“True worth”
When it comes to the Scriptures, especially those sections where we have diverse sayings or proverbs, it is hard to know which ones to pick out for closer attention. In today's section this certainly is true, but what I decided to focus on was on the word or Law of the Lord, found by us in the Holy Scriptures. In particular, I have focused on the surpassing worth and the permanence of that word. The psalmist in Psalm 119 waxes eloquent on just how dear God's word and Law are to him; we should do likewise. Maybe this coming season of Advent, as we prepare to once again celebrate the coming of God's incarnate Word, Jesus Christ, into our world, would be a good time to do this. This, by the way, is only two weeks away, so let's 'get at it.'
By Rev. Michael Stonhouse
Meditation – Saturday, November 12, 2022
Luke 16:10-18 (Forward, p. 14) CEV p. 1083
One of the exciting and perpetually fascinating things about the Antiques Roadshow is the sense of the unknown that accompanies each item that is presented for examination and appraisal. One never knows whether some item that you picked up at a neighbourhood garage sale is actually an expensive or rare piece of art—or whether it is just a piece of junk barely worth even the price you paid for it. I know that this sense of uncertainty and possibility certainly permeated my one spell on that show. I had brought a gorgeous family portrait, thinking that surely it would be quite valuable—also, a medal that had been passed down through the family for generations. Alas, the experts barely even looked at them. But there was something else, something I really didn’t even expect and almost didn’t bring, that they went positively gaga over. Certainly, I had no idea of the true worth of this easily overlooked item!
In a sense, that is exactly what Jesus was trying to explain to the Pharisees. For all their dedication to the Law and to conscientious observance of it, they were very money conscious. Money, wealth, was what they really valued. And, not only that, outer appearances, public approval and public acclaim, were also very important to them. But then, Jesus puts them to rights: He says that outward ‘show’ is not what is valued by God but the heart, the inner being of the person.
Even so, Jesus then lifts up something else that is of an even greater value, namely the Law of Moses and the Books of the Prophets (that is, the Scriptures). He exclaims that heaven and earth will pass away before even the tiniest aspect (a jot or a tittle) of the Law is done away with. That, He says, is what is the most valued thing of all.
In a very real way, this calls pretty well all of us ‘up on the carpet’, for very few of us actually give the Scriptures the attention they deserve. We may hear them during worship and even read and study them during the week, but do we really spend the time with it that it deserves—reading it, listening to it, studying it, meditating upon it, memorizing it and making it our own, making it an actual part of our being. And, most importantly, putting it into practice.
Sadly, if the Scriptures are like a mirror that shows us and our lives as they really are, as the apostle James suggests (James 1:23-25), we are often guilty of taking a quick and hurried glance, making a few quick touch-us, and then scurrying away, forgetful perhaps of what we saw and perhaps oblivious to what we might have seen had we looked more intently. And so, we miss out on what is the greatest treasure of all, the one thing that has a true value far exceeding anything else. So, my prayer is this: ‘help us all, dear Lord, to be more attuned to your word, more fixated upon it and more eager to learn it and apply it. Amen.’
Forward notes: “Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery, and whoever marries a woman divorced from her husband commits adultery” (verse 18).
“Today’s passage is all about fidelity. In the verse from Luke, Jesus gives his listeners a concrete example of what infidelity looks like. While it may seem to us that Jesus is taking a hard line on a single issue, in reality, he’s taking a hard line on a much broader sin. The fact is, there are many ways that we as people can be unfaithful to the relationships in our lives. Sexual, or marital infidelity, is only one. We can be unfaithful in our desires, our time, our finances, even our prayers. We have varying degrees of obligations to others. Christ is telling us that we must fulfill all of them. The only way for us to do that is to correctly discern the order of importance prior to accepting those responsibilities. That starts with placing Christ’s priorities at the center of our lives and letting the others follow from there. Ultimately, it’s the only way by which we can truly live faithfully.”
Moving Forward: “Are there areas of your life in which you are unfaithful? How can you return to fidelity?”