Luke 8:26-39: Beyond cool

More cool from Jesus today. Having survived the fury of the elements, he is assailed by the fury of demons.

Nick Payne made an insightful point on my last post on Friday. You might want to read that before you go any further.

Jesus and the disciples have crossed out of Jewish territory into Gentile territory - landing on the far shore of the lake, in the region of the Gerasenes has taken them out of their own country.

And border control, in the shape of a raving lunatic, is on hand to greet them as they beach the boat.

Everything is bad about this man. He's homeless and naked (a shameful thing for Jews, and not pretty to anyone's eyes), he lives in a graveyard, attempts to shackle him have always failed - he is someone to be avoided.

He's on his knees before Jesus, shrieking out imprecations and begging for mercy, because apparently before anyone else can blink Jesus has begun an attempt to exorcise him.Instead of jumping back into the boat and heading back to sea, Jesus meets the tortured soul head on.

What follows is extraordinary. The man is infested with a whole legion of demons, who start begging for mercy when they realise who they are up against. Jesus, it seems, has the power to destroy them utterly, but listens to their cry and allows them to enter a herd of pigs instead. The pigs (unclean animals to Jews) promptly commit suicide, by stampeding into the water.

The whole drama seems to be over in a matter of minutes, leaving the herdsmen without any pigs, and a "Come and see what's happened here!" message for their town, which they rush off to deliver. A curious crowd gather, and they see the madman, now fully dressed, sitting calmly with Jesus and his disciples.

What would expect them to say? Thank you?

Not a bit of it. What about "Would you mind going away, sir? Please? Now?"

They are far too scared to cope with this power in their midst. The nameless man wants to start a new life with Jesus, but he is refused. Jesus, who has come all this way to extend his care to a deranged foreigner, reminds him that he's got a family and an identity back home, and what he really needs is to go and rediscover it. Oh, and tell the wonderful things God has done for you, while you're at it.

Back home in Galilee, Jesus tried to stop people talking about him. Here, he encourages it. The Gerasenes have had a remarkable visitation from God. But they don't have the background to understand it. Jesus needs to stick to Jewish people who have the heritage to put his mission into context.

We Gentiles need to wait a but longer.

Luke 8:22-25: Unbelievably cool

Today, a cracking story. I love this story. Jesus and friends set off across the lake, presumably in Peter's boat. But even with experienced fishermen on board, things aren't going well. It's surprising how panicky they got - surely they had been in storms before.

Meanwhile, another surprise, Jesus has settled down for a nap, and is sleeping like a baby. Do we find this believable? That fishermen would be scared silly, and Jesus remain unconscious?

I find it strange that Peter allowed this story to be told. What an embarrassment for him! Perhaps this is a story that has been stretched at both ends - the disciples have become extra dumb, and Jesus has become extra cool.

Because he really is amazingly cool, isn't he? Roused from his slumber, he simply stands up, tilts his head back and gives the weather a bawling out. And amazingly, extraordinarily, phenomenally, the murderous storm abates.

The disciples, still shaking, ask each other, "Who is this man?" Who can do something like this? Who can even command the elements?

Who indeed?

Luke 8:15-21: Shine a light

Today we have a mini parable, some pithy words from Jesus to punch it home, and then an encounter with his family.

The parable is about what you do with the light that God has kindled within you. Having lit a lamp, you don't conceal it, you place it somewhere where it's light will be seen as far and wide as possible.

What's the point trying to hide from God? As Jesus explains, everything is out in the open as far as he is concerned. And what will be the result? More to those who meet God's approval, and for those who don't, even the little they have will be lost.

Luke leaves us to read between the lines as far as the family is concerned, but it's safe to guess that they weren't convinced by his words. Luke hasn't mentioned Jesus's family since he grew up, and we know that his boyhood neighbours had rejected him, so chances are his brothers were in the sceptical camp too.

Why had they suddenly turned up? Who knows, but the fact is that Jesus didn't even give them the time of day. The family he is focussed on is the ragtag bunch of everyone who is listening to God's word. They are his brothers now.

Luke 8:4-15: Let me tell you a story

Earlier on, Luke gave us a big chunk of Jesus' teaching. It sounded like a sermon. But he had other ways of teaching too - and now Luke is going to introduce us to his amazing ability to tell a story.

Jesus deployed the parable with remarkable effect. An innocent little story, simply told, with a hidden meaning. The disciples get the explanation given to them, and Luke allows us to listen in, so that we will understand in future how parables work.

This is that. It's not actually about a farmer going out to sow, it's about God speaking out his message into the world. Some of the 'soil' that receives the word will be receptive, some won't, for reasons that Jesus expands on.

This (the seed) is that (God's word).

This (the soil) is that (my heart).

Am I dry or stony? Am I overgrown with weeds? Or do I hear God's word, cling to it, and patiently produce a huge harvest?

Oh for a bigger harvest, Lord! I want to be fruitful for you, and fear that I am not. Help me examine myself, and take stock of where I go wrong.

Luke 8:1-3: Women bankroll Jesus' ministry

Jesus takes care of people, but who takes care of him?

Today Luke lets us into that particular secret. The answer is surprising. As he sets out on a tour of towns and villages, Luke details the entourage. So who are the roadies who travel with Jesus?

Well, first of all there's the twelve disciples. No surprises there, We've always imagined that Jesus and his mates travelled together, ate together, slept under the stars together, or with whoever offered them a bed for the night.

But it seems the party was a bit bigger than that. Luke goes on to mention some women who were in Jesus' debt. He had cured them from various sicknesses and diseases, including Mary Magdalene,  who had apparently had an infestation of demons. Then there was wealthy Joanna, whose husband had an important job with Herod, no less. And there was Susanna, who was obviously so well known that Luke didn't feel the need to tell us anything about her. Thanks Luke. That means we know nothing.

So these were people who were bankrolling Jesus. Wealthy women. Some journalist would like to make a story about that, if it happened today, I shouldn't wonder. But this far from the events, there's no scandal to uncover, because Luke literally tells us all we know about these people.

