Reality Has Arrived
Mark 1:14-28
Jesus Announces the Good News
14 After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. 15 “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!”
Jesus Calls His First Disciples
16 As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 17 “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” 18 At once they left their nets and followed him.
19 When he had gone a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John in a boat, preparing their nets. 20 Without delay he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him.
Jesus Drives Out an Impure Spirit
21 They went to Capernaum, and when the Sabbath came, Jesus went into the synagogue and began to teach. 22 The people were amazed at his teaching, because he taught them as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law. 23 Just then a man in their synagogue who was possessed by an impure spirit cried out, 24 “What do you want with us,Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!”25 “Be quiet!” said Jesus sternly. “Come out of him!” 26 The impure spirit shook the man violently and came out of him with a shriek.27 The people were all so amazed that they asked each other, “What is this? A new teaching—and with authority! He even gives orders to impure spirits and they obey him.” 28 News about him spread quickly over the whole region of Galilee.
The central message of Jesus is that God’s Reality has arrived (though is not yet completely present). This reality was present in Eden, but human rebellion made it impossible. Now, however, what the prophets—and in fact the entire Old Testament—were talking about has come near, and Jesus wants people to turn around and trust his message.
What is the Kingdom like? Well, it is for everyone, not just for the important people. (Even Galillean fishermen!) And, it’s a reality in which broken things are made whole. We are uncomfortable with the exorcisms of Jesus, but they are such an important part of his ministry that Mark makes a point to highlight them for us; among other reasons, the exorcisms show that Jesus has “authority” over all other powers, and that his authority is meant to bring healing and wholeness and order.
How can you be a disciple of Jesus today (“disciple” just means “student”) and bring healing and wholeness and order wherever you go? How can we be witnesses to the Kingdom today?
P.S. Most of our staff went to breakfast yesterday after the 7 AM Ash Wednesday service—grateful!
The Gospel of Mark Begins Today!
Today we begin our Lenten reading plan through the Gospel of Mark. The readings are assigned to the weekdays between now and Easter, with the exception of Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday, each of which has a reading assigned to it as well.
Don’t forget that we have 3 Ash Wednesday services today: 7:00-7:20 AM; 12:00-12:20 PM; 7:00-7:45 PM.
Also, don’t forget that we’ll have daily online Bible study every weekday morning, 7:00-7:10 AM, starting TODAY. Join us via www.facebook.com/mungerplace or www.mungerplace.LIVE.
And, I’ll be teaching two churchwide Bible studies on Mark: 3/9 and 3/30, 6-7 PM.
Now, on with the show.
P.S. I’ve included my sermon kicking off the Mark series at the very bottom of the post.
Mark 1:1-13
John the Baptist Prepares the Way
1 The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God, 2 as it is written in Isaiah the prophet:
“I will send my messenger ahead of you,
who will prepare your way”—
3 “a voice of one calling in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way for the Lord,
make straight paths for him.’”4 And so John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 5 The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River. 6 John wore clothing made of camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. 7 And this was his message: “After me comes the one more powerful than I, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie.8 I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”
The Baptism and Testing of Jesus
9 At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 Just as Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. 11 And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”12 At once the Spirit sent him out into the wilderness, 13 and he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and angels attended him.
Mark hits the ground running, starting his Gospel with the events that are taking place in Israel as Jesus launches his public ministry. John the Baptizer is at a symbolic site—the Jordan River—and is preparing Israel to enter into a new Promised Land. Just as centuries before Israel crossed the Jordan, now is the time for God to do a new thing, and the people need to be spiritually ready. And so Jesus goes to John and endorses John’s ministry as he launches his own ministry, showing to everyone that he will be the new Moses who takes God’s people into a new Promised Land. The Holy Spirit’s presence on Jesus is proof that his mission is a divine mission—the Father loves and endorses the Son with the gift of the Spirit. (Note the Trinitarian language!)
And that’s what makes the next sentence so powerful: Jesus is immediately driven by the Spirit into a wilderness of temptation and testing. In other words, sometimes difficulty and suffering have a purpose in preparing us for our God-given mission.
