Tag Archives: Hypocrisy

Chapter-a-Day

The Guilt of Innocent Blood

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“I have sinned,” [Judas] said, “for I have betrayed innocent blood.”

“What is that to us?” [the chief priests and elders] replied. “That’s your responsibility.”
Matthew 27:4 (NIV)

I made a decision years ago not to be affiliated with any political party. A few years ago I changed my non-affiliated status to vote for an individual whom I believe in during the primaries, but then I switched back to being non-affiliated. I know people on the right who think I’m too far left and people on the left who think I’m too far right. There are individuals on both sides of the aisle who lump me in with “those people” in the opposite party. It is what it is. I know, love, and respect people across the political spectrum who have very diverse views and opinions.

When Jesus sent The Twelve out two-by-two to share His message in towns and villages around the Sea of Galilee, He told them to be “shrewd as serpents and gentle as doves.” I have found that advice sage whenever I am navigating the world, whether that’s reading the news, operating in the business world, or doing my civic duty by participating in elections.

Along my life journey, I’ve observed that both sides of the political spectrum are guilty of looking the other way and justifying it when someone on their team is guilty of corruption, but then scream for blood and justice when one of “those people” on the other side do the same thing. I get it. This is just how the world works.

As a disciple of Jesus, I’ve been tasked with being “in the world, but not of it.” So, along the way I personally chose out of both sides. I know fellow disciples who feel called to serve in one of both major parties. That’s cool, too. The Great Story is filled with examples of God using different people in different political contexts. Jeremiah was a prophet inside the (corrupt) political system of his day. Elijah was a political outsider and voice in the wilderness. Among The Twelve Jesus chose a far-right zealot named Simon and a far-left Roman collaborator named Matthew. I have learned along the way that God leads different people on different paths for different reasons yet does so for His same eternal purposes.

I find that the Great Story is, at its foundation, a conflict between good and evil; A war between the kingdoms of this world and the Kingdom of God. Nowhere is this more abundantly clear than in the events of Jesus arrest, trials, and execution.

In today’s chapter, Judas feels remorse for his betrayal and returns the 30 pieces of silver to the religious leaders at the Temple. He tells them that Jesus is innocent and that “innocent blood” is on his hands.

“What is that to us?” they ask Judas in excusing their actions.

In asking this question, they expose tremendous hypocrisy. It should mean everything to them. They are leaders of the Hebrew people. They are “experts” in God’s Law. They are the authorities over God’s given system of justice. They know that in Deuteronomy God established that entire system of justice and explained the reason saying:

“Do this so that innocent blood will not be shed in your land, which the Lord your God is giving you as your inheritance, and so that you will not be guilty of bloodshed...You must purge from Israel the guilt of shedding innocent blood, so that it may go well with you.”
Deuteronomy 19:10 (NIV) [emphasis added]

Ironically, the same legal section of God’s Law gives specific instructions about false witnesses like Judas and the others they put forth at Jesus’ trial:

“If a malicious witness takes the stand to accuse someone of a crime, the two people involved in the dispute must stand in the presence of the Lord before the priests and the judges who are in office at the time. The judges must make a thorough investigation, and if the witness proves to be a liar, giving false testimony against a fellow Israelite, then do to the false witness as that witness intended to do to the other party. You must purge the evil from among you.”
Deuteronomy 19:16-19 (NIV)

The Chief Priests and Elders knew that they were breaking many laws in their railroading of Jesus. To ask, “What is that to us?” was a mockery of God’s entire purpose for the Law. God was establishing a system of justice that would protect the innocent and poor and hold the rich and powerful accountable. The Chief Priests and Elders used this system to become rich and powerful. They are now using the Law to protect that wealth and power while they ignore the laws that call on them to free Jesus and hold Judas accountable for his false testimony (though they broke that same Law in paying Judas for that false testimony).

Judas throws the silver from his betrayal at their feet and flees.

To make their hypocrisy even more blatant, these men who are supposed to be the keepers of the Law but have flaunted the most basic of God’s Laws regarding justice now look at the blood money and say, “It is against the law to put this into the treasury, since it is blood money.”

This is how the world works. Left and Right. Conservative and Liberal. Fox and CNN. Catholics and Evangelicals. Fundamentalist and Frozen Chosen. Choose the rules you want to follow and those you want to ignore depending on how and when it suits your personal benefit and political purposes.

“Rules for thee but not for me.”

The irony continues later in the chapter as the Chief Priest and Elders “persuade” the crowd (I assume there was more silver involved) to call on Pilate to release Barabbas and crucify Jesus. Pilate, the non-Hebrew Roman, knows that Jesus is “innocent blood” and wants nothing to do with this injustice. The Hebrew Chief Priests, Elders, and their good Hebrew mob-for-hire then scream to, Pilate:

“His blood is on us and on our children!”

