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Click here to read Matthew 10 on BibleGateway.com

Today’s lesson, boys and girls, is on reading the whole Bible, rather than just our favorite verses. Case in point: Matthew 10.

Jesus has many titles in the Bible: Emmanuel, Son of Man, Logos, King of the Jews, etc. But one that gets passed around quite a bit in our time, especially during Christmas season, is Prince of Peace. We’ve all heard the sermons about how Jesus brings peace (and usually joy – they go together like pickles and radiators); you may have even heard sermons about how if you don’t have peace in your life, then you must not be following Jesus.

Now there’s some truth to that, of course. After all, we have the Fruitbasket of the Spirit, and peace and joy are in there amongst the pears of patience and goodness. But we need to be careful not to take this too far. Following Jesus does not mean that you will have no trouble, or if there is conflict in your life, then you are somehow not following God.

THE GREAT DIVIDE

In Matthew 10, Jesus himself tells the disciples (right before sending them on the lecture circuit) that they will have some admittedly peace-less days: they should prepare to be rejected and abandoned, they should be ready to be arrested, they will be hated by everyone. And then he says this great line: “Do not suppose I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.” You won’t hear that sung by little wieners in sheep and camel costumes.

So now we have a problem. Jesus tells us that he did not come for peace, yet elsewhere in the Bible, He is clearly called the Prince of Peace. What do we do with this?

Let’s consider this possible interpretation: perhaps the peace that Jesus brings is not between people, but between people and God. In other words, when Jesus is the Prince of Peace, that is referring to the peace that He brings to the relationship that we have with God, not our relationships with other people. Jesus himself, clearly somewhat full of the Spirit, one would think – did not live at peace with all those around Him.

The truth is some people will dislike you because they dislike Jesus; the closer you get to Him, the more you will anger them. The Bible says that darkness hates the light; the brighter you get, the more the dark will hate you. And there’s always the possibility that other people are just jerks (even, gasp, other Christians), and you won’t get along with them. Or perhaps you’re just a jerk – that’s always possible, too.

THE REAL JESUS STANDS UP

The point is that a relationship with Jesus does not guarantee a life of peace; in fact, it may mean just the opposite. Once Jesus entered public ministry, we’d have to skip a fairly large chunk of the Bible to think that his life was peaceful, or even that he was always peaceful. Those poor chumps getting kicked out of the temple with a whip would have probably have preferred a peaceful Jesus.

But that’s not who Jesus is – He is Lord. A Lord may be giving and loving, but they still expect obedience. If you follow a Lord, you cannot follow another, be it money, popularity, prestige, your rights, your ministry, your family, or anything else. To love Jesus you must follow Jesus, and Jesus alone. In our world, that means peace may be hard to come by.

At least Jesus gave you fair warning.

Click here to read Matthew 6 on BibleGateway.com

Have you ever watched one of those award ceremonies where actors are given awards for all their hard work of pretending to be someone one else for millions of dollars? Neither have I. But for the sake of illustration, let’s say that we have. Otherwise my little picture there is just silly. Can’t have that.

Oh, how we love to get credit. Not the credit card kind of credit; that one kinda stinks, what with the mounting interest rates, the minimum payments and the threats and hired goons. We’re talking about the kind of credit when everyone gives you a round of applause, with roses tossed in the air, and much rejoicing in the land. And we sit with a small little smile on our face, poo-pooing all the attention (on the outside) while we revel in the glow of our own awesomeness (on the inside), because after all, clearly we deserve to be recognized for all the hard work we have done.

ET TU, CHURCHE?

Even in the church, we want to be the one recognized for our service. We want the pastor to single us out in the service with a cry of “behold a righteous man, in whom there is nothing false.” We want the church to call us up and pat us on the back when we get back from our two-week mission trip to South America (surely they know how hot it was down there and how we suffered for Jesus?). We want the recognition for our “sacrificial” giving in the offering last week (of course, it was really 3 weeks’ worth since we’ve missed a couple weeks on vacation and recovering from vacation.) We don’t announce our greatness naturally (that would be arrogant.  or something), but we want others to notice just the same.

