A. ADVERTISING CHRISTMAS

1. Modern Christmas
Whenever there is a special event, these days, we seem to get plenty of warning. Whether it’s Mothers’ Day, an annual festival, or even a new TV programme, it seems that for at least two months before hand we’re told of the coming event. So much so, that some of us can’t wait for the event to be over, in order for the advertising to stop.

When it comes to an event like Christmas, however, it’s not just two months’ notice that we get, but several months. Tinsel and presents appear in the shops, well before it seems decent to even think about it. And the advertising begins . . . indeed, it seems to start earlier every year.

And whilst we can mumble and complain at the early warning, and at the eagerness of stores to sell their wares, perhaps we need to put the warning—the advance notice that Christmas is coming—into perspective. Because the advertising for the first Christmas didn’t just begin a matter of months before the event, it occurred centuries before. For there were prophets seven hundred to seven hundred and fifty years before Jesus was born, telling the people to expect the Messiah.

2. The First Christmas
Indeed, Isaiah’s message was: “A child has been born to us—a son has been given to us . . . he will be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6). And Micah warned: “As for you, Bethlehem… from you will come… one who will be ruler” (Micah 5:2).

Six hundred years before the birth, Jeremiah got into the act too. “In those days, at that time, I will cause a righteous branch to sprout… This is the name by which it will be called, ‘The Lord is our Righteousness’” (Jeremiah 33:15-16). And four hundred years before his birth, Malachi put his two bobs worth in as well: “Look, I am sending my messenger . . . The Lord . . . will come suddenly to his Temple” (Malachi 3:1).

Furthermore, a little over nine months before the birth of Jesus, the archangel Gabriel visited Mary and said to her: “You will conceive a child in your womb. You will bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great. He will be called the Son of the Most High” (Luke 1:31-32). And during the pregnancy, an angel visited Joseph too. “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife . . . She will give birth to a son, and you will call his name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins” (Mt 1:21-21).

3. Comment
As a consequence, even if they started advertising in January, it would be nothing like the notice that God gave his people for the first Christmas.

B. CELEBRATING CHRISTMAS

1. Modern Christmas
However, once the waiting and preparation time is over. For us, it is on to celebrating the festival. And these days the giving and receiving of presents, feasting, drinking, partying, celebrating, and singing carols, are just some of the things we do to celebrate Christmas.

Of course, not everything goes right all the time. And sometimes we might find we have forgotten to do something, and we find we’re not as prepared as we thought. But generally Christmas these days is a time of celebration, a time of having a good time.

2. The First Christmas
And that’s the way that it should be too. After all, think how the first Christmas was celebrated.

Because even though not everything went well on the first Christmas, there would have been joy at the birth of the baby. Furthermore, when the angels told the shepherds, tending their sheep in a nearby field, that the Messiah had been born, they hurried off, excitedly to see the baby Jesus (Luke 2:16). And after they had seen him, they returned to their fields glorifying and praising God (Luke 2:20). At the same time, some angels and a whole host of heavenly beings appeared praising God (Luke 2:13). And the effect that all this had on Mary, was that she treasured up everything that happened (Luke 2:19).

And it didn’t just stop there. Because forty days later, when Mary and Joseph took Jesus to the Temple for the very first time, there was a man called Simeon who, when he saw the family and recognised who Jesus was, praised God. “For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the presence of all the peoples” (Luke 2:30-31). And there was a prophetess, named Anna, who also “spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem” (Luke 2:38).

3. Comment
So just as we have something in common with the first Christmas, regarding sufficient notice to celebrate the festival, so too do we have something in common regarding the celebration of the festival as well. But then, that’s only too right. Christmas should be about celebrating the birth of Jesus. And it should be about us being thankful too.

C. PACKING UP CHRISTMAS

1. Modern Christmas
Unfortunately, when Christmas is over for another year, and it’s time to pack Christmas away, isn’t it true that for many people things tend to go a little flat? The excitement’s gone, and we’ve eaten, drunken, and given just that little bit too much.

When it all stops—and for many there’s only the bill left to pay—it’s only natural that we may feel a little let down. But, yet in sense, with such a build up to a major festival, that is only to be expected.

2. The First Christmas
And, unfortunately, with the first Christmas, the same thing happened too. The shepherds . . . well they came and they went and, sadly, there’s no record of them after the event—they were simply never heard of again.

And yes, the wise men, did arrive sometime in the next two years. And they did rejoice when they saw the infant Jesus. But the whole situation was turned sour with Herod’s arrival on the scene, wanting to eliminate a baby, who he felt was a threat to his throne.

3. Comment
And so, sadly, after Jesus birth, things went flat too. The gloss was taken off such a wonderful event, just like it can be for us when our celebration of Christmas is over.

Joseph, Mary, and the baby Jesus went scuttling off to Egypt, to hide until Herod had died and it was safe to go home. And we pack up the decorations, finish the leftovers, and say goodbye to family and friends.

D. IMPLICATIONS

In regard to modern Christmases, therefore, there is a lot in common with the very first Christmas. The advertising, the celebration itself, and feeling flat after the event are the same things that occur today that occurred at the first Christmas.

But you know, in a very real way, it shouldn’t be like that at all. It shouldn’t be like that now and it shouldn’t have been like it then.

Because the point of Jesus’s birth wasn’t something that was supposed to be a five-minute wonder. Something to get excited about and then, five minutes later when the initial impact was over, something to be packed away and forgotten. The point of Jesus’s birth was that it was something to get excited about and something to stay excited about too.

Jesus was God’s answer to a particularly difficult problem. God wanted his people to be good enough to live with him in eternity. Because he found, and still finds, not one person worthy of making the grade. No matter what have done or do we will never be good enough to meet God’s standards based on our own merit.

That’s why Jesus was sent: to be born, to live a perfect life, and to suffer the punishment that we deserve for their sins. And that’s not just true of the people two thousand years ago, it’s true for us today as well.

The point of Jesus’ birth, then, is that everyone who trusts God—and puts their faith in a little child who grew up and died on our behalf—can be treated as though they had never made one mistake. They can be treated as though they have lived perfect lives. And on that basis, they can then receive God’s gift of eternal life.

Our role regarding Christmas, then, is to break the typical Christmas cycle.

Yes, the advertising that we see and hear, months in advance, may be a good thing, because it is reminder that the celebration is coming and that we need to prepare for it. And, yes, joining in the celebrations may be good as well, as we need to celebrate the birth of Jesus and involve ourselves in a period of excitement and celebration. However, once Christmas is over, what we shouldn’t be doing is packing it up and putting it away.

Yes, it’s OK to put away the trimmings. But what we should then be doing is to continue to celebrate the birth of Jesus, day after day after day. Because if Jesus was born for you and me so that we can have eternal life, then surely that is the good news that should stay with us well after the trees and tinsel are all packed away.

E. CONCLUSION

There are several parallels between the way we celebrate Christmas today and the way it was originally celebrated.

The people were given plenty of warning and we are too. The first Christmas was a time of great celebration, of which it is now as well. And after Christmas there is a tendency for everything to seem a little bit flat. And it is the third aspect that we need to change.

Because the point about Christmas is that it is not something that we should pack away at all. Because if Jesus was God’s solution to our salvation—and the only way that anyone can attain eternal life—then if we have accepted that, that is something that we should get excited about day after day after day.

And that is a particular challenge that faces us every year, as we put away the tree and the tinsel, we finish up all the leftovers, and we say goodbye to our family and friends.

Posted: 11th July 2020
© 2020, Brian A Curtis
www.brianacurtis.com.au

I probably don’t have to remind you, but Christmas is fast approaching. Indeed, I only had to go into one shop today to find Christmassy things on display. And there was nothing very religious about any of it—it was all related to the pagan celebration.

However, as I thought about that, my mind turned to the story of Mary. Because put yourself in Mary’s shoes for a moment. She was probably a girl of about twelve or thirteen and engaged to be married—all quite normal for those days. But all of a sudden, she was confronted by an angel who told her that God needed her to do something.

Now Mary was evidently deeply religious, and the mere presence of an angel made her fearful. But when she told that she would have a baby, and that her fiancé was not to be the father … Well, you can imagine how she would have felt. It would have gone against the grain of everything that was socially and legally acceptable—let alone what she was brought up to believe. But this was God who was making the request—and the conception was not going to be through normal means.

Even so, that doesn’t mean she would have been totally happy with what she had been asked to do. But she trusted God, and she agreed to do what she was asked. And, indeed, in time she learnt to appreciate the magnitude of what she had done. And we may all be relieved that it was Mary who was asked to do something outside her comfort zone, not us.

But Mary’s response, does rather raise the issue: if God were to ask us to do something radically different, how would we respond? What would we do if God said to us, “I know your customs. I know the things you’re comfortable with, but I want you to do something that you’re totally uncomfortable with—something that goes against the grain of everything you’ve been brought up to believe”?

Now would we say, “No! We’ve never done things that way before; it’s not the way we do things”? Or would we, like Mary, trust God. Because although we may not feel totally comfortable, we know that we need to trust God, anyway.

Posted: 2nd November 2018
© 2018, Brian A Curtis
www.brianacurtis.com.au

A. INTRODUCTION

One of the facts of life is that we are constantly in the need to make plans. There are the big plans in life—one’s with long-term consequences, and one’s that require much thought—like: ‘Where we are going to live?’ ‘What sort of life style do we choose?’ ‘What sort of work are we going to do?’ and ‘Who will our companions be on the way?’ But there are also the small plans in life, like: ‘Where will we go out for the day, and how will we get there?’ ‘What will we get in the groceries this week?’ ‘Who will we visit?’ and ‘What shall I do next?

Now some people like to make the big plans in life, like buying houses or property or organising long extended holidays. But for most of us . . . Well for the most part we content ourselves in making only plans that are necessary for day-to-day living.

However, regardless of that, there is one thing that relates to all of us. And that is no matter what size our plans may be, we all want them to turn out well in practice.

Now, of course, we are not the only ones that make plans, God does too And about this time each year we tell a story, and it’s the story that reminds us of God’s plan. It’s also a story of how God put it into action. And, of course, how well it turned out in practice, is something that history can attest.

B. GOD’S PLAN

1. The Problem of Sin
Now at the heart of God’s plan was the need to come up with a solution to a problem. And the problem was that the people that he had created were not paying him his due. Some were ignoring him, treating him a though he didn’t exist; and some had replaced him, by finding other so-called ‘gods’ instead. And every one of his people, in some way, was not treating him as they should. Indeed, even the most faithful slipped up from time to time, preferring to go off and do their own thing, rather than content themselves with a healthy relationship with their creator.

But then, of course, God knew that was their choice. He had made his people with the freedom to choose—to choose him or to choose another way. However, he also knew what the consequences of their actions would be, and that unless he intervened not one (not even the most faithful) would inherit eternal life with him. And, as that was a main reason he had created mankind in the first place, he knew he had to come up with a solution to the problem himself.

2. The Solution to Sin (31b-33, 35)
And quite a solution he came up with too. He knew, that if he could find someone who had not broken their relationship with him—not even once—and if that person was sacrificed in the place of all those who had, he may not make the people he created perfect, but he could treat those who were faithful to him as though they were.

3. The Messiah “Formula”(31b-33, 35)
So, God came up with a formula, a formula that would ensure the faithful would inherit eternal life. He needed someone on earth who could make all this possible. He needed a Messiah: someone he could choose—someone who was perfect—who could accomplish all that he had in mind. Someone who, at the same time, could remind the unfaithful of the consequences of rejecting his solution. He needed someone who could be king over all the nations. And, he needed someone who would reflect, in everything that he did, that he, God, was the real agent behind this solution.

C. GOD’S PLAN IN ACTION

And having come up with the plan—like we do when we have a plan—he then put his plan into action. And thus begins the most astonishing story of human history: The Christmas story. Because in order for the Messiah to come into the world—to do what he had to do and to be sacrificed in our place—he had to be born, just like you or me.

And so, the more familiar part of the Christmas story begins.

1. The Choice of Mary (26-31a)
He chose a girl called Mary: a young unmarried girl, possibly of about twelve years of age (27); she was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph—a man not rich in himself, but he did have some famous ancestors; and, to Mary, God sent an angel, Gabriel (26), who greeted her (28) and told her that God had something very special in mind for her to do.

Well, you can imagine Mary’s response (29). If the presence of an angel wasn’t frightening enough, then being told that you’ve been picked out by God for a special task would have been very scary indeed. But the angel continued to reassure Mary that there was nothing to fear (30). This wasn’t a task she would have to do on her own. No! God had not only chosen her for the task, but he would with her every inch of the way.

And the task? Well, it was to bear a child—a son—and to name him Jesus (31).

2. What Kind of Messiah? (31b-33, 35)
Now this was not a difficult task in itself. Mary was already engaged to Joseph. And, at the end of the (normal) twelve-month engagement, she would have naturally married Joseph, and started having children anyway. But that, was some way down the track.

However, the angel continued, this wasn’t to be just any son, this was to be the Messiah—the one God had promised throughout history.

And to confirm the importance and magnitude of the role Mary was to play, the angel pronounced a number of names and titles the baby was to given.

‘Jesus’, the baby’s name—a common enough name of the day—but it had the meaning ‘The Lord Saves’ (31); the ‘Son of the Most High’—more than just a name, but a title indicating the true nature of the child (32), indicating his divinity and that, indeed, he literally would be the son of God; the ‘Son of David’—emphasising the father/son relationship, and indicating the baby’s connection with the royal line of David, pointing to his rightful accession to the throne (32), a throne to which the Messiah would reign in eternity (33); the ‘Holy One’—describing his being selected by God for a holy purpose (35); and the ‘Son of God’ (35)—lest there be no mistake, Jesus was going to be the true son of the living God himself.

In fact, what the angel described to Mary, was that Jesus was going to be the Messiah that God had planned and promised. A role no normal human being could fulfil. Indeed, it could only be done by God’s son himself.

3. Mary’s Response (34-38)
Well, you can imagine the enormity of the message the angel brought to Mary. And you can probably imagine her response. Because even though she was engaged—and would be getting married and having children at some stage—the immediacy of the angel’s message told her that Joseph was not to be the father. And the magnitude of who the baby was—and would become—would have played on her mind. As a consequence, although Mary may have been able to acknowledge that she had been chosen by God, she simply couldn’t see how it was all going to be possible (34).

However, lest she be in any doubt, the angel confirmed that this would not be Joseph’s child (35), and that, indeed, God’s powerful presence would rest on her. So that truly she would bear a child who would literally be the Son of God.

And without needing to ask for any confirmation of the angel’s words (36), the angel reminded her of how her cousin Elizabeth had been unable to have children. And yet, with the intervention of God, she too was expecting a baby (who we now know would become John the Baptist), because nothing was impossible with God (37).

And without any argument, and without any ifs, buts, or maybes, Mary responded by humbly accepting the will of God (38). And, as the saying goes, the rest is history. But then so too are the responses of Joseph, the shepherds, and the wise men.

D. SUMMARY

So God had a plan that would resolve the problem that existed between himself and his creation. Indeed, he resolved to fix the problem—to restore the relationship with his people—so that eternal life for his people would be possible. He came up with the formula for a Messiah. Someone who could be born, who could live a perfect life, and then be sacrificed on behalf of us all.

And having come up with the plan, God then put the plan into action. He chose Mary to bring the Messiah into the world. He chose his son as the only person who was capable of could carrying out the task. And he received the willing support of Mary, Joseph, the Shepherds, and the Wise Men, in all playing their part.

E. IMPLICATIONS

Now, sadly for many, this is where the Christmas story usually ends—with the birth of the baby Jesus. Except, of course, for the fact, that this is not the end of the Christmas story. Because the first Christmas, and the birth of Jesus, did not end the problem that God had with his people. For the birth (and death) of the Messiah allowed for people’s failings to be overlooked, but only in certain circumstances.

God’s part of the plan may have been completed in all its detail—even to the extent of (about 30 years later) the crucifixion of his son—giving us the opportunity to inherit eternal life. However, the real test of God’s plan is not whether we remember the details of the story, or even understand why it took place. No! The real test is what we have done with its implications.

After all, the people that God created, even today, are still not giving him his due. The empty spaces in churches everywhere attests to that. Indeed, many still ignore him and treat him a though he doesn’t exist. Furthermore, even today, many have replaced him, and found other so-called ‘gods’ instead. And, as the Bible tells us, none of us—not one—treat him as we should. Even the most faithful continue to slip up, and on a regular basis.

The crunch of God’s plan, then, is not in remembering the story. But rather, it’s whether we have accepted God’s solution to the problem of sin. In other words, whether we have indeed adopted his plan for ourselves.

Because unless we have accepted God’s solution, God’s plan . . . Unless we have accepted what Jesus, the Messiah has done for us . . . A restored relationship with God is not possible, despite everything he has done. Indeed, only if we accept God’s plan personally can our failings be overlooked and our relationship with God restored. And only is we accept God’s plan will we be able to enjoy eternal life with him. And that’s a very serious commitment that he need to make.

F. CONCLUSION

So, yes, in this world we all make plans. There are the big plans and there are the small plans. And one of the things we may all have in common at the moment is that we have plans for Christmas—plans that we hope will be fulfilled. Plans which include where we are going to be, who we are going to see, what we are going to eat and drink, and what we are going to give.

However those shouldn’t be our only plans this Christmas. Because what we should be planning is our response to our maker. Our response regarding our own mistakes and failings, where we put ourselves and others before God; our response regarding his plan to allow our mistakes and failings to be overlooked; and our response regarding the salvation story itself, with the birth of the Messiah.

God’s son, born to make it possible, so that we can enjoy a full relationship with our creator, and born that we might inherit eternal life. Remembering of course that God’s plan is only effective for those who accept God’s solution for themselves.

This should be our plan this Christmas! The need to accept God’s plan. A plan that goes beyond remembering a story. A plan that puts into action the acceptance of a restored relationship with God. And a plan that guarantees for all who believe—and all who believe only—eternal life with God.

Posted: 30th November 2023
© 2023, Brian A Curtis
www.brianacurtis.com.au

A. INTRODUCTION

In times of adversity, some people rise to the top, while others fall in a heap.

Imagine then, Mary, a girl of probably no more than twelve or thirteen years of age—engaged to be married, with her wedding day less than twelve months away—when suddenly she is confronted by an angel (which must have been a very frightening experience in itself). And then being told that she would be having a baby and Joseph was not going to be the father.

Now, Mary’s response to the situation was remarkable. In any ordinary course of events, that would have meant a life of destitution and shame. What lay ahead of her would have been her abandonment by Joseph, public disgrace, the need to live as an outcast, and the need to resort to prostitution in order to survive.

And yet, despite that, Mary’s response did not reflect any of those concerns. As far as she was concerned this was not any ordinary course of events, this was God asking her to do something and to be someone special. So she put behind her any thoughts of what should be, and she replied to the angel: ‘I am the Lord’s servant. May it happen to me according to your word.’ (Lk 1:38).

Now, that is a powerful statement. But have you ever wondered what it was that made Mary tick? What was it that made Mary rise to the occasion?

Well, I believe that we only have to look at her response to the angel to give us some clues.

B. THE SONG OF MARY

So, what made Mary tick? Well, Mary began her response on a very personal note:

1. A Personal Note
a). An Expression of Praise (46-47)
Because Mary said: ‘My soul declares the greatness of the Lord; my spirit exults in God, my saviour.’

Mary’s first reaction to the news—once she has established what was going to happen, and how—was to praise God. Mary’s first thought was not ‘woe is me’ or ‘do you realise what you’re asking me to do?’ or, ‘Do you realise the implications that would have on the rest of my life?’ No! Despite everything, Mary expressed excitement that, out of all people in the world, God had chosen her for the task in hand.

Rather than being sad and fearful of the future, Mary’s reaction was one of glorifying God. The single most important person in her life—her creator, redeemer, and guide—had asked her to do something. And she believed that no matter what he wanted, whatever he asked her to do, that God was so great that she couldn’t help but praise him.

b). The Grounds For Praise (48-49)
But, more than that, there was something even more personal in this as well. For Mary’s words continued… ‘For he (God) has looked with favour upon his humble servant, and, from now on, every generation will consider me blessed. The Mighty One has done great things with me—holy is his name.’

For Mary, the issue wasn’t just the need to praise God for who he was, but it was a matter of perspective too. Not for Mary a matter of parading up and down and saying, ‘Look what I’ve done’ or ‘look what I’m about to do.’ No! As far as she was concerned, she was a nobody. And she was a nobody not only in her eyes, but in the world’s eyes as well.

However, with this simple act of obedience, she recognised that allowing God to use her—his instrument, to bring salvation to the world—would have worldwide repercussions. She saw that there would be the inevitable fame, which she hadn’t sought. But, as far as Mary was concerned, that wasn’t important, because what was important—and what she hope would be remembered—was not how special she was, but rather the rich blessing that God had given her by choosing her in the first place.

For Mary, the important thing wasn’t what she had done for God, or was about to do, but what God had done for her. And therefore her stress was on the holiness—the exalted state of God—rather than any part she had to play personally. She has been chosen for a very specific and important task, and she was only too delighted to be chosen for the part.

c). A Merciful God (50)
But why was Mary so confident? Why didn’t she express any concern for herself, in a situation than ordinarily would have spelled disaster for the rest of her life? How did she know that God would be true?

Well, as far as Mary was concerned, it was because God was a merciful God, and could be relied upon to care for her needs. God wasn’t going to leave her high and dry, but would care for her needs despite the fact that, humanly speaking, her outlook looked very bleak indeed. Mary’s words: ‘His mercy extends to generation after generation to those who fear him.’

Mary had in her mind images of the past; times when God had been merciful to the faithful; times when people had got themselves into difficulties—where they had called for help, where God had listened, and where God had come to the rescue. And not just once, but time after time. And even when people hadn’t found themselves in difficulties, Mary had in mind the times that God had still blessed them too.

Mary’s faith in God was solid. Because even though what God asked her to do must have been very difficult for her, Mary’s faith was strong. She was convinced that if she left her situation in God’s hands—and God’s hands alone—then the kind of mercy that God had shown his people in the past, would be shown to her as well.

d). Summary
And, on that note Mary’s personal statement concludes.

God may have asked her to do something which should have meant disaster for her own future—and that was a lot to ask of a twelve- or thirteen-year-old girl—however Mary remained rock solid in her faith. She had faith in God to do what he asked. Indeed, so strong was her faith that she was confident enough to praise God, and to rejoice in him. For even asking her to play her part.

2. General Observations
And then, having delivered her personal statement, Mary then continued with some general observations about the consistency of God, in which everyone could have that same sense of confidence too.

a). God And Salvation (51)
Mary’s words: ‘He (God) has done mighty deeds with his arm and has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.’

Mary’s faith was in a God who was not only consistent and merciful, but who was concerned about the salvation of his people.

He had come to the rescue of his people by leading them out of slavery in Egypt and bringing them to the Promised Land. And he was repeating his salvation work again, by rescuing his people with the birth of the Messiah, who would lead his people to eternal life.

The kind of power which God had shown at the Exodus was to be demonstrated in the birth of the Messiah. However, as before the rescue of his people out of Egypt was bad news for the Egyptians, so the message of salvation would be bad news for those who were his enemies.

God’s concern for salvation did not just affect the past, and Mary, but would flow through to the future as well.

b). God, Politics and Social Position (52-53)
Mary’s words then continued: ‘He has brought down rulers from their thrones and has raised up the humble. He has satisfied the hungry with good things and has sent the rich away empty.’

The kind of God that Mary believed in, was a God who involved himself in history, and whose standard work included the overthrow of rulers who did not obey his will. Particularly rulers who did nothing to stop minorities being oppressed.

God was a God who very much involved himself in politics. And, Mary knew, that this was an expectation associated with the coming of the Messiah, as well.

But God didn’t just get involved in politics, he was involved in every aspect of human life. Because, as far as Mary was concerned, the coming of the kingdom of God would bring about political and social revolution, as the ordinary life of mankind is brought into line with the will of God.

c). God Fulfils His Promises (54)
And Mary was confident that all this was not just historically true, but would be true in the future too, because God kept his promises. And that’s why Mary concluded with the following words: ‘He promised to help his servant Israel, and he has remembered to be merciful according to the promise he made to our fathers—to Abraham and to his seed forever.’

God’s actions were in accordance with his promises. And those who followed the teachings of God—from Abraham to whenever—are his children, who God wants to remember and care for. However, the implication is that those who are not faithful followers of God will at the same time be swept away.

C. IMPLICATIONS

The Song of Mary, the Magnificat, or whatever you want to call it, is an amazing response by a young girl. She was asked to do something that, socially, would have been very difficult to do. It went against the grain of Jewish society. And the implications of her obedience could have left her in serious difficulties.

However Mary didn’t flinch. She didn’t get hung up about where that left her socially. Mary didn’t see her predicament that way at all.

Instead, we get this glorious song of faith: of a young woman rock-solid in her beliefs. A song indeed, that challenges us, to where we stand with God, too.

1. Expressions of Praise
After all, when was the last time God asked us to do something difficult? Something that we would not have expected others to understand; something that could easily be taken the wrong way; or something that would have meant that we would have been in danger of being cast out by family and friends.

And when God’s request came—as it comes to us all—what was our immediate reaction? To say, yes, like Mary, and then to sing God’s praises—to tell him how great he was and to thank him for the opportunity to serve? Or did we shrink back for doing the very thing that he asked.

2. Grounds for Praise
Furthermore, if we did accept what God asked us to do, what was our reaction then? Did we parade up and down in front of others, and say how important that we were? Or did we simply point to God and give him the glory for the blessings that we received?

3. A Merciful God
In situations where God asks us to do difficult things, do we remember that we too can be sure that God, who is merciful, has already considered the ramifications for us? That we too can be confident that, no matter what implications it has for us, that God will stay with us—and stick with us—as we step on the journey through life that he has mapped out for us.

4. Consistency of God
And can we be confident and live life knowing that God is reliable and consistent?

After all, he has helped his people many times in the past, and he has promised he will help us again, and again, and again.

D. CONCLUSION

In many ways when the angel appeared to Mary, so long ago, her life was turned completely upside down. Mary was a girl whose wedding day was less than twelve months away, and an angel came and told her that she would have a baby and that her fiancé was not to be the father. In terms of the Jewish society of the day, that would have been a recipe for disaster. Indeed the implications couldn’t have been much worse. But yet, Mary rose to the task and even glorified God for the role she’d been given to play in salvation history

The challenge for us today, then is: When God asks us to do something, what kind of response do we give him? We know what Mary did, she said ‘Yes’, and she praised God and thanked him for the privilege. But will our response be the same?

Will we praise God and thank him for the privilege of serving? Or will we let the social and other implications affect our response?

Posted: 5th December 2023
© 2023, Brian A Curtis
www.brianacurtis.com.au

A. INTRODUCTION

It’s September, and it’s not unusual to hear people complain about Christmas—and how early is has come, with all the trees, decorations, gift ideas, and special foods appearing in our shops. Four months before the big event, and we are presented with expectations to buy and participate—of which we are expected to comply.

Of course, the early appearance of Christmas each year, smacks of crass commercialism. But that doesn’t mean that people don’t enjoy the more commercial side of Christmas. In fact the majority of people probably do. They put up trees, eat special foods, see family and friends, and give presents (and sometimes well before the event too). And yet, the promotion of Christmas four months before its expected celebration, is something that can really grate. And particular so, for those who wish to celebrate it in a different, more traditional manner—as it was originally intended.

Christmas in the twenty-first century, then, with all the advertising, and all the glitz and glamour, is a very confusing sort of festival. In many ways we seem to have lost the plot. But perhaps that’s not surprising because, when you think about it, that’s exactly how it was at the first Christmas too.

B. LEVELS OF NEW TESTAMENT BELIEF

1. Level 1: Those with No Idea
Indeed, the biggest group of people—the people who lived around Bethlehem, Jerusalem, and Judea—would have been totally oblivious to what was going on.

Yes, they would have known that God was going to send a Saviour, and that the Messiah was going to be born into the world. But outside that they would have had no idea of the unfolding events of the nativity at all. Whatever was going on, went on under their very noses. And despite visits of angels, shepherds, wise men, and Herod’s soldiers, there is no indication that the general public knew or understood what was going on around them at all.

2. Level 2: Those Who Are Curious
And yet, there were the wise men. Probably astrologers from the east, who had come to believe that the movement of the stars and other celestial bodies actually meant something. They may have been almost superstitious in their beliefs, but they showed a curiosity for the great events and for the divine. And that was what led them to follow the star to Jerusalem, and then on to Bethlehem.

Now when they found the baby Jesus, they instantly knew they had found someone special. They knelt down and worshipped him, and even gave him special gifts. But then they went home a different way. They wanted protect Jesus from Herod. They went back as quietly and as unobtrusively as they could. And sadly there is no record that they were ever heard from again.

3. Level 3: Those Who Know, but Have a Different Agenda
And then there is King Herod. Now Herod was aware of the prophecies, even though he was a little foggy on the details. He took seriously the idea that Jesus could have been the Messiah. But he took it all far too personally. He saw him as a threat. Herod lived by another agenda. And that is why he ordered that the baby be killed.

More important than the coming of the Messiah, for Herod, was maintaining his own position and power. So any knowledge of who Jesus was, was irrelevant because the only person who mattered was himself.

4. Level 4: Those with Only a Partial Commitment
Then there were the shepherds—a group who had been looking forward to the Messiah’s arrival. So when the angel came to them in their fields, and told them the good news, they were overjoyed. Then once directed by an angel to where they could find him, they went, and saw, and marvelled. After which, they returned back to their fields, praising God.

So they celebrated as they returned to their fields, and surely others would have heard them. But again, once back with their sheep there is no record that they were ever heard of again. And I say that, because it was not until Jesus was about thirty years old that there is any hint of the people finding out just who Jesus was.

5. Level 5: Those with Total Commitment
And then lastly, we have a group of people who showed total dedication to God. And they did whatever they could to herald the coming of the Messiah.

And in that group:

There is Mary, who risked condemnation and death to be God’s obedient servant, willing to carry the baby.

There is Joseph who, despite his strict religious beliefs, believed that serving God was far more important than holding on to the rules that he held dear.

There are the Angels—one or two of whom had visited Mary and Joseph separately prior to the birth of Jesus, and one or two of them had given messages to the shepherds. Then, after Jesus was born, joined as a group in the praise of God the creator.

And there is Simeon and Anna—two people who had dedicated their lives to God through service in the Temple. So that when Jesus was presented there forty days after his birth, they were the two people who knew instantly who Jesus was and what he would grow up to do. And as a consequence, they freely worshipped God.

C. LEVELS OF MODERN BELIEF

What we can see, then, is at least five levels of belief in the original Christmas story. Different people approached the birth of Jesus with different levels of belief. It’s not surprising then that those same five levels of belief are just as evident today.

1. Level 1: Those with No Idea
For just as the general populace in New Testament times were totally oblivious to the events of the first Christmas, so is the same true today.

Indeed, many people today have no real idea about what Christmas is all about. There may be a feeling that it has something to do with religion. But that’s as far, in religious terms, as many are prepared to go. People may enjoy the food, the drink, the presents, meeting family and friends, etc., but they have no more knowledge or understanding of the birth of Jesus, than the people did when it originally occurred.

2. Level 2: Those Who Are Curious
Similarly, like the wise men, there are those who are a bit more curious. They know that something important has happened, they just don’t know what.

Indeed, many people can tell the story of Mary and Joseph. And they may get some of the detail wrong—but we all do that. Many people may also have shown an interest at some time in their life. They may even know some of the Christmas carols off by heart. But their curiosity has since waned and, in many ways, the birth of Jesus doesn’t affect them at all.

3. Level 3: Those Who Know but Have a Different Agenda
When it comes to people like Herod, you’ll be pleased to know that not everybody is out to permanently eliminate their perceived competitors. Nevertheless, there are people today who, like Herod, have discovered the meaning of Christmas, but are so wrapped up in themselves that they don’t want to be part of it all.

Indeed, they may have discovered that the birth of Jesus is God’s way of rescuing us from ourselves. They may well know what the birth of Jesus is all about. But they are so engrossed in their own agendas that they have become antagonistic to the gospel, and Christmas to them is of no value.

4. Level 4: Those with Only Partial Commitment
Then there are those like the shepherds, who make an initial response, but then their enthusiasm wanes. There are people who go very quiet. And that can be the result of two very different paths.

Some become content with where they are. They get stuck in a mould—they don’t grow spiritually—and as a consequence, they stifle the growth of the rest of the church too.

Alternatively they become obsessed with their personal spiritual growth. But they exclude all others in the process.

In both cases the meaning and purpose of Christmas is largely lost. Furthermore, in both cases, the development of any sort of spiritual life can be fraught with difficulties.

5. Level 5: Those with Total Commitment
Only people like Mary, Joseph, the angels, Simeon, and Anna, reflect any sort of true belief in in the meaning of Christmas. But these are the people who dedicate themselves totally to God. They are people who have not only accepted God’s rescue plan for themselves but are determined that others should have the opportunity to accept it too.

As a consequence, they are people who are prepared to go to enormous lengths to put aside their own personal wants, desires, and preferences in order to carry out God’s will.

D. COMMENT

1. A Helpful Model
So what’s the difference between the initial reaction to Christmas, and the way it is celebrated today. Not much. The basic responses to the Christmas message are much the same today as they’ve always been.

Now I have only talked about the five different levels in general terms. And to make it clear those levels are:

1. Those with no idea;
2. Those who are curious;
3. Those who know, but have a different agenda;
4. Those who have a partial commitment; and
5. Those with total commitment.

But of course, some people are able to work their way from level one to level five. Some never get past the first wrung, and others get stuck somewhere on the way. Some skip levels in developing their faith, and some retain ideas and concepts for the other levels they’ve visited. Very few, however, manage to work their way through to level five.

And that is why we have this commercial mess at Christmas time. A mess that begins about four months in advance each year.

Having said that, however, the five levels of faith that we find in the Christmas story, can be a very helpful tool, particularly as we consider our own personal journey.

2. Christmas Is Like an Onion
Think of Christmas as an onion. An onion has layers. Peel off one layer and there’s another one underneath.

Now let’s apply that:

The brown flaky skin then represents the people who have no real interest at all. And as you peel the onion there are the other layers, representing smaller and smaller groups of people, until you get to the core—the small dedicated group in the middle.

Now that’s one reason for thinking of Christmas as an onion. But there is another.

And that is, the deeper that you get in the faith, the more you will want to cry about those who are on the upper levels who have not yet discovered what Christmas is supposed to be all about.

Because if Christmas is about God’s salvation plan—which we have to choose whether to be a part of it or not—then all those in the upper three layers are lost. That is, those with no idea what it’s about, those who are curious, and those who know but have different agendas. As a consequence none of them will be saved come Judgement Day.

Furthermore, those with only a partial commitment may be saved themselves, but they have placed limits of their face, so they cannot enjoy all the things that God wants to give. They also don’t help those who will be otherwise condemned on the outer layers either. And that should make all of us cry.

E. CONCLUSION

Christmas in the twenty-first century is a reflection of the beliefs and practices of the majority. The advertising, etc., may begin much earlier than many think proper or respectable. Nevertheless, it is a reflection of the spiritual life and understanding of our society today.

Today we have looked at the birth of Jesus, and we have identified five different responses in the New Testament story. We have also identified those same five attitudes as being alive and well in our culture today.

But to which group do we belong? To one of disinterest or to one of total commitment? What kind of Christmas are we intending to celebrate this year?

Posted: 19th September 2020
© 2020, Brian A Curtis
www.brianacurtis.com.au

I was in an Op Shop the other day, and what did I find? A Jigsaw puzzle. A puzzle called “The Story of Christmas.” And it appealed to me, because it had no picture on the box, and because it had five pieces missing—and it said so right on the box. Now I like a good mystery, and it was good to have less pieces to put together.

Unfortunately by the time I got it home there were more pieces missing—I lost a few on the way. But I wasn’t too upset. Indeed, I thought that that would make even less pieces to put together. But then, when I finally opened the box, I found there were only four pieces left.

So out of a box of five hundred pieces (less the five that were missing to start with) I’ve got four pieces of a jigsaw puzzle left. Four pieces which tell “The Story of Christmas. There’s a piece with what looks like a piece of roast turkey on it. There’s a piece which looks like an unopened present on it. There’s a piece with a bit of mistletoe on it. And of course, there’s a bit of sky.

Now, I know that it’s unlikely that these pieces will fit together. Nevertheless, I am still confident that with these four pieces I can get an idea of what “The Story of Christmas” is all about.

Now I can see/imagine that some of you are shaking your heads. You’re thinking I’ve lost it. You’re thinking I’ve gone mad, “How can he have the (whole) Story of Christmas, when he’s only got four pieces left? He’s got no picture, and no two pieces fit together.” And you’re right. I can’t possible have the whole story. But isn’t that the reality for most people at Christmas?

Indeed, the reality is that most people celebrate Christmas with only a few pieces of the puzzle. They might know a few of the pieces around the edge, but they may be totally ignorant of the big story in the middle. People will have and enjoy the trappings of Christmas—the turkey, the presents and the mistletoe—and whatever else is their custom. But how many will join in and celebrate the purpose that we celebrate Christmas?

What is missing from many people’s celebrations is the reason for the birth of God’s son—God’s intervention in the world to save us from ourselves. The baby Jesus, born to grow up to face life as we face it, but with the deliberate intention of sacrificing himself so that we can have a full and proper relationship with our creator. An act that surely demands a response, and not just by celebrating a few pieces of the Christmas puzzle each year.

Jigsaw puzzles aside, then, have we got only part of the puzzle? Or do we have all the pieces? And, if we do have some pieces missing, which ones are they? Are they pieces around the outside or even the corners, or are they the main pieces in the middle? This Christmas, let’s make sure we have all the pieces.

Posted: 23rd November 2018
© 2018, Brian A Curtis
www.brianacurtis.com.au

I have a tendency to hesitate when it comes to receiving presents. I have this thing about “dust collectors.” I only like those things which are useful. And over the years, it’s been evident that most people have had no idea what it is that they should give me.

Which is why, in a sense, it has been amusing to see what I have been given. But in another sense, it has been very difficult to avoid saying those words, “It’s just what I always wanted.” And that was particularly true, one year, when I was given a pink fluffy hippopotamus. But then, the problem with presents is that we don’t always see their value.

Indeed, I may not have appreciated being given a pink hippopotamus, but I’m sure someone who loved cuddly toys, would have loved it. It would have been one of the best presents they could ever have received. Furthermore, when I looked at that pink hippopotamus, did I only see it as another useless “dust collector” or did I see the thought behind the present as well?

And I say that because there can be more to presents than first meets the eye. And that is not just true of pink hippopotamuses. After all, one of the greatest presents there has ever been is God’s gift to us all: the gift of a baby. And yet for most people that gift gather dusts on the shelf or has simply been thrown away. Yes, people might like to retell the story of the birth of Jesus, or sing Christmas carols, but for most people that’s as far as it goes. And yet the thought behind the gift is God giving everyone the opportunity to saying “yes” to eternal life. That is, eternal life with God, not eternal damnation in the other place where we would otherwise go.

Presents . . . they really can be something more to them than meets the eye.

Which is why this Christmas—and by that, I mean the day that has been set aside to celebrate the birth of Jesus—we should take the opportunity to get out God’s present and give it another look. Because Christmas is not just about the same old story that gets trotted out year after year. It’s not just an opportunity to pick and choose aspects so that we convince ourselves that it’s OK to meet with family, to swap presents, and to eat and drink as much as we like. It’s about appreciating God’s gift. And it’s about responding to God, by accepting his offer of reconciliation, and dedicating our lives to his service. All things which get ignored in most people’s celebrations.

Giving presents at Christmas time is all very well. But Christmas is not about giving presents, it’s about how we have received the present God has given us. Because it does have real meaning and it does have real purpose.

Indeed, it is in our own best interests to embrace God’s gift, and to live with God in our day to day lives. We need to appreciate the thought behind the gift, which has some very serious consequences for us indeed.

Now how we have accepted God’s gift will be reflected in the way we celebrate Christmas. Will we have family and friends, and presents, and food and drink at the forefront of our celebrations, or will we have thanksgiving for the birth of the saviour on pour minds? How will we respond to God’s gift this year?

Posted: 19th December 2020
© 2020, Brian A Curtis
www.brianacurtis.com.au

A. INTRODUCTION

The way we celebrate Christmas, today, is a long way removed from the story of the first Christmas.

In the story of the first Christmas we have a couple who were going through difficult times. She was having a baby—and they weren’t married. (And although that is quite normal these days, in those days . . . well that meant trouble). At the later stages of her pregnancy, she was required to go on a journey because a census was being held. And, on top of that, when they got to their destination, no appropriate accommodation was available.

When Jesus was born, there was no cot to put him in. And an animals feeding trough had to double up as his bed. And, of course, their difficulties didn’t end there. Because with the baby safely delivered, what happened shortly after . . . was that the local king felt threatened. And, as a consequence, Mary, Joseph, and the baby had to flee to Egypt for their lives.

Now in stark contrast to that, when we celebrate Christmas many of us surround ourselves with comforts and luxuries that Mary and Joseph could only have dreamed of. As a consequence, it can seem that in many ways the original Christmas story has been lost.

So what I thought I’d do, is to examine some of the things that are part of the way that we celebrate Christmas. To see just how they reflect on the original Christmas story. And I’m going to do it as a brief A-Z of Christmas.

B. AN A-Z OF CHRISTMAS

Now we’re going to skip the A’s and go straight to the B’s. Because the first thing I want to consider is Boxing Day.

1. Boxing Day
Now Boxing Day is usually celebrated on December 26th. And I say usually, because until recent years it was never celebrated on a Sunday. And Boxing Day’s claim to fame has absolutely nothing to do with the sport of boxing. Rather, it has to do with the giving of a Christmas Box, which was a well-deserved and expected gift, to someone who was owed a debt of gratitude.

Its origins began in Roman times, and it was a custom associated with the worship of the Roman god Saturn, in the festival they held in the god’s honour in December each year. Now, obviously, as far as the church was concerned, they were determined to stamp out the worship of Saturn. However, the practice of giving a box was so popular, that all attempts to ban it failed. So, instead, the church decided to adopt the practice, by giving it new meaning.

And so this Christmas Box became a symbol of the church’s charity. Indeed, every congregation had one. And each Christmas Day after the morning service, the boxes would be opened, and the priest would distribute the proceeds the next day, or if the next day was a Sunday, the day after that. And hence the giving of the name Boxing Day.

Now in modern times, the religious custom of giving to the poor became secularised. And in the 19th and 20th centuries, at Christmas time, apprentices began to go to their employer’s customers with a box, with a view to them putting a small tip inside.

And that is something that is no longer widely practiced. But the name and, for some, the custom of opening their presents on Boxing Day, remains nonetheless.

2. Christmas Card
Now, the C’s take us to the Card–—the Christmas Card. And it might surprise some people, that the Christmas Card doesn’t have a long history at all. Indeed, the card was invented by Sir Henry Cole in 1843. And his reason for doing so was not for religious reasons, but rather that he wanted to improve public taste. He owned an art shop, and went out of his way to sell anything that would improve and beautify life. And according to Sir Henry nothing was too small or too trifling to deserve his attention.

At the time the Christmas card was created, the Valentine’s Day card had been in existence for about a century. An 18th century Frenchman had adopted the practice of writing verse on the cards he sent people. And in English schools, the practice of pupils sending parents Christmas wishes in copperplate handwriting with borders and headings had become common. But Sir Henry was the first to put these ideas together. And with the one intention, to add a bit of beauty, gloss, and colour to Christmas Day.

Initially, the whole enterprise was a flop. And it took well over twenty years for the Christmas Card to be accepted. But when it was accepted, big business quickly adopted the card. So that three decades after their introduction, one hundred and sixty-three thousand varieties of card had been produced.

3. Christmas Eve
The letter E brings us to Christmas Eve, and the practice of beginning celebrations the night before Christmas.

Now this practice dates back to the idea that the day doesn’t begin at midnight, but rather when it gets dark. And there is a very good biblical argument for this. Because the idea of the day beginning at night comes from the book of Genesis, from the story of creation. In which it was said after the first day, ‘There was evening and morning—the first day” (Genesis 1:5b). In other words the biblical view of a day is that it begins when night falls. Hence the practice of beginning Christmas the night before, and the custom of some to open their presents on Christmas Eve.

4. Holly
The letter H brings us to holly. And being an evergreen plant, its place in Christmas recalls the idea of everlasting life. In addition, the red berries have been linked to the drops of blood Jesus shed just prior to his crucifixion. The prickly leaves being a reminder of the crown of thorns mockingly placed on his head by the Roman soldiers.

5. Minced Pies
M is for minced pie. Originally it was oblong in shape, with a crusty cover which was indented in the centre. In other words, it was in the shape of a miniature cradle. And in the hollow, a small pastry doll—the figure of the Christ child—was placed.

In actual fact, the minced pie was originally a meat pie, filled with minced lamb’s tongue and mutton. But during the time of the Crusades about 800 A.D., spices were brought back from the East. The meat pie became transformed. And eventually the idea of the pie being shaped like a crib was lost—and became round in shape, like we know it today.

6. Christmas Pudding
The letter P brings us to the Christmas pudding. Now, the Christmas Pudding, like the minced pie, began its life as part of the main course to a meal. Originally, it was a side-dish of wheat boiled in milk. And they were made because it was believed that by making and eating these puddings, the barren fields of the cold northern winter would be magically transformed into fertile fields again.

At some stage, however, the Christian church forgot the original meaning of the pudding. And, as the practice was to have a fast before the Christmas feast, they adopted the eating of the pudding, on its own, as the means to break the fast.

However, gradually the practice of fasting was discontinued. And even though the pudding was retained as a side dish for the Christmas dinner, little by little, it was enriched to include other ingredients, until we finally have the puddings many enjoy today.

7. Stocking
S is for stocking, and its origins are very unclear. Indeed, it is said that St Nicholas (otherwise known as Santa Claus), who was renowned for doing good (especially in secret), heard that there were three sisters who were desperately poor. And so one night he went to their home, And, in the days when chimneys were unknown, tossed three pieces of gold through the smoke hole in the side of the house. As the story goes, however, instead of dropping on the hearth, the coins fell into the girls’ stockings that they had hung up to dry. And as December 25th became dedicated to the memory of St Nicholas, his life, charity, and the stocking became linked with the birth of Christ.

Of course, whether you believe that or not, I’ll leave that up to you. More likely, the custom derives from the custom of putting one’s savings into a shoe. A custom which later developed into the use of stockings because their elasticity made them much more suitable.

8. Tinsel
T brings us firstly to tinsel – with its glittering nature. And the idea of light decorating the tree, so that darkness cannot prevail.

9. Tree
T is also for Christmas tree, which has as its origins with three basic concepts: with the Roman idea that green foliage and candles are needed in winter to magically bring new life when everything seems dead; with the practice of the Romans, who in December each year decorated their homes and temples with foliage, as a symbol of good will to all; and with the idea from Norse mythology, that the branches and roots of trees in some way link together heaven, earth and hell, and are symbols of enduring and renewed life.

Now, the Christian church knew all these traditions, and consequently tried to abolish the tree. However trees were too popular. So again they adopted the tree, but gave it a new interpretation. Indeed, evergreen branches symbolised the eternal nature of the spirit. And with the inclusion of candles (which was a Jewish tradition), the tree became a symbol of nature and the eternal hope of spring.

The practice of having trees in homes, however, took off in Germany first, and then spread through migrants, sailors, and merchants.

10. X-mas
And so our journey through that A-Z of Christmas is almost complete. That is, apart from that abbreviation that stirs up so many people—the concept of X-mas.

Now for those who are irritated by such expression—because it seems that the name Christ has been replaced by an X—I’m sorry I’m going to disappoint you. Because the reality is, that the abbreviation was a creation of Christian monks and had the Church’s full approval.

You see the letter X is the equivalent of the Greek letter Chi. And Chi is the first letter in the Greek word for Christ. Scribes in earlier days were busy people, and copying texts by hand was a long and arduous task. Parchment paper was also very expensive. So the solution to reducing the burden, and to ease the cost of parchment, was to come up with a bit of shorthand—of which X for Christ is just one example.

C. IMPLICATIONS

Now I’ve been through a number of practices and traditions that we are familiar with at Christmas, and each has a story of its own. Most customs have had beginnings outside the Christian faith. And most of them were given new meanings to make them relevant to the Christmas story.

Nevertheless, the truth is that today the meaning of many of the customs has changed again. Some of which have no real meaning, but may be just fun things to do.

The question from a Christian point of view is, though, are these customs helpful or unhelpful? Do they help us to remember the meaning of Christmas? Or do they simply distract us from it?

From a Christian point of view, if Christmas is about God’s plan to save you and me, if it’s about making us worthy of living life in eternity with him, if it’s about Jesus being born so that he could bear the punishment of our sins . . . If all that is true, then what are we doing when we celebrate Christmas with trees and tinsel and pies and presents? And have we, as a society, really lost the plot regarding what Christmas is supposed to be all about?

D. CONCLUSION

Each year, about September these days, the shops start to fill with Christmassy sorts of things. Trees and decorations begin to fill up the shelves. And we are reminded that cards are to be sent, and food is to be bought, including, turkey and ham and puddings and cakes, etc.

And some of these things may have special meaning, and some of these things may be just fun to do. But do they help us to remember what Christmas is supposed to be all about? Or are they simply a hindrance to the way we should be thinking about our faith?

That is the challenge we face this Christmas (and every Christmas). As we celebrate the birth of Jesus, with the many trappings we have inherited.

Posted: 9th December 2023
© 2023, Brian A Curtis
www.brianacurtis.com.au

A. INTRODUCTION

The preparation for the birth of a baby should be an exciting time, particularly if it is to be the first born in the family. Apart from the feelings of expectation, regarding the birth itself, the period should be a time when there is plenty of excitement regarding the planning for the birth, with all the decisions to be made, and the jobs to be done.

