Week
of 14 Pentecost - B
This is a Three-Year Lectionary based on the Lutheran Book of
Worship 3-year Lectionary (for public worship), "Prayers of the
Day..." (Propers), p. 13-41, Augsburg Publishing House, Minneapolis,
1978. It is based, with only minor variations, on the Revised Common
Lectionary, used by many denominations, including the Episcopal,
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and:
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The daily readings are the Propers (Lections) for the following
Sunday, so that the daily devotions can prepare us for worship.
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Church of America, General Rubrics VIII. Scripture lessons for
Matins and Vespers, p. 299 - 304, Philadelphia, 1918.
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Podcast Download: Week of 14 Pentecost - B
Sunday
14 Pentecost - B
First Posted
September 6, 2009;
Podcast: Sunday 14 Pentecost - B
Joshua 24:1-2a, 14-18 -- Renewing the Covenant;
Psalm 34:15-22 -- The Reward of Faith;
Ephesians 5:21-31 -- Following Jesus;
John 6:60-69 -- Faithful Disciples;
Joshua Paraphrase:
Joshua had led Israel into the Promised Land
and they had driven out the Canaanites and had secured the land.
Now, at the end of Joshua’s life, he summoned the leaders and the
people to recommit to the Covenant with the Lord established at
Mt. Sinai (Exodus 19:1-20:20). Israel had experienced the
fulfillment of the promises of the Covenant, and Joshua called
them to choose definitely whether to trust and obey God’s Word, or
not. If they chose to serve the Lord they must no longer live
according to their former lives in Egypt, and were no longer to
serve idols, neither the idols of Egypt nor the idols of the
Amorites, the native inhabitants of the Promised Land.
Psalm Paraphrase:
The Psalmist, David, the great shepherd-king of
Israel, personally experienced the Lord’s mercy and faithfulness,
and testified that the Lord blesses, protects and delivers the
righteous, those who live according to God’s Word, but opposes and
thwarts those who do what is evil and wicked according to God’s
Word. Those who practice evil will be destroyed by it, but the
prayer of the righteous for deliverance is heard and answered. The
Lord favors the poor, the brokenhearted, and oppressed.
The Psalmist’s prophetic statement that the
Lord keeps all the bones of the righteous unbroken (Psalm 34:20;
compare John 19:36), and redeems the life of his servants (Psalm
34:22) was fulfilled in Jesus Christ, the example of perfect
righteousness and obedience to God’s Word. Although Jesus was
mocked and treated shamefully at his Crucifixion, his trust in
God’s Word was vindicated in his resurrection from physical death.
Ephesians Paraphrase:
Paul was “discipling” the Ephesians, in
fulfillment of Jesus’ Great Commission which he gave to his
disciples who, after they had been “born-again” (John 3:3, 5-8;
Luke 24:49; Acts 1 4-5, 8), were to go into all the world and make
disciples of Jesus Christ, teaching them to obey all Jesus’
teachings (Matthew 28_19-20). Paul was teaching the Ephesian
Christians to follow the example and teaching of Jesus in their
daily lives, in their marriage relationships and with members of
the Church. The Church and its members are to be “sanctified;”
purified for God’s use through baptism of repentance by the
cleansing of water in faith (obedient trust) in God’s Word, and by
the infilling of the Holy Spirit which is the ultimate “baptism”
(“anointing”) and fulfillment of God’s Word in us, personally and
individually.
John Paraphrase:
Jesus had declared that he was the living bread
from heaven, and that we must partake of his flesh and blood in
order to have eternal life. In that time, his followers would have
understood that Jesus was describing a sacrificial feast. Many of
his followers were offended by this idea (consider Mark 8:31-33).
Jesus asked them, if they found that statement offensive, how
would they respond to seeing Jesus ascending into heaven?
