Truly Acknowledging God
Commentary
It’s not uncommon to hear folks thank God for their blessings, almost as a pro forma kind of thing. The athlete gives God the glory for the winning touchdown, but a hint of a swagger suggests otherwise. At retirement, a person might give God the credit for good fortune, but the vacation plans make it clear that this person believes they have earned their rest and intends to fully enjoy it, walking away from both work and church. On the other side of the coin, acknowledging God as the source of all good doesn’t mean we don’t play a part in making good choices, working hard, and dedicating ourselves, in the words of the colonial printer Christopher Sauer, “for the glory of God and my neighbor’s good,” but it acknowledges that all of us are just the tip of the iceberg. If we are talented, God has given us those talents. Don’t forget, truly acknowledging God means that if we have done well, even from humble beginnings, we are dependent on the infrastructure provided by the larger society for making our dreams possible. It’s proverbial that we are standing on the shoulders of giants. For some of us the choice made by our ancestors to risk everything to come to America, losing the anchor of a native language and risking prejudice and suspicion so that we can truly fulfill our potential is an invisible blessing we take for granted.
How do these scriptures address this situation? In Deuteronomy 26:1-11, Moses instructs the people that once they’ve come into their own land, they are not only to offer the first fruits to their Creator, but they are also, through this confession of faith (My father was a wandering Aramean….), to recall that it was God who made them a people. Don’t forget where you came from, nor get too smug about what you’ve got, as if you yourself did it on your own. Knowing our past prevents us from getting too cocky.
Nor should we get too cocky about our present state of salvation. That too is the gift of God, not a prize we earned in a talent contest. Salvation is about as rare as glass. Everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved. Not only that, but God also makes no distinctions between long time church members from a long line of church members versus new kids in town. This is not true in some future state. This is how it is right now.
The choices we make can be life-giving now and even more so in the future. Satan is offering Jesus nothing that he will not be given, or accomplish, or attain over time. This is God’s plan. Satan challenges Jesus to use his power to make bread from stones for his own benefit. Jesus is the Bread of Life. Satan offers the kingdoms of the world. Jesus reigns forever. Satan challenges Jesus to cast himself down from a high tower so that God can fulfill scripture and protect him. Jesus is the lamb bearing the marks of slaughter. Jesus satisfies our spiritual hunger. Jesus satisfies our desire for a just ruler. Jesus shares our pain and suffering, and reigns with understanding. This is forever and ever.
But for those of us still stuck in linear time, when it comes to the past, present and future, let me sum up:
Past: Deuteronomy, don’t forget where you come from
Present: Our salvation is the gift of God, not the prize we earned in a talent contest
Future: Don’t cut corners. It’s not worth it in the long run.
Deuteronomy 26:1-11
In Deuteronomy 26:1-11, Moses instructs the people that once they’ve come into their own land, they are not only to offer the first fruits to their Creator, but they are also, through this confession of faith (My father was a wandering Aramean….) to recall that it was God who made them a people. Don’t forget where you came from, nor get too smug about what you’ve got, as if you yourself had earned it. Knowing our past prevents us from getting too cocky.
That’s why the central confession of faith when the people bring their first fruits from their family fields to offer to God are the words: “My father was a wandering Aramean.” The New Jewish Publication Society translation reads: “My father was a fugitive Aramean.” Translator Robert Alter reminds us that the Hebrew word ‘oved usually means “perish” or “stray.” The mortal danger posed by the famine led Jacob and his family to migrate to Egypt. We might share this same confession, reminding ourselves that even though we think we’re settled, we do not live in Christendom. We are in the uncomfortable position of traveling to God’s kingdom. But we can live abundantly. We are called to move about, if not always physically, then emotionally.
Dedicating our lives and a portion of our wealth is acknowledging God as the source of well-being, instead of writing God out of the equation. Reciting this in public is reinforcing this is the way we understand our story. It’s not something we can make look pretty. I am here because God call me to be part of this community of faith. This acknowledgement still requires the farmer to do the hard work.