How might God be preparing you today?
First sermon in our Mark series: “The Translucent World.”
What If We Forget Our Past?
I believe we are on the cusp of a new dark age, a great cultural forgetting. And, this amnesia is entirely self-caused—in the name of Progress, we are unlearning much of which we used to know.
I’ve heard it said that with the fall of the Roman Empire in the 5th century, it was centuries and centuries before hot running water was again a part of European city life.
I think about the way homes used to be built and I wonder, Will we even remember how to build houses like that anymore? If you’ve ever watched an episode of This Old House, it seems obvious that the vast amount of knowledge these old artisans have stored up is likely to die with them. No one ever intends to forget this sort of valuable knowledge; what happens is that in easy times everyone just assumes that we’ll all remember what we need to remember forever, but times change slowly, and then all of a sudden, and when we need what we used to know, no one will remember.
Religious memory is even more important, as the story of Israel shows over and over and over. In the Bible, the Lord commands the Israelites to remember that they were slaves in Egypt, and that he brought them out with a strong arm and an outstretched hand and led them through the wilderness into The Promised Land.
Many of the psalms, therefore, rehearse Israel’s history so as to teach the next generation the great story of their people. Today’s psalm is one such psalm.
Psalm 89 comes from the time of Exile, after the Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem in 586 B.C. It’s a song of remembering and also a cry for help—”Lord, this is what you did before, please come again and rescue us!”
Psalm 89
I Will Sing of the Steadfast Love of the Lord
A Maskil of Ethan the Ezrahite.
89 I will sing of the steadfast love of the Lord, forever;
with my mouth I will make known your faithfulness to all generations.
2 For I said, “Steadfast love will be built up forever;
in the heavens you will establish your faithfulness.”
3 You have said, “I have made a covenant with my chosen one;
I have sworn to David my servant:
4 ‘I will establish your offspring forever,
and build your throne for all generations.’” Selah5 Let the heavens praise your wonders, O Lord,
your faithfulness in the assembly of the holy ones!
6 For who in the skies can be compared to the Lord?
Who among the heavenly beings is like the Lord,
7 a God greatly to be feared in the council of the holy ones,
and awesome above all who are around him?
8 O Lord God of hosts,
who is mighty as you are, O Lord,
with your faithfulness all around you?
9 You rule the raging of the sea;
when its waves rise, you still them.
10 You crushed Rahab like a carcass;
you scattered your enemies with your mighty arm.
11 The heavens are yours; the earth also is yours;
the world and all that is in it, you have founded them.
12 The north and the south, you have created them;
Tabor and Hermon joyously praise your name.
13 You have a mighty arm;
strong is your hand, high your right hand.
14 Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne;
steadfast love and faithfulness go before you.
15 Blessed are the people who know the festal shout,
who walk, O Lord, in the light of your face,
16 who exult in your name all the day
and in your righteousness are exalted.
17 For you are the glory of their strength;
by your favor our horn is exalted.
18 For our shield belongs to the Lord,
our king to the Holy One of Israel.
The psalmist begins by recounting the Lord’s great act of Creation, and he imagines God controlling and bringing order to the primeval chaos.
19 Of old you spoke in a vision to your godly one, and said:
“I have granted help to one who is mighty;
I have exalted one chosen from the people.
20 I have found David, my servant;
with my holy oil I have anointed him,
21 so that my hand shall be established with him;
my arm also shall strengthen him.
22 The enemy shall not outwit him;
the wicked shall not humble him.
23 I will crush his foes before him
and strike down those who hate him.
24 My faithfulness and my steadfast love shall be with him,
and in my name shall his horn be exalted.
25 I will set his hand on the sea
and his right hand on the rivers.
26 He shall cry to me, ‘You are my Father,
my God, and the Rock of my salvation.’
27 And I will make him the firstborn,
the highest of the kings of the earth.
28 My steadfast love I will keep for him forever,
and my covenant will stand firm for him.
