1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:08,840 Hey, I'm Matt Brownell. 2 00:00:08,840 --> 00:00:10,480 And I'm Van Owens. 3 00:00:10,480 --> 00:00:12,160 And I'm Tim Adams. 4 00:00:12,160 --> 00:00:18,120 Welcome to Climbing the Mountain, where we dive into the scriptures and discuss themes, 5 00:00:18,120 --> 00:00:21,280 connections, and real life application. 6 00:00:21,280 --> 00:00:24,960 We're kicking off a series here where we're going to examine the Sermon on the Mount and 7 00:00:24,960 --> 00:00:34,640 discuss implications for this teaching for Christians today. 8 00:00:34,640 --> 00:00:35,640 Welcome back. 9 00:00:35,640 --> 00:00:41,800 We have been having a riveting discussion on treasures in heaven. 10 00:00:41,800 --> 00:00:47,560 And last time, we spent a lot of time thinking about what are ways that we store up treasures 11 00:00:47,560 --> 00:00:49,200 on earth. 12 00:00:49,200 --> 00:00:55,040 And we talked a lot about that everything that we own, everything that we're going after 13 00:00:55,040 --> 00:01:01,840 has some amount of energy and time and thought that is associated with it. 14 00:01:01,840 --> 00:01:05,080 And they kind of can drag us down. 15 00:01:05,080 --> 00:01:12,760 And that it's not really in line with what the reality is that Jesus is offering to us, 16 00:01:12,760 --> 00:01:18,960 that there's something better that is waiting for us on the other side of death. 17 00:01:18,960 --> 00:01:26,640 And so we're about to dive into the next verse. 18 00:01:26,640 --> 00:01:30,800 And I'll read the context here for everyone. 19 00:01:30,800 --> 00:01:35,240 In Matthew 6, 19, it says, Don't store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where 20 00:01:35,240 --> 00:01:38,560 maws and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 21 00:01:38,560 --> 00:01:42,720 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where maws and vermin do not destroy, and 22 00:01:42,720 --> 00:01:44,960 where thieves do not break in and steal. 23 00:01:44,960 --> 00:01:48,440 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 24 00:01:48,440 --> 00:01:50,080 The eye is the lamp of the body. 25 00:01:50,080 --> 00:01:53,880 If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. 26 00:01:53,880 --> 00:01:57,560 But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. 27 00:01:57,560 --> 00:02:01,360 If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness? 28 00:02:01,360 --> 00:02:03,000 No one can serve two masters. 29 00:02:03,000 --> 00:02:06,640 Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and 30 00:02:06,640 --> 00:02:07,760 despise the other. 31 00:02:07,760 --> 00:02:10,080 You cannot serve both God and money. 32 00:02:10,080 --> 00:02:13,120 So I'll turn it over to Jim for the next question. 33 00:02:13,120 --> 00:02:14,120 Appreciate it, Tim. 34 00:02:14,120 --> 00:02:17,560 So we're going to do the next section, which is the eye is the lamp of the body. 35 00:02:17,560 --> 00:02:23,240 And that's one of those phrases that confused me for the majority of my Christian life. 36 00:02:23,240 --> 00:02:28,680 And as I've been learning more, the eye is the lamp of the body. 37 00:02:28,680 --> 00:02:30,760 It's a really strange phrase. 38 00:02:30,760 --> 00:02:36,920 But the phrase of having good eyes was a Hebrew idiom for seeing the world through the lens 39 00:02:36,920 --> 00:02:37,920 of generosity. 40 00:02:37,920 --> 00:02:42,360 I promise we would come back to generosity, and here we are. 41 00:02:42,360 --> 00:02:49,360 So when Jesus is saying is the eye is the lamp of the body, if your eyes are healthy 42 00:02:49,360 --> 00:02:53,920 or good, your whole body will be full of light. 43 00:02:53,920 --> 00:02:56,960 And if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. 44 00:02:56,960 --> 00:03:05,480 And he's, it sounds like with that knowledge, he's saying, if your eyes are good and you 45 00:03:05,480 --> 00:03:09,560 are generous, you will be full of light. 