20 Pentecost

20 Pentecost - Sunday

first posted 10/16/04

Hosea 1:1-2:1, Israel the unfaithful wife
James 3:1-13, True wisdom
Matthew 13:44-52 Parables of the kingdom

Hosea (meaning “Salvation”) was a prophet in the Northern Kingdom of Israel during its decline and fall in 745 to 721 B.C.E. The Lord told Hosea to take a prostitute as a wife and have children through her unfaithfulness as an illustration of Israel’s unfaithfulness to the Lord, so Hosea took Gomer and she conceived and bore a son. The Lord told Hosea to name the son Jezreel (after the town where Jehu slaughtered Ahab and his household), predicting the location of the battle that would end the Northern Kingdom of Israel (Hosea 1:5).

Gomer conceived again and bore a daughter, and the Lord told Hosea to name her “Not pitied,” because God would no longer pity Israel and forgive her sins. God promised that he would have pity on (the Southern Kingdom) Judah; he promised to deliver them, not by weapons, or warriors, or by war, but by the Lord their God. Gomer bore a third child, a son, and the Lord told Hosea to name him “Not my people” because Israel was not God’s people (because they had forsaken God), and God was not their God (because God chooses not to be responsible for people who do not obey him).

But the Lord promised that the punishment of Israel (the nation) would not be final. The people of Israel would be numerous beyond counting. God promised that although they had been called “Not my people” (because they had forsaken God), they would later be knows as “Sons of the living God” (Hosea 1:10; compare Romans 9:25-26). The people of the two kingdoms of Israel and Judah would be reunited under one head. Jezreel means “God sows” or “God scatters.” So the name suggests future restoration, as well as God’s punishment. In the day of the Lord’s restoration, “Not my people” will become “My people” and “Not pitied” will be “She has obtained pity.”

Those who teach will be judged with greater strictness. We all make many mistakes; no one is perfect. We should try to control not only our actions but also our words (and even our thoughts; Matthew 5:27-28). Consider that a horse can be led around by its tongue; so we should bridle our tongues, so that we can control them, rather than have them control us. Our tongues are also like a rudder on a ship; if we don’t control our tongues our tongues may cause us disaster. A tongue is small but it can cause big problems, like a spark can set a great forest ablaze. The tongue may be the most difficult thing in creation for mankind to control. The same tongue is capable of blessing and cursing; what in nature seems more perverse? If anyone is wise and understanding, his life should reflect this by righteousness and meekness.

The kingdom of heaven is like buried treasure. When one discovers its riches, one joyfully gives up everything else in order to possess it. The kingdom of heaven is like a perfect pearl of incalculable value. When one who seeks the finest of pearls finds it one would happily exchange all that one has to obtain it.

The kingdom of heaven is like a net; it is a selection process. It gathers everything in its path, but then the collection is sorted into two groups. The good are kept for eternity; the bad are destroyed. Jesus declared that at the end of time, angels will come and separate the evil from the righteous. The evil will be destroyed in eternal fire (in Hell), where people “will weep and gnash their teeth” (Matthew 13:50).

Jesus asked his disciples if they understood what Jesus had said. They replied that they had. Then Jesus told them that “scribes” who had been trained for the kingdom of heaven select from their treasure what is new and what is old.

God scatters and God sows. God punishes; God also restores. Ahab was considered perhaps the most evil king of Israel. He married a Phoenician pagan, Jezebel, who promoted the worship of Baal in Israel. Jehu was anointed King of Israel and commissioned to destroy Ahab and his household . The Northern Kingdom continued to slide into apostasy, which finally culminated in their conquest by the Assyrians in 721 B.C.E.

The ten northern tribes were scattered over the earth and the Northern Kingdom ceased to exist. [The Southern Kingdom of Judah was later carried off into captivity in Babylon in 587 B.C.E. , but subsequently returned in 536 B.C.E.]. Thus the prophecy of Hosea 1:6-7 was fulfilled. Hosea prophesied during the reign on Jeroboam II (Hosea 1:1) who was a descendant of Jehu. God promised to deliver Judah by “the Lord their God (i.e., the Messiah).

Jesus Christ is the Messiah, the Savior. He is also the Righteous Judge John 5:28-29; Matthew 25:31-46). Those who turn away from God’s salvation will be punished and destroyed, but he will restore those who come to him. Christians are the New People of God; the New Israel of Jews and Gentiles united under one head, Jesus Christ. We look forward to final restoration in God’s kingdom in heaven.

True wisdom is divine wisdom, the wisdom of God by which the world was created, not what the world falsely considers wisdom [see Proverbs 9:10; 1 Corinthians 1:18-24; journal entry for Trinity - Monday, Friday, and Saturday, even year, and Sunday and Monday of 2 Pentecost, even year]. Those who teach in the Church will be accountable to stricter standards. They should be mature disciples of Jesus Christ; they should show by their lives and their conduct that they have learned the wisdom which is from God.

The kingdom of God is a priceless treasure; if one recognizes its worth one will be willing to sacrifice everything else to obtain it. The kingdom of God is also a selection process. There is a standard against which selection will be made. There will be judgment (condemnation; eternal destruction) for those who do not meet the standard, and there will be restoration and reward for those who do. Jesus asked his disciples if they understood what he was saying, and then referred to those who had been trained for the kingdom of heaven as “scribes.” (Scribes were those who were trained in and teachers of the Mosaic Law.)

Disciples were to be trained to spiritual maturity, and to teach others to be trained likewise to spiritual maturity, not exclusively in Mosaic Law, but in all of God’s word (and also in the Holy Spirit). They were not to be legalists; not New Testament Jews, insisting on keeping the Old Covenant of Law. But they weren’t to completely disregard the Old Testament either. Jesus came not to abolish the Law but to fulfill it; (Matthew 5:17). In Jesus we are freed from slavery to the Law, provided that we walk according to the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:1-4).

