The Ken Read Podcast

0223 MARTYR, MARTYR

MARTYR, MARTYR

Have you heard about Martha, the sister of Mary and Lazarus? She was quite a woman. A true disciple of Jesus, and the second person ever to give The Great Confession. Of course, Peter was the first, and he gets all the credit for it—on this rock, and all that. But Martha also said out loud that she believed Jesus was the Christ, and we don’t make such a big deal about it. (It’s like being the second man on the moon. Only she was a woman. And she wasn't on the moon.)

Anyway, I was saying that Martha was quite a woman. I imagine her to have been the oldest of twelve kids in her family. And Martha, being firstborn, helped her momma raise all of them from the time she was three. She was always the responsible one. Responsible to a fault, you might say. Working like nobody's business. Sometimes getting a might touchy about it, too. Some of the disciples got to calling her Martyr. Just for fun. They weren’t laughing at her, understand; they were just laughing with her. Except she wasn't laughing. Or smiling, for that matter, come to think of it.

Anyway, Somehow Jesus knew the family well. Perhaps they had been neighbors and friends with Jesus and His family back in Nazareth. Or they met through Johnny the D or the yearly visits to Jerusalem that Jesus made with his family.

Martyr’s little brother, Russell, was real good buddies with Jesus when they were growing up. Now, Russ, well, Russ was good at lots of things, but watching other people work was what he did best. He was lazy, to say it straight out. The only sport he ever played in school was chess. By then, he was lying around so much that everybody started calling him “Lazy Russ.” Later church history knows him as Saint Russell the Incliner. Now you know.

And then there's the baby sister of the family, Mary. Now, you couldn’t exactly call her lazy, like her brother. Not exactly. Mary spent all day reading the scriptures and praying. You might say she was working. She just wasn’t moving. All her work was between her ears, I guess you’d say. That’s how she gained a nickname of Prayery. Little Prayery in the house. Prayery loved Jesus like Martyr and Russ did, but it was easier to tell, because she hung on every word He said.

As I say, they were close to Jesus growing up. But they lived down in Judea, near Jerusalem in Bethany. There was Martyr working like a mother, with Russ and Prayery reaping the benefits day after day. But Martyr never complained. And never smiled. 

By the time Jesus turned thirty, he had become what you might call a traveling rabbi. A rabbi, in case you’re wondering, is a Jew who tells people what God wants them to do, except he wasn’t a mother. That was the other Mary. Mary Fullagrace.

Anyway, Martyr invites Jesus to come on down and spend a day or two, just like always. She always looked forward to visits from Jesus. He always had time for her and made her feel special, like somebody was actually listening to her when she talked. 

Except this time when the Lord comes, he walks  in with His twelve new pals. And Martyr, who had warmed up exactly four frozen chicken pot pies, was a might pressed at how to make them stretch to feed sixteen. She cut up the little pies into quarters, but those little pieces looked pretty pitiful lying all by themselves on the plates. So she’s scrambling, looking for some lettuce in the garden to add some greens, maybe finding some potatoes to cut up, setting out pretzels for the boys and having them all eaten before you could say, “Sorry I ate all your pretzels!” By now, the pot pies aren’t steamy any more, but Martyr, she is.

What’s more, Prayery-Mary is just hanging around with Jesus. Sitting there. And Russ is, well, doing what Russ does best. Being a man, I suppose. 

After an hour or more of this, Martyr can’t take it any more, and she comes out, trying to seem calm, but anyone could see she’s irritated. She strides into the room, and she says, “Jesus, make Sissy come out here and help me!” 

But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but only one thing is necessary.” (verses 41-42)

Jesus stands up and walks over to Martha. "Martyr, you pray with your hands. Mary prays with her ears. It’s all prayer, and it’s all good.”

So, of course, Prayery stays right there. Martyr grits her teeth and forgives Sissy (again) and goes back to fixing and cleaning. Somebody’s still got to do it. And you know she was led by the Holy Spirit, because she didn’t put a hot pepper in the Lord’s pot pie.

It’s true that Mary chose the better thing when she prayed with her ears. But, remember, Martha was faithfully praying with her hands. It’s all prayer, and it’s all good.

