Matthew 24:1-14

 Matthew 24:1-14  Jesus and His disciples leave the city and up onto the Mount of Olives. The discussion started with Jesus' revelation that the temple was going to be torn down.. "not one stone here shall be left upon another.. "  It must have been hard for them to imagine.. this beautiful, sturdy structure that signified the Presence of God in Israel.. would be gone. The natural question was.. "when?"

They wanted to know about the "coming" of the King and "the end of the age".  At least they were beginning to understand that much.. that there was to be a time when Christ would come to reign..that it was beyond the here and now.. bigger than the triumph over Rome or any other conquering nation.  Perhaps they were beginning to get a glimpse of the true greatness of their Lord... 

Jesus gives us two exhortations for this time, while we wait for His return.. 

1. Don't be "mislead".

2. Don't be "frightened". 

Don't be mislead... by people who claim that they are "the Christ",  Don't be mislead by false prophets.  Two real threats to the church of Christ. The KJV uses the word "deceive" here.. Don't be deceived, don't be lead astray.. don't wander off from the truth.. or from safety. Jesus tells us 4 times in this discourse to not be deceived or mislead.. v4,5,11 and 24 -   "For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect."  Jesus wants us to be prepared for this.. it will happen.. and we need to be ready. All the more reason we must put on the armor of God every day!

Don't be frightened.. by wars or rumors of war;  of nations that rise against nations.. of famines and earthquakes.. of tribulations and persecutions.. of death on account of His Name. 

Don't be frightened for "the one who endures to the end, he shall be saved." This is the good news, the "gospel of the kingdom" that "Shall be preached in the whole world for a witness to all the nations, and then the end shall come."

Even if others follow another "christ".. we will not. 

Even if others believe a false teacher.. we will not.

Even if the world is in chaos and wars continue.. we will stand in faith not fear!

Even if there are famines and earthquakes.. we have His peace for He is with us!

Even if we are delivered up.. hated.. or killed because of His Name.. we will remain in Him. 

Even if lawlessness increases and "most people's love" grows cold.. we will abide in His Presence. 

For we know that it will be worth it all.. to endure unto the end... for we will be "saved".  We will "lay up for [ourselves] treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and were thieves do to break in or steal.. "(Matthew 6:20) and not in the trappings of this world.   We will put our trust in the Lord our God!

Father in heaven, we see so many things happening in our world today that make us aware of the "birth pangs" that are taking place. We look up with expectation for the coming of our Savior and King.  Yet, we know that trials will come.. tribulation will come.. persecution will come, so we ask that You would give us strength to endure.. to keep in the Truth and not be mislead.. to not become frightened but to live in faith. Keep our love from growing cold, Lord.  Keep our eyes on Jesus.  Let us remain in Him, abiding - in communion and fellowship with our Risen Savior who is coming again. Amen 

Matthew 23

 Matthew 23:37-39  The King of kings had entered Jerusalem, the City of David.. He cleansed the temple emphasizing  the most vital relationship that Israel had - fellowship with the One True God.  He indicted the religious leaders for their hypocrisy and failure to lead the people to the Truth.  He proved His authority and silenced those who had challenged it.  He exposed the sinfulness of those who claimed that they were most righteous.  He passed a sorrowful judgement of "woes" over those who failed to truly know the God they professed to serve. 

"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling."

You can hear His anguish in these words. It feels as if He is giving up the fight.. although we know He is not.. but, there is a finality here.. "Behold, your house is being left to you desolate! For I say to you, from now on you shall not see Me until you say, Blessed is He who comes in the Name of the Lord!" 

Jeremiah wrote, "Thus says the Lord, 'Do justice and righteousness, and deliver the one who has been robbed from the power of his oppressor. Also do not mistreat or do violence to the stranger, the orphan, or the widow; and do not shed innocent blood in this place. For if you men will indeed perform this thing, then kings will enter the gates of this house, sitting in David's place on his throne, riding in chariots and on horses, even the king himself and his servants and his people.  But if you will not obey these words, I swear by Myself,' declares the Lord, 'that this house will become a desolation.'"  (Jeremiah 22:3-5)   

And so it was. 

Andrew Murray wrote this, "God is spirit, holy and glorious. He gave us a spirit with one objective: that we might have fellowship with Him."  Jesus came to make that possible.  We see His heartache over the beloved city.. we can feel His love that was and is freely offered to His people. We can taste the bitterness .. the sting of that rejection.. "...you were unwilling". 