Jesus declared that flesh is not eternal; it is
the (Holy) Spirit who gives life. Jesus was telling them spiritual
truths which give eternal life. But Jesus knew some did not
believe Jesus, and some would betray him. Faith is what God
accomplishes in us as we submit to him.
Many of Jesus’ followers stopped following him
after this. Jesus asked the Twelve if they would also fall away,
and Peter responded, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the
words of eternal life; and we have believed and have come to know
that you are the Holy One (the Messiah) of God” (John 6:69).
Commentary:
In a sense America and the Church (at least in
America) are each the New Promised Land, the New Israel, in the
political and religious senses. We have gotten where we are by the
blessing and providence of the Lord. Now is the time for us to
decide whether or not we are going to trust and obey God’s Word,
remembering what the Lord has done for us.
In too many instances we think that we can be
people of God and live in the Promised Land while disobeying God’s
Word and serving “idols.” Examples of modern “idols” are power,
money, success, pleasure, career, home, family, possessions, and
self. The Lord calls us this day to make a decision; we must
choose to trust and obey the Lord, or to live like the “Egyptians”
and ‘pagans.”
The Psalmist, David, testifies that the Lord
blesses and prospers those who trust and obey him, but punishes
those who reject and disobey God’s Word.
Paul taught Christians to trust and obey God’s
Word and to apply it in their daily lives.
The followers of Jesus took offense at Jesus’
claim to be the “bread of life” because they were not seeking
God’s will but their own. They wanted Jesus to provide free
physical bread. They wanted Jesus to be a political ruler rather
than a spiritual leader. Those who follow Jesus and trust and obey
his word will learn and come to know with certainty that Jesus’
word is spiritual truth and life (John 14:6).
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)?
Monday 14 Pentecost - B
First Posted September 7, 2009;
Podcast: Monday 14 Pentecost - B
Psalm 15 - Who will dwell in the
house of the Lord?
Paraphrase:
Who will dwell in the house of the Lord? Those
who do what is right in God’s judgment and live according to God’s
Word. God’s people are to speak what is true and sincere. We are
to avoid slandering or criticizing others. We will honor those who
fear the Lord, and not associate with or condone those who do what
is contrary to God’s Word. We are to keep our promises even when
changing circumstances make keeping them disadvantageous to us. We
are to be charitable and help those in need without seeking to
profit from it. We are not to pervert justice by giving, accepting
or condoning bribes.
Commentary
Church membership is not like having season
tickets to “religious entertainment,” or membership in a spiritual
“country-club.” The Church must require discipleship of its
members. The Church must require its members to conform to
biblical standards of a Christian lifestyle. It is not those who
call themselves “Christians” but those who are disciples of Jesus
Christ and do what Jesus commands who are members of Christ’s
body, the Church (Matthew 7:21-24; Luke 6:46).
The Lord has given us his Word, the Bible, so
that we can learn to live according to it and glorify and please
the Lord. The Church is the house of the Lord, his holy hill, on
earth, and foreshadows his eternal kingdom in heaven. Members of
the Church are to be “discipled” by “born-again” (John 3:3, 5-8)
disciples, learning to know and live according to the Word of God,
taught and exemplified by Jesus Christ, until the new disciples
are “born-again” by the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit (Luke
24:49; Acts 1:4-5, 8), and then the newly “born-again” disciples
are to repeat the process (2 Timothy 2:2).
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). It is possible for one to know with
certainty for oneself whether one has received the gift of the
indwelling Holy Spirit (Acts 19:2). 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).
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)?
Tuesday 14 Pentecost - B
First Posted September 8, 2009;
Podcast: Tuesday 14 Pentecost - B
Deuteronomy 4:1-2, 6-8 -- Appeal for Obedience;
Paraphrase:
As Israel was about to enter the Promised Land
to take possession of it, Moses reviewed the history of God’s
deliverance and providence. Moses warned them that obedience to
God’s Word was the requirement for life in the Promised Land. They
were warned not to add to or take away anything from the Word of
God.
