pastorjohnb

Thoughts and musings on faith and our mighty God!

Tag Archives: Jesus


by Leave a comment

An Obligation to Love

Reading: Romans 13:8-10

Romans 13:10 – “Love doesn’t do anything wrong to a neighbor.”

Photo credit: Shane

Our reading in Romans 13 begins with a great line: “Don’t be in debt to anyone, except for the obligation to love.” Paul has been writing about obeying civil law, respecting government authority, and paying your taxes. He segues into a much more important obligation in verse 8 – our obligation to love one another. Obligation is a good word choice. It feels stronger than “call to love” or “invitation to love.” Tapping into their Hebrew roots, Paul adds that loving each other fulfills the Law of Moses. Paul is also channeling his inner Jesus here. Echoing the main point of Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 19, Mark 10, and Luke 18, Paul elevates loving God through loving neighbor as our highest obligation.

In these three passages, Jesus taught the rich young ruler how we are to love God and therefore neighbor. We are to lessen our grip on the things of this world, becoming willing to give freely to others to meet their needs. We can meet needs in many different ways. We can bring a meal or some groceries to an actual neighbor during a hard time. We can spend some time with or give a ride to an elderly person in our community. We can support a child in a far away land or we can give to rescue and relief efforts following a natural disaster. We can teach a Sunday school class or volunteer at a local rescue mission or food bank. These are but a few of the many ways that we can love God and our neighbors.

In verse 10 we read, “Love doesn’t do anything wrong to a neighbor.” On one level Paul is looping back to not committing adultery or murder or… But on another level, this is also about our sins of omission – in this case, those times when we could have met a need and chose not to. When we fail to do good, we are doing harm. May it not be so.

Prayer: Lord God, give us eyes willing to see those with needs – both near and far. Once seeing, open our hands to release what we have. Open our hearts to yield freely what you have blessed us with. And when we are tempted to ignore the obligation to love, may your Holy Spirit shout a little louder and/or nudge us a little harder. Work within our hearts, O God, leading us to love you as we love our neighbors. Amen.


by Leave a comment

The Blood of the Lamb

Reading: Exodus 12:11-14

Exodus 12:13 – “The blood will be your sign… Whenever I see the blood, I’ll pass over you.”

We move deeper into the Passover story today. The lamb has been selected, watched over, slain, and roasted. Some of its blood has been placed on the door frames of their houses. The table is set. Beginning in verse 11, instructions are given for how to eat the meal. Equal parts anticipation and readiness, the Israelites are to eat the meal ready to go – sandals on, walking stick in hand. God then tells the Israelites what will happen: “I’ll pass through the land… I’ll strike down every oldest child… both humans and animals.” Knowing this, there must have been great fear and angst in their homes that night. To know that widespread death was occurring just outside your home would’ve been very unnerving. And to know that you and your family were saved by the blood of the lamb – amazing.

God reassures Israel, saying, “The blood will be your sign… Whenever I see the blood, I’ll pass over you.” Death will not visit their homes, families, or livestock. They have been marked by the blood of the lamb. This great act of salvation will be remembered “for all time.” Every year, Passover is celebrated. One of those years, thousands of years after this first one, Jesus and his disciples sat at a table in an upper room, celebrating Passover. Present were the lamb and bitter herbs, the bread and the cup. At this final Passover for Jesus, new instructions were given. His disciples are to remember this gift every time we take the bread and cup. Through the blood of the lamb, through Jesus’ sacrificial death, we are to remember that we are freed from the power of sin and death. The plagues of our day are power, greed, and selfishness. Jesus frees us from all of these, empowering us to live as people of love, grace, welcome, forgiveness, belonging, and community. Through our daily living, we carry the mark of Jesus. Because we bear the mark of Christ, we are saved daily from our sin and we will be saved one day into eternal life. For these acts of salvation, we say, thanks be to God!

Prayer: Lord God, thank you for marking us with the blood of the lamb. Accepting Jesus as Lord and Savior, we become a part of your family. The blood that protects also washes us clean, again and again. And through Jesus’ new, risen life we are shown the way to eternal life. Thank you for making us yours and for keeping us yours. Amen.


by Leave a comment

Joyous and Abundant in Love

Reading: Matthew 16:24-28

Matthew 16:24 – “All who want to come after me must say no to themselves, take up their cross, and follow me.”

Immediately following Peter’s scolding of Jesus and Jesus’ correction of Peter, we turn to Jesus explaining the cost of discipleship. To me this is one of the great paradoxes of our faith. To truly follow Jesus is to lose one’s own life. If one totally surrenders one’s life to the lordship of Jesus Christ, it would seem a great cost. But once surrendered, life becomes free and full, joyous and abundant in love. It is a hard price to initially pay, but it is one that would be gladly paid again and again once new life is experienced.

