Tag: jesus

Luke 4:16-30

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year BLeave a comment
            Jesus was the hometown boy of Nazareth, the rising star who was putting the small village on the map.  He walked into the synagogue on the Sabbath with the people all watching with pride, their chests puffed with delight over one of their own making it to the big time.  It just so happened that on that day the Old Testament reading was from the prophet Isaiah – a prophecy of grace and healing that fit the budding ministry of Jesus.  Here was the hope of Israel.  It was all bunnies and butterflies, until Jesus decided to say a few words to them all….
 
             Jesus took the prophecy of Isaiah about proclaiming liberty to captives and the oppressed and applied it not to his fellow Jews who were present, but to, of all people, Gentiles!  Jesus just had to open his mouth and point out that in the days of Elijah, the prophet was sent to a Gentile woman instead of Jews.  What is more, Jesus let everyone know that the prophet Elisha cleansed a Gentile.  The gathered synagogue worshipers understood exactly what Jesus was doing.  He was claiming to be the ultimate prophet, sent for those other people.  It was too much for them.  All hell broke loose as the ‘worshipers’ became so angry and insolent that they drove him out of town and tried to kill him.  Jesus had that kind of effect on many of his fellow Jews. 
 
            The people of Nazareth had always interpreted the message of Isaiah and the prophets as being for themselves, not others.  This is a probing story for today’s Christian church.  Whenever we lose sight of the Bible’s message and re-interpret it as being for only us, then we end up like the Nazarenes of old who did not recognize Jesus for who he really is and what he really came to do.  The burning question for individual Christians and the corporate church is this:  Are you ready to throw Jesus off a cliff?
 
            Take some time alone with God today and think about whether you have made Jesus into the image of what you want him to be, or whether you accept him as he is.  One clue to this is if you think some person or people group (hint: what do you really think of LGBTQ’s and Starbucks?) should not have Jesus – he belongs to people like you.  Perhaps today some soul-searching repentance is in order so that you will be a true worshiper of Jesus, and not just a fan of him.
 

 

            Gracious Lord Jesus, you are the Savior of the nations and not just of people who look, act, and believe just like me.  Open my eyes to see others as you see them so that I can worship you in spirit and in truth.  Amen.

Romans 5:6-11

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year BLeave a comment
            Biblical Christian love is more than a feeling; it is an active gracious meeting of a need in another simply for no other reason than that the person requires it.  This means that God’s love is not dependent upon any person’s striving toward him.  Rather, God’s love is based solely upon his free choice to show mercy to whomever he wants to show mercy.  It is an astounding phrase that we have here in Holy Scripture:  “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”  God doesn’t wait until we look good enough, act good enough, or make a good enough effort toward good until he steps in and acts.  No, when we are at our worst; when we have no thought toward looking to God for answers; when we are going along our merry way with no intention of being a Christian; then, God shows his love for us by doing the improbable and the impossible:  he saves, justifies, and reconciles us to himself.
 
            This is some really robust truth that needs to sink deep down into our spiritual bones.  We do not save ourselves – God does.  We do not have a leg to stand on in making ourselves righteous – God does that.  We do not gin-up faith and love from within ourselves – God gives it to us.  In other words, all of Christianity is a precious and wonderful gift to us from the very heart of God, who delights in showing grace to the ungracious.
 
            So, then, the appropriate response to all this is to rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ!  Rather than grumping our way through most days like a believer baptized in pickle juice, we can contemplate the mercies of God, which are new every morning.  We can take some time each day to stop and think about the great love of God in Christ that saved a wretch like me.  And, we can live our lives being gracious and loving even toward those who disagree with us or are different from us, because that is exactly what God did for us.
 

 

            Gracious God, your love is unfathomable and beyond description.  Even a glimpse of your mercy is enough to change my life forever.  Let your enduring love be with me always so that I might show that same love toward others, just as Jesus did.  Amen.

John 13:31-35

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year BLeave a comment
            To love one another, as Jesus defines love, is the distinctive feature of Christianity.  It is not reproducible by the world.  Jesus said that this love is “new.”  Although love is displayed and commanded throughout the Old Testament, the New Testament love that Jesus spoke of is distinctive in several ways.  In Christ, we have a new model of love.  Jesus showed a servant-love that went well beyond non-retaliation toward others to actually serving enemies.  Furthermore, Christian love has a new motive of loving because we have been loved by Jesus, demonstrated through the cross.  We also have a new motivator, the Holy Spirit, who teaches us and energizes for a new mission:  world evangelization.
 
            Since Jesus let us know that our mission hinges on the ability to love with Christ’s own love, we must grasp the reality that love is not optional, but absolutely vital.  The way in which we treat one another in the Body of Christ is fundamental to mission.  The medieval mystic, St. John of the Cross, said that “mission is putting love where love is not.”  Love is entering into another person’s life with service and meeting needs in a manner that emulates the character of Christ.
 
            Therefore, Christianity is not about “me.”  It is about others.  The church is the one institution on earth that doesn’t exist to promote itself, but to bless the world.  Whatever we must do in order to love people to Jesus is what we need to do, period.  Take some time today and meditate on these words of Jesus from the Gospel of John, and see what the Holy Spirit works inside you.  Then, share it with another and seek to do it with all the love that God gives you.
 

 

            Loving God, you demonstrated your great love by sending your Son on my behalf.  Help me to live and love like Jesus in all I say and do so that Christ’s Church is built up in the faith, and the world is blessed.  Amen.

Matthew 20:29-34

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year BLeave a comment
            God is into asking questions.  He asks questions all throughout Scripture.  For example, early on in Genesis when Adam and Eve fell into disobedience God showed up and asked, “Where are you?”  Here is a very simple observation:  God already knew the answer to his own question.  He doesn’t ask questions because he needs information, but asks questions for our benefit.  God wanted Adam to come forward and admit where he was – living in disobedience.
 
            Today’s New Testament lesson is just plain good stuff.  Jesus is walking along with a big crowd following him, and he passes by two blind men.  They cried out to Jesus to have mercy on them.  The crowd, like some uptight parishioner in a church worship service, shushes the men for being too loud.  But the men will have none of it.  They shout even louder to Jesus.  It’s a beautiful thing.  Then Jesus asks a question: “What do you want me to do for you?”  It doesn’t take God to know what the men wanted.  Everybody knew what the men were after.  But Jesus asks the question to the men anyway.  Here’s the deal:  God wants us to admit where we are and what we want him to do for us.  The act of using our words to admit and confess our situation is important to God.
 
            Only after the men tell Jesus they want their eyes opened did Jesus do for them what they wanted.  So, what do you want Jesus to do for you?  God is looking for you and I to do more than ask for a generic blessing; he wants us to tell him exactly what we want from him – to admit our need and the place we are at in life.  Only when we humble ourselves before God in such a way can we really expect him to do the miraculous.
 

 

            Mighty God, let my eyes be opened so that I can see the wonders of your Holy Word.  Teach me your ways so that I can see to follow Jesus in everything.  Amen.