The Lord of the Sabbath - Ben

And [Jesus] said to [the Pharisees], “The Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath."

Luke 6:5

The term "sabbath," literally means "to cease," and it referred to a 24-hour period (from sundown on Friday to sunset on Saturday) in which the Jewish people would stop working.  And even though a day off is standard today, in ancient times, to purposefully not do work was a revolutionary idea.  And it was so unique that only the Jews were known to do it.  As such, the Sabbath eventually became the trademark characteristic of Israelite culture. 

However, by the first century, the Sabbath had been twisted and distorted into something it was never intended to be.  The Jews had emphasized the Sabbath to such an extent that it became a yardstick to gauge how righteous they (or others) were.  So, rather than be a gift, it was mutated into a burden and a bludgeon by which self-righteous Jews could browbeat their own people.  

For example, according to theologians such as Darrel Bock, James Edwards, and Joel Green, one could've been said to have "broken the sabbath" by doing nothing more than picking up one's child, loosening a knot, or writing more than a letter.  In light of that, we can see how the Sabbath—a day in which work was set aside—turned into a day all about spiritual work.  Far from being a rest for one's soul, it became a workout.  And so, to correct this, Jesus Christ steps on the scene and declares that he is “Lord of the Sabbath.” 

Interestingly, Jesus said these words after being challenged that he and his disciples had broken the Sabbath by plucking/eating grain.  I could go into detail about why the religious leaders were wrong to think that.  But, as it is, I'd like to get to the main point instead.  Those wanting to dive deep into the exegetical implications of Luke 6:3-4, DM me. 

So, what is the main point of “The Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath”?  Jesus is the author of the Sabbath and, as such, he is also our rest.  In fact, the Lord said precisely that in Matthew 11:28-30: “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."

Now, if you were anything like me, I was perplexed by this principle when I was younger.  You see, while I grew up in a flavor of Christianity that faithfully presented Christ as my salvation, it also added things on top of my faith, effectively making my faith a burden rather than a blessing.  I don't know if this was a mistake by well-meaning but misled teachers or if it resulted from my own ignorance.  I suspect it was a combination of both.  After all, I did have a hard time paying attention in church.  But I also have vivid memories of going to youth rallies where I was pressured to throw my CCM CDs into a bonfire, purging me of the “godless music” of Casting Crowns, Mercy Me, and Relient K.  The consequence of such actions (both my own ineptitude and the fiery legalism) were detrimental to my walk with the Lord because, rather than be humbled, those actions nourished a spirit of pride.  It taught me that my acceptance by God was based on my performance rather than a relationship.  The more I gave up, the more I thought I was pleasing God.

Thankfully, I no longer think that.  By grace and the wounds of faithful friends, the Lord purged that evil spirit out of me.  Though, if I'm honest, that spirit of pride has a way of weaseling its way into my heart through other means, be it through my profession, giving, knowledge, service, etc.  But when this happens, I like to recall what the Lord said to a group of legalists who were just like me: "I am the Lord of the Sabbath." Jesus is my rest.  I am as accepted today as the day I was saved.  I did nothing to earn salvation and can do nothing to ensure my salvation.  Through the blood of Jesus, I am accepted and molded into a vessel fit for God's service. 

Dear Christian, in the presence of the Messiah, he beckons us to rest.  Has your faith become a burden?  It may be that you've added things to it along the way.  For sure, you might've had good intentions at the time, but time has shown that those things are more of a hindrance than a help.  It's time to let go.  It's time to unhitch the baggage you've been carrying and run back to the simplicity of faith.  For in Jesus, faith is not an obligation but a gift.  If it has become anything else, we can rest assured we've left our first love. 

When it comes to AI, is alarm artificial? - Ron

    Today on The Middlings, I thought I would bring some old-fashioned fear-mongering to the table. Much like the crotchety old men of yesteryear who fought against the horrors of the calculator, I am going to decry technology. In the same vein as those who fought tooth and nail against the word processor, I am going to hitch my wagon firmly to the panic button. I am in good company, by the way. In a totally unscientific poll of movies that I have seen, I discovered that about 73% of SciFi movies and shows have artificial intelligence of some kind as an enemy. As an educator, I am already seeing the negatives of artificial intelligence, specifically as students flock to ChatGPT and others like it.

    The truth is that as technology continues to advance at an exponential rate, the use of artificial intelligence (AI) has become increasingly prevalent in our daily lives. AI is used in everything from personal assistants and chatbots to self-driving cars and medical diagnoses. While there are certainly benefits to using AI, there are also some dangers associated with relying too heavily on this technology, particularly when it comes to exchanging our own intelligence for artificial intelligence. The dangers are what I want to scream from the mountaintops, but I will settle for doing so in the text of this blog.

    First, let me state that the Bible makes it clear that things like wisdom and knowledge are worth searching for. Straight out of the gate, the Book of Proverbs states that one of its purposes is to give knowledge and discernment (Prov. 1:5).  In fact, the Bible makes the case that one ought to dig for wisdom and knowledge with as much zeal as one would have while digging for buried treasure (Prov. 2:1-5). I understand that one can make a case differentiating between the wisdom of Scripture and worldly wisdom, but all knowledge is moral. We either know obediently to God’s reality or rebelliously against it. What scares me most about the rise of AI is the speed with which people are willing to give up their own intelligence. When I asked a 12th grade student about her critical thinking, she said, "I can just type it into ChatGPT and it does it for me."

