Hello My Name Is…
Father, I am grateful for the “normal” days You give me. There is something peaceful and settling about them, and a soul needs them once in a while to shore up for whatever the future might hold. Thank You for gifts great and small!
Luke 23:13-25 (<<click here to read the passage)
In the past, I’ve mentioned the importance of names in my family (Just the Four of Us) but besides just passing names along, often names have meanings. For example, Thomas technically means “twin” though I have seen its meaning listed as “twice blessed”. My last name, Fowler, refers to someone who hunts with birds, such as falcons. My middle name is Swentzler. For the record, my grandfather was named after a maternal uncle who was named after the doctor that delivered him. And though we’ve searched for it on numerous occasions (every time we traveled anywhere; we’d look in local phone directories!) we’ve found it to be a dead surname – even online searches don’t yield a thing.
A funny side story – I worked with a lady who was born and raised in Germany and out of curiosity I asked her what the name meant (I was pretty sure it was of German origin.) She laughed, and with her prominent German accent, she said, “It means swindler!” I definitely don’t want to live up to that expectation!
My study Bible* asked the question, “Who was Barabbas?”
Jewish men had names that identified them with their fathers. Simon Peter, for example, is called Simon son of John (Matthew 16:17). Barabbas is never identified by his given name, and this name is not much help either – bar abbas means “son of Abba” (or “son of daddy”). He could have been anybody’s son—and that’s just the point.
Barabbas was an average Joe, a regular guy. He was the son of an unnamed father. But in his case, he committed a crime and a very serious crime at that. He was imprisoned for taking part in an insurrection in Jerusalem against the government, and for murder. (Luke 23:19) That’s pretty serious stuff, then and today. If anybody in this whole scenario deserved death according to the law of the land, it was Barabbas.
We, too, are…criminals who have broken God’s holy law. Like Barabbas, we deserve to die. But just like He did for Barabbas, Jesus has died in our place, for our sins – our crimes, and we have been set free. We don’t have to be “very important people” – we are all average Joes and plain Janes – to accept our freedom in Christ. In fact, thanks to Jesus, God adopts us all as his own sons and daughters and gives us the right to call him our dear Father.
But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law. God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children. And because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, “Abba, Father.” Galatians 4:4-6 NLT
Now that is something to be grateful for!
*Life Application Study Bible New Living Translation
Jan 5th, 2021, Tues, 7:07 pm
Majority Rule Isn’t Always for the Best
It has been a good day, starting back to school, but waking up every whipstitch last night is making it a little rough as I come to the end of the day. May my ears be attuned to what You want me to hear, Father. Amen.
Luke 23:13-25 (<<click here to read the passage)
Majority rule isn’t always for the best. Take for example the story of Ali Bokhari. A Pakistani immigrant who had settled in Nashville some 20 years ago, Bokhari became an independent taxi driver. Then one day, he got a very American idea that served an unmet need.
He bought a black Lincoln sedan and offered low, cut-rate rides to the airport and in neighborhoods not well served by other taxis. The approach was so successful that after his first year, he was employing 12 cab drivers. Soon after that, he had over 20 independent contractors who had their own cars working for him. He also created a website that brought him even more customers.
Unfortunately, his success brought him some powerful enemies. Competing taxi and limousine companies just could not raise their rates. So they complained to the city government’s regulators and asked them to require Bokhari to raise his fees and adhere to a list of crippling regulations.
They did. So much for majority rule. It was more like mob rule. (Jan 7, 2020 article, the Milford Daily News, Milford, MA)
Nobody of any true authority thought Jesus guilty of the charges brought against Him by those envious of His power and popularity. Herod Agrippa sent Him back to Pilate and Pilate ardently proclaimed Jesus’ innocence not just once but three times in Luke’s Gospel! And though that was Pilate’s stand, when the crowd roared, Pilate buckled as my study Bible states.
Pilate was in a very precarious position. Think about it. There he was in the backwater troublesome land of Israel. He had been around long enough that he had to know he was probably fortunate to be placed anywhere. But…he had to keep the peace, not an easy task for anyone, especially in the land of the Jews.
So, in the end, it was Jesus’ hide…or his. Majority ruled and Jesus lost…at least that’s how the world saw it then and sees it now, as well. That may be the world’s perspective, but God used it all to fulfill His plan. Jesus wasn’t the One who was lost, we are. Thank God for an intricately laid out plan that brought about salvation for the lost. Amen!
Jan 4th, 2021, Mon, 7:27 pm
The Smallest of Kings
Let the godly sing for joy to the Lord;
….it is fitting for the pure to praise him. Psalm 33:1 NLT
Luke 23:6-12 (<<click here to read the passage)
At some point in time, we have all probably had a boss or supervisor who thought more highly of themselves than they were due. They may have lusted for the power of leadership. They may even have wielded the power of leadership…but they were never true leaders. People followed, not due to admiration or because of a deep desire to please them but usually out of fear of punishment if they did not toe the line in strict obedience.
Herod Antipas was cut from the same cloth. First, he wasn’t the first one chosen to fill the shoes of his father. Older brothers – and there were several of them – stood in line before him but they were all scoundrels and eliminated themselves ultimately leaving the vacancy for Antipas to fill.
