pastorjohnb

Thoughts and musings on faith and our mighty God!

Tag Archives: string


by Leave a comment

Repaid

Reading: Luke 14:12-14

Verses 13-14: “When you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed.”

As we continue in Luke 14, Jesus turns from instructions on how the invited guests should act to who the invited guests should be. If the Pharisees or us modern readers struggled with the idea of practicing humility, then today’s words will be really tough. At the core of the red letter words today is the idea of loving without strings attached.

Jesus looks at the guest list for this dinner at a prominent Pharisee’s house and says – you’ve got it all wrong. Don’t invite those just like you. They’ll invite you to come over sometime too and that’ll be your reward. This scenario reminds me of many moves we’ve made. You invite 6-8 friends to help you move. The help is great. But you know you’ll get 6-8 invites to help them move one day.

Jesus offers this guest list suggestion: “When you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed.” Jesus offers a radical and generous vision of loving neighbor. This list is exactly who the Pharisees avoided. It is exactly who Jesus sought to have dinner with. Where does our guest list fall along this continuum?

…

While you or I may not have the crippled, lame, blind, or poor in our circle of friends and acquaintances, they are in our communities. We need to be willing to expand our circles. Inviting and including those that society tends to ignore and exclude is exactly what Jesus is calling us to do. Then we will be “repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.” This will not be a part on the back and an “atta-boy” from Jesus. This will be the joy of seeing the lost who were found and we’re saved by Jesus.

Prayer: Lord God, make me brave enough to step outside my normal circles. Empower me to invite those outside into those circles. Widen them out so that all are welcome. Amen.


by Leave a comment

Generous and Loving

Reading: Mark 7: 31-37

Verse 32: “There some people brought to him a man who was deaf and could hardly talk, and they begged him to place his hand on the man.”

Photo credit: Matt Botsford

In today’s passage Jesus heads back towards the Sea of Galilee. As he enters the region known as the Decapolis he encounters some family and/or friends of a man in need of healing. Jesus is still in Gentile lands. The Decapolis was a league of ten cities that united for protection against Israel’s dominance. With the current Roman occupation there wasn’t much need to withstand Israel. Yet tensions remained high between the Jews and Gentiles. Even so, a family member’s or friend’s needs rise above these barriers or obstacles. In verse 32 we read, “There some people brought to him a man who was deaf and could hardly talk, and they begged him to place his hand on the man.” One with the ability to heal is present. Jesus must see this man. As only Jesus could do, he heals the man. The people are overwhelmed with amazement.

The man in need did not have to do anything. The one with something to give gave. This person in need was given what he lacked – the ability to hear and speak. The concept of the one who has caring deeply for the one without is deeply rooted in the scriptures. Jesus does not see this man as a Gentile but as a beloved and valued child of God. As was the case up the road in Tyre, Jesus offers what he can to the one in need. Note that there are no strings attached. The man did not have to first profess faith in Jesus. He did not have to become a Jew first. There were no expectations laid out beforehand for life after the miracle. This too is a good lesson for us all.

To share what we have been blessed or gifted with, to offer it without conditions or expectations in return – this is the heart of the gospel, the heart of what it means to love our neighbors. As we walk this journey of faith, may we be so generous and so loving that others see Christ in us.

Prayer: Lord God, your heart for all people is again revealed in today’s passage. There were no “but…” or “first you must…” demands. Jesus simply gave what he had. Shape my heart into this kind of heart. Amen.