Seeking the Light

Luke 9: 10 – 17 Jesus feeds the five thousand

Luke 9: 10 – 17 Jesus feeds the five thousand

When the apostles returned, they reported to Jesus what they had done. Then he took them with him and they withdrew by themselves to a town called Bethsaida, but the crowds learned about it and followed him. He welcomed them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who needed healing.

Late in the afternoon the Twelve came to him and said, ‘Send the crowd away so they can go to the surrounding villages and countryside and find food and lodging, because we are in a remote place here.’

He replied, ‘You give them something to eat.’

They answered, ‘We have only five loaves of bread and two fish – unless we go and buy food for all this crowd.’ (About five thousand men were there.)

But he said to his disciples, ‘make them sit down in groups of about fifty each.’ The disciples did so, and everyone sat down. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke them. Then he gave them to the disciples to distribute to the people. They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over.

* * *

The Twelve apostles have just returned from their first independent missions, and they report about them to Jesus. They have clearly gained confidence.

It’s late afternoon. Jesus is preaching to a large crowd, and healing the sick when the disciples realise that they have a problem. They’re in a lonely place, and five thousand people are soon going to be hungry. The Twelve take the initiative and raise the matter with Jesus; they tell him what to do. ‘Send the crowd away so they can go to the surrounding villages and countryside and find food and lodging, because we are in a remote place here,’ they say.

They have plainly learned about some of the practical aspects of ministry during their travels!

However, despite the radical reliance on God’s provision that Jesus insisted for them in their missionary journeys (no staff, no bag, no bread, no money, no extra shirt), they still have to learn how great his provision can be.

Jesus starts the lesson. He replied, ‘You give them something to eat.’

Jesus challenges them, puts them on the spot. ‘How are you going to deal with this problem?’ They were forced to think about the scale of the need Jesus was about to fill.

As you might expect, the Twelve give the mundane answer. They answered, ‘We have only five loaves of bread and two fish – unless we go and buy food for all this crowd.’

There was no way the disciples would have been carrying enough money. And how many households were there locally who might supply food? “Can’t afford it,” and “Can’t be done.” When faced with a challenge of human needs, how often do we say this? Perhaps we should pray for the faith to trust God to provide.

The Twelve point out that all they have are five barley loaves and two fish. One boy’s lunch to feed five thousand grown men? Can’t be done. Except by God.

But he said to his disciples, ‘Make them sit down in groups of about fifty each.’ The disciples did so, and everyone sat down.

Despite their inability to feed the crowd by relying on human resources, the Twelve obey Jesus. Sometimes we don’t know what God will provide or how, we just have to go ahead in obedience.

Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke them.

It’s important that Jesus gave thanks – all the gospels record it. Jesus didn’t ask God to provide more food; he thanked him for the food that he had already supplied and he distributed it.

Jesus knew the will of his Father in this matter; he didn’t need to ask. I sometimes wonder whether we ask too frequently and earnestly for God to provide things. Might it not be better to seek God’s will, since God already knows what we need?

Then he gave them to the disciples to distribute to the people. They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over.

There were far more left-over pieces of bread than in the original meal that the boy had given to Jesus.

* * *

All four of the gospels have an account of this event, and they are all very similar. You can find the other accounts in Matthew 14: 13 – 21, Mark 6: 30 – 44 and John 6: 1 – 13. Each version says that:

Jesus tested his disciples by telling them to feed the crowd (or, in John’s version, asking them how the crowd was to be fed);
all the disciples had was five small loaves and two small fish;
Jesus gave thanks to God before distributing the food;
five thousand men were fed; and
the disciples gathered twelve baskets of scraps afterwards.

Luke 9: 1 – 9 Jesus sends out the Twelve

Luke 9: 1 – 9 Jesus sends out the Twelve

When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal those who were ill. He told them: ‘Take nothing for the journey – no staff, no bag, no bread, no money, no extra shirt. Whatever house you enter, stay there until you leave that town. If people do not welcome you, leave their town and shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.’ So they set and went from village to village, proclaiming the good news and healing people everywhere.

Now Herod the Tetrarch heard about all that was going on. And he was perplexed because some were saying that John had been raised from the dead, others that Elijah had appeared, and still others that one of the prophets of long ago had come back to life. But Herod said, ‘I beheaded John. Who, then, is this I hear such things about?’ And he tried to see him.

