Lenton Bible Reading: Week 1, Wednesday

During the season of Lent, I am attempting to follow a Bible reading plan and offer reflection on the Scripture text.  Today's reading is from Tuesday in the first full week of Lent.  (And while this is the first posting of the series, the actual start of Lent was last Wednesday.  I am going to try to work my way back to the start of the reading plan as well as move forward towards Resurrection Sunday.)  I welcome feedback.  What are these Scriptures saying to you?

 

Luke 15:11-32

Common English Bible (CEB)

 ¹¹ Jesus said, “A certain man had two sons. ¹² The younger son said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the inheritance.’ Then the father divided his estate between them. ¹³ Soon afterward, the younger son gathered everything together and took a trip to a land far away. There, he wasted his wealth through extravagant living.
 ¹⁴ “When he had used up his resources, a severe food shortage arose in that country and he began to be in need. ¹⁵ He hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs. ¹⁶ He longed to eat his fill from what the pigs ate, but no one gave him anything. ¹⁷ When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired hands have more than enough food, but I’m starving to death! ¹⁸ I will get up and go to my father, and say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. ¹⁹ I no longer deserve to be called your son. Take me on as one of your hired hands.” ’ ²⁰ So he got up and went to his father.

   “While he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was moved with compassion. His father ran to him, hugged him, and kissed him. ²¹ Then his son said, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I no longer deserve to be called your son.’ ²² But the father said to his servants, ‘Quickly, bring out the best robe and put it on him! Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet! ²³ Fetch the fattened calf and slaughter it. We must celebrate with feasting ²⁴ because this son of mine was dead and has come back to life! He was lost and is found!’ And they began to celebrate.
 ²⁵ “Now his older son was in the field. Coming in from the field, he approached the house and heard music and dancing. ²⁶ He called one of the servants and asked what was going on. ²⁷ The servant replied, ‘Your brother has arrived, and your father has slaughtered the fattened calf because he received his son back safe and sound.’ ²⁸ Then the older son was furious and didn’t want to enter in, but his father came out and begged him. ²⁹ He answered his father, ‘Look, I’ve served you all these years, and I never disobeyed your instruction. Yet you’ve never given me as much as a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. ³⁰ But when this son of yours returned, after gobbling up your estate on prostitutes, you slaughtered the fattened calf for him.’ ³¹ Then his father said, ‘Son, you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. ³² But we had to celebrate and be glad because this brother of yours was dead and is alive. He was lost and is found.’”

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OK, yesterday's story was not one of my favorites.  But today's story is definitely in my top 5 all-time best stories of Jesus!

I can remember listening to a preacher speak on this text when I was an older elementary-age student, probably like 10 or 11 years old.  I really identified with the younger son's desire to get away.  I grew up with great parents, but part of what made them great was how much they cared to set appropriate boundaries for me.  At that time, there was something about those boundaries that chafed me. (What, exactly, it was I can no longer remember).  In the first part of the story, as the son says, "Dad, I'm outta here!", I wanted to be able to say the same thing!  The preacher really talked up that part of the story - how the son had big ideas, thought life was something he could handle on his own, and the fun of independent living.  No more rules, restrictions, or responsibilities.  As a 10 year old, I firmly agreed.

But then the preacher moved on, and suddenly the son's experience didn't sound so good.  Pig slop?!  He's eating (or at least WANTS to eat) pig slop?  My own stomach began to churn unpleasantly.  Now the preacher described the fallout from bad choices.  Responsibility is not something to avoid but something to cherish.  Living in a family means allowing the needs of the family to restrict one's desires.  The benefits far outweigh the costs.  Started making me rethink how I viewed taking out the trash and washing dishes, doing homework, etc.

The preacher went on to talk about how the son had blown it so bad, he didn't think he could recover.  But even so, he saw that life at home - no matter how it looked - had to be better than what he had happening away from home.  And so he came back to Dad, but expected the lowliest possible position. I began to be glad that I hadn't actually tried to run away.  My life was going to be better than the younger son's life, because my dad wouldn't have to make me a servant.

When the dad saw the younger son and welcomed him, honored him, and threw a party for him, I was surprised.  Kind of like the older brother.  I could relate to his outrage.  That's not fair!  Look at what this kid did!  And now you're celebrating him rather than berating him? (actually not sure I knew "berating" as a 10-year-old, but work with me...)

