Tag: gospel of luke

Pray with Persistence (Luke 11:1-13)

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year CLeave a comment

He [Jesus] was praying in a certain place, and after he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.” So he said to them, “When you pray, say:

Father, may your name be revered as holy.
    May your kingdom come.
    Give us each day our daily bread.
    And forgive us our sins,
        for we ourselves forgive everyone indebted to us.
    And do not bring us to the time of trial.”

And he said to them, “Suppose one of you has a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, for a friend of mine has arrived, and I have nothing to set before him.’ And he answers from within, ‘Do not bother me; the door has already been locked, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot get up and give you anything.’ I tell you, even though he will not get up and give him anything out of friendship, at least because of his persistence he will get up and give him whatever he needs.

“So I say to you, Ask, and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. Is there anyone among you who, if your child asked for a fish, would give a snake instead of a fish? Or if the child asked for an egg, would give a scorpion? If you, then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” (New Revised Standard Version)

If we desire to see the power of prayer become a reality in our lives, we will have to avoid drive-by prayers in favor of sustained and focused prayers taught to us from the Lord Jesus.

Prayer empowered Jesus in his earthly ministry. His disciples saw this, and wanted it, too. So, Christ encouraged them in what to pray, and to keep persistently praying, despite the circumstances.

We are instructed by Jesus to approach the heavenly Father just as he himself did – in a straightforward and intimate manner. The content of our prayers ought to encompass the following five petitions:

  • Let God’s name be made holy. In other words, we are to let the Lord’s name be seen by others as holy within us in our daily lives. This is a petition for God to establish divine sovereignty and holiness in the heart of the believer. When this happens, the name of God is exalted and set apart as holy before a watching world.
  • Let God’s kingdom come. This is a prayer that asks for the reign of God to extend over the entire earth in a very practical way – to have God’s rule draw near to everyone and everything, including ourselves.
  • Let us have our daily bread. That is, pray that God will give us everything we need for life and godliness in this present evil age, including physical sustenance, mental acuity, emotional intelligence, and spiritual food. None of us lives by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.
  • Let forgiveness come. Sin is a reality. Therefore, every one of us needs forgiveness; and everyone needs to forgive others. Forgiveness is powerful; it releases us to freedom. And thus, we have the power to release others through the act of forgiving the egregious sins of others. The failure to do this is why the kingdom of God is so disestablished in this world.
  • Let us not become victims of the cosmic conflict. There is a continual struggle of unseen powers on this earth that no human is armed to deal with. Apart from God’s intervention, humanity gets caught in the crosshairs of the conflict. We are to pray that this trial does not overcome us.

These prayers are to be consistently and persistently prayed every day. Christ wants us to keep asking, seeking, and knocking.

Jesus, in his teaching ministry on earth, often used the lesser-to-greater argument in getting his point across. And that is precisely what he was doing with his disciples in today’s Gospel lesson by instructing them about the nature and motivation of prayer.

The lesser-to-greater argument implies a comparison of values. It’s grounded on a common sense and logical convention that if this lesser thing is true, then, of course, how much more is this greater thing!

If something less likely to happen is true, then something more likely to happen will probably be true as well. The technical phrase for this is an argument a fortiori – a Latin term meaning, “for a still stronger reason.”

Jesus wanted his followers to understand that prayer has value because God is a loving Father, not a begrudging friend. Whereas the friend in the story was badgered just so the person could get some real necessities, God needs no badgering to generously give good gifts that may or may not be considered as necessities by us.

Jesus desired to highlight that prayer has veracity because of whom those prayers are directed.

In the ancient world, it was common understanding you needed to get the local gods attention if you wanted something. Which is why, for example, in the prophet Elijah’s showdown with the prophets of Baal, that Baal’s worshipers were yelling, gesticulating, and even cutting themselves for hours. They fully expected to put a lot of work into getting Baal’s attention, maybe even needing to convince him of intervening in their ancient version of a wild West shootout.

In contrast to four-hundred prophets of Baal, a single prophet of the Lord utters one simple prayer, then fire comes rushing down from heaven. Much like the person who badgered the friend for bread, the prophets pestered Baal for hours. (1 Kings 18)

In Christ’s story, it all comes down to who really cares. The friend? Not enough to jump out of bed right away and meet a need. Baal? Not so much. God? Now we’re talking.

