Week of 2 Pentecost - C - 05/29 - 06/04/2016

Week of 2 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, Lutheran, Presbyterian, and Methodist churches:

http://www.commontexts.org/

and:

http://www.commontexts.org/rcl/usage.html

The daily readings are the Propers (Lections) for the following Sunday, so that the daily devotions can prepare us for worship. Additional Lections are from Common Service Book of the Lutheran Church, "Scripture lessons for Matins and Vespers," United Lutheran Church of America, General Rubrics VIII. Scripture lessons for Matins and Vespers, p. 299 - 304, Philadelphia, 1918.
  
The previous 2- year Bible Study based on the Lutheran Book of Worship, Daily Lectionary for personal devotions p.179-192, Augsburg Publishing House, Minneapolis, 1978, is available at:

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To get the most from these studies, it is suggested that you first read the scripture texts for the entry, and then the paraphrase and commentary. It is also recommended that you look up the scripture references, unless you recognize and recall them from memory.

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Podcast: Week of 2 Pentecost C
2 Pentecost - Sunday C 
First posted June 6, 2010;
Podcast: 2 Pentecost - Sunday - C

1 Kings 8:(22-23, 27-30) 41-43 – Solomon's Prayer of Dedication;
Psalm 117 – Praise the Lord!
Galatians 1:1-10 – The Galatian Apostasy;
Luke 7:1-10 – The Centurion's Slave;

1 Kings Paraphrase:

On the occasion of the dedication of the temple in Jerusalem, in the presence of the congregation of Israel, Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord and spread out his hands toward heaven and prayed. He acknowledged that there is no other God like the God of Israel, in heaven or earth, keeping covenant and showing steadfast love toward those who walk in obedience to God with all their hearts.

Solomon acknowledged that God cannot be contained in a building. All of heaven and earth cannot contain the Lord, but Solomon prayed that the Lord would be attentive to the prayers of his servants who pray toward the temple, which bears the name of the Lord. When his servants pray toward the temple, may God hear their prayers and forgive their sins.

Solomon further prayed that God would hear and answer the prayers of Gentiles when they come to the temple to pray, having heard of the Lord's “great name, his mighty hand and outstretched arm” (1 Kings 8:42a). Solomon prayed that the Lord God would hear and answer the prayers of foreigners who call upon the name of the Lord toward the temple, so that all the people of earth may know the Lord's name and fear (have appropriate awe and respect for the power and authority of) the Lord, and know that the temple Solomon had build is dedicated to the name of the Lord.

Psalm 117 Paraphrase:

“Praise the Lord, all nations! Extol him, all people! For great is his steadfast love toward us; and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever. Praise the Lord” (Psalm 117:1-2)!

Galatians Background:

Paul had preached the Gospel in Galatia, in central Asia Minor (present-day Turkey) on his second missionary journey. The Churches he had founded there as a result were later infiltrated by “Judaisers,” falsely teaching that Christians must keep the Jewish Law of Moses (“legalism;” see False Teachings, sidebar, right).

Galatians Paraphrase:

Paul's Apostolic authority is not conferred by humans, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised Jesus from physical death. He greeted the Galatian Christians with the grace and peace which are from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus gave his physical life as [the one and only acceptable] sacrifice for our sins (disobedience of God's Word), so that we could be delivered from the present evil age, by God's will, who is worthy of eternal glory. Amen (so be it).

“I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and turning to a different gospel- not that there is another gospel, but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to that which we preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again, if any one is preaching to you a gospel contrary to that which you received, let him be accursed (Galatians 1:6-9).

Does Paul seem to be seeking human approval or God's approval? Is he trying to please humans? If he were pleasing humans he would not be serving Christ.

Luke Paraphrase:

Jesus had been teaching a large crowd, as was his custom, and when he had finished he entered Capernaum. There was a Centurion (a Roman soldier; a Gentile) who had a slave whom the Centurion valued, who was sick and at the point of death. When the Centurion heard of Jesus he sent Jewish elders to ask Jesus to heal his slave. The elders considered him worthy because the Centurion loved Israel and had built the Jews a synagogue.

