They still have a drive-in movie theatre in Sacramento, and that's where I saw the Matt Damon action-thriller, "The Bourne Ultimatum." I gotta tell you, the action in that movie moved so fast sometimes, it made my head hurt. The gospel of Mark is not quite so frenetic, but it does move apace. In the first 28 verses we have the ministry of John the Baptist, Jesus' baptism, Jesus' temptation in the wilderness, John's imprisonment, Jesus initiating His preaching ministry, Jesus calling His first four disciples, Jesus initiating His teaching ministry, and an exorcism!
During this swift sequence of events, John defers to Jesus, God the Father endorses Jesus, the Holy Spirit guides Jesus, Satan is resisted by Jesus, angels minister to Jesus, disciples follow Jesus, and evil spirits obey Jesus. Hmmm, that last one is an interesting one. Evil spirits obey Jesus. He gives orders to demons and they comply. Wow. Demons obey Jesus and people don't. How bold are we? How bold and foolish.
I look at the passage again and notice that so far, Mark has only recorded commands from Jesus' lips. Christ came with authority and with imperatives:
"Repent and believe! The time is now and the Kingdom is here."
"Come follow Me! We've got more repentant believers to gather in."
"Be quiet, demon, and come out of him!"
Mark's gospel moves with urgency and doesn't mince words. And why shouldn't it? There is evil to be quashed; there are souls to be saved; there's a new community to be formed. The time is now and the Kingdom is here!
Those same dynamics exist today and always will. The Kingdom is here and the time is now. What are we doing to drive out the evils of our society? To heal its victims? What are we doing to bring the good news of the Kingdom of God to the people around us? What sort of disciple-making disciples are we? Have we learned to be fishers of men?
Life's events run swiftly by us. Everything seems to scream for priority and urgency. It is a kind of tyranny. But that's not the realm God calls us to. He calls us to His Kingdom. The domain of peace, love and joy. And the domain of obedience to the Savior and His imperatives.
The demons comply.
Will you?
Pray: Jesus, you are as Mark says, the Messiah and the Son of God. And what you bring to us is good news. Even if that good news comes in the form of imperatives, they are the divine imperatives that guide us toward everlasting life. Help us all to defer to you, Lord. Help us to follow you urgently like Peter, Andrew, James, and John. Help us to learn every lesson you have for us. And to live out those lessons in your Name.
Matthew 28:1-20 - RISEN
There isn't nearly enough space here to discuss the miraculous resurrection of Jesus Christ. Suffice it for me to say, my life has been transformed and continues to be impacted and blest by a lively Son of God, so instead of dis-believing until someone proves it to be true, I'm going to believe it until somebody proves it to be false. I'm open to receive all comments for and against the resurrection.
This leads me to a couple of observations for the last five verses of Matthew's gospel. From both the angel that rolled the tombstone away and the risen Christ Himself, the promise went out that the disciples would all see Jesus alive on the mountain in Galilee. So they travel to the designated place, and Jesus shows up, they go to their knees, their faces, in worship, and then the text records - "but some doubted." Wow! Really? They doubted? Doubted that it was Jesus? Who else would it be? It says they all worshipped Him, so apparently they recognized Him as their Jesus, their Master. They revered Him as God, because you don't just worship any old body. So, those who doubted -- what were they doubting?
Looking up the word in the Greek text, I found edistasan, which literally means to stand in two places at the same time. Like walking past someone at an airport halfway around the world and swearing it's an old buddy you haven't seen in thirty years. "Is it him? No it can't be. But it sure looks like him. What are the odds? No, he just favors him. But wouldn't it be something? He's looking knowingly at me. Should I approach? Nah, what if it isn't? But ... what if it IS?" At a crossroads and halting back and forth, that's the idea behind the word translated "doubting."
I don't think the disciples doubted it was Jesus back from the dead. The hesitancy wasn't about the 'who,' the hesitancy was about the 'how.' The cruelly tortured, drained and lifeless Jesus, wrapped and sealed -- how ... how? It is truly incomprehensible. But it is not unbelievable. I cannot comprehend how a plant turns toward the Sun to drink up its light. The plant has no brain, no nervous system, no musculature. How does a plant know that the Sun is a necessary element in photosynthesis? How does it translate the rays of the Sun into data sent to the stem cells to tell them to flex and relax to twist the leaves toward the light? I cannot comprehend that. But I certainly do believe it.
I cannot comprehend the Incarnation. I cannot comprehend the Trinity, nor the resurrection. But I believe in them. And that's why I believe that Jesus' authoritative command is for me. "Go make disciples of all peoples ..." Go live like a believing follower of Jesus Christ so that others may, though doubting, worship and follow Him also. And seeing as He's alive, not dead, He is with us all the way.
Let's go turn some people toward the Son!
This leads me to a couple of observations for the last five verses of Matthew's gospel. From both the angel that rolled the tombstone away and the risen Christ Himself, the promise went out that the disciples would all see Jesus alive on the mountain in Galilee. So they travel to the designated place, and Jesus shows up, they go to their knees, their faces, in worship, and then the text records - "but some doubted." Wow! Really? They doubted? Doubted that it was Jesus? Who else would it be? It says they all worshipped Him, so apparently they recognized Him as their Jesus, their Master. They revered Him as God, because you don't just worship any old body. So, those who doubted -- what were they doubting?
Looking up the word in the Greek text, I found edistasan, which literally means to stand in two places at the same time. Like walking past someone at an airport halfway around the world and swearing it's an old buddy you haven't seen in thirty years. "Is it him? No it can't be. But it sure looks like him. What are the odds? No, he just favors him. But wouldn't it be something? He's looking knowingly at me. Should I approach? Nah, what if it isn't? But ... what if it IS?" At a crossroads and halting back and forth, that's the idea behind the word translated "doubting."
I don't think the disciples doubted it was Jesus back from the dead. The hesitancy wasn't about the 'who,' the hesitancy was about the 'how.' The cruelly tortured, drained and lifeless Jesus, wrapped and sealed -- how ... how? It is truly incomprehensible. But it is not unbelievable. I cannot comprehend how a plant turns toward the Sun to drink up its light. The plant has no brain, no nervous system, no musculature. How does a plant know that the Sun is a necessary element in photosynthesis? How does it translate the rays of the Sun into data sent to the stem cells to tell them to flex and relax to twist the leaves toward the light? I cannot comprehend that. But I certainly do believe it.
I cannot comprehend the Incarnation. I cannot comprehend the Trinity, nor the resurrection. But I believe in them. And that's why I believe that Jesus' authoritative command is for me. "Go make disciples of all peoples ..." Go live like a believing follower of Jesus Christ so that others may, though doubting, worship and follow Him also. And seeing as He's alive, not dead, He is with us all the way.
Let's go turn some people toward the Son!
Matthew 27:32-66 - I'll Believe in Him on My Terms
Have you noticed that arguments are frequently won or lost at the very beginning of the exchange; at the framing of the question? If I get to establish the approach to the question, and continue to dictate the terms of the discussion, I will probably win the argument. That's why you'll often hear an interviewee on television answer a different question than the one that was asked. They prefer to frame the question and dictate the terms of the discussion. Hard sell sales people use the same approach.
When we observe the crucifixion of Christ as described by Matthew's gospel, we see a variety of people talking to Jesus. Some said, "If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross." Others challenged, "Come down now from the cross and we will believe in you." And, "He's God's Son, so let God rescue him." Most of them thought that to authenticate His claim to Messiahship and deity, He should save Himself.
You see what they're doing? "We'll set the terms, and if you comply, then we'll believe in you." "We'll accept you as God if you'll defer to our terms." Now, does that even make sense? If God, by definition, is the Supreme Being, then He does not defer to anyone. If God is sovereign creator and sustainer of life, then life is lived on His terms not mine. This is the primary problem that people have with accepting Jesus as Lord. Lordship means Jesus gets to frame the question; Jesus gets to dictate the terms.
The fools at the foot of the cross didn't understand the purpose of the cross. Jesus was dying to save their souls. If they understood the question, they would never have asked Him to come down. Jesus didn't live His life on man's terms for man's shallow desires according to man's myopic view of the world. Jesus lived and died and rose again to open our eyes to the expansive dimensions of life on God's terms.
Many have re-framed the life and teachings of Jesus to make Him more palatable. We just want a God we can manage. We want a God that doesn't challenge or threaten us. We want to fit neatly and comfortably into our God's parameters, so we shape Him rather than make changes in ourselves.
Jesus said, "I AM the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father accept through Me."
You can challenge His terms. You can ask a different question.
Or you can bow down and worship Him.
Pray: Jesus, You are God and I am not. I defer to You. Help me to see that Your way is the best way. It is the way of discipline and of sacrifice, and some suffering. But it is the only way to anything abundant and joyful and eternal. Thank you for Your death, which opened the door to that blessed life for all who believe.
When we observe the crucifixion of Christ as described by Matthew's gospel, we see a variety of people talking to Jesus. Some said, "If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross." Others challenged, "Come down now from the cross and we will believe in you." And, "He's God's Son, so let God rescue him." Most of them thought that to authenticate His claim to Messiahship and deity, He should save Himself.
