NT in 40 Days: Acts 20-24

Felix, the governor in chapter 24, was an interesting guy.  His wife was a Jewish, and he was "well acquainted with the Way." [v22]

Neverthless, he got really nervous when Paul preached about righteousness, self-control, and the judgment to come [v25]. Like Herod with John the Baptist, he was one of those guys who liked to hear good preaching -- as long as it didn't hit to close to the mark.

I can be like that -- more interested in being *at* church than getting something personal from it. I doubt it went very well for Felix, though, and I doubt it would work for me either.

NT in 40 Days: Acts 15-19

It's one thing thrown in prison unjustly; it's another to stay there when an earthquake breaks open all the doors. In Acts 16:16-40 we see Paul and Silas doing just that -- and not for their sakes, but out of consideration for the jailer's life.

Apparently, this gesture meant a lot to the jailer, who washed their wounds, got baptized, and fed the two prisoners. As an added bonus, they were released the next day with an apology.

Verse 34 says "the jailer was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God." I think I should have that same heart -- joyful just because I believe.

NT in 40 Days: Acts 1-5

Like the Gospel of Luke, the Acts of the Apostles is another book written to someone (either specifically or generally) called Theophilus. Nowadays I think the most interesting aspect of the first several chapters of Acts is the way the church did the best they could. I'm pretty sure that when Jesus said in Acts 1:8 that his disciples would "be [his] witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth" that he intended them to reach out to Gentiles as well as Jews, but it took Peter until Acts 10 to clue in on this. In Acts 1:12-26 we see the apostles, inspired by Psalms, selecting Matthias to replace Judas. Strangely, this is the first, last, and only time in Scripture we ever hear about him. My guess is that God wanted Paul, not Matthias, to replace Judas. Paul a much more prominent person in the New Testament and he even refers to himself in 1 Corinthians 15:9 as "the least of the apostles." I just hope Matthias wasn't part of the Corinth church at the time. The takeaway is that we shouldn't expect the church (or anyone in it) to be perfect. We should do the best we can to discern God's expections of us, but we shouldn't get too wrapped up in our own conclusions.

NT in 40 Days: John 15-21

John 18:37-38 shows Jesus before Pilate. I don't know enough about philosophy to identify Pilate's view, but his response to Jesus sounds familiar: "The reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.” 38 “What is truth?” retorted Pilate. With this he went out again to the Jews gathered there and said, “I find no basis for a charge against him." [NIV] ***** Though Pilate found no basis for punishing Jesus as a criminal, he later gave in to the crowd and crucified him anyway. Pilate's not the only person who's been like that. Jesus says he's "the way, the truth, and the life" (John 14:6), but rather than deal with this we just get philosophical. It doesn't help. You might as well question "movement" when you blow through a stop sign. "Uh, do you know how fast you were going?" "Sorry Officer, what does it mean 'to go?'" Good luck with that.

NT in 40 Days: John 11-14

After so many signs, one might wonder how people in Jesus' time still could have refused to believe in him. John 12 has some explanation on this.

  ³⁷ Even after Jesus had performed so many signs in their presence, they still would not believe in him.

⁴² Yet at the same time many even among the leaders believed in him. But because of the Pharisees they would not openly acknowledge their faith for fear they would be put out of the synagogue; ⁴³ for they loved human praise more than praise from God.

Back in Mark 6, you can see Herod was like this.

²⁰ ... Herod feared John and protected him, knowing him to be a righteous and holy man. When Herod heard John, he was greatly puzzled^[c]; yet he liked to listen to him.

I think there are a lot of people prefer to think of Jesus as a great moralist or ethical leader because it keeps them from having to make hard decisions about their life. Nevertheless, a failure to recognize Jesus for who he rightfully is -- Lord -- has eternal repercussions.

NT in 40 Days: John 7-10

Who is Jesus? The Jews struggled with this issue in chapter 7. In verse 12, some say he was "a good man." In other places, he's acknowledged as a teacher. The blind man who was healed in chapter 9 said he was a prophet. Even the temple guards were unsure about how to treat him (7:45).

