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Thursday, January 03, 2008
On the Sabbath...
If you believe that Jesus violated the Sabbath, then with what company does that put you? Didn't the Pharisees also vehemently make this claim? ... Hhmmm ....
Lawlessness -- Good or Bad?
“City sidewalks, busy sidewalks, dressed in holiday style, –
In the air, there’s a feeling of Christmas –
Children laughing, people passing, meeting smile after smile,
And on every street corner, you hear … Silver Bells….”
It’s a Currier-&-Ives or Thomas Kinkade sort of town. Not a Norman Rockwell sort of town – no cops, no stop signs, no lists of rules anywhere, no law books, … because there’s no need of them. Everybody does what they’re supposed to do. Everything’s beautiful… until …
One day, a guy takes a cobblestone from Kinkade’s cottage, takes his brother into a field, and bashes his head. The snow of perfect texture and temperature is now blood-red around the fallen body. This throws the town for a loop. Nothing is done to the murderer … because there is no precedent, no law, no authority with which the townsfolk might bring about justice. The murderer still enjoys his wonderful life in this wonderful community.
But obviously something must be done to discourage such behavior. So the townsfolk come up with their first law: “Whoso sheddeth man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed.” (Gen. 9:6) Of course, many of the folk don’t need the law written on paper because it is already written on their hearts (Jeremiah 31:31-34). It is a part of their divine nature, you might say; goodness just flows out of them, that is, out of their hearts where the good, divine law resides. As Christ put it, “from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts,” desires, and actions: “All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.” (Mark 7:21-23). The law written on paper or stone then serves as a witness against the defiled ones, showing them the nature of God, “so that they are without excuse” when they do “that which is against nature” (Romans 1:20, 26).
Perhaps this will help us begin to understand how “that the law is good, if a man use it lawfully; knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers …, whoremongers, …, menstealers, liars, …” and so on – I Timothy 1:8-11.
In the air, there’s a feeling of Christmas –
Children laughing, people passing, meeting smile after smile,
And on every street corner, you hear … Silver Bells….”
It’s a Currier-&-Ives or Thomas Kinkade sort of town. Not a Norman Rockwell sort of town – no cops, no stop signs, no lists of rules anywhere, no law books, … because there’s no need of them. Everybody does what they’re supposed to do. Everything’s beautiful… until …
One day, a guy takes a cobblestone from Kinkade’s cottage, takes his brother into a field, and bashes his head. The snow of perfect texture and temperature is now blood-red around the fallen body. This throws the town for a loop. Nothing is done to the murderer … because there is no precedent, no law, no authority with which the townsfolk might bring about justice. The murderer still enjoys his wonderful life in this wonderful community.
But obviously something must be done to discourage such behavior. So the townsfolk come up with their first law: “Whoso sheddeth man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed.” (Gen. 9:6) Of course, many of the folk don’t need the law written on paper because it is already written on their hearts (Jeremiah 31:31-34). It is a part of their divine nature, you might say; goodness just flows out of them, that is, out of their hearts where the good, divine law resides. As Christ put it, “from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts,” desires, and actions: “All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.” (Mark 7:21-23). The law written on paper or stone then serves as a witness against the defiled ones, showing them the nature of God, “so that they are without excuse” when they do “that which is against nature” (Romans 1:20, 26).
Perhaps this will help us begin to understand how “that the law is good, if a man use it lawfully; knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers …, whoremongers, …, menstealers, liars, …” and so on – I Timothy 1:8-11.
Twist and Shout
“Twist and Shout!” There used to be a good bit of that in some of the churches with which I was familiar as a child – twistin’ the Scriptures and shoutin’ for 1-2 hours. There may not be quite as much shoutin’ nowadays, but some of ‘em are still “doin’ the twist.”
Ya know how it goes … yer standin’ at the edge of a cliff, prayin’, “Lord, Yer Word says that You’ll give Yer angels charge over me, to bear me up, lest I go dashin’ my foot against a stone, and if I’m abidin’ in Christ, then what applies to Him applies to me, right? So now I’m claimin’ Yer Word and trustin’ in them mighty angels to bear me up – all fer Yer glory! – as I throw myself down off this here rocky cliff. … And I, uh, … I …, I praise Ya now fer what Yer gonna’ do. And I …, I …, well, huh, I think I fergot to leave a tract for that waitress back at the donut shop. I’d better go take care o’ that first.” Y’all know how it is …; I’m sure y’all can relate ….
But now wait! That does sound just a mite bit familiar …. Oh, yes; now I remember: Jesus Christ was faced with a similar temptation, wasn’t He? But what was it He said? Oh, that’s right – “It is also written, …,” Matthew 4:7. He didn’t say, “Yeah, right, Satan, like I’m gonna fall for that.” He didn’t directly accuse the Accuser of taking the verse out of context. Christ didn’t even deny the verse’s application to Himself. He refused to apply one Scriptural passage in such a way that would require express disobedience to another passage.
Sadly, many church members’ perspective of balance is too much like that drunk, of which Martin Luther speaks, who, upon falling off the left side of a horse, climbs back atop the horse with the determination to achieve balance by, next time, falling off the right side of the horse.
Ya know how it goes … yer standin’ at the edge of a cliff, prayin’, “Lord, Yer Word says that You’ll give Yer angels charge over me, to bear me up, lest I go dashin’ my foot against a stone, and if I’m abidin’ in Christ, then what applies to Him applies to me, right? So now I’m claimin’ Yer Word and trustin’ in them mighty angels to bear me up – all fer Yer glory! – as I throw myself down off this here rocky cliff. … And I, uh, … I …, I praise Ya now fer what Yer gonna’ do. And I …, I …, well, huh, I think I fergot to leave a tract for that waitress back at the donut shop. I’d better go take care o’ that first.” Y’all know how it is …; I’m sure y’all can relate ….
But now wait! That does sound just a mite bit familiar …. Oh, yes; now I remember: Jesus Christ was faced with a similar temptation, wasn’t He? But what was it He said? Oh, that’s right – “It is also written, …,” Matthew 4:7. He didn’t say, “Yeah, right, Satan, like I’m gonna fall for that.” He didn’t directly accuse the Accuser of taking the verse out of context. Christ didn’t even deny the verse’s application to Himself. He refused to apply one Scriptural passage in such a way that would require express disobedience to another passage.
Sadly, many church members’ perspective of balance is too much like that drunk, of which Martin Luther speaks, who, upon falling off the left side of a horse, climbs back atop the horse with the determination to achieve balance by, next time, falling off the right side of the horse.
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