0224 YOU HYPOCRITES!

YOU HYPOCRITES!

A hypocrite is a person whose public image does not match their inner self. Or whose inner self does not match their public image. Either way, I’m glad that I am not one of those people. Aren’t you?

Jesus said this in verse 43: 

Luke 11:43 Woe to you Pharisees! For you love the best seat in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces.

So often when I think, “Oh, that’s not a problem for me.” That’s when, if I have a layer or two peeled off, suddenly I begin to see that it is EXACTLY a problem for me. 

Jesus says the Pharisees love the best seat in the synagogue? Based on modern American church culture, I suppose that means they sat in the back pew, kinda facing toward the door to scamper out without having to shake hands with the preacher. 

But kidding aside, here’s what I understand about synagogue seating: First, women and children sat at the back or around the outside, viewing the men, who are up front and in the center. Today, they might hang a mechitza between the two groups, which is a white mesh curtain that can be nearly invisible on one side and nearly completely obscuring from the other side, depending on the lighting. Either way, the women and children are able to be in the room with the men, but the men are not distracted by the presence of others.

Most everything in the synagogue gathering is pre-determined and scripted—memorized prayers, set readings, sung psalms. But the one fluid part of the assembly is the manly open-ended discussions about the Scriptures which are the heartbeat of the daily midrash, and which also serve as the central part of the synagogue. There, up near the center of the room, the heads of households gather to study and apply God’s sacred writings to the daily life of the assembled ones.

A passage of Scripture is recited, and then the men debate about it, while the others carefully weigh what is being said, in an effort to arrive at truth. The discussion often turns into a debate, sometimes of strongly-worded and opposite opinions. 

I say all that to better understand why there are back seats, and then there are good, better and best seats in the synagogue. A little boy would be in the back seats. After his Bar Mitzva, that young man gets to sit in the “good” seats. Then, as he earns respect by being a father, and then a grandfather, he moves forward to the “better” seats. But if he works really hard, he might become a respected man who often wins the daily arguments–I mean discussions–and he gets to move to the well-deserved “best” seats, possibly even earning the public title of “rabbi.”

And with the respected greetings and title come upgrades in apparel. Perhaps you inherit from your grandfather or father the robe or the prayer shawl or the Tzitzit that he had worn, and his father’s father before him. In a culture that respected age, what you wore showed that you were (the big word!) WISE. 

So, all these years and all that study, memorizing the entire Old Testament and reading commentaries and other writings, led to best seats, greetings of honor and clothing of respect. There was nothing wrong with any of it. Respect is to be commended. Right? 

Well, I guess that depends on whether you start to “love” it. We are commanded to love the Lord our God with all of our heart, our soul, our mind and our strength. That doesn’t seem to leave any room for loving a seat, a greeting or a robe of honor, does it?

Good thing I’m not like that. 

I don’t know if you have been around it enough to see this almost exact pattern happen in the world of academia. Graduation ceremonies are still very centered around honor. The faculty parade in while “Pomp and Circumstance” plays, which helps to provide extra credibility to the degrees being awarded to the graduates that day. The presiders sit in the front row, and then there are the rest of the faculty. Wearing a black robe. Possibly with stripes on the sleeves and a long academic Hood, which shows the world just how many academic accomplishments you achieved. It shows your value. Not just your value to your institution, but your intelligence. Your education. Your credentials. I always hated it. Yet, I bought a robe—a nice one. And I was secretly glad one day a year to parade my accomplishments for all to see.

Dr. Read. I spent years earning that title. They say it takes ten years to get a doctorate, and ten years to get over it. And I realized somewhere along the way that earning a doctorate was the only way for a man to have a name (title) change. Nothing changes in my name when I marry, or when I graduate, or even when I earn my third Master’s degree. But when you get that elusive prize, they call you “Doctor Read,” and it sounds so good. I hated it. I hated that I loved it and coveted it so much. So after earning my title change, I insisted that students call me “Ken,” and told them when I hear “doctor” with my name, it reminds me of how proud I am. Besides, I told them, if the apostle Paul could be called by his first name, it would be good enough for me. But to be honest, a part of what kept me continuing in school all those years was not the “education” I would gain; it was the “degree” at the end of the road, something I could put on my vita.

