Matthew 8

 Good morning again. What a pleasant rain last night! Hopefully it will keep things somewhat cooler. I have lawn to mow and dirt to move.

Lauren and Chris and Joseph came home later yesterday afternoon...so life is crazy again!  The kid is so fun! He immediately wanted to go back to the barn as soon as he got out of the car! Summer is fun!

Jesus has completed his sermon on the mount (v 1) and is beginning his healing ministry in this chapter. Many people are following Jesus as a result of his message. If we compare the events from this chapter to the same events in Mark or Luke, you will notice a different arrangement. Matthew is more of a topical author while Luke and Mark are more chronological authors. 

The first healing is of a leper. The only thing more defiling than a leper was a deceased person! Jewish custom was that people had to stay at least 6 feet away from a leper- unless the wind was blowing, then there was a minimum of 150 feet of separation! leprosy was seen as a model of sin: contagious, debilitating, corruption, making a person dead even while they are still alive. Regardless of this condition, the man wit leprosy came to Jesus and worshiped Him- bowed posture, calling Jesus - Lord, humbleness. The leper knew Jesus' power, but used the words "If you desire." I think this is the first time the word "Lord" has been used to address Jesus in this Gospel. Jesus reached out AND TOUCHED HIM! Jesus didn't have to touch the man to heal him, but he did to show us love and compassion for "them." Jesus then said "I am willing" and the man was healed. How willing are we to touch "them"? An often confusing point of some of Jesus' actions are when he says, "Don't tell anyone." Part of it is Jesus didn't want the crowds to get too excited and be looking for more miracles. Jesus wanted the people to recognize Jesus for his teachings and message- not necessarily his healings and miracles. There was also the threat of danger if too many people followed and were excited (Rome wasn't a fan of commoners inciting riots). The leper provides the appropriate sacrifice and is cleansed by the priest. In Mark, we hear that the leper ran and told everyone of the miracle.

In the next story, a servant of a Roman centurion was paralyzed and needed healing. The centurion was a Gentile, and hated by the Jews (i.e. Roman authority), but comes to a Jewish rabbi on behalf of his servant to be healed. Interesting that the Centurion came and asked for help. Under Roman law, if a slave was no longer healthy enough for work, they could be executed by their owner! There is no hesitation from Jesus as he agrees to heal the servant. The centurion poses the issue of Jews visiting Gentile homes (v 8) and showed great faith in Jesus' ability to heal with just words. Jesus is impressed and amazed by the faith of the centurion (v 10)! The first interaction with a Gentile and Jesus is impressed and announces that the kingdom of God is for all people (Gentile and Jew) (v 11). Jesus reminds the Jews that just because of their heritage, they are not guaranteed admission to God's kingdom (v 12).

Several different healings happened after this one and Mathew just mentions that many were healed (vv 14- 17). Big problems, small problems- they are all the same to Jesus. 

Jesus' following is getting larger; this could be dangerous as Rome is probably catching wind of the thing s that Jesus has done and they are probably beginning to worry about the power Jesus has over the people. Some people seem to want to follow Jesus for the fame (v 19). Jesus didn't say "No" but he did paint an "unglamorous" picture of what life would be like- a wandering tribe of homeless people (v 20). Many places would open their door to Jesus and the disciples, but they had nothing of their own.

We now hear the story of Jesus calming the storm- a very familiar one for us. The Sea of Galilee was infamous for sudden violent storms, so this wasn't unusual (v 24). The storm raged, the disciples panicked, Jesus slept (didn't we hear Jesus just say in the last chapter- don't worry?!). It seems like Jesus obviously needed the sleep- he must be exhausted. I think we forget the human side of Jesus. He rebukes them- not for waking him up or for their request to calm the storm, but for their lack of faith (and then confidence in him and God). Don't they remember all the healings and miracles he had just done? Jesus rises, calms the storm and sits back down. The disciples respond with "Who is this man?" In a matter of a few minutes they see both the him and and divine aspects of Jesus. 

The other Gospel stories tell us of one demon possessed person- Matthew has two people (v 28). Living in the graveyards (burial caves) was definitely against all Jewish customs: contact with the dead, demons love death and darkness, made them even more frightening. The demons knew Jesus (v 29) as they call him "Son of God" (just a few verses ago the disciples asked "Who is this man?"). At the request of the demons (v 30), Jesus casts the demons into a herd of swine (unclean animals for Jews, so they were part of a Gentile farm). Even the demons needed Jesus' permission to enter the pigs. The pigs were then driven to the lake by the demons and were destroyed (v 32). Unfair to the herd owner? Maybe this also shows us the temporal value of riches that we have when compared to God? The entire town is riled up and comes after Jesus asking him to leave (v 34)?! Were they more interested in the loss of their pigs than the healing of two men?

And so the mistrust of Jesus begins.

I hope you have a good day and enjoy the time we are blessed with.

Shalom+
Pastor Paul

Matthew 7

 Good morning...Yikes! Yesterday was kinda' warm! I guess it is summer in upstate New York! I hope you all had a good day and stayed as cool as possible. I did some errands yesterday morning and then stayed in most of the day getting some cleaning and reading done!

Matthew 7 is a continuation of Matthew's interpretation of the Sermon on the Mount. I think we forget that the sermon on the mount was a long discourse for Jesus...it wasn't just the beatitudes! I know I tend to forget that! In the previous chapter, Jesus dealt primarily with internal spirituality and how we are to act for ourselves. In this chapter, Jesus branches out and reminds us show we are to treat others. We have heard some of these statements before in Mark and Luke and many times in Paul's epistles.

"Judge not, lest ye be judged!" are common words that we have all heard (v 1). We have talked lots about judging others...it seems to be a common theme! This is probably one of the most quoted verses in the Bible- by those that know the Bible and those that don't. So, if it is so common- why do we do it?! We are, as Christians, to show unconditional love- but not unconditional approval. We can examine the loves of others- but we cannot pass judgement of others. One example- the woman that came to anoint Jesus' feet. The Disciples (especially Judas) were quite upset at the "waste of money", but she was doing it for an intended purpose that they didn't know about. We often like to think the worst of people, to find their faults, to look at what they do wrong, to call them out. We often don't see the positives of people. I would often talk about our administration at school, they would compliment the faculty, but quickly follow it up with a "But..." Just see the positive and don't always call out the negative. We tend to be more tolerant of our sins (the plank in our eye) than the sins of our brother (the speck in their eye) (v 3). Amusing to think of, but true. In John 8:7 we hear, "He who is without sin, cast the first stone." We all have faults, we are all in this crazy world together...let's try to get along and work together the best we can.

The dog and swine reference (v 6) is thought to be people that are hostile to the Gospel message (the Kingdom of God). The dogs/ swine were the judgmental, hypocritical people- they will just trample all over what you offer them. True- some instances "dogs" refers to the Gentile people- but not in this case. in the text "the Teaching of the Twelve Apostles",written about 100 AD, one of the first services is the Eucharist and the first line is "Let no one eat or drink of your Eucharist except those baptized in to the name of Lord, for the Lord said, "Do not give what is holy to the dogs." Not sure how I feel about that! The pearls are a reference to the precious kingdom of God- the swine will just trample all over that!

My swine (last year's crop) trampling over the pearls!

Of course we are to share the Gospel (remember- Jesus just said in chapter 6- let your light shine) but be able to discern and look for hearts open and ready to receive. 

Jesus tells us to have intensity and passion with our prayer "Ask...seek...knock" (v 7). Jesus already spoke of prayer- but came back to it here. Think it is an important topic?? I struggle with the concept of asking for God and expecting answers. I think God God answers in ways we don't seek! I think God always answers prayer (that is honest and passionate), but God isn't a genie that grants wishes. I think we treat God that way (or we expect God to be that way!). If we are persistent and passionate, I think we build a relationship with God- and that is what God is looking for. 

Jesus summarizes everything with the Golden Rule (v 12) "Do unto others..." If we could simply follow this law, all that the prophets and Moses talked about would be clear as day! Charles Spurgeon (Baptist minister, early 1800s) said "Oh, that all men acted on it, and there would be no slavery, no war, no swearing, no striking, no lying, no robbing; but all would be justice and love! What a kingdom is this which has such a law!” Is there any more to say?!

The next set of verses (vv 13-14) are something that I refer to often. It isn't easy being Christian. If it is easy for you- you 're probably doing it wrong! If your road is well traveled and has a wide gate- watch out! I have, several times, held up my Bible (in a sermon) and said "No where in here does it say life is going to be easy or being a Christian is going to be easy!" It isn't- it is hard! We have been warned about the easy pathway, now Jesus warns us about the ones that lead us to those pathways (vv 15-20). We need to be wary and cautious- if a deal seems too good to be true- its probably isn't true! The false can be twisted, turned, contorted into something that sounds true and thus lead people down the easy pathway! Pay attention to not only what they are saying, but how they are living and how they are acting. It is easy to fool people using words, but it is tougher to fool people through lifestyle. The way you act and live is as much an indication of who you are as the words you say. There are people that can walk the walk or talk the talk- but can they do both (vv 21-23)? Not everyone that says good things is a good person, and not everyone that acts in a  good way is a good person. It takes more than words or actions!

