Chapter 4 contains possibly the most compelling verse I’ll offer in this series regarding God’s priority on those in need.

Luke 4:16-21
So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read.  And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written:

Then He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him.  And He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”

This is Jesus’ self-proclaimed arrival as Christ - God Himself.  Of all the prophetic writings about Him, how did He choose to identify himself as He made His claim to being God?  Who does He identify as the focus of His mission?

-The Poor
-The Brokenhearted
-The Captives
-The Blind
-The Oppressed

He loves us all without exception.  His sacrifice was once for ALL.  But His heart… His greatest desire…  He makes it clear.  Those who have much have every advantage.  Those who have so little, who are cast out and despised.  They have nothing but Him.  How could he focus on anyone else?  How can we?

Two for the price of one today.  I missed something I wanted to point out in Chapter 2:

Luke 2:22-24
Now when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were completed, they brought Him to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord (as it is written in the law of the Lord, “Every male who opens the womb shall be called holy to the LORD”), and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the law of the Lord, “A pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.”

The reference to the law is Leviticus 12:8:
And if she is not able to bring a lamb, then she may bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons—one as a burnt offering and the other as a sin offering. So the priest shall make atonement for her, and she will be clean.’”

The required offering in the law was a lamb.  But there was a special provision for the poor.  A pair of turtledoves was acceptable if the family could not afford to offer a lamb.  God’s provision for the poor is woven throughout not only the grace of Jesus, but also throughout the Hebrew law.  It is at the core of His heart in all of His actions.  And now… the irony of all ironies… the very mother of the Son of God must avail herself of God’s provision for the poor at His birth.

We could stop there and go home happy… but, I’m in a generous mood…

Chapter 3… and John the Baptist.  Man, there was a dude who had no regard for the establishment.  I like his style.

Luke 3: 7-11
Then he said to the multitudes that came out to be baptized by him, “Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?  Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, and do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones.  And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”  So the people asked him, saying, “What shall we do then?” He answered and said to them, “He who has two tunics, let him give to him who has none; and he who has food, let him do likewise.”

Not exactly the model for aspiring Christian leaders of today, huh?  Now it’s all about attracting people and holding them once we have them in the pews.  John greets the people by insulting them, calling them names.  Yet the spirit is in his words and they don’t leave, but ask how to turn their lives around.  The answer?  Pretty clear.  We all know that John preached repentance.  But true understanding and acceptance of the grace that comes through repentance will result in caring for those in need.  John drove that home in no uncertain terms.

I wasn’t thinking that clearly when I started a long series right before the Ludlati trip… actually, you could argue that I should just stop that sentence after the word “clearly” and the rest is not really needed.  But, I’m going to jump back into it.  I originally thought I’d post some snippets here and there out of Luke, then I realized that every chapter I read contained a passage that emphasized God’s special provision and care for the despised, the outcasts, and those in need.  So we’ll do this chapter by chapter.

Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night.  And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid.  Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people.  For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.  And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.”  And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying:  “ Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”
Luke 2:8-14

How does that passage indicate a preferential treatment for the outcast?  In both the social and a religious context of that time, shepherds were considered second class citizens.  They were generally disrespected as unclean, and were not allowed full access to the temple, but were banished to the outer court with non-Israelites.

Yet God chose to reveal the ultimate fulfilment of His glorious plan to these poor, disrespected, and (to use a modern term) disenfranchised shepherds.  Why?  There is a priority God places on those in need.  I’m not sure I can justify it… but the theme is too consistent to ignore.  Perhaps it is because we are all his children, and He loves us all… but runs to the assistance of those in dire need.  Isn’t that what any of us would do with our kids?  And if that is what He would do, and what should be natural to us, and if we are His Body on earth…

So, I’ve had writer’s block recently.  Maybe I’m just too distracted with thinking about myself.  I’ve been doing a lot of that lately.  Hate to admit it.  But it’s true, so might as well be honest about it.  Anyhoo… I’ll get that turned around.  I’m going to try to break out of that block by commenting on what I’m reading right now.  I’ve just started reading in the Gospel of Luke and was taken aback by the seemingly preferential treatment for the poor described in the prayer of Mary:

Luke 1:52-53
He has put down the mighty from their thrones,
And exalted the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
And the rich He has sent away empty.

