Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and you will delight in the richest of fare. – Isaiah 55:2

 Today's Scripture Reading (September 4, 2020): Isaiah 55

Please read the following with much grace. There is no perfect answer to the current racial division in which we find ourselves. My bias is that I am a white male who, as much as a white man can, understands the angst and anger of our minority communities. I unreservedly support "Black Lives Matter." And for all of my readers who insist on "All Lives Matter" or even "Blue Lives Matter," understand that both of those are stage two propositions, and neither can be true until we understand and support "Black Lives Matter." I have never been profiled because of the color of my skin, but my Black friends have been, and that is evidence enough of the systemic racism that exists in our society. The shooting of unarmed Black men has to cease, NOW, period and full stop. I also understand that even these words are likely to be misunderstood and provoke anger from both sides. So, I am sorry.

But since you are already mad at me, let me push a few more buttons. Because as much as some might want to make us believe this is just a race issue, I am not sure that is true. President Donald Trump occupies the White House, not because of the powerlessness and oppression of American minorities, but, at least partially, because of the powerlessness and oppression of White people in our culture. The problem? There is a wealth and power division in our society, and the divide is getting wider. And that division is making our race issues even worse.

And, I know that I am meddling, but the reality is that I don't believe that the racial divide can be healed until we solve the wealth and power chasm. Oh, and by the way, we can't heal the chasm between those with power and those without, of every color, until we really understand "Black Lives Matter." These are two storms that insist on feeding each other. It is like trying to put out a fire while someone else is still pouring accelerant on the blaze.

Isaiah speaks to Israel and asks, why are you spending money on things that are not food? You are hungry, so shouldn't something to eat be on the top of your priority list? Why do you spend on what will not satisfy? It is a good question and one that we need to answer because we are still doing it. We are hungry, and spend our money on entertainment. We need love and insist on getting there by spending what we have on hate. It is like somehow believing that more guns are miraculously going to result in less shooting (and I am sorry for mentioning this Sacred Cow.) But it doesn't make sense.

More NBA General Managers of color, something I have heard suggested several times over the past week, doesn't fix our problem. Where we have to get to is that point where we understand the radical equality of each of us. President Trump is not more valuable because he has more money or power. Rich and the poor, the powerful and powerless, black, white and every shade in between has to be willing to embrace each other, recognizing the value of the other, and work toward a common solution. Nothing changes if all that exists is the demand for more for me. That is spending money on what will not satisfy. White people have to stand up for the powerless Black man or woman. And my African American friends have to be willing to point at the powerless white person and demand respect for them. If we are going to change anything, we have to change it for each other.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, I wear a mask knowing that it does not protect me; it protects you. If men of color are going to stop being shot in the back seven times, it is only going to happen if White people, especially people of power like the President or police officers, stand up and say, "not on my watch. This is not the way we are going to live." This has to end. And not tomorrow. Today is the day.

Dear White People, including me, it is past time for us to set aside "All Lives Matter" and "Blue Lives Matter" for another day. Today it is "Black Lives Matter." And it is time for us to stand to protect them. Because underneath our skin, we are all the same. Anything less than our willingness to protect those who do not look like us, and we are wasting our resources on things that will not, and cannot, satisfy.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Isaiah 56

It will be a unique day—a day known only to the LORD—with no distinction between day and night. When evening comes, there will be light. – Zechariah 14:7

 Today's Scripture Reading (September 3, 2020): Zechariah 14

Comedian Steve Martin argues that "a day without sunshine is like, you know, night." One defines the other, and it has from the very beginning. Remember the words from Genesis on the first day of creation.

And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. God called the light "day," and the darkness he called "night." And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day (Genesis 1:3-5).

According to the biblical creation account, we know that it is day because it is light. I don't need to see the sun, which didn't come into being until day four, just the light. So even on a cloudy day, I still know that it is day. And when the light disappears, that is night. A few hundred miles to the north of my home, there comes a time, which has just past, where it is day for weeks because the sun does nothing by circle the horizon. And there is a day coming when it will be night for a similar period, as the sun stays well below that horizon. Light, and its lack, is how we know the difference between day and night.

