How many of you have a little brother or a little sister? How about a puppy or a kitten?
How do they get attention when they want something? They whine or cry when they are hungry, thirsty, tired or wet. For example, babies don’t care if they are home or in a restaurant or even in church.
What do you do if you want to get someone’s attention? As we get older, we learn to be more reserved about making our wants and wishes known. Or do we? Today we will hear the story about a man who was not at all bashful about letting Jesus know that he needed something.
Jesus and his disciples had spent some time in the city of Jericho. As they were leaving town, a blind man by the name of Bartimaeus was sitting beside the road. When he heard the people saying that Jesus was approaching, he began to cry out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”
His crying out disturbed the people around him. “Be quiet!” they yelled at him.
But he only shouted louder, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”
When Jesus heard Bartimaeus crying out, he stopped and said, “Tell him to come to me.”
They called the blind man. “Cheer up,” they said. “Come on, Jesus is calling you to come to him.” Bartimaeus jumped up, threw aside his coat, and went to Jesus.
“What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked.
“I want to see,” Bartimaeus answered.
“Go,” Jesus said. “Your faith has healed you.” Instantly Bartimaeus could see and he followed Jesus down the road.
Can you imagine a mother hearing her baby cry and just ignoring it? No way! A mother will do whatever she can to find out what her baby wants or needs and tend to that need. Can you imagine God knowing that we have a need and ignoring it? Not a chance! God loves his children and wants what is best for them. The Bible says in Philippians 4:6, “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.”
When you have a need in your life, don’t be shy. Speak up! Remember what Jesus said in John 14:13. “I will do whatever you ask in my name.”
Let’s bow our heads and close our eyes for a moment of prayer. Dear God, we know that you love your children and want what is best for them. Help us to remember that we need not worry about anything. All we need to do is to ask in Jesus’ name. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
Back in 1971, Gavin Bryars, one of England’s leading musicians and composers, agreed to help his friend Alan Powers with the sound on a film that Powers was making about street people. He was filming in an area around London’s Waterloo Station. He filmed various people living on the streets. He caught their daily rituals, trials and joys on film. Some of the homeless people were obviously drunk, some were mentally disturbed, some were very articulate, and some were incomprehensible.
Back in the studio, Gavin Bryars went through editing the audio and video footage. That’s when he became aware of a constant undercurrent, a repeating sound that was always there on the audio tape whenever one older man appeared on camera. But he couldn’t tell what the sound was. At first it sounded like muttered gibberish. So Bryars removed the background street noise and cleaned up the audio tape. Then he discovered that the old homeless man was singing.
Ironically, the footage of this old man and his muttered song didn’t make the film maker’s cut. But the film maker’s loss was Gavin Bryars’ gain. He took the rejected audio tape with him and could not escape the haunting sounds of this homeless, nameless man. He did some research on his own into who this homeless man might be.
From the film crew, Bryars learned that this street beggar didn’t drink. But neither did he engage others in conversation. His speech was almost impossible to understand, but his demeanor was cheerful. He was old and alone and filthy and homeless, but he had a kind of playfulness about him. He would tease the film crew by swapping hats with them.
What distinguished this old man from other street people was his song. The song he sang under his breath was a simple, repetitive Sunday-school tune. He would sit and quietly sing it, hour after hour after hour. He would sing:
Jesus’ blood never failed me yet, Never failed me yet Jesus’ blood never failed me yet, There’s one thing I know, For he loves me so…
It was like an endless loop. The song’s final line fed into its first line, starting the tune over and over again without ceasing. The man’s weak, old, untrained voice never wavered from pitch, never went flat, never changed key. The simple intervals of the tune were perfectly maintained for however long he sang.
Gavin Bryars was stunned. Although not a believer himself, Bryars could not help but be confronted by the mysterious spiritual power of this unadorned voice. Sitting in the midst of an urban wilderness, this voice touched a lonely, aching place that lurks in the human heart, offering an unexpected message of faith and hope in the midst of the darkest, most blighted night. This nameless old man brought a message from God in his simple song.
It took England’s leading contemporary composer until 1993 to create and produce what he felt was a proper accompaniment to this homeless person’s song of trust and obedience. He did this in partnership with one of America’s leading composers, Philip Glass. The result is a CD entitled “Jesus’ Blood Never Failed Me Yet.”
In Old Testament times, the role of the high priest was important. He was the titular head of the Jewish people, even thought they had a king. The high priest had important administrative and religious duties. In fact, the Roman governors often consulted with the high priests.
The Israelites could never be sure that the high priest would succeed when he went before God to make atonement for their sins. The Israelites’ high priests were sinners who had to constantly make sacrifices for themselves. The most famous high priests who were sinners were Caiaphas and Ananias. They were the high priests who played a key role in the arrest, trial and crucifixion of Jesus.
Sacrificial animals had to be perfect in the eyes of the temple priests. Jesus was the perfect sacrifice for us because he was perfect and sinless. He is a complete Saviour. Christ united the offices of high priest and king. He is unique in holiness, innocence and purity because of his exalted position in heaven because of his death, resurrection and ascension.
On the other hand, Jesus always represents us before the throne of God. Jesus intercedes for us like a lawyer intercedes on behalf of the client. We can hold to the truth that Jesus died for us. Through his death he intercedes for us by providing the one ultimate sacrifice needed for the atonement for our sins. He has not abandoned us. In fact, he constantly intercedes for us and pleads our case before God the Almighty Judge.
Jesus never fails as our high priest. He knows how to minister to us in the way that benefits us the most and matures our faith in him. Christ did not have to atone for his sins because he never sinned. He only needed to atone for us once. He saves us once and for all.
In the time period and culture of Mark’s Gospel and the Letter to the Hebrews, the best chance a blind person had to support himself was to sit in the path of pedestrians. After all, the passers-by might be moved with mercy and toss some spare change when the blind person called out to them. Jesus was moved with mercy when Bartimaeus called out to him. His mercy led to the saving of both Bartimaeus’ sight and his soul.
The attention that Jesus paid to the poor tells us that what is important to him needs to be important to us as Christians. The poor and the outcasts of society need to be paid attention to. It doesn’t matter if they are across the street or around the world. Distance and other circumstances might keep us separate from them and out of hearing, but we can pay attention to those who do speak for them-relief agencies, journals, newsletters, web pages, religious communities, etc. If Jesus could be interrupted on the way to the cross to answer the urgent, faith-filed cries of Bartimaeus, he will also stop and listen when we call out to him. He is never too busy governing the universe to hear the cries of help from his beloved children.
Crying out is an act of faith. Job cried out, and God confirmed that his cry was an expression of faith. Sometimes we are too proud to ask for help and that is totally understandable. After all, it’s part of human nature to be independent and to want to do things for ourselves. We have to remember that we can’t do everything by ourselves. We need help from time to time, especially when it comes to our salvation, and our eternal life. We need to cry out to God in faith for help when we need it. Each and every one of us has sinned, and that can keep us from heaven unless we acknowledge that we need Jesus in our lives.
When we come to Jesus, we have to get rid of our garments of self-sufficiency, just like Bartimaeus got rid of his cloak. We have to let go of our desire to control things and let God take control of our lives. God always calls someone to him through different, often difficult circumstances.