No matter how big he saw himself he was a minor player both historically and Biblically. He played a role in the death of John the Baptist but only because he boxed himself into a corner after his daughter performed a dance that greatly pleased Herod and his guests (Mark 6:22) at a party he hosted. He vowed,
“I will give you whatever you ask, up to half my kingdom!” v23 NLT
When she returned (after being prompted by her mother) asking for John’s head on a platter, Antipas was deeply grieved, but because of his oaths and his dinner guests [who might have regarded him as weak], he was unwilling to [break his word and] refuse her. v26 AMP
He was weak…and small.
In today’s passage, Antipas’ interaction shows beyond a doubt that he is no leader, only a man pursuing his own interests and entertainment.
Before him stands Jesus himself and his response? He was delighted because he’d been hoping for a long time to see him perform a miracle. He asked Jesus question after question, but Jesus refused to answer. v8, 9
When he didn’t get what he wanted (spoiled brat that he was) he and his soldiers began mocking and ridiculing Jesus. Finally, they put a royal robe on him and sent him back to Pilate. v11
People call him king but even that was a lie…he ruled over just a small corner of Israel, nothing more. He was small and proved himself so. Eventually, he ended up getting himself exiled amid accusations of conspiracy against the powers that be in Rome, dying there small and dejected until the very end…the smallest of “kings”.
Humility goes a long way in God’s Kingdom. As Proverbs 16:18 tells us,
Pride goes before destruction
….and haughtiness before a fall. NLT
Lord Jesus, may we never think of ourselves more highly than we ought. May our weakness but find strength in You alone. And may our smallness but enhanced by Your might. May our goal be to follow You with the utmost respect and reverence. You will care and watch over us. We need not fear. Amen.
Jan 3rd, 2021, Sun, 4:34 pm
A New Year’s Blessing
2020 has been difficult for many and maybe not so much for some but a new year quite often is something which we look forward to. Regardless of where you find yourself in this new year, harken to the words of the prophet Micah. Watch in hope for the Lord. Wait for God for He is your Savior. He will surely hear you. May the Lord’s blessings be upon you in the days and months ahead! ~ Thom
Savor More than Candy Canes!
Thank You, Father, for a productive day. Many of the components for Sunday’s service are in place. Your direction and encouragement helped so much!
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When my head hit the pillow last night, I thought of something and actually mulled it over a bit before finally going to sleep. My thoughts were on Candy Canes! I know that Christmas is now past, and I wasn’t craving one, but I did get a few of them in gifts from my bus kids this year.
I like them but they are not something that I just have to have and cannot get enough of. (Chocolate maybe, but not Candy Canes!) I have one a few times throughout the whole Christmas season and am happy with that.
I think that those who enjoy them, have different ways of doing so. Some are biters and chewers. I do this occasionally but when we go this route it’s a bit more difficult to savor, to taste with pleasure, to relish, to delight in (as Merriam-Webster would say). They can be enjoyed but boy they go fast and then all that is left is that lingering tingle on your tongue, lips, and cheeks!
To truly savor Candy Canes, we can go a couple of different directions. We can bite off a chunk, but we don’t chew, we let it just roll around in our mouths and dissolve. Others may peel the wrapper back enough to treat it like a sucker, allowing their lips and tongue to enjoy the flavor each time it passes by them. Now that is savoring!
But as believers in Christ, there is something which we much savor that far surpasses anything Candy Canes could ever provide.
Jesus replied to them, “I am the Bread of Life. The one who comes to Me will never be hungry, and the one who believes in Me [as Savior] will never be thirsty [for that one will be sustained spiritually]. John 6:35 AMP
Do we savor Christ? In the verse noted, from the Apostle John’s Gospel, Jesus, proclaims, “I AM the Bread of Life…” and when we come to Him, we need never be hungry! To partake of Him and all He extends to us, those He loves, partaking is sheer pleasure. We relish in Him! We delight in Him! He is all we will ever need and so much more!
Just nibbling the Bread of Life greatly decreases the benefits He offers!
My one church observes the Sacrament of Holy Communion by intinction. Intinction is where the person partaking of Communion pulls off a piece of bread (symbolizing the body of Christ – the Bread of Life), in our case from a portion of a loaf, and then proceeds to dip it into a chalice (a cup) of grape juice (symbolizing the blood of Christ). I find it interesting how people pull off their portion of bread. Most of them are average “bite-size” pieces, but occasionally some will pull off, much to their embarrassment, a much larger piece than they had intended. And then some barely get a “pinch” of bread.
I often think, “This is supposed to represent Christ, why are we embarrassed? Truly, can we have too much of Christ? Why do we hold back, only taking the smallest amount of Christ we can? Shouldn’t we take a generous portion of our Savior who generously offers Himself?”
As you read this on the last day of the year, I would extend a challenge to savor Christ. Take as much of Him as You can get your hands on. Don’t hold back. There is no way that you can overdo it! What better way to transition into the new year!
Dec 31st, 2020, Wed, 9:09 pm