Leviticus 2:11 No grain offering that you bring to the Lord shall be made with leaven, for you must not turn any leaven or honey into smoke as an offering by fire to the Lord. 12 You may bring them to the Lord as an offering of choice products, but they shall not be offered on the altar for a pleasing odor. 13 You shall not omit from your grain offerings the salt of the covenant with your God; with all your offerings you shall offer salt.

If you’ve never heard of the “Bible Project” it’s an outstanding online biblical teaching resource which includes both videos and podcasts (bibleproject.com). I’ll leave a link below to an excellent podcast episode I listened to recently which explains the various offerings and such in the book of Leviticus.

Anyway, what got my attention this morning is the mention of “salt” in v.13. I’ve read this text many times but never noticed this. Reminds me of Jesus’ teaching in the gospel of Matthew as part of the Sermon on the Mount, “you are the salt of the earth”. What’s the deal with salt? Here’s a quote from New Interpreter’s Bible which I found helpful:

“In 2:13, one other requisite is added to the grain offering: salt. Salt is just the opposite of honey and yeast in that it symbolizes preservation from corruption. It is found in every sacrifice. The best clue to its meaning is in the phrase “the salt of the covenant of your God” (2:13). Often, covenants, in that day and this, were sealed and confirmed by a formal meal in which the parties partook of salt together, thus concluding the pact. Therefore, solemn covenants are described in Scripture as “[covenants] of salt” (see Num 18:19; 2 Chr 13:5). The effect of this concept is to render the expression “the salt of the covenant of your God” as a “covenant made binding by salt.” Salt cannot be destroyed by fire or the passing of time. The addition of salt is a deliberate act to remind the offerer that the covenant relationship the act symbolizes is an eternal and binding relationship. God will never forsake the worshiper—and the one bringing the offering has a duty to remember to do all that the covenant teaches.”

Lord Jesus, through your sacrifice we have been bound to you (Father, Son, Spirit) forever. Salt reminds us of the enduring nature of our connection. It cannot be broken, thanks to you. Amen.

https://bibleproject.com/podcast/what-atonement/?utm_source=web_social_share&medium=shared_podcast

Matthew 22:15 Then the Pharisees went and plotted to entrap him in what he said. 16 So they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that you are sincere, and teach the way of God in accordance with truth, and show deference to no one; for you do not regard people with partiality. 17 Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor, or not?” 18 But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, “Why are you putting me to the test, you hypocrites? 19 Show me the coin used for the tax.” And they brought him a denarius. 20 Then he said to them, “Whose head is this, and whose title?” 21 They answered, “The emperor’s.” Then he said to them, “Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” 22 When they heard this, they were amazed; and they left him and went away.

My recent learnings from the Sermon on the Mount (also in Matthew) are helping me interpret this story. The Jewish people gave coins at the temple (temple taxes) to support the upkeep of the temple itself, support the work of the priests, to provide funds for people in need, and other things. So they gave a bit of what they had so that others in their community could be cared for. What’s ultimately most important to God isn’t the coin, but a heart of care and generosity toward neighbor – reflecting the heart of God. Therefore, one can give to the emperor the coins which bear his image, but give to God the care and concern for others which shapes their communal life together. 

A problem we read about over and over in scripture is the propensity for God’s people to complete acts of piety (like giving coins and burnt offerings) seeking to stay in good standing with God, while at the same time abusing their workers, cheating customers, holding grudges against their enemies, and so on. A key teaching of the New Testament is the idea that being in right relationships with God requires we are in right relationships – at peace – with other people. The two are intertwined. This morning I’m reflecting on this important learning and how I need to more fully apply it in my own life.

