For a description of the (Y2) reading plan, see the “About” page.
Luke 7
This chapter in Luke has me thinking about faith. I see the centurion whose faith actually amazed Jesus. And I see the widow who received her son back without any apparent faith at all. How could she have faith for something she didn’t even ask for? And then I think about the people in Jesus’ hometown. He could not perform many miracles there because of their unbelief. What does all of this tell me about faith and how God works through it?
In His response to John the Baptist’s men Jesus said, “Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me.” (Lk. 7:23). I think John and the people in Jesus’ hometown had a little something in common. They both had expectations. Because Jesus did not fit those expectations, they had doubts. Thus, Jesus, or rather their ideas about Jesus, became a stumbling block between them and faith. I guess you could say that the centurion had expectations as well. However, his expectations left the door to possibility wide open while those of the hometown folks focused on perceived limitations. So I’d say faith has at least a little to do with our expectations. If we put limitations on God, we experience a limited God because we close the door on Him.
But what about the widow woman? She didn’t ask for and wasn’t expecting anything, yet Jesus performed a significant miracle for her. I have two thoughts about that. First, though she may not have had active faith in the situation, she also did not close the door to possibility. She was never really given the chance. Jesus simply did the deed, likely before she even realized what was happening. Which brings up my second thought. Luke wrote, “When the Lord saw her, His heart went out to her” (Lk. 7:13a). And so I see that sometimes God’s work in our lives isn’t a matter of faith at all. Sometimes God simply has compassion on whom He has compassion (see Rom. 9:15).
Ezek. 44-45
What is the significance of the glory of the Lord returning to the temple (compare with chapter 10)? I still have no clue as to the significance and meaning of this whole temple vision in Ezekiel. While there seems to be a message of some degree of restoration in it, all the regulations and sacrifices don’t speak of God’s final restoration to me. I do see that a subset of the Levitical priests, the descendants of Zadok who remained faithful to God, were set apart in service to Him. God had a strict set of regulations and a specific task just for them. “They are to teach my people the difference between the holy and the common and show them how to distinguish between the unclean and the clean.” (Ez. 44:23). It seems this was the purpose of the Law in the first place. So why the special instruction here?
I find one other instance where this phrasing about the distinctions between holy and common, clean and unclean is used. It is in Leviticus 10, after two of Aaron’s sons made an unauthorized offering to God. Aaron and his remaining sons were the subset of the priests who had not been unfaithful to God. Moses instructed them to not leave the tent of meeting or mourn for those the LORD had destroyed by fire. Then the LORD instructed them not to have any fermented drinks whenever they served before Him, “so that you can distinguish between the holy and the common, the unclean and the clean, and so you can teach the Israelites all the decrees the LORD has given them through Moses.” (Lev. 10:10-11). I definitely see some correlation there, but am still at a loss as to the meaning of it all.
Ps. 136
This antiphonal hymn (call and response) was sung at Israel’s festivals. The call celebrated God’s activity in their history, and the response was “His love endures forever.” Take a moment to think of God’s activity in your life, and celebrate with praise. From the creation of the world to our ultimate redemption, God is God and His love endures forever. Why His love and not some other attribute? Or even simply His existence. Why not simply, “God endures forever”? I have no real answers, just a couple of brief thoughts on that.
One thought is that love really is the essence of God’s character. Perhaps the ability to truly love is the aspect in which we were created in God’s image. That is why obedience to God is all about love. The other thought is that it seems quite possible to me that love is the reason God started this whole creation mess in the first place. Love is what drives Him to do all that He does. So, as Paul makes a point of in 1 Corinthians 13, there is no attribute greater than love.