PENTECOST • 45

WWhat does the Lord require of us?

This week’s readings invites us to search our hearts and intentions.

reading for: 15 Sept

Mark 9:30-37

Are We Aware of What Really Drives Us?

  • READ

Last week, we read about Peter’s confession and Jesus’ non-disclosure charge to his disciples regarding his identity (8:29-30). Jesus did not want others to know that he is the Christ because his own disciples had misconceptions about the Messiah. Hence, Jesus took the opportunity to teach his disciples that the Messiah will die and will rise again (8:31).

However, Peter’s response and Jesus’ rebuke tells us that the disciples failed to understand what Jesus was trying to teach them about the Messiah (8:32-33). Therefore, Jesus gave them a lesson on discipleship and explained to them the cost of following him (8:34-38).

In today’s reading, we see the exact same thing happening again. Jesus and his disciples were passing through Galilee and he did not want anyone to know his whereabouts (9:30). And the reason why he is being so secretive is because he wanted private time with his disciples in order to teach them that the Messiah will be killed and will rise again (9:31).

Once again, the disciples fail to understand what Jesus was saying and were afraid to ask him for clarification (9:32). Perhaps they were afraid to ask Jesus because of the harsh rebuke they received from him after they tried to rebuke him for saying that he will suffer and die. And perhaps, their deeper concern was not so much for the fate and future of Jesus but really for themselves, as suggested by their debate along the way to Capernaum, where they argued about who will be the greatest amongst them in the Kingdom that Jesus will be establishing (9:33-34).

Thus, Jesus took the opportunity to sit the disciples down and gave them yet another lesson on discipleship, addressing the core issue of their hearts – the concern to wholeheartedly put others’ needs before their own. This is how things work in the Kingdom and the kind of people he is looking for (9:35-36).

  • REFLECT

Jesus is indeed the Christ. The disciples were right about who Jesus is but wrong about what he came to do. Jesus wanted to correct his disciples understanding about the Messiah but they failed to get it. He wanted to teach them about the nature of the Kingdom that he has come to establish but they could not see it.

Our flesh often gets in the way of whole-hearted service to God. It may look like we are serving God but if we’re not attentive to the condition of our hearts’ driving desires and true intentions, we may actually be serving our own selfish ambitions and think we are serving God. What about you and I today? We may believe in Jesus and have all our doctrines squared out but do we truly know his heart? We may attend church and life group and read our bibles but do we actually understand why we do it? What is God’s heart and what does he desire of his church? Do we get it? Are we seeing it? And is it truly what’s guiding our choices, decisions and actions?

reading for: 16 Sept

Jeremiah 11:18-20

Are We Willing to Pay the Price of Obedience?

  • READ

    Today’s reading from Jeremiah 11:18-20 takes place in a very solemn situation. The chapter begins with Jeremiah receiving a word from the LORD, calling him to go before the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to remind them of their covenantal obligations (11:1-2). When the LORD delivered Israel from their slavery in Egypt, he made a covenant with them that as long as Israel listened to him and obeyed his commandments, he would be their God and give them a land that is filled with milk and honey (11:4-5).

    However, despite the LORD’s repeated warnings and call to obey, Israel refused to listen and chose to walk in their own ways after they settled into the land (11:7-8). And in Jeremiah’s day, the same thing is happening. Israel had not learned anything from their past and are continuing the sins of their forefathers by refusing to heed God’s words and choosing to serve other gods (11:9-10).

    Therefore, the LORD declares that he will bring disaster upon Israel and their gods will not be able to save them from him (11:11-13). And because Israel has broken the covenant, the LORD will curse the land (11:3). He will not listen to Israel’s cry and Jeremiah need not pray or intercede for Israel because it is too late (11:14-15).

    The LORD had once regarded Israel as a beautiful fruit-bearing olive tree but not anymore because of all the evil that Israel has done (11:16-17). All that is left is destruction and Jeremiah is the man who has been tasked to deliver the pronouncements. Thus, we read in Jeremiah 11:18-20 that people were devising a scheme to kill Jeremiah but he was confident that the LORD would intervene and commits himself to the cause.

