Trapping Jesus-Taxes

Mark 12:13-17.  This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on August 09, 2020.

Today, we are going to wrestle with the issue of paying taxes.  Of course, nobody enjoys paying taxes.  This was one of the central issues in the founding of the United States of America.  It was considered unfair to have taxation without true representation. 

The issue in our passage today is not really about paying taxes per se, but rather, about the legality of paying taxes to a foreign country that has taken over your country.  Thankfully, we have never been in that situation and we have not had to wrestle with the emotions and decisions that go along with it.  However, many people throughout history have had to wrestle with this issue. 

In those cases, people quickly fall into several categories.  You have the pragmatic compromisers who quickly recognize that they can’t change it, so they might as well make the best of the new situation.  Sometimes such are called collaborators.  On the other extreme, there is the idealistic rebel who shouts out death to tyrants and would rather die than yield in anything, much less taxes.  The majority of people fall somewhere in between the vice.  They don’t like it, but cannot see a way out.  They will do the very least that they must do in order not to be drug off to jail or execution. 

This is the situation of the people of Israel in the days of Jesus, and in fact, it had been for some time.  Whether the Babylonians, Persians, Greeks, or Romans, Israel had been in a similar situation for the better part of 500 years.  When would the Messiah show up to set them free from this horrible and humiliating situation?

Let’s look at our passage.

Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not?

The question put to Jesus in this section was a controversial issue among the people of Israel.  It was even more so for the people of Samaria and Judea (Jerusalem) because their taxes were going directly into the Roman treasury.  Whereas, Galilee paid taxes to Herod Antipas, who was from Israel, and those taxes by and large were used in the area.

Mark makes a note of the ones who deliver this question to Jesus.  We are told that “they sent to him some of the Pharisees and Herodians.”  The “they” here are clearly the elders and chief priests of Jerusalem.  The group they send is a mixed group that does not get along typically.  Herodians were a political group who supported the legitimacy of the Herodian dynasty.  Whereas, the Pharisees were loyal to the Law of Moses and saw Herod and his offspring as illegitimate rulers (they were not from the line of David).  This signals the reality that they are trying to trap Jesus with his answer.  If he says “no” then the Herodians would stir up the Roman Governor Pilate against Jesus.  If he says “yes” then the Pharisees could use it to stir up the common people against Jesus.  It seems to be a no-win situation.

We should note the fair sounding compliments that they give to Jesus.  They say that he is true, does not regard any person, and teaches the way of God in truth.  These are all very good things that any teacher or leader should aspire to be.  However, they do not believe this to be true of Jesus.  Rather, they know that it is the expected description of a true teacher.  This is bald-faced flattery and is part of the trap that they are setting.  Will Jesus look like he is worried about what the people of Israel will say, or is he worried about what the Romans will say?  It is important to note that we can pay someone a compliment without it being flattery.  It is only flattery if you do not really believe it, or are using it to lull the person into a false sense of security so that they don’t see the knife in your other hand.

This question of paying taxes to Caesar is first a question of legality.  For Israel, this is talking about the Law of Moses.  Are we breaking the Law of Moses when we pay Caesar taxes?  In our terminology, we would ask, “Is this constitutional?”  Am I breaking God’s laws by paying this tax and only making Him more upset with me, and by extension the whole nation?  Thus, this is an important question for the average Israelite.

It is secondly a question of practicality.  We are not in the optimal conditions that God has envisioned for us.  So, how does he expect us to proceed under the current conditions?

We are told that Jesus knows they are asking this question hypocritically.  In Matthew 22:18 (a parallel passage), it refers to their “wickedness,” and in Luke 20:23, it refers to their “craftiness.”  These three descriptors give us quite a picture of these conflicts that Jesus faced: hypocrites and crafty in wickedness.  They are not actually seeking the true answer to the question, but rather, ammunition to use against him.  Of course, Jesus let’s them know that he is on to their game by asking them why they are testing him.  They are seeking to make him look wrong in the eyes of Rome, or in the eyes of the people.

The answer of Jesus

At this point, Jesus asks them to bring a denarius to him, which was a silver Roman coin that represented a day’s wage for a common laborer.  It also happened to be the coin that one would use to pay the annual poll tax, or head tax.  When the coin is brought, Jesus asks whose image is on it and what is its inscription.  The common day to day commerce of Israel was dominated by the Romans.  It was Roman currency that was used and it had Caesar’s image on it.  The inscription on the denarius is known from existing coins.  “Tiberius Caesar, the divine son of Augustus, Pontifex Maximus.”  Of course, it is in Latin and employs abbreviations.