Those are my personal lures. What about you? I suspect that everyone has a love of sitting in the “best seats,” whatever that might mean, and being greeted in public with a word that shows respect. 

A hypocrite is a person whose public image does not match their inner self. Of whose inner self does not match their public image. Either way, I’m glad that I am not one of those people.

Aren’t you?

0225 FIRST WORLD BELIEF

FIRST WORLD BELIEF

You have probably heard about “first world problems.” They are jokes that poke fun at the irrelevance of perceived privations in an affluent society (“first world”) when there are genuine problems of privation in what are called second or third world countries.

Here are some lines from Weird Al Yankovic in his parody song, “First World Problems:” “I couldn’t order off the breakfast menu, ‘cause I slept in til two.” “I don’t have any bills small enough for the vending machine.” “I’m pretty sure the cookies in this airport lounge ain’t gluten free.” “My house is so big, I can’t get WIFI in the kitchen.” These are the kinds of so-called problems that most of the world would love to have.

I wonder if you and I might similarly have “Christian culture problems.” 

“The font on the jumbotron at church was so hard to read I almost got up and walked out.” “How am I supposed to worship when that song was almost twenty years old?!” “I can only get three Christian stations on my car radio.” “I hate that gender-neutral translation.” “I had to park way over in the west parking lot and walk around to the other side of the building to go into my preferred entrance door.” “I’m so persecuted for my faith! The dude in the cubicle next to mine tells me to turn down the volume on my favorite worship song, just because he couldn’t hear his client talk.” “Can you believe I need a permit just to have an outreach event at the park!” 

And one more. What about the low standards of discipleship that we have come to accept? “Disaster relief? I already give ten dollars a week at church!” “I’m pretty much a Bible expert. A few years ago, I read it all the way through.”

We can get comfortable with our low standards, especially if everyone around us also has low standards, so we think that it is normal.

How about this one? It’s just as funny: “A rich farmer had a really abundant harvest. It was more than he could even fit into his barn. So he tore down his barn and built a bigger one. And there he stored up all his surplus grain. He said to himself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’

Or maybe just a bit different: “An American worked hard and saved up well for retirement. When he retired, he said to himself, ‘I can enjoy my life and live in comfort. I have taken care of everything.’”

Only Jesus finished his joke in a serious way. “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’

“This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.”

With this story, Jesus confronts the person who lives as if this life is all there is. The man in this parable did not stop to consider, “what is the meaning of life?” or “What is the purpose of life?” He thought that “eat, drink and be merry” was the end game.

“Eat, drink and be merry. I mean, it's all about me. . . . Right? Hello?!?

Believe it or not, life is NOT all about my comfort, or about my wealth, or my accomplishments. In fact, life is not about ME at all! Reaching for all the gusto you can will not do you any good a hundred years from now.

“I had a big harvest so I built a bigger barn. . . . What? Hungry people? Where?”

So, if life is not about ME. Maybe we are here to help others. Is that our purpose on earth, to leave it better for the next generation? That certainly is more helpful than living selfishly. But in a sense, all I am doing is to widen my self-centered circle from ME to WE. 

“I saved up so I could retire in comfort. . . . Huh? What comes after retirement?”

Life is not about ME, and it’s not even about WE. No, Jesus says it all about being rich toward God. It is not about ME or WE. It is about HE.

So I’ll ask you: have you saved for after your retirement?

0226 HOW LONG? HOW LONG!

HOW LONG? HOW LONG!

How long, O Lord? How long?

It is the question that seems to always be running in the background, both in the Bible and in our lives. We see injustice and wonder why the wicked flourish while the righteous are oppressed. We see evil deeds, godless people, sinful words and harmful plans, and we wonder how God lets it all happen without intervening.

If God is just, then why doesn’t He smite the wicked? How can he allow evil to flourish on the earth? Why not punish the oppressors? Why does the Bible give all those warnings, but yet He takes no action? What is he waiting for? 

And what about me, personally. Why do I suffer? Will he not avenge me? When will he destroy those who oppose me? Why not take up my cause and bring me some justice?

