As he was leaving the temple, one of his disciples said to him, "Look, Teacher! What massive stones! What magnificent buildings!" (13:1)
A long discourse and argumentation in Jerusalem temple is mentioned in 12:44. Verse 1 unveils the scene in which Jesus leaves the temple. One of the disciples proudly told Jesus about the magnificence of the temple. The stones of the temple must have been beautifully adorned with delicate carvings. As a rare masterpiece of men’s work, the temple was exceptionally magnificent enough to marvel the people.
According to Jew’s fundamental spirit, such grandeur and magnificent temple does not hold much value. It would not be even desirable. This kind of undesirable attitude develops because, mesmerized by the physical beauty of the temple, people may begin to worship it as an idol. Such marvelous architect and culture is befitted to Babylonian civilization which built the Babel Tower or Hellenism and Roman civilization the people of which were proud of magnificent buildings.
Solomon was the builder of Jerusalem temple. His father, David planned to build it but he did not actually build the temple. According to the author of the Book of Chronicles David was not permitted to build the temple because his hands shed too much blood. In fact, Solomon also shed much blood like his father. David shed much blood in the battle but Solomon did it to get his throne. Solomon’s behavior seems much more mean-spirited. People could not understand the reason why such person built the temple which is supposed to be done by the blameless. Did he not build the temple in order to cover and hide his weak point?
The prophets did not support nor revere Jerusalem temple. They continually protested against the fact that God is not in such temple. Of course, they did not argue with the sacrifice in the temple itself. They criticized the formal sacrificial behavior which was given without righteousness, mercy and obedience which are the essence of worship.
How can we completely concentrate on God who exists beyond the beautiful temple and the stones?
20091020
Offering(10)
They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything--all she had to live on."(12:44)
It is the meditation as an offering. I think I have discussed it only in an ideal way. A more pragmatic approach may be needed. Mostly people offer habitually. Even I also used to set some amount of money for Sunday offering and some for monthly offering. I normally offer in this manner. Whenever we offer, we do not realize the fact that everything is given by God out of his grace or my life depends on God. May be our spirituality is blunt. In my opinion, there should be some different and higher level of spirituality which is different from the level of spirituality followed by most people.
To be more practical, the value of individual’s offering will be different according to the requirement of finance of a church. If we attend and offer in an affluent church the value of our offering is ostensibly lesser than the same amount made in a poor church. This human calculation implies that one offers not on the basis of one’s sound relationship with God but according to the status of a community.
I do not want to blindly denounce these things as nonessential or not-religious thing. Sometimes good habit is necessary and also sometimes we may think of a community’s situation. This can also be the relationship with God in broad point of view.
In whatsoever motivation an individual offers, it is important to offer through worship service. It is because all our offering can be sublimed into a pure level of belief. It is the same case with the sacrificial activity found in the Old Testament that a butcher killed a cow habitually the cow was given to God as a burnt offering through worship, which became a fixed formality. In the same way bread and wine are accepted as the Lord’s holy body and blood through worship service.
It is the meditation as an offering. I think I have discussed it only in an ideal way. A more pragmatic approach may be needed. Mostly people offer habitually. Even I also used to set some amount of money for Sunday offering and some for monthly offering. I normally offer in this manner. Whenever we offer, we do not realize the fact that everything is given by God out of his grace or my life depends on God. May be our spirituality is blunt. In my opinion, there should be some different and higher level of spirituality which is different from the level of spirituality followed by most people.
To be more practical, the value of individual’s offering will be different according to the requirement of finance of a church. If we attend and offer in an affluent church the value of our offering is ostensibly lesser than the same amount made in a poor church. This human calculation implies that one offers not on the basis of one’s sound relationship with God but according to the status of a community.
I do not want to blindly denounce these things as nonessential or not-religious thing. Sometimes good habit is necessary and also sometimes we may think of a community’s situation. This can also be the relationship with God in broad point of view.
In whatsoever motivation an individual offers, it is important to offer through worship service. It is because all our offering can be sublimed into a pure level of belief. It is the same case with the sacrificial activity found in the Old Testament that a butcher killed a cow habitually the cow was given to God as a burnt offering through worship, which became a fixed formality. In the same way bread and wine are accepted as the Lord’s holy body and blood through worship service.
