The Crimson Thread - May I Gently Suggest?

There are probably as many beliefs about the end times as there are denominations. That confusion serves as a method to keep us divided and arguing, making us much less effective than we should be. If we consider the seven appointed times on God's calendar, it is possible to clear away much of the clutter and attain clarity.

In Luke 12 there are two parables about an absent master. In the first, he is at a wedding feast and is coming home late and presumably happy. In the second he is away for a much longer period and has set a manager over his household. In both cases finding his house in order and his servants alert results in blessing. In the second parable if he finds the manager has misbehaved, things get much da...

In Genesis Joseph weeps exactly seven times. His tears are never the result of the affliction that he suffers. Rather they are all in the context of his relationship with his family. In this we see a very powerful man who is ultimately alone. His power is unable to gain him the thing that is most important to him - acceptance. The idea for this talk came from an article by Rabbi Sacks.

In Luke 12 there are two themes running through the commentary. The first is 'inside and outside.' There the contrast is between how things seem on the surface and how they are in reality. The second theme is 'possessions.' There the rebuke is that the Pharisees' focus is on wealth, status and possessions where it should be on the Kingdom.

Idol worship, the desire to get what appears to be a 'better deal' than God offers, is a constant temptation. Whether the idol be some pagan god or a politician or a man in a white lab coat, the details may differ, but the impulse is the same. In all cases the master idol is covetousness.

In Luke 11, Y'shua is invited to dine at a Pharisee's house. The series of conversations that follow are about the contrast between what is visible and what is hidden. On the surface everything is righteous and correct; underneath there is greed and corruption.

The human impulse to seek a 'better deal' than they believe is available from God has not gone away. Idol worship today looks a bit different than in Biblical times, but all of its pathologies are still with us. This new look helps keep idolaters from realizing what they are doing - allowing them even to attend church with a clear conscience.

Teaching His disciples about His future return, Y'shua warns that there will be many false messiahs. He tells them not to be fooled. His actual return will not be subtle and everyone on earth will learn of it directly from Heaven.

This is an extremely Jewish prayer reflecting a difference in focus between the synagogue and the church. The focus of both the synagogue and the early church was bringing Heaven down to earth or repairing the creation. About 300 years ago the church shifted focus to getting people into heaven and began neglecting earthly governance.

Being accused of casting out demons by Beelzebul was a watershed in Y'shua's ministry. Before that He spoke plainly; afterwards in parables. He used the occasion to teach on the divided nature of Satan's kingdom and on the dangers of division within the Kingdom of God.

As different cultures encountered God as described in the Hebrew Bible, they tended to try and understand and relate to Him in terms they were familiar with. Calvin, for example, was a lawyer and tried to fit God into a legal structure. The Catholic Church within the last decade wrote the humans could not understand God and out only access was through Jesus. These are all distortions. In the Bible...

Continuing the theme of prayer, Y'shua tells of a corrupt judge who is persuaded to give a widow justice because of her chutzpah. The points are that God is not unjust but that He appreciates boldness in prayer.

The fifty days from First Fruits to Shavuot (Pentecost) are symbolic of the transition from slavery to liberty in God's Kingdom. Those 50 days are echoed in the 50 years between Jubilees where liberty is proclaimed "throughout the land." This had special significance for Israel and for the founding fathers of the United States.

In this first parable about prayer, a man goes to a neighbor in the middle of the night to borrow bread to entertain an unexpected guest. The point of the parable is that, just as a friend would not refuse such a request, God would also bestir Himself to help those who need it.

The events that happen in the Patriarch's lives echo through succeeding generations. This is also true for the Nation Israel. If one studies the events of the Passover, one may find the same events happening in the burial of Jacob hundreds of years earlier. One may also find them foretold in the prophets. This talk is based on ideas originally presented by Rabbi Fohrman.

The Lord's Prayer, or as some call it, the model prayer sets up the parables of the friend at midnight and the unjust judge. In this, it is a straight-forward compilation of the content of prayer. The prayer also highlights a difference between Hebrew thought and contemporary Christian thought on the purpose of prayer.

Continuing the answer to the question, "What shall I do to inherit eternal life?" Y'shua speaks with a young man of substantial means. His answer begins with instruction to follow Moses. When the young man says that he already does that, Y'shua sees through to the real impediment; the young man is too bound up with wealth and the world.

Dealing with demons was a significant part of Y'shua's ministry. It also featured prominently in the instructions He gave His disciples when He sent them out on their own. Demons are still very much a factor in the world we must deal with, and His instructions are still pertinent.

In the travel narrative, Y'shua is twice asked, "What must I do to inherit eternal life?" In both cases the answer begins with, "Follow Moses." In this case, there is a follow on question, "Who is my neighbor?" In setting up the parable, Y'shua sets up the robbery victim as a generic human being. He is unconscious and so has no accent. He is naked and is not wearing distinctive clothing. In settin...

When Jacob and Esau meet after a twenty year separation, Jacob has sent his brother lavish gifts of livestock hoping to appease his anger. Esau tries to refuse the gifts saying that he has enough wealth already. Jacob responds that he also has enough wealth and presses the gifts his brother to take the gifts. That's how it reads in English translation. In Hebrew it is very different.

As Y'shua traveled to Jerusalem for the last time, He told a series of parables which lay out his mission and what will happen at the end of the age. The parables form a chiasm. This file is a general introduction and the first part of the chiasm, whch is "Follow Me". The outline is taken from the book, "Poet and Peasant" by Kenneth Bailey.

In the Gospels, Y'shua twice sent His disciples out ahead of himself to, "Heal the sick, cast our demons and announce that His Kingdom was at hand." In other words, they were to establish a beachhead in enemy territory. That was also the mission of the church after His resurrection. The church today has largely lost site of that mission. It has been expelled from politics and has ceased to be an a...

At the end of the letter, James returns to the theme that great wealth is dangerous. Here he speaks against the one who has accumulated wealth by oppression, withholding the wages of those who labor in his fields. The letter concludes with a call to prayer and helping one another stay on the path.

Much Christian teaching is in terms of salvation, grace and law. While each of those subjects is important, they cause us to miss or neglect understanding that God, first of all, loves people. Grace, law and salvation all deal with punishment - or more accurately the avoidance of punishment. Such a focus misses the warmth of the relationship that is possible when we focus on love.

The tongue reveals the contents of the heart. In Scripture, God does not have a high opinion of man's heart. Accordingly James counsels keeping the tongue under control to avoid being consumed by the fires it can start.