46 00:03:09,560 --> 00:03:15,760 And if your eyes are not good, you will be full of darkness. 47 00:03:15,760 --> 00:03:22,320 With that in mind, are there any stories in the Old Testament, because Jesus is referencing 48 00:03:22,320 --> 00:03:25,280 a lot of the Old Testament in the Sermon on the Mount. 49 00:03:25,280 --> 00:03:29,640 I'm not sure how much you guys have talked about that, but he's very frequently, if not 50 00:03:29,640 --> 00:03:32,280 always referencing something. 51 00:03:32,280 --> 00:03:38,960 Are there any stories from the Old Testament that you would recall that would talk about 52 00:03:38,960 --> 00:03:39,960 generosity? 53 00:03:39,960 --> 00:03:45,960 Yeah, I've got one, but before I get to it, I really just want to say I'm so glad you 54 00:03:45,960 --> 00:03:53,120 brought that out, that Hebrew idiom, it's still used today actually, Tav Ayin. 55 00:03:53,120 --> 00:03:59,000 And it shows up in Proverbs, Proverbs 22.9, when we read it in the NIV, you're not going 56 00:03:59,000 --> 00:04:02,000 to read the good eye, but that is literally what it says. 57 00:04:02,000 --> 00:04:08,680 And it's in the Septuagint, they render it showing mercy to a beggar. 58 00:04:08,680 --> 00:04:14,760 But it's still in the Hebrew, that Tav Ayin is right there, that good eye. 59 00:04:14,760 --> 00:04:24,600 And I think it's really, it totally, when I started looking at that, I was like, wow, 60 00:04:24,600 --> 00:04:32,360 this unlocks the whole, the rest of this passage, like really clearly frames the rest of it 61 00:04:32,360 --> 00:04:37,760 to be about our heart of giving and our whole outlook. 62 00:04:37,760 --> 00:04:43,280 It reminds me also what Jesus was just saying in Matthew 542, we aren't to turn away from 63 00:04:43,280 --> 00:04:44,600 people who are in need. 64 00:04:44,600 --> 00:04:47,520 We value everyone as someone made in God's image. 65 00:04:47,520 --> 00:04:50,600 And really the rest of this passage is about it. 66 00:04:50,600 --> 00:04:54,720 And I think it's so strange to our society too. 67 00:04:54,720 --> 00:04:59,520 So that's the other thing that makes me think of that our society is telling us, look out 68 00:04:59,520 --> 00:05:01,000 for number one. 69 00:05:01,000 --> 00:05:02,240 This is totally opposite. 70 00:05:02,240 --> 00:05:03,880 No one's going to help you. 71 00:05:03,880 --> 00:05:10,000 You have to claw your way to the top, and when you're saying that Jesus is saying this 72 00:05:10,000 --> 00:05:17,040 is like the lamp of the body, the eyes, it also makes me think of Matthew 514, what he 73 00:05:17,040 --> 00:05:20,240 was saying again about being the light of the world. 74 00:05:20,240 --> 00:05:24,880 And so I think there is something about this that when we do, like when we're filled with 75 00:05:24,880 --> 00:05:30,160 lightness because we have this kind of outlook, we are going to glorify our Father in heaven 76 00:05:30,160 --> 00:05:34,920 by being generous to others, by not turning away from their needs. 77 00:05:34,920 --> 00:05:39,440 So that said, all of that, sorry, I love tangents. 78 00:05:39,440 --> 00:05:42,040 Anyway, but I really found that fascinating. 79 00:05:42,040 --> 00:05:45,440 So I'm glad you brought that phrase out. 80 00:05:45,440 --> 00:05:50,440 The person I was thinking about was Abram in Genesis 13 and 14. 81 00:05:50,440 --> 00:05:55,160 When he in lot part ways Abram lets Lachus which land he wants, and of course Lachus 82 00:05:55,160 --> 00:06:00,720 is the fertile land, which is even described as resembling the land of Egypt. 83 00:06:00,720 --> 00:06:03,760 Hello, red flag, foreshadowing. 84 00:06:03,760 --> 00:06:07,880 Anyway, things don't work out the way Lach planned, and he finds himself a prisoner of 85 00:06:07,880 --> 00:06:14,200 war and then Abram comes into the rescue and routes the army, frees Lach and even returns 86 00:06:14,200 --> 00:06:15,480 Lach's possessions. 