Except Mary Magdalene - she gets mentioned elsewhere. But it's only in those so called secret gospels that Dan Brown and the conspiracy theorists like, where there is any scandal about Mary. To my mind, they are the equivalent of a journalistic expose. Written at least a century after the events, I'm afraid they're no more reliable than the Daily Mail when it comes to actually telling us the truth.

As Terry Pratchett says, "A lie can run all round the world before the truth has got its boots on,"

As for Jesus, he has no problem accepting the help of dubious women. Yesterday, we saw him allow a prostitute to touch him tenderly. Today, we see he's paid for by women.

Ladies of the human race, the Saviour of the World is in your debt.

10 Commandments: Do not murder

Introduction 

Two questions come to mind as we look at today's command: firstly what does this command really mean? Secondly is it relevant?

It is clear that this command deals with the illegal taking of human life. The original Hebrew word means to unlawfully kill, and in the society of the time, killing was permissible in self-defence, in warfare and where a serious offence had been committed – executions were allowed.

Consequently all modern Bible versions translate this commandment as “you shall not murder,” but there is a danger here.

“You shall not kill” is maybe too broad but “You shall not murder” is too narrow.

It suggests the only thing in view is the brutal premeditated assault with the intention to take a life, yet in the Old Testament you could also be guilty of shedding blood to a lesser extent through carelessness or even by accident. So the command includes manslaughter as well as murder. Perhaps the most accurate translation would be “You shall not unlawfully cause another person's death.”

We have a good idea what murder is and for most of us, it is not one of the great temptations of life - so are we actually safe from not breaking this command? Is this at last a command we stand a chance of keeping? Yet when we turn to the New Testament we find that Jesus tells us that anger is as sinful as the desire to kill - and if that’s true then we have all broken it many times. Very few of us have committed murder, but all of us have been angry.

So, the Old Testament command prohibits deadly actions and Jesus extends it to deadly emotions.

The value of human life 

Our modern understanding of human life is different from that of earlier generations. The biblical view is that human beings have been created just a little below God and in his image. The modern-day atheistic view is that we are merely the most recent results of evolution’s blind game of chance.

To be made in the image of God is a little like an ambassador sent by a powerful King. To attack that ambassador is to attack the king himself, so all men and women bear God's mark.

By respecting them we respect God. By showing contempt or hatred for them we show contempt for God. Deadly actions and deadly emotions are so terrible not because they are against men and women because they are against God.

Avoid deadly actions 

Clearly the 6th commandment prohibits the sort of murder that we associate with Agatha Christie or with headlines in the tabloid papers but there are four major issues with this command which must be borne in mind - issues over which Christians and all other people have different views. Those issues are: abortion, euthanasia, capital punishment and war.

It will be too hard for me to address those issues properly and to illustrate that let me just ask one difficult question for each:

And there are 2 general points I want to make:

1. We need to uphold the value of life. We are all God's creation, made in his image and as a result we all have enormous value and dignity.

2. We also need to uphold the value of truth. We can play a vital role by demanding that accurate language is used in these matters. People have an unpleasant way of disguising appalling realities by using some harmless formula of words: removing foetal tissue doesn't sound as bad as killing a baby; letting nature take its course doesn't sound as bad as causing death; neutralising the enemy positions, degradation of infrastructure doesn't sound as bad as attacking and killing enemy soldiers.

Avoid deadly emotions 

If that was all the Bible says about killing we would have plenty to think about, yet Jesus goes further. In the Sermon on the Mount he uses the same rigorous logic with this commandment as he did with that on adultery. It is not enough, he says to avoid physically killing someone. To be in a furious rage with someone is to be guilty of murder. So the thought is the parent of the deed and is equally condemned.

This raises the question, is all anger really murderous anger? After all didn't Jesus get angry? It is important to distinguish between the emotion of anger and the focus of anger. It's what you do with anger that counts. Remember that Paul said to the Ephesians: “Don't sin by letting anger gain control over you. Don't let the sun go down while you are still angry, for anger gives a mighty foothold to the devil.”

Psychologists make a distinction between destructive anger and constructive anger.

Destructive anger is the violent outburst where you lash out blindly and hatefully at someone else. Constructive anger is a cooler more focused reaction - we decide to go and do something about the problem. Destructive anger focuses on making a person suffer. Constructive anger focuses on getting a problem solved.

Sometimes it is right to be angry. For someone not to be angered by bullying or corruption or child abuse is not to be Christ-like. The prophets and Jesus got angry over sin and his followers have been right to get angry over sin ever since. William Wilberforce got angry over the slave trade and worked to have the whole trade made illegal - that was constructive anger.

But it is all too easy for constructive anger to switch into the destructive mode, and it will be wise to remember that anger is only one letter away from Danger.

How should we had handle anger? 

1. Don't just let it happen James 1:19-20

2. When we feel angry we need to try to analyse our feelings. Counting to 10 before expressing your feelings is not simply putting the pin back in a hand grenade for a few more seconds, it gives us time to look at the situation. Maybe best to step back, take a walk around the block, find someone else to talk the situation over with. Pray, ask for wisdom and grace, so instead of taking it out on someone, we take it to God and talk it through.

3. If it is an important matter and your anger is justified, ask yourself how you can express it in a way that will make the situation better. Channelling anger positively as a great skill. Saying something like, “You know this is bothering me. We need to do something here. How can we stop this happening again?” Not threatening, not abusive, trying to build bridges. A loving response.

Conclusion 

We must be against deadly actions and be in favour of life. 

It is far too easy to see human beings reduced to nothing more than a label, or statistic: a consumer, a foetus, a casualty, an occupant of a hospital bed, an enemy, a thug. In every case we need to remember that behind the words are human beings made in the image of God.

To keep this commandment is to be more than simply people who avoid inflicting death - we should be people who are in favour of life. We should be those that feed the poor, that honour and respect the elderly and disabled, that struggle to give people in deprived areas a decent quality of life.

We must be against deadly emotions and in favour of love forgiveness and peace. 

When we do hateful actions, think hateful thoughts and say hateful words it is God we sin against. We need to repent of our anger and resolve to watch our thought lives and the struggle against such thoughts when we feel anger surging through us. We need to respond rightly, analysing our feelings and determining prayerfully what is the right and loving response. The way Jesus lived and the way Jesus died show us a better way.

