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.
Showing posts with label God's Kingdom. Show all posts
Showing posts with label God's Kingdom. Show all posts
Matthew 13:47-14:12 - Challenges to the Kingdom of God
Jesus taught us to prioritize the Kingdom in our praying. His model prayer begins with a three-fold petition: May your Name be revered on earth, may your Kingdom come on earth, may your Will be done on earth - even as it is in Heaven. Oh, to have holy reverence, utter deference and full obedience for the King of Kings! That triune perfection will be ours one day when the King and His kingdom are established in their fullness forever. But until then, we have to do our best to revere, defer and obey right where we are. We must worship and serve Jesus and follow His instructions in this world to give others a glimpse of the new world that is coming.
Unfortunately, there are many challenges to the Kingdom of God, and we see three of them in today's text. The first is that the wicked and the righteous live near and among each other. The most challenging aspect of this truth is that they frequently go to the same church together! So then, the self-righteous give the righteous a bad name. The 'hypocrite religionist' is often identified as the first reason by those who reject the church and the gospel. But there are truly good and righteous people in the church who represent Christ's Kingdom well. If only the rejectors would focus their gaze on them. When the Kingdom comes in it's fullness, the wicked and the righteous will be separated like the catch in a fisherman's net. Until then, just devote yourself to genuine righteousness, regardless of who's swimming next to you.
The second challenge to the Kingdom in our text is the familiarity that undermines faith. Jesus had a hard time teaching and performing miracles in His home town because most of the people there were familiar with Him and His family from a human perspective. They assumed they knew all about Him, and so discounted His claims on the basis of "He's just the carpenter's son." In fact, they were offended to think that Jesus would make Himself out to be more than just another one of Mary's kids. Even today, so many are so "familiar" with church and Jesus and Christianity that they can easily wave it off. Let's do our best not to show people an institution or a cultural icon or an ideology. Let's show them a living God whose Spirit lives in us and manifests Jesus through us.
The final challenge for today is the struggle for power. The Kingdom has spiritual power and moral authority. But sinful humanity loves to possess power and exercise authority, too. In Matthew 14, John the Baptist comes with the power of God's Word and the Kingdom's moral law. But Herod has a kingdom of his own and rejects the Word of God. Herodias has power over her daughter, the dancing girl. The dancer has seductive power over Herod, the King. Herod flaunts his power to make an unconditional oath. The crowd shows their power to hold him accountable. And in the end, the Baptist loses his head! If only we would all acknowledge the superior power of God in Christ and defer to His Kingship. If only we would wield what power we possess to bring the Kingdom in - on earth as it is in Heaven.
Pray: King Jesus, help me not to be a stumbling block or a hindrance for the in-breaking of Your Kingdom. Help me to represent You well in this world. Help me not to wait for Heaven to act like a citizen of Heaven. I can do that here and now and transform the circles in which I have influence.
Unfortunately, there are many challenges to the Kingdom of God, and we see three of them in today's text. The first is that the wicked and the righteous live near and among each other. The most challenging aspect of this truth is that they frequently go to the same church together! So then, the self-righteous give the righteous a bad name. The 'hypocrite religionist' is often identified as the first reason by those who reject the church and the gospel. But there are truly good and righteous people in the church who represent Christ's Kingdom well. If only the rejectors would focus their gaze on them. When the Kingdom comes in it's fullness, the wicked and the righteous will be separated like the catch in a fisherman's net. Until then, just devote yourself to genuine righteousness, regardless of who's swimming next to you.
The second challenge to the Kingdom in our text is the familiarity that undermines faith. Jesus had a hard time teaching and performing miracles in His home town because most of the people there were familiar with Him and His family from a human perspective. They assumed they knew all about Him, and so discounted His claims on the basis of "He's just the carpenter's son." In fact, they were offended to think that Jesus would make Himself out to be more than just another one of Mary's kids. Even today, so many are so "familiar" with church and Jesus and Christianity that they can easily wave it off. Let's do our best not to show people an institution or a cultural icon or an ideology. Let's show them a living God whose Spirit lives in us and manifests Jesus through us.
The final challenge for today is the struggle for power. The Kingdom has spiritual power and moral authority. But sinful humanity loves to possess power and exercise authority, too. In Matthew 14, John the Baptist comes with the power of God's Word and the Kingdom's moral law. But Herod has a kingdom of his own and rejects the Word of God. Herodias has power over her daughter, the dancing girl. The dancer has seductive power over Herod, the King. Herod flaunts his power to make an unconditional oath. The crowd shows their power to hold him accountable. And in the end, the Baptist loses his head! If only we would all acknowledge the superior power of God in Christ and defer to His Kingship. If only we would wield what power we possess to bring the Kingdom in - on earth as it is in Heaven.
Pray: King Jesus, help me not to be a stumbling block or a hindrance for the in-breaking of Your Kingdom. Help me to represent You well in this world. Help me not to wait for Heaven to act like a citizen of Heaven. I can do that here and now and transform the circles in which I have influence.