I couldn’t help but remember Jesus words to these same Chief Priests and Elders just a few days before:

“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous. And you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ So you testify against yourselves that you are the descendants of those who murdered the prophets. Go ahead, then, and complete what your ancestors started!”
Matthew 23:29-32 (NIV)

In the quiet this morning, I am reminded that as Jesus’ disciple I am both a citizen of the Kingdom of Heaven, and therefore an ambassador of that Kingdom here among the kingdoms of this world. The more I’ve taken this spiritual reality seriously, the more I’ve discovered how it requires me to be shrewd as a serpent and gentle as a dove. Nevertheless, in my thoughts, words, actions, and relationships I don’t want to mindlessly be another example of how the world works. I want to follow in Jesus’ footsteps, even if I’m crucified for it.

If you know anyone who might be encouraged by today’s post, please share.

These chapter-a-day blog posts are also available via podcast on all major podcast platforms including Apple, Google, and Spotify! Simply go to your podcast platform and search for “Wayfarer Tom Vander Well.” If it’s not on your platform, please let me know!
Chapter-a-Day

Earthly Kingdoms

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Go ahead, then, and complete what your ancestors started!
Matthew 23:32 (NIV)

The eyes of the world have shifted to Rome in recent weeks. Tomorrow, the Vatican’s College of Cardinals will begin their conclave to elect a new pope to succeed Pope Francis I. In my humble opinion, the Roman Catholic church is, in many ways, successor to the religious earthly kingdom that Jesus faced off against in His final days. The College of Cardinals in their fine robes and red hats will convene in all their pomp under the priceless artwork of Michelangelo in the Sistine Chapel to hold their secret election.

Make no mistake, it is an earthly kingdom. The Roman Catholic church is the largest land owner in the world. The Vatican is its own nation. In recent weeks I read of one Catholic bishop who spoke out about the rise of anti-immigrant sentiment and the need to minister to the world’s immigrants and refugees. In the next sentence he decried the fact that the Roman Catholic church does not have the funds to do so and requires the generosity of others to the support the efforts. That said, the Roman church is the owner of countless priceless works of art. The Vatican bank has billions in assets. Then there is all that land it owns.

It seems to me that the hypocrisy of the religious kingdom of the high priests and Pharisees in today’s chapter is an apt description of the Vatican kingdom.

That said, in today’s chapter Jesus concedes that the ones He criticizes “sit in Moses seat.” He begins His critical diatribe by telling His followers to submit to their authority. It is a similar conundrum when Paul tells the believers in Rome to submit to all governmental authority (Rom 13:1-7) when it is that same authority who will imprison Paul and chop off his head. Being a citizen of the eternal Kingdom of God while living this life of temporal earthly exile creates such fascinating and complex realities.

I continued meditate on the events of today’s chapter with the wide-angle lens I used in yesterday’s chapter when Jesus crushed His debate opponents, the pompous religious power brokers of the Temple in Jerusalem, 5-0 and left them licking their wounds of humiliation back in the locker room. Jesus now turns to the crowd and lets loose with a message of seven woes of criticism for the Temple religious leaders.

The most powerful of his opponents were not present, but his opponents and their political minions were as prevalent as priests and nuns in the Vatican. In the crowd were political spies. It was also true that within the powerful party of Pharisees were some who were loyal to Jesus like Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea. Perhaps they remained when their colleagues retreated to the locker room.

The seventh and final woe in Jesus complete list of hypocrisies is the fact that is was His opponents forebears who had martyred God’s righteous and His prophets “from Abel to Zechariah” which is like when I write “from Genesis to Revelation.” Jesus is once again making a huge and sweeping historical generalization. This religious system that is supposed to be God’s representatives on Earth, will instead execute God’s own Son. Jesus knows it is coming. He tells His opponents to “complete what your ancestors started.” He then foreshadows that the killing will not end with Him. They will execute the apostles, prophets, sages, and teachers that He will send to them after His ascension. His opponents will hunt them down and execute them, as well. The book of Acts bears witness to the veracity of Jesus’ prophetic words.

In the quiet this morning, I find myself once again pondering the complexity and conundrums of being a disciple of Jesus, a citizen and ambassador of God’s eternal Kingdom in this fallen world under the dominion of the condemned but very present Prince of this World. The realities Jesus faced in the conflicts of the final week of His earthly journey are still very real, still very present in our current human realities.

I am subject to corrupt human authorities in many different human systems from family, to religion, to government. My role as a disciple of Jesus and ambassador of heaven is to do the very thing Jesus told His followers in today’s chapter:

“So you must be careful to do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do.”

I don’t control large, complex human systems of government and religion, though I have tremendous influence on the small human systems of family, business, and local community. My role is to follow Jesus’ example in my circles of influence, cultivating and bearing the fruit of God’s Spirit in my daily words, actions, and relationships. As I do this, I mindfully pray for leaders, representatives, and a College of Cardinals in Rome. May they also be mindful of being fruitful disciples of Jesus in their much more powerful and influential circles of influence.

