Hear O Israel

4Hear, O Israel: The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. 5You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might. 6Keep these words that I am commanding you today in your heart. 7Recite them to your children and talk about them when you are at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you rise.8Bind them as a sign on your hand, fix them as an emblem on your forehead, 9and write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. (Deuteronomy 6:4-9, NRSV)

This is a very important passage of scripture for Jews. This is known as the Shema and is used as the central prayer for morning and evening prayer so this is prayed twice daily. It is also on a scroll that Jews will place in each doorway as to bless their homes. As it says in the passage, “write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates”

This is also a pivotal verse for Christians because it tells us God is one and we are to love God, which Jesus quotes as the greatest commandment.

We should share this faith and keep it close to us.

Here is a link to hear the Shema prayed in it’s original Hebrew.

 

The Greatest Commandment

34When the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together, 35and one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. 36“Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?”37He said to him, “’You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38This is the greatest and first commandment. 39And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” (Matthew 22:34-40, NRSV)

Why were people always trying to trip up Jesus?

Does it matter what the greatest commandment is if we break all the rest will keeping 1 really make a difference?

But really Jesus tells them that all of the Law and Prophets hang on these 2 things that we love God and love others. All of the scriptures tell us that we should love God and love neighbor.

Do these things and all will be good.

The God of Your Father

Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian; he led his flock beyond the wilderness, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 2There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of a bush; he looked, and the bush was blazing, yet it was not consumed. 3Then Moses said, “I must turn aside and look at this great sight, and see why the bush is not burned up.” 4When the Lord saw that he had turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” 5Then he said, “Come no closer! Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” 6He said further, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God. (Exodus 3:1-6, NRSV)

What would you do if you saw a Bush burning but it wasn’t being consumed?

And then as you got closer to it you heard a voice calling your name from it?

I would probably run away screaming and not continue closer and take my shoes off. I would be scared.

But Moses approaches and listens to God’s calling.

But we are all actually called to the Bush. To remove our shoes and to walk on the holy ground that God has placed before us.

Sometimes God has to go to the extreme to get our attention and make sure we are listening.

Are you ready to walk on holy ground and listen to God?

The Sadducees’ Question

23The same day some Sadducees came to him, saying there is no resurrection; and they asked him a question, saying, 24“Teacher, Moses said, ‘If a man dies childless, his brother shall marry the widow, and raise up children for his brother.’ 25Now there were seven brothers among us; the first married, and died childless, leaving the widow to his brother.26The second did the same, so also the third, down to the seventh. 27Last of all, the woman herself died. 28In the resurrection, then, whose wife of the seven will she be? For all of them had married her.” 29Jesus answered them, “You are wrong, because you know neither the scriptures nor the power of God. 30For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. 31And as for the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was said to you by God, 32‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is God not of the dead, but of the living.” 33And when the crowd heard it, they were astounded at his teaching. (Matthew 22:23-33, NRSV)

God is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Not was the God. God is the God of the living.

So when Jesus finally returns and we are gathered into the new heaven and new earth there will be no marriage and we will all be like angels.

And God will be our God forever.

So don’t worry about what will be. But live here and now and know that God’s love will always be with us.

It’s a Trap

15Then the Pharisees went and plotted to entrap him in what he said.16So they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that you are sincere, and teach the way of God in accordance with truth, and show deference to no one; for you do not regard people with partiality. 17Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor, or not?” 18But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, “Why are you putting me to the test, you hypocrites? 19Show me the coin used for the tax.” And they brought him a denarius. 20Then he said to them, “Whose head is this, and whose title?” 21They answered, “The emperor’s.” Then he said to them, “Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”22When they heard this, they were amazed; and they left him and went away. (Matthew 22:15-22, NRSV)

When I read this passage it made me think of the scene from Return of the Jedi, when Admiral Akbar says, “Its a trap!”

Jesus knew the Pharisees were trying to trap him by saying you shouldn’t pay taxes. But Jesus asked for a coin and asked whose picture was on it. Then he said Give to the emperor what is the emperor’s and give to God what is God’s.

Seems pretty easy. But is it?

We need to support our government in as much as we give them there due but also keep ourselves aligned with where God is leading and calling us.

