God of the living Luke 20:27-40

Jesus sat openly in the temple in the week before his crucifixion. He spoke his mind. Just a week before his death the conflict between Jesus and many powerful people came out into the open. One after another different people came hoping to trap him in some form of blaspehmy—but they couldn't.

First it was the Pharisees who came scheming, then the Sadducees came looking too entrap him too. But hard as they tried they to catch him openly denying the authority of God, the law, or scripture they just couldn't catch him--because he didn't come to deny God or scripture. But they weren't going to give up power to him. These two groups had significant differences but Jesus was a common problem. The Sadducees didn't see any possibility of life after death and the Pharisees did believe in life after death. The Sadducees were connected to the ancient priestly families who prospered from the operation of the temple. The Pharisees made themselves out to be experts at teaching and keeping the law.

These two groups were both vying for the hearts and minds of the people and then Jesus came along and the whole situation changed. The issues the Pharisees and Sadducees had with each other where significant. But when Jesus came along those issues fell to the side. They wanted to just take him on and expose him for who they really thought he was. They were trolling to catch Jesus all it would take is a word and they could get rid of him. Much like a fisherman throwing bait on a hock behind a drifting boat these men came at Jesus over and over with many questions and stories. They were trolling and Jesus didn't bite.

When the Sadducees came they had a great story. Image a woman who was married. And her husband died—and so like the ancient law of Moses taught she married his younger brother. Imagine he died. They she married the next brother and he died. In keeping with the law, she married 7 brothers in row. She married one brother in succession after the other. Oh boy this story is a doozy. And when she's resurrected who's wife will she be in the end? The question was a total set up. The people who asked him knew it. The Sadducees mocked Jesus and others who think there is life after death. These people didn't believe in resurrection. But they knew Jesus did and they tried to trap him and expose him as a fool or a blasphemer.

And Jesus responded to their doubts and mocking. And he opened up a view of heaven to his hearers that left them speechless. The Sadducees were seeking to mock the idea of life after death and Jesus blew them away. We imagine things from our perspective and Jesus gave them just a glimpse of the life to come. Marriage and relationship, the human body and it's mortality are all going to be transformed by resurrection. The promise underneath it all is simple. God is God not of the dead--but the living.

The Sadducees didn't have anything more to say. But for me the promise of God's power of death matters. Here is hope in the face of death and despair. Here's the promise of new life for all who believe. He is the God of the living.
Peace and thanks for reading, John

God heard his prayer Luke 18:9-14?

Jesus valued humility.
-not false humility-but honest to God humility. Jesus told a parable of two men going to pray Luke 18:9-10. One man prayed thanking God he wasn't like that other man. After all that other man was a known sinner Luke 19:11-12. And this known sinner couldn't even hold his eyes up to heaven as he cried out for mercy Luke 19:13-14.
So which prayer was heard?
The prayer of the sinner who called out to God for mercy. Jesus reveals God's heart for the whole world. The prayer God hears comes from the one who calls out in faith for mercy. This man had no works and no pride to bring--he only had faith in God and he counted only on God's mercy.
I don't consider myself good or holy on my own. I believe God alone is holy (Revelation 15:4) and good (Luke 18:19). I believe Heaven has no regard for fake humility or pious seeming actions done just for show--Jesus is clear those who for the sake of appearances
give alms Matthew 6:1-4
pray Matthew 6:5-8
fast Matthew 6:16-18
have already gotten their rewards in the attention they were seeking. Jesus is after something different than just the apprearance of holiness. Jesus tells his followers not to be concerned with what others see but to worry only and solely about what God sees--the heart. Jesus is incredibly consistent here. This is the same God/Man who tells us to store up for ourselves treasures in heaven that can never be stolen away or destroyed Matthew 6:19-21.
So what prayers will God hear from you?
Peace to you and thanks for reading, John

Prayers of Hope Luke 18:1-8?

Jesus taught his friends to pray through example and parable.
One prayer parable stands out: the story of a praying widow who needed an unjust judge to hear her case (Luke 18:1-3). Jesus wove a great story. A tenacious woman kept coming back to an unjust judge. She needed justice and wouldn't stop asking for it. The judge didn't care and ignored her time and again. And she kept coming back for justice. Finally, because she had not given up, the judge relented and heard her case (Luke 18:4-5). A hurting widow who wouldn't stop fighting for justice--Jesus presents her as our model for prayer and faithfulness (Luke 18.6-8).

