In Luke 13:9 Jesus shares the parable of the fig tree. It goes something like this. A man planted a fig tree in his garden and was disappointed that the tree refused to produce fruit, year after year. Finally, after three years, the man decided to have his gardener remove the tree. The gardener protested and asked that the tree be left alone and he promised to give it special care and fertilizer, telling his boss that if the tree doesn’t produce next year after the special effort, he will not stand in the way of cutting it down.
God uses farming references all through the bible. I like that because it is simple enough for even I, to understand. I have read several commentaries regarding this parable and how it is supposed to be a reference to Israel and how God gave Israel an extension of time before God gave up on them.
I look at this parable from the standpoint of my life. For years, God looked at my life and observed that I was going about my human business, working hard, not robbing any liquor stores or beating anyone up, I paid my taxes and was kind to some old ladies and all that good stuff. But I had existed for forty seven years, had a good and leafy appearance that would make any fig tree proud but to that point I failed to produce any thing of value for the kingdom of God.
Twelve years later, my life does produce Godly fruit as I follow His word. In my forty seventh year I responded to the extra care and spiritual food that God allowed me and I am grateful that He didn’t give up on me. The world that we live in only requires that we have a “leafy” persona, the fruit is not really required and is quite rare.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Hating Sin and Loving the Sinner
In Luke 13:4, Jesus compares the deaths of the aforementioned worshipers in the Temple to another group of eighteen men who died when the Tower of Siloam fell on them. He asked the crowd to determine if there was a difference from the standpoint of sinfulness between the two groups that died?
A modern example of this might be as follows:
This is an article that appeared in the Baltimore Sun newspaper:
Mayor Sheila Dixon and Police Commissioner Frederick H. Bealefeld III today implored residents of a Northeast Baltimore neighborhood to help authorities solve the fatal slaying of a former city councilman who was gunned down early this morning during a robbery of a jazz club.
About 1:45 a.m., Kenneth N. Harris Sr., 45, was shot once in the upper body outside the New Haven Lounge, in the Northwood Plaza shopping center after he ran from three men who accosted him and the club's owner at the front door, police said.
One of the men shot Harris, a married father with two children, who was able to get into his car and drive a short distance away before stopping. The three suspects robbed the club owner and other employees inside the store, and then fled out a back door into the Hillen neighborhood.
"We really need the community, if they have any information, to speak up on this," said Dixon during a news conference at police headquarters, where she was flanked by the police commissioner and other city council members. "It's just extremely hard, right at this moment, to speak about how traumatic this is for our city and our community."
Harris, who lost a bid for City Council President last year, had stopped by the New Haven Lounge, which regularly features musical acts, to greet the owner, Keith Covington, and borrow a corkscrew, a police spokesman said.
Paramedics transported Harris to Johns Hopkins Hospital, where he was pronounced dead around 2 a.m., police said. Harris's family, through a spokesman, issued a brief written statement.
The murder victim in this article appears to be an innocent man who happened to stop by a friends place to pick up a cork screw and was randomly killed during a robbery. In Mr. Harris’s obituary it is noted that he was a member of the Baptist church, was married and was the father of two children.
Christ asks us in Luke 13:2 - 5, if there is any difference between the man (in regards to salvation) who was murdered and those who murdered him? The answer is that God tells us that we must repent in order to achieve salvation, period. If the man who was murdered was unable to repent prior to dying and the man who murdered him had plenty of time on death row to repent before being executed, that would strike us as being unfair.
The truth is that we don’t know how long we have to repent and accept Jesus as our personal Savior. The bible says that tomorrow is promised to no man and that God hates sin but loves the sinner.
A modern example of this might be as follows:
This is an article that appeared in the Baltimore Sun newspaper:
Mayor Sheila Dixon and Police Commissioner Frederick H. Bealefeld III today implored residents of a Northeast Baltimore neighborhood to help authorities solve the fatal slaying of a former city councilman who was gunned down early this morning during a robbery of a jazz club.
About 1:45 a.m., Kenneth N. Harris Sr., 45, was shot once in the upper body outside the New Haven Lounge, in the Northwood Plaza shopping center after he ran from three men who accosted him and the club's owner at the front door, police said.
One of the men shot Harris, a married father with two children, who was able to get into his car and drive a short distance away before stopping. The three suspects robbed the club owner and other employees inside the store, and then fled out a back door into the Hillen neighborhood.
"We really need the community, if they have any information, to speak up on this," said Dixon during a news conference at police headquarters, where she was flanked by the police commissioner and other city council members. "It's just extremely hard, right at this moment, to speak about how traumatic this is for our city and our community."
Harris, who lost a bid for City Council President last year, had stopped by the New Haven Lounge, which regularly features musical acts, to greet the owner, Keith Covington, and borrow a corkscrew, a police spokesman said.
Paramedics transported Harris to Johns Hopkins Hospital, where he was pronounced dead around 2 a.m., police said. Harris's family, through a spokesman, issued a brief written statement.
The murder victim in this article appears to be an innocent man who happened to stop by a friends place to pick up a cork screw and was randomly killed during a robbery. In Mr. Harris’s obituary it is noted that he was a member of the Baptist church, was married and was the father of two children.
Christ asks us in Luke 13:2 - 5, if there is any difference between the man (in regards to salvation) who was murdered and those who murdered him? The answer is that God tells us that we must repent in order to achieve salvation, period. If the man who was murdered was unable to repent prior to dying and the man who murdered him had plenty of time on death row to repent before being executed, that would strike us as being unfair.
The truth is that we don’t know how long we have to repent and accept Jesus as our personal Savior. The bible says that tomorrow is promised to no man and that God hates sin but loves the sinner.
Monday, October 27, 2008
Secular and Bible History Meet
As we start at the beginning of Luke 13:1, we see that Jesus was informed of the murder of worshipers as they were sacrificing at the Temple in Jerusalem. The person who was responsible for the murders was none other than, Pontius Pilate.
It is interesting how I have known the name of this man, all through my life. As a child, I was introduced to his name as I heard and read of the Passion of Christ in elementary school. During those very years of my childhood, a discovery was made that proved, from a historical standpoint, Pilate existed. I have included a link to an interesting website that highlights bible history located at http://www.bible-history.com/empires/pilate.html . On that site you will see a picture of a block of limestone with the following information on it.
It wasn't long ago when many scholars were questioning the actual existence of a Roman Governor with the name Pontius Pilate, the procurator who ordered Jesus' crucifixion. In June 1961 Italian archaeologists led by Dr. Frova were excavating an ancient Roman amphitheatre near Caesarea-on-the-Sea (Maritima) and uncovered this interesting limestone block. On the face is a monumental inscription which is part of a larger dedication to Tiberius Caesar which clearly says that it was from "Pontius Pilate, Prefect of Judea."
The literal reading of the three lines inscribed are:
Line One: TIBERIEUM,,
Line Two: (PON) TIUS
Line Three: (PRAEF) ECTUS IUDA (EAE)
This is the only known occurrence of the name Pontius Pilate in any ancient inscription. Visitors to Caesarea's theater today see a replica, the original is in the Israel Museum in Jerusalem. It is interesting as well that there have been a few bronze coins found that were struck form 29-32 AD by Pontius Pilate.
