One of the most fascinating characters in the Bible is this corrupt businessman Zacchaeus.
He's unlikely - He's wealthy, and this puts him in rather a small group of Jesus' followers.
Strange, really, that he appears in Luke - Luke tends to be very critical of the rich in general, if one is to look at the book overall. But as we can see here, that's not the whole story.
Why is it that Jesus chooses to spend time with Zacchaeus?
Firstly, let's examine a little background. He's a tax collector. For us, a tax collector is simply a job; perhaps an unpleasant job, but you'd seldom bear anyone any malice for doing it. But Zacchaeus (called Zac from now on!) was in a different situation. In the Roman system of the day, tax collectors were private citizens who had put out a tender for how much the province could produce; the best bid won the contract. Once the contract had been won, the successful bidder had the army placed at his disposal so the money could be extracted, and the tax collector was required to fulfil his bid (whatever means became necessary). In effect, Zac had become a government-sponsored extortionist.
No wonder he was hated!
So what is it that puts him in the category of people Jesus is interested in hanging out with?
Throughout the book, we see a variety of unfortunate types. Probably the main feature they all have in common is a deep understanding of their own unworthiness before Jesus. This is striking simply because it's the difference between (say,) the Pharisee and the tax collector in Jesus' story!
True, Zacchaeus wasn't in the normal demographic Jesus hung around. But he was definitely reaching a low point.
How do we know?
Well, the tree is a clue. He was desperate enough to climb the tree so that he could catch a glimpse of the teacher. Ever considered how desperate that must be? He was acting like a fanboy!
Not surprisingly, this culminated in raised eybrows. Jesus and Zac were a bit of an odd couple. The short tax collector and the (probably) tall teacher did't seem to be a match.
Yet salvation came to Zac's place. Why?
I think the key to pleasing God is sipmply to show faith in Him. What you do to show faith depends, but in Zac's case, he was willing to give whatever was asked of him - and then some.
16 May 2012
10 May 2012
Luke 18: 15 - 43
So here we see Jesus dealing with three entirely different situations.
Is there a link? They happen to be together.
Maybe they were just chronologically close. Maybe they were in the same place.
Maybe there's some other reason; let's look closer.
First there is the story beloved by all parents - Jesus blessing the children. "Let the children come to me." The main point here is simple - the only thing a child can offer is simple faith; but that is enough for Jesus.
We have the Rich Young Ruler (as he's called in many Bibles). One dramatisation of this story suggested that this very person was Mark, the writer of the Gospel. Perhaps. We have no real evidence to say so, however, so maybe that's just wishful thinking.
Whoever he was, we need to understand something about him - to people around, he was the epitome of moral uprightness.
Now, to us in this post-Christian world, this can seem a little shocking - after all, the "arrogant rich" have become a trope among Christians (albeit a trope with which we see a disturbing amount of similarity - often we wonder if WE are the rich people that get called "arrogant" in the Bible!). But to the people listening to Jesus, this man was someone who looked good. Riches were a mark of God's blessing to Pharisees (hence their reputation, seen in chapter 16, as "money-obsessed"), so it LOOKED to them like this man had it made.
So when Jesus asks "Do you have any idea how difficult it is for people who have it all to enter God's Kingdom?" we can get some idea of the thought bomb he's dropping. This was an amazing concept. This is like questioning Mother Theresa's spirituality! It's like saying that "Billy Graham is heading to Hell." It's like declaring the Archbishop of Canterbury a heretic (actually, more shocking than that, since Sydney Anglicans do that regularly!).
You can see that in the shocked response. "Who has any chance at all?"
And here we have Jesus bringing it home. His point is not a sly dig at the rich, at least not by themselves. He's saying "The best you can do is not enough." He's demonstrating that the source of salvation is not one's goodness (as seen by the world) but one's willingness to trust God. It comes back to simple faith.
Finally we have the blind man. The blind man just calls out "Jesus! Son of David! Have mercy on me!".
Now, the Disciples are a little annoyed. Jesus is talking to them about some pretty heavy stuff. He's laying down the heavy prophecies about being handed over to the Romans and executed; you'd think that that was important enough to ignore some hairy old beggar!
But that's not how Jesus works. Once again, He's a sucker for simple faith. The man has faith that Jesus can fix things; simple faith, and faith that won't be denied. So ultimately Jesus DOESN'T deny it. He heals the man instantly.
I am a complicated person, and I desperately want things to be complicated between me and God. It gives me an excuse, an out. But this passage indicates that complexity is getting things wrong. Jesus doesn't want complexity; He wants simple, child like faith. That's the way we can please Him. No matter whether you're a child, a beggar or a rich ruler, we all come to Him on exactly the same terms - His terms.
