by Laura McAfee
Fasting and feasting: Feasting and fasting - Matthew 6:16-18
In these verses about fasting, Jesus doesn’t tell you what is more moral; a water fast or a juice fast. He doesn’t present the pros and cons of a one day fast versus that of a ten day fast. In fact, food is not mentioned at all here. The details on how to fast and the why of fasting are not mentioned in these verses. And although the easy part to understand is that Jesus is talking about the right attitude to have while fasting, what is invisible is the necessary opposite to fasting which is feasting. In the next five days we'll look at fasting and feasting, together in a rhythm of Kingdom Living.
Day 1 - Kingdom Living
Read Matthew 6:16-18, Luke 14:12-14
In these verses Jesus is taking off the mask of superficial religion and explaining to us how to deepen our spiritual practice with the right Intention: God and our relationship with God. Jesus says, "when you fast..." his assumption is that we will fast. He doesn’t say...if you get around to it..., should there be an opening in your schedule...., no, Jesus says, "when you fast....".
And Jesus continues with a deeper understanding, an expansion of how fasting has been done, how we need to be when we fast. He moves the conversation away from the action of fasting and the outwardness of it, to us and our inward intention of being closer to God. Jesus does this by first noting the problem with fasting... "do not look somber as the hypocrites do." Something we do to draw nearer to God has evolved (or dissolved) into a show, a superficial ritual meant to impress others. We lose the right intention when our actions are outward focused; our right action becomes a farce and a show for others.
Jesus then explains what we should be doing, "when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face." Something we do to draw nearer to God should be between ourselves and God. When we are inwardly focused on God and deepening our relationship with Him through fasting, we are fasting in accordance, in harmony with, Kingdom living. This same understanding is expressed with regards to feasting in Luke 14:12-14.
Just as in Jesus' teaching on fasting, the emphasis here is Kingdom Living and right intention. "When you feast (give a luncheon or dinner)" don’t do it for show and personal gain, but "when you invite" those that can never pay you back or add to your status and reputation.
Read Matthew 6:16-18 and Luke 14:12-14 back to back. Reflect on the do's and don'ts Jesus is using to make the contrast between Kingdom living and the other way.
What are the things you do to draw nearer to God that have slowly slipped from being about God? Maybe worship has become a habit without meaning, or actions such as volunteering, have become more about being known by others than about you simply serving God.
Let us confess to God our arrogance and pride that keep us from the fullness of living in Christ and pray that God will open our eyes to the ways we have gone off the path as we remember to praise our Faithful and Good Shepherd for leading us back to God.
Day 2 - Doing as Jesus does
Read Matthew 4:2-4, Matthew 11:19, John 2:11
The Sermon on the Mount reflects the deep authority of Jesus as teacher, as Rabbi. We are sitting at His feet together, listening to Jesus tell us what to do and how to be disciples, Jesus is teaching us about how to live in God’s Kingdom! And Jesus understands the saying.. "Do as I do"..
What does Jesus do? He fasts. Matthew 4:2-4 What does Jesus do? He feasts. Matthew 11:19
Jesus demonstrates the rhythm of feasting and fasting. He models a way to listen for God’s direction and to prepare ourselves for trials and temptation through fasting and he models a way to listen for God's direction and to celebrate life through community by feasting. In fact Jesus' teachings on the Mount occur (in the Gospel of Matthew) after 40 days of fasting. And in the Gospel of John, Jesus begins his earthly ministry with a miracle at a Wedding Feast. (John 2:11)
It is a rhythm that is duplicated in many different ways and forms throughout the Bible and is represented in our deep Christian tradition and teachings. Fasting and Feasting.
When I moved to New Orleans I was 22 years old. It was a shock when the Mardi Gras season rolled into town. It didn’t take me long to adjust to the constant parties and feasting. The King Cakes and parades were remarkable and really unforgettable. But it is only now, safely and sanely away from that life that I can appreciate the feasting before the journey of the Lenten season. When the King arrives in Jerusalem, we should feast! Sharing what we have, giving thanks for all we are, in Christ. The journey to the Cross, needs a focused heart and mind, a fast from the cultural insanity that constantly surrounds us. Feasting and fasting.
Take a moment to reflect on times that you have feasted with joy and a deep love of the group that was with you. Were you able to feel God's presence and joy in that experience? Can you look back at times of great celebration and imagine God's loving – kindness present at the table?