    Actually, one of the major dangers of over-utilizing AI is that it can lead to a loss of critical thinking skills. When we rely on AI to make decisions for us, we stop using our own judgment and reasoning abilities. This can lead to a lack of creativity and innovation, as well as a decreased ability to think critically and solve complex problems on our own. The Bible calls for us to use reason and to think critically through decisions (Isaiah 1:18; 1 Kings 3:9; Hebrews 5:11-14). Losing this ability would severely hinder our ability to walk wisely in this wicked world. When I asked the director of the Center for Biblical Worldview about this topic, his response was largely the same: a concern that people will stop thinking critically.

    Another danger with AI is that we may become overly dependent on it. As AI becomes more sophisticated and integrated into our daily lives, we may start to rely on it for more and more tasks. This can lead to a loss of autonomy and independence, as well as a decreased sense of agency and control over our own lives. Sometimes I feel like I am the only person on the planet that watched Wall-E for the cautionary tale it is.

    A third danger is that AI can perpetuate existing biases and inequalities. AI is only as unbiased as the data it is trained on, and if that data reflects existing biases and inequalities, then the AI will also be biased. This can perpetuate discrimination and marginalization, particularly for already marginalized groups. At the heart of this danger is the fact that AI is trained on data. Who controls that data? Over the past few years, much has been said about censorship on the internet. When the world wide web is guarded by massive technology companies and overzealous politicians, how can a Christian trust that even the Bible will be safe from censorship?

    Finally, there is a danger that AI can be used to exert control over people. AI can be programmed to make decisions based on certain criteria, and if those criteria are not in the best interest of individuals or society as a whole, then the consequences can be dire. For example, if an AI is programmed to prioritize profits over environmental sustainability, it could lead to catastrophic consequences for the planet and its inhabitants. The consequences of this danger become even more severe when one considers morality. Forget prioritizing profits over the environment. How about when AI determines that an immoral course of action would produce a good result? What moral standards will AI use? Will they be biblical standards or utilitarian? Will they depend upon an absolute moral code, or will they be relativistic?

    In conclusion, while AI can certainly be a useful tool, there are also dangers associated with exchanging our own intelligence for artificial intelligence. It is important to be aware of these dangers and to use AI in a responsible and ethical manner. We must also continue to prioritize the development of our own critical thinking skills and problem-solving abilities, as these are essential for navigating an increasingly complex and technological world. As Christians, we must learn to think about technology and AI through a biblical lens.

    As a last bid effort to show you the dangers of AI, I feel like I must tell you that the dangers I listed in this article were actually given to me by ChatGPT when I asked it to describe the dangers of artificial intelligence. And when some of the biggest proponents of artificial intelligence wrote a letter calling for a six month halt on AI-related work, I feel like pumping the personal brakes is justified. Part of the letter states, "human-competitive intelligence can pose profound risks to society and humanity" (See this article by Matt O'Brien). Alarm bells are ringing, but is anyone listening?

Reference full link: https://apnews.com/article/artificial-intelligence-chatgpt-risks-petition-elon-musk-steve-wozniak-534f0298d6304687ed080a5119a69962

God's Word: Why a Story? - Stephen

“There have been great societies that did not use the wheel, but there have been no societies that did not tell stories.” – Ursula K. Le Guin

In 1907, a strong earthquake hit the small Indonesian island of Simeuleu. So small in fact that before I read this BBC article,[1] I wasn’t even aware of its existence. But the curious fact of this island is not in its mysterious existence but the remarkable reason it remains. 

Moments after this earthquake in the early 20^th-century, many on the island noticed a receding of the tides from the surrounding waters. Minutes later a tsunami consumed and destroyed much of the island and its inhabitants. In what can only be described as true resolve, the survivors made it a point to share this horrific story with the generations to come. 

Every child heard of this earthquake, its effect on the tides, and the destruction of the tsunami that followed. Because of this story being persistently passed down, when a destructive tsunami hit the same area in 2005, almost 100 years later, the people of the island were prepared with knowing what to do. On an island with a population of 78,000, only seven perished. 

“Stories are for entertaining children—nothing more, nothing less.”

We might’ve never said these words aloud but our action of only ever getting our children a public library card reveals the true belief. Yet think about the only communicable medium God personally left for us.

To distill it down to mere facts would be to distort the way in which God wanted His truths presented. It would display the highlights without the context. It would present individual fabrics in what was meant to be a neatly woven tapestry. It would take a story of real, full-colored characters and sum it up as mere words in a black-and-white font. More than just context, it would subtract the motivations, the emotions, and the believability of the down-to-earth narrative. And yet how many Christians, us preachers included, are guilty of doing just that? 

How miraculous and significant is the fact of David defeating the Giant if one isn’t made aware of the cowardice and fear of Israel’s army leading up to that moment of victory? What effect does Daniel’s survival from the lion’s den hold if one is not told of the faith in God displayed by his continual prayers beforehand? And what emotion is withheld in acknowledging the death of Jesus Christ without first reading of the suspenseful years awaiting the Messiah leading to that manger in Bethlehem?

There’s a reason the encyclopedias of yesteryears ended up dusty on the bookshelves of my childhood (and then Goodwill) while the stories of those same years are being read to my children. 

Stories are read. Stories are remembered. Stories, like the one in Simeuleu, might even save lives. Because more than fun facts, stories change us. 

God knew that. 

And that’s why His story in our own lives has become…well you know. 

 

“I love to tell the story;

‘Twill be my theme in glory,

To tell the old, old story

Of Jesus and His love.”

(Katherine Hankey, 1866)

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[1]http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/6435979.stm