All have sinned and fall short of God’s righteousness (Romans 3:23). The penalty for sin is eternal death (Romans 6:23). There is a Day of Judgment coming, when all who ever lived will be accountable to God. God loves us and doesn’t want us to perish (John 3:16; Romans 5:8). Jesus is God’s only plan for our forgiveness and salvation (Acts 4:12; John 14:6; see God’s Plan of Salvation, sidebar, top right). Jesus Christ is the standard by which all will be judged. Those who have trusted and obeyed Jesus will receive eternal life in heaven with the Lord; those who have rejected Jesus and have refused to obey Jesus will receive eternal punishment and destruction in Hell with Satan and all evil.

It is not sufficient to claim Jesus as Lord if we do not obey his teachings (Matthew 7:21-24). We must have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ through his indwelling Holy Spirit (Romans 8:9b). Jesus is the only one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit (John 1:31-34), and Jesus gives his Holy Spirit only to his disciples who trust and obey him (John 14:15-17; Isaiah 42:5e).

Is Jesus truly your Lord? Are you Jesus’ disciple? Are you trusting and obeying Jesus? Have you received the Holy Spirit since you first believed (Acts 19:2)? Are you making disciples of Jesus Christ and teaching them to obey all that Jesus commands (Matthew 28:18-20)? Do you know with certainty where you will spend eternity (1 John 5:11-13; Ephesians 1:13-14)?

20 Pentecost - Monday

first posted 10/17/04

Hosea 2:2-15, Israel, the unfaithful wife
Acts 20:17-38, Paul’s departure for Jerusalem
Luke 5:1-11 The unexpected catch

The Lord said that the children of Israel should plead with their mother, Israel, to turn from spiritual adultery (idolatry). She has been unfaithful to God, her husband. God will publicly shame her and punish her. Her children are illegitimate, because they have been conceived by harlotry. Israel has an illicit affair with Baal who she thinks provides her material needs (Hosea 2:5b), not realizing and acknowledging that it is God who provides for her (Genesis 1:29-30; James 1:17).

The Lord is going to withhold his blessings from Israel because she has forsaken the Lord. Her sins will be exposed. She will lose the proceeds she acquired by unfaithfulness. The Lord promises to woo Israel back to himself. He will bring her back to the wilderness, where she walked faithfully with the Lord. (The valley of Achor is where the sins of Achan, whose disobedience of God’s command caused Israel to be unable to stand against the Canaanites, were punished.)

On the return from his third missionary journey, Paul was anxious to get to Jerusalem by the day of Pentecost, so rather than making a side-trip from Miletus to Ephesus he called the elders of Ephesus to meet him in Miletus. Paul reviewed his ministry among them. He had not let trials or persecution by the Jews keep him from publicly declaring the Gospel truth.

Now Paul was going to Jerusalem at the command of the Holy Spirit, not knowing what was to befall him except that the Holy Spirit had revealed that imprisonment and affliction awaited him. But Paul didn’t consider his own life of any value; Paul’s only priority was the ministry of the Gospel. Paul realized that he would probably never see his Ephesian brethren again, and he told them that he had satisfied his obligation to declare the whole counsel of God; they would bear their own responsibility for what they did with that counsel. Paul urged them to be careful for themselves and for the flock which the elders oversaw, to see that the congregation for whom the Lord had shed his blood was nurtured and sustained.

Paul warned that after Paul’s departure false teachers would arise who would attempt to pervert and draw away the disciples from the true faith, which Paul had labored at considerable personal cost for three years to instill. Now Paul commended them to the grace of God who is able to strengthen them and fulfill the promised inheritance to those who are sanctified (cleansed and consecrated by the Holy Spirit).

Paul did not pursue his ministry for material gain. In fact, he worked to support himself so that the church was not burdened. He had taught by example to help the weak and to give rather than seeking to receive. Then Paul knelt down and prayed with them and they all wept and embraced and kissed, sorrowing that they would never see Paul again. Then they saw him aboard his ship.

Jesus was standing on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, and a crowd was around him, pressing upon him to hear God’s word. Jesus saw two boats beached nearby, and the fishermen were washing their nets. Jesus got into one of the boats which happened to be Simon Peter’s and asked Simon to put out a little from shore. Jesus sat in the boat and taught the crowd on the shore.

When he had finished teaching, he asked Simon to take the boat out into deeper water and let down his nets. Simon replied, addressing Jesus as “Master,” and saying that the crew had fished all night and had caught nothing. But at Jesus’ word Simon was willing to let down the nets. When the crew had done this they caught a huge shoal ("school") of fish, which threatened to break their nets, so they called to their partners in the other boat to come out and help them. They filled both boats to the point that they were in danger of sinking.

When Simon Peter realized what had happened he fell down at Jesus’ feet and acknowledged Jesus as Lord and that Peter was a sinner unworthy to be in Jesus’ presence. All the fishermen, who included James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were Simon’s partners, were amazed at the catch of fish they had taken. Jesus told Simon not to be afraid, and told him that from then on Simon would be catching men (rather than fish). When they beached the boats they left everything and followed Jesus.

Israel was committing spiritual adultery with Baal, the false “god” of this world. God had judged her and was going to punish her in order to lead her to repentance. The Lord declared that he would withhold his blessing from her because she had forsaken him. Her sins would be exposed. Her children were illegitimate because they were conceived by her unfaithfulness. Israel would lose the proceeds she acquired by her unfaithfulness.

The Lord promised to woo Israel back to himself. He would bring her back to the wilderness, where she would once again walk faithfully with the Lord. The valley of Achor was the entrance to the Promised Land, where Israel sinned by disobedience to the Lord’s command. Going back through that door into the wilderness where they could be obedient to the Lord made it a door of hope.