Be careful what you wish for. James says the Judge is standing at the door! If he had taken action when his justice demanded it, you and I would likely not be here now! 

You might say that God’s justice and His mercy are two attributes that are sort of mutually exclusive. His justice says to bring swift judgment on all. But His mercy waits and waits and waits some more.

“But God is patient with you, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” 1 Peter 3:9 So the mercy of God waits patiently for you and me to get our hearts right with him before he simply judges us eternally.

On the other side of that judgment and mercy timetable, we find Revelation 9, where the saints who have been martyred for Christ are under the altar in heaven. And they cry out,  “How long, O Lord, until you avenge our blood?” (After all, God says vengeance is His!) “Just a little while longer,” they are told. Wait until the full number of saints have been martyred. 

So the judgment of God is ready to avenge. But the mercy of God prevents it.

Which brings us to today’s verses: Jesus told this parable: “A man had a fig tree growing in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it but did not find any.7 So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, ‘For three years now I’ve been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven’t found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?’

8 “‘Sir,’ the man replied, ‘leave it alone for one more year, and I’ll dig around it and fertilize it. 9 If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.’”

Who is the man in this parable? And who is the vine dresser? 

What if we say the man is the judgment of God, and the vine dresser is his mercy. Justice would throw us out and find another use for the soil. But the mercy of God gives more time, and then cares for us, digs around us, fertilizes us, and gives us one more chance to bear fruit. Thank God that His mercy waits and waits for just. One. more.

And THAT is how high and deep and wide and LONG is the love of God in Christ Jesus. Amen.

0227 EXCUSES, EXCUSES

EXCUSES, EXCUSES

“Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”

I mentioned when introducing Luke that his book contains more of the ethical teachings of Jesus. This chapter and the last couple of chapters is where we find several of those teachings. Here I’d like to explore this one of “excuses.”

We bump someone as we walk past, or make a rude sound, and say, “Excuse me.” It’s a minor request, really. We don’t expect the other person to say, “No!” So when we use the term “excuse me,” it is somewhat less than actually asking for forgiveness. It’s really sort of a command: Excuse me.

The next level for us is to say, “Sorry.” It’s an emotion word, not an actual repentance or request for forgiveness. I’m sorry, you say. I reply, I’m sorry also. Nothing was really gained here if I call your bluff. You are sorry. Especially when your “sorry” statement contains the word “if,” it is really not a repentant apology at all. “I’m sorry if what I did offended you.” It actually casts the blame on you when I say it that way.

Likewise, many times when we do apologize for something big that we did to wrong someone, we include “excuses” as part of our apology. Many times an excuse includes the word “just” to explain that we meant well. We simply had a misunderstanding, or I miscalculated, or someone else caused me to not be able to come through. So I say something like, “Please forgive me. I was just trying to . . ..” When you think about it, it’s also a pretty weak apology, isn’t it?

Jesus told us to let our yes be yes and our no be no. Anything beyond that, he said, is of the evil one. Wow. Likewise, Paul said that it is a “worldly manner” of making decisions when we say “yes yes” and “no no” at the same time. Here’s what I think that often looks like: I say I’ll come to someone’s event, but I really plan to find a reason not to go. I say out loud, “I’d love to go.” But inside, I don’t really want to. So my “yes” is actually a “no.” But I never quite say it that way. Then when the time comes, I provide an excuse, “It’s just that some emergency came up and prevented me from being able to come.” The excuse is blown out of proportion to seem more obstructive than it really was.

Hear these excuses that Jesus says people gave to miss a certain man’s great banquet:

“But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said, ‘I have just bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please excuse me.’

“Another said, ‘I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I’m on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.’

“Still another said, ‘I just got married, so I can’t come.’

Thinking through it, these are all inflated “emergencies,” wouldn’t you say? Did you say that this very night you MUST go see a field you just bought? The purchase of the oxen took you by surprise, and your inspection is an emergency? Otherwise, of course, you imply that you would be there, because this great banquet is important to you. It’s sort of a weak win/win in the friend world. Sorry that you wasted all that food.

