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The Grow Pray Study Guide began ten years ago this week. It was a three-panel folded insert in the bulletin. It’s grown and changed a bit since then, of course. Click here to see and read that first GPS from the first week of June, 2008.
Daily Scripture:
Luke 3:7 Therefore, Yochanan said to the crowds who came out to be immersed by him, “You snakes! Who warned you to escape the coming punishment? 8 If you have really turned from your sins, produce fruit that will prove it! And don’t start saying to yourselves, ‘Avraham is our father’! For I tell you that God can raise up for Avraham sons from these stones! 9 Already the axe is at the root of the trees, ready to strike; every tree that doesn’t produce good fruit will be chopped down and thrown in the fire!”
10 The crowds asked Yochanan, “So then, what should we do?” 11 He answered, “Whoever has two coats should share with somebody who has none, and whoever has food should do the same.” 12 Tax-collectors also came to be immersed; and they asked him, “Rabbi, what should we do?” 13 “Collect no more than the government assesses,” he told them. 14 Some soldiers asked him, “What about us? What should we do?” To them he said, “Don’t intimidate anyone, don’t accuse people falsely, and be satisfied with your pay.” (Complete Jewish Bible).
Reflection Questions:
No one really enjoys paying taxes—but few of us would group IRS workers with the worst people in our culture by saying “tax collectors and sinners.” Things were different in Jesus' day: “Jewish people viewed [tax collectors] as traitors. For assessment purposes, tax collectors were allowed to search anything except the person of a Roman lady; any property not properly declared was subject to seizure.”* That’s why Luke wrote a note of surprise: “Even tax collectors came to be baptized.”
- Historian and scholar N. T. Wright noted, “Some of the tolls were levied simply at the whim of local rulers, shamelessly lining their pockets and giving the collectors tacit license to do the same. John doesn’t say they should stop working for the hated rulers…. But they must earn their living and no more. No getting rich at the expense of their own people.”** Are there practices in our economy that we could call “getting rich at the expense of their own people”? How easy or hard do you find it to not take part in those practices?
- Wright added that “if [John’s teachings] were obeyed they would demonstrate that people meant business. None of these things happens by chance; they only occur when people have genuinely repented of the small-scale injustices which turn a society sour.”*** Do you agree that even small-scale injustices “turn a society sour”? What occasions do you have to be “salt” and “light” (cf. Matthew 5:13-16) to make society better, not more sour?
Lord God, John called even tax collectors to change their hearts and lives. That wasn’t easy—they grew rich at the expense of their own people. Give me willingness to make even hard life changes to which you call me. Amen.
* HarperCollins Christian Publishing. NIV, Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible, eBook: Bringing to Life the Ancient World of Scripture (Kindle Locations 232530-232532). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
** N. T. Wright, Luke for Everyone. Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2004, p. 36.
*** Ibid., p. 37.
Donna Karlen serves in Communications at Church of the Resurrection by creating and managing social media content.
In the 15 references to “tax collectors” I found in the New Testament, not many of them were flattering to those in the profession. Most of the passages lumped tax collectors and sinners together as the lowest of the low. On or about April 15 every year, I tend to feel that way about them myself.
Of course paying taxes is much different now. We don’t have to worry about being cheated. Our relatives aren’t tortured if we don’t pay up. But paying taxes makes me grumpy. I’m grateful to live in America and for good schools and other things taxes help pay for, but sending that check each year…
And then I remember those who can only wish they could pay taxes, because that would mean they have a job and income to pay taxes on. (Please take a moment to pray for those who are unemployed. The fear and desperation and hopelessness can be overwhelming.)
Today’s scripture describes how “even” tax collectors came to be baptized. They may have been rich, but were considered the lowest class of people, held in contempt and considered traitors. Did John baptize them when they showed up at the river? Or did he send the “children of snakes” away, telling them to stop cheating others and start doing the right thing – and then he would baptize them? With Jesus, we don’t have to wait until we’re good enough before we come to him. We don’t have to try to earn his love by first ceasing to be sinners. Jesus welcomes all – even tax collectors.
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You might also like:
- Prayer Tip: Rich, Lost & Searching
- Jesus' legacy: the gift of peace
- A legacy of generosity toward Jesus
- Living out Jesus' self-giving legacy
- A legacy of caring about “the least”
- Or download this week's printable GPS.
Daily Scripture
Luke 19:1 Yeshua entered Yericho and was passing through, 2 when a man named Zakkai appeared who was a chief tax-collector and a wealthy man. 3 He was trying to see who Yeshua was; but, being short, he couldn’t, because of the crowd. 4 So he ran on ahead and climbed a fig tree in order to see him, for Yeshua was about to pass that way. 5 When he came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zakkai! Hurry! Come down, because I have to stay at your house today!” 6 He climbed down as fast as he could and welcomed Yeshua joyfully. 7 Everyone who saw it began muttering, “He has gone to be the house-guest of a sinner.” 8 But Zakkai stood there and said to the Lord, “Here, Lord, I am giving half of all I own to the poor; and if I have cheated anyone, I will pay him back four times as much.” 9 Yeshua said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, inasmuch as this man too is a son of Avraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and save what was lost.” (Complete Jewish Bible).
Prayer Tip:
This week we will study Zacchaeus in worship. My favorite thing about this story is the change of heart Zacchaeus almost immediately experienced in Jesus’ presence. He said, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.”
Have you ever had an experience where God’s presence changed your heart, whether in a moment or over months or years? Have you ever felt anger or disappointment, but then looked at the situation in a different light after prayerfully reflecting on it? God can and does change even the hardest of hearts.