There is a dynamic here that we should note.  Jesus knows that it will be the Roman power that will execute him shortly.  Yet, he still tells the people that they should pay taxes to Rome.  Jesus gives an answer that is not slanted to one side or the other.  Taxes are not their problem, but sin.  Jesus is not a poor persecuted victim in Israel trying to fight back against a beast of a system.  Rather, this is the Son of God who has come to save both Jews and Romans from the judgment of God that hung over them both.  Yes, you may or may not be a victim, but be careful that you are not trapped by your own venom.  Your anger at the sin of another can cause you to be blind to your own sin and the fate that awaits you both at the judgment seat of Christ.

Jesus neutralizes the question by giving a principle that is put in command form, rather than answering with yes, or no.  It is funny to see interviewers, who are supposed to be journalists getting to the truth, purposefully ask a question in yes-or-no form and then shut down the person answering when they try to give more context.  Such situations clearly demonstrate that the interviewer is trying to trap the person and achieve a sound bite that they can use against them. 

The word “render” in the NKJV or “give in other translations is a compound word that means you are giving something that you owe or are obligated to give.  His answer did not put God and Caesar in opposition to each other, even though Caesars were worshipped as gods and did not see Israel’s God as anything special.  Jesus basically shows them that the obligations that they have to Caesar should be fulfilled, and the obligations that they have to God they should also fulfill.  He is telling them to pay the tax, and yet, also making it clear that they are still to obey God.  God had never told Israel, “Thou shalt not pay taxes to a foreign government that conquers you.”  In fact, He had warned them through Moses that their disobedience to His commands would lead to their subjection to foreign powers.  They were undergoing discipline because of their disobedience.

All nations and people should keep in mind that God could allow them to be subjected by others as a discipline.  And, when that happens, it is our job to seek Him in order to learn our lessons.  Not all problems come from foreign nations.  I would say that much of the social and political problems that we are experiencing in the United States of America are the results of our own sin, and are a discipline from God.

Of course, the Pharisees and Herodians realize that Jesus has marvelously bested them, so they leave.

There are several things that we should note based upon this command of Jesus.  First, the duties that we have in life, at any level, are not based upon the righteous status of the other person.  Too often, we use the failures of the other person to justify why we do not fulfill our obligations to them.  This is wrong.  If a business is greedy and overcharges, it does not make it right for me to try and cheat them or steal from them.  I have an obligation before God to act righteously even among the unrighteous.

Second, had Israel given God His due, Rome would not have been ruling over them.  Like Adam and Eve after the curse, they couldn’t go back.  The effects of our sins cannot be made to vanish.  We must carry our burden or discipline forward and learn the lesson.  It teaches us humility and the importance of doing the right thing in a tough situation.  No matter how much our culture tries to avoid the consequences of sinful choices, the effects of those choices will always come around to bite us in the end.  We can either double down on fighting the truth of God and the judgments that He gives, or we can accept them and learn from Him by faith.

Third, Christianity is not a call to sedition, but to serving Christ.  It is not, “Rebels for Jesus unite!”  Rather, it is “Pick up your cross and follow me!”  Living for Jesus is radically different than this world can imagine.  On one hand, we are not living for the materialistic things and pleasures of this world.  Yet, on the other hand, we are not creating anarchy so that we can tear the system down.  Both sides see the true Christian as an odd-ball that is not in step with the program.

We must beware the sirens of our culture that sing to us a beautiful and bewitching song.  They are only pied pipers that lead us to destruction.  Only Christ leads us to truly please the Father, and only Christ leads us to true freedom.

Lastly, Caesar’s power, or (insert your government here), is limited by God’s commands.  It is not unlimited.  Government is not God, and only foolish people try to give it god-like powers.  It has a legitimate function in this world because we are sinful people.  Yet, it is sinful too because it is run by sinful people.  Even if we try to circumvent this by creating Artificial Intelligence, the AI will be coded by sinful people.  Sure, it may reach the point where it evolves beyond our ability to affect its code.  Yet, then we would be worshipping a false god, and surrendering our life to it, instead of the One True God.

Whose image is on our money is one question, but it also begs the greater question.  Whose image is stamped upon you?  Do I bear the image of Jesus or do I bear the image of the Devil?  In Jesus, the image of God can be restored in our life, which brings us into relationship with the author of life!

Trapping Jesus Audio

The Cry of 'No H8'-III

Luke 6:32-36.  This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on October 15, 2017.

