Tag Archives: synagogue

THE BOOK OF ACTS – CONFIDENCE WORTH HAVING

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CHAPTER 14

CONFIDENCE WORTH HAVING

“When they got to Iconium they went, as they always did, to the meeting place of the Jews, and gave their message. The Message convinced both Jews and non-Jews — and not just a few, either. But the unbelieving Jews worked up a whispering campaign against Paul and Barnabas, sowing mistrust and suspicion in the minds of the people in the street. The two apostles were there a long time, speaking freely, openly and confidently as they presented the clear evidence of God’s gifts, God corroborating their work with miracles and wonders.” Acts 14:1-3 (The Message).

Wherever they went, Paul and Barnabas created a stir that affected the entire city. They were sowing into the soil of human hearts that were saturated with religion. There was no such thing as sacred and secular in the world view of their day.

In the Roman world, everyone was religious. They all believed in and worshipped someone or something. The Caesars insisted that they be worshipped as gods, seeing themselves as invincible saviours and arrogantly elevating themselves to the level of deity to the extent that they slaughtered believers for refusing to confess “Caesar is Lord.

In our world, everyone is also religious, though many deny that they worship anything. Superstition rules in societies where western scientific culture has not penetrated. Some people worship what they do not understand. Others insist that their ancestors or evil spirits are in control of their lives. In the western “developed” world, many people are self-made and worship themselves.

Whatever we look to as our source, is our god; money, education, image, position and prestige, achievements, or even other people — all these are things people believe in and rely on to keep them going.

The point is that man, in and of himself, is incomplete without someone or something greater than himself on which to rely. But we have to ask ourselves the questions, “Is the person or thing I rely on to complete me, worthy of my trust and confidence? Can I be sure that what I believe in will meet my need and complete my life when it comes to an end?”

When we examine the nature of our gods, we might find, to our horror, that we have placed our lives and our destiny in a mirage or a fantasy. On what authority do we base our trust? How can we be sure that the thing we worship will not fail us when we need it most?

Will my money, for example, be there to give me peace and hope when I am diagnosed with an incurable disease, when I lose a treasured child, or when my relationships fall apart? Can I go to my image or my achievements for comfort; will my possessions sustain me in trouble? Can my ancestors offer me strength to cope with cancer or permanent disability? Can my god take away my guilt, shame, fear, anxiety or even my fear of death?

When Paul and Barnabas delivered the good news of the forgiveness of sin through the death and resurrection of Jesus, the Son of God, they were not offering another religious hoax or pipe dream based on human imagination. They were relaying verifiable fact, based in history, and backed up by the power of God Himself. “…God corroborating their work with miracles and wonders,” and bringing peace and assurance of the truth to the hearts of those who believed.

“The proof of the pudding is in the eating,” the saying goes. To those who believed the apostles’ message, the proof came in the form of such joy and assurance that they were willing to lay down their lives rather than lose what they had received. To the Apostle Paul it meant, “To me to live is Christ and to die is gain.” Now that’s a confidence worth having!

Doing Nothing Is Doing Evil

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DOING NOTHING IS DOING EVIL

Another time He went into the synagogue, and a man with a shrivelled hand was there. Some of them were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched Him closely to see if He would heal Him on the Sabbath. Jesus said to the man with the shrivelled hand, ‘Stand up in front of everyone.’ Then Jesus asked them, ‘Which is lawful, on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, so save life or to kill?’ But they remained silent. He looked around them in anger and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts, said to the man, ‘Stretch out your hand.’ He stretched it out and his had was completely healed (Mark 3: 1-5).

What if the religious leaders had understood the heart of Jesus and completely agreed with what He was doing? Would His life have made the impact that it did through conflict? Every time the Pharisees attacked Him for healing in the Sabbath or violating one of their rules, His way of mercy showed up their legalistic and callous hearts.

On this occasion He did not even touch the man. A word was enough to release the power of God in response to the man’s obedience. When he stretched out his hand at Jesus’ command, something happened in his body and in his heart. Regardless of what the Pharisees had to say, his faith connected with God and the miracle happened.

Jesus’ action had a twofold purpose. Firstly, it was an act of mercy. The man had suffered paralysis in his hand and heeded healing. Jesus did not miss an opportunity like this to step in with a miracle. Secondly, the people in the synagogue needed to know that the Sabbath was as good a day as any to do good to another. The religious leaders had made the Sabbath into a prison rather than a day of rest. Rest for them had become a straight jacked for rules, instead of a time of refreshment.

By declaring Himself to be Lord of the Sabbath, Jesus was redefining the seventh day according to God’s original purpose. As Creator, Jesus had rested on the seventh day, not because He was tired, but because His work of creation was done. He invited His people to share His rest by setting apart that day from the normal labour of the other six days. It was not so much about what they could not do. It was about what they could do – take a day off to do something different from the rest of the week.

Doing something different also included acts of mercy. They knew that, because it was legitimate to save the life of a stranded animal on the Sabbath. “So why not a suffering human being? insisted Jesus and He did something; He spoke a word!