Within this desire to be in favour of love forgiveness and peace, there must be a readiness to help those who have suffered through anger or violence. We need to help apply God's love and forgiveness to those who still nurse bitter thoughts and grievances and those who now repent of deadly acts and thoughts they have committed in the past.

This is a hard but desperately relevant commandment in a world filled with anger and violence. Applying it in our own lives, we need to turn again and again to the mercy of God for forgiveness and the power of the Holy Spirit for strength.

Luke 7:36-50: All is forgiven

Rather surprisingly, Jesus gets a dinner invitation from a pharisee.

He goes along, but gets a rather cool reception. Normally there would be social niceties observed. An attentive host would welcome his guest with a kiss, offer water to wash the dust of the road from his feet, and oil to anoint his head. Simon the pharisee seemed to have forgotten about this.

No matter, there was someone else there to give Jesus an extravagant welcome. A prostitute.

Maybe you're wondering how a prostitute could just walk in to a dinner party. I used to.

Apparently, meals would be taken in a courtyard that was open on at least one side to the street. In a hot climate, that made sense - the cool evening air would circulate and keep the guests comfortable. But passers by could see what was going on, and come easily up to the table.

Ah yes, the table. That would be rather different too. It was probably no higher than a modern coffee table, so you didn't want to sit on an upright chair, like we might imagine. People reclined around the table on couches or cushions, propping themselves up on their left elbow, so their right hand was free to eat with. They'd stretch their legs out behind them, away from the table. So it wasn't so hard for this woman to get near to Jesus, especially his feet.

Jesus can easily guess Simon's thoughts. A "respectable" rabbi would draw away from the attentions of a sinful female, so either Jesus didn't know what sort of woman this was, or he had a poor grasp of social graces.

So he tells Simon a little story. Who loves more - someone forgiven a little, or someone forgiven a lot?

This is another example of Jesus' care. He cares for the woman who is treated as trash by others, he notices her, and values her. He's prepared to invest in her redemption.

If even a sparrow never falls to the ground without God's notice, what does that mean for me?

Sometimes I feel like a sparrow in a nosedive, but please help me to remember, Lord Jesus, that I do not plummet alone.

Luke 7:24-35: The Baptist's legacy

Jesus waited carefully until John's messengers were out of earshot, and then began talking to the crowds about the Baptist. He saw a good opportunity to compare and contrast.

He has some high praise - John was a prophet, more than a prophet. He calls him the greatest.

And yet, he says, even the least in the new kingdom that I am bringing - even the least would outrank him.

Everyone on the crowds nodded their heads sagely. Oh yes, we agree with that. Completely right.
Of course. Obvious really.

Except OFSTED. They hadn't thought much of John, they hadn't been prepared to be baptised by him, and to hear Jesus placing himself further out than John from their idea of religious orthodoxy only served to convince them still more that they were right to reject him.

Jesus watched. Ordinary people, ex-sinners included, agreeing with him 100%. Respectable, religious establishment turning up their noses.

Like two rival gangs of children. One gang will never join the other gang, even if they secretly want to. They can't risk losing face.

Jesus knows now, if he didn't already, that as far as the pharisees are concerned, he can never win.

Luke 7:18-23: John the Baptist has second thoughts

John had been thrown into prison by Herod Antipas, because he criticised Judah's puppet king for marrying his brother's wife. Some twinge of fear had kept Herod from killing the prophet, and his disciples managed to get word to him about what was going on. Obviously, news about Jesus figured prominently in their reports.

But doubts were nagging at the Baptist in his cell. What was bothering him? Was it that Jesus seemed less keen on judging people, and more interested in welcoming them to the party? John had taught his disciples to fast, he'd set them a stern example. But here was Jesus eating and drinking, and welcoming prominent sinners into his circle.

John was wondering to himself, was I wrong? When I baptised that man, and heard the voice from heaven, was I mistaken? Have I sent people after the wrong man? Have I sent them to disaster?

So he tells his faithful friends to get a message to Jesus. Ask whether he is the One, of should we expect another?

What did Jesus think when he heard this message? Was he disappointed that John the Baptist was losing faith in him? Did he feel sorry for him, thinking perhaps that his long imprisonment was getting to his mind?

And what to say by way of reply? What could he do to encourage his herald and forerunner?

What John needed was to know that God was at work, So Jesus doesn't reply at first, but turns his attention back to the crowd of sick people who were his constant companions. He healed another batch of wretches of their ailments. sent them on their way rejoicing and then turned to John's messengers. Go and tell John what you just saw - God is working here. Miracles are being done, ancient wrongs are being put right. Good news is being preached.

Hang in there, faithful prophet, God has a blessing for all who aren't put off by me.

Luke 7:11-17: The widow of Nain

Jesus is having an emotional time. Yesterday he was struck with amazement at finding faith in the unexpected place - behind a Roman soldier's gnarled and leathery breastplate.

Today, he has come to pay his respects to the saddest of sights - a woman burying her son.

Old man Simeon warned Mary that a sword would pierce her heart, and here and now a sword is laid to her son's heart, and he is caught up in the grief of a woman who has lost her one and only.

I suppose this is the clearest example yet that Luke has give us of how Jesus feels what we feel. He empathises with the unnamed woman who has lost her husband, and now her son.

Uniquely, of course, Jesus can do something about this. Propelled by his feelings, he acts. He interrupts the funeral procession, he stops the progress of the young man's body downwards to the earth. He speaks to the corpse, tells it to get up. It obeys, as everything has to obey Jesus ... everything that is, except blind, disobedient people.

And Jesus gives the boy back to his mother, to the fear and amazement of all.

10 Commandments: Do not commit adultery

Our series on the 10 Commandments continued with "Do Not Commit Adultery"

Introduction 

I have to start by saying that I'm walking into a minefield today.

I think it's probably fair to say that more of us in this room have been seriously hurt by issues around marriage than anything else. Whether that's the pain of being widowed, the agony of divorce, or the ending of a loving relationship that you'd hoped was going to last. It's harder than usual to say something right this morning, and much easier to say something wrong.