If you know anyone who might be encouraged by today’s post, please share.

These chapter-a-day blog posts are also available via podcast on all major podcast platforms including Apple, Google, and Spotify! Simply go to your podcast platform and search for “Wayfarer Tom Vander Well.” If it’s not on your platform, please let me know!
Chapter-a-Day

“Much is Required”

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“Much is Required” (CaD Lev 21) – Wayfarer

“‘The high priest, the one among his brothers who has had the anointing oil poured on his head and who has been ordained to wear the priestly garments, must not let his hair become unkempt or tear his clothes.’”
Leviticus 21:10 (NIV)

As a young man I spent five years in vocational pastoral ministry, a total of six years in professional ministry when you add one year of purgatory in a para-church men’s ministry.

Six years.

Six is the number of man, and it was yours truly’s determination back in the day that when God called me to proclaim His Word that it must have meant being in vocational, professional ministry. I have fond memories of those six years and, to this day, I continue to be blessed by the fruit of my labors within them. Nevertheless, those years will filled with many hard lessons as God made it clear to me that He had another plan. I was still going to proclaim His Word. It was just going to be nothing like I had been determined it should be. My ways are not His ways.

“To whom much is given, much is required,” Jesus said, and goodness gracious did I experience that during my six years of pastoral ministry. The question I learned to ask during that stretch of my life journey was, “Exactly who is requiring this of me?”

As a youth pastor and pastor I learned that many people required many different things from me. And, many of them made it clear that they were the ones doing the “giving” that paid my salary so I had better toe the line of their personal requirements. It didn’t take long before I realized that I was beginning to pretend to be someone I wasn’t in order to be the person others were requiring me to be. So, I fulfilled my contract and chose to walk away.

I then worked for one year for a ministry started and led by charismatic and popular celebrity in local Christian circles. In this professional ministry I learned that what was required of me was to be loyal, do what I was told, not to complain, and not to ask uncomfortable questions, especially about how the ministry’s finances were being handled. I actually got fired from that job. It put me and my young family in a tremendous financial pinch at the time, but it was among the best things that ever happened to me. God provided what we needed.

In the next two chapters of God’s priestly manual for the ancient Hebrews, God addresses the priests, and the High Priest, in particular. Jesus words are just as apt here. There was nothing that Aaron or his sons had done to deserve or earn being the priests. It was a calling given to them by God. And, it was a pretty sweet gig. They wouldn’t toil like all the other tribes to make a living and provide for their families. They got a portion of the offerings and sacrifices that were simply brought to God. As the tribe of priests grew, it also meant that they actually only did their priestly duties on occasional shifts. And, the priests had God-given authority over the people. They had the power to declare people clean or unclean, to banish people from the camp, and to declare a person’s offering acceptable or not. In other words, the priests had the power to keep people in fellowship with God, or to cut them off from God’s favor. What is clear from today’s chapter is that God is requiring from them an exceptional level of behavior from His preists as it relates to remaining ritually “clean” and being a “holy” example as they carry out the ritual offerings and sacrifices God prescribed earlier in the book. They are to live and lead by example. But, that’s ultimately not going to happen.

As Lord Acton observed back in the late 1800s, “absolute power corrupts absolutely.”

What eventually happened with the Hebrew priesthood is the same thing I observed in the large institutional churches and denominations I’ve served in and been a part of my entire life. They become just another kingdom of this world under the dominion of the Prince of this World. Spiritual authority is corrupted into personal and worldly power. Being an example is corrupted into being a pretender. Those at the top of the religious food chain become just like politicians, celebrities, or business moguls. They expect or demanding one thing from those under their authority or influence while doing pretty much whatever they want.

For example, I read in today’s chapter God’s very specific instruction to the High Priest that he was never to “tear his clothes.” The rending of one’s garments was a common practice among the ancients as a sign of grief or lament. God apparently wanted the High Priest to remain an example of spiritual objectivity and discipline, and not to do this. I suddenly remembered something and quickly flipped to Matthew.

When Jesus was arrested by the High Priest Caiaphas, He was arrested under the pretense of Jesus breaking all sorts of religious laws. He worked on the Sabbath, He claimed to be God, and He said He would destroy the Temple. However, the High Priest had Jesus arrested at night, which was also against the law. He presided over a trial of Jesus during that same night, which was also against the law. When Jesus proclaimed that He was exactly who He claimed to be, Matthew tells us: “Then the high priest tore his clothes….” In condemning the Son of God for breaking God’s laws, the High Priest breaks them himself.

Rules for thee, but not for me.

That’s the way it works in this fallen world.

In the quiet this morning, I find myself grateful that God led me down a path that gave me a much more expansive (and powerful) understanding of what “ministry” is and means. He blessed me with a vocation that perfectly fit my gifts and abilities which I have really enjoyed. He also blessed me with regular opportunities to continue using my gifts among every local gathering of Jesus followers while having another vocation. It has also afforded me the freedom and opportunity to find and embrace my authentic self and what God requires of me without the pressure to conform to what everyone else “requires.” Just like Paul who made tents wherever he went so that he wouldn’t need to ask anything from the local gatherings of believers he served, it’s allowed me to do very much the same, serving even in pastoral roles in ways that are a service and a calling but not necessary as my professional vocation.

