Voices from Church History

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My two previous posts have reflected the theme: “A voice in the wilderness.” John and Jesus were both effective communicators, but their words often seemed more like voices in the wilderness. However, when we consider the history of the early church and its rapid expansion and its transformation of civilization, it is obvious that Jesus’ had equipped His disciples to continue the mission of preaching the gospel and making disciples who reflected Jesus’ character.

Today, I am sharing words from Christians who lived in the 1st and 2nd centuries. I will be quoting from a book, The Early Christians in Their Own Words by Eberhard Arnold. The introduction on the cover of the book reads: “… the fire of first love—the rich, primitive force of the early Christian spirit—speaks to us once again.” Below is an excerpt from a 2nd century document describing these early followers of Jesus Christ:

“Christians cannot be distinguished from the rest of humankind by country, speech, or customs. They do not live in cities of their own; they do not speak a special language; they do not follow a peculiar manner of life…. They live in Greek cities, and they live in non-Greek cities according to the lot of each one. They conform to the customs of their country in dress, food and the general mode of life, and they do not show a remarkable mode of life, and yet they show a remarkable, and admittedly extraordinary structure of their own. They live in their own countries, but only as guests and aliens. Every country is their homeland and every homeland is a foreign country to them.

“They marry like everyone else. They begat children, but they do no expose them after they are born. They have a common table, but no common bed. They are in the flesh, but they do live according to the flesh. *

“They live on earth, but their citizenship is in heaven. They obey established laws, but through their way of life they surpass these laws. They love all people and are persecuted by all. Nobody knows them, and yet they are condemned. They are put to death, and through this they are brought to life.

“They are as poor as beggars, and yet they make many rich. They lack everything, and yet they have everything in abundance.

“They are dishonored, and yet have their glory in this very dishonor. They are insulted, and just through this way they are vindicated. They are abused, and yet they bless. They are assaulted, and yet it is they who show respect. Doing good, they are sentenced like evildoers. When punished with death, they rejoice in the certainty of being awakened to life.”

(from a Letter to Diogenes, late2nd century)

What an amazing description of how these Christians lived in the world but were not like the world. They didn’t stand out in a crowd because of their clothing or language. But their respectful and lawful behavior could not be ignored. Most of them were not wealthy, but they experienced contentment. Like Jesus standing before Pilate, they displayed grace when persecuted.

Please note the above highlighted sentences that dramatically contrast these early Christians’ views about marriage and family with that of their surrounding culture. Not “exposing their children” reveals their view about the sanctity of all human life. Christians considered children to be blessings—gifts from God.  But in the surrounding culture, girls and disabled babies were often discarded. The Christians didn’t abandon a baby, regardless of sex or disabilities. Instead, they rescued these discarded babies.

Christians willingly “shared their table” with guests and strangers, but they “didn’t share their bed”. This is a strong statement about their view of the sanctity of marriage. Sex was a gift to be enjoyed within the marriage covenant between one man and one woman.

Regrettably, the descriptions of early believers may sound like “voices in the wilderness.” Professing Christians and many contemporary churches now support abortion for any reason by any method. The sacredness of marriage has been defiled by those who call themselves Christians but twist the Scriptures to justify same-sex marriage.

I wonder what those pioneers of faith would think of our contemporary Christianity.

What say ye?

Sometimes It Feels Like a “Voice in The Wilderness”

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Having been called and gifted by God to serve as a pastor has been one of the greatest privileges in my life. This is especially true because of my natural disposition as an introvert who dreaded being called upon in class discussions. God has graciously enabled me to preach effectively. What I once feared became a source of joy. Whenever people have affirmed a sermon, I realize that it was the power of God’s Word, not my ability.

Sometimes, perhaps too often, preaching has felt more like a “voice in the wilderness.” That was the tag John the Baptist wore: “a voice in the wilderness” He was not the promised Messiah nor a miracle worker—just a lone voice in the Judean wilderness. More like a canary singing when there is nobody to appreciate the melody.

