the punch line

Posted on April 12, 2014 by Jefferson Vann

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Matthew 13:10-14

10 Then the disciples came and said to him, “Why do you teach them using stories?”

11 And he answered them, “You have been permitted to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them permission has not been given.

12 Because to the one who has, more will be given, and he will be rich, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.

13 This is why I teach them using stories, because although they see they do not see, and although they hear they do not hear, nor do they understand.

14 Yes, in their case the prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled that says: “‘ You will indeed hear but never understand, and you will indeed see but never comprehend.

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the punch line

The Greek word I translate as story — parabolé — comes from the preposition para (alongside) and the word ballo (to place). It indicates a story or statement placed alongside a teaching to illustrate it. Jesus used many figures of speech for that purpose, from simple metaphors to more complicated ones, like the parable of the sower. The parables Jesus used illustrated what he was teaching his disciples, so they made more clear what the disciples were beginning to understand. But these same parables – apart from the teachings themselves – were just interesting stories. For those who lacked commitment to Christ’s commands, the parables were like the details of a joke without the punch line.

The punch line in this case was the gospel of the kingdom – the reality that Jesus is king of a coming kingdom from the sky. The disciples had committed themselves to following this king. To them the parables illustrated the commands that their king taught. They got it. To the uncommitted, the parables were stories for them the muse over in the spare moments of their self-centered existence. Without the missing piece to the puzzle, the stories were apt to confuse rather than enlighten.

LORD, we choose to know the mysteries of living according to the commands of your coming kingdom. Help us to see how as we ponder the parables you gave your disciples. May we never divorce you words from your objective behind them. Enlighten us.

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life after a rape

Posted on April 11, 2014 by Jefferson Vann

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Genesis 34:1-12

Now Dinah (the daughter of Leah, whom she had borne to Jacob), went out to see the women of the land.

2 But when Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite, a leader of the land, saw her, he seized her and forced himself on her and humiliated her.

3 Then his soul was drawn to Dinah the daughter of Jacob. He loved the young woman and spoke from the heart to her.

4 So Shechem appealed to his father Hamor, saying, “Get me this girl for my wife.”

5 Now Jacob heard that he had defiled his daughter Dinah. But his sons were with his livestock in the field, so Jacob held his peace until they came.

6 And Hamor the father of Shechem went out to Jacob to speak with him.

7 The sons of Jacob had come in from the field as soon as they heard of it, and the men were indignant and very angry, because he had done an outrageous thing in Israel by lying with Jacob’s daughter, for such a thing must not be done.

8 But Hamor appealed to them, saying, “The soul of my son Shechem longs for your daughter. Please give her to him to be his wife.

9 Make marriages with us. Give your daughters to us, and take our daughters for yourselves.

10 You will live among us, and the land will be open to you. Dwell and trade in it, and get property in it.”

11 Shechem also said to her father and to her brothers, “Let me find grace in your eyes, and whatever you say to me I will give.

12 Ask me for as great a bride price and gift as you will, and I will give whatever you say to me. Only give me the young woman to be my wife.”

_______________________

life after a rape

Rape is a horrible thing. It turns the beautiful gift of sexual love into a violent, ugly attack which dominates and humiliates. It defiles both the criminal and the victim. The immature Shechem, probably thinking that since his father was a leader then he could get away with crossing the line, first takes the object of his desire by force. Then, he is struck by what appears to be a sincere love for Dinah. He appeals to his father to make a treaty with Jacob, which would allow him to marry her.

But Shechem does not realize the crime that he has committed has affected more than himself and this innocent girl. Sexual sin is never a merely personal choice. It affects the soul, and it defiles the society around it. Shechem might have become a model husband and companion to Dinah. His indiscretion might have been eventually forgotten, and he might have turned out to be a respectable person. Perhaps he was hoping for that. But a crime like that cannot be swept under the rug. He was not going to get the second chance to do the right thing.

We live in a society which is fostering a preoccupation with violent sexual sin. There are consequences which we will reap. Believers must stand apart from this defiling preoccupation.

