Sunday 1 May

Joshua 19:1-21:19

If we were Israelites we’d probably be reading this saying the equivalent of “Oh, so that’s how Doncaster was founded” and “now I understand why cousin Boaz was so loathe to leave Cirencester”.  The place names in the passage are pretty meaningless to the likes of me (who has never even visited Israel) but for the people of Jesus’ day, it would have been a fascinating guide to the background of the ground on which they walked.  It is important for us to get a bit of a feel for the lay of the land (there is a decent map at the back of the book) as it helps our understanding of why the northern tribes effectively seceded into a separate state of Samaria.  If you lived at the top of the land of Naphtali it would be a huge trek to Jerusalem to offer sacrifices and doing it instead in Samaria would be a whole lot more convenient (but crucially it would go against the command of Moses).  So as we come to the end of the allocation of land passages we are left with a burning conviction that every aspect of geography is comprehensively overseen by God.  God is building the big picture, laying the backdrop into which Jesus will be thrust, but he is also interested in the minutiae of life, establishing Cities of Refuge and getting into the detail of particular towns being given to particular people.  It’s astonishing that the Author of Creation and Sustainer of the entire universe would bother talking about who can live in a tiny town in a tiny state in a small continent on a random planet in one particular solar system in one particular galaxy in His own Universe but He does.  And that is a mark of his grace and his love.

John 2:1-25

Considering John said he had way too many anecdotes about Jesus to include in his gospel it could seem strange that he starts with these two.  Here is Jesus, the Son of God, truly gifted at getting people wasted and prone to going bonkers when visiting sacred places.  But perhaps John was an early-day Quentin Tarrentino, weaving together a complex patchwork of scenes from the life of Christ to create a heart-thumping, dramatic picture of the man.  Perhaps these two stories bore right to the heart of Jesus’ personality and mission?  Perhaps Jesus is truly gifted at getting people wasted, but not wasted on the fruit of the vine or on the fruit of Old Israel but on the covenant of his own blood.  Perhaps John is establishing a thought and leaving it out there; perhaps life with Jesus is wild and jubilant, merry and enriching?  And that Jesus is prone to going bonkers when visiting sacred places, perhaps this is not bonkers in an insane or self-centered kind of way but bonkers about injustice and bonkers about oppression.  Perhaps Jesus doesn’t conform to the religious stereotype of self-congratulatory religious practice or mild-mannered personal piety.  Perhaps he is really serious about bringing hope and healing to all of the nations?  Perhaps he really cares about inviting real people into the presence of his real Father and setting them free from the shackles that bind them.  This style of narrative has definitely got me hooked.  I can’t wait for the next act to begin.

Psalm 54:1-7

When David says God is my help he ain’t kidding.  And he isn’t just writing some theoretical treatise either.  He is proclaiming a truth that he has seen tested in his life time and time again and found to be completely and utterly trustworthy.