John was surrounded by curious crowds who came to hear his message. Perhaps thousands were baptized in response to his preaching. However, he was soon incarcerated and eventually his voice was silenced.

Jesus also expressed remorse because His words fell on deaf ears. Multitudes affirmed His ministry for a brief season. Yet I can hear His words as the time of His death drew near: “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, … how often would I have gathered your children together as a hen her brood under her wings, and you were unwilling.” (Matthew 23:37)

Ultimately Jesus’ teaching seemed more like “a voice in the wilderness.” Consider the multitude, that once affirmed Jesus’ teaching with statements like “No man ever spoke like that!”, would soon cry out, “Crucify him!”

Affirmations to a sermon are often idle words. Intentions to apply the sermon may have been sincere, but the cares of this life and the affluence of our culture soon choke the word and life returns to normal.

Reflecting on 50 plus years of preaching, I realize how often it felt like I was just a “voice in the wilderness.” But I still consider that proclaiming God’s Word was the greatest privilege I have ever known. Even when it felt like I was “just a voice in the wilderness”.

But, when I consider the lives that have been dramatically transformed by God’s Word being proclaimed through a weak vessel like me, I rejoice in the privilege of being “a voice in the wilderness”.

Stay tuned for future posts here on Standing 0n the Promise where we can listen to the voices of Christians from the 1st two centuries. These voices in a wilderness are still relevant today.

Without a Voice

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Whenever I pray for our foster grandchild, I ask God to enable him to speak. He was brought to our son and daughter-in-law for emergency, short term foster care. Although he was just an infant, he had severe injuries including brain trauma and broken bones. His future was uncertain, and it seemed doubtful that he would ever walk or relate with other people. It has now been three plus years, and the Court has determined that he should be adopted by the only parents he has ever known.

It has been amazing to witness the transformation. He has learned to walk, but with serious disability. He loves his “parents” and is very enthusiastic about life. The brain trauma has affected his ability to speak. He has learned to say a few important words like Mama and Dada. For all of these things we give thanks, but I pray that he will be able to verbally communicate. To be able to explain how he feels or what he wants.

He has learned to “sign” a few words, but if only I could give him a voice.

“I can’t! “

When I say that, I am reminded of the millions who also have no voice or whose voices are seldom heard amidst the busyness and injustices of our world.

I may not be able to give my prospective adopted grandson the gift of speech, but I can use my voice to cry out for justice for those, like him, who have no voice or whose voices are being ignored.

The Problem with Weeds

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I preached what I believe may be my last sermon on Father’s Day, June 15th. I will turn 81 this July if the Lord permits, and with advancing age and declining physical skills it seems timely to consider stepping back. It is impossible to stand so I sit whenever I preach or teach. Climbing a few stairs to the platform is almost impossible due to the loss of strength from nerve damage in my left leg. My mind is usually quite sharp, but I have noticed that I struggle to recall a common word from time to time.

Preaching God’s Word is such an important task, that I don’t want to risk bringing dishonor. When I was asked to preach at our local assembly, there was already a message that had been stirring my heart so I accepted. The text is the parable of the sower and the four types of soil in Luke 8. My focus was on the 3rd soil–the one infested with weeds–because it is so relevant today.

I haven’t created any new posts for almost two years because I had become very busy with other ministry. Perhaps, this will be my last blog post as well. I am simply sharing an address where, if you wish, you may listen to “my last sermon”. I welcome your feedback and even your push-back.

One caution: the sermon was very long, but I believe it stayed on track and by God’s grace accomplished its purpose. If I could change anything, besides being more brief, it would be to add that “the problem with weeds is that we also enjoy them.”

To listen to my “last” sermon you can go to sermonaudio.com/phcc and search for June 15, 2025. This is the site for Pleasant Home Community Church. While visiting the site, check out Pastor Mike Johnston’s sermons.