LORD, instill in us a deep respect for the humanity of those around us. May our desires not control our actions, but may they be controlled by our relationship with you.

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interested or committed?

Posted on April 10, 2014 by Jefferson Vann

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Matthew 13:1-9

That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the lake.

2 But so many crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat down. And the whole crowd stood on the beach.

3 And he told them many things in parables, saying: “A planter went out planting.

4 And as he planted, some seeds fell along the footpath, and the birds came and ate them.

5 Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they did not have deep soil,

6 but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they dried up.

7 Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them out.

8 Other seeds fell on good soil and gave fruit, some a hundred, some sixty, some thirty.

9 The one who has ears must listen.”

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interested or committed?

Jesus continues to highlight the difference between the interested crowds, and the committed disciples. He sees many crowds gathering around him, and gets into a small boat, and preaches to them all. Yet, he knows that some are there simply because they are interested in the spectacle of his presence. These are there with ears on, but they are not really ready to listen. They might even accept what Jesus has to say – now – but when the challenges of culture and family come, they will renounce it. They might agree with his words now, but other words will come later and choke them out.

The true disciples are those who are committed to stay with the gospel until the Holy Spirit produces fruit in their lives. These will make more disciples as well. Harvest requires investment, patience. It takes time.

LORD, forgive us just being interested. Give us the wisdom and courage to stay put in your gospel until your Holy Spirit produces a crop within us, and leads others to you through us.

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owning the relationship

Posted on April 9, 2014 by Jefferson Vann

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Genesis 33:1-20

And Jacob lifted up his eyes and looked, and see, Esau was coming, and four hundred men with him. So he divided the children among Leah and Rachel and the two female servants.

2 And he put the servants with their children in front, then Leah with her children, and Rachel and Joseph last of all.

3 He himself went on before them, bowing himself to the ground seven times, until he drew near to his brother.

4 But Esau ran to meet him and hugged him and fell on his neck and kissed him, and they wept.

5 And when Esau lifted up his eyes and saw the women and children, he said, “Who are these with you?” Jacob said, “The children whom God has graced your servant.”

6 Then the servants drew near, they and their children, and bowed down.

7 Leah likewise and her children drew near and bowed down. And last Joseph and Rachel drew near, and they bowed down.

8 Esau said, “What do you mean by all this company that I met?” Jacob answered, “To find grace in the sight of my lord.”

9 But Esau said, “I have enough, my brother; keep what you have for yourself.”

10 Jacob said, “No, please, if I have found grace in your sight, then accept my gift from my hand. For I have seen your face, which is like seeing the face of God, and you have been pleased with me.

11 Please accept my blessing that is brought to you, because God has graced me, and because I have enough.” Thus he urged him, and he took it.

12 Then Esau said, “Let us travel on our way, and I will go ahead of you.”

13 But Jacob said to him, “My lord knows that the children are frail, and that the nursing flocks and herds are a concern to me. If they are driven hard for one day, all the flocks will die.

14 Let my lord pass on ahead of his servant, and I will lead on slowly, at the pace of the livestock that are ahead of me and at the pace of the children, until I come to my lord in Seir.”

15 So Esau said, “Let me leave with you some of the people who are with me.” But he said, “What need is there? Let me find grace in the sight of my lord.”

16 So Esau returned that day on his way to Seir.

17 But Jacob journeyed to Succoth, and built himself a house and made shacks for his livestock. Therefore the name of the place is called Succoth.[1]

18 And Jacob came safely to the city of Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan, on his way from Paddan-aram, and he camped before the city.

19 And from the sons of Hamor, Shechem’s father, he bought for a hundred pieces of money the piece of land on which he had pitched his tent.

20 There he erected an altar and called it El-Elohe-Israel. _________________________________________

owning the relationship

Jacob limps away from Peniel, where he had seen the face of God, and his life was delivered. He now meets up with his brother Esau – whom he hadn’t seen for 20 years. God has been at work in Esau’s life too. He brings peace where there was once hostility and fear. And Jacob realizes that all that blessing is by grace.

