prove

A legal expert stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he said, “what must I do to gain eternal life?” Jesus replied, “What is written in the Law? How do you interpret it?” He responded, “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your being, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and love your neighbor as yourself.” Jesus said to him, “You have answered correctly. Do this and you will live.” But the legal expert wanted to prove that he was right, so he said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” Jesus replied, “A man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho. He encountered thieves, who stripped him naked, beat him up, and left him near death. Now it just so happened that a priest was also going down the same road. When he saw the injured man, he crossed over to the other side of the road and went on his way. Likewise, a Levite came by that spot, saw the injured man, and crossed over to the other side of the road and went on his way. A Samaritan, who was on a journey, came to where the man was. But when he saw him, he was moved with compassion. The Samaritan went to him and bandaged his wounds, tending them with oil and wine. Then he placed the wounded man on his own donkey, took him to an inn, and took care of him. The next day, he took two full days’ worth of wages and gave them to the innkeeper. He said, ‘Take care of him, and when I return, I will pay you back for any additional costs.’ What do you think? Which one of these three was a neighbor to the man who encountered thieves?” Then the legal expert said, “The one who demonstrated mercy toward him.” Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.” (Luke 10:25-37, CEB)

Who is my neighbor? The legal expert asked this question to prove he was right.

The legal expert asked this question to show that they could treat those they didn’t like or thought didn’t fit as scum, second class, not worth the time things.

He wanted an excuse to be who he already was when he knew that neighbor is everyone beyond yourself.

Do not look for proof to dehumanize God’s children. Love neighbor, Love God.

Simple.

Loving People. Loving God.

stinky

When Mary arrived where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother wouldn’t have died.” When Jesus saw her crying and the Jews who had come with her crying also, he was deeply disturbed and troubled. He asked, “Where have you laid him?” They replied, “Lord, come and see.” Jesus began to cry. The Jews said, “See how much he loved him!” But some of them said, “He healed the eyes of the man born blind. Couldn’t he have kept Lazarus from dying?” Jesus was deeply disturbed again when he came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone covered the entrance. Jesus said, “Remove the stone.” Martha, the sister of the dead man, said, “Lord, the smell will be awful! He’s been dead four days.” Jesus replied, “Didn’t I tell you that if you believe, you will see God’s glory?” So they removed the stone. Jesus looked up and said, “Father, thank you for hearing me. I know you always hear me. I say this for the benefit of the crowd standing here so that they will believe that you sent me.” Having said this, Jesus shouted with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” The dead man came out, his feet bound and his hands tied, and his face covered with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Untie him and let him go.” (John 11:32-44, CEB)

“Didn’t I tell you that if you believe, you will see God’s glory?” Jesus replied to Mary about Lazarus who had died. Jesus never said, “If you believe, nothing bad will ever happen to you again. You will live a peaceful life forever and never suffer or die.”

And when those bad things happen and we come out of them, the community needs to be there to help unwrap or unpack what happened.

Life is stinky and messy sometimes we need to help those around us unpack their stuff. Community relationships are the basis of love and understanding.

Be in relationships and make community better.

Loving People. Loving God.

Reformation Day

Now we know that whatever the Law says, it speaks to those who are under the Law, in order to shut every mouth and make it so the whole world has to answer to God. It follows that no human being will be treated as righteous in his presence by doing what the Law says, because the knowledge of sin comes through the Law. But now God’s righteousness has been revealed apart from the Law, which is confirmed by the Law and the Prophets. God’s righteousness comes through the faithfulness of Jesus Christ for all who have faith in him. There’s no distinction. All have sinned and fall short of God’s glory, but all are treated as righteous freely by his grace because of a ransom that was paid by Christ Jesus. Through his faithfulness, God displayed Jesus as the place of sacrifice where mercy is found by means of his blood. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness in passing over sins that happened before, during the time of God’s patient tolerance. He also did this to demonstrate that he is righteous in the present time, and to treat the one who has faith in Jesus as righteous. What happens to our bragging? It’s thrown out. With which law? With what we have accomplished under the Law? No, not at all, but through the law of faith. We consider that a person is treated as righteous by faith, apart from what is accomplished under the Law. (Romans 3:19-28, CEB)

The Law can not save us.

Our good works can not save us.