Syd

What’ya Gonna Do?

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How will you respond to the drastic social and political changes in our culture?

That was a question I tossed out at a class I was teaching. Actually, my words were, “What’ya gonna do?”

The class dealt with the impact Gentile empires had upon Jews living in the Holy Land during the 400 years between the Old and New Testaments. I challenged the class members to imagine they were Jewish parents who had just welcomed a new baby into the family during the rule of a Greek tyrant, Antiochus IV.  Antiochus, who had adopted the title “Epiphanes” or “god manifest”, was violently forcing his Greek culture upon the Jews in Palestine.

Antiochus Epiphanes had decreed that Jews must worship the Greek gods. A pig would eventually be sacrificed upon the sacred altar that had been dedicated to YAHWEH, the God of Israel. The times were difficult for a practicing Jew. Circumcision and Sabbath observance was declared illegal.

Jewish believers had to choose how to respond their Greek oppressors. The Greek language was rapidly replacing Aramaic and Hebrew. It seemed that everything these Jews once loved and practiced was being threatened.

So, imagine you’re that Jewish parent. Circumcision was mandatory under the Abrahamic Covenant. So, “What’ya gonna do?” Ignore the covenant with your God and rationalize that circumcision was just an unnecessary painful surgery. After all, your son would face ridicule at the local gymnasium while swimming in the nude—also the law. Will you resist Antiochus and sharpen the knife on your son’s eighth day of life?

Will you continue honoring the Sabbath, or will you submit to the local Greek police? Perhaps, you could observe the Sabbath dinner with shades pulled and candles dimmed and singing at a whisper? Imagine your children hearing their parents discussing the options and asking, “Papa, What’ya gonna do?”

During this traumatic era when Hellenization– the enforcing of Greek language, culture and religion upon the world\d—was the spirit of the day, Jews had to decide what to do? How they would respond?

The easiest route was to accept the Greek presence and to cooperate and reap and enjoy the benefits of the amazing Greek culture. Just to bend as far as necessary to keep the peace was an obvious choice.

Some Jews, such as the Pharisees, didn’t welcome the intruders but continued to practice their faith and try to stay as separated from the Gentiles as far as possible.

A few fervent Jews chose to resist. They would be called the Zealots. Their patriotic and religious fervor would lead to violent resistance—often at a terrible price. But it’s what they decided to do. Eventually, under Roman rule, their zeal would result in the total destruction of Jerusalem and the dispersion of Jews throughout the world.

A fourth group of very conservative Jews chose to leave town. To get as far away from the pagans as possible. They preferred communal living out in the Judean wilderness than trying to co-exist with the intruding Gentiles. These became known as the Essenes. They were the true separatists. Some of them would leave portions of their Hebrew Scriptures in caves above the Dead Sea that would be discovered in the late 1940’s.

But all that was over 2,000 years ago. Does that ancient history even matter today? Is it relevant?

Perhaps you’ve heard the old saying, “If we don’t learn from history, we’re bound to repeat it.” To paraphrase a truth in the book of Ecclesiastes, “There’s nothing new under the sun.” Seems like, “What goes round comes round.”

Today, 2024, Christians in several parts of the world live under persecution. Their life is difficult, even dangerous. Professing believer must choose what they will do. Some, while kneeling under an Islamic blade, must choose death or reciting “Allah Akbar.” What would you do? Think about it, “What ya gonna do?”

Fortunately, you don’t have to decide. At lease, not yet.

But let’s bring this closer to home. Consider the confusion over gender identity and the debate whether a parent has the right to deny their child to pursue an impossible surgery—a sex or gender change. No physician can transform a boy into a girl—at least not a girl that can have a baby. If your child or grandchild would ever confide with a teacher or a counselor that his rights are being denied by his parents, and the State gets involved—especially possible here on the West Coast—threatening to remove your child from the home, “What’ya gonna do?”