You see what they're doing? "We'll set the terms, and if you comply, then we'll believe in you." "We'll accept you as God if you'll defer to our terms." Now, does that even make sense? If God, by definition, is the Supreme Being, then He does not defer to anyone. If God is sovereign creator and sustainer of life, then life is lived on His terms not mine. This is the primary problem that people have with accepting Jesus as Lord. Lordship means Jesus gets to frame the question; Jesus gets to dictate the terms.
The fools at the foot of the cross didn't understand the purpose of the cross. Jesus was dying to save their souls. If they understood the question, they would never have asked Him to come down. Jesus didn't live His life on man's terms for man's shallow desires according to man's myopic view of the world. Jesus lived and died and rose again to open our eyes to the expansive dimensions of life on God's terms.
Many have re-framed the life and teachings of Jesus to make Him more palatable. We just want a God we can manage. We want a God that doesn't challenge or threaten us. We want to fit neatly and comfortably into our God's parameters, so we shape Him rather than make changes in ourselves.
Jesus said, "I AM the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father accept through Me."
You can challenge His terms. You can ask a different question.
Or you can bow down and worship Him.
Pray: Jesus, You are God and I am not. I defer to You. Help me to see that Your way is the best way. It is the way of discipline and of sacrifice, and some suffering. But it is the only way to anything abundant and joyful and eternal. Thank you for Your death, which opened the door to that blessed life for all who believe.
Matthew 27:15-31 - Who's Yer Daddy?
My Dad enjoyed football. Played for the Clason Point Rams (google them and you get zip; does anybody know anything about the Clason Point Rams?) He followed the pros on TV. When we moved from the Bronx in December of '67, one of the first great memories made in our home in Centereach was Dad and I watching the famous "Ice Bowl" victory of the Green Bay Packers over the Dallas Cowboys. I enjoy football, too. Played for the McCarville Ford Mustangs, and still follow the pros on TV.
My Dad was also an artist. And he loved vocabulary and plays on words. He was the PunMeister. I'm an artist, too, and a wordsmith of sorts. I see the imprint of my father in who I am and what I do. In today's Scripture, we are presented with some father-son pairings and we are presented with a key life decision.
One of the ways the Romans attempted to keep the fringes of the Empire intact was to allow a certain degree of autonomy to local jurisdictions. A bit of freedom to decide and act; a bit of appeasement on the part of the Romans to keep the locals from insurrection. The Roman governor, Pilate in this case, would release on a feast day a prisoner of the mob's choosing. So, two native sons were put up for the crowd to pick from - Barabbas and Jesus.
Jesus is the Son of the Heavenly Father. This 'sonship' is figurative and not literal language, as the New Testament testifies to Jesus being God Himself. (see Matthew 28:17,18; John 1:1-5,14; Colossians 1:15-20). So, Jesus of Nazareth, God the Son, embodies and reflects the character of God the Father. Barabbas, however, was a murderer and a rabble-rouser. His name translates literally, Bar (son), Abbas (father). He is also a "son of the father." Odd, seeing as all men are sons of their fathers. But perhaps the name is to be understood, "his father's son," as in 'a chip off the ol' block!' Like father, like son.
My skills and preferences reflect my Dad in me and his influence over me. God the Father is reflected perfectly in His one and only Son. And perhaps Barabbas' father was a violent and unruly man like he was. Fathers impact their sons. One generation influences the next. In presenting the choice of Jesus or Barabbas, I wonder if the Scripture is asking us to make a key life decision. That is, to decide ourselves to release the life of God into our lives, embracing Jesus and pursuing a holy imitation of our Holy Father, or to decide to release the rebellious and hurtful nature of our forefathers in our lives.
We have earthly fathers, some wonderful, some woeful. We stand in the stream of many generations, and as experience and history tell us, they are generations of broken and sinful people. To rise above the common stream and be the wonderful, not the woeful, of our generation, we must reach beyond our earthly forebears to the Father in Heaven. 'Our Father which art in Heaven, hallowed be THY name."
I love and honor my Dad, and am proud to be called the son of that father. But to have blessed him well, and continue to be a blessing to my own children and the world about, I cannot aspire to merely imitate my earthly father. I must be a true child of my Divine Parent.
Pray: God, I know that you have created me in Your own image. You sent Jesus to love me and die for me, that I might have Your adoption as a true son. Stir the Spirit of the Son of God in me, that I might reflect You and honor You in all things.
My Dad was also an artist. And he loved vocabulary and plays on words. He was the PunMeister. I'm an artist, too, and a wordsmith of sorts. I see the imprint of my father in who I am and what I do. In today's Scripture, we are presented with some father-son pairings and we are presented with a key life decision.
One of the ways the Romans attempted to keep the fringes of the Empire intact was to allow a certain degree of autonomy to local jurisdictions. A bit of freedom to decide and act; a bit of appeasement on the part of the Romans to keep the locals from insurrection. The Roman governor, Pilate in this case, would release on a feast day a prisoner of the mob's choosing. So, two native sons were put up for the crowd to pick from - Barabbas and Jesus.
Jesus is the Son of the Heavenly Father. This 'sonship' is figurative and not literal language, as the New Testament testifies to Jesus being God Himself. (see Matthew 28:17,18; John 1:1-5,14; Colossians 1:15-20). So, Jesus of Nazareth, God the Son, embodies and reflects the character of God the Father. Barabbas, however, was a murderer and a rabble-rouser. His name translates literally, Bar (son), Abbas (father). He is also a "son of the father." Odd, seeing as all men are sons of their fathers. But perhaps the name is to be understood, "his father's son," as in 'a chip off the ol' block!' Like father, like son.
My skills and preferences reflect my Dad in me and his influence over me. God the Father is reflected perfectly in His one and only Son. And perhaps Barabbas' father was a violent and unruly man like he was. Fathers impact their sons. One generation influences the next. In presenting the choice of Jesus or Barabbas, I wonder if the Scripture is asking us to make a key life decision. That is, to decide ourselves to release the life of God into our lives, embracing Jesus and pursuing a holy imitation of our Holy Father, or to decide to release the rebellious and hurtful nature of our forefathers in our lives.
We have earthly fathers, some wonderful, some woeful. We stand in the stream of many generations, and as experience and history tell us, they are generations of broken and sinful people. To rise above the common stream and be the wonderful, not the woeful, of our generation, we must reach beyond our earthly forebears to the Father in Heaven. 'Our Father which art in Heaven, hallowed be THY name."
I love and honor my Dad, and am proud to be called the son of that father. But to have blessed him well, and continue to be a blessing to my own children and the world about, I cannot aspire to merely imitate my earthly father. I must be a true child of my Divine Parent.
Pray: God, I know that you have created me in Your own image. You sent Jesus to love me and die for me, that I might have Your adoption as a true son. Stir the Spirit of the Son of God in me, that I might reflect You and honor You in all things.
Matthew 26:69-27:14 - So Many Useless Words
We email. We chat. We text. We tweet. We post. We blog. We feed. We surf. We kindle. We self-publish. We Wikipedi-ize. And does anybody know how many titles are available on Amazon.com? We have satellite talk radio 24-7 and digital television channels in the hundreds. Song lyrics, magazines, t-shirts, point-of-purchase and outdoor advertising all add to our inundation with words. But how many of them really matter? And what about speech? What about all the words I utter every day? What does all my talking accomplish? Is there something to be said for silence?
Now, Peter was a talker. He was a first-talker and a fast-talker. Ask a question and Peter is immediately responding. He is a passionate talker. "Everyone else may desert You, Lord, but I will never leave you. I'll die wiith You before I'll leave You." That's what he said. But less than twelve hours later he is saying something quite different -- "I don't know this Jesus." "Do you hear me? I have no acquaintance with the man." "Listen, g-- d--- it, I don't know Him!"
Fearful lies. Foolish talk. Useless words. The result - he weeps uncontrollably.
Judas was a talker. He was a sly-talker. A deal-striker. And double-tongued. (see John 12:4-6) One minute he wants to sell ointment for money for the poor, the next minute he's selling Jesus for his own gain. Pangs of conscience seize him, and now he wants nothing to do with the money. His words of remorse fall on deaf ears.
Deadly dialogue. Foolish talk. Useless words. The result - he hangs himself.
Enter Jesus. As the rabble keeps raging and the religionists keep accusing and the governor keeps probing, Jesus ...
stands ...
silent.
In the cacophony of useless words, Jesus stands silent with the testimony of a life of purity, prophecy and service. The wake of His words and work swell around Him who without a sound resounds with divinity, and leaves the whole world babbling without knowledge. If only everyone would just shut up. If only the politicians and the priests and the populous would just be quiet - stop texting, stop tweeting, stop posting, stop blogging
and listen with their souls to the eloquent silence of the presence of God.
"Be still, and know that I am God," the psalmist urges us to sing. (46:10)
Finally. Some useful words.
Now, Peter was a talker. He was a first-talker and a fast-talker. Ask a question and Peter is immediately responding. He is a passionate talker. "Everyone else may desert You, Lord, but I will never leave you. I'll die wiith You before I'll leave You." That's what he said. But less than twelve hours later he is saying something quite different -- "I don't know this Jesus." "Do you hear me? I have no acquaintance with the man." "Listen, g-- d--- it, I don't know Him!"
Fearful lies. Foolish talk. Useless words. The result - he weeps uncontrollably.