Jesus  closes his Sermon on the Mount with words we know. The storms that we face in life and the way we respond will show us what kind of people we are- rock builder or sand builders. There have been many people that have passed through the doors of churches that are all about God and the Gospel, but their foundations are built on sand an when tough times come, they crumble and fall away from the church. Others tough it out and turn to God and have the strength that is needed. The storms in our life prove the strength in our foundation. As an aside- remember Simon- renamed Peter ("petros") for rock as Jesus said, Peter you are the rock on which I will build my church (Matthew 16:18).

The people are amazed at Jesus' teachings (v 28) and his ability to teach! They really felt the presence of God when Jesus taught. 

I hope you have a good day and stay cool!! Only a few more days of summer and we will be back to cooler temperatures!

Shalom+

Pastor Paul

Matthew 6

 Good morning and it is good to be back! Busy week, but fun seeing some good friends and spending time away from the busy-ness of the world. 

Lauren and Chris and Joseph will be back from their Myrtle Beach trip (to see his parents) late tomorrow, so life will be getting back to our crazy new normal for a while again! It will be good to have them home again for a while until they eventually move to the Albany area.

We pick up chapter 6 in Matthew this morning. This is a continuation of Matthew's perspective of the Sermon on the Mount. 

Jesus begins this chapter with a "warning" or reminder that when we do good, we don't need to have all people know about it. God sees what our actions are, and God knows if our actions are righteous...are we doing good to do good or are we doing good to be noticed by others and put up on a pedestal? It was a custom to literally blow trumpets (v 2) when someone gave a large offering! We certainly don't do that, but do we notice people that too proudly give their offerings? Or make comments like, "I have given so much to this church..." In our "current" world- people (families) did purchase pews with their own money, and it was noted by the church leaders; the lower class people got to stand in the back and enjoy worship! Jesus uses the word "hypocrite" (v 2); the Greek word "hypocrite" means actor! How many "actors" are there in your church? It is good just to do good.

Public prayer is addressed next. There are a few times when Jews would pray publicly: at the synagogue (if asked to lead communal prayer) or at prayer times (9AM, noon, 3PM) if they were out in public. Jesus cautions, as in giving, to prayer for God not for men. Public prayer is acceptable, but you don't have to stand on a soap box and let everyone know you are praying! Are we praying to God or using God as a tool to impress others? Jesus talks about going in to the "closet" to pray (v 6). The actual word was for a store room here treasures and valuable goods are kept. The concept then is that we talk with God among the valuable things in our life- God is valuable to us. Jesus then goes on and basically says, "Say what you have to say and be done." There is no need for long winded, repetitive words that don't mean anything (v 7). I think we know those people that just go on and on and on and never really say anything! I hope I am not one of them!

Jesus then provides a model for prayer (Matthew's interpretation of the Lord's prayer). We all know the Lord's prayer; we have probably said it a million times! But, do we really know the Lord's prayer. Look at the words that Jesus models, write out the words we say. What do they mean? Do we really mean what we pray or has it become just wrote memorization? Do we really keep God's name holy (v 9)? Do we really want God's will to be done here on earth (v 10)? We do really want daily provisions for life (v 11). Jesus wasn't talking in metaphorical ideas here, I think Jesus was really desiring daily food and provisions. We do want our sins forgiven (or trespasses- depending on your denomination!), but do we really forgive others (v 12)? God does not tempt us, but does allow "tests" to happen in our life (v 13). Look at the story of Job! In our weakness, we do not want temptations to happen! The closing lines give credit to God and God's awesomeness. My translation does not include the familiar ending: "For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever." There is some controversy as to the authenticity of these words. Many scholars believe that these words were added later by some author other than Matthew- so many translations do not have them!

Jesus addresses another aspect of religious life: fasting. He started with giving, then moved on to prayer and ends with fasting. Jesus expected his followers to fast. there were several days in the Jewish year that required fasting as part of the religious observance. The Pharisees would fast twice a week (Thursday and Monday to represent the ascent and descent of Moses from Mount Sinai). As with the giving discussion- Jesus says we don't have to let others know what we are doing. We are fasting for God and our worship experience! We should live our life as usual, and hold the fasting covenant with God- not with men.

We have two options when it comes to treasures (v 19). These are words warning against covetousness- the desire and rive to want and want and want. Earthly treasures aren't inherently bad- but they have no ultimate value either. The issue is when we spend our life trying to obtain more at the expense of helping and assisting others. There is always the joke that you never see a U-Haul truck following a hearse! The ancient Egyptians were buried with their gold and riches, assuming that they would follow them too heaven. However, when we unearth the tombs of the great pharaohs, we find all their gold and riches still there. My mom died about 7 years ago. When we were closing her estate down she had essentially no money. She lived in an apartment in her last years; had her cherished things; she always would do for people- give money, buy food, clothes, etc, and offer what she had to them.  As we looked at the final dollar line and the material things left in her apartment, I made the comment (something like) "Seventy years of life and this is all she has." My nephew, Liam (the one I hiked with a few weeks ago) said, "Yah, this is all she has because she gave everything away." I think God was smiling that day; I didn't know Mom's theology- but she knew money wasn't important if she was happy. 

Jesus moves to the role of biology teacher in the next set of verses, discussing our eyes. We have said things about this concept before. Eyes are the window to the soul. They are able to perceive light (goodness) and dark (evil). We can chose to focus on light or dark...but that focus then determines our fate and role. Our eyes are either directed to heavenly things (light) or evil things (dark). We get to decide- God doesn't push one way of the other.

In closing this chapter, Jesus reminds us- don't worry. We can get tangled up in the tangible things of our life, but they are meaningless when it comes to the big picture. We should be concerned about the right things- the ultimate issues of life. Jesus then gives us the well known examples of "lack of worry" the birds of the air, the lilies of the field. I need to listen to these words more. My worry and anxiety is through the roof many days in my life. I worry about everything. I need to stop and look at the flowers in my gardens and the birds at our feeders- they are content just being themselves. When today is done, today is done. Tomorrow will have its own set of trials and tribulations to deal with!

It is good to be back and thinking again! I have missed the time and reflection this study has offered me!

Thank you for the grace this last week.

Shalom+
Pastor Paul

New Plan....

 Good morning! Obviously, I didn't get any work done this week! Sorry to disappoint you! We did have fun with some of my best friends from school...camping, fires at night, reading, talking, hiking, and general frolicking in the woods!

Our home for the week!!

I will begin posting comments again on Monday morning, starting with Matthew 6 where I left off.

Sorry for the glitch...I thought I would have some more time to do some writing. 

Thanks for the grace,
Pastor Paul

Matthew 5

 Good morning and welcome back....what a great weekend! Dinner with some good friends on Friday followed by a few days of work. Sherri and I are prepping for a week of camping at Chenango Valley State Park (leaving in a few hours) so nit sure how consistent my commentary will be this week. I don't know what internet access is like in the park! I will try my best...but keep reading if I fail!

Father's Day landed me a strawberry- rhubarb pie! My favorite!!

Chapter 5 is quite lengthy with lots of small stories- Matthew's typical method of teaching.

The first story we come to is Matthew's version of the sermon on the mount. For some reason, there were many many people following Jesus (v 1). Did they know about him? He hadn't done anything in the public eye, so it is interesting that he has such a great following now. My text says Jesus went up on a hill, some translations say "mountain". The idea was so that he could be seen by all and his voice would be better carried to the mass of people. He sat, a common posture for teachers of the time. Could you imagine your pastor sitting while teaching?!  The next piece of text says "his followers" (or some translations say "disciples"); we have been introduced only to a few (but it assumed he has selected all 12 by this point) and the message he is teaching is directed at them- rather than the crowd. The crowd was collateral learners! He delivers the "Sermon on the Mount" which is essentially Christianity boiled down to the basic essential parts. It is not political; there are no direct comments against the ruling parties; there is no declaration of war. This is not what was expected- the people expected that the coming Messiah would incite a riot and fight against the rulers of the day! This is probably one of Jesus' most famous sermons and is referenced by most all clergy many times in a year.

The sermon begins with the beatitudes...the "attitudes we should be" if we profess to be Christians. These are marks/goals/ characteristics of all Christians. Poor in spirit" (v 3) is a reference to our sin and rebellious nature; we are rewarded when we recognize that sin and we beg/ask for forgiveness. This is the first beatitude- our first step to obtaining a relationship with God. The "mourning" (v 4) is thought (by several commentaries)  to reference the feelings we have when we acknowledge our sin. When we realize our sinful nature- we feel mournful from it. The Original Greek word used indicated an intense guttural feeling of sadness and mourning. Do we feel that way when we realize of sinful nature? The word "meek" (v 5) is best translated to the feeling of humbleness.  Meek gives the impression of easily pushed over or stepped on; humbleness is a different attitude/emotion; strength under control. The first two beatitudes were more inward directed. This one is an outward directed feeling. Hunger and thirst for righteousness (v 6) implies an intense, passionate search for justice and righteousness. Hunger is not fulfilled with a small snack- it is an intense feeling. Do we have that hunger for righteousness? Seeking mercy and peace (vv 7-8), promoting these qualities are some of the culminating goals of Christians. Once we know that mercy and peace offered by God, we are more able to pass that on to others and promote those feelings. Do we do that? Jesus ends this message with the hard words- you will be persecuted, you will be ridiculed, you will be hurt, you may even die (vv 10-12)! Consider yourself blessed when those happen to you. If those things happen to you, then you are upsetting the apple cart, attempting to change the status quo. Part of Jesus' philosophy was that the world has to change; the powers that are in control are not working for the good of all. In my opinion- I think that is still true today! I don't think we are ridiculed or persecuted or hurt; I don't know of anyone close to me that has died for the Gospel. But it does happen!