The Northern Kingdom of Israel was driven and scattered throughout the wilderness of this world by the conquest by Assyria in 721 B.C.E. The hope was that with the coming of Jesus they would learn to trust and obey the Lord in the wilderness of this life, and would be led by Jesus into the Promised Land of Heaven. The children of Israel were commanded to plead with Israel to turn from her spiritual adultery.

Paul had not let persecution and trials keep him from preaching the Gospel (Acts 20:19-20). Paul was an example of obedience to the Holy Spirit (Acts 20:22). Paul didn’t allow worldly things to become his idols (Acts 20:24, 34-35). He had fulfilled his obligation to declare the whole counsel of God (Acts 20:27; not just the parts that make hearers feel good). His hearers would bear their own responsibility for what they did with that counsel. Paul warned the church leaders to exercise care for the church, for which Jesus had literally shed his own blood, and which Paul had labored for three years to strengthen and sustain. He warned that false prophets would attempt to pervert and draw away the disciples from the true faith.

Simon Peter trusted and obeyed Jesus. Simon was an experienced fisherman and had caught nothing after fishing all night, but he obeyed Jesus’ command to try again. Because Simon had come to know Jesus personally, had acknowledged and repented of his sinfulness, and trusted and obeyed Jesus, he was qualified to become a “fisher of men.” The Lord rewards obedience beyond what we can expect or imagine.

The followers of Jesus are the New Children of Israel; the Church is the New Israel. (In another sense America is also the New Israel.) The Children of Israel are called to plead with their mother to return from her spiritual adultery, before she suffers God’s judgment. Have our church and national leaders allowed or encouraged the worship of material things to supplant the worship of God? Have they allowed worldly teachings to pervert and draw away disciples? Have we allowed those who were not obedient and Spirit-led to become teachers and leaders? Are we attempting to be disciples without obeying the Lord’s commands? Are we pleading with our "mother" to turn from her spiritual adultery? Are we “fishers of men?”

Is Jesus your Lord? Are you Jesus’ disciple? Are you trusting and obeying Jesus? Have you received the Holy Spirit since you first believed (Acts 19:2)? Are you making disciples of Jesus Christ and teaching them to obey all that Jesus commands (Matthew 28:18-20)? Do you know with certainty where you will spend eternity (1 John 5:11-13; Ephesians 1:13-14)?

20 Pentecost - Tuesday

first posted 10/18/04

Hosea 2:16-23, Promise of restoration.
Acts 21:1-14, Paul’s return to Jerusalem
Luke 5:12-26 Forgiveness of sins

In the day of restoration, his people will regard the Lord as their “husband” instead of their “Baal” (master; lord), because God “will remove the names of the Baals (false gods; idols) from their mouths and they shall be mentioned by name no more” (Hosea 2:17). The Lord will make a new covenant on that day with all creatures. War and fighting will be abolished, and all will dwell in safety. He will betroth us to himself in righteousness, justice, steadfast love, mercy, and faithfulness. We shall know the Lord (have intimate personal fellowship).

In that day God will answer (hear and respond). He will cause the creation to be fruitful. That fruitfulness will be the fulfillment of God’s promise of Jezreel, which means “God sows.” God will have pity on “Not pitied” and will declare that “Not my people” have become “my (God’s) people” and they shall declare that God is their God.

Paul was returning from his third missionary journey and was on his way to Jerusalem, knowing by the Holy Spirit that imprisonment and affliction awaited him (Acts 20:23). He left Miletus (in modern Turkey) and sailed along the coast to Patara, where they boarded a ship sailing for Phoenicia. They crossed to Syria, landing at Tyre. He and his companions stayed with Christians at Tyre for seven days.

The brethren at Tyre knew by the Holy Spirit what awaited Paul, and did not want Paul to go on to Jerusalem. But at the end of the week, they accompanied Paul and his companions to the docks and saw them off.

Paul’s group sailed from Tyre to Ptolemais and then to Caesarea, where they stayed with Philip, the evangelist, one of the seven (original deacons; Acts 6:1-6). Philip had four unmarried daughters who had the gift of prophecy.

During their stay with Philip, a prophet named Agabus (see Acts 11:28) came from Judea and used a symbolic act to dramatize his prophecy. He took Paul’s belt and wrapped it around his own hands and feet, and said that, according to the Holy Spirit, the Jews at Jerusalem would likewise bind the hands and feet of the owner of the belt. His Christian brethren begged Paul not to go on to Jerusalem, but Paul, although he cared for them very much, was ready to be imprisoned and even to die at Jerusalem for the name of Jesus. Since Paul could not be persuaded otherwise, his Christian friends accepted his decision and the will of the Lord.

Jesus encountered a man who had a bad case of leprosy, and the man bowed before Jesus and declared that if Jesus was willing Jesus could heal him. Jesus replied that he was willing, and commanded that the man be healed. Immediately the leprosy left him. Jesus told the man to tell no one, but to go to the priest and complete the sacrificial requirements to be restored to the congregation. But the report of the healing spread far and wide, and great crowds gathered to hear and be healed of their ailments. Jesus “withdrew into the wilderness and prayed” (Luke 5:16).

Another day when Jesus was teaching and healing, there were Pharisees and teachers of the law (scribes) among the crowd. Men were bringing a paralyzed man on a stretcher but were unable to get close to Jesus because of the crowd, so they went up on the roof and removed some of the tiles and lowered the man through the roof. When Jesus saw their faith, he told the paralyzed man that his sins were forgiven.

