He sits in the dungeon, knowing that before the day is over he will be executed in the most brutal manner that Roman law allows. He’ll be scourged within a hair’s breadth of death, and then nailed to a stake to die slowly and painfully, paying for his crimes of insurrection and murder against the powerful Roman occupier.
Less than a half mile away, a powerful Roman governor, Pontius Pilate, fearing for his own career and life, struggles between the demands of both expediency and justice. An obviously innocent man has been railroaded into his presence. The religious leaders for whatever reason want him dead, a gruesome task that Roman law won’t let them carry out themselves, and hence their invitation to Pilate to do the deed for them.
Over Pilate’s head is a threat. This man claims to be a king, but we have no king but Caesar, say Jesus’ accusers. If you don’t do something about him, you’re no friend of Caesar. We’ll make sure Caesar knows that you took no action against one who claims to be a king and is trying to usurp Roman authority. Caesar already has suspicions about you. Do you want to risk this?
Pilate vacillates, but he believes he sees a way out. At the Feast of Passover it is customary to release one criminal, a complete and unequivocal pardon. Why shouldn’t that prisoner be Jesus? Earlier in the week, the people of the city welcomed Jesus into Jerusalem with shouts of hosannas and praise. Surely they would demand the release of Jesus called Christ, and not the release of a murderer and thief.
“Whom do you want me to release to you?” asks Pilate. “Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?" (Matthew 27:17)
"Barabbas!", they shout back.
"What then shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?"
"Let Him be crucified!" (Matthew 27:17-24)
“Why? What has he done?”
“Crucify him!”
Less a half mile away is Barabbas. He is close enough to the activity taking place down the street to hear the rabble yelling his name, but far enough away that he cannot hear Pilate pleading for the life of Jesus. He can only hear one side of the conversation, and when he hears his name on the lips of an angry mob, he has hope that his supporters are coming to rescue him. “Barabbas! Barabbas!” His fellow revolutionaries are coming to his aid!
But the very next words he hears freezes him with fear and dread, because what her hears is, “Barabbas! … Crucify him! Crucify him! … Barabbas! … Crucify him!”
The guards rush into his cell and drag him off the floor. And after the shoving and dragging and struggling is done, the murderer and thief finds himself in the street among the mob, now a free man! But a completely innocent man takes his place on the instrument of death.
Did Barabbas feel any twinge of remorse when he saw Jesus carrying his cross? Did he watch as Jesus and two of Barabbas’ compatriots slowly expired as they baked in the sun? We don’t know. But I do know this. I am Barabbas. I was in bonds because of my crimes. I deserved nothing less than the penalty that had awaited Barabbas.
I am Barabbas because one day I found myself free of the guilt, completely pardoned because Someone for no reason that I deserved stepped forward and took my place. My guilt gone, my life restored, I now have the chance to live, and this time truly live. Life: the gift to Barabbas and to me. For I am Barabbas.
Monday, May 31, 2010
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Never Miss a Good Opportunity to Shut Up
The man asked a good question: “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus asked him back, “What do you read in the law about that?” The answer: “ ‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,’ and ‘your neighbor as yourself.’” Jesus agreed.
The man should have stopped there with his line of questioning. The scripture tells us he was a lawyer and that he was trying to trap Jesus. A man of his profession should have known better than to ask a question without knowing what the answer would be. “Okay, so who is my neighbor?”, and by that question he revealed himself as a man who was more interested in finding loopholes than in finding truth (Luke 10:25-36). His speech revealed who he was.
Both scripture and common sense warn us to be circumspect in our speech.
Proverbs 17:28 -- Even a fool is counted wise when he holds his peace. When he shuts his lips, he is considered perceptive.
Proverbs 21:23 -- Whoever guards his mouth and tongue keeps his soul from troubles.
James 1:26 - If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one’s religion is useless.
James 1:19 - Let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath.
Psalm 141:3 -- Set a guard, O LORD, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips.
Proverbs 10:21 -- The lips of the righteous feed many, but fools die for lack of wisdom.
Proverbs 18:2 -- A fool has no delight in understanding, but in expressing his own heart.
