Genesis 45:3-28
“The offense is just too big for me to ever forgive!” Many of us have said or thought such words. We’ve all had offenses committed against us, many of them small and minor, though some have been considerable. Forgiveness doesn’t always come easy. “If you only knew what this person did to me, you’d know why I can’t forgive him!”, we think. In our Scripture passage for today we see the young man, Joseph, and how, through the power of the Holy Spirit, he was able to forgive what was truly something that most would consider “unforgivable”.
A quick look at the background of Joseph’s story reveals that out of uncontrolled jealousy his ten older brothers had sold him as a slave to traveling merchants. Those merchants brought him into Egypt, a foreign country for him, and again sold him as a slave. Owing to lies told by his master’s wife, he ended up in prison. Because of his faithfulness to God, He turned his condition around, and Joseph quickly found himself the prime minister of all of Egypt, and in charge of food distribution during a devastating famine (see Genesis 37, 39, 41).
The famine has spread throughout the Middle East, and Joseph’s brothers have come to Egypt to purchase food. They do not recognize Joseph, as over 20 years have passed, and they hardly expect the brother that they sold as a slave to be the prime minister of the greatest and most powerful country at the time. However, Joseph does immediately recognize them.
If you were in that position, what would you do? Many of us have had some things done to us that we find very hard to forgive. Joseph clearly remembered his brothers abuse, probably beating him severely before throwing him into a pit, then actually selling him to become a slave! Then followed years as slave and then years in a prison. Chains, hunger, thirst, beatings. Now was his chance to get even. What did Joseph do?
With his brothers gathered around him, Joseph tells them that he is the brother that they sold many years ago (vs. 3-4). Having spent many years closely walking with the Lord despite his circumstances, with his “spiritual meter” always in tune, Joseph recognized the hand of God at move in all that had happened to him. Though the brothers had wanted to get rid of him, some even wanting to kill him, God used their evil actions to fulfill His plan. God sent Joseph ahead to preserve their lives (vs. 5-8). God is sovereign. His plans are not dictated by human actions. Joseph recognized and submitted to the sovereignty of God. He knew that the Lord had providential rule over the events of his life, both the good and bad.
Joseph held no grudges, and had forgiven his brothers. As second in command of all of Egypt, he could have had them all immediately executed, or at the very least expelled from the country, telling them to try and find food somewhere else. What would we do? Joseph was a spiritually mature man, and chose to follow how he knew God would want him to act.
Joseph had been rejected by his brothers, kidnapped, enslaved, and falsely imprisoned, yet he graciously forgave them, and shared his prosperity. Did Joseph’s brothers deserve to be forgiven? No! He would have had every right to imprison them or worse. How many times have we said that we can never forgive this or that person, and that they don’t deserve forgiveness because of what they did, or that they never said they were sorry. Joseph saw the hand of God in all that had happened. God is at work in our lives, as well. Every event that we go through has passed through His providential hand. Nothing is an accident. God can use whatever happens in our life for good if we allow Him.
Joseph was a picture of how God forgives us, and pours His goodness upon us. We don’t deserve forgiveness any more than his brothers did, yet God loves us and forgives us each and every day. Joseph showed grace and mercy, just as God does to us. Joseph lived so closely with his Savior, his life and behavior reflected His. Because we have received Divine forgiveness, even though we did not deserve it, we, in turn, need to pass that forgiveness on to others, just as Joseph did.
Luke 6:17-26
As we continue with the Gospel readings from Luke in the Lectionary of the Book of Common Prayer, we see that word of Jesus and the miracles that had been performed had spread. Jesus had only recently started His ministry, but news spread of the people that had been healed. The paralyzed were now walking, demons had been cast out of the afflicted and people were coming to see for themselves (vs. 17-19). For many people, they came to see Jesus to receive a miracle for themselves, or at least witness one. Perhaps they needed healing from some ailment, or they wanted to see something spectacular happen. Others thought that Jesus would bring them good fortune. Some of them thought He was something like a magician, and that all they needed to do was to just touch Him and they would receive a miracle, like some lucky charm. These people might not have cared about the teachings that Jesus gave, and possibly were not even listening. Then there were those who did seek Jesus out for the message He taught about God, not just for what they could get for themselves.
What brings people to Jesus today? There are some who come to Him for healing, either for themselves or a loved one. Others for a financial breakthrough when they are in need. Whatever draws them to Jesus, my prayer is that they will also open their ears to hear His message of salvation. Whatever initially brings someone to Jesus is good, if it ends up bringing another soul to salvation.
