Three Lamps, Three Lessons

Three Lamps, Three Lessons

by | Aug 21, 2016 | Discipleship

When we read the parables of Jesus in the New Testament, it is easy to presume that the occurrences of a given parable in different Gospels are just parallel accounts of the same event – a retelling of the same story. But this is not always true, as Jesus sometimes used the same parables and examples in teaching different groups at different times. 

There are clear instances of this, and we find a particularly meaningful example in the Parable of the Lamp (often called the Parable of the Candle and the Bushel) found in all three Synoptic Gospels – Matthew, Mark, and Luke. These three Gospels each record this same parable, but Matthew’s account, for example, shows a different setting to that of Mark and Luke.  In each case the parable is varied somewhat, and the lesson being given appears to have a different stress.

Essentially the parable discusses a lamp placed in one of three settings:  on a lamp stand, under a bed, or under a jar or bowl. But we should notice how the three accounts differ and the lessons they convey.

The Lamp on a Stand – the Lesson in Matthew:

“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.  Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house” (Matthew 5:14-15).

Matthew’s account does not include the “bed” mentioned in Mark and Luke because its stress is on the lamp being placed on a stand so all can see its light.  We see this stress in the extra words – unique to Matthew’s Gospel – which compare the lamp on a stand to a city on a hill (vs. 14). The lesson in this telling of the parable is made clear: “In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven” (vs. 16).  Matthew addresses those whose light shines like a lamp on a stand.

The Lamp under a Bed – the Lesson in Mark:

Mark’s account introduces another way the light can be treated: “…Do you bring in a lamp to put it under a bowl or a bed? Instead, don’t you put it on its stand?” (Mark 4: 21).  The “bed” (Greek klinē – a small couch or bed) Christ mentions  was a piece of furniture high enough to allow a small oil lamp to be placed beneath it, but low enough to limit the amount of light that would be visible. 

This telling of the parable seems to focus on the aspect of limited illumination – symbolic of a person who gives out a limited amount of the light at his or her disposal.  This limited light may help those close to the person, but that is all because the light is being held back.  Perhaps we see this in the warning found in Mark’s account: “Consider carefully what you hear … With the measure you use, it will be measured to you—and even more” (Mark 4:24).

Mark’s version of the parable speaks especially to those who limit their light: those who choose to be “low key” Christians in ways such as only sharing their light with others of the Faith – those “near” to them.
 
The Lamp under a Jar – the Lesson in Luke:

Luke’s version of this parable may have yet another stress: “No one after lighting a lamp covers it with a jar …” (Luke 8:16 ESV).  While some translations have “basket,” the Greek word skeuos indicates a ceramic jar, bowl or other container used to hold flour – not an open weave basket.  The meaning is important because placing an oil lamp under such a solid container not only stops all light from escaping, but also cuts off the air, causing the light to eventually go out.

This last fact makes Jesus’ words spoken at the end of the parable particularly significant: “Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what they think they have will be taken from them” (Luke 8:18).   Luke’s version of the parable seems to speak to those who receive the light, but whose religion is “personal” and they do not share the light they have with others “so that those who come in [from the outside] can see the light” (vs. 16, parenthetical comment added).  

Three Tellings – Three Lessons

So Jesus’ Parable of the Lamp is recorded for us in three versions, each with a different stress.  While the parable seems to have been used on separate occasions, it is clear from the details recorded in each instance that Jesus was stressing different lessons.  The parable speaking of putting a lamp on a stand, under a bed, or under a closed container stresses three ways in which we might deal with the light we are given: sharing it widely, sharing it in a very limited way, or not sharing it at all.  The ultimate question posed by the parable, of course, is what kind of lamp are we?

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*To learn more about the parables, download the free eBook The City on a Hill: Lessons from the Parables of Jesus from our sister site, here. 

Seriously?

Seriously?

by | Aug 14, 2016 | Growth, Relationships

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“There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal. Nations, cultures, arts and civilizations — these are mortal. But it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub, and exploit. This does not mean that we are to be perpetually solemn. We must play. But our merriment must be of that kind (and it is, in fact, the merriest kind) which exists between people who have, from the outset, taken each other seriously” (C. S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory, p. 46).

C. S. Lewis penned these words over three-quarters of a century ago, but their significance is perhaps even clearer today as a result of modern psychology.   In the book What Makes Us Tick? The Ten Desires That Drive Us (2013), psychologist and social commentator Hugh Mackay stresses that the primary need of human beings – once the basic biological needs of food, sleep, etc., are taken care of – is “to be taken seriously.” Mackay’s research indicates that knowing we are of worth is more important to human beings than any other psychological need or desire.  
 
Why do we have this need to be taken seriously?  We might well be able to survive without it; but as Christians we might well suspect that this, like any need, is there for a reason.  Could it be that we all have a deep innate need to be taken seriously in order to help us to take other people seriously? Could it be that is one of the lessons this life gives us opportunity to learn?