87 00:06:15,480 --> 00:06:20,560 Then he gives a 10th to Melchizedek and won't accept anything from the kingdom, a kingdom 88 00:06:20,560 --> 00:06:22,840 saw them. 89 00:06:22,840 --> 00:06:28,960 That seems like he is not attached to personal possessions. 90 00:06:28,960 --> 00:06:33,320 So I was going to say, I also think of a story from Abram when right before the story of 91 00:06:33,320 --> 00:06:37,640 Sodom and Gomorrah, which I think is a very interesting placement. 92 00:06:37,640 --> 00:06:42,160 We're not talking about that today, but I'll let you kind of decide why it's an interesting 93 00:06:42,160 --> 00:06:44,400 placement on your own. 94 00:06:44,400 --> 00:06:46,680 There's the story of three visitors. 95 00:06:46,680 --> 00:06:48,120 We don't really know where they come. 96 00:06:48,120 --> 00:06:49,560 They just come. 97 00:06:49,560 --> 00:06:53,680 And Abram rolls out the red carpet, he gives them everything. 98 00:06:53,680 --> 00:06:59,720 He is so over the top, hospitable and generous towards them. 99 00:06:59,720 --> 00:07:01,640 Yeah. 100 00:07:01,640 --> 00:07:10,280 I think of a story in, of course, in First Samuel, where, and it happens at the end of 101 00:07:10,280 --> 00:07:17,760 First Samuel in chapter 20, it's about chapter 30, chapter 30. 102 00:07:17,760 --> 00:07:25,400 David and his men have gone off to, to, to fight and they've left all their families 103 00:07:25,400 --> 00:07:29,400 and their possessions in this little town called Ziklog. 104 00:07:29,400 --> 00:07:32,760 And while they're gone, the amylochites come and they raid Ziklog. 105 00:07:32,760 --> 00:07:35,120 They take all the people as slaves. 106 00:07:35,120 --> 00:07:37,320 They take all the treasures. 107 00:07:37,320 --> 00:07:43,920 David and his men get back and they find smoking ruins and no people and no treasure. 108 00:07:43,920 --> 00:07:49,720 And they're distressed, obviously, and they think about stoning David because he took 109 00:07:49,720 --> 00:07:50,720 them away to fight. 110 00:07:50,720 --> 00:07:53,720 It's a, it's a, the story is really intense. 111 00:07:53,720 --> 00:07:59,360 But if, so eventually what happens is David and his men find the amylochites that raided 112 00:07:59,360 --> 00:08:04,400 them, they defeat them, they take back all of their stuff and all of their people. 113 00:08:04,400 --> 00:08:10,960 But when they were on their way out, it says a certain portion of David's men were so exhausted 114 00:08:10,960 --> 00:08:14,760 and so grief stricken that they couldn't carry on. 115 00:08:14,760 --> 00:08:21,560 They just, they fell out with fatigue and just utter frustration and depression. 116 00:08:21,560 --> 00:08:24,480 And David said, well, you guys stay behind, we'll go ahead. 117 00:08:24,480 --> 00:08:26,080 So they go and they defeat everybody. 118 00:08:26,080 --> 00:08:30,800 And then when they're coming back, David is about to give them everything. 119 00:08:30,800 --> 00:08:35,760 And David's men say, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, those guys didn't even participate. 120 00:08:35,760 --> 00:08:37,520 They didn't work for this. 121 00:08:37,520 --> 00:08:40,280 They didn't do anything for this. 122 00:08:40,280 --> 00:08:45,840 Let's just give them back their wives and their children, but tell them, give them back their 123 00:08:45,840 --> 00:08:49,440 wives and their children and tell them to move on. 124 00:08:49,440 --> 00:08:56,760 And David says, David says, I'm going to read it just because I think it's such an incredible 125 00:08:56,760 --> 00:09:01,280 act of generosity. 