Aren’t you tired of people seeing a stand for God’s Holiness and calling it “Pharisee,” then seeing iniquity, and disobedience and calling it “grace?”

Isaiah 5:²⁰ Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!

People are quick to call you a “pharisee” if you desire to walk in holiness and obey God beyond the stage performance.

But let’s take a look at what our real king – Jesus Christ – said about the “Pharisee” problem. Will the real Pharisees please stand up?

(Hint: its the covetous actors.)
The leaven of the Pharisees is not Holiness. What is holiness?

Holiness is beautiful to God. Holiness is separation to his purpose and unto him alone. It’s sanctification. It helps start the dawning of a new powerful day in God’s Kingdom. Holiness is especially beautiful among youth

Psalms 110

³ Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power, in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning: thou hast the dew of thy youth.

The Leaven of the Pharisees is Hypocrisy and Covetousness

Pharisees are actors in real life who are excellent at making money for saying the word while not doing it.

Luke 12 In the mean time, when there were gathered together an innumerable multitude of people, insomuch that they trode one upon another, he began to say unto his disciples first of all, Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.

² For there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; neither hid, that shall not be known.

³ Therefore whatsoever ye have spoken in darkness shall be heard in the light; and that which ye have spoken in the ear in closets shall be proclaimed upon the housetops.

⁴ And I say unto you my friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do.

⁵ But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him.

Notice when Jesus chose to instruct HIS disciples to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees. It was when the crowd got so big that they started to trample one another. When the crowd got big the first and most important thing on Jesus heart was that His true disciples were wary of the temptation to become an actor like the Pharisees were. When crowds get big, that’s when wolves put their masks on. That’s when actors start to perform for cash instead of obey God.
The Pharisees thought that since they were good actors, God would keep their sin secret like some type of government or corporate organization would.

But Jesus said that there is nothing hidden that would not be revealed

Pharisees are also excellent at making money by doing things that look good on the outside to man but are abomination to God
Luke 16 ¹³ No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

¹⁴ And the Pharisees also, who were covetous, heard all these things: and they derided him.

¹⁵ And he said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.

The Pharisees were covetous and knew how to make themselves look good to men, but the things they did were an abomination to God.

Jesus is the instructions to his disciples regarding Pharisees was: to do exactly what they say because they are really good at saying the word. But He also said “Do NOT do what they do” because they are actors, they are faking it.

Pharisees do know certain parts of the Word, and it really does take a lot of talent, authority, and intelligence to be a really good hypocrite.

But according to Jesus Christ, the leaven of the Pharisees is hypocrisy, not holiness. Hypocrites are those who are good at saying the word but not doing it. They are talented actors. Jesus instructs HIS disciples to do what they say (of course if they can quote a couple scriptures), but NOT do what they do. Therefore you can choose to follow the actors that know how to say the right things while they spread corruption, OR you can follow Jesus. Pharisees are the ones who love to act the part but can’t bear their cross and obey God in holiness. Pharisees are not the ones that preach repentance and live holiness.

When you decide that you are smart enough to lead God’s people by talent instead of by example, you are a hypocrite and God starts the process to make an example out of you.

Matthew 23 Then spake Jesus to the multitude, and to his disciples,

² Saying The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat:

³ All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not.
Jesus requires his disciples to be good at doing it not just at saying it.

James 1

²² But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.

What is Leaven?

Leaven is the yeast that fills up the whole body like a yeast infection, or a piece of bread.

Pharisees don’t spread holiness or the gospel.
Pharisees spread hypocrisy and spread covetousness and the love of money

Hypocrisy and Covetousness is what they spread through the Body of Christ if you don’t beware.

A Pharisee is not the one who advocates for holiness and separation unto Gods purpose out of Love for Him.

A Pharisee is the one who preaches Holiness and separation from the world for five years and then does the opposite.

But didn’t Jesus eat with sinners?

Jesus ate with repenters. That’s why they came to eat with Jesus because they had actually repented from the sin. The Pharisees were the ones that called them sinners because of their social status not because of their fruits.

Read Luke 19, it was the Pharisees that called Zacchaeus a sinner… but Zacchaeus was the one who gave half his net worth to the poor in repentance and faith when he saw Jesus! He was not a sinner, he was a repenter, with real fruit of repentance in faith!

But what about evangelism?

Evangelism minus holiness is counterfeit evangelism.

Matthew 23¹⁵ Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.

You can travel all you want and spend money to reach an unbeliever, but if you are an actor, your disciples are double the child of hell than you. This is why talented actor/Pharisee based evangelism is useless.

Does holiness mean that you are mean and you can never associate with an unbeliever?

No. That’s ridiculous.
What it does mean is that you don’t follow you their ways you don’t do what they do and your ministry is set apart and separate from making covenants with unbelievers

The benefit of not being joined in partnership with unbelievers, and perfecting holiness in the fear of God, is a Father/Child relationship with God.

2 Corinthians 6

¹⁴ Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?

¹⁵ And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?

¹⁶ And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

¹⁷ Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you.

¹⁸ And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.
7 Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

When you think of fellowship, think of two people in the same boat, going the same direction, in the same ship, in the same team.

Holiness is being separate unto God from unbelievers, so that you can reach God, then reach unbelievers. If you compromise God’s obedience to reach unbelievers, you are a hypocrite and a Pharisee, and all your reaching people is utterly useless.

1. Lost Sheep (15:1-7)
2. Lost Coin (15:8-10)
3. Prodigal Son (15:11-32)
4. Unrighteous Steward (16:1-9)
5. Rich Man and Lazarus (16:19-31)

The Parable of the Unrighteous Steward is not to be read as an isolated snippet which is independent of these other four parables. There are, in fact, indicators within the parable itself as well as within the introductory and concluding remarks to the parable that link it to the parables which proceed and follow.

For instance, consider the relation between the Parable of the Unrighteous Steward and that of the Prodigal Son. The most obvious correspondence between the two is that both deal with someone who is in dire straights due to the “squandering” (15:13; 16:1) of someone’s possessions. Both of the unrighteous individuals recognize their desperate need, come to their senses, and then act in such a way as to make possible their preservation by the aid of another. Neither has to think long about their choice; their dire plight and personal impotency result in only one path leading to rescue. Rather than stubbornly and foolishly refusing to take that path, they quickly accept it and do what is necessary to walk down it.

Further, the connecting phrase between the Parable of the Unrighteous Steward and that of the Prodigal Son reveals that they are not disconnected. After recounting the Parable of the Prodigal Son, Luke begins his record of the Parable of the Unrighteous Steward with these words: “Now He was also saying…” (Elegen de kai). This phrase is used three other times in Luke (5:36; 12:54; 14:12), and in each case the phrase serves to continue a discourse but introduce a new type of speech (5:36, cf. “a parable”) or new target of the speech (12:54, “multitudes” from Peter [12:41]; 14:12, “the one who had invited Him” from “the invited guests” [14:7]). This is the case in Luke 16:1: Jesus had been talking to the grumbling Pharisees and scribes (15:2-3), but with the Parable of the Unrighteous Steward He is continuing His discourse but directing it instead to “the disciples” (16:1).