Is there a link? They happen to be together.
Maybe they were just chronologically close. Maybe they were in the same place.
Maybe there's some other reason; let's look closer.
First there is the story beloved by all parents - Jesus blessing the children. "Let the children come to me." The main point here is simple - the only thing a child can offer is simple faith; but that is enough for Jesus.
We have the Rich Young Ruler (as he's called in many Bibles). One dramatisation of this story suggested that this very person was Mark, the writer of the Gospel. Perhaps. We have no real evidence to say so, however, so maybe that's just wishful thinking.
Whoever he was, we need to understand something about him - to people around, he was the epitome of moral uprightness.
Now, to us in this post-Christian world, this can seem a little shocking - after all, the "arrogant rich" have become a trope among Christians (albeit a trope with which we see a disturbing amount of similarity - often we wonder if WE are the rich people that get called "arrogant" in the Bible!). But to the people listening to Jesus, this man was someone who looked good. Riches were a mark of God's blessing to Pharisees (hence their reputation, seen in chapter 16, as "money-obsessed"), so it LOOKED to them like this man had it made.
So when Jesus asks "Do you have any idea how difficult it is for people who have it all to enter God's Kingdom?" we can get some idea of the thought bomb he's dropping. This was an amazing concept. This is like questioning Mother Theresa's spirituality! It's like saying that "Billy Graham is heading to Hell." It's like declaring the Archbishop of Canterbury a heretic (actually, more shocking than that, since Sydney Anglicans do that regularly!).
You can see that in the shocked response. "Who has any chance at all?"
And here we have Jesus bringing it home. His point is not a sly dig at the rich, at least not by themselves. He's saying "The best you can do is not enough." He's demonstrating that the source of salvation is not one's goodness (as seen by the world) but one's willingness to trust God. It comes back to simple faith.
Finally we have the blind man. The blind man just calls out "Jesus! Son of David! Have mercy on me!".
Now, the Disciples are a little annoyed. Jesus is talking to them about some pretty heavy stuff. He's laying down the heavy prophecies about being handed over to the Romans and executed; you'd think that that was important enough to ignore some hairy old beggar!
But that's not how Jesus works. Once again, He's a sucker for simple faith. The man has faith that Jesus can fix things; simple faith, and faith that won't be denied. So ultimately Jesus DOESN'T deny it. He heals the man instantly.
I am a complicated person, and I desperately want things to be complicated between me and God. It gives me an excuse, an out. But this passage indicates that complexity is getting things wrong. Jesus doesn't want complexity; He wants simple, child like faith. That's the way we can please Him. No matter whether you're a child, a beggar or a rich ruler, we all come to Him on exactly the same terms - His terms.
09 May 2012
Luke 18: 1 - 14
Again it's a long chapter (Luke 18), so again I'll split it. However, I'll split it a little differently to the way that some Bibles do - as far as I can see, the natural split is after verse 14. Jesus has just told a couple of parables, and we then move into a few stories. So for tonight we'll look at the parables.
The first parable is an interesting one. It's the parable of the persistent widow. Now, for many of us this will need little or no introduction - the story of a woman who keeps bothering an uninterested judge until he finally settles her case.
This story is probably too familiar. We lose the sense of scandal it conveyed to its early readers.
Scandal? That a judge would be so uncaring (of God and of people)? No - scandalous that a woman can be treated as having legal rights!
Remember, this is in the first century AD. A woman usually obtained access to legal systems through her principal male relative (in Greek, her "Kurios" - Lord!), who would usually be her father or her husband (or maybe her son). But this woman is a widow, and has nobody to go in to bat for her. So she tries to deal with the case herself.
What is the point of this situation?
It's a nice one, actually. The odds are stacked against her. She's a woman (no rights), a widow (no advocate to fight for her) and the judge has no compassion or spirituality. On paper, she's got nothing. But in fact she DOES have one thing - persistence.
The point of the parable is that even if the odds are stacked against you, persistence can pay off. Now, Jesus then brings up the fact that God actually cares about you - He's NOT an uncaring judge! - to contrast this situation.
THis does lead to an interesting question - how does persistence work with God? Doesn't He already know everything? How come someone praying over and over again achieves something?
A hard one, that. Worth thinking about some more (and praying persistently!).
Second parable: the Tax man and the Pharisee. One pround, one humble. One knowing the law and yet not doing it; the other not knowing the law, yet following it to the best of his ability.
The key to understanding this is understanding that God isn't interested in our ability to know and understand all the rituals. Oh, God is okay with ritual that's done from a loving and pure heart; but ultimately, if He was to choose, He would pick someone with the right heart attitude any day.