Bartimaeus gained both physical sight and spiritual sight. Unfortunately, the disciples were still spiritually blind. You see, the story of Bartimaeus occurs while Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem, where he will be crucified. On the way, Jesus told his disciples several times what would happen to him in Jerusalem, but the disciples did not get it. They did not understand him, nor did they understand the cost of following him. In fact, the final mistake they made was to argue in Mark 10:32-45 about who would have precedence in God’s Kingdom!
Jesus gives us spiritual sight. His call to discipleship comes through healing so that others can be given sight of their own weakness as the place where the call to discipleship leads. Only when we can see and accept our weaknesses can we allow Christ to come and serve us. The new covenant that Jesus has with us is for everyone who accepts the free gift of salvation by placing their faith in Jesus. In return, he prays for all of us so that we receive God’s kindness instead of God’s wrath.
Bartimaeus has a lot to teach us about persistence, faith and gratitude. Jesus’ ears hear the cries of the marginalized people in society. When God calls us, or when we call out to God, we must not give up in our attempts to get to him. We must not let obstacles stop us. We need to pay attention to what God is doing in and around us so that we don’t miss what he has in store for us. We need to let Jesus lead the way. Bartimaeus’ outward healing reflected the inner wellness of his salvation. His desire to see represents our desire to be freed from the cultural blinders that have held us captive since the beginning of time.
We are all like Bartimaeus. We are often blind to what goes on around us. We are often blind to God’s love and his desire to have a loving relationship with us. He is waiting for us to come to him. He is standing at the door. He is waiting for us to open the door so that he can enter into our lives.
Jesus can save us because he did not save himself from death on the cross. He can save us because he took our guilt and endured the punishment that we justly deserved. Salvation can’t be separated from divine justice. God hates sin, and he demands punishment for sins. Either the sinner must die, or else someone must die for him. That someone was Jesus. He can save us because if we come to God by him, then he died for us. We need to experience God’s forgiveness, cleansing power and freedom. This comes through God’s mercy, and because of his faithfulness and his love for us, his mercy is new every morning.
So how can we be cured of our spiritual blindness? First, we have to seize the moment and recognize when God gives us an opportunity. Second, we have to reach out in faith and move against our fears of rejection or ridicule. Third, we announce our faith and the changes we want to make in our lives. Only then will we receive God’s grace.
Our faith in Jesus will keep us on the right path when we are in danger of losing our way. Our faith in Jesus will keep us clear and certain when things seem cloudy and confused. It will keep us strong and victorious when we feel weak and defeated. Because we believe that God is sovereign, and because we believe that the risen Christ is living and that the power of the Holy Spirit continues to make all things new, we can affirm that we are being healed again and again. We can see things in fresh, new ways. We can see that we are being called to jump up, throw off the comfortable cloaks of our blind past and follow Jesus into the unknown dangers and the unimaginable opportunities that are to come.
Bibliography
Stanley, C.F.: The Charles F. Stanley Life Principles Bible, NASB (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc. ;20090
Dr. Mickey Anders, “Jesus’ Blood Never Failed Me Yet”. Retrieved from www.sermonwriter.com
Patrick Rooney, “Interceding for Us Now”. Retrieved from www.esermons.com
In 1927, the silent film “Wings,” a World War I film about two American aviators, won the first Academy Award for Best Picture. When it was being filmed, production stopped for several days. Frustrated producers asked the director why. He replied, “All we have is blue sky. The conflict in the air will not be as visible without clouds. Clouds bring perspective.” The director was right. Only by seeing aerial combat with clouds as a backdrop could the viewer see what was really going on.
We see a good example of a similar situation in Job 42:1-6,10-17. At the beginning of his suffering in Job 3:3-5, Job complained that “May the day perish on which I was born…May a cloud settle on it.” Job continued to suffer until God spoke. Then Job exclaimed in Job 42:5, “I have heard of you…but now my eye sees you.” Job had an encounter with God, and that changed his view of God’s purposes.
There are times in our own lives when we wish for blue skies instead of storm clouds, but cloudy skies often reveal God’s faithfulness. When we look back on the clouds in our lives, we gain new insights on how God has been faithful in our trials.
The Book of Job deals with the universal problem of human suffering. More importantly, it deals with the vindication of a good God in the face of evil and suffering. Nowhere is this more evident than in Job 42:1-6,10-17. God did in Job’s life what he did in the life of the nation of Israel. The way God led Moses and the Israelites out of Egypt didn’t make sense, and what he allowed in Job’s life didn’t make sense either. The Israelites suffered and complained, and so did Job. Both the Israelites and Job learned that God is sovereign and good. The only difference is that Job always remembered what he learned. The Israelites didn’t.
Job’s response to God is one of complete submission to God’s sovereignty. Job affirms that God is free-he can do anything-and he does what is good and right. Job was right where God wanted him to be-humbly bowing before God in worship and repentance. Job went from silence to submission.
Job did not confess to any of the sins he was accused of, nor did he say what he was told to say. Job was innocent of these accusations. Job’s fault was that in making judgments about matters, he did not understand, especially when he argued with God about his justice. God did not condemn Job for any sins or foolishness. He did chastise Job for saying that he could better explain what was happening in the world and better order and control its affairs. Job was wrong on both counts, so he repented.
The final picture of Job mirrors the opening picture of him in Job 1. God restored Job not because of Job’s sacrifice but as a gift. God restored Job’s family and fortune to a level surpassing that at the start of his suffering. God gave Job back twice as much as he lost, including another ten children. These children did not replace the first ten children, but were added to them. Between heaven and earth, Job had twenty children. The names Job gave to his daughters were Peace, Forgiveness and Beauty. The book of Job ends with a positive picture of Job and focuses on his character. Job acknowledged all of his children as equals in the inheritance he left them. That was a rarity in ancient times because of the society’s attitude toward women. Job probably lived to the age of 210, which was a typical lifespan in Job’s time. The term “Old and full of days” meant that Job lived a rich, full life until the day he died. Job stayed faithful to God during his suffering, so God wisely rewarded him.
Job was at a point where he had to confess that he was weak, unwise, wordy and unworthy. All of us have had times in our lives where we had to make some type of confession, and Job was no exception. Even if we have never sinned, our pride can get the best of us by ruling our lives. Job was relying on his own strength instead of relying on God. How many times have we made the same mistake? How many times has God had to make us suffer and realize that we need him? When we are at the lowest points in our lives and turn to God in repentance, we find out the truth behind the old saying that “What does not kill you makes you stronger.” God’s redeeming grace can take us from tragedy to triumph and from disbelief to a strong faith.
Worldliness can distort our view of God. Once we confess our ignorance and keep our mouths shut, we can see God clearly. We get to know him for ourselves. We don’t have to depend on human reasoning to define God. We don’t have to be afraid of God’s power because we have seen God’s grace. We don’t need an explanation for everything because we’ve placed our trust in God.