God desires fellowship with us as we worship Him in spirit and in truth. He desires for us to know the greatness of His all surpassing love. He has shown us His mercy, offering us redemption and forgiveness of all our sins.  He has laid down His own life to pay the debt we cannot pay.  He has done it all.. but tragically so many are still "unwilling". 

Father in heaven, You are holy and glorious.  We worship You in spirit and in truth. We are willing!  We surrender to Your will and put our entire lives.. our hearts, souls, and minds.. in Your Hands.  Oh how we love You! Thank You for loving us.. for choosing grace and mercy and goodness for us instead of giving up on Your creation.  We want that fellowship with You.. now and forever. We want others to come to know You and find salvation from the desolation to come. Send forth Your Word by Your servants into the harvest fields,  we pray. In Jesus' name, Amen. 

Matthew 23

 Matthew 23:23-36 

Jesus pronounced 7( or 8 if we count verse14)  "woes" against the Pharisees and scribes - seven things that grieved the Lord and would result in judgement.  The first 4 were in the previous post.. here are the rest:

Woe # 5  (v 23-24) The scribes and Pharisees made a big show of their "tithing".. even to the point of tithing "mint and dill and cummin".   Yet, their hearts were so far from the God they were professing to honor, that they neglected "justice and mercy and faithfulness", which Jesus calls "the weightier provisions of the law."  He compares that to straining a gnat and swallowing a camel!  They were "blind guides" leading the people to forget the true character and heart of God.  For this they were condemned. 

Woe # 6 ( v25-28)  Again Jesus exposed the shallow, vain, useless rules that the Pharisees demanded while they were living sinful lives.. "full of robbery and self-indulgence"..  Theirs was a religion that did not go below the surface.. they needed to get their hearts clean.. then the rest of their lives would be clean too.  To emphasize this more fully, Jesus adds the illustration of a "white-washed tomb" - beautiful on the outside but "full of dead men's bones.. "   The appearance of righteousness is not enough.. for God looks at the heart.. and theirs were filled with "hypocrisy and lawlessness." 

Woe #7 (v29-36)  This final pronouncement reveals the true hypocrisy and guilt of the scribes and Pharisees.. for they made a big fuss over the  "tombs of the prophets" and they claimed that they would never have done what their father's had done..  while.. they were at the same time planning on killing Jesus..  They would continue to persecute and kill His followers.. They would continue to reject the Truth and in doing so would  "fill up" the measure of guilt of their fathers. These men, unless they repented, would carry "the guilt of all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah.".. from the first  martyr to the last prophet in the Old Testament. 

What do we need to learn here as we listen to the voice of our Shepherd, Jesus?  Outward behavior that covers inward sinfulness is Not  acceptable to God in any way, shape, or form.  We do not want to be blindly following rules and doctrines and theories that supposedly lead us to God.. We want to know God.. to know His Truth.. to walk in His Light.. to find His salvation through faith in Jesus Christ.. for only then can we have pure hearts, cleansed from all unfaithfulness.. all hypocrisy.. all lawlessness. For it is only when our hearts have been cleansed by the blood of Jesus will we truly serve God. 

Father in heaven,  lead us in Your paths of righteousness.  We seek You and know that when we do we will find You.. for that is Your promise. We desire to walk in faith, in righteousness, in truth, and purity. Fill us with Your Spirit, so that by Your Presence we will be all that You have called us to be - sons and daughters of the Most High God who Is and Was and Is to come. Glory to Your Name. Amen!

Matthew 23

Matthew 23: 13-22  Jesus has laid out the charges against the Pharisees and scribes.  Here, He expresses His grief.. 7 "woes" for what they have done that will lead to their destruction. "You serpents, you brood of vipers, how shall you escape the sentence of hell?"(v33) 

Woe #1 "because you shut off the kingdom of heaven from men; for you do not enter yourselves nor do you allow those who are entering to go in."    Jesus came to bring good news.. the Kingdom of heaven is near... in fact, He had cast out  demons by "the Spirit of God" .. showing that the Kingdom was in their midst..  He has overcome darkness and brought the Light;  He has given the kingdom to the poor in spirit.. to the children.. to all who would come to Him. But, the Pharisees refused to enter, they reputed all that Jesus said, and they kept others from following Jesus.  Because of this they would be condemned and sentenced to hell. 

Woe#2 ".. because you devour widows houses, even while for a pretense you make long prayers; therefore you shall receive greater condemnation."   God has always given special consideration to widows and orphans.. those without help, without resources, and in need of love and compassion.  Yet, the Pharisees did not care about the people who were hurting.. they were more interested in taking than giving... all the while putting on a show of piety.  For this they were condemned. 

