walk in love

Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children, and walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. But sexual immorality and impurity of any kind or greed must not even be mentioned among you, as is proper among saints. Entirely out of place is obscene, silly, and vulgar talk; but instead, let there be thanksgiving. Be sure of this, that no sexually immoral or impure person or one who is greedy (that is, an idolater) has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes on those who are disobedient. (Ephesians 5:1-6, NRSVue)

Be imitators of God and walk in love.

Love as Christ loved. Give your life in love of the creation God made.

Do not be greedy or an idolater, but love God and do not hoard for yourself.

Walk in love.

Who was upset?

Now while Jesus was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, a woman came to him with an alabaster jar of very costly ointment, and she poured it on his head as he sat at the table. But when the disciples saw it, they were angry and said, “Why this waste? For this ointment could have been sold for a large sum and the money given to the poor.” But Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why do you trouble the woman? She has performed a good service for me. For you always have the poor with you, but you will not always have me. By pouring this ointment on my body she has prepared me for burial. Truly I tell you, wherever this good news is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told in remembrance of her.” (Matthew 26:6-13, NRSVue)

As I read this story to write this devotional, a story I have read once every three years, and I have been ordained as a pastor for 20 years, so that is at least 6, if not 7, times I have read this story, something new popped out at me.

While Jesus was at the home of Simon, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very costly ointment, and she poured it on his head as he sat at the table, and the disciples saw it and became angry. I have always remembered this story as Judas got upset because he was stealing from the purse and knew this was money he would have had. But that is a different gospel, and maybe a different story altogether. We take these stories that sound the same and morph them into one. You might also be thinking about this woman as the one who wipes Jesus’ feet with her hair, but here the ointment is put on his head, and not his feet, and the woman who washes Jesus’ feet is in Luke.

But the disciples, all of them, were upset. And Jesus said, she will always be remembered because of her gift to me. But we do not know her name or anything about her. She prepared Jesus for burial and is always remembered. While the disciples are upset.

What upsets you about Jesus? Or this story? Or the good news for all people?

How would you have used the ointment?

Who knew?

O the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!
“For who has known the mind of the Lord?
    Or who has been his counselor?”
“Or who has given a gift to him,
    to receive a gift in return?”
For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever. Amen. (Romans 11:33-36, NRSVue)

Who knows the mind of the lord?

Who has given something to the lord to get something back?

We might think we have. But here is the thing: God does not need anything, nor does God want anything from us. We are included because God wants us.

God wants you.

To be in relationship with Them.

You.

Who knew?

No excuse.

Therefore you are without excuse, whoever you are, when you judge others, for in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, are doing the very same things. We know that God’s judgment on those who do such things is in accordance with truth. Do you imagine, whoever you are, that when you judge those who do such things and yet do them yourself, you will escape the judgment of God? Or do you despise the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience? Do you not realize that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? But by your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath, when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed. He will repay according to each one’s deeds: to those who by patiently doing good seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life, while for those who are self-seeking and who obey not the truth but injustice, there will be wrath and fury. There will be affliction and distress for everyone who does evil, both the Jew first and the Greek, but glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good, both the Jew first and the Greek. For God shows no partiality. (Romans 2:1-11, NRSVue)

When we judge someone else, Paul says here we are more than likely doing the very thing we are judging in others. This is how we see it. So in judging someone else, we are condemning ourselves and confessing the things we are doing.

God is the only one who can judge righteously, and when God sent Jesus, They did not send Him to judge, but to love and save. John 3:17 says, “Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world but in order that the world might be saved through him.” Jesus was not sent to condemn or judge but to love and save.

Do not judge; love like Jesus.

You have no excuse to not love and to be judging others.

The keys!

Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” And they said, “Some say John the Baptist but others Elijah and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you but my Father in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” Then he sternly ordered the disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah. (Matthew 16:13-20, NRSVue)

Jesus here gives Peter the keys to the kingdom, the ability to loose and bind sins. This is a precursor to those who say Peter was the first Pope, but later Jesus gives this power to all of the disciples, so I am not sure about that. But here, Jesus gives Peter the ability to loose and bind things on earth, and that has power in heaven.

And in the next few verses, Peter is rebuked by Jesus, and Jesus actually calls Peter Satan. Because even Peter thought he knew better than Jesus.

Do not mistake Jesus giving you an ability to mean that you now understand all the mysteries. Jesus is still the one to follow and listen to, and not the one who wants to hear our ramblings and misguided thoughts.

Love like Jesus and follow Him, and don’t think you understand.

A little bit…

When the disciples reached the other side, they had forgotten to bring any bread. Jesus said to them, “Watch out, and beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” They said to one another, “It is because we have brought no bread.” And becoming aware of it, Jesus said, “You of little faith, why are you talking about having no bread? Do you still not perceive? Do you not remember the five loaves for the five thousand and how many baskets you gathered? Or the seven loaves for the four thousand and how many baskets you gathered? How could you fail to perceive that I was not speaking about bread? Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees!” Then they understood that he had not told them to beware of the yeast of bread but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees. (Matthew 16:5-12, NRSVue)

Brylcreem had the slogan, “A little dab’ll do ya.”

Well, when we start talking about false teachings or understandings, a little bit goes a long way. A long way to make everything wrong and upset. We see this today with the rise of Christian Nationalism and the use of Jesus as the poster child for white men in power.

Do not follow the teachings of those using faith to get a dollar and maintain power.