* * *

This was a real test of faith for the Twelve. They had to trust God for everything. Food, drink, shelter, endurance, even laundry. They were to take nothing at all on the journey, and, to avoid misunderstandings, Jesus specifically ruled out certain things; ‘Take nothing for the journey – no staff, no bag, no bread, no money, no extra shirt. You could imagine one of them saying to himself, ‘I always have my staff when walking. Jesus can’t mean that!’ But Jesus can mean that, and Jesus says so!

They also have to trust God to work miracles through them. If a healing failed – imagine the ridicule; imagine the disappointment. The Twelve must have seen Jesus heal so many people, so consistently, that they had the necessary confidence. But, actually, not every healing that the disciples attempted was successful. Later in his ministry, just after the Transfiguration, we read, “I begged your disciples to drive it out, but they could not.’ (Luke 9:40)

What should we learn for our own walk of faith in the present?

While we all have to trust God for what we need, some people are called to a more radical level of trust, either permanently or for a specific mission. We should be aware that such people exist. We need to be eager to support them for Jesus’ sake. We need to be aware that we ourselves might be called to live with such dependence on God.

Also, if Jesus calls us to carry out a specific task, he will tell us very specifically about any constraints (no staff, no extra shirt…).

I have experienced such instructions myself, for this blog. Jesus has given me two very specific instructions. Firstly, it is to take priority over my other writing – i.e. I must make it my first task of the day, and continue until it’s done. Secondly, I must simply post it; I must not use the usual strategies of commenting on and following other people’s blogs to build readership. He’s also told me why. The first is because if he has first claim on my time and energy and talents, he can bless me by enabling me to feel him close. The second is so that he can define who he guides to my blog.

Prayer

Heavenly Father

Thank you for the world you have created; thank you for Jesus, and the salvation he brings; thank you for your Holy Spirit to lead us into truth.

In Jesus name, Amen

Luke 8: 40 – 56 Jesus raises a dead girl and heals a sick woman

Luke 8: 40 – 56 Jesus raises a dead girl and heals a sick woman

Now when Jesus returned, a crowd welcomed him, for they were all expecting him. Then a man named Jairus, a synagogue leader, came and fell at Jesus’ feet, pleading with him to come to his house because his only daughter, a girl of about twelve, was dying.

As Jesus was on his way, the crowds almost crushed him. And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years, but no one could heal her. She came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped.

‘Who touched me?’ Jesus asked.

When they all denied it, Peter said, ‘Master, the people are crowding and pressing against you.’

But Jesus said, ‘Someone touched me; I know that power has gone out from me.’

Then the woman, seeing she could not go unnoticed, came trembling and fell at his feet. In the presence of all the people, she told why she had touched him and how she had been instantly healed. Then he said to her, ‘Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace.’

While Jesus was still speaking, someone came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue leader. ‘Your daughter is dead,’ he said. ‘Don’t bother the teacher anymore.’

Hearing this, Jesus said to Jairus, ‘Don’t be afraid; just believe and she will be healed.’

When he arrived at the house of Jairus, he did not let anyone go in with him except Peter, John and James, and the child’s father and mother. Meanwhile, all the people were wailing and mourning for her. ‘Stop wailing,’ Jesus said. ‘She is not dead but asleep.’

They laughed at him, knowing that she was dead. But he took her by the hand and said, ‘My child, get up!’ Her spirit returned, and at once she stood up. Then Jesus told them to give her something to eat. Her parents were astonished, but he ordered them not to tell anyone what had happened.

* * *

Wow! What a rich passage!

Jairus, a synagogue leader begs Jesus to come and heal his daughter who is dying. Jesus, full of compassion, sets off to Jairus’ house. The crowd around him is so dense, and so eager for his presence, that he and the disciples risk being crushed.

On their way, they pass a woman with a persistent issue of blood. There were very serious consequences to her condition. The clinical side would have been bad enough, with the woman suffering pain and anaemia. The social consequences were maybe even worse. She was always ritually unclean, which would have cut her off from all worship activities and many social ones too. Leviticus 15: 25 – 30 describes the restrictions her condition laid upon her.

Mark 5: 26 tells us that she had spent all her money on medical treatment, which had been worse than useless. She was desperate. Jesus was her last chance. She wriggled and squirmed her way through the crowd until she was close. Should she ask Jesus to heal her? If he touched her, he would be ritually unclean. Surely he wouldn’t want that! Perhaps if she just could just touch the edge of his cloak? At any moment one of her neighbours might see her and denounce her as unclean. She stretched out her hand and touched the cloak.