We typically don’t ask, seek, or knock, if we believe we will not get a response – or if it will take a lot of energy, time, and effort we don’t have. Yet, if we are confident of being heard and our requests taken seriously with care, then we are likely to have a habit of asking, seeking, and knocking.

If a friend begrudgingly gives to you because of persistent knocking, how much more will God graciously, generously, and with gaiety give you goodness when you ask?

Because God is good, God gives. The largess of the Lord is willing and ready to dispense grace from an infinite storehouse of mercy.

This is why Jesus encouraged people to not pray like those who don’t know God, babbling on because they think they’ll be heard because of the sheer volume of words. (Matthew 6:7-8)

Two misconceptions of prayer existed in Christ’s day (and today); they come from non-Christian sources:

  1. There must be a lot of prayer before prayer “works.” Although I believe repetition is important for forming good habits, praying the same prayers over and over again so as to be heard betrays an ignorance of God, not to mention an actual lack of faith. Many ancient religions were based in learning how to manipulate the spiritual forces out there to get what we need. It’s kind of like a divine version of hustling for love in all the wrong places. Christians need to know they don’t need to have thousands of people praying in order to get God’s attention to answer prayer.
  2. I must convince God of the need to answer my prayer. God is not a reluctant listener. The reason the Lord already knows what we need before we ask is because God has been paying close attention to us well before we got around to asking, seeking, and knocking on the divine door. God’s ear is already inclined to hear us – expectantly and anxiously awaiting our petitions. This is a tremendously freeing idea, that I can come to God openly and honestly, without drudgery, and without wondering if I am heard, or not.

May we be encouraged to pray, to truly connect with God, because the Lord is available without appointment, and is waiting for us to ask with bended ear.

Eternal God, by whose power we are created and by whose love we are redeemed: Guide and strengthen us by your Spirit so that we may give ourselves to your service and live today and every day in love to one another and to you, through Jesus Christ our Lord, in the strength of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

The Parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37)

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year CLeave a comment
Good Samaritan, by Olga Bakhtina

An expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he said, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 

He said to him, “What is written in the law? What do you read there?” 

He answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind and your neighbor as yourself.” 

And he said to him, “You have given the right answer; do this, and you will live.”

But wanting to vindicate himself, he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” 

Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell into the hands of robbers, who stripped him, beat him, and took off, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 

“But a Samaritan while traveling came upon him, and when he saw him he was moved with compassion. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, treating them with oil and wine. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said, ‘Take care of him, and when I come back I will repay you whatever more you spend.’ 

“Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?” 

He said, “The one who showed him mercy.”

Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.” (New Revised Standard Version)

The Good Samaritan, by Paula Modersohn-Becker

Let’s establish upfront that the chief point of Christ’s parable is mercy shown from one person to another. Mercy is at the heart of Holy Scripture. Mercy is the very heart of Christ – even more than routine obedience:

“Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’” (Matthew 9:13; 12:7; Hosea 6:6)

The message of the Old and New Testaments of the Bible continually reinforces mercy to those who are in need – mercy to immigrants, strangers, the poor, the infirmed, and foreigners.

Therefore, any system – no matter whether church, neighborhood, or government – which seeks to ignore, round up, or get rid of those in need of mercy, is in direct contradiction to the instruction of Jesus, the message of the prophets, and the consistent teaching of the early church fathers (and mothers).

We get in trouble whenever we distinguish between people who “deserve” our help from those who don’t. In truth, there is no such thing. Everyone needs mercy and deserves mercy, simply because they are created in the image and likeness of God.

There are no exceptions. And if we think there ought to be, we are playing the judge and trying to take the reins of decision-making away from God, so that we ourselves can execute our own standard of who deserves mercy and who deserves judgment.

In today’s Gospel lesson, the expert in the law started out by testing Jesus. Then, he changed tactics by trying to justify himself as one who deserves to be recognized as worthy of mercy. He believed that, as one who strictly observes the law and obeys the commandments, he is more deserving than others who are less observant.

It’s this privileged mentality which continually connects adjectival words to humans, and even Christians – when, in truth, there are no adjectives to being a human and/or a Christian.

