Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh. – Luke 6:21

Today’s Scripture Reading (September 30, 2017): Luke 6

North Korea’s threat of setting off a nuclear bomb in the atmosphere has set my mind, and I suspect a few other minds, in motion. What would we do in case of an electromagnetic pulse set off somewhere over North America? What would we do if our electrical and computer systems were destroyed for a matter of months? No electricity or phones, or even means of reliable motorized transportation. I don’t have to worry about a hurricane flooding out my neighborhood or disrupting my life. I don’t live on a floodplain, but other things can disrupt my life. And my question is, do I have a plan – especially one that takes in the fates of family members and friends about whom I might be concerned. Admittedly, this line of thought might be on par with worrying over Y2K in 1999, something that I never did prepare for, and I obviously wasn’t all that concerned considering I didn’t stay home on December 31, 1999.   

But nothing is permanent, which is always a good thing to remember when bad times strike. In the face of a rebellious North Korea, I remember a defiant Soviet Union. The Russia of today is scary, but somehow the Soviet Union of my early memories was much scarier. I don’t remember going through the useless school drills of “In case of a nuclear bomb attack, hide under your desk,” but it was still a scary time.

Part of Jesus teaching here appears to be that there really is a cycle to life. Just because everything is going well now, does not mean that they will always be that way. Tough times are likely to be just around the corner. And just because life might seem to be filled with tears now does not mean that smiles are a thing of the past. Time has a way of changing how we feel.

But maybe a deeper meaning to Jesus words is that our current condition is actively setting the course for what our future might hold. If we hunger, then we are actively trying to take steps to fill that hunger. If there is a void inside of us that creates dissatisfaction and makes us weep, then we will actively take steps that will fill that void. Of course, all of that naturally assumes that we understand what it will take to satisfy the hunger and fill that void.

From the point of view of Jesus, only a search for God will feed the hunger and satisfy the void, because he is what is truly missing. Those who are truly hungry for God will search for him, and if we seek him, we are promised that we will find him, at least, given enough time. But for the Christian Church, it might be the other side of the coin that is truly a problem. If we think we are in possession of God, then we will stop seeking, and in the end, we will be the one left outside of his grace. This description seems to be a perfect description of the Pharisees with whom Jesus seemed to frequently do battle. They believed that they were in possession of God and had stopped seeking. The “sinners” knew that they needed God, but didn’t seem to understand how to find him. In the end, they didn’t have to find God. Jesus, knowing their lack and their desire to seek reached out to them, and only then did they find the solution to the void that existed inside of them.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Matthew 11

When his family heard about this, they went to take charge of him, for they said, “He is out of his mind.” – Mark 3:21

Today’s Scripture Reading (September 29, 2017): Mark 3

Family seems to have a loose connotation in our culture. Family is not just who we are related to, or at least that appears to be the case. We extend the idea of family to close friends who we gather around us. Someone is considered to be like a brother or a sister in certain situations. We become the ones that are on their midnight call list when everything goes wrong. I have to admit that one of my favorite nicknames is “PUG,” although not many call me that anymore. PUG stands for Pastor Uncle Garry. Trust me; it is the best of both worlds.

We have a couple of struggles with this verse in Mark. The first surrounds the idea of family. Some commentators think that this is better translated as friends or associates. Part of the problem is that if we accept Mark’s chronology here, then his mother and brothers, the ones in Jesus life who could be most legalistically called family, arrive in verse 31. So that is not who Mark is talking about here.

But the second problem surrounds the accusation that Jesus was “out of his mind.” Often those who believe that the “family” in verse 21 means Jesus mother and brothers, charge that his “family” was not in step with Jesus ministry. They did not understand what it was that Jesus was doing and so they were not sympathetic with his activities. As one put it, they were “mean” (which I interpret as possessing a spirit of opposition to Jesus). We know this to be true of at least one of Jesus brothers; James. James would not see Jesus as Savior until after his death and resurrection. Only then would he accept Jesus as Messiah and eventually rise to lead the Christian Church in Jerusalem.

But if this verse means friends or associates, then they were likely to have been drawn to Jesus because of that very activity. If that is the case, then the stance taken here is likely one of protection. Jesus wanted to help everyone, but in his human state (we believe that Jesus was “fully human” although we often struggle with what exactly that means) he needed to be cared for and protected. The often cited “sex scene” in Jesus Christ Superstar (and no, there is no “sex” in the “scene”) is a good example of that kind of care. Mary Magdalene and the disciples rescue Jesus from a moment where his human endurance is tested by an overwhelming need to care for the sick, and they put him to bed (alone) while Mary sings “I Don’t Know How to Love Him.” There were times when his friends felt that they had to look after the needs of the one that they followed because even before his death on the cross, Jesus inclination seemed to be that he would give everything for them.

Personally, I think that the best interpretation here is friends that felt a sincere desire to care for and protect Jesus. But that family is the best translation of verse 21 because it ties in directly with how this passage ends.  “Then he looked at those seated in a circle around him and said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother” (Mark 3:34-35).

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Luke 6

When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him, “Look! Your disciples are doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath.” – Matthew 12:2

Today’s Scripture Reading (September 28, 2017): Matthew 12

“Anybody can observe the Sabbath, but making it holy surely takes the rest of the week.” The words belong to Alice Walker, an author and activist probably best known for her novel “The Color Purple.” But what she says in intuitive. You cannot make the Sabbath holy simply by observing it. The other days of the week are used in preparation for that one day that we are to make holy. Admittedly, this is sometimes where I fail. The truth is that emergencies don’t often consider Sabbath rest. Funerals happen. Parishioners often say that my lack of Sabbath is acceptable because “I am doing the Lord’s work.” But the reality is that we all need that one day of physical rest and spiritual worship in order to continue to live healthily. The extensive list of pastors who have burned out might be, at least partially, because of a “lack of a Sabbath.”

Jesus was a critic of the idea of Sabbath. It is the only Commandment from the famous list of Ten that Jesus did not reinforce. Instead, Jesus was a violator of the Sabbath. And part of the problem was that the Sabbath had become just another legalistic commitment that people kept religiously. The people observed the Sabbath, but they did not make it holy. It was just another legalistic attempt to force the worship of God with their bodies while doing nothing to encourage the worship of God with their spirits and their minds.