We all fall short of the mark God has set for us to hit. We all seek our own lifting up and forget about others.

Jesus stood in the gap and taught us how to live

Do we live that way?

How can you love like Jesus and make the world a better place?

Loving People. Loving God.

Why?

As Jesus and his disciples were going out of Jericho a large crowd followed him. When two blind men sitting along the road heard that Jesus was passing by, they shouted, “Show us mercy, Lord, Son of David!” Now the crowd scolded them and told them to be quiet. But they shouted even louder, “Show us mercy, Lord, Son of David!” Jesus stopped in his tracks and called to them. “What do you want me to do for you?” he asked. “Lord, we want to see,” they replied. Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes. Immediately they were able to see, and they followed him. (Matthew 20:29-34, CEB)

I have always wondered why people or the disciples would stop people who wanted to be healed from crying out to Jesus.

Now I assume it is because they were outside the city because they were diseased and if someone came close to them they could get the disease and people or the disciples didn’t want Jesus to get the disease. But the disciples saw all the healings Jesus did and the people if they didn’t see them had heard about them, so this excuse only works so far.

Why didn’t they want others to be healed?

Do we not want some to be healed, or a part of the community?

Who would we stop from calling out to Jesus?

Don’t stop anyone.

Love like Jesus.

Loving People. Loving God.

Miracle

As Peter toured the whole region, he went to visit God’s holy people in Lydda. There he found a man named Aeneas who was paralyzed and had been confined to his bed for eight years. Peter said to him, “Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you! Get up and make your bed.” At once he got up. Everyone who lived in Lydda and Sharon saw him and turned to the Lord. (Acts 9:32-35, CEB)

I would say that the miracle was probably more that he made the bed, but we don’t get confirmation that he did! Just kidding.

Why don’t we see miracles like this anymore?

I would actually argue we do, we call it medicine. Or you hear the story of the person who has some disease and they go to the doctor for an update and the disease is gone.

Miracles happen all around us, we just choose not to see them.

Help people see the love of God.

Loving People. Loving God.

desire

Therefore, get rid of all ill will and all deceit, pretense, envy, and slander. Instead, like a newborn baby, desire the pure milk of the word. Nourished by it, you will grow into salvation, since you have tasted that the Lord is good. Now you are coming to him as to a living stone. Even though this stone was rejected by humans, from God’s perspective it is chosen, valuable. You yourselves are being built like living stones into a spiritual temple. You are being made into a holy priesthood to offer up spiritual sacrifices that are acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. Thus it is written in scripture, Look! I am laying a cornerstone in Zion, chosen, valuable. The person who believes in him will never be shamed. So God honors you who believe. For those who refuse to believe, though, the stone the builders tossed aside has become the capstone. This is a stone that makes people stumble and a rock that makes them fall. Because they refuse to believe in the word, they stumble. Indeed, this is the end to which they were appointed. But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people who are God’s own possession. You have become this people so that you may speak of the wonderful acts of the one who called you out of darkness into his amazing light. Once you weren’t a people, but now you are God’s people. Once you hadn’t received mercy, but now you have received mercy. (1 Peter 2:1-10, CEB)

What do you desire?

The author of this passage tells us to desire the pure milk of the word. To live our lives based on the word we get from God.

We should put aside all deceit, pretense, envy, and slander, and seek only what God has for us. We should not focus on our wants and what would fulfil us and us any means necessary to get that, but we should focus on what God is leading us to be and do and do that.

We will be building the kingdom of God when we desire to follow God.

We will build the kingdom of God, when we see like God, love like Jesus, and desire the pure milk of the word from God.

Loving People. Loving God.

cry out to Jesus

Jesus and his followers came into Jericho. As Jesus was leaving Jericho, together with his disciples and a sizable crowd, a blind beggar named Bartimaeus, Timaeus’ son, was sitting beside the road. When he heard that Jesus of Nazareth was there, he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, show me mercy!” Many scolded him, telling him to be quiet, but he shouted even louder, “Son of David, show me mercy!” Jesus stopped and said, “Call him forward.” They called the blind man, “Be encouraged! Get up! He’s calling you.” Throwing his coat to the side, he jumped up and came to Jesus. Jesus asked him, “What do you want me to do for you?” The blind man said, “Teacher, I want to see.” Jesus said, “Go, your faith has healed you.” At once he was able to see, and he began to follow Jesus on the way. (Mark 10:46-52, CEB)

Blind man sat by the road and he cried
Blind man sat by the road and he cried
Blind man sat by the road and he cried
Show me the way…

We all need Jesus to help us see. Do we ask Jesus, “Teacher, I want to see!”

