Openness

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW

OPENNESS

Matt 22:41-46

41 While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, 42 "What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is he?" "The son of David," they replied. 43 He said to them, "How is it then that David, speaking by the Spirit, calls him 'Lord'? For he says, 44 "'The Lord said to my Lord: Sit at my right hand until I put your enemies under your feet." '    45 If then David calls him 'Lord,' how can he be his son?"  46 No one could say a word in reply, and from that day on no one dared to ask him any more questions.

NIV

It would seem the Pharisees thought of themselves as spiritual men, knowledgeable in the scriptures and thus both the Law of Moses and the prophets. They considered themselves superior to the average Jewish person, being puffed up in their religiosity and adherence to law. Here Jesus humbles them with a puzzle which confounds them. If they believed the Messiah was from the line of David, then how could David call his son Lord, was what they could not answer. Surely in the humanity of Christ he was from the line of David. However, he was not merely human, as he was conceived in the womb of Mary by the Holy Spirit and thus he was divine in nature. This in fact made him Lord over both David and the Pharisees. What he told them was those words David wrote, calling his descendant Lord, was Spirit directed, inspired by God. They just could not wrap their heads around this truth, or they simply refused to see the truth. This serves to show us we need to be open to the truth. They were so ingrained in their form of religion they refused to see the truth. They had the long awaited Messiah right there with them, yet they would not acknowledge him. There are times when we are faced with truths that challenge our long held beliefs. Are we as stiff-necked as the Pharisees were in refusing to accept a truth which may either contradict or modify our long held beliefs? Are we open to seeing a view of scripture which changes the way we think about it? Surely they are many views which differ which is one of the reasons for so many denominations. There are differing interpretations of scripture which could cause a person to wonder if anyone has the right view or truth for that matter. So if we are willing to accept all those views or consider them as being valid views then would we be like infants tossed to and fro by every teaching and doctrine? So then it would seem we do not find that truth and live by it and it alone. But then which truth, which interpretation do we adhere to? Do we first find some denomination we can agree with based on our views? Or do we base our views or conform our views to agree to a denominations statement of faith? Are we open to considering they could be right and we might be wrong? What if we are right and they are wrong? How do we deal with truths we might view differently than others? The Pharisees were, of course, being taught by the Lord, himself, the pure truth. Yet, on the other hand, so are we. Jesus told us that he would send the Holy Spirit who would lead us into all truth. If we have the Spirit dwelling within us then we should be able to discern the truth, the pure truth. But at the same time others have the Spirit dwelling within them and should be able to discern the truth. So then why are there differing truths? Which should we be open to and which should we reject as biased by human thinking rather than Spirit lead? Whatever we hear, whatever is presented to us as the truth, we are to test it.  

1 Thess 5:19-22

19 Do not put out the Spirit's fire; 20 do not treat prophecies with contempt. 21 Test everything . Hold on to the good. 22 Avoid every kind of evil.

NIV

Although the Pharisees would not test the truth presented to them, they were not willing to even test it, examine their long held beliefs in light of this new evidence presented to them, we should at least be willing to. This may not mean we should change our views, but we should at least examine our long held beliefs in light of new or differing opinions of the truth. It still comes down to listening to the still small voice of the Spirit within. This means not our views, not our human understanding, not our highly educated deductions, but on the leading of the Spirit, and being open to seeing the truth, even if it challenges our long held views. 

To love

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW

TO LOVE

Matt 22:34-40

34 Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. 35 One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: 36 "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" 37 Jesus replied: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'   38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'   40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." 

NIV

This is undoubtedly the center of all truth. This is by far the central theme of our faith. This is also the most difficult truth to apply to our lives. It should not be that difficult, however being the flawed human we are, it presents the greatest struggle we face. In order to understand this loving God, we should first understand to love is not a passive, but an active word. It is an action word which we are to be doing. It is a present tense word, which means we cannot say we loved God, or will love God but that in an ongoing present form, we love God. It is not a part-time word, but an all-encompassing full time word. It cannot be shared with anything else. Love cannot be shared with envy, strife, anger, jealously, bitterness, hatred, revenge, malice, contempt, or any of those other words which denote something other than love. It would seem our culture has degraded this word love to a most casual use, tossed around without any real meaning. Yet here Jesus says that we are to love God with all, not some, of our heart, soul and mind. What does that look like? Our heart is the essence of our being, at least which is what it is referred, rather than simply a muscle which pumps our blood. To love God with all our heart would mean that we can compare nothing in this life to him. We should be ready to give up, do, endure or suffer anything in order to please and glorify him. This would mean all our desires, our ambitions, goals, or wants should be set aside or given over to our love for God. To love God with all our soul is our very life itself. We should be willing to give up our life for the pleasure and glorification of God. Although in our culture we are not murdered or tortured as believers are in other parts of the world, we should be willing to suffer that death for the sake of God. Yet it also implies that we give our lives to him, which means we are not our own masters, we are not the captain of our own ship. We do not do, go or seek anything in this life other than by the will of God. This applies to every aspect of our lives, where we live, where we work, where we play, what we do, who we are, and what we say should all be based on the fact we love God. To love God with all our mind has something a little different for us. Jesus was quoting from the Law recorded in Deuteronomy.

Deut 6:4-9

4 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.   5 Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. 6 These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. 7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8 Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 9 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.

NIV

Matthew does not record that Jesus included Strength, but only mind, the center of our thought processes. However both Luke and Mark indicate Jesus used mind and strength. What we can conclude is the mind controls the strength. The body does nothing without the mind. However that would also imply that not only are we to put God in the forefront of all our thoughts but that our thoughts should be generating the actions of the body which bring glory to God. It is difficult at best to do all this command of Jesus. Our “self” continually gets in the way. When this happens, how do we deal with it? In reality it would mean we are being disobedient and thus should deserve to be punished. However, Jesus took all our punishment on that cross. He took all our sin, all our disobedience upon him as he was perfectly obedient to the Father. Therefore in Christ we are made perfect, yet we still live in this body of disobedience. It is hard to wrap our mind around this. We are to love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. This is not an option but a command. So then we set our self on that path and make every effort to love him with all of ourselves. When we fail, we seek forgiveness and go on keep trying to live a life pleasing in his sight. The devil would like nothing better for us to give up, defeated, depressed because we cannot perfectly fulfill this command. Yet the command is there and we press on toward that mark, we run the race looking to the finish line. Now when it comes to loving our neighbor as ourselves, this puts a whole different spin on this word love. Here we have to look inward toward how we love ourselves. Yet again this word love cannot share with any other words. We only have to look at Corinthians 13 in order to discover the words it does not share with. But what about self-love? Who despises or hates themselves? Who is jealous or envious of themselves? Who is bitter or unforgiving of themselves? The list goes on. If we look inward as to how affectionate we are toward our own lives then we would understand how we are to love our neighbors. We overlook so much about ourselves and so then should we not overlook so much in our neighbor. We tolerate our mistakes and misbehavior, although we say we don’t. Should we not be tolerant of the mistakes and misbehavior of others? Isn’t that all wrapped up in love? Sure we are supposed to go to the one who offends us, in love. It is all about love. A word that should not be used casually, but with all due respect. 

