You may sometimes struggle with your faith — not by questioning whether Yeshua is the Savior who died for your eternal healing, but in an hour of testing, when you feel exhausted by pain, when you pray for relief, seeking God in your cries and tears, but the pain continues, and then you are left rationalizing why you were denied your supplication, why your suffering has been prescribed — for surely, you believe, God can heal you by simply saying the word – and then you wonder to what extent you need to be broken in order to be fully remade… As C.S. Lewis once said, “We are not necessarily doubting that God will do the best for us; we are wondering how painful the best will turn out to be” (Letters of C.S. Lewis, 1964). There is a trust issue in suffering, and an intimacy that comes through its fires. As Kierkegaard reminds us, “It is one thing to conquer in the hardship, to overcome the hardship as one overcomes an enemy, while continuing in the idea that the hardship is one’s enemy; but it is more than conquering to believe that the hardship is one’s friend, that it is not the opposition but the road, is not what obstructs but what develops, is not what disheartens but ennobles” (Four Upbuilding Discourses, 1844).

Read more “Endurance and Healing…”

“Knowing, therefore, the terror of the Lord, we persuade men…” – 2 Cor. 5:11

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­The parable of the “Rich man and Lazarus” (Luke 16:19-31) is one of the most sobering and consequential of the Scriptures. Yeshua’s concise and brilliant story ranges over the issues of life and death and of our ultimate destiny beyond the grave. It answers perennial questions about where people go when they die, and it gives counsel about how to plan for the inevitability of judgment. It forewarns of the terrifying prospect of hell and eternal torment while it comforts those who seek heavenly blessing and eternal life. It tells of an “unbridgeable chasm” that exists after death that prevents any return from our final destination, implying that what we believe and how we live in this life has eternal significance and consequences. Those who believe in God’s truth as revealed in creation, in history, in the testimony of Scripture, and above all in the revelation of Yeshua will find salvation, consolation, and everlasting fellowship in the Father’s House, but those who turn away from the message of life will be consigned to irremediable suffering, sorrow, and terrifying loss. In this short essay, I hope to discuss this parable in a manner that will encourage us to “make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to” (Luke 13:24).

By way of providing some context to the parable, note that the Pharisees at that time taught that obedience to God’s commandments led to prosperity and blessing, whereas disobedience led to poverty and curses, and they therefore apparently justified the accumulation of riches as a sign of divine approval. Because of this, when they heard Yeshua say that no one can serve both “God and mammon,” they scoffed, though he replied to them by saying: “You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God” (Luke 16:13-15). He then went on to say that with his arrival a “new era” had arrived, “the time was fulfilled,” and the Kingdom of God was being opened up for all who were willing to enter. This new way, or new covenant, was offered to the needy, the broken, and to all who realized they were sinners in need of the promised divine redemption (Luke 16:16-18). It is part of the irony of the parable that Lazarus, the outcast, was the blessed one accepted into heaven, whereas the rich man, the Pharisee, was cursed and locked outside of heaven’s gate.

I should add that some read the parable as a morality tale about economics and social justice, saying that God condemns the rich and vindicates the poor, though the sin of the rich man was not in his possession of wealth per se, but in his misuse of it, since he withheld charity that the Torah required to help his needy neighbor. After all, wealth by itself is neither good nor bad but depends on how it is used. Abraham was a very wealthy sultan who is called the “father of faith,” the prototype of a hospitable and gracious man of God. Likewise the prophet Job was described as “perfect and upright, and one that feared God,” though he was the “wealthiest man in all the east” (Job 1:1,3). So it is a distraction to interpret the parable in “Marxist” terms to make it about the evils of economic disparities and inequalities. Moreover, justice and economic responsibilities such as employment wages, ownership, tithing, lending, giving charity, and so on are matters clearly defined in the law of Moses.

The parable obviously concerns more than issues of economic injustice, however, and this is evinced by Yeshua’s description of the spiritual condition of each man that was revealed after their death. As Yeshua tells the tale we are given a vision beyond the grave, seeing the consequences of how the decisions we make in this life will play out in eternity. The issue of social injustice is secondary at best; what is at issue is the ultimate destiny of the soul.

