Matthew 26:17-35 NIV
On the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Where do you want us to make preparations for you to eat the Passover?”
He replied, “Go into the city to a certain man and tell him, ‘The Teacher says: My appointed time is near. I am going to celebrate the Passover with my disciples at your house.’ ”
So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them and prepared the Passover. When evening came, Jesus was reclining at the table with the Twelve. And while they were eating, he said, “Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me.”
They were very sad and began to say to him one after the other, “Surely you donʼt mean me, Lord?”
Jesus replied, “The one who has dipped his hand into the bowl with me will betray me. The Son of Man will go just as it is written about him. But woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man! It would be better for him if he had not been born.”
Then Judas, the one who would betray him, said, “Surely you donʼt mean me, Rabbi?”
Jesus answered, “You have said so.”
While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.” Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you, I will not drink from this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in my Fatherʼs kingdom.”
When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. Then Jesus told them, “This very night you will all fall away on account of me, for it is written:
“ ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’
But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee.”
Peter replied, “Even if all fall away on account of you, I never will.”
“Truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “this very night, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.”
But Peter declared, “Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you.” And all the other disciples said the same.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Betrayal, denial, death and forgiveness: these are themes hanging in the wind on the night of the Last Supper in the upper room. Judas has already accepted money to hand Jesus over to the religious authorities, yet he sits among the apostles with Jesus, partaking in the Passover meal. Peter, brash and naive as ever, promises to die with Jesus if necessary, but He will deny he ever knew Him before the night is over.
The Passover meal is a remembrance of God's deliverance of the Hebrews from slavery in Egypt. The last of the ten plagues with which God cursed Egypt was the death of the firstborn. The angel of death took the lives of the firstborn of every household, rich and poor, and every animal, but the Hebrews were spared. They placed the blood of a sacrificed lamb over their door frames and the angel of death passed over their homes.
Jesus reinterpreted the Passover meal as a memorial for a new kind of deliverance. It was a deliverance from sin and death. The New Testament proclaims that humanity is in slavery to the power of sin. Sinful passions reside in our flesh, our hearts, minds and deep within our genetic memory. And we cannot resist the power of these passions completely. There are those who practice self mastery, but deep down it's a constant struggle when you try to resist. No one is perfect and no one can sustain perpetual righteousness. That is why we need a savior.
Jesus came that we might be free. His grace is greater than the power of sin. His life is greater than the power of death. Through faith we share in His grace and life. We share in His resurrection. Therefore we are made anew. Our inner lives are transformed. We are forgiven our sins and we are empowered by God to resist temptation and become like Christ. Even with faith a flawless walk seems impossible. Mercy abounds through the cross of Christ! Victory over sin and death is yours in His resurrection.
Jesus took bread and broke it and gave it to His disciples saying, "This is my body broken for you." Indeed He would be beaten, whipped bloody and tortured. His body would be pierced for our transgressions. He took the cup of wine and said the wine was His blood poured out for us for the forgiveness of sins. All who were there partook of the meal. All received this grace, including Judas who was planning to betray Him.
When Jesus told the group one of the apostles would betray Him, they all responded, "Surely not I, Lord!" We don't sell out for 30 pieces of silver like Judas did, but there are any number of ways that we can betray Jesus.
What in essence is betrayal? Betrayal, according to Webster, is
1: to lead astray; especially : seduce
2: to deliver to an enemy by treachery
3: to fail or desert especially in time of need <betrayed his family>
4 a: to reveal unintentionally <betray one's true feelings>
b: show, indicate
c: to disclose in violation of confidence <betray a secret>
When you think of your walk with the Lord, which of these most accurately describes a time when you betrayed Jesus?
I have led others astray in ways that are not God's ways. I have followed those who betrayed me into ways not of God. I have failed to serve others in a time of need. As you know, failure to care for the least of these is to neglect (or betray) the Lord. And I have betrayed Jesus by not representing His followers in the best light by setting a poor example. Yes, I have betrayed Jesus in my walk with Him. But my first reaction is to say, "Surely not I, Lord!"
Peter was convinced that he'd never betray Jesus, but before the night was over he denied that he knew Jesus three times. I've denied that I know Jesus by ways I have behaved over the years. But even still Jesus bled and died so that I might be reconciled to God through forgiveness and reborn through grace. Just as Jesus restored Peter after his fall from grace, He also restored me to my place as His own.
I end with lyrics from a communion hymn sung during contemporary services for the Lord's Supper.
Eat this bread.
Drink this cup.
Come to me and never go hungry.
Eat this bread.
Drink this cup.
Come to me and you will not thirst.
Wednesday, November 30, 2016
Tuesday, November 29, 2016
Matthew 26:1-16
Matthew 26:1-16 NIV
When Jesus had finished saying all these things, he said to his disciples, “As you know, the Passover is two days away—and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified.”
Then the chief priests and the elders of the people assembled in the palace of the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas, and they schemed to arrest Jesus secretly and kill him. “But not during the festival,” they said, “or there may be a riot among the people.”
While Jesus was in Bethany in the home of Simon the Leper, a woman came to him with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, which she poured on his head as he was reclining at the table. When the disciples saw this, they were indignant. “Why this waste?” they asked. “This perfume could have been sold at a high price and the money given to the poor.”
Aware of this, Jesus said to them, “Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing to me. The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me. When she poured this perfume on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial. Truly I tell you, wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.”
Then one of the Twelve—the one called Judas Iscariot—went to the chief priests and asked, “What are you willing to give me if I deliver him over to you?” So they counted out for him thirty pieces of silver. From then on Judas watched for an opportunity to hand him over.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It's the end of day 2 in Jerusalem on the last week of Jesus' mortal life. The previous day he entered Jerusalem hailed as messiah and Lord by the crowd. But on this night His death looms large. In two days the Passover begins and the Passover Lamb will be slaughtered to atone for the sins of the people. The religious leaders gather to plot His demise. But they plan to wait until the crowds are not watching so they can avoid a riot.
That evening Jesus reclines at the home of a leper named Simon in a village across the Kidron Valley from Jerusalem. In the shadow of the temple Jesus is anointed by an unnamed woman as preparation for His burial. I'm certain she did not know it at the time. She merely thought to honor Jesus, but He knew the real meaning of her action and claimed it legendary.
The apostles complained that the expensive perfumed oil was a waste of money and should have been sold to help the poor. Jesus was indignant. He told them to stop bothering the woman. What she had done was a great thing. "The poor will always be with you", Jesus said, "but I will not".
Some have wanted to focus on Jesus' statement about the poor and the Christian responsibility for relieving poverty. Some use this passage as a prooftext to justify not making a priority the aid of the poor.
Building cathedrals and massive church facilities is a glory to God, much like the expensive alabaster perfumed oil used by the woman. The gift was given out of love and worship. The great cathedrals in Europe took decades upon decades to build. Communities emptied their coffers to fund the project. Some lived and died working on the project, never to see its completion. They made themselves poor in order to bless God.
Regardless of how we may appreciate or not these great works of religiously motivated architecture, their cost does not negate our responsibility to the poor. In the previous chapter Jesus was clear about how we'll be judged. Did we care for the hungry, thirsty, naked, sick, imprisoned and the stranger? Jesus took the Pharisees and teachers of the law to task over shirking on basic religious duties in lieu of supporting the temple.
Jesus replied, “And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition? For God said, ‘Honor your father and mother’ and ‘Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death.’ But you say that if anyone declares that what might have been used to help their father or mother is ‘devoted to God,’ they are not to ‘honor their father or mother’ with it. Thus you nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition.
Matthew 15:3-6 NIV
So Jesus' comment about the poor is not meant to be a license to pass on charity. It's simply an acknowledgment that poverty will always be a condition we can and should address. However, to His point, Jesus was soon to die. Perhaps His mood was sullen. He was clearly moved by the woman's care for Him. At that moment no jealous comment about the expense wasted on Him was going to stand unchallenged. She had done a beautiful thing and Jesus wasn't going to let anyone mar His appreciation for it.
Jesus said that the disciples wouldn't always have Him like they would the impoverished. Since He has already told them of His resurrection to follow three days after His crucifixion, He cannot truly say that His disciples will not always have Him. At the end of Matthew Jesus promises to be with them always even to the end of the age. (Mat 28:20) I think what Jesus meant was that they wouldn't always have Him to care for as they do while He is with them in the flesh.
Jesus was fully human, yet all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell in Him, such that we can say that Jesus is fully God.
For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him,
Colossians 1:19 NIV
As human Jesus suffered the same weaknesses and temptations that we do. He felt powerful emotions, but He never allowed His emotions to cause Him to sin. What emotions may have driven His response to the apostles' challenge to the expensive perfume used to anoint Him? Was it love and gratitude for this woman and her compassion for Him? Was it anger at the apostles for their challenge? Was it fear and sadness knowing that His suffering and death was near? Any number of these emotions may have been behind His rebuttal. As a human He had needs and this woman had met a powerful need for comfort at that moment.
Oil was used for healing wounds, personal grooming and consecration of people and objects for holy purposes. Perhaps Jesus was struggling with fear and sadness over his coming crucifixion, but her anointing of Him reminded Him that an ultimate healing will follow. He will be given a new body, the first of its kind. Or perhaps he was reminded that His life is set aside for God alone. Her anointing may have helped Him find courage as He reaffirmed His mission and calling. And He was the promised messiah, the King of the Jews. Her anointing perhaps served as a consecration to serve the Lord as king and shepherd over Israel forever and ever. I can only speculate what Jesus was thinking and feeling. But whatever it was He praised the woman and her action saying she would be remembered forever.
In sharp contrast to the woman's gift to Jesus was the betrayal of Judas, one of His chosen apostles. He left Simon the Leper's home in Bethany and crossed the valley into Jerusalem with the intent to sell information about the whereabouts of Jesus, for he knew the religious leadership of Jerusalem wanted Jesus dead. The chief priest were pleased with his offer and paid him 30 pieces of silver.
gotquestions.org has an excellent article on the meaning of the price paid to Judas. While I do not agree that Zechariah was referring directly to Jesus or His time, but I do agree that the actions of Judas Iscariot recorded by Matthew are a fresh interpretation of the prophet in light of the Jesus event. I copy the article here for you.
"What is the significance of thirty pieces of silver?
Answer: In Hebrew culture, thirty pieces of silver was not a lot of money. In fact, it was the exact price paid to the master of a slave if and when his slave was gored by an ox (Exodus 21:32). The slave’s death was compensated by the thirty pieces of silver. There are two other places in the Bible that specifically mention the amount of thirty pieces of silver, and they are directly linked. The first passage is in Zechariah, which contains a prophecy that is later fulfilled in the book of Matthew.
Leading up to the prophecy of the thirty pieces of silver is a description of a strange episode in Zechariah’s life. God had the prophet Zechariah play the part of a shepherd and care for a flock “doomed to slaughter” (Zechariah 11:4–14). God used this to illustrate a prophetic judgment against Israel for crucifying Christ, predicting the fall of Israel in AD 70 and the subsequent scattering of the nation. There are several elements in this passage that point to it as a prophecy about Jesus. One prophetic reference is found in the thirty pieces of silver given to Zechariah after his work as a shepherd. He went to those he worked for and asked them to pay him what they thought he was worth. They gave him thirty pieces of silver, which he sarcastically calls a “handsome price” because it was such a small amount (Zechariah 11:13)—the price paid for a slave’s accidental death. The employers meant to insult Zechariah with this amount of money. Returning the insult, God tells Zechariah to “throw it to the potter,” and Zechariah tossed the money into the house of the Lord to be given to the potter.
These actions are a shockingly accurate and detailed prophecy, for when Judas Iscariot bargained with the leaders of Israel to betray the Lord Jesus, he asked, “What are you willing to give me if I deliver him over to you?” The murderous cabal then counted out for Judas “thirty pieces of silver” (Matthew 26:15). That’s all they considered Jesus to be worth.