From that same website, I found some other information regarding Pilate. It is, as follows:
Pontius Pilate's family name, Pontius, indicates that he was of the tribe of Pontii. It was one of the most famous of the ancient Samnite names. The surname or cognomen Pilatus indicates the familia, or branch of the gens Pontius. The name is uncertain, though some think it may have meant "armed with the pilum" (a spear or javelin). One interesting note is about another man in Roman history bearing the name. Lucius Pontius Aquila was a friend of Cicero and one of the assassins of Julius Caesar on the Ides of March (44 BC) when the would-be king was murdered.
The only information regarding Pontius Pilate is the New Testament and two Jewish writers: Josephus and Philo of Alexandria. By far our greatest amount of information comes from the Jewish writer Flavius Josephus who composed his two great works, the Antiquities of the Jews and the Jewish War, towards the end of the first century. There are also several "less reliable" traditions and legends. One early German legend says that Pilate was an illegitimate son of Tyrus, king of Mayence, who had Pilate taken to Rome as a prisoner. After he had apparently committed a murder he was sent to Pontus, where he enlisted in the Roman Army and proved himself by winning many victories against the barbarous tribes in the north.
Tacitus, when speaking of the cruel punishments inflicted by Nero upon the Christians, tells us that Christ, from whom the name "Christian" was derived, was put to death when Tiberius was emperor by the procurator Pontius Pilate (Annals xv.44). Apart from this reference and what is told us in the New Testament, all our knowledge of him is derived from two Jewish writers, Josephus the historian and Philo of Alexandria.
The Roman Procurator
Tiberius Caesar, who succeeded Augustus in AD 14, appointed Pontius Pilate as governor of Judea in 26 AD. Pilate arrived and made his official residence in Caesarea Maritima, the Roman capital of Judea. Pilate was the 5th procurator of Judea. The province of Judea, formerly the kingdom of Archelaus, was formed in 6 AD when Archelaus was exiled and his territory transformed into a Roman province. Although it included Samaria and Idumaea, the new province was known simply as Judea or Judaea. It generally covered the S. half of Palestine, including Samaria. Judea was an imperial province (i.e. under the direct control of the emperor), and was governed by a procurator.
The procurator was devoted to the emperor and directly responsible to him. His primary responsibility was financial. The authority of the Roman procurators varied according to the appointment of the emperor. Pilate was a procurator cum porestate, (possessed civil, military, and criminal jurisdiction). The procurator of Judea was somehow under the authority of the legate of Syria. Usually a procurator had to be of equestrian rank and experienced in military affairs.
Under the rule of a procurator cum porestate like Pontius Pilate, the Jews were allowed as much self-government as possible under imperial authority. The Jewish judicial system was run by the Sanhedrin and court met in the "hall of hewn stone", but if they desired to inflict the death penalty, the sentence had to be given and executed by the Roman procurator.
Pontius Pilate and the Jews
According to history Pilate made an immediate impression upon the Jews when he moved his army headquarters from Caesarea to Jerusalem. They marched into the city with their Roman standards, bearing the image of the "divine emperor" and set up their headquarters right in the corner of the Temple in a palace-fortress called "Antonia," which outraged the Jews. Pilate quickly learned their zealous nature and political power within the province and, according to Josephus, ordered the standards to be returned to Caesarea (Josephus Ant. 18.3.1-2; Wars 2.9.2-4).
Pilate made some other mistakes according to history before the time when he ordered the crucifixion of Jesus. One time he placed on the walls of his palace on Mt. Zion golden shields bearing inscriptions of the names of various gods. Tiberius had to personally order the removal of the shields. Another time Pilate used Temple revenue to build his aqueduct. There is another incident only recorded in the Bible where Pilate ordered the slaughter of certain Galileans (Luke 13:1) who had supposedly been offering sacrifices in the Temple. Here are some details:
"On one occasion, when the soldiers under his command came to Jerusalem, he caused them to bring with them their ensigns, upon which were the usual images of the emperor. The ensigns were brought in privily by night, but their presence was soon discovered. Immediately multitudes of excited Jews hastened to Caesarea to petition him for the removal of the obnoxious ensigns. For five days he refused to hear them, but on the sixth he took his place on the judgment seat, and when the Jews were admitted he had them surrounded with soldiers and threatened them with instant death unless they ceased to trouble him with the matter. The Jews thereupon flung themselves on the ground and bared their necks, declaring that they preferred death to the violation of their laws. Pilate, unwilling to slay so many, yielded the point and removed the ensigns."
(The Standards- Josephus, War 2.169-174, Antiq 18.55-59)
"At another time he used the sacred treasure of the temple, called corban (qorban), to pay for bringing water into Jerusalem by an aqueduct. A crowd came together and clamored against him; but he had caused soldiers dressed as civilians to mingle with the multitude, and at a given signal they fell upon the rioters and beat them so severely with staves that the riot was quelled."
(The Aqueduct- Josephus, War 2.175-177, Antiq 18.60-62)).
"Philo tells us (Legatio ad Caium, xxxviii) that on other occasion he dedicated some gilt shields in the palace of Herod in honor of the emperor. On these shields there was no representation of any forbidden thing, but simply an inscription of the name of the donor and of him in whose honor they were set up. The Jews petitioned him to have them removed; when he refused, they appealed to Tiberius, who sent an order that they should be removed to Caesarea."
(from International Standard Bible Encyclopedia)
I will include more information from this website and others regarding Pilate’s involvement in the trial and death of Jesus when we arrive at that point in Luke. When the secular scientific community denies the existence of someone like Pilate and does everything that they can do to put doubt in our mind that he even existed, it is amazing, because that same group will accept as fact that other historical figures (that are not mentioned in the bible) existed without question. Scientists who devote their whole life to the pursuit of such historic verification, really do us and God a great service.
As we move on, Jesus asks us in Luke 13:2, if those people that were murdered in Jerusalem were worse sinners than their neighbors? Asking, Is that why they suffered?
His answer is, no. When it comes to sin, we are equal with our neighbors. He went on to explain that physical death was one thing but the real tragedy upon dying is if we have not turned from our sinful ways and turned to God, then we will truly be dead.
It is interesting how I have known the name of this man, all through my life. As a child, I was introduced to his name as I heard and read of the Passion of Christ in elementary school. During those very years of my childhood, a discovery was made that proved, from a historical standpoint, Pilate existed. I have included a link to an interesting website that highlights bible history located at http://www.bible-history.com/empires/pilate.html . On that site you will see a picture of a block of limestone with the following information on it.
It wasn't long ago when many scholars were questioning the actual existence of a Roman Governor with the name Pontius Pilate, the procurator who ordered Jesus' crucifixion. In June 1961 Italian archaeologists led by Dr. Frova were excavating an ancient Roman amphitheatre near Caesarea-on-the-Sea (Maritima) and uncovered this interesting limestone block. On the face is a monumental inscription which is part of a larger dedication to Tiberius Caesar which clearly says that it was from "Pontius Pilate, Prefect of Judea."
The literal reading of the three lines inscribed are:
Line One: TIBERIEUM,,
Line Two: (PON) TIUS
Line Three: (PRAEF) ECTUS IUDA (EAE)
This is the only known occurrence of the name Pontius Pilate in any ancient inscription. Visitors to Caesarea's theater today see a replica, the original is in the Israel Museum in Jerusalem. It is interesting as well that there have been a few bronze coins found that were struck form 29-32 AD by Pontius Pilate.
