August 28, 2025

GOD’S WORD FOR TODAY:

“The Lord will roar from Zion and thunder from Jerusalem; the earth and the heavens will tremble. But the Lord will be a refuge for His people, a stronghold for the people of Israel.” (Joel 3.16)

TODAY’S REFLECTION ON GOD’S WORD TO US:

I love how God uses His word to draw us into connection with Him. This is why we are to be “students of the Word.” One day a ruler with no name or further designation came forward to ask Jesus a question. We hear of this moment from the gospel of Luke (18.18-30). There are many lessons to be gleaned from those thirteen verses but I only want to mention one verse, verse 19, where Jesus responds to the greeting of the ruler “Why do you call Me good? No one is good save God alone!” It does seem curious that Jesus would seemingly deny His own goodness. He is not denying it, however, but deferring it knowing the intention of the ruler with both his address [Good teacher,] and his question [what must I do to inherit eternal life?] From Luke’s perspective and understanding of the moment within a greater context provided in chapter 18, we may be able to glean some information about the ruler himself. This “gospel minute” follows another which we are familiar with as well. That “gospel minute” was the blessing of the children being brought into the circle of followers surrounding Jesus. For the disciples, the intrusion was offsetting. They had a different agenda for that moment and it did not include children. Luke shares the story reflecting the disciples’ disdain by phrasing it this way, “Now they were bringing EVEN infants to Him that He might touch them.” This is not some “baby dedication service” we often see in worship services. The emphasis here is on a practice that had become commonplace when it came to Jesus. “To touch them” is a clear indication that these children were in need of healing and healing protection. You can read through the gospels and find, time after time, instances where Jesus touched a person and healed them of their infirmity including death. We also know of one such story where the woman with the issue of blood reached out and touched Jesus and was healed by her faith in the very hem of His garment. I pray, mighty ones of God, that we do not lose sight of that moment. There was nothing pristine about the hem of Jesus’ garment. This is not the stylized Rennaissance painting of a holy and set apart Jesus who is in the world but untouched by it. It was a dusty road. The journey had been long. The journey not only included the disciples, some of their family and other followers along the road but crowds of people, too. The hem of Jesus’ garment was certainly soiled from brushing along the road. His feet and sandals would have been dirty also. Yet, even His dirty clothes were not a limiting factor to His healing love. This is a staunch testimony and challenge to all of Jesus’ followers about “getting dirty” for the sake of the gospel. The “touch” was a word which meant healing: restoration, reconciliation and redemption. There is little doubt in my mind that these children, including infants, were in need of healing being both physically, emotionally and spiritually afflicted. This would have been that they were at risk of being eliminated from the mainstream way of life and, quite possibly, their families as well. Into that mix comes a ruler addressing Jesus with a question of inclusion and/or exclusion.

What might we discern about the ruler and how does it inform us of another connection between the Old Testament and the New? In the midst of the conversation, in order to answer the ruler’s question, Jesus asks him about his fealty to the commandments. The ones listed, as I have reflected upon before, speak to the relationship of humans to humans culminating with “Honor your father and mother.” The ruler responds that he has been faithful to them all from when he was a child. [Are you hearing the thread of connection to the previous story?] It is then that Jesus challenges him with what the ruler is truly connected to: money and riches which mean for him- power and prestige. The ruler wasn’t really about love and compassion. The ruler wasn’t afflicted with any outward manifestation of disease or distress. The ruler did, however, recognize that he had a need which he thought Jesus could meet. That need was “affirmation.” What he desired was to be included into the same standing, yes this is a story assumption, as other rulers such as the Sadducees and Pharisees. In the eyes of the people, these were presented as “untouchable” because they were truly blessed by God with riches and favor. They are never seen as dirty and unclean. For them the axiom, “Cleanliness is next to godliness” would have been a defining truth as if their feet never touched the ground. Even his address of “good Teacher” was emblematic of that for an esteemed rabbi. All of that behavior, as we look back upon it, may appear childish. It elicited a response from Jesus that was not expected. He did not deny He was a teacher. He did defer His goodness to that of God who is pure, holy, righteous and intentional in His love for His people. Ultimately, mighty ones of God, the answer to the ruler’s question was simply “It is up to God, trust Him with all of your life.” In comparison to God even the Sadducees and Pharisees would pale, or they should have. In that moment, Jesus demonstrated the power of being “a student of the Word.” He demonstrated it in the Wilderness when Satan tempted Him and tried to cause Him to fail the test of fealty to God by embracing worldly things such as usurping power for one’s own good (bread from stones), forcing God into action to prove one’s own worth (jumping off the Temple tower) and false worship for the sake of empowerment (worshipping Satan instead of God.) It is by God alone that we have our being and our spiritual protection.

In short, then, I find the connection of Joel 3.16 with another well-known 3.16 (John 3.16) to be one of those teachable moments. In Joel 3.16 we hear of the refuge of God for His people in the midst of the thundering, roaring and rumbling of earth at His Word. We know from the gospel story that such a thing happened on the day of Jesus’ crucifixion as He breathed His last breath. Jesus surrendered all He had in this world for the sake of “us” gaining eternal life. It cannot be bought, sold or traded for. Salvation is not a commodity on stock market. It is not an office of power and prestige in the places of worship nor in the palaces of governments. Salvation is a gift which only God can give. It is received by those who give themselves to God and follow Him because…“God so loved the world He gave His only begotten Son so that whosoever would believe in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.” In the midst of the turmoil of the world being judged by its pursuit of anything and everything but God, the protection of God’s favor is undeniable. This is the premise of authentic discipleship. This is the promise of authentic discipleship. This is the proof of authentic discipleship. It was true in Joel’s day. It was true in Jesus’ day. It remains true in ours. In the face of trial, tribulation and distress, the love of God will save us: redeem, reconcile and restore. This is the definition of what is truly “good.”

TODAY’S PRAYER IN RESPONSE TO GOD’S WORD:

Father, in these days we are finding the need to believe even more than ever before. We all have known trouble, some in greater ways than others, but You are offering us the assurance that we will not be consumed by it forever. Regardless of the “time” we are in and the “time” we have been given, we ask for Your Holy Spirit which Jesus asked You to share with us, to lead and guide and direct us in the paths we should go. Teach us what we still need to learn. Empower us to put that learning into action. Bless our actions not as a works righteousness but as righteous works of faith, hope and love in Jesus’ name. AMEN.