Who Is Jesus? part 6: Jesus is a Trustworthy Lord

This blog post will cover Luke 7:1 through 9:50.

Jesus is bringing something new; it's not a patch job; it's not something new hidden inside an old wineskin. It's not a façade of saying the right words to Him, but trusting what He says and doing what He says. Calling Him Lord, and acting like He is Lord are not the same thing. In this next section, Luke contrasts those who actually trusted Jesus and those who just wanted to butter Him up to gain their own advantage. 

Those who trust Jesus understand His authority 7:1-17

The centurion was not consumed by his own power. He cared about his slave who was ill. Even though the people thought the centurion deserved this favor for the slave because he built a synagogue for them, the centurion does not see himself as worthy for Jesus to come into his house, or even come to see Him. He understood enough about Jesus that he trusted that He could just speak and his slave would be healed. 

Jesus marveled at his faith. True faith in the Bible is more than just "believing" something like we use that word today. True faith is trusting. Jesus said the centurion had a type of faith that He had not encountered in all of Israel. He recognized and trusted His authority.   

In the next scene, Jesus exerts His authority over death. Unlike earlier in Luke, Jesus has become more open about his healing ministry, and wants people to know who He is. He is giving people a choice whether to put their trust in Him or not. The divide between those who believe in Him and those who are just playing games will get wider and wider.

Those who trust Jesus are the "children of wisdom" 7:18-35   

Circumstances in life can shake our faith. John the Baptist was most likely in prison at this point, so it is only natural he would have doubts. "If Jesus is the Messiah, why am I still here?" Jesus points to the evidence: the miracles, and the Gospel being proclaimed to the poor. Jesus is using His authority to proclaim mercy and forgiveness to those who need it most, and is backing His claims with miraculous healings. "Don't stop trusting me now." (vs.23) 

Jesus turns to the crowd and tells then in effect that John the Baptist was the greatest prophet ever. But there is something better coming in the kingdom. Those who had believed John were now beginning to follow Jesus; those who didn't believe John were now beginning to reject Jesus. The divide will keep growing. Jesus compares those who rejected both John the Baptist and Jesus as children playing a game (vs32 NIV):

We played the pipe for you,

     and you did not dance;

we sang a dirge,

    and you did not cry.

As we saw back in chapter 5, there are appropriate times for feasting and appropriate times of fasting. Wisdom is the ability to know what is appropriate for each situation as it comes along. The "children of Wisdom" understood why it was appropriate for John the Baptist to fast, and for Jesus to eat and drink. We need to recognize what type of music God is playing. 

Those who trust Jesus are grateful for forgiveness 7:36-50   

The "Pharisees and experts in the law" (vs. 30NIV) were tone deaf to what God was doing. They certainly could not understand the forgiveness and mercy being offered to the so-called "sinners." It is not stated why the Pharisee invited Jesus to dinner. Whether it was because he just wanted to keep an eye on Him, or he was just trying to take advantage of Jesus' popularity, it is obvious the Pharisee did not trust Him or even bestow customary honors on Him that were fitting for guests of His caliber: no water to wash His feet, not customary kiss to greet Him, no oil for His head. 

The Pharisee didn't trust Jesus because He couldn't possibly be a prophet and allow that "sinful" woman to touch Him. Those who trust their own righteousness have a tendency to be judgmental. Jesus, on the other hand, freely forgave, and those forgiven responded with a gratefulness the self-righteous could never understand. 

Those who trust Jesus are given more light 8:1-21

So, is Jesus playing games with people by teaching in parables? Is He purposefully keeping people in the dark? He tells His disciples that they are allowed to know the "secrets of the kingdom," but others are spoken to in parables so (vs 10 NIV)

though seeing, they may not see; 

though hearing, they may not understand.

First of all note that the disciples were also taught with parables. In this particular case they are given more information, but that is because they asked. Secondly, the reason people did not understand is not because there was something underhanded going on to keep them from the truth. The problem was not with the seed (the word), but with the ground. The farmer provided perfectly good seed, but not all the ground was prepared to receive it. 

Note also that Jesus is quoting from Isaiah 6. The following verse reads as follows in the Septuagint:  

This people’s heart has become calloused;
     they hardly hear with their ears,
     and they have closed their eyes

Again, the problem is not with what Isaiah was preaching, but with those who heard. God is not hiding the light inside a jar or under a bed. Unfortunately, sometimes those who claim Jesus to be their Lord obscure the light by presenting a distorted message or by not showing God's mercy and love by their lives. But whatever light we have been given we are responsible for. If we live up to the light we have, God will give us more. If we do not accept the light we are given, we will lose the light we think we have.

Those who hear Jesus and do what He says are given more truth, and a new relationship with Him. (19-21)

Trusting Jesus is the antidote to fear 8:22-56 

Sometimes we get in frightening situations when we don't listen to Jesus. But sometimes those situations come because we do exactly what He tells us to do. It was Jesus' idea to cross the lake that day. Whether the knowledge of the storm coming was given to Him beforehand we do not know. Whether the experienced fishermen had seen any signs of a storm brewing is not stated either. We do know from earlier passages that Jesus did have a history of following the Holy Spirit's leading, so the storm was not a sign from God they were doing something wrong.

It is amazing to me how often people who claim to know the scriptures point to calamities which happen and say that what happened was the wrath of God. AIDS was said to be God's wrath on the "sexually immoral." More recently, the fires in California were proclaimed as God's anger toward the supposed profane lifestyles of those in Hollywood and the liberal parts of the state. Those who were thought as unworthy in Israel because of their circumstances were looked down upon. Certainly there must have been some kind of despicable sin in their lives. 

But that is exactly the opposite of what Jesus taught. Luke reminds us over and over that calamities come so that God can show his mercy and love. He cares about what we are going through, even when it looks like He is asleep in the back of the boat. Jesus had dozed off, apparently so tired the storm didn't wake Him. But He is always more than capable of saving us through the circumstances of life, or providing peace when things continue to be dreadful. 

This time Jesus' calms the storm, even though the disciples are still filled with "fear and amazement" (vs. 25 NIV). He saves their lives, but their view of Him has been shaken. They had seen Him heal people and even raise people from the dead, but His mastery over Nature itself is unexpected. They are still learning who He is. 