For example, there’s the decision about where the baby is to sleep. There’s the getting of the cot, and deciding whether the room for the baby needs re-decoration. Then, there’s decisions about what kind of clothes to buy—and the colours. Then, there’s the difficult decision over nappies. Should you use cloth or disposable or a mixture of both? And what quantities are required? And then there are the toys: the decisions about what to get. However, frankly, sometimes I wonder whether some of the toys are really for the child, or for the parents.

And, when the preparations are over, the actual birth should be a time of excitement too. There’s the joy of seeing the baby for the first time; there’s the fascination and wonder of seeing the detail of God’s handiwork in the little bundle of joy; there’s the emotional attachment of being able to cuddle the new born child; and for the ladies, there may well be the relief, knowing that all of the discomfort, the tiredness, the kicking, and the pain is all over (no matter what the future might bring).

Yes, the birth of a baby, and the preparations leading up to its birth, should be an exciting time. But does that seem sometimes like an ideal rather than a reality? Because, like everything else in life, plans and hopes rarely go as smoothly as we would wish.

B. THE BIRTH OF JESUS

1. Mary’s Pregnancy (1-5)
Take for example the experiences of Mary and Joseph—a story which we remind ourselves of at Christmas each year. Think of the preparations that they had to go through.

Well the biblical story doesn’t tell us at all of the preparations in their home in Nazareth. But you can imagine them deciding where the baby was going to sleep; what he was going to wear; and, with Joseph being a carpenter, the kind of toys that would have been made for his enjoyment.

However, what we do know is that no matter what preparations they made, in their home at Nazareth, they were all going to be for nothing. Because where the Bible picks up the story is Mary and Joseph on the road between Nazareth and Bethlehem—a one hundred-and-thirty-five-kilometre trek (a three day’s journey, and uphill much of the way), with Mary in an advanced state of pregnancy.

And why weren’t they at home with all their preparations, waiting eagerly for Mary to give birth? Because of politics. An unusual census was being held. The local ruler, Herod, was under pressure from Caesar to carry out an enrolment for the purpose of taxation. And that required Joseph (whose family came from Bethlehem) to be in Bethlehem to enrol. And because it was probably a poll tax—and all women twelve years of age and older were liable to pay the tax—Mary’s presence was required too, regardless of her condition.

So much for the joys of the preparations for the birth of a baby. Whatever Mary and Joseph had planned and prepared and got excited about, they had to leave it all behind them. So, here they were—on the road—being good law-abiding citizens, travelling from low-lying Galilee to the hill country of Judea. And all for the sake of politics.

2. The Birth of Jesus (6-7)
But their story doesn’t end there. Because when they arrived in Bethlehem—still with the excitement of a baby about to be born—they were faced with another situation that was far from ideal. There was nowhere suitable for Mary to give birth. There was no hotel room, no private room, and certainly no hospital bed. And there was nothing suitable to rest Jesus in after his birth, except for an animal’s feeding trough. All they had were the clothes that they had brought in readiness—strips of cloth like bandages, that Mary wrapped the baby in (as was the tradition of the time) to keep the young infant straight.

3. Comment
Now I’m sure, despite everything, Mary and Joseph would still have taken great delight in the arrival of baby Jesus. There would have been the joy of seeing the baby for the first time; there would have been the fascination of seeing the detail of God’s handiwork; and there would have been the emotional attachment, particularly of Mary with the baby. But a less than an ideal birth? Well I think you would agree.

4. The Shepherds (8-14)
But, of course, one of the strange things about this story is that the less than perfect start to Jesus’s life doesn’t end there. Because the story then takes us way out into the fields, to some shepherds. And although this part of the story is good news, it does start on a rather negative note.

Because the first thing that we are told about the shepherds is that they were there not for their own pleasure, or that they liked being surrounded by sheep, or that the sheep needed lots of attention. No! They were there to protect their herds against thieves and wild animals. Hardly, the ideal continuation to the story of the birth of God’s one and only son.

However, just as the birth of Jesus for Mary and Joseph would have turned their minds from all their mucked-up preparations and hopes to feelings of joy, so too the feelings of the shepherds would have changed too with the appearance of an angel.

On their guard against robbers, and initially fearful of the angel, they too would have taken great delight in the news of the birth of the baby—a baby who was special, who was different, and who had been sent by God to bring salvation to the world.

And of course, as the story continues, the shepherds went off to find the baby as they had been instructed. And, when they found everything that they had been told, they couldn’t contain themselves with their excitement.

However, I wonder, in the climate of the day, whether they went off to see the child, they had left at least someone behind to look after the sheep.

C. SUMMARY

Oh, the joys of having a baby!!!

Ideally, in our society the preparation and the birth itself should be an exciting time—a time when all plans and hopes come to fruition. But life’s not always like that—not for us, and it certainly wasn’t like that for Mary and Joseph either.

D. COMMENT – WHY NOT AN IDEAL BIRTH?

1. The Obvious Question
Now, of course, we could ask the obvious question: ‘If Jesus was God’s Son, couldn’t God have done a better job regarding the birth of his only son? Couldn’t he have made it more of an ideal birth?

After all, if God is really God, couldn’t he have made sure the census didn’t happen until later? Or, if the census was to go ahead at that time, couldn’t he have made sure that there was suitable accommodation for Mary and Joseph on their arrival in Bethlehem? And couldn’t he have chosen a group of people to send to them whose work did not have them on guard against thieves and robbers?

Well, I guess he could have. But in doing so, God would not have been consistent with the God that he claims to be.

Because there are at least three things regarding Jesus’s birth that we need to consider.

2. Why Not an Ideal Birth?
And the first is that although God was the creator of the world, he is actively concerned with the world he created, which has subsequently been corrupted by mankind.

Now that may seem an odd thing to say, except for the fact that we are not puppets. God has given his creation freewill—the ability to make their own decisions, and decisions which are not always conducive to a healthy relationship with either our creator, or his creation.

The kind of world that we live in then, and the kind of world that Jesus was born in, although originally made perfect, had been corrupted, and was far from perfect and far from ideal.

So should God have wiped away all of that, or even a part of it—including our freedom to make choices—so that his son could have an ideal birth? Or was his son to be born in the world in which we live, with all the consequences that go with it?

3. Why Jesus?
Secondly, it’s because this world is imperfect that Jesus had to be born here in the first place. Our way of life—our freewill in choosing the wrong things—is the barrier between us and God. And God needed someone to break that barrier down, so that he could treat it as though it doesn’t exist.

And effectively that’s what Jesus did for all who put their trust in him, when he gave up his life on the cross. But he couldn’t have done that by overriding his own laws or his rules of creation.

4. Why Mary and Joseph?
And thirdly, God needed to show to the ordinary people of life, that he was very much aware of their toils and troubles. And it is because of this that God chose two ordinary people, Mary and Joseph, with all their struggles and hardships to make the whole thing possible.

Yes, somewhere down the line they may have had important people in their families. But by the time of the birth of Jesus, they were just ordinary people.

5. Summary
You see if Jesus had had an ideal birth, he could not have become the saviour of the world.

If Jesus’s birth had been ideal, God would have had to ignore his own rules. And the fact that he made his creation with ‘freewill’, God would have had to have ignored the barriers between himself and his own creation. And God would have had to have shown a total disregard for the ordinary people of life in the process.

E. COMMENT

Now, we all like a happy ending, and we all like our plans and hopes to be fulfilled, just as we had wished them to be. As a consequence, the story of the birth of Jesus is often told with many of the hardships glossed over, remembering only the happy, and idyllic scene of the baby, surrounded by the shepherds (and sometimes surrounded by kings). And that’s understandable. We all like a happy ending.

But the hardships for Mary, Joseph, and the baby Jesus didn’t end there. Indeed, they had to escape to Egypt for their lives. And only when King Herod died were they able to return to their home at Nazareth.

F. CONCLUSION

A less than ideal birth? For sure it was. But the importance of the hardships in the story of Mary and Joseph cannot be over emphasised. The hardships bring into focus that this world is less than perfect, caused by our preference to make choices—as an individual, as a community, and as a nation—which are contrary to a good relationship with God, and are contrary to a good relationship with his creation.

The hardships remind us of the barrier between God and his creation, and the reason why God had to intervene at all—the need for the ‘Jesus’ solution. And the hardships are a reminder of the ordinary people of life, the people for whom God is most concerned. Ordinary people who are very much involved in the struggles of life. People like Mary, people like Joseph, people like the shepherds, and people like you and me.

So the birth of Jesus is about how God had identified a problem, but had also come up with a solution. A solution that included a less than ideal birth.

But is it a solution we have accepted and embraced for ourselves?

Posted: 9th December 2023
© 2023, Brian A Curtis
www.brianacurtis.com.au

A. INTRODUCTION

The preparation time for Christmas can be a very emotional time.

There can be feelings of great excitement, as families and friends plan for that special day—to make that special effort to be in the one place at the one time. There can be feelings of great joy, as cards or letters are received from old friends—people not heard from very often or people who live just that little bit too far away. And there can be feelings of intrigue: “Just what is in that parcel that has my name on it?”

But for others it can also be a time of dread: “How am I going to buy those presents?” or “Family life has never been that good, I wish Christmas would go away.” It can also be a time of terrible sadness, being unable to share it with loved ones, who are not around anymore—people who have moved away or have died.

And of course, there can be the roller coaster ride of preparations, with the feelings of satisfaction when all the plans come right, and the feelings of frustration and anger when things don’t.

Now if you’re here today, and you’ve managed to avoid all the emotional pitfalls of Christmas (so far), then I congratulate you. However, for most people, Christmas does not usually go totally smoothly. And for some, the whole “Christmas thing” is such a traumatic experience, that they can’t wait for it to be all over—or, wish that it had never come around in the first place.

So have I hit a nerve? Do any of these emotions describe how you have felt this Christmas so far? I’m sure they do. But if this is the range of emotions that we go through, have you ever considered what Mary and Joseph, and the shepherds and the angels felt? What sorts of emotions that they went through?

Well, let’s have a look at the story.

B. THE BIRTH OF JESUS

1. Mary & Joseph (1-7)
And we begin with the journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem, with Mary in a very advanced state of pregnancy.

Now knowing that they had to travel 140 kilometres—a three-day journey on foot from Nazareth to Bethlehem for the purpose of a local census—would have been hard. And what’s worse, much of the journey would have been uphill.

Imagine the scene. Joseph we’re told was a law-abiding citizen. And apart from the consequences of disobeying the edict, he would have felt a sense of obligation to fulfil the requirements of the law. And we can assume that Mary did too.

And at the other end of the journey, we’re not told how either of them felt. But we can imagine how Mary felt on arrival in Bethlehem. She would have been hot, tired and extremely uncomfortable. And, I wouldn’t be surprised if she hadn’t been a little bit irritable too.

But that’s only the half of it. Because when they arrived, there was no private room available. So Mary was probably presented with some totally inappropriate place to stay—most likely a cave—in which she was supposed to give birth to her baby. What’s more she had to make do with an animal’s feeding trough for a cot.

Now you can imagine, that when they arrived in Bethlehem, she may not have been in the best of moods, and Joseph may not have been feeling so happy either. But then the safe birth of the baby may well have done something to change their mood.

2. The Shepherds (8-12)
But let’s leave the happy family for a moment and check out the shepherds.

It was night and they were on watch to guard their sheep against thieves and wild animals. When all of a sudden, an angel appeared, and they found themselves surrounded by a very bright light.

Their first reaction was of course fear—they were scared out of their minds. They knew by the bright light that they were in the presence of God. They were awestruck—and I mean that in the true meaning of the word.

However, they then probably got a second feeling—that of being honoured. Shepherds in those days were people held in very low regard. Their job was one of the lowest of the low. And to be visited by an angel of God would have been a very great honour indeed.

The shepherds were then told not to fear, for the angel had come to bring good news. This was a time for joy. A birth had taken place which would benefit not only them, but everyone who was willing to receive the news. The Messiah had been born, and they were told to visit him.

Now for the shepherds this would have been absolutely amazing. The Jewish people had been waiting for centuries for the Messiah to be born. Indeed some people had even (falsely) claimed to have been the Messiah. So for the shepherds to be told—and to be told directly by an angel—that the event their people had been waiting for, for so long, had actually arrived, would have been quite an occasion.

3. The Angels (13-14)
And if they had any feelings of doubt, they would have been quickly dispelled. Because, all of a sudden, a second thing happened to them. They became surrounded by other angels, and a whole heavenly host (and that may have included some very strange and wonderful looking creatures). And what they were doing, was praising God and proclaiming a new era of peace between God and man—a new era of blessings on those God chose to favour and save.

Well, you can imagine the feelings of the shepherds after all that. They were probably not only excited, but also emotionally drained.

4. Three reactions (15-20)
But then the heavenly host returned to heaven, and not without a little curiosity, the shepherds rushed off to see the baby for themselves.

But it doesn’t end there either, because we’re told that they were so excited at what they saw they couldn’t keep it to themselves. They had to tell everyone what they had found.

And as the story ends, three final reactions are described.

Firstly, we are told that those who listened to the shepherd’s story were filled with wonder. They were astonished and amazed.

Secondly, Mary, was deeply affected by the visit of the shepherds. She’d had the advantage of prior knowledge of the child’s destiny, but now she was more pensive as she began to think more seriously of the meaning behind it all.

And thirdly, the shepherds themselves . . . Well they went off glorifying God. What they had witnessed matched perfectly what they angel had predicted. They were convinced that, indeed, the baby Jesus was the Messiah, the promised saviour of the world.

C. COMMENT

The original Christmas story . . . what a wonderful mixture of emotions.

Joseph would have felt obligation and duty. Mary would have too. But Mary would have also felt the agony of the journey, and who knows what she thought of the accommodation. But after the visit of the shepherds she was relaxed and thoughtful, contemplating what it all could possibly mean.

The shepherds on the other hand, had moved from fear to curiosity, to extreme excitement. Indeed only the angels remained consistent throughout.

But no matter how it started, no matter what feelings were felt on the way, in the end, Mary, the shepherds, the angels, the neighbours, (& probably even Joseph) were all at one. They were amazed and glorified God, full of wonder and praise.

Now can you imagine the different scenes? Can you imagine the events as they unfurled? Can you imagine the emotions that were felt?

Well if you can, what does this time—this feast of Christmas—really mean to you?

D. IMPLICATIONS

After all, how do our emotions this Christmas compare with those who were actually there on the first Christmas Day? And do our feelings pale into insignificance in comparison with the emotions that were felt then? Because regardless of what we are going through, when did we last feel the same excitement and joy over the birth of Jesus that they did then?

You know, these days, many people know the story, but they have never felt the emotions. They can recite the series of events, but there’s no feeling behind the story. To some it’s just a story and that’s all it is. And that’s sad, because if they feel that way then the whole point of the story has been lost. Because the story should evoke a lot of feeling; it should evoke a lot of meaning too.

To the people of the first Christmas, Jesus was not only expected, but he was an answer to prayer. So come the birth of Jesus, all were united in their excitement and their joy.

But they weren’t excited because he was a cute baby. It wasn’t because he was some part of a fairy tale kind of story. It was more than that. It was because they recognised that God had reached out, giving his creation—us—the opportunity to be rescued from our sins. He had reached out so that those who believed could be rewarded with life after death with God. A complete reverse of life after death without God, for those who do not believe and for those who simply sit on the fence.

It’s God’s rescue, that Mary, Joseph, the shepherds and the angels were so excited about. Jesus was the solution to the world’s biggest problem—the need for reconciliation with God. And so Joseph, Mary, the shepherds, the angels, and all the surrounding people were responding to the fact that without Jesus that just wasn’t possible. And despite all the feelings leading up to the event—all the highs and lows—that was the reason they got so excited.

And that’s the reason why, this Christmas, we should be excited too.

E. CONCLUSION

So how are things going for you this Christmas? In the past few weeks, running up to Christmas, what sort of emotions have you felt? Have your preparations for today put you through the roller coaster of emotions? Have you felt excitement, joy, intrigue, dread, sadness, expectation, satisfaction, frustration, or even anger? Or have you somehow remained remarkably even and controlled?

For those who’ve had it steady, I congratulate you. For those who’ve had it rough, I can only hope that things improve. But whatever your emotions up to this point, I do hope that in all the busyness of the season, we can all take time to think of the emotions of that first Christmas. And that we can reflect on the joy and excitement that the birth of Jesus brought.

I also hope that that joy and excitement will be ours too. And it can be, but only if we embrace the reconciliation with God that Jesus was brought into this world to bring.

Posted 21st December 2019
© 2019, Brian A Curtis
www.brianacurtis.com.au

A. INTRODUCTION

With Christmas over for another year, who is willing to admit that on Christmas Day they were so excited that they got up at some unearthly hour waiting for the dawn to come? Yes, and it’s not just the kids either. In my home, when I was a child, the first to get up on Christmas Day was always my father. He couldn’t wait to unwrap his presents. And he always managed to find a way to wake everyone else up too. But we had a rule . . . We couldn’t open any present until after the breakfast things had been washed up. That way, my mother didn’t get stranded with the chore. Funny thing is, I think that it was my father’s idea. But it didn’t stop his hurrying everybody else to get things washed and cleared away.

So presents over. What next? Food? And for many, those special things with dinner. The bonbons, the drink, and the edibles: ham, turkey, etc. (you know I’m making myself so hungry, I think I should stop now). Anyway you get what I mean. And come the night, or the next night, it’s all over. And all that remains is the left overs (and, for some, a huge credit card bill to be paid off).

Christmas . . . It seems the preparations take forever. But in no time – it’s gone, it’s over. And it’s time to pack up the decorations and put everything away. And, indeed, it’s like it never happened.

Now, of course, that’s sad in a way, after all that effort, after all the excitement. But that’s life isn’t it? And sadly, it has never been any different.

B. AFTER THE BIRTH (Luke 2:15-20)

For example, it’s the same as it was at the first Christmas.

1. What happened to the shepherds? (Luke 2:15-20)
Remember the shepherds watching their flocks at night, keeping thieves and predators away. When all of a sudden an angel appeared to them and gave them the greatest news ever. A baby had been born—the promised Messiah. A gift from God, And they were told to go and see him for themselves. And before they had even time to think, by way of confirmation that what the angel had said was true, a heavenly host surrounded them singing praises to God.

Well you can imagine the shepherd’s excitement. In fact they were so excited, that as soon as the angels had left them they rushed off to Bethlehem to see for themselves that it was true. And sure enough they found Mary, Joseph, and the baby in a manger, just as the angels had told them. But these shepherds didn’t stop there, they were so excited that they then went out and told everyone around what had happened. They were so excited that they just couldn’t keep the news to themselves.

And then? Well we never hear from the shepherds again. Presumably, at some stage, they returned to their sheep. But the excitement? Well it must have just faded away. It’s like Christmas, the first Christmas, was over. And they were never heard from again.

2. What happened to the kings? (Matthew 2:1-18)
Some months later, after Jesus was born—and Mary, Joseph, and Jesus were now living in a house. we’re told that some Magi—or astrologers—came from the east, probably Iran or Southern Arabia. They had been attracted by a star, which to them symbolised a very special king had been born. And they had come to worship him.

Now, as they travelled following the star, they were held up by King Herod for a while. Herod, who obviously had heard nothing of the shepherds, checked the prophecies regarding the Messiah with his own people, And sending the Magi on their way, asked them to drop back in on their way home, so that he would know where the baby was, and could go and worship him too.

So the Magi continued to follow the star until it stopped over a house. And, at this they were overjoyed and went in. And when they saw the child, they bowed down and worshipped him. They then presented gifts of gold, incense, and myrrh. And then they left, and being warned in a dream that Herod’s real intentions were not so pure, they went home via a different route.

And what happened next? What happened to the Magi after they left Jesus? We have no idea.
It’s like Christmas, the first Christmas, was over. And they were never heard from again.

3. And Mary and Joseph? (Luke 2:41-52)
Only Mary and Joseph remained after the excitement of that first Christmas. Although even then their excitement and understanding waned too.

Because when Jesus was twelve, and the three of them had gone on their annual pilgrimage to Jerusalem for the Passover festival, Jesus was left behind, accidentally, in the Temple. And at that stage it is clear that neither Joseph nor Mary were able to understand the need for Jesus to spend time with his heavenly father in the Temple.

And, in that, Mary and Joseph’s apparent ignorance is astounding. Just as the excitement of the shepherds and the Magi had waned, so too had Mary and Joseph’s understanding of who they had been told that Jesus was.

From the highs of understanding just how important Jesus was, the importance of that first Christmas was over, even for Mary and Joseph. No longer was there any excitement over the birth of the Messiah. Now it was almost as though he was no more than just an ordinary little boy. And that’s sad.

C. COMMENT

So just as our Christmas is soon over, so too was the first Christmas, for Mary, Joseph, the shepherds, and the Magi.

But hold on, shouldn’t the effect of that first Christmas have been different? Shouldn’t Mary, Joseph, the shepherds, and the Magi, have been continued to be excited? After all, just who did they think Jesus was? What was the significance of his birth?

Well for the Magi, they knew he was someone very special. How special, we don’t know. What we do know, however, is that they were looking for the ‘king of the Jews’. And they wanted to worship him as a god, whatever that meant to them.

For Mary, Joseph, and the shepherds, though, they knew exactly who Jesus was. He was the Messiah, the promised one of God. He was the baby, who was to grow up, and rescue his people. A baby of divine origin. A baby who had the one and only solution to a relationship with God, without whom eternal life was, and is, not possible.

So, if you think about it, the excitement should have continued on well past the nativity and early years of Jesus. But it didn’t. No more that many people get excited about it today

D. IMPLICATIONS

But if that’s who Jesus was, and is, shouldn’t we be excited about him too? Far from Christmas being over when the parcels are undone and the food is eaten, the excitement of Christmas should go on. After all, Jesus is just as much our one and only means to a relationship with God—our only ticket to eternal life—than he was to the people two thousand years ago.

So what is it about Christmas that makes us the same as the disappearing shepherds and the Magi?

Is it the fuss and bother that many of us go through? The amount of preparation that we are encouraged to do, and the feeling that it’s not Christmas unless we do it? As a consequence many people feel quite relieved when it’s over.

Is it the emphasis on buying and giving presents? The effort in trying to find just the right thing for the right person, and the constant pressure to buy bigger and better things each year.

Is it the cost—the financial cost—that we just have difficulty keeping up with, and the enormous social pressures to conform?

Is it that the story is too familiar? The events that is, not the meaning. Has the story of the baby, the shepherds, and the angels taken on more of myth or a fairy tale, rather than having any true meaning?

Is it that people genuinely don’t feel any need for God unless they are in trouble?

Or is it that people really don’t understand what this religion thing is all about? Because mixed up with stories and language and ideas of a different culture, it’s very difficult to translate it into terms that can be easily understood. It’s all far too confusing. And, the church, over the years, has not made it any easier either.

Christmas should be an exciting time. It should be a time to celebrate the birth of a saviour. And yet, for many, the excitement is either gone, or was never there in the first place. And that has grave implications for life after death as well.

Sadly, celebrating the birth of Jesus started as, what seemed like, a good idea, but for most people that’s not how it has turned out at all. The 25th December was a pagan festival—the worship of the sun god. And the celebration of Christmas was an attempt by the church to eliminate the pagan festival.

Now, in one sense the church succeeded—the worship of the sun god has largely been replaced with idea of ‘Christmas’. But in many ways the 25th December has become just as pagan as it originally was.

E. CONCLUSION

So, regarding Christmas, how long did your Christmas last? Well the preparations may have gone on forever, but if Christmas only lasted one or two days then you’ve probably missed the point. Christmas should be a celebration of the birth of a saviour. And that is something we should never pack away.

Because when the parcels have been opened, and the food eaten, we need to ask ourselves ‘What’s left this Christmas?’ And I just hope that what you say is not just ‘the leftovers, and a huge bill’. Because if that is our answer then we are no better than the shepherds or the Magi, who after the initial excitement just faded away.

What I hope, then, is that you will say what’s left is the greatest gift the world has ever known. The gift of God—a baby—and the gift of eternal life. And that is something to be excited about not just today, but tomorrow, and every day. Because that is what Christmas is really all about.

Posted: 1st January 2024
© 2024, Brian A Curtis
www.brianacurtis.com.au

A. INTRODUCTION

In recent years, one of the features of our news bulletins has been the reporting of fanaticism. Reports about people with excessive and often mistaken enthusiasm, particularly in regard to religious beliefs. As a consequence, we have become engaged with those terrorist attacks and seen much anti-Western sentiment around the world.

Now, of course, there is nothing new about fanaticism. And it certainly isn’t a phenomenon restricted to recent years. Indeed, it is something that has been very evident in many parts of the world for many years. In the west, however, it seems that it has suddenly become big news. Because although the west was more used to reporting more localised problems (like the IRA, Basque Separatists, etc.), much of what was going on in the world was virtually ignored. However, with the spread of modern fanaticism and terrorism, even the western world was no longer able to ignore what was happening around the globe.

Now we may not agree with what has been happening. Indeed, we may not even totally understand the issues behind it all. But regardless, fanaticism—which can result in terrorism—is no longer something we can ignore.

But before we get up on our high horse and speak out against this and that, perhaps it is time to review our own stand in regard to our own beliefs and practices, and the things that we get fanatical about. Because it’s all very well to criticise the extreme beliefs and practices of others, but isn’t it true, that some of us could be considered to be fanatics in our beliefs and practices too?

And where I want to begin, is with four very special people, all of whom could have been considered as religious fanatics of their day.

B. DEVOTED TO GOD

1. Mary and Joseph (21-24)
The first two are Mary and Joseph.

Now, in one sense what we can see in this passage from Luke is a couple who took very seriously the rituals required by their religion at that time. Because, on the seventh day after the birth of Jesus we’re told that Jesus was circumcised (21). Then on the fortieth day after his birth, Mary and Joseph—with the baby—took the eight-kilometre trek from Bethlehem to Jerusalem, to the Temple, where two things took place:

Firstly, Mary who had been considered to be ceremonially unclean, offered a sacrifice for her purification (22). And being poor, she did so by offering two pigeons or doves (24). And secondly, the baby Jesus was consecrated to God (24).

Now, that is all very different from our culture, and our practices of today. But quite normal in regard to the circumcision and purification practices of the time. However, by consecrating the baby, and not just dedicating the child to God, Mary and Joseph showed their devotion to God, by going well and truly beyond what was usually necessary. And certainly well and truly beyond the cultural norm.

Anyone else would have presented their firstborn son to God (22). They would also have paid a sort of tax, as a means to buy him back, so that they did not have to leave him to grow up in the Temple. But in this particular case, they went that step further and actually consecrated the child to the Lord for his service (24).

Mary and Joseph then, fanatical in their beliefs? Or simply devout, and obedient followers of their God?

2. Simeon (25-35)
The next person was a man named Simeon.

Now, Simeon’s claim to fame was that he was considered not only a law-abiding citizen but very devout in his beliefs, as well (25). He was an elderly man, who we’re told had been looking forward to the coming of the Messiah. And in that, he probably wasn’t alone in his beliefs. Except for the fact that he was convinced that he had been promised by God that, indeed, he would not die before he had seen the Messiah for himself (26).

Now we’re not told on what basis that he had come to that conclusion. We don’t know whether he had been visited by an angel—like Mary, Joseph, and the shepherds had been. We don’t know what had transpired. But what we do know, is that maybe after years of waiting for the day of meeting to arrive, somehow the Holy Spirit had guided him to go to the Temple. And, consequently, he was already in the Temple (27) when Mary, Joseph, and the baby arrived.

As a consequence, Simeon had no problems in recognising the Messiah (28). And he was so convinced about who Jesus was that he took the baby in his arms and praised God.

As far as Simeon was concerned the baby Jesus was the Messiah. God had fulfilled his promise to him. For Simeon, the Messiah had come to rescue his people (29), and he’d come not just for the Jews, but for the rest of the world as well (32). Then having fulfilled his mission in life, he expressed his contentment with his lot and told God that he was now ready to die (29).

Simeon, then, a fanatic, or a devout believer? Well he certainly left a lasting impression. Indeed, the effect of Simeon’s words on both Joseph and Mary were profound (33). They were stunned. Simeon was a complete stranger; he certainly would never have seen Jesus before. And his insight regarding the significance of Jesus’s birth for the gentiles, would have given them much reason for thought.

But so to would the words directed to Mary alone, that Jesus would not only be the foundation stone for people of faith, but also a stumbling block to many (34). And that not only would Jesus face rejection, but Mary would also be deeply affected by that rejection too.

3. Anna (36-38)
And so we come to our last person—a prophetess, called Anna (36). A woman of divine insight, who, like Simeon, recognised who Jesus was in the Temple.

Now we don’t know whether Anna lived in the Temple (37), in one of the many rooms that were there, or whether she simply spent all her waking hours attending and worshipping in the Temple. However we do know that she had been married for only seven years before becoming a widow, and she had not remarried. Consequently as she would probably have been about twenty-one when she was widowed, and she was eighty-four on the day of presentation, her devotion to God was renowned, going above and beyond what was normally required.

And again, like Simeon, she spoke about Jesus, and what lay ahead (38). But this time, not just to Mary and Joseph, but to all the interested lookers-on as well.

C. IMPLICATIONS

Now the question is, “Do we consider Mary, Joseph, Simeon and Anna to have been fanatics, or just devout believers?” Where do you draw the line? Because each and every one of them demonstrated faith that went well beyond what was required by the law—or even what was expected by the majority of people.

Furthermore, none of the four appear to have had any special background. Indeed they appear to be just four ordinary people. So, are they examples to follow, or are they role models to avoid? And what can we learn from them that can help us regarding where we stand with our own beliefs and practices?

Well, perhaps we need to do some more digging, because all four have several things in common:

1. People of God
Because the first thing you could say about all four is that they were people of God. All four stood apart from the normal people of the day. None of the four just went through the motions regarding their beliefs. On the contrary they took their faith very seriously indeed. And the fact that they were people of God was reflected in their faith and dedication to the things that God asked them to do.

These weren’t a group of people who wavered, doing one thing one minute and something else the next. These were four individuals who were single minded in their beliefs. And their focus was very clearly on what they believed God wanted them to do. But isn’t that what the scriptures teach us to be?

Consequently, one of the things we should ask ourselves is, “Are we really people of God? Do we show our faith and dedication in the tasks that God asks us to do? Are we single minded in our beliefs? And are we focussed clearly on what we believe God wants us to do?” Or do we just fit in with the rest of the people, and no-one can really tell just what we believe?

2. Beyond the Letter of the Law
The second thing you could say about all four is that they were prepared to go above and beyond what was normally acceptable (going well beyond the letter of the Law). This wasn’t a group of people who were swayed by public opinion, to water their practices down.

Indeed, you can imagine the response in the Temple when Mary and Joseph brought Jesus, not just to be presented but to be consecrated. You can imagine the response of the people when it became known that Simeon had dedicated his life to waiting for the Messiah. And you can imagine the response of the people when Anna did not remarry but dedicated her life to constant service in the Temple.

Each went well beyond what was deemed to be normally acceptable. But then, isn’t that what, you get the impression, God asked them all to do?

Similarly, then, we should ask ourselves, “Are we prepared to go above and beyond what is considered normally acceptable? Going well beyond the rituals, and what is socially acceptable.” Or will we get waylaid by public opinion, and buckle to pressure to water down our beliefs and practices?

3. Inspired by God
The third thing that you could say about all four is that they were all open to God’s leadership and guidance.

Now, there’s no doubt that Mary and Joseph would not have forgotten the earlier visits of the angels. With Simeon, the revealing and prompting of the Holy Spirit would also have been hard to ignore. And with Anna . . . Well we’re not told how she was inspired, what method God used, but she was evidently open to the influence of God.

Indeed, one of the features of the story is that all of them were open to the influence of God, either by way of major revelations or in the gentle guidance and nudging over time.

And if those are the some of the ways that God inspires and guides his people, consequently, we should ask ourselves, “Are we open to the influence of God too? Are we open to the major revelations or the gentle guiding of his Spirit? Do we have a listening ear, and a willing heart?” Or are we closed to any prompting by God at all?

4. Willing Servants
And the fourth thing you could say about all four is that they were willing servants of God.

Whether they seem to be religious fanatics, or religious nuts, or even just taking their religion too far, these were a group of people who were only too happy to follow God and do his will. And that is no matter what he asked, no matter where it would lead, and no matter what response it would invoke in others.

Similarly, then, we should ask ourselves, “Are we willing servants too? Are we willing to do whatever God wants us to do? Whether that means that we will seem by some to be religious nuts—or fanatics—or just taking religion too far as well? Are we only too happy to follow God and to do his will, no matter where it will lead and no matter what response we might receive from others?” Or do we prefer to conform to what others expect of us, and do only what others think is acceptable and normal?

D. CONCLUSION

Mary, Joseph, Simeon, and Anna, then, are an interesting group. They are four people who went above and beyond the normally acceptable view of religious duty, for the purpose of devoting themselves to God. But were they religious fanatics or just devout believers? Because where you draw the line is often a matter of context and position.

As we look at the world, then, we can see what’s going on with all the fanaticism—and with all the terrorism that goes with it. Indeed, we can no longer ignore it. We may not like what we see, and we may disagree passionately with what is going on, and we may see it as religious and other beliefs gone mad, but the reality is that in the story of Mary, Joseph, Simeon, and Anna we also have a story of four people who could easily be described as fanatics.

Now I’m not sure that if we follow the examples of our biblical four that makes us fanatics or devout believers. And in a sense the terms don’t really matter. But what does matter, however, is that in that story we have a picture of what it means to be truly dedicated to God.

So, whatever else may be going on in this world, and no matter what pressures we face, we need to ask ourselves a question. And that is, “Are we the kind of people God wants us to be? People like Mary, Joseph, Simeon, and Anna. Are we people who are dedicated to God? People who willingly go above and beyond the letter of the law; people who are open to God’s leadership and guidance; and people who are willing servants.” Or do we have a lesser view of what it means to be a Christian than that?

Posted: 2nd May 2020
© 2020, Brian A Curtis
www.brianacurtis.com.au

A. INTRODUCTION

For a child there can be nothing worse than hearing those words ‘hasn’t she grown’, ‘isn’t he tall’ or ‘hasn’t she changed’. (That’s apart from being told that they are just like their mother or father). Adults can be so embarrassing, particularly as a child’s bodily appearance is pulled apart and analysed in front of the child themselves. And what makes it worse, is that the child is invariably excluded from the conversation. Oh yes, the subject of the conversation is about the child—and about how they have changed and developed—but the conversation is between the adults, and the adults only, as if the child wasn’t really there.

Of course, we may all remember times, when that scenario happened to us, when we were children. But what I find bizarre, is that despite the fact that people complain about how embarrassing it was for them, many do the same things to their own children, even now.

Embarrassment aside, however, growing and changing is perfectly natural, and should be expected. And, indeed, it is a feature of our childhood years. But growing and changing is not just a feature of our physical appearance as we are growing up, but relates to other aspects of our lives as well, as the story from Luke’s Gospel illustrates only too well today.

B. JESUS IN THE TEMPLE

1. Background (41-42)
Because the Bible passage for today begins with Mary and Joseph on their annual pilgrimage to Jerusalem for the Passover/Unleavened Bread festival. And with them was Jesus, their twelve-year-old son. Still a child, but only a year away from being accepted as an adult.

2. Jesus is Missing! (43-46a)
Now their attendance at the festival would have required Mary and Joseph to stay at least two of the seven days that the festivities continued. And evidently they had decided not to stay for the full seven days. So here we see Mary and Joseph returning home to Nazareth, believing that Jesus was in tow—somewhere mixed in a crowd of returning pilgrims—when all of a sudden they discovered that Jesus was missing.

Now that probably isn’t as bad as it sounds. They would have been travelling in a large convoy with other pilgrims. And it was quite normal for a boy of Jesus’s age to travel with relatives or friends. And only after the caravan stopped for the night—after a day’s journey—would the children be rounded up by their parents for the night. And it’s probably at this point that they discovered that Jesus was missing.

They then realised that Jesus had been left behind in Jerusalem. So, because it would have been too dangerous to travel back at night, they returned to Jerusalem the next day, spending the whole day trekking back to the city, only to find Jesus in the Temple the following day.

3. The Priority of Learning (46b-47)
And what was Jesus doing in the Temple? Well, he was sitting on the ground with the teachers. And he was engaged in very deep and meaningful discussions on matters of faith. Indeed matters that were well beyond what would have been considered normal for someone of his young years.

Jesus asked questions . . . which was quite normal with the rabbinic style of teaching. (After all, pupils were supposed to ask questions as a means to start off a serious debate). And despite the fact that Jesus would have been in the Temple several times before, and had been with his parents on the Passover pilgrimage annually for a number of years, the responses of those in the Temple to Jesus was one of amazement.

Here, in the Temple, they weren’t concerned about how much Jesus had physically grown since they saw him last. Rather, they were amazed by the depth of his insight and knowledge in regard to spiritual matters.

4. The Priority of the Temple (48-50)
And, indeed, they weren’t the only ones. Because when Mary and Joseph finally arrived—and found Jesus sitting there—despite the fact that they were his parents, and despite the fact that they had seen him grow up over twelve years, they too were astounded at his spiritual insights. Indeed, he reflected a spiritual growth that went far beyond even their comprehension.

Of course, Mary, naturally, asked him why he had not joined the caravan and gone with them, why he had stayed in Jerusalem, and didn’t he know they would be worried. But Jesus responded with a gentle reminder that they should have known better, they should have known that it was in his father’s house that he was supposed to be.

5. The Priority of Keeping God’s Laws (51)
However, having completed his discussions in the Temple, Jesus got up and returned home. He practiced obedience to his parents, as was required by God’s law.

6. Continued Growth (52)
And we’re told that Jesus’s development didn’t stop there. But that he continued to grow and develop. And, particularly, as he prepared himself to return on the scene as an adult some eighteen years later, consecrated for the task his godly father had given him to do.

7. Comment
Now to me this is a very impressive story. It’s a story of a twelve-year old boy, who only a few verses before is described by Luke as a baby. However, interestingly, the emphasis in the story is not on any change of appearance or on how he had physically grown. No, the story is concerned with Jesus’s growth, in terms of the most important growth there can ever be: spiritual growth.

Furthermore, even though in the Temple, people had probably pointed at him and commented on his spirituality—and you can bet many would have been talking about him and not to him—do we get any indication that Jesus was embarrassed about the whole affair? Not in the least! Indeed, you get the impression of a very intelligent, and very confident twelve-year old child, whose relationship with God was on very solid foundations. And, indeed, whose concern was a determination to grow and develop his relationship with God even further.

In short, this is a story about laying foundations for future growth. Foundations that go well beyond the childhood years.

C. IMPLICATIONS

As a consequence, we can learn a few lessons from this story for ourselves. Because if we want to grow, if we want to become more like Jesus—as we’re told that every Christian should—we would do well to study this story very carefully, because it has some very useful tips to help us achieve that very aim. And there are three tips in particular I want to mention briefly today.

1. The Priority of Learning
And the first tip is the priority of learning.

Now, Jesus may have been God’s son, and he may have used the opportunity, through his questions, in some way to teach others about God and about themselves. But in his human form, emptied of much of his god-like nature, Jesus too needed to learn more about his Father God and about himself. And the people in the Temple were amazed at his learning and his eagerness to find out more.

As a consequence, a major part of any Christian’s life, then, should be the need to learn more about their creator, redeemer, and sanctifier—and about themselves. And that’s why study, and putting oneself in a place where one can ask questions, and involve oneself in religious debate, should be an essential part of every Christians life.

In contrast today, though, many people baulk at the idea of the need of spiritual learning. Some people have a hard time coming to grips with the need to learn. As a consequence, the level of understanding and commitment to God and the Christian faith is not always as it should be. But then even the Apostle Paul found it difficult to teach people who were unwilling to learn. As he wrote to the church at Corinth: ‘Brothers, I was unable to speak to you as spiritual men. Instead, I spoke to you as men of flesh, as infants in Christ. I gave you milk to drink, not solid food, for you were not ready. Indeed, even now, you are not ready for you are still men of flesh’ (1 Cor 3:1-2).

And, sadly, what happens when people are unwilling to learn is that it stunts their Christian growth and at the same time holds back the church. As a consequence, if it was important enough for Jesus to learn more about the Father (and himself), how much more important should it be for us to put ourselves in positions where we can actively learn about God and about ourselves.

2. The Priority of the Church
The second tip is the priority of the Temple (or these days you would say the priority of meeting together as God’s church).

Now Jesus may have had a unique relationship with God the Father—and in that sense he did not need to meet with others for worship. However, he too found it necessary not just to relate to God in the times he had alone, but he put great importance on the need to spend quality time with others of like-minded faith.

Talking to scholars would not have been the only thing that Jesus did in the Temple. He also would have participated with his family in the Passover/Unleavened Bread festival, part of which would have been to join in worship with other pilgrims and participants, to build up and encourage the others there. (And it was his regular practice as an adult to be in the Temple, synagogue, or meeting with other believers on the Sabbath).

In contrast today, though, many people say they are believers but they also say they prefer to practice their faith in the privacy of their own home. Furthermore, some attend church, albeit occasionally, but have no real commitment to regular worship or meeting together.

Unfortunately these kind of attitudes show that some people are missing a vital point of what it means to be a Christian. Because church isn’t something based on simply ‘What I can get out of it for myself’, but rather it’s about the corporate worship of God, and how we can contribute to the building up and encouragement of each other.

Now the writer of the letter to the Hebrews knew this problem well. As a consequence he wrote to the people advising them: ‘Let us not abandon meeting together, as is the custom of some. Instead, let us encourage one another, and all the more as you see the Day of the Lord approaching’ (Hebrews 10:25).

And, sadly, what happens if the church isn’t seen as a priority is that it denies the need to worship God as community, and it denies the need to support and encourage the people within it. As a consequence, if it was important for Jesus, the Son of God, to meet, and encourage, and build up others, then how much more important should it be for us?

3. The Priority of Keeping God’s Laws
And the third tip is the priority of keeping God’s commandments.

Now, Jesus took God’s commandments very seriously. And obedience to the fifth commandment, ‘Honour your father and your mother’ (Exodus 20:12a), we see clearly demonstrated with him returning home to Nazareth, with his earthly parents, where we are told that he continued to be obedient to them.

Having said that however, Jesus was not prepared to follow that commandment blindly where there was a higher issue at stake. Because if obeying or honouring his parents meant that he had to disregard any of the first four commandments—which all relate to his (and our) relationship with God—then, as far as Jesus was concerned, his heavenly Father took priority. Hence his need to stay in the Temple and consequently being left behind when Mary and Joseph began their return journey to Nazareth.

Now we live in a culture that, in the past, has been claimed to be based on Christian principles, and where the Ten Commandments have been stated to be the ultimate statement of healthy living. However, in reality, our culture is one that usually only pays lip service to Christian principles and the commandments, because their interpretation has become so twisted that they have become totally unrecognisable. Despite that, even the Apostle Paul freely admitted that God’s laws (as they were intended) were still important to try to keep. Indeed he described them, to the church at Rome, as ‘the form of knowledge and truth’ (Romans 2:20b).

And, sadly, what happens when people twist and reinterpret Christian principles and God’s commandments to suit themselves is that we end up with a parody of the Christian faith. As a consequence, if it was important enough for Jesus—who already had a relationship with the Father—to uphold God’s laws, as they were given, then think how important it should be for us, today, to try to keep them too.

4. Comment
So, if Jesus aged twelve—with his special relationship with God—could clearly hang on to these three priorities—priorities about learning about God (and himself); priorities about meeting for worship and building up fellow believers; and priorities about keeping God’s laws—then isn’t this a model for all Christians to follow, as we try to grow in our understanding of who God is, who we are, and what the Christian faith is all about.

D. CONCLUSION

Now, for any child to be stopped on the street, or in a shop, and to hear those words about how much they’ve grown, has to be one of the most embarrassing experiences. And more so, if the adults talk about such matters in the presence of the child, while not including the child in the conversation.

Regardless of that, though, the fact is that children do change and do grow. But then, as adults we should grow too.

Now in terms of our Christian growth, that doesn’t happen automatically, we have to do something to make that happen. And it’s for that reason that we need to look at these three very important priorities in Jesus’s life. Priorities he expressed as a twelve-year old boy, and priorities he continued to practice for the rest of his life.

Jesus had the priority of learning about God (and about himself); he had the priority of corporate worship and meeting and encouraging one’s fellow believers; and he had the priority of keeping God’s rules. Three priorities which guaranteed his spiritual growth and a strong relationship with God. And three priorities we would all do well to imitate today.

Posted: 10th January 2024
© 2024, Brian A Curtis
www.brianacurtis.com.au

A. INTRODUCTION

1. Pleasing People
One of the most gratifying things in life is when someone acknowledges or expresses pleasure in something that you’ve done. Indeed, it can be so gratifying that some people do things just to get such a response.

You see it in children, who try to please their parents. You see it in the workplace, with people who try to please the boss. And you see it with people, with the giving of a special present, or by putting themselves out in some way, in order to get a response.

Of course, not everyone who does these things is motivated by the expectation of a reward. Indeed, bringing pleasure to others is often a reward in itself. Nevertheless, there is something in being acknowledged as the one who brought that pleasure.

Having said that, however, it can seem, sometimes, that no matter what you do, and no matter how hard you try, you cannot please anyone at all.

2. Pleasing God
Now, trying to please others is one thing, but trying to please God is another thing altogether. And sometimes it can seem as if we can’t do anything right to please God either.

But whilst God is not someone we can manipulate, there is a key to pleasing God. And I believe the clue relates to the situation that Jesus found himself in at his baptism. Because at that time God called out to Jesus: ‘You are my beloved son. In you I am well pleased’ (Luke 3:22b).

And, of course, if we can work out what it was that Jesus did to please God—and we need to note that God didn’t say that he was pleased, but he said that he was well pleased—then we can work out what we need to do to please God too.

And, I believe, that what Jesus did, to get the appreciation of God, can be divided neatly into three parts:

B. THE THINGS THAT JESUS HAD DONE

1. From Godhood To Birth
And the first part relates to the time when Jesus was still living with God, before his birth as the baby Jesus. Because it was his willingness to be the servant of all.

Now the Apostle John tells us that Jesus lived with God before the creation of the world (John 1:1-5, 14). He was separate from God (the creator), but at one with God. And, indeed, it was through Jesus that everything was created.

But John also said that this Jesus chose to involve himself directly in the life of God’s creation. He chose to be born and face the rigours of life, in the same way that you and I do. He chose to live with the people that his father had created. And, as the Apostle Paul spelt out, in doing so, in some way he put aside his godly nature (Philippians 2:5-8), so that he could live an earthly life as the servant of all.

2. From Birth to Baptism (Luke 2:41-52)
The second part relates to Jesus’s history between his birth and that of him turning about thirty years old, and his keenness to pursue a spiritual relationship with his Father.

Now during this part of his life we have only one story in the Bible. But what the story is about is about Jesus, as a twelve-year-old boy spending time with others, in God’s Temple.

And what was Jesus doing there? Well, he was fulfilling his need to spend time in his Father’s house; he was joining in with others, learning about God; and he was joining in public worship too.

And the footnote to this story is that it didn’t finish there. But that, after that event, he continued to grow in faith. And that involved not only pursuing a relationship with the Father but pursuing a relationship with his fellow believers too, until he was ready to begin his public ministry.

3. The Baptism Itself (Luke 3:21-22)
And the third part relates to the actual baptism of Jesus himself, where Jesus clearly identifies himself with the people.

Now this wasn’t Christian baptism, but a baptism calling for repentance and the forgiveness of sins. Which is quite strange, because on those grounds Jesus didn’t have to be baptised at all. He was without sin; he had nothing to repent about. Despite that, Jesus put himself forward in the same way that everyone else did.

And the reason for that? Well, it was part of his need to identify with other people. He wanted to go through the same things that everyone else did. And just as he had humbled himself to be born on earth in the first place, so he was prepared to humble himself, through the rite of baptism, in front of other people too.

However, for Jesus, it was also time for a public admission of his readiness for ministry. His preparation time was over, and he’d accepted his call. And it was now time for his public ministry to begin. And, in addition, the occasion of baptism was marked by the anointing with the Holy Spirit. Confirmation by God that his ministry would not be just a whim—here today, gone tomorrow, like so many other so-called Messiahs, but that he was serious about the job that God had given him to do.

And the task in hand? Nothing less than to reconcile God’s people with their creator; to encourage the people to enjoy the same relationship with the Father that he enjoyed himself.

4. Summary
And with those three things, then, is it any wonder that God could not just say, ‘You are my beloved son. In you I am pleased’ But he could say ‘You are my beloved son. In you I am well pleased.’
And so he should have been. Because Jesus had not half-heartedly responded to the Father’s plan for the salvation of the world, but had embraced it whole-heartedly. And with little regard for the cost to himself.

C. IMPLICATIONS

So, if we want to know how to please God, then, we only need to look back at the life of Jesus, to see what he did to be rewarded with those words, ‘You are my beloved son. In you I am well pleased.’

So, based on Jesus’s example then, what are some of the ways that we can respond to God, and earn his rightful praise as well?

Well, I believe the answers lies in the same three points that sum up Jesus’s life up to the point of his baptism.

1. Servanthood
And the first of these relates to servanthood.

Now, to me, it is abundantly clear that when Jesus came to earth—to be born as a baby—the one thing that he didn’t do was come and lord it over all of God’s creation. He didn’t order people about, and he didn’t use his supernatural powers for his own selfish purposes. No! Instead, Jesus came and took on the role of a servant.

Indeed, as we read through the gospels, regarding Jesus’s three years of ministry, we can note that he spent an awful lot of time with the ordinary people. Not the important people, or people with authority, but with everyday people. With people with lowly paid jobs; with those without social status; with people who were rejected; and with those in desperate need of help. And he came and helped them at their point of need by teaching, healing, or simply showing them their worth.

So, if we are to emulate the example of Jesus, then, lowering ourselves, being humble, and putting others first before ourselves has to be the order of the day. There is no room in the Christian faith for lording it over others. That wasn’t what Jesus was about, and it certainly isn’t what we should be about either.