Later, Judas was overcome with guilt for betraying Jesus, and, fulfilling Zechariah’s vivid prophecy, he threw the thirty silver coins into the temple (Matthew 27:3–5). The Jewish leaders used the thirty pieces of silver to buy a field from a potter, again as Zechariah had predicted (Matthew 27:6–10). It was in that field that Judas hanged himself."
As a literary device Matthew uses his knowledge of Zechariah to show that the life and death and resurrection of Jesus was foretold, but more than that, the use of the 30 pieces of silver is an ironic symbol. The price paid for the accidental death of a servant was paid for the intentional death of the prophet of Galilee. Little did they know they were accidentally killing the Son of God and Servant, par excellence, of the Lord.
Application of this narrative would be to remember the poor, honor Jesus and remember who He is, the Son of God and the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Beware of the path Judas chose and do not betray the Lord by selling out. Stay the course. Remain faithful. Do your duty. Witness, worship, pray, study, commune, fellowship with other Christians and serve those in need. Use the gifts the Lord has given you and honor Him in all you do.
When Jesus had finished saying all these things, he said to his disciples, “As you know, the Passover is two days away—and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified.”
Then the chief priests and the elders of the people assembled in the palace of the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas, and they schemed to arrest Jesus secretly and kill him. “But not during the festival,” they said, “or there may be a riot among the people.”
While Jesus was in Bethany in the home of Simon the Leper, a woman came to him with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, which she poured on his head as he was reclining at the table. When the disciples saw this, they were indignant. “Why this waste?” they asked. “This perfume could have been sold at a high price and the money given to the poor.”
Aware of this, Jesus said to them, “Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing to me. The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me. When she poured this perfume on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial. Truly I tell you, wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.”
Then one of the Twelve—the one called Judas Iscariot—went to the chief priests and asked, “What are you willing to give me if I deliver him over to you?” So they counted out for him thirty pieces of silver. From then on Judas watched for an opportunity to hand him over.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It's the end of day 2 in Jerusalem on the last week of Jesus' mortal life. The previous day he entered Jerusalem hailed as messiah and Lord by the crowd. But on this night His death looms large. In two days the Passover begins and the Passover Lamb will be slaughtered to atone for the sins of the people. The religious leaders gather to plot His demise. But they plan to wait until the crowds are not watching so they can avoid a riot.
That evening Jesus reclines at the home of a leper named Simon in a village across the Kidron Valley from Jerusalem. In the shadow of the temple Jesus is anointed by an unnamed woman as preparation for His burial. I'm certain she did not know it at the time. She merely thought to honor Jesus, but He knew the real meaning of her action and claimed it legendary.
The apostles complained that the expensive perfumed oil was a waste of money and should have been sold to help the poor. Jesus was indignant. He told them to stop bothering the woman. What she had done was a great thing. "The poor will always be with you", Jesus said, "but I will not".
Some have wanted to focus on Jesus' statement about the poor and the Christian responsibility for relieving poverty. Some use this passage as a prooftext to justify not making a priority the aid of the poor.
Building cathedrals and massive church facilities is a glory to God, much like the expensive alabaster perfumed oil used by the woman. The gift was given out of love and worship. The great cathedrals in Europe took decades upon decades to build. Communities emptied their coffers to fund the project. Some lived and died working on the project, never to see its completion. They made themselves poor in order to bless God.
Regardless of how we may appreciate or not these great works of religiously motivated architecture, their cost does not negate our responsibility to the poor. In the previous chapter Jesus was clear about how we'll be judged. Did we care for the hungry, thirsty, naked, sick, imprisoned and the stranger? Jesus took the Pharisees and teachers of the law to task over shirking on basic religious duties in lieu of supporting the temple.
Jesus replied, “And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition? For God said, ‘Honor your father and mother’ and ‘Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death.’ But you say that if anyone declares that what might have been used to help their father or mother is ‘devoted to God,’ they are not to ‘honor their father or mother’ with it. Thus you nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition.
Matthew 15:3-6 NIV
So Jesus' comment about the poor is not meant to be a license to pass on charity. It's simply an acknowledgment that poverty will always be a condition we can and should address. However, to His point, Jesus was soon to die. Perhaps His mood was sullen. He was clearly moved by the woman's care for Him. At that moment no jealous comment about the expense wasted on Him was going to stand unchallenged. She had done a beautiful thing and Jesus wasn't going to let anyone mar His appreciation for it.
Jesus said that the disciples wouldn't always have Him like they would the impoverished. Since He has already told them of His resurrection to follow three days after His crucifixion, He cannot truly say that His disciples will not always have Him. At the end of Matthew Jesus promises to be with them always even to the end of the age. (Mat 28:20) I think what Jesus meant was that they wouldn't always have Him to care for as they do while He is with them in the flesh.
Jesus was fully human, yet all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell in Him, such that we can say that Jesus is fully God.
For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him,
Colossians 1:19 NIV
As human Jesus suffered the same weaknesses and temptations that we do. He felt powerful emotions, but He never allowed His emotions to cause Him to sin. What emotions may have driven His response to the apostles' challenge to the expensive perfume used to anoint Him? Was it love and gratitude for this woman and her compassion for Him? Was it anger at the apostles for their challenge? Was it fear and sadness knowing that His suffering and death was near? Any number of these emotions may have been behind His rebuttal. As a human He had needs and this woman had met a powerful need for comfort at that moment.
Oil was used for healing wounds, personal grooming and consecration of people and objects for holy purposes. Perhaps Jesus was struggling with fear and sadness over his coming crucifixion, but her anointing of Him reminded Him that an ultimate healing will follow. He will be given a new body, the first of its kind. Or perhaps he was reminded that His life is set aside for God alone. Her anointing may have helped Him find courage as He reaffirmed His mission and calling. And He was the promised messiah, the King of the Jews. Her anointing perhaps served as a consecration to serve the Lord as king and shepherd over Israel forever and ever. I can only speculate what Jesus was thinking and feeling. But whatever it was He praised the woman and her action saying she would be remembered forever.
In sharp contrast to the woman's gift to Jesus was the betrayal of Judas, one of His chosen apostles. He left Simon the Leper's home in Bethany and crossed the valley into Jerusalem with the intent to sell information about the whereabouts of Jesus, for he knew the religious leadership of Jerusalem wanted Jesus dead. The chief priest were pleased with his offer and paid him 30 pieces of silver.
gotquestions.org has an excellent article on the meaning of the price paid to Judas. While I do not agree that Zechariah was referring directly to Jesus or His time, but I do agree that the actions of Judas Iscariot recorded by Matthew are a fresh interpretation of the prophet in light of the Jesus event. I copy the article here for you.
"What is the significance of thirty pieces of silver?
Answer: In Hebrew culture, thirty pieces of silver was not a lot of money. In fact, it was the exact price paid to the master of a slave if and when his slave was gored by an ox (Exodus 21:32). The slave’s death was compensated by the thirty pieces of silver. There are two other places in the Bible that specifically mention the amount of thirty pieces of silver, and they are directly linked. The first passage is in Zechariah, which contains a prophecy that is later fulfilled in the book of Matthew.
Leading up to the prophecy of the thirty pieces of silver is a description of a strange episode in Zechariah’s life. God had the prophet Zechariah play the part of a shepherd and care for a flock “doomed to slaughter” (Zechariah 11:4–14). God used this to illustrate a prophetic judgment against Israel for crucifying Christ, predicting the fall of Israel in AD 70 and the subsequent scattering of the nation. There are several elements in this passage that point to it as a prophecy about Jesus. One prophetic reference is found in the thirty pieces of silver given to Zechariah after his work as a shepherd. He went to those he worked for and asked them to pay him what they thought he was worth. They gave him thirty pieces of silver, which he sarcastically calls a “handsome price” because it was such a small amount (Zechariah 11:13)—the price paid for a slave’s accidental death. The employers meant to insult Zechariah with this amount of money. Returning the insult, God tells Zechariah to “throw it to the potter,” and Zechariah tossed the money into the house of the Lord to be given to the potter.
These actions are a shockingly accurate and detailed prophecy, for when Judas Iscariot bargained with the leaders of Israel to betray the Lord Jesus, he asked, “What are you willing to give me if I deliver him over to you?” The murderous cabal then counted out for Judas “thirty pieces of silver” (Matthew 26:15). That’s all they considered Jesus to be worth.
Later, Judas was overcome with guilt for betraying Jesus, and, fulfilling Zechariah’s vivid prophecy, he threw the thirty silver coins into the temple (Matthew 27:3–5). The Jewish leaders used the thirty pieces of silver to buy a field from a potter, again as Zechariah had predicted (Matthew 27:6–10). It was in that field that Judas hanged himself."
As a literary device Matthew uses his knowledge of Zechariah to show that the life and death and resurrection of Jesus was foretold, but more than that, the use of the 30 pieces of silver is an ironic symbol. The price paid for the accidental death of a servant was paid for the intentional death of the prophet of Galilee. Little did they know they were accidentally killing the Son of God and Servant, par excellence, of the Lord.
Application of this narrative would be to remember the poor, honor Jesus and remember who He is, the Son of God and the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Beware of the path Judas chose and do not betray the Lord by selling out. Stay the course. Remain faithful. Do your duty. Witness, worship, pray, study, commune, fellowship with other Christians and serve those in need. Use the gifts the Lord has given you and honor Him in all you do.
Monday, November 28, 2016
Matthew 25:31-46
Matthew 25:31-46 NIV
“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’
“They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’
“He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’
“Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If prooftexting were a good practice, then the final verse in Matthew 25 would end all debate about whether there is a Hell and what Hell is like.
“Then they will go away to eternal punishment...”
Matthew 25:46 NIV
Most of the New Testament language about Hell refers to destruction, not eternal punishment. There are those who argue that a loving God, who forgave all people their sins through the cross of Christ, would have no interest in seeing souls tortured for all eternity as an act of justice. Some argue it is unjust to torture a sinful 75 year average lifespan with eternal punishment. Where's the equity in that? It's just not logical. What purpose would it serve God to punish unrepentant and unbelieving sinners forever?
Some might argue that the soul is eternal and there's no getting out of an eternal destination. Either you desire God or not. For those who ultimately rebel and reject God's claim upon their life, there is only utter separation from God waiting for them.
The parable of the sheep and goats is about the final judgement. There's no lawyers to work a plea bargain. It's just you and your Maker. He will decide your eternal fate. Christ will sit upon His throne as King of kings and Lord of lords and judge all souls. He will decide if your life was lived as a taker or a giver.
What's interesting about this teaching is that the criteria for judgement is not in terms of whether we profess belief or not. It's whether we helped the least among us.
Jesus said that the nations would gather around the throne of the Son of Man and they would be separated into two groups. The righteous, like obedient sheep, will be welcomed into the kingdom prepared for them from the beginning. It's like they were predestined to belong to God and behave as faithful servants. The wicked, like brutish goats, will be expelled from Christ's presence into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his minions.
Some have suggested that the reason belief is not mentioned is because this is not the judgement of the church, but of unbelieving gentiles. "The nations" is a biblical way of referencing all non-jewish people. I'm sure you've asked yourself how will God judge those who've never heard the gospel. Their response to people in need is how they will be judged, if that interpretation of this parable is correct.
The apostle Paul argued that gentiles sometimes exhibit an innate understanding of righteousness without a knowledge of the law of Moses, which reveals God's righteousness.
...since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world Godʼs invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.
Romans 1:19-20 NIV
All who sin apart from the law will also perish apart from the law, and all who sin under the law will be judged by the law. For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous in Godʼs sight, but it is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous. (Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law. They show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts sometimes accusing them and at other times even defending them.)
Romans 2:12-15 NIV
So Paul taught that a lack of formal training about God did not exclude one from judgement. God is writing His law on our hearts. We have an innate sense of right and wrong. We can betray that innate goodness in which we were created and silence our conscience, but it doesn't change the fact that deep down we know we need to be right with God and live according to His right ways.
