Watch (for my Return)

In Mark 13.37 today, where Christ tells his disciples to watch (for the time of his return). Indeed, what he says is, "Not only do I tell you to watch, but I say it to everyone (who follows me).

Watch means "to be alert" or "to be awake."

As Christians we do not know the day or hour of Christ's return, but we can certainly watch for the signs of the time. We can be alert. We can be awake, so that it does not come upon us as a surprise. And if we watch our whole lives and Christ does not return? Then we pass on to the next generation this responsibility to watch.

Are you watching?

Have You Not Read This Scripture?

Reading in Mark 12.10 this morning where Christ asks those who are disputing with him, "Have you not read this Scripture?" He then quotes from Ps. 118:22,23.

What strikes me here as I've been preparing a sermon on devotional reading of the Bible is that Christ asks this question multiple times. Certainly the Jewish leaders had read the Scriptures and both Christ and his audience knew this. However, they had not read with proper understanding. In essence Christ is saying, "You should know the answer to your own question, haven't you read the Scriptures where this is answered?" He expected them to read and understand, but they had only read and did not understand.

It is something that we shouldn't miss. To just read the Scriptures, but not to spend the time to understand them is doing us the exact same amount of good that it did the Jewish scribes and leaders: None at all. We ought to read and strive to understand what the Scriptures say.

Notice that Christ assumed that accurate understanding was entirely possible.

The Danger of Power Over Truth

Reading in Mark 11.31-32 this morning where the chief priests and scribes—those who know the Scriptures the best among the people—are trying to wiggle out of the trap into which Christ puts them when they ask him by what authority he does what he does. He responds with another question: "Is John's baptism from men or from God?"

The obvious answer, and one that every person who was familiar with John's ministry would give is, "from God of course." Those who opposed Christ were not interested in truth, they were interested in power. So they say, "if we admit the truth, we are exposed; if we say that John's baptism was not from God, the people themselves will rise against us, because everyone (including ourselves) believes that it was from God."

For the sake of power, they do not face the truth.

One can replace power with anything else people hold that keeps the from the truth. For the sake of possessions, or money, or a person, or anything else, people do not face the truth of Christ.

What barrier keeps you from seeing the truth?

And There They Preached the Gospel

I'm reading in Acts 14.7 this morning, such a short, benign verse: "And there they preached the gospel" [in Lystra and Derbe]. That's it. Not much of significance there, right?

Wrong. The reason they came to Lystra and Derbe was that they had to flee Iconium because the Jews had whipped up the people to stone them to death. The verse prior to this says that "they fled to Lystra and Derbe;" fled for their lives, that is.

Then notice what they did; they did the exact same thing in Lystra and Derbe that got them within a whisker of being stoned to death in Iconium; they preached the gospel. Remarkable men! Admirable men! Obedient men. God had called them to preach the gospel, so preach the gospel they did.

Of course the question for us is: Are we demonstrating like commitment to Christ? God does not call all of us to work under threat of death (though he calls some), but he does call all of us to work despite whatever opposition arises. May we have the same obedience and faith that Paul and Silas did.

Sometimes Love Appears Harsh

I'm struck by Christ's demonstration of love to the rich young ruler in Mark 10.21. In answer to the man's question: "What shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?" Mark begins the verse with something unexpected. He writes, "Then Jesus, beholding the man loved him." Love in this instance was demonstrated by telling the young man to sell everything he had and give it to the poor, because it was those things that were keeping him from following Christ. While Christ looks harsh, telling the man to give up what he has, he is actually acting very kindly and lovingly because there is a barrier for the man to inherit eternal life and the man needs to rid himself of that barrier.

Perhaps one of the saddest verses in the Scriptures is the very next verse: "And he was sad at that saying and went away grieved: for he had very great possessions." Interestingly, the young man does not argue with Christ; he seems to fully understand and even agree with Christ's analysis. The problem is that he cannot give up the wealth.

What is it that stands between you and following Christ?

A Most Extraordinary Statement

Paul makes a most extraordinary statement about those who were responsible for crucifying Christ in Acts. 13.27. He is preaching in a synagogue in Antioch Pisidia to an audience of Jews and he says because those who dwell in Jerusalem and their leaders did not know him (Christ) or the prophets—which, oh by the way are read in the synagogue EVERY SABBATH DAY, those very same people FULFILLED the prophecies of the prophets by condemning Christ!

