In a 1958 interview, he described the difference between the
Italy of his studies forty years earlier and the nation of the present
day. He said, “Italy then was the land
of the traveler. The traveler was one
who did his homework and sought to educate himself on all that he sees. Today, however, Italy is the land of ‘the
tripper’ or ‘the tourist’. They don’t
understand what they are seeing. It’s
possible for a person with no classical background to look upon the amazing
relics of the past and be completely unaware of their meaning.”
Hutton’s remarks of sixty-six years ago perfectly illustrate
the way in which many Christians read their Bibles. Instead of being travelers who journey
slowly, absorbing the spiritual blessings and plunging into the spiritual
depths, they are trippers who rush by at high speed, not knowing what they’ve
read, or what to read. One girl who
“traveled” in Italy said she remembered Rome as the place where shoe polish
spilled on her best dress, and Venice as the place where the hairstylist burned
her hair with a curling iron! That’s
much like those who say that the God of the New Testament is much more
neighborly and kind than the God of the Old.
If we have seen anything resembling the truth over our years
of reading and studying the Scriptures together at Hebron, it is that there is
absolutely no distinction between the God who met Abram at the Oaks of Mamre
and the Lord Jesus Christ. The God who
sets forth His delightful intention for His people in Deuteronomy 15 is the
same One who tells of a man who threw a great banquet, in Luke 14. When Jesus tells His audience that when they
throw a party they should invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind,
and they will be blessed, He’s simply repeating what His Father says to Israel
throughout its history. Indeed, Jesus is
so emphatic about the guest list that He repeats Himself less than ten verses
later!
For seven weeks we have sought to rediscover the essence of
God’s words in Micah 6:8:
“He has shown you, O man, what is
good;
and what does the Lord require of
you
but to do justice, and to love
kindness,
and to walk humbly with your God.”
The amazing thing is that God doesn’t just say that to
ancient Israel, He acts it out perfectly in Jesus.
Jesus Christ is the human face of God. As we examine Luke 14:1-14 and Acts 5:29-33
this Sunday, under the title “Jesus Our Hero”, we will see exactly how He is
not only the author and the finisher of our faith, but our source in doing
justice and loving kindness.
In preparation for Sunday’s message you may wish to consider
the following:
1. Do
you have an image of God to which you return again and again?
2. How
closely aligned is your image of Him with the description of Jesus in Matthew
12:18-21?
3. What
would Jesus tell you to do in a case where your resources have been “wasted” by
a needy person? (Hint: Jonathan Edwards’
response to the 4th objection – “They will waste it. It won’t be long until they’re right back in
the same story shape.” (See Jonathan
Edwards’ 1733 sermon, “The Duty of Charity to the Poor.”)
4. What
does Peter mean when he says, “We must obey God rather than men” in Acts 5:29?
5. What
had God commanded Peter and the other apostles? (see verse 20)
6. What
is “this life” of which they are to speak?
7. What
do the apostles mean when they refer to Jesus as “Leader and Savior”?
8. What
evidence does Jesus give the disciples of John the Baptist of His
messiahship? (see Luke 7)
9. What
is meant by the words, “What makes God’s kingdom come is doing justice and
loving kindness”?
10. Why
does Jesus say that we should invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the
blind to our dinner parties? What’s to
be gained?
See you this Sunday as we Give, Gather, and Serve! It’s not too late to do all three!
