Pastor's Ponderings: Meandering through Mark 12:13-17 bible study (July 29, 2024)

July 29, 2024:  Monday Bible Study on the Gospel of Mark 12:13-17

Dear Bible Study Community,

May the joy of God's provision of summer rain fill your life, and hopefully it will not mean the growth of unwanted greenery in your yard, or at your place of work. After such good rainstorms this past week, we must also know that some folks have suffered damage to their homes. We prayed for some folks yesterday who lost their roof off their home this past week. I think that we can offer prayers for everyone whose lives were complicated by the summer monsoon. Please also keep Teri in your prayers, as her rescue dog nears death from cancer. Thank the LORD for people like Teri who are able to give a rescue a loving home toward the end of their life and pray for peace and comfort for this much-loved dog. I, like Martin Luther, believe that we will once again meet and get to know these pets. Is there any doubt about the soul in such a pet who loves us with such devotion?

Today we are moving on in chapter 12 of the Gospel of Mark, and we will look at a very familiar passage about the challenges and questions of the authorities who hoped to entrap Jesus, causing Him to lose his following, or to cause the Roman authorities to arrest Him for seditious words against them.  This familiar question about paying taxes to the government should certainly strike a chord in our lives. In Lutheran Christianity we believe that government is one of the orders of God's creation for the good of His people in the world. I know that that would seem to be a simplistic statement, but Luther goes on to talk about unjust governments and the responsibility of the believer to advocate for change, even if it means incarceration. Enough of the thought of Martin Luther for now. However, here in Mark 12 Jesus makes it clear too, that citizens of a nation should pay what the government requires of them yet should also know that thanksgiving to God means meeting the guidance of the Word, which itself indicates that a good starting place would be to give 10%.  I know from our own family's giving what it means to grow beyond that, and sometimes it is really tough to write that check, even when we know that it is our thanksgiving to God for His gift of Jesus for us.

So, let's look at the taxes that a person in Israel would have to pay under the reign of their own King, and under the presence of the Roman empire in their nation. 

1. A ground tax. This tax consisted of one tenth of all of the produce of the land or sea. It was paid both in kind, and then also in the money it produced.

2. Income tax. If one's work was not to produce from land or sea, there was still a tax on income from work. 1%

3. A Poll Tax. Basically, this was a tax for just existing, hence the census in which Mary and Joseph journeyed to Bethlehem so they could be counted, and subsequent decisions about what kind of money the government could expect to receive.
   

We also know the story about the disciple tax collector. Often if a person was going to do business in a community they would also get hit with a tax or taxes just to get into the city to earn money.  These tax collectors padded their own wealth by charging much more than the law required. Remember in our study of Nehemiah that there was a series of gates in the wall of Jerusalem that created a short cut to get through the city. Imagine the taxes collected at that spot every day!!

I have often felt used when having to pay a toll to use a section of a U.S.A. highway, that taxes have already paid for, and then finding out that the road is in really bad condition, so that the tolls must be going to some other expense.

You and I need to know why the Herodians, and religious leaders felt that speaking about coinage would be a good way to entrap Jesus, thinking that there was no answer which He would be willing to give because it would get Him into trouble either with the people, or with the Roman Government. 

1. Coinage was a sign of power. After all it was the picture of the Roman Emperor on the denarius.  Rome was the supreme authority of that time. It was the habit of any powerful rebel or leader to mint their own coinage, thereby laying claim to authority and power in a particular region.

2. If a minted coin had power in a certain area, and was considered valid for trade and payment, then that was an acknowledgement of that leader's authority in that region.

3. Coins with images on them were considered to actually belong to the person whose image appeared on the coin.

So, when Jesus says to render to Caesar what is Caesar's, He is acknowledging that the emperor is the owner in one kind of world view, while there is another where God is the power to be acknowledged. In the real world they exist side by side.

It is in response of Jesus to this question, which is meant to entrap Him, that Jesus gives the reader three great principles.

1. We have already said this one, the just state is ordained by God. It is meant to provide for the health and well-being of its citizens.