2. Spirituality
The second thing of note relates to spirituality. And as we’ve already noted Jesus, as a twelve-year-old boy, was highly developed in this regard. Indeed, an essential belief of Jesus was to spend time in the house of God. He needed to learn, to worship, and to spend time with others. Indeed, the implication of Luke’s words—that after his visit to the Temple that ‘Jesus continued to grow in wisdom and maturity, and he was looked on with favour by God and men’ (Luke 2:52)—is that between the ages of twelve and about thirty (when he was baptised), was that Jesus continued to spend time either in the Temple, or the local synagogue talking and learning with the scholars, joining in worship, building up his relationship with God, and taking his full role in the life of the worshipping community.

So, if we are to take Jesus’s example seriously, we need to do the same thing too. Being a Christian, having a saving faith in Jesus is one thing, but taking our place in the religious community so that not only can we learn and grow but so that we might encourage and build up one another too, is an essential part of living the Christian faith.

It was a point that was not lost on Jesus. And it shouldn’t be lost on us either.

3. Ministry
And the third thing of note relates to identifying ourselves with other people and with ministry.

Now Jesus was not a naïve teenager when he publicly accepted the call to ministry, he was about thirty years old. But at his baptism, Jesus, the man of faith, showed that he was willing to play his part in God’s call for all men and women to return to a relationship with him—even to the extent of being prepared to lose his own life to fulfil his part in God’s plan.

Now, Jesus didn’t need to be baptised, in the same way that you and I consider baptism. But nonetheless, he took seriously the opportunity to stand with his fellow believers, to stand up and be counted, and to receive God’s anointing for the task in hand.

And, of course, one of the first things that Jesus did was to appoint disciples and helpers to help him in his ministry—and far more than the twelve disciples that we hear about the most.

So, if we are to follow Jesus’s leading, then we too need to identify with the people. We need to stand up and be counted; to respond to God’s leading; to offer ourselves for God’s anointing for the tasks that he has prepared for us to do; and to take the opportunities that are open to us to, to minister in God’s name.

4. Summary
And if we do each of those three things, the three things that are the marks of what Jesus did—by which God was able to say: ‘You are my beloved son. In you I am well pleased’ then we too, may well hear from the lips of God similar sentiments said to us as well.

D. CONCLUSION

You know, pleasing others, and feeling people’s pleasure, or gratitude, or admiration, is one of the things that we can find immensely rewarding. In fact some people go out of their way to get such a response. However, what can be more gratifying still is the idea that what we have done has pleased no one less than God himself.

When Jesus heard those words from God it must have given him great heart. Particularly in the context of the journey he was about to undertake. They would also be very welcome words for us, on the journey of life that is set out for us as well.

The things that God had to be pleased about, regarding Jesus, were his servant hood, with his willingness to humble himself to be the servant of all; his spirituality, with him taking seriously the need for worship, opportunities for learning, and meeting together to encourage one another; and his identification with people and his willingness to take on a full role in the life of the religious community.

So, if we want to feel that God is pleased with us. Then those three things are not a bad place for us to start as well.

Posted: 1st March 2024
© 2024, Brian A Curtis
www.brianacurtis.com.au

A. INTRODUCTION

We all see things from different perspectives. We come from different backgrounds, we think differently, and we have different hopes and aspirations. Indeed, no two people see things exactly the same. Oh, yes some of our basic assumptions, some of our basic beliefs, and some of our understandings may be the same. But each of us sees things, in a unique manner, different from each another.

As a consequence, if we all went to the same play or concert we would all come out offering a different opinion. Some of us would have loved it, others hated it, and others with all shades in between.

If we all went to the same reception or dinner, we would all come out either having enjoyed it, or been bored stiff, or something in between.

And if, by some chance, something unusual happened—which we all witnessed and were asked to explain—no doubt, we would come up with a number of variations of the event, dependent upon what we saw from our own unique perspective.

Perspective is an amazing thing. And is it any wonder, then, that when it comes to relationships that we get things wrong and that we tie ourselves up in knots. Because even though two people can be talking about exactly the same thing, and maybe using exactly the same words, at times, they can be seeing things from two completely different perspectives.

B. THE THREE TEMPTATIONS (Luke 4:1-15)

And one of the Bible stories, where a matter of perspective is important, is the story about Jesus being led into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. Because while he was in the wilderness he fasted, and he fasted for forty days and forty nights. Then, at the end of his fast when he was at his weakest, he was tempted by the devil. On the surface, then, it looks as though it’s a nice easy story, and one where Jesus successful beats off all three temptations of the devil. But it’s not quite as simple as that.

But let’s begin with the temptations themselves.

1. First Temptation
Because, firstly, Jesus was tempted to turn stones into bread. In other words, he was tempted to use his own powers for his own ends.

As a consequence, he was tempted to do something that would strike at his relationship with the Father. And his response was that human life does not depend primarily on physical food, but had a far more basic need to be met. And that was a relationship with the Father. And Jesus believed that God had looked after him up until then, and he was confident that he would continue to look after him from then on.

2. Second Temptation
Secondly, Jesus was tempted to worship the devil. And in doing so, he was taken to a very high mountain and shown the kingdoms of the world. ‘All of this will be yours,’ the devil said, ‘if you pay me reverence.’

But again, Jesus refused. His concept of the world was that the realms and authority were not the devils to give away. They belonged in the hands of God. The temptation was therefore to give to the devil what properly belonged to God. So Jesus’s answer was to simply reaffirm the truth that Father was the only one true god. And therefore the relationship of Jesus with the Father remained intact.

3. The Third Temptation
And thirdly, Jesus was tempted to test God, by standing on the highest part of the Temple and throwing himself off. ‘You will come to no harm,’ the devil sneakily quoted from the Psalms. ‘God will protect you from all kinds of danger; God’s angels will rescue you.’

To which Jesus’s response was to refuse again. But then, he refused to put God to the test. He knew that God would protect him, and he didn’t need to do a stunt like that to prove it.

4. Comment
As I said, on the surface, a simple straightforward story. Except for the fact that behind each of Jesus’s responses there is a history lesson. And one of which many of his listeners, steeped in the Old Testament stories, would have recognised.

C. AN OLD TESTAMENT PERSPECTIVE

Because this was not just a story of Jesus being tempted by the devil, this was a story of contrasts between how Jesus responded to temptation and how God’s people had responded to temptation.

Because in the dim dark past God’s people had wandered for forty years in the wilderness. And they had faced many troubles and temptations of their own. However, at one particular point in their history they were at the point of entering the Promised Land. But, before they crossed the Jordan, to their new home, Moses insisted on gathering the people together with the specific purpose of getting them to not only admit their mistakes and failings, but to renew their commitment to God as well.

And the words that Jesus used each time that the devil tempted him—those three times—are quotations from this one significant historical event. And that puts a whole different perspective on those three temptations.

1. First Temptation
So, when Jesus responded to the temptation to turn stones into bread—by responding that ‘Man is not to live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God’ (Deuteronomy 8:3). yes, Jesus was showing his understanding of the basic need to be obedient to God, but he was doing so from the perspective of a time when the people hadn’t been obedient at all.

Indeed, it had been a time when God’s people had been hungry in the desert. They had trusted God to lead them so far, and to cater for their needs, but for some reason they refused to trust him any further. So, they grumbled against their leaders—against Moses and Aaron—and they yearned for the ‘good old times’ back in Egypt where they had plenty of food (Exodus 16:1-36).

2. Second Temptation
When Jesus responded to the temptation to worship the devil—and his response was ‘You are to worship the Lord your God. You are to serve only him’ (Deuteronomy 6:13)—yes, Jesus was showing that he accepted God as the only true God, but he was doing so from the perspective of the time that God’s people chased after other gods.

Because even after all the things that God had done for them, they had chased after other gods. While Moses was up the mountain, they had made a golden calf, and had begun to worship it (Exodus 32:4). And that wasn’t the only time that God’s people had adopted other gods on their journey.

3. Third Temptation
And when Jesus was tempted to test God by throwing himself of a tall building in the belief that God would save him—and his response was, ‘You are not to test the Lord your God’ (Deuteronomy 6:16), yes, he was acknowledging that he didn’t need to test God to know that he was genuine, but he was doing so from the perspective of how God’s people had become thirsty, and had lost their faith in God to see them through.

It was a time when the people had started to quarrel with Moses and demanded that he should provide something for them to drink. And, at the time, they even grumbled about how better off they would have been staying in Egypt.

4. Summary
So, when Jesus replied to those the temptations of the devil, he not only showed himself to be a man of God—and steeped in the scriptures—but in his responses he put his replies into perspective with the responses of the people of God who were weak in faith. And, as a consequence, he showed the reality of human weaknesses and failings; the importance of a relationship with God; and the gulf there is between our failings and the goal of faith, to which all people should be striving to attain.

Israel faced with either trusting in God or putting their faith in someone or something else had failed the test. And they had failed it time after time, even with their experiences of God coming to the rescue. With Jesus however, Jesus faced the same temptations as God’s people had before him, and yet he passed each test with flying colours. And that puts a whole new perspective on the story of Jesus’s temptations in the wilderness.

D. IMPLICATIONS

Now, of course, all that is all very well and interesting. But how does it help us? How can we put the story—or even apply the story—so that it’s relevant to our everyday lives? In short, what should we do when we are tempted?

Well, from a general perspective, we need to realise that in none of the three temptations did the devil try to tempt Jesus to doubt his divine sonship. No! They were all designed to put a wedge between Jesus and his Father. What that means for us then is that when we are tempted, we need to realise, what is at stake. And that is our relationship with God, nothing more and nothing less. And if we fail the test, then we really do have a lot to lose.

1. Trusting In God Alone
More specifically regarding ‘Man is not to live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God,’ the reality is, that sometimes we face situations where we want or need things. And the temptation is that we use our own abilities to resolve those situations. And despite what God has done for us in the past—and what he has provided or even promised to provide—we do things in our own strength, using our own abilities, and leave God totally out of the equation. And it is very easy to lose sight of the fact that God wants to supply our needs.

Now, if we give into temptations like that. If we have the supreme confidence in what we can do for ourselves—by leaving God out of the equation—we too will end up denying God and, effectively, put a wedge between ourselves and God.

Instead, we are required to resist such temptations. We are to rely on God to see to our needs, no matter big or small. And if we do that, then not only will we keep our relationship with God intact but we will be blessed by God with the things that we need for life as well.

2. Serving God Alone
Regarding ‘You are to worship the Lord your God. You are to serve only him,’ sometimes we might be tempted to turn our back on God and find other things that take his place.

However, all these do is to take us away from God. Resulting in us neglecting God, stopping meeting together, stopping reading the Bible, stopping us having faith, and generally relegating God to being either non-essential, irrelevant, or an optional extra.

But if we resist the temptation then we really are making a statement about our faith. And that’s very sensible because there is no other way. There is only one God to be worshipped and adored. And, in reality, we are totally dependent upon him.

3. Not Testing God
And regarding ‘You are not to test the Lord your God’, sometimes we might make demands on God to resolve certain problems or dilemmas.

Now without a doubt we can all go through crises in life. And there’s always that temptation to bargain with God: ‘If you do this, I’ll do that’. Or even there may be times when we risk our own safety believing that God will protect us.

However, what we are required to do is to resist any such temptation. True faith is about respecting God, having trust in him to look after us and protect us; and knowing that we can rely on him, And that kind of faith does not give room for demanding him to prove who he is time after time after time.

E. CONCLUSION

So, there are different perspectives, and we all see things from different angles. Some basic things we share, others we will disagree with, and then there are all the shades in-between.

When it comes to the perspective of faith, however, the story of Jesus in the wilderness is not just a helpful story in itself, but is also helpful in terms of a comparison between Jesus—one man who had perfect faith—and the rest of us, with all our faults and failings.

Because the one thing that stands out in this story is the gulf between our abilities and the high ideals as realised by Jesus. It gives us a picture of the kind of dependence upon God that we have. And it’s a picture of the kind of seriousness we need to have to maintain our faith. And this is what we all would do well to take to heart.

Now none of us are as perfect as Jesus, the model of obedience. None of us get it right one hundred percent of the time. In many ways we’re probably more like the people of God who made mistakes and fell at almost every hurdle.

But, when the people of God looked longingly across the Jordan at the Promised Land and were given a chance to admit their failings and to have a new start, they grabbed it. And that’s what we have to do today, too.

Today, we have an opportunity—an opportunity to take seriously our faith in God, in terms of trusting in God alone for our needs; serving God and no other; and not testing God but giving him all the respect he deserves.

And if we do that. We might not yet be perfect. But at least we are on our way to the ideal that Jesus set so many years ago.

Posted: 12th March 2024
© 2024, Brian A Curtis
www.brianacurtis.com.au

If I were to ask any group of people today what it means to practice the Christian faith, I would probably end up with a variety of responses. Some would say that it means living a good life; others might suggest it means living according to certain ethical principles. Some would say it’s a matter of being married in church, and having your children “christened”, whilst others might indicate that it’s a matter of being involved in the church—but only as much as they feel they need. Some would believe it is doing your bit for the upkeep of the church, whilst others …. Well you get the idea. If I were to ask any group of people today what it means to be a Christian, I would end up with a variety of responses. But would any of them be right? What does it actually mean to practice the Christian faith?

Well I’m going to suggest that to find out what practicing the faith is really about, we need go no further than the example of Jesus himself. And the passage from Luke 4:38-44, gives us a cameo of what Jesus taught his disciples to practice. And there are four things in particular we should note.

Because the first thing we find is the importance Jesus places on worship (38a). Indeed Jesus was in Capernaum, and because it was the Sabbath he went into the synagogue, to worship and to participate in the religious life of the community.

The second thing that we find is the importance Jesus placed on compassion (38b-41). Because Sabbath or not, when Jesus left the synagogue he went to the home of Simon (Peter), and healed Peter’s mother-in-law of a fever. And remember fevers in those days were not necessarily life threatening. But Jesus healed her on the Sabbath anyway.

Then at sunset, when the Sabbath was considered to over, and the new day had begun, people came from all over the town bringing the sick and the demon possessed—all of whom Jesus healed. However, these were early days in his ministry, he didn’t want his ministry to be side-tracked, and so he told the demons not to disclose to the people who he really was.

The third thing that we find is the importance Jesus placed on private prayer—being alone with God (42). Because even in Jesus’s busy schedule he made time to be alone with his Father.

And the fourth thing that we find is that Jesus remained focussed on being obedient to God (43-44). He was keen to find out and do the things that God wanted him to do.

So, let’s get back to our original question. “What does it mean to practice the Christian faith?” Well, what we see in Jesus is none of the ideas I mentioned at the beginning. Indeed, there is no indication that what is required is simply to live a good life, or to live according to certain ethical principles—important though those aspects may be. The story doesn’t indicate that all one has to do is to be married in church, and having your children “christened”. It doesn’t illustrate the idea of being involved in the church, but only as much as the need is felt. And it doesn’t mean the need to do your bit to preserve the fabric of the building.

On the contrary, Jesus’s example shows that practicing the Christian faith, involves commitment to regular public worship, showing compassion to others, spending time alone with God, and wanting to hear and do the things he asks us to do. That’s what the practice of being a Christian is all about. And we have no better example than the one Jesus set before us to follow.

Posted: 30th August 2016
© 2016, Brian A Curtis
www.21stcenturybible.com.au

A. INTRODUCTION

I’m sure a lot of people know more about fishing than I do. At its simplest you bait the hook, cast the line into the water, sit back and relax with a good book—or just take the chance to dream—and wait for the fish to bite. But at its more complex , you need to know the difference between the different types of fishing (fresh water, fly fishing, deep sea, whatever); you need to know where the fish are likely to be; you need to know the bait required; and you need to know how to outsmart the fish.

Now it seems to me that there’s one important element that’s needed regardless of the type of fishing. And that’s patience. And that’s something that, when it comes to fishing, I don’t have. If I can’t put my line in, and catch something straight away, I lose interest very quickly. And in a sense that’s a shame, because I can see that, for many, fishing can be a very relaxing pastime.

B. THE IMPATIENT FISHERMEN

And perhaps that’s why, with my mischievous nature. I can smile at this gospel story from Luke. Because it appeals to my sense of impatience. Let me explain.

1. Fishing for Fish (Luke 5:1-7)
The story starts at a lake’s edge. And what Jesus was trying to do was to talk to a group of people that were gathering around. However, it soon became impossible to continue, as the crowd got bigger and bigger and they started to press in on him.

So, Jesus, ever one to find practical solutions, got into one of two fishing boats that had just returned from a fruitless nights fishing. And he used the boat as a platform so that he could do what he was trying to do in the first place. That is, to teach the crowd.

However, by and by, Jesus finished what he had to say. And by way of indicating that he had finished, he told the owner of the boat, Simon, to pull a little away from the shore. And, accepting that as the signal that Jesus had finished, the crowd dispersed.

However, the very next thing that happened was that Jesus proceeded to tell some very experienced fishermen how to fish.

Now these were fishermen who had spent all night fishing—and unsuccessfully. And he told them to go to the deepest water, not far from the lake’s edge, which the experienced fishermen would have known was the most unlikely place to catch fish during daylight hours. And he told them to cast in their nets.

What’s more, they were ill equipped for fishing, All they had with them were their casting nets—nets used during the daytime from the shore or by a person in shallow water. Their drag nets, that they used in deep water at night, weren’t in the boat, having been washed and were hanging up on the shore to dry. But then Jesus had appeared to only the need the boat so he could teach the crowd. So they hadn’t expected him to take them fishing afterwards.

And yet, despite that, they did as Jesus told them. And almost immediately, each net, that had been cast, was full of fish. Indeed, far more fish that the fishermen knew what to do with. Their nets were breaking there were so many fish.

As a result, Simon called to his business partners on the shore—James and John—to bring the other boat, to quickly come to their aid. And, of course, in no time James and John arrived in their boat. And if they hadn’t realised quite how big the catch was, they did then. Because both boats became so full of fish that they began to sink. But they didn’t sink, because they get back to the shore just in time.

Now that’s why I call fishing. And you can probably see why it appeals to me—to someone who is very impatient when it comes to fishing.

2. Fishing for Disciples (Luke 5:8-11)
However, that’s not the end of the story. Because when the boats arrived at the shore, and the fishermen had got out of their boats, Simon’s first reaction was to fall down at Jesus’s feet. In the miracle that he’d just witnessed, this experienced fisherman had seen the hand of God. And Simon expressed his unworthiness in the presence of Jesus.

Indeed, Simon, and his business partners, James and John, were all in wonder (and a little fearful) about being in Jesus’s presence. For seasoned fishermen, the fact that they had caught any fish—let alone one of this size—had no rational explanation.

So, when Jesus talked to Simon (and probably James and John as well) in terms of the need for them to change their occupation—from one of catching fish to catching men—their immediate response was to pull both boats up onto the shore, leave their catch with their fellow workers, and leave their past lives behind to follow Jesus.

Seemingly ‘instant fishing’ all over again—although this time with three disciples rather than with fish. And again a story that would warm the heart of anyone who was impatient when it comes to fishing.

3. Comment
Except for the fact that unlike the catch of fish., the calling of Simon, James, and John was not instantaneous at all.

Because, firstly, the backdrop of this story comes from an expectation that the Messiah could appear at any stage. Jeremiah had prophesied six hundred years before their birth to expect the birth of the Messiah. So, Simon, James, and John, would have already been looking for the Messiah when Jesus came on the scene.

Secondly, Jesus was not the only one to claim to be a Messiah in those days. Indeed, many people had claimed to be the Messiah or were pointing to someone as being the Messiah. So presumably each ‘Messiah’ would have had to have distinguished himself in some way from the others. And the miracle of the fish would certainly have done that.

Thirdly, in the passage prior to this, Jesus was seen coming out of a synagogue, and going in to Simon’s home (Luke 4:38-49), where he cured Simon’s mother-in-law of a fever. Indicating that Jesus and Simon’s paths had crossed at least once before.

And, fourthly, in this story, Simon called Jesus ‘Master’—a term indicative of the fact that Simon already considered himself to be a follower of Jesus, if not a disciple already.

In other words, far from this being a story of ‘instant fishing’ for three disciples, this story indicates that this is the culmination of a number of events—and over a reasonable period of time—indicating a great deal of patience as far as God is concerned.

4. The Purpose of the Catch
However, we shouldn’t lose the aspect of the ‘instant fishing’ story totally. Because the miraculous ‘instant’ catch of so many fish, in a situation that professional fishermen knew was impossible, had at least two distinct purposes.

And the first was to persuade Simon, James, and John to take their faith to a whole new level. After that miracle, they could no longer sit on the sidelines and take a passive role. Indeed, from then on, they needed to commit themselves as true disciples.

And the second reason, was that it removed many of the obstacles that stopped the three of them from being disciples of Jesus. Because we know that Simon, in particular, was married (after all, Jesus healed his mother-in-law). And the three fishermen probably had responsibilities towards a number of people that they needed to care for—to feed and shelter. The enormous catch (beyond even the fishermen’s imaginations) when sold, then, would have provided enough money not only to care for the families of all three but would have provided for their fellow workers as well.

So, Jesus not only called the three to leave their boats and follow him, but he provided the means to make what he asked possible. For Simon, James, and John the obstacles from following Jesus had been removed. So they could then concentrate on training for their new job—and that was catching men.

5. Comment
Despite the miracle of the huge catch, then, this ‘instant fishing’ story demonstrates that Jesus’s interest wasn’t in the edible type of fish at all. His interest was in the fishermen themselves. This episode brings to a conclusion a passage of time where Jesus had prepared them for their call, and that he wanted them to take the next step in their spiritual growth—the call to be disciples.

And, of course, Simon, he shortly renamed, Peter, was to be the spokesman for the group, one of an inner circle of three disciples. He may, later, have slipped up by denying Jesus three times, but he did become one of the most important leaders in the early church. And James and John—the sons of Zebedee—also became two of the twelve disciples themselves.

At the time of their calling, three quite ordinary, uneducated men, demonstrating no particular speaking or leadership skills. There was nothing to set them apart as great leaders. However, they were the kind of people that God often chooses, who only God can see has any potential at all.

C. BEING PATIENT FISHERMEN

So, we started with a story that seemed to fit well people like me—an impatient fisherman. And we ended with the realisation that this story really is not about being impatient at all. Rather, it is about being patient, particularly where God is concerned.

So what does it actually mean for us? How can we apply what it teaches to our own lives?

Well, in regard to actual fishing, it’s probably no help at all. I can’t see that it can help me become a patient fisherman at all. However, in regard to fishing for men . . . Well, there are some very important lessons we can learn.

1. Patience
Because, firstly, whether we like it or not, this story is not about impatience but it’s about patience. And that is a lesson that we need to learn well.

The first time that Jesus met Simon (and probably James and John), it did not involve them immediately leaving everything behind and following Jesus. That only happened after their paths had crossed a number of times. And the same is probably true about us too. When we were first confronted with Jesus we probably didn’t respond immediately in the right way either.

So, when the boot’s on the other foot, and we’re carrying out our responsibilities in telling others about Jesus, we need to learn to have patience. Because it’s unrealistic to expect any non-Christian to give an immediate response to the gospel. And we shouldn’t get discouraged when our efforts don’t get rewarded with instantaneous results.

In fact what we should be doing is to take a lesson from the prophets, who had pointed the way to the Messiah. Because just as they had not lived to see the birth of Jesus, similarly we may not see the results of our labours either. We need to recall at all times, that like the prophets, all we’re asked to do is to do our duty, and leave the rest to God. And that is a practice that needs a lot of patience.

2. Removing the Obstacles
Secondly, the thing we can learn from the example of Jesus is that he not only called people to him, but he was actively involved in removing any obstacle that should be in their path too.

Caring for others and helping remove the barriers to faith in others, then, should be part and parcel of how we go about sharing God’s kingdom. In fact, much of what we do should be to dismantle barriers that get in people’s way from responding to him.

And that can be from befriending someone; to helping someone out; to enabling people to join in a particular group or activity; to providing a lift to church; to removing the obstacles in church (both physical and traditional); to presenting someone (who hasn’t got one) with a bible to read; and the list goes on.

3. The Miraculous
And then, thirdly, we need to accept that God is not beyond the miraculous to take us to the next step.

Simon, James, and John may have known Jesus for some time—and they would have known him even from a backdrop of expecting the Messiah—but the miracle of the fish was the turning point for all three. It changed them from people who intellectually accepted that Jesus may have a right to have a claim on their lives, to people being called to stand up and to put their faith into action.

And just as the three were presented with a miracle—something that they couldn’t rationally explain to take them to the next level of faith—it’s not inconceivable that, even today, God will use things that cannot be rationally explained to take us to the next level too. And when that happens, we will need to respond to God by being willing to take the next step too.

D. CONCLUSION

So fishing, I’m sure, for many, may be a very rewarding pastime, but I still don’t think it’s for me. Fishing for people, however, is something that Jesus asks us all to do. And that requires a deal of patience.

Yes, sometimes there may be instant results. But more likely, it will seem like a long hard slog. Regardless of that, we would do well to learn those three things from today’s Gospel.

Firstly, that God is patient. He has been patient with us, and we need to be patient with others when it comes to sharing the Christian faith. Secondly, that just as Jesus did much to remove the barriers to stopping people having faith, then we should do the same. And, thirdly, that God is not beyond using the miraculous to take us to a whole new spiritual level.

And if we learn those lessons well, then we too will be able to respond to God in a right and fulfilling way. And, like Simon, James, and John, we will then be able to go on to help others, particularly those who struggle with the faith.

Posted: 1st April 2024
© 2024, Brian A Curtis
www.brianacurtis.com.au

A. INTRODUCTION

1. Us
There is a tendency to see things, and talk about things in terms of two extremes. We talk in terms of black and white; rich and poor; the able and the disabled; the haves and the have nots. And the tendency is to talk as though there is a great divide between things, with nothing in the middle.

Of course, we all know well there are all sorts of shades in between. So, in a sense, dividing things into two distinct extremes doesn’t always make sense. And it doesn’t necessarily always give us a clear picture of reality either. On the other hand, talking and thinking in terms of opposites can be very helpful as a means to clarify the issues; it can make things easier to understand and to explain. Because if we include all the ifs, buts, and maybes—and all the shades of grey in the middle—we can end up with a very confusing picture, indeed.

2. Jesus
And one of the masters of talking in terms of black and white, was Jesus. And the particular emphasis he took was in terms of those who had faith and those who hadn’t; those who believed and those who did not believe; those who were saved and those who were lost. And he talked in terms that there were no shades in between. And this passage from Luke is a good example of Jesus doing exactly that.

B. GOSPEL

1. The Assembling Of the People (17-18a)
Now, the story begins with the assembling of a large crowd of people at the bottom of a mountain. Jesus had just been up on the top with his disciples, where he had made a special appointment of twelve of his followers to be his disciples. Then as he came down off the mountain, the crowd gathered around him. And as they gathered, that crowd would have included at least three distinct groups of people: the twelve apostles; the remaining disciples (who were a large crowd in themselves); and a substantial crowd of people, who at that point had made no commitment to Jesus whatsoever.

Now, what they had gathered for was primarily to hear Jesus speak. Jesus’s reputation, of at least being a great speaker, had spread far and wide, and people had come to listen to what he had to say. However, there were some who had heard about his healing powers too. And they had the superstitious belief that if they could only touch Jesus they would be healed of their diseases.

2. Jesus’s Response – Actions (18b-19)
Now, what happened next is interesting. Because despite the fact that people had come primarily to hear him talk, that’s not what happened first. The first thing that happened was that those who had come for healing were healed. In other words, God honoured their superstitious beliefs.

Indeed, before any of the talking began, Jesus demonstrated the practical working of the gospel. He showed them something of what it means to have a relationship with God, and the need to care for one another.

3. Jesus’s Response – Words (20-26)
And only after he had healed everyone who was in the need of healing, did he begin to speak. And he spoke, very much, in terms of black and white.

a) To the Disciples
Because, in speaking to the crowd, he began by focussing on his followers—what it meant to be a disciple, and what it would mean for anyone who wanted to join in.

And the general thrust was that his followers would have to face many hardships simply because they had chosen to follow him. Being a disciple was not a recipe for an easy life. But in a sense that didn’t matter because any follower of Jesus would be well and truly compensated by God. They would be given the divine gift of salvation; they would have the religious joy that only faith could bring; and that God would bestow on his faithful followers many other blessing besides.

Indeed, more specifically:

Those members of the faithful—who in this world had nothing to fall back on and who put their total dependence on God, or who were looked down upon by the world because of their commitment to Jesus—their reward was that God would come to their rescue. They had the promise that God would be with them now and throughout eternity.

For those members of the faithful—who were hungry in either physical or spiritual terms, and who again put their total dependence on God—their reward would be that God would make sure that their needs in both areas were satisfied. Indeed, the idea was that they would join in the messianic banquet—the great feast where the faithful would have fellowship with God at his table—at the end of the world.

And for members of the faithful—who were filled with mourning and sorrow, including sorrow for the things that they’d done wrong or sorrow regarding the state of the world—their reward would be that God would provide a future when all the causes of sorrow would be removed, and laughter and joy would be the order of the day.

Now, what Jesus was saying—to his disciples and to the rest of the crowd—was that discipleship would not be easy; that there would be many hardships. However the rewards—the blessings of God—would far outweigh all the negatives. And it was time now for them to respond.

However, before people responded by committing themselves to be his followers, they needed to know what the cost of being a disciple would be. And that would involve having to put up with being poorly treated by those who opposed God; and it would involve (at least) facing hatred, social ostracism, being confronted with face-to-face insults, and being defamed.

But regardless of that, Jesus said, any disciple should still be joyful because, in the big scheme of things, those hardships would be nothing. Because, in the end, those who did such things would face their own judgement. Indeed, the faithful would be vindicated, and there would be a great reward for the disciples in heaven.

And there was no doubt that this first part of Jesus’s message was aimed fairly and squarely with the idea of comforting and reassuring his existing disciples. And it would have had the added bonus of challenging any unbeliever to become a disciple too.

b) To the Crowd
However, having tried to comfort his disciples, Jesus then turned around, and focussed the rest of this part of his address on the unbelievers in the crowd. On those who had come to listen but had not yet made any commitment to him at all; on those who were in spiritual danger of missing out on salvation. And in contrast to his previous message, Jesus spoke out regarding the only alternative to belief and discipleship that he knew. And he spoke in terms of divine judgement, and a number of woes that they would face if they remained unbelievers.

And, more specifically, Jesus said that those who didn’t believe—those that thought they had enough resources on their own, those who depended upon no-one but themselves—that they had already received their reward. They had received all they were ever going to get. There would be no divine consolation for such people. And whilst they may be satisfied with their wealth in this world, it would not be enough to secure for themselves treasure in heaven.

For those who didn’t believe, and felt that they had enough food—both physical and spiritual—yes, they may be satisfied with their lot, but it wouldn’t help them in the future when they would have to endure the pangs of hunger.

For those who didn’t believe—who looked down on the fate of their enemies, particularly followers of Jesus, and who just laughed at their fate or become boastful, self-satisfied, or indifferent to the needs of others—in the end the tables would be turned, and in the future it would be they who would be reduced to weeping and mourning.

And if all that was not enough, for those who didn’t believe—who used their positions to lead people astray, turning people away from God or discouraging people from adopting the Christian faith—they would face nothing less than God’s divine judgement.

c) Comment
There’s quite a contrast then in Jesus’s talk between his description of what it means to be a disciple and what it means not to be a disciple. Yes, before he spoke he looked after the people in practical terms and provided the healing that they needed—and in that he didn’t discriminate between people who believed or people who didn’t believe. However, in regard to the talk itself, it was very much one of contrast, black and white with no room for grey in between.

But then, he’d, firstly, focussed on the disciples and the call to discipleship, and in what it meant in terms of hardships a believer would face in this world and in what it meant in terms of God’s blessings that they could expect guaranteed. But then, secondly, he’d focussed on the unbelievers and the benefits they receive now. But at what cost for the future?

Now we don’t know what effect this rather black and white talk had on the crowd—the Bible doesn’t say. All we know is that after he had said these things, plus a few other things besides, he then then moved off to Capernaum. However, I can’t help feeling that at least some in the crowd would have been aggrieved by his very direct approach. After all, Jesus had just criticised and torn apart their existing lifestyles and motivations.

C. IMPLICATIONS

And on that basis, what we have before us is the question, ‘What do we do with Jesus’s talk to the crowd today? Indeed, how can we apply the events of that day—the things that were said and done—to our own situation?

1. Action First
Well, I think the first thing we would do well to remember, is that before Jesus gave a lengthy speech he demonstrated his care for people’s needs. He healed people of their diseases and he drove out the unclean spirits.

What this should remind us then is the importance of not only saying that we care but demonstrating that we care too. We need to put our words into actions.

Now I’ve been to many churches where there has been a concern for getting more people into church. However, in most cases the motivation for doing so has had a lot to be desired. As a consequence, if we want more people in church so the church looks fuller or so that there will be more people to put money in the plate, then I’m afraid we’ve got the whole thing terribly wrong.

Rather, we should care because that was part of God’s original intention for us all. Indeed, it was part of God’s purpose for us in creation that we should all care for one another. But we should also care because we are excited about what God has done for us, and because we want others to share in God’s salvation.

And the reason that care comes first, before words, is because, as James puts it: ‘Faith of itself without works is dead’ (James 2:17). Furthermore, we cannot expect someone to be truly listening to whatever number of words we deliver, if their basic physically needs remain unmet.

2. Words Second
The second thing we would do well to remember is that Jesus didn’t just leave it there, with just his actions. Yes, he demonstrated God’s love in a real tangible way first. But then he followed that up by explaining it in terms of the gospel. And, as a consequence, he challenged people to have faith. Physical healing was fine but people needed spiritual healing too.

Now some of us may be good at the practical help, and others might be better at the words. But they are not mutually exclusive. Providing for someone’s needs is only the first part of the equation, and we need to follow that up with an explanation of what it’s all about. We need to offer people the opportunity for spiritual healing too.

3. Responding to the Message
The third thing that we would do well to remember is that Jesus’s words were words of encouragement and challenge. They were words of encouragement to the disciples to remain in the faith. And they were words of challenge to the non-believers in the crowd to respond, by giving their lives to God

And just as they were an encouragement and a challenge then, so should they be an encouragement and challenge now.

For those who already believe —and may be facing hardships or things getting in the way of a fuller relationship with God—these words should provide hope, to stick with it and to remain faithful. And for those who are simply enquirers, they are a reminder that in life we have a choice: continue to live life in the same way now—and know that the only rewards are the ones that can be enjoyed now—or take the path of faith and discipleship (with all its hardships now), and reap God’s rewards not only in this life but in the life to come as well.

And the words of encouragement and challenge should be heard loud and clear even in our own situation.

4. Exclusive Religion
And the fourth thing to remember, is just how black and white the gospel really is.

Now, as I said at the beginning, generally we talk about extremes, knowing full well that there are shades of grey in between. However, when it comes to the Christian gospel it’s a different matter altogether

In this story, Jesus talks very much in terms of black and white, with no room for shades in between. And this is not the only place where Jesus (or even the Bible) talks in terms of the gospel in only black and white terms. In fact Jesus and the Bible consistently talk only in black and white terms.

For example: The first commandment that God gave Moses was ‘I am the Lord your God, the one who brought you out of Egypt, from the house of slavery. You are not to have any other gods besides me.’ (Exodus 20:2-3). One of the most commonly read passages (at least at funerals) is a passage in John’s gospel where Jesus is engaged with Thomas in a discussion of the afterlife. And Jesus words are quite clear ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’ (John 14:6). And, when it comes to the picture of judgement day itself. The image of the Son of Man coming in glory with all the angels and sitting on his throne in heavenly glory (Matthew 26:31-31-46), as recorded by Matthew is just the precursor to the striking image of him dividing people into two groups (and two groups only): the sheep and the goats. Those who have been faithful followers and those who have not.

Whilst many people would like there to be more shades of grey—and even live on the basis that there are—when it comes to the Christian gospel it is a simple matter of black and white. Christianity is an exclusive religion. You either believe or you don’t; you’re either in or you’re out. There are no shades of grey. And as a consequence, if we provide for someone’s needs and then talk to them in terms of the challenges of the gospel—and of discipleship in particular—then we would be in error to suggest that there are any other ways or other variations available at all.

D. CONCLUSION

So, in this world in which we live we generally see things and talk about things in terms of extremes. And in regard to most things that is probably a helpful way to examine the different attributes, rather than be confused by all the variations in between. However, when it comes to the Christian gospel there was a reason that Jesus spoke in terms of black and white. And that is, because people are either disciples or they’re not.

Now there were three groups of people eagerly listening to Jesus’s every word. There were the twelve apostles; there was the larger crowd of disciples; and there were the others who had made no commitment to Jesus whatsoever—those who had simply come along to listen and to have their sick healed.

Now if we had been there ourselves that day, to which of these three groups would we have belonged? Would we have been among the disciples and heard Jesus words of encouragement, or would we have been among the unbelievers listening to Jesus’s words of challenge? And, more importantly, what do we do with Jesus’s words of encouragement and challenge today?

Posted: 9th April 2024
© 2024, Brian A Curtis
www.brianacurtis.com.au

In this world there is a tendency to talk about things in terms of two extremes. We talk in terms of black and white, rich and poor, the able and the disabled, the haves and the have nots. Now of course, we all know that there are normally all sorts of shades in between. Nevertheless talking about things in terms of two extremes can be a very helpful way in clarifying issues.

Now one of the masters of talking in terms of black and white was Jesus, because Jesus talked in terms of those who had faith and those who hadn’t, those who believed and those who didn’t, and those who were saved and those who were lost. But whereas we might understand, or even hope for shades in between, with Jesus there was no such option. And we have an example of what I am saying in Luke’s Gospel.

The situation was that a crowd of disciples and others had assembled. Jesus had healed the sick of their diseases, and demons had been cast out. And only then did Jesus begin to address the crowd. And what he had to say was very much in terms of black and white.

He addressed his followers first, and talked about what it meant to be a disciple. He told them that they would face many hardships. Indeed, because they had chosen to follow him, they would not have an easy life. But in a sense that didn’t matter, because any follower of Jesus would be well and truly compensated by God. They would be given the divine gift of salvation. They would have the religious joy that only faith could bring. And God would bestow on them many other blessings besides.

Then in contrast, Jesus addressed the unbelievers in the crowd. He spoke to those who had come to listen, but had not yet made any commitment. And in contrast, Jesus spoke to them in terms of divine judgement, and a number of woes that they would face if they remained unbelievers.

Now in each case, Jesus didn’t say that these things might happen to them. He said that they would happen to them. The believers would face persecution—it was guaranteed—but they would receive their rewards from God too. In contrast unbelievers could continue to live their lives any way they wanted to, but in the end they would be punished. There were no if’s, but’s or maybe’s. Everything was black and white.

Now lest we think Jesus was being a bit rough, that he didn’t care, let’s think of the circumstances. Before his speech, Jesus had already demonstrated compassion for the people. He had healed people of their diseases, and he driven out unclean spirits. And only then did he encourage his disciples to stick with the faith, and speak to the unbelievers regarding the consequences of their lack of faith. Physical healing was fine, but people needed spiritual healing too.

In other words, Jesus did not talk about the two extremes, believing that there were shades in between. For Jesus there was no third option, there were no shades of grey.

Now many people today would like there to be more alternatives—and may even live in the belief that there are. But when it comes to the Christian faith it is a simple matter of black and white. Christianity is an exclusive religion. You either believe or you don’t; you’re either in or you’re out. And that is something that we need to consider for ourselves.

It is also something we need to consider when talking to others about our faith. Because we would be grossly negligent, indeed do others harm, if we should suggest to anyone that there is another way.

Posted: 6th September 2016
© 2016, Brian A Curtis
www.21stcenturybible.com.au

A. INTRODUCTION

There always seems to be someone whose one aim in life is to stir up trouble. It could be a family member; it could be someone we met a school, work, or any number of other places. But, regardless of who it is, or where we met them, there are people that we come across, from time to time, who just seem to want to make life as difficult as can be. And for a reason that is a mystery to everyone but themselves.

Now, obviously, our experience of the opposite is also true. There are people we meet who are not out to get us, whether members of our family, or friends—people we trust, and people we feel comfortable with. However, even then, family and friends can sometimes turn. And friendships don’t always stay as we would like them to.

The question today, then, is ‘How do we cope with those who are determined to make our lives as miserable as can be?’ Should we ignore them and just hope they will go away? Should we retaliate, and treat them like dirt, just like they treat us? Or is there an alternative that we should consider?

Well, I think if we are serious about the issue, then we would be hard pushed not to follow the advice of someone who was continually surrounded by enemies. And, in fact, whose enemies succeeded in even putting him to death. And that is Jesus. Because, regarding the issue of dealing with ones adversaries, he had quite a few things to say. And this passage from Luke’s gospel is full of advice when it comes to dealing with one’s enemies.

However, it comes with a warning because what Jesus said might surprise many.

B. LOVING YOUR ENEMIES

1. “Love Your Enemies” (27-31)
Because Jesus’s first suggestions were not bits of advice but commands. Commands to all who claimed to be followers of him. And this is what he said: ‘Love your enemies; do good to those who hate you. Speak well of those who curse you; pray for those who abuse you.’

Indeed, far from ignoring our enemies or retaliating against them, Jesus said that the mark of a good disciple is that we should actually be kind to these people. We should actively pursue a relationship with those who go out of their way to hurt us and do us wrong. And, despite what they inflict on us, we should desire good, and we should desire to do good for these people and not respond with any hostile acts at all.

But, of course, if we do that, Jesus said, there is no guarantee that they will change. There is no guarantee that they will soften their approach or even come around to being friendly at all. But Jesus said, even if they don’t, we should continue to persist in being friendly, despite whatever continues to be thrown our way.

Now of course, that is not an easy thing for anyone to do. And yet, Jesus said if we are true followers we would do it willingly, and not reluctantly at all. And why should we treat our enemies this way? Because of the vital importance of the golden rule. ‘Do to others as you would wish them to do to you’ (31).

In other words, if we want to be treated with love and respect, the way forward is to treat others with love and respect too.

Of course there will aways be some who won’t respond in like manner. But ignoring people, or retaliating against them, usually does nothing to help the situation. Indeed, it often makes the situation worse. As a consequence, Jesus command to love our enemies makes a lot of sense, even if it’s a very difficult thing to do.

2. “Do Good” (32-36)
And the second bit of advice, that Jesus gave, regarding how we should treat our enemies, brings into sharp contrast the idea that it’s much easier spending time and caring for our friends than our enemies. And that caring for friends is eminently more rewarding because they are usually caring back.

And yet, despite that, Jesus questioned the motivation for spending time with friends rather than with enemies. And by doing so, he raised the whole issue onto to a higher plain, particularly in regard to our need for God to be with us, and for us to be God’s people in the world.

And Jesus clarified this in two ways:

Firstly, that God’s goodness goes out to everyone alike. As a consequence, he doesn’t spend more time with people who are easier to get on with but treats everyone equally and fairly. And the implication is: so should we. (Indeed, if we thought about it, if God didn’t treat people that way then most of us—if not all of us—wouldn’t be believers today.)

And secondly, if we are who we say we are—disciples of Jesus—and our role is to be Jesus’s messengers, then it’s our role to bring God’s love not just to those who are easy to get on with, but those who can be very difficult and sometimes plain nasty too.

However, Jesus said, if we do that, if, as followers of Jesus, we share God’s love with friends and enemies alike, then we will be rewarded. But not just with the kind of love that we know that our friends will give us, but with a heavenly reward—the gracious undeserved act of thanks from God himself.

3. “Be Merciful” (36-38)
And the third suggestion from Jesus, regarding how we should treat our enemies, are again not words of advice, but a series of commands. ‘Be merciful; do not judge; forgive; and give.’

Because, if God is unrestricted in his goodness—and his mercy has gone out to every human being that has ever lived, none of whom were (or are) worthy of his love or forgiveness—because we’ve all made mistakes . . . And we’ve all had times where we haven’t treated God as we would like him to treat us . . . So, if God is unrestricted in his goodness, then we, as Jesus’s disciples, should be totally unrestricted in our love too—even to the point of bringing our enemies into our care.

The mercy of God, that we rely on for ourselves, provides a pattern for us all to follow. And if we are unwilling to follow that pattern, and if we instead end up judging others, then we can hardly expect God’s mercy ourselves. Indeed, we will find ourselves on the other end of God’s judgement too.

‘Do not judge, do not condemn others,’ Jesus said. And the reasons that he said that?

Well, firstly, if we want God to be merciful and forgiving to us, then it’s hardly appropriate that we should behave in a different manner to others, regardless of who they are or what they’ve done. None of us is perfect, and only one little mistake is enough to disqualify us from a place with God. Indeed, we need God’s mercy and forgiveness ourselves. So it is hardly appropriate to treat anyone any differently.

Secondly, our duty as believers is to be merciful and to forgive. Because if we have been assured of God’s mercy and forgiveness ourselves, then that is something that we should want to freely bestow on others as well. Judging others is not a task that God has given us to do. Rather, showing people that God is merciful, and is willing to forgive is the task he has given us.

And thirdly, and perhaps most importantly, we need to remember that there is only one judge—and that is God himself. Therefore, if we go around judging and condemning others, we actually put ourselves in the place of God, as though God is a nobody and irrelevant. And, when we are dependent on God’s love and forgiveness ourselves for our salvation, then that is a very serious position to pur ourselves in, indeed.

God’s judgement falls on those who judge. So if we usurp God’s role as judge, then we can only expect our sense of superiority, and our hardness and blindness to our own faults, to be the subject of God’s judgement too.

What we will receive from God will be in accordance with the measure that we, ourselves, have employed. Human generosity is rewarded by divine generosity. However, human mean-spiritedness, particularly in regard to hating others and the lack of forgiveness, will be responded in like manner too.

C. IMPLICATIONS

Of course, having said all that, and it all makes sense in theory, the reality is that for most us loving one’s enemies doesn’t necessarily come easily, when it comes to the practice.

1. Forgiving Our Enemies
From an international perspective in the last hundred years alone there have been people responsible for the deaths of millions like Hitler, Pol Pot, etc; there have been people responsible for mass shootings; there have been people imprisoned for murders, armed hold-ups; people who have stolen and continue to steal; and many of whom may have affected us in some way. And, on top of that, from our own personal perspective, I have no doubt we have all come across some very difficult people—people who have not made our life easy. Indeed, some who seem to have been determined to make life very hard for us indeed. And many of these people we may have found very difficult to care for or to forgive.

However, what we should remember is that are no rankings in sins or crimes as far as God is concerned. A sin is a sin is a sin. And, on that basis, none of us may be any different to God than the people who, in our eyes, are so familiar. Any sin causes a distance between us and God.

Now we all have done things that we’ve done wrong; we have all done things—inadvertently or not—of which we are not proud; and we have all, at times, not given God his due. So, difficult or not, we need to care and forgive. And we need to have an attitude of including our enemies and doing good to them. Not only because God has done the same for us, but because that’s what he demands of his disciples as part of their responsibility to share God’s nature with the world.

Now, that won’t be easy. Far from it. To start with it may be extremely difficult. But we are required to follow Jesus’s teaching (and example) nonetheless.

2. Refusing to Forgive our Enemies
However, having said that, have you ever come across people who refuse to have anything to do with certain people, who refuse—point blank—to forgive? Well I’m sure we all have. And whilst this is not part of Jesus’s teaching in this passage, the end result of the refusal to even try to be good to enemies—the end result of a determination not to forgive, and even the end result of openly retaliating against one’s enemies—is that the people who refuse to forgive often become bitter, resentful, and twisted themselves. They become consumed with hatred. So much so, that they become unable to put the past behind them and, in doing so, they harm themselves far more than the other person ever intended to do in the first place.

In other words, those who refuse point blank to have anything to do with loving their enemies, apart from alienating themselves from God—with his love and forgiveness—actually harm themselves more than they were hurt by the other person. And all because they refused to love their enemies, and forgive.

D. CONCLUSION

As we go through life, then, it is inevitable that someone, or some people, will seem to go out of their way to give us a hard time. And why they do that is usually a mystery to everyone but themselves.

The truth, however, is that if we are followers of Jesus, we are not called on to ignore these people or even to retaliate, but we are called on to actively pursue a relationship with them. We are called on to want to do them good and to be prepared to forgive at every call.

And the reasons why this is so, are: Firstly, because if we want to be treated with love and respect then that is how we have to treat others. We should ‘do to others as we would wish them to do to us’. Secondly, because God’s goodness goes out to everyone equally, that gives us a model to do exactly the same. Thirdly, because if we are disciples of Jesus, then our role is to be messengers of God’s love, and we have to portray that in deed as well as in word. And, fourthly, because if we want God to be merciful and forgiving to us, then we should be merciful and forgiving to others in return.

However, two warnings. Firstly, if we take on the role of judge, then we will be acting as though we are God ourselves. And God doesn’t like being usurped. As a consequence, we will be given a fitting reward. And secondly, what happens to those who are unforgiving and resentful, is that they simply harm themselves even more, and often more than the other person originally intended to do.

Loving our enemies is not an easy thing for anyone to do. But, despite that, we have been given plenty of reasons by Jesus why we should pursue such a difficult course.

But if we take it step by step—and with God’s help—I’m sure that the pursuit of such action will not only draw us closer to our God, but the impossible task that it seems to be now may not be the impossible task that it may seem at first at all.

Posted: 1st May 2024
© 2024, Brian A Curtis
www.brianacurtis.com.au

One of the hardest lessons in life must be learning not to judge others; not to look down on others because they don’t meet our particular standards. Because, whether it’s people who have hurt us personally, whether it’s because we can’t agree with other people’s lifestyles, or whether it’s because of a number of other reasons, comparing others with ourselves—and judging them accordingly—is a very natural part of life. After all, don’t we all go through life being taught what is right and wrong—even thinking through issues and creating our own personal standards—only to find others either occasionally or habitually breaking them?