Sometimes when we suffer, we wonder where God is. We are not alone in asking this question. In his book, “Where is God When it Hurts?” author Philip Yancey answered this question. Here is his answer, and it is the same answer for each of us:
He has been there from the beginning…
He has watched us reflect His image…
He has used pain, even in its grossest forms, to teach us…
He has let us cry out and echo Job…
He has allied Himself with the poor and suffering…
He has promised supernatural strength to nourish our spirit…
He has joined us…hurt and bled and cried and suffered
He has dignified for all time those who suffer…
He is with us now…
He is waiting…
Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death, is your sting?
Instead of asking why God hasn’t kept his promises, we need to ask ourselves if there is anything we are doing that is keeping God from fulfilling his promises.
When God condemned Job’s friends, Job interceded for them. This was part of Job’s repentance, and because he showed grace to his friends, enemies and family, God gave Job grace. Job prayed for his friends, and that was evidence that Job’s heart was no longer filled with resentment or bitterness toward them. Job forgave them and experienced God’s forgiveness for himself.
When we pray for others, our own lives will change. The more we appreciate God, the more we will depreciate or humble ourselves. When the thought of God rises higher and higher, our pride will sink lower and lower.
There are things in life that we can’t understand on earth, but we will understand them completely when we get to heaven. One of these things is God’s grace. Grace can’t be earned. It is the gift of God’s unconditional love. Job’s intercession was a prophetic image for Christ’s intercession for his enemies when he was dying on the cross. Grace holds no grudges, and neither did Christ or Job. They accepted those who abandoned them just like God still loves us even when we abandon him.
Satan is always looking for ways to attack God’s children, and when he does attack, God is still in control. Even when Satan does his worst like he did when he made Job suffer, God does his best for us. When the devil attacks, we must continue to surrender our lives to God’s will, because God will always defeat the devil.
Bibliography
Jeremiah, David: The Jeremiah Study Bible, NKJV (Brentwood, TN: Worthy Publishing; 2013)
ESV Study Bible. Part of Wordsearch 11 Bible software package.
McKenna, D.L. & Ogilvie, L.J.: The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Vol. 12; Job (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.; 1986)
Stanley, C.F.: The Charles F. Stanley Life Principles Bible, NKJV (Nashville, TN: Nelson Bibles, 2005)
MacArthur, J.F. Jr.: The MacArthur Study Bible, NASV (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers; 2006)
“Perspective from the Clouds.” Retrieved from noreply@rbc.org
In Mark 10:35-45, Jesus once again told his disciples everything that would happen to him in Jerusalem-his trial, death, resurrection and ascension. James and John seized this opportunity to ask for the highest positions of honour in his kingdom-at the right and left hands of Jesus. They forgot that God controls the final destiny of each and every one of us. They expected a moment of glory, and they wanted to enjoy it. No wonder Peter and the rest of the disciples were upset. Jesus saw that a power struggle was developing, and he had to do something about it.
The disciples would have been wise to remember the old saying, “Be careful what you wish for.” Jesus warned them that they would suffer like he would suffer. He told them that they would be martyred for their faith, and in fact they were martyred for their faith. James was the first of the disciples to die for Christ. John was the last. He died in exile as an old man on the Greek island of Patmos.
Sometimes we have the idea that if we follow Jesus we are guaranteed to receive a reward. When that happens we forget that Jesus’ ministry was one of serving others. He gave himself for the sake of others, including suffering for their salvation. Christians today should be just as willing to suffer with Christ as they are to reign with him. Nowhere is this more evident than in countries where being a Christian could lead to jail, physical harm and even death. In our part of the world we may never have to suffer the same consequences for following Christ, but there will be times where we will have to endure our own brand of trials because of our faith. We must remember that if we suffer here on earth for our faith, we will be greatly rewarded in heaven.
Power as the standard of greatness corrupts people. You only have to look at some politicians to see that this is the case. People who are corrupted by power fail to realize that there is only a limited amount of power to go around. They want to protect their position, while people who don’t have power want it. If power is a standard of greatness in any organization, including the church, ambition will rule and jealousy will reign.
Pride wants strokes, and lots of them. Pride loves to get the credit, to be mentioned, to receive glory. For example, those of you who are in the workplace have likely been in situations where your bosses should have given you the credit you deserved, but for whatever reason they didn’t. When that happened, your pride had to be kept in check.
Jesus had the right to be mad at the disciples, but he realized that they were slowly beginning to understand what ministry would involve. He chose to teach them the meaning of true greatness by comparing human standards of greatness with God’s standard of servanthood. In Jesus’ vision, greatness is equal to servanthood. Jesus redefined the true nature of greatness. To be great does not mean to lord it over someone. It means to willingly serve under someone. By giving his own life as a ransom, Jesus-the Suffering Servant mentioned in Isaiah 53:10-12-would soon show his followers ultimate humility.
When we care about the things that hurt others, our hearts will be opened to their pain, and that openness will lead to its own suffering. We need to see other people and realize their importance to God. True humility and love for others flows from the infinite love God has for his people. Christ gave his life to God the Father as a ransom to pay for the sins of the people. The cup Jesus was to drink from was God’s wrath. Jesus bore God’s wrath in the place of sinful mankind. The cup the disciples would drink from would purify them and give God glory.
When we follow God, we lay the foundation for God’s kingdom here on earth. We have been saved by the greatness of Jesus, and in return we are to serve Jesus by serving others. Someone led us to Christ, so we must lead others to Christ. Someone helped us to grow spiritually, so in return we must help others grow spiritually. Someone was kind to us, and in return we are to be kind to others.
This can be hard to remember in our fast-paced world. It can be easy to lose sight of what it means to be great in God’s eyes, but if we slow down and open our eyes we will see that opportunities to serve are all around us. It’s easy to find them when we are at home. For example, we can do someone else’s chores or prepare a special meal. We can also serve outside of our homes as well. We can hold the door for a mom pushing a stroller or for someone who is carrying something in their arms. Regardless of what we do, we must serve gladly, because the person we are serving could be an angel in disguise. When we serve others as Jesus served us, we will know the true meaning of greatness. Being called by God is not an invitation of ease and special treatment, but is an invitation to abundant life.
Bibliography
Jeremiah, David: The Jeremiah Study Bible, NKJV (Brentwood, TN: Worthy Publishing; 2013)
ESV Study Bible. Part of Wordsearch 11 Bible software package.
McKenna, D.L. & Ogilvie, L.J.: The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Vol. 25: Mark (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.; 1982)
MacArthur, J.F. Jr.: The MacArthur Study Bible, NASV (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers; 2006)
How many of you have seen the movie Saving Private Ryan?
It’s a war film set during the invasion of Normandy in World War II. The film is about U.S. Army Ranger Captain John H. Miller (who was played by Tom Hanks) and his squad as they search for Private First Class John Francis Ryan (who was played by Matt Damon). Private Ryan was the last surviving brother of four servicemen. Captain Miller lost several of his men in their search to find him. After finding him, Captain Miller himself was mortally wounded. As he laid dying, he told Private Ryan, “Earn this.”
Years later Private Ryan stood in front of Captain Miller’s grave and said, “Every day I think about what you told me that day on the bridge. I tried to live my life the best I could. I hope that was enough. I hope that, at least in your eyes, I’ve earned what all of you have done for me.” He turned to his wife and said, “tell me I have led a good life…. tell me I’m a good man.”