God comes first in our lives. So give God what is God’s.

The Wedding Banquet

Once more Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying: 2“The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding banquet for his son. 3He sent his slaves to call those who had been invited to the wedding banquet, but they would not come. 4Again he sent other slaves, saying, ‘Tell those who have been invited: Look, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready; come to the wedding banquet.’ 5But they made light of it and went away, one to his farm, another to his business, 6while the rest seized his slaves, mistreated them, and killed them. 7The king was enraged. He sent his troops, destroyed those murderers, and burned their city. 8Then he said to his slaves, ‘The wedding is ready, but those invited were not worthy. 9Go therefore into the main streets, and invite everyone you find to the wedding banquet.’ 10Those slaves went out into the streets and gathered all whom they found, both good and bad; so the wedding hall was filled with guests. 11“But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing a wedding robe,12and he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding robe?’ And he was speechless. 13Then the king said to the attendants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ 14For many are called, but few are chosen.” (Matthew 22:1-14, NRSV)

What does this mean?

The king called the nobles and they wouldn’t come and some of them actually killed the king’s servants. So the king sent his army and destroyed the city. But the king still needed guests for the banquet.

So he called all the common people, everyone was invited! But when the king came in he noticed one person without a wedding robe. And he asked how he got in without one and told his servants to cast him out. It just doesn’t make sense.

But what if I told you that the king provided the wedding garments for all to where? The common people were not expected to own fancy wears but only had to use them. This man chose not to put on the robe. It is like saying I don’t want to be covered with Christ I will stand before God on my own. How far will that get you?

Take the garment and follow after Jesus.

Son of David

An account of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham. (Matthew 1:1, NRSV)

Why does this matter?

Or maybe a better question is how many generations can you trace your lineage back?

We need to know that Jesus is of the line of David and of Abraham. It is important to know Jesus is of the family of David because of yesterday’s devotional. That the kingdom established through the family of David is done by Jesus. And Abraham is the father of all nations and the one whose God the Israelites follow.

Jesus needs to establish this kinship to fulfill the prophesies the Messiah will fulfill.

Jesus is the Messiah and the offspring of David and Abraham.

This is who He is.

David’s Heir

12When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come forth from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. 13He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. (2 Samuel 7:12-13, NRSV)

How would you like to hear this from God? God is saying when you die I will raise up your offspring and establish his kingdom forever.

You know the offspring of David that God is referring to here is Jesus. And the throne of Jesus’ kingdom was established and it will last forever. And the house that Jesus built was the church.

So know you are part of the body of Christ and God will always be with you.

Moved with Compassion

29As they were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed him. 30There were two blind men sitting by the roadside. When they heard that Jesus was passing by, they shouted, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!” 31The crowd sternly ordered them to be quiet; but they shouted even more loudly, “Have mercy on us, Lord, Son of David!” 32Jesus stood still and called them, saying, “What do you want me to do for you?” 33They said to him, “Lord, let our eyes be opened.” 34Moved with compassion, Jesus touched their eyes. Immediately they regained their sight and followed him. (Matthew 20:29-34, NRSV)

Blind men stood by the road and they cried! They cried show me the way, the way to go home!

We all want to be made whole. And Jesus wants us to live the life He intended for us. He will always be moved with compassion to heal and save.

Would you be one to stand in the way of the blind men, telling them to be quiet or be one to lead them to Jesus?

I have a painting on our wall at home that says life is what happens when we are busy making other plans.

Don’t let plans get in the way of life or Jesus.

The Servant Leader

24When the ten heard it, they were angry with the two brothers. 25But Jesus called them to him and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them.26It will not be so among you; but whoever wishes to be great among you must be your servant, 27and whoever wishes to be first among you must be your slave; 28just as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.” (Matthew 20:24-28, NRSV)

If you want to be great in the kingdom of God you must be a servant of all. Even those who would betray you. You see Jesus gave us an example of this when he washed the feet of the disciples and included in those whose feet he washed was Judas, the one wh ok handed him over.

So to do what God has called us to do we must love everyone and serve those whom we are with.

Be like Jesus and give as God gave to you.