Questions. What do you want to ask?

Posted on April 2, 2023 by Tim Sorbo

Happy Palm Sunday! Welcome to Two Minutes With Tim! Whether by accident or purpose, here you are. Please enjoy the two minutes (roughly speaking) that it will take to read this blog.

This will be the first post in an Easter series entitled, “Questions. What do you want to ask?”

Have you ever read your bible and come across a question in the text? Every book of the bible has inquiries. People asking people. People asking God. God asking people. Even the devil fires off some investigations. This series will focus on a few of the questions asked during the last week of Jesus. The Triumphal entry starts the week. The final post will feature the resurrection.

And with that, on to the first question. We get our question from Luke 19:28-34 NIV

“28 After Jesus had said this, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. 29 As he approached Bethphage and Bethany at the hill called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples, saying to them, 30 “Go to the village ahead of you, and as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. 31 If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ say, ‘The Lord needs it.’ ” 32 Those who were sent ahead went and found it just as he had told them. 33 As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, “Why are you untying the colt?” 34 They replied, “The Lord needs it.”

Jesus is about to enter Jerusalem. The people will be seeing their king but they don’t know it yet. I love the details here. A certain place with a specific animal and even an exact description! Not any city or village but the “village ahead of you”.

Not any animal but “a colt tied there”. There would have been all types of animals but Jesus was specific.

But even further, he explains that this beast has never been ridden. I think this is a foreshadowing of Jesus. He was the “Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.” John 1:29 Only a sinless, blameless, spotless, and perfect lamb could do this action.

We still have not yet hit the question. Jesus prepared the men by telling them that they would be questioned about the donkey. They were to answer ‘The Lord needs it.’

The Lord needs it.

No doubt that the owner of the donkey was more than curious about these two men who were looking for a donkey. Perhaps he wanted them arrested for stealing. We don’t know for sure. We can only speculate.

Another aspect that we are not clear on is what was happening in the minds of the two disciples. What were they thinking?

Did they think Jesus was a little bit crazy?

“There goes Jesus again, doing something completely abnormal.”

Isn’t that how we think sometimes?

“Jesus, are you really asking me to do this? Why is following you weird sometimes?

But Jesus knew exactly what was going on in the minds of both parties. He also was fully aware of what he needed.

Jesus gave instructions.

The disciples followed them. Exactly.

The outcome was precisely what God had in mind.

If we look at the big picture, we can’t understand it. It is too big for our eyes (physically and spiritually speaking). All we have is our little corner of existence.

All we can do is follow the directions that God gives us.

Go to the village. Find the donkey that has never borne a rider. And your answer to the question is “The Lord needs it.”

What is God asking of you and me today?

It may be a small task. Actually, I think describes most of His commands. The bible says that his commands are not burdensome. See I John 5. Jesus said himself that his yoke is easy. We can give him our burdens. Matthew 11

So when Jesus says something to us, we can follow through. We can fully trust. We can obey.

How do I know this?

Because the Lord needs it.

The Day of Atonement explained.

Posted on October 17, 2022 by Tim Sorbo

The Day of Atonement. I think that most people would not begin to understand what this day is all about.

If you are Jewish or have studied the Old Testament, you would be the exception. At least that is my perception of this topic.

Here is what I do know. On this day, an Israelite could be free from sin. Forgiven.

It all revolved around sacrifice.

The penalty of sin must be paid.

Just like a speeding ticket must be paid.

Just like fighting on the playground results in detention.

Just like being late one too many times could get you fired from a job.

There are consequences to our actions.

Sin needed to be addressed.

In God’s economy in the Old Testament, animals were sacrificed daily. There were several types (sin being only one type) of sacrifices and the occasions varied throughout the year.

But on the day of Atonement, the high priest took the sacrifices one step further. Literally.

This is a diagram of the Old Testament tabernacle.

On the left, there is the Holy of Holies. This little room had only one object in it. The ark of the covenant. Yes, Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark comes to my mind as well.

This ark, which was essentially a box covered in gold, was where the physical presence of God rested. It was the center of the entire Israelite community both socially and spiritually.

And was here that the high priest would offer the blood of the sacrifice for the sins of the people.

But he only did it once a year. On a specific day. On the day of Atonement.

And so while this day was a celebration it was also a mournful one.

Coming to grips with one’s sin was not a joyful occasion. It was painful.

But the outcome was worth it all.

When God saw the blood being sprinkled on the ark of the covenant, he smiled.

The price had been paid for sin. And that is why I (or anyone) can have a double birthday.

Click here if you want to read about the double birthday.

But that was the Old Testament.

Jesus changed everything. He always does.

Double Birthday, Again!?!?

