by Carolyn Ehrlich
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Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful (Luke 6:36).
Read Luke 6:27–38
I don’t know about you, but I often struggle to differentiate between grace and mercy. Someone helped me with a simple definition. Grace is receiving something that we don’t deserve. Mercy is not receiving what we do deserve. In our text today, Jesus teaches us what mercy looks like in practice – and it is not easy: blessing those who curse us, praying for those who abuse us, turning the other cheek, giving to anyone who begs from us, not demanding that someone return what they have taken from us. The antithesis of seeking revenge and retribution.
What do you do when you see someone begging? Do you give to anyone who begs from you? What if they are asking for something other than money? How do you discern what to do? Just over 10 years ago, I was overseas in a seemingly wealthy country and was surprised at the number of people I witnessed actively begging for money. When I asked my host about what I saw, they told me that begging was often an organised activity in their city, one attributed to people of a particular ethnic group. Beggars were being dropped off at specific points around the city. They would only accept money. Once their allotted begging ‘shift’ was over, they were picked up and driven somewhere else.
Today, I see more begging in Australia than I have previously seen. I have pondered what my response should be. I have seen people I have previously given money buying things that I don’t think are essential. And I find myself judging them. I find myself questioning their motives and assessing who they are. Yet, here, Jesus says, ‘Give to everyone who begs from you’.
Well, I know that I do not consistently give, bless, pray, turn the other cheek, not seek revenge and be merciful. I know that my heart is such that I do not easily give to people who are begging without assessing and judging them. I know that my heart is such that praying for those who hurt me, curse me or steal from me is not my first or even second response. But I also know I most certainly cannot be merciful without the Holy Spirit indwelling and transforming me. I am comforted knowing that when I repent, my merciful Father forgives me. I am comforted knowing that when I invite Jesus into my heart, I invite transformation. I long to be merciful. I am often far from it.
Today, pray with me as King David did in Psalm 139:23,24:
Merciful Father, search me and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts. And see if there is any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. Amen.
Carolyn Ehrlich lives in retirement with her husband Wayne in Ipswich, Queensland. Prior to retirement, Carolyn worked as a researcher in the fields of disability and rehabilitation. Today, Carolyn is kept busy with hobbies and supporting her family and the Ipswich Lutheran Parish in various ways.
by Rev Dr Noel Due
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Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; fret not over the one who prospers, over the man who carries out evil (Psalm 37:7)!
Read Psalm 37:1-11, 39-40
One of our friends has a saying: ‘What others think about me is none of my business’.
Psalm 37 is one of many psalms that speak directly to a true difficulty: how do we live in a world in which evil seems to prosper and God’s people suffer?
The psalms give many different answers to this question. Sometimes they talk about perpetrators being caught up in their own schemes and brought down by their own foolishness. Sometimes they talk about God’s wrath and judgement entering directly to end the evil. Sometimes they teach patient endurance that outlasts the evil. Sometimes they suggest that there is no direct answer.
Always, however, they point us to faith.
In the Old Testament, to ‘wait on the Lord’, to ‘hope in the Lord’, and to ‘trust the Lord’ are virtually interchangeable.
In the Book of Psalms, the suffering being endured is often social rather than physical. It is taunting, mocking, deriding and misrepresenting. It is ostracism, rejection and shunning.
At such times, we are often driven inward, and our concern is focused on what other people think of us. And, therefore, what we think of ourselves, because of what other people think of us! But what other people think is not our business.
Our business is to know what God thinks of us.
And to that, we have a resounding answer: he loves us with love inexpressible and grace unfathomable. We see and know that love in the face and embrace of Jesus. We know it in internal witness of the Spirit, in the words of the gospel, in the comfort and assurance of the sacraments.
God’s work turns us out of our depressive introspection to look to him. He is the one for whom we wait.
Thank you, Father, for caring for us. Thank you that your embrace carries us from the womb to the grave and beyond, with no condemnation in Jesus and no separation possible, because of our union with him. Thank you for the gift of your Son, in whom we live and move and have our being. Amen.
by Rev Dr Noel Due
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But they went away and spread his fame through all that district (Matthews 9:31).
Read Matthew 9:27–34
Today’s reading continues the theme in Matthew’s Gospel, showing Jesus in his role as God’s healer and deliverer. The blind see! The demonised are set free! And news spreads!