Jesus doesn’t hold back when he discusses our need for recognition. He pointedly says that when we are behaving righteously, we should go out of our way to keep those things secret. We should give without letting others know we are giving, or how much we are sacrificing to give (that means wrapping a one dollar bill around your hundreds when you give, rather than the other way around). When we fast, we aren’t supposed to go around with a hollow starving look in our eyes, or “casually” mention that we can’t join people for lunch because we’re fasting. When we pray, we don’t need to kneel at the altar and raise our hands to the heavens in cries of righteousness. We pray alone in our own room (feel free to cry out there of course. But not so loud the neighbors hear).

AUDIENCE OF ONE

Why? Why does God care if people know that we’re giving, fasting, praying, holy people? Could it be that God knows us better than we know ourselves? If others know what we are doing, is it possible that we may be doing those acts of righteous just for the benefit of others, rather than actually trying to be close to God? If we’re honest with ourselves, we may have to admit that fasting is a little easier when someone else acknowledges our sacrifice. Sorry, my friends, this should not be.

But don’t give up. Note that Jesus doesn’t say we should stop praying or giving; he just says we need to be careful to be doing them with the right motivation. We don’t do what we do in order to impress others or get the credit for being awesome; we do what we do in order to please God. If we are focused on serving God, then the recognition from others will mean little to us. Our reward is to please our Creator and Father.

That should be enough credit for anyone. Even without the red carpet.

Click here to read Isaiah 57 on BibleGateway.com

All of us have probably played the trust game at one point or another.  This is the sadistic activity that comes around every once in a while at “team-building” retreats.  One person will stand with their back to another, close their eyes, and fall backwards, trusting the other person to catch them before they shatter their coccyx on the cement floor of the conference hall.  The stated purpose is build trust in one another, specifically by trusting that the guy that messes up your coffee order every morning somehow has enough cognitive ability, coordination,  and upper body strength to  intercept your carcass on its inevitable descent into agonizing pain. Allegedly, you can learn a lot from these exercises; like what happens when your partner falls forward instead of back, and the precise length of time that resentment towards the team-leader can fester.

HELLO? GOD?

Perhaps it stems from incidences like this, but most of us do not have a real strong sense of trust in the people around us.  Not such a bad thing, on occasion, but the problem is that this sometimes seeps over into our walk with Christ.  If we can’t trust men, and Jesus was a man, then perhaps we can’t trust him either.

No where is this more starkly displayed than when an innocent person dies.  A lunatic shoots up a school, a mother of 3 in her 20s has a stroke, an infant dies; immediately we ask ourselves “Where is God in this?”  We trusted him to heal, we prayed, we fasted, we did all the things we’re “supposed” to do, and yet senseless violence and death happens.

We can of course throw around the standard verses: God works all things together for good and whatnot.  Yet for anyone who goes through something like that, these words are pretty hollow.  Sure, God might bring good out of it, but my baby is still dead. Can I really trust God when he lets me down?

Isaiah addresses this topic in our reading today: “The righteous perish…the devout are taken away and no one understands.”  Ain’t that the truth? I think we could deal with these tragedies more easily if we just understood the plan.  Sometimes it just seems that the world is in chaos, and God is nowhere to be found.

AND YET…

Yet the section goes on: “The righteous are taken away to be spared from evil…they find rest as they lie in death.”  Have you ever considered that the innocent ones who die are actually the ones God is blessing?  Maybe that infant who was still born would have had a terrible life – maybe God loved them so much he brought them to himself first.   Maybe that innocent bystander was so awesome that God just wanted them in heaven sooner.  Can we accept that God is really acting in love, despite what we see?

All of God’s actions in the Bible reflect his desire to be in relationship with us.  Because of sin, we cannot be in full relationship with God until after death (thanks a lot, Adam).  But in light of that, the ones that die young are brought back into relationship with God more quickly.  They are fully who they are designed to be, in a way that those of us on Earth will probably never understand until we join them.  Maybe our losing them is God showing us just how great and wide and deep his love really is.

Can you trust God enough to believe it?

Click here to read Psalm 119 on BibleGateway.com

What is love, what does it have to do with it?

Love is a difficult word for us as English speakers. Other languages, Greek for example, have multiple words for love. So, if you “love” soccer, if you “love” your pizza, if you “love” your wife, there’s no confusion about which you want to snuggle with and which you want covered in pepperoni’s. At least let’s hope not.