Proverbs 29:20 -- Do you see a man hasty in his words? There is more hope for a fool than for him.
In sense, though, I’m glad the lawyer asked Jesus his follow-up question. Without that, perhaps we would never have heard about the Good Samaritan and know what type of neighbors we need to be.
The man should have stopped there with his line of questioning. The scripture tells us he was a lawyer and that he was trying to trap Jesus. A man of his profession should have known better than to ask a question without knowing what the answer would be. “Okay, so who is my neighbor?”, and by that question he revealed himself as a man who was more interested in finding loopholes than in finding truth (Luke 10:25-36). His speech revealed who he was.
Both scripture and common sense warn us to be circumspect in our speech.
Proverbs 17:28 -- Even a fool is counted wise when he holds his peace. When he shuts his lips, he is considered perceptive.
Proverbs 21:23 -- Whoever guards his mouth and tongue keeps his soul from troubles.
James 1:26 - If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one’s religion is useless.
James 1:19 - Let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath.
Psalm 141:3 -- Set a guard, O LORD, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips.
Proverbs 10:21 -- The lips of the righteous feed many, but fools die for lack of wisdom.
Proverbs 18:2 -- A fool has no delight in understanding, but in expressing his own heart.
Proverbs 29:20 -- Do you see a man hasty in his words? There is more hope for a fool than for him.
In sense, though, I’m glad the lawyer asked Jesus his follow-up question. Without that, perhaps we would never have heard about the Good Samaritan and know what type of neighbors we need to be.
Saturday, May 22, 2010
The Schecter Brothers
Read this piece from a someone's blog: The Story of the Schechter Brothers
I had a mind to write a similar review, based on the same book (Amity Schlaes' The Forgotten Man), but this summary was so good I realized there was no need.
I had a mind to write a similar review, based on the same book (Amity Schlaes' The Forgotten Man), but this summary was so good I realized there was no need.
Thursday, May 20, 2010
I Read the Bill - Arizona's SB 1070
And you can too by going here: Arizona's Immigration Law
You haven't been told that about 1/2 of it relates to employer violations and sanctions. Take 20 minutes and read it. If you are in Washington, have someone read it for you.
You haven't been told that about 1/2 of it relates to employer violations and sanctions. Take 20 minutes and read it. If you are in Washington, have someone read it for you.
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Economics for Dummies
When is enough enough? So asks Mr. Obama, and by asking this he inadvertently reveals his adolescent understanding of economics. He might be a former university instructor, but clearly his area of expertise was not Economics 101.
It’s no secret that the US Treasury is revenue hungry right now. Nor is it a secret that the income tax is the primary source of revenue for the Treasury. That’s why it’s puzzling to me that our intellectual superiors in high places seem to be doing whatever it takes to discourage people from generating more income. If higher marginal tax rates won’t discourage higher incomes, or threats of confiscatory penalties if some Congressman gets his panties in a wad over bonuses, then send out the Head Honcho and have him give a good tongue lashing to the offending parties who dare to make "too much" money.
If Mr. Obama really wants to raise more revenue, he should be doing everything in his power to encourage people to make as much income as they can, particularly among those in the higher tax brackets. He should also be encouraging businesses to increase profits instead of the insane approach of penalizing profits and subsidizing losses.
The income tax works best only if there is income to tax. Don’t discourage the only activities that will produce the revenue the government thinks it needs.
It’s no secret that the US Treasury is revenue hungry right now. Nor is it a secret that the income tax is the primary source of revenue for the Treasury. That’s why it’s puzzling to me that our intellectual superiors in high places seem to be doing whatever it takes to discourage people from generating more income. If higher marginal tax rates won’t discourage higher incomes, or threats of confiscatory penalties if some Congressman gets his panties in a wad over bonuses, then send out the Head Honcho and have him give a good tongue lashing to the offending parties who dare to make "too much" money.
If Mr. Obama really wants to raise more revenue, he should be doing everything in his power to encourage people to make as much income as they can, particularly among those in the higher tax brackets. He should also be encouraging businesses to increase profits instead of the insane approach of penalizing profits and subsidizing losses.
