4 April 2012

Psalm 55; Lam. 2:1-9; 2 Cor. 1:23-2:11; Mark 12:1-11

Jeremiah knows that this devastation is not the work of a human enemy but rather their God has become their enemy.  He is more powerful than any human enemy.  Is there any enemy quite as terrifying as a former friend and confidant, one who knows us intimately and knows where they can hurt us most, not physically but emotionally and spiritually?  Jeremiah looks at the destruction and devastation of Jerusalem and in particular the temple and says the Lord has scorned His altar and disowned His sanctuary and now foreigners go about where the Israelites feared to tread and these foreigners now raise a clamor there as if there were a festival to the Lord but it is simply a party.  The passage ends with a truly sad note, not just ruin of the city but the law is no more and prophets find no vision from the Lord.  There is, then, nothing to hold the people together. 

The prophets always foretold what would happen to the nation, and more importantly, why it would happen.  Jesus stands in line with the prophets.  Here He tells the parable of the tenants who have forgotten that this vineyard is not their possession and that their only job was to tend what was planted by another.  They were beneficiaries of the work of another and their job was relatively simple.  The servants sent to collect the rents due, a portion of the proceeds of the sale of the crop, are beaten and killed.  Ultimately even the son is killed in the belief that the owner is dead and now his son is the remaining heir and if they kill him, they will own the vineyard outright.  Within only a few decades the Jews will indeed see themselves without a temple, the holy place defiled. 

Paul spoke the truth in love, he called for church discipline to be exercised in several matters including dealing with division in the church, for sexual misconduct to be dealt with and for the proper celebration of communion.  He was calling for unity around truth and he would rather put that in writing and allow them to deal with it than to visit and deal with it himself.  He expected the church to grow up and take responsibility for itself.  Apparently the discipline has worked and now Paul urges reconciliation and restoration, sometimes the more difficult thing to do.  The purpose of discipline is not to destroy but to correct and restore the person to truth and ultimately to fellowship of the church. All discipline is meant to bring change to our lives, restoring us to right relationships vertically and horizontally.  Love with standards.

I call to God,
   and the LORD will save me.
Evening and morning and at noon
   I utter my complaint and moan,
   and he hears my voice.
He redeems my soul in safety

I will cast my burden on You, O LORD,
   and You will sustain me;
You will never permit
   the righteous to be moved.