From that same website, I found some other information regarding Pilate. It is, as follows:
Pontius Pilate's family name, Pontius, indicates that he was of the tribe of Pontii. It was one of the most famous of the ancient Samnite names. The surname or cognomen Pilatus indicates the familia, or branch of the gens Pontius. The name is uncertain, though some think it may have meant "armed with the pilum" (a spear or javelin). One interesting note is about another man in Roman history bearing the name. Lucius Pontius Aquila was a friend of Cicero and one of the assassins of Julius Caesar on the Ides of March (44 BC) when the would-be king was murdered.
The only information regarding Pontius Pilate is the New Testament and two Jewish writers: Josephus and Philo of Alexandria. By far our greatest amount of information comes from the Jewish writer Flavius Josephus who composed his two great works, the Antiquities of the Jews and the Jewish War, towards the end of the first century. There are also several "less reliable" traditions and legends. One early German legend says that Pilate was an illegitimate son of Tyrus, king of Mayence, who had Pilate taken to Rome as a prisoner. After he had apparently committed a murder he was sent to Pontus, where he enlisted in the Roman Army and proved himself by winning many victories against the barbarous tribes in the north.
Tacitus, when speaking of the cruel punishments inflicted by Nero upon the Christians, tells us that Christ, from whom the name "Christian" was derived, was put to death when Tiberius was emperor by the procurator Pontius Pilate (Annals xv.44). Apart from this reference and what is told us in the New Testament, all our knowledge of him is derived from two Jewish writers, Josephus the historian and Philo of Alexandria.
The Roman Procurator
Tiberius Caesar, who succeeded Augustus in AD 14, appointed Pontius Pilate as governor of Judea in 26 AD. Pilate arrived and made his official residence in Caesarea Maritima, the Roman capital of Judea. Pilate was the 5th procurator of Judea. The province of Judea, formerly the kingdom of Archelaus, was formed in 6 AD when Archelaus was exiled and his territory transformed into a Roman province. Although it included Samaria and Idumaea, the new province was known simply as Judea or Judaea. It generally covered the S. half of Palestine, including Samaria. Judea was an imperial province (i.e. under the direct control of the emperor), and was governed by a procurator.
The procurator was devoted to the emperor and directly responsible to him. His primary responsibility was financial. The authority of the Roman procurators varied according to the appointment of the emperor. Pilate was a procurator cum porestate, (possessed civil, military, and criminal jurisdiction). The procurator of Judea was somehow under the authority of the legate of Syria. Usually a procurator had to be of equestrian rank and experienced in military affairs.
Under the rule of a procurator cum porestate like Pontius Pilate, the Jews were allowed as much self-government as possible under imperial authority. The Jewish judicial system was run by the Sanhedrin and court met in the "hall of hewn stone", but if they desired to inflict the death penalty, the sentence had to be given and executed by the Roman procurator.
Pontius Pilate and the Jews
According to history Pilate made an immediate impression upon the Jews when he moved his army headquarters from Caesarea to Jerusalem. They marched into the city with their Roman standards, bearing the image of the "divine emperor" and set up their headquarters right in the corner of the Temple in a palace-fortress called "Antonia," which outraged the Jews. Pilate quickly learned their zealous nature and political power within the province and, according to Josephus, ordered the standards to be returned to Caesarea (Josephus Ant. 18.3.1-2; Wars 2.9.2-4).
Pilate made some other mistakes according to history before the time when he ordered the crucifixion of Jesus. One time he placed on the walls of his palace on Mt. Zion golden shields bearing inscriptions of the names of various gods. Tiberius had to personally order the removal of the shields. Another time Pilate used Temple revenue to build his aqueduct. There is another incident only recorded in the Bible where Pilate ordered the slaughter of certain Galileans (Luke 13:1) who had supposedly been offering sacrifices in the Temple. Here are some details:
"On one occasion, when the soldiers under his command came to Jerusalem, he caused them to bring with them their ensigns, upon which were the usual images of the emperor. The ensigns were brought in privily by night, but their presence was soon discovered. Immediately multitudes of excited Jews hastened to Caesarea to petition him for the removal of the obnoxious ensigns. For five days he refused to hear them, but on the sixth he took his place on the judgment seat, and when the Jews were admitted he had them surrounded with soldiers and threatened them with instant death unless they ceased to trouble him with the matter. The Jews thereupon flung themselves on the ground and bared their necks, declaring that they preferred death to the violation of their laws. Pilate, unwilling to slay so many, yielded the point and removed the ensigns."
(The Standards- Josephus, War 2.169-174, Antiq 18.55-59)
"At another time he used the sacred treasure of the temple, called corban (qorban), to pay for bringing water into Jerusalem by an aqueduct. A crowd came together and clamored against him; but he had caused soldiers dressed as civilians to mingle with the multitude, and at a given signal they fell upon the rioters and beat them so severely with staves that the riot was quelled."
(The Aqueduct- Josephus, War 2.175-177, Antiq 18.60-62)).
"Philo tells us (Legatio ad Caium, xxxviii) that on other occasion he dedicated some gilt shields in the palace of Herod in honor of the emperor. On these shields there was no representation of any forbidden thing, but simply an inscription of the name of the donor and of him in whose honor they were set up. The Jews petitioned him to have them removed; when he refused, they appealed to Tiberius, who sent an order that they should be removed to Caesarea."
(from International Standard Bible Encyclopedia)
I will include more information from this website and others regarding Pilate’s involvement in the trial and death of Jesus when we arrive at that point in Luke. When the secular scientific community denies the existence of someone like Pilate and does everything that they can do to put doubt in our mind that he even existed, it is amazing, because that same group will accept as fact that other historical figures (that are not mentioned in the bible) existed without question. Scientists who devote their whole life to the pursuit of such historic verification, really do us and God a great service.
As we move on, Jesus asks us in Luke 13:2, if those people that were murdered in Jerusalem were worse sinners than their neighbors? Asking, Is that why they suffered?
His answer is, no. When it comes to sin, we are equal with our neighbors. He went on to explain that physical death was one thing but the real tragedy upon dying is if we have not turned from our sinful ways and turned to God, then we will truly be dead.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
The Advocacy of Jesus
Jesus continues in Luke 12:57-59, saying, “ And why also do you not judge for yourselves what is right? For as you go with your opponent to the ruler, on the way make an effort to be reconciled with him, lest he drag you before the judge, and the judge hand you over to the magistrate, and the magistrate throw you into prison. I say to you, you will certainly not get out of there until you repay even the last cent.”
Several things that were pertinent in that time period need to be recognized so that these words can be understood. During that period, if you owed a debt, you could be hauled before the courts and face a judge if you didn’t satisfy the obligation. As sinners, we are in debt to God and the majority of mankind ignores this fact. We are blinded by that sinfulness and unable to judge for ourselves what is right.
When we die, we will stand before the Father, who will judge us and the devil will continue to be our accuser. As each of our offenses are brought before that heavenly court, Jesus will act as our advocate saying that while the offense is true, we are forgiven for it through Him.
Jesus is telling those people in the crowd that they are failing to see Him in the role of Redeemer and Advocate and until they reconcile, they are doomed. These verses seem to be encouraging us to settle affairs in this world before God settles them in the next.
