Are You Blind?

In our reading for today from John 9, a man that had been born blind was miraculously healed by Jesus. Not knowing what else to do with him, his friends brought him to the Pharisees. A blind man receiving his sight would normally be reason for rejoicing by all... except for two things. It was Jesus who had healed the blind man and he had healed him on the Sabbath... and the  Pharisees did not appreciate either of those two things.  They immediately dismissed the healing and began to attack the healer, "This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath" (9:16). They could read the calendar, but they could not see a miracle! Unschooled common folk may mistakenly focus on the miracle, but the Pharisees knew that the critical issue here was the day upon which it occurred. God wouldn't work on the Sabbath, so this could not be from God!

So the Pharisees began to pressure the formerly-blind man, trying to distance him in some way from the miracle... and the miracle worker. But the formerly blind man was seeing things clearly, and he saw right through the pettiness of these Pharisees! The man states simply that Jesus must be a prophet (9:17). When the Pharisees insisted that Jesus of was a sinner (after all, he healed on the Sabbath), the man sarcastically responds, "Whether he is a sinner or not I don't know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see” (9:25). This formerly-blind man saw things much more clearly than did the Pharisees. For him, the essence of religious truth was not to be found in dusty tomes or trust tradition or lumbering logic; it was rather seen in the power of a changed life. The Pharisees could argue tradition and theology until they were blue in the face. The one thing he knew was that his life had been undeniably altered by the power of God and by a miracle-worker who had come from God.

Do you really want the world to see the truthfulness of your Christian faith? By all means, study the scriptures so that you can make an informed case for Christianity. By all means, prepare a line of reasoning so that you can present faith to others in a logical way. But when you get right down to it, most people are pretty pragmatic. Your logic and scripture will mean very little if you are not living a positive, dynamic and holy life that shows that your faith makes a real difference. Peter put it like this in 1 Peter 2:12--

Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.

If your faith in God makes you a better friend, a better co-worker, a better family person, a better neighbor, a better person, then people will listen when you talk about it. But if faith doesn't have any real impact on your life in any visible way, then why would they want to listen to you talk about it? The greatest argument for the truthfulness of the faith is the lives of people who take it seriously! Otherwise the world will continue to be blind to the power of Jesus.

Why Do We Follow Jesus?

Today's daily Bible reading from John 6 is a transition text in John’s account of the ministry of Jesus. It is also  one of those texts that demands that we question why it is that we are disciples of Christ in the first place. Jesus has just performed his most public and celebrated (it's in all four gospels) miracles. His support is now at its highest point— the people want to make him king whether he wants to be or not (6:15). Jesus evades this crowd in a rather dramatic fashion (6:16-24), but they are persistent and pursue him to the other side of Galilee. 

Jesus knows why this crowd is persistently dogging him-- they want free bread (6:26).  He uses that to transition into teaching a spiritual lesson about the bread of life (6:33-35). and it is right here that Jesus loses much of his audience. He starts talking about the Father’s will (6:35-40) and demanding they eat His flesh and drink his blood (6:52-58). Remember, this crowd wants to force him to be king and is following him only because he is giving them free food. But Jesus wasn't interested in making those the point of his ministry. His will was to do the will of the Father (6:38).

Question: Are many who follow Jesus today doing so because they are trying to make him king (politics) and want him to give them free food (material things)? When people who aren't Christians stumble across people talking about Jesus on TV, what message is usually being touted? Why is it that people follow Christ, at least in the minds of people who don't?

• Politics: One of the biggest complaints non-Christians (especially young people) have about the church is that it is too political. Evangelical Christians are known for a particular political point of view and agenda. Are there still disciples who still want to make Jesus an earthly, political “king” even though Jesus is clear that he had no desire to be one.
   
• Food: The most visible media presentation of the church that people see is the “Health-and-Wealth” idea that touts Jesus as power to give you stuff that you “name and claim” in his name. Faith in Christ is the power to have what you want… even though Jesus called the crowd’s bluff when he saw they were only interested in free food. 