As a consequence, to be faced with a bible reading like, “Do not judge, do not condemn,” the natural instinct is undoubtedly, “How can I do anything else?” After all, there are some people who leave themselves open to be judged or condemned. Yet, despite that, Jesus taught that far from judging and condemning, we should be forgiving, and giving. And he gave quite a number of reasons why that should be so.

And it might be helpful to remind ourselves of them.

Because the first reason that he gives, is that we should be imitating God (36). God has provided a pattern for his children to follow; a standard of comparison to maintain, which was expressed in the earthly existence of Jesus. Jesus showed mercy and compassion to sinners and we are expected to show mercy too. In other words, God’s children are expected to show the character of their father, which goes beyond the level of normal relationships, even to the point that enemies should be included in our compassion and care.

The second reason that he gives, is that we should not usurp God in our judging and condemning people (37a). It is God’s role to judge and condemn, and we should not be putting ourselves above God. That doesn’t mean that we can’t use discernment and discrimination in our own dealings, or even be indifferent to the moral condition of others. However, we are not to have the attitude of a censor. Because if we do act as judge, then, Jesus teaches, we too will face the judgement of God in return.

The third reason that he gives, is that God cannot forgive our sins whilst we are holding a grudge against someone else (37b). Now none of us are perfect; all of us make mistakes. And if we can’t forgive others who have done us wrong, how can we expect God to forgive us? Instead, we are to forgive those who have committed an offence against us, even at the cost of our own pride and position.

The fourth reason that he gives, is that we should demonstrate our gratitude to God for what he has done for us (38). God has demonstrated his immense goodness to us in the salvation which he provides. And therefore, the response of his people to not judge or condemn others, in the same way that God has not judged or condemned us, is the kind of action that God approves. Not only that, but there is a bonus in this one. We will also be rewarded by God according to the measure that we have employed.

The fifth reason that he gives, is that without him (Jesus) we would be nothing—we’d be continuing on in blissful ignorance. We’d simply be following each other blindly, going nowhere, but around in circles. It’s because of Jesus that we have been enlightened to a better way (39-40). We therefore shouldn’t set ourselves up as different to Jesus. Jesus has shown us a better way. And even though we may not fully understand it now, our actions one day will be vindicated, and we will receive our reward from God.

And the sixth reason that he gives? Well, it’s all very well us picking faults with everyone else, but what about our own faults (41-42)? We can profess piety, righteousness, or whatever we like until we are blue in the face, but unless we can prove we are completely faultless, then we are only play-acting. Who are we, then, to point the finger?

Six reasons, then, that Jesus gave, why we shouldn’t judge others. A pretty comprehensive argument, then, on why we shouldn’t judge or condemn, and why we should forgive and give.

However, I can think of a seventh. Because you may, with me, have witnessed what happens to people who cannot forgive. Because the event, the cause of the unforgiveness, continues to eat away at the person over the years. Small incidents become blown all out of proportion, and sometimes the cause of the unforgiveness is forgotten altogether. The result over time, is that the person who refuses to forgive, becomes more and more bitter and twisted—their whole lives become consumed by the one event. Life ceases to bring any joy, and bit by bit their spirit dies.

Now without a doubt, not judging others can be one of the hardest lessons in life. And it’s hard, not just because there are so many new things to learn, but because there are so many old habits that have to be unlearned too. But Jesus’s case is very convincing. We need to learn not to judge or condemn, and we need to take on an attitude of forgiving and giving. If what Jesus has done for us means anything, we should, as a matter of course, express a character that goes beyond the level of normal relationships. And we should be able to forgive even our own worst enemies.

Those six points of Jesus again. We need to imitate God. We need not to usurp God. We need to forgive others, so that God can forgive us. We need to show our gratitude to God, with the bonus that one day we shall see our reward. We need to accept that forgiving and giving is a better way. And, lastly, who are we to point the finger?

Now some people may have done some rotten things in the past, and even things that have seemed unforgivable. But Jesus has left us in no doubt the price of judging and condemning others. He didn’t say it would be easy, but his expectation is that rather than judge and condemn, we are to forgive and give.

Posted: 23rd June 2018
© 2018, Brian A Curtis
www.brianacurtis.com.au

A. INTRODUCTION

1. General
A lot of people, at times, have been in the public eye, because of something that has been said or done. (And I mean that in a positive sense). And for those of us who have, you will know that being in public eye is not always easy.

People have expectations; people expect certain standards of behaviour; people expect that you will meet their approval in the things that you say and do. And everything you do is open to the finest scrutiny.

Being in the public eye might at times have its advantages, but woe betide anyone who doesn’t pass the public’s scrutiny of both their public lives and their private lives.

Having said that, the reality is that no-one can meet all the expectations that are demanded of them. That just isn’t possible. After all, some expectations will go against the grain of everything that that person stands for. The question is, then, ‘How does a person in the public eye maintain their integrity, and not buckle in to the unrealistic and sometimes inappropriate expectations of others?’

2. Jesus
Well, I think the answer lies in having an appropriate role model to follow. Someone who was very much in the public eye; someone who knew, from experience, what it was like to have a high profile, and was constantly in the spotlight themselves. But someone who managed to maintain their integrity and didn’t buckle to the demands and expectations of the crowd.

And what better role model to choose than Jesus himself. Because as he travelled around, Jesus invariably attracted a crowd. And those crowds had very high expectations of him—about the things he should say and do.

The crowds were in his public life. But, invariably, when he tried to withdraw, they encroached on his private life too.

As a consequence, if we are looking for a role model to follow, what better model can we have than Jesus. And this passage from Luke’s Gospel gives us a snippet of what life for Jesus was like.

B. JESUS RAISES A WIDOW’S SON

1. Introduction
Now the background to the passage is that Jesus had recently been approached by a Roman centurion. He had been concerned about the welfare of a highly valued servant. As a consequence, he had sent some elders to Jesus asking him to come and heal his servant. And, of course, Jesus did heal the servant and, as it happened, he did so without going near the servant or even entering the centurion’s house.

2. The Story
As a consequence, at the beginning of this passage from Luke, we find Jesus surrounded by a crowd who were not only following him, but were hanging on to everything that he said and did (11). And you can imagine the pressure on Jesus—as he walked along the road—surrounded by the crowd, who were eager to grasp every word that he said.

However, as they came to the town gate at Nain, they met a funeral procession coming out of the town (12). The body of a dead boy was being carried out in an open coffin for burial in the surrounding country side.

Now, in this instance, Jesus was not requested to help. Presumably with the boy being dead, the crowd, the mother, and everyone else would have thought they would have to just accept the inevitable—that the boy had died, and all that was left was for the body to be buried.

However, Jesus took in the scene. He took in the sadness of the bereavement; he took in the fact that the mother had already been made a widow—she had already lost her husband; and now she had lost her only son too. As a consequence, he understood the extra sadness of her bereavement. And we’re told, Jesus’s heart went out to her (13).

‘Do not weep.’ he said. And ignoring all sense of Jewish custom of maintaining ritual cleanliness, he did what was unthinkable—he touched the coffin (14). And, what’s worse, he espoused the authority of God as though it was his very own—which would have gone against the grain of everything that those around would have accepted as acceptable behaviour. He called out ‘Young man, I say to you, wake up!’

And that’s precisely what the young man did (15). The dead man sat up. But this wasn’t just a muscular reaction, the son also spoke, And then Jesus gave him back to his mother.

You can imagine the reaction of the crowd. When Jesus touched the coffin they would have been in horror. In those days you just didn’t do that sort of thing. That sort of behaviour made someone ritually unclean.

When Jesus gave the command for the man to get up, the crowd would probably have been having fits. Because in effect Jesus was claiming to be God.

However, when the reality of the miracle hit, the crowd were filled with awe (16). And whilst they were fearful at the display of unearthly power, at the same time they recognised that the source of power was none other than God himself.

So, they praised God, and they began to acknowledge that Jesus was no ordinary man. In fact, bearing in mind that the prophet Elijah had also been noted for being God’s instrument in the raising of the dead, they began to equate Jesus amongst the prophets. And of course, like at other times, the news about what Jesus had done spread like wildfire.

C. IMPLICATIONS

Now for those of us who have been in the public eye—or are even still in the public eye—it can be very easy to think, ‘What could I possibly learn from this story?’ After all, despite the fact that he brought the widow’s son back from the dead, didn’t Jesus flaunt the accepted standards of society? Didn’t he deliberately do things which had the potential to bring on the ire of the general public? So what kind of role model is that to follow?

Despite that, however, I believe that this story has much to teach for those in the public eye. And I’d just like to mention three things:

1. Jesus’s Acceptance of the Crowd
And the first thing is the need to take all the fuss and publicity in our stride.

After all, Jesus did not appear to have been concerned about the crowd that followed. Indeed, he often used the opportunities to teach about God and the Christian faith. Jesus accepted the fact that his ministry was public, and that naturally meant there would be people constantly following and hanging around, hanging on to every word and action. He didn’t seem to have got fazed by the crowd at all.

For sure there were times when he wanted to be alone, either to pray or to have time with his disciples. But he also accepted that that wasn’t always possible and just got on with his very public ministry.

And on that basis, we too should learn to take the public attention in our stride too. Because whether we are public figures or not (in the normally accepted meaning of the term), hasn’t Jesus told us to continue his work too? And on that basis, if we do that, we will attract attention; we too will come to the public’s eye. And if we do that, what will naturally follow, is that people may hang on to every word and deed that we do. They will have expectations of us—some realistic, and others inappropriate.

So, like Jesus, we shouldn’t get frustrated, or annoyed. But we should accept it is a par for the course for those who are willing to be God’s servants, obediently doing God’s work.

2. Jesus Didn’t Always Conform to Expectations
The second thing is to accept that we shouldn’t necessarily conform to the expectations of the crowd.

After all, Jesus didn’t always conform to people’s expectations. Indeed, the crowd would have been horrified at Jesus touching the coffin. And they would have been aghast at the personal authority he used as he commanded the dead man to rise. Actions which left him open to criticism and rejection.

However, for Jesus there were more important considerations than the expectations of the crowd. And, in this particular case, what was more important was his compassion for the widow.

So, then, we have to face the dilemma that there are two standards of behaviour to which we can conform. We can conform to God’s standards and that the standard he expects of every Christian, or we can conform to the expectations, and inferior standards, of others.

Of course, if we choose God’s standards, then naturally we will not always meet the expectations of others. And, like Jesus, we will leave ourselves open to rejection and ridicule. On the other hand, what is more important, to please God or to please man?

The implication for us, then, is that when we are out about doing God’s work—or even doing something in the privacy of our own homes—we should be trying to live up to God’s standards at all times. Indeed, we shouldn’t feel as though we always need to conform to the expectation of others.

Man’s way is not necessarily God’s way. And it’s God’s way to which we should conform. Sometimes that will mean doing things against the grain of what is culturally acceptable. But then that should be part and parcel of normal Christian living.

3. Being Considered To Be God’s People
And the third thing is to give people a clear understanding of who we are and where we stand.

Because despite the fact that Jesus didn’t conform to their standards, the crowd were able to conclude that Jesus was, at the very least, one of God’s prophets. They had seen that God had worked through Jesus and, as a consequence, that there was someone very special in their midst.

Of course, that would have been helped by the fact that he had recently cured the centurion’s servant, and now he had raised the widow’s son from the dead. But at other times it had been the quality of his teaching—or his compassion for others—that had helped them reach that conclusion.

Despite, the miracle then, Jesus was very good at advertising to whom he belonged. And, for Jesus, that would simply have been part and parcel of what it meant to have a full relationship with God.

What this means for us, then, is that we too should give others a clear picture of to whom we belong. People shouldn’t be left guessing about where we stand. So, of course, whilst many of us would not consider ourselves to be prophets, or anything like that, when we are out and about living our normal Christian lives, people should be able to see that there is something special about us. Indeed, people should be able to recognise that we are people of God.

D. CONCLUSION

So, being in the public eye is not always easy. It brings expectations about the standard of behaviour and about the sort of things we are expected to do. But the way Jesus managed public acclaim—and the pressure of the crowd—should teach us much we can use in our own journey of faith.

In our story there are at least three things of which we should take note:

The first, is the need to be comfortable with public attention. Now that not only affects those who have been, or are, in the public spotlight in the traditional sense, but with the task that all Christians have been given to share their faith it will naturally include every Christian there is as well.

Secondly, is the need to accept that we cannot always conform to the expectations of others. Indeed, we will often have to choose between God’s way, and the expectations of others. And when it comes to the choice, we should always choose God’s way. But then we have to live with the consequences too.

And, thirdly, we need to give people a clear understanding about to whom we belong and where we stand. People need to know that we are people of God. And that’s not something they should know only because someone else told them, rather it should be evident from the way we live every aspect of our lives.

Jesus is a good role model of what it means to believe in God, and how to live the Christian life. As a consequence, as people who should all be in the public eye—because of our faith—his life is a great model for us to follow.

Posted: 10th May 2024
© 2024, Brian A Curtis
www.brianacurtis.com.au

If you were asked to describe the state of the people of this country, what would you say? Would you describe them as people who have purpose and direction, and know where they are going? Or would you describe them as people who are here one minute, gone the next, and with no real hope or ambition?

Well, I think we know what Jesus would say, because he said it about his own generation. He described his own people as fickle and indecisive, and not really knowing what they wanted. They were people who expected others to behave as they wanted them to behave, but in the end were never really happy with anything that anyone did at all.

Indeed he told a parable to describe his people, as children playing games. Like children sitting around playing musical instruments, expecting others to dance to their tunes. And he illustrated his parable to describe the, then, current situation.

For John the Baptist they played a happy tune—suitable for a wedding—but found that John wouldn’t dance to the tune. Instead they noted that John was a sad sort of figure—he wore strange clothes, he didn’t eat the right foods—so they dismissed him for being too mournful. But then Jesus came along, and he was a happy figure—he ate lots, and he celebrated with the people. And yet they refused to play the happy tunes that they had for John, and instead played a funeral dirge, which Jesus refused to dance to.

Now it’s important to note that neither John nor Jesus tried to dance to the tunes that were being played. Both were faithful to the commands of God. But then Jesus’s point is that even if they had tried, the people still wouldn’t have been happy them. John was sad—and they weren’t happy with him, because they wanted him to be joyful. And Jesus was joyful—but they weren’t happy with him, because he wasn’t sad. Is it any wonder, then, that Jesus described his people as being like fickle children? They didn’t know what they wanted; they were changeable in their demands. And he concluded that only God’s children could have any hope of being consistent—because they had access to God’s wisdom.

Now does the world that Jesus knew ring any bells for us? Well, I’m sure it does. Indeed sometimes it can seem as if we are surrounded by people whose expectations swing madly from one extreme to another. After all, how often do we hear people say that they want God to be a God of justice, but then insist that their own mistakes shouldn’t count against them? How often do we see people wanting God to be a loving Father one minute, but then one who is willing to turn a blind eye to their misdemeanours the next? How often do we find people seeking guidance one minute, but then freedom to live the way they want the next? People want a saviour, but they want to do it their way too.

So even today people are fickle and inconstant, and even today only God’s people have any real hope of understanding his wisdom. Which, I guess, tells us where we should be. Because even now we need to remember that we need to dance to God’s tune, not that of the people—just like John and Jesus. But then even if we tried to dance to the tune of others, it is highly unlikely they would be happy with what we do anyway.

So what kind of world do we belong to? One that is fickle, and inconstant; one which swings from one extreme to the other, never being really happy with either. One that wants a saviour, but wants to do it their way too. And the message for us? Well the thing we need to remember is the need to consistent in ourselves, and in our faith. People may be fickle, but God isn’t. And there is only one tune we should be dancing to—and that is God’s tune. There is no other way.

Posted: 12th September 2016
© 2016, Brian A Curtis
www.21stcenturybible.com.au

A. INTRODUCTION

We all make mistakes and we’ve, probably, all done thing of which we are not proud. But is there anything that you’ve done that you can’t forgive yourself for doing? Or is there anything someone else has hurt you so badly that you can’t forgive them either?

The issue of forgiveness—both forgiving ourselves and forgiving others—is not always an easy issue to resolve. And, yet, if we don’t forgive, where does that leave us? What kind of life can we lead if we let past mistakes constantly hang over us? What kind of life can we lead if we are constantly living with feelings of resentment—or even hatred—to someone else because of something they have done to us?

And that is why I’d like to take you on a journey, in this story from Luke. Because the issue of forgiveness (and un-forgiveness) is very much wrapped up in the story that we’ve just read.

B. FORGIVENESS

1. The Woman Who Couldn’t Forgive Herself (37-38)
And the very first person we need to look at, is an unnamed woman who just couldn’t forgive herself.

Now, as we’re told, this was a woman who had lived a sinful life—which is a short-hand way of saying that she was a prostitute. However, she knew that she was sinful, and everyone else knew that she was sinful too. But, having obviously heard much about Jesus, and having heard that he had been invited to a meal at the house of a local Pharisee, she obviously thought that, at last, there was an opportunity for dealing with the past, to get her life in order, and an opportunity to get right with God too.

So, what she did was that she gate crashed the meal in Simon the Pharisee’s house—a place where she would not have been very welcome.

Now not being a resident of the house, she tried as best she could to give Jesus a traditional Jewish greeting, fitting for any welcome traveller. But she had not been there when Jesus arrived to welcome him with a kiss. In addition, being an intruder, she was not in a position to wash Jesus’s feet either. However, she had come prepared, by bringing a bottle of perfume to anoint Jesus (no doubt bought with her immoral earnings).

Unfortunately, she was in such a state—grief at her own predicament and, no doubt, in awe at being in the presence of Jesus—that the situation got the better of her.

So, rather than stand at Jesus’s head, and anoint his head in the usual manner, she stood at his feet as he reclined on a divan and broke out weeping.

And with her tears falling and wetting Jesus’s feet—in her anxiety to make up for this mishap—she forgot all social proprieties. She let down her hair, wiped Jesus’s feet dry, and then kissed his feet.

Then, still unable to gather herself together and anoint Jesus’s head as was the custom, she stayed riveted to the spot and anointed Jesus’s feet instead.

The woman was a sinner. She knew it and everyone in the town knew it. But she was stuck. She just couldn’t forgive herself, and she probably wasn’t sure that God could forgive her either. She just couldn’t let go of the past. And that lack of forgiveness had eaten away at her, until that one desperate day, when Jesus came, and she decided she had nothing to lose but to go and see him. But even then, her distress was so deep she couldn’t even get that simple greeting of a traveller right. Her emotions, and her lack of forgiveness had got the better of her.

2. The Pharisee Who Couldn’t Forgive Her Either (36, 39)
Now. of course, whilst all this was going on, the second person that we need to consider looked on—not only in amazement but in contempt. Because it wasn’t just the woman who couldn’t forgive herself, but Simon the Pharisee, couldn’t forgive her either.

Now it was not unheard of for a sinner to be inside a Pharisees home. But it was certainly a rare occurrence. And it only usually happened if the person was uninvited. And as far as Simon was concerned the woman was not only an uninvited guest, but was an unwelcome guest as well. But then Simon’s attitude simply reflected the kind of person that he had become over the years. Simon, the Pharisee, had become uncaring, and unforgiving.

In his unwillingness to forgive the woman (and others like her), he had lost something of himself by taking such a stand. And this is reflected in the fact that having invited Jesus into his home, he had forgotten all the accepted courtesies and pleasantries.

Indeed, when Jesus arrived, he hadn’t kissed him on his arrival in his home, he hadn’t provided any water for him to wash his feet, and he certainly hadn’t even used cheaper olive oil to anoint the head of his invited guest.

Now, of course, it wasn’t compulsory to do those things. But with a person of the stature of Jesus—particularly of the stature Simon believed him to be—those things would have been the acceptable behaviour for any truly caring host. However, in his hardened attitude towards others, Simon had lost something of himself and had become a much lesser person himself because of it.

And that is further reflected in the fact that when the woman washed Jesus’s feet with her tears; when she wiped Jesus’s feet dry with her hair; when she kissed Jesus’s feet; and when she poured expensive perfume on Jesus’s feet, Simon’s reaction wasn’t ‘I should have done something like that.’ Rather his reaction was one of disgust.

His disgust was for the woman he refused to forgive. And as a consequence, his disgust now extended to Jesus, who had quite happily accepted the attentions of the woman. After all, Simon concluded, Jesus, obviously didn’t know who she was or what she had done. And so, in his mind, Jesus couldn’t be the prophet that he had thought that he was at all.

3. Summary
So, as you can see, what we have here is not just a story about forgiveness (and lack of forgiveness), but it’s the story of the damage and destructiveness that lack of forgiveness brings. The woman couldn’t forgive herself and she probably thought that God couldn’t forgive her either. As a consequence, we have a story of a woman who is a quivering mess, botching up a simple greeting to a weary traveller. But we also have a story of Simon the Pharisee who couldn’t forgive either. And in Simon we see someone with a false sense of superiority that had no place in reality either.

Both the woman and Simon the Pharisees were living lives that had been seriously damaged because of their inability to forgive. And, as a consequence, Jesus was well suited to bring about the necessary changes in their lives.

4. The Messiah Who Could Forgive Her (40-48)
And what Jesus basically did was to illustrate the importance of forgiveness as an essential factor in the life of everyone. For Jesus, if someone wanted to be whole, forgiveness wasn’t an optional extra, but something that was to be part and parcel of every person’s makeup. And of course, God’s forgiveness was the most important kind of forgiveness of all.

And the stress Jesus placed on forgiveness was this: If God is willing to forgive us, then we need to be willing to forgive ourselves and others too, no matter what the magnitude of the thing that we or others might have done.

Now, the woman, was very strong on the fact that she’d done something beyond forgiveness. And it was something that she couldn’t forgive herself for, and wasn’t sure that God could forgive her either. And yet Jesus’s response was not only to give her God’s forgiveness, but his farewell greeting to ‘go in peace’ was significant too. Indeed, it was Jesus’s way of saying that it was OK for her to let go of the past, and to live with the slate wiped clean, no matter what it was that she done.

Simon, however, was probably oblivious to the fact that he had a problem. And so it was harder for him to realise the burden that his lack of forgiveness was having on his life. Nevertheless Jesus pointed out to him his need to forgive and his need for forgiveness. He wasn’t exempt from the need for forgiveness from God, but he needed to forgive others too.

C. IMPLICATIONS

This gospel story, then, is quite a lesson in forgiveness, particularly when we consider that we all make mistakes in life, and that we may all have done thing of which we may not be proud.

The question remains today, though, ‘Is there anything that we have done for which we cannot forgive ourselves? And is there anything that someone else has done that has hurt us so badly that we can’t forgive them either? If so, then we need to consider seriously this gospel story and the lesson of forgiveness.

1. What Forgiveness Brings
Because what forgiveness brings, what it has to offer is this: peace!

Firstly, peace with ourselves—the opportunity to put away the past; to get rid of all the hurts and failures—intended or not. And that release then enables us to get on with life, and the ability to enjoy a quality of life that would otherwise not be possible.

Secondly, it offers peace with others—the opportunity to end hostilities, with someone who has hurt us; with the chance to rebuild relationships and to stop constantly looking over our shoulders to see what will happen next.

(However, with this one, it does come with a warning. Because, as the saying goes: it takes two to tango. And if the other person refuses to reciprocate total peace may not be available). But even then, at least we can live with the fact that we have tried—that we’ve done our bit—and that will go some considerable way to easing the tension.

And, thirdly, it offers us peace with God—the very thing the Christian faith is all about. It gives us a restored relationship with God—the opportunity to face our maker with all the past behind us; and the ability to accept God’s salvation with all the eternal implications that entails.

And all of that is where the sinful woman is left at the end of the story. At peace with herself, at peace with the world, and at peace with God. And all those things are available to us too, if only we would take seriously the lesson of forgiveness.

2. What Failure to Forgive Does
But if we can’t forgive, that refusal will result in:

Firstly, lack of forgiveness of ourselves. We will become bitter and entangled in our own despair, constantly dragging up and living in the past, and not allowing ourselves to move on.

Secondly, it will result in lack of forgiveness of others, meaning that we will continue the downward spiral of lack of care and concern. We will become more hardened—and not just to the person with whom we were originally in dispute. We will look down our noses at others, and snobbery will become the rule.

And, thirdly regarding lack of forgiveness with God . . . Well, we will actually end up denying the faith; denying God’s salvation work; denying the forgiveness that God has to offer; and, as a consequence, we will end up denying our own opportunity for eternal life with God.

And that is where Simon the Pharisee is left in the story. A man, with his religious background, who should have known better. But who, even at the end of the story, didn’t show any indication of turning from his unforgiving ways. He still didn’t show any compassion for the sinful woman. Indeed, he had lost the concept of what it truly means to have a loving and forgiving God.

D. CONCLUSION

Now, we all make mistakes in life. We’ve all done thing which we would not like to repeat. But are there things that we can’t forgive ourselves for doing? And are their people that we just can’t forgive?

When we refuse to forgive either ourselves or others, bit by bit we destroy something of who we are. And that is not something that any of us should either want, or accept, no matter how we might feel.

Which is why forgiveness is one of the basic tenets of the Christian faith. Because without it, without God’s forgiveness, the Christian faith would not exist. But then we all need God’s forgiveness—and that is available to all of us no matter what we’ve done. But we also need to forgive ourselves, and we need to forgive others too.

The story of the sinful woman and Simon the Pharisee, is an object lesson in the need for forgiveness. And it is one we would pass over at our own peril.

Posted: 1st June 2024
© 2024, Brian A Curtis
www.brianacurtis.com.au

A. INTRODUCTION

One of the major struggles that many Christians face is the problem of having a meaningful spiritual life. While it can be seen that some, apparently, experience no end of encounters with God, for many the whole spiritual thing is just one big struggle. And for those who struggle and yearn for those mountain top experiences, sentiments like: ‘Why not me?’ is something with which that many of us can identify.

Is it any wonder, then, that faced with stories like the Transfiguration, feelings such as envy, or frustration, or inadequacy can emerge. After all, ‘Why can’t I experience God like that?’

The transfiguration: Peter, James, and John witnessing Jesus’s face and clothes changing to be as bright as a flash of lightning. Moses and Elijah suddenly appearing in glorious splendour. And then the voice of God from the cloud, calling down, ‘This is my Son, my chosen one. Listen to him.’

Of course, to some, the ultimate spiritual high—a very close encounter with God or ‘mountain top’ experience, if you like—is very much a matter of something that happened in the past. However, for others, it is something that dreams are made of, and what many people hope for.

B. MOUNTAIN TOP EXPERIENCES

1. Other Examples
But then the story of the Transfiguration is not the only story in the Bible of a close encounter with God. Indeed, naming three other biblical incidents:

Moses on Mt Sinai (Exodus 24)—receiving the first set of stone tablets on which the Ten Commandments were engraved—witnessed the ‘glory of God’ looking like a cloud or a consuming fire on the top of the mountain.

Elijah, hiding in a cave (1 Kings 19:9b-18), scared for his life—after dealing with the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel—experienced God, not in the wind, in the earthquake, or in the fire, but in a gentle whisper.

And Ezekiel, a priest in exile (Ezekiel 1), experienced something perhaps more suited to a science fiction story. Because he saw a strange mixture of creatures and wheels. And at the centre was a throne, with a figure ‘like that of a man.’

2. Backgrounds
Now if you’re anything like me, you wouldn’t have minded any of those mountain top experiences. And you might be hoping that in some way you might have a mountain top experience too. But the reality is that we don’t all have those mountain top experiences. And those who have, haven’t necessarily had one after another after another.

And why is that? And is there something that we should be doing?

Well perhaps the circumstances behind those biblical events might give us some clue:

Because Moses had already led his people out of slavery. As the crow flies, he was a third of the way from Egypt to the Promised Land. He’d already battled Pharaoh, but now he was about to face the stubbornness of his own people, with their substitution of God with a golden calf.

Elijah, on the other hand, had made himself so unpopular with the authorities that he was scared and desperately lonely. He felt that he was the lone voice for God in the world. Furthermore, the very next thing he was going to be asked to do was to commission Elisha to take over his prophetic duty.

And Ezekiel, although already a priest, was in exile. He was unable to practice his priestly ministry, and his role was about to change to a more prophetic ministry.

And even taking into account Peter, James, and John . . . Well, only eight days before Jesus had asked them, ‘Who do you say that I am?’ to which Peter’s reply was, ‘The Messiah of God.’ And very shortly afterwards all three were expected to stand up and be counted.

3. Summary
So in those four encounters with God – we have four quite different experiences. And four completely different situations.

Yes, they all had something in common—they were all believers. (Although there are biblical stories of God appearing to non-believers (like, Samuel and Paul). But they also have substantial differences too.

For example, each seems to be at a different stage in their journey. Moses, of course, had many encounters with God, but in this particular case, it was two-thirds of the way through his life; Elijah’s encounter was at the end of his ministry; and Ezekiel, Peter, James, and John were all at the beginning of something quite new.

As a consequence, the one thing we find out, is that there is no nice neat formula behind the mountain top experiences with God. And perhaps that shouldn’t surprise us. In fact, the best conclusion we should probably make is that God does what God does in his own way and in his own time.

Yes, may want to have a mountain top experience of our own. But if we don’t, then it’s not, necessarily, a matter of inadequacy, failure, or anything else. It’s simply a matter of God.

C. THE MORE COMMON EXPERIENCES

So, where does that leave us, in our quest for our relationship with God?

Well it seems to me that in talking about the spiritual life the Bible doesn’t just talk about mountain top experiences, but describes other ways in which we can have encounters with God. Some of which, some of us will experience, and others we can all experience.

For example, the prophet Joel (Joel 2:28b) stated that in the end days, ‘Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, and your young men will see visions.’

The apostle Paul talked about the gifts of the Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:8-10). And he provided a list, which wasn’t exhaustive by any means. But his point was that every Christian, without exception, has been given a gift to build up God’s church. And gifts, if we use them, which will all give us experiences of God.

And Jesus, of course talked about prayer (Luke 11:9-10)—the most common experience of God, we all have access to.

Now God may be in charge; God may dictate the kind of experiences of him that each of us can enjoy; God may think some things are appropriate and others not. But one thing he does guarantee is a direct personal relationship with him, which has to be worth more than just a one-off mountain top experience.

Indeed, Jesus said, ‘Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks will receive; everyone who seeks will find; and to those who knock it will be opened’ (Matthew 7:7).

So, yes, it may be good to have mountain top experiences, but let us not forget the day-to-day communication with God that we can all share.

But let’s not stop there either. Because there’s still one major area of experience of God that often gets missed. And it’s the experience of God we have when both are feet are planted firmly on the ground.

Because, once Moses came down from the mountain, he got on with the task that God had given him to do: he led his people to the Promised Land. Once Elijah came out of hiding, he went and anointed Elisha to continue his earthly ministry. Once Ezekiel had finished his encounter with God, he put into practice his strange theatrics. And once Peter, James, and John came down off the mountain, they continued to follow Jesus around—and became the core of God’s church. They all experienced God in the more mundane everyday walk with God.

Experiences of God . . . They can be experienced on the mountain, and in the streets and houses. And yes, some people may have mountain top experiences, but other experiences of God can be found, even in the routine of being an everyday Christian.

D. CONCLUSION

But if a mountain top experience should come our way . . . Well, I want to leave you with a word of warning: Peter, on the mountain, asked Jesus whether he should set up three tents— one for Jesus, one for Moses and one for Elijah—and in doing so, Peter has often been criticised for wanting to prolong his mountain top experience.

But whether that is a fair interpretation of Peter’s motives, I don’t know. But what I do know is that mountain top experiences are not designed to last. When they are over we are expected to come down; we are expected to get on with the everyday routine of life, and with pursuing our walk with God on a more earthly plain. In other words, we need to learn balance.

And so my wish is that we can all experience those mountain top experiences. But that, equally, we can also find God in the streets and houses and in the routine of our everyday Christian lives too.

Posted: 11th June 2024
© 2024, Brian A Curtis
www.brianacurtis.com.au

A. INTRODUCTION

No one likes to be rejected. And, as a consequence, it is something that many people fear. But then, it’s natural to want to be liked, to want people to approve. Therefore, in a sense, it’s quite understandable when people try to avoid situations where there is any risk of being rejected at all.

When people do things they like to be appreciated. They like others to tell them what a great job they are doing. And it’s always good to have someone to come up, pat you on the back, and tell you what a wonderful job you are doing.

Now, maybe it’s a sign of insecurity, or maybe there’s another reason, but it seems to me that this need for approval—and fear of rejection—often colours the way that people think, the way that people behave. As a consequence, it often forms the motive for the things that people do.

For example, a shy boy is hesitant to ask a girl out in case she says ‘No!’ The conscientious employee is careful not to rock the boat on dubious business practices, in case he or she risks the promotion that is being sought—or simply doesn’t want to be shown the door. And, even in the church, it’s often easier to leave things the same, than to face the wrath of those who’ve always done things in a particular way.

B. THE REJECTION OF JESUS

Having said that, being rejected—and facing up to the risk of being rejected—is exactly what this passage from Luke’s Gospel is all about. Let me explain:

1. The Samaritans (51-56)
In the first part of the story, Jesus and the disciples were returning to Jerusalem, and they passed through a Samaritan village. Of course, knowing the hostility of the Samaritans to the Jews, Jesus sent some people on ahead to prepare the way. And yet, despite that, the response of the Samaritans was predictable.

Now, they must have known something about Jesus’s reputation. But despite that, all the friendly gestures of Jesus and the disciples were ignored. They just couldn’t get past their hostility. As a consequence, they missed out on any blessings they could have received, as Jesus and the disciples passed through. Because Jesus and the disciples were forced to move quickly on.

2. The Three Men (57-62)
And in the second part of the story, things didn’t improve much either. Because, as Jesus and the disciples continued on their journey, three men came up to Jesus and pledged their allegiance to him.

The first man said: ‘I will follow you wherever you go’ (57b). But Jesus knew the depth of his commitment—that it was superficial to say the least. The man was only saying the words he thought Jesus wanted to hear. And so Jesus told him to go away, and first count the cost of such a commitment.

The second man, when challenged by Jesus to follow him, stated that he wanted to bury his father, first. A solemn duty of the utmost importance for Jews. However again, Jesus saw through the shallowness of his commitment. Because if the man’s father was that close to death, or had already died, the man would have been in the process of burying his father there and then—he would not have been in the presence of Jesus. What this man wanted to do, then, was to wait for his father to die (sometime in the future), and then, and only then, come back and follow Jesus.

And the third man, when approached by Jesus to follow him, wanted to excuse himself to go home and say goodbye to his family first. However, Jesus saw his intent, which was more than just a quick goodbye. The man was really not ready to let go of his past at all.

The reality was that just as the Samaritans had openly rejected Jesus, these three men effectively rejected Jesus too. Oh, yes, they said the said the right words, but in reality none of the three men could cope with the demands of Jesus—any more than the Samaritans could. And like the Samaritans before them, those three men just as effectively rejected Jesus too.

3. The Response of Jesus
Of course the rejection of Jesus is well noted in the Bible. The Old Testament prophesied about it. And there are many examples throughout the Gospels leading up to the ultimate rejection—the crucifixion itself.

And yet the attitude of Jesus in this story is one worth noting. Because when confronted by the disciples about his treatment by the Samaritans, Jesus simply accepted his rejection. He refused to seek vengeance upon those who had rejected him. And he was quick to move on to (what he may have hoped would be) more fertile territory.

And when faced with the shallow commitment of the three men, Jesus simply challenged the depth of their commitment and let the men go. He then continued on his journey once again.

Each time, Jesus knew that there was no point in hanging around continuing to make his point to any of the people. He’d challenged them with the gospel, and if they weren’t interested . . . Well maybe there was someone down the road who would be.

The response of Jesus was a lesson for his disciples. Jesus’s attitude was not to look for acceptance at any price. He didn’t go out of his way to get approval; he didn’t go out of his way to get a pat on the back for a job well done; he didn’t change his message to make it more palatable. Rather, he stuck to his task and challenged all that he met on the way. And when rejected, he simply moved on and tried again, probably knowing only too well, that history would repeat itself again and again and again.

C. IMPLICATIONS FOR THE CHURCH

And Jesus’s attitude towards mission was not only an object lesson for his disciples, but is an object lesson for us today too. And what I’d like to do is to pull three things from the story that we would do well to take note, particularly as we consider the responsibilities we have to undertake mission, to take the gospel to the world.

1. His Message Is For Everyone
And the first thing is that the Gospel message is for everyone, everyone without exception.

Now the reality is that in three short years it was not possible for Jesus to travel around the globe telling everyone about the faith. As a consequence, he had to concentrate on building up a church that could do just that. Having said that, even as he travelled in his own small area, he ministered to everyone he met, Jews and non-Jews alike.

In this gospel story, Jesus went through a Samaritan village. And knowing what the Samaritans were like to Jews, he might have been more worldly-wise to have gone around it. But not only was Jesus determined to go through it—and share the gospel on the way—but he sent people ahead to prepare the Samaritans for what he was about to do.

Now in most churches today, there is usually a list of people who have had some contact with the church over the years. And for the main part, in many churches, that has been the group of people to which ministry has often been focused. However, the reality is that in Jesus bringing the Gospel to a Samaritan village, the implication is that we should be taking the Gospel message to everyone, not just a select few. We should be taking it to people we don’t usually mixed with, as well as those we do. And we should be taking it to people we don’t get on with, as well as those we do.

Because as Jesus commanded his disciples, that is what all Christians are charged to do.

2. An Uncompromising Approach on Commitment
The second thing is that we need to adopt Jesus’s uncompromising approach on commitment.

Jesus always believed in the direct approach. He went directly though that Samaritan village and not around it. And he also challenged each of those three men to whether they were really sincere about what they were saying. Jesus took the direct path—he didn’t beat around the bush. He wanted to challenge each person regarding whether they had truly made a commitment or not.

Of course, that commitment would have been very important to Jesus on two levels. Firstly, he would have wanted to make sure that people were really committed. Because if they weren’t, their eternal well-being would have been at stake, and he wouldn’t have wanted anyone to live their lives in blissful ignorance without having made any real commitment at all. And, secondly, the implications of people with only a half-hearted faith for the early church would have been disastrous. If the leaders of the early church had been responsible for watering down the message of the gospel, then think of the consequent damage that would have been done to people’s lives.

Of course, the question of commitment is the same issue today as it was back then. And just as for Jesus, there is far too much at stake to accept a shallow commitment. That is why he took such a direct, uncompromising, no-nonsense approach. And that is why we should take a no-nonsense approach too.

3. Facing Rejection
And the third thing is that we have to learn to live with the fact that sharing the Gospel is not going to get us in the popularity stakes.

Jesus didn’t change his message to become popular. As a consequence, he faced constant rejection. Indeed, he faced the ultimate rejection—his crucifixion—when even his followers deserted him.

Jesus, in this Gospel story, was rejected by a whole Samaritan village, as well as the three specific men. However, regardless, he didn’t change his message; he didn’t change his direct approach; and he didn’t even attempt to have a more ‘popular’ approach. Indeed, he knew that if he continued on his path he would be totally rejected. He knew that at his crucifixion, not one person would be left standing with him. But he knew that the gospel was far too important to make any compromises because of people’s sensitivities. And he also knew that it would be no different for his followers either.

And that’s why, even before his crucifixion, he warned his disciples that when they went out they would face rejection too. His warning to the twelve disciples: ‘If any place does not receive you or listen to you, you are to shake the dust off your feet as you leave as a witness against them’ (Mark 6:11).

Just as Jesus knew that the Gospel and his no-compromise position would mean his own rejection, so he warned the disciples that if they were faithful to him—and uncompromising in the sharing of the faith—then they would be likely to face rejection too.

As a consequence, he told his disciples to not take their rejection lightly. But they were to ‘shake the dust off their feet.’ A prophetic act, telling people that they were leaving, that they had fulfilled their responsibility to them, and that all who had rejected them and their mission would be answerable directly to God.

However, having said that, Jesus also told the seventy-two people he sent out on mission, that such rejection shouldn’t be taken personally. Jesus’s words to his disciples: ‘Anyone who listens to you listens to me, anyone who rejects you rejects me, and anyone who rejects me rejects the one who sent me’ (Luke 10:16).

Jesus’s disciples were to stand firm in sharing the message of the gospel. But in doing so, they were to remember that anyone who rejected them wouldn’t just be rejecting them but they would, more particularly, be rejecting Jesus. And that would have very serious consequences for them indeed.

D. COMMENT

Sharing the Gospel to everyone, which is our duty, and using an uncompromising approach will naturally lead to our rejection. That is the implication of this Gospel story. But that doesn’t mean that we should neglect our responsibilities and give up trying.

On the contrary, if people don’t listen, then that is tragic for them. But what is important for us, is that like Jesus we should just keep trying anyway, but always remembering not to take rejection personally. Because it’s not just us they are rejecting but Jesus as well.

And because of that rejection, that’s where the role of the church is so vitally important. Because in the context of rejection, the church exists to encourage and build up the faithful. The church exists to comfort those who are the subject of ridicule because they stand up and share their faith. And the church exists to enthuse its members to continue God’s mission anyway.

The tragedy, though, in many churches today, is that that support isn’t always there. Indeed, the faithful who are rejected don’t always get the necessary support from their local congregation.

E. CONCLUSION

This Gospel message, then, isn’t an easy one to accept. But then, it’s nice to be wanted, it’s nice to be popular, and it’s nice to have your efforts acknowledged. However, in the story of Jesus—with the people in that Samaritan village and the three men he met on the road—the one thing that Jesus didn’t get was acceptance. He was rejected by the Samaritans, and he was rejected by the three men who claimed to be faithful followers.

As a consequence, he has warned his disciples—which includes us—that if we faithfully carry on his message then we are likely to be rejected too.

Regardless of that, Jesus knew that his task was important. And so, regardless of the consequences, he just continued on. He went out of his way to mix with all kinds of people, no matter what risks that entailed. The good news was so important that it was something he just had to share. And the same should be true for us today too.

The responsibility to share the good news has never been easy. It wasn’t for Jesus, and now the baton of responsibility has been passed to his disciples—to us his church.

But are we prepared to pay the price? Are we prepared to be ridiculed and rejected for the cause? Well, I hope we are, otherwise we will be just like those three men in the story—saying the right words but not really being followers of Jesus at all.

Posted: 4th July 2024
© 2024, Brian A Curtis
www.brianacurtis.com.au

There is a cost factor in everything that we do. If we want to go on holiday, there’s the financial expense. If we want to build friendships, there’s the time and effort, and the need to share something of ourselves. And if we want to belong to a club or organisation, then there’s the membership fee, and the need to be willing to abide by the rules.

It shouldn’t come as any surprise, then, to realise that there is a cost factor when it comes to the Christian faith too. There’s a cost factor involved in deciding to put Jesus first. There’s a cost factor involved in the need to grow spiritually, and in the need to leave some of the things that we love behind. And there’s a cost factor regarding the need to share our faith.

As a consequence, being a believer, is not a simple thing to be. Indeed, it can be very costly. Which is why, when we read the story of the three men—who made such wonderful statements of allegiance to Jesus—we can wonder whether they really understood what following Jesus was about at all.

Because the statements that they made were just that—mere statements. And Jesus saw through them straight away. Indeed, none of them were prepared to pay the cost. None of them were prepared to pay anything but lip service to following Jesus.

And in that, is a lesson to us all. Because just as Jesus made a call on each of those men’s lives—and they responded with wonderful statements—so too does he make a call on ours. But what is our response? And will we be guilty of only paying lip service too?

Because it seems to me that we have three choices. Firstly, we can reject the call of Jesus out of hand and relieve ourselves of any pretence. And if we do that, we can just go on living as if a relationship with God doesn’t matter. Secondly, we can pay lip service to the call of Jesus, and we can pretend to be his followers. But in the end the result will be the same. Or thirdly, we can take a risk, accept Jesus’ challenge and go wherever he takes us. We can then trust in God to do the rest.

Of course, each of the options comes at a cost. And a cost with which we may not be totally comfortable. But that’s faith. The only real issue is: What price are we prepared to pay?

Posted: 18th February 2018
© 2018, Brian A Curtis
www.21stcenturybible.com.au

A. INTRODUCTION

1. An Employer’s Dilemma
When an employer is looking for workers, there are a number of issues they need to consider. Issues like: the skills that are required; the training that’s needed; the sort of person who would fit into the existing organisation; how much work there is; whether the person should be employed full time, part time, casually, or permanent; and the ultimate question: what happens if the person that’s put on turns out to be unsuitable?

From an employer’s point of view, it’s not always easy finding the right person for the job. I know, I’ve interviewed people for work myself. And from the perspective of working with the long-term unemployed, I know what it’s like trying to place potential employees.

Of course, in larger organisations the decision about who is employed and who isn’t, isn’t necessarily a task one person has to make on their own—others can be called on for help. But what if you were an employer? What if you were the one who had to decide who to put on?

2. Jesus, the Employer
Well something like that is the situation we find Jesus in, in this passage from Luke’s gospel. Only, in the case of Jesus, he’s not appointing paid employees, but volunteers. And that is even harder still.

Now Jesus knew that his time on earth was short, but he wanted as many people as possible to hear the good news he was proclaiming in the time that he had left. He desperately needed people he could send out to share the good news. But who was he going to send?

Of course, we might think, he needed people like Luke, the writer of the gospel. After all, Luke was a doctor of medicine—a well-educated man, with considerable literary gifts, who later established himself as a fellow worker, with Paul on his missionary journeys. As a consequence, if he’d been around earlier in Jesus’s time, he may have been an ideal person to be selected for the task. And if Jesus could have recruited people like Luke and other well-educated men, people with literary skills—people who were used to public speaking—then he would have had the ideal group of workers to send out.

But that’s not what happened. Because in this episode in the life of Jesus—that Luke wrote down for us to hear and read—it didn’t matter whether the people had qualifications or not. It didn’t matter whether the people were educated. And they didn’t need lots and lots of training either. All they needed was the willingness to go; the willingness to be used by God.

And so, in the story, Jesus (effectively) employed seventy-two people to help him. And their job . . . was to be an advance party. They were to go into the towns and places ahead of him—to prepare the way ahead—with the specific aim of making his remaining time on earth as profitable as it could be.

So, this morning, what sort of employer was Jesus? How did he pick his team? And what sort of training did he give?

B. THE STORY

Well, it may surprise, but many of the methods he used are still used by employers today.

1. He Provided Pre-Employment Training (9:51-62)
Because the first thing to note about this story (before even the selection process began) was that Jesus took a group of interested people—people from all walks of life—and provided some pre-employment training.

In the two preceding stories, Luke firstly described the open hostility and rejection of both Jesus and his disciples as they travelled through a Samaritan Village. And, secondly, he described the continuing trek down the road to Jerusalem, where Jesus exposed at least three people’s commitment to him as being very shallow indeed.

When we get to this passage, then, we can see that the potential candidates had already experienced something of the hostility that they would expect. They would also have experienced the more subtle, but superficial, beliefs of some people who called themselves disciples.

In other words, Jesus had shown them by example, what they could face, what reactions they could expect, and the appropriate responses to those situations.

2. They Were Hand Picked (10:1)
So, having provided some pre-employment training
The second thing that Luke tells us is that each of the seventy-two were handpicked by Jesus, and by Jesus alone.

Now we don’t know how many people Jesus had to select from, but there probably weren’t that many more people around. And we don’t know how capable these people were at carrying out the task. But if they were anything like the inner twelve disciples they would have been a very mixed group indeed. But what we do know, was that before the selections were made (as I said before) at least three people are recorded to have been challenged to the depth of their commitment. And there’s no good reason to think that he hadn’t done the same for others too.

So they may not have been what we might have considered the most ideal group of people. Despite that, they were considered as suitable for the task Jesus had in mind.

3. They Were Told What Was Expected (10:5-12)
The third thing that Luke describes is that Jesus gave instructions on exactly what was expected of them. They were told to go ahead of him into every town and place that he was about to go on his journey. They were told to enter each town, take what was offered them, and to preach the message of the kingdom. They were told to go into peoples’ houses and to give a greeting which, he warned, would not necessarily be received warmly. And they were told that if they were not warmly received, to warn the people that the kingdom of God was near, and to advise them that because of their rejection they would face the judgement of God.

Their instructions were clear cut; they couldn’t have been much simpler.

4. They Were Given the Tools for the Job (10:4)
And fourthly, Luke tells us, they were given all the tools that they needed to do the job (as well as instructions regarding what they didn’t need). ‘Carry no purse or wallet or sandals’ they were told, ‘do not greet anyone on the road’. In other words they were to travel light, and their mission was urgent.

And the tools they were given for the job? Well it was that they were to simply trust God; to trust that he would supply all their needs.

God would provide, when and where provision was required. God would provide shelter, food, and drink (and whatever else was needed) to each of the seventy-two. In other words, they didn’t need any special tools or talents at all. All they needed was faith in God in order to carry out their task.

5. Summary
As you can see, then, Jesus would have made quite an employer. He provided pre-employment training; he handpicked his workers; he gave clear and precise instructions on what they were to do—and not do; and he told them that there was only one tool that they needed for the task: faith in God.

Now, in reality this wasn’t the first time that Jesus had sent people out on a mission. Before this mission, Jesus had sent out the twelve disciples on a similar mission (Luke 9:3-5). He had also sent messengers before him to a Samaritan village (Luke 9:52).

And we also know that whereas in the past not all missions were received well, this one was. Because we know that, this time, the seventy-two ‘returned with joy’ (10:17). Mission accomplished.

But remember . . . those that were sent would not all have been educated or have the gift of the gab. They were ordinary people, who were simply asked to be faithful and to carry out the mission.

6. Future Missions
As a consequence, later down the track, it probably came as no surprise to the early disciples that between Jesus’s resurrection and ascension, when Jesus appeared to them, what did he do? He gave them instructions to go out again.

However, this time they weren’t just to go into the local towns and villages, encouraging people to come and meet Jesus. This time they were instructed to ‘Go into all the world and proclaim the good news to all creation’ (Mark 16:15).

Educated or uneducated, skilled or unskilled, as far as the disciples were concerned, this was par for the course.