Jesus response was that every day was holy. God was the author of this life and every day belonged to him and worship on every day is his and his alone. And when we truly decide to worship God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength on our non-Sabbath days, worshiping him on the Sabbath and making the Sabbath holy becomes a lot easier because it flows out of our activity during the rest of the week.

Jesus response also made it easier for the early church to change the day of Sabbath, from Saturday to Sunday, the Lord’s Day. The Sabbath break is still incredibly important, but when every day is holy the day celebrated becomes less important. My Sabbath is neither Saturday nor Sunday. I observe Sabbath on Friday. In my week it is the day when it is easiest to stop from my activity (physical rest) and worship God. I don’t even write on a Fridays, although my words do magically appear on this blog. The work is done during one of the other days of the week in preparation for the day that I make holy.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Mark 3

“Sir,” the invalid replied, “I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me.” – John 5:7

Today’s Scripture Reading (September 27, 2017): John 5

Ronald Reagan commented, “We can't help everyone, but everyone can help someone.” The truth is that we all need help at some point in our lives. None of us can achieve everything in this life on our own. We need help.

Unfortunately, we tend to live our lives as if that isn’t true. Every week I see people putting up barriers between themselves and someone else that actually results in them being placed outside of the circle of help when the time of need arrives. I am pretty sure we do not do it Intentionally. But it is often in those words that we use when we are in a hurry, or, to be honest, when we are being selfish – those times when there is something that we want, and we feel that someone else seems to be standing in our way. I see it often in the move to leave the church after the service. Some people appear to want to get out quickly to whatever the afternoon holds for them, and often they trip over each other saying unkind words or using unkind gestures in their effort to get through the doors. The words don’t help them get out any faster, but one more barrier has been put in place between people who, someday, will need each other.

The myth that surrounded the pool at Bethesda was that when the water moved, it was an angel that was moving it. And when the angel touched the water, the first person to get into the water would be healed. And so the sick gathered, often with the help of family and friends, who would watch for the water of the pool to move. And when it moved, there was a rush to see who could get into the water first. It wasn’t that anyone was intentionally rude to this man who had gathered at the edge of the pool, but in their rush to get their special someone into the water, he was overlooked.

There was no way he would ever get into the water first unless someone helped him. But this man by the pool is not alone. There were others who needed help into the pool. And we all need that help at some point in our lives. Ronald Reagan is right. We can all help somebody. And someday, we might just be the one who is getting assistance to get into our pool of healing.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Matthew 12

On hearing this, Jesus said to them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” – Mark 2:17

Today’s Scripture Reading (September 26, 2017): Mark 2

Sean Spicer’s cameo at the Emmy Awards has raised the ire of many with interest in American politics. The former Whitehouse Press Secretary made fun about the size of the Emmy crowd, bringing back the memory of his comments about the size of the Donald Trump’s inauguration crowd which he claimed was the largest ever, even in the face of evidence that the statement was false. Sean Spicer is in the middle of what his critics are calling his “redemption tour” as he tries to rebuild his reputation following his time of employment with the White House. And one of the stops on the tour was his appearance at the Emmy’s along with an apology that he issued to reporters for berating them over crowd sizes.

I feel sorry for Spicer. As much as people want to criticize his “redemption tour,” two facts seem overwhelmingly important to me. First, Spicer served a president that has hung up with everything being the biggest and the best, or the absolute worst, ever, according to which serves his purposes the best. Spicer’s comments about inauguration crowd sizes and a number of other topics were entirely in keeping with the opinion of his boss. And the job of the White House Press Secretary is not to give voice to his own opinions; rather it is to reflect the views and attitudes of the President. Had Spicer said anything else, he would not have been reflecting the opinion of Donald Trump. His critics argue that, under those circumstances, he should have quit. Maybe he should have. But he tried to do his best, fulfilling the role that he was hired to play, for as long as he held the office.

Second, he is apologizing now. He is admitting that he was wrong. In the apology, there is an implicit request for forgiveness – forgiveness that is not being offered by his critics. And the problem is that the lack of forgiveness assumes that we, or Spicer’s critics, have never done anything wrong and that we never stand in need of forgiveness. That is a false self-righteousness that we need to get over. Because unless we admit our own shortcomings, we will never find forgiveness.

It is this message of forgiveness that Jesus is trying to communicate to his critics, the Pharisees. He had come to bring healing to the sick; sinners. The truth underlying Jesus’s statement is that “sinners” included everyone. But there was a section of the population, some of whom were critics of Jesus, who were refusing to offer forgiveness to those who needed it. One group of people freely admitted that they had committed wrong acts; the other group refused to accept that there was anything for which they required forgiveness. The sad reality was that everyone needed forgiveness, but it was only those on their own personal “redemption tours” that would receive it. Those who believed they were righteous would never find the forgiveness that they so badly needed.

Sean Spicer’s apology and “redemption tour” places him back with the rest of us – sinners in need of grace and forgiveness. Hopefully, in finding forgiveness, he will learn what mistakes he should avoid in the future. It is the learning process that we all go through as we admit our personal responsibility and our need for grace.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: John 5

Another disciple said to him, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” But Jesus told him, “Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead.” – Matthew 8:21-22

Today’s Scripture Reading (September 25, 2017): Matthew 8

In Sir Walter Scott’s “Gathering Song of Donald the Black,” the Clan Conuil is summoned to war. The emergency is immediate. The need for soldiers is extended to all, regardless of their current situation.

            Leave untended the herd,

                        The flock without shelter;

            Leave the corpse uninterr’d,

                        The bride at the altar;

            Leave the deer, leave the steer,

                        Leave nets and barges:

            Come with your fighting gear,

                        Broadswords and targes.

The military element of the call of God on our lives has not been missed by our poets. Consider Sabine Baring-Gould’s classic hymn which opens with the lines “Onward Christian Soldiers, Marching as to war.” The call of the Christian Clan is immediate and all-encompassing. The need is great, and the results, if we do not respond, is devastating. After all, although I admit that the influence of the people of God on this world seems to have been misdirected in recent years, God purpose is to save the world from itself; to replace hate with love and intolerance with acceptance. It is a purpose that should call from us all that we have.