Jesus begins with this statement: “All who want to come after me must say no to themselves, take up their cross, and follow me.” Saying “no” to oneself is to deny our sinful wants and desires, placing Jesus and others ahead of self. This is not a call to abject poverty, but a call to generously sharing what we have – time, talents, resources, faith… To take up one’s cross is a call to stand for love, justice, goodness… It becomes a “cross” when standing up and/or speaking out involves suffering on behalf of another. Jesus’ stand against sin and death cost him his life. Our price is likely to be less, but there is often still a price to be paid for standing against the evils of this present world. A willingness to suffer for Christ and for others is a commitment to following Jesus.

When we follow Jesus, living out these steps, we “lose” our life but we find new life in Christ. One day Jesus tells us he will return and will “repay” each for the life that they have lived. Freed from the evils of this world, the life to come for all who follow Jesus will be joyous and abundant in love. Because of this, we eagerly await the coming of his kingdom.

Prayer: Lord God, thank you for Jesus’ example of loving you and others more than himself. In his teachings and in his life we can see how to surrender our life, how to pay the cost joyfully, and how to serve lovingly. Lead us and guide us so that we can walk in Jesus’ example day by day, O God. Amen.


by Leave a comment

All So Wrong… How Deeply Loved

Reading: Matthew 16:21-23

Matthew 16:23 – “Get behind me, Satan… You are not thinking God’s thoughts but human thoughts.”

Photo credit: Shane

Of all the disciples, Peter seems to be the most “human.” Perhaps this is why it feels like we know him the best of all the disciples. He has his “gold star” moments and he also has moments when it seems like he barely understands who Jesus is. Perhaps we know him best because he is just like us. Last week we read his declaration of Jesus as the Christ. His shining moment led to Jesus stating that he will build his church upon Peter, the “rock.” This week, in the text, Jesus begins to explain the way that the church will be founded and established. He must suffer and die. Then he will rise on the third day.

Although it is certainly not the first time that Jesus has shared this news with the disciples, Peter acts like it is. Maybe he now hears this news through the lens of being #2 to Jesus. Peter’s world was much like our world today. Power was might. Success was measured in wealth, status, and/or possessions. There was a social hierarchy and society taught you to try and climb that ladder. In this moment, Peter seems caught up in all of this. We’ve been there too. We understand.

So Peter grabs ahold of Jesus and begins to scold him. Peter proclaims, “This won’t happen to you.” Not on my watch, Jesus. Reflecting the needed reality check, Jesus says to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan… You are not thinking God’s thoughts but human thoughts.” The depth of love required to endure humiliation and torture, to die a very painful and public death – it is hard for us humans to understand at times. It’s no wonder Peter got it all so wrong here. We do too at times. That’s Jesus’ point, though. He came to save you and me. And Peter too. Thanks be to God.

Prayer: Lord God, living daily in the world, it is easy to get caught up in the ways of the world. Draw us into daily time with you. Fill us with your ways and with your love. Then guide us to walk counter to the ways of the world, giving instead of taking, surrendering instead of ascending, lifting rather than pushing down. Lead us, O God, in your way of love. Amen.


by Leave a comment

Oh to Love Like Jesus

Reading: Romans 12:9-13

Romans 12:11b – “Be on fire in the Spirit as you serve the Lord.”

Photo credit: Christopher Beloch

As we turn to Romans 12 today and tomorrow, Paul focuses on how we are to live out our Christian love at all times. In the opening verse he writes, “Love… without pretending.” Our love must be genuine, without pretense or conditions. Our love should be as Jesus’ love was in these ways too: fierce and generous.

Genuine love means that it applies equally to everyone, not just to those like us or those in our families or churches. To say we love all people must be backed up with evidence of us actually loving all people. To love without pretense and without conditions means that, at times, we love others who may not love us back. It means that we do things for others and we meet needs without expecting a return of the action or a repayment of the gift.

In verse 11 Paul encourages enthusiasm in our faith, adding, “Be on fire in the Spirit as you serve the Lord.” To me, this is a fierce love that Paul calls us to. To practice a fierce love is to love through hard situations and to love people especially when they’re hard to love. A lesser love would give up or walk away. A fierce love stays in the fight, even when it gets really hard. It continues its walk to the cross, being willing to pay the price, even if it is very steep.

This is one way that Christian love is generous. It is generous in other ways too. It helps with a utility bill a second, third… time as the person learns to control their spending. It continues to love the addict when they’ve stumbled again, offering support without judgement. And when it gets hard to love in all of these ways, we just need to remember how Jesus loved and still loves us, wretched sinners that we are.

