Week of 7 Pentecost - C
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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Matins and Vespers, p. 299 - 304, Philadelphia, 1918.
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Podcast Download: Week of 7 Pentecost - C
Sunday 7 Pentecost - C
First
posted
July
11, 2010;
Podcast: Sunday 7 Pentecost - C
Isaiah 66:10-14 – Rejoice with
Jerusalem;
Psalm 66:1-11, 14-18 – Hymn of Praise;
Galatians 6:1-10, 14-16 -- Exhortations;
Luke 10:1-12 (17-20) – Mission of the Seventy;
Isaiah Paraphrase:
Let all who love Jerusalem rejoice and be glad for her.
Let those who mourn for her rejoice in great joy, that we
may be suckled and nurtured in her bosom; that we may
drink deeply from the abundance of her glory.
The Lord declares that he will give her prosperity like a
great river and the wealth of nations will come to her
like a flooding stream. She will suckle us, carry us upon
our hip and fondle us on her knee. The Lord will comfort
us in Jerusalem as a mother comforts her child.
Our eyes will see, our hearts rejoice; our bones will
flourish like grass. All will know that the Lord's hand is
upon his servant and against his enemies.
Psalm Paraphrase:
Let all the earth make loud rejoicing to God; let them
sing glory to his name and give him glorious praise! Tell
the Lord that his deeds are awesome! His enemies cringe
before his great power. All the earth will worship and
sing praises to the Lord and to his name.
Look and see what the Lord has done; his deeds among
people are awesome! “He turned the sea into dry land; men
passed through the river on foot” (Psalm 66:5-6).
Then his people rejoiced in him who rules forever by his
great power. His eye is upon the nations- let the
rebellious not exalt themselves!
Let all people bless our God. Let his praise be heard; he
has preserved our lives and has not let us stumble. The
Lord allowed us to be snared by the net; he allowed us to
experience affliction.
I will fulfill the promises I made when I was in trouble.
I will offer sacrifices of rich things: fat rams, bulls
and goats.
Let me declare what the Lord has done for me, all you who
fear (have appropriate awe and respect for the power and
authority of) God. I cried aloud and praised him with my
voice. If I had cherished evil in my innermost self he
would not have listened.
Galatians Paraphrase:
If a brethren is ensnared in temptation, those
“born-again” mature Christians should restore him gently.
We must be alert, remembering that we, too, are
vulnerable to temptation. We are to fulfill the law of
Christ to love one another, and one way is to share one
another's burdens. We must not think that we are better
than we are, or we will be just deceiving ourselves. We
should examine our own deeds so that we will have a
realistic idea of our own spiritual growth, not based on a
comparison of others, because we will each be accountable
for our own deeds.
Let those who are taught the Word be generous to their
teachers.
Don't deceive yourselves. God is not fooled; whatever a
person sows, that is what he will reap. Those who sow to
the flesh will reap fleshly corruption; those who sow to
the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let's
not become tired of doing what is right, for we will reap
in due time, if we don't give up. So then, at every
opportunity, let let us do good to all people, but
especially to our Christian brethren.
Let us not seek glory in any thing other than the Cross of
Jesus Christ. The world has been crucified to us and us to
the world by the cross. Circumcision (keeping the Jewish
religious laws) won't save us; and not keeping them will
not condemn us. What matters is “rebirth; a new
creation. Peace and mercy be upon all who walk by this
rule, upon the Israel of God.
Luke Paraphrase:
Jesus was heading for Jerusalem where he knew he would be
crucified. He appointed seventy of his followers to go
two-by-two into all the villages along the way that Jesus
would pass through. Jesus told them that the harvest was
plentiful but there weren't enough laborers. He told them
to pray to the Lord of the harvest to send laborer into
the harvest.
Jesus warned them that they would be going out like lambs
into the midst of wolves. They were not to take money, or
extra clothes or shoes. They were not to sidetracked from
their mission by socializing with other travelers on the
road. Whenever they entered a house they were to bid peace
upon it, and if the household was peaceable, the peace
would remain upon them. If not, the peace would return to
the disciples.
They were not to go door-to-door but stay and accept the
hospitality of whatever household welcomed them,
because laborers deserve compensation for their labor.