To finish the commentary relating to these verses, I found this summary on the internet. The author escapes me at this time but the content is worth documenting never the less:
A related theme, God's impending judgment of Israel, is also found in the central section. It appears repeatedly in the material leading up to Luke 12:57-59, though it is not confined to the central section. For example, John the Baptist warns that judgment is coming soon and that natural descent from Abraham will not ensure against it (Luke 3:8-9, 17). Elsewhere Jesus warns of the Son of Man coming in judgment (9:26), then speaks harshly to the Jewish towns of Chorazin, Bethsaida and Capernaum for their rejection of him and his envoys (10:13-16). Later Jesus speaks in a parable about the need for servants to be obedient in the light of their master's absence and sure, but unscheduled, return (12:41-48). The parable is a picture of the need for disciples and others to serve God diligently; it further indicates that disobedient servants (disciples and others) will be judged harshly.1 In Luke 12:49-53 Jesus comments that his mission brings judgment to the earth . . . . ., and division to families.
Several things that were pertinent in that time period need to be recognized so that these words can be understood. During that period, if you owed a debt, you could be hauled before the courts and face a judge if you didn’t satisfy the obligation. As sinners, we are in debt to God and the majority of mankind ignores this fact. We are blinded by that sinfulness and unable to judge for ourselves what is right.
When we die, we will stand before the Father, who will judge us and the devil will continue to be our accuser. As each of our offenses are brought before that heavenly court, Jesus will act as our advocate saying that while the offense is true, we are forgiven for it through Him.
Jesus is telling those people in the crowd that they are failing to see Him in the role of Redeemer and Advocate and until they reconcile, they are doomed. These verses seem to be encouraging us to settle affairs in this world before God settles them in the next.
To finish the commentary relating to these verses, I found this summary on the internet. The author escapes me at this time but the content is worth documenting never the less:
A related theme, God's impending judgment of Israel, is also found in the central section. It appears repeatedly in the material leading up to Luke 12:57-59, though it is not confined to the central section. For example, John the Baptist warns that judgment is coming soon and that natural descent from Abraham will not ensure against it (Luke 3:8-9, 17). Elsewhere Jesus warns of the Son of Man coming in judgment (9:26), then speaks harshly to the Jewish towns of Chorazin, Bethsaida and Capernaum for their rejection of him and his envoys (10:13-16). Later Jesus speaks in a parable about the need for servants to be obedient in the light of their master's absence and sure, but unscheduled, return (12:41-48). The parable is a picture of the need for disciples and others to serve God diligently; it further indicates that disobedient servants (disciples and others) will be judged harshly.1 In Luke 12:49-53 Jesus comments that his mission brings judgment to the earth . . . . ., and division to families.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Bob Dylan said...
When I read Luke 12:54-56, I was struck by an example of this verse that applies to us, today. Jesus tells us in these verses that we are able to tell the weather by looking at the clouds or the feel of the wind but we fail to see the spiritual mess that our world is in.
In our society, we give credence to those who claim to predict future climate changes that are sometimes decades away (when they can’t predict a rain storm a day away) or others who claim to eradicate poverty through government programs (remember the “War on Poverty” that President Johnson declared in the 1960's?) or feed the poor through welfare systems that breaks families apart and encourages women to have children out of wedlock and to keep those offspring fatherless. The prognosticators of weather and climate change have told us over the last four decades that we were going to freeze to death, starve from over population and now the current theory is that we are all going to burn up some time in the future.
We, as men, are constantly telling ourselves that we are in charge of our world and environment. We some how think that if we speak it, it will happen. The fact is that God’s word tells us to pay attention to our world through His eyes and His word.
I have taken the liberty of posting some results to a poll that was put in place by a magazine based in Britain. You may link to the following website to see the polling results yourself, that website address is http://www.philosophers.co.uk/poll_results.htm .
The highlights of the poll are as follows:
Poll Results 1999
Read a full analysis of these results here
And you can complete our new survey here
A training in philosophy will make you more likely to believe in Darwinian evolution, but less likely to believe that morality is culturally relative. These are two of the findings of a striking new survey conducted by The Philosphers' Magazine over the last few months.
TPM has asked nearly 1000 visitors to its internet site about their background in philosophy and their beliefs on matters ranging from God to moon-landings. The aim has been to determine what impact, if any, a training in philosophy has on the way that people view the world and their place in it. The survey has thrown up all manner of interesting patterns of belief, but the most significant in terms of the impact of a philosophical background are those to do with Darwinism and cultural relativity.
Asked whether they believe that Darwinian evolution accounts for the emergence of complex organisms (including humans), more than four-fifths of professional philosophers replied that they do. In contrast, only about 60% of philosophy students and three-quarters of interested lay-people people replied the same way. This kind of result was repeated for the question on morality, only in reverse. Nearly 50% of philosophy students claimed to believe that moral judgements can only be made in terms of the standards of specific cultures, compared with one third of philosophy graduates and less than 20% of professional lecturers who professed the same belief.
Of the other interesting patterns to emerge, perhaps the most significant is that there is a systematic difference in the beliefs reported by men and women. For example, about 15% of men profess a belief in "Karma", compared to about a third of all women. And similarly, women polled in this survey are significantly more likely to believe in a personal God and "creationism" than men. Interestingly, they are less impressed with the claims of Darwinism than are men.
Finally, students of philosophy might be interested to hear that there are patterns of belief that they broadly share with their teachers. About a third of both groups believe that there is a personal God and hardly any of either group believe that humans have not landed on the moon!
As this poll suggests, we are influenced in our beliefs by teachers, news media icons, influential people in our personal lives and of course the incidental and indoctrinated web sites and magazines.
Just because a so called “woman’s” magazine screams at you from the check out stand in the grocery store, promising to dish the dirt on a celebrity that you have never heard of or makes promises to tell you secrets on “how to please your partner” or if you are constantly lectured by Ed Begley Jr. and others regarding your impending peril as the earth heats up an amazing 1/10th of one degree in the next century and last but not least being lectured on your moral deportment by Jesse Jackson a fellow sinner and an unlikely sage to provide anyone with an example of how to live one’s life. These are the people and things that influence our beliefs. We need to stop turning to man for the answers, ‘cause he ain’t got any. God does.
In the words of Bob Dylan; “You don’t need a weatherman to tell which way the wind blows.” Or do you?
In our society, we give credence to those who claim to predict future climate changes that are sometimes decades away (when they can’t predict a rain storm a day away) or others who claim to eradicate poverty through government programs (remember the “War on Poverty” that President Johnson declared in the 1960's?) or feed the poor through welfare systems that breaks families apart and encourages women to have children out of wedlock and to keep those offspring fatherless. The prognosticators of weather and climate change have told us over the last four decades that we were going to freeze to death, starve from over population and now the current theory is that we are all going to burn up some time in the future.
We, as men, are constantly telling ourselves that we are in charge of our world and environment. We some how think that if we speak it, it will happen. The fact is that God’s word tells us to pay attention to our world through His eyes and His word.
I have taken the liberty of posting some results to a poll that was put in place by a magazine based in Britain. You may link to the following website to see the polling results yourself, that website address is http://www.philosophers.co.uk/poll_results.htm .
The highlights of the poll are as follows:
Poll Results 1999
Read a full analysis of these results here
And you can complete our new survey here
A training in philosophy will make you more likely to believe in Darwinian evolution, but less likely to believe that morality is culturally relative. These are two of the findings of a striking new survey conducted by The Philosphers' Magazine over the last few months.
TPM has asked nearly 1000 visitors to its internet site about their background in philosophy and their beliefs on matters ranging from God to moon-landings. The aim has been to determine what impact, if any, a training in philosophy has on the way that people view the world and their place in it. The survey has thrown up all manner of interesting patterns of belief, but the most significant in terms of the impact of a philosophical background are those to do with Darwinism and cultural relativity.