But, in order to justify ourselves, many people like their adjectives, so they can make sure to distinguish before God who is worthy and right, and who is not. The following are just a smattering of adjectives I’ve heard in the church throughout the years:

  • Backslidden Christian
  • Lukewarm Christian
  • Weak Christian
  • Liberal Christian
  • Conservative Evangelical Christian
  • Real Christian
  • Born Again Christian
  • Committed Christian
  • Fairweather Christian
  • Christmas and Easter Christian
  • True Christian
  • Baptized Christian

Yet, in reality, a Christian is a Christian. If we feel the need to add adjectives in describing how less or more of a Christian they are, then we are no longer describing Christianity at all.

When it comes to the word neighbor, there are a plethora of adjectives that we might use to describe our neighbors. Again, all the words are meant to distinguish between “us” and “them.”

I once lived in a very diverse neighborhood. One day I was outside praying, and looking at all the various houses. I prayed for my neighbors by affixing adjectives to them: my black neighbor; my nerdy neighbor; my lesbian neighbors; my single neighbor; my agnostic neighbor; my mean obnoxious neighbor.

On and on I went, until I heard that still small voice of God whisper to me saying, “Tim, these are not your neighbors with adjectives. They are just your neighbors.”

I got the message. I was praying on my holy hill for all these other folks who were different than me, using my adjectives to keep separate from them. My neighbors, however, are simply my neighbors. We live together in the same neighborhood. We are neighbors – nothing more, nothing less.

Even though my neighbors have many differences about them, we all share the need for receiving mercy and giving mercy. Without mercy, neighborliness vanishes.

My sacrificial offerings of prayer for my neighbors didn’t make me better. But both my attitude of mercy and my actual extensions of mercy toward my neighbors, no matter how little, meant a great deal to them.

The priest and the Levite who passed by the man in need, likely only saw that they would become unclean by helping this needy person. “Besides,” they may have pondered, “there’s nothing in it for me.”

There was no way for the man lying in the ditch to reciprocate or pay back the priest or the Levite. A Samaritan (despised by both priests and Levites) ended up being the one to show mercy to the man.

It didn’t matter who helped the victimized person – whether it was a priest, a Levite, or a Samaritan. It didn’t matter how any of them might describe the other. Only mercy mattered.

I admit that I desperately want to see my national government have at least a little neighborly sense. When I observe the opposite, it’s hard for me to live with. I find myself not wanting to see any mercy extended to them, to the current administration.

Yet just because politicians may not show mercy, doesn’t infer that I should withhold it from them. I really do want to take my cues from Jesus by loving my enemies and doing good to them – even if they ignore, mistreat, or oppress others.

God will sort out the judgment thing. As for me, I’m called to a gospel of grace, not a gospel of judgment.

Nobody can justify themselves. In Christianity, only God can justify the person.

Christ’s mercy is not dependent on what kind of people we are but is based simply on need. God graciously gives us the gift of faith and the mercy of deliverance.

Divine Judge, You framed the earth with love and mercy, declaring it good. Yet we, desiring to justify ourselves, judge others harshly without knowledge or understanding. Keep us faithful so that we may be filled with the knowledge of Your will, and not ignore or pass by another’s need, but plumb the depths of love in showing mercy. Amen.

The Healing of the Demoniac (Luke 8:26-39)

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year CLeave a comment
Mosaic of the exorcism of the Gerasene demoniac from the Basilica of Sant’Apollinare Nuovo, 6th century C.E.

Then they arrived at the region of the Gerasenes, which is opposite Galilee. As he stepped out on shore, a man from the city who had demons met him. For a long time he had not worn any clothes, and he did not live in a house but in the tombs. 

When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell down before him, shouting, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, do not torment me,” for Jesus had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. (For many times it had seized him; he was kept under guard and bound with chains and shackles, but he would break the bonds and be driven by the demon into the wilds.) 

Jesus then asked him, “What is your name?” He said, “Legion,” for many demons had entered him. They begged him not to order them to go back into the abyss.

Now there on the hillside a large herd of swine was feeding, and the demons begged Jesus to let them enter these. So he gave them permission. Then the demons came out of the man and entered the swine, and the herd stampeded down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned.

When the swineherds saw what had happened, they ran off and told it in the city and in the country. Then people came out to see what had happened, and when they came to Jesus, they found the man from whom the demons had gone sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind. And they became frightened. Those who had seen it told them how the one who had been possessed by demons had been healed. Then the whole throng of people of the surrounding region of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave them, for they were seized with great fear. So he got into the boat and returned. 

