The Park Forum

Links for today’s readings:

Apr 9  Read: Hosea 10 Listen: (2:47) Read: Matthew 13 Listen: (7:23)

Scripture Focus: Matthew 13.53-58

53 When Jesus had finished these parables, he moved on from there. 54 Coming to his hometown, he began teaching the people in their synagogue, and they were amazed. “Where did this man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers?” they asked. 55 “Isn’t this the carpenter’s son? Isn’t his mother’s name Mary, and aren’t his brothers James, Joseph, Simon and Judas? 56 Aren’t all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things?” 57 And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own town and in his own home.” 58 And he did not do many miracles there because of their lack of faith.

Reflection: Cheering Jesus’ Parade

By John Tillman

We expect hometown heroes to get warm receptions.

Wally Funk, of Grapevine, Texas, was one of the Mercury 13 women who took the same training as the Mercury 7 astronauts. In 2021, 60 years after her Mercury training, at the age of 82, she made it to the edge of space on a Blue Origin flight. After riding the rocket, the hometown hero rode in a parade right down Main Street. Many, like me, came from around the DFW metroplex to celebrate “our” hometown astronaut.

After leaving Nazareth, Jesus rocketed to fame. Crowds followed him, hanging on his every word. He left Nazareth a nobody and came home famous. Nazareth was impressed with his words, miracles, and fame but they didn’t exactly cheer.

On one visit, instead of a parade down Nazareth’s main street, they tried to throw Jesus off a cliff to kill him. (Luke 4.22-30) Matthew records a different visit where, instead of facing open aggression and violence, Jesus faced the contempt of familiarity. They responded with dismissive comments like “Isn’t this the carpenter’s son?”

Nazareth’s familiarity with Jesus ended in soft contempt and faithlessness. They saw part of Jesus’ life and thought they knew the whole. We face this danger too when we are so overwhelmed with cultural depictions of Jesus that we fail to see him fully and truly. We forget who he really is.

We can also fail to see fellow humans fully and truly. Contempt often begins with assumption. We see part of someone and think we know the whole. This contempt is a faithless denial of the work Jesus wants to do in every person. In The Weight of Glory, C.S. Lewis reminded us that Jesus desires to make every human glorious. He said, “The dullest and most uninteresting person you can talk to may one day be a creature which, if you saw it now, you would be strongly tempted to worship.”

What assumptions are you prone to? Who are you tempted to dismiss or reject? Is it the addict? The CEO? The immigrant? The jobless? The protestor? The struggling mother? The political operative?

Every person you see is someone Jesus desires to welcome home in a procession of glorious, freed captives. (Eph 4.7-10; 2 Cor 2.14) They may reject Jesus, but we are not free to reject them. Let compassion, not contempt, make us ready to cheer Jesus’ parade, not boo it.

Divine Hours Prayer: The Refrain for the Morning Lessons

Truly his salvation is very near to those who fear him, that his glory may dwell in our land. — Psalm 85.9

– From The Divine Hours: Prayers for Springtime by Phyllis Tickle.

Read more: Confessing Idolatry—Guided Prayer 2 

Israel sought success and security by any means necessary while giving lip service to you, Lord. Help us see and confess our sins, so similar.

Confessing Idolatry—Guided Prayer

Read more: Tares Will Burn

There have always been tares among the wheat, false gospels among the true, and false Christs posing as “saviors” of the church or Christianity.

Tares Will Burn

Links for today’s readings:

Apr 7  Read: Hosea 8 Listen: (1:58) Read:  Matthew 11 Listen: (4:06)

Scripture Focus: Matthew 11.14-19

Reflection: Rumors or Repentance

By John Tillman

In normal circumstances, John the Baptizer might have grown up to work in Jerusalem’s Temple like his father, Zechariah. He could have been one of the religious elite. Instead, he frustrated them.

Like Moses living in the desert after rejecting a life of ease in Pharaoh’s house (Hebrews 11.24-26), John’s life of aestheticism stood in contrast to the luxury many religious leaders enjoyed. (Mark 12.40; Luke 20.47) 

He could have taught in the gold-covered Temple built by Herod’s criminal hands. Instead, he taught in the mud-covered hillsides of the Judean wilderness. He could have worn priestly garments. Instead, he dressed strangely. He could have dined on fine sacrifices in the Temple. Instead, he ate strange foods in the desert. He could have chanted ancient prayers and psalms. Instead, he was a passionate prophet, raging against sin and hypocrisy. Instead of joining the religious leaders, he condemned them. John called religious people and everyone else to repent, including soldiers, tax collectors, and the poor.