The parable begins: “There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day, and there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, who was laid at his gate, full of sores, who desired to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover the dogs came and licked his sores” (Luke 16:19-21).

The story opens with this unnamed rich man living in luxury and opulence, elegantly attired and well-fed, going about his business, when a destitute, sickly, and disabled beggar named Lazarus was carried to his house and “laid at his gate.” Perhaps the citizens of the town had no other option than to drop Lazarus off at the rich man’s place, hoping that a man of his means would show compassion and help the poor wretch. For Lazarus’ part, he was nearly starving and hoped he might eat scraps from the man’s table that otherwise would be thrown in the garbage. Whatever else we can say, it’s clear that Lazarus was the embodiment of need: penniless, covered with putrefying ulcers, and unable to walk; his only companions were stray dogs who would lick his wounds…

The rich man, however, lived lavishly in his exclusive and “gated” home, and while he knew of the plight of Lazarus, he did nothing to alleviate his suffering. He offered no meal. He offered no shelter. He didn’t even offer a shekel or two to help the beggar buy some bandages or go see a doctor. His hardness of heart was wicked and clearly violated commandments of Torah to care for the needy brother and not to turn him away (Lev. 25:35; Deut. 15:7-8).

Lazarus, on the other hand, is depicted as a nobody, an outcast, a leper. However, he is a lowly man of faith, as indicated by his Hebrew name Elazar (אֶלְעָזָר) which means “God (אֵל) will help (עָזַר).” Lazarus represents someone “poor in spirit,” someone who mourns over his life, a humble and broken soul that hungers and thirsts for God’s righteousness and mercy, and so on (see the “Beatitudes” listed in Matt. 5:1-12).

The story continues. “And it came to pass that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died, and was buried; and in hell, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus upon his bosom” (Luke 16:22-23). This is another contradiction of the Pharisaical expectation. The soul of the outcast, the unclean leper, and the beggar who was not even given a proper burial, was collected by the angels of God and carried up to lean upon “Abraham’s bosom” (or chest) – a beautiful image of intimate embrace and comfort – whereas the rich man found himself in hell. This place of torment, called Hades (or she’ol in Hebrew), is a place of punitive confinement where the unrighteous dead are gathered to await their final judgment (Rev. 20:11-15). Note that the rich man was conscious; he could see Abraham with Lazarus by his side, and he remembered who Lazarus was…

So he cried out and said, “Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame” (Luke 16:24). Note that the rich man called Abraham his “father,” perhaps alluding to an early mishnah of the sages that every son of Abraham is given a share in the world to come: כל ישראל יש להם חלק לעלם הבא. In other words, the rich man appealed to Abraham as his child, and asked him to command Lazarus to bring him some water to allay his suffering…

“But Abraham said, ‘Son, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things, but now he is comforted, and you are tormented. And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, so that those who would pass from here to you cannot, nor can those from there pass to us'” (Luke 16:25-26).

There are a few things to note here. First, Yeshua was not teaching that those who have wealth and good things in this life are necessarily going to be tormented, nor was he saying that simply being poor and afflicted makes a person fit for heaven. As mentioned above, a wealthy person such as Abraham can be declared righteous while a poor person like Judas Iscariot can be treacherously wicked. Ultimately the destination for each soul is based on their faith in God, and that was likely Yeshua’s point to the Pharisees: temporal prosperity is not an indication of divine favor (Prov. 10:2), nor does it define what makes a good Jew (Rom. 2:28-29). Secondly we note the “great gulf” (χάσμα μέγα) is immovably fixed so that no one can cross over or escape from their destiny. After death, your fate is sealed. There is no going back; there are no “re-do’s”; there is no further chance to repent at that time… This is it. This is what has become of your life, and now all that’s left is God’s judgment.