Woe#3 ".. because you travel about on sea and land to make one proselyte; and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves."  Unfortunately, when the Jews did reach out to others to convert them to Judaism they did it to their standards.. not to the Truth.  They were propagating more and more fruitless, vain, worthless religion in their own name.. not for the glory of God.  For this, they would be condemned. 

Woe#4  Three times Jesus calls the Pharisees and scribes blind.. "blind guides" (v16); "fools and blind men"; (v17) and "blind men" (v19).  This all has to do with swearing oaths.  Jesus clearly taught that  men should NOT make oaths.. but "let your statement be, 'Yes, yes' or 'No, no'" ( Matthew 5:33-37)  Worse yet, they devalued the temple, the altar, and the throne of God.  Jesus condemned them because they put more value on the gold in the temple than the temple "that sanctified the gold.."  They valued the offerings.. more than the sacred altar on which it was offered.   The temple belonged to God- not to them.  When they devalued the temple, they devalued God "who dwells in it."  They would swear "by heaven" yet not acknowledge that it is "the throne of God". 

Father in heaven, help us to hear clearly what Your Shepherd is saying to us today.  Examine our hearts, our motives, our religious activities.. our values..  Open our eyes to see, that we might not be fools or blind men.  Father, may we never close the door so others cannot enter the Kingdom of our God.  May we not neglect those in need because we are too busy trying to look like we are godly.  May we never lead others in our own ways.. but always in the Truth.  May we know the holiness and greatness of who You are.  Father, let Your will be done in us today.. even as it is done in heaven, to the glory and praise of Your Holy Name.  Let Jesus be our Master and guide today. Fill us Spirit of God.  Amen. 

Matthew 23

Matthew 23:1-12   It is the last week.. Jesus has entered Jerusalem and declared His Kingship authority.  He cleansed the temple declaring the true purpose of God's house.

He struck the barren fig tree.. condemning the fruitlessness of Israel.

He thwarted the challenge of His authority by the chief priests and elders.

He warned the disobedient "sons" of missing the Father's will and being left out of the Kingdom.

He taught about the fate of the wretched vine-growers when they abused, persecuted and killed the son.

He gave them a clear picture of the Kingdom, comparing it to a marriage feast where the invited did not come and the strangers were invited in to take their places.

He tackled three thorny questions meant to test Him.

And finally, He asked a question of His own, giving another opportunity for His enemies to know the truth about Him.. that He is the Christ. 

All these things clearly reveal the authority of the King. Next, He brings three charges against the scribes, Pharisees, and other elders of Israel... 

The first charge is this.. "The scribes and the Pharisees have seated themselves in the chair of Moses."  They had gone too far.. they were not observing the Law.. they had made themselves law-givers.  They had put themselves in the seat of authority that was not theirs.  And, worst of all, they did not even keep the true Law themselves.   Jesus tells the people.. "therefore all that they tell you, do and observe, but do not do according to their deeds; for they say things and do not do them." 

The second charge is: " And they tie up heavy loads, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves are unwilling to move them with so much as a finger."   As the "experts" in the Law, the Pharisees took pride in lording it over the common people.  They made it harder for people to live freely in faith and in true relationship with God.  They demanded more offerings, more sacrifices, more conforming to their own images.. and the people were oppressed by it all.  Compare that to Jesus who said, "Come unto Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest." ( Matt. 11:28)  The Pharisees loved to condemn others.. Jesus came to seek and to save the lost... in Him there is "no condemnation"!  Hallelujah!

The third charge is: "But they do all their deeds to be honored by men; for they broaden their phylacteries and lengthen the tassels of their garments. And they love the place of honor at banquets, and the chief seats in the synagogues, and respectful greetings in the market place, and being called by men, 'Rabbi'."    Pride and self-centeredness ruled the Pharisees lives. They loved to have their egos stroked. They seemed to ignore God altogether.. certainly not loving Him with all their hearts, souls, minds, and strength.. 

Jesus gives a better way.. the Kingdom way... 

"... do not be called Rabbi for One is your Teacher, and you are all brothers."

".. do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven,"

"And do not be called leaders; for One is your Leader, that is, Christ." 

Once again.. in this final week.. Jesus wants His followers to know that in His Kingdom "the greatest among you.." are the ones who serve.. not the ones who rule.   Those who exalt themselves will be humbled, " but..  "whoever humbles himself shall be exalted." 