Matthew 13:24-46 - He Had Always Told the Truth; Lord, He Was an Honest Man
My youngest daughter, Angel, had a favorite song was she was a kid. Written and recorded by "Looking Glass" in 1972, it was a story song about a barmaid who loved a sailor whose love was the sea. Her name was Brandy, and the bridge to the song goes like this ...
"Yeah, Brandy used to watch his eyes when he told his sailor's story.
She could feel the ocean fall and rise, she saw it's raging glory.
But he had always told the truth, Lord he was an honest man;
And Brandy does her best to understand."
"Yeah, Brandy used to watch his eyes when he told his sailor's story.
She could feel the ocean fall and rise, she saw it's raging glory.
But he had always told the truth, Lord he was an honest man;
And Brandy does her best to understand."
Brandy is entranced by the stories of glory that she can only begin to capture in her imagination. "What is it like...?" "What is it like ...?" "Tell me about the majesty of the sea and the exotic ports of call!"
I imagine the followers of Christ were much the same as Brandy. Jesus came preaching, "The Kingdom of heaven is at hand!" Jesus came teaching, "Pray like this ... May God's Kingdom come on earth ..." And so His followers must have egged Him on - "What's it like? Tell us more about the Kingdom." And so He did.
Five times within today's brief text, Jesus says, "The Kingdom of God is like ..." Five parables, each illustrating an aspect of God's Kingdom.
The kingdom is like a farmer whose goal is to raise and harvest an abundant crop.
The kingdom is like a mustard seed that starts out very small and ends up very large.
The kingdom is like yeast; a little bit has a huge effect.
The kingdom is like a discovered treasure, or the finest pearl; the finder will sell everything they've got to make it their own.
God IS at work populating His kingdom. At first only a few were called and received the message, but what began small has become very large. A verse, a testimony, a sermon, a good deed are bits of Kingdom yeast, but watch the life-changing effect they can have. Yes, God's kingdom is a treasure; it's a pearl of great price. Have you sold out to it?
Pray: Father, as a child of the Kingdom, help me to re-capture the glory and wonder of the Kingdom. Help me to tell the stories of the Kingdom that I know - how you are the Captain of my soul; how You walked on water; how You calmed the raging sea; how You calmed the raging sea in me! Let each person watch my eyes as I tell my Kingdom stories. Let them feel the Spirit fall and rise, and see Your blazing glory ...
Matthew 5:1-26 - Crazy, Man.
Freedomland opened its gates in 1960 and shut them forever in 1964. Such a short lifespan for the "Disneyland" of the Bronx. But my family lived a short car ride south of that entertainment wonder, so I got to experience with seven-year-old senses one of the 'meteors' of amusement park history. The park was laid out like the lower 48 states, and had regional theme rides and attractions throughout. I got to enter the flying saucer which was also a radio station and caught a glimpse of Connie Francis. I got to help the firemen bring down the blaze of the Chicago Fire by manning the handle of the old pumper.But the memory that is preserved most indelibly is the Casa Loca. Located in the Southwest region of the park, this Crazy House was built such that everything seemed to defy physics. Empty cans would roll uphill across a table top and out the window into a waiting garbage can. In the Casa Loca I saw for the first time the "magic faucet." Here's a gigantic sample of this impressive optical illusion. Even at seven I kinda figured how it worked, but it was still awesome eye candy.
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| The spigot levitates while providing an endless shower. |
In God's kingdom, an impoverished spirit is an advantage. In God's kingdom, you can be happy and mourning at the same time. In God's kingdom, the ones who don't seize anything end up owning everything. In God's kingdom you're blessed if you're insulted, slandered and discriminated against. You have to stay hungry and thirsty in the Kingdom, famished for righteousness. That's the food they serve at the table of God and it doesn't show up much on the menu of the world.
In the world they feed on ego, and never admit 'poverty'. But there's no blessing there. In the world they feed on pride, never admitting a loss - fearless, tear-less - but there's no blessing in that. In the world they consume and consume some more. It's all about having, but it's never enough. No. No blessing there. In the world they feed on domination and they put themselves high by putting others down. But when the kingdoms of this world are laid low, down they will go.
Live upside-down. Defy the world's logic. Follow Christ, the Ruler of the Upside Down Kingdom, the Teacher on the hillside. Learn from Him that accepting the impoverished state of our spirit is the point where the outpouring of endless mercy begins. Learn that mourning losses due to sin brings a new longing for the good and the holy. Learn from the Master that yielding to him in meekness assures us of a Kingdom inheritance. Learn that we will all take on an identity; so let your scars mark you as a 'righteous one'! And let this life of running against the grain penetrate the world's darkness as Divine light. Let it penetrate the stuff of earth and preserve it against decay. Righteous salt. Righteous light. Uncommon members of the House of the Holy.
It's a crazy house. But it's the forever freedomland.
Pray: Lord, I am exposed constantly, relentlessly to the world and its ways. It is so easy to go with it, think like it, shape my values by it. Help me. Help me devote to the discipline it takes to expose myself to Your Kingdom and its ways. Help me absorb that. So I can live in stark distinction to prevailing unrighteousness.
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