This week I encourage you to talk to God in prayer. Ask him if there are areas where you need to repent. Sometimes in God’s presence we can see things more clearly, and find the places inside us that need change.
Dear God,
We have all sinned and fallen short. Thank you for loving us anyway. Shine your light on areas where we need to make changes. Help us to turn away from the things that separate us from you. Guide our hearts away from harsh judgements of others, so that we can see others as our brothers and sisters in Christ. Amen. (Ashly Cooley, Counseling & Support Ministries)
Ashly supports the Congregational Care ministry at Resurrection Leawood. She works primarily with our Counseling and Support ministries.
Like this post? Share it!
You might also like:
- Jesus' legacy: the gift of peace
- A legacy of generosity toward Jesus
- Living out Jesus' self-giving legacy
- A legacy of caring about “the least”
- Investing for the master’s purposes, not hoarding
- Or download this week's printable GPS.
Daily Scripture:
John 14:21-21 Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me, and the one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and reveal myself to him.”
22 Y’hudah (not the one from K’riot) said to him, “What has happened, Lord, that you are about to reveal yourself to us and not to the world?” 23 Yeshua answered him, “If someone loves me, he will keep my word; and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. 24 Someone who doesn’t love me doesn’t keep my words — and the word you are hearing is not my own but that of the Father who sent me.
25 “I have told you these things while I am still with you. 26 But the Counselor, the Ruach HaKodesh, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything; that is, he will remind you of everything I have said to you.27 “What I am leaving with you is shalom — I am giving you my shalom. I don’t give the way the world gives. Don’t let yourselves be upset or frightened. (Complete Jewish Bible).
Reflection Questions:
What could a rabbi who owned no property and faced execution the next day possibly leave his followers? With evil people plotting and Easter’s light visible only in faith and hope, Jesus told his followers that he was leaving them his peace. The gift rested on the Holy Spirit’s presence with them, “not as the world gives.” If they could grasp it firmly, they could find Jesus' peace even at times of great fear. It proved to be a powerful, timeless legacy, one that could reach even into the clammy corners of a Roman dungeon where the apostle Paul was held (cf. Philippians 4:4-13). It sustained the hearts of his followers through times of suffering, scorn and even suffocating security.
- Scholar William Barclay wrote, “The peace which the world offers us is the peace of escape, the peace which comes from the avoidance of trouble and from refusing to face things. The peace which Jesus offers us is the peace of conquest. No experience of life can ever take it from us and no sorrow, no danger, no suffering can ever make it less. It is independent of outward circumstances.”* Are there dark places of fear and anxiety in your life today? How can being with Christ in the present give you peace about present and future? In what ways have you found the peace that Jesus gives to be different from the types of peace that the world offers?
Lord Jesus, thank you for offering me a peace that isn’t temporary, that nothing can take away from me. Please help me to live into that peace more each day. Amen.
Family Activity:
The greatest legacy one can pass on to next generations is a life filled with knowing, loving and serving God. Reading Scripture to learn about God and how to live and serve like Jesus is one way we can grow in and share our faith. Decorate a box with markers, crayons, sequins, and pictures. Write some favorite Bible verses on colorful strips of paper and place them in the box. (The Book of Psalms is a great place to find many verses of praise and thanksgiving as well as promises from God.) Once a week, possibly at mealtime, pull a strip from the box and share the passage aloud. Ask older children and youth to also find it in the Bible. Read it aloud together every day and encourage each person to memorize it. Also, encourage each person to share the Scriptures with others. Thank God for the gift of Jesus and the opportunity to share faith with all generations.
* William Barclay, Daily Study Bible Series: The Gospel of John—Volume 2, Chapters 8–21, (Revised Edition). Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 1976, p. 171.
Shannon Greene is the Young Adults Program Director at Resurrection Leawood. She loves to read, drink coffee, write for her blog, and cheer on her favorite baseball team, the St. Louis Cardinals.
One of the greatest legacies left by the Roman Empire was the Pax Romana, Latin for “the peace of Rome.” This legacy of peace was a period of over 200 years when there was relative calm and minimal conflict throughout the Roman Empire. This season of peace was ushered in by Caesar Augustus (the Roman emperor during the time of Jesus’ birth) around 27 BC, and it would have been in full-swing during the time of Jesus’ final meal with his disciples as described in our passage for today.
Of course, the way Rome obtained this peace was far from peaceful. The Pax Romana was accomplished through force and might, as Rome conquered every other nation that stood in its way. There was peace simply because Rome had beaten down any opponents that would have sought to cause conflict and disruption. It was the kind of bullying peace that the world gives, in contrast to the type of peace that Christ longs to bring into our lives.
Sometimes we think that peace is achieved through a “Pax Romana” form of conflict resolution. We “achieve peace” when there is no one left to fight with us or disagree with our perspective. We have peace only when we have won the argument (or when anyone who disagrees with us is too afraid to voice their perspective).
Alternatively, the peace that Christ models is one not achieved through conquest, but through surrender. Christ’s peace comes because we have chosen to give up the fight before it even starts. Even when we choose this Christ-like form of peace, we are not alone. Rather than fighting for ourselves, we have the Holy Spirit to advocate on our behalf. May this then be our legacy: that of surrendered peacemakers resting safely in the hands of God.
Like this post? Share it!
You might also like:
- A legacy of generosity toward Jesus
- Living out Jesus' self-giving legacy
- A legacy of caring about “the least”
- Investing for the master’s purposes, not hoarding
- Wise life choices shape our legacy
- Or download this week's printable GPS.
©2017 Church of the Resurrection. All Rights Reserved.
Scripture quotations are taken from The Common English Bible ©2011.
Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection
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