BIBLE READING: Luke 12

This blog is an excerpt from Sunday’s sermon, “The Rich Fool”

According to the gospel of Luke, the presence, pull and pursuit of things is one of the greatest obstacles to faithfulness and our eternal outcome. He would address it through 5 teaching accounts from Jesus, and two of those were direct interactions with his followers (Luke 12.13-21; 18.18-30). A clear reality emerges in Jesus’ teaching: our attitude towards possessions will impact our faith. Jesus would describe our affections for things as thorns in the soil of our heart that chokes out the word of God (Luke 8.14). So we must recognize that eternal issues are at stake when handling our possessions. Jesus would address this directly in his Parable of the Rich Fool.

The parable is prompted by a man shouting for Jesus to pass judgment on matters of his inheritance (Luke12.13). But Jesus finds this irrelevant to his mission. Instead, Jesus challenges him consider where his treasure lies [Luke 12.34]. “Beware; keep yourself from covetousness, for life does not consist in the abundance of your possessions” (12.15). Jesus does not dismiss this man altogether, but he makes a clear point of condemnation about his behavior towards his stuff. “‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’” (Luke 12.20). God expected this man to handle his stuff differently; and when he didn’t, he is condemned as a fool.

Most of us are not all that different than this man. We are caught between two worlds, and the pressure of the ‘seen’ is significant. But the result of caving to these pressures is only fear and anxiety. The only way to overcome this outcome is with a proper relationship with the things of this world. We must accept that more things won’t make us happier (12.15); more things will bring more stress (12.17); and more things will breed self-sufficiency (12.19). But more importantly, we must acknowledge that God has given to us with expectation that we will see and serve others (1 John 3.17). We must take stewardship seriously recognizing the opportunity God gives us with our possessions.

We must not be deceived about why we have what we have. We don’t deserve every good thing. Many followers of God live with much less than us. It is not because God loves them less. It is because God uses various ways to serve others and draw us to him. So we must learn to be content in every circumstance, trusting God’s faithful provision (Philippians 4.11). That only comes from life experience and is sometimes difficult. But that’s the purpose of God’s grace. He gives us exactly what we need. We don’t need to complain or wish we had more. He gives and takes away to shape us into who we ought to be. So, whether we have or do not we, like Paul, must learn to be confident and content in every circumstance. 

In California, more than 600 lawyer hopefuls were taking the state bar exams in the Pasadena Convention Center when a 50- year-old man taking the test suffered a heart attack. Only two of the 600 test takers, John Leslie and Eunice Morgan, stopped to help the man. They administered CPR until paramedics arrived, then resumed taking the exam. Citing policy, the test supervisor refused to allow the two additional time to make up for the 40 minutes they spent helping the victim. Jerome Braun, the state’s bar senior executive for admissions, backed the decision stating, ‘If these two want to be lawyers, they should learn a lesson about priorities. The truth is that only two people of the 600 had learned that lesson. Perhaps Mr. Braun would have felt differently if he had been suffering from a heart attack.

Life has a way of distracting us from things of true importance. But as followers of Jesus, we must recognize the priority of serving God by serving others. That’s what we learn from the story of the Good Samaritan. Jesus told the story because a lawyer wanted to know how to inherit eternal life (Luke 10.25). But we learn quickly that the lawyer knew what the law said about that: love God with all his heart, soul, and strength, and love his neighbor as himself; but would he do it?

Many people regard the Good Samaritan as a noble story of an extraordinary individual; but this is God’s expectation for everyone who would follow Him. Jesus’ affirmation of the lawyer’s response (Luke 10.27) is more than a declaration of understanding. Loving God means serving others and showing mercy. The inclusion of the priest and Levite emphasizes this point in the story. There is an unspoken expectation that followers of God will lead compassionate, merciful lives. That is why people in need often seek out spiritual counselors. If these characters were common people, we might have excused their behavior… but everyone understands these men SHOULD have stopped to help. 

Jesus’ emphasis on serving as a means of loving God highlights that our call is not about following the right checklist or simply maintaining our personal relationship with the Father; it’s about taking God’s will seriously and meeting people’s needs as we can. 

Many of us are not that different than the lawyer. We are motivated and aware of God’s directives. We don’t have a knowing problem, but perhaps we have a doing problem. Twice Jesus said to the lawyer, “Do this.” Sometimes we become so consumed with our own spiritual journey that we do not see others bloodied and beaten along the way. The parable of the Good Samaritan sets a clear expectation for God’s people: a love for God always translates into love for humanity. And so, “little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth” (1 John 3:18)

BIBLE READING: Luke 1

As Luke begins his narrative, he clearly states the intent of his message: to give  certainty regarding the plan of God through Jesus (Luke 1.4). By this time stories had evolved about Jesus that sounded like fiction or legend (for instance, the Gospel of Thomas). It seems his recipient, Theophilus, may have been exposed to some of this misinformation (Luke 1.3). And so, Luke began by demonstrating his credibility and desire to accurately tell the story of Jesus to his friend. 

We learn that Luke had followed the ministry of Jesus closely for some time (Luke 1.3) and he was aware of what others had written (Luke 1.1).  It is obvious that he took a long and careful look at what he was about to write. As a doctor and historian, Luke was thorough. In fact, he includes lots of fresh material not found in the other gospels. Luke goes to great lengths to explain the roots of this new movement, by detailing the story of its founder and the tie he has to God’s long-promised redemption. He includes facts that were observed and verified by multiple witnesses. As a solid ancient historian, Luke referenced both written and oral accounts, as well as his own experience in his effort to compile this narrative. Luke’s statement of intent coupled with his carefulness and thoroughness makes his gospel a credible source of information for believers. 