Prayer: Lord God, oh to love like Jesus loves. This is the mark, the goal, the model. We often fall short, Lord. We often choose who and when and why to love. Each time we love in ways that are less than Jesus’ ways, remind us of his love for us, fierce and unconditional and generous even then. Through these experiences, teach us to love more like Christ. Amen.


by Leave a comment

Practicing Presence

Reading: Exodus 3:1-3

Exodus 3:3 – “Then Moses said to himself, Let me check out this amazing sight and find out why the bush isn’t burning up.”

Photo credit: Marek Piwnicki

As we join Moses’ story today, we find out that he is no longer living in Egypt, enjoying life in Pharaoh’s palace. He’s just about on the opposite end of life. In chapter 2, Moses kills an Egyptian who was abusing a Hebrew, “one of his own people.” As the story becomes public knowledge, Moses flees Egypt and ends up in Midian. He marries and starts a family. He goes to work tending sheep for Jethro, his father-in-law. Time passes. Back in Egypt, God hears the Israelites’ cries and God remembers the covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. This sets the stage for today’s reading.

Moses is out on the edge of the desert, tending someone else’s sheep. He is on Mount Horeb when God’s messenger (or God?) appears as a flame of fire in a bush. Although likely not connecting this to God at this point, Moses is intrigued. There is fire, yes, but the bush is not being consumed. Moses thinks, “Let me check out this amazing sight and find out why the bush isn’t burning up.” He paused what he was doing and chose to be present to that which was before him. As I think about this choice and about how well Jesus practiced being present, I am convicted by the choices I too frequentlymake. More than once I’ve chosen busyness or a felt need to get something done over pausing and being present. How about you?

Sometimes the one present is like a burning bush – on “fire” over their circumstances or some situation. But this is their norm, so my temptation is to placate quickly – slow down, it’ll be okay – so I can get back to work. Sometimes it is just the opposite. The one in need is reluctant to share. They hang around on the edge of the conversation or just outside the group. It is “easy” to not notice them, to wrap up the current conversation so that my pressing busyness can resume. And there are many opportunities in between these two examples. To be present. That is the call and the challenge. Lord, make me more like Jesus!

Prayer: Lord God, yes, there is important work to be done. But our vocational tasks are very, very seldom more important than the one that you place in our path. Help us to slow down, to focus on the other, and to love them more than we love ourselves. Give us the right words to speak and guide us in the helpful actions to take. Use us as you will. Amen.


by Leave a comment

Show Jesus

Reading: Matthew 16:13-20

Matthew 16:15 – “And what about you? Who do you say that I am?”

Turning to the second half of this week’s gospel reading today, Jesus first asks the disciples who people say he is. He is taking the pulse of the society in which he has been ministering. The people in the streets and marketplaces, your old fishing buddies – who do they say I am? The disciples offer a list of prophets. Jesus is a prophet. But even this is a label. It is easy to label people, placing them in some box. As people, we long to be “seen” – to be seen for who we are. Labels limit who we are. Labels fail to recognize our whole person.

Jesus gets more personal as he presses the conversation. He asks the disciples, “And what about you? Who do you say that I am?” This answer is a lot more important than the rumors and gossip of question one. Simon answers for the twelve. His answer reflects day after day, 24/7 with Jesus. He declares Jesus to be “the Christ, the Son of the living God.” For this declaration of faith, Peter is blessed. He will be foundational to the church going forward after Jesus’ death.

Jesus closes the conversation with an order: don’t tell anyone that he is the Christ, the Messiah. Don’t tell or try to argue anyone into belief. Talk is easy, cheap. No, let others see Christ in you. Show Jesus to the world in the ways that you treat others, love others, give yourself for others. Make Jesus seen. May it be so in your life and in my life.

Prayer: Lord God, first, help us to see others for who they truly are, as they are, and as you desire them to be. May we love them for who they are, just as they are. And Lord, help us to be our authentic self too. No masks, no pretense, no fake people-pleasing. Guide us to walk faithfully, so that others may see and experience Christ in us. Amen.


by Leave a comment

Shaping and Reshaping

Romans 12:2 – “Don’t be conformed to the patterns of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds.”

Reading: Romans 12:1-2

As we begin in Romans 12, today we read what I would consider a “Top 10” verse for our time. Paul’s argument, however, begins back in chapter 11, where he writes of God’s great mercy. It is so great, he writes, that even Israel will be saved one day. At that point in time, the Jews felt like and were acting like the “enemies” of Jesus and his newly forming church. Even so, God’s mercy is great enough to one day draw Israel into a saving relationship with Jesus Christ.

With that in mind, Paul writes, “So… I encourage you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice that is holy and pleasing to God.” Paul encourages the believers in Rome to live like they have been saved. He is inviting them to serve God and others even if there is a personal cost. Paul deems this “appropriate priestly service” for the great love and mercy that they have received from God.