20091005
Offering(10)
They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything--all she had to live on."(12:44)
It is the meditation as an offering. I think I have discussed it only in an ideal way. A more pragmatic approach may be needed. Mostly people offer habitually. Even I also used to set some amount of money for Sunday offering and some for monthly offering. I normally offer in this manner. Whenever we offer, we do not realize the fact that everything is given by God out of his grace or my life depends on God. May be our spirituality is blunt. In my opinion, there should be some different and higher level of spirituality which is different from the level of spirituality followed by most people.
To be more practical, the value of individual’s offering will be different according to the requirement of finance of a church. If we attend and offer in an affluent church the value of our offering is ostensibly lesser than the same amount made in a poor church. This human calculation implies that one offers not on the basis of one’s sound relationship with God but according to the status of a community.
I do not want to blindly denounce these things as nonessential or not-religious thing. Sometimes good habit is necessary and also sometimes we may think of a community’s situation. This can also be the relationship with God in broad point of view.
In whatsoever motivation an individual offers, it is important to offer through worship service. It is because all our offering can be sublimed into a pure level of belief. It is the same case with the sacrificial activity found in the Old Testament that a butcher killed a cow habitually the cow was given to God as a burnt offering through worship, which became a fixed formality. In the same way bread and wine are accepted as the Lord’s holy body and blood through worship service.
It is the meditation as an offering. I think I have discussed it only in an ideal way. A more pragmatic approach may be needed. Mostly people offer habitually. Even I also used to set some amount of money for Sunday offering and some for monthly offering. I normally offer in this manner. Whenever we offer, we do not realize the fact that everything is given by God out of his grace or my life depends on God. May be our spirituality is blunt. In my opinion, there should be some different and higher level of spirituality which is different from the level of spirituality followed by most people.
To be more practical, the value of individual’s offering will be different according to the requirement of finance of a church. If we attend and offer in an affluent church the value of our offering is ostensibly lesser than the same amount made in a poor church. This human calculation implies that one offers not on the basis of one’s sound relationship with God but according to the status of a community.
I do not want to blindly denounce these things as nonessential or not-religious thing. Sometimes good habit is necessary and also sometimes we may think of a community’s situation. This can also be the relationship with God in broad point of view.
In whatsoever motivation an individual offers, it is important to offer through worship service. It is because all our offering can be sublimed into a pure level of belief. It is the same case with the sacrificial activity found in the Old Testament that a butcher killed a cow habitually the cow was given to God as a burnt offering through worship, which became a fixed formality. In the same way bread and wine are accepted as the Lord’s holy body and blood through worship service.
20090918
Offering (9)
They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything--all she had to live on."(12:44)
In yesterdays’ meditation, I mentioned that the offering of a widow was a peculiar offering made at the risk of her own survival. At the same time this offering unconsciously invokes the grace. Our present survival itself is a grace from God. The entire foundation of our life on the earth are not ours but the gift of God. It is so easy for us to neglect this point and treat it as a sort of some assumptions. This is the most precise insight for this world and human life.
In this connection, the way to solve the problem of offering in the church is not to impose force on its members but to let them and help them enter into God’s grace. If church members can conceive the secret of grace they can find out the right answer to the question of offering. Of course everybody can easily say like this but problem is that such awareness does not practically come or even though it comes, it is easily forgotten.
The doctrine of grace is applicable not only to an individual Christian but also to church community. If church community practically realizes that everything is God’s gift, then the church may not use their finance to enlarge the size of the church. If they have this spiritual awareness as far as possible, they would spend minimum amount for the church within and spend maximum for things of outside the church.
The most important thing for outside of the church is the survival of the church which does not stand by itself. In my opinion, the entire problems of dependent churches can be solved if the Korean church intends to do it. People say the entire church is one in Jesus Christ but in practice there is no such unity. It may be difficult to have such status of oneness until the coming of Jesus. Despite this fact, we have to follow the word of God. It is because we know that our survival is founded by God’s grace. Lord, help us.
In yesterdays’ meditation, I mentioned that the offering of a widow was a peculiar offering made at the risk of her own survival. At the same time this offering unconsciously invokes the grace. Our present survival itself is a grace from God. The entire foundation of our life on the earth are not ours but the gift of God. It is so easy for us to neglect this point and treat it as a sort of some assumptions. This is the most precise insight for this world and human life.
