Episode 1. Good News for the Poor
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Well, it’s been quite a year hasn’t it? Who could ever have predicted how things would turn out? Many people have suffered so much loss. Frankly, there’s been precious little good news. And yet …
When adversity strikes – as it certainly did in the lives of so many this year, we tend to do one of two things. We run around trying to fix everything in our own strength, or we descend into this whole doom and gloom thing and become completely immobilised. But there is a third option.
One of the little rituals that I love to perform every night is to watch the evening news on television. It’s just, I don’t know, my way of unwinding for the day and I guess it’s my way of finding out what’s been going on at home and around the world. But have you noticed whether you watch it on TV or listen to it on the radio or read it in the newspaper, there’s actually precious little good news.
Generally the news starts with the biggest conflict or natural disaster or court case or murder or car accident and it just goes down hill from there. In fact when they drop in the odd piece of good news we say, “What have they run out of news tonight?” But we do need good news too. In fact truth be known we desperately want good news. Good news about ourselves, our lives, who we are, but where do you get that?
Have you ever wondered, this whole Jesus story, this whole Jesus thing, if its true why did Jesus, the Son of God, step out of heaven, become a little baby, become a boy, become a teenager, become a man, wander around for three and a half years preaching all sorts of stuff, healing people and then allow himself to be killed on a cross and rise again? Why did He do that? I had an email recently from someone who visited our website www.christianityworks.com and she said, “Look, Jesus, Buddha, Mohamed I mean they’re really all the same, just pick one and get on with it.”
The big difference between Jesus and all those other guys is that firstly, Jesus made a unique claim. Jesus said, “I AM God.” The other’s pointed somewhere else, Jesus didn’t, Jesus said, “you’re looking at Him, I’ve arrived!” And the second difference is, that Jesus said, “Look being a Christ follower, being a Christian, believing in Me is not about working hard and becoming a better person so that you become acceptable to God.” Effectively, that’s what all the other religions say.
Jesus said, “No, no, here look at Me, I’m going the cross to die for you so that you can be forgiven, I’ll pay for your sins, I’ll fulfil the righteous requirements of God’s law and I will pay. And all you need do is believe in me and I will help you to have a new life, and yes new life is about change, new life is about regeneration, new life is about getting rid of the rubbish, but it’s not the starting point. The starting point is the grace of God on the cross of Christ.”
But is it authentic, I mean why did He come? Is there something real here and now that’s going to make a difference? Gospel, the word gospel literally means “the good news” – is it? Jesus was born in Bethlehem; He fled as a little baby with His parents to Egypt because they tried to kill Him. Then He moved to Nazareth in Galilee which is kind of “Hicksville” and at age thirty Jesus began His public ministry.
One of the very first times that He spoke publicly He got up in a Synagogue in His own home town in Nazareth of Galilee, and He quoted something that the prophet Isaiah had written a long time before. He read this from the scrolls in the synagogue. He said, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because He has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recover sight for the blind and to release the oppressed and to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.”
Now effectively by reading this, what He was saying to all those Jews who were sitting in that synagogue and very clearly and very unmistakably was, “I am the Messiah, the Spirit of the Lord is upon me and God has sent me to do these things. Why have I come? To preach good news to the poor, to proclaim freedom for prisoners, the recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed and to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.” Now there’s an opportunity in that for you and for me. And so this week we’re going to be looking at those five reasons, those five promises that Jesus made about why He came. Then you can make your own mind up about this Jesus, do those reasons make it worth while for me to just live my whole life for God? And today we’re looking at the first of those which is, good news for the poor.
The poor literally were lonely and afflicted in the first century as in many places in the world today there was no social welfare in Israel. I’ve a vivid recollection of going to San Francisco and seeing a black man with blood streaming down his head begging outside the McDonald’s store and he looked at us and he said, “Just because I’m black doesn’t mean I’m a bum.” And in India I remember seeing a woman begging and she had a little baby strapped to her, the shop keeper where she was begging came out and chased her away with a stick and beat her across the back. Two thirds of this world live in literal poverty, yet many wealthy people are still poor.
You may have heard me use this quote before but it says it all for me, by a columnist called Bernhard Levin in the UK. He says, “Our world is full of people who have all the material blessings and comforts they desire, together with non-material blessings like a happy family and yet they lead lives of quiet and sometimes noisy desperation. Understanding nothing but the fact that there’s a hole inside them, and however much food and drink they pour into it, however many motor cars and television sets they stuff it with, however many well-balanced children and loyal friends they parade around the edges of it, it aches.” He’s putting his finger there on that silent desperation in so many lives.
Well does that mean Jesus only came for losers? No! Jesus is speaking into a reality; a reality that Bernhard Levin here identifies is so wide-spread even in the wealthiest of societies. We have that materialistic façade but deep down the inner us, the inner you and me, there’s a deep sense of poverty. We’re made in God’s image and that hole inside us is a hole that only God can fill. And when we look at ourselves when that hole is empty, that first century picture of the beggar, the one that’s destitute of wealth and influence and position and power and honour, is so perfect.