Posted on October 11, 2022 by Tim Sorbo

Yes! It is my birthday again! Not really but I did celebrate my 50th like I have never done before. Click here to read last week’s post. It will all make more sense.

On Sunday this past weekend, I crossed off a bucket list item. I jumped out of an airplane!

This picture is not me but that is precisely what I did a few days ago!

So…how do I transition to the Day of Atonement after talking about skydiving?

I will just jump right in.

As I stated last week, the second of my birthdays involve the Day of Atonement.

In the Old Testament, the book of Leviticus details the sacrificial system set up for the Israelites.

I will try and summarize this for you.

When God created Adam and Eve, there was a perfect relationship between God and man.

Adam and Eve broke that relationship when they ate the forbidden fruit.

Since that time, yes, all the way up to now, that relationship has not yet been mended.

God desperately wants the relationship to be restored.

He also wants us to desire that perfect relationship as well.

He provided a sacrificial system in the Old Testament that foreshadowed a relationship that has been restored to perfection.

When we get to the New Testament, Jesus was sent to earth as a baby. We could now identify with God.

After Jesus was crucified and raised from the dead, he departed this world and returned to heaven.

The Holy Spirit then replaced Jesus as the presence of God on this earth.

And this is where we find ourselves now.

We are still in a fractured relationship with our God even though He has been attempting to bring us back together. For the last few millennia.

Sin is a separator. It puts space between us and God. All through human history, He keeps trying different ways to get back to us. But we keep separating ourselves from Him.

And the Day of Atonement was how that relationship was restored, if only for a brief period of time.

Next week, I am going to share some details about this special day. My hope is that it will educate and encourage you.

So let me wrap this post up with this thought.

You and I cannot restore our relationship with God. We are unable to do anything that would fix it. It is literally impossible for us.

But there is hope. That relationship can be fully restored. But it takes 100% trust in God. Just like I had to trust 100% in my parachute this past weekend.

Stay tuned next week as I unpack and expound on an Old Testament ritual, with present-day ramifications.

Good night and God bless you.

New York Ave.

Posted on October 19, 2021 by Tim Sorbo

Question for you: What color is New York Ave. on a standard Monopoly board?

You probably already saw this picture so you know that the color is orange.

Monopoly Game Board Mixed Media - The Monopoly New York Ave. Card by Jas Stem

Another, slightly more difficult, question: Where is it located on the board? And don’t peek at the picture!

Homeowners find huge handprinted Monopoly board underneath carpet | The Independent

On our road trip, we took one day to hit Manhattan (that’s the connection to New York Ave.) and see the sites. My wife booked a bus/walk tour which turned out to be awesome. Now we can now check off some of the highlights of the Big Apple.

This picture shows the 5 Burroughs of New York City. Manhattan is an island! The Hudson and East Rivers flow on either side of it.

But the fascinating part is what I learned on the tour. Because there is bedrock underneath the island, tall buildings can be built.

The island has a foundation that can stand strong beneath the weight of all those skyscrapers!

The deeper the bedrock, the taller the building!

If you have read any of my blogs, you probably know that there is a spiritual/biblical connection about to be made. This particular connection is found in Matthew 7.

24“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. 26But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”

My friends, we are like Manhattan. How tall our buildings can go depends on how deep our bedrock goes. The buildings in our life are the things that we do. This includes jobs we work, people we relate to, and even the words we speak.

These are all public things. Just like the buildings of Manhattan, people can see the works of our lives.

Do we live to show off our good deeds?

Even as I write this, I feel convicted.

My private life with God determines the course of my public life.

The deeper that I get with God, the more people will see that fruit in my life.

The more intimacy with God, the more influence with people.

God needs to do something on the inside before we can do something on the outside.

Without Him, we are unable to do anything.

Now, how do I transition to a suitable conclusion?

I’d say this: visit Manhattan, play Monopoly, and seek God earnestly.

The Bell and the Cross

Posted on October 3, 2021 by Tim Sorbo

Happy Sunday night! At least that is when I am writing this post.

It has been a while since I posted so I want to bring you up to speed.

Actually, if you read these posts, that will be sufficient.

Read them in this order:

If reading this post plus the first three turns into 8 Minutes with Tim, I trust it will be worth it.

I ended the last post with the idea that we have true freedom. At least, in Christ we do.

In short, we can summarize that freedom in one idea. One word. One symbol.

The Cross.

Just as the Liberty Bell symbolizes our freedom in this country, the cross symbolizes the freedom we have in Jesus.

So when you see a cross, let it remind you of what God has given you. And then take time to thank Him.

Amazon.com: Holy Land Market Resin Cross - Olive Wood Tone - Very Smooth Wall Cross (7.6 Inches) : Home & Kitchen

Thank you for reading. See you next time!