Obedience of God’s people to his Word was to be
an example and testimony to the Gentiles around them of the
righteousness of God’s Word, and that the God of Israel was near
to the Israelites and powerful and faithful to help Israel when
they called upon him.
Commentary:
Obedience is still the requirement to live in
the “Promised Land” of God’s eternal kingdom, which begins in our
lifetime in the Church on earth. That doesn’t mean that we have to
become “Jews” and keep the laws of the “Old Covenant,” like
circumcision, or the dietary laws, or the sacrificial system.
The Old Covenant ended at Jesus’ crucifixion; Jesus initiated the “New Covenant” of Grace (unmerited favor; free gift) on the night of his betrayal. Jesus became the one and only sacrifice acceptable to God for our forgiveness and salvation from eternal condemnation. We receive that forgiveness and salvation through faith (obedient trust) in Jesus Christ.
Those who trust and obey Jesus receive the gift
of the indwelling Holy Spirit which only Jesus gives (John
1:31-34), only to his disciples who trust and obey Jesus (John
14:15-17). The Holy Spirit makes it possible for us to desire and
do what Jesus commands, and those who are obedient to the guidance
of the Holy Spirit are freed from the obligation to keep the Law.
We will do what the Law requires without the threat of eternal
punishment.
The Jews were never able to keep the entire
Law. Sacrifices were constantly required to atone for sin
(disobedience of God’s Word, the Law). If we attempt to be
righteous by keeping the Law of Moses, we will fail and be
condemned for eternity (Galatians 2:16; 5:4).
Christians need to read and know the entire
Bible, but we have to understand the Old Testament from the
perspective of the New Testament and Jesus’ teaching. The Apostle
Paul (Saul of Tarsus) had been a Pharisee, a devout Jew and keeper
of the Law of Moses. But after his conversion and “rebirth” (Acts
9:1-21; John 3:3, 5-8), he vigorously resisted the “circumcision
party,” a faction of Jewish Christians who insisted that Gentiles
must be circumcised and obey Jewish Laws (Acts 15:1-29). Paul also
vigorously opposed the other, opposite, false teaching that
salvation was by grace (free gift) without the requirement of
discipleship and obedience (for example 1 Corinthians 5:1-6:20).*
The New Covenant is the Law of Love rather than
the Law of Fear. If we know and believe who Jesus is and what he
has done for us, we will love Jesus. If we love Jesus, we will
keep his commandments (John 14:21).
Obedient trust in God’s Word is still the
requirement for life in God’s eternal kingdom. God’s Word is still
true and righteous. God’s people are still called to trust and
obey God’s Word so that worldly people will see that God’s Word is
good. God’s people are to live “near” to the Lord, in a personal
daily fellowship, through the indwelling Holy Spirit, so that
worldly people will see that God is near, and that he responds
when we call (see Conditions for Answered Prayer, sidebar, top
right, home).
*”Cheap Grace;” See: The Cost of Discipleship, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Collier Books, Macmillan Publishing Co., NY 1963 ISBN 0-02-083850-6
Wednesday 14 Pentecost - B
First Posted September 9, 2009;
Podcast: Wednesday 14 Pentecost - B
Ephesians 6:10-20 -- The Whole Armor of God;
Paraphrase:
Paul urged Christians to be strong in the Lord
and to be strengthened by the Lord’s power (within them), because
the ministry of the Gospel is opposed by Satan and his demons. The
ministry of the Gospel is a spiritual battle against supernatural
forces. Satan is the present world ruler behind worldly leaders.
Christians need to be equipped with the full armor of God so that
we can withstand and prevail against the forces of evil.
We must first gird ourselves with divine truth,
the truth of God, by which the world was created and is sustained.
Over that we put on the breastplate of righteousness which is only
in Jesus Christ. Our shoes are the Gospel of peace; our shield is
faith (obedient trust) by which we are protected from the lies of
Satan. Our helmet is eternal salvation and our weapon is the sword
of the Spirit, the Word of God.
Christians are pray constantly in the Spirit
(Romans 8:26-27). We need to be constantly alert and to persevere
in prayer for all the “Saints;” believers; “born-again” (John 3:3,
5-8) Christian disciples. Paul asked Christians to pray for him,
that Paul would be given what to say by the indwelling Holy Spirit
as he opened his mouth boldly to proclaim the “mystery” of the
Gospel, God’s Plan of Salvation, which has been revealed to his
disciples by Jesus Christ and the indwelling Holy Spirit, and the
revelation that the Gospel of Salvation is for Gentiles as well as
Jews. Paul is the example of an “ambassador” of the Gospel, even
though imprisoned for preaching the Gospel.
Commentary:
This life is a spiritual struggle between good
and evil. Jesus Christ has already won the battle at his
crucifixion and his resurrection testifies to that victory. But
Satan is still in control until Jesus returns on the Day of
Judgment.
Jesus came to bring the Gospel (“good news”) of
peace between God and humans. We have all sinned (disobeyed God’s
Word; Romans 3:23; 1 John 1:8-10) and God’s Word declares that the
penalty for sin is (eternal) death (Romans 6:23). Jesus is God’s
only provision for the forgiveness of our sins and salvation from
eternal condemnation (Acts 4:12; John 14:6). Jesus came to restore
the peace and fellowship with God which is broken by sin (See
God’s Plan of Salvation, sidebar, top right, home).
Christians are to carry on the mission of the
Gospel which Jesus began, but in order to do that we must put on
the whole armor of God. We must first know divine truth, which is
only in Jesus Christ (John 14:6), as opposed to what the world
falsely calls “truth” (1 Corinthians 1:17-25; 2:1-8). We must have
a personal relationship with Jesus, which is only through the gift
of the Holy Spirit, which only Jesus gives (John 1:31-34), only to
his disciples who trust and obey Jesus (John 14:15-17). We must be
“born-again” first (Luke 24:49; Acts 1:4-5, 8), and then we are to
go into the world and make “born-again” disciples, teaching them
to trust and obey Jesus (Matthew 28:18-20).
We must put on the breastplate of righteousness
which is only available through faith (obedient trust) in Jesus
(Philippians 3:9). The shield of faith is what the Lord gives us
when we submit to him in obedient trust. As we trust and obey
Jesus, he will cause our “mustard seed” (Matthew 17:20) of faith
to grow so that we can defend our souls from the lies of Satan.
The assurance of Salvation is our helmet which preserves our
eternal life.
Our weapon is the Word of God. Christians must
know the Bible better than Satan does (Matthew 4:1-11). The Word
of God protects us against Satan’s lies, false teachers and false
prophets. And the Word of God is the tool we need to be
ambassadors and builders of God’s eternal kingdom.
We don’t have to be formally educated in the
Bible; we just need to have read it and to read it daily (see
Bible Study Tools, sidebar, top right, home). If we have read the
Bible, the Holy Spirit can call to our minds the Word of God as we
need it to keep ourselves from sin, and to proclaim the Gospel.
Paul asked the Ephesian disciples to pray for that very ability,
which Jesus promised to his disciples and which Paul demonstrated
(Mark 13:11).
Every aspect of the armor of God is dependent
upon the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit. We cannot accomplish
Christ’s mission in our own human ability. We cannot testify to a
personal relationship which we do not have. 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).
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)?
Thursday 14 Pentecost - B
First Posted September 10, 2009;
Podcast: Thursday 14 Pentecost - B
Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23 -- Ritual or
Relationship?
Paraphrase:
Pharisees (a strict legalistic faction of
Jewish religious leaders) and scribes (teachers of the Law; the
scripture) from Jerusalem gathered around Jesus and his disciples
in Gennesaret (on the northwestern shore of the Sea of Galilee),
and they noticed that some of Jesus’ disciples ate with unwashed
hands. The Jews had many ritualistic “traditions of the elders”
which they followed, regarding purification of themselves and
their eating and cooking utensils.
