Matthew 1

Posted on June 11, 2012 by Jason

Reading for Monday, June 11: Matthew 1

Matthew’s Gospel begins with the birth of Jesus, preceded by a typical Ancient Near-Eastern genealogy. While we’re tempted to skip through this list of names, this would’ve been very important in Matthew’s time (or else he wouldn’t have included it in his writing). He identifies Jesus as “the son of David, the son of Abraham” (v1), locating Jesus within the stream of Jewish history. For Matthew, it is impossible to dissociate Jesus from his particular Jewish heritage. This is important for modern readers to remember. Jesus isn’t an American; he isn’t an Anglo-Saxon; he isn’t middle class, he doesn’t live in the suburbs, he doesn’t drive an SUV. He’s the Jewish Messiah. Matthew won’t let us lose sight of this important detail. Jesus has a legal claim to the throne of Messiah by right of his lineage from David. He has a promissory claim to the people of faith by right of his lineage from Abraham. This is the kind of Messiah Matthew writes about in his Gospel.

What is striking about the genealogy Matthew records is the inclusion of five women. This was not a common practice; genealogies were typically reserved for the names of the patriarchs, the prominent men in a person’s family line. But these inclusion of these women in the genealogy of Jesus indicate a deeply significant theological point rife with Gospel. We find Tamar (v3), the daughter-in-law of Judah who takes matters into her own hands in one of the most scandalous passages in the Old Testament (Genesis 38). We find Rahab (v5), the Canaanite prostitute. We find Ruth (v5), the faithful widow redeemed by Boaz. We find Bathsheeba, listed only as “the wife of Uriah” (v6), in yet another scandalous moment from Hebrew history. Finally, we see Mary, the virgin, the improbable mother of Jesus (v16). In the stories of these women, we find some of the best and worst of humanity. We see women who have been forgotten and mistreated, objectified by the men in their lives. We find women of questionable character, taking great risks to secure their position, even their very lives at times. And we find women of great faith, women who look beyond their circumstances to a God of covenantal loyalty and abiding promises. No, the inclusion of these women’s names in the genealogy of Jesus says something about the kind of Messiah that is to come in the story. Jesus enters into human history — a history fraught with messiness and desperation and frailty and sin. These are precisely the kinds of conditions Jesus enters into on our behalf. He enters into OUR stories to render the possibility of salvation for the world. It is only by acknowledging this checkered and messy past that Jesus could possibly be Immanuel, God with us, God for us in spite of our brokenness. This is the foundational identity of Jesus that Matthew portrays in the opening credits of his Gospel.

A word is in order with regard to Joseph, Jesus’ earthly father. The text says he was a “just man” (v19). The Hebrew word is “tzedakah”, meaning a righteous man, a man of integrity, committed to God as revealed in Torah. Joseph emerges as this kind of man, contrasting him with Judah and David and Solomon — men known for some of the more sordid episodes in the life of Israel. As a just man, Joseph seeks not to shame Mary, even though she has shamed him with what he believes to be an illegitimate pregnancy. This man of character and integrity is chosen as God’s steward for the life of his Son. As a father, I can’t imagine not being there for my children one day. It brings me great pain to think of someone else raising them in my stead. Yet, God carefully chooses Joseph, this “tzedakah”, as His proxy, a faithful steward over this most precious gift. Many often look to Mary and her significance in the life of Jesus. But we should also acknowledge the importance of Joseph as God’s righteous man, an embodiment of paternal love and mercy in the life of Jesus.

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God Has Been Gracious

Posted on June 10, 2012 by Jason

5 years ago, I had no idea what God was about to do.

Sure, I knew we were about to go to the hospital and that we’d be welcoming our youngest child, a son, into the world. But I had no way of knowing at that time just how God was intending to bless our lives with little Jackson Cash Bybee.

Sunny and I really wrestled with what to name our little guy. At first, we weren’t going to find out the sex of our child. Since we’d already received a little boy and a little girl from Him, we thought we’d be “surprised” with what we were pretty sure would be our final pregnancy. Some complications along the way pressed that decision and when the time came, we couldn’t resist. When the doctor told us that we were going to have a son, we started going through all of the names that we’d always kicked around. For a while, we thought we had a name picked out: Jacob. And in the early months, that’s what we called him. But after a while, we changed our minds and started exploring some other options. We were drawn to the Gospels as source material — primarily because we’d received “good news” with regard to an in-utero health scare with the baby. My favorite Gospel is Luke — I love his emphasis on Jesus’ reception of the outsider. So for a while, we talked about “Baby Luke” as well. And though the thought of being able to speak the famous Darth Vader line with integrity was compelling — “Luke, I am your father!” — in the end, we decided that wasn’t the direction we want to go, either.

