Insightful Musings on the Scriptures

by

Raymond P. Sparre
Northwest University class of '67

Greetings, dear people.

Some of us attended an early service. Thano stayed home with Kaden who has been displaying some signs of being a little sick—a moderately high temperature. Now they have just left to be returned to their mother. Becki is doing the taxi service.

I’m going to try to get in a little Sunday afternoon old man nap before we run off to our old-people’s Gospel Sing at Pheasant Pointe—where we sing what many younger people regard as old-people’s Gospel songs—out of old-people’s songbooks. It’s really quite easy to reach out and give attention to these old-people when you are one—and becoming more so every day. I suppose that’s one reason I tend to prefer those good old-people Gospel songs over most of the good younger-people Gospel songs that I heard at church today. It seems that so many of those old-people Gospel songs were so rich in meaning, saying big things one verse after another, while so many new songs just say little things and repeat it over and over and over and over…like a kindergarten chant. Am I allowing too much of my old-man criticisms to hang out?

I just had another thought relative to the narrative below: When Jesus said, “But go and learn what this means,” I ask, “Go where?” I think He could mean, “Go to your private place and think carefully about it.” And that’s really pretty good advice no matter what the issues are.

Nevertheless—have a blessed rest of the day.

Love, Dad/Ray.

How well have we learned what Jesus challenged His opposition to learn? I have to believe that what Jesus judged as important to understand back then is just as important to understand today. So let’s take a few minutes to review and learn.

Remember that His opposition in this setting were actually the professional religious elite—the ruling class of that culture. That says a lot right there. It should underscore the fact that religious form, legalistic ritual, and rote worship are not standards for pleasing God. Even the Old Testament sacrificial system was of no value if not performed from a HEART AFTER GOD. God speaking through the prophet Isaiah bears that out: “The multitude of your sacrifices—what are they to me?...I have no pleasure in the blood of bulls and lambs and goats…Stop bringing meaningless offerings! Your incense is detestable to me…When you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide my eyes from you; even if you offer many prayers, I will not listen” (Isaiah 1:10-17). Coming to think of it, even the Supreme New Testament Sacrifice of Christ dying on the cross for the sins of the whole world is of absolutely no value whatsoever to a person void of a HEART AFTER GOD that refuses to acknowledge their sin and need for a savior. In the same way a doctor is powerless to help a sick person who fails to agree that he’s sick and will not submit to the prescribed treatment. And, in the same way, no one will ever seek forgiveness for sins who believes they don’t have any—that they are already sufficiently righteous.

The preceding verse sheds light on the legalistic non-loving mindset of the opposition. They were all up in the air over the company Jesus was keeping following His invitation fellowship (or follow-ship) to a rotten “tax collector” (one serving the rotten Roman government), and His actually dining in the home of that rotten “tax collector”—along with a bunch of other rotten “tax collectors and ‘sinners’” (v. 10). They made a point to confront Jesus’ disciples with a challenging question (I wonder what the disciples said in reply)—“Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and ‘sinners’?” (v. 11). That, to them, was just beyond rotten!

If the foundational requirements of the Biblical God are to LOVE HIM and LOVE OTHERS, then these professional religionists were not making it to square one. His love offered to us is not based on deserving it but on mercy. He clearly desires that standard to be a model for our loving others. Therefore He emphasizes this quote—“I desire mercy, not sacrifice”—in other words, “I want you to model My love and mercy, not your religious self-righteousness.”

I’m reminded of a statement from Paul’s inspired writings: “The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love” (Galatians 5:6).