Ready, Willing, and Able

 DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MATTHEW

READY, WILLING, AND ABLE

Matt 26:42-46

42 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."  43 When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. 44 So he left them and went away once more and prayed the third time, saying the same thing. 45 Then he returned to the disciples and said to them, "Are you still sleeping and resting? Look, the hour is near, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 46 Rise, let us go! Here comes my betrayer!" 

NIV

It is interesting that Jesus is not praying that the cup is taken from him, as he did before. Now he is praying that as long as he must drink, may he do it as in accordance with the will of his Father. Jesus has resigned himself to drink from this cup, to go to the cross through all the pain and suffering, as well as the humiliation, he must face before and on the cross. Although we could make a case that Jesus prayed three times and that we could make some formula from that, believing we need to pray three times before hearing an answer from God, prayer is not always about asking, as we can see in this second and most likely the third prayer of Jesus. Yes, he was asking that the will of His Father would be done, but we know that it is already the case and God is always about having his will done. Although he does give us the choice to either submit to his will or refuse it and suffer the consequences. Jesus demonstrated the desire to do the will of His Father, and that was his prayer. After the first time of asking if it were possible, not he asked because it is not possible, he will drink it because that is the will of the Father. This was a prayer of affirmation, of agreement with the Father. Lord, we agree with your will, and we will do that which you have willed for us within this life which you have given to us and have the right to ask anything of us, up to and including laying our life down for another. Perhaps this is not laying down our lives as Jesus did for us, in the physical sense, but we can do that in a spiritual sense, that is putting the needs of others before our needs. This can more clearly be seen in the realm of time, giving of our time for the benefit of others. In addition, we can also see how Peter, James, and John, failed to put the needs of Jesus before their need for sleep. It is amazing that just after the experience of the Passover meal and all that Jesus said, and all the excitement as well as some stress regarding one of them being a betrayer, they fell asleep over and over again. We would have thought they would have been too excited to sleep, one with being singled out from the rest to go further and pray with Jesus, and two, to be there watching Jesus spend time with the Father in prayer. Sometimes our words can be difficult when we pray, but we have to believe Jesus prayed with just the right words, at the right time, in the right way, with the right attitude. And now comes the time for the betrayer and Jesus is well aware it is time. He knows what is ahead and is ready, willing, and able because he had been with the Father in prayer. This should give us good reason to be in prayer with our Father in Heaven, so we too will be ready, willing, and able to accomplish his will. 

keep Watch

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MATTHEW

KEEP WATCH

Matt 26:40-41

40 Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. "Could you men not keep watch with me for one hour?" he asked Peter. 41 "Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak." 

NIV

The flesh is weak indeed. How well we know it. We make all sorts of effort to live a life worthy of the Lord, and live uprightly. Our Spirit is absolutely wanting to do that which the Lord would have us do, and not do those things we should not do, but the flesh struggles with the Spirit. Paul makes that clear it is one of his struggles and we think how impressive a disciple of Jesus that Paul was. Yet he confesses the same thing, that those things he does not want to do, he does, and those things he should do, he does not do. There is this war that wages within, and that is what Peter, James, and John were struggling with. They were aware that Jesus was going to be betrayed and now they knew it was Judas who was going to do the betraying and Jesus had already told them that he was troubled in his spirit. We would think that for one hour, they would have been able to stay awake and pray for him, but alas, they were mere humans, just as we are. We know all the things we should not do and those we should do and yet we fail at both all too often. We are blessed to have the grace of God upon us, for otherwise we would be in a very sad position. It is not that we go forward looking for ways to sin, we don’t have to, it just happens, it comes to us. Oh, sure, we are not talking about murder, stealing, or some other hideous social crime. But envy creeps in, or we find ourselves being a little jealous, or maybe a little bit boastful, or prideful. It is so easy to boast and not even realize it with all the social media platforms available to share our lives. We can post all sorts of achievements of new possessions and think nothing of the fact it could be boasting or causing others to be a little envious, and that would be causing a brother to stumble. The flesh is weak, we are weak in so many ways it is almost like we are asleep. Jesus admonished them to keep watch, so they did not fall into temptation. That is the problem right there, temptation. How do we avoid it? It seems to be everywhere, yet if we are on guard, keeping watch, then maybe, just maybe we will not fail too often, for to say we would not fail, or fall at all would be way too prideful and then that would be a failure. So, let us just keep on keeping-on-keeping watch as best we can, with the Spirit's help.

 

Not My Will

 DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MATTHEW

NOT MY WILL

Matt 26:36-39

36 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."  37 He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. 38 Then he said to them, "My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me."  39 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." 

NIV

 

It is interesting that he took Peter, James, and John farther into the garden of Gethsemane to keep watch with him. These were the same three who were with him when he was transfigured, and Moses and Elijah showed up. Now they are here to observe, to keep watch, while Jesus makes this transformation into the sacrificial Lamb of God. He had been the authority over all creation, healing many, raising some from the dead, controlling the weather, driving demons away, and now he has come to the time to offer his body to be tortured and crucified. Now he tells these three that his soul is overwhelmed with sorrow. It is interesting in the Greek manuscript there are two words for sorrow. It says Jesus said that his soul was distressed, very distressed, heavily distressed. It would seem right to look at this as being overwhelmed, being very difficult to endure. Although some of the older manuscripts do not include these words that Luke records, Luke says that Jesus was so distressed that it was like he was sweating drops of blood. Why is Jesus in such a state of sorrow? This was the whole purpose of his coming to earth, to be the perfect Lamb of God, to redeem his people, to bring an end to the penalty of sin, and the end of sacrifices for sin, and to establish this new covenant forever and ever. He knew from the foundation of the earth, which he formed, that this was the path he would take. Here Jesus prays to the Father if there could be any other way for Jesus to redeem mankind. Jesus is divine, yet within this form he had taken, the form of flesh, having the feelings, experiencing the physical sensations of the body, including being tired, hungry, and maybe even some amount of pain, sore feet, or knees, perhaps a little sunburn. Jesus was in the body, and he knew he was going to experience pain like he has never felt before, and it was all because of our sin. Couldn’t God the Father had chosen another way? After all, He is God, and He could have just spoken redemption into existence just as he did everything else. Ah, but He also gave his creation the ability to choose their own path, to have the freedom to walk with him or walk away from him. Therefore, knowing in advance the choice Adam and Eve would make and thus set the course of action that must be taken to redeem them, which He knew from the start. Nevertheless, here is Jesus now at the point of the death of this fleshly body, through the most excoriatingly painful method, all because of our sin. This is love divine, beyond the ability of humanity. We are going to see more of this moment in time, but for now, let us consider just how much Jesus desired to do that which the Father willed. Maybe, just maybe, we should have that much desire to do that which the Father wills. 

Pride Before the Fall

 DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MATTHEW

PRIDE BEFORE THE FALL

Matt 26:30-35

30 When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. 31 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.'   32 But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee."  33 Peter replied, "Even if all fall away on account of you, I never will." 34 "I tell you the truth," Jesus answered, "this very night, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times."  35 But Peter declared, "Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you." And all the other disciples said the same.