29 I will establish his offspring forever
and his throne as the days of the heavens.30 If his children forsake my law
and do not walk according to my rules,
31 if they violate my statutes
and do not keep my commandments,
32 then I will punish their transgression with the rod
and their iniquity with stripes,
33 but I will not remove from him my steadfast love
or be false to my faithfulness.
34 I will not violate my covenant
or alter the word that went forth from my lips.
35 Once for all I have sworn by my holiness;
I will not lie to David.
36 His offspring shall endure forever,
his throne as long as the sun before me.
37 Like the moon it shall be established forever,
a faithful witness in the skies.” Selah
The Lord establishes David’s family on the throne and promises never to forsake them. But, that doesn’t mean there won’t be consequences for their idolatry and disobedience.
38 But now you have cast off and rejected;
you are full of wrath against your anointed.
39 You have renounced the covenant with your servant;
you have defiled his crown in the dust.
40 You have breached all his walls;
you have laid his strongholds in ruins.
41 All who pass by plunder him;
he has become the scorn of his neighbors.
42 You have exalted the right hand of his foes;
you have made all his enemies rejoice.
43 You have also turned back the edge of his sword,
and you have not made him stand in battle.
44 You have made his splendor to cease
and cast his throne to the ground.
45 You have cut short the days of his youth;
you have covered him with shame. Selah46 How long, O Lord? Will you hide yourself forever?
How long will your wrath burn like fire?
47 Remember how short my time is!
For what vanity you have created all the children of man!
48 What man can live and never see death?
Who can deliver his soul from the power of Sheol? Selah49 Lord, where is your steadfast love of old,
which by your faithfulness you swore to David?
50 Remember, O Lord, how your servants are mocked,
and how I bear in my heart the insults of all the many nations,
51 with which your enemies mock, O Lord,
with which they mock the footsteps of your anointed.
And so the psalmist says, “Lord, don’t forget your promises to us! We are suffering under the hands of the Babylonians, and it’s our fault, but please rescue us anyway.”
52 Blessed be the Lord forever!
Amen and Amen.
And the psalmist ends with a defiant note of praise, which seems exactly fitting and is a good lesson to all us:
always come back to praise.
Darkness
My Morning Routine
Starting on April 13, 2020, I’ve read one psalm a day, every day. When I get to the last psalm in the Bible—Psalm 150, I just start the next day with Psalm 1; every 150 days I read through the entire psalter, and then begin again.
There is something attractively simple about this plan; I use a countdown app on my iPhone to remind me each morning of that day’s psalm. I do our church reading plans, too, but reading a psalm a day has been a constant.
Today I’m on Psalm 88. If you’d like to join in, my friend Fred has put together a list for the Psalms reading plan I’m currently in. When we get to Monday, May 2, I’ll start over again.
The Psalms teach us how to pray because they give us words for all the emotions of life; today’s psalm—as we will see below—is bitter and dark, but tomorrow’s will be more hopeful and joy-filled.
Mark Begins Wednesday!
Our Lenten reading plan through the Gospel of Mark begins Wednesday, and since our Ephesians plan concluded on Friday, I thought I’d write a post for today and again for tomorrow on each day’s psalm.
The Bitterest Psalm in the Bible
Today, I read Psalm 88—a psalm without hope or joy or peace: it is an anguished cry of bitter despair.
When you visit Jerusalem, one of the places you go is the high priest’s residence, which was built over a dungeon. When we were there, we went down into the pit and read this psalm. The idea is that it’s possible that Jesus might have been held in that dungeon as Caiaphas waited to transfer him to Pilate’s custody, late Thursday night/early Friday morning.
How to Read Psalm 88 Today
If you are in a pit of despair yourself, then use this psalm to shape your cries to the Lord today. The psalms give us the language of prayer, and since life include both misery and joy, so do the psalms.
If you are in a good place today—and I hope you are—then the way to read this psalm is to think of Jesus being held by the Temple soldiers, having been interrogated and humiliated by the Jewish authorities, waiting to be transferred to Pilate’s custody, knowing what will befall him.
This is a dark psalm, but the Passion of the Christ was a dark thing, and it’s good for us to remember that today.