I hope you never have to decide.

Our culture is changing so rapidly that someday, perhaps soon, you may need to make one of these hard decisions. Will you bend as far as possible? Will you break and surrender to the culture? Or, will you resist, even if it may result in imprisonment, as it has for some who have dared to stand outside a clinic encouraging women to reconsider a decision that will terminate the life of an innocent human?

Will your zeal result in retaliation—even burning the clinic? God forbid! That will never solve the problem.

Or, like several believers in my home state that have chosen to escape across the State Line into a more conservative Idaho. That’s a legitimate option. But, I ask, what about the need for salt and light where we live?

I cannot tell anyone what they must do in response to our degenerating culture, but I do ask you to consider, “What’ya gonna do” if the challenge ever faces you?

My Cup Overflows

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What an amazing week! Last Tuesday, July 23, 2024 I became an octogenarian.

A couple of months ago, Mary asked if I wanted a big 80th birthday bash event. My swift response was, “No! Just keep it simple—a small family affair.” Later, I added, “I don’t need anything, but if our family would have a workday and help repair the fence in our backyard, I would appreciate it.”

Now, as I begin to write this blog, it’s Sunday afternoon. Yesterday our house and backyard were filled with our son, Dan and his wife Tammy and all five grandchildren and their spouses or their close friend or suitor. Our three great grandchildren and, a three-old foster child that Dan and Tammy have loved and raised since he was a very young infant were part of the family affair.

Today, as a result of all the voluntary labor, the old leaning fence that has been sagging into a tree in our neighbor’s tree now stands erect. Several other interior and exterior projects that Mary and I couldn’t do were also completed.

When the work crew gathered prior to lunch on Saturday, I shared the following quote from Psalm 37, that I had read early that morning in my personal devotional time:

“I have been young, and now am old, Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his children begging bread. He is ever lending generously, and his children become a blessing.” (Psalm 37:25, 26)

Struggling to speak due to strong emotions, I added, “Today, I am obviously no longer young, and I am definitely old. But, each of you gathered here to serve Nana and me today, are such a blessing and a reminder of God’s faithfulness.”

Our youngest son, Dathan, recently returned to Tennessee where he is a high school teacher. He had spent nine months living with us in Oregon to assist when Mary had cancer surgery and radiation treatments. Dath also blessed me with a wonderful Father’s Day gift of finally watching a Mariners’ game at T-Mobile Park. I will always cherish that special time together “on his dime.”

Sunday afternoon, most of Saturday’s work crew also gathered for dinner at our favorite Mexican restaurant where I opened birthday cards. I had also received hundreds of digital birthday greetings from friends from each of the churches that I have served as a pastor. Birthday greetings also came from foreign countries where I have been privileged to serve.

I share a quote on a magnet that Mary has posted on our refrigerator: I am drinking from a saucer because my cup overflows.”

That is what I am experiencing as an octogenarian.

Sunday morning as we drove to our local church, the last song playing on the radio brought tears to my eyes. The lyrics of Jenn Johnson’s Goodness of God are also our testimony. “All my life God has been faithful. All my life He has been so good.”

I share a link to the song so that you can appreciate what I have experienced throughout my 80 years of knowing and serving God. tap on the phrase, “Watch on YouTube” in the left side of the block. 

Pajama Christians

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Those two words caught my attention and changed the trajectory of my life.

Shortly after graduating from high school, a message about Christ’s return became a turning in my life as a rebellious youth. A team of students from BIOLA visited Grace Baptist Church in Sidney, Nebraska. One of the student’s preached a sermon titled, “Pajama Christians.” His text was Romans 13:11-14:

Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.” (Emphasis mine)

Paul referred to the return of Christ as the “blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and savior Jesus Christ.” (Titus 2:13) John wrote that “everyone who hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.” (1 John.3:3) So, anticipating Christ’s return ought to influence everything we do.