Father in heaven, lead us according to Your will, teach us the ways of Christ that we might walk in the Light as He is in the Light. Forgive us our sins.. every act of self-righteousness.. every attitude of pride and self-centeredness.. every bit of hypocrisy.  Help us to be burden lifters and not burden makers.  Help us to never condemn.. but to offer grace.. to have compassion.. and to lift up our brothers and sisters. Thank You for loving us.. for showing us Your mercy and grace in the offering of Your Son, Jesus Christ, our Living King. Amen. 

Matthew 22

Matthew 22:41-46   The religious leaders had asked 3 questions and had been silenced by all three answers.  Now Jesus asked them a question.. "What do you think about the Christ, whose son is He?"

These men knew the Scriptures.. they knew that the Christ is the Son of David.  What they did not understand was that He was also the Son of God.  Jesus points them in the right direction.. 

David wrote in Psalm 110:1 "The Lord says to my Lord; Sit at My right hand, until I make Thine enemies a footstool for Thy feet."   The Lord, the God of heaven and earth gives dominion to the King.. the Christ.. His anointed One.. the Son of David, the Son of God. 

"If David then calls Him 'Lord', how is He his son?"  This question is left unanswered by the Pharisees..  "nor did anyone dare from that day on to ask Him another question." 

Jesus always goes right to the heart of the matter.. the core issue that each of us must contemplate...  "What do you think about the Christ.. "?   If we do not understand or acknowledge that Jesus is Lord.. that He is the anointed One, the King who has dominion over all of creation.. the One who came to conquer His enemies.. shine Light into the darkness.. and overcome sin and death... then we are as lost as the Pharisees.  A head knowledge of the Bible is not enough.. we must go deeper.. 

 Perhaps we need to go back again to the commandment to "love the Lord your God... "(v37)

To love - to have affection for.. friendship with..God, your Maker and Christ Jesus, your Savior;  

With all your heart - with thoughts and feelings from the core of your being;

With all your soul - with every breath, with all your vitality, with your physical life;

With all your mind - with courage, with deep thoughts, with your imagination, with understanding ;

With all your strength - with all your ability, with forcefulness and might;

Peter wrote that we should be  diligent .. in our faith..adding  moral excellence.. knowledge.. self-control.. perseverance.. godliness .. brotherly kindness.. and love; "For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ." ( II Peter 1:5-8)

Father in heaven, holy is the Lord, God Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth..my Maker who calls me His own.. help me to be diligent.. to learn and grow in Your love.. in Your Word.. and in the power and love of Your Spirit who dwells in me.  May Christ be exalted in my life.  May Your Name be praised in all the world. Amen. 

Matthew 22

 Matthew 22:35-40  The 3rd question comes again from the Pharisees.  The Law was everything to them and a lawyer.. an expert in Mosaic Law.. posed the question: "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?"  

Jesus answered, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'  On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets." 

It was an answer that even the Law expert could not dispute.  Luke 10: 25-28  records an earlier meeting between a lawyer and Jesus.  In that account the lawyer asks this question, "Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?"  Jesus turns it back to him, "What is written in the Law? How does it read to you?" The lawyer gave the same answer that Jesus just gave: "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and with all your strength and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself." Jesus agreed with this, "You have answered correctly; do this and you will live." 

Like the Pharisees, Sadducees, and Lawyers.. we can answer correctly.. but not actually "do this and.. live".   John makes it abundantly clear in his epistles that to love God is to keep His commandments..to believe in the Son.. and to love one another. ( I John 3:23)  In Luke 10 Jesus goes on to give an example of loving your neighbor with the story of the good Samaritan... to see someone... anyone in need.. to have compassion on him.. to show kindness to him that goes above and beyond expectations.  This is how you truly "love your neighbor as yourself".

Jesus doesn't give any of the 10 commandments as the greatest.. for all the commandments are covered by the two He does give.  If we love God with all our hearts, souls, minds, and strength and if we love our neighbors as ourselves we will be obeying them all. Loving God  with all our emotions, our actions, all our thinking, all our ability will enable us to reject any other gods, not have any idols, not take His name in vain, and to enter His rest ( sabbath).  Loving our neighbors means that we won't disrespect our parents, murder anyone, commit adultery, steal, lie, or lust after what is not ours. 

Yet.. we know that we do not always love God or people like we are commanded to..  We are in desperate need for the love of God to fill us. We are "poor in spirit"; in need of His mercy;  we need to be continually filled with His Spirit.  

Father, thank You for loving us.. even when we fall short of all that You desire for us.  Sanctify us, God of peace, may our hearts, souls, and minds be transformed by Your Spirit in us, that we might be like Jesus, full of love and grace.  We ask this in His name. Amen. 