It was par for the course when Jesus was alive. And it was par for the course when he was resurrected from the dead. Indeed, after his resurrection, and filled with the Holy Spirit, they went out in the streets and moved out into the world, sharing everything they knew with anyone who would listen. And, having become a Christian, St Luke joined in the mission accompanying the Apostle Paul on his missionary journeys.

C. IMPLICATIONS

Now of course the story—the employment of the seventy-two—has tremendous implications for the church today. Because we can see how Jesus employed them for the task in hand. We can see what sort of training and instruction that he provided. And that is particularly relevant to the church given that the task that Jesus gave his disciples—post resurrection—is not yet complete. As a consequence, all Christians are called to be part of that mission.

But are we willing to be picked for the team? Are we willing to go out in to the world, even into our own towns and streets and share the message? Indeed, as modern-day disciples, what are we doing about the later mission that Jesus has given us?

1. We’ve been Given the Training
After all, hasn’t Jesus provided us with that all important pre-employment training?

Now we can read about the negative responses in some of the towns that he went to. We can be aware of the superficial claims that some made to the Christian faith. And we can follow the teaching and example of other Christians. After all, we’ve been given a whole manual to consider: the Bible. And if mission is something we are supposed to take seriously, then learning from the Bible has to be an essential part of our training.

In the Bible we can share the experience of Jesus and his followers. We can see the joys and hardships of God’s faithful people, from the Garden of Eden, until the end of the 1st Century AD. We can read the advice that has been handed down: the sayings of the wise. We can learn from other’s mistakes. And we can clarify just what it is that Jesus expected his disciples to do.

And as Paul wrote to Timothy: ‘All scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for reprimand, for correction, and for training in righteousness. That way, a man of God can be made complete, fully equipped for every good work.’ (2 Timothy 3:16-17). With the Bible, and the help of other Christians, we cannot excuse ourselves for inadequate training.

2. We’ve been Handpicked
Secondly, Jesus still handpicks each and every one of his followers. And our role . . . is still to perform our unique part in his plan.

As Peter wrote in 1 Peter: ‘But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people acquired by God. He has called you out of darkness into his wonderful light, and it is your role to proclaim his virtues’ (1 Peter 2:9).

If we think we are inadequate, that we haven’t got the talents or abilities to carry out what he asks, then think of that rag tag collection of people that those seventy-two people that Jesus picked must have represented, many of whom probably felt just as inadequate.

As a consequence, one of the things we may have to come to grips with, is the fact that God may know us far better than we know ourselves. He knows our hidden talents and abilities. And despite any feelings of inadequacy, he has chosen us and he knows (with his help) that things we are capable of doing.

3. We’ve been Told What Is Expected
Thirdly, the instructions on what we are supposed to be doing are still very clear. Jesus said: ‘You will be witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the world’ (Acts 1:8b).

The instructions couldn’t be much simpler. We have a responsibility to share the gospel—and not just to keep it ourselves. We have the duty of taking our part in making sure that everyone has a chance to respond to the message of Jesus.

Now, in that too, Jesus has warned that we won’t always be accepted. On the contrary, like the prophets and the apostles, and even Jesus, himself, we may be rejected, ridiculed, or whatever. But still there should be no doubt about what Jesus wants us to do. And there should be no lack of willingness on our part to carry it out either.

4. We’ve been Given The Tools For the Job
And fourthly, we still have within us all the tools that we need to do the job.

Yes, we still need to depend upon God to supply all our needs. But we’ve also been given the Holy Spirit to encourage, guide, and inspire us in the task we have to perform.

As Jesus, himself, said, ‘When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you in all truth’ (John 16:13a). And that is all the tools we need to carry out the task of sharing Jesus with the world.

D. CONCLUSION

St Luke, no doubt, was a special person. He was very talented, and no doubt he used his gifts on those missionary journeys with Paul. Not least of which was in recording significant events in the life of Jesus and the early church.

However, even he knew that people don’t have to be educated or well trained for God to be able to use them. Indeed, so passionately was he concerned with the mission of Jesus, that he recorded this and other stories reflecting the very mixed bunch of people that Jesus picked for his mission.

When we consider Jesus’s mission, then, and decide that it’s not for us and that someone else would be far better qualified or able to carry out the task, we need to remember the points of Luke’s story. Because, no matter what our experience, whether we have plenty or are mere novices, we’ve all been provided with the means of training; every Christian has been handpicked for the job; the instructions from Jesus couldn’t be simpler; and the tools of the trade . . . well, all we need is faith. All we need to do is to trust God and to follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

Yes, doing what Jesus asks can be threatening. And not every mission, even in Jesus’s time, ended up happily. Because, on at least one occasion the twelve disciples returned despondent, confused, and feeling rejected. But they didn’t give up, and neither should we.

If what we’ve received means anything, we will want to share the message of the gospel. And just as Jesus sent out the twelve, the seventy-two, the messengers, the apostles, and the early church, we need to accept our role in being sent out by Jesus too.

Posted: 10th July 2024
© 2024, Brian A Curtis
www.brianacurtis.com.au

Whenever something significant happens in life, we seem to have a ceremony to go with it. When children are born, we have naming ceremonies. When two people decide to live together, we have weddings or other forms of commitment. And when people die, funerals are a common event. And whilst not everybody participates in these ceremonies these days, nevertheless, the so-called “rites of passage” are still held by many in high esteem.

But it doesn’t end there. Because if we want to launch a boat, we have a commissioning ceremony. And when their time is up, a service to decommission them too. When someone is appointed to parliament, there is a swearing-in ceremony. (And there is a swearing-in ceremony every time a minister is appointed or changes portfolios.) And even in the church we have services to commission, ordain and consecrate people for various functions.

But why do we commission people in the church? And on what basis do we do it?

Well, to answer that, I’d like to refer to an incident in the life of Jesus. It was a time when Jesus appointed and commissioned seventy-two people to go on a mission. And at the time he didn’t just send them off on their own to all the towns and places he was going. No, he first told them, “There is an abundant harvest, but few labourers. So, appeal to the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into his field. Go! I am sending you like lambs into the midst of wolves. Take no purse, pouch, or sandals. Do not greet anyone on the way, etc. etc.” (Luke 10:2-4). Then, he sent them out in twos.

And this raises a number of issues regarding commissioning in the church that I would like to address.

And the first issue is, that commissioning plays an important part in setting people apart for a specific task.

Jesus needed to appoint some people for a specific task. He wanted seventy-two people, to send them out with one thing in mind—to prepare the people of the towns and villages ahead for an encounter with him. It was that simple. Jesus understood he couldn’t do his job all on his own. He needed help. What’s more, if others prepared the way then the short time that he could spend with them had the potential to be far more effective. As a consequence, it was important to engage others in his mission too. So, Jesus commissioning seventy-two people.

So, if we are Jesus’s disciples, think how important it can be for us too. Because, yes, we could leave it all up to Jesus to do his work, but think how much more effective his work would be, if there were willing helpers preparing the way ahead for an encounter with the Messiah. People who God could use to spread and share the message of the kingdom. People appointed, set apart or commissioned for particular tasks.

The second issue is, that having selected the seventy-two, Jesus used the appointment to detail what was expected of them.

Interestingly, the seventy-two were not given quotas on conversions, they weren’t told that their effectiveness would be measured by the number of people who attended the synagogue the following week. Indeed, they were warned that the opposite might be true because they were told what to do if they were made unwelcome. But what Jesus indicated to them was that they were expected to exercise their faith—to share what they believed with the people they went out of their way to meet. They were to use the spiritual gifts that they’d be given for the benefit of all. And the rest … Well the implication is that they were to leave the rest up to God.

As a consequence, that is true of us too. Because, if we have been commissioned, the expectation is about us exercising our faith—sharing what we believe. There should be no quotas, no pass or fail mark. Simply the need to share our faith and leave the rest up to God.

The third issue is that the appointment of the seventy-two did not come from a spiritual vacuum but followed a period of much training.

Now, I’ve often heard described of this passage that training was unnecessary and not provided. And a superficial reading of this passage might suggest that this was true. However, at the time of this incident, Jesus was near the end of his earthly ministry. He had been travelling around teaching, performing miracles, and his disciples had had a good opportunity to know what made him tick. And as Jesus began his final trip to Jerusalem the one thing you couldn’t say was that the seventy-two had received no training at all. Indeed, the seventy-two would have received much training. So, he used the appointment to give them their final instructions.

As a consequence, training is very important. It was for the disciples, and it is for us too.

And the fourth issue is, that Jesus provided a great deal of support for his workers.

Now that might seem an odd thing to say, particularly when he told the seventy-two not to take spare clothes, food, bedding or anything like that. But, yet, Jesus told them to go out in twos. No-one was asked to go out without the support of another, who was to be with them at all times. In addition, Jesus gave them the authority of God, and he gave them the authority to speak and to act in God’s name. Jesus also provided a home base—not only to come back to, but who would be ready to listen to all their stories too.

Support was very important. And it is very important with us too. Because wherever God’s authority is given, it is important for a good solid home base to come back to.

When we consider commissioning in the church, then, we have the model of the appointment and commissioning of the seventy-two disciples by Jesus to consider. It provides a model which identifies the need to specifically set apart people for specific tasks. It provides parameters (or expectations) under which people are expected to work. It provides appropriate training for the respective tasks. And most importantly it offers a support structure on which those commissioned can depend.

Commissioning is a very important aspect of church life. And when we do it, I can think of no better way than using the model given to us by Jesus himself.

Posted: 16th June 2018
© 2018, Brian A Curtis
www.brianacurtis.com.au

A. INTRODUCTION

One of the great traditions of the church—and amongst Anglican’s in particular—has been the reciting of the commandments. Indeed, in the Book of Common Prayer, the Ten Commandments were required to be recited at every single communion service.

Now in the early years, communion was not a weekly service. But come the twentieth century, things changed, and more regular communion services became the norm. But, despite that, the idea of including the commandments in communion services didn’t change. Although, perhaps for brevity, a preference for the Two Great Commandments was included instead.

Now the Two Great Commandments are significant for a number of reasons. Firstly, each commandment is a quotation from the Old Testament. Indeed, in Deuteronomy (6:5) we read: “You are to love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your might.” And in Leviticus (19:18b): “You are to love your neighbour as yourself”. Secondly, they are recorded in three gospels—Matthew, Mark and Luke. And thirdly, whilst two of those gospels were written by Jews—Matthew and Mark—and in each case the story ends there, Luke is quite different. Indeed, not only was Luke a gentile, but his version is then followed by the parable of the Good Samaritan.

When we come to Luke’s version, then, we have a unique view of the practice of the Jewish faith, from a gentile perspective. And whilst in some ways we could say, “So what? What’s that got to do with us?” If we listen carefully to Luke’s view point—of an outsider looking in—there is much in this passage that we can learn, not only about our own faith, but about how we put that faith into practice.

B. THE TWO GREAT COMMANDMENTS

1. The Lawyer’s Question (25-28)
Now the story begins with Jesus being confronted by a lawyer. He’d been in the crowd listening to Jesus, and he wanted to test Jesus to see whether he was genuine or not. So, the lawyer stood up, and raised a question of Jesus, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” However, instead of answering the question directly, Jesus replied by a counter question. He wanted to get the man to answer his own question. Jesus asked him. “What is the law that you recite?” “What do you say as part of your regular worship?” To which the lawyer replied, by firstly quoting the verse from Deuteronomy about loving God, and then following this up with the verse from Leviticus about loving one’s neighbour.

Now, at the time, the command to love God was rightly regarded as forming the heart of the Jewish faith. It put the love of God at the centre of Jewish religion. It emphasised the need for undivided loyalty to him; it emphasised the totality of mind and will that were to be brought to the worship of God. And, as a consequence to that, it recognised that the love of God—the total commitment to the creator—was to be reflected in one’s attitude towards others as well.

So, the lawyer got it right—all well and good. The lawyer was word perfect. And Jesus was able to accept the lawyer’s statement. He knew his stuff—he knew what he was supposed to do. And as a consequence, Jesus commended him for his answer. Indeed, he said that if he truly loved God and truly loved his fellow man, then he would inherit eternal life.

2. Comment
But here comes the twist … Here comes the difference between the versions. Because Matthew and Mark stop their stories there. The point had been made. As far as they were concerned, what one had to do was to love God and love one’s fellow man—that was it, short and to the point.

But Luke wasn’t content to leave the story there. He believed there was more to tell. And why? Well as an outsider he could plainly see that there was a big difference between knowing the words and actually putting them into practice.

Indeed, like Jesus, Luke could clearly see behind those wonderful words of the lawyer. The lawyer’s intention was to test Jesus. He didn’t truly love God, and he didn’t truly love his neighbour either. The lawyer was only paying lip service. Which is why we have the story by Jesus that illustrates what it truly means to love God and to love one’s neighbour. In other words, the need to put those words into practice.

3. The Parable of the Good Samaritan (29-37)
Now the Parable of the Good Samaritan is a story that is so familiar I don’t want to get involved in the detail right now. Except to say that the relationship between the Jews and the Samaritans was not good. In fact they hated one another. And that is one of the reasons why, by Jesus’s time, the Jews had re-interpreted what it means to love one’s neighbour to suit themselves. As far as they were concerned, they only needed to care for those who were either fellow Jews or were members of their religious community. And the Pharisees tended to exclude ordinary people from their definition of “neighbour” altogether.

The story of a Samaritan coming to the rescue of a Jew, after he had been passed by a priest and a Levite, then, would have been a very pointed story on the customs and practices of the day. Jesus’s call to the lawyer, therefore, was not only the need to know the commandments, but to put them into practice too. And to do so, by putting aside all personal and cultural prejudices.

4. Comment
As far as Jesus was concerned, we cannot keep God’s commandments by limiting them to what we are comfortable with. We either keep them or we don’t. Which is why, even though Jesus was able to compliment the lawyer for being word perfect, he was still needed to challenge him into putting into practice the things that he said he believed.

C. IMPLICATIONS

The Two Great Commandments, then, incorporate some very high ideals. They are words that have a rich history of being used in Jewish worship dating back several thousand years. And yet, the implications in those words, are just as relevant even for us today.

1. The Value of Learning/Regular Worship
Because, firstly, the example of the lawyer demonstrates the value of having knowledge of the scriptures, and the value of regular worship.

Indeed, the fact that the lawyer knew the Two Great Commandments through his learning and through his practice of regular worship, and that he was able to call upon his own resources to answer his own question, says much for the value of reading the scriptures and the practice of regular worship.

“What do I have to do to inherit eternal life?” was the lawyer’s question to Jesus. But in actual fact, he had the answer within him all the time.

If he’d never read, never learnt, never met with other believers, he wouldn’t have known the answer. But he had done those things. So when Jesus turned the question back on him, he was able to answer the question—and answer it correctly.

Of course, that’s not the only reason for the importance of reading God’s word. And that’s not the only reason for the value of regular worship. But if we genuinely want to know God, if we genuinely want to know ourselves, and if we genuinely want to know what God expects of us, then those two things—the need to learn and the need to meet for worship—provide a solid foundation for any serious believer.

2. Knowing and Doing
Secondly, the example of the lawyer, demonstrates that there can be a great gulf between knowing what to do and putting it into action.

Indeed, the lawyer knew all the right words. He was word perfect. But did his “love” go beyond that to actually live a life where loving God and loving one’s neighbour, became the motivation for everything he did? I don’t think so. The lawyer knew what he had to do. But he needed Jesus to challenge him to go out, and to put his knowledge and beliefs into practice.

Now, even today, there can seem a great gulf between words and practice. After all, how many times have you talked some business or other over the phone, and the person on the other end has promised you faithfully that they will do what you ask? And yet experience tells you, not to get your hopes up and to be ready to be disappointed.

And that means that if we know the right words, and if we know what we’re supposed to do, we need to actually put the things that we believe into practice. Because if we don’t, we will be just as guilty as those about whom we complain. Indeed, we may be more guilty, because the words we are paying lip service to are none other than the words of God himself.

3. Interpretation and Emphasis
And thirdly, the example of the re-interpretation of love that was evident in the lawyer’s time, demonstrates that whilst at times we may believe that we are expressing “love” to God and to our neighbour, the reality may be far from the truth.

The problem in Jesus’s time was that it was normal to reinterpret God’s demand to love him and to love one’s neighbour, to make it mean something more palatable—something easier to digest, and something that would be easier to stand up and confidently claim to have kept. But the lawyer hadn’t fooled God, whose laws he was supposedly keeping. He hadn’t fooled Jesus, who had to challenge him to a real commitment. And he hadn’t fooled Luke, the outsider looking in, either.

And what that should tell us, is the value of periodically assessing our actions. To regularly analyse whether our actions do in fact add up to our stated beliefs—whether our beliefs and the things that we know are reflected in the things that we say and do.

Because, even today, some people see God as someone they want to keep private to themselves; or someone who they can allow in, but only to certain aspects of their lives; or someone who can be picked up—and left—as it suits. And yet the words of the commandment of God from Deuteronomy are quite clear: “You are to love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your might.”

Furthermore, some people, today, define their neighbours as only those people who live next door or in the same street; or only people who fit into the kind of lifestyle that they live and enjoy. And that they only need to help people with what is left over, after they have looked after themselves. And yet the words from Leviticus are quite clear: “You are to love your neighbour as yourself.”

These words of God, then, together with the story of the Good Samaritan, suggest that there’s far more than that. And indeed, that we too may need to take a step back, and to objectively see if there are differences between what we say and what we do, with a view to fixing up any differences that we might find.

Now, the lawyer obviously hadn’t done that. Which is why, having asked him what he believed, Jesus then told the story of the Good Samaritan. Indeed, he challenged the lawyer in the process. Which is why it can be a very valuable exercise for us to to do the same too.

D. CONCLUSION

The value of reading the bible, and the value of meeting together for regular worship, cannot be overstated. The lawyer may have set out to trick Jesus, but when Jesus turned the tables on him, the lawyer had a wealth of knowledge on which he could find his answer. Unfortunately, despite that, the lawyer was found to be wanting, because there was a big gap between his knowledge and his deeds.

The Two Great Commandments, then, should remind us of the importance of reading the Bible and the importance of regular worship—from the point of view of learning and being reminded of what the Christian faith is all about. It should also remind us of the need to put our learning and beliefs into practice—making sure that our practice doesn’t just fit our interpretation of God’s lessons, with which we are comfortable.

Luke, the outsider looking in, has, I believe, done us a great service, by not only giving us the words of the Two Great Commandments—that are also recorded in Mathew and Mark—but by continuing the story to include the parable of the Good Samaritan. Because by doing so, he has reminded us that knowing the words is one thing, but actually doing what they mean is another matter altogether.

Posted 20th March 2019
© 2019, Brian A Curtis
www.brianacurtis.com.au

A. INTRODUCTION

I don’t know about you, but there are certain periods in my life of which I’m especially fond—times when I felt good about myself. And even though all was not well with the world, I can look back and recall those very happy times.

Of course, sometimes I also think that I get caught up in some kind of romanticism. After all, things just couldn’t have been that good. And so I’m reminded of the common complaint: That the more one thinks of the events occurred, the more unreal they become. Nevertheless, they were still very happy times.

And one particular part of my life where I often get stuck is the late 1960’s. I was at school and getting ready to face the world. I read a lot and absolutely loved music (the right kind of course). I had a group of very good friends . . . Well…. you get the illusion.

Yes, it was the time of the Vietnam war . . . But it was also the time of Woodstock, Jimi Hendrix, and the final years of the Beatles. The “Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament” was gathering momentum. And that well known expression “make love, not war” was becoming part of everyday living.

And so I find myself sometimes thinking about those times. Yet at the same time I think about how or why I get engaged in that sort of sentimental journey.

Now my nephew would tell me that just putting on one of my CDs would be enough. (After all, they all come from the late 1960s and early 1970s, or so he reckons.). But as I watch the news, today, I get the great distinction that history is constantly repeating itself.

Indeed, since the September 11 terrorist attacks in Washington and New York, there has been much talk about revenge, retaliation, and justice. But so too, has there been talk about the need for peace. And so that sentiment about making love, not war is being heard over and over again.

Now as a Christian this has particular interest for me. Because the sentiment, if not the exact meaning, is exactly the same as what should be proclaimed by the Christian church. Because as Christians, are we not taught to love God? Are we not taught to love our neighbour? Are we not taught to love our enemies? And are we not taught that the greatest thing that Holy Spirit has given us is love—that love is greater than all of the spiritual gifts and that love is eternal, and never fails?

So, leaving my particular sentimental journey aside for the moment, and with the background of yet another crisis—because there always is one—what can we learn from history? Or more particular, what does the bible say about making love, not war?

B. THREE BIBLICAL WAYS OF “MAKING LOVE”

Well, our first port of call should be some very important New Testament commands:

1. Love the Lord your God (Luke 10:27)
The first command “You are to love the Lord your God…” for many will be very familiar. It’s the command that Jesus acknowledged as being the most important of all. The (first and foremost) command for all Christians is to love God. It’s the centre of our faith.

And the extent of that love? “…with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind.” Love in this context is total. It’s the totality of mind and will that should be brought to the worship of God. It’s undivided loyalty—total faithfulness and obedience to him. There’s no room for devotion to any other thing or being. Everything that we are and have should be directed to our creator and redeemer.

Of course that’s not easy. There are so many distractions and other things that call on our time and our attention. It’s so easy to get side-tracked, or to find ourselves putting ourselves first before God—and often we don’t even realise that we are doing it. But if we are true believers, then total submission to God is what we should strive for. A total love of God is what we should try to attain.

2. Love Your Neighbour as Yourself (Luke 10:27)
The second command, “Love you neighbour…” was also acknowledged by Jesus. Linked to the first command, this was placed second in importance behind the command to love God.

And the extent of that love? “…as yourself.” As Christians we’re commanded to love others, not less than we love ourselves, but the same as we love ourselves. We’re commanded to show care and compassion, but not in any nominal way, with what we’ve got left over, after looking ourselves. But in the same way as we would want to be treated ourselves.

It’s about a relationship of equals. And that’s not easy to do either. Particularly as some people seem to be unlovable, difficult, and sometimes down right impossible to live with. And perhaps that’s why over the years there’s been a tendency to redefine exactly who our neighbour is.

For example, the background to the Parable of the Good Samaritan, derives from a Jewish interpretation of who a neighbour is as: Someone with whom one has something to do with on a regular basis. The Jews were therefore able to define a neighbour as either a fellow Jew, or someone who belonged to the same religious community. (Foreigners and Samaritan’s, in particular, were excluded.) The Pharisees were also able to exclude the ordinary people because they didn’t normally associate with them either. Furthermore, the Qumran community excluded people who were termed “sons of darkness.” And the list could go on . . .

But clearly the Parable of the Good Samaritan itself, if it teaches anything, teaches that no such division should be made. Some of our neighbours may not be easy to get on with—they may be difficult to love—but we have no biblical grounds to exclude them from the love that is demanded of us.

But there is a second issue here. It’s not only the term “neighbour” that has been attempted to be redefined in this context but also the term love itself.

Love has been seen, by some, in perhaps more romantic terms. Referring only the need to love those who are more attractive, easy to get on with people (eros). However, the real meaning of the term love in the command, should not be lost. The love that is required from us is the love which loves despite the fact that we may find the other person totally repulsive (agape).

And in a way that makes sense. Because if God loves us (and we must seem to him to be unlovable sinful disobedient creatures), then it’s only natural for him to demand the same response from us to others.

3. Love Your Enemies (Luke 6:27)
Now these first two commands Jesus acknowledged as being the most important. Indeed, they are a summary of the ten commandments. But I would also like to suggest that a third command is of vital importance too. The words of Jesus himself: “Love your enemies; . . .”

Now Jesus wasn’t just talking about spiritual enemies, but all enemies. (And a very hard thing for anyone to do). But we don’t just have to think of people overseas, we can think of those we know who don’t like us, who make life difficult, and even those who make it clear that they hate our guts.

And the extent of this love? “…do good to those who hate you. Speak well of those who curse you; pray for those who abuse you.” Love in this context, is concerned less with emotional affection, than with willing service and a desire to do good to the other person. It may be natural to hate those who hate us, but the command is not to return hostility with hostility. Instead we are to return hostility with love.

Now, of course, that does not mean that they will cease to be our enemies, but it does show that we need to be serious about our God and our faith. Because witnessing to our enemies is just as important as witnessing to our friends.

C. BIBLICAL ASPECTS OF “MAKING LOVE”

Love God, love neighbour, love enemies. It’s not easy. But the place of love in the Christian life is paramount.

1. The Supremacy of Love
Indeed, the Apostle Paul, wrote to the church at Corinth about the gifts of the Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:4). He talked about us all having been given different gifts for the common good. His words: “A word of wisdom is given to one through the Spirit; a word of knowledge is given to another through the same Spirit. Faith is given to another through the same Spirit; gifts of healing are given to another by the same Spirit” (1 Corinthians 12:8-9). And the list goes on, but is not exhaustive.

But Paul also wrote to the church at Galatia about the fruit of the Spirit—the so-called “nine graces” which make up a mature Christian character. Paul’s words: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control . . .” (Galatians 5:22-23a).

And the most important of all these “gifts”? Well, Paul’s exhortation to the Corinthian church makes it quite clear. We can have any gift of the Spirit that we like, but if love is absent, then what is the point. As individuals, as well as a Christian community, we can get by somehow without the gifts, but if love is absent our endeavours will be for nothing. Indeed, the most lavish exercise of spiritual gifts cannot compensate for the lack of love.

Paul’s words I think will be familiar: “If I were to speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but have no love, I would be no better than a loud gong or clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and knew all mysteries and knowledge, and if I have faith to move mountains, but have no love, I would be nothing. If I gave up all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I handed over my body to be burned, but if I have no love, it would do me no good. Love is patient; love is kind, not jealous. Love does not boast, nor is it arrogant. It does not act in an unseemly way, nor is it self-seeking. It cannot be provoked and does not take into account any wrong suffered. It does not rejoice in wrongdoing but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things. Lover never fails. But if there are prophecies, they will be abolished; if there are tongues, they will cease; and if there is knowledge, it will be brought to an end” (1 Corinthians 13:1-8). And he concludes: “Faith, hope, and love will remain; and the greatest of these is love” (1 Corinthians 13:13).

2. The Divine Nature of Love
So, does that put the pressure on even more for us to love, and to love the most extraordinary and unlovable people? Well, it does, except that we need to remember that we are not alone. God is with us and will help us. And we can take comfort in the fact that the love that we are commanded to express is not human love, but divine love.

As Paul wrote to the church in Rome: “Our hope does not put us to shame, because the love of God has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us” (Romans 5:5).

God’s love for mankind was displayed in Jesus, through his birth, life, and death. And now it’s our turn to use that same love—God’s love—to do as he asks. To love God back, to love our neighbour, and to love our enemies too.

D. CONCLUSION

Now see what happens when I begin to remember the good times in the past—when I start to go down memory lane? Nevertheless, love God, love your neighbour, and love your enemies are three commands we cannot afford to ignore.

So today we are faced with a challenge: As a nation, as a community, as a church, and as individuals: Do we really love God? Do we really care for one another? And do we really love our enemies? And as believers: Are we using the divine love that God gives us? Because that is what God demands that we should do.

Posted: 13th June 2020
© 2020, Brian A Curtis
www.brianacurtis.com.au

A. INTRODUCTION

1. A New Ministry
When you’re stating something new, it’s always hard to know where to begin. What should you talk about first? Should you talk about who you are and what makes you tick? Should you talk about hopes for the future and where you hope to be in three years’ time? Or should you talk about something completely different, and let the other two issues come out in the wash?

Well, what I’d like to do is to talk about something that is well known and basic to the Christian faith. And it is something that describes what makes me tick. And it is something, that if we take seriously enough, will tell us–where we all should be in three years’ time.

2. The Lord’s Prayer
And what I want to talk about are the words to the Lord’s Prayer—the prayer (or rather the model prayer) that Jesus gave his disciples to help them in their relationship with God.

Now, of course, we have two versions of it in our bibles—one in Matthew (Matthew 6:9-13) and the other in Luke. Matthew’s version is the longer and it expands on the basic message in a couple of ways, but without any real change in meaning to the prayer. (And it is the version which is, perhaps, more familiar.) Whilst Luke’s version is the shorter no-frills version, and the one that gets down to the basics of the teaching of Jesus.

So, with no real difference between either, what I’d like to do is to examine Luke’s version—the shorter, no-frills version—and to examine just what the Lord’s Prayer is all about.

B. THE LORD’S PRAYER

Now, the context of this teaching of Jesus was that the disciples wanted to know how better to communicate with their creator. They’d learnt much from Jesus, and that included the need to continually have communication channels open with a loving God. As a consequence, as part of his teaching Jesus gave them this model prayer on which to base their conversations with their creator.

1. ‘Our Father’ (2a)
And as a result, the very first idea that Jesus gave them was the need to remember that God wasn’t a distant, unapproachable, uncaring creator. Rather, he was someone who wanted to be very much involved with his creation.

Jesus’s very first word, ‘Father’, contains within it not the idea of a distant uncaring relative, or of an aloof disinterested parent, but rather someone who desires an intimate relationship with every one of us—the original disciples and ourselves alike.

Yes, God may be the great and all-powerful God as described in the Old Testament. But the image that Jesus tried to portray was that he was also a caring, loving (and even doting) father, who was very approachable, who wants to look after our needs, and who is keen to encourage the kind of relationship that is reflected in the fact that he wants to be known in terms like ‘daddy.’

And getting that right, getting that relationship right, is important. Because whilst God is still the all-powerful, all knowing, all everything God, what follows in the Lord’s Prayer are two sets of petitions—requests of God—which hinge on the idea of having a direct, and intimate, relationship with him.

2. 1st Petition – The Establishment of God’s Purposes
And the first set of petitions—composed of two parallel requests—point to the fact that our prayers should be focussed towards God as much as to ourselves. And, as a consequence, we are to express concern that God should have his rightful place in the scheme of things.

a). ‘Hallowed be your name’ (2a)
‘Hallowed be your name.’ If God’s name is representative of who he is, the kind of person that he is, and the kind of reputation that he should enjoy, then the idea is that we should look forward to a time when ultimately all mankind will speak of God with appropriate reverence and honour.

A time when all men will revere and worship God. And a time when blaspheming and sinning against God will have ended—the time at the end, when this will come true.

b). ‘Your kingdom come’ (2b)
And ‘your kingdom come.’ The idea is that the end will not only come but is something we should look forward to with anticipation. It will be a time when God will be given his rightful place by all creation, and a time when all believers will experience his kingdom in all its fullness—a kingdom which we can only partially experience now.

The emphasis in this petition is, fairly and squarely, on the sovereignty of God—giving him his due—and that what he has promised. It is on the consummation of this world and the fulfilment of the next. Nevertheless, with this petition, there is also a hint of the blessings that come when God is acknowledged as king and his rule is allowed full sway.

c) Comment
So, with these two ideas ‘hallowed be your name’ and ‘your kingdom come’”, then, the prayers, in the petition, are outwardly the same.

When Jesus taught those words to the disciples—as the first major part of the Lord’s Prayer—basically, what Jesus was saying was that as part (and that’s a major part) of having an intimate relationship with God, we need to be looking outwardly, looking forward to the time when God’s sovereign rule will be established in its totality. And therefore, in our prayers, it is very important to acknowledge who God is and what he has promised. Indeed, a major factor in living the Christian life is that we need to believe, live, talk, breathe, and pray as though the kingdom of God really is at hand—and have that as a central focus of all that we say and do.

(And, incidentally, the additional idea in Matthew (‘your will be done on earth as it is in heaven’ follows exactly that theme).

3. 2nd Petition – The Personal Needs of the Disciples
And having acknowledged God, and our personal relationship with him, and with a heart set on the fulfilment of the kingdom, the second petition, that Jesus taught the disciples, begins. And this has, at its heart, three concerns regarding the needs of every disciple—past and present.

a) ‘Give us each day our daily bread’ (3)
‘Give us each day our daily bread.’ Now, this isn’t just a request for God to provide us with the barest essentials of life, with the effect that life will continue to be a struggle. No! The idea is that we need to acknowledge that we depend upon God totally for our daily needs. And that we need to ask God for what we need, knowing that he will provide, and that he will continue to provide food for the body and for the soul.

This petition acknowledges our dependent relationship with God. And it recognises that if we are genuine in our request, he will give us what we need. But not just physical food, but spiritual food too.

b) ‘Forgive us our sins’ (4a)
‘Forgive us our sins.’ Well we all make mistakes. And none of us can ever claim, truthfully, to have given—or still give—God his proper due. As a consequence, we have a debt to God that we cannot possibly pay. And we are totally dependent upon him to wipe out our past mistakes.

This part of the prayer then acknowledges the totally hopelessness of our situation. And our total reliance on God for our eternal welfare to save us from God’s final judgement.

But this request has a condition attached. ‘As we forgive those who sins against us.’ Our forgiveness is conditional upon our forgiving those who have wronged us, If we won’t forgive, or can’t forgive then we shouldn’t expect God to forgive us either.

The petition recognises that we can limit God’s ability to forgive us. If we can’t forgive, then he won’t be able to forgive us no matter who the offender may be. (And that includes the Hitler’s and the Bin Laden’s of the world as well as family members). And as a consequence, the prayer stands as a warning about not allowing any obstacles getting in the way of God’s forgiveness.

c) ‘And lead us not into temptation’ (4b)
And ‘lead us not into temptation.’ The final request, recognises that we all have inward temptations, and that it is easy to be seduced and be led astray by the attractions of the world. However, it also recognises that, from time to time, we may face tribulations and trials which will test our faith.

Now being tempted is not a sin, but yielding to temptation is. And the prayer recognises that left to our own devices we fail badly. And that we need God’s help to keep us on track.

d) Comment
The ideas of ‘give us each day our daily bread’, ‘forgive us our sins’, and ‘lead us not into temptation’, then, are all aspects of our everyday need to follow in the faith. The things that we depend on God to help us with, and the things, that left to our own devices, we would fail at every turn.

Jesus’s teaching recognises that we need God, not only to accept the faith, but to remain faithful. And therefore our prayers should reflect that dependence that we have on God to maintain our faith, and to keep on the straight and narrow.

(And again the additional idea of Matthew ‘but deliver us from the evil one’ follows that theme).

C. COMMENT

And at that point the Lord’s Prayer comes to an end. Both Matthew and Luke finish with those sentiments. Matthew may have recorded a few extra words than Luke, but essentially the stories and the meanings are the same.

But hold on, you’re going to tell me what about the extra line: ‘For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory for ever and ever Amen.’ Well, I’m sorry to have to say that that probably wasn’t part of Jesus’s teaching at all. More likely it was an addition by the second century church—but with a reason.

The practice stems from worship services where someone would read the words from Matthew. And then the congregation would give a response, to acknowledge that they were in agreement with what had been said. And the response was ‘For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory for ever and ever Amen.’

Of course, what happened over time was that the response gradually became standardised as part of the prayer itself. However, importantly, they neither add nor take away from Jesus’s teaching at all.

D. IMPLICATIONS

The Lord’s Prayer, then, is a model prayer reflecting the intimacy of a relationship with our God. It reflects the longing that all followers should feel for the end times and the time when God will be acknowledged by all creation. And it reflects our utter dependence upon God for our daily needs in terms of the basics of life, the need for forgiveness, and the need for strength to overcome temptations and trials.

The question is though, if that is what the Lord’s Prayer is about, are those the things that we mean, when we pray, or when we say the Lord’s Prayer ourselves? Does the Lord’s Prayer describe what makes us tick? And does the Lord’s Prayer show us where we should be as a church in three years’ time?

1. An Intimate Relationship
Because, firstly, one of the things about the Lord’s Prayer is that it tends to be a prayer that often just gets rattled off. It’s almost as though it’s not something one has to think about. It’s like they are the words to someone who is distant, and remote. And it’s like by saying these words everything will be well.

And yet, the very first word ‘Father’ should always remind us that that wasn’t what was intended. As a consequence, to rattle the Lord’s Prayer off just because one knows it off by heart, or because it’s like some sort of magic formula, not only devalues the intimacy of the relationship with God, but it reduces the prayer to a meaningless series of words which has little or no basis in our lives.

2. The Establishment of God’s Purposes
Secondly, it raises the question of whether the end times—and the time when God will be acknowledged by all creation—really is one of the central focuses of our faith.

Living for today is one thing. But when we pray, when we say the Lord’s Prayer, or when we go about our daily work, is our faith—the things that we do, the things we hold dear, and our involvement in the church—focused on the promise that one day all this will be gone? That one day the faithful will be living with God in eternity, and that those who have other priorities in this life will be living in eternity in a living hell, in a place where God will neither be present nor represented.

3. The Personal Needs Of The Disciples
And, thirdly, this prayer raises the issue of whether we really are dependent upon God for our daily needs. After all do we trust God for our physical and spiritual food, or do we depend upon our own strengths and abilities to see us through? Do our prayers acknowledge our need for forgiveness, and our need to forgive others? And is that reflected in our daily lives? And do we really want not to be tested? Or do we enjoy being attracted by the pulls of the world and the not very healthy things this world has to offer?

E. CONCLUSION

The Lord’s Prayer, then, may be the best-known passage in the Bible and it may be something that many people know off by heart, but, more than that, it is a prayer that encourages an intimate relationship with God that has at its central focus the end times and the establishment of God’s kingdom. And that reflects the need for us to recognise our utter dependence upon God.

Now in the light of that, is this what people mean, when they say those words? Is that what we mean? Or do we mean something else altogether?

Does the Lord’s prayer reflect on what makes us tick? And does the prayer reflect where we want to be in three years’ time?

The Lord’s Prayer, in a sense, is a summary of the Gospel. Because the Gospel is about the need to get our relationship with God right; the need to give God his right place, and attention; the need to acknowledge our own faults and failings; and our utter dependence upon God. These are all central features of the Christian gospel.

The question is, though, is that what we mean when we say the Lord’s Prayer. Or do we have something else on our minds altogether?

Posted: 1st August 2024
© 2024, Brian A Curtis
www.brianacurtis.com.au

A. INTRODUCTION

In a world in which there is a great divide between rich and poor—the haves and the have nots—the extremes of poverty and wealth have, perhaps, never been so great. Of course, it’s always good to have nice things around you, to live in reasonable comfort. But the reality is, the more you have, the more you want. And you only have to compare lifestyles here in Australia with those who live in places like Sudan and Ethiopia to realise how big a gulf there really is.

Of course, it’s OK to want to better yourself, and it’s OK to want to improve your standard of living. However, it’s also important to get riches and wealth into perspective. And that is what this passage from Lukes Gospel is very good at pointing out.

Because, whilst at the heart of Jesus teaching there is no criticism of the idea of wanting nice things, or even about being comfortably off, there’s much he had to say about people’s greed. Where the ownership of nice things, and the accumulation of wealth, has become the central focus of people’s lives.

B. THE PARABLE OF THE RICH FOOL

1. Introduction and Warning (13-15)
And the story begins with Jesus being addressed as ‘Rabbi’, and consequently being asked to act in that capacity to make a judgement on a particular issue. And the issue was that a man wanted his family inheritance sub-divided between himself and his brother, with the aim that he could own his own part of the estate and keep it for himself. Unfortunately for him, the elder brother had refused point blank to be part of sub-dividing the property at all. And that’s why the man was looking for a ‘Rabbi’, an arbitrator who would decide in his favour.

Now, in today’s thinking, we might think ‘so what!’ That’s perfectly normal and understandable. However, in those days it was normal for inherited property to remain intact. It was normal for all the heirs to live on the one property and to share its fortunes. It wasn’t normal to subdivide the property and for members to accumulate property and fortunes so they could keep it all for themselves. But this man was having none of that. And that is why he asked Jesus to help him in his quest.

Unfortunately for him Jesus wouldn’t have anything to do with it either. Apart from the fact that he had no legal standing as a ‘rabbi’, like the elder brother, he also objected to the selfish ambition of the man.

And Jesus, knowing that this kind of behaviour was becoming more and more prevalent, and knowing that people were more and more inclined to try to accumulate wealth and not share their fortunes with others, he not only refused to help but he saw the situation as an opportune time to teach on the limits and dangers of accumulating wealth.

2. The Parable (16-20)
And so Jesus told a parable—a parable about a man who was rich and whose sole concentration was on the selfish accumulation of wealth over all other considerations.

Now, the rich man’s problem was that he had run out of space to hold all his wealth. He believed that wealth was the most valuable thing that he could have. And consequently he needed somewhere to keep it.

And his solution? Well, what he had to do was to tear down all his existing storage facilities and replace them with bigger ones, big enough to hold all his possessions. And with that in mind he carried out his plan.

And after having stored all his possessions safely away and feeling that he was set up for life, only then did he decide he could put his feet up and relax. Because no matter what happened he had accumulated enough resources for himself for his own personal use, and for his own personal use only. He didn’t need to be dependent upon anyone.

And there he laid in the lap of luxury set up for life, believing all his troubles were over, when all of a sudden God stepped in. God told him that by morning he would be dead; that he would need to account for his life to see if he was worthy to be allowed into the comfort of heaven; that all the things that he had accumulated would be of no value to him whatsoever because he couldn’t take them with him; and that all his possessions, that he had so carefully kept for himself, would shortly be taken by others and he wouldn’t have a say in how they would be used..

3. Jesus’s Comment (21)
And, of course, on that note the parable ends. Jesus leaves the story there with the man totally unprepared for what was to come next.

In accumulating riches, the rich man may well have thought that he was setting himself up for life. However, in reality he hadn’t prepared for what came next at all.

His whole life of accumulating wealth had been wasted. And the real wealth—growing rich in a relationship with God—he hadn’t prepared for at all. How foolish could he have been? And is it any wonder, then, that this parable is known as the ‘The Parable of The Rich Fool’?

Because as far as Jesus was concerned life should not be measured in terms of possessions. Rather it should be measured in terms of our relationship with God. And the reason for that, is that it only needs God to take away one’s life to make it apparent that, ultimately, possessions are of no value at all.

C. IMPLICATIONS

Of course the implication of the story, even for us, is that it’s not worldly riches that are important but spiritual riches. We can own all the things in the world and during this lifetime be as comfortably off as we like (and for some of us we might dream of being in that position), however, in the end, a life lived with that sort of focus will be for nothing. Because when we die, and when we’re faced with the reality of having to leave all our possessions behind, we will have nothing at all.

And that raises the question of when God asks us, ‘What have you done with your life’ and ‘Why should I let you into heaven?’ How will we respond? And will we be able to call on the real riches—the spiritual riches we have accumulated—whilst we’ve lived in this world.

Of course living in a place like Australia—living in a land of plenty and a land where gaining wealth is encouraged and applauded—doesn’t make our task easy. Regardless of that, it’s important for us to respond to the challenges that Jesus poses.

1. Focal Point on Spiritual Life
Because, firstly, Jesus’s teaching focuses on the need to gain wealth but from a distinctly spiritual perspective. In other words, the focal point of his teaching is that we actually need to pursue wealth, but wealth that will be of value not only throughout this life but also the kind of wealth we can take us when we die.

And that wealth revolves around accepting that we can’t make it on our own, and that we can’t buy our way to heaven; realising that we need to accept, by grace, the salvation which God brings, which he gives so freely; and acknowledging that we need to grow our faith in the here and now, knowing that we will be rewarded (even though we don’t deserve it) when time comes to depart this life.

That is the focal point of where Jesus’s teaching takes us. Not on the accumulation of wealth, or possessions, or power, or anything. Rather on the pursuit of a spiritual relationship with God.

Of course, as we pursue the faith, God may reward us with material things. But getting the priority of order right—God first, riches last—is a very important distinction to make.

The man in the parable had his priorities all wrong. He was selfish, greedy, and was only concerned about what he could get for himself. So much so, that it clouded his judgement to the point where he missed the point of what life was all about. His greed masked the truth. So what we have to do is to make sure that greed, or cultural expectations, don’t get in our way too.

2. Sharing Our Resources
So, if material possessions and gaining wealth do not come first where do possessions fit in? Well, I’m sorry to say they don’t come second either. Because whilst Jesus’s story was primarily concerned about the man getting his priorities wrong and about leaving God totally out of the picture, he was also concerned about his selfish greed and his unwillingness to share.

So the second thing about this story is that it teaches the purpose of worldly worth and possessions. And that is not so that we can accumulate them for ourselves, but rather so that we can share them with others.

The original Hebrew practice of not sub-dividing the inherited estate, reflected God’s notion of the need to care for one another. That people shouldn’t go their separate ways, but that indeed it was the responsibility of every family member to help one other, particularly in times of need.

Of course that practice is in stark contrast to what we do today. After all it’s quite normal in our culture to do that and, as a society, we do that all the time. Sadly, though, by doing so we actually lose something of that biblical concept of caring for one another.

Now, as I said before, there’s actually nothing wrong with owning nice things, and there’s nothing wrong with accepting the things God blesses us with. But the lesson of Jesus is that possessions and wealth are not exclusively for our own use. Rather, the Christian idea is that the ownership of wealth simply equates with the responsibility to share. And the more things that we have, and the more God rewards us with material things, well, that just increases the amount we are required to share too.

3. The Real Place of Possessions and Wealth
So it’s God first, others second. So where does that leave possessions? Well lucky last, I’m afraid. Possessions have no value in themselves, only in how we can use them to help each other. And that’s does not sit well with the popular belief and practices of today.

4. Inheriting Our Property
So, OK we can try to make sure that our spiritual riches comes first, and that our possessions and wealth are used to help people whilst we are alive. But doesn’t this story also have a comment about what happens to our possessions and riches when we die?

In the parable, when God told the man he was about to die he asked the selfish man something like ‘who will get your possessions now?’ A question targeting the utter pointlessness of having one’s focus on accumulating wealth. However, it also raises the question of what would happen to the man’s property when he had gone and had ceased to have any real control over them.

Of course, God’s words, in the story, were designed with the idea that the man would have thrown up his hands in horror at the thought of others being in charge of his accumulated worldly wealth. However, in a more complex age where people are encouraged to make wills and to specify how they wish their estate to be executed, doesn’t the issue of what happens to our possessions and wealth take on a whole new meaning?

After all, we can make sure that the things that we have now are used for God’s purposes whilst we’re alive. But don’t we need to make sure that they continue to be used for God’s purposes after we’ve gone?

Now sometimes we don’t like to think of those sorts of things; we like to think more in terms of living, rather than dying. Nevertheless, we may have just as much responsibility to ensure of the useful distribution of our property after death as we have whilst we are alive.

D. CONCLUSION

This passage from Luke, known as the Parable of the Rich Fool, then, is about a man who apparently had everything. However, in reality he was totally blind to the real wealth he needed—a spiritual relationship with God. And this is a story is particularly relevant, living in a country like Australia, because we live in a culture that encourages and applauds the building up of wealth.

This story, then, is a reminder, a wake-up call if you like, that the kind of riches that anyone should store up for themselves are spiritual riches and not possessions and wealth. And that material possessions only have one use and one use only—and that is for sharing. And frankly, that isn’t an easy lesson for many people to accept.

Jesus’s words were pointed at a growing problem in the first century, and in the twenty-first century, accepting Jesus’s teaching, would mean that many people would have much to lose.

Now, there’s nothing wrong in owning things, there’s nothing wrong with wanting things to look nice. But there’s everything wrong with having that as the central focus of one’s life.

God first, others second, and self and possessions last—that’s the message of this gospel story. Because, ultimately, any person who is not rich in God is in reality very poor. And that’s true no matter how big their bank balance.

Posted: 10th August 2024
© 2024, Brian A Curtis
www.brianacurtis.com.au

A. INTRODUCTION

Imagine that you are one of Jesus’s closest disciples. Which one doesn’t matter. But you’re one of the twelve, and you’ve given up everything to follow Jesus. You’ve given up your job, you’ve left your family behind, you’ve left all means of support, and you are now totally dependent upon Jesus and other believers to see you through. And in addition to these things, Jesus is constantly telling you, that this is how it should be to be a true follower of him. Indeed, the only way to follow him, is to leave everything behind and follow him.

But it isn’t that simple either. Because side by side with that, you are constantly faced with people who are half-hearted in their faith, who only pay lip service to the demands of Jesus, and who don’t take it seriously at all. They say the right words, but they don’t really mean them. And, what’s more, you are constantly meeting people who are telling you how stupid you are for giving up everything and devoting yourself totally to Jesus. That you’re some kind of religious nut, that you’ve got everything out of perspective, and that religion doesn’t have to be taken to such extremes.

Now imagine that you’re one of Jesus’ disciples. On the one hand, Jesus is telling you that you’ve done the right thing. And, indeed, what he demands means you need to go a whole lot further. But on the other hand, there are all these pressures to conform.

So, what do you do? Do you continue to follow Jesus in the full-on way he demands, or do you buckle to the pressure to conform to the expectations of others?

B. DON’T WORRY/BE WATCHFUL

Well, something like that was exactly what the disciples faced in this passage from Luke. Because the story shows the disciples in that kind of tension. The disciples were beginning to waiver, wondering if indeed they had done the right thing in leaving everything behind and dedicating themselves so totally to following Jesus. But Jesus was aware of what they were going through. So he took them aside, and not only gave them some words of encouragement but gave them some words of warning as well.

1. Earthly Possessions or Heavenly Treasure (32-34)
Now the dilemma the disciples faced was that they were only too conscious that their faith had made them vulnerable. Their total separation from the things they had previously known and loved, and their total dependence upon Jesus, meant that they now had to rely on someone else for their wellbeing. They’d left all the things they would have normally depended upon behind. And now all they had was a trust in this godly man they were following. But was that enough?

As a consequence Jesus’s response was directed to how they were feeling. He assured them they were doing the right thing, that they were not to be concerned about their situation, because whilst worldly things appeared to be things upon which one could depend, nothing could be further from the truth. And, further, he assured them, the Father wanted to give them the blessings of the kingdom. And he could only do that if they remained steadfast in their faith, and dependent upon him.

Indeed, Jesus responded, that rather than their current level of commitment being wrong or overboard or fanatical, their level of commitment was exactly what was required of every believer. And the new attitude that they should have to earthly possessions, should not only be to leave them physically behind, but to go further in terms of using them to help the poor. That was the implication of their new found faith.