A few understood that he was the Messiah, but they probably didn't understand Jesus' background well enough to counter the argument that the Messiah wouldn't come from Galilee (7:41-43).

But that's how God works a lot of times. Those who seek an answer can find it. Those who are not interested in the truth don't have it shoved in their faces.

Jesus' never forced anyone to accept his credentials.

NT in 40 Days: Luke 24-John 3

In Luke 24:13-35, we see Jesus has a sense of humor. As two disciples on their way to a town called Emmaus, the resurrected Jesus appears and asks what they are talking about (though he keeps himself from being recognized).

They can't believe he hasn't heard about what happened to Jesus -- apparently, *everyone* had heard about it -- so they explain. When they finish, Jesus explains all the Scriptures concerning himself.

It's gettting dark, so they invite still-unrecognized-Jesus to stay with them. Then, as he breaks the bread and gives it to them, he disappears, just as they recognize him. Quite a character.

NT in 40 Days: Luke 20-23

In Luke 22:54-62, Peter disowns Jesus three times. There's a parts in v61 that I find particularly impacting.

60 Peter replied, “Man, I don’t know what you’re talking about!” Just as he was speaking, the rooster crowed. 61 The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word the Lord had spoken to him: “Before the rooster crows today, you will disown me three times.” 62 And he went outside and wept bitterly. [NIV]

I can only imagine the look on Jesus' face -- disappointment, sadness, maybe a little I-told-you-so. I doubt Peter ever forgot it for as long as he lived.

NT in 40 Days: Luke 15-19

Once, having been asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, “The kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation, nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is within you.” -- Luke 17:20-21

If the kingdom of God is within (or among) us, what does that actually mean?

It's the church, and not the building sort, but as the Greek word ἐκκλησία (ecclesia) implies, it's an assembly.

To me the church is more than a mere assembly; it's a community. If you ask me what the difference is between my church and some other one, I doubt I could answer it. Just the same, I invite people to mine because it's the community I know.

NT in 40 day: Luke 11-14

As Jesus was saying these things, a woman in the crowd called out, “Blessed is the mother who gave you birth and nursed you.”

He replied, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.” -- Luke 11:27-28

I find it encouraging to think that I could be even more blessed than the Beatae Mariae Virginis.

NT in 40 days: Luke 7-10

I love the story of the Roman officer. The centurion in Luke 7:1-10 is famous for amazing Jesus with his faith, but I like his story for different reasons -- though he was a Roman army officer, he was a highly respected God-fearing philanthropist. As it says in v. 4-5,  “If anyone deserves your help, he does, for he loves the Jewish people and even built a synagogue for us.” [NLT]

It's one thing to ask a favor of Jesus; many people did that, and mostly to be healed of an illness. In this story, however, the centurion 1.) got some respected Jewish elders to go and ask a favor on his behalf, and 2.) then used his favor to help his servant.

So in addition to his great faith, he was just a cool guy. What a great example.

NT in 40 Days: Luke 3-6

Despite the politically-charged atmosphere of the Roman occupation, John the Baptist and Jesus were surprisingly apolitical. In Luke 3:12-14 John addresses two types of unpopular people: tax collectors and foreign soldiers.

To the tax collectors, he said to "collect no more taxes than the Roman government requires you to." To the Roman soldiers, he said "Don't extort money, and don't accuse people of things you know they didn't do. And be content with your pay." [NLT]

What's really significant is what John *didn't* say; he didn't say the soldiers should get out of Palestine. He didn't say the tax collectors should quit their "oppressor-collaborator" jobs. Both John and Jesus were much more concerned with people's spiritual condition than their political preferences.

So I have trouble with people I know from church who post a lot of political messages on Facebook. Stuff like "Friends don't let friends vote X" doesn't sit well with me; I recently unfriended someone because it seemed all they ever wrote about was political half-truths and biased opinions.

