Getting the Message from the Vineyard

Scripture Passages: Isaiah 5:1-7; Psalm 80:1-2,8-19; Hebrews 11:29-12:2; Luke 12:49-56

If you are, or have been a parent, you have most likely encountered the following scenario. Your child has been told pointedly that a certain type of behavior will bring swift punishment. You barely have time to get the words out of your mouth, when the child proceeds to do exactly what you forbid him or her to do. Although you are still stunned at your child's willfulness, you follow through on your word, and the punishment is administered as promised. How does your child respond? Does your child say "Thanks, Mom (or Dad). I know I deserved that. I appreciate your loving me enough to set me on the right path"? (If you ever get that response, make sure to record it...you'll be famous.)

When they are corrected or punished, most children express resentment or anger. They are certain that they have the most unfair, meanest parents any child could ever have. They break the rules and then get angry with their parents for enforcing the rules. It doesn't really make sense. You promise something as a parent, and when you keep your promise the kids think you are terrible!

As amusing, or infuriating, as this behavior may be, it isn't really anything new. We were like that when we were children and we can see from the Scriptures that God's people have followed this same path of behavior since the beginning of their relationship with Him. (By the way...we still do.) In Isaiah 5:1-7 we have recorded some poetic verses known as "The Song of the Vineyard." It is actually a parable. The Lord plants a vineyard and does everything necessary for it to produce the best grapes. In spite of all His efforts, however, the crop is always horrible. Isaiah asks, "What would a prudent farmer do?" The answer is simple...the prudent farmer would tear everything down and go somewhere to start all over again. It is at that point that Isaiah reminds God's people that they are the vineyard in question. God has called them into existence from nothing, and they have failed in their obedience.

If you set Psalm 80 and Isaiah 5 side by side you can see an interesting picture.Psalm 80 speaks from the other perspective of the story pictured in Isaiah 5. In Psalm 80 the people of Israel are saying, "Lord, you have done miraculous things to call us into existence and sustain us. Why are things so bad now? Why are our enemies defeating us? Don't You know that our suffering might cause people to question Your goodness?" The people of Israel sound like the child who is screaming that Mom and Dad are mean when they hand out the punishment promised for disobedience...even though they disobeyed.

How often do we approach our own behavior and commitment in a similar fashion? We know that disobedience will cause calamity in our relationship with God, but we disobey anyway and then wonder why we don't enjoy God's peace and presence in our lives. A better question to ask would be, "How do we avoid such calamity in our lives?" In Luke 12:49-56 Jesus says that we have to make a clear choice. In fact, the very fact that Jesus came, died and rose again means that no person who has lived since those events occurred is free from making some sort of choice. We sometimes try to straddle the fence and delay either our decision for Christ or our commitment to obeying Him, but even that delay is a choice...it is saying "no" for the time being. If we turn our back on Christ, like the people of Judah in the Song of the Vineyard, we should not be surprised (like those who speak with astonishment in Psalm 80) when punishment or chastisement comes as a consequence.

How do we make the right choice? We can follow the advice of Hebrews 11 and 12. We can take note of the manner in which the great figures of the Bible put their faith into action. We can follow their examples and make the conscious decision to anchor our lives, our hope and our obedience in Jesus, the Founder and Finisher of our faith.

Worst Case Scenario

Scripture References: Amos 8:1-12; Psalm 52; Colossians 1:15-28; Luke 10:38-42

A few years ago a book called The Worst Case Scenario Survival Handbook was a popular gift item. The book contained advice on how to survive all kinds of worst case scenarios. The book was written as a kind of joke, but all the advice is quite sound. If you’ve ever wondered how to land a plane if the pilot loses consciousness, land in a dumpster after you’ve jumped off a tall building without breaking your back, or survive an attack of killer bees, this is the book for you.