Do not fear what you will see, for Jesus will still be with you.

When we see the world as Jesus does, we will live as he taught us to.

Love like Jesus. See like Jesus.

Loving People. Loving God.

walking trees…

Jesus and his disciples came to Bethsaida. Some people brought a blind man to Jesus and begged him to touch and heal him. Taking the blind man’s hand, Jesus led him out of the village. After spitting on his eyes and laying his hands on the man, he asked him, “Do you see anything?” The man looked up and said, “I see people. They look like trees, only they are walking around.” Then Jesus placed his hands on the man’s eyes again. He looked with his eyes wide open, his sight was restored, and he could see everything clearly. Then Jesus sent him home, saying, “Don’t go into the village!” (Mark 8:22-26, CEB)

This is always an interesting passage.

Jesus didn’t get it right the first time and the blind man saw walking trees. It took a second touch for him to see.

I wonder how many times Jesus would need to touch me in order for me to see?

And not see, but see like Jesus sees, or God sees.

What would the world be like if we saw people as God sees them?

Love like Jesus.

Loving People. Loving God.

a better covenant

So if perfection came through the levitical office of priest (for the people received the Law under the priests), why was there still a need to speak about raising up another priest according to the order of Melchizedek rather than one according to the order of Aaron? When the order of the priest changes, there has to be a change in the Law as well. The person we are talking about belongs to another tribe, and no one ever served at the altar from that tribe. It’s clear that our Lord came from the tribe of Judah, but Moses never said anything about priests from that tribe. And it’s even clearer if another priest appears who is like Melchizedek. He has become a priest by the power of a life that can’t be destroyed, rather than a legal requirement about physical descent. This is confirmed:

You are a priest forever,
        according to the order of Melchizedek.

On the one hand, an earlier command is set aside because it was weak and useless (because the Law made nothing perfect). On the other hand, a better hope is introduced, through which we draw near to God. And this was not done without a solemn pledge! The others have become priests without a solemn pledge, but this priest was affirmed with a solemn pledge by the one who said,

The Lord has made a solemn pledge
        and will not change his mind:
You are a priest forever.

As a result, Jesus has become the guarantee of a better covenant. (Hebrews 7:11-22, CEB)

Jesus has become the guarantee of a better covenant.

The covenant where all are part.

Jesus is a priest forever, and God will not change their mind.

This covenant will not be broken or changed.

Know you are loved and a part of the covenant.

Love like Jesus.

Loving People. Loving God.

Without

This Melchizedek, who was king of Salem and priest of the Most High God, met Abraham as he returned from the defeat of the kings, and Melchizedek blessed him. Abraham gave a tenth of everything to him. His name means first “king of righteousness,” and then “king of Salem,” that is, “king of peace.” He is without father or mother or any family. He has no beginning or end of life, but he’s like God’s Son and remains a priest for all time. See how great Melchizedek was! Abraham, the father of the people, gave him a tenth of everything he captured. The descendants of Levi who receive the office of priest have a commandment under the Law to collect a tenth of everything from the people who are their brothers and sisters, though they also are descended from Abraham. But Melchizedek, who isn’t related to them, received a tenth of everything from Abraham and blessed the one who had received the promises. Without question, the less important person is blessed by the more important person. In addition, in one case a tenth is received by people who die, and in the other case, the tenth is received by someone who continues to live, according to the record. It could be said that Levi, who received a tenth, paid a tenth through Abraham because he was still in his ancestor’s body when Abraham paid the tenth to Melchizedek. (Hebrews 7:1-10, CEB)

Melchizedek is without mother or father. He has no beginning or ending. He is like God’s son and remains a priest for all time.

He has no family.

I think about those who have been disowned by their blood family for being who God made them to be. Those who wander and feel like they have nowhere to be, nowhere they are loved.

How do we tell them, so they hear, God loves them and has never forsaken them?

How do we show them, they are not without?

Share love. Helping those who wander and feel alone to know they are not without.

Loving People. Loving God.