Spillbeans

First Thoughts on Luke 4:1-13

Luke 4:1-13

Danger: do not be tempted to quote scripture at everything an imagine it acts like some sort of Star Trek shield that deflects every alien attack. Perhaps it does but I haven't seen much evidence of that.

The temptation here is to think Scripture itself is the shield. It's not. it is just a bundle of words. It's what we believe about that particular bundle of words that makes the difference. Jesus in the wilderness doesn't think that a few choice verses chucked in the direction of the tempter (whoever that may be) is all he needs to do. Scripture is used here to show what he trusts in and it is the trusting in that belief that acts as the shield.

There is no magic here - sorry. There is no degree in rocket science needed. It is just living the way of the Gospel and trusting that promise we have been trusted with. Live it and it is enough. Scripture verses are just the wallpaper and the poetry of the belief.

The temptation is to think we don't have to live in a particular way in order to be spared temptation. And such songs as 'Yield not to temptation' (it's not in our hymn book any more for good reason) don't help. Live the Life. Love your neighbour. Love God. Sorted.

Okay its not quite as simple as that obviously but you get the idea. Jesus quotes scripture because Jesus finds in scripture the poetry, the images, the stories, that speak of what he trusts in. Jesus is saying: I am with God. It is God who defines me, not you, you hairy, forked tailed, cloven hoofed, curly horned devil (I'm using the original Hebrew here, obviously!). I am defined in and through God, your offers of a different definition (mainly 'me') aren't powerful enough to change that.

So get lost. To hell with you!

Jesus, at the end of the wilderness time, had decided to let God define his life and cause and purpose, not the world and any devil you find there. And things have never been the same since.

Sorted.

Hymns? Music that might be played that connects faith and culture (Last week we had Belinda Carlisle with heaven is a place on earth which worked for us at least, with transfiguration), and how would you tell this story to children?

First Thoughts

It's the placement of the story, a story told just at the right time that makes the difference to how you understand what it is really about. Mark can be quite good at that. Here he's placed the story of the blind beggar immediately after the three predictions of Jesus' death and the three examples of the disciples just not getting it: blind.

So here's Blind Bar Timeaus being used as a foil for us disciples who don't quite get it yet: Still can't see? Dare you get up and walk, and trust the questions you ask rather than the answer? It's the trusting that helps you see, not the understanding. Bar Timeaus responds to the question of Jesus stating what he needs. What do you need Jesus to free you to do and be? Be honest. Now will you come? Let's go!

This is the way of faith.

First Thoughts

There's something here that suggests that you cannot inherit eternal life simply because you think you can inherit it!

Nothing can achieve that: money, power, fame, living by the rules, a set of values. It's not inheritable.

And the other thing it says it seems, is by taking with you all those possessions and wealth and values we have, by clinging into them, we wouldn't fit in the eternal realm. There are no pockets in a shroud. You need different things to make your way into eternity. You have to let go, in other words. God doesn't travel heavy burdened with whatever it is we carry. These burden us down and stop us being fully and authentically alive. Let go. And Jesus says that to the Rich Young Man: let go that thing which prevents you following God, that one thing that binds you to the earth: let it go. Cast aside your dependencies: relationships, values, faith, money, insurance etc and place your trust, radical trust in God. Travel light to glory. For Jesus authentic life was trusting God, not values, religion, church, state, money or power, but love. Let go the one things that holds you to the earth, then you shall live.

Hymns that might be appropriate? How would you tell this story: what technique might help people hear it better? Incidental music?

First Thoughts on Sunday

Here we've got early church copyright issues. This Jesus is ours, you can't have him. What he says is copyrighted to us, you can't repeat what he says and expect to get away with it, or get the same result. It is the start of church bureaucracy with the disciples expecting Jesus to affirm what they think and stop someone else using his name to expel demons.

Gandhi had a take on this saying that I like your Jesus but not his followers because Gandhi could sign up to what Jesus said and believed and envisioned but what he didn't see are very spiritual was the way we all ran around giving ourselves the monopoly on Jesus. Jesus wasn't, isn't, a product. Jesus is a way of living. That's all he seemed to be interested in. The way. The process. the verb.