Next we turn to the key verse: “Don’t be conformed to the patterns of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds.” Another translation writes of not being so well-adjusted to the culture that we fit right in without even thinking about it. The patterns and ways of this world are tempting and powerful. They are portrayed as “success.” They promise us “happiness.” Greed, want, the desire for power, the need to satisfy self – these things are endless cycles that only draw us downward. There is no rest or peace or contentment. We only find these blessings when we confirm our hearts and minds to Christ. Jesus then renews and transforms our hearts and minds, shaping and reshaping us into someone who is “good and pleasing and mature.” This is where we want to be. May it be so for you and for me.

Prayer: Lord God, the call of the world is constant – a neighbor’s new side by side, a friend’s new cell phone, a coworker’s stories of their amazing vacation… These things tug at us, pulling us towards the ways of the world. In our moments of temptation and trial, O God, draw us into your love and care. Remind us of the peace, contentment, and rest that we find in you alone. Hold us in that place, changing our focus, renewing our hearts and minds, drawing us deeper into our relationship with you. Amen.


by Leave a comment

Faith and Persistence

Reading: Matthew 15:21-28

Matthew 15:25 – “But she knelt before him and said, ‘Lord, help me.'”

Photo credit: Ben White

After clashing with the religious leaders, as our passage continues in Matthew 15, Jesus travels to the region of Tyre and Sidon. This is in Phoenicia, along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. Jesus is west of Mount Hermon, a site in Psalm 133. Given the way Jesus initially interacts with the woman, perhaps this trip was intended for some time set apart. But even outside of Israel, Jesus’ reputation proceeds him.

A Canaanite woman from this area shouts out to the “Son of David,” seeking mercy. Her daughter is possessed by a demon. The title she uses for Jesus is a traditional Jewish confession of faith. Jesus is silent. She persists. The disciples want Jesus to address her – so that he can send her away. Maybe directed to the disciples, but certainly loud enough for the woman to hear, Jesus declares that he was sent “only to the lost sheep” – to Israel. Remaining persistent, she kneels right in front of Jesus. From this position of humility, she pleads, “Lord, help me.”

Insulting and/or testing her faith and persistence, Jesus says, “It is not good to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.” Acknowledging the insult – “Yes, Lord” – she persists: “But even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.” She acknowledges Jesus as “master,” as her Lord. Because of her great faith and persistence, Jesus is moved and he heals her daughter from afar. May we have such great faith and may we be so persistent with our trust in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Prayer: Lord God, you alone are Lord. You alone have the power to meet all of our needs. To you alone may we turn. To you alone may we look to be our all in all. Amen.


by Leave a comment

What Truly Contaminates

Reading: Matthew 15:10-20

Matthew 15:18 – “What goes out of the mouth comes from the heart. And that’s what contaminates a person in God’s sight.”

Heart in Fire and Water Isolated on Black Background. Computer Graphics.

Leviticus 11 through 15 contain the laws of Moses that deal with being clean (or unclean if you break a law.) Many of the laws in these five chapters were concerned with keeping healthy. Eating certain foods, for example, in a time without refrigeration often led to illness. So… do not eat pork. Since five chapters worth of dietary and other cleanliness laws were not enough, the religious leaders added more over time.

“Wash your hands before eating” was one of them. This rule is not found anywhere in the Law. But this manmade rule had power in Jesus’ day. His disciples had just eaten without washing their hands, breaking “the elder’s rules handed down to us.” Jesus responds to the Pharisees’ criticism by quoting from Isaiah 29, where the prophet speaks about “empty worship.”

In verses 10-20 Jesus addresses and explains what truly contaminates or makes a person “unclean.” To be unclean is to be separated from God. He declares that it is NOT what we put into our mouth that matters. Food just comes out and goes into the sewer. However, “What goes out of the mouth comes from the heart. And that’s what contaminates a person in God’s sight.” What comes out of our mouth matters. And that all comes from the heart. It is in the heart that one finds the sources of sin: “evil thoughts… sexual sins… false testimony… insults.” These are some of the things that have the power to “contaminate” or to make us unclean before God.

Jesus is talking about what John Wesley would later call “personal holiness.” If we practice personal holiness (or holiness of the heart,) then we walk in right relationship with God. And if we walk in a right relationship with God, then we tend to walk in right relationships with one another. Living out our social holiness, we do not harm others. Instead, we do good and practice love, mercy, grace, compassion… And what flows from the mouth is good and pleasing to the Lord our God. May it be so for us all.

Prayer: Lord God, empower us to look deep within our own hearts. Give us the strength and the courage to root out those things that can separate us from you, leading us to then treat others as “less than.” Transform our hearts and lives, O Lord, filling us with love and grace and compassion and mercy. Then, may these flow from our hearts and may they be upon our lips. Amen.