I transferred my sympathies from the younger brother to the older brother.  And, I reasoned, I AM the older brother in my family, and I think I'd be just as upset if my little brother did this kind of stuff and Dad welcomed him back like that...

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

Flash forward to today, and in many cases my own personal/family story parallels Jesus' story about these two brothers and their father more closely than I might like.  I ended up in pastoral ministry, my brother at one point was halfway around the world in the Navy.  I've stayed pretty close to the upbringing in Christ I received from my parents, while my brother has traveled a more circuitous faith journey and made some decisions with major life-altering consequences.  Not sure whether or not he was ever reduced to "pig slop", but I can imagine at times he came pretty close.  But Dad still loves us both.

Holy God, thank you for loving me and my brother so much that you welcome both of us into your loving arms. Thank you for giving me an earthly father who has tried to reflect his Heavenly Father in how he has treated me.  May the legacy of being a father to my own children be blessed by you and transferred to yet another generation as my kids grow up and become independent adults themselves.  I pray this in Jesus' name.  Amen.


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Lenten Bible Reading: Week 1, Tuesday

During the season of Lent, I am attempting to follow a Bible reading plan and offer reflection on the Scripture text.  Today's reading is from Tuesday in the first full week of Lent.  (And while this is the first posting of the series, the actual start of Lent was last Wednesday.  I am going to try to work my way back to the start of the reading plan as well as move forward towards Resurrection Sunday.)  I welcome feedback.  What are these Scriptures saying to you?

Matthew 18:21-35

Common English Bible (CEB)

Parable of the unforgiving servant

 ²¹ Then Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, how many times should I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Should I forgive as many as seven times?”  ²² Jesus said, “Not just seven times, but rather as many as seventy-seven times.  

²³ Therefore the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. ²⁴ When he began to settle accounts, they brought to him a servant who owed him ten thousand bags of gold.   ²⁵ Because the servant didn’t have enough to pay it back, the master ordered that he should be sold, along with his wife and children and everything he had, and that the proceeds should be used as payment. ²⁶ But the servant fell down, kneeled before him, and said, ‘Please, be patient with me, and I’ll pay you back.’ ²⁷ The master had compassion on that servant, released him, and forgave the loan.
 

 ²⁸ “When that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him one hundred coins. He grabbed him around the throat and said, ‘Pay me back what you owe me.’
 ²⁹ “Then his fellow servant fell down and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I’ll pay you back.’ ³⁰ But he refused. Instead, he threw him into prison until he paid back his debt.
 ³¹ “When his fellow servants saw what happened, they were deeply offended. They came and told their master all that happened. ³² His master called the first servant and said, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you appealed to me. ³³ Shouldn’t you also have mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had mercy on you?’ ³⁴ His master was furious and handed him over to the guard responsible for punishing prisoners, until he had paid the whole debt.
 ³⁵ “My heavenly Father will also do the same to you if you don’t forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”

____________________________

I have to confess something: this is NOT one of my favorite stories told by Jesus.  First off, the servant is an idiot!  He has squandered his master's resources - not just a little bit, but a lot!  The Common English Bible translates the amount owed as ten thousand bags of gold.  That's a pretty nebulous figure.  How big are the bags?  How much weight is in each bag?  Some commentaries that I've read on this passage talk about the amount owed being the equivalent of the entire gross domestic product of a country like Ecuador or Guatemala.  Granted, those are rather small nations, but this is ONE DUDE wasting the economic output of a whole country!  So ... this servant is an idiot for squandering those resources!

 

But this servant is an idiot for an entirely different reason: he begs for mercy from the master, gets that mercy, then goes out and grabs a fellow servant who owes him something along the lines of $4000.  I don't know about you, but for me, $4 grand is a significant sum.  So its understandable that he wants it back.  But the way that he goes about getting it - what cold, calculating, heartless, and calloused behavior by a person who's just been forgiven an unimaginable debt!  So ... this servant is an idiot for demanding repayment!

 

And this servant is an idiot for another reason: he made his demands on his fellow servant out in front of everybody else!  Perhaps he thought the public humiliation would increase the chances of the other guy coughing up the dough.  But the second guy doesn't have the ability to repay.  He begs for mercy - out in front of everyone - and reveals how desperate he is for another chance.  All this done in the midst of the public square.  If the first servant thought he was getting public opinion on his side, then his plan backfired - in a big way!  To think that bullying would garner respect, and perhaps power based on fear, makes this guy a triple idiot! 