And with that kind of an understanding, it is not hard to hear the call of Jesus to this follower following the words of Sir Walter Scott, “leave the corpse uninterr’d, the bride at the altar.” There will be time for that later, but right now we need to pick up the cross and enter the fight. We have a world to save.

Yet, that seems to far from the intent of this the request found in this verse. Every indication and understanding is that this person was another “wait a little” Pharisee. The promise is that I will follow, but not now. Wait just a little longer. It is likely that the man’s father wasn’t even sick, let alone dead. And Jesus was not asking for the man to make his final goodbyes to his parents. The disciples seemed to frequently return to their homes to visit with their wives and parents. What was at work with this potential follower was not grief, but rather, procrastination. Grief Jesus understands, but procrastination he stands against. Procrastination mirrors the situation Jesus spoke against in Laodicea. “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth” (Revelation 3:15-16).

Or maybe this is what Master Yoda was trying to tell Young Luke Skywalker in “Star Wars.” “Do. Or do not. There is no try.” Make your decision, follow me or don’t. But don’t put off the decision until tomorrow. That path leads only to spiritual death. And then you are no good to anyone.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Mark 2

One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.” – Luke 11:1

Today’s Scripture Reading (September 24, 2017): Luke 11

I understand Abraham Lincoln’s words when he said, “I have been driven many times upon my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had no where else to go. My own wisdom and that of all about me seemed insufficient for that day.” It seems that I am constantly found in that same position where “my own wisdom … seems insufficient for the day.” It is in these moments that my words also seem inadequate, even in my prayers. It is at these times that I want to sit quietly and let my heart, often broken, communicate with God. The struggles of life often seem too much, and we need to be reminded that we do not see everything, but that God does see even what it is that has been hidden from our eyes.

Luke 11 starts off with his version of what we know of as “The Lord’s Prayer.” But in Luke, the situation changes slightly. In Matthew 6, which contains the more widely known version of the prayer, the text forms just one part of a much longer teaching which we know of as “The Sermon on the Mount.” But in Luke, it is the disciples that start the conversation. Jesus, teach us to pray. What are the words that we should use when we have run out of words? What do we say when we have nothing to say? What do we do when our own wisdom seems insufficient for the day?

Lord, teach us to pray. What follows Is Jesus answer to the disciple’s question? The words that can be used when we run out of words. It is not a formula for how to get what you want out of God, but just a way to keep our prayers in line with him. Whenever we run out of words and our wisdom is insufficient for the moment, just remember that he is Father, that his purpose is to bring Heaven down to earth, that he knows our needs, and forgives our sins. And because we are the forgiven, we become the carriers of forgiveness to a world that needs forgiveness more than it needs anything else.

When you run out of words, pray these words – and then sit silently before God and wonder how you can become God hands and feet in your community, and with the people that you meet every day.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Matthew 8

The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash. – Matthew 7:27

Today’s Scripture Reading (September 23, 2017): Matthew 7

As this summer’s hurricanes have revealed, there are both advantages and disadvantages to building your house on the beach. My last visit to the Gulf of Mexico was to the beaches of Galveston. When I was there, the sun was shining, and the beach and the water were very inviting. It was great to just lay on the beach, or walk around the town, and let the hot Texas sun melt away all of our anxiety. When the sun shines, the Gulf is a beautiful place to go and play.

But when the hurricane winds blow, and the sea swell overtakes the beach, you don’t want to be anywhere near the Gulf of Mexico. That was the scene that rolled across our television screens over the past few weeks. Evacuations were recommended across the Southern States as people left behind the things that they had acquired in life in the hope that they could save their lives. After all, things could be replaced and rebuilt, but their lives could not be repaired or replaced.

My wife and I were watching one of those beachfront renovations show recently (more like she was watching while I sat in the room with her) and on one of the shows, we watched as a couple searched for a vacation home within sight of the Gulf of Mexico a little West of Galveston. As I watched the couple make their new purchase, the only question that was on my mind was whether or not, after the active weather in the Gulf this summer, their new purchase was even still standing. After seeing the devastation of the area on the news, I am not sure that I hold out much hope that their vacation home is still there.

Jesus cautions his followers as he ends his “Sermon on the Mount” to be careful with where they decide to build their lives. Building on the beach is great on bright and sunny days. There is nothing better than rolling out of bed and going for a walk on the sand while the sun reflects off of the still water. But life isn’t filled with bright and sunny days. Sometimes the wind blows, and the water is disrupted by an out of control surf. And it is one thing to build your house on the beach. At least a house can be rebuilt.

But when we build our lives on the beach, then we are risking everything. Because eventually, “The rains come down and the floods come up, and the house on the sand …,” well, you already know what happened to it.      

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Luke 11

Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. – Matthew 6:1

Today’s Scripture Reading (September 22, 2017): Matthew 6

The seventeenth-century philosopher Emanuel Swedenborg commented that “true charity is the desire to be useful to others with no thought of recompense.” We act charitably to each other, giving of what we possess, not because of the reward we will receive, but rather because it is the right thing to do and the right way to live. To be active in tearing down the artificial barriers that exist between us is part of what it means to be truly human and an active role within the human community.

Too often, we give because of what we might anticipate that we will receive. In a conversation I had recently with a friend, I came to understand how real that temptation is. My friend was selflessly giving her time to a cause that had not honored her in the past, and my concern was that she was being used by the people involved with the cause. It is a hard line to walk. Almost every week someone comes to tell me about some act of charity that they have completed. The acts in and of themselves are positive and beneficial to the community, but in telling me about the things that they have done or the amount of money that they are donating to the cause there seems to be an indication that they are giving out of a need to be recognized – and that recognition is the desired reward.

Our culture is filled with examples of this kind of charity. People give money to find their name on pamphlets, or benches, or walls. It is the encouragement that we offer in exchange for the money that charities need. During a visit to a local Jewish Orthodox Synagogue, the instructions by the usher revealed that I was free to sit anywhere, but if there was a name on the pew that I chose and that family came to worship on that day, I might be asked to move. The families of the Synagogue had literally bought their own seats in an attempt to raise enough money to update the sanctuary seating. But the money came with an immediate benefit, a place to sit for worship and your name immortalized on the back of the pew.