So I'm begging your forgiveness in advance.

The other thing we all have to contend with is an overwhelming cynicism about faithful relationships, marriage in particular. We can probably all think of jokes like “marriage isn't a word, it's a sentence.” or “marriage is a three ring circus: engagement ring, wedding ring, suffering.” And have you seen the bumper sticker that instead of saying “Baby on board,” says “Ex-husband in boot.”?

So we begin at a disadvantage, as though we're on the back foot, trying to defend marriage. Adultery has never been more popular. Good heavens, it's even got a website!

The value of sex 

People often object to Christianity saying that it's all "don't do this, don't do that." But sometimes the rules are there to protect us.

Right at the start of the Bible, we read that God created man and woman for relationship and partnership.

The principle behind sex is threefold: leaving, joining, uniting.

Leaving 

The man and woman leave their families and create a new unit

Joining 

They come together to share everything

Uniting 

By the act of sex, they become one. So sexual activity is a vital part of a marriage relationship.

So it is a precious gift from God and a vital part of our makeup. It isn't dirty or shabby. In its right place it is beautiful and good. Because it it created by God, it is special and shouldn't be cheapened.

It involves the core of our lives. Not just a more intimate version of shaking hands, or a game for consenting adults, it involves powerful psychological and spiritual processes.

Because it has such high value, God gives this command against adultery. So sex has only one place: inside marriage.

So I want to talk about vulnerability, vigilance and virtue this morning, and in between we'll have a couple of don'ts.

Our vulnerability to sex 

Consider the story of David.

His adultery with Bathsheba led to lies, murder, the death of a child and cast a shadow over the rest of his reign.

There are countless other examples of lives ruined, careers and reputations destroyed and families devastated. Sex can easily take the place of God in our lives. When the hormones start pumping, everything else, morality, habit, common sense, all take a back seat.

And it is so attractive.

Ever heard of a magazine devoted to anger? Or a website for online coveting? A film with explicit scenes of, wait for it, Sabbath breaking? Thought not.

So we ask need a healthy respect for the power of sexual temptation. It has destroyed better men and women than you and I.

Our need for vigilance with sex 

Because of its power, we need to be extra careful. Jesus warned about the power of the eyes. Look away, he said, lustful thoughts are as bad as adulterous acts. A marriage can be broken by adultery without the physical act. If one partner is full of desire for someone else, the exclusive union on physical, emotional and intellectual levels has been impaired.

Long passionate conversations at work with only the brush of hands may still be cheating on your spouse.

What's the point of this? Just to make us feel really guilty? No. But if we imagine sex with someone other than our husband or wife and say to ourselves "I will never go there," we haven't done enough. We need to draw the line much further out. By the time you get to the bedroom door, it's probably already too late.

Don't assume you are safe from sexual temptation 

We may think we are secure in our marriage, or in our singleness, but remember 1 Corinthians 10.12.

If married, keep working to strengthen your marriage. Don't make a statement like "my husband never listens to me the way you do," become true. Each partner should help to perfect the other as a Christian marriage grows stronger year by year.

Whether married or single, stay above board in all you do. Make sure no ambiguity can spring up between us and someone else. Ask yourself the question "would I say or do this if my spouse were standing here beside me?"

Be accountable. Is there someone you could share your temptations and pressures with?

Deepen your spiritual life. Root your life in the rich soil of God's confirming love.

Keep busy, doing what you are supposed to be doing. David was idle, that's why he succumbed to temptation.

Don't play with sexual temptation 

There was nothing wrong in David being on the roof of his palace. There was nothing wrong in noticing a beautiful woman. But he didn't need to make enquiries to find out Bathsheba's name. He certainly didn't need to send for her. Turn away from the slightest act or thought, and the next step will never happen.

If sin has occurred, repent immediately, don't make it worse 

Confession is better than cover up, repentance now better than revelations later. It's the devil's lie to say you're in so deep you might as well keep going.

The virtue of forgiveness 

Even the best marriage falls short of the ideal. But God doesn't just judge those who fail, he forgives those who repent and strengthens those who strive to keep his standards.

Adultery is not the only sin and it is not an unforgivable sin. John 8.1-11 shows this.

And if you have become a Christian after a history of several sexual experiences, you may have a tangled history that you bring with you. The church should be a place that welcomes and accepts you, however you have come, while still holding out the ideal of sexual purity.

Conclusion 

Although God made us for relationship and friendship, this need not involve sex. Modern society comes down hard on single people. It says you must be frustrated, a failure or a freak. That lie causes harm beyond measure.

Jesus was single, are you going to call him a failure or a freak?

We have to say that sex is the sealing of a marriage relationship, and is entirely appropriate and right within that relationship, and entirely inappropriate and wrong outside it.

Because of its value sex should not be treated lightly. Because of its power it should not be treated casually. The Bible's standard is viewed either with amazement, contempt or disbelief. Increasingly the way Christians deal with sex will make us stand out.

Luke 7:1-10: Helping the enemy

Moving on now, Jesus has finished his teaching, and is heading back home to Capernaum. On the way, a delegation meets him, with an unusual request.

Their local centurion (who may not have been a member of the invading army, but an aristocrat who was given command over a certain area, and who lived a Roman sort of life) had a trusted slave. Often Romans had a well educated Greek slave who acted as manager of the household, a bit like a cross between a butler and an estate manager. This person would have complete control over the running of their master's estate, and would be trusted in financial matters, in prudent advice, and even treated as a friend.

To lose someone of this stature would be a disaster, and the centurion would have tried anything. It seems he was a good overlord, interested in the Jewish faith, supportive of their needs - he had paid for a synagogue to be built.

So the Jews are happy to carry his message to Jesus. Interestingly, the man has heard about Jesus, and doesn't just send one message, but two. Once he hears hat Jesus is willing to help, he stops him from actually entering his house (conscious, no doubt, that for a Jew to cross a Gentile threshold would defile him for 24 hours). "Just say the word where you are," he tells Jesus. I understand authority, I don't need your presence.

Jesus was amazed. Taken aback. His jaw dropped. His gob was smacked.

