Podcast

2 Samuel 13:30-36

Intro: In May we completed our trek through the Sermon On the Mount

Since then, I have not felt a strong direction toward bringing another series
– Nancy Lopez, whom I love and trust,
• suggested that we go through the Minor Prophets
◦ I’m still mulling that over
• meanwhile, I’ve been sharing on Sundays my own random musing from the past week
– today I’ve chosen an odd place to drop into the Scriptures
• and it will require some explaining,
• but I promise, the point I want to make is important

One of the biblical metaphors for right living sowing and reaping

God told the prophet Hosea, regarding Israel,
If they “they sow the wind,
. . . they shall reap the whirlwind” (Hos. 8:7)
– this was David’s situation in 2 Samuel 13, after he had abused his royal authority
• that wasn’t unusual for rulers at that time and part of the world,
◦ but it wasn’t something God allow his king’s to do
• this chapter charts the beginning of God’s discipline of David
◦ his family and his reign over Israel begins to unravel

Amnon was David’s oldest son, and under normal circumstances would have been heir to the throne
– he thought he was in love with his half-sister Tamar
• how the story plays out, his passion was more lust that love
◦ a first indication of his lust, is that he wanted her instantly (cf. Jacob in Genesis 29:30)
◦ not having a way to approach her, Amnon experienced “frustration overload”
• but he had a friend, Jonadab who is described as being “very wise”
◦ he suggested a plan that allowed Amnon to be alone with Tamar
◦ and when alone with her, he raped her
“Then Amnon hated her with very great hatred, so that the hatred with which he hated her was greater than the love with which he had loved her” (2 Sam. 13:15–another indication that his feelings for her were lust rather than love)
– devastated, Tamar went to the home of her older brother Absalom
• he took her in and cared for her, however his advice sounds terrible
◦ although it was typical for that male-dominated (misogynist) social structure
“Now hold your peace, my sister,” he told her, “He is your brother; do not take this to heart” (v. 20)
◦ this advice sounds cruel, but their hands were tied
• what did Absalom mean, “do not take this to heart”?
“Don’t let this ruin you”? – “Don’t brood over it?” – “Don’t retaliate?”
“Don’t risk making things worse for yourself, because he’s the king’s oldest son and possibly heir to the throne”
• perhaps Absalom was thinking, “Don’t you worry about this, because I’ll deal with Amnon”
◦ because a verse later we read,
“But Absalom spoke to Amnon neither good nor bad, for Absalom hated Amnon, because he had violated his sister Tamar” (v. 20)

Absalom did nothing about his brother for two full years
– then he approached his father with an invitation
• in Old Testament times, people raised sheep primarily for their fleece
◦ when it came time to shear their flocks, they made it a festive celebration
◦ the picture of those occasions we find in scripture is of wine, feasting, and good cheer
• though David resisted, Absalom insisted his brothers come and party with him, until his father finally relented
◦ in the compressed time of the story, where two years pass in between the space of two verses,
◦ it is pretty easy to see what Absalom had in mind
– Absalom commanded his servants to keep their eyes on Amnon
“when Amnon’s heart is merry with wine, and when I say to you, ‘Strike Amnon,’ then kill him” (v. 28)
• when the brothers witnessed Amnon’s murder, they took flight
• other servants of David were present and were the first to arrive in Jerusalem
So “news came to David, ‘Absalom has struck down all the king’s sons, and not
one of them is left’” (v. 30)
◦ David was devastated and immediately collapsed, grieving
◦ that’s when Jonadab spoke up (we’ll soon come to his speech to David)

Now let’s break this down

Something had happened, and it was big
– it would affect the king and the entire nation
• those of us about my age remember the national impact
◦ of the assassinations of John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King, and Robert Kennedy
◦ or the more recent shared tragedy that rocked the nation September 11, 2001
• what happened in this story was of the same magnitude for Israel
– there was an assassination and it was reported to David
• but the report was influenced by, at least, two factors:
◦ those who brought the news first had not witnessed the seen entire event
◦ they hysterical report to the king was grossly exaggerated
• strong emotions color our most intense experiences
◦ and it colors the story we tell about our experience
(this is one reason why the testimony of a witness sometimes changes weeks or months after the even)

David was given two different stories about what happened

Now, Jonadab’s story:
“Let not my lord suppose that they have killed all the young men, the king’s sons, for Amnon alone is dead. For by the command of Absalom this has been determined from the day he violated his sister Tamar. Now let not the king take it to heart as to suppose that all the king’s sons are dead, for Amnon alone is dead” (vv. 32-33)
– isn’t it interesting that the eye-witness story was distorted and wrong,
• but Jonadab, who wasn’t even there, gave the correct version
• how is that possible?
◦ first, Jonadab had a deeper understanding of the backstory
◦ second, he was wise and therefore able to read the situation more accurately