  • REFLECT

    It takes a tremendous amount of courage for Jeremiah to obey God and it is inevitable that we will gain adversaries in the cause of obeying God. No one likes to be told that they are sinning and that their life is not pleasing to the Lord.

    While not all of us will be put in such a position, there is certainly a cost to obedience. Death on a cross was the cost that Jesus paid for obedience. In the past, the word of the Lord only came to the prophets but today, the word of God comes to all of us.

    Are there some things that the Lord is calling you to do and you have been witholding obedience? Perhaps today is the day to heed the Lord’s voice.

reading for: 17 Sept

James 3:13-4:3, 7-8

Are We Humble and Submissive Before God?

  • READ

    In today’s reading, the apostle James puts it plainly that if we are truly wise and understanding, our conduct will verify it (3:13). Furthermore, we will be able to differentiate  between true and false wisdom, between wisdom from above and wisdom from below.

    According to James, if we find bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in our hearts, they are tell-tale signs that the wisdom we have is not from above (3:14-15). Why is he so sure? Because the natural consequence of such bitter jealousy and selfish ambition is disorder and vile practice (3:17). It is false wisdom.

    On the other hand, the wisdom from above is “pure, peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere” (3:16-17). And the natural consequence of it is a harvest of righteousness that will be sown in peace (3:18). In short, we must seek the wisdom that comes from above and bear the fruit of righteousness instead of disorder.

    James then proceeds to use rhetoric to flesh out the real reason behind all of our quarrels and fights (4:1). We quarrel and fight because we don’t get what we want and we don’t get what we want because we don’t ask and we don’t ask because we know we won’t get what we ask because we are asking it for the wrong reasons (4:2-3).

    Therefore, James exhort us to submit ourselves, resist the devil, draw near to God, cleanse our hands, purify our hearts and stop being double-minded (4:7-8).

  • REFLECT

    James gets straight to the crux of the matter and spells out for us the underlying reason behind some of our motivations and actions. Many of our relational troubles or conflicts could well be traced back to the fact that we are lacking true wisdom and we are seeking our own agenda.

    How is true wisdom acquired? How is friendship with God achieved? The first step forward is to “submit yourselves therefore to God” because as Proverbs 9:10 reminds us, “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom”. Submission is both resisting the devil and drawing near to God. Drawing near to God means distancing ourselves from the devil and his influence in the world.

    May we be known as people who are wise and understanding among our families and friends and colleagues. May we seek the things of God and ask boldly for it because we know he will give it to us when we ask for the right reasons.

reading for: 18 Sept

Psalm 54

In Whom/What Do We Place Our Security?

  • READ

    Psalms 54 was written by David in reference to the time when he was hiding from Saul who was seeking to take his life. At that time, David had gone into hiding at Horesh among the Ziphites but they betrayed him and informed Saul of his whereabouts and promised to hand him over to Saul (1 Sam 23:15-24).

    Therefore, psalm 54 is a lament psalm and it's a psalm that calls out to God for help and protection in times of threat and danger. The psalm begins with a cry for rescue from men who have no fear of God (1-3). Next, the psalm expresses faith in God that he will preserve his people and return the evil that has been committed against them (4-5). Lastly, the psalm ends with a call to give thanks and a declaration that God will deliver his people (6-7).

  • REFLECT

    Most of us will probably never find ourselves in a situation where someone is trying to kill us and we have to resort to hiding. Nonetheless, lest we think we are safe or take our security for granted, we are never too far away from life-threatening situations and dangers. While we may not have felt the full impact of COVID, according to the WHO website, COVID has robbed 4.6 million people of their lives and infected 223 million people. The threat is real.

    Last Saturday, the world remembered 911. This Saturday, as we read this psalm, let us lament over the evil that is around us, remember that God will deliver his people and give thanks to the Lord for our well protected lives in Singapore.

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