Little wonder. No-one had done the things Jesus did, and no-one had said the things Jesus said. His deeds and his words went before him. News travelled fast and wide. Multitudes followed.
So, we might be tempted to think that ‘nothing succeeds like success’, and that Jesus’ path would be paved with adoration and love. Yet, we know only too well that this was not the case.
What is happening here?
The first part of Matthew’s Gospel builds to a turning point, found in Matthew 16:13 where Jesus asks, ‘Who do people say the Son of Man is?’
When the disciples report the confused responses of the crowds (Moses, Elijah), Jesus then asks the twelve directly, ‘Who do you say that I am?’ That leads to Peter’s great declaration, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God!’ (Matthew 16:16).
Immediately after that declaration was uttered, Jesus began teaching them about the cross.
In other words, the deeds and words of Jesus are all designed to provoke the disciples and crowds to ask themselves: ‘Who is this man?’ Even Peter, when he is shown the answer to that question from heaven itself, does not understand the implications of who Jesus is. And he certainly didn’t want a Messiah who would suffer and die.
The opening of the blind man’s eyes is a physical sign of a much-needed spiritual miracle: the eyes of our hearts must be opened by the Spirit to see Jesus for who he really is. The casting out of the demons is a visible sign of a spiritual deliverance: we must be delivered from the powers of darkness to hear the words of Jesus and follow him.
Thank you, dear Lord, for seeing our needy state. We needed you to come to us, and you came before we called. Thank you for meeting us with love, mercy and grace … to heal our spiritual blindness, deafness and captivity. We thank you for doing what we could never do for ourselves. Amen.
by Rev Dr Noel Due
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[Jesus] said, ‘Go away, for the girl is not dead but sleeping’. And they laughed at him (Matthew 9:24).
Read Matthew 9:18–26
Jesus suffered many forms of rejection. He was betrayed, denied, misrepresented, ignored, and tortured to death, to name just a few. And sometimes he was treated as a joke.
While most of the narrative in this section of Matthew’s Gospel describes Jesus’ deeds and words, there are also some references to the responses they provoked. Those responses were essentially two: belief and unbelief. And of those two, belief is the rarer.
Here, the unbelief is expressed in derision. Jesus is treated as an ignorant fool, who cannot tell the difference between death and sleep.
But in Jesus’ kingdom, there is no difference. It is notable that elsewhere in the New Testament, the death of believers is also spoken as ‘sleep’ (for example, John 11:13, 1 Corinthians 15:51 and 1 Thessalonians 4:15).
On the one hand, death is indeed ‘the last enemy’ (1 Corinthians 15:26) and, in the end, death itself will be done away with (Revelation 20:14). We live in a world that is not yet heaven, so we experience death in the midst of life.
On the other hand, we also experience life in the midst of death! Death does not have the last word – Jesus does. He has conquered death through his resurrection. He has joined us to himself through baptism. And he lives in us through the Spirit. That’s why death, though inevitable, is not final. That’s why our hope is rooted in Jesus’ power and promise to bring us through death to life.
Thank you, dear Father, that you have brought all things into being, even me. Thank you that you sustain all things by the word of your power, even me this day. Thank you that you are the Lord of both life and death, even my life and my death. Thank you that no-one and nothing can snatch me out of your hand. Amen.
Noel is currently serving as the Intentional Interim Pastor of the Top End Lutheran Parish. He lives in Darwin with his wife, Kirsten, a medical doctor who mainly works on remote Indigenous communities. He also serves as a professional supervisor for pastors, chaplains and others.
by Rev Dr Noel Due
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Neither is new wine put into old wineskins. The skins burst, the wine is spilled, and the skins are destroyed. But new wine is put into fresh wineskins (Matthew 9:17).
Read Matthew 9:9–17
In Jesus’ day, wineskins (literally, made from the skins of animals: tanned, stitched into a container shape, and provided with a corked spout) were expensive items that took a long time to produce. Consequently, they were not disposed of but reused. Over time, the acid content of the wine made the skins brittle and subject to catastrophic failure. If you put new wine, still yeasting and fermenting, into these old skins, both wine and skins would be lost as the new wine burst the old skins.