I’ve been told by more than one person,
– that when listening to me teach from the Scriptures
• they follow me to a point but then begin asking,
“Chuck, where are you going with this?”
• I never try to confuse you on purpose
◦ it’s just that my mind works this way
– when I’m learning something new,
• especially if it seems abstract
• I need to establish a reliable foundation to make sense of the material I’m going over
◦ most people catch on more quickly than I do

In the Bible God reveals himself and what he has to say to us

Moses explained it to Israel this way:
“The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law” (Deut. 29:29)

So we embrace the Scriptures as true for all time and everywhere
– yet something we may not realize, is that as we read the Bible we are interpreting it
• David heard two stories about what occurred at Absalom’s feast
◦ one story was partially accurate, but wrong overall
◦ the other story provided greater clarity and accuracy
– when we hear someone say, “The Bible says . . .”
• we have to remember they’re giving us their interpretation
◦ and no one’s interpretation is absolutely perfect
• Jonadab illustrates that we can get a truer meaning of scripture,
◦ when we have a fuller idea of the entire backstory
◦ and we read and interpret it wisely
• Jonadab proved to be right when the soldier on watch lifted his eyes and looked, and behold – (v. 34)
◦ we can improve our interpretation of scripture if we, too,
Read, Look Closely, and Take In what is there before our eyes

I wish that were enough for us to be able to say, “End of story”

But I learned a crucial truth years ago from a brilliant and gifted man
Chuck Kraft, “God’s word is inspired; our interpretations are not.”
– as we learn and understand more of what the Bible is saying,
• our interpretations deepen, become refined and purer

The the Bible is not static
– it has a vitality that’s powerful and sharp as a sword
• as cultures change and new discoveries are made
◦ we must return to the Scriptures for new interpretations that apply to those changes
◦ too often I hear Christians give old answers to new questions
– the Bible is not trapped in one time or culture
• in the late 1990s, Simon Chan published Spiritual Theology
• an interesting facet of his book is that he included Asian perspectives when interpreting the Bible
(for example, Asian interpretation is includes experiential facets of exploring the text)
◦ the cultures of Asia are closer to biblical cultures (both are located in the Orient)
◦ Chan provides keys to interpretation our western minds may have missed

Conclusion: It seems like we’re living in an age of nonsense

That includes the way people mis-use the Bible
Don’t take the word of others when they say,
“What the Bible says . . .” or “What the Bible means . . .”

On the other hand, I don’t want you to be afraid of reading and misinterpreting the Bible
Our best understanding will always have imperfections
It will help if we keep a humble attitude
Always the student, never the expert
Always the disciple, never the master

Podcast

Morning Talk: chuck smith, jr.

The disciples of John reported all these things to him. And John, calling two of his disciples to him, sent them to the Lord, saying, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?” And when the men had come to him, they said, “John the Baptist has sent us to you, saying, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?’” In that hour he healed many people of diseases and plagues and evil spirits, and on many who were blind he bestowed sight. And he answered them, “Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have good news preached to them. And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.” Luke 7:18-23

Intro: The way Luke introduces John the Baptist has a familiar ring:
“The word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the wilderness” (Lk. 3:2)

For example: “The word of the LORD that came to Hosea, the son of Beeri” or “The word of the LORD that came to Joel, the son of Pethuel”
– Luke is obviously forging a link between John and previous prophets
• Jesus will soon say, John was a prophet “and more than a prophet” (v. 26)
◦ John also appears as an eccentric character
• we usually focus on John’s wardrobe and diet
◦ but his message was edgy too – “fire and brimstone”
“He said to the crowds . . . ‘You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? . . . . His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.’ So with many other exhortations he preached the good news to the people.” (Lk. 3:17-18)
◦ was wrath and unquenchable fire John’s version of “good news”?!
– well, not really–his central message was that people needed to prepare for Jesus’ arrival
• I’m going to concentrate on John this morning,
◦ but first I want to say something about Jesus
◦ because each scene in this chapter is extraordinary
• Luke keeps Jesus at the heart of the chapter,
◦ even though every story is about someone else

In the breadth of fifty verses, we cross paths with:

• A Roman centurion whose faith greatly impressed Jesus
• A widow whose loss of her only son aroused Jesus’ empathy
• John, whose question revealed uncertainty about Jesus,
  but also inspired Jesus to explain John to the crowd
• A Pharisee, who invited Jesus into his home, but failed to show him customary curtisies
• A woman, “a sinner” Luke says, who found forgiveness in Jesus