Resurrection

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW

RESURRECTION

Matt 22:23-33

23 That same day the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to him with a question. 24 "Teacher," they said, "Moses told us that if a man dies without having children, his brother must marry the widow and have children for him. 25 Now there were seven brothers among us. The first one married and died, and since he had no children, he left his wife to his brother. 26 The same thing happened to the second and third brother, right on down to the seventh. 27 Finally, the woman died. 28 Now then, at the resurrection, whose wife will she be of the seven, since all of them were married to her?" 29 Jesus replied, "You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God. 30 At the resurrection people will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven. 31 But about the resurrection of the dead — have you not read what God said to you, 32'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'? He is not the God of the dead but of the living."  33 When the crowds heard this, they were astonished at his teaching.

NIV

It is interesting that those who do not believe in the resurrection should ask a question about what happens after the resurrection to this woman. Although it is true what they said about the law Moses gave them about brothers taking on the duty of husband to a childless widow, they were still asking about the afterlife which they did not believe in. Jesus has no problem telling them they are in error. Jesus also assures them there is a resurrection. He proves it to them with their own beliefs in serving the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. God did not tell them he was the God of them but that he is the God of those three patriarchs. He is still their God because they were resurrected to be in his presence. They are not in the grave as the Sadducees would believe. First of all, what value does life have if there is no resurrection? What is the purpose of life if there is no resurrection? If all life consists of is being born, growing up, accumulating as much as we can, grow old and die, leaving everything behind to lie in a grave and rot, then we would have to conclude life is worthless. It has no meaning whatsoever. It has no purpose. It serves no function, other than self-pleasures during the course of existence. Jesus promises there is a resurrection. We will be with God once we die. There is a singular purpose of life. It is to find, to re-establish our rightful relationship with God through faith in Jesus Christ. Although even those who refuse that singular purpose, who refuse to accept Jesus as the only way to the presence of God through faith, will also experience a resurrection. But theirs will be to be judged because they condemned themselves through disbelief. They will be judged and thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, the second death. Yet they will still not simply rot in the grave as the Sadducees would have to believe if they disbelief in the resurrection. Yet we will not be judged for any of our sin, for Christ already paid for them. We will be accepted into his presence based only because of our faith in Jesus. We will be there, not as family, but as children of God. There is the flaw of the church of the latter day saints. They have ceremonies sealing a married couple for all eternity. A direct opposite to the teaching of Jesus regarding how heaven will be for those who are married in this life. Yet surely we will be aware of all those we have known in this life who have accepted Jesus. Surely we will be able to rejoice with each other in the presence of our God. But we will be as the angels, singular male and female. All with the purpose of serving at the pleasure of God. Our joy will be complete.

1 Thess 2:18-20

 19 For what is our hope, our joy, or the crown in which we will glory in the presence of our Lord Jesus when he comes? Is it not you? 20 Indeed, you are our glory and joy.

NIV

We will indeed be aware of each other, and those who we helped to see Jesus will be there enjoying the joy of his presence. This will make us even more joyous knowing that God used us to help some to find their faith in Jesus so they too may be there with us. So then should we not live our lives based on knowing there is a resurrection? What does that life look like? We know it is not about the things of the world. We know it is not about how much we can store up. We know it has nothing to do with how many good things we do, or how few bad things we do. We know it is not about that list of do’s and don’ts. But what is it about then? Because there is a resurrection, then we need to be living a life of faith, trusting in Christ not just for salvation, but for our very lives, every aspect of our lives. By faith we are saved. By faith we shall live forever. By faith we will be in the resurrection of the saints. 

Pay Attention

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW

PAY ATTENTION

Matt 22:15-22

15 Then the Pharisees went out and laid plans to trap him in his words. 16 They sent their disciples to him along with the Herodians. "Teacher," they said, "we know you are a man of integrity and that you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. You aren't swayed by men, because you pay no attention to who they are. 17 Tell us then, what is your opinion? Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not?" 18 But Jesus, knowing their evil intent, said, "You hypocrites, why are you trying to trap me? 19 Show me the coin used for paying the tax." They brought him a denarius, 20 and he asked them, "Whose portrait is this? And whose inscription?"  21 "Caesar's," they replied. Then he said to them, "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's."  22 When they heard this, they were amazed. So they left him and went away.

NIV

We certainly have heard enough about giving onto God that which is God’s and give onto Caesar what is Caesar’s. The fact that we are the creation of God and a coin is a creation of the government should be plain enough for us to understand we should be giving ourselves to God. This would also mean we give the government what it is due. But the point Jesus was making was about man being God’s creation and we should give him that which he created. However there is something else which strikes a chord in this passage. When the disciples of the Pharisees along with the Herodians came to Jesus, their words might have been nothing more than platitudes in order to get him off guard to their real intent of trapping him. First the idea they told him he was a man of integrity and that he taught the way of God in accordance with the truth. The second thing they said was that he was not swayed by men because he did not pay attention to who they were. This is what we should take as a lesson for life. First we need to be people of integrity which is the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles. But along with that quality we should not be swayed by men. The reason they said Jesus was not swayed is because he did not pay attention to who they were. That should be something we should strive for as well. The fact is we do pay attention to who people are too much. We think because they have a degree in this or that they are someone who we should allow to sway the way we think about God, our relationship with God, and what the truth of God says about our life. Some people simply have what is referred to as silver tongues. They speak slick words which sound good, but may not be the whole truth or even the truth at all. We should not lift any person up as one to listen because of who they are. Jesus did not, nor should we. He gave the Spirit to all of us to lead all of us into all the truth. God does not show favoritism. He does not give one more truth than another. True, it seems some people have a great deal of knowledge. Some have studied far more than others. Some have educational training in various areas where others do not. Yet are we not all simply children of God? Are we not all going to receive the same reward, eternal life? So then let no person sway us off the course God has set before us. We might encounter all sorts of people, both believers and non-believers who attempt to sway our beliefs which have been imparted by the Spirit. Does that mean other believers are in error in their doctrine or beliefs? We cannot speak to that issue for we are not to judge. But what we can be certain is that we should not allow them to sway us off that path God has set before us. We should not be trapped by good sounding arguments either from the non-believer, nor the believer who differs in their understanding of the truth then we do. That would be being tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine.

Eph 4:14

14 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming.

NIV

This is being an infant who is dependent upon other people for everything. But we are to grow up and be connected to the Head, which is Christ.

Eph 4:15-16

15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ.

NIV

The head is which gives direction to the whole body. The hand does not direct the foot nor vice versa. The head gives all directions, therefore we pay no attention to the words of men, but only that which is the word of God. Do some have good insights into the word? Absolutely. Yet we are also admonished to test everything.

1 Thess 5:16-24

16 Be joyful always; 17 pray continually; 18 give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. 19 Do not put out the Spirit's fire; 20 do not treat prophecies with contempt. 21 Test everything . Hold on to the good. 22 Avoid every kind of evil. 23 May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it.