Even the marriage is a weak excuse. Are you saying that you had no idea you were getting married that day? Are you saying it’s only been a month, and you owe your bride more time at home? Or are you blaming HER for you not coming? “I cannot come. I would, but the wife won’t let me.”

Then the owner of the house became angry. He had wasted all that food, and made his honor vulnerable at the hands of these invited guests, and they have thrown him under the bus. He says about his former friends, “I tell you, not one of those who were invited will get a taste of my banquet.’”

We need to treat others with the kind of respect that causes us to be honest and candid. But this parable really has to do with how we respond to the heavenly Father. We excuse ourselves and simply have poor priorities. That disrespect to the Creator of the Universe is unacceptable, once we see it.

Why have I failed to keep my vow to God? How does it sound when I try to say it, in light of these excuses? “Lord, please excuse me.” “I’m sorry if I have sinned against you.” “I would have repented, but I forgot what I was going to change.”

Paul wrote to the Corinthians, “For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death.”

Do I want the Lord to say to me, “God bless you.”

0228 THE PRODIGAL BROTHER

THE PRODIGAL BROTHER

Perhaps you already know the story of the prodigal son. A man had two sons. It was normal for the oldest son to receive all of the inheritance from his father, and of course that would happen after the father had passed away. But this son, the younger son, demanded of his father that he receive his share of the inheritance immediately. We assume that he is young–perhaps in his early twenties, with plenty of time to discover the world and learn about himself. We can also assume that his father would have had to sell much of his property in order to give the young man what he called his share of the inheritance. It is the ultimate adolescent rebellion, right from the start. But, inexplicably, the boy’s father yields and gives him the money, knowing full well that he is likely to waste it on wild living, since he had not learned any discipline or respect so far.

And, sure enough, the son goes off to a far country, no doubt slamming a door and saying something about dad never seeing him again. His plan was to make a name for himself, break all the rules, and prove them all wrong about him. 

But Solomon had written in Proverbs the truism that an inheritance quickly gained in the beginning will not be blessed in the end. It is one of what we might consider to be certain unbreakable rules in life. Among them are rules about wild living and spending money and receiving an inheritance quickly before learning the value of money. Another of the unbreakable rules has to do with fools suffering for their foolishness. And so, the father, being wiser than his son, does not chase him down. Instead he stays home and daily scans the horizon, ready to run and greet his returning son.

In addition, the boy’s heavenly father is watching out for him. He causes him to lose his job. He makes sure there is a famine in the land. And he makes sure that no one helps the young man. The son has truly burned all of his bridges at this point. At last he gets a job doing the lowest of the lowest of jobs for a Jewish man: feeding pigs. And at last he comes to his senses and sees that the non-kosher pigs he feeds every day are living better than he is. He decides to humble himself at last and return to his father, pleading for mercy and willing to have a menial job for his dad, whom he hopes will at least let him live as if he were a servant in the house. At last, he is ready for a redeaux. He turns and heads toward home.

His father sees him from a distance. That’s because he has been scanning the horizon every day for all these months. And his father then runs to meet his son. That’s because he doesn’t want to wait another second, forcing his son to have to walk all the way home to make things right. He gives instructions about a fattened calf and a robe—both of which he has been preparing just for this moment, in case it should happen. He was ready to forgive and welcome his son home, especially now that his son is contrite and has gleaned wisdom from his experience. Notice the son has not returned with any money. That is all gone. But the father is not even asking about that. He knew it would happen.

That’s when we get to the second half of the story, to the true center of what Jesus is saying.

“The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. 29 But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. 30 But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’

31 “‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. 32 But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’”

In this story, it is people like the Pharisees who are the older brother. They are the old school Jewish goody-goodies, who will not tolerate a fool. He may have returned home, but he owes something before he can be restored. The prodigal son has a huge debt to God that needs to be paid, in their minds. But more centrally, as you notice in the older brother’s complaint, they feel like a returning prodigal somehow owes THEM a debt. After all, they are the ones who have been toeing the line, holding the fort, keeping the covenant, being, well, good. And it is no fun being good all the time, trying to stave off the wrath of God in spite of the heartless rebellion of these, these heartless rebels. Yeah.