Yeshua therefore teaches that hell is not some form of annihilation, nor is a place of “purgatory” wherein the soul suffers and learn to repent after death. No, “it is appointed unto man once to die, and after this is judgment” (Heb. 9:27). Hell is a dreadful eternal reality is terrifying to consider. Those who go to hell will be fully conscious and will experience and unending nightmare of regret and sorrow that will never be extinguished. Indeed, eternal torment is gruesomely likened to worms feeding upon rotting corpses in “Gehenna,” the Valley of Hinnom, an ancient garbage dump used to burn waste. Hell is likened to the state “where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched” (Mark 9:44; Isa. 66:24). Some have said the “worm” here likely is a metaphor for a guilty conscience that forever gnaws away with no end to the remorse. This is all terrifying to consider, dear friends…

The story continues: “Then he said (to Abraham),`I beg you therefore, father, that you would send him (i.e., Lazarus) to my father’s house, for have five brothers, that he may testify to them, lest they also come to this place of torment'” (Luke 16:27-28). The rich man now is beginning to understand his irretrievably lost condition, his need for deliverance, and yet it is too late for repentance. In a moment of apparent contrition, he beseeches Abraham to command Lazarus (whom the rich man never addresses directly) to go to his brothers and warn them of the danger that they too may end up in the same terrible place as he. Implicit in his request is the allegation that if only God would do a miracle like this, his brothers would believe, since he would have believed had God done this for him. In other words the man is indirectly accusing God of being unfair to him because he was not given enough reason to believe. In response, “Abraham said to him, ‘They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them’” (Luke 16:29).

And now we getting to the point of the parable that reveals the divide between the destinies of the righteous from that of the wicked. The rich man denied that the word of God was sufficient to save his brothers from perdition, and that some great miracle was needed instead. He therefore protested to Abraham saying, “No, father Abraham; but if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.” The parable concludes emphatically with Abraham saying: “If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded even if one rises from the dead” (Luke 16:30-31).

So what are we to learn here? What conclusion might we draw? The parable teaches that Lazarus was accepted because he believed in the promise of God, whereas the rich man did not. Yeshua indicates this by having Abraham repeatedly say that salvation comes from listening to Moses and the Prophets, that is, believing in the testimony of the Scriptures and how they point to him (Deut. 18:15; Isa. 53; John 1:45; 5:46; Luke 24:27; 24:44). Again, when the doomed man objected that listening to God’s word was insufficient, he was rebuffed: “If they do not listen (i.e., ἀκούω, understand, perceive) Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be persuaded even if one rises from the dead.” Miracles are not enough. After all, even those who saw Yeshua raise Lazarus (of Bethany) from the dead refused to believe that he was Israel’s Messiah and Savior (John 11:40-53). So seeing isn’t believing, though believing God’s word enlightens the eyes of the heart to see. “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing comes from the word of God” (Rom. 10:17). Therefore it is understanding the word of God and believing its truth that saves the soul from death. Abraham believed the Lord (regarding the promised child) and the Lord declared him righteous for doing so (Gen. 15:6). This is the touchstone of faith (Rom. 4:1-13; Gal. 3:7-9; 3:29). Amen: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). So the destiny of each soul turns on the inescapable responsibility to believe in God and to trust in his promises (John 6:47).

“It is appointed unto man once to die, and after this is judgment” (Heb. 9:27). Each of us, then, must confront not only his own death, but also his own destiny… It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the Living God. Therefore we are admonished to “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you both to will and to do his good pleasure” (Phil. 2:12-13).

God has given many convincing proofs of his reality (Acts 1:3); he has implanted eternity within our hearts (Eccl. 3:11); he enables us to use logic and to clearly infer his power (Rom. 1:20); he testifies of his moral authority by the voice of conscience (Rom. 2:15); he reveals his glory in the splendors of creation (Psalm 19:1-3), and most especially, he reveals himself to faithful witnesses who have preserved their prophetic in the holy Scriptures (Matt. 5:17; Luke 11:49-51; John 20:31; Rom. 3:1-2; Rom. 15:4; 1 Cor. 10:11; 2 Tim. 3:16).

The gift of the Holy Spirit assures the heart and confirms the truth of God to those who listen and believe the testimony (John 14:26; John 16:13-14; 1 Cor. 2:10; 2 Pet. 1:20-21). We can know God as our “Abba” by the inner witness of the Spirit (Rom. 8:15). Our hearts experience real peace as we are transformed by the grace of his love. We trust that the Lord will shepherd our lives and faithfully bring us into glories of heaven when we die.  Amen.

