Even more disruptions – The Rich Man and the Beggar

 

Study for September 26: Kerry Groch

Towards the end of her message about the rich man and the beggar (Lazarus) Kerry made a remark that this is one of Jesus’ ‘disruptive parables’. It is an excellent description because of the challenge that it offers to the very middle class affluent Australian church. However, Kerry pointed out that this is not a parable to make us feel bad about wealth itself; rather it is a story that asks us to be part of the mission to ‘not just show mercy to the poor in their need but also to find justice for the society they live in.’

Prayer: Lord we ask that as we read the parable you will enable us to see clearly what is written for us as individuals and for your church. Give us the strength and courage to face the truth in this story and to act upon it.

The Reading: Luke 16: 19-31

As you read the passage try to think about your response to each section of the parable. Take some time over each section.

• The difference in wealth between the rich man and Lazarus
• The death of both men  and the requests of the rich man
• Abraham’s response to the rich man’s requests
• The resolution of the story – ‘if they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’

Reflection (multiple choice is hard!)

After reading the passage, consider what you think the passage is mostly about:

a)      The perils of wealth

b)      The need to attend to the poor

c)       The reality of heaven and hell

d)      Jesus’ foreshadowing the response to his own death and resurrection

Exploring the Reading

Given the difficulty of the multiple choice test, it seems only fair to revisit Kerry’s analysis and discussion of the reading. It is easy to feel guilty about this reading and indeed it is, as Kerry commented, “supposed to make us squirm in our seats at the very thought of a human being so badly off that they are happy to get the crumbs from another man’s table.” In the end, Kerry argued that (like any story about riches and wealth ) we are not meant to simply feel that wealth is a bad thing which would be understandable as Jesus does speak against wealth on a number of occasions. Commentator Marcus Borg writes that while ‘it is not clear that Jesus opposed wealth in principle… he clearly saw the desire for wealth as one of the primary distractions and preoccupations in life as a consuming and blinding passion.” This concept of blindness, of not seeing is a central one in Kerry’s message.  She identified that the key part of the story is recognition that the “rich man’s sin is the chasm he dug between himself and Lazarus”. This idea is extended through the use of heaven and hell. Kerry made it clear that the point of the story is not that rich people go to hell while the poor go to heaven.  (Note that Jesus listeners would have understood these terms differently to 21^st century readers). Kerry’s full comments are worth reflecting on: “His sin was not one of simple omission; ignoring the man while he lived lavishly. Instead, the rich man very intentionally dug a ditch between himself and the crippled beggar. And so when the rich man died and went to Hell, the ditch that he dug himself became a  fixed chasm that could not ever be crossed.” In effect, the rich man damns himself.

But as they say in current affairs the story doesn’t end there. In keeping with Kerry’s observation that there is more to this story than a guilt trip, we know that we cannot repent and change on our own. It is God’s love and grace that changes us – we cannot simply strive to do better (though there is value in that too!) This parable sends us back to God’s grace who transforms us with his love that knows no boundaries.

It is from God’s grace and love that we are provided with the transforming ‘fruits of the spirit’: love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness and self-control. All of these aspects emerge when we put Christ at the centre of our lives each day.

Application

• Having worked through the reading and the study, what practical applications can you make in your life?
• Try to develop a specific plan in which you can apply this story and remove the chasms between yourselves and others
• In what ways can you apply mercy and justice to the world circumstance in which you live?
• Commit your plan of action to prayer and ask for transformation of your heart which will in turn provide you with courage and strength

I tell you the truth… being born again – a conversation with Nicodemus.

Message for September 19: Tim Kelly
Study Overview

Very few Christians these days use the phrase ‘born again’ to describe their faith. The phrase is now in the domain of other areas such as the health industry (born again trainer) and is almost always used somewhat self-consciously or even ironically. The reticence to use the phrase is connected to a certain mode of behaviour that many regard as excessively extraverted or excessively pious. It raises the bar of expectation too high. Yet the passage from John in Jesus’ exchange with Nicodemus is a key one in which Jesus uses the phrase ‘I tell you truth’ three time before getting to the famous words of John 3: 16: For God so loved the world that he gave his only son that whomsoever believe in Him should not die but have eternal life. It would seem that being ‘born again’ is pretty important.

Reflection

• To what extent the use of born again as a descriptive phrase dependent on making a faith decision on a particular identifiable day?
• What does it mean for those who feel they have grown up in the faith and it has always been a part of them?
• For you personally, how meaningful is the phrase?