Pursuing the spiritual life, as they had done, and a life devoted to the kind of things that couldn’t be stolen, couldn’t be corroded, and couldn’t be eaten by moths, was the very thing on which they should hold firm.

So, Jesus stated, the disciples had a choice: Yes, they could cave in, and return to their past ways. A past that was marked by their dependence upon their own possessions and the things they could do for themselves. A decision which could well mean a relatively quiet kind of life, a life where they weren’t required to rock the boat, and a life where they would be at peace with those who thought that religion was either unnecessary or a nasty disease. Or, alternatively, they could stand firm, and they could keep following Jesus wherever he took them.

Yes! It would be a life that wouldn’t be easy. It would be a life which involved many trials and much opposition. But if they pursued that spiritual path, their hearts and their affections would be directed in the right way. And, most importantly, their hearts would continue to be focused on God.

As far as Jesus was concerned, the two attitudes were mutually exclusive. You couldn’t have part of one and part of the other. Nor did Jesus say, “OK, I understand you’re all different, and you all need to fit somewhere between these two extremes.” No! He never said anything like that. What he said to his disciples was, “You either follow me full on, or you’re not really followers of me at all.”

And, consequently, in the tension that the disciples faced, in the wavering between following him, reverting to a previous lifestyle, or buckling under pressure to conform, Jesus’s message to them was simple, “You’ve done the right thing”.

2. Being Prepared/Unprepared for The Second Coming (35-40)
But having assured the disciples that they were on the right track, lest they still be tempted to revert to some sort of casual faith, Jesus then raised the discussion to a whole new level. A level where compromise between saying the right things and having one’s feet still entrenched in the material world was clearly not an option at all.

And he raised the discussion to what was required in terms of the need to prepare oneself for Judgement Day. And he told the disciples that they needed to prepare for Judgement Day in two ways:

Firstly, they needed to continue their spiritual journey. In other words, they shouldn’t look back, cave into pressures to conform, or think glowingly about the past with the temptation to return to the tried and true. No! They’d come this far and that was good. But what they needed to do now was to gather themselves and go on with the journey, no matter where that journey would take them.

And secondly, they needed to be prepared for that journey to be even tougher that what they’d already experienced. A journey where the pressures that they’d faced to return to their old lives—to stop being so religious and to compromise their faith—would be even stronger than what they had already faced.

And to really press the point home, Jesus told them a story about some servants whose master had gone to a wedding feast (and in those days wedding feasts could go one for several days). As a consequence, there would be an expected delay before the servants would see their master again. Nevertheless the servants still needed to be ready, awake, and alert at all times for their master’s return. And if they could do that, then when the master returned, he would reward them for their faithfulness.

In other words, what Jesus was saying was that, only those who remained faithful in this life, and kept themselves in a constant state of readiness . . . Well, only those people in the end, at his second coming, would be rewarded, and invited to join in the heavenly banquet. However, those who weren’t ready when the second coming came . . . Well, those people who don’t make proper use of the time available, will be excluded from the meal, and indeed excluded from the kingdom of God itself.

With the pressures that the disciples faced to conform, or to revert to their previous lifestyles, Jesus’s message was that not only should the disciples not buckle under pressure—to revert to their former lives and to water down their faith—but they needed to pursue their faith even further. Indeed, they needed to prepare themselves for the coming of the Son of Man, when they would have to account for themselves come Judgement Day.

3. Comment
Of course, Jesus’s calls on his disciples were demanding, very demanding. And one could easily ask, “Why did Jesus demand such a strong response?”

Well, the answer is simple, Jesus was looking for genuine commitment, with the implication that anything less is not a commitment at all. In other words for Jesus, there is no room for any half-hearted responses.

The disciples may have given up everything—and were probably seen as ultra-religious or even fanatics by many people—and yet Jesus didn’t see them as being fanatical at all. On the contrary he encouraged them to pursue the path they were taking much further.

C. IMPLICATIONS

And of course, this is where we came in. Because it’s very easy to think, “Yes, that was OK for the disciples back then, but the world’s changed, people have moved on.” But whilst to some extent that is true, the world has changed, the call to discipleship that the disciples faced, is just same as the call which we all face today. And that means that just as the disciples had choices to make between following Jesus or living a more normal lifestyle, so do we. And, just as the early disciples didn’t find the Christian walk easy, neither will we.

1. Earthly Possessions or Heavenly Treasure
After all, we all face temptations to buckle under pressure.

We face the pressure to depend upon the things that we know and the things that we really don’t want to leave behind, to cave in to the demands of others, particularly regarding our own stand on the Christian faith. We may face pressure from our own family and friends, discouraging us from going to church and encouraging us to water down our faith and to compromise our stand. And that’s because some people may see us as being too religious, too fanatical.

But side by side with that, we also have the ongoing demands of Jesus to be totally committed as far as our own discipleship is concerned.

These are the choices the original disciples faced. And these are the choices that we face too.

2. Being Prepared/Unprepared for the Second Coming
And, hand in hand with that, we have the perspective of the Second Coming to consider as well. Because, we may live in the temporary period when the master is absent—the short time (in God’s eyes) between the Ascension of Jesus and his Second Coming—but what we do with that time is very important.

So, we have choices in that regard too. And we need to ask ourselves, not just, “Have we adopted Jesus as our Lord and Saviour,” but, “Are we going on with our faith? Are we preparing ourselves now for Jesus’ second coming? If he came back in ten years’ time, next week, or even today, would we be ready? And would we be invited to join in the meal with him or will we be taken totally by surprise? Will we be prepared? Or will not be prepared at all, and consequently excluded from the banquet and excluded from the presence of God himself.”

3. Summary
The Christian faith is an interesting faith, because as far as Jesus was concerned, there was no room for compromise. You either believed or you didn’t. You either took on all the implications that the faith entailed, or you didn’t. And, in the end, at the second coming, come Judgement Day, you were either ready or you weren’t. You were either in or out, there was no other alternative.

And if that was true for the disciples of Jesus’ day, then that is equally true for us today too.

D. CONCLUSION

Being a Christian, living the life that Jesus demands, is not easy. And if anyone tells you that it is, then they probably haven’t really got a clue about what it’s all about. It wasn’t easy for the original disciples and it consequently won’t be easy for us either. And that is, because, being a true Christian requires a devotion to God that is uncompromising, a devotion that many people would see as fanatical. As a consequence, any true believer will be guaranteed to face hard choices regarding their lives and their faith.

The two choices involve:

Firstly, getting material possessions and heavenly treasures into perspective. Where the pursuit of spiritual treasures, and dependence upon God counts as everything. And where material possessions, and relying on our own abilities, are considered as nought.

And, secondly, it involves the fortitude to stand up, be counted, and to continue in the faith. In involves being ready at all times for the second coming of the Son of Man, with the coming of Judgement Day itself.

Now, we know what choices the disciples were given. History also tells us what choices they made. But what choices have we made? And are we prepared to continue to make the hard choices of faith in the days to come?

Posted: 24th March 2020
© 2020, Brian A Curtis
www.brianacurtis.com.au

A. INTRODUCTION

If I were to tell you that I have the answer to every problem in the world, would you believe me? If I were to say that I have the solution to every conflict, act of hatred, every famine, war, death and pain, and that there was no need for any more suffering in the world, what would you say?

If I were to tell you that if you believed in Jesus your life would be transformed, that you would have no more worries, that all your problems would be resolved, and that you would be able to live in a permanent state of bliss for the rest of your days, how would you respond?

Now, of course, some would probably call me a liar. They would accuse me of selling false dreams and deliberately leading people astray. And some, no doubt, might tell me in no uncertain terms where to go. And yet, isn’t that the very way that Jesus is often portrayed to the unbeliever? “Believe in Jesus and you will be saved.” “Believe in Jesus and all your problems will be solved.”

Yes, there’s more than an element of truth in those statements about Jesus. Because faith in him, does mean that we can have peace with God; our relationship with God can been restored. And believing in him does resolve our spiritual future, so we can be sure that when we die, we will go to heaven.

But what about living in the world in the here and now? What effect does faith have on our sufferings now? Should believers face the same things as unbelievers? And how do we cope with the fact that as believers we can still face the same hardships, the same life struggles that everyone else faces, and that our faith—belief in Jesus—does not instantly resolve all the troubles that we face?

B. THE TEACHING OF THE BIBLE

Now, sadly, some in the church might tell you, that if you find life a struggle it’s because you’re unspiritual, that you’re out of touch with God, not really saved at all. But I don’t know where that idea comes from. I can’t find it in the bible anywhere. However, I have read in the bible about the struggles of life, and how as Christians we should not only expect them but endure them too.

1. The Problem of Sin
For example, the teaching of the Old Testament clearly states that the world that we live in is far from perfect. And I wouldn’t like to guess how many times the word “sin” or the idea of “sin” gets mentioned in the bible. Indeed, the Bible quite clearly states (and demonstrates) that the world is full of sin, and sinners. And Cain, the son of Adam and Eve is a good example of this.

a) The Individual
Because one of the more notable conversations in the Old Testament, is that between God and Cain. God said, “If you do what is right, you will be accepted. But if you fail to do what is right, sin will be lurking at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it.” (Genesis 4:7). But, of course, Cain didn’t master it, and he went on and killed Abel.

Now, I always feel sorry for Cain, it seems that he is picked on and gets such bad press. And I think that’s unfair, because the reality is that not only couldn’t Cain master sin but, the bible teaches, that no one else can master sin either (except Jesus himself).

b) The Community
And as the Old Testament goes on, it’s not just individual people who are affected by sin. Indeed, the prophet Ezra described his own land as “made unclean by the peoples of the land through their abominable practices” (Ezra 9:11).

c) Summary
So to think that we can be exempt from the corruption of this world, because we are Christians, does seem to be a pie in the sky ideal. Indeed, it wouldn’t matter how perfect we were, or became, simply living in this world cannot exempt us from what is going on around us.

What the bible teaches, therefore, is that suffering is part of this world. It’s a result of sin, and no one is exempt.

2. A Positive Slant
Having said that, however, the Apostle Paul, on the topic of suffering, takes suffering to a whole new level. Because Paul not only acknowledged the problem, but he suggested that we should look at suffering from a different perspective. Indeed, he suggested, that we needed to put a whole new slant on the problems we face.

And in his letter to the Roman church he stated: “We also boast in our afflictions, knowing that affliction produces patience, patience produces character, and character produces hope. Our hope does not put us to shame, because the love of God has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us” (Romans 5:2b-5).

Paul’s expectation, then, was not that Christians should be exempt from suffering, but rather that we should use that suffering constructively, to build up our character in the Christian life.

3. The Example of Jesus
And, if we are still not convinced that suffering should be part and parcel of Christian life, then we have the example of Jesus.

a) A Tortured Soul
Now Jesus is often portrayed as a great leader, a teacher, a man supremely confident in his role in life, someone who cared for others, a miracle worker who stood up for what he believed, a man of passion deeply concerned for his people, a man of wisdom, and a man who was ultimately physically and verbally abused. But a tortured soul? Well he doesn’t often get that description. Yet, quite clearly that’s exactly what he was: “I have come to bring fire down on the earth, and how I wish it was already kindled. I have a baptism with which to be baptised, and how I am constrained until it is completed” (Luke 12:49-50).

Now normally you wouldn’t picture Jesus as someone who was wishing his life away. But for Jesus, the event of his crucifixion, which had implications for the bringing of judgement to the world, was such a catastrophic event that even he found it hard to face. But he wasn’t going to run away from it. He just wanted to get the event out of the way.

b). Come to Bring Division
And, lest we think, somehow, that the cross should signify the end of suffering and pain, that the crucifixion would suddenly change everything of that nature, and lest we think that as Christians we should suddenly find peace, then we are very much mistaken. Because the teaching of Jesus, that the consequences of the cross would not bring peace to the world, but division, should convince us otherwise.

c). Summary
So, if we think of the world, with its suffering, pain, and anguish, some of which we feel . . . And if we think that as Christians that we should suddenly find peace, the resolving of all our battles, then we are not only very much mistaken, but we are also going to be very disappointed.

Oh yes, we can have peace with God, and we can take on board the assurance of life after death—attitudes that will help us in the here and now—but it won’t exempt us from the battles of this world, in the here and now.

C. DIFFERENT KINDS OF SUFFERINGS

Now at this stage we need to pause for a moment, because there is obviously a difference between suffering and suffering.

1. The Consequences of Sin
On the one hand there is the suffering that we face because we live in a sinful world and corrupt world. (And whether we are Christians or not in this case is immaterial.) We may have one foot in the next world, but the other foot is still planted in this one.

So the fact is that we are affected by our sins, others’ sins, and the flow on affect that that has on the world around us. The results of pollution, the destruction of the environment, disease, animosity between one person and another, etc., etc., are all things that we have to face because we live in a corrupted and sinful world. And being a Christian does not exempt us from that.

2. Christian Suffering
On the other hand, and what Paul was more specifically describing, was that as Christians, if we stand up for what we believe in, we will also suffer from persecution. It’s part and parcel of the price of proclaiming that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.

Yes, believing in him does bring eternal life. But the responsibilities that go with that, to put our faith into action and to share what we believe, will mean that we will also have to face people who want nothing to do with the Christian faith. Indeed, who may go to extreme lengths to ensure that the Christian gospel isn’t spread.

3. Summary
From a biblical point of view, then, rather than a Christian being exempt from suffering, we may actually be faced with more suffering than the non-believer. Because Christians don’t have to just face up to the ordinary suffering of this world, but they also have to face up to persecution, for standing up for their faith, as well.

D. GOD PROVIDES SUPPORT

Now, of course, that’s the bad news. But there is good news too. And the good news is, that regardless of the type of suffering, or whatever else it is that we’re going through, the teaching of the bible is clear: As Christians we do not have to face the rigours of this life alone.

1. I Am with You
“Do not be afraid, for I am with you” (Genesis 26:24). These are the words that God spoke to Isaac. In fact the words “I am with you” are repeated to Jacob (Gen 28:15), Joshua (Joshua 3:7), Isaiah (Isaiah 41:10), and Jeremiah (Jeremiah 1:8). Further the prophet Haggai (Haggai 1:13) was told by God to relay those four words “I am with you” to all of God’s people. And, “I am with you” are the same words used by Jesus to his disciples (John 7:3).

2. Another Counsellor
Furthermore, when Jesus was telling his disciples that he was about to leave them. He told them that he wouldn’t leave them alone. And he made this promise to his disciples: “I will ask the Father to give you another helper, to be with you forever. He is the Spirit of truth” (John 14:16-17a).

“Another Counsellor…” In other words, not just someone else, but another of the exact same kind as Jesus himself. That’s what it means. Someone who will continue to be with his followers and someone who will be concerned with all their battles, both worldly and spiritual, as well as a lot more things besides.

3. Summary
What that means, then, is that whatever we’re going through, the battles of life or the more specific persecutions, God has promised to be there with all believers. He will be there with us through thick and thin, from the mountain top experiences to the depths. God promises to be with us.

Yes, we may not be immune from the sufferings of the world, and indeed we may even face more sufferings that non-believers face, because of the persecution that we will face for standing up for God, but throughout, God promises to be with us, to comfort us and to help us through.

E. CONCLUSION

So, today, are you suffering, whether as the result of sin and not necessity your own? Or are you even suffering because of persecution? If the answer to either of those is “Yes,” then the message for today is: You don’t have to face it alone.

As Christians we don’t just have a saviour who has promised us eternal life, peace with God. But we also have a God who has promised to be with us even in the bad times too. It’s just that is hard sometimes for us to convince ourselves that that is true.

Posted: 29th March 2020
© 2020, Brian A Curtis
www.brianacurtis.com.au

A. INTRODUCTION

1. The Problem of the Sabbath
One of the features of today’s world is that it doesn’t take seriously the need to have time out from the routine of normal living, or the need to spend quality time with the creator. As a consequence we live in a society that expects everything to be available at all times, at any time of day and night, and at a touch of a button. It expects shops to be open seven days a week, and somehow has learnt that it’s not possible to cope unless they are. And it has learnt that sport, family commitments, and other activities are just as important—perhaps more important—than the idea of gathering together for worship.

2. The Purpose of the Sabbath
Now, I know that the very early on in the Church’s life the day of rest was changed from a Saturday to a Sunday. And that was so that there could be a weekly remembrance of the resurrection. And, I know that as Christians we live under grace and not the law, so there is an emphasis on what Christ has done, rather then what we can do for ourselves. But regardless of that, there was a reason why God told his people to keep the Sabbath. And that was in order to have some time out each week from the daily routine as day of rest, and for the community to set aside some time each week to spend time with God. And, God did that, because he was concerned not just about our physical and mental welfare, but he was concerned about our spiritual welfare too.

That’s why the fourth commandment, that he gave his people, quite clearly states: Remember to keep the Sabbath day holy, as YHWH your God has commanded you. For six days you are to labour and do all your work, but the seventh day is to be set apart as a Sabbath to YHWH your God. So neither you, your son or daughter, your manservant or maidservant, your animals (ox, donkey or any other animal), nor any alien living with you, are to work on the Sabbath. That way your manservant and maidservant may rest like you should.

YHWH created the heavens, the earth, the sea and every living being in six days, and on the seventh day he rested. For this reason YHWH has blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

In addition, remember that you were slaves in the land of Egypt and YHWH your God brought you out from there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. For this reason too YHWH your God has charged you to observe the Sabbath day.” (Exodus 20:8-11; Deuteronomy 5:12-15)

3. The Result of Modern Attitudes to the Sabbath
Now, of course, these days the fourth, and all the other commandments, are generally not considered relevant in our society. They’re usually explained away, taken so literally that they become meaningless, or when found to be inconvenient, are generally ignored. And we can see that reflected in the history of our own church. After all, after the flurry of activity in the 1800’s to establish churches around the state, the 1900s witnessed a period of slow decline, eventuating in the closure of numerous churches, and the amalgamation of many parishes.

As a consequence we can easily conclude: if we ignore God’s laws, we do so at our peril. We may be people of faith, not law; nevertheless God’s principles for living were designed to show us how to live healthy lives—in terms of our faith and our community. And as soon as we tamper with those rules, adjust them here and there—that is a recipe for deep trouble.

And we have an example from the Bible of what happens when people tweak God’s rules in the passage from Luke’s Gospel.

B. THE HEALING OF A CRIPPLED WOMAN

1. The Situation (10-11)
Now the situation was that it was a Sabbath, and Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues. (In fact, it is the last time Luke records Jesus teaching in a synagogue). However, whilst Jesus was teaching he noticed a woman—probably suffering from a fusion of the spinal bones—who was so bent over she couldn’t straighten herself at all. This woman’s complaint was serious. She‘d suffered it for eighteen years, and it was the result of some kind of possession or evil influence.

2. The Healing (12-13)
Now, Jesus would have been well aware of the attitude of the synagogue leaders to the Sabbath. He would have known that outwardly, at least, they professed the need to keep God’s commandment regarding the Sabbath. And yet lived by their own book of rules, telling people what they could and couldn’t do on the Sabbath. Yet, despite that, Jesus spontaneously responded to the woman with compassion. He summoned her from the congregation, pronounced her “cured”, and laid his hands on her.

The woman’s healing was immediate. This wasn’t just some temporary easing of her ailment. The woman responded to Jesus by immediately straightening herself, recovering to a normal upright posture—a posture that she had been unable to achieve for 18 years. Then recognising God’s hand in her cure, she began to praise God thankful for her healing. Which, if you think about it, was very appropriate, particularly being in a synagogue.

Now if the synagogue leaders had been genuine in their need to keep the Sabbath, they would have rejoiced at the woman’s healing and they would have joined in the praises of God. But that’s not what happened. Instead they took offence at Jesus for healing the woman on the Sabbath. And why? Because he had broken the set of rules that they lived by. Yes they may have been created as a means to interpret the fourth commandment, but in their use had left the fourth commandment well and truly behind.

3. Comment
You see, there’s a connection between the world we live in, and the world of Jesus’s time. In our society many may say that they believe in God, and many may profess to live by God’s commandments. Yet how often do we see God’s commandments, trivialised, explained away, or ignored if they are inconvenient? It’s the same problem that Jesus faced. Only in Jesus’s day, there was a whole new book of rules which had replaced God’s own.

As a consequence what happened next was far too predictable.

4. The Arguments (14-16)
a). The Need for Compassion
Because, firstly, once the woman was healed, the ruler of the synagogue went on the attack. He was indignant at Jesus for breaking their man-made rules. However, perhaps a little afraid to attack Jesus directly, he directed his comments to the crowd. He told them that there were six other days in the week in which the woman could have been healed; indeed, it wasn’t necessary for her to be healed on the Sabbath. As far as the ruler was concerned Jesus should have waited for the following day. And, he may well have added something like “She’d already suffered for 18 years, so what difference would another day make”.

To which Jesus responded, by pointing out, firstly, how ignorant he was of God and his commandments. God was a compassionate God. And yet he had demonstrated no understanding of that; indeed he had failed to be compassionate to the woman too. Secondly, he had failed to recognise that it was God who had healed her. Indeed, the same God, who had given them the commandments in the first place. And thirdly, he pointed out how hypocritical that he, and others like him, were. After all they would think nothing of watering their animals on the Sabbath—something that was necessary for the welfare of their flock. So why, then, couldn’t they care for someone in their human flock too?

At the heart of Jesus’ words were a pointed comment on the rules that they had made up, rules that had replaced God’s commandments in their thinking. Rules that they rigorously enforced, to the point where God’s principles for healthy living, and compassion and care had been thrown out of the window.

Under God’s commandment, and under their own set of rules, it was permissible to water one’s animals on a Sabbath, provided they didn’t do any work. But under God’s rules that’s where it ended. However under their rules, for the Sabbath, there were restrictions on how the animals could be tied up, what sort of knots could be tied, how far one could take one’s cattle for water, etc. etc. So in raising the issue of the hypocrisy of applying man’s rules, Jesus was not only pointing out that there were differences between God’s rules and man’s rules—and God’s rules were far more compassionate—but he was demonstrating that man’s rules had become so complicated that they couldn’t possibly be kept. All they did was to impose an intolerable burden on those who were required to keep them.

b). The Need to Restore the Sabbath
And, following that line of argument, Jesus made the additional point that because they had replaced God’s laws with their own, they had forgotten what the Sabbath was all about.

Indeed, if the whole point of the Sabbath was that it should be holy, that it should represent a time away from the normal duties of life, and a time when the community could spend time with God, then it was actually fitting that the woman be cured by God, on the Sabbath, and in a synagogue, because in that way the Sabbath was positively hallowed.

5. The Reactions (17)
Now the arguments of Jesus, to the leaders’ responses, received two reactions. Firstly, Jesus’s opponents were humiliated. They’d been put to shame by his understanding of God; they’d been put to shame by his understanding of the commandments, particularly the fourth; and they’d been put to shame by his compassion for the woman who had been crippled for eighteen years. And secondly, the congregation were delighted; they were delighted with everything about Jesus, with all the wonderful things that he had done, and was doing. They were delighted that people were receiving healing; and they were delighted that Jesus was intent on stripping away all the man-made rules—all the things that tied people up in knots. And in doing so, Jesus was restoring God’s rules, and making God, and the Sabbath, more accessible to the common people.

6. Comment
So what difference is there, then, between the world of Jesus’s day, and the world of today? Very little. In Jesus’ day, they had taken God’s rules, and made up a whole new set of their own. And people were actively encouraged to ignore God’s rules (on which they were supposed to be based). Similarly today, for the most part, God’s laws have been set aside, people pay only lip service to them, they’re explained away; they’re taken so literally that they have become meaningless; or when found to be inconvenient, they are generally ignored.

The common factor to both biblical times and today is that neither then nor now did or do people generally take God’s principles for healthy living, very seriously at all.

C. IMPLICATIONS

And that’s a problem, because whilst we are supposed to be a people of faith, and not dependent upon works, and whilst we may celebrate the Sabbath on a Sunday, we still need to take seriously the concept of the Sabbath, as it was originally intended. And just as in our story Jesus was successful in restoring its meaning to the common people—to give back the Sabbath to the people in that synagogue—so part of our role today is that we need (with God’s help) to try to restore the idea of the Sabbath. To give the Sabbath back to the people today too.

And that means that we need to take seriously, and we need to show by example, the principles behind God’s Sabbath rule.

So using Jesus as our example, his daily routine was that he wandered backwards and forwards across Palestine, and occasionally went into nearby territories. He spent time healing the sick; he performed miracles; he raised the dead; he taught people about God; and he spent time alone with his disciples.

1. The Need for Rest
But despite his normal routine, there were also times when he got away from it all. There were times when he went off on his own, to rest and recover from the routine of everyday life. Now he wasn’t always successful, because people followed him everywhere. But he tried, and tried, and tried—he was persistent. And he tried to make sure that the disciples got away from it too.

Now, the principle is quite sound. As human beings we were never designed to be going seven days a week. And consequently working flat out, without regular breaks, means that our health (and our work) will tend to suffer. In addition we were designed to communicate and have an intimate relationship with God, and with each other. And that requires a commitment of time and effort outside of our normal routine.

2. The Need for God
The second thing that Jesus did was to spent time on the Sabbath in either the Temple or in one of the many Synagogues that were scattered around the country.

For sure, Jesus didn’t just talk to, and worship, his Father only on the Sabbath. He talked to him at other times too. But come the Sabbath Jesus was there in the synagogue, to worship God, to pray to him and, importantly, to meet with the people. There he also taught, corrected, encouraged and shared the message of the Kingdom of God with those who had gathered to meet.

And the principle behind that is quite simple too. When God created mankind, he created us as communal beings. Now with today’s emphasise on the individual, our society may have lost that sense of community. Nevertheless meeting together to encourage one another, build each other up, and worship as a community is a very important part of who we are, and what we were created to be.

Of course, we all need to set aside time for God, daily. But one day a week, we should come together as a community, for that special community focus on worshipping God.

3. The Need to Care
And the third point about Jesus is that even on the Sabbath he continued to care. Indeed, he particularly made a point of caring for others on that day.

Indeed, immediately he encountered the crippled woman he responded. She may have suffered for eighteen years, but Jesus could not countenance her suffering even another day. And to me that raises the question about what the leaders of the synagogue had done in the preceding eighteen years. Had they prayed for her? Had they tried to help? Or had they given up long ago? Because what they should have done is that immediately Jesus presented himself in the synagogue, they should have brought her to him for healing.

One of the major aspects of the Sabbath, then, is the need to meet together. We shouldn’t come as individuals for whatever we can get out of it ourselves—and if we don’t get something then we just stop coming. Rather the point of coming together is for what we can put in, what we can give, and what we can contribute to the welfare—physical, mental or spiritual—of everyone else. Now that is what the synagogue leaders, tied up in their traditions and their rules, had failed to see. It is also something of which we need to be acutely aware.

Caring for one another is a vital factor in God’s purpose of giving us the Sabbath. Because if caring is not part of our Sabbath experience, then we really aren’t the compassionate caring people that God wants us to be.

D. CONCLUSION

Now history can teach us much. And our own history can be very revealing. But the decline in the church, the closure of buildings, and the amalgamation of our parishes all point to the same cause: people do not take God, his commandments, and the idea of the Sabbath very seriously at all.

Indeed in many ways our society has changed, adapted and corrupted God’s laws so they are virtually unrecognisable, just like they did in Jesus’s time. And we’ve seen an example from Jesus’s time on where that leads. Christians are saved by grace, not works, but the concept of the Sabbath—a principle of God for living—surely should have a place in our lives.

Jesus restored God’s laws in an age where they had been replaced by some very complex man-made rules. And in an age where God’s rules are often ignored or explained away, we should do our part in restoring God’s laws too.

We need to take time out each week from the routine of everyday life. We need to take the opportunity for regular worship. And we need to meet together, not for what we can get out of it, but for what we can put in—to care for others, and to keep in touch with our fellow believers.

That is the purpose of the Sabbath. And whether the Sabbath is celebrated on a Saturday, Sunday or even a Wednesday, it doesn’t matter. The important thing is that the importance of the Sabbath is upheld and honoured as was originally intended.

Posted: 20th August 2016
© 2016, Brian A Curtis
www.21stcenturybible.com.au

A. INTRODUCTION

There are people in life who appear to have only one thing on their mind—one thing that is at the centre of their attention; one thing that consumes all their time and thinking. For some it is politics. And I’m sure we’ve all come across people who are so actively involved in political affairs that they have little time for anything else. For others it is the issue of conservation. Because there are people who are prepared to go to great lengths to save the environment and are very passionate about it. For others still it is a new born baby, because many parents get so wrapped up in their newborn child that, even for a short period, it is difficult to have a conversation on any other subject. And for some it is religion, with some people very dedicated to the cause.

Of course, depending upon how we see the particular issues involved, that focus—that single-minded attention—can be seen in either negative or positive terms. Indeed, with some people, we may wish that they’d soften up a bit and get a life. Others, well they seem to have their finger on the pulse.

However before we tap anyone on the shoulder and suggest that they lighten up, I suggest, that we take a close look at this passage from Luke’s gospel. That we consider the implications, look at our own focus, and then ask ourselves, ‘Have we got the balance right?’

B. A VERY FOCUSED JESUS

1. A Warning Against Herod (31-33)
And the story begins with Jesus, on his way to Jerusalem, stopping at the towns and villages, teaching on the way. That is, until all of a sudden he was approached by some apparently friendly Pharisees. Now I say, ‘apparently friendly’, because apart from the odd Pharisee, Jesus did not enjoy a good relationship with them, and therefore their motivation was up for question.

And what the Pharisees told Jesus was to go away. He was in Herod’s territory and Herod was out to get him. Herod wanted him dead. And so the Pharisees suggested that Jesus move out into at least one of the surrounding territories outside of Herod’s jurisdiction.

Of course, whether that was true, or not, is up to conjecture. We know Herod like the quiet life and he was always quick to remove a potential trouble maker before there was trouble. So it is possible that Herod did have designs on Jesus’s life—and maybe the Pharisees were kindly letting Jesus know. On the other hand, maybe it was untrue, and the Pharisees were just stirring up trouble. Maybe they wanted to get rid of Jesus themselves and had made up the story about Herod as an excuse. We don’t know. But then, maybe there’s a bit of truth in both scenarios and Herod and the Pharisees were having a go.

Whatever the truth, Jesus dismissed the warning. As far as he was concerned he had a task to perform and he was not going to be diverted by either Herod or the Pharisees. So, he told the Pharisees in no uncertain terms that if Herod wanted to kill him then let him follow him to Jerusalem and do it there.

2. Comment
Now talk about someone being focussed or single-minded. Jesus wasn’t concerned about saving his own life, no matter what dangers he faced. He wasn’t concerned to follow human advice, no matter how genuine it sounded. Jesus had one thing on his mind, and one thing only, and that was the fulfilment of his part in God’s plan. And that involved him travelling to Jerusalem and telling as many people as possible about God that he could do on the way, no matter what the dangers.

As a consequence, Jesus’s message to the Pharisees was quite clear. He was going to go on with his work, regardless. And if that meant that his life would be shortened, so be it. But he wouldn’t be stopped or diverted from fulfilling his obligations to his Father, to do the things to which he had been entrusted regardless of the cost.

Indeed, he was determined to continue on his work until his task was completed—a task he knew would finish in Jerusalem and a task he knew he would pay for with his life.

3. Lament over Jerusalem (34-35)
And as Jesus went on his way he didn’t deviate once from his task. He did stop, however, for a moment to lament over those who just couldn’t accept his depth of devotion and the message that he brought. And he spent a few moments lamenting over what could have been, and over the city that had the reputation of rejecting prophets: Jerusalem itself.

C. IMPLICATIONS

Now when we compare the people we know who are focussed or single-minded with the kind of devotion to duty that is illustrated by Jesus in this story, it brings into new light the idea of being dedicated to a cause.

Because whether the issue is politics, conservation, a new born baby, or religion, the fact is that being single-minded is often seen in very negative terms, and often in terms that people need to get a life. And yet, this quality of being so focussed on a particular task, and so passionate about a cause, are the very things that are the marks of our Lord and Saviour too.

Which raises the question for us, ‘Why are people looked down upon for being single-minded?’ And ‘Why is Jesus so highly prized when it comes to the same thing?’ Just what are the lessons we can learn in this today?

1. The Cause
Well, the first thing one could say is there are differences in the causes. Those interested in politics are often caught up in the debate and dealing with the issues. Those interested in conservation try hard to retain what has been created and what they believe needs to be preserved. And those interested in a little child are often caught up in the wonder of the life that has been brought into the world.

But, regarding religion . . . Yes, some people may be enthralled by the history, the theological debate, and the ceremony. However, regarding Jesus, his message was about something greater than all those things. Indeed his focus was on the creator himself.

In other words if the topic is about the God who created us, if it’s about the God who wants to be with us, and if it’s about the God that comes to our rescue . . . In other words, the God who is far more important than all the other things added together (and multiplied many times), then the thing that Jesus’s example tells us is that it OK to be focussed or single-minded. Indeed, any other response would just not be appropriate at all.

2. The Calling
The second thing one could say, as a consequence of that, relates to our individual calling. Because regarding politics, part of a Christian’s calling is to be involved in politics to some degree. We are to care for the poor; to try to make life equitable for all. And that will necessarily involve the legislative side in addition to the hands-on help. Regarding conservation, we all have a part to play as well. Because right from the beginning of creation, God gave mankind the responsibility to care for the things that he’d created. And regarding a new born baby, yes, we need to make sure that the baby is cared for, loved, and nurtured. And all of these we may feel called to, to some degree.

However, when it comes to religion, yes, there may be some who may feel called to take on various roles within the church. However, just as Jesus took seriously his role to be the itinerant preacher—and that was what he was doing as went on his way to Jerusalem—and just as Jesus wouldn’t allow anything to get in the way from stopping him carrying out his God given role, so too should we take seriously the God given roles we have been given to play too.

3. The Message
And the third thing one could say, relates to the message we have been given to share. Now regarding politics, for sure there are some very important issues regarding the need to make things equitable and just. Regarding conservation, the need to educate people in terms of the importance of preserving the planet—and our dependence upon maintaining the quality of air, water, life, and resources—is of utmost importance too. And with bringing up a new born baby, it is important to teach a child how to live, to teach it right from wrong, how to get on with other people, and generally prepare that child for the world outside.

But regarding religion, yes it may be important to pass on some traditions. But one thing above all of these things surely is much more important. And that is the message that God has given to us all: that he created us; that he cares for us; and most importantly, that despite our faults and failings, that he has given us a way that guarantees eternal life with him. And that is through faith in Jesus Christ.

Now surely, that was the message that Jesus came to bring and the reason that he came to die. And if that’s not enough reason to be truly one-eyed, single-minded, devoted, or whatever other word you want to call it—committed absolutely to the one cause—then I don’t know what is. Indeed if we haven’t become so focussed or single-minded about that one thing alone, then maybe we should sit ourselves down and question just where our loyalties lie? Because it is the one thing, above all, that Jesus was devoted to in this story. And it is the one thing, above all else, that we should be devoted to as well.

D. PRACTICE

So, there’s a reason for the importance of being single-minded when it comes to the Christian faith. Having said that, there is a right way and a wrong way to be single-minded in our devotion to our Lord. And we need to take that into account as well.

And how do we know what is the right and what is the wrong way? Well, again, although this passage does not give us a comprehensive list, it does deliver us with a number of clues.

1. Removing the Obstacles
And the first is that Jesus expressed a real concern for anyone who had not totally dedicated their lives to God. And Jesus committed himself to help remove the obstacles that people found in their way.

In his discussion with the Pharisees. Jesus told them that not only was he not going to be diverted from his task but, as part of his task, he was going to continue to drive out demons from any person who was demon possessed.

Now, in our own culture, demon possession may not be as evident as it is, say, in countries like Indonesia or even of the Palestine of Jesus’s day. However, it is not totally absent either. But more importantly, the principle that people have obstacles that need to be removed in order that they can accept Jesus is very much an everyday event. Obstacles like selfishness, possessions, family expectations etc.

And taking the principle that Jesus outlined, standing on a street corner and spouting the gospel to a nameless crowd may not be the appropriate way to introduce people to the gospel. However, getting up beside people and helping them to remove their obstacles, in order that their hindrances can be replaced with the living God, may well be in order.

2. Caring for People’s Needs
The second thing is that Jesus expressed a real concern for caring for people’s needs. Indeed, in his discussion with the Pharisees he not only told them he would cast out demons but that he would heal the sick as well.

Jesus was well aware of the fact that people who have other concerns and needs are not going to be as receptive as they might be to the gospel. Yes, Jesus may have been considered at the time a great miracle worker and the healer of the sick, but beyond the miracles, beyond the proofs of who he really was, Jesus showed the basic need to show compassion, to help people where they hurt, and at their point of need. And we need to do the same.

After all, the gospel isn’t just a bit of mumbo jumbo which after church has finished can be packed up and forgotten until we come to church next time. The gospel is real and active, and it is important that the compassion of God is reflected in our lives on a daily basis too

3. Caring For the Lost
And the third thing is that Jesus expressed a real concern for those who could not accept the Christian way.

For sure he harangued the leaders—those who misused their responsibilities; those who should have known better. And he told them in no uncertain terms the facts of life because they had led the people astray. But regarding the ordinary everyday people who just couldn’t accept him . . . Well, after he dismissed the Pharisees, didn’t he mourn for them? He didn’t just dismiss the common people and tell them to go away. No! He was deeply saddened by the fact that they refused to accept all the good things that he had to offer. He may have felt deeply their rejection of God but, more than that, he was deeply concerned for them because of the consequences of their rejection and their inevitable fate.

E. CONCLUSION

When a person is singled out as being either very focussed or single-minded, then, it can often be seen as something negative—as though someone hasn’t got it all together or as if someone needs to get a life. However, when it comes to Jesus, being single-minded is an attribute that should be highly prized.

What this gospel story tells us, then, is that if we are truly Christians we should be very focussed on the faith and single-minded about it. And that is far from being a negative attribute. Indeed, it is part and parcel of what it means to be a person of faith.

And that is so because the cause of God far outweighs any other. Indeed, all Christians are called to exercise their ministries to the fullest of their abilities. The message of the good news of salvation should make us unwavering in our need to express and share the faith. And if we aren’t like that then maybe we need to question the depth and our commitment to the faith.

Having said that, there are right and wrong ways to do it. And Jesus demonstrated some very practical and helpful ways: the need to help people remove their obstacles to faith; the need to care for people’s hurts and needs; and the need for compassion that extends to even those who are lost and want nothing to do with the faith.

And that whole package, of being single-minded for Jesus, is not only the example that Jesus has set for every one of us, but is the goal to which every one of us should try to attain.

Posted: 1st September 2024
© 2024, Brian A Curtis
www.brianacurtis.com.au

From time to time we all find ourselves in situations we prefer to avoid. Situations where we find ourselves uncomfortable, even out of our depth.

Indeed, some of us may not like large crowds. Others may prefer to accept invitations only if there will be someone else there that they know. And some of us would prefer to avoid situations where we will be the centre of attention.

But then it’s only natural to try to avoid situations in which we may feel uncomfortable. However, that is not always possible. And sometimes we might know that, despite our misgivings, we really should make the effort.

And in the passage from Luke, that may well have been one of those times for Jesus. Because where we find Jesus is in the home of a prominent Pharisee, surrounded by lawyers and Pharisees (1).

Now, usually with the lawyers and Pharisees, they were noted for their suspicious nature, and their constant search for evidence to convict Jesus of wrong doing. Nevertheless, Jesus accepted the invitation, and immediately he was in trouble.

It was the Sabbath—a day on which the Pharisees and lawyers had a strict code of what they could and could not do (2-6). And the problem was that Jesus was faced with a man who had a terrible disease—dropsy—a disease which involves the body swells up due to fluid forming in the cavities and tissues. Now Jesus couldn’t help noticing the man, and he was aware that everyone’s eyes were on him.

He would have felt the restrictions of the Pharisees and lawyers regarding working on the Sabbath. He would have felt their unspoken challenge. But he would also have felt compassion for the man too. And so instead of healing the man first, and arguing about it later, which was his more usual manner, this time Jesus did it the other way around. He engaged the religious leaders into discussing their rules about the Sabbath first. And this time the Pharisees and lawyers remained unusually silent; they had no answer to give. Then, in the absence of any objections, Jesus took the man, healed him, and sent him home.

Now you can imagine the tension in the room. Jesus had just broken the strict law of the Pharisees and lawyers about not working on the Sabbath. He’d given them the evidence that they wanted to dispose of him, to get him out of their way. So, in defence, Jesus did the only thing that he could, he took the initiative once again and raised a question regarding the legitimacy of his act based on their own teaching. A question to which they could give no valid answer because their rules were so obviously contrary to the love of God.

Talk of situations that would you like to avoid. Jesus found himself in a situation that most of us would do almost anything to avoid. It was a hostile situation. And yet Jesus remained calm, he saw what was going on, and he used the situation to not only heal the man, but to show the religious leaders that they they’d got all wrong.

But not only that, he also went on to challenge them about their other practices (7-11). And he specifically challenged them in regard to their strict adherence to social ranking—about who was more important that who. And again he showed them that the ways of God and the ways of man were very different. And just as they were wrong about working on the Sabbath, so were they wrong about their practices in regard to places of honour too.

It’s an impressive story, not least of which is the illustration of how Jesus coped, despite being in a very hostile environment. But there are three things in this story of which we should take particular note:

And the first is that Jesus accepted the invitation to eat in the Pharisees house, knowing full well what he would be facing. He may not have been aware in advance, that he would face a man with dropsy at the meal, but he didn’t go out of his way to avoid the situation either.

So as people of faith, there may be times when our natural instinct is to avoid certain situations. But sometimes we need to accept that God is calling us to stand up and be counted too—to face up to a situation, no matter how uncomfortable that may make us, or how hostile the situation may be.

The second point is that the story shows that there is a big difference between our way of doing things and God’s way. The Pharisees and the lawyers did not approve of the man being healed, and they certainly sought the best places of honour for themselves. And yet Jesus demonstrated in the healing of the man with dropsy, and his teaching about places of honour, that in God’s eyes they’d got it all wrong.

And what that means for us is that we need to be constantly on the alert. We need to be constantly reviewing the rules by which we live our lives—and our common practices. We need to check that we too haven’t got it all wrong. We need to make sure that our way of living is in accordance with God’s wishes, and not simply to satisfy the rules of man.

And the third point is that the rules of the Pharisees, and the seeking of places of honour, actually acted as barriers to them having faith. If they’d been open to Jesus, Jesus would not have had to take such a defensive posture. He would have healed the man and they would have all rejoiced. And the fact that he had to challenge them first, before he healed the man, and then explain it all over again, says much about their relationship (or lack of it), with God.

The implication of course is that if we persist in doing things our way—or man’s way—we will not only get it all wrong, but we will put up barriers between ourselves and God as well. So we need to make sure that nothing gets in the way—our rules and laws, or even our way of life—between a healthy relationship with our God.

Now all of us will, at times, be faced with situations we would like to avoid. And sometimes that’s possible. But the example of Jesus is one we can all learn from. Indeed, sometimes we need to face those situations; sometimes they are situations we should not try to avoid.

Our ways are not always God’s ways. Sometimes he may want to use us to teach others, in situations that we might feel uncomfortable. And we certainly need to be active in breaking down the barriers between ourselves—and the people around us—and God.

Posted: 6th November 2020
© 2020, Brian A Curtis
www.brianacurtis.com.au

A. INTRODUCTION

1. Coping with Change
Whether we like it or not, there have probably been periods in all of our lives, where the things that we have held near and dear have been turned upside down. It may have been the result of someone dying; it may have been the result of a close friend moving away; it may have been the result of a drastic change to something we hold important in life; etc. etc. Regardless of the cause, however, we have probably all faced things that have upset the comfortable routine of life, after which things have never been quite the same again.

Now, at the time, these experiences not have been pleasant. Furthermore we may have had little or no control over what was happening. But after a while, in most cases, we probably learnt to adjust. And for some of us, we may have later wondered what all the fuss was about.

Change isn’t easy for most people. And when the things that we hold near and dear are turned on their head, change can be very difficult indeed.

2. Jesus, the Instigator of Change
Now one of the experts of change, and of turning the world upside down, would have to have been Jesus. Because not only did he overturn the tables of the moneychangers in the temple, but he was also very good at upsetting all the accepted norms and standards of the day—the things that people felt comfortable with. Indeed, he spent much of his time challenging people to put away the past, to think again, and to think in a much more godly manner. And today’s passage from Luke’s Gospel, is a very good example of Jesus doing exactly that.

B. JESUS AT A PHARISEE’S HOUSE

1. Introduction (1)
Because in the story we find Jesus, on the Sabbath, having accepted an offer of a meal in the house of a prominent Pharisee, and being surrounded by an elite group of lawyers and Pharisees. And despite being in the company of such an elite group, he challenged them to review their traditions; to radically change their attitudes to the things they held dear; and to start caring for, and considering, those they tended to ignore.

Now with an invitation to eat with a group of elite, one could easily have expected Jesus to be on his guard; to be very careful about what he said. But just as Jesus didn’t hold back from accepting the invitation, he didn’t hold back from challenging their dearly held beliefs either. And he didn’t wait until he got to the house before he started.

2. Tradition v Compassion (2-6)
Indeed, having just come out of the synagogue, and being accompanied by some of the other guests, Jesus, met a man with dropsy—a disease where the body swells up through fluid forming in the cavities and tissues.

Now, we need to remember that this was the Sabbath. And the people who were accompanying Jesus had strict rules about what one could and couldn’t do on a Sabbath. Given the situation, then, what was at stake for the Pharisees was their love of tradition, and particularly their Sabbath rules—and woe betides anyone who suggested, or practised, anything differently. But what was at stake for Jesus was compassion for those bound up by those rules that were imposed on them.

And with those two choices, as far as Jesus was concerned, there was no contest. He felt the Pharisees unspoken challenge to maintain their rules. But he also felt compassion for the man who needed healing. But, this time, instead of healing the man and arguing about it later (which is what he usually did), Jesus did it the other way around. He engaged the religious leaders by discussing their rules about the Sabbath first, and in doing so he embarrassed them into keeping silent. And then, in the absence of any objections, Jesus took the man, healed him and sent him home.

Now you can imagine the tension in the group accompanying Jesus as they arrived and entered the home. The healing hadn’t just been about the man receiving his healing; it had been about throwing out the traditions of the Pharisees and lawyers that they rigorously imposed on others. And, what’s more, Jesus had done it with a man they would have considered to be an outcast.

In other words before they even entered the house, he got under the skin of his host and guests. And that wouldn’t have been helped by the fact that Jesus, taking the initiative once more, raised a question regarding the legitimacy of his act. A question to which they could give no valid answer, because their ways were so obviously contrary to the love of God.

Before they’d even sat down at table, then, Jesus had taken the group of elite dinner guests, and turned the things that they held near and dear upside down. And why? Because the things that they held near and dear were contrary to God’s standards.

3. Pride v Humility (7-11)
Now, having done what he did, one could easily wonder why Jesus didn’t just walk away. After all, hadn’t he stirred the pot enough? However, whilst we’re not told why he stayed, I think we should know Jesus well enough to know that what he had to say was far too important to leave at that point. He wanted to restore God, and the worship of God, to the masses. And he could only do that if he was able to dismantle the burdens placed upon them by a small group of elite. As a consequence, before Jesus even sat down at the table he got stuck into them again.

Because once inside the door, Jesus noticed people hovering around the table, jostling for positions. Social ranking to this group was very important, and they believed in strict adherence to the rules of social standing. As far as they were concerned there were important people in life, and there were insignificant people in life, and there were people in between. Everyone had their place, and that included where people sat around the table. And yet, Jesus wanted nothing to do with that either.

Now what was at stake for the Pharisees was pride; their position in society; the need to be looked up to; the need for recognition; and their need to feel important. But what was at stake for Jesus was the need for humility. He knew that no-one had reason to boast in the eyes of God. And he knew that honour wasn’t something that you could gain for yourself, no matter how much one paraded up and down. Honour was something that could only be given to you by someone else, and even then it wasn’t something to crow about—it simply gave you more responsibility.

So in a room full of people who were obsessed about their position in society, and whose whole lives were surrounded by the need for honour, Jesus continued to rock the boat by making that very point. And if the tension in the house had not been explosive enough regarding the tossing out of the Sabbath traditions, then Jesus certainly made it so in regard to positions of honour.

So for the second time, in short succession, he showed there was a great gulf between the ways of God and the ways of man. And just as they were wrong about the application of their Sabbath rules, so they were wrong regarding their practices of places of honour too.

4. Rich v Poor (12-14)
Now having challenged the authorities twice, in short succession, one could easily think again, “Jesus, why didn’t you get out then, whilst your skin was still intact? Hadn’t you upset them enough?” But the seriousness of what Jesus was trying to say meant that he needed to stay firm; he needed to keep going, regardless of the cost to himself.

Because having finally sat down for the meal, and presumably being sat next to or very near to his host, Jesus was in a very good position to reflect on all the eminent people around the table. And it was then, that he turned to his host, and told him that the invitation list for his dinner party was all wrong. Indeed, when he was entertaining he shouldn’t invite his friends, or his relatives, or any rich people at all. Rather he should invite only those who had less than himself; only those who could not repay his kindness and generosity.

Now what was at stake for the Pharisees was the love of mixing with their own kind; with like-minded people; with the people they felt comfortable with. But what was at stake for Jesus was the need for the leaders to not only say they believed in God, but to demonstrate it, by putting their faith into practice. And they could only do that by caring for those less fortunate than themselves, and by inviting those who were unable to pay them back.

There was an issue of snobbery, and lack of compassion that needed to be tackled. And only a person who looked at the world through God’s eyes could really understand that.

5. Comment
Of course, one of the things about this episode in Jesus’ life is that we don’t really know how it ended. We don’t know whether he survived the meal intact, or whether he was tossed out on his ear. What we do know, however, is that before he left the table Jesus told them a story, a parable (which we haven’t read today). It was a story of the Great Banquet at the end of the age. And it was a story to which, he said, not one of those people sitting around that table with him was going to enjoy.