A few weeks before delivery, my grandfather passed away. William Bybee was one of my heroes in the faith and one of the supreme honors of my life was the opportunity to preach his funeral. (I recorded my eulogy in its entirety here.) Sunny and I gave serious consideration to naming our son after Grandaddy. But in the end, we decided to go a different route.

Jackson Cash Bybee

One of the meanings of the name Jackson is “God has been gracious”. And this is the best expression of what this little guy means to me. He is pure grace, a rambunctious ball of energy and motion and blond hair. His smile lights up the room. You see his heart in all its purity when he prays. He is fiercely stubborn, fiercely determined, fully my son through and through. It takes a self-differentiated individual to grow up as the younger sibling of twins: the other two always have inside jokes, always have shared experiences to draw on. But Jack goes his own way, always quick to play along when he wants, but completely comfortable in his own skin, too. And he’s mischievous, no mistake about it. He comes by that pretty naturally, too. But more than anything, he is God’s unmerited favor to us. And I can do nothing but love him for it.

Jackson’s middle name is Cash, on the surface an homage to Johnny Cash. There’s a family resonance with Cash’s music that’s difficult for me to explain to those who don’t know me well…especially those who never knew my father. Suffice it to say, Cash has been the Bybee family bard for as long as I can remember. Sometimes I wonder how Jack will feel about his name when he gets older. Will he like it? Will he think it’s weird? But when it comes to etymology, the word itself means “peace”. There was a sense of completion, of wholeness, that Jackson’s birth signified in our home. This, too, was only the work of God. And that is what the child’s name means, what it represents. Jackson Cash, God’s gracious gift of peace and wholeness.

Jack, you’re turning five years old in just a few moments. I am thankful to be God’s steward of your precious life. You bring me such joy and you make me so proud. I’m proud of you in all your uniqueness. I’m proud of your intellect, your compassion, your daring character and your sense of identity. But I’m most proud to call you my son. May you never forget how special you are. God has only just begun His work in you, my special gift of grace and goodness.

I love you.

Dad

June 5, 2012

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James 5

Posted on June 7, 2012 by Jason

Reading for Friday, June 8: James 5

James continues his treatise on economy, this time turning to address the rich. His language is stunning, even biting, especially to American ears. What are we to make of his indictment? “Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you. Your riches have rotted…You have laid up treasure in the last days…You have lived on the earth in luxury and in self-indulgence.” (vv1, 2, 5).

At one level, we shouldn’t be quick to explain away these words. God may intend for them to strike us squarely, so we should be attentive to this. We live in the midst of great abundance. Our language of “economic downturn” is surely misunderstood by our global brothers and sisters in Christ, many of whom live in squalor. These words OUGHT to convict us, at one level, to examine our resources and how we deploy them, even how we think about them.

At another level, though, it is important to keep in mind the situation of the first century. There was no middle class to speak of: you were either rich or poor, often as the result of circumstance, same as today. But it seems that James is looking to these people of means who have truly found their treasure in their possessions, those who have mistreated their laborers, those who have oppressed the righteous. God’s Word to these is indeed harsh.

James encourages the church to remain steadfast in the faith, awaiting the coming of the Lord. On this day, all accounts will be settled. The way of faith is to persevere with the steadfastness of Job (v11).

In the meantime, we pray through suffering and sing through joy (v13). We touch the untouchable, the sick and bereaved in our midst (v14-15). And we confess our sins to one another, praying again for healing amid our brokenness (v16). James ends abruptly with a reminder of the role the Christian community plays in the life of her members, reaching out to bring lost ones back into the fold, saving souls from death (v20).

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Posted on June 7, 2012 by Jason

In light of what could be another Heat playoff failure coming to fruition tonight, I thought I’d repost my thoughts from last year on the Demonization of LeBron James. We’re seeing it repeat itself, aren’t we?