This isn't Nike or Adidas or Coke or Pepsi being precious with strap lines and logos that are the only thing that identifies their producs=ts as being different from others. This is a cause that is trying to give away what it says and looks like and does in order that it does something to change society. Clearly Jesus was never going to be a CEO but his disciples again and again weren't getting the whole idea of following. They were the adverts themselves and they weren't making the best job of it. Hmmm....

Anyway, hymns (don't worry about copyright!) or a suggestion how we might read this passage, or some music that might go along with the theme that could be played during the service at some point?

First Thoughts

Easy peasy this week. Stop going on about rewards related to how well you are doing at being church and remember why you got into this faith thing in the first place. Sorted.

Well, perhaps, but not quite.

"You're going on about being the greatest and having all the important seats. That's the wrong conversation," says Jesus. "Look here's an example of what I am talking about: this child here, this one is the greatest, and why? Because you all think this child is the least. In fact can anyone here remember this child's name? Thought not. And because you think thins child is the least, that makes them the greatest. Got it?"

No, not really.

"Children are least and I'm asking you to welcome them. Welcome them. That's the key word: welcome. Not give them a place but give them some honour, respect, engage with them, turn round those habits you've got and provide some deep hospitality toward those you think the least. Turn them into the greatest. That's kingdom values, and not you whispering behind me about all the glory you think you deserve. You'd think that now I've just given you the way to welcome me into your faith communities would have you doing this open armed. Why am I not surprised children still have to work for their place in the church?"

Be hospitable to the least. Honour them with a deep welcome. Then they shall be the greatest.

Jumping in

Here's some extra first thoughts on the passage this week to get us thinking a little. Good to have a discussion here.

You can’t keep God tied down. Just when you think you’ve got the Realm of Love worked out, or at least you’ve worked out a manageable portion of it, it just goes and bursts its seams and spills out all over the place. It generally gets a bit like that in the places of theology and faith, and the lesson is always the same: don’t tie God down. God’s the best escapologist there is.

Here is Jesus on the edge of Israel, taking a short tour outside the Chosen Nation’s borders and the passage is a great description of the Reign of God as it explodes in the Gentile world. A woman who was not Jewish asks Jesus to help her daughter and Jesus says he came for Israel only and not for the Gentile dogs and the woman says that as a Gentile dog she was prepared to have just a crumb or two from the banqueting table of what Jesus brought for Israel. Then comes the moment and it hits Jesus on the solar plexus: this realm of love is bigger than Israel, and as if to prove the point he then cures a man who cannot see or speak (a Gentile) as if he is saying: go witness, go proclaim this reign of love that has just found a new playground outside of Israel, and then he goes off and feeds 4000 Gentile people as if saying, ‘This banquet is open for all.’

What Jesus actually says to the man who cannot speak is, however: don’t tell a soul. This is one of Mark, the Gospel writer’s, techniques for trying to explain why the Jews didn’t take Jesus at his word by suggesting Jesus himself told them to keep it all a secret.

Perhaps Jesus has been caught with a theology that is too small and the Gentile woman broadens his mind a little, or maybe he is just playing verbal word game with the woman. Either way, the kingdom rolls out into the Gentile world and things are never the same again.

First Thoughts on Sunday

Feel free to comment and discuss here this Sunday's lectionary. A place for ideas and developing what is already in Spill the Beans. Here's a wee first thought to get the juices flowing...

In the echo of Jubilee
a strange thing happens
for those who shaped our lectionary
that pattern of texts we read each week
give us the beginning of a sacred monarchy
that rose up the greatest king Israel ever knew

Yet the story does not begin like that
It begins with a God who does not want the people to chose a monarchy
“It will not be good for you,” says God
“But if that is what you want, go ahead,
but don’t say I didn’t tell you so!”

In the echo of Jubilee
God goes into a huff