Day 3 - Already but not Yet
Read Matthew 9:14-15, Mark 1:14-15; Matthew 9:14-15
We live with the tension of living with a fulfilled Old Covenant through Christ and living in a fulfilled yet unfinished New Testament. We feast because Jesus is with us and we fast to listen for God’s purpose for us while we wait for Christ's return. We live this tension every day. We feast in thanks and praise of the blessings God has provided us; for driving about in our cars, going to our jobs, buying groceries, drinking plenty of clean water to keep us well hydrated. We feast with others, sharing what God has so lovingly and abundantly put into our lives. Yet we fast and pray because the Kingdom is not yet fully here. We know this. We see this in the continued oppression, injustice, and disease of the majority of the world, such as, the 92% of the world’s population without cars, the over 1 billion people on this planet without clean drinking water, the 800 million people who won't eat today, and for the 1 billion or so who live on less than one dollar a day. We feast on the Bread of Life, on the very Word of God, in remembrance of Jesus. These are truly gifts of God that keep us in right relationship with God.
We fast from the things that keep us separated from God, the distractions, obsessions, twisted cultural norms and values that time and time again Jesus tells us are not the Way, not part of the Kingdom, or Kingdom living. Mark 1:14-15 "After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God 'The time has come,' he said. 'The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!'"
The Kingdom is near...
Where do you feel/see God's Kingdom alive in your life? Where do you believe the Kingdom of God is close but not yet?
Let us pray today that God pours out His Spirit on us with a fresh view of His Work and Will in our lives and that God will renew our vision of the blessings and the needs that surround us.
Day 4 - Self-control/Self-indulgent
Read Galatians 5:19-21, Galatians 5:22-23, Philippians 3:17-21, 1 Corinthians 10:31
'Binging and purging' is a serious eating disorder that received a great deal of attention during my teenage years in the 1980's. It has also become part of our culture in that it represents a vast consumer driven culture of binging. We gobble up T.Vs, computers, clothes, new cars, high end electronics, stuff, stuff and more stuff. It's a mind-set of binging, compulsively, without thoughtful reflection of need versus wants. However, there isn't a counter-balance such as a culture of purging. It seems 'purging' happens to us through calamity, disasters; purging comes unbidden and unwanted. Our culture simply does not take self-denial, discomfort, or the discipline of fasting very seriously.
These terms, binging and purging, express something more than food, they express a focus on acquiring our every want and desire often times accompanied by an attitude of entitlement. Galatians 5:19-21 speaks to the same kind of desire-driven compulsion that comes from a lack of self-control, a mindset of self-indulgence and self-absorption.
But, self-control, the kind of self-control that helps and encourages us in living the life Christ calls us to, is also the kind of self-control spoken of in Galatians 5:22-23. It is produced and strengthened through the Holy Spirit and in turning our lives to the lessons that Jesus offers us.
Read Philippians 3:17-19
Binging and purging are about such things as gluttony, pride, sickness, and idolatry... to name a few, while fasting and feasting are about God and our response to God. When we fast we allow God to be our focus and this shifts our minds dramatically. If we take a week off, ten days off, 40 days off from the computer, cell phones, unnecessary shopping trips, chocolate, whatever activity or thing keeps us in a place of non-attention to God, keeps us from reading Scripture, prevents us from praying, calling that friend or family member in need, being available to God’s will...if we intentionally take time off from those things, we will re-align ourselves with a mind centered on God.
1 Corinthians 10:31 "So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God"
Day 5 - Spiritual Community- Joy and Solidarity
Read Jeremiah 36:9, Joel 1:14, Esther 4:15-16, Isaiah 58:3-11
Fasting can be and often is a solitary means of seeking God in our lives. But we see often in the Bible God's people fasting in solidarity or as an extension of a community in need. We read in the Old Testament that fasts are called for in times of catastrophe or profound injustice (Jeremiah 36:9; Joel 1:14, Esther 4:15-16). Fasting reminds us that together as people of God we carry heavy burdens and we turn to God in seeking a means for change. We fast together in a spiritual response to injustice that allows an inflowing of God's spirit to provide a clarity of vision and direction. In fact in Isaiah we read of a very different type of fasting. Isaiah 58:6-7 "Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter— when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?" We can see here that in calling for a fast from hoarding our food to sharing it with those that are hungry and in need... we are called to fast and potentially feast at the same time.
In an amazingly different type of cookbook, Extending the Table: A World Community Cookbook, Joetta Handrich-Schlabach writes, "When affluence allows people to feast too frequently and independently of others, feasting loses much of its joy and integrity. It results in ill health and dulls our sensitivity to the needs of others. Reclaiming the feast may require learning to fast. Regularly abstaining from meat and other rich foods can be a spiritual act of solidarity. Reserving for special events foods we might easily afford, but that are luxury items in the world economy, unites us with those who have less."
The people of the Old Testament understood that feasting was a praise-filled, thankful community, remembering, worshipful, sharing of God’s gifts in the same way they understood that a fast is often times a community coming together in seeking God.
Fasting and feasting are also recognitions of our weakness and an admission of God's power - It may feel like the abundance in our lives is the result of our own effort, hard-work, and self-sufficiency but through a shared table we come to appreciate the source of all that we are and all that we have. In the same way, we fast to remember the God from whom all things flow.