Matthew 22

Matthew 22:23-33  Question #2 is offered up by the Sadducees.  We are told that they did not believe in the resurrection. Acts 23:8 tells us that they did not believe in angels or spirits either. These men were all about money, politics, and their positions.  

This question was meant to  challenge Jesus regarding the resurrection:  a man marries and dies before he has any children, one after another, six brothers do their duty and marry her, but none have children before they die.  Finally the woman dies. "In the resurrection therefore whose wife of the seven shall she be? For they all had her."  

Jesus cuts right to the heart of the matter - their unbelief.. "You are mistaken, not understanding the Scriptures, or the power of God."   

He quickly deals with the surface issue of the woman and her husbands - briefly, the answer is -none of them.. "For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven."   In that one sentence Jesus confirms the truth of the resurrection and the truth of the existence of angels.  

Jesus then goes on to prove to them the truth of the resurrection - "... have you not read that which was spoken to you by God, saying, 'I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob?' He is not the God of the dead, but of the living."  This quote was from the book of Exodus.. God introducing Himself to Moses at the burning bush.  The Sadducees knew this Scripture.. how had they not noticed the present tense of those words?  If they believed that what God said to Moses was true... they could no longer deny the resurrection!

The multitudes were "astonished".. and the Sadducees were "silenced". 

We still have Sadducees among us in this world, don't we?   "Religious" people focused on material goods, wealth, power... not believing or understanding the Word of God or the power of God.  They don't think that God pays any attention to how we act or live.  They choose to believe what they want to support their own ideas and ignore or reject the rest. They may be religious.. but their hearts are far from God.  

To be fair, we also have Pharisees among us too.  The Pharisees were the "separated ones".  They considered themselves separate from the common people and separate to the Law.  They made Judaism all about obedience to the Law and then added and changed the laws as they wanted to suit themselves. It is similar to many sects that exist in our world today. 

Father in heaven, let Your Word fill us.. grant us understanding and wisdom.. that we might truly live as Your servants.. Your children.. in this world today.  Keep us from the trap of living "religious" lives that are vain and worthless because they miss the Truth of Who You are and Who Jesus is.  Thank You that we can know You, our Maker, the God of the living!  Thank You that we can be set free to love You and serve You with whole hearts by the power of Your Spirit who dwells in us.  Keep us in Your ways, Lord Jesus, that we might always be ready for the day when we will be present with You forever.. for You are the Resurrection and the Life. Hallelujah! 

Amen 

Matthew 22

 Matthew 22:15-22  This section contains the 1st of three questions meant to "trap" Jesus by what He said. The first was offered by the Pharisees and the Herodians... "Teacher, we know that You are truthful and teach the way of God in truth, and defer to no one; for You are not partial to any. Tell us therefore, what do You think? Is it lawful to give a poll-tax to Caesar, or not?"  A pretentious, hypocritical introduction.. followed by a loaded question.  The Pharisees thought they were quite clever in their verbal trap.. but Jesus, as always, saw right through to their hearts and called them on it. 

"Why are you testing Me, you hypocrites?"  If they truly believed that He was truthful and that He was teaching  the ways of God.. they would not be testing Him! Flattering tongues... as Proverbs 26:28b says, "works ruin".  Proverbs 29:5 hits it right on the head.. "A man who flatters his neighbor is spreading a net for his steps." Exactly.. 

Oh the wisdom of Christ!  

"Show Me the coin used for the poll-tax." He asks.

"Whose likeness and inscription is this?"  He probes.. 

"Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's; and to God the things that are God's."

What an answer!  The king of Rome would claim his due..but,  the King of kings is due all that we have.. all that we are.. all that He has provided. 

"All to Jesus I surrender; 

All to Him I freely give.

I will ever love and trust Him, 

In His presence daily live."

What is due God? Everything! As the song says.. " I surrender all.. all to Thee, my blessed Savior.."

Father in heaven, be exalted and glorified today as Your Name is made holy all over this planet!  May our voices cry out with praise, for You are great, and all You do is gracious, compassionate, and just.  There is no other God.. no other name that is worthy to be praised.  Father, in the chaos of this world.. in the midst of the many voices that test and question and argue.. may Your Word be heard. Let it "run rapidly and be glorified" in this world, as Your people surrender all to You and are filled with Your "love and power" to go out in the Name of Jesus with the good news of salvation.  Father, may we truly render all the things that are Yours to You.. in Jesus' name we pray. Amen. 

Matthew 22

 Matthew 22:1-14  Jesus tells another parable to describe the Kingdom of God. He compares it to a king who "gave a wedding feast".  

