Tuesday, March 30, 2010

The Community Faces Pain and Joy

April 4, 2010

Background Scripture: John 13:21 – 30; 16:16 – 24; 20:11 – 16
Lesson Passage: John 16:16 – 24; 20:11 – 16

“One of you cannot be trusted. Although I selected each of you and have been teaching you for three years about a new way of living, nevertheless, one of you is going to turn against me. You are going to turn against me and become my enemy. Don’t be sad but I will be leaving you soon. When you look for me you won’t be able to find me. Later on you will be able to find me and it will make you very happy. When I am away, the people of the world who do not follow me will be exceedingly glad but you will be in tears. When I return, then your tears will be turned into happiness. If you need something, you won’t be able to ask me for it but you can ask it of my Father and, because of our relationship, He will accommodate you. You have not had to do this before but that will be the only way you will be able to receive later. When you learn to ask and receive in this new way, you will be happy about it.”

What a shocking conversation this must have been. Now that the disciples were finally starting to understand Jesus better and were getting comfortable in their roles as his assistants, Jesus lays this truly depressing conversation on them. “Why can’t we just continue doing like we have been doing for these pass three years? Why are you now talking like this? Can’t we just avoid trouble and continue to go about doing good things for people? If you are going to leave and go somewhere else, then tell us where you are going and let us know how to get there. You keep talking about the Father so let us see the Father and that will be sufficient to satisfy us.” No matter how confused the disciples might have been it was not going to stop Jesus from doing what he was telling them about. What they did not understand was that this was not Jesus’ personal plan but it was his mission and reason for being born into the world. He was going to have to suffer shameful public torture and die. It was not Jesus’ desire to die. Jesus’ desire was to do the will of his Father and to make him happy. In fact, Jesus prayed and asked for another way to make his Father happy without going through this but this was the only way. Not only would Jesus’ suffering and death be painful for Jesus but it was going to cause great emotional pain for his followers as well. Jesus was informing them to help them brace themselves for it and Jesus was also speaking future facts to them so that after these things were over, they could go forth and declare the truth of this good news. As the disciples listened intensely to the words concerning his going away, they were not paying attention to the words that he was coming again in the midst of their sorrows and they will be made glad by his presence. Jesus was assuring his disciples that there would be joy on the other side of their pain. Just as they would feel despair, they will later experience a joy that would be stronger that anything in this world. The community of faith that followed Jesus would endure a rollercoaster weekend of extreme pain but it would end in unimaginable joy.

Robert C. Hudson
March 23, 2010

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Acceptance in Community

March 28, 2010

Background Scripture: Ruth 2, 3
Lesson Passage: Ruth 2:5 – 12; 3:9 – 11

This week’s lesson continues the historical account of Ruth the Moabite. Some time after she and Naomi arrived in Bethlehem, Ruth requested permission of her mother-in-law to go into the field and glean grain behind the reapers so that the two of them would be able to survive. Naomi granted Ruth’s request and addressed her as her daughter. Although Ruth was from the land of Moab, her reputation concerning her kindness to her Jewish mother-in-law had become known in the region of Judea. Ruth’s past reputation would prove to be a present blessing for her and Naomi. God ordered her steps so that she would end up in the field of a kinsman of her deceased father-in-law, Elimelech. When Boaz saw Ruth, he asked who she was. When he was told that she was Ruth the Moabite, he had already heard about her. Ruth did not know Boaz but Boaz knew of Ruth. (It’s not always who you know; sometimes it’s a matter of who knows you.) This was the beginning of Ruth’s blessings and as a result, it was also the beginning of Naomi’s blessings as well. In spite of Naomi’s lamentation that she had left Bethlehem full and came back empty, God still had blessings in store for her through the daughter-in-law that she tried to send back to the Moabites. Boaz ensured that Ruth would receive a blessing as recompense for her extraordinary kindness to Naomi. Boaz used the occasion of blessing Ruth to give all credit to the sufficiency of the Lord God of Israel. Boaz instructed Ruth to only glean in his field and he ensured her that his servants were instructed to not bother or harass her. Furthermore, he instructed his servants to drop some extra grain on purpose so that Ruth could reap a bounty without having to do much gleaning. When Ruth brought her bounty home, Naomi knew right away that there was something unusual about the large amount of grain that Ruth had. This amount was not typical for gleaners. When Naomi understood that it was Boaz who had provided for Ruth, she knew that it was God’s intervention that had made it possible. Not only had God brought them in contact with a near relative of Naomi’s deceased husband, Elimelech, but God had previously provided a law through Moses that required the near relative to redeem the widow of his kinsman so that offspring could be provided and the family would not be cutoff because of the death. Naomi taught Ruth the proper way to approach a Jewish man so he would behave towards her according to the Law of Moses. Ruth obeyed and Boaz accepted his role as a near kinsman and redeemer. Although he considered himself to not be Ruth’s first choice because of the difference in their ages, he still expressed the honor he felt in being selected as the kinsman redeemer of Elimelech’s family.

