Exodus 21; Luke 24
Daily Catechism
QUESTION 45: WHAT IS THE DUTY WHICH GOD REQUIRES OF MAN?
Answer: The duty which God requires of man is the obedience that comes from faith.
Scripture: Galatians 5:6; 1 Thessalonians 1:3; 2 Thessalonians 2:11; Romans 1:5; 16:26; 15:18.
Comment: See questions 16-18.
Exodus 21
Ready:The previous chapter was the giving of the Ten Commandments.
Seeing what’s there:
This chapter covers laws or regulations pertaining to slaves and to injury to people or animals. This seems to be about civil order and creating a society that will not be oppressive and harsh like what they probably faced in Egypt.
Theme:
God is establishing order and conduct for the respect of all human life.
Thinking about the message:
This culture is surely foreign to modern America and the laws pertaining to slavery trouble many who passively read the Bible. I don’t presume to have all the answers but I trust that God knew what he was doing here. I think that the recognition of servanthood lends to the teaching of the NT that we are slaves of righteousness and slaves of Christ and slaves of God instead of slaves to sin (John 8:34; Rom 6:17-18, 22).
Meaning, Implications, and Significance
God established Israel as a theocracy and the civil laws were issued by God himself. Today we are under government authorities and the NT acknowledges that God placed these over us (Rom 13:1-2). Therefore the implications of this chapter is primarily that we are to love in accord with the social and civil laws of the governing authorities that God has ordained. This does not mean that we should accept injustice or harshness, but rather, we should fight for the right governing of ourselves within the framework of the system we are under. We should surely fight for the rights of unborn children and for religious freedom and other important values that come from God’s Word.
Valuing the message:
I value this message because I will not always like the civil arrangements in place in whatever state or nation I live in but I must know that God had put authorities in place for a reason.
Reflecting on the message:
I should reflect upon my opinions of the government and ensure that I am not being resistant to God and incurring his discipline. I am to be submissive and yet work to do justice and love mercy.
Questions to ask:
- Do I submit to authority?
- Do I fight for the worthy causes of righteousness and justice?
Responding to God & Reacting to His Lesson:
Tell God about your observations and your thoughts and your struggles with the chapter and determine how it will change or impact your thinking and your decisions. Be sure to react in some way to the truth rather than remain silent.
Proclaiming the Truth to Others:
Decide who you can share what you have learned with and ask for God’s help in reaching out to love others.
Luke 24
Ready:The previous chapter included the trial, condemnation, death and burial of Jesus. The purposes of God were being served at the hands of wickedness and ignorance both.
Seeing what’s there:
In this chapter I see Jesus appearing to his disciples after his resurrection and he has compassion for them and he wants to give them understanding and he wants to empower them and he wants to give them a mission. There is a plain thread of “enlightenment” that stretches through this chapter and it comes now on the heels of the completed work of Christ. Despite all they have seen and heard, a supernatural enlightening is still required for them to understand and be gripped by the truth (1 Cor 2:14). In the end, Jesus tells them that the message of his suffering and death and resurrection should be told to the world and for the one who comes to faith, this means repentance and the forgiveness of sins.
Key Verses:
Luke 24:1-3, 4-5, 6-8, 12, 15-16, 14-15, 26-27, 30-31, 36, 44-45, 46-48, 52-53
Theme:
Jesus reveals himself and removes the blindness and he calls us to go and take this message of hope to the ends of the earth as he frees minds and hearts among all the nations.
