500 Years

500 Years from Joseph Taber on Vimeo.


Haggai 2:1b-9
1b…the word of the LORD came by the prophet Haggai, saying: 2Speak now to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and to the remnant of the people, and say, 3Who is left among you who saw this house in its former glory? How does it look to you now? Is it not in your sight as nothing? 4Yet now take courage, O Zerubbabel, says the LORD; take courage, O Joshua, son of Jehozadek, the high priest; take courage, all you people of the land, says the LORD; work, for I am with you, says the LORD of hosts, 5according to the promise that I made you when you came out of Egypt. My spirit abides among you, do not fear. 6For thus says the LORD of hosts: once again, in a little while, I will shake the heavens and the earth and the sea and the dry land; 7and I will shake all the nations, so that the treasure of all nations shall come, and I will fill this house with splendor, says the LORD of hosts. 8The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, says the LORD of hosts. 9The latter splendor of this house shall be greater than the former, says the LORD of hosts; and in this place I will give prosperity, says the LORD of hosts.

This is the Word of the LORD
Thanks be to God

Matthew 4:18-22
18As [Jesus] walked by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea - for they were fishermen. 19And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fish for people.” 20Immediately they left their nets and followed him. 21As he went from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John, in the boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets, and he called them. 22Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed him.

This is the Word of the LORD
Thanks be to God.

It's Not About The Coin!

I Thessalonians 1:1-10

1Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, to the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace.

2We always give thanks to God for all of you and mention you in our prayers, constantly 3remembering before our God and Fathir your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. 4For we know, brothers and sisters beloved by God, that he has chosen you, 5because our message of the gospel came to you not in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction; just as you know what kind of persons we proved to be among you for your sake. 6And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for in spite of persecution you received the word with joy inspired by the Holy Spirit, 7so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia. 8For the word of the Lord has sounded forth from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but in every place your faith in God has become known, so that we have no need to speak about it. 9For the people of those regions report about us what kind of welcome we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols, to serve a living and true God, 10and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead - Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath that is coming.

This is the Word of the LORD

Thanks be to God

Matthew 22:15-22

15Then the Pharisees went and plotted to entrap him in what he said, 16So they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that you are sincere, and teach the way of God in accordance with truth, and show deference to no one; for you do not regard people with partiality. 17Tell us then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to the Emperor, or not?” 18But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, “Why are you putting me to the test, you hypocrites? 19Show me the coin used for the tax.” And they brought him a denarius. 20Then he said to them, “Whose head is this, and whose title?” 21They answered, “The emperor’s” Then he said to them, “Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” 22When they heard this, they were amazed; and they left him and went away.

This is the Word of the LORD

Thanks be to God.

In ancient Palestine, Jewish political thought was represented by two opposing, but equally important groups. The Pharisees who resisted Roman occupation through strict observance of Jewish Law, and the Herodians, who submitted to Rome and supported its presence and rule. They represented the Law of Jewish tradition and the Order of Roman rule. These are their stories.

Now obviously, these two groups don’t work together very often. It takes a very special circumstance for these political opponents to find common ground. Our blessed savior is a walking special circumstance. He has the support of the people, they’re amazed by his teaching and by his deeds of power. He also hasn’t done anything to offend the Roman rulers. He’s not using his influence to stir up rebellion or anything like that. His teaching does, however, challenge the authority of the religious elites.

So the Pharisees call their loyal opposition, the Herodians, and propose to trap this dangerously popular preacher: make him choose between inciting rebellion and alienating the people: get him talking about taxes.

Now, here in 21st century America, opinions on taxes range from “Taxes are how we gather resources to do what none of us can do alone,” to “All taxation is theft.” Our understanding of taxes is a little different than it was to the Jews living in 1st century Palestine. For them, it was a question of paying a tribute to an occupying power in a way that acknowledged the “divinity” of the emperor.