Through these actions that were no doubt orchestrated by God, Ruth became the physical salvation for Naomi that she had given up hope of finding. Ruth’s reputation as a virtuous woman had preceded her and she became accepted in the community of Israel.

Robert C. Hudson
March 22, 2010

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Family as Community

March 21, 2010

Background Scripture: Ruth 1:1 – 16
Lesson Passage: Ruth 1:1 – 9, 14b – 16

The Book of Ruth is one of two biblical books that bear the name of a woman for its title. It is a glimpse of history written in short story form. Although it is a short story, it moves at a pace such that one can experience Hebrew history during the time of the judges. The main character, Ruth—from whom the book gets its title, isn’t Hebrew by birth but a Moabite. She marries into a Hebrew family and is widowed a short time afterwards. From that point to the end of the book, this becomes a novel that vividly displays the sincere love and devotion Ruth has for her mother-in-law Naomi. In fact, passages from this book are used in weddings today to establish vows between the groom and bride. It is striking that those passages are not vows or commitments between Ruth and her husband but they are vows that Ruth makes to her mother-in-law. So strong was the admiration and love Ruth had for her mother-in-law that Ruth willingly forsook her kindred, homeland, and religious worship, or gods, in exchange for those of Naomi. One must suppose that she could only have known about these through her interactions with Naomi.

As the book opens, we see a caring Hebrew husband and father uproot his family from their homeland in order to provide a living for them during a famine. During their pilgrimage in Moab, the husband, Elimelech died and left his wife and two sons to fend for themselves in a foreign land. It was this situation that led his two sons to marry women of Moab; this was a practice that Israel avoided. A timeframe of ten years is given but it is not clear if this is the timeframe of the sons’ marriages or the total time of stay in Moab. What is clear is that both sons died within this timeframe and left their mother Naomi with their now widowed Moabite wives. As fate would have it, while Naomi was experiencing hardship in a foreign land, God was blessing her relatives back in her homeland. Although she was now destitute by Hebrew standards, being without a husband or sons to fend for her, she decided to be destitute in her homeland rather than in Moab. Naomi advised her daughters-in-law to return each to her mother’s house and she pronounced a blessing of God upon them. Naomi told them that they were young enough to remarry and build households. Both daughters-in-law expressed a tearful desire to stay with Naomi and return to her homeland with her. Naomi assured them that this was an unwise decision since she would not be able to supply them with husbands of herself—even if it were possible, it could not be done in a timely manner. After shedding more tears, one of the young women left but Ruth remained steadfast. Ruth’s verbal response to Naomi can be considered the central theme of the entire book. Ruth was committed to giving up her kindred, her homeland, and her gods in exchange for all of these that belonged to Naomi. Although Naomi was destitute by Hebrew standards, Ruth saw a wealth of benefits in her and she was sold out on the idea of not walking away from it. Naomi had become Ruth’s family and Ruth was committed to this new community.


Robert C. Hudson
March 15, 2010

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

A Community to Redeem

March 14, 2010

Background Scripture: Jonah 3:10 – 4:11
Lesson Passage: Jonah 3:10 – 4:11

The Apostle Peter wrote concerning God that he is patient towards us and not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. These are very eloquent words when thinking of family, friends, and all others that we believe to be lovable people. These same words, however, ring hollow when thinking of our enemies or those that we don’t “particularly care for”. Frankly, we want God to destroy our enemy. We want those that we don’t like to fail and not have success. We don’t want to think of them as our brothers and sisters in God’s family. In fact, we want God’s family to be our little personal experience absent all of the undesirable people we don’t want to be around. Hopefully by now you can see that the attitude we sometimes have towards others doesn’t agree with God’s plans for those same individuals according to Peter. Without a change of heart, we could be setting ourselves up for disappointment when we discover who’s in Heaven when we get there as well as who shows up after our arrival. In this sea of humanity in which we live, mission demands that we have a sense of accountability for unsaved souls. Christians cannot afford to classify people as desirable and undesirable or acceptable and unacceptable. No matter how we attempt to classify people spiritually, we were once in the other category. God and God alone saved us and he is in the process of sanctifying us. If God saved us, who then is beyond his reach? God is the one who judges all.

