John 1:43-49: Can Anything Come From Under A Fig Tree?

The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, “Follow me.”

Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida. Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”

“Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Nathanael asked.

“Come and see,” said Philip.

When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, “Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.”

“How do you know me?” Nathanael asked.

Jesus answered, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.”

Then Nathanael declared, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king of Israel.” - John 1:43-49

 People always seem surprised in the Bible when God sees them resting under a fig tree (see Jonah 4). Nathaniel's was a true Israelite whose fault was not lack of integrity but rather lack of imagination. He couldn't imagine a Messiah that came from Nazareth. We don't grasp how Jesus could be in a situation because our imagination is too small.  Fortunately, God doesn't need to meet our requirements before he acts. If we let him, he will blow our mind, allowing us to discover how much he knows us and our world. Once we see that, then maybe we can also let him be the expert in other areas.

Acts 17:1-9: How We React Shows What Is Going On Inside

Paul and Silas then traveled through the towns of Amphipolis and Apollonia and came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue. As was Paul’s custom, he went to the synagogue service, and for three Sabbaths in a row he used the Scriptures to reason with the people. He explained the prophecies and proved that the Messiah must suffer and rise from the dead. He said, “This Jesus I’m telling you about is the Messiah.” Some of the Jews who listened were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, along with many God-fearing Greek men and quite a few prominent women.

But some of the Jews were jealous, so they gathered some troublemakers from the marketplace to form a mob and start a riot. They attacked the home of Jason, searching for Paul and Silas so they could drag them out to the crowd. Not finding them there, they dragged out Jason and some of the other believers instead and took them before the city council. “Paul and Silas have caused trouble all over the world,” they shouted, “and now they are here disturbing our city, too. And Jason has welcomed them into his home. They are all guilty of treason against Caesar, for they profess allegiance to another king, named Jesus.”

The people of the city, as well as the city council, were thrown into turmoil by these reports. So the officials forced Jason and the other believers to post bond, and then they released them. - Acts 17:1-9

Why the other Jews felt jealous? How they reacted gives a clue about what was going on in their internal world. When they reacted by gathering some troublemakers, it speaks volumes about their inner motivations and Luke calls it out: jealousy. They had plenty of time to dispute with Paul in the open discussion that Paul fostered when he arrived. They must have felt threatened by their loss of influence: among some Jews, among the God-fearing Gentiles in whom they prided themselves for their evangelistic efforts, among the prominent woman of status and probably wealth (the same phrase is used for women who supported Jesus' ministry, some of whom are identified as belonging to politically influential families). Even then, this threat to their status was a test for them: are you genuinely interested in the truth? If they were righteous, the ploy of getting together morally-questionable thugs to route out Paul and the household where he was staying reveals them to be mafia in church clothing.

It is worth asking why we are so upset and what our reaction is saying about our inner life. Sometimes the other party is deliberately being provocative. Sometimes we are sensitive to an area where we have been hurt before. Sometimes we are defending those who we perceive are without defense in a situation. Or it could be something our identity-who we see ourselves to be, our pride-protecting others perception of us, or our status-other ability to control or influence others, or our desires-what we want and we realize that others have some measure of control over achieving what we want. Even if I am right in an argument, I may fail the test.

Matthew 25:1-12: Do We Really Want What We Say We Hope For?

Then the Kingdom of Heaven will be like ten bridesmaids who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. The five who were foolish didn’t take enough olive oil for their lamps, but the other five were wise enough to take along extra oil. When the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and fell asleep.

“At midnight they were roused by the shout, ‘Look, the bridegroom is coming! Come out and meet him!’

“All the bridesmaids got up and prepared their lamps. Then the five foolish ones asked the others, ‘Please give us some of your oil because our lamps are going out.’

“But the others replied, ‘We don’t have enough for all of us. Go to a shop and buy some for yourselves.’

“But while they were gone to buy oil, the bridegroom came. Then those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was locked. Later, when the other five bridesmaids returned, they stood outside, calling, ‘Lord! Lord! Open the door for us!’