Dab the truth in there and work it around to make that style stick.

Live like Jesus and upset the yeast of the day.

Humble

We do not dare to classify or compare ourselves with some of those who commend themselves. But when they measure themselves by one another and compare themselves with one another, they do not show good sense. We, however, will not boast beyond limits but will keep within the field that God has assigned to us, to reach out even as far as you. For we were not overstepping our limits when we reached you; we were the first to come all the way to you with the good news of Christ. We do not boast beyond limits, that is, in the labors of others, but our hope is that, as your faith increases, our field among you may be greatly enlarged, so that we may proclaim the good news in lands beyond you, without boasting of work already done in someone else’s field. “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.” For it is not those who commend themselves that are approved but those whom the Lord commends. (2 Corinthians 10:12-18, NRSVue)

Being humble is not thinking less of yourself. It is thinking of yourself less.

Here Paul is telling the Corinthians and us to be humble, to not brag about ourselves or compare ourselves to others.

But if you have to brag or boast, boast about what God has done for you and with you.

Be humble and share God’s love in everything you do.

wronged

When any of you has a grievance against another, do you dare to take it to court before the unrighteous, instead of taking it before the saints? Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is to be judged by you, are you incompetent to try trivial cases? Do you not know that we are to judge angels, to say nothing of ordinary matters? If you have ordinary cases, then, do you appoint as judges those who have no standing in the church? I say this to your shame. Can it be that there is no one person wise enough to decide between brothers and sisters? Instead, brothers and sisters go to court against one another, and this before the unbelievers. In fact, to have lawsuits at all with one another is already a defeat for you. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be defrauded? But you yourselves wrong and defraud—and brothers and sisters at that. Do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived! The sexually immoral, idolaters, adulterers, male prostitutes, men who engage in illicit sex, thieves, the greedy, drunkards, revilers, swindlers—none of these will inherit the kingdom of God. And this is what some of you used to be. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God. (1 Corinthians 6:1-11, NRSVue)

When we wrong other we show the world who we are, and when we, as the body of Christ, need those who are outside the body to decide our differences, we do not adhere to what Christ has called us to be.

We need to see to our differences and never wrong or defraud anyone.

We need to look out for the needs and justice of others, rather than always seeking what is best for us. When we all have lives where our needs are met, we will have better lives for everyone.

Seek the good for all and do not use what authority or power you have for self-gain.

Love like Jesus.

Faith

When Jesus had come down from the mountain, great crowds followed him, and there was a man with a skin disease who came to him and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.” He stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing. Be made clean!” Immediately his skin disease was cleansed. Then Jesus said to him, “See that you say nothing to anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.” When he entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, appealing to him and saying, “Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, in terrible distress.” And he said to him, “I will come and cure him.” The centurion answered, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but only speak the word, and my servant will be healed. For I also am a man under authority, with soldiers under me, and I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes, and to my slave, ‘Do this,’ and the slave does it.” When Jesus heard him, he was amazed and said to those who followed him, “Truly I tell you, in no one in Israel have I found such faith. I tell you, many will come from east and west and will take their places at the banquet with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, while the heirs of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” And Jesus said to the centurion, “Go; let it be done for you according to your faith.” And the servant was healed in that hour. (Matthew 8:1-13, NRSVue)

Are you willing? Is Jesus willing to make us clean? Yes, he is always willing. But are we faithful and receiving?

I think it is interesting that these two stories are put together by the author of Matthew. One shows a man knowing who Jesus is and expecting to be touched, and the other is a man who knows who Jesus is, that all he needs is to hear that his servant is healed.

One expects to see the healing done, and one believes enough that all he needs is to hear that it is done.

Which are you? Do you need to see, or are you faithful?

do not boast

Now I am speaking to you gentiles. Inasmuch as I am an apostle to the gentiles, I celebrate my ministry in order to make my own people jealous and thus save some of them. For if their rejection is the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead? If the part of the dough offered as first fruits is holy, then the whole batch is holy; and if the root is holy, then the branches also are holy. But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, a wild olive shoot, were grafted among the others to share the rich root of the olive tree, do not boast over the branches. If you do boast, remember: you do not support the root, but the root supports you. You will say, “Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.” That is true. They were broken off on account of unbelief, but you stand on account of belief. So do not become arrogant, but be afraid. For if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will he spare you. Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen but God’s kindness toward you, if you continue in his kindness; otherwise you also will be cut off. And even those of Israel, if they do not continue in unbelief, will be grafted in, for God has the power to graft them in again. For if you have been cut from what is by nature a wild olive tree and grafted, contrary to nature, into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these natural branches be grafted back into their own olive tree. I want you to understand this mystery, brothers and sisters, so that you may not claim to be wiser than you are: a hardening has come upon part of Israel until the full number of the gentiles has come in. And in this way all Israel will be saved, as it is written,
“Out of Zion will come the Deliverer;
    he will banish ungodliness from Jacob.”
“And this is my covenant with them,
    when I take away their sins.”
As regards the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but as regards election they are beloved for the sake of their ancestors, for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. (Romans 11:13-29, NRSVue)

You might have been grafted into a tree where branches were broken off, but they were not broken off to make room for you. You are no better than any other branch. Branches are removed because the gardener prunes the tree for better fruit and growth.

You were added out of mercy from the gardener and not because any other branch was removed.

We are a part of the family because of the mercy and grace of God and not our own doing.