The Pharisees and scribes discussed Jesus’ saying among themselves, saying that Jesus had blasphemed, since no one can forgive sins but God alone. Jesus perceived their inner thoughts, and asked them why they were questioning Jesus’ statement. Jesus suggested that it would have been simpler for him to tell the paralytic to rise and walk than to tell him that his sins had been forgiven, but that he had declared forgiveness so all might know that Jesus has authority on earth to forgive sins. Then Jesus told the paralytic to rise, pick up his cot and go home. The man immediately did as Jesus had commanded, glorifying God. All the people were amazed and glorified God, realizing that they had witnessed something quite remarkable.

God has promised a Day of Judgment and punishment of unfaithfulness and disobedience, but he also promised forgiveness and renewal of his people. He promised to make a door of hope (Hosea 2:15). In the day of restoration, his people will be joined to him and serve him in love, as a bride with her “husband,” rather than in fear as a slave with his master. The Lord promised to make a new covenant with all creatures. Idolatry will cease. War and fighting will be no more; all creation will live in peace and safety. Creation will be restored to the abundance of paradise.

Paul was living in the day of renewal; in the new covenant promised in Hosea 2:18. That day of renewal began with the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. Idolatry, war and fighting have not yet ceased in this world, but Jesus is the door to the new creation in the kingdom of God, where those things have ceased and we have peace and safety in the paradise of Heaven. As God declared that the way to Heaven is through the wilderness of this world, walking in obedience to the Lord through his indwelling Holy Spirit, so Paul was doing. He was obedient to the Holy Spirit, and he was willing to suffer and die for the name of Jesus (Acts 21:13), knowing that God’s promises are trustworthy. Paul and his Christian friends were willing to trust in God’s will, even in the face of persecution and death (Acts 21:14).

It is God’s will for us to be saved and restored. God sent Jesus for that very purpose (John 3:16-17). The Leper believed that Jesus had the power to heal him. He trusted himself to Jesus’ will, and Jesus assured him that it is Jesus’ will to heal and restore us. Jesus told him to rise, pick up his cot and go home, and the paralytic was healed instantly as he began to obey Jesus. Jesus came so that we might be forgiven and reconciled with God (see God’s Plan of Salvation, sidebar, top right). Jesus is God’s only provision for our forgiveness and salvation (Acts 4:12; John 14:6).

Jesus is the Door of hope (Hosea 2:15; John 10:9). Jesus has the authority to judge the Earth and the authority to forgive sins (Matthew 28:18; 25:31-46). It is God’s will for us to be saved, but he won’t force us to receive his salvation. God doesn’t want us to perish, but we will if we refuse to accept his forgiveness and salvation in Jesus Christ. He gives us the choice.

20 Pentecost - Wednesday

first posted 10/19/04

Hosea 3:1-5, Faithless wife restored
Acts 21:15-26, Paul’s arrival in Jerusalem
Luke 5:27-39 New wine

The Lord told Hosea to love, again, a woman who had committed adultery, as an illustration of God’s love for the people of Israel, even though they have been spiritually adulterous by turning to other gods and participating in pagan festivals (raisin cakes were associated with pagan festivals). So Hosea bought back his adulterous wife for fifteen shekels of silver and about 10 bushels of barley.

Hosea told her that she must be faithful to him and dwell with him for many days, and Hosea would also be faithful to her. Hosea said that the children of Israel would live many days without king or prince, sacrifice or pillar, ephod or teraphim (religious paraphernalia). “Afterward, the children will seek the Lord their God, and David their king, and they shall come in fear to the Lord and to his goodness in the latter days” (Hosea 3:5).

Paul returned to Jerusalem, knowing by the Holy Spirit that imprisonment and suffering awaited him (Acts 20:22-23). After staying several days with Philip, the evangelist and deacon (Acts 6:1-7), Paul and his fellow workers went up to Jerusalem where they stayed with a disciple named Mnason, of Cyprus, a long-time disciple.

The next day Paul met with James (the head of the apostolic council at Jerusalem, and the cousin, or kinsman, of the Lord; Galatians 1:18-19), and all the elders of the council were present. Paul told them all the things God had done through Paul’s ministry among the Gentiles, and the council praised God. Then they told Paul that there were thousands of Jewish Christians in Jerusalem who were committed to keeping the Jewish Law and traditions, and who had heard that Paul taught the Gentiles to forsake the Law of Moses.

The council therefore suggested that Paul undertake to sponsor four Jewish Christians who had taken temporary Nazirite vows. Paul would undergo ritual purification along with them and pay their expenses, so that they could complete their purification. The council thought that would convince the legalistic segment of the Christian community that Paul was not guilty of preaching against the Law of Moses, and that Paul personally lived in accordance with it. The council had previously ruled that it was not necessary for Gentiles to be circumcised or keep the Jewish Laws (Paul had initiated and participated in the ruling; Acts 15:1-21). So Paul agreed and the next day he purified himself and went into the temple to make arrangements for the fulfillment of the vows.

During his ministry in Galilee, Jesus passed by a tax collector’s office, and called the tax collector, named Levi (Matthew, son of Alphaeus, possibly brother of James, the Lord’s kinsman), to follow Jesus. Levi “left everything, and rose and followed him” (Luke 5:28). Levi made a great feast in his house for Jesus, and there was a large group of tax collectors and others also invited.

The Pharisees and scribes criticized Jesus’ disciples for eating with tax collectors and sinners. Jesus replied that it is those who are sick who need a physician. Jesus declared that he had come to call sinners to repentance; not the righteous. The scribes and Pharisees also criticized Jesus’ disciples for not fasting, unlike the disciples of John the Baptist and the disciples of the Pharisees.

Jesus answered by comparing his situation with a wedding feast. Jesus was like the bridegroom; while he was present the wedding guests did not fast, but after the feast, when the groom had left, they would fast again. Jesus also told several parables: One cannot patch an old garment with un-shrunk cloth; otherwise the patch would tear the old garment the first time it is washed again, and the new fabric would be unsightly because it would not match the old. Likewise no one puts new wine into old wineskins; if they did the skin would burst and the wine would be spilled. New wineskins must be used for new wine. No one prefers new wine after they taste the old because the old tastes better.