“But he called back, ‘Believe me, I don’t know you!’ - Matthew 25:1-12

Some of the dangers of waiting to be ready are inherent to waiting, in the same ways that the bridesmaids fell asleep. All ten fell asleep. But there are other dangers that are related to not being prepared for a sudden change. Long waiting can lead to complacency, or assumptions about how really ready you have to me. What I see here is the need to be ready for a change. God has told us all sorts of things that we might be asked to do-be hospitable, be caring, be kind, be generous, or even something as simple as rejoicing or as complicated as Christ returning. The difference between being ready and not being ready is hoping like what is hoped for is unbearably desirable and willing to be interrupted.

Am I willing to be interrupted when Jesus shows up, in whatever guise?

 

Psalm 76: Being On God's Good Side Is Not Anything I Did

God is renowned in Judah; in Israel his name is great. His tent is in Salem, his dwelling place in Zion. There he broke the flashing arrows, the shields and the swords, the weapons of war.

You are radiant with light, more majestic than mountains rich with game. The valiant lie plundered, they sleep their last sleep; not one of the warriors can lift his hands. At your rebuke, God of Jacob, both horse and chariot lie still.

It is you alone who are to be feared. Who can stand before you when you are angry? From heaven you pronounced judgment, and the land feared and was quiet—when you, God, rose up to judge, to save all the afflicted of the land. Surely your wrath against mankind brings you praise, and the survivors of your wrath are restrained.

Make vows to the Lord your God and fulfill them; let all the neighboring lands bring gifts to the One to be feared. He breaks the spirit of rulers; he is feared by the kings of the earth. - Psalm 76

The NLT translates verse 10 as Human defiance only enhances your glory,  for you use it as a weapon.

Fear of God is downplayed in Christian circles, partly because we don't like to think of our loving God getting angry (v. 7) and partly because we are taught we don't need to fear God. After all, perfect love expels all fear (1 John 4:18) But Psalm 76 shows what an encounter with the living and powerful God when he is angry. For God to sit back and do nothing while people hurt those who he loves, would he truly be loving? Justice says that we get what is appropriate and fear is when we face that judge while in our own guilt knowing that he has full within his own power to carry out judgment. 

Since I am in Christ, I no longer have the fear relationship with God but I have full respect of what God should rightfully do to me if it weren't for his declared love for me in Christ.  

1 Peter 1:3-9: What Is Suffering But Hope Certain but Deferred

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 

These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls. - 1 Peter 1:3-9

we are receiving the end result of your faith. Suffering has many varieties of pain but they are all temporary. It does not diminish in any way the reward the we will receive. Suffering proves we are alive and will go on living. Suffering proves that this world is not where it ought to be, that I am not who I ought, and in that gap-the distacce between what is and what ought to be-we are reminded how to long for Christ to make everything right.  

 

Hebrews 11:32-12:2: Not Competitors But A Cheering Section.

And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson and Jephthah, about David and Samuel and the prophets,  who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. Women received back their dead, raised to life again. There were others who were tortured, refusing to be released so that they might gain an even better resurrection. Some faced jeers and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were put to death by stoning; they were sawed in two; they were killed by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated—the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, living in caves and in holes in the ground.

These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised, since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. - Hebrews 11:32-12:2

We are wimps. That's the impression I  get when I look at the men and women of faith. But they are not competition, they are the cheering section. There are two types of struggles: one of which we may never encounter, but one which we shared with them in full measure. Whether we encounter the great challenges is not our choice, but we can win that battle that we share. "...the sin that so easily entangles..." One type of struggle handicaps us in any attempt to overcome the second type of struggle.

Jesus chose to do only what the Father put in front of him. At each turning point, the thing which would trip him up was not the failure of God's power to see him through, but the temptation to take the detour of convenience and sin. 

Don't worry about the big challenges, Worry about the stumbling block of sin, and let God worry about whether you will overcome the big challenges.

Luke 12:35-59: The Perpetual Waiting

 “Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning, like servants waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him. It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes. Truly I tell you, he will dress himself to serve, will have them recline at the table and will come and wait on them. It will be good for those servants whose master finds them ready, even if he comes in the middle of the night or toward daybreak. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.”

Peter asked, “Lord, are you telling this parable to us, or to everyone?”