The demons in the next passage know who Jesus is; at least they knew His rightful title was "Son of the Most High God." Their reaction to Him being there was similar to the reaction of the disciples after the storm: fear. They were afraid Jesus would torture them and send them to "the Abyss." It would take a study way beyond the scope of this blog to try to identify what "the Abyss" is, but suffice to say it is somewhere the demons do not want to go, and is somehow associated with torture. 

However, Jesus shows them mercy, and grants them their preference of going into the pigs. Stop. Read that sentence again. Jesus shows demons mercy. In a time when so many are so willing to not show mercy to human beings created in God's image, people need to read this passage over and over. Justice and restoration does not require torture, even of demons. And human beings, even one inconvenient man who frightened people because of his lot in life, are more important than pigs, even if they are part of someone's livelihood. The people of that region should have rejoiced that the demon-possessed man was now in his right mind, instead the reacted in (Here is that word again.) fear. 

Those who have yet to understand Jesus as they should react in fear. 

In the last portion of this chapter, people react in fear, even though Jesus intervenes in their lives. The woman with the bleeding problem is afraid of asking Jesus directly for healing. So she apparently just sneaks up to Him and touches His cloak. When she realizes she is going to be found out, she comes to Him trembling. Whatever her reason for wanting to be incognito, Jesus recognizes her faith, and tells her to go in peace. The more we know about Jesus, the more peace He gives us.

Jesus tells Jairus not to fear; his daughter would be healed, even though it looks like everything is lost. I love how practical Jesus is after He raises her back to life. He has just performed an astounding miracle, and he tells them to give her something to eat. We might not be able to perform a miracle like God can, but there is always something practical for us to do. 

Trusting Jesus leads to further responsibility 9:1-50 

True faith in scripture includes trust. If we trust Jesus, we will do what He says. When we do what He says, He gives us more light to respond to--more about Him that we are to trust--more truth that we are to act out on. Doing what He says leads us to understand more and more how trustworthy He is, which helps us to do what He says. When we continue to trust Him more, He gives us more responsibility. 

Learning by doing is not comfortable, because we often fail when we are trying to do something new. If we never get out of our comfort zone, we will never learn how to do anything. As the disciples start to go out on their own without Jesus beside them, they accomplish some amazing things, but they also fail at times.

The disciples are sent out to do the same things Jesus was doing--healing people and preaching about the kingdom of God. They had learned enough from Jesus to pass along the good news, and Jesus gave them the power to heal people. They are making such an impression that Herod is getting curious about Jesus. This will become important later.

Note that the disciples were not just going full steam all the time. They would report back to Jesus, and He would take them aside to hear what they had done and have a time to relax by themselves until the people found out where they were. Never forget to consistently take time to reflect and refresh yourself, no matter how urgent things seem to be.

In the next scene, the disciples are told to do the impossible. There is no hint of backtalk about how crazy an idea that was. They had come to trust Jesus enough to know He could do amazing things. They probably don't understand what was going to happen, but they know the best course of action was to be straight with Him and tell it like it is. Well, we have five loaves of bread and two fish. that's the good news. The bad news is we estimate there are about five thousand people. Do you have some way we could buy enough food for that kind of crowd?

Jesus has another idea. Rather then stretch thin the resources of those who have been providing for them (vss 2-3), this was a time for a miracle they apparently haven't seen before. Talk about stretching food on a budget! And they end up with much more food than they started with. 

If Peter hadn't been convinced before, he was now. Herod and others were confused about who Jesus  was, thinking He might be a resurrected prophet. But Peter knew; He was the Messiah. 

Peter had come to understand that Jesus was the Messiah, but Jesus tells the disciples not to tell anyone that. If this fact about Jesus was so important, why didn't He want them to tell everyone? Is Jesus trying to hide that light under a jar? No. It's because they weren't ready to accept the next truth about Him, even though He is going to tell them that truth right now. 

The disciples were still hung up on the theology of the day about what the Messiah would come to do. They believed the Messiah would come and defeat Rome by force. This is not how the kingdom is coming. Jesus didn't come to bring in the kingdom by force, but by love. But the world was still so unready for God's way of this happening, something dramatic was going to take place. In an ultimate display of His love for humanity, Jesus is going to allow Himself to be killed. His disciples are so sold on the false impression Israel had for the Messiah, they will not understand. Over and over Jesus will tell them what will happen, but they just don't get it. He doesn't want them to tell everyone He is the Messiah and then give them the wrong answer about what was coming!

The same false notion about the Messiah is prevalent today. Many who claim to follow Jesus believe He is going to return to this world to massacre most of it so justice can be done. I do not believe this is what the Bible teaches about God's justice. The Lion of Judah in Revelation never appears as a lion. Never. He appears as a slain lamb (chapter 5). He does not wield a sword in His hand; the sword imagery is coming out of His mouth. He defeats the enemy by what He says. (chapter 19) What are the words of Jesus but love and mercy? That is how Jesus defeats the beastly kingdom--this world's system, filled with war and hate, and replaces it with the kingdom of God, full of mercy and love. The iron "scepter" of Revelation 19:15 is actually the shepherd's rod, and the phrase is properly translated in many translations as "shepherd them with a rod of iron" rather than "rule them with an iron scepter." The rod refers to the same shepherd's rod David wrote about in Psalm 23. It is the system of the world that is being destroyed and devoured, not the people. Jesus is shepherding people back to Himself.

We are to follow Jesus' self-sacrificial example. We are to be willing to suffer persecution, even martyrdom, to show the world the love and mercy of God. 

When does the kingdom come? Look very closely at verse 27. Go ahead, read it. Read it again. How many people standing there have died. Jesus isn't playing some sematic game with us, or trying to trick us. He is telling them some of them would see the kingdom come. The only explanation is that the kingdom must have come in the first century AD. When? I think the passage tells us.  

Eight days later, Jesus goes up the mountain with Peter, John, and James. They see Jesus transfigured. Is this the coming of the kingdom of God? If Jesus was telling the truth, it has to be at least a partial fulfillment of what the coming of the kingdom is. Moses and Elijah are there, most certainly representing the Torah and the Prophets. They are talking about what Jesus was going to do in Jerusalem, but the subject is still so far beyond the three that they get drowsy. When they do wake back up, they see the vision, and Peter talks about building shelters for Jesus, Moses, and Elijah.