Why? Because he's found what he's looking for, and he found it, not in Israel, but in a Gentile soldier. Later on in the gospel, we will hear Jesus asking rhetorically, "When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith in earth?"

Faith is what Jesus prizes. Faith is the pearl of great price that he honours above all. When he sees it, he rejoices.

Oh - and the servant was healed. Of course.

Luke 6:46-49: Firm foundations

Jesus brings his sermon to an end with a fabulously famous parable.

But there's a challenge in his words. "Why do you keep calling me 'Lord, Lord' if you don't do what I say?"

Well Jesus, it's quite hard to do what you say - it's so radical. I'm not sure if I can give up having enemies, or if I can give up judging people, because I won't know where I stand otherwise. Everything will seem so different without those familiar landmarks to guide me.

But the challenge remains - if you (or I) listen to Jesus' words and put them into practice, we will find ourselves standing secure. We will have to dig deep - this isn't going to be easy - but down there is solid bedrock and a guarantee of safety from God himself.

The alternative is quick and easy, but when a storm comes, which it surely will, we will be flooded out and swept away.

So what do I prefer? Life without landmarks, or life without foundations?

Luke 6:43-45: Fruit from the heart

Some years ago, my mother in law bought us a plum tree. Victoria plums, she told me, are the best variety, tasty and easy to grow. So I dug a hole, and planted the tree, and we sat back and waited.

The following summer, fruit began to appear. But they didn't grow as large as expected, and weren't the pink colour of a victoria plum. Smaller, harder and purple, they were rather sour eaten raw, though very tasty when cooked.

So the tree we had wasn't a victoria after all.

Even today, unless you're going to do some chemical genetic test, the only way to correctly identify some plants is to wait for the fruit to appear. It's the fruit that tells you what the tree is.

A good person, Jesus tells us, produces good things from the treasury of a good heart. But the heart is hidden, and we don't know its nature until we see the outcome, the upshot, the follow through, the end product. 

Jesus, we suppose, could see into people's hearts. But maybe even he only had a partial view. We've heard how he guessed what the pharisees were thinking, as they sat and judged him. But did he know what Judas Iscariot was like, when he chose him as one of the Twelve? Or did he, like the rest of us, have to wait patiently to see what sort of fruit would eventually come forth from the cloistered core of a man who could have been either pure, or evil?

We can't change our plum tree. Doesn't matter really, it makes nice jam. 

But can we change our hearts?

Luke 6:37-42: Judge not...

One of those wonderful coincidence moments happened yesterday. Having read "love your enemies" in the morning, I had lunch with a lady, some of whose family have turned against her, who was bravely trying to do the right thing despite their animosity, and trust God to help her overcome her hurt.

It felt like God had given me Jesus' words to read so that I could pass them on to her. It wasn't exactly comfort I was offering her, but somehow it felt like an endorsement of her decision not to be bitter, not to repay evil for evil. 

Of course it was a coincidence, but such things do happen, and they always make me want to thank God. I think it was William Temple, once Archbishop of Canterbury, who said "When I pray, coincidences happen."

Anyway, turning to today's passage: Jesus moves on to talk about the way we should think about one another. If what he said yesterday was radical to the point of being impossible, then today's words are just as extraordinary.

If there's one thing we all do all the time, it's judge one another. We take one look, and make up our minds about the person in front of us, Often we feel like other people have compared us unfavourably to themselves, and it hurts us and damages our self esteem. If you're not posh enough, or pretty enough or rich enough or clever enough for the person in front of you, you're going to feel a failure.

And if that person condescendingly offers to help us, we feel even worse. Jesus says that's like someone with a plank in their eye trying to get a speck out of yours! I like that joke - it makes me feel better when I feel like someone's putting me down. Yes they've noticed something wrong with me, but there's something even worse wrong with them. 

So he warns people - don't condemn others, be generous and forgive them. The more you give, the more you'll get. 

Is he right or is he right?

But of course, we're far too savvy for this homespun advice. It all seems far too unsophisticated, doesn't it? We can't be foolish, we got to live within our means, we can't take risks with what we own. That's the sort of advice that makes sense.

And on we go, as if we can't see our hands in front of our faces. 

Follow me! I know where I'm going! It's this wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy

Luke 6:27-36: Love your enemies

I said yesterday that people listened to Jesus, and believed what he said. Some did, but others, obviously didn't. Jesus carries on his sermon by saying "But to you who are willing to listen I say, Love your enemies!"

What?? Sorry, didn't quite catch that. Love our - who??

What's the definition of an enemy?

One who feels hatred toward, intends injury to, or opposes another.

Yes, thank you, Mr Dictionary

You're welcome.

Pause to look over shoulder at where the disembodied voice came from ...

As I was saying, the definition of an enemy is someone I hate. So I can't love them, or they wouldn't be my ...

Oh I see. This means don't have enemies. God doesn't have enemies, does he? As Jesus says, "The Most High is kind to those who are unthankful and wicked." He doesn't treat them as enemies, he keeps on pouring out his blessings, no matter what they do.

Everything that Jesus says in this section amounts to "Be like God." Give without expecting to get anything back. Treat other people with all the kindness, grace and generosity you'd like them to show you. Reply to a curse with a blessing. Don't be afraid of running out of things if people take them. Why not? Because God will top you up. He never runs out.

If anybody actually believed this, they could open a channel of blessing that would go on pouring out more and more and more - and the more people took, the more it would give.

The domain of economics is the study of processes by which scarce resources are allocated to satisfy unlimited wants. 

That's Mr Dictionary again. In God's economy, scarce wants timidly call down only a tiny part of God's unlimited resources.

Luke 6:24-26: Woes

If you thought from yesterday that Jesus was Mr Nicey, and that God was like Father Christmas, all Ho ho ho's and pouring out blessings, then you need to hear what Jesus has to say today.

The first extract Luke gave us of Jesus' actual teaching was pure good news. Blessing, happiness and joy to all who put their faith in God, especially the downtrodden.

Today he gives us the flipside.

You can't make omelettes without breaking eggs, and Jesus makes it clear that you can't bless the poor without un-blessing the rich.

Today, we have a word for the 1%. The richest 1% of the world, who now own as much wealth as the the remaining 99% of humanity. The stupidly rich, the ones swimming in cream. This is as happy and as fat, and as cheerful as you are going to get.

