Ok, folks. Katherine tells me that people at the Wednesday night Bible study said they read this blog. Why aren't you leaving comments? I have very little formal theology in my education, so this is mostly my ramblings and how I understand the Bible. I don't devalue that. I consider myself an educated person with a sincere desire to serve God, but I'm sure most if not all of you are in the same camp. So what do you think? Anything that I didn't mention that you want to focus on? Do you disagree with something I said? Let's make this a conversation.
Ok...off my soap box.
The story of Jacob and his cousin/wives and their servant girls and all the "going in to know" them kind of skeezes me out. I know it's how things were done back then. I see the fulfillment of God's promise to make Abraham's descendants as numerous as the starts, but I'm not exactly sure what else I should take away from this story. It's wildly entertaining. I think it would make a great plot for a primetime soap opera. Especially all the stuff about the spotted goats. Laban hides the spotted goats so Jacob can't have any. Jacob puts striped poles in front of the breeding goats so he can have striped baby goats to take. That's fun stuff. But what does it mean? Here's where I need help. I just don't get it.
I haven't often commented on the Psalms, but I really like today's. It's fitting, I think, for our times. The psalmist laments the rich and powerful who prey on the weak and defenseless:
"Their eyes stealthily watch for the helpless;I've always mistrusted rich people. I love the verse about it being easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a wealthy person to enter heaven. That might be sour grapes, but I honestly don't see any wildly wealthy person who didn't achieve their money through some crooked means. In this Psalm, at any rate, the psalmist calls to God for help. He even affirms that God knows of the evils of man and will punish the wicked. I find it quite interesting that the wicked can be spotted because they "renounce God". If someone truly accepts God, they will not be wicked. God knows all.
they lurk in secret like a lion in its covert;
they lurk that they may seize the poor;
they seize the poor and drag them off in their net."
"But you do see! Indeed you note trouble and grief,In Matthew we see the exact powers Jesus gives his disciples. They are charged with a list of tasks:
that you may take it into your hands;
the helpless commit themselves to you;
you have been the helper of the orphan."
- Stay with the people of Israel
- Proclaim the Good News--God's kingdom is near.
- Cure the sick and raise the dead
- Don't accept payment for these tasks
- Bless those who are good.
- Shake off those who are wicked.
Interesting. I think that as disciples of Christ we must be called to a similar list. I think we can take the first task in context. Jesus tells the disciples they are sheep going into a pack of wolves. Perhaps the command to stay away from the Gentiles comes from him wishing for their safety. I think for us that translates into a fatherly "be careful" warning. We're supposed to tell people about Jesus, minister to the sick and grieving, and not expect anything in return for this. Selfless giving.
There's also a great sense of urgency in this call. Jesus tells his disciples that "you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes." I know that early Christians expected Jesus' return to happen immediately. They would be shocked, no doubt, to know that in 2012 we're still waiting. I guess for God, time isn't a big thing. He's got infinite time. 2,012 years is just a drop in the bucket. I've heard several people at Emmanuel Church say, "Jesus is coming. Everyone look busy." It's one of those funny phrases that always gets a chuckle. The really funny part, though, is that it's true. Jesus commands us to light a fire under our butts and get to work. We should take that seriously.
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