05.11.08
Posted in Bible Study, Bryan Dunn at 5:01 pm by Bryan Dunn
Rejection of the Pharisaic practices of the law (Matt. 6:1-7:6; Luke 6:37-42) [Part 1]
After Jesus rejected the Pharisaic interpretation of the law, He moves on to show that their practices that came about because of their interpretation was to be rejected as well. Let’s think about that for just a moment. You and I act on various things based on our beliefs. And the Bible is pretty clear on this from a very practical standpoint. For instance, take Luke 6:45 The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks. I seem to constantly be amazed as ‘church folks’ say things that would seemingly be out of character as followers of Christ outside of church. You know, the off colored jokes, the cursing, the guys who talk less than glowingly of their wife or family. What this tells me is there is a heart condition that has not been addressed. And what is really contained in the heart – and mind – comes out of the mouth. Folks are acting on (or speaking of) things they truly believe. There are tons of examples in this area, and the one above is far from all encompassing or perfect, but it shouldn’t take any of us long to think of many examples of acting on our beliefs in very practical ways.
Among the beliefs of the Pharisees there was a ‘code’ (if you will) of teachings that revolved around certain acts of righteousness that should certainly be taught and followed. Among these were giving alms, praying and fasting. Jesus addresses each area, but realize that right up front (ref. Matt. 6:1 – Be careful…) these three items – designed by God to be a God-facing action – had been perverted to become man-facing actions so the Pharisees could build on their reputations of being pious. They were hypocrites! And none of us have heard believer and non believers call followers of Christ that same thing, have we?
You don’t have to look back far to see that Jesus gave blessings on those who were merciful (Matthew 5:7 - Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.) So…what’s this? Giving to those less fortunate, to those in need, is certainly an act of mercy. What an opportunity for followers of Christ to demonstrate the love of God by meeting needs. The Pharisees had perverted this in that they used it to impress men. This was something that was so widespread that the beggars – they may be poor, but they weren’t stupid – sought to stage themselves at the approaches to the temple so that they might receive these flashy gifts from the Pharisees as they entered.
It’s interesting to note that Christ says in the end over verse 2 that those that do this have received their reward in full. These folks were not really ‘giving’ in the sense that the law spoke of, in fact they were buying a service. That service was the praise of men! And that was all they would get for their purchase. God certainly couldn’t be bought in such a manner and He would not be heaping praise on them. They got what they paid for.
We talk about the blessings from God. You want them? Stop giving out loud! Why do we feel obligated to tell others? Is it to impress them? To make a show? Granted, we can gussy it up with our veil of religion and say it is to ‘encourage others to follow our example’. If I’m reading my Bible right, let me say this about the practice – it’s like putting lipstick on a pig. You may try to make it more appealing, but it’s still a pig. You want a true reward, one that won’t go anywhere or fade with the passing of time? Then get it from God – do your giving quietly, which is the right attitude taught by the Lord. He will reward those who follow His teaching in their practice, and He certainly repudiated the perversion the Pharisees had made of giving to the needy.
More parts of this lesson to follow…
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05.19.08
Posted in Bible Study, Bryan Dunn at 6:50 am by Bryan Dunn
Just as the Pharisees made a public show of their giving, prayer was no different. The point of their prayers as recorded seem to be that of impressing people with their piety. Again, Jesus makes the point in verse 5 that they got exactly what they asked for (their reward) – the approval of people.
Now, I’d like to make a distinction here. This passage isn’t saying that these folks wandered out into the streets when it was time for prayer. I think it is making the point that they had no problem with being seen if it was time or there was a need to pray. The issue was they made the decision to pray where they would be seen, they pretended to have intercourse with God (yes, I chose that word on purpose – look it up if you were somehow taken aback by it). You see, prayer that is only offered in public is prayer that is only for a show. It should be intimate, familiar time with one that we need communion with apart from the world, apart from the hustle and bustle. That is where the issue was – that was not being done here.