Asked whether they believe that Darwinian evolution accounts for the emergence of complex organisms (including humans), more than four-fifths of professional philosophers replied that they do. In contrast, only about 60% of philosophy students and three-quarters of interested lay-people people replied the same way. This kind of result was repeated for the question on morality, only in reverse. Nearly 50% of philosophy students claimed to believe that moral judgements can only be made in terms of the standards of specific cultures, compared with one third of philosophy graduates and less than 20% of professional lecturers who professed the same belief.
Of the other interesting patterns to emerge, perhaps the most significant is that there is a systematic difference in the beliefs reported by men and women. For example, about 15% of men profess a belief in "Karma", compared to about a third of all women. And similarly, women polled in this survey are significantly more likely to believe in a personal God and "creationism" than men. Interestingly, they are less impressed with the claims of Darwinism than are men.
Finally, students of philosophy might be interested to hear that there are patterns of belief that they broadly share with their teachers. About a third of both groups believe that there is a personal God and hardly any of either group believe that humans have not landed on the moon!
As this poll suggests, we are influenced in our beliefs by teachers, news media icons, influential people in our personal lives and of course the incidental and indoctrinated web sites and magazines.
Just because a so called “woman’s” magazine screams at you from the check out stand in the grocery store, promising to dish the dirt on a celebrity that you have never heard of or makes promises to tell you secrets on “how to please your partner” or if you are constantly lectured by Ed Begley Jr. and others regarding your impending peril as the earth heats up an amazing 1/10th of one degree in the next century and last but not least being lectured on your moral deportment by Jesse Jackson a fellow sinner and an unlikely sage to provide anyone with an example of how to live one’s life. These are the people and things that influence our beliefs. We need to stop turning to man for the answers, ‘cause he ain’t got any. God does.
In the words of Bob Dylan; “You don’t need a weatherman to tell which way the wind blows.” Or do you?
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Who Needs Enemies...
Luke 12:49 tells us, in Jesus’s own words, talked about how He is destined to bring fire to the earth and how He knows what lies ahead for Him in the way of sacrifice on the cross and how He was burdened by the responsibility of His future physical suffering. Without a doubt, most of us miss the true human condition of Christ. If He remained God disguised as a human being, He would have had no fear or anticipation because, as God, He could not be hurt. Instead, we must realize that God, fully became a man and left Himself exposed to the ugliness of this physical world.
He did such a good job at being human that the devil never picked up on the truth (Luke chapter 4: 1-14) and most likely discounted Jesus as one more false prophet and ignored Him. I come to this conclusion based on the fact that if the devil knew that Jesus was God incarnate, He would have done everything in his power to stop Jesus from fulfilling His rescue mission on the cross.
While He allowed Himself to be exposed to the ugly side of life, He participated in the good part of life from the standpoint of enjoying friendship with those around Him. Proof of this is the many accounts in the new testament of Jesus attending dinners, weddings and other social events. Jesus laughed with others, cooked for His friends, engaged friend and foe alike in serious debate and conversation and ate food and drank wine with His friends and family.
As we move on to verse 53, Jesus tells us that families will be split apart because of Him. This happens when one family member is filled by the Holy Spirit, accepts Christ as their personal Savior and goes forward to share the word of God with the world. It can cause a tear in the relationships with those closest to us because your walk in faith may require that your friends and family take a hard look at their positions regarding faith. This situation is magnified when the family member who accepts Jesus is the same family member who has the lowest stature because of past mistakes and failures.
I helped a man to be in a position to accept Jesus as his personal savior. This man went forward during an altar call at my church and I watched years of failure to be removed from his face and his life. He went to work, contacted the authorities who were seeking him for back child support, made financial arrangements to make payments and made moves to allow him to be back in the lives of his children. He apologized to the mother of his children and in turn forgave her for the wrongs done to him. The Department of Motor Vehicles was in the process of giving him his license back and my wife and I were set to give him one of our vehicles. We would pick him up for church and go to breakfast afterwards and as a result of faith, this man was going through a positive life changing experience.
One day, his uncle was standing around with other family members, having a beer in the garage. My friend was there with his family, drinking a soda because he had given up drinking alcohol he was taking a ribbing from other family members about his new found walk in faith when the uncle blurted out the fact that family members had a betting pool, designed around the fact that this young man would fail in his walk with God and he offered to split the pot with him if he could give his uncle the date of his failure ahead of time.
The really sad part of this whole story is that this family is a mess. Ravaged by alcohol, drugs, infidelity and abuse. You would think that the family would be happy to see one of their own move forward to an improved life. The truth is that they didn’t want this man to be better off and cruelly did everything they could to deter him and in the end they succeeded. I haven’t heard from him again and the entire family situation has only gotten worse.
He did such a good job at being human that the devil never picked up on the truth (Luke chapter 4: 1-14) and most likely discounted Jesus as one more false prophet and ignored Him. I come to this conclusion based on the fact that if the devil knew that Jesus was God incarnate, He would have done everything in his power to stop Jesus from fulfilling His rescue mission on the cross.
While He allowed Himself to be exposed to the ugly side of life, He participated in the good part of life from the standpoint of enjoying friendship with those around Him. Proof of this is the many accounts in the new testament of Jesus attending dinners, weddings and other social events. Jesus laughed with others, cooked for His friends, engaged friend and foe alike in serious debate and conversation and ate food and drank wine with His friends and family.
As we move on to verse 53, Jesus tells us that families will be split apart because of Him. This happens when one family member is filled by the Holy Spirit, accepts Christ as their personal Savior and goes forward to share the word of God with the world. It can cause a tear in the relationships with those closest to us because your walk in faith may require that your friends and family take a hard look at their positions regarding faith. This situation is magnified when the family member who accepts Jesus is the same family member who has the lowest stature because of past mistakes and failures.
I helped a man to be in a position to accept Jesus as his personal savior. This man went forward during an altar call at my church and I watched years of failure to be removed from his face and his life. He went to work, contacted the authorities who were seeking him for back child support, made financial arrangements to make payments and made moves to allow him to be back in the lives of his children. He apologized to the mother of his children and in turn forgave her for the wrongs done to him. The Department of Motor Vehicles was in the process of giving him his license back and my wife and I were set to give him one of our vehicles. We would pick him up for church and go to breakfast afterwards and as a result of faith, this man was going through a positive life changing experience.
One day, his uncle was standing around with other family members, having a beer in the garage. My friend was there with his family, drinking a soda because he had given up drinking alcohol he was taking a ribbing from other family members about his new found walk in faith when the uncle blurted out the fact that family members had a betting pool, designed around the fact that this young man would fail in his walk with God and he offered to split the pot with him if he could give his uncle the date of his failure ahead of time.
The really sad part of this whole story is that this family is a mess. Ravaged by alcohol, drugs, infidelity and abuse. You would think that the family would be happy to see one of their own move forward to an improved life. The truth is that they didn’t want this man to be better off and cruelly did everything they could to deter him and in the end they succeeded. I haven’t heard from him again and the entire family situation has only gotten worse.
Thursday, October 9, 2008
God and Giving
Starting in Luke 12:37 Jesus tells us that there is a special reward for being faithful and paying attention to when He returns. He tells us that He will seat us at a banquet table, put on an apron and serve us a feast. What a generous God! I’m sorry, I take this literally and I am looking forward to that meal. Christ uses the example of a homeowner who knows when a thief is going to break into his house and the owner is ready at that appointed time but we, as believers, must remain ready for His arrival at any moment. He also tells us that His arrival will come when we least expect it.
