Meditations

To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable: “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people — robbers, evildoers, adulterers — or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’ “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’ “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” Luke 18:9-14

“To some people who had confidence in themselves as righteous yet showed disdain for everyone else, Jesus holds up a parabolic mirror that pictures once again the radical status inversion effected by the realm of God. If the moral of the story is not clear enough Jesus clinches its point in a closing assertion of the table-upending activity of God that subverts conventional notions of status and honor: “All who lift themselves high will be brought low, but those who lower themselves will be lifted high”…

Two men at prayer in the temple present a study in contrasts — in position and body posture, in the content of their prayers, and in their dramatically different ways of life, on exemplary and the other morally repugnant. The Pharisee stands by himself, his position conveying his attitude toward other people, expressed in his prayer. The tax collector, by contrast, stands “at a distance,” his face turned downward away from heaven, in humility (perhaps humiliation), pounding his chest in remorse…

The tax collector’s prayer is compact (“God, show mercy to me, the sinner” [six words in Greek]), overshadowed by the description of his body language (19 words). The Pharisee, however, is full of words (29 in all): prominent among them are five first-person verbs. Cast in the form of thanksgiving (“I thank you”), the prayer is thus actually self-referential, centering on the meritorious activities of a man who knows himself to be virtuous…

Which of these embodies the reign of God?”

John T. Carroll in Luke: A Commentary (Louisville: WJKP, 2012) 358-360.

So I am at home through Thursday, working on a project for Asbury Theological Seminary. Shortly, I drop Jenni off at the airport to spend the first half of this week with Sophie in California. I’ve been fascinated afresh by these scenes in the Gospels that contain some or all of the Lenten disciplines and that show us what God does not desire from us and what He does desire from us. Jesus is quite clear about the difference.

At first this scene reads like one of those “Two men go into a bar…” jokes, but Jesus is not joking: “Two men went up to the temple to pray…” Jesus holds up a parabolic mirror for His hearers to find themselves in the story. The same holds true for us today. And, this vignette vividly brings together all three Lenten disciplines, showing us how not to live them out and how to live them out.

The Pharisee thought he had them down, and yet, his prayer reveals that his faith was in himself. He used fancy words, talked about how he fasted twice a week, and added that gave a tenth of his income. In show-stopping fashion we discover that Jesus has no interest in his self-righteousness (or ours)! He does not need our fasting, our prayers, our money, He wants our hearts. Only those who humble themselves go home justified.

Jesus does not want us to give a little bit more money than we gave last year. He does not desire we skip another meal here and there. He does not want to hear long prayers. He wants the reign of God to be evident through our humility. Where are you in the story? On this feast day only three weeks until Easter, what do you see when you look in the parabolic mirror?

Then Jesus said to them, “Give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.” And they were amazed at him. Mark 12:17

“The world is not divided into two parallel kingdoms. There is neither encouragement in this text for dividing the world into “secular” and “sacred,” with Caesar ruling the one and God the other, nor is there any “balancing” of civic obligation to the state and religious obligation to God. Obligation to God overbalances all else. Caesar is relative and God is absolute…

Caesar does have a kingdom and Jesus’ followers live in it, but God is the creator of all, and God’s kingdom embraces all, including that of Caesar. Thus, while the saying itself calls on Jesus’ hearers to give both Caesar and God their due, it is not directed to those situations in which one must choose between God and Caesar as Lord. When those situations arise, devotion to God must clearly take precedence over Caesar; God demands all.”

M. Eugene Boring in Mark: A Commentary (NTL; Louisville: WJKP, 2006) 336.

As we draw near to passion week, we see that Jesus’ biggest opponents come from within the religious and political establishment who (sadly!) are motivated by self-preservation rather than service. So, when the Pharisees (who were not fans of their Roman oppressors) and the Herodians (who were in cahoots with the Romans) team up to try to trick Jesus into saying something anti-Roman to get Him arrested, Jesus turns the tables on them. He raises the stakes of the conversation. He says, “Give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.”

What’s this got to do with generosity?

With this “give back” statement, Jesus proclaims that everything came from God, belongs to God, and must be returned to God. We can joyfully and worshipfully participate in the process like the widow with two mites or the woman with the alabaster jar that we recently have read about who held nothing back from God. Or we can be like the rich fool who arrogantly stored up treasure for himself and was promptly relieved of his distribution duties.