Judas was a talker. He was a sly-talker. A deal-striker. And double-tongued. (see John 12:4-6) One minute he wants to sell ointment for money for the poor, the next minute he's selling Jesus for his own gain. Pangs of conscience seize him, and now he wants nothing to do with the money. His words of remorse fall on deaf ears.
Deadly dialogue. Foolish talk. Useless words. The result - he hangs himself.
Enter Jesus. As the rabble keeps raging and the religionists keep accusing and the governor keeps probing, Jesus ...
stands ...
silent.
In the cacophony of useless words, Jesus stands silent with the testimony of a life of purity, prophecy and service. The wake of His words and work swell around Him who without a sound resounds with divinity, and leaves the whole world babbling without knowledge. If only everyone would just shut up. If only the politicians and the priests and the populous would just be quiet - stop texting, stop tweeting, stop posting, stop blogging
and listen with their souls to the eloquent silence of the presence of God.
"Be still, and know that I am God," the psalmist urges us to sing. (46:10)
Finally. Some useful words.
Matthew 26:47-68 - Then All the Disciples Deserted Him
Today's passage is so full of sad and dramatic moments - the kiss of betrayal, the impulsive violence, the 'kangaroo' court, the mocking humiliation. But to me, the real jolt of sorrow comes at the end of verse 56.
"Then all the disciples deserted Him and fled."
Do you see where that statement is lodged in the text? Right after Jesus declares, not once but twice, that what is happening is according to and in fulfillment of Scripture. "What the prophets told us about is now coming to pass. Revelation is becoming reality right in front of you." And in the face of those affirmations of Divine orchestration -- the disciples desert the Lord. Christ brings a Word out of heaven and His followers run like hell.
What?
Isn't the unfolding of the plan of God something to stick around for? Wouldn't they want to be there as prophecy comes to fruition? Ah, but it's not happening the way they expected. What they understood about prophecy is proving to be somewhat off center. Where is the power and the justice and the triumph? Where is Messiah finally flexing the arm of God? Why does this look, smell and taste like we're losing? Why are we being admonished not to fight back? Our momentum isn't gathering, it's unraveling! I'm, I'm out of here.
It's easy to follow Jesus when what He says turns out the way we anticipate. When He says 'love God,' and we anticpate that that will look like singing sweet praise songs in a low-lit sanctuary, and it does and we do. It's easy to follow Jesus then. But when 'love God' means obey His command to you to quit your job and sell your house and move cross-country; that's when we rather lace up our running shoes. Like the soldier who enlisted to get an education and job training, and goes AWOL when the combat deployment orders show up - even though it's plainly part of the commitment, it's not really what he signed up for.
What sort of Jesus-followers are we? Fair weather followers? Low-risk followers? Comfort and convenience followers? Will I run when it gets confusing or hard or scary? And what will I forfeit?
The most expensive seats at performances of the "Blue Man Group" are right up front. Those are also the seats that will guarantee that you get paint (and any other stuff the Group is using) all over you. You won't just be 'at it,' you'll be 'in it.' When it comes to following Jesus, we need to be in it. We need to shell out for the front row. We need to know that if we stick close, we will see the unfolding of the Eternal story. We will be covered in the stuff of eternity. We must not forfeit that.
Pray: Faithful God, courageous and unshakable, make me into a true disciple. One who stays close even when the chaos comes. When my mind can't comprehend and my body wants to bolt and my emotions are rattled, let my trust in You remain. I want to sit in the midst of Your miracles.
"Then all the disciples deserted Him and fled."
Do you see where that statement is lodged in the text? Right after Jesus declares, not once but twice, that what is happening is according to and in fulfillment of Scripture. "What the prophets told us about is now coming to pass. Revelation is becoming reality right in front of you." And in the face of those affirmations of Divine orchestration -- the disciples desert the Lord. Christ brings a Word out of heaven and His followers run like hell.
What?
Isn't the unfolding of the plan of God something to stick around for? Wouldn't they want to be there as prophecy comes to fruition? Ah, but it's not happening the way they expected. What they understood about prophecy is proving to be somewhat off center. Where is the power and the justice and the triumph? Where is Messiah finally flexing the arm of God? Why does this look, smell and taste like we're losing? Why are we being admonished not to fight back? Our momentum isn't gathering, it's unraveling! I'm, I'm out of here.
It's easy to follow Jesus when what He says turns out the way we anticipate. When He says 'love God,' and we anticpate that that will look like singing sweet praise songs in a low-lit sanctuary, and it does and we do. It's easy to follow Jesus then. But when 'love God' means obey His command to you to quit your job and sell your house and move cross-country; that's when we rather lace up our running shoes. Like the soldier who enlisted to get an education and job training, and goes AWOL when the combat deployment orders show up - even though it's plainly part of the commitment, it's not really what he signed up for.
What sort of Jesus-followers are we? Fair weather followers? Low-risk followers? Comfort and convenience followers? Will I run when it gets confusing or hard or scary? And what will I forfeit?
The most expensive seats at performances of the "Blue Man Group" are right up front. Those are also the seats that will guarantee that you get paint (and any other stuff the Group is using) all over you. You won't just be 'at it,' you'll be 'in it.' When it comes to following Jesus, we need to be in it. We need to shell out for the front row. We need to know that if we stick close, we will see the unfolding of the Eternal story. We will be covered in the stuff of eternity. We must not forfeit that.
Pray: Faithful God, courageous and unshakable, make me into a true disciple. One who stays close even when the chaos comes. When my mind can't comprehend and my body wants to bolt and my emotions are rattled, let my trust in You remain. I want to sit in the midst of Your miracles.
Matthew 26:14-46 - Here Comes My Betrayer
We are moving into the final days of Jesus' earthly ministry in our readings. But these are not the waning moments. This is the height of His ministry. This is the time of ultimate victory, and the time of His greatest challenges. Jesus will now triumph over betrayal, over abandonment, over fear, over man's ignorance and inhumanity. Jesus will overcome torture, pain and death. He will accomplish all that the Father sent Him out to accomplish. For the praise of His glory, and the salvation of our souls.
First comes the challenge of betrayal. What a wound betrayal inflicts! Are you familiar with it? It is not the attack of a faceless enemy. Not the ongoing salvos launched by those who have long been your nemeses. Betrayal is that blindside blow to the heart from someone you cared for, and thought cared for you. There was history there; significant moments shared, investments made, hopes established. But now the kiss of that friend is a dagger to your soul. How do you spend three years with someone, living together and experiencing together the deep truths of God, only to have them sell you out - treat you like a thing and not a person? Betrayal is confounding and cruel.
Judas' betrayal of Jesus is out of greed, out of carelessness and selfishness. Peter's denial is anticipated in today's text and it is also a kind of betrayal, but a betrayal out of fear. Then, Jesus' closest disciples show their weakness in the face of the challenge to pray in Gethsemane. The spirit is willing, but... These critical hours are proving too difficult for them.
What happens in the critical moments of OUR lives? When prayer, loyalty, and faith are needed most, does our flesh dominate our spirit? Does Jesus find us asleep, in denial, in betrayal? All thanks and praise to the Son of God and Savior of the world who did not fail to give His body to be broken and His blood to be shed. He triumphs for us over our weaknesses, fear, and rebellion. In the Lord's Supper which He instituted that night, we have the reminder of His sacrifice for our salvation. "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world!"
Yes, when John the Baptist saw Jesus, he said, "Here comes my Savior."
When Jesus saw Judas Iscariot, He said, "Here comes My betrayer."
When you come walking down the street, what does Jesus say? "Here comes My ________ ..."
Pray: Help me, mighty God! I want to stand with You in the hour of my testing. I want to overcome my fear, my weakness and my callousness. I have pledged my love and my life to You. Help me never to betray that vow.
First comes the challenge of betrayal. What a wound betrayal inflicts! Are you familiar with it? It is not the attack of a faceless enemy. Not the ongoing salvos launched by those who have long been your nemeses. Betrayal is that blindside blow to the heart from someone you cared for, and thought cared for you. There was history there; significant moments shared, investments made, hopes established. But now the kiss of that friend is a dagger to your soul. How do you spend three years with someone, living together and experiencing together the deep truths of God, only to have them sell you out - treat you like a thing and not a person? Betrayal is confounding and cruel.
Judas' betrayal of Jesus is out of greed, out of carelessness and selfishness. Peter's denial is anticipated in today's text and it is also a kind of betrayal, but a betrayal out of fear. Then, Jesus' closest disciples show their weakness in the face of the challenge to pray in Gethsemane. The spirit is willing, but... These critical hours are proving too difficult for them.
What happens in the critical moments of OUR lives? When prayer, loyalty, and faith are needed most, does our flesh dominate our spirit? Does Jesus find us asleep, in denial, in betrayal? All thanks and praise to the Son of God and Savior of the world who did not fail to give His body to be broken and His blood to be shed. He triumphs for us over our weaknesses, fear, and rebellion. In the Lord's Supper which He instituted that night, we have the reminder of His sacrifice for our salvation. "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world!"
Yes, when John the Baptist saw Jesus, he said, "Here comes my Savior."
When Jesus saw Judas Iscariot, He said, "Here comes My betrayer."
When you come walking down the street, what does Jesus say? "Here comes My ________ ..."
Pray: Help me, mighty God! I want to stand with You in the hour of my testing. I want to overcome my fear, my weakness and my callousness. I have pledged my love and my life to You. Help me never to betray that vow.