Jesus prompts his followers to be like salt and light (vv 13-16). Salt was a precious commodity; Roman soldiers were sometimes paid in salt, giving us the phrase "worth his salt." Salt is a preservative and use as a flavoring. We are to be like that, precious, flavoring the world with goodness and kindness and preserving the qualities of peace and grace. Are we worth our salt? To be light for the world is a great responsibility. We are to turn those dark corners into light, we are to rid the darkness from the world, to get the evil out. It is interesting to read; Jesus said You are the light..." (v 14). He never said we could be, he said we are! We don't have an out here! The world is rotting and decaying- as salt- we need to preserve what is left; the world is covered with darkness- we need to fill it with light!

Jesus begins a long discussion on the law (vv 17- 20). His commentary, Like Paul's that we have talked about before, is that Jesus doesn't destroy the law. They are important and will always be important. Jesus came to make us free from the law (contrary to what the Pharisees and Sadducees were saying). Jesus challenged the interpretation of the law (especially laws of  the Sabbath)- but never broke the laws. The commandments are critical for life to function (v19-20). Those re to be followed and taught to all. When I think of the commandments- no killing, no stealing, no cheating, honor parents, etc...it makes sense. If we follow them, then the rest will fall into place!

Jesus goes on to do some explaining of some of the laws- not in opposition to Moses, but to show where we have fallen short. The common thought of the day was that murder was wrong (vv 21- 22), but anything short of murder was acceptable. Jesus says no! We need to get along is essentially the message he tells us here. Yah, murder is wrong, but so is anger and hate! Don't call people names, don't do harm, just get along! Jesus considers reconciliation more important than religious obligation (vv 23- 24). Partially, if your upset with someone or angry, then your offering to God isn't really an offering that you are "conscious" of...you are just going through the motions. How can you offer something to God with ate or anger on your heart.  Reconcile first, clear you mind, then you will be in a position to seek God. 

Jesus tackles sexual sin now (vv 27-30). The teaching of the day was the action of adultery was bad, but thoughts were "OK" Jesus is correcting the people saying that even the thoughts are wrong. One can commit adultery in the heart as well as in the body. 

Regarding divorce (vv 31-32), Jesus clarifies the common thought that divorce could happen over anything at anytime. Jesus says that the only acceptable grounds for divorce is adultery by the woman (doesn't say anything about the man!). In my opinion- divorce is OK for several reasons (other than adultery). I think one problem we run into is that marriage is so easy to do that people get caught up in marriage before they realize who their partner is! We don't really have any "marriage classes" or mechanisms to have people really now who they are and who their partners are!

Some great words from Jesus (vv 33-37): Yes means yes, no means no. If you swear an oath then you use God's name. If you break that promise, then you break a promise to God! Tell the truth, be honest about your abilities and desires. If you can't or don't want to do something- just say no! Don't promise and then not do it!

Jesus calls into question some of the other thoughts of the time. The "eye for an eye" concept is in Hammurabi's Code (a set of laws discovered in 1900, written late 1700 BC; Exodus was written 1400-ish BC). Jesus is telling us to let God take care of the offender- no retaliation. Can we do that? Don't we like retaliation?! Jesus was a great model for no retaliation! A few finer points of these words too. People would traditionally slap with their right hand; if you you turned your cheek, then they would have to slap with their left hand. Slapping with "the other hand" meant to slap someone with your hand that you would do your "bathroom business" with. That was just a wrong- nobody ever did that! Under Mosaic law, you could never take away someone's cloak- so to give your cloak to someone who sued for your tunic would insult them more than you. And finally, under Roman law, a person could be commanded to haul a guard's pack for one mile- and only one mile. So, again, to walk an extra mile was something that was illegal for the other person. 

The closing words of this chapter (vv 43- 48) are the whole some of the Gospel message and a true characteristic of Christians- love all people. Period! Not sue what else to say about this! CAn we do that- love all people?

That's all I have for today. We are going to start packing and getting things ready. I hope to be back on tomorrow, but, like I said, not sure about internet access at State Park. I will do my best.

Have a great day!

Shalom+
Pastor Paul

Matthew 4

 Good morning. I hope you all had a good day yesterday and are expecting a good day today too! I am having some friends from school come over for dinner to celebrate the end of the school year. It will be fun to see them- but some yard work has to happen first!!

This morning we read about Jesus' temptation in the desert and the beginning of his ministry as he selects some disciples. These are all familiar stories for us- so let's see what we usually don't see in them!

After Jesus identifies with the sinners through the ritual of baptism, he again identifies with us as he ventures to the desert to be tempted. It is interesting that it was the Spirit that led Jesus to temptation (v 1)! The Spirit does not tempt us, but may lead us to places where we will be tempted- not to prove something to God, but to prove to us we have strength. The devil is the one that tempts Jesus- and us. 

Jesus, after fasting for 40 days and nights (v 2), was very weak- physically and probably emotionally. He was most vulnerable at that point. When are we most vulnerable to temptation? 40 days is a significant Biblical number and comes up often, especially in the Hebrew scriptures. 

Matthew writes (v 3), "The devil came..." (some translations say, "When the tempter came...). The point is not if the devil will come to tempt- the idea is that the devil will come! The devil suggests that Jesus use His divine power to create food for  himself (v 3). Jesus could have simply ignored the devil, but he verbally responded with text from Deuteronomy 8:3, "The words of God are more filling than bread." Jesus uses scripture to fight the devil. He was well versed in the Hebrew scriptures. Do we respond verbally to the temptations we face? Can we respond using Scripture?

In the next temptation, we can see that the devil can quote Scripture too (v 6) using Psalm 91:11-12! Just because someone quotes Scripture doesn't mean they are good people! Jesus fires back with a quote from Deuteronomy, "It also says, don't test God!" Jesus doesn't mention testing himself- he brings up God! Do we test God? 

In the final temptation, the devil tempts Jesus to bypass the cross (v 8).  It is interesting the words the devil use saying (v 9), "I will give you all these..." Does that mean that the devil currently owns them or have power over them? Does the devil have control over things (us) in our current world? Jesus shoos the devil away using words from Deuteronomy 6. Is that all we have to do to shoo away temptation? The angels come and take care of Jesus. Do they do the same for us when we shoo away the devil?

Jesus hears that John the Baptist has been arrested. (Spoiler alert...John was arrested by Herod and is eventually beheaded at the request of his daughter-in-law, Salome, and her mother, Herodias. Mark 6:14+). John was in Galilee when this arrest happened, so Jesus returned there (v 12) to continue spreading John's message and to begin his public ministry. Evil may silence one voice, but it cannot silence a movement. The area o Galilee is about the size of Connecticut and had a population of about 3 million people, many Gentiles, but a significant number of Jews. Jesus made his home base in Capernaum (v 13); he was kicked out of Nazareth (Luke 4:16-30). In addition, this is the area where Matthew and Peter lived! The move to this town is not told in the other Gospels, but it is common in those gospels that Capernaum is the home base for Jesus' Galilean ministry. Matthew brings up a prophecy from Isaiah 9:1-2 (v 15-16) to "confirm" this move.

Jesus takes up John's message (v 17) using the same words as John. Thus begins Jesus' preaching and teaching ministry. John started the message- Jesus continued and went further. 

Jesus sees Simon (Peter) and Andrew working at fishing (vv 18-20) and calls them to active ministry. They immediately followed. God calls people when they are active at work, rather than sitting being idle. The calling from Jesus would be "typical" of a rabbi; rabbis often had disciples that followed them and that were taught by the rabbi. Simon and Andrew left behind things to follow Jesus. What do we leave behind when we follow Jesus?

Matthew gives us fast paced synopsis of Jesus' first ministry opportunities (vv 23-25). Matthew shows us Jesus' teaching/ preaching skills and his power/authority over disease and illness...and even the demons. People started to talk and wonder about Jesus and he began to get a following. Did they follow to see if he was real or to know more about God? There were many instances of prophets and people that came before Jesus that proclaimed things like Jesus. Is this guy for real? Is this guy for real?

In the next chapter, we follow Jesus with more teaching and preaching and Matthew's rendition of the Beatitudes. 

Have a great weekend and enjoy the time with God!

Shalom+
Pastor Paul

Matthew 3

 Good morning! What a beautiful (but slightly chilly) morning we are blessed with! I  love days like this! Life is going to be different for us for a few days...Lauren and family left to Myrtle Beach to see Chris' parents for a week or so...which means no kid (insert sad face). Our dog, Finn, has been going to their room the last several hours and looking around. I think he misses his buddy Joseph! Joseph was introduced to ginger snaps yesterday!

Thanks for the cookie, Grandpa!

Sherri and I are planning a week camping trip to Chenango Valley State Park with some friends next week- so lots of excitement! We have fun lives, don't we!!