126 00:09:01,280 --> 00:09:07,160 In verse 23 of chapter 30 of first Samuel, it says, David replied, no, my brothers, you 127 00:09:07,160 --> 00:09:11,400 must not do that with what the Lord has given us. 128 00:09:11,400 --> 00:09:15,640 He has protected us and delivered into our hands the raiding party that came against 129 00:09:15,640 --> 00:09:16,640 us. 130 00:09:16,640 --> 00:09:18,280 Who will listen to what you say? 131 00:09:18,280 --> 00:09:25,000 The share of the man who stayed with the supplies is to be the same as that of him who went down 132 00:09:25,000 --> 00:09:26,440 to the battle. 133 00:09:26,440 --> 00:09:28,320 All will share alike. 134 00:09:28,320 --> 00:09:33,760 David made this a statute and an ordinance in Israel from that day to this. 135 00:09:33,760 --> 00:09:35,760 And that always just stands out to me. 136 00:09:35,760 --> 00:09:40,440 And I think that's one of the ways where David proved that he's a man after God's own heart. 137 00:09:40,440 --> 00:09:45,440 And the thing that I'll say about the good eye, the eyes being the lamp of the body, 138 00:09:45,440 --> 00:09:48,400 the two things that I think about, we'll talk more about this, I'm sure, but the two 139 00:09:48,400 --> 00:09:55,400 things I think about are a lamp is something that projects outward. 140 00:09:55,400 --> 00:10:02,320 And it's what, so it's what you project outward to everybody around you. 141 00:10:02,320 --> 00:10:05,680 And that also, I think, speaks to what your perspective is. 142 00:10:05,680 --> 00:10:10,960 And I'm sure we're going to dig deeper into that as we go, but that's what I'm thinking. 143 00:10:10,960 --> 00:10:14,120 That is the plan. 144 00:10:14,120 --> 00:10:17,560 So I think it's a really, those are great stories. 145 00:10:17,560 --> 00:10:23,280 And I think it's important to make sure we remember that that's when Jesus's hearers 146 00:10:23,280 --> 00:10:27,400 hear those, that's what, those are some of the stories that are probably going through 147 00:10:27,400 --> 00:10:28,400 their head. 148 00:10:28,400 --> 00:10:31,560 I don't know exactly what they're thinking of, but they're thinking of examples. 149 00:10:31,560 --> 00:10:37,160 Like, this guy was generous in Torah, this is what Jesus is calling us to be. 150 00:10:37,160 --> 00:10:40,680 We're supposed to have the same generosity. 151 00:10:40,680 --> 00:10:44,880 I want to ask a little bit about generosity now. 152 00:10:44,880 --> 00:10:53,880 And this is something I always, I think we tend to view generosity as necessarily financial. 153 00:10:53,880 --> 00:10:59,640 What are some ways other than finances that we can be generous? 154 00:10:59,640 --> 00:11:11,840 So, I think I'm going to get a little from looking at another word Matthew uses here 155 00:11:11,840 --> 00:11:16,760 besides the, the, the I, which he clearly references. 156 00:11:16,760 --> 00:11:23,080 But I think the other one that I was looking at was the one he uses for good, which is 157 00:11:23,080 --> 00:11:29,040 interesting, I think, because it has a meaning of single or figuratively clear. 158 00:11:29,040 --> 00:11:32,520 So, and I love this choice because I think it's getting at a bigger picture here when 159 00:11:32,520 --> 00:11:36,520 you're seeing clearly, you see things as they actually are. 160 00:11:36,520 --> 00:11:39,560 That person in need is just like you. 161 00:11:39,560 --> 00:11:43,120 They aren't beneath you or waste of time or unworthy. 162 00:11:43,120 --> 00:11:45,160 They were made in God's image. 163 00:11:45,160 --> 00:11:51,240 And it reminds me of Paul's prayer that the eyes of our heart may be enlightened in order 164 00:11:51,240 --> 00:11:56,520 that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance 165 00:11:56,520 --> 00:11:58,840 and his holy people. 