Matthew 25:31-26:13 - Jesus In the Least
Where is Jesus?
I heard a joke about a Mom who was so proud of her seven year-old son. He would sit on the floor in the playroom every Sunday afternoon and repeat to his four year-old brother what he learned in Sunday School. After a while, the younger brother began to repeat the lessons to his stuffed animals! On their way home from school one day, Mom dropped by the Pastor's office with her boys to show them off. "Ask them a question about the Lord," the woman prompted. The Pastor folded his arms across his chest and bent over toward the eldest boy. "Where is Jesus, Johnny?" The boy didn't say a word. He had never been in the Pastor's office before, and the big man with the big voice was a bit intimidating. "Johnny, where's Jesus?" he repeated. The two boys looked worried now as they clung to each other. Frustrated that her boys were making her look the fool, the mother put her hands on her hips and stomped, "Johnny, tell Pastor where Jesus is!" Instantly, Johnny grabbed his brother by the arm, flew out the office door and down the sidewalk two blocks to his house. He raced up the stairs to his bedroom, threw open the closet door and huddled with his brother behind the coats in the dark. The younger brother whispered in confusion, "Why are we hiding, Johnny?" "Quiet, Billy. Somebody has stolen Jesus and they're blaming US!"
So, where IS Jesus? Most people say He is in heaven. Many people say He is in their heart. One day He will come in His glory to judge the people of every nation. Jesus Himself describes this separation of people into two groups. In light of other Scripture, we know that Jesus is not describing a salvation based on good works. But what Jesus reveals in today's passage is an essential characteristic of those who are saved. The righteous have compassion upon and are moved to action on behalf of the needy. People in right relationship with God are also in caring relationship with people. They feed the hungry. They clothe the naked. They show hospitality to strangers. They visit the sick and imprisoned. Mercy and service are signs of a saved soul.
Christ gives us a glimpse of His glorious return, and answers for us the question, "Where is Jesus?" Jesus is behind the empty bowl. Jesus is in the stranger's shoes. Jesus is in the sick bed and in the jail cell. He is the orphan, the widow, the marginalized and disenfranchised. And the sign of the righteous is that they care and are moved to action for them.
Funny tough, Jesus teaches that neither the righteous nor the unrighteous recognized Him in the poor and lonely. They simply demonstrated the true nature of their hearts when confronted with "the least." What does your response to the weak, the hurting, the needy say about YOUR heart? From today's text, we know where Jesus is...
Where are you?
Pray: Lord of all compassion, stir up Your mercy in me. Help me to see You in the eyes of the broken. Compel me with Your Spirit of goodness and love to meet the needs of my fellow man. I know I can't help everyone; but I can help someone. Make me an instrument of Your grace.
I heard a joke about a Mom who was so proud of her seven year-old son. He would sit on the floor in the playroom every Sunday afternoon and repeat to his four year-old brother what he learned in Sunday School. After a while, the younger brother began to repeat the lessons to his stuffed animals! On their way home from school one day, Mom dropped by the Pastor's office with her boys to show them off. "Ask them a question about the Lord," the woman prompted. The Pastor folded his arms across his chest and bent over toward the eldest boy. "Where is Jesus, Johnny?" The boy didn't say a word. He had never been in the Pastor's office before, and the big man with the big voice was a bit intimidating. "Johnny, where's Jesus?" he repeated. The two boys looked worried now as they clung to each other. Frustrated that her boys were making her look the fool, the mother put her hands on her hips and stomped, "Johnny, tell Pastor where Jesus is!" Instantly, Johnny grabbed his brother by the arm, flew out the office door and down the sidewalk two blocks to his house. He raced up the stairs to his bedroom, threw open the closet door and huddled with his brother behind the coats in the dark. The younger brother whispered in confusion, "Why are we hiding, Johnny?" "Quiet, Billy. Somebody has stolen Jesus and they're blaming US!"
So, where IS Jesus? Most people say He is in heaven. Many people say He is in their heart. One day He will come in His glory to judge the people of every nation. Jesus Himself describes this separation of people into two groups. In light of other Scripture, we know that Jesus is not describing a salvation based on good works. But what Jesus reveals in today's passage is an essential characteristic of those who are saved. The righteous have compassion upon and are moved to action on behalf of the needy. People in right relationship with God are also in caring relationship with people. They feed the hungry. They clothe the naked. They show hospitality to strangers. They visit the sick and imprisoned. Mercy and service are signs of a saved soul.
Funny tough, Jesus teaches that neither the righteous nor the unrighteous recognized Him in the poor and lonely. They simply demonstrated the true nature of their hearts when confronted with "the least." What does your response to the weak, the hurting, the needy say about YOUR heart? From today's text, we know where Jesus is...
Where are you?
Pray: Lord of all compassion, stir up Your mercy in me. Help me to see You in the eyes of the broken. Compel me with Your Spirit of goodness and love to meet the needs of my fellow man. I know I can't help everyone; but I can help someone. Make me an instrument of Your grace.
Matthew 25:1-30 - Ready To Go!
How soon before you take a trip do you get ready to go? Do you plan well in advance, make lists to check off, anticipate a variety of scenarios and pack accordingly? Maybe you're so familiar with the trip and all it entails that you can wait until the final hours to pull it all together. My wife and I are opposites about this. She starts preparing long before I do. I try to keep her from getting anxious about too many details and she helps me not to forget anything important. The balance works nicely and we always have a great time traveling together.
Today, Jesus tells a pair of parables about being ready to go when He returns. At this point it would be good to remember that parables are not allegories or extended metaphors -- a parable doesn't usually have special and detailed symbolism. A parable is usually told to make one point. You can try to make the oil and the lamps and the talents of gold represent something, but they are probably just oil and lamps and bags of gold.
In the first parable, ten young women are anticipating being part of a wedding party. They are waiting for the groom to arrive so they can go out to welcome him and join his entourage. As he may arrive at night, the girls would be wise to have lamps and an adequate supply of oil for them. Of the ten, five prove to be wise and five foolish. The groom arrives at midnight; five lamps are burning brightly and five are flickering out. Five young women meet the groom and are ushered into the wedding feast. Five others make a last minute dash to buy more lamp oil and miss the whole affair. The window of opportunity to go with the groom was narrow and only those who had prepared in advance were ready and able to go.
We need to help as many people to be ready to go as possible. We know the Bridegroom. We know that His arrival cannot be anticipated with split-second accuracy. Our own time of departure from this world is also unpredictable. So the time to be ready to go is now. The groom told the foolish virgins, "I don't know you." If we really know Jesus, then we know we don't want to miss His coming! To enter into the wedding feast of the Lord is the ultimate blessing, and those who know Him won't be scrambling last minute. Help as many as possible to know, love and eagerly anticipate Christ's return.
Along with being ready to go to the wedding feast of the Lord, the second parable tells us that we should present a nice gift when we get there. This story involves a master and his servants. The servants are given varying amounts of gold to take care of while the master is away. Even the servant who is given the least is still given a hefty chunk of change. Translating the original unit of measure used in this parable, the servant who received one bag of gold was still holding about twenty year's worth of day-laborer wages!
The servant with the most, put that gold to work and doubled it. The servant with less put his gold to work and doubled it, too. But the one with the least didn't understand his master, but rather feared him and worried more about losing some or all of what he had. So he buries it. When the master returns he discovers two servants who have doubled his trust. Amount was not the issue. The one with ten bags and the one with four bags in the end received the same commendation and reward. The issue was investing the trust to present a good return to the master. The one who feared and could only return exactly what had been given him was dismissed and punished.
We need to recognize the extraordinary wealth we have been entrusted with by God, and steward it wisely. When Christ returns, we must have a fruitful life with return on His investment to offer Him as He comes. Your life is golden, by the grace of God. Invest it in the things that Jesus values and holds dear. And when He comes you will receive the blessed commendation -- "Well done good and faithful servant; enter into the joy of your master!"
Today, Jesus tells a pair of parables about being ready to go when He returns. At this point it would be good to remember that parables are not allegories or extended metaphors -- a parable doesn't usually have special and detailed symbolism. A parable is usually told to make one point. You can try to make the oil and the lamps and the talents of gold represent something, but they are probably just oil and lamps and bags of gold.
In the first parable, ten young women are anticipating being part of a wedding party. They are waiting for the groom to arrive so they can go out to welcome him and join his entourage. As he may arrive at night, the girls would be wise to have lamps and an adequate supply of oil for them. Of the ten, five prove to be wise and five foolish. The groom arrives at midnight; five lamps are burning brightly and five are flickering out. Five young women meet the groom and are ushered into the wedding feast. Five others make a last minute dash to buy more lamp oil and miss the whole affair. The window of opportunity to go with the groom was narrow and only those who had prepared in advance were ready and able to go.
We need to help as many people to be ready to go as possible. We know the Bridegroom. We know that His arrival cannot be anticipated with split-second accuracy. Our own time of departure from this world is also unpredictable. So the time to be ready to go is now. The groom told the foolish virgins, "I don't know you." If we really know Jesus, then we know we don't want to miss His coming! To enter into the wedding feast of the Lord is the ultimate blessing, and those who know Him won't be scrambling last minute. Help as many as possible to know, love and eagerly anticipate Christ's return.
