Galatians 6:4 – The Noontimes

Matthew 21:23-27: Authority Questioned

Matthew 21:23-27: Authority Questioned

Saturday, July 29, 2023

Tissot: Jesusu Walks in the Portico of Solomon — *James Tissot: Jesus Walks in the Portico of Solomon*

After we reflect on God as the lover and the most excellent promise the Lord offers, it is appropriate to pause so that we might consider what authority supports these concepts. Several times Paul advises that we test the spirit (Romans 12:2, 2 Corinthians 8:8, 13:5, Galatians 6:4, 1 Thessalonians 5:21) to see that we are acting in accord with God’s will as opposed to having gone off on a private agenda of our own. We are not testing God in these cases; rather, we examine our own understanding of what we believe to be God’s word to us.

John recommends that we test ourselves: Beloved, do not trust every spirit but test the spirits to see whether they belong to God, because many false prophets have gone into the world. (1 John 4:1)

But what we see in today’s reading is not an attempt on the part of the Pharisees and scribes to discover Jesus’ authenticity as the word of God. What we see is their desire to gain any information that might silence him, any words with which to catch him, to trip him up.

I love the way that Jesus’ replies to their cagey questions, with questions of his own that go to the heart of their envy, greed and deception. He knows that they fear losing temple tax, power and recognition. Jesus does not answer their questions nor do they persist; because Jesus has made their dark motives evident through his own patient persevering dialog.

We ourselves are sometimes questioned by people who have ulterior motives and so we might think of these interrogations of Christ as his own demonstration of how to handle one’s self when under fire. This questioning or testing need not be a bad experience if we remember to speak from the truth we have funded in ourselves through our endless search for God. For when we are questioned, we find; when we are interrogated, we have the opportunity to encounter God.

And so we pray: Heavenly Father, bring us the patience, the wisdom and the serenity to answer the questions put to us from those who test the authority on which we stand. Help us to test ourselves to see if the spirit we follow is yours. Help us to seek Christ through scripture and through our daily conversations with you so that we will not be lacking when we are put to the test. We know that when we empty ourselves of our daily worries, we leave room for you to enter and act.

When we are anxious, send us your peace.

When we are threatened, send us your peace.

When we are fearful, send us your peace.

When we stand alone, send us your peace.

When we are sorrowful, send us your peace.

When we are abandoned, send us your peace.

When we are questioned, send us your peace.

When we have found you, send us your peace that we might recognize you and then sink into the serenity you have promised.

Amen.

A Favorite from February 2, 2009.

Image from: https://thebarkingfox.com/2015/11/23/the-most-interesting-thing-i-have-learned-this-month/

July 29, 2023

1 John 4:1, 1 Thessalonians 5:21, 2 Corinthians 8:8, Galatians 13:5, Galatians 6:4, Romans 12:2, testing the spirits

Matthew 21:23-27: Authority Questioned

Matthew 21:23-27: Authority Questioned

Monday, December 12, 2022

*James Tissot: Authority of Jesus Questioned*

I suppose it is natural that after we reflect on God as the lover and the most excellent promise he offers, it is appropriate to pause . . . that we might consider what authority supports these concepts. Several times Paul advises that we test the spirit (Romans 12:2, 2 Corinthians 8:8, 13:5, Galatians 6:4, 1 Thessalonians 5:21) to see that we are acting in accord with God’s will as opposed to having gone off on a private agenda of our own. We are not testing God in these cases; rather, we examine our own understanding of what we believe to be God’s word to us.

John recommends that we test ourselves: Beloved, do not trust every spirit but test the spirits to see whether they belong to God, because many false prophets have gone into the world. (1 4:1)

But what we see in today’s reading is not an attempt on the part of the Pharisees and scribes to discover Jesus’ authenticity as the word of God. What we see is their desire to gain any information that might silence him, any words with which to catch him, to trip him up.

I love the way that Jesus’ replies to their cagey questions with questions of his own that go to the heart of their envy, greed and deception. He knows that they fear losing temple tax, power and recognition. Jesus does not answer their questions nor do they persist; because Jesus has made their dark motives evident through his own patient persevering dialog.

We ourselves are sometimes questioned by people who have ulterior motives and so we might think of these interrogations of Christ as his own demonstration of how to handle one’s self when under fire. This questioning or testing need not be a bad experience, if we remember to speak from the truth we have funded in ourselves through our endless search for God. For when we are questioned, we find; when we are interrogated, we have the opportunity to encounter God.

And so we pray: Heavenly Father, bring us the patience, the wisdom and the serenity to answer the questions put to us from those who test the authority on which we stand. Help us to test ourselves to see if the spirit we follow is yours. Help us to seek Christ through scripture and through our daily conversations with you so that we will not be lacking when we are put to the test. We know that when we empty ourselves of our daily worries, we leave room for you to enter and act.

When we are anxious, send us your peace.

When we are threatened, send us your peace.

When we are fearful, send us your peace.

When we stand alone, send us your peace.

When we are sorrowful, send us your peace.

When we are abandoned, send us your peace.

When we are questioned, send us your peace.

When we have found you, send us your peace that we might recognize you and sink into the serenity you have promised.

Amen.