The Lord had Hosea buy back his adulterous wife, discipline her, and reaffirm his love, as an illustration of God’s plan to redeem the people of Israel. Hosea prophesied that Israel would live for many days without civil or religious institutions. Afterward they would return to God and their Messiah (Hosea 3:5).

The prophecy of Hosea began to be fulfilled at the crucifixion of Jesus. The veil in the temple was torn in two (Matthew 27:51). [The veil of the temple separated the Holy of Holies, God’s presence, from the sanctuary. This symbolized that the people henceforth had direct access to God through Jesus Christ (Hebrews 9:8; 10:19). In 70 A.D. Jerusalem and the temple were destroyed by the Romans and the Jews were scattered throughout the world. The Jewish nation and Jewish religion effectively ceased to exist. It wasn’t until after World War II that the Jews began to return to Israel; the temple has never been rebuilt. (Without the temple, there is no sacrificial system, on which the Old Covenant of Law is dependent).

Jesus is the “Passover Lamb” that was slain as a sacrifice for the forgiveness of our sins, once for all (Hebrews 9:26). Jesus is the descendant of David (Luke 2:4) who is the eternal heir to David’s throne (Matthew 21:9; 2 Samuel 7:11c-16). Jesus paid the price for our salvation on the cross with his blood.

Paul taught that Christ is the fulfillment of the Law (as Jesus taught: Matthew 5:17). He earnestly believed and taught that salvation was by grace (unmerited favor; free gift) through faith (trust and obedience) in Jesus Christ and not by keeping the Law (Ephesians 2:8-9). He was instrumental in the apostolic decree (Acts 15:1-21) which was cited in Acts 21:25.

I don’t believe that Paul compromised his convictions, but that he was willing to make personal sacrifices out of love for the Jews (compare Acts 16:3; 1 Corinthians 9:20-21; 10:32). Paul was living out the costly, sacrificial, redeeming love of God in Jesus Christ. Paul was participating in the fulfillment of Hosea's prophecy; God was extending the costly redeeming love of Jesus Christ through Paul to the children of Israel.

Jesus’ call of Levi (Matthew) is an illustration of God’s redeeming love. Jesus came to redeem sinners; he came to heal the spiritually sick. We’re all sinners (Romans 3:23), but Jesus can’t heal those who refuse to acknowledge that they are sinners in need of healing. Jesus can’t heal those who consider themselves righteous because they think they have kept the Law; because they think they have not done anything bad.

The scribes and Pharisees considered themselves righteous because they would not eat with sinners. They rejected Jesus because Jesus did eat with sinners. The Old Covenant of Law was broken beyond patching. Jesus was “new material,” which required a "new garment:" a New Covenant of grace through faith. Jesus is “new wine” which requires “new wineskins,” a change of heart to accept the New Covenant. The Pharisees were unwilling to give up the old traditions in order to participate in the New Covenant.

Jesus also foretold his crucifixion (Luke 5:35), the ultimate illustration of God’s redeeming love, where Jesus paid the ultimate price as a ransom to buy us back from our spiritual adultery. Jesus is the door which has been opened to forgiveness and restoration of fellowship with God; Jesus is the door to the Promised Land of eternal life in Heaven .

20 Pentecost - Thursday

first posted 10/20/04

Hosea 4:1-10, The Lord’s controversy with Israel
Acts 21:27-36, Paul assaulted in the temple
Luke 6:1-11 Lord of the Sabbath

The Lord has a controversy with Israel because there is no faithfulness, kindness or knowledge of God in the land. Swearing, lying, killing, stealing and adultery abound. For that reason the land mourns and all its inhabitants languish. Also, the animals of the land and the fish of the sea decline. The Lord will contend with his priests and his prophets; they will stumble.

The people are destroyed for lack of (divine) knowledge. Because you (God’s people) have rejected (divine) knowledge, God has rejected you from being his priests. Since you have forgotten the law of your God, God will forget your children. The more they increased, the more they sinned against God. God will change their glory into shame.

“They (religious leaders) feed on the sin of my (God’s) people; they are greedy for their iniquity. And it shall be like people, like priest; I will punish them for their ways and requite them for their deeds. They shall eat but not be satisfied; they shall play the harlot (fornicate), but not multiply; because they have forsaken the Lord to cherish harlotry” (Hosea 4:8-10).

Paul had gone to Jerusalem knowing by the Holy Spirit that arrest and persecution awaited him there. At Jerusalem he had accepted the suggestion of the apostolic council that he sponsor four Jewish Christians who had undertaken Nazirite vows, to show the Jews that he was not teaching against Moses and the Law.

Paul did as suggested, but before the end of the seven day purification ritual Paul was seen in the temple by Jews from Asia (who had persecuted him in Asia; Acts 13:45, 50; 14:5, 19), and they started a commotion, charging Paul with preaching against Moses, the law and the temple, and of desecration of the temple by bringing Gentiles into it (although they had no evidence that he had done so). A mob formed and they dragged Paul out of the temple and were trying to kill Paul.

Word of the disturbance came to the commander of the Roman garrison stationed near the temple, and he sent troops. When the mob saw the soldiers they stopped beating Paul. The commander came up and arrested Paul and ordered him bound with chains. The commander began investigating the cause of the disturbance, but the mob shouted conflicting information and he could not determine the facts, so he had Paul imprisoned in the barracks overnight. At the steps to the barracks, the soldiers had to carry Paul up, because of the violence of the crowd.