Along with being ready to go to the wedding feast of the Lord, the second parable tells us that we should present a nice gift when we get there. This story involves a master and his servants. The servants are given varying amounts of gold to take care of while the master is away. Even the servant who is given the least is still given a hefty chunk of change. Translating the original unit of measure used in this parable, the servant who received one bag of gold was still holding about twenty year's worth of day-laborer wages!
The servant with the most, put that gold to work and doubled it. The servant with less put his gold to work and doubled it, too. But the one with the least didn't understand his master, but rather feared him and worried more about losing some or all of what he had. So he buries it. When the master returns he discovers two servants who have doubled his trust. Amount was not the issue. The one with ten bags and the one with four bags in the end received the same commendation and reward. The issue was investing the trust to present a good return to the master. The one who feared and could only return exactly what had been given him was dismissed and punished.
We need to recognize the extraordinary wealth we have been entrusted with by God, and steward it wisely. When Christ returns, we must have a fruitful life with return on His investment to offer Him as He comes. Your life is golden, by the grace of God. Invest it in the things that Jesus values and holds dear. And when He comes you will receive the blessed commendation -- "Well done good and faithful servant; enter into the joy of your master!"
Matthew 24:29-51 - Clueless
"For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away."
Jesus gives us some insight into the days of Noah. Here's a guy who embarks on a building project so out of the ordinary, so out of proportion to anything anyone has ever seen up until that time, and still there were some who had no clue what it was about. Could people really have something so unavoidable, so newsworthy in the midst of their daily circuits, and yet be so unaware of its significance? Or was Noah's explanation received as the eccentric exaggerations of an aged zealot? Was the ark present and under construction for so many decades that they simply took it for granted? Did it's extraordinariness fade over time, slipping into the background of their more individual concerns - 'what's for dinner, did you get the wine, who should I marry, do you like his fiancee?'
Jesus taught that it would be the same way when He comes again. But let's not jump all the way to the Second Coming. Isn't it true that the resurrected Christ is alive today? Isn't it true that He can speak to the heart today in an extraordinary, unavoidable and life-altering way? And today, wouldn't the ark that stands as a testimony to the activity and intentions of God in our midst, and holds the family of the faithful and the hope of all - wouldn't that 'ark' be the church? And yet so many have no clue what it is about. They are unaware of the church's significance, or they have chalked it up to a construction of eccentric zealots.
Sadly, unlike the steadfast witness of Noah's clan, the church has done quite a bit to undermine its own credibility. Our voices HAVE sounded at times like senile ranting. We have frequently veered off God's blueprint and built country clubs and fortresses and walmarts instead of sea-worthy vessels. So, even though there are many who are clueless, careless and callous, there are many who are just confused.
Let's get back to building an ark, a temple, a church, a community that actually resembles the plans God gave us through His Son (with project management by the Holy Spirit.) Let's make sure the clueless get plenty of clues. Let's make sure the connoiseurs and the courtiers are primarily hungering and thirsting after righteousness and planning to be members of the Bride of Christ.
Pray: God, help us to know truly what You mean for your church to be and do. Make us clear witnesses to the grace and truth of Jesus Christ. Use us to make sure the least amount of people possible are taken by surprise at Your return.
Jesus gives us some insight into the days of Noah. Here's a guy who embarks on a building project so out of the ordinary, so out of proportion to anything anyone has ever seen up until that time, and still there were some who had no clue what it was about. Could people really have something so unavoidable, so newsworthy in the midst of their daily circuits, and yet be so unaware of its significance? Or was Noah's explanation received as the eccentric exaggerations of an aged zealot? Was the ark present and under construction for so many decades that they simply took it for granted? Did it's extraordinariness fade over time, slipping into the background of their more individual concerns - 'what's for dinner, did you get the wine, who should I marry, do you like his fiancee?'
Jesus taught that it would be the same way when He comes again. But let's not jump all the way to the Second Coming. Isn't it true that the resurrected Christ is alive today? Isn't it true that He can speak to the heart today in an extraordinary, unavoidable and life-altering way? And today, wouldn't the ark that stands as a testimony to the activity and intentions of God in our midst, and holds the family of the faithful and the hope of all - wouldn't that 'ark' be the church? And yet so many have no clue what it is about. They are unaware of the church's significance, or they have chalked it up to a construction of eccentric zealots.
Sadly, unlike the steadfast witness of Noah's clan, the church has done quite a bit to undermine its own credibility. Our voices HAVE sounded at times like senile ranting. We have frequently veered off God's blueprint and built country clubs and fortresses and walmarts instead of sea-worthy vessels. So, even though there are many who are clueless, careless and callous, there are many who are just confused.
Let's get back to building an ark, a temple, a church, a community that actually resembles the plans God gave us through His Son (with project management by the Holy Spirit.) Let's make sure the clueless get plenty of clues. Let's make sure the connoiseurs and the courtiers are primarily hungering and thirsting after righteousness and planning to be members of the Bride of Christ.
Pray: God, help us to know truly what You mean for your church to be and do. Make us clear witnesses to the grace and truth of Jesus Christ. Use us to make sure the least amount of people possible are taken by surprise at Your return.
Matthew 24:1-28 - Honey, I Think It's Time ...
We've all seen it played out many times to peals of laughter. The young wife appears in the doorway and announces to her neophyte husband that their firstborn is about to arrive. Instantly he is a frantic dervish without a brain. He is running into walls. Wearing one untied shoe he grabs an armful of pre-packed bags and throws them and himself into the family car. He is down the block before he realizes he has left his contracting bride at home.
Sometimes I observe a bit of the same high anxiety when I hear some believers talk about the "last days" or the "end times." It is true that on more than one occasion the final days of history and the return of Jesus Christ is described as "birth pains." But Christians don't have to respond to this reality of our faith like the father-to-be in the aforementioned comic scenes. In the paragraph before Paul's writing to the Thessalonians about the Second Coming, he urges them to "aspire to live quiet lives." There is no need to become panicky or alarmist as end time signs begin to appear. Here are some of the signs Jesus lists in today's passage:
In the anticipation of all this, can we heed the words of Jesus to 'not be alarmed?' Can we live "quiet lives" in the face of the approaching crisis? Jesus' last comment at the end of this passage seems at first cryptic. "Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather." But maybe it is very straight forward. Vultures tear up the dead, not the living. As long as I am alive in Christ, I don't have to panic. The vultures will come for the deceivers and the warmongers and those who abandon the faith, for the cold-hearted persecuters and the cockamamie messiahs, but they won't come for me. I am alive in Christ.
Jesus Himself says He doesn't know the day or the hour of His return and the moment of it is described as a flash of lightning and a thief's arrival under cloak of night. If it is to be sudden and unexpected, then I ought to be doing today and tomorrow what I hope to be doing when He shows up. I believe that is a calm and unalarmed discipleship that participates in the preaching of the gospel of the Kingdom to all the nations. Yes, make Christ known in word and deed, steady as she goes, until the Groom says to His Bride, "Honey, I think it's time."
Pray: God, you have made known to us the end from the beginning. You are life and life eternal; You are fullness of joy forever. We have all this guaranteed to us by Your grace through faith. Heaven is our inheritance, and no wordly distress of any magnitude can strip us of it. Glory to You, true Prophet, Messiah and King!
Sometimes I observe a bit of the same high anxiety when I hear some believers talk about the "last days" or the "end times." It is true that on more than one occasion the final days of history and the return of Jesus Christ is described as "birth pains." But Christians don't have to respond to this reality of our faith like the father-to-be in the aforementioned comic scenes. In the paragraph before Paul's writing to the Thessalonians about the Second Coming, he urges them to "aspire to live quiet lives." There is no need to become panicky or alarmist as end time signs begin to appear. Here are some of the signs Jesus lists in today's passage:
- The destruction of the temple in Jerusalem
(accomplished A.D. 70; Titus and the Romans) - Deceivers claiming to be the Messiah
- Wars and rumors of wars ("don't be alarmed," Jesus adds)
- Famines and earthquakes ("just the beginning," Jesus indicates)
- Hatred and murderous persecution of believers
- Many will betray Jesus and turn from the faith
- Wickedness will increase and love will grow cold
- Daniel's prophecy of the "abomination of desolation" will be fulfilled
- The greatest distress the world has ever seen will take place
- False messiahs and prophets will perform amazing wonders
- The gospel of the Kingdom will be preached to all the nations
In the anticipation of all this, can we heed the words of Jesus to 'not be alarmed?' Can we live "quiet lives" in the face of the approaching crisis? Jesus' last comment at the end of this passage seems at first cryptic. "Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather." But maybe it is very straight forward. Vultures tear up the dead, not the living. As long as I am alive in Christ, I don't have to panic. The vultures will come for the deceivers and the warmongers and those who abandon the faith, for the cold-hearted persecuters and the cockamamie messiahs, but they won't come for me. I am alive in Christ.
Jesus Himself says He doesn't know the day or the hour of His return and the moment of it is described as a flash of lightning and a thief's arrival under cloak of night. If it is to be sudden and unexpected, then I ought to be doing today and tomorrow what I hope to be doing when He shows up. I believe that is a calm and unalarmed discipleship that participates in the preaching of the gospel of the Kingdom to all the nations. Yes, make Christ known in word and deed, steady as she goes, until the Groom says to His Bride, "Honey, I think it's time."