So the chapter begins with a Gentile centurion with strong faith in Jesus
– and ends with a Pharisee who cannot believe Jesus is even a prophet
• in between the two we meet, a crowd who witnessed Jesus’ miracle and said,
“A great prophet has risen among us!”
• then immediately after that, the disciples of John arrive
◦ bringing a question from one who was “more than a prophet”
– it feels to me that Luke has built a lot of tension into this chapter
• and the most intense suspense comes with John’s question
• that passage spoke to me this week – and this is why I’m sharing it with you

John is certainly not an ordinary figure

The first mystery is how did he wind up in the wilderness?
– there is a famous site in Israel where Christians are baptized
• it is in the north at the Sea of Galilee and head waters of the Jordan River
◦ tourists are sometimes told Jesus was baptized there
◦ he wasn’t – Matthew says that John baptized in the “wilderness of Judea”
• the Gospel of John tells us, that the Baptist was baptizing “in Bethany across the Jordan” (Jn. 1:28)
◦ that is located today in the nation of Jordan, near the Dead Sea
◦ but my concern isn’t that we know the exact spot
– the unanswered question is, How did John end up out there?
• he was born into a priestly family in one of the towns of Judah
◦ but when he makes his first appearance,
◦ it’s in the wilderness, where he had been living
• even if his clothes and rations were sparse and simple,
◦ how had he survived in that desert region?
◦ for years I imagined he had lived a solitary existence

There was a settlement not far from where John baptized
– it was much like the monasteries that would dot desert regions 200 hundred years later
• it is believed that the men who lived there were Essenes
◦ we don’t read about them in the New Testament,
◦ but they were one of the three major religious divisions in Judah:
Pharisees, Sadducees, and Essenes
• the Essenes were the most rigid and devout of the three
◦ they didn’t marry, they were devoted to scripture, and they would not touch money
◦ it was this community at Qumran who wrote and preserved the Dead Sea Scrolls
(which have provided a major contribution to studies of the Hebrew Scriptures)
– among dwellings and other structures,
• excavations at Qumran have unearthed a communal eating area
◦ a large pool that stored water for ritual cleansing (“baptisms”)
• it’s possible that John visited that community or even lived among them for a time
(although they would have never encouraged or sponsored baptizing anyone outside their community)
◦ but this is part of the mystery of John
◦ another part is of his mystery is how so many people had heard of him and visited him in the desert

In this episode, Jesus asked the crowd what drew them to John?
After John’s messengers left, Jesus began to speak to the crowd about John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed swayed by the wind? If not, what did you go out to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? No, those who wear expensive clothes and indulge in luxury are in palaces. But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is the one about whom it is written:
“‘I will send my messenger ahead of you,
    who will prepare your way before you.’” (vv. 24-27)
– John wasn’t a weak person, a reed swaying with every gentle breeze
• and he wasn’t a pampered groupie
• he lived an independent and uncompromised life
◦ Jesus showed deep respect for John
◦ but now John was slipping

I imagine that I hear frustration in John’s question

Maybe even an implied insult, as if he were asking Jesus,
“Are You the Messiah or not? If You are, then get on with it!”
– John’s question suggests he was having doubts about Jesus
• as strong as he was, how could this happen?
• I’ll explain how
– if you’ve been in a dark place long enough, or pain long enough, or severe poverty long enough,
• you start to question God – you question his will for you; you question your status with him,
• you start to lose faith
William Barclay wrote, “John, the child of the desert and of wide-open spaces, was confined in a dungeon cell in the castle of Machaerus. . . . . Shut in his cell, choked by the narrow walls, John asked this question because his cruel captivity had put tremors in his heart.”

John was slipping
– he needed confirmation that he had not made a mistake regarding Jesus
• this can happen to anyone
◦ we find a classic example in Psalm 73 (see the entire psalm!)
“But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled,
my steps had nearly slipped.
For I was envious of the arrogant
when I saw the prosperity of the wicked” (vv. 2-3)
– I’ve told you before that I lived with depression for most my life
• after I began to practice contemplative prayer, the depression lifted
◦ for roughly ten years I felt freed from that misery
◦ but gradually I became less diligent with my daily practice
• now–well,
I wake up twice every morning
◦ first, I wake up in a terribly dark mood – it’s oppressive, hopeless, miserable
◦ then, after my meds and during my time in the Bible and prayer,
I wake up a second time in a better mood, ready for what’s next
I’ve recently returned to being more faithful and diligent in my daily practice

John did the right thing; he took his question to Jesus

Even if his reason for asking was asking his frustration and doubt
– Jesus sent his answer to John, in the eye-witness account of the messengers
• but the Lord tagged that message with a crucial insight
“And blessed is the one who is not offended by me”
◦ Jesus is saying,
“If I don’t meet your expectations, if I walk my own path, if you’re way is hard and you think I should change it, don’t be offended and give up on Me.”
– William Barclay says, “this is not the answer John expected”
• John wanted to see might, Jesus showed mercy
• John expected fire, Jesus brought healing