Such credibility in a multicultural context is still necessary today. We live in a world that often regards Christianity as one of many ways to God. It is popular to dismiss faith in Jesus as simply one cultural expression of religion. Furthermore, many say the scriptures are filled with fabrication or have been altered to meet the specific interests of one group's agenda. The fact is, the exclusive claims of Jesus fly in the face of a worldview that sees all attempts to reach God as legitimate. 

And so, we need to know that we can trust the gospel as we read it. People today need to be reassured that the decision to follow Christ is for the best. Luke argues that Christianity is unique. What God did in Jesus, he did for those who have come into this community, as well as for others like them who recognize they must come to God on his terms, not their own. 

The exclusivity of Christ offers great confidence but should give us great pause. Should I invest my life in only following Jesus? Can we know with certainty that Jesus is the only way? Luke believed so, but he invites us to examine the evidence for ourselves.

BIBLE READING: Deuteronomy 31

“And Moses commanded them, “… Assemble the people, men, women, and little ones, and the sojourner within your towns, that they may hear and learn to fear the LORD your God, and be careful to do all the words of this law, and that their children, who have not known it, may hear and learn to fear the LORD your God, as long as you live in the land that you are going over the Jordan to possess.”” (Deuteronomy 31.10-13)

This generation had heard the covenant but would need to rehearse it regularly. But notice this command looked beyond just the present. There would come a time when some children and sojourners did not know the covenant of God. So Moses commanded them to gather together and teach it plainly in the presence of all the people. Sadly, this was not observed in the conquest years and there arose a generation that did not know God (Judges 1.10). How tragic that 200 years removed from Egypt, God’s people had forgotten the One that made them a nation to begin with. It’s not as though YHWH was absent from their history; but this generation had no idea what it meant to hear and fear him. I imagine many from the conquest generation had displayed conviction, but they had failed to equip the next generation with sufficient reason to continue. Perhaps they faltered in their own belief; perhaps they got lazy; perhaps they didn’t make the daily efforts to let their children hear the words of God’s covenant. Whatever the case, there arose a generation that did not know God and it was devastating for the future of God’s people.

We face a similar challenge in our time. Many of us have conviction about the gospel and its impact on our lives; but it is our responsibility to pass it on. We must not take for granted what the next generation knows. Faith does not come unless they hear the word of God (Romans 10.17). In every sphere of influence we must intentionally bring God’s ways into our conversations and activities. Especially as parents and grandparents, bringing your kids to church is critical to their spiritual development. But it is not enough to simply be among God’s people. They must hear the words of God and learn to fear him. To do this, the older must teach the younger (Titus 2.2-ff), the parents must nurture, train and discipline their children in godliness (Ephesians 6.1-4) and God’s commands must be well-known in the church of God. It must be our commitment to make God known as our legacy to future generations. Frankly speaking, we will all be gone and forgotten within a few generations. But our influence in passing along God’s covenant to others will endure and sustain the message of the gospel for all of time. It is a sacred trust we have been given as the people of God. Our legacy of faith may not produce long-term recognition, but God will know and remember us for eternity. So, we must ensure that we have been faithful, not just in our personal devotion but in preparing those who will come after us.

“For me, to live is Christ and to die is gain… I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith…” (Philippians 1.21, 23-25)

BIBLE READING: Deuteronomy 29-30

If you’re like me, as you read Deuteronomy there are times you think to yourself, “Why is YHWH asking this?” or even “Why is he behaving that way?” These are natural tendencies we must explore, and which YHWH encourages. However, as the Almighty God he is not obligated, nor is he required to answer those questions. This is especially challenging when his behavior seems to contradict itself. For instance, many will ask, ‘how can a loving God exact justice with such extreme measures that he is unwilling to forgive (29.20) and will uproot the people he chose with anger, fury and great wrath (29.28)?’ Perhaps we are given some rationale, but Moses immediately reminds us of a critical truth:

“The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.” (Deuteronomy 29.29)

There are many things about God’s ways that we will never understand. But fundamentally we must remember that our relationship with God is predicated on his Supreme righteousness and mercy. To believe in these things is to accept that, even if I don’t get it now, God’s behavior is always right, good and true. Besides this, he chose us, we did not choose him. It was his choice to reveal what is required to be his people, and the only role we have is to accept or reject what he says. I’m not suggesting we won’t or shouldn’t wrestle with the larger questions about God. But faith is not a practice of dabbling in the unknown. We must learn to settle our attention on what we can know from what he has given us.

An easily overlooked fact is that God gave Israel everything they needed to be his people. As difficult and complex as the Law may have seemed, it was clear, and it was present for them to know what he wanted.

“For this commandment that I command you today is not too hard for you, neither is it far off. It is not in heaven, that you should say, ‘Who will ascend to heaven for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’ Neither is it beyond the sea, that you should say, ‘Who will go over the sea for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’ But the word is very near you. It is in your mouth and in your heart, so that you can do it.” (Deuteronomy 30.11-14)

Paul would apply this principle to us in Romans 10.5-8. We have been given all things pertaining to life and godliness (2 Peter 1.3) through the good news preached about Jesus (Romans 10.9-13).  We don’t have to wonder what God wants from us or worry about what we don’t know. Too often we dabble in the unknown, driving ourselves to unstable thinking and unnecessary fears. Please remember that God has given us his word to settle us in the storm and provide stable truths for any season of life. As Deuteronomy 29.29 reminds us, we are not responsible for what God does. We are responsible for what we know, and we are capable of doing what we know. If we will humble ourselves to the simple service of obeying what we hear in God's word, we will find the peace and purpose we desire the most.