I’ve had people ask me if I would ever consider going back to a full-time pastoral gig. I always feel myself shrug. Who knows? A lot has changed all around in 35 years. As I see “retirement” out there on the horizon, who knows where God might yet lead me in future seasons of life. I know that I will continue to follow wherever He leads. I know that I can trust Him with the Story. And, I know that I am right where I’m supposed to be doing the things I’m supposed to do today.

And with that, I enter another day of the journey, just another Wayfaring Stranger making my way home.

If you know anyone who might be encouraged by today’s post, please share.

These chapter-a-day blog posts are also available via podcast on all major podcast platforms including Apple, Google, and Spotify! Simply go to your podcast platform and search for “Wayfarer Tom Vander Well.” If it’s not on your platform, please let me know!
Chapter-a-Day

An Awkward Moment at the Pub

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An Awkward Moment at the Pub (CaD 1 Cor 5) – Wayfarer

I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world. But now I am writing to you that you must not associate with anyone who claims to be a brother or sister but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or slanderer, a drunkard or swindler. Do not even eat with such people.
1 Corinthians 5:9-11 (NIV)

A number of years ago, I was running some errands in town one gorgeous spring afternoon. It was one of those amazing first warm days of spring here in the midwest when everyone opens windows and doors to air out the house after a long winter, and everyone gets outside to take a walk and enjoy warm weather.

With a little extra time on my hands, I decided to pop into the local pub for a pint before heading home. The pub had its front door propped open and I was sitting at the bar with my pint checking email, when I heard someone call my name.

I turned to find a Christian couple I know who had been passing by and saw me sitting there. I smiled, waved, and greeted them. Then it became clear that they wanted to have a conversation because they started right in making casual small talk, but it got really weird. They refused to step inside the pub. My friends even looked down a few times at their feet to make sure he hadn’t crossed the threshold. I was sitting twenty-five feet away. They were blocking the door and talking to me as if we were having an intimate conversation while semi-shouting so that the whole pub could hear. Eventually, they continued on their way, having successfully remained pure by not entering a sinful place. I finished my pint and went home.

As awkward and silly as the episode was, I knew exactly where my friends were coming from. I spent much of the early years of my spiritual journey being taught similar behavioral legalities. Avoid such sinful places or the sinful people inside might lead you astray. Don’t associate. Stay away.

Yet, in today’s chapter, Paul provides a command to the followers of Jesus in Corinth that I’ve never heard addressed among the legalistic circles who teach such things. Paul clarifies that when he told the Corinthian believers not to associate with immoral people, he was talking about immoral people inside the church, not outside. If I refuse to associate with immoral people outside the church then how will I ever be the light of the world, or the salt of the earth? Paul’s teaching is clear. He’s talking about those inside the church who claim to be disciples of Jesus but they live lives that are the obvious antithesis of Jesus’ teaching.

In my associations out in the world, I know exactly what I’m dealing with. These are people who don’t know Christ, who have no reason to act like they do. They’re the people Jesus associated with when the good religious leaders complained that He ate and drank with sinners.

“Yes!” Jesus answered his legalistic, religious critics unequivocally. “These are the people who need what I have to give! These are the people I came for!”

The people I’m really supposed to avoid are the hypocrites inside the church who faithfully go through the religious motions and put on its outward appearances, but whose daily lives and relationships are void of love, joy, peace, kindness, gentleness, or patience. In fact, that accurately describes the good legalistic religious people who were criticizing Jesus. Jesus told His followers to avoid them. And that’s the very point that Paul is making to the Corinthian believers. I don’t need to worry about an immoral person I meet in the pub. They’re lives are an honest reflection of their current world view and spiritual reality. I need to worry about the hypocrites in my pew on Sunday. They’re the ones whose lives are dishonest at the core. I need to avoid them like the plague if I want to be spiritually healthy.

At least, that’s what Jesus taught, and Paul. Though, you probably won’t learn that in a lot of churches.

In the quiet this morning, I find myself looking back at the years I led a very sequestered life. I, too, would have avoided crossing the threshold of a pub. And, I spent a lot of time hanging out with some really awful people, but they claimed to be Christians, so they were on the approved list. I am once again reminded that this life is a journey. Healthy things grow, and growing things change. I’m not in the same place I once was, nor should I be. If you’re ever in town, feel free to meet me at the pub. I’ll buy you a pint and introduce you to some friends.

If you know anyone who might be encouraged by today’s post, please share.