166 00:11:58,840 --> 00:12:03,040 We aren't, so we're not just talking about physical eyes here, although I think that's 167 00:12:03,040 --> 00:12:08,120 also really interesting connection that you see between what we see with our physical 168 00:12:08,120 --> 00:12:14,920 eyes and how it influences our, the eyes of our heart, really our soul. 169 00:12:14,920 --> 00:12:20,200 But I think if I could go on, I think the part about having a good eye and being generous, 170 00:12:20,200 --> 00:12:25,800 the how, the how of it is, is related to having a single focus. 171 00:12:25,800 --> 00:12:30,200 So much of what we read in the Bible, I think it's there to help us train the eyes of our 172 00:12:30,200 --> 00:12:35,960 heart on God's glory on our savior, the author and perfect of our faith. 173 00:12:35,960 --> 00:12:39,800 When we're filling up our eyes with Jesus, it's going to change us. 174 00:12:39,800 --> 00:12:43,120 We'll be more grateful for the mercy we've received and more inclined to show mercy 175 00:12:43,120 --> 00:12:44,920 to others. 176 00:12:44,920 --> 00:12:48,920 It's like what Jesus tells us disciples when they go out in Matthew 10, freely you've 177 00:12:48,920 --> 00:12:51,240 been given, freely give. 178 00:12:51,240 --> 00:12:57,000 And so I think this passage we're studying about being generous is actually getting at 179 00:12:57,000 --> 00:13:01,200 something larger, something we see throughout the rest of the Bible. 180 00:13:01,200 --> 00:13:05,000 We become what we behold. 181 00:13:05,000 --> 00:13:08,680 And if we focus our eyes on Jesus through faith, we become more like him. 182 00:13:08,680 --> 00:13:11,720 Conversely, if we take a steady diet of the world, we're going to become more like the 183 00:13:11,720 --> 00:13:12,720 Prince of his age. 184 00:13:12,720 --> 00:13:16,520 I think that's what we're looking about in the Matthew 5, too, you know, become more 185 00:13:16,520 --> 00:13:20,720 like your father in heaven, or you could be more like the father of lies. 186 00:13:20,720 --> 00:13:25,880 And the way you do that by looking to God, the invisible God. 187 00:13:25,880 --> 00:13:26,880 Yeah. 188 00:13:26,880 --> 00:13:30,480 And that has like a riffle effect on everything. 189 00:13:30,480 --> 00:13:36,840 When you just ask that question, Jim, like Abram had that or earlier, that story you 190 00:13:36,840 --> 00:13:40,920 were saying, like Abram had that heart of, I don't know who these people are, but I'm 191 00:13:40,920 --> 00:13:43,120 going to treat them hospitably. 192 00:13:43,120 --> 00:13:48,080 I'm going to roll off the red carpet and make space and time for them and give them 193 00:13:48,080 --> 00:13:51,720 of my home and my food. 194 00:13:51,720 --> 00:13:56,240 And that hospitality is one of the ways I think we can be extremely generous. 195 00:13:56,240 --> 00:14:01,920 And it's one of the ways where like, if we're only being generous in like a financial transactional 196 00:14:01,920 --> 00:14:06,480 sense, it can be devoid from our heart. 197 00:14:06,480 --> 00:14:10,720 But you know, Matt's saying like, for fixing our eyes on Jesus is going to come into every 198 00:14:10,720 --> 00:14:12,480 area of our life. 199 00:14:12,480 --> 00:14:19,680 And like hospitality is like one of these ways where we're inconveniencing ourselves, 200 00:14:19,680 --> 00:14:25,200 making ourselves, making our homes, or making, you know, our lives a place where other people 201 00:14:25,200 --> 00:14:31,560 can come in and feel safe and have the time and space to be cared for. 202 00:14:31,560 --> 00:14:35,760 That's inconvenient to our own agendas. 203 00:14:35,760 --> 00:14:37,040 But it's an incredible opportunity. 204 00:14:37,040 --> 00:14:44,120 And we see amazing examples of that all throughout the scriptures of people doing that and are 205 00:14:44,120 --> 00:14:46,400 called to be hospitable. 206 00:14:46,400 --> 00:14:52,400 But I was going to just say like, oh, we need to be generous with our time, but I'm like, 207 00:14:52,400 --> 00:14:58,040 that feels kind of fuzzy or like hard to be hard to apply. 208 00:14:58,040 --> 00:15:03,520 But I think that one of the really practical ways we can do that is be hospitable. 