You will be hungry, you will mourn. You who enjoy the crowds' praise, remember how they praised the false prophets who came before you.

Jesus doesn't dwell on eternal punishments, he doesn't spell out the disasters that are coming. He just reverses all the blessings he began with, and leaves it up to people's imagination. It's a very simple message, and quite hard to misunderstand: good times are coming for people who are suffering now, bad times are coming for people who are happy now.  He offers nothing in the way of proof, no evidence to convince us that he's right. The natural authority of his words is such that he didn't need to.

People listened to him. People believed him. But what did they actually do about it?

Luke 6:7-23: Blessings

Luke's been telling us for some time that what Jesus said was riveting and attractive. But he hasn't actually told us what Jesus SAID.

Until now.

This is the first slice of his teaching that he's given us to listen to, and it begins with another reminder of how popular and powerful Jesus was. Crowds from all over the nation were flocking to him, all trying to touch him, and all their sick were healed.

Then at last Jesus speaks.

Blessed! God blesses you! How happy you are!

Who is blessed? Who is happy? Who will be smiling in God's new world order?

Not the usual suspects, but the poor, the hungry, those who weep. Those who are hated and excluded and mocked for following this maverick preacher.

Leap for joy! Jesus tells his ragbag of followers. Such a blessing is coming that you won't know what to do with it all. He compares them to the prophets, the heroes of old - persecuted themselves by the establishment of their day.

Something new has begun - the old guard will fight it, but they can't hold back its blessings.

10 Commandments: Do not steal

Introduction 

Theft takes many forms, but none of us think we are a thief.

Because we don't like this, we are not thieves. What good news!

We conceal things further by renaming what we do. Borrowing, liberating, helping yourself – all these are kinder ways of describing what we get up to. A thief is someone who burgles houses, robs pensioners, breaks into cars. Stealing is what someone else does.

Yet stealing is wider and broader than we like to think. With human sinfulness and ingenuity being what they are, there are countless ways of taking something that does not belong to you.

Direct theft 

The most obvious type of stealing is where something is just taken; what you could call “good old-fashioned theft'. A purse vanishes, a car goes, a suitcase disappears, a till is emptied, a house is burgled. Of course it also occurs at a lower level, where it is somehow more acceptable. How many people take pens or paper from their employers? How many borrow equipment or use a firm's car for their private business? How many people steal from their employers by their misuse of phones, photocopiers or internet access?

What we need here is a ruthless mental honesty. We all need to evaluate before God everything that we do and ask of any remotely dubious practice; is this theft?

Fraud 

Let me move on to the vast area of more subtle, indirect theft. Fraud is theft by deception. It is the unholy marriage of lying and theft; the result of simultaneously breaking the Eighth and Ninth commandments.

We think of fraud as being a modern speciality and it is true that we have more ways of doing it than ever before. We have false accounts, fake documents, inflated budgets, misleading advertisements and so on. But it's as old as we are, and it is plainly condemned in the Old Testament. Moving boundary stones was one way of increasing your estate and is described as stealing in Deuteronomy 19:14

When the land was a family's source of food and wealth, the loss of even a small strip of land could make the difference between life or death.

Another way to defraud people was to have bogus weights, or misleading measuring containers or to water down or dilute what you sold. See what the prophet Amos says: (Amos 8:4–6).

The Old Testament is full of references to robbing the poor, the widows and orphans and those who are defenceless. This reminds us that God cares for such people and he is angry when we cheat them. 
Few people would directly steal hospital equipment but many people would not blink at cheating the Inland Revenue of the money that might be used to buy hospital equipment. The effects are the same.

Again, we need to look at our lives to see if there is anything in them that fits this. Are we involved personally in selling or marketing anything that is not exactly what it says it is? When someone pays us for our work do they get what they paid for? Are we ever guilty of providing a sub-standard service? And, bearing in mind the Old Testament's references to the vulnerable in society, do we have the same standard for the poor and helpless as we do for the rich and influential?

 In God's eyes fraud, however subtle, is still theft.

Exploitation 

Another way of stealing from people that is condemned in the Bible is exploitation. For example, Leviticus 19:13 says that wages are to be paid promptly.

Now in Old Testament times the focus of the prophets was on their own nation and on the people immediately around them. Our modern world has wider horizons. Our government is involved in decisions that affect the whole world; the banks we use and the firms we work for may have enormous influence on people thousands of miles from us.

Much as we would prefer otherwise, we are all linked in with national and global effects. We ourselves may not be directly involved in imposing taxes, setting rents or even making loans. But we are indirectly involved by who we vote into power, by which companies we support, by whose pension funds we subscribe to or even by what we buy at a supermarket. We need to use our power as voters, subscribers, shareholders and consumers to work for justice.

Why is stealing wrong? 

 We have looked at the different types of stealing; but what is it that lies behind them? What is it that is at the core of the whole sin of theft?

Let me give you three reasons why stealing is wrong.

Theft is an offence against God 

The heart of the problem is the belief that things are ours and we can do we want with them. But to think that is to misunderstand the whole nature of this world. In fact nothing is really ours; it is all God's. Psalm 24:1

Just think this through for a minute. Can you imagine everything in the world from plants and birds to houses and banknotes, having invisibly inscribed on it ‘Property of God'. That would mean that everything we have is issued by God on temporary loan to us. We don't own things, we borrow them.
If this is true, then any stealing is ultimately, stealing from God himself. And God sees.

Stealing betrays our relationship to God 

If we have come to faith in Christ then we have become a son or daughter of God and God has become our Heavenly Father.

So, we are to trust our Heavenly Father for what we need. If we need something that we cannot get by working, we are to pray for it. To steal it instead is to reject the idea that God our Father knows best what we really need. It is actually an act of rebellion; it is saying to him that we know best.

Secondly, God expects us, as his children, to reflect his character. We are to bear the family likeness. Time and time again the Old Testament prophets talk about the justice of God; how he is a good, merciful, just and loving God. His children are to be like him. He doesn't turn a blind eye to exploitation or to injustice and neither should we.