NIV

Oh, the boldness, the arrogance of Peter is too much at times. Sure, he had walked on the water, but he also almost drowns because he lost faith, by looking at his circumstances instead of looking at Jesus. Of course, Peter was the one at Caesarea Philippi who answered the question of Jesus, saying Jesus was the Son of the living God. Yes, Peter believed Jesus enough to cast his net on the other side of the boat after fishing all night with no catch and having a net too full he needed help hauling it in. However, to make such a claim that although all others will fall away, he would not, is akin to us saying that we would never sin on account of Jesus. Peter’s declaration could almost be considered ignorant of the truth. He was contradicting Jesus. Of course, we would never do that, but could this contradiction be seen as unbelief? Could we say that because Peter made such a statement in opposition to what Jesus said would happen, Peter did not believe Jesus was telling the truth? Because we know how the end of this story unfolded, we know it is an example of that saying that pride comes before the fall. Peter was so proud that he thought Jesus was not speaking about him, but only the others, yet as we know Peter fell hard, perhaps even the hardest than all the others. They ran scared, but Peter stayed close enough and the result was devastating for him. We cannot afford such pride, thinking that we would never fall short of being perfect. How could Peter be so prideful? Sometimes it appears we want others to think we are so spiritual, to the point of being without sin. At least it seems that when we are with other believers all of us give the appearance of near sinlessness, or at least not speak openly about our having some sin within. But then, it would not be good to confess before the whole church, but we should be able to with our close friends, or small group. It would not be good to be arrogant or prideful about anything in our lives. Boasting about our accomplishments, in essence, our holiness is surely seen by our Lord. No, we think, Peter should have been a bit humbler and asked Jesus for the strength to make it through the dark time ahead of him. That is all we can do. We must rely on the strength and the grace of Jesus as we live each day, hoping and praying that we do not become prideful, but remain in touch with the reality of our humanity. We will fall, but Jesus will always pick us up, dust us off and let us try again, to walk rightly before Him. Humility is our strength, but pride is before the fall. 

Body and Blood

 DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MATTHEW

BODY AND BLOOD

Matt 26:26-29

26 While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, "Take and eat; this is my body."  27 Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you. 28 This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. 29 I tell you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it anew with you in my Father's kingdom." 

NIV

These are the words that we are reminded of every time we share in communion, although we usually take these words as written by Paul in his letter to the Corinthians.

1 Cor 11:23-26

23 For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, "This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me."  25 In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me."  26 For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.

NIV

However, the point is the same, it is the same words of Jesus, except Paul quotes a few more words than Matthew does. Yet Paul was not there and must have heard about it from one of the disciples that were there. Jesus has established a new covenant and by his blood, we have been redeemed. There was a time when we had been abducted by the evil one and held hostage in sin, but Jesus paid the price, he paid the ramson to get us back so that we would once again be in the family of God. He gave himself for us. No one took his life from him; he gave it up. He was and is in complete control of all things. This is such a powerful truth, and we need to remember that not just when we share in communion, but every day of our lives. There is nothing greater for a man to lay his life down for another and Jesus did that for us so that through faith in him we can inherit eternal life. This is not something we should take lightly. Because Jesus poured out his blood we have the forgiveness of our sin, we are free from any penalty. We do not have to live with the guilt and shame of our failures, our sins, past, present, or future because Jesus sealed them under his blood, and thus God declares us holy and blameless in his sight. Does this mean we should not confess our sin? Of course, we would confess our sin, we did so for our past sin, and we do so in our present sin, and we would so for any of our future sins because that is what we do. Although we do wonder if that is a form of disbelief in the blood of Jesus. Because of his blood, we are forgiven, and he does not take that forgiveness back, or hold it back until we confess every time we fail. Maybe confession is more for us, than for God. We know that if we confess our sins, he is faithful to forgive us. It is just a thought, but in the meantime, we will remember the blood and body of Jesus given for us, each day we live. 

Is It I, Lord?

 DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MATTHEW

IS IT I, LORD?

Matt 26:20-25

20 When evening came, Jesus was reclining at the table with the Twelve. 21 And while they were eating, he said, "I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me."  22 They were very sad and began to say to him one after the other, "Surely not I, Lord?" 23 Jesus replied, "The one who has dipped his hand into the bowl with me will betray me. 24 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."  25 Then Judas, the one who would betray him, said, "Surely not I, Rabbi?" Jesus answered, "Yes, it is you."   

NIV

We can see this scene as many years ago we took part in a drama of this very event. It was interesting to be one of the twelve who asked that question, which is how the Greek appears. “Is it I? Lord. This translation views it as each of them saying, “surely not I Lord?” It might be more like we would say today, “I am not the one, am I, Lord? This Greek form carries the idea that each of them was not sure if they were the one or not. They did not have the confidence in themselves to not be a betrayer. It is also interesting that although Judas knew he had already betrayed Jesus, he asked him the same question. Was he trying to avoid a conflict, or a confrontation, pretending to be just as innocent as the rest? He was certainly a hypocrite, looking like he was one of them while already having separated himself from Jesus, harboring this evil act in his heart. John records this is when Satan entered Judas’s heart, Luke records it happened earlier, but the point is that Judas was being influenced by evil throughout his life as we know he always helped himself to the money in the purse. His character was not filled with light, but with darkness. Maybe they might have been times when he was not so filled with this darkness. We are not sure when it became overpowering in his life. He would have been one of twelve that went out with the authority of Jesus to heal the sick, and even drive out demons. But we know his act of betrayal was influenced by Satan. This act of betrayal, this being hypocritical is all about self-centeredness. Judas was about Judas and truly not about Jesus. The others were terrified at the thought they could be the ones who would betray Jesus, but not Judas, he simply lied, acted like the others, but Jesus knew, which made his lie even more hideous, his deception was clear to Jesus and yet he did not condemn Judas, although he did make it clear it was a woe event, saying it would have been better that Judas had not even been born. Jesus knew how this act of betrayal was going to affect Judas after it was acted out. The guilt and shame were going to drive Judas so mad that he would take his own life. This provides us with a great lesson. We know that when we sin it is in some form of betraying what Jesus did for us. Surely, we are not rejecting Jesus or turning our back on him, we simply cannot help but sin, it is our humanness. If we say we have no sin, w call God a liar, and that is not the case, but we do not need to feel that guilt and shame when we fail to be absolutely sinless, for we confess our sin and he is faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. We do not hang onto our sin as Judas did. We are sure had after Judas had betrayed Jesus, getting him arrested by the chief priests, if he had asked Jesus to forgive him, it would have been done, just as Jesus asked the Father to forgive them for not knowing what they are doing. Jesus is always ready to forgive, and Judas could have had forgiveness, but he allowed his guilt and shame to overpower his heart. We cannot live like that, no, we seek forgiveness and go on, maybe with a slight bit of terror that we could be one who would betray Jesus. It might be good to always be aware and ask, Is it me Lord? 