I've passed on giving to plenty of beggars and plenty of worthy charities and ministries. I've done good things for people in need, but only sporadically. I'm more of a goat, I think, than a sheep. I am good natured, but also weakened by sinful habits. I usually treat others the way I want to be treated. I have compassion at times for those in need, but I don't go looking for opportunities to help very often. If my generosity is the only criteria by which I will be judged, then I've been lied to all these years that my sins are forgiven and my faith in the mercy of God is not enough.
Perhaps the message of the parable of the sheep and goats is that people who believe in Jesus become like Jesus. They help those in need. Those whose hearts have been filled with the love of Christ through faith feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, visit the sick and imprisoned and welcome the stranger.
I pray that I might know the Lord more and more, and that His love might purge from my heart all that keeps me from caring about the needs of others.
Lord, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.
Amen.
“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’
“They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’
“He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’
“Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If prooftexting were a good practice, then the final verse in Matthew 25 would end all debate about whether there is a Hell and what Hell is like.
“Then they will go away to eternal punishment...”
Matthew 25:46 NIV
Most of the New Testament language about Hell refers to destruction, not eternal punishment. There are those who argue that a loving God, who forgave all people their sins through the cross of Christ, would have no interest in seeing souls tortured for all eternity as an act of justice. Some argue it is unjust to torture a sinful 75 year average lifespan with eternal punishment. Where's the equity in that? It's just not logical. What purpose would it serve God to punish unrepentant and unbelieving sinners forever?
Some might argue that the soul is eternal and there's no getting out of an eternal destination. Either you desire God or not. For those who ultimately rebel and reject God's claim upon their life, there is only utter separation from God waiting for them.
The parable of the sheep and goats is about the final judgement. There's no lawyers to work a plea bargain. It's just you and your Maker. He will decide your eternal fate. Christ will sit upon His throne as King of kings and Lord of lords and judge all souls. He will decide if your life was lived as a taker or a giver.
What's interesting about this teaching is that the criteria for judgement is not in terms of whether we profess belief or not. It's whether we helped the least among us.
Jesus said that the nations would gather around the throne of the Son of Man and they would be separated into two groups. The righteous, like obedient sheep, will be welcomed into the kingdom prepared for them from the beginning. It's like they were predestined to belong to God and behave as faithful servants. The wicked, like brutish goats, will be expelled from Christ's presence into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his minions.
Some have suggested that the reason belief is not mentioned is because this is not the judgement of the church, but of unbelieving gentiles. "The nations" is a biblical way of referencing all non-jewish people. I'm sure you've asked yourself how will God judge those who've never heard the gospel. Their response to people in need is how they will be judged, if that interpretation of this parable is correct.
The apostle Paul argued that gentiles sometimes exhibit an innate understanding of righteousness without a knowledge of the law of Moses, which reveals God's righteousness.
...since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world Godʼs invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.
Romans 1:19-20 NIV
All who sin apart from the law will also perish apart from the law, and all who sin under the law will be judged by the law. For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous in Godʼs sight, but it is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous. (Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law. They show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts sometimes accusing them and at other times even defending them.)
Romans 2:12-15 NIV
So Paul taught that a lack of formal training about God did not exclude one from judgement. God is writing His law on our hearts. We have an innate sense of right and wrong. We can betray that innate goodness in which we were created and silence our conscience, but it doesn't change the fact that deep down we know we need to be right with God and live according to His right ways.
I've passed on giving to plenty of beggars and plenty of worthy charities and ministries. I've done good things for people in need, but only sporadically. I'm more of a goat, I think, than a sheep. I am good natured, but also weakened by sinful habits. I usually treat others the way I want to be treated. I have compassion at times for those in need, but I don't go looking for opportunities to help very often. If my generosity is the only criteria by which I will be judged, then I've been lied to all these years that my sins are forgiven and my faith in the mercy of God is not enough.
Perhaps the message of the parable of the sheep and goats is that people who believe in Jesus become like Jesus. They help those in need. Those whose hearts have been filled with the love of Christ through faith feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, visit the sick and imprisoned and welcome the stranger.
I pray that I might know the Lord more and more, and that His love might purge from my heart all that keeps me from caring about the needs of others.
Lord, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.
Amen.
Sunday, November 27, 2016
Matthew 25:14-30
Matthew 25:14-30 NIV
“Again, it (the kingdom of heaven) will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them. To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. The man who had received five bags of gold went at once and put his money to work and gained five bags more. So also, the one with two bags of gold gained two more. But the man who had received one bag went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his masterʼs money. “After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. The man who had received five bags of gold brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five bags of gold. See, I have gained five more.’ “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your masterʼs happiness!’ “The man with two bags of gold also came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with two bags of gold; see, I have gained two more.’ “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your masterʼs happiness!’ “Then the man who had received one bag of gold came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’ “His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest. “‘So take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags. For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Matthew mentions weeping and gnashing of teeth nine times in his gospel. The phrase sounds peculiar. It's is a biblical phrase that made it's way into English literature through popular use back when biblical literacy was at an all time high in the 19th century. The phrase is an expression of intense anguish, anxiety, suffering and even hostility toward an enemy or opponent. Weeping and gnashing of teeth is what will be the sad experience of those who do not belong to the kingdom of heaven. As one verse puts it, But they will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Matthew 8:12 NIV Exclusion from God's presence is death, a painful one at that. Some believe that hell is a place of perpetual torment, but the biblical concept is more akin to a place of destruction. The trash dump outside the city of Jerusalem in the first century was in the Valley of Hinnom. The Greek word Gehenna, from the Hebrew Gehinnom, is a small valley in Jerusalem and the Jewish and Christian analogue of hell. The terms are derived from a place outside ancient Jerusalem known in the Hebrew Bible as the Valley of the Son of Hinnom. Jesus uses the term gehenna to describe a place where the fire never goes out and the worm never dies. The organic waste piled up in the valley is devoured by fly larva and anaerobic bacteria. Anaerobic bacteria thrive in a low to no oxygen environment and produce methane gas when they digest organic matter. Pockets of methane gas burn perpetually in the trash valley. The flies swarm and maggots eat their fill. This powerful image describes the condition of being cast out of the holy city like human trash. Inside the city God's people dwell in His presence and under God's blessings. There is peace and prosperity, security and solace. But outside the city of God is weeping and gnashing of teeth, intense suffering in the human trash dump. Woe unto the ones who reject the Christ and His invitation to the wedding feast celebrating Christ's union with the church. They will be cast out into the utter darkness to suffer wrath. At what level we are to take the descriptions of hell literally in the bible is a matter of debate. The basic message, however, cannot be denied. To be cast out is a terrible proposition. Jesus came and died and rose again for all of us so that we might be reconciled with God and each other. Jesus tells of a master who entrusts bags of gold to his servants according to their ability. One received 5 bags, another 2 bags, and the last only one bag. The first two doubled the amount through investments and gladly reported so, but the last servant was afraid of his master, and at some level resented the fact that the master expected to reap what he himself didn't sow. So instead of investing, he hid the money in the ground. Notice the motives. In the first two servants I sense a joyful service which reflects how they feel about their master. They are happy to serve him and want him to do well. They wish to please their master and so they invest wisely and double his money. They gladly turn over the profits with celebration. The master in kind entrusts them with more, because they'd been trustworthy with what he had given them. But fear and resentment drives the other servant. How would you describe your relationship with God? Are you eager to please God with your life by using all that He has given you? Or are you more like the last servant who is afraid and doesn't trust his master? God has entrusted to you your natural talents, your spiritual gifts through your faith in Christ, and everything you own. All your relationships are a gift from God. Christians realize they are stewards of what God has entrusted to them. God will call us to account for how we've chosen to use what's been entrusted to us. If we are good stewards of our health we may be entrusted with long life and more time on earth to serve the Lord faithfully. But if we abuse the gift of our bodies, we're going to eventually lose. The Parable of the Talents, as is traditionally called, (for a talent is a year's wages) is both warning and instruction. The warning is for those who would choose poor stewardship, perhaps out of a distorted view of God, one that causes mistrust and fear. But the instruction is for those who love the Lord and desire to please Him. Your faithful service will be rewarded when you hear Him say, Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your masterʼs happiness!’ |
Saturday, November 26, 2016
Matthew 25:1-13
Matthew 25:1-13 NIV
“At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise. The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. The wise ones, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep.
“At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Hereʼs the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’ “Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’
“ ‘No,’ they replied, ‘there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’
“But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut.
“Later the others also came. ‘Lord, Lord,’ they said, ‘open the door for us!’
“But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I donʼt know you.’
“Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jesus continues His teachings to the disciples about the end. Matthew 25 is a series of parables all illustrating what the end is like and how the church should respond. The first parable is about ten virgins. Five are prepared. Five are not. They are waiting to join a wedding feast, but the groom is taking a very long time to arrive. They must wait with their oil lamps burning. The unprepared nearly ran out of oil and had to go buy more. While they were gone searching for more oil, the doors to the wedding feast were closed and they were not allowed admission. The groom refused them, saying he did not know them. Of course the message is be prepared by being watchful and faithful.
Matthew 25:5 says,
"The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they became drowsy and fell asleep."
Isn't that the sad possibility for the church? We can fall asleep at the wheel and fail in our sacred mission to transform the world with the love of Christ. Apparently Matthew's community was having trouble with the second coming of Christ predictions. Jesus promised to return and take the faithful to paradise, but 2000 years later we're still waiting. It's enough to make anyone question the validity of the promise. The problem is implied in the previous chapter in the parable of the wise and foolish servants.
But suppose that servant is wicked and says to himself, ‘My master is staying away a long time,’
Matthew 24:48 NIV
Peter also addresses the church's concern over the long wait for Christ's return. Many had died and yet Christ had still not come.
They will say, “Where is this ‘coming’ he promised? Ever since our ancestors died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.”
2 Peter 3:4 NIV
If the return of Christ is called into question, perhaps all claim of ultimate justice is a religious sham. If then there is no God to judge us, and there's no divine plan or purpose, let us eat and drink for tomorrow we die. As people drift from hope their morality often slips, as well as their commitment. In the parable of the Ten Virgins the reaction to the long wait is to fall asleep. In the parable of the wise and foolish servants the reaction is wickedness, to abuse others and get drunk.
How might we be sleeping instead of watching for the bridegroom to return? When Christ returns will we be ready? Will we be prepared to join in the festal throng? Or will we be looking for something else?
The parable of the Ten Virgins simply urges us to keep watch. Keeping watch means to live holy and godly lives, doing the things that contribute to the reign of God's love. Witness to Christ. Welcome strangers in fellowship. Teach the Way of Christ. Live no longer for yourself or the desires of the flesh. Live for God and obey the direction of the Spirit.
Oh Husband to the church, we wait upon You with patient hope and ask for grace to keep the lamp lights within our hearts burning only for You. Amen.
“At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise. The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. The wise ones, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep.
“At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Hereʼs the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’ “Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’
“ ‘No,’ they replied, ‘there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’
“But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut.
“Later the others also came. ‘Lord, Lord,’ they said, ‘open the door for us!’
“But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I donʼt know you.’
“Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jesus continues His teachings to the disciples about the end. Matthew 25 is a series of parables all illustrating what the end is like and how the church should respond. The first parable is about ten virgins. Five are prepared. Five are not. They are waiting to join a wedding feast, but the groom is taking a very long time to arrive. They must wait with their oil lamps burning. The unprepared nearly ran out of oil and had to go buy more. While they were gone searching for more oil, the doors to the wedding feast were closed and they were not allowed admission. The groom refused them, saying he did not know them. Of course the message is be prepared by being watchful and faithful.
Matthew 25:5 says,
"The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they became drowsy and fell asleep."
Isn't that the sad possibility for the church? We can fall asleep at the wheel and fail in our sacred mission to transform the world with the love of Christ. Apparently Matthew's community was having trouble with the second coming of Christ predictions. Jesus promised to return and take the faithful to paradise, but 2000 years later we're still waiting. It's enough to make anyone question the validity of the promise. The problem is implied in the previous chapter in the parable of the wise and foolish servants.
