Matthew 26:36-46

Matthew 26:36-46 NIV

Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.”
Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”
Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Couldnʼt you men keep watch with me for one hour?” he asked Peter. “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
He went away a second time and prayed, “My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done.” When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. So he left them and went away once more and prayed the third time, saying the same thing.
Then he returned to the disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Look, the hour has come, and the Son of Man is delivered into the hands of sinners. Rise! Let us go! Here comes my betrayer!”

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As I read this passage I am struck by the intensity of Jesus' sorrow. I feel sad for Him and ashamed for us. I say I feel ashamed for us because I see myself and all of Jesus' followers from all time in Gethsemane that night. After all, if all the sins of the world hung upon Christ and His cross, then surely the eternal mind of God had all of us in mind that night in the garden.

Normally I would think that Jesus was overwhelmed with sorrow because He feared for His life. He didn't want to suffer and die upon the cross. I know I would be afraid and saddened at the thought of facing such suffering. But Jesus shared foreknowledge that He would be raised from the dead on the third day. That doesn't mean that the fear of suffering is lessened, but there is a profound hope that comes with the pain and somehow transforms it. No, I am thinking differently on the matter today. I think Jesus' sorrow had less to do with fear over His impending suffering and more to do with the sins of the world laid up Him.

Consider a couple verses. First is the idea behind atoning sacrifices.

“ ‘If someone brings a lamb as their sin offering... They are to lay their hand on its head and slaughter it for a sin offering... In this way the priest will make atonement for them for the sin they have committed, and they will be forgiven.
Leviticus 4:32-33, 35 NIV

Laying the hand upon the head of the sacrifice is symbolic of transferring the sins of the people to the sacrificial animal. I am suggesting that the divine hand of God laid upon Jesus the sins of the world that night in Gethsemane.

As a second proof consider Jesus attitude about His death in John's gospel. One can argue I'm not comparing apples to apples by comparing Matthew to John, for these are very different gospel accounts with differing theologies. That would be correct. However, both gospels are canonical, therefore both carry the same authority. Therefore we can have a conversation between the two.

In Matthew Jesus is sorrowful unto death. In other words he feels so bad he could die. In Luke 22:44 Jesus' stress was so great He sweat drops of blood, a rare clinical phenomenon called hematohidrosis. But in John, Jesus repels any notion that He is a victim in this circumstance.

“Now my soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. Father, glorify your name!”
John 12:27-28a NIV

Is John correcting the notion that Jesus was afraid to die when the early gospel accounts have Jesus asking for the cup to be taken away from Him? The cup is symbolic of His suffering and death to come. John clearly reveals that Jesus was ready to die. He knew all along that His destiny was the cross. Did Jesus have a moment of doubt in Gethsemane? It's possible. We know that Satan tempted Jesus just like He does all of us. Jesus felt every temptation just as we do. But even still Jesus was God in the flesh with full capacity to handle these emotions. His human side perhaps feared His impending suffering, but His divinity followed God's will obediently.

I think the pain and shame of our guilt was what was overwhelming Jesus that night at Gethsemane. And the failure of His closest companions to be faithful to Him is symbolic of all our failure to stay alert and spiritually awake in a state of perpetual God-consciousness. Peter, James and John were Jesus' inner circle. They were from Galilee. They were hard working fisherman. They were His very first disciples. They were with Him from the very beginning. Peter would one day lead the church in Jesus' place. But on this night while Jesus was overwhelmed with anxiety and sadness, they slept.

Jesus told them, "The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak." That may be the defining verse for me in this passage. This statement is what is driving my interpretation of this narrative in Matthew. The slumber of the church can be seen everywhere. Yesterday I was reading a memoir called VJ, covering the early years of MTV. One of the VJ's (Video Jockey) told of God Rome in college when Christians were not restrained by their morality during spin the bottle, and other college shenanigans. It was a passing statement having nothing to do with what he was writing about. It was simply an observation. How many times have you seen Christians not doing as Christ would do? How often have you behaved in ways that reveal you are not making a choice for holiness? We are called to pray and wait for Jesus to return.

The garden scene is a mini-apocalypse. It reveals the condition of the church. Jesus went to heaven and intercedes for us there as both high priest and sacrifice. We are called to wait faithfully and attentively for His return. While we here on earth are willing to worship and serve the Lord, we are weak. Our bodies betray us, as does the ethos in which we live, for the world that also forms us does not pursue God. We disciples want to do right by Jesus, but we fail miserably.

Consider America. We've become increasingly secular where God is no longer honored. In some cases God is cursed by our contemporaries. The slumber of the church is directly related to the moral collapse that is occurring. According to a 2014 study, “The Bible in American Life,” conducted by the Center for the Study of Religion and American Culture, only 9% of Americans say they read the Bible daily. Biblical illiteracy is at an all time high in this country and the erosion of active church engagement reflects this lack of spiritual readiness. The word of God is nutrition for the soul and we are dying from a steady diet of junk food, literally and figuratively.

I could yammer on about our failures as Christians, how we fail at our mission to make disciples and transform the world, but let's turn our thoughts to the good news. God knows this about us. We are idolatrous at heart, exchanging the glory of God for created things. We go for the quick fix and immediate pleasures instead of waiting upon the Lord. And that is why Jesus prayed in Gethsemane. With the full weight of all humanity's sins, past, present and future, He prayed "not my will, but Your will be done." Like a lamb led to the slaughter Jesus chose the cross for you and me and everyone. He did so that we might be reconciled to God and live for God in peace with others. He did so that we, the kingdom of heaven, might be light in the world and yeast within the dough, a blessing to the world bringing the knowledge and love of God to all.

Your sins are forgiven you. Now go and sin no more. Be that light. Be a blessing. And when you fail know that your sins are forgiven and try again and again until Jesus takes you home. God is love. Therefore love others with the love Christ has shown you.

Matthew 26:17-35

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.

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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.

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.

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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.

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.”

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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.

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!’

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.

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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.

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.