James 1: [16-]-27[1] [suggested]

           

Do not be deceived (16) is not only a fairly common expression[2], it is a word of admonition that not only stands on its own, but sets the tone for today=s readings.  We think that we are wise and have great understanding, but that attitude only reveals how much we have been deceived.  And not only by Athe serpent@ or people eager to gain some advantage, but by ourselves[3].

 

Do not be deceived, my beloved, this is a matter of much concern, a constant struggle in the journey toward the truth.  Recall the lessons from Exodus.  YHWH delivered the Israelites (us) out of Egypt (slavery to sin) not into Canaan (the Promised Land) but into the desert (this earthly life) where they (we) wander for forty years (an adult lifetime), being watched and tested by God.[4]

 

Be doers of the word and not hearers only, deluding yourselves. (22)  Micah taught: [God] has told you, O [mortal], what is good, And what the LORD requires of you: (Mic. 6: 8) but far too many Christians think all he meant was: Go to church on Sunday.  Notice the verbs the Prophet chooses: Ado, love, walk@.  The outer two are action words; what does that imply for the middle one?

 

Last month[5], Jesus taught the people He had fed: AThis is the work of God, that you believe in the one [God] sent.@ (Jn. 6: 29)  The operative word is Awork@; to believe in Christ is not a matter of sitting on our behinds.  In another setting, our Lord cautioned: AAnd everyone who listens to these words of mine but does not act on them will be like a fool who built his house on sand.@ (Mat. 7: 26)  This theme continues through the Epistles.  Children, let us love not in word or speech but in deed and truth. (1Jn. 3: 18)  For it is not those who hear the law who are just in the sight of God; rather, those who observe the law will be justified. (Rom. 2: 13)  Paul may have been thinking of Moses= law, or, perhaps, of the law of Christ. (Gal. 6: 2)

 

Faith requires activity, doing something, ministry, mission.  That is why I prefer the KJV rendering: And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity. (1Cor. 13: 13)  Charity is love fulfilled by action taken.  Now if we still do not get the message, we are only deceiving ourselves.

 

Song 2: 8—13

 

·        Hark!  My beloved! (8)

            There he stands behind our wall,

            Gazing through the window,

            Peering through the lattice. (9)

The idea of Jesus as Apeeping Tom@ probably turns you off.  But, if the Hebrew Scriptures elsewhere refer to Jesus, then they do so here.  And for good reason.  If God's Word is true and Emanuel has any meaning, Abig brother@ is watching you.

 

You and I know (but prefer not to admit) that there are times when we really wish to keep God and Christ out of our lives (for the moment); there are things we like to think and do in secret, behind closed doors with the window shades drawn.  And, for many, even with the lights out.  But in relying on the secrecy of darkness, we are only deceiving ourselves.  No matter where we go, how many lights we turn off, curtains we shut and doors we close, God is with us: Emanuel.  So how should that impact on our sex lives?  Our business dealings?  Our social contacts?  Our family affairs?  Our private times?

 

Or do we prefer to live in a delusion?

 

Psalm 45: 1--2, 6--9 [2-3, 7-10, TNK]

 

·        My heart is astir with gracious words;

                I speak my poem to a king; [2]

            You are fairer than all men;[6] ...

                rightly has God given you an eternal blessing. [3]

            You love righteousness and hate wickedness;

                rightly has God, your God, chosen to anoint you

                with oil of gladness over all your peers. [8]

 

            Take heed, lass, and note,

                incline your ear:

                forget your people and your [parents=] house,

                and let the king be aroused by your beauty;

                since he is your lord, bow to him. [11-12]

In this poetic parable, you and I are the lass who is spoken to; Christ Jesus is the king, our lord.  Three times the Psalmist urges us to pay attention to the advice offered; will we?  And three words of wisdom are proclaimed to us.

 

            First, forget your people and your [parents=] house.  What does this say to us about, racial, ethnic and national pride?  What does it say to us about Afamily values@?  Where are our priorities?  Are they aligned with God=s?

 

Then, let the king be aroused by your beauty.  Knowing my face and body (you may speak for yourselves), how can I be beautiful?  What do we consider Abeauty@?  What is beautiful to God?  What is there about me-- my person, my faith, my relationships with others-- that could Aarouse@ the king?

 

Finally, since he is your lord, bow to him.  Now we are educated, capable and self-sufficient people, so we rankle at the thought of a lord over us, at the suggestion that we bow before someone.  But what do we mean, when we confess Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior?  Does the Psalmist speak of a human queen, president or tyrant?  Or of the AKing of kings and Lord of lords@, the crucified, resurrected, ascended and glorified Christ who Ashall come to judge the quick and the dead@?

 

Before you answer, remember who is not only Gazing through the window, but standing by your side: Emanuel.

 

Mark 7: 1--8, 14--15, 21--23

           

The love-poet=s words take on another coloration when we apply them to Jesus in the context of Mark=s narrative.  There he stands behind our wall, very much outside the Pharisees= world, partly hidden but not hiding.  Gazing through the window, Jesus looks through the window of their eyes and words to discern what lies deep inside.  Peering through the lattice, Jesus manages to see inside even when they have pulled the venetian blinds down over their minds and hearts.

           

So Jesus responds to the Pharisees= implied indictment[7] with forthright castigation.  AYou disregard God=s commandment but cling to human tradition.@ (8)  This sentence, together with the repeat in v.9, ought to give every Christian pause.  Are not the purity laws all contained within God's Word?  Yet our Lord refers to them categorically as Ahuman tradition@, very much apart from AGod=s commandment@.  What does this teach us about the Apurity laws@ that have been Aenacted@ by and relative to the Church?

 

A more difficult and significant question: How can we tell the difference?  What Alaw@ does qualify as AGod=s commandment@?  Jesus does not answer this here, but gives some parameters for discerning what is only Ahuman tradition@ in verses 14-15 and 21-23.

 

Do not be deceived, my beloved, God issues a call for honesty and integrity.  Be doers of the word and not hearers only, deluding yourselves.

 

     I go to church and

     pay my pledge.  So what's He mean:

     "Whited sepulcher"?

 

                             I give money and

                             take my kids to Sunday school.

                             What more does God want?[8]

 

(Comments to Phil at enapxh@juno.com )