God isn't like we often think of Him, sitting there wanting to ensure we're all in the right club. He works by Grace. Oh, I believe that we Christians have been privileged to receive a special revelation of God; but even so, God is ultimately most interested in where our hearts are at.
One day we may be surprised at whom we meet in glory . . .
The first parable is an interesting one. It's the parable of the persistent widow. Now, for many of us this will need little or no introduction - the story of a woman who keeps bothering an uninterested judge until he finally settles her case.
This story is probably too familiar. We lose the sense of scandal it conveyed to its early readers.
Scandal? That a judge would be so uncaring (of God and of people)? No - scandalous that a woman can be treated as having legal rights!
Remember, this is in the first century AD. A woman usually obtained access to legal systems through her principal male relative (in Greek, her "Kurios" - Lord!), who would usually be her father or her husband (or maybe her son). But this woman is a widow, and has nobody to go in to bat for her. So she tries to deal with the case herself.
What is the point of this situation?
It's a nice one, actually. The odds are stacked against her. She's a woman (no rights), a widow (no advocate to fight for her) and the judge has no compassion or spirituality. On paper, she's got nothing. But in fact she DOES have one thing - persistence.
The point of the parable is that even if the odds are stacked against you, persistence can pay off. Now, Jesus then brings up the fact that God actually cares about you - He's NOT an uncaring judge! - to contrast this situation.
THis does lead to an interesting question - how does persistence work with God? Doesn't He already know everything? How come someone praying over and over again achieves something?
A hard one, that. Worth thinking about some more (and praying persistently!).
Second parable: the Tax man and the Pharisee. One pround, one humble. One knowing the law and yet not doing it; the other not knowing the law, yet following it to the best of his ability.
The key to understanding this is understanding that God isn't interested in our ability to know and understand all the rituals. Oh, God is okay with ritual that's done from a loving and pure heart; but ultimately, if He was to choose, He would pick someone with the right heart attitude any day.
God isn't like we often think of Him, sitting there wanting to ensure we're all in the right club. He works by Grace. Oh, I believe that we Christians have been privileged to receive a special revelation of God; but even so, God is ultimately most interested in where our hearts are at.
One day we may be surprised at whom we meet in glory . . .
08 May 2012
Luke 17:20 - 37
In Luke 17:20 - 37, Jesus becomes a little bit mystical and a little cryptic. This is annoying for people like me who are trying to make sense of what He says!
Jesus is in the middle of a grilling by the Pharisees, and (perhaps not surprisingly, because this is pretty much His Modus Operandi!), He turns it around into an attack on His questioners.
Here He seems to struggle a little bit. Not with any issue of understanding; more a linguistic issue. Basically He's saying "The Kingdom of God isn't what you seem to be expecting!"
In fact, He is waxing more than a little apocalyptic really.
The big deal about what Jesus is saying is simple enough - There is a day coming when all this wil be coming to an end. BE READY.
There was a fad for end times prophecy a few years back; even though my experience of life is fairly limited, I'm coming quickly to the conclusion that this is just one of those things that people do, and Christians aren't immune. After a while, it ran its course (though the "Left Behind" books are still very much available!) and people moved on to the next trend.
I sometimes wonder if in our enthusiasm not to be seen as freaks by the outside world[1], we've lost something important. Christians throughout the History of the world have been ridiculed, lampooned even, for our willingness to believe in an end time; Scientists look at the universe and say "It just goes on."
Yet we are told in NO UNCERTAIN TERMS - the end is coming, and we are to be ready for it.
How do we prepare ourselves for an end which may not come in our lifetimes?
I think the best answer to this question must go to Martin Luther. When asked what he would do if he were aware that the Lord would be returning tomorrow, he thought a moment and consulted his diary.
Then he replied "I'd plant a row of petunias."
The questioner was puzzled. What significance did these flowers have? Were they some kind of symbol? Some sort of message to the world left behind?
But when quizzed further, Luther just smiled. "That's what I'm planning to do tomorrow. I always live my life in such a way as to be ready for the Lord's return, even if it is tomorrow."
To me that's the greatest thing that a Christian could ever say - Living Life prepared for the Lord's coming. I wonder how many of us could say that with any degree of honesty . . .
[1] And here, it must be said, Christians could do with a bit less freakiness. The Gospel makes us unusual, true - there are some values and attitudes that are simply incomprehensible to the World. However, a lot of our freakiness comes from our culture, and we need to be continually on our guard to ensure that we don't just do things because we've always done them . . .
