Poverty

I've just read a compelling article on living out the first beatitude: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." (Matt 5:3)
The author, Jamie Arpin-Ricci, suggests that we should take another look at how we view poverty, and what we are doing about it.  Do we ignore the plight of the poor?
"The way we live in relation to both poverty and wealth must suffer the intense scrutiny Scripture demands, and then we must make the necessary changes to our lives. After all, when God said to his people that "there need be no poor among you" (Deuteronomy 15:4), he wasn't suggesting segregation."
That's all I'll leave you with at the moment, but if you want to read the entire article, check it out here.

Rich people going to heaven

Luke
I want to build on my previous post about the eye of the needle and a rich man going into heaven.  Check out the blog post on March 24 (click here).  That one was about the parallel passage in Mark 10.  Today's reading is Luke 18:18-30.  Not only is it impossible for a camel to go through the eye of an actual needle, but it is also impossible for a rich person to enter into the kingdom of heaven... on his own.  The ruler in this story had asked "What must I do to inherit eternal life?"  This question is similar to the one of the rich young man in Matthew 19, which I posted about on January 27 (click here).  It's all about doing.  We can't do anything, so of course it is impossible for us to get to heaven.  But with God, through Jesus Christ, we can!
I think that the emphasis on the fellow being rich demonstrates that rich people don't think they need God as much as poor people, because they have the resources to get through life comfortably without really having to rely on God.  So for rich people, it is more difficult to get to the point where they can depend on God for salvation.  Of course, this is a major generalization, so if you have a differing view, let me know.

The kingdom of God is in you

Luke
At the end of Luke 17, we have another example of 'early scribal emendation' (so called by the Archaeological Study Bible).  If you were reading along and seemed to think a verse number was missing, you weren't crazy!  Luke 17:36 was added to a later version of the manuscript, and is not part of the original book.  Check out Matthew 24:40 - you'll notice that this is the 'missing' Luke 17:36, which a scribe probably copied into Luke because of his familiarity with this particular teaching.

Luke 17:21 says that the kingdom of God is in us.  That sounds almost like eastern mysticism or something, where we have the power deep within us somehow.  Anyway, that's not what the text means.  What is the kingdom of God?  I've talked a little bit about this in earlier posts.  The kingdom of God is wherever his will is being extended and lived out.  God came down to earth as Jesus to bring healing, eternal peace, joy, and righteousness.  If we have accepted his mission, the kingdom of God is now within us!  It has very little to do with what we can do, and has a lot to do with how we partner with God on his mission.

The beatitudes

Luke
Have you read Luke's version of the beatitudes (see chapter 6 verse 20-26)?  His are far less 'spiritualized' than the ones quoted in Matthew 5.  For example, Luke only says blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.  Matthew however, says blessed are you who are poor in spirit....
I looked up a couple commentaries, and they don't comment on the non-spiritual seeming aspect of Luke.  Are we supposed to readily see that Luke actually means poor (humble in spirit), because on the surface of things, it appears to mean that those who are physically/economically poor, they have the kingdom of God.  Feel free to weigh in on this conversation!

Mary and Mary and the resurrection

Matthew
When the angel of the Lord came down to roll the stone away from the tomb, the guards were so scared, they "became like dead men".  That must have been a sight!  And yet, the two women, Mary and Mary, although afraid, were completely receptive to the angel's message and hurried off to tell the disciples of the good news about Jesus's resurrection.  Perhaps the spirit of God resonated within them and helped them believe these almost outrageous news.  As they were running to the disciples, Jesus himself appeared to them.  I wonder if he did so just to reinforce the truth of the message.  I'm impressed by these women.  We aren't privy to the entire story or all the details, but they really seem to have it together during this supernatural experience.

The Shroud of Turin

Have you heard of the shroud of Turin?  Matthew 27:59 mentions the cloth that most people believe to be what is now called 'the shroud of Turin': "Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth,...".   Basically, after Jesus was crucified, Joseph of Arimathea was able to take his body, and then he wrapped it in a burial cloth, and put it in the tomb.  This burial cloth is the shroud of Turin (so some believe, but no one has conclusive evidence).  It is so called because the shroud was found in Turin, Italy.  There are tons of website dedicated to this subject, http://www.shroudstory.com/ is just one of them.  Greg Koukl had a guest speaker, Gary Habermas, on his weekly radio show this past week, and Habermas talked about the shroud, so if you want to know more, that is also a resource to use.  Here is a picture of the shroud:

My point about the shroud is this: regardless of whether it is the burial cloth of Jesus or not, it should have no effect on our faith, nor should it become an object of worship.

A life of integrity

Key verses
Romans 7:21-25 - So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me.  For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members.  What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?  Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!

