Attitude of Gratitude

July 4, 2021 Background Scripture: Leviticus 13 – 14; Luke 5:12 – 16; 17:11 – 19 Lesson Passage: Leviticus 13:45, 46; Luke 17:11 – 19 Leviticus 13 and 14 give extensive instructions concerning the proper diagnosis, treatment, and trespass offerings as it relates to leprosy. Those two chapters provide 116 verses of scripture related to leprosy. Israel’s priest had a significant role to play in diagnosing and providing instructions to those suspected of having leprosy. However, none of those verses gives the priest instructions on how to cure leprosy. All the priest was required to do was diagnose whether leprosy was in the person’s skin and how the situation should be handled. No doubt one of the most welcomed reports a person could receive was to be pronounced clean by the priest. Indeed, the priest was the only person authorized by the Law of God to make such a pronouncement. This was not some arbitrary call on the part of the priest. The Law specified precisely how the priest was to arrive at such a conclusion. After reading those two chapters, I concluded that I could follow those steps and reach the same conclusion as the priest. However, I do not have the authority of the Law to do such a thing. That is why in both situations presented by Luke in the Background Scripture Jesus instructed those who had approached him for healing to go and show themselves to the priest. Jesus healed them but the priest had to pronounce them cleansed so they could be admitted back into society. As the ten men went to show themselves to the priest, they were cleansed. And they knew they were cleansed. However, one of them saw that he had been cleansed and returned to Jesus. He was praising God and thanking Jesus for his healing. Jesus noted that the one who returned to him to glorify God was not a Jew. Jesus questioned why the other nine men didn’t return to give God glory for their healing. I have always read this and thought that it implied that there is an expectation that one should glorify God out of gratitude for the blessings He bestows on us. But there appears to be more to it than that. The scripture does not say the other nine men did not give God glory for their healing. Jesus noted that the other nine men did not return to give God glory. The one who returned was not a Jew which implies that the other nine were. Perhaps the Jew’s religion got in the way of them returning to Jesus to glorify God. The Law concerning leprosy was given to the Jews. The Jews were following the Law by going to the priest to be pronounced clean and to present a trespass offering. It is possible that they were so caught up in following the religious steps given in the Law that personal gratitude was loss in the details—or delayed until after the official pronouncement of the priest. Put another way, sometimes the formality of religion trumps spontaneous praise. If getting to the church on a Sunday is done to avoid “forsaking the assembling of ourselves together”, then we might forget to sincerely praise God and thank Jesus before we get there. If you can only shout at church, then there may be something lacking in your gratitude to God. Meditating on the goodness of God and the sacrifice of Jesus in solitude at home should be more profoundly moving than listening to skillful praise singers and musicians or eloquent speakers. The Samaritan wasn’t constrained by organized religion; therefore, he didn’t have to follow the “Order of Service”. He turned around to praise God and thank Jesus before he saw a priest. He was grateful for what had happened to him even before the priest could see it. Sometimes people don’t always follow the right protocol in church. They just showed up to thank God for doing what doctors could not. Where are the other nine? They were probably on their way to have some good church. Robert C. Hudson June 7, 2021