07 May 2012
Luke 17: 1-19
There's a lot happening in Luke 17, so I'll split it up into two sections - firstly, 1 - 19, then 20 - 37.
But really that doesn't help much - even within those sections, Jesus is tackling a lot of different issues, and the topic isn't really constant.
As an historian, I think I'd look at these chapters as sort of a "collection of sayings" rather than a coherent sermon.
What about as a theologian though?
Well, let's see - verses 1-2 is about the bringing of temptations to "these little ones" (in other gospels identified as children), and the definite preferability of certain situations, vis-a-vis exploring the depths of the sea wearing millstone jewellery.
Verses 3 - 4 are about forgiveness, and how it should ALWAYS be given to the penitent.
Verses 5 & 6 are about faith, and how it's not the amount that matters, but the object of faith.
Verses 7 - 10 tell us about how a servant doesn't get special rewards just for doing their bounden duty and service.
Verses 11 - 13 talk about the 10 lepers, including one - a samaritan - who takes the time to say "Thank you" to Jesus after He heals them.
Okay, so how do you link all these up?
I'm not entirely sure. Maybe I'm drawing a long bow here, and maybe they're not supposed to be joined together. But maybe there IS something buried into this passage.
Here's a wild stab in the dark - do you notice how ALL these sayings and actions of Jesus are extremely countercultural?
Our world is one that basically says "Bad things happen, and you can't do anything about it." But in the Kingdom of God there will be true justice - it's coming.
Our world says "Get revenge." But in the Kingdom of God there is freely given forgiveness.
If it cares about faith at all, our world says "You need lots." But in the Kingdom of God, a small amount of faith in a powerful object can go into the Earthmoving business.
Our world says you should be congratulated for just being a nice guy. In the Kingdom of God, however, good works are just what EVERYONE does - nothing more, nothing less. No special honour for you if you just do that!
And our world doesn't really care about certain people. In Jesus' day it was the lepers and the prostitutes. Today it might still be prostitutes; maybe AIDS patients or refugees might top the list. But the Kingdom of God is for those people.
Oh, and while we're at it - the one man who returns to say "Thank you" is singled out more than many other people in the New Testament.
Need any more hints? This guy MATTERS to Jesus. His contemporary equivalent had better matter to us!
But really that doesn't help much - even within those sections, Jesus is tackling a lot of different issues, and the topic isn't really constant.
As an historian, I think I'd look at these chapters as sort of a "collection of sayings" rather than a coherent sermon.
What about as a theologian though?
Well, let's see - verses 1-2 is about the bringing of temptations to "these little ones" (in other gospels identified as children), and the definite preferability of certain situations, vis-a-vis exploring the depths of the sea wearing millstone jewellery.
Verses 3 - 4 are about forgiveness, and how it should ALWAYS be given to the penitent.
Verses 5 & 6 are about faith, and how it's not the amount that matters, but the object of faith.
Verses 7 - 10 tell us about how a servant doesn't get special rewards just for doing their bounden duty and service.
Verses 11 - 13 talk about the 10 lepers, including one - a samaritan - who takes the time to say "Thank you" to Jesus after He heals them.
Okay, so how do you link all these up?
I'm not entirely sure. Maybe I'm drawing a long bow here, and maybe they're not supposed to be joined together. But maybe there IS something buried into this passage.
Here's a wild stab in the dark - do you notice how ALL these sayings and actions of Jesus are extremely countercultural?
Our world is one that basically says "Bad things happen, and you can't do anything about it." But in the Kingdom of God there will be true justice - it's coming.
Our world says "Get revenge." But in the Kingdom of God there is freely given forgiveness.
If it cares about faith at all, our world says "You need lots." But in the Kingdom of God, a small amount of faith in a powerful object can go into the Earthmoving business.
Our world says you should be congratulated for just being a nice guy. In the Kingdom of God, however, good works are just what EVERYONE does - nothing more, nothing less. No special honour for you if you just do that!
And our world doesn't really care about certain people. In Jesus' day it was the lepers and the prostitutes. Today it might still be prostitutes; maybe AIDS patients or refugees might top the list. But the Kingdom of God is for those people.
Oh, and while we're at it - the one man who returns to say "Thank you" is singled out more than many other people in the New Testament.
Need any more hints? This guy MATTERS to Jesus. His contemporary equivalent had better matter to us!
06 May 2012
Luke 16
So it's a little more than a night after my last attempt to write this particular blog . . .
Well, it's time I got back into it!
I have always found the story of the Crooked Manager ("Shrewd Manager" was what it was called in my older versions of the Bible) a little puzzling. I mean, what is Jesus actually trying to get us to do? Is He wanting us to actually copy the actions of the manager? Surely not. But then the manager's master PRAISES HIM, for acting "shrewdly". What gives?
The old saying says "A text out of context is a pretext." Well, here's a pretty good demonstration of that fact - this parable comes into focus when you read the text after it.
Verses 10 - 13 talk about how our attitudes are fairly consistent - if we have a certain attitude in one part of our life, it'll flow over to other parts. So an attitude of love of money is a major problem, because "One cannot serve two masters".
But more than this, Jesus wants us to apply the shrewdness of the manager to our lives, without the obsessions with money and position. Basically the message is "If the people you see around you can be this clever with the things of this world, why can't you be that clever with doing what is right?
Jesus is really coming down hard on the rich here. This is possibly due to the fact that his opponents for the moment, the Pharisees, are described in verse 14 as "Money-obsessed" (MSG). Now, as I have pointed out in my blogs before, in his approach to theology, Jesus was very much a Pharisee; however, he tears strips off them.
Why do that?
Why attack the people who are closest to your views?
I'm not sure why, but I think it might be as simple as this - they, of all people, should have known better.
As far as Jesus was concerned, their theology was pretty much on the money (hur hur hur). They had the right idea of how to serve God, the right idea about what the significance of the resurrection was, they understood the idea that God could do the miraculous (people denying the miraculous is nothing new - see the Saducees!). On the surface, they looked good, smelt good.
However, their weak spot was becoming too comfortable with things of the world. Money. Power. Political influence.
And here Jesus tells his most damning story - that of the rich man and Lazarus.
Why is this story such a shock?
Remember that the Pharisees have a fairly early version of what we call today "Prosperity Doctrine" - that is, that wealth is a sign of God's favour. Therefore, the idea that the rich man goes to Hell and the poor man to Heaven is nothing less than a subversion of the entire Pharisee worldview! It's putting everything in reverse of what the Pharisees expect.
Two thousand years on, we're past those attitudes, right? Now we've got things all sorted out, right?
Heh. Not at all, and we know it. More than that, however, Jesus is still surprising us, still subverting our worldview.
Sadly, I think we're still resistant to change.
Pharisees, the lot of us. At least, I am.
Well, it's time I got back into it!
I have always found the story of the Crooked Manager ("Shrewd Manager" was what it was called in my older versions of the Bible) a little puzzling. I mean, what is Jesus actually trying to get us to do? Is He wanting us to actually copy the actions of the manager? Surely not. But then the manager's master PRAISES HIM, for acting "shrewdly". What gives?
The old saying says "A text out of context is a pretext." Well, here's a pretty good demonstration of that fact - this parable comes into focus when you read the text after it.
Verses 10 - 13 talk about how our attitudes are fairly consistent - if we have a certain attitude in one part of our life, it'll flow over to other parts. So an attitude of love of money is a major problem, because "One cannot serve two masters".
But more than this, Jesus wants us to apply the shrewdness of the manager to our lives, without the obsessions with money and position. Basically the message is "If the people you see around you can be this clever with the things of this world, why can't you be that clever with doing what is right?
Jesus is really coming down hard on the rich here. This is possibly due to the fact that his opponents for the moment, the Pharisees, are described in verse 14 as "Money-obsessed" (MSG). Now, as I have pointed out in my blogs before, in his approach to theology, Jesus was very much a Pharisee; however, he tears strips off them.
Why do that?
Why attack the people who are closest to your views?
I'm not sure why, but I think it might be as simple as this - they, of all people, should have known better.
As far as Jesus was concerned, their theology was pretty much on the money (hur hur hur). They had the right idea of how to serve God, the right idea about what the significance of the resurrection was, they understood the idea that God could do the miraculous (people denying the miraculous is nothing new - see the Saducees!). On the surface, they looked good, smelt good.
However, their weak spot was becoming too comfortable with things of the world. Money. Power. Political influence.
And here Jesus tells his most damning story - that of the rich man and Lazarus.
Why is this story such a shock?
Remember that the Pharisees have a fairly early version of what we call today "Prosperity Doctrine" - that is, that wealth is a sign of God's favour. Therefore, the idea that the rich man goes to Hell and the poor man to Heaven is nothing less than a subversion of the entire Pharisee worldview! It's putting everything in reverse of what the Pharisees expect.
Two thousand years on, we're past those attitudes, right? Now we've got things all sorted out, right?
Heh. Not at all, and we know it. More than that, however, Jesus is still surprising us, still subverting our worldview.
Sadly, I think we're still resistant to change.
Pharisees, the lot of us. At least, I am.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)