Psalm 88
I Cry Out Day and Night Before You
A Song. A Psalm of the Sons of Korah. To the choirmaster: according to Mahalath Leannoth. A Maskil of Heman the Ezrahite.
1 O Lord, God of my salvation,
I cry out day and night before you.
2 Let my prayer come before you;
incline your ear to my cry!3 For my soul is full of troubles,
and my life draws near to Sheol.
4 I am counted among those who go down to the pit;
I am a man who has no strength,
5 like one set loose among the dead,
like the slain that lie in the grave,
like those whom you remember no more,
for they are cut off from your hand.
6 You have put me in the depths of the pit,
in the regions dark and deep.
7 Your wrath lies heavy upon me,
and you overwhelm me with all your waves. Selah8 You have caused my companions to shun me;
you have made me a horror to them.
I am shut in so that I cannot escape;
9 my eye grows dim through sorrow.
Every day I call upon you, O Lord;
I spread out my hands to you.
10 Do you work wonders for the dead?
Do the departed rise up to praise you? Selah
11 Is your steadfast love declared in the grave,
or your faithfulness in Abaddon?
12 Are your wonders known in the darkness,
or your righteousness in the land of forgetfulness?13 But I, O Lord, cry to you;
in the morning my prayer comes before you.
14 O Lord, why do you cast my soul away?
Why do you hide your face from me?
15 Afflicted and close to death from my youth up,
I suffer your terrors; I am helpless.
16 Your wrath has swept over me;
your dreadful assaults destroy me.
17 They surround me like a flood all day long;
they close in on me together.
18 You have caused my beloved and my friend to shun me;
my companions have become darkness.
This Really Happened
Today is our final reading in Ephesians, and it might seem at first that the final few lines of the letter aren’t very interesting:
Ephesians 6:21-24
21 Tychicus, the dear brother and faithful servant in the Lord, will tell you everything, so that you also may know how I am and what I am doing. 22 I am sending him to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are,and that he may encourage you.
23 Peace to the brothers and sisters, and love with faith from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 24 Grace to all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with an undying love.
But, I think these closing lines from Paul are actually fascinating, because they remind us that this is a real letter, written to real people, that this stuff actually happened!
Something about the mention of Tychicus is really moving to me—an ordinary person like you and me who got caught up in the amazing events that resulted from the Resurrection of Jesus.
The passing mention of that name is a good reminder to me today:
All this stuff really happened!
The Armor of God
I preached last Sunday on the great final image in Ephesians, namely the armor of God. I actually thought it was the worst sermon I preached in our entire series on Ephesians, but I’m including it below for those of you who are having trouble sleeping.
(Note that because our reading plan broke up Paul’s paragraph over multiple days, I am addressing tomorrow’s passage today and will not be posting tomorrow. Check back on Friday for our final post on Ephesians.)
Some quick thoughts on this passage from Bible scholar Tim Mackie:
“Paul explicitly links his imagery in his letters to the divine armor of the messianic king in Isaiah. The point is that God’s weapons have now been transferred to the new humanity, who are united in and with the Messiah.”
More:
“The command to take up the armor of God is a summons to the community as a whole. Taking up the armor of God is a communal practice integrally tied to the unity of the Church. Paul wants church communities to know that the “schemes of the slanderer” (Ephesians 6:11) will be aimed precisely at the unity and mutual interdependence of the new humanity, which is why they need to be prepared. They have been called to live as a unified new humanity in the Messiah, but they have a real enemy in the powers (note: not an enemy in each other). So whether it be defensive or offensive, they will need to put on the character of the Messiah and be prepared to fight.”
Today’s Reading: Ephesians 6:10-20
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. 19 Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel,20 for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.
Wives, Children, Slaves
My apologies for missing last Friday’s post—I preach every Thursday evening, and I was focused on that and just totally forgot about the Friday post. Today’s post will actually cover from Friday through tomorrow, since it’s all the same long topic. (So, there will NOT be a separate post tomorrow on Ephesians.)