There is one worst case scenario that isn’t covered in the book, however. It’s the silence of God. Amos 8:1-12 speaks of how low a people can sink when they forget about their Creator. God characterizes the people of Israel as folks who view Him and His commands as a nuisance which prevents them from making all the money and getting all the things they want. The prophet delivers a message from God that paints a picture of a people who have lost all sense of decency and justice. They can’t wait for the religious festivals to end so they can get back to their business. Instead of making the religious observances a time to focus on their relationship with God, they saw them as an impediment to their making money. They couldn’t wait for the Sabbath to end so that they could go back to buying and and selling (and often cheating people).

According to the proclamation of Amos, God has little patience for those who are supposed to be His children who persist in practicing injustice, especially if they do so in blatant disregard to His commands. As a result, God says, “If you have no regard for Me, you won’t hear from Me any more.” “‘The time is surely coming,’ says the Lord God, ‘when I will send a famine on the land; nor a famine of bread, or a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord. They shall wander from sea to sea, and from north to east; they shall run to and fro, seeking the word of the Lord, but they shall not find it.’” If we think injustice like the kind mentioned in Amos 8 or in Psalm 52 is bad, imagine how much worse it would be if God were totally silent? The litany of moral and social ills Paul lists in Romans 1 comes as the result of God taking His hand away from the people.

Fortunately, Psalm 52 also paints the picture of an opposite scenario. The psalmist says that the righteous are able to stand firm in the midst of injustice because of their relationship with God. In the midst of his own personal worst case scenario, the psalmist says, “I am like a green olive tree in the house of God. I trust in the steadfast love of God forever and ever.”

I can’t think of anything worse than coming to a time when I knew that God had ceased speaking. Imagine not being able to discern truth from the Scriptures. Think of what life would be like if no one experienced the prompting of the Holy Spirit to move us in the direction we should go. Life would be unimaginably horrible. I am thankful we don’t have to worry about such a thing. As long as we seek God, He will speak to us. Paul reminds us in Colossians 1 that even though God’s message had been shrouded in mystery for ages, He has made it clear to us through Jesus Christ. It would do us well, then, to make sure that we are not too busy (like Martha in Luke 10:38-42) so that we can take the best path, the path of communion with God as we grown in His truth (like Mary).

"Measuring Up" in the Walk of Faith

Scripture references: Amos 7:7-17; Psalm 82; Colossians 1:1-14; Luke 10:25-37

When a mason is building a wall, he uses a plumb line to make sure that the structure is true. If the wall follows the plumb line, he knows that it is standing straight and is able to hold the weight that will soon rest upon it. If the wall leans to the left or to the right...if it skews away from the plumb line or runs into it, the mason must tear the wall down and start again because it will be too weak to accomplish its purpose.

In the 7th chapter of Amos, God shows His prophet the plumb line He has set up against the wall of the nation Israel. As He checks to see whether or not Israel "measures up" to the purpose for which He has called them, the failures of the nation are obvious. The Lord sounds an ominous note...since the wall cannot fulfill its purpose, it will be torn down.

One interesting thing to note about the 7th chapter of Amos is that this is the third visionary "sign" that the Lord has shown to His prophet. Each one of the signs points to the destruction of the nation. After Amos sees the two previous visions, he pleads for the well-being of the people. The Lord hears Amos' plea and withdraws His hand of destruction. This time, when the Lord shows Amos that the nation fails to measure up to the purpose for which they were created, Amos says nothing. When it is clear that the people have abandoned their purpose, there is nothing left to say.

Hopefully we all take the time to ponder how we "measure up" in the Lord's eyes. Too often, I fear, when we take the time to measure our spiritual lives we think more in terms of how we "think" or how we "feel" than we do about how we work...how we behave. Throughout the book of Amos God tells the people through His prophet that their lack of an obedient relationship with Him has led them to the point of callous attitudes and actions toward others. The injustice with which they treat the poor, the sick, the lonely (the ones Jesus called "the least of these") shows that they have lost focus on God and His purpose in their lives. The Lord's pronouncement of judgment on Israel clearly illustrates the fact that God expects us to demonstrate our love for Him in the way we treat others.