What Peter missed while he was drowsing off was that Jesus is going to accomplish something new. The Law and the Prophets were meant to lead to Jesus. The voice from Heaven leaves no doubt: "This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to Him." The importance of the Law and the Prophets are fading. Jesus is about to completely fulfill them. His words are now what is important--His message of mercy and love. Again, the disciples are told not to tell about this. They don't have a good enough grasp of it to share it with others.

The disciples are being given more responsibility, but there is a limitation to what they could do because they were stuck on the fact Jesus was going to bring in the kingdom in a different way than they thought. They had power over some demons, but now there is one they couldn't handle that Jesus had to cast out Himself. His words of frustration were because He knew the disciples were at a point where their faith was not able to grow much. He again tells them about His death, but they still can grasp what He is saying. 

The disciples are so stuck by not being able to take this next step of faith that they began arguing about who would be the greatest in the kingdom. They were still of the mindset that Jesus would do things the way the world does it. Those who want to get ahead must jockey for position. But that's not how God's kingdom works. The kingdom is not about gaining power so people will treat you with favoritism; it is about lifting up a child and others who seem unimportant. Not vying for position, but making room for the underprivileged to succeed. 

The disciples also were also becoming jealous of others who were able to do things they were failing at. That's what happens when you reject Jesus' way of love and mercy. You begin to make everything a competition about who is the best and who doesn't belong. Mercy and compassion can easily give way to competition and exclusivity. 

Who Is Jesus? part 5: The Called and the Blessed

 

Who is this Jesus? We have seen He was regarded as the son of Joseph, but God the Father keeps telling us He is His Son. He didn't come to be just a carpenter, but to do the works of His Father. The works involved performing miracles. However, the purpose of the miracles was not to make Himself popular, but to demonstrate the mercy and love of God, showing the time of Redemption--The Jubilee--has come, when all debts are forgiven. The healings demonstrated that God has forgiven their sins. 

Now Jesus is going to show more about Himself by choosing Disciples, and talking about a new way of doing things. We have already seen a glimpse of this in how women are portrayed in the Gospel. He is already stirring things up by telling the people in His hometown that they were like their ancestors who rejected Elijah and Elisha's message from God. He is also beginning to assert His authority over the Jewish leaders. He refuses to make a hostile takeover by force. His method is love and forgiveness, offering the common people compassion and mercy. He is by no means a milquetoast, a whimp, or a delicate snowflake. He was more than willing to speak up to the leadership of the day who were addicted to religious and political power, and harshly treated people. 

What will this new way look like? What is this Kingdom of God He has been preaching about? Luke 5:27 through 6: 49 tells us more.

The Kingdom is not for the "Righteous" 5:27-32

We have already seen Jesus call four fishermen to be His Disciples. This just was not how Rabbis did it. You didn't call someone who worked a stinky job like that, who was obviously not a scholar. Simon even admits he is a "sinful man." exactly what Jesus is looking for. What is He doing?

Now Jesus approaches someone from the most despised business of all. Tax collectors were considered traitors. No one likes taxes, but when you are required to pay them to enemy invaders, that's even worse. Add to that that the tax collectors were known for their unfairness, extracting more revenue from the people than required in order to line their own pockets. You really want this guy, Jesus?

The Pharisees were quick to question Jesus hanging out with "tax collectors and sinners." Jesus reply was that He didn't come to heal healthy people or call for the righteous to repent. There is an undertone to what Jesus was saying that the Pharisees may or may not have missed. He was basically saying, "Why would I hang out with you? You think you're healthy and righteous already." This would not be the last time Jesus called out the Pharisees for their arrogance, and the insults will get much more explicate. 

The Kingdom is not a patch job 5:32-39

Within Christian circles, I often see one set of believers criticizing another for differences in how they practice various rituals. This season of the year, many observe Lent by fasting on certain days, or giving up doing or eating certain things. I definitely don't see anything wrong with that, even though I come from a non-liturgical background. The important part, I think, is doing it with the proper attitude toward God, and toward those who don't follow the same "rules" as you do. 

“One of the marks of a certain type of bad man is that he cannot give up a thing himself without wanting every one else to give it up. That is not the Christian way. An individual Christian may see fit to give up all sorts of things for special reasons--marriage, or meat, or beer, or the cinema; but the moment he starts saying the things are bad in themselves, or looking down his nose at other people who do use them, he has taken the wrong turning.”

― C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

We have a tendency to look at fellow Christians and judge people for not being as outwardly devote as we are. I gave up "such and such" for God; they should have to, too. It is the same kind of jealousy the elder brother had for the prodigal. (Luke 15) "I did all this extra work while my brother was off enjoying himself, and what did I get for it?" There is also a nostalgic element involved, or "We never did it that way before," or "I like the old wine better (even though I haven't even tasted the new wine)."

Each situation calls for something different. It was not appropriate for the Disciples to fast at that time; they would fast when He was gone. But also notice that Jesus is hinting beyond the question of fasting. He is saying that something new is coming which will not just be a patch over the old, but a whole new garment. The Gospel of the Kingdom is not just some patches to cover a few holes that have become evident with the old garment; that would not work, and would ruin the new. The new garment fulfills the requirements of the old worn out garment, and replaces it. (See Romans 8:4.)   

The Kingdom establishes a new relationship with work 6:1-11

The next scene reminds me of some Hobbits traipsing through Farmer Maggot's fields and stealing some of his crops. But that is not what is happening here. Whoever was in charge of that field was apparently following the law that made provision for the poor.

“When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest.  Do not go over your vineyard a second time or pick up the grapes that have fallen. Leave them for the poor and the foreigner. I am the Lord your God. (Lev 19:9-10).”

 

There was nothing unlawful about gleaning from the fields, and Jesus and His Disciples were happy to take advantage of this. There are many different ways that a government can provide food for the poor. In the United States, the Agriculture Department administers the SNAP and other programs. My wife and family and I benefitted from these programs when our children were very young. We also took advantage of private food banks from time to time. 

Jesus was not breaking any laws by gleaning, but the Pharisees still tried to put a stop to what they were doing. The Pharisee had a long list of what was considered work you could not do on the Sabbath, and gleaning was on the list. Talk about your red tape to try to get a bit of legitimate help!