As the news exploded several weeks ago about the film producer Harvey Weinstein, we have had a new example of the hypocrisy that often parades in full view in this world.  He was supposed to be a great champion of women’s rights and all along many knew that he was using his power to trample the hearts and minds of young women.  Yet, most said nothing, and some even enabled him all the while decrying these things in the lives of people that they did not like.  For whatever reasons Harvey Weinstein has gone from a protected status to persona non grata, it is safe to say that Hollywood is riddled with many more like him.  It is not just Hollywood and it is not just sexual abuse.  The system of this world is riddled with hypocrisy.  No matter how loudly this world touts the principles of love and compassion, we must always recognize the human tendency to overlook the sins of those we like and highlight the sins of those we do not.  Whenever you lift the rug, you find all manner of evils that have been swept under it by the perpetrators and by those who are in their good graces.

Now some may scoff at the words of Jesus to love your enemies.  However, if you need a good reason to accept his wisdom, you only need to hear his heart on the subject and then honestly look at the world around you and inside of you.  So we pick up where we left off two weeks ago in Luke chapter 6.

Only Loving Those Who Love You

After telling us to love our enemies, Jesus gives us the reasons for doing so.  In verses 32-34 Jesus lists three actions that are really just three ways of saying the same thing: loving, doing good, and lending.  As we move through this I will use the action of love to focus all of them, since it is the key virtue and the argument can be made that the other two are just facets or ways of loving.  In the passage about love we are told that “even sinners love those who love them.”  Something that may seem shocking to people is the fact that Jesus uses a verb form of the famous Greek term Agape (unconditional love).  Thus sinners have agape for those who give them agape.  The idea that we can unconditionally love those who unconditionally love us is itself a logical mess.   It is self-canceling.  Yes, people do it.  But Jesus is pointing out this is not really agape love, in fact it is not really loving others.  Similarly, his point is that sinners do good to those who do good to them.  Also, sinners lend money to those from whom they will get the same back.  Such a virtue is no virtue at all.  It is simply a form of moral indirect action in which people actually love themselves.  It is not moral to build feedback loops that give us what we want.  We should love people regardless of what they do to us because it is the right thing to do.

Now Jesus prefaces each of these by saying that to do such things is no credit to the person because even sinners do that.  Now, on one level, we can see that Jesus is calling us to do something that sticks out from the world around us.  Our righteousness must exceed the “righteousness” of those around us who are not living for God.  In fact, much of our love in life is done in situations where we are receiving some of it back, sometimes more and sometimes less, but always some.  Jesus is not saying that it is bad to be loved back.  However, he is pointing out that the motivation of most is that they only love those who love them (from their judgment).   But, notice such a love is of no value to God.  We might believe it has some relative value to us as humans.  But such a selfish love does not truly help people.  It only allows us to continue down a destructive road of self-love.

As I said earlier it is illogical to say that you unconditionally love those who unconditionally love you because there actually is a condition.  This is the mantra of the world today and of our own heart if we allow it to be.  “As long as you unconditionally accept me, I will unconditionally accept you.”  However, there will always be conditions that change with the passing fads of time.  In the past Christians were told that they needed to be more accepting of adulterers, and then it was homosexuals.  Today the vice de jour is transgender people and the idea of fluid gender.  You see, yesterday you were accepted if you accepted X, and then X+1, but today it is X+2.  Unless you get on the right side of this ever changing line then none of your previous “love and acceptance” matter.  This is utter hypocrisy.  Our modern age loves to pillory and castigate the generations that have gone on before us, as if we have attained a far higher virtuous plane.  Have we really?  To our credit, we can say that society has gained some wonderful things and gotten rid of some horrible things.  But we haven’t become more virtuous as a people.  It is just no longer in style or socially acceptable to have slaves, or to be rich at the expense of your workers, or to abuse women.  Yet these things happen all day long and are often covered up by people who project a pristine moral image.  So have we really become more loving than previous generations?  I do not believe so.  In fact, 1 Timothy 3:1-5 says, “Know this, that in the last days perilous times will come.  For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power.”  He is saying that on one hand they will be unloving, but on the other hand they will love pleasure, money and themselves very much.  To the degree that we love ourselves, we are unable to love others.  Why don’t we take some time to go over some hypocritical situations that look godly on the outside, but deny the power of true godliness (which is repentance from sin).

Examples of Hypocrisy

At this point I will give credit to Nicholas Senze, Director of Faith Formation at St. Vincent dePaul Catholic Church in Arlington, Texas, for some of the illustrations to follow.  He has an article online called The Hypocrisy of the Modern World, with CrisisMagazine.com. 