Today’s Ephesians Reading: Ephesians 5:21-6:9
This entire passage is a further commentary on Paul’s command in 5:18: “Be filled with the Spirit.” What does it look like for us to be filled with the Spirit in context of our everyday relationships? That’s what this long and controversial passage is about.
I taught an hour-long Bible study on this entire passage a few weeks ago, and I’ve included the video below.
But, if you don’t want to watch the video, I think Tim Mackey’s overview on this passage is helpful:
“Ephesians 5:21-6:9 fits the literary form of a well-known Greco-Roman tradition, where a patriarch is informed of his responsibility to order his household as a miniature Roman Empire.
“By speaking directly to wives, children, slaves, Paul is giving them a level of status and dignity that they did not have in the Greco-Roman culture of the day.”
More:
“Tim points out that Paul was not a social revolutionary. At least, that wasn’t his goal. Rather, Paul is an apocalyptic imaginary, imagining life as the new humanity. In that way he is radical! Paul is on a mission to help people live out the radically equalizing nature of grace. It's God's grace that levels the playing field, and to live out that grace in a consistent way takes an apocalyptic imagination. For Paul, this isn’t socialism or anarchy. This is the new world order.”
What would it look like for you to live into the New Creation today?
The Opposite of Being Drunk Is Not Being Sober
The problem of breaking up a letter like Ephesians into bite-sized portions is that it’s then easy on any particular day to lose sight of a broader theme or topic. In today’s passage, Paul is continuing to contrast the old life versus the new life, the flesh vs. the Spirit, the present age vs. the age to come.
Today’s Ephesians reading: Ephesians 5:15-21
15 Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.
First contrast: between wisdom and foolishness.
When Paul says, “the days are evil” what he means is that the world is still lumbering along in the present evil age, but followers of Jesus should “make the most of every opportunity” to live into the reality of the new age to come. It would be foolish to live therefore like everyone else, and wise to live like Jesus—and living like Jesus is his will for you anyway.
18 Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, 19 speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, 20 always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Here is another contrast:
Being drunk, i.e., being under the influence of alcohol;
Or being filled by the Spirit, i.e., being under the influence of the Spirit.
So, the opposite of being drunk is not being sober; the opposite of being drunk is being led by the Spirit.
Paul seems to take it for granted that you and I will be under the influence of something. The question is, What, or Who?
I like how Paul describes what life in the Spirit will be like:
your very speech will be influenced by the words and songs of the Bible;
you will be constantly “singing” praise to God;
And you’ll be reflexively grateful.
And, of course, in the paradox of the Kingdom, those actions are both the signs of being filled and led by the Spirit and the way to be filled and led by the Spirit.
Try it today.
Wake Up, O Sleeper
There is a very simple theme that runs through today’s Ephesians passage:
You used to live by the world, but now you live by the Spirit.
Paul hits this theme over and over and over: you are part of the New Creation, Ephesian Christians, and so therefore live into that reality. Stop living in the old ways!
Good reminder for all of us today.
Ephesians 5:1-14
5 1 Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children 2 and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
3 But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people. 4 Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving. 5 For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person—such a person is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. 6 Let no one deceive youwith empty words, for because of such things God’s wrath comes on those who are disobedient. 7 Therefore do not be partners with them.
8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light 9 (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness,righteousness and truth) 10 and find out what pleases the Lord. 11 Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.12 It is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. 13 But everything exposed by the light becomes visible—and everything that is illuminated becomes a light. 14 This is why it is said:
“Wake up, sleeper,
rise from the dead,
and Christ will shine on you.”
Don't Hang Onto Anger--It Will Inhibit The Work of God
I’m including my thoughts on today’s passage before the passage itself; I hope this is helps you get the most out of your reading. (And you know that in February I’m writing new commentary each day, not just cutting-and-pasting from January, right? I do it because I love you, here in my sweatshop churning out posts for you. Hope everyone had a happy Valentine’s Day.)
It strikes me that one of the key themes of this passage in Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians is anger—not that anger in itself is the problem, but rather that the holding onto, enflaming, and nursing of anger is the problem.