Today's story starts with Matthew's discussion of John the Baptist. John, the son of Zachariah and Elizabeth, is cousin to Jesus (Mary and Elizabeth were related). John announces that people are to repent (v 2)- change their hearts and lives. It is more than just saying, "I'm sorry." John's message continues with the idea that he Messiah is near by (kingdom of God/heaven is at hand). Matthew uses words from Isaiah 40:3 to identify John as the prophet coming prior to the Messiah (v 3). I like the picture of "preparing a way", getting rid of all the pot-holes in our life, flattening out the hard hills, smoothing out those roads so that we can more easily approach Jesus. Jesus was the coming Messiah and John was the one getting people ready for Jesus' appearance to them. 

John's clothing (v 4) was patterned after the clothing of Elijah (2 Kings 1:8). Elijah was the bold prophet that called Israel to repentance; John does that for the new generations. Good Jews knew and remembered Elijah. Who is calling us to prepare today? Who is calling us to repentance? John's message had an impact throughout the world as evidenced by the numbers of people that came to be baptized (v 6). Baptism is not a new Christian ritual; the Jews (and other religions of the time) ritually practiced baptism- washing away of sins and growth into newness. The Jewish baptism custom was likely a sprinkling of water or gentle washing of the face; John's was a total immersion baptism. I really enjoy the baptismal covenant and I really love officiating baptisms. I usually shed some tears when I perform the ritual in my church. 

Matthew introduces us to the two high religious authorities of the day- Pharisees and Sadducees. These two groups were often in conflict with each other and they will be in conflict with Jesus throughout most of his ministry. The Pharisees and Sadducees came for baptism to "show" they were ready for the Messiah, but in their hearts, John knew they weren't really as they hadn't repented at all- it was all for show (vv 7-8). John cautions that just because they are descendants of Abraham doesn't make them worthy of salvation (v 9).

John continues to talk about Jesus and what Jesus is representing (v 11). Jesus' goal and mission is to pour out a Holy Spirit onto us all (from Ezekiel 37:14) and there will be judgement like fire. Fire is a powerful image that rids all the waste (also prophetic words used by Zechariah 13:9, Malachi 3:2). The Jewish leaders though the Messiah would come with judgement just for Israel's enemies, but John says here it is aimed at all people- Jew and non-Jew!

Jesus now begins his public ministry, about 30 years after his birth, when he is baptized by John (v 13).  Jesus comes on his own desire; we don't see or hear any peer pressure involved. Some theologians say he did it under pressure from Mary- everyone else is doing it, you should too! Regardless, John sees the irony of the situation (v 14); it seems as John is saying "I need your fire and Holy Spirit baptism, you don't need my water baptism." Jesus understood John's hesitation (v 15); the comment Jesus is making here is that he is identifying wit sinful people across the world. 

I love the imagery if the baptism of Jesus (vv 16-17). Every time I baptize someone, I get this image in my head and smile thinking God is happy. Many years ago, I did a day long presentation for some science people in the Buffalo area. My dad wanted to go with me to see what I did. After a morning of teaching and demonstrations, it was time for a break before we went on to the lab section of the day. My dad was talking with someone he knew that was in the group. I overheard dad say, "That's my son. He does good work, doesn't he." My heart warmed and I about burst into tears. That's how I imagine Jesus feeling when God's voice booms down saying " This is my Son, whom I love..." (v 17). I hope we have all heard words like these in our life. Every time I baptize someone, I hear God say those words to  the person receiving baptism!

The next chapter begins with Jesus' temptation and then the beginning of his active ministry in Galilee. I hope you have a great day. Talk more tomorrow!

Shalom+
Pastor Paul

Matthew 2

 Good morning...and obviously I didn't get replies to your comments! Days go by so quickly entertaining a 16 month old kid! Yesterday's adventure was grocery shopping!

This morning we are in chapter 2 of Matthew- the story of the magi/wise men and King Herod's decree to kill all male babies 2 years old or younger. It is a story we are familiar with, I'm sure.

Matthew doesn't really say anything about Jesus' birth- no shepherds, no overbooked inn, no stable. All we know from Matthew is Jesus was born in Bethlehem. For the nativity details, we need to turn to Luke. Matthew is more interested in how the world received the Messiah- homage from afar (wise men) and hatred and hostility from home (Herod). What kind of reception do we give Jesus? The Hebrew translation for Bethlehem is "House of Bread"- an interesting name of the city for Jesus the "bread of Life" to be born in!

Herod the Great was king at the time. He was great ruler, builder, administrator, but also "great" in his oppression of some groups (especially the Jews) and excessive taxation and power-trips.

Wise men (Greek magoi hence the name "magi") came to visit. They offer three gifts- but there were likely more than three in the travelling band of astrologers. Coming from the eats, they may have been of Jewish descent from the people that were exiled from Judah centuries before. They may have noticed a new constellation announcing the new Messiah and were coming to visit.  In somewhat of a contrast, we often times we see images of the magi with Asian style facial features. They were not necessarily of Asian descent.You can see the "actual" skulls of the men in a cathedral in Cologne, Germany. They came to Jerusalem (v 1) expecting to find answers. Jerusalem was the seat of Jewish authority- and also Herod's authority. Jesus wasn't born in Jerusalem though, but their question alerted Herod of something going on! Had the magi not visited Jerusalem- how might this story change? It is interesting that the shepherds had no problem finding Jesus while the magi had a tough time- even following a star! The star may have been the conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn. Numbers 24:17 mentions a star coming out of Jacob (prophecy?). Interesting thing I just realized- the text says the star was "his star"; the light from Jesus' star led the magi to him and also leads us to him!

Herod was greatly troubled by the potential threat of a new king (v 3). He was always guarded against people trying to over throw his throne. The text also says that the people of Jerusalem were troubled as well. Herod was known for assassinating many people that even mentioned anything against him, so they should be afraid that he might do something drastic. Charles Barclay wrote that as soon as he came to power, he began assassinating the Sanhedrin; he also had his wife, mother-in-law, and several of their sons murdered! Jerusalem should be afraid! Herod asked the religious leaders where the child might be found; they responded with words from Micah 5:2 "Bethlehem of Judah". Interesting that they don't seem interested in also finding the Christ! Are we like that- tell people where to look for Christ, yet not go there ourselves? We know they wise men saw the star a while ago (v 7). The trip took the magi a long time (maybe a year or more). Herod requests that they find the child and bring him back to Herod so he could worship him. The text says that the wise men left (v 9) and never agreed to return!

The star reappears and guides the men to the home of the child and his mother, Mary (v 11). Notice, against the custom of the time, that the child is mentioned before the mom! Child is someone aged 6 to 18 months; Jesus was not an infant when the magi came! I can remember the first time I heard this- I was shocked! I always was under the impression that they came soon after the shepherds. I mean, all nativity sets have them there at the stable! Joseph wasn't mentioned. Was he working? Out of town? Maybe he was gone so that they magi wouldn't assume Joseph was the father of Jesus. It was common practice to offer gifts to royalty when you visited. 

• gold- to indicate Jesus' kingship
• frankincense- often used to cover the odor of decaying bodies (foreshadow of Jesus' death)
• myrrh- used as an analgesic (pain killer offered to Jesus as he hung on the cross)

Interesting contrast to Luke when the shepherds were the first to visit Jesus. Shepherds tended to be Gentiles, they were lowly members of society, often lower intelligence and somewhat shady characters. The magi were likely Jewish, well-respected and upper class people with much intelligence. Depending on the Gospel we read, we get different ideas of "who" Jesus came for!

Another angel visits Joseph in a dream (reminiscent of the pregnancy announcement) and is warned to go to Egypt (v 13). There was a large Jewish settlement (about a million people ) in Egypt and was outside Herod's jurisdiction. True to Herod's disposition- the angel warns that Herod will kill the child if they go back to Jerusalem. Matthew quotes Hosea 11:1 when he references calling my Son out of Egypt. Interesting that in some translations the word "son" is used while in other translations the word "Son" is used!

Herod decrees that all male children less than 2 years old are to be killed. Called the "Massacre of the Innocents" is recognized ("celebrated") by the Catholic church on December 28 and the children are called the first Christian martyrs. There is no historical account of this massacre happening; it is even absent from the writings of  Josephus, a well known Jewish historian. Words from Jeremiah 31:15 are quoted by the author (prophecy?); Rachel is symbolic of the mother of Israel- so she is representing all the Jewish mother's that lost their children to Herod during this time period. 

The Holy family stays in Egypt several years until Herod dies. An angel comes to visit Joseph again and says to take "the child and his mother" back to Israel. Again notice how the child is mentioned first! Joseph had heard (from another angel) that Archelaus (an equally evil and wicked son of Herod) was in rule, they changed course and settled in Nazareth in Galilee. Nazareth had a large Gentile population and relatively smaller Jewish population than Jerusalem and Judea. Nazareth was Joseph and Mary's home town (Luke 1:26-27); it was a small and unremarkable town (other than a virgin conception!). Matthew ends with the prophecy of "He shall be a Nazarene" when referring to the Messiah (v 23), yet there are no prophets that said that! There are specific rules that Nazirites must follow (Numbers 6), but nowhere does it say the Messiah must be of that class. The possible link is from Isiah 11:1, "There shall be a branch that grows from the root of Jesse." The word "branch" is translated to "neser" in Hebrew and does sound like "Nazir".

Tomorrow we hear of John the Baptist in another familiar story.  I hope you have a good day and enjoy the cool sunshine!

Shalom+
Pastor Paul

Matthew 1

Good morning! Busy day yesterday, as per usual! I hope to catch up on comments today (yah, sure!)