Private Ryan asked the same question many of us ask ourselves: “Have I done enough with this one and only life God has given me?” On our own we can’t answer that question, but with Jesus’ help the answer is clear. He died for us so that we don’t have to do anything. By his grace we can live lives that are satisfied with good things, as the writer of Psalm 104 tells us. The question then becomes “Is the work of Jesus enough to make me satisfied and significant?”, and the answer is always a resounding “Yes!”
All of God’s creation is subject to his authority, including the biggest sea creatures. All of creation must praise him. In return, he takes pleasure in everything he has created. They depend on him, and in return he is generous to them. They can rely on him. We are part of God’s creation, so we can also depend on him.
God gives life. He makes the world new again and again. Creation is God’s and it exists for him. He cares and provides for creation, and in return everything he has created gathers in what God gives them and returns a portion to him. This is what the term “tithing” means-giving back to God a portion of what he has given us. God’s spirit has touched all of us in amazing ways, and we must share what we have been given with others.
It’s almost impossible for us to understand creation. Even our best scientists have to regularly revise their theories to try to explain creation-and God puts all of his wisdom at their service and ours. What God has created is awesome beyond our ability to understand it.
All of creation is supposed to show the majesty of God, including Jesus. He was the shekinah, or the visible sign of the invisible God. According to the Old Testament, the shekinah was a radiant cloud or a brilliant light within a cloud that showed the immediate presence of God. That same cloud led the Israelites by day in the desert. That same cloud also appeared at Jesus’ baptism and his transfiguration.
On the other hand, sinners and the unchurched are those who reject God’s rule and rebel against him. They are a blemish on the world, and God will remove that blemish in due time. The purpose of Psalm 104 is to foster hatred of sin. Its purpose is not to foster hatred against sinners. On the contrary, we are to love them. For example, Pope Francis’ 2016 statements to the Roman Catholic Church about how homosexuality and divorce are to be treated show compassion and love instead of hatred.
Our prayerful response to God’s love is to worship him and care for creation, but unfortunately our modern world has selfishly neglected to care for creation. The only way to prevent an ecological disaster is for humanity to treat God’s creation with respect.
Those who bless and praise God want to see the day when sinful men have been removed from the earth and the curse of sin removed. Throughout the Old Testament there are stories of how God used creation itself to destroy evil and rebuild the world. The prime example is the story of the Great Flood. There is a destructive power in nature. Just look at hurricanes and their destructive power. God’s world contains forces that are beyond our wildest dreams, so we would be wise to respect both the forces of nature and the forces of God. We can’t challenge God’s truth and justice because they are both swift and just. God wields his power with love and compassion.
If we take time to develop the habit of seeing God in our lives, we will be able to withstand the most trying times in our lives. I have been developing the habit of seeing God in my life, and it helps me to persevere when a situation is tough. When the Holy Spirit breathes new life into us, we can expect that it will be consistent with the character of Christ even though we might not be able to anticipate everything it will mean.
Our Christian life with God is like a song that is ready to be written. He loves to hear our praise. He will put a song in our hearts that will be the sweetest melody that we can enjoy for the rest of our lives. Just like the angels sang “Glory to God” at Christ’s birth, we are to give God glory in every circumstance in our lives. We don’t have to be a great singer to sing praise to God as long as we praise him every day. We can praise him when we do our household chores or serve others behind the scenes. When we show that Jesus is in our lives and reflect his character to those around us, we will make God happy.
Bibliography
ESV Study Bible. Part of Wordsearch 11 Bible software package.
Thanksgiving was approaching, and a family had received a Thanksgiving card with a painting of a Pilgrim family on their way to church.
Grandma showed the card to her small grandchildren and observed, “The Pilgrim children liked to go to church with their mothers and fathers.”
“Oh yeah?” her young grandson replied, “So why is their dad carrying that rifle?”
This coming Sunday we will celebrate the Canadian Thanksgiving. It is a time when we pause to celebrate and give thanks to God for everything he has given us, and the best way to give thanks to God is to pray. Giving thanks is one of three types of prayer, the other two being supplication and intercessions (which means speaking to God on behalf of someone else). Regardless of the type of prayer we use, we must remember that prayer is not just for our sakes or needs.
Supplications are petitions for certain definite needs. They are humble requests made because of certain situations which God alone can help. When our supplications are granted, we need to give thanks. When we take our concerns to God, God speaks to us through the Holy Spirit.
In the reading we heard from 1 Timothy 2:1-7, Paul tells us to pray for those in authority. Complaining about people in authority is easy, but God also tells us to pray for them. These prayers should include requests for the peaceable and wise rule and prayers for their salvation. Such prayers acknowledge that all authority is ultimately God’s authority, and that God is the ultimate King.
We are also to pray for salvation for lost souls. This puts us at odds with Paul. He argues that although God wants everyone to be saved, that does not mean that God will save everyone. People must either accept the Gospel or reject it. Believers should still pray for everyone, even those who seen unreachable. If we think that some people do not deserve the gift of salvation, then we are not as all-loving as God is. Scripture clearly states that God wants everyone to be saved and know the truth of salvation. There are no exceptions. No one is beyond God’s saving love.
Salvation is available because of the one person who was both man and God and who could represent humanity and reconcile humanity to God. That person is Jesus. Jesus served as a mediator between these two otherwise irreconcilable parties. Jesus is the only way to God.
The cross is the site of the most important transaction in history. Jesus served as a ransom to redeem humanity from slavery. The image is that of a slave market, with human beings as the slaves of sin. The price paid to free them was Jesus’ own death. Jesus substituted his own innocent life for our lives as slaves to sin and dying the death we all deserve and sparing us from the judgment we deserve.
False teachers were probably saying that salvation was restricted to the Jews, prompting Paul to write that Jesus gave himself for the sake of everyone and that God appointed him to teach the Gentiles. Paul’s calling has authority because God gave it to him and because he was faithful to it. Godly obedience makes a Christian’s testimony believable so that unbelievers may hear it and receive it.
We have many gifts from God to be thankful for. These gifts range from the universal offer of the Gospel and salvation to everyone to God’s love for everyone to Christ’s sacrifice on the cross for everyone to a church that is for everyone. The last one is hard to believe when you consider that some churches have allowed the world to control their agendas.
The passage from 1 Timothy links God’s grace with our concern for the church’s conduct in a world that lives by non-Christian customs. Churches that appeal to their own kind are the churches that most often grow in numbers. A church that reflects a culture of affluence and success is more likely to be successful. While God can and does bless people with success, we must remember to give thanks to God for that success. We must use that success to show God’s love to the world. One way we can do this is to pray.
Paul’s desire is for us to have compassion for the lost, to understand the depths of their pain and misery, and to come ultimately to God pleading for their salvation. Paul wants us to come to God on behalf of people who have no standing with him. We are to intercede for the lost.
We must not be “carnal Christians.” We must not live to please and serve ourselves instead of pleasing and serving Christ. It’s so easy for us to get caught up in asking God to provide us with what we need or want that we forget to pray for others. We need to ask God to help us be sensitive to the needs of others. We must take advantage of every opportunity to approach God and lay our concerns at his feet.
