the people of God will respect him, yet they do not. Jesus knows that his fate will be the same as the prophets and kings that came before him. Jesus knows that he will be killed as he urges the people of God to worship the God who gave them their land.
It is for this reason that the gospel, the Kingdom of God, is opened up to those who are not Jewish. His own people rejected Jesus so that he might become a sacrifice for the whole world, “to Jews first and then to Gentiles” (Romans 1:16).
When Jesus is killed, he becomes like the lambs that Israel used to cover their doorframes on the night of Passover. He becomes the one who saves us from Death and slavery.
That is why we hope in him. Just as the Psalmist writes, “May your unfailing love be with us, LORD, even as we put our hope in you.” As we hope in him, God is the one who not only saves us from “sin” but saves us from death and slavery!
Questions
1. Why did Moses have the nation of Israel put the blood of lambs over their doorframes?
2. How does this action save Israel from death and slavery?
3. In Matthew 21:33-46, Jesus tells a parable about a landowner and farmers. Who is the landowner and who are the farmers in this parable?
4. What is Jesus saying to the Jews of his time through this parable?
5. How is Jesus like the Passover lamb?
6. What about this fact helps you place your hope in Jesus?
7. What are you still a slave to? What do you need Jesus to rescue you from?
8. Pray for each other.
Thursday, March 1, 2012
God & Trials
Psalm 31:21-24
21 Praise be to the LORD,
for he showed me the wonders of his love
when I was in a city under siege.
22 In my alarm I said,
“I am cut off from your sight!”
Yet you heard my cry for mercy
when I called to you for help.
when I was in a city under siege.
22 In my alarm I said,
“I am cut off from your sight!”
Yet you heard my cry for mercy
when I called to you for help.
23 Love the LORD, all his faithful people!
The LORD preserves those who are true to him,
but the proud he pays back in full.
24 Be strong and take heart,
all you who hope in the LORD.
The LORD preserves those who are true to him,
but the proud he pays back in full.
24 Be strong and take heart,
all you who hope in the LORD.
There is real beauty in this passage of Scripture. So often we find ourselves in these situations where God seems absent. A bad grade, a college rejection letter, a bad day at work, being laid off, debt piling up. We may feel like these high walls are surrounding us and threaten our lives on a constant basis.
Most of us with any amount of real-world experience can say that, on the other end of a trail, you can expect to find a lesson. Going through hardships is a part of life (a bigger one for some than for others), and when the hardship is over and done with, we come out wiser on the other side.
I see the writer of this Psalm confessing this to his readers; he was fearful at the time, and rejoiced as God saved him. Before the saving however, we see that God was observing the writer while he was trapped in a sieged city. God let him get to that point. The writer believed he was alone. But the writer begs us to learn from his life lesson: God is not gone just because he is allowing you to experience hardship. We are stubborn creatures as humans, and true to form, sometimes the only way we can truly learn a lesson is to suffer. Like a child and a hot stove; a parent could say to the child over and over to stay away from it, but sometimes the child can't learn until it burns its hand.
What encouragement the writer gives us in verses 23-24! He shows us how wise it is to trust in the Lord and how foolish it is to trust in our own abilities. When we are struggling, we tend to rely on ourselves more than anyone or anything else. This shows that trusting in God when those walls are rising high around you is truly the wisest thing we can do as His people.
As you finish this week with your family, may God give you the strength and foresight to see that, on the other side of whatever trial you may be experiencing, wisdom waits for you. God is not gone, He is lovingly watching you with Father's eyes. Trust in His grace and plan.
Reflection Quests:
- What was the last trial that you felt alone in?
- How did God end up being present in that trial?
- How does this passage relate to your current state in life?
- How has God taught you things through trials?
- Why is it difficult to rely on God sometimes?
- What can we do to remind ourselves to rely on God in the midst of trials?
- Pray together that God would be at the center of your lives as a family, and that He would be who you rely on daily.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)