Yes they’d been invited. But their lack of true faith reflected in their love of their own traditions, their love of being important, and their love of mixing only with people of their own kind. And those were the very things which would exclude them from the banquet. Instead, the people they despised, excluded, and tied up in knots—they would be the ones who would sit down and join in the feast.

Now, talk about turning people’s lives upside down. Jesus was a master at it. All the things that the Pharisees cherished—traditions, position and snobbery—he confronted and swept away. But in the end they really didn’t have much to complain about. Because in doing what Jesus did, he reminded them of God’s principles—all that God stood for. And that was something that they had claimed to believe in, in the first place.

C. IMPLICATIONS

Now, of course, it’s easy to look back; it’s easy to smile at the mistakes of the past. And I guess for many of us the mistakes of the Pharisees are fair game.

But if we were to reflect on the history of our denomination, our parish and our church—if we were to reflect on the things that we accept as normal and acceptable—how would they stack up in the light of this gospel story? Indeed if Jesus walked in our church right now, what would he say to us? Would he be pleased, or would he have something to say too?

In other words, what this Gospel does is to ask the question, “Do we need to turn our world upside down too?” After all, do the way we do things, and the rules we expect people to keep, tie people up in knots, or are we actively involved in removing the obstacles to faith? Are our churches only open to the elite, or do we actually encourage the unalike to join our ranks, and even make them feel important?

And if we should reflect on the declining interest in the church, and the loss of contact with people in the areas that we serve, does this mean that we need a bit of a shake-up too? Do we need to be challenged to think again, and to think again from God’s perspective?

After all, Jesus was a controversial character; he wasn’t afraid to speak out when it came to the issue of restoring God, and Godly principles to people’s lives. And if we should find things which are contrary to God’s ways, even if they are being done in God’s name, then shouldn’t we be outspoken like Jesus too.

Of course that may well open us to a very hostile environment, and much of that hostility may well come from within the church. But that doesn’t mean that we can just hide away, or run at the first bit of unpleasantness. Rather, like Jesus, we may need to stick with it. Because we need to make sure, that even today, God and his church are accessible to everyone. But not just because the existence of our church buildings or our parishes are at stake. But because people’s relationship with God, and their eternal well-being, are on the line.

1. Tradition v Compassion
So, when it comes to a choice between keeping tradition, and making God (and the church) accessible to everyday ordinary people, we need to follow Jesus’ example.

Yes there maybe things that we hold near and dear, we may have our own personal preferences, there maybe things that we hold sacred, but what we have to ask ourselves is, “Are these things obstacles for others having faith?” And, “Do they pose an intolerable burden discouraging others from receiving what we have received for ourselves?” Because if the answer to either of these questions is yes, then like Jesus we need to wipe them away.

God, and his church, should be accessible to all people and at all times, and no obstacle should be allowed to get in people’s ways. The Pharisees might have liked things done their way, with their traditions and rules, but as Jesus quite clearly demonstrated that isn’t that way we should go. Indeed we should be actively dismantling any barriers that we find, and making it possible for people to have a relationship with God.

2. Pride v Humility
When it comes to a choice between social standing and the need for humility, we need to follow Jesus’ example too.

There is a big difference between man’s way of doing things and God’s way. And no matter what honour or position we hold, or to which other people elevate us, it’s not something we should hold on to with pride.

Humility, not abusing our position, but rather using the responsibilities we have for the benefit of others, are the things to which we should hold dear. God’s way is not for us to lord it over others, or expect people to look up to us. Instead we are to be humble and the servant of all.

3. Rich v Poor
And, when it comes to the choice between mixing with the people we feel comfortable with, or putting our beliefs into practice, particularly in regard to the care of the poor, we need to follow Jesus’ example too.

Yes, it might be nice to surround ourselves with like-minded people, people of similar standards, people we feel comfortable with, but that is not the Christian way either. Rather we should go out of our way to feel uncomfortable, and to care for those who would otherwise be unable to pay us back.

D. CONCLUSION

Now, we all face periods in our lives where our whole world is turned upside down. And the process of change can be pretty upsetting at times. Yet the example of Jesus is one we can all learn from. Because Jesus was the master of turning people’s worlds upside down—but for a very good reason.

In all things, there’s a right way and there’s a wrong way. There’s God’s way and there’s man’s worldly way. But no matter how uncomfortable it may seem, it is God’s way that we need to hold on to. And a good place to start to understand the difference is to examine our traditions, our place in society (and what we do with it), and whether we really do care for those less fortunate than ourselves.

Left to our own devices the lesson is that we will do things our way, and that the gulf between our way and God’s way will get wider and wider. That’s why Jesus stuck with it, and pronounced shock after shock after shock—shaking the foundations of everything that the Pharisees held near and dear.

And if we do the same exercise today? Well I’m sure it won’t be easy for us either. Indeed we may become very uncomfortable. But it is part of the responsibility of having faith, and we do have God’s help to help us through.

Posted: 26th August 2016
© 2016, Brian A Curtis
www.21stcenturybible.com.au

Before the advent of television, one of the most important times for families was the dinner table. Once a day, it was the time when all family members would gather together and share in a common meal. But they didn’t just gather to eat food. No! It was a time when they would talk about the events of the day and the things that concerned them. And why was that so important? Because, the meal table was a good place to build relationships, to care for one another, and to discuss the issues of the day.

As a consequence, we shouldn’t be surprised, that Jesus made a habit of sharing meals, and with all sorts of people—tax collectors, sinners, outcasts, disciples, etc. And, in this particular case, with a group of Pharisees.

Now the background to this passage is, that after a service at a local synagogue, Jesus was invited by a Pharisee to join him in a meal. Now, the Pharisee’s motive was probably highly questionable, because at that time the Pharisees were suspicious of Jesus and were looking for evidence against him. But Jesus went anyway. And, Jesus took the opportunity that mealtime discussions brought to talk about the kingdom of God.

Indeed, firstly, he provided what appears to be a bit of worldly advice: He recommended that the guests at the meal not to sit themselves at the highest places at the table—lest they run the risk of being humiliated by being asked to move down the table. Instead they should take a lower place and then enjoy the ‘glory’ of being asked to take a higher place. Good worldly advice. Although, what he was really saying was that we should not seek positions of glory with God.

Then, secondly, he gave some advice to other potential hosts on their choice of guests for a meal. That is, the host should not invite his friends, lest the only reward that he gets is to be invited back. Rather the host should invite the poor and needy—people who could not repay him. Now this may not have seemed to have been good worldly advice, but his point was that one should seek to do good to those who are needy who cannot do anything in return, and that they should leave the whole question of recompense to God.

Now, whilst for most part, the spiritual meaning of Jesus’s words appears to have been lost on the guests, one did pick up what Jesus was on about (15). He saw through the worldly advice to the spiritual truth behind it. And he expressed his hope of looking forward to participation in the heavenly banquet—the great supper—the reward for the faithful. And it is to this that Jesus’s third remark was pointed.

Because Jesus then described a great banquet where many guests were invited (16). Then, when the meal was ready, the master sent his servant out to let his invited guests know it was time to come (17). But no one came. They all made excuses, and they used love, possessions or domestic ties (18-20) to excuse their non-attendance.

Now, understandably, the master was livid. Indeed, at the end of the story, we’re told that none of the invited guests were able to share in the meal (24). But there were others who could share it. So, with the meal being ready, the servant was sent out into the town (21), and then into the country (22-23) to gather other people in.

Now, of course, whether Jesus’s audience, in general, understood the meaning of the story, is doubtful. Indeed, we’re given no indication that they responded in any meaningful way. The one man who had picked up the original spiritual significance of Jesus’s words, may well have done, but if he had, he was probably alone, as the meaning of the story went over everyone else’s head. They certainly didn’t respond to the deeper meaning of his words, but they would have understood that he had effectively insulted them three times.

He insulted them with the advice about places of honour, as he accused them of picking the greatest places of honour. He insulted them with the advice about who to invite to a meal, as he accused them of only ever inviting each other and not caring for others. And he insulted them by accusing them of having been invited to participate in God’s great banquet, only for them to turn the invitation down.

Now, that’s quite an insult to the Pharisees, and is it any wonder that they were out to get Jesus?

But, if the spiritual meaning was lost on the Pharisees, it should not be lost on us today. So, today, three things:

Firstly, do we seek places of honour, or are we content with sitting down the table? Do we go for the pat on the back, encouraging others to tell us what a great job we are doing? Or do we simply go about our business, and if we are rewarded, accept it with grace?

Secondly, do we only invite people who are able to reciprocate to our invitation? Do we care only for those with the capacity to care for us back? Or do we go out of our way to help others, regardless of their ability to return the favour?

And thirdly, have we accepted Jesus’s invitation to the great banquet? Have we accepted his gift of salvation? Or do we keep coming up with excuses why we cannot participate?

Meal times are great things, and the family meal is and should be something that should be guarded very highly indeed. But sadly that isn’t always so today. Nevertheless, many great things have been discussed around the meal table. Not least of which have been today’s challenges from Jesus.

So, today, how do we respond to the challenges of Jesus? Do we see the spiritual truths behind his messages? Or, like the Pharisees, do we simply seek honour for ourselves? Do we simply care for those who can care back? And, have we found better things to do that to go to the great banquet?

Posted 25th January 2019
© 2019, Brian A Curtis
www.brianacurtis.com.au

A. INTRODUCTION

1. A Difficult Book
Without a doubt, one of the most difficult books to read is the Bible. Whilst others books can be picked up and easily read from cover to cover, for most of us, that is not true of the Bible.

For example, the Old Testament tells the story of God’s people over several thousand years. But if you try to read it like a novel, then there are a few snags for the uninitiated. First of all it’s not just a history book—a straight story of God’s people—it’s history, mixed with poetry, wisdom and sayings. And even the historical narrative is interspersed with lists of names, which in our culture do little to add to the storyline. There are lists of laws, some of which seem totally inexplicable. There’s a sort of Do-It-Yourself manual, on how to build any number of things—arks, tabernacles, and goodness knows what. And there are lists of different sacrifices, and specific details on how they are to be offered.

On the other hand, in the New Testament, the Epistles provide another problem. They present us with a one-sided view of situations that are not explained. Now obviously Paul and the other writers knew exactly what they were responding to, but us … Well we have to somehow fill the gaps.

Now I’m sure most of you would have been given a letter read, or you’ve been in the same room as someone talking on the phone. But if you’ve ever taken up the challenge of trying to piece what’s going on, without being able to ask any other detail, well that’s exactly what it’s like when we read an Epistle.

Now, with these peculiarities of the Old and New Testaments, add in the equation of a different culture, a different time, and a different world. Plus add in a different language, particularly the apocalyptic literature in the book of Revelation, and parts of the books of Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, Joel, Zechariah, Matthew, Mark and 2 Thessalonians, and what have you got? Well, as I said at the start, one of the most difficult books in the world to read.

2. The Importance of Studying It
And yet, aren’t we as Christians, constantly told that this is the manufacturer’s manual, and we need to study it?

In the Old Testament, King Josiah obviously thought so. Because when the Book of the Law was found in the temple, having been neglected for years, he immediately had it read to him. He then tore his robes as a sign of repentance for ignoring the contents of the book.

Jesus obviously thought so too. Indeed he was always quoting from the Old Testament, teaching people about God, and trying to show others that his very presence on earth was the fulfilment of scripture itself.

And the Apostle Paul certainly thought the scriptures were more than a casual read. Because he wrote to Timothy, saying, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for instruction, for reprimand, for correction, and for training in righteousness, in order that a man of God may be proficient, fully equipped for every good work.” (2 Tim 3:16-17).

So then, today, we are faced with a dilemma. The bible is not an easy book to read; nevertheless we are encouraged to study it. It’s not like any ordinary book, but we are supposed to try to understand it.

Indeed, if we want to know more about God—who he is, what he’s done, and what he is offering us—then the Bible is the book we need to read. If we want to know more about ourselves—who we are, and our purpose in God’s creation—then the Bible is the book for us. And if we’re serious about being Christians, then we should make reading this book an indispensable part of our Christian life.

Of course that may mean sometimes, we might need a little extra help—and there are many helps available, big and small. But persistence with this book can be very rewarding.

B. THE COST OF DISCIPLESHIP

For example, take today’s Gospel reading. Now it’s one of those passages where Jesus speaks some very harsh words. Indeed they’re the sort of words that on the surface appear totally contrary to the nature and teaching of Jesus. But dig a little deeper, and they make perfect sense. The words: “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father, mother, wife, children, brothers, sisters—even his own life—he cannot become my disciple.” (Luke 14:26)

Now one of my good friends, who has since died, had a solution for this type of passage … Tear the page out. But he always said it with a grin. That, of course, is one solution. But it’s also one that if you did that for every difficult passage you came across, you would end up with a very slim bible indeed. But there is another solution. We can try to understand what was going on; we can use the helps that are available. And when we do, we should come up with something like this:

1. Introduction (v25)
Jesus had been followed by a great crowd. In fact the crowd that was with him had been following him for quite some time. But Jesus was concerned about their sincerity. He’d talked about the cost of following him before, and he was concerned that whatever their motivation in pursuing him, they still didn’t really understand what it meant to be one of his disciples.

2. Two parallel sayings on discipleship (v26-27)
As a consequence, Jesus needed to respond to that, and his emphasis needed to be pretty strong. As far as Jesus was concerned discipleship involved total commitment–wishy washy wouldn’t do. So he needed to emphasise that that in order to get his message across. Hence the short pithy saying about hating one’s father and mother etc. Which he then followed up with a second, “If anyone should not take up his cross and follow me, he cannot become my disciple.” (Luke 14:27)

In other words, what Jesus was trying to do, in these two short sayings, was to get the crowd to curb their, perhaps, overzealous and misdirected enthusiasm, and instead get them to focus on what it really means to follow him.

3. Two parabolic sayings with an application (v28-33)
And so the meaning of Jesus’s sayings is resolved. He didn’t really mean that we should go around hating people at all. But he did need to use those sorts of terms in order to make his point. And his point was: where there is a conflict between our obligations to our family and God, God should always take priority.

The problem for Jesus, though, was that even this very strong approach, didn’t work. And as a consequence he had to challenge them further.

Indeed Jesus knew the crowd were just being carried along with the excitement of the moment—the wonder of whom they perceived him to be. He knew that even with his difficult sayings they still had not really understood the implications of what they were doing; he knew that they would eventually just fall away. Which is why he challenged them again. But this time, in a further two sayings, he challenged them to consider not only what they were doing, but whether they’d thought through all the implications; whether they had truly considered the cost of discipleship. And so by way of illustration, he tried to get them to face up to the futility of their hollow commitment.

He used the example of building a tower, and the futility of a builder starting it without first making sure he had the means to complete it. And he used the example of going to war, without first making sure that the troops were going to be hopelessly outnumbered.

Jesus’s challenge to the crowd, then, was for them to make very sure of their commitment to him. They had physically followed him across the country, but did they really know what it meant to be a disciple? Discipleship involved commitment, and a commitment which put God first. But were they willing to make that commitment? Indeed had they considered what it meant in regards to the things they held dear in their lives?

4. Conclusion (v34)
Then having said all that, Jesus concluded his challenge with a final warning. For Jesus, the ultimate in uselessness was a half-hearted disciple. Indeed they were fit for nothing except to be judged.

C. APPLICATION

1. The Value of Studying the Bible
Now today’s gospel is a very strong passage. Indeed he uses the term “hate.” But is that a bit strong? Well it’s certainly a bit strong on a superficial reading of the passage. That’s why it’s a good example of the importance of studying the Bible.

Because as we’ve found out, by looking at what was going on, Jesus needed to talk in those sorts of terms to get his message across. Even though, in the end, the crowd still did not respond to the challenge he was giving.

But maybe too, there’s an element of the limitations of culture and language. After all, the idea of “hatred” in this passage is not one of psychological hatred; it is not one of malice, revulsion, or anything like that. Rather, it is a term that Jesus used to denounce any obstacle that could get in the way of faith.

What this story illustrates, then, is there is value in pursuing the meaning of even the shortest passage. And if there is something to be gained in doing that, then imagine what can be gained in studying the rest—the history, the poetry, the wisdom and sayings.

After all if Jesus is the great High Priest—as he is described in the Letter to the Hebrews (Hebrews 4:14)—then surely an understanding of the Old Testament priesthood is essential to understand what that really means. If Jesus is the atoning sacrifice for our sins—as described by John (1 John 2:2), then we need to look at the sacrificial system to understand that. And if we are to live holy lives, then an understanding of the passages about God’s people needing to be holy, distinct, and uncorrupted of evil—as described in the story of Israel’s exodus from Egypt and the conquest of Canaan—should be essential reading, even though many people today consider that story to be the hardest of all.

The Bible may be a difficult book, but it only remains a difficult book when it’s left unread.

2. Sticking With It
So there’s no need to tear out the page in Luke, and there’s no need to ignore whole chunks of the Bible. The Bible may be a difficult book, but it doesn’t mean we should give up on it. Indeed there is great value to be gained by sticking with it.

The Bible may be different to other books. It may be full of strange ideas and concepts—from a different age, and a different culture—but we shouldn’t dismiss any of it as valueless, because it doesn’t fit comfortably with what we know. And we certainly shouldn’t ignore the bits that record only one side of the debate.

With a little help, and a little perseverance, we can put the jigsaw of the Bible together. There are books we can read; we can share what we know with one another; and most importantly we can read the text itself. Indeed there are many things we can do for the mysteries of the Bible to be resolved.

God has called us to be people of faith. And that means that he not only wants us to place our faith in Jesus Christ, but he wants us to grow as well. And what better way is there to grow that to use the tools he has provided—not least of which is the Bible.

D. CONCLUSION

So today we have a challenge. In other words what do we do with God’s book? We’ve seen an example of the benefit a little study can make, but imagine what would happen if we did a whole lot more.

Now the bible for some is a barrier to faith. It’s just too difficult. And many people don’t even bother to read it. And that’s sad, because that means for Christians it has become a barrier to growth; and for non-Christians a barrier to salvation itself. And yet it need not be. After all, a little persistence, and a little study, can make a remarkable difference.

For me the place of the Bible in the Christian life is paramount. Indeed, what better way is there to find out more about God? What better way is there to find out more about ourselves? What better way is there to learn more about the Christian life? And what better way is there to find out how God wants us to behave?

Things of value often require a little effort. And that is distinctly true of the Bible. So let us be encouraged in the faith. Let us see the benefit that study of the Bible will bring. And let us immerse ourselves in the book that God has given us, to help us in our understanding of him, ourselves, and the part he wants us to play in the life of his church.

Posted: 2nd September 2016
© 2016, Brian A Curtis
www.21stcenturybible.com.au

One of the things about Jesus is that he didn’t beat around the bush. He wasn’t afraid to be controversial.

He told people how it was, regardless of whether what he said was hard to accept or not. And he was only too aware that what he said would be hard, and that in the end he would become increasingly unpopular, particularly with those who had much to lose. Indeed, he knew that those in authority would become hostile to him, and they would want him removed, and removed permanently.

But regardless of that, Jesus didn’t waiver in what he had to say; he didn’t make his message more palatable at all. And he continued to press home what it truly meant to have a relationship with God and the cost that someone would have to pay to be a genuine believer.

Now, of course, what Jesus said has been recorded and passed down through the centuries, and we can still read passages like this one from Luke. However, that leaves us with two dilemmas:

And the first is, that if our personal focus is not directed primarily on Jesus, with all other things taking a minor role, then we really haven’t understood what Jesus was about at all.

And the second thing is, that if our churches aren’t focused on Jesus, his kingdom, supporting one another, and being upfront about what Jesus said, then they really haven’t understood what churches are supposed to be about either.

Jesus’s call in his own day was radical and total, and yet nothing over the last two thousand years has done anything to change that. Our focus is still supposed to be directed at Jesus, because without that sort of focus we’re really not Christians at all. And what that gives us are tremendous responsibilities when it comes to our own faith as well as the direction that our churches need to be taking.

Jesus’s no-nonsense attitude should be our no-nonsense attitude. And if it isn’t, then we really need to ask whether we have really understood what Jesus was saying at all.

Posted: 7th June 2020
© 2020, Brian A Curtis
www.brianacurtis.com.au

A. INTRODUCTION

Throughout history there have always been some who haven’t fitted in—whether because of race, religion, economics or social standing. And the world today is no exception.

Of course, as we watch the news or read the paper, there are a constant stream of stories from overseas of minorities suffering at the hands of majorities; there are many who seem to live with the violence and rejection every day.

But we don’t have to just look overseas for the kinds of people who don’t fit in—Australia has many of its own. And although in Australia our outcasts may not face the same kind of persecution that many overseas face, nevertheless we still have our share of homeless, unwanted, unloved, and uncared for people, who are snubbed or looked down upon by society.

So, this morning, two questions. Should we as members of God’s church be involved with the outcasts of our society? And if so, what should we be doing?

B. THE GOSPEL FOR THE OUTCAST

Well, I’m not going to pretend to have all the answers today. But I do suggest that there is no more appropriate place to start looking for the answers to both of these questions, than in our Gospel reading for today. Because in our gospel reading we have a description of a very mixed bunch indeed.

1. Introduction (15:1-3)
There were “tax collectors”—Jewish agents collecting money for the Roman government. A group detested by the people of the day. Not only did they work for their pagan conquerors, but they had a habit of defrauding the common people as well. There were “sinners”—not necessarily evil people, but simply people who refused to follow the Law of Moses, as it was re-interpreted by the teachers of the Law. Of course, this group may have included adulterers, robbers and the like, but it probably included many “good” people too. And then there was Jesus.

And the significance of the meal they were sharing? Well the fact that Jesus was sitting down and eating with them all would have been seen as a sign of friendship; a sign of acceptance; recognition by Jesus that they had worth.

And in addition to that group, there were some Pharisees and Teachers of the Law, “tutting” to themselves and complaining about how Jesus could possibly have any time or regard for these outcasts.

And this was the situation that Jesus used to get his message across. And his message had two principle purposes: firstly, to make the statement that all people are valuable in God’s eyes; and secondly, the need for all people to hear the message of salvation.

As a consequence, Jesus didn’t just spend time with the tax collectors and sinners, whilst the Pharisees and teachers of the law looked on. He told three stories as well. (Only two of which we are going to look at today.)

2. The Parable of the Lost Sheep (15:4-7)
And the first story he told was the familiar Parable of the Lost Sheep.

Now, on the surface the parable may seem a harmless story—a story about the joy in heaven over one sinner who repents. But for those listening they would have recognised it for its shock value.

It was a story of a shepherd in charge of a hundred sheep, who when counting them at the end of the day, noticed that there was one missing. Now the audience hearing this story would have known very well the consequences for the shepherd. The shepherd would have been personally responsible for his charges. If one was missing, unless he could prove it was killed by a wild animal, he would have had to replace it out of his own pocket. Not an easy thing for a poor herdsman. So when Jesus got to the point in the story where the lost sheep was found, many there would have joined in the joy of that shepherd. They would also have understood the application that Jesus made, regarding the rejoicing in heaven over the one sinner who repents.

All seemingly quite innocent. Except in an audience of tax collectors, sinners, and religious leaders, the significance of telling a story about a shepherd would not have been lost. Being a “herdsmen” was one of the most despised occupations in the eyes of the Pharisees. The Pharisees and teachers would not have enjoyed the story at all. The point of the story, then, was that Jesus was not only illustrating God’s concern for the so-called outcasts of society, but he was exposing the Pharisees with their prejudices against such people, who they considered were not good enough to mix with.

3. The Parable of the Lost Coin (15:8-10)
And the second story, the Parable of the Lost Coin, was equally designed to have shock value.

It was the story of a woman who had ten coins. She lost one, and consequently lit a lamp, and searched for the coin until it was found. Then when she found it she was full of joy. And the story, again, is linked to the joy in heaven over one sinner who repents.

Now, again the story would have been engaging. The ten coins would have represented the woman’s life savings, or dowry. And Jesus’s audience would have recognised the value of the loss. Consequently many would have joined in with the joy of the woman when the coin was found. And linking this story to the joy in heaven, over a repentant sinner, would have been easily understood.

However, in an audience of tax collectors, sinners, Pharisees and teachers of the Law, the significance of this story would not have been lost either.

The woman in the story was a peasant—the amount of money reveals that. But so too does the fact that she had to light a lamp, and grovel on the floor to find the coin. Her housing was typical peasant class—low door, no windows, and with no natural light in the house at all.

The woman in the story was poor, and not the kind of person that the Pharisees would have mixed with either.

4. Summary
You can imagine the scene, then, as Jesus shared the meal with tax collectors and sinners. Here was Jesus, found to be eating with so-called outcasts by the Pharisees and teachers of the law, and he was telling stories of just how important these outcasts were. Indeed he was telling stories linking the joy in the kingdom of heaven, over every sinner who repents.

At the same time, however, Jesus was pointing the finger at the Pharisees—people who should have known better—but were renowned for their lack of care and compassion.

C. IMPLICATIONS

Now it must have been quite a scene. But it’s a scene that gives us the answers to our questions.

1. Question 1
Because to our first question, “Should we as members of God’s church be involved with the outcasts of society?” the answer is very clear. Very much so. Jesus not only demonstrated his care, but taught it too.

Firstly, he mixed with outcasts; he went out of his way to be with them. And by associating himself with them he showed that he cared. Secondly, he treated them with dignity and respect. He showed this by sitting down with them, and sharing a meal. Thirdly, he showed concern for their needs. And in this particular example he encouraged them to put their past lives behind them, and become reconciled with God. Jesus’s message was one of encouragement, and included the idea that no one is too bad to be reconciled with God. And fourthly, he did all of this despite the opposition he knew he would get from the authorities.

So, should we as members of God’s church be involved with the outcasts of our own society? Very much so. Because fundamental to the Christian faith is that once we have received Jesus into our hearts, we have the responsibility to follow in Jesus’ footsteps. And Jesus’ footsteps should lead us back to spending time, and quality time, with the outcasts of our society.

2. Question 2
And this leads us, then, to question 2, “What sort of things should we be doing?”

Well, the example of Jesus should give us a few clues. Because, Jesus went out of his way to be with those who were poor: whose relationship with the law may have been a little cloudy, and whose work was looked down on by society. So, if we want to be true disciples of Jesus, then we need to go out of our way to spend time with these kinds of people too.

But Jesus didn’t just spend time with these people; he treated them with dignity and respect. In other words these people weren’t just targeted with some sort of welfare programme—a hand out here, and a handout there. Jesus treated these people as being valuable to God. And if we want to be true disciples of Jesus, then we need to see these people in exactly the same way too.

Jesus wasn’t just being sociable. He realised they had needs to be met, the same as anyone else. And the most fundamental need he recognised was their need for reconciliation. But not reconciliation with the authorities. Rather reconciliation with God.

That’s why he spent time with them; he treated them as people of worth. And he shared with them the solution to their biggest problem—which was not their social standing, their economic status or how they were seen by the authorities. Their most important need was getting their relationship with God right.

Which is why he told them that God loved them. And why he illustrated what he said, and did, with stories telling the extraordinary lengths that God was prepared to go to, to get them back on track—a message that required their response. But he did so in plain sight of the authorities who looked down their noses at such people. And because the Pharisees treated the people in the way that they did, they missed the salvation message which was just as important for them too.

So getting back to our second question, “What sort of things should we be doing?” well, we should be spending time with the outcasts of our own society. We should be treating them with dignity and respect—treating them as equals, and not just as recipients of a welfare programme. Indeed we should be actively involved in responding to their greatest need—a relationship with Jesus.

3. Summary
The principles of equality—where all people are treated the same—and the need to meet the spiritual needs of the people, were central focusses in Jesus’s ministry. Indeed he was determined that the masses should not be excluded from a relationship with God, because of people who considered themselves superior, and who insisted that things be done their way.

Now Jesus was well aware of the responses his approach would get. He knew that generally the outcasts would welcome him, and that the religious leaders—those who should have known better—would reject him. Despite that, what he had to do was far too important to worry about the religious leaders. And so we read the kind of scenario that we have in Luke’s Gospel, and we have a snapshot of the kind of things we should be doing.

Jesus’s example demonstrates our need to treat everyone as equals; it demonstrates the concern we should have for the spiritual welfare of others. And his example indicates that we should be actively involved with the outcasts of society, despite whatever grumbling, frowns or objections we might receive. And sadly many of those objections may well come from people within the church.

What is required in not charity, or Government handouts, but dignity and respect. And if we do that, then we will be in a position to share our faith.

D. CONCLUSION

In every society there will always be people who don’t fit in. We see it on the television; we read it in our papers. But we don’t have to look overseas to find such people; we need look no further than our own country, our own town, and even our own street.

As Christians we are called to follow in Jesus’s footsteps. And Jesus has shown us that part of being a true disciple is the need to be engaged with the outcasts of our own society. And, in particular, to give them dignity and respect, and to help them in their relationship with God.

So this morning, can we truly say that we go out of our way to mix with the outcasts of our society? That we treat everyone, regardless of their background, with dignity and respect? Can we say that the fundamental need of every person is to have a relationship with God? And that we willingly share our faith with the outcasts and those in need? And can we say that we do it regardless of any opposition that we might face, because of the criticism we might face that we are mixing with the wrong sort of people?

Well, I’m hoping, today, that we can all say, “Yes!” Because that is the example that Jesus set. It is also the standard he has given all of his disciples, even us modern ones, to follow.

Posted: 8th September 2016
© 2016, Brian A Curtis
www.21stcenturybible.com.au

A. INTRODUCTION

These days, it is not unusual to hear stories of conmen. People who cheat others out of their savings; people who pad accounts; people who thin down petrol at the bowser; people who seem to appear with regular monotony on television current affairs programmes. And, it seems, as often as they get caught out, they seem to move on and start all over again. They just don’t seem to learn the lessons from being caught out.

On top of that, it also seems a regular occurrence that we hear of business failures, There are the big spectacular failures, and there are any number of smaller businesses going under every day.

Of course not every business fails because of mismanagement. Sometimes it can be a lack of demand for a product; sometimes it’s a matter of not keeping up to date; and sometimes it’s simply a matter of overheads exceeding income. Still, the result is the same—a lot of people are usually left out of pocket, disadvantaged, and often in trouble of their own.

Of course with the standard business collapse there is a measure of protection for the creditors. There are rules to how the remaining funds are distributed—the order in which people get paid. However, when it comes to the dodgy deals—the conmen of the world—there are no such guarantees.

And should we think that all of this is some modern-day phenomenon, then a passage like this, from Luke, comes along. And it highlights that questionable business practices, and dodgy dealings, have been around for thousands of years.

B. THE PARABLE OF THE SHREWD MANAGER (1-8)

1. Story
Indeed, it’s the story of an estate manager—a man appointed by a very rich absentee owner/landlord—who had been given considerable legal powers by the owner to run his business. But the owner became aware of irregularities in the business—and had a suspicion, but not proof, that the manager had been negligent in his duties. Indeed, the owner’s affairs had not been run properly; his good name had been undermined in some way. And so he placed some very serious charges of misconduct at the manager’s feet. Charges which would result in the dismissal of the manager should they be found to be correct.

Now, as I said, the owner did not have proof. So the manager was given a chance to present a case to prove his innocence—a chance to prove that he had been completely open and honest, and that it wasn’t him who had brought the owner’s name into disrepute.

But the manager, obviously, knew his guilt; he knew that he’d done wrong. So he was faced with a dilemma. He knew that if he was dismissed he would have nowhere to go—no one would want to employ him. He may have felt shame, but he knew that he had to do something to improve his own future. And he had a bit of time up his sleeve, because the owner wasn’t going to dismiss him before he had made his case. So he put the time that he had to good use; he made plans that would increase his future prospects.

And then, what was the most extraordinary thing happened. This manager—who was accused of wrong doing and who had already been caught out—did it all again:

He called in the various clients that he had had dealings with—the people who had bought on credit from the estate—and he gave back the handwritten guarantees (or IOUs) that they had given him. And to the first person, he told him to replace his first IOU with another for half the amount. And to the second, he told him to replace his original IOU with another for 80% of the amount.

2. Interpretation A
Now, on the surface this manager seems no different to the conmen of our own society. On the surface, it appears that he thought he had more hope for the future by currying favours with his (to be) ex-clients, than he had by trying to appease the owner of the business. Or so it seems.

However, I’m going to tell you that there’s a twist in this story regarding the business practices of the day. Practices which are not obvious to the casual reader today, but would have been well known to the disciples, listening to this story.

3. Interpretation B
Because it was normal in New Testament times for an amount of interest to be included in transactions. Indeed 50% interest was not unusual in Egypt at the time. However, it was also normal for Jews not to charge each other interest, in accordance with God’s command (as recorded in Deuteronomy) (Deuteronomy 23:19).

Jewish businessmen, then, faced a dilemma—how to charge interest to fellow Jews without it appearing that interest was being charged at all. The solution? The common practice was to pad the accounts. And 100% padding of an account for olive oil, and a 25% padding for wheat although totally unethical, and illegal, would not have been unusual. And this brings the story into a completely different light.

Because when the manager appears, generously, to let the debtors off part of their bill, the manager is not being generous at all. All he was doing was removing the interest (which should not have been charged in the first place) and restoring the debts to their correct amounts.

And by reducing the amounts each debtor owed, it would not only have won him considerable favour with the debtors who had much less to pay, but it created the situation where the owner of the business could applaud the servant’s return to legal dealings and, at the same time, the owner could bask in the undeserved reputation for fair dealing that had been restored.

Far from being typical of the conmen of our day, then, this is a story of a conman who was not only caught out, but faced up to his impending judgement. He accepted his failings and he returned to honest dealings.

C. THE POINT OF THE STORY (incl v9)

As a consequence, we should ask, ‘What’s the point of the story?’ Well, there are at least three things to note.

Because, firstly, it was directed to the disciples. Yes, there were Pharisees there, but this was a message directed fairly and squarely at the disciples.

Secondly, the story is about stewardship, and about the proper stewardship of the worldly wealth that is entrusted to all disciples by God.

And thirdly, and the application provided by Jesus himself regarding the use of worldly wealth (v9), is that worldly wealth, with which disciples are endowed, should be used to help others, (with the obvious view of trying to win disciples). An act which was (and still is) high on the approval rating of God.

Now, of course, all this is very positive. But the story does have negative connotations too. The Pharisees who were looking on, would not have missed the dig at them. As stewards, who were mismanaging God’s wealth, the implication was that they were misusing God’s wealth and that they would be held to account, and what they had would be taken away.

Unlike the conmen, and mismanagers of this world—who face the legal and social pressures that society places upon them—those who misuse God’s gifts, will be called to account. And, as a consequence, will face the judgement of God himself.

So then, the parable is a warning to be good stewards, good managers of the things God entrusts in our keeping. In other words, good stewards of the gifts, talents, skills, and abilities that he gives us; good stewards of our time and opportunities provided; good stewards of our knowledge, possessions, and money. Good stewards of . . . Well, you get the picture—the list goes on.

D. FAITHFUL STEWARDSHIP (10-13)

All very powerful stuff. And lest people misunderstand where Jesus was coming from, he added in the following comments:

Firstly, that faithfulness is not determined by the amount entrusted to a believer. Rather it is the character of the person who uses what is provided. A sobering thought for any who would like to laud it over others.

Secondly, that in this world we do not have any personal riches. Everything we have is entrusted to us by God.

Thirdly, the faithful will be rewarded in the next life with true riches—riches that this time will truly belong to them. And riches which have an abiding and permanent quality.

And, fourthly, a warning. We cannot have two masters. If we try to serve someone or something else—if we do something else with the riches to which we are entrusted—then we will fail to give God the exclusive loyalty he demands.

E. CONCLUSION

Now, we started with the conmen and the mismanagers of the world—people who are either greedy or negligent; people we seem to hear about day by day; people who even when they get caught seem to just move on and start somewhere else.

In contrast to that, however, we have this story from Luke’s gospel. The parable that Jesus told about a conman, but a conman who when caught did an about turn and returned to honest dealings.

The message from Jesus—the message for today, then—is that we own nothing, that everything is his. And everything we have is entrusted to us by God.

Now, this isn’t a story of ‘do certain things and you will be saved’. It’s not like that at all. This story was addressed fairly and squarely to people who were already believers. No! This story is about our attitude as believers; it’s about how we manage the things entrusted to us by God.

Now, none of us are perfect, least of all me. We all fail in our duty to God. The challenge today, then, is to examine the way we use the things with which we are entrusted and examine how we respond when we discover or are faced with our failings.

Today—when we make mistakes, when we discover that our stewardship is not all that it should be—we have a choice. We can be like the conmen of our day. When we find out our failings, we can carry on and do it all over again (and face the judgment of God). Or we can be like the manager in the parable and face up to our faults and weaknesses. And with God’s help do a U-turn, and return to God’s way.

Posted: 12th September 2024
© 2024, Brian A Curtis
www.brianacurtis.com.au

In society today, there is a preoccupation with being successful, or at least gaining much wealth. And not necessarily with wealth or success that is earned.

For example, the Australian love of gambling is well noted. But even if weren’t, there are many other opportunities for gaining wealth. Indeed, there are game shows on television; there are reality television shows, where the winner walks away with hundreds of thousands of dollars. And of course, for those of us who don’t want to make fools of ourselves in public, there are always the lotteries or poker machines. Indeed, many dream of what might be . . .

So if I were to ask you the question, “What would you do if you won xxxx amount of dollars?” what would be your response?

And the reason I asked that, is because it’s a question we all should probably consider as we think about this parable of Jesus. Because it was a parable that was aimed fairly and squarely at the Pharisees—a group of people who held great wealth and power. Supposedly religious men of God who should have known better. Because the parable is about a rich man. And although we’re not told how he became rich, the story is about what he did or did not do with his wealth.

Now the first thing we are told in the story is that the rich man lived a good life (19). He enjoyed his wealth and didn’t mind flaunting his situation. And in contrast, there was a poor man who was at the other end of the spectrum (20-21). His health was poor, he was desperate for food, and despite the fact that he lay at the rich man’s gate, he had nothing.

Now both men died. The poor man was carried off by angels (22-23), and the rich man was cast into hell to live in torment—not least of all because he could see the poor man safe in the arms of Abraham.

Now the rich man called out to Abraham to have pity, to get the poor man to minister to his needs (24). But the reply came back that it was too late (25-26). The rich man had had his opportunity to provide the sort of assistance and had failed to provide it. Now he was dead, and there was a great chasm between heaven and hell. It was too late.

It’s a very effective story. The reversal of fortunes couldn’t be more graphic. The rich man who had everything, who lived in the lap of luxury, and who couldn’t see his way clear to treat the poor man with even a modicum of charity, ended up in torment and was desperate for help. And the poor man, who had nothing but poor health, pain, and an empty stomach, was now living in the luxury of eternal life.

Is it any wonder then, that the story concludes with the rich man calling out once again to Abraham? He accepted that it was too late for him (27-28), but he did express a concern for the rest of his family. He didn’t want them to face the same fate. So he asked that someone should warn them of the dangers that they were facing in pursuing the lifestyle that he had.

To which he was told that they had been warned. And even if they were warned again (29-31), and it wouldn’t matter how spectacular that warning would be, it would make no difference whatsoever.

In other words, Jesus was saying that even miracles themselves cannot melt stony hearts. And no matter how often people are told, and no matter how spectacular the method used, some people will still not get the message, and they will have to live with the consequences.

Now it must be said here that this is not a parable of the Kingdom. Jesus was not trying to tell the Pharisees that they could get to heaven simply by doing good works. No! What he was trying to tell them was that riches and wealth, particularly of those who profess the faith, brings responsibilities. And the parable is an example or warning in regard to poor human conduct.

The Pharisees were fair game. They were noted for parading up and down with their riches and power and position in society. They too were noted for their lack of care for the poor. Indeed, they treated them as outcasts.

So the challenge that Jesus was facing them with, was just how responsible (or irresponsible) they were, with the riches and power that God with which had entrusted them. And by implication, that is the same question we need to be asking ourselves today.

Because if God has given us so much, what are we doing with it? How responsible are we with the things that God has entrusted to our keeping? Are we like the rich man in the story who refused to provide even the basic charity? Or do we care for those who are not so well-off as us?

It’s an important question. Because in contrast to many, most of us are rich. We have food to eat, shelter from the weather, access to health care (which gets plenty of criticism, but it leaves most other countries health for dead), and our physical needs and wants are mostly catered for. But what do we do for those who are not as well off as us? For those who long for just a few crumbs of what we enjoy?

Being successful, being wealthy, or even winning the lottery may be part of our nations psyche, but if we have lots of money (and that is relative) what do we do with it?

Winning money, being rich, and even being successful, may be the dream of some, but it’s not being rich that counts. It’s what we do with our wealth that matters. After all, in many ways, in this country, we’re all rich. We all have more than most people could dream of. But what place is there in our hearts for those who have less than us? How much do we care for those who are struggling and in need? That is the challenge of this passage from Luke. And it is a question that we will all to answer, come Judgement Day.

Posted: 3rd September 2020
© 2020, Brian A Curtis
www.brianacurtis.com.au

A. INTRODUCTION

It seems to me that a sense of gratitude is one that gets short shrift in our society today. Some people just don’t seemed to be grateful for what they’ve got, or show gratitude for even some kindness given to them either. Indeed, it seems that we are so entrenched into the ‘what’s in it for me’ society, that even small acts of kindness go unnoticed.

For example, give a child a new toy and they don’t want that one they want something else. Hold a door open for someone to walk through and it’s as though you are not even there. Be a help to someone and it’s like they are thinking not what a great help that you’ve been but what else can they get you to do.

Of course, whilst some people don’t go out of their way to get a pat on the back or an acknowledgment for their efforts, nevertheless, we seem to have come a long way from a response of being grateful. Instead we expect and even demand things for ourselves without considering the effect on others and without any response being required from us at all.

Now this sort of attitude may be very evident today—evident in the normal things of life. And, in a sense, we may think that our society has reached an extreme. However, if we look at the history of our relationship with God, then we can see that regarding God this kind of attitude has been quite common. Indeed, in the Bible, we have story after story of people not being grateful to God at all. And in this passage from Luke’s gospel we have one such illustration of what I mean.

B. THE TEN LEPERS

The passage begins with Jesus on the border between Samaria and Galilee, and there he was confronted by a group of ten lepers. They were probably a mixture of Jews and Samaritans, who wouldn’t normally mix together. But with leprosy as their common bond, the normal social barriers between the two groups had well and truly broken down.

However, whilst the social barrier between the lepers, themselves, was non-existent, the barrier between the lepers and the rest of the world was well and truly in place. The lepers conformed to the law by keeping their distance, avoiding physical contact with normal healthy people, but staying just close enough to habitation so that they might receive a bit of charity, on which they had become completely dependent. And the lepers filled their days begging by the roadside leading out of the village.

Indeed they shouted at people as they went past as it was the only way that they could be noticed; they had to keep their distance and call out to passers-by for help. So, of course, as Jesus passed by, they shouted to him too. However, in this case, they recognised who he was, and they pleaded to him for mercy.

But what they were expecting him to do, we don’t know. And the response they got from Jesus would have left them in total surprise. Because Jesus didn’t give them the normal charity—a bit of food or some clothing, and he didn’t provide instant healing either. What Jesus did was to challenge them to make a leap of faith.

Now it was not normal to go to a high priest until after one had been healed—there would have been no point. The whole point of going to a high priest was so that they could certify that the leper had been cured. Then they could be restored to some sort of normal living. But in this particular case, Jesus didn’t provide instant healing, rather he challenged the lepers to take a leap of faith, to believe that they had been healed and to go to the high priest anyway.

As a consequence, you can imagine that the lepers may well have hesitated at Jesus’s command. After all, what was the point of going unless you’d been cured. But, evidently, they didn’t hesitate long. And as they began to walk along the way, they discovered that because they had put their trust in Jesus, they had all, somehow, received their healing.

And then comes the twist to the story. Because we’re told that out of all the ten lepers—Jews and Samaritans alike—only one came back to thank Jesus—a Samaritan. Only one out of the ten expressed his gratitude to Jesus. And he prostrated himself at Jesus’s feet and worshipped him, not only as a response for restoring his health but, as a consequence, for restoring his place in society as well.

Now, these ten lepers weren’t a group of children who had been given new toys. They weren’t a group of adults who someone had opened the door for. No! This was a group of people who had depended upon charity for their very survival. And Jesus had given them far more than just charity; he had cured them of their disease. And in doing so he had restored not only their health, but their social standing too.

And yet, Jesus’s final comments are very telling. Weren’t all ten cured? Where were the other nine? Where were the Jews that he’d cured? And why was it that the only person who came back was a Samaritan? Where was the gratitude to God of the other nine?

It’s a rather telling story, but more so because of Jesus’s final response to the leper who had returned. Because regarding the one man who showed his gratitude and had returned to him, Jesus final words were, ‘Get up! Go! Your faith has healed you.’ For his gratitude, for his acknowledgement that it was God who had given him his cure, this one man, not only had received his cure (as they all had), not only had his position been restored in society (as they all had), but his relationship with God was restored too (which all the others missed out on).

C. IMPLICATIONS

It’s an interesting story, not least of which because it reflects so well the ‘what’s in it for me’ kind of attitude that is so prevalent today, where many people tend not to be thankful at all.

And because of that, there are a few points, about this story, that I would like to emphasise. Because just as Jesus helped those ten lepers, so too does he help us today.

1. An Attitude of Faith
The first thing is that just as the story of the ten lepers is a good example of where a group of people were asked to believe in faith that something has happened before it actually took place, even today we are asked to accept what God promises without any proof that his promise has or will be fulfilled.

Of course, at the time, it would have been easy for the lepers to dismiss Jesus as a fraud when they were not instantly healed. But they didn’t, they did what they were told—and they were healed. In other words, ungrateful bunch or not, having been asked to step out in faith, to believe that if they did, they would be healed, those ten lepers carried out Jesus instructions and were healed.

As a consequence for us, when it comes to a matter of faith, we need to remember that God may ask us to carry out certain things and to receive our reward in faith, before we actually see the results before our eyes.

With faith, things are not always predictable or as straight forward as we would like them to be. Faith is often a mystery which we don’t understand. And sometimes we are asked to trust that the promises that we receive will work out even though we are yet to see the results.

We shouldn’t, therefore, dismiss God’s promises to his people as a whole—to his local church or even to us as individuals—just because we cannot see immediately the results of the promise, or because it doesn’t fit into our own set of beliefs or our own expected parameters. Rather we should be prepared to take that step of faith trusting in God that he will do the rest.

2. An Attitude of Gratitude
Secondly, we need to remind ourselves that this story is not really about the ten lepers who were cured, but about the one leper who returned.

Because Jesus questioned where the other nine were. And the one leper who returned—a Samaritan—not only received his cure from leprosy (as had the other nine) but, in addition, because of his gratitude, he received something else beside. Indeed, in addition to his physical healing, and having his placed restored in the community, the Samaritan received spiritual healing too. The other nine might have had the faith to complete their physical healing. But without spiritual healing, their healing was incomplete.

As a consequence, it’s all very well to ask for help from God, but if we subsequently fail to show our gratitude then our faith is shown to be deficient. In reality we depend upon God for our creation, our continued existence, and we rely on him for our salvation too. But how often do we respond with gratitude? How often do we give thanks? How often do we join in worship of our God? And, yet, as the story illustrates, if we don’t do those things. Then our spiritual lives are likely to be quite deficient.

In other words, it’s not good enough just to take from others, or even just take from God, taking things for granted. It’s not good enough even to have the attitude of just taking what we feel we are owed or what is our due. We have to give something back. And with God that starts with the need to express thanks for everything he does for us.

3. An Attitude of Non-Discrimination
And thirdly, this story teaches that when we are faced with the situation where we have tried to help someone—and they have shown no gratitude for what we have done, whatsoever—then we need to remember this lesson of Jesus.

Because Jesus, faced with ten lepers, calling out for his help, didn’t ask who believed and who didn’t, so that he could only help those who had faith. He didn’t ask who was a Jew and who was a Samaritan. And he didn’t even try to work out who would be grateful and who wouldn’t. He treated them all with compassion. He treated them all the same.

The common denominator was that they were all in genuine need. He didn’t ask them to show that they were worthy, or means test them, or see whether they were going to appreciate what he could do for them before giving them their cure. Jesus was prepared to help them all, regardless of their response. And I think that has implications for us when we are called on to help others too.

Now it is true that some people are easier to help than others. Some are more grateful than others, and some make it impossible for us to give any help at all. But the reality is that in order to help one genuine person we have to be prepared to be used by others.

The lesson of Jesus’s example is that when it’s our turn to help, we should refrain from any discrimination. We should provide the same level of care to everyone; we should treat everyone the same, regardless of who they are; regardless of how we think they will respond.

D. CONCLUSION

So we live in a society which increasingly reflects a ‘what’s in it for me attitude’. And it’s often reflected in a lack of thanks for even the smallest acts of kindness. However, as Christians we are called on to have a more enlightened attitude.

The story of the ten lepers who received their healing illustrates well that when it comes to receiving help, from God in particular, sometimes we will be asked to take a step of faith, believing that we have already received God’s blessing, regardless of the lack of evidence before our eyes. And, most importantly, that when we do receive help that—regardless of how anyone else responds—we need to have an attitude of gratitude anyway.

And when we consider helping others, we shouldn’t, necessarily, work out in advance who is going to be grateful and who isn’t. Rather we should help those in need anyway.

Without a sense of gratitude our faith is incomplete, and we will be no different to the nine lepers who received their cure and were, probably, never seen again. Instead, we need to be like the Samaritan who did return. And he received an extra, spiritual, blessing for his trouble.

Posted: 4th October 2024
© 2024, Brian A Curtis
www.brianacurtis.com.au

A. INTRODUCTION

1. Acceptable People: Society’s View
When we look around at the world today, there are a number of people who are looked up to, who are given respect and places of honour, and who are held in high esteem. Some have done great things. Some, by their education, have achieved greatness. And some have had greatness thrust upon them.