The Prayer of God’s Kingdom
by Christie Ridenhour
How many times have you said the Lord’s Prayer? For some, this is a large number; for others, the number may be small. A more provocative question might be,"how many times have I just recited the Lord’s Prayer and not really thought about what I was saying?" For me, this number is embarrassingly large.
I pray this week, that as our congregation reflects upon the Lord’s Prayer and on our prayer life overall, we are able to find deeper meaning and understanding of this gift from God. I pray that as we pray the Lord’s Prayer together in worship, that this prayer is not just recited, but that it is prayed with thought, reflection, and understanding.
As you begin each day's meditation, I call upon you to say the Lord's Prayer, slowly and deliberately. Focus on each word and phrase. Reflect on the goodness and grace of our Lord.
Day 1 – Read Matthew 6:5-6
By telling us what not to do, "do not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corner, so that they may be seen by others," Jesus is giving us clear direction as to what to do with our prayers. He is asking us to be contemplative; to be sincere. Our prayers are not for public approval, but instead are a conversation, a supplication between the person offering up the prayer and God.
In verse 6, we are exhorted to "go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret." I don’t believe Jesus is directing us to hide when we pray, but instead to find a place without distractions; a place where we are comfortable, like our own room.
Do you find it difficult to pray? Are there distractions that "get in the way?" As you pray today, be deliberate in your prayers. Find a place where you are comfortable and where distractions can be shut out. Open your mind and your heart and hear God speak to you. Amen
Day 2 – Read Matthew 6:7-8
Are there no more comforting words than those found in verse 8, "...for your Father knows what you need before you ask him?" How comforting to know that even as I struggle to discern my own needs, God already knows them. As I wrestle to speak the "right" words in my prayers, the Holy Spirit is there to intercede on my behalf. Look at Romans 8:26-27. What a blessing to know that my hurts, happiness and hallelujahs are lifted up for me as I struggle to articulate them. As you pray today, reflect upon the words written by the Apostle Paul to the church in Rome. Give thanks that God knows our needs, even if we do not. Amen
Day 3 – Read Matthew 6:9
The exhortation to pray to "Our Father" begins in this verse. God as our heavenly father is not a new idea to the Hebrew people. In Isaiah 64:8, we are told, "Yet, O Lord, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand." God is not just my heavenly Father, but is yours as well. He is the heavenly Father of us all, which binds us together as a community of believers. God's name is "hallowed." It is holy. It is sacred. Again, this is not a new concept to God's people. We are reminded of the Second Commandment (Exodus 21:7) to not take the Lord's name in vain.
In the Large Catechism, Part III, Line 38, Martin Luther writes: So that we should realize that we are under the great necessity of duly honoring his name and keeping it holy and sacred, regarding it as the greatest treasure and most sacred thing we have, and praying, as good children, that his name, which is already holy in heaven may also be kept holy on earth by us and all the world.
As you pray today, reflect on how you use the name of the Lord during your day. Do you use it in reverence? Do you treat it as the sacred name of your heavenly Father? Praise his holy name! Amen.
Day 4 – Read Matthew 6:10
God's kingdom comes to us through the Word and our faith in that word. God's kingdom will come to us in the final days, as we are given eternal life. God works through us such that his will can be done on earth. We provide the earthly body for that will to be done. In Galatians 3: 20, we are reminded that, "It is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by the faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." As you pray today, reflect upon how you are the mirror of God. The love of God is bestowed upon you by our heavenly father and reflects from you to others. Let his love and grace shine on those around you. Amen
Day 5 – Read Matthew 6:11,13
These two verses address our need for protection. When we pray, "Give us this day our daily bread" it is not just a reference to food, but refers to all that we need to survive. We are petitioning for protection from hunger, and from the elements. We also need protection from temptation. According to Luther, there are three kinds of temptation: the flesh, the world and the devil. Temptations of the flesh include: laziness, gluttony, fraud, drunkenness, unchastity. Temptations of the world drive us to feelings of: envy, hatred, anger – just to name a few. Then there is temptation from the devil. In the Large Catechism, Part III, Line 104, Luther writes:
that the [devil's] purpose is to make us scorn and despise both the Word and the works of God, to tear us away from faith, hope and love, to draw us into unbelief, false security, and stubbornness or, on the contrary, to drive us into despair, atheism, blasphemy and countless other abominable sins.
Without God's Word and assurances of protection from the "devil and all his empty promises," I would be afraid to get out of bed in the morning. As you pray today, read Ephesians 6: 10-17. Take up the entire armor of God and ask for protection from all that can separate you from Him. Amen
How many times have you said the Lord’s Prayer? For some, this is a large number; for others, the number may be small. A more provocative question might be,"how many times have I just recited the Lord’s Prayer and not really thought about what I was saying?" For me, this number is embarrassingly large.