Conclusion: We have entered a dark period of history

Many people are struggling financially – barely getting by
– many of us feel caught in a riptide with complete loss of control
• we’re like John in his prison cell, uncertain and doubtful
◦ we need to take our doubtful questions to Jesus

Peter was once in a prison cell, assuming he was doomed
“And behold, an angel of the Lord stood next to him, and a light shone in the cell” (Acts 12:7)
Wonderful!
We need that slender ray of hope to beam into our dark pit
“For it is you who light my lamp;
the LORD my God lightens my darkness” (Ps. 18:28)

For me, returning to contemplative is like calling a time-out
We need to have those moments when we call time-out
Coaches will call for a time-out to get their team to settle down
when they’ve started to play emotionally rather than strategically
A time-out can be used to slow or stop momentum of the game,
if the other team has scored too many points in a row
A time-out can be used to change a strategy midway through game,
or to give the team a rest, or a chance to refocus

During our time-out
listening prayer awakens our awareness of God in the here and now
The light shines in our darkness
and Jesus has answered our question

Podcast

Welcome and Prayer: Jim Calhoun

Come Lord join us here today
Grant us gratitude
Recognizing how you show up in our lives
Your great loving care
Your instruction
Your discipline
Your affection
Moment by moment abiding with us

And grant us hope
Knowing that what we do matters
And that positive changes are possible
That with you
And in you
All shall be well

And grant us compassion
The strength to confront suffering
The strength to care for others
The strength to stand up
And stand in for others
Like you have for us
Amen

Morning Talk: chuck smith, jr.

Now concerning food offered to idols: we know that “all of us possess knowledge.” This “knowledge” puffs up, but love builds up. If anyone imagines that he knows something, he does not yet know as he ought to know. But if anyone loves God, he is known by God.
Therefore, as to the eating of food offered to idols, we know that “an idol has no real existence,” and that “there is no God but one.” For although there may be so-called gods in heaven or on earth—as indeed there are many “gods” and many “lords”—yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist. 1 Corinthians 8:1-6

Intro: Thursday morning I was meditating on this chapter

It’s not one of my favorites, but this time something happened
– it was like I saw a glint of light sparkle from one of the verses
• so I started digging at it
◦ I took my investigation as far as I could,
◦ but when that wasn’t enough, I consulted a biblical scholar
• in a few minutes I’ll share with you what I discovered,
– but first, we’ll take a brief look at this passage

Paul stresses a key thought through repetition

Eight times in the first four verses he mentions knowing
– two different Greek words are translated as “knowledge”
• it seems to me that Paul used those words strategically
• first oidamen, then six times gnosin, then oidamen again|
◦ so he enclosed gnosin within oidamen
◦ I believe that was strategic
– when meat was sold in the Corinthian marketplace,
• it would have come from local temples where it had been offered before idols
◦ the ancient belief was that worshipers provided food for their gods
◦ this was a problem for some of the believers
• but there were those in the Corinthian who were not bothered by it
◦ they justified there freedom by saying,
“Now that we’re Christians, we know that Idols are nothing”

I think that Paul would agree with this group in general principle
– a couple weeks ago we learned that Paul identified to types of Christians in Rome:
• those who were weak in faith and those who were strong in faith
◦ those who felt free to purchase and consume meat from the marketplace were the strong in faith
◦ but in this instance, Paul wanted to modify their freedom
• here he uses the same argument here as he did in Romans 14
◦ “your convictions can’t be the only criteria for exercising your freedom”
◦ you have to consider how it might affect others
“For if anyone sees you who have knowledge eating in an idol’s temple, will he not be encouraged, if his conscience is weak, to eat food offered to idols? And so by your knowledge this weak person is destroyed, the brother for whom Christ died” (vv. 10-11; and notice the role “knowledge” plays in this argument!)
– so Paul begins his instructions by pointing to knowledge
• he says we already understand that we all know some things
◦ that was the argument of the freedom crowd — they knew some things
• but there was a drawback to using knowledge
◦ it inflated one’s ego, justifying their actions in spite of how it affected others
◦ his argument goes like this:
“If you assume you’re knowledgeable about something,
you really don’t know it as well as you think you do”
– what was missing in their education?
• the effect their well-informed freedom had on others
◦ or to put it more clearly: they failed to see the importance of love!
• this one line is powerful and we need to hear it
◦ no matter how much you think you know about God,
◦ it’s more important that God knows you
“if anyone loves God, [they are] known by God”
(do you remember when Jesus said in the Sermon On the Mount, “I never knew you”? Mt. 7:23)