209 00:15:03,520 --> 00:15:12,600 I think I think three words, I think compassion, kindness, and mercy. 210 00:15:12,600 --> 00:15:20,400 Those are ways to be generous that don't necessarily have to do with money. 211 00:15:20,400 --> 00:15:26,800 And those are the kind of things that I try to hold up in my mind whenever I'm doing anything. 212 00:15:26,800 --> 00:15:33,000 And somebody cuts me off in traffic and I'm tempted to, you know, curse them. 213 00:15:33,000 --> 00:15:40,120 I think, you know, maybe that's a guy who just found out that his parent had a heart 214 00:15:40,120 --> 00:15:41,480 attack. 215 00:15:41,480 --> 00:15:45,680 And maybe he's, and, and, you know, the cynic in me wants to say probably not, probably 216 00:15:45,680 --> 00:15:48,400 he's just a knucklehead. 217 00:15:48,400 --> 00:15:55,600 But if I'm going to be compassionate, kind, merciful to that person, I have to open myself 218 00:15:55,600 --> 00:15:57,620 up to the possibility. 219 00:15:57,620 --> 00:15:58,620 Maybe that's it. 220 00:15:58,620 --> 00:16:04,800 And maybe my letting him get into traffic lets him get there in time to help or to do 221 00:16:04,800 --> 00:16:12,520 something and to think about it in that way and to approach the world and to, to, to project 222 00:16:12,520 --> 00:16:16,720 something positive into the situation. 223 00:16:16,720 --> 00:16:23,800 It may not ever do anything for that guy who cut me off in traffic, but it will keep the, 224 00:16:23,800 --> 00:16:26,760 the lamp of my eyes bright. 225 00:16:26,760 --> 00:16:29,800 It will keep it, it will keep it from going dark. 226 00:16:29,800 --> 00:16:34,980 If I can just exhibit compassion, kindness, mercy. 227 00:16:34,980 --> 00:16:38,580 That was one of the ways I was always thinking about being generous because it's one thing 228 00:16:38,580 --> 00:16:40,280 to give my money away. 229 00:16:40,280 --> 00:16:43,560 It's another thing to give my time away. 230 00:16:43,560 --> 00:16:48,360 But it's, it's a whole different animal to be generous in my judgments of people and 231 00:16:48,360 --> 00:16:51,200 how I view people and. 232 00:16:51,200 --> 00:16:52,440 And harder to do. 233 00:16:52,440 --> 00:16:58,960 And it's harder to do in, it's because it's very easy for me to look at someone in the 234 00:16:58,960 --> 00:17:04,080 way they act and assume that I know why they're acting that way. 235 00:17:04,080 --> 00:17:11,880 But it's very hard for me to give them the most charitable interpretation of their actions. 236 00:17:11,880 --> 00:17:14,880 You know, like Van said, I'll even expand on that. 237 00:17:14,880 --> 00:17:20,520 There could be someone who's just difficult to deal with in this particular facet of our 238 00:17:20,520 --> 00:17:30,080 lives, whether it's work or school, if you're in school, and who's struggling, who, who 239 00:17:30,080 --> 00:17:34,480 might be going through something that's incredibly challenging. 240 00:17:34,480 --> 00:17:37,600 They could be taking care of a sick relative. 241 00:17:37,600 --> 00:17:44,920 They could have stuff going on at home that's just intense and, and difficult. 242 00:17:44,920 --> 00:17:52,120 And if we're not kind and generous and compassionate with our judgments of people, we're, we're 243 00:17:52,120 --> 00:17:59,360 going to eventually, we're going to eventually hurt some of them who need what Jesus is talking 244 00:17:59,360 --> 00:18:02,120 about, who Jesus is trying to reach. 245 00:18:02,120 --> 00:18:04,320 He's trying to reach the hurting. 246 00:18:04,320 --> 00:18:09,000 But if we're not kind and generous and to get back to our discussion from a couple pods 247 00:18:09,000 --> 00:18:15,000 ago with the Pharisees, the Pharisees were not always generous in their judgments of people. 248 00:18:15,000 --> 00:18:18,160 In fact, they were frequently not generous. 