Biblical Reflections for October, 2005
Sunday, October 2
Read: Philippians 3:4b-14
Consider:
Paul has felt the powerful revolution that is the gospel of Jesus Christ. This gospel turns things upside down for Paul. He must now consider as rubbish all that is perceived by his peers as honorable. He begs us to ask ourselves, how has the gospel turned our lives upside down?
Reflect:
+ How has your faith caused you to radically rethink some aspect of your life?
+ Paul speaks about pressing on, but not attaining perfection. How do you deal with the flaws and imperfections of your life? How do you keep them from disabling you emotionally and spiritually?
+ How do you honor your past, with its triumphs and defeats, without letting it determine your future?
+ What does determine our future?
Sunday, October 9
Read: Matthew 22:1-14
Consider:
The church to which Matthew wrote, living in a time of persecution, thought that the end of time was very near. Jesus tells a parable about a great, inclusive wedding banquet, rejected by many who were invited. The invitation is opened up to all, who come to the wedding party, while those who refused and behaved violently are destroyed. But one invited is not wearing the proper clothes and is ejected. This parable can be difficult -- and dangerous --to try to understand. It is about God's generosity (all are invited) and about God's demand upon those who choose to come -- they must put on the clothes of Christ, i.e., the words and deeds of the gospel.
Reflect:
+ Have you ever felt "left out" when invitations were given out? How did that feel?
+ Have you ever turned down an invitation that you were later sorry you had rejected?
+ How have you experienced Go's generosity in your life? How have you experienced God's hard demand?
+ What are some practical, down-to-earth ways we can "put on the clothes of Christ"... "wear" Christ for others to see without being judgmental of them?
Sunday, October 16
Read: Matthew 22:15-22
Consider:
The Pharisees and others try to trick and trap Jesus with a question about loyalties: Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor? Jesus asks to see a Roman coin, a denarius, and asks whose face appears on it. When they reply, "the emperor," he says to give the emperor the things that belong to the emperor but give to God the things that are God's. His answer does not put God and the emperor on equal footing; God is always first. What belongs to the emperor is only a small thing -- a little piece of metal; but to God belongs all things...the whole earth.
Reflect:
+ Can this text be used to support the "separation of church and state" What about the separation of "religion and life"
+ What things today belong to the governing powers? Does this story mean that Christians should not get involved in matters of government?
+ Is there anything of which it can be said, "This does not belong to God?"
+ Has anyone ever tried to trip you up with a "trick question," as the Pharisees tried with Jesus? What can we learn from Jesus about responding to those who try to trap us in our words?
Sunday, October 23
Read: Matthew 22:34-46
Consider:
Jesus is asked by the Pharisees which commandment in the law id greatest. Sounds like an innocent and genuine question -- and it could be -- but here it is once again an attempt to trap Jesus and discredit him in the eyes of the people. How? Because in the law of Moses there were some 613 separate commandments. By choosing one, Jesus would open himself to criticism and possible rejection from all of those who hold one of the other 612 to be greatest. It's a clever way of trying to put Jesus in an impossible situation. How does he respond? Jesus replies with the laws from Hebrew scripture about loving God and loving neighbor (Deuteronomy and Leviticus). These two laws are really one law, he is saying, and they stand above and cover all of the 613 good but lesser laws.
Reflect:
+ What does it mean to love God with all of our "heart, soul, and mind" Think of each one separately and how love may be expressed through each: heart...soul...mind.
+ What are some of the important and sometimes difficult things Jesus tells us e;elsewhere in the Gospels about "who is our neighbor"
+ Jesus speaks here of a "law of love." Can love be a law we will ourselves to follow, or is it more of a feeling we might have but have no power over?
Sunday, October 30
Read: Matthew 23:1-12
Consider:
Jesus speaks here of hypocrisy: those who teach one way but follow another way in their own lives. He speaks of religious leaders who do certain rituals or practices that show off their piety, setting themselves above others. Jesus calls his disciples to a spirit of humility as they share the good news of the gospel, and indeed says that the greatest will be the one who serves, and that all who try to exalt themselves will be brought low.
Reflect:
+ What do you look for in religious leaders?
+ How can we serve Jesus by helping others without letting our needs get in the way, so that our service is truly for the good of others, not a boost to our own ego?
+ How would you define "humility" How is it different from "modesty" What does "false humility" look like? Can one be humble and still exercise power over another?
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