They were to eat whatever was provided, to heal the sick,
and to proclaim that the kingdom of God has come near to
them. When they enter a town that will not welcome them
they are to shake the dust of that town from their feet in
the street as they leave as testimony against that town,
warning that the kingdom of God has come near. Such towns
will fare worse in the Day of Judgment than Sodom (which
was destroyed by God with fire from heaven; Genesis
19:24).
The Seventy returned rejoicing that even the demons had
been subject to them in Jesus' name. Jesus replied that he
had seen Satan cast down from heaven to earth. Jesus has
given his disciples authority over all serpents,
scorpions, and the enemy. But the real reason to rejoice
is that the disciples names are recorded in heaven.
Commentary:
The true Church is the New Jerusalem, and Christians are
the New Israel, the New People of God. There are areas of
the nominal Church which are not yet cleansed and
purified. We mourn for those shortcomings, but can be
assured that she will be restored without blemish at the
Day of Jesus' return.
The true Church is the heir to the wealth of nations. The
Church is the only source of spiritual nurture, comfort
and love. It is obvious to the spiritually discerning that
the hand of the Lord is upon his servants and against our
enemies, but is camouflaged by the mix of false churches and
false teachings mixed among the Church.
There is a day coming when everyone will glorify the Lord
and acknowledge his great deeds (Philippians 2:10-11). In
that day it will be too late to change our eternal
destinies (John 5:28-29). We will realize that he is great
but we may not be allowed into his eternal presence in
paradise. It would be so much better to learn of his great
deeds now, so that we can accept him as our Lord and be
spiritually “reborn” to eternal life.
The Bible is the record of God's dealings with his people,
Israel. The central act of salvation is the Exodus. This
recorded historical event is deliberately intended by God
to be a parable, a metaphor, for life in this world.
We are all in bondage to sin and death in the “Egypt” of
this present world order. Jesus is the unblemished
Passover lamb who provides the passover feast, whose blood
marks us as God's people to be passed over by the
destroying angel. Jesus is the New Moses who leads us out
of Egypt, separates us from our spiritual enemies through
the water of baptism into Jesus Christ, and who leads us
through the wilderness of this lifetime by the the Holy
Spirit which is the spirit of fire and cloud (Exodus
13:21-22).
Jesus is the New Joshua (“Jesus” is the Greek equivalent
of “Jesuhua;” the post-exilic form of “Joshua”). Jesus
leads us through the Jordan River of physical death on dry
ground; physical death doesn't taint us) and into the
eternal Promised Land of God's eternal kingdom in heaven;
Creation restored to perfect paradise.
God taught his people that there was no forgiveness of sin
without the shedding of blood, leading up the the ultimate
sacrifice, once for all time and all people who are
willing to receive it by faith (obedient trust) in Jesus
Christ. Jesus introduced a New Covenant on the night of
his betrayal and arrest. There is now no other sacrifice
acceptable to God for the forgiveness of sin but Jesus'
death on the cross. The sacrifice that God desires from us
is the sacrifice of obedient trust in his Word.
Note that there are conditions to answered prayer. God is
under no obligation to hear and answer our prayers if we
are unwilling to hear, trust, and obey his Word in the
Bible and in Jesus Christ (see Conditions for Answered
Prayer, sidebar, right, home).
The Church is called to be spiritual teacher. We have been
given God's Word, the Bible as the textbook. Jesus taught
and demonstrated the method of teaching: discipleship. We
are to become “born-again” (John 3:3, 5-8) “disciples” of
Jesus Christ by spending time with him in his word and
being mentored by mature “born-again” Christian disciples.
As new believers are discipled to spiritual rebirth by the
baptism of the indwelling Holy Spirit, we are called to
testify to what the Lord has done for us, and to go and
make other born-again disciples and to teach them to
repeat the process.
Paul (Saul of Tarsus) is deliberately intended by God to
be the prototype and example of a "modern,
post-resurrection, disciple (student) and apostle
(messenger; of the Gospel)" of Jesus Christ. Paul's
conversion on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:1-9), being
discipled by Ananias (Acts 9:10-18), his subsequent
discipleship of Timothy (Acts 9:20-22, 2 Timothy 1:6-7)
and teaching Timothy to repeat the process (2 Timothy
2:2), is the example the Church is to follow.