Love is a theme that runs throughout the whole Bible, almost more than any other theme (almost). The question is, what does the Bible mean when it talks about love? God loves us, we love God, Isaac loved Rebekah, the early Church loved each other. Clearly these are not all the same, but they are all the same words in English. So, since we can’t read them all in one day (that’s just craziness), let’s look at one; how do we love God?

LOVE IN-INDESCRIBABLE

What does it mean to love God? Is it to think about God a lot, to keep him in the front of your mind, the way you might for your significant other? Is it to prefer him over other gods, the way you might love football more than baseball? Is it to think of God the first thing in the morning, like a cappuccino or a hot tea?

Fortunately, in this case, God is nice enough to clarify for us what loving Him looks like: “You are my portion, Lord; I have promised to obey your words…You are good, and what you do is good; teach me your decrees.” In Psalm 119 (the longest chapter in the Bible, so you know it must be awesome) we are reminded constantly that the truth of love is found in God’s law. To love God, we must obey His commandments.

NOT TO ABOLISH, BUT TO FULFILL

Oh, here it comes now: “We are no longer under the law, because of Jesus.” How we love to throw this out; it’s so freeing. I can do what I want, because Jesus loves me. So what does Jesus say about love? “Let’s just hang out and love each other; forget that law stuff.” Fraid not, my friends. In fact, Jesus sounds an awful lot like that mean ole God in the Old Testament: “If you love me, keep My commands…anyone who loves Me will obey.” (John 14) and “For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments.” (I John 5)

There’s no getting around it; if you want to love Jesus, you have to obey his commands. Yes Jesus forgives, yes God is love and has made a way for us, yes the old things have passed away. But let’s not forget that Jesus didn’t just come to be our buddy, he is also our Lord.  Let’s not ignore what Jesus says fairly plainly; if we don’t obey his commands, if we do what we want and rely on his love to forgive us, then we really aren’t loving Him at all. We are only loving ourselves, and using Him.

Is that the kind of love you would want?

Click here to read Matthew 3 on BibleGateway.com

John the Baptist is one of the most intriguing characters in the whole Bible. From his conception, he had a special place in God’s plans.  One can even argue he was the first to recognize Jesus for who He was – the Lamb of God. And yet John’s life could have been radically different.

Contrary to what you might think, John had other options. His dad, Zechariah, was a priest who had actually spent time in the very presence of God to offer incense (it was like the Publisher’s Clearing House for a priest). It would be very natural that John himself would be a priest (it was hereditary in those days), and could probably expect to be a fairly important one.  John may have grown up to be the High Priest when Jesus was preaching.  Imagine how different the Bible might have been then.

THE GOOD

And John gave it all up. He gave up living near (or in) the temple; he gave up the respect of his people; he gave up the middle-class life in the suburbs of Jerusalem. And for what? To live out in the wilderness, wearing a scratchy shirt, eating bugs, and running the bee gauntlet for honey once in a while. Even you outdoorsy kind of guys gotta hate bees.  Everyone hates bees.  They’re jerks.

John gave up any comfort and respect he had a “right” to. And Jesus said there was no one greater. That’s a pretty strong compliment, especially from Jesus, who probably knows a thing or two about giving up awesomeness to serve God’s will. John got the privilege of participating in one of the crucial events of Jesus’ life – his baptism – because he had given up what seemed to be the “blessings” that were rightfully his.  He spent thirty years of his life living out in the boonies, and Jesus pointed to him (John) as the example of what we should all be.

THE BAD

And notice that following God does not mean that everything will go peachy for you.  John spent years in prison, and finally was separated from his noggin by a vengeful woman and her immoral daughter.  Does that seem fair?  Of course not; but God’s will was done.  John was doing what God had in mind, no matter what.  Later on Paul, who spent most his life following God closely, talked of his beatings, shipwrecks, starvation, and other goodness.  Being in God’s will does not mean that you will be comfortable.

What are you willing to give up to truly follow God? Would you give up your job? Would you wear thrift-store clothes and drive a rusted-out Oldsmobile? Will you give up your rights to your guns, or your free speech, or your happiness? Will you eat macaroni and cheese every other day? Will you give up 20% of your paycheck to charity? What about another 10% just for missionaries? Will you stand up and be laughed at for living your life according to book of “myths”? Will you give up your home to work overseas? Will you give up that relationship that has priority over God?

How far are you willing to go to be what God has in mind for you?