Many Christians have been misled and it’s damaged their influence in the world

They’re convinced that learning correct doctrine is knowing God
– no one’s theology is perfect – its formation is ongoing throughout our lifetime
• and even if our concepts came close to the best information,
◦ God is not a concept!
◦ he transcends every idea we can possibly think
• biblical knowing is personal and experiential
◦ we know God by opening our hearts to him and others,
◦ by listening to him, and walking with him
– to know God requires an ongoing pursuit (Php. 3:8-16)
• but loving God is our natural response to him,
◦ and like a child’s love for its parents, it comes instantly

Now I want to get back to what sparked my curiosity on Thursday

In verse 6, Paul affirms our belief in one God
– we know him as our Father and through Jesus our Lord
• when I read that through Jesus “we exist,” I wanted to find out what was the Greek word for “exist”
◦ surprise! – there wasn’t any word translated exist in the Greek text
• the entire verse, in fact, is rather sparse – and more than one English word is implied rather than present
◦ but thinking about that sent me in another direction
– for several weeks I’ve been reading the Psalms
• all 150 of them are written as poetry
◦ most verses consist of two lines or, less often, three lines
◦ the thought in the second line runs parallel to the first
• the poetry is fascinating in how the parallel is worked out
◦ three examples:
– the first line is repeated, in the second but using different words
– the first line is repeated, the second line but in reverse order
– a statement in the first line is intensified in the second line

When I looked at the Greek text, it looked to me like four poetic lines
– the first line contained fourteen syllables
– the second line contained six syllables
– the third line matched the first line with fourteen syllables
– the fourth line matched the second line with six syllables
• reading it translated literally, Paul introduces it with “Yet to us”
“One God the Father of whom all things,
and we in him,
and one Lord Jesus Christ through whom all things
and we through him”
– the message itself is profound
• God is identified as our Father,
◦ and all things are of (or from ) him
◦ and we who are from him as well, are also in him
• Jesus is identified as our Lord,
◦ and all things come through him
◦ and we also are through him

This looked so much like the poetic form of the Psalms,
– that I had to check with a friend who is more knowledgeable than I
• he wrote back:
“Here is a quote from a Corinthians scholar:
‘Verse 6 also has a creedal sound to it (and is set off in poetic form in [one ancient manuscript NA27]), leading many to believe that Paul is citing (or slightly modifying) creedal material from the early church. [N.T.] Wright is not exaggerating when he asserts that the writing of this text ranks ‘as one of the greatest pioneering moments in the entire history of Christology.’”
– Paul may have been quoting an early Christian hymn
• or perhaps some believers had begun to write Christian psalms
• but why poetry? and why place it here in his letter?

When the human soul is moved by profound experiences,
– it’s not enough to try to describe it in words; our vocabulary fails us
• some experiences cannot be expressed in normal speech
◦ for instance the death of someone you have loved deeply
• if we’re going to try communicate at all,
◦ we want to communicate the powerful feelings within us
◦ and for that, we need the arts: paint, poetry, music, dance, woodworking, and so on
– that is why we sing our faith – and why Paul quotes a poem
• he wants us to feel this profound connection with God and Jesus

Not finding the word “exist” in Greek text sent me to Acts 17

“[God] is actually not far from each one of us, for
‘In him we live and move
and have our being’” (Acts. 17:27-28)
– “have our being” is not in the Greek text there either
• but the point Paul makes is clear God’s presence fills his universe
◦ we are surrounded by him everywhere at all times
“Am a God at hand, declares the LORD, and not a God far away? Can a man hide himself in secret places so that I cannot see him? declares the LORD. Do I not fill heaven and earth? declares the LORD (Jer. 23:23-24)
(I often remind myself of this when I settle into God’s presence)
• my desire is to increase, deepen, and maintain a constant awareness of his immediate presence
◦ and that’s what the poem in 1 Corinthians impressed on me this past week

Conclusion: I will close now with a bit of my meditation from Thursday

My med, “My present moment realization is that God brought me into existence, and that I can enjoy this here and now experience of him is possible through Jesus. There did not have to be a ‘me.’ I did not have to be brought into God’s universe to see the splendor of a sunset or the flight of twenty pelicans riding a thermal. I never had to feel minuscule while gazing into a star-studded sky, or fall in love, or hold my infant child in my arms, or hear a song that every time made me cry. Nor did I have to live these seven decades. I am only because God is. That I have this awareness in the space of each breath, is the gift of knowing Jesus Christ as my Lord, my Savior, my Brother, my Friend.”

Podcast

Welcome and Prayer: Jim Calhoun

Come Lord join us here today

It is easy for us to be distracted
In truth much in our culture encourages it
Our massive entertainment industry pumps out endless distraction
To soothe us
Pacify us
Our news outlets often leave us in a swirl
Of frustration
Overwhelm
And despair
Looking everywhere
All at at once
Hope fading

If we are not careful
Our lives can be consumed
By big doings over little things
Of focusing on other people’s business
The ups and downs
The comings and goings
Of things we can’t influence

Lord, give us a way through these days
And the days to come
To find and focus
On what is essential
What is real
What matters
But above all lead us to you
Our hope
Our rock
Our life
Amen

Morning Talk: chuck smith, jr.