Jesus instruction is the reverse of our natural inclinations. When you give, don’t think about what it is that you might receive. Don’t advertise your charity in order gain the praise of the people. Because if that becomes your motive for every charitable act that you do, then you have already received your reward – or more precisely, you have received the payment that you required for you to give your gift. But real generosity is done without any regard for benefit. In fact, true charity is giving the gift and asking that your name be left off the wall. No one needs to know what it is that you have done. God knows, and that is enough because, in the end, it is the praise of God that we really want – and not the approval of the people.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Matthew 7

But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. – Matthew 5:39

Today’s Scripture Reading (September 21, 2017): Matthew 5

As social media has brought images from the Hurricane ravaged the Southern States across my computer screen, I have to admit that I am more than a little uncomfortable with the signs announcing that “looters will be shot on sight.” Several variations on the theme seem to exist. No, I don’t think that any sane person would follow through with such the threat, but even the threat seems over the top, and ultimately it sends a message that we value things more than human life. Prosecute looters, take their pictures as evidence, but shooting them? What about the family scrounging for food to stay alive? Are they on equal footing with the person who is stealing your flat-screen television? And, really, as much of an evil and disrespectful thing it might be to take your television, is that thing that you paid a few hundred dollars for at Costco really worth a human life. I just don’t get it.

As Christians, the stakes for us are even higher. If we are really following Christ, the idea that “looters will be shot on sight” (and, yes, I have heard Bible believing Christians make the comment) seems to be at odds with direct commands of Jesus – “Do not resist an evil person.” Jesus’s instruction is definitely hard advice to live out, but it is also supposed to be a part of an essential character change that exists within us.

The major criticism of Jesus’s “turn the other cheek policy” is that actions like that will never modify the world. But at the same time, matching wrong with wrong has not gotten us very far either. Maybe it is time that we tried to respond to hate with love and evil with good. May it is time that we tried to walk a mile in the shoes of the one who is taking from us so that we can discover another way around the problem.

At the very least, turning the other cheek keeps the lines of right and wrong straight. Instead of our falling to the level of the evil person who is oppressing us, we maintain our rightness before God. And in the end, it is God’s praise that I want to receive, not humankind’s. Anger is a lure that pulls us into evil, and we are much better off if we can learn to live without it.  

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Matthew 6

When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?”- John 4:7

Today’s Scripture Reading (September 20, 2017): John 4

I love stories, and one of my favorite story tellers is Tony Campolo. A long time ago I was asked who my favorite preacher was and I answered Tony Campolo, I am not sure at the time that I had even considered the words favorite and preacher ever going together. Sermons were something to be endured. My boss, and the one asking the question, quickly responded with “He’s not a preacher, he is a sociologist.” At that point, I wondered if I was in the wrong field. All I wanted to do was tell stories.

One of my favorite Campolo stories is about Tony in Hawaii throwing a birthday for a prostitute. The story involves jet-lag induced insomnia and a greasy spoon restaurant, and a prostitute who admitted to her friends that she was celebrating a birthday the next day. According to Campolo, her friend’s reaction was not all that encouraging. “What do you want from me? A party?” As the crowd left the restaurant, Tony decided that that was what he was going to do; throw the prostitute a birthday party. He organized the party with the owner of the restaurant after learning that the girls all came in at the same time every night. Tony arranged for the decorations, the cook baked a cake – and they waited for the next night to bring the girls in one more time. And when they came in, the prostitute was speechless. She even took the cake home to show her mother.

The tear inducing, final moment of the story, and Tony tells it much better, comes when the restaurant owner asks Tony what kind of a church he attends. Tony response: “One that throws birthday parties for prostitutes.” The owner looked at him and then responded, “Nah, but that is a church that I would want to attend.”

I told the story as part of my message one morning some years ago. Apparently, I upset at least one of my board members who met me after the sermon to remind me that I would not be throwing any birthday parties for prostitutes in the near future. Living in a world where the accusation trumps truth, that kind of behavior was expressly against church policy. I understood why the policy existed, and yet there was something incredibly sad about the reminder.

I am not sure that Jesus would fair very well in our contemporary world. So much of what he did as he ministered to those who needed him would be against our church policies, policies that are designed to protect church leadership from accusations. Which raises the question, how are we who want to walk in his footsteps supposed to minister to those who need us in this world in which we find ourselves? Of course, Jesus actions were not exactly the ones that would keep him safe from those who wanted to accuse him of doing something wrong.

The story of the Samaritan woman is an excellent example. Jesus’s woman at the well takes the role of the prostitute in Tony Campolo’s story. Married five times and now living with a man to whom she was not married, she was the outcast of the town. To escape the judgmental gazes from the other women in the town, she came to gather her water from the well when there was, usually, no one there. Noon was in the midst of the heat of the day, and most of the woman would have collected their water in the early morning or the evening. On this day, she came to the well only to find a strange man standing there. She probably pondered the situation. He was a man, and she was a woman. He was a Jew, and she was a Samaritan. Church policy already stood against the two of them engaging in any kind of conversation. And so she gathered her courage and decided to make her way to the well, get the water, and go home as quickly possible. With all that stood between them, surely he wouldn’t speak.

But, instead, Jesus threw church policy away and asked the woman for water. And this question turned into a moment that would change the Samaritan woman’s life.  

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Matthew 5

For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. – John 3:17

Today’s Scripture Reading (September 19, 2017): John 3

Canadian Politician, Jagmeet Singh, was recently accused of supporting the Muslim Brotherhood and Sharia Law at a local debate by a heckler. The heckler, Jennifer Bush, was able to get right into the face of Singh, something our American friends would never have allowed to happen, invading Singh’s personal space while adamantly demanding that no one else invade hers. All through the attack, Singh urged his supporters and campaign staff to not intervene, reminding them that one of the core values of the campaign was love, respect and inclusion – even if those who opposed them would not grant them the same values. While the heckler spouted hate, the crowd was urged to respond with messages of love and acceptance. Singh, at one point interrupting the heckler’s tirade, told her “Everyone in this room loves you, we all support you; we believe in your rights … but this isn’t the best way to do it [get her message across].”