The word of God certainly shows that God takes people seriously.   When Scripture tells us he is not willing that any should perish (2 Peter 3:9), it means that he takes everyone seriously.  When God repeatedly told ancient Israel to be kind to strangers among them (Exodus 22:21, Leviticus 19:34, Deuteronomy 10:19, etc.), he was commanding them to see them as people like themselves – to take them seriously.

And when we look at the life and ministry of Jesus, it is clear that he took people seriously.   He took sinners, prostitutes, and tax collectors seriously, although most everyone else in that society did not. He took women seriously in an age when most did not. He took Samaritans and Phoenicians – those of entirely different religious backgrounds – seriously, just as he took doubters within his own faith seriously.  Uniquely in that age, he even took those who perhaps had no understanding of faith at all – little children – seriously. 

In some ways, Jesus’ determination to take everyone seriously was one of the most radical aspects of his ministry and his message, and it is an approach that we who try to follow him must never forget.  But do we take those who live contrary to the Way in which we believe seriously?  It is a question we can ask of any group, of any individual.  Do we take fellow Christians in other denominations seriously? Do we really take those of other political, social, religious, economic, or regional backgrounds to ours as seriously as we should?
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Ultimately, we must all ask “Do we take every human being seriously?” It is one of the most fundamental messages within the Scriptures that God takes every individual seriously, and that we should also.

What Does “They Who Draw the Sword Will Die by the Sword” Really Mean?

What Does “They Who Draw the Sword Will Die by the Sword” Really Mean?

by | Aug 7, 2016 | Difficult Scriptures

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“Put your sword back in its place,” Jesus said to him, “for all who draw the sword will die by the sword” (Matthew 26:52).

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This verse is often used as a key text for pacifistic teachings, but does it really mean that any who handle weapons will die by them?  Clearly, experience shows this is not the case, so what did Jesus mean in speaking these words?

The answer is found by looking closely at both the context and the wording of Matthew 26:52.  It must be remembered that when Jesus made this statement to Peter – after the disciple drew his sword and cut off the ear of one of the men sent to arrest his master (Matthew 26:51) – it was following Jesus’ own instruction to his disciples to have a sword with them (Luke 22:36-38). 

When we look closely at the wording in Matthew 26:52 of what Jesus told Peter, we see that he did not tell him to get rid of the sword, but simply to “put it back in its place” – its sheath. In fact, the Greek is literally to “turn away” (apostrepson) the sword, meaning to turn it to a different use, to return it to its place till a more proper need arose.  Jesus then states that all who “take” (the literal meaning of the Greek) the sword will die by it.  There is a stress on the word “take,” and this seems to indicate that Jesus is talking about those who actively choose to habitually use the sword when it should not be used.
 
The context makes it clear that Jesus did not want to resist arrest – that he willingly submitted to it, although innocent, in order that his purpose could be fulfilled.   But Jesus would not have had his followers fight against the properly constituted authority in any case (John 18:36).  Besides, Peter acted impulsively and struck first – his action was not even one of defense, but an attack, which Jesus certainly rejected. Remember that two of the disciples had swords that evening (Luke 22:38), but Jesus spoke only to Peter (“your sword”) who had used the weapon he carried aggressively.

So, when viewed in context and in detail, Jesus’ words to Peter seem most naturally to mean that those who utilize the sword for improper purposes – gratuitously or against rightful authority – will suffer the penalty that will normally be the eventual result of those crimes. His words seem to have had less to do with the concept of pacifism, than they had to do with the fact that self-initiated violence causes its own punishment – something Peter needed to grasp and live by.
   
Finally, we should also understand that the words “all who take the sword will perish by the sword” are regarded by a number of scholars to have possibly been added at some time after the original composition of Matthew’s Gospel.  This and the next two verses are not found in Mark or Luke, and some suspect that these words may even have been added later based on Revelation 13:10:  “…he who kills with the sword must be killed with the sword …”   This possibility cannot be proven either way, but it is always better not to try to decide doctrinal matters based on verses that are of an unsure origin. 

Even if Matthew 26:52 is accepted as being completely authentic, its message seems most likely to have been one against the improper use of weapons, rather than against any use of weapons.

The Four Dimensions of Prayer

The Four Dimensions of Prayer

by | Jul 31, 2016 | Prayer

​Paul frequently urges prayer in his writings (Ephesians 6:18, Philippians 4:6, etc.), but in his instruction to Timothy he gives the most complete guidance in this regard. 

“I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 2:1-5).

The apostle begins his instruction with the words “I urge, then, first of all…” and if we are studying Paul’s writings carefully we see that he does not follow with a “second” or “third” exhortation – the “first” is not the first of many, but something he feels is first in importance.  Paul tells us it is of primary importance that we are active in four forms or “dimensions” of prayer: “petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving.” Although there is some overlap, each of these four aspects of our conversations with God carries a different nuance of meaning. 