But that does not mean that Jacob is going to accompany his brother to Seir. He resettles in Shechem, because where he is going is not about family anymore. He builds (or rebuilds) an altar and calls it El-Elohe-Israel: God, the God of Israel. Notice, reader, that it does not say El-Elohe-Abraham, or El=Elohe-Isaac.

There comes a time in every second or third generation believer when it is no longer about following the traditions passed on. The relationship with God which is real says not “the God of my fathers” but “my God.” He is my inheritance.

LORD, you are our inheritance. Our fellowship with you is what matters most.

[1] Succoth: shacks.

Posted in genuineness, Jacob, relationship with God | Tagged | 1 Comment

our clout with God

Posted on April 8, 2014 by Jefferson Vann

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Matthew 12:43-50

43 “When an unclean spirit goes out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest but does not find it.

44 Then it says, ‘I will return to the house from which I left.’ When it returns, it finds the house empty, swept clean, and put in order.

45 Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits worse than itself, and they go in and live there, so the last state of that person is worse than the first. It will be that way also for this evil generation.”

46 While Jesus was still speaking to the crowds, his mother and brothers came and stood outside, asking to speak to him.

47 Someone told him, “See, your mother and your brothers are standing outside wanting to speak to you.”

48 But he replied to the man who told him, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?”

49 And pointing toward his disciples he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers!

50 For whoever does what my Father in the sky wants is my brother and sister and mother.”

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our clout with God

First century Jewish Galilee had been given a small taste of the new life when Jesus walked among them, and he and his apostles ministered healing and deliverance to them. It went to their heads. They thought that since the Messiah had walked among them, they must be something special in God’s eyes. But when it came to the reality of living the life Jesus preached, they drew the line. They would not allow the gospel to change them.

Jesus described this choice by comparing that generation to a person who has a demon expelled from him. Later, the demon comes back, and finds the person’s life put in respectable order. Now that the man is cleaned up and religious, it will be that much better to corrupt him. That is what was happening in Galilee.

Some of Jesus’ family members come to visit him at this time. Someone points this out to Jesus, expecting him to defer to his visitors, because they have more clout with him. Instead, Jesus points to his disciples, and tells the crowd that these are the ones who are his kin. He is speaking to the same issue, the assumption that a person gains standing with God based on past experience with him. No, our standing with God is always by grace, and it is always shown by our willingness to do what God wants.

LORD, forgive us for assuming we have a standing with you that justifies lives lived in selfishness and pride. Change us with your gospel. May we never boast, except in the cross you bore in our place. May we never presume that we are anything except sinners in need of a Savior.

Posted in church, dependence upon God, discipleship, gospel, grace, humility | Tagged | Leave a comment

surviving the struggle

Posted on April 7, 2014 by Jefferson Vann

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Genesis 32:21-32

21 So the gift passed on ahead of him, and he himself stayed that night in the camp.

22 The same night he got up and took his two wives, his two female servants, and his eleven children, and crossed the pass of the Jabbok.

23 He took them and sent them on across the stream, and everything else that he had.

24 And Jacob was left alone. And a man wrestled with him until the dawn ascended.

25 The man saw that he was not able to dissuade Jacob, he hit his hip socket, and Jacob’s hip was put out of joint as he wrestled with him.

26 Then he said, “Let me go, for the dawn has ascended.” But Jacob said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.”

27 And he asked him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Jacob.”

28 Then he said, “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have persisted in your struggle with God and with men, and have proved yourself able.”

29 Then Jacob asked him, “Please tell me your name.” But he asked, “Why is it that you ask for my name?” And there he blessed him.

30 So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel,[1] saying, “For I have seen God face to face, but my soul has survived.”

31 The sun rose upon him as he passed Penuel,[2] and he limped on his hip.

32 Therefore to this day the people of Israel do not eat the thigh muscle that is on the hip socket, because he touched the socket of Jacob’s hip on the thigh muscle. _________________________________________

surviving the struggle

Jacob is at a crisis point in his life. He has left his father-in-law behind and responded to God’s call to go back to Canaan. He learns that Esau is preparing to meet him with a band of 400 men. He fears this meeting greatly, and sends a great present of livestock on ahead of him in the hopes that he might appease his brother’s wrath.