NIV

We are to be connected to Christ, the head of his body and all truth flows from him.  Therefore we test all that we hear from the mouths of men against that which flows from the mouth of God. To this we pay attention.

Wedding Clothes

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW

WEDDING CLOTHES

Matt 22:1-14

22:1 Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying: 2 "The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son. 3 He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come. 4 "Then he sent some more servants and said, 'Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner: My oxen and fattened cattle have been butchered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.' 5 "But they paid no attention and went off — one to his field, another to his business. 6 The rest seized his servants, mistreated them and killed them. 7 The king was enraged. He sent his army and destroyed those murderers and burned their city. 8 "Then he said to his servants, 'The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come. 9 Go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.' 10 So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, both good and bad, and the wedding hall was filled with guests. 11 "But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes. 12'Friend,' he asked, 'how did you get in here without wedding clothes?' The man was speechless. 13 "Then the king told the attendants, 'Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.' 14 "For many are invited, but few are chosen." 

NIV

Certainly we would have to belief the original guests were the Jewish people. The first servants sent out were the prophets proclaiming the coming Messiah. The second servants were the Apostles proclaiming the gospel. The other guests are the Gentiles whom we are included in. There is some reason to believe the army which burned their city was the Roman army that burned Jerusalem to the ground about forty years after these words of our Lord. We also have reason enough to believe the world, earth as we know it will be burned up and destroyed at some time in the future. The wedding feast or banquet could certainly mean the invitation to the grace and mercy of God, salvation. The Jews rejected the invitation and so he invited us. Although this parable is about the rejection by the Jews and the invitation to the Gentiles, there is even more regarding being ready for the wedding feast. It was the custom in those days for guests of the wedding feast to be given white robes to wear into the banquet area. To refuse such a garment would have been an affront to the father of the bridegroom. This makes us think of the marriage feast of the Lamb. We who overcome……

Rev 3:4-6

4 Yet you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes. They will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy. 5 He who overcomes will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels. 6 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

NIV

We will be dressed in white robes as we enter the wedding feast of the Son of God. We are the bride of Christ and as such we should be ready, we are the honored guests and need to accept the wedding clothes. This could well speak to the visible church today. It might be possible some in the church, hopefully not us, that have become so distracted by the ways of the world, we are not really ready for the banquet. We have too many ties to this world, too many accumulations of either things, or simply money that we have so much we want to do in life we are not ready to leave it all. There could be those who are members of the church, but are not worthy to enter the banquet because they are not willing to accept the wedding clothes. What does this look like? Is it possible we might just be going through the motions of being religious? Surely Christ died for the needed sacrifice, the ministers have invited us to partake in the Gospel. The Holy Spirit has worked with us to bring us to salvation. But is it possible we once accepted, but have been so distracted by the world that we have forsaken that pure faith in Christ, the pure belief in the gospel message and have begun to strive for holiness by our own efforts? Have we been deceived to believe any of our good deeds make us worthy to wear that white robe? The fact remains we are unworthy to wear the wedding garments. There is absolutely nothing we can do to earn the right to wear them. There is not a single reason other than the invitation which gives us the ability to wear them. It is only by the invitation of the Father to the wedding feast of his Son, that we are then clothed in our white robes and suitably dressed. We only need to accept the invitation and the wedding clothes, then we will rejoice with the Son. Those who either reject the invitation or refuse the wedding clothes will have their city, the world, burned up by the armies of God. So let us rejoice with the Son. Let us accept that invitation simply by coming to the wedding, allowing him to dress us in the white robe, the wedding clothes. 

Harvest time

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW

HARVEST TIME

Matt 21:33-46

33 "Listen to another parable: There was a landowner who planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a winepress in it and built a watchtower. Then he rented the vineyard to some farmers and went away on a journey. 34 When the harvest time approached, he sent his servants to the tenants to collect his fruit. 35 "The tenants seized his servants; they beat one, killed another, and stoned a third. 36 Then he sent other servants to them, more than the first time, and the tenants treated them the same way. 37 Last of all, he sent his son to them. 'They will respect my son,' he said. 38 "But when the tenants saw the son, they said to each other, 'This is the heir. Come, let's kill him and take his inheritance.' 39 So they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. 40 "Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?"  41 "He will bring those wretches to a wretched end," they replied, "and he will rent the vineyard to other tenants, who will give him his share of the crop at harvest time." 42 Jesus said to them, "Have you never read in the Scriptures: "'The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes'? 43 "Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit. 44 He who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces, but he on whom it falls will be crushed."  45 When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard Jesus' parables, they knew he was talking about them. 46 They looked for a way to arrest him, but they were afraid of the crowd because the people held that he was a prophet.

NIV

Again we need not examine the parable itself as we are in a hindsight position of knowing its meaning. However we can assert all the servants were the prophets who foretold about Jesus, and the servant who was more than the first time was John the Baptist whom was killed as well. We also know Jesus was speaking about his own death at the hands of the chief priests and elders. They knew he was speaking about them, even after they condemned their own future actions. But what about us? We are supposed to be the people the kingdom of God was given to. But that also implies that we are the ones who will produce its fruit, or at least are expected to produce its fruit. What is this fruit we should be producing? It would seem right to consider the fruit of the Spirit. Although that is a type of fruit which can be harvested, it may not be the fruit which Jesus is speaking about in this vineyard. Certainly the fruit of the Spirit is not intended to benefit the tree which it hangs on, as most fruit needs to be picked to enjoy its benefit, both of taste and nutrition. The fruit of the Spirit which we are to produce in our lives from being planted by the stream of living water, is for others to come along and pick and enjoy the taste as well as the nutritional value of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness and self-control. Yet the fruit of this vineyard is that which the Master, or Lord benefits from the harvest. That could only be a vineyard of souls. We are the renters of that vineyard in some sense. Are we only interesting in what the vineyard can produce for us, our inheritance? That should not be, but in fact we should be nourishing that which the Lord has planted. This could certainly mean as the Holy Spirit plants the need of repentance in a person and they are coming under His conviction, we should be ready to harvest that crop for the Lord. That means we cannot settle for the us four and no more attitude of just going to church with all the others "just going to church people". We need to be looking for the harvest, of working the vineyard for the harvest. The harvest is those who are going to be believers. The vineyard is not simply church, but it is the world. Yes he built a wall around it, yes he built a watchtower. The wall and the watchtower are the Holy Spirit. He both protects and looks over the vineyard, the world. He keeps Satan from coming in and destroying the vineyard. If the Holy Spirit was not present in this world, this vineyard, Satan would have unleased all his fury against the creation of God. His only authority is within the power given to him by God. He can do nothing unless God allows him. The Spirit is that wall and watchtower over the vineyard of God. In some sense we are the renters, as we do not own the vineyard, the world. It all belongs to the Lord. But we are to have it ready for his harvest. That would include our own hearts as well as however many hearts we can add partnering with the Spirit. This implies we need to be in the world working for the harvest.