To a politically and materialistically motivated crowd, Jesus taught and demanded “hard things” (6:61) that caused many to stop following him. He wanted those who were his disciples to be so out of a desire for the things that he was about. He wants us to be so consumed with him that it is as if we eat his flesh and drink his blood. Just as Jesus came to do the will of the One who send him, so we are to do the will of the one who sent us. We need to make sure that we're following Christ’s agenda and not our own.

More Marlarkey

This past Sunday I mentioned in passing the popular (false) doctrine of goes by titles like “Word of Faith Movement” or the “Prosperity Gospel” or the “Health-n-Wealth Theology.” The basic idea is that we are God's children and He wants his kids to have the very best of everything—jobs, cars, houses, clothes and (perhaps) Rolex watches. Those who have real faith in God and who act on their faith in the right way will receive these material blessings from God. I suggested that the Greek word for this (with a nod to our vice-president) is "marlarkey."

I didn't realize that my sermon illustration Sunday was “ripped from the headlines.” I happened across these two stories in the news aggregate this morning—

• Peter Popoff, the controversial televangelist who amassed millions from his so-called "prophetic anointing" is now hawking baggies of "miracle spring water" that promises to rid its drinkers from financial debt. The wealth-attracting water is being marketed through Popoff's website and cable TV infomercials.
• Todd Coontz, the founder of RockWealth International Ministries and a national televangelist is telling viewers that if they will act obediently and send his ministry a minimum of $300 (“a recovery seed donation”), they will receive a “supernatural change” in their lives and be blessed with “God's triple favor anointing.”

Why do to these guys make such ridiculous claims? Well, because people send them huge amounts of money! Popoff was rather famously exposed on the Tonight Show years ago (back when some guy guy named Carson was doing it). Watch this clip from Inside Edition—



Popoff is now back on TV with a whole new following doing the same old shtick and making millions hand over fist. Should that surprise us? Peter says “in their greed these teachers will exploit you with fabricated stories?” (2 Pet 2:3). He calls them “experts in greed” who follow in the steps of Balaam the prophet (2 Pet 2:14-16). Jude warns about “shepherds who feed only themselves” (Jude 12). Paul says they these guys “think that godliness is a means to financial gain” (1 Tim 6:5). So it should not come as a total shock to us that there are shady charlatans who try to use God as a way to make a quick, dishonest buck.

The question is. “Why do people keep sending them money?” I mean, how hard is it to Google “Peter Popoff” before you send in your check for the miracle water cure for financial debt? It took me 10 seconds to find the above clip on YouTube (I had seen the segment years ago live on Johnny Carson... back when I could sit up past 9:30 at night). This information is there for anyone to check, and yet this guy makes money hand over fist claiming to be have little baggies of holy water from God. Ultimately, Popoff and his ilk are making millions telling people what they want to hear. False teachers will be held responsible to be sure (2 Pet 2:3), but then so will hears with itching ears who pay these guys to tell them what they want to hear  (2 Tim 4:3-4)

3 For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 4 They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.

Jesus and Gun Control

Some time ago long before Newtown and right after a highly publicized church shooting, a reporter from the Daily Press called to ask me what I thought about armed church members during worship. I said that I didn't know exactly what I thought, though I leaned toward the view that fewer places with people packing heat was generally to be preferred over more places. I do think having armed brethren and sisteren while discussing church music or some other issue is not a great idea. Frankly, I have brothers and sisters on both sides of the gun control debate—

• Some believe that all guns should be outlawed or strictly controlled… or strictly controlled and then outlawed.
• Some believe that guns should be not be controlled at all and that bullets should be handed out like Halloween candy.

Me?  I always stand with my brothers and sisters! Personally, I think there would be less violence in the world if there were no guns than there would be of everyone had a couple-- so that's the direction that I would prefer moving.  But then is that either logical or realistic? Of course not! But the one thing that doesn't seem to be required for a position on gun control is being logical or realistic. I surely don't have any definitive answers… but neither does anyone else!