Paul was writing to the Church members in Rome. Apparently, some of their lifestyles must have reflected the culture around them rather than what they professed to believe. Like the proverbial “frog in the kettle,” they had become acclimated and failed to realize danger. They were spiritually asleep. Imagine hearing Paul’s startling warning, like a fire alarm: “The day of Christ’s return is at hand!”

It was time to wake up. Time to shed their pajamas and prepare for a very special guest—the king. It was time to put on the armor of light.

That evening, as the BIOLA student was preaching, it felt like the sermon was directed at me. I was a pastor’s son. I knew the correct answers. I could quote Scripture. I had my eschatology down pat, but I was living another life—a lie.

If Jesus had returned prior to that sermon’s conclusion, I would have been ashamed. Or, worse, I may have discovered that I really wasn’t a follower of Jesus after all.

I have asked in four previous posts, “Do we really believe Christ may return any moment?” Has this blessed hope purified our lifestyles? Do our actions affirm our words? Are we sleeping like the foolish virgins in the parable?

My original title for this post was “Just Keep Doing the Right Thing.” So, in the event Jesus would return today, live like we truly expect Him. What might “doing the right thing” involve?

I am concerned for my neighbors and friends who have not experienced God’s grace, so I pray for them and seek to build relationships with them.

Discretionary money would not simply be mine to enjoy, but to also invest in God’s Kingdom work. My checking and credit card accounts would reflect my anticipation of Jesus’ return. Jesus said it this way, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will also be.” (Matthew 5:21)

If Christ was to return today, I wouldn’t want to be “under the influence” of any substance or poring over pornography.

Finally, because I anticipate Chris’s return, I want to be doing justice.

As I wrote those last two words, I felt mild hesitation because I have friends who may push back because of the faulty view of “social justice” today. Faulty because of its wrong diagnosis and wrong prognosis as well as its prescriptions.

Unjust actions have been part of human history since our declaration of independence from God in the Garden. Prejudice and violence have been parr for the course. The strong abuse the weaker. Men have oppressed women. Children are exploited and discarded. Racial prejudice flows both directions. Even the natural environment has been exploited for selfish gain. There’s injustice wherever we look. Every nation has a history of injustice, sometimes against their own citizens. Segregation was wrong! Evil. Especially when justified by professing Christians with a Bible in their home.

Doing justice is not philosophical or political. It’s as practical as supporting a faith-based ministry responding to famine conditions or natural disasters or providing safe drinking water and basic medical treatment such as anti-malarial drugs or mosquito nets.

Biblical justice will include praying for our brothers and sisters facing persecution and death. It’s supporting widows and children of pastors in Africa who have been beheaded by Islamic terrorists. Practicing justice may include financially supporting or volunteering at a local Pregnancy Resource center or a free medical clinic or a homeless shelter or faith-based recovery ministry.

None of the above will ever earn a place in heaven, but they do reflect God’s love and grace in our lives. I believe they also reflect authentic confidence that Jesus will return.

Perhaps today.

How Can the Darkest Day be Good?

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Never has there been more inhumane and unjust treatment of an innocent man.

The betrayal of a friend and the mockery of a Kangaroo Court handing Jesus over to be crucified, even though Pilate had three times declared Jesus to be innocent.

Imagine the Creator being treated as a corrupt creature unworthy of life.

That Friday, the darkest day in history, witnessed the most unjust and violent act. Even the sunlight was smothered by dreadful darkness. Jesus’ brutalized body was hastily, yet lovingly, entombed before darkness of night fell.

Yet, that dreadful day—that darkest day in all history marred with injustice—also witnessed the most severe justice and undeserved act of love.

Severe justice was meted out upon Jesus because He had assumed, taken upon Himself, my guilt. Your guilt. Each of us are lawbreakers guilty and deserving death because our actions have consequences—a price to pay. Paul said it this way, “The wages of sin is death.” (Romans 3:23) Always death. That’s the Law. No exceptions. Every sin deserves death. Every sin separates us from our holy and righteous God. Someone must die.