Believing it all

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW

BELIEVING IT ALL

Matt 21:28-32

28 "What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, 'Son, go and work today in the vineyard.' 29 "'I will not,' he answered, but later he changed his mind and went. 30 "Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, 'I will, sir,' but he did not go. 31 "Which of the two did what his father wanted?" "The first," they answered. Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. 32 For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him.

NIV

We are still in this conversation between Jesus and the chief priests and the elders. They had just asked him by what authority he did what he did, and he answered them with a question they could not answer without revealing their hypocrisy. Now he gives them even more to consider with this parable. Of course we understand the point Jesus was making with this parable as he explains it in terms the chief priests and elders could see he was talking about them. What we have to deal with is finding if we are the first or the second son. The second son represents a person who but gives God lip service. This person might look good on the outside, but is not so good on the inside. This person makes it seem like they are doing all the right things, but it is but a show. “Yes, I will”, but does not, they continue to live the way they think is the right way to live. “I will serve you, Lord”, but then does it in the way they want to serve. Yet they are still a son, still a believer, just not doing what the Father wants. The first son represents that person who might not want to either stop a certain way of thinking or behavior or start to think another way and change a behavior. This person might struggle and attempt to weasel out of this change, but ultimately gives in the prompting of the Spirit. It is not easy to change the way we think. It is not easy to give in to a new way of doing something either. It is not easy to get involved in an area we have no experience with or simply do not enjoy. But this person after considering the situation, knowing God desires the best for them, submits to the leading of the Spirit and makes those needed changes. This is want Jesus was telling them why they were the second son and tax collector and prostitutes would be ahead of them to get into the kingdom of God. They appear to be religious, “Yes I will go”, but they are not going, they did not believe, they did not believe John the Baptist like the tax collectors and prostitutes did. This also brings to mind how much do we believe. Although it is true all believers believe otherwise they would not be believers, but how much we all believe is the question. We may all believe in Jesus for our salvation, but what about all the other scriptures?  How much of the rest of scripture do we accept, even after a little stubbornness? How much do we say, sure we are a believer, but then not believe or refuse to believe some of the truth in other scriptures. There are so many examples of how they could apply to our lives, it is scary. The point is that we might be a little stubborn in making the change, but we make it. It is far better to be like that, then to profess how much we have changed, but then not really changed. Being religious simply does not get it. This is about believing, believing all of the truths of God. 

Authority

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW

AUTHORITY

Matt 21:23-27

23 Jesus entered the temple courts, and, while he was teaching, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him. "By what authority are you doing these things?" they asked. "And who gave you this authority?" 24 Jesus replied, "I will also ask you one question. If you answer me, I will tell you by what authority I am doing these things. 25 John's baptism — where did it come from? Was it from heaven, or from men?" They discussed it among themselves and said, "If we say, 'From heaven,' he will ask, 'Then why didn't you believe him?' 26 But if we say, 'From men'-we are afraid of the people, for they all hold that John was a prophet." 27 So they answered Jesus, "We don't know." Then he said, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things. 

NIV

Jesus is going to continue this discussion with the chief priests and the elders by giving them a couple of parables to ponder on. But first he gives them a rebuttal to their question. We would have to conclude they really did not want to know by what authority he was doing what he did but rather were attempting to trap him into saying something they could charge him with blasphemy. Jesus certainly could have told them all he did was by his own authority.

Matt 28:18

18 Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.

NIV

But they would not have believed him, as well as that would have given them a reason to charge him with what they considered blasphemy. So he puts them on the spot with a question. The following discussion among themselves is self-explanatory and needs no notation. They simply could not decide how to answer so they answered that they did not know. Although this is another example of the divine nature of Jesus, having full knowledge of their agenda and being able to counter it so skillfully, it might serve to give us a method of rebuttal on some unbelievers when they try to trap us by some out of context truth of scripture to prove their case for not believing. It might also be helpful in our discussion with others who profess to believe, however have a misguided understanding of scripture. Instead of simply spouting off a whole bunch of scripture to prove our beliefs, we might simply ask them how to they deal with this truth or scripture. Let them bring the answer. If it confronts them such as the chief priests and elders were, then they have to ponder and realize then cannot answer unless they reveal they own misconceptions. But we need also be to aware we may well be the one with the misconceptions and need to ponder a question posed to us. Certainly that type of question would not come from an unbeliever, however perhaps another believer might cause us to ponder our thoughts by a stimulating question that requires a definitive answer. Nevertheless, even if we might find a lesson in the question rather than a statement idea, we are still given enough information here to once again be assured of the totally divine all-knowing God in the flesh. If nothing else this should strengthen our faith in Jesus being the Son of God, God in the flesh. The one with all the authority in heaven and on earth. That should again give us reason to submit to his authority in our lives. His authority means we do not have any authority over our own lives. Sometimes, being “I” centered we mistakenly think all his authority is there to meet our needs, to either heal or bless us in some material way. We consider those words, “ask anything” and we become inward in our thinking. But his authority is over our lives, so then we should be asking what we can do for him, for his kingdom, rather then what can he do for us. It is about his authority. Do we, like those chief priests and elders ever question his authority in our lives? Could every time we do what we want to do because we want to do it, be questioning his authority? Could every time we make a decision without seeking his counsel be challenging his authority? Could it be that when we disregard some aspect of the scripture because it disagrees with our way of thinking, it is questioning his authority? Is not all scripture, not some, profitable for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness? Then we need to recognize his authority in every aspect of our lives.

Connected

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW

CONNECTED

Matt 21:18-22

18 Early in the morning, as he was on his way back to the city, he was hungry. 19 Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. Then he said to it, "May you never bear fruit again!" Immediately the tree withered. 20 When the disciples saw this, they were amazed. "How did the fig tree wither so quickly?" they asked. 21 Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and it will be done. 22 If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer." 

NIV

This might be the time when consulting our scholars could bring some clarity to the case of the fig tree and its season of fruit. Was it supposed to have fruit at the time the Lord passed by it? Was it the season of fruit gathering? Why, if it was the right time of the year for this tree to bear fruit, why was it barren of fruit? Why would Jesus curse it because it had no fruit for him to eat? Upon some research we do find it was in fact time this tree should have at least its first fruits. It seems certain types of fig trees are much like the magnolia bush. They bear fruit first, then leaves come out, then later they bear more fruit. Nevertheless because it did not bear fruit, Jesus declared it would never bear fruit again and it withered right there on the spot. What was the lesson he was demonstrating to his disciples and us? We certainly have to travel to our favorite passage to see the lesson here.

Ps 1:1-3

Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. 2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. 3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.