Exploring the Readings: John 3: 1-8

• Read the passage and imagine that you are Nicodemus. What are you expecting from Jesus as you go to visit him at night?
• Notice that Nicodemus begins with an observation (“Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God…”) and Jesus responds to that observation in an unexpected way. What do you see as the link between Nicodemus’s opening remark and Jesus’ response?
• Why do you think that Jesus uses the phrase ‘I tell you the truth’ three times in the passage leading up to John: 3: 16?

It was suggested in the message that Nicodemus understood that Jesus was not speaking literally when he makes the comment ‘that no-one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.’ Hence Nicodemus’s reaction is to seek more information and to stall for time. Either way, it is clear that this remark has made Nicodemus uncomfortable. There are two key reasons for this discomfort:

1.       Jesus’ remarks are at odds with Nicodemus’s own religion

2.       They are also opposed to the natural logic of humans which is to believe that we ‘see the kingdom of God’ through our own efforts, action and membership

This notion of membership is central to the reading. The John 3: 16 passage (For God so loved the world…) is the culmination of this exchange with Nicodemus. Membership of the kingdom of God is dependent on belief in Jesus as God’s son not on membership to a church or group. There is no inheritance here only relationship with God through Christ. This is such a radical notion that to Nicodemus it is astonishing; as astonishing re-entering his mother’s womb. Nicodemus is an old man and he feels that what Jesus is asking of him is beyond him. He had been a solid member of the ‘Jewish ruling council’ for years yet here Jesus was telling him that he was yet to see the kingdom of God. For more on this notion of membership you could look at John the Baptist’s words in Matthew 3: 7-14

Jesus makes a clear distinction between the old Jewish way and this new life through the metaphor of flesh and spirit.

• What do you understand by Jesus remarks that flesh gives birth to flesh while spirit gives birth to spirit?

Further Reading: Galatians 5: 20-26

In this passage we see a direct connection between Jesus’ remarks about flesh and spirit and Paul’s writings in this section in Galatians.  We are to understand that being born again will have both a visible and internal effect on us.

The STAND series took us through the four pillars of Lutheran Christianity: Christ alone, Grace alone, faith alone and Scripture Alone. From there we asked what does the Christian faith now look like?  In terms of prayer, one of two things happens.

1.       We make a prayer of repentance asking for Jesus to come into our lives. This is the prayer of conversion, of new life, of rebirth. It is a prayer that asks God to remake us from the spirit of Jesus.

2.       We pray continually for the remaking of our nature taking us away from the aspects of the flesh towards the aspects of the spirit. This internal, remaking of our nature should move us towards an engagement with the wider world. Jesus, as always, is the model for this.

Make sure you take time at the end of the session to pray one of these prayers.

Stand 6: Made to Grow

Message from September 5: Robin Stelzer

Every now and again teachers in a school emerge a little surprised at some knowledge that their students lack. Your scribe recalls the time that a class confused Elton John with Bob Dylan (it was a question about that song from the Lion King).  It is easy to be surprised by what people don’t know but when we accept that we are all born with no knowledge and that life is partly about the accumulation of knowledge and the ‘getting of wisdom’ then it makes sense that young people don’t know much. That is, after all, why they are at school.

But learning and growing ought not finish when the final school bell rings and in this message Pastor Robin made the case that we are ‘made to grow’. Using a series of plant references, Robin made the case that growth is natural and good and that lack of growth is therefore unnatural and unhealthy.

Reflection

• Try to think of something you have learned this week (your scribe learned about the Latin derivation of humility and humiliate (humilus – to make small)
• Can you think of a really significant learning/growing experience in your life? For example, for some it is the ability to ‘delay gratification’. For another it might be that email is a poor way to communicate anything of significance.
• Can you identify something that you would like to learn or an aspect of growth you would like to achieve?

Exploring the Reading: Ephesians 4

The letter to the Ephesians is a much studied one. This is because of its usefulness as the guide book for Christian living and for church membership. The Good News Bible offers the following introduction:

In the first part of Ephesians, the writer develops the theme of unity by speaking of the way in which God the Father has chosen his people, how they are forgiven and set free from their sins through Jesus Christ the Son and how God’s great promise is guaranteed by the Holy Spirit.  In the second part, he appeals to the readers to live in such a way that their oneness in Christ may become real in their life together.

As you read the book, the logic of Paul’s writing is impressive. In Chapter 1, Paul sets out the manifesto for growth

⁷I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit^[f] of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. ¹⁸I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, ¹⁹and his incomparably great power for us who believe.