Jason's avataralready & not yet

Remember when LeBron James was dubbed the next “Mike”, the next “Magic”?

Remember when that infectious smile and explosive ability had everyone from Nike to Gatorade clamoring for him to represent their product?

Remember kids used to wear his jersey rather than burn them?

What happened?

Well, that’s an easy one. THE DECISION happened. He “took his talents down to South Beach.” That’s what happened. And when he and Bosh and Wade walked out together with all the smoke and pyrotechnics and bravado, NBA fans everywhere recoiled from the once loveable LeBron.

In short, LeBron became the enemy.

What happened this NBA playoffs was the galvanization of the rooting interests of pretty much the entire sporting nation against the Heat. Correction: we weren’t rooting against the Heat per se; we were actively rooting against LeBron. Quick: name one of your sports buddies who was actually hoping the Heat would win…

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James 4

Posted on June 7, 2012 by Jason

Reading for Thursday, June 7: James 4

At one level, James is an economist. He writes in James 4 about an economy of deficiency at work in each of us. The cause of our quarreling and bickering and warring — with ourselves and with others — comes from the deficient places of depravity within. “You desire, but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God,” (v2). James sees many of our problems as a symptom of something much deeper, a yearning for something truly satisfying. We covet because of our inner jealousy; we slander because we measure ourselves to be lacking; we boast about tomorrow’s escapism because we secretly fear today’s poverty. Steeped in the wisdom of Solomon in Ecclesiastes, James turns us toward the source of true life, God Almighty, the one who graciously supplies all things we need, as Peter says, for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3). James’ response to all of this is simple and profound: Ask. Ask of God and be amazed at His provision. Sounds eerily similar to the prayer of Jesus: Give us this day our daily bread (Matt. 6).

In asking, we submit ourselves to the economy of God over against the malicious economies of the world and her empires. “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you.” (v7-8). Submission to God liberates us from friendship with the world and adulterous commiseration with the devil (v4). James calls us to wide open embrace of God’s promise to rush to us when we seek His nearness.

I can’t help but think of my friend, Corey, when I read James 4.8. Corey has long claimed this verse as his favorite, a source of life and hope amid life’s turbulence. Communion is this: to trust oneself to the God who seeks nearness with His Creation. Like the father in Jesus’ story in Luke 15, God rushes headlong to meet us, even when we are a long way from home. “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him,” (Luke 15:20).

May we participate in God’s great economy as those who invest in His life. May we commerce in humility, submission, obedience, and the wisdom that flows from heaven.

May the powers of hell be put on notice: we are the people who seek God, not mammon.

And may we feel the loving embrace and the warm kiss of our Father who makes bold and audacious promises to come near to us as we seek His nearness.

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James 3

Posted on June 6, 2012 by Jason

Reading for Wednesday, June 6: James 3

James continues to teach us the wisdom of God. In chapter 3, he has wise words regarding our speech. Just as a large beast can be controlled by a bit in the mouth, so too are we controlled by our speech. We think and act and live in language. Everything about our being is constituted by the words we learn and deploy. James doesn’t have kind things to say about the tongue: it is “a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body.” Obviously, James is using words to make his point, so this is no blanket condemnation of speech. The Gospel comes to us through articulation and we are spiritually formed by the encouragement and rebuke we receive from God — in His Word and by trusted companions along the Way.

Instead, James nudges us toward Gospel-formed speech. Too often, we are “double-tongued”, using our speech to simultaneously bless and curse (v10). We would do well to examine our speech for flippant and careless expression. Slander, gossip, racial slurs, off-color jokes…these are the kinds of things James warns us about.

In the last part of the chapter, James returns to the broader discussion of wisdom, imploring us to seek the wisdom of God, coming down from heaven. Rather than give in to earthy, unspiritual wisdom, we look to the wisdom of God and it’s abundant qualities: “But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.”

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James 2

Posted on June 5, 2012 by Jason

Reading for Tuesday, June 5: James 2

James helps to fit us with the proper lenses we need to see clearly. This stands behind the command against showing favoritism. Things aren’t always as they seem. “Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him?” (v6). We see as God sees, first with regard to ourselves, then others. Though we may seem insignificant in the eyes of the world — lacking in position, power, and prosperity — in God’s view, we are deemed worthy of a kingdom. In turn, we embrace an alternate vision, valuing people — all people: rich, poor, male, female, old, young — as God’s image-bearing creation, worthy of our love (v8), understanding that mercy triumphs over judgment (v13).