I pray this week, that as our congregation reflects upon the Lord’s Prayer and on our prayer life overall, we are able to find deeper meaning and understanding of this gift from God. I pray that as we pray the Lord’s Prayer together in worship, that this prayer is not just recited, but that it is prayed with thought, reflection, and understanding.
As you begin each day's meditation, I call upon you to say the Lord's Prayer, slowly and deliberately. Focus on each word and phrase. Reflect on the goodness and grace of our Lord.
Day 1 – Read Matthew 6:5-6
By telling us what not to do, "do not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corner, so that they may be seen by others," Jesus is giving us clear direction as to what to do with our prayers. He is asking us to be contemplative; to be sincere. Our prayers are not for public approval, but instead are a conversation, a supplication between the person offering up the prayer and God.
In verse 6, we are exhorted to "go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret." I don’t believe Jesus is directing us to hide when we pray, but instead to find a place without distractions; a place where we are comfortable, like our own room.
Do you find it difficult to pray? Are there distractions that "get in the way?" As you pray today, be deliberate in your prayers. Find a place where you are comfortable and where distractions can be shut out. Open your mind and your heart and hear God speak to you. Amen
Day 2 – Read Matthew 6:7-8
Are there no more comforting words than those found in verse 8, "...for your Father knows what you need before you ask him?" How comforting to know that even as I struggle to discern my own needs, God already knows them. As I wrestle to speak the "right" words in my prayers, the Holy Spirit is there to intercede on my behalf. Look at Romans 8:26-27. What a blessing to know that my hurts, happiness and hallelujahs are lifted up for me as I struggle to articulate them. As you pray today, reflect upon the words written by the Apostle Paul to the church in Rome. Give thanks that God knows our needs, even if we do not. Amen
Day 3 – Read Matthew 6:9
The exhortation to pray to "Our Father" begins in this verse. God as our heavenly father is not a new idea to the Hebrew people. In Isaiah 64:8, we are told, "Yet, O Lord, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand." God is not just my heavenly Father, but is yours as well. He is the heavenly Father of us all, which binds us together as a community of believers. God's name is "hallowed." It is holy. It is sacred. Again, this is not a new concept to God's people. We are reminded of the Second Commandment (Exodus 21:7) to not take the Lord's name in vain.
In the Large Catechism, Part III, Line 38, Martin Luther writes: So that we should realize that we are under the great necessity of duly honoring his name and keeping it holy and sacred, regarding it as the greatest treasure and most sacred thing we have, and praying, as good children, that his name, which is already holy in heaven may also be kept holy on earth by us and all the world.
As you pray today, reflect on how you use the name of the Lord during your day. Do you use it in reverence? Do you treat it as the sacred name of your heavenly Father? Praise his holy name! Amen.
Day 4 – Read Matthew 6:10
God's kingdom comes to us through the Word and our faith in that word. God's kingdom will come to us in the final days, as we are given eternal life. God works through us such that his will can be done on earth. We provide the earthly body for that will to be done. In Galatians 3: 20, we are reminded that, "It is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by the faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." As you pray today, reflect upon how you are the mirror of God. The love of God is bestowed upon you by our heavenly father and reflects from you to others. Let his love and grace shine on those around you. Amen
Day 5 – Read Matthew 6:11,13
These two verses address our need for protection. When we pray, "Give us this day our daily bread" it is not just a reference to food, but refers to all that we need to survive. We are petitioning for protection from hunger, and from the elements. We also need protection from temptation. According to Luther, there are three kinds of temptation: the flesh, the world and the devil. Temptations of the flesh include: laziness, gluttony, fraud, drunkenness, unchastity. Temptations of the world drive us to feelings of: envy, hatred, anger – just to name a few. Then there is temptation from the devil. In the Large Catechism, Part III, Line 104, Luther writes:
that the [devil's] purpose is to make us scorn and despise both the Word and the works of God, to tear us away from faith, hope and love, to draw us into unbelief, false security, and stubbornness or, on the contrary, to drive us into despair, atheism, blasphemy and countless other abominable sins.
Without God's Word and assurances of protection from the "devil and all his empty promises," I would be afraid to get out of bed in the morning. As you pray today, read Ephesians 6: 10-17. Take up the entire armor of God and ask for protection from all that can separate you from Him. Amen
Revenge and Enemies
by Irene Cernik
Day 1 - Read Matthew 5:38-39
An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth-at first glance this passage looks radically violent, gruesome at best, if one subscribes to non-violence. On the other hand if a person condones retaliation for wrongs they have incurred then clearly this passage sets a limit to retaliation. According to ancient Jewish law the original intention was to set reasonable limits to retaliation and to the crime. For judges it formed the guideline for punishment-it was to be proportional to the crime. And so it seems that society needs justice and the law enacts it accordingly.