• To what extent do you see the above passage as an exhortation for growth?  How meaningful is it to you?

 

Activity: Read chapter 4 and consider:

• Paul makes a distinction between new (holy and righteous) and old selves (corrupted by deceitful desires). Can you make that distinction in your own life; can you see specific examples of this? You might choose to share some of these with your group or with another person. It is fine not to share.
  • There are some specific aspects that Paul lists as evidence of change and growth. Consider what they are and how much of an issue they are for our culture, community and for you personally?

o   put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbour

o   do not let the sun go down while you are still angry

o   steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands

o   do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs

o   Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.

o   Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

• You might like to consider the extent to which a Christian community is recognizably free from the negative aspects described. In particular, consider whether Christian communities are different in degree or in kind from ‘secular’ organisations?

To move forward in growth

As you reflect on the issues that emerge from the reading, try to identify three areas where you would like to personally grow and where you would like to see growth in your community. Commit those things to prayer each day until you meet again in your group and report back. Think about how you could practically make a difference as an agent/actor in this community growth.

Love in Action

James 2: “Show me your faith without actions and I would show you my faith by what I do”.

Study for August 29: Pastor Robin Stelzer

Pakistan floods worse than 2004 tsunami: UN

The above is the headline from August 10. In the article itself the following comment was made:  “The United Nations said the massive floods in Pakistan had affected 13.8 million people and eclipsed the scale of the devastating 2004 tsunami, as anger mounted among survivors.”

Throughout Pastor Robin’s message he referred to the fact that faith is active, that faith is action, that faith serves. His message comes after the four STAND messages that provide the core aspects of our Christian life: scripture, Christ, grace and faith. Once this is established the question is what then? Once we have faith in Christ, saved by grace, what happens next? Oddly, though the answer is made clear in the New Testament, we are ordinary at responding to the call to serve. That call emerges from faith; it does not become a kind of faith by works. We sometimes struggle to understand the distinction. Robin made reference to Luther who made it clear that faith does not replace good works but it does produce them. He provided a long quotation from Luther the essence of which is: ‘it is a living, busy, active and mighty thing this faith.’

Reflection

If you think about your own faith, try to separate it into the four aspects evident in Luther’s remark.

Is your faith

• Living? Does it grow upwards? The poet Andrew Marvell once described his love for his partner as ‘his vegetable love’. He meant this as flattery.   Can you see your faith as organic, alive and growing?
• Active? Is it central to your daily life, to your identity?
• Busy? What does it mean to have a ‘busy faith’? Perhaps a definition might be (and this is not necessarily the best definition) that a busy faith is one in which our activities and involvements are a response to Christ’s love and grace.
• Mighty? This is a word infrequently used to describe one’s faith. We use the word to describe God but rarely to apply to our relationship with God. Some interesting synonyms for mighty are: powerful, prodigious, potent. The last one is interesting – is our faith potent?

Once you have spent some time working through these on your own, you might like to share your reflections with another person or the group as a whole.

In his message, Robin referred to the power of the Holy Spirit that will help us to ‘serve like Christ.’ This is one of the key elements that is evident in the book of Acts (your scribe’s favourite book of the bible). Robin referred to Michael Foss’s ‘three channels of the Holy Spirit’s coming:

1.       Prayer life (for help and direction)

2.       Worship Life (for healing, community and encouragement)

3.       Reading the scriptures (for tutorials in Christ-likeness)

The above reminds us that Christian service comes more regularly and naturally if we are ‘plugged in’ to God’s power. It is impossible to go it alone.

Reading Acts 2

In this reading, the ‘action begins with Pentecost – the coming of the Holy Spirit. These people are transformed by God and empowered then into a new life of active service. Peter provides the gospel message (and remember how utterly different this message of redemption through grace is to this audience) and then from their announced faith the apostles move into action.

Activity:

Read the chapter and note the movements through it:

• The coming of the Holy Spirit
• Peter’s message to his listeners
• Their reaction – what shall we do?
• The instruction to move to faith which is ‘repent and be baptised’
• The description of the fellowship of believers – faith in action

It is important that you take some time to pray and from your prayers specifically identify some ways in which your faith can move into action and service this week.

Prayer: Lord, we ask that as we give thanks for the gift of your love, gift of grace we now respond in action. Help us to recognise that Christian action is an easy thing to do because the opportunities are always there.