Using the language of poker, we’ve got to be “all in” which makes complete sense in light of Jesus’ call to discipleship. Don’t miss the gravity of these scenes that lead up to passion week. Jesus does not celebrate it when people give out of their abundance. He labels “foolish” those and hold back portions for themselves! With regard to generosity, hold nothing back from God. It’s all His anyway. Jesus got the last word in that scene and gets it now.

“Give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.”

Then they came to Jericho. As Jesus and His disciples, together with a large crowd, were leaving the city, a blind man, Bartimaeus (which means “son of Timaeus”), was sitting by the roadside begging. When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” Many rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” So they called to the blind man, “Cheer up! On your feet! He’s calling you.” Throwing his cloak aside, he jumped to his feet and came to Jesus. “What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked him. The blind man said, “Rabbi, I want to see.” “Go,” said Jesus, “your faith has healed you.” Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road. Mark 10:46-52

“Bartimaeus is among the lowest of the low in Israel’s society, a blind beggar with little more than a cloak to his name… He comes empty and so receives the gift of physical healing and spiritual sight… The poor, the sick, the blind, the oppressed, the outcast – these are the recipients of God’s grace… Jesus did not come to call the (self-)righteous but sinner, those who recognize their need of Him. The prideful and self-righteous religious leaders reject the kingdom proclaimed and so receive blind eyes and deaf ears, while blind Bartimaeus regains his sight by crying out to God for mercy… This theme has two main implications for contemporary Christians. The first is to recognize our own status as sinners saved by God’s grace alone. This should create both gratitude to God and humility toward one another. Second, God’s love for the lost should prompt us, His people, to show the same love and concern for those on the margins of society, whether the poor, the disabled, or those weighed down by the burdens of life.”

Mark L. Strauss in Mark, edited by Clint E. Arnold (ZECNT; Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2014) 473.

As promised, we look at yet another scene where Jesus interacts with people leading up to the passion week. Notice how the disciplines of Lent (fasting, prayer, and almsgiving) position us to better understand the factors in play.

Bartimaeus is a blind begger who lives on alms. In his dark world there is no hope, no beauty, no light, but there is one prayer. He says it over and over. “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” While others sneer, with hopes placed elsewhere, he won’t stop proclaiming it until Jesus comes to His aid.

That’s what Lent is all about. We fast to set aside our desires and fix them on Christ. Then in prayer we call to Jesus acknowledging Him for who He is, recognizing our our status as sinners regardless of what the crowds around us think about us. Then we gratefully receive whatever Jesus gives us because we know it will be good.

Notice the response of Jesus to Bartimaeus, which illustrates the generosity of the God we serve. Jesus takes the posture of the servant toward Bartimaeus and says, “What do you want me to do for you?” He lavishes grace on the humble.

This generosity reminds me of our son, Samuel David Hoag, a.k.a. “Sammy” who turns “22” today. I honor him in this post as he daily adopts the Christ-like posture of a servant. He has a heart of compassion for the marginalized and lavishes grace on those in need. And I see God forging his character through rigorous Lenten disciplines each year.

If you want to grow in generosity, think about what fasting, prayer, and almsgiving will look like after Lent to assume perpetually the posture of Bartimaeus before God: humble, prayerful, and dependent. This is not about making ourselves righteous, but about understanding rightly who we are, who Jesus is, and what it means to receive and give God’s grace.

And it leads everyone touched by Jesus, especially ordinary blokes like Bartimaeus and Sammy, to serve others in similar fashion. With Jesus, they say, “What do you want me to do for you?” Because that is precisely how Jesus treated them. The Lenten disciplines prepare us to look like Jesus, who is profoundly generous.

While [Jesus] was in Bethany, reclining at the table in the home of Simon the Leper, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, made of pure nard. She broke the jar and poured the perfume on His head. Some of those present were saying indignantly to one another, “Why this waste of perfume? It could have been sold for more than a year’s wages and the money given to the poor.” And they rebuked her harshly. “Leave her alone,” said Jesus. “Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want. But you will not always have me. She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial. Truly I tell you, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.” Mark 14:3-9

“Jesus must be served while His time remained, and then, after His departure, be consoled by our service to the poor, whose care He accepts as if it is given to Him [cf. Matthew 25:40]. How dear the poor ought to be to us, for they hold the place of Christ! Let us kiss their feet. Let us take part in their humiliations and their weakness. Let us lament their misery and suffer together with them. Let us pour out oil upon their feet as a consolation for their pain and a balm for their sorrows. Let us wipe them with our hair by sharing our abundance, and let us deprive ourselves of adornment that we might care for them.