NIV

We have to notice the concept of this tree bearing fruit as a result of being planted by the streams of water and also that its leaves do not wither. We would have to include the whole of  a book on this Psalm to explore all this to the fullest extent. But the idea Jesus was conveying in the case of the fig tree has much the same meaning as this idea in this Psalm. He could have been referring only to the state of the Jewish people. Seeming to be religious, but because they are not bearing any the fruit produced by God in their lives, they will in fact wither, or be without the grace of God. Yet this also applies to our lives today. We cannot just seem religious, doing the church thing. We cannot simply profess we are Christians but then not bear any fruit. It is evident that we need to be deeply connected to Jesus in order to bear fruit. We have to have our roots deeply implanted into the stream of living water, which is Jesus and that we also know is the word. If we are consulting with the world’s system of living, if we are living in the same manner as the world, if we are simply giving God lip service, then we are not going to bear fruit and we are in fact going to wither away and not experience the grace of God, the divine influence upon our heart, and how that is reflected in our lives. Due to that kind of withering we will be fruitless, or we could say because we are fruitless we will experience that type of withering. This goes back to Jesus being the vine and we are the branches. We cannot do anything apart from him. If we are not connected to Jesus we cannot bear fruit and if we cannot bear fruit we wither. Trying to live our lives without being completely rooted in Christ, is fruitless. When his disciples remarked about this tree withering he tells them they can do more. This idea of moving mountains has been misused by some groups of believers. The idea here is not that we can be earth movers simply by saying so. The mountains are references to those things which become large obstacles in our lives. We have heard that idiom about making a mountain out of a mole hill. Here Jesus is saying we can make a mole hill out of a mountain, if we live our life believing and trusting in him. Our faith in Jesus should bring his peace and contentment in the face of any difficulty we encounter in life. Our faith in Jesus should bring the fruit in our lives. When we bear love, joy, peace, patience, or endurance, kindness, goodness, gentleness and self-control, those mountains become mole hills and we simply walk right over them, moving them out of our way. But doubt destroys faith, lack of faith results in being without fruit, lack of fruit results in withering. Doubt leads to the road to destruction, but faith leads to the road to paradise. Should we not desire to be the tree which bears much fruit? We cannot be content simply being a church attender, but we desire to live life to the fullest extent God desires for us. We desire to trust him, not just for salvation, but for every aspect of our lives, so that we plant our roots deep within his word, Jesus, and draw our nourishment from him, thus bearing much fruit and flourishing rather than withering. Whenever any difficulty presents itself, move mountain, we are coming through, we are overcoming because we are connected to Jesus. 

More Praise

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW

MORE PRAISE

Matt 21:14-17

14 The blind and the lame came to him at the temple, and he healed them. 15 But when the chief priests and the teachers of the law saw the wonderful things he did and the children shouting in the temple area, "Hosanna to the Son of David," they were indignant. 16 "Do you hear what these children are saying?" they asked him. "Yes," replied Jesus, "have you never read, "'From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise'?"  17 And he left them and went out of the city to Bethany, where he spent the night.

NIV

Although it seems there is nothing unusual about Jesus healing the blind and the lame, this time he is doing it in the temple, in the presence of the chief priests and the teachers of the law. Sure they may have seen him do these things in the various towns they came to spy on him, but this time he is openly healing in their home turf, right in the temple. We are told as the children were singing praises about Jesus, the chief priests and teachers of the law became indignant. Even though Jesus can and did heal people everywhere he went, what better place for him to heal people then in the house of God? But because he was receiving praise from the children, those who thought themselves to be the ordained keepers of the temple could not tolerate such goings on in the house of God. How could someone other than them be getting praise? How those children could be calling him the Son of David?  They certainly would be aware of the prophecy of Isaiah:

Isa 9:6-7

6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David's throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this.

NIV

Why wouldn’t they become indignant? If the children are praising him as the Son of David then this would be the one who would take control of the government and he would be sitting on the throne of Israel. Their power and influence over the people would be smashed. They ask him if he hears what the children are saying and he answers them by quoting a psalm. 

Ps 8:1-2

O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens. 2 From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise because of your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger.

NIV

Again, Jesus does not quote the whole of it, yet being a psalm, or a song the rest of the words would be in their minds. Much like the songs of today, when we hear one line or stanza we think of the whole song, and perhaps recall or even sing it in our minds. Here the chief priests and teachers of the law had to come to terms with the idea that his name was majestic in all the earth. They had to deal with the idea that God set him as glorious about the heavens. That it was God who ordained these children to sing the praises of Jesus and they were his enemies and these children were going to silence them. We too should be singing the praises of Jesus, the Son of David for he has indeed been ordained as the King of kings, his government will last forever and his kingdom will last forever and ever. Because we are considered to be children of God, because we have been given the right to be called children of God, then we should be the ones who are singing the praises, Hosanna in the highest, Hosanna to the Son of David. Surely we do this when we are in church with the rest of the believers, but do we praise Jesus in the public arena? Is his praise on our lips for all he does for us, in us and through us? Do we accept the praise of men for a job well done? Should we not direct that praise to Jesus? Do we accept praise from men for our accomplishments, our skills, our educational level, or knowledge of the scriptures? Should we not be directing that praise to Jesus? It is so easy to become “I” centered. We even teach our children to pray “I” centered. Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep, if I should die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take. Eight times either I or my in such a short little prayer. We carry that I thing into our adult lives. I did this or I did that. Most everything is about what we have or have done in our lives. But if we are believers and children of God, then should we not give Jesus all the praise, honor and glory for all we are, all we have and all we do?

John 15:5-8

5 "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing . 6 If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. 8 This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

NIV

Apart from Jesus, we can do nothing. Yes, within the context he is talking about bearing fruit, yet that fruit is a gift of the Spirit, or rather a result of the Spirit dwelling within us. So in that sense we cannot bear the fruit of the Spirit without the Spirit or Jesus. But can we do anything without the power of God in our lives? It seems humankind who does not believe in God does some pretty great things. Humans have accomplished much in many areas of life, yet are not they too creations of God? The difference is they want the credit. But should we live in that same manner they do? Should we live as if we are the greatest ever to come along? Should we, as believers, live as though it is our abilities, our skills, our education, our drive and determination which has brought us all we are, all we have and all we do? We cannot help but to think we need to be giving Jesus more praise more of the time. 

Entering the temple

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW

ENTERING THE TEMPLE

Matt 21:12-13

12 Jesus entered the temple area and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. 13 "It is written," he said to them, "'My house will be called a house of prayer,' but you are making it a 'den of robbers.'" 

NIV

This is a well-known event of Jesus driving out all these people from the temple area. It was not they were actually robbers or thieves, but mere business men making a profit from those who traveled great distances to offer sacrifice for sin. As the law demanded certain types of animals for certain sins, it was not always possible for the Jew who lived hundreds of miles from Jerusalem to bring with them thier needed type of sacrifice. So business men took advantage of their need and offered these sacrifice animals at a price. It might be true they may have charged over the fair market price, but that did not make them either a robber or a thief, but merely a shrewd businessman, charging what the market will bear, a practice not uncommon today. Jesus actually quotes two prophets in this one statement.