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Addendum: Lazarus of Bethany…

There may be a connection between Lazarus of Bethany – the man Yeshua raised from the dead (as recorded in John 11) and the Lazarus named in this parable. First note that the raising of Lazarus is undoubtedly one of the greatest of all the miracles recorded in the New Testament, and of all miracles performed by Yeshua, this most clearly attested to his divinity and glory. Nevertheless, even after witnessing this miracle, many of the Pharisees remained faithless and the religious leadership thereafter conspired to kill him (John 11:46-56). By identifying the “rich man” in the parable with the religious leadership, Yeshua would be giving utmost warning that they were in utmost danger of blasphemy of the Holy Spirit’s witness, the unpardonable sin that leads to eternal death (Matt. 12:31-32).

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From our Torah portion for this week (i.e., Re’eh) we read: aser te’aser: “You shall tithe…” (Deut. 14:22). Understand this as the great blessing of becoming a conduit of heavenly good to others. The sages say that giving tzedakah (צְדָקָה, i.e., “charity”) to others is like a nursing mother. As long as she suckles her child, her milk supply is replenished and even increases; but once she weans the child, her supply dries up… So also when we give of our substance – the more we give, the more we will have; the less we give, the less we will have (Matt. 13:12). Therefore as our Lord taught us: “Give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. ‘Middah keneged middah’ (מִדָּה כְּנֶגֶד מִדָּה) – for with the measure you use it will be measured back to you” (Luke 6:38). It is more blessed to give than to receive (Acts 20:35).

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• Prov. 19:17 Hebrew page (pdf)

 

From our Torah portion this week (i.e., Masei) we read: “These are the journeys of the people of Israel (מַסְעֵי בְנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵל) who went out of the land of Egypt…” (Num. 33:1). The sages ask why the word “journeys” (plural) was used here, since only the first journey – from Rameses to Sukkot – literally marked “yetziat mitzrayim,” the going out of Egypt – and the other journeys were outside of Egypt, in the desert. They answer that the journey out of Egypt goes beyond the physical land into the spiritual- an exodus from captivity to the world into the realm of the spirit. As has been said, it took the LORD 40 days to get Israel out of Egypt, but it took 40 years to get Egypt out of Israel… The “journey out of Egypt” is therefore a journey of smaller journeys that leads to deliverance.

Along the way we are repeatedly tested. The “desert experience” reveals what is hidden in our hearts… The murmuring and rebellion of the Israelites in the desert is our own, and our challenge is to find healing from our fears. Anger, doubt, boredom, cravings, and outright rebellion are symptoms of a deeper problem, and to change we must first confess our inner poverty, neediness, and emptiness (James 5:16). When we stop making excuses we can learn to trust in God’s provision for our lives; we will taste of the heavenly manna and be satisfied; we will be delivered from our fears by be filled with God’s love. The impulses that sought to lead us away from God will no longer be able to pretend to be the truth, since God’s peace and love will direct the heart. We will begin to take hold of the promise…

Be encouraged my fellow sojourners walking by faith through the desert of this present world. The Torah uses a repetitious expression, “Sanctify yourselves and you shall be holy” (הִתְקַדִּשְׁתֶּם וִהְיִיתֶם קְדשִׁים) (Lev. 11:44) because when we make an effort — no matter how feeble at times — to draw near to the LORD, He will draw near to us… Indeed the walk of faith is one of ascent and descent and ascent again: It’s often “two steps forward, one step back…” It is a long road, a process, as we learn to obey and seek to grow closer to God. Authentic repentance doesn’t imply that we will never sin or make any mistakes, of course, but rather means that the oscillating pattern of “up, then down, then up” is the basic way we walk. Our direction has changed for good; we have turned to God for life and hope. We now understand our sins in light of a greater love that bears them for us even as we draw ever closer to the One who calls us home…

 

• Zech. 1:3b Hebrew lesson page (pdf)

 

 

The Lord is likened to a potter and we are as clay in his hand (Isa. 64:8). Life on the “potter’s wheel” can be messy, unsettling, and sometimes excruciatingly hard, but it is God’s sovereign work to form your life according to his design and purposes….