As Luke continues his narrative, we see Jesus giving an abbreviated version of the Beatitudes that were related more in full in Matthew 5. Since there were no television, radio, or any other modern media at this time, Jesus quite possibly told some of His messages and teachings more than once to different audiences, to new crowds (vs. 20-23). These verses describe what it means to be a Christ-follower. As Christians these should be a standard of conduct for us. As we look at these verses, it is easy to see how these values contrast with that of the world. The world tells us to seek to become rich. TV and magazines entice us with displays of tempting foods. The world urges us to be popular.
As believers and followers of Jesus, we shouldn’t spend our time and effort seeking worldly wealth and comfort. Jesus left His throne in heaven to come to earth to bring salvation to mankind. While on earth He had no wealth. If we give up seeking after wealth, and instead seek after His kingdom, God promises that we will be blessed. If we have a hunger and thirst for the lost, we will be blessed. Though no one should actively seek out persecution, however when persecution comes for Jesus’s sake we will receive God’s blessings, as well.
Those who seek fulfillment only through worldly riches, that’s the only reward that they will get (vs. 24-26). Worldly riches do not last. How many people have lost their fortune in a stock market crash or in a costly divorce? Natural disasters can come and wipe out everything we have in an instant. No one can take their wealth with them after death! Jesus is warning us not to put our hearts on these things, but instead in what will last for eternity.
There were many people who were false prophets in Old Testament days (vs. 26). They only gave messages that the people wanted hear, such as prosperity and peace. There are plenty of false prophets today, just like them. Just because one likes to hear those messages doesn’t mean they are true. God does not bless human flattery, nor the words of those who like to tickle our ears with “good news”. Jesus warns us not to chase after the crowd’s praise, but instead to seek out God’s truth.
In closing, we can see through this passage that no matter what reasons have brought us to Jesus, let His love for us bring us to salvation through His shed Blood. Also, we should never seek comfort in this life at the expense of our eternal life!
I Corinthians 15:12-20
Standing at the side of the coffin at the gravesite of a loved one is very difficult, even for believers of Jesus. However for those who have never placed their faith in the Lord God, death is a cruel enemy leaving them with no hope of ever seeing their loved one again. In our passage today, Paul confronts some false thoughts and beliefs that some people were spreading around the church in Corinth about there being no resurrection after death. Let’s look into Paul’s argument, and see what we can learn today from God’s Word.
The general belief of the day among those who followed the teachings of famous Greek philosophers was that the body would not be resurrected after death. At best, only someone’s soul might be. They did not believe in immortality for the body. The philosophers, if they even believed in an afterlife, stated it was only for one’s soul. These beliefs were common in the large Greek city of Corinth, including among some inside of the church. To many who held to these popular Greek philosophies the idea of a bodily resurrection was ridiculous (Acts 17:32). Also, the Jews who followed the school of thought of the Sadducees did not believe in any kind of resurrection. Paul sought to squash these false beliefs before they got entrenched in the church.
Christianity teaches that body and soul will be united after the resurrection. The bodily resurrection of believers was clearly taught by Jesus (John 5:28-29; 6:44; 11:25), and also by the Apostles (Acts 4:1-2). Paul here goes into several very negative consequences for believers if there is no resurrection. Let’s take a look at them. First, if there is no resurrection for believers after they die, then Jesus Himself never rose from the dead (vs. 13). If Jesus never rose from the dead, then the preaching that Paul and all of the Apostles have done is completely useless (vs. 14). Having faith in Jesus is totally useless, as well, if He was dead and lying in a grave. Those who preached that He rose would be liars (vs. 15).
Perhaps the worst of it would be, if there is no resurrection than no one has been redeemed from their sins (vs. 17). All believers who have died will have perished in their sins (vs. 18). If that is true, then Christians are to be pitied. If there is no resurrection then Jesus is still dead. It is because of the resurrection of Jesus that we know that God accepted His death as payment for our sins, and that they are forgiven. If Jesus was not resurrected from death then Christians could not be forgiven for their sins, and would have no hope of eternal life (vs. 19). Because Jesus rose, we know that He defeated death, and we will also be raised. Jesus had promised He would rise again. Because He did, we know that His Word is true.