Also, consider the relation between the Parable of the Unrighteous Steward and that of the Rich Man and Lazarus. There is an explicit connection between the discourse following the former and the content of the latter: Jesus makes reference to “the Law and the Prophets” in explaining the Parable of the Unrighteous Steward (16:16-17), and the Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus twice mentions “Moses and the Prophets” (16:29, 31).

Further, as there was between the Prodigal Son and the Unrighteous Steward, there is a correspondence in subject matter between the Unrighteous Steward and the Rich Man and Lazarus. However, in this case, the stories are not similar but rather dissimilar. Though both parables deal with possessions, the former describes a person who wisely parts with possessions and thus finds favor from others once the possessions are no longer available; the latter, on the other hand, describes a person who foolishly refuses to part with his possessions and thus finds disfavor from others once the possessions are no longer available.

Before explaining the purpose of these three parables and their linkage, it is helpful to push back even further and note the connections between the first two parables (Lost Sheep and Lost Coin) and the third (Prodigal Son). This connection is very clear: As there is rejoicing when one lost sheep (15:6) or one lost coin (15:9) is found, so is there rejoicing when one of a father’s lost sons is found (15:22-24). Thus, the five parables are all linked together and meant to be read in the same context. But, what is the context?

All five of the parables are proceeded by Jesus’ challenge to the multitudes of people who were behind Him (14:25). Specifically, followers of Jesus must hate others (14:26) and themselves (14:27) to be His disciple (and by hate, Jesus is putting in strongest terms His requirement that they must love Him more than anyone; cf. Matthew 10:37-38). Jesus then illustrated to those same multitudes the need to consider carefully whether they could really afford to submit to His challenge (14:28-30) and also whether they could really afford not to submit to it (14:31-32). Finally, Jesus restates the challenge (14:33), but this time He focuses on the competition between Himself and possessions rather than that between Himself and others. To be His disciple, a follower of Jesus must part with all of His possessions; that is, [s]he must cherish Jesus high above all material goods. That is the context of the five parables of Luke 15-16; that is the lesson that hearers of the parables should be ready to hear (14:35).

And indeed, the tax gatherers and sinners drew near to do just that–to hear (15:1). When the Pharisees and scribes grumbled at this (15:2), Jesus told them the parables of the Lost Sheep (15:4-7) and Lost Coin (15:8-10) to demonstrate that His invitation to be His disciple was open to all, not just the religious elite. In fact, as gladness comes by finding a lost object, there is actually great joy when a sinner turns to the Lord. The Pharisees and scribes had no basis on which to exclude the tax collectors from Jesus’ invitation.

That is not all, though: not only are tax collectors eligible to be Jesus’ disciples, but it is actually possible that their status as cultural sinners might make their acceptance of Jesus’ invitation more likely. How is that possible? To explain that, Jesus tells the Parable of the Prodigal Son. Remember: the context is the requirement to give up all possessions in order to be Jesus’ disciple. A follower of Jesus must value Him above all material goods. In the Parable of the Prodigal Son, the behavior of the youngest son in squandering His father’s possessions is clearly unrighteous. However, that is not the end or focus of the parable. Rather, the parable addresses the question: who will be more easily trapped by a desire for goods in favor of a father’s love: a son whose eye is still on the possessions (15:29-30) or a son who is bankrupt and destitute (15:14-16)? The answer: it is easier to give up everything when you have nothing! Since Jesus’ requirement is to give up everything in favor of Him, it is wrong of the Pharisees to look down on “sinners” on the basis of their belief that they possess less of worth. Possessing less can actually serve as an expedient, not a detriment, when that which is possessed must be given up before beginning an endeavor (cf. the 400 followers of David in 1 Samuel 22:2 who were in distress, in debt, and discontented).

Jesus changes direction at this point. He has been correcting the Pharisees, but now He will illustrate to His disciples (16:1) the wisdom of submitting to His challenge regarding their possessions. It is at this point that He tells the Parable of the Unrighteous Steward, the point of which–as argued in the previous post–is to show the wisdom in giving away possessions that cannot be kept so as to make an impact that will be profitable long after the possessions are gone. Jesus is calling on those following Him to give up their possessions. Why shouldn’t they? They have been unfaithful, so it’s not like they will be entrusted with true riches (16:11) or allowed to keep their possessions (16:12) should they resist. They can either be a slave of God or money (16:13), the former being wise and leading to good things after death, the latter being pure folly (see below).

The Pharisees had this reversed, and it is interesting to note that part of what was clouding their ability to see was their love of money (16:14). In their opinion, it was pure folly to give away their possessions; in fact, their possessions where a sign of their wisdom and of favor from God. Jesus’ parable was wrong inasmuch as they were not to be categorized as unrighteous and thus would indeed be entrusted with true riches and allowed to keep their possessions. This, in fact, was primarily what was clouding their ability to see–they thought of themselves as faithful and not unrighteous (16:15a). However, they were wrong. They were detestable (16:15b), and their self justification would keep them from the gospel of the kingdom of God (16:16) and lead to their judgment on the basis of the Law of Moses (16:17), one notable area of guilt being their adultery (16:18).

It is at this point that Jesus tells one more parable, that of the Rich Man and Lazarus, in order to highlight the folly of the Pharisees (16:19-31). In this parable, the result of loving possessions more than Jesus is demonstrated. First, it is obvious that the rich man valued His “gaily living in splendor” (16:19) over Jesus, for Jesus would not have had him refuse mercy to one in such need so nearby (16:20-21). Second, it is clear that as the resources of the Unrighteous Steward were to fail (cf. 16:9), so the rich man’s resources failed him at death (16:23-25). Finally, it is clear that the rich man stored up no favor for himself by holding on to his possessions. Though Jesus said that friends in eternal dwellings could be made by giving away temporal wealth (16:9), the rich man failed to heed this counsel and had only a cold (ironic pun intended) welcome after death as a result (16:24-26). To finish off the section, Jesus noted the hardness of the Pharisees’ hearts and wills: He knew that despite the obvious wisdom in His words, they would not only refuse to heed Him but would actually kill Him. And then, they would still not believe even when He rose from the dead (16:27-31).

It is this understanding of the context in which the Parable of the Unrighteous Steward is found that provides the greatest validation, in my opinion, of the interpretation proposed. Again though, a clear understanding of the parable is not the end goal; being a willing and obedient listener who accepts the challenge of Jesus and acts in accordance with His words is my desire.

The parable to which the above quotations refer is that of the unrighteous steward in Luke 16:1-9:

Now He was also saying to the disciples, “There was a certain rich man who had a steward, and this steward was reported to him as squandering his possessions. “And he called him and said to him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your stewardship, for you can no longer be steward.’ “And the steward said to himself, ‘What shall I do, since my master is taking the stewardship away from me? I am not strong enough to dig; I am ashamed to beg. ‘I know what I shall do, so that when I am removed from the stewardship, they will receive me into their homes.’ “And he summoned each one of his master’s debtors, and he began saying to the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ “And he said, ‘A hundred measures of oil.’ And he said to him, ‘Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.’ “Then he said to another, ‘And how much do you owe?’ And he said, ‘A hundred measures of wheat.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and write eighty.’ “And his master praised the unrighteous steward because he had acted shrewdly; for the sons of this age are more shrewd in relation to their own kind than the sons of light. “And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by means of the mammon of unrighteousness; that when it fails, they may receive you into the eternal dwellings.