But suppose that servant is wicked and says to himself, ‘My master is staying away a long time,’
Matthew 24:48 NIV
Peter also addresses the church's concern over the long wait for Christ's return. Many had died and yet Christ had still not come.
They will say, “Where is this ‘coming’ he promised? Ever since our ancestors died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.”
2 Peter 3:4 NIV
If the return of Christ is called into question, perhaps all claim of ultimate justice is a religious sham. If then there is no God to judge us, and there's no divine plan or purpose, let us eat and drink for tomorrow we die. As people drift from hope their morality often slips, as well as their commitment. In the parable of the Ten Virgins the reaction to the long wait is to fall asleep. In the parable of the wise and foolish servants the reaction is wickedness, to abuse others and get drunk.
How might we be sleeping instead of watching for the bridegroom to return? When Christ returns will we be ready? Will we be prepared to join in the festal throng? Or will we be looking for something else?
The parable of the Ten Virgins simply urges us to keep watch. Keeping watch means to live holy and godly lives, doing the things that contribute to the reign of God's love. Witness to Christ. Welcome strangers in fellowship. Teach the Way of Christ. Live no longer for yourself or the desires of the flesh. Live for God and obey the direction of the Spirit.
Oh Husband to the church, we wait upon You with patient hope and ask for grace to keep the lamp lights within our hearts burning only for You. Amen.
Friday, November 25, 2016
Matthew 24:36-51
Matthew 24:36-51 NIV
“But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 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. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.
“Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.
“Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. But suppose that servant is wicked and says to himself, ‘My master is staying away a long time,’ and he then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards. The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
What is the appropriate response to the promise of the coming reign of God? If we will all be judged for our behavior and choices in this life, how ought we live? If a time of tribulation will be followed by the second coming of Christ and the full arrival of the kingdom of God, what sort of lives ought we live?
Peter asked the same kind of question.
But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare. Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming.
2 Peter 3:10-12a NIV
Jesus taught that the day of God, traditionally Judgement Day, will take many by surprise. As a result they will be unprepared. The disciples are urged to keep watch, to live each day as if it will be The Day of the Lord's return. How would you live your life if you lived expecting the Lord to return and end this current era and bring the fullness of the Kingdom of Love?
Jesus has already mentioned the separation of the righteous and the wicked at the end. There's no grey areas. You are either in or out. Therefore God either judges you righteous or wicked and places you where you belong. When that day comes some will be working and one will be taken, but the other left behind.
I use the phrase "left behind" on purpose. The popular fictional series by Timothy LaHaye, entitled by the same, interprets the taking away as the rapture. This doctrine is popular, but not universally believed. If you read closely Jesus mentions the unaware are the ones who are taken, the ones who are eating, drinking and marrying. The unaware are taken by surprise by the flood and swept away. In the same way the ones who are not watching faithfully will also be taken by surprise at the second coming of Christ. They will be removed from the kingdom of heaven.
“As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. They will throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears, let them hear."
Matthew 13:40-43 NIV
Jesus tells His disciples to keep watch and be ready. How are we to be ready? Jesus answers that we are to be about our Master's business. He tells of a servant whose master gave them charge of his household with the responsibility to care for the needs of all the other servants, feeding them on time, etc. When the master finds them doing what they were entrusted to do, it will mean reward. But if the servant is lazy and self centered, and gets drunk and abuses the others, it will mean harsh punishment.
He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Matthew 24:51 NIV
Notice Jesus says hypocrites, not the wicked or evildoers, like other references to the damned. In the previous chapter Jesus called the religious leaders hypocrites, the Pharisees and teachers of the law at the temple. A hypocrite says one thing but does another. Two faced, they wear a righteous facade, but inside are actually filled with greed, hatred, lust, coveting, prejudice, arrogance and the like. I'm afraid there will be a great many who fit into the category of hypocrite, for our hearts are captive to sin until redeemed by the love of Christ. Until we are transformed inwardly through redemptive grace, we will always live as hypocrites. Fortunately, the Spirit of Christ gives us self control so that we fight sin in our hearts and minds and find grace to resist temptation. We are free to be about our master's business, rather than fulfilling the desires of the flesh.
As you think about how you are keeping watch and preparing yourself for the arrival of the Son of Man and His kingdom, what sort of work are you doing to serve the Master's other servants? How are you using that which has been entrusted to you? Will the Lord be pleased to find you doing what is expected of a good servant, or will He find you self-indulgent and abusive? Will He find your witness to be lacking integrity because you say you will be God's servant, but you don't behave like it?
Be alert. The world needs you watching and working toward the day of Christ's arrival.
“But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 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. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.
“Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.
“Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. But suppose that servant is wicked and says to himself, ‘My master is staying away a long time,’ and he then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards. The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
What is the appropriate response to the promise of the coming reign of God? If we will all be judged for our behavior and choices in this life, how ought we live? If a time of tribulation will be followed by the second coming of Christ and the full arrival of the kingdom of God, what sort of lives ought we live?
Peter asked the same kind of question.
But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare. Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming.
2 Peter 3:10-12a NIV
Jesus taught that the day of God, traditionally Judgement Day, will take many by surprise. As a result they will be unprepared. The disciples are urged to keep watch, to live each day as if it will be The Day of the Lord's return. How would you live your life if you lived expecting the Lord to return and end this current era and bring the fullness of the Kingdom of Love?
Jesus has already mentioned the separation of the righteous and the wicked at the end. There's no grey areas. You are either in or out. Therefore God either judges you righteous or wicked and places you where you belong. When that day comes some will be working and one will be taken, but the other left behind.
I use the phrase "left behind" on purpose. The popular fictional series by Timothy LaHaye, entitled by the same, interprets the taking away as the rapture. This doctrine is popular, but not universally believed. If you read closely Jesus mentions the unaware are the ones who are taken, the ones who are eating, drinking and marrying. The unaware are taken by surprise by the flood and swept away. In the same way the ones who are not watching faithfully will also be taken by surprise at the second coming of Christ. They will be removed from the kingdom of heaven.
“As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. They will throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears, let them hear."
Matthew 13:40-43 NIV
Jesus tells His disciples to keep watch and be ready. How are we to be ready? Jesus answers that we are to be about our Master's business. He tells of a servant whose master gave them charge of his household with the responsibility to care for the needs of all the other servants, feeding them on time, etc. When the master finds them doing what they were entrusted to do, it will mean reward. But if the servant is lazy and self centered, and gets drunk and abuses the others, it will mean harsh punishment.
He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Matthew 24:51 NIV
Notice Jesus says hypocrites, not the wicked or evildoers, like other references to the damned. In the previous chapter Jesus called the religious leaders hypocrites, the Pharisees and teachers of the law at the temple. A hypocrite says one thing but does another. Two faced, they wear a righteous facade, but inside are actually filled with greed, hatred, lust, coveting, prejudice, arrogance and the like. I'm afraid there will be a great many who fit into the category of hypocrite, for our hearts are captive to sin until redeemed by the love of Christ. Until we are transformed inwardly through redemptive grace, we will always live as hypocrites. Fortunately, the Spirit of Christ gives us self control so that we fight sin in our hearts and minds and find grace to resist temptation. We are free to be about our master's business, rather than fulfilling the desires of the flesh.
As you think about how you are keeping watch and preparing yourself for the arrival of the Son of Man and His kingdom, what sort of work are you doing to serve the Master's other servants? How are you using that which has been entrusted to you? Will the Lord be pleased to find you doing what is expected of a good servant, or will He find you self-indulgent and abusive? Will He find your witness to be lacking integrity because you say you will be God's servant, but you don't behave like it?
Be alert. The world needs you watching and working toward the day of Christ's arrival.
Thursday, November 24, 2016
Matthew 24:26-35
Matthew 24:26-35 NIV
“So if anyone tells you, ‘There he (The Messiah) is, out in the wilderness,’ do not go out; or, ‘Here he is, in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather.
“Immediately after the distress of those days
“ ‘the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’
“Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. And then all the peoples of the earth will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory. And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.
“Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it is near, right at the door. Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
For those who have difficulty reading this material as anything other than predictions about the end of the world, this section from Matthew 24 ought to give you pause. The apocalyptic imagery of the Son of Man riding on the clouds, and the angels gathering the elect from the four winds, is certainly compelling to lead one to think that Jesus is not talking about a first century fall of Jerusalem, but the ultimate end of the world. I read it that way for years. But let's look at the prophet Daniel, where much of this imagery finds its source.
Daniel had a vision which involved great beasts rising from a churning sea. These beasts represented kings, which in Daniel represent the four Greek kings who arose after the death of Alexander the Great. Alexander had conquered much of the known world. His generals took over and split his vast kingdom into four parts. From these eventually came Antiochus IV who brutally oppressed the Jews.
“In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed. I approached one of those standing there and asked him the meaning of all this. “So he told me and gave me the interpretation of these things: ‘The four great beasts are four kings that will rise from the earth. But the holy people of the Most High will receive the kingdom and will possess it forever—yes, for ever and ever.’
Daniel 7:13-14, 16-18 NIV
So you see in all this wild imagery there is a simple interpretation. Four kings will rise, but in time they will fall away and the holy people of God will inherit the kingdom! All shall be well.
Here's a selection from Isaiah 11 which speaks of gathering the people of God (the elect as Jesus calls them) from the four directions (from everywhere they are scattered) and bringing them under the government of the messiah. In Daniel the messiah is the Son of Man, but in Isaiah the messiah is the Root of Jesse (a way of pointing to God's promise to keep a descendant of King David shepherding Israel).
In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his resting place will be glorious. In that day the Lord will reach out his hand a second time to reclaim the surviving remnant of his people from Assyria, from Lower Egypt, from Upper Egypt, from Cush, from Elam, from Babylonia, from Hamath and from the islands of the Mediterranean. He will raise a banner for the nations and gather the exiles of Israel; he will assemble the scattered people of Judah from the four quarters of the earth.
Isaiah 11:10-12 NIV
Matthew 24 draws upon this imagery with the same intent. God will end this time of tyranny and give a peaceful and righteous kingdom to His faithful under the administration of the messiah. It's all going to be ok.
Jesus draws upon well known prophetic imagery to teach the disciples. But it's imagery, not to be taken literally, pointing to the redemption of God's people. Through tribulation, God will bring them into a safe and secure future under godly leadership.
Jesus helps us to see that the appearance of the messiah will be fully apparent for anyone looking. Just as vultures circle above a dead carcass, marking the spot, so will be the clear evidence pointing to the messiah. In fact, Matthew has gone to great lengths proving that Jesus is the Son of Man, the promised messiah. For Jesus has healed the lame, blind, deaf, mute, leprous, and raised the dead. He fed a multitude with miraculous food that seemed to suddenly appear, like manna from heaven. The signs and wonders performed by Jesus point to His messiahship.
After the tribulation under oppressive rulers, like the Romans, there will be signs in the heavens also pointing to the coming new era of godly rule. Jesus quotes from Isaiah 13 how the sun and moon will be darkened. Some have interpreted solar and lunar eclipses as signs that the end of the world is near. I think rather that the only light men need is Jesus, the messiah who saves. The heavenly bodies give way for the awesome glory of the savior. Again, this is poetic imagery lauding the glory and majesty of God's messiah, the hope of the nations.
Having said this imagery is not meant to be taken literally, Jesus says that when you see all these signs taking place, then you know the time is near for the messiah to take possession of the kingdom, gather the faithful, and usher in a new era of peace, prosperity and righteousness under the blessings of God. That would lead me to think perhaps this imagery should be interpreted literally. Remember that the imagery points to something actual. What actual signs should we watch for to know the messiah's righteous rule is near? First there will be a time of suffering and great evil. People will be cruel to one another. The state will be oppressive under idolatrous leaders, meaning they will serve something other than the living God. It could be money or their own fame and glory. They may give lip service to faith in God, but their actions will point to where their heart truly lies. But the love of God will remain and the messiah and His church will endure. The wicked will lose their power as the world awakens to what is truly needed.