Israel was separated from the world by God to become a kingdom of priests to bring light to the Gentiles. The book of Jonah is a reminder to the church of what happens when those who God redeems out of the world start to look down on the unredeemed in disdain. This book is a reminder that we are to shall the gospel with every soul. This should be done in the sincere hope that it will instigate repentance and salvation. How were we judged by others before we repented and called upon God for ourselves? Jonah was convinced of God’s grace, mercy, and patience towards sinners. All who have been saved should be just as convinced. Jonah, like many today, did not want the goodness of God to be shown and experienced by his enemies—especially as a result of something he did. Nineveh was the capital city of Assyria. The Assyrians were the enemy of Israel. They made repeated attacks against Israel and eventually took the northern kingdom into captivity. How dare God save such a people! Israel wanted the Assyrians destroyed not rescued by their own God. Jonah knew God’s character—if the prophet preach and the people hear, God would be gracious, merciful and patient towards them. God was going to bless Israel’s enemy as a result of Jonah’s preaching. God’s message to Jonah indicates that he desires that we have a concern for the souls of men and not get hung up on their past behavior or attitude. It is God’s desire that all repent and be redeemed. Our role, as Christians, is to be agents of redemption and there is a community to redeem.

Robert C. Hudson
March 3, 2010

Monday, March 1, 2010

Mission to the Community

March 7, 2010

Background Scripture: Jonah 1:1 – 3; 3:1 – 9
Lesson Passage: Jonah 1:1 – 3; 3:1 – 9

Today’s lesson opens this Quarter’s emphasis on “Teachings on Community” and this Unit’s theme of “Community with a Mission”. Both the Quarter’s emphasis and the Unit’s theme present relevant concerns for the local church today. Churches should not be socially isolated but rather an integral part of the surrounding community. Further, the church should clearly express itself through its mission to those in the community. This lesson opens up this three month study by considering the mission to be a spiritual voice to a sometimes wayward community. This is not a voice of condemnation but rather a clarion call to the community to change directions before disaster strikes. Ironically, or sometimes unfortunately, the story of Jonah bears much resemblance to the observed behavior of some local church congregations in general and some members of local churches more specifically. Many members want to engage in ministry, however, they do have their preferences as to when and who they are willing to serve. Undoubtedly, Christians have studied the book of Jonah many times. It is beneficial to remind ourselves of some very important facts related to this window of history. First and foremost, God selected the messenger to send to Nineveh. Had Jonah volunteered to go, he probably would have run towards the city rather than attempt to run away from it. God chooses whoever he wants to choose for mission work. Those who are unwilling to serve might still be God’s choice for the work. Secondly, God insisted on providing the message that was to be delivered. He told Jonah to preach the preaching that I bid thee. Jonah did not have to make up anything or try to figure out what needed to be said. His main responsibility was to listen to God’s voice and speak what God told him to say. Some shy away from ministry or mission work because they believe that they are inadequate. Jonah teaches us that through prayer, obedience, and patience we can see God obtain results through our obedient efforts. The third point is that God is the judge. Only God knows the hearts of men and is therefore the only one qualified to judge their character. Since the result of the judgment could have eternal consequences, it is best that one familiar with matters of eternity do the judging. Jonah’s responsibility was to be obedient to God’s calling. Too often we think we know what’s best and therefore believe that our plans deserve to be taken into consideration. As far as ministry is concerned, we are still learning and ever coming into new truths. It should therefore be assumed by the willing missionary that there is still much to be learned that we don’t know. Just as Jonah was sent by God on a mission to the city of Nineveh, local churches today have missions to their surrounding communities. We should gladly take up the call to serve that is embodied in the Great Commission and not be found guilty of ignoring the call or running in the opposite direction as Jonah did.


Robert C. Hudson
March 1, 2010