The issue which makes the above commentators declare this parable so problematic is the scope of the steward’s unrighteousness: was it limited to his initial squandering, or did it also include his acts of debt reduction? If the former is true, how do you explain as legitimate his seemingly dishonest plan executed just before his termination? If the latter is true, how do you explain that Jesus nevertheless commends his acts to His followers? Further, how do you explain the baffling assertion that the master–who stood to thus be adversely affected by the unrighteous plan–commends the steward? Answers to these questions appear to be the holy grail of understanding this parable based on the emphasis afforded to them in interpretations.

Answering these questions is not, however, the most significant task in understanding this parable. In fact, the disproportionate focus given to these questions has actually tended to obscure the crucial issue. There is a key assumption that many have in reading this parable that is unwarranted. Until that faulty assumption is challenged and replaced, the tension between the apparently unrighteous actions and obviously favorable commendations of the steward will remain, the above questions will continue to be debated, and the perceived difficulty in understanding the parable will persist.

The faulty assumption which underlies how this parable is often read is the thought that the purpose of the parable is to teach Jesus’ followers to be faithful in their use of money as stewards of God’s resources. This idea is based on Jesus’ explanation of the parable which begins in verse 10: “He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much; and he who is unrighteous in a very little thing is unrighteous also in much.” With this in mind, for instance, Ward writes in Understanding the Parable of the Unjust Steward:

Although our worldly resources will not last beyond this life, Jesus emphasizes that God has given us these resources in order to prepare us for greater responsibilities in the world to come (Luke 16:10-12). Let us then be wise stewards, managing what God has given us in a way that will honor our Master and prepare us for an eternal future in his Kingdom.

For those who hold to this idea, the unrighteous steward in the last days of his employment is the example of faithfulness. That is what makes the question of the scope of his unrighteousness such a hot topic. If his acts of debt reduction are not unrighteous, he can thus easily serve as both the type of faithfulness (in his latter days of employment) and the type of unrighteousness (in his early days of employment). If, on the other hand, his acts of debt reduction are also unrighteous, he can nevertheless with a little more difficulty serve as both the type of faithfulness (in the shrewdness or wisdom shown in his latter days of employment) and the type of unrighteousness. The choices are: either take the difficult task of explaining historically how the steward’s acts of debt reduction were just, and you can then easily show how he embodied the faithfulness desired by Jesus; or, take the easy task of explaining how the steward’s acts of debt reduction were unrighteous, but then you must also tackle the more difficult task of explaining how Jesus’ call to be “faithful” is embodied by the shrewd or wise acts of the steward (note in Ward’s quote above that he encourages us to be “wise” stewards and not “faithful” ones despite that being the key theme of Luke 16:10-12). Either way, though, you are left with a parable that still must be categorized as “notoriously difficult.”

But, all of this difficulty is occasioned by assuming that the steward in his latter days of employment in some way exemplifies faithfulness with material resources. That assumption must fall in order to easily understand the parable. The steward is unrighteous; that is his role in the parable. When Jesus then contrasts faithfulness and unrighteousness in a very little thing (i.e., material resources, money; Luke 16:10), the steward only exemplifies one who has been unrighteous in a very little thing. In fact, this must be the case: one person cannot serve as both the example of faithfulness and unrighteousness, for it is not possible for one person to both be (as one who was faithful) and not be (as one who was unrighteous) entrusted with true riches (16:11) and given that which is his own (16:12). One or the other must be true.

This begs the question: who then exemplifies faithfulness in a very little thing? The answer: no one! That is the point of the parable. It is not a parable calling on Jesus’ followers to be faithful instead of unrighteous in their use of material resources so that they can inherit a blessing; rather, it is a parable calling on Jesus’ followers to recognize that as those who have unrighteously stewarded God’s material resources, the only wise thing to do is part with their material resources. The assumption that needs to be brought to the parable is that all of Jesus’ followers fall into the camp of the unrighteous steward. They have been called to account, and they will soon no longer be able to steward God’s resources (16:2). In other words, their death is coming, and at that time their material resources will fail them (16:9). If a son of this age can see the wisdom in distributing resources that will soon no longer be available to him in order to make friends that will last through his termination, can’t a son of light recognize the same (16:8-9)?

This helps explain the master’s commendation of the unrighteous steward in 16:8: The master is praising the steward for his shrewdness (“because he had acted shrewdly”) in doing the only thing that made sense given his upcoming termination. He is clearly not praising the steward for faithfulness. If that were the case, he would have been willing once again to entrust him with further possessions (cf. 16:11-12). The unrighteous steward is still out of a job; however, he at least showed some wisdom on the way out.

This also makes sense of Jesus’ words at the conclusion of the parable. The principle is: faithfulness in little means one can be trusted with more; unrighteousness in little means one cannot be trusted with more (16:10). Significantly, Jesus only elaborates on the latter part of this principle (16:11-12). He doesn’t add: “If therefore you have been faithful in the use of unrighteous mammon, won’t one entrust the true riches to you? And if you have been faithful in the use of that which is another’s, won’t someone give you that which is your own?” He doesn’t add this because that is not the point He has been making. The point He has been making is that His followers’ unrighteousness in the use of God’s resources means they are disqualified from getting their own. And, since they are disqualified from getting their own and indeed are going to be losing access to what they currently have, they should be willing to give up those current possessions now with a view towards later having at least something, even if it is someone else’s something. This is the wise course of action, and the only thing that would keep one from following it would be a foolish love of the possessions themselves (16:13). One who loves money will vehemently deny the diagnosis of unrighteousness, reject the notion that they will be separated from their beloved possessions, and hate one who suggests otherwise.

The most important validation of this interpretation, however, is the context in which this parable is found. My next post will discuss how this parable relates to those surrounding it. In the meantime, I will be asking myself the following questions:

1. Am I willing to confess that I have been unfaithful with the resources entrusted to me by God?
2. Am I willing to embrace the certain fact that these same resources will soon be taken away from me?
3. Am I willing to take the only wise course of action and give up my possessions now to meet needs around me?

In my opinion, these questions are much more difficult than the interpretation of the parable.

Proponents of “life in death”, which is to say, those who believe that mankind don’t really die in their mortal deaths, but live on in spiritual form, having consciousness before the resurrection of the dead, often use Luke 16:19-31, the parable of Lazarus and the rich man, and Revelation 6:9-11, the vision of the saints under the altar, as evidence for their position, since these are really the only texts of the Bible possible for them to twist to their favor.