But hold on, the very next verse requires us not to resist, gulp, an evil person. Jesus says-yes the ban on retaliation holds but we must do more-we may not harbor hatred for our enemies and we must show personal kindness to evil doers! Could Jesus really mean that? Does this make any sense? Paul reminds us in Romans 12:17, “Repay no one evil for evil.”
Although these passages were familiar I never personalized them. Then a few years ago a close friend forced the application of these verses to my circumstances. The friend violated our family and many others with his evil. Initially I was full of disbelief followed by fear which later was replaced with rage and loathing. Naturally, justice would be upheld in a court of law, I assured myself. And then the “legal system” revealed its limitations and restrictions, according to the law, leaving me with...nothing. Nothing from a human perspective. At the point of utter personal despair and perceived failure of the justice system, God was able to fill me with his words and his ways. Through prayer, wise counsel and study of God’s word a heart of revenge and hatred was replaced with a heart for God. “When you go through deep waters and great trouble, I will be with you” Isaiah 43:2. “Your heavenly Father...will give you all you need from day to day if you live for him and make the Kingdom of God your primary concern” Mathew 6:32-33. “When your faith is tested your endurance has a chance to grow” James 1:3. Today, I no longer hate my former friend. In fact the opposite has happened. I pray for his welfare and restoration with Jesus. And, no, we haven’t reconciled.
Day 2 - Read Matthew 5:40-42
One Bible commentary refers to these verses with “four extreme cases follow in rapid succession”. If you are insulted by a slap to the face, go against the natural human tendency, and give the assailant the other side of your face. Huh? Jesus wants us to endure a slap in the face for HIS sake, maybe even two slaps. No reason is given. We are to follow Jesus’ example. Can you think back to a time when you were unfairly treated but you didn’t protect yourself, your personal honor? No one may have even noticed your non-reaction but if you took this stance for righteousness sake surely your father in heaven sees.
If anyone would sue you and take your coat let him have your cloak as well. Perhaps Jesus uses the example of the lawsuit since either it can be offensive to be taken to court or because lawsuits can involve false accusations. The strange logic of being stripped naked is possibly yet another reminder that we ought not be overly concerned about defending our honor nor avenging wrongdoers.
If anyone forces you to go one mile go with him go two miles. Readers of the bible will know that the cruel Roman occupiers forced Hebrew citizens to carry the Roman soldier’s equipment for a thousand paces. Complete humiliation-the Jews carried the weaponry that ultimately was used against them!
Resistance, Jesus says, is futile. After the Romans forcibly extract this service, Jesus says, freely give them another mile. Dear God, may we also go the extra mile for those that exploit us. Jesus, help us to not to stop at the point of anger and humiliation and dwell there. Allow us the grace to understand that you, Jesus, died for all-the cruel oppressor as well as the prideful and the innocent. Forgive us as we forgive those that sin against us. Amen.
Give to him who begs a loan from you and do not refuse him who would borrow from you. Give to the one who asks. Okay, so now we are to follow Jesus’ teaching and forget about checking credit, references, interest rates, deposit insurance, and contracts. Are you kidding me? Is there no limit? Once again Jesus demands reckless giving, free sharing, open door helping, nothing held back. Here we see this upside down world of Jesus in another astonishing way. He hits the wallet, the savings, the retirement, our worldly possessions, our home-everything we have worked for. It’s ours, we shout.
But what if it really isn’t ours? Then, we are God’s conduit on earth for the disbursement of His provisions. Nothing can be claimed/possessed by us in this kind of thinking. Radical thinking-yes indeed. But that is what Jesus was-radical love. Dear Lord, help us to be compassionate individuals and churches, help us with ministry to the needy and to the poor. Allow us to model your generosity. Amen.
Day 3 - Read Matthew 5:43
You shall love your neighbor. How do you define neighbor? Is it a physical address closest to your home? Is it your family members, perhaps your nuclear family and not your extended family? Is it the group of folks you spend the most time with, those that accept you as their own? Is it those that share the same continent as you? Do you still consider those once close to you as neighbor...your ex-spouse, that jerk next door, the friend that betrayed you, the boss you loved that put you on unemployment, etc.?
Day 4 - Read Matthew 5:44-48
Love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you.
“I command you to love each other in the same way that I love you” John 15:12. Loving others as Christ loves you is costly. Think about the price Jesus paid to love us. He left heaven to live among us. He came to earth and was ridiculed, rejected, beaten, spit upon and crucified. Loving wasn’t comfortable nor convenient for him. It cost him everything.
Jesus calls us to love others the same way he loves humanity. So what are you willing to spend to love others? Will you give up comfort, convenience, popularity, time, energy or money? Will you step outside your world to get into the lives of others? Will you love the people that the world doesn’t love? What will it cost you? Are you willing to pay the price?
Day 5 - Read Proverbs 25:21-22
We close the week with words of wisdom from the journal: “A One Year Road Trip with Jesus”. “Inaction and avoidance are never options with Jesus. Neither is resentment or bitterness. Nor judgment.
