3 December 2010
Psalm 16, 17; Isaiah 3.8-15; I Thess 4.1-12; Luke 20.41-21.4

Could the people truly have turned so completely against the Lord as to defy Him? It seems an outrageous accusation but we see the same in supposedly “Christian” countries today. There is indeed defiance of the Lord all over the world today. There is, however, no true analogy to the situation in Israel at the time of Isaiah. No other nation on earth was chosen as His own. The Lord’s love and righteous anger towards that nation is unlike any other because the relationship is unlike any other. The church, however, has that same relationship and this same attitude prevails in some places in the church. We need to be prepared for the Lord to judge our actions. Our salvation is secure but He says He will judge our deeds, and righteousness does matter to the Lord.

The Gospel reading begins with an argument with the leaders about whether the Christ is David’s son (of his lineage) or whether Scripture (and David) are clear that the Christ is pre-existent. If David worships the Lord then how can he be less than David, one who comes after him? Jesus has shown how little they are able to interpret Scripture and then moves on to diminish those leaders. They don’t seem to be bringing dishonor on the name of God as they hold the Word in high regard but Jesus sees beyond the words to the heart motive and condemns these leaders whose own honor is more important than the Lord’s. Finally, we see Jesus affirming someone, the widow whose faith in the Lord was so great she gave all she had to live on to Him, trusting in his lovingkindness that she would not go hungry. In gambling parlance, she was all in on the Lord.

Is Paul simply obsessed with the issue of sexual immorality? Some today have argued that Paul had his own problems in this area and so fretted constantly about something Jesus had little about which to say. Jesus spoke primarily in His teaching to Jews whose law was very clear and so therefore little explanation was required. Paul, however, dealt with a different crowd and they needed to be taught a sexual ethic that was somewhat different from the world’s morality. Paul moves from that teaching to how to properly love one another. Do we love on a human level or on a Godly level? It seems that the world and portions of the church don’t understand there is a great difference between the two, believing somehow that the sexual impulse is a higher level desire than a baser one.

You make known to me the path of life;
in your presence there is fullness of joy;
at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.