Jeremiah 29:1, 4-7 Luke 17:11-19 2 Timothy 2:8-15
This morning, I would like for us to consider the meaning of two simple words, shallow’ and ‘deep.’ Shallow, of course, means the opposite of deep. We can stand in shallow water and can see the bottom if the water isn’t too cloudy. But deep water is different. In deep water we can be fully immersed and swim. We cannot see the bottom even if the water is clear, and some people are intimidated because you have no idea what lies below you. I know people who are good swimmers and who have no fear of swimming in deep water swimming pools, but who absolutely refuse to swim in Lake Erie, even alongside a dock with lifeguards, simply because they can’t see the bottom or know what swims beneath them.
But like the water, people are also described as shallow and deep. We say that shallow people have a narrow viewpoint. They think about themselves, and only their own interests and desires while refusing to even try to understand the needs of others or the needs of our society at large. Those people that we describe as deep, however, often read about the world around them, people and places that are far away, cultures that they do not know or understand, and are people who tend to listen and think more than they speak, but speak words that tend to be both thoughtful, wise, and considered when they do. Like water, the people that we think of as being deep have more things going on below the surface than can be seen by looking at the surface.
But we should also think of scripture as being deep. Although we read bible stories to children the way that we read them nursery rhymes, there is always more to the story than what appears in the simplified stories that we read to beginners. Many of those same stories can be, and are, taught in adult classes, and graduate schools, and academic papers are written about them that discuss what we can learn from their theology. Like deep water and deep people, scripture has endured for two millennia because there are many things going on below the surface and one reason that we come to church on Sunday morning and study scripture both here and at home is because understanding what is below the surface requires more effort than a quick glance. Real understanding requires that we read, study, and think more deeply about what we have read.
And that is the message that we find in all three of our scripture readings for today. We begin with a passage by the prophet Jeremiah that was written to the leaders of Judah that had survived the siege of Jerusalem and the capture and march into captivity in Babylon. In Jeremiah 29:1, 4-7 he says:
29:1 This is the text of the letter that the prophet Jeremiah sent from Jerusalem to the surviving elders among the exiles and to the priests, the prophets and all the other people Nebuchadnezzar had carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon.
4 This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: 5 “Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. 6 Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease. 7 Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.” 8 Yes, this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: “Do not let the prophets and diviners among you deceive you. Do not listen to the dreams you encourage them to have. 9 They are prophesying lies to you in my name. I have not sent them,” declares the Lord.
God’s message to the leaders of Judah is that they must prepare to remain in exile in Babylon for the long-haul. God tells them that rather than rage against their captors, they should make Babylon their home and work to make it a better place and seek to bring peace and prosperity to their new home. But at the end of the passage that we just heard, God warns his people to ignore the voices that are simply saying the words that they wanted to hear. To ignore the voices that told them to fight, to ignore the voices that told them to hold on to their hate, and to ignore the voices that told them to resist. Instead, they should look deeper, to look longer, to see the big picture of what it would be like to stay in Babylon for many decades as the prophets had foretold. The shallow view was to rage against their enemies, but doing so would only work against them in the long run. Looking deeper meant that they had to change their behavior, to learn from their past mistakes, to follow God, and to plan for a long exile before they could return home.
Next, we return to a well-known story in which Jesus heals ten men who were afflicted with leprosy. We’ve all heard the story before, but once again, an important part of the story requires us to think more deeply than the shallow reading of a children’s story. Reading from Luke 17:11-19, we hear this:
11 Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. 12 As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosymet him. They stood at a distance 13 and called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!”
14 When he saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed.
15 One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. 16 He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan.
17 Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? 18 Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?” 19 Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.”