John 2:¹³ The Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. ¹⁴ In the temple he found people selling cattle, sheep, and doves, and the money changers seated at their tables. ¹⁵ Making a whip of cords, he drove all of them out of the temple, both the sheep and the cattle. He also poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. ¹⁶ He told those who were selling the doves, “Take these things out of here! Stop making my Father’s house a marketplace!” ¹⁷ His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house will consume me.” ¹⁸ The Jews then said to him, “What sign can you show us for doing this?” ¹⁹ Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” ²⁰ The Jews then said, “This temple has been under construction for forty-six years, and will you raise it up in three days?” ²¹ But he was speaking of the temple of his body. ²² After he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this; and they believed the scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken. 

The Jews of Jesus’ day had a similar challenge as we in the modern church. They, like us, were trying to figure out how to apply scripture in a day and age very different from when the scripture was written. In Jesus’ day they were figuring out how to faithfully live out the Mosaic law (the body of over 600 rules and regulations extrapolated from the original 10 commandments) over 1,000 years after Moses the commandments from Yaweh.

They were no longer an independent nation of 12 tribes living in relatively close proximity to one another with an agrarian economy to support it. Jews were spread out across the entire ancient Near East in places with many different languages, hundreds or even thousands of miles from Jerusalem, all under the rule of Rome. How do you faithfully offer your sacrifice to Yahweh when you’re a shopkeeper who has never raised an animal or grown a crop in your life, in a Greek speaking country very, very far from the temple in Jerusalem? The context of today’s passage tells us a bit about the shape of the Jewish response to this question.

First, to take an animal from one’s home far from Jerusalem to offer in the temple was impractical. A beautiful animal beginning this long journey may not survive the trip. And if it did, it would no longer be a beautiful animal. It made more sense for the pilgrims to travel to Jerusalem without an animal and then purchase one when they arrived. For Jews who did not grow crops or animals to offer Yahweh, this was also a simple solution. So merchants in Jerusalem sold animals for purchase to be offered at the temple.

Second, the currency of Jesus’ day was the Roman denarius not the Jewish shekel. Roman currency (which bore the image of the Roman emperor – considered a false god) was not accepted at the temple, so money-changers would take whatever currency your brought with you and exchange it for Jewish shekels. Again, makes sense.

But as you might expect things could go sideways. Merchants could charge exorbitant prices for animals and offer unfair exchange rates for currency. Think of buying lunch at Disneyland rather than at your local diner. When you’ve traveled so far, and your hungry while on vacation, you don’t have much choice but to pay up.

In the search for practical solutions in a changing world, the temple had become something very different than originally conceived.

I think about the church in this light. When you read the biblical accounts of the early church it seems very far removed from what the church has become – many centuries after the church was born at Pentecost. Granted, the modern world is radically different than 1st century Israel, so one would expect the modern church to be different. But I wonder if the church has become something unrecognizable to Jesus, were he to weigh in.

The ministry of Jesus and the early church was marked by its embrace of people others viewed as unacceptable, ungodly, and inconsequential: the poor, the young, the sick, sex workers, financial thieves (tax collectors), and others on the margins of society. They were not the “nice people” yet embraced Jesus because Jesus embraced them – whereas most of the “nice people” couldn’t get on board with Jesus and his very different ways of seeing the world. Frankly, they had too much to lose.

As I’ve been thinking and praying about our future as the church and the significant declines of the church in recent decades, I can’t help but wonder if this is Jesus’ way of turning over our tables – shockingly signaling that we’ve gone astray. We can’t share faith with an unbelieving world if we won’t touch it because of its perceived ungodliness. We can’t share the love of Jesus with people we are busy judging. Lord have mercy upon us. Show us the way. Amen.