These chapter-a-day blog posts are also available via podcast on all major podcast platforms including Apple, Google, and Spotify! Simply go to your podcast platform and search for “Wayfarer Tom Vander Well.” If it’s not on your platform, please let me know!
Chapter-a-Day

Dutch Fronts

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When the wall collapses, will people not ask you, “Where is the whitewash you covered it with?”
Ezekiel 13:12 (NIV)

The Iowa town where Wendy and I live is a unique place. Pella was founded by a Dutch pastor and his flock back in 1847. They were fleeing religious persecution back in Netherlands and were intent on creating “a city of refuge” on the Iowa prairie. Visitors from the Netherlands today will often say that Pella is more Dutch than the Netherlands itself. Dutch heritage is so woven into the town that any commercial businesses must include classic Dutch architectural design flourishes on their buildings. Even Walmart and McDonalds comply (see the featured photo on today’s post).

Of course, the architectural flourishes are just that. Behind the doors of that cute looking shop on the square, it’s just a building like any other building. In some cases, that building is 170 years old and in critically major disrepair. This has led to locals using the metaphor of a “Dutch Front.” The front of the building looks cute, quaint, and Dutch, but on the inside it’s a hell-hole. The metaphor is often (and aptly) used to describe people who keep up self-righteous, religious appearances for public consumption, but whose actual lives are filled with greed, anger, slander, hypocrisy, and critical spirits.

In today’s chapter, God has Ezekiel prophesy against false prophets and professional diviners and spiritualists who practiced black magic. I was fascinated that God’s metaphor for false prophets was basically the same metaphor as our Dutch Front. In Zeke’s day, a strong wall around the city protected it from an enemy attack. God tells Zeke that the false prophets of his day were like a “flimsy wall” that had been whitewashed to look good. These prophets would tell people what they wanted to hear, that everything was going to be okay and that they would live in peace, while God was trying to warn them of the impending doom and destruction.

In the quiet this morning, I find myself meditating on this metaphor. Even Jesus used a form of it with the hypocritical religious Pharisees of His day:

“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean.”

There are two truths that I have observed along my life journey that come to mind as I reflect on Jesus’ words.

First, there is no one perfect and even the most sincerely devout individual has blind spots and imperfections. We are all works in progress. I have known critics and non-believers who are quick to paint any and all self-proclaimed believers with the same coat of whitewash in an effort to justify their unbelief and poor life choices. It is a very human thing to generalize an entire subset of humanity as “those people.” It makes easier for us to dismiss them instead of understanding them.

Second, Jesus was most critical of self-righteous, fundamentalist religious-types. Much like the false prophets, they played the religious game, they even thought they were being devoutly sincere, but they were blind to the spiritual reality. Their hearts weren’t seeking after the heart of God, but rather were seeking public approval ratings that made them feel good while ignoring the heart changes inside that desperately needed to be made.

In the quiet this morning, I find myself standing in the tension. Look hard enough and you will find my flaws. My wife, my children, and my inner circle of friends know them very well. As a disciple of Jesus, my first priority is not to seek and point out the flaws and hypocrisies of others. My priority is to be God’s perpetual and faithful cardiac patient. My heart has to perpetually change if I am going to be the disciple God calls me to be: My life, words, and actions increasingly blossoming with the Fruit of the Spirit. There is a time and place for calling out sin and hypocrisy just like Zeke in his day, and Jesus in His. Yet, I’m reminded that His criticism of the religious leaders was a very small part of His story, which was primarily about His healing and restorative sacrificial love for others. May my life increasingly reflect His.

If you know anyone who might be encouraged by today’s post, please share.

Chapter-a-Day

“Since, then…”

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"Since, then…" (CaD Col 3) – Wayfarer

Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.
Colossians 3:1 (NIV)

I, on occasion, have the opportunity for a heart-to-heart with the shepherd of our local gathering of Jesus followers. Along my life journey, I’ve known many shepherds and pastors. One of the heart-felt burdens that they’ve shared with me over the years is the nearly constant flow of criticism they hear from members of the community regarding the hypocrisy of different members of their local gathering. They say they believe one thing on Sunday, but that belief doesn’t translate into any kind of meaningful difference in life, words, or actions that’s observable by others.

In yesterday’s post, I wrote about some of the wacky things the followers of Jesus in Colossae were proclaiming with regard to what it meant to be a follower of Jesus. Paul dismissed their wacky ideas and told the Colossian believers to focus on Christ, his teaching, His death for sin, and the power of His resurrection. In other words, “this is what you should believe.”

Today’s chapter begins with “Since, then.” Meaning, if the Colossians focus their faith on the fullness of Christ then certain things will naturally follow. That’s today’s chapter. Paul launches into the effects that faith and belief in Christ should have on one’s day-to-day life. The phrase I find myself using more and more is this: “If I really believe what I say I believe, then…”

Here’s the effects Paul says that sincere faith has on a believer:

Self-discipline with regard to sensual and earthly appetites. My natural appetites, from eating and drinking, to sex and pleasure, to status and pride, to money and materialism, always have me struggling with over-indulgence. The world, especially marketers, are always telling me that indulgence is a good thing.