She knew immediately that she had been healed. What went through her mind at that moment, I wonder? A great sense of freedom, I should imagine, but what else? She had taken something from Jesus without asking. She had stolen her healing. She had stolen from the Son of God.

Jesus doesn’t let her off the hook; or perhaps I should say, Jesus wants to absolve her of the guilt of her action.

‘Who touched me?’ he asks.

There are two people in the crowd who knew what had happened; Jesus, and the woman. The disciples are incredulous. People are packed around them, and yet Jesus is saying ‘Who touched me?’ Jesus has to explain further.He says, ‘Someone touched me; I know that power has gone out from me.’

The woman comes to him, trembling, and throws herself at his feet. ‘What will happen to me?’ she must have thought. In front of the crowd she has to confess what she has done. And Jesus says, ‘Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace.’

There is no criticism, no admonition to ask before taking something, just the loving confirmation of her healing. What wonderful grace, undeserved and without reservation!

While all this is going on, a messenger comes from Jairus and tells them not to bother the teacher any further. Jairus’ daughter is dead. Jesus, though, knows that God intends to heal the child, and he tells the parents not to be afraid, but to believe and she will be healed. When he tells the crowd to stop wailing because the girl is not dead but asleep, they mock him.

When they arrive at Jairus’ home, Jesus only admits Peter, John and James, and the girl’s mother and father. Then he simply tells the girl to get up – and she does. “Give her something to eat,” says Jesus to the parents. I wonder if that was to give them something practical to do, to bring home the reality of the miracle?

The narrative finishes with a strange instruction by Jesus to the parents “he ordered them not to tell anyone what had happened.”

Jesus was happy for most miracles to be spoken about widely, for example, yesterday we read about the Gerasene demoniac who was told to return home and tell how much God had done for him. Why then should Jesus wish for this miracle to be hidden?

Perhaps the answer is to do with timing. St John says that the chief priests and the Pharisees decided to kill Jesus when they realised how dangerous his surging popularity was. (John 11: 45 – 53) The main factor in the decision was the raising of Lazarus from the dead. It’s possible that a miracle like the raising of Jairus’ daughter from the dead would have had a similar result, only too early for God’s plan.

I have found reading about these two miracles enormously encouraging. They have the ring of truth about them. Thank you, Lord, for sharing these words with me!

Prayer

Heavenly Father

Thank you for the love that you show us through the life and works of Jesus. Help us to expect you to work miracles in our lives, just as you did in Galilee so many years ago.

In Jesus’ name, Amen

Luke 8: 26 – 39 Jesus restores a demon-possessed man

Luke 8: 26 – 39 Jesus restores a demon-possessed man

They sailed to the region of the Gerasenes, which is across the lake from Galilee. When Jesus stepped ashore, he was met by a demon-possessed man from the town. For a long time this man had not worn clothes or lived in a house, but had lived in the tombs. When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell at his feet, shouting at the top of his voice, ‘What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, don’t torture me!’ For Jesus had commanded the impure spirit to come out of the man. Many times it had seized him, and though he was chained hand and foot and kept under guard, he had broken his chains and had been driven by the demon into solitary places.

Jesus asked him, ‘What is your name?’

‘Legion,’ he replied, because many demons had gone into him. And they begged Jesus repeatedly not to order them to go into the Abyss.

A large herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside. The demons begged Jesus to let them go into the pigs, and he gave them permission. When the demons came out of the man, they went into the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned.

When those tending the pigs saw what had happened, they ran off and reported this in the town and countryside, and the people went out to see what had happened. When they came to Jesus, they found the man from whom the demons had gone out, sitting at Jesus’ feet, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid. Those who had seen it told the people how the demon-possessed man had been cured. Then all the people of the region of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave them, because they were overcome with fear. So he got into the boat and left.

The man from whom the demons had gone out begged to go with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying, ‘Return home and tell how much God has done for you.’ So the man went away and told all over the town how much Jesus had done for him.

* * *

This narrative is found in all three of the synoptic gospels. Matthew 8: 28 – 34 and Mark 5: 1 – 20 are the accounts that parallel this version in St Luke’s gospel. Note that the accounts are similar but not identical. The places given are different, and St Matthew has Jesus healing two demoniacs, not just one. That doesn’t make the story untrue. Witnesses seldom give exactly the same account of an incident. (Note, though, that it is quite difficult to account for the differences if we believe that the bible is literally true in every detail).