Now, of course, for some, the esteem in which they are held is well deserved. But for others… well, it may not be deserved at all. And we may wonder, sometimes, about how such people came to such prominence—how they came to be in such places of honour.

2. Acceptable People: God’s View
However, rather than consider the world’s view of greatness, and how it can be achieved, we would, perhaps, be better off to view the world through God’s eyes. After all, how does God view the respect and honour given to those held in high esteem? And if we were to do that, then we would, perhaps, have no better starting point that this passage from Luke’s Gospel.

Because this passage gives us cameos of four different people. And it makes judgements on which of them God finds acceptable and which ones he doesn’t. And with that, the inevitable conclusion is that the people that the world looks up to and desire—that are usually deemed acceptable and honoured—are not the kind of people that God finds acceptable at all.

B. THE GOSPEL

Now, the story comes in two parts. And each part contrasts two people who seem to be exact opposites of each other.

1: The Judge and the Widow (Luke 18:1-8)
And the first part is a contrast between a judge and a widow.

a). The Judge
Now the judge wasn’t like a judge that we would know today. This was a small middle-eastern town. And the practice of the day was to appoint local people of prominence, as required, to mete out justice. (And there is nothing wrong with that.)

However, in this particular case, the judge was corrupt. And Jesus said he was corrupt in two ways. Firstly, he was corrupt because he had no time for God. And secondly, he was corrupt because he didn’t really care about other people either. His sole aim was to maintain his position in society, and he was prepared to go to any lengths to do that.

b). The Widow
The widow on the other hand was a typically needy and helpless person. She’d been wronged—probably diddled out of money that she couldn’t afford to lose. But she didn’t want whoever had wronged her to be punished, she simply wanted restitution. She only wanted what was taken to be restored.

Now, it appears that she had been unable to get a satisfactory response from the court system. Or that she had realised the pointlessness of even trying to pursue her case through the courts. But she was desperate enough to go to the only possible person who could help her—the judge.

c) The Story
And the judge should have given precedence to the widow’s case. That’s what he had been appointed judge to do—to help people like the widow. But, perhaps through laziness, or more likely because he didn’t want to upset her powerful opponent, he refused to take on her case or even listen to her.

However, the judge did budge, and justice was done. But only because of the persistent nagging of the woman. Even then, his motives for helping the woman were not pure. He only helped her because he was concerned for himself. He was concerned that her nagging would wear him out or give him such a bad name, and that he would lose respect in the community.

d). Application
The first story then gives us a contrast between a judge and a widow. The judge… the man with position in society, albeit given to him. But nevertheless, a man who was so wrapped up in himself, that he had no time for God, and no time for the welfare of the needy. And the widow… a woman who had been terribly wronged, and who had great difficulty in getting justice. And it was only because of her persistence, that she received any justice at all.

2. The Pharisee and the Tax Collector (Luke 18:9-14)
The second part of the story is a contrast between a Pharisee and a Tax Collector.

a). The Pharisee
Now the Pharisee was confident—a man of position—he knew where he was going, and he knew the respect that his position in life held. However, again, like the judge, he didn’t have much time for anyone else. He was proud of who he was—and wasn’t frightened of advertising it to the world. He also demonstrated a contempt for others who were not of the same social standing. He thought he was superior to others and wasn’t frightened of telling the world how much better he was than anyone else.

b). The Tax Collector
In contrast, the tax collector was not confident at all. He knew his position in society. He was a social outcast—not only for working for the Roman authorities, but because he lined his own pockets, by cheating his fellow Jews. Rather than pride, the tax collector felt despair.

However, he was prepared to admit his mistakes and to compensate others for his cheating ways. Despite that, he didn’t believe he wasn’t worthy of any honour. Indeed, he believed, he wasn’t fit to be acceptable to God at all.

c). The Story
Now as this story goes, both the Pharisee and the tax collector were at the Temple one day. The Pharisee stood proudly with his head held high, telling God what a wonderful person he was, and that he was nothing like the miserable tax collector. Meanwhile, the tax collector stood at a distance, mourning his predicament and his unworthiness in the sight of God.

d). The Application
The second story, then, giving a contrast between a Pharisee and a tax collector. The Pharisee… someone else who had an important position in society and didn’t mind advertising what a wonderful person he was. And the tax collector… a man who was not afraid to admit his failings and didn’t consider himself worthy of God at all.

C. COMMENT

Now, it would be easy to take both of Jesus’s stories and conclude that the four characters described weren’t real people. That they were made up by Jesus, so that he could make his point. And to a certain extent that is probably true.

However, the reality is that Jesus’ stories were based on real life situations, so that people could easily understand them. And whilst Jesus was quite happy to use exaggeration to emphasis his point, the pictures that he drew from life, including the four cameos I’ve just described, were pretty accurate of life at the time.

At the time, both the judge and the Pharisee were, generally, looked up to in society. The judge… someone with authority, and the Pharisee… a leader of the faith. In reality, however, it was not the judge or the Pharisee that were seen to have worth in God’s eyes, but rather they the widow and the tax collector.

D. IMPLICATIONS

And that is typical of the upside-down challenges that the Christian faith repeatedly produces. So much so, that it should get us thinking about the kind of people our own society holds in high esteem, and the kind of people that we are, and the people who we think are important too.

1. A Judge or a Widow?
After all, how many judges, and how many widows do we know in our society today? And which category do we fit into the best?

a). Judges
Are we a judge? A person who has been given a position of authority and power. A person who is looked up to in the community (which isn’t a problem in itself). But, are we a person who is more concerned with our own position, that God hardly gets a look in, and people (outside our circle of friends) generally get ignored?

Symptomatic of being a judge is: Doing only those things that would give us an advantage. Refusing to help or consider those in need where there is a risk of upsetting someone in authority. And generally trying to keep things the same—trying to maintain the status quo.

b). Widows
So, are we a judge, or are we a widow? A person who has nothing—no money, no authority, and no power. Someone who is usually ignored or overlooked as being totally unimportant.

c). Conclusion
And can you think of any judges or widows? Because I can. I can actually think of lots of people who could fit in either category.

But what about us? What about me? Well, in terms of the Christian faith we should all identify with being “widows”. Because, no matter what our circumstances in life, in terms of our place before God, in a sense, we are all people who are worth nothing, not even his pity or care.

But, despite that, we are of value in God’s eyes. Not because of what we have done, but because of what he has done. And consequently we can live with God’s promise of care for us, which far exceeds what the judge did reluctantly, and eventually for the widow.

2. A Pharisee or a Tax Collector?
And when it comes to Pharisees and tax collectors, how many of these do we know in our society? And where do fit in too?

a). Pharisees
Are we a Pharisee? A person who feels superior, who looks down their nose at those considered inferior. Who has no time for others, except in their own little circle. Who is full of pride, and snobbery abounds. And who parades up and down showing themselves to be important and showing nothing but contempt for those considered less than themselves.

b). Tax Collectors
Or are we a tax collector? Someone who has made many mistakes, and who in the past has put their own interests first. But someone who is prepared to admit it, whilst not feeling feel worthy of anyone’s affection, let alone God’s. Someone, who feels bad about the past, but is determined to turn their lives around, and make a fresh start.

c). Conclusion
So, can you think of any Pharisees or tax collectors? Because I can. I can think of lots of people who would fit into either of these categories too.

But what about us? What about me? Well, in terms of the Christian faith, we should all identify with being “tax collectors”. Because in God’s eyes we have all done terrible things, not least of which is not giving God his due. We are all deserving of death in terms of our relationship with God.

Now, in a sense, we are people who have nothing to offer God at all. And yet, again, we do have hope. The attitude of the tax collector was that he was repentant, and in his predicament, he admitted his total dependence upon God. As a consequence, even Jesus could conclude that the tax collector, not the Pharisee, was justified in God’s eyes.

E. CONCLUSION

In his life time, Jesus went out of his way to help and be with the poor, the underprivileged, and the outcast—people who struggled in life, People with which no-one else in authority wanted anything to do. He also had the habit of illustrating his teaching by using examples of everyday life. And in doing both of these things he fought against corruption, and injustice at the highest levels.

The life of Jesus in general, and today’s passage from scripture, in particular, teach us that the pursuit of pride, honour, snobbery, and the like, have no place in the Christian faith. And that’s because they relegate God to be an optional extra, and they do nothing to help our fellow man.

Indeed, having a position of authority, or power, actually increases the responsibility to use that authority and power to help those far less well off than oneself.—to point others to God, and to help people in physical, mental and spiritual ways.

Being respectable, and having qualifications, and even appearing to do the right thing may be acceptable in this world as deserving honour, but without the love of God and the care and compassion for others, as far as God is concerned, they count for nothing. What might be considered important in this world, does not necessarily translate as preparation for the next.

So today, we may know some judges and widows, we may also know some Pharisees and tax collectors. But which ones do we identify with the most ourselves? And I don’t mean in just a nominal way. Which one’s really describe who we are?

Indeed, are we only interested in maintaining our positions like the judge and the Pharisee? Or do we identify fully with the downtrodden, like the widow and the tax collector. Because it’s all very well to look around and point the finger at others. But which one or ones are we?

Posted 26th April 2019
© 2019, Brian A Curtis
www.brianacurtis.com.au

A. INTRODUCTION

These days there’s a lot of stress placed on the importance of success and power. For instance, if we watch the TV, read the paper, or go on the internet, we seem to be bombarded with images of people in power—those at the top of the rung. There are images of business men and women—people who are self-made, or have expanded upon the businesses they have inherited. There are images of successful sports men and women—people who are at the top of their tree. And there are the socialites—the beautiful people—with the emphasis on those who are the right shape, and those who have the right look.

Success in our society is often measured in terms of power, wealth, attractiveness, and popularity. And yet, for all that, success, for many, isn’t necessarily everything.

Because even though we may see images of people in positions of great power, who may be able to exert their authority over any number of people, it doesn’t mean that they feel fulfilled in life. People with power are not always happy with what they’ve got. Rather they are still searching for something to curb the feelings of emptiness inside.

We may see images of people who are wealthy, who have, what appears to be, all the possessions under the sun. And who may even be noted for going out and buying all the latest gadgets. And all their possessions seem to be of the finest quality. But none of that has brought them any satisfaction.

And we may see images of people who may be highly attractive, and may surround themselves with friends until they are coming out of their ears. And they may have the most active social life out. And yet in some ways they often seem very alone—it all being far too superficial. Because something is missing in their lives too.

Being successful, in terms of having power, wealth, or whatever other criteria we might want to choose, may for some be attractive, and may be important. Indeed, it may be what many people strive for. But the reality is that those things aren’t necessarily everything. And that’s especially true when there’s feelings of emptiness inside—feelings of longing in order to be fulfilled.

And you know, that’s exactly what this passage from Luke’s gospel is all about.

B. ZACCHAEUS THE TAX COLLECTOR

Because the story is about a man who in one sense was very successful—he was both a powerful man, and very rich—but, at the same time, he was also very empty. And this man’s name was Zacchaeus. Let me explain.

1. A Very Rich Man (1-2)
Now the first thing we’re told about Zacchaeus is that he was a tax collector. He lived in a town called Jericho. (A spaciously laid out town, with trees scattered all around). It was one of the main centres for trade passing through from the north into Judea. And that meant that Jericho was one of the main centres for the collection of customs duties in the north of Judea.

So when the gospel tells us that Zacchaeus was not just a tax collector, but the chief tax collector, what we should realise is that Zacchaeus wasn’t just an ordinary collector of taxes, but he was a very powerful and rich man. Indeed, a man at the top of his profession. He may not have been very popular, but that had not stopped him from becoming successful.

2. Searching for Fulfilment (3-5)
But, successful or not, there was something missing in Zacchaeus’s life. Because, when Jesus appeared ono the scene, passing through Jericho on his way to Jerusalem, a crowd appeared around him, and quite a crowd at that. And Zacchaeus was desperate to see him. And powerful though Zacchaeus was, the crowd was too large, and Zacchaeus too ‘vertically challenged’ to get anywhere near him or even see him.

But, as I said, Zacchaeus was desperate. He was empty, and he was desperate to find meaning and purpose in life. So he took the initiative. He looked ahead to where Jesus and the crowd were headed. He picked out a sycamore-fig tree (which even he would have no difficulty in climbing). And he climbed it, and hid in it (covered by the fruit and the leaves). And he waited for Jesus to pass by.

He may have been rich and powerful. And he may have been one of the most hated men in Jericho because of what he did for a living. But he was empty, and so desperate that he was prepared to go to any lengths to meet Jesus, even to the extent of being a laughing stock should anyone see him in the tree.

Now undoubtedly he had heard all sorts of things about Jesus. And, as a consequence, he was confident that Jesus had the answer to what he was looking for, and he was prepared to go to any lengths to achieve his goal.

And as he hid in the tree, and as Jesus and the crowd came nearer, what happened next would have been beyond Zacchaeus’s wildest dreams. Because Jesus stopped at the tree, looked up, and called him down. And Jesus then invited himself to stay overnight at his house.

3. True success (6)
Now bearing in mind who Zacchaeus was, and the lengths he had gone to, to meet Jesus, perhaps surprisingly, it wasn’t an embarrassed Zacchaeus who slowly climbed down. No! Zacchaeus was desperate enough that he didn’t care what the crowd thought. Indeed, Zacchaeus came down with a spring in his step, as though his life had been changed and his mission had been accomplished. And Zacchaeus welcomed Jesus into his home with great joy, eager to hear what Jesus had to say.

Zacchaeus had finally found fulfilment. And unlike the kind of fulfilment that he had pursued before, it had nothing to do with power, wealth, attractiveness, or popularity.

4. Comment
Power and riches, as Zacchaeus had found to his great disappointment, had not brought fulfilment in life. On their own, all they had provided was a spiritual vacuum. And, as Zacchaeus found out, it was a vacuum that only Jesus was able to fill.

5. New Life (7-8)
However, as Zacchaeus also found out, even with salvation, there was no guarantee of a smooth ride. Because immediately Jesus entered his home, he faced a problem. The crowd who had been following Jesus, objected to Jesus talking with him and going into his home. And they were totally disgusted that Jesus had any time at all for someone like Zacchaeus.

As far as the crowd were concerned. Zacchaeus may well have been rich and powerful, but he’d used his position and power for his own ends, at the cost of the people. He was a traitor to the Jewish race. And for Jesus to stay in his home . . . Well, that just wasn’t on; it just wasn’t acceptable at all.

But then Zacchaeus did an amazing thing. Because he responded to the crowds objections by promising to restore what he had illegally acquired. And he promised to restore it all in much more generous terms than even he was legally required.

There was a price that Zacchaeus had to pay for his fulfilment. But it was a price that Zacchaeus was willing to pay.

6. Jesus’s Comments (9-10)
To which Jesus not only commended him for his actions, but he encouraged the crowd to respond in like manner too.

C. IMPLICATIONS

Now I began by talking about the powerful, the wealthy, the attractive, and the popular—and the way that success is often measured in our society. However, I also pointed out that even these people can often feel empty, and unfulfilled. And that is often obvious by the way people live their lives.

However, in reality, people don’t have to be powerful, rich, attractive, or popular to feel that empty void. Because people from all walks of life experience that emptiness. And all kinds of people can lack spirituality and have the need for God to be present in their lives.

There’s a universality in the gospel that goes beyond what many in our society think is possible or right that affects us all. And that is the message of Jesus to all sinners, no matter how rich or poor they may be, and no matter how good or bad they have been. And that message is that if God is missing from our lives, then, it doesn’t matter where we are in life, there will be an emptiness that needs to be filled.

As a consequence, the story of Zacchaeus, throws down some challenges for us today.

1. The Need to be Fulfilled
The first is—for anyone who feels empty, for anyone who finds something missing in their lives, and for anyone who has a yearning to be fulfilled—that a meeting with Jesus should be at the top of the agenda.

For Zacchaeus that face-to-face encounter with Jesus was the catalyst which filled the gap and met him at his point of need. As a consequence, for anyone who feels likewise unfilled, a meeting with Jesus is something that they should consider too.

And whilst it may not be possible to have a physical meeting in the same way as Zacchaeus did, contact with Jesus can still be made through Bible reading; through prayer; through worship; through meeting with other Christians; and, of course, sometimes, through direct contact by Jesus himself.

So that’s the first thing. If we feel empty and, like Zacchaeus, we feel desperate enough to do something about it, then there are steps we can take in looking for fulfilment.

2. The Price We Are Prepared To Pay
All sound simple enough? Well it should be. However, the second aspect is a warning, because fulfilment comes at a price, and we need to make sure that we are willing to pay. Indeed, Zacchaeus paid two prices for his encounter with Jesus. The first, was risking embarrassment—the risk of being laughed at for climbing up and hiding in the tree. The second was having to face up to his past, and to compensate others for his previous misdemeanours.

As a consequence, if we are seeking fulfilment, and if we have a void in our lives that needs to be filled, and we are considering meeting with Jesus, then we need to make sure that we are willing to pay the price too.

a). Risking Ridicule
Because whatever our own thoughts are, there are people who take the Christian faith to be a joke. They consider it to be a crutch that some people need to help them through life. And most people don’t take the Christian faith very seriously at all.

And some people who think like that may not always be people we consider to be our enemies, but they may be members of our families and even our friends. And that is reflected in the timidity of many in the church, in their unwillingness to commit themselves totally to the faith and to the church. And, as a consequence, it reflects the poor health of the church today.

But Zacchaeus, for all his faults, was desperate enough to put all that aside. And he was desperate enough to face ridicule for climbing the tree in order to find true salvation.

But is that a price we are prepared to pay? Indeed, are we prepared to face even the ridicule of our family and friends?

b). Facing up to the Past
And if we are, that’s not the end. Because having faced Jesus, we need to deal with our past too. Because receiving fulfilment doesn’t just help us, and give us contentment for the future, as though the past is all a blank. An encounter with Jesus will also challenge us to deal with our past, to own up to the things that we’ve said and done, to make a clean slate, and to deal with the issues that we may prefer to have left behind.

Confronted with Jesus in his own home, Zacchaeus realised what he had to do. And with the size of his compensation package to those he had cheated to line his own pocket, the result was that it probably changed him from being a rich and powerful man to someone who was broke and who had no influence at all.

But Zacchaeus knew that was the price he had to pay. But then, as far as he was concerned it was worth it, because what he received from Jesus was worth far more than all his riches that he gave away.

But again is that the price we’re prepared to pay? Are we prepared to face up to the mistakes of the past? Are we prepared to lose everything that we have, and I mean everything, in order to have fulfilment in life, and a relationship with Jesus?

D. CONCLUSION

The story of Zacchaeus, the tax collector, must be one of the most well-known passages in the Bible. (But then, there is humour in the idea of a little man scurrying up a tree, and hiding behind the leaves and figs, in order to get close to Jesus). And because of its familiarity it’s message is often lost.

However, in this one story of the Bible—and only ten verses long—the truth of the gospel is encapsulated. Zacchaeus, for all his wealth and power, was lost, he was empty, and he was desperately searching for that void to be filled. And Zacchaeus found the fulfilment he was looking for. And, what’s more, he was willing to pay the price for his salvation.

The question, today, though, is, ‘Are we lost?’ ‘Are we looking for fulfilment?’ And, if we are, ‘Are we willing to pay the price?’

Now we may not all be people of power and wealth. We may not all be attractive or even popular. But today, the challenge is the same, ‘Are we fulfilled, or are we still looking for something to fill the emptiness inside?’ Because if that’s true, then we need to consider a meeting with Jesus. But a meeting in which we need to make sure that we are willing to pay the price.

Posted: 12th October 2024
© 2024, Brian A Curtis
www.brianacurtis.com.au

One of the things that many people like about Easter is the opportunity to meet up with family and friends. And that can be a good thing—it’s important to keep in touch. But as I’ve been thinking about Easter this year, my focus has not been so much on friendship, but rather the reverse.

After all, if Palm Sunday was about Jesus positioning himself for the week ahead, then what we can see, as Holy Week progressed, was a focus away from his friends, and onto his enemies. Now that doesn’t mean that he didn’t have time for his friends—he did. But from the Sunday to the Thursday, the day of his arrest, he spent a lot of time being plotted against, and being confronted by those who had fallen away from God.

Now we probably don’t like to think about having enemies. However most, if not all, of us can acknowledge that we have had some from time to time. Indeed King David felt surrounded by them—they are a common theme of the seventy-three psalms which are marked “of David.”

But for Jesus, in Holy Week, his enemies (or in Hebrew: those who were hostile to him) were everywhere. And as the week progressed the confrontations with them became more intense. It was a situation he knew he had to face—there was a lot at stake. Not least of which was the need to challenge the enemies of God, and bring the message of salvation to the world.

Holy week, amongst other things, then, is a time to reflect on the enemies of the cross. It is also a time to reflect on our own response to those who are hostile to Christianity, as we walk the journey of faith to the New Jerusalem.

Posted: 12th March 2016
© 2016, Brian A Curtis
www.21stcenturybible.com.au

A. INTRODUCTION

For many people, the Easter story is very familiar. The events come easily to mind. There’s the triumphal entry into Jerusalem, which we celebrate on Palm Sunday. There’s the last supper on Maundy Thursday. There’s the betrayal and crucifixion on Good Friday. And there’s the resurrection on Easter Day.

Yes, the story, for many, is familiar. And that can be a great comfort. Indeed, you don’t need assistance to remember the basics of the gospel story. But perhaps in a sense it is too familiar. For it can be hard to see anything fresh in something so well known.

It’s even harder to get the feel of the events, when you read the story in such small sections like most churches tend to do. That’s why I’d like to retell the story, not through my eyes, but from someone who was there.

Let me read you part of his story.

B. BEN’S STORY

1. Ben of Bethphage
Firstly, let me introduce myself. My name is Ben. Benjamin to my mother, when I’ve done something wrong. I live in a small hamlet called Bethphage, half-way between Bethany and Jerusalem, about a mile south-east of the city. And being a religious man (we all were in those days), I was looking forward to Passover.

2. Passover
Now for those of you who don’t know, people used to come from miles around to Jerusalem to celebrate Passover every year. We gathered to remind us of our captivity in Egypt in the days of Moses; to remind ourselves of the ten plagues that God sent, to force Pharaoh to let us go; and to remind ourselves particularly of the tenth plague—when the first-born of the Egyptians were slain, whilst the Hebrews were ‘passed over’ by the angel of death.

Now this last plague was important for us. As it was the one that finally persuaded Pharaoh to let us go.

Anyway I digress. You’re not interested in the history of Passover. You want to know about the events of that week.

3. The Triumphal Entry (Luke 19:28-44)
Well for me, it all started on the Sunday. It was a typical spring day, the sun was shining, and there were very few clouds in the sky.

I was enjoying the day, when I saw two strangers walk up to a colt tethered nearby, and started untying him. Well I thought the owners wouldn’t be happy, and sure enough, in no time, my friend Sam was on the case. However, he seemed to recognise these two people. He’d told me, previously, of a teacher called Jesus that he’d met. And in no time these two men went off with this colt trailing behind. Indeed, far from arguing about them taking it away, Sam seemed to be more concerned about whether this animal, which had never been ridden before, was suitable for what they needed.

Well, I’ve never been a nosey person, but my curiosity got the better of me, so I followed. And in no time at all, we were there with Jesus, cloaks were being thrown on the donkey, Jesus was placed on it. And the singing and praising God by the disciples, as we trekked along the way, attracted quite a bit of attention.

It was like a royal procession. And the crowd, who obviously knew Jesus far better than I did, started calling out, ‘Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.’

Now, of course, it doesn’t take a genius to work out that this was a highly provocative act—someone claiming to be king, to have come to rescue his people. Particularly, in the week where we remembered the events leading up to a previous rescue by God, which had got to be asking for trouble.

It was not surprising then, that some Pharisees quickly made themselves known. They wanted to put a stop to it. But whether they were concerned for Jesus’s safety, or not, I don’t know. They certainly wanted to tame the whole procession down.

But try as they might, they didn’t succeed. Jesus kept going. However he did stop momentarily to weep over the city.

4. Jesus at the Temple (Luke 19:45-48)
Later that day, Jesus went down to the Temple. Of course, it was a busy place, particularly at that time of year. Lambs being sold hand over fist ready for the Passover sacrifices.

And what did Jesus do? He drove the traders out—the very people who were supposed to sell animals without blemish to be used as sacrifices. He accused them of cheating the people, selling at extortionate prices, even selling less than perfect animals and consequently defiling the Temple. And by doing so, he effectively removed a lot of the sacrificial lambs from sale.

5. The Daily Routine (Luke 20:1-21:38)
For the next few days, I watched as Jesus taught in the Temple in the morning, and then returned with his disciples to the Mount of Olives at night.

Talk about being popular though. He always had quite a crowd around him, as they gathered in the Temple. And they listened to his every word. And it was a good job he was popular, because trouble was—as is so obvious to me now—about to bubble over.

Priests and teachers were seething at Jesus—this upstart. After all, he was giving them a bad name. They wanted to get rid of him, but they didn’t want to start a riot. And the more Jesus spoke, the more desperate they became. They tried trickery, they tried to trip him up, they tried everything.

And perhaps that’s not surprising, After all, Jesus spoke about their failure as leaders; their inability to recognise the Messiah; their failure to understand the things of God; and as a consequence they were often caught up in petty squabbles. He even accused them of plotting against him, and he prophesied about the destruction of Jerusalem, the end of the world, and his own death.

6. The Last Supper (Luke 22:7-38)
Now I’m not sure of all the events that happened on the Thursday. For one thing I was just an observer of events. I, for one, was not invited to join in the evening meal. And with the tensions of the week, it was obvious there was something going on behind the scenes.

Jesus and the disciples, however, did celebrate what came to be known as the Lord’s Supper that night. Indeed, Peter and John had been sent to the city earlier to organise it

7. Jesus Prays on the Mount of Olives (Luke 22:39-46)
However after that it was back to the Mount of Olives as usual. Only this time, things were very solemn. Jesus was in a serious mood. There was a lot of quietness, and from Jesus, at least, a lot of prayer.

It had been a busy week for all concerned, and the disciples were exhausted. So they slept most of the time.

8. Jesus Arrested (Luke 22:47-53)
That is until Judas, who I hadn’t realised had been missing, came out of the middle of nowhere and kissed Jesus.

And from then on, it was on. There was a scuffle, with people everywhere. And someone even got hurt. But in no time it was over, and Jesus was carted away.

The religious leaders had finally succeeded, without a riot. And without too much fuss, they had got their irritant out of the way.

9. Jesus’s Trials (Luke 22:54-23:25)
Of the rest of the events leading up to the crucifixion the details are a little confused.

After Jesus was taken away that night, apart from a brief appearance with Pilate early on the Friday, very little was seen of him. Pilate did his customary thing at Passover and offered amnesty to one of his prisoners—only this time he got the crowd to choose. Peter, who followed Jesus for a short time after the arrest, was found sobbing his heart out. And the crowd’s response to Pilate hardly seems creditable, except for the fact that they probably chose a man who wasn’t averse to spilling a little Roman blood, rather than save, who I thought was, an innocent man.

What happened to Jesus behind those closed doors all the rest of the time, I don’t know.

10. The Crucifixion (Luke 23:26-43)
But later that morning, a Jesus far too weak to carry his own cross was seen being helped by a Libyan named Simon.

And the rest of Friday? Well I don’t think I need to elaborate. It’s a story that’s all too familiar.

11. The Passion and the Passover
But as I stood there around the cross, doing absolutely nothing to protect an innocent man, I couldn’t help thinking of the Passover. The first Passover with the sacrifice of lambs, and lambs without any sign of blemish or fault; the necessary shedding of blood in order for God’s people to be saved; the passing over of judgement of those who had accepted the sacrifices for themselves; and the subsequent leading by God of his people to a new and quite different life from slavery to the Promised Land . . .

C. CONCLUSION

Now sadly, not all of Ben’s story has survived. Like most documents around New Testament times, Ben’s story is incomplete. So we know nothing about what he witnessed after Good Friday. But what we do know are the strong connections he made between the passion of Jesus’s death, and the celebration of Passover.

And the feeling I get for the period is much the same. It’s no coincidence, that the passion of Christ’s death coincided with the Feast of Passover. God’s work, God’s perfect timing, if you like, meant that Jesus sort of re-enacted the whole Passover event, as part of the confirmation of who he was. He acted out the innocent sacrificial lamb; his blood was spilt in order that we can be saved. As a consequence, only through that act, and personal acceptance of it by us, can God lead us to pastures new.

But did he die for us in vain? That’s a question each of us should ask ourselves today.

The Easter story may be familiar, but do we only know the story? Or, have we embraced Jesus, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world?

Posted: 1st November 2024
© 2024, Brian A Curtis
www.brianacurtis.com.au

Life at times can be a roller coaster of emotions. We can go from great joy to the depths of despair. We can find themselves on cloud nine with the discovery of true love (I’m a hopeless romantic) to being really at the bottom—because of the loss of a loved one, or through the arrival of other bad news.

Now, of course. some people seem to take the whole range of emotions in their stride, somehow managing to avoid the peaks and troughs. But for most of us, the extremes—the heights of joy and the depths of depression—with a period on an even keel, is much more the norm.

It is interesting, therefore, to note that many Christians believe that people of faith should somehow be exempt from the depths; that God should somehow cushion the blows. And if those depths still come, then it means that there is something wrong with their spiritual life with God.

Now I’m not sure where that idea comes from. It’s certainly doesn’t come from the Bible. Because as this passage from Luke suggests, even Jesus went through the wringer as far as emotions are concerned.

Indeed, this passage from Luke gives us three scenes, all closely following one another. And they all demonstrate a range of emotions that Jesus had to face.

Now it’s important to remember at the outset, that Jesus had just been through a period of great joy. He had been treated like a king. It was Palm Sunday and palm branches and cloaks had been thrown down for him and his donkey to walk on.

So, when our first scene comes, it comes as a rude shock. Because as the procession reached the hill overlooking Jerusalem, Jesus was distraught, he was in tears (41-44).

Jesus knew that the city would shortly be destroyed. The people had rejected him on several occasions, and even though he knew that they would have one last chance to accept him, he knew what the result would be: That in five days they would be demanding his life, and he would tried and executed.

Now you can understand the depths of Jesus’s despair. Not only did it mean the end of his life, but it also meant that Jerusalem—the place where God had chosen to dwell with his people, symbolised by the presence of the Temple—would be destroyed. Indeed, not one stone would be left upon another. So that feeling of great joy at the royal procession had suddenly changed to the depths of despair.

Later that day, we find Jesus at our second scene. He had just come down off the hill and had entered the Temple. But this time, it is not a tearful Jesus that we see, but one who was filled with righteous anger (45-46). For Jesus was driving people out of the house of God.

Now there were some people who needed to be there selling things. There were parts of the Temple set aside, where animals were sold so that people could make their sacrifices. But it was not the genuine sellers about which he was angry. Rather it was the sellers who were there other reasons—and it wasn’t for prayer or to learn more about God. No! They were using the Temple to make money and for commercial rivalry. And it is to these people to whom Jesus’s anger was pointed.

These people were opportunists. They had a total disregard of God and the sacredness of his Temple. So Jesus’s righteous anger was very understandable.

But his anger didn’t last long. Because when we get to the third scene, and again it’s in the Temple, we find a very different Jesus (47a).

Now we’re told that from Palm Sunday to Maundy Thursday, Jesus and his disciples could be found every day in the Temple, and Jesus taught the crowds that gathered around him. (And this instance could relate to any of the four days.) And yet, whilst no mention is made of Jesus’s emotional state—for there is no hint of any distress or anger—the fact that he was in the Temple says something about the compassion he had for the people. Because despite everything, he still cared. On the Friday, the crowd would make their final rejection, but that wasn’t going to stop him using every minute of his time, while he could, to give people the opportunity to change.

So there’s quite a variety of feelings that Jesus faced. There was the excitement of the Palm Sunday procession, turning into the distress and tears as he looked down from the top of the hill into Jerusalem. Then there was the anger at the abuses in the Temple, followed by the compassion that he had by continuing his teaching every day in the Temple. Talk about roller coaster rides of emotions.

And if Jesus faced that range of emotions, then we can hardly expect to be any different. After all, didn’t Jesus teach his disciples that they needed to follow in his footsteps? And didn’t Jesus teach his disciples that they would face exactly the same things that he faced? The only difference is that he promised to be with them always and that he would help them through.

As a consequence, we all go through a range of emotions. Some of us seem to be continually on that roller coaster ride, whilst others manage to lead lives which appear to be much more even. But whichever description describes us best, we can take heart, for we have a saviour who knows well what we’re going through. And even though we may at time endure much pain, nevertheless, if we are people of faith, we can rest assured that Jesus is with us, and can and will help us through our difficulties.

Posted: 21st August 2020
© 2020, Brian A Curtis
www.brianacurtis.com.au

A. INTRODUCTION

Recent events around the world—tensions and wars—have reminded me of how lucky we are in this country. And there are many countries in the world where Christians are persecuted simply for being Christians. And Christians face the death penalty for either trying to convert others to Christianity, or simply for practicing the faith.

But us? Well, yes, from time to time, we might get jibed about our faith; some people may think us odd, because we don’t do certain things; and some people feel as they have to act differently around us, because of our religious sensibilities. But, in contrast to what others face in the world, we are free to come and go, to exercise our faith and, at the same time, feel safe in what we are doing.

Of course, the danger for us is that we can get too lazy, too relaxed, take God too much for granted. However, I wouldn’t want to wish the alternative on anybody.

And yet, in this passage from Luke, lest we become too complacent, that is exactly what Jesus warned his disciples that they needed to prepare for.

B. THE COMING OF THE END (Luke 21:5-19)

1.Background (5)
The scene was the Temple in Jerusalem, and Jesus was in the Temple at the climax of his public ministry. For Jesus the Temple was still an important place for worshipping God. It was the centre of the Jewish faith; the symbolic centre of God’s presence with his people. (And even with the early church, it was considered the focal point of the Christian faith.)

And the magnificence of the Temple and its contents, aroused wonder amongst its visitors. And the disciples were not immune to its wonders. So it, perhaps, wasn’t surprising when some of the disciples looked around and commented on the wonderful sight of the Temple. It must have been a very relaxed, peaceful and tranquil, scene.

As a consequence, the disciples would have been rocked by what happened next. Because in direct contrast to the magnificence of the Temple, Jesus warned of three events, that would shortly sweep the world of the disciples.

2. Danger of Succumbing to Persecution (12-19)
And the first, in order that they would occur, was that (after a short interval) they would face persecution; they would be in danger of being arrested; and they would be tried in the courts for their beliefs—because of Jesus.

Now this wasn’t to be a major bitter persecution like we’ve seen in history—the Jewish courts were used for trying minor cases only. However, the kind of punishment they faced would have still been imprisonment; being beaten by synagogue officials; and the occasional death would not have been unexpected.

But if that were not bad enough, the people who would dob them in to the authorities would not just be those who hate everything to do with Christianity, (as you’d expect). But they would be their own closest relatives as well: parents, brothers, relatives and friends.

However, whilst warning the disciples of the coming persecution and betrayal. Jesus did give his disciples some words of comfort and advice.

He said, being persecuted was not to be seen totally in negative terms. It was also to be regarded as an opportunity to bear witness to the faith—an opportunity for the disciples to stand up for what they believe. However, they were to meet the occasion with courage and wisdom, which Jesus promised he would provide.

He then acknowledged that there would be a natural tendency to be anxious—about what to do and what to say. However, he advised them not to be anxious, because he would guide them, and not leave them wanting.

And he then noted that some of his disciples might indeed suffer injury or even death. However, he reassured them, that he would ensure their spiritual safety. For all who relied on Jesus, and persevered faithfully to the end, they might lose their lives in this world, but by showing steadfast endurance they would reap the reward of the next—eternal life.

3. Danger of being misled (7-11)
The second thing that Jesus said would happen to the disciples (and following on from the initial persecution), is that people would try to deceive them. That their faith would be strongly tested. And that there would be many attempts to mislead them in to giving up their faith.

For example, there would be many people confronting them, claiming either to be the Messiah or the messenger of the Messiah. There would be people claiming to know other paths to salvation. And the stress of them, in those days, would make them very vulnerable to these attacks, particularly from people who promised to deliver them from the difficulties of life.

However, Jesus warned his disciples that they were not to be taken in by such people, What they would experience was not the end of the world, and they should stand steadfast in their faith.

Furthermore, Jesus, claimed, they would hear of wars and civil wars (and not far away either)—events which would lead people to fear and again to believe that the end of the world was near.

Still, Jesus said, don’t be so terrified, don’t do something silly. Such events were in God’s plan, they must happen. But they did not signify that the end would follow immediately.

No, indeed, before the end, there would be more widespread conflicts and cosmic signs. All sorts of natural disasters and unusual phenomena. And even then these were not the signs of the end, only the beginning of what was to come.

4. The Destruction of the Temple (6)
And the third thing Jesus said, would happen (and only after the previous two warnings had come to fruition) was that the Temple in Jerusalem, in which they were then standing, would be destroyed.

The Temple—the place that they’d looked up to as Jews. The symbolic focus of God’s residence with his people; the centre on which the hopes of the Jewish race resided; and the place which even the early Christians considered was the focal point of their religious worship.

This Temple would not just be damaged, or even damaged beyond repair. But there would be such devastation that the building would be completely and utterly flattened—no two stones left on one another.

5. History or Apocalyptic?
In the relative tranquillity of the Temple, with all its glory, three warnings then, from Jesus. First, the imminent persecution of the disciples. They were to be tried and punished for what they believed, and they were to be betrayed by family and friends. Second, their faith was going to be tested through false prophets and through the unrest that war brings. And third, the symbol of God’s presence among them, was to be utterly destroyed.

These are the things that Jesus predicted for his disciples for their future. And, of course, as even the Jewish historian Josephus recorded, all these things came true. The early disciples were indeed persecuted for their faith; there were many false messiahs and people claiming to be messengers of Jesus; and, in the Jewish war itself (AD 66-70), the Temple was destroyed.

However, if we were to leave Jesus’s prophecies there we would be most mistaken. Because the language on which the prophecies were couched indicate that Jesus was not just telling the immediate disciples what was in store for them, but rather giving all believers a warning of things to come.

In a sense, it may seem like a history lesson to us. The prophecies tell the exact story of the early church up until the destruction of the Temple in 70AD. But more than that, it’s also a cameo of what every Christian may be expected to face from then on.

C. COMMENT

So when we hear, see and read about Christians being persecuted in South America, North America, Europe, Africa, and Asia. It shouldn’t be something that should take us unawares.

When we hear that Christians are being tried in courts; punished for their faith; are being flogged, injured, or killed for standing up for what they believe; and that they are being dobbed in, not only by people who hate Christianity, but by their family and friends, then we shouldn’t be taken by surprise.

When we hear of people who claim to be from Jesus, or who claim to know other ways to God; and when we hear of war after war, of earthquakes, and floods, and other natural disasters, none of those things should come as any surprise.

And when we hear about churches being destroyed; the focal point of Christian communities being wiped out and completely flattened, then that should not come as a total shock, either.

For many Christians, the prophecies that Jesus made, are just as real today, as they were to the disciples of the first century. And the advice he gave is just as real too.

But then we need to stand firm against persecution. We need to see persecution as an opportunity to bear witness. We need not to be anxious, but to trust Jesus for guidance and the right words to say.

Now, none of that will be easy. Indeed, when someone’s world is falling apart, and someone offers an easier solution, standing firm is not easy. And yet, despite that, Christian history is littered with the faithful, with those who have kept their faith, despite all the horrors they have faced,

D. CONCLUSION

Events around the globe should serve as a reminder of how lucky we are. Having said that, the danger for us is that we can get too lazy, too relaxed, and take God too much for granted.

Nevertheless, Jesus warned his disciples that they should be prepared to face persecution for what they believe; their faith being challenged; and the destruction of their focal point of worship.

And the fact that we might not face those kind of persecutions now does not mean that we will be immune in the future. We need to be ready. But more than that, we need to be actively involved in supporting those who are going through the terrible trials right now.

So what can we do? Well, we can show that we care.

We can pray for Christians who are going through a hard time because of their faith. We can try to find ways to ease their predicament; exert political pressure to try to help them in their situation; and we can try to let them know that we are with them, and encourage them in their struggle.

Who knows, at the rate political landscapes change, in a few years’ time, we might be hoping for the same support back from them.

Posted: 30th November 2024
© 2024, Brian A Curtis
www.brianacurtis.com.au

A. INTRODUCTION

1. The World
With all the wonderful achievements, and the technology that makes life so much easier than it has ever been before (and that includes all sorts of medical advances), many people are still not happy with their lot in life. Many people just don’t appreciate how much better off they are than those who have lived before. And that’s reflected in two extremes. There are those, who don’t appreciate what they’ve got, and who look back longingly at older, simpler times. And there are those who are ungrateful for what they’ve got and who are constantly calling out for a whole lot more.

Being negative, not being happy with the way things are, sometimes, seems to me to be a national pastime. And that is particularly true when you consider the calls for more money for this, and for more money for that, complicated by the fact that different people have different priorities, and the fact that there is only a limited amount of money to go around.

2. The Church
Of course, not being satisfied with what you’ve got, isn’t just something that affects the world in general it also affects the church. But the issue in the church isn’t usually technology but God. Because many people aren’t happy with him either. And yet, generally, it has always been that way. Let me illustrate what I mean.

B. A HISTORY OF DISSATISFACTION WITH GOD

1. Adam and Eve (Genesis 2 & 3)
Right from the outset, Adam was placed in the Garden of Eden by God. And he was told that he could eat the fruit of any tree in the garden, but one. In other words, Adam was put in a garden where he didn’t have to work to get his food, there was no hard labour, and all his food was provided for the taking. And provided he kept away from the one specific tree, he was set for life.

But did Adam (and Eve) appreciate what God had given them? No! They ate the one fruit they were told not to. And, as a consequence, God ejected them from the garden for their trouble. And from then on they were required to labour hard in order to eat.

2. The Exodus (Exodus 5 & 14)
When God came to the rescue of his people who were living in slavery in Egypt, the people weren’t very grateful to God either.

Because when Moses started to speak out for the people, and tried to persuade Pharaoh to let the people go—even on a temporary basis so they could worship God—the people responded by telling Moses to quit, because he was making their situation worse (Exodus 5:19-21). Then when God came to their rescue and freed them from slavery in Egypt, even with the promise of the Promised Land to look forward to, several times on the journey they showed their lack of trust and lack of gratitude. And they moaned to Moses, about how better they would have been off, had they stayed in Egypt (Exodus 14:12).

3. A King (1 Samuel 8)
Of course, having successfully been led by God into the Promised Land, and after they had got themselves established, you would think things would be different. However that was not the case either. Because despite the fact that from the time of Abraham they had been reasonably content to have a political system that was unique amongst the nations—a theocracy—they wanted to change that too.

They were a nation not ruled by a man but by God. And a God who appointed representatives from time to time as the need arose. However, despite God’s faithfulness in the past, this wasn’t good enough for the people either. They wanted to be like all the other nations; they wanted a king. They wanted more control themselves; and they looked enviously at other nations and the relative security of king following king. And as a consequence they demanded that the prophet Samuel effectively replace God’s system of ‘Judges’ with a king. And so, as history goes, Saul was anointed.

4. The Messiah (Luke 23:32-43)
And then, after a series of prophecies about God sending his people the ultimate king, the Messiah, we come to this passage from Luke. And what do we find? That despite the fact that the people had heard God’s message about the promise of a Messiah, and despite the fact they were told the details of how the Messiah was going to be born and what he would be coming to do, the people were still not happy with God.

And, as a consequence, we have this picture of Jesus being confronted by a very unsympathetic crowd; being crucified along with two ordinary criminals; and whilst there, dying on the cross. Below him, his executioners shared out his garments. He was mocked by the rulers, mocked by the soldiers, mocked by the actions of Pontius Pilate in placing the inscription of the cross ‘The king of the Jews’, and mocked by one of the criminals.

Whether anyone believed he was the real Messiah or not, no one made any movement to come to his rescue, or even claimed the injustice of the situation. He was not their king, and they didn’t want a bar of him. And, as a consequence, the dissatisfaction and rejection of God was complete.

Indeed, whilst there were evidently supporters of Jesus at that crucifixion, only one person is recorded to have spoken out. Only one person publicly identified Jesus for who he was. And that one person was one of the criminals who was not able to do anything to help him anyway.

C. COMMENT

So, when we consider the fact that some people are not happy with their lot in life and with what they’ve got, and we apply the test to the people of God, what we find is that God’s people do not have a good track record, particularly when it involves being satisfied with God.

Time and time again (and I’ve only mentioned 4 incidents), God’s people have shown their true colours. And sadly, in each case their true colours have not presented us with a very flattering picture of his people at all.

But lest we point the finger only at God’s people of the past, in our own way we are, probably, not very good at following God either. And we are, probably, just as guilty of rejecting God as the people in the Bible.

D. IMPLICATIONS

But it’s not my intention to leave you all depressed—with a feeling of doom and gloom or even a feeling of woe is me—I’d much prefer to leave you on a much more positive note.

As a consequence, having demonstrated that it is far easier to be negative than positive—far easier to go our own way rather than God’s—there are still really positive messages regarding the faith, which we can get out of each of these stories.

So, let’s revisit these stories to see what we can learn.

1. Adam and Eve
Because, regarding Adam and Eve, the message is that God knows what’s good for us and what’s bad. As a consequence we can learn that the rules that he has given us are for our own benefit.

Indeed, we would be well advised to immerse ourselves in God’s thinking. Because the laws he has given us have been given for a reason. And that reason is, not that he wants to be a dictator or an ogre, but that he is concerned for our physical, mental, and spiritual well-being.

Adam and Eve, with all the food around them, may not have been satisfied with what they’d been given—and consequently ate the forbidden fruit—but they had to learn that there was a price to pay for their disobedience.

Now, over the years God’s people have accumulated a lot of God’s wisdom; instructions on things which are wholesome; and warnings about actions which are destructive. And if we do as God suggests we would find out how we can have a proper relationship with our creator, how we can live in harmony with one another, and how we can care for God’s creation.

Adam and Eve may have shown us what can go wrong when we don’t follow God’s leading. But think of the difference it would make if only we tried to get everything right.

2. The Exodus
With the Exodus, the message is that God wants us to move on in life. Because, whatever our lot has been, he has something much better in mind for the future.

The Israelites moaned and groaned to Moses, and they constantly appealed to happier times. The tragedy is, though, that they weren’t happy times at all. Their memories were not as good as they made out them to be.

Now, over the years, God’s people have accumulated a history of memories and traditions, and there are some which can be looked back on very fondly indeed. But God wants his people to move on not to stagnate in the past. And he can only do that if we are willing to let the past go.

Just as the people of the Exodus needed to move on and to let go of the past, so God requires us to do the same. Now that may mean that there may be times of hardship to face, even a wander in the wilderness for a while. But if we are willing to get up and move on, if we are willing to follow God’s agenda rather than our own, then in the end what awaits us is a life that is so much better than anything that has gone in the past. Indeed, a Promised Land of our own.

3. A King
Regarding the story of the first king, the message is that God wants us to quite distinct from other people, and trust in him for our day-to-day needs.

Of course, living without visible, consistent, human leadership is never an easy thing to do. And once settled in the Promised Land, it’s quite understandable (from a human point of view) that the people wanted to be more like the surrounding nations. But how can God bless us if we don’t trust in him?

Now we may not be satisfied unless we have control. But at what price does that come?

Instead, God’s people are supposed to be unique, reflecting their faith in God and expressing God’s values. God’s people are supposed to have a specific identification as being the people of God surrounded by pagans. God’s people are supposed to have faith in God to supply the appropriate leadership as and when required. And God’s people are supposed to trust in God to look after their needs. And if we do those four things then God can truly bless us.

4. The Messiah
And regarding the story of the crucifixion, the message is that God has found a way to reconcile us to him, despite us doing everything wrong. But it is a solution that requires us to grasp it firmly with both hands.

Having been promised a Messiah, even with all the miracles and the teaching, the people decided that Jesus wasn’t the kind of Messiah that they wanted. And today the majority of people think Jesus isn’t the kind of Messiah they want either.

The majority of people still want to come up with solutions of their own to the problem of sin. The problem is there are no other solutions.

God has demonstrated the extent of his love for us. He has gone to extraordinarily lengths so that we might be saved. Out of all his creation he has shown that we are special in his eyes. And even his son volunteered to be a major part of the solution, so that we no longer have to pay the consequences of our sins.

Rejecting God’s solution is not a sensible option. Rather, what should be doing is to embrace the crucifixion, and be prepared to stand up and to be counted amongst the faithful.

The reality is that we need God’s solution; we need to have faith in the living Jesus. Because only that way can we have eternal life.

E. CONCLUSION

Not being happy with one’s lot in life, then, is often represented by two extremes. The first is looking longingly to the past. The second is showing ingratitude for what one has. And these two attitudes are very evident in our society today.

And in our church dissatisfaction with God is very common too. But just because it’s always been like that (as we have seen), it doesn’t mean that we should continue to live as though that was still true. Rather we should learn from the mistakes of the past.

The story of Adam and Eve teaches us, that there are some things best left alone. That God knows best. And the reasons for God’s instructions on what to do—and what not to do—are ultimately for our own benefit.

The story of the Exodus teaches us that the past isn’t always as brilliant as some would make out. And that God has something much better in mind for us anyway. But to arrive at our final destination we need to follow God’s way.

The story of the first king teaches us of the need to make ourselves distinct from the rest of the world. And to trust in God for our day-to-day needs. That we should, indeed, allow God to rule our lives.

And the story of the crucifixion teaches us that God loves us so much that he has gone to extraordinary lengths for our relationship with him to be restored. And what we need to do is to stand up for what we believe.

So, as we read the history of God’s people it is littered with stories of God’s people rejecting God. (And rejecting God is something that we all do even today). But in those negative stories are positive messages that we should all take to heart. What we need to do, then, is to try to get beyond the negative; we need to move beyond rejecting God. And we need to live as God’s people just the way that he meant us to do.

Posted: 7th December 2024
© 2024, Brian A Curtis
www.brianacurtis.com.au