The firstfruits are the first part of the harvest that the faithful brought to the Temple (vs. 20). Jesus is the forerunner, the proof of our eventual resurrection to eternal life. He is the first one to experience resurrection, that is, the first one to never die again, as Lazarus and the others He raised during His ministry eventually had to die again. Jesus’s resurrection shows that we can have absolute confidence that He will raise us from the dead, as well (Romans 8:23).
The actual, physical, bodily resurrection of Jesus from the dead is essential to the truth of the Gospel. Without the resurrection of Jesus, then Christianity is just like any other false religion. Without the resurrection there is no power to save. There is no victory over sin and death. If Jesus never rose from the dead then we have no resurrection, either, no eternal life, no hope. Praise God, though, Jesus did rise again from the dead, and we will, as well! We can safely and securely rest our anchor in the truth of the promises of the resurrection!
Psalm 1
When hiking down a path, have you ever come across a fork in the trail? At that point you have a choice. Do you decide to go on the path that veers to the right, or the one to the left? It might not make much difference, or it could make all the difference in the world. Some of our decisions are not too important, like what color socks to put on in the morning. Some, however, have eternal consequences. Today’s psalm focuses on the choice we make of which path we will take through life.
All people are separated into two groups ethically - the godly and the ungodly. These are the two characters in Psalm 1. They will each receive one of two rewards - either recognition and salvation from God, or damnation.
Our unknown author starts the psalm off right away warning us that we need to watch our associations with the ungodly (vs. 1). Association with those who practice sin will only drag us downwards. Close friends and associates have a profound influence on us, therefore we should not make the ungodly our closest friends and associates. They can, and usually will, drag us down. At the least we tend to become indifferent to God and His Word. Our good friends should help us draw closer to God, not hinder us. A strong believer needs to have a righteous walk with God, not allowing spiritual erosion to occur, not flirting with a wicked way of life.
The way to keep on the path of the godly is to keep ourselves in God’s Word, meditating on it day and night (vs. 2). A believer who is walking with the Lord will have joy when he is in God’s Word, the Bible. They will seek to read and study it when they can, meditating on His Words. Meditating is reading and then thinking about what you have read. To follow God closely we have to know what He has said.
God and His Word should be our source of spiritual nourishment. Then we will be like the fruitful tree that has been planted by a good source of water (vs. 3). Ungodly company will only pollute that source of water, stunting our growth. A tree or plant that has deep roots will not die during a dry season or drought. As Christians we can experience dry seasons. If we are deeply rooted in Jesus, however, we can still flourish.
When we abide with Christ we will bear fruit. Not everyone who calls themselves Christian really are. Godly people will bear good fruit, while the ungodly will bear bad fruit (Matthew 7:17-20). Verse 4 changes the focus of the psalm from the godly to the ungodly very abruptly. The psalmist is very emphatic in his statement, and the verse could easily be translated, “Not so the wicked!”. They are like chaff, without value and worth only to be discarded. They will not be approved by God’s judgment (vs. 5).
There are two paths that we can choose and take through life. One is God’s way of obedience to Him. The other is the path of rebellion and destruction. These paths will ultimately come to an end at the close of our life. The path we choose will determine where we will spend eternity (vs. 6). One will lead to eternal life. The other to eternal death. We need to make sure that we choose our path wisely. We need to consider our path!
Jeremiah 17:5-10
Our Old Testament Scripture for this week comes from the prophet Jeremiah, and is one that might be familiar to many. In this brief passage Jeremiah brings up two important spiritual truths. In the first one, he contrasts the life of the godly and blessed person with that of the ungodly, cursed person. The second truth he gives us is that of the condition of our heart. Let’s jump right in and look at these two truths God wants to teach us through His prophet Jeremiah.
The first spiritual truth is the contrast between the ungodly and cursed person (vs. 5-6), and that of the blessed and godly person (vs. 7-8). Have you ever traveled into a desert wasteland, or been in a land that has experienced a long drought? The plant life there is all withered and gray, looking lifeless. Contrast that with trees that grow right near a fresh, flowing river or lake. With a good water source they are lush and productive. No one would plant a fruit tree in the desert wasteland and expect a nice, fruitful crop.
Likewise there are two types of people - those who put their trust in Yahweh, and those who put their trust in people, things, and false gods. Those who put their trust in other men will be barren and unfruitful. Those who trust in Yahweh will be like a tree which has been planted by a flowing river.