I don’t see how you can reconcile the 5th seal symbolic vision with the parable of Lazarus, without making either, or both, symbolical. In one case, the saintly dead are in the bosom of Abraham, with a nice view to their relatives being tortured in a Catholic hell-world not far from them, and in the other case, they’re all under a gigantic altar in heaven I guess. (Try visualizing it…) You have to abandon one of them as regards literal interpretation. So then you have to justify abandoning one to symbolization and keeping the other literal. So, is the 5th seal going to be the literal one, or the parable of Lazarus ?

In plainer language, which one is true, the 5th seal vision or the parable of Lazarus ?
Which one is literal, and which is symbolical ?
Are they both symbolical, and if so, what, if any, parts of them are literal, and how can you tell ?

~~ Abel Zechariah,  9 September 2012

Yeah, pretty impossible to stop. That’s how sinners are when they are filled with lust.

And then when they are done, they wipe their mouth off and say they didn’t do anything wrong at all. This is how we all were when we were sinners.

This is the way of an adulterous woman: She eats and wipes her mouth, And says, “I have done no wrong.” Proverbs 30:20

Then when their punishment comes, they front like they would have not done wrong if they had been warned.

²⁵ But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.

²⁶ And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.

²⁷ Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father’s house:

²⁸ For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment.

Luke 16

The rich man is being tormented for his sin… he also has the nerve to essentially tell Abraham that his brothers are the same as him, and if they are warned, they won’t be sent to hell in torment. Implying that he wasn’t warned, he didn’t know.

²⁹ Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.

³⁰ And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent.

³¹ And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.

Luke 16

In this parable which is told by Jesus Christ, Abraham basically tells the rich man “you were warned, you just ignored it.” The rich man was trying to put the responsibility for his sin on the lack of communication or warning. But God was telling him that the message was loud and clear, and his lack of obedience put him in hell.

James 1
14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.

15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.

Comfort now means Torment later.

Know what this old formula was once used for?  A hint is to think of the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the word “faithful.”  Another hint is given with the picture.  Now read on for the explanation.

This simple formula was once used to predict the next eruption of Old Faithful, the famous geyser in Yellowstone National Park.  Contrary to most perceptions, Old Faithful does not give out its blasts in precise time intervals such as 60 or 90 minutes.  Rather, its faithfulness comes from the generally predictive way it behaves, with the length of the last eruption being one of the best indicators of how long it will be before the next.  The “I” in the formula stands for “Interval,” which was the predicted time between the last blast and the next coming one.  The “D” stands for “Duration” and was the length of how long the last spouting of the geyser lasted.   For instance, if an eruption lasted two minutes, then substituting 2 in for the D in the formula gave I = 10 + 30(2) = 70, meaning the next time Old Faithful would erupt would be 70 minutes.  With an earthquake in the Yellowstone area in the 1980′s changing things and further correlation observations made, newer formulas have been derived that are much more complicated.  (Side note: If you have the time, you can even watch Old Faithful live here.)

Generally when we think on the idea of faithfulness, as we have this week with a group of young people doing a service project here at the church, words such as “reliable,” “dependable,” and “predictable” come to mind.  In one of Jesus’ most famous sayings from the gospels, we hear His “formula” for faithfulness:

He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much;

and he who is unrighteous in a very little things is unrighteous also in much.

Luke 16:10

Based on this verse, I gave the young people the following as a Biblical way to think about faithfulness:

Whereas your faithfulness as a disciple is ultimately grounded on your faith in the trustworthiness of the Lord, your faithfulness also ultimately indicates the trustworthiness the Lord has in you.

Faithfulness follows faith.  Just as in a geyser the unseen magma and pressure below ground heat the water so that it shoots forth with an observable spray, so the unseen heart of faith in Christ will lead the disciple to display faithfulness in his daily living.  Jesus also tells us here that the opposite of faithfulness is unrighteousness, which is the condition of those without faith in Him.

The test for faithfulness can be seen in what one might call “the very little principle” of this verse.  How one does with a small stewardship or responsibility entrusted to him shows how he will handle a larger one.  Note the present tense in the verse: the one being faithful in a very little thing is faithful in much and, conversely, if one is unrighteous in little he is already showing he is unrighteous in much.  In the immediate context of Luke 16:10, the  Lord had just told the parable of the unrighteous steward who, after being found out for embezzlement by the owner, quickly went to the owner’s indebted trade partners and gave them cut-rate deals.  Knowing that the owner would not be able to renege on a deal done by one others would still be associating as his representative, the steward did this to give him ready-made places to go after being canned.  Even the owner thought him extremely shrewd!  Jesus then used the story to help us see that we should be equally as clever in using “the very little thing” of our earthly goods to influence people for His kingdom and to invest in eternity.

This “very little principle” can be used all the time, in such places as parenting, coaching, teaching or  ministry.  Personally, I give a child I’m raising, a player I’m coaching, or someone I am counseling a small assignment, and then watch and see what he does.  For instance, a child who gets to the age to want to drive one of my vehicles by himself has to demonstrate more than adequate driving skills.  He also has had to show faithfulness to follow through with lesser, related responsibilities where independence is called for and trust is needed before the privilege of solo driving is extended to him.  This works in the negative direction as well.  In counseling, I recall meeting with a couple where a husband had been unfaithful to his wife.  She was willing to forgive but not sure she could trust him.  Wanting him to regain trust and exercise spiritual service, I gave him an assignment to read the Scriptures for 5-10 minutes with his wife each day then pray together.  They both agreed to do this.  Yet in several subsequent meetings he reported failure and gave excuses.  This lead to his wife’s increasing distrust and to an ultimatum from me to either follow through or forego more counseling.  When the next meeting showed yet once again he had not done the assignment, I told him we would no longer meet.  Sadly, years later I met him and found that he was divorced from his wife, estranged from his children, and very confused.

Given this test, we can see that one grows in faithfulness by practice.  In his book Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell shows that one of the secrets behind high achievers is the “10,000 Hours” rule.  Be it concert pianists or successful business men like Steve Jobs, behind their success, which many of us might attribute to mere natural ability, was the fact that they had put in over 10,000 hours of practice or training.  10,000 hours is about 416 days of time, more than a year’s worth! To grow in faithfulness and to be entrusted with more responsibility,  people need to practice and practice with small, unseen tasks. The Lord had men like Moses and David tending sheep for years before He called them to be shepherds of His people.  He chose men with a lifetime of training as fishermen to be fishers of men.

One of the most dramatic events in last week’s Olympics came when U.S. diver David Boudia had a bad night in the qualifying round.  With only the top 18 divers moving on to the finals, Boudia, three times the NCAA Diver of the Year, barely made it by just getting the last spot.  Yet in the medal round, he shone and in his final dive received the highest score given by the judges throughout the Olympics.  His accumulated points gave him the gold.  In speaking about the bronze and silver medal finishers, Boudia said, “Tom Daily dove the lights out.  Qiu Bo dove the lights out.”  Then speaking of himself, Boudia, who puts in  30 hours a week in training, said, “I only did what I do in practice.”