Note that Jesus didn’t condemn prayer. He, instead, looked at what prayer had become and saw the perversion of it, becoming similar to pagan prayer practices (many of which continue today) that feel like repetition endears them to God. Jesus says to stop ‘babbling like pagans’ because God is not dependent on our endless repetition. Wow – how much freedom is wrapped up in that? (I can already hear the debates – what about persistence? The prayer for one that is lost and does not know Christ? Should I pray once and forget it (use our ‘easy’ button)? Or model prayer in earnest as Christ did in the garden of Gethsemane? We certainly want to know it all, and follow some formula for prayer success – and Christ takes us there now, but we have in turn potentially made this into exactly what Jesus spoke of : that prayer of recitation, of rote reliance, of ritual without any reality.)
Now we come to the model prayer. Some have called it the Lord’s prayer, personally it seems much more accurate to call this the Disciple’s prayer, since Jesus was teaching them how to pray (not teaching himself). I don’t for a minute believe this was a prayer that we should memorize and recite all the time. It seems to be areas that should occupy our time in communion with God.
First – prayer should involve worship (vs. 9). It magnifies God and involves worship of the object worthy of our praise: God the Father.
Second – prayer will occupy itself with the work God is engaged in (vs. 10). That means it’s not all about you! It is all about God and His work here with and among us.
Third – prayer addresses our daily needs (vs. 11). Here the believer shows their dependence on God and not the works of their own hands.
Fourth – prayer contains confession (vs. 12). This could be for the forgiveness of our sins, either known or unknown or both!
Fifth – prayer includes elements of protection and deliverance from the evil one (vs. 13). Keep in mind the world you and I live in is ruled by the prince of the air, not the Prince of Peace. Prayer should recognize the need for God to protect and deliver us from this reality as we live for Him.
Jesus finishes off this review of what prayer should be by setting the expectation that God wants us to be a forgiving people. If we have an unforgiving spirit then it becomes an impossibility for God to answer our prayers. And that may seem strange to you. How can we – who have been forgiven so much on so many levels – not forgive someone else and expect God to answer our cries for forgiveness? Take a few moments to reflect on Matthew 18:21-35.
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05.25.08
Posted in Bible Study, Bryan Dunn at 4:47 pm by Bryan Dunn
Here’s another practice of the Pharisees that needed to be addressed. What we need to understand is that fasting, as it was practiced during this time period, was more than the absence of food and drink. The people did not wash or anoint themselves. They were – in a word – unsightly. What this did was get them (again) praise from men, because that is who this ‘show of faith and obedience’ was for. So what does Jesus teach? The fasting that is acceptable to God is one that is observed before God Himself. These folks missed the point! Take a bath and clean yourself up on the outside, because impressing men with your obedience is not what our Heavenly Father is looking for.
4 – Attitude towards wealth (Matt. 6:19-24)
Part of this teaching stems from Deut. 28 where God promises to bless people materially if they walk in obedience to His words, and discipline by reducing them to want and poverty if they were disobedient. From this comes the teaching that is recorded in their statement ‘Whom the Lord loveth, He maketh rich’.
To the Jews, riches were a sure sign of God’s pleasure and blessing. During this time (the time of Christ) the goal of life was to accumulate material things. I guess not much has changed over the years. What Jesus illustrates is that having material things as the goal of life shows our view towards what is temporary. Your stuff can be destroyed, it will decay, and it will fade. It’s just stuff! What our goal should be is to acquire things that are permanent or eternal. In accumulating treasure there is the danger that one will love what is accumulated. Just thinking that through will illustrate that a person can then easily become enslaved by the things they love. Don’t believe me? What are you working hard for? What conclusions could one draw if they examined your checkbook or your credit card statements?
Jesus teaches that it is impossible to serve two masters. If stuff is your thing, let me tell you that you are fooling yourself if you think you are serving God. And if you fall on the other side of the fence and raise your hand to say you are serving God, then you need to examine if you are enslaved by your material things. Which latitude does your attitude (towards money) take?
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06.01.08
Posted in Bible Study, Bryan Dunn at 8:35 pm by Bryan Dunn
An interesting note here is that Jesus ties the desire to accumulate wealth (as viewed by the Pharisees) as a substitute for faith. You know, I want to be secure in my ‘stuff’ too. I really don’t want to live paycheck to paycheck. I’d love to be able to waltz out and purchase exactly what I want (or need) when I want to. I want my kid to have it better than I had it as a kid. Perhaps you are like that as well. That has not been in the cards for me, and maybe a reflection and thanks should be offered up for that. It seems to be a truism that those with material means may not see the need to trust God for needs today and tomorrow. Have a bumper crop? Build bigger storage facilities!