Peter then asked Jesus if what He was saying was for the apostle’s ears only and Christ answered by telling him that this message was for all of the people who believed and were faithful.
In verse 42, Jesus goes on to give the example of the faithful servant that has been given the responsibility to care for the family in the absence of the master. If the servant has done a good job, there will be a reward and more responsibility. If they have failed in their duties and party like there is no tomorrow, thinking that the master won’t be back for a while and failing to remain vigilant, they will be torn apart and banished from their master. The servant will be punished because they knew what their duty was and failed to do it.
If there ever was a part of scripture that summed up our modern day society, this is it. In verse 48 Jesus goes on to say that people who didn’t know any better would receive a light punishment but that those who were well informed and had plenty of opportunity to know and live His word, would be held to a higher level of responsibility. He finishes this thought by telling us that if we are given much in this life, much is expected from us in return.
I believe that people who are wealthy and are charitable in their giving, are great examples to the rest of us who are not so wealthy. An example of charitable giving and celebrity was shown in the life of the famous movie actor, Paul Newman. A quote attributed to him, helps explain how he viewed being charitable, the quote is, as follows:
“The concept that a person who has a lot holds his hand out to someone who has less, or someone who isn't hurting holds his hand out to someone who is, is simply a human trait that has nothing to do with celebrity.”
It is well documented that, Mr. Newman had a charitable heart and was a great example of what a secular philanthropist is. The reason I say that he was secular and not faith based in his giving is determined by his own words. Another quote attributed to him (regarding one of his charities) is as follows:
“I wish I could recall with clarity the impulse that compelled me to help bring this camp into being. I’d be pleased if I could announce a motive of lofty purpose. I’ve been accused of compassion, of altruism, of devotion to Christian, Hebrew, and Muslim ethic, but however desperate I am to claim ownership of a high ideal, I cannot. I wanted, I think, to acknowledge Luck; the chance of it, the benevolence of it in my life, and the brutality of it in the lives of others, made especially savage for children because they may not be allowed the good fortune of a lifetime to correct it.”
Paul Newman, his real name, was born on , January 26, 1925. Newman was born in Shaker Heights, Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland, the younger son of a sports store owner. His father was of Jewish-German descent and his mother was a Catholic whose family came from Hungary. She became a Christian Scientist when Paul was just five but her new beliefs did not impinge on the family and later in life Newman chose to follow none of their beliefs but, when asked, opted "for Jewishness because I considered it more challenging".
His acting debut, aged seven, was as the court jester in Robin Hood at school. He left Shaker Heights high school in 1943 and went on briefly to Ohio University, in Athens, where he was expelled, supposedly after an incident involving a keg of beer and the rector's car.
From 1943 to 1946 Newman served as a US navy torpedo bomber radio operator. He graduated from the liberal arts Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio, in 1949 and that year married for the first time — to Jacqueline Witte — and returned to Cleveland to manage the family store. His father died in 1950. But his destiny was to be an actor and he and his wife and son moved to New Haven, Connecticut, where Newman attended Yale Drama School. He had ambitions to be a drama teacher, but he was spotted at Yale by New York agents, moved to New York and had a period at the Actors' Studio. He did a lot of television in that decade, debuting in an episode of the science fiction series Tales of Tomorrow in 1952. More importantly, chance led to a highly successful Broadway debut, originally as an understudy, in William Inge's play Picnic (1953-54). He divorced his first wife during this period of time and married actress Joanne Woodword. He is survived by her and their three daughters as well as two daughters from his first marriage. His only son, Scott, died of a drug overdose in 1978. Paul Newman died on September 26, 2008.
The most amazing thing about this man’s life was not his acting career. Newman founded a company called, Newman's Own, Inc. Founded on a whim with his friend A.E. Hotchner in 1982. . Based in Westport, CT, the charitable mission of Newman's Own is expressed in its Company motto: "Shameless exploitation in pursuit of the Common Good." Paul Newman and the Newman's Own Foundation donate all profits and royalties after taxes for educational and charitable purposes. Paul Newman and the Newman's Own Foundation have given more than $250 million to thousands of charities.
Paul Newman founded another important charity called, The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp in 1988. This wondrous place became the starting point for what is now a global family of camps. Today, Hole in the Wall Camps restore childhood to children living with cancer, hemophilia, sickle cell anemia, HIV and other serious medical conditions.
Supporters grew passionate about Paul Newman’s Hole in the Wall Camps mission, and by 1997 there were four additional camps including Double H Ranch in New York, Camp Boggy Creek in Florida, Barretstown in Ireland and L’Envol in France.
As was the case for many of Newman’s endeavors, the beginning of the Hole in the Wall Camps Global Partnership Initiative was fairly accidental, and began with a visit to Africa. It was that very visit that compelled Newman to expand Hole in the Wall Camps. Today, a Global Partnership Initiative in Africa and Asia extend the camp experience to children living with HIV / AIDS. In collaboration with local organizations and medical clinics, the program incorporates the traditional camp model with therapeutic recreation, HIV education, wilderness awareness and conservation. Since opening in 2001, these initiatives have educated and empowered more than 2,700 children and trained over 350 local staff members in Botswana, Namibia, Malawi, South Africa, Uganda, Lesotho and Vietnam. When you look at what this man did with his money and his fame, anyone would be impressed that he was a truly good man.
Going back to Luke 12:48, when Jesus tells us that more is expected from those who are given more. On the surface, a man who gave so much for good causes and helped humanity so much, would be a shoo in for the reward of heaven, right? After all, it is very likely that I will never be able to produce that much money for charity in my life time.
In Isaiah 64:6, God tells us that we are all infected and impure with sin and when we proudly display our righteous deeds, they are worth nothing more than filthy rags. Whatever we do for others must be done to glorify God first. Without God being involved, the charitable acts lose their spiritual value.
The fact is, I don’t have a clue if Paul Newman’s soul is in heaven. As a person who admired his acting and his generosity, I hope so. In fact, I hope that our Father in heaven is so, over the top, merciful and allows all of us sinners into heaven. The problem is that, His word tells me that all of my good deeds will be wasted if I did them outside of faith in Him.
Peter then asked Jesus if what He was saying was for the apostle’s ears only and Christ answered by telling him that this message was for all of the people who believed and were faithful.
In verse 42, Jesus goes on to give the example of the faithful servant that has been given the responsibility to care for the family in the absence of the master. If the servant has done a good job, there will be a reward and more responsibility. If they have failed in their duties and party like there is no tomorrow, thinking that the master won’t be back for a while and failing to remain vigilant, they will be torn apart and banished from their master. The servant will be punished because they knew what their duty was and failed to do it.
If there ever was a part of scripture that summed up our modern day society, this is it. In verse 48 Jesus goes on to say that people who didn’t know any better would receive a light punishment but that those who were well informed and had plenty of opportunity to know and live His word, would be held to a higher level of responsibility. He finishes this thought by telling us that if we are given much in this life, much is expected from us in return.
I believe that people who are wealthy and are charitable in their giving, are great examples to the rest of us who are not so wealthy. An example of charitable giving and celebrity was shown in the life of the famous movie actor, Paul Newman. A quote attributed to him, helps explain how he viewed being charitable, the quote is, as follows:
“The concept that a person who has a lot holds his hand out to someone who has less, or someone who isn't hurting holds his hand out to someone who is, is simply a human trait that has nothing to do with celebrity.”
