Good morning sisters and brothers,
Yesterday we saw the triumph of Jesus' entry into Jerusalem and his enthusiastic welcome. Today we see his entry from an emotional perspective. Jesus is touched by being in Jerusalem and knowing that he will be rejected. He's known that for a long time, since he's told his disciples about his death three times, but there seems to be something powerful about being in the city in person. Jesus weeps for Jerusalem because it doesn't recognize the opportunity to return to God through his visit. Knowing Christ means knowing peace; Jesus knows that Jerusalem as a whole will not know him.
We get anger as well as grief in this scene as Jesus drives the merchants out of the temple. He's angry because commerce seems to have overwhelmed faith. The commercial activity actually started out with good intentions. Sacrificing animals had always been a part of temple worship, so making animals available for people from far away made sense. Roman money, which most people would have to use in their daily lives wasn't acceptable to give to the temple because it had an image of Caesar on it in conflict with Jewish law. "Money changers" in the temple exchanged Roman money for coins without the image so people could make a financial offering as well. To Jesus' eyes at least, this activity distracted from the worship of God and may have been an opportunity to cheat people, especially the poor. Are there any distractions we need to drive out of our worship life to focus on God?
God bless,
Sam
Luke 19:41-48
41As he came near and saw the city, he wept over it, 42saying, “If you, even you, had only recognized on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. 43Indeed, the days will come upon you, when your enemies will set up ramparts around you and surround you, and hem you in on every side. 44They will crush you to the ground, you and your children within you, and they will not leave within you one stone upon another; because you did not recognize the time of your visitation from God.”
45Then he entered the temple and began to drive out those who were selling things there; 46and he said, “It is written, ‘My house shall be a house of prayer’; but you have made it a den of robbers.” 47Every day he was teaching in the temple. The chief priests, the scribes, and the leaders of the people kept looking for a way to kill him; 48but they did not find anything they could do, for all the people were spellbound by what they heard.
Showing posts with label Christ's coming. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Christ's coming. Show all posts
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Thursday, September 30, 2010
the Lord is my shepherd
Good morning sisters and brothers,
This morning's reading features Jeremiah speaking for God and accusing the leaders of Judah of unfaithful leadership. More specifically, God accuses the leaders, the shepherds, of taking advantage of the people for their own gain instead of taking care of them. Notice the word play on "attend," which is used both in the sense of care and in the sense of revenge. You could replace "attend" with "take care of" if that makes it easier to understand: "Because you haven't taken care of my people I will take care of you.
Judah's leaders haven't led and care for the people properly, so God will get rid of those leaders and raise up new leaders to gather and care for God's people. The second paragraph here is a common Advent text that we read as pointing to the ministry of Jesus, the new shepherd not only of Israel and Judah but also of the world. We look forward to the day when Christ will gather all the people together in peace in harmony. Amen; come Lord Jesus.
God bless,
Sam
Jeremiah 23:1-8
Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! says the Lord. 2Therefore thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, concerning the shepherds who shepherd my people: It is you who have scattered my flock, and have driven them away, and you have not attended to them. So I will attend to you for your evil doings, says the Lord. 3Then I myself will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the lands where I have driven them, and I will bring them back to their fold, and they shall be fruitful and multiply. 4I will raise up shepherds over them who will shepherd them, and they shall not fear any longer, or be dismayed, nor shall any be missing, says the Lord.
5The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. 6In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. And this is the name by which he will be called: “The Lord is our righteousness.” 7Therefore, the days are surely coming, says the Lord, when it shall no longer be said, “As the Lord lives who brought the people of Israel up out of the land of Egypt,” 8but “As the Lord lives who brought out and led the offspring of the house of Israel out of the land of the north and out of all the lands where he had driven them.” Then they shall live in their own land.
This morning's reading features Jeremiah speaking for God and accusing the leaders of Judah of unfaithful leadership. More specifically, God accuses the leaders, the shepherds, of taking advantage of the people for their own gain instead of taking care of them. Notice the word play on "attend," which is used both in the sense of care and in the sense of revenge. You could replace "attend" with "take care of" if that makes it easier to understand: "Because you haven't taken care of my people I will take care of you.
Judah's leaders haven't led and care for the people properly, so God will get rid of those leaders and raise up new leaders to gather and care for God's people. The second paragraph here is a common Advent text that we read as pointing to the ministry of Jesus, the new shepherd not only of Israel and Judah but also of the world. We look forward to the day when Christ will gather all the people together in peace in harmony. Amen; come Lord Jesus.
God bless,
Sam
Jeremiah 23:1-8
Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! says the Lord. 2Therefore thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, concerning the shepherds who shepherd my people: It is you who have scattered my flock, and have driven them away, and you have not attended to them. So I will attend to you for your evil doings, says the Lord. 3Then I myself will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the lands where I have driven them, and I will bring them back to their fold, and they shall be fruitful and multiply. 4I will raise up shepherds over them who will shepherd them, and they shall not fear any longer, or be dismayed, nor shall any be missing, says the Lord.
5The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. 6In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. And this is the name by which he will be called: “The Lord is our righteousness.” 7Therefore, the days are surely coming, says the Lord, when it shall no longer be said, “As the Lord lives who brought the people of Israel up out of the land of Egypt,” 8but “As the Lord lives who brought out and led the offspring of the house of Israel out of the land of the north and out of all the lands where he had driven them.” Then they shall live in their own land.
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