Our businesses, political parties, universities, media, and even religious groups create ideological “echo chambers” that simultaneously declare a commitment to diversity and open dialogue, all the while silencing any who contradict our biases with honest discussion, even to the point of firing or casting out those who do so.  Everything is nice as long as you toe a particular line.  But if you don’t the claws come out.  They are a fuzzy bunny one second and a salivating werewolf the next.

As a Christian florist in Washington State is drug through a lengthy and costly public trial for not doing the flowers for a same-sex wedding, there is no similar public outcry or government charge (where are you Attorney General Bob Ferguson) when Christians are kicked out of a Seattle coffee shop and denied service.  This was not done because they were proselytizing on the premises, but because they had been seen handing out leaflets against abortion in the local area.  Hypocrisy.

We often talk about defending the helpless and tout our virtue to the heavens.  Yet, we are silent and enabling when it comes to a human pregnancy.  We will spend gobs of money to travel around the world to stop female circumcision and yet can’t get out of bed when babies in the womb are being slaughtered across the street.  How can such a disparity exist?  It does because it is socially acceptable to chop up a baby in the womb, suck its body parts out, and throw them in the trash bin (unless of course there is money to be had).  In Roe V. Wade the court based its decision upon its inability to answer the question, “When does life begin?”  Now that we have an avalanche of evidence of when life begins, still the silence is deafening.  In fact now we talk about when one actually becomes a person and has personhood.

But, it gets worse.  This thing that isn’t a person yet, however, does have a sexual orientation, all the while its gender is still fluid.  Our illogical statements are never resolved.  But are just left to hang there as a tribute to our hypocrisy.

We cry wolf about the violence of those on the opposite side of the political spectrum, while remaining silent or even encouraging (wink, wink) of violence of those who fight our enemies.

We are told to curb the appetites of food to the point of either banning or taxing to death certain foods.  We are all to be Spartan athletes in training, so to speak.  But, speak of curbing sexual appetites, and you will be called all manner of expletives, and told to “get the government out of my bedroom/womb.”

Now from a Christian standpoint we must be honest about one thing.  If we define hypocrisy as not living up to the ideals that you profess to have, then we are all guilty because of the weakness of human desire.  Even Mother Theresa fell short of her own ideals at times.  The Christian should never pretend sinlessness, but rather rely upon repentance and forgiveness.  The problem with the world is not sin, but rather a hard heart towards repentance.  Hypocrisy is at its worse when it allows itself to do one thing, while forbidding it to another.  We see this everywhere in our “virtuous” society.  In fact the case can be made that while we are making the outward structures of our society look more “godly,” we are powerless to fight the onslaught of inner desires that are destroying our nation.

As we go back to our passage, we are told in verse 34 that if we love our enemies, do good to them, and lend without expecting anything in return, then we will be Sons of the Most High.  The obvious reality is that if we do not do these things, but instead follow the lemming path of the world around us, then we are not Sons of the Most High.  Instead we take on the image of a different father, who is the god of this world, Satan.  Christians must not only follow Jesus in word, but also in deed.  This involves rejecting the “love” of this world (as it models and defines), and a “love” for this world (the inner seduction towards its systems).  God does not quash all objectors and withhold from the wicked all good things.  All around us we see the goodness of God coming to the righteous and the wicked alike.  This is not proof that God likes what they are doing, though it feels that way at times.  It is only proof that God is love.  However, there is a day of judgment.  Though God is kind, He must eventually judge.  Thus, He has given us this life to live and then the judgment.  In His mercy, He lets us all enjoy the good of life and also suffer that has been created by people.  Christians must love others regardless of what they do, because we are making a choice of who we want to be our father.  Who do I want to become like?  We can do so knowing that God will make all things right.  To love your enemy is not to approve of what they do, but rather, to trust that God will deal with them justly.  It is not to pretend that what they do is okay, but rather, to speak the truth in love (for their good rather than for their bad).  We must relinquish the desire to control others, and instead control ourselves from the inside out.

I have skipped over the fact that Jesus says that those who listen to Him and love their enemies will be deserving of great reward.  So will I trade great reward from God for the trinkets that I can get from people in this life?  Harvey Weinstein promised to make young women famous if they would only satisfy his perverted desires.  He also bullied those who rejected his advances.  This is not love.  Everyone who is picking up stones to pound Harvey Weinstein, should take a hard long look in the mirror.  He is a man who has lived a life of loving himself alone, and no one else.  Is that you?  Is that me?  Are you only loving those who love you back?  Isn't that simply loving yourself by extension?  We cannot live by the world’s ethic and find great reward.  Only those who turn from the wisdom of the world and follow the wisdom of Jesus will find such.

No H8!- III audio

You are Loosed

Today we will look at Luke 13:10-17.