But Zechariah argues that a day is coming when there will be no distinction between day and night. It will be an era when the very forces of creation will be upset and abolished. Day and night will no longer be defined by the sun and the light that it sheds on the earth. It will be determined by the presence of God, and by our understanding.

Paul argues the same thing at the end of his dissertation on love. "For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known" (1 Corinthians 13:12). Then, in the blazing light of the day, I could only see some of what I wanted to see. But now, as the evening approaches, I can see and know. As we get closer to the return of the Messiah, the light increases, even though it is evening, and the sun is setting.

It is a day known only to God. It is a time when we will, at last, see him face to face, and understand all of the things that have eluded us during our time on this planet. It is the time of the full light, as well as the final light. And then, on that day known only to God, we will finally understand.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Isaiah 55

And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son. – Zechariah 12:10

 Today's Scripture Reading (September 2, 2020): Zechariah 12 & 13

Ronald Reagan, speaking about abortion, said that "I've noticed that everyone who is for abortion has already been born." All of us, arguing for and against the birth of an unborn child, share that fact in common. It is not our birth about which we are speaking. And maybe if it were, if it were possible for us to time travel back to the days following our conception and be part of the discussion around the beginning of our lives, we would think differently. Maybe. But then again, sometimes the obvious things are hard for us to see.

And our struggle with the obvious rears its head with this prophecy. For some, primarily more conservative Christians, the allusion here could not be more explicit. Zechariah places these words in the mouth of God and says they will look on me, the one they have pierced. The verse seems to confirm that God himself will be pierced, suggesting that not only would the Messiah be pierced, but that he would also be God. Zechariah said that this is the way that it had to happen more than five centuries before Jesus was born; the Messiah would be pierced, and he would die.

If that is not enough, the language continues as Zechariah speaks of mourning an only child and grieving a firstborn son, all adding to the picture that seems to be fulfilled in the story of Jesus. Zechariah argues that this piercing of the Messiah will somehow be connected to God pouring out a spirit of grace and supplication, or of repentance, on the house of David, all of which was reinforced through the ministry of Jesus. I have to admit that often when it comes to prophesy from various sources, including biblical ones, it seems that you can only see what the prophet might be getting at if you squint your eyes and peer into the mystery in just the right way. It is the reason why prophecy always seems more apparent after the events have been fulfilled.

But if you are still struggling, wondering if this passage is really about Jesus, then John confirms in his witness that he believes it is, although he doesn't mention Zechariah by name. John writes, ^"These things happened so that the scripture would be fulfilled: "Not one of his bones will be broken," and, as another scripture says, "They will look on the one they have pierced" (John 19:36-37). John's latter comment is a clear allusion to Zechariah 12:10.

So, what's the problem. For some, Zechariah's words are too obvious; besides, God cannot die. And so, they argue a translation problem or translating the verse with an eye to what we believe is the fulfillment, except that even those who struggle with the translation of the verse agree that the easiest and the most straightforward reading seems to be the one that we have.

Zechariah seems to tell us that the Messiah would come and that he would be God incarnate. God, in the guise of the Messiah and a member of the house of David, would minister grace and repentance to the nation of Israel. And then he would be pierced and would die. And he would be mourned as an only child and a firstborn son.

This is the story of the Messiah. The only question is, is it also the story of Jesus, or is that just too obvious an answer.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Zechariah 14

Their buyers slaughter them and go unpunished. Those who sell them say, 'Praise the LORD, I am rich!' Their own shepherds do not spare them. – Zechariah 11:5

 Today's Scripture Reading (September 1, 2020): Zechariah 11

Last Sunday, my granddaughter (eight years old) sat at my dinner table, wearing a T-Shirt that read "Never Give Up." As I listened to her tell stories, and watched her roll her eyes at her grandfather's feeble attempts at humor, my eyes kept returning to the logo on her T-Shirt. And her grandfather hoped that she took the slogan seriously. I am already proud of her. She has gone through more challenges than I ever wanted her to suffer through during her first eight years of life and has come through those challenges with flying colors. But I know that more trials are ahead. And, I hope that she just keeps persisting through all that is to come; that she never gives up. And that hope is extended to all three of my grandsons.

As Zechariah begins his story, he introduces us to three characters. The buyers who purchase the animals only to kill them from owners who are only concerned with increasing their wealth without objection from the shepherds who have been given the responsibility for the daily care for the flock. No one in the process speaks in defense of the animals.

