Week
of 8 Pentecost B
This is a Three-Year Lectionary based on the Lutheran Book of
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Day..." (Propers), p. 13-41, Augsburg Publishing House, Minneapolis,
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Podcast Download: Week of 8 Pentecost B
Sunday
8 Pentecost B
First Posted July
26, 2009;
Podcast: Sunday 8 Pentecost B
Amos 7:10-15 -- God’s Call upon Amos;
Psalm 85:8-13 -- God’s Promise of Salvation;
Ephesians 1:3-14 -- The Gospel of Salvation;
Mark 6:7-13 -- Jesus Commissions his Disciples;
Amos Paraphrase:
Amaziah, priest of
Bethel, sent a message to Jeroboam, king of Israel (the Northern
Kingdom of the Divided Monarchy), telling him that Amos was
plotting and speaking against him. Amos had prophesied that
Jeroboam would be killed by the sword, and Israel will go from the
land into exile.
Amaziah told Amos
to escape to Judah (the Southern Kingdom) to live and prophesy
there, but not to prophesy anymore in Bethel (the temple and
palace city of the Northern Kindom). Amos replied that he had not
been a professional prophet. He had been a herdsman and harvester
of Sycamore fruit, until the Lord called him to prophesy to God's
people in Israel.
Psalm Paraphrase:
Listen to what the Lord will speak; to his people, his saints (those who are consecrated to serve God; believers in Jesus Christ), to those who turn to the Lord with their whole hearts, the Lord will speak peace. For those who fear (have appropriate awe and respect for the power and authority of) God, their salvation is at hand, that glory (honor, dignity; the perfect righteousness of God) may fill our land.
“Steadfast love and faithfulness will meet; righteousness and peace will kiss each other; Faithfulness will spring up from the ground and righteousness will look down from the sky” (Psalm 85:10-11). The Lord will bless us with every good thing and our land will yield an abundant harvest. He will lead us in righteousness.
Ephesians
Paraphrase:
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord
Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual
blessing in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 1:3). From the
very beginning of Creation, God chose us in Christ to be holy and
blameless. In love he intended for us to be his sons and
daughters, through Jesus Christ, as a free gift.
In Jesus we have the complete forgiveness of
all our sins, through the blood of Jesus’ sacrifice on the Cross,
and we have been redeemed from sin and eternal death. Our
salvation is a lavish and costly gift which God has freely given
us. God has revealed the mystery of his will, in wisdom and
insight, according to God’s purpose which he established in Christ
to be fulfilled “in the fullness of time,” to unite all things in
heaven and earth through Jesus Christ.
Mark Paraphrase:
After his disciples had been with Jesus for a
while and had learned his message and witnessed his miracles,
Jesus called the Twelve whom he named apostles (“messengers;”
meaning “sent; Luke 6:13) and sent them out with authority to heal
spiritual and physical illness. Jesus told them not to take any
provisions; any food, money, or extra clothes. When they arrived
in a community they were to enter one house (as invited) and to
stay there as long as they remained in that community.
Jeroboam II was King of the Northern Kingdom,
the Kingdom of Israel, in the time of Amos. Jeroboam (Jeroboam I,
the son of Nebat, was the first king of the Northern Kingdom), who
had rebelled and split from the original kingdom approved by God,
after the death of King Solomon, and had established idolatrous
worship of a golden calf at Bethel, which Jeroboam II continued (2
Kings 14:24). Amaziah was the chief priest at Bethel,
presiding over a spurious, corrupt religion. The Northern
Kingdom retained the name, but not the political or religious
legitimacy of Israel. The Southern Kingdom of Judah was the
spiritual remnant of Israel, carrying on the legitimate monarchy
and religion, and it became the actual remnant of Israel following
the destruction of the Northern Kingdom by Assyria.