What is Jesus referring to?
This metaphor appears in the context of his actions and words about various forms of religious legalism.
On the one hand, the Pharisees thought that Jesus was contaminating his holiness by mixing with ‘tax collectors and sinners’ (both well-known titles for people whom the religious elite rejected).
On the other hand, some of the disciples of John the Baptist lived a very austere life to underline the seriousness of the message of repentance. They were critical because neither Jesus nor his disciples engaged in ritual fasting, which they thought marked serious spirituality.
But neither understood.
Jesus was providing the new wine of the Spirit, bringing grace and freedom to those who had been captive to legalistic religion. Those who had been rejected by the brittle legalism of the Pharisees were welcome in the new wineskins of Jesus’ kingdom. Jesus’ kingdom is one of freedom and joy, not fear and austerity.
Just as in a wedding feast (Jesus says he is the ‘bridegroom’ in this passage), the focus is not on the potential trials and sufferings the married couple may eventually face, but on the overwhelming joy of being together at the feast. Here, Jesus says that when he is present it is like the feast is underway.
It is very easy for us to forget that the main thing in the Christian faith is Jesus. He is not only the foundation but also the active, present and eternally faithful ‘bridegroom’.
It is very easy for us to become like them: hard and brittle, unable to cope with Jesus’ new day of grace and the new wineskins he was creating to contain it.
Heavenly Father, thank you that you continually break down our resistance to your grace, to preserve us from becoming brittle and legalistic in our faith. May we be filled with your Spirit so that Jesus’ life flows through us to bring joy, freedom and blessing to others. Amen.
Noel is currently serving as the Intentional Interim Pastor of the Top End Lutheran Parish. He lives in Darwin with his wife, Kirsten, a medical doctor who mainly works on remote Indigenous communities. He also serves as a professional supervisor for pastors, chaplains and others.
by Rev Dr Noel Due
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For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven’, or to say, ‘Rise and walk’? (Matthew 9:5)
Read Matthew 9:1–8
Jesus’ enemies came in many forms. There were demonic forces, political schemers and religious purists, to name just a few.
Today we meet some people heavy on doctrine but light on compassion. The context is a beautiful gift of friendship. A paralysed man was brought to Jesus by his friends, who had faith that Jesus could help him.
I suspect that they wanted Jesus to heal the man, but Jesus’ first response was to say, ‘Take heart, son, your sins are forgiven’ (Matthew 9:2). Jesus knew that the man’s problem was not just physical, but that he was also crippled by sin. What that sin was we are not told, and it matters little. What does matter is Jesus’ assertion that the man’s sins were forgiven by Jesus’ word.
Now that was asking for trouble.
In the Old Testament, God alone could forgive sins. We commit all our sins against him. We break his commandments, we profane his holiness, and we take his name in vain. Because all sin is ultimately against God (even if we damage human beings along the way), it is God’s prerogative alone to forgive. That’s why the whole sacrificial system in the temple was set up: to make atonement for sin against God.
But, if Jesus says he can forgive sins, that would be the same as saying that he was God. That, in fact, was the case. But no-one even bothered to ask if it might be true. The religiously minded immediately accused him of blasphemy, punishable by death.
To show that what he said was true, Jesus pushed his critics to the edge of a logical cliff. Uttering words of forgiveness might be only an empty gesture. But what if he commanded the man to walk? And what if his words made that happen? Clearly, if he could prove his words had power by healing the man, then his word of forgiveness must also have the same power!
We know the story. At Jesus’ words, the man stood and walked. The conclusion should thus have been obvious: ‘if my words can effectively heal, then they can also effectively forgive’.
Will you believe this?
Dear Father, thank you that you have sent your Son into the world to bring the gift of forgiveness. Thank you that his words assure us that this is not an empty gesture, but a dynamic reality. Thank you for the forgiveness of sin and the lifting of the burden of our spiritual paralysis. Amen.
Noel is currently serving as the Intentional Interim Pastor of the Top End Lutheran Parish. He lives in Darwin with his wife, Kirsten, a medical doctor who mainly works on remote Indigenous communities. He also serves as a professional supervisor for pastors, chaplains and others.
by Rev Dr Noel Due
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And behold, they cried out, ‘What have you to do with us, O Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?’ (Matthew 8:29).
