Tag: timing

Love Focus

Read Matthew 24:1-14

Anticipating something can create anxiety  for most of us. This anxiety increases  if we do not know the timing of whatever we are anticipating. You might recall as a young child on a road trip the way you nagged your parents with the question, “Are we there yet?” Maybe you had a child who consistently would ask that question, or ask “when?” We think that by knowing the timing, we can manage our anxiety better. Unfortunately, this is seldom the case.

We witness the annely of the disciples in today’s passage. Jesus tells them that the large, revered temple will be reduced to rubble and they want to know when. Jesus warns them that some people will come and try to convince them that the end is near based upon events which they see around them. He tells them not to be fooled because those events are just a part of the status of the world. Jesus says the wickedness in the world will increase but they are to stand strong in love. When others no longer live in and by love, Jesus’s followers are to do the opposite as a testimony of the kingdom in the world.

Since Jesus spoke these words, history has recorded individuals trying to convince people that the end of the world is close at hand. Even today we experience leaders, speakers, preachers, and public figures trying to equate natural or human-created events as signs of the end times. Whether it is true or not, our focus should not be on timing but instead our focus should be on remaining solid in love. Jesus clearly tells us that whatever is occurring around us, whatever wickedness is flooding the world, we are to not acquire a cold heart. The love which we daily receive from the Lord must create our foundation. This love surrounding us is also what we are to be sharing with others. 

Leave the timing of the world’s demise to God. Do not let the world’s wickedness steal the love from you. Make love an alternative to the events of the world. By doing so, you will be testifying to the kingdom for others to see, a kingdom which is defined by love.

Authoritative Upheaval

Read Mark 11:15-19

The passage chosen for today is filled with many interesting details. This is also a passage which many people can relate to since Jesus displays the emotion of anger which everyone deals with frequently. The scene which unfolds creates a dynamic in regard to necessary customs, authority, and greed.

The custom of the time when this scene plays out is that after centuries of the Hebrew people offering sacrifices as delineated in the scriptures of Moses, the availability of needed sacrificial animals and offerings was reduced. A shift from a purely agrarian lifestyle to a mix of tradespeople, merchants and farmers had taken place. Jesus, himself, was not of an agricultural or merchant background but was part of a family that plied the trade of carpentry. This led to the custom of people purchasing the necessary elements for sacrifices from merchants in the temple courts. In addition, outside the temple the people had to use the currency of the occupying Romans while in the temple, conly the Hebrew currency was allowed. This necessitated someone to make the conversion of currency. Why then was Jesus so upset?

The issue for Jesus is that some of the merchants and money exchangers were profiting large sums from there necessary services. In addition the high amounts, the poor utilized these services at a disproportionately higher level than the wealthy because they needed approved sacrificial elements more often. For Jesus, this taking advantage of the poor stood in sharp contrast to God’s instructions.

Observing the responses of the chief priests, teachers, and the people indicate that an issue of authority is playing out here. Jesus is seen by the chief priests and teachers as a threat to their authority. His apparent upheaval of long-standing customs is evidence of his devised attacks upon them. The people, however, see the matter differently. They are amazed at the authority which is inherent in his teaching. Jesus connects actions and words in a consistent way which is not what they have witnessed from the leadership of others. This gives him authority  in their viewpoint.

Another interesting aspect is the timing of this outburst on Jesus’s part. It appears that this scene occurs during Jesus’s final visit to Jerusalem prior to his arrest, crucifixion, death and resurrection. Could the overturning of the merchant and money exchanger tables be a foreshadowing of the overturning of the whole sacrificial system which Jesus’s death will bring about? Jesus will become the final and fully sufficient sacrifice for the redemption of humanity. After his crucifixion, there will no longer be a need for these merchants and money exchangers in the temple courts. The temple will truly become a place of prayer and worship.

Our takeaway from this passage could be three-fold. The first is to not use necessity to line one’s pockets, especially at the cost of the less fortunate. Second, the connection between words and actions gives us a better perception of true authority.  Third, remember the all-sufficient sacrifice has been made in Jesus Christ. You are fully redeemed and no sacrifice on your part is demanded any longer.

