Coffee With The Lord

An interesting (and significant) feature of Biblical interpretation to remember is the importance of examining the relationship of passages that are adjacent to one another.  Often that relationship is purposeful and clearly the Biblical writer, inspired by the Holy Spirit, had a reason for placing the passages adjacent to one another.  Significant truths are often taught by this and significant insights gained.

There are many examples of this that could be cited.  Today in my Bible reading I encountered one, that in the past I have overlooked (probably because it bridges a chapter boundary) …

I think all of us are impressed by a person we’d call “THE REAL DEAL” – a person who expresses authenticity, consistency, character, and integrity.  They practice what they preach.  Their Christianity is genuine!  There is not a fiber of hypocrisy in their personhood!

So here’s what I read yesterday… “And in the hearing of all the people he said to his disciples,  ‘BEWARE of [those] who like to walk around in long robes, and love greetings in the marketplaces and the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at feasts, who devour widows’ houses and for a pretense make long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.” (Luke 20:45–47 ESV)

I wrote this in the margin of my Bible yesterday… “Beware of these kinds of people!  They are NOT ‘the real deal!’” (And it became the focus of my “Coffee with the Lord” post yesterday!)

Then in the very next passage (at the beginning of the next chapter – an unfortunate chapter boundary marker, I must say) I read these words today… “Jesus looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the offering box, and he saw a poor widow put in two small copper coins. And he said, ‘Truly, I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them.  For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.’” (Luke 21:1–4 ESV)

What a contrast!  What a powerful truth!  The ostentatious, the self-righteous, the proud, the attention seeking, the spiritual bigots are NOT ‘THE REAL DEAL’!  They are the hypocritical – and they will be the condemned!  On the other hand, the sincere, the simple believer, the humble, the generous, the consistently righteous (and often the unnoticed and overlooked), ARE ‘THE REAL DEAL!”

Don’t know about you… but I WANT TO BE “THE REAL DEAL!” 

Perhaps some dear, dear friends have just spent some time with you… You know the kind: You share values, experiences, and faith.  These are the kind of friends you laugh with, cry with, and can have deep, authentic, unvarnished conversation with.  They just left… you hated to see them go, and after they departed your heart ached (there was even a tear or two)!

I got up early this morning and had my usual time of “coffee with the Lord” during which I read the following passage. (It’s really a prayer and blessing!)  As I read it, I thought… What a marvelous passage to share with friends to express your heartfelt feelings! … What a way to bless them!

And then it entered my mind to share it with you today; my “coffee with the Lord” friends!  And so here it is… my blessing and prayer for YOU (from two different versions of the Bible… you can take your pick)! 2 Thessalonians 1:11–12… 

“To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve you have for good and every work of faith by his power, so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.” (the English Standard Version)

“So we keep on praying for you, asking our God to enable you to live a life worthy of his call. May he give you the power to accomplish all the good things your faith prompts you to do.  Then the name of our Lord Jesus will be honored because of the way you live, and you will be honored along with him. This is all made possible because of the grace of our God and Lord, Jesus Christ.” (the New Living Translation)

So, from me today… God’s richest blessings on you (and all that involves)! 

Why not write down the reference and when you get an opportunity share it with some of your dear friends?

Whenever the Bible urges us to “beware” – we should BEWARE!

This is the “beware” I read this morning in my Bible during my time of “Coffee with the Lord”…

“And in the hearing of all the people he said to his disciples, ‘Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes, and love greetings in the marketplaces and the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at feasts, who devour widows’ houses and for a pretense make long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.’”  (Luke 20:45–47 ESV)

First of all, let me remind you this is warning from the mouth of Jesus, so it packs some significant authority and expresses His deep concern for people.  And notice who hears His warning – who is the focus of His concern… He said this “in the hearing of ALL the people” and spoke it directly “to his disciples.”  His concern was the spiritual welfare of ordinary people (the crowd), as well as those who were his devoted followers.

His warning?  “Beware of the ‘scribes!’”  Now according to Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible, the “scribes” were “a class of scholars who taught, copied, and interpreted the Jewish Law for the Jewish people.  In the Gospels they appear primarily as opponents of Jesus.”  In other words, they were Bible scholars – religious leaders that the general Jewish population looked up to – they knew the Old Testament inside out and scrupulously copied every word of it.

Now, I know many wonderful, godly Bible scholars (I even happen to have served as a professor of Biblical studies at a Christian university for many years).  But not all of them are “true-blue” to what the Bible teaches… Not all of them are reliable spiritual guides who evidence spiritual integrity… Not all of them practice what they preach (and teach)… Some of them (and I hate to use the word, but I must) are “dirty hypocrites” (there I said it).  And some of the “scribes” of Jesus’ day were just like that as well…

And the Message, the Bible paraphrased by Eugene Peterson, does a really good job of capturing the force of Jesus’ warning for us today… Here it is…

“With everybody listening, Jesus spoke to his disciples.  ‘Watch out for the religion scholars! They love to walk around in their academic gowns, preening in the radiance of public flattery, basking in prominent positions, sitting at the head table at every church function.  And all the time they are exploiting the weak and helpless. The longer their prayers, the worse they get. But they’ll pay for it in the end!’”

Hey, nothing has changed!  So my advice is, do exactly  what Jesus said… “BEWARE!”  Now don’t throw all of us “profs” and “church leaders” into the same bucket – but “beware!”  Some are “hypocrites” – don’t follow them or embrace their teaching.  There’s something else in the Bible about this as I recall – something that Jesus said…

“No good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit!  Each tree is known by its own fruit. For figs are not gathered from thornbushes, nor are grapes picked from a bramble bush. The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil.”  (Luke 6:43–45 ESV)

Hey, just say’n… “Beware!”  Better yet, not me say’n it – Jesus say’n it… “BEWARE!”