Bible Reflections for November, 2006
NOTE: The passages for each week will often be the passages upon which the sermons are based.
Text for:
Sunday, November 5
Read: Mark 12:28-34
Consider: In the final week of Jesus' earthly life, amid disputes with the religious leaders, a scribe comes to Jesus asking about which commandment is most important. Jesus quotes from his Hebrew tradition-Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:17. The greatest commandment is really two commandments which are inseparable: love for God and love for neighbor. Following those commandments of love is of far greater importance than observing all the rituals of religion, says the scribe. Jesus sees in him someone who understands the deeper purpose of faith and tells him he is "not far from the kingdom of God."
Reflect:
Why is it impossible to separate love for God and love for neighbor? Have you known people you believe were trying to do one without the other?
Can you think of other passages of scripture that point to the same truth: that you can't love God if you don't love others?
Jesus quoted ancient Hebrew scripture to answer the scribe. Do you think of Jesus' teachings as "new" ideas, original to him? If many of his teachings can be found in the Hebrew scriptures, what is it that is "new" and unique about Jesus?
Why do you think Jesus declared to the scribe that he was close-"not far"- from the kingdom...but presumably not yet in it?
Sunday, November 12
Read: Mark 12:38-44
Consider: Jesus warns his followers against religious ostentation, or seeking power and influence at the expense of others, as some of the religious leaders had been doing. Don't seek the highest honors to impress people with your status. He then tells of a widow whose gift to the temple was small but represented all she had-contrasted with others who placed large sums in the treasury, but whose gifts represented not sacrificial giving but giving from their excess. She has put in more than they, for she understands the meaning of trusting God, Jesus indicates.
Reflect:
What is your view of giving to support religious congregations? Are you able to live out your convictions in practice?
What are ways today that religious folk "parade their piety" before others?
Which is the greater problem in the church today? People who have inflated views of themselves...or people who hold themselves in low esteem?
A great preacher, Dr. Paul Scherer, once said that if he wanted to truly know someone's philosophy of life-what he really believed, not just what he said he believed- he would ask to see that person's checkbook stubs for the last year. What do you think he was getting at and do you agree?
Sunday, November 19
Read: Mark 13:1-8
Consider: This is a very difficult passage about the "last days." The temple in Jerusalem impresses Jesus' disciples with its great stones and gold-plated walls, a structure built to endure. But Jesus says that not one stone will be left standing. That which truly endures is of God, not man's creation. When asked when this great final upheaval will come, Jesus warns them against any who would "predict" the timing of the day of judgment, when war, earthquake, and famine will characterize the tumultuous time when it will be hard to keep the faith. But, Jesus concludes, be assured that such destruction is not God's final word, leaving the world devastated and without hope. These signs are rather, he says, "the beginning of the birth-pangs," suggesting new life arising out of the suffering and heartache. This passage is part of what is called the "little apocalypse," writings about the "last days."
Reflect:
What do you think of people or groups who try to identify the day of judgment or Christ's "second coming," or even suggest that "the end is near"
Do Jesus' words about "the end" have meaning for you today? In what way?
Some have said that it is important "to live every day as though it were my last day.' Do you agree? Why or why not?
What instances in history or from your personal experience can you recall in which what looked to be groans of suffering or destruction turned out to be birth pangs of something new and better?
What are some of the signs of human greatness today that people believe will endure forever. Will they?
Sunday, November 26
Read: John 18:33-37
Consider: Pilate asks Jesus if he is King of the Jew, as Jesus is questioned only hours before he will face the cross. Jesus talks about his kingship, but in ways that Pilate cannot understand. It is as if the two, Jesus and Pilate, were from different worlds, and indeed they were. Pilate's understanding of "king" included coercive power over others and an earthly throne. No wonder he saw Jesus as a potential threat to his power and domination over Judea. Jesus' kingdom "is not from this world," otherwise his followers would be fighting on his behalf. This is a different kingdom, and Jesus is a different kind of King.
Reflect:
Does the notion of "Jesus the King" Inspire you? leave you cold? Seem irrelevant in a democratic society?
What might be some more palatable terms to convey the sense that Jesus stands above all when it comes to giving our ultimate loyalty to someone or some thing?
Why does Jesus not answer directly Pilate's( and maybe others') question about whether or not he his a king? Is Mark 8:27-29 a possible clue?
Read the rest of the narrative about Pilate (John 18:19-19:22). How do you asses his personality? Is there something within it to admire? What are its primary weaknesses?
Sunday, December 3
Read: Jeremiah 33:14-16
Consider: As we begin the Advent Season (four weeks in preparation for
receiving anew the message of Christmas: God's gift of Jesus), this passage
from the Hebrew scriptures speaks of God's promise to his people. In its
historical setting, Jeremiah is preaching to the Jewish exiles in Babylon, who
have been taken into captivity and whose world has fallen apart. But it speaks
to others and to other situations where people feel that life has fallen apart
and left them "exiled" in despair. The promise here is that God has not
forgotten his people (then or at any time) and will restore them to life worth
living. He uses the image of a tree from which, though it looks to be cut down
and dead, a new branch begins to grow. The new branch will avoid the deadly
mistakes of the past: justice and righteousness will characterize this new
king's reign rather that the corruption and exploitation known under the old
kings. In spite of how things seem, God keeps his promise. For Christians, it
is hard to read this passage without the reality of the coming of the King
born in a stable in mind, the fulfillment of the promise of deliverance.
Reflect:
What is the essence of God's promise, in your own words?
Can any situation be called "godforsaken" (cf. Matthew 27:46)?
Why are both righteousness and justice important in the land? How are the two related?
How do you celebrate Advent? What are some of the things you do to prepare for the coming of the Promise?
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