Matthew 9 - second question

The disciples of John came up to Jesus and asked him why his disciples did not fast. This seemed unusual to them. Would it seem unusual to us today? I don't think so really. But they said the Pharisees fasted and John's disciples fasted (a lot). So why did Jesus disciples act differently and not fast?

Why do you think they did not fast?

Jesus responded with a word picture. He said his disciples could not possible fast while the bridegroom was with them. He called his disciples attendants. Literally the Greek calls them "sons of the bridegroom". This reminds us of a Jewish wedding, that could go on for days. The attendants are eating and drinking and rejoicing. It would be rude. It would be wrong to fast during a wedding feast.

Today we do not regularly fast. Maybe some fast during Lent, but it is not very serious. Fasting is meant to draw us closer to God. But Jesus is saying "How can anyone get any closer to God than they are when they are with me. After all I am God in the flesh and they are living and eating with me."

Jesus follows up with two analogies. First he states no one would ever patch an old garment, or cloth with a new piece of fabric. When the new piece shrinks the whole thing will be ruined. Next he reminds them that new wine would never be poured into an old wineskin. If one did the one wineskin would burst destroying the wine, and the wineskin. No new wine in new wineskins and both are preserved. His audience would be nodding their heads knowingly. This would be practical knowledge.

What is Jesus saying here? He is saying the old covenant and the new covenant cannot be mixed. The Pharisees and the disciples of John are under the old covenant. Jesus represents the new covenant. This must somehow refer to the question about fasting. You can conjecture but it must somehow be connected. It is part of the same story, the same response to the question. How does two illustrations about the covenant refer to a question about fasting?

I think, among other things Jesus is saying fasting is associated with the old covenant. Jesus was gone for only a few days. But now he is back. He may not be here eating and drinking with us anymore but he is here in the Spirit. We have no need of a way of getting closer to God. We can get as close to God as our faith allows. Often our faith is weak and we feel a need for things to help us. But we really do not need things like sacrifice and fasting. Jesus tore the curtain dividing us out of the Holy of Holies. We can approach the throne of God because of Jesus' intercession for us. We are righteous because Jesus makes and calls us righteous.

I desire compassion and not sacrifice

Yeah this is a translation of Matthew 9:13. Jesus is quoting Hosea. Compassion is often translated mercy. But I like compassion. It is an emotion. Mercy seems more like an action to me.

I was preparing a message and I was struck by this. Jesus is speaking to the Pharisees who prized sacrifice and minimized mercy, it seems. Obviously this was written by Matthew because Jesus was speaking to us too. I identify with the Pharisees because I can see that I much prefer sacrifice to mercy or compassion. I am defining sacrifice broadly. The Pharisees would have too. Not just animal sacrifice but giving money to the temple, giving alms, fasting, celebrating all the Jewish high holy days. Yet they did it without compassion.

Jesus said, "God desires mercy, not sacrifice." It is easier for me to sacrifice: money, time, talent (such as it is) rather than feel compassion or loving towards those less well off than me. Why is this bad? Bottom line, because God is a compassionate God. All my sacrifice does not glorify God if it does not include compassion, mercy. All Jesus' healing were done because he felt compassion for someone who had a need, not because he felt an obligation. He did not do good to make himself feel holy.

Lord help me, Lord help all of us to feel compassion for our fellow man. Good works do not make us righteous. Only Jesus can make his righteous through his work on the cross. So our works are done in grateful response. Remember his amazing love for us and reflect it back on those around us. We can be compassionate on all people, not just people we might consider less fortunate.

Genesis 14

Chapter 14 is different than those around it. It looks historical rather than personal. God's name is different, translated "the Most High God". There are lots of personal names and place names. Kings and cities. We know that the army Abram used to defeat the kings numbered 318.

Despite the leaders being called kings I picture small numbers on each side. These kings likely ruled city states not nations as we might imagine.

This is the chapter where Abram comes out of the hills to rescue his nephew Lot after a big battle goes bad for the king of the place where Lot lived. Lot lived in Sodom. He and his possessions were part of the spoils of war.

It does not appear that Abram and king of Sodom got along well. The king is too proud to give any thanks for his people and things being rescued. Abram on his part is unwilling to show favor as well. He refuses to take any reward, just his nephew and his things.

But Abram has great respect for the priest-king Melchizedek. This man appears out of nowhere, he was not a party to the war. He is the ruler of another city state called Salem, which means peace. Abram, as a token of respect, gives a tenth of his winnings to the man likely in honor of the Most High God. Melchizedek is the priest of this Most High God. This must be the same God that Abram obeys. How he comes to be a priest we do not know. It is all very mysterious.

In the previous chapter we read how Lot came to be near Sodom, with his flocks. But now in this chapter he has moved into the city. Retired perhaps. He is likely a prominent citizen, likely because of his wealth. But Sodom is an evil city. Lot has most likely compromised his values to live among such evil people. We hope we are not compromising our values as we live in an increasingly evil culture.

Melchizedek is mentioned again in Hebrews. He is likened to Jesus. Jesus is called a priest after the model of Melchizedek. Abram sacrifices to the God of Melchizedek. Melchizedek is timeless, just like Jesus, who existed always. I think these are the only two places that Melchizedek is mentioned. The author of Hebrews was inspired to use his as an archetype, a forerunner of Jesus, our God and savior. Jesus is both ruler and priest, just like Melchizedek.