His opponents were not interested in what was right. They were only concerned with who was right. Jesus was both angry and distressed; angry because of their stubbornness and distressed because of their example. What were the people seeing in them? Was this the kind of God they represented? One who was so rigid about His rules that He cared nothing for suffering people?

Did you notice how Jesus classified doing nothing as doing evil? Every time we miss an opportunity, either because we are insensitive or selfish, to make the life of someone else better by an act of kindness or generosity, it is as though we have done something evil. Not to do is to do.

We need to heed the lesson of this story. I need to heed the lesson of this story. God’s mercy takes precedence over all other considerations. Like David eating forbidden bread. Like hungry men picking grain on the Sabbath. Like whatever need arises when I have something else to do. Like being interrupted to help someone when I am irritated by their demand. Jesus was never interrupted because He was led by the Spirit.

Scripture taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

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What Is The Right Thing To Do?

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WHAT IS THE RIGHT THING TO DO?

“On another Sabbath He went to the meeting place and taught. There was a man there with a crippled right hand. The religion scholars and Pharisees had their eye on Jesus to see if He would heal the man, hoping to catch Him in a Sabbath infraction. He knew what they were up to and spoke to the man with the crippled hand, ‘Get up and stand here before us,’

“Then Jesus addressed them, ‘Let me ask you something: What kind of action suits the Sabbath best? Doing good or doing evil? Helping people or leaving them helpless?’ He looked around, looked each one in the eye. He said to the man, ‘Hold out your hand.’ He held it out — it was as good as new! They were beside themselves with anger, and started plotting how they might get even with Him.” Luke 6:6-11 (The Message).

Another nail in His coffin! The religious types were becoming more and more enraged with Jesus. What raised their wrath against Him?

Wherever He went, He bumped into need after need after need — people who were enslaved by all kinds of things; demons, deformities, diseases and, worst of all, the burdens that their own so-called spiritual leaders put on them which God never intended for them to carry. These things enraged Jesus as much as His compassion angered them.

Here was another stand-off — on the Sabbath — another set-up in the synagogue and they waited to see what He would do. He had already cut them down to size by defending His disciples against their accusation of “working” on the Sabbath by rubbing grain in their hands. Now it was His turn. Jesus would never turn away from need, and they knew it.

Jesus didn’t need to read their minds. He only needed to look at their faces and read their body language to know what they were thinking. I think He was having fun. ‘What should I do?’ He shot at them, ‘Leave the man in his suffering just because it is a day called “Sabbath” or heal him because the Sabbath is as good a day as any to be kind?’

The hyper-religious ones didn’t even answer. They couldn’t without exposing their wicked hearts. Then, to crown it all, Jesus did nothing! He spoke! Was it wrong to speak on the Sabbath? They hadn’t tied that one up with a rule yet! Jesus didn’t even use the word “heal” or any equivalent. What’s wrong with, ‘Get up and stand here before us,’ and ‘Hold out your hand’?

The scribes and Pharisees were floored. Without doing a thing, Jesus healed the man just like that! They had no answer for that one but they were angry anyway; angry because He had got the better of them again, making them look like fools in the eyes of the people; angry because He had shown up their selfish indifference to the suffering of others; angry because He had ignored their rules and they were always right, so they thought; probably angry most of all because they could not understand how He did what He did and they were not willing to admit that God was working through Him.

The Pharisees aside, what was Jesus teaching by His actions, to us as well as to those who were with Him? Sabbath is much less about going to church as it is about reaching out to people in need. Sabbath is about resting from our own work to do the work of God. Sabbath is not about a day. It’s about a lifestyle, resting in the work of Jesus that frees us from slavery to our own selfish ways so that we look beyond ourselves to lift the burden off other people’s shoulders.

Jesus was insisting that righteousness is not about not doing wrong but doing right; not abstaining but taking action for those who had no power to act for themselves. He defined wickedness, not as doing wrong, but as not doing right. The rich men in His stories were charged with greed and indifference, one for hoarding his bounty instead of sharing, and the other for ignoring the poor man at his gate.

What about you? Are you a stickler for laws, or are your eyes and ears open to the poor?

 

 

Weigh Up The Evidence!

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WEIGH UP THE EVIDENCE!

“He went down to Capernaum, a village in Galilee. He was teaching the people on the Sabbath. They were surprised and impressed — His teaching was so forthright, so confident, so authoritative, not the quibbling and quoting they were used to.

“In the meeting place that day there was a man demonically disturbed. He screamed, ‘Ho! What business do you have with us, Jesus? Nazarene! You’re the Holy One of God and you’ve come to destroy us!’ Jesus shut him up: ‘Quiet! Get out of him!’ The demonic spirit threw the man down in front of them all and left. The demon didn’t hurt him.

“That set everyone back on their heels, whispering and wondering, “What’s going on here? Someone whose words make things happen? Someone who orders demonic spirits to get out and they go?’ Jesus was the talk of the town.” Luke 4:31-37 (The Message).