Anger will come. Because the world is in rebellion against the Lord, the people of God will experience righteous anger when the beautiful creation the Lord called into being is marred, scarred, torn.
Don’t ever forget that Jesus flipped over the tables of the money-changers.
And yet it seems to me that our problem is not that we get angry, but that, once angry, we choose to hold onto it tightly.
I think this is what Paul is getting at with his twinned instructions:
“be angry, and do not sin” and
“don’t let the sun go down on your anger”
So much of what he warns against—”Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice”—either directly result from holding onto anger or is impossible unless we let go of anger—”Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”
So, whom do you need to forgive today? Remember, forgiveness is giving up your desire to get even and giving that need for justice over to God.
What anger are you still holding onto today?
Let it go.
Today’s Reading: Ephesians 4:25-32
25 Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body. 26 “In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27 and do not give the devil a foothold. 28 Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need.
29 Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
If You Harden Your Heart, This Is What Will Happen
Today’s Reading: Ephesians 4:17-24
17 So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. 18 They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. 19 Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, and they are full of greed.
It’s the “because” that gets me.
They harden their hearts;
And so they are ignorant in understanding and separated from God;
And the result of this is that they have live only for physical comfort and sensations.
All because they made a choice to harden their hearts.
20 That, however, is not the way of life you learned 21 when you heard about Christ and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus.22 You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; 23 to be made new in the attitude of your minds; 24 and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
I wonder if that choice—to harden your heart—is the main problem, which would mean the opposite choice would be the way forward: to keep an open heart.
Maybe that’s our main task today—keep our hearts open.
More on Gifts + a Crazy Old Testament Reference
Today’s reading contains a bizarre Old Testament reference that’s worth slowing down and looking at.
Today’s Reading: Ephesians 4:8-16 [day 10 of 20]
8 This is why it says:
“When he ascended on high,
he took many captives
and gave gifts to his people.”9 (What does “he ascended” mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions? 10 He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.)
Here Paul quotes Psalm 68, which is a victory psalm. In the psalm, God wins the victory over his enemies and, in gratitude, the people give thank-you gifts to God. But in the quotation here, Paul reverses it and has God the victor give gifts to the people! I think the point is that God is just overwhelmingly generous.
11 So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
14 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves,and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. 15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. 16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.
God has given the pastoral offices as gifts to the church so that the church can be built up and won’t be distracted from its mission.
More broadly, every gift is meant by God to be used to build up the church.
How are you using your gifts today?
Sevenfold Unity
Today’s Reading: Ephesians 4:1-6 [day 09 of 20]
4 As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. 2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
Note that Paul’s advice to “bear with one another in love” and to “make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit” implies that unity in the church will take hard work.
I think the only way it’s possible, in fact, is to keep our eyes on the Lord and focus on the faith that has been passed down to us from the saints, the martyrs, and the apostles:
One Lord;
One Spirit;
One Hope;
One Lord;
One Faith;
One Baptism;
One God and Father of all.
If we put those 7 points of unity at our center, then I believe God will give us unity. But it will still take work!
Another Prayer of Paul's
Today’s reading is another prayer from Paul. If you missed it, I preached last Sunday on the way Paul prays for his churches—it’s very different from how we pray!
Today’s Reading: Ephesians 3:14-21
14 For this reason I kneel before the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name.
The NIV footnote is helpful in understanding verse 15: “The Greek for family (patria) is derived from the Greek for father (pater).”
Paul’s making a pun to make his point: all the peoples on earth are actually members of one human family, with one heavenly father.
16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being,17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
Paul prays that God would strengthen the Ephesians so that their trust increases so much it’s as if Christ is as close as possible to them.
Then, once love is their foundation, he prays that God would give them the spiritual power to experience and know the love of Christ.
(Note how again Paul is praying that the come to know God better. Of all the things he could pray for, this is what he chooses. There’s a lesson there for us.)
And the purpose of this knowledge? So that they may be filled up as full as possible. In other words, the purpose is to make them different kind of people.
20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
I love the literal sense of what Paul says here:
God can do more than which we can possibly conceive.