 

He's a total loser!  Out of control!  He deserves all the punishment the master hands down on him at the end.  Good riddance!  Whew ... now I can relax...

 

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                                                      ..................     ...........  .........  ........   ...

 

Wait a minute...   Who is this first servant?  What does he represent in Jesus' story?  Hmmm ... he might just represent me!  Ouch!!  Yes, I've been a triple idiot.  I've taken the great gift of mercy given to me by my Heavenly Father and turned around and blasted someone else who asked for mercy from me. 

Holy God, Jesus nailed me in this story.  Maybe, if I'm totally honest... that's why this story makes me so uncomfortable.  I owe a debt I cannot pay; Jesus paid a debt he did not owe.  And somehow in the busyness of life - even as a pastor (!) - I can forget that.  Thank you for the reminder today that there's an expectation of response from me in accepting your grace.  Continue challenging me, and pushing me into greater expressions of mercy, so that I continue to be humble, willing to be changed, and ultimately transformed into the likeness of Jesus himself.  I pray this in his name.  Amen.


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A BIble Reading and Reflection Plan for Lent

During this season of Lent, I'm embarking on a journey to read and reflect daily on Scripture and post those reflections to this blog. The reading plan comes courtesy of www.firmfoundation.org.  My prayer is that this exercise will not just be something that I do to be busy, or to show off, or any other self-centered expression, but rather that throughout this time, God will do something in me, with me and through me that transforms my head, heart and hands towards holiness.  I welcome you to join me and share your own thoughts and responses to these texts.

Prelude Week
Lord God, by Your Word, Fill Me with Your Life-Giving Spirit
Ash Wednesday: Luke 4:1-13
Thursday: Romans 8:1-17
Friday: Galatians 5:16-26
Saturday: Ephesians 4:17-24


Week 1
Lord God, by Your Word, Fill Me with a Spirit of Repentance and Forgiveness
Sunday: Psalm 51
Monday: Matthew 6:5-15
Tuesday: Matthew 18:21-35
Wednesday: Luke 15:11-32
Thursday: Ephesians 4:25—5:2
Friday: 1 John 1:5-10
Saturday: Psalm 130

Week 2
Lord God, by Your Word, Fill Me with a Spirit of Hope and Trust
Sunday: Genesis 12:1-9
Monday: Genesis 22:1-19
Tuesday: Isaiah 51:1-16
Wednesday: Luke 12:22-34
Thursday: Romans 4:13-25
Friday: Hebrews 6:13-20
Saturday: Psalm 62

Week 3
Lord God, by Your Word, Fill Me with a Spirit of Gratitude and Thanksgiving
Sunday: Luke 17:11-19
Monday: 2 Corinthians 9:1-15
Tuesday: Ephesians 5:6-20
Wednesday: Philippians 4:1-9
Thursday: Colossians 3:1-17
Friday: 1 Chronicles 16:7-36
Saturday: Psalm 103

Week 4
Lord God, by Your Word, Fill Me with a Spirit of Love and Servanthood
Sunday: Matthew 23:1-12
Monday: Mark 10:35-45
Tuesday: John 15:1-17
Wednesday: Romans 12:9-21
Thursday: Romans 13:8-14
Friday: 1 Corinthians 13:1-13
Saturday: 1 John 4:7-21

Week 5
Lord God, by Your Word, Fill Me with a Spirit of Discipleship and Commitment
Sunday: Luke 5:1-11
Monday: Luke 9:22-27
Tuesday: Matthew 10:16-33
Wednesday: Matthew 10:34-42
Thursday: John 15:18-27
Friday: 2 Timothy 2:1-13
Saturday: 2 Timothy 3:10-17

Week 6
Lord God, by Your Word, Fill Me with a Spirit of Obedience and Humility
Sunday: John 13:1-20
Monday: Philippians 2:1-11
Tuesday: Psalm 22
Wednesday: Isaiah 52:13—53:12
Thursday: Luke 22:39-71
Friday: Luke 23:1-56
Saturday: Hebrews 4:14—5:10

Lenten Bible Reading: Week 1, Monday

During the season of Lent, I am attempting to follow a Bible reading plan and offer reflection on the Scripture text.  Today's reading is from Monday in the first full week of Lent.  (And while this is the first posting of the series, the actual start of Lent was last Wednesday.  I am going to try to work my way back to the start of the reading plan as well as move forward towards Resurrection Sunday.)  I welcome feedback.  What are these Scriptures saying to you?

 

Matthew 6:5-15

Common English Bible (CEB)

Showy prayer

 ⁵ “When you pray, don’t be like hypocrites. They love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners so that people will see them. I assure you, that’s the only reward they’ll get. ⁶ But when you pray, go to your room, shut the door, and pray to your Father who is present in that secret place. Your Father who sees what you do in secret will reward you.

Proper prayer

 ⁷ “When you pray, don’t pour out a flood of empty words, as the Gentiles do. They think that by saying many words they’ll be heard. ⁸ Don’t be like them, because your Father knows what you need before you ask. ⁹ Pray like this:

     Our Father who is in heaven,
uphold the holiness of your name.
¹⁰ Bring in your kingdom
so that your will is done on earth as it’s done in heaven.
¹¹ Give us the bread we need for today.
¹² Forgive us for the ways we have wronged you,
just as we also forgive those who have wronged us.
¹³ And don’t lead us into temptation,
but rescue us from the evil one.
 ¹⁴ “If you forgive others their sins, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. ¹⁵ But if you don’t forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your sins.

____________________________

Prayer is a major part of the Lenten experience, and this is a nice reminder of how to (and how not to) pray.  I think we can make two equal but opposite blunders when it comes to prayer.  We either err on the side of making it "too big" or of making it "too little."  In this teaching, Jesus is showing us how to avoid both mistakes.

The "too big" approach is what the hypocrites do.  They get into the big words, the flowing gestures, the proper vocal inflections, etc.  I've seen some folk pray like this.  They get into lots of "thee's" and "thou's" and "wherewith" and polysyllabic words.  Sometimes these prayers are downright impressive as I listen to them, but yet they remain semantically null.  Or to put it into plain English: they don't say a lot!


The other "too big" approach that Jesus warns against is the repetition prayer.  This is when a person says something again and again and again and again and ...       An often unconscious expression of this type of prayer is when we say "Lord, we just ..."  As in "Lord, we just ask you to be with us right now.  We just want to know you're present in a mighty and powerful way.  Lord, we just need you, and we just want you to know that we need you..."


A four-year-old once asked who Lord Wejuss was because he heard people saying that name so much in their prayers!


But there's also a "too little" approach to prayer.  This happens when we don't take prayers seriously.  We make prayer a "by the way" or perfunctory sentence or two before digging into the mashed potatoes.  


Jesus' model prayer offers the balanced prayer - the one that's "just right!".  It both acknowledges the greatness of God and the intimacy of God.  It is grounded in simplicity, and yet contains some incredibly profound concepts.  It moves us from the grandeur of heaven to the mundane-ness of ordinary daily life.

It's no wonder we so often take this "Lord's Prayer" and make it the centerpiece of the prayer experience in worship.  But unfortunately, this very familiarity of the prayer can make it become more rote ritual than real prayer.  Our challenge, then, is to keep praying this prayer and mean what it says each time we pray it.  Reflect on it.  Remember it.  Apply it.


I think its the application of the prayer that Jesus had in mind when he transitioned from prayer to forgiveness.  Yes, pray that God forgive you for your wrongdoing, but be sure that you're applying that forgiveness principle yourself!  We so easily get caught up in rationalizing away the need to forgive someone.  "They didn't ask for it"  "They don't deserve it"  "They hurt me too much"  "I forgave them before and they didn't change"


But Jesus doesn't leave us wiggle room on this.  If you want your Heavenly Father to forgive you, then you (and I) MUST forgive others!  This is a reverse-conditional phrase.  What that means is that God's forgiveness isn't conditioned by our forgiveness, but rather that our forgiveness derives from God's forgiveness.  God's forgiving is the primary action, and our forgiving is the secondary response.  And if we want to experience God's forgiveness, then we must respond to that forgiveness by forgiving others.

Holy God, as I pray, may my prayers honor your name - who you are and what you stand for.  And may your holiness descend upon me so that I can become a better witness for you.  Show me the ones whom I need to forgive, and show me the ones from whom I need to ask for forgiveness.  And may this be done daily, so that I continue to be humble, willing to be changed, and ultimately transformed into the likeness of Jesus himself.  I pray this in his name.  Amen.


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