Click here to read Revelation 22 on BibleGateway.com

What defines you? Is it what you believe or what you do? If I say “a heatlhy lifestyle is very important to me” yet I have a subscription to Oreo Weekly – including the annual double stuff issue – who am I really? If I believe that the best defense is a good offense, but I spend all my rupees on a bigger shield and armor, what do I really believe?

The book of James is famous in Biblical criticism circles for the number of times it has almost been removed from the Bible. No less a celebrity than Martin Luther himself called it an “epistle of straw” and wanted it removed from the canon of Scripture. Why? Because in Luther’s view (and many Protestants today) the emphasis on actions in the book of James is in contradiction to Paul’s continued emphasis on simple belief. However, what is the indicator of what you really believe? Is it what you say you believe? Or what you do?

ET TU,  JOHN?

Let’s look at today’s reading, specifically Revelation 22:11 – “Let the one who does wrong continue to do wrong; let the vile person continue to be vile; let the one who does right continue to do right; and let the holy person continue to be holy. “ Some commentators argue that this is meant as an ironic prophetic statement (those crazy prophets, what with the irony and all). But let’s look at it a little differently. The one who does wrong is a wrong-doer; the one who does vile things is vile; the one who does right is righteous; the one who does holy things is holy.  In other words, what you do not only defines who you are, it can affect who you are.

Psychology tells us that it is just as common for our actions to influence our personality as the other way around. For example, many marriage counselors will advocate “acting” like you’re in love with your spouse, even if you don’t “feel” in love with your spouse. What happens over time? Eventually your feelings, your personality, your viewpoint, who you are changes to become the person you have been acting.  If you act like you’re in love with someone, eventually you are.

CHOOSE A ROAD 

It works in reverse too. If you dwell on negative things, if you are consistently tearing others down (or yourself), you will become a miserable, unhappy person because you are doing what miserable people do. Even though you may not have been “that kind of person,” if you continue to let your thoughts and actions go down a certain road, sooner or later you become that person. If you act like a jerk on a consistent basis, you’ll become a jerk to the core of your jerktastic jerk-core.

So here’s the challenge for today: you want to be a spiritual, holy person? Then start acting like it. Even if you don’t “feel” holy; even if your past says you are more monster than monk. You can change who you “are” by changing what you do. Read your Bible; be generous; be patient; don’t watch that show; let others go first; let people walk all over you; spend ten minutes in prayer. You will find that if you behave as if you really trust God, sooner or later you will. If you behave as if God is the most important thing in your life, you may be surprised to find that He actually is.

Let he who is being holy, be holy.

Click here to read Isaiah 50 on BibleGateway.com

For your enjoyment, I give you the best joke of Immanuel Kant:

An Englishman at an Indian’s table in Surat saw a bottle of ale being opened, and all the beer, turned to froth, rushed out.
The Indian, by repeated exclamations, showed his great amazement.
Well, what’s so amazing in that? asked the Englishman.
Oh, but I’m not amazed at its coming out, replied the Indian, but how you managed to get it all in.

I’ll pause for a moment whilst you regain you breath after the riotous laughter. (And just a bonus fyi, the first joke on record is a Sumerian comment on the hilarity of flatualence. Date: 1900 BC. Hey, if a joke’s funny, stick with it.)

TWO SPHINXES WALK INTO BAR…

It’s fairly clear that humor has undergone some changes throughout history. What was funny 50 years ago is not funny now; just watch some of the old sitcoms and variety shows from the early days of television. Sure, there are some good moments, but overall the humor does not stand up to the ravages of time.

Of course, change doesn’t necessarily mean improvement. If you look at humor these days, what you’ll see most commonly in the comedy clubs is a ridiculously frequent use of profanities and sexual innuendo. If you look at “family-friendly” sitcoms, you will see sarcasm and mocking others as the mainstay. Is this better than pratfalls and Lucy stomping grapes?

Unfortunately, we have let cultural humor affect us as Christians more than we might think. When was the last time you met someone that never put anyone else down? Most of us can probably count those kinds of people on one hand. Even in churches on any given Sunday, you’ll hear more “funny” comments about dumb bosses, nagging wives, or spoiled children than the seldom heard encouraging word.