Isa 56:4-8

4 For this is what the LORD says: "To the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths, who choose what pleases me and hold fast to my covenant —  5 to them I will give within my temple and its walls a memorial and a name better than sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting name that will not be cut off. 6 And foreigners who bind themselves to the LORD to serve him, to love the name of the LORD, and to worship him, all who keep the Sabbath without desecrating it and who hold fast to my covenant —  7 these I will bring to my holy mountain and give them joy in my house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for my house will be called a house of prayer for all nations." 8 The Sovereign LORD declares —

NIV

Jer 7:9-11

9 "'Will you steal and murder, commit adultery and perjury, burn incense to Baal and follow other gods you have not known, 10 and then come and stand before me in this house, which bears my Name, and say, "We are safe" — safe to do all these detestable things? 11 Has this house, which bears my Name, become a den of robbers to you? But I have been watching! declares the LORD.

NIV

The temple was not supposed to be anything but the temple of God, a place of prayer and worship. Would it have been alright with Jesus if those merchants conducted their business outside of the temple area, in the streets of the city? Maybe there is more going on here than just the fact of doing business in the temple. Because Jesus quotes these two prophets there may well be some truth from the words of the prophets. What does it mean to bind ourselves to the Lord, to serve him? What does it mean to love the name of the Lord, and to worship him? What does it mean to keep the Sabbath without desecrating it? What does it mean to hold fast to his covenant? All these things God will bring to his holy mountain and give joy in his house of prayer. Is this just Old Testament truths under the old covenant? Jesus, the new covenant quotes these words and so he brings them into the new covenant as well. Secondly, those who do not steal and murder, or commit adultery and perjury are not robbers. But those who do are. Those who burn incense to Baal and follow other gods and then come to the Temple and declare they are safe are really the robbers. How does all this apply to us today? Do we merely give God lip service? Do we say we have bound ourselves to him, but in reality we are bound more to this life and its pleasures? Do we say we love the name of Jesus, but reality we try harder to make a name for ourselves? Do we talk about keeping the Sabbath holy, but in reality we really do not separate it much from any other day, other than it is church day? Do we really hold fast to the covenant Jesus made with us? He does. Do we truly find joy in prayer or do we simply consider it like a duty, or obligation? Maybe we simply use it to list our needs or wants but pay little to no attention to what the Lord has to say to us. Have we become robbers? Do we have other gods, but claim our gift of eternal life in God? What other gods could we worship? The god of greed, lust, self-interest, self-pleasure. The god of success, or prosperity. The god of education or knowledge. The god of money, or accumulation. The god of more.  There are so many gods we could get involved with it staggers the mind. Yet we come to church and claim or declare our love for God. Have we even turned our church into a business? Do we restrict our ministries to the world based on what is in the treasury? Would it not be better to simply trust God will provide that which he calls us to do? Maybe we even do that in our personal lives. Do we conduct our lives more like a business then a house of prayer or the temple of God? Interestingly Jesus will drive all that out from our lives. He will turn over those tables we have set up. He will chase out anything that will cause his temple from being anything other than what he intends it to be. But we must be willing to give him access to all the temple area. Here we see what Jesus will do when he enters the temple. 

The King

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW

 THE KING

Matt 21:6-11

6 The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. 7 They brought the donkey and the colt, placed their cloaks on them, and Jesus sat on them. 8 A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted, "Hosanna to the Son of David!" "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!" "Hosanna in the highest!" 10 When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, "Who is this?" 11 The crowds answered, "This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee."

NIV

How could Jesus sit on both the donkey and its colt at the same time? The Greek is unclear in making that type of assertion. Although all the translations include the word him or he as sitting upon them, that phrase or word is not actually in the Greek text. Some scholars conjecture the donkey to represent the Jews while the colt represents the gentiles which would indicate Jesus is taking Lordship over both. Although this might seem possible, it may well be as far-fetched as Jesus riding on two animals at once. The response of the people with their palms or branches of trees, was a typical action taken to acknowledge a newly named king.

2 Kings 9:12-13

Jehu said, "Here is what he told me: 'This is what the LORD says: I anoint you king over Israel.'" 13 They hurried and took their cloaks and spread them under him on the bare steps. Then they blew the trumpet and shouted, "Jehu is king!"

NIV

We are not sure the people knew Jesus was the Son of God, but rather a great prophet in the line of David who was coming to set up his kingdom in the name of the Lord. They were tired of the hard handed control of both Herod and the Sanhedrin. Jesus was their salvation, even though they thought in the physical it was meant as the spiritual, which in hindsight we know, but at the time, the people did not have that kind of foresight. The reason we celebrate Jesus is he comes to set up his kingdom in our hearts and minds. But we celebrate him as a risen Savior, not as Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.  We might even wave palm branches on Easter Sunday. Yet why do we do that? Is it to mimic the actions of those people lining the path Jesus took to enter Jerusalem? If that is the case, then perhaps we have the wrong motives. They were not heralding the Son of God coming to be the sacrifice for their sins, but we are heralding the risen Savior who comes to establish his kingdom in our hearts. If he is our king then he should be our sovereign king. So then how can we serve our “self”and serve our king? Yet do we not try to do so all too often? We live so much of wanting to do what we want to do when we want to do it. It is that age old war that wages within us. We say we do what we do not want to do, but in reality it seems we actually do want to do it, otherwise we would not do it. The things we should do we do not do, but yet maybe that is because we truly do not want to do them, being self-serving rather the Jesus serving. So then let us acknowledge our king, the King of kings. 

Humble

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW

HUMBLE

Matt 21:1-5

21:1 As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, 2 saying to them, "Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. 3 If anyone says anything to you, tell him that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away."  4 This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet: 5 "Say to the Daughter of Zion, 'See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.'"  

NIV

This is the beginning of what has been called the triumphant entrance of Jesus into Jerusalem. Although he ultimately was triumphant over death in this city, his entrance into it was not in the manner of a triumphant war winning king. Horses were not used as beast of burden but rather as war horses. Most of the Old Testament references to horses is in conjunction with chariots or other uses for the purpose of war. If a king won the battle over a city, he would ride in as a conquering king upon his horse. A king riding upon a donkey into a city was only done if he road in for a mission of peace. This is the reason Jesus did not want a horse, but rather the colt of a donkey. Both Mark and Luke mention he rode on the colt of a donkey. But in the concerned manner Jesus has for all creation, he would not separate a colt from its mother, so he has his disciples bring both of them to him. Yet here he is riding in all humility into the city upon the colt of a donkey. Of course this fulfilled what was said about him, which also confirms he is the all-powerful, all knowing Christ. Giving his disciples the precise circumstances in which they would find and be able to take this donkey and her colt also proves his divine all-knowing power, which only God has. Yet he humbles himself to ride upon a colt of a donkey to submit himself to the brutal hands of the very men he came to save. In him there was no pride. He was the consummate servant, the most obedient Son of God. This should serve as the most important lesson for our life. It would seem pride is one of the most difficult things to shake. It is especially difficult when other people might lift us up in some way or another. When we give encouragement it might be misunderstood as praise which leads to pride. Then again there are times when people do actually praise each other for either their accomplishments or their positions or possessions. Sometimes praise is given for intellectual prowess or number of degrees earned. It is easier to have pride then have humility. We might even contain a certain degree of pride regarding how much scripture we have read, or can quote including chapter and verse, or how much time we spend in prayer and meditation. Yet Jesus continually shows us true humility as the way of life. If we love each other, if we love our neighbor as ourselves, if we are to love our enemies, then we would desire most of all to serve them. Jesus said he did not come to be served but to serve. Should we think any other way? It seems so much easier to talk about ourselves then allow others to talk about themselves. That might well be due to a certain amount of self-centeredness which is indeed a prideful moment. When we want credit it is not humility. There is so much to consider when it comes to being humble rather than prideful. Let us be more aware of being as humble as Jesus. 