Now if you're still convinced that reading this passage literally as a prophecy about the ultimate end of the world, then what do you do with this verse? Jesus said,
Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened.
Matthew 24:34 NIV
Either Jesus meant something else other than the end of the world or he was deluded and wrong. Clearly the world did not end in the time of the disciples, although the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple likely felt like the end of the world for them. Some have said "this generation" means the church through all time, but I don't think that's accurate.
Matthew's community suffered the the invasion of Roman forces, the destruction of Jerusalem, the scattering of the people, the persecution of the church from their own kind, and idolatrous leaders both in Rome and within Israel's religious elite. Jesus' words comfort by saying, "It won't always be this way. This time of suffering won't last. Better days are ahead with God's help."
There are a lot of sad and worried people in America right now. Perhaps we all might take a moment to hear Jesus' consoling words. This time of trouble won't last. Good days with God's help are ahead. In fact God is using these days to usher in better days. History has proven that Americans pull together under national crisis. While right now we seem to be pulling each other apart, keep hope in the knowledge that God is working all things together for good. Love wins.
“So if anyone tells you, ‘There he (The Messiah) is, out in the wilderness,’ do not go out; or, ‘Here he is, in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather.
“Immediately after the distress of those days
“ ‘the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’
“Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. And then all the peoples of the earth will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory. And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.
“Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it is near, right at the door. Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
For those who have difficulty reading this material as anything other than predictions about the end of the world, this section from Matthew 24 ought to give you pause. The apocalyptic imagery of the Son of Man riding on the clouds, and the angels gathering the elect from the four winds, is certainly compelling to lead one to think that Jesus is not talking about a first century fall of Jerusalem, but the ultimate end of the world. I read it that way for years. But let's look at the prophet Daniel, where much of this imagery finds its source.
Daniel had a vision which involved great beasts rising from a churning sea. These beasts represented kings, which in Daniel represent the four Greek kings who arose after the death of Alexander the Great. Alexander had conquered much of the known world. His generals took over and split his vast kingdom into four parts. From these eventually came Antiochus IV who brutally oppressed the Jews.
“In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed. I approached one of those standing there and asked him the meaning of all this. “So he told me and gave me the interpretation of these things: ‘The four great beasts are four kings that will rise from the earth. But the holy people of the Most High will receive the kingdom and will possess it forever—yes, for ever and ever.’
Daniel 7:13-14, 16-18 NIV
So you see in all this wild imagery there is a simple interpretation. Four kings will rise, but in time they will fall away and the holy people of God will inherit the kingdom! All shall be well.
Here's a selection from Isaiah 11 which speaks of gathering the people of God (the elect as Jesus calls them) from the four directions (from everywhere they are scattered) and bringing them under the government of the messiah. In Daniel the messiah is the Son of Man, but in Isaiah the messiah is the Root of Jesse (a way of pointing to God's promise to keep a descendant of King David shepherding Israel).
In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his resting place will be glorious. In that day the Lord will reach out his hand a second time to reclaim the surviving remnant of his people from Assyria, from Lower Egypt, from Upper Egypt, from Cush, from Elam, from Babylonia, from Hamath and from the islands of the Mediterranean. He will raise a banner for the nations and gather the exiles of Israel; he will assemble the scattered people of Judah from the four quarters of the earth.
Isaiah 11:10-12 NIV
Matthew 24 draws upon this imagery with the same intent. God will end this time of tyranny and give a peaceful and righteous kingdom to His faithful under the administration of the messiah. It's all going to be ok.
Jesus draws upon well known prophetic imagery to teach the disciples. But it's imagery, not to be taken literally, pointing to the redemption of God's people. Through tribulation, God will bring them into a safe and secure future under godly leadership.
Jesus helps us to see that the appearance of the messiah will be fully apparent for anyone looking. Just as vultures circle above a dead carcass, marking the spot, so will be the clear evidence pointing to the messiah. In fact, Matthew has gone to great lengths proving that Jesus is the Son of Man, the promised messiah. For Jesus has healed the lame, blind, deaf, mute, leprous, and raised the dead. He fed a multitude with miraculous food that seemed to suddenly appear, like manna from heaven. The signs and wonders performed by Jesus point to His messiahship.
After the tribulation under oppressive rulers, like the Romans, there will be signs in the heavens also pointing to the coming new era of godly rule. Jesus quotes from Isaiah 13 how the sun and moon will be darkened. Some have interpreted solar and lunar eclipses as signs that the end of the world is near. I think rather that the only light men need is Jesus, the messiah who saves. The heavenly bodies give way for the awesome glory of the savior. Again, this is poetic imagery lauding the glory and majesty of God's messiah, the hope of the nations.
Having said this imagery is not meant to be taken literally, Jesus says that when you see all these signs taking place, then you know the time is near for the messiah to take possession of the kingdom, gather the faithful, and usher in a new era of peace, prosperity and righteousness under the blessings of God. That would lead me to think perhaps this imagery should be interpreted literally. Remember that the imagery points to something actual. What actual signs should we watch for to know the messiah's righteous rule is near? First there will be a time of suffering and great evil. People will be cruel to one another. The state will be oppressive under idolatrous leaders, meaning they will serve something other than the living God. It could be money or their own fame and glory. They may give lip service to faith in God, but their actions will point to where their heart truly lies. But the love of God will remain and the messiah and His church will endure. The wicked will lose their power as the world awakens to what is truly needed.
Now if you're still convinced that reading this passage literally as a prophecy about the ultimate end of the world, then what do you do with this verse? Jesus said,
Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened.
Matthew 24:34 NIV
Either Jesus meant something else other than the end of the world or he was deluded and wrong. Clearly the world did not end in the time of the disciples, although the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple likely felt like the end of the world for them. Some have said "this generation" means the church through all time, but I don't think that's accurate.
Matthew's community suffered the the invasion of Roman forces, the destruction of Jerusalem, the scattering of the people, the persecution of the church from their own kind, and idolatrous leaders both in Rome and within Israel's religious elite. Jesus' words comfort by saying, "It won't always be this way. This time of suffering won't last. Better days are ahead with God's help."
There are a lot of sad and worried people in America right now. Perhaps we all might take a moment to hear Jesus' consoling words. This time of trouble won't last. Good days with God's help are ahead. In fact God is using these days to usher in better days. History has proven that Americans pull together under national crisis. While right now we seem to be pulling each other apart, keep hope in the knowledge that God is working all things together for good. Love wins.
Tuesday, November 22, 2016
Matthew 24:15-25
Matthew 24:15-25 NIV
“So when you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination that causes desolation,’ spoken of through the prophet Daniel—let the reader understand— then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let no one on the housetop go down to take anything out of the house. Let no one in the field go back to get their cloak. How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath. For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again. “If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened. At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told you ahead of time.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Let the reader understand", says Matthew. As Jesus continues to respond to His disciples request for secret knowledge about the end of this age and the full arrival of the kingdom of heaven, He refers to a desolation of the temple as another sign pointing to the end. What is this desolation that causes abomination standing in the holy place?
The prophet Daniel wrote during a time of Greek oppression. Antiochus IV was a brutal Greek king who ruled over the Jews from 175 - 164 BC. After the Jews rebelled against the Greeks, he attacked Jerusalem, outlawed Jewish religious rites and tried to force the Jews to worship Zeus. He set up an idol to Zeus in the temple, along with other deities of the Greek pantheon. The desolation that causes abomination was the Greek idols placed in the temple by Antiochus IV.
Matthew's Jesus refers to the event in Daniel to point to a new idolatrous act by the Romans, that is to place a bust of Caesar in the temple and the seal of Rome over the temple courts entryway. This eventually happened as part of the journey toward the Jewish revolt against Rome. In 71 AD the Romans sacked Jerusalem and tore the temple down.
The sign of the emperor's likeness as an object of worship is a sign to get the heck out of Dodge, so to speak. Jesus told the disciples to flee Jerusalem and go hide in the mountains. They shouldn't dally about, but hastily make their exit because what's coming to Jerusalem will be the worst yet.
I've always appreciated the notion that those days of tribulation will be cut short for the sake of God's chosen, the saints of the church. It reveals God's compassion. Even still the church needs to watch out for false teachers and prophets during this time of tribulation. Some will perform convincing signs and wonders that will make them appear to be from God, but they will not be from God. They will have their own agenda. (I can't help but think of televangelists)
The tendency to read this passage as a prediction of the end of the world and life as we know it may be appropriate, but remember that Matthew was comforting a community that was soon to face the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple. Some scholars date Matthew after the fall of Jerusalem in 71 AD, thereby making Jesus' prophecy less prediction and more direction and consolation. If, however, Jesus did historically teach these things, then the church had a 35-40 year insight into the future.
As far as I'm concerned I'm not reading this passage as our future, but rather a first century teaching that spoke to their time. Are there principles that speak to our time?
Flee from idolatry. Some have said that the election of Donald Trump is a sign of the end. Others felt the same way about President Obama. But Americans are less likely to idolize politicians and more likely to set themselves up as their own god.
To each his own.
Whatever makes you happy. Be the master of your own existence.
These are common proverbs of our culture. The world doesn't recommend humility before the creator. Our society is increasingly secular and non-religious. Even the pseudo-religious are keen to say, "I don't need church. I can worship in my own way." The rugged individualism of America, and the values that support it, overshadow the values of the kingdom of God.
Some have said they will leave the country if Trump is elected. If we begin to see wholesale idolatry in our culture and in our congregations, then perhaps we should make a hasty exit, but only if the Lord leads you to do so. Be alert and pay attention to the signs. And remember all these are leading to an end and a beginning. The end of this current corrupt and broken world will give way to the new creation where there will be no corruption, only wholeness and holiness. Keep in the Word, for only then will you have the knowledge to suss out false teachers. And always pray.
We've been told ahead of time. History repeats itself, so don't be surprised if abominations point the way to an end to the great American experiment. I pray our country would repent and turn back to God, but I'm not holding my breath. As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.
“So when you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination that causes desolation,’ spoken of through the prophet Daniel—let the reader understand— then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let no one on the housetop go down to take anything out of the house. Let no one in the field go back to get their cloak. How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath. For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again. “If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened. At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told you ahead of time.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Let the reader understand", says Matthew. As Jesus continues to respond to His disciples request for secret knowledge about the end of this age and the full arrival of the kingdom of heaven, He refers to a desolation of the temple as another sign pointing to the end. What is this desolation that causes abomination standing in the holy place?
The prophet Daniel wrote during a time of Greek oppression. Antiochus IV was a brutal Greek king who ruled over the Jews from 175 - 164 BC. After the Jews rebelled against the Greeks, he attacked Jerusalem, outlawed Jewish religious rites and tried to force the Jews to worship Zeus. He set up an idol to Zeus in the temple, along with other deities of the Greek pantheon. The desolation that causes abomination was the Greek idols placed in the temple by Antiochus IV.
Matthew's Jesus refers to the event in Daniel to point to a new idolatrous act by the Romans, that is to place a bust of Caesar in the temple and the seal of Rome over the temple courts entryway. This eventually happened as part of the journey toward the Jewish revolt against Rome. In 71 AD the Romans sacked Jerusalem and tore the temple down.
The sign of the emperor's likeness as an object of worship is a sign to get the heck out of Dodge, so to speak. Jesus told the disciples to flee Jerusalem and go hide in the mountains. They shouldn't dally about, but hastily make their exit because what's coming to Jerusalem will be the worst yet.
I've always appreciated the notion that those days of tribulation will be cut short for the sake of God's chosen, the saints of the church. It reveals God's compassion. Even still the church needs to watch out for false teachers and prophets during this time of tribulation. Some will perform convincing signs and wonders that will make them appear to be from God, but they will not be from God. They will have their own agenda. (I can't help but think of televangelists)
The tendency to read this passage as a prediction of the end of the world and life as we know it may be appropriate, but remember that Matthew was comforting a community that was soon to face the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple. Some scholars date Matthew after the fall of Jerusalem in 71 AD, thereby making Jesus' prophecy less prediction and more direction and consolation. If, however, Jesus did historically teach these things, then the church had a 35-40 year insight into the future.