Amos was not a “professional” prophet. He
hadn’t been discipled by a prophet. Amos had been a herdsman and
tree-trimmer, which are menial occupations. Amos heard God’s call
and he responded in obedient trust. He declared God’s Word at
Bethel, against the King of the Northern Kingdom of the ten tribes
of Israel. Amos prophesied Jeroboam’s death and the fall and exile
of the Northern Kingdom.
Amos’ proclamation of God’s Word offended the
political and religious leaders of the Northern Kingdom. The chief
priest informed the king that Amos was “conspiring” against them,
and kicked Amos out of the “sanctuary” and the “kingdom,” telling
him to go to the Southern Kingdom, Judah, and earn his living
prophesying there.
Commentary:
The King of the Northern Kingdom died. (The
last king of the Northern Kingdom was Hoshea, who was imprisoned
by King Shalmaneser of Assyria, at the fall of Samaria.) The ten
tribes of the Northern Kingdom were conquered and carried off into
captivity by the Assyrians, and the Northern Kingdom and the ten
tribes ceased to exist because of the Assyrian practice of
deporting conquered people to other conquered territories. Those
of the Northern Kingdom who escaped deportation were intermingled
with non-Jewish exiles brought in by the Assyrians and became the
Samaritans, of mixed race and religion.
God’s Word is Good News (the Gospel) for God’s
People, who trust and obey God. They will listen attentively to
God’s Word, because it is peace and salvation for them. God’s
salvation of his people will establish a kingdom of steadfast love
and faithfulness, peace, and righteousness. God will bless and
prosper them. Jesus is the righteousness of God, who has gone
before us to show us the way (John 14:6). Jesus is the Word of
God, fulfilled, embodied and exemplified (John 1;1-5, 14).
Jesus Christ has been God’s only plan for us
from the very beginning of Creation (John 1:1-5, 14). Every
spiritual blessing in Heaven is received only through faith
(obedient trust) in Jesus Christ. God has designed Creation so
that we have freedom to choose whether to trust and obey him or
not. God has given us the opportunity to seek him and come to
personal knowledge of, and fellowship with, him, and this is only
possible through faith in Jesus (John 14:6).
God has given us the opportunity to learn, by trial and error, to trust and obey him. He has designed Creation so that we are all guilty of sin (disobedience of God’s Word), that the penalty for sin is (eternal) death, and that none are worthy of forgiveness. God offers forgiveness and salvation from eternal condemnation and eternal death by God’s grace (free gift; unmerited favor) through faith (obedient trust) in Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:8-9; see God’s Plan of Salvation, sidebar, top right, home).
God has intended from the beginning of Creation
to establish an eternal kingdom of his people who willingly trust
and obey him. God has revealed the mystery of his plan, at
precisely the right time, in the birth, death and resurrection of
Jesus Christ. Those who have heard the Gospel of salvation through
faith in Jesus Christ and have trusted and obeyed, are anointed
and filled with the promised gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit,
“which is the guarantee of our inheritance” (of eternal life in
the Kingdom of God; Ephesians 1:14) until we receive it.
Jesus called his disciples to follow him, and
as they responded and followed him he taught them his message, and
commissioned them to proclaim his message and heal the spiritual
illnesses of the people. Physical healing was intended to reveal
the need and possibility of spiritual healing, and also concern
for all the needs of people. As Jesus’ disciples trusted and
obeyed his command, they were guided and empowered to accomplish
his mission.
In many ways, America (and other “Christian”
nations) and the (nominal) Church, particularly in America, are in
the identical situation of the Northern Kingdom of Israel in the
time of Amos. The official political and religious establishments
are in rebellion against what God has “sanctioned.’ But they
consider themselves “worthy” of God’s favor because of their
support of the “rituals” of religion. Are we willing to hear God’s
Word when it is critical of us? Are we willing to repent of our
rebellion and disobedience, and return to obedient trust in the
Lord?