Just look what you missed, people of Nazareth!

The citizens of Capernaum were a more receptive lot, it seems. At least they didn’t write Jesus off because they thought they knew His pedigree. They saw something more in Him than just the son of Joseph and Mary. They recognised a confidence and an authority in His teaching that set them thinking.

But there was something more than just His words that caused a stir, at least in the spirit world. A demon was there who seemed quite comfortable in the presence of the people of Capernaum until Jesus showed up. This evil spirit occupied a man who, over the years had obviously made space for him in his life by habitually believing his subtle lies and living his dirty life until the demon unobtrusively had taken up residence and begun to control him.

Jesus’ presence in the synagogue blew his cover. Speaking through his host, he blurted out, ‘Jesus, this is my turf and you are intruding. You might look like an ordinary guy from Nazareth, but I know who you really are — God’s Holy One — and I can’t stand being near you! Is it time for you do us in?”

Jesus didn’t answer him. He had no cause for discussion with a demon! His words were terse and commanding: ‘Shut up and get out!’ That’s all. Here was another confrontation with the demonic realm. His victory over the devil in round one had equipped Him to evict the squatters wherever they identified themselves in His presence. His unconditional submission to the Father put Him in position to deal decisively with the opposition.

The residents of Capernaum were unwittingly being confronted with the evidence that they were to weigh up and decide for themselves who this man was and what to do about it. First there were His words — His teaching that impressed them as authoritative and believable because He seemed to know what He was talking about. Then there was His action — throwing out a demon they didn’t know was there! They had never seen that happen before.

What if the people of His own village had been patient enough to watch and listen? Perhaps they might have been more tolerant of their “village kid”, Jesus. Perhaps they would have been convinced that this “son of Joseph and Mary” was actually the Son of God.

And what of us? Jesus is not interested in winning a popularity contest. He had only one question to ask of us, ‘Who do you say that I am?’ On our answer hangs the direction of our lives. “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God,” brings us into the realm of a partnership with Him to throw out all the “squatters” and set the world back on the course of restoration and eventual perfection.

Popular!

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POPULAR!

“Jesus returned to Galilee powerful in the Spirit. News that He was back spread through the countryside. He taught in their meeting places to everyone’s acclaim and pleasure.

“He came to Nazareth where He had been reared. As He always did on the Sabbath, He went to the meeting place. When He stood up to read, He was handed the scroll of the prophet Isaiah.” Luke 4:14-17a (The Message).

They knew Him. He was already a well-known and well-loved figure in the region. After all, an unusual person like Jesus could not escape notice. He was talked about outside Nazareth. When He disappeared for six weeks, people wondered where He was. ‘Have you seen Jesus?’ they asked one another. ‘Strange! No one knows where He has gone.’

Then, out of the blue He was back, chatting to groups of people here and there; telling them stories and teaching them about the kingdom of God. They were excited. The news spread. ‘Jesus is back. He’s a rabbi. He tells wonderful stories. Come and listen to Him.’

He fascinated them because He wasn’t like the other rabbis. He seemed to know what He was talking about. He wasn’t forever quoting this rabbi or that rabbi, and His yoke — so different from the others! He spoke about God as though He knew Him; and His God didn’t sound like the God the other rabbis spoke of — always demanding and expecting them to keep this law and that rule to please Him. He actually called His God ‘Father’ and Father was generous and full of mercy and compassion.

Back in Nazareth, on the Sabbath, everyone crowded into the synagogue. Jesus was there and they wanted to hear Him. It was expected that He would have something to say. And He did. When the time came for the reading of the Scriptures, everyone looked at Him expectantly, so He stood up and was given the scroll for that day.

“Unrolling the scroll, He found the place where it was written,

“God’s Spirit is on me; He’s chosen me to preach the Message of good news to the poor, sent me to announce pardon to prisoners and recovery of sight to the blind, to set the burdened and battered free, to announce, ‘This is God’s year to act!'”

“He rolled up the scroll, handed it back to the attendant and sat down. Every eye in the place was on Him, intent. Then he started in, ‘You’ve just heard Scripture make history. It came true just now in this place.'” Luke 4:17b-21 (The Message).

What? Did they hear right? Did He say that prophecy was being fulfilled right in front of them? That was something difficult to swallow. There’s a difference between having a strong expectation about something and accepting someone’s claim that he or she is the fulfilment. Many have made audacious claims about themselves, only to disappear like everyone else, leaving life to go on unchanged as usual.

What was different about Jesus’ claim? What was He saying? ‘I am the one on whom all your hopes and dreams are pinned. I have arrived to carry out everything your beloved prophet Isaiah spoke about. You can relax now. I am here!’

Can you imagine a well-known figure, someone who grew up in your neighbourhood, who went to school down the road, who played with your kids in the street, who climbed trees and rode bicycle and scraped his knees under your nose, standing up in church and saying, ‘I’m the one God sent to tell you that it’s going to be okay. I’m going to fix everything for you.’

How would you react?