But Jesus answers them that there was a higher authority than their traditions, and He was it. He is the Lord of the Sabbath, and He decides what work can be done on that day. The Sabbath was made for the benefit of people (Mark 2:27). It wasn't made so the leadership could come up with a set of rules to make it harder for people to live. Jesus also gives an interesting history lesson which affects the applicability of laws. Old Testament laws were not meant to be a list of do's and don'ts that applied to every situation. The law stated that only the priests were allowed to eat the consecrated bread. Yet, David and his companions ate it. Exceptions to the rules--the law--could be made under certain circumstances. What's more important? The law that requires that only priests could eat the bread, or the needs of those who are famished? The law of love always trumps any other law. Always.

Which leads us to the next scene. Here are those pesky Pharisees again. They are just waiting to have a chance to find Jesus doing something wrong. They bring along their mental list of Sabbath no-no's, including the one about healing on the Sabbath. Jesus knows their intentions, and asks, "which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy it?” (verse 9) I am imagining Him staring down each and every one of the Pharisees and daring them to answer. But they knew Jesus had the upper hand. They knew He was right, but they still were angry when the man's hand was restored. Their power was more important than the welfare of the man with the shriveled hand. 

The Kingdom includes diversity 6:12-16

Talk about inclusion and diversity! Jesus pulls together an amusing assortment of protégés to teach. These are to be the Apostles--the ones He's going to give authority to? Who are these guys?

• Four fishermen: Simon Peter, Andrew, James, John
• Two more Hicks from Galilee: Philip and Bartholomew 
• A tax collector: Matthew (apparently the one also called Levi)
• Three we know very little about: Thomas, James the son of Alpheaus, Judas (called Thaddeus elsewhere) son (or brother) of James
• A Zealot, from a sect which sought to overthrow Rome: The other Simon
• The traitor: Judas Iscariot

This is not a list any Rabbi except Jesus would have chosen. At least Judas was good with money... oh, wait. Okay, Simon the Zealot might be good in a fight... oh, wait. Okay there's Matthew: he ought to be accepted readily into the group... oh, wait. Seriously, I wonder how many squabbles Jesus had to settle along the way.  But this is the group He chose. 

The Kingdom has a new standard 6:17-49

The scene here is often referred to as The Sermon on the Plain to differentiate it from The Sermon on the Mount in Matthew. A large crowd of people gathered, and they were apparently not all Jews. The text specifically mentions people from Tyre and Sidon. This reminds me of the passages in Deuteronomy 27 and Joshua 8 which describes the reaffirmation of the Sinai Covenant after the people enter the land. Joshua 8:33 specifically mentions that there were foreigners living among the Israelites who were present. 

In Joshua 8, the whole nation was gathered in the valley of Shechem where the tabernacle was being set up until it would get a more permanent home in Jerusalem. Four of the tribes stood before Mount Gerizim representing the blessings of the covenant; the other four stood before Mount Ebal representing the curses in the covenant. Joshua says all the law of Moses was read to the people at that time.

Jesus was inaugurating at new covenant. It is much shorter, and the blessings and curses (woes) are not based on following the minutia of the Mosaic Law, but on the law of love. Jesus offers mercy and justice to those who the system had said were the ones on the outside. Their lot in life (according to the system) showed they must not be worthy of God's blessing. On the other hand, He pronounces woes on those who thought they had God's blessing now because of their positive circumstances, but would eventually find themselves of the other side.

The poetry uses repetition and symmetry, but loses some of its symmetry at the end. If we put the repeated ideas together, it helps us understand what Jesus is getting at. (From the NIV)

Blessed are you who are poor,                        But woe to you who are rich,
    for yours is the kingdom of God.       for you have already received your comfort.

Blessed are you who hunger now,             Woe to you who are well fed now,                for you will be satisfied.                                for you will go hungry.

Blessed are you who weep now,                Woe to you who laugh now,
    for you will laugh.                                        for you will mourn and weep.

Blessed are you when people hate you,    Woe to you when everyone speaks
    when they exclude you and insult you        well of you
    and reject your name as evil,                        
        because of the Son of Man.

Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, 

because great is your reward in heaven. 

For that is how their ancestors                    for that is how their ancestors

treated the prophets.                                    treated the false prophets.

Israel had a history of treating false prophets well, because they told them what they wanted to hear. They also had a history of persecuting the true prophets, because they didn't like what they had to say. The people of The Kingdom know how to wait. They know their reward is in heaven. That doesn't mean that their reward is all in the future. Those in God's Kingdom are able to rejoice even while they are being hated, excluded, insulted, and called evil if it's because of Jesus. We should not rejoice, thinking we are being persecuted for the sake of Jesus, if we are just being obnoxious, uncaring, selfish, or butting in to people's business. (See 1 Peter 4:15. That's a whole sermon in itself!) 

If we are being persecuted because of Jesus, it will be because we are are following His way of love. This goes way beyond just loving people who are nice to us. We are to do good things to people who hate us. There are those who interpret the response to the slap on the cheek and the extra mile as ways of shaming those who take advantage of us. It is sometimes interpreted as a call for "audacious civil disobedience." However these ideas are meant, the whole tenor of Jesus argument is an attitude of love. Treat other as we would like them to treat us. I can see how it could be argued that we would want to be treated that way if we were so out of line like the perpetrators in Jesus' examples. But we need to be careful not to indulge in a smug attitude that says, "Well, I showed them, didn't I?" 

A corollary to loving our enemies is not judging. This is perhaps the hardest teaching of Jesus to follow. It is so easy to criticize others while letting ourselves slide. Being non-judgmental does not mean that we close our eyes to evil. Jesus didn't come to condemn, but He sure was upfront about calling out evil. There is a difference. Jesus treated people with compassion and understanding. He didn't put up with sin, but He recognized that what the leadership was calling sin was not always really sin. And He freely offered forgiveness.

Jesus was the only One who did not have His vision impaired with objects in His eyes. We need to remember we are not Him, which calls for us to examine our own imperfections and motives before attacking others. (I know that pokes me in the eye.) I am not calling for us to constantly browbeat ourselves. Finding fault with ourselves to the point we become nonfunctional is not what Jesus intended, and ignores His grace and mercy. 