Have we been listening for God’s Word? Have we
been willing to be his disciples? Have we been willing to declare
God’s Word, even when it was not “popular?” Are we willing to go
out into the world preaching repentance (turning from disobedience
of God’s Word) and offering spiritual healing?
Monday 8 Pentecost B
First Posted July 27, 2009;
Podcast: Monday 8 Pentecost B
Psalm 23 -- Assurance of God’s Providence;
Paraphrase:
Those who allow the Lord to be their shepherd
can be assured that he will provide for their needs. He will
provide their physical food and drink and will also nourish and
sustain them spiritually.
Those who are led by him will be guided and
enabled to do what is right in God’s judgment, so that the name of
the Lord will be glorified.
Though we travel through valleys of spiritual
darkness and physical death, we need not fear any evil, because
the Lord is with us to protect and guide us through to the other
side.
The Lord has prepared a table of feasting and
victory, in the presence of our enemies. The Lord anoints us with
the oil of joy, approval and salvation. Our “cup,” our destiny,
overflows with goodness. We can be sure that goodness and mercy
will be poured out to us all the days of our physical lives, and
that we will dwell for all eternity in the house of the Lord.
Commentary:
This psalm is one attributed to David, the
shepherd boy who became the great king of Israel. Jesus is the Son
of David, his descendent (Matthew 1:1-17), who is the eternal heir
to the throne of David. Jesus is the “good shepherd” (John
10:11-15) who laid down his life for the “sheep” at the Cross.
Jesus is the name of the Lord that we glorify
by trusting and obeying Jesus and doing good works which God
intends for us to accomplish [Ephesians 2:(8-9) 10]. During Jesus’
earthly ministry, he healed the sick, fed the hungry, and raised
the dead, physically and spiritually. His miracles of physical
providence were intended to reveal our need and his ability to
provide for our spiritual nurture and healing.
In the Old Testament, olive oil was used
by the priest to anoint the king as a symbol of God’s approval.
Oil was also used as a healing ointment for the sick. “Born-again”
(John 3:3, 5-8) Christian disciples are “anointed” with the Holy
Spirit, by their great king and high priest, Jesus Christ (Hebrews
4:14-15). Only Jesus baptizes (anoints) with the Holy Spirit (John
1:31-34), only his disciples who trust and obey Jesus (John
14:15-17). The Holy Spirit is the seal and guarantee that one is
in Christ and has eternal life (2 Corinthians 1:22; Ephesians
1:13-14; Romans 8:9b, 11, 15-16).
The indwelling Holy Spirit is a very present
help in time of trouble, reassuring us, guiding and carrying us
through, and assuring us, in the valley of physical death, of
resurrection to eternal life .
The Lord has prepared a table of feasting and
victory in this world, in the presence of our physical and
spiritual enemies; it is the Lord’s Supper; the Eucharist; Holy
Communion. Through our participation, he nourishes and sustains us
spiritually, and we are assured that it is a foretaste of the
Communion feast which we will share with Jesus in his eternal
kingdom (Luke 22:14-16).
The cup of wine is a symbol of celebration, but
in the Lord’s Supper it is also the spiritual blood of Jesus shed
on the Cross as a sacrifice to God for our sins. Jews were
forbidden to consume blood, because it was believed to contain the
spirit, the life-force, of the animal. God does not want us to be
filled with the spirits of animals but with his Holy Spirit.
Christians are not guaranteed that everything
will be easy for them, and that they will not face troubles in
this world, but we can be assured that the Lord will bless us,
even in the midst of troubles, and bring us through them to
eternal life.
Tuesday 8 Pentecost B
First Posted July 28, 2009;
Podcast: Tuesday 8 Pentecost B
Jeremiah 23:1-6 -- Woe to Unfaithful Shepherds;
Paraphrase:
Woe to shepherds, the political and spiritual
leaders of God’s people, who destroy and scatter them. Those
unfaithful shepherds, who have not properly cared for God’s people
will be judged and punished by God. The Lord himself will gather
his people from all the countries where they have been driven. The
Lord will bring them back to their “fold,” and they will be
fruitful and multiply. The Lord will appoint shepherds over them
who will properly care for them. They will no longer fear or be
dismayed, and none shall be missing.
