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John 8:46-59 - Lectionary for Lent 5

3/26/2020

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3/26/20
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the historic one-year lectionary.

In John 8:46-59, Jesus says some things which threw his Jewish questioners into an uproar. Christians recognize that Jesus’ words here are true and right, that he had every reason to say what he did. Let’s evaluate some of those claims.

First, Jesus says that he is speaking God’s words and that his listeners are apparently not of God. For a little context, we think about verse 46, where Jesus asks how his listeners can convict him of sin, based on his words and deeds. The fact is that they can’t do so. He is telling them the truth and doing things consistent with the truth. Christians seek, though they often fail, to say and do everything in a way that is consistent with God’s Word. Others can convict us of sin, no doubt. But they can’t bring an attack against Jesus which will stand up. If we are honest about God’s Word, we will realize that.

Second, Jesus flatly rejects their claim that he is a Samaritan and that he has a demon. He is seeking God’s glory, not his own. He knows where he is from, and it is not Samaria. He is willing to be justified by God. The Samaritans were normally viewed as substandard in matters of faith. They were descendants of those who had been deported from Israel by the Assyrians and had intermarried with foreign nations before coming back. Their orthodoxy was not trusted, in general. Jesus points out here that he is trustworthy. Christians don’t rely on the way Christianity in general has been managed through history. It is informative, but we don’t consider it normative. Practices are continued because they hold up to biblical scrutiny. They fit in with what Jesus passed down to his apostles and they passed down to us. This is what Christians claim to be pleasing to God.

Jesus claims in this passage to be the one who will take death away from all those who keep his word. His critics observe that Abraham and the prophets died. Jesus is portraying himself as greater than they are. Jesus does agree with his critics in this matter. He is claiming to be greater than Abraham and the prophets. He claims precedence over Abraham, and goes so far as to say, “before Abraham was, I am” (v. 58, ESV). This claim, in popular linguistic usage, could well be tantamount to a claim to be God. The Jews who heard Jesus certainly understood this to be a statement which would be a capital offense. Jesus seemed to be claiming divine authority.

Christians recognize that in the death and resurrection of Christ, as well as his perfect obedience during his life, that Jesus is proven to be exactly who he says he is, exactly who the Jews thought he said he was. He shows himself to be the one who is greater than death itself. He claims to be greater than Abraham. He certainly appears to be the very God of very God.

How do we respond? Like the Jews, do we become angry and reject Jesus? Or do we recognize that he has a valid claim to rule over heaven, earth, and us as well? The Christian recognizes Jesus as the Lord of all. 

If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.

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Hebrews 9:11-15 - Lectionary for Lent 5

3/25/2020

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3/25/20
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the historic one-year lectionary.

There is a new covenant. It is in effect, through Jesus’ perfect life, death, and resurrection. This is the message of Hebrews 9:11-15. It is difficult to mistake. There is a new covenant and it is one which is clearly and specifically of eternal effect (v. 15). 

We are used to thinking in terms which are a little simplistic, that God’s decrees are all essentially the same in all their important elements. By this line of reasoning, we conclude that all God’s decrees are going to be eternal and unchanging. Yet this doesn’t work. It is clear that it doesn’t work that way. God makes a promise to Israel that if they obey His commands He will bless them. They disobey. He chastises them and then blesses them anyway. He establishes David with an eternal kingdom and a throne in Jerusalem. Jerusalem is quite safe for many years. Eventually the Babylonians sack Jerusalem. Christians then argue that Jesus, the promised child of Abraham and of David, takes up his throne at Jerusalem, though it is a cross-shaped throne just outside the city. 

In fact, God’s decrees are not always eternal. But here we are told that the covenant is one that won’t pass away. It secures eternal redemption v. 12). Christ’s offering of himself does free us from the bondage of earthly covenants, ushering in his new covenant. 

What hope can we gain from this idea? Perhaps you haven’t noticed it, but our world has a tendency to fall apart. Yes, I know, often things go along quite well. At other times we are confronted with weakness. There’s sickness, poverty, hunger, and strife all around us. We can and do make some significant strides to reduce the effects of this fallen state, but it keeps on showing us we live in a fallen world. There’s no ending it, at least not by means available to us.

Our passage from Hebrews shows us that salvation is of the Lord, not of our own devices. We don’t look to actions we can do or a covenant we could initiate in order to purify our world. We don’t try to create a clear conscience by our own good deeds. We look to the Lord and His good deeds. He is the one who can purify our consciences so we can stand before God unafraid.

If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.

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Psalm 43 - Lectionary for Lent 5

3/24/2020

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3/24/20
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the historic one-year lectionary.

Psalm 43 calls on God for vindication. Here the Psalmist recognizes that much of the world is opposed to him, and specifically to his stance for God. We see this kind of opposition all the time. In my culture it is not so much the overt kind of opposition which tries to kill people. However, we don’t have to observe the media for very long before we see that Christians are mocked for praying that God would intervene in our world. They are treated as though faith in God cannot be present in a person who is intelligent or thoughtful. There is an assumption that the very people who hold a central creedal tenet that they are dealing with sin and failure should be completely immune from sin.

Vindicate me, Lord. Lead me by your truth and bring me to the altar of God, the very place where sacrifice is made on my behalf. Lead me to the place of forgiveness, even if my culture says I need to work out forgiveness myself. Let me trust in God, so I can be filled with hope and again can praise Him. 

This is the hope of the Christian, which the world cannot understand. What should I do about it? No amount of argument on my part will persuade the rest of the world. I suppose I should simply persist in trusting the Lord, as the Psalmist did.

If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.

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Genesis 22:1-14 - Lectionary for Lent 5

3/23/2020

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3/23/20
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the historic one-year lectionary.

In Genesis 22:8, when Isaac asks where the lamb for the burnt offering is, Abraham gives the answer of faith. God will provide the lamb. This is surely the right answer. God had previously told Abraham he would have a child, and that Isaac would be the child of promise, through whom all the nations of the earth would be blessed. It was God’s express intention that the world would be blessed, including through this incident.

Abraham, not to mention Isaac, had no clear idea how it would work out. But they did know that by God’s mercy it would be all right. Christians can have the same confidence, even in a world full of uncertainty. If the Lord has said he will keep His people, He can do it. This has been demonstrated beyond doubt through the death and resurrection of Jesus, the promised child of Abraham, through whom all nations of the world are blessed. 

In Genesis 22 God provided a ram to take the place of Isaac. In the Gospels, God provided a lamb, the perfect lamb of God, Jesus, to take the place of you and of me. Death could not hold Jesus. Likewise, all those who trust in him can face even death unafraid. God has provided a substitute. 

Our world has plenty of uncertainty. As I write this post, many have been speaking of a viral epidemic which may well be as bad as the flu of 1917-18. Financial markets, fearful of interruptions in manufacturing, shipping, and trade are shaky, to say the least. One country in the world recently inaugurated two different presidents at the same time, sparking what may be an increase in armed conflict throughout its region. There is uncertainty all around. However, from a Christian perspective, there is no room for ultimate fear. God has provided.

If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.

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