It could be that Jesus is telling our story here. Maybe I am the older brother, at least a bit. I am bitter that all these resources and work have been wasted on a rebel who has been ungrateful and hurtful as they left. And maybe I am angry that I have had to be, well, good, dutifully following the rules myself while others get to have fun without consequences. Maybe God should at least let me deliver some kind of an “I told you so” lecture before I welcome him back fully.

I’m saying that we all have some prodigal brother in us, if we don’t stop to recognize it and repent. 

So, Lord Jesus, I repent of thinking I have been missing out because I have tried to do good. I confess that I am not, in fact, anywhere close to being good, once the depths of my heart and inner motives are made known.

And now, let’s go to the party that’s already underway in the heavenlies! A lost one has come home! Celebrate!

0228B ”JUST ONE MORE” (SONG OF THE WEEK)

(Thirty years ago, Pauline Williams recorded an album, for which this was the title song. I had the privilege of writing most of the songs and producing the album. I have tried to transfer it from cassette tape to digital. Her voice more than makes up for the missing fidelity. It's a theory as to why the second coming of Jesus has been postponed.)

Two thousand years have come and gone

In heaven just two days

Generations come and go on earth

In heaven it's unchanged

But now the Judge has seen enough

He's standing at the door

The patience of a holy God will bear His wrath no more.

He signals to His captain who gives the victory sign

Ten thousand soldiers draw their swords and mount their steeds to ride

The Lamb who's seated on the throne now stands to take His bride

Anticipating long this day to bring her to His side

He's seen too much of war and hate

Too much of sin and death

He readies for the signal as all heaven holds its breath.

And as the trumpet starts to sound to give the victory cry

Again the Father raised His hand and a tear comes to His eye

And he says,

"Wait!

Just one more.

Let just one more precious child come home to call Me Lord.

Let just one more person hear.

I'm not willing one should perish.

So wait.

Wait for

Just one more.

Wait. Just one more . . . 

For two thousand years I've waited to avenge this world of blood

But two thousand years of waiting can't decrease a Father's love

There's a soul that's in the balance

One I've loved enough to win

I'm not willing one should perish

So let's wait again for him.

And wait.

Wait for

Just one more . . . 

So wait . . . 

Wait for . . . 

Just one more . . . 

One more . . . 

Just one more . . . 

 

0301 STORMING THE GATES

STORMING THE GATES

Today’s verse is related to several others, and I’d like to combine them all here to talk about an essential concept of spiritual warfare.

In verse 16, Jesus says, “...The kingdom of God is being preached, and everyone is forcing their way into it.”

What did Jesus mean that everyone is forcing their way into the kingdom of God? Here are other translations: “everyone is eager to get in.” “every man presseth into it.” “everyone tries forcefully to go into it.” “everyone is urgently invited to enter it.” “every man entereth violently into it.” “everyone is pushing to enter it.”

The statement takes on even more dimensions in Matthew, where Jesus is quoted as saying, “the kingdom of heaven is forcefully advancing, and forceful men take hold of it.” That verse is even more subject to multiple translations, as to whether the kingdom is suffering violence or is forcefully advancing. My choice is to see the kingdom as being “forceful” and being taken hold of by “forceful” men.

I say that because there are other references to the aggressiveness of the kingdom’s advance. For example, Paul says he has “fought the good fight.” He may have been a pacifist in the political realm, but spiritually Paul was a warrior. 

In Revelation, Jesus speaks to each church about the believer who “overcomes.” The ones receiving those letters are enduring persecution and attack, to be sure. But they are enduring to the end and thus overcoming in the end.

Jesus talks in all of the synoptic gospels about ransacking the strong man’s house, referring to himself breaking in and robbing the devil’s house. He acknowledges that the devil is a strong man, but places himself in the role of overcoming the “strong man,” tying him up and then doing whatever he likes to plunder the strong man’s house. In all of Jesus’ healings, as well as his teachings, we see him plundering his enemy’s strongholds.

Demons screamed that they knew who Jesus was, and pled with him, “Have you come to torture us before our apointed time?” They know that they are on borrowed time, and their defeat is eternally decided already. In Revelation, the devil and his angels are thrown into the pit burning with fire and brimstone to be tortured for a thousand years. They are tortured forever and ever in the place that was prepared for them, says the Lord.