The Pharisees and scribes asked Jesus why his
disciples didn’t follow the traditions of the elders, and Jesus
replied that the Pharisees and scribes were fulfilling the
prophecy of Isaiah in 29:13, that they talked about honoring God,
but did not do so within their hearts and in their deeds. Their
worship is in vain, and they teach the doctrines of men (rather
than the Word of God). Jesus declared that they had turned from
the Word of God in order to preserve the tradition of men.
Jesus addressed the crowd, saying that it is
not what enters a person through his mouth which defiles a person;
instead, it is what comes out of the heart and mouth of a person
which defiles him. Food passes through a person’s body (Jesus thus
declaring that all food was ritualistically clean); It is what
comes out of a person, his words and deeds, which defile him,
because it is the hearts of men (and women) which desire and do
evil thoughts, fornication, theft, murder, adultery, covetousness,
wickedness, deceit, licentiousness, envy, slander, pride, and
foolishness. “All these evil things come from within” and defile a
person (Mark 7:23).
Commentary:
Judaism had become a “religion” of mankind, a
ritual and a tradition, rather than a relationship with God. The
religious leaders and teachers were using their position in the
religion for their own benefit; religion had become their
“business,” their “careers,” their “empires.” Judaism had become a
way to get God to do their will, rather than seeking to know and
do God’s will.
In many instances, the “nominal” Church (as
distinct from the true Church of Jesus’ disciples) is in the same
situation today. Genuine Christianity is discipleship and a
personal relationship with Jesus Christ by obedient trust and the
gift of his indwelling Holy Spirit. Are we following leaders who
are “born-again,” Spirit-filled,” disciples and apostles
(messengers; of the Gospel), or are we following those for whom
“ministry” is a career-choice, and “church” is a “business?”
Are we listening to preachers who preach the
full Word of God, “in season and out of season” (2 Timothy 4:2),
or are we listening to those who “tickle our ears” (2 Timothy
4:3-4), teaching the doctrines and traditions of humans? Have we
read the Bible so that we can distinguish the difference between
Biblical, Apostolic doctrine and the false doctrines and
traditions of mankind? Are we seeking to know and do God’s will,
or are we trying to manipulate God to do our will? Do we think
that religious ritual will save us from God’s eternal
condemnation?
Religious ritual won’t save us. Baptism won’t
save us. Church “membership” won’t save us. Only a personal
relationship with the risen Jesus Christ will save us, and that is
only possible through faith (obedient trust) in Jesus (Acts
4:12; John 14:6; Ephesians 2:8-9; see God’s Plan of Salvation,
sidebar, top right, home). 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). Jesus said that you must be
“born-again” (John 3:3, 5-8). 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).
Anyone who does not have the indwelling Spirit of Christ does not
belong to Christ (Romans 8:9b).
It is possible for one to know for oneself
whether one has been born again. It is not a matter of being
born-again if you “believe” hard enough; faith is not like
“wishing on a star.” We don’t get whatever we believe if we
believe “hard enough,” and it’s not sufficient that your pastor or
some theologian tells you you’ve been born-again. Saving faith is
trusting and obeying Jesus’ word so that we can receive what he
promises.
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)?
Friday 14 Pentecost - B
First Posted September 11, 2009;
Podcast: Friday 14 Pentecost - B
Proverbs 4:10-23 -- Righteousness versus
Wickedness
Galatians 5:16-24 -- Spirit versus Flesh
Proverbs Paraphrase:
The Teacher of Proverbs advises his hearers to
accept his word so that the hearers may have long life. The
Teacher teaches true wisdom and uprightness. Those who follow it
will not stumble or be hindered. Hold on to instruction and guard
what you have learned, for (divine) instruction is life for you.