In this passage we have a remarkable healing performed by Jesus and yet, we also have a remarkable objection that is made at the same time.  Over the last 2,000 years precious little has changed.  The Gospel of Christ is still making an impact upon this old world and yet, many make illogical and hypocritical attacks against the work of Christ.  As a Christian, we need to be confident in our connection to that man who walked this planet 2 millennia ago.  We need to recognize that our faith exists today because of the work and message of Jesus.  We are part of the work of God.  That said, we also need to remain humble in the realization that we can allow a wayward heart to disconnect us from the work of God and the True Jesus Christ.  This very dynamic will be on display in today’s passage.

A Woman Is Set Free

We see that Jesus was teaching in a synagogue.  We are told the location.  As Jesus taught he saw a woman who had an obvious physical condition.  We will talk about that more in a minute.  However, I must state that Jesus knows both the obvious conditions and the conditions that are not obvious; those ones that remain oblivious to others.  You need to see that Jesus knows your true condition, he has compassion for you, and he has the answer.

Now the condition of the woman is one in which she was bent over in half and could not straighten her back.  It sounds somewhat different than scoliosis, but some debilitating disease had racked her body into a painful shape for the past 18 years.  Just pause for a moment and imagine this happening to you and lasting for 18 years. 

We are also told that the underlying cause to this condition is a “spirit of infirmity.”  Now this is an interesting statement.  First, it clearly points out spiritual activity as the source or cause of the problem.  It is easy in our modern age to scoff and declare that we know it wasn’t a spirit, but rather a virus of some sort.  However, the Bible does not treat sickness as some evil magic by the spirits.  It is only in some cases that we are told either demonic possession or spiritual activity was at work.  Many other cases do not mention or imply any spiritual activity.  If the God of heaven, who is Spirit, could cause matter to come into being at his command, is it not possible that spirits can affect the physical in one way or another?  This is the revelation of the Bible; some physical things have an underlying spiritual cause.  It is also interesting that it does not say the woman is possessed.  There is no interaction with the “spirit” and neither is there an exorcism.  She is not told after the healing, “Go and sin no more…or something worse may come upon you.”  Is she suffering the same way that Job had suffered?  Yes, demonic possession can manifest itself through physical disease.  But, Job was not possessed.  In his case we are told that Satan caused all the problems, even the physical boils.  So some spiritual activity is not so much about possession as it is about oppression.  I think that is the case with this woman.  For whatever reason, God has allowed a spirit to oppress her for the last 18 years.  Now not all sickness is caused by spirits.  However, regardless of the cause, believers are instructed to do the same thing.  We are to gather together and pray in faith for healing; even to the point of calling together the elders of the church and praying over one another.

Here we see that Jesus calls this woman out of the crowd in order to set her free from this affliction.  I have to think that the woman hoped Jesus could heal her that day and yet we see no evidence that she asked.  Rather, Jesus initiates this moment.  It is a joyous thing to know that we serve a God who is an initiator.  In fact, many fail to recognize that He is waiting for a response from them to what He has done in the person of Jesus Christ and the wave of disciples that have come from him.  No matter your need Jesus sees your situation and he has taken the initiative to provide for your healing.  He can set you free physically, emotionally, relationally, and most important spiritually.  Like this woman, we can become bound up by things that we need to be free from; both seen and unseen.  God desires freedom for you.  He did not create you to be bound up by such things.  2 Corinthians 3:17 states, “Where the Spirit of the Lord is there is freedom.”

Jesus touches the woman and says, “You are loosed.”  Her immediate ability to straighten up requires a bit of meditation.  This is huge.  Eighteen years of pain and suffering came to an end in an instant at the Word and Touch of Jesus.  This leads the woman to glorify God.  He is the proper object of our rejoicing.  Too much glorifying of man is going on among the body of Christ.  If God uses someone to help you in one way or another, give Him the glory.  Yes, we can give thanks to a person.  However, we can fall into idolatry when we give to a person what we really should give to God alone.  No man can heal in and of themselves.  They can only trust God and become a channel of His power and grace.  Our tendency to glorify the person is not good and leads to all manner of evil.

An Objection Is Made

In verse 14 we see that the ruler of the synagogue does not like what he is seeing.  It is ironic here that the straightening of a woman who was literally bent, leads to the ruler becoming bent out of shape metaphorically.  He becomes indignant over this situation.  You can tell a lot about a person by what they get angry over.  However, it would behoove us to pay attention to what makes us get mad.  Often we get mad about things we shouldn’t and sit complacently by near things we should be mad at.  When you get mad over little things, or over things that are actually good, it is a red flag that you need to recognize.  Otherwise, our anger will go unchecked and lead us into sin.

