October 1
John 5:1-47; Mark 2:23-28; Matthew 12:1-8; Luke 6:1-5; Mark 3:1-6; Matthew 12:9-14; Luke 6:6-11; Matthew 12:15-21
There was a game that I remember as a child called "Telephone". In it the children either form a line or circle. The first person comes up with a phrase or sentence and whispers it in the ear of the next person, who then whispers it into the ear of the next person, etc. Then the last person to hear the message repeats what it is that they think they heard. More often than not, the initial message was altered multiple times in the process, where the final message is completely different and everyone laughs. This is a good example of how distorted gossip often is as stories are continually repeated with things being detracted and added to the original. It is also an excellent example of religion. Many things in both Christianity and Judaism initiated from the Word of God. But over years, decades, and centuries, man has felt the necessity to take away from or more commonly add to God's Word. Over time the result is something vastly different than God's intent. Yet due to pride, and sheep following human shepherds rather than the Good Shepherd, people will actually elevate the rules of man over the actual word of God.
Today's readings detail multiple encounters in which it appears that Jesus is breaking the Sabbath laws. But each and every time He is not breaking God's command, but the human traditions which had evolved and distorted God's beautiful provision. Jesus confronts the religious leaders with what would seem like an obvious question, in Mark 3:4-5, "Then he turned to his critics and asked, “Does the law permit good deeds on the Sabbath, or is it a day for doing evil? Is this a day to save life or to destroy it?” But they wouldn’t answer him. He looked around at them angrily and was deeply saddened by their hard hearts. Then he said to the man, “Hold out your hand.” So the man held out his hand, and it was restored!" He gives an obvious example in Matthew 12:11-12, "And he answered, “If you had a sheep that fell into a well on the Sabbath, wouldn’t you work to pull it out? Of course you would. And how much more valuable is a person than a sheep! Yes, the law permits a person to do good on the Sabbath.”" Not only could they not see Jesus for who He was, but they actually wanted to have Him killed for breaking their man-made traditions. We read Jesus' comments to the religious establishment in John 5:37-41, "And the Father who sent me has testified about me himself. You have never heard his voice or seen him face to face, and you do not have his message in your hearts, because you do not believe me—the one he sent to you. “You search the Scriptures because you think they give you eternal life. But the Scriptures point to me! Yet you refuse to come to me to receive this life. “Your approval means nothing to me,". Jesus goes on to accuse them of not following Moses in John 5:45-47, " “Yet it isn’t I who will accuse you before the Father. Moses will accuse you! Yes, Moses, in whom you put your hopes. If you really believed Moses, you would believe me, because he wrote about me. But since you don’t believe what he wrote, how will you believe what I say?”
Yes, as adults we all play the game "Telephone" whether we want to admit it or not. We listen to those in the media who often distort the truths spoken by the original source. The media is often guilty of editorializing and in the process of changing the message and often the perception of the messenger. In a worldly sense this can leave us all lost. But more important than this is when people choose to follow man-made traditions and religious men and women who at times distort God's Word and/or intent. Because when this happens the true message of salvation which is so simple is lost. Those who do so are not just lost in the world but lost for eternity. This is why the One Year Bible Challenge exists. We are not to focus on topics written by authors, because the authors could have gotten it wrong. This is why little devotionals alone can lead people astray. It is why excluding large portions of Scripture is wrong, because God gave us His Word in the exact amounts in which He knows that we need it. He decided in the roughly 3/4 Old Testament and 1/4 New Testament. If He wanted us to spend more time in the New than the Old Testament, He could have easily inspired more writers and writings for the New Testament, but He did not. The exact amount, exactly how He gives it to us. The Bible in it's entirety year after year. There are no shortcuts. God has revealed to us in His Scripture what it is that He desires from us, His love for us, and His message of salvation for us. If we leave out certain portions, then we distort His perfect message. Let's never play "Telephone" with God's perfect Word.
Messages from Pastor Lloyd Pulley: