February 24 ▪ Day 55

Scripture Readings

Proverbs 11:28
Isaiah 59–60
Mark 16
Philemon
Psalms 55

Verse Focus (Proverbs 11:28)

Those who trust in their riches will fall,
     but the righteous will thrive like a green leaf.

Meditation

Our proverb today, Proverbs 11:28, tells us, “Those who trust in their riches will fall, but the righteous will thrive like a green leaf.” We’ve heard of the futility of trusting in riches from other parts of the Bible — the Psalms, Isaiah, and even the gospels talk about the futility of trusting in wealth. But here we have a nice little proverb summing it all up for us.

The psalms and prophecy often cite trusting in wealth as one of the hallmarks of the wicked. Although this proverb stops short of calling those who trust in riches “wicked,” it is still strongly implied because of the comparison to the “righteous.”

Have you ever thought of depending on your income as being wicked? We might say that trusting your bank account too much is “sinful.” But “wicked” seems too strong a word to apply to ourselves. Yet whether we call it wickedness or sin, we know that trusting in riches is definitely a stumbling block to following Jesus.

I like how the proverb uses the imagery of a green leaf — vibrant life — versus those leaves that wither and fall off when the wind blows. Yet it is the leaf’s connection to the tree that keeps it alive. This brings to mind the verses about abiding in Christ.

But, of course, the proverb doesn’t specify a falling leaf — merely a “fall.” So the falling leaf is one of the implications (especially when contrasted against the green leaf), but we think of other types of falls, too. Hubris. Trusting in wealth is really a form of pride, isn’t it?

Father God, please keep us abiding in Christ, and connected to you — the root and source of our own life. Keep us walking in righteousness, and don’t let us be tempted or swayed by the deceitfulness of riches. Riches promise security and comfort, and may provide that temporarily — but only you keep us truly secure. Thank you for your promise to make us thrive and flourish, in Christ Jesus, Amen.

Isaiah 59 talks about the problem of God not “hearing” his people. The prophet tells us that it isn’t because God is weak or deaf, but rather that our iniquities and our sins have created a barrier between us. Isaiah describes these iniquities — lies, mischief, injustice, violence, evil. All the people stumble in darkness, blind and moaning.

Verse 16 is crucial. The prophet tells us that the LORD “saw that there was no one, and was appalled that there was no one to intervene; so his own arm brought him victory, and his righteousness upheld him.” God promises a Redeemer “to those in Jacob who turn from transgression (v.20).” I was somewhat surprised to see that the promise of salvation was conditional upon repentance. But I suppose that free will is always part of the equation — God invites us to come and drink, but we must still respond.

I love how Isaiah 59:21 describes this new covenant that God is making by sending His Redeemer:

My spirit that is upon you, and my words that I have put in your mouth, shall not depart out of your mouth, or out of the mouths of your children, or out of the mouths of your children’s children, says the Lord, from now on and forever.

Isaiah chapter 60 begins with a triumphant cry, “Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you.” (Again, I must sing, because of yet another song I know that has been set to the first four verses of this chapter. I’m rather surprised to find out just how many worship songs I know that are based on verses in Isaiah!)

The picture of future Zion is glorious. I see echoes of Christ’s story in this picture of heaven on earth. Verse 6 says, “They shall bring gold and frankincense, and shall proclaim the praise of the Lord.” (I wondered what happened to the myrrh, but then I realized that myrrh is often associated with burial — so it won’t be needed anymore.) Nations and kings will come to the light of Zion; the city’s gates won’t be shut so that nations may bring their wealth. Verse 14 says, “all who despised you shall bow down at your feet” — a promise of vindication for all who have suffered for righteousness’ sake.

I was particularly struck by verse 19: “The sun shall no longer be your light by day, nor for brightness shall the moon give light to you by night; but the LORD will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory.” Again, I find myself surprised at discovering how much of Revelation is based on Isaiah’s prophecies.
The chapter ends with a promise from God: “in its time I will accomplish it quickly.”

Today we read the final chapter in the gospel of Mark. But how many verses are in chapter 16? There’s a bit of a debate about that. The earliest manuscripts end at verse 8, and other early church writers don’t refer to any verses after verse 8. This, plus evidence based on textual criticism (choice of wording, sentence style, etc.), have convinced most scholars that verses 9-20 are a later addition to the gospel. Later manuscripts, of course, do have verses 9-20 included and most of Christian history saw chapter 16 has having these 20 verses.

There’s actually four main variant endings to Mark, although most Bibles only make it easy for you to see the two most popular (first, ending at verse 8; and second, ending at verse 20). The other two variants include additional unnumbered verses which can sometimes be found in the text notes of the translation. But the word style and the content of these unnumbered verses is very different from the style of the main body of the gospel.

Of course, there are any number of theories about the differences in these manuscripts, ranging from deliberate sabotage (later believers cut off the ending of Mark because they didn’t like what some of it implied) to accidental damage and more. Many believe that verses 9-20 were added in about the 4th century to make the gospel more consistent with the other gospels. Others contend that the verses were a rediscovery of verses that had been lost by all the most ancient manuscripts.

The reason why there’s such a hullabaloo about all of this is because most believe that Mark was the earliest gospel written, predating the others by anywhere from 10 to 50 years. (Although most reference books will tell you that Mark was written about 70 A.D., some scholars date it as early at 45-50 A.D. The other gospels date anywhere from 10 to 25 years after Mark, again with a range of possible dates from the 50s to the 90s.) With Mark being the earliest gospel, some scholars see it as the most “authentic” account. Yet with the gospel ending at verse 8, there are no accounts of anyone in Jerusalem seeing a resurrected but corporeal Christ. The women are simply told that they will see him in Galilee. Some see this as evidence that the early believers did not believe in bodily resurrection… those who “saw” him in Galilee saw him in a vision like Paul did.

What you believe about all of this will depend on your faith. If you believe that God is in charge of history, and that He inspired writers of Scripture and inspired the church bodies that canonized particular writings — then there’s no problem. So maybe the longer ending of Mark was written by someone else. Does it matter? Do we believe that God is limited to using only one author? Cannot another person also have been inspired?

Of course, what you believe evolves over time, too. So if verses 9-20 make you uncomfortable, consider it like Christian inspirational writing rather than like Scripture.

As I read the chapter today, I was simply looking for what impressions I got today from reading verses 1 through 20. And I can’t say that anything about the first 8 verses struck me particularly — other than what I always appreciate about this story — that women were the first ones entrusted with the news of the resurrection.

In verses 9 through 20, I noticed the theme of unbelief that runs through this section. The disciples refused to believe Mary Magdalene’s testimony about seeing Jesus. They did not believe what they heard from the two who went to Emmaus (although we only know where in the country they were traveling to from the gospel of Luke). And when the disciples finally do see Jesus, he rebukes them for their lack of faith and “stubbornness.”

The charge of stubbornness is interesting. I’m used to hearing Jesus chide the disciples for lack of faith — that’s almost a frequent refrain throughout all the gospels. But stubbornness? That implies a willfulness to the disbelief. It wasn’t just that they didn’t have faith, but that they didn’t want to have faith. Surely you remember the centurion’s cry, “I believe; help my unbelief!” The disciples could have chosen to respond in a similar fashion: “I find the resurrection so hard to believe, but I want to believe; I want to see Christ!”

The disciples’ stubbornness and Jesus’ response gives me food for thought today. I certainly have my own stubborn streak. I wonder how often I resist faith. Do I resist placing my faith in God and His promises? Do I trust Him with the here and now, or only with the hereafter?

Paul’s letter to Philemon is the shortest of all the Pauline epistles. There are a few other one-chapter letters in the New Testament, but these were written by other authors. Since Paul is noted for writing lengthy letters, this one stands out. It was written in about 62 A.D. Although the letter is addressed to Philemon and the church that meets in his home, the topic of the letter is personal between Paul and Philemon. Paul writes to Philemon about Onesimus, a runaway slave who presumably belonged to Philemon.

Onesimus ended up in Rome, where he became a Christian. He also became very dear to Paul, who calls him a “son” and “my own heart.” But since he is still a slave, Paul sends him back to Philemon and asks that Philemon “welcome him as you would welcome me (v. 17).” Most assume that Onesimus also stole money or property when he fled from his master. But Paul asks Philemon to receive Onesimus back as a brother, and to charge anything that Onesimus might owe Philemon to Paul instead.

There is a little word play that goes on in verse 11. The meaning of the name “Onesimus” is “useful.” Paul writes that formerly, Onesimus was “useless,” but now he is “useful” to both Paul and Philemon. Philemon presumably does as Paul requests, since this letter ended up in the Biblical canon. According to early church history, in 95 A.D. the bishop of Ephesus was a man named Onesimus. Christian tradition holds that this bishop was indeed the former slave of Philemon.

I like verses 4 and 5 of Philemon, but lately I’ve been struck by verse 6. “I pray that the sharing of your faith may become effective when you perceive all the good that we may do for Christ.” Becoming effective, being fruitful — this topic is near to my heart these days. So I pray for all of you, as I pray for myself, that we may truly come to understand the good that we may do for Christ.

I always love the closing benediction to Philemon: “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.” But today I was also struck by Paul’s plea, “Refresh my heart in Christ (v. 20).” This is yet another theme that has become more and more important to me in the past year. Encouragement. We are all desperate for encouragement. We cite the pandemic, although other generations would have cited the war or any number of other calamities. Life is hard. And while our comfort comes from God, He also uses us to comfort one another. It is a very important ministry for the body of Christ. So, friends, refresh my heart in Christ. And I will do my best to do the same for you.

Psalm 55 has a number of beautiful verses, but at its heart this is a psalm about betrayal. David writes that he could have endured it if it were an enemy causing him such distress, but instead “it is you, my equal, my companion, my familiar friend (v. 13).”

However, even those who are not experiencing personal betrayal can identify with the psalm. We know what it feels like to be “troubled,” “distraught,” and “in anguish.” It makes us want to seek “shelter;” like David, we cry, “O that I had wings like a dove! I would fly away and be at rest (v. 6).”

As usual, David directs us to find solace in God. “Cast your burden on the LORD, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved (v. 22).” The psalm ends with a personal statement of faith, “I will trust in you.”

Father God, I do trust in you, and I will trust in you. When I am discouraged or when I am troubled by the evil in this world, I will turn to you. Thank you that you will sustain me. I pray for you to refresh my heart in Christ, and then enable me to refresh others. Help me to turn to you when I am uncertain in faith so that my faith might be strengthened, rather than confirming myself in unbelief through stubbornness. I thank you that you sent Christ Jesus as our Redeemer, and I look forward to the day when the new Zion will be established in righteousness and peace. In your Son’s name, Amen.