At the same time, let us anoint Jesus. Let us breathe out from our hearts tender desire, chaste love, sweet hope, continual praise. If we wish to love and praise Him worthily, let us praise Him by our entire life; let us keep His Word. Let us open our hearts to Him and say with St. Paul that He is “our wisdom, our righteousness and sanctification and redemption” (1 Corinthians 1:30). Let us sing to Him the sweet songs of the people He has redeemed: “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing” (Revelation 5:12)! This is what every creature ought to sing to Him; this is the costly oil of anointing that we should pour forth from our hearts.”

Jacques-Bénigne Bossuet (1627-1704) in Meditations for Lent (Manchester: Sophia Institute Press, 2013) 159.

Now that we are about half way through Lent, let us start integrating our almsgiving, prayer, and fasting so they become part of everyday life after Easter. We will do this by looking at scenes that lead up to and include the historical events of the passion week and see how such integrated thinking is necessary for us.

Consider the dynamics of this scene from Mark’s Gospel. Jesus is chilling in the home of Simon the Leper. While many would have labeled that guy as unclean, Jesus fellowships with Him. Do we fellowship and show the love of Christ to everyone, including outcasts from society?

Then the woman (identified as Mary, the sister of Martha and Lazarus in John 12:1-8), holds nothing back. She anoints Jesus with with expensive perfume. Do we spare no expense in our giving to Jesus? 

Some sneer at this gift, saying it should have been spent on the poor. John’s Gospel identifies Judas Iscariot as the critic of her generosity. Do we judge others in their giving to Jesus or limit our giving for fear of what others will think?

Mary emerges as the celebrated character in this scene for all time!

The “costly oil of anointing” flows from her heart and I pray flows from each of ours. Like her, we must not hold anything back from Jesus, and He too will celebrate our giving. Why do this when society, even fellow disciples, might sneer at us? Let’s do it in praise and worship of Christ.

Not sure where to start? Put the practices of Lent together.

Fast. Set aside your desires for whatever resources you have. Pray. Do this without ceasing. Abandon a life of independence. Take a posture of daily dependence on God. Give alms. When you give to the poor you are giving to Jesus. Share the abundance you have from God as your “costly oil of anointing” and know that Jesus, who sees your giving, celebrates.

They came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, that man who was with you on the other side of the Jordan — the one you testified about — look, He is baptizing, and everyone is going to Him.” To this John replied, “A person can receive only what is given them from heaven. You yourselves can testify that I said, ‘I am not the Messiah but am sent ahead of him.’ The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. He must become greater; I must become less.” John 3:26-30

“The best antidote to envy is the conviction of the sovereignty of God. The places, successes, and failures of our employments are under the sovereignty of a wise God. It is extremely comforting to know that what one has been given or has not been given in one’s vocations is traceable not only to our abilities or disabilities but even more to the providence of God. We would welcome each placement and employment (and even displacement and unemployment) with more gratitude and grace if we believed the Baptist’s present maxim. Confidence in the sovereignty of God delivers vocational peace. John believed in this sovereignty and so had no envy at all of Jesus’ increasing ministry and his decreasing one.”

Frederick Dale Bruner in The Gospel of John: A Commentary (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2012) 220.

As we begin the fourth week of Lent, we might feel as though we are making progress in our practice of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, which is good. But we must not aspire to greatness or compare ourselves to others, lest we allow envy or pride to destroy us. John offers the right perspective for us. We must welcome whatever God gives us with grace and gratitude. To see every “placement and employment” as well as every “displacement and unemployment” in light of the sovereignty of God positions us to live with contentment and practice generosity. Like John the Baptist, when we have this perspective and as we progress spiritually, Jesus will actually become greater, and we will actually become less.

God, make the disciplines of Lent form us as people who face everything with grace and gratitude for your glory. Amen.

But give as alms those things that are within, and behold, everything is clean for you. Luke 11:41

“The Greek wording of v. 41 is very compressed, resulting in both ambiguity of meaning and diversity of translations. The phrase “give alms” (NIV “be generous to the poor”) is a Hebraism, and the juxtaposition of words in the first part of v. 41 without showing their syntactic relationship to each other suggests Hebraic influence as well.

The Hebraic character of the verse may help explain its meaning. The LXX translators regularly chose to translate tsedaqah, the important Hebrew word for “righteousness” and/or “justice,” with the Greek word for “alms,” eleēmosynē. Giving to the poor, in other words, was at the core of God’s will for justice in the world.