Divine Savior

 DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MATTHEW

DIVINE SAVIOR

Matt 26:17-19

17 On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the disciples came to Jesus and asked, "Where do you want us to make preparations for you to eat the Passover?" 18 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.'"  19 So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them and prepared the Passover.

 

We do not know who this certain man is. Luke and Mark tell us that Jesus told his disciples, which were Peter and John from other accounts, that they would find a man carrying a pitcher of water and they were to follow him to his home and there would be a room for them there. It is supposed several truths that are within this concept. The first is that amid all the turmoil of people coming into Jerusalem to prepare for the Passover, Jesus knew there would be this certain man carrying a pitcher of water and that he would have a guest room large enough for Jesus and all twelve disciples to celebrate the Passover. This proves Jesus had all knowledge and therefore was divine. Second, it is supposed that Jesus wanted to keep this place he was to celebrate the Passover a secret of sorts, at least from Judas, until the appointed time of his betrayal. Perhaps if Judas knew in advance of this place, he would have arranged for the arrest of Jesus there, but that is supposition, and we have no proof to back that idea. We do know that Judas was there from the following text that we will get to. What we know is that Jesus did know about this man, and he does prove his divinity and that proves that all else Jesus did and said brings us eternal life and that truth we have the proof to prove it. Again and again, we are faced with the truth that Jesus is divine and that he is one of the three persons of the trinity. Even the whole idea of the Passover celebration is a complete demonstration of Jesus being the Lamb of God and by spreading the blood of Jesus on the doorpost of our hearts, the death angel must pass over us. All of Egypt, which foreshadows all the unsaved, those who refuse to acknowledge Jesus as Lord and Savior, will experience the work of the death angel. But we will be passed over because we have consumed the Lamb of God, and we will have our staff in our hand and our sandals on our feet, sitting on the edge of our seats ready to leave at a moment's notice. In the meantime, as we sit eating, we will be inside safe and secure from all alarm. Once again, Jesus will send the death angel, but we have nothing to fear for we are always celebrating the Lamb of God in our hearts, and we wait for our Savior to take us to the promised land. In the meantime, let us celebrate, as we know we serve a risen Savior, the divine Jesus. 

The Betrayer

 DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MATTHEW

THE BETRAYER

Matt 26:14-16

14 Then one of the Twelve — the one called Judas Iscariot — went to the chief priests 15 and asked, "What are you willing to give me if I hand him over to you?" So they counted out for him thirty silver coins. 16 From then on Judas watched for an opportunity to hand him over.

NIV

It has always been interesting to ponder why Judas did what he did and whether Jesus chose him because he would be the betrayer. When we consider Judas, we have several facts that give us a look into his character. First, he was given the task of being the keeper of the purse, or we would say is the treasurer of the church. We know from accounts that he was a thief. We do not know what he did with the money that he embezzled, or simply stole from the purse. It is obvious there were people who supported the ministry of this troop of men. We know some were women, such as Lydia who appears to have had a business selling purple cloth. However, the money came into the purse, and Judas found some sly way to relieve some of it for his own purpose. The question we have is what he did with the money he stole. If he was also with Jesus, and the other eleven when did he have time to use his stolen money for his own pleasure. From what Matthew tells us here, he went and made a deal with the chief priests to betray Jesus. From other accounts and from Matthew’s account we know it was for thirty pieces of silver. So, we are left with the thought that Judas decided to serve money rather than God because he certainly heard Jesus say that we cannot serve both God and money, that we will love the one and despise the other, therefore we would have to conclude that Judas despised Jesus and that is why he betrayed him. We know that some would suggest that Judas did this because he felt that Jesus would not get to the cross and fulfill the scripture unless he took charge of the situation. But that just does not fit his character. Then there is the idea of whether Jesus knew from the beginning about Judas, and that is the reason he called him so that he would be the one to make sure Jesus did fulfill the scripture. Jesus knew he had to go to the cross, it was the reason he came, so he needed a way for the chief priests and the elders to have him arrested and turned over to the Romans to be crucified. If Judas had not betrayed him, how was he going to get crucified? Judas was a bad man all the while he was with Jesus. This leads us to believe that is it possible for men to be bad while appearing to serve Jesus. What we desire is that we are not one of them. But how do we define a bad man? Certainly, we would not betray Jesus. Surely, we would not want to serve money over Jesus or try to serve both. We also know there is a difference between our personality and our character. Judas must have put on a façade for the benefit of all the others, which would have been his personality, but our character is who we are when we are alone, and Judas had a character of thievery and betrayal. So we look inside and examine our character and make adjustments to flaws as revealed by the Spirit. We would never ever what to betray Jesus in any way. 

Expensive Perfume

 DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MATTHEW

EXPENSIVE PERFUME

Matt 26:6-13

6 While Jesus was in Bethany in the home of a man known as Simon the Leper, 7 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. 8 When the disciples saw this, they were indignant. "Why this waste?" they asked. 9 "This perfume could have been sold at a high price and the money given to the poor." 10 Aware of this, Jesus said to them, "Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing to me. 11 The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me. 12 When she poured this perfume on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial. 13 I tell you the truth, wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her." 

NIV

This is a very interesting account and is almost the same as what John records happened except for several details that are quite different. John’s account of something like this was in the home of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus and Mary took a pint of nard, expensive perfume, and poured it on the feet of Jesus as he was reclining at the table. She then wiped his feet with her hair. The indignation was only from one disciple, Judas Iscariot, however, the response from Jesus was about the same. Therefore, it becomes a little confusing to us. Still, in this event which took place in the house of Simon the leper, Matthew says it was two days before the Passover, while John records the event that took place in the home of Mary and Martha took place six days before the Passover. Then we would have to believe Jesus was anointed two different times by two different women. John mentions it is Mary while Matthew suppresses the name of the woman. Some would suggest this is the same account from two different perspectives, however, if it is two then we would say that Jesus was anointed from head to toe. He was completed anoint, by women, for his burial within days of his burial which he makes sure they and we know. What do we learn from this that enhances our walk with the Lord? How does this affect our relationship with Jesus? What we can deduce is that both women did not hold back from anointing Jesus, both gave their very expensive perfume, and used it all on his head and his feet. We can see others thinking it was a waste, the money could have been used to feed the poor. Did they not remember Jesus did not need a large purse of money to buy enough food to feed thousands, but only a few fish and a couple of loaves of bread? Is it a lesson in trusting in money rather than giving our all to Jesus? Again, we do not think we should sell all our possessions, as Jesus suggested the rich young man do. But it could be right to think that we should give our all to Jesus, and that would imply the giving of ourselves, the most expensive fragrant of praise we have. Paul makes the case in his letter to the Corinthians that we are to spread the fragrance of the knowledge of him for we are to God the aroma of Christ. We should live as a very expensive perfume before God, as we are his creation, and we are so expensive to Jesus that he came to die in our place so we could have life. Plus, as in John’s account of Mary’s anointing, the whole house was filled with the aroma. So then, as we are the aroma of Christ, we should fill the whole world with this sweet aroma of praise to God, as we pour ourselves out. 