Romans 10:8b-13
It is the prophet Joel, responding to the natural catastrophe of an invasion of locusts destroying the safety and security of the food chain, who makes the bold, universal statement that whoever calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved. The apostle Paul makes the same astounding statement, that despite our idolatry of nationalism, racism, centrism upon our church, our family, our friends against the rest of the world, whoever calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved. He says this in the face of the catastrophe of Christians living as a colony of the kingdom amid a powerful and often unfriendly empire. This is how it is right now. It’s important that we stand together, yet we often get a little cocky about our salvation against that of the rest of the world. This is the gift of God, not a prize we earned in a talent contest. God makes no distinctions between longtime church members from a long line of church members versus new kids in town. This is not true in some future state. This is how it is right now.
Salvation is about as rare as glass. God wants Caesar to be saved. Jesus asks God to forgive the execution crew as he hangs from the cross.
Luke 4:1-13
We sometimes act as if we’re entitled to salvation, and our place in the kingdom. Our salvation is the gift of God, not the prize we earned in a talent contest. The choices we make can be life-giving now and even more so in the future. Satan is offering Jesus nothing that he will not be given, or accomplish, or attain over time. This is God’s plan. Satan challenges Jesus to use his power to make bread from stones for his own benefit. Jesus is the Bread of Life. Satan offers the kingdoms of the world. Jesus reigns forever. Satan challenges Jesus to cast himself down from a high tower so that God can fulfill scripture and protect him. Jesus is the lamb bearing the marks of slaughter. Jesus satisfies our spiritual hunger. Jesus satisfies our desire for a just ruler. Jesus shares our pain and suffering, and reigns with understanding. This is forever and ever.
So, four things I take from this passage.
First, Satan offers power, acclamation, and immortality, but on his terms, not God’s terms. Jesus will gain all of these if he stays the course — on God’s terms.
Second — Jesus sets an important example. We can resist temptation, even under the worst of circumstances. Jesus resists temptation despite forty days of fasting in the wilderness. I can resist chocolate even on one of those days when nothing goes right.
Third — A quick fix is not the best fix. The real temptation here is to cut corners, to avoid being the wanderer, jumping past opposition, rejection, betrayal, crucifixion, and go straight to Jesus reigns. He would have lost out on the resurrection, plus he would have lost the street cred that becoming one of us and suffering like one of us gives Jesus.
Fourth — Elijah fled from Ahab for forty days. The people of God were tested forty years (see Deuteronomy 8:2) It rained forty days and forty nights. The forty days Jesus spent in the wilderness was meant to call all of these to mind. I want things now, or quicker than now, but some time must pass before we appreciate and value the goal.
To conclude: Every choice Jesus makes is life-giving. The choices offered by Satan did not lead to any goal for Jesus that was not already preordained. But choosing the path of God or Satan to reach those goals is a very real difference.
How do these scriptures address this situation? In Deuteronomy 26:1-11, Moses instructs the people that once they’ve come into their own land, they are not only to offer the first fruits to their Creator, but they are also, through this confession of faith (My father was a wandering Aramean….), to recall that it was God who made them a people. Don’t forget where you came from, nor get too smug about what you’ve got, as if you yourself did it on your own. Knowing our past prevents us from getting too cocky.
Nor should we get too cocky about our present state of salvation. That too is the gift of God, not a prize we earned in a talent contest. Salvation is about as rare as glass. Everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved. Not only that, but God also makes no distinctions between long time church members from a long line of church members versus new kids in town. This is not true in some future state. This is how it is right now.
The choices we make can be life-giving now and even more so in the future. Satan is offering Jesus nothing that he will not be given, or accomplish, or attain over time. This is God’s plan. Satan challenges Jesus to use his power to make bread from stones for his own benefit. Jesus is the Bread of Life. Satan offers the kingdoms of the world. Jesus reigns forever. Satan challenges Jesus to cast himself down from a high tower so that God can fulfill scripture and protect him. Jesus is the lamb bearing the marks of slaughter. Jesus satisfies our spiritual hunger. Jesus satisfies our desire for a just ruler. Jesus shares our pain and suffering, and reigns with understanding. This is forever and ever.
But for those of us still stuck in linear time, when it comes to the past, present and future, let me sum up:
Past: Deuteronomy, don’t forget where you come from
Present: Our salvation is the gift of God, not the prize we earned in a talent contest
Future: Don’t cut corners. It’s not worth it in the long run.