Rescued from Doubt

June 27, 2021 Background Scripture: Matthew 14:22 – 33 Lesson Passage: Matthew 14:22 – 33 Some people are risk takers by nature and others, like me, tend to be more cautious—or calculating—by nature. Every time I read the historical account that is presented in today’s lesson, I am reminded of this fact. The disciples of Jesus were in a boat that was caught in a storm on the sea. They were in a similar situation before. In the previous situation, Jesus was in the boat with them—fast asleep in the stern. They only had to wake Jesus up to feel safer. However, Jesus is not in the boat with them this time. Jesus sent them ahead in the boat to the other side of the sea while he remained on the coast sending the multitude away. After sending the multitude away, Jesus ascended a mountain to pray. The disciples were in the boat sailing across the sea when a fierce storm arose. While the boat was caught in the middle of the sea in the storm, Jesus walked out to them on top of the waves. The sight of Jesus frightened his disciples because people don’t walk on water. They were sure they were looking at a ghost. Jesus greeted them and assured them that it was him indeed and not a ghost as they suspected. Peter, unlike me, requested Jesus prove that it was him by commanding him to join him on the water. Jesus beckoned Peter to get out of the boat and join him. The Bible records that Peter got out of the boat and began to walk on the water to go to Jesus. While that was going on, there were eleven disciples in the boat watching this. (Again, I acknowledge that I would be one of the “boat people”.) The distraction of the wind caused Peter to fear, and he began to sink. Peter called out to Jesus to rescue him, and Jesus caught him by the hand. Jesus did not commend Peter for taking steps on the water but rather he questioned why Peter had doubted after he was doing it. When they got in the boat, the storm ceased, and the disciples worshiped Jesus as the Son of God. It took a lot of faith for Peter to get out of the boat and stand on the water. Peter had unusual faith that allowed him to get out of the boat during a storm and walk on the water. Peter’s experience and Jesus’ reaction remind us that faith must be prepared to finish what it starts. So many times, we begin moving in a direction with the assurance that God is leading us. It might seem like it is going to be smooth sailing at the beginning. But sometimes storms do pop up out of nowhere as we travel through this life. If we have the assurance that God was with us in the beginning, then we can be sure that He still is. God promised to never leave us nor forsake us. Christians can be sure that God will not ask us to do anything we cannot do, or He is not willing to do with or for us. There is a difference between faith and willpower. Willpower is the self-assurance we can muster to attempt whatever we put our minds to accomplish. Faith is knowing what God has said and behaving in a manner that is consistent with what God has said. We will sometimes be overcome by doubt after we start on a journey. If we started our journey because of our willpower, we should be concerned when doubt comes. Our doubt reminds us to reevaluate what we are doing. On the other hand, if we started our journey because God led us to and doubt comes, then we need to ask God to help us finish what we started. When God is leading us, our text should give us the assurance that God will rescue us from doubt when we cry out to Him for help. Robert C. Hudson May 22, 2021

Healed by Faith

June 20, 2021 Background Scripture: Matthew 9:18 – 26; Mark 5:21 – 43; Luke 8:40 – 56 Lesson Passage: Matthew 9:18 – 26 The span of twelve years figures prominently in today’s lesson. Twelve years is a long time by some estimations and relatively short by others. Twelve years prior to the events of our Lesson Passage two remarkable things occurred. One family welcomed the arrival of a little girl who was born that year and another person would receive a horrible medical diagnosis that involved hemorrhaging. One family watched for twelve years as the little baby grew into a preteen girl. The other person watched for twelve years as her life savings disappeared as she consulted one medical doctor after another. This left her impoverished. But on the day of the events in our lesson, the preteen girl died, and the impoverished woman put all her faith in one hope. The girl’s father came seeking Jesus from one direction, and the impoverished woman sneaked up behind Jesus from the opposite direction. When the father left home, his daughter was gravely ill. The girl’s father believed that if Jesus would come to his house and lay hands on his daughter, his daughter would recover. The impoverished woman believed if she could touch the border of Jesus’ clothing, her body would be healed of the twelve-year hemorrhage. The father came and begged Jesus publicly to come to his house and heal his daughter. The impoverished woman only wanted to sneak a blessing out of Jesus and remain anonymous within the crowd. Jesus started out for the father’s house but was interrupted when virtue went out of him. Jesus did not allow the woman’s anonymity to last long. Jesus called her out and she confessed publicly to the healing she had received. Jesus explained to her that her faith in him had healed her. This interruption in his trip to the father’s house was enough time to have someone come with bad news for the father: Your daughter has died. Don’t bother the Teacher any longer. Jesus rejected the bad news for the father. The girl was going to be okay because Jesus was going to do what the father had requested. Upon arrival at the father’s house, Jesus was met by yet another delay. The professional mourners had already arrived and were making noise and in the way. In dismissing the mourners so that he could enter the house, the mourners ridiculed Jesus for saying that the girl was going to live. Inside the house, Jesus took the girl by the hand and commanded her to arise. The girl arose and walked. What an amazing day of healing. Two persons healed in two very different ways. One person believed they could be healed by Jesus without consulting or interrupting him. Another person believed that Jesus could heal his daughter simply by laying his hands on the sick. Both persons believed that Jesus was a healer. After that day, people in other lands brought many sick so that they could touch the hem of Jesus’ garment. The Bible records that as many as touched it were made perfectly well. It goes without saying that the little girl was not the last person Jesus laid his hands on and healed. It is worth noting that Jesus has the power and the desire to heal the sick. There is no prescribed method that must be used to have healing occur. Healing comes from Jesus, but it comes by somebody’s faith. The impoverished woman had within her the faith to receive healing from Jesus. The father had faith within him to request Jesus to lay his hand on his daughter and heal her. After twelve years of suffering and twelve years of living, healing came to both by faith. Robert C. Hudson May 22, 2021