But Caesar is not divine, no matter how many official court documents say so. The LORD is God, the LORD alone. Using a Roman coin to promote Roman interests in their hometown? Folks paid the tax because not doing so was an act of rebellion, but they resented it. The wrath of the empire was not worth it.

So the Pharisees and the Herodians come at our Lord Jesus hoping to trap him between the wrath of Rome and the ire of the crowds. “The effect of their praise is to say ‘OK Mr. Truth-teller who never shies away from controversy, handle this hot potato.” They know that no matter which side he chooses, he’ll be in trouble. He’s stuck between the Law of Moses and the Order imposed by the empire.

This is a familiar enough story that we know that Jesus turns their trap inside out. Jesus knows that the issues at hand not really about the coin. The language of older translations has seeped into our minds, saying, “Render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s, and render unto God what is God’s…” Now the Pharisees and Herodians are caught up in the same trap they set for Jesus. “…they were amazed; and they left him and went away.”

Jesus knows it’s not about the coin. It’s not about the question of the law or the ordering of society. In this moment, where we meet Jesus in this story, Jesus’s answer skewers the reason the Pharisees and the Herodians were divided in the first place. The Pharisees and the Herodians have both put something else in the place reserved for the living and true God, and those two idolatries are competing with one another. The Pharisees have made an idol out of Tradition and religious purity. The Herodians made theirs out of political power and influence. It’s not about the coin, it’s not even about the Law or about Order, these two groups of God’s chosen people have gotten sidetracked by the idols they have made for themselves.

You’re not likely to find that many actual golden calves in 21st century churches. Neither are there many statues of Canaanite fertility Gods, or even inscriptions praising the divinity of Roman emperors. But idolatry is a sickness to which everyone’s soul is still susceptible. It’s the same process taking on new forms. Anytime we put something in the place reserved for the living and true God, we have made an idol. The examples of the Pharisees and Herodians are still very much alive today. How many churches have fallen away from preaching the gospel because they began to worship tradition instead of God? How many communities of faith have chosen political power over the power of faith?

But those large categories are far from the only ways we invent “gods” that are easier to follow than our Lord Jesus Christ. Everybody has a favorite idol. The hard part is that they tend to live in our blind spots, and we can’t always see how we have slid something else onto God’s throne.

I’m as guilty of this as any other sinner. My idols are sculpted from busy-ness and standard bearing. I start by serving a gracious and generous God, whose yoke is easy and whose burden is light. But then I mistake the work for God. The work I put in has good outcomes that earn praise, and it makes me, and those I serve, look good. I take a lot of pride in the way out congregation is viewed by the Presbytery, I want us to look good, and to be good. The praise Paul and company shower on the church of the Thessalonians is exactly what I’m after. Before I know it, I’m either exhausted and overwhelmed, because instead of serving the God who gives us sabbath, I’m trying to serve the idol of pride and notoriety.

Fortunately for me, Jesus is really good about pulling me out of that mess. His answer “Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s” helps me get my priorities back in order, and I can remember that what belongs to the emperor belongs to God first. I’ve had a lot of practice at falling into that trap, I’m getting better at recognizing it and pulling myself out, with God’s help.

Maybe you’re like me, and your idol is “being the best” at whatever. Maybe you’re like the Pharisees, and religious purity is your idol, and you look down on those who fail to practice their faith tradition flawlessly. Maybe you’re like the Herodians, and power and influence in your community is your idol, and the idea of losing your position in society is heresy.

Maybe the idol is something else, a symbol that has taken on religious significance, and any challenge to that symbol is offensive, even if the challenge is well meaning. Maybe the idol is a particular worldview that cannot be questioned under any circumstances.

The thing that makes idolatry so infectious is that there’s always a support group for it. One person who decided the Law of Moses was essential finds support among the Pharisees, and they push one another further down the path until the Son of God looks more like a threat than a blessing. One person finds political influence is attractive, then the Herodians come along and they encourage one another to chase it down even if they lose their identity along the way. My idol finds a support group with people who talk about being busy as though it were a virtue, and who compare reputations to find their place in life.