Has that been your experience? 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 7 Pentecost - C
First
posted July 12, 2010;
Podcast: Monday 7 Pentecost - C
Psalm 25:1-9 b -- Deliverance
from Enemies;
Paraphrase:
I lift up my soul to thee O Lord; I trust in thee, my God.
May I never be ashamed; may my enemies never exult over
me. May not any who wait for thee be ashamed; may the
wantonly wicked be ashamed.
Teach me thy paths, O, Lord and help me to know thy ways.
You are my God and my salvation; Lead me into thy truth
and teach me; I wait upon thee all the day long.
In your mercy remember me, and your steadfast love for me,
for they have been eternal. Don't remember the sins and
transgressions of my youth; but in your steadfast love
remember me, for the sake of your goodness, O Lord.
Commentary:
This lifetime has intentionally been created to be our
opportunity to seek, find, and have fellowship with God
our Creator. This Creation is intended to be our
opportunity to learn to trust and obey God's Word.
God has revealed his purpose for Creation in his Word, the
Bible, and in Jesus Christ, the “living Word,” the Word of
God fulfilled, embodied, and exemplified in Jesus Christ
(John 1:1-5. 14). His intention has always been to
establish an eternal kingdom of his people who willingly
trust and obey God's Word.
God has given us his Word in the Bible and in Jesus
Christ. He wants us to learn his ways and walk in his
paths. This lifetime is our opportunity to learn to follow
the teaching and example of Jesus Christ and to become
spiritually “born-again (John 3:3. 5-8) sons and daughters
of God 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).
The Lord wants us to trust the promises of his Word, so
that he can fulfill them and show us that his promises are
faithful and true. This is the way that we grow to
spiritual maturity.
The Lord is abundantly willing and able to forgive and
forget the sins of our youth and our not-so-youthful sins,
if we are willing to trust and obey Jesus.
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 7 Pentecost - C
First posted
July 13, 2010;
Podcast: Tuesday 7 Pentecost - C
Deuteronomy 30:9-14 – Covenant Renewal;
Background:
Deuteronomy means “second law,” the renewal of the Covenant of Law. The
Covenant of the Book of Exodus was reinterpreted in contemporary terms.
Text Paraphrase:
God's promise is that he will prosper us in the yield of our bodies and
the yield of our possessions and our land as he prospered our fathers,
if we will trust and obey the Word of the Lord our God, which is
recorded in the Bible, and demonstrated in Jesus Christ; if we will turn
to obedient trust in the Lord with all our hearts and souls.
The Commandment of the Lord which he gives today is not too difficult or
too far off for us to do. We don't have to ascend into heaven to bring
it down, nor beyond the sea, that we must send someone to fetch it. The
Word is very near to us; it is on our lips and in our hearts, so that we
can do it.
Commentary:
Jesus is the New Covenant, the Covenant of Grace (unmerited favor; a
free gift) which is in our hearts and on our lips. Jesus gave us the
Commandment of Love (Matthew 22:36-40) to replace the Commandment of sin
(disobedience of God's Word) and [eternal] death.
The Old Testament is the record of God's dealing with Israel. As God's
people trusted and obeyed God's Word, God prospered them with children,
possessions and inheritance in the Promised Land. God promises to do the
same things for us.
The Israelites were unable to keep all of the Law of Moses, all of the
time, so had to offer continual sacrifices for the forgiveness of sin
(disobedience of God's Word). Jesus, on the night of his betrayal and
arrest, introduced the New Covenant of Grace (unmerited favor) to be
received by faith. Jesus became the one and only sacrifice acceptable to
God for all time and all people willing to receive it, for the
forgiveness of sin.
Jesus made it possible for us to be cleansed from sin so that we could
individually be temples of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit within us is
the Word of God written on our hearts and on our lips. The Holy Spirit
makes it possible for us to fulfill the requirements of God's
Commandments (Romans 8:1-13), provided that we live in obedience to the
Holy Spirit.