Whose Agenda

 DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MATTHEW

 WHOSE AGENDA

Matt 26:1-5

26:1 When Jesus had finished saying all these things, he said to his disciples, 2 "As you know, the Passover is two days away — and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified."  3 Then the chief priests and the elders of the people assembled in the palace of the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas, 4 and they plotted to arrest Jesus in some sly way and kill him. 5 "But not during the Feast," they said, "or there may be a riot among the people."

NIV

The first thing we have to come to grips with is the absolute authority of Jesus, as well as his knowledge of all things that happened and, is happening and will happen. He knew that he would be handed over to be crucified. He knew that Judas would betray him. This may be the reason he chose Judas in the first place. It was not possible that Jesus would go to the cross of his own power, although he could, the whole truth is that Jesus needed to be handed over to the Romans in order that he would be crucified, for had he not gone to the cross we would not be reconciled to God, nor would we be redeemed by his blood, or would we have any way to inherit eternal life. Jesus had to be handed over to those who had the power to perform the act of crucifixion and only the Romans had that right. It is also interesting that religious men, the chief priests, and the elders who assembled in the palace and the presence of the high priest, plotted to arrest Jesus in some sly way and kill him. Religious men's thinking in sly terms, deceptive, crafty, cunning, and clever ways to accomplish their devious plan to rid themselves of this Jesus who is attracting too many people, and thus they are losing their grip upon the masses. It is all self-serving and self-interests that drive them to find some sleek way to have Jesus condemned to death. It is sad that they did not know they were fulfilling the will of God. Paul makes the point that if they had known the secret wisdom of God they would not have proceeded with their plans to have Jesus killed. If they had known by having Jesus killed, that mankind would have a way to eternal life and that all scripture, all the curse of the law would be gone, they would not have done it. But because of their ignorance of the truth, they only saw their own agenda. This should serve as a lesson for us. We should not be about trying to fulfill our own agenda, but by looking at what God has for us to do and being the person he intended us to be.  

The Goats

 DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MATTHEW

THE GOATS

Matt 25:41-46

41 "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. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 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.' 44 "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?'   45 "He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.' 46 "Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life." 

NIV

We look at Jesus coming in all his glory and we considered being the sheep and how that implied that we would feed his sheep, serving in the capacity of helping others fed upon spiritual food. Now we come to those who have been put on his left, this is not a place of honor for it is a place of condemnation. These people did nothing to advance the kingdom of God, in fact, they may well have done things in an effort to hurt the kingdom of God. These are people who refused to see Jesus as the Son of God and as the Savior of the world. Their thinking has become futile and perverse. They may do some humanitarian works, but it is for the glory of men, and the praise of men. They have no intention of giving God any of the credit for their deeds. In fact, they are rather selfish in their lives, looking to satisfy their own desires, goals, ambitions, and work for self-gratification, self-aggrandizement, and self-advancement. Their reward is not actually a reward as Paul makes is clear in his letter to the Romans:

Rom 2:6-8

6 God "will give to each person according to what he has done."   7 To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. 8 But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger.

NIV

We can see those who are self-seeking and reject the truth and follow evil there is nothing by wrath and anger and that is not a reward, but punishment and they will experience this eternal punishment, whatever that looks like. We, however, will go to eternal life, whatever that looks like. Yet, nobody knows for sure what either will be like, but we know one thing for sure, we do not want anything but eternal life. The goats are headed for eternal punishment. 

Feed My Sheep

 DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MATTHEW

FEED MY SHEEP

Matt 25:31-46

31 "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. 32 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. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. 34 "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. 35 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, 36 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.' 37 "Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?' 40 "The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.' 41 "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. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 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.' 44 "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?'   45 "He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.' 46 "Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life." 

NIV

We are in the middle of this scene where Jesus is upon his throne making the final judgment on the eternal state of man. We will first consider those he placed on his right, the place of honor, those who Matthew says are the sheep. It is interesting that while Jesus was still with his disciples, he made the point of telling parables about the shepherd and his sheep and that he said his sheep know his voice and after being in the same pen with many other sheep, only the sheep of one shepherd follow him because they know his voice. We are the sheep of the Great Shepherd and as we continue to follow the voice of our Shephard, we will find ourselves standing on his right side. Being the sheep, Jesus tells us that we can come and take our inheritance, the place that he prepared in advance for us. What is a tad confusing is that it would seem being the sheep has more requirements than just accepting Jesus as our Lord and Savior, as Paul puts it in his letter to the Romans, that is we confess with our mouth and believe in our heart that Jesus is Lord, we will be saved. It is also said that we are saved by faith and not by works lest anyone boast. Yet, here Jesus says that the reason he puts the sheep on his right side and gives them their inheritance in the kingdom of God that he prepared is that we gave him food and drink when he was hungry and thirsty and we invited him as even when he was a stranger and clothed him and looked after him when he was sick and visited him while he was in prison. What is that all about? Jesus said that it is not that we did all this directly to him, but as we do all this to the least in these brothers of his, we did it to him. So, then there is work for us to do, as James would say that our faith is dead unless it is accompanied by works. This may not imply works in the physical sense, although it could, if we see food as the word of God, water, like living water, clothes as the armor of God, inviting strangers as sharing the gospel, or being hospitable to new people who come into the church, or visiting the those in prison would be more like visiting with those held in the grip of sin, which is spending time with sinners, so as to share the gospel as some point in time. All this may be seen as “Good works” in the spiritual sense, bearing fruit as it were because we are connected to the vine, Jesus. Again, said we can do nothing apart from him. Nevertheless, we are to be doing, not just sitting and soaking, so to speak. However, the doing may well be those done in the spirit rather than in the body. The reason we think this is that even those who are the goats can do the physical things as many great humanitarian deeds are being done, but have nothing to do with spiritual matters, as we will see in the next words of Jesus. Just as Jesus told Peter, if we love him, we will feed his sheep. 

Standing Before Jesus

 DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MATTHEW

STANDING BEFORE JESUS

Matt 25:31-46

31 "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. 32 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. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

34 "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. 35 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, 36 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.' 37 "Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?' 40 "The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.' 41 "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. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 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.' 44 "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?'   45 "He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.' 46 "Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life." 

