Contemplative Bible Reading

Luke 7:2-4 (New Living Translation)

2 At that time the highly valued slave of a Roman officer was sick and near death. 3 When the officer heard about Jesus, he sent some respected Jewish elders to ask him (Jesus) to come and heal his slave. 4 So they earnestly begged Jesus to help the man. “If anyone deserves your help, he does,” they said, 5 “for he loves the Jewish people and even built a synagogue for us.”

An officer of an invading and occupying army had a sick slave. Whoa. Is there any good in that first sentence? Anyways, this officer heard of a man named Jesus who was healing sick people—seriously sick people.

Unable or unwilling to cross too many cultural barriers, the army officer found some intermediaries—some respected Jewish elders—to approach this Jesus and ask for help. These men did so out of appreciation for what the army officer had done for them. It worked well for all involved.

Who were these respected Jewish elders? They were men who were (1) older, (2) wiser, and (3) more visible than the average person. They had a sense of what was happening in front of them. They didn’t deny the miracles of Jesus—they occurred right in front of them. They didn’t deny the occupying army—it was right in front of them. They didn’t deny sickness and healing—those were right in front of them.

What did they have to lose? Not political power as they weren’t rulers. Not money as they probably weren’t rich.

They did have the respect of the people to lose. That was a lot. So, they acted like respected people act. They accepted reality and spoke to the persons who spoke to them.

They spoke plainly, clearly, and truthfully. Perhaps that is why they were respected. Perhaps there is a lesson for us here.

Isaiah 9:7 (New Living Translation)

His government and its peace
will never end.
He will rule with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David
for all eternity.
The passionate commitment of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies
will make this happen!

The prophet is relaying from God what the future will hold. He, the Messiah, will rule. The ruling will have justice, i.e., law.

What is more, and what I think is more important, the ruling will have fairness. Some translations use the word “righteousness” instead of “fairness.” The concept is the same. The ruling will be by the letter of the law. The ruling will also be by the spirit of the law. What we used to call “technicalities” won’t determine rulings.

“I didn’t cheat my neighbor. I used the footnote to the sub-clause of the clause on page 237 of the contract addendum that states…”

No. You cheated your neighbor.

“If God didn’t want me to take advantage of ignorant fools, He wouldn’t have create…”

No. You cheated that person. That was unrighteous and unfair.

I don’t cheat people. I am fair. Sure, I read things carefully and remind people of the fine print and don’t miss any chances to point out the… Is that righteous? Perhaps not.

Luke 6:45 (New Living Translation)

A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. What you say flows from what is in your heart.

I like the first sentence in the verse above. Yes, good comes from good and evil comes from evil.

I don’t like the second sentence. I mean, sometimes I am just kidding, right? Everyone knows that. Besides, who pays attention to anything I say in the course of the day, right?

Sorry folks. What I saw, what we all say, flows from our hearts. The politician who didn’t know the microphone was turned on? The statement overheard in the hallway? They all come from the heart; they all reflect what is in our hearts.

Maybe I will do a better job at keeping my mouth shut. Still, the words are in my heart, and God knows what is there. Perhaps I should work on my heart. Perhaps I should have far more of God in my heart and far less of me there.

Malachi 3:5 (New Living Translation)

“At that time I will put you on trial. I am eager to witness against all sorcerers and adulterers and liars. I will speak against those who cheat employees of their wages, who oppress widows and orphans, or who deprive the foreigners living among you of justice, for these people do not fear me,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.

The Lord of Heaven’s Armies is speaking to the prophet to speak to the people. The Lord lists sinners who will go on trial for their sins. This is an interesting mix.

Sorcerers: they seek the demons to speak instead of listening to God.

Adulterers: they cheat their spouses on their sacred vows.

These two are really bad.

Then there are the rest of them. Liars are those who lie. Me? Cheaters of money. Me? Taking advantage of the powerless. Me? And then God summarizes with the concept of Justice.

What is just? Am I just in my life? Can I wiggle around this one with some technicalities about what constitutes a foreigner and what “living among you” means in a court of law? Yes I can, but that is wiggling and doesn’t seem to be justice upon further consideration.

Luke 6:40 (New Living Translation)

Students are not greater than their teacher. But the student who is fully trained will become like the teacher.

I love to teach. I think I am pretty good at it—at least a few persons have told me so.

Have I ever “fully trained” a student? Have I ever trained a student enough so that they will be a teacher? Have I ever put my ego and pride aside so that someone else will replace me and be the teacher?

Oh, I don’t like that last question very much. Who said that verse? Oh, Jesus. Oh.

Multiply teachers. Multiply writers. Admit that time here is just time here and it will pass. Someone else will be here after me (the Lord willing). They will probably be a better follower of Christ than I was. They will probably be a better teacher of the Gospel that I was. They will probably fully train students to become teachers that I did.