Only Jesus gives the gift (“baptism”) 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). It is possible to know with certainty for
oneself if one has been spiritually “reborn” (John 3:3, 5-8; Acts 19:2).
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)?
Wednesday 7 Pentecost - C
First
posted July 14, 2010;
Podcast: Wednesday 7 Pentecost - C
Colossians 1:1-14 -
Exhortations;
Paraphrase:
Paul was an apostle of Jesus Christ by God's will. Timothy
was Paul's protege, whom Paul had discipled, and who
became a pastor and fellow missionary with Paul. Paul
greeted the Church at Colossea in Asia Minor (present-day
Turkey), which had been founded by the preaching of
Epaphras, a Colossian whom Paul had sent there with the
Gospel message.
Paul greeted the congregation with the grace (unmerited
favor) and peace of God. Paul rejoiced and gave thanks to
God for the faith of the Colossians in Jesus Christ and
their love of the Saints (all who are dedicated to God's
service), because of the hope of eternal life in heaven
that is theirs through the Gospel. That Gospel had been
growing and bearing fruit in them as it had in the whole
world (throughout the Roman Empire). Epaphras, a fellow
Colossian, had been sent by Paul to first proclaim that
Gospel to them, and had reported to Paul their love which
they had through the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Since then, Paul and his fellow missionaries had
continually prayed for the Colossian Church, that they
would be filled with the knowledge of God's will, and with
all spiritual knowledge and understanding, so that they
could lead lives that would glorify and please God in
every respect, and that they would bear fruit in good
works, and grow in the knowledge of God.
Paul's prayer for them was that they would grow in
strength, and endurance, with patience and joy through
God's power within them, giving thanks to God the father
for qualifying them to share in the inheritance of the
saints in [the kingdom of] light [of righteousness], since
he has transferred us from the kingdom of darkness to the
kingdom of his Son, through whom we are redeemed by the
forgiveness of sin (disobedience of God's Word).
Commentary:
Paul (Saul of Tarsus) was an apostle equal to the original
Eleven remaining apostles designated by Jesus during his
physical ministry. Paul was deliberately intended by God
to be 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, as each of us can and should be.
Paul was converted on the road to Damascus by the
conviction of the risen and ascended Jesus, was discipled
by a “born-again” disciple, Ananias, until Paul was
“born-again.” Then he began proclaiming the Gospel and
making disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 9:1-22),
in fulfillment of the Great Commission which Jesus gave to
his disciples (Matthew 28:19-20) to be carried out after
they had been “born-again” (Luke 24:49; Acts 1:4-5, 8).
Timothy is an example of Paul's disciple-making ministry.
Paul discipled Timothy until Timothy was “born-again” (2
Timothy 1:6-7) and then taught Timothy to repeat the
process (2 Timothy 2:2). Epaphras was a Colossian disciple
whom Paul had probably “discipled” and then sent to
establish a Church in Colossae.
Paul discipled Epaphras, and then Epaphras discipled the
Colossian Christians. Paul prayed and Epaphras worked to
lead the Colossian believers to grow spiritually in the
knowledge of God's will, and in the personal knowledge and
understanding of God, so that they could learn to please
and glorify God, by good works.
Christian discipleship is a spiritual growth process
toward Christian maturity at the Day of Christ's return.
We need to learn to discern God's will for us personally,
and this is only possible through daily Bible reading with
prayer and meditation, As we begin to seek God's personal
will for us, with the commitment to doing it, he will
reveal it, one day at a time.
As we begin to trust and obey him he will show us that his
will is our best interest and is absolutely trustworthy
and true. This is how we grow in faith in his will to
spiritual maturity
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 7 Pentecost - C
First
posted July 15, 2010;
Podcast: Thursday 7 Pentecost - C
Luke 10:25-37 – The Good
Samaritan;
Paraphrase:
A lawyer asked Jesus what one must do to inherit eternal
life. Jesus asked him what the law said, and the lawyer
replied that one must love the Lord with heart, mind, soul
and strength; and his neighbor as himself. Jesus told him
that he had answered correctly and that by doing what the
law commanded he would live eternally.
But the lawyer wanted to justify himself, so he asked who
he was to regard as his neighbor. Jesus replied with the
parable of the Good Samaritan.