What was jarring about the confrontation was that Singh received the criticism, even though it appeared to be misplaced. Jagmeet Singh, born in Scarborough, Ontario Canada, is not Muslim. He is a Sikh. He learned Sikh principles from his mother, including the principle he hopes to introduce to many Canadians – chardi kala. Chardi Kala is “maintaining optimism in the face of adversity.” When Singh was asked why he did not just tell the heckler that he was Sikh, and not Muslim, Singh responded that that would say that the words of the heckler would have been valid if he were a follower of Islam. Singh felt that the words were wrong, no matter the religion that he might follow. Love is not just available to those who support us. Love must be for everyone.

It is a very Christian sentiment, although one that is hard to put into practice. Singh is being denounced by people and groups who seem to believe that hate must be responded to with hate. From their point of view, the radical acceptance displayed by Singh was inappropriate – the heckler should have been denounced. But that would have been more of a support for the charge that the heckler was advancing. The radical acceptance displayed by Jagmeet Singh and Sharia Law seem to be out of step with each other. Love in the face of hate is rarely seen, but according to our Christian principles, always the right response.

And I think that Jesus would have been proud of Singh’s response, even if Singh is not a Christ follower. After all, Jesus is the one who taught his followers to turn the other cheek and to love their enemies. It might be chardi kala that Singh thought he was reflecting in the confrontation, but his response also clearly contained elements of Jesus’s Sermon on the Mount.

God’s decision in Jesus was not to respond to the hate of the world with hate, but rather to respond with love. He sent his Son into the world not to condemn it, but to save it. And that makes me wonder why more Christians do not exhibit behavior that matches that of Jagmeet Singh – and why his children seem to spend more time condemning the world instead of trying to save it.  

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: John 4

“Woman, why do you involve me?” Jesus replied. “My hour has not yet come.” – John 2:4

Today’s Scripture Reading (September 18, 2017): John 2

A Wisconsin “Dairy Queen” has made the news with

what the owner admits is a politically incorrect sign. The origin of the sign is actually found in a complaint that someone had voiced because the restaurant played Christian Music over the speakers in the dining area. The sign is placed at the door as a sort warning of the kind of establishment that you are about to enter. If they say “Merry Christmas” to you in December, then don’t say that you weren’t warned that such an opinion might be expressed.

I applaud the sign. I think that we should be able to express our views about and belief in God. If the owner has really made room for God in his business dealings, then he has also made room for you. I also see a major problem with the sign. It has chosen to equate religious belief with civic responsibility. And in that way, it is disrespectful to its customers. I don’t believe that the owner means to be disrespectful, well, except maybe for the comment about a “snowflake safe space” prepared just for you. There is a general attitude in American culture that seems to try to make the argument that belief in God, and honoring soldiers, police, firefighters and being respectful of the American Flag go hand in hand. If you don’t believe in God, then you must not believe in the United States. If you are a football player who is making a gesture during the playing of the National Anthem at a game in response to racial violence, then you must not be a Christian. Equating the two is disrespectful to everyone.

But it might not have always been that way. I freely admit that we live in a politically charged time when every word we utter seems to mean much more than it should. And language changes. I recognize that language of my youth, language that I didn’t give a second thought to, is now considered to be disrespectful. And sometimes even I get caught by the change.

It is the element of politically incorrect disrespect that I am always reminded of whenever I read the story of Jesus at Cana. Jesus response to his mother is not one that I would recommend for any young Bible readers – or older ones. I am not sure that at any age my mother would have felt honored by me calling her “woman” and then telling her no I didn’t want to do something. (The next time your mother asks you to cut the grass try this – “Woman, why do you involve me. The grass isn’t long enough yet” – or maybe not.)

But in this instance, two things need to be noted. First, in Jesus day the term “woman” was a statement of fact. No disrespect was intended. Just as in North American society we generally call our mothers “mom,” but that word would never pass through the lips of an upper-class British family. In Britain, no matter the age of the child, the appropriate term is always “mommy.”

Once we get past the disrespect of the term “woman” directed at Jesus’s mother, we also have to understand that Jesus never intended to be known as the “miracle worker.” He had a message of love and acceptance that needed to be preached and a death that would save the human race. As he lived and taught, he would do miracles, but the miracles were always intended to be secondary to both his message and his purpose. In this case, Jesus had yet to start to preach his message, so the miracle would become the primary objective.

But Jesus respected his mother, and so performed the miracle at his mother’s request. Although it was Jesus hope that few at the wedding celebration would ever know that the miracle had taken place. This was a private action of honoring his mother that Jesus completed with only a few servants present as witnesses.   

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: John 3

When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” – Luke 5:8

Today’s Scripture Reading (September 17, 2017): Luke 5

Kaley Cuoco (Penny on the “Big Bang Theory”) is five feet six inches, which places her just a couple of inches above the average height for a woman in North America. Two inches is probably not significant, and to be honest, she looks like the beautiful, delicate woman that she probably is. However, place her against a particular subset of her “Big Bang” co-stars, and she begins to take on the characteristics of a giant woman who has invaded the set. The problem is one of comparison. Of the three female stars involved in the show, Kaley is a full two inches taller than Mayim Bialik (Amy) and seven inches taller than the four foot eleven Melissa Rauch (Bernadette). Even the guys struggle to measure up. Simon Helberg (Howard) barely registers as taller than Kaley, and Kunal Nayyar (Rajesh) is just two inches taller than the lead actress. Johnny Galecki, who plays her husband on the show, is actually an inch shorter than Kaley. And if Kaley is wearing heels, and she often is, then she is taller than any of this subset of co-stars. So, if they are the only ones on the set, Kaley is huge. And in some scenes, the effect is obvious. It is only when the six foot one Jim Parsons (Sheldon) enters the room that Kaley begins to look more – I hate to say it – normal.

Life is all about comparisons. When I was younger, I stood six foot two, now that I am a little older I seem to have shrunk a little. I was actually six foot two when I was fifteen. Then I stopped growing. So for most of my adolescence, I was the usually the tallest person in the world. And I have noticed that when I am the tallest person in the room, I tend to curve my shoulder and hunch down just a little bit. But when I am in a room filled with tall men, I stand a little straighter, maybe in an unconscious effort to measure up.