Zechariah's point is that Israel is the flock. They are weak, exiles who are returning to the land that has now been occupied by foreigners for decades. The new occupants have a different plan than those who formerly lived in the area. They need someone to speak for them. They need someone willing to stand up for them and defend their interests. But Zechariah believes that everyone involved in the process just wants to benefit from Israel and that Israel is being sent to the slaughter. But God has commissioned Zechariah to be the "Good Shepherd," the one standing in defense of the people. Even though they were weak and poor, Zechariah was not going to give up on them.

Of course, another "Good Shepherd" was coming. And he would make a stand for the weak, and the overlooked of Israel. John tells a story of a blind man in John 9-10. The blind man has been abused and victimized by those in power. He is left to beg for his food while the religious elite of the day argue over whose sin caused the blindness.

But Jesus sees the man, and while the religious of his day had given up on him, Jesus restores his sight. The elite are not pleased because it was not part of their plan. The healed man is kicked out of the Temple and has a second positive confrontation with Jesus. But then Jesus meets with the Pharisees. He attacks their willingness to give up on the weak of Israel, much like the characters in Zechariah's tale. And in his meeting with the Pharisees, he makes this comment.

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

"I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.

"I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep.

Jesus promises that he is not the one who will give up on you, no matter how inconsequential you might think yourself to be, so be careful that you do not give up on yourself. The Good Shepherd still comes to give life and to give it fully.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Zechariah 12 & 13

 

Ask the LORD for rain in the springtime; it is the LORD who sends the thunderstorms. He gives showers of rain to all people, and plants of the field to everyone. – Zechariah 10:1

 Today's Scripture Reading (August 31, 2020): Zechariah 10

Twentieth-century Russian-American novelist Vladimir Nabokov argued that we should "not be angry with the rain; it simply does not know how to fall upwards." He is not entirely right with his assumption. Sometimes, in the chaos of the clouds and the wind, rain does swirl and sometimes even falls upward. Of course, we never see that happening. And the rain that falls upward does us no good. It is only the rain that makes it to the ground helps us to live and grow the things on which we depend. Only the moisture that falls to the ground helps keep our forests alive and healthy and curtails the fires that seem to rage every year all over the globe. If it weren't for the rain that falls to the ground, life would not exist on the planet.

Ancient Israel featured an agricultural society, and it was an agrarian society without an irrigation system. And so, the nation depended on the rain. And the rain they depended on fell in two seasons; the former rain fell in the fall of the year, and the latter rain fell in the spring. Zechariah, here, speaks specifically of the latter rain, or rain that fell on the springtime. Zechariah reminds his society that they need the storm and that the rain falls at the command of God.

But he also reminds them that God's rain falls on everyone. God does not just play to his base. God does not act in heaven, deciding who to bless and who to curse depending on who supports him. Yes, there are consequences to sin and blessing found in living inside of God's plan. But God desires that all would succeed. And part of the reason for this is that God understands that "everyone succeeding" is a fundamental part of lasting peace. Wars, both formal and informal, are often fought, at least on some level, over the control of resources. Rebellion and riots are the results of an unequal distribution of the things needed for us to live. And lasting peace only happens when there is an equalization of wealth and resources.

Pastor David Guzik argues that "In man's ideas of equality, often everyone ends up equally poor. God's idea of equality means abundance for everyone." Slowly, we are waking up to the truth of these words. The peaceful path forward in our culture is to make sure that the rain or blessings fall on everyone, and that the gap between the rich and poor shrinks. And that is the plan according to the mind of God. Our problem is that achieving these things are not in the mind of man. Politicians seem to put policies in place that maximize the wealth of those with money and have the ability to support their campaigns monetarily, often arguing that their wealth will trickle down to the rest of us. But, while they rarely admit it, they often do so at the expense of those who live in the middle and lower portions of the economy. The reality of trickle-down economics is that the rich get richer while the poor get poorer.

In God's economy, there is enough for everyone.   

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Zechariah 11

Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. – Zechariah 9:9

 Today's Scripture Reading (August 30, 2020): Zechariah 9

His name was Bucephalus. And while he only lived thirty years, during those thirty years, he made the most of existence. If the measure of our lives is whether or not we are loved, then there is no doubt that Bucephalus found himself on the positive side of life's equation. Bucephalus was loved, but he was also feared.