What does Christ say about this – ‘do not worry about your life’. The reasons for this are we are more than just a physical being (vs. 25). If that was all we were, then our concerns for food and clothing would pretty much cover it. Look around now! What makeup, mascara, deodorant, nail polish, body wash, under garments, car, truck, beer, wine, causes (care to go green?) are all things that we may view as must haves or must do’s for various reasons. Recently (yesterday, as I type this) I went to a funeral for a friend. It was different in that we walked from the church to the burial site. Again – I noticed no u-haul or storage pod for all the ‘stuff’ accumulated in the 50 years of this friend’s life. And everything you and I acquire will not leave planet Earth and travel with us to our Heavenly dwelling place, in fact you are working hard to leave your stuff to someone else. Why do we dote and fret so much over it?
Christ emphasized the Father’s care for all of His creatures (vs. 26). And, as a child of The King who cares for the birds, understand He can provide for you and I just as much because we are more valuable to Him than the birds (much to the chagrin of PETA and others of that persuasion). Another reason not to worry about this stuff and our place in it is that we can’t extend life by even a single hour (vs. 27). Even the best project manager and planner can plan well enough to make their design a substitute for faith.
Christ even refers to creation that is inanimate – the lilies and grass. If God, who has taken care of the flowers for quite some time after He created them, continues to nurture and care for them for such a short period of time, we can be certain He will care for His children.
Then Jesus shows that the Pharisees’ concern to provide for the future grew out of their lack of faith. Check out verse 33. Instead of giving a huge portion of the time we have here in pursuit of stuff to provide security for the days ahead, the command is that we put God’s work and His righteousness before all things. We waste a lot of time about the future here on planet Earth when no promise is given to us for any future here – we are headed to a better place!
I can already imagine the comments to be thought or made. How irresponsible! God also told us that if we didn’t care for our own we are worse than infidels! You are taking the red letters of the Bible out of context here! I hear you. I would only ask that you examine your life in this area, pray (communicate) with God on this area. See if you aren’t – in fact – defending a defenseless position as His child. Our time here is fleeting, what is really important?
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06.08.08
Posted in Bible Study, Bryan Dunn at 7:26 pm by Bryan Dunn
The Pharisees practice of setting themselves up as judges of all men – as measured by themselves, of course – is now examined. This should be a fun lesson for those of us chided again and again as others take this verse out of context when we say, observe, or otherwise comment on things that are amiss. When Jesus tells His disciples (and us) not to judge;
- He is not forbidding them (or us) to discern between good and evil.
- He was not forbidding them (or us) to discern between truth and error in doctrine.
- He was not dealing primarily with actions, instead He is instructing on motives behind the actions.
We see results or actions of folks, but it is hard (impossible) for us to see the motives behind the actions. That was no deterrent to the Pharisees, and they claimed to be able to determine the motives and therefore judged the motives of people – and that is expressly what Christ forbade.
The illustration Jesus was using of sawdust and a plank are identical in nature with the difference being the size of the object. Jesus was saying that what one is quick to judge in another is often a major concern in his or her own life. Instead of dealing with the personal problem, is is easier to rally the cry against another – in doing so the spotlight shifts from self to the same problem existing in another. In saying this, again let me point out that we would be mindful of looking at removing impurities in our own lives before we choose to move the spotlight to another and begin to crucify them for similar or identical things.
Then we see the final set of information that indicates that Jesus did not expect the truths that He had been proclaiming to be accepted by the Pharisees (Matt. 7:6). While He did not expect them to accept His standards of righteousness as their own, the Lord’s expectations for His own children is different – we need to do as God instructs.
We have just gone through a whole heap of information where Jesus documents why He rejected Pharisaic interpretations and practices of the law. For us – do we see any indications that we may need to reexamine why we do what we do? How we look at righteousness and expect it to be carried out in our families, homes, churches, society? Would Jesus be overly concerned about our society – or more concerned about how we treat each other and relate to Him?
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