There is nothing in the Biblical story that leads me to the conclusion that Peter was not a good man. Okay, sometimes his mouth was in gear while his brain was still in neutral, but come on, we all have those moments. I know, I sometimes cringe at the things that I have said – and done. But Peter could probably walk along the shores of the Sea of Galilee and stand tall knowing that he measured up. He was just as good as his friends, at least as a person. He might not have had the money of his business partners James and John, but he knew his business, and he took care of other people – always striving to do whatever was right.

But all of that changed the day that he met Jesus. He had never met anyone like him. And no matter how tall he tried to stand, in the presence of Jesus there was no way that any of us would ever measure up. So Peter’s response is natural – “get away from me, I have no right to be in with you.” Of course, Jesus saw something different in Peter. He saw the potential that God had placed in Peter’s life from the very beginning. And Jesus wanted to tap into Peter’s potential.

The truth is that when we meet Jesus if we don’t say “get away from me. I have no right to be in your presence,” then we have not come face to face with Jesus. But I also know that Jesus speaks about the same potential over our lives – he tells us that we are special, that we are his, and that he sees the same potential in us that he saw in Peter. And the invitation still hasn’t changed. It is still come and follow me.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: John 2

“Truly I tell you,” he continued, “no prophet is accepted in his hometown. – Luke 4:24

Today’s Scripture Reading (September 16, 2017): Luke 4

I am convinced that we exist in snapshots of time.

My mom’s father was a big, powerful man. For a number of years, he and my grandmother (who is much smaller but still a formidable woman) built houses together. They would buy up several lots in an area and then build the house that they would live in and then fill in the other lots with homes to be sold. I remember summers spent in some of the places where they were building and deciding that they were perfect for the job. Grandpa wrestled the big pieces of lumber with ease while my grandmother hammered them into place. The system simply worked.

As I said, my grandfather was a powerful man. But that one fact notwithstanding, my grandfather was called “Little Murray” until the day his mother died. To me, he was a giant; but to my great-grandmother, he was still her little boy. It is a phenomenon that I have experienced over and over in my life – and it is a phenomenon that is not restricted to family. For people who knew me as a child, or connected with me during my teenage years, that is often still who I am. Time has stopped and I, or we, often never outgrown those persistent snapshots of our lives.

The effect of these snapshots on our development is devastating. We never become because the more these snapshots are used to describe us, the more we are stuck at that place, and even if there have been great changes in our lives as we have matured, those changes are largely ignored. We will always be our own versions of “Little Murray.”

Jesus was well aware of the phenomenon. For the people of Nazareth, Jesus existed within their little personal snapshots. He would always be “little Jesus, you know, Joseph and Mary’s boy. The older brother of James and Jude and those other kids who seemed to terrorize Nazareth’s streets (as most little children do) in year’s past. And as long as that was the snapshot that the people had of Jesus, then there was absolutely nothing that he was going to be able to do in their midst. His hometown needed the prophet and Messiah that Jesus had become, but all that they would receive was the little boy that they believed him to be.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Luke 5

The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” – Matthew 4:3

Today’s Scripture Reading (September 15, 2017): Matthew 4

In 1985, the British Rock Band “Dire Straits” released their most successful single – “Money for Nothing.” The controversial song was sung from the point of view of a working class man watching, what was then, the brand new music video channel, MTV. In keeping with the working class theme, the song uses derogatory and offensive names to describe the musicians who appeared in the music videos the man is watching. The album version of the song lasts an incredible eight minutes and twenty-five seconds and contrasts the fine, high falsetto voice of Sting (Gordon Sumner) with the gruff, baritone voice of Mark Knopfler. The official single of the song was cut almost in half to a mere four minutes and thirty-eight seconds.

The opening lyrics of the song, after the high falsetto voiced Sting singing “I want my MTV,” features these words:

Now look at them yo-yo's that's the way you do it
You play the guitar on the M.T.V.
That ain't workin' that's the way you do it
Money for nothin' and chicks (women) for free.

(Decades after the original release of the song, I quoted these lyrics in a conversation with a friend who informed me that I had the lyrics wrong – it was not chicks for free but rather checks for free, keeping the lyric faithful to the money theme of the line. And there may have been versions of the song where that is true, but I am unaware of them. The original lyrics are definitely “money for nothing and chicks for free.”)

It is the dream of a lot of us. If only we could live without working. If somehow someone would only give us the money to make our dreams come true. It is the reason why we play the lottery, and then promptly quit our jobs when we have won. This, in spite of research that indicates that most lottery winners have spent all of their winnings within five years of receiving the money. It is the money, or more precisely the toys that we can buy with that money, that carries meaning for us.

And this is exactly the temptation that was placed in front of Jesus. He could have anything that he wanted, and there was no reason to sacrifice. There were no circumstances that would cause the miracle worker of Galilee to go hungry for forty days and forty nights when he could make the rocks themselves into loaves of bread. Jesus could have whatever he wanted if he would only sacrifice his mission. But in this case, Jesus’s job meant more to him than any wealth that he could acquire from the rocks. And in the end, the salvation of the world would not be gained at no cost to Jesus. His mission could not be achieved “for nothing.”

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Luke 4

In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar—when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, Herod tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and Traconitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene … - Luke 3:1

Today’s Scripture Reading (September 14, 2017): Luke 3

As Prince Philip begins his retirement, the next questions continue to be this – how long will his wife, Queen Elizabeth, continue to reign. Maybe not how long will she live, she continues to seem to be going strong. But is there a point where either she voluntarily steps down from the throne and begins to occupy a more peripheral role as well as enjoying a little retirement with her husband, or a time when she invites one of the heirs, most likely Charles, to reign with her. In ancient times, the idea of an heir becoming a co-heir seems to be common. Co-reigning almost served as a time of apprenticeship for the king to be under the guidance of the currently reigning sovereign.

Of course, in the case of Elizabeth, the unfortunate truth is that she has a much higher approval rating than any of the heirs that follow her, with maybe the exception of George - because everyone loves a toddler. And it might be this single fact that stays Elizabeth’s hands - and keeps her sitting solidly, and solitarily, on the Throne of England.

Luke 3:1 has caused no end of trouble for scholars trying to date the ministry of the Christ. Our Calendar was originally intended to count the years from the Birth of Christ, so the year 2017 should mean that 2017 years have passed since the birth of Jesus. The system was devised early in the 6^th century by counting the years back to the time of Christ. But we now know that the original assumptions were wrong, and so Jesus was born earlier than the beginning of the Current or Common Era.