249 00:18:18,160 --> 00:18:25,120 It was the way I sort of hear it is it's either you're one of us or you do what we do or we 250 00:18:25,120 --> 00:18:26,560 don't really have time for you. 251 00:18:26,560 --> 00:18:34,400 And they, they lacked that generosity of thinking the best of people and presuming the best of 252 00:18:34,400 --> 00:18:40,760 people, which I think we can all agree is incredibly difficult. 253 00:18:40,760 --> 00:18:41,760 Yeah. 254 00:18:41,760 --> 00:18:45,680 Could I make one connection for our culture? 255 00:18:45,680 --> 00:18:55,560 So we live in a world that is incredibly in America is incredibly materialistic. 256 00:18:55,560 --> 00:19:01,560 And there's also a, you know, an imagined meritocracy, which I think is breaking down 257 00:19:01,560 --> 00:19:07,080 in most people's minds, but there's still this kind of embedded assumption that, you 258 00:19:07,080 --> 00:19:13,480 know, people, if people don't have something, then they're lazy. 259 00:19:13,480 --> 00:19:18,800 Maybe not as much not in the Northeast, but I have family or friends in other places that 260 00:19:18,800 --> 00:19:22,480 might have other opinions. 261 00:19:22,480 --> 00:19:31,480 And that really gets at our judgments when we're thinking about being financially generous. 262 00:19:31,480 --> 00:19:36,240 There are many opportunities that we might have to give, but we might hold back because 263 00:19:36,240 --> 00:19:38,000 we think that someone doesn't deserve it. 264 00:19:38,000 --> 00:19:39,000 Yeah. 265 00:19:39,000 --> 00:19:40,960 And that we deserve it more. 266 00:19:40,960 --> 00:19:48,200 And I want to talk about that more later, but I think it's these ideas about being generous 267 00:19:48,200 --> 00:19:51,960 of being generous with our judgments versus generous with our money versus generous with 268 00:19:51,960 --> 00:19:53,840 our time are all linked. 269 00:19:53,840 --> 00:19:54,840 Yeah. 270 00:19:54,840 --> 00:19:58,440 That's the main thing that I want to make clear like right now. 271 00:19:58,440 --> 00:20:02,960 I appreciate you saying that, Tim, because it's not an either or proposition. 272 00:20:02,960 --> 00:20:07,080 It's not, I can be generous with my money, but I can't be generous with my time or my 273 00:20:07,080 --> 00:20:08,580 judgments. 274 00:20:08,580 --> 00:20:11,480 You can be generous with all of them. 275 00:20:11,480 --> 00:20:14,860 You can be overall generous. 276 00:20:14,860 --> 00:20:18,640 So the next question I have, and we are flying through questions on this podcast. 277 00:20:18,640 --> 00:20:21,000 This is good. 278 00:20:21,000 --> 00:20:24,800 Jesus contrasts light and darkness. 279 00:20:24,800 --> 00:20:27,200 How would a Jew hear this contrast? 280 00:20:27,200 --> 00:20:30,960 What does light represent in the Old Testament? 281 00:20:30,960 --> 00:20:34,840 What does darkness represent? 282 00:20:34,840 --> 00:20:41,720 How would a person hearing this firsthand, what would they hear here? 283 00:20:41,720 --> 00:20:45,640 I thought of a few things here, Jim, and I'm going to bring in a topic that I know you 284 00:20:45,640 --> 00:20:48,640 and I love to debate. 285 00:20:48,640 --> 00:20:50,640 I was just checking the clock, by the way. 286 00:20:50,640 --> 00:20:51,640 Here we go. 287 00:20:51,640 --> 00:20:52,640 Yeah. 288 00:20:52,640 --> 00:20:56,920 No, but I think with light, I think you can't help but think of creation, right? 289 00:20:56,920 --> 00:20:58,560 That's one of the first things that comes to mind. 290 00:20:58,560 --> 00:21:01,120 But the other thing that comes to mind is also holiness. 291 00:21:01,120 --> 00:21:06,160 And I have images of burning incense, the lamps that were in the first tabernacle and 292 00:21:06,160 --> 00:21:12,680 then the temple and places holy to the Lord where we could come near to him. 293 00:21:12,680 --> 00:21:18,600 And then I also think of Israel being called to be a light to the nations, Isaiah 42. 