Our reading today from Luke 22 is one the texts that comes up in gun control discussions among Christians. Jesus is preparing the apostles for his coming crucifixion. After the Last Supper and the prediction of Peter’s denial, Jesus says, "Remember when I told you not to take any money, a bag or extra shoes with you on your ministry? Well, now you need all that stuff… and a sword to boot!" (See Luke 22:35-36). In fact, he told them to sell their coat to buy a sword!  (I'd like to know where you can get a sword for the price of a used coat!) The apostles probably didn’t understand this anymore than they understood the prediction of his coming crucifixion and resurrection, but they respond, "We have couple of swords between us." Jesus says, "Two is enough."

Why does Jesus want the apostles armed? Later when he is betrayed, Jesus stops the apostle ot apostles who use the two swords to defend him (Peter swinging both swords?  Sounds like him).   Jesus heals the man hurt by the sword play before Jesus stepped in to stop it (Luke 22:51). He clearly contrasts His ministry and movement with a rebellion led by people with swords and clubs (Luke 22:52). It seems that Jesus wanted his disciples armed but He did not want them using the swords in His name. He wanted them and the world to know that He was giving himself over to be crucified because that was His choice and not because His servants would not fight to protect him.  Christians should never use violence to promote or defend the kingdom of God. The use of the sword is part of the kingdom of men (Rom 13:4), but Jesus sees a marked difference between the kingdom of men and the kingdom of God (Mark 10:41-44). Power and violence have their place in the kingdom of men; the only power in the kingdom of God is that of service and a cross.

But what does this text have to say about guns and Christians today? Some see it proving that Jesus approves of His disciples OWNING firearms? Other argue that it shows that Jesus prohibits his disciples from USING firearms. I think Luke 22 probably proves the same thing that modern statistics prove about gun violence and gun control-- it proves whatever you believed before you read it!

Me?  I think two swords are enough!

Kingdom Come

Years ago, I bought entitled Soothsayers of the Second Advent by William Alnor. I bought the book for two reasons— it had a catchy title and it was (literally) in the bargain bin for $1.97. The book was written 25 years ago and most of the end-time predictions with which it deals are too dated to be directly helpful. He mentions things like--

• The Jupiter Effect: The rare alignment of planets that was seen as Revelation's “signs in the sky” that would usher in the end-time.
• Identification of Antichrist: Various suggestions from Henry Kissinger to Pope John Paul II to Ronald Reagan.
• Mark of the Beast: Its our VISA card (VI= 6, zeta= 6th letter, and “a” is backward 6). OK, once a month I'm willing to entertain the idea of VISA as the mark of the beast.
• Gog and Magog: The former leaders of the USSR were Gromecho, Ogarkov and Gorbachov.  God!  Give me some time and I could probably find a Magog in there someone too.

The book was written before the Y2K, Harold Camping or Mayan calendar debacles, so it misses many newer examples of this same end-time frenzy. Alnor debunked the hot end-time theories of his day and provides a warning for the soothsayers of the present. You'd really think that eventually the soothsayers would cease saying sooth, but then people keep buying what they're selling!

Jesus himself tried to derail some soothsayers in our reading for today in Luke 19. He was coming near Jerusalem, and there were those who thought “the kingdom of God was going to appear at once” (NIV) or “immediately” (ESV). The NLT puts it, “to correct the impression that the Kingdom of God would begin right away.” In other words, many of the Jews expected that the Messiah would come and immediately establish his kingdom in Jerusalem. They had the end-time all figured out, and if Jesus was the Messiah, then they had him all figured out as well. In fact, they were ready to make him their king whether he wanted to be or not! (see John 6:15). As Jesus draws near Jerusalem, there was an expectation that something was about to happen (it did, but not the something they expected). So Jesus told a parable to stress that God’s kingdom was different type of kingdom (Luke 19:12-24)

This "Parable of the Minas" is very similar to the "Parable of the Talents" in Matthew 25, though it has a slightly different setting.  Here a nobleman goes to a distant country to have himself declared king and leaves servants in charge of his estate. This actually has something of a “ripped from headlines” quality—Herod Archelaus travelled to Rome in B.C. 4 to secure permission from Caesar to take his father’s title as “King of the Jews.” As in the parable (v. 14), a delegation went to Rome in protest… and lost. As in the parable, Herod Archelaus killed his political rivals on ascending the throne. So Jesus seems to use a familiar story as the basis of this parable.