But Luke 3:1 caused a problem in the arrival of our dates – and the problem is actually in dating the reign of Tiberius Caesar. Strictly speaking, the reign of Tiberius began in 14 C.E., and that is the assumption that is made by our Calendar. That would date the beginning of John’s ministry to 29 C.E. and the crucifixion of Jesus to somewhere around 33 C.E. But not all the facts fit that kind of dating. One of the most commonly accepted dates for the Crucifixion is April 6, 29 C.E. But that means that the ministry of John and the baptism would have had to start much earlier than the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius.

So was Luke wrong in his dating? Not necessarily. What has been missed is that Tiberius actually appears to have started to co-reign with his father, Caesar Augustus in 11 C.E. Luke has dated his comment from the beginning of that co-reign which would move the beginning of John the Baptist’s ministry to 26 C.E. which meshes perfectly with a Crucifixion date in 29 or 30 C.E. The year 26 C.E. also matches perfectly with the beginning of the Pontius Pilate term as Governor in Judea.

But Luke has set the stage for the life of Jesus in a particular historical time, and that increases our confidence in the other details of the story that he is about to tell.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Matthew 4

Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. – Mark 1:35

Today’s Scripture Reading (September 13, 2017): Mark 1

I talk to myself. I always have. Some would argue that talking to yourself isn’t an issue as long as you don’t start answering yourself, but I do that too. There seems to be something important about vocalizing the problem or the situation. It doesn’t matter that there is no one around. In fact, sometimes it is essential to me that no one is around. Because it is in those solitary moments that I sometimes admit the things that I would never own up to any other time. In those moments, I can sometimes get to the root of the problem. Oh, while we are on the subject, I also argue with myself, vocalizing two sides of a problem and trying to arrive at a solution. For me, these solitary discussions are a type of prayer. They are not the only prayers that I offer, but these prayers are still important – at least, to me.

One of the Trinitarian questions that we sometimes ask is this – if Jesus was God, then to whom was he praying when he prayed? My immediate response is that there are so many things that we do not understand about the Trinity, and much of it our minds, trapped in the individualness of time and space, we will never understand. Just because we do not understand something does it mean that it is not true. There is a reality that the concept of the Trinity explains that is left unexplained without it. The Trinity makes its own kind of logical sense, even though we struggle to understand the concept. So is it too hard to believe that a God who exists in essential community as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, communicates within the Godhead? That the Son, who was also the Father, prayed to Father for guidance and power. Or maybe in becoming part of creation, Jesus, for a time, was cut off from all the power of God. Again, the sense in this idea is that Jesus became like us – and I am not sure how that is possible if you possess all of the power knowledge of God. Because that I do not have.

Of course, another explanation is that Jesus talked to himself. He got alone and verbalized what needed to verbalize. I do it all the time, so in this Jesus becomes like me – he finds solace in getting alone and just talking out loud.

The answer is probably a little of this and a whole lot of other realities of which we remain blissfully unaware. But the truth that I believe is that Jesus was God, and even he needed to get alone and pray. And if Jesus needed times of solitary prayer, then so do you we - regardless of how you might understand Jesus conversations with the Godhead of which he was a part.    

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Luke 3

Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John consented. – Matthew 3:15

Today’s Scripture Reading (September 12, 2017): Matthew 3

Actor (and screenwriter) Kevin Spacey makes this comment about his craft. “Storytelling helps us understand each other [and] translate the issues of our times” This idea that the story helps us to communicate ideas in fundamental to good story telling. I love to read and watch fictional tales. Often fans of documentaries or true stories argue that they want their diversions to be based on fact. But the argument misses the point. Good fiction speaks truth to culture. Good fiction always translates the issues of our times. The first inter-racial kiss on television happened on “Star Trek: The Original Series.” It purposefully spoke a truth with which culture was already wrestling. Good fiction always does this – the story is important. All stories, fact-based or fiction, telling the truth that the author needs his audience to understand. It is the reason why even a biographer stresses some events while all but ignoring others. The biographer wants us to arrive at the truth. So all stories, to some extent, are true.

Jesus seems to have this kind of interest in the story. He understood that he was an “actor on the stage,” that everything that he did was part of the grander story that was being told. Even the most mundane events could be important to the story. Everything that happened during his ministry filled in meaning to those who were watching the story unfold.

And for the story, the Baptism of Jesus is an important moment. Some have mentioned that there is no proclamation in the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible) that specifies that the Messiah had to be baptized. But this was a necessary turn in the plot of the story foreshadowing what would happen in the end. The people expected that the Messiah would be an outside force that would make things right inside of Israel. The Messiah would restore the nation to a position of prominence among the nations. Of course, part of the problem with Jesus was that he had no inclination to be that kind of Messiah. God’s plan was for the Messiah to deal a death blow to sin and restore a right standing between his creation and himself – independent of the outward political reality in which the person lived. To deal that blow, Jesus had to stand shoulder to shoulder with the rest of creation.

So Jesus comes to John and becomes just another of the many that John would baptize. In this act, he identifies with the rest of Israel – and takes the first important step toward fulfilling the will of his Father and being the Messiah that God had intended him to me.

It is important to note that Jesus uses the word “righteousness” differently here. Most often “righteousness” indicates a right standing with God. Jesus had a “right standing” even as he was being baptized by John for the repentance of sin. It was not that Jesus needed to be forgiven of his sin and gain that “right standing,” but that righteousness here takes on an ethical characteristic. Jesus message to John is that this action is necessary because it conforms to the will of the Father. And because the Father willed it, John agrees. And the story begins to speak of a truth that the people were missing – that the Messiah had come not to restore a more favorable political reality, but to save the people from themselves, and their sin.   

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Mark 1

He was with God in the beginning. – John 1:2

Today’s Scripture Reading (September 11, 2017): John 1

Community is essential. I am convinced of that. Suicide rates among people who seem to be isolated are higher than those who exist in community. That does not prove a causal relationship, but it is a reminder that we need each other. I don’t say this as an extrovert who loves to be with people. I am an introvert who loves to spend time alone. Being alone has never been something that has scared me. I am comfortable keeping my own company. And if it were not for my family and friends, I think I could disengage from society. But, in spite of the way that I react to my world, I am still convinced that community is essential.