Sight

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW

SIGHT

Matt 20:29-34

29 As Jesus and his disciples were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed him. 30 Two blind men were sitting by the roadside, and when they heard that Jesus was going by, they shouted, "Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!" 31 The crowd rebuked them and told them to be quiet, but they shouted all the louder, "Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!" 32 Jesus stopped and called them. "What do you want me to do for you?" he asked. 33 "Lord," they answered, "we want our sight." 34 Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes. Immediately they received their sight and followed him.

NIV

“Once I was blind, but know I can see”.  A famous line from that well sung song, “Amazing Grace”. This is the story in this narrative. Again it is interesting that Jesus asks them what he can do for them. Knowing he is Jesus, divine in nature, although at this time he is also fully man, he surely already knew what their request was going to be. Yet he asks them so they can verbalize their need. When they do, he shows them the compassion he is so filled with for those in need. Although this is a narrative about physical sight being given to the blind, we can also apply this to our spiritual sight. Just as the writer of those lines, we were once blind spiritually, but now we can see. All the truths of scripture were unseen by us for so many years, but once we accepted Jesus into our hearts and minds he sent the Holy Spirit to dwell within us and lead us into all truth. God does not intent to hide the truth from us, he gives us sight. But it also might be that we need to ask for him to give us our spiritual sight. It might be possible for a believer to still be unable to see all the truth of God, if they do not seek it from him. Sometimes we explain away that which we cannot see as a mystery, which is not intended for us to know. But then we would have to say that the Holy Spirit leads us into some truth, not all truth. But the words of Jesus ring loud and clear.

John 16:13-15

13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth . He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. 14 He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you. 15 All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will take from what is mine and make it known to you.

NIV

He will make it known to us. All that is of Jesus is of God and the Spirit will make it all known to us. If the words of Jesus are true, which we absolutely know are, then there should be absolutely no mysteries left. In addition the Spirit brings gifts with him. If he is dwelling within us, which again we are assured he is, then his gifts are within us as well. How could he keep his gifts from us when he brings them with to dwell within us? These gifts include the word of knowledge and the word of wisdom as well as the gift of discernment. Once we were blind, but know we can see, if only we ask for it. The gifts may well be, like any gift we give, wrapped up, but when we ask for them, when we ask to see, the Spirit unwraps them for us and gives freely all the truth there is. 

Service

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW

SERVICE

Matt 20:17-28

17 Now as Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside and said to them, 18 "We are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death 19 and will turn him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified. On the third day he will be raised to life!"  20 Then the mother of Zebedee's sons came to Jesus with her sons and, kneeling down, asked a favor of him. 21 "What is it you want?" he asked. She said, "Grant that one of these two sons of mine may sit at your right and the other at your left in your kingdom." 22 "You don't know what you are asking," Jesus said to them. "Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?" "We can," they answered. 23 Jesus said to them, "You will indeed drink from my cup, but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared by my Father."  24 When the ten heard about this, they were indignant with the two brothers. 25 Jesus called them together and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. 26 Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— 28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." 

NIV

There is a whole lot of truths contained within this narrative, but the whole of it has to be kept together as it happens all at the same time. As Jesus is foretelling the events that are going to happen to him within the next few days the mother of James and John comes and kneels down before him. We are told she asked him a favor. Because of the response of Jesus we have to conclude she simply asked if she could ask him a favor. His response is classic Jesus, “What is it you want?” before we delve into her request and how he dealt with it, we should first ponder on his words. From many of the past interactions with people we can conclude that Jesus, being divine, knows the heart of people before they verbalize. We see this with his conversation with Nicodemus as one example. So he most likely knew what she was going to ask him, but he wanted her to verbalize her request so that others around would hear it and then his response. How does this apply to our lives? First we need to know that Jesus is still asking us, “What is it you want?” This is his heart. We have already heard him tell us that he will give us whatever we ask.

John 14:12-14

12 I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. 13 And I will do whatever you ask in my name , so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. 14 You may ask me for anything in my name , and I will do it.

NIV

He still will do this for each of us, but we must ask, we must verbalize our request. Now here comes a rub, perhaps. So often we ask our requests in our private prayer closets so that no one else knows what we are asking for. If we do not get an answer or not get our request, no one knows and our faith is not in question. But if we make our request in the presence of others, then everyone would know if we get the answer of not. But at the same time he tells us that if two us agree,

Matt 18:19-20

19 "Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them." 

NIV

It may not have been that anyone else was agreeing with the mother of the sons of Zebedee. If fact they were even put out a bit of her request that her two sons could sit in his right and left. Yet the point here is that as we have faith in Christ, we might well ask him for our needs in the presence of at least one who would agree with us. Now as far as her request, it was not according to the will of the Father. We know everything needs to be according to the will of the Father. The whole of this truth he speaks is based on the sovereignty of God. He tells he that decision is not his to make, it is the Fathers. Although they will indeed be crucified as he was, drinking the same cup, the position in the kingdom of God is only up to the Father. This too is the central theme of our walk with the Lord. It is not up to Jesus or us to as to where we are in the kingdom of God. Although she was thinking in the natural as many were, that he was going to overthrow the existing rulers and establish an earthly kingdom, he was speaking of the eternal kingdom of God. We too are not in a position to claim any particular position in the eternal kingdom of God. We cannot say that any amount of good deeds get us a better spot, or bigger crown, or more jewels in crown. We cannot claim any other position than being in his presence, in some place that Jesus has prepared for us. This also applies to our life here. We cannot make a case that we deserve any particular position in the body of Christ. It is up to the Father as to where we fit into his plan for our lives. The one thing we can be sure of is that no matter what position in the body that we fit into, we are still to serve each other. We still are to live a life of service. 

Hired

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW

HIRED

Matt 19:30-20:16

30 But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first.

Matthew 20

20:1 "For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire men to work in his vineyard. 2 He agreed to pay them a denarius for the day and sent them into his vineyard. 3 "About the third hour he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing. 4 He told them, 'You also go and work in my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.' 5 So they went. "He went out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour and did the same thing. 6 About the eleventh hour he went out and found still others standing around. He asked them, 'Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?' 7 "'Because no one has hired us,' they answered. "He said to them, 'You also go and work in my vineyard.' 8 "When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, 'Call the workers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last ones hired and going on to the first.' 9 "The workers who were hired about the eleventh hour came and each received a denarius. 10 So when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more. But each one of them also received a denarius. 11 When they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner. 12'These men who were hired last worked only one hour,' they said, 'and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day.' 13 "But he answered one of them, 'Friend, I am not being unfair to you. Didn't you agree to work for a denarius? 14 Take your pay and go. I want to give the man who was hired last the same as I gave you. 15 Don't I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?' 6 "So the last will be first, and the first will be last." 