Severe justice was severely meted out that Friday.

Intensely sacrificial love was also on display Friday. Paul, once again, helps us wrap our minds around the subject: “God demonstrated (displayed) His love for us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)

Jesus voluntarily assumed my guilt and served my death sentence by dying in my place. In your place. He became our substitute—our savior.

God’s severe justice was satisfied that Friday when the midday sun surrendered to darkness. God’s relentless love was also on display Friday.

That Friday evening, a few women walked home from the grave in the dark. The sorrow in their hearts was darker than the night. Hope had been dashed.

What they didn’t realize was that Sunday would dawn with brilliant light and renewed hope.

So, that shameful Friday was good after all.

Sunday burst with good news! News so great that today, I find myself singing with Charles Wesley*:

“Amazing love! How can it be that thou, my God, shouldst die for me!”

*And Can It Be?, public domain

If I Only Had Seven More Days

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The previous three posts probed the question: “Do I truly believe that Christ may return soon?” An affirmative response should be reflected in my actions and my priorities.

If I knew for certain that I only had one more week of life on earth—one more post here on Standing on The Promise—what should I say? Is there an urgent message for those of us who say that we believe Christ may return at any moment?

I believe there is, and that’s why I am revisiting my previous post, “Anticipating Christ’s Return- A Thorny Issue.”

Several issues threaten the health of the American Church. Lack of unity and theological drift are obvious threats, but is there something more pervasive? Less obvious?

So, what is this present danger? Money. Affluence.

Jesus, in his Sermon on The Mount, boldly warned against the danger of wealth. He also shared stories about farmers planting and harvesting grain to illustrate the danger of affluence.

In Jesus’ story about a farmer planting seed, the focus was not on the farmer or the seed. Instead, it was the condition of the soil. Soil packed hard like a pathway or shallow and rocky produced no harvest. The third kind of soil was potentially fertile except for one fact: weeds competed with the grain for nutrients and water. At harvest there was only weeds; there was no grain. No fruit. Weeds unchecked affected the harvest.

When Jesus’ disciples asked for more details, Jesus identified the weeds as the “deceitfulness of riches and the cares of this world.” The problem was not money or wealth per se, but the negligent use of and misplaced confidence in money.

Money can be deceitful. Promising security but not delivering. The story of the “foolish” farmer was an example. After abundant harvests and granaries filled to the brim, the farmer felt he finally had enough to retire and to enjoy life. He had earned it! The problem was that his time had run out. There would be no tomorrow to enjoy what he had saved. God wrote his eulogy: “Fool! This night your soul is required of you…” The farmer had considered himself a success, and his friends affirmed him. However, he never got to spend a dime of his portfolio.

Jesus told another story about a man that had been deceived by riches. His problem was a matter of perspective and priorities. God had given him life and the ability to earn money. He had enjoyed the best clothes and gourmet food that money could buy. After all, it was “his” money.

Lying outside his gated yard lay a homeless man in dirty rags. Not just one morning but day after day and week after week there he lay. The man had a name, Lazarus, but he might as well have been invisible for all the wealthy homeowner cared. (Remember, I am not creating this story; Jesus told it first.) Like every poor man and every wealthy man, both men had an appointment with death. Both left everything behind. Lazarus’ dirty rags and the rich man’s purple linen were left for someone else to enjoy or to dispose of.

In each of those stories lies a clear and present danger that is relevant today. Our affluence, like weeds threaten to choke out potential fruit from our lives. Money cannot satisfy our deepest hunger. God has promised His children the bare necessities of shelter and nourishment. Anything more is a gift to enjoy and to invest in God’s kingdom. It’s a balancing act requiring discretion and wisdom.