The Dividing

Read Matthew 13:24-30

Watching people in public spaces can be a creative activity. Recently, I attended a community event which drew large crowds of people together. Having arrived at my assigned seat early, I had plenty of time to watch people move around the area. When given such an opportunity, I observe behaviors, clothing choices, interactions and expressions. From these observations I create scenarios in my mind regarding backgrounds, life  choices, and plans. This is a creative endeavor which creates a character profile with no factual information except for what I see during a brief encounter. Such an activity is a mental game which passes time but should never be seen as accurate in any fashion. It is more of a story telling exercise.

Jesus was a very effective storyteller. He would use stories, or parables, to communicate a complex concept. His stories made these concepts relatable to a person’s life. Our passage today is one of those times when Jesus tells a story. This story was intended to address the world situation where good and bad co-exist. Jesus also addresses how this will be sorted out. In the story we see recognition of the fact that good and bad stand side by side. Jesus tells the listener that the dividing of the two will occur at a later time, not now. In addition to the timing, the story also communicates that it is not our responsibility to do the sorting but when it is time the task will be assigned.

Back to my creative people watching, while I may use the determining of a person’s scenario as a time-occupying game, there are some who observe and make judgments about a person’s life in a serious manner. It is true that individuals who are called to be law enforcement officers and judges do this as a duty to society. They also operate within parameters and an indepth investigation of the facts. Jesus reminds us that we are not the ones who are to choose who is allowed to stay and who is to go. This will be determined by the Lord at a later time. Instead, we are to live together in harmony with one another. Let God worry about the dividing of the grain and the weeds.  God sees the whole situation, we do not.

Such A Time

5 Then Esther summoned Hathak, one of the king’s eunuchs assigned to attend her, and ordered him to find out what was troubling Mordecai and why.

6 So Hathak went out to Mordecai in the open square of the city in front of the king’s gate. 7 Mordecai told him everything that had happened to him, including the exact amount of money Haman had promised to pay into the royal treasury for the destruction of the Jews. 8 He also gave him a copy of the text of the edict for their annihilation, which had been published in Susa, to show to Esther and explain it to her, and he told him to instruct her to go into the king’s presence to beg for mercy and plead with him for her people.

9 Hathak went back and reported to Esther what Mordecai had said. 10 Then she instructed him to say to Mordecai, 11 “All the king’s officials and the people of the royal provinces know that for any man or woman who approaches the king in the inner court without being summoned the king has but one law: that they be put to death unless the king extends the gold scepter to them and spares their lives. But thirty days have passed since I was called to go to the king.”

12 When Esther’s words were reported to Mordecai, 13 he sent back this answer: “Do not think that because you are in the king’s house you alone of all the Jews will escape. 14 For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?”

15 Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: 16 “Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my attendants will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish.”

17 So Mordecai went away and carried out all of Esther’s instructions.

Esther 4:5-17 (NIV)

Timing can be key in some situations. Submitting an application for a position at just the right time can make the difference in receiving the position or not. Walking into a coffeehouse at a specific moment can lead to an encounter which may open doors to a new opportunity or relationship. An idea may be well received at one time even if it had been rejected at another time. Timing can be the key to success.

The passage from the story of Esther focuses on timing. Esther had caught the eye of the king and the king chose to make her his queen. This placed Esther in a position which would later serve her and the Jews well. When Mordecai shared the plight of Esther’s people with her, she was hesitant to approach the King because of her fear for her own safety. It is only when Mordecai pointed out the true threat to her and her family’s safety did Esther begin to see the call to action in a different light. Then when Mordecai asks Esther if this is the time for which she has been placed where she is, she springs into action.

Each day we are given new opportunities and new challenges. Some of these are small in perspective while others are significant. God is moving us forward and providing us with choices which may lead us to a position where we can make a meaningful impact. Fear can cause us to hesitate from acting on opportunities that our positions may afford us. Just as Mordecai asked Esther, we must ask ourselves if we may have been placed where we are for such a time as this.