Let me start with a confession; I’m very uncomfortable with the whole concept of demons.

In first century Palestine the concept of demons was a way of explaining illness, both physical and mental. As a metaphor for the way illness damages and destroys they make a lot of sense. However, nowadays we understand the physical mechanisms by which most illnesses are caused, and by which they harm the sufferer. There are actions we can take to prevent, minimise and heal illness. We no longer need the concept of demons to understand and talk about illness; indeed, such terms would be counter-productive.

I’m not, of course, saying that sin doesn’t exist, because self-evidently it does, however human weakness, greed and aggression seem more than adequate to account for it.

So, I’m viewing this miracle as a healing rather than an exorcism.

The suffering man was out of control. He was naked. He didn’t live in a house, but lived in the tombs. The townsfolk had been moderate in their actions against him; they hadn’t killed him, merely chained him up and guarded him. Given his obvious strength, shown by breaking his chains, he must have been a terrifying individual.

Jesus healed him. He restored him to a state in which he could return to society. When curious townsfolk came to see what had happened, they found the man “sitting at Jesus’ feet, dressed and in his right mind”.

That is an astonishing miracle. The man’s mind wasn’t made perfect, it was made ‘normal’. I ask myself the question “What does normal mean?” And at least one facet of the meaning of normal is right there, in the text.

“The man from whom the demons had gone out begged to go with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying, ‘Return home and tell how much God has done for you.’ So the man went away and told all over the town how much Jesus had done for him.”

Whereas before his healing the man had been terrified by Jesus, now he was able to respond to him with love and obedience.

How absolutely wonderful that this is ‘normal’ for humankind!

Prayer

Heavenly Father,

Thank you that you have created us to love Jesus. Please help me to love him better every day.

In Jesus’ name, Amen

Luke 8: 22 – 25 Jesus calms the storm

Luke 8: 22 – 25 Jesus calms the storm

One day Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Let us go over to the other side of the lake.’ So they got into a boat and set out. As they sailed, he fell asleep. A squall came down on the lake, so that the boat was being swamped, and they were in great danger.

The disciples went and woke him, saying, ‘Master, Master, we’re going to drown!’

He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm. ‘Where is your faith?’ he asked his disciples.

In fear and amazement they asked one another, ‘Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him.’

* * *

The miracle we read about here is also recorded by St Matthew (Matthew 8: 23 – 27) and St Mark (Mark 4: 35 – 31). All three accounts are very similar suggesting they come from the same original source.

Several of the disciples had been fishermen by trade. They knew the Sea of Galilee well. It’s subject to unexpected storms, and the water can become very rough, very quickly. The storm described here must have been unusually fierce, because the disciples feared for their lives. They went to Jesus, who was sound asleep, and woke him up with the words, ‘Master, Master, we’re going to drown!’

I wonder what they expected him to do? They obviously expected him to save them somehow. It shows a little faith – but faith in what? Faith in Jesus as a leader, perhaps, who would organise them so that the boat wasn’t swamped and came safely through the waves. Or faith in the miracle worker who had healed the sick; perhaps he could somehow miraculously stop water from splashing into the boat.

Oh, I wonder so much what they felt as he stood up, and rebuked the wind and the raging waters!

And then it was calm. The way the story is written it sounds as though peace came virtually immediately, within seconds, because, ‘Where is your faith?’ he asked his disciples. The train of thought between rebuking the elements and rebuking his disciples is unbroken.

It was no coincidence that the wind just happened to drop as Jesus spoke. It takes time for raging waters to abate after a storm, and the account here says “the storm subsided, and all was calm.” Jesus had calmed both wind and waves.

Do I believe this, or is it just a story that has been exaggerated with re-telling prior to inclusion in the gospel narrative? I don’t think I’ve ever asked myself that question before, not with any seriousness, anyway.

My faith doesn’t rest on belief in that story; it rests on the resurrection of Jesus, and on his teaching as to how we should live our lives.

But, actually, yes, I believe that story. It teaches me two things. The first is that Jesus, the Son of Man, showed that he has authority to use the awesome power of God the Father. The second is that my understanding of faith is imperfect.

Partly, I think, this is a failure of imagination. Humans are not very good at imagining the unfamiliar; in fact, sometimes we resist it. For example, I know that one day my mortal body will die. Nothing is more certain! And yet, despite knowing that this is true, I don’t have faith in its truth. I eat, exercise, start projects, all things which maintain me for continued bodily existence. My faith is clearly that I’m going to keep on living!