Today we begin Matthew. Many of the stories will be familiar to us- but let's look for the unfamiliar- what is different from the other Gospels. What does Matthew say the Luke or Mark didn't say- what did they say that Matthew doesn't. 

The author immediately starts  with the theme of these writings: "Jesus- from the family of David; David from the family of Abraham"-- Jesus is connected to probably the two strongest and most revered men of the Hebrew scriptures. No introduction is needed other than that. The genealogy that Matthew proposes gives us the legal lineage of Jesus through Jesus' "adoptive" father Joseph; in contrast, Luke gives us a blood lineage through Mary. Jewish heritage and ancestry is extremely important in the life of Jews- who and where you came from where a huge part of who you were. Most of the names included in this genealogy are unfamiliar to us (and to many people). It is interesting to note the presence of at least four women in the list (not including Mary):

• Tamar (v 3)- sold herself as a prostitute to her father-in-law in Genesis 38
• Rahab (v 5)- a Gentile prostitute in Joshua 2
• Ruth (v 5)- a Gentile Moabite who eventually converted (I love the story if Ruth!)
• Bathsheba (v 6, Uriah's wife)- infamous for her sexual sins with David

The inclusion of these four women show the world that Jesus came from humble lineage- it wasn't all royalty and fame. Jesus identifies with the sinner through his ancestry. The inclusion of these women also elevate their status, especially with regard to the new covenant. In both the pagan and Jewish world, women were not very highly regarded. The fact that the author includes them elevate them to be include in God's kingdom.

Another point to draw out of this genealogy are the words "Joseph was the husband of Mary, Mary was the mother of Jesus" (v 16). It is clear that Matthew does not regard Joseph as Jesus' biological/ physical father. 

In the conclusion of the genealogy. Matthew states there are "14 generations..." (v 17), but he did leave out some generations- which was quite common in Jewish heritage! For example, in v 9, "Jehoram was the ancestor of  Uzziah" there were actually three kings [Ahaziah, Joash, and Amaziah],in between Jehoram was not his father, King Amaziah was!)

On to the birth narrative in Matthew (v 18).  We see Jesus' birth through the eyes of Joseph. Matthew just states that Mary was pregnant through the Holy Spirit- no visit from Gabriel, no conversation with Elizabeth, no Song of Mary. This is the abbreviated version of Jesus' birth. One important thing we learn is that Joseph was a faithful and just man (v 19).

We do have an angel visit to Joseph (v 20+). We are unsure of the name, but many theologians believe it was Gabriel- the same one to visit Mary. It would make sense that the same angel visited both Mary and Joseph. When the angel addresses Joseph as "ancestor of David" (v 20), Joseph should have known something was up!

The angel requests that the son be named "Jesus" (v 21). Jesus was a very common name and is translated as "The Salvation of Yahweh" and in one statement gives us the "reason" for Jesus- "to save people from their sins" (v 21).

Matthew looks at the first prophecy that Jesus fulfilled- " a virgin shall conceive" (Isaiah 7:14). The Hebrew word used was "almahcan" which is translated as "young woman" and assumed to mean virgin. As an aside, many world religions have virgin births (usually of their "messiah"). The angel continues to give Jesus a "title" of Emmanuel- God with us. The name Emmanuel truly shows Jesus' dual nature "God" (divine) "with us" (human). I love the image of God with us. Go reaching down, bending down, to pick us up and help us. It is reported that John Wesley, just prior to his death, said, "The best of all- God is with us."

The dream is over, Joseph wakes up, no questions asked- and marries Mary and continues life "as normal." Talk about faith and trust! Even Mary had a few questions of Gabriel! Matthew states that "Joseph did not know Mary until she brought forth her son" emphasizes the virgin quality of Mary. The Roman Catholic church proposes "perpetual virginity" for Mary, but these words from Matthew (and the fact that there are some siblings) refutes that claim. Does perpetual virginity matter though?! 

In the closing verse, Mary and Joseph name the child Jesus. They followed God's instructions; our savior was given a commonly used name. His humbleness began at his birth. 

I am not a huge fan of the Matthew birth narrative- it doesn't give us the Christmas feeling and knowledge that we all want in the birth narrative! Where did the birth happen? What about the census? What about the full inn? What about the shepherds? What about... the list could continue! But, we do have magi- in tomorrow's chapter!

Have a good day.

Shaloom+
Pastor Paul

Matthew- An Introduction

 Matthew is the first account of the New testament, although it was written later than Mark; 90% of the material in Mark can be found in Matthew. It is as if Matthew is a "second edition" of Mark. The authorship is anonymous and may have been mistakenly identified to be from Mark the tax collector as the church leader Papias mentioned in his writings that "the tax collector was collecting and gathering sayings of Jesus." We know that Matthew was a devout  and educated Jewish- Christian and knew Jewish heritage and scripture better than the authors of the other Gospels. Theologians believe the text was written in Antioch probably in the late 70s to early 80s  or even in the 90s AD. There are several passages about the destruction of the Jerusalem temple (which occurred in 70 AD). The idea of Antioch comes from the fact that many of the "Matthew only" stories involve Peter who lived most of his life in Antioch.

Matthew's Gospel is often called the teacher's Gospel as it focuses primarily on the teaching ministry of Jesus. There is a heavy emphasis on understanding Scripture and then teaching it to others. Others call Matthew's Gospel the accountant's Gospel, because Matthew pay very close attention to details. In Matthew, numbers seems to be important. Many of his stories are repeated twice (or have the number two in them)- possibly to represent the duality nature of Christ; many stories have three parts or three characters- possibly for the trinity; Matthew has seven parables of the the kingdom of heave (seven is a sacred number);; he tells of twelve prophecies that were fulfilled (twelve disciples). There are a few others- let's watch for them!

Jesus exhibits less human frailty in Matthew than in Mark or Luke. The disciples show more potential for growth in Matthew while in contrast, the religious leaders of Israel come off looking worse in Matthew than the other Gospels. Matthew makes many references to the Hebrew prophets and the words "to fulfill the prophecies written by the prophets" is used often. The thought that Matthew is placed first in the Gospel sequence along with the number of Hebrew prophecies is to "convince" Jews to convert to Christianity. If you are going to read a new anthology of stories- start with the first one (Matthew).

There are several interesting points made in Matthew and we will discuss them as they come up.

I hope you enjoy this account of Jesus' life.

Jude

 Good morning all! Welcome back. I hope you had a great weekend. It was a fun and busy weekend here. Joseph continues to keep us busy! He loves being outside, so we do what we can while out there! He really loves spending time with our dog, Finn. They play together all the time!

This morning we read Jude, then the next several weeks is in the Gospel Matthew.

I have never read Jude, so this is all new for me. It is only the one chapter. It is the last book in the Christian Bible before Revelation. Not much is known about Jude. He is the brother of "James the Just", a well-known member of the church. James is a brother of Jesus, so this would make Jude also Jesus' brother. There is some surrounding controversy though (for both James and Jude) as many theologians want to keep Mary a virgin, so there was no way Jesus could have had siblings!

It is the shortest book in the Bible (25 verses) and its inclusion in the Bible has been disputed, primarily because of length and the unknown identity of the author. 

The letter was written likely between 70 and 90 AD as an encyclical letter (i.e. not for one particular person or church, but to be spread throughout the congregations). The primary focus is the punishment of evil people. The composition in the original Greek show that the author was very well educated and very fluent in Greek- unusual for the time period.

As I mentioned, this is my first experience with Jude- so I am interested to see what he has to say!

Jude begins his letter with a brief introduction.The name "Jude" is translated to Judas, but most English translators of the Greek texts use Jude to avoid confusion with Judas Iscariot. Jude, along with Jesus' other siblings, probably didn't believe that Jesus was the Messiah until his resurrection. I wonder what it was like living as a brother or sister to Jesus?! Although Jude was a brother to Christ, he refer.s to himself as servant- an interesting word use. Jude is specifically writing to Christians, people called by God. I like his closing statement, "Mercy, peace, and love be yours richly." (Some translations say multiplied). The three weren't enough to have in "regular doses", Jude wishes them to be multiplied in the lives of Christians.

The beginning of the actual letter makes it look like Jude didn't want to write this letter. He was going to talk about salvation, but something else came up that needed to be addressed. The letter is more like a sermon, preaching about practices and doctrine that puts the theology of Chris in jeopardy. I have had a few sermons like that...saying something that wasn't popular and wondering how the congregation would take it. My nerves are usually quite hyped up before I preach anyway, but then when I knew I was going to talk about something unpopular, I was really super nervous! I know how Jude is feeling! That's the leading of the Holy Spirit!

Jude's talking point for this letter is protection of the faith (v 3). Something must be going on that is drawing people away from Christ, and Jude feels it is necessary to remind people of the struggle and the fight that must happen to keep faith strong. You can sense the passion and love Jude has for this gift of faith. 

Jude points out that some people have "secretly entered" the group (v 4); some translations say "crept in unnoticed." That's the dangerous part the people trying to disrupt the church are unnoticed. Chuck Spurgeon, well known theologian, wrote about this line saying, "Satan knows that one devil inside the church can do more damage than thousands of devils standing outside her." I am sure we all have examples of these people that creep in and try to tear apart something from the inside- the church isn't the only place this happens! Their judgement will be certain, and the truth will win eventually, but we must be vigilant and aware of these evil do-ers. They knew grace and mercy, but they used that idea as a way to be lewd and corrupt.