That night, Jacob wrestles with a “man” constantly, and is injured on his hip joint. The next morning the “man” reveals that Jacob is going to be renamed Israel – “he strives with God.” He names that place Peniel, for, he says, “I have seen God face to face, but my soul has survived.”

Have you had your encounter with God? Keep striving with him until he blesses you.

LORD, we are hanging on, and we will not let go. We want to encounter you, and live to tell about it.

[1] peniel: “face of God,” or, perhaps, “my face has seen God.”

[2] penuel: a variant of peniel, or, perhaps “our face has seen God” (reflecting a later communal tradition).

Posted in discipleship, Jacob, relationship with God | Tagged | 1 Comment

just one more sign

Posted on April 6, 2014 by Jefferson Vann

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Matthew 12:38-42

38 Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered him, saying, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from you.”

39 But he answered them, “An evil and adulterous generation is asking for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.

40 For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the sea monster, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the ground.

41 The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented when Jonah preached, and see, something much more than Jonah is here.

42 The queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and see, something much more than Solomon is here. _________________________________________

just one more sign

Jesus scolded his generation because they had all the evidence they could ask for, but they were holding out for just one more sign.

For the Ninevites in Jonah’s time, all they needed to see was a half-digested prophet screaming that judgment was coming. For the queen of Sheba came to Solomon to see if he had the wisdom he was reputed to have, and she discovered that he did.

For that reason, Jesus said that both the Ninevites and the queen of the south will testify against this generation on judgment day. He called the generation adulterous, because that was at the heart of their refusal to believe. They had sold out to another love, so all the evidence in the world would not convince them of Jesus authenticity.

Have you turned your heart toward Jesus, or are you waiting for just one more sign? That is not the place you want to be.

LORD, forgive us for holding back. You deserve our loyalty and love, and we have no reason to wait.

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wise caution

Posted on April 5, 2014 by Jefferson Vann

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Genesis 32:6-20

6 And the messengers returned to Jacob, saying, “We came to your brother Esau, and he is coming to meet you, and there are also four hundred men with him.”

7 Then Jacob was greatly afraid and upset. He split the people who were with him, and the flocks and herds and camels, into two camps,

8 thinking, “If Esau comes to the one camp and attacks it, then the camp that is left will escape.”

9 And Jacob said, “O God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac, O LORD who said to me, ‘Return to your country and to your relatives, that I may do you good,’

10 I am least worthy of all the deeds of faithful love and all the faithfulness that you have shown to your servant, for with only my staff I crossed this Jordan, and now I have become two camps.

11 Please rescue me from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau, because I fear him, that he may come and attack me, the mothers with the children.

12 But you promised, ‘I will surely do you good, and make your family as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude.'”

13 So he stayed there that night, and from what he had with him he took a gift for his brother Esau,

14 two hundred female goats and twenty male goats, two hundred ewes and twenty rams,

15 thirty milking camels and their calves, forty cows and ten bulls, twenty female donkeys and ten male donkeys.

16 These he entrusted to his servants, every drove separately, and said to his servants, “Pass on ahead of me and put a space between one drove and the next drove.”

17 He instructed the first, “When Esau my brother meets you and asks you, ‘To whom do you belong? Where are you going? And whose property are these ahead of you?’

18 then you shall say, ‘They belong to your servant Jacob. They are a gift sent to my lord Esau. And what is more, he is behind us.'”

19 He likewise instructed the second and the third and all who followed the droves, “You shall say the same thing to Esau when you meet up with him,

20 and you shall say, “What is more, your servant Jacob is behind us.'”For he thought, “I may appease him with the gift that goes ahead of me, and afterward I shall see his face. Perhaps he will accept me.”

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wise caution

Jacob decided to separate his camp into two, and then to further divide his property into separate droves. It was a risk he was prepared to take, hoping that his gift would appease his brother’s anger. He probably got the idea from his recent encounter with angels from the LORD, and his declaration that there were two camps – one his, the other, the LORD’s. Now, people will remember Mahanaim for a different reason.