Amazingly blunt statement by Paul here (which, knowing what we know about Paul comes as no surprise). How condemnatory is it that those who crucified Christ certainly could have heard the words of the prophets every sabbath day and yet missed the fact that the Messiah had arrived. Of course what is worse, they were now responsible for killing the Messiah and thereby fulfilling the prophecies of the very same prophets that they were hearing every sabbath!

One of the things that I take from this is that we ought to read/hear the Scriptures with understanding. It is not enough to simply read them or simply hear them, if we do not understand them and apply them to our lives, then we might end up like those who were responsible for putting Christ to death.

Who Are Modern Day Tax-Collectors?

I'm reading in Mark 2.15 this morning where Christ is reclining at the table with "tax-collectors and sinners." The tax-collectors were part of the native population hired by someone who had won a government contract to collect taxes in that particular location. They were universally despised because, according to NIDNTT, "The prevailing method of tax collection afforded collectors many opportunities to exercise greed and unfairness."

The way society perceived them at the time can be readily ascertained since they are connected in the gospels with sinners, heathen Gentiles, prostitutes, extortioners, imposters, and adulterers. Ouch! They were hated and despised and yet here you have many following Christ and him appearing to accept and even love them.

This makes me wonder who the modern day tax-collectors are. The people who we think do not deserve to be saved because they are such slime balls that grace shouldn't extend to them. Casey Anthony comes to mind. Imagine if she showed up at your church to hear the gospel. I think in a lot (not all, but a lot) of churches she would not be well received because we think she really doesn't deserve forgiveness and restoration, she deserves judgment. Of course we conveniently forget the we too deserve judgment, and we too are sinners, and we too are in need of God's grace. Christ never forgot this.

Prayer and the Ministry of the Word

Reading in Acts 6.4 this morning where the twelve tell the new church that their priorities are prayer and the ministry of the word. Of course they are more emphatic than that; the word that they use which the KJV translates "give ourselves continually" to prayer is a very strong one. Louw-Nida says that it means: "To continue to do something with intense effort with a possible implication of despite difficulty."

The disciples were not giving lip service to prayer, they were devoting themselves to it with intense effort, implying that this sort of devotion was what was required to accomplish God's work.

This is a great lesson for us. If we are to do God's work, it ought to be accompanied by intense devotion to prayer for without prayer we will be working in vain. As Adam Clarke comments at this verse: "A minister who does not pray much studies in vain."

His Name (Alone) is Excellent

I like how the psalmist strains to find words to proclaim the praise of the Lord in Ps. 148.7-13. He calls for anything and everything that he can think of to praise the name of the Lord. Dragons, deeps, fire, hail, snow, vapour, stormy wind (fulfilling his word), mountains, hills, trees, cattle, birds, creeping things, kings, princes, judges, old, young. Listen all you people/things/events, "praise the name of the Lord, for his name alone is excellent."

There is a lot of theology in that list. Notice how the psalmist puts in the aside comment, "stormy wind—oh yeah, that stormy wind that knocks over stuff seemingly willy-nilly? That wind fulfills his word." Fire? "Yep, that too." Hail? "Yep." Creepy crawlers? They do also. And in some sense creepy crawlers and birds and cattle can praise the name of the Lord (I'm thinking its because he is their creator).

I think what the psalmist is getting at is that everything—yes, everything—can, should (and at least when it comes to nature, does)—praise the name of the Lord.

How about you? Do you praise the name of the Lord?

Constructive/Destructive

Reading in Jeremiah 1.10 this morning in which God describes to Jeremiah what his ministry of prophecy will look like. It will be constructive or destructive, meaning it will either encourage the people or declare God's judgment to the people. Judging from the words (and as proven by history) it will end up being more destructive than constructive, because Jeremiah is the last of the prophets before the exile to Babylon. He will proclaim God's words to Judah. They will not listen.

A ministry which proclaims God's judgment is not an easy one to carry out—who wants to hear THAT message—but Jeremiah faithfully proclaims the word that God gives him, despite opposition, oppression, and imprisonment.

He is a good example to us to be faithful to do what the Lord calls us to do, even when there is opposition, and even when that opposition comes from the "church."