One Sabbath Jesus and his disciples were going through a grainfield and the disciples snacked on some of the heads of grain, rubbing them with their hands. The Pharisees accused them of breaking the Sabbath laws by “harvesting” and “threshing” grain. Jesus pointed out that David had fed his soldiers with "bread of the Presence" from the house of God, which is unlawful for any but priests to eat (1 Samuel 21:1-6). Jesus told them that the Son of man (Jesus) is lord of the Sabbath.

On another Sabbath, Jesus went to a synagogue and taught, and there he encountered a man with a withered arm. The scribes and Pharisees were watching Jesus, looking for some wrongdoing with which they could charge him . Jesus knew their thoughts, so he told the man to come and stand beside him. Then Jesus asked the crowd whether it was lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm; to save life or to destroy. Then, looking around at the crowd, Jesus told the man to stretch out his arm. The man did so and it was restored. But the Pharisees were enraged and discussed among themselves what they might do to Jesus.

God accused Israel of lack of faith, kindness and knowledge of God. In consequence, the Lord warned that he would oppose his priests and prophets and cause them to stumble. Israel had been called to be a kingdom of priests to God (Exodus 19:6). The religious leaders were no more righteous than their congregation. The Lord promised that they would be punished for their sin: The priests and prophets would stumble, the people would be destroyed for lack of divine knowledge; those who reject God will be rejected by God; the children of those who have forgotten God’s law will be forgotten by God. Their glory will be turned to shame. They will eat and not be satisfied; they will pursue pleasure but not find it.

The Jews' treatment of Paul at the temple is evidence confirming God’s accusation through Hosea. The Jews proved that they were not faithful, kind, or possessing knowledge of God. They were proof of lying and killing abounding in the land. Their religious leaders fed on the sin of the people and lusted for iniquity. Paul had made personal sacrifice to avoid offending the Jews (see entry for yesterday, Wednesday, 20 Pentecost, even year).

Jesus is the Lord of the Sabbath, but the religious leaders accused Jesus of defiling the Sabbath. The Pharisees considered themselves knowledgeable about God and the scriptures, but they didn’t recognize Jesus as the Messiah, Emmanuel (God with us; Matthew 1:23), and Jesus had to remind them about the incident of David and the bread of the Presence. The religious leaders condemned Jesus for doing good on the Sabbath while they plotted evil and murder on the Sabbath (Luke 6:9, 11).

God’s judgment on Israel was accurate. Jesus is the wisdom of God (1 Corinthians 1:23-24). True wisdom is divine wisdom, the wisdom of God by which the world was created, not what the world falsely considers wisdom (see Proverbs 9:10; 1 Corinthians 1:18-24). Hosea’s prophecy was fulfilled! Because they rejected divine knowledge in Jesus, God rejected them from being his people and his kingdom of priests.

The Temple was destroyed in 70 A.D. the people were scattered throughout the world. The Jewish nation and religion effectively ceased to exist. It wasn’t until after World War II that the Jews began to return to Israel, and the temple has never been rebuilt. (Without the temple, there is no sacrificial system.) The Christian Church is the New Israel and the New kingdom of priests.

God’s word is eternal! What applied to Israel in the time of Jesus’ physical ministry, applies to the world today. It should also be a warning to the Christian Church, the “New people of God”, and to America, which in a sense is the “New (national) Israel”. Have the people of the Church fulfilled their call to be priests and prophets of God? Have the people of the Church and of America forgotten God’s word? Have they failed to obtain personal knowledge of Jesus Christ through his indwelling Holy Spirit? Have we grown more sinful as we’ve prospered? Does swearing, lying, killing stealing and adultery (and immorality) abound?

Have religious leaders been as sinful as or even more sinful than their congregations? Are animals of the land and fish of the sea in decline? Do we have plenty, but no satisfaction? Will we repent and receive the forgiveness God offers through Jesus Christ before it’s too late?

20 Pentecost - Friday

first posted 10/21/04

Hosea 4:11-19, Israel’s apostasy
Acts 21:37-22:16, Paul’s defense before the people
Luke 6:12-26 Choosing the Twelve Apostles

The Lord has a controversy with Israel because all have forgotten the Lord and turned to other gods. Drunkenness takes away understanding; so does following idols. Spiritual adultery leads people astray. Both the women who are prostitutes and the men who use them are equally to blame. “A people without understanding shall come to ruin” (Hosea 4:14d).

Hosea’s ministry was to the Northern Kingdom of Israel (in the period of the Divided Monarchy), where idolatry was rampant. Judah (the Southern Kingdom) is warned not to follow Israel’s course. Hosea condemned Gilgal and Bethel (which he called Beth-aven: i.e. “house of idolatry;” see 1 Kings 12:28-29) because both had become centers of idolatry. Israel’s stubbornness makes it impossible for the Lord to (spiritually) feed and sustain her. The territory of Ephraim surrounded Bethel and Gilgal. Hosea condemned Ephraim for idolatry, which is both spiritual drunkenness and spiritual adultery.

Paul had been attacked by the Jews in the temple in Jerusalem, and had been arrested by Roman soldiers (Acts 21:27-36). He was going to be imprisoned overnight, and as he was being brought into the barracks, he asked his guard for permission to address the crowd. The Roman soldier was surprised that Paul could speak Greek, and accused him of being an Egyptian rebel, but Paul told him he was a Jew from Tarsus. Tarsus was the chief city of Cilisia, with a reputation as a center of learning which compared to that of Athens and Alexandria.

The soldier gave permission, and Paul began to speak to the crowd in Hebrew. He told them he was a Jew born in Tarsus but educated in Judaism in Jerusalem under the Rabbi Gamaliel. Paul told the crowd that he had persecuted “the Way” (Christianity) to death. He had arrested and imprisoned Christian men and women, and had been on his way to Damascus to arrest Christians there.