As far as I'm concerned I'm not reading this passage as our future, but rather a first century teaching that spoke to their time. Are there principles that speak to our time?
Flee from idolatry. Some have said that the election of Donald Trump is a sign of the end. Others felt the same way about President Obama. But Americans are less likely to idolize politicians and more likely to set themselves up as their own god.
To each his own.
Whatever makes you happy. Be the master of your own existence.
These are common proverbs of our culture. The world doesn't recommend humility before the creator. Our society is increasingly secular and non-religious. Even the pseudo-religious are keen to say, "I don't need church. I can worship in my own way." The rugged individualism of America, and the values that support it, overshadow the values of the kingdom of God.
Some have said they will leave the country if Trump is elected. If we begin to see wholesale idolatry in our culture and in our congregations, then perhaps we should make a hasty exit, but only if the Lord leads you to do so. Be alert and pay attention to the signs. And remember all these are leading to an end and a beginning. The end of this current corrupt and broken world will give way to the new creation where there will be no corruption, only wholeness and holiness. Keep in the Word, for only then will you have the knowledge to suss out false teachers. And always pray.
We've been told ahead of time. History repeats itself, so don't be surprised if abominations point the way to an end to the great American experiment. I pray our country would repent and turn back to God, but I'm not holding my breath. As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.
Monday, November 21, 2016
Matthew 24:1-14
Matthew 24:1-14 NIV
Jesus left the temple and was walking away when his disciples came up to him to call his attention to its buildings. “Do you see all these things?” he asked. “Truly I tell you, not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.”
As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”
Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many. You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains.
“Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It's the end of the world as we know it, and I feel fine! ~ R.E.M.
Jesus leaves the temple after His confrontation with the Pharisees and teachers of the law. On their way out, the disciples wonder at the magnificent structure and buildings of the temple complex. What Herod the Great had built was a marvel to them. Indeed some wrote of the temple as a wonder of the first century world. The temple could be seen for miles as pilgrims made their way to Jerusalem. Herod built the temple with Romanesque architecture. He spared no expense. By doing so he hoped to win favor with the people, especially the religious leadership of the nation.
Fine as the temple mount and complex was, Jesus was quick to dismiss it. Soon it will be destroyed, because of the unfruitful ministry there. Remember the cursed fig tree? Jesus cursed a fig tree because it bore no fruit. The fig tree shriveled up and died. This foreshadowed what was going to happen to Jerusalem and its temple. In 35-40 years the Romans will invade and destroy the temple, tearing it down to its foundations. Today you can view some of the rubble of that temple which archaeologists have unearthed. Not one stone is left upon another.
Intrigued the disciples wish to know when it's all going down. When will be the end of this age and the signs to know the end is coming?
Jesus gives them a very long answer. The next two chapters deal with the end, or as popular culture wrongly labels it, The Apocalypse. The word apocalypse merely means to uncover what is hidden, to reveal mysteries. The disciples want Jesus to share with them secret knowledge that only God knows. That clues us in on how they think of Jesus. They understand He has insight to the mind of God.
Jesus warns them of false messiahs and wars to come, of famine and earthquakes. None of this should cause alarm for these are merely labor pains leading to the birth of the new creation! During this time of turmoil there will be persecution for the church. While this means suffering for Christians, it is still a sign of the coming kingdom! The new creation is near when you see the persecution of Christians.
“...you will be hated by all nations because of me."
Matthew 24:9b NIV
Sadly, because of the persecution of the church, many Christians will denounce their faith in Christ in order to avoid suffering, imprisonment and death. Believers will turn on each other in desperate acts of self preservation. It will be a terrible time.
"Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold..."
Matthew 24:12 NIV
Now before I get too far, let's remind ourselves that this prophecy of things to come speaks more to the immediate future of 1st century Palestine, than it does to our distant future. Historically many of these things had happened to Israel and the church when Rome crushed the Judean rebellion and destroyed the temple. For a Jew, it was like their whole world had come to an end! Without the temple and the religious leadership in tact, the Jews struggled to maintain an identity distinct from others. Rabbinical teachers made all the difference. The church moved in a different direction embracing converted pagans as part of the new community in Christ. It is a rift in Judaism yet to be healed.
In a sense some of Jesus' prophecy had already occurred within Israel, but the community still waited for the coming kingdom. This passage served to placate their desire. There will be more tragedy and more suffering until the whole world hears the gospel.
And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.
Matthew 24:14 NIV
This current age will end after the whole world has heard the good news of the reign of God's perfect love through Jesus Christ. Until then the church labors to witness to every people in every corner of the globe. Our witness is in words, deeds and the manner of our congregational life.
The world is weird right now. Many think the end is near because of the increasing violence, natural disasters, the creation of ISIS, and the instability of the Middle East. Be careful of prophets and preachers claiming they know when the end is coming. Over the last 2000 years, everyone who has suggested a date has been flat wrong. Jesus said that even He didn't know the actual date for the end.
He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority.
Acts 1:7 NIV
Rather than concern ourselves with forecasting the end times, we ought to busy ourselves faithfully witnessing to the good news of God's love and His kingdom come upon the earth through the church of Jesus Christ.
The Newsboys wrote about being overly infatuated with endtimes predictions and preparations. I leave you with a bit of their lyrics.
Lights Out
From Going Public (1994)
Last one turns the lights out, and climbs up to the top of the roof
He's sitting there 'til the Second Coming
Says he's got the mathematical proof
Who do you think you are?
Did you figure out the date?
What do you hope to do
While you sit around and wait, wait, wait...
DON'T GO SHUTTIN' DOWN
'TIL THE TRUMPET SOUNDS
AND THE BATTLE IS WON
DON'T GO PUNCHIN' OUT
'TIL THE FINAL SHOUT
AND THE FATHER SAYS, "WELL DONE"
Jesus left the temple and was walking away when his disciples came up to him to call his attention to its buildings. “Do you see all these things?” he asked. “Truly I tell you, not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.”
As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”
Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many. You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains.
“Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It's the end of the world as we know it, and I feel fine! ~ R.E.M.
Jesus leaves the temple after His confrontation with the Pharisees and teachers of the law. On their way out, the disciples wonder at the magnificent structure and buildings of the temple complex. What Herod the Great had built was a marvel to them. Indeed some wrote of the temple as a wonder of the first century world. The temple could be seen for miles as pilgrims made their way to Jerusalem. Herod built the temple with Romanesque architecture. He spared no expense. By doing so he hoped to win favor with the people, especially the religious leadership of the nation.
Fine as the temple mount and complex was, Jesus was quick to dismiss it. Soon it will be destroyed, because of the unfruitful ministry there. Remember the cursed fig tree? Jesus cursed a fig tree because it bore no fruit. The fig tree shriveled up and died. This foreshadowed what was going to happen to Jerusalem and its temple. In 35-40 years the Romans will invade and destroy the temple, tearing it down to its foundations. Today you can view some of the rubble of that temple which archaeologists have unearthed. Not one stone is left upon another.
Intrigued the disciples wish to know when it's all going down. When will be the end of this age and the signs to know the end is coming?
Jesus gives them a very long answer. The next two chapters deal with the end, or as popular culture wrongly labels it, The Apocalypse. The word apocalypse merely means to uncover what is hidden, to reveal mysteries. The disciples want Jesus to share with them secret knowledge that only God knows. That clues us in on how they think of Jesus. They understand He has insight to the mind of God.
Jesus warns them of false messiahs and wars to come, of famine and earthquakes. None of this should cause alarm for these are merely labor pains leading to the birth of the new creation! During this time of turmoil there will be persecution for the church. While this means suffering for Christians, it is still a sign of the coming kingdom! The new creation is near when you see the persecution of Christians.
“...you will be hated by all nations because of me."
Matthew 24:9b NIV
Sadly, because of the persecution of the church, many Christians will denounce their faith in Christ in order to avoid suffering, imprisonment and death. Believers will turn on each other in desperate acts of self preservation. It will be a terrible time.
"Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold..."
Matthew 24:12 NIV
Now before I get too far, let's remind ourselves that this prophecy of things to come speaks more to the immediate future of 1st century Palestine, than it does to our distant future. Historically many of these things had happened to Israel and the church when Rome crushed the Judean rebellion and destroyed the temple. For a Jew, it was like their whole world had come to an end! Without the temple and the religious leadership in tact, the Jews struggled to maintain an identity distinct from others. Rabbinical teachers made all the difference. The church moved in a different direction embracing converted pagans as part of the new community in Christ. It is a rift in Judaism yet to be healed.
In a sense some of Jesus' prophecy had already occurred within Israel, but the community still waited for the coming kingdom. This passage served to placate their desire. There will be more tragedy and more suffering until the whole world hears the gospel.
And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.
Matthew 24:14 NIV
This current age will end after the whole world has heard the good news of the reign of God's perfect love through Jesus Christ. Until then the church labors to witness to every people in every corner of the globe. Our witness is in words, deeds and the manner of our congregational life.
The world is weird right now. Many think the end is near because of the increasing violence, natural disasters, the creation of ISIS, and the instability of the Middle East. Be careful of prophets and preachers claiming they know when the end is coming. Over the last 2000 years, everyone who has suggested a date has been flat wrong. Jesus said that even He didn't know the actual date for the end.
He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority.
Acts 1:7 NIV
Rather than concern ourselves with forecasting the end times, we ought to busy ourselves faithfully witnessing to the good news of God's love and His kingdom come upon the earth through the church of Jesus Christ.
The Newsboys wrote about being overly infatuated with endtimes predictions and preparations. I leave you with a bit of their lyrics.
Lights Out
From Going Public (1994)
Last one turns the lights out, and climbs up to the top of the roof
He's sitting there 'til the Second Coming
Says he's got the mathematical proof
Who do you think you are?
Did you figure out the date?
What do you hope to do
While you sit around and wait, wait, wait...
DON'T GO SHUTTIN' DOWN
'TIL THE TRUMPET SOUNDS
AND THE BATTLE IS WON
DON'T GO PUNCHIN' OUT
'TIL THE FINAL SHOUT
AND THE FATHER SAYS, "WELL DONE"
Sunday, November 20, 2016
Matthew 23:13, 15-39
Matthew 23:13, 15-39 NIV
“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in peopleʼs faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to.
“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when you have succeeded, you make them twice as much a child of hell as you are.
“Woe to you, blind guides! You say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing; but anyone who swears by the gold of the temple is bound by that oath.’ You blind fools! Which is greater: the gold, or the temple that makes the gold sacred? You also say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it means nothing; but anyone who swears by the gift on the altar is bound by that oath.’ You blind men! Which is greater: the gift, or the altar that makes the gift sacred? Therefore, anyone who swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. And anyone who swears by the temple swears by it and by the one who dwells in it. And anyone who swears by heaven swears by Godʼs throne and by the one who sits on it.
“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.
“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.
“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.
“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous. And you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ So you testify against yourselves that you are the descendants of those who murdered the prophets. Go ahead, then, and complete what your ancestors started!
“You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell?
Therefore I am sending you prophets and sages and teachers. Some of them you will kill and crucify; others you will flog in your synagogues and pursue from town to town. And so upon you will come all the righteous blood that has been shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Berekiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. Truly I tell you, all this will come on this generation.
“Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing. Look, your house is left to you desolate. For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’ ”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This heart wrenching monologue from Jesus to the Pharisees is explosive. As I read it I hear His utter pain, frustration and dismay over the hardness of their hearts. The term translated as "woe" is an expression of grief. Another translation might use the word "alas". The idea is that Jesus feels sad for these men. "How sad for you" might be an appropriate translation.
Often when we use the word woe, it's more like a warning or condemnation. It's easy to read Jesus as angry and totally blasting His opponents in a slew of outbursts against them. Perhaps that is exactly what is happening. I've read this passage that way for years. Is Jesus putting a curse upon the Pharisees? "Sadness and misery be your lot" might be another way to read the term.