The ceasing of destructive emotional and interpersonal attributes such as anger, rage, hatred for others, being mean, talking negatively about people behind their back, being dishonest, and having conversation filled with profanity and obscenity.

Ever-increasing emotional and interpersonal attributes such as having compassion on the needy and marginalized, being kind, being humble, answering harshness with gentleness, being patient with both others and circumstances, forgiving others their weaknesses and offenses, and of course doing all these things out of genuine love for others.

Treating spouses and family members with the same gentleness, kindness, forgiveness, humility, patience, and love. In other words, those same attributes are present in the most intimate of relationships, behind closed doors, when no one else can see.

Daily (not weekly) focus on prayer and worship. Faith in Christ is a relationship. I in Him and His Spirit in me. He is with me always, even when I am alone. So I am always mindful of His presence, always talking to Him, always listening to Him, always worshipping.

Good work habits (and treatment of co-workers) motivated by my service to God in anticipation of an eternal paycheck.

Faith without effect is reason to wonder if it is faith at all. If I really believe what I say I believe, then my life will increasingly produce less of the bad stuff and more of the good stuff.

If that doesn’t or isn’t happening?

Well, then, I think maybe I need to reexamine my beliefs.

If you know anyone who might be encouraged by today’s post, please share.

Chapter-a-Day

“But He Also…”

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"But He Also…" (CaD 2 Ki 17) – Wayfarer

They worshiped the Lord, but they also served their own gods in accordance with the customs of the nations from which they had been brought.
2 Kings 17:33 (NIV)

Today’s (rather long) chapter tells the end of the story for the northern Hebrew tribes’ Kingdom of Israel. Their Kingdom was under constant threat from their neighbors. They were paying tribute to the Assyrian Empire, but the successive Kings of Assyria were increasingly aggressive. They weren’t content with simply getting paid off for protection, they were bent on the far more lucrative conquest and control of more and more territory.

Hoshea, the last King of Israel, sends envoys to Pharaoh in Egypt in an effort to escape the power and threat of Assyria. I find it ironic that the former slaves return to their former slave masters to indenture themselves from the very one from whom God delivered their ancestors. Hoshea’s gambit failed. Assyria attacks Israel and sends the Israelites into captivity and exile. They then send people of other conquered people groups to resettle in the towns of Israel under Assyrian control.

An interesting side-note: It was the foreign people groups planted by the Assyrians in the towns of Israel who would mix and intermarry with the Hebrews that were left in the land. They became known as the Samaritans, as in the Good Samaritan of Jesus’ famous parable, and the woman at the well whom Jesus spoke to in John 4.

These people whom the Assyrians planted in Israel embraced the God of Israel, but they also clung to the gods they had always known in their homelands. In worshipping the God of Israel, they appointed their own priests outside of the instructions given to Moses for the priesthood in Exodus. Thus they became the “sort of” Jews who were held in contempt by the “true Jews” in Jesus’ day. To put it in the metaphorical terms of Harry Potter, the Samaritans were “mudbloods” to the “pureblood” Jews in power. Jesus famously crossed those religious and cultural boundaries, Dumbledore-like, and was criticized and hated for it.

In the quiet this morning, I couldn’t get the phrase “but they also” out of my mind after it was repeated in subsequent verses. It resonated deeply within me.

How often could it be said of me, “Tom loved God, but he also…

…loved the things of this world he was commanded not to do.”
…hated his neighbor whom he was commanded to love.”
…refused to forgive [insert list here].”
…treated [insert label of ‘those people’ here] with contempt.”
…cared more about money, pleasure, and comfort than obedience.”

Ugh.

It’s so easy to shake my self-righteous head at the ancient Hebrews and Samaritans as I read about their double-minded, half-hearted faith.

When I point my finger at them, there are three fingers pointing back at me.

I leave the quiet this morning with a humble prayer of confession, and the endeavor to live today in an effort to strike “but he also” out of any description others would make of me.

If you know anyone who might be encouraged by today’s post, please share.

Chapter-a-Day

“Yet, I Will Rejoice”

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"Yet, I Will Rejoice" (CaD Hab 3) – Wayfarer

Though the fig tree does not bud
    and there are no grapes on the vines,
though the olive crop fails
    and the fields produce no food,
though there are no sheep in the pen
    and no cattle in the stalls,
yet I will rejoice in the Lord,
    I will be joyful in God my Savior.
Habakkuk 3:17-18 (NIV)

Today’s final chapter of Habakkuk contains the lyrics to a psalm that Habakkuk wrote in response to his two-question dialogue with God in the first two chapters. Habakkuk is an ancient multi-media prophecy with two chapters that are almost like the script of a play and ending with a song.

Habakkuk has been warned by God that He is going to bring judgment on His unrepentant people by bringing the Babylonians down upon them. Habakkuk would have known what this meant. The Babylonians, along with their neighbors the Assyrians, had a reputation for violent sieges that destroyed and plundered cities while violently killing the citizens within. But God also promised Habakkuk that the Babylonians themselves would face their own day of judgment.

As I read and pondered the prophet’s lyrics in the quiet this morning, there were a couple of things that struck me.

First, I couldn’t help but see echoes of John’s Revelations in the apocalyptic, doomsday images. Plague and pestilence in verse 5 brought the four horsemen of John’s apocalypse to mind. Earthquakes, mountains crumbling, along with other natural calamities were also in Revelations along with God arriving with wrath. So was John writing about Judah and Babylon, or was he writing about the end times? As I’ve observed before, the metaphors of prophetic and apocalyptic writing are layered with meaning. As I have often observed on this chapter-a-day journey, the answer is “yes/and.”

The second thing that came to mind as I meditated on Habakkuk’s psalm is that he knows God is going to first bring wrath upon His own people and then will eventually execute judgment on the Babylonians. Habakkuk, however, is just like me knowing that the end times will eventually come yet not knowing when. He’s ignorant. His psalm reminds God “In your wrath [on your people] remember mercy” (vs.2) and he gives a nod to God eventually delivering His people (vs. 13) but the rest of the song seems pretty focused on the evil Babylonians getting their just desserts.

I found this to be particularly human on Habakkuk’s part. He knows God is going to bring consequential wrath on the Hebrew people, but Habakkuk doesn’t want to think too much about that. He conveniently skips that part and jumps to God’s deliverance while he waxes apocalyptic about God’s wrath on the Babylonians for most of the song. I have to confess that I’m no different. I don’t want to think about suffering or having to endure hard times or experiencing judgment. I do, however, want to see swift judgment and fiery wrath raining down on those I have judged to be evil on my own personal scales of justice. As I’ve seen oft-quoted in the media of late: “Rules for thee but not for me.”

Yet it’s the end of Habakkuk’s song that, just like the psalmists before him, brings everything together in a pretty amazing statement of faith. He does embrace the notion that he may personally suffer as God makes good on His promised judgment. It’s the beautiful statement of faith I pasted at the top of this post

Though the fig tree does not bud
    and there are no grapes on the vines,
though the olive crop fails
    and the fields produce no food,
though there are no sheep in the pen
    and no cattle in the stalls,
yet I will rejoice in the Lord,
    I will be joyful in God my Savior.

In the quiet this morning, I confess that I identify with these ancient words. We are living in strange times. Things are changing at a rapid pace. Times are difficult and I have no guarantees that even more difficult times aren’t ahead of us on this terrestrial ball…

yet I will rejoice in the Lord,
I will be joyful in God my Savior.

If you know anyone who might be encouraged by today’s post, please share.

Chapter-a-Day

Of Corruption and Cravings

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Of Corruption and Cravings (CaD 2 Pet 1) – Wayfarer

Thus he has given us, through these things, his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may escape from the corruption that is in the world because of lust, and may become participants of the divine nature.
2 Peter 1:4 (NRSVCE)

I ran across a quote yesterday by the Roman stoic, Seneca. He said, “all cruelty springs from weakness.” What fascinates me about this quote is the fact that Seneca was an advisor and tutor to the Roman Emperor, Nero, who was perhaps the most cruel of all Roman Emperors. It was Nero who burned followers of Jesus alive around his garden to provide light for his parties.

Certainly, Seneca had plenty of opportunity to witness cruelties we can scarce imagine in today’s world. It would appear that he failed in his tutoring of Nero. Nero eventually demanded that Seneca commit suicide, a cruel request to which Seneca stoically complied.

I decided to take a quick break from the chapter-a-day journey through Psalms and to finish this week with Peter’s second letter to followers of Jesus. The date of this letter is the subject of much scholarly debate, but in today’s chapter Peter claims to know that his death is soon in coming, and it is generally believed that Peter (and Paul, btw) was executed during Nero’s cruel persecution of Jesus’ followers whom he used as a scapegoat for a massive fire that burned much of Rome in 64 AD. Ironically, Nero’s subsequent scapegoating and persecution of Christians in coincides with Seneca’s ordered suicide in 65 AD. The playwright in me finds an intriguing storyline there.

“All cruelty springs from weakness.”

The quote came to mind once again this morning as I read Peter’s words “the corruption in this world because of lust.” My brain immediately paraphrased it as a parallel to Seneca’s observation:

“All corruption springs from lust.”

Corruption is everywhere. It’s particularly visible at this time as it is during all elections. Politicians and power brokers (on both sides of the aisle and in every arena) obfuscate, deceive, stretch truth, speak in white lies, and hypocritically change positions with the prevailing winds of circumstance and poll numbers. All of those dark ads with ominous tones and carefully chosen photos intended to make their opponents look like criminals as the ad itself bends the truth out of context to make it look as damning as possible. All of the bright ads making themselves look like saviors, and shining examples of goodness and light. It’s corrupt and it springs from lust for power, position, and money.