THE SMALL SPARK

The Bible tells us that our tongues are powerful; we can build or destroy lives with our words more easily than we can we violence. Isaiah 50 tells us “The Sovereign Lord has given me a well-instructed tongue, to know the word that sustains the weary.” If you are a clever person, if you have a way with words, then you have a responsbility. And that responsibility isn’t to make people laugh or be the life of the party. Your tongue is meant to sustain the weary.

The world is full of weary people. Walk down the street, and note how many of the people you see seem to be carrying an invisible burden. Talk to someone at your coffeeshop, and see how many are genuinely excited about their life. Most of your friends probably have a sense of weariness about them.

This is your opportunity. You can bring life and joy to someone, just by being an encouraging person. Not by pointing out why their life is messed up, not by mocking others with them, not by showing how wise you are. Simply by being an encouragement.

Who can you encourage today?

Click here to read Deuteronomy 22 on BibleGateway.com

Back in the 60s and 70s in the US, there was a popular philosophy that said basically “as long as you don’t hurt someone, you can do whatever you want.” If you want to put toothpaste on your Oreos, go for it. If you want to ride around town on your bike wearing a mumu, have at it. If you want to have a week-long drug-crazed orgy under the guise of a music festival, knock yourself out.

While somewhat outside the norm back then, this mentality has seeped into our culture at large, and now most Americans would agree with the sentiment without a second thought. As long as you don’t hurt someone, as long as your activities only involve consenting adults, as long as you live and let live, then you’re living a moral life.

NOW FOR SOMETHING DIFFERENT

Christianity stands apart on this. Repeatedly in the Bible, we are told not just to avoid doing wrong, but to do right. For example, many religions of the world have some form of the Golden Rule, but it tends to be in a negative phraseology: don’t do to others what you don’t want them to do you, don’t hurt others because you wouldn’t want to be hurt, etc. Jesus flips this around; he says not only should you not do harm, but you should actively seek to do good.

The Old Testament (you remember, the part of the Bible that has nothing to do with Jesus?) has this same sentiment. In Deuteronomy 22, we read the following commands (including the all-too-common fallen cow scenario):

If you see your fellow Israelite’s ox or sheep straying, do not ignore it but be sure to take it back to its owner. If they do not live near you or if you do not know who owns it, take it home with you and keep it until they come looking for it. Then give it back. Do the same if you find their donkey or cloak or anything else they have lost. Do not ignore it. If you see your fellow Israelite’s donkey or ox fallen on the road, do not ignore it. Help the owner get it to its feet.

BUT I TELL YOU…

Biblically speaking, it’s not enough to just not steal; you should actively help someone who has lost their possessions. Finding a dropped hundred dollar bill on the street isn’t a cause for a dinner out; you should try to find the owner. If the cashier gives you too much change, you should give it back, even though it “their fault.”That’s what makes the Christian life so challenging. It’s not just following a list a rules, it’s a continually striving to behave better, to “be perfect, even as the Father is perfect.” Will we ever get there? Probably not (except for my wife, of course. She’s perfect. And cute.) But the command isn’t “don’t be like Satan.” The command is “be like God.”

That should be enough of a challenge to keep you busy for a while.

Click here to read Isaiah 48 on BibleGateway.com

There’s an old saying (old in that I can’t remember where I first heard it, coupled with being too lazy to look it up) that says “most of us spend the week sowing wild oats, then go to church on Sunday and pray for crop failure.” We’ve all seen them in church. Note the man who spends all week developing mathematical irregularities in his business accounting, then makes sure to put an extra twenty bucks into the offering. Pity the poor woman who sees the two people she had been “discussing” earlier in the week talking to each other in the foyer after church. The single who “slipped” during the week, and prays that if there’s just no pregnancy this time, it’ll never happen again; the obese man who prays for a clean doctor’s report whilst planning the after-church run to Burger King; and the parent who promises they’ll monitor their kid more closely, if only those shop-lifting charges are dropped this week.

ALL I WANNA DO IS WHAT I WANNA DO

Why do we do it? Is it just part of our nature? Paul talks about knowing the good he should do, but still doing the other. We know we should spend time in prayer, but the game went late. We know we should read the Word, but that guy on Facebook is soooo wrong; he must be corrected for the good of the world. We know we should give to the poor, but those shoes are only on sale this week. We make excuses because deep-down we believe that what we “want” to do is more important than what we “should” do.

