For October 18, 2026

ISAIAH 45:1-7

THE BACKGROUND

Israel was defeated by the Babylonians (now Iraq).  They were carted off to Babylon, where they were expected to assimilate into Babylonian life.  Sixty years passed.  Israel is incapable of fighting against the Babylonians to regain their freedom; they appear to be doomed to never see the Promised Land again.  Cyrus II is the king of Persia (now Iran).  He is poised to defeat the Babylonians, and release the captives.  Cyrus and Persia do not worship the Jewish god Yahweh.

THE DETAILS

• Through Isaiah, God addresses Cyrus II, calling him “his anointed”. That is the English word.  You know the Hebrew and Greek words, they are “messiah” and “Christ”.  This had to be an outrageous statement to god’s chosen people in exile.  How could a pagan king possibly be Yahweh’s “anointed”?  He doesn’t even know God’s name!  (v. 1)
• God is going to make things easy for King Cyrus, paving the way, breaking down doors, and giving him treasures hidden away in secret places. (vv. 2-3a)
• The reason God is doing this is clear. It is for the sake of his captive people, who he lovingly calls “Jacob” in this text.  This is good news for Israel, because they are not able to free themselves.  The shocking thing is that God calls upon a non-Hebrew to be his servant, God’s anointed one.  (vv. 3b-4)
• The last paragraph is a proclamation that our Lord God Yahweh is the one and only god; there are none besides him. (vv. 5-7)

THE TAKEAWAY

Either we or someone we know has been faced with an impossible situation, only to be saved from disaster.  How did that happen?  People of faith believe that is by God’s loving hand.  How has God surprised you in your faith walk?

 

 

1 THESSALONIANS 1:1-10

THE BACKGROUND

This letter from Paul to the church in Thessaloniki is probably the oldest writing in the New Testament.  It was even written before any of the gospels were put to paper.  These are the opening lines to his letter.  It follows the typical format for most of his letters.

THE DETAIL

• He begins by naming the senders & recipients of this letter, and then greeting them. It was written by Paul, who included his two assistants’ names Silvanus (also known as Silas) and Timothy.  It is addressed to the people of the church in the Greek city of Thessaloniki.  He greets them with a blessing of grace and peace.  (v. 1)
  • Grace, the free gift of God’s mercy and love.
  • Peace, in this case, is “shalom”. This is more than a sense of calm.  It means wholeness to life and completeness.
• In the second paragraph, Paul praises them for their work. In particular, he praises them for their faith, hope, and love.  The Holy Spirit has filled them with conviction to spread the Gospel message. (vv. 2-5)
• Paul is proud to say that in spite of persecution, they “became imitators of us [Paul, Silas, and Timothy] and of the Lord [Jesus]”. Paul offered themselves as role models for those going through difficult times.  Jesus, of course, was the perfect role model. but they had only heard stories about Jesus.  Paul and Silas were there in person.  (v. 6a)
• We now learn the depths of their conviction. There was persecution.  Acts 17:1-9 gives us the whole story.  The point is that Jesus’ believers there were steadfast in their faith “in spite of persecution…”. This news spread far and wide.  (vv. 7-9)
• Verse 10 is interesting, and worth explaining. It is a reference to the Parousia, or Jesus second coming.  At the time this letter was written, only about 20 years after Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection, Christians believed that Jesus return would be a little different than we now understand it.  They believed:
  • Jesus was returning very soon. We now know that at least 2,000 years would transpire before this event.
  • After a time of conflict, Jesus would, emerge triumphant over evil, and reign on earth.  The “wrath that is coming” refers to this time of conflict.  Their beliefs on Jesus’ return were simple. The book of Revelation would not be written for another 50 years.  The message is that they should remain faithful, knowing that God will make things right when Jesus returns.  That is the same message that Revelation tells us.    (v. 10)

THE TAKEAWAY

The Gentiles in Thessalonica left the religion of their families, and became Christians.    Changing faiths brought consequences.  What would it take for you to even change denominations, let alone religions?  But their enthusiasm was so great, it caught on.  Others could see the power of the Holy Spirit at work in their energy and love.  People wanted to be a part of that.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Shouldn’t we also display this same level of enthusiasm to those around us?  How do we make this happen?

MATTHEW 22:15-22

THE BACKGROUND

Jesus is nearing the end of his ministry.  He is in high gear, teaching through the use of parables.  More and more, he is annoying the Pharisees, the High Priest, and other leaders of the established religious organization.  He challenged their thinking, and they didn’t like it.  It is good to remember that Jesus was also a Jew, as were almost all of his followers.  He was criticizing his own expression of faith as shown in the lives of the Pharisees.  Increasing, he is making enemies, and they are out to get him.

Also, this passage speaks of Herodians.  Most Jews hated the Romans, and everything they stood for.  Herod, who was also a Jew, worked with Rome for his own personal gain both in politically and financially.  The Herodians were Jews who supported Herod’s work.  In a sense, they were traitors to Gods’ People.  They chose to seize the day, and reap the benefits of supporting Herod and Rome.

 

THE DETAIL

• The Pharisees were so upset with Jesus that they teamed up with the hated Herodians. Their hope was that between the two groups, they could set a trap and shame Jesus in front of his followers. (vv. 15-16a)
• The start out by buttering him up in verse 16b.
• Jesus sees right through their ploy. (v.18)
• We all know the rest. The coin is shown, and Jesus says the famous line “Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”
• Dumbfounded, they walk away.
• Jesus clever answer was perfect. If he said “It is lawful to pay taxes to the emperor”, he would have been called a traitor to the Jewish cause.  If he had said it was not lawful, he would have been called a traitor to Rome.  He would have most certainly been reported to the authorities by the Herodians.

 

THE TAKEAWAY

Does this story mean that God is not interested in politics and governmental structures?  In Ezekiel 34, God rails on the religious and political leaders of the day.  He calls them “shepherds” of his flock.  They neglected the needs of his flock, and God was not happy with them.  God is very interested in how all the leaders care for his people.  He will make them accountable; He will judge them.   Some would like to say that this story means that God is not interested in our paying taxes.  I don’t think that’s it.  Taxes can provide care for the poor, needy, widows, orphans, etc.  Good government, good “shepherds”, are doing the Lord’s work if they tax from the abundance and care for the disadvantaged.  My takeaway is the last part of verse 21—“…and [give to] God the things that are God’s.”

 

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

1. What are “the things that are God’s”, that we should be giving?  Here are a few of my thoughts.

• Part of this “giving” ensuring that our elected government officials are genuinely concerned about the poor, needy, and disadvantaged. These are God’s concerns; they should be ours as well.
• Jesus showed compassion to the needy by healing the sick. He also preached that we should share from our abundance. (“If you have two coats, give one away.”)  Since we are to be imitators of Christ, shouldn’t we heal the sick poor by taxing the rich?
• Part of this “giving” having a good sense of stewardship. Realizing that everything we have is a gift from God.  Sharing and tithing, therefore, are simply giving back what was already His.  This holds true for individuals, organizations, and governments.  All are accountable to God.

2. The Pharisees were considered a very pious and holy group who worked hard to follow God’s Word. Many Christians feel the same about themselves today.  What would we do if Jesus returned, and criticized what we did and how we thought about God?

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

We are Jesus’ presence in this place.  How can we be more like Jesus by being generous and giving of both our time and our money?