The objection he makes is that she is being healed on a Sabbath day in which there was not supposed to be any work done.  His argument is that healing is work.  Now this is a rather flimsy argument.  People could still breathe, speak, and touch one another on the Sabbath.  However, because a woman is able to stand straight at the word and touch of Jesus, it suddenly becomes “work.”  This is clearly a very strained interpretation of what the Old Testament required for the Sabbath observance.  In fact, if we were to call healing work, we might ask ourselves, “Who is really doing the work?”  Healing is the work of God by His Spirit.  Since He created the Sabbath, He is the one who defines “work” and what it is not.  Even then, God is not a slave to the Sabbath.  He is able to do what He wants on a day of rest that he made for humans.  Notice his argument.  There are 6 other days on which you can come and be healed.  So don’t come on the Sabbath.  It seems incredulous that this is his argument in light of the shocking healing that occurred—as if healing were actually happening on those other 6 days.  It is sad that instead of being amazed at the wonder of God’s miracle, he is stretching himself out to make an objection.  When our heart is not right we often “stretch” to make ludicrous objections to God and whomever He is working through.

We might also notice the passive-aggressive style the man employs.  Instead of rebuking Jesus, he stands up and rebukes the crowd.  This underhanded way of slamming Jesus without facing Him is not of God.  The passive-aggressive person has developed a bad habit of trying to make others feel like they are the problem.  They will throw a fit over things that are innocent or irrelevant simply because it isn’t how they wanted it to be.  But Jesus knew exactly how to deal with such a man; he takes him head on and unmasks his sin.

The Answer of Jesus To The Objection

How many years had such leaders ruled over the people of God without a rebuke from Him?  Throughout the Old Testament we are told that God had been faithful to send prophets to rebuke leaders and false prophets.  This would relieve the oppression that godly people would feel underneath of ungodly leaders.  Yet, until John the Baptist, Israel had gone 400 years without a prophet from God to publically check such leaders.  As difficult as it may be in such times, we need to learn to trust God and His seasons.  He works with groups and even individuals in seasons.  Today was a day of freedom for this synagogue.  Whether for spiritual things or for the material things of this world, God can be trust to deal with all things in His time.  Though I may suffer, I can suffer in a way that brings glory and honor to him.  Then I will be ready to participate in the day when he turns my sorrow into joy.  Another thing to remember is that it is important for us to be praying for His intervention.  This is part of growing to understand our need for God’s pure and yet merciful judgment. 

Jesus gives the decision of God against the leadership of this man.  He had probably made similar bully statements over the years.  And yet, this day, God rebukes him.  Jesus tells the man that he is a hypocrite.  He and those leaders throughout Israel who thought like him were steeped in hypocrisy.  Please remember that objections to what Jesus has done are generally masking hypocrisy in the heart of the objector.  Their rejection of Jesus, both his Words and his Deeds, come from a life of pretense.  We will either repent of our tendency towards pretense, or we will press on and reject Christ.  This man was a part of the people who had said they would follow the God of Moses and do everything that He commanded.  This man would say so, and yet here he rejects the very God who he pledged to follow.  How does this happen?  Is it possible today to reject what Jesus is doing all in the name of standing for Jesus?  How many leaders today are teaching people to ignore God’s Word and elevating a modern system of theology over the top of the Truth of God?  How many “Christians” will be led to make objections to True Christianity because they have been following a pretend Christ (or pretending to follow the true Christ)?  God will not let us remain so forever.  He will eventually bring the polarizing truth of His judgment.  In that day we will make our last choice of whose side we will be on; his or our own.

Jesus goes on to flesh out the man’s hypocrisy.  He points to the reality that animals needed to be and were watered on the Sabbath.  If it is permissible to break the Sabbath in order to minister to the physical needs of an animal, how much more is it permissible to minister to the needs of this woman who has been in need for 18 years?  More than that Jesus refers to her as a “daughter of Abraham.”  She is a believer and has a place in the promise of Abraham, but her brother objects to her being set free?  Now it is interesting today that many people have the same heart.  They have more compassion for an animal being killed than for a human baby being ripped out of the womb.  How insensitive have we become to the gross degree to which our ethical decisions display our hypocrisy?  May we wake up before it is too late and repent of such ways of thinking and return to the ways of God.