Right now you are practicing your faith.  What would an evaluation of the little tasks and small stewardship given to you reveal about your faithfulness?  Do not neglect and certainly do not despise small tasks and tiny responsibilities given to you.  They are already revealing how well you would handle greater responsibility and, indeed, how heaven-ready you are.   For in another parable about servants being given money and responsibility, the commendation found there summarizes it well: “Well done, good slave, because you have been faithful in a very little thing, you are to be in authority over ten cities” (Luke 19:17).

I have this obsession with teeth, or maybe it’s smiles…? But I just loooove healthy teeth and the practices it takes to acquire and maintain a healthy mouth (i.e. brushing teeth after meals, flossing daily, mouthwash, etc.). Working in a dental office probably  furthered this obsession haha. So when I walk out of the dental office after a cleaning, that is when I am the most cautious about my teeth. I don’t want to drink anything but water; I don’t want to eat anything that might stain them; I don’t want to chew gum or even eat sugary things (my flavorite!). After a cleaning, I commit to flossing and brushing after every meal with no exceptions–a discipline that I am happy to strive to maintain, because I know the worth of executing these disciplines (maintaining the fresh “new” mouth that I have just gotten again!) is so clear to me and vivid in my mind.

Sadly, the desire to continue to carry out this simple discipline of flossing regularly is not always steady. Sometimes, I can be very committed still, but as time goes on the frequency of flossing fluctuates. It’s funny, because not only do I know it’s what I need to do to maintain the appearance that I want, I KNOW the all-the-more important health risks that come with failing to floss; I even told my small group about it and made them floss themselves! Yet I fail to be consistent with it on a daily basis. Pretty hypocritical, I’d say.

Flossing is like prayer. It’s a discipline that we know, as Christians, we absolutely need for our spiritual well-being. We can go a day without flossing just like we can go a day without prayer…or even reading the Word. The short-term effects may not seem detrimental at all; I mean, it’s just a day right? It’s just a week right? No big deal. It won’t make that much of a difference, and I can make it up tomorrow. This is the mindset that I’ve found myself in at times for both of these disciplines, and honestly it sucks and is an extremely dangerous place to be. The purposes of prayer that were once clear and vivid become nebulous due to the attractions of the world. It really affects us, whether we realize it or not. I know from experience the awesome feeling of a clean, healthy mouth. More than this, I know that THERE IS NOTHING LIKE communion with God in prayer. Communion with our God: that is all He wants. He wants that with us because He knows that is what will bring US the most joy. It’s for US! Just like my dentist tells me to floss daily; it is not for her sake that she wants me to continue to floss, it is for MY sake. Prayer and repentance that draws from God’s grace is what makes us new again. …every.single.day. Praise God, seriously. We constantly need to be renewed. So our desire to pray, as well as how much we actually pray may fluctuate, but may we always remember that prayer is a discipline that we must execute with consistency and in humility, knowing that without prayer we are powerless; knowing that there is nothing like communion with the Lord; knowing that if we are faithful with little, He will put us in charge of plenty (Luke 16:10); knowing that there is no sweeter place to be than in the presence of our God.

Recommitting. 

⁸ “But cowards, unbelievers, the corrupt, murderers, the immoral, those who practice witchcraft, idol worshipers, and all liars—their fate is in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.” Revelation 21:6-8, New Living Translation

Heaven isn’t for everyone.  This glorious place that far exceeds our most elaborate thoughts of grandeur is available to all but not everyone will choose wisely.  Some knowingly reject Christ while others never accept Him as Savior and Lord, which is rejection by default.  Everyone won’t make it to heaven.  The alternative destination is void of peace, hope, joy, or any other good thing provided by God.  Despite what we presume to calm our hearts and minds, not every loved one who has passed on is currently singing praises to the Lord of glory.  With that being said, let’s ask ourselves: what if graves could talk?

Whether in heaven or hell, there has to be lots to say.  Those whom have gained entrance into the pearly gates are ecstatic to see the fulfillment of their hope.  A life of righteousness is never in vain for God is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.  The inhabitants of heaven have countless reasons to be non-stop praisers.  Surely their words to the believers on earth would be “keep pressing forward”, ”be steadfast, unmovable”, “persevere by faith.”  They know for certain that which we know by faith: it’s worth it; living a life of dedication to the Gospel of Jesus Christ is absolutely, positively worth it.  The eternal hope that awaits us should erase any doubt we have in regards to living a life of holiness and submission to God.  [Sidenote: I must add that it is His Spirit at work in us that makes it do-able.  When life seems too hard to bear, you're relying too much on your own strength]  Yes, there are nothing but good things coming from the mouths of those in heaven.  But what about hell?

²² “Finally, the poor man died and was carried by the angels to be with Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried, ²³ and his soul went to the place of the dead. There, in torment, he saw Abraham in the far distance with Lazarus at his side. ²⁴ “The rich man shouted, ‘Father Abraham, have some pity! Send Lazarus over here to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue. I am in anguish in these flames.’ ²⁵ “But Abraham said to him, ‘Son, remember that during your lifetime you had everything you wanted, and Lazarus had nothing. So now he is here being comforted, and you are in anguish. ²⁶ And besides, there is a great chasm separating us. No one can cross over to you from here, and no one can cross over to us from there.’ ²⁷ “Then the rich man said, ‘Please, Father Abraham, at least send him to my father’s home. ²⁸ For I have five brothers, and I want him to warn them so they don’t end up in this place of torment.’ ²⁹ “But Abraham said, ‘Moses and the prophets have warned them. Your brothers can read what they wrote.’ ³⁰ “The rich man replied, ‘No, Father Abraham! But if someone is sent to them from the dead, then they will repent of their sins and turn to God. ’³¹ “But Abraham said, ‘If they won’t listen to Moses and the prophets, they won’t listen even if someone rises from the dead.’” Luke 16:22-21

Aside from physical pain and eternal separation from God, I would think one of the most torturous things about being in hell would be knowing that you could have chosen differently.  Imagine recalling every altar call you ignored or remembering the times when you decided something else was more important than attending church.  How upsetting would it be for your mind to constantly replay each time God’s grace offered another chance and you took it for granted?  If graves could talk, those in hell would gather all the strength they could muster up to warn those they love.  Stay away from here!  Jesus is the Truth!  Loving Him is  a matter of obedience!

But graves can’t talk.  Fortunately, the Word can and does speak.  It is alive and real and current.  Cultural changes come and go but the Word of God stands tried and true forever.  We don’t need some dead person forewarning us of what is to come.  The Bible does just that.  Graves don’t need to talk.  The Bible speaks to all who will listen.  Will you hear?

Carl was in a heated discussion with a lower-classman from Central Bible College. I was watching from a near distance – waiting for an opportunity to cut in, since I am no good at the small talk that entails to starting a debate as such. From what I understood, I could only tell a couple things about Carl: that he was a deist, and he was a little tipsy.

So I found an opportunity to enter the conversation as I realized the freshman was entering a stage of dumb-founded-ness by what Carl was saying. I could not let this half-drunk “know-it-all” show my God up! So I used some apologetic word trickery (nothing like Jedi mind tricks, yet a little conniving to do to a drunk man – though he was a very intelligent inebriated person) and got him to get to a place where he didn’t have an answer.