The Lord declares that he will raise up a
righteous branch from the descendants of David (the great
shepherd-king), who will reign as king, who will govern wisely and
establish justice and righteousness in the land. “In his days
Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely." In him we
will know that the Lord is our righteousness.
Commentary:
Christian nations, particularly America, and
the Church, particularly in America, are each the “New Israel,”
the “New People of God,” the “New Promised Land.” Our political
and spiritual leaders will be accountable to God for their care
and treatment of God’s People. In too many instances the civil and
religious leaders are pursuing their own self-interest instead of
providing the care of God’s people that God desires. Many of our
political leaders exploit the people to enrich themselves. Many of
our spiritual leaders build “buildings” and make “members” instead
of making disciples and building them up spiritually.
Jesus is the righteous branch, the descendant
of David, the heir to David’s throne, God’s “anointed” (Christ and
Messiah mean “anointed” in Greek and Hebrew respectively) eternal
king. Jesus is the “Good Shepherd” (John 10:11-15). Jesus is the
shepherd who seeks the lost and straying “sheep” and brings them
into the heavenly “fold” of God’s eternal kingdom. Jesus is the
Savior of Judah, the remnant of God’s People.
Jesus is the one who fulfills God’s promise of
the Lord who has become our righteousness (compare Romans 3:21-26;
10:3-4). Jesus is the righteousness of God manifested in human
form, and we who trust and obey Jesus have become righteous in
God’s judgment, not on our own “works” but by “faith” (obedient
trust) in Jesus Christ.
Wednesday 8 Pentecost B
First Posted July 29, 2009;
Podcast: Wednesday 8 Pentecost B
Ephesians 2:13-22 -- Unity in Christ;
Paraphrase:
At one time Israel was God’s favored people
through the Old Covenant of the Law of Moses; through them he
brought forth his Son, Jesus Christ. Now the blood sacrifice of
Jesus on the Cross has initiated a New Covenant of Grace
(unmerited favor; free gift) through faith (obedient trust) in
Jesus, through whom all people, Jew and Gentile, become his
forgiven and saved (from eternal condemnation and eternal death)
people.
Jesus is our peace, between Jew and Gentile and
between us and God. Jew and Gentile are one with God and each
other through Jesus Christ by his indwelling Holy Spirit. The Old
Covenant of Law was a dividing wall of hostility between Jew and
Gentile, but the New Covenant of Grace unites rather than
dividing. Through Jesus’ flesh, he has replaced the Old Covenant,
with a new and better one, including and uniting all people, Jew
and Gentile, into one body, the Church. So we are all reconciled
to God and each other through Jesus’ Cross.
Jesus came preaching peace to Jews and
Gentiles. Through Jesus both Jews and Gentiles have access to God
through the one Holy Spirit. So both Jew and Gentile are fellow
citizens of God’s eternal kingdom and members of the household of
God, the Church, which has been built upon the foundation of the
apostles and the prophets (the New Testament and the Old Testament
scriptures) and Christ is the cornerstone which unites and holds
the Church together, growing into a holy temple to the Lord.
Christians are “born-again” (John 3:3, 5-8) disciples, who have
been filled with the Holy Spirit, and we are built into the Church
(like “living stones;” 1 Peter 2:5 RSV), together becoming the
“dwelling place of God in the Spirit” (Ephesians 2:22).
Commentary:
The Church is not physical buildings; The Holy
Spirit, the Spirit of Christ, the Spirit of God (Romans 8:9),
dwells within each believer and together they become the temple of
the Lord. The Church is founded upon the Bible, the Word of God.