Jesus said that a man was going from Jerusalem to Jericho
and was attacked and robbed, and left for dead. A priest
passed by and saw and avoided the man, and so likewise a
Levite (assistant to the priest). But a Samaritan (a
person of mixed race and religion; not a true Jew in
either race or religion) saw and attended to the injured
person. He gave him first aid and took him to an inn on
the Samaritan's own animal, where he arranged for him to
be cared for at the Samaritan's expense.
Then Jesus asked the lawyer which of these people proved
to be the neighbor of the victim. The lawyer supposed it
was the one who had shown the victim mercy. Then Jesus
told him to go and do likewise.
Commentary:
The lawyer (scribe; teacher of the Law of Moses) knew what
the Law said. His question was how to apply it. The issue
was who is one's neighbor. Everyone we come in contact
with is our “neighbor.” The issue is whom we will choose
to regard and treat as our neighbor.
The lawyer was trying to justify himself (to make himself
appear to be guiltless), while avoiding fulfilling the
law. He wanted to fulfill the law, but only in certain
circumstances which he defined.
The priest and the Levite were officially commissioned by
God to care for God's people. They were God's
representatives to do God's will, but chose to serve their
own will rather than God's. In contrast, the Samaritan was
regarded as corrupt genetically and spiritually, and yet
the Samaritan fulfilled God's law, and the “men of God”
did not.
Jesus taught in parables: fictional stories of common
earthly experiences used to teach spiritual truths. The
parable illustrated the spiritual reality of Judaism at
the time of Jesus' physical coming, and it is also true of
the Church and Christianity today. The Jewish leaders were
to be “shepherds” of God's people on God's behalf, but
were using their position for their own benefit. They
enjoyed their status in the community without fulfilling
the obligations of their office.
In too many instances today the nominal Church is in the
same position. Ministry is a career choice. Leaders are
enjoying the benefits of their office without fulfilling
their responsibility to make disciples of Jesus Christ.
They have settled for making church members and building
church buildings.
Disciple-making requires effort on the part of both
“discipler” and disciple. Discipling requires concern for
the condition of the discipleship candidate and personal
cost for his care. And often the candidate would prefer an
easier alternative. I personally have experienced
individuals who had to be continually encouraged to finish
reading the Bible, and to read it daily. I have personally
encountered individuals who would rather speculate on “End
Times” (Matthew 24:3-44; compare Acts 1:6-7; 1 Timothy
1:4-7; 2 Timothy 4:3-4) than to learn the discipline of
obedience to God's Word.
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 7 Pentecost - C
First
posted July 16, 2010;
Podcast: Friday 7 Pentecost - C
Romans 6:19-23 – Two Slaveries;
Paraphrase:
Paul used earthly analogies to teach spiritual truths,
because we find it hard to understand what is spiritual,
since we have not previously experienced it in this life.
We were once slaves of sin, and yielded ourselves to more
and greater sins, but now we should consider ourselves
slaves of righteousness for the goal of sanctification,
which is the process of becoming entirely devoted and
consecrated to God.
When we were slaves of sin we were free of
obligation to righteousness, but now we are ashamed of the
sins we committed, and realize that the end result of sin
is [eternal] death. Now we have been set free from slavery
to sin and have become slaves of God, but in return, we
receive sanctification which yields eternal life. “For the
wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal
life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23).
Commentary:
Paul was following the example of Jesus, who taught in
parables, which are common earthly experiences used to
teach spiritual truth. We tend to think that the physical
world in which we live is real and substantial, whereas
the spiritual world seems the opposite, but this physical
world will pass away and only what is spiritual will
remain.
Jesus taught that we will serve one of two masters: we
will either serve God, or we will serve Mammon, “the god
of riches,” the present ruler of this world, who is Satan
(Matthew 6:24; Luke 16:13). Satan tempted Jesus in the
wilderness, offering him all the riches of the world
if Jesus would worship Satan (Matthew 4:8-9), and Jesus
resisted the temptation by quoting Deuteronomy 6:13: that
we are to worship the Lord our God and serve him only
(Matthew 4:10).