I know. I just said recently I was done with this blog space. And I think I needed a bit of a break. But sometimes the Lord has other plans. I feel compelled to write. I don’t know how long this will last, but I will resume posting here for now. It won’t be every day but at a reasonably regular interval. We’ll see what the Spirit leads me to do. So, here we go…

Matthew 20:1 “For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. 2 After agreeing with the laborers for the usual daily wage, he sent them into his vineyard. 3 When he went out about nine o’clock, he saw others standing idle in the marketplace; 4 and he said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.’ So they went. 5 When he went out again about noon and about three o’clock, he did the same. 6 And about five o’clock he went out and found others standing around; and he said to them, ‘Why are you standing here idle all day?’ 7 They said to him, ‘Because no one has hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard.’ 8 When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his manager, ‘Call the laborers and give them their pay, beginning with the last and then going to the first.’ 9 When those hired about five o’clock came, each of them received the usual daily wage. 10 Now when the first came, they thought they would receive more; but each of them also received the usual daily wage. 11 And when they received it, they grumbled against the landowner, 12 saying, ‘These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.’ 13 But he replied to one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong; did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage? 14 Take what belongs to you and go; I choose to give to this last the same as I give to you. 15 Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or are you envious because I am generous?’ 16 So the last will be first, and the first will be last.”

It’s the last verse that gets my attention, “So the last will be first and the first will be last.” The ones who worked all day for the master receive the same daily wage as those who hardly worked at all. This doesn’t seem just to the all-day workers, but the master reserves the right to be generous and merciful to everyone – including the last.

Jesus says in v.1 this is how the kingdom of heaven works.

I saw a glimpse of the kingdom of heaven this week at “The Dwelling”, a ministry of the Lutheran Church ELCA in Winston-Salem, NC. I saw life, love, hope, mercy, grace being poured out in a community composed mostly of persons living on the margins. I heard powerful testimony from people finding life in Jesus and sharing that life with others. I saw the church as I imagine it looked like in Jesus’ day. I was deeply moved and encouraged.

Jesus and Jesus’ church are on the move. Thanks be to God.

https://www.thedwellingws.org/

Psalm 119:¹⁰⁵ Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. 

Today’s post will make for a total of 2,190 entries over close to a decade of posting here. In fact, it was shortly after starting my call as pastor of Rejoice Lutheran Church in suburban Dallas that I launched “Fuel for the Journey”. I wanted a way for the people of Rejoice and other networks of people to join me in reading scripture on a consistent basis. As you probably know, I’ve used the Moravian Daily Texts as my daily lectionary. It’s a tool I was introduced to by a key mentor of mine back in the day. I still use it today. I expect I’ll follow it for the rest of my life.

You may or may not be aware that I am ending my call as pastor of Rejoice very soon – in a few days. I could never tell you what a blessing it has been to serve the wonderful people of Rejoice. I will miss them terribly. But I’m also aware the Lord is calling me and my family to a new chapter of ministry, of life. And so it seems fitting to me that I bring this blog ministry to a close as well. In my mind, heart, and spirit it is too closely attached to my time at Rejoice to continue. And to be honest, it’s just time.

So in closing this blog ministry I want to say thank you. Thank you to the Lord for giving me things to write about all these years. Thank you to those of you who have read this blog. It’s my hope the word of God, the generative force of “Logos”, has been released into you through the words of this blog. And by all means please continue to read scripture every day. Of all the spiritual disciplines I know of, reading scripture is the most important. Please don’t stop. I trust that, in the pages of the bible, the Lord will meet you every day you seek him. Lord, let it be so. Amen.

Matthew 7:²⁴ “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. ²⁵ The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on rock. ²⁶ And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not act on them will be like a foolish man who built his house on sand. ²⁷ The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell—and great was its fall!” ²⁸ Now when Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were astounded at his teaching, ²⁹ for he taught them as one having authority, and not as their scribes. 

One of my favorite Christian authors/teachers was a man named Dallas Willard. I’m probably not going to quote him exactly right, but I recall him saying something that many of us Christians are “educated beyond our obedience”. In other words, we’re not putting into practice things we already know. The context of the statement was a response to some new teaching content. At the time I was continually looking for something new to read or listen to. But I realized there’s a lot of repetition or repackaging things that aren’t new, just different. Creating Christian content is a business, of course, so people in that business always need new things to sell.