What made me pause was there was no reference to the wicked mighty, or the oppressive mighty.  Just a blanket statement that God’s will seems to be that those in a position of power and wealth will be pulled down, and the lowly will be lifted up, filled and content.  Seems kind of like a downer.  Negative.  Bummer.  God’s about blessing and not tearing down, right?  Ironically, Mary’s prayer is a Spirit-inspired song/poem of rejoicing. Rejoicing!

So why do we see it as such a negative thing?  Hmmm… maybe because we are among the mighty?  Among the rich?  By world standards, we are.  And we take great pride in that might, success, and wealth.  So, why would The Spirit inspire a song of rejoicing in the mighty being brought down and the poor being exalted?  The hungry being filled and the rich being sent away empty?  I think St. Augustine nailed it:

“God does not demand much of you. He asks back what he gave you, and from him you take what is enough for you. The superfluities of the rich are the necessities of the poor. When you possess superfluities, you possess what belongs to others.” (Saint Augustine’s Exposition on Psalm 147).

We possess what belongs to others.  Not under the law of men.  But under God’s law, we possess what belongs to others.  The Spirit is not rejoicing in the decline of the mighty and the rich.  The Spirit is rejoicing in the vision of equality.  Community.  Our excess meeting the needs of others so that all might be filled.  Notice that there is no mention of destroying the rich.  I get more of a feel of the rich being brought down and the poor being brought up until we come closer to meeting in the middle.  Closer to using the resources He created to support everyone in love.  That’s a reason for true rejoicing.

But The Spirit is clear here.  This idea that there is more than enough to support both our unrivaled power and luxury AND lift the poor out of their desperate need?  Nonsense.  It requires sacrifice.  It requires that we give back what belongs to others under God’s law.  And that is cause for great rejoicing.  It is only a loss for us if our priorities are not where they should be.

The audio at the link below is around 35 minutes long, but well worth it.  It is a good expansion on my thoughts from last week and, in fact, inspired some of those thoughts.  Possibly the best message I have ever heard - explained God’s eternal purpose in His creation in a way I never fully understood before.  In a way that explains the mystery of grace and our roles and responsibilities, and ties all that together in a way that fully satisfed me on those topics and how they interact.  And did that almost as an aside to the primary point in the message.  Really, really worth your time.  I’ve listened to it 4 or 5 times and find myself wanting to listen to it again as I describe it.

http://ptmin.podbean.com/2011/03/

I think that a proper understanding of grace and responsibility is critical to freeing us to accomplish His will, to really make a difference both eternally and here and now.  We need to follow Jesus in a real way - a way that, as a Body, we simply aren’t yet doing.  But if we get into works out of obligation, that fails as badly as doing nothing.  This audio has put more joy into both my acceptance of grace and my efforts to work on His behalf than I imagined possible.  Good stuff.

But this is just too cool, and has too many fascinating spiritual implications.

1 Corinthians 13:12
For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

I know I’m a geek, but I could ponder the following article in light of this verse all day - but, sigh, work becons.  Check out this link:

http://discovermagazine.com/2011/jun/03-our-universe-may-be-a-giant-hologram

It is an exciting day as this evening our team of supporters and travelers for the trip to Ludlati Carepoint in Swaziland are having a planning and packing meeting.  But this morning was met with terrible news from Swaziland.  One of the children named Mamba at a carepoint called Thulwane (thool-wah-nay) went missing, and was found dead…killed by his step-father.  Before you read this terrible and sad news, I want everyone who supports the children and people working at Ludlati Carepoint and beyond to know, I believe what God does through the monthly financial support, letters and visits like our upcoming trip not only brings hope, love and encouragement to Ludlati and Swaziland, it fights against terrible evil.  After you read about Mamba, I encourage you to read Romans Chapter 8, and pray with the Holy Spirit’s help.  God is already working to turn this situation to good for those who love Him.  He is in control, and will get all the glory in the end.  Romans 8:18-21 tells us our present sufferings and frustrations are nothing compared to the glory God will reveal in us.  It is God’s hope and plan to use these present times to liberate His creation, and deliver us into the glory of His children.

http://jumbogerber.myadventures.org/?filename=more-heartbreaking-devastating-news
http://themcadams.myadventures.org/?filename=why

Together in Christ - our great hope and Savior.