Speaking of wisdom, I am reminded of an even greater fool than the wealthy men in Jesus’ stories. The greatest fool in the Bible was also the wisest man who ever lived. Solomon inherited amazing wealth and a position of power that had been earned through his father’s sweat and blood. God offered Solomon, the young king, anything he asked. Solomon humbly asked for wisdom to rule well. God granted Solomon’s request and so much more including lavish wealth.

Solomon’s wisdom was featured in his first recorded legal decision. The challenge before him was to determine which of two women, each claiming to be the mother of an infant son, was the real mother. Solomon’s perception was as precise as the blade of the sword he had raised to dissect the baby.

However, Solomon’s thirst for more wealth, more pleasure, more prestige and more of everything his heart desired was a dead-end street. He was deceived by his fortune and fame. The potential fruit from his life withered and died. He, like the rich farmer, left everything behind for others to squander. After his death, the kingdom was severed with ten tribes heading north to follow Jeroboam.

So, back to the subject at hand: Do I truly believe Jesus could return momentarily? Do my actions and priorities support my claim? Or am I squandering good things that God has given me to enjoy. Am I investing in things eternal? Am I pursuing justice for the invisible people in my world?

Anticipating Christ’s Return – A Thorny Issue

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Today’s post is the third in a series about expecting Christ’s return..

The Good Samaritan and the Sower and the Seed may be the most familiar parables Jesus shared. Both parables, I believe, are applicable to the question of whether or not I truly believe Jesus may return at any moment.

First, let’s consider the parable about the seed. The farmer and the seed are almost incidental to the story. The focus is on four types of soil. Each received seeds from the Sower. Every kernel came from the same container. Every seed had potential to produce fruit. The only difference was the condition of the soil. Only one soil produced fruit.

The third soil permitted the seeds to germinate. But tiny weed seeds in the soil also sprouted and grew among the good plants. Competing for nutrients they began to choke the good seed. The plants grew and produced leaves, but there were no kernels of grain at harvest.

So, what’s the point of this parable? What was the take-away for the listeners—for us? To ask that another way, what were these weeds that choked the plants?

Here’s Jesus’ answer: “And as for what fell among the thorns, they are those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature. As for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience.” (Luke 8:14–15, ESV)

Consider the phrase, “as they go on their way.” The struggle to be fruitful is part of everyday life. We may begin loving God’s Word and desiring to follow Jesus. We anticipate seeing Him and hearing His affirmation. But concerns began to distract us. That’s life. Trials become detours rather than opportunities for faith to grow deeply.

It’s the next two “weeds” in the parable that may challenge us most today: “riches and the pleasures of life.”

Both wealth and pleasure were meant to be enjoyed. Matthew quotes Jesus, “the deceitfulness of riches.” It’s as if wealth is a living organism—a weed seed—seeking to germinate and wage war against my soul and choke out my anticipation of Christ’s return. Distorting my priorities. Telling me, “It’s mine to enjoy; I earned it.” Justifying what I have by comparing my cache with others. A siren singing, “More!” A security blanket destined to become moth-eaten. Certainly, to be left behind when Jesus returns or I die.

Those are strong words meant to warn me and you about the deceitfulness of riches and the pursuit of pleasure in our pleasure-driven culture.

So, if I truly believe that Christ will return to judge the living and the dead, it should be reflected by my bank account and my daily calendar.

Am I investing resources and time in things eternal? How do I spend discretionary money? Do I care that children are dying from filthy water or lack of food? In this hungry world, am I a sheep or a goat? A good Samaritan or a pre-occupied priest? A foolish farmer building bigger barns?

Those are severe questions, I know. But Jesus warned about letting weeds choking and rendering unfruitful. Choking may be subtle, but it is always lethal if ignored.

When I am choking in my affluence, I welcome anybody to wake me up with a spiritual Heimlich maneuver.

Choking may be subtle or gradual, but always lethal.

But, when I am choking in my affluence, I welcome anybody to wake me up with a spiritual Heimlich maneuver.