Things do not happen in this world because we pray. They happen when we pray. We are changed as we discover that the deepest desires of our hearts and the world are changed in some way because of God, the source of light and life, the ground of our being and the lover of our souls. God is the source of all things. If there is matter, God created it. If there is meaning and purpose to life, God determines it. If there is power, God yields it. These are great gifts from God for us, and we need to keep our sights on God’s kingdom and not on the politics of the day.
Because of the gift of Christ’s death, resurrection and ascension, we have the power to choose what is right. Our love for Jesus motivates us to live for Jesus, and if we live for Jesus, we are to share our faith by praying for people. God loves doing miracles in the lives of people, especially people who are not believers.
The act of praying can involve lifting hands to heaven. This act is a picture of coming before God with clean hands and a pure heart. How can we lift our hands to God if we are not seeking to relate to everyone we meet-people God loves without distinction? We can’t lift our hands to God if we don’t speak and work for the elimination of things that would destroy us. We must raise our hands without anger or doubt.
One of the greatest gifts from God, and one that we truly need to be thankful for, is the leaders in our churches. We must pray that God will give them the wisdom they need to lead us in faith. We must also pray that God will give them the wisdom to administer church affairs according to his will. This includes praying for the decisions they have to make. We must also pray that God will give all of us the strength we need to overcome the hurt some people have experienced as a result of this decision.
At God’s Table, which is one of the greatest gifts God can give us, we learn that we need to show an attitude of gratitude. We don’t need to wait until Thanksgiving to give thanks. We need that deep spirit of influence. It keeps us from having an attitude of selfishness. We need to give thanks for all things because there is always something to be thankful for. We can give thanks to God today and every day, and we can be thankful for the one who loved us so much that he paid the ultimate price for our sins-Jesus.
Bibliography
Jeremiah, David: The Jeremiah Study Bible, NKJV (Brentwood, TN: Worth Publishing; 2013)
ESV Study Bible. Part of Wordsearch 11 Bible software package.
Demarest, G.W. & Ogilvie, L.J.: The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Vol. 32: 1,2 Thessalonians/1,2 Timothy/Titus (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.; 1984)
MacArthur, J.F. Jr.: The MacArthur Study Bible, NASV (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers; 2006)
What do we really need? Our society is based on acquisition of things, especially wealth. We are concerned about what we do not have, especially people who are considered to be “have not”. Jesus is saying that it doesn’t matter how hard we try to get things, we can’t accumulate more than what God can provide for us. If we are called to our heavenly home by God, what good will earthly goods be? After all, we can’t take them with us. What Jesus is saying in the reading we just heard from Matthew’s Gospel is that we must put first things first. In other words, we are to seek first the Kingdom of God, and we must do this every day. To seek the Kingdom, we must first seek the King.
We must first seek his righteousness. In other words, we are to be seeking God’s character within us, not God’s control over us. It is our job to serve God and God’s job is to supply us with what we need-not the other way around. God will supply us with what we really need if we put our trust in him. We don’t need everything we want, and we don’t want everything we need. God doesn’t give us everything we need.
People must see the Kingdom in us as we see the Kingdom of God. That is the real mark of a Christian. When ordinary people begin to talk about their faith in Christ, long-lasting results are achieved. God uses ordinary people to do extraordinary things. We are all called to be a witness for Christ in our lives. It opens the door, even slightly, for God to do something in the life of the person who hears the story. In order for the message to have integrity, it must first be embodied in our lives. In other words, God must be number one in our lives.
The message of the Gospel about the power of Christ to change a human life is by its very nature controversial because people just naturally resist change and agents of change. Most of us would rather settle for our old familiar second-best lifestyle than venture with Christ into a far more excellent way of life. We simply don’t like for people to make waves.
But whenever the Spirit of Christ is released in a person’s life or let loose on a congregation, things begin to happen. Broken relationships are healed as reconciliation takes the place of alienation. The fruits of the Spirit such as love, peace, patience and kindness begin to emerge. And people catch fire for the Lord! No one can deny that something is going on. The earth may not quake, a sound like a mighty wind might not be heard, tongues of fire may not appear, and people may not speak in strange languages, but it could be described as a “second Pentecost”. And at times like these you can either respond favourably or negatively to Christ, but you will find it hard to ignore him. There is something about the activity of Christ that causes us to choose sides.
Jesus’ parable of the rich fool is a good example of what he is trying to tell us in Matthew 6:24-34. The rich man kept building bigger and bigger barns, and then he died. He was foolish because he spent all of his time preparing for a future that never came. The future is not God’s creation-it is our imagination. We dream about the future, but God creates today. God is not saying that we should not prepare for the future at all. On the contrary, he is telling us to prepare for a future with him by putting our trust and faith in him, and by letting him work through us to do his work in the world.
The main problem in society today is worry about the future. The problem with worrying is that it is easy to do but so hard to lose. It is a power that controls our lives. Worry is a big problem for our society. Advertising only adds to that worry because it tries to convince us that we really need the newest car, computer, dress, suit, etc. This is really about acceptance, but the only acceptance that should matter to Christians is acceptance by God.
Many of the problems we can’t solve instantly can be moved one piece at a time, one day at a time. When worries seem to be overtaking you, let God take over. Trust God to supply our needs and take care of our future. Let faith provide you with a healthy and balanced perspective about life and its demands. Instead of nursing wounds of self-pity, pray for the grace to forgive. Instead of worrying about those for whom we are responsible, ask God to intervene and lift the burden from our shoulders. Instead of thinking creatively about how to bring someone else down, pray creatively how to build them up. We find peace of mind and heart only when we wrap ourselves in something bigger than ourselves. Peace is a by-product of being committed to the Kingdom of God and the resources God gives us for the journey we call life.
We serve only that which we love supremely. We can’t serve both God and man. In other words, a man of the world can’t truly be a religious character. We can be in the world but not of the world only if we trust and serve the Lord. Our existence depends solely on God. We must trust on his wisdom that what he provides for us is truly what we need. We must obey his instructions and submit to whatever he uses to transform our character, whether it is hardship, suffering or ease. When we make a commitment to become increasingly like Christ, God will take responsibility for providing whatever we need.
Grace is the way to glory, holiness the way to happiness. God has conferred the greatest blessings (life and the body) so he will be willing to confer the lesser blessings of food, clothing, shelter and other necessities. Those who ask receive, and those who seek find, but not always in the way they expect because God answers prayer in his own time and in his own way.
Man has three basic, insatiable needs:
To feel significant
To feel secure
To be loved
The best way to meet these needs is to make God number one in our lives. Everything we do and say, day by day, is of importance to him. Only as we love God can we love our spouse, children, neighbours, siblings and friends in a complete way. Man is formed for nobler pursuits than the desire to be rich. He lives for eternity. Those who do not know God WILL be anxious about the future, but those who do know him may surely trust him for the supply of their wants. If our minds are directed to both earthly and heavenly things, we become distracted, confused and darkened. We can’t serve both God and man. Trusting and serving God will prevent worldly anxieties.
In order to trust God to provide for our daily needs, we must value ourselves and forget ourselves and focus on God. God does not tell us not to work. In fact, he tells us in the Ten Commandments to work six days and rest on the seventh. Those who do not trust God to provide for their needs will not rest in that seventh day. By not worrying about our needs, we are free to serve him, love him and help our fellow man. We have a power stronger than anxiety-the power of God and prayer. We have a peace that outlasts our anxiety and difficulties-the peace of God, which passes all understanding.