Bucephalus was a warrior, and like many warriors, his dream was not to die of weariness or old-age, but preferably in battle. For Bucephalus, that moment came in June 326 B.C.E., at the Battle of the Hydaspes, a military skirmish fought on the banks of the Jhelum River in modern-day Pakistan. Bucephalus was old at the age of thirty, but he was not weary. He fought as he had fought in the days of his youth. (I know, you question whether thirty is old, but, you see, the warrior Bucephalus was a horse.) More importantly, Bucephalus was the much-loved steed of Alexander the Great. And until the moment of his death, he was the faithful partner of one of the greatest generals this world has ever known. And every battle that Alexander fought, until that fateful one in Pakistan, Alexander fought with Bucephalus.

In Ancient times, a conquering King always entered the city on his horse. And since Alexander was a conqueror, he always entered the city of those whom he had defeated on his horse, and, for Alexander, that meant Bucephalus.

But that was not the only way that a king could enter a city. The other way was on a donkey. And when the king entered a city on a donkey, it meant that he was coming in peace. And while we often read this passage and emphasize the humility of the Jerusalem's king entering the city, riding on a donkey, we seem to minimize that the passage also says that the comes to the city "righteous and victorious," riding on a "donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey." The latter phrase appears to be a Hebrew way of stressing that the animal was a thoroughbred. The king was not going to enter the city riding some kind of mongrel beast; this was mount fit for a king.

As Christians, we see the fulfillment of this passage taking place with Jesus on Palm Sunday. On that Sunday, he entered Jerusalem, not as an Alexander would have on his precious Bucephalus, but riding a donkey, a borrowed one at that, declaring to all that he had come in peace. But we waged war against him anyway. He came victorious, assured that he would accomplish what he had set out to do, and yet we called him a thief. He came on a thoroughbred, and we treated him as a mongrel, unfit to enter our lives. He came in love, and we responded in hate. He gave his life for us, and we dishonored him.

There was no "rejoice" in our actions. And that is on us.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Zechariah 10

This is what the LORD Almighty says: "I am very jealous for Zion; I am burning with jealousy for her." – Zechariah 8:2

 Today's Scripture Reading (August 29, 2020): Zechariah 8

We have a jealousy problem in the church, but not likely in the way that you are thinking. For us, jealousy has become an emotion that is filled with only negative connotations and possessing no redeeming attributes. To say that we serve a "jealous God" is almost impossible for the contemporary mind to comprehend. After all, God is good, and jealousy is bad. The two can't mix.

Except that the Bible, in its various phrasings, seems to insist that our God is jealous. And the implication is far from negative, only increasing our tension with the concept of jealousy. There is no doubt that jealousy can be negative, that jealousy can give birth to a lack of trust and to over-reactive emotions that burn with anger at the object of the jealousy. But that is only part of the passion that we know of as jealousy.

In fact, most of us want a little jealousy present in the ones that we love. Because the presence of jealousy also indicates that they care for us, and are willing to pursue us. And even though this might not be a politically correct thing to say, I think that we all deep down want to be pursued. Jealousy is a force in the dance that we do when those we love are away, and they ask us if we miss them. Maybe because we are afraid of sounding jealous, we sometimes downplay the question. Our answer often sounds more like "Yes, but I have been busy and keeping myself occupied" when the truth is more "I can't sleep, I can't eat, I wonder continuously what you are doing and who you are with because I miss you," and the truth is "I am jealous for you."

And it is in the manner that God is jealous. He has proved over the pages of history that he is a jealous God, and that jealousy is shown in the fact that he pursues us, even when the only thing we want from him is to be left alone to suffer in the darkness of this world. He loves us, even when we don't love him. And he is utterly incapable of giving up on us, regardless of how rocky our lives might get. When our actions are ugly, he doesn't seem to notice, and he still loves us.

Yet, even amidst of his jealousy, he will not force himself on us. He may never be far away, but the choice to love him has to be ours. He has blessed us with the freedom to accept or reject him. So, have you made your choice? Because God is jealous for you.  

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Zechariah 9