The income tax works best only if there is income to tax. Don’t discourage the only activities that will produce the revenue the government thinks it needs.
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Let's Party!
Most Christians don’t realize that they keep a Jewish High Holy Day! The day known as Pentecost was originally one of the Holy Days given to the Israelites while in the wilderness. It was known as the Feast of Weeks because it occurred about seven weeks after the people of Israel offered to God the first fruits of the spring barley harvest (Deuteronomy 16:9-10).
The word “Pentecost” is derived from the Greek words “pente” and “koste”, which literally mean to “count fifty” as in counting fifty days from that offering of first fruits to the day known as Pentecost (see Leviticus 23:16 where the instructions are to “count fifty days”). Pentecost marked the end of the spring harvest, so the day was essentially a harvest festival.
So why do many Christians honor Pentecost if it’s at its core an Old Testament harvest festival?
God seems to use the Holy Days of Leviticus 23 as divine appointments for his plan. He used the ancient festival of the Passover and the Days of Unleavened Bread as the appointed time for the death and resurrection of his Son. Some people (I being one) believe he used the Festival of Tabernacles as the divinely appointed time for the birth of that Son. And Pentecost was the day that God chose to send the Holy Spirit to his people.
This is a day that many Christians recognize for the obviously important theology of the day and its importance in the history of the church. But what is often missed is the important instruction for this day and actually for all the other days that God designates as holy.
Notice the language here. “Celebrate the Feast of Weeks to the Lord …rejoice before the Lord your God.” (Deuteronomy 16:10-11 NIV) Over and over again, when speaking of the feast days, the people were told to celebrate. It was a time to rejoice!
Too often the thought of appearing before God to worship is infused with perceptions of solemnity and even drudgery. There is a place for solemnity in worship, but it’s more common to see worship depicted in Scripture, particularly in the Old Testament, as praising, rejoicing, and even a celebration.
“Feast”, after all, implies good food, great fellowship, and joyous memories. “Festival” surely implies celebration. In Spanish the word is “fiesta”, as in “let’s party!”
These divine appointments give us a lot to party about. With Pentecost God finally sent his Holy Spirit to dwell in us. The power and mind of God is freely given to God’s children who ask. So when God calls for a fiesta, let’s all party!
The word “Pentecost” is derived from the Greek words “pente” and “koste”, which literally mean to “count fifty” as in counting fifty days from that offering of first fruits to the day known as Pentecost (see Leviticus 23:16 where the instructions are to “count fifty days”). Pentecost marked the end of the spring harvest, so the day was essentially a harvest festival.
So why do many Christians honor Pentecost if it’s at its core an Old Testament harvest festival?
God seems to use the Holy Days of Leviticus 23 as divine appointments for his plan. He used the ancient festival of the Passover and the Days of Unleavened Bread as the appointed time for the death and resurrection of his Son. Some people (I being one) believe he used the Festival of Tabernacles as the divinely appointed time for the birth of that Son. And Pentecost was the day that God chose to send the Holy Spirit to his people.
This is a day that many Christians recognize for the obviously important theology of the day and its importance in the history of the church. But what is often missed is the important instruction for this day and actually for all the other days that God designates as holy.
Notice the language here. “Celebrate the Feast of Weeks to the Lord …rejoice before the Lord your God.” (Deuteronomy 16:10-11 NIV) Over and over again, when speaking of the feast days, the people were told to celebrate. It was a time to rejoice!
Too often the thought of appearing before God to worship is infused with perceptions of solemnity and even drudgery. There is a place for solemnity in worship, but it’s more common to see worship depicted in Scripture, particularly in the Old Testament, as praising, rejoicing, and even a celebration.
“Feast”, after all, implies good food, great fellowship, and joyous memories. “Festival” surely implies celebration. In Spanish the word is “fiesta”, as in “let’s party!”
These divine appointments give us a lot to party about. With Pentecost God finally sent his Holy Spirit to dwell in us. The power and mind of God is freely given to God’s children who ask. So when God calls for a fiesta, let’s all party!