Trusting in people in times of trouble will only leave us disappointed, or even in trouble. They will have no strength, like the withered tree in the desert. Those who trust in Jesus will thrive and flourish, like a fruitful tree, with abundant strength for their needs in a time of crisis. We need to be sure to find strength for our life in God, not ourselves or anyone else.
The second spiritual truth that the prophet Jeremiah gave us here is the condition of our heart (vs. 9-10). Just as a cardiologist checks our heart for disease, God looks into our heart looking for, and always finding sin-disease. We all have spiritual heart disease.
Our heart has been inclined towards sin since we were born. It is unreliable, and will lie to us. Our emotions can, and will lead us down disastrous ways if we rely on them (Proverbs 16:25; Ecclesiastes 9:3). There are frequent times when our heart is hurting, or it is attempting to lead us in a sinful way. Beware of following your heart. Instead, that is the time when we need to turn to God for help (I John 3:20).
If there was a way that we could shield ourselves from any outside temptations from the world or the devil, there would still be enough evil within our own heart to get us into deep trouble. That is why Jeremiah here, and later the Apostle Paul and the Lord Jesus tell us quite plainly that our heart is wicked! (Romans 3:10-12; Mark 7:20-23).
We cannot separate our actions from the consequences that will follow. We cannot plant seeds of one kind and expect to bear fruit of another. It is also very important to be careful where, and to what our roots are “hooked” on to. Are they hooked on worldly, carnal treasures, or are they strongly rooted in the Lord God?
God will always supply our every need as we follow Him in faith. He does not promise a lack of trials, but He does promise eventual victory. Which will we choose? Will we choose to continue in sin and yielding to temptation, being that shrub in the desert, and having spiritual heart disease? Or will we choose to turn to the Lord, allow Him to heal our sin-sick heart, and be that tree planted by the river?
Luke 5:1-11
Many of us have heard people say that God cannot, and should not be bothered with small or common, everyday problems. They feel that God is too busy with the major problems of the world, and shouldn’t be bothered with our small, personal problems. That thinking is wrong on two levels. First, God is omnipotent, and does not get overwhelmed with any number of problems in the world, whether big or small. Secondly, God cares about each of us personally, and is concerned about everything in our lives. Our problems, large or small, are important to Him. Today’s passage from the Gospel of Luke highlights this. Peter and his companions had been having a bad time at work, and we’ll see how Jesus steps in to the situation.
Peter, along with his brother Andrew, was a professional fisherman. They were fishing partners and good friends with the brothers James and John. These men would fish in the Sea of Galilee (also called Lake Gennesaret in our passage), which was a large, freshwater lake in northern Israel. They typically would fish with nets at night when the fish would come closer to the surface, and would be easier to catch with nets. During daylight hours the fish would migrate into the deeper levels of the Sea of Galilee, not easily reached with nets. As our passage begins, the four fishermen had come in from a night of toiling on the sea, and they proceed to wash out their nets, cleaning them from any tangled weeds, and checking for any tears. They are discouraged because they did not catch anything. Fishing was not a hobby or pastime for them. This was their livelihood, and too many nights with no catch of fish meant less income to provide for their families.
Jesus is on the shore, and He asks if He might sit in one of their boats in order to teach the people who had gathered. After He is done, Jesus speaks to Peter, telling him and his companions to take their boat out again into the deep water and cast their nets once more(vs. 4). Peter probably thought Jesus didn’t know what He was talking about. Peter was an experienced fisherman who did that for a living, and Jesus wasn’t. However, he obeyed (vs 5), and look at the results! They took in so many fish that the nets were starting to break from the weight of the fish, and the boats were even in some danger of sinking, so great was the catch! (vs. 6-7).
Peter realized that he was in the presence of the Messiah, the Son of God, who had shown His divine power. Because he had initially doubted and questioned Jesus, Peter was overcome with shame over his sin (vs. 8). As we look closer at that verse, notice that it said that Peter fell at Jesus’ knees. It didn’t say he fell at Jesus feet, which would seem to be more likely. If someone comes up to you, and falls down before you, where do they usually prostrate themselves, but at your feet. Here it says “at Jesus’ knees”. I am thinking it was at His knees because there was so many fish in the ship that the catch came up to over their knees! When Jesus brings a miracle, He doesn’t scimp!
Jesus didn’t chastise Peter when his faith had faltered at their being able to catch any fish. He told Peter to not be afraid (vs. 10). Jesus doesn’t rebuke us either. Our faith is not based on us, but on the Lord. When these fishermen experienced this miracle catch they left everything and followed Jesus (vs. 11). They heard His call to become fishers of men, to win souls for God’s Kingdom, and they responded, leaving everything else behind.
