We Know - Part Two

1 John 5:19

          Sometimes it is important to know your family tree. With some diseases that are passed down through the generations, it can be good to know if they have passed something to you. Of course it would be better if there was something you could do to prevent the disease taking over your life even though you they passed it along to you. It is not so nice when there is nothing you can do to change the course of the disease. It might be better not to know.

          With the push in recent years for genetic testing, there are ups and downs to the information gained from the testing. So much is still not known about genetic diseases. This is because diseases often show up in multiple places in our DNA, not just in one slice, one easy fingerprint. And because it is so complicated, and we have such limited information about the disease signatures in the DNA, the results are so often inconclusive and incomplete.

          People can spend years doing research to find out about their ancestors. They can search official records, births, deaths, marriages. There might be some immigration documentation. There might be an old Family Bible with copious notes in the front. My family can be traced back to Wales in the 1100’s. But they are just names on a piece of paper. Even if I know little bits about what happened in their lives, I know so little.

          So as our text tells us about our spiritual lineage, we can know something about where we come from and where we are going. We are God’s children. We are adopted into His family. Our old family is very different from our new family. Our birth family is filled with hatred and destruction. That is because our old family has a lineage of rebellion and deceit. Members of that family are caught up in the worst vices known to man. There are few restraints to their behavior.

          But our new family is about restoration and fulfillment. It is about connection and acceptance. It is filled will love and healing. We can be at home in our new family, safe and secure. Being a child of God means we share in the inheritance of the Son, the only natural heir. We get what we don’t deserve. We are rewarded for His work on the Cross.

          And knowing we are God’s child now gives us perspective. We may still live in a world filled with our old family, but we are now foreigners. We gave up our inheritance in that family. We signed over our rights to our portion of that estate. We renounced our connection and turned our backs. We made a choice and we are sticking with it.

          Are there remnants of your old family connections that are still active in your new life? Are there family traits that still show up and tie you to the old crowd? Do you look more like the old or the new?

Credentials: Family

Mark 6:3

      Our families help shape us in so many ways. Think about all the parents who pass along the family occupation to the next generation. Many people in the military are there because their families served before them, and they feel it is the right thing to do. Many professionals follow their parents into medicine, law, teaching. And blue collar workers often do what their parents did, the building trades, factory work, long haul trucking.

      Our families shape what and how we think, who and what we trust, and the kind of people we eventually hand around with, both positively and negatively. We are not isolated from our parents. We are a product of that environment. We can conform or rebel. Both come out of that family setting.

      As Jesus went back to his family, the place where He was raised and where He learned carpentry, probably from His father, He doesn’t seem to fit into that place anymore. He is very different from the little boy playing ball that everyone remembers. And this difference raises questions in the minds of the townspeople.

      The first question deals with the fact that Jesus was a carpenter. Carpenters are generally not the scholarly type. They generally don’t attend higher education. They don’t specialize in teaching and theological matters. They are much more practical in their focus. They make and fix things with their hands.

      So when Jesus comes back to town and He seems more like an educated teacher of His day than a skilled laborer, the people of his hometown can’t figure out where He obtained His wisdom. He is just a carpenter, after all. He didn’t go to Seminary. He doesn’t have any degrees after His name. How could He know anything?

      The town also knew Mary, His mother. She wasn’t anyone special. She was a god fearing woman, but just a mom and wife. Perhaps we could add to that list a widow. We learn from church tradition that Joseph had died by the time Jesus began His ministry, but there is no independent confirmation of that. She ran a household with several children, a feat in itself, but nothing truly special.

      And then there were Jesus brothers and sisters. We know almost nothing about them. Some have said they could be cousins or step brothers of Jesus. But again, they add nothing the explain why Jesus is who He is. Jesus teaching and miracles can’t be explained by looking at His brothers and sisters. Looking just makes you more confused. Jesus is so different than they are.

      Maybe you are so very different from your background. Maybe you chose to be different from your family of origin, your parents and siblings. Hopefully you made the choice to step up and allow the LORD to lift you. And if you are reading this, you probably haven’t made the choice to step backward and downward.

Cannoli, Biscotti, Tiramisù

Proverbs 1

 As I mentioned yesterday, the book of Proverbs is filled with practical wisdom that will help us in everyday life. I like to think about this book like a box of very expensive pastries.

When we were in Italy, we would be walking through a town and be window shopping, just to enjoy the sights, sounds and smells. We would often stop mid-morning for a cup of coffee and a pastry. Not good for our waists, but really good for our vacation! We would open the door of the shop and be pulled in by the smells, delicious! Then we would walk in and see the large display cases filled with perhaps a hundred different kinds of pastries, all delicately made and appealing to the eye. Each one seemed to call our name.

No one would buy a box of these types of pastries and eat them all in one sitting. You sit and savor each bite as the flavors unfold in your mouth. So it is with the book of Proverbs. You need to pick one up and savor its wisdom.

Take verses 8-9 which form one proverb. Verse eight gives us the instruction and verse 9 gives us the result. This is a pattern that is characteristic of a proverb. Part of the wonder of proverbs are the pictures that they form in your mind.

Your parent’s instruction, when it is headed, becomes a prominent part of your wardrobe in life. Everyone can see that you listened to them. They say that you are a wise child worthy of your parents.

In the ancient world a garland was placed on the head of someone who had done something worthy of great honor, like an exceptionally brave act in battle. They symbolized the honor the king placed on his subject. Only a few would receive this kind of honor, so it was very special.

When we listen to and learn from our parents, we get a leg up in the world. We don’t have to make all the mistakes ourselves. We can learn from others, both what to do and what not to do. Why waste time walking down a path that leads to negative consequences! Learn from others.

The picture of the crown of garland and the necklace give our brains a picture to which we can attach wisdom. Next time we see someone with a hat on their head, or a necklace around their neck, we can think of our parent’s wisdom.