Being nonjudgmental does not men we should not be discerning. Eating from the wrong tree can kill us. Fortunately there are signs which indicate what type of tree we are looking at. I am not a mushroom hunter, but those who are had better know the difference between species. "The mouth speaks what the heart is full of." If you have a discerning heart, you can know the basic character of a person by how they talk. Are they speaking words of compassion and encouragement, or are they spewing hate and judgment? 

Finally, those in the Kingdom are not those who just call Jesus Lord, but those who do what He says. Putting His words into action is like building a house on a firm foundation. Those who hear but don't put His words into practice are like a house built on sand. If the foundation isn't love, the house will collapse in hard times. If you are building your life on love, it with weather the storm.   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Who Is Jesus? part 4: Forgiveness over Fame, Mercy over Might

 

Please read Luke 4:1 through 5:26. Or you can just read the shorter passages before each section.

It's not about self-serving power 4:1-13

The first thing I notice about this passage is that Jesus is filled with the Holy Spirit, and led by by Him into the wilderness. Everything Jesus did was apparently under the direction of the other two Members of the Godhead. In chapter five of John's Gospel, Jesus asserted that everything He did was under the direction of the Father. He is God, but, as Paul tells us, He did not insist on using the power of God for Himself (Philippians 2:6-7). 

• He refused to use His powers for His own needs. Although he would provide bread on at least two occasions for the crowds, He refused to use His power to feed Himself. 
• He refused to make a deal with the devil in order to control the world. God's method for bringing us back into His kingdom is not by force or coercion. He wants to restore the cosmos to Himself through mercy and love. Since He is the Root of Jesse and the Lion of Judah, He has the right to rule. However, instead of taking the world by force like a lion, He conquers it by demonstrating His love for us as the slain Lamb (Revelation 5). 
• He refused to use His power as a way to impress people. Later in this blog post, we will see that the use of His power was not a way to gain a following, but a way to show God's forgiveness.

It's not about overcoming hometown prejudices 4:14-30

After the temptations, Jesus begins to travel around to the villages in the area. Again, Luke says the the Holy Spirit is involved. What He is doing involved the "power" of the Spirit. It would be easy to assume the "power" Luke is referring to has to do with the ability to do miracles, but that does not seem to be what is being emphasized. Luke would again reference the "power" of the Spirit when he quotes Jesus' words to His disciples after the resurrection: "... you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." (Acts 1:8) 

While the beginnings of Jesus' ministry did include miracles, the emphasis was always on His teaching. "I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent." (4:43) 

Jesus now returns to His hometown and gets up to speak in the synagogue. His scripture choice is Isaiah 61:1-2, and Luke gives us the passage from the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the day. 

“The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
    because he has anointed me
    to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
    and recovery of sight for the blind,
to set the oppressed free,
     to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” (18-19 NIV)

But Jesus cut off the passage in mid sentence and rolls up the scroll. The next phrase is very significant: "...and the day of vengeance..."  The common belief of the Jews at this time was that the Messiah was going to bring vengeance upon the enemies of Israel. But Jesus had a different message. 

"The year of the Lord's favor" is a reference to the Old Testament Jubilee. It was a time when all debts were forgiven and land returned to the original owner. Again there is a reference to the Holy Spirit. Luke does not want us to miss it. The good news of the kingdom was about hope for the poor, the prisoner, the disabled, and the oppressed. In the first century, there was no hope for those Jesus would describe as "the least of these" in Luke 10. Those who were the unfortunate of society were looked down upon by a religious system that viewed them as less than worthy. Their circumstances were seen as evidence they were sinners, unworthy of being helped. But Jesus came to proclaim that they were forgiven; God is declaring that their debt is paid. 

At this point, the crowd is all for Jesus' message. They are "amazed at the gracious words." (vs. 22) But Jesus knew what they were saying amongst themselves. They were ready for the Messiah to bring in a time of Jubilee. But certainly the rumors going around that He could be the Messiah couldn't be true. We watched this kid grow up. He's just a carpenter's son.  

Despite the positive things the people of His hometown were saying, Jesus is about to incense the crowd... and I don't mean He was about to release a pleasant sent. He knows what they are looking for. They want to see the show. They had heard rumors about what He had done in Capernaum. They don't want to hear His message. They want to be entertained. If they can see a couple miracles, maybe then they could believe He has the power to get rid of the nasty foreigners around them. 

I have often wondered why Jesus quotes the proverb, "Physician, heal yourself!" The best answer I've seen on that is that even those who were starting to believe thought Jesus had a image problem. He needed to do something drastic to heal His reputation in that town. Show us something spectacular, and we'll get behind you. But Jesus had already rejected that route. His power was not for demonstrating how fabulous He was; it was for showing the people that God was offering them forgiveness. 

To emphasize His point, Jesus uses two examples from the Old Testament. One from the ministry of Elijah, and one from the ministry of of Elisha. These were the two prophets in the Old Testament most famous for doing miracles. The two examples of miracles performed were done for people outside Israel. The people of Nazareth got the point, and they were so angry they tried to throw Jesus off a cliff. But it wasn't His time; He just walked right through the crowd and went on His way. They did get their miracle, but in their anger, they missed it. Maybe even a few of them were thinking if they threw Him off the cliff and He just floated to the ground, they would have the spectacular feat they were looking for. But He would have none of it.

It's about demonstrating mercy and forgiveness 4:31-5:26

After Jesus leaves Nazareth, there is a dramatic change. The next few passages are filled with miracles. In between two accounts about people being released from demons, Simon's mother-in-law is healed from a fever. In chapter five, there is the miracle of the catch of fish, and other healings. But notice that the emphasis is still on teaching. The people keep begging Him to stay, but He insists on going on and spreading the good news of the kingdom to other towns. 

Note also that the healings and other miracles were not about spreading His reputation around. In chapter 4, Jesus commands the demons not to make Him known. The miracle of the catch of fish was not about showing off; it was about making it possible for four fishermen to be shown mercy and forgiveness. They are invited to follow Him, which means that they are being invited to be His disciples, a privilege usually reserved for scholars. Fishing was not a very profitable business under the Roman empire. The boats were probably rented, and the fish were taxed. The government usually took the best fish for themselves. The miraculous catch undoubtedly made it possible for them to pay off their debts, enabling them to leave. 

After the fish incident, Jesus heals a man with leprosy, but tells him not to spread the news. He is only to go to the priests as the Old Testament law prescribed. He didn't want the crowds to know; He did want the Jewish leaders to know. I'm sure it wasn't often that someone was cleansed from leprosy. It was important the leadership knew what was happening.