God is committed to the gospel of Jesus and to anyone who makes it their first priority. Other than that, we’re on our own. We’ll have to “Fish or cut bait”. God is not obligated to fund our dreams and projects-only his and the ones planted within us through spiritual gifts and divine calling. To strip Christian faith of its unpredictability and risk in order to turn it into a warm velvet limo ride to a perfect world is to destroy it. Those of you who watched the reality program Fear Factor may have been disgusted by some of the stunts, but at some level we all know that getting the rewards of life is dependent on conquering and facing our fears, and that is nowhere truer than in our relationship with Jesus Christ and the kingdom he is intent on bringing to this world. He knows how large our fears are and how puny our faith is. It honours him when we trust him. Nothing about us surprises him or makes him loves us any less. To always be seeking the kingdom is to live near the outer edge of predictability, where needs are always greater than resources. Empty hands are not hard to fill, especially when they are lifted to heaven.
We must always ask ourselves the question, “Is my life a gift from God, and if so can I trust God to sustain it?” There is no more basic question, and our lives each give an answer. Once the basic needs are met, is there anything more? Life without an appetite for God is flat and stale. Our good deeds must not loom high in our own minds. They are to be hidden from us. With one’s goodness looming before one’s eyes, one soon comes to feel that they deserve the recognition and admiration of the people. Jesus tells us not to seek this transient reward.
This does not mean that we have no interest in what others think of us. Sometimes we need to hear what those around us are saying, even if we find it unpleasant. Profiting from this praise is not the same as counting such praise as the supreme good. Jesus invites us to seek the true and lasting reward, not the transient and perishable one. That reward is the companionship of God himself. As Jesus said, “Seek the kingdom of God and his righteousness”. It is not in satisfying our craving to have more and more that we have abundant life. No, it is in serving God and loving others as we love ourselves that abundant life is gained and lived. Possessions on earth are not for accumulating, they are for distributing in ways that Christ is honoured and our joy in heaven is increased. When we give (especially when we give so generously that we have to sell something to have anything to give), we show that Christ is our treasure and that we love others more than we love our own security and comfort.
A few years ago I read a news story about an elderly lady who died. The coroner’s report read “Cause of death…malnutrition.” At the time of her death, she weighed 50 pounds.
When the authorities began their investigation into her death, they found that her house was a pigpen. She begged food from her neighbours and got what little clothing she had from the Salvation Army. She appeared to be a hermit, but that was not the case. In the mess officials found two keys to safe-deposit boxes at two local banks. In one box were over 700 AT&T stock certificates and hundreds of other valuable stocks, bonds and financial securities along with a stack of cash amounting to over $200,000. The other box contained over $600,000 in cash. Altogether the lady had a net worth of over one million dollars. The estate went to a distant niece and nephew, neither of whom dreamed that their aunt had a cent to her name.
The lady wasn’t saving her money. She was worshipping it, just like many people worship material goods such as food, clothing and shelter. She would have been wise to heed the words of the apostle Paul in 1 Timothy 6:7: “Don’t put your hope in wealth, which is so uncertain. But put your hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.” God doesn’t tell us not to stop worrying about food and shelter and clothing because we don’t really need them. He knows we need them. He wants us to stop worrying because he has promised to take care of every need we have.
With God on our side, we do not need to worry about our needs. He will supply our needs, and not necessarily our wants. For example, if we need a car and approach God in prayer with our request, he might give us a ’57 Chevy even though we sing the old song, “O Lord, won’t you buy me a Mercedes-Benz.” God knows our needs and so he will take care of us. We have to balance our desires with God’s wisdom and blessing. If we believe in him, he will take care of our needs and we can concentrate on living one day at a time.
God provides our lives and our bodies. He is powerful enough to create life, so he is powerful enough to provide for that life. Worrying about our needs does not guarantee that they will be met. If we worry about our needs, it shows that we have little faith in God’s promise to care for us and his power to fulfill that promise. To be successful in our hearts, we have to accept Christ, follow Christ and serve Christ. We can make God our number one priority by serving him instead of man and by using what he has given us to help others.
Worry steals our peace and joy and affects every area of our lives. For example, many health problems are caused in part by worry and stress. If we trust God, worry will be replaced by faith and the knowledge that God will provide for us. We can then take comfort in the words of Bobby McFerrin’s 1988 hit song, “Don’t Worry, Be Happy”.
Here’s a little song I wrote
You might want to sing it note for note
Don’t worry
Be happy
In every life we have some trouble
When you worry you make it double
Don’t worry
Be Happy
When you worry your face will frown
That will bring everybody down
Don’t worry
Be Happy
When we walk with God, our faith will consume our fears. Because God provides for us, we can blossom and thrive. We can show his love, compassion, glory and life. Jesus tells us in Matthew 6:33 to put God’s kingdom first. It does not provide the answer to every problem, but it does eliminate many possible answers. If the answer does not further God’s kingdom and reflect his righteousness, then it does not need to be considered any further.
When we worry, it is a sign of an unhealthy relationship with God. It shows that we value material goods more than we value our heavenly Father. We need to see him as a loving father who may allow us to experience life’s difficulties but who always takes care of our needs. Relying on God to provide for our needs flies in the face of the world’s emphasis on acquiring material goods and wealth instead of spiritual wealth. When we choose God’s agenda instead of the world’s agenda, God will richly bless us. When we work and let God worry about the outcome, we can relax. Instead of worrying, we need to choose faith, and the only way to increase our faith is to start praying. When we put God first, we will find the proper balance in our lives because God will provide for our needs.
In order for God to provide for us, we have to work. Some people have taken the fact that God will provide for their needs as an excuse not to work or plan for their future We DO have to plan for our future, especially if we want God to look after us. If God looks after us, and if we do our part, things will take care of themselves, but we have to produce. We can’t be idle or dependent on others. God might not endorse all of our plans or open all the doors we want opened, but God will open the right doors at the right time. God will care for us in good times and bad,
If God is first in our giving, he has our hearts. If he has our hearts, he will guide us and meet our needs. If we are holding on to something that is keeping us from following God’s will for our lives, we have to let go of that something. As long as we believe that all that we have is ours, we will struggle with feelings of selfishness. Once we understand that all we have belongs to God and that he is letting us use them for a while, our viewpoint changes.
Anyone can give thanks when the pasture is filled, the fields are beautiful, the orchard is loaded, the barn is bursting, the work is fulfilling and their health is good. But let’s see people praise God when the crops have failed, the rain did not come, the herd has died, the trees did not produce, the job they have worked at for years disappears because the company shuts down, or when the doctor tells them that they have only a few months to live.
As we ask God to take away anything that worries us-a test, a medical finding, job insecurity-he wants us to give him thanks. This might mean that we have to reflect on similar situations in our past when we faced similar circumstances and God came through. In the words of 1 Thessalonians 5:18, we are to give God thanks and praise in the midst of everything that comes our way. That goes against our human inclination to complain when things go against us, but that is the very wisdom of God.
