Mercy

 

Early in the morning He came again into the temple, and all the people were coming to Him; and He sat down and began to teach them.

The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman caught in adultery, and having set her in the center of the court, they said to Him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in adultery, in the very act.  Now the Law of Moses commanded us to stone such women; what then do You say?”

They were saying this, testing Him, so that they might have grounds for accusing Him.  But Jesus stooped down and with His finger wrote on the ground.  But when they persisted in asking Him, He straightened up, and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.”

Again He stooped down and wrote on the ground.

When they heard it, they began to go out one by one, beginning with the older ones, and He was left alone, and the woman, where she was, in the center of the court.  Straightening up, Jesus said to her, “Woman, where are they?  Did no one condemn you?”

She said, “No one, Lord.”  And Jesus said, “I do not condemn you either.  Go.  From now on sin no more.”

John 8:1-11

 

The scribes, Pharisees and religious leaders in general spent a lot of time trying to discredit Jesus' teachings.  Time after time they would question Jesus about His actions and they would taunt Him with problems they believed would trip Him up and reveal Him as a fraud.

 

The woman caught in adultery was such a case.  The law required that she be stoned for her sins, but Jesus turned the situation upside down when He wrote on the ground.  Some speculate that Jesus wrote the sins of the men who accused the woman, but we will never know what was written.  The result was the accusers walked away.

 

Then Jesus spoke words of encouragement not condemnation, and sent her on her way.

 

We need to dig deep to find this kind of mercy for others.  Everyday we encounter people whose lives seem to be total wreaks because sin has over taken them.  And, like Jesus we can offer them love and the forgiveness of Jesus and encourage them to turn from sin and to Jesus.  

 

May we be as merciful as Jesus.

Who Is My Neighbor?

A lawyer questioned Jesus about who was his neighbor, and ... 

Jesus replied and said, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among robbers, and they stripped him and beat him, and went away leaving him half dead. And by chance a priest was going down on that road, and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 

"Likewise a Levite also, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.

"But a Samaritan, who was on a journey, came upon him; and when he saw him, he felt compassion, and came to him and bandaged up his wounds, pouring oil and wine on them; and he put him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn and took care of him. 

"On the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper and said, ‘Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I return I will repay you.’ 

"Which of these three do you think proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell into the robbers’ hands?” 

And he said, “The one who showed mercy toward him.” Then Jesus said to him, “Go and do the same.”

Luke 11:39-37 

Jesus points out the the holy people, the priest and the Levite, ignored the injured man, but the Samaritan stopped and not only cared for the man but paid for him to stay at an inn while he recovered from his injuries.  The Samaritans were regarded as bad people who were to be avoided. One time, when Jesus and His disciples were on a journey. they took the long way around to avoid them.  (Luke 9:51-56)  Yet, here Jesus is commending a Samaritan as being good, and more than that - being better than the holy people who passed by the injured man.

I think this is so we will consider putting our faith into action so when someone needs help, we help or at least find someone who can help.  

We are to minister to others without consideration of who they are, but knowing that we are commanded to do so, because everyone is our neighbor.  

So, look for neighbors to help.  

In The Name Of The Lord

But David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword, a spear, and a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have taunted."

I Samuel 17:45

There is an important lesson here.  When we are out numbered, out witted and with a targets on our backs, words can serve us well.  

David was a young man who did not  have much going for him, but he had God on his side.  When he faced the Philistine Goliath, David spoke with courage.  He boldly stated that he came with the power of God and he was not afraid. 

Just as God was on David's side, He is on our side and when we are faced with opposition to our faith we can boldly boldly proclaim that we come in the name of the Lord of Hosts.  

Did Somebody Say Potluck?

Now as they were traveling along, He entered a village; and a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her home.  And she had a sister called Mary, who was also seated at the Lord’s feet, and was listening to His word.

But Martha was distracted with all her preparations; and she came up to Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to do the serving by myself? Then tell her to help me.”  

But the Lord answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; but only one thing is necessary; for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.”

Luke 10:38-42 

When I read this passage I think about Church potluck dinners where everybody brings a dish to share and not too much thought is put into who will bring what.  For the most part the meal is just what it is.  There is some preparation with setting up tables and preparing beverages, but for the most part when it is time to dine, everybody serves themselves and sits down to eat together. It is a time of fellowship.

I think what Jesus was talking about was when we get too wrapped up in creating a worship experience we can loose sight of what worship is all about.  At the heart of worship is the teaching of the Bible.  

Let us take time to consider what is most important when we come together - that is the teaching of the Word and our fellowship with one another.   

Social Customs

 

So then each one of us will give an account of himself to God.  Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather determine this—not to put an obstacle or stumbling block in a brother’s way.

 

Romans 14:12-13

In the early church people practiced many different social customs which people from different groups did not understand.  The Apostle Paul cautioned Christians not to let these differences in customs interfere with accepting new believers into the church because trying to force changes in customs might cause new Christians to turn away from the Church.

Paul said each individual would answer to God regarding their behavior and therefore, the Church did not need to busy itself with creating rules which would only serve to alienate people against the Church.

We can take this to heart today.  There are social customs like tattoos and body piercing which can create a barrier between mainline Christians and lost sheep that are searching for Jesus.  Our first priority is to tell people about Jesus and welcome them into the Church.  Anything more, we need not worry about, because God is the ultimate judge. 

Give Expecting Nothing In Return

Jesus said:

"Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven."

 

"So when you give to the poor, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be honored by men.  Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.  But when you give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving will be in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you." 

 

Matthew 6:1-4

Christians have odd ways of having fun.  One way is to “pay it forward.”  That is to do something nice for someone you don’t know with the idea that they will then do something for someone else.  Some people pay for the food for the people behind them at the drive through window of restaurants.  Other people put a few extra coins in the candy machine or leave a candy bar behind for the next guy.  The possibilities are endless.

The idea is to bless someone who does not expect it and this is exactly what Jesus was talking about.   When we give expecting nothing in return, we give as God intended that we give. 

Mothers - We All Have Them

On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there; and both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding. When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to Him, “They have no wine.”  

And Jesus said to her, "What business do you have with Me, woman? My hour has not yet come.” 

His mother said to the servants, “Whatever He tells you, do it.” Now there were six stone water pots standing there for the Jewish custom of purification, containing two or three measures each.  

Jesus said to them, “Fill the water pots with water.” So they filled them up to the brim. 

And He said to them, “Draw some out now and take it to the headwaiter.” 

And they took it to him. Now when the headwaiter tasted the water which had become wine, and did not know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the headwaiter called the groom, and said to him, “Every man serves the good wine first, and when the guests are drunk, then he serves the poorer wine; but you have kept the good wine until now.”  

This beginning of His signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and revealed His glory; and His disciples believed in Him.

John 2:1-11 

Jesus' mother, Mary, was no different than many mothers.  She wanted people to see that her Son was special.  So, when she saw an opportunity for Him to demonstrate God's power, she encouraged Him to do so.  Jesus at first balked at her request, but then gave in and turned the water into wine.

This was Jesus' first public miracle, and because of it His disciples believed in Him and His ministry grew.  

So, the story began with a mother who believed in her Son.  I think God choose this way for things to happen to honor the role mothers play in our lives.