“Why would an ‘impersonal god’ make relational beings?”

It was as though Carl never thought of this question before. I stood there, waiting for Carl to decide what he wanted to say, how he wanted to answer, and then the unthinkable happened… he changed the subject.

I always thought if someone was shown the truth, that they would see this truth, and in turn, accept. But this night it didn’t happen. Carl changed the subject, made a phone call, and got a ride out of there within the next five minutes. I really wasn’t being offensive. Before that, he was the hostile one towards the poor freshman. And here I was wondering how someone who seemed so logical could just ignore something so obvious right in front of their face. And then it hit me…

Carl didn’t want to believe in God, because then he would have to give God his life.

And Carl didn’t want to do that. He seemed pretty happy in his drunken stooper, in his fermented bliss of ignorance, because he didn’t want to give up control of his life. He wanted to remain coaxed by the hedonistic lifestyle he was living.

This story reminds me of a parable that Jesus told. There was a rich man who would walk by a poor beggar, Lazarus, every single day. When both men died, they both ended up in some existential abyss described only as “Abraham’s Bosom.” The rich man cried out to Lazarus and Abraham, who was at Lazarus’ side. The rich man begged to Abraham to send Lazarus so that he could return from the dead and warn the rich man’s family of the coming judgment. But Abraham said, “…. they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.”

One of the greatest gifts that God has given us is free will. And in the end, people will do what they want. You can have all the answers to their questions, show all the flaws in their arguments, but you can’t change a person’s mind. They can only do so, and that is itself only by the grace of God.

I think part of surrender is being able to accept that you don’t have control of everything. Let go of the burden that is holding you down. Whether it’s a loved one, a family member, or a co-worker – keep persevering – but know that God is ultimately the One who convicts hearts, and the only One that can lead one to repentance.

And all you can do is point people toward Him. They have to choose themselves to follow Him.

“He answered, ‘Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my family, for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’

“Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.’

” ‘No, father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’

“He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’ “

-Jesus telling a parable (Luke 16:27-31)

Wait, hold up Jesus—you’re telling me if a person literally saw a dead man in front of them, it wouldn’t convince them to change their ways? I mean, that seems pretty extreme and it sounds like it would work pretty well.

At least, that’s the way it seems…

But then if you think about it, people explain away the supernatural all the time now a’ days, just as I’m sure they found a way to do in Jesus’ time. Today we call people psychotic for having visions and try to check them into a mental hospital. We see people healed from an infirmity and so we turn to science and express the power of the brain over the body. We watch the Spirit knock people to the ground and send them into convulsions and we call it a seizure. We see people overcome with emotion and attribute it to a charismatic speaker. We see tons of people experience the same thing at the same place we refer to it as shared psychosis.

There are all kinds of variables when it comes to this stuff. Sometimes it’s God, and sometimes it’s people. Sometimes it’s supernatural and sometimes it’s science. But when the supernatural does happen, you’d be surprised how far we can go to try to disprove it.

I once accompanied a professor to Chicago where he taught a group of people about the power of the Holy Spirit and supernatural gifts. This was the first time I had seen a demon manifest. While at this event, a friend of mine on our ministry team told me about one of his own friends who had turned away from God after having seen all of this kind of stuff. He may have even experienced the Holy Spirit do supernatural things to him in more tangible ways than I had at that point, but for whatever reason, he turned away from God (or at least from the belief in God’s supernatural power and presence). Once you’ve been to the places where that man has been, you have to disprove a lot of your own experiences to disprove God.

Heck, I once saw probably a hundred people get slain in the Spirit in a fire tunnel in Alabama. Not only would I have to disprove my experience of watching that happen, but I’d also have to disprove every one of their own experiences!

I have learned how difficult it is to express the supernatural ways of God to many Christians (let alone nonbelievers). I’ve even learned how difficult it is to express the supernatural ways of God to people while I’ve been asleep, dreaming!

For example, when I was still dating my wife I dreamt that she, like Mary, had been made pregnant by the Holy Spirit. You can imagine that I suffered from a lot of emotion in this dream.

“WHO ON EARTH IS GOING TO BELIEVE THAT!?” I asked God as I could feel my entire life falling apart in the dream. I knew no one would ever believe that it was the Spirit that made her pregnant. They would blame me or someone else. Only she and I would know the truth that God had done a miracle. My parents wouldn’t believe me. My friends wouldn’t believe me. I’d no longer be able to go into ministry because people would think I had sinned and that I was a liar.

Again, this was a dream, but for a brief moment I felt the intense pain that Mary and Joseph must have felt. It was an amazing miracle, but no one believed. And furthermore, my life was greatly affected by it.

The reason this subject is really on my mind right now is because of another dream I had this morning. In it, I had commanded a dead man to come back to life and he did. It was an incredible miracle. He sat up slowly in his casket and looked at me. Only one other person saw it happen. He then got up and we left the building to go around town. It seemed at times that people who knew him saw him alive again and didn’t even think twice about it because they how impossible it was.

But despite this being an amazing miracle, I knew that when people noticed the body was gone I would be accused for being an organ harvester or something since I was the last one by the casket. Somehow my life was at stake for having raised the dead through the power of God. I would be imprisoned and science or logic would prove how the man was never actually dead and that the doctors and morticians who claimed him dead were being sued and fired. I knew there were going to be tests done to make sure that this was the same man who had died and not some kind of double. There would be blood tests taken and dental records matched.

This dream got weird real quick and despite how much of a miracle the dead man and I knew the situation to be, it only looked grim for me. I learned very quick that bringing the dead back to life is a lot more disruptive than you might think. Look at what happened to Jesus after he raised Lazarus from the dead:

So from that day on they plotted to take his life. Therefore Jesus no longer moved about publicly among the people of Judea. Instead he withdrew to a region near the wilderness, to a village called Ephraim, where he stayed with his disciples. (John 11:53-54)

You know, I’ve prayed many prayers trying to convince God that if He just did something supernaturally crazy, people would come to Christ. I’ve heard plenty of stories in which this has happened so when I pray for it, I hope He’ll respond in power. But to my surprise, Jesus has an interesting reply to my request:

“If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.”

I’m not saying don’t ask for miracles. I am saying, however, that God has many other ways of making Himself known: Moses, the prophets, and even you.

You are buried with Christ and made alive in His resurrection. You are the dead man who was raised again. You can be a walking miracle to others by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Above:  Lazarus and Dives

Numbers and Luke, Part III:  The Kingdom of God

WEDNESDAY, MAY8, 2013

THURSDAY, MAY 9, 2013

FRIDAY, MAY 10, 2013

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Blessed Lord, who caused all holy scriptures to be written for our learning:

Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them,

that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life,

which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ;

who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,

one God, for ever and ever.  Amen.