Contrary to the assumption that the life of faith should always be triumphant, we all inevitably will experience various setbacks, pratfalls, troubles and sorrows in our lives. This does not mean that God does not care for us however, because on the contrary, this is by his design; a plan supervised by God’s love and blessing, and the afflictions we therefore encounter are part of his work for our good (Rom. 8:28; Heb. 12:6). We descend in order to ascend. It make seem counterintuitive, but the heart of faith gives thanks for all things – the good as well as the evil (see Job 2:10). We affirm: “This too is for the good,” yea, even in the midst of our struggle, no, even more — precisely in the midst of our struggle — for this, too, is for our good. Faith is the resolution to trust in the reality of God’s goodness even during hard times when we feel abandoned or lost (Isa. 50:10). The Lord uses the “troubles of love” (יִסּוּרֵי אַהֲבָה) for our good – to wake us up and cling to him all the more, since this is what is most essential, after all…

Read more “On the Potter’s Wheel….”

It’s tragic that many want to retaliate against those who have hurt them, clinging to their wounded pride and allowing bitterness to take root in their hearts. Holding grudges, harboring spite, and seething in anger are common and deadly sins. As psychologist Erich Fromm once astutely observed: “There is perhaps no phenomenon which contains so much destructive feeling as ‘moral indignation,’ which permits envy or hate to be acted out under the guise of virtue.”

Interestingly, the English word “resentment” literally means “feeling again,” alluding to the reliving of an offense, real or imagined, that instills an unforgiving attitude of the heart and mind that refuses to let go… “Anger and resentment are like drinking poisoned waters — and hoping the other person will die.”

Many wounded people live with “scar tissue” that surrounds their heart, making them feel numb and unwilling to open up and trust others. Their affections have become disordered and their ego rationalizes blaming others or seeking various forms of entitlement. “Turning off your heart” can mean suppressing any positive regard for others (empathy) while nurturing anger and self-righteousness, or it may mean withdrawing from others as a lifeless shell (both approaches vainly attempt to defend the heart from hurt). Although Yeshua always showed great compassion, especially to the wounded and broken in spirit (Isa. 42:3), He regularly condemned the “hardness of heart” (“sclero-cardia,” σκληροκαρδία) of those who opposed his message of healing and love.

Yeshua warned that transgressions were inevitable – and he warned of great sorrow that would come to those through whom they come (Luke 17:1) – but he did not fulminate against the deeds of the wicked as much as he focused on our need to forgive others when they sinned against us. Indeed, Yeshua considered our need to forgive to be one of the most crucial matters of life itself, a corollary of the gospel message itself.

Consider Peter’s response to Yeshua’s teaching about correcting a brother who sins against another (Matt. 18:15-20). When he asked how often he should forgive someone who had sinned against him, wondering if “seven times” was sufficient before he could justifiably “excommunicate” him (see Luke 17:3-4), Yeshua corrected him by saying, “not seven times, but seven times seventy times,” in effect saying that forgiveness was an ongoing attitude of the heart, unlimited in its scope and application…

To illustrate what he meant, Yeshua likened the kingdom of heaven to the reign of a king who took account of his servants, discovering one who owed him an enormous sum of money. The debtor was unable to pay so the king then ordered him to be sold, along with his wife, children, and all of his possessions. The servant threw himself to the ground and begged the king for mercy, saying, “O Lord, have patience with me and I will repay you everything.” The king, moved with compassion, then graciously forgave him his debt.

Some time later, however, the selfsame servant found a fellow servant who owed him some money and grabbed him by the throat, saying, “Pay me what you owe me!” In response his fellow servant threw himself to the ground and begged the man, saying, “O have patience with me and I will repay you everything.” But the man refused the appeal and had him thrown in prison until he repaid the debt.

When the king’s other servants understood what had been done, they were grieved and came before the king to tell him what had happened. The king then summoned the man and said, “O you wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?” The king then remanded him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him. Yeshua then concluded the parable by saying: “This is how my Heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from the heart” (see Matt. 18:23-35).