Now Jesus makes another point.  The way that he words the phrase in the original language emphasizes that the Sabbath is exactly the day on which she should be set free, and not on the others.  It is the most proper time.  This woman, who has had no rest from her suffering, while others around her were able to enjoy the Rest of God, needs rest.  Who will give it to her?  This life has a certain weariness to it.  It is a place of work and toil in the midst of difficulty and suffering.  Yet, in the midst of it, God wants to give us rest.  In some ways our life is a metaphor for these things.  Each day our bodies rest at night in order to be refreshed for the next day.  And yet, eventually we all come to the day of death in which our bodies rest forever.  Yet, this speaks to an eternal refreshing that God has for us.  Similarly, God refreshes us throughout this life in our spiritual walk.  Though we be weary we can find rest and refreshment in Him.  However, it is in the Resurrection and the Age to come that we will find our ultimate rest and refreshment. 

Let us hold fast to these things in faith.  Let us not grow weary in doing the good work that God has given us to do.  Let us not be bullied by the objections and commands of those who are hypocritical.  Rather, let us follow Jesus.  It is He who is making all things new.  The crowd that day was divided into those who were indignant at Jesus and those who rejoiced.  God is doing a good work today.  Many in this world are indignant at it.  But we can rejoice with Him in all that He is doing.  Those who are indignant will be put to shame, but those who rejoice will enter into His rest and be completely restored and healed.  The Truth of God will be made evident in That Day and the logic of those who stand against God will be clearly exposed and judged.  How respond to Christ and His work reveals much about our heart.

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Discerning The Times

Today we will be looking at Luke 12:54-59.

In the 1960's Bob Dylan came out with his single "The Times They Are A Changin'."  In it he warns people, politicians, and parents that things are changing and if you stand in the road you will get ran over.  It is interesting that at the end of the song he warns that those who are leading the change today will be the ones standing in the way in the future.  In fact he refers to this constant changing as a curse.  Whether he is tying back to the biblical account of the Fall of Man or he simply describes it as it is, the curse is that things do not stay the same and you either get on board or get left behind. 

Up to this point in Luke 12, Jesus has been mainly addressing his disciples.  But, here He addresses the multitudes.  The disciples needed to be ready for the work he gives them, the persecution they would endure and the return of Jesus.  However, the multitudes needed to make a choice whether to become disciples or not.  In a word Jesus challenges them to get off the fence because the times they were a changin'.

Good At Recognizing The Weather

In verses 54-56 Jesus points out their ability to recognize what the weather will be based upon the signs they see in the sky.  Of course, he doesn't care about their forecasting ability.  Rather he is pointing out how studious and quick to recognize things that had to do with weather.  This will be in contrast to their laziness at recognizing the times.

Israel's weather was impacted by a large body of water, the Mediterranean Sea, to the West and a desert to the South.  Thus when they saw clouds over the water it was a sign that rain was on the way.  Similarly when the prevailing winds came from the South, there would be hot weather.  These were a "rule of thumb" in regard to weather.  Now it would be good for us to stop and ask ourselves this question.  What things do I pay particular attention to and recognize, and what do I not?  What subtle changes in the world around me do I pay steadfast attention to and quickly move in activity because of them?  Is it the weather, financial matters, politics, economics, popular culture, the latest movies?  We need to recognize that the amount of time we spend paying attention to these things will be "exhibit A" when we stand before God and give account regarding this issue of understanding what God is doing.  If you have the attitude that it is too hard to discern what God is doing, or you could care less, then know that you will be left without excuse when you stand before Him.

Bad At Recognizing The Times

Jesus is talking about something greater than what Bob Dylan sang about.  You see Dylan's song has a spiritual side to it, but the wave of change he is talking about are those that are man generated and purposed.  Although we would recognize the Devil has a part to play in them, they are the hopes and dreams of the people at the time and manipulated by the inter-dimensional spirit being we call Satan.  But Jesus is referring to the times of God's dealing with the nation of Israel, in this case.  Over the top of all the turbulent sea of man's projects and changes is the more powerful and unstoppable purposes and seasons of God's purpose.  It is this that the multitudes were missing.

The term "times" comes from a word that has the sense of "seasons."  Thus it is not about sequence as much as it is about the designed time for an activity, whether it be the season of planting and harvesting, or the season of war and peace.  Again, man pursues his seasons, but God's dealings with men have "seasons" as well.  He appoints a certain amount of time to accomplish certain things.  Thus the "seasons" of men and the "Seasons" of God are often at odds with one another.  In these situations it does not matter if all the world are united to do what they want, God's purpose will overrule theirs.  Of course men are free to operate as they will.  However, it is always within the parameters of what God is doing.  The prophets of the Old Testament had warned the people of Israel that a Season of Change was coming.  The Anointed One of God would come and judge the nations and restore righteousness to Israel and the Earth.  Even John the Baptist warned people, "repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand."  People needed to prepare their lives and ready themselves for the One who would put down the wicked and exalt the righteous.