Jesus went with the elders and when he got near to the Centurion's house, the Centurion sent friends to Jesus, saying that the Centurion did not consider himself worthy to have Jesus enter his house; that was the reason the Centurion hadn't gone to Jesus directly. But the Centurion asked Jesus to say the word, and his had faith that his servant would be healed. The Centurion was used to having authority over others, and giving commands and having them carried out. Jesus was amazed at this and told the crowd around him that he hadn't found such faith in Israel. When the messengers returned to the house they found the slave recovered.

Commentary:

God has always intended, from the beginning of Creation, to establish an eternal kingdom of his people who willingly choose to trust and obey God. God has designed this world to allow us the freedom to choose whether to trust and obey God and the opportunity to learn by trial and error, knowing that we would all choose to do our own will rather than God's will.

According to God's plan, we have all sinned (disobeyed God's Word) and fall short of God's righteousness (doing what is right, good, and true according to God's Word; Romans 3:23; 1 John 1:8-10). The penalty for sin is eternal death (Romans 6:23). God loves us and doesn't want anyone to perish eternally (Romans 5:8; John 3:16-17). Jesus is God's one and only provision for our forgiveness and salvation from eternal death (Acts 4:12; John 14:6; see God's Plan of Salvation, sidebar, right). Jesus has been deliberately designed into Creation from the very beginning (John 1:1-5, 14).

God didn't intend for salvation to be only for the Jews (Isaiah 49:6), but he began his plan of salvation with his call to Abraham (Abram), promising to make of his descendants a great nation (Israel), through whom all the nations of the earth would be blessed (Genesis 12:1-3, RSV note “q”).

During Jesus' physical ministry on earth, he focused on his mission of the Gospel (“good news;” of forgiveness and reconciliation with God) to Israel, but he responded to the faith (obedient trust) of Gentiles he encountered, like this Centurion and the Syrophoenician woman (Matthew 15:21-28). Jesus concentrated on making disciples (students), who would become apostles (messengers; of the Gospel), who would repeat the discipling process and carry on the mission of Christ to the end of the world in both the senses of time and distance.

God has been progressively revealing himself and his plan for Creation, first in the goodness of Creation itself, then in the history of God's dealing with Israel recorded in the Bible, then in Jesus Christ who is the fullness of God in human flesh, and ultimately in the “baptism” of the indwelling Holy Spirit to his “born-again” (John 3:3, 5-8) disciples individually and personally.

God wants us to trust in his Word, in the Bible and in Jesus Christ, the “living Word” (John 1:14), so that he can show us that his Word is absolutely true and worthy of trust and obedience. As we trust and obey God's Word he will show us his steadfast love and faithfulness.

The Jews and Gentiles who accepted Jesus as Savior and Lord and began to trust and obey his teachings became Christians, “born-again” disciples of Jesus Christ (Acts 11:26c). The Christian Church became the New Israel, the new people of God.

Born-again Christians are individually and collectively the temple of God, dedicated in the name of the Lord, God the Father, God the Son Jesus Christ, and God the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19-20), the doctrine of the Trinity (see entry for week of Trinity; 06/07-06/13/09). The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God, the Spirit of Christ (Romans 8:9),

There were several false teachings arising in the first-century Church which are present today and are refuted in the New Testament. One is “Legalism,” “Works-Righteousness:” salvation by doing “good deeds,” keeping the Jewish laws like circumcision, the Jewish Sabbath (Saturday), or Jewish dietary laws. Salvation is not by keeping the Law of Moses; the Jews could never do it, and sacrifices had to be made continually for their sins (Galatians 2:16). Salvation is by God's grace (a free gift; unmerited favor) to be received by faith (obedient trust) in Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:8-9). One who has been “born-again” is living in obedient trust in the indwelling Holy Spirit and has been set free from the old covenant (testament) of law (Romans 8:1-8).

There is an extra-biblical (teaching from some other book beside the Bible) cult today that offers “another gospel,” which they claim to have received from an angel, which is refuted in Galatians 1:6-9. In order to protect oneself from false teachers and false teachings one must read the entire Bible, and read portions daily.

In too many instances in the nominal Church today, leaders have become “men (and women)-pleasers,” teaching what people want to hear, what makes them feel good, at the expense of the things they need to hear to grow spiritually. Jesus is truth (John 14:6); the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of truth (John 14:16-17). If we are unwilling to hear the truth about our sinful nature and our need for repentance, we cannot know divine, eternal truth.

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)?

