I'm very sorry this is so late. These last couple of weeks have been hard. I've been working a lot of overtime and trying to keep up with my college homework. In addition, a large project at my house has been consuming a lot of my time, but I must get as much of it done as I can before the snow comes. Anyway, here is November's ride report.
The weather was cold in the morning which kept most folk at home. I had a few cancellations due to work, oversleeping, and bike malfunctions. At breakfast, we had eight people in attendance with five riding. We left the Starlite around 9:30, which was kind of late, but I wanted to make sure we didn't leave any latecomers behind. We slabbed out Rt. 22 to Easton then went north into New Jersey, stopping for fuel in Belvidere. After our fuel stop we started our ride. Thanks to a helpful resident of the Garden State I had a kickin' route with good roads and nice scenery. We had one "get off" where a rider saw me slow down, then swerved and went into the grass. Here his bike went down bending the brake pedal, we fixed that at lunch. After our next fuel stop, we had lunch in Sussex at a pizza place with good food and great service. We then made our way north turning off just before the New York border. Here we kept encountering slow moving cars or trucks with roads that didn't have good passing lines. It was the only really frustrating part of the day. The weather was nice for the whole ride and we even got to see some exotic livestock. We saw bison, those shaggy Highland cows, and some kind of cattle that had big rodeo clown poking horns on it. We went through a state park with teeny roads on it, leaves a plenty, and a flooded spot thrown in. Thanks to Uwe, Allan, Nelson, and Bryce for riding along with me, it was big fun!
Scripture Readings for November 2010
Now onto the Scripture: Luke 16:19-31The Rich Man and Lazarus
19 “There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day.
20 At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores
21 and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores.
22 “The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried.
23 In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side.
24 So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.’
25 “But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony.
26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been set in place, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.’
27 “He answered, ‘Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my family,
28 for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’
29 “Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.’
30 “‘No, father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’
31 “He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’”
When you view passages of Scripture it pays you to be aware of how to properly interpret them. The nice part is that unless you read Greek, Hebrew, or Aramaic; the first step, translation, is done for you. After that one needs to look at the various contexts of the pasage. Historical context: When and where was the book was written? Who were the people involved? What was going on in the world at that time and in that region? The book of Luke was written after 50 A.D. probably in Israel. The people involved were the Jewish people living in Israel under Roman rule. There had been a number of revolts by the Jewish people but all of them had been squashed by the Romans. The situational context: IN this passage, who is speaking, who is listening? At this time Jesus is speaking mainly to His disciples but the crowds are listening also. In the crowd are a group of wealthy religous leader called Pharisees. They like the current religous system that is in place and resent Jesus' call for change. They a have already plotted to have him killed. The literary context: What words are used? Who are the literal or figurative characters? This account of Lazarus and the rich man is only a story, a parable to reveal truth to the audience to spur them to right action. I say all of this because this passage like many others can be easily mis-interpreted.
In this passage, Jesus confronts not only the Pharisees, but also the wealthy in the crowed, for they are "the rich man". The rich man goes to torment while the Lazarus goes to be with Abraham. This was traditional Jewish belief that good people would be in a "waiting place" while those who were evil would go to punishment. Once again, this points to context and audience. The people in the waiting place, sometimes called Abrahams bosom would be taken to Heaven after the coming of the Messiah (Annointed One). So, what did Jesus want to tell His audience and what does this passage say to us? For the most part, the same thing. God has a soft spot in His heart for the poor, and we who have need to help those who don't have while we are on this Earth. The Bible does speak of Judgement many places and a Heaven and a Hell, but that is for another month! Until then, make an effort to help those who need it and seek after God. I hope you all have a Happy Thanksgiving!