The man from whom the demons had gone out begged that he might be with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying, “Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you.” So he went away, proclaiming throughout the city how much Jesus had done for him. (New Revised Standard Version)

Jesus exorcising the Gerasene demoniac, from the Hitda Codex

Jesus came to this earth to deliver people from all obstacles that gets in the way between us and God, so that humanity may freely connect with the divine, each other, and creation.

Whether it was in the synagogue, in public, in private, in a Jewish community, or in Gentile territory, Christ’s ministry was marked by healing people. He did this so that people could (re)attach themselves to the neighborhood, to God, and even to themselves.

Today’s Gospel story has Jesus take an unexpected trip across the Sea of Galilee to a foreign place full of non-Jewish persons. It was a place marked by all sorts of ritual impurity, and sorts of Gentile practices which a good Jew would have nothing to do with.

So, it’s no surprise, in a heathen setting, that Christ encountered the demonic in the form of a man riddled with demons to the point of being named “Legion.” This confrontation became a type of wild west shootout between the superhuman tortured man and the divinely filled Son of God.

The confrontation was intense. The atmosphere was charged with anticipation that someone wasn’t going to walk away from this shootout. But Jesus knew what he was doing: Christ was about to breakout a man from a demonic prison; and it would not go well for the demons.

In this remote western town, Jesus ended up performing a most extraordinary miracle. It would take a miracle to free this demonized person from his satanic jailcell. The legion of demons, however, were no match for the singular Son of God. Christ had no problem using his authority to exorcise the demons from the victimized man.

The demons exited the man and entered an entire herd of pigs. The herd then proceeded to destroy themselves in a powerful scene of what the demonic is all about. Yet, rather than acknowledging a divine miracle, those who were tending the pigs went and told the people in the area of how this interloper came along and upset the status quo. Instead of seeing a delivered man, the pig herders could only see dead swine.

As a result of the pig herders report, the folks in nearby towns wanted nothing to do with Jesus. The people begged him to get out of town. Christ purged the region of a significant presence of bad guys, and all the townspeople could do was fear for what might happen.

But despite the townspeople’s and pig herders’ disturbing lack of faith, there was one man who became a committed disciple of Jesus on the spot. The demoniac, now turned new citizen of God’s kingdom, saw Christ for who he was, and immediately discerned to whom he belonged – not the demonic world but the kingdom of heaven.

Although the newly delivered man begged to remain with Jesus, the Lord had another plan for the new disciple. Christ sent him back to his home to proclaim what God had done for him. In doing so, the man would become a powerful witness to God’s power. And, important for the man, old broken familial and community relations could be renewed and restored. The healing would come full circle.

If we bear witness to the works of God, where we are, it will bear fruit – even if it is among folks who may be in opposition to it.

Not even a legion of demons could keep Christ from restoring a tortured person to himself, his family, and his community. And it all happened on the demons’ turf. Nothing can stop the kingdom of God from expanding it’s good reach over all that is evil.

The good news of Christianity is that Jesus has the power to bring life from death. Christ has the ability to put us in a position where we can reconnect with both the human community and the divine realm.

The satanic in this world is not nearly as powerful as God; and the demons are under Christ’s authority. In fact, there is no power on earth (or under the earth) that can overcome the strength of the almighty God. This can be a comforting thought for every Christian.

Anyone afraid of Jesus has not yet discerned that he is inherently good. Ultimate power needs to be seen in the light of ultimate good. Otherwise, a person will walk around much like the demoniac, oppressed in their soul.

Instead, deliverance from the evil which vexes us is possible. For nothing is impossible with God. Whenever and wherever the healed person becomes a healer to others, then we know that the kingdom of heaven is among us.

Hear our prayers, God of power and might. Through the ministry of your Son, free us from the grip of the tomb, so that we may desire you as the fullness of life, and proclaim your saving deeds to all the world in the strength of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Consider Carefully How You Listen (Luke 8:16-21)

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year CLeave a comment

“No one lights a lamp and hides it in a clay jar or puts it under a bed. Instead, they put it on a stand, so that those who come in can see the light. For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be known or brought out into the open. Therefore consider carefully how you listen. Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what they think they have will be taken from them.”