My perspective is: If you think the country's going to go down the toilet because I vote one way and not another, so what? On judgment day, the nation's not going to heaven -- people are. Being an American citizen doesn't get you a free pass (despite being a "Christian nation").

By the same token, disagreeing with you doesn't make a person stupid or guilty of a hate crime. Different people simply have different values.

Either way, as long as Christians keep a proper perspective on the relative unimportance of politcal matters, we can focus on the big issue -- helping people change and become one of God's "elect."

NT in 40 days: Mark 15-Luke 2

Luke is my favorite gospel. As a doctor who accompanied Paul, he took a very methodical approach, as he explains in the very first paragraph.

"Having carefully investigated all these accounts from the beginning, I have decided to write a careful summary for you, to reassure you of the truth of all you were taught." -Luke 1:3-4 [NLT]

I'm one of those people who appreciate careful consideration of important things, especially religious ideas. I've always chafed at the "just accept it on faith" perspective, and to read 2,000 years later of a similarly minded person is very reassuring.

NT in 40 days: Mark 11-14

In Mark 12:28-34, we see a teacher of the religious law asking Jesus a question about which of the Old Testament commandments was the most important. When Jesus gives his answer, he actually listens and internalizes it, replacing each "your" from Deuteronomy 6:4-5 with "my."

Jesus finishes by saying "You are not far from the Kingdom of God."

I've always thought that was a very inspirational line -- to be told you were not far from the Kingdom of God -- but I'm sure a lot of it had to do with his character. Compare his attitude with the rich man from Mark 10 who went away sad despite lacking "only" one thing.

One asked because he wanted to justify himself. The other asked because he wanted to know.

NT in 40 Days: Mark 7-10

Today's reading has three unique sections: 7:31-37, 8:22-26 and 9:49. The first is the healing of a deaf and mute man, the second is the two-phase healing of a blind man, and the third is the simple but enigmatic verse "Everyone will be salted with fire."

What could that mean, that everyone will be salted with fire?

Prof. Rod Decker offers this explanation, connecting it with Leviticus 2:13's requirement that all grain offerings be salted.

Given that v.48 talks about hell being where "the fire is never quenched," I think v.49 refers to hardship. Everyone in life goes through hardships which refine and "season" our characters. We should share with one another the lessons we've learned, and be willing to learn from others' experiences.

NT in 40 days: Mark 1-6

With over 90 percent of Mark being reproduced in Matthew and over 80 percent in Luke, the Gospel of Mark is probably not the gospel I'd put second. If modern critical scholarship is right, chronologically it would be first.

Regardless, an important question that arises is why these three "synoptic gospels" are so similar. For a nice, long explanation, see this site or this other site.

Personally, I think that Matthew and Luke agreed with Mark's story, and just wanted to expand. As Deut. 19:15 states, "The facts of the case must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses."

Less than 10 percent of Mark is unique, but the first six chapters have two sections -- Mark 3:20-21 and 4:26-29 -- not found in the others. In the first, we see Jesus' family calling him "out of his mind" and trying to take him home with them. The Parable of the Growing Seed is in the second.

I think Jesus' conversion of his family one of the most amazing parts of the New Testament. I doubt he was ever a wild kid or a bad brother (see Luke 2:51), but for whatever reason, neither his hometown nor his family seemed to have any faith in him (Matt 13:53-58).

Compare this with Acts 1:12-14, when the 120 believers at the time included his mother *and* his brothers. James and Jude would even go on to write epistles; James (a.k.a. "the Just") is considered the first bishop of Jerusalem.

I'm sure it wasn't easy, but it's inspiring to know that it's possible.

NT in 40 days: Matt. 26-28

For $12.25, Amazon is selling a bumper sticker 3-pack of "Obedient Women are Never Remembered in History."

Matt. 26:10-13 proves otherwise.

