Planks and Specks in the Rearview Mirror

Fifty2 Sunday’s ~ Listening for God

    In one week I have listened to two lessons from Luke 6:37-42. Each of the presenters camped out on verse 37: “Do not judge and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.” There is much wisdom contained in this verse and with next verse (Luke 6:38) that reminds us that by the measure we use it will be used toward us. This second verse as found in Matthew 7:2 tells us that it is the measure by which I judge another that I will be judged.  This verse serves as a great reminder that I need to be very cautious when I pass judgement on another.

However Luke 6:41 & 42 calls at me too; “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when you yourself fail to see the plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.”

This passage highlights how it is possible to be oblivious to one’s own shortcomings and yet confident in our assessment of another person’s. How challenging this is - it goes a step beyond judging and treads into the territory of ‘I know what's wrong and how to fix it - we just need to get that speck out of your eye’. Because hindsight is said to be “20/20” - if given the chance I am sure we would each do something different if we could go back in time and do so. I definitely would - especially those things I know I have said or done that hurt another person. 

We will be accountable for every thoughtless word spoken (Matthew 12:36) and in James (1:26) we are warned to keep a “tight rein” on our tongues. Fortunately, each day takes us further down the road from the errs of our past – it’s like watching scenery in the rearview mirror as it grows smaller and more distant. If wisdom comes with age  - then we can be glad to be getting older with every passing day and hopefully our vision is improving too so we can recognize when a plank is in our own eye before we ever notice the speck in someone else's.

Suddenly Surprised

Fifty2 Sundays ~ Listening for God

    Matthew 28:1-10 was the scripture for the resurrection story presented in Sunday’s sermon. Perhaps my favorite verse in that text is verse 28:9 “Suddenly Jesus met them.” This verse encapsulates what most anyone might say the first time they encounter the risen Christ. At least it was so for me.

     I had a belief that there was a God – but Jesus was not part of my belief. I had heard about Jesus of course—but I held him out to be a phony and certainly not relevant to me or my life. And I probably secretly resented those who told me that I needed “to be saved” and “only Jesus could save me” and that there was no other way to God except through Jesus. That all changed when somehow ‘suddenly’ I came to faith. Little did I realize that God had been reeling me in (think fishing reel) over quite a period of time-and so when I moved from unbelief in a risen savior-to faith-it was sudden and I do not pretend to know or understand how it happened except to say it did.

     Jesus spent thirty three years on earth and the last three were his years of ministry. His crucifixion and what led up to it (his arrest, trial, etc.) began on the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread (Mt 26:17) when he instituted the Lord’s Supper. That night Jesus was betrayed (Mt 26:21), then arrested (Mt 26:47-55) and overnight tried before the teachers and elders of the law (Mt 26:517-66). The next morning Jesus stands before Pilate who asks him if he is “King of the Jews” and finding no basis upon which to charge Jesus (Luke 23:4) he sends him to Herod (Lk 23:7). Herod initially takes pleasure in seeing him but because Jesus did not respond to his questioning-he and his soldiers mocked him and sent him back to Pilate (Lk 2311-12). Pilate tried to appease the angry mob by offering to release either Barabbas or Jesus. The crowd chose Barabbas (Lk 23:25). Jesus was then flogged, his clothes divided up and he was crucified all before sunset on a Friday sometime between the 6^th and the 9^th hour (Lk 23:44-46). He is buried in a tomb (Mt 27:60) and a stone rolled across the opening to the tomb and a guard posted to keep it secure (Mt 27:63-66). Saturday was the Sabbath. Sunday morning Mary Magdalene and “the other Mary” went to the tomb (Mt 28:1) and they encounter the angel who rolled back the rock and showed them that the tomb was empty (Mt 28:5-7). The angel tells them to go tell the disciples to meet him in Galilee. The next thing that happens is the women suddenly encounter Jesus.

     All of us know life can change in a second. What is of greatest value or matters the most can become crystal clear in a brief moment-when facing a tragedy – we suddenly get grounded in the critical. Jesus had tried to prepare his disciples for the tragedy of his death upon the cross—they did not get it until they got it-and his resurrection was a surprise. I believe—this is the way God works. We cannot know when or what he will do until he does it and then it will happen suddenly. I imagine we will be surprised when Jesus returns to earth, it is certainly something to look forward to—along with our own resurrection-which will no doubt happen suddenly-as in the "twinkling of an eye" (1 Corinthians 15:52).

