What are Firstfruits?

2 Thessalonians 2:13-17 - But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters loved by the Lord, because God chose you as firstfruits to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth. He called you to this through our gospel, that you might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

So then, brothers and sisters, stand firm and hold fast to the teachings[c] we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter.

May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope,  encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.

 

In this second part of Paul’s second letter to Thessalonica, the Apostle circles back to a concern in the first letter – the Second Coming of Christ.  He assures this church that they have not missed the Second Coming.  There are specific things that need to happen before Christ returns and they haven’t happened yet.  I want to note that Paul’s list of things that need to happen is somewhat lost on us two thousand years later.  Paul had some very specific things in mind that he was looking to happen before Christ would return.  It is nearly impossible for us to take what Paul says in 2:1-12 and try and match it up to today’s events in an effort to predict Jesus’s coming.  That was not Paul’s intention in first century Greece and so certainly, it is not an appropriate use of this text two thousand years.  What we can take from 2:1-12 is the same thing Paul intended the Thessalonians to take for these words long ago;  we have not missed Jesus’s return.  That glorious event is still ahead of us. 

The other encouragement that we can take from 2 Thessalonians 2 is from the passage quoted above.  The fact that we have been trusted with the exciting knowledge of Christ’s Gospel and with the knowledge that Jesus will return is a privilege that we should never take for granted.  We are what Paul says are “firstfruits.”  Broadly speaking, “firstfruits” are what “prime the pump” for the work that is come after.  Firstfruits in Hebrew tradition were an offering that provided for the sustenance of Priests and the Temple.  In the early church, this practice morphed into the practice of the tithe, giving the first 10% of all income to provide for the work of the church.  Two thousand years later, this practice still persists;  the church is resourced primarily through the giving of Christian community members.

So what would it mean to say that “God chose [us] as firstfruits?”  It means that we who have chosen to follow Christ were first chosen by God to be the “resources” through which God’s work is done in the community.  It’s actually not much of a stretch to say that God has chosen us to be reinvested in his work so that the work is glorified through the very people God has chosen.  We are God’s “tithe” to multiply and provide for the work of the Kingdom.  I invite you to spend a few moments to think about yourself in this way. 

 

Questions:  How might my life be God’s way of providing for others?  Are there specific people or causes that I am feeling pulled toward right now?  Will I say “yes” to being used by God in these ways?

 

Prayer:  God, thank you for choosing us to become your sons and daughters.  Thank you for making us stewards of your message and outreach to others. Lead us to be faithful with all that you have entrusted with us.

 

Prayer Focus:  Pray for the victims and Louisiana community where yet another mass shooting has taken place.

 

Song:  Live Like That – Sidewalk Prophets

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4r1lLYKdMLU

God and Taxes

Mark 12:13-17, CEB - They sent some of the Pharisees and supporters of Herod to trap him in his words.  They came to him and said, “Teacher, we know that you’re genuine and you don’t worry about what people think. You don’t show favoritism but teach God’s way as it really is. Does the Law allow people to pay taxes to Caesar or not? Should we pay taxes or not?”

Since Jesus recognized their deceit, he said to them, “Why are you testing me? Bring me a coin. Show it to me.”  And they brought one. He said to them, “Whose image and inscription is this?”

“Caesar’s,” they replied.

Jesus said to them, “Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God.” His reply left them overcome with wonder.

 

                Having been bested by Jesus in the first challenge concerning authority, the Pharisees join forces with Herodians (Jewish supporters of and colluders with Herod, the Roman-appointed governor) to try and trick Jesus into saying something either chargeable under the law or unpopular with His supporters.  They ask Jesus about a hot-button issue at the time which was the taxation of the occupying Romans.  The Roman was extremely unpopular almost everyone and there were Zealots among the Jews who defiantly refused to pay it.  The Herodians, on the other hand, benefitted from their cooperation with the Romans and some of them were both civic and religious leaders.  They would have loved to have Jesus quoted as supporting NOT paying taxes to Caesar.  He could then be charged with rebellion and dealt with as a traitor to the Roman government.  However, if Jesus clearly advocates paying the taxes, his own followers will be displeased.  The Pharisee-Herodian alliance sees this question as a win either way.

                Jesus is aware of what they are trying to do (their ruse is quite obvious) and his answer once again avoids the trap.  The answer also gives Mark’s readers a decision framework to work from when making decisions concerning the sometimes competing claims of civic duty and faith in God.  After asking his questioners to produce a Roman denarius, he gives the following principle.

                “Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God.”

We should note here that the fact the questioners are able to produce a denarius within the walls of the temple exposes their hypocrisy.  Jewish Oral law prohibited coinage with anyone’s image upon them to be carried in the Temple.  Everyone present would have known that because everyone was subject to the coin exchanges outside the Temple to facilitate adherence to this law.  The leaders are visibly in violation of their own law concerning money when asking Jesus about the proper use of it. 

Jesus doesn’t instruct people to pay taxes or not pay taxes.  His answer makes some assumptions:” (1) paying taxes to governmental authorities is necessary to serve the common good and (2) while #1 may be true, a faithful follower of God will always consider what should be given to God.  I like the way Lamar Williamson summarizes Jesus instruction here:

“The guidance offered is not that of a quick and unequivocal answer. Rather than give a direct answer in an oracle from God, Jesus uses an object lesson from everyday life and expects us to use our discipline common sense.  He does not simply tell us what to do, but suggests how we ought to think about our decision.”  (Williamson, p. 220)¹

While other New Testament writers talk more extensively about navigating matters of civic and religious life, this is one of the few places where we hear straight from Jesus on the subject.  The principle we get from Jesus here is that we are to use all the resources of our faith and our acumen as citizens to make honorable decisions that have integrity.  This might mean making different decisions on different occasions should the details demand it.  While it can be frustrating not to have a black and white pronouncement to follow in these matters, what Jesus gives us is a responsibility to exercise all of our theological and moral resources to act justly in each situation.  In most cases, “Caesar” is due at least something because “Caesar” is charged with the common good and needs resources to accomplish it.  Civil disobedience may sometimes be warranted, but it is not to be untaken lightly and before one has carefully weighed all the options. In all cases, what is due to God is always our first concern and responsibility.   

 

Question:  What is the relationship between what you give to governments and what you give to God?

 

Prayer:  Lord, our first citizenship is that in the Kingdom of God, but we are also subject to earthly authorities.  Gove us wisdom to navigate both allegiances in a way that serves the common good and honors You above all else.  Amen.

 

Prayer Focus:   Pray for all public servants of the common good today.

 

Song:  Taxman – Beatles

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bsFRMTbhOn0