Along my life journey, my perspective about sin has changed. When I was a child I thought it was simply about rules and obedience. Between parents, school, church, and community I was taught a list of rules to follow and a fairly strict guideline for right and wrong, good and bad. As I got older, I found that I broke some rules religiously no matter how hard I tried not to. I also found that if I keep certain (easy) rules in public where others could see them, then it blinded others to the “ugly” rule breaking I did in private and outside of the public eye. That’s corruption, too. It’s a personal form of the same hypocrisy and corruption found in politics on a much grander scale.

This is what led Paul to write to Jesus’ followers in Rome: “Everyone sins and falls short of God’s glory.” Or, as Bob Dylan sang it in his modern psalm quoting Paul quoting the Sage of Ecclesiastes:

“Ain’t no man righteous. No, not one.”

I began to realize that the problem wasn’t the rules, the problem was my appetites. Some appetites were easy for me to control, but other appetites were seemingly insatiable. An appetite out of control is a craving, a lust. Appetites are natural, but an unchecked lustful craving of that appetite which leads to indulgence will always end in corruption of some form.

It’s easy for me to point to the unbridled lust for worldly power, wealth and prestige found in Nero and present day politicians. But, that only diverts your attention to easy targets and away from me. It is my out-of-control appetites which wreak havoc on my life. My appetite for rest turns into slothful passivity. My appetite for food turns into gluttony. My appetite for sex turns into pornographic proclivity. My appetite for security turns into greed and an insatiable desire for more of everything. My appetite for safety turns into a never ending quest to avoid all pain and suffering.

In the quiet this morning, as I ponder these things, I return to Peter’s letter. My rule-keeping self saw faith and salvation as the end result of obedience. By being obedient to the rules, I thought, I would arrive a place of being good enough to be acceptable to God. But that’s just the opposite of what Jesus, and Peter after Him, taught:

For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins.
2 Peter 1:5-9

Faith in Christ, salvation, and the cleansing of sin is at the beginning of the journey. It is the motivation. It is the spiritual catalyst that pushes me forward into increasing measures of goodness, knowledge, and appetite control. Not because I’m trying to earn something with my goodness, but because I’ve received something priceless in the gift of forgiveness, grace, and mercy that Jesus freely offers.

If you know anyone who might be encouraged by today’s post, please share.

Chapter-a-Day

Much Needed Affirmation

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Much Needed Affirmation (CaD Ps 12) – Wayfarer

The promises of the Lord are promises that are pure,
    silver refined in a furnace on the ground,
    purified seven times.
Psalm 12:6 (NRSVCE)

As I have confessed many times, I am not by temperament an optimist. In fact, as a child I didn’t get into fights with other kids because I was so good at beating myself up. The spiritual journey, if one genuinely follows Jesus, will always lead to dealing with the shit inside, and I use that word deliberately. We all have spiritual, emotional, relational, familial, experiential, and/or personal waste gumming up our souls and stinking things up inside.

I was fifteen or twenty years into my spiritual journey following Christ before Holy Spirit led me to the toxic waste that my internal critic had been creating in my soul with repetitive negative messages I’d been feeding myself without every being really conscious of it. As I processed my way through this, talked with wise counselors, and addressed the issue, I learned how much I need regular doses of healthy, affirming messages that counteract the negative self-talk that I can so easily slip into like a comfy old sweatshirt.

The first half of 2020 has been the most tumultuous period of time that I’ve experienced in my lifetime. COVID, lockdowns, social breakdown, economic downturn, violence, hypocrisy, and rage. Each morning as Wendy and I read the news we can’t believe what we’re reading. It’s enough to trigger my old inner critic to feed me all sorts of depressing messages of doom.

The lyrics of today’s short psalm feel like they could have been penned today. David is looking at the world around him, the generation he finds himself living in, and everything seems terrible. People are leaving the faith in droves, everyone speaks lies and false narratives to make themselves feel good, people demand their own way with arrogant pride, violence and vile acts are not just tolerated but celebrated, and the poor and needy are forgotten in the tumult.

Even as I write those words I have images of recent events coming to mind.

The reason for David’s song is found in the third verse. Amidst the seemingly endless stream of lies, hypocrisy, hatred, and false narratives David reminds himself that God and His promises are “pure” and have been refined by the fires of current events time and time again throughout history. David’s song is his own version of a much needed healthy, affirming reminder. God hasn’t abandoned or forsaken him. God’s promises are true. God has always faithfully protected, provided for, and delivered David from his enemies.

In the quiet this morning, I’m thankful for David’s little ditty. It reminds me that we are not the first generation of humanity to think everything was going to hell in a handbasket. I am not the only one who needs regular doses of healthy affirmation. God’s got this. I can believe it, and I can mentally run to that affirmation as many times as I need to today as I press on in the journey one more day.

If you know anyone who might be encouraged by today’s post, please share.