2 Pentecost - Monday C
First posted June 7, 2010;
Podcast: 2 Pentecost - Monday C

Psalm 30 – Thanksgiving for Healing;

Paraphrase:

I will praise you, O Lord, because you have lifted me up and have not let my enemies triumph over me. Lord, when I cried to you for help you healed me. You restored my soul from the dead, my life from from the grave.

Let all his saints (those consecrated to the Lord's service) sing praises and give thanks to his holy name. His anger is only momentary, but his favor is lifelong. “Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning” (Psalm 30:5b). When I was enjoying prosperity, I thought that would never change. By your favor, Lord, you had established me like a strong mountain. But when you hid your face, I was shaken.

To you, Lord, I cried and pleaded: Would there be any gain in my death, if I go to the grave. When I return to dust, will I be able to praise you and testify to your faithfulness? Hear and be gracious to me, Lord, and be my helper!

“Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing; thou has loosed my sackcloth (garment of ritual mourning) and girded me with gladness, that my soul may praise thee and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks to thee forever” (Psalm 30:11-12).

Commentary:

This can be the prayer of thanksgiving for all of us who call upon the Lord in faith (obedient trust) in times of trouble. This psalm is my own experience and testimony.

The Lord is willing and able to deliver us from our physical enemies. Over and over, the Lord has done so for me. As we trust in God's Word, and the testimony of the psalmist in today's text, for example, the Lord will fulfill his promise to deliver us. As the result, our faith grows, and when trouble occurs we can recall the faithfulness of the Lord to us in the past.

Also, and more importantly, in this world we all have spiritual enemies at work against us: sin, death, and Satan. We have all sinned (disobeyed God's Word; Romans 3:23, 1 John 1:8-10), and the penalty for sin is eternal death (Romans 6:23). Only the Lord can lift us up above our spiritual enemies, and restore our souls to life from death and the grave (see God's Plan of Salvation, sidebar, right).

Jesus Christ is God's one and only provision for the forgiveness of our sins, our restoration to fellowship with God, our Father, our Creator, which was broken by sin, and our restoration to eternal life from the dead (Acts 4:12; John 14:6). This is only possible through 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). By the baptism of the indwelling Holy Spirit we are “born again” (John 3:3, 5-8) to spiritual, eternal life. 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).

God is like a good father. He disciplines us for our own good (Hebrews12:5-11). His momentary anger is intended to lead us to repentance and righteousness (doing what is good, right and true, according to God's Word), so that we might have a good life now and eternally. When we do what is right, he rewards us with his favor, prospering our activities, and also allowing us to feel his love for us personally.

Too often we take credit when we are successful materially, and blame God when things go wrong. When we're not living according to God's Word, he lifts his favor from us and allows us to experience troubles, in hope that we will recognize our need for his favor and protection.

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)?

2 Pentecost - Tuesday - C
First posted June 8, 2010;
Podcast: 2 Pentecost - Tuesday C

1 Kings 17:17-24 – Elijah raises the Widow's Son;

1 Kings Background:

Elijah, the prophet, delivered a message from God to Ahab, the wicked king of the Northern Kingdom of Israel, that there would be drought in the land until God's Word, delivered through Elijah, ended it. Then at God's command Elijah left the territory under Ahab's authority and eventually boarded with a widow and her son in Zarephath in Phoenicia.

1 Kings Paraphrase:

The widow's son became so sick that he stopped breathing. The widow accused Elijah, the man of God, of confronting the widow with her sin and causing her son's death. Elijah took her son to the upper room where Elijah was staying and laid him on Elijah's bed. Elijah prayed to the Lord, asking why the Lord had brought calamity upon the widow with whom Elijah was staying? Then Elijah stretched himself out upon the son three times and prayed that the Lord would let the son's soul return to him again. The Lord heard and answered Elijah's prayer and the son revived. Then Elijah brought the son down and delivered him to his mother, showing her that her son was alive. The widow replied that she was now certain that Elijah was a man of God and that he spoke the true Word of God.

Commentary:

Prophets of God deliver unpopular messages; they speak truth to power. Worldly people hate God's prophets because they hate God. They want to be “god.” They hate truth because it exposes their sin (disobedience of God's Word) and unrighteousness (not doing what is right, good, and true, according to God's Word).

The Northern Kingdom, Israel, had broken away from Judah. King Ahab had married a pagan and had established the idolatry of Baal in the kingdom, two very wicked transgressions against God's Word.