The Lord answered, “Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom the master puts in charge of his servants to give them their food allowance at the proper time? It will be good for that servant whom the master finds doing so when he returns. Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. But suppose the servant says to himself, ‘My master is taking a long time in coming,’ and he then begins to beat the other servants, both men and women, and to eat and drink and get drunk. The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the unbelievers.

“The servant who knows the master’s will and does not get ready or does not do what the master wants will be beaten with many blows. But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.

“I have come to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! But I have a baptism to undergo, and what constraint I am under until it is completed! Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division. From now on there will be five in one family divided against each other, three against two and two against three. They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”

He said to the crowd: “When you see a cloud rising in the west, immediately you say, ‘It’s going to rain,’ and it does. And when the south wind blows, you say, ‘It’s going to be hot,’ and it is. Hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky. How is it that you don’t know how to interpret this present time?

“Why don’t you judge for yourselves what is right? As you are going with your adversary to the magistrate, try hard to be reconciled on the way, or your adversary may drag you off to the judge, and the judge turn you over to the officer, and the officer throw you into prison. I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny.” - Luke 12:35-39

It is interesting in the first of Jesus' stories he adds the phrase, "If the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into." In this setting it can't be referring to Jesus himself, since he would be the 'master of the house' Instead it seems to be referring to the other thief 'Satan' One of the roles, then of those who were waiting for the bridgegroom was prevent the thief from breaking into contents of the house, the feast, maybe the gifts. That is, those waiting were not just 'waiting' but rather making sure that everything remained ready.

Both of the stories at the beginning emphasize being ready. I guess it is easy to put off effort if you think there is still a lot of time left (like the foolish mains). I guess it is easy to develop other priorities if you think there is still a lot of time left. I think Jesus' point is we are always on the cusp of a new age. We are never in a period of complacency. It is a form of spiritual laziness that I am prone to, especially after many years of struggling (and often failing) to change to say "I guess this is good enough/"

 

John 9: Irony and Uncertainty

As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”

“Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him. As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”

After saying this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes. “Go,” he told him, “wash in the Pool of Siloam” (this word means “Sent”). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing. His neighbors and those who had formerly seen him begging asked, “Isn’t this the same man who used to sit and beg?” Some claimed that he was. Others said, “No, he only looks like him.” But he himself insisted, “I am the man.”

“How then were your eyes opened?” they asked. He replied, “The man they call Jesus made some mud and put it on my eyes. He told me to go to Siloam and wash. So I went and washed, and then I could see.” 

“Where is this man?” they asked him. “I don’t know,” he said.

They brought to the Pharisees the man who had been blind. Now the day on which Jesus had made the mud and opened the man’s eyes was a Sabbath. Therefore the Pharisees also asked him how he had received his sight. “He put mud on my eyes,” the man replied, “and I washed, and now I see.”

Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath.” But others asked, “How can a sinner perform such signs?” So they were divided. Then they turned again to the blind man, “What have you to say about him? It was your eyes he opened.” The man replied, “He is a prophet.”

They still did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight until they sent for the man’s parents. “Is this your son?” they asked. “Is this the one you say was born blind? How is it that now he can see?”

“We know he is our son,” the parents answered, “and we know he was born blind. But how he can see now, or who opened his eyes, we don’t know. Ask him. He is of age; he will speak for himself.” His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders, who already had decided that anyone who acknowledged that Jesus was the Messiah would be put out of the synagogue. That was why his parents said, “He is of age; ask him.”

A second time they summoned the man who had been blind. “Give glory to God by telling the truth,” they said. “We know this man is a sinner.” He replied, “Whether he is a sinner or not, I don’t know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!” Then they asked him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?” He answered, “I have told you already and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his disciples too?”

Then they hurled insults at him and said, “You are this fellow’s disciple! We are disciples of Moses! We know that God spoke to Moses, but as for this fellow, we don’t even know where he comes from.”

The man answered, “Now that is remarkable! You don’t know where he comes from, yet he opened my eyes. We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly person who does his will. Nobody has ever heard of opening the eyes of a man born blind. If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.” To this they replied, “You were steeped in sin at birth; how dare you lecture us!” And they threw him out.

Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and when he found him, he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” “Who is he, sir?” the man asked. “Tell me so that I may believe in him.”

Jesus said, “You have now seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you.” Then the man said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him.

Jesus said, “For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind.” Some Pharisees who were with him heard him say this and asked, “What? Are we blind too?” Jesus said, “If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains. - John 9

There is a common theme: the blind can see and those who claim to see are blind. John even mentions how ironically that the high priest said that it was better for one die rather than the whole nation perish. 

It makes me think about what assumptions I may have-what am I certain about that is actually not true and grounding me in God. This man didn't have great knowledge, but he continuously responded to the actions of God by desiring to get closer and learn more. There is another aspect, the becoming more loving, but that is not illustrated here. 

 

Ephesians 5: Non-Transactional Relationships

Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people. Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving. For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person—such a person 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 such things God’s wrath comes on those who are disobedient. Therefore do not be partners with them.

For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord. Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. It is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. But everything exposed by the light becomes visible—and everything that is illuminated becomes a light. This is why it is said: “Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”

Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. 

Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church—for we are members of his body. “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.” This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church. However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband. - Ephesians 5

This passage starts and ends with the same them: Christ loving the church. That love can have a revolutionary impact on the way we do daily life. But we have spent years learning our habits and in times of stress we can revert back to our former style of dealing with that stress: lying, lashing out, bitterness, drinking, or significance through sex or greed. It is easy to do, not only because of our past, but also because we see these strategies actively being utilized in the world around us. Paul warns the Ephesians to "no longer live as the Gentiles do" and he goes further , "Therefore do not be partners with them" (5:7)  Jesus didn't respond to the world that way, rather he "loved us and gave himself up for us".

Paul brings it (literally) home, teaching an alternate pattern for marriage. Marriage then and now can be treated as transactional, whether between extended families or between husband and wife. He gets X and she gets Y, quid pro quo. But Paul reframes marriage not in terms of transactions, where we are always measuring if what we give is matched by what the other returns. Rather it is drawn in terms of sacrifice. She arranges herself under her husband, and he gives up himself for his wife. It is a tough arrangement because we are all of the "trust but verify" mindset, where we wait to receive that sacrificial love of another before we are willing to gift it. That's why Jesus made the first move, to show us the way.

Ezekiel 36:22-32: Reclaiming His Own Name from the Losers

Therefore say to the Israelites, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: It is not for your sake, people of Israel, that I am going to do these things, but for the sake of my holy name, which you have profaned among the nations where you have gone. I will show the holiness of my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, the name you have profaned among them. Then the nations will know that I am the Lord, declares the Sovereign Lord, when I am proved holy through you before their eyes.

“‘For I will take you out of the nations; I will gather you from all the countries and bring you back into your own land. I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. Then you will live in the land I gave your ancestors; you will be my people, and I will be your God. I will save you from all your uncleanness. I will call for the grain and make it plentiful and will not bring famine upon you. I will increase the fruit of the trees and the crops of the field, so that you will no longer suffer disgrace among the nations because of famine. Then you will remember your evil ways and wicked deeds, and you will loathe yourselves for your sins and detestable practices. I want you to know that I am not doing this for your sake, declares the Sovereign Lord. Be ashamed and disgraced for your conduct, people of Israel! - Ezekiel 36:22-32

Putting your reputation in the hands of a loser is a real bummer. Yet that is exactly what God had done. Every time the loser Israel plunged through a cesspool, they dragged the name and reputation of Yahweh with them. What kind of God associates himself with this kind of nation? 

God takes back his own reputation by his own actions in the most remarkable way possible: by transforming the loser. In transforming the people who had been such losers, he caused them to reflect on what terrible people they had been. He caused the nations to reflect on how holy and powerful God is and to reconsider their opinion of the loser Israel. 

When I think of myself, sometimes I like to gloss over how bad I have been. I like to think that I wasn't the worst of all sinners (that was Paul!) but I realize how much God is doing to bring me to a place where I am not a loser and where he is willing to be called my God. I am ashamed of what a selfish jerk I can be and marvel that God has reclaimed me.