It is well documented that, Mr. Newman had a charitable heart and was a great example of what a secular philanthropist is. The reason I say that he was secular and not faith based in his giving is determined by his own words. Another quote attributed to him (regarding one of his charities) is as follows:
“I wish I could recall with clarity the impulse that compelled me to help bring this camp into being. I’d be pleased if I could announce a motive of lofty purpose. I’ve been accused of compassion, of altruism, of devotion to Christian, Hebrew, and Muslim ethic, but however desperate I am to claim ownership of a high ideal, I cannot. I wanted, I think, to acknowledge Luck; the chance of it, the benevolence of it in my life, and the brutality of it in the lives of others, made especially savage for children because they may not be allowed the good fortune of a lifetime to correct it.”
Paul Newman, his real name, was born on , January 26, 1925. Newman was born in Shaker Heights, Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland, the younger son of a sports store owner. His father was of Jewish-German descent and his mother was a Catholic whose family came from Hungary. She became a Christian Scientist when Paul was just five but her new beliefs did not impinge on the family and later in life Newman chose to follow none of their beliefs but, when asked, opted "for Jewishness because I considered it more challenging".
His acting debut, aged seven, was as the court jester in Robin Hood at school. He left Shaker Heights high school in 1943 and went on briefly to Ohio University, in Athens, where he was expelled, supposedly after an incident involving a keg of beer and the rector's car.
From 1943 to 1946 Newman served as a US navy torpedo bomber radio operator. He graduated from the liberal arts Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio, in 1949 and that year married for the first time — to Jacqueline Witte — and returned to Cleveland to manage the family store. His father died in 1950. But his destiny was to be an actor and he and his wife and son moved to New Haven, Connecticut, where Newman attended Yale Drama School. He had ambitions to be a drama teacher, but he was spotted at Yale by New York agents, moved to New York and had a period at the Actors' Studio. He did a lot of television in that decade, debuting in an episode of the science fiction series Tales of Tomorrow in 1952. More importantly, chance led to a highly successful Broadway debut, originally as an understudy, in William Inge's play Picnic (1953-54). He divorced his first wife during this period of time and married actress Joanne Woodword. He is survived by her and their three daughters as well as two daughters from his first marriage. His only son, Scott, died of a drug overdose in 1978. Paul Newman died on September 26, 2008.
The most amazing thing about this man’s life was not his acting career. Newman founded a company called, Newman's Own, Inc. Founded on a whim with his friend A.E. Hotchner in 1982. . Based in Westport, CT, the charitable mission of Newman's Own is expressed in its Company motto: "Shameless exploitation in pursuit of the Common Good." Paul Newman and the Newman's Own Foundation donate all profits and royalties after taxes for educational and charitable purposes. Paul Newman and the Newman's Own Foundation have given more than $250 million to thousands of charities.
Paul Newman founded another important charity called, The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp in 1988. This wondrous place became the starting point for what is now a global family of camps. Today, Hole in the Wall Camps restore childhood to children living with cancer, hemophilia, sickle cell anemia, HIV and other serious medical conditions.
Supporters grew passionate about Paul Newman’s Hole in the Wall Camps mission, and by 1997 there were four additional camps including Double H Ranch in New York, Camp Boggy Creek in Florida, Barretstown in Ireland and L’Envol in France.
As was the case for many of Newman’s endeavors, the beginning of the Hole in the Wall Camps Global Partnership Initiative was fairly accidental, and began with a visit to Africa. It was that very visit that compelled Newman to expand Hole in the Wall Camps. Today, a Global Partnership Initiative in Africa and Asia extend the camp experience to children living with HIV / AIDS. In collaboration with local organizations and medical clinics, the program incorporates the traditional camp model with therapeutic recreation, HIV education, wilderness awareness and conservation. Since opening in 2001, these initiatives have educated and empowered more than 2,700 children and trained over 350 local staff members in Botswana, Namibia, Malawi, South Africa, Uganda, Lesotho and Vietnam. When you look at what this man did with his money and his fame, anyone would be impressed that he was a truly good man.
Going back to Luke 12:48, when Jesus tells us that more is expected from those who are given more. On the surface, a man who gave so much for good causes and helped humanity so much, would be a shoo in for the reward of heaven, right? After all, it is very likely that I will never be able to produce that much money for charity in my life time.
In Isaiah 64:6, God tells us that we are all infected and impure with sin and when we proudly display our righteous deeds, they are worth nothing more than filthy rags. Whatever we do for others must be done to glorify God first. Without God being involved, the charitable acts lose their spiritual value.
The fact is, I don’t have a clue if Paul Newman’s soul is in heaven. As a person who admired his acting and his generosity, I hope so. In fact, I hope that our Father in heaven is so, over the top, merciful and allows all of us sinners into heaven. The problem is that, His word tells me that all of my good deeds will be wasted if I did them outside of faith in Him.
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Christ, The Groom
To some degree, we have floods that are both literal and metaphysical. When we watch our investments dwindle, a spouse walk out the door, fail to be able to relate to our children, get fired from a job or experience one of the many other injustices that our world has to offer, it is hard to remember to be generous to others.
The closer I get to understanding who Jesus was and is makes me wonder why He was so generous to us when our world has been, is and will continue to be rude to Him. Dying on that cross, suffering physical pain and mental anguish as a man, did He ever wonder if we were worth the trouble? Thank God (literally) for loving us and seeing beyond our human failures. I have heard it said that if you want to know what is important to a person, look at their check book and or bank statement. Luke 12:34 says that, wherever your treasure is, you will find your heart.
In Luke 12:35, Jesus tells us to be dressed and ready to go with Him at any time. He uses the wedding scenario here as He points out that there is special favor bestowed on those who are prepared for His return. When I share thoughts like this with a non believer it is interesting to watch their response. On the surface, the wedding analogy is lost on them and it takes quite a bit of revelation to get them to be comfortable again. God’s words are simple and designed to put us at ease. Understanding a surreal and complicated concept like Jesus coming back and the necessity of being prepared, as an example of a social event like a wedding, which everyone is familiar, makes sense. The only problem that we have is that our culture and society has changed the perception of what a wedding is. It can be a union between two people of the same sex, it can take place in Las Vegas, in a hot air balloon, under water or on top of a mountain. A wedding in our culture is commonly entered into by people who are insincere in their vows, have ulterior motives besides love and devotion and have little or no hope that the union will last even as they take the sacred vows. The way that our definition of marriage is going, civil law will recognize the legal union of brother and sister, child and adult, dog and owner and in all likely hood a person will be able to marry their car or some other prized possession in the future.
The wedding scenario that Jesus talks about is one of tradition and social value. A time and place where people follow the traditions of their ancestors and through time and responsibilities relating to each member of the wedding party are followed. The wedding process in the time of Jesus was a more complicated and formal process where everyone was in position to fulfill their responsible part in the wedding event.
I have attached a link to a web site that covers a variety of bible topics. You may read the entire piece at http://www.biblestudymanuals.net/jewish_marriage_customs.htm . I have highlighted part of the content here as it touches upon Jewish law and customs related to the above subject matter.
Jewish Marriage Customs
Those who live in the modern western world do not catch the full significance of Jesus' promise. This is due to the fact that in His promise Jesus was drawing an analogy from Jewish marriage customs in biblical times. Since this is so, those marriage customs must be examined if one is to grasp the significance of the promise.
