A question to ponder: Which command of Jesus is most resonant for you?
Jesus said lots of things, not all of which were commands. And since all of the scripture is inspired, we should value all of it in some way or another. But it’s interesting how different types of Christians have their preferences. For example…
A good example is found in Jeremiah 8:7: “Even the stork in the heavens knows its times; and the turtledove, swallow, and crane observe the time of their coming; but my people do not know the ordinance of the Lord.” These birds somehow know their needs; they can migrate thousands of miles to meet them. Jeremiah used this fact to point to our need for the scriptures. There’s a popular expression: “Dusty Bibles lead to dirty lives.” Jeremiah preached somewhere around 600 B.C., and his audience objected to his critique in Jeremiah 8:8a. The Israelites of old had access to the scriptures (which they called “the law of Lord”). They saw this as part of their heritage of being God’s chosen people. They were proud of the wisdom it gave them. It’s definitely a blessed thing when God reveals something to you, but it’s more important that you do something with it. It’s not enough to have a Bible. It’s not enough even to memorize it. It needs to be interpreted correctly so that it brings life, not destruction. This is why Jeremiah was critical of the scribes (in 8:8b) for their role as (mis)interpreters of scripture. The end effect of their teaching was so contrary to God’s intent that it amounted to an outright denial of it: “…they have rejected the word of the Lord” (8:9). This came as part of his larger critique of their shallow religion that was mixed with idolatry (8:19b), with the use of theodicy as a deflection from their own responsibility (in 8:14 – which means that they were blaming God for problems that went back to their own bad choices.) All of this came in a time of great national change. Many of Jeremiah’s prophecies are seen as anticipating the downfall of Jerusalem in 587 B.C. He described the coming conquest in very graphic terms – with both literal and image descriptions (e.g. 8:10a,16-17). He was sharply critical of the nation’s self-destructive behaviors, which included dishonesty (8:5, 9:3), stubborn unrepentance (8:12, 9:6), greed (8:10b), and schemery (9:8). There were times the prophet was so frustrated with the people that he wanted to leave them all behind (9:2). But he certainly didn’t delight in their destruction either. The difference between an angry hell-fire-and-brimstone preacher and a godly pastor is a genuine love for the people. This is why Jeremiah found himself grieving, lamenting, and weeping for the people and their situation (in 8:18-21,9:1). Jeremiah spoke a lot about missed opportunities. God is always putting opportunities before us to be obedient, to make things better, to be faithful, and to bear good fruit (8:13,20). The nation was going through something like a failed harvest, which was a powerful image at the time. (Today if the farmers have a bad year, the economy suffers. Back then it meant that people would starve to death.) His most famous line references healing medicines: “Is there no balm in Gilead?” (8:22). Since Gilead was famous for its medicinal products, that would be like saying “Are there no slot machines in Vegas?” The medicine is available; healing is possible. This is the fact inspired famous Christian spiritual that points to Jesus: “There is a balm in Gilead to heal the sin sick soul / There is a balm in Gilead to make the wounded whole.” Jesus comes to bring healing. Jesus died for our sins on the cross. Jesus rose from the dead and lives forevermore. Jesus is promised to return. And Jesus tells us to look at the birds. He tells us not to worry, but to be faithful. He tells us to seek the Kingdom, and everything else will be added unto us (in Matthew 6:25-33 – another one of His memorable commands). God’s word is something we need because it can inspire us to be faithful. But ultimately it’s the wonderful grace of Jesus that saves us. God bless you, Andrew McHenry, Pastor First Congregational Church
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Andrew McHenryI am a husband, a Congregational pastor, and a native Kansan currently living in Thermalito, California. In the past I have also been a prison chaplain and a youth pastor. Interests include reading, railroads, prog rock, KU, and the KC Royals. Archives
March 2024
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