Pray: God, you have made known to us the end from the beginning. You are life and life eternal; You are fullness of joy forever. We have all this guaranteed to us by Your grace through faith. Heaven is our inheritance, and no wordly distress of any magnitude can strip us of it. Glory to You, true Prophet, Messiah and King!
Matthew 23:13-39 - Woe...Woe...Whoa!
Have you ever been warned that you were going to be read "The Riot Act?" In 1715, the British under King George I instituted a "Riot Act" to be able to control unruly crowds of twelve or more, particularly those who opposed King George. Once read in public to the crowd, the gathering would have to disperse within an hour or face severe penalties. Nowadays, we use the phrase to mean any occasion when a person or group is sternly warned or corrected. In light of the modern idiom, Jesus definitely reads the Pharisees the "Riot Act" in today's passage from Matthew.I have preached on this passage before under the title, "How Not to Be a Pharisee." Although the format of Jesus' rebuke indicates 'seven woes,' I find there are twelve solid instructions within this chapter to guide us away from the foolishness of phariseeism.
- Practice What You Preach (23:1-3)
- Lighten Other People's Loads (23:4)
- Work for God's Approval, Not Man's (23:5-10)
- Lead By Serving (23:11)
- Practice Humility (23:12)
- Make It Easy for People to be Saved (23:13)
- Make Disciples of Jesus, Not of Yourself (23:15)
- Value Christ, Not the 'Things' of Christianity (23:16-22)
- Prioritize the Higher Virtues (23:23-24)
- Be Righteous from the Inside Out (23:25-28)
- Accept God's Correction and Wisdom (23:29-36)
- Live Under the Savior's Wing (23:37-39)
Instead of an unruly mob of twelve, be glad to have this gathering of twelve rule your approach to the Christian life. Consider each of these bullet points as twelve stalwarts calling you to join them in exalting Christ, His Kingdom and it's principles. The "Riot Act" was employed to disperse any activities contrary to the rule of the King. I think I'll read the Matthew 23 Riot Act to myself, to disperse any phariseeism that might be gathering in the back alleys of my spirit.
Pray: Lord, thank you for your boldness and your clarity about what does and doesn't reflect true spirituality, true devotion and Kingdom character. Help me to conform to your refinements and transform me. The last thing I want to hear from you is "Woe!"
Matthew 22:34-23:12 - Sometimes Too Hard; Sometimes Too Easy
You might just have one or more
"Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
The hook was the "hook" for the lesson. It represented the two-pronged imperative that the entire life of a disciple is lived out of. The child of God, the follower of Christ, needs only to remember one thing -- to love. If you forget everything that's written in the Law and in the Prophets, but you remember to love, you've got it covered. One supreme action, commanded to be poured out in two directions - like the two beams of a cross. Vertical love; loving God with everything I've got. Horizontal love; loving other people, all people, as if they were me.
Today's text begins with Jesus having silenced the Sadduccees. So the Pharisees took a shot at Him and the result of that volley was, "from that day on no one dared to ask Him any more questions!" Jesus baffled the self-proclaimed experts. His sayings were too hard to understand. Hmmm. Really? Or were they too easy? Love God. Love others. Done. But then, how could these holymen maintain their reputations through position, power and meticulous piety? Jesus had brought them low by the profound simplicity of love. They had exalted themselves and Christ humbled them. But those who humble themselves to love God and man through selfless service - these he promises to exalt.
Don't ever be a Pharisee. Don't be a "do as I say, not as I do" hypocrite. Don't preach and not practice. Be a disciple of Jesus. Be His follower, His student, His imitator. Pour out love in two directions. And keep asking for His help. So easy, yet so hard.
Pray: I do love you, Lord. Help me to love you more. And help me to demonstrate that love by the way I love others. I cannot say I love You and hate my brother. Humble me. Teach me. There are no greater lessons than Your lessons of love.
Matthew 22:1-33 - Power Lines
Many of you are all too familiar with the concept of heavy snow and ice bringing down power lines. The nation has suffered severe storms this winter. Thousands have had to endure the consequences of crippled electrical supplies to their homes. There was plenty of current being generated; it just couldn't get through. The lines were down.
After explaining to the crowds another charactersistic of the Kingdom of God, staving off a challenge by the Pharisees and correcting the theology of the Sadduccees, Jesus states, “You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God." The Scriptures are the Word of God and the power is the Spirit of God. Together, the Word and the Spirit are the dynamo that generates the current of truth by which we can conduct our lives. We can understand the nature of the Kingdom of God when we are connected by the Spirit to the Word. We can become wise and discern with subtlety; we can know, trust, and practice sound theology when the line to the source remains up.
Stay plugged into the Word. Lean on the Spirit of God to empower the Word and your understanding. "Lean not on your OWN understanding ..." as the ancient Proverb teaches. Whether it's the mission of God in relationship to human history, or the relationship of faith to human government, or the practical implications of doctrine - all this and more becomes clear through Spirit and Word.
When the storms came up and the power lines came down, people suffered a loss of comfort, a loss of food, a loss of communication, a loss of light. Similar losses on a spiritual level are experienced when the conduit is cut between our souls and God's truth. Don't let the blizzard of busyness or the whiteout of doubt or the weight of life's challenges keep you from being connected to the empowering Word.
Pray: Lord, it is so easy to let the stuff of earth cut me off from the treasures of heaven. Help me to prioritize my time with You, in prayer, study and meditation. How can I expect to stay charged up when I keep pulling the plug?
After explaining to the crowds another charactersistic of the Kingdom of God, staving off a challenge by the Pharisees and correcting the theology of the Sadduccees, Jesus states, “You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God." The Scriptures are the Word of God and the power is the Spirit of God. Together, the Word and the Spirit are the dynamo that generates the current of truth by which we can conduct our lives. We can understand the nature of the Kingdom of God when we are connected by the Spirit to the Word. We can become wise and discern with subtlety; we can know, trust, and practice sound theology when the line to the source remains up.
Stay plugged into the Word. Lean on the Spirit of God to empower the Word and your understanding. "Lean not on your OWN understanding ..." as the ancient Proverb teaches. Whether it's the mission of God in relationship to human history, or the relationship of faith to human government, or the practical implications of doctrine - all this and more becomes clear through Spirit and Word.
When the storms came up and the power lines came down, people suffered a loss of comfort, a loss of food, a loss of communication, a loss of light. Similar losses on a spiritual level are experienced when the conduit is cut between our souls and God's truth. Don't let the blizzard of busyness or the whiteout of doubt or the weight of life's challenges keep you from being connected to the empowering Word.
Pray: Lord, it is so easy to let the stuff of earth cut me off from the treasures of heaven. Help me to prioritize my time with You, in prayer, study and meditation. How can I expect to stay charged up when I keep pulling the plug?
Matthew 21:23-46 - God Has Three Expectations
I'm attending an evangelism conference in Torrance next week, so my wife and I drove down early together to visit our daughter in Santa Monica. We had heard of a barbecue place in Venice called Baby Blues on the Food Network's Diners, Drive-ins and Dives, so we thought we'd check it out. Until my introduction to Sprayberry's in Newnan, GA, I had always considered the noun 'barbecue' to mean an event or a cooking apparatus. Then I ate a pork barbecue plate with brunswick stew. I discovered "barbecue' as a noun meaning amazingly tender and tasty meat cooked over low, slow smoky heat. So Sprayberry's hooked me, and Baby Blues continued to confirm that barbecue is THE best way to eat meat. And Baby Blues met my three criteria for an excellent dining experience -- friendly staff, great food, and prices commensurate with the quality of the meal. Those are my three expectations.
There's no barbecue in today's reading, but there are expectations. Three expectations. Jesus confronted the chief priests and elders and clarified God's three expectations, but they are not just what God expected from ancient Jewish leaders. God still expects these three activities from everyone He calls upon.
First, God expects transparent dialogue. God IS alive and He gets people's attention and speaks to them - through His creation, through His Word, through His followers, with immediacy through His Holy Spirit. God is a God who speaks. Are we willing to have an open and honest conversation with Him? Are we willing to pray with candor? The religious leaders who spoke with Jesus refused to answer His question. They didn't like the facts that their answers would reveal, so they didn't answer Him at all. They ducked and dodged in their conversation with God. Don't do that!
Second, God expects repentance and faith. At some point in an open and sincere conversation with God, God is going to broach the matter of sin in your life. He will expect you to agree with Him (He is GOD after all) that your sin is a serious issue with deadly consequences. He will expect that you will turn away from sin and put your faith in Him as the remedy for it. Jesus offended the religious leaders of His day by saying that the prostitutes were entering the Kingdom of Heaven ahead of them! But the prostitutes were repenting and the self-righteous priests were not. A hard truth to swallow, but the truth nonetheless. Don't expect to be in right relationship to God and heavenbound by any other means than repentance and faith in God the Son, Jesus Christ.
The third of God's expectations is fruitfulness. Once we have heard and answered the call of God, and out of a transparent talk with Him confessed our sins and turned from them to faith in Jesus Christ, God will then expect us to be productive as colaborers of His. God has a plan and a purpose for each of us. They are unique to every one of us, but fruitfulness is the common element. An abundance of godliness should tumble out of our lives. We should overflow with the character of Christ, bounteous in love joy, peace, patience and all the fruit of the Spirit. There should be plenty of good works that glorify God in our lives and the reproduction of new believers - disciplemaking. When God, who owns the 'vineyard' you've been placed in to live and work, comes for a harvest from you - what will you have to present to Him?