The Hebraism “give alms” seems to signify something similar in v. 41. Giving alms, being generous with the poor, is not the opposite of “greed” and “wickedness” (v. 39), but a deep and genuine expression of a pure heart. When one’s heart is pure, “everything will be clean for you.”

James R. Edwards in The Gospel according to Luke (PNTC; Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2015) 355.

Over the next two weeks I get to work from home and enjoy my twice daily walks with my wife, Jenni, and our dog, Joy St. Clare (pictured above). Today marks the end of the third week of Lent in which we have been exploring the heart of almsgiving as part of growing in generosity. I’m praying for the growth of every meditations reader this Lent, and I’d appreciate your prayers for me today as I serve a group of Youth For Christ ministry administrators here in Denver.

Edwards helps us understand this somewhat confusing statement by Jesus about giving alms. When our hearts, filled with compassion, exhibit righteous and justice through sharing with people in need, everything else falls into place. Jesus wants us to care for others ahead of ourselves. When we live this way, everything in our lives becomes “clean” or rightly ordered. Thus, alms are not optional or peripheral but “the core of God’s will for justice in the world.”

What does your almsgiving toward others reveal about the condition of your heart?

He looked up and saw rich people putting their gifts into the treasury; He also saw a poor widow put in two small copper coins. He said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them; for all of them have contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in all she had to live on.” Luke 21:1-4

“The reader must imagine Jesus as teaching near a spot where the treasury was located and being able to see what alms various people were giving. The contrast throughout is between the rich and poor widow. The rich are simply identified as being rich (plousious, v.1), while her poverty is highlighted by means of three different Greek terms that Luke uses to describe her impoverished condition, “poor” (penikran, v.2), “poor” (ptōchē, v. 3), and “poverty (hysterēmatos, literally, “lack,” v. 4). She is clearly the heroine in the story. The rich put in their gifts, while the impoverished widow put in her “two cents,” her lepta duo, the smallest coins then in circulation and all that she had. Without condemning the rich, Jesus commends the poor widow for her total generosity. They gave their loose change; she gave all that she had.”

Raymond F. Collins in Wealth, Wages, and the Wealthy: New Testament Insight for Preachers and Teachers (Collegeville: Liturgical Press, 2017) 152.

On Palm Sunday I am preaching on this text in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, so I am beginning my study from this new book that came in the mail while I was traveling. It is a fitting post for Lent because alms come into view. It also contains my word for the year – abundance – used in a interesting way.

While the world celebrates how much we give, Jesus looks at how much we don’t give and what that says about our hearts. To give from our abundance is to amass wealth and hold back money from God for ourselves, and to give out of poverty is to give everything and assume a posture of complete trust.

The word “poor” (penikran, v.2) connotes a posture of insufficient resources for one’s livelihood. The other word for “poor” (ptōchē, v. 3) implies economic disadvantage and dependence on others. The third word, “poverty” (hysterēmatos, literally, “lack,” v. 4) connotes a state of want. So why would Jesus commend this widow?

It is as if the widow has the bold faith of the writer of Psalm 23 knowing the because the LORD is her shepherd, she shall not want. She knows that she will be cared for by the the LORD and demonstrates her dependence through total generosity. No wonder Jesus celebrates her sacrifice. She held nothing back.

Collins rightly notes that Jesus does not condemn the rich, but merely commends the behavior of the widow to show us that He sees our giving and to point to the kind of giving He desires from us: total generosity. What does Jesus see when He looks at your giving? What do you want Him to see?

Father, teach us to give out of our poverty. By your Holy Spirit help us demonstrate our dependence and trust in God by holding nothing back. Help us do this so that Jesus, who sees our giving, will commend us someday. Amen.

But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. 1 Timothy 6:8

“I will put these two together: contentment makes the soul fit to receive mercy, and to do service. No man or woman in the world is as fit to receive the grace of God, and to do the work of God, as those who have contented spirits.

Those who are contented are fitted to receive mercy from the Lord. If you want a vessel to take in any liquid, you must hold it still for if the vessel stirs and shakes up and down, you cannot pour in anything, but you will say, ‘Hold still’, that you may pour it in and not lose any.