Our Lord was warning us that if we do not forgive our brother “from the heart,” that is, sincerely and without dissimulation, we will hold the fires of resentment within us and consign ourselves to grave suffering. This is the “middah keneged middah” principle, “like for like,” and measure for measure: “as you do unto others, so will be done unto you.” Therefore we see that forgiveness is not “recommended” for a godly life, it is absolutely essential. Forgiving “from the heart” relieves the inner pressure and pain induced by resentment, and the anger will dissipate. Your tension will be gone and you will feel lighter and set free. As it is written: “With the merciful you will show yourself merciful, with the upright you will show yourself upright; with the pure you show yourself pure” (Psalm 18:25-26).

It is important to understand that forgiveness is not an attempt to rationally understand or “explain away” sin; nor does it try to reduce (or “deconstruct”) evil in “naturalistic” terms. No, forgiveness deals with spiritual reality, that is, behavior that violates God’s moral truth and law, and therefore the doer of moral evil is under divine judgment. God’s forgiveness is costly and never cheap. It is a “severe mercy” that cost him the sacrifice of his son to release us from the debt we owe. And it is a gift, a sacrifice freely offered to repay what the sinful person owes. Forgiveness is therefore a conscious decision – an act of the will – that releases the sinful person from their guilt and lets go of any desire for revenge.

Because “we cannot give what we do not have,” the ability to forgive comes from something outside of ourselves, namely, the miracle of God’s life-giving grace accepted within the trusting heart. As we receive forgiveness from God, so we are obligated (and enabled) to practice forgiveness toward others. This is the “divine reciprocity,” the “balance” of a heart that is in genuine communion with Him. How we respond to God is revealed by how we treat others. What we do affects God’s heart, just as what God does affects our hearts.

Your forgiveness is your forgiveness: as you forgive, so you reveal your heart. What you do comes from what you are, not the other way around… We are first transformed by God’s grace and then come works of love. We are able to judge others mercifully, with the “good eye,” because we come to believe that we are beloved by God.

On the other hand, if we refuse to forgive others, we thereby subject ourselves to God’s judgment. Our indignation inwardly appeals to God as Elohim (אלהים), the Judge, rather than as YHVH (יהוה), the merciful Savior. But appealing to God for retribution for another’s sin is to fall under judgment ourselves (see Rom. 2:1-3). Hardening our heart locks us into a torture chamber of our own choosing. “This is how my Heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from the heart” (Matt. 18:35). Refusing to be merciful to others is self-destructive and deeply painful. “Hurt people hurt people,” and bitterness invariably leads to desolation and hopelessness. “Despair has been called the unforgivable sin – not presumably because God refuses to forgive it, but because it despairs of the possibility of being forgiven” (Frederick Buechner).

Just as God graciously paid the price for our forgiveness, he expects us to pay the price of forgiving others as well. “The discretion of a man defers his anger; and it is his glory to pass over a transgression” (Prov. 19:11). In the parable mentioned above, Yeshua says the refusal to forgive your brother is wickedness: “O you wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?” (Matt. 18:32-33).

The consequences of retaining an unforgiving spirit are dreadful: the prison cell of resentment tortures the heart, extinguishes hope, and ultimately destroys the soul. “See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God, that no one be like a bitter root springing up and causing trouble, and through him many become defiled” (Heb. 12:15).

Deliverance from bitterness requires the miracle of God given in the gospel. What is at stake is the very salvation of your soul. If you find yourself unable to forgive, revisit the cross of Yeshua and behold how he bore your sin and paid for your freedom through his utmost agony and suffering. When we truly receive the miracle of grace it will show up in our interpersonal relationships (as well as in our relationship with ourselves).

Forgiveness is “easy” to those who have little to be forgiven, but the message of the cross is that we are in great need of healing, that our sinful heart is a disaster for us, and that we are desperately ashamed and in need of utmost reconciliation. In your struggle, ask the gracious Lord to increase your faith: “Lord, I believe: help my unbelief.” Go to the cross, with your sin and your need before you, and pour out your heart in confession. Trust your Heavenly Father to fulfill his will in your life. The Lord is able and willing to give you a new heart and a new spirit according to his sure promise. Amen.

 

Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 86:5 reading:

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• Psalm 86:5 Hebrew page (pdf)

 

Hebrew Lesson
Matthew 5:9 reading:

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•  Matt. 5:7 Hebrew page (pdf)