“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. And you know the way to where I am going.” Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.”

Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?” John 14:1-9

Intro: Reading the stories of Jesus,

Have you ever wished you could hear the tone of his voice?
– for instance, I imagine a note of disappointment or sadness when says,
“Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip?”
• Philip was one of the first disciples to follow Jesus
◦ so he’s traveled with him as long or longer than the others
◦ if anyone should know Jesus, it’s Philip
• Jesus has completed his work, and his time with his disciples is winding down
◦ now, near the end, Philip doesn’t know Jesus as well as the Lord desired
– bear with me as I read through statements Jesus made re: himself
“I am the bread of life” (Jn. 6:35)
“I am the light of the world” (Jn. 8:12)
“You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world” (Jn. 8:23)
“I am the good shepherd” (Jn. 10:11)
“I am the Son of God” (Jn. 10:36)
“I am the resurrection and the life” (Jn. 11:25)
“You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am” (Jn. 13:13)
In an ultimate statement regarding his person, “Truly . . . before Abraham was, I am” (Jn. 8:58)
And in this same conversation: “I am the way, and the truth, and the life”
In a few minutes Jesus will say, “I am the true vine” (Jn. 15:1)
• the cumulative effect of these self-revealing statements,
◦ should have convinced Philip he’s seen the Father in Jesus
• one insight we can draw from this conversation:
◦ Jesus wants to be known by his followers,
◦ and in knowing him, he wants us to know God, his Father

To know Jesus, we must face the challenge he presents

In John’s story, people were constantly baffled by what Jesus said
– the crowds, of course, but even his disciples
• what did he mean, he was the bread of life,
◦ the light of the world, the good shepherd, the true vine?
◦ how were they supposed to know what he meant?
• the times the disciples tried to treat his words as a riddle,
◦ using logic and taking him literally, they got it wrong
– some folks won’t like me saying this, but Jesus forces us to use our imaginations
• he came to lead us into a realm that doesn’t exist in our world
◦ he came to change our lives into something we’ve never been
• the only way to envision that realm or our new selves is with our imagination

If you know anything about period of the Reformation in Britain,
– then you’ve heard of Thomas Moore – one notable quote:
Moore, “True change takes place in the imagination”
• a French philosopher in 20th century picked that up
Paul Ricoeur, “If you want to change people’s obedience then you must change their imagination.”
• an American theologian also grasped importance of this idea
◦ Walter Brueggemann observed how Christians were shaped by culture
◦ he realized, any significant change begins with imagination
• I want to honor his passing this past week with several quotes
Brueggemann, “So the first question is How can we have enough freedom to imagine and articulate a real historical newness in our situation? . . . We need to ask not whether it is realistic or [politically] practical or [economically] viable but whether it is imaginable.”
– in one of his books, he emphasizes the role of the prophets, The Prophetic Imagination
Brueggemann, “The prophet engages in futuring fantasy. The prophet does not ask if the vision can be implemented, for questions of implementation are of no consequence until the vision can be imagined. The imagination must come before the implementation.”
◦ he also stressed the role of artists
Brueggemann, In totalitarian states “imagination is a danger. Thus every totalitarian regime is frightened of the artist. It is the vocation of the prophet to keep alive the ministry of imagination, to keep on conjuring and proposing alternative futures to the single one the king wants to urge as the only thinkable one.”
◦ in Finally Comes the Poet, he writes,
“The link of obedience to imagination suggests the toughness of ethics depends on poetic, artistic speech as the only speech that can evoke transformation. Even concerning ethics, ‘finally comes the poet.’”
• the biblical story of Samson begins with angel announcement
“he shall begin to save Israel from the hand of the Philistines” (Jdg. 13:5)
◦ he wouldn’t finish the job, but someone had to start it
◦ that’s what defined his role as a judge in Israel!
• in one episode of Samson’s life, 3,000 men of Judah came to apprehend him and hand him over to the Philistines
They said to him, “Do you not know that the Philistines are rulers over us?” (Jdg. 15:11)
• they had surrendered to that situation as if it were an unalterable reality
◦ in Samson’s mind, he did not consider the Philistines as his rulers or being over him
◦ and in his own imagination of how things were, Israel’s liberation began

From the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, his message was:

“Things can be different! People can change. Religion can change”
Brueggemann, “Jesus is presented and trusted as the one whose very person made a difference”
– Brueggemann lists ways Jesus demonstrated this message
• first, his birth challenged the rule of Herod and of Rome
◦ then his ministry of forgiveness, of healing (and on Sabbath!),
◦ his acceptance of, and association with outcasts, and then,
Brueggemann, “Jesus in his solidarity with the marginal ones is moved to compassion. Compassion constitutes a radical form of criticism, for it announces that the hurt is to be taken seriously, that the hurt is not to be accepted as normal and natural but is an abnormal and unacceptable condition for humanness.”
(At this point we might be tempted to think of Senator Ernst’s heartless comment this past week regarding cut backs in Medicaid,
“We are all going to die” – like’s it’s an inevitability, so we’ll just let it happen)
Brueggemann, “Thus the compassion of Jesus is to be understood not simply as a personal emotional reaction but as a public criticism in which he dares to act upon his concern against the entire numbness of his social context. Empires live by numbness.” And further on, “Jesus’ compassion is not only criticism of what is deathly, for in his criticism and solidarity he evidences power to transform”

Someone might assume I’ve been talking politics

I haven’t (except for that one crack regarding Ernst) – I’m not political and I don’t follow politics closely
– what I am–or at least what I try to be–is Christian,
• a follower of Jesus – so it affects me to hear him ask,
“Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me?”
• I have lots of questions and requests for Jesus
◦ I wonder how many of them he would give the same answer that he gave Philip
“Whoever has seen me has seen the Father”
◦ or as he said to Thomas, who complained,
“Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?”
“I am the way . . . . If you had known me, you would have known my Father also”
• this isn’t political; it’s personal and relational
◦ it’s about knowing Jesus

Conclusion: I hope you find encouragement in this morning’s talk

That you’re not thinking,
“I’ve already learned this. And I already know Jesus.
I was hoping to hear something else this morning;
maybe something new, or more relevant or practical”

Okay, I get it. And maybe I’m only talking to myself
Like you, I’ve already learned this too
And I’ve shared the same message for years
But with all the energy and effort that I’ve put into knowing Jesus,
I still do not know him as well as I wish
And in this way, if not so much as in other ways,
I identify with St. Paul,
who after meeting Jesus for the first time,
and having served the Lord and his people for many years, wrote:
“Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things . . . in order that I may gain Christ . . . that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share in his sufferings, become like him in his death . . . . Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has ade me his own” (Php. 3:8-12)

Podcast

Welcome and Prayer: Jim Calhoun

Come Lord
Join us here today

In all things let us give thanks
Make our hearts sensitive to the good you bring to us.
Fill us with gratitude
Make us noticers of your presence
Your hand
Your loving care
Let us feel our contentment in you
And live truthfully before you
Without mask
Without pretense
Without shame

Help us step out of our defenses
Our roles and stances
Our postures and reputations
And help us to step into you
Our need of you
Knowing you are trustworthy
Knowing you are kind
Knowing you are making us new
Whole
And for this we give thanks again
And again
Amen

Morning Talk: chuck smith, jr.

“Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God; for it is written,
‘As I live, says the Lord, every knee will bow to me,
and every tongue shall confess to God.’
So then each of us will give an account of himself to God Romans 14:10-12

Intro: For some theologians and many believers,

Paul’s letter to the Romans is the heart of the Christian faith
– but what they see as the central message isn’t my favorite part
• chapter 8 and this chapter speak directly to our need
• that is, our connection to God and life in the Spirit
◦ then chapter 14, where we learn what living our faith looks like in practice
– a natural division occurred in churches of the Roman Empire
• the split occurred along both ethnic and cultural lines
◦ they consisted of both Jewish and Gentile members
◦ Paul was clear re: his ministry, to Jews first and also to Gentiles
• in some churches, this became a problem – Galatians
◦ there is a hint of that same tension here (and in Colossians)
◦ only it has a slightly different look – based on practice

In verse 1, Paul introduces us to these two groups in Rome

He labels one group, “weak in faith”
– I think he’s being delicate by not labeling the other group as strong
• however, at the beginning of chapter 15, he does say,
“We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak”
• in what way were some Christians “weak in faith”?
– this where I think we can discern Jewish roots
• what “weak in faith” means
◦ they were uncomfortable with idea of right with God by grace
• they had learned that obeying the law was their salvation
◦ so for them, they were saved by grace + something else
◦ Sabbath-keeping, dietary restrictions, circumcision
• those, strong in faith, didn’t share those convictions

I’ll pause here long enough for us to realize,
– there are many Christians who still carry similar beliefs
• we are saved by grace plus something more
◦ grace + baptism, grace + their doctrine, grace + politics
• some people will always struggle with grace
◦ at the same time, we must be aware of the danger of what Dietrich Bonhoeffer called “cheap grace”
◦ grace that makes no demands
– grace is life-transforming–result: we live differently than before
• but even still, the essence of grace is relational not legal or doctrinal