The Old Testament prophesies the coming of the
Messiah (Christ; both mean “anointed” by God), the Savior (Matthew
1:21) promised by God to save us from our sin (disobedience of
God’s Word; Romans 3:23; 1 John 1:8-10). The New Testament is the
eyewitness testimony of the Apostles, the “messengers” of the
Gospel of Jesus Christ, chosen and discipled and commissioned by
Jesus, and the record of the founding of the Christian Church.
Jesus is the fulfillment of God’s Word in the Old Testament
scripture, and the embodiment and demonstration of God’s Word in
human flesh (John 1:1-5, 14).
Paul (originally known as Saul of Tarsus), the
author of the letter to the Ephesians, is the first modern,
“post-resurrection,” “born-again” disciple and apostle of Jesus
Christ. He first encountered the risen and ascended Jesus on the
road to Damascus (Acts 9:1-20). Paul was “convicted” by the Holy
Spirit on the Damascus road, repented and became obedient to Jesus
(Acts 9:8-9), was discipled by a born-again” Christian disciple,
Ananias (Acts 9:10-17), was “baptized” (anointed; filled) with the
indwelling Holy Spirit (Acts 9:17-18), and was led by the Spirit
to proclaim the Gospel message (Acts 9:19b-20). He was as much an
Apostle as the original Eleven (the Twelve minus Judas, the
betrayer) and was accepted by them as such (Acts 15:6-29).
Paul is the example of what the Church should
be doing. Paul was discipled until he had received the indwelling
Holy Spirit (Acts 9:10-18; Luke 24:49; Acts 1:4-5, 8). Then he
went out into the world proclaiming the message of the Gospel,
teaching people to trust and obey Jesus, and making “born-again”
disciples of Jesus Christ (Matthew 28:18-20), and teaching them to
do likewise (2 Timothy 1:6-7; 2:2). How are we doing, Church?
The Holy Spirit is the seal and guarantee that
one is in Christ and has eternal life (2 Corinthians 1:22;
Ephesians 1:13-14; Romans 8:9b, 11, 15-16). It is possible for
oneself to know with certainty, for oneself, whether one has
received the indwelling Holy Spirit (Acts 19:2). Only Jesus gives
the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit (John 1:31-34), only to his
disciples who trust and obey Jesus (John 14-15-17)
Thursday 8 Pentecost B
First Posted July 30, 2009;
Podcast: Thursday 8 Pentecost B
Mark 6:30-34 -- Sheep Without a Shepherd;
Paraphrase:
Jesus had sent his Disciples out as “apostles”
(“messengers;” of the Gospel). When they returned to him, they
told him all that they had done and taught. Jesus took them by
boat off to an uninhabited place (perhaps the northwestern shore
of the Sea of Galilee), but people saw them leave and guessed
where they were heading. The people ran there on the shore, and a
great crowd was waiting for Jesus and his disciples when they
landed. Jesus saw them, “and he had compassion on them, because
they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach
them many things” (Mark 6:34).
Commentary:
Jesus’ disciples had been with him for a
considerable time, day and night. They had learned Jesus’ message,
had gotten to know Jesus’ character, and had experienced Jesus’
miracles. Jesus commissioned them to go and carry on his message
and ministry, as an “internship.” Jesus was preparing them to
carry on his ministry after Jesus’ death, resurrection, and
ascension into heaven.
When they returned, Jesus wanted to give them
some time to rest and relax. Large crowds were constantly seeking
Jesus, and they had no time by themselves even to eat. When the
crowds saw Jesus and his disciples leaving by boat, they guessed
where they were going and were waiting for them when they arrived.
Jesus cared for the needs of people. He wanted
to help his disciples rest and relax, but he also cared for the
spiritual and physical needs of the people who came to him. He
managed to feed the people spiritually through his teaching, and
physically through the multiplication of bread and fish (Mark
6:35-44). And his disciples had some time to relax.