Thanksgiving is more than just a day. It is a lifestyle. It is more about our attitude than it is about platitudes; about the virtue of giving thanks for all that we have received from God. It is an attitude of gratitude for everything God has provided for us because we have faith in him.
There are so many different types of shows on television, including game shows, one of which was “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?” Most of us would answer yes to that question. A famous comedienne once said, “I’ve been rich and I’ve been poor. Believe me, rich is better.” I wonder what Jesus would have to say about that.
The answer is found in Mark 10:17-31. The young man was perhaps in his mid-thirties. Luke describes him as a ruler, a person of prominence. In the ancient Middle East, it was considered undignified for a man to run; however, this one threw his respectability to the wind, rushed to Jesus, and fell on his knees before Him. The man recognized that he was missing something important-eternal life-but he did not understand that salvation is about what God does for sinners rather than what we do for God.
Despite his wealth and position, the young man showed youthful enthusiasm. He had a vision of the future. The fact that he turned to Jesus showed that he learned that you get what you want by running toward your goal at the head of the pack. When he stopped running and winning, he reflected on his future. He asked himself what more he could achieve. He longed for spiritual satisfaction and the assurance of eternal life.
When he addressed Jesus, the young man asked what he could do to inherit eternal life. He had several false assumptions. He assumed that goodness could be achieved. He assumed that eternal life can be earned. He thought that everything can be bought for a price, including eternal life. Eternal life can’t be bought but it costs everything we have.
Jesus did not rebuke the man for calling Him “good,” but He wanted the young ruler to move beyond flattery and recognize that if Jesus is really good, then He is also God. The only way to God is through Jesus.
God’s commands are a tutor to bring people to Him, so Jesus cited five of the last six Commandments to help the man see how short of God’s perfection his actions had fallen. The young ruler had already broken the first commandment by elevating riches into a Godlike place in his life.
Although no one can flawlessly keep all the commandments for even one day, let alone a lifetime, Jesus did not correct the ruler’s claim. Still, Jesus wanted him to see that his “goodness” could not be compared to God’s perfection. He pointed out the one glaring fault that kept the man from accepting God’s offer of eternal life.
Because Jesus loved this man, he called him to the truth of uncompromising discipleship. Only in leaving behind all that mattered to him-both the wealth and the social position that came with it-would he gain eternal life. The term translated “sad” means more literally, “to cloud up.” While the young man felt emotionally torn, his decision proved the object of his devotion.
Jesus reduced the expectations attached to wealth. Jewish law and its interpretations made wealth a sign of God’s special favour and a qualification for eternal life. According to the Jews, true piety consisted of prayer, fasting and alms giving. Poor people could pray, but only the rich had food to fast and money to give. Jesus taught that this belief was wrong. No one can enter heaven by their own merit or need, but everyone can be saved by God’s grace.
The young ruler is like most of us. We compare ourselves to other people. Jesus says that if we want to compare ourselves to someone, we should compare ourselves to God. He is the ultimate standard of what is good.
We are sometimes like the young man who was struggling to make ends meet. He thought that getting a better-paying job would make his problems go away. He wrote to Billy Graham and asked if financial stability would bring peace. In his reply Billy Graham wrote the following words:
“The story is told of two old friends in the process of dying at the same time. One was rich, the other was poor. The rich man was not saved, and he was telling someone about his friend, who was a Christian. “When I die,” he said, “I shall have to leave my riches. When he dies, he will go to his riches.” In a word, he summed up the two radically different principles which govern the world. He could not part with his riches in peace.”
Too often when we do something, we ask ourselves, “What’s in it for me?” This is also a major theme in some so-called Christian ministries. They tell us that if we have more faith in Christ, we will be wealthy. They tell us that if we give more money to them, God will heal them more. We will be wealthy-we will gain heavenly riches.
The young man’s problem was not riches themselves but that he trusted in such things, believing that life with God could somehow be bought. If only he had looked beyond his great possessions, he would have seen the real possession of those who believe-eternal life.
Jesus isn’t saying that material wealth is bad. He says that it can blind us to the true riches of life. When are we the happiest? When do we feel loved for who we are? When is there peace in our families, in our neighbourhoods and in the world?
Jesus didn’t make poverty or giving all our money to the poor requirements for salvation. He exposed the young man’s heart. The young man couldn’t submit to the Lordship of Christ no matter what was asked of him. This kept the young man from the eternal life he sought. When we realize that the things we often rely on don’t actually give us anything, we find ourselves in a place where we rely on Jesus. We realize that everything good we have and all we have accomplished is a gift from God. We are ready to share it with others. When we do, we begin to follow and act like Jesus.
No one can enter heaven by virtue of his or her good works. That is as absurd as a camel, loaded down with goods, passing through the eye of a needle. Yet through His love and grace, God accomplished what sinners could not do on their own. Salvation is all grace, all God.
Peter commended himself and his fellow apostles for doing what the rich young man failed to do. They left all and followed Jesus. Jesus answered that God would reward them beyond all proportion to their supposed sacrifice. No one who gives up anything to follow Jesus really misses out on anything in the end. Anyone who has made sacrifices gains eternal life and will receive spiritual rewards.
The struggle that the wealthy have is that the values and principles of God’s Reign are so completely different from those of the world. Human systems of power and wealth always favour some and ignore others. They always end up perpetuating injustice, because human beings are broken and sinful. God’s Reign is about equality and generosity. It is about sharing power, resources and opportunities. The more wealth we have, the more we are invested in the human systems of this world and the harder it is to live according to the values of God’s Reign.
We can’t buy our way into heaven. We can’t get to heaven by doing good works. We can’t get into heaven by praying. Our salvation is a gift from God. If we accept this gift, we will be spiritually wealthy. Eternal life is in Christ alone. People who have it have died to sin and are alive to God. They have the life of Christ in them. They enjoy a relationship in Jesus that will never end.
The wealthy can’t escape sickness, aging and death. Wealth won’t help us to face what is beyond our control. Only spiritual wealth can inspire a life of healing, justice-seeking and care for the earth. Only spiritual wealth will enable us to trust our futures to a power and wisdom greater than our own.
How do we as people who live in one of the wealthiest countries in the world and during the wealthiest chapters of history hear this text? We live in comfortable homes. We are more likely to overeat than to go hungry. Our children go to good schools. We dress well. We drive nice cars. We have retirement savings. By any standard, we are among the wealthiest people in history.
Is Jesus speaking to us in this text? Are we to sell what we own and give it to the poor? Is it harder to us to get into heaven than it is for a camel to go through the eye of a sewing needle? If Jesus were to put his finger on what is keeping us from wholehearted devotion to him. what would the issue be? Would we love him with our whole hearts, minds and souls, or would we go away sad?
Jesus is speaking to us, and it is extremely difficult if not impossible for us to manage our wealth in a way that enables us to spend eternity with God. As soon as we cry out with the disciples, “Then who can be saved?” Jesus answers us as he answers them, “For mortals it is impossible, but not for God; for with God all things are possible.”
At first glance, the passage from Mark 10:2-16 seems a little disjointed. It starts with a discussion about divorce and ends with a discussion about entering God’s kingdom like little children. While they seem to be disconnected, they really are connected. Let me try to explain.
