Bible Devotion

Meditative Reflection
The Old and the New

Almsgiving, prayer and fasting were the three “cardinal works” to the Jews. Not that there is anything wrong with these works themselves, except that the Jews had equated their doing of them  as righteousness itself. Therefore, in Matthew 6, Jesus points out their error of turning them into “acts of righteousness”.

It is interesting to note that both the Pharisees and the disciples of John were fasting (Mk. 2:18). Perhaps, John’s disciples fasted as a habit, but their fasting was understandable especially when John was in prison and was in danger of being killed. I do not think Jesus took issue with their fasting per se, but He was using this comparison (between the fasting of John’s disciples together with that of the Pharisees, with the appearance of feasting by Jesus and His disciples) to point out Who He really is!

To fast as an act of righteousness is of course wrong as Jesus has already pointed out in Matthew 6. Even if they fasted for the sake of repentance, or as an act of urgent plea to God (for the deliverance of John the Baptist from Herod), or for drawing closer to God, it would have been wrong in the presence of Jesus, because Jesus is God and no one can come to the Father except through Him (Jn. 14:6). This is the point Jesus is trying to make.

As we read in the Book of Acts, the early apostles continued to fast, therefore fasting has not been rendered old, but rather it has been made new, as the apostles obviously learned to fast and pray in Jesus’ name. Anytime, we fast and pray as an act of righteousness, as if we can earn any brownie points from God, we have made it old again. Anytime, we fast or pray not in Jesus’ name, we too have made it old again. We are not only guilty of making it old; we are also guilty of trying to nullify the redemptive work of Christ on the cross.

Meditative Reflection
Sabbath Made for Man?

“The Sabbath was made for man, not man for Sabbath.” (Mk. 2:27)

As great as these words are, if they did not come from the mouth of Jesus, I doubt if anyone  would dare to say the same. Not only because in the Law of Moses, it is considered one of the holiest commandments the breach of which is punishable by death, it is also because even with a proper understanding, Sabbath is a time of singular devotion to the Lord. Therefore, Sabbath is meant for God, in God, to God! God, not man, should be the center of Sabbath.

Yet, Jesus points out that Sabbath was made for man! How could He say that? Well, He can, because He is God! He is the One who establishes Sabbath for us to rest from everything to come to worship and draw close to Him. This 4^th Commandment dovetails with the 3^rd Commandment as a pair, in that the 3^rd warns us not to turn our relationship with God to one of utility (using His name in vain), but to pursue a relationship of intimacy as we are told to make Him the center of Sabbath. But this is a mutual relationship; therefore Sabbath is as much for God as it is for us. It is in this sense that Sabbath was made for man, not man for Sabbath.

This is an amazing truth in itself. The Holy God who established such a commandment so that He may enjoy our presence, as much as we enjoy His - that He may enjoy our intimacy as much as we enjoy His!

The Jews were “made” to observe Sabbath, but we who are in Christ, have been drawn into His very presence and intimacy. In other words, we have already entered into His Sabbath. Let’s enjoy it. Let’s enjoy Him!

Meditative Reflection
Making Jesus Angry

The four books of the gospel do record incidents where Jesus was angry, but they are not the “norm”. Sure, Jesus was distressed and saddened by the disbelief and rejection of the Jews, but only in a few incidents did He get angry. Mark 3:1-6 was one of these occasions when the Jews cared about the “observance of the law” way more than the life of people. This reminds me of a story I read years ago about a church in one of the poorest cities in America, Camden, New Jersey.

A dying church with just a handful of senior citizens was initially receptive to opening their doors in order to minister to the neighboring poor children through an after-school program. As the program prospered, with an increasing number of kids coming to be tutored (which was so desperately needed in a city like Camden) and more importantly to learn about Jesus, the church was “disturbed” by these energetic children. These few remaining people of the church cared far more about maintaining an empty, tidy shell, than allowing these children surrounded by crime, drugs and guns to take shelter in their only sanctuary. Yes, some of the children did kick open the door on their way into the church. As they were about to kick out the children and the after-school program, their eyes were eventually opened to see that as much these children behaved exactly like children for the most part, they had come to be transformed within by the Holy Spirit. They had the joy of baptizing many of these children into God’s family, in spite of the dents and scratches on the door.

People are important, because God cares about people!

Meditative Reflection
The Less-than-magnificent Twelve

 I really wonder on what basis Jesus chose His twelve disciples!

First, why would He overload the team with fishermen — Peter, Andrew, James and John? They were utterly uneducated. How effective could they be? Furthermore, He knew how hot-tempered the sons of Zebedee were: He even gave them the nickname “Sons of Thunder”! Why did He choose them? Peter wasn’t any better. As it turned out, he always put his foot in his mouth, and would deny Him three times — at the worst possible time!

Thomas was notorious for his negative attitude. While everyone assured him that Jesus had resurrected, he still remained a skeptic and would have remained so if it were not for His mercy, showing him the wounds on His resurrected body.

We learn far less about the rest of the Twelve. This aptly shows that they were not apostles that could really do much for the Kingdom, except Judas. But Judas did more harm than good anyway. I would not have hired Jesus as the head of my Human Resources Department.