To be a thief is to deny that God is our Father or that we are his children.

Stealing is bad for us 

Again, we need to be reminded that the Ten Commandments are not severe rules made by a tough God who wants to put his people through impossible tests. They are instructions made by our Creator so that we can live and prosper.

For one thing, stealing is bad for us as a community. Stealing means lying and it inevitably produces anger, division and mistrust. It is impossible for God's people to live in the way that he expects if there is stealing from each other.

For another thing it is bad for us as individuals. It leads to deception and lies and it starts a vicious circle where we want more so we end up stealing even more. The thief who is caught because he or she gets too greedy is a common phenomenon.

Theft also has eternal consequences. If you or I claim to be a Christian and consistently steal, we must question whether we are indeed born again of God's Spirit or whether we are deluding ourselves. In fact I would go further; if you or I claim to be a Christian and show no spirit of generosity, no desire to give, then we must examine ourselves carefully.

So how do we respond to all this?

Reflection 

We need to think over our attitude to possessions. We need to remember that God is the source of all things; that all we possess is a temporary loan from God and that we have no right to possessions. It is far too easy to get our priorities for our lives from the media rather than from God and his word.

Repentance 

As a result of our reflections, we may easily feel that we have sinned in this area. We need to say sorry to God and to resolve to live lives that are marked by the wise use of God's gifts in the future. We need to set out God's standards in our lives and be determined to live by them.

Restitution 

Linked with repentance comes restitution. Stealing is one of the few sins where we can make amends. If we have committed theft then returning or repaying what was stolen is essential. The passage we read about Zacchaeus makes the point; in his case he was so overjoyed to be accepted by Jesus that he went well beyond what was strictly needed to make restitution. But in making amends it never hurts to err on the generous side.


In situations where revival occurs, widespread restitution can be spectacular. When Rev. W. P. Nicholson preached in Belfast in the 1920s so many shipyard workers were spiritually convicted of the sin of theft that the main firm there had to build a new shed to hold all the returned items.

Realignment 

As elsewhere with the Ten Commandments we need to look hard at our own lives and realign them according to God's word.

• We should be grateful for what we have. One day we will be held accountable for everything we have had, how we got it and how we used it. We must learn to thank God for his gifts rather than to seek what is not ours to have. 
• We need to use wisely what God has given us. The answer to so many of the world's problems, from the environmental crisis to global poverty, lies in applying the concept that we are stewards accountable to God. We are tenants not owners, and as such we need to realise that we have no right to do what we want with God's world. 
• We must give generously. It is clear from the Bible that we steal not only by taking but by withholding. A generous heart is a powerful antidote to the desire to steal. 

Finally, the model for how we are to live is found in Jesus Christ. As we read in Philippians Chapter 2, Jesus' attitude was such that he did not even choose to grasp onto what were his rights as God. Instead, he willingly gave up everything in order to become human and to become one of us.

Let us all live like Christ.

Luke 6:12-16: Choosing the team

From fantasy football to Football Manager, fans everywhere love to choose a team. Who's in, who's on the bench, who has fallen out of favour, all these questions have provided endless hours of pub time discussion.

Did it feel the same when Jesus named his starting 11, sorry 12? Well, probably not, but what is significant surely is the mixture of personalities and backgrounds that Jesus assembled. It begins with the four fishermen, Peter, Andrew, James and John. These men have probably known each other since childhood. Matthew the tax collector is there (presumably the same person as Levi, since he is called Matthew in the gospel according to ... um ... Matthew). Next named is Simon the Zealot.

Wait a moment, did you say the Zealot??

Zealot as in terrorist? Or freedom fighter, depending on your point of view? In the same group as a filthy collaborating tax collector? Can you imagine the tensions?

The group dynamics are going to be truly disastrous - not only have we got the fishermen's clique, and the rivalry between pro- and anti-Romans, we've also got Philip, whose name sounds Greek, so he was probably a foreigner, and then Judas Iscariot who as Luke helpfully reminds us, later betrayed Jesus. If there was talk in the pubs about this team, the pundits would have slated it. Doomed to disaster before the start.

Incidentally, no one really knows why there are 11 players in a football team, except that there were already 11 in a cricket team, and no one knows why that should be. But we do know why there were 12 in Jesus' team. Israel was made up of 12 tribes, and Jesus is assembling a brand new, mini Israel out of some very strange shaped parts.

The pundits may be prophesying doom, but let's not forget Jesus spent all night in prayer before making his final choice.

He's thought long and hard about what he is doing. I think he's got a plan.

Luke 6:6-11: Sabbath breaking on trial

Jesus is still being dogged by OFSTED. The scribes and the pharisees are watching his every move. I get the impression that they are making up their minds about him, and they don't like what they see. The problem is, they haven't actually got much hard evidence against him. They've challenged him on blasphemy, on fasting, on keeping the sabbath, but they know well that a defence lawyer would get him off on a technicality.

Before they recommend censure, they need something more solid. A clear, unambiguous flouting of the rules. I wonder if they tried to set one up? Did they plant this disabled man right in Jesus' eyeline, to see if he would take the bait and heal him on the sabbath.

But Jesus doesn't just swallow their hook, he grabs hold of the line and pulls the whole fishing rod and the fishermen in after him. Probably stretching that metaphor too far, but you know what I mean.

He stands the man up in front of them all and makes this into the most public of challenges. What is the sabbath for? he asks. Are you going to tell all these people here that it's not a day for doing good?

He looks into their eyes, one at a time. Luke keeps telling us that he knows their thoughts. I used to know someone like that - he would look at me and I felt like his eyes were studying the back of my skull, they saw so deep. If I hadn't liked and respected him so much, I would have been intimidated.

So the pharisees were enraged on this sabbath day. They went their way, not full of holy and charitable thoughts, nor even a professional calmness as they made their dispassionate judgements. Jesus had seen into their souls, and they knew full well he hadn't liked what he saw there.

They didn't like it either, and the clanging, jarring pain from their consciences provoked them.

Luke 6:1-5: Sabbath breakers!

Religious battle lines often get drawn in what seems an arbitrary way, even a random way. Right now, the church is wrangling bitterly over issues of sexuality, while society looks on and wonders why we're making such a fuss. The rest of us have moved on - why can't you?

