Bill Smith, Author at Kuyperian Commentary

On September 27, 2020 By Bill Smith In Discipleship, Theology Like

Little Man. Big Desire

The scene is quite comical. A wee-little man, the scoundrelous scoundrel in the region, goes as fast as his little legs will take him to climb a tree to see Jesus. This is no small thing (sorry for the pun). This little man was, well, a man, and a very wealthy man at that. He was well-known in a notorious sort of way. No one outside of his ne’er-do-well friends liked him because he was the chief tax collector who stole from them. While he was a small tyke, he had the power of the Roman army behind him to collect as much tax money as he wanted. (He may have been able to make you wear a mask while you paid your taxes if he had so desired.) Yes, Zacchaeus was a wee-little man, but he was a powerful, well-known man, and men, especially those of his societal position, did not go running after people or climbing trees in that day.

And that’s the point. Men didn’t do these things but children did. Woven throughout the story at the beginning of Luke 19 are these hints that Zacchaeus, this powerful, prominent man, is childlike. He has dignity and wealth, position and power in society, but he pursues Jesus like a child. We know from what Jesus said earlier to his disciples that if anyone will enter the kingdom, he must become like a child. He must realize that he is completely dependent upon Jesus as his Savior, willing to count his power and possessions as nothing that can save him. Zacchaeus seeks Jesus with childlike faith and because of that, Jesus grants him entrance into the kingdom.

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On September 20, 2020 By Bill Smith In Counseling/Piety, Discipleship, Theology, Wisdom Like

I Once Was Blind…

“How many times do I have to tell you?” A question either thought or verbalized by parents, teachers, mentors, bosses, and pastors alike. Sometimes, no matter how many times we’ve heard something, we just don’t get it. We can’t see it. We don’t understand. If we are genuinely showing effort, our instructors will ordinarily be patient with us and go over the same material until we can see it.

Jesus has been teaching the twelve for a while. As Luke records it, Jesus has told the twelve on two occasions in plain language that he must go to Jerusalem to suffer, die, and rise again the third day (Lk 9.21-22, 43-45). Now he is telling them a third time, and, as with the previous two, they don’t get it. They can’t understand what he is saying (Lk 18.34).

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On September 13, 2020 By Bill Smith In Discipleship, Theology Like

Threading Needles With Camels

The disciples were terrified. Jesus had just discouraged and depressed a rich man with his demands for entrance into the kingdom, and now he is telling his disciples how difficult it is for the rich to enter into heaven.

Here is this rich man in Luke 18.18-31, a faithful Israelite who is obviously blessed by God. He desires to be a part of this kingdom that Jesus is announcing because he believes that this is the inheritance long-promised to his fathers, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and David. He asks Jesus how he might inherit the life of this promised age. Jesus tells him, in sum, that he must be faithful to the covenant. This faithfulness to the covenant involves adopting God’s way of life embodied in the commandments such as, “Do not commit adultery,” “Do not murder,” “Do not steal,” “Do not bear false witness,” and “Honor your father and mother.” This man, with all sincerity, tells Jesus that he has kept these from his youth.

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On September 6, 2020 By Bill Smith In Discipleship, Family and Children, Theology, Worship 1

Jesus Loves The Little Children

As parents, we sometimes wonder if it is all worth it. We are tired from the week of work and all the activities in which we have engaged ourselves and our children. Getting ready for worship on Sunday and actually going is a hassle. We don’t want to feel that way, but if we are honest with ourselves, we do. Not only do we have to get ourselves ready, but we also have to get our children ready. Then, when we get them there, all they want to do is squirm, color, cry, and go to the bathroom; and those are just the teenagers! We’re not “getting anything out of it” and, apparently, our children aren’t “getting anything out of it.” Do they even pay attention? Do they understand what is going on? Have they thought about what a blessing it is to be in the presence of God? Apparently not. They don’t seem to be thinking about this at all. All of this can be a bit overwhelming and discouraging at times, especially when you are worn out. Why bother?

“Why bother?” is a good question. Jesus’ band of disciples didn’t think it was all that important to have children in the presence of Jesus. Luke doesn’t tell us specifically in chapter 18 why the disciples rebuked the parents and tried to keep the children from coming into Jesus presence, but from the evidence gathered throughout the Gospel, we are on pretty solid ground to understand that they didn’t think that the children were important enough to be that close to the King. They’re not great warriors. They’re not intellectual giants. They’re not even potty-trained! They can’t possibly be useful because they are whining and crying as their parents are bringing them to be touched by the Messiah. Who has time for that? We need to make better use of our time and the King’s time. Jesus wasn’t pleased. He thought it was important that they are touched by him, so his disciples better start thinking that it is important that these children be touched by him.

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On September 3, 2020 By Bill Smith In Discipleship, Family and Children, Men Like

Letters To Young Men: Determining & Developing Your Mission

Young Men,

I kind of left you hanging a bit with my last letter. I told you that you need to have a mission and that any woman you bring into your life needs to be willing to help you in your mission, revolving her life around yours. I didn’t tell you, however, how to determine and develop your mission. This letter will get you started with that.