 Matthew
 I'd like to continue from yesterday's theme of Jesus's return.  Matthew 24:42 says that we do not know the day or the hour that Jesus will return.  Do we live in disregard of his message, then, and simply carry on as we please, hoping to get at least some notice of when we should clean up our act?  By no means!  Living a life of integrity is the better way, like the "faithful and wise servant" mentioned in verse 45.  First, we won't be caught off guard when the end does coming (whether through the second coming or through our own physical death), and secondly, having consistently followed God for the rest of our lives, we will be far better prepared for heaven than we would be otherwise.  Certainly, heaven will be something beyond our imagination, but by seeking after God here, somehow I think we'll be in a better position to continue being with him there.

Signs of the end of the age... do they matter?

Key verses

Psalm 57:9-11 - I will praise you, O Lord, among the nations; I will sing of you among the peoples.  For great is your love, reaching to the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the skies. Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let your glory be over all the earth.

Matthew
Matthew 24:15-35 is one of those passages that gets people thinking about the end of the world and Jesus's return.  At one point, this type of prophetic message really interested me as well, and I was curious to know what would usher in the "end times".   I have since learned and come to understand that what is really important is my relationship with God.  It shouldn't matter when the world will end, because regardless of when that is, I'll be striving to get to know God better.  We won't ever get to the point where we'll know God completely, not in this world, but if we're wholeheartedly on the journey of getting to know him and apply his character to our lives, what else is there?

Breaking the Sabbath

Key verse
Romans 5:19 - For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.


Numbers/Matthew
I would have liked more information about the man who broke the Sabbath (see Numbers 15:32-36).  He was gathering wood on the Sabbath, and those who found him brought him to Moses and Aaron, and he was stoned to death outside the camp, on God's orders.  Was it because he didn't trust God to provide the wood after the Sabbath, or he hadn't thought of God's day the day before, so he was had to gather wood on the Sabbath?  The story doesn't offer many details, and I'm left hoping that God didn't just have him stoned out of an unintentional sin.  But here is where we have to go on faith that God is gracious and compassionate and has proven himself to be such time and again.
In some ways, it is easy to see how the Pharisees became so focused on the letter of the law (see Matthew 23:23).   Looking at stories like this one from Numbers could lead them to think that breaking the Sabbath by doing any work is completely out of the question, or else you'll suffer the consequences.  But Jesus had the right attitude - it's not the outward appearance, but what's going on in the heart that God really looks at, so that is what we must focus on.

The greatest commandment

Matthew
22:36-40  “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”

Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’  This is the first and greatest commandment.  And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” 

Jesus's wisdom is so impressive.  Today, I just want to highlight his response to the Pharisees regarding the most important law.  He summed it up so nicely, and it seems so obvious, but would we have known this to be the truth if it wasn't recorded for us?

A broken and contrite heart

Key verses
Matthew 22:21 - "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's."

Romans 3:21-24 - But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.

Psalms
Psalm 51 is another psalm that makes me read through it twice.  It is so comforting to see that even after grievous sin we can approach God, humble at heart, and know that he will respond in grace and mercy.  God's unfailing love and great compassion, shown through Jesus's death on the cross, will come through for us time and again, if we come with a broken spirit and contrite heart.

Numbers aren't always boring

Numbers
Well, Leviticus is done!  I must admit, it got a little boring reading all those laws.  I thought Numbers would be similar, seeing as the first three chapters were about counting the fighting men.  However, I read a footnote in my bible that made these numbers seem a little more interesting.  It was saying that this census, which occurs at the beginning and end of Numbers, was more than just taking a count of the nation.  They were only counting the fighting men because at both times they were preparing to invade the promised land (the first attempt failed because they weren't courageous enough to go through with it).  In addition, the men were counted within family units, and organized into family units, so that they're co-fighters would be close family, and more precious to them than simply an acquaintance from some other tribe within Israel.  These numbers can actually teach us a lot about God and his people, if we know what to do with them.

Matthew
Today's reading in Matthew (latter part of ch. 21) reminded me of an Adventures in Odyssey episode.  This is a children's radio drama show that has been going on for about 25 years.  The episode that I'm referring to is a re-enactment of some of the parables in Matthew - the parable of the tenants, the parable of the two sons, and also the section on the authority of Jesus questioned.  The episode is called Over the Airwaves, and it originally aired on January 19, 1991.  You can read mroe about the episode here.

Anger in the temple

Matthew
Some may wonder how Jesus could get angry enough to overturn tables, and still not sin.  Anger doesn't have to be sinful.  Holy anger, indignance at the way people mistreat God's holy temple, is quite justified.  If all anger was sinful, then Ephesians 4:26 would make no sense: "In your anger, do not sin."  If anger was sinful, then it would be impossible not to sin while being angry.  But that's not the case.  So when you are angry, work it out for the good and glory of God.