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Don't Get Even. Don't Sit Down and Shut Up Either
Watch South Park a couple of times and you’re sure to be offended by something. Those little characters go out of their way to skewer anything on their radar screens, and if you find their antics funny one week, just hang around a while and they’ll get around to your personal sacred cow eventually.
South Park is the result of the free-wheeling marketplace of ideas that we have grown to both love and hate. Generally speaking the network on which it appears let’s the producers run wherever their satire takes them, including jibes at the most powerful people on the planet. Religion is often in the crosshairs too.
Personally, I find it a hard show to recommend to someone, even though I find myself laughing at the ribald approach to the world as we know it. Sometimes the show makes me uncomfortable with their depictions of certain aspects of my own religion, but I figure that sometimes the hypocritical sides of my coin could use a barb now and then. The last time I checked Christians and other targets of satire are justified to utter a vocal protest and rebuttal or two, but even Al Gore has been known to elicit a chuckle over the hilarious concept of Man-Bear-Pig.
All of which gives me pause regarding the reaction of the program’s lighthearted tweaking of Islam and the network’s reaction to the reaction. The network looked a lot like an ancient warning about what would happen to a nation that loses its nerve. “You shall flee, and no one shall pursue you.” (Leviticus 26:17)
Loss of freedom of speech comes about not because of legislation but because we allow those with no authority to tell us to sit down and shut up. Sit down and shut up because the debate on climate change is over. Sit down and shut up because we have talked enough already about healthcare reform. Sit down and shut up because somebody might be offended. Shall we flee when no one pursues?
South Park is offensive to me, but the God I serve doesn’t need me to fight for him. Stand up for truth and justice in the public square? Absolutely! Threaten bodily harm? God is sovereign enough to take care of that himself. He’ll handle it in his own way and time. “Vengeance is mine, says the Lord”, and the last time I checked, I’m not the Lord. Better than that, my God often has better plans than vengeance because he can change people’s hearts and turn them into brothers as he did with Saul of Tarsus There are still people in this world who believe that’s a better outcome than vengeance could ever be.
It’s distressing when we voluntarily give up a bit of our freedoms. Do that enough, and you’ll look around yourself one day and wonder where your Constitution went. Never let anyone tell you to sit down and shut up.
South Park is the result of the free-wheeling marketplace of ideas that we have grown to both love and hate. Generally speaking the network on which it appears let’s the producers run wherever their satire takes them, including jibes at the most powerful people on the planet. Religion is often in the crosshairs too.
Personally, I find it a hard show to recommend to someone, even though I find myself laughing at the ribald approach to the world as we know it. Sometimes the show makes me uncomfortable with their depictions of certain aspects of my own religion, but I figure that sometimes the hypocritical sides of my coin could use a barb now and then. The last time I checked Christians and other targets of satire are justified to utter a vocal protest and rebuttal or two, but even Al Gore has been known to elicit a chuckle over the hilarious concept of Man-Bear-Pig.
All of which gives me pause regarding the reaction of the program’s lighthearted tweaking of Islam and the network’s reaction to the reaction. The network looked a lot like an ancient warning about what would happen to a nation that loses its nerve. “You shall flee, and no one shall pursue you.” (Leviticus 26:17)
Loss of freedom of speech comes about not because of legislation but because we allow those with no authority to tell us to sit down and shut up. Sit down and shut up because the debate on climate change is over. Sit down and shut up because we have talked enough already about healthcare reform. Sit down and shut up because somebody might be offended. Shall we flee when no one pursues?
South Park is offensive to me, but the God I serve doesn’t need me to fight for him. Stand up for truth and justice in the public square? Absolutely! Threaten bodily harm? God is sovereign enough to take care of that himself. He’ll handle it in his own way and time. “Vengeance is mine, says the Lord”, and the last time I checked, I’m not the Lord. Better than that, my God often has better plans than vengeance because he can change people’s hearts and turn them into brothers as he did with Saul of Tarsus There are still people in this world who believe that’s a better outcome than vengeance could ever be.
It’s distressing when we voluntarily give up a bit of our freedoms. Do that enough, and you’ll look around yourself one day and wonder where your Constitution went. Never let anyone tell you to sit down and shut up.
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