The amazing thing is that these twelve-minus-one disciples, with all their flaws, weaknesses, cowardice and lack of credentials, did turn the world up-side-down.

For one, we have come to know that after all, it is the work of the Holy Spirit that counts. This is why many of the early church fathers were inclined to call the Book of Acts as the Acts of the Holy Spirit.

On the other hand, it is also clear that obedience, not credentials, is what Jesus looks for in His disciples. Failures are always part of being His servants, but repentance and obedience allowed them to be used by Him for His purpose.

And finally, the willingness to suffer for Him marked the lives of all of them. They have learned not to fear those who can kill their bodies but not their souls! This willingness to suffer made them not only invincible, but extremely effective in the spread of the gospel.

Had Jesus chosen the elite of society, the sophisticated and the powerful, not only would they not be able to handle suffering, obedience, and failure, they might end up preaching a very different gospel — one that would not reflect accurately the image of the suffering Christ, nor the gospel of grace.

Meditative Reflection
A life of Balance?

Many years ago, I was reading Michael Griffiths’ “Take My Life”. As a young Christian, I was totally surprised to read that he considered a “balance” as something horrible or even nonsense.

Over the years, I have bought into modern Evangelical teachings which consider putting God first does not mean a hierarchical pyramid that puts God on top, followed by family, church, career etc. (or some other order). As a result, I have been seeking to live a balanced life, and have taught others to do so. But every time I return to the examples in Scriptures, especially those of Jesus and His disciples, I seem to see a very different picture. Mark 3:20 is one such example.

“Then Jesus entered a house, and again a crowd gathered, so that He and His disciples were not even able to eat.” (Mk. 3:20). This is hardly a picture of “balance”.

Lightfoot insightfully explains that Jesus led such an unbalanced life that His family feared that it would ruin His health. As a result, they came to “rescue” Him out of His unbalanced life, as they thought He was out of His mind. (Mk. 3:21)

The same goes with His disciples.

I wonder how much time Peter could spend with his wife; why Paul would choose to remain single and why Timothy had problems with his health. Together with Jesus, they did not impress me as examples of a balanced life.

I do not think we should purposely lead an unbalanced life. In fact, to seek to balance our priorities in life among competing demands is only prudent. However, I honestly find Jesus’ words in Luke 2:49 being lived out not only by Him, but by Paul, Peter and other apostles in the Bible — “Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?” (NKJV).

Food for thought.

Meditative Reflection
The Hidden Love of God (I)

I wonder what resolutions you have made earlier last week to begin your New Year. Have you made your growth in your love for Christ one of your goals in the New Year? In an effort to remind all of us that “being” is far more important than “doing”, I will continue to introduce you to (or remind you of) the lyrics of some wonderful hymns that have helped many Christians grow in their love relationship with the Lord. Allow me to share the following hymn with you: "Thou Hidden Love of God" (by Gerhard Tersteegen 1697-1769 and Paul Gerhardt 1607-1676; translated by John Wesley, 1738). It is often sung with the traditional tune of “Faith of Our Fathers”.

1
Thou hidden Love of God, whose height,
whose depth unfathomed, no man knows,
I see from far Thy beauteous light,
and inly sigh for Thy repose;
my heart is pained, nor can it be
at rest till it finds rest in Thee.

2
Thy secret voice invites me still
The sweetness of thy yoke to prove;
And fain I would; but though my will
Seems fixed, yet wide my passions rove;
Yet hindrances strew all the way;
I aim at thee, yet from thee stray.

3
’Tis mercy all that thou has brought
My mind to seek its peace in thee;
Yet whce my wandering soul shall see.
O when shall all my wanderings end,
And all my steps to theeward tend?

lyrics:
https://hymnary.org/text/thou_hidden_love_of_god_whose_height

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fp9XUp3aouc
Andrew Remillard

Meditative Reflection
It is a Matter of Love

“The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables…” (Mk. 4:11)

I often wonder why Jesus would do this, as if He was trying to make sure those on the “outside” would never have a chance to understand and repent.

However, the truth of the matter is

(1) Jesus did not say “everything” to the crowds in parables only, like His teaching on divorce in Mark 10:5-9. His teaching was plain and direct, beyond a doubt.

(2) Even the disciples who were not on the “outside” did not necessarily understand His parables, as in this case of the parable of the sower (4:13). This prompted Jesus to lament, “How then will you understand any parables?”.

I believe that whether one is on the “outside” or not is not determined by their physical locale. I am sure there were women with small children who firmly believed in Jesus but were not able to follow Him physically everywhere. But upon hearing His teachings in parables, they had turned “and [were] forgiven”. (Mk. 4:12) Therefore, parables had not been a barrier to their belief.

On the other hand, there were those who were physically following Jesus (Mk. 4:10). They were actually “outsiders” whose ears were so dull that they could not understand His teachings in parables. That obviously included Judas.

Indeed, over the years, I have come to find that the ability to hear and understand the true meaning of God’s word does not depend on one’s intellectual ability or how long one has become a Christian. It depends on one’s readiness to obey what he or she is going to hear; or, in the words of Jesus, how much one loves Him (Jn. 14:21).