Monday 11 April

Deuteronomy 15:1-16:20

It’s no wonder the first century Israelites shunned tax collectors, or that they wanted to rise up against the Romans.  Here we see in the Year of Jubilee - the year of debts being cancelled - a requirement for God’s society that is radical and uncompromising in equal measure.  God did not want people to extort or take financial advantage of others.  He wanted there to be no-one in need among his people.  God also did not want his people to be subject to other nations or to worship anyone other than himself.  I can’t get past how epoch defining these chapters in Deuteronomy are.  I think they light up great swathes of the New Testament, clarifying what Jesus was speaking into and what hopes he was fulfilling.  The Year of Jubilee style organisation of resources so that no one is in need is one thing that we see the early church living out (in Acts 2).  I believe this was not because they wanted to do a bit of social action (although they did) and was not because they felt sorry for others (although they did) but because they saw in the death and resurrection of Jesus the coming of a permanent year of Jubilee - the coming of the Perfect and Just rule and reign of God.  They were living out the Kingdom of God hope that they saw God define way way back in history. While we wait for the consummation of this Kingdom, while we wait for the Son to return we too can live out this year of Jubilee hope.  We can love God, care for the needy and live free from oppression knowing that what we see in part today, Jesus will provide for us in full tomorrow.

Luke 13:31-14:14

Luke is not a fan of authority.  At least, not the kind that revels in its status and enforces its rights over others.   Jesus doesn’t seem too keen on it either.  These pharisees were happy to have rich and delicious food made and served to them on a sabbath, to enjoy the friends and the fruit of their elevated position and yet to deny a wretched man his first scrap of hope.  That, in microcosm, is what Jesus despised about the earthly authority that the Pharisees enjoyed.  Jesus is undeniably clear on this - any status, any authority, any riches must be gambled away in search of the resurrection of the righteous.  This resurrection of the righteous, these heavenly riches are not found by just being associated with religious stuff - Jerusalem illustrates how you can be the centre of all kinds of religious activity and yet be storing up condemnation.  No, heavenly riches are found at Jesus, on the path that he treads.  Heavenly riches are turning to Jesus and following him to take compassion and mercy to the world.  These acts may seem self-defeating and useless, but they are what we are called to.  And we trust, with Luke, that one day the gamble will pay off.

Psalm 44:1-12

The psalmist sure knows how to take your bonfire and do the proverbial all over it! It was all sounding so good until verse 9.