The invitations had been sent out.  (to the people of Israel)
The slaves went to gather those who were invited. -(the prophets)
But, those invited were "unwilling to come".
More slaves were sent out.. "everything is ready, come to the wedding feast" -  these were ignored; mistreated, or killed -  ( like the prophets had been)
The king "was enraged" (wrath) - and he sent out armies who "destroyed those murderers and set their city on fire" ( the wrath of God will be poured out on all unwilling to come to Him)

Then, he sent out his slaves to find more people to come to the wedding feast since the first group was "not worthy" - ( the gospel has gone out to everyone.. Jew or Gentile, rich or poor,  "evil and good")
They came to the wedding feast and filled the hall. ( The invitation is freely given and all can come in)
But.. the king entered the hall "to look over the dinner guests"  and "he saw a man not dressed in wedding clothes.. "  This man was bound "hand and foot and cast into the outer darkness; in that place there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth."   - 

Why?

Because there is more to being a Christian than just an acknowledgment of the invitation - that is like the seed sown in the thorny ground that sprouts up quickly but dies quickly too.  The Kingdom of God is much more significant than that.. it belongs to the "poor in spirit".. to the merciful.. to the peacemakers, the gentle, the pure in heart.. it belongs to those who do "the will of the Father". 

"For many are called (invited) but few are chosen ( elected or selected)".   All are invited to follow Jesus.. but only those who actually do it have the Kingdom and are saved from the wrath of God. We must lay down our lives, take up our crosses, and follow Jesus.. walking "in love, just as Christ also loved [us] and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma."  ( Eph. 5:2)

Father in heaven, once again I am reminded of Paul's exertion to "present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.. "  May we no longer be conformed to the thinking of this world that calls us to think only of ourselves.. our desires.. our wills;  but to be "transformed by the renewing of [our] mind(s).. "  so that we can know Your will  which is good and perfect and acceptable in Your sight. (Romans 12:1-2)  All to Jesus.. our Savior Who gave His all for us.. that we might be not only invited to the wedding feast, but to be welcomed with Your arms opened wide.. May Your Kingdom come, gracious God.. and may we be willing.. and ready! We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen

Matthew 21

 Matthew 21:33-46  Jesus is still addressing the chief priests and elders.. they were dealing with the issue of authority.  In the first parable, verses 28-32, Jesus told them that the kingdom would be given to the obedient.. to the ones who repented and believed.. not to those who claimed to do the Father's will, but did not. 

This parable is about a landowner who planted a vineyard and rented it out to vine-growers.  When the time came for the harvest, the landowner sent his servants to receive his produce.  Instead of doing what they were obligated to do, they beat, stoned, and killed one of the servants.  The second group sent were treated the same way. So, the landowner sent his son, "They will respect my son." he said.  But, they did not. They killed him. 

When asked what would happen next, the priests and elders knew the right answer.. "He will bring those wretches to a wretched end.. " 

The landowner had the authority to rid his vineyard of the wretched men and to bring in righteous vine-growers "who will pay him the proceeds at the proper season."

It is here that Jesus brings home His point.. . "Did you never read in the Scriptures, 'The stone which the builders rejected, this became the chief corner stone... '  " This passage is a quote from Psalm 118 which references Isaiah's words.(8:14-15)  The emphasis is on the foundation of the Kingdom of God.  God Himself would build His Kingdom on a righteous foundation.. His choice would be rejected by the builders, but would be the "Chief cornerstone" in spite of them. This prophecy was fulfilled in Jesus and as Isaiah said, ".. many will stumble over"  this Rock.  

God alone has chosen the rightful King over His Kingdom.. He alone has the authority to do so!

 For those who believe... Peter wrote, " And coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected by men, but choice and precious in the sight of God, you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For this is contained in Scripture: 'Behold I lay in Zion a choice stone, a precious corner stone, and he who believes in Him shall not be disappointed.' This precious value, then, is for you who believe.. " ( I Peter 2:4-7)

To those who would not believe, Jesus was a rock to stumble over.. and the result would be tragic.. "And he who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; but on whomever it falls, it will scatter him like dust." ( Matt. 21:44)  Peter put it this way.. ".. for they stumble because they are disobedient to the word, and to this doom they were also appointed." (I Pet. 2:8)

Indeed, the wretched will come to a wretched end.  Jesus, the Chief Cornerstone, is God's "choice and precious" foundation of His Kingdom.  The chief priests and elders were wretched vine-growers who thought the kingdom belonged to them.  Jesus exposed their evil hearts.. and they would kill Him because of that... bringing on their own doom.. 

