Contemplative Bible Reading

1 Timothy 2:1-4 (New Living Translation)

1 I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them. 2 Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity. 3 This is good and pleases God our Savior, 4 who wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth.

The United States of America is 250 years old today. That depends of course on how we count years and events. Nevertheless, this is supposed to be an important milestone. I am old enough to remember the bicentennial of America. I graduated high school that year (yes, I am that old).

In theses verses, Paul urges Timothy to pray for all people (A L L P E O P L E — I could write a few dozen posts on that concept). The second sentence specifically mentions kings, those in authority, and politicians by today’s standards. The desired result is we can live peaceful and quiet lives. Not so that we can relax in peace and quiet, but that we can live godly lives with dignity. Yeah, I like that.

We have that in America today. Sure, folks bicker and fuss and yell at one another. Sure, it seems that THEY are trying to ruin everything, but really, breathe a moment in godly dignity. Settle down. I am sure there are plenty of old sayings to write here.

I recently saw something on YouTube (the fount of all knowledge — not) that in elections in America, we are not voting for a savior. We already have a Savior. We merely vote for someone to represent us in our form of representative democracy. Many times we hold our nose due to the stench and vote anyways.

And per Paul’s urging, let us pray. Let us intercede on behalf of our elected representatives. Let us especially intercede on behalf of those representatives whom we did not favor with our votes. They need prayers. They need prayers almost as much as I need prayers. Let us not skip over the first phrase from Paul’s urging and pray for A L L P E O P L E. Please put me at the top of your list.

Amos 5:21 (New Living Translation)

21 “I hate all your show and pretense—the hypocrisy of your religious festivals and solemn assemblies.

pretense: verb, the act of behaving in a certain way to make something that is not true appear real. It is a false show, a fabricated claim, or an insincere attempt to hide one’s true feelings, intentions, or identity.

God is speaking to the people through the prophet Amos. The people are hypocrites. When I was a kid, there was a saying from the non-church goers describing the church goers. “Churches are full of a bunch of hypocrites.” Pardon the digression back to the 1970s.

In this instance, the people were hypocrites. God saw it; God called it. The acts of respect and love towards God, a.k.a., religious ceremonies, were a show and pretense. See the definition of pretense above. Make something that is not true appear real. Have a false show or fabricated claim.

Lie with you words and actions.

Oh, lying. Now I understand that one. The people were a bunch of liars. That is plain and simple. That is wrong. And they thought they could lie to God the Creator who knows all minds and hearts. Foolishness.

God hates lying. Plain and simple. And to lie about the love and respect of God… well that is about as bad a lie as the tongue can tell. God hates that. Plain and simple.

We have all this stuff that is plain and simple, yet we think we can wiggle around enough and put on a big enough show to “get away with it.” Nope. We aren’t getting away with anything with God. God knows. God hates the show and pretense. I need to get it together here.

Mark 6:37 (New Living Translation)

37 But Jesus said, “You feed them.”

“With what?” they asked. “We’d have to work for months to earn enough money to buy food for all these people!”

This is part of the (hi)story of feeding 5,000 people with no visible means to do so. When asked what to do with all these hungry people, Jesus answers, “You feed them.”

The followers protest with a good reason why they couldn’t feed the people. They didn’t have the means; they didn’t have the money.

Jesus knew all that. Still, the instructions are simple. You are here to care for others. Do it.

There are many situations when practical considerations dictate that … Okay, enough of practical considerations and matters of physical means. Jesus put us, Jesus put me, here to care for others. Do it. But what about? Okay, I can think of a thousand situations and ten thousand excuses. All those don’t matter. Jesus put me right here and now with these people. Care for them. Feed them. ‘Nuff said. Now it is time to do.

Ezekiel 9:9 (New Living Translation)

9 Then he said to me, “The sins of the people of Israel and Judah are very, very great. The entire land is full of murder; the city is filled with injustice. They are saying, ‘The Lord doesn’t see it! The Lord has abandoned the land!’

God is speaking to the people through the prophet Ezekiel. Their sins are “very, very great.” I wouldn’t write a phrase like that, perhaps their is something lost in translation.

The city is filled with injustice. Now that is a high concept. Injustice. What is that?

The entire land is full of murder. I am bigger than you. I am stronger than you. I have a sword, and you don’t. I want your things. Simple. I kill you and take your things. Right? Wrong? There is no right and wrong. Someone will stop me? Who? I didn’t think so.

This is injustice. Right and wrong don’t matter. The big beat the small. Simple.

God has a lot of rules. Some people reject God because they want to do things that God declares is a violation of the rules, i.e., is wrong. But what’s the harm in a little … fun? Some people think its fun to beat another person and take their things. Considering it fun doesn’t matter. It is wrong.

It is injustice.

Jeremiah 30:11 (New Living Translation)

11 For I am with you and will save you,” says the Lord.

“I will completely destroy the nations where I have scattered you, but I will not completely destroy you.

I will discipline you, but with justice; I cannot let you go unpunished.”

God is talking to the people through the prophet Jeremiah. God begins with, “I will save you.”

Whew! Comfort. This story is gonna’ end good. And those dastardly nations who killed many of the people? God will destroy them. Good. They had it coming.

Uh, oh, wait, there is more (isn’t there always more?). God cannot let the people go unpunished. God will discipline the people. Uh, what? The discipline will come with justice. I don’t like “justice” in this context. That sounds like I’m “gonna’ git what I deserve,” and I don’t like gittin’ what I deserve.

There is this nagging thought that God cannot let people go unpunished when they deserve punishment. Surely, today, this doesn’t hold, right? I mean, we won’t be invaded, conquered, and hauled off into slavery into another country. Will we? There are other types of punishment that can come from God. Many other types. I don’t want to experience those. I won’t even type the words here while typing these words.