Paul said that as he had approached Damascus around noon, a bright light from heaven shown upon him and he fell to the ground and heard a voice calling him by name (Saul; which he subsequently changed to Paul). Paul had asked who was addressing him and the voice identified himself as “Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting” (Acts 22:8).

Paul’s companions on the journey had seen the light but had not heard the voice. The Lord told Paul to go into Damascus and there he would be told what to do. Paul was blinded by the light and had to be led by the hand into Damascus. Ananias, a devout and respected Jewish Christian, came to Paul, and Paul’s vision was restored, and he received the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit Acts 9:17b-18). Ananias told Paul that God had chosen Paul to know God’s will, to see the “Just One” and to hear his voice; Paul would be a witness to all people of what he had seen and heard. Then Ananias had baptized Paul, washing away his sins, and calling on Jesus name.

Jesus went into the hills to pray and he spent all night in prayer. In the morning, he called his disciples to him, and he chose twelve of them, and called them apostles (ones who are sent; special messengers from God). Simon (whom Jesus named Peter; see Matthew 16:18), Andrew (Peter’s brother) James and John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Simon the Zealot, Judas the son of James (Possibly Thaddeus; Matthew 10:3; Mark 3:18), and Judas Iscariot, who became the betrayer.

Hosea was a special messenger sent by God to warn the people of the consequences of turning away from God to the worship of idols. Hosea told Israel that idolatry is like drunkenness; the more one indulges the less one is capable of understanding. When a nation looses understanding it comes to ruin. True understanding is divine wisdom; the wisdom by which the world was created; not what the world falsely calls wisdom (see Proverbs 9:10; 1 Corinthians 1:18-24). Spiritual harlotry is similar to physical harlotry. Those who offer the services of spiritual harlotry and those who use the services of spiritual harlotry are both equally guilty.

God revealed his word to Hosea and Hosea faithfully proclaimed it (Hosea 1:1; 4:1a). His prophecies were fulfilled: The Northern Kingdom was conquered by the Assyrians; the people were scattered throughout the world and the Northern Kingdom ceased to exist (721 B.C.). The Southern Kingdom of Judah later was carried off into Babylonian exile (586 B.C.), but subsequently was restored (515 B.C.).

Ananias had told Paul that God had chosen Paul to know God’s will, to see and hear the risen Jesus, and to be a witness to all people of what he had seen and heard. Since his baptism by Ananias and his infilling with the Holy Spirit, Paul had been doing exactly that. Paul’s defense before the people at Jerusalem is an illustration of that. Paul was fulfilling his call by God to be a messenger of the Gospel. Ananias had also been a messenger of the Gospel. Ananias was a Christian disciple (Acts 9:10). God’s word came to Ananias to go to Saul to heal his blindness and to lead him to receive the Holy Spirit (Acts 9:17), and Ananias had done what the Lord called him to do.

Jesus spent all night alone in the hills in prayer before selecting the Twelve original Apostles from the larger group of his followers. The Twelve were to be with Jesus day and night for approximately the next three years. Jesus was preparing them to be special messengers sent by God to proclaim the Gospel and carry on Jesus’ ministry.

We are all called by God to know God's will, to have fellowship with Jesus, and then to be witnesses to all people of what we have seen and heard, if we will trust and obey Jesus. All Christians are called to be disciples of Jesus Christ. “Christian” is the name first given to disciples of Jesus at Antioch (Acts 11:26). All Christian disciples, not just ordained ministers, are also called to be messengers (witnesses) of the Gospel, but the requirements are that we must first come to a personal fellowship with Jesus and be discipled by him through the indwelling Holy Spirit. Since Jesus’ ascension we can only have a personal relationship with him through the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit.

During his earthly ministry the original Twelve were able to be with him physically while they were being trained. But Jesus told them not to begin their ministry of the Gospel until after they had received the Holy Spirit (Luke 24:49; Acts 1:4-5). Paul is the prototype of the modern, “Post-Resurrection,” "born-again" (John 3:3, 5-8) disciple and apostle of Jesus Christ. Paul apparently did not know Jesus during Jesus’ earthly ministry. Paul encountered the risen Jesus on the Damascus Road (Acts 9:1-20).

Paul acknowledged Jesus as his Lord, repented of his sins, was baptized and filled with the Holy Spirit. Then he was led by the Holy Spirit into ministry. Paul’s conversion was very rapid, but Paul already was well educated in the scriptures and Judaism. The Twelve spent about three years in constant physical fellowship with Jesus, before they were ready. Expect discipleship to take some time.

One cannot be a witness for Jesus without a personal relationship with Jesus. One cannot make disciples of Jesus unless one is a disciple of Jesus. One cannot be led and sent until one is filled with and empowered by the Holy Spirit. One receives the *promise* of the Holy Spirit in baptism, but one must seek the fulfillment of that promise by fulfilling his baptismal covenant. The infilling of the Holy Spirit is a discernable event (Acts 19:2); it is not like “wishing on a star;” it is not that you have what you wish for if you believe "hard enough."

20 Pentecost - Saturday

first posted 10/22/04

Hosea 5:1-7, Spiritual harlotry
Acts 22:17-29, Paul’s defense before the people
Luke 6:27-38 Higher righteousness

Israel’s religious and political leaders had become a snare and a trap to Israel. Mt. Tabor was a worship center for the Northern Kingdom which had been corrupted by idolatry. Mizpah was a city northwest of Jerusalem where the people were accustomed to meet in times of national emergency, (and where Samuel began the great reformation of his time by convening a great assembly. Israel had repented and renewed her covenant with God. It had been a time of great religious awakening and renewal). Shittim was the last campsite in Moab before Israel crossed into the Promised Land, and was the scene of harlotry and idolatry of the Israelites with the Moabites (Numbers 25:1-3).

