Faith Venture

It seems as though I’ve been on constant business trips this month. Finally home for a while. My regimen of posting to four blogs while traveling sort of lapsed. Anyway, continuing in my study of Luke, I’m looking at his reporting of the Sermon on the Mount in Chapter 6. “Blessed are you who are poor”; Blessed are you who hunger”; Blessed are you who weep”; Blessed are you when men hate you”. On the other hand, “Woe to you who are rich”; “Woe to you who are well fed”; “Woe to you who laugh”; “Woe to you when all men speak well of you”.

It is probably impossible to overstate the impact of the Roman Empire, the god-like worship of Caesar, the culture of power that permeated society at the time. These words are revolutionary. It’s not so much political revolutionary suggesting the replacement of one government with another. It is Jesus saying that all people need to replace one worldview with another. Replace the attitude that rich people are somehow superior in every way to poor people. Replace the attitude of “if you’ve got it, flaunt it.” Replace the attitude of “I’ve got power over you, do what I say.”

I’m not so sure that humans have progressed all that much from Roman times. We still have a predominant society of “getting mine” and “screw the rest.” Even among Christ-followers, there has recurred a theme of “we’re better” or “we’ll get financially rich because we’re Christians.” On the other hand, perhaps the body of people who truly try to follow the teachings of Jesus (and Paul) is slowly growing over time and may perhaps see the eventual overturning of the Roman worldview replaced by a God worldview. I pray that it’s soon.

Gary Mintchell

After Luke records Jesus’ dealing with temptations, he proceeds into a compilation of events and sayings. Luke was a physician, and you’ll see more healing stories in his book than anywhere else. Significant among the early healings and other stories was the way Jesus dealt with the Sabboth. I was taught (and have never seen anything to contradict it) that Jewish Sabboth observance really caught on during the Babylonian Captivity as a way to keep their heritage alive. Over time, thinkers kept trying to define what it meant to “keep the Sabboth holy.” If you are to do no work, then what is work? So began a long process of writing definitions–otherwise known as laws or rules–about how to keep the day holy.

Jesus realized that the problem with rules is that they become a burden on the people. They forgot about concentrating on being holy and started concentrating on not breaking the rules. Today psychologists have verified Jesus stance that what you think about determines what you’ll do. When Jesus healed a man’s withered arm on the Sabboth in full view of everyone, he asked whether it was God’s will to do good or to do evil on the Sabboth.

The lesson for us is to reflect on our thoughts and actions and see where our concentration is. Are we more concerned with rules, and not breaking them? Or, are we concerned with God and what He wants us to do in every situation, with every minute? I know which one Jesus picked. Wish I could be as perfect as He!

I’m going to be studying the Gospel of Luke for the next few months. Every time you go back and study something you’ve already thoroughly studied, you still find new insights. The idea that fascinates me right now is what do you do after a spiritual experience (called “enlightenment” in some traditions). I was influenced by the meditation experience that swept through the country in the late 60s, and I’ve been meditating and studying that ever since. There are many reasons to meditate, but many people think the goal is “enlightenment” or hearing the voice of God directly. When this happens, does life stop? Acutally, no. Perhaps your spiritual experience came at the evening campfire during Tar Hollow or other church camp. Same thing. What do you do afterward?

So, in the third chapter Luke reports on John (the Baptist). John had a spiritual experience, “a message from God came to John son of Zechariah, who was living out in the wilderness.” This message compelled John to talk to others about his new knowledge–we call that preaching. His fundamental message was that others should get right with God–“turn from your sins.” So our first goal in life is to put all of our trust in God and listen for God’s guidance and insight. But then we also must show the fruits of this trust and insight by how we live. By the way, this is an individual experience. You don’t inherit it (“God can make sons of Abraham from these stones”). You have to take responsibility for your own life and search out God on your own.

Your life will change when this happens, John says. And you will now live your life for others. “If you have two coats, give one to ther poor. If you have food, share it with those who are hungry. …Show your honesty. Don’t extort money.” These were some of the examples that John gave.

Mother Teresa evidently had just one moving experience of Jesus, but she followed the message with a lifetime of service to some of the poorest of the poor. In America we are so blessed with abundance. Giving to those less fortunate is one response that John would approve. The American obsession of living for ourselves would draw his wrath, just as the similar “we’ve got ours, let them get theirs” mentality drew his wrath in his own time.

–Gary