So what do powerful figures do when prophets make them look bad? They lie about them. 

Rather than deal with the truth that John brought to light, the religious leaders accused him of being demon-possessed. Make no mistake, they knew what demonic possession was like. They had exorcists of their own. (Matthew 12.26-28) They weren’t making this accusation in error. They were spreading a false rumor intended to mislead. They created a conspiracy to slander him.

Jesus addressed this directly. He mocked the conspiracy and replaced it with the truth, calling John the greatest man to have ever lived. But those who enter the Kingdom of God through repentance will be even greater.

The Jordan, where John baptized, is a river of decision. Will you cross over or not?  Will you repent? Will you enter the Kingdom of Heaven or not? 

How should you repent? Many asked John, “What should we do?” In his Q&A session (Luke 3.10-14), all of John’s examples involved money. He must have felt that the crowd that day had problems with greed. A few verses later, he also condemned the sexual sins of Herod.

When someone critiques you and calls you to repent, what will you do? Will you dismiss them with a rumor like the Pharisees, with violence like Herod, or will you listen to the Holy Spirit and repent?

May we open our ears and reject rumors and conspiracies.

Divine Hours Prayer: The Refrain for the Morning Lessons

I will bear witness that the Lord is righteous; I will praise the Name of the Lord Most High. — Psalm 7.18

– From The Divine Hours: Prayers for Springtime by Phyllis Tickle.

Read more: Woe, Whoa, Wow

Perhaps your stepping out in faith to act is the evidence someone else needs…To whom might Jesus be sending you?

Woe, Whoa, Wow — Readers’ Choice

Read more: Red Flags God Watches For

If we wonder what God thinks about the righteousness of our nation or the worship in our sanctuaries, one red flag to watch for is suffering people in the streets.

Red Flags God Watches For

Links for today’s readings:

Apr 6 Read:  Hosea 7 Listen: (2:19) Read:   Matthew 10 Listen: (5:07)

Scripture Focus: Matthew 10.1-7

1 Jesus called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out impure spirits and to heal every disease and sickness. 2 These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon (who is called Peter) and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother John; 3 Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; 4 Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him. 5 These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: “Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans. 6 Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel. 7 As you go, proclaim this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ 8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give.

Reflection: Purposeful, Perilous, Powerful

By John Tillman

Multiple times in the gospels, Jesus sent followers on missions of ministry. (Matthew 10.1-5; Mark 6.7; Luke 9.1-2; 10.1-2) The differences in descriptions, instructions, and timing of these missions do not cast doubt on their reliability.

The differences are natural because there were at least two (and possibly more) missions. Matthew and Mark record one but Luke describes two. This is not unusual. Mark, Luke, and John tell us about feeding the 5,000. Matthew adds a second miraculous feeding of 4,000. Multiple events easily explain variations in the accounts.

Matthew’s mission description includes the longest set of instructions, which might be compiled from multiple missions. Jesus described the present mission, but transitioned to warnings about things that would happen after his death, resurrection, and ascension, and throughout the history of the church. These prophetic instructions from Jesus to his disciples are without a geographic limit or a temporal expiration date—they are valid for us today.

In Exalting Jesus in Matthew, David Platt emphasizes that Jesus sent his followers to the needy. Jesus directed his disciples to the diseased, dying, despised, and dirty.

We are commissioned with similar purposes for similar people. The diseased of body or mind are ours to heal and help. Those dying from war, poverty, or disease are ours to save. Those despised for their poverty, ethnicity, illnesses, lifestyle, or any other reason are ours to embrace. Those dirtied by the various corruptions of this world, whether spiritual or physical, are ours to touch, serve, and cleanse.

We are commissioned with similar perils. We are not above our master, and our master was crucified. There will be wolves. We are sent as sheep. There will be swords. We are sent with peace. There will be flogging, persecution, and hatred. We are to endure and flee, not fight back.