–The Book of Common Prayer (1979), page 236

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The Assigned Readings:

Numbers 10:11-36 (39th Day of Easter)

Numbers 11:1-23, 31-35 (40th Dayof Easter)

Numbers 11:24-29; 12:1-16 (41st Day of Easter)

Psalm 99 (Morning–39th Day of Easter)

Psalm 47 (Morning–40th Day of Easter)

Psalm 96 (Morning–41st Day of Easter)

Psalms 8 and 118 (Evening–39th Day of Easter)

Psalms 68 and 113 (Evening–40th Day of Easter)

Psalms 96 and 138 (Evening–41st Day of Easter)

Luke 16:19-31 (39th Day of Easter)

Luke 17:1-19 (40th Day of Easter)

Luke 17:20-37 (41st Day of Easter)

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Some Related Posts:

Numbers 10-12:

http://ordinarytimedevotions.wordpress.com/2011/01/17/week-of-proper-13-monday-year-1/

http://ordinarytimedevotions.wordpress.com/2011/10/25/proper-21-year-b/

http://ordinarytimedevotions.wordpress.com/2011/01/21/week-of-proper-13-tuesday-year-1/

Luke 16-17:

http://lenteaster.wordpress.com/2010/10/28/fourteenth-day-of-lent/

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Numbers 10:11-12:16 constitutes a unit in that book.  The narrative tells how the Israelites moved to the desert of Paran. they moved in a particular order but not without grumbling.  Manna could not compare with Egyptian food, apparently.  And even Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses.  The narrative says that God afflicted the people with fire or their murmuring until Moses convinced God to stop, and that God afflicted Miriam with a skin disease which rendered her ritually unclean for a week.

If I were to decide whether to stand in awe or terror of such a deity, I would choose the latter option.  That terror would also be appropriate in Luke 17:22-37.  And Dives, the rich man in the parable in Luke 16:19-31, should have learned terror of God in the afterlife, yet did not.  He still thought that the could order Lazarus, the poor man, around.

The Kingdom of God is among us.  In one sense it has always been present, for it is where God is.  Yet the Incarnation inaugurated the Kingdom of God via Jesus.  That Kingdom has not gone away since the time of the historical Jesus any more than it went away after the Crucifixion or the Ascension.  The full reign of God has yet to arrive on the planet, of course, but the Kingdom of God remains present via the Holy Spirit and the people of God, regardless of national, ethnic, or racial origin.

The Kingdom of God remains present in many ways.  It remains present anywhere the people of God work for the benefit of their fellow human beings.  It remains present anywhere one person corrects a fellow or sister human being in Godly love.  It remains present wherever people forgive and/or reconcile.  (Reconciliation is a mutual process, but one person can forgive another in absentia.)  It remains present wherever a person of God chooses not to hold a grudge.  It remains present wherever people of God care actively and effectively for the less fortunate.

May we remember that the shape of a society, culture, or subculture is what people have made it.  So, where injustice exists and persists, we humans are responsible.  May we, with God’s help, correct injustice and forge better societies, cultures, and subcultures.  This will not constitute God’s full reign following the apocalypse, but it will be an improvement on the present arrangements.

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

JUNE 20, 2012 COMMON ERA

THE FEAST OF SAINT BAIN OF FONTANELLE, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP, MONK, MISSIONARY, AND ABBOT

THE FEAST OF ONESIMUS NESIB, TRANSLATOR AND LUTHERAN MISSIONARY

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Other Devotions for These Days:

http://lenteaster.wordpress.com/2010/10/29/thirty-ninth-day-of-easter/

http://lenteaster.wordpress.com/2010/10/29/fortieth-day-of-easter-feast-of-the-ascension/

http://lenteaster.wordpress.com/2010/10/29/forty-first-day-of-easter/

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http://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2013/03/02/numbers-and-luke-part-iii-the-kingdom-of-god/

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Above:  The Unjust Steward

Numbers and Luke, Part II:  In It Together

TUESDAY, MAY 7, 2013

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Blessed Lord, who caused all holy scriptures to be written for our learning:

Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them,

that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life,

which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ;

who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,

one God, for ever and ever.  Amen.

–The Book of Common Prayer (1979), page 236

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The Assigned Readings:

Numbers 9:1-23

Psalm 98 (Morning)

Psalms 66 and 116 (Evening)

Luke 16:1-18

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Some Related Posts:

Luke 16:

http://ordinarytimedevotions.wordpress.com/2011/05/18/week-of-proper-26-friday-year-1/

http://ordinarytimedevotions.wordpress.com/2011/05/18/week-of-proper-26-saturday-year-1/

Prayers for Cities, Neighborhoods, Communities, and Those Who Serve Them:

http://gatheredprayers.wordpress.com/2010/07/18/prayers-for-cities-neighborhoods-communities-and-those-who-serve-them/

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Biblical nuances interest me.  In Exodus 12 we read regarding the Passover meal:

No foreigner shall eat of it.

–verse 43a, TANAKH:  The Holy Scriptures

and

If a stranger, who dwells with you would offer the passover to the LORD, all his males must be circumcised; then he shall be as a citizen of the country.  But no uncircumcised person may eat of it.  There shall be one law for the citizen and for the stranger who dwells among you.

–verses 48-49, TANAKH:  The Holy Scriptures

Then, in Numbers 9,  observing the Passover meal (the first one in the wilderness) is mandatory (delayed for reasons of ritual impurity).  Then we read:

And when a stranger who resides with you would offer a passover sacrifice to the LORD, he must offer it in accordance with the rules and rites of the passover sacrifice.  There shall be one law for you, whether stranger or citizen of the country.

–verse 14, TANAKH:  The Holy Scriptures

Unfortunately, there was a death penalty attached to not obeying the mandate.  This is the Law of Moses, after all; there is a death penalty attached to many offenses.  On the other hand, however, resident aliens (as opposed to mere strangers) were equally subject with Israelites to the Law.  And why not?  The Israelites and the resident aliens were, as we say in North America,

in it together.

We humans are all

in it together,

are we not?  We do not have to like each other, socialize together, understand each other, or be similar to each other, but we must understand that what one person does affects others.  One main fault of extreme libertarianism is its excessive individualism, its failure to give due weight to mutual dependence, the actual state of the human race.  Sometimes I need to curtail my appetites for the benefit of others.  Yet the collective has no right practice the tyranny of the majority or of the vocal, screaming, hysterical, minority which might control some part of state machinery.  The individual and the collective need to exist in balance:  rights and liberties, in the light of natural law and the fact that the dissident might be correct, at least partially.  Mutual respect goes a long way toward preventing violations of civil liberties and rights.

The unjust steward of the parable knew that he needed others immediately and urgently.  So, for selfish reasons, he brought his master into compliance with the anti-usury parts of the Law of Moses.  His reasons did not matter to those he helped.  Money was a means to several ends, some of them righteous in spite of the person’s motivation.  And money was crucial to being able to afford a style of piety which Jesus condemned.  Poverty, Jesus said, ought not to mark one as incapable of living faithfully.  And those poor people (many of them, anyway) financed the lifestyles of the rich and overtly pious.  How just was that?

When Christ comes to be our judge, may he rule that we acted consistently to raise each other up, to bind up each other’s wounds, to bear each other’s  burdens as able and always and to avoid stomping on each other.  We do, after all, need each other, even if we do not know that fact.