Elijah declared a drought by God's command. God had tried various ways of calling the Northern Kingdom to repent and return to faith (obedient trust) in God's Word. One way God calls his people to repentance is by lifting his favor from them, in hopes that they will recognize and acknowledge their need of God's providence. God is abundantly able and faithful to provide his providence and protection to his prophets in the midst of famine and tribulation.

The widow thought that her son's death was her punishment for her sin, but she trusted in Elijah as the man of God. Elijah trusted in God to do what was right. The result was that the faith of both grew and was strengthened. God heard and answered their prayers.

When God's people were in bondage to sin and death in Egypt, God required the death of the the first-born of the pagan Egyptians to secure the release of his people. When God tested Abrahan (Abram) by commanding Abraham to sacrifice his son of the promise, Isaac, God provided a substitutionary animal sacrifice. Jesus is the substitutionary Lamb of God, the Lamb of the New Passover, God's first-born and only begotten Son, whom God provides, so that our own first-born sons and we ourselves don't have to die eternally for our sins.

Israel had a proverb with the sense that the fathers had eaten sour grapes and the children's teeth were set on edge (Ezekiel 18:2). The meaning was that the children would pay for the sins of their fathers. But God promised that everyone will be accountable only for his own sin (Ezekiel 18:3-4). God doesn't cause the deaths of our children to punish our sin.

Elijah is intended by God to be the forerunner to foreshadow the Christ, God's anointed eternal Savior and King. Jesus raised the dead (Lazarus: John 11:38-44, the son of the widow of Nain: Luke 7:11-15, and Jairus' daughter: Luke 8:41-56), and Jesus was himself raised from physical death to eternal life. Over five hundred witnesses testified to Jesus' resurrection, and so does every authentic born-again Christian. Jesus' miracles of physical resurrection were intended to show that Jesus has the power to raise the physically dead to spiritual, eternal life.

Ahab and the Northern Kingdom did not heed the repeated calls of the prophets to repent and return to obedient trust in God's Word. The ultimate result was that the Northern Kingdom was conquered by the Assyrians in 721 B.C.. The people were carried off to other conquered lands where they intermarried, and the ten tribes of the Northern Kingdom effectively ceased to exist. (The weakest remnant which remained in the land intermarried with aliens brought in to resettle, and became the Samaritans, of mixed race and religion, at the time of Jesus' physical ministry.) The Southern Kingdom of Judah was the only remnant of Israel.

The widow accused God of punishing her sin by killing her son, but she came to the man of God in faith, and she trusted in God's Word spoken through him. As a result, her son was restored to her.

If we raise our children in a godly home, a home which trusts and obeys God's Word, we can entrust our loved ones to God's care, providence, and protection. We can be assured that troubles that we experience are not God's punishment of our sin. We can be confident that even if our loved ones die, they will be restored to us in eternity in God's heavenly kingdom.

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)?

2 Pentecost - Wednesday - C
First posted June 9, 2010;
Podcast: 2 Pentecost - Wednesday C

Galatians 1:11-24 – Vindication of Paul's Apostleship;

Paraphrase:

The Gospel which Paul (Saul of Tarsus) was proclaiming was not a message devised by humans. It had not been taught to Paul by human wisdom, but had been received by revelation by Jesus Christ. Paul had formerly been zealous for Judaism; he was formally educated beyond his peers (Philippians 3:3-6; Acts 22:3), and he had persecuted the Church, trying to destroy it. But God had set Paul apart, before he was born, and in God's timing he called Paul by grace (undeserved favor; as a free gift) and revealed God's Son to him, so that Paul could preach Christ among the Gentiles. And Paul did not confer with humans, nor go to Jerusalem (Church headquarters) to confer with the original Apostles (who had known Jesus during Jesus' physical ministry on earth). Instead Paul went into Arabia and then to Damascus.

Paul didn't go to Jerusalem until three years after his conversion, and then he conferred with Cephas (Simon Peter) for fifteen days. He saw none of the other apostles except Jesus' brother, James. (Paul swears that, before God, he is telling the truth.) Then Paul went to Syria and Cilicia (Tarsus, the capital, was Paul's hometown; Acts 9:30). Paul was, up to this point, known only by reputation: that he who formerly persecuted Christians was now preaching the faith he had once tried to destroy. So, because of Paul, they glorified God.

