Beacons of Love

They sell the innocent for silver,
and the needy for a pair of sandals. (Amos 2:6 NIV)

Care for the poor is a prominent theme in the Old Testament. Unfair imprisonment, a punishment for being poor, tore families apart. When Jesus came on the scene, He extended love and kindness to all, including those who struggled to make a living. His deep passion encompassed them with an extra portion of His grace and mercy. 

The evil one tried to use Judas to stop Jesus from loving the people. This disciple often claimed some funds should be put to better use, all to feather his own nest. We know how things ended for Judas.

Disregard for the poor and suffering in the time of Amos, resulted in dire consequences. It does for us too. The moral compass of that age is a factor in their demise. Our moral compass today calls the question, are we also doomed to captivity and destruction?

In truth, our moral depravity and disregard for those in need around us, has already put us in bondage. This behavior is the opposite of love -- hate. And one session on Facebook, or a segment of the evening news will confirm, hate has overtaken our society. Our rhetoric is laced with contempt and distrust and blatant ire for anyone who doesn't view things our way.

So, what is the answer? When I begin to feel depressed, all I do is look around me and count my blessings. Making a gratitude list will change my attitude. So, I believe I might counter hate in my corner of the world, by showing love. By caring about my neighbor's pain, lending a hand in support, and not push them further down.

Many in our community are showing love by lending a hand. Let us look around and join them. They are beacons of love, we can be too.

Amos 2:6-16

Betrayed

Have you ever been betrayed?

 

Perhaps you told someone an embarrassing, yet confidential, story about yourself, and that person repeated it.

 

Maybe you were negotiating a deal and you believed your counter-part who said your desire would be clearly spelled out in the contract. You signed, and later found out the clause was not in the contract.

 

Perhaps you believed the salesperson who said your new cell phone plan included unlimited data. You later found out that the transmission rate slowed to a crawl after you reached a certain threshold usage.

 

Sometimes the betrayer does not mean to betray you. They simply overlooked something. Other times the betrayer does it intentionally. 

 

Betrayal is usually painful. It can be humiliating. It may cost you a friendship.  It may cost you some money. It may even cost you your reputation or even your job!

 

If only you had known you were being betrayed, you would have done things differently, asked different questions, verified more carefully what was happening.

 

Today’s reading is Luke 22:1-13. Just prior to the last supper, Judas Iscariot agrees to betray Jesus.

 

Judas' involvement was no accident. He conspired with the chief priests and officers of the temple guard. He was to be paid for his act.

 

Jesus knew he was going to be betrayed. He announced it to his disciples.

 

He knew the betrayal would lead to his death – Yet Jesus did nothing to stop it! In fact, he made sure the betrayal went smoothly (Matthew 26:50-52).

 

The sins of the human race demanded a sacrifice. Jesus was that sacrifice (1 John 2:2). Our sins had to be transferred to a goat and removed from the community (Leviticus 16:20-22). Jesus was that scapegoat.

 

Jesus let himself be betrayed, and it cost him his life. This was done so that our sins would be forgiven, that is, removed. He loves us so much that he endured this humiliation and pain.

 

I know that the next time I am betrayed, I will remember that Jesus suffered a betrayal far worse than I. He did it willingly, and he did it for me.

 

Maybe the next betrayal won’t hurt so much…. Just maybe.

What price for loyalty?

“I told them, ‘If you think it best, give me my pay; but if not, keep it.’ So they paid me thirty pieces of silver. And the Lord said to me, ‘Throw it to the potter’ ... So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them into the house of the Lord to the potter.” Zechariah 11:12-13

What is my loyalty price point?  At what point to I exchange it for my own purposes?

Judas notoriously cashed his loyalty in for thirty pieces of silver.  Thirty pieces of silver, the restitution stipulated in the Law for a gored servant (Exodus 21:32).  And that’s what Zechariah's flock thought he was worth, too, for they likewise paid him thirty pieces of silver ... to just go away.

At God’s command, this Old Testament prophet cared for a flock as a good shepherd who protected and maintained a harmony for them. But they “detested” Zechariah to the point that he grew weary of them and acquiesced, saying, “I will not be your shepherd.” In good riddance, they gave him their token parting gift. And as Judas would also do more than 400 years later, Zechariah “took the thirty pieces of sliver and threw them into the house of the Lord to the potter.” Therein, God foretold the betrayal of his Son – the Good Shepherd – right down to the price for disloyalty and its return to insincere givers.

So, again, I have to ask ...  Is my loyalty to Jesus for sale?  If so, at what price is the “depth” of my devotion to him exposed?

Am I like the rich young man who “went away sad,” unwilling to forego his wealth, or am I like the disciples who “left everything” to follow Jesus? (See Mark 10:17-23.) 

Do I cling to the comfort and certainty of my own kingship, or do I exchange my Hasbro crown and Playskool scepter for “the pearl of great price” that is God’s kingship in and over my life? (See Matthew 13:45-46.) 

Do I disown Jesus, hiding him away in the shadow when in the presence of others, or do I acknowledge him before all, even at the cost of their rejection? (See Matthew 10:32-33.) 

Do I cling to my “confidence in the flesh” – a zeal, righteousness, and goodness of my own attempt – or do I, like Paul, “consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus” and his righteousness? (See Philippians 3:4b-9.)

The truth of the matter is, these are not “once and done” choices, rather we constantly make discipleship decisions amid unrelenting spiritual battle. That’s how, like Peter, we find ourselves leaving everything to follow Jesus one day, only to deny him later to avoid the rejection of others.

But what we value in our sin nature pales in comparison to what Christ has for those who love him, and our loyalty decisions become no-brainers when we consider the costs from both sides ...

Temporary riches of this world: thirty pieces of silver
My own would-be kingdom: thirty pieces of silver
Conditional acceptance from the world: thirty pieces of silver
A righteousness of my own making: thirty pieces of silver
Christ in me: priceless

(To read the story of Zechariah and his flock in Zechariah 11:4-17, click here.)

Star Bright, Matthew 26:1-16

A
Flash
Of light
Star light star
Bright, shining over
Bethlehem tonight, I wish
I could let the whole world know
That He came to this earth to let His light show.
If I could say it with words, would you even hear? Would you stop
Long enough or run fast with fear? He came to this earth to touch your hearts
Of stone. He came to this earth so you wouldn't be alone. But you want to live your lives
How you want to live. Believing in promises that weren't yours to give. Still you are lonely,
lost and afraid. You fill up the voids with things that you made. Yellow star sitting high
Way up in the sky. You speak so loudly yet we just pass you by. Some have
Noticed but never asked what...what must we do, we just stay in our rut.
How sad you must be as you watch us pass by.
You have the answers, He holds the key, but
We don't want to offend so we pretend
Not to see. We don't see til'
It's convenient for us
To complain.
Then we
Search
For a
Way
To
Give
Him
All the
Blame.

Reading today's passage I am convicted by how quickly I am able to blame God when things don't go as I would like.  With my father's memorial service is tomorrow, I am struggling with why God took him from me.  We like to point to Judas as the betrayer, but we all betray God when we accuse him of not loving us. Go to him today and ask for forgiveness, and praise him for his mercy as he sustains us each day even through our doubts and betrayals.

Read today's scripture at Biblegateway Matthew 26:1-16