It was also important that the leadership knew why this was happening. The healing of the paralytic was a demonstration that God was offering forgiveness to the people. He was doing it through His Son. The healings were a demonstration to the leadership that God was forgiving those who they considered outcast. The ones who they thought must be horrible sinners because of the afflictions they had. They should have known better.  

    

Who Is Jesus? part 3: The Voice of the Father

 

Please read Luke 1:57 through 3:51 before proceeding. Or you can read each section as you go. 

The father speaks: His name is John 1:57-80

Last time we saw that Luke begins his Gospel with an emphasis on women. Zechariah is silenced until John is born. Joseph is kept out of the loop (apparently for at least three months) when Mary agrees to become the mother of Jesus. In fact, we never read any words of Joseph through the whole book! In an era when women were thought of as property, even more than they are today, this was very subversive. Luke is challenging the cultural norms from the get go. 

But now, Zechariah gets his turn to speak. Notably, his voice is loosed only after he agrees with his wife about the name of their son. Before giving us Zechariah's prophecy about John, Luke notes that people where wondering about John from the time he was born, and as they observed his life. There was something different about him: "the Lord's hand was with him." The angel had told Zechariah that the Holy Spirit would fill him even before he was born (vs. 15). 

Even though John would be a prophet with a special relationship with God, he still was not the Messiah. He was just the forerunner. Never confuse those who are intended to point to Jesus with Jesus Himself. This is a recurrent theme in Luke. 

Some highlights of Zechariah's prophecy:

• God has come to His people to redeemed them. Please note that Jesus has not yet been born, yet the redemption being prophesied is viewed as already accomplished. This is the language of Jubilee, the time when all debts are forgiven. 
• God is coming to fulfill His promises to their ancestors. They will be saved from their enemies so that they can serve God without fear. We will see later that this salvation with be accomplished in ways Israel is not expecting.
• John will prepare the way to show the people God's mercy and forgiveness. He will point them to the light that will shine in the darkness. That Light will give peace even for those living in the "shadow of death." 

The angels and the shepherds speak: Glory to God! 2:1-20

There has been some controversy over this passage of scripture. Was there really a census during the time Luke is describing? Were the conditions really as bad for Mary and Joseph as has been described so often in books and sermons? What exactly was this Inn (KJV)? It is beyond the scope of this blog to address these questions. But I do want to address a couple ideas that Luke seems to emphasize, for what it's worth.

First of all, it is certain that Jesus was born during a time when Rome ruled, and the government was constantly doing things to harass and inconvenience the people they had conquered. Secondly, Luke is very specific about where Jesus was laid. A manger is not a comfortable cradle made for babies. It is, quite simply, a feeding trough. Luke repeats the word manger three times so we don't miss it (vss. 7,12,16).

How could Mary and Joseph treat Jesus so? The answer is not that they were cruel caretakers of the Christ. Even in apparently difficult circumstances, they were prepared enough to bring the standard gear for newborns--what the King James version calls "swaddling clothes." Unfortunately, some of the newer translations, such as the NIV, translate this simply as wrapping Him in "cloths," making it appear to modern readers that He was just carelessly clothed in rags. This is not the case at all. In recent years, the benefits of swaddling have increasingly been noted. The practice was a bit different in the ancient world, but the idea is that swaddling was an evidence that a baby was cared for. 

Luke gives us a glimpse of what life was like when Jesus was born. Israel was under the thumb of Rome, harassed and inconvenienced. Into this environment, the angels announce the birth of a Savior, with an unusual sign: a manger and swaddling bands. Jesus came and identified with their circumstances, but God was also making sure He was being taken care of. The promised peace is come. It will not look like they think it will, but God is showing them He is going to make good on His promises. Glory to God, indeed.

Jesus in the Temple: the Father's business 2:21-51

In Galatians 4:4, Paul reminds us that Jesus was "born under the law." His Jewish "parents" made sure to follow the requirements of the law. He was circumcised, and they presented the required sacrifice. They followed the light they had. One thing I have learned over the years is that when you follow the light you have, God is always ready to step in and give you more light. In the temple passages, Mary and Joseph are surprised. They are learning something knew. God's revelation is not stagnant. Our lives should be filled with learning moments where God is consistently showing us new things. God wants to astonish us (verse 48 NIV). Frankly, if we are not completely taken aback once in awhile, we probably aren't growing. That doesn't mean we don't have to beware of swallowing every new thing that comes out. But we do need to be open to what God is trying to teach us. None of us has arrived. (Philippians 3:12)

Here comes some more prophecy. Simeon reminds them that the salvation coming wasn't just about Israel. Salvation was "prepared in the sight of all nations (verse 31)." This salvation was to be Israel's glory, but its purpose was also to reveal light to the Gentiles. Simeon tells Mary that there is not only peace and salvation coming, but a sword which will pierce her heart. Anna also prophesies, but we only know she was spreading the message to everyone she could--those who were looking for the redemption of Israel. What exactly she had to say Luke does not tell us. The news is getting out that something unusual was afoot. 

Jesus' "parents" didn't stop with just following the the rituals required right after He was born. They continued by going to the Passover Festival every year. Even before Jesus comes of age, He is found in the Temple dialoging with the teachers of the law. His answers amaze everybody even then. 

In the midst of all this, Luke contrasts Mary's question with Jesus response: 

• Why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you. 
• Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?

They didn't understand. They were so used to the relationship of Joseph as the "parent" of Jesus that perhaps they had lost sight of the fact that Jesus needed to learn not only carpentry, but also His true Father's business. There is a gap in the life of Jesus at this point. We are not told much beyond the fact that Jesus maintained an obedient relationship to His parents. We don't know when Joseph died, or how exactly Jesus got His training in the scriptures and Jewish traditions. He will certainly show His knowledge of these in the rest of Luke. 

Even though Jesus was the Son of God, He still "grew in wisdom." He grew in favor with God and man. According to orthodox theology, He is completely God and completely Man. But He grew as a Person.    