Jude then lists some reminders for the people:

• God delivered the Hebrews from Egypt (v 5)- followed by punishment for the non-believers. God provided escape from their captives, food (manna) and water through their journey, safety crossing the Red Sea, they heard God's voice at Mount Sinai...but even after all that, they fell back to their old ways and went with unbelief.
• The angels who did not keep their place (v 6)- some controversy here as to exactly what Jude means. There are two cases of angels sinning (Isaiah 14:12-14 and Revelation 12:4). There is also mention of the "sons of God) in Genesis 6:1-2. When Jude mentions "left their proper home" it is usually a reference to infidelity in marriage (sexual sin). Because these angels did not keep their proper place , they are kept in darkness in chains.Freedom comes from obedience.
• Sodom and Gomorrah (v 7) are the two cities that represent all of the sexual sins. We know what happened to those cities!

Jude connects "these people" that are infiltrating the church with the examples he gave just prior. he point he is making is that hey will be punished as the evil ones were. They are impure, they reject God's authority (translation- they want to be in authority) and speak against the angels (some translation say dignitaries- likely meaning the apostles). They seem to be just bad people that want to ruin and destroy the church. Jude brings up the example of Michael the archangel who wouldn't even judge the devil (another of God's angels) guilty. Even Michael, with the power to do that, said it was God who judges. Jude's reference to "the body of Moses" is quite obscure and there are several different ideas about what he was talking about. The most common thought is that the devil wanted Moses's body to be used as an idol for worship so that the Israel people would be led astray. Others believe that the devil wanted Moses' body so that he could desecrate it in front of the people of Israel. The point being that the devil was against God- just like "these people" but even Michael wouldn't judge him guilty. 

"But these people..." are just like the devil- trying to usurp God's authority, reject God, and talk evil. They have a natural intelligence (reference to dumb animals- animals know how to survive, they can be intellectually smart) but are lacking a spiritual intelligence (as the beasts).

More examples of how corrupt "these certain men" are

• They are like Cain- lack of faith in God, Cain ultimately murdered Abel. Cain represents the sins of Israel
• Balaam- (Numbers 22-25, 31)- God suggested that Balaam not follow a certain contingency of King Balak, but they offered riches and women, so Balaam went with them. Balaam represents greed in the Hebrew scriptures.
• Korah- (Numbers 16) resented the authority and power God gave Moses and Aaron- Korah was swallowed up by the earth and his followers were also destroyed. Korah represents the rejection of God's authority.  

Jude continues his description of "these certain people". As you read the various descriptions of these people, are you reminded of people in your life that have these characteristics?

The writings of Enoch (v 14) were not canonized, yet they are important texts for the Hebrew people. It is common belief that Enoch's writings were preserved by Noah and were read up until the time of Christ- however there were some false testimonies of Christ, and so they were not canonized! The point here is that Enoch warned of "these certain people" so we shouldn't be surprised that they will try to destroy the church. 

We are reminded in the closing statements (v 20) that we are different from these certain people.  We are in support of God and Christ. We promote love and peace and grace and recognize the mercy of God. Jude tells us to keep an inward focus (vv 20-21) and to not attack or go after these people- that's what they want. They want to show a downfall with the Christian religion. If we stayed focused on our spirituality and our faith then we are doing what God desires of us. God will take care of them- as God has done for the last several hundreds of thousands of years!

We are to also be cognizant and aware of people on the edge of faith and show them compassion and love (vv 22- 23). An outward view of things shows that we are not totally wrapped up in ourselves. 

The closing lines (vv 24-25) are a beautiful doxology to God. These lines are reminders of God's care for us, God's presence in our lives, and our destiny. The last 23 lines of this letter looked like gloom and doom and the cruelty and hate of the world, but in these closing lines, Jude reminds us of the power and grace of God and that salvation is available to all who follow Christ. If we stay connected to God, we cannot fall or falter. I may use these lines as a benediction for this coming week's message!

Jude is a book full of warning, but it closes with a supreme confidence in God. As we look at our world and the hate and fear and war and turmoil we face, may we also remember these closing words of Jude.

We begin Matthew tomorrow. This Gospel will take us about 6 weeks. I will hopefully post an introduction to Matthew later today (and also respond to your comments from the last few days!).

Enjoy the beautiful day we are being blessed with.

Shalom+
Pastor Paul

Philemon

 Good morning. What a beautiful day yesterday! There couldn't have been a nicer day! I hope you all had time to enjoy the weather and be happy! 

Today's brief letter is to Philemon, a leader of the Colossian church. The letter is written by Paul while he is in prison and also co-authored by Timothy. The date is between 57-62AD, so Paul is either in Caesarea Maritime (earlier date) or Rome (later date).  Since Timothy is with Paul, it is likely the more earlier time frame. The letter is about reconciliation and forgiveness. It is written on behalf of Onesimus, a runaway slave that has converted to Christianity.

In the introduction, Paul writes he is a prisoner of Jesus. Paul never considered himself a prisoner of Rome, but of Christ. It was his love for Christ that put him in prison. An interesting way to look at it! When Paul mentions Philemon- he leaves out that he is looked at as an apostle, but rather a friend. In many of Paul's letters, he addresses himself (Paul) as an apostle.  We can gather there is some type of intimate relationship between Paul and Philemon, rather than "apostle" to student relationship. Thoughts are that Apphia was Philemon's wife and Archippus was their son. This letter is very personal- addressed to just this family rather than an entire church. Roman law had the woman/wife be the "supervisor" of the slaves, so she certainly needed to be included in this latter from Paul- although Philemon would make the final determinations. We know that Philemon had a church that met on his house. The Jews had synagogues, but Christians had no other property  than their homes for worship services, so many net in personal homes even up to the 3rd century. Many of the churches in the United States began in peoples' homes too, so this is not unusual. How often do we "do church" in a home setting now?

Paul's beginning words are about prayer for Philemon and that his teachings of faith would be effective (v 6). We know from this that Philemon had some role on faith formation of the people in the church. It seems as though Paul's prayers for Philemon are not extensive as he "mentions" Philemon in his prayers (v 4). He commends Philemon on the work he has done on behalf of others and the love that he has shown to those in the faith (v 7).

Paul now gets to the point of the letter (vv 8-11). With the authority Paul has, he could command that Philemon follow his request, but instead Paul asks nicely in the name of love. There is a big difference here! A love appeal is more effective than an outright command. Are you more receptive to a "love appeal" or an outright "command"? Paul uses his wisdom here (v 9) saying he is an old man in prison, trying to stir up emotions from Philemon. Do we do that- attempt to stir peoples' emotions before asking for something big?

Onesimus was a slave to Philemon; he escaped to Rome (v 10) and converted to Christianity ("my child").  According to ancient Greek and Roman law, an escaped slave could be granted sanctuary at an altar (even one in a family home) and the owner of the altar would then have to plead the case for the escaped slave with the master. If the slave didn't go back, the slave would be sold at auction and the money returned to the owner.  Paul is in that position now of bargaining for Onesimus' life.

Interesting side note, the name Onesimus means profitable (v 11). Paul says that now Onesimus is a Christian he has worth and is valuable. Christ takes the invaluable and "worthless" and makes them valuable! In Christ, useless becomes useful. Do we view people that way, or are we still swayed by their skin color, orientation, ethnicity, style of dress?

Paul seems to have convinced Onesimus to go back to Philemon, but is asking Philemon for grace and mercy. According to Roman law, a runaway slave could be crucified. Under Roman law, the life of a slave was at the control of their master and they could do essentially what they wanted. There was a report that a slave had a tray full of crystal goblets; one dropped and broke. The owner immediately threw the slave into a pond full of lampreys and watched and laughed as the slave was eaten alive by the fish! If they weren't killed, the would often be branded on their forehead with the letter "F" (fugitive).

Clearly, Paul wanted Onesimus to stay in Rome with him, and he asks that of Philemon (v 13). Paul could attempt to have Philemon let Onesimus stay, but it was ultimately Philemon's decision. If Paul forced Philemon to make a decision, then it would't really be a "good deed" (v 14). 

Paul acknowledges that Onesimus ran away, but uses the words "separated from your for a short time..." (v 15). It softens the offense! Philemon was deprived of a valuable asset, but possibly the "purpose" of Onesimus running away was the conversion to Christianity! God wanted Philemon to see the purpose too. Paul also softens the escape by calling Onesimus Philemon's brother (rather than slave) as he attempts to abolish the barrier between slave and free. When we see people different from us- do we see them as brother and sister or do we see them as black, olive, Muslim, gay, dirty, homeless, or otherwise? If a person is a stranger, it is easier to make them a slave- but how can my brother or sister be a slave?

Paul stands strong next to Onesimus (vv 17-19). He knows that Onesimus is guilty and deserves punishment, but he also knows that he is a friend and brother in Christ. If you punish my brother, then you must also punish me. That is what Christ does for us all the time, stands next to us as brother when we face God.

I love the closing words, "Refresh my heart in Christ..." (v 20). Sometimes we get so downtrodden and buried deep with emotions, pain, suffering, hate, fear, that we need a refresher or reminder that God is present and active. I think that is what Paul is asking Philemon here...remind me again that God is alive! Do we need those reminders of God's presence?

