The dream haters

Today: Genesis 35-37

Dreams are fascinating. Most of the time, I don't remember the dreams I have at night. I definitely have strong daydreams...or maybe it's the work of a creative imagination? :)

I don't ever remember being hated for my dreams, though. But in today's passage, we read about a guy named Joseph whose own family hated him...in part, because of his dreams. Take a look:

Israel loved Joseph more than any of his other sons

because he was the child of his old age.

And he made him an elaborately embroidered coat.

When his brothers realized

that their father loved him more than them,

they grew to hate him—they wouldn't even speak to him.
Joseph had a dream.

When he told it to his brothers,

they hated him even more.

He said, "Listen to this dream I had.

We were all out in the field gathering bundles of wheat.

All of a sudden my bundle stood straight up

and your bundles circled around it and bowed down to mine."
His brothers said, "So! You're going to rule us?

You're going to boss us around?"

And they hated him more than ever because of his dreams

and the way he talked.

To be fair to the context of the passage, Joseph's brothers likely hated him for other reasons, too--he was Jacob's (their father's) favorite and he received (at least one) special gift because of it. But in addition to those factors, the passage says that they hated him "because of his dreams."

Perhaps Joseph's brothers disliked the fact that he told them about his dreams (a lesson for dreamers perhaps?). I don't know about you, but I wouldn't exactly be thrilled if someone described a dream that put me in a very bad light. It wouldn't make me feel great, but I don't know if I would hate the dreamer--hate is a very strong word.

It's an even stronger word when paired with the actions of Joseph's brothers. The dream haters thought about killing the dreamer, but chose instead to sell him--their own brother!--as a slave.

Wow. Those must have been some dreams...

Tomorrow: Genesis 38-40

When a terrorist is transformed

Today: Acts 9-10

What would you do if Osama bin Laden suddenly showed up in your town?

Imagine if he started shouting around your neighborhood, "I had a vision. I saw Jesus and heard His voice. I became blind--literally--but was healed. My life is changed! I'm not the guy I was before--I'm so sorry for the things I've done. I believe in Him now."

Holy cow.

To be honest, I don't think I'd trust him. I would call the FBI. I would be afraid--I mean, the guy has been responsible for the deaths of many innocent people. He hates Christians.

Obviously, this situation isn't real...or is it?

In Acts chapter 8, "Osama" was Saul--a Jewish guy who hated Christians so much that he hunted them down. He sought to kill them. He did kill them. But one day, he met Jesus on the road and was drastically transformed.

Some of the disciples were skeptical and afraid--they experienced the same reaction I would if this happened with Osama today. Some of Saul's former cronies tried to kill him after he believed in Jesus and started preaching around various cities.

After awhile, no one would doubt the validity of the change in Saul--so drastic that his name is changed (to Paul). The guy who murdered Christians becomes the world's most famous preacher--and risks his own life to tell the story of Jesus.

Though it's from another section of today's reading (these chapters include lots of great stories and text!), I thought Peter's words in this passage also applied to Saul...and anyone else...who has been changed by the power of God:

"It's God's own truth, nothing could be plainer:

God plays no favorites!

It makes no difference who you are

or where you're from—

if you want God

and are ready to do as he says,

the door is open.

The Message he sent to the children of Israel—

that through Jesus Christ

everything is being put together again—

well, he's doing it everywhere, among everyone..."

Tomorrow: Acts 11-13

The Jesus who defied, rebeled and hated

Today: John 5-6

Have you ever had times when you've read the Bible and thought to yourself, "Holy cow those people were dumb!"?

I had a few of those moments while reading today's chapters. But then I realized that when it comes to God, I can be a bit clueless myself.

One of the biggest problems I saw with the people in these chapters was their own expectations. They expected Jesus to fit their ideal timing, their visions of what the Messiah would "look" like, and meet their needs exactly as they asked.

Hmm...have you ever been in that same boat? I have.

But here's the thing about God--if He's going to defy anything, it's human expectation. If He's going to rebel against anything, it's injustice. And if He's going to absolutely hate anything, it's complacency. Jesus did not conform to the commands of people--and thank God for that!

Here's a few examples if you wanted to take a second look:

• Defying human expectations for "the perfect timing": After Jesus healed a lame man on the Sabbath, He said, ""My Father is working straight through, even on the Sabbath. So am I."
  
  Love this! God doesn't have to wait to start working in our lives...but sometimes, He does delay miracles. He's God--He can do whatever He wants. That's the point of Jesus' message here.
  
• Rebeling against injustice: When Jesus walked around, He forgave peoples' sins. And that really angered religious leaders--particularly because Jesus wasn't afraid to help people who they considered second class (prostitutes, Samaritans, women, tax collectors, children, etc.).
  
  Here's what He said, "The Son gives life to anyone he chooses. Neither he nor the Father shuts anyone out. The Father handed all authority to judge over to the Son so that the Son will be honored equally with the Father. Anyone who dishonors the Son, dishonors the Father, for it was the Father's decision to put the Son in the place of honor..."
  
• Hating complacency and hypocricy: There were plenty of people who liked the status quo of religious rules and regulations during Jesus' time. Maybe it was because they were profiting from it or because it gave them superior social status.
  
  But Jesus called out hypocrites when He said, "You have your heads in your Bibles constantly because you think you'll find eternal life there. But you miss the forest for the trees. These Scriptures are all about me! And here I am, standing right before you, and you aren't willing to receive from me the life you say you want.
  
  "I'm not interested in crowd approval. And do you know why? Because I know you and your crowds. I know that love, especially God's love, is not on your working agenda. I came with the authority of my Father, and you either dismiss me or avoid me.
  
• Not conforming to the demands of people: When people saw Jesus multiply bread and fish, they were amazed...and basically asked him to do it again, saying, "Why don't you give us a clue about who you are, just a hint of what's going on? When we see what's up, we'll commit ourselves. Show us what you can do. Moses fed our ancestors with bread in the desert. It says so in the Scriptures: 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'"
  
  But Jesus replied, "The real significance of that Scripture is not that Moses gave you bread from heaven but that my Father is right now offering you bread from heaven, the real bread. The Bread of God came down out of heaven and is giving life to the world."

The last one is perhaps my favorite example in this passage because it show God's heart--not to simply give us what we ask for. It's not because He's mean, but because He offers us so much more than what we ask or imagine. We don't always see His answers or the value of them. Our blindness doesn't mean that God's not there offering to free us from sin, heal our souls, and help us to run...and see...again.

Tomorrow: John 7-8