Here’s the question: do we really trust God? He gives us some pretty direct outlines for behavior throughout the Bible, along with what will happen if do or don’t follow them. Do we believe Him? Or do we think “well, yeah, but this is a special circumstance.” Yes, I know I’m supposed to submit to authority, but my boss isn’t even a Christian; I’m sure Jesus didn’t mean to submit to him. Yes, I know I’m supposed to give to the Church, but if I don’t pay this bill, they’ll cut off my cable; surely Jesus wouldn’t deprive me of the NFL. Yes, I know I’m supposed to turn the other cheek, but I can’t just let people walk all over me, right?

FATHER KNOWS BEST

The point is not “can you follow this list of rules to prove you deserve heaven,” but “if you follow these direction, you will have life fuller.” Do you believe it? Do you really trust that even when it seems crazy, God’s way is really the best? Or do you think “if only God didn’t have so many rules, life would be so much better.” Isaiah tells us today that God “teaches what is best for you…if only you had paid attention to my commands, your peace would have been like a river.” Can you do it? Can you follow God’s commands and trust that He knows what’s best, even when it seems “wrong” or “old-fashioned” to you?

God tells us that consequences will follow our decisions.  If we follow his directions, the consequences will be for our benefit; if we don’t, our consequences will come back to bite us in the country hams.  If we plant seeds from God’s word, we’ll harvest His plan for our life.  If we go our own way, then we’ll have to live with the results that we get, rather than what an infinite Creator has planned for us. Which do you prefer?

Will you be excited to reap your decisions? Or are you praying for crop failure?

Click here to read Isaiah 43 on BibleGateway.com

Why is it we like to add to the Bible? A few years ago, one of the more common phrases you would hear in sermons was the idea that “you will never be happy until you get saved,” or something along the lines that when you get saved, then you will have few problems in life. This is an amusing take on the Christian life, since Jesus pretty much guaranteed “in this life, you will have troubles.”  Hard to see how those two ideas are compatible.

One of the biggest (and easiest) dangers of sharing Christ with others is modify the gospel into what we think the Bible “should” say.  We add in our own interpretations, because that’s what the Bible “really” means.  We all do it, and there’s probably no way to really get away from it altogether, but it’s vital that we present the Gospel as close to how it’s presented in the Bible as we can.  You doubt? Let’s consider two scenarios.

A-B

Suggesting that somehow getting saved is your ticket to a life of ease is not only laughingly unBiblical, it’s also harmful. Let’s imagine that you are a non-Christian, and some well-meaning believer tells you that once you get saved, God will remove all your problems. Sounds like a good deal, so you sign up. You walk the aisle, you say the prayer, you buy the study Bible, you join the choir. Six months later, you lose your job because you can’t work because you just got a diagnosis of Brazilian Inflammatory Disease, which your health insurance won’t cover. What now? Where is the problem-free life you were promised? Perhaps this Jesus isn’t who you thought. Perhaps all of it is a lie. Perhaps you were wrong to ever start down this road in the first place.  Maybe that friendly cult down the street is taking new admissions. Soon you’re eating only rice cakes and wearing a lime-green toga.

Now let’s look at what the Bible actually says. Isaiah 42 says “when” you pass through the waters, “when” you walk through the fire, “when” you pass through the rivers; no “ifs” in there. The troubles will come; no doubts, no exceptions, no maybes. But God says I Will Be With You. Yes, troubles will come. They always do in this fallen world; sometimes through our doing, sometimes we are completely innocent. Regardless, they come. But God will be with you. The fire will not consume you. You may have a singe here and there, you may have a smokey smell of a weekend barbecue gone wrong for a while, but you will come through it.

LO

That’s the promise God gives. To go through it with us. To suffer right along with us; to give us that peace that passes understanding in the midst of all the chaos of life. And why? Because “you are mine.” We are His. He has called you by name, out of the billions of people that are or have lived. He knows your name; He’s calling you.

When you understand what the Bible actually says, the problems that come in life will not rock your theology.  After all, why should it surprise you when troubles come, you were already expecting it.  Instead, you can rest in the trust you have that God is working through the troubles to bring about His will.

Take heart; He has overcome the world.