The religious people of Jesus' day decided to go to war with him over something different - the sabbath. One of the things that made (and makes) Jewish people distinctive is keeping the sabbath day holy. Years ago, I used to commute from South London back to home north of the river, and on a Friday night as I drove through Clapton, I would see dozens of Hasidic Jews, in their distinctive long black coats, broad hats and earlocks, scurrying about, trying to get home before sunset.

The sabbath begins when the sun goes down, and the Jews needed to be indoors by then. So they ran.

In Jesus' time, keeping the sabbath kept the Jews apart from the foreign Romans, who no doubt smiled at this eccentricity. Why make life hard for yourself, by forbidding every little action that might be construed as "work" on one day of the week? It seemed overkill. So when Jesus and his disciples were out for a walk, and the disciples idly picked some grain from the fields, rubbed it between their hands and ate it, up popped the pharisees and accused them of working - winnowing the grain on the sabbath.

How did Jesus reply? Did he side with the hated Gentiles, and tell them off for being stupid? Or did he maintain his Jewish credentials and accept the rap?

Whenever Jesus is presented with a binary situation like this, whenever his opponents try to manoeuvre him into a position where any thing he does will be wrong, he always seems to find a third way.

Today, Jesus quotes the example of David. Great King David, while he was on the run from the previous king, when God was clearly on his side and it was only a matter of time before he would be recognised as ruler, once broke the rules. He pretended to the priest that he was on a mission from King Saul, and that it was so urgent he'd set off without food or weapons. He effectively tricked the priest into feeding and arming him. Yet we read the story and commend David for quick thinking, we don't censure him for rule breaking.

The pharisees could easily have argued back. "Oh yeah, and who are you on the run from, then?" They could have asked whether Jesus had been anointed king. Perhaps wisely they didn't go there, because Jesus has been anointed by God, at his baptism. Not king, but Messiah. But then, Messiah means "anointed one" and anointing is what they did to kings then, not crowning. You could say that Jesus quoting David is implicitly asserting his authority.

Jesus finished with an extraordinary claim: "The Son of Man is Lord of the sabbath." Mark, in his telling of the story, adds another sentence which makes Jesus' argument clearer: "The Sabbath was made to meet the needs of people, and not people to meet the requirements of the Sabbath."

Religious rule keepers have got things the wrong way round, Rules are servants, not masters. And when you're in the presence of Jesus, you are in the presence of the master of everything, rules included.

Luke 5:33-39: What is this all about?

People were trying to understand what Jesus was about. The religious leaders were alarmed - he seemed to be associating with undesirables. Other people were puzzled - they had thought Jesus was associated with John the Baptist, but he didn't seem to be carrying on with the Baptist's style. And he certainly isn't behaving like an orthodox religious type. There's a sense of people grappling to find a precedent here, some way in which they can put Jesus in a pigeonhole, and understand him.

So first, a question about why he doesn't teach his disciples to fast, like John the Baptist did. Of course, this is hot on the heels of Levi's party, which probably didn't look a very holy affair.

Jesus's answer is given in terms of a celebration: if you've been invited to a wedding, you don't turn up dressed in black and refuse to eat at the reception, do you? One day the bridegroom will die, and then you'll mourn and fast.

Then he gives the illustration about not mending old clothes with unshrunk cloth, or pouring wine that's still fermenting into stiff old wineskins, that can't stretch any more. Both will end in disaster.

The message here seems to be that there is something new going on, and you can't come up with an old category to contain it. It will rip, it will tear, and this new thing will slip through your fingers.

You're going to have to be nimble in your thinking to keep up with Jesus - he's moving fast, and the old static thought processes can't match him.

Luke 5:27-32: Jesus looks to broaden his appeal - in unlikely areas

I wonder who was in these crowds that were following Jesus around by now? It had to be people who could spare the time, first off. So perhaps it was casual labourers, those who might otherwise work in the fields, whose work would be seasonal and subject to quiet periods when they were idle. Also, in all probability, it didn't include many high ranking individuals - they would have comfortable lives already, and wouldn't feel the need to follow a miracle worker in search of a better life. Nor many seriously religious folk - they would be sceptical of a new preacher, and prefer to stick with their own rabbi.

Well today Luke tells us about Jesus breaking into a pretty surprising new demographic - the collaborators with the Roman occupation. Surprising for several reasons - Levi and his friends were doing nicely thank you, so why chuck it all in to follow a penniless rabbi? They wouldn't get a good welcome from Jesus' existing followers either - when they were flush they'd be fleeced by Levi and his cronies.

Perhaps you've heard how the French treated collaborators after the war. Women who had enjoyed a high life as mistress of the Nazis were publicly humiliated - made to go outdoors in their petticoats and be shaved in public.

There was deep hatred going on here.

Apparently the tax collectors used to station themselves on roads, and charge a toll as people passed by. Some of the toll went to the Romans, the rest was creamed off as profit. So I imagine Jesus handing over a coin to pay for the right to travel, and taking the opportunity for a quick word with the tax collector as he does so. "Follow me and be my disciple."

What, and leave all this money?

So what did make Levi get up? We've seen the fishermen leave their nets behind, now we see Levi leave his money behind. There's something, something magnetic in Jesus' words, or in his actions or his demeanour that doesn't come across in Luke's plain telling of the story. Something caused them to reach a snap decision that their old life was worth nothing compared to this new life of uncertainty and adventure, stepping out into the unknown, with a homeless preacher as their guide. And for Levi, to have people who loathed him and spat at him as his new companions.

At least Levi gave them a good send off. He throws a party for Jesus and his disciples, at which they come in for heavy criticism from the religious thought police: "Why do you eat and drink with such scum?"

If there's one group of people that look like they're immune to Jesus' attraction, it's the scribes and pharisees. Jesus' reply to them illustrates the gulf: he sees himself as a doctor, associating with the sick They see themselves as righteous, keeping the distance from sinners. They don't want to catch anything off these people.

But Jesus wants the "scum" to catch something off him. Health, salvation, redemption. Words like that. Words which mean destroying the status quo.