The Lord knows the thoughts and deeds of his people; they cannot be hidden from him. The people have turned to spiritual harlotry (idolatry); they have been defiled. Their deeds hinder them from returning to the Lord. They have been filled with a spirit of harlotry, and do not know the Lord. Their guilt and their pride will be their downfall. They will seek the Lord without being willing to give anything up (Hosea 5:6a), but they will not find him, because the Lord has withdrawn from them (compare Jeremiah 29:13). They have dealt faithlessly with the Lord; they have produced alien (faithless) children (or perhaps, they have produced the offspring of spiritual harlotry). Now the new moon (the pagan festival) will devour them and their possessions.

Paul had been attacked by Jews in the temple in Jerusalem, and was arrested. He asked to speak to the crowd before he was imprisoned, and was given permission. Paul had told them of his Damascus road conversion (Acts chapter 9). Continuing, Paul said that in Jerusalem after his conversion, the Holy Spirit had told him to leave Jerusalem and proclaim the Gospel to the Gentiles, because the Judeans would not accept Paul’s testimony, even though Paul’s former persecution of Christians was well known (and therefore his changed life should have been a convincing witness). When the crowd heard this they were enraged and began to riot, calling for Paul’s execution.

The commander of the Roman garrison ordered Paul brought into the barracks and examined by scourging in order to gather evidence. When Paul was tied up for flogging, Paul questioned the guard about the legality of scourging Paul, since Paul was a Roman citizen (and thus protected, since he had not been tried and condemned). When the centurion heard that Paul was a Roman citizen he warned the commander, who questioned Paul in order to verify this information. The commander had purchased his citizenship for a large sum, but Paul had been born into Roman citizenship. Paul’s interrogators withdrew immediately, and the commander was afraid of the personal consequences, since he had ordered Paul bound.

Jesus began to teach his followers how to live in relationship with others. We must go beyond worldly concepts of goodness and righteousness. We must love those who hate us, bless those who curse us, and pray for those who persecute us. We’re not to fight with those who want to fight; we’re not to resist those who want to rob us. We are to give to those who beg, and forgive un-repaid loans.

It is not enough for us to love those who love us, and to do good to those who do good to us. Even sinners do that much. Even sinners are willing to lend to sinners from whom they expect to be repaid. We must aim for a higher standard: we must love our enemies, and do good deeds and lend to those who cannot repay us, because that is what God does for us.

God is kind to the ungrateful and selfish. We are to show mercy as God has shown mercy. Then we will truly be his children. We are not to judge others, or we will suffer the same judgment; we should not condemn if we hope to avoid condemnation. We will be forgiven as we have forgiven others. Generosity will be rewarded abundantly. We will receive according to what we have done.

The religious and political leaders of Israel had failed to hold the people accountable and lead them to repentance and renewal. The people had turned away from the Lord to idolatry. The Lord knows everything; their deeds could not be hidden. They had been defiled by their sin; their deeds kept them from returning to the Lord. They were filled with the spirit of idolatry instead of being filled with the knowledge of the Lord. Guilt and pride prevented their forgiveness. They were unwilling to give up the proceeds of their idolatry (Hosea 5:6a). There will be a Day of Judgment when they will receive the consequences of their deeds.

Up until his conversion on the road to Damascus, Paul had been opposing God’s will by persecuting Christians, although he had believed at the time that he was serving God. When he was confronted with his error (sin), he repented and his life was completely changed. Paul had been highly educated in Judaism, but he was willing to surrender his status in Judaism; he didn’t let pride in his human accomplishments keep him from returning to the Lord and receiving forgiveness and restoration.

The Judeans who assaulted Paul were just as guilty of resisting God’s plan as Paul had been, but they were unwilling to acknowledge their sin and they were unwilling to give up their status in Judaism and their traditions to return to the Lord for forgiveness and restoration. Paul addressed his persecutors in love and truth; his persecutors responded with hatred and lies.

The Judeans judged and condemned Paul; they were not willing to forgive. They knew the scriptures, and they were violating the Ten Commandments, but they were unrepentant and unconcerned about God’s judgment. In contrast, the secular Roman soldiers knew their civil law and when they found out that Paul had rights under that law they repented of their actions and were afraid of the consequences of judgment on them.

Paul was living out the higher righteousness that Jesus taught. Paul was repeatedly persecuted by Jews, but he kept trying to share the Gospel with them. Paul recognized that he had been forgiven of the same persecution which he was now experiencing, and he extended to his persecutors the same forgiveness which Paul had received, but they rejected it. Paul gave the Gospel freely to others, without expecting them to compensate him for it (1 Corinthians 9:11-15a). Paul risked calling the Judeans to repentance, but they repaid him with hatred and violence.

Hosea’s prophecy was fulfilled, but God’s word is eternal; it applies to us today as much as it did to Israel twenty-seven hundred years ago. His word is a warning to the Church (the “New people of God”) and also to America, which is also, in a sense, the “New Israel.” Aren’t both the Church and America in a position today similar to that of Israel at the time of Hosea?

Haven’t the leaders of both Church and State allowed and facilitated the people to turn from the Lord to idolatry and sin? Are our leaders unwilling to risk calling their people to repentance and renewal? Does our guilt and pride prevent us from returning to the Lord? Are we unwilling to give up our material prosperity to seek the Lord? Those who are unwilling to give up the proceeds of idolatry will receive the consequences of their deeds. Are we so full of the spirit of idolatry that we have no room for the personal knowledge of the Lord through his indwelling Holy Spirit?

Is Jesus your Lord? Are you Jesus’ disciple? Are you trusting and obeying Jesus? Have you received the indwelling Holy Spirit since you first believed (Acts 19:2)? Are you making disciples of Jesus Christ and teaching them to obey all that Jesus commands (Matthew 28:18-20)? Do you know with certainty where you will spend eternity (1 John 5:11-13; Ephesians 1:13-14)?