Tag: Jews

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God goes for the rejected.

Reading Time: 4 minutes

“When he came to the village of Nazareth, his boyhood home, he went as usual to the synagogue on the Sabbath and stood up to read the Scriptures. The scroll of Isaiah the prophet was handed to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where this was written: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free, and that the time of the Lord’s favor has come.” He rolled up the scroll, handed it back to the attendant, and sat down. All eyes in the synagogue looked at him intently. Then he began to speak to them. “The Scripture you’ve just heard has been fulfilled this very day!” ‭‭Luke‬ ‭4‬:‭16‬-‭21‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Luke gives us the story we were all so curious about. What happens when a kid comes back home, as an adult? Wow! Themes of familiarity, knowing someone when they were little, but now they are all grown up. Mothers who speak of feeding, burping and changing your diapers. Fathers who use phrases like, “knee high to a grasshopper.” Older friends talking about very stale stories when you were a child or teen, laughing about your “awkward” stage. Jesus went home, but he had changed even though Nazareth had not! It’s gets me.

I’m guilty of and surrounded by the stories of “back in the day.” Unfortunately, it’s one of the things you have to face when you’ve kept life-long friendships and relatives that are more sentimental than ever. Jesus went home and home only had memories of his past and a few stories of what had happened since he left. What a moment to capture! Thank you Dr. Luke for giving us such a dramatic, transitional moment in Jesus’ life, but also an amazing insight into how we tend to keep people locked in our memories, not allowing them to grow into God’s design.

To get the best possible picture of what these short moments in the local Nazareth synagogue looked like, you have to watch The Chosen, Season 3, Episode 3, called, “Physician, Heal Yourself.” To summarize: At the synagogue, Jesus reads a scroll from the Prophet Isaiah and declares its fulfillment on that day. Jesus uses the examples of Elijah with the widow of Zarephath and Elisha with Naaman to prove His pronouncement of salvation in the Year of Jubilee. Jesus then proclaims Himself as the Messiah, enraging and upsetting the hearers. The people of Nazareth reject and condemn Jesus for His proclamation as the Law of Moses, driving Him out of the town to throw Him down a cliff, but Jesus passes through their midst.

Wow! Jesus, comes home and literally causes a violent riot, with the local religious activists fully intending to kill him. Luke tells us, “When they heard this, the people in the synagogue were furious,” Luke‬ ‭4‬:‭28‬. What exactly were they furious about? Because right after Jesus said the prophetic promise was fulfilled that day. Luke tells us they spoke well of him and they were even amazed by his grace with authority. It was most likely the next thing Jesus told his own community leaders that ruffled their defensive feathers.

Jesus, led by the Spirit and reading the room, simply spoke what they were all thinking. What were they thinking? They were thinking about an ancient proverb that says, “Physician, heal yourself”— meaning, “Do miracles here in your hometown like those you did in Capernaum.” Then Jesus presents the pharisaical elephant in the synagogue. “Your legalistic, religious zeal has blinded you because that same selfish spirit is what killed the prophets that brought God’s truth!” Jesus said, “no prophet is accepted in his own hometown,” ‭‭Luke‬ ‭4‬:‭24‬.

Bringing light and salt to their fake facades Jesus quickly summarizes two stories about two of the most favored, famous prophets; Elijah and Elisha. Elijah with the widow and Elisha with the Syrian general. Instead of God sending these two prophets to their own people, the Jews, God sent them to Gentiles – despised foreigners! Hard truth: God has passed you by because you’ve rejected truth, and God has moved on to invite all people – namely, the Gentiles, the Samaritans, the rejected and lost. This is what caused them to pick up their proverbial pitch forks and torches! They didn’t like what Jesus inferred, so they dealt with it exactly how our modern mobs deal with truth – let’s just kill the truth teller! Of course it was not Jesus’ time, it would come later. But, we all know you can’t kill truth, it will endure beyond individuals.

God still goes after the rejected. Paul even says God goes after His enemies – even while we were yet sinners… Christ died for us. Apparently that really makes self righteous folks really mad. The good news for the poor is the understanding that we know we’re broken, but God comes not to condemn us but to save us. If we can’t figure out how broken we are, then when we see God’s mercy given to someone not so good, it makes us angry not grateful.