Jesus understands a hurting person's need: Much like a desperate widow, praying people have only one place to turn. The living God is the final judge and in all cases is the only one who matters. After every other avenue has been exhausted there's hope for those who pray for justice. This woman was asking for the right thing to happen. She wasn't asking for evil to be done to her opponent. She was seeking justice. Likewise in our prayer we must only seek God's will. We must only seek what is just in the sight of God.
We as people choose many avenues as try on our own to make thing right ranging from medicine to law, counseling to silence. And after everything else has been exhausted prayer is the hope that remains. Some might wonder why we don't pray first in all situations. Jesus says we should call to God day and night Luke 18:6-7. There's something about human nature that comes out here. We don't always turn to God first; but there's a promise here too that God is faithful ready to hear our cries for His will to be done. There is a promise that God is searching to find those who are full of faith seeking for His will to be done.
What do you think?
Thanks for reading, John

a little seed Luke 17:5-10?

Jesus friends asked him to, "Increase our faith."
Jesus said faith big as a mustard seed was all they needed (Luke 17:5). An observant Bible student noted the story behind Jesus' mustard seed promise. Jesus' friends were struggling. He asked them to forgive someone 8 times in 1 day. This was too hard (Luke 17:4). Anyone who's ever been betrayed knows the struggle to forgive. Jesus friends felt a need to grumble--this call to forgive is hard; it's truly impossible without God. Forgiveness means surrendering your anger and whatever you hold over another. Still their Lord spoke boldly--all they needed was the faith of a little seed.
A tiny seed, that's enough; that's it. A mustard seed is enough to forgive, to go to heaven, to live in this broken world. Still for 2000 years Christians want to be more faithful. Many have a felt need to do more to trust God. Scripture is clear saving faith is trusting in Christ--the living Son of God: it was the same 500, 1000, 1500, and 2000 years ago.
A great story of saving faith comes from the cross. 3 men were crucified. Jesus was in the middle. One harassed Jesus (Luke 23:39-41). But the other was saved by faith. His trust in Jesus opened the way to paradise (Luke 23:42-43). Trust in God is enough.(John 20:30-31). Like the ancient prophet said to the nation of Israel,

Look at the proud!
Their spirit is not right in them,
but the righteous live by their faith (Habakkuk 2:4 NRSV)

We strive for ways to be more righteous and honorable. We strive to be all the more deserving of God's grace and love. And all Jesus asks of us is the faith of a little seed--God will provide the rest.
Peace and thank for reading, John

Happy, Blessed, and Beautiful in God's Eyes Matthew 5:1-12

The Gospel, that we read for All Saints, is sometimes called the Beatitudes. It is the greatest description, that I know, of the world as God both wills it to be and as God sees it coming into being through lives of faith.

Jesus spoke these words to a huge crowd. They came searching for him. Some hoped he’d heal their bodies or spirits. Others believed Jesus was the great leader who’d come to set them free from earthly tyranny. People came from all over searching for this great teacher, this great rabbi. And Jesus was ready to teach. He went up to the top of the mountain. He sat down and he began to teach them about what the world looks like to God.

If you read this passage you will see that one phrase is repeated over and over: μακάριοι οἱ this is often translated blessed are those or happy are those. One word μακάριοι is repeated over and over, blessed or happy are those who are:

• poor in spirit
  
• in mourning
  
• meek
  
• hungering and thirsting for righteousness
  
• clean in heart
  
• peacemakers
  
• persecuted for righteousness sake
  

The popular definition of happiness or blessing that grows out of material wealth doesn't fit these very real life circumstance that Jesus' followers face every day. Still we call call these the Beatitudes, a word that comes from the Latin beatus for beauty. Maybe another translation is beautiful in the sight of God. Think of the one who follows God and think of that one described as blessed, happy, and beautiful in the site of God.

Blessed, happy, beautiful, in the end each of these translation of the word μακάριοι gives us a different facet of the story. The key here is seeing just how radically Jesus sees the world from us. He's offering a markedly different vision of the world from what we humans see. He sees beauty and joy and blessing in God's people even when we might not see it.