Images from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Authority_of_Jesus_questioned and https://worthy-woman.com/2019/04/02/by-what-authority-do-we-act/

December 12, 2022

1 John 4:1, 1 Thessalonians 5:21, 13:5, 2 Corinthians 8:8, authenticity, Galatians 6:4, Pharisees and scribes, Romans 12:2, testing

Jeremiah 6: The Tester

Sunday, July 25, 2021

Jeremiah 6

The Tester

The prophet Jeremiah warns his own people and he warns us that a time of examination will come upon us. This is a certainty. The uncertainty is this: Will we endure? We may question, we may wonder and we may seek and we will be tested. The many trials we undergo comprise our suffering and for this we must not be angry. Nor ought we to test the Lord ourselves, as Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 10:9: We should not test the Lord.

Jeremiah 6:27 – A tester among my people I have appointed you, to search and test their way.

Romans 12:2 – Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve of what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will.

1 Corinthians 3:13 – The fire [of the Day of Christ’s coming] will test the quality of each man’s work.

2 Corinthians 13:5-6 – Examine yourselves to see whether you are in faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you – unless, of course, you fail the test? And I trust you will discover that we have not failed the test.

Galatians 6:4 – Each one should test his own actions. Then he can take pride in himself without comparing himself to somebody else, for each one should carry his own load.

1 Thessalonians 5:21-22 – Test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil.

James 1:12 – Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.

1 John 4:1 – Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.

Revelation 3:10 – Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole world to test those who live on earth.

The Tester is coming so we will want to test ourselves and we will want to determine our personal creed so that we know it by heart. We will want to adhere to what is good and to avoid evil. We will beware of false teachers. We will examine the quality of our own work to see where it is wanting and we will refrain from judging the work of others. We will be persistent and patient as we endeavor to be perfect in our persistence to model Jesus. We will pray for ourselves and others, especially our enemies. We will love what is good. We will spend time with the prophets and the word to see what we might learn for in this is wisdom. In this is our own salvation and the salvation of many.

A Favorite from June 6, 2010.

Image from: http://www.powerpointapologist.org/series_creed.html and http://gloria-deo.blogspot.com/2013/05/need-creed.html

July 25, 2021

1 Corinthians 3:13, 1 John 4:1, 1 Thessalonians 5:21-22, 2 Corinthians 13:5-6, Galatians 6:4, James 1:12, Jeremiah 6:27, Revelation 3:10, Romans 12:2

Sirach 11:29-34: Guests and Strangers

Sirach 11:29-34: Guests and Strangers – Care in Choosing Friends

Thursday, November 28, 2019

The Biblia de América which I have been using as a resource lately, names this citation differently from our NAB as we can see from the title above. In addition, it has references to Proverbs 1:10-16, 5:10 and 6:1 for this citation which, if you have time to look at them, will add some depth to today’s reading. The footnotes in this same Biblia remind us that sowers of discord are to be avoided at all cost, as their deceits create structures of illusion – they are the people of the darkness, people of deception and lies . . . with a spark he sets many coals afire.

I am thinking of a counterpoint to this image. I am remembering the description of the souls of the just from this past Sunday’s first reading. These souls are in the hand of God, and no torment shall touch them. They seemed in the view of the foolish to be dead; and their passing away was thought an affliction and their going forth from us, utter destruction. But they are in peace. For if before men they be punished, yet is their hope full of immortality; chastised a little, they shall be greatly blessed, because God tried them and found them worthy of himself. As gold in the furnace, he proved them, and as sacrificial offerings he took them to himself. In the time of their visitation they shall shine, and shall dart about as sparks through stubble; they shall judge the nations and rule over peoples, and the Lord shall be their king forever. Those who trust in him shall understand truth, and the faithful shall abide with him in love: because grace and mercy are with his holy ones, and his care is with his elect. (Wisdom 3:1-9) [My bold font.]

This is not a call to exclusivity; rather, it is a call to universality. It is a universal invitation to openness, to mercy, to fidelity, to love. We are each invited to lead lives worthy of the creator – honest and compassionate lives, faithful and constant lives, forgiving and loving lives. Ardent lives which burn with the fire of Christ’s love.

It is also a call which carries with it a degree of heat – the fire of the gold smith’s forge – but we ought not fear this furnace. It is the crucible of life with which God prunes and disciplines us . . . for when we are tried and tested, so then are we proved. And when we are proved we are graced. When we are graced we are holy.

There is a clear choice before us: we may become like the sparks which set many tongues wagging and many hearts gossiping. Or we may be the spark which sets souls ablaze with the fire and love of Christ.

We must take care in choosing our associates and friends for they are either strangers, sowers of discord who are to be avoided; or they are guests who are soul mates to be welcomed into our hearts.

St. Paul tells us (Romans 12:2, 1 Thessalonians 5:1, Galatians 6:4, 2 Corinthians 13:5) that we are to test the spirit for this is how we will find if travelers are either the tinder of deceit . . . or the kindling of the Pentecost.

LA BIBLIA DE LA AMÉRICA. 8th. Madrid: La Casa de la Biblia, 1994. Print.

Written on November 6, 2008 and posted today as a Favorite.

November 28, 2019

1 Thessalonians 5:1, 2 Corinthians 13:5, deceit, fire, Galatians 6:4, Pentecost, Proverbs 1:10-16; 5:10; 6:1, Romans 12:2, souls of the just, sparks, universality, Wisdom 3:1-9

Tag: Galatians 6:4

Matthew 21:23-27: Authority Questioned

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Matthew 21:23-27: Authority Questioned

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Jeremiah 6: The Tester

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Sirach 11:29-34: Guests and Strangers

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