2. No person can accept the benefits of the state, and then choose to opt out of their responsibilities.

3. There is a limit. The coin, the denarius, had Caesar's image on it, but every person is created in the image of God! If there is a conflict between the two, we must always remember that the state belongs to God too. Then it becomes the responsibility of the Christian person to bring change about in a peaceful manner, and for those who do this, they must have a willingness to pay the civil price for standing against the state, trusting that God will bring about the restoration of the just state, through peaceful actions.  When this happens it is often the case that those who support the unjust state will respond with hostility, anger, and violence.
   

I am certain that we could have a very long conversation about this reality, but this is enough for today.

With love in Christ, Pastor Kim

Pastor's Ponderings: Old Testament bible study on Nehemiah 9:1-19 (July 25, 2024)

July 25, 2024:  Tuesday Bible Study on the Old Testament book of Nehemiah 9:1-19

Good morning, and God bless your day with joy and hope,

If you are a Gospel of Mark person, this last Tuesday there was no study. I have been ill this week with an intestinal and stomach bug which Jesse and I both seemed to have picked up. I am still not back 100%, but we all know how that goes. The demands of our families – like groceries, transporting the children, Dr’s appointments, and yes, getting into the office to do today's study – really all have to happen. I am so thankful for Melody, who really knows how to pick up the pieces when I end up having to spend a day in bed dealing with being sick. I am so blessed to have had her in my life for 52 years of marriage (53 years in Dec.), and even before our marriage for 6 years of being “steadies” and at the end of those years being engaged to be married.

Today we return to the Old Testament book of Nehemiah. We just completed readings where Nehemiah gathered the people who had rebuilt the walls and gates of Jerusalem, and then he called for a night of feasting and celebration which was to include all of the people who supported that rebuilding. Next, we had those same people gathered together to hear the reading of the Torah (the first 5 books of our Old Testament.  It took hours and hours! I know that sometimes reading the Passion story on Palm Sunday at the end of the service as we enter into Holy Week seems like too much. But like the Judahites, the recalling of this story of God's choice for forgiveness and life through His Son, Jesus Christ, must be planted in our minds again, as we contemplate coming to the degradation of our Holy Savior on the cross of our sin and brokenness. If you are like me, it is far too easy in the busyness of every day to set this most important part of our life-story as One who loves us all, dies so that our relationship with the Father can be made right by our obedience to God's Law through Christ's complete and humble obedience to God's desire to save us.  This is THE LOVE which surpasses all understanding. So, in our reading today what we have is the confession of faith of the Judahite returned exiles' families long after the original exiles have died. We need to note in this 19-verse reading how the confession of faith includes the sins of "now", and the participation of the people who had been returned from exile in their rejection of God's plan for Love for them, as well as, including the ancient history of Egypt's enslavement of the Hebrews, and the subsequent failure of the Hebrews to remain faithful in the wilderness.  They built a gold idol naming it the god who brought them out of Egypt. Then we are encountered by the next part of the confession. God was so desirous of keeping these people in His fold, that He acted to restore them to Himself. Is it any wonder that this act of confession and contrition, really feeling and being sorry for all of the actions of their past, and of what they have done or not done currently in their lives brings these people to their knees in grief? “Sack cloth” may have indicated a person's everyday work clothes. When we have a down day, we often don't shower, or get dressed up when there is no place to go to feel better.  This is the kind of thing that "sack cloth" indicates. When I was a boy, we used to take our inner tubes to the lake and make a raft out of them using what we called gunny sacks. So naturally, as I grew up, my picture of sack cloth was the gunny sack of my little raft in Lake Michigan. To wear one of those would be unbearable. In confession what is unbearable is our sin and brokenness in the presence of our God who loves us in spite of it all, and still wants us to come to Him to be enfolded in His Love. Just as a quick word… the naming of specific people in Scripture, whether the people they name may be real or not, gives us a much stronger connection to the text. Real people were offering heartfelt confession, and receiving God's forgiveness, just like us!

God bless you today and always,

In Christ's Love, Pastor Kim

Pastor's Ponderings: Meandering through Mark 12:1-12 bible study (July 22, 2024)

July 22, 2024:  Monday Bible Study on the Gospel of Mark 12:1-12

Blessings and Peace be with you on this Monday morning in the desert.