Commentary:

Paul (Saul of Tarsus) was deliberately intended by God (Galatians 1:15) to be the prototype and illustration of the modern, post-resurrection, “born-again” (John 3:3, 5-8) disciple (student) and apostle (messenger; of the Gospel) of Jesus Christ, as we all, today, can be. Paul was on his way to Damascus to persecute Christians when he was converted by the risen and ascended Jesus (Acts 9:1-20).

I also believe that Paul was the one God intended to be the replacement for Judas, the betrayer. The original disciples were told to wait in Jerusalem (the modern equivalent is the Church) until they had received the “baptism” of the indwelling Holy Spirit (Luke 24:49; Acts 1 :4-5, 8), and then they were to go into the world to proclaim the Gospel and carry on the mission of Jesus Christ (Matthew 28:19-20). While they were waiting, they decided to choose a replacement for Judas, and selected Matthias by “chance” since they did not yet have the guidance and empowerment of the indwelling Holy Spirit (Acts 1:15-26). Matthias is never heard of again in the New Testament, but after his conversion, most of the rest of the New Testament is by or about Paul.

Paul was as much an Apostle as the Eleven remaining original Apostles designated by Jesus during Jesus' physical lifetime (Luke 6 :12-16). He was taught the Gospel directly from Jesus as were the original apostles.

Paul had been preaching the Gospel for three years before he met any of the original Apostles, and his Gospel never changed. In fact, Paul corrected Peter (Galatians 2:11-16) when Peter leaned toward the “legalism” (salvation by keeping the Law of Moses; “works-righteousness”) of “Judaisers” (false teachers in the Church who insisted that Christians must obey the Laws of Moses; see False Teachings, sidebar, right). When he met with Simon Peter in Jerusalem, he was only there for fifteen days; not enough time to have been discipled by Peter.

The leaders of Judaism didn't accept the authority of Jesus. They had not taught him and had not authorized his ministry. They were running Judaism as their private empire, instead of being stewards of God on behalf of God's people. The result was that the Jews failed to recognize and receive their Savior, the promised Messiah (Christ; both words mean [God's] “anointed” Savior and Lord [eternal King]).

The nominal Church is in the same position today as Judaism at the time of Jesus Christ. The Church has failed to make “born-again” disciples of Jesus Christ and has settled for making church “members.” The result is that there are no born-again disciples to select for “Apostles;” for Church leadership. Church leaders are chosen from those who have been taught denominational doctrine in denominational seminaries, and have been authorized by denominational leadership.

That is not the method Paul modeled! Paul was “discipled” by a born-again disciple, Ananias (Acts 9:10), until Paul was “reborn” (Acts 9:17-18), and then Paul was discipled, guided and empowered by the Holy Spirit to proclaim the Gospel (Acts 9:20).

During Jesus' physical ministry, he demonstrated the mission of the Church to make born-again disciples and to teach them to repeat the process (Matthew 28:19-20; Luke 24:49, Acts 1:4-5, 8). Paul was carrying out this process. Paul was discipled by Ananias, and then began making disciples of Jesus, and teaching them to do the same. Timothy is an example (2 Timothy 1:6-7; 2:2)

The solution is to read the entire Bible for oneself, to commit to being a disciple of Jesus Christ, and to seek 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). If possible seek to be discipled by born-again disciples, but I personally testify that if a born-again “discipler” cannot be found, the Lord himself will disciple you, according to the Bible!

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)?

2 Pentecost - Thursday - C
First posted June 10, 2010;
Podcast: 2 Pentecost - Thursday C

Luke 7:11-17 – The Widow of Nain's Son;

Soon after healing the Centurion's slave at Capernaum (Luke 7:1-10), Jesus went to a city called Nain (at the southern border of Galilee) with his disciples, and a large crowd followed. Drawing near to the city gate, he encountered a funeral procession carrying out a young man, the only son of a widow, with a large crowd from the city accompanying her. The Lord had compassion on her when he saw her, and he told her not to weep. Jesus came up and touched the bier and the bearers stopped still. Jesus commanded the dead man to arise, and the dead man sat up and began to speak. Jesus handed him to his mother, and fear seized all the onlookers. They also glorified God, saying that a great prophet had arisen among them, and that God had visited his people. News of this resurrection spread throughout Judea and the surrounding areas.