You and I were once enemies of God, being dead in sin and unresponsive to the voice of God. And what was God’s way of relating to us? God initiated to us:
Mercy, not retaliation Blessing, not cursing Prayer, not gossip Good, not evil Forgiveness, not grudges Love, not avoidance.”
As you stay sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s teaching you “let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will know what God wants you to do” Romans 12:2.
Day 1 - Read Matthew 5:38-39
An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth-at first glance this passage looks radically violent, gruesome at best, if one subscribes to non-violence. On the other hand if a person condones retaliation for wrongs they have incurred then clearly this passage sets a limit to retaliation. According to ancient Jewish law the original intention was to set reasonable limits to retaliation and to the crime. For judges it formed the guideline for punishment-it was to be proportional to the crime. And so it seems that society needs justice and the law enacts it accordingly.
But hold on, the very next verse requires us not to resist, gulp, an evil person. Jesus says-yes the ban on retaliation holds but we must do more-we may not harbor hatred for our enemies and we must show personal kindness to evil doers! Could Jesus really mean that? Does this make any sense? Paul reminds us in Romans 12:17, “Repay no one evil for evil.”
Although these passages were familiar I never personalized them. Then a few years ago a close friend forced the application of these verses to my circumstances. The friend violated our family and many others with his evil. Initially I was full of disbelief followed by fear which later was replaced with rage and loathing. Naturally, justice would be upheld in a court of law, I assured myself. And then the “legal system” revealed its limitations and restrictions, according to the law, leaving me with...nothing. Nothing from a human perspective. At the point of utter personal despair and perceived failure of the justice system, God was able to fill me with his words and his ways. Through prayer, wise counsel and study of God’s word a heart of revenge and hatred was replaced with a heart for God. “When you go through deep waters and great trouble, I will be with you” Isaiah 43:2. “Your heavenly Father...will give you all you need from day to day if you live for him and make the Kingdom of God your primary concern” Mathew 6:32-33. “When your faith is tested your endurance has a chance to grow” James 1:3. Today, I no longer hate my former friend. In fact the opposite has happened. I pray for his welfare and restoration with Jesus. And, no, we haven’t reconciled.
Day 2 - Read Matthew 5:40-42
One Bible commentary refers to these verses with “four extreme cases follow in rapid succession”. If you are insulted by a slap to the face, go against the natural human tendency, and give the assailant the other side of your face. Huh? Jesus wants us to endure a slap in the face for HIS sake, maybe even two slaps. No reason is given. We are to follow Jesus’ example. Can you think back to a time when you were unfairly treated but you didn’t protect yourself, your personal honor? No one may have even noticed your non-reaction but if you took this stance for righteousness sake surely your father in heaven sees.
If anyone would sue you and take your coat let him have your cloak as well. Perhaps Jesus uses the example of the lawsuit since either it can be offensive to be taken to court or because lawsuits can involve false accusations. The strange logic of being stripped naked is possibly yet another reminder that we ought not be overly concerned about defending our honor nor avenging wrongdoers.
If anyone forces you to go one mile go with him go two miles. Readers of the bible will know that the cruel Roman occupiers forced Hebrew citizens to carry the Roman soldier’s equipment for a thousand paces. Complete humiliation-the Jews carried the weaponry that ultimately was used against them!
Resistance, Jesus says, is futile. After the Romans forcibly extract this service, Jesus says, freely give them another mile. Dear God, may we also go the extra mile for those that exploit us. Jesus, help us to not to stop at the point of anger and humiliation and dwell there. Allow us the grace to understand that you, Jesus, died for all-the cruel oppressor as well as the prideful and the innocent. Forgive us as we forgive those that sin against us. Amen.
Give to him who begs a loan from you and do not refuse him who would borrow from you. Give to the one who asks. Okay, so now we are to follow Jesus’ teaching and forget about checking credit, references, interest rates, deposit insurance, and contracts. Are you kidding me? Is there no limit? Once again Jesus demands reckless giving, free sharing, open door helping, nothing held back. Here we see this upside down world of Jesus in another astonishing way. He hits the wallet, the savings, the retirement, our worldly possessions, our home-everything we have worked for. It’s ours, we shout.
But what if it really isn’t ours? Then, we are God’s conduit on earth for the disbursement of His provisions. Nothing can be claimed/possessed by us in this kind of thinking. Radical thinking-yes indeed. But that is what Jesus was-radical love. Dear Lord, help us to be compassionate individuals and churches, help us with ministry to the needy and to the poor. Allow us to model your generosity. Amen.
Day 3 - Read Matthew 5:43
You shall love your neighbor. How do you define neighbor? Is it a physical address closest to your home? Is it your family members, perhaps your nuclear family and not your extended family? Is it the group of folks you spend the most time with, those that accept you as their own? Is it those that share the same continent as you? Do you still consider those once close to you as neighbor...your ex-spouse, that jerk next door, the friend that betrayed you, the boss you loved that put you on unemployment, etc.?
