30 October 2010
Psalm 55; Ecclus 35.1-17; Rev 13.11-18; Luke 12.32-48

The teacher tells us that all that we do can have the character of sacrifice if we do it unto the Lord. He is calling for time, talent and treasure sacrifice and in those three the Lord delights. One is not a substitute for the other. We cannot do things and have that satisfy the Lord. We cannot make sacrifice of tithes and offerings and have that satisfy the Lord. We must give Him all our lives. We are to be living sacrifices to the Lord and all that we have and all that we are is owed to Him in thanksgiving for all He has done for us. He promises to repay us sevenfold and too often we take that too literally in expectation of money coming back to us. The final portion of the passage is a word against such thinking. Do we offer God bribes or sacrifices? Are we playing at magic and appeasement or are we truly loving and serving Him with glad and joyful hearts?

Do we live anticipatory lives? We are to live as those who are waiting for our master’s return and yet we often are more like the Israelites who waited on Moses to come back down the mountain and determined he might not return so we demand other gods to go with us on the journey. Jesus says that the measure of our discipleship and faith is our attitude towards worldly things, sell all you have, travel light, don’t let the things of earth entangle and encumber you. These are hard words in the consumerist society in which we live and I am not immune to the allure of the eyes and the desires of my heart. Jesus says we are to live expectantly as we await His coming again and that our preparedness to receive Him matters.

The second beast is essentially the high priest for the first beast, directing attention to it and giving it honor. The signs and wonders it does are made possible by the first beast and all that it does serves to convince the world that the first one has real power and causes them to worship and adore the ruler. Ultimately, all power over commerce is given to those who receive the mark of the beast, no one can buy or sell apart from this mark. There may come a time when we have to decide whether the needs of the body are more important than our souls.

Cast your burden on the Lord,
and he will sustain you;
he will never permit
the righteous to be moved.