Today there is a great spiritual need in
America and throughout the world. Jesus is the only one who can
satisfy that need, but are people seeking Jesus? Many people seem
to be seeking spiritual fulfillment in everything and everyone but
Jesus.
At the time of Jesus’ physical ministry, the
spiritual leaders of Israel at the time were cooperating with the
pagan Roman government. They thought it was in their best interest
to go along with the secular leaders. Instead of serving God and
providing spiritual healing and nurture for the people, the
religious leaders were using their positions in Judaism to further
their own interests. Judaism had become a “religion” of
“tradition” and the “precepts of men” (Mark 7:5-9), instead of a
relationship with Almighty God. Instead of recognizing Jesus as
the Messiah (“Christ”), the fulfillment of God’s Word, they
rejected and crucified him.
America (and other “Christian” nations) and the
Church, at least in America, are in a similar position today.
America and the Church are each “the New Promised Land;” The New
Israel;” the “New People of God;” the “New Jerusalem.” Our people
are like sheep without a shepherd.
Our political leaders are cooperating with the
secular “status quo.” The ultimate present world ruler is Satan,
who in Jesus’ day was symbolized by Rome. Our Church leaders are
more concerned with building “buildings” and making “members,”
than making disciples and equipping and sending them into our
world to offer spiritual healing and nurture. Christian ministry
is too often a “career choice,” instead of a call guided and
empowered by the Holy Spirit. If churches don’t make “born-again”
(John 3:3, 5-8) disciples, where are the “born-again” “apostles”
going to come from?
Jesus has demonstrated the mission of the
Church. Jesus had taught his disciples the message, and they had
gotten to know Jesus personally before Jesus sent them out in
ministry, and that ministry was an “internship,” while Jesus was
still with them. When he gave them the commission to carry on his
ministry (Matthew 28:18-20), he also commanded them not to leave
“Jerusalem” until they had been filled with gift of the indwelling
Holy Spirit (Luke 24:49; Acts 1 4-5, 8). They obeyed (Acts
1:12-14), and they received the promised Holy Spirit (Acts 2:1-13)
and began to carry on Jesus’ mission (Acts 2:14-42).
The Church is to make disciples, teaching them
until they receive the indwelling Holy Spirit, before sending them
out in ministry. Only Jesus “baptizes” with the gift of the
indwelling Holy Spirit (John 1:31-34), only his disciples who
trust and obey Jesus (John 14:15-17). The Holy Spirit is the seal
and guarantee that one is in Christ and has eternal life (2
Corinthians 1:22; Ephesians 1:13-14; Romans 8:9b, 11, 15-16).
Jesus has promised to return on the Day of
Judgment to judge all who have ever lived on earth. Those who have
trusted and obeyed Jesus will receive eternal life in Heaven with
the Lord; those who have rejected and disobeyed Jesus will receive
eternal destruction and eternal death in Hell with all evil,
separated eternally from God and everything good (Matthew
25:31-46; 2 Thessalonians 1:5-10). Are we any more ready for
Jesus’ return than the Jews were ready for Jesus’ first advent
(coming)?
Friday 8 Pentecost B
First Posted July 31, 2009;
Podcast: Friday 8 Pentecost B
Jeremiah 23:16-29 -- False Prophets;
Paraphrase:
The Lord warns us not to listen to prophets who
prophesy according to their own hearts and imagination, and not
from the Lord. They offer vain hope. They say to the wicked that
it will be well with them; they tell the stubborn and disobedient
that no evil will come upon them.
Anyone who has really been in the council of
the Lord, who has listened and given heed to his Word knows that
the Day of the Lord is coming; a great storm of God’s wrath is
about to burst upon the wicked. God’s wrath will not end before
God has accomplished his will. When it happens you will know it
clearly.
The false prophets were not sent by God, but
they hurried to prophesy, though God had not spoken to them. If
these false prophets had been in God’s council, they would have
proclaimed God’s Word, and God’s people would have turned from
evil.