Paul had many run-ins and conflicts with the promoters of legalism

The first significant Gentile church was in Antioch in Syria
“But some men came down from Judea and were teaching the brothers, ‘Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.’ And . . . Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and debate with them . . . .” (Acts 15:1-2)
– in time, Paul reached the realization:
• he would never be able to change their minds
• they were as Christian as he was, despite their convictions
– so the challenge became working out a peaceful co-existence
• what he taught the Ephesians: Jesus is the bridge between the two groups
“For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility . . . that he might create in himself one new [people] in place of the two, so making peace” (Ep. 2:14-15)

So now Paul makes a similar appeal to these two groups in Rome

He tells each group what they need to hear:
– to the weak in faith”
“Don’t judge, criticize, or condemn the others who don’t share your opinions”
– to the strong in faith:
“Don’t despise or look down on the others as less enlightened, spiritual, or educated”

The information Paul provides in the first nine verses is thorough
– but I get the feeling that he didn’t think that was enough,
• that it was important that they take the message inside them
◦ he wanted his Christian readers to live this truth
• so he moves to another way of communicating to them
◦ he doesn’t pour more information into them
◦ instead he challenges the to do some soul-searching
“Why do your pass judgment on your [Christian brothers and sisters]?”
– sometimes a “why” question is rhetorical
• the person who asks, is convinced there’s no valid answer
◦ other times, the question is real,
◦ but the person asking has another purpose than to get an answer
• if a Christian community is divided over an issue,
◦ it can be a wise move toward resolve and reconciliation,
◦ if everyone involved asks themselves,
why they feel as they do, why they hold their ground, and why they allow it to lead to division
– whether the question is effective in repairing the division,
• depends on each person taking the challenge seriously
◦ “why” must be answered as truthfully as possible
◦ to do that requires deep and thorough probing of our hearts
• I confess, it isn’t easy for me to get to my truth
◦ I must include searching my mind and heart–i.e., reason and emotion
◦ facts vs assumptions, my prejudices and preferences
also, what personal and cultural influences play into this?

When Paul asks us, “Why?” we must answer on our own
– it won’t work to refer to general consensus or public opinion
• as in the final judgment Paul mentions,
◦ we will stand alone before God and answer for ourselves
• I think my intention for saying this is the same as Paul’s
◦ I believe we must take this interior exploration seriously
– everyone finds it difficult to admit that they’re wrong
• especially if the person we’re debating is belligerent and aggressive
• knowing that it’s our spirit or attitude that is wrong, makes it even more difficult

Let’s get out the magnifying glass and take a closer look at the text

Paul get’s personal – he’s not talking about an anonymous crowd
– he says, “Why do you pass judgment”
• and he doesn’t make it “us” and “them” or “you” and “them”
◦ he addresses one group, “you,” and says, “Or you!”
– I can’t remember if I’ve noticed this before,
• that he says, “why do you despise your sibling”
◦ that is to say, “treat them with contempt”
– this is a frustrating defect of our human nature
• we cannot simply disagree with someone regarding a serious issue
◦ we are gripped with strong negative feelings toward them
• “despise” is a strong word, but sometimes we have strong feelings
◦ and this person, Paul says, is my brother, my sister
◦ we share a familial bond in Jesus

There is a key phrase in this section of Romans I want to emphasize

It is found first in verse 1, where Paul says, “welcome him”
– “Don’t judge, don’t despise, don’t argue, just welcome them”
• to welcome someone is to receive them, open you heart and your arms to them
• Paul comes back to this in verse 3
• and then again in Romans 15:7 (where Jesus is our example)

If Jesus’ parable of the Prodigal Son had a longer ending:
– the Prodigal–the little brother–, would have told his father,
“Don’t invite my older brother to my party! He’ll ruin it. He’s always judging me. He’ll ask how much everything cost. He’s too uptight. He always has to be right. Father, I want to be with you, but not him.”
• and his father would have answered,
“Son, never forget how much I love your older brother. He, too, is my son. And he hasn’t caused me as much heartache as you. True, he has taken fewer risks, but he’s always been very careful not to offend me. You love me. I love you and I love him, and I want you to love him as well.”
• in the longer ending, the brothers would have been reconciled
– that was what the message Jesus wanted his audience to hear and put into practice

Conclusion: Several times, I’ve started to respond to someone on social media

But I felt the Lord telling me, “Don’t do that”
– people are already doing too much name-calling, derision, and throwing obscenities at each other
• perhaps he wants me to use the platform for good

It’s one level of relief when we realize we can’t “fix” others
but there’s even greater peace when we realize, we don’t have to fix anyone else
God hasn’t put that on his list of things for us to do

Paul says “each one of us will give an account of their selves to God”
So which case should I be working on?
prosecuting my neighbor’s case or preparing my own?
Regardless of what everyone else may be doing,
we are ambassadors of God’s love in the world
Let’s commit ourselves to working on that