At the same time, I have faith in Jesus, and I have faith that God’s commandments, to love him and to love my neighbour as myself, are true and good. I want to live by them in this world.

I put my trust in God for what is to come afterwards, and he has given me a great sense of peace.

Prayer

Heavenly Father

Through Jesus, you spoke peace into the storm, and the wind and the waves were calmed. Thank you for the peace that you bring into our lives. Please help me to worship Jesus as I should.

In Jesus’ name, Amen

Luke 8: 19 – 21 Jesus’ mother and brothers

Luke 8: 19 – 21 Jesus’ mother and brothers

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.’

* * *

This seems very harsh. Could it be that Jesus is saying that he must concentrate on the business in hand, of preaching to the crowd and teaching his disciples? Could it even be that the disciples mistook a casual comment and turned it into a piece of teaching about the relative importance of faith and family?

I fear not. Jesus has “form” on this issue. Let’s look at Luke 14: 25 – 26

“Large crowds were travelling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: ‘If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters – yes, even their own life – such a person cannot be my disciple. And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple”

And in Matthew 10: 37 – 38. ‘Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me.’

First, let’s remember that Luke’s use of the word ‘hate’ doesn’t mean the same today as it meant to a Jew in the time of Jesus. At that time it was used to express preference. To love the first and hate the second meant only to prefer the first to the second. Both Matthew and Luke are saying the same thing. To be a disciple of Jesus, in any conflict of interests with our human family – whether that’s money, time, effort, emotional engagement, whatever – Jesus has to come first.

That gives me a huge problem, because my best experience of love has been from my wife. She has stood with me at great personal cost through some very difficult times. She has loved me selflessly when I was unlovable; when I pushed others away from me. And she’s not a Christian. I need to honour her love.

But let’s look now in St Matthew’s gospel at the parallel to today’s passage from Luke.

While Jesus was still talking to the crowd, his mother and brothers stood outside, wanting to speak to him. Someone told him, ‘Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to you.’

He replied to him, ‘Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?’ Pointing to his disciples, he said, ‘Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.’ (Matthew 12: 46 – 50)

I don’t find this so hard to accept; in fact, I don’t find it hard at all (at least in theory!). Those who do the will of the Father have a claim on me that is similar to that of a family member. I might even widen it further, and say that any man has a claim on me that is similar to that of a family member, if I am taking seriously Jesus’ command to love my neighbour as myself.

Let’s look at Matthew 10: 40 – 42.

‘Anyone who welcomes you welcomes me, and anyone who welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. Whoever welcomes a prophet as a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and whoever welcomes a righteous person as a righteous person will receive a righteous person’s reward. And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones who is my disciple, truly I tell you, that person will certainly not lose their reward.’

This passage is almost immediately after the statement, ‘Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me.’ It feels much more generous but it is the same Jesus who is speaking, and it is in the same context. Jesus seems to be saying that those who welcome people in his name are sure of a reward. This makes sense, because in welcoming the person in Jesus’ name they are showing in a practical way that they are motivated by faith in Jesus.

‘Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me,’ is true; but who among us is worthy of Jesus? None of us are. The love of Jesus is a pure, unmerited gift.

‘Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me,’ is, I think, both a calling and an encouragement. It is a calling to be the very best that we can be; to aspire to be ready to lay down our life for Jesus. It is an encouragement, because every single one of us will meet situations in life that challenge our faith; we can be comforted that Jesus has experienced the worst that anyone can suffer and triumphed despite it.

Jesus wants the best for me, and also for my wife. I trust him to lead us as a couple, despite my wife’s unbelief. And if ever there’s a clash as to who’s first, I shall try and put you first, Lord; I shall try.

Prayer

Heavenly Father

Help me to put Jesus first in all areas of my life. I place myself in your hands, confident that you love me.

In Jesus’ name, Amen

Luke 8: 16 – 18 A lamp on a stand

Luke 8: 16 – 18 A lamp on a stand

‘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.’

* * *

As with all parables, this brief piece of teaching can be understood in more than one way. The first time I read it this morning, it said this to me.

You must allow the light of Jesus’ teaching to illuminate your inner spiritual life. Have a good look round. See what needs cleaning.

Are you hiding sin in your heart? Be warned that it’s not going to stay hidden – everything will be disclosed; everything will be brought out into the open. The light will enable you to see it and deal with it.

