Exodus 25:1-36:38
We know the Vineyard philosophy that there is no distinction between the spiritual and the secular. The common illustration used is that life is all mixed up like a chocolate milkshake rather than segmented like a grapefruit. Here is a passage that under-girds this position. Bezalel and Oholiab are two blokes who like to chop wood. They are also a bit nifty with a sewing needle and no-one should judge them for it. These skills may sound spiritually inferior to strumming a guitar or leading a bible study but, in fact, they are gifts that have been put in these ancient-times Trinny and Susanna by the very Spirit of God. So we take from this a massively significant point - God loves art and craft and he wants it to be done well. And, if I may expand this point, this strongly suggests that His Spirit is keen to equip all people with skills to do their jobs in such a way that glorifies Him, not just by bringing colleagues to faith but also by performing their tasks with flair and ability. So practicing hobbies and enjoying art is not wasted time; entertainment can be holy and work can be too. The airy-fairy, for-church-only idea of holiness that is prevalent across christendom is blown out of the water by this robust and practical demonstration of the breadth of the Spirit’s work. I know we know this, but it’s good to see it in black and white in the bible.
Mark 7:31-8:13
I find this thing about giving a sign pretty confusing. Why does Jesus throw such a strop about it? He doesn’t quite slam his bedroom door but he just about pulls all the other teenager tricks; sighing loudly, giving a chippy response and storming off into the distance. The reason it seems tricky is that Jesus has, after all, come to earth to show people the reality of God; he is on a mission and he has a message to bring. He does ‘signs’ (as John calls them) all the time which point to him being the Christ and he even says as much to John’s disciples (Matthew 11:5). I think, therefore, that the bible encourages us to seek signs of the Kingdom of God, to pray for evidence of God’s reality and to cry out to him for greater demonstration of himself in the world. So there must be something about the Pharisees request which sets it apart from such positive seeking. Unfortunately, I don’t think we get told exactly what their error was, other than that they came with a mind to catch Jesus out. While I haven’t reached a conclusion in my thinking on this, my working hypothesis is that trying to make Jesus into a performing monkey is going to drive him far away. Trying to make this thing about me judging Jesus has got to be a bad way to go. But seeking him, crying out to him for healing and letting him be the judge of me could well result in him feeding me bread, loosening my tongue and opening up my ears.
Psalm 25:16-22
You can be at absolute rock bottom, you can be in anguish, lonely and afflicted and yet be right in the heart of biblical faith. For biblical faith recognises such a place and, at the same time, clings to the fact that there is One who can redeem you from it.