The core of Christian teaching isn’t complicated, but it’s not easy to live into. For instance, Jesus teaches we would build our house (life) upon the rock (Jesus’ teachings). That one statement is incredibly deep and challenging. But it’s also one reason Jesus sent us the Holy Spirit – to empower us to do the things scripture teaches us.

Lord Jesus, we want to build our lives on rock, yet building on sand seems easier. It’s a trap that many of us fall into. Help us to live as you taught us. Amen.

Psalm 11:¹ In the Lord I take refuge; how can you say to me, “Flee like a bird to the mountains; ² for look, the wicked bend the bow, they have fitted their arrow to the string, to shoot in the dark at the upright in heart. ³ If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?” ⁴ The Lord is in his holy temple; the Lord’s throne is in heaven. His eyes behold, his gaze examines humankind. 

This psalm is written by King David. He’s the guy who, as a young man, defeated Goliath in battle. He became a mighty warrior for Israel and then king of Israel. Under his leadership, by the grace of God, Israel prospered. But this is not to say that he, and the kingdom of Israel, did not have times of struggle – enemies at the gate ready to overthrow Israel, enemies within attempting to take over Israel behind the scenes, and so on.

It’s safe to say that David went through some stuff in his lifetime. Lots of scary moments. So I really like v.1-3 in which David mimics those who tell him he should be afraid. But David isn’t hearing it:

“In the Lord I take refuge”… “The Lord is in his temple; the Lord’s throne is in heaven”.

Whatever is going on around David on earth, he takes refuge in knowing the Lord is in heaven – and has his back. Reminds me of the lyric, “The Lord is my rock and my salvation. Whom shall I fear?” Who indeed. Lord still our spirits when we shake with fear. Give us grace to receive peace from the knowledge of your faithfulness. Amen.

Genesis 13:¹⁰ Now there was a famine in the land. So Abram went down to Egypt to reside there as an alien, for the famine was severe in the land. ¹¹ When he was about to enter Egypt, he said to his wife Sarai, “I know well that you are a woman beautiful in appearance; ¹² and when the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife’; then they will kill me, but they will let you live. ¹³ Say you are my sister, so that it may go well with me because of you, and that my life may be spared on your account.” ¹⁴ When Abram entered Egypt the Egyptians saw that the woman was very beautiful. ¹⁵ When the officials of Pharaoh saw her, they praised her to Pharaoh. And the woman was taken into Pharaoh’s house. ¹⁶ And for her sake he dealt well with Abram; and he had sheep, oxen, male donkeys, male and female slaves, female donkeys, and camels. ¹⁷ But the Lord afflicted Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram’s wife. ¹⁸ So Pharaoh called Abram, and said, “What is this you have done to me? Why did you not tell me that she was your wife? ¹⁹ Why did you say, ‘She is my sister,’ so that I took her for my wife? Now then, here is your wife, take her, and be gone.” ²⁰ And Pharaoh gave his men orders concerning him; and they set him on the way, with his wife and all that he had. 

Abram, later known as Abraham, comes across as very human to me in this story. He has trusted God enough to leave his homeland and his people for a destination unknown. Yet instead of trusting God to protect him in Egypt he resorts to trickery and deception. Fortunately he and his wife Sarai survive the ordeal and leave Egypt to continue their journey. Later in scripture it is said of Abraham that he “believed the Lord and it was credited to him as righteousness”.

Of course “righteousness” is the quality of having a right relationship with God. Did he lie and deceive in Egypt? Yes. Did he ultimately trust in the promises of God? Also yes. It would seem that, in the eyes of God, the second far outweighs the first such that Abraham became the patriarch of all the tribes of Israel.

While I don’t interpret this story to give license for us to intentionally sin against God it does say something about what is more important to God – which is trust… a.k.a. “faith”. Question: where is the Lord inviting you to place your trust in him? Lord give us grace to suspend disbelief and follow where you are leading. Amen.