NIV

Once again, it does not seem right to break this complete thought of Jesus into small sections. Although we could deal with it in three parts, first, his coming in all his glory and separating all the nations as sheep and goats. Second, we could look at what happens to the sheep, and third, what happens to the goats. So, let us consider the scene of Jesus when he comes in all his glory. What a day that will be when my Jesus I will see, when I look upon his face, the one who saved by his grace, when he takes me by the hand and leads me into the promised land, what a day, what a day that will be. What is going to happen will be, for some, a glorious day, for others, not so much. We cannot be sure this is the same moment as what we call the rapture of the saints, because, all tribes, all people, all races, all the same habitat, as the Greek word ethnos means. Every person who has ever lived, and all those who were still living when this event takes place. Everyone will be called up from wherever they are. If it is in the grave, or hell, or somewhere in the presence of the Lord, or on the earth, all will be there standing before Jesus, who will be sitting on his throne, surrounded by thousands upon thousands of angels. No person is going to escape this scene, for it is going to be time for Jesus to make the final judgment of all people, Men like Adam, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Joshua, Samuel, David, Jeremiah, Isaiah, Peter, Paul, and of course, Mary, Martha, and Lydia, along with Ruth, Naomi, Esther, and others of great faith. Then there will be Pharoah, Ahab, Saul, Herod the Great, Genghis Khan, Adolf Hitler, Ivan the terrible, Saddam Hussein, and Joseph Stalin. Then there will be all of us who believed in the name of Jesus. We really do not have to wonder who the sheep will be and who will be the goats, except, of course, all the people we are living with right now. It is not too late yet for those who are still alive right now to decide whether they want to be associated with the first-mentioned, or the second group mentioned. Jesus will divide all people, to his right and to his left. The right side has always been the place of honor, as Jesus sits on the right hand of the Father. We will have to leave the conversations with the sheep and the goats for later, however, for now, let us be assured we will be standing before Jesus.

Well Done

 DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MATTHEW

WELL DONE

Matt 25:14-30

14 "Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his property to them. 15 To one he gave five talents of money, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. 16 The man who had received the five talents went at once and put his money to work and gained five more. 17 So also, the one with the two talents gained two more. 18 But the man who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master's money. 19 "After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. 20 The man who had received the five talents brought the other five. 'Master,' he said, 'you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more.' 21 "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 master's happiness!' 22 "The man with the two talents also came. 'Master,' he said, 'you entrusted me with two talents; see, I have gained two more.' 23 "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 master's happiness!' 24 "Then the man who had received the one talent 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. 25 So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.' 26 "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? 27 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. 28 "'Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents. 29 For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. 30 And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'

NIV

There is no way we can break up this parable, so we are left to deal with it as a whole. First, we should note that this has nothing to do with money at all. Jesus is only using what people are familiar with to explain what the kingdom of heaven is like. Jesus is the man who went on a journey. We know that he has left earth and is in heaven and that at whatever time the Father has determined, Jesus is coming back. When he left he gave us the Holy Spirit with all his gifts and fruit to manifest within us. We have also been called to a task or a calling by the Lord and it is this which we are to use. The point, however, is that we are not to use our talents, our gifts, for the advancement of the self, but rather for the advantage of the kingdom of God. This is what we are going to be asked when he returns. He will ask us how did we use what he gave us for the benefit of the kingdom, or did we bury his gift deep within so that no one could ever see it? Of course, we are not to show off our gifts for the praise of men, that would be prideful on so many levels. However, that point is that we are to use our talent, whatever that is which the Lord has given us so that people will praise God. This means we humbly go about doing that which we have been called to do so that through our lives, the kingdom will flourish, or grow as money does because of investing in a guaranteed win, which would double the investment. Although we know, with money and investments there are no such guarantees. But within the kingdom of God that is always the Word which is the only guarantee in life. So as we invest in the kingdom, doing what he has given us to do, the kingdom will gain and as a result, we will hear our Lord commend us and welcome us into his happiness. Oh, to hear those words. “Well done good and faithful servant” 

Keep Watching

 DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MATTHEW

KEEP WATCHING 

Matt 25:1-13

25:1 "At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2 Five of them were foolish and five were wise. 3 The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. 4 The wise, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. 5 The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep. 6 "At midnight the cry rang out: 'Here's the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!' 7 "Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. 8 The foolish ones said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.' 9 "'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.' 10 "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. 11 "Later the others also came. 'Sir! Sir!' they said. 'Open the door for us!' 12 "But he replied, 'I tell you the truth, I don't know you.' 13 "Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.

NIV

Once again, the whole parable is about the “Therefore keep watch”. This time it is about making sure we are ready for when Jesus shows up. Is there some significance to the keeping enough oil for our lamps as the wise virgins did? Is there something special about the fact Jesus used the term virgins who when out to meet the bridegroom? First, we think the term virgin represents the church, although not the building but all believers who are called the church or the bride of Christ. The reason Jesus refers to us as virgins, it is because we are supposed to be pure and holy. A virgin keeps herself pure and holy for the time she is to be with her bridegroom. No bridegroom would what to take a harlot as his wife and so we should be careful to take enough oil for our lamps so and in doing so remain pure and holy. This would also imply that we should not be having any casual relationship with the world, or we could say, having an affair with the world. Once again, this comes down to not being able to have two husbands or serving two masters. We have but one bridegroom and He is Jesus Christ, and we must be ready for his coming for us. Again, because it has been a while since he told his disciples this parable and many through the ages wanted and hoped that Jesus would come in their lifetime, it is imperative we maintain that same hope and wait for him to come within our lifetime. If we become lacks in our attention to the amount of oil we have our lamp may go out, which could imply the light that we are supposed to be. Jesus calls us to be the light of the world, and that we are not to hide our light under the table, but to put it on a lampstand so that all can see it and find their way. If our lamp goes out, if we are not being the light of the world because we have become indifferent or apathetic toward our walk with Jesus in our daily life, we will not be ready for his coming. If we are so involved in the affairs of this world, have we forgotten to take enough oil? Of course, we have to work for our substance, that is a command of God, actually a result of Adam’s unbelief, but work is not our life, nor it should be. Our work is not what defines who we are, or should it become our reason for life or our resource for the future. Jesus is everything and He is our present and our future, therefore we will keep watching for we do not know the hour or the day of his coming for us. We are ready! 

Wise and Faithful

 DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MATTHEW

WISE AND FAITHFUL

Matt 24:45-51

45 "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? 46 It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. 47 I tell you the truth, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. 48 But suppose that servant is wicked and says to himself, 'My master is staying away a long time,' 49 and he then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards. 50 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. 51 He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

NIV                                                                                                                                                                    

We cannot help to think of the time Jesus asked Peter if he loved him and Peter said yes. Then Jesus told him to feed his sheep or feed his lambs. This is who Jesus is calling a wise and faithful servant because he is feeding his lambs. Of course, this has nothing to do with physical food, but everything to do with spiritual food. However, it could be real food in a metaphorical sense, as serving one another. Still, it would seem Jesus is saying that we all need to be wise and faithful in whatever task he has assigned us as his servant. This is about staying the course, remaining in Christ, keeping the faith, and living the faith. This is also a warning about being a hypocrite much like how Jesus spoke to the Pharisees when he told them how they made sure the outside of the cup was clean, but it was dirty inside or when he told them they were like whitewashed tombs, looking good on the outside, but were dead man's bones inside. If we think because Jesus has not come back over the last two thousand years or so, that he isn’t going to show up for some time to come and we have a little time to get involved in our own self-interest, self-gratification, and self-fulfillment, which Jesus says is eating and drinking with the drunkards, and when we get a little older we will then come and feed the household, we might well be deceiving ourselves. This brings up the question of whether we have become too much like them and are not staying as much like Jesus as we should. Again, it does not appear we can ride the yellow line here, we need to be on one side of the road of the other, and only one side, one direction leads to heaven. The faithful travel one way and the wicked travel another, but what does Jesus consider as wicked here? It would seem he is not calling the wicked as evil depraved individuals that are always bent toward sin, but rather he could be meaning a believer who does not stay the course, wanders into the other lane, or even tries to ride the yellow line. We have seen some of those yellow line yummies, either smashed or all swollen up, filled with pus, as they have been run over in the road, cut to pieces, and assigned a place with hypocrites. No, no, we cannot afford to become lazy in our faithfulness. We cannot accept mediocrity in our walk with Jesus. If we are not wise and faithful and always about doing our calling, not thinking Jesus is going to come tonight, we might be in somewhat of a troublesome spot. No, we must remain wise and faithful. 