294 00:21:18,600 --> 00:21:25,360 So again, this idea is reflecting God's glory into the world to draw people back to him. 295 00:21:25,360 --> 00:21:30,640 And that's what we see in Matthew 5, 14, what Jesus is talking about. 296 00:21:30,640 --> 00:21:36,240 And when I think about this, the writer, well, I got to say the New Testament writers were 297 00:21:36,240 --> 00:21:44,700 Jews too, most of them, maybe not Luke, but John, I think, is one who uses this theme 298 00:21:44,700 --> 00:21:48,720 of light from the beginning of his writing to the end. 299 00:21:48,720 --> 00:21:53,000 And John 1, 5, he says, the light shines in the darkness and the darkness is not overcome 300 00:21:53,000 --> 00:21:54,680 it. 301 00:21:54,680 --> 00:22:00,000 He's saying the light perpetually shines and the darkness tried and failed to overcome 302 00:22:00,000 --> 00:22:03,560 it, past tense darkness defeated already. 303 00:22:03,560 --> 00:22:06,320 Jesus is the light of the world. 304 00:22:06,320 --> 00:22:08,840 John 8 and 9, we follow him. 305 00:22:08,840 --> 00:22:10,520 We won't walk in darkness. 306 00:22:10,520 --> 00:22:15,840 It'll be just like the pillar of fire theophany leading Israel through the wilderness Exodus. 307 00:22:15,840 --> 00:22:23,720 And you get the same picture in the end of Revelation 22.5 where he's describing how 308 00:22:23,720 --> 00:22:29,920 there's going to new heaven, new earth, final temple, holy city, no unholy thing will be 309 00:22:29,920 --> 00:22:33,840 there except all who Christ has redeemed, old and New Testament. 310 00:22:33,840 --> 00:22:40,760 They'll all be together worshiping God, seeing his face, knowing him, belonging to him. 311 00:22:40,760 --> 00:22:44,800 And listen to this, there will be no more night. 312 00:22:44,800 --> 00:22:50,440 They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun for the Lord God will 313 00:22:50,440 --> 00:22:52,680 give them light. 314 00:22:52,680 --> 00:22:58,080 So God is this ultimate light and Jesus is described even as the radiance of the glory 315 00:22:58,080 --> 00:23:00,440 of God in Hebrews. 316 00:23:00,440 --> 00:23:04,960 And likewise, we're intended to shine like stars in this dark universe. 317 00:23:04,960 --> 00:23:09,840 And that's the thing that is so amazing about all of this. 318 00:23:09,840 --> 00:23:14,240 Where to be the light of the world and our actions should glorify our heavenly Father. 319 00:23:14,240 --> 00:23:19,440 Yeah, this is a big one. 320 00:23:19,440 --> 00:23:24,760 And I have a lot to say and not much time left. 321 00:23:24,760 --> 00:23:26,600 So I'm thinking that maybe. 322 00:23:26,600 --> 00:23:29,240 Do you guys want to go just a little bit longer on this one? 323 00:23:29,240 --> 00:23:37,960 Well, so I think what we do here is let's pick this up next pod. 324 00:23:37,960 --> 00:23:42,960 Because this is a long discussion and it's a discussion that merits good time. 325 00:23:42,960 --> 00:23:44,640 The light and darkness discussion. 326 00:23:44,640 --> 00:23:45,880 I think it merits time. 327 00:23:45,880 --> 00:23:49,840 I think it merits energy and I don't want to cut us short. 328 00:23:49,840 --> 00:23:52,840 So we're going to pick this up next pod. 329 00:23:52,840 --> 00:23:54,520 Really appreciate you all listening. 330 00:23:54,520 --> 00:24:01,800 I hope you guys feel challenged to be generous and to be generous in all the ways you can 331 00:24:01,800 --> 00:24:06,720 be generous and also to be creative in the ways you are generous. 332 00:24:06,720 --> 00:24:10,400 There's probably ways we haven't talked about that you can be generous. 333 00:24:10,400 --> 00:24:13,480 And so let's go out and be generous. 334 00:24:13,480 --> 00:24:14,480 Thank you all for listening. 335 00:24:14,480 --> 00:24:16,480 We'll talk to you next pod.