What is Truth?

I am going to paraphrase excerpts of a recent sermon by Rev. Matthew Fenlon. These are from notes and may not be exactly what he said.

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If truth exists, where can we find it? We find it in the Bible.

John Stott – Truth is most clearly seen when it is held up against our depravity.

John 8:31-32 Jesus told the people who had faith in him, "If you keep on obeying what I have said, you truly are my disciples. (32) You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."

another translation: "If you abide in my word you will be my disciples."

A story Fitzsimmons Allison told on himself – after a hurricane he rushed to see if the records were OK. He went to a supply closet and got locked in without power. He could have been locked there for days. Try as he might, he pushed and pushed. Finally he found that the door opened to the inside. All he had to do was pull, not push. It was easy. It is a picture of all of us trapped in our own sinfulness, depending on ourselves, trying to be in control. It took him to stop trying before he realized the truth. He pulled the door, it opened and he was free.

We do not have to try to figure it out. Jesus has acknowledged everything. After the trial Pilate remarked, “What is truth?” Freedom is not something we can engineer. It is something that happens to us. When we have no other option and we finally give up. After that we will be free.

good story

Well last night I fed my animal trap some chicken bones. Today I was rewarded with a possum. It is a little baby. It was asleep when I came out to get the trap. I cannot bring myself to kill them so I take them over to the ship channel/bayou under Lockwood Drive. On one side is a crushed concrete yard. On the other is a small woodeda area extending down to the bayou. I let them out on that side.

OK. When I took the side road down to the bayou I was in for a shock. There was a Houston police car parked in the middle of the dirt under the bridge. Was the policeman hiding down there? He looked peacefully composed. He turned out to be small young Hispanic man. Very nice looking. Maybe the reason he was down there was because there was also a seemingly empty mail truck down there. It was parked sideways parallel to the bayou and right next to it. It was close to falling in. Perhaps he was waiting for some kind of backup.

Anyone I wanted to dispose of this possum and did not know what else to do with it. So I stopped, turned off the engine and got out of my car. I slowly approached the police car. He already had his window down. He asked me, "What can I do for you?" I said, "You are in my spot!" Then I asked him what he would think if I dropped a possum here. He thought that was funny. Among other things he asked me how many possums I had. Anyway he said it was no problem. I then mentioned that in some states it was illegal to do this. He said, "Not in Texas."

So I quickly got the possum moving along up the bank to his new home. As I returned to the car the policeman approached. He had some kind of hand held computer. He must have looked at some kind of guide. He told me that next time I catch a possum I should call Animal Control and see if they would come and pick it up. That seems like a good idea to at least try. These things should either be killed or found a better place than the one I have for them. Next time I will give the Houston bureaucracy a try.

Missionary - Muslim and Christianity

I have been struggling to find something new and interesting to blog on. Both Islam and Christianity are profoundly missionary religions. Thus there has been extreme conflict over the years. In this book I am reading, a fairly old book, they mention a conference held in Chambesy, Switzerland in 1976 on "the subject of mutual experience in mission". There was sharp frankness at this conference. It goes without saying that if each side was true to their beliefs there could be no agreement and even no compromise. There wasn't. I understand many Muslim speakers called for or demanded a moratorium on Christian mission in Islamic areas. Of course this was unacceptable to Christians with a missionary zeal.

From both sides there can be no agreement to simply coexist. To do so would be to deny the basic belief of your faith.

I would add parenthetically, the book does not mention it, that repression of those who do convert, on both sides, is totally wrong. A person should have the right to believe as he wants and to change his beliefs if he wants.

Secondly this man Kenneth Cragg in his book Call of the Minaret speaks of the poor morality of using hospitals and feeding programs to attempt to convert people since you are approaching them at their most vulnerable and weakest. I'd really never thought of that and those participating in this kind of service evangelism certainly never see it this way. They are demonstrating their God's mercy and compassion by serving a people in need. Surely it is right and important to explain to them why they are there and tell them of God's love for them? This is why Muslim countries have tried to reject Christian Missionary Hospitals in their midst. But those Christians who started them saw there was a need, it was not being met by the local culture and came in to take advantage of the situation to introduce the Christian God to the locals. If done correctly aid administered whether a person converts or not, I see little to criticize. Of course if you are simply making "rice Christians" then it is all wrong and one wonders about the honesty of the conversions themselves.

Embarrassing God

I was thinking: It is not easy to embarrass God. We spend a lot of effort being embarrassed for God. It is an idle pursuit.

Instead we do well to explain God, to proclaim the Good News of God's salvation for all mankind. God has prepared a way for all men to be saved.

Isaiah 35:1-10 speaks of a highway God builds above the fray. It's a poetical image. I love it as an image of salvation God prepares for us to walk in.

Some feel they do not need saving. Some think it is beneath them. Some do not want to contemplate a lifestyle change. Perhaps they do not want to give up some wicked thing, they know it is wicked, but they like it. (As if God could be embarrassed by it.)

Gd has prepared a highway for us to walk on. The righteous, the redeemed, the ransomed of the Lord, they will walk on it.

I hear we did not walk off the cliff last night. But we are putting off the inevitable. Perhaps the Mayas were not far off. *smile*