To understand what Jesus is saying, and perhaps feeling, the context in which the word is used will guide our interpretation. Hosea gives us a good idea of the use of the word woe in writing about Israel.
“Woe to them, for they have strayed from me! Destruction to them, for they have rebelled against me! I would redeem them, but they speak lies against me” (Hosea 7:13)
Clearly the tone of judgment is present in this use of the word woe. Jesus' use is very similar. He sounds a lot like the prophet Hosea, which is a variance on the name Yeshua or Jesus. What is the most telling of Jesus' feelings toward the Pharisees at the time can be seen in the following verses.
"...you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when you have succeeded, you make them twice as much a child of hell as you are.
...on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.
“You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell?
Matthew 23:15, 28, 33 NIV
Jesus says these men are children of hell, full of hypocrisy and wickedness, and condemned to hell. That's pretty scathing. I'd say Jesus is certainly pronouncing judgement upon this group. The question for me is, "Does Jesus pronounce judgments with righteous hot anger or with sadness and pity?" To answer that question I need to read Jesus in the context of the whole bible.
The first thought that comes to mind is the suffering servant imagery in Isaiah. This passage has been adopted by Christians as a prophecy about messiah.
But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.
Isaiah 53:5, 7 NIV
The tenderness and humility of Christ is reflected here.
Now let's look at Jesus' teachings earlier in Matthew. Jesus taught us to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute you, to not return evil for evil but to turn the other cheek.
But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,
Matthew 5:39, 44 NIV
And upon the cross Jesus asked for our forgiveness, including the very men who were behind His crucifixion.
Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”
In Matthew 23 Jesus refers to His opponents as blind fools and blind guides. Might Jesus pity them rather than hate them? Though the rhetoric here seems hateful to our sensibilities, let us remember the man Jesus. He was capable of showing anger, but more often than not He was full of compassion, love and mercy.
As I read this prophetic lament for the hypocritical Pharisees, I choose to read it in a tone of sad admission of the consequences to come. Jesus sighs in deep sadness for these men and pronounces their doom. It is not Jesus who is cursing them. They've condemned themselves by shutting Christ out.
Jesus predicts that they will kill and flog and persecute Christian teachers and prophets that He will send in His name. The Acts of the Apostles confirms that is what happened. The apostles were killed and persecuted, beaten and imprisoned for their testimony about Christ. But this is merely the way Israel has always behaved. Israel is a mirror to all humanity. We all deny Christ by shutting the door to His kingdom and choosing the world instead. By doing so we add to the number of people in the way of those trying to get into the kingdom. For the kingdom of heaven is among us, not simply a happy ever after land.
I could go into each of the seven woes and their meaning, but they seem fairly clear to understand. What's important is to hear the warning. What's important is to pray for those who are lost like these men in the gospel of Matthew. What's important is that you find your way into the kingdom of heaven by avoiding the behavior and blindness of the Pharisees.
Open our eyes, Lord, and give us hearts that trust in You. Amen.
“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in peopleʼs faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to.
“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when you have succeeded, you make them twice as much a child of hell as you are.
“Woe to you, blind guides! You say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing; but anyone who swears by the gold of the temple is bound by that oath.’ You blind fools! Which is greater: the gold, or the temple that makes the gold sacred? You also say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it means nothing; but anyone who swears by the gift on the altar is bound by that oath.’ You blind men! Which is greater: the gift, or the altar that makes the gift sacred? Therefore, anyone who swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. And anyone who swears by the temple swears by it and by the one who dwells in it. And anyone who swears by heaven swears by Godʼs throne and by the one who sits on it.
“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.
“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.
“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.
“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous. And you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ So you testify against yourselves that you are the descendants of those who murdered the prophets. Go ahead, then, and complete what your ancestors started!
“You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell?
Therefore I am sending you prophets and sages and teachers. Some of them you will kill and crucify; others you will flog in your synagogues and pursue from town to town. And so upon you will come all the righteous blood that has been shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Berekiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. Truly I tell you, all this will come on this generation.
“Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing. Look, your house is left to you desolate. For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’ ”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This heart wrenching monologue from Jesus to the Pharisees is explosive. As I read it I hear His utter pain, frustration and dismay over the hardness of their hearts. The term translated as "woe" is an expression of grief. Another translation might use the word "alas". The idea is that Jesus feels sad for these men. "How sad for you" might be an appropriate translation.
Often when we use the word woe, it's more like a warning or condemnation. It's easy to read Jesus as angry and totally blasting His opponents in a slew of outbursts against them. Perhaps that is exactly what is happening. I've read this passage that way for years. Is Jesus putting a curse upon the Pharisees? "Sadness and misery be your lot" might be another way to read the term.
To understand what Jesus is saying, and perhaps feeling, the context in which the word is used will guide our interpretation. Hosea gives us a good idea of the use of the word woe in writing about Israel.
“Woe to them, for they have strayed from me! Destruction to them, for they have rebelled against me! I would redeem them, but they speak lies against me” (Hosea 7:13)
Clearly the tone of judgment is present in this use of the word woe. Jesus' use is very similar. He sounds a lot like the prophet Hosea, which is a variance on the name Yeshua or Jesus. What is the most telling of Jesus' feelings toward the Pharisees at the time can be seen in the following verses.
"...you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when you have succeeded, you make them twice as much a child of hell as you are.
...on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.
“You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell?
Matthew 23:15, 28, 33 NIV
Jesus says these men are children of hell, full of hypocrisy and wickedness, and condemned to hell. That's pretty scathing. I'd say Jesus is certainly pronouncing judgement upon this group. The question for me is, "Does Jesus pronounce judgments with righteous hot anger or with sadness and pity?" To answer that question I need to read Jesus in the context of the whole bible.
The first thought that comes to mind is the suffering servant imagery in Isaiah. This passage has been adopted by Christians as a prophecy about messiah.
But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.
Isaiah 53:5, 7 NIV
The tenderness and humility of Christ is reflected here.
Now let's look at Jesus' teachings earlier in Matthew. Jesus taught us to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute you, to not return evil for evil but to turn the other cheek.
But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,
Matthew 5:39, 44 NIV
And upon the cross Jesus asked for our forgiveness, including the very men who were behind His crucifixion.
Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”
In Matthew 23 Jesus refers to His opponents as blind fools and blind guides. Might Jesus pity them rather than hate them? Though the rhetoric here seems hateful to our sensibilities, let us remember the man Jesus. He was capable of showing anger, but more often than not He was full of compassion, love and mercy.
As I read this prophetic lament for the hypocritical Pharisees, I choose to read it in a tone of sad admission of the consequences to come. Jesus sighs in deep sadness for these men and pronounces their doom. It is not Jesus who is cursing them. They've condemned themselves by shutting Christ out.
Jesus predicts that they will kill and flog and persecute Christian teachers and prophets that He will send in His name. The Acts of the Apostles confirms that is what happened. The apostles were killed and persecuted, beaten and imprisoned for their testimony about Christ. But this is merely the way Israel has always behaved. Israel is a mirror to all humanity. We all deny Christ by shutting the door to His kingdom and choosing the world instead. By doing so we add to the number of people in the way of those trying to get into the kingdom. For the kingdom of heaven is among us, not simply a happy ever after land.
I could go into each of the seven woes and their meaning, but they seem fairly clear to understand. What's important is to hear the warning. What's important is to pray for those who are lost like these men in the gospel of Matthew. What's important is that you find your way into the kingdom of heaven by avoiding the behavior and blindness of the Pharisees.
Open our eyes, Lord, and give us hearts that trust in You. Amen.
Saturday, November 19, 2016
Matthew 23:1-12
Matthew 23:1-12 NIV
Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: “The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Mosesʼ seat. So you must be careful to do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. They tie up heavy, cumbersome loads and put them on other peopleʼs shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.
“Everything they do is done for people to see: They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long; they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues; they love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and to be called ‘Rabbi’ by others.
“But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers. And do not call anyone on earth ‘father,’ for you have one Father, and he is in heaven. Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one Instructor, the Messiah. The greatest among you will be your servant. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jesus is in the temple courts teaching and, after several attempts by the religious elite to expose Him as fraudulent or lacking, Jesus warns the crowd about the Pharisees and teachers of the law. They're hypocritical.
Jesus tells the crowd that they love the power and influence they enjoy in their positions. They love the respect they are shown. They do not practice what they preach, Jesus said.
Being a preacher myself, I'm certainly guilty of not practicing what I preach. After all I didn't write the holy book from which all my sermons find their foundation. I've always thought my job is to lift up the ideals of scripture even if I'm not living them out. The perfect righteousness of God is not attainable by sinners. The last time I checked, we are all guilty of sin and continue to be. We don't always treat others the way we want to be treated. We don't always act out of love, but more often out of fear, anger, depression, jealousy, and cynicism. So I feel a little sympathy for teachers who lift up the ideals but do not achieve them perfectly.
But that's not what Jesus is denouncing. He wants us to long for perfection and lean upon His grace to pursue it. He doesn't expect us to be perfect by choosing obedience, but rather He promises to perfect us on the Day of His return. What Jesus is denouncing is the abuse of power, the double standard by which He saw the religious leaders living.
"They tie up heavy, cumbersome loads and put them on other peopleʼs shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them."
Matthew 23:4
"Everything they do is for show," Jesus said. Boy, I know that game. It's almost like the church expects their ministers to keep up the illusion of righteousness as an example. Rather than love their ministers where they are in their journey toward Christlikeness, they'd rather have a public charade. It's easier to keep the illusion rather than love our way through the messy realities of human brokenness and sin.
After warning the crowd of the wrong way to go about our faith, Jesus lifts up the example of humility. Don't go by titles like teacher, because any teaching worthy of Christ, comes from The Teacher, Christ Himself. And don't allow people to call you father, like some traditions today do their clergy, because there is only One Father, God in heaven.
For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name.
Ephesians 3:14-15 NIV
Jesus sums up His warning by saying, "The greatest among you will be your servant. Those exalt themselves will be humbled."
Humble service is the model Jesus set and He beckons us not to lord it over on those we may lead. The Pharisees and teachers of the law in the gospels are gatekeepers. Their behavior depicts them as religious policeman pointing out flaws in Jesus and His disciples, challenging Jesus' authority to carry out His ministry. Jesus saw that their walk wasn't without flaws, so perhaps they ought to stick with teaching, and not policing.
How often does the church behave like policemen? How often do pastors load burden after burden on their people but do nothing to help carry them? How often do the people of the congregation watch the pastors and staff like law enforcers and taskmasters?
If you would be great in God's eyes, you will humble yourself and serve with love.
Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: “The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Mosesʼ seat. So you must be careful to do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. They tie up heavy, cumbersome loads and put them on other peopleʼs shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.
“Everything they do is done for people to see: They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long; they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues; they love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and to be called ‘Rabbi’ by others.
“But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers. And do not call anyone on earth ‘father,’ for you have one Father, and he is in heaven. Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one Instructor, the Messiah. The greatest among you will be your servant. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jesus is in the temple courts teaching and, after several attempts by the religious elite to expose Him as fraudulent or lacking, Jesus warns the crowd about the Pharisees and teachers of the law. They're hypocritical.
Jesus tells the crowd that they love the power and influence they enjoy in their positions. They love the respect they are shown. They do not practice what they preach, Jesus said.
Being a preacher myself, I'm certainly guilty of not practicing what I preach. After all I didn't write the holy book from which all my sermons find their foundation. I've always thought my job is to lift up the ideals of scripture even if I'm not living them out. The perfect righteousness of God is not attainable by sinners. The last time I checked, we are all guilty of sin and continue to be. We don't always treat others the way we want to be treated. We don't always act out of love, but more often out of fear, anger, depression, jealousy, and cynicism. So I feel a little sympathy for teachers who lift up the ideals but do not achieve them perfectly.