God is close at hand, but he is also far off. A
person cannot hide himself from God. God fills heaven and earth.
God is aware of false prophets who claim that their dreams are
visions from God. How long will the Lord tolerate prophets who
tell lies and false dreams to his people and cause them to forget
the name (the whole character and person) of God, as their fathers
forgot the Lord for Baal (a Canaanite false god; an “idol”)?
Let the (false) prophet who has a dream tell
his dream and the (true) prophet who has God’s Word declare it
faithfully. The comparison will be like straw compared to wheat.
God’s Word is also like a (consuming) fire, and like a hammer
smashing rocks to pieces.
Commentary:
A prophet is one who speaks the Word of God.
Prophecy is not primarily a foretelling of the future; it is the
proclamation of God’s Word. It is the fact that it is truly God’s
Word, which is eternally true, which results in what is prophesied
being fulfilled. In fact, the test of prophecy is whether it is
fulfilled or not (Deuteronomy 18:21-22).
An important distinction is that the outcome of
God’s Word depends upon our acceptance or rejection of it. For
example, God’s Word prophesied the exile of Judah to Babylon, but
if the prophecy had been received and led Judah to repent and
return to obedient trust in the Lord the exile could have been
avoided, right up to the moment that Judah fell to the Chaldeans
(see Jeremiah 38:17-23; 39:4-8).
Throughout the history of God’s People, there
have been false prophets contradicting God’s Word. In the Garden
of Eden, it was the serpent, who tempted Eve to go against God’s
Word (Genesis 3:1-7), and she and Adam lost eternal life in
paradise with the Lord (Genesis 3:17-24).
Jeremiah was a prophet of the Lord, in Judah,
the Southern Kingdom of the divided monarchy. Judah had witnessed
the fall and end of the Northern Kingdom of Israel by the
Assyrians (722/721 B.C.*), as punishment of their disobedience of
God’s Word and their idolatry, but Judah, the remnant of Israel,
didn’t learn from the lesson of the Northern Kingdom.
Judah was disobedient to God’s Word and
idolatrous at the time of Jeremiah, who warned them of the coming
Day of the Lord, when they would be exiled to Babylon for seventy
years (a virtual death sentence for adults at the time of the
deportation; Jeremiah 25:1-14). Jeremiah was opposed by the
religious and political leaders of Judah, who took assurance from
false prophets (see Jeremiah 28:1-14).
They failed to learn from the demise of the
Northern Kingdom and refused to heed the warning of the true
prophet of the Lord, and the result was that they were conquered
by King Nebuchadrezzar (Nebuchadnezzar) of Chaldea and deported to
Babylon for seventy years, from the destruction of Solomon’s
Temple to the rededication of the Second Temple (587-516 B.C.)**
Israel and Judaism were led by unfaithful
“shepherds” at the time of Jesus’ physical ministry. Jesus is the
fulfillment, embodiment and exemplification of God’s Word (John
1:1-3, 14), but was opposed by the religious and political rulers
of Israel, and the same situation exists in the world,
particularly in America and the American Church today.
There are many false “Christs” and false
prophets in the world today (Matthew 24:24). The Apostle Paul told
Timothy whom Paul had discipled, “For the time is coming when
people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears
they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own
likings, and turn away from the truth and wander into myths” (2
Timothy 4:3-4). That time is here now!
There are many examples today of spiritual
teachers who give false assurances, instead of calling people to
repent and return to obedient trust in God’s Word. The only way to
protect ourselves from false teachers and false prophets is to
read and know God’s Word for ourselves. Any average reader can
easily read the entire Bible in one year. Set aside a regular time
each day to pray, read and meditate on God’s word (see Free
Bible-Study Tools, sidebar, top right), and make it a habit. Don’t
put it off.