Mark’s Gospel was the first of the four major gospels to be written. In fact, if you compare the Gospels of Mark, Matthew and Luke, you will find that they are very similar. John’s Gospel is different for reasons that I won’t get into. Mark’s Gospel was not intended to be a daily diary of Jesus’ activities. Rather, it was intended to teach us about how we are to live our lives as Christians. In order to do this, Mark often puts two or more stories that are seemingly different side-by-side because of the deeper connection between them.
Such is the case with the reading from Mark’s Gospel. Jesus is trying to tell us that we are to show concern for the less fortunate in society. In Jesus’ time, women and children were among the least fortunate in society. They had very few rights. In fact, women were seen as the property of their husbands. A man could divorce his wife for seemingly petty reasons such as burning the meat, not keeping the home clean or getting older. All he had to do under the Law of Moses was to write a bill of divorce, give it to the woman and send her on her way. It is no wonder that prostitution is mentioned so many times in the Bible. It was the only way a divorced woman in that society could support herself and her children, especially if she did not have any other male relatives who could support her.
Society is the same today. There are many divorced women who are working to support themselves and their children without the support of their ex-husbands. Marriage is often seen today as nothing more than a social contract, but God sees marriage as a sacrament uniting a man with a woman. Society and some churches are trying to change their interpretation of God’s plan.
While God’s plan is that marriages last until death, God also realizes that divorce is a reality because of our frail, sinful, human nature. That is why Moses allowed divorce, but he made it as difficult as possible. You see, the bill of divorce had to be written. Since many people at that time were illiterate, the process was a long and difficult one. God also realizes that there are situations where divorce is necessary, such as in the case of abuse. While every possible effort should be made to save marriages, we as Christians MUST also work with those who have been hurt by the pain of divorce to show them that God loves them and shares their pain.
Divorce does not just affect the spouses. It also affects their parents, siblings, friends, co-workers and most importantly their children. I know, because the pain of divorce and separation has affected a member of my family. I have seen how the particular situation has affected the children that are involved. All children are vulnerable, but the children of divorce can be even more vulnerable. Marriage was not intended to be ended by man, just like we can’t separate ourselves from the love of God. Our relationship with God is like a marriage, and just like every marriage, it requires work on our part; namely, faith and commitment.
Jesus knew that people suffer in divorce, so it is no accident that Mark follows Jesus’ debate with the Pharisees with Jesus calling the little children to him. We can see Jesus put his arms around the whole human race and condition. He does realize that divorce is sometimes necessary because of our human weakness. To the divorced, as to every person who is hurting, He offers insight, help, healing and forgiveness.
Jesus has a special fondness for the vulnerable members of society. That is why he had the debate with the Pharisees in the first part of this passage from Mark’s Gospel. One of God’s intentions for marriage is protection of the vulnerable-namely, women and children-from divorce caused by any reason. Jesus placed women, children and all vulnerable people on an equal footing with the rest of society. By doing so, he showed them that God’s love and God’s kingdom are for everyone. All we have to do is believe in Jesus and accept him in faith.
So how do we accept Jesus in faith? We do so by coming to Jesus like a child. Let me explain this by taking you on a short walk down memory lane. Some of you may have heard of a singer/songwriter named Ray Stevens. He is famous for writing and recording comedy songs such as “Bridget the Midget”, “Ahab the Arab”, “The Streak”, “Osama, Yo’ Mama”, and many others. He did record a few serious songs, the most famous of which was “Everything is Beautiful”. That particular song starts with some children who are singing words that tie in nicely with the topic of my homily today. The verse goes something like this:
Jesus loves the little children
all little children of the world
Red and yellow, black and white
They are precious in His sight
Jesus loves the little children of the world.
Children by nature are trusting, naïve at times, and full of curiosity and wonder. They always want to know “Why?” (As those of you who are parents probably remember from your child-rearing days!). They have few worries, if any. They have an enthusiasm for life that we tend to lose as we get older. They have a sense that anything is possible. They trust other people implicitly. They have little if any control over their lives and depend on their parents. In other words, they are humble, just like Jesus teaches us to be humble.
I wish I could say that we as adults are the same way, but we are not. We have been hurt by some of our life experiences. Other experiences have hurt us. We are committed to fending for ourselves. In order to know the love that Christ has for us, we must let go of our control. We must stop protecting ourselves because Christ is our real defense. We must stop trying to provide for ourselves because Christ is our provider. In other words, we must travel the path that leads toward the innocence and trust that a child has.
We must be like children in our service to God. We must trust and obey Him without fail. We must live as children of God SHOULD live. In Jesus’ time, children were seen as nothings until they were old enough to be useful. Jesus appreciated and valued them for who they were and what they brought as children:
A simple, unquestioning faith
A trusting view of life
Disregard for wealth and status
Taking pleasure in the smallest things
What is our outlook as Kingdom people on life, possessions, people, those who might be neglected? It should be like a child’s.
I’d like to close my sermon this morning with these words from an email I received a few years ago. They accurately describe how we are to come to God like a child and not keep others from coming to him. The poem is entitled:
WHEN YOU THOUGHT I WASN’T LOOKING
When you thought I wasn’t looking, I saw you hang my first painting on the refrigerator, and I immediately wanted to paint another one.
When you thought I wasn’t looking, I saw you feed a stray cat, and I learned that it was good to be kind to animals.
When you thought I wasn’t looking, I saw you make my favorite cake for me and I learned that the little things can be the special things in life.
When you thought I wasn’t looking, I heard you say a prayer, and I knew there is a God I could always talk to and I learned to trust in God.
When you thought I wasn’t looking, I saw you make a meal and take it to a friend who was sick, and I learned that we all have to help take care of each other.
When you thought I wasn’t looking, I saw you give of your time and money to help people who had nothing and I learned that those who have something should give to those who don’t.
When you thought I wasn’t looking, I saw you take care of our house and everyone in it and I learned we have to take care of what we are given.
When you thought I wasn’t looking, I saw how you handled your responsibilities, even when you didn’t feel good and I learned that I would have to be responsible when I grow up.
When you thought I wasn’t looking, I saw tears come from your eyes and I learned that sometimes things hurt, but it’s all right to cry.
When you thought I wasn’t looking, I saw that you cared and I wanted to be everything that I could be.
When you thought I wasn’t looking, I learned most of life’s lessons that I need to know to be a good and productive person when I grow up.
When you thought I wasn’t looking, I looked at you and wanted to say, “Thanks for all the things I saw when you thought I wasn’t looking.”
When Christ comes into our lives, we become enthusiastic and God-filled. We can’t sit still. We want to get out and do something about it. We want to reach out to others just like God reached out to us through Jesus. We must not place barriers in the lives of people who desire to come to Christ—-not even the barrier of a broken marriage. We need to bring people to Jesus by being a Christ-like friend, by sharing what it means to follow Jesus, and by carrying thanks to Jesus in prayer. In the scene of children in the arms of a loving Jesus, there is a story to be told, lessons to be learned, a key to unlatch eternal life, and a promise to bring us ultimate happiness—the happiness that is even greater than the happiest marriage on earth.
Bibliography
Jude Siciliano, O.P., “First Impressions” for Sunday, October 4th, 2009. Retrieved from www.preacherexchange.org
Sermons From My Heart 