Thinking about the message:
v1-12. Here the women come to care for the body of Jesus and discover that he is missing and they are greeted by angels who enlighten them to the truth. The point is made here that they are mistakenly looking for the living among the dead. I recall Jesus telling a man to let the dead bury the dead and so there is such as thing as dead men walking and the fact is that we cannot find Jesus among the dead men (walking or buried). God is indeed the God of the living and he gives new life to his children and they rely upon him. The angel reminds them of the words Jesus spoke about his resurrection and they suddenly remembered and perceived the truth. Peter comes and sees the facts but is yet perplexed and marveling at the occurrence. It seems that the magnitude of the risen Son and the amazing events that have been witnessed do not become clear without the Spirit of God opening the eyes (2 Cor 4:4-6).
v13-35. This has been referred to as the best sermon ever. On the day of his resurrection Jesus appears to these two disciples on the road and during a 7 mile walk (probably 2-3 hours) he teaches them from the 5 books of Moses and all the prophets (pretty much the whole Bible at the time) all that the scriptures said about Jesus regarding the plan of God to display his glory in the death and resurrection of his Son, to the salvation of his people (Eph 1:4-10). Boy, could these guys write a great children’s Bible! These two expressed what may have been typical for the whole lot of the disciples and this was that they had hoped Jesus would have been the one to redeem Israel, the Messiah (Is 41:14; Luke 1:68-69, 2:25-26). There was still a lack of understanding among the disciples that required a spiritual enlightenment since they did not perceive his death to be a fulfilling of this Messianic role. Jesus then opens their eyes as they break bread together once they reach Emmaus and in that moment he disappears. Immediately they hit the road again and bolt back to Jerusalem to tell the story to the rest of the disciples!
v36-49. Here Jesus appears to the group of disciples in Jerusalem and he is patient with them in helping them come to realize that it is him, in the flesh. Jesus makes it known here that he retains a human body even in his glorified form and we know that we have a big brother in heaven who is evermore fully man and fully God (Col 1:9; John 1:14; Rom 8:29; Heb 4:14-15). He also opens their minds (Eph 1:17-18) to understand the scriptures of the whole OT so that they perceive the need for, the plan of, and the fulfillment of the work of Christ on the cross and in his resurrection…unto repentance and the forgiveness of sins. This very enlightenment is the gospel message and the enlightenment that he charges them to carry forward to the nations (2 Cor 4:4-6).
v50-53. Not all of the gospel accounts include the ascension but this is important because Jesus said that until he went back to the Father, the Holy Spirit would not come (John 16:5-7). And Romans 8:34 tells us that Jesus is now at the right hand of the Father interceding for us! We have a mediator who stands before the Father and the enemy is hopeless in his efforts to condemn us (Zech 3:1-5; Rom 8:1, 2 Cor 5:21). Jerusalem would become the base of operations and the seat of Christianity. The church there would be led by James, the brother of Jesus, until he was ordered to be killed by the High Priest in AD 60.
Meaning, Implications, and Significance
The gospel is a spiritual message and cannot be received apart from the Holy Spirit’s calling upon the inner man. The implication is that the message we carry is one that requires and “activation” by the Spirit and so we can only be faithful to spread the message and pray that God in his mercy will open eyes and grant enlightenment to many. The significance to my life is that I can trust that I am successful every time I share the gospel with someone because the conversion is up to God (1 Cor 3:6-7). He may use my compassion to influence them (Acts 16:27-31) so I should never see the gospel as a cold message that is just facts being conveyed…this would not be honoring to God. Though I cannot enlighten anyone I can surely plead with them to be reconciled to God (2 Cor 5:20).
Valuing the message:
This message is valuable because it gives perspective on the work of God upon the hearts and minds of all of us. It is valuable because it can impact my understanding of evangelism and my role.
Reflecting on the message:
I need to consider whether I am looking for merely facts and figures in the Word of God or am I looking to experience and enlightenment of my soul to his truth.
Questions to ask:
- Do I merely want to understand the words on the page or do I want Jesus to transform my thinking?
- Do I merely want to find some truth to apply or do I want the Spirit of God to transform me?
- Do I treat the Bible like it is an instruction manual and not the power of God unto salvation?
Responding to God & Reacting to His Lesson:
Tell God about your observations and your thoughts and your struggles with the chapter and determine how it will change or impact your thinking and your decisions. Be sure to react in some way to the truth rather than remain silent.
Proclaiming the Truth to Others:
Decide who you can share what you have learned with and ask for God’s help in reaching out to love others.
Soli Deo Gloria!