Click here to read Psalm 99 on BibleGateway.com

Back in the day, every playground designed for children had the instrument of humiliation known as the See-Saw or TeeterTotter. Nothing says “hey, you’re a big fatty” like requiring four of your classmates to balance out your girth. Not to be outdone, even the skinny nerds got to enjoy the pleasure of the class athlete jumping off the totter as it reached the towering apex of the pendulum, the sheer terror of the fall, and the coccyx-jarring impact of the gravel-strewn ground. Depending on your location, this was known as the Atomic Drop or Cherry Bomb. Either way, it led to a recess of tender walking around the playground plotting revenge against the offender.

And of course, as one got older, the most important challenge on the playground (aside from pushing down that girl you liked and running away giggling like that suave Prince Charming you are) was to stand astride the SeeSaw like a mighty Colossus and balance out the two sides. Travel the world over, visit any playground for more than an hour (with people around, of course) and it is almost guaranteed that some daredevil of the minor-est degree will attempt the feat.

THE BALANCE BEAM

Have you ever considered why it is we crave to balance things in the world? Why do we try to balance a coin on the edge (admit it, you’ve tried it.)? Why do we want teams to be “even”? Why do we want the rich to become poorer, and the poor to become richer (even though by just about any standard, even the poorest in America are in the top 10% of the world) ? Why do we enjoy watching the mighty politician or televangelist fall?

In all of us, there is something that craves a balance to our existence. Could it be that perhaps God himself is the ultimate in equivalence? Jesus as God and Man? God the Father as Creator and Destroyer of the world? The Holy Spirit as Convicter and Comforter?

ONE WITHOUT THE OTHER

So why should it surprise that God is both merciful and judgmental? Psalm 99 says that God is “to Israel a forgiving God, though you punished their misdeeds.” God, in his infinite balance is both Mercy and Judgment, He is Holiness and Love, He is Infinite and Intimate.

For some reason, we have decided in our culture that a Loving God would/should never punish anyone, or allow anyone to be punished (or even to suffer the consequences of their own actions). However, this type of God is radically out of balance. The God that is revealed in the Bible is in perfect harmony and perfect balance eternally; to deny an aspect of who God has revealed himself to be, is to re-make God in our image.

And that’s just begging for an Eternal Cherry Bomb.

Click here to read Isaiah 33 on BibleGateway.com

One of the big challenges of the post-modern Christian is to separate our understanding of the Bible from our culture.  Not that this is a new thing, of course. The ancient Romans saw the model of the Roman Empire in scripture, and built their church accordingly (looking at you, your Popeness).    The early modern Protestants saw the Enlightenment outlined in Scripture, and many of our modern churches reflect their touch.  So, it should come as no surprise that when post-modern Christians read the Bible, we see our own culture (or what we think are the good parts of our culture) reflected there.

For example, it’s easy for us to focus on turning our country into a “Christian” country.  We want giants of the faith leading us, like Washington (cough-slaveowner-cough), Jefferson (cough-Deist-cough), or Lincoln (cough-astrologer-cough).  We want our country to be the city-on-a-hill that we envision that it was in the past.  Surely God is in favor of democracy, right? After all, everyone knows that’s the best political system, even though the examples of voting are few and far between in the Bible.  (but they’re actually there, you just have to read between the lines.  right?) We know that God is in favor of our political party, right? Every moral and right-thinking person would be.

IN GOD WE TRUST

However, in so doing, we miss what the Bible clearly says about culture, particularly our politics.  Our trust should not be in our legislature, our Prime Ministers or Presidents, or our system of Justice.  Isaiah says in our reading today that the Lord alone is our Lawgiver, our Judge, and our King.  This is not a division of powers; this is recognition that all power, all authority, all right to rule comes not from us, but from the Creator of all that is.  Our own philosophies and political theories are nice, but Jesus is our Lord; period.  There is no voting in heaven; it’s a dictatorship through and through.

Can we accept that? Can we accept that we have no rights, no petitions, no checks and balances on God? He is all and in all and through Him all have their being.  There is no other.  Can we accept that we exist merely by His desire? That without Him, we are nothing.

GIVE IT AWAY

It’s a tough idea for us to swallow in our day.  We have been saturated with the idea that we are all powerful in our own way, that we have the right to do or say or be anything we want.  Can you accept that you have no rights, once you give them away to Christ? Can you accept that maybe we bring as much cultural baggage to Scripture as any unreached people group? Are you willing to give up your vision of who Jesus “should” be, and realize that it is our vision and ideas that must be changed?

Can you accept that He is Lord?