One more word about this from I Peter 2:9 "But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.. " 

Father in heaven, how thankful we are for Jesus, our Lord and King, the Cornerstone...Who is choice and precious in Your sight. We thank You for calling us out of the darkness.. for bringing us into the Light. We thank You that the Kingdom is ours because of the saving grace poured out on us through Jesus.  May we be faithful servants in Your vineyard, Father. May we fulfill Your purposes for us as "living stones" and "royal" priests.. proclaiming Your excellencies to all the world.  Come, Holy Spirit, and lead us in the paths of God today we pray. In Jesus' name. Amen. 

Matthew 21

 Matthew 21:28-32  This parable is about two sons... one who said he would go work in the vineyard, but didn't.. and the other who said he would not go, but "regretted it and went".  Jesus asked the priests and elders, "Which of these two did the will of the father?"  They answered correctly.. it was the one who finally obeyed.. 

Jesus compared these two sons to two groups of people... the elders and priests;  and the harlots and tax-gatherers.  The group that would "get into the kingdom of God".. is the latter group.. They are the ones who repented.. felt "remorse" or "regret" and changed their minds about sin.. and were saved.  The priests and elders were the ones who said they would obey God.. but never did. 

John the Baptist had come "in the way of righteousness".. he came to preach repentance... show the way to the kingdom of God and the elders and priests of Israel, refused to believe him.. as they still refused to believe Jesus. 

The King of kings had entered Jerusalem.. cleansed the temple.. the place where men and women from every nation should have been able to know the Presence of God.. He condemned the barren fig tree and the fruitless religion of Israel... He revealed the spirit of error in the lives of the religious leaders.. and in that context He once again clearly offers the way of righteousness.. repentance and obedience to the will of the Father.  Which brings us back to the question that we each must make:

Will we choose to follow Jesus in doing the Father's will?  Will we trust and obey? Are we willing to repent.. true away from sin and the world and anything that comes between us and our God? Will we "surrender all" to Jesus?

Or will we just pretend to be "saved".. offer lip-service about our relationship with God.. while our hearts are hard and the throne of our hearts is still ruled by our own wills?

We all must choose!

Father in heaven, hallowed be Your Name!  May the Name of the Lord Almighty  be lifted up and exalted in all the earth.  May the Name of Jesus be praised in every language, by every tribe and nation.  Let Your Kingdom come. Let Your will be done.  Father, we choose to be obedient servants.. to love and serve You with whole hearts and willing minds. Help us to continually be filled with Your Spirit that we might be "preserved complete and without blame at the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ" ( I Thes. 5:23-24)  You are faithful and You alone can do it.  Thank You for patiently, lavishly, loving us and covering us by Your grace. Amen. 

Matthew 21

 Matthew 21:23-27  The chief priests and elders came to Jesus to question His authority to do what He was doing... to teach, to cleanse the temple... to heal?   It wasn't the question in itself that was a problem.. for Jesus only did what the Father told Him to do and said only what the Father told Him to say ( John 14:10-11) But, the spirit behind the question is what Jesus addressed when He asked them a question in return.  "I will ask you one thing too, which if you tell Me, I will also tell you by what authority I do these things.. " 

It wasn't a hard question.. "The baptism of John was from what source, from heaven or from men?"  The passage tells us that the priests and elders would not answer.  If they said it was from heaven they knew Jesus would ask them why they didn't believe him.  If they said it was from man.. then the people would rise up against them.. for they knew John was a prophet.  So they refused to answer. 

The Lord's timing is always perfect.. isn't it?  Last night at church we had a bible study focusing on I John 4: 1-6  which conveys John's command for us to "test the spirits to see whether they are from God.."  In a passage like that I find it helpful to make two columns or lists to compare and contrast the facts..  Here's what I noted:

Spirit of God                                                            

Confesses Christ who came in the flesh                

Is from God                                                             

Knows God and listens to His Word                            

Has a greater Spirit and overcomes                                

 spirit of error

Does not confess Christ

 Is from the world

 Does not listen to the Word

Is a false prophet/antichrist  

So what does this have to do with Matthew 21?      

The priests and elders were "testing" the authority of Jesus, but He turned it around on them.. after all He is the King! His authority overrides anything they had.  And, His question gives them the opportunity to either acknowledge that John was from God.. or say that he was not. (  A "test" of John's spirit..?)    Their inability to confess God's presence in John's life and ministry... showed that they neither knew God or heard the Spirit of God.  Therefore they had the "spirit of error".. were from the world, and were false prophets and leaders.. anti- christs of the worse kind.    