Do not follow the example of the wicked and do
not do evil. Avoid wickedness, turn away, and pass it by.
Wickedness is habit-forming, like a drug. Once begun it takes over
its doers' life, so that they have no rest unless they have
wronged someone or made them stumble. The evildoers “eat the bread
of wickedness and drink the wine of violence” (Proverbs 4:17).
The life of the righteous is like a path in the
dawn. As they go, their way becomes brighter and brighter until
they reach full day; but the wicked stumble in deep darkness, and
don’t know what they stumble over.
Be attentive to the words of the teacher as a
son or daughter. Don’t forget; keep them in your heart, for they
are life and healing to those who find and keep them. “Keep your
heart with all vigilance; for from it flow the springs of life”
(Proverbs 4:23 RSV).
Galatians Paraphrase:
Paul was “discipling” the Galatian Christians.
He urged them to walk by the indwelling Holy Spirit, rather than
gratifying “the desires of the flesh.” Physical desires are in
opposition to the desires of the Spirit. The Spirit opposes the
desires of the flesh to prevent us from doing what is wrong. “But
if you are led by the Spirit you are not under the Law” (Galatians
5:18).
The works of the flesh are obvious: immorality,
impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife,
jealousy, anger, selfishness, dissension, “party spirit” (i.e.
factionalism; divisiveness), envy, drunkenness, carousing and
similar things. Those who do such things will not inherit eternal
life in God’s heavenly kingdom.
The things of the Spirit are love, joy, peace,
patience, kindness, goodness faithfulness, gentleness,
self-control. No law is necessary against such things.
Those who are in Christ Jesus have “crucified”
the flesh with its lusts. If we have life by the Spirit, we must
also walk in obedience to the Spirit. We must not be conceited; we
must not provoke others, nor envy one another.
Commentary:
The wisdom collected in Proverbs is divine
wisdom, by which God created and ordered the world; not what the
world falsely calls “wisdom” (1 Corinthians 1:17-25; 2:1-8). God
is the giver of divine wisdom (James 1:5; 1 Kings 3:5, 9-14). The
Word of God is divine wisdom, fulfilled, embodied and exemplified
in Jesus Christ (John 1:1-5, 14; Luke 11:31).
Participation in the bread and wine of
wickedness and fleshly indulgence leads to spiritual death, but
the participation in Jesus’ self-denial in the bread and wine of
Jesus’ body and blood sacrificed on the cross, leads to eternal
life.
God has given us his Word, in the Bible, and in
Jesus Christ, so that we can learn and know divine wisdom and
divine truth. As we apply God’s Word in our daily lives, we will
come to understand who Jesus is. Jesus’ words and example are the
Word of God manifested in human flesh. As we trust and obey Jesus,
he will give us the gift of his indwelling Holy Spirit (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).
Christians are disciples of Jesus Christ (Acts
11:26c) who trust and obey Jesus, who have been “born-again” (John
3:3, 5-8) by the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit which only
Jesus gives (John 1:31-34), only to his disciples who trust and
obey Jesus (John 14:15-17).
Paul (Saul of Tarsus) is the prototype and
example of a modern “post-resurrection,” “born-again” (John 3:3,
5-8) disciple (student) and apostle (messenger; of the Gospel) of
Jesus Christ (Acts 9:1-22). Paul was fulfilling Jesus’ Great
Commission to his disciples, after they had been “born-again” by
the infilling of the Holy Spirit (Luke 24:49; Acts 1:4-5, 8;
2:1-13), to go and make disciples of Jesus Christ, teaching them
to obey Jesus (Matthew 28:19-20). Paul was a “born-again” disciple
making “born-again” disciples, teaching the Galatians to trust and
obey God’s Word in their daily lives, to seek and receive the gift
of the indwelling Holy Spirit and to learn to live in obedience to
the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is a spring of water in our
hearts welling up to eternal life (John 4:14; 7:38-39).