This conversation leads to one of James’ more well known positions: the relationship between faith and works. James’ obliterates the notion of a privitized, interior faith detached from the needs of the world. Even the demons give intellectual assent to Christ’s identity. Is not our faith more than this? James answers with an emphatic, “Yes!” “Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do,” (v18). Faith is “made complete” (v22) in obedient action. Abraham offers Isaac; Rahab offers hospitality; we offer clothing and bread to the poor. Each of these narratives of faith is inextricably linked by intentional action. This is the work of spiritual formation, the complete work of faith.

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James 1

Posted on June 4, 2012 by Jason

Reading for Monday, June 4: James 1

We now turn to the writing of James, the oldest brother of Jesus. James writes perhaps the most practical letter in the NT, addressed to “the twelve tribes scattered among the nations,” (v1), a reference to the Christians dispersed by the persecution mentioned in Acts 8:1. James understands Christianity not as a “new” religion but as an extension of God’s covenant promises of the Old Covenant finding their ultimate fulfillment in the person of Jesus.

In these circumstances, James begins with an odd statement: “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds,” (v2). Christians can joyfully endure hardship because this is the narrative that gives meaning to our existence. Jesus Himself “for the joy set before Him endured the cross,” (Heb. 12:2), giving us an example for dealing with our own adversity.

From there, James covers a variety of practical topics: perseverance, wisdom, faith, humility. James understands the Christian life as one fraught with challenges: temptation (v13) and deception (v16) are ever-present. But God is not the source of these. Instead, He stands as “the Father of the heavenly lights,” (v17) imparting gifts, giving us birth through the truth of His holy word (v18).

James reads like a repository of lived-in wisdom. “Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry,” (v19). “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says,” (v22). “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world,” (v27). James advocates proper action and warns against improper action. In situations where anger is the natural reaction, James teaches restraint. When we’re tempted to pop off at the mouth, James puts up the stop sign (v26). But in circumstances that require godly action, James says “Roll up your sleeves and get to work.”  Care for the defenseless — widows and orphans — is the kind of religion that pleases God.

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3 John

Posted on June 4, 2012 by Jason

Reading for Friday, June 1: 3 John

John’s final NT epistle is addressed to an individual, Gaius, a close friend and dear brother to the apostle. John writes to encourage Gaius in his work on behalf of the Gospel. John expresses his pleasure in the good report about Gaius’ health, but more importantly, his continued faithfulness (v2-3). Hospitality emerges as another Kingdom value demonstrated by the covenant community as we assist one another toward our common cause: “We ought therefore to show hospitality to such men that we may work together for the truth,” (v8).

John also writes to condemn the work of Diotrephes, whose malicious behavior is lacking in love. Presumably writing toward the end of his life, John assumes the role of “the elder” (v1), rebuking those who are sowing discord in the Body. This is the work of shepherding, but it is a work that we are all called to participate in (see Jesus in Matt. 18). All of this is rooted in love, the hallmark quality of the Christian church.

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2 John

Posted on June 4, 2012 by Jason

Reading for Thursday, May 31: 2 John

John writes this short epistle with many of his favorite themes in mind: the command to love one another, to live in obedience as an extension of this love, and to remain on guard against those influences that would seek to corrupt the simplicity of the Gospel of Jesus. But John addresses his reader with a tender moniker: “To the chosen lady,” (v1). John understands the gracious choice of God as proof of His self-giving love on our behalf. Remember, this is the same disciple who refers to himself only as “the disciple whom Jesus loved.” The idea of being God’s “chosen” has long troubled the people of God. Israel wrestled with their election, believing God had chosen them because they were His favorite, His treasured possession among the nations. Yet, God never intended for Israel to relish this chosen status; instead, His desire was for Israel to be a light to the Gentiles, prompting their understanding of His desire for relationship with them (Isa. 49:6, among other OT texts). Likewise, believers today want to exalt their chosen status as proof of their uber-spirituality. And yet, the Bible is clear: God has made His choice on our behalf in Christ Jesus. Now the choice is ours: will we willfully choose to find life in Christ or will we foolishly seek to find meaning elsewhere?

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