Saturday, members of our church lost their much-loved dog after she escaped through her security gate. We prayed for them, and their pet was found not too far from their home yesterday afternoon. We must always remember that there is no prayer which is too small, or too great, as we go through our lives. Isn't today a good day to include the LORD in your entire day, having conversation and prayer with the LORD? Please keep Kelly's parents in your prayers, they both have covid. They live in Minnesota. Pray also for Kandice K and Lisa in Hawaii. Kandice is working to get ready to get back to teaching, even with her cancer. Pray that she will find the strength and peace in her life to continue her teaching career while battling such a virulent disease. Please pray too for our son and his wife as they travel cross country to the Carolinas to celebrate his wife's grandfather's birthday.

Today we move into chapter 12 of the Gospel of Mark. This chapter begins with a "parable"/"wisdom" teaching of Jesus. We all, including me, have a tendency in our approach to the Bible, to want to pick apart every word and phrase believing that we will in some way come to a fuller understanding of the entirety of the text. Remember that parables were meant to be heard, not written down to be studied in detail. It is in the telling of a parable that the listener works their way to what is most important in the story. Today's story could be reminiscent of the story of Ahab and Jezebel who stole a vineyard, or of the wine vat that was used for hiding as the enemy approached, but this story is easily approached to know that an owner has certain rights with regards to his own land and its use, including the right to expect appropriate respect and profit from those who are in charge of the land.  In the case of this vineyard, the owner has made it secure from animals and thieves, safe for the cultivators who work the vineyard. This vineyard contained everything that the workers needed, including a share of the income from the great producing land and its harvest. After sending servants and representatives to collect the owner's due, all of whom are mistreated or murdered, the owner sends his son, hoping that the response of the people will be more open to the owner's own child. The end of this parable is a truth-telling about the workers trying to set their own path, taking all of the profit and driving off any representative!  the owner, and the owner’s response will be to send a force to kill and/or drive out those who think that this land they have worked must now be their own! Both the judgement and the wrath of the owner will rain down on them for their failure to fully participate in the contract between themselves and the owner.

Of course, the owner represents God, and the servants sent to the vineyard after the 5 years for the vineyard to become productive were prophets and judges, all of whom were ultimately rejected as the people moved on their own pathway away from God in the promised land. Most importantly the owner’s son is Jesus Christ, the Messiah, sent to turn the hearts and minds of the people back to God. For you and me this all seems pretty obvious. However, there are truths in this text that must be acknowledged.

1.       This text tells us about the patience and generosity of God. the LORD has tried numerous times to draw the Hebrews (Jews) back to a right relationship with Him, even to the point of sending His Son to bring back the community of the elect, but even the Son is rejected and killed. The LORD made every possible attempt to restore the elect in this relationship and agreement.

2.     The listener learns of God's trust. The gift of the promised land, and of abundance and peace were handed to the Hebrews as they entered into the promised land.

3.     The listener comes to understand that the owner, God, will triumph ultimately. People may take advantage of God's patience, but at the end of all things it will be God's triumph which is in place.

In this parable Jesus shows that he regards Himself not as a servant, but as the Son. It also tells us that Jesus knew He would die, and through that death He would reach his vindication and triumph. The vineyard workers must have felt that the owner was too far away to be effective in his management of his land. Today, too many people feel the same way about God's distance, feeling that He is so far away that they don't need to worry about the judgement He will bring upon them.  In this parable we discover that is simply not true. If people refuse to participate in, or to meet their responsibilities in their relationship with God, then God will set about the process of bringing His blessings to others. As we close out this parable in Mark 12, we find Jesus offering an O.T. quote from the Psalms. (Ps. 118:22-23) The stone which the builders rejected has become the corner stone, the most important of all. The Psalmist sees that one day, the nation of Israel will become the greatest of all. You and I could have long conversation about whether or not Israel has moved at all in that direction. I will be back with you tomorrow.

In the love of Christ, Pastor Kim