2308AFC022423 – It is written – Lent Week 1
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If you are reading this online, please scroll down to the credits for a special addendum.
Matthew 4:10-11 – 10 Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! for it is written,
‘Worship the Lord your God,
and serve only him.’”
11 Then the devil left him, and suddenly angels came and waited on him.
Romans 5:18-19 – 18 Therefore just as one man’s trespass led to condemnation for all, so one man’s act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all. 19 For just as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous.
1 Corinthians 15:21-22 [1] – 21 For since death came through a human being, the resurrection of the dead has also come through a human being; 22 for as all die in Adam, so all will be made alive in Christ.
Genesis 3:1-5 – 1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any other wild animal that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God [indeed] say, ‘You shall not eat from any tree in the garden’?” 2 The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden; 3 but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the garden, nor shall you touch it, or you shall [surely] die[2] .’” 4 But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not [surely] die; 5 for God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
Grace, mercy, and peace will be with us from God the Father and from our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father’s Son, in truth and love. Aloha nui loa, ʻŌmea! It is here! Lent has finally arrived – a seven-week observance of, and immersion in, Scripture, Tradition, and preparation for Resurrection Day. In years past, I have set up several series on certain aspects of faith or Scripture, but this year, after some prayerful reflection, we will continue our practice of looking into the readings for Sundays. “Let’s just stick with the B.I.B.L.E. and leave the rest of it alone.” OKIE-DOKIE! LET’S ROLL!
Before we get to today’s Key Verses, I want to thank all of you for the responses about last week’s post. To that I will add that there are other appetites from which we can fast. In a recent issue of the Hawaiʻi Catholic Herald, there was a great article about “A Different Fast” (↔ Click Link) Please check it out. Now, on to the key verse where Jesus give Satan the boot. After forty days of fasting in the desert, Satan came to tempt him with food, personal safety, and great power. Jesus refused all of those offers and refuted what Satan was saying (remember, Satan quoted Scripture?) with more Scripture. Each refutation was proceeded by “It is written.” You see? The Devil can quote Scripture, but Jesus can utilize Scripture as God intends. When the Devil quotes Scripture he bends its truth into a lie. We know that has caused many supposed Christians to make claims “based in Scripture” that are off the mark, and sometimes even outrageous. When we see that, it is sometimes shocking. In fact, the pervasiveness of lying is distressing.
Perhaps a few of you watch “America’s Funniest Videos.” Quite often there are little kids who are told to do – or more often, not to do – a specific thing. A parent might set out candy before her/his child and say “You must not eat the candy until I come back.” As soon as the parent is out of view, WHOOSH goes the candy. Or maybe there is a donut missing. Mom asks, “Did you eat that donut?” The kid’s cheeks look like a hamster’s and there’s crumbs and chocolate frosting all around his mouth, and he denies it by shaking his head since he cannot speak with a mouthful of donut. We’ve seen toddlers who are too young to speak, but not too young to pretend they are sleeping when mom comes to check on them. Babies who can only drool and babble can hear dad say, “Do not throw that food on the floor.” After 2 moves daring dad to come over, BLOOP! Everything’s on the floor. We all can recall similar incidents either with our own children, in our own childhood, or even just on TV. Disobedience seems to be hardwired into our humanity. How is this so widespread?
For just as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous. How do we know this? What is the source of this knowledge? It is from Scripture, of course, and “16 All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 so that everyone who belongs to God may be proficient, equipped for every good work. (See 2 Timothy 3:6-17) Are we then to take a misbehaving child, sit them down, and read Scripture? Or should we preach to them against the habit of lying? How did they learn to do those things anyway? “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (See Romans 3:21-26 It’s INCREDIBLE!!) All of us “fall short of the glory of 
God, but God – in the Life, Passion, Death, and Resurrection of Jesus – completely and abundantly filled the deficit to overflowing! We have the power within us to overcome evil for ourselves and our children if we rely on that. Deceit is in all of us because this is the era in which the Prince of the Air is given rule over Earth. Because of that, unspeakable and horrific evil is directed against others all around the world. One especially clear target is Christians.
In East Congo, around Goma for instance, rival ethnic groups fight against each other attempting to take over the region so as to control access to the rich mineral resources. The atrocities are far worse than what we are seeing now in Ukraine, and this war has been flaring up with terrifying vigor since 2004. Hundreds of thousands have been maimed, raped, murdered, executed, hacked to pieces in front of their families, and then their bodies are fed to other prisoners. How do these people do such heinous things unhindered by conscience, religion, or politics? It is a simple answer: They are under the influence of lying spirits, and they choose to submit rather than to obey God. (See Chapter 22 of 1 Kings) We can say with certainty that a child’s disobedience is minor compared to these brutalities, and yet, those episodes of defiance are precisely infractions against the 4th commandment “Honor your father and your mother, that it may be well with you, and that you may live long on the earth.” As The Apostle Paul says in Ephesians 6:1–3 – 1 Children, obey your (↔ Music Link) parents in the Lord, for this is right *. 2 “Honor your father and mother”— this is the first commandment with a promise: 3 “so that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth.” * (↔ Click Link for a fun story).