Prayer

​Dad,
Sinners, know thyself! I know who I was and who I am now. I was not just lost, I was miserable. I knew without you, I would not have anything, no life, no future. You changed my life and I must see others through the same eyes that recognized just how broken I was. Thank you.

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The Curse of Passivity.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Every nook and cranny of Edom will be searched and looted. Every treasure will be found and taken. “All your allies will turn against you. They will help to chase you from your land. They will promise you peace while plotting to deceive and destroy you. Your trusted friends will set traps for you, and you won’t even know about it. At that time not a single wise person will be left in the whole land of Edom,” says the Lord. “For on the mountains of Edom I will destroy everyone who has understanding. ‭‭Obadiah‬ ‭1‬:‭6‬-‭8‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Who is Edom and why was God so angry with them? This is what the one chapter spokesperson of God explains to us. [link]. Edom is Esau’s clan! Jacob’s brother and son to Isaac. Although Esau made peace with Jacob, he never did make peace with God. But as a warrior from birth, he was able to capture and keep the hilltop city of Mount Seir. The city that was impossible to conquer. Obadiah himself was an Edomite.

Why was God so angry with the Edomites? Their passivity towards their own people, Israel was unacceptable. A people who wanted peace at all cost, lives with no risk and safety with no conscience. Obadiah spells it out in his prophetic word of destruction towards his own brothers. “Because of the violence you did to your close relatives in Israel, you will be filled with shame and destroyed forever. When they were invaded, you stood aloof, refusing to help them. Foreign invaders carried off their wealth and cast lots to divide up Jerusalem, but you acted like one of Israel’s enemies.” Obadiah‬ ‭1‬:‭10‬-‭11‬.

Under the guise of passivity lies the sins of pride. The ethos of Esau, withdrawing from his family because of perceived betrayal and favoritism. The egregious act of Esau marrying one the arch enemies of Israel, the Canaanites – Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael Abraham’s son. Then holding up in a fortified city on the hill, all created a cultural elitism and gloating when Israel was mercilessly attacked time and time again. God declared that enough was enough.

Even though the Edomites believed no one could possibly touch them, in their haven in the heavenly, God declared, “Though you soar like the eagle and make your nest among the stars, from there I will bring you down.” And God did. Edomites were driven from their land by the Nabateans, they migrated to the southern part of Israel and became known as Idumeans. [link] Much later in biblical history, Herod the Great, an Idumean, appears on the scene. It was Herod who tried to kill the infant Jesus in Bethlehem—through Herod, the rebellion of Edom continued. In AD 70, the Idumeans joined the Israelites in their revolt against Rome, and they were wiped out when Jerusalem was destroyed. At that point, the descendants of Esau disappeared from human history, just as God had said.

Passivity mixed with pride, safety and peace at the cost of loss of human lives is a horrible combination for any country, any people group. Edomites did so in arrogant rebellion against God. Can you think of countries with similar beliefs? Ever heard of the Bystander Effect? [link]. Edomites were an entire ancient people group that chose to not get involved.

Prayer

​Dad,
Is this us today? Is this the Church trying to be so neutral that it ends up being disengaged with highly controversial, highly contagious social viruses? I don’t want to be like Esau or the Edomites. I also see direct connections to our position on the country of Israel. They are really being targeted and once again there are stirring echoes of hate surrounding the Jewish people! It seems so surreal that this mysterious animosity keeps looping through time lashing out at the Jewish people. Obadiah’s words are eerily relevant today, “The day is near when I, the Lord, will judge all godless nations! As you have done to Israel, so it will be done to you. All your evil deeds will fall back on your own heads.” So I pray for the peace of Israel! Amen.