Be Ready

 DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MATTHEW

BE READY

Matt 24:36-44

36 "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 37 As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 38 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; 39 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. 40 Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. 41 Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left. 42 "Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. 43 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. 44 So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.

NIV

This could not be broken up into small bits because of the “therefore keep watch”. However, we still need to build up to what we are warned to be watchful. About this day or hour, no one knows. It is interesting that Jesus, the Father, and the Holy Spirit are God, that is they are one, three in one, a mystery of sorts because we kind of get it, but not entirely. These words of Jesus explaining the Father knows what day and hour that Jesus will return riding on the clouds with his great army, or to appear in the sky to call us all up to meet him but Jesus does not know. We know that Jesus is right there at the right hand of the Father and that because he ascended back to heaven, he sent the Holy Spirit to be here with us and within us. So there are three distinct persons who are God, each being omnipresent, omnipotent, and omniscient. It would be inconceivable to believe that one of the three is not all-powerful, all-knowing, and is able to be everywhere. Although, for a time, Jesus came in the form of his creation, limiting himself for that time to the constraints of the flesh. Nevertheless, here we are with the fact that the Father knows something that neither Jesus nor the Holy Spirit has that knowledge of. This poses us with the question of whether there is anything else that one of the three knows that the other two do not. Just a thought that we will not have an answer to, however, we do know the Father holds all the cards when it is time for Jesus to come back. We also know that as with Jesus and the Spirit, we too do not have that knowledge when the Father will say, “It is time”. So then how should we live? The people in the time of Noah did not even know what rain was, they were simply living life to their fullest, although bent toward the desires of the flesh rather than seeking after God. It would seem that Noah was the only righteous man among them, and God sought him out to be the way to save mankind. This is a great picture of the Cross, Noah in the ark, Jesus on the cross, saving mankind, Noah saving the flesh, Jesus, saving the soul. Because the people in the time of Noah were bent on living life according to their passions, we should be careful in what direction our lives are bent. We cannot be fence riders either. We cannot serve both God and money. We have to decide one or the other. True we must live in this life, and we must have someplace to live and work, for God instructed Adam that he would work all the days of his life, by the sweat of his brow he would work for his sustenance. We cannot just sit around and wait for Jesus to show up, we are to occupy until he comes. But that is the point, we are to be living life, with our eyes peeled for his return. Live to work as instructed until he comes, but ever watchful for his return. If we get so involved in the toil of our hands, thinking the purpose is to store up as much as we can so we can sit back relax and take life easy, but not keep our eyes focused on his return, we might well be deceiving ourselves. So then how should we live? It would seem the answer is simple, be ready! 

Truth of Lies

 DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MATTHEW

TRUTH OR LIES

Matt 24:32-35

32 "Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. 33 Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it is near, right at the door. 34 I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. 35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.

NIV

In other words, there are going to be enough of the right signs that everyone will be able to know the time of the end of all things seen and the beginning of all things unseen. What we also must understand is that Jesus was not talking about the group of people, a generation of people, who were living at the time He said this. The Greek word translated as generation carries the meaning of an age, a period of time. This could mean one hundred years, or a thousand years, or whatever amount of time God has set for this age of man living upon the earth to come to an end. Mankind will live on this earth during all of the things Jesus said would happen. Men will see the signs in the sun, moon, and stars. Men will see the seas tossed around, and the stars falling from the heavens. Men will see all that John described in the revelation he saw. What we do not know is will we believers see them before we are taken up to heaven, or will we be taken out of the earth before the end of this age comes to pass. It is inevitable and the only preparation that anyone can take is to know Jesus as Lord and Savior. Other than that nothing anyone can do will either bring all these things, these signs, to come to pass or keep them from coming to pass. All that will happen is going to happen according to the perfect plan of God. The end of all things we know will pass away, except one thing, and that is the words of Jesus. This could also mean the word will not pass away, as Jesus is the Word who became flesh. However, in this context, it is most likely meant that Jesus said that what he as said, every word that he has spoken, which is all truth will never pass away, His words will stand throughout eternity. The truth will never fade away. All lies fade at some time, every word of man will fade at some time, our words are not eternal, even those we think we are immortalizing in preserved documentation or carved in stone or any other means we can think of. Every word of man will be forgotten, but the words of Jesus will last forever. Therefore, it would behoove us to live by words that last, rather than words that fade. The lasting words of Jesus are true, the fading words of man are not true, therefore they could be considered lies. Which would be best to base our life on? Truth or lies. 

Gathered

 DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MATTHEW

GATHERED

Matt 24:26-31

26 "So if anyone tells you, 'There he is, out in the desert,' do not go out; or, 'Here he is, in the inner rooms,' do not believe it. 27 For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 28 Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather. 29 "Immediately after the distress of those days

"'the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.'  

30 "At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory. 31 And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.

NIV

These words of Jesus are a continuation of all he has said about what is to come. Why those scholars of old wanted to say this was all about the Romans destroying Jerusalem is beyond our comprehension. Jesus is talking about the end of times which is also spoken of by Isaiah in the past, who Jesus quotes here, and by Jesus himself when he appears to John and tells him to write all that he sees, which John recorded for us in his revelation of Jesus when he was in the spirit in the Lord’s day and was taken up to heaven and shown all that was to come. Everything fits all together and what is to come, and God has not kept it a secret from us. He has made sure will know what to expect in the days to come. We, like many who lived before us, may not see this in our lifetime here on earth, but we will see it, as we observe it in the presence of our Lord. We might well be that army that appears with him in the sky. For we will all be gathered, the living from the for winds and those who have died and were resurrected and are at the ends of the heavens. What a day that will be! It is assuring, especially at this time of the year when we mourn the crucifixion, burial, and celebrate the resurrection of our Lord. However, in the meantime, as Jesus warns us again, we need to be on guard against all those who claim to be the Christ. This may not happen in the sense of a man claiming he is God, yet men who claim to have power over the earth and its weather, climate, or environment are in essence saying they are greater than God. No, we are not to believe them, for when every eye shall see when the creator who created all things, the one whom nothing was created that he did not create, will appear in the sky and have complete authority over all the earth, sun, moon, and stars, as he has all along, will cause men to see how powerful and awesome Jesus is. We can also be sure the vultures are already circling because of all this chaos in the world. However, we need not worry about those vultures for they only feed on dead things and that would imply those who have refused the life that Jesus gives. We who are in Christ have life and life eternal, but the world is full of people who live in dead man's bones, or bodies and will be fed upon by the vultures unless they come to Jesus. It is going to be a day to see when all of us believers are gathered.