Commentary:

Jesus' miracles of physical healing, feeding, and resurrection were intended to show us that he can also, and more importantly, spiritually heal, feed and raise us from physical death to eternal life. Until we are “born-again” (John 3:3, 5-8) 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), we cannot perceive what is spiritual, because those things are spiritually discerned (1 Corinthians 2:12-14). Until we are filled with the indwelling Holy Spirit we are physically alive but spiritually dead (“unborn”). 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).

In the history of God's dealing with Israel, recorded in the Old Testament, God used certain people to foretell and foreshadow God's plan for Creation. Moses foreshadowed the Messiah, Jesus Christ (“Messiah” and “Christ” each mean [God's] “anointed” [Savior and eternal King] in Hebrew and Greek, respectively), as the one to come who would lead God's people out of bondage to sin and death in the “Egypt” of this world, and through the spiritual “wilderness” of this lifetime. Joshua foreshadowed Jesus (whose name in Hebrew is “Joshua”), who leads us through the “river” of physical death without getting our feet “wet” (not being affected by physical death; Joshua 3:13-17) and into the eternal “Promised Land” of God's eternal kingdom in heaven. Elijah, who raised from death the son of the widow of Zarephath (1 Kings 17:17-24; see entry for 2 Pentecost Tuesday, above), foreshadowed Jesus' resurrection of the son of the widow of Nain.

The widow of Zarephath had believed that Elijah was a man of God when she took him in as a boarder, but when he restored her son from the dead she was totally certain. Jesus' resurrection of the son of the widow of Nain was intended to reveal that Jesus is the Son of God.

We first come to know Jesus through the testimony of the New Testament scriptures. As we believe that he is the Son of God, the promised eternal Savior and Lord and begin to trust and obey him (as the widow of Zarephath had trusted and obeyed Elijah:1 Kings 17:10-16), we will come to experience personally the Lord's miraculous powers in our lives and our faith will become certain knowledge (compare John 6:68-69; see Personal Testimonies, sidebar, right). We will come to know that in Jesus Christ, God has visited his people. Jesus is God in human flesh (Colossians 2:8-9; John 20:28).

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)?

2 Pentecost - Friday - C
First posted June 11, 2010;
Podcast: 2 Pentecost - Friday C

1 John 3:13-18 – Words vs. Deeds;

Paraphrase:

Christians should not be amazed that the world hates them (John 15:18-20). Our love for our brethren testifies that we have moved from (spiritual) death to life. Those who do not love remain dead. Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer and murderers do not have eternal life in them. We know love because Jesus gave us life by dying for us on the cross (John 15:13). So we should give up our lives for our brethren's sake. How does God's love abide in one who sees his brother or sister in need and yet closes his heart and refuses to help. Saying that we love without the accompanying deeds of love reveals hypocrisy (James 1:22).

Commentary:

The world hates Jesus because people hate God. Worldly people want to be “god.” The original sin of Adam and Eve in the Garden was that they wanted to be “like God” (Genesis 3:5). We want to be “god” because we want to do our own will, rather than God's.

The world hates Jesus because he is perfectly obedient to God's will. He is the example of how to live in this world in human flesh in obedience to God's Word. God sent Jesus into the world, and Jesus came into the world, each knowing that the world would hate and try to destroy Jesus.

God has designed this world from the very beginning to allow us the freedom to choose whether to trust and obey God's Word and the opportunity to learn by trial and error that God's will is our very best interest. God knew that given the freedom to choose we would all choose our own will rather than God's. Disobedience of God's Word is the definition of sin, and all of us have sinned and fall short of God's righteousness (Romans 3:23; 1 John 1:8-10), which is testified to in the Bible and exemplified in Jesus Christ. The penalty for sin is [eternal] death Romans 6:23).

God loves us and doesn't want anyone to perish eternally (Romans 5:8; John 3:16-17). Jesus is God's one and only provision for our forgiveness and salvation from eternal death (Acts 4:12; John 14:6). Jesus has been designed into the structure of Creation from the very beginning (John 1:1-5, 14).

God sent Jesus into the world knowing that he would be crucified. On the cross, Jesus became the one and only sacrifice acceptable to God for our forgiveness and salvation. If the rulers of this world had understood this they wouldn't have crucified Jesus (1 Corinthians 2:8). It was not possible for them to destroy Jesus; in trying, they fulfilled God's Plan of Salvation (which see, sidebar, right).