Day 4 - Read Matthew 5:44-48
Love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you.
“I command you to love each other in the same way that I love you” John 15:12. Loving others as Christ loves you is costly. Think about the price Jesus paid to love us. He left heaven to live among us. He came to earth and was ridiculed, rejected, beaten, spit upon and crucified. Loving wasn’t comfortable nor convenient for him. It cost him everything.
Jesus calls us to love others the same way he loves humanity. So what are you willing to spend to love others? Will you give up comfort, convenience, popularity, time, energy or money? Will you step outside your world to get into the lives of others? Will you love the people that the world doesn’t love? What will it cost you? Are you willing to pay the price?
Day 5 - Read Proverbs 25:21-22
We close the week with words of wisdom from the journal: “A One Year Road Trip with Jesus”. “Inaction and avoidance are never options with Jesus. Neither is resentment or bitterness. Nor judgment.
You and I were once enemies of God, being dead in sin and unresponsive to the voice of God. And what was God’s way of relating to us? God initiated to us:
Mercy, not retaliation Blessing, not cursing Prayer, not gossip Good, not evil Forgiveness, not grudges Love, not avoidance.”
As you stay sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s teaching you “let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will know what God wants you to do” Romans 12:2.
Cross my heart and hope to die
by Mary Preston
Day 1 - Read Matthew 5:33-37
Perhaps you remember saying "Cross my heart and hope to die" when you were a child. We would make a promise and reinforce it by swearing such an oath. In other words, we REALLY meant what we said. This passage in Matthew quotes Jesus on the subject of oaths. Jesus says to not swear by heaven or earth or Jerusalem or by your own head. In the law followed by the Pharisees, it was common to swear by something. Yet Jesus says that we cannot change a hair on our head by swearing by it.
What do you swear by?
Why do we feel that it is necessary to swear by something? St. Augustine felt that oaths were beneath the dignity of a gentleman. This is similar to our expression, “my word is my bond”. Do we need to swear by something?
Day 2 - Read Matthew 26:69-74
Look at Peter when he is telling the lie that he does not know Jesus. He progressively shores up his statements so that the listeners will believe him. The first time he says that he doesn’t know what they are talking about. The second time, he denies it "with an oath", and the third time, calls down curses on himself if he lies.
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus says more than once that he is not abolishing the religious laws but is asking for a higher standard based on the spirit of the law. Oaths in the Old Testament were designed to restrict, to put a fence around serious statements (the word oath, horkos, in Greek has the meaning of fence or enclosure). But God himself takes oaths. They are not light ones – he promises to always be faithful to his people (Hebrews 6:16-20)
Day 3 – Read Deuteronomy 23:21
The writer of Deuteronomy urges us to follow through on our vows to the Lord. What vows (oaths) are helpful? Vows can help us when there are temptations. Vows/oaths are taken in religious and secular settings. They are used on formal occasions such as joining a church, getting married, getting citizenship, and obtaining voting privileges. Even though many might say, “it’s just a piece of paper” maybe in our weakness, this represents help staying the course of a commitment to a marriage or a church in times of conflict or tension.
Day 4 – Read Matthew 5:37
This verse is all about Jesus’ call to truthfulness. Sounds like a good idea. Yet, how often do we tell “little white lies"? Why do we do this?
Perhaps it is for our financial benefit “the IRS is a big organization, and won’t miss my money if I bend the truth a bit”. Another reason could be to please other people, or to not hurt their feelings. Have you ever told someone with a new haircut (that you secretly think is very unflattering) “I like your hair”? Sounds good in the moment, but perhaps she will always have that style based on your untrue compliment! Or “we really have to get together” when you have no such intention? Do we exaggerate either our troubles to gain sympathy (“I work so hard”) or our accomplishments to gain recognition?
Untruthfulness can ruin a relationship. Bonhoeffer says: “Untruthfulness destroys fellowship but truth cuts false fellowship to pieces and establishes genuine brotherhood”
Let me give you a painful example: A long time acquaintance and I were bemoaning her daughter’s inability to clearly tell an acquaintance that she really didn’t want to get together with her on New Year’s Eve. Yet, when the mom said, let’s the two of us get together, I was not honest in my response (I didn’t want to get together). I left the conversation with a sense of my dishonesty, and with a remembrance of the passage about the splinter in the person’s eye that I was criticizing and the log in my own. (Matthew 7:1-5)
Day 5 – Read Matthew 5:48
This standard of truthfulness is too high. It is too hard. We (I) keep failing at it. We feel guilty. And it doesn’t help to be told “Be ye perfect”. But there is help. One scholar translates this passage as a promise from God “you SHALL be perfect”. Read Matthew 6:13, 2 Thessalonians 3:3, 1 John 5:18,19 for reassurance. God is with us, protecting us, helping us always. Tom Wilkens expresses this well (Un-American Activities: Countercultural Themes in Christianity p.118-119): “Guilt has gone out of favor in the last century or so. ... Theologies or philosophies that attempt to replace guilt with a comprehensive no-fault life policy are fraudulent. Get real. Get honest. Guilt requires a thick coat of forgiveness, not a thin cloak of therapy or rationalization. And forgiveness, like faith, is not achieved: it is given.” Grace.