In this connection, the way to solve the problem of offering in the church is not to impose force on its members but to let them and help them enter into God’s grace. If church members can conceive the secret of grace they can find out the right answer to the question of offering. Of course everybody can easily say like this but problem is that such awareness does not practically come or even though it comes, it is easily forgotten.
The doctrine of grace is applicable not only to an individual Christian but also to church community. If church community practically realizes that everything is God’s gift, then the church may not use their finance to enlarge the size of the church. If they have this spiritual awareness as far as possible, they would spend minimum amount for the church within and spend maximum for things of outside the church.
The most important thing for outside of the church is the survival of the church which does not stand by itself. In my opinion, the entire problems of dependent churches can be solved if the Korean church intends to do it. People say the entire church is one in Jesus Christ but in practice there is no such unity. It may be difficult to have such status of oneness until the coming of Jesus. Despite this fact, we have to follow the word of God. It is because we know that our survival is founded by God’s grace. Lord, help us.
Offering (8)
They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything--all she had to live on."(12:44)
Jesus interpreted how the widow offered more as compared to that of the rich, and said, “They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.
Basically from the very beginning the offering of the wealthy people and poor are different. The wealthy people can make offering whenever he is interested to offer to God without any burden but it is not so for the poor. For the poor, to make offering would mean to risk their own survival.
One’s sound relationship with God can be practically revealed when one’s economic status is at the brim of collapse or at the point of bare means of survival. The first blessing of the Beatitude was the blessing for the poor. A poor situation leads his soul into the world beyond its visible situation. This is the very blessing for man. The offering of a widow belongs to this higher level of offering.
We lose this level in our daily life. We will helplessly witness it right before the last breath of life. At this juncture, the death shall be the way to salvation for the entire mankind. Whether a distinguished person or a good person or an evil person, everybody recognizes that their existence and their very being will be completely destroyed before death.
Practically there is no one who offers their entire wealth. The author does not want to say that. It is indirectly related to Jesus’ teaching. For example, the teaching “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” is the very one. It indicates the type of life to depend on God for one’s survival.
If there is a pastor who forces people to offer based on this account, he is a sort of person who falls under one of the following category of people- he is a fool who never knows God’s word or a cheater who tries to fulfill his pastoral desire.
Jesus interpreted how the widow offered more as compared to that of the rich, and said, “They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.
Basically from the very beginning the offering of the wealthy people and poor are different. The wealthy people can make offering whenever he is interested to offer to God without any burden but it is not so for the poor. For the poor, to make offering would mean to risk their own survival.
One’s sound relationship with God can be practically revealed when one’s economic status is at the brim of collapse or at the point of bare means of survival. The first blessing of the Beatitude was the blessing for the poor. A poor situation leads his soul into the world beyond its visible situation. This is the very blessing for man. The offering of a widow belongs to this higher level of offering.
We lose this level in our daily life. We will helplessly witness it right before the last breath of life. At this juncture, the death shall be the way to salvation for the entire mankind. Whether a distinguished person or a good person or an evil person, everybody recognizes that their existence and their very being will be completely destroyed before death.
Practically there is no one who offers their entire wealth. The author does not want to say that. It is indirectly related to Jesus’ teaching. For example, the teaching “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” is the very one. It indicates the type of life to depend on God for one’s survival.
If there is a pastor who forces people to offer based on this account, he is a sort of person who falls under one of the following category of people- he is a fool who never knows God’s word or a cheater who tries to fulfill his pastoral desire.
Offering (7)
Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. (12:43)
Jesus told his disciples that the poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. It is a complicated situation and a hyperbolic statement. In comparison, the amount of the widow’s offering is much smaller than that of the rich. However, the important point lies in the right attitude of the poor woman whose remarkable offering becomes the central point of the passage.
The life of a poor widow is always perilous. This person is put into triple difficulties. She was poor, a woman and a widow. Which situation comes first? Woman would be first. Then her husband died. There is no fixed rule that all widows should be poor but mostly helpless. In the ancient society, most people did not store their wealth. At the sudden demise of her husband who was the sole bread earner for the family it is evident that the widow had to face severe situation of life.