Happened, Happening, and Will Happen

 DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MATTHEW

HAPPENED HAPPENING AND WILL HAPPEN 

Matt 24:15-25

15 "So when you see standing in the holy place 'the abomination that causes desolation,' spoken of through the prophet Daniel — let the reader understand— 16 then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17 Let no one on the roof of his house go down to take anything out of the house. 18 Let no one in the field go back to get his cloak. 19 How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! 20 Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath. 21 For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now — and never to be equaled again. 22 If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened. 23 At that time if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or, 'There he is!' do not believe it. 24 For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect — if that were possible. 25 See, I have told you ahead of time.

NIV

This is a rather perplexing statement of Jesus. It is said all this has already taken place when the Roman army invaded Jerusalem in an act of war and ultimately destroyed the temple in AD 70. This would conclude any sacrifices at all in the temple. The Romans, as Gentiles would be an abomination standing in the temple. It is said they first set up their emblems of war at the temple gates declaring their victory and dominance over the Jews God. All the warnings of Jesus about escaping were intended so many Jewish believers would be able to get out of Jerusalem ahead of the time of the siege and invasion. Jesus is quoting or referring to the prophecy of Daniel. What makes this a little baffling is Luke’s account of these words of Jesus including Jesus saying that as a culmination of these events they will see signs in the sun, moon, and stars. Jesus says that on the earth nations will be in anguish and perplexity because of the roaring and tossing of the sea. Luke also says that Jesus makes the point that men will faint in terror and be extremely apprehensive because of what is coming in the world. This does not sound like an invasion of the Romans into Jerusalem.  In Luke’s account, Jesus also says the heavenly bodies will be shaken. That could be the signs in the sun, moon, and stars. Jesus says that when these things take place, stand up, and lift your heads because your redemption is drawing near. This does not sound like it has already taken place with the desolation of the temple by the Romans. So, what are we to think? Maybe it is beyond our understanding. Maybe all we need to know is that at some time the world is going to come to an end, and it is going to be more in account with what John said in the revelation of Jesus given to him. Maybe these words of Jesus could have this double meaning of a first warning about the Roman army, and an invasion by the army of Satan upon the world. There could already be evidence of Satan standing as an abomination in the temple. If we considered ourselves, as God does, the temple of the Holy Spirit, then when we allow the influences of the world upon our hearts and minds, taking on certain patterns of thinking, or behavers, is the temple in desolation, in some sense? Is it an abomination for us to take on some of the ways of the world, investing in their schemes for the benefit of gold? Is it an abomination for us to take on some of their schemes for success? It would seem some of those false prophets have built marvelous temples, say like a great Crystal Cathedral or other edifices filled with gold and riches. Some have been great halls to house thousands of people to lift themselves up in high esteem and fleece the flock, so they are able to live in abundance. Jesus warns even believers will be deceived.  Is this not all an abomination? Therefore, these words are perplexing to us. We cannot see them finished as some scholars would. We see them as happened, and happening and going to happen until the end comes.  

Firm To The End

 DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MATTHEW

FIRM TO THE END

Matt 24:9-14

9 "Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. 10 At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, 11 and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. 12 Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, 13 but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

NIV

It is almost certain that many of the disciples were put to death. We know that John was left and lived a full life, but in exile on the island of Patmos. It is also almost certain that we will not be put to death or handed over to be persecuted. Unfortunately, there are believers in other parts of the world who have been persecuted by faithless men and handed over to be put to death. However, in our slightly more civilized country, it is doubtful that we will be killed by unbelievers for our faith, however, we might well be seeing certain levels of persecution being exhibited here in this land of free speech and freedom of religion. At the same time, we are also seeing some, as we cannot be sure how many, turn away from the faith and betray each other. What we do know is that there are people who do not exhibit faith in God or Jesus and consequently cannot help themselves from betraying one another at some level. This is the way of life, to spend one’s energy on self-gratification, self-fulfillment, and self-advancement. There might be some people who display aspects of altruism in this world and that was truly the act of Christ, and we are told that is how we should live by the command of Jesus for us to love one another as he loves us. Therefore, it is so important to be ever vigilant against false prophets. It was obvious the Pharisees and teachers of the law did not have a selfless concern for the well-being of others. We also must be on guard against the increase of wickedness in this world, which is on course to being greater and more widespread as the years roll by. But our love, both for our Lord, and our neighbors must not go cold. Jesus is speaking specifically about our love for him growing cold. The problem we need to be watchful against is growing cold. This is not being ice cold, nor is it being boiling hot, but as we once were hot, if we start cooling we might just settle on being lukewarm and we know full well that if that occurs, Jesus will spit the lukewarm out of his mouth. Thus, standing firm means to remain hot, to remain sold out for Jesus, boiling over with both the fruit of the Spirit and the His gifts along as being completely dressed in the full armor of God. We are told within the description of God’s armor to stand firm, to stand our ground, to continue to stand and Jesus tells us here that if we stand firm until the end we will be saved. This would imply there is a cost of salvation, although it is free, it does require that we do not grow cold, becoming lukewarm, but that we stand firm, remain firm in our faith, full of faith and love enduring to the end. 

Do Not Be Alarmed

 DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MATTHEW

DO NOT BE ALARMED

Matt 24:4-8

4 Jesus answered: "Watch out that no one deceives you. 5 For many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am the Christ,' and will deceive many. 6 You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 7 Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of birth pains.

NIV

Having considered how many deceivers there were and still are today, we should also ponder on these words of Jesus that have to do with wars and rumors of wars. We should not be alarmed about how many wars have raged through the ages of time since Jesus spoke these words. A simple fact is that in the last 3400 years of history the human race has been at peace for a total of 268 of those years. This would imply there have always been, at least for the most part wars or rumors of wars since Jesus said these words. In America alone since 1776 we have been at war 93% of the time, that is 222 years out of 239 years up to 2017. So, we should not get too excited about this being the end times or try to determine when the end times are based on wars and rumors of wars. Jesus said such things must happen, but the end is still to come. It is interesting that Jesus knows the hearts of all men, that he knew wars must happen. The heart of man that is void of the love of God will always find a way to war, for the void of God in a man’s heart leaves only hatred, which is one of the main suppliers of war. This is why Jesus said that we should love the Lord our God with all our heart, mind soul, and spirit and love our neighbor as ourselves. How can we engage in war if we love each other?  The problem is that in many cases of war, we as an individual, especially a follower of Christ, have little to no say in nations rising up against nations. We have found ourselves, as citizens of this country, in the middle of wars within our lifetime. If we personalize this truth then we must make sure that we are always at peace with each other. This would mean we cannot allow feelings that would hinder a peaceful and harmonious relationship with all believers. Therefore, all evidence of jealousy, envy, rage, bitterness, unforgiveness, criticism, judgmentalism, prejudices, or any other ill feelings would have to be put aside for the greater good of living in peace and love with each other. Again, although the earth does experience many famines and earthquakes in various places, we can again, personalize these in the sense that we can experience a famine with respect to our union with God. There are times when we might have dry bones, so to speak, or have feelings of separation from God. We might cause this ourselves through the feelings of guilt and shame over a recurring sin problem we are struggling with overcoming. Guilt and shame are a result of not feeling forgiven, and we know that is not true for God forgives us all our sins, past, present, and future because of the blood of Jesus. Guilt and shame can cause an internal earthquake as well, shaking us to the core because we can feel that we will never overcome some areas in our life. But we must remember, as with the earth having wars and rumors of wars, famines, and earthquakes, it is only the beginning of birth pains. This can also apply to us as well. It is not the end, but only the journey of life that will have some struggles, some wars that wage within us, sometimes of feeling forsaken, because of guilt and shame. But, praise God, we are not stuck in this situation, for another time is coming. So we do not need to be alarmed.