The flip side that I understand is that, even though people make me uncomfortable, they also stretch me and allow me to grow. They make me stronger. They teach me to love. And I know that, even as an introvert, relationships drive me forward. I want everyone to have, at the very least, a small community of support to gather around them in times of trouble. We all, extroverts and introverts included, need someone who we can phone in the middle of the night when disaster strikes. The reality that I understand is that very few of us have those people in place. And the time that those communities are built is when times are good, and we don’t need those relationships.

Or maybe put it this way. I read a Facebook post recently that decried the fact that insurance companies won’t cover pre-existing conditions. My Facebook friend asked the question – “what are we supposed to do, pay for insurance we might never need.” The answer is – yes. Insurance companies exist to make money. They do that by selling us insurance, in this case, health insurance. The insurance company hopes that we buy the insurance when everything is going good and that we never need it. But the reality is that most of us will need it, and some will need it more than others. But the insurance that we bought from while the sun was shining is there for us when, and if, the darkness comes. Two things happen. First, the insurance company makes money – that is why they exist in the first place. Second, those of us who need help get it when we need it. Community works the same way. We invest in community when we may not feel that we need it so that it is there for us when we do need it.

And community is God’s plan for humanity. In the words of Genesis 1, God says “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness …” (Genesis 1:26). My emphasis as I read these words is on the repeated word “our.” God existed in essential community at the creation of the world, and we are no closer to reflecting the image of God than when we live in community together.

John starts off his gospel by stressing the same thing. Jesus existed with God “in the beginning.” Jesus was part of the essential community that was present at Creation. It is also these words that remind us that, while the incarnation of Jesus began in Bethlehem, Jesus pre-existed his birth in the manger. Jesus was always present, and always will be. And he should be the one who is revealed in our community.  

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Matthew 3

After three days they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers. – Luke 2:46-47

Today’s Scripture Reading (September 10, 2017): Luke 2

Novelist Thomas Berger commented that “The art and science of asking questions is the source of all knowledge.” Wisdom is never gained by expressing our opinions; rather wisdom is gained through the art and science of listening. There are too many examples in Christendom that concentrate on Christians expressing their views without ever asking any of the important questions. Frequently statements of belief cross my desk that seems to have been formed in a vacuum rather than in a discussion. It seems to me that there should be room within our orthodoxy for us to have healthy discussions on relevant topics. But it increasingly appears that that is not the case.

But then there is Jesus. One of the enduring questions about Jesus is how much did Jesus know, and when did he know it. One of our most cherished Christmas Carols, “Away in a Manger,” makes the pronouncement that the baby Jesus didn’t cry. The line “no crying he makes” has always made me bristle as a Christian because crying is part of being a healthy baby. The line of the song seems to reflect an Islamic belief rather than a Christian one. According to the Qur’an, Jesus emerged from the womb able to speak comfort to his mother. Nowhere in the Gospels do we encounter such a story. We can infer from this that the knowledge and wisdom of the ages were already present in the Islamic version of the baby Jesus. But is that true? It might be an easier conclusion to arrive at for our Muslim friend’s because they do not believe in a crucifixion. But we do. So when exactly did Jesus realize that he would die for our sins? It’s a hard question to answer. The easy answer is the Muslim one, Jesus was born with all knowledge. A more compassionate answer is that this is knowledge into which Jesus grew.

Jesus experience at Temple at the tender age of twelve might indicate that the latter is true. Jesus didn’t come into this world spouting answers; rather, he came asking questions. The image that we have here is of a Jesus whose maturity was beyond his young age. A Jesus who entered into the presence of some of the wisest men in Jerusalem and asked questions – maybe even better phrased, Jesus asked the right questions. And in the discussion that followed, he showed that he had an understanding of issues that was rarely seen among someone so young.

When did Jesus know he would die for our sins? We don’t really know, but my guess is that that was also knowledge into which Jesus grew. He may not have known that he would die for our sins until after his ministry began. Maybe the knowledge surprised him. But when the way his life would end became apparent, he also understood there was a reason his life had to end on a cross. There was no other way to allow us to truly live.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: John 1

But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning in Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. – Matthew 2:22

Today’s Scripture Reading (September 9, 2017): Matthew 2

Near the end of his life, Herod the Great placed a golden eagle over the entrance to the Temple in Jerusalem that he had spent most of his life enhancing. The backlash from the Jews as a response to the eagle was immediate and severe. The eagle was seen as an idol desecrating the Temple, and the people wanted the eagle removed. Unfortunately, at that time Herod fell ill, and died, leaving a struggle of succession in his Kingdom. Two popular Jewish teachers, Judas and Matthias, took advantage of the political vacuum and encouraged their students to tear the eagle off of the Temple entrance. The students used axes to chop the eagle down. Because Herod the Great was dead, the reaction to the students was left up to those who were actively contending for the Herodian throne. In this instance, it was Archelaus, who had become the front runner for the contested throne, who ordered that the two teachers and their students be burned alive on March 13, 4 B.C.E.

The resulting death of the teachers and students enraged the population that was gathering to celebrate Passover. Judas and Matthias and their students were immediately revered as martyrs who needed to be honored. A riot ensued during the Passover of 4 B.C.E., and 3,000 Passover participants were killed and Passover in Jerusalem that year was canceled by Archelaus. In the end, Archelaus was named “ethnarch” (essentially “national leader”) and was given half of his father’s kingdom, while his brothers Antipas and Philip divided the other half as “tetrarchs.”

And while it seems that by the end of his reign, Herod the Great was insane, Archelaus maintained that insanity throughout his reign. He was cruel and ruled over his kingdom so badly that the Jews and the Samaritans temporarily put aside their differences and petitioned Rome to have Archelaus removed. Rome finally obliged, sending Archelaus into exile and off of the pages of history. He died sometime before 18 C.E.

But there is ample evidence for us to understand why Mary and Joseph would not have wanted to bring their baby boy back into an Archelaus controlled Bethlehem. Instead, they moved to their former home in Nazareth, Galilee, which was under the control of Herod Antipater (or more commonly Herod Antipas). And it is in Galilee that Jesus would grow, learning his father’s trade and waiting out his time before his ministry finally began.  

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Luke 2