Delivered from Fear

June 13, 2021 Background Scripture: Matthew 8:23 – 27; Mark 4:35 – 41; Luke 8:22 – 25 Lesson Passage: Matthew 8:23 – 27 How do you respond to someone who talks to the natural elements as he would a person—and the elements respond to him? Or what do you think of a person who seems to be indifferent to being in an obvious situation where his life is in danger of perishing? I think we can agree that this would appear to be a very odd fellow. If not for the miraculous results, this person would likely be dismissed and labeled as insane. Yet, the observers of the events noted were amazed by the person and labeled by him as fearful and having little to no faith. That’s an interesting charge being that at least four of them made their living on that sea as fishermen. It has been noted that the geography of that region would cause violent storms to quickly appear on the Sea of Galilee. It is understandable that a tax collector might be frightened by the onset of the violent storm that was causing the boat to fill with water. However, this should not have been an abnormal situation for the four fishermen, unless the storm was an unusual one. Amid a storm that was causing the boat to fill with water, Jesus was at the rear of the boat sleeping on a pillow. I believe that the rocking of the boat on the turbulent waves would have been soothing if not for the screams and cries for help by the crew. And what about those other little boats that followed them according to Mark? It would be easy to assume that this was just an anomaly except for the fact that it was attested to by all three writers of the synoptic gospel accounts. Matthew, Mark, and Luke all believed that the gospel account could not be completely told without including this incident. What are some of the noteworthy things about this incident? First, it should be noted that there were many eyewitnesses to what happened. Since all truth should be established in the mouth of two or three witnesses, then it is safe to accept that this did indeed happen as it has been reported. Secondly, all three writers focused first on Jesus’ humanity. As a human, Jesus got tired and went to sleep. Obviously, he was not a light sleeper because the storm did not awaken him. The crew awoke Jesus with the announcement that the boat was in danger of sinking and they would all perish. Jesus commanded the wind to be still and the water to settle down. Everything became calm as nature obeyed the voice of its Creator. The fear of the crew quickly became awe at what they had all witnessed. Who can this be? Just when you think you know a person, then this happens! Then Jesus rebuked the crew for their little to no faith. We need to look a little closer at this. How is our faith shown? We show our faith by knowing what God has said about a situation, believing what God has said about the situation, and behaving in a manner that is consistent with what God has said. What was said? When Jesus got into the boat, he said to them “Let us cross over to the other side of the lake.” Once they were underway, Jesus went to sleep. If they believed what Jesus said, then they would have had the assurance that they were going to get to the other side of the lake. Once the storm arose, they would have known that it would not prevent them from getting to the other side of the lake. This experience prepared them for future experiences where their lives were endangered. They faced those future situations differently because one day Jesus had delivered them from fear. Robert C. Hudson May 22, 2021

