Jason's Blog

Do you remember the story of the Essenes?  They were a Jewish group in Jesus day that decided to withdraw from Jerusalem and the life of Judaism.  Their decision was driven by quest for purity in religious practice.  They felt that everyone in society was living less than what God desired, and so they formed the community of Qumran.  They had a restrictive set of entrance requirements, and if anyone failed to live up to the standards, they were asked to leave.

Reconstruction of the Qumran settlement UCLA Virtual Qumran Visualization Project

Since their Jewish neighbors had made so many compromises to the Romans, they felt the need to withdraw from society in protest.  Only by living apart from the world could they stand for truth.  They fully expected that God would honor them for being faithful  They would  care about truth even if the entire world adopted Greek and Roman lifestyle

No Jewish group in Jesus day had a greater fortress mentality than the Essenes, but they were a people of paradox.  Note this observation by Luke Timothy Johnson:

The most paradoxical example of Hellenistic influence in Palestinian Judaism is perhaps the Qumran community.  No Jewish group was more deeply dedicated to the Hebrew text of scripture and to the use of classical Hebrew in its modes of scriptural interpretation and in its composition of new sectarian literature.

To confirm this fact, simply look at the cave findings that we have for Qumran.  Their documents and Scriptures (also known as the Dead Sea Scrolls) show us a people who loved the Book, loved their Hebrew, and invented creative ways of marking themselves from the world around them.  Johnson continues:

Nor was any Jewish group more emphatic in its rejection not only of the despised Gentiles, but also of any Jews who associated in the slightest manner with Gentiles.  No Jewish sect could, on the surface, appear more straightforwardly anti-Hellenistic.  Yet, Qumran’s system of probation and excommunication, and its way of life organized around an absolute community of possessions, appear to owe more to Greek utopian models than to any precedent found in Torah.

– Among the Gentiles: Greco-Roman Religion and Christianity (Yale University Press, 2009): 30.

Let that sink in.  The Essenes were an anti-Hellenistic movement.  They hated the compromise of everyone around them.  They wanted to stand out, but their entire fortress mentality was under-girded by the culture they were bent on rejecting.  They unwittingly used the very culture that they hated as the basis for their fortress mentality.

Here’s the point — Objects in Mirror Are Closer Than They Appear.

We can live our lives complaining against the vices of American society, and yet drink deeply from American society.  It easy to point a finger at THEM– whoever THEM happens to represent.  We protest:  “See how they dress, see how they talk, see how they choose to live!  How worldly they are!”

We see others so clearly, yet see ourselves so poorly.  A better question might be:  How do I really look?  How have I embraced the American dream?  Does God have something to say about my life?

We might need a healthy dose of humility.  None of us can stand apart from the culture in which we live.   It is the air that we breathe.

Yesterday in Bible class as were studying James I mentioned a book that I have found rather helpful called There’s is the Kingdom by Robert Lupton ( Harperone, 1989). The chapters are short and to the point. Below is chapter 1. Enjoy!

There’s is the Kingdom- Chapter 1

Below is stirring quotation from John Stuart Mill’s (1806–1873) On Liberty that he wrote in 1869.  I hope you will really think about it.  I think he describes a rather sober but all-too-real picture of the way life really is.

“All Christians believe:

• that the blessed are the poor and humble, and those who are ill-used by the world;
• that it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven;
• that they should judge not, lest they be judged;
• that they should swear not at all;
• that they should love their neighbor as themselves,
• that if one take their cloak they should give him their coat also;
• that they should take no thought for the morrow;
• that if they would be perfect, they should sell all that they have and give it to the poor.

They are not insincere when they say they believe all these things.  They do believe them, as people believe what they have always lauded and never discussed.  But in the sense of that living belief that regulates conduct, they believe these doctrines just up to the point to which it is usual to act upon them.

The doctrines in their integrity are serviceable to pelt adversaries with; and it is understood that they are to be put forward (when possible) as the reasons for whatever people do that they think laudable. But any one who reminded them that the maxims require an infinity of things which they never even think of doing, would gain nothing but to be classed among those very unpopular characters who affect to be better than other people.

The doctrines have no hold on ordinary believers—are not a power in their minds. They have an habitual respect for the sound of them, but no feeling which spreads from the words to the things signified, and forces the mind to take them in, and make them conform to the formula. Whenever conduct is concerned, they look round for Mr. A and B to direct them how far to go in obeying Christ.”

I once heard a story of proposed a book title that was immediately rejected by a Christian Publishing House– Christianity, As If Jesus Really Mattered. They thought it was too edgy and perhaps a book by this title would be over the top. However, the plain reality is that we often fail to apply the plain facts of Scripture to our everyday circumstances. As Mill suggests above – Christian truth is not a power in our minds.

This weekend I would invite you to read the gospel of Matthew and look for average ways that you can think about what is taught. Turn your mind toward God and expect God to challenge you of the real places in your life where you can be more like Jesus.

How do you make a pickle? This is not a question that I usually ask because I really I don’t like pickles. But I do understand the process.

Step #1 – find a cucumber.Step #2 – get a brine and vinegar solution together.

Step #3 – get the cucumber in the mixture.

Step #4 Wait.

“If we dip the cucumber in the solution and quickly pull it out, all we will have is a baptized cucumber. In order for it to become a pickle, it needs to soak in the brine for six weeks or so.  Slowly and imperceptibly, the solution works its way into the cucumber, changing it to a pickle.”

I have just finished James Bryan Smith’s The Good and Beautiful God (IVP, 2009).  The last chapter has this brilliant analogy about the spiritual life and the need for long term spiritual growth.

Do we really think that transformation will come to our lives without really soaking in Jesus?

Don’t we need to stay in his presence and immerse ourselves in His teachings and ideas to bring lasting renewal.

Two scriptures come to mind immediately -

• Mark 4:26-29  He also said, “This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground.   Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how.  All by itself the soil produces grain– first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head.   As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.“

• John 15:4  “Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.”

Great and Beautiful God is an easy read that will challenge you to grow spiritually.  What I like most about the book is that it is accessible. You will not find a lot of technical jargon here. In its place a lot of practical “soul training” exercises. These are simple, everyday practices that will get you rethinking your priorities and ideals about God.

Reading this book would be better with a small group of friends. There are plenty of discussion questions that go along with each chapter as well.

May you soak in Jesus today – staying longer than you thought you might in His presence.  May your heart be open to the challenges that He will bring your way.  May you be a blessing to someone else because the light of the world has saturated your soul.