When you allow the light to illuminate your inner life and take action to change the things that the light shows up as needing change, then you will become more receptive to further teaching.

Then I read a few commentaries, and found that every one of them understood the light from the lamp to be the truth of Jesus shining out from the believer. That makes sense to me, especially in the light of the words “so that those who come in can see the light.”

By this understanding, we take the Christian as the lamp and God as the person lighting the lamp. As Christians we are called to show our faith to others; we should be open about what Jesus has done for us. We shouldn’t hide the light under a clay jar (which could represent food and drink, as this is what the jar would have probably held) or under the bed (which could represent idleness). By this understanding, verse 18 becomes a short version of the parable of the talents, telling us that if we allow the light of Jesus to shine in our lives then we will experience more of it. On the other hand, if we don’t let it shine, stifling or concealing it, then we will lose even the little light we have.

There’s no need to choose between the two different interpretations; both have things to teach us about how we should live. One is looking inwardly, the other outwardly. In fact, of course, we need to do both. Our inner spiritual life is important; we need to let the teaching of Jesus illuminate it. If we don’t, we will have little to offer other people. And our outreach to others is also important. If we aren’t showing Jesus to our neighbours, by our actions certainly, and often by our words, then our spiritual life will wither and die.

Prayer

Heavenly Father

This teaching seems very uncompromising to me, and hard to do. If my understanding of what you want is wrong, please correct me. If it is my attitude that is wrong, please help me to change.

In Jesus’ name, Amen

Luke 8: 1 – 15 The parable of the sower

Luke 8: 1 – 15 The parable of the sower

After this, Jesus travelled about from one town and village to another, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. The twelve were with him, and also some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases: Mary (called Magdalene) from whom seven demons had come out; Joanna, the wife of Chuza, the manager of Herod’s household; Susanna; and many others. These women were helping to support them out of their own means. While a large crowd was gathering and people were coming to Jesus from town after town, he told this parable: ‘A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds ate it up. Some fell on rocky ground, and when it came up, the plants withered because they had no moisture. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was sown.’

When he said this, he called out, ‘Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.’

His disciples asked him what this parable meant. He said, ‘The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to others I speak in parables, so that,

‘”though seeing, they may not see; though hearing, they may not understand.”

‘This is the meaning of the parable: the seed is the word of God. Those along the path are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. Those on the rocky ground are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away. The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life’s worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature. But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.’

* * *

The parable of the sower describes what happens to good seed when it is sown into a typical plot of land in first century Judea. It’s not immediately obvious what the story means, and the disciples asked Jesus to explain it. He did so, and he also explained why the story wasn’t immediately comprehensible. It was so that ”though seeing, they may not see; though hearing, they may not understand.”

This is a quotation from Isaiah. He said, ‘Go and tell this people: “Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving.” Make the heart of this people calloused: make their ears dull and close their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.’ (Isaiah 6: 9 – 10). These verses must be read in the context of Isaiah chapter 5, which describes how the people of Judah have become greedy, unjust and dissolute. Worst of all, verse 12 says “but they have no regard for the deeds of the Lord, no respect for the work of his hands.”

In Isaiah 6: 9, the prophet is satirising the people of Judah, in effect saying, “Go ahead then. Keep on living the way you are. Don’t look at the political situation which says you’ll be conquered. Don’t bother listening to me. You’ll all be killed, of course, and your houses torn down, but don’t let a little thing like that worry you.”

In other words, the prophet wasn’t describing what God wants for his chosen people, he was describing the inevitable consequences of their sinful behaviour. And perhaps it’s the same here – and now. Many of those who hear the words of Jesus have calloused hearts. What they hear, or read, doesn’t evoke the desire to know more about him, and about God. They “have no regard for the deeds of the Lord, no respect for the work of his hands.”

Jesus doesn’t want people to be condemned; his whole ministry is about forgiveness and life. But it seems here as though he’s pointing out the inevitable consequences of rejecting his teaching.

Once Jesus has told the disciples what the parable means, it all makes sense.

Or does it?

Why does Jesus tell the parable at all? The ground on which each seed falls is fixed.

Or is it?

The only reason I can see for Jesus telling the parable at all, is that we have some choice in how we respond to his teaching. The parable makes us aware of opportunities to do better.

