Lent

[Stella180]

This is where I find things difficult. Medicine today is completely different to 2k years ago. We have more knowledge and better understanding of the body and mind but let’s remember, only 60 years ago being gay was considered a mental illness. Was this man truly possessed by a demon? It’s easier to believe in these things when you don’t know any different. When we don’t understand something it’s easy to see magic, miracles, exorcism because it is soothing. There are many wonderful lessons to be learned from the bible which are as relevant today as they were when first written, but some elements of the tales are a little far fetched for my liking. The struggle of good and evil is real and in this day and age the lines are being scarily blurred which worries me but I wouldn’t cry out for exorcisms to be carried out to expel demons.

[Suzi]

Sounds like an episode of Supernatural lol

[Paula]

I find it difficult too.

[Paula]

Luke 11:27-28
[27] As Jesus was saying these things, a woman in the crowd called out, “Blessed is the mother who gave you birth and nursed you.” [28] He replied, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.”

“In essence, Jesus is saying, ‘Dear woman, I have indeed had a mother blessed by God, but you too can be blessed. Do not make the mistake of locating true blessing in the providences that surround your life. Rather, hear God’s word, trust him and walk in obedience”.

I’ve been praying each day for a country on the World Watch List, a list of the top 50 countries where Christians face the most extreme persecution. I doubt anyone looking in on what some of these people face would see them as blessed but it’s often the case that those most persecuted would disagree. I’ve also read today about Mother Theresa who, in our secular definition of blessings would be way down that list yet she listened to God’s word and kept it and was able to say this, ‘When you don’t have anything, then you have everything’.

[Suzi]

I think it's very depedent on your outlook too? I have conversations when people hear about my disabilities and that I've had to give up my hopes of going back to teaching etc where they start with pity, but I genuinely consider myself to be the luckiest woman alive. I have a husband I love and who loves me, 3 amazing children when I was told I'd not be able to have any, 3 awesome rescue dogs, this place and some of the best friends that anyone could ever have. I consider those all to be my blessings.. Marc and I may not have money or our own house, we may not have the careers we hoped for, but we are so blessed. I truly believe that we are richer than so many who have so much more financially etc Does that make sense?

[Paula]

Absolutely

[OldMike]

Totally makes sense to me Suzi

[Paula]

Luke 11:37-54
[37] When Jesus had finished speaking, a Pharisee invited him to eat with him; so he went in and reclined at the table. [38] But the Pharisee was surprised when he noticed that Jesus did not first wash before the meal. [39] Then the Lord said to him, “Now then, you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness. [40] You foolish people! Did not the one who made the outside make the inside also? [41] But now as for what is inside you---be generous to the poor, and everything will be clean for you. [42] “Woe to you Pharisees, because you give God a tenth of your mint, rue and all other kinds of garden herbs, but you neglect justice and the love of God. You should have practiced the latter without leaving the former undone. [43] “Woe to you Pharisees, because you love the most important seats in the synagogues and respectful greetings in the marketplaces. [44] “Woe to you, because you are like unmarked graves, which people walk over without knowing it.” [45] One of the experts in the law answered him, “Teacher, when you say these things, you insult us also.” [46] Jesus replied, “And you experts in the law, woe to you, because you load people down with burdens they can hardly carry, and you yourselves will not lift one finger to help them. [47] “Woe to you, because you build tombs for the prophets, and it was your ancestors who killed them. [48] So you testify that you approve of what your ancestors did; they killed the prophets, and you build their tombs. [49] Because of this, God in his wisdom said, 'I will send them prophets and apostles, some of whom they will kill and others they will persecute.' [50] Therefore this generation will be held responsible for the blood of all the prophets that has been shed since the beginning of the world, [51] from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who was killed between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, this generation will be held responsible for it all. [52] “Woe to you experts in the law, because you have taken away the key to knowledge. You yourselves have not entered, and you have hindered those who were entering.” [53] When Jesus went outside, the Pharisees and the teachers of the law began to oppose him fiercely and to besiege him with questions, [54] waiting to catch him in something he might say.

Today’s reading is not about whether Jesus was unhygienic and, I suspect, he purposefully didn’t wash his hands to trigger this debate...... The Pharisees and Teachers of the Law were in a position of responsibility to guide and teach the Jews about God. In actuality, by this time in the history of the nation, the majority of them were all about how best to ‘control’ the Jews to the benefit of these teachers. They taught and enforced one way, while behaving another - and had power and wealth as an end result (“they made a pretence of devotion to God in order to be admired by men “).

Thing is, hypocrisy is nothing new, and is still rife in all areas of life, across the world. But God really hates hypocrisy amongst the people who are supposed to be leading His people. The Apostle Paul had this to say to the Apostle Peter (Cephas) (James was the leader of the church in Jerusalem):

Galatians 2:11-16
[11] When Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. [12] For before certain men came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles. But when they arrived, he began to draw back and separate himself from the Gentiles because he was afraid of those who belonged to the circumcision group. [13] The other Jews joined him in his hypocrisy, so that by their hypocrisy even Barnabas was led astray. [14] When I saw that they were not acting in line with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas in front of them all, “You are a Jew, yet you live like a Gentile and not like a Jew. How is it, then, that you force Gentiles to follow Jewish customs? [15] “We who are Jews by birth and not sinful Gentiles [16] know that a person is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified.

[Suzi]

See I read it as being kind on the outside is just for show, but it's far more important to be kind on the inside...

[Paula]

Absolutely, but it’s a lot more too:

Matthew 23:13
[13] “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people's faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to.

Jesus is saying here that what they were doing was stopping the people they were meant to be teaching about God from actually knowing God - a much bigger crime