Those are all items of good news. Now, can I push myself aside to accept them as good?

Zechariah 8:16 (New Living Translation)

But this is what you must do: Tell the truth to each other. Render verdicts in your courts that are just and that lead to peace.

Speaking through the prophet, God is telling the people how to live in a way to will be good for them. Step Number 1: tell the truth to each other.

Well, a few little white lies that are … Well, I don’t want to tell someone that their outfit is … Well, … Well, I can create all sorts of reasons for not quite telling the truth, and we all understand the reasons, and well, you know…

Well, this is pretty plain stuff right in front of me, and try as I might, I really can’t create a reason why this doesn’t apply to me right now (Excuses? Oh, yes. I can create plenty of excuses.)

Someone once said something about tangled webs we weave when we don’t tell the truth to each other. I suppose God, who created all of this and all of us, knew better. It is up to me to let God be God and me be a part of the creation and, well, I guess I should follow the instructions…starting with Step Number 1.

Daniel 4:27 (New Living Translation)

King Nebuchadnezzar, please accept my advice. Stop sinning and do what is right. Break from your wicked past and be merciful to the poor. Perhaps then you will continue to prosper.

This is what Daniel told the man who was practically king of the world. The advice is:

1. stop sinning
2. do right
3. change from a wicked past
4. be merciful to the poor

How did #4 get in that list? The first three make sense. Change your life because you are going int he wrong direction.

#4? Mercy to the poor? How about reforming the government? How about improving commerce throughout the land?

Oh, and, how about letting the Jews who were captured, enslaved, and hauled into Babylon for 2 1/2 generations go free and go home. That would be a pretty good #4, huh?

No. Be merciful to the poor.

Me. Today. All four are pretty good advice to me every day. Well, I’m not an evil king who… No. I’m me, and all four are pretty good advice to me every day.

Daniel 3:29 (New Living Translation)

Therefore, I make this decree: If any people, whatever their race or nation or language, speak a word against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, they will be torn limb from limb, and their houses will be turned into heaps of rubble. There is no other god who can rescue like this!”

Nebuchadnezzar, who was practically king of the world, is speaking. Note two things. First, he singles out the God of these Hebrews. That god is separate from all other gods. The Hebrews have only one god. He doesn’t say, “no one may speak against the gods of these three men.”

Second, Nebuchadnezzar proclaims that no other god can rescue like this. The God of the Hebrews, the Creator God, has power that no other god possesses.

The king of the world recognized the existence and power of God the almighty. And on what occasion? The execution of three Hebrews for insurrection. How did one event lead to the other? There is no possible way that…well, there we go.

There is no other god who can turn one event like this into a second event like that.

Ezra 8:21-22 (New Living Translation)

21 And there by the Ahava Canal, I gave orders for all of us to fast and humble ourselves before our God. We prayed that he would give us a safe journey and protect us, our children, and our goods as we traveled. 22 For I was ashamed to ask the king for soldiers and horsemen to accompany us and protect us from enemies along the way. After all, we had told the king, “Our God’s hand of protection is on all who worship him, but his fierce anger rages against those who abandon him.”

Ezra and his group were about to begin a long, difficult, and dangerous journey. (When was the last time I took a dangerous journey? How about never.) Ezra could have requested and been granted a large military escort. He was embarrassed to do so. God would guide and protect them during their travels.

Was Ezra tempting God? Was Ezra speaking for God out of turn, assuming authority he didn’t possess? God’s hand of protection was on them.

Missionaries die. Evangelists die. They are intercepted, beaten, robbed, and killed. It happens and will continue to happen.

Still, Ezra was confident that on this occasion, on this journey, at this time, God would protect them. The group humbled itself and through itself on the mercy of God through prayer and fasting.

They could have all died on this trip. God, however, gave them safe passage. God, this time, used their perilous but safe journey as a message to others.

I wish I could predict when God would do these things. If I could, however, then I wouldn’t have any faith, i.e., I would be believing in only the things I see, not the unseen. Please God, help my in my unbelief.

Daniel 2:28 (New Living Translation)

But there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets, and he has shown King Nebuchadnezzar what will happen in the future. Now I will tell you your dream and the visions you saw as you lay on your bed.

Daniel is speaking with the King, Nebuchadnezzar. The King had a troubling dream. He couldn’t remember it. It was known only to himself, i.e., it was a secret. Daniel plainly tells the King about God the Creator, the Lord Jehovah or YHWH. Jehovah reveals secrets.

There is nothing in creation that is secret from God. That is a sobering concept. It is so sobering that we all deny it often.

“No one knows about this but you and me, so…” How silly is that? God knows and God can reveal it to anyone He chooses at any time.

Got a secret? Sorry. I don’t, and the sooner I admit that to myself and act like I know it, the better. Please God, help me in my unbelief.