We are all sinners who fall short of God's standard of
righteousness (doing what is good, right and true,
according to God's Word, the Bible; Romans 3:23). The
penalty for sin is eternal death (Romans 6:23). Jesus died
on the cross as the one and only sacrifice acceptable to
God for the forgiveness of our sin (Romans 5:8; John
3:16-17), so that we wouldn't have to die for them
ourselves. Jesus ransomed us from slavery to sin, so that
we could choose to serve God in gratitude for his
sacrificial love for us (see God's Plan of Salvation,
sidebar, right, home).
Jesus asked what good it would be to own all the material
riches in the world, but lose one's eternal soul (eternal
life; Matthew 16:26)? All these material things will
ultimately pass away, but we are eternal beings. We will
all either spend eternity with the Lord in paradise
restored in heaven, or we will spend eternity in Hell,
which is the total absence of God and every good and
necessary thing.
We are all born into this world physically alive but
spiritually “unborn.” This lifetime is our only
opportunity to be spiritually “reborn” to eternal life
(John 3:3, 5-8). Spiritual “rebirth” is by the baptism 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).
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 7 Pentecost - C
First
posted July 17, 2010;
Podcast: Saturday 7 Pentecost - C
Mark 8:1-9 – Feeding Four
Thousand;
Paraphrase:
During Jesus' Galilean ministry, great crowds came to
Jesus in the wilderness to hear him teach. They had
apparently consumed whatever food they had brought with
them and were hungry, having spent three days listening to
Jesus teach.
Jesus called his disciples to him and told them that he
was concerned for the people, who might not have the
strength to return to their homes without being fed.
Jesus' disciples asked him how they could feed this large
crowd in the wilderness. Jesus asked them what food they
had and they told him they had seven loaves of bread and a
few fish. Jesus took loaves and fish and having blessed
them and given thanks to God, he broke them up and told
his disciples to distribute the pieces to the people.
The people ate as much as they wanted, and the disciples
collected seven baskets full of leftover pieces. About
four thousand people had been fed.
Commentary:
Jesus cares about the physical needs of people as well as
their spiritual needs, and taught his disciples to do
likewise. James taught that it is not sufficient to pray
and believe that God will clothe the naked and feed the
hungry, without providing what physical resources they can
(James 2:15-16; compare 1 John 3:17).
In America in recent years, government has cut back on
welfare programs, and in some cases has tried to shift
responsibility for poverty assistance to the Church.
Neither the Church nor the poor are the cause of poverty;
it is the disproportionate distribution of resources,
caused by business and economic activity, and the failure
of government to regulate those activities, as witnessed
in the recent “economic meltdown.” The Church needs to
hold the government accountable for regulation of the
economy and for welfare assistance.
In an Associated Press report on June 26, 2009, the
California Budget Project said that the gap between the
middle class and the wealthiest one percent of
Californians is growing, and that it is part of a
long-term pattern.* This is not just a California
phenomenon; it is nation-wide.
In too many instances nominal Churches and church members
are anti-welfare. I have personally experienced
congregations who don't want to know and hear about
poverty. Their attitude about Social Ministry (concern for
the physical needs of people) is that it should be an
“inreach” to benefit church members, and that evangelism
should be the “outreach.” That very attitude indicates
that there needs to be more evangelism within the nominal
Church.
Jesus used miracles of physical healing, feeding and
resurrection to show that he is also able to heal, feed
and resurrect spiritually. For the same reason, he taught
in parables, which are common earthly experiences used to
teach spiritual truths. The Church is to carry on that
ministry. We are physical people in a physical world.
Material things seem so much more substantial and real
that spiritual things, but God declares that the physical
world is passing away, and that only what is spiritual
will remain (Matthew 5:18; 2 Corinthians 4:18; 1 John
2:17; Revelation 21:1).
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)?
*Income Gap Widens....
http://www.cbp.org/pdfs/2009/090906_labor_day.pdf
p.11-13 (thumbnails 13-15).
2012 update:
http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/i/income/income_inequality/index.html
http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-09-12/u-dot-s-dot-poverty-rate-stays-at-almost-two-decade-high-income-falls
Video Showing the Huge Gap Between Super Rich and Everyone Else