 

 

Warning Against Deceivers

 DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MATTHEW

WARNING AGAINST DECEIVERS

Matt 24:3-8

3 As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. "Tell us," they said, "when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?" 4 Jesus answered: "Watch out that no one deceives you. 5 For many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am the Christ,' and will deceive many. 6 You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 7 Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of birth pains.

NIV

Jesus has more to say about what will need to happen before the end of the age, but for now, we have much to consider in these first words he spoke about it. Jesus’s first concern is that we do not allow ourselves to be deceived by anyone. That would imply a very large list of people; indeed, no one means everyone could be a deceiver that we need to be careful not to be sucked into their deceptive ideologies or theologies. Although Jesus says there will be many, we have no idea just how many, so again we should be watchful. We do have the Spirit dwelling within us and one of His gifts that he manifests in us is that of discernment. Certainly, the disciples would have this gift being manifested in them after the day of Pentecost. But the problem is that Jesus is saying that some of those deceivers will, in fact, deceive many. We see that today, with some of these so-called preachers with silver tongues who have all the smooth words that tickle the fancy of many so-called believers, people who have succumbed to being deceived. We cannot afford to listen to those who would employ those deceptive practices to gain a following to support their lavish lifestyle. In fact, if we hear them begin to expound, we turn them off, either from the radio, television, or simply in our minds, if we cannot escape from their physical presence should they be invited for whatever reason to a church we attend. On the other hand, we also have the responsibility to make sure that we do not inadvertently say something that would be deceptive, or misleading in any way. This is not to say that we cannot voice the truth or speak up and give a corrective word when we hear something that might not be the truth or is even slightly misleading. However, we also should avoid or not be the cause of dissension, however, the truth must prevail. That is the point Jesus is making when he warns against not being deceived by anyone.

 

Thrown Down

 DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MATTHEW

THROWN DOWN

 

Matt 24:1-2

24:1 Jesus left the temple and was walking away when his disciples came up to him to call his attention to its buildings. 2 "Do you see all these things?" he asked. "I tell you the truth, not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down." 

NIV

We know, without question, because we look at this in hindsight as well as we have the complete truth as explained by Jesus. He was looking at the temple of God, the second rebuilt temple which was not as glorious as the temple Solomon built. Nevertheless, he also was speaking prophetically about the temple itself, as it was destroyed, and laid bare in AD 70 by the Romans. However, he was also speaking at another time about destroying the temple and he would rebuild it in three days, which he was referring to his body. Still, here he speaks of what is to become of the temple of God. This speaks volumes to the Jews, in the sense that Jesus was to replace the temple, the whole of the system of sacrifice that took place at the temple. Because we have Jesus, we have no need for the temple, and this should speak to us regarding the value that we place on our church building. It might be possible that we put too much concern about our buildings and not enough concern about our spirits. We spend enormous amounts of money on the upkeep of our buildings and maybe we forget to spend enough time on the upkeep of our spirits. True, God required the Israelites to build a tabernacle while they wandered in the wilderness, and he instructed David to store up many precious metals so Solomon could build a temple suitable for the Lord God to dwell among his people. But we now are the temple of the Holy Spirit, we are the ones who God dwells among and within. So then should we not pay attention to this temple, and the upkeep of it, not so much in the physical sense, as in diets and fades, and exercise to ensure the body is in good form. This is not always possible as the aging process will soon begin to erode any of those efforts. However, the spirit does not age, but it can slowly erode if it is not exercised through faith in Jesus. This is the temple that will not be torn down leaving no stone upon another. Again, we cannot get diverted by giving too much attention to the building we use to gather in. True; we should not allow it to crumble around us, but we have seen too many places adorned past the needed amount. Then we are left with this temple of the Holy Spirit and doing our best to not allow it to be thrown down by the ways of the world.

Blessed is He Who Comes in the Name of the Lord

 DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MATTHEW

               BLESSED IS HE

Matt 23:37-39

37 "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing. 38 Look, your house is left to you desolate. 39 For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, 'Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.'" 

NIV

These are prophetic words of Jesus that will come to pass at some point in time. Paul makes it clear in his letter to the Romans, that all of Israel will be saved. Some day the Jews will say, “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord”. Of course, Jesus is also quoting psalm 118, so he combines words that have happened or were prophesied in the past with his prophecy of what will happen in the future. It seems hard to believe that all of Israel will be saved, but then again, nothing is impossible with God. They are his chosen people; however, we Gentiles are also chosen to have heard the gospel, and all who confess with their mouths and believe in their hearts that Jesus was raised from the dead, will be saved. It is also interesting that Paul makes the point the circumcision of the flesh does not make a person a Jew, but it is those who have circumcised their heart that makes a person a Jew. In the days of Israel being the chosen of God, the sign of being Israel, was circumcision, as Gentiles were not circumcised. Although in those days it was a spiritual ritual done on the eighth day of an infant boy's life, today it seems more of a general practice done within the first several hours of a boy's life, and it seems this is done more as a health issue, than any other. Of course, for whatever reason, there are still those who are not circumcised. Nevertheless, none of that determines who is Israel. Again, Paul makes it clear that those who circumcise their hearts are true Israel. Without becoming too graphic, circumcision exposes the most sensitive part of the male body, and this same truth is aimed at our hearts. We expose the most sensitive member of our body, our heart, and allow Jesus to cut away whatever hides or hinders our heart from the truth, from him. So then, is it possible that when that whoever says, “Blessed is he that comes in the name of the Lord” is the one who also says that they confess with their mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in their heart that He was raised from the dead, are those who are true Israel, and they are the only ones who will be saved. Therefore, all of Israel will be saved, for all who are saved, all who have circumcised their heart, are Israel. Yes, old Jerusalem killed the prophets and did indeed kill Jesus. Although it is true that soon after Jesus was crucified, buried and raised from the dead and later ascended back into heaven, that the temple was destroyed, as he will say next, a day is also coming when there will be a new Jerusalem that will come down out of heaven on a new earth and we who have circumcised our hearts will live forever with our Lord there, always praising him and enjoying the blessings of God. No one else will be saved but only those who accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior. If Israel is meant by the nation of Israel, then they will have to change their ways, and have their hearts circumcised before God. In the meantime, we, Gentiles have become Israel.