Nevertheless, there is punishment. Please God, have mercy on me and help me in my unbelief.

Mark 10:51-52 (New Living Translation)

51 “What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked.

“My Rabbi,” the blind man said, “I want to see!”

52 And Jesus said to him, “Go, for your faith has healed you.” Instantly the man could see, and he followed Jesus down the road.

This is the (hi)story of Jesus healing someone, i.e., a miracle. There is a blind man named Bartimaeus by the side of the road. He knows that Jesus is walking his way and he cries for mercy. This is all an uncomfortable situation socially. I mean, really, push these helpless beggars out of sight. We don’t want Jesus to think the rest of us are, well, less than perfect.

Jesus talks to this man asking for mercy. The first words from Jesus are, “What do you want me to do for you?”

Good grief Jesus. Heal his eyes! Right?

Well, the man had asked for mercy. Perhaps the man wanted happiness or money or food. Perhaps the man knew of others who needed food, shelter, and clothing. Perhaps…well, the list goes on. Jesus, not assuming anything and already knowing the answer, asks anyways. I suppose there are many stories and lessons in the fact that God knows what we want and need, yet God waits for us to ask. Jesus wants to hear Bartimaeus say the words. Jesus wants to hear Bartimaeus, and me today, ask.

There is something amazing in saying the words or writing the words or painting the picture or playing the music or expressing something in any one of many ways. There is something cleansing and freeing in expressing ourselves to God. God, our creator, knows that about us. God awaits the request.

Bartimaeus asks. Jesus grants. Bartimaeus follows Jesus thereafter.

Please God, await my words patiently. And thank you for patience.

Jeremiah 14:11-12 (New Living Translation)

11 Then the Lord said to me, “Do not pray for these people anymore. 12 When they fast, I will pay no attention. When they present their burnt offerings and grain offerings to me, I will not accept them. Instead, I will devour them with war, famine, and disease.”

God is speaking to the prophet Jeremiah. Here is a command: don’t pray for these people.

Huh? Of course we pray for others. Of course we pray for ourselves. What is this? Yet another mix up in translation? Nope.

God was out done (does anyone say, “out done” any more?). God’s patience was exhausted (can man exhaust God’s patience and love?). These people whom God had chosen were to be devoured by war, famine, and disease.

Why? How? What?

Jeremiah goes on to plead with God. Jeremiah confesses the sins of the people and begs forgiveness. That was all too late.

What a tragedy it is to see God abandon the people. In my life I have seen grandparents walk away from their grandchildren. That is the closest thing to what God is doing here. It is heartbreaking. Yet, it happens. God abandons those who abandon God. God welcomes those who return. Thanks be to God.

This is all complicated and beyond my understanding. It does show there are limits. And, thanks be to God, there is forgiveness. Please God, maybe I won’t ever understand it all, but help me in my unbelief.

Mark 10:51 (New Living Translation)

51 “What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked. “My Rabbi,” the blind man said, “I want to see!”

Jesus is walking down the road. Along the way is a blind beggar named Bartimaeus (son of Timaeus).

Bartimaeus was told that Jesus was coming. His reaction was to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”

Mercy? What kind of mercy. Jesus could give the man many types of mercy. Jesus asks the question from verse 51. It seems the answer is obvious. The blind man wants to see. What else would he want?

Well, a few examples, he could want:

• sins forgiven
• food
• money
• housing
• help for some other beggar

This list continues. Jesus asks. Bartimaeus replies. Enough said. Miracle performed. All the other things in the list and lots of others as well would have been miracles, too. Jesus did what was needed.

Jeremiah 11:13 (New Living Translation)

13 Look now, people of Judah; you have as many gods as you have towns. You have as many altars of shame—altars for burning incense to your god Baal—as there are streets in Jerusalem.

God is speaking to the people through the prophet Jeremiah. It seems there are problems with false gods or idols. The people were quite religious, but neither right nor righteous. The people believed there was something out there beyond the physical. There were spirits in the spirit world outside the physical world. There was at least one god per town in Judah. And every street in Jerusalem had an altar for worshiping a god.

Needless to say, this didn’t sit well with God. The first of the Ten Commandments is, “Thou shalt have no other gods before me.” Hmm. The people were not obeying the most fundamental of commands.

First things first and all that. Get this one thing right before we move on to the complicated stuff. Well, that wasn’t working.

Excuses? Reasons? We never run out of those. Good enough? Nope. But… nope. How about… nope. Simple.

Mark 13:9 (New Living Translation)

9 “When these things begin to happen, watch out! You will be handed over to the local councils and beaten in the synagogues. You will stand trial before governors and kings because you are my followers. But this will be your opportunity to tell them about me.

Jesus is speaking to some followers. Jesus says one of those things that makes no sense. Jesus often did that.

You followers will be beaten in our religion schools, not welcomed as followers of God. You followers will stand trial before Gentile governors and kings. Imprisonment in dirty jails to soon follow. Yikes! This sounds awful. Who wants to be a follower of Jesus?

Then Jesus turns it around with, “This will be your opportunity to tell them about me.”

Huh? Opportunity? Something good will come of this? Yes.

A friend recently told me something. He was talking to a stranger in the mall. He told the stranger something like, “No matter what you think of me or say about me, I love you unconditionally.”

That’s an odd thing to say to someone. I don’t know how I would react if a stranger said that to me. That, however, is the type of thing Jesus would say and would encourage me to say. My opportunity is upon me. What do I say?

Please God, help me in my unbelief.