In verse 12:40 the author says, “They devour widows' houses and for a show make lengthy prayers.” That signifies that the teachers of the law were responsible for the grim poverty of the widow. It is not sure whether the author has the intention to point out this or not but there is a possibility of this.
The relationship between wealth and poverty is dynamic. Greedy exploitation of the one side of the people brings about absolute poverty on the other side of the people. The property on the earth is limited and one side cannot escape from poverty if they have to go only one sided. To be prosperous it should work between nations and nations. There are many developed countries who act like the teachers of the law who devoured a widow’s property.
What is the meaning of the word of the Lord, “this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others”? It means that the relationship between God and man can be abundantly generated mostly for our survival. In other words, offering is the matter of death and life.
Jesus told his disciples that the poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. It is a complicated situation and a hyperbolic statement. In comparison, the amount of the widow’s offering is much smaller than that of the rich. However, the important point lies in the right attitude of the poor woman whose remarkable offering becomes the central point of the passage.
The life of a poor widow is always perilous. This person is put into triple difficulties. She was poor, a woman and a widow. Which situation comes first? Woman would be first. Then her husband died. There is no fixed rule that all widows should be poor but mostly helpless. In the ancient society, most people did not store their wealth. At the sudden demise of her husband who was the sole bread earner for the family it is evident that the widow had to face severe situation of life.
In verse 12:40 the author says, “They devour widows' houses and for a show make lengthy prayers.” That signifies that the teachers of the law were responsible for the grim poverty of the widow. It is not sure whether the author has the intention to point out this or not but there is a possibility of this.
The relationship between wealth and poverty is dynamic. Greedy exploitation of the one side of the people brings about absolute poverty on the other side of the people. The property on the earth is limited and one side cannot escape from poverty if they have to go only one sided. To be prosperous it should work between nations and nations. There are many developed countries who act like the teachers of the law who devoured a widow’s property.
What is the meaning of the word of the Lord, “this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others”? It means that the relationship between God and man can be abundantly generated mostly for our survival. In other words, offering is the matter of death and life.
Offering (6)
But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a fraction of a penny. (12:42)
There are some people who consider offering and material blessing as something closely related to each other by quoting related Bible verses mostly from the Old Testaments. Malachi mentions about tithe. It says, “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.”(Mal. 3:10)
When we interpret the word of God, especially the Old Testaments, one important action for us to take is to distinguish whether it is in general or in peculiar matter. The fact that God created the world is in the general term but the account on the prohibition to eat pork is in the peculiar form. The general one is applied beyond history but the peculiar one is limited only to the particular history. As pork is a peculiar matter, so also tithe a peculiar one limited to the history of Israel.
Our offering does not have any relationship with the material blessing. If you give an offering with the expectation of getting such blessing, then it will be a meaningless offering. On the contrary, even though we do not give offering, we can be materially blessed. Though Japan does not give offering in the arena of their Christian religious rites, they are abundantly and materially blessed.
Combining offering and blessing is to secularize the holy activity. Do we do business with God? We do not do that. It is because real relationship with God can only be established at the ground level of life. How can we buy the life with offering which is given to us and being kept? The only thing we can ask God for material thing is to pray, “Give us our daily bread”.
There are some people who consider offering and material blessing as something closely related to each other by quoting related Bible verses mostly from the Old Testaments. Malachi mentions about tithe. It says, “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.”(Mal. 3:10)
When we interpret the word of God, especially the Old Testaments, one important action for us to take is to distinguish whether it is in general or in peculiar matter. The fact that God created the world is in the general term but the account on the prohibition to eat pork is in the peculiar form. The general one is applied beyond history but the peculiar one is limited only to the particular history. As pork is a peculiar matter, so also tithe a peculiar one limited to the history of Israel.
Our offering does not have any relationship with the material blessing. If you give an offering with the expectation of getting such blessing, then it will be a meaningless offering. On the contrary, even though we do not give offering, we can be materially blessed. Though Japan does not give offering in the arena of their Christian religious rites, they are abundantly and materially blessed.
Combining offering and blessing is to secularize the holy activity. Do we do business with God? We do not do that. It is because real relationship with God can only be established at the ground level of life. How can we buy the life with offering which is given to us and being kept? The only thing we can ask God for material thing is to pray, “Give us our daily bread”.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)