But that's not what Jesus is denouncing. He wants us to long for perfection and lean upon His grace to pursue it. He doesn't expect us to be perfect by choosing obedience, but rather He promises to perfect us on the Day of His return. What Jesus is denouncing is the abuse of power, the double standard by which He saw the religious leaders living.
"They tie up heavy, cumbersome loads and put them on other peopleʼs shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them."
Matthew 23:4
"Everything they do is for show," Jesus said. Boy, I know that game. It's almost like the church expects their ministers to keep up the illusion of righteousness as an example. Rather than love their ministers where they are in their journey toward Christlikeness, they'd rather have a public charade. It's easier to keep the illusion rather than love our way through the messy realities of human brokenness and sin.
After warning the crowd of the wrong way to go about our faith, Jesus lifts up the example of humility. Don't go by titles like teacher, because any teaching worthy of Christ, comes from The Teacher, Christ Himself. And don't allow people to call you father, like some traditions today do their clergy, because there is only One Father, God in heaven.
For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name.
Ephesians 3:14-15 NIV
Jesus sums up His warning by saying, "The greatest among you will be your servant. Those exalt themselves will be humbled."
Humble service is the model Jesus set and He beckons us not to lord it over on those we may lead. The Pharisees and teachers of the law in the gospels are gatekeepers. Their behavior depicts them as religious policeman pointing out flaws in Jesus and His disciples, challenging Jesus' authority to carry out His ministry. Jesus saw that their walk wasn't without flaws, so perhaps they ought to stick with teaching, and not policing.
How often does the church behave like policemen? How often do pastors load burden after burden on their people but do nothing to help carry them? How often do the people of the congregation watch the pastors and staff like law enforcers and taskmasters?
If you would be great in God's eyes, you will humble yourself and serve with love.
Wednesday, November 16, 2016
Matthew 22:41-46
Matthew 22:41-46 NIV
While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, “What do you think about the Messiah? Whose son is he?”
“The son of David,” they replied.
He said to them, “How is it then that David, speaking by the Spirit, calls him ‘Lord’? For he says, and“ ‘The Lord said to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand until I put your enemies under your feet.” ' If then David calls him ‘Lord,’ how can he be his son?” No one could say a word in reply, and from that day ondared to ask him any more questions.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
What we have here is a failure to interpretate. Of course I'm spoofing on the famous line from the 1967 film "Cool Hand Luke". The actual quote was given by a prison guard to the inmates. "What we have here is a failure to communicate." I use a non-word "interpretate" to spoof on communicate.
As I read this battle of wits between Jesus and the Pharisees, I realize I'm witnessing the arguments going on inside the synagogues in Matthew's day. Remember that the gospel according to Matthew was written primarily for a Jewish Christian community. The tension between Jesus and the Pharisees in the gospel account are likely representations of similar conflicts within the synagogues in 1st century Palestine.
After having been challenged a number of times by the Pharisees with tricky questions, Jesus asks them one of His own. He asks whose son is the Messiah.
Everybody knows the Messiah will come from the kingly line of David. The messiah will be a direct decedent of Israel's most beloved king. God established an everlasting covenant with David that He would always have a son of David, that is a descendant, sit upon the throne to shepherd Israel. All prophetic hopes for the restoration of Israel are tied to the political rise of a son of David. Here's a passage from Isaiah.
A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him— the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord — and he will delight in the fear of the Lord . He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears; but with righteousness he will judge the needy, with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth; with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked. Righteousness will be his belt and faithfulness the sash around his waist. The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them. The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox. The infant will play near the cobraʼs den, and the young child will put its hand into the viperʼs nest. They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.
Isaiah 11:1-9 NIV
Jesse was David's father. So from the same family that produced David will come another righteous ruler, through David. It's a poetic way of pointing to hope in God's covenant with David to always have a son of David to shepherd Israel. And the stump of Jesse points to the fact that the line of Davidic kings had been interrupted or cut down, like a felled tree. God's covenant did, however, have a provision.
When your days are over and you rest with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, your own flesh and blood, and I will establish his kingdom. He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be his father, and he will be my son. When he does wrong, I will punish him with a rod wielded by men, with floggings inflicted by human hands. But my love will never be taken away from him, as I took it away from Saul, whom I removed from before you. Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever.’ ”
2 Samuel 7:12-16 NIV
So long as the Son of David does what is right, shall he remain on the throne. History shows that a great many of David's descendants did not do right. So God punished them, as He promised, with the force of enemy nations. David himself committed murder to hide his adulterous affair with Bathsheba. As a result, his household was riddled with conflict thereafter.
God's covenant with David never brought about the peaceful and prosperous kingdom that was hoped for. That is because of human sinfulness. Even a man like David, who is said to be a man after God's own heart, sins. Jesus, while being from the household of David, via Joseph, was not a blood relative to David. He was from Mary's womb, but Joseph was not His father. God was. That, I believe, is the point of this question about whose son is the Messiah.
This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit.
Matthew 1:18 NIV
Joseph was going to divorce Mary quietly, but an angel spoke to him in a dream and explained the divine seed within Mary. Joseph obediently raised Jesus as his own. Jesus is not a figurative son of God, as earthly kings may claim such status, but the actual only begotten Son of God.
When the Pharisees answered Jesus' question that the Messiah is the son of David, Jesus then challenged them with a psalm.
Psalm 110 is a royal psalm celebrating the king of Judah.
The Lord (The God of Israel) says to my lord (the king, who is the master over the royal court scribe who wrote this psalm): “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.”
Psalm 110:1 NIV
The appropriate interpretation, in its original context and intent, is inferred by my parenthetical comments above. You can see the problem with Matthew's Jesus and His interpretation. It's a huge leap from the original meaning. Jesus referred to the tradition that believed King David wrote this psalm. Most scholars date the psalm centuries later after David was long since dead. The scribes who collected the psalms, as we have them today, attributed Psalm 110 to David. Here's what that tradition held.
(1) David is the author of the psalm.
(2) What David wrote was divinely inspired by the Holy Spirit.
(3) David was not writing about just any king, but about Messiah, who was to be his son and his Lord.
This interpretation grew within the messianic hopes of Judaism, not Christianity. Jesus is using their own teachings with the Pharisees to get them to see that the Messiah is not simply a human descendant of David, but divine.
Thus Jesus asks the Pharisees, "If then David calls him ‘Lord,’ how can he be his son?” They couldn't answer because they knew that their own beliefs about messiah would mean that they might be wrong about Jesus, for the reports about Him show Him to be a mighty prophet with miraculous powers to heal and raise the dead, and produce abundant food from next to nothing. God was with Jesus. God is Jesus. Jesus is God. God is love and Jesus is the embodiment of love.
This rather long-winded reflection leads me to conclude that while the interpretation of Psalm 110:1 moves far beyond its original meaning, which is usually a bad idea, what God did in Jesus Christ broke all the barriers. The world moved into a new paradigm when God came to live among us in Christ. Only God can truly be the righteous king who will fulfill Israel's hopes. All glory and honor to King Jesus who reigns forever!
While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, “What do you think about the Messiah? Whose son is he?”
“The son of David,” they replied.
He said to them, “How is it then that David, speaking by the Spirit, calls him ‘Lord’? For he says, and“ ‘The Lord said to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand until I put your enemies under your feet.” ' If then David calls him ‘Lord,’ how can he be his son?” No one could say a word in reply, and from that day ondared to ask him any more questions.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
What we have here is a failure to interpretate. Of course I'm spoofing on the famous line from the 1967 film "Cool Hand Luke". The actual quote was given by a prison guard to the inmates. "What we have here is a failure to communicate." I use a non-word "interpretate" to spoof on communicate.
As I read this battle of wits between Jesus and the Pharisees, I realize I'm witnessing the arguments going on inside the synagogues in Matthew's day. Remember that the gospel according to Matthew was written primarily for a Jewish Christian community. The tension between Jesus and the Pharisees in the gospel account are likely representations of similar conflicts within the synagogues in 1st century Palestine.
After having been challenged a number of times by the Pharisees with tricky questions, Jesus asks them one of His own. He asks whose son is the Messiah.
Everybody knows the Messiah will come from the kingly line of David. The messiah will be a direct decedent of Israel's most beloved king. God established an everlasting covenant with David that He would always have a son of David, that is a descendant, sit upon the throne to shepherd Israel. All prophetic hopes for the restoration of Israel are tied to the political rise of a son of David. Here's a passage from Isaiah.
A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him— the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord — and he will delight in the fear of the Lord . He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears; but with righteousness he will judge the needy, with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth; with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked. Righteousness will be his belt and faithfulness the sash around his waist. The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them. The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox. The infant will play near the cobraʼs den, and the young child will put its hand into the viperʼs nest. They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.
Isaiah 11:1-9 NIV
Jesse was David's father. So from the same family that produced David will come another righteous ruler, through David. It's a poetic way of pointing to hope in God's covenant with David to always have a son of David to shepherd Israel. And the stump of Jesse points to the fact that the line of Davidic kings had been interrupted or cut down, like a felled tree. God's covenant did, however, have a provision.
When your days are over and you rest with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, your own flesh and blood, and I will establish his kingdom. He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be his father, and he will be my son. When he does wrong, I will punish him with a rod wielded by men, with floggings inflicted by human hands. But my love will never be taken away from him, as I took it away from Saul, whom I removed from before you. Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever.’ ”
2 Samuel 7:12-16 NIV
So long as the Son of David does what is right, shall he remain on the throne. History shows that a great many of David's descendants did not do right. So God punished them, as He promised, with the force of enemy nations. David himself committed murder to hide his adulterous affair with Bathsheba. As a result, his household was riddled with conflict thereafter.
God's covenant with David never brought about the peaceful and prosperous kingdom that was hoped for. That is because of human sinfulness. Even a man like David, who is said to be a man after God's own heart, sins. Jesus, while being from the household of David, via Joseph, was not a blood relative to David. He was from Mary's womb, but Joseph was not His father. God was. That, I believe, is the point of this question about whose son is the Messiah.
This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit.
Matthew 1:18 NIV
Joseph was going to divorce Mary quietly, but an angel spoke to him in a dream and explained the divine seed within Mary. Joseph obediently raised Jesus as his own. Jesus is not a figurative son of God, as earthly kings may claim such status, but the actual only begotten Son of God.
When the Pharisees answered Jesus' question that the Messiah is the son of David, Jesus then challenged them with a psalm.
Psalm 110 is a royal psalm celebrating the king of Judah.
The Lord (The God of Israel) says to my lord (the king, who is the master over the royal court scribe who wrote this psalm): “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.”
Psalm 110:1 NIV
The appropriate interpretation, in its original context and intent, is inferred by my parenthetical comments above. You can see the problem with Matthew's Jesus and His interpretation. It's a huge leap from the original meaning. Jesus referred to the tradition that believed King David wrote this psalm. Most scholars date the psalm centuries later after David was long since dead. The scribes who collected the psalms, as we have them today, attributed Psalm 110 to David. Here's what that tradition held.
(1) David is the author of the psalm.
(2) What David wrote was divinely inspired by the Holy Spirit.
(3) David was not writing about just any king, but about Messiah, who was to be his son and his Lord.
This interpretation grew within the messianic hopes of Judaism, not Christianity. Jesus is using their own teachings with the Pharisees to get them to see that the Messiah is not simply a human descendant of David, but divine.
Thus Jesus asks the Pharisees, "If then David calls him ‘Lord,’ how can he be his son?” They couldn't answer because they knew that their own beliefs about messiah would mean that they might be wrong about Jesus, for the reports about Him show Him to be a mighty prophet with miraculous powers to heal and raise the dead, and produce abundant food from next to nothing. God was with Jesus. God is Jesus. Jesus is God. God is love and Jesus is the embodiment of love.
This rather long-winded reflection leads me to conclude that while the interpretation of Psalm 110:1 moves far beyond its original meaning, which is usually a bad idea, what God did in Jesus Christ broke all the barriers. The world moved into a new paradigm when God came to live among us in Christ. Only God can truly be the righteous king who will fulfill Israel's hopes. All glory and honor to King Jesus who reigns forever!
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