How cool is that?!
Don’t limit what God can do today!
The Church Is God's Megaphone
Today’s Reading: Ephesians 3:7-13 [day 07 of 20]
7 I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace given methrough the working of his power. 8 Although I am less than the least of all the Lord’s people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the boundless riches of Christ, 9 and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things. 10 His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, 11 according to his eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. 12 In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence. 13 I ask you, therefore, not to be discouraged because of my sufferings for you, which are your glory.
Note what Paul says: “[God’s] intent intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realm.”
In other words, God’s purpose in creating the church is, among other reasons, to show the spiritual powers his plan. And again, what is that plan? To unite all the disparate peoples of the world into one. This is why unity is so important—it’s proof of God’s power.
The Open Secret of God's Plan for the World
Today’s Reading: Ephesians 3:1-6 [day 06 of 20]
3:1 For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles—
Ephesians is one of the so-called “Prison Letters.” We know that Paul is in prison as he writes, but we just don’t know during which of his many imprisonments this letter was written. What’s interesting is that Paul implies that his imprisonment is a direct result of his mission to the Gentiles.
2 Surely you have heard about the administration of God’s grace that was given to me for you, 3 that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation,as I have already written briefly.
The “mystery” Paul has made known? It’s what he’s just written about in the first 2 chapters. Again, note how Paul sees his divine mission to be the apostle to the nations.
4 In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, 5 which was not made known to people in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God’s holy apostles and prophets. 6 This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.
Paul has previously been given an apocalypse—an unveiling—into the true state of things. (This is part of what his Road to Damascus experience entailed.) That apocalypse is his “insight into the mystery of Christ.”
This insight was not fully known to even the prophets of Israel (though they had an inkling), but now the leaders of the church understand that which was God’s secret plan all along:
Namely that the purpose of Abraham’s election (the fancy way of saying God’s choosing of Abraham) was to one day bring in the non-chosen people into one unified family.
In other words, the inclusion of the nations into the family of God was not an afterthought but rather what God was always working towards.
The Lord is playing the long game, a fact which I find really encouraging.
After all, if God was working through history to bring in the nations as his covenant people, then what else might God be doing now through the events of history?
What a fun question.
The Bible, In My Own Words
Today Paul explains God’s exhilarating plan to bring all of humanity back together.
I LOVE THIS PASSAGE!
God’s Plan, In My Own Words
God created the world for the purpose of sharing his life with us. In the biblical language, Eden is the place where God’s life and the life of the world meet together in perfection.
However, Humanity has rebelled against God—we have preferred to put ourselves in the center and have therefore said to the Creator, “No, thank you.” This rebellion has resulted in destruction, a destruction that would have been total had not God never stopped caring for Creation. (This broad sweep is recounted in Genesis 1-11, and then again over and over again through the rest of the Old Testament.)
The Lord then chooses one man—Abraham—and plans to save all of humanity through this one man’s family. The family becomes known as Israel, and God makes a covenant with Israel that involves instructing them how to live in such a way as to bring blessing wherever they go.
Israel, however, doesn’t heed God’s instructions, and rather than bringing forth blessing into the world often brings forth violence and hatred and curses. Israel lives in constant enmity with the nations.
But the Lord does not abandon Israel nor the Edenic ideal. Throughout the long Old Testament centuries, the Temple in Jerusalem is the place where Heaven and Earth meet—the Temple represents Eden. And then, in just the right time, God the Father sends his only Son as an Israelite who keeps the instructions perfectly and even dies in between Jews and Gentiles—between Caiaphas and Pilate, so to speak. Jesus’s death fulfills the divine plan and now blessing is released to the whole world and membership in God’s family is open to all who trust in Jesus.
This means that Jewish ethnic practices are not what define the people of God, but rather just the simple act of trusting in the gospel. From now on, God’s Spirit is pulling back into one people the divided peoples of the world, but God’s design is not a uniformity but a unity—we are different, but united.