Paul let's Philemon know that he'd like to come for a visit, showing us the close nature of Paul's relationship with Philemon (also an indication that Paul is not in Roman prison, because he never left the prison in Rome until his execution).

Paul closes with a list of names of people that are either in prison with Paul or are visiting Paul and have a close relationship with Philemon (vv 23-24),making the letter even more personal for Philemon. Remember- Demas is the same person that Paul mentions in 2 Timothy 4:10 who left Paul for "love of the world"

Paul never called for an end to the systemic slavery, yet the principles in the letter do destroy slavery. The greatest social changes happen when we change one heart at at time. This one letter was used quite extensively in the fight against slavery in the 1860s. 

There is no Biblical record of the resolution to this issue, however there are some historical accounts that Onesimus did become a bishop of Ephesus (as named by Ignatius of Antioch). From slave to brother to bishop. All things are possible with God!

There are lots of things we can learn form this letter. Paul's plea for Philemon to treat Onesimus with love is the underlying message that many people need to hear!

Have a great weekend and enjoy the beauty we are blessed with! I am attending Chenango Valley's Senior Prom tonight ans am excited to see some of my kids and friends. 

Don't forget- LM Yard sale is tomorrow (Saturday) from 9AM until 2PM.

Monday we read Jude. I have never read that personal letter!

Shalom+
Pastor Paul

Titus 3

 Good morning. I had good intentions of doing this early, but someone decided to get up at 6AM! Yesterday's excitement was walking the dogs! That kid!! My plan is to respond to your comments today from the last two days! I hope you all had a good day yesterday and are planning on having a good one today!

This final chapter of Titus is directed at all the citizens of Crete and how they should be living in community and doing good.

The first comment that Paul makes is for the people to yield to government and authority. Given the unruly behavior of the Cretans, this wasn't an easy job or task! If you remember- when Paul said something similar to Timothy (in Ephesus), he used the words pray for the leaders; in contrast to the advice for the Cretans to obey the rulers! Big difference in word usage! Paul continues this and extends the ideas of doing and being good to all people. We have said this before- we (the whole country) needs to hear these words! Were the Cretans really unlike the people of today?

Paul then contrasts their (our) former life with the life they (we) now have in Christ (vv 4-5). I have said this before...I look back at my previous life and see some things I am ashamed of. God has made some changes in me (and still has more to do!) We should all be reminded that the life we have now is richer sand fuller because of God's grace. Paul emphasizes (v 5) that it wasn't because of the goodness we did that God looked at when God offered grace- it is the thing that God does. If God offered grace and mercy only to those that did good or based on their work I am afraid many of us would fall short! Paul uses the words "through the washing" (v 6) which is likely a reference to baptism and the regeneration that baptism gives us- a regeneration to new life. Baptism was both a Judaic and Christian sacrament (and many of the pagan religions had some sort of ritual cleansing). Through that baptism and the idea of God's mercy- we are made right with God and then w are able to have hope that there is life after we die here in earth (v 7).

Paul then emphasizes the truth of this message (v 8) and Titus (and we) are to make sure people know the truth behind the message of grace and mercy and hope. Can we do that? Do we do that?

As we have heard Paul several times remind us- stay away from gossip, busybodies, "foolish" people, and those that like to argue for the sake of arguing (v 9). We have enough to keep us busy if we focus on the important things in life rather than the idle chatter and "busy-ness" that we can get side-tracked by! 

As Paul closes this letter (as he did for Timothy), he begins to list names of people. One of the important things for us in these lists is not necessarily what these people did, but that Paul was a "regular" person with friends and people in his life that were important to him. It is believed that Artemus or Tychius would take Titus'place in Crete and that Titus would go some other place. Paul mentions the city of Nicopolis ("city of victory"). There are several cities named Nicopolis, but it is believed to be the city of Epirus. This city was built by Augustus in memory the battle of Actium. It was on a peninsula, to the west of the bay of Actium. It is probably Paul's last winter alive and this city is like a nice warm winter retreat to Florida. The additional names of Apollos and Zenas show that the gospel is moving rapidly and may people are getting involved in the spread of the good news! Are people as excited to spread the Gospel message in contemporary times?

As I said before, these instructions are not new to us. We have heard them before, but they were new to Titus and the people of Crete. To them, this was the first time hearing Paul's words of advice and godly living. This is a very short piece of text and it would be good if more people read it...maybe a brief sermon series is in order!!

Tomorrow we read Paul's letter to Philemon regarding his slave Onesimus. One brief letter packed with grace and acceptance of second class citizens!

Have a great day!

Shalom+
Pastor Paul

Titus 2

 Good morning! Hope you all had a good day yesterday. Our big task for the day was to move feed back to the barn! The rain in the afternoon was quite wicked, but it hopefully will cool things down some!

The chapter for today is short and says much of what we have talked about in other letters from Paul...how to live together and be good people. Maybe more people should be reading these letters and getting advice?!

Adam Clarke (1762-1832), British Methodist Theologian says this about Titus 2, “Few portions of the New Testament excel this chapter. It may well form the creed, system of ethics, and text book of every Christian preacher. Does any man inquire what is the duty of a Gospel minister? Send him to the second chapter of the Epistle to Titus for a complete answer.” 

Paul begins this chapter, as he did a few times with Timothy and to some of the churches, "But you..." separating and contrasting Titus to the words he previously used. You are different, you are selected, you are better than that.

Looking at the list of teachings for older men, I am surprised that these things are not what we learn from experience. But, I guess people do need o be taught about self-control, seriousness, strength in faith, love and patience. I guess as we age, we are hardened, and patience definitely becomes less! I wonder how Titus felt trying to teach the old men how to do these things?

In similar respect, he is to teach the older women more "maternal" qualities. The life of a woman was very different from the life of a man 2000 years ago. They had different expectations and so the teachings were somewhat different. I wonder why women are not to be "enslaved to too much wine..." (v 3) and it wasn't mentioned for the men?! I like the next comment about the older women teaching the younger women (v 5). The comment Paul is using is about love, but it is important for young people to have older mentors. It is interesting that there was no comment about men teaching the younger men. It seems like too many of our young people don't have these good adult role models.  What is the church's responsibility in this? Do we have one?

Paul begins v 6 with , "In the same way..." meaning that young men are to know the same thing as young women, plus the additional aspects he outlines in vv 7-8. Titus is to not only be a good teacher, but a role model (v 7) or an example of good living. When thinking of people in your life (pastors and others), do they "talk the talk and walk the walk"? That's essentially what Paul is saying here....if you're going to preach it you need to live it! I have said a few times that the church is fill of hypocrites as we say one thing and do the opposite! Thoughts?

Paul gets into some tricky thoughts next. The Christian world threw the ancient world when slaves converted to Christianity and were worshiping and studying along side their masters and the masters of other slaves. Paul says that even though they are equals in the eyes of the Lord, they should still obey their masters (but not necessarily other people). In the same respect- they are to be good and faithful- as were all people expected. I don't think Paul necessarily agreed with slavery, he  was just commenting about how this whole arrangement can work for the benefit of all. 

Grace brings salvation (v 11). For everyone. That's the whole sum of the Gospel story! The grace that we are given is an underlying theme to our entire life and that grace helps us/ makes us/ guides us to do the right things for all people. The grace that we are offered changes us to be holy people with a good and wholesome inner core. Thoughts?

Christ willing paid the ransom (v 14); we were bought and brought out of slavery with the fee of the life of Christ.Because of that- we are and should be doing good. Do we? Always?

Paul closes this chapter with words of encouragement. You can see some connection with Titus, but I feel there is less that with Timothy. The words seem more generic and less "forceful" but still he has some good words.

We finish tomorrow with a continuation of living right and good. 

Have a great rest of the day!

Shalom+
Pastor Paul

Titus 1, and a brief introduction

 Good morning. I hope all is well with you and you are all enjoying the beautiful- yet hot- days that we are having. Summer is here! Our excitement yesterday was Joseph riding in grandpa's "tractor"; he loves it!

Let's see what today brings!

This morning we start a brief letter (likely) written by Paul to Titus. There is much controversy to the authorship of this letter, but many agree that it is at least written during the time of Paul and if not by him, then by one of his disciples. The date is approximately the same as 1 Timothy (early 50s AD). Titus was a Gentile Christian, possibly from Antioch, brought to Jerusalem by Paul and Barnabas. Titus is currently in Crete when he receives this letter, carried to him by Zenas and Apollos (we will see them in chapter 3). In the early to mid 50s, Paul sent him to Corinth, taking the Corinthians letter with him. Titus was instrumental in the reconciliation between Paul and the Corinthian church. Not much else is known about Titus or his life! I only have a few lines highlighted in my Bible in this letter- so it is mostly new material for me!

Paul opens the  letter in typical style: author's name first, some brief greetings, and then to whom the letter is addressed. The first title Paul mentions about himself is "servant"; the original Greek, he uses the word doulos meaning the lowest of lowest class slaves- but then adds in it is for God. Interesting way to describe yourself! Would you describe yourself as that? Paul tells that he is here to help understand both faith and truth. Faith alone isn't good enough for Paul- he desires people to know truth. Is there a difference between truth and faith?