Freed from Worry

June 6, 2021 Background Scripture: Matthew 6:19 – 34 Lesson Passage: Matthew 6:25 – 34 We live in a very busy world. People are constantly moving here and there. There are deadlines and time schedules everywhere. The stress of this rapid-pace environment shows on the faces of those in the crowds. You either keep pace or you will get trampled by the masses. But is this what life is supposed to be about? Life can feel like a merry-go-round that never stops. What happened to the “good old days”? Does an evening spent sitting on the porch and enjoying the weather feel like wasted time? Who decided that life should move at such a crazy pace? Everyone who participates in the “rat race” makes that decision. And that decision affects the quality of one’s life. One day during his ministry, Jesus sat on the side of a hill and taught a group of people who gathered around him. One of the topics he addressed is the cure for anxiety or worry. Essentially, we have priorities in our lives that determine how we use our time and resources. When our priorities are mostly based on earthly living, then we become anxious about the outcome. People in this world can affect worldly outcomes. Put another way, we don’t always have control over situations that affect our emotional wellbeing. This is a major source of stress, and it affects our quality of life. We worry about the prospect of having a poor quality of life. Jesus addressed this very problem. Simply put, we need to adjust our priorities. If we make God and His kingdom a higher priority, then our stress level will diminish. That’s because people in this world cannot affect outcomes in God’s kingdom. Everything in the kingdom of God happens according to the will of God. Jesus encouraged his listeners to set their affections on the kingdom of God. This would cause living in this world to be less stressful. Creatures living in this world who are not dependent on people do not stress about life. They receive the food they need without worrying about it. They are arrayed in the finest of attire. And life in general is good for them. They have been freed from worry. Jesus used birds and flowers as simple examples of this. These are part of God’s creation, and He takes care of them. Jesus’ hillside chat is often referred to as the Sermon on the Mount. It is godly advice for the God-fearing. It is amazing how we can know these principles and still be challenged in our attempt to live by them. We know that it is right to trust God. We also know that God truly cares for us. However, we often have the mistaken notion that we have earned God’s favor. When we remember God’s omniscience, then we are reminded that God knows all about us. He knows our thoughts, our actions, our plans, and our intentions. When those things are not aligned with God’s word, then we feel unworthy of God’s favor. And that’s the point we don’t get. We are always unworthy of God’s favor. Even at our best, we don’t deserve to experience the goodness of God. There is never any need to fear that God will discover some unholy motive in us. There is nothing within us that God has not already discovered. Where there is goodness within us, God placed it there. Where there is darkness within us, God desires to replace it with His light. We must release the darkness in order to embrace God’s light. Then we will be freed from worry. Robert C. Hudson May 8, 2021

Preaching to Enemies

May 30, 2021 Background Scripture: Jonah 3 Lesson Passage: Jonah 3 Go warn the enemy of your people that they are headed for danger. That was the assignment God gave to Jonah. Jonah was a prophet of God who was from the northern portion of the northern kingdom of Israel. That region, that would later be known as Galilee, was prone to attacks by Israel’s enemies to the north. At that point in time, disaster had recently been averted when the Assyrians had defeated the Arameans. The Arameans had wage war over the years with Israel. Having another potential threat to the north was no comfort to Israel. It was in that political climate that the word of the Lord came to Jonah. “Go to Nineveh, that great city, and preach to it the preaching that I bid you.” Nineveh was Assyria’s capitol city. With the Arameans out of the picture, Assyria was a growing threat to Israel. To preach to Nineveh was the same as preaching to the Assyrian kingdom. Again, Assyria was a threat to Israel’s security. Any danger Assyria faced would have been to Israel’s advantage. Afterall, it has been said “The enemy of my enemy is my friend.” This only mattered because Israel trusted in herself for her security. It should be noted that these were God’s people who were attempting to live independent of God. As a prophet of God, Jonah knew all too well that the word of God would accomplish whatever God sends it to do. For this reason, Jonah decided to travel in the opposite direction from Nineveh. To be clear, Jonah was not running from his calling to be a prophet. Jonah was already serving God as a prophet as noted in 2 Kings. Jonah was running from the assignment to warn the enemy of his people. At that point, Jonah felt more patriotism towards Israel than loyalty to his calling to obey God. If Nineveh is destroyed, then Israel would be even safer as a result. No kingdom could stand if it could not defend its capitol city where the king and his family resided. If Nineveh is destroyed, then the Assyrian empire would fall apart, and Israel would not have an enemy on its northern border. However, this thinking does not consider that God desires mercy—even when He is about to deliver judgment. There is no biblical record that Jonah, as a prophet of God, ever resisted an assignment to preach to the people of God. But this assignment was to preach to the enemy of God’s people. Again, Jonah’s patriotism for the nation of Israel was stronger than his desire to warn Israel’s enemy as an assignment from God. After three days and nights in the belly of a large fish, Jonah repented. Jonah cried out to God from within the fish. God commanded the fish to regurgitate Jonah. Our lesson passage finds a repentant Jonah receiving God’s calling for the second time to go and warn Nineveh. Jonah went into Nineveh and preached the message God had given him. The results of Jonah’s preaching were powerful. That city of Gentiles responded in a remarkable way. The king declared a fast that involved people and livestock. Both people and livestock were ordered to be covered with sackcloth as a sign of repentance. The entire city of Gentiles humbled themselves before God. And to think, this was a God they did not even know. They believed the word of God proclaimed by God’s prophet and prayed that God would not destroy them. Their response was greater than is often seen in the people of God. God’s word accomplished what He sent it to accomplish. God’s message to Nineveh was delivered because the prophet preached to the enemies of his people. Robert C. Hudson April 21, 2021