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Mark 14:1-15:47 - Lectionary for Tuesday in Holy Week

3/29/2021

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3/29/21
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.

Our "long Gospel" reading is found in Mark 14:1-15:47, truly a long passage, full of action, from the Last Supper through the burial of Jesus. I'd like to focus today on just one element, that of betrayal. Peter famously tells Jesus that he will by no means deny Jesus. Jesus responds that he will deny Jesus three times before morning.

By my count, Peter denies Jesus no less than eight times in that brief span. He falls asleep rather than praying with Jesus, not once but three times, each one a denial of Jesus' desire to have his disciples praying with him. He retaliates against the guard who approaches to arrest Jesus, another denial of God's gracious will. He flees with the other disciples when the guards assert their ability to arrest Jesus. He comes back later to the high priest's courtyard, where he denies knowing Jesus three times. That's a grand total of eight denials.

Before we are too certain of our ability to remain faithful to Jesus, we should consider the courage of Peter, the apostle who often seemed so brave he might have been bulletproof. Prior to the ascension of Christ and the coming of the Holy Spirit, Peter was exactly the kind of person to confess Jesus and run.

I ask one important question in light of that testimony. Is Jesus the kind of person to cut and run? He is not. Is he the kind of person to deny knowing his people? Not in the least. Is he the kind to fall asleep rather than pray for you? By no means! All right, I admit, that's three questions. But if we can see Peter deny Jesus eight times and realize that Jesus told him he would deny him three times, I can say I am asking one question and proceed to ask three questions.

Even before the resurrection, Jesus minimized Peter's faithlessness. He showed himself, even in the time of his arrest, illegal trial, condemnation, and death, to be the kind of Lord who would restore his disciples.

He's the kind of Lord to restore you and me as well. This is the hope we have. The very same Jesus who gave his life for our sin is willing to forgive, cleanse, and restore us to perfect fellowship with him, even though we are just the kind of people who would deny him. Jesus is the kind of Lord who wants you to live through his perfect life and death on your behalf. He is the God of all restoration.

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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1 Timothy 6:12-14 - Lectionary for Tuesday in Holy Week

3/28/2021

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3/28/21
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.

1 Timothy 6:12-14 exhorts Timothy, and all the rest of us, to "fight the good fight." This passage is often used in a sort of legalistic and moralistic way. We are told to be busy about the things of the Christian life, to involve ourselves in Bible study, church attendance, small groups, witnessing teams, cold call evangelism, wearing of Christian t-shirts and hats to draw attention to the Gospel, and maybe having an assortment of bumper stickers on our cars. 

While those are not necessarily bad things to be engaged in, they are not what Paul is talking about. The good fight of faith is fought by holding to eternal life. It is fought by confessing before others that life is found in Jesus. It is fought as Jesus fought it, by asserting that Jesus is indeed the king of all, and that God's kingdom is the one that matters. And in verse 14 it is fought by living a life of purity as we await Jesus' return.

Paul is talking about the perspective we have, and that we allow others to see. He isn't talking about how many converts we can make, how many activities we can involve ourselves in, or how well we can support the Christian bumper sticker store. Rather, what we do is pour our hopes and dreams into the Gospel. We live with priorities bound up in eternity. We care for our enemies, as Christ cared for us when we were his enemies. We refuse to cling to our riches, as Jesus refused to cling to the riches of heaven. We tell people the truth because it's what they need. We bring hope to the hopeless, help to the helpless, and we do it because God is king of all. Even though it may cost us our life, we give our life freely to Jesus, knowing that it is only through him that we live at all.

Does this mean we end up in church a lot? Actually it does, but that's just a side effect of our priorities. Does it mean that our Bible gets read regularly and starts showing wear and tear after a while? Another side effect. Does it mean that people who know us will know that we are Christians? It certainly does. But they know of our Christian testimony not because of the bumper sticker on our car or the message printed on our t-shirt or baseball cap. They know because we have loved them as Christ loves them. 

We fight the good fight, a fight that brings hope and help to those around us.

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Psalm 54 - Lectionary for Tuesday in Holy Week

3/27/2021

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3/27/21
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.

Who is the judge? God is the judge. In Psalm 54, David was in danger. The ascription describes the setting as the time the Ziphites told Saul that David was hiding among them. For this reason, David had a very reasonable fear that Saul would find him and have him executed.

Rather than trying to lash out against the Ziphites or against Saul, David asks God for vindication. When the people of God (Saul's people) and the people who had rejected God (the Ziphites) rose against him, David chose to call out to God for help. In God's time, the enemies would be stopped.

We make no mistake of it. David boldly prays that God would put an end to his enemies. But at the same time, it is David's prayer that God would do it, not that the Lord would make him able to do it.

American culture has seen uprisings of a sometimes violent revolutionary culture in recent years. Some, claiming the name of Christian, have suggested that God would have them rise up against other groups, and even against the government, trying to overthrow evil itself. There may well be times when God would use his people to enact a change of government. This has happened many times. But God's people are never able to stamp out evil through armed force. This is the domain of God and God alone.

What do we do when we are threatened? We pray. What do we do when we are afraid of our enemies? We pray. Yes, like David, we also may wisely choose to go hide somewhere or even to use armed force to stop those who would try to kill us and our families. But in the main, our action is in prayer. We pray that the Lord would stop evil. He is the only one who ever does this successfuly.

What is David's expectation? In the end of the Psalm he considers God's deliverance to be complete. Is God going to rescue his people? Then let us consider it already accomplished. Let the God of all be who He is, the mighty deliverer of his people.

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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Jeremiah 11:18-20 - Lectionary for Tuesday in Holy Week

3/26/2021

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3/26/21
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 some sense all the Scripture is about Jesus. Yet here in Jeremiah 11 it's partly about him and partly about us. The enemies gather, plotting evil against God and His people. Though Jesus knew all about that, we don't always know. For this reason, in verse 19, we read, "I did no tknow it was against me they devised schemes…" (ESV). 

There's a sort of deadly, deceptive way that those who reject God in Christ would carry on in life. There's a constant suggestion that we make concessions, just little concessions. In recent cultural patterns in my home country, these have included creeping attempts to remove gender roles, then devalue people who recognize more traditional gender roles, then decry as bigoted anybody who thinks gender is some innate part of the created order and not a matter of personal opinion. Likewise, natural marriage with its protections was eroded to have no protections in no-fault divorce, then further eroded as it became a matter based on feeling rather than commitment, then by the move to having feelings of affection toward members of the same sex, and, in some areas, now plural marriage may be gaining acceptance, along with pedophilia and the like.

The plot is against God. It isn't against us. We're simply standing in the way. Jesus stood in the way too. He knew what would happen. It cost him his life. Yet he allowed for the enemy to plot against him, knowing that their plot would ultimately fail. Jesus, the Lord of life, could not be held by death. Jesus, who is able to sustain all things by his grace, cannot be defeated. Though the enemies would rage, their raging comes to nothing.

The confidence in verse 20 is that our cause, committed to Jesus, is going to work out just fine. If our purpose is God's purpose, if our plan is God's plan, and if our trust is in the Lord of all creation, we have nothing to fear. He is able to bring all things to pass according to his good will. He will take vengeance where it is needed.

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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