The basic details here are the similar to as the more familiar parable in Matthew 25. The master goes away and the servants don't know exactly when he will  return— only that he would return. The servants had to be ready for their master's return, and the way they were to be ready was to use the money that he left behind in their care. The specific financial details of the two parables are different--

• In the Parable of the Talents, the servants are given different amounts with the productive servants making the same return.
• In the Parable of the Minas, the servants are given the same amount, but they present a different rate of return to the master.

In both parables, the servant that is not ready (who has not put his gift to work) is condemned. And the basic point of both parables is the same—we don't know when the master  is coming, so we must use what he gives us now so that we will be ready when he comes.

Remember, Jesus told this parable to people who thought that “kingdom come” was coming at any minute. He isn't trying to disabuse them of that believe; He is rather trying to get them to see that coming means. And what it means is that we must be ready at all times because we can't know when kingdom come will come. Does the Bible leave the impression that Jesus is coming soon?  No!  It comes right out ands says it!

• Romans 13:12- "The night is nearly over; the day is almost here"
• James 5:8- "Stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near"
• 1 Peter 4:7- "The end of all things is near"

Jesus really is coming soon, but soon is always God's own timing and not our own. When one days is like a thousand years, then how soon is soon?  Soon could be at any time. And if the end could come at any time, then it could be NOW!  That doesn't mean that we should look for signs in the sky or climb tree to get closer to him when he comes. The point is that we'd better be busy doing kingdom work now so we will be ready for kingdom come when kingdom comes. All of those "coming soon" texts are ETHICAL in nature. Jesus is coming soon, so we'd better be living in a certain way.  We'd better be spreading our talents and minas around now so that we'll be ready for kingdom come--

• Romans 13:12- "…so let us put aside the deeds of darkness."
• James 5:9- "Don’t grumble against each other or you too will be judged"
• 1 Peter 4:7- "…Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled."

It's Our Job!

Steve Raab went with us on one of our mission trips to Ukraine. Actually, I should say Steve returned with us from one of our trips to Ukraine. He couldn't leave at the same time as the group, so he travelled by himself and joined us a few days later. On the bus ride across New York City from JFK to LaGuardia (or visa versa), Steve’s bus had a near miss with a taxi cab. After exchanging a few words through the window, the driver got off the bus and screamed at the taxi driver for a couple of minutes. He then got back on and was preparing to drive off when he turned to his passengers and said, "Hey, it's my job!"

"It's my job."  What do we do as disciples of Jesus that isn't part of our job? We are way too good at compartmentalizing our lives, breaking it down into parts that belong to work, family, and recreation with a little left over for God and church. We fit in part of our lives for God, but a lot of it seems to get squeezed out by other things.  The only thing wrong with that idea is that it's wrong. Our daily Bible reading from Luke 17 reminds us that nothing we do us above and beyond the call of our duty—

7 “Suppose one of you has a servant plowing or looking after the sheep. Will he say to the servant when he comes in from the field, ‘Come along now and sit down to eat’? 8 Won’t he rather say, ‘Prepare my supper, get yourself ready and wait on me while I eat and drink; after that you may eat and drink’? 9 Will he thank the servant because he did what he was told to do? (Luke 17:7-9)

In the first century, most slaves were “household slaves” who were owned by families who could afford only one. So the slave was expected to work hard all day, do household chores, take care of kids and cook the food. (OK, that’s sounds a lot like my wife, but I digress). This household slave worked hard and wore many different household hates. And Jesus asks, “Does one serve your slave dinner or even thank them after they've worked all day?” We would, but you have to remember the culture. The slave existed for the benefit of the master, and everything the slave does is for the mater.  It was their job.

OK, Jesus, so what’s your point? That's the problem; His point is obvious.  We just don't like it very much. There’s no “above and beyond the call of duty” for the slaves of the Almighty God. Everything that we do, we are to do in God’s name and for His glory. Whether we are at church, at work, with our family or pursuing our hobby—it’s for all God. Why? Because He is God and we're his slaves. We must to serve Him. It’s our job!

16 Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? 17 But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you have come to obey from your heart the pattern of teaching that has now claimed your allegiance. 18 You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness. (Romans 6:16-18)