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Powerful political plots.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

”Mordecai sent this reply to Esther: “Don’t think for a moment that because you’re in the palace you will escape when all other Jews are killed. If you keep quiet at a time like this, deliverance and relief for the Jews will arise from some other place, but you and your relatives will die. Who knows if perhaps you were made queen for just such a time as this?” ‭‭Esther‬ ‭4‬:‭13‬-‭14‬ ‭NLT‬‬

In the book bearing Queen Esther’s name, where the name of God does not appear, it reveals a story within THE story. Israel had already served their time out, its leaders and its people now 100 years AFTER captivity in the great Babylon. The Bible Project is helpful in giving us a timeline and facts about this amazing book.

“This is one of the more exciting and curious books in the Bible. While some Jews did return to Jerusalem (see Ezra-Nehemiah), many did not. The book of Esther is about a Jewish community living in Susa, the capital city of the ancient Persian empire. The main characters are two Jews, Mordecai and his niece Esther. Then there is the king of Persia and the Persian official Haman, the cunning villain. Esther is a curious book in the Bible because God is never mentioned, not once. This may strike you as odd because the Bible is supposed to be a book about God. However, this is a brilliant technique by the anonymous author. It’s an invitation to read the story looking for God’s activity, and there are signs of it everywhere. The story is full of odd coincidences and ironic reversals that force you to see God’s purpose at work behind every scene.”

One of the more powerfully poignant moments is captured here in chapter 4. Haman’s decree of “death to Jews” had gone out and word of it finally reached Esther. In this intense scene, Esther’s uncle, Mordecai pressures her to take a serious look at what will happen and providentially why Esther has been favored by God to serve in such a high position. It’s a real nail-biter for the reader.

Mordecai & Esther exchange secret letters through a trusted eunuch. It is a phrase that has captured our attention and become a life-lesson for so many since Mordecai wrote it! It may be “for such a time as this.” When we look upon thousands of stories of history and naturally try to see ourselves in similar circumstances, this phrase helps us to heroically rise above the doldrums of life and stare down our own threats of defeat or death and face the facts – maybe this entire scenario is exactly tailored for me to see the future of two very real possibilities. Will I be a person of faith or fear?

For Esther, the stakes were sky-high! Even in her uncle’s intense pressure to take the risk, he wisely writes, “if you keep quiet…” relief for the Jews will arise from some other place. But, YOU and YOUR relatives will die.” God will still make a way, so why not be the one he uses to bring about his will – saving and sparing us.

You’ll need to read the rest of the story for yourself, but let me remind ourselves – God looks for heroes every day! His grace, mercy and power is actively ready to be released through anyone that will be obedient and act on their faith to trust Him. How many “ for such a time as this” moments have we each let slip through our fear-filled fingers? Faith is brave. Faith is courageous. Faith is also dangerously daring! Where has God placed you? What Haman in your life, family or company has politically plotted against you? What opportunity has arisen for you to see something and say something that is right and true? Maybe the circumstances are not as dire as Esther’s, but to those who are being mistreated or suffering it could be just that right moment to save them.

Prayer

​Dad,
I don’t believe I have ever been in a situation so critical as Esther’s! However, I know there have been many times I have been presented with the choice to speak up or just go with what everyone else says is good. I feel compelled in those moments to be fully truthful and honest within myself to do what is right. I have often reflected on Mordecai’s words that those moments were providential NOT accidental! By your grace, and with your help, I will continue to yield to faith and obedience and do what is required of me. Amen.

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The longest feud in history.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

“So Abraham agreed to Ephron’s price and paid the amount he had suggested—400 pieces of silver, weighed according to the market standard. The Hittite elders witnessed the transaction. So Abraham bought the plot of land belonging to Ephron at Machpelah, near Mamre. This included the field itself, the cave that was in it, and all the surrounding trees. It was transferred to Abraham as his permanent possession in the presence of the Hittite elders at the city gate. Then Abraham buried his wife, Sarah, there in Canaan, in the cave of Machpelah, near Mamre (also called Hebron). So the field and the cave were transferred from the Hittites to Abraham for use as a permanent burial place.” ‭‭Genesis‬ ‭23‬:‭16‬-‭20‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Some of these Biblical references hold the deep secrets to thousands of years of conflict between modern nations and people groups. Within the long love story between Abram and Sarai (now Abraham and Sarah) we find the ending of Abraham’s dear wife, Sarah. Abraham wants to purchase and secure a proper burial place in the massive, expanse of desert between the Mediterranean Sea and the country of Jordan. There was basically just miles of land filled with sand with a few alcoves or caves that popped up on the desert floor. Hebron.