Father in heaven, lead us in Your Truth that we might always walk in Your ways, listen to Your words and be filled with Your Spirit.  In all we do and say, may we be like Jesus. May our lives produce the fruit of Your Spirit - love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, humility, and self-control.  Forgive us our sins.  In Christ we forgive those who have sinned against us. We surrender all of our being to the One who reigns on high, seated at the right hand of the Father.. our thoughts, our ambitions, our emotions, our fears, and our hopes.. We acknowledge that we are weak and poor in spirit, but that You have given us Life through Jesus Christ who came in the flesh and who lives forever! Test us Lord.. and reveal any spirit of error in our lives that we might turn away from the lies of the world and listen only to Your voice. Lead us in righteousness for Your Name's sake we pray.  Amen 

                              

 Matthew 21:18-22  If the first priority of Jesus was to cleanse the temple.. emphasizing the vital relationship between God and His people.. this second event is also significant.   Jesus enters Jerusalem once again after spending the night in Bethany.  Hungry, He approaches a leafy fig tree, but finds no fruit.  Most commentaries agree that this tree symbolized Israel.. who had every opportunity to bear spiritual fruit, for they had been given the Words and commandments of God.. but were as barren as the tree. 

Jesus cursed the tree, "No longer shall there ever be any fruit from you." .. and the tree withered. The status quo in Jerusalem would not longer be accepted by God.. A change was about to come... 

 As the disciples marveled at this,  Jesus once again taught them the truth about faith and prayer. "Truly I say to you, if you have faith, and do not doubt, you shall no only do what was done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, 'Be taken up and cast into the sea, ' it shall happen. And all things you ask in prayer, believing, you shall receive." 

The restored and reconciled believer who has that vital relationship with God the Father.. who worships and obeys and loves God with all his heart.. who has true living faith..  is the disciple of Jesus who asks and receives.  The disciples had already learned that they were to open and shut doors.. binding  and loosing..  according to heaven's will.  The time was coming.. in just a few days.. and they needed to know the kind of faith that does that.. the kind of faith that  moves mountains. 

We have such limited understanding of the privileges and responsibilities of being Christ's disciples.. we are as weak in faith as the disciples were.  May the Holy Spirit open our eyes and understanding to the power of God at work in us.. that we might also pray in faith and move mountains for the glory of God. 

Father, fill us.. Your servants... Your children...  increase our faith and expand our understanding of Your Kingdom, of Your will, and of Your glory.  Accomplish all that You desire in us, in our church, and in our land. We pray this in Jesus' name. All glory and honor and praise we lift up to You, the Holy God, the Maker of heaven and earth.. Amen. 

 Matthew 21:12-17   Jesus entered the city of Jerusalem, coming as the rightful King, the One who was about to do what no other king could do.. and His first act was to cleanse the temple.  Here is where the Presence and Name of Jehovah was to be honored and worshiped.  Here is where the sacrifices - the burnt offerings, the grain offerings, the thanks offerings.. and the sin offerings were supposed to be brought.. to restore and reconcile..  the people of God with their God and King.  It was supposed to be more than obedience.. it was supposed to be acknowledging their total dependence and love for Him. It was supposed to be "HOLY"..   "It is written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer.. "  the Scriptures taught..  This was the place for foreigners to "join themselves to the Lord, to minister to Him, and to love the name of the Lord, to be His servants.. " (Isaiah 56:6) 

Yet.. ".. you are making it a robber's den".. Jesus accused the priests and scribes.  Jesus, the true King and High Priest of Israel, made it His first priority to cleanse the Temple.  He overturned tables.. removing money-changers and dove sellers. He cast out all the buyers and sellers.  He received the blind and lame who came to Him "and He healed them". He accepted the songs of the children singing "Hosanna to the Son of David".  He rebuked the priests and scribes with the Word.. "Out of the mouths of infants and nursing babes Thou hast prepared praise for Thyself.. " 

This was the number 1 priority for the King coming triumphantly into Jerusalem.  It should have been the priority for the priests and scribes.. but it was not.  They failed to take responsibility for the most important job they had.. to worship and serve the Most High God... to honor Him above everything and everyone else..  Instead,  they turned against the One who had come to reveal their sinful hearts. 

Father in heaven,  let us learn from this.. let us see clearly the times in our lives when we fail to take responsibility for the work that You have called us to.. when we neglect the most important things - worship and service to our God and King.. and focus on selfish desires.  Thank You for the Truth