I fear that too often we fall into the trap of separating what we consider to be the "spiritual" aspect of our relationship with God (our thoughts and feelings) from the "practical" aspects of that relationship (our obedience). The message of this text is that they are inseparable. As children of God, we need to evaluate our lives daily to see how we "measure up" to God's standard. In Colossians 1 Paul expresses his gratitude for Colossians and he reminds them that he is praying that they will "live in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God." In Luke 10 Jesus reminds us of the same truth, that faithful living involves not only loving God with our heart, mind and soul, but also with our strength...our actions. This means loving our neighbor to the point where we invest our lives in caring for him or her. Psalm 82 admonishes us to "Give justice to the weak and the fatherless; maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute. Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked."

Our Christan behavior will make it possible for others to hear our Christian message because they see it in our Christian lives. As we fulfill the purpose for which God called us, we come closer to "measuring up" to our high calling.

The Weakness of the Flesh and the Power of God

Scripture References: 2 Kings 5:1-14; Psalm 30; Galatians 6:1-16; Luke 10:1-11, 16-20

2 Kings 5 contains one of the most telling references to the weakness of the flesh. "Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Syria, was a great man...but he was a leper." Even though Naaman was a mighty man in battle, wealthy in goods, respected and powerful, he could not escape the weakness of the flesh. The Scriptures give constant witness to the fact that we are frail, whether that frailty is demonstrated in the realization that our flesh falls prey to illness and decay or we see that we have the tendency (even the mightiest of us) to succumb to spiritual or moral failures. The truth is that we do not possess the strength sufficient to achieve victory on our own.

In Psalm 30 David says that when he trusted in his own strength and prosperity, thinking he was self-sufficient, he learned (as soon as God's hand of blessing was removed) that even his resources were limited. He says that when the Lord removed His hand, he was dismayed. Once he acknowledged his lack of self-sufficiency and sought the help of the Lord, he was restored. Because of this experience, he speaks with total confidence about God's provision for us.

Paul assumes human weakness in Galatians 6. He reminds those who are part of the faith family that we are responsible for one another. When someone fails, those who have the spiritual wherewithal are supposed to work to restore him or her. Because we human beings are frail, however, he also warns those who try to help others that they need to be careful, lest they fall to the same temptations. This is why we should work to restore the fallen in the spirit of humility. None of us should ever think that we are beyond the reach of temptation.

How do we respond to the reality of our human weakness? The story of the commissioning of the 72 evangelists in Luke 10 gives us a clue. Jesus sends His chosen witnesses out into the world, telling them that they should rely 100% on God's provision for them. They aren't supposed to take anything with them that will guarantee their security. God, through His Spirit and through His people will care for their needs. So it is with us. Even though we are not self-sufficient, God reminds us that His grace is more than sufficient.

Strength for the Challenge

Scripture References: 2 Kings 2:1-2, 6-14; Psalm 77:1-2, 11-20; Galatians 5:1, 13-25 and Luke 9:51-62

Among the many truths contained in these verses, there is one truth that we find emphasized in each of these portions of Scripture. God sometimes calls us to do things that seem to be impossible. Whether the size of the task or the size of the commitment seems to be beyond our ability or willingness, sometimes the task God sets before us may seem to be beyond our scope.

In 2 Kings 2:1-2 and 6-14, we have recorded the story of Elijah's ascent into heaven and the beginning of Elisha's ministry as a prophet in Israel. There was no doubt that God had worked tremendous miracles through His prophet, Elijah. Now Elisha was about to take over the ministry, and he saw himself as acutely unprepared. He asked for a double portion of the blessing that God had given to Elijah, not because he thought he was more worthy, but because he thought he was more in need. After Elijah was gone away into heaven, God showed Elisha that He had provided the power His new prophet needed. Elisha took Elijah's cloak and when he got to the Jordan River, he touched it to the water. The flow of the river stopped so he could walk through.

In Luke 9:51-62 we have the story of Jesus and the beginning of His journey to Jerusalem where He would offer up His life for the forgiveness of lost humanity. Along the way, He encountered some would-be disciples. One is apparently dissuaded when Jesus tells him that "the Son of Man has no place to lay His head." Another whom Jesus calls asks permission to go bury his father. Jesus responds by saying words that may seem harsh to us. "Let the dead bury their own dead." The final person whom Jesus calls asks permission to first say goodbye to his friends and family. Jesus tells him that he can't turn back. He has to take the difficult step of leaving everything and everyone behind for the sake of the calling.

Jesus' challenge to these potential disciples is every bit as daunting as the task the Lord set before Elisha. It may also seem to be as daunting as the challenge God has set before some of us. We don't have to worry about a short supply of power, however. Psalm 77 reminds us that we can call on the name of the Lord in our times of trouble. We can call on Him with confidence because He is the one who works wonders, who makes the waters stop or flow, and who roars forth with thunder and lightning. He certainly has the power to help us in times of daunting challenge or trouble.

For those who follow Christ, that power is at work in us through the Holy Spirit. If we walk by the Spirit, as Galatians 5 encourages us to walk, we will, by God's power, put to death the works of the flesh. God will do His work in us that through us. Think the challenge you face is too hard for God? What is the challenge we might face when compared to creating and sustaining the whole universe?

An Overdue Gift

I haven't written on my blog for quite awhile. While that doesn't mean that there haven't been observations or opinions just screaming for expression, I was busy experiencing life and didn't really take the time to write about it.

Now, I really do have something important to write about...my Dad. Father's Day is coming up and it's a good opportunity to reflect on what our fathers have meant to us. I was at the Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond a few weeks ago. Someone came to me and introduced himself because he knew that I must be related to Dan Ray. While I am sure that there is a distinct physical resemblance between the two of us, I hope it is the things that go beyond the physical that provide the clearest evidence that I am my father's son.

My Dad has taught me so much. Most of who I am, what I think and how I go about doing what God has called me to do I learned from my father. I have had the benefit of great teachers through the years, but none have had as profound an impact on me as the one who raised me. He has taught me what it means to be a man, and to try and be the kind of pastor God has called me to be. Everything good that I have become finds its origins somewhere in the examples he has set for me. Every area where I have failed is an area where I have either forgotten or ignored his teaching.

I have always loved hearing my Dad preach. One of the great joys of my life as a pastor was the first time I got to invite Dad to come and preach at MY church. (It really never is MY church, it's God's, but you know what I mean.) Of all the wonderful preachers I have heard in my life, Dad is still the one who clarifies the Scriptures for me better than anyone else. I could only aspire to be half the preacher my father is.

I marvel at his grasp of how things work in the church, and how to make them work better. I find myself applying ideas and principles I have seen and learned from him constantly, and I am nearing the conclusion of my 30th year in the pastoral ministry. The textbook of his life and ministry experience is second only to the Bible in what it has taught me.

More important than any of that, however, I have enjoyed the security that comes from the knowledge of his unconditional love. It is a double pleasure to spend time talking with my father, not just as my Dad, but as a colleague in ministry.

My parents are not famous. They are known and loved by many people in many places, but as the world counts fame, they are "regular folks." But they have truly made a difference. This Father's Day when my Dad steps into church to worship, he can do so in the knowledge that every one of his children is involved in some aspect of the work of God's kingdom. Three of us are either full-time or part-time ministers on church staffs. One of us is a Sunday School teacher and two of us are involved in various aspects of the administration of two church-related universities. (There are only four of us, but if I counted correctly, that amounts to six kingdom related ministries.) When you take into account the enrollment of the two universities and the memberships of the churches where we serve as ministers, that amounts to a potential influence on the lives of nearly 7,000 people. Even though they aren't famous, maybe they should be.

Dad, I love you for who you are and for what you have helped me to be. Hope you and all the fathers like you have a great Father's Day.