Everyday we go out into the world with expectations of how we ought to be treated and what we ought to gain. Shall we rather go out focused on meeting God's expectations of us?
Pray: Father, you made me, saved me and set me free to live a life of transparency, faith and fruitfulness. Help me not to forget Your appropriate expectations of me as Your beloved child.
There's no barbecue in today's reading, but there are expectations. Three expectations. Jesus confronted the chief priests and elders and clarified God's three expectations, but they are not just what God expected from ancient Jewish leaders. God still expects these three activities from everyone He calls upon.
First, God expects transparent dialogue. God IS alive and He gets people's attention and speaks to them - through His creation, through His Word, through His followers, with immediacy through His Holy Spirit. God is a God who speaks. Are we willing to have an open and honest conversation with Him? Are we willing to pray with candor? The religious leaders who spoke with Jesus refused to answer His question. They didn't like the facts that their answers would reveal, so they didn't answer Him at all. They ducked and dodged in their conversation with God. Don't do that!
Second, God expects repentance and faith. At some point in an open and sincere conversation with God, God is going to broach the matter of sin in your life. He will expect you to agree with Him (He is GOD after all) that your sin is a serious issue with deadly consequences. He will expect that you will turn away from sin and put your faith in Him as the remedy for it. Jesus offended the religious leaders of His day by saying that the prostitutes were entering the Kingdom of Heaven ahead of them! But the prostitutes were repenting and the self-righteous priests were not. A hard truth to swallow, but the truth nonetheless. Don't expect to be in right relationship to God and heavenbound by any other means than repentance and faith in God the Son, Jesus Christ.
The third of God's expectations is fruitfulness. Once we have heard and answered the call of God, and out of a transparent talk with Him confessed our sins and turned from them to faith in Jesus Christ, God will then expect us to be productive as colaborers of His. God has a plan and a purpose for each of us. They are unique to every one of us, but fruitfulness is the common element. An abundance of godliness should tumble out of our lives. We should overflow with the character of Christ, bounteous in love joy, peace, patience and all the fruit of the Spirit. There should be plenty of good works that glorify God in our lives and the reproduction of new believers - disciplemaking. When God, who owns the 'vineyard' you've been placed in to live and work, comes for a harvest from you - what will you have to present to Him?
Everyday we go out into the world with expectations of how we ought to be treated and what we ought to gain. Shall we rather go out focused on meeting God's expectations of us?
Pray: Father, you made me, saved me and set me free to live a life of transparency, faith and fruitfulness. Help me not to forget Your appropriate expectations of me as Your beloved child.
Matthew 20:29-21:22 - Lord, Have Mercy on My Eyes
As Jesus made His way to Jerusalem for the final week before His crucifixion, He encountered two blind men. These men exhibit great faith and great persistence. They cry out and demonstrate that they believe Jesus is the Messiah, and that He has supernatural power. They ask for mercy and call Him, "Lord." The crowd tries to hush them, but the prospect of being treated by the 'Son of David' is too much for them to be silent. Jesus wants them to say specifically what they desire. "We want to see!"
With compassion, Jesus gives the men the sight they asked for. He touched their eyes and more - now they are following Him. They are following Him into the most intense week of His life. And they will see it all. I wonder if Matthew puts this healing story here for a special reason. It isn't unique - Jesus has done many other healings before, including restoring sight. These men are nobody special and the circumstances are fairly insignificant. Except, this is the beginning of that final week. It's almost like Matthew wants to say to his readers, "Open your eyes now. Cry out for clear vision now. Don't miss any of what I'm about to show you."
Matthew lets these men model for us the prayer he is encouraging us to pray - "Lord, have mercy on my eyes."
If our eyes have been opened and we are following Jesus, what is it the writer says we will see?
1. That Jesus' life is a fulfillment of prophecy. God promised us Christ the King, and He delivered.
2. When we follow Him, Jesus will immediately place us in the midst of what He is doing. (It's quite possible that the 'two disciples' He sent for the donkey were the two He had just healed of blindness!)
3. Jesus is One to celebrate over; to give entrance to with a joyful heart.
4. Jesus is intense about the church getting it's priorities straight: prayer and worship - number one!
5. Jesus prefers innocent praise over indignant 'piety.'
6. Jesus is hungry for us to bear fruit.
7. Jesus wants us to pray in faith; ask, believe, receive.
When you follow Jesus with fresh eyes, there's a lot to see! Stay alert. Don't blink.
Pray: Lord, you know how blind I am. Open my eyes to see You wherever You show up this week. Help me to perceive Your Word correctly, to recognize opportunities to celebrate You in public, to see the importance of prayer and worship, to identify my pride and judgmentality and seek a simpler, more innocent way of honoring You. Help me to see my way through to fruitfulness and faithfulness.
With compassion, Jesus gives the men the sight they asked for. He touched their eyes and more - now they are following Him. They are following Him into the most intense week of His life. And they will see it all. I wonder if Matthew puts this healing story here for a special reason. It isn't unique - Jesus has done many other healings before, including restoring sight. These men are nobody special and the circumstances are fairly insignificant. Except, this is the beginning of that final week. It's almost like Matthew wants to say to his readers, "Open your eyes now. Cry out for clear vision now. Don't miss any of what I'm about to show you."
Matthew lets these men model for us the prayer he is encouraging us to pray - "Lord, have mercy on my eyes."
If our eyes have been opened and we are following Jesus, what is it the writer says we will see?
1. That Jesus' life is a fulfillment of prophecy. God promised us Christ the King, and He delivered.
2. When we follow Him, Jesus will immediately place us in the midst of what He is doing. (It's quite possible that the 'two disciples' He sent for the donkey were the two He had just healed of blindness!)
3. Jesus is One to celebrate over; to give entrance to with a joyful heart.
4. Jesus is intense about the church getting it's priorities straight: prayer and worship - number one!
5. Jesus prefers innocent praise over indignant 'piety.'
6. Jesus is hungry for us to bear fruit.
7. Jesus wants us to pray in faith; ask, believe, receive.
When you follow Jesus with fresh eyes, there's a lot to see! Stay alert. Don't blink.
Pray: Lord, you know how blind I am. Open my eyes to see You wherever You show up this week. Help me to perceive Your Word correctly, to recognize opportunities to celebrate You in public, to see the importance of prayer and worship, to identify my pride and judgmentality and seek a simpler, more innocent way of honoring You. Help me to see my way through to fruitfulness and faithfulness.
Matthew 20:1-28 - Counter-Intuitive
Our natural intuition and conventional wisdom may help us flow well with the ways of this world, but if we want to track with the Kingdom of God, we have to learn the counter-intuitive ways of Christ. An excellent book on this subject is Donald Kraybill's The Upside-Down Kingdom. In today's text, Jesus teaches two more lessons about the inverted nature of God's Kingdom.
In the kingdom's of this world, reward is earned. There are pay rates and scales. The expectation is that the longer and harder you work, the greater will be your compensation. The problem with applying that principle to Christ's Kingdom is that right relationship with God and entrance into the Kingdom can not be earned. This is perhaps the greatest misunderstanding in the realm of religion and spirituality -- that somehow, we can work our way into Heaven. 'I must be good enough. I must be holy enough. I can perform spiritual exercises and grow in faith and goodness. When death comes, I will have amassed a spiritual resume sufficient for access into eternal bliss.' But devout religious ritual + sincere good deeds DO NOT = the gospel of Jesus Christ. Careful study of the New Testament would lay that fallacy to rest, but few are willing to read it much less study it with care.
Jesus tells a story about how everyone who responds to His call to join Him in His work receives the same reward. Heaven is for those who labored with Him, one hour or eleven. The only way that that does not qualify as unfairness is if the reward is not based on the work. And it's not. The reward is based on God's grace and generosity. Of course, this story of His is not a complete theology, so one has to read more to understand how it fits with things like repentance, regeneration and discipleship. But the core concept is clear - salvation is not merit based. It is mercy based. The meritorious work is referred to in the verses after the parable - "the Son of Man must be ... mocked and flogged and crucified .." The only work related to our heavenly reward is the work of Christ on the cross. His work accomplished what our meager efforts could never have achieved.
The second counter-intuitive lesson in our reading is Christ's definition of greatness. In the world, the 'great ones' rule from on high with dominion and authority. In God's Kingdom, the great ones are the servants. Sacrificially meeting the needs of others is the sign of greatness, which is exemplified in the surrender of Christ to the aforementioned work of the cross. He loses that we might gain. He lowers Himself that we might be exalted. He dies that we might live. He is the greatest of the great -- because He is the servant of all. How topsy-turvy is that? It's how the first becomes last and the last, first. It's how we get paid when He did all the work. It's the way of the upside-down Kingdom.
You do well to let Jesus stand your life on its head!
Pray: Lord, help me to see life the way You see it. Your thoughts are not my thoughts and Your ways not my ways. Teach me Your Kingdom perspective, so I can be in the world, but not of the world.