Matthew 5:1 When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. 2 Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying: 3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. ⁴ “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. ⁵ “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. ⁶ “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. ⁷ “Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy. ⁸ “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. ⁹ “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. ¹⁰ “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. ¹¹ “Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. ¹² Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.“

Years ago I used to think of the Beatitudes (as this passage is commonly known) as a checklist of traits to  pursue. And if I managed to attain them, I too could be “blessed”. It seems silly writing it now, but oh well. But more recently, probably because of some teaching I heard/read which I can’t recall, I’ve come to think Jesus is, to some degree, simply naming reality at the moment.

The end of Matthew chapter 4 tells us there were great crowds following Jesus as he traveled from place to place teaching, healing, casting out demons, and more. And we know from the accounts of Matthew and other New Testament authors that many, if not most, of these followers were desperate people – the sick, the poor, and so on. And so when I read the passage today I’m more inclined to think the writer is recording Jesus’ reality at that time. They have indeed been seeing God’s Kingdom come before their eyes. Many of these witnesses were poor in spirit, meek, those hungering and thirsting for righteousness, and so on.

Then V.12 goes on to make a promise, but a different promise than many of Jesus’ listeners were hoping for. Jesus does not promise that hearers’ immediate circumstances would radically improve. This is no prosperity gospel offering the “good life” for followers of Jesus. Rather, another promise is made as described in one of my bible commentaries (New Interpreter’s Bible):

The joy to which the disciples are called is not in spite of persecution, but because of it. Rejoicing because of persecution is not the expression of a martyr complex, but the joyful acceptance of the badge of belonging to the eschatological community of faith, the people of God who are out of step with the value system of this age. Such people are like the prophets of Israel, who were also persecuted.

I’ll be honest, this is not the kind of promise I generally prefer. When I’m in trouble I’d prefer to be saved from it, not be at peace as I embrace it. But this is what I hear in this passage. Lord teach me your ways. Bring me joy that is eternal, if not immediate. Amen.

Matthew 1:¹⁸ Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. ¹⁹ Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly. ²⁰ But just when he had resolved to do this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. ²¹ She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”

I was studying this passage for a Christmas Eve message and find it fascinating. I’m not sure if the following note is mine or someone else’s though it appears in my bible software as a note I wrote. Anyway, here it is:

“There is a conflict of values for Joseph here. On the one hand he is described as “righteous” which means he would be one to follow the law of Moses. The prescribed penalty for adultery was death, though it’s possible the evolved practice of Joseph’s day would have involved something short of death – but still a severe punishment for sure. A pregnant woman like Mary would have been considered an adulterer. However we’re also told that Joseph was unwilling to expose her to disgrace. There are a couple of ways we can think about that.

First, there is the idea that Joseph may have felt compassion for Mary and refused to have per publicly humiliated. It would have revealed a streak of maturity in one so young. Remember it’s likely both he and Mary were teenagers at the time.

Perhaps a bit more cynical thought would be that Joseph wanted to keep things on the down-low to spare himself the embarrassment of being betrothed to a promiscuous woman. Frankly, these two possibilities are not mutually exclusive.“

What we know for sure is that Mary explained her pregnancy to Joseph, but he wasn’t buying it – at least not right away. We don’t know how much time passed between the initial revelation of Mary’s pregnancy and the appearance of the angel to explain to Joseph, but it was surely not an easy time for either Joseph or Mary. Thankfully both Mary and Joseph surrendered to God’s plan, making way for the birth of our Lord Jesus.

The Lord will sometimes lead us into circumstances that don’t make sense to us. Or which we experience as hardship or struggle, yet it is God’s hand at work nonetheless. I wonder if you’re enduring that kind of season in your life right now. If so, you have lots of company, including me. Lord have mercy on us as we struggle to understand. Keep us every faithful to your purposes. Amen.