And now, rather than a Temple built with human hands, it is God’s people—the unified Church—who are where heaven and earth meet. God’s Spirit is present among and through his unified people. Wherever God’s people are, they are meant to bring Edenic blessing with them until Jesus returns and perfects all things.
Today’s Reading: Ephesians 2:11-22 [day 05 of 20]
11 Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called “uncircumcised” by those who call themselves “the circumcision” (which is done in the body by human hands)— 12 remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
Before the life, death, and resurrection of Messiah Jesus, all the nations [“nations” is how the Jews referred to all the other peoples of the world] were separated from God and wandering in their rebellion.
But because of what Jesus has done, the nations are now being brought into covenant relationship with God, adopted into his family.
14 For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, 15 by setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, 16 and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. 17 He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. 18 For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.
Christ has brought the enmity between Israel and the nations into his own body. Why?
Because on the cross he killed that hostility so that people no longer have to be divided.
And now, what it takes to have access to the life of God—joy, peace, eternal life, etc.—is trust in Jesus.
19 Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. 21 In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. 22 And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.
Note the architectural language and imagery here.
Because of Jesus, all people who trust in him are citizens of his kingdom, part of his family.
And, building on what the apostles have started, we are all being built into a new (non-physical) Temple. Why?
So that God’s Spirit can bring blessing through us into the world.
How can you be a channel for Edenic blessing today?
How can you pursue unity today?
Creation's Past, Present, & Future in 10 Verses
In today’s Ephesians passage, Paul sketches out the entire history and future of the world in ten brief verses.
Today’s Reading: Ephesians 2:1-10 [day 04 of 20]
2:1 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath.
Because of our rebellion, all people—both non-Jews and Jews—are alienated from God and under the deathly power of a dark spiritual force.
4 But because of his great love for us,God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. 6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast.
But despite our rebellion, God has acted in Christ to free us from slavery and death, and in fact has even gone beyond that to already now in some mysterious way raise us up over death and sin. We didn’t deserve mercy, but God gave it anyway.
10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
We aren’t saved by good works, but we are saved for good works. And those good works were created by God for us specifically.
Don’t shirk your part in God’s plan today!
Open the Eyes of Our Heart + Bible Study Video
I’ve included below the video from our Ephesians Bible study last week, during which we looked at the controversial passage that contains the verse “wives, [submit] to your husbands.” It was a fun study!
Today’s Reading: Ephesians 1:15-23 [day 03 of 20]
15 For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God’s people, 16 I have not stopped giving thanks for you,remembering you in my prayers. 17 I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.
I love how Paul prays for his churches—it’s not at all how I would think to pray. (Which means there is something wrong with me, not Paul.)
His primary prayer for his church is not that they would escape persecution or even make more disciples, but that they would know God better!
Paul must think that is important….
18 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people,19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe.
Paul uses this great phrase: “the eyes of ya’ll’s heart”. He wants them to “see” with spiritual insight what’s really going on, namely that God is preparing an amazing future for his people and his world, and that his power is so strong that there is no reason to doubt that this future will come to pass.
That power is the same as the mighty strength 20 he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, 21 far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. 22 And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.
The proof of God’s power is the resurrection of Jesus, who has been raised and sits in judgment over every other type of power, both material and spiritual, both now and forever. The church on earth now represents and even in some way embodies Christ.
I’ve always liked this song, but it’s only been in reading Ephesians that I learned the lyrics came from Ephesians 1.
Video of Ephesians Bible Study [1/26/22]
Predestination and The Holy Spirit
Today’s Reading: Ephesians 1:11-14 [Day 02 of 20]
11 In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, 12 in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. 13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit,14 who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.
Here’s what Paul means:
We Jews were predestined by God to be the chosen people, the means by which God would bring blessing to the entire world;
And now you non-Jews are included in the chosen people when you heard the gospel and trusted in it.
The proof that you are part of God’s people is that he has given you his Holy Spirit;
The Holy Spirit makes real now the future perfect reality that is coming—the Holy Spirit is the one who makes real the now-and-not-yet characteristic of God’s kingdom among us;
If this is what life can be life now for God’s people—filled with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, etc.—how great will the future be?