Looking at these examples we can see that “It is written” (↔ Music Link) means we have access to it if we make the effort. But having it written down is not good enough. It has to be lived out in our day-to-day lives. It may be natural to sin, but it should be natural for parents to counteract that tendency with careful instruction, by example in their own behavior, and by discipline when needed. Remember that discipline is different from punishment. What’s going on in the Congo requires punishment. What’s going on in our kitchens requires discipline – for child and parent. Discipline comes from the Latin word dicipilus which means student or pupil. Growing up in Denver during the late forties through the mid-sixties, our lives were pretty much patterned after Dr. Spock’s book Baby and Child Care first published in 1946, the year I was born. It became the substitute for the B.I.B.L.E. when questions on child-rearing arose. I will not discuss the validity of its recommendations, but I will say that it is still affecting the lives of millions of people who are now senior citizens and haven’t gotten over it yet. The 10th edition came out in 2018. I would much rather see parents using the Bible, the lived-out sermons of their day-to-day lives, and a well-structured system for teaching children manners, morals, and management of their own intellects. I am absolutely positive that “It is written” never applied to Dr. Spock’s books! What, then, do parents need to know well enough to teach their children? How about this?
1 Corinthians 15:21-22 [1] – 21 For since death came through a human being, the resurrection of the dead has also come through a human being; 22 for as all die in Adam, so all will be made alive in Christ. (↔ Music Link) Is that too intangible for a child of 3 to understand? Perhaps, but if mom and dad truly understand it, the way that they live in the eyes of their children will show those kids what truth is. Having a Bible in the home is useless if it is not used. Take down that Bible every day and share it with them. Not sure 
how? Try BIAY (↔ Click Link). There are about 365 podcasts there. Let’s say some 6-year-old hears that passage from 1 Corinthians and asks about it. Did you know that you can look that up in the BIAY reading plan and listen to it? It will take about 20 minutes to listen to three Bible passages including that one. It’s listed on Day 338 of the Bible In A Year Podcasts. (↔ Click Link) There you will hear this (and much more): “The truth is, if I’m like everyone else, then I’m not like Jesus, … because the more and more I look like the world, the more and more I look less like Jesus.”
How can we portray that Spirit of Truth to kids? “It is written,” but to know that means you have to use that. After all it is the B.I.B.L.E. – Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth and Dr. Spock is a pale shadow lost in the neon blur of progressivism and self-gratification. IF you have a Bible, and IF YOU USE IT REGULARLY, the appeal to mothers to be more nurturing, to fathers to be more supportive, and to children to be more self-aware will sound like this part of the story told (↔ Learning Link) in Genesis 3:1-5. You see, once our First Parents had given in to deeply desiring the discernment between good and evil, the first thing Eve did was to lie and say that God had told them not to even touch the tree. That’s not what God said. Eve was already working at self-justification. Our end-goal should be to understand (↔ Music Link) Romans 5:18-19 and then apply it to our home life. Parents’ primary responsibility is to teach their children to live with morality, compassion, integrity, wisdom, and justice learned in Scripture for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 so that everyone who belongs to God may be proficient, equipped for every good work.
There is only one source for that kind of education – our Bible, because “It is written” 
leads directly to “It is read” and “It is lived.” If it doesn’t, who but God can save you from the pain of children who reject God and parents because what was written could not be comprehended because it was never used. Jesus will be with us until the end of the Age – this is the Age of The Church which includes the Old Testament and the New Testament, and all the teaching, wisdom, power, and Peace they contain. It’s all summed up here in the Bible as in Ephesians 6:4 – a continuation of the above passage. Go ahead and read it. It is addressed to fathers, but is truly applicable to anyone who has been given the responsibility to rear a child into good citizenship in the Kingdom of God. And if you do that, and they still prefer the lies? Pray with them and for them. Teach them to say “Away with you, Satan! for it is written, ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.’” They may yet repent and believe the Gospel. That’s in the Absolutely Perfect Plan, too.
For those of you who have chosen to read this online at the blog site, thank you! This addendum is just for you. When I received the title for this piece, I had no idea it would turn out to be about parenting. I thought we’d learn about reading, studying, digging into Scripture. Surprise, Surprise! I have mentioned one small area on earth where horrific persecutions are going on. There are heart-breaking torments in many places around the earth (↔ Learning Link). PLEASE remember to pray for them as a little something you can add to your Lenten Observance. Pray especially for the children whom Satan particularly covets because of their innocence. His desire is to separate them from God and keep them for himself. SNATCH THEM AWAY FROM HIM with your prayers for them, sacrifices for them, alms for them, penances offered for their enemies, and supplications to Our Father in heaven for their safety and Peace.
Whatever, whenever, wherever, whoever, however, if ever, forever —
at your service, Belovéd!
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Unless otherwise indicated, all scripture passages are from the New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (NRSVCE) New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1989, 1993 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Biblical languages inserts from Bible Hub (Bible Hub: Search, Read, Study the Bible in Many Languages) Visit at http://biblehub.com
Aloha Friday Messages by Charles O. Todd, III is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License
[1] Please use the link to see the full context of 1 Corinthians 15:21-28
[1] Please use the link to see the full context of 1 Corinthians 15:21-28
[2] מוּת (muth) {mooth} Die. Connotatively equivalent to “dead as a doornail” and often translated as “surely die;” to be so dead that there is no prospect of life returning.