Jesus cares about our daily routine, and understands our needs. He cared that Peter and his fishing companions had worked all night with nothing to show. Jesus not only wants to save us, He wants to help us in all of our daily activities. We need to bring everything to Jesus in prayer, whether big or seemingly small. In addition, we need to be listening for Jesus’ call on our life, and to respond as these men did.
I Corinthians 15:1-11
Most court cases need to have good and reliable witnesses. A defense attorney needs witnesses who can testify that his client was not at the scene of the crime, while the prosecuting attorney wants to find a witness saying that they saw the person do the crime. Witnesses are very important. In our passage today in I Corinthians Paul is defending the most important, key doctrine of Christianity, that of the Resurrection of Jesus from the dead, against some in Corinth who argue that it never truly happened. Like a good attorney, Paul brings forth some witnesses. Let’s look into Paul’s defense of the Resurrection, as he gives as evidence for Jesus’s resurrection from the witness of the Church (vs. 1-2); the Scriptures (vs 3-4); many eyewitnesses (vs 5-7); and then finally Paul, himself (vs 8-10).
Paul’s first evidence that he gives is the witness of the Church. From the very beginning the Church has stated that the fact of the resurrection of Jesus from the dead was an integral part of Gospel message. That truth was preached everywhere, including to the people of Corinth (vs. 1-2). Everyone who truly accepts Jesus, believing in Him as their Savior, would need to believe that He rose from the dead. Otherwise they have “believed” in vain, meaning they really are not believers at all. Some people have a shallow, non-saving “faith”. They claim to believe, but have no real love for God or righteousness. True believers will hold fast to the Gospel, including the doctrine of the resurrection.
The second evidence Paul gives for the resurrection is that of the Scriptures. At the time of his writing of this letter to the church in Corinth, the New Testament had not been completely written or compiled together yet. The Scriptures he was referring to in verses 3 and 4 were the Old Testament. There are several passages in the Old Testament that prophecy of the passion, death, and resurrection of the Messiah. Isaiah 53 and Psalm 22 are prominent passages. Psalm 16:8-11 very specifically prophecies of the resurrection of the Messiah, when it states that God would not allow the Holy One (Jesus, the Messiah) to see corruption, meaning His body would not lie endlessly in a grave and corrupt like all dead bodies do.
The third evidence that Paul gave was that of numerous eyewitnesses (vs. 5-7). First he states that Cephas (better known as Peter or Simon Peter) had seen the risen Savior. Not only did Peter see Jesus when He appeared to all of the apostles together, but Luke mentions that Jesus seems to have seen Peter separately, on his own (Luke 24:34), perhaps to give him special reassurance that his denial had been forgiven. Jesus appeared to all eleven of the apostles (Matthew 28:16-17; Mark 16:14; Luke 24:36-40; John 20:19-21). He met with them several times before He ascended to heaven. Paul refers to Jesus being seen by more than 500 people at a time before His ascension. These would have been some of the many disciples who had followed and believed in Him during His ministry. Then Paul mentions Jesus appearing to James. This is most probably His half-brother who had not believed in Him during His ministry, struggling with his faith. Jesus knew that, and came to him personally. Later James wrote the Book of James, and was a leader of the church in Jerusalem.
Paul’s fourth evidence was his own testimony of seeing the risen Savior (vs. 8). Paul saw Jesus several years after the Ascension, when on the road to Damascus where he was going to further persecute the early church (Acts 9:1-9). Though he was not one of the original twelve, Paul was accounted an apostle because he saw the risen Christ and was commissioned by Him. Paul considered himself the least of the apostles (I Timothy 1:12-16).
Just about any court of law would accept the testimony of over 500 people as a true witness. Those who denied Jesus’ resurrection, stating that some had stolen His body and hid it elsewhere (Matthew 28:11-15) never produced a body. Witnesses sometime lie, but not usually when their word could lead to death. In the days of the early church, openly proclaiming the Resurrection very frequently did lead to execution. There will always be people who say Jesus did not rise from the dead. They often say it is the spirit of His good words and example that live on, not an actual, physical resurrection. Don’t let them discourage you from believing this Gospel truth. Paul continues his defense further in his letter to the Corinthians, which the Lectionary will cover in the next few weeks.
