Peter Misselbrook's Blog

Jan 25 2020 - Luke 11:37-12:7 – Good looking Christians

In the closing verses of Luke 11, Jesus utters a series of woes against the Pharisees and teachers of the law. They like to put on a good outward show of piety while inwardly they are full of corruption. They are hypocrites, play-actors, those who pretend to be something they are not. Jesus challenges them saying, “You foolish people! Did not the one who made the outside make the inside also?” (Luke 11:40). God is not satisfied with an outward show; he sees right into the heart.

Later, Jesus says to his disciples, "Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy" (12:1). This kind of behaviour is catching; it easily infects us.

It is natural for us to imitate the behaviour of others. God made us that way for good reasons; it’s one of the most important ways in which we learn. We imitate others from our earliest years. A baby learns to clap by watching us and imitating our clapping. Young children learn to speak by imitating the sounds we make. Later, our children learn to pray by hearing us pray. Behaviour is easily imitated. But as we grow up we can continue to behave in the way that is expected of us even when our heart is no longer in it. Our behaviour then becomes pretence. We can carry on attending church and even singing along with others long after we have ceased to worship.

There is an element of the hypocrite in all of us: we want to present our best face to those around us; there are things going on in our hearts and minds that we keep well-hidden and are glad that no-one else can see. We fear the moment when the mask may slip and we betray what we are truly like.

A while ago, Jimmy Savile was much in the news. His public face as a light hearted TV personality, eager to raise money for charity and to fix up opportunities for children had been shown up to be just that – a public face. Underneath there was a dark side of abuse and devotion to satisfying his own desires. His life turned out to be a sham. It has been a terrible illustration of Jesus’ words, “There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known.  What you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight, and what you have whispered in the ear in the inner rooms will be proclaimed from the roofs” (12:2-3).

It’s good to go through the actions of Bible reading, prayer and church attendance, but outward conformity is not enough. God looks for more than imitated behaviour; he looks at the heart.

The Christian life begins with the knowledge that nothing is hidden from God; he knows us fully and intimately. We need not and cannot pretend with him. He loves and accepts us as we are; but he does not intend to leave us as we are. He cares about us too much for that; “Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God… Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows” (12:6-7). His purpose is to transform us from the inside out; to give us a heart which is the reflection of his own heart. He who made the outside made the inside also. He does not want us simply to look the part; he wants us to be the people he created us to be.

Lord Jesus, I cannot act the part before you. You see right through me and know me as I really am. Show me my own heart and make me aware of those places where sin still skulks around within. Help me to root out all those things that displease you. Through your shed blood and risen power, make me clean from the inside. May my life shine with the beauty of your living presence for the glory of your name and the blessing of those whose lives I touch.

Jan 25 2019 - Genesis 31:1-7, 17-24, 43-55 – Jacob and his family leave Laban

Jacob proves a match for tricky uncle Laban. Laban had wanted to ensure that the best of the flock always belonged to him and that Jacob would only have the defective sheep and goats as his wages after the 14 years he had laboured for his two wives. But Jacob had managed the breeding programme so that the number of sheep and goats with black patches and stripes increased. His herd had grown at the expense of Laban's.

Laban had initially been pleased to have Jacob staying with him; his free labour would surely make Laban rich. But now the tables have been turned and Laban's sons begin to grumble about Jacob. It is time for Jacob to leave and so God tells him to "Go back to the land of your fathers and to your relatives, and I will be with you" (Genesis 31:3). When Jacob had fled Paddan Aram God had promised to watch over him and be with him; that promise is now echoed as Jacob gets ready to return.

Jacob, along with his wives, children, servants and livestock leaves Paddan Aram while Laban and his family are away shearing their sheep. Once again, "Jacob deceived Laban the Aramean." But as soon as Laban hears they have gone he comes racing after them – it’s a bit like a scene from a Western movie!

Laban might well have taken his daughters and their children back by force, but God appeared to him at night in a dream and warned him to do Jacob no harm. On leaving Canaan, God had promised Jacob, "I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying. Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south. All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring. I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you" (Genesis 28:13-15). God is faithful and will ensure that his promise does not fail. Not only will he ensure Jacob's safe return, he will also ensure that Jacob returns with the large family which is the firstfruits of his descendants which will be like the dust of the earth.

So when Laban meets up with Jacob, instead of starting a fight they make a covenant with one another. Together they set up a large rock as a pillar, surrounded and supported by a heap of stones. There they eat together as a sign of peace between them. And they call on God as a witness to the covenant promises they make to each other; Jacob will not again come past this pillar to enter Laban's territory and do him harm and Laban will not pass this pillar to enter Jacob's territory and do him harm. Having offered a sacrifice to God, Jacob and his family part from Laban never to see him again.

The contrast between this covenant and that which God has made with us in the Lord Jesus Christ could hardly be greater. Jacob and Laban make a covenant together promising to do no harm to each other. God has made a covenant with us in the Lord Jesus promising to bless us beyond our imagination despite our unworthiness. The covenant that Laban makes with Jacob ensures their separation. God's covenant with us in Christ brings us into fellowship with him and promises that he will live with us and we with him – nothing shall ever separate us from the love of God in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Father God, we thank you for the covenant promises that you have made to us in the Lord Jesus Christ. You promise to be with us, watch over us and to bring us safe to glory. You will not leave us or be satisfied until you have done all that you have promised. We rest in your faithful care and praise you for your goodness and grace.

Peter Misselbrook