The Father speaks: This is My Son 3:1-38

Jesus continued to grow. But His public ministry did not begin until he was "about thirty years old (verse 23)." As prophesied, John the Baptist was not the Messiah, but pointed people to Jesus. Luke uses a passage from Isaiah to show what his vocation was all about. When royalty would travel back then, a large crew of workers would go before them to work on the road so the entourage would have a pleasant experience. The hilly parts and low areas of the roads would be worked on until the roads were as level as possible. The crooked parts of the road would be straightened. John was the messenger going before the caravan telling the people to get the road ready because royalty is coming.   

John's baptism was a sign that people had a transformation of the heart (repentance), and were willing to change their ways. The message was that real transformation will produce evidence (good fruit). It wasn't enough that they were physical children of Abraham. There also needed to have a spiritual transformation. Here are the changes that they needed to make:

• People in general needed to be generous and help the needy.
• Tax collectors should be honest and not take more from the people then the government required.
• Soldiers were to be satisfied with their pay. In other words, they were not to take advantage of their positions to plunder people's livelihoods.  

(John's message was not received by all. Herod became angry about John speaking out about his evils, and had John put in jail. We'll see more about this in chapter 7.)

Jesus Himself was baptized by John, which was the occasion where He was introduced as the Messiah. Everyone thought that Jesus, even though there was something unusual about Him, was just Joseph's son (chapter 4). Joseph is used at the beginning of the genealogy (verses 23-38), even though this probably trances Mary's ancestry, not Joseph's.  But God the Father wanted to use the occasion of His baptism to proclaim that He is the Father of Jesus. The Holy Spirit in the form of a dove is the first sign; His voice is the other: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”  (verse 22 NIV) Quite the endorsement. And He will do it again in chapter 9.

Who Is Jesus?: part 2: When God Silences the Men and Lets the Women Prophesy

 

Please read Luke 1: 1-61 before proceeding. It's a long passage, but worth the time. As an alternative, you can just read each section as you go. 

So, who is this Theophilus guy, and does it matter? versus 1 through 4

The gospel attributed to Luke was written to a guy named Thophilus. At least it is addressed that way. Some have speculated Theophilus (meaning "friend of God") was just a code name used for Christians or believers in general. However, since the name is unique to Luke and Acts, it seems to me this is unlikely. Others say he is probably an actual person, but there are various opinions about who it could be. I am partial to the idea that Theophilus was Paul's lawyer, and that the book was written as a sort of legal brief to be used for Paul's trial in Caesarea. His follow-up brief that we know as the book of Acts, then, was a legal brief for his trial in Rome. 

This is all educated speculation, but I mention it because each of the four Gospels were written with a different purpose and audience in mind. If we are reading Luke to learn about Jesus, we might want to keep in mind that there might be a motive to gloss over parts of Jesus' life, or emphasize others. But that is okay. We have three other Gospels to compare. The canonical gospels give us a four-fold view of who Jesus is. 

One of the emphases of Luke is the importance of women in His life. Matthew begins with the genealogy of His foster father Joseph, and an angel's appearance to him. Mark begins with John the Baptist in the wilderness. John begins with Jesus as the eternal Word. Luke does begin with Zechariah, but he is promptly silenced. 

Zechariah refuses to believe, and is silenced versus 5 through 25; 57-61

Notice that the story of John the Baptist's announcement by Gabriel turns the story about Isaac somewhat on its head. In Genesis 17, Abraham, much like Zechariah, is not sure what to make of the announcement. He had already solved the problem of an heir. He went with the times and took his wife's handmaid in order to produce progeny. God had other ideas. Interestingly, the story picks up in chapter 18, and Sarah is listening inside the tent. She laughs, and is embarrassed.

Abraham is never rebuked for his hesitancy to believe. There seem to be no immediate consequences for his actions. (There were, however, consequences within his family, with continuing strife that still exists to this day.) Sarah, however, is embarrassed. Perhaps laughing out loud in front of a guest was poor etiquette back then. In the John the Baptist story, however, the father is embarrassed (Can you imagine him playing charades with the people outside to get them to understand what had happened?), and the mother gets to pass on the angel's announcement. (This will not be the last time in Luke a woman is given the privilege of first announcing God's revelation from an angel.) Even before Christ's Advent, God was beginning to shake up how things were done. “The Lord has done this for me,” she said. “In these days he has shown his favor and taken away my disgrace among the people.”

Joseph is left out of the loop, Gabriel appears to... a woman! versus 26-38

If there is a baby to be announced, you better get the husband involved. Angels did appear to women at least twice in the Old Testament. Hagar was just a slave. When she was kicked out of Abraham's household, there was no longer a man involved. Samson's mother does speak with the angel first in Judges 13, but the scriptures don't even give us her name. And the angel does interact with her husband Manoah very promptly. Of course, Matthew does tell us that Joseph does get involved. Gabriel does catch up with him. But if you put that account together with this one in Luke, it was at least three months later after the news had already spread about Mary. 

Gabriel gives us a hint who Jesus is by giving us His name, as well as three titles. 

Jesus: The Lord Saves

The Son of the Most High/ The Son of God: Gabriel ties this to the fact that the Holy Spirit will be the One who makes this happen. 

The concept of getting pregnant by a god was not something new. The Jews even had traditions about (presumably fallen) angels impregnating women, resulting in "giants." (See Genesis 6 and the extra-biblical book, Enoch.) The Greeks and Romans had myths about the gods having children (often referred to as heroes) with mortal women. Usually the women were raped.

Some critics of the Bible argue that Mary was raped. There is no indication of that in scripture. Note the response of Mary: "...let this happen to me according to your word." (NET) Mary seems to be giving her consent. In the culture she lived in, the consent of the woman was not exactly a high priority. Women were viewed as property. But instead of God using her regardless of her wishes, it seems to me He is doing with her as He had done through the ages with humankind. He invites us to partake in the ordering of the earth (Genesis 1:28). God never forces anyone to join Him in this task. So it would be unthinkable that Mary was forced. She voluntarily participated in her unique part in God's plan for bringing creation into the age of the New Creation. But that's a study for another time. 

Elizabeth and Mary Prophecy versus 39-56

Sometimes a prophet in the Bible foretells the future, but the basic meaning of the word applies more to bringing a message from God than it does to predicting what is to come. The purpose of the message is not so we can get titillated by knowledge of what is to be, but change our attitudes and actions. Prophecy should affect both our heart and feet. Jesus' words will include promises and warnings on what is coming, but the main purpose will be to change us. It's what the Bible calls repentance. David Bentley Hart, in his translation of the New Testament, uses the words "heart's transformation" for the Greek word. I think that's probably as close as we can get in English. Jesus' words should change us from the inside out. Before we get to the prophecies of Jesus, let's see what the prophecies of Elizabeth and Mary have to say about Him.