Missing the Obvious

Fifty2 Sunday’s ~ Listening for God

          The text for Sunday’s sermon was Mark 9:30-32, a parallel text can be found a chapter earlier in Mark 8:31. The focus of the sermon was the last verse 32: “But they did not understand what he meant and were afraid to ask him about it” (NIV).

‘They’ are the twelve disciples who weren’t prepared to hear that Jesus was going to be betrayed, killed and three days later rise (from the dead). After nearly three years with Jesus; listening to him, watching him, praying with him and being sent out by him to do good works (Matthew 10:1-15) they still didn’t get what he was talking about. It was not the way it was supposed to go. Perhaps Peter’s challenging words to Jesus (Matthew 16:22) embodied their belief that glory was just around the corner? Jesus doused any such thoughts when he rebuked Peter telling him he did not have "… in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns” (Mark 8:33).

I don’t fault the disciples—I think I might have responded much the same- in disbelief and fear. I think this is a common reaction –whether it is intentional or subliminal – there are times when we do not want the reality of a situation to rise to the level of our consciousness. Once it gets there we more or less have to respond to it. Each of us has blind spots-areas where we are not aware or tuned in and can miss something due to any number of legitimate reasons, and sometimes the obvious is not so apparent. As a health care provider I have observed on numerous occasions how some benign health issue causes a person to see their health care provider and in the process a more serious concern is discovered. 

It is not God’s will that we be confused or fearful; in fact the work of the Holy Spirit is to enable us to understand spiritual matters (I Corinthians 2:6-16). Matthew 7:7 reminds us to “ask, seek and knock” in order to find the truth and the answers we seek and if we do so in faith we can have confidence that God will grant wisdom  (James 5:1).

The Healing Oil

Fifty-2 Sunday’s ~ Listening for God

          Sunday’s sermon was the from the book of James, a lesson the preacher titled "What Season is It”. What was described as “seasons” I might have called “conditions”, but the the main point was that the text offered a helpful strategy  for each.

James 5:13-15:

·       “Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray.”

·       “Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise.” –

·       “Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord.  And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up.” 

·       “If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.”

In summation: Pray when in trouble, sing when joyful/happy, seek prayers of others when ill, and confess sin.

          The preacher actually spent a considerable amount of time on James 5:14 & 15 about the anointing with oil. The main points:

·       Historically oil (olive oil) was very much a part of the Mediterranean culture and way of life—as well as Jewish life.

·       James was a Jewish Christian as was the audience he spoke to/taught.

·       It is not a command to anoint the ill with oil—it is a matter of personal choice.

·       There is nothing magical in the oil that anoints—instead it is the power of prayer.

·       There is no promise of immediate or perpetual healing. Spiritual healing happens at our conversion and total healing will occur at the resurrection.

Jesus certainly was familiar with Jewish customs and the twelve he sent out (Mark 6:8-13) reported they had …”anointed many sick people with oil and healed them.” 

Vines Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words provides several uses for oil as mentioned in then New Testament:(http://www.menfak.no/bibelprog/vines?word=%AFt0001973) 

(a) for lamps, in which the "oil" is a symbol of the Holy Spirit, Matt. 25:3,4,8;

(b) as a medicinal agent, for healing, Luke 10:34;

(c) for anointing at feasts, Luke 7:46;

(d) on festive occasions, Heb. 1:9, where the reference is probably to the consecration of kings;

(e) as an accompaniment of miraculous power, Mark 6:13, or of the prayer of faith

I have been fascinated with healing (miraculous healings particularly) since I was approximately eight years old. That was when I discovered a radio station that had a Sunday morning show during which people suffering with some ailment would describe in detail their condition and that was followed by a pronouncement of how they had been healed by Jesus. I was completely engrossed by these stories of these healing. I don’t recall how long I listened to this show or why I stopped, but it certainly left an impression.

Ultimately- God is the healer. He created our bodies with self-healing capabilities, he enabled people through time to discover plants and other elements on earth to assist with healing and today, scientists and medical practitioners are making phenomenal inroads into many diseases that have plagued mankind throughout the ages. I believe the most powerful instrument any of us has at our disposal to help with healing – is faith. Faith is what moves God. Therefore a prayer offered in faith can result in healing-if not in the present temporal world we live in now-certainly in the everlasting kingdom of God. And a little oil with that prayer might help too.