We don't know too much about Titus. He is mentioned very briefly in Acts and a few times in 2 Corinthians. Based on this introduction (v 4), we get a sense that Titus, like Timothy, was well known and loved by Paul. Titus' mission was to select elders in Crete. After a successful evangelic mission there, Paul had many young Christians that needed guidance and mentors. Paul selected Titus to stay there and search for those elders. He was to help build churches and establish Christianity. The job was tough because the people of Crete were well known throughout the word as a wild and crazy bunch of people that lied as often as possible and were very lazy. Titus was the man to do that. This shows us a look inside Titus and his strength and faith- to be able to control these people  was a great task, so he must have had strength (more than Timothy since Timothy wasn't selected!). The primary tasks was assigning an elder (bishop, authoritative church leader) in every city. There were many cities in Crete- so a big task! Paul gives Titus lots of authority in doing this (rather than assigning a committee).

Paul then goes through a list of qualifications (vv 6-8) for these elders. We have seen something similar in a few other letters from Paul. Titus is looking for good, wholesome, upstanding, faithful men to serve the church. Do we have similar qualifications for church leaders? Are those qualifications being met in the leaders you know? These elder have the awesome task of guiding the faith of their fellow Cretans. I don't know if I fit all the qualifications for being a church leader, but I do feel the awesomeness of leading a group of people in faith (at least I hope I am doing that). It is such a privilege to guide and mold and develop people as they walk closer to Christ. 

Surprise! We come back to Paul's feelings and thoughts about circumcision (vv 10-11)! Paul warns of the people (like we have seen in other letters) that spread false rumors, that are the gossip mongers, of the cities. They have nothing to do but stir up trouble. He is especially concerned about the Jewish Christians that continue to "require" circumcision and obedience to Mosaic laws. For these Jews, the cross of Jesus wasn't enough; the knowledge and acceptance of Hebrew laws and ancestry must also happen. It seems, in several of the things we have read, that the pagan Christians were very willing and able to "forget" their gods and rules of living when they converted to Christianity, but the Jewish Christians struggled with giving up their prior laws. Are there things from our "prior life" That we desire to hang on to?

Paul comments that one of their own (v 12) describes the Cretans people in non-flattering terms! When Paul says that the person is a prophet, I don't think he means a prophet selected by God. Based in this writing, it seems as though there are some character flaws in the Cretans! Even with these issues and flaws, Paul pushes Titus to work in Crete. He could have very easily said "Let's forget about these people." but Paul didn't. What lesson is there for us in this? Are any people too unworthy of hearing of God's love and grace? Paul's order to Titus- tell them when they are wrong and guide them to the stories of faith (kind of what we heard Paul say to Timothy in 2 Timothy 4). Is it easy to guide people in stories of the faith?

Paul ends this chapter with the comment that one reason the Jewish Christians struggle with non-Jewish Christians is that nothing can be pure because of the laws that were set up by Moses, ET AL. The legalism of the Judaic person makes it difficult to find purity in the "new" Christian philosophy. V 16 really hit me hard, "They say they are Christians, but they don't act like one." (my translation, not Biblical). Know any people like that? He ends with some very harsh words against these people- harsh but he means it. They are not doing any good trying to promote Christianity by what they are doing! What does that say about us? Are we in there anyplace? Tough words to end on, but hear them!

I hope you were impacted by these first words from Paul. Some were tough to hear, and some we have read many times!

Enjoy the day!

Shalom+
Pastor Paul

2 Timothy 4

 Good afternoon. So much for a schedule!! Anyway, great weekend. Morgan and Bobbi-Jo came home for the weekend. It was nice to have the entire family together! Saturday I officiated a wedding of one of our young people and had so much fun! Sunday was worship at LM followed later by worship at Good Shepherd Endwell- my first time there. There were 8 residents that came. I used the same scripture from worship at LM and gave a brief message of accepting all people and doing what we can to break down walls and barriers. After my short message we had a great chat about life and how respect and acceptance has changed over their life time. I t was great to talk with them! I hope you all had as great a weekend!

This is our last chapter in Timothy and this final chapter contains some of my favorite pieces of scripture. Paul gives some very sentimental and heartfelt words to Timothy and we will sense his anxiety of his upcoming execution. 

Paul "commands" Timothy (some translations say "I charger you...") - very strong words and then adds in this command is made in the presence of God and Christ- wow! As Paul sits in his cold, dark, wet prison cell- he is still cognizant of God and the power of God! What power in the next statement- to preach the Good News! Paul's following words- be ready at all times- got me wondering...are we ready at all times to preach the Good News? Are we able to preach the good news at a moments notice? Are we able to tell people what we are all about? Are we ready to tell people what they need to know? Many people think that the pastor is the one to "preach" the Good News- but is it just their job? How do you feel about "preaching" The Word? At the wedding reception this past weekend, one of the people that attended the wedding came up to me. She asked, "Do you have a minuet?" Sure, I said, as I was trying to compose a wedding prayer in my head, also while thinking- oh no- what did I say that she didn't like! Her question was about the rainbow stole I wear around my cincture (the rope like belt I wear around my waist when I wear a robe; as a local licensed pastor, I am not allowed to wear a stole around my neck that is reserved for ordained clergy- don't even get me started on that!) and the rainbow colored material I have draping the table (altar). I mentioned that it was in support of LGBTQ+ and equality and acceptance for all. This question resulted in a 45 minute talk/discussion of texts and thoughts. Be ready at all times to preach the Good News!

Paul warns Timothy that there will be a time when people won't want to listen to the Good News- and will find something they want to hear (vv 3-4). I sometimes wonder of we are at that time now. People will stick with people that say what they want to hear and will fight with you if you disagree! There is no room for discussion, there is no room for conversation- I am right and you are wrong! Are there people that you know that follow "false teachers" that Paul talks about? How can we know those false teachers? The Bible is often used to "prove" both sides of an argument (look at slavery- the Bible "justified" slavery!). Anyone can find Scripture that supports almost any "cause" so how do we know what is right and what is wrong?

Paul brings in the words, "But you..." (v 5) putting Timothy in opposition to those that are looking for "false teachers". Timothy looks for the truth while "those people" look for fables and tales. Paul encourages Timothy to keep going and stay strong. In some translations, Paul calls Timothy an "evangelist" (mine says "do the work of telling the Good News"). Do you ever get tired or work down from being good? Teaching the Good News? Ministering? Do you think Timothy was getting tired? What about Paul- did he get tired of it and need to be reminded to keep doing the good work?

The next set of verses (vv 6-8) I really love. I found them and used them when I officiated my dad's funeral (12 years ago).  Paul knows his life is close to ending; he knows that he will no longer be able  to spread the Gospel message.  Some translations say "poured out as a drink offering" which goes back to Genesis 35; the pouring out of wine was an acceptable sacrifice for some ceremonies; there is also a Roman idea here too- at the end the evening meal a small cup of wine was poured out to please the gods. Paul is saying, essentially, it is done and I am ready for the day to draw to a close- God I am your sacrifice. Paul is realizing that his "race" is almost over and that he will win that race. Paul often symbolizes Christianity as an athletic competition. The winners of those competitions received a crown of laurel- a symbol of their victory. Paul is ready to receive his crown. The victor's crown (stepahnos) is symbolic that you followed the rules and did your best- you won! Although the word stephanos has been around quite a while- remember the name of the first Christian martyr- Stephen! That same crown of  righteousness is available to us also!

Paul was lonely- he was human- he was locked in a prison and knew life was coming to an end. He beckons Timothy to come to visit (v 9). Could you imagine being locked in death row- few visitors, with some of the friends abandoning you? Demas (v 10) was mentioned before as a faithful worker, but has left because he "loved this world" (i.e. he loved the world more than God). The pain that Paul must feel when a "good" worker leaves! Do you have people that were committed to God/church, but left because they "loved the world"? The others Paul mentioned leave for other reasons, but seem to still be faithful. Luke is the only one left (v 11). If you remember, Paul's first imprisonment in Rome he had many visitors (Acts 28:30+). Paul is truly alone- and probably afraid. An interesting note- Paul calls for Mark- a sign of reconciliation. They left each other (Acts 15:36+) with some disagreement. Paul asks Timothy to go to Troas to get his cloak- probably a result of an arrest. Soldiers were allowed to take any "extra" garments (i.e. not clothing but extra "luggage") from prisoners. He also asks for his books and "Parchments". Even on death row- Paul was looking to read and study (what an inspiration to me when I have a 16 month old running around the house!). The parchments may have been parts of the Hebrew Bible. Paul then warns about Alexander; he seems like a government informer or something like that because of the "harm" he did to Paul. He may have been a "spy" for the Romans to befriend Paul and other Christians and then throw them to the lions!

The next verse (v 16) almost makes me cry. Paul's message- don't ever give up! And don't hold grudges! Paul knew that God was with him and that same God is with us! Even in his final days- Paul is thinking of his friends: Priscilia and Aquila, Onesiphorus' family and others. Can you imagine that- about to die- and thinking of others! Paul's final words (v 22) reflect his love for God and Christ and that it be given to Timothy.

I really loved this last chapter. Such emotion and feelings for Timothy. You can really feel Paul's anxiety= yet calmness. May we all know that!

Tomorrow we begin Titus- another personal letter from Paul- primarily with instructions about being a bishop/elder in the church.

Have a great rest if the day! Thanks fro your hard work and commitment!

Peace+
Pastor Paul