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

JUNE 20, 2012 COMMON ERA

THE FEAST OF SAINT BAIN OF FONTANELLE, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP, MONK, MISSIONARY, AND ABBOT

THE FEAST OF ONESIMUS NESIB, TRANSLATOR AND LUTHERAN MISSIONARY

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Another Devotion for Today:

http://lenteaster.wordpress.com/2010/10/29/thirty-eighth-day-of-easter/

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http://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2013/03/02/numbers-and-luke-part-ii-in-it-together/

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 22″The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. 23In hell,[a] where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. 24So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.’

 25″But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. 26And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.’

 27″He answered, ‘Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my father’s house, 28for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’
29″Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.’
30″ ‘No, father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’

 31″He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’ ” Luke 16:19-31

 Lesson

In the parable, we can see how it turns out for those who love money and live well, while others remain poor and suffer. Essentially, they love their money and neglect the important matters of the law, such as justice, mercy, and faith.

This parable of the rich man and Lazarus is told by Jesus to illustrate his points about money (you can’t serve God and wealth, but only one (Luke 16:13); and, what is valued by humans is an abomination to God (Luke16:15)) by comparing the rich man and Lazarus before and after death.

Lazarus was considered righteous based on the law, and the rich man was considered unrighteous based on the law.

This parable shows how the rich man was so wrapped up in himself that he thought neither about how he might help others less fortunate, nor about the state of his own soul after death.

He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much.

Luke 16:10

When David was blessed in fighting, he gave God the glory (as recorded in many of the Psalms), and was obedient to fight God’s enemies. When David was blessed in his family he didn’t just indulge his sons; he gave them responsibilities. When David was blessed with fame, God knew he could trust David to give God the glory. When David was blessed with faithful friends, he listened to them, and obeyed God’s word. When David was blessed with feasting he didn’t become greedy or gluttonous; he became generous and giving.

So Mephibosheth dwelt in Jerusalem: for he did eat continually at the king’s table; and was lame on both his feet.

II Samuel 9:13

When David was blessed with fear he didn’t lord it over people; he sought ways to show kindness.

And David said, Is there yet any that is left of the house of Saul, that I may shew him kindness for Jonathan’s sake?

II Samuel 9:1

So, what else could have played a part in David’s lusting for Bathsheba and subsequent entrapment in sin? If you are a Christian, when you were saved, a great victory was achieved over Satan. When you were saved there may or may not have been other people around, but I guarantee you there were at least two persons present – the Holy Spirit and Satan. Your salvation was a tough loss for Satan, and you may have been given a brief period of reprieve after that, but it didn’t take long for the Devil to get back up and come after you again. It might have been the next week, the next day, at school or at work. It might have been the next Sunday at church, or it might have been when you told your spouse or family or friends. It might even have been in the car on the way home from church! Pharaoh was forced to let God’s people out of Egypt, but he changed his mind and came after them before they even reached the Red Sea (Exodus 14). Jesus said, “Get thee behind Me, Satan” (Luke 4:8), but many of us are too nervous to have him back there where we can’t keep an eye on him. Thankfully, we don’t have to trust Satan. We have to trust the Lord Jesus.

David looked like he had on all his spiritual armor.

Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

Ephesians 6:11

But there was a chink in David’s armor. The Devil is wily. He’s watching us closely. He’s looking for weakness. “Wiles” are tricky schemes, traps, snares, treachery by guile. That’s one reason why we must be very careful about placing a novice Christian in a position of leadership.

Moreover he must have a good report of them which are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.

I Timothy 3:7

We must also try to be kind and meek and mild, and not contentious.

And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.

II Timothy 2:26

Satan does not stop attacking Christians, even when they are not serving the Lord. He does not make deals with believers. He does not really expect to get true Christians to bow down and worship him. We’re already saved. He can’t take us to hell. He wants us to think about ourselves. One of his main temptations is to tell you to do what feels good. Do what’s easy. Look out for number one. No rules, he says. Just “rights.” Then, once you’re worshiping yourself instead of worshiping God, he has a very limited agenda. He wants to kill, steal, and destroy (John 10:10).

David had a weakness – a chink in his armor – and that’s all it takes: one “occasion” (Galatians 5:13; I Timothy 5:14). An “occasion” is a foothold. It is what happens when you allow the enemy to build a little encampment inside your walls of protection. Next time, we will try to identify the “occasion” that Satan used to trap David.

After telling them the parable Jesus addressed the Pharisees about their double standards, the Law and the Prophets, and about marriage and divorce. He then told them a true story about Lazarus and the rich man.

Jesus did not give names to people in His parables. Wherever names are given in Jesus’ stories they are true stories and not parables. The story of Lazarus and the rich man begins in verse 19. The use of the Greek particle ‘DE’ separated the parable from the true story. ‘DE’ is generally used as the second or third word and never stands first in a sentence, although it does so here. According to Thayer’s Lexicon, the usage of this particle in the New Testament is more frequent in the historical books than in other books such as the epistles of John and Revelation. This is empirical evidence that this narrative about Abraham, Lazarus, and the rich man was a true story and not a parable.

Jesus told them that there was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and lived extravagantly on a daily basis. There was also a beggar Lazarus, full of sores that the dogs licked, who sat at the rich man’s gate longing for the crumbs that fell from the rich man’s table.

Lazarus died and was carried by angels into Abraham’s bosom and the rich man died as well but went to Hell. This ‘bosom’ is literal and is the front of the body between the arms. Lazarus was in a certain place in the bosom of Abraham or literally in his arms being comforted by him. ‘Abraham’s Bosom’ was also a phrase used by the Jews in those days to refer to this place because Abraham was the father of that nation. The Roman Catholics call this place purgatory but there are no souls there now since Jesus came and went.

It is obvious that Abraham and Lazarus were not in Hell where the rich man was. We will discuss their location further along. The rich man was in Hell. He was tormented because of the fire and wanted some water to cool his tongue. He was so desperate that he would settle for even a drop of water from the finger tip of the former beggar Lazarus. The scripture says he looked up, saw Abraham afar off with Lazarus in his bosom and instantly became a beggar himself.

“…Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.” (v. 24)

“Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father’s house:” (v. 27)

The Hebrew word translated ‘pray’ is EROTAO (pronounced e-rō-tä’-ō). It literally means to request, entreat, beg or beseech. Abraham and Lazarus could see him from where they were and could communicate with him verbally but could not go to him physically. They were in proximity to each other but were completely separated. He called Abraham ‘Father’ and Abraham replied saying:

“…Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou are tormented. And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.” (v. 25-26)

These men in both places could see and communicate with each other. As we go deeper into the Word of God we will begin to understand what this spacious gaping opening between them was, why it was firmly set and why neither could pass from one end of it to the other.

The words ‘great gulf’ literally refer to a mega chasm or a gaping opening. There was a mega-gulf that was firmly set and none could pass from one side of it to the other. Here we clearly see that Abraham and Lazarus were in a compartment that was separated from Hell by a gaping opening. We will discuss this compartment in greater detail in chapter 12.