Psalm 1, 2, 3; Jer. 36:11-26; 1 Cor. 13:1-13; Matt. 10:5-15
The king’s officials know that the words of Jeremiah which Baruch had read to the people would be problematic for the king. They first called Baruch to read it to them then instructed him to take Jeremiah and hide, knowing full well the king would be angered and that Jeremiah’s life would be endangered. After Baruch left, they shared these words with the king who cut the scroll into shreds and burned it after each section of the prophecy was read, expressing his disdain for the prophet and his rejection of the word of the Lord. Jehoiakim trusted not in the Lord but in king Nebuchadnezzar and to turn to the Lord would mean to turn away from Nebuchadnezzar, the great king of the region, the commander of the most powerful army on earth. Security in this world is a precious commodity and the king knew that his alliance with the Babylonian king provided such security. Trusting the Lord required faith this man did not have.
Jesus sends out the disciples on a mission trip. When we send out mission teams we send them well provisioned and prepared to offer help to those places of need. Jesus sent out his team in the power of the Holy Spirit and told them to do extraordinary things that required God to show up in big ways. All they had to rely on to complete the mission they were given was the Spirit, they were to take nothing at all but to trust the Lord for their provision. Sometimes it seems we trust more in our own abilities and our resources than in the Lord. Jesus always sent the disciples out on mission as He did this time, His final commission was to reach the world and yet He left them no money with which to accomplish the mission, only the promise of His presence as they did the work. Is that how we think about mission?
Paul offers a good reminder that, in the end, love is what matters most in our lives. The gifts are wonderful things, given to us for a time and for a mission but ultimately that mission will end, as will our lives, and when it does, the gifts will end as well. Love, however, will continue as we enter into the timelessness of eternity. In the kingdom there is no need for the gifts but we will experience love both giving and receiving, at a level almost unimaginable here for we will love nothing for our own sake. Let us live as though we are already experiencing that kingdom and that love, for, by the power of the Holy Spirit, we are in that kingdom.
When I survey the wondrous cross
On which the Prince of glory died,
My richest gain I count but loss,
And pour contempt on all my pride.
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