NIV

We have to note that the last verse of chapter 19 really is the introduction to this parable on how the kingdom of heaven is like, as he also concludes with the same thought as he begins, “ So first will be last and the last will be first.” The whole idea of this parable is in the larger scheme of things, in the kingdom of heaven, God has the final say about everything. What business it is of ours if he decides to call one person to be a famous preacher, such as Billy Graham, and he calls us to clean the toilets at church? If course that is not really suggested in this parable. The seems to deal more with the idea that no matter how many years we have been saved our reward will be the same as someone who gets saved the day of their death. But the idea is the same. The fact remains it is all about our personal relationship with the Lord. We are not to concern ourselves with the relationship of someone else with the Lord. Well, that is not exactly true either in the sense we are admonished to love each other, go to a brother who is has sinned against us, winning him back, as well as to encourage, or exhort one another and a host of other interactions. But the fact is each of us is accountable to our Lord for our own thoughts and deeds. Each one of us has that one on one personal relationship with our Lord. He has called each of us, first of all to himself, then to a particular place in his body. We are each one a living stone being built into the temple of our God. We cannot be the stone or the part of the body he has called another to be. Yet in light of the main thrust of this parable we should note that God can and will indeed give the same reward to each one of us no matter how long we have been a believer. Those who worked in the field all day expected to be paid more than those he hired later. This serves to show us it is not about our works or the amount of works we do or for how many years we are engaged in those works. We might serve the Lord diligently for thirty or forty years, but the person who gets saved in their last day of their life will receive just the same amount of reward we will. God does not show favoritism. We might get a little bent out of shape about this, thinking there are crowns and some having more jewels then others when we get to heaven based on how many good deeds we did. But that is so wrong on so many levels and this parable is one of the proofs. As far as we can tell there simply is no mention of jewels in crowns in the bible. There are several times the scriptures talk about a crown, such as the crown of life, or the crown of righteousness. But nowhere is there a mention that someone will receive a crown that has more jewels in it then someone else based on the number of years or amount of works, good deeds that we do here in this life. There is also a lot of misguided theology about being judged and rewarded for the good and the bad deeds we did in this life. That would be like the Albert Brooks movie, 'Defending your Life', having to watch a video of everything we ever did, good and bad. Then getting the appropriate reward based on how we conduced ourselves. This is so wrong on so many levels. If Jesus died on the cross for our sins, past, present and future then he took them all into account on that cross and we will not be judged for our sin, bad deeds. If we are, then the cross meant nothing. The good and bad deeds mentioned in scripture is accepting Jesus is the good deed, and rejecting Jesus is the bad deed. Those who make that agreement to be workers in his field, accepting Jesus, will receive their reward, eternal life, whether they have been working in the field for years, or days. We will all receive the same reward. The fact is no jealously exists in heaven. We should therefore not be jealous of anyone in his life. It matters not who does what in service to the Lord, we all are called to do something. The Lord hired workers in his field. We are all called to do something, which also means we cannot simply get saved and sit and soak in church all our life. The master of the field hired workers to harvest the field, not to sit around and discuss how to do it. So we are to labor for the Lord, each according to what each is called to do. The Spirit is our guide, he will show each of us what we are to do in service to our Lord. We do all this because we love him. The reward is based on being hired to be one of his workers. The reward is based on being hired in the first place. 

His sake

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW

HIS SAKE

Matt 19:25-30

25 When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, "Who then can be saved?" 26 Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."  27 Peter answered him, "We have left everything to follow you! What then will there be for us?" 28 Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29 And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life. 30 But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first.

NIV

Jesus had just stated how hard it was for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God and compared this to a camel and the eye of the needle gate. It does seem a little strange that his disciples were concerned about how hard it was for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven, as they were most likely not rich. Although it is not so much about riches or wealth but more about putting more value on material things then on God. Jesus tells them that we cannot by ourselves give up placing some amount of value on things, but with the help of God, with the divine influence of the Holy Spirit upon our heart we can live in that kind of manner. Although we have much only because God has given it to us, as we seek first his kingdom and his righteousness. That all sounds good, but we still struggle with having stuff. We still like the things of this world. We still want to have this or that. We enjoy good food, good clothes, a nice home, cars and toys of all sorts. Peter tells Jesus they have left everything to follow him. He then asked Jesus what will be for them. Our scholars would want us to consider that statement of Jesus as figurative. This would mean that he is not actually going to sit on a throne and the twelve will not have twelve thrones. It would also mean that all the rest are really not going to receive a hundred times as much. It is difficult to determine if his statement is literal or figurative. Yet the whole of the idea is that because we so in fact forsake this life in the world, living to please only ourselves, God will ensure that we have that which we need to live, not only here, but in the kingdom of God for all eternity. But this is the rub in some sense. We cannot follow Jesus for the results of having things. There are some who preach this type of theology. Accept Jesus because he wants us to live the good life. Accept Jesus and he will make us wealthy, he will bless us beyond our wildest dreams. Ask anything in his name and he will give it to us. Ask for a bigger house, a newer fancier car, more toys, more of everything, more money, more and more. But that is not what Jesus was talking about. Giving up this life, leaving everything behind seems a little extreme. Leaving family to follow Jesus seems really extreme. Would that mean a missionary should not take they family with them in the country they have been called to? Would that mean we have to leave a spouse that has not yet accepted Jesus? Would that mean we have to leave our field, our jobs to become a follower of Jesus? Would we have to become homeless and nomadic to follow him? That seems bizarre and thus it would be more appropriate to consider how we live a life of following Jesus while living in this world. It could be that neither of the two ways, following him for all the things he can give us, nor literally giving up everything to follow him is the correct way to look at his words. Certainly we need to live wherever Jesus has called us to live. In the world view of Christianity many believers do not live in the same manner as we in America do. Many believers live in what we would consider a third world country, not having all the material goods available as we do. Some live under oppressive governments, some under threat of death for their beliefs. But we sit in our comfortable homes, drive our cars to work, shop and church, having a closet full of clothes so we do not wear the same outfit day after day. Are we the normal? Are those others the normal? Does following Jesus mean different things in different settings? What it seems to mean is that we need not place too much, if any value on the things of this world, whatever that is. In all reality we are all going to leave everything behind at that moment we take our last breathe. So then why do we struggle to accumulate so much of it? It still comes down to following Jesus. What he does in our lives is up to him. If he blesses us with peace and contentment in knowing we will gain eternal life that should be enough. If he blesses us with the material things we need to live wherever he has placed us, then that should be enough. It is the wants, the desires, the temptations to have more and more, to look for security in the material rather than in God, that get us messed up. We cannot separate the material and the spiritual either. Jesus makes it clear that we need to put all aside for him. We cannot serve two masters. We cannot live a material life aside from our life in Christ. We cannot just add Jesus to our existing material way of living. We have to simply put Jesus first. Whatever happens as a result of that is enough. Our lives should be about his sake.