March Bible insights
29/03.2015 - Luke 12:51
'Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division.'
'Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division.'
The New Living Translation puts the last phrase even more graphically – ‘No, I have come to divide people against each other!'
That’s a strange one isn’t it? We think of Jesus as the ‘Prince of Peace’ and the mark of his presence being peace. And what about the ‘peace on earth’ message that comes with Christmas?
If the concept of division doesn’t sit comfortably with our view of Jesus then perhaps we need to challenge our concept of peace. It is easy to think of peace as a state or situation in which certain elements that disturb the peace are removed. That is not the peace that Jesus brings. His peace is the result of a great surge of powerful life that is comparable to wind and fire that removes or consumes anything broken or combustible. In other words, peace is a positive, tangible presence that actually does something - and because it does something, it causes division because some people don't want what it does - they just want the end results.
Matthew tells us that Jesus came to bring a sword (Matthew 10:34). A sword separates. There can only be peace when we are separated from our sin, our immature attitudes, our excessive fear or our nagging guilt. If we are not prepared to be separated from our sin then we will be separated from those who live in God's peace. We can't have it both ways.
Christians are called to continue the ministry of Jesus on this earth and there are times when it is right to wield the sword even though division could be the result. When some of the Corinthians stood against Paul he asked, ‘What do you prefer? Shall I come to you with a whip, or in love and with a gentle spirit?’ (1 Corinthians 4:21). In other words, ‘if I have to be tough to sort these issues out, I will be.’
That doesn't fit our concept of peace. We don’t like being tough. Our children might not like us. Our friends might walk away. Our church could accuse us of being unloving. I am not talking about being harsh or autocratic but about the strength and qualities that lead us to fight for what is the truly loving thing and that alone lead to lasting peace.
That’s a strange one isn’t it? We think of Jesus as the ‘Prince of Peace’ and the mark of his presence being peace. And what about the ‘peace on earth’ message that comes with Christmas?
If the concept of division doesn’t sit comfortably with our view of Jesus then perhaps we need to challenge our concept of peace. It is easy to think of peace as a state or situation in which certain elements that disturb the peace are removed. That is not the peace that Jesus brings. His peace is the result of a great surge of powerful life that is comparable to wind and fire that removes or consumes anything broken or combustible. In other words, peace is a positive, tangible presence that actually does something - and because it does something, it causes division because some people don't want what it does - they just want the end results.
Matthew tells us that Jesus came to bring a sword (Matthew 10:34). A sword separates. There can only be peace when we are separated from our sin, our immature attitudes, our excessive fear or our nagging guilt. If we are not prepared to be separated from our sin then we will be separated from those who live in God's peace. We can't have it both ways.
Christians are called to continue the ministry of Jesus on this earth and there are times when it is right to wield the sword even though division could be the result. When some of the Corinthians stood against Paul he asked, ‘What do you prefer? Shall I come to you with a whip, or in love and with a gentle spirit?’ (1 Corinthians 4:21). In other words, ‘if I have to be tough to sort these issues out, I will be.’
That doesn't fit our concept of peace. We don’t like being tough. Our children might not like us. Our friends might walk away. Our church could accuse us of being unloving. I am not talking about being harsh or autocratic but about the strength and qualities that lead us to fight for what is the truly loving thing and that alone lead to lasting peace.
13/03/2015 - Luke 3:9
‘the axe is already at the root of the trees’
‘the axe is already at the root of the trees’
What do we need? Something that will help us improve or something to kill us? We would like to self-improve. That makes us feel good. That is what is at the heart of religion. That way I don’t need saving - I just need to grow a bit more. Such a position assumes that I am fundamentally good and that I can build on that foundation.
How does that fit with what we teach on the ‘Understanding Yourself’ courses? Are we not fundamentally good? The raw materials that God used to make us are good - it is what we have done with them that isn’t. A considerable part of us sits below the waterline, invisible to the view of others and often to ourselves. But even in that area of our lives we are making choices. Understanding those choices gives us the opportunity to apply the cross at that deeper level. This is how Jesus can truly be Lord of our deepest attitudes and motivations.
Paul says we need something to kill us. Why? Because we need saving from ourselves, our sin and its consequences. The part of us that insists on having our own way needs killing off. We are trapped by our own intrinsic selfishness. That is why there is a cross - an instrument of death - at the heart of the Christian faith. We have to come to the end of ourselves. Then we can really start living.
How does that fit with what we teach on the ‘Understanding Yourself’ courses? Are we not fundamentally good? The raw materials that God used to make us are good - it is what we have done with them that isn’t. A considerable part of us sits below the waterline, invisible to the view of others and often to ourselves. But even in that area of our lives we are making choices. Understanding those choices gives us the opportunity to apply the cross at that deeper level. This is how Jesus can truly be Lord of our deepest attitudes and motivations.
Paul says we need something to kill us. Why? Because we need saving from ourselves, our sin and its consequences. The part of us that insists on having our own way needs killing off. We are trapped by our own intrinsic selfishness. That is why there is a cross - an instrument of death - at the heart of the Christian faith. We have to come to the end of ourselves. Then we can really start living.
8/03/2015 - 1 Corinthians 2:6
'We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature.'
'We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature.'
The more profound a truth is the simpler it will be. We would think it should be the other way round. If we are going to learn something really deep then surely we would expect it to be a conclusion to an intricate and complex series of statements – perhaps reached only by great thought or prolonged debate. The reality is the opposite.
Why does truth get so complicated? Because we erect barriers to that truth. You will know the frustration of trying to explain something that is so simple to you but the other person simply does not grasp it. It is in the explanations and debate that it gets so complicated.
Jesus consistently spoke a language of depth. When he was not understood he didn’t adjust his depth. He sometimes further unpacked what he was saying but he never moved to the superficial. He expected people to have hearts that so desired the truth that the desire would lead to depth.
When we don’t understand something that someone who cares about us has brought to us, don’t try and grasp it by reasoning – use it as an opportunity to change your attitude of heart. And therein lies the problem. If, for whatever reason, we already have a negative attitude towards that person, often through no fault of their own, then it is unlikely that we will understand the truth that they bring. If I am prepared to change my attitude towards them so I can receive that truth then, not only have I understood what they are saying but I have put in place another building block in the friendship.
Why does truth get so complicated? Because we erect barriers to that truth. You will know the frustration of trying to explain something that is so simple to you but the other person simply does not grasp it. It is in the explanations and debate that it gets so complicated.
Jesus consistently spoke a language of depth. When he was not understood he didn’t adjust his depth. He sometimes further unpacked what he was saying but he never moved to the superficial. He expected people to have hearts that so desired the truth that the desire would lead to depth.
When we don’t understand something that someone who cares about us has brought to us, don’t try and grasp it by reasoning – use it as an opportunity to change your attitude of heart. And therein lies the problem. If, for whatever reason, we already have a negative attitude towards that person, often through no fault of their own, then it is unlikely that we will understand the truth that they bring. If I am prepared to change my attitude towards them so I can receive that truth then, not only have I understood what they are saying but I have put in place another building block in the friendship.
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