Sitting at his right and left hands

Matthew
It seems kind of crazy that a mother would ask Jesus to have her sons seated at his right and left hand.  Perhaps she just thought he would somehow come into an earthly kingdom?  That would make sense, and Jesus's reply that she didn't know what she was asking fits with that scenario.  It was easy for me to read this passage with my own biased lens and assume that she was asking about his heavenly throne, because that is the kingdom that Jesus was ushering in, a spiritual and heavenly one.  But that's not how most people saw the Messiah back in his day.  He was going to be a king and set up a new political reign.

The rich young man

Matthew 
If you read the October 9, 2010 post and comment (click here), you'll find I already commented on today's reading from Matthew 19:16-30 - the story of the rich young man.  This young man hadn't actually kept all the commandments, even though he says he did.  At least, he didn't keep the spirit of the law, because he neglected the poor and needy all around him, even though he had so much wealth.  He was completely missing the point on what eternal life is all about.  It's not about us doing anything on our own; it's about us coming alongside God in his mission and participating with him in his work (helping the downtrodden, for instance).

Jesus on divorce

Key verses

Psalm 42:1, 11 - As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God.  Why are you downcast, O my soul?  Why so disturbed within me?  Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.

Matthew

In Matthew 19, Jesus talks about divorce.  Interestingly, this passage is also found in Mark and Luke, but both of those books do not include an exception to the rule.  Matthew suggests that divorce is wrong, except for situations of marital unfaithfulness, but both Mark and Luke say that divorce is prohibited.  As William Barclay states, I think we have to go with the interpretation in Mark and Luke, and understand that Matthew's exception was included at a later date, and was derived from the evolved practice of the church, and not on what Jesus himself said.

Binding and loosing on earth and in heaven

Matthew
Matt. 18:18 is a lesson in not reading verses on their own.  This verse says "I [Jesus] tell you [his disciples] the truth, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."
I kind of wondered what that meant, but it is easy to figure out if you read the next verse: "Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven."
These two verses speak to the same thing: what we accomplish here on earth, God will bless and work through it from heaven.  Jesus is really only talking to his disciples here, so we can't take too much leeway with the text and apply it to ourselves, but we can still understand that God gave authority to the disciples to continue Jesus's ministry.

Help my unbelief

Matthew
Today, I read about the story of the father with a demon-possessed son.  He comes to Jesus and says that he had brought his son to the disciples, but they couldn't heal him.  In the Matthew version, he doesn't even ask Jesus outright to heal his son.  Then Jesus responds, pointing out that this man, and his generation, did not have enough faith.  In Mark's version, the man claims that he does believe in God's power, but requests help for his unbelief.
Either way, Jesus had done many miracles before this one, so there was precedence for having a belief that he could do such wonderful things, and yet the man didn't completely believe.  When we come to God and ask him to work in our lives, trust in his power and allow him to minister to you.  Don't hold out.

The transfiguration

Matthew
Peter is so real.  By that I mean, he doesn't wait to act.  In today's reading, he saw Jesus transfigured on a mountain, and immediately he thought to build shelters for Jesus, Moses, and Elijah.  How great it would have been to stay on that mountain, surrounded by the glory of God and the greatest God-followers of all time.  But we can't always stay in that attitude of revelation.  At some point, Jesus had to move on and accomplish the rest of his mission.  In the same way, when we hear from God, we can't stay in that zone.  We've got to take what we've heard or learned, and let it shape us into even more committed, more mature followers of Christ.

The coming of God's kingdom and Paul's quick thinking

Key verse
Psalm 37:39 - The salvation of the righteous comes from the Lord; he is their stronghold in time of trouble.


Matthew
Matthew 16:28 almost seems like some of Jesus's disciples won't die until his second coming.  But if you compare this verse to its parallels in Luke and Mark, you find out that in fact, it just means that some of his disciples will witness the coming of the kingdom of God through the Holy Spirit.  God's kingdom came with power on the day of Pentecost, and many of the disciples certainly witnessed this event.

On another note, it's a comfort to know God doesn't require us to be perfect in order to participate in his kingdom.  For example, Peter first announces that he believes Jesus is the long-awaited Messiah, and will follow him, and then in the next verse, he tries to dissuade Jesus from his mission (perhaps unknowingly) and is rebuked - "Get behind me, Satan!" Jesus says.

Acts
When the text says "Then Paul, knowing that some of them were Sadducees and the others Pharisees...", I could just imagine Paul scheming in his head, thinking, "Hmmm, what will make these people get in an uproar?"  The debate about the resurrection of the dead sure will!