Can I do anything about my hard heart? Can I do anything about the fact that my spiritual hunger is meagre? Can I do anything about my greed for worldly things? With God’s help I can. The parable gives me a spiritual checklist. I can confess my sins in these areas and pray to improve. I can’t do it on my own, that’s perfectly true, but with the help of the Holy Spirit it’s possible.

And we can, perhaps, help others. If people are going to hear and understand when we speak to them of Jesus, we probably need to do some spadework first. We must show love, to help soften a hard heart. We have to pray and trust in the Holy Spirit so that we can communicate the satisfaction of a life lived with spiritual values. We have to make sure that we are giving generously to those in need so that we have the right attitude towards possessions.

And, of course, to win a harvest the seed has to be sown, which means both studying the scriptures prayerfully, and telling people about Jesus, which is what this blog is all about.

Prayer

Heavenly Father

Thank you for calling me to study your word. Thank you for your guidance. Please help me to be a better follower of Jesus, in whose name I pray.

Amen

Luke 7: 36 – 50 Jesus anointed by a sinful woman

Luke 7: 36 – 50 Jesus anointed by a sinful woman

When one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, he went to the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. A woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume. As she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them.

When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, ‘If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is – that she is a sinner.’

Jesus answered him, ‘Simon, I have something to tell you.’

‘Tell me, teacher,’ he said.

‘Two people owed money to a certain money-lender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he forgave the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?’

Simon replied, ‘I suppose the one who had the bigger debt forgiven.’

‘You have judged correctly,’ Jesus said.

Then he turned towards the woman and said to Simon, ‘Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven – as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.’

Then Jesus said to her, ‘Your sins are forgiven.’

The other guests began to say among themselves, ‘Who is this who even forgives sins?’

Jesus said to the woman, ‘Your faith has saved you; go in peace.’

* * *

Simon the Pharisee had a good impulse; he invited Jesus to dine with him and his friends. Perhaps he felt an attraction to Jesus’ teaching; perhaps he was just professionally curious; perhaps he wanted the chance to put probing questions to Jesus in an environment where Jesus couldn’t call on the support of a crowd. Whatever his motivation, Simon was doing the right thing in wanting to hear Jesus’ teaching for himself.

Jesus accepted the invitation, arrived, and was treated with the barest minimum of civility.

He reclined at the table, and a woman who was known in the town to live a sinful life came and stood behind him. So great was her emotion that she wept copiously, until the tears ran over Jesus’ feet. She wiped them away with her hair and she kissed his feet repeatedly.

Simon was immediately suspicious of Jesus. If he really were a prophet, surely he would know that this woman was a sinner without being told? Simon passed judgment on Jesus.

Jesus doesn’t contradict Simon’s muttered comments; he offers him some teaching. Teaching was what Simon wanted, I think, and he makes an appropriate response. ‘Tell me, teacher’, he says.

So Jesus tells him a parable about two men who were heavily in debt. One denarius was the usual daily wage of a day labourer. If the characters in the story were day labourers, then the one who owed fifty denarii might just have been able to pay it off over the course of a year. It would be hard, and he would have to often go without food. The one who owed five hundred had no chance at all; probably even the interest payment would be more than he could afford to pay; he was in a desperate state.

When Simon answered ‘I suppose the one who had the bigger debt forgiven’, we can understand why. The man who was desperate was suddenly free. He knew that his whole life had been given back to him.

Jesus then directly contrasts the behaviour of the sinful woman, and Simon. Simon had shown Jesus minimal courtesy; the woman had shown great love and gratitude. Jesus tells Simon, “Look at her love for me. Look at her gratitude. She shows that because her many sins have been forgiven.” He stops just short of telling Simon that his sins have not been forgiven, but he hints strongly at it.

Then Jesus said to her, ‘Your sins are forgiven.’

No ifs. No buts. No admonition that she must not sin again. Just forgiveness.

The other guests began to say among themselves, ‘Who is this who even forgives sins?’

There must have been consternation among the guests. How many of them, I wonder, judged Jesus guilty of blasphemy?

I wonder what Simon felt. To be so close to such an authentic and dramatic demonstration of Jesus’ power to forgive sins must have been astonishing. I wonder if Simon’s whole world was turned upside-down in that moment.

Jesus said to the woman, ‘Your faith has saved you; go in peace.’

Prayer

Dear Lord

You taught Simon the need for true repentance. You teach us that the love we feel for you depends upon recognising how much we owe you and how freely you have paid our debt. Thank you, Lord Jesus.