Christians must learn to deny what we desire
and think we want in order to do what the Lord wants. What our
flesh causes us to desire and what we think we want doesn’t lead
to satisfaction and life; it leads to disappointment and eternal
death. The Lord wants to give us his indwelling Holy Spirit so
that we can desire and do what God intends for us, which is
eternal life and joy in his new heavenly kingdom. The Lord wants
us to discover for ourselves that the Lord’s will is “good,
acceptable (desirable) and perfect” (Romans 12:2), the fulfillment
of what we were created to be; children of God.
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)?
Saturday 14 Pentecost - B
First Posted September 12, 2009;
Podcast: Saturday 14 Pentecost - B
Luke 17:11-19 -- Ten Lepers;
Paraphrase:
At the time of Jesus, Samaria lay between Judah
in the south and Galilee in the north. The Samaritans were of
mixed race and religion, resulting from the fall of the Northern
Kingdom of Israel to the Assyrians, and were not regarded by the
Jews as Jewish in either the religious or racial sense. Jesus and
his disciples were traveling through Samaria on their way to
Galilee.
They entered a village and ten lepers called to
him from a distance), asking Jesus to have mercy on them. (Leprosy
is contagious and by the Law of Moses, lepers were not permitted
to have normal contact with healthy people.) Jesus told them to go
and show themselves to the priests. (When one had been healed of
leprosy he had to go to the priest and be “certified” as
disease-free in order to rejoin the community.) “And as they went,
they were cleansed.” (Luke 17:14c)
One of them, a Samaritan, saw that he had been
cleansed and he returned and gave thanks and praise to God and to
Jesus for healing him. Jesus asked where the other nine were; was
the “foreigner” the only one who was grateful to God for his
healing? Jesus told the Samaritan to return to his daily life, and
declared that the Samaritan’s faith had healed him.
Commentary:
The ten lepers were healed as they trusted and
obeyed Jesus’ word. Unless they believed, despite physical
evidence in their own flesh, that they would be healed, it would
have been pointless to go to the priests in the condition in which
they started to obey Jesus. Presumably the others were Jews,
because the distinction was made regarding the Samaritan. The
Samaritan, who was regarded as impure racially and religiously,
was more grateful to God and Jesus than the (nominal) people of
God.
The ten were all lepers, but they were also all
spiritually terminally ill, as are we all, apart from Jesus. The
nine were healed of their leprosy, but they missed the chance to
be spiritually “re-born” (John 3:3, 5-8) to eternal life.
Jesus was the Messiah (Christ), the Savior
promised to the Jews in God’s Word. He was not just the Savior of
the Jews but of all people who trust and obey Jesus, but the Jews
had the Word of God and the presence of God in Israel and in the
Temple. It should have been easier for the Jews to recognize Jesus
as the Messiah.
The meaning and purpose of our lifetime in this
world is to give us the opportunity to seek and come to know the
Lord personally (Acts 17:26-27). We are separated by sin
(disobedience of God’s Word) from fellowship with God, like those
lepers were separated from the congregation of God’s people and
from participation in Temple worship.
Jesus is God’s only provision for the spiritual
healing we need to restore us to spiritual, eternal life, and
fellowship with the Lord in his eternal kingdom (Acts 4:12; John
14:6; see God’s Plan of Salvation, sidebar, top right, home). That
fellowship begins now, in this world, through the indwelling Holy
Spirit, the Spirit of Christ, the Spirit of God (Romans 8:9),
which is only through faith (obedient trust) in Jesus Christ
(Ephesians 2:8-9). 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). 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).
America and the Church, particularly in
America, are in a similar position today as that of the Jews at
the time of Jesus’ first coming. We think we’re God’s people. We
think we know a lot about God, but do we know him personally? Do
we recognize his presence among us? Are we seeking what he can do
for us spiritually, or only what he can do for us physically? Are
we interested in thanking, glorifying, and pleasing him, or do we
just want him to bless and please us?
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)?