Now Jesus’ mother and brothers came to see him, but they were not able to get near him because of the crowd. Someone told him, “Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to see you.”

He replied, “My mother and brothers are those who hear God’s word and put it into practice.” (New International Version)

In this chapter of Luke’s Gospel, Jesus had just finished offering his parable of the sower. Central to that parable is the message of true hearing. To really hear the word of God is to believe it, and put it into practice.

The verses for today are arranged by the Evangelist Luke to emphasize this very important need for listening well, and integrating the Word of God into every facet of our daily lives.

Listening and the Light

Christ communicated to his disciples that persons with a noble and good heart are the ones who truly hear the Word of God, retain it, and persevere in following through and doing what they have heard. This is how one produces a spiritual harvest of righteousness and peace.

The good listeners who receive the Word are the ones who have the Light of the World in their daily life. They allow their own little light within them to be seen. The Light is meant to bring illumination for others.

Jesus exhorts his disciples to share the light of revelation given to them – because the world needs to continually hear and see that God’s benevolent and gracious kingdom is breaking into their communities and neighborhoods, into their institutions and their families.

For the sake of the church’s life, individual believers, and even the life of the world, it is imperative that we continually hear that God’s victorious reign of justice, goodness, and righteousness is truly and presently entering this realm we inhabit.

Therefore, it is quite needful that we learn to listen well. To hear the Word of God, respond obediently to it, and then openly proclaim what we have heard and seen, is how the mighty works of God are spread across the world.

Throughout the history of Christianity, whenever the church devoted themselves to hearing the Word, it resulted in doing things which bring light to the world. Here are just a few examples of how believers have let their light shine into the darkest times of history:

  • Taking-in and adopting unwanted children who would otherwise be victims of infanticide, even though the believers own resources were limited
  • Moving toward the sick and dying and ministering to them during periods of plague and disease, while the rest moved away in order to avoid becoming sick themselves
  • Caring for prisoners who had no family to provide them with necessary food and clothing, as if those persons were their own kin
  • Giving benevolence and kindness to the poor – especially to immigrants, widows, and orphans

Listening and the Family

Jesus states that those who hear and do the Word of God are his family – a new family oriented around the spiritual, and not just biological bloodlines.

Many people today are uprooted from one’s family of origin. And there are a great many older persons who either live alone as widows or widowers, or are not geographically (nor relationally) close to their own biological children and/or grandchildren.

For a host of reasons, millions of persons around the world are estranged from family members.

Sometimes, religious beliefs and spiritual commitments lie at the heart of family estrangement. This is one significant reason why the church is important; it serves as the community of the redeemed, a group of people with like-minded values who support one another, much like a family is supposed to do.

One of the many metaphors of the church in the New Testament is of “the family of God.”

Now about your love for one another we do not need to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love each other. And in fact, you do love all of God’s family…. Yet we urge you, brothers and sisters, to do so more and more…

1 Thessalonians 4:9-10, NIV

The church is made up of a conglomeration of families who are meant to strengthen one another in faith, and are present with each other in times of change and loss.

We must continually keep in mind (and heart) that the church is not designed to be a mere collection of individuals or families; but rather to be a new family, brought together by the providence of God; to be a community of redeemed persons, living and loving Jesus together through supporting each other’s faith, and practicing love one to another.

The church is indeed the family of God.

And within any family – whether spiritual or biological – listening must be at the heart of relational dynamics with each other as members. Without truly hearing what each person is saying, as well as what the Word of God is saying to us collectively, it is difficult to experience unity, harmony, and love.

We listen, and then we act on what we hear – for the benefit of the family – both biological and spiritual. So, consider carefully how you listen and hear.

Generous and loving God, I come to you in thanksgiving, knowing that all I am and all that I have is a gift from you.

In faith and love, help me to do your good and benevolent will. Speak Lord, for I am listening. Let me hear your words in the depth of my soul, and let me hear them clearly.

I offer to you today every aspect of my life – no matter what is, or where I am. I seek to be patient, merciful, generous, and holy in all I say and do. Give me wisdom and insight to understand your will, and the energy to carry out my good intentions.

I offer to you my time, abilities, possessions – and even the lack thereof of them – to you as a true act of faith, to reflect my love for you and for my neighbor. Help me to reach out to others as you have reached out to me; through Jesus Christ my Lord, in the strength of the Holy Spirit.

Amen.