Don’t be deceived. We are in a battle. It is not an easy one. Satan roams like a roaring lion, seeking to devour our souls. We are to resist him, standing firm in our faith.

When the disciples return from their short-term mission that Jesus sent them on, they report that demons even obeyed their orders, Jesus says that he saw Satan fall like lightning from the sky. And he is filled with joy and gives thanks that he has revealed his truths to little children. Not too long after that, when Jesus rose from the grave, he led captivity captive. Which I think means that he defeated death, rendering its captivity to be null, with death’s captives set free. Peter says that when Jesus died he preached to the souls who are now dead, which is sometimes interpreted to mean that he descended into hell, as the Nicene Creed states.

Jesus tells Peter that “the gates of hell shall not prevail against” the kingdom of heaven. Notice which kingdom is being the aggressor here. It is not the gates of heaven withstanding an attack from the forces of hell. No, it is the GATES of hell being overwhelmed by the forces of heaven. 

So, how do we win in this spiritual warfare? By faith, through humility, in peace, we take back dominion of all the strongholds that had been controlled by Satan. By this means we allow the Spirit to set people free!

The sting of sin is death, and the power of sin is the law. The power of sin and death has been erased by the Spirit. Both sin and death have been rendered powerless, shut down by the forceful invasion of the Holy Spirit in the name of Jesus. And this is our victory; even our faith. Thanks be to God, who gives to us the victory!

0302 REMEMBER LOT’S WIFE

MARCH 2 = LUKE 17

REMEMBER LOT’S WIFE

It is the second-shortest verse in the New Testament: “Remember Lot’s wife.” The reminder from Jesus is easy to remember, but not so clear to understand and apply. 

What about Lot’s wife are we to remember? About all we know about her is that she turned to look back at Sodom as she and her husband fled the fire and brimstone falling on the city, and she was turned into a pillar of salt. But there must be more back story to it. I mean, the lesson we are to learn can’t be “don’t turn around or you will be turned into salt.” Can it?

There is, indeed, more back story, both in Luke and in Genesis.

First, the context in Luke: Jesus is talking about how the kingdom of God is invisible and not so tangible that its center can be found, for the kingdom of God is “in the midst of you.” Just as God is with us in Emmanuel, so His kingdom is found among us.

And yet, that kingdom comes secretly, through the suffering and death of the Messiah, and no one seems to be ready for it. Remember just a few chapters ago, the foolish man who was building bigger barns for his riches was saying to himself, “Then I can say to myself, ‘eat, drink and be merry.’” Jesus says almost the same words about how it was in the days of Noah and the days of Lot. Before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage. And before the destruction of Sodom, people were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building. In other words, life was going on with no hint that it was all about to come crashing down in a single act.

Jesus says that “on the day when the Son of Man is revealed,” it will be a devastating experience for those who are not ready. “On that day, let the one who is on the housetop, with his goods in the house, not come down to take them away, and likewise let the one who is in the field not turn back.” That’s when Jesus says to remember Lot’s wife. 

So, what happened with Lot’s wife, that we should remember her, in particular? For that we need to go back to Genesis.

We are told that life was going on as usual in Sodom, except in Lot’s household. The morning of the destruction, it says “the angels urged Lot, saying, ‘Up! Take your wife and your two daughters who are here, lest you be swept away in the punishment of the city.’ But he lingered. So the men seized him and his wife and his two daughters by the hand, . . .  And as they brought them out, one said, “Escape for your life. . . . lest you be swept away.” 

“Then the LORD rained on Sodom and Gomorrah sulfur and fire from the LORD out of heaven. And he overthrew those cities, and all the valley, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground. But Lot’s wife, behind him, looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.”

Now, Lot had already hesitated. But his wife disobeyed more deeply when she turned around to look back. Why would she look back? Didn’t God specifically say to them not to do just that? Well, yes, and that’s the point. 

But they had lived there many years by then, making it their home, putting down roots, raising their daughters and having a connection with the city. Lot was even something of a city leader.