I mean today’s mantra is “you can have everything”, but it doesn’t ring true does it? Inside we still feel poor, I mean people can have people around them and yet feel so desperately alone and empty. And Jesus, the very first reason that He lists when he first gets up to speak in His public ministry, the very first reason He lists which is the reason why He came, was to bring good news to the poor, to speak directly into that reality – and boy that hits the mark!
He’s not talking about harsh rules and judgement, he’s talking about good news, a gospel, profoundly good news. The good news that says that the God who created us wants to have a relationship with us, the God that says, “I will be your God and you will be my people and I will walk among you.” The good news of a God who wants that so much that He sent His Son, not just to tell us but to die for us, to pay the price so we can be reconciled back into a relationship with Him. The good news that God knows, the good news that the one person who can fill it has been anointed to come and bring that to us, Jesus Christ.
We have a choice, the people who listen to that, they actually rejected Jesus, they drove him out of the synagogue, that was his own home town, and they rejected him. We can do that or we can accept from Him the good news of a life in relationship with God – not just here on earth but for all eternity. It’s up to us really!
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Michael Adams
A PRAYER
Father in Heaven as I stand upon the rock that is your building block of Life. Looking around and notices that all of land around that rock is sinking sand. Knowing that one wrong step and I will just sink into the sand. Father in Heaven I know if I stray away form your love then life isn’t worth living. You have been so good to me not only in the good time also in the bad. Watching that ever step I take that I step on solid ground. I know it been hard for you to work with me cause I have very much been a difficult and have made your job hard. Yet you not once left my side. Sometime it seem like I was standing along but you was always there give me advise trying to get me to walk the straight and narrow path to rightness. And for that I thank you. Father I know now that some of the things that you told me to do of the things around me should be, even though it might not be what I want to hear. But you told me any way and I know that the words you have are the words of wisdom. The words that will make me a better person.
My heart is full of your joy and happiness that you have giving me by just knowing your name. Knowing that you gave your son and let him die upon the cross to save us all of our sins. Sins that we each day still comments directly or indirectly but you are there to forgive us only if we take the time to pray to for forgiveness. Yet most us just don’t reality that it’s your love and support that keep us going after we comment these sins. Still we just don’t take the time to kneel down with the love and joy that you gave us to say, “Father for give me of my sins that I have commented directly or indirectly. For Father I am your earthly child and cause of this I do make mistakes. Therefore I need your forgiveness each and every day of my life.”
Father as I look into the Heavenly sky knowing that you are out there somewhere, a warm feeling comes over me. Then I know that you have shined your light to let me know that the good work I have done have been accepted in your sight and you have said “Well Done.” But in my heart to me is still not enough cause what you have done for me over the years cannot be repaid. For I cannot put a price to all the things that you done and given me over the years. So my heart will always have that one spot that I know that I have still not done enough to ever repay you. Known that this spot is there makes me try harder to walk that straight and narrow path to rightness.
Father I hope that some day I can kneel down at your feet and tell you that I am not worthier of your love. But I want to say thank for been there and helping me every step of the way. Cause without your love I would not have made it this far. As I look up in to your face I hope to see that you know that I tried hard to be truly you child, and hope that you know that I should be able to enter into your kingdom of glory.
Father as I sat here typing out this prayer I ask you to “PLEASE TEACH ME HOW TO PRAY.” You and only you can teach and give me the right words to say.
Father I asked of you to guide me down that right path of rightness and to grant me a peace of mind.
Father bless my family and help and guide them so they do not stray away for the rock and end up in the pool of sinking sand. Lift their spirit upon high and let them feel the glory and the truth of your being. Let them know that you will always be with them and will never leave there side no matter if they are going through good time or bad that you will still be there.
Heavenly Father teach me to teach, so I can teach my peers the right way to follow your path to reach that stairway to the entrance of the golden door to your kingdom. Teach me to teach them your commandment and that they should follow and obey these words. Teach me so I will be able to teach them the true meaning of life. Tell me the words to say so that Thy Children-Children will surely be the peacemakers of the world. Teach me so I’ll be able to teach them to teach your good works and that your name will forever be heard throughout the universe.
Let the reading of your words give peace and love to all who obey your commandment.
Let the reading of your words be forever heard throughout ages to come.
Free the world of it transgression let us be able to live in forever peace.
Heavenly Father put food on the table of those who have not food.
Heavenly Father put a roof over the head of the homeless give them a room to protect them from the harsh weather that is to come.
Heavenly Father put shoe and clothier on those who are unable to clothier them self.
Heavenly Father watch over the sick and shut in. Let them know that they are not along. Let them know that you will guide them and protect them from all evil. But most of all Heavenly Father give me the Blessing so I can see what cannot be seen. To be able to over come the trouble and hardship that stands in my way. To be able to look up to you and say “Father I stayed the course and I kept the faith and that I did all of this in you name sake now hence forth and for evermore I pray ——————-AMEN
Michael F. Adams ®