Deuteronomy 26:1-11
In Deuteronomy 26:1-11, Moses instructs the people that once they’ve come into their own land, they are not only to offer the first fruits to their Creator, but they are also, through this confession of faith (My father was a wandering Aramean….) to recall that it was God who made them a people. Don’t forget where you came from, nor get too smug about what you’ve got, as if you yourself had earned it. Knowing our past prevents us from getting too cocky.
That’s why the central confession of faith when the people bring their first fruits from their family fields to offer to God are the words: “My father was a wandering Aramean.” The New Jewish Publication Society translation reads: “My father was a fugitive Aramean.” Translator Robert Alter reminds us that the Hebrew word ‘oved usually means “perish” or “stray.” The mortal danger posed by the famine led Jacob and his family to migrate to Egypt. We might share this same confession, reminding ourselves that even though we think we’re settled, we do not live in Christendom. We are in the uncomfortable position of traveling to God’s kingdom. But we can live abundantly. We are called to move about, if not always physically, then emotionally.
Dedicating our lives and a portion of our wealth is acknowledging God as the source of well-being, instead of writing God out of the equation. Reciting this in public is reinforcing this is the way we understand our story. It’s not something we can make look pretty. I am here because God call me to be part of this community of faith. This acknowledgement still requires the farmer to do the hard work.
Romans 10:8b-13
It is the prophet Joel, responding to the natural catastrophe of an invasion of locusts destroying the safety and security of the food chain, who makes the bold, universal statement that whoever calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved. The apostle Paul makes the same astounding statement, that despite our idolatry of nationalism, racism, centrism upon our church, our family, our friends against the rest of the world, whoever calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved. He says this in the face of the catastrophe of Christians living as a colony of the kingdom amid a powerful and often unfriendly empire. This is how it is right now. It’s important that we stand together, yet we often get a little cocky about our salvation against that of the rest of the world. This is the gift of God, not a prize we earned in a talent contest. God makes no distinctions between longtime church members from a long line of church members versus new kids in town. This is not true in some future state. This is how it is right now.
Salvation is about as rare as glass. God wants Caesar to be saved. Jesus asks God to forgive the execution crew as he hangs from the cross.
Luke 4:1-13
We sometimes act as if we’re entitled to salvation, and our place in the kingdom. Our salvation is the gift of God, not the prize we earned in a talent contest. The choices we make can be life-giving now and even more so in the future. Satan is offering Jesus nothing that he will not be given, or accomplish, or attain over time. This is God’s plan. Satan challenges Jesus to use his power to make bread from stones for his own benefit. Jesus is the Bread of Life. Satan offers the kingdoms of the world. Jesus reigns forever. Satan challenges Jesus to cast himself down from a high tower so that God can fulfill scripture and protect him. Jesus is the lamb bearing the marks of slaughter. Jesus satisfies our spiritual hunger. Jesus satisfies our desire for a just ruler. Jesus shares our pain and suffering, and reigns with understanding. This is forever and ever.
So, four things I take from this passage.
First, Satan offers power, acclamation, and immortality, but on his terms, not God’s terms. Jesus will gain all of these if he stays the course — on God’s terms.
Second — Jesus sets an important example. We can resist temptation, even under the worst of circumstances. Jesus resists temptation despite forty days of fasting in the wilderness. I can resist chocolate even on one of those days when nothing goes right.
Third — A quick fix is not the best fix. The real temptation here is to cut corners, to avoid being the wanderer, jumping past opposition, rejection, betrayal, crucifixion, and go straight to Jesus reigns. He would have lost out on the resurrection, plus he would have lost the street cred that becoming one of us and suffering like one of us gives Jesus.
Fourth — Elijah fled from Ahab for forty days. The people of God were tested forty years (see Deuteronomy 8:2) It rained forty days and forty nights. The forty days Jesus spent in the wilderness was meant to call all of these to mind. I want things now, or quicker than now, but some time must pass before we appreciate and value the goal.
To conclude: Every choice Jesus makes is life-giving. The choices offered by Satan did not lead to any goal for Jesus that was not already preordained. But choosing the path of God or Satan to reach those goals is a very real difference.