The general structure of your mission is determined for you. You are created in the image of God and, therefore, share his characteristics. Being God’s image is a fixed as well as an active, growing reality. That is, you are God’s image in the very nature of being human. God reveals himself in us as humans in the way we think, speak, see, feel, rule, create, relate, and many other ways. We have these characteristics because they image God’s own being. These are characteristics of all humans because all humans are God’s image.

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On August 30, 2020 By Bill Smith In Discipleship, Theology 1

Vindicated!

In the parables of the persistent widow and the Pharisee and tax collector in Luke 18, there is a common desire for justification. The widow desires justice. She has an adversary who is oppressing her, and she desires that this unjust judge set things right by declaring her to be in the right, her adversary to be in the wrong, and granting her what she is asking for.

The Pharisee and tax collector both go to appear before God’s throne, the judgment seat, at the temple. Each is calling upon God to render a judgment of vindication or justification. The Pharisee believes that judgment should be rendered based on his good works apart from the mercy of God. The tax collector desires God to rule in his favor based upon the provision of merciful propitiation. Both desire to be declared to be in the right, to be justified. Only the tax collector is, but Jesus’ words infer that this is the aim of the Pharisee as well.

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On August 23, 2020 By Bill Smith In Culture, Politics, Theology Like

Whose Narrative?

We live in a broken world. From physical suffering to a shaky and crumbling Western (Christian) culture, it can be overwhelming and unsettling to hear the news nowadays. People know something is wrong, and they are grasping at answers. The efforts range from sincere to sinister. Power-brokers sinisterly foment fear to make people look to them, thinking that they will bring in a utopia once they rule (that is, at least for the leaders themselves). Many prominent people are telling blatant lies to create a narrative that will transform our society into an anarcho-socialistic state, convincing people that paradise is just around the corner if we deconstruct the entire law-and-order system and give everyone access to the possessions of others through individual or government looting.

People, having deceived themselves or been deceived by leaders, sincerely seek healing of society at every level, believing that they genuinely are fighting for physical health and social justice, equality for all. While many are wickedly driving this bus as well as many consciously wicked people on it, many are culpably naïve, believing they are doing good. However, what has happened, whether sinisterly or sincerely, is that problems have been assessed incorrectly and, therefore, their solutions are non-sensical and quite dangerous. We all know that there are problems. We all know that there is brokenness at every level of society. But where is it? What is the source? What are the answers?

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On August 19, 2020 By Bill Smith In Counseling/Piety, Culture, Discipleship, Men, Wisdom 2

Letters To Young Men: The Man & His Mission

Dear Young Man,

In my first letter, I talked to you about the state of masculinity in our culture; what you are facing and will have to face in the future. It’s bad out there, and you face many challenges. However, as we will see as we proceed through these letters, challenges should be right up your alley. The purpose of these letters is not merely to curse the darkness, but to give you light by which to walk as men. Consequently, in this second letter, I begin focusing positively on what it means to be a man.

First and foremost, man is created a worshiper. As the image of God, man is created to reflect and participate in the family life of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We are to join in the family conversation—prayer—talking to one another about needs, praising one another for good works, asking for forgiveness where we have sinned (us, not God, of course), eating with one another (the Supper), talking about the situations in our families, churches, nations, and the world, and suggesting things that might be done about it. We are to listen to our God, the one who created us, redeemed us, and defines who we are and what we are to do in this world. We are to respond in allegiance to him, loving him with all of our being and joyfully obeying what he commands. You are created, first and foremost, as a worshiper.

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On August 16, 2020 By Bill Smith In Worship 1

Bring. The. Noise. (Psalm 47)

Sports and their fans are an interesting phenomenon. They are mock wars; our forces against your forces. The forces have specific colors, banners, chants, music, shouts, and sometimes just a great amount of noise around them.

In a war, when your side is winning or has won, you are encircled with joyful noise. The noise is used to intimidate the enemy, celebrate victory, and energize the warriors as it spirals ever upward and energy creates more energy.

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On August 9, 2020 By Bill Smith In Culture, Wisdom 1

Friending

Social media are changing the way we relate to one, and not all of it is bad. Through various social media we can receive information that we would not have had in the past. We can now maintain contact with people whom we have come to know through the years. Technology has afforded us privileges that former generations could have never even imagined. But there are dangers as well; dangers of which we need to be aware and with which we need to engage as we are saturated with this culture that is shaping our lives. Our ability to stay connected at a distance feeds a sinful temptation to salve our desire not to remain lonely yet at the same time remain hidden from others by not allowing anyone to know us too intimately.

Our eternal, triune God created us in relationship and to pursue relationships. Sin destroys our relationships because now we want to hide from God and others just as Adam and Eve did after they sinned. Since we are created in the image of God, we always have this yearning for friendship; to know and be known by others. But we are, many times, afraid. We are afraid that if we allow someone to continually dig into our lives, he will eventually find something there that will repulse him. The converse is also true: if we continue to grow in intimacy with someone, we may be afraid that we will eventually be disappointed and hurt. So, we shield ourselves, keeping people at a safe distance through various means. Superficiality and creating images of ourselves for people online that make it look as if our lives are fantastic all the time make us virtually (pun intended) unknowable. Replacing the pearls of deep friendship with the paste pearls of six hundred “friends” or “followers” online will cost us deeply if we, as the church, don’t recognize the trends and stand against the rising tide that threatens to overwhelm us in its shallowness.

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