In the kingdom's of this world, reward is earned. There are pay rates and scales. The expectation is that the longer and harder you work, the greater will be your compensation. The problem with applying that principle to Christ's Kingdom is that right relationship with God and entrance into the Kingdom can not be earned. This is perhaps the greatest misunderstanding in the realm of religion and spirituality -- that somehow, we can work our way into Heaven. 'I must be good enough. I must be holy enough. I can perform spiritual exercises and grow in faith and goodness. When death comes, I will have amassed a spiritual resume sufficient for access into eternal bliss.' But devout religious ritual + sincere good deeds DO NOT = the gospel of Jesus Christ. Careful study of the New Testament would lay that fallacy to rest, but few are willing to read it much less study it with care.
Jesus tells a story about how everyone who responds to His call to join Him in His work receives the same reward. Heaven is for those who labored with Him, one hour or eleven. The only way that that does not qualify as unfairness is if the reward is not based on the work. And it's not. The reward is based on God's grace and generosity. Of course, this story of His is not a complete theology, so one has to read more to understand how it fits with things like repentance, regeneration and discipleship. But the core concept is clear - salvation is not merit based. It is mercy based. The meritorious work is referred to in the verses after the parable - "the Son of Man must be ... mocked and flogged and crucified .." The only work related to our heavenly reward is the work of Christ on the cross. His work accomplished what our meager efforts could never have achieved.
The second counter-intuitive lesson in our reading is Christ's definition of greatness. In the world, the 'great ones' rule from on high with dominion and authority. In God's Kingdom, the great ones are the servants. Sacrificially meeting the needs of others is the sign of greatness, which is exemplified in the surrender of Christ to the aforementioned work of the cross. He loses that we might gain. He lowers Himself that we might be exalted. He dies that we might live. He is the greatest of the great -- because He is the servant of all. How topsy-turvy is that? It's how the first becomes last and the last, first. It's how we get paid when He did all the work. It's the way of the upside-down Kingdom.
You do well to let Jesus stand your life on its head!
Pray: Lord, help me to see life the way You see it. Your thoughts are not my thoughts and Your ways not my ways. Teach me Your Kingdom perspective, so I can be in the world, but not of the world.
Matthew 19:13-30 - Leave Everything Behind
This is a picture of a rich man entering the Kingdom of Heaven, according to Jesus' picturesque teaching. Some say that Jesus was referring to an actual passageway or door in a city gate called "the eye of the needle." For a camel to pass through it, the beast would have to be stripped bare of its cargo. No historical, archaeological evidence exists to substantiate this explanation, but it is still pretty close to capturing what Jesus was saying. Another explanation is that behind the Greek word for 'camel' in this text is the Aramaic word 'rope.' Camel and rope are the same Aramaic word -- "gamla." It would be nigh impossible for a rope to be shoved through a needle's eye, also. Unless - we untwine the rope and strip it down to just one of its component threads. Again, the idea of stripping down to the minimum to accomplish the goal.
Jesus speaks this memorable phrase in reference to how hard it is for the rich to inherit eternal life. When the wealthy man asks what he lacks to gain passage through heaven's gate, Jesus says, "Sell all you have ..." Divest yourself of your cargo, Camel! Unravel your rope down to the last thread, friend. Then, come follow me through the gate to glory! The man couldn't do it. He was bound up in his own rope; burdened down by his own wealth. He didn't have IT. IT had him. So he turned away from Jesus and went away in sorrow.
Notice earlier in today's text how Jesus embraced and blessed the children. The Kingdom of Heaven is their's, because they don't have any baggage or bindings. They have no earthly 'riches.' They are paupers in the kingdom of this world, but princes in the Kingdom of God. This weaves perfectly with Jesus' closing statement, "Many who are first (in this world) will be last (in the world to come)..." and "many who are last (by man's estimation) will be first (in Jesus' eyes)."
By the way, those riches don't have to be money. The 'riches' that keep us from eternal life are ANYTHING that we value more than following Jesus. In the same vein as His statement to the rich man, what if Jesus said, "Leave your current job behind and follow Me?" That's how I ended up at seminary. He said, "Leave your job, sell your house, move 2000 miles to a place you've never been before and take up Master's level studies after 11 years away from academia." I'm not bragging; I'm saying that Jesus is still in the "unraveling" business. Still calling for divestiture. Still encouraging us not to win the whole world and lose our souls.
"If I were a rich man, ...?" Um... Nah.
I'd rather be a pauper Prince.
Pray: Lord, to gain more of You and the Kingdom, I have to lose more of my worldly self. Help me to make the trade willingly. Unravel me.
Pray: Lord, to gain more of You and the Kingdom, I have to lose more of my worldly self. Help me to make the trade willingly. Unravel me.
Matthew 18:21-19:12 - Forgive From Your Heart
The kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand bags of gold was brought to him. Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.
“At this the servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’ The servant’s master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.
“But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred silver coins. He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded.
“His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it back.’
“But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. When the other servants saw what had happened, they were outraged and went and told their master everything that had happened.
“Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn't you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’Well ...
shouldn't you?
Pray: "Our Father, who art in heaven ... forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors." Help us to imagine what we would be like if the forgiveness we received from You were only equal to the forgiveness we have extended to others.
Matthew 18:1-20 - Link Arms with Their Guardian Angels
Even as a Pastor, I sought to be involved with Vacation Bible School and Children's Church in a front line role because, I love children. In most cases, they are not so tainted or jaded by the world, and what you get is purity and innocence of relationship. Their transparent wonder, self-expression and affection melt my heart. They are easily influenced and molded, also, and great care must be taken in our relating to them.
And if you ever wondered what Jesus thought about our precious little ones, this passage in Matthew 18 makes it crystal clear. Jesus puts forth children as the exemplars for greatness in the Kingdom of God. And Jesus reserves some of His most aggressive and violent language for those who would cause harm to children.
In a moment when Jesus is surrounded by inquiring adults clamoring for the label of "great" in God's Kingdom, He calls a child to come to His side. Not great in stature, nor power, not in knowledge, nor accomnplishments, this child simply comes by humble obedience and trust. And therein is the greatness. So Jesus instructs - "Change! Become like a little child or you will never see the Kingdom of Heaven." Great humility; great obedience; great faith ... THAT is what Jesus is looking for.
We must not look down upon the children but rather look for Jesus in the children. We welcome Christ when we welcome them. And Jesus reveals a unique reality - that the children have angels who serve and intercede for them before the face of God! (verse 10) God speaks to our children and ministers to them through His appointed messengers. Ought we not to link arms with their guardian angels, to minister the Word and the blessing of God to them, too?
And how serious is Jesus about the children not being caused to stumble in sin? He says if you trip a child up, having a stone tied around your neck and being flung into the sea would be preferable to the punishment you're going to get. Oh, sorry, not a stone, a "large millstone," and not just into the sea, "drowned in the depths" of the sea. Jesus isn't pulling any punches here. He is dead serious. If your hand or eye is going to cause a child to sin, "cut it off, ""gouge it out." This is not a literal prescription, but an indicator of the magnitude of God's concern for leading our children in holiness and not in sin. "Not one child should be lost." Is that your commitment to the children in your life?
Deal with sin rightly and swiftly - within yourself, with other adults, and in the presence of the children. When we burden the next generation with the consequences of our prideful disobedience to God, it is as if we tie the millstone around THEIR necks ...
May it never be.
Pray: Lord and Savior of every precious child, help us to see their beauty and innocence and do all we can to preserve that. Help us to grasp the ramifications of our sin for the children in our lives. This should be ample motivation to serve You and so bless the little ones.
And if you ever wondered what Jesus thought about our precious little ones, this passage in Matthew 18 makes it crystal clear. Jesus puts forth children as the exemplars for greatness in the Kingdom of God. And Jesus reserves some of His most aggressive and violent language for those who would cause harm to children.
In a moment when Jesus is surrounded by inquiring adults clamoring for the label of "great" in God's Kingdom, He calls a child to come to His side. Not great in stature, nor power, not in knowledge, nor accomnplishments, this child simply comes by humble obedience and trust. And therein is the greatness. So Jesus instructs - "Change! Become like a little child or you will never see the Kingdom of Heaven." Great humility; great obedience; great faith ... THAT is what Jesus is looking for.
We must not look down upon the children but rather look for Jesus in the children. We welcome Christ when we welcome them. And Jesus reveals a unique reality - that the children have angels who serve and intercede for them before the face of God! (verse 10) God speaks to our children and ministers to them through His appointed messengers. Ought we not to link arms with their guardian angels, to minister the Word and the blessing of God to them, too?
And how serious is Jesus about the children not being caused to stumble in sin? He says if you trip a child up, having a stone tied around your neck and being flung into the sea would be preferable to the punishment you're going to get. Oh, sorry, not a stone, a "large millstone," and not just into the sea, "drowned in the depths" of the sea. Jesus isn't pulling any punches here. He is dead serious. If your hand or eye is going to cause a child to sin, "cut it off, ""gouge it out." This is not a literal prescription, but an indicator of the magnitude of God's concern for leading our children in holiness and not in sin. "Not one child should be lost." Is that your commitment to the children in your life?
Deal with sin rightly and swiftly - within yourself, with other adults, and in the presence of the children. When we burden the next generation with the consequences of our prideful disobedience to God, it is as if we tie the millstone around THEIR necks ...
May it never be.
Pray: Lord and Savior of every precious child, help us to see their beauty and innocence and do all we can to preserve that. Help us to grasp the ramifications of our sin for the children in our lives. This should be ample motivation to serve You and so bless the little ones.
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