Stepping in the Light

“Then said he, Unto what is the kingdom of God like? and whereunto shall I resemble it? It is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and cast into his garden; and it grew, and waxed a great tree; and the fowls of the air lodged in the branches of it.” Luke 13:18-19

This parable was a mystery to me for many years. We have a mustard seed that grows into a tree. Once it is grown, the birds come and lodge in the branches. That is it. At first, it doesn’t seem that there is enough of a story to make spiritual applications, but Jesus said that this picture is like the kingdom of God. So where can we draw comparisons? First we have a large plant that comes from a small seed. A mustard seed is a tiny round seed that can grow into a tree anywhere from six to twenty feet tall. Jesus said that a grain of wheat must fall into the ground and die before it can produce new life. Jesus loved the church and gave His life for it. He promised to build the church upon Himself. He said that He is the vine and we are the branches. So it seems that this mustard seed being planted represents Christ’s sacrifice for the church. The great tree represents the church, and the branches represent believers. The fowls are not part of the tree, but they take up residence in it. They look like they are part of it. These represent false professors of faith and false teachers. We who are saved need to focus on abiding in Christ, and we should be aware that there will be some in the tree who are not really part of the tree.

“And that servant, which knew his lord’s will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.” Luke 12:47-48 

We are responsible for what we know. I met a man recently who told me that he had never been to church. He said that he had never read the Bible and that he did not know anything about it. I know other people who have recently accepted the Lord and started attending church. Everything in the Bible is new to them, but they are learning about what God expects from them. Some folks have been attending church for many years, and know the Bible well. There are some things that God expects from everyone. II Peter 3:9 says, “He is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” God wants everyone to be saved. I can remember hearing about my need of salvation as a young boy. Since that time, I have had countless hours of instruction about the things of God. I have read every word of the Bible numerous times, and I have spent hours studying and trying to understand difficult passages. If God has things that He expects of new Christians, how much more does He expect from those of us who have been saved for many years? It is not how much we know about the Bible that counts, but how much of it we are obeying.

“And he said unto his men, The LORD forbid that I should do this thing unto my master, the LORD’S anointed, to stretch forth mine hand against him, seeing he is the anointed of the LORD.” I Samuel 24:6 

David was in a unique situation. He had been chosen by God and anointed by the prophet Samuel as the next king of Israel; but the reigning king, King Saul, was still living. God had rejected King Saul as king because of his disobedience to God’s commands. David had become very popular with the people after he single-handedly liberated the Israelites from the Philistines by killing Goliath. When King Saul heard the Israelite women singing songs about how great David was, he became very jealous and decided that he wanted to kill David. The king had tried to kill David several times, but David had always escaped. One day while King Saul was hunting for David, he passed by the very cave where David and his men were hiding. The king was tired and decided to go into the cave to rest. David’s men encouraged David to kill King Saul while he slept, but David refused. Most people would not have faulted David for killing the king because David had already been chosen by God to take his place. David set a great example for us by giving respect to the office when the person occupying the office was not worthy of his respect. David understood that being anointed King of Israel was a sacred thing. It is important for us to remember to show the proper respect for those that God has placed in positions of authority.

“But woe unto you, Pharisees! for ye tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass over judgment and the love of God: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.” Luke 11:42

The Pharisees prided themselves in always knowing the right answers and always doing the right things. They not only gave tithes (ten percent) of all of their financial income as the scripture commands, but they made sure to include tithes of the small amounts of spices and herbs that came into their possession as well. Giving ten percent of your income to God can seem like a difficult thing for someone who has never done it before; but for those who begin tithing at a young age, it is just a matter of setting aside God’s portion first. The Pharisees were using their obedience to one command of Scripture to excuse themselves from obeying other commands. Jesus pointed out that they were not fair in their administration of judgment and they did not love people as they should. These two areas have to do with how we treat people. Jesus said to them, “These ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.” In other words, tithing is important, but treating people fairly and loving God are more important. Keeping our relationships right will not excuse us from our Christian responsibilities, but simply fulfilling responsibilities will not excuse us from keeping right relationships either. As we strive to please God, let’s not use the things that are easy for us to do to excuse us from those things that are difficult for us.

“And David said, What have I now done? Is there not a cause?” I Samuel 17:29

David’s words here have always been inspirational to me. I see them as a rallying cry. When I read them, I feel that he is referring to the great cause of their nation, their freedom, their safety, their honor, their families, and their God. However, it is interesting to note that the Hebrew word for “cause” here is dâbâr, and it literally means a “word.” There are many meanings and shades of meaning for this word, including: cause, commandment, communication, decree, judgment, and message. Some scholars feel that David was merely defending his own right to speak his mind, as in, “Can’t I even speak a word?” But in context, David had just been asking the men about the commandment from King Saul that spelled out exactly what rewards would be given to the man who killed Goliath. Could it be that David was referring to the “word” of the king? If so, his words take on an even more piercing quality. “Don’t we have a commandment from the king to get this done?” In a deeper spiritual sense, he could have been referring to God’s Word and His reputation as well.

As Christians, we certainly have a cause (a dâbâr, a word, a decree, or a command) from our Heavenly Father. He has given us our marching orders and, like David, we need to let His Word stir us to action and carry us to victory. David believed that God would honor His Word. Do we have that same faith?

“Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves? And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.” Luke 10:36-37

Jesus gave this parable in answer to a question from a man who was trying to justify his thinking that he was a righteous person. The portrayal of the characters in this parable perfectly convey the truths that Jesus intended to impart to this man, and they are still applicable today. A traveler was attacked by thieves and left for dead. Upstanding and religious people saw him in his needy condition, but they ignored and avoided him. Another traveler comes by who is from a much maligned and hated group of people, the Samaritans. If an Israelite saw a Samaritan, they would automatically assume the worst; but the Samaritan went out of his way to help. He administered first aid, brought the unfortunate man to safety, and provided for his complete recovery. What does this mean to us? First, bad things happen. It wasn’t this man’s fault that he was attacked by thieves. Second, status or position is not enough to make us good. The priest nor the Levite offered any help to the wounded man. Their privileged positions were of no benefit to him. Third, our concern for others is only seen in our actions. If we really care about the people around us, we will do something to help them in their need. This is what it means to love our neighbor as ourselves. Is there someone who needs your help today? Why not follow the example of the Good Samaritan?

“And Jonathan climbed up upon his hands and upon his feet, and his armourbearer after him: and they fell before Jonathan; and his armourbearer slew after him.” I Samuel 14:13

I Samuel 14:1-23 tells of an amazing victory won by God’s people because of one young man’s initiative, faith, and courage. King Saul had called the people together to organize an army to defend the people against their enemies, the Philistines. The Philistines had a vast army, but King Saul had only about six hundred men with him. Saul’s son Jonathan saw that they were at an extreme disadvantage, so he took his armor bearer with him and headed toward the Philistine encampment. He was willing to attempt this daring mission because of his great faith in God. Jonathan said, “It may be that the LORD will work for us: for there is no restraint to the LORD to save by many or by few.” As they approached the rock formations that separated them from the Philistines’ garrison, Jonathan formulated a plan. They would walk out into the open where the Philistine guards could see them, and they would respond favorably to whatever the guards said. The Philistines knew that most of the Israelites were in hiding, so they were amused to see two of them appear before them; and they called for Jonathan and his armor bearer to come up to them. Jonathan led the charge (two men against an entire garrison) and their surprise attack created a panic among the Philistines that gave the Israelites the victory. Feeling outnumbered and overwhelmed? Perhaps it is time to go forward for God!

“And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” Luke 9:62

Three different people came to Jesus asking to be one of His disciples, and each time Jesus gave them something to consider before making a commitment to follow Him. The first one said, “I will follow you wherever you go.” Jesus told him that He didn’t even have a place to live. In other words, “Are you sure you want to follow someone who doesn’t have a place to live?” Jesus said to another man nearby, “Follow me.” The man said that he had to take care of his aged father first and then he would be able to follow Christ. Jesus said, “Let the dead bury their dead,” meaning, let the spiritually dead take care of those responsibilities. Then another man volunteered to follow Him, but asked permission to first go back to his home and say goodbye to his family. Jesus told him that if a person begins to work for the Lord and then turns back he is not fit for the kingdom of God. Jesus did not say that person could not enter the kingdom of God, but that he wasn’t fit for it. The Bible doesn’t tell us what these three men decided to do, but Jesus definitely gave them some serious food for thought. We have the advantage of being able to compare scripture with scripture in helping us understand how to apply the Lord’s words to our own lives. Jesus is still looking for disciples to follow Him. Do you desire to give your life to Christ? Jesus showed us here that discipleship requires a single focus and a committed heart.

“Then Samuel took a stone, and set it between Mizpeh and Shen, and called the name of it Ebenezer, saying, Hitherto hath the LORD helped us.” I Samuel 7:12

If you are a regular church attender, it is likely that you have occasionally found yourself following along with the congregational singing without paying much attention to the words. The second verse of “Come Thou Fount” begins, “Here I raise mine Ebenezer; Hither by Thine help I’m come; And I hope, by Thy good pleasure, Safely to arrive at home.” Most of us sing those words without really thinking about what they mean. We are singing about a stone that had special significance to the people of Israel. The prophet Samuel had called the people together to encourage them to serve the Lord and to put away the false idols that they had made. The people confessed their sins, destroyed their idols, and asked the prophet to pray for them. When the Philistines heard that the people of Israel were gathered together, they mustered their army and came to fight against the Israelites. The people were afraid and asked Samuel to pray for God to help them. The Lord sent a great thunder against the Philistines that scattered them in all directions, and the Israelites won a great victory. Samuel wanted to be sure that the people would give God the glory for what He had done for them, so he set up a great stone and called it Ebenezer, meaning, “Hitherto hath the Lord helped us.” Are you giving God the glory for the victories that you have experienced in your life? John Newton wrote, “’Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far, And grace will lead me home.”

“Then he took the five loaves and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed them, and brake, and gave to the disciples to set before the multitude. And they did eat, and were all filled: and there was taken up of fragments that remained to them twelve baskets.” Luke 9:16-17

Jesus sent the disciples out to preach and do miracles. When they returned, He took them aside into the wilderness to rest. However, it wasn’t long before the people found out where Jesus was. They flocked to the desert to see Jesus, to hear Him teach, and to be healed. As the day wore on, the disciples asked Jesus to send the multitude away; but Jesus had a different plan. Jesus told the disciples that they should feed the multitude. They said that they didn’t have enough food to feed such an enormous crowd (the text says that there were about five thousand men). He instructed the disciples to have the people sit down in groups of 50. He took five loaves of bread and two fish, blessed it, and then began breaking it into pieces. He gave the pieces to the disciples and they distributed the food to the people. The people came to hear Jesus that day because they were spiritually hungry, but they were soon physically hungry as well. Jesus miraculously fed the entire crowd. As He broke the pieces of bread and fish, there continued to be more left until every person was filled. That day, the need of each individual was met directly from the hands of Jesus. To me, this is a beautiful picture of the way He meets our needs today. We still receive everything we need directly from His hands.