10 But Jesus, aware of this, replied, “Why criticize this woman for doing such a good thing to me? 11 You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me. 12 She has poured this perfume on me to prepare my body for burial. 13 I tell you the truth, wherever the Good News is preached throughout the world, this woman’s deed will be remembered and discussed. [NLT]

Regardless, what's the benefit to being remembered in history? Even if you are, it will be long since you've ceased to care. I'd rather be remembered by my family and friends.

NT in 40 days: Matt. 22-25

23 “Then if anyone tells you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah,’ or ‘There he is,’ don’t believe it. 24 For false messiahs and false prophets will rise up and perform great signs and wonders so as to deceive, if possible, even God’s chosen ones. 25 See, I have warned you about this ahead of time.

26 “So if someone tells you, ‘Look, the Messiah is out in the desert,’ don’t bother to go and look. Or, ‘Look, he is hiding here,’ don’t believe it! 27 For as the lightning flashes in the east and shines to the west, so it will be when the Son of Man comes." -- Matthew 24:23-27 [NLT]

From this passage, I get two things: first, that I don't have to worry about new religious teachings coming up since the Bible was coallated. Second, even false prophets can "perform great signs and wonders."

I wonder if this was why Jesus was so hostile to the religious leaders' demand for a miraculous sign back in Matthew 16:1-4. Such signs may be persuasive, but they prove nothing.

NT in 40 days: Matt. 16-21

I have to admire the ambition Zebedee's wife had for her sons James and John. In Matthew 20:20-28 she asks Jesus to let them sit at his right and left hands.

Jesus didn't answer her directly, but asked the two apostles if they were able to drink the cup that he was to drink. (To which they immediately respond, "Oh yes!")

I read somewhere that that's sometimes the case -- we don't get a "yes or no" answer to everything we want. Sometimes it's "are you willing to pay the price to achieve that?"

When the other disciples heard about what they'd asked for, they were indignant (v24). My guess is that they felt that way because they didn't think to ask it themselves. I can be the same way.

Ambition in the church is a weird thing. I've had thoughts like, "I could do a better communion lesson than that. Why hasn't anyone asked me?" Or when I do, I'll get competitive about silly little things that *really* don't matter, like how close to the 5 minute mark I got without going over. Like *that's* going to make a difference.

I like recognition, but it's dangerous for a personality like mine. For me, a proper focus is less on the status; more on the service.

NT in 40 days: Matt. 12-15

Matthew 13:24-29 has a the Parable of the Wheat and Weeds.

24 Here is another story Jesus told: “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a farmer who planted good seed in his field. 25 But that night as the workers slept, his enemy came and planted weeds among the wheat, then slipped away. 26 When the crop began to grow and produce grain, the weeds also grew.

27 “The farmer’s workers went to him and said, ‘Sir, the field where you planted that good seed is full of weeds! Where did they come from?’

28 “‘An enemy has done this!’ the farmer exclaimed.

“‘Should we pull out the weeds?’ they asked.

29 “‘No,’ he replied, ‘you’ll uproot the wheat if you do. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest. Then I will tell the harvesters to sort out the weeds, tie them into bundles, and burn them, and to put the wheat in the barn.’”

*****

When tragedy strikes, one of life's big questions is, "How can a good God tolerate the evils that happen in the world?" I once read in Iris Chang's Rape of Nanjing about the 1937 massacres perpetrated by the Imperial Army. Later I read in Flyboys about the firebombing of Tokyo during World War II. Both were horrific events.

Why didn't God step in and stop either?

I think the above passage offers some clue. Evil does not come into the world because of God, and despite our desires for vengeance and justice, those by whom it comes can still be saved.

Further, by asking God to uproot the "weeds fo the world," we risk asking for our own destruction. No matter how much I may think of myself as wheat, there are many more who might be convinced I'm the weed. One of them might be the guy I inadvertently cut off on the interstate today.

Matthew 12:35 says, "A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart." That is an encouraging thought -- that despite all those times I messed somebody up, I can bring some good into this world.