We are commissioned with similar power. We are not given worldly weapons of coercion, violence, or the force of the state. God’s power is for heaven’s purposes, not earthly prizes. But what power we have been freely given—to drive out demonic influence, to cleanse, to heal, and to proclaim truth—we are freely to give.

Are you living out your purposeful, perilous, and powerful commission? Are you seeking and giving freely of the Spirit’s power? Are you advancing heaven’s purposes or those of a lesser, earthly kingdom? Are you pursuing needy people with service, help, and good news?

Divine Hours Prayer: The Refrain for the Morning Lessons

Purge me from my sin, and I shall be pure; wash me, and I shall be clean indeed. — Psalm 51.8

– From The Divine Hours: Prayers for Springtime by Phyllis Tickle.

Read more: Dead Man Walking

Israel was desperate for help; she got in bed with any political alliance that promised security.

Dead Man Walking

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Links for today’s readings:

Apr 3  Read: Hosea 2 Listen: (3:48) Read: Matthew 7 Listen: (3:31)

Links for this weekend’s readings:

Apr 4  Read: Hosea 3-4 Listen: (3:53) Read: Matthew 8 Listen: (4:09)
Apr 5  Read: Hosea 5-6 Listen: (3:44) Read: Matthew 9 Listen: (4:56)

Scripture Focus: Matthew 7.13-27

The Narrow and Wide Gates

13 “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. 

True and False Prophets

15 “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. 16 By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them. 

True and False Disciples

21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ 

The Wise and Foolish Builders

24 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. 26 But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”

Reflection: Most Excellent Salvation

By John Tillman

Bill and Ted’s epic proverb, “Be excellent to each other,” is less fluffy than it sounds.

If Jesus were born near the San Fernando valley north of Los Angeles instead of the Elah Valley west of Bethlehem, he might have said it. The similarity is no accident. “Be excellent to each other” is an intentional distillation of Jesus’ teachings filtered through Western (and 90s surfer) culture. It pretends so hard to be deep it actually achieves it. Living out “be excellent to each other” would be similarly challenging as “Love your neighbor.” (Mark 12.28-34)

Some falsely perceive Jesus’ teachings as nice and easy, fluffy and feel-good platitudes like Bill and Ted’s. However, even Jesus’ most popular and celebrated teachings, the Sermon on the Mount, contain harsh (as Bill and Ted would describe them) parables. The parables of the narrow gate, false prophets, false disciples, and foolish builders, arranged in a row, share the same message: salvation is hard.

The road is narrow. Few find it. False, ferocious, and fruitless prophets will deceive many. People can do works in Jesus’ name, yet at the judgment, Jesus will call their work evil and deny knowing them. People can build impressive lives on the wrong foundation, yet when the storm of judgment comes, everything crashes down into a sandy mess.

Other parables make salvation seem easy. The ask, seek, and knock parable that directly precedes the “salvation is hard” parables tells us anyone can receive, find, and enter. (Matthew 7.7-8) Jesus says he is the way to be followed, the truth to be found, and the gate we can enter. (John 10.9) We can walk in his way. We can spot false prophets by their fruit. We can build on the right foundation and even a shabby, shotgun shack can stand the storm.

If up to us, salvation is not only hard, but impossible. However, all things are possible with God. (Luke 18.27) If through Jesus, salvation is not only possible but inevitable once we accept his well-meant offer. He knocks on the door of our hearts. Once we open to him he leads us to the gate and narrow path of sanctification. This path is hard, yet he will complete his work within us (Philippians 1.6) to fulfill his purpose. (Philippians 2.13)

The complete process of salvation is both hard and easy, yet when we live through and for Jesus, it is most excellent. (1 Corinthians 12.31)

Divine Hours Prayer: The Call to Prayer

I cry out to you, O Lord; I say, “You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living.” — Psalm 142.5

– From The Divine Hours: Prayers for Springtime by Phyllis Tickle.

Read more: Our Good Friday—Guided Prayer

Dr. Shadrach Meshach Lockridge’s poetic description of Good Friday…“It’s Friday, but Sunday’s Coming” sits with us in the tension of seeming disaster…

Our Good Friday—Guided Prayer

Read more: Looking Back at Good Friday

May the love we were shown on Good Friday be carried by us not just on Fridays, but on every day.

Looking Back at Good Friday