Ten men came to Jesus asking that he take pity on them, and although we might guess that they could have been asking for food or other assistance, we assume that they were asking for a healing miracle of some kind. In any case, when Jesus tells them to show themselves to the priests, we similarly assume that they were healed by their faith in Jesus, but maybe not. Because you might notice that when the one Samaritan man returns to Jesus to say thank you, Jesus specifically notes that this particular man’s faith has made him well. I find that curious. If it were faith that healed all ten men, then why would Jesus specifically note that the Samaritan had been healed through faith? It could be that the other nine were healed because of Jesus’ power and his faith in God, or it might also be that Jesus was highlighting the notion a foreigner and a hated Samaritan had greater faith than the nine Jewish men, or it might also be that Jesus is pointing out that gratitude is a critical part of having faith.
So, we might ask which of these meanings in correct? But the answer is, we don’t know… and perhaps we aren’t meant to know. The scripture that we just read doesn’t explain itself more than what we just read. But a part of what we do know is that we aren’t meant to read these scriptures like a children’s story, grab a shallow, surface meaning that Jesus had the power to heal leprosy, and then move on to something else. There is far more meaning in these stories when we swim more deeply and often scriptures like this one leave loose ends that are meant for us to ponder, consider, and think more deeply.
And finally, we come to Paul’s second letter to Timothy, in which he demonstrates a logical process that we might use as an example of how we might think more deeply about the scriptures that we read. In 2 Timothy 2:8-15 Paul writes:
8 Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, descended from David. This is my gospel, 9 for which I am suffering even to the point of being chained like a criminal. But God’s word is not chained. 10 Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory.
11 Here is a trustworthy saying:
If we died with him,
we will also live with him;
12 if we endure,
we will also reign with him.
If we disown him,
he will also disown us;
13 if we are faithless,
he remains faithful,
for he cannot disown himself.
14 Keep reminding God’s people of these things. Warn them before God against quarreling about words; it is of no value, and only ruins those who listen. 15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.
Paul says that even though he is bound in chains in prison, the word of God cannot be chained. God’s word is a living thing that lives and breathes and changes lives wherever it travels and because of the power of God’s word. Paul tells Timothy that the reason that he endures is so that every person on earth can have the opportunity to hear the message of Jesus Christ and gain eternal life. But then Paul walks us through a trustworthy saying that demonstrates how we can go deeper as we read scripture.
If we died with Jesus, then it logically follows that we will also live with him if we endure through the trials that we will face in this life. Further, if we endure our trials, and go on to live with him in his heavenly home, then we will also reign with him there. But, if we disown Jesus, then it logically follows that he will also disown us. Sometimes following these logical paths can surprise us because if we abandon our faith in God, then God does not abandon his faith in us because God always remains faithful to himself and to his promises.
That process of thinking logically, walking through the implications of what we have been taught, and connecting them with other truths, is one way that we can go deeper in our thinking, our learning, and in our faith. Paul says that we should warn God’s people to refrain from arguing over meaningless trivia because the arguments themselves can destroy the faith of others who overhear you arguing. Each of us, Paul says, should work through our faith so that God would approve of what we do and how we live.
We have all had the experience growing up, that at some point someone looked at us said, “You are old enough to know better.” And, in a spiritual way, that is what we have found in today’s message. We are not children, and we should not read scripture in the way that children read it. Scripture has far more meaning that can be contained or understood in a shallow, surface reading of a children’s story. We are called to spend the time and effort needed to look, study, dig, and discover the meaning that lies underneath.
The truth lies deeper.
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*You have been reading a message presented at Christ United Methodist Church on the date noted at the top of the first page. Rev. John Partridge is the pastor at Christ UMC in Alliance, Ohio. Duplication of this message is a part of our Media ministry, if you have received a blessing in this way, we would love to hear from you. Letters and donations in support of the Media ministry or any of our other projects may be sent to Christ United Methodist Church, 470 East Broadway Street, Alliance, Ohio 44601. These messages are available to any interested persons regardless of membership. You may subscribe to these messages, in print or electronic formats, by writing to the address noted, or by contacting us at secretary@CUMCAlliance.org. These messages can also be found online at https://pastorpartridge.com . All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.comThe “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™
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