Elizabeth pronounces a blessing on Mary and her Baby. What is a blessing? I think the best way we can understand it is in knowing that the Bible often pairs blessing and cursing, indicating they are opposites. If you are cursed, to be simplistic, bad things happen to you. If you are blessed, good things. But it goes beyond that. There are definitely things that will happen to Mary and Jesus that don't appear to be good. I wonder if maybe blessing has more to do with perspective than it does with what most people think of as good and bad. Think about that. I will touch more on this later, especially when we get to Luke's version of the beatitudes. 

Elizabeth also seems startled at the revelation the Holy Spirit was giving her about Mary. To be the mother of the forerunner of Jesus was a great privilege, but to actually be in the presence of "the mother of the Lord" was overwhelming. I wonder how open we are to the Spirit when He tries to tell us we are in the presence of Jesus working through his servants? 

Mary now takes the microphone (so to speak) and begins to praise God for His mercy and faithfulness to His promises. Mercy seems to be a lost word today. We use it as part of idioms (Lord have mercy.), but we usually don't really believe we need it. We have never done anything bad enough to need mercy. And since we think that is true, we see no reason to extend mercy on others. If they would just try harder, they wouldn't mess up. Jesus will definitely take on that type of thinking. We all mess up. God is the only One who has always been faithful. He never messes up. Yet, He extends mercy to each one of us. 

I see also a bit of the beatitudes in Mary's prophecy. Let me reword some of what she says:

Blessed are the humble servants.

Woe to those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.

Woe to the rulers from their thrones.

Blessed are the humble.

Blessed are the hungry God has filled with good things.

Woe to the rich He will send away empty.

Conclusion

Jesus is about to shake things up. He is going to overturn some tables... literally and figuratively.  

  

Who Do You Say that I Am?

 

Who is Jesus? There seems to be quite a discussion about that topic these days. The words mercy, compassion, and the more modern concept of empathy, are being bandied about as if a certain element of Christianity views Jesus as some kind of milquetoast. I came across a blurb about Dale Partridge's book, The Manliness of Christ: "Jesus is the most masculine man to walk the earth. In fact, if you hate masculinity, you will hate the biblical Jesus."

I would think that most of those who call themselves followers of Christ fall somewhere in the middle of those two views. How do we come to understand, to a degree that is possible before our glorification, who Jesus is? 

It's not as if God has not given us any help. In Acts Chapter 1, Luke tell us that the former "treatise" he wrote was about the actions and teachings that Christ did until He was taken back into Heaven. In the Gospel of Luke, he says he wrote to give Theophilus (more on him later in this series) an account of what he had learned from eyewitnesses. He had "carefully investigated" (NIV) the life and teachings of Christ. 

In the upcoming days until Easter, I am going to be sharing some thoughts on the book of Luke. Hopefully something I have to say will help us understand who Jesus was, and help us understand a bit better how He wants His followers to live. I do not claim to have a corner on the Truth. I will probably get some things wrong. But hopefully what I have to share will be more profitable than all the shouting going on on social media these days.

Prescription for a troubled economy: cast your bread upon the waters

The following post was first published in the now defunct Examiner.com on July 9, 2010. I thought now would be a good time to re-publish it. While the description of the weather doesn't apply, the recent political talk in the race for the Democrat nominee for President prompted me to dredge up this post. It adds to the discussion on the proposed "billionaire tax." Here it is, for what ever it's worth:

Prescription for a troubled economy: cast your bread upon the waters

Corn field along CR 6 just east of County Line (Ash) Rd. July 9, 2010

Photo by Mark Sommer

The hot, rainy weather here in the South Bend area this summer has apparently been great for the corn crop.

An old farmer’s rhyme says, “Knee high By the Fourth of July.” This year, in most corn fields in Michiana, the lines from “O What a Beautiful Morning” (Oklahoma!) seem to be more appropriate: “The corn is as high As an elephant’s eye.” As the supplied photo shows, less than a week after the Fourth some corn stalks are already forming ears.

In one episode of Giligan’s Island, Mary Ann quotes the “Farmer’s Formula” to the Professor: “one part sunshine, two parts water and three parts prayer.” This old saying reminds us that without God, who provides sunshine and rain “upon the just and the unjust” (Mattherw 5:45), there would be no crops. The farmer plants and tills and fertilizes, and can even irrigate, but it is God who gives the increase (1 Corinthians 3:7).

In biblical times, farmers would often employ a no till method by casting their seed upon the shallow flood waters in the spring. When the water receded, animals were allowed into the area to trample the seed into the soil. (See Isaiah 32:20.) The writer of Ecclesiastes was apparently familiar with this method of farming, which helps explain what he meant in Chapter 11.

Cast your bread upon the waters, for after many days you will find it again. (11:1 NIV)

Instead of hoarding grain for food, farmers had to set aside a portion to plant the next year. This is a lesson that modern society has forgotten. We spend virtually every penny we earn – often more than we earn – and invest little for the future. We hoard things for ourselves instead of investing in what would provide opportunity for others.

Jesus told a parable (Luke 12: 15-21) about a rich man whose crops are so abundant that he has huge barns built to store it. But the barns are not the problem; his attitude about his wealth (the grain) is. Having abundance is not in itself wrong; it’s what we do with our abundance that makes the difference.

The rich farmer decides to quit working and live off what he has accumulated. He has enough for “many years.” Instead of investing that grain into the ground where it would provide an income for his workers, and support the poor from its gleanings, the farmer became a miser. His thoughts are all about what his riches can do for himself instead of what it could do for others.

Perhaps the biggest problem with our economy here in the United States is that we have become a nation of greedy hoarders instead of entrepreneurs and investors. We accumulated real estate and commodities, assuming their value would continue ever upward, instead of investing in businesses that actually produce a needed product and provide a living wage for its workers.

Greed takes root when we depend upon ourselves instead of God. We need to get back to trusting the God “who gives the increase” and “spreading the wealth around” – not because the government redistributes it, but because we invest in enterprises which help others.