The word “petitions” (Greek deésis) indicates prayer for a particular need – simply asking for something.  Although prayer should never be just a list of requests, God’s word shows he does want us to look to him for our needs, of course (Matthew 6:11, 1 Peter 5:7, etc.), and when we do ask for something  it should be in the firm confidence that this word implies.

“Prayers” (proseuche) is a more general word for prayer, but it often carries the idea of worship and praise. The same word is found in Matthew 21:13 where Jesus said of the Temple, “My house will be called a house of prayer.”   

“Intercessions” (enteuxis) represents what may often be an urgent request on the behalf of others.  But this intercession with God can be either for or against someone or something.  We see this in Romans 8:26, 34 “… the Spirit himself intercedes for us … Christ Jesus … is also interceding for us” and in Romans 11:2 “Elijah … appealed to God against Israel.” The word can mean to intervene or to interfere in a situation, and the central idea is one of strong pleading for justice, mercy, or some other aspect of God’s intervention.

“Thanksgiving” (eucharistia) conveys expressions of gratitude which are a vital dimension of fully effective prayer (1 Thessalonians 5:18). It is also important to understand that our expressions of thankfulness should be for the good things that have been given not only to us personally, but also to others – as Paul stresses in telling us that all these forms of prayer are to be made “for all people.”

Paul then specifically mentions prayer for “kings and all those in authority” (vs. 2a) so that believers “may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness” (vs. 2b).  But there is probably another reason Paul mentions kings in regard to prayer.

Although the Romans permitted the peoples of their empire to worship their own gods, they insisted that conquered peoples demonstrate their loyalty to Rome by also praying to the goddess Roma and the spirit of the emperor. Because the Jews worshiped only one God, the Romans allowed them to pray and sacrifice for the emperor rather than praying and sacrificing to him. When we remember this situation, Paul’s exhortation to pray for kings so that we “may live peaceful and quiet lives” takes on clearer significance  and reminds us that  we too should pray regarding the political and legal aspects of life that affect this world and God’s people in particular.

Finally, in these verses, Paul makes the point that our prayers should be offered through (or in the name of) the “one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus.”  The pagan peoples of the ancient world believed in many intermediaries between humans and the gods, but Paul stresses the fallacy of this idea in presenting his guidelines for full and acceptable prayer.
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In saying these things, Paul stresses the importance of both our right approach to God as well what we say in our prayers.  And we should remember that the four aspects of prayer he enumerates show our prayers should never be “one dimensional” – they should often include all these forms of address for full communication with God.

Less Is More

Less Is More

by | Jul 24, 2016 | Giving

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​“Better is a little with the fear of the Lord than great treasure and turmoil with it” (Proverbs 15:16).

“Less is more and more is less” is a maxim that we see frequently these days. As life in the 21st Century gets ever busier, more cluttered, and more complex, many of us find ourselves wanting less in our lives rather than more, and wanting to focus on what we have rather than what we don’t have. 

“Less is more” is a basic principle anyone can apply and profit from, but for the Christian it has a particular depth of meaning. We can see the underlying principle in Paul’s letter to the Philippians:

“… I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ … Brothers, join in imitating me”(Philippians 3:8, 17).

Paul not only tells us here that he had come to consider everything else besides his relationship with God meaningless, but also he specifically tells us to imitate him in this. Now that does not mean that we have to renounce all worldly possessions, of course.  But once we understand and begin to live the principle of not placing undue importance on “things,” we begin to realize we do not need nearly as much as we might assume.  Not only that, but for those of us who enjoy plenty in many aspects of our lives, also we begin to see many of our excess possessions as things that could help others. 

We are reminded of the words of John the Baptist. When John was asked what people should do to prepare for the Kingdom of God that he announced, he answered, “Anyone who has two shirts should share with the one who has none, and anyone who has food should do the same” (Luke 3:11).   Once again, it is a principle that is involved. John’s words did not mean that we should not own more than one set of clothing.  Paul’s own writings speak of parchments and an extra item of clothing he had stored away for later use (2 Timothy 4:13), but Paul didn’t speak of packing crates of extra clothes, either.

If we take the admonition of Paul seriously and begin to follow the principle of John’s Kingdom preparation advice, we see more and more clearly that so many of us need less than we have.   That’s the exact opposite mindset of the prosperity focus that some have chosen to follow, but it is a scriptural approach, nonetheless.
  
What does “less is more” mean in our lives?  Perhaps it means taking the time to go through closets and storage areas once a year, to weed out some of the many extra things we may have gathered, but don’t use, and to donate them to a charity or missionary work. A good rule of thumb is often that if we had forgotten we had something, we probably don’t need it.  Unneeded expensive items can often be sold online with very little difficulty and the money given to a good cause, but even an old pair of shoes we never really wear might look very good on the feet of someone who has no shoes at all.

Ultimately, a Christian acceptance of “Less is More” is all about relearning what we really need, sharing from what we don’t need, and thankfully enjoying what we have.  But the relearning is key. Only as we begin to realize we can live with less – and perhaps help others in the process – do we come to realize that less is more for everyone.