As it turns out, Jacob will not need to do this, but it was a wise strategy. In the New Testament, Jesus will tell his disciples to be cautious of others, to be wise in dealing with them. Jacob is demonstrating that characteristic here.

LORD, teach us how to be wise when dealing with others, because we do not know how they may react.

Posted in discernment, Jacob, wisdom | Tagged | 1 Comment

every careless word

Posted on April 4, 2014 by Jefferson Vann

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Matthew 12:33-37

33 “Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree rotten and its fruit rotten, because from the fruit you will know the tree.

34 You brood of vipers! How can you say the right thing, when you are wrong? Because out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.

35 The right person out of his right treasure brings forth right words, and the wrong person out of his wrong treasure brings forth wrong words.

36 I warn you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak,

37 for by your words you will be vindicated, or by your words you will be condemned.” _________________________________________

every careless word

Jesus scolded the Pharisees for their criticism of his work. Their words had eternal significance because there will be a judgment day, and all those wrong words will come back to condemn them. Every careless word spoken against Christ and his word is sealing their fate.

Christian, are you fond of criticizing others? Do you regularly post combative posts on your social networks? Beware, everything you say matters. Do not assume that your words are insignificant. The judge is listening.

LORD, forgive us for blaring our thoughts, and broadcasting our opinions. Teach us restraint.

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another camp

Posted on April 3, 2014 by Jefferson Vann

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Genesis 31:51 – 32:5

51 Then Laban said to Jacob, “See this pile and the monument, which I have set between me and you.

52 This pile is a witness, and the monument is a witness, that I will not pass over this pile to you, and you will not pass over this pile and this monument to me, to do damage.

53 The God of Abraham and the God of Nahor, the God of their father, judge between us.” So Jacob swore by the Fear of his father Isaac,

54 and Jacob offered a sacrifice in the hill country and called his relatives to eat bread. They ate bread and spent the night in the hill country.

55 Early in the morning Laban got up and kissed his grandchildren and his daughters and blessed them. Then Laban left and returned home.

32:1 Jacob started traveling on his way, and the angels of God met him.

2 And when Jacob saw them he said, “This is God’s camp!” So he called the name of that place Mahanaim.[1]

3 And Jacob sent messengers ahead of him to Esau his brother in the land of Seir, the country of Edom,

4 instructing them, “This is what you will say to my lord Esau: Thus says your servant Jacob, ‘I have lived with Laban as an alien and stayed until now.

5 I have oxen, donkeys, flocks, male servants, and female servants. I have sent to tell my lord, in order that I may find favor in your sight.'” _________________________________________

another camp

What Jacob had with Laban was hardly a reconciliation, nor was Jacob yet reconciled with his brother, Esau. But this text reveals that Jacob has grown inside. No longer is he simply seeking what he wants, without regard for who he leaves behind. He has begun to show spiritual maturity that is now seeking reconciliation and peace. He is not all the way there yet, but he’s getting there.

Granted, part of what Jacob is now experiencing is simply the wisdom one gains by working with people, and experiencing conflict. He is now wary of Laban, and thus seeks a covenant that offers him protection from his father-in-law. He fears Esau, and wants to get on his good side. He has persistent with men, and is learning how to prevail in his encounters with them.

He is having a similar experience with God. When the angels from God meet him, he recognizes them, but we are not at first told what they said. What we are told is that Jacob recognizes that there are two camps – mahanaim. Jacob is realizing that God’s house is not just at Bethel. It is wherever Jacob is. There are two camps, one in the human realm, one in the divine. God is not someplace else. He is camping with us in the same spot. The things that happen to us are not just social interaction in the human camp; they are also part of our interaction with the LORD.

LORD, teach us the spiritual maturity we need to prevail and get peace – with each other and with you.

[1] mahanaim: two camps.

Posted in consideration of others, discipleship, Jacob, wisdom | Tagged , | 1 Comment