So as she fled, I imagine Lot’s wife was broken-hearted to have it be destroyed. And maybe curious. But definitely disobedient. Maybe she thought she heard a voice of someone she knew pleading for help. So she clung to the past and rebelled against a direct order from God. And it was her undoing. She ended up suffering the same fate as all those other people who had been eating and drinking, living their lives as if there were no God in heaven as a just judge over them.

Baseball can be an illustration for everything in life, I think. It is a challenging sport, requiring instant decisions based on ever-changing events as they unfold in real time. Think about the complications of being on first base. “Take a three-step lead” turns into “come back” followed almost instantly with “go!” A player is thinking about stealing second, watching the pitcher’s move, seeing his teammate swing, watching it go through the catcher’s legs and then bounce off the screen right back to the catcher, who throws the ball to second, but the shortstop bobbles the ball and then fires back to first. Where should the runner be going at any moment? There isn’t enough time to describe the moment as it unfolds.

Because of all the layers of information that need to be processed, young players need to listen intently to the voice of the coach and instantly do it, trusting that the coach will make the right decisions. You don’t have to understand or agree with the directive. There simply is no time for hesitation. 

This is the kind of single-mindedness that the Lord needs to happen with us. Whether or not it is an end-of-the-world cataclysmic event, once we hear His voice, we need not stop to try to understand, or to hesitate while I consider whether I agree or disagree. This is what it means for Him to be Lord, you know. We obey. Just obey. We take a step in faith, and let the understanding follow.

I used to keep a handwritten sign in my office that said, “Obey first. Then you’ll understand.”

When the moment comes, I wonder how quickly I will respond? Will I give a backwards glance at what the world has to offer? Or will I remember Lot’s wife?

0303 THEY DID NOT GRASP

THEY DID NOT GRASP

Have you ever been in a conversation with someone, and the other person simply did not grasp what it was that you were trying to say? You kept using words, being as plain as you could be, and it was clear that the other person simply wasn’t hearing you. They weren’t hip to your jive. They weren’t moving with your grooves. They weren’t stepping in what you were putting down. Know what I’m saying?

Take heart. Jesus, the greatest teacher in the world, had that problem, too. His closest friends were clueless, even when He said things to them multiple times that were as clear on this side of their unfolding as they could be.

Luke 18:31-34 And taking the twelve, he said to them, “See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written about the Son of Man by the prophets will be accomplished. For he will be delivered over to the Gentiles and will be mocked and shamefully treated and spit upon. And after flogging him, they will kill him, and on the third day he will rise.” But they understood none of these things. This saying was hidden from them, and they did not grasp what was said.

As I say, on this side of their fulfillment, all of his predictions seem perfectly clear. It had happened earlier, as well.

Luke 9:44-45 Jesus said to his disciples, “Let these words sink into your ears: The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men.” But they did not understand this saying, and it was concealed from them, so that they might not perceive it. And they were afraid to ask him about this saying.

Here’s what was happening: something seemed completely out of step with what they expected of the Messiah, the king of Israel, the prophet who will usher in the great and dreadful day of the Lord, in which the idolatrous nations would be crushed for good. Notice who they thought would be doing the crushing.

Psalm 110:1 The LORD says to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.”

Daniel 7:14 And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.

Psalm 8:6 You have given him dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet,

1 Chronicles 17:10-14 I will subdue all your enemies. . . . When your days are fulfilled to walk with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, one of your own sons, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for me, and I will establish his throne forever. I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. . . .  I will confirm him in my house and in my kingdom forever, and his throne shall be established forever.’”

On and on it goes, prophecy after prophecy, predicting the future reign of this coming king of Israel, who will usher in the golden age of political and military dominance over the world.

You know how you hear what you were expecting to hear? The disciples were expecting to hear Jesus talking about victory in this newly-established everlasting kingdom. They were fighting for who would get the best seats when it began. They simply could not comprehend that it was going to come crashing down around them. They were so convinced of it that one time when Jesus said that they were going to Jerusalem, where He would be killed, Peter took the Lord aside and told him that he was not going to die. Jesus had told Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.”

You’d think that would have been enough. But you know how hard-headed and closed-minded “they” can be.

“They” did not grasp that day. 

Will I?