Amen

Luke 7: 18 – 35 Jesus and John the Baptist

Luke 7: 18 – 35 Jesus and John the Baptist

John’s disciples told him all about these things. Calling two of them, he sent them to the Lord to ask, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?’

When the men came to Jesus, they said, ‘ John the Baptist sent us to you to ask, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?’

At that very time Jesus cured many who had diseases, illnesses and evil spirits, and gave sight to many who were blind. So he replied to the messengers, ‘Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor. Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me.’

After John’s messengers left, Jesus began to speak to the crowd about John: ‘What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed swayed by the wind? If not, what did you go out to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? No, those who wear expensive clothes and indulge in luxury are in palaces. But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is the one about whom it is written:

“I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.”

I tell you, among those born of women there is no-one greater than John; yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.’

(All the people, even the tax collectors, when they heard Jesus’ words, acknowledged that God’s way was right, because they had been baptised by John. But the Pharisees and the experts in the law rejected God’s purposes for themselves, because they had not been baptised by John.)

Jesus went on to say, ‘To what, then, can I compare the people of this generation? What are they like? They are like children sitting in the market-place and calling out to each other:

“We played the pipe for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not cry.”

For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, “ He has a demon.” The Son of Man came, eating and drinking, and you say, “Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.” But wisdom is proved right by all her children.’

* * *

This is a very uncompromising passage!

It starts by referring us back to the context of this event: John’s disciples told him all about these things. ‘These things’ were the healing at a distance of the centurion’s servant and the raising from the dead of the widow’s son. These were big miracles, and yet John the Baptist asks, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?’

Why would he ask this? What was John’s situation at the time?

John had told Herod he was sinning by taking his brother’s wife and Herod had thrown him into gaol (Luke 3: 19 – 20). The Old Testament prophesies that the Messiah will release captives. John’s thought process may have been something like, “The Messiah will release captives. I am a captive because I have upheld the Law of Moses. Why has Jesus not released me?”

John, despite his prophetic gifts, despite having recognised Jesus since he was in the womb (Luke 1: 41), despite having witnessed the anointing of the Holy Spirit on Jesus at his baptism (Luke 3: 21 – 22), John has doubts.

At that very time Jesus cured many who had diseases, illnesses and evil spirits, and gave sight to many who were blind.

This sentence shows that John’s disciples asked the question at a public gathering. There were crowds of people listening. The question is a challenge to Jesus to declare openly that he’s the Messiah. It could be taken as an attempt to force Jesus’ hand. He can either openly declares himself as the Messiah, or he can tell his followers that he is not the Messiah and they have to wait for someone else.

Why would John the Baptist do that? I can only imagine that he had a fixed idea of what the Messiah should be like and how he should act, and Jesus was not conforming to it. It’s so easy to do that! We all have our own idea of what God is like, and when we come across a passage of scripture that challenges our idea, we’re tempted to overlook it. We shouldn’t!

I’m being rather harsh on John here, because he was, after all, the prophet sent to proclaim the Messiah, and to prepare the people to receive him. The question of the Messiah’s identity must have been the central question of John’s life.

How does Jesus deal with John’s challenge?

Firstly, he makes John’s disciples his witnesses.

‘Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard’.

John can be sure that these men have witnessed the signs that Jesus is performing.

‘The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor. Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me.’

These signs are prophesied by Isaiah as those that will attest to the Messiah. “In that day the deaf will hear the words of the scroll, and out of gloom and darkness the eyes of the blind will see. Once more the humble will rejoice in the Lord; the needy will rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.” (Isaiah 29:18) and “Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. Then will the lame leap like a deer and the mute tongue shout for joy.” (Isaiah 35: 5 – 6)

The words don’t merely answer John’s question; they remind him to constantly look to scripture to judge events. They are a gentle rebuke to him, but they must also have been a source of comfort.

Jesus then speaks about John. Although he has rebuked John, here he speaks strongly in his favour, saying: “among those born of women there is no-one greater than John”. And then Jesus adds something strange, and wonderful, and challenging. “…the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.”

This is why I said that this passage is uncompromising. Jesus is saying unequivocally that his followers are greater than any who have ever lived under the Mosaic Law. What a challenge that is! It is only the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives that can cause it to be true.

Prayer

Heavenly Father

Thank you for the redeeming work of Jesus. I repent of my sins, and ask you to fill me more and more with your Holy Spirit.

In Jesus’ name, Amen