The first major step in a Jewish marriage was betrothal.
1 Betrothal involved the establishment of a marriage covenant. By Jesus' time it was usual for such a covenant to be established as the result of the prospective bridegroom taking the initiative.
2 The prospective bridegroom would travel from his father's house to the home of the prospective bride. There he would negotiate with the father of the young woman to determine the price (mohar) that he must pay to purchase his bride.
3 Once the bridegroom paid the purchase price, the marriage covenant was thereby established, and the young man and woman were regarded to be husband and wife.
4 From that moment on the bride was declared to be consecrated or sanctified, set apart exclusively for her bridegroom.
5 As a symbol of the covenant relationship that had been established, the groom and bride would drink from a cup of wine over which a betrothal benediction had been pronounced.
6After the marriage covenant had been established, the groom would leave the home of the bride and return to his father's house. There he would remain separate from his bride for a period of twelve months.
7 This period of separation afforded the bride time to gather her trousseau and to prepare for married life.
8 The groom occupied himself with the preparation of living accommodations in his father's house to which he could bring his bride.
At the end of the period of separation the groom would come to take his bride to live with him. The taking of the bride usually took place at night. The groom, best man and other male escorts would leave the groom's father's house and conduct a torch light procession to the home of the bride.
9 Although the bride was expecting her groom to come for her, she did not know the exact time of his coming.
10 As a result the groom's arrival would be preceded by a shout.
11 This shout would forewarn the bride to be prepared for the coming of the groom.
After the groom received his bride together with her female attendants, the enlarged wedding party would return from the bride's home to the groom's father's house.
12 Upon arrival there the wedding party would find that the wedding guests had assembled already.
Shortly after arrival the bride and groom would be escorted by the other members of the wedding party to the bridal chamber (huppah). Prior to entering the chamber the bride remained veiled so that no one could see her face.
13 While the groomsmen and bridesmaids would wait outside, the bride and groom would enter the bridal chamber alone. There in the privacy of that place they would enter into physical union for the first time, thereby consummating the marriage that had been covenanted earlier.
14 After the marriage was consummated, the groom would announce the consummation to the other members of the wedding party waiting outside the chamber (John 3:29). These people would pass on the news of the marital union to the wedding guests.
15 Upon receiving this good news the wedding guests would feast and make merry for the next seven days.
16During the seven days of the wedding festivities, which were sometimes called "the seven days of the huppah," the bride remained hidden in the bridal chamber.
17 At the conclusion of these seven days the groom would bring his bride out of the bridal chamber, now with her veil removed, so that all could see who his bride was.
The closer I get to understanding who Jesus was and is makes me wonder why He was so generous to us when our world has been, is and will continue to be rude to Him. Dying on that cross, suffering physical pain and mental anguish as a man, did He ever wonder if we were worth the trouble? Thank God (literally) for loving us and seeing beyond our human failures. I have heard it said that if you want to know what is important to a person, look at their check book and or bank statement. Luke 12:34 says that, wherever your treasure is, you will find your heart.
In Luke 12:35, Jesus tells us to be dressed and ready to go with Him at any time. He uses the wedding scenario here as He points out that there is special favor bestowed on those who are prepared for His return. When I share thoughts like this with a non believer it is interesting to watch their response. On the surface, the wedding analogy is lost on them and it takes quite a bit of revelation to get them to be comfortable again. God’s words are simple and designed to put us at ease. Understanding a surreal and complicated concept like Jesus coming back and the necessity of being prepared, as an example of a social event like a wedding, which everyone is familiar, makes sense. The only problem that we have is that our culture and society has changed the perception of what a wedding is. It can be a union between two people of the same sex, it can take place in Las Vegas, in a hot air balloon, under water or on top of a mountain. A wedding in our culture is commonly entered into by people who are insincere in their vows, have ulterior motives besides love and devotion and have little or no hope that the union will last even as they take the sacred vows. The way that our definition of marriage is going, civil law will recognize the legal union of brother and sister, child and adult, dog and owner and in all likely hood a person will be able to marry their car or some other prized possession in the future.
The wedding scenario that Jesus talks about is one of tradition and social value. A time and place where people follow the traditions of their ancestors and through time and responsibilities relating to each member of the wedding party are followed. The wedding process in the time of Jesus was a more complicated and formal process where everyone was in position to fulfill their responsible part in the wedding event.
I have attached a link to a web site that covers a variety of bible topics. You may read the entire piece at http://www.biblestudymanuals.net/jewish_marriage_customs.htm . I have highlighted part of the content here as it touches upon Jewish law and customs related to the above subject matter.
Jewish Marriage Customs
Those who live in the modern western world do not catch the full significance of Jesus' promise. This is due to the fact that in His promise Jesus was drawing an analogy from Jewish marriage customs in biblical times. Since this is so, those marriage customs must be examined if one is to grasp the significance of the promise.
The first major step in a Jewish marriage was betrothal.
1 Betrothal involved the establishment of a marriage covenant. By Jesus' time it was usual for such a covenant to be established as the result of the prospective bridegroom taking the initiative.
2 The prospective bridegroom would travel from his father's house to the home of the prospective bride. There he would negotiate with the father of the young woman to determine the price (mohar) that he must pay to purchase his bride.
3 Once the bridegroom paid the purchase price, the marriage covenant was thereby established, and the young man and woman were regarded to be husband and wife.
4 From that moment on the bride was declared to be consecrated or sanctified, set apart exclusively for her bridegroom.
5 As a symbol of the covenant relationship that had been established, the groom and bride would drink from a cup of wine over which a betrothal benediction had been pronounced.
6After the marriage covenant had been established, the groom would leave the home of the bride and return to his father's house. There he would remain separate from his bride for a period of twelve months.
7 This period of separation afforded the bride time to gather her trousseau and to prepare for married life.
8 The groom occupied himself with the preparation of living accommodations in his father's house to which he could bring his bride.
At the end of the period of separation the groom would come to take his bride to live with him. The taking of the bride usually took place at night. The groom, best man and other male escorts would leave the groom's father's house and conduct a torch light procession to the home of the bride.
9 Although the bride was expecting her groom to come for her, she did not know the exact time of his coming.
10 As a result the groom's arrival would be preceded by a shout.
11 This shout would forewarn the bride to be prepared for the coming of the groom.
After the groom received his bride together with her female attendants, the enlarged wedding party would return from the bride's home to the groom's father's house.
12 Upon arrival there the wedding party would find that the wedding guests had assembled already.
Shortly after arrival the bride and groom would be escorted by the other members of the wedding party to the bridal chamber (huppah). Prior to entering the chamber the bride remained veiled so that no one could see her face.
13 While the groomsmen and bridesmaids would wait outside, the bride and groom would enter the bridal chamber alone. There in the privacy of that place they would enter into physical union for the first time, thereby consummating the marriage that had been covenanted earlier.
14 After the marriage was consummated, the groom would announce the consummation to the other members of the wedding party waiting outside the chamber (John 3:29). These people would pass on the news of the marital union to the wedding guests.
15 Upon receiving this good news the wedding guests would feast and make merry for the next seven days.
16During the seven days of the wedding festivities, which were sometimes called "the seven days of the huppah," the bride remained hidden in the bridal chamber.
17 At the conclusion of these seven days the groom would bring his bride out of the bridal chamber, now with her veil removed, so that all could see who his bride was.
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