So if we would be vessels to receive God’s mercy, and would have the Lord pour his mercy into us, we must have quiet, still hearts. We must not have hearts hurrying up and down in trouble, discontent and vexing, but still and quiet hearts…

If a beggar knocks once or twice at the door and you do not come, and thereupon he is vexed and troubled and thinks it much that you let him stand a little while without anything, you think that this beggar is not fit to receive an alms.

But if you hear two or three beggars at your door, and out of your window you hear them say, ‘Let us be content to stay, perhaps they are busy, it is right that we should stay, it is well if we get anything in the end, we deserve nothing at all, and therefore we may well wait a while’, you would then quickly send them an alms.

So God deals with the heart: when it is in a disquiet mood then God does not give; but when the heart lies down quietly under God’s hand, then is it in a fit frame to receive mercy.”

Jeremiah Burroughs (c. 1600-1646) in “The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment” 74-75.

I am content simply to have made it home after the longest trip I have ever taken: to South Africa via Europe. There’s no place like home, sleeping in my own bed with my dear wife, Jenni, in our humble town home in Littleton, Colorado.

As we think about almsgiving during Lent, let us consider the posture of our hearts as givers and as receivers. Does that statement about being a receiver cause you to quiver? The culture often labels as “bad” or at least a “burden on society” those who find themselves in need of alms. I believe firmly that God thinks differently!

A closer look at texts like the Lord’s Prayer teaches us that disciples of Jesus must maintain a posture of dependence on God (cf. Matthew 6:9-13). This means that sometimes we are the ones sharing with others as contented souls and sometimes we are the one receiving alms with “still and quiet hearts” from others when we find ourselves in need.

Burroughs aims at helping us learn how to be recipients. Why? Anyone who desires to be generous, must learn first how to be a recipient. We give and receive alms because we realize we have received grace and mercy. As God deals with the heart, ask Him what must change in your heart to motivate you to give alms and learn to receive alms.

Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. oratthew 6:1

“Jesus is establishing a strong antithesis between the earthly and the heavenly in achieving this righteousness…The more you have an earthly perspective, the fewer your rewards in heaven…”righteousness” must be understood as action, that is, right conduct in doing the will of God, so “righteous deeds” is the proper way to understand it here. The righteous deeds here are almsgiving, prayer, and fasting. The will of God is not to perform these acts in order to get attention…Christ says it is the intention of the heart rather than the respect of others that God sees (1 Samuel 16:7; Romans 2:28-29). If the motive is wrong, the act has no value and will receive “no reward” in heaven.”

Grant Osborne in Matthew, ed. Clint Arnold (ZECNT; Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2010) 218.

As we think about almsgiving, our focus is often on the recipients. Today I want to challenge givers to look inwardly. God looks at our hearts. Let us look at our hearts for a moment.

When we look at recipients, we might tend to lean toward worldly patterns such as giving to a person because the world says they are the most deserving. Did not Christ give to us when we were undeserving?

If we look in our hearts we realize we are underserving of the grace and mercy of God and yet, He lavishes spiritual blessings on us anyway. When we look where God looks we begin to give as God gives.

Think about this as you start to connect your almsgiving, prayer, and fasting this Lent. I will have plenty of time to reflect on it as I am now on my journey home from Johannesburg via Frankfurt and Chicago.

It’s been a great week in South Africa digging into the topics of governance, accountability, and generosity instruction from God’s Word with about 100 board members and ministry administrators from around the world.

As I return home, I hear that my wife, Jenni, is sick, and I know my neighbor, Carol, is preparing for a major surgery Monday. Can you join me in praying for their healing and for any others battling health challenges today?

Lord have mercy on us. Bring healing to those who suffer. Make us conduits of gracious giving so that others see your love through us. May you like what you see when you look at our hearts. Help us look like Jesus. Amen.

“So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. Matthew 6:2

“They receive their pay then and there, and they receive it in full…God owes them nothing. They were not giving but buying. They wanted the praise of men, they paid for it, and they have got it. The transaction is ended and they can claim nothing more.”

Alfred Plummer in An Exegetical Commentary on the Gospel according to St. Matthew (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1956) 91.

I am thinking about the posture of our hearts as we approach the giving of alms. Plummer’s notion that some are giving while others are buying is a profound one. With our giving of money, with our giving of service, with our giving of ourselves, let’s avoid any getting attention for it.

Remember, God sees everything, including our almsgiving. Think of alms as sharing your “more than enough” with someone else’s “less than enough” and consider how you can do this so that God receives all honor. Approach almsgiving with such strategic thinking and sacrifice and see what happens.