Here’s a couple of interesting facts about this transaction, which was clearly documented among two people groups, later to become nations. Abraham legitimately bought the land from one of the prominent Hittite leaders. Their descendants of the Hittites eventually merged into Turkey. However, Abraham had two bloodlines, remember? One was Ishmael, the other Isaac. Ishmael (although he was a Canaanite, went on to eventually become the cultural father of Islam, but not directly the Arabic patriarch everyone assumed. It turns out that Ishmael’s mother, was an Egyptian, and believed to be one of the Pharaoh’s daughters herself! When God saved mother and son in the desert, Ishmael went on to get married and have children. Those children became princes and princesses of the royal lineage of Egypt itself.

I always wondered where the bitter, rage-filled turmoil came from between Israel and the Muslim cultures. They both share the same ancient patriarch/father – Abraham! It is well known that Islam believes that their beloved prophet was a direct descendant of Ishmael, who was Abraham’s first born son. Making matters even more complicated, the city of Hebron, where Abraham and Sarah are buried would be considered “co-owned” by both “heirs,” Ishmael and Isaac. If you think that’s wild, do a little study on the Pharaoh’s daughter who ended up becoming the maidservant of two powerful bedouins in the desert – that’s right, Abram and Sarai. You don’t think that forcing Hagar out into the desert would create a historical tension between Israel and Egypt as well? What’s the point? When we make human choices out of our own free will to take shortcuts to accomplish something God had already promised, like Abram and Sarai impregnating Hagar to force and heir. Look at the massive, historical, cultural turmoil that ensued because of that one decision! Just look at where we’re at today, Judaism and thus Christianity, is still locked in bitter, religious, even political and social division because of that decision. Yet God clearly wants redemption of ALL people. And Jesus alone is the one and only true reconciliation for all nations, cultures and people! The longest feud is between God and humans, but history tells us there is still bad blood between the Jewish people and Muslims. Only Jesus blood can reconcile both us to God and brother back to brother.

Prayer

Dad,
I’ve long realized that a lack of faith also has awful consequences. When I am impatient or unwilling to wait for your will to be done and I make selfish, short-cut decisions, I must realize that those decisions have repercussions and ramifications for my future, but also the future of others in my family and close friends. Help me trust. Help me be patient and obey. Give me wisdom to see and have faith to believe. Amen.

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Freedom to serve.

Reading Time: 3 minutes 
“Even though I am a free man with no master, I have become a slave to all people to bring many to Christ. When I was with the Jews, I lived like a Jew to bring the Jews to Christ. When I was with those who follow the Jewish law, I too lived under that law. Even though I am not subject to the law, I did this so I could bring to Christ those who are under the law. When I am with the Gentiles who do not follow the Jewish law, I too live apart from that law so I can bring them to Christ. But I do not ignore the law of God; I obey the law of Christ.” 1 Corinthians‬ ‭9:19-21‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Paul writes this phrase, “I am a free man.” It doesn’t seem like much to a western-world, U.S. Citizen, because we’ve been “free” for hundreds of years.

In Paul’s day, many people were not free. Slavery, servanthood, was common. He lists the the classes of people of his culture at that time, the Jews and the Greeks (gentiles). And, he writes about how one group had been raised on the Torah, the Laws of God, the other had no real moral or religious code. The gentiles were anyone not Jewish, so it was not exactly a racial issue.

Paul says some interesting things about these laws of God. He was raised and trained in strict Judaism. He held title and authority as a Pharisee. So he writes, “I am not subject to the law,” then later writes, “I obey the law of Christ.” We can’t fathom the massive shift in belief and behavior that this phrase means.

Most of us have only and always been free from the “Law of God,” meaning the 10 commandments and the five books that make up the Pentateuch. And yet, though we are free from that “master,” Paul wants us to understand that all humankind is under another master, another law – the lawlessness of sin.

So when Paul writes of being under Christ’s law he has transferred his servanthood, not just from the Old Testament Torah, but also his slavery from sin itself.

Lastly he adds another object lesson, or a picture to illustrate the true nature of being under the mastery of sin, he writes about the weak. “When I am with those who are weak, I share their weakness, for I want to bring the weak to Christ. Yes, I try to find common ground with everyone, doing everything I can to save some. I do everything to spread the Good News and share in its blessings.” Paul list “those without strength.” Paul’s desire was to win over the Jews, which he did with limited results, the Gentiles, which Paul had huge success setting up dozens of churches in multiple Gentile cities. And he also reached the poor, the weak, the disenfranchised.

Paul found “common ground,” for him to present the gospel all may be free, from the Torah (Law), free from the chains of sin and become a servant, a bond slave to Jesus Christ and truly be free! Our biggest issue today is finding the common ground of those who are still in slavery to an ideology, a social virus, or cultural religion that masks the truth and gives aires of superiority. We cannot, we must not walk with hubris religiosity, political morality or calloused judgment to reach this generation. He have to walk in the humility of love and grace to do everything we can to save them!

Prayer

Dad,
I just love your whole plan on calling and transforming the Apostle Paul – great move! This guy ends up writing the majority of practics in our understanding of the New Covenant (Testament) and how it interweaves with the gospel. As a Gentile myself, I love the simplicity of obedience to the law of Christ – love others just like You loved me! May we find the common ground that Paul writes about in our current culture that lives in the most upside down thinking ever! And may we be exactly like the father who runs and welcomes prodigals coming home!!!

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Peter meets the Greeks

Reading Time: 2 minutes 
“Peter told them, “You know it is against our laws for a Jewish man to enter a Gentile home like this or to associate with you. But God has shown me that I should no longer think of anyone as impure or unclean.” Acts‬ ‭10:28‬ ‭NLT‬‬

All those years in the Old Testament, where God used his spokespersons to get Israel to understand His whole plan of using the Jews to bring God to the whole world.

All those wild interactions Jesus had with Gentiles and Samaritans, many of them women, no less.

And it takes a supernatural and commanding vision to finally begin to fulfill this original plan of redemption offered to all.

Peter blurts out this awkward greeting to Cornelius – “hello, I’m not supposed to talk to you, but God made me.” Such strong words, “You know…” was it that obvious? “It is against OUR laws…” Were these civil or moral laws? No, they were Jewish religious/cultural laws. Talk about some deep-seated, systemic racism! I don’t know, maybe the hatred went both ways.

Peter summarizes his own personal vision, “I should no longer think of ANYONE impure or unclean!” Holy bacon bits – that’s such a huge shift for him. So much had changed and yet God kept pushing Peter into a “Kingdom of God” perspective. God had given both men this twinsy, matching visions. Peter’s vision went against a massive amount of food laws that had been handed down to his people for generations. Levitical laws were clear and strict! Cornelius had just been praying and giving to the poor yet had no idea what or why he was doing. He was without purpose or direction.

God saw him and said, boom, there’s the BRIDGE guy! There’s the guy that will get this religiously racial wall torn down. Angels were dispatched with one mission – let’s get Pete and Cornelius together. Cornelius was curious, Peter confused!

After story-swapping, Peter comes to this conclusion… it just give me goosebumps! “Then Peter replied, “I see very clearly that God shows no favoritism. This is the message of Good News for the people of Israel—that there is peace with God through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all.”

God shows NO FAVORITISM! In Christ there is complete and absolute equality across several physical and cultural boundaries – Paul later tells the Church, There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus!

And don’t even get me started in the fact that the Holy Spirit was poured out on the Cornelius crowd. With not only a powerful outward indication of an inward change, but also a sign of unity. Peter’s crew was ASTONISHED at what they SAW and HEARD – “The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on Gentiles. For they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God.”

PRAYER:

Dad,
Oh how I long for such reconciliation among the Church today. Unity, bridging the gap in racial and cultural- even denominational divides! These “laws,” this barriers are still causing issues today. It should not be so. There is so much social media trash slinging in the body of Christ, so many theological labels to hide behind and use against a unified church. Help us Lord!