Read Matthew 8:28–34
Yesterday’s devotion reflected on Jesus’ deeds and words of power. We saw that his deeds included the freeing of people from demonic forces, as well as healing from their diseases, and that his words explained the nature of God’s kingdom.
In today’s passage, we see another example, perhaps the most dramatic of all, in which Jesus expels demonic powers. When he draws near, the forces of darkness are forced back.
One of the most remarkable elements of this truly extraordinary account is that the demons recognised Jesus’ true nature. This is in sharp contrast to his disciples and to the crowds, who are repeatedly shown as being dull of heart and spiritually blind (for example, Luke 18:34).
In other words, the demonic forces knew something the rest of the world didn’t. That, in part, explains why Satan and the forces of darkness were so intensely active during Jesus’ earthly ministry. Even though, for example, the Book of Acts covers almost 40 years, we see only a fraction of the demonic manifestations there when compared with the three years of Jesus’ public ministry.
Why might this be? Because the powers of darkness mistakenly believed that if they could destroy Jesus, they would overthrow God and rule the universe. So, they threw everything at him, all the time. They knew he was not only Jesus the Nazarene but also Jesus the Son of God. That’s why they tried every trick in the book.
They even thought that by aligning all the forces of human greed, political cowardice, religious pride and human betrayal, they could put him to death.
But the outcome was not as they expected.
Though the powers of darkness planned the cross as Jesus’ destruction, God planned the cross as Jesus’ exaltation and our salvation.
This should give us great comfort. Though the forces of wickedness are opposed to God, to his Son, and to the people of the Spirit he has brought to birth, none of their deeds or schemes will prevail.
As Martin Luther’s great hymn says: Did we in our own strength confide, our striving would be losing …And though this world, with devils filled, should threaten to undo us, we will not fear, for God has willed his truth to triumph through us … one little word shall fell him.
Thank you, Heavenly Father, for the gift of Jesus, the Son of God, and King of Heaven. Thank you that he has overcome the greatest of our foes and that their schemes cannot prevent your reign and rule in our lives. Help us to live in the truth of Jesus’ victory over the evil one. Amen.
Noel is currently serving as the Intentional Interim Pastor of the Top End Lutheran Parish. He lives in Darwin with his wife, Kirsten, a medical doctor who mainly works on remote Indigenous communities. He also serves as a professional supervisor for pastors, chaplains and others.
Luke 6:17-26 Blessings and Woes
17 He went down with them and stood on a level place. A large crowd of his disciples was there and a great number of people from all over Judea, from Jerusalem, and from the coastal region around Tyre and Sidon, 18 who had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases. Those troubled by impure spirits were cured, 19 and the people all tried to touch him, because power was coming from him and healing them all.
20 Looking at his disciples, he said: “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. 21 Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied.
Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh. 22 Blessed are you when people hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man. 23 “Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For that is how their ancestors treated the prophets.
4 “But woe to you who are rich, for you have already received your comfort. 25 Woe to you who are well fed now, for you will go hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you will mourn and weep. 26 Woe to you when everyone speaks well of you, for that is how their ancestors treated the false prophets.
by Rachael Stelzer
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For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked leads to destruction (Psalm 1:6).
Read Psalm 1
Today’s psalm is the first and introductory psalm. It is poetry but also reflects Old Testament wisdom literature. It contrasts the one who delights in the law of the Lord with the wicked.
I love the peaceful picture of the one who meditates on God’s law, day and night, being like a tree planted by streams of water. It is a picture of growth and flourishing. In stark contrast, the wicked are ‘like chaff that the wind blows away’. This is reminiscent of the foolish builder in Jesus’ parable, who builds without a strong foundation.
This short psalm is well worth meditating on, as it presents some clear pictures and wise life advice. Let’s aim to be like that tree planted by the stream, with the Lord watching over our ways.
Dear Lord, you watch over the way of the righteous. In my own strength, I am no more than chaff that the wind blows away. Thank you for the righteousness that Jesus has won for me on the cross. Lead me in your way and teach me how to flourish in you. Amen.
Rachael Stelzer is Primary Head of Faith and Spirituality at Coomera Anglican College near Brisbane. She is a member of Our Saviour Lutheran Church in Rochedale.