Is Jesus your Lord (Matthew 7:21-23; Luke
6:46)? Are you Jesus' disciple (John 8:31)? Are you trusting and
obeying Jesus (John 14:21)? Have you received the indwelling Holy
Spirit since you first truly believed (Acts 19:2)? Are you making
disciples of Jesus Christ and teaching them to obey all that Jesus
commands (Matthew 28:18-20)? Do you know with certainty where you
will spend eternity (1 John 5:11-13; Ephesians 1:13-14)?
*Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible, David Noel Freedman, “Samaria,” p. 1158, William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., Grand Rapids Michigan, 2000, ISBN 0-8020-2400-5
**ibid. “Jerusalem Temple,” p 1282
Saturday 8 Pentecost B
First Posted August 1, 2009;
Podcast: Saturday 8 Pentecost B
Matthew 7:15-21 -- Beware of False Prophets;
Paraphrase:
Jesus warns us to beware of false prophets. They’re like ravenous wolves disguised to look like “sheep.” The test of their authenticity is what they produce. As good trees produce good fruit, and bad trees produce evil fruit, so also prophets (and all people) are known by the “fruit” they produce. Bad trees are cut down and burned. So we will all be known by our “fruit.”
Jesus warns, “Not every one who says to me ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my father who is in heaven” (Matthew 7:21).
Commentary:
There are many false prophets and false teachers in the world today, even within the (nominal) “Church.” What they say and teach sounds appealing, but how does it compare to God’s Word?
There are two examples of false teachings in the “Church” today, which were present in the “First-Century,” “New Testament” Church, and which are refuted in the Bible (see False Teachings, sidebar, top right, home).
One is called “Cheap Grace;”* the doctrine that we are saved by (God’s) grace (unmerited favor; free gift) without the requirements of obedience and discipleship. The other is the opposite extreme, “works-righteousness;” the teaching that we must “earn” our salvation by doing “good deeds.”
In the New Testament Church, the Apostle Paul rebuked the Corinthian congregation for practicing “cheap grace,”* (1 Corinthians 5 & 6, for example). On the other hand he opposed the “circumcision party,” Jewish Christians who wanted to require that Gentile Christians keep the Jewish Laws, such as circumcision (Acts 15:1-21).
The Biblical doctrine of Salvation is summarized in Ephesians 2:8-10: “For by grace (unmerited favor) you are saved through faith (obedient trust; in Jesus Christ); and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God -not because of works, lest any [one] should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in (i.e., do) them.
Unless we have read the Bible completely, we have no basis for discerning truth from false teaching. Unless we read the Bible daily, with prayer and meditation, we have no way of knowing God’s will for us individually and personally. It is not those who call themselves “Christian,” and it is not those who hear God’s Word, who are saved from eternal condemnation, but those who read and apply God’s Word in their lives daily.
Knowing God’s Word is not difficult; it doesn’t require years of collegiate “post-graduate” scholarship. God wants us to know and understand God’s Word. If we seek his will, with the intention of doing it, he will reveal it to us. He will open our minds to understand the scriptures (Luke 24:45).
Any average reader can easily read the entire Bible in one year. That is the place to start studying the Bible, and also establishing a habit of daily Bible-reading with prayer and meditation. There are a number of one-year plans available; see “Free Bible Study Tools,” sidebar, top right, home.
Is Jesus your Lord (Matthew 7:21-23; Luke 6:46)? Are you Jesus' disciple (John 8:31)? Are you trusting and obeying Jesus (John 14:21)? Have you received the indwelling Holy Spirit since you first truly believed (Acts 19:2)? Are you making disciples of Jesus Christ and teaching them to obey all that Jesus commands (Matthew 28:18-20)? Do you know with certainty where you will spend eternity (1 John 5:11-13; Ephesians 1:13-14)?
*See: The Cost of Discipleship, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Collier Books, Macmillan Publishing Co., NY 1963 ISBN 0-02-083850-6