Yes, being truthful is hard. Yet if we are, we don’t need to reinforce it with oaths. We could start by keeping our word in small things – for example “I will bring that article to you next Wednesday”. God is our strength in our weakness.
Day 1 - Read Matthew 5:33-37
Perhaps you remember saying "Cross my heart and hope to die" when you were a child. We would make a promise and reinforce it by swearing such an oath. In other words, we REALLY meant what we said. This passage in Matthew quotes Jesus on the subject of oaths. Jesus says to not swear by heaven or earth or Jerusalem or by your own head. In the law followed by the Pharisees, it was common to swear by something. Yet Jesus says that we cannot change a hair on our head by swearing by it.
What do you swear by?
Why do we feel that it is necessary to swear by something? St. Augustine felt that oaths were beneath the dignity of a gentleman. This is similar to our expression, “my word is my bond”. Do we need to swear by something?
Day 2 - Read Matthew 26:69-74
Look at Peter when he is telling the lie that he does not know Jesus. He progressively shores up his statements so that the listeners will believe him. The first time he says that he doesn’t know what they are talking about. The second time, he denies it "with an oath", and the third time, calls down curses on himself if he lies.
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus says more than once that he is not abolishing the religious laws but is asking for a higher standard based on the spirit of the law. Oaths in the Old Testament were designed to restrict, to put a fence around serious statements (the word oath, horkos, in Greek has the meaning of fence or enclosure). But God himself takes oaths. They are not light ones – he promises to always be faithful to his people (Hebrews 6:16-20)
Day 3 – Read Deuteronomy 23:21
The writer of Deuteronomy urges us to follow through on our vows to the Lord. What vows (oaths) are helpful? Vows can help us when there are temptations. Vows/oaths are taken in religious and secular settings. They are used on formal occasions such as joining a church, getting married, getting citizenship, and obtaining voting privileges. Even though many might say, “it’s just a piece of paper” maybe in our weakness, this represents help staying the course of a commitment to a marriage or a church in times of conflict or tension.
Day 4 – Read Matthew 5:37
This verse is all about Jesus’ call to truthfulness. Sounds like a good idea. Yet, how often do we tell “little white lies"? Why do we do this?
Perhaps it is for our financial benefit “the IRS is a big organization, and won’t miss my money if I bend the truth a bit”. Another reason could be to please other people, or to not hurt their feelings. Have you ever told someone with a new haircut (that you secretly think is very unflattering) “I like your hair”? Sounds good in the moment, but perhaps she will always have that style based on your untrue compliment! Or “we really have to get together” when you have no such intention? Do we exaggerate either our troubles to gain sympathy (“I work so hard”) or our accomplishments to gain recognition?
Untruthfulness can ruin a relationship. Bonhoeffer says: “Untruthfulness destroys fellowship but truth cuts false fellowship to pieces and establishes genuine brotherhood”
Let me give you a painful example: A long time acquaintance and I were bemoaning her daughter’s inability to clearly tell an acquaintance that she really didn’t want to get together with her on New Year’s Eve. Yet, when the mom said, let’s the two of us get together, I was not honest in my response (I didn’t want to get together). I left the conversation with a sense of my dishonesty, and with a remembrance of the passage about the splinter in the person’s eye that I was criticizing and the log in my own. (Matthew 7:1-5)
Day 5 – Read Matthew 5:48
This standard of truthfulness is too high. It is too hard. We (I) keep failing at it. We feel guilty. And it doesn’t help to be told “Be ye perfect”. But there is help. One scholar translates this passage as a promise from God “you SHALL be perfect”. Read Matthew 6:13, 2 Thessalonians 3:3, 1 John 5:18,19 for reassurance. God is with us, protecting us, helping us always. Tom Wilkens expresses this well (Un-American Activities: Countercultural Themes in Christianity p.118-119): “Guilt has gone out of favor in the last century or so. ... Theologies or philosophies that attempt to replace guilt with a comprehensive no-fault life policy are fraudulent. Get real. Get honest. Guilt requires a thick coat of forgiveness, not a thin cloak of therapy or rationalization. And forgiveness, like faith, is not achieved: it is given.” Grace.
Yes, being truthful is hard. Yet if we are, we don’t need to reinforce it with oaths. We could start by keeping our word in small things – for example “I will bring that article to you next Wednesday”. God is our strength in our weakness.
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