Yet, the multitudes of Israel had become hypocrites in general.  The word means to be a stage player or actor (i.e. a pretender).  What were they pretending and why?  First they were pretending to want God's Messiah to come.  They were pretending to want the righteousness of God to be established on the Earth.  How can I say that? I'm not saying it.  Rather, this is the judgment of Jesus over them.  They drew near God with their lips and gave "lip service" to His prophecies and teachings.  However, in their hearts they did not repent of their own wickedness.  They never thought through the reality of what a righteous king would mean in a wicked land.  Their hearts were far from God.

This failure was not for lack of instruction.  They had plenty of instruction and plenty of warning.  Yet, they had spent more energy on understanding the things of temporary impact than on the things of eternal impact.  Even today, here in America, we are swimming in a sea of instruction concerning the times and seasons of God.  We have been warned over and over again that the Righteous Jesus is coming back.  Am I giving lip service to such things without giving proper attention to such a serious matter?  Am I spending all my time on understanding the technology, politics, and culture of my day so that I can succeed, but ignoring God's seasons?  What will it profit a man to succeed in this temporary Age and yet fail in keeping his soul for eternity?

Do you recognize the times that we live in?  This is the Age or Season of God's grace.  Instead of judging the nations, God called a remnant out of Israel (the Church) and commissioned them to make known His terms of peace with the nations of the world.  This season of opportunity has been going for the last two millennia.  Our judgment is sealed but the offer of peace is still on the table.  This season has been compared to a crop.  There is a time of planting, a time of letting it grow, and eventually there is a harvest.  The Church Age is coming to a close.  I do not offer dates only warnings.  The Harvest of the earth is nearly complete and then the judgment will come.  Are you ready?  If you do not take time to understand these thing then you will not be ready and will perish in the judgment that is coming.

Bad At Recognizing Our Personal "Times"

In verses 57-59, Jesus focuses not so much on the greater "seasons" of God's dealing with Israel, but on God's dealing with each individual.  His dealing with you as an individual has seasons as well.  "Why even of yourselves do you not judge what is right?"  God is faithful to make sure that his Truth is being revealed to us.  He works to bring us to a knowledge of the truth, to bring us to faith, and then to transform us.  Those who continue to resist this work until it is too late will be judged.  Thus the multitudes were interested in hearing Jesus, but they needed to pay better attention to the spiritual implications of their life.

The people of Israel were about to face judgment as a nation.  This means that all the individuals of that nation were facing judgment as well.  The handwriting was on the wall and the Romans had only increased their stranglehold upon the nation of Israel.  The political and religious leaders had only grown more and more ungodly.  Many rebel groups kept forming, being stomped out, and forming again.  Such dangerous times teach a person to make sure that they have right standing with God.  When the world around you is going to hell in a hand basket, you had better know that you belong to God.

This instruction, about being taken before the magistrate and seeking terms before the judgment, seems to be a metaphor for the coming judgment by God.  They were about to be judged nationally and personally. Yet, notice that Jesus is advising them to do everything they can to settle out of court.  The practicality of settling out of court is seen in different ways.  Some settle out of court because it will be cheaper in the long run.  Others settle out of court because the offended party has the choice to have mercy on us.  But the magistrates must carry out the law and give us the penalty due.  

It is here that we see the offer of salvation in Jesus being compared to "settling out of court."  Come unto me all you who are weary and heavy laden.  In this sense we are not just burdened with the sins of others.  We are also burdened with the overhanging judgment of our own sins.  But the words, "Repent and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved!"  A simple changing of your minds and putting of your trust upon Jesus can change everything.

When Israel was in the desert, they lived as nomads in tents.  They had no permanent home.  When the cloud of the presence of God lifted off of the Tabernacle, it was time to pack up camp and leave.  When it stopped it was time to unpack and set up residence.  This is a picture of what the Christian life is supposed to be like.  This is not our home.  Our home is when we dwell with Jesus.  Until then, we follow Him throughout this wilderness.  When he packs up to move we do to.  In some ways the "church" has become too enamored with building permanent institutions in a time in which we are to be quick to move with God.  Those very things we build become an entanglement to our heart when God asks us to leave them be and come follow Him.  We have to be careful that we are not hanging on to things that God is leaving behind, nor chasing things that have nothing to do with where He is headed.  Such things cloud our judgment and steal our time away from the more pressing eternal matters of God's purposes.

Discerning the Times audio