God loved us while we were his enemies; while we hated God. Jesus loved us enough, while we hated and opposed him, to die an “excruciatingly”(the word means “from the cross;” crucifixion becoming the epitome of) painful death (John 15:13), so that we could live eternally in God's kingdom, paradise restored, in heaven.

How we respond to Jesus is of eternal consequence for us personally and individually. We can respond by hating him and trying to destroy him, or we can recognize and accept the love, forgiveness and salvation he offers through his sacrifice on the cross.

We are all born into this world physically alive but spiritually “dead” (“unborn”). This lifetime is our opportunity to be “born-again” to eternal life. Those who accept Jesus as Savior and Lord, will respond in love, trust and obedience, and will be spiritually “born-again” (John 3:3, 5-8) by the “baptism” of the indwelling Holy Spirit which only gives (John 1:31-34), only to his disciples who trust and obey Jesus (John 14:15-17).

Through the indwelling Holy Spirit we personally experience the love of God and Jesus for us, and we are able to respond in love to them. Through the indwelling Holy Spirit we are able to love others, even the “unlovable,” as God and Jesus do. We can be guided and empowered to lay down our lives for the Gospel and our fellow humans, not necessarily in physical death, but by surrendering our self-interest and our resources, for the interests of our brethren.

Hatred of our brothers or sisters takes their spiritual lives. How can we offer spiritual healing and eternal life through the Gospel to those we hate and try to hurt and destroy? Hatred and unforgiveness of others is evidence that one has not been forgiven and saved by the Lord.

It is easy to say we love others, and it is easier to love the lovely and those who love us. The way to show our love for the Lord is to keep his commandments (John 14:15), which in essence are to love God and our brethren (Matthew 22:35-40), and we demonstrate that love by doing deeds of love.

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)?

2 Pentecost - Saturday C
First posted June 11, 2010;
Podcast: 2 Pentecost - Saturday C

Luke 14:16-24 – The Great Banquet;

Background:

Jesus was eating with a Pharisee (a leader of a legalistic Jewish sect) and the Pharisee's guests. A person at the Pharisee's table declared that one who eats bread in the kingdom of God will be blessed (Luke 14:15).

Luke:

In response, Jesus told a parable about a man who gave a great banquet and invited many. At the appointed time, he sent his servants to summon his guests, but they began making excuses. One said that he had purchased a field and needed to inspect it. Another said that he had bought five yoke of oxen and needed to examine them. Another said that he had just married and thus couldn't come. The servant reported these to his master. Then the master told his servant to go into the streets and lanes of the city and bring the poor, crippled and blind. The servant did so, but there was still room for others, so the master sent his servant to search the highways and bushes and compel to come those he found, so that the master's house would be filled. Jesus told those present that none of those invited to his banquet (and who made excuses) would taste it.

Commentary:

Many would agree that it would be great to partake of the Marriage Feast of the Lamb in heaven (Revelation 19:9; the fulfillment of the New Passover Feast) with the Lord. But we must act now so that we will be ready to go when the time comes.

We should keep a “loose grip” on the things of this world so that they won't interfere with our acceptance of the invitation. We must not let real estate, or automobiles, or family relationships, or any material thing or activity cause us to be unready when the summons comes.

The Lord makes his invitation to all who are willing and available to accept it when the summons is given. The Lord wants as many as possible to be his guests. The “least desirable” individuals in society are the least hindered, and no less valued in heaven.

On the night of his betrayal and arrest, Jesus celebrated the Passover Feast (Exodus 12:1-13) with his disciples, and during that time he instituted the New Passover Feast, the Lord's Supper (Holy Communion; Eucharist). It is a spiritual feast; the material elements are tiny: a bite of bread and a sip of wine. But the spiritual elements are great: Jesus' body and blood are the sacrifice which provides the main course of the feast, and the blood which marks us as people of God to be passed over by the destroying angel. The Lord's Supper which we celebrate is a foretaste of the Marriage Feast of the Lamb, which will be fulfilled in God's Kingdom in heaven (Matthew 26:29). The Marriage Feast will be the celebration of the union of the true Church, the bride, with Christ in heaven.

A “born-again” (John 3:3, 5-8) Christian disciple personally experiences the presence of Jesus as the host at the celebration of Holy Communion. We have a foretaste of the heavenly fulfillment.

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)?