The Blessing of the Busted Pipe

My greenhouse is still in the box. Well, it's in multiple boxes. The single-digit temperatures and the generous downpour of rain played havoc with my plan, and I have not been happy about it. Every day, I have grumbled silently that the man has not come to dig the foundation and haul the gravel. I have stewed unhappily that it is hard to walk in my house for all the plants inside. This waiting for the greenhouse has not been easy!

As I waited, a wonderful blessing was silently unfolding.  The frozen pipes have all thawed, and today we found that one had burst from the frozen water. This is particularly wonderful because it is the hydrant in my garden. It has always been in the MOST inconvenient place, but I never had a reason to justify the expense and effort of moving it. Today, however, I have a serious flood occurring right where my greenhouse was going to be located. There is enough water rushing out of the broken pipe that knee-high garden boots are required for wading, and if not staunched soon, I will be building an ark. 

You may not remember this, but my planned greenhouse location was not even on my list of preferred sites. It was chosen (after a bit of unrequited whining) because of its proximity to the hydrant. The pipe that burst will need to be repaired and the prospective repairman suggested now would be a good time to change it. Indeed it would. I will still have a hydrant in my garden, but we will also run a water line to the spot that was FIRST on my list of preferred sites. 

The blessing of the broken water pipe! In any other situation, a broken pipe would not likely be welcome. Today, however, it is the best thing that could've happened, and I am giving thanks for the blessing that came disguised as adversity. 

Reasoning vs Reasoning: one word, two meanings

But Jesus, aware of their reasonings, answered and said to them, "Why are you reasoning in your hearts? (Luke 5:22 NASB)

The study of words provides such a depth of understanding that it's worth the effort. That is especially true for this verse. The English word "reasoning" is used twice in this verse, but there are two different Greek words used here. The first use says that Jesus was aware of their reasonings. The Greek word here is "dialogismos" and it means a man's inward thinking or reasoning within himself. This is a personal, private kind of deliberation done while one tries to sort out what is true. The second time, Jesus asked why they were reasoning in their hearts. The word used this time is "dialogizomai". As you can see, they are similar words. This word is the one that can be translated as "revolving in your mind".  It indicates a bringing together of different ideas and is sometimes translated arguing. 

There is a fine distinction between these two kinds of reasoning, and it is important to understand it because our society is filled with this very thing. In the first reasoning (dialogismos), a person is thinking or considering something and trying to sort out what is true. They are pondering. That is a good thing. In the second case (dialogizomai), several people who were pondering have thrown all their pondering together and revolved it around, hoping to bring some truth out of it. What happens most of the time is that the loudest voice, the most eloquent voice, presses their opinion and it becomes the opinion of the group. 

Rather than thinking and seeking truth for ourselves and turning to God for clarification, we turn to our peers in the group. What does that say about our response to the group? In seeking truth from the group rather than asking God for clarity, we have made the group a false god. Whew. That's scary, isn't it? 

This does not mean that all group work is bad, nor does it mean that seeking wise counsel is bad. It means we have to be deliberate and careful in our search for truth. When Jesus said, "Where two or three are gathered together", He certainly was saying that He would be with even a small group, but maybe He was also saying that, at least in times of seeking truth, a small group is, if not preferable, at least powerful. The committee consensus of the scribes and Pharisees that day threatened to lead them away from God all together. In the end, for most of the scribes and Pharisees in Israel at the time of Christ, it did. 

This not-always-perfectly-informed-committee-consensus type of reasoning is encouraged by our nonstop information media outlets and our social networking sites, and can lead us away from truth in very subtle ways. We need to be wise in our deliberations. 

Today, pray that we and our loved ones would think for ourselves, rather than automatically accept the reasonings around us. Pray too that we and our loved ones will turn to God for clarification rather than accept a group consensus about what is truth. 

Jesus knows and understands

But Jesus, aware of their reasonings, answered and said to them, "Why are you reasoning in your hearts? (Luke 5:22 NASB)

This verse offers great hope for those of us with a wavering faith. The Greek word epiginōskō, translated here as "aware of" is often translated as "recognize".  The dictionary definition includes "to recognize a thing to be what it really is", "to know accurately", "to perceive".  Any of those definitions apply here, but the one I like the best is "to understand".  Right at the beginning of His public ministry, we see that Jesus understands our questions, our confusion, our faith struggles. The questions of those religious leaders did not take Jesus by surprise, nor do our questions. The questions and difficulties with faith of our prodigal loved ones are not shocking or terrifying to Jesus. He knows all about them, and according to this wonderful word epiginōskō, He understands. 

We will soon see that Jesus not only understood the questions of the scribes and Pharisees but likely ordered His statements in such a way to expose their questions and provide them with answers. He was not one bit threatened by these intellectuals, nor was He impressed. His desire was to bring them from the head knowledge in which they took pride to a heart knowledge that infused every aspect of their lives. It's His desire for us as well. 

Pray today that neither we not our loved ones will use questions and uncertainty as an excuse to abandon faith, but will seek and listen for the Still Small Voice to provide the answers for which we long.  

The Rainbow

As I headed out my driveway on the way to work, I thought about a friend of mine who has a difficult decision to make. The right decision is not entirely clear but either way will have life-changing consequences. It's important to get this right. While I drove, I was praying for my friend and asking God to send wisdom, clarity, and a willingness to wait for God's best. That is hard to do, isn't it?

As I prayed, I began to think what I would do if I were in a similar situation, and how would I ever make a decision. I rounded a curve and up ahead was a beautiful rainbow. It was so unexpected that I pulled off to take a closer look. Something about the rainbow made me think of the verse, "I will never leave you nor forsake you."

There's an answer for you. How would I ever make such a hard decision? I would ask my heavenly Father, who is going to be right there to help me, no matter what comes my way. 

Questions and Answers

The scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, "Who is this man who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins, but God alone?" (Luke 5:21 NASB)

The news about Jesus had spread widely through Galilee. People had heard about His miracles and were coming to be healed. Other, like the scribes and Pharisees, were coming to see for themselves and to have firsthand knowledge with which to evaluate the stories they had heard. 

From the start, Jesus had not made a secret of his divinity, but He had focused more on ministry and teaching. This talk of forgiving sins was new and shocking. For scribes, who considered the name of God so holy that they washed their bodies before writing the name YHWH (not just once, but every time they wrote the name), saying something that sounded like a blasphemy was horrific. It is interesting to me that these men did not have the same response of those in Nazareth, who were filled with rage and very nearly threw Jesus off a cliff. Instead, these men questioned what they had heard. Who is Jesus? Who can speak such a blasphemy?  It sounded like a serious offense to God, but they did not make a move against Him. 

There are three ways to respond to Jesus's statement. Either you embrace it completely, reject it outright, or you seek verification of the truth of the statement. We see from this verse that, on this day, the scribes and Pharisees did not reject His words completely.  They were shocked and uncertain, but they didn't stone Him and they didn't walk out. 

What we, who are so familiar with the Word of God, sometimes forget is that there is nothing inherently wrong with questions, including questions about the truths of Christ and Scripture. Our Lord can handle questions and provide conclusive answers to those questions, as Jesus will demonstrate in the next few verses. The freedom to ask questions and find answers can make the difference between a life of faith and a life of doubt. 

Today, pray that our loved ones will seek until they find answers to all their faith questions and that God would provide competent assistance as they seek. Pray that they can find the answer to every question in Christ alone. 

Running Water

How beautiful is this?  After the water adventure of the last few days, the warmer temperature today gave me a wonderful gift. My cold water in the kitchen thawed and is flowing again, as well as my outside faucet! This is especially wonderful because I have a crowd coming for a dinner meeting tomorrow night. The flowing water was not only critical for meal preparation but also to run the dishwasher! At just the right time, the ice melted, the water flowed, the meal was prepared, the dishes were washed. 

At just the right time. That's a lovely phrase. As I was thanking God for the great blessing of running water restored "at just the right time", I remembered Romans 5:6.  "When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners." (Romans 5:6 NLT) It turns out the phrase "at just the right time" is used repeatedly in Scripture. I found one I particularly liked in Ecclesiastes.  "God gave us the ability to think about His world, but we can never completely understand everything He does. And yet, He does everything at just the right time." (Ecclesiastes 3:11 ERV)

God does everything at just the right time. It's not often the timing I would choose, especially when it comes to frozen pipes, but God's timing is perfect. He has a plan, He knows what He is doing, and He and His answers to all your prayers are right on time. You can count on it and rest in it. 

Relax. God is on His throne and right on time. 

The Scribes

The scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, "Who is this man who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins, but God alone?" (Luke 5:21 NASB)

These scribes were an interesting sort. Their profession completely involved the Scripture. They were the ones who painstakingly copied Scripture, and there were strict rules for the process. Special ink, special hides to write on, special procedure. No two letters could touch. If they did, the entire manuscript had to be recopied. The presence of errors requiring correction could invalidate the entire manuscript and necessitate that it be completely redone. The rules might seem nitpicking, but they were designed to assure the accuracy of the reproductions. We can count on those manuscripts that have survived to be true to the 

original. 

Because of their familiarity with the word of God, the scribes were often teachers in the synagogues and functioned as attorneys in questions of the law. Those nitpicking rules designed to protect the law became greatly expanded, and they turned the law from something intended to protect and help the people into a heavy burden that made life infinitely harder. The problem was a matter of perspective.  The scribes worked with Scripture on a daily basis. They knew the words with their heads, but not as well with their hearts. As a result, the law became perverted into an instrument of condemnation instead of a tool to draw people to God. 

The scribes were saying by their actions in expanding the law that they knew better than God. In making all those extra rules, they were putting themselves on an equal footing with God. He makes rules?  So can we!  In all that rule-making, they became so short-sighted and focused on compliance that they missed the One who came to free them from the law! 

It's easy to have the same spirit of condemnation, isn't it?  When we see the sin in the lives of those around us, it is all too easy to count their sin and compare it to our own. We usually come out pretty well in that kind of comparison, don't we?  What we sometimes forget is that Jesus came because of all Sin equally - ours as well as the sin of others. 

Today, as we begin to pray for and focus on our loved ones, let's avoid the list of sins they might have accumulated. If any sins are mentioned before The Lord, make it our own. Let's confess for ourselves and pray that our loved ones will be drawn to the Divine Relationdhip only Christ can Bring. When hearts are changed by the Spirit, behavior is sure to follow.