A support group for idolatry is called a cult. Fortunately, we worship a God who is not threatened by our attempts to put something else in his place. Instead, God intervenes to break us out of our idolatrous practices, amazing Herodians and Pharisees alike, and inspiring us to take a fresh look at how we are to remember to give to God what belongs to God, even if that means we have to make a change in our lives.

The moment we capture between Jesus as those who seek to trap him is only a fragment of the story, and we know that he’s only a few chapters away from crowds chanting “give us Barabbas!” But we also know that his crucifixion is not the full story. The idols of this world do not win in the end. We are not hopeless trapped by sin. The living and true God saves us from ourselves, and loves us no matter how many times we try and push him off of his throne.

From there, it’s on us to try and do a little better. To resist the factory of idols and to continue to serve our Lord Jesus Christ as faithfully as possible.

What The...?

What The ...? from Joseph Taber on Vimeo.

John 6:28-35
28Then they said to him, ‘What must we do to perform the works of God?’ 29Jesus answered them, ‘This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.’ 30So they said to him, ‘What sign are you going to give us then, so that we may see it and believe you? What work are you performing? 31Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, “He gave them bread from heaven to eat.” ’ 32Then Jesus said to them, ‘Very truly, I tell you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. 33For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.’ 34They said to him, ‘Sir, give us this bread always.’

35Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.

This is the Word of the LORD
Thanks be to God

Exodus 16:1-5, 13b-31
1The whole congregation of the Israelites set out from Elim; and Israel came to the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had departed from the land of Egypt. 2The whole congregation of the Israelites complained against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. 3The Israelites said to them, ‘If only we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the fleshpots and ate our fill of bread; for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.’

4Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘I am going to rain bread from heaven for you, and each day the people shall go out and gather enough for that day. In that way I will test them, whether they will follow my instruction or not. 5On the sixth day, when they prepare what they bring in, it will be twice as much as they gather on other days.’

13…In the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp. 14When the layer of dew lifted, there on the surface of the wilderness was a fine flaky substance, as fine as frost on the ground. 15When the Israelites saw it, they said to one another, ‘What is it?’ For they did not know what it was. Moses said to them, ‘It is the bread that the Lord has given you to eat. 16This is what the Lord has commanded: “Gather as much of it as each of you needs, an omer to a person according to the number of persons, all providing for those in their own tents.” ’ 17The Israelites did so, some gathering more, some less. 18But when they measured it with an omer, those who gathered much had nothing over, and those who gathered little had no shortage; they gathered as much as each of them needed. 19And Moses said to them, ‘Let no one leave any of it over until morning.’ 20But they did not listen to Moses; some left part of it until morning, and it bred worms and became foul. And Moses was angry with them. 21Morning by morning they gathered it, as much as each needed; but when the sun grew hot, it melted.
22 On the sixth day they gathered twice as much food, two omers apiece. When all the leaders of the congregation came and told Moses, 23he said to them, ‘This is what the Lord has commanded: “Tomorrow is a day of solemn rest, a holy sabbath to the Lord; bake what you want to bake and boil what you want to boil, and all that is left over put aside to be kept until morning.” ’ 24So they put it aside until morning, as Moses commanded them; and it did not become foul, and there were no worms in it. 25Moses said, ‘Eat it today, for today is a sabbath to the Lord; today you will not find it in the field. 26For six days you shall gather it; but on the seventh day, which is a sabbath, there will be none.’

27On the seventh day some of the people went out to gather, and they found none. 28The Lord said to Moses, ‘How long will you refuse to keep my commandments and instructions? 29See! The Lord has given you the sabbath, therefore on the sixth day he gives you food for two days; each of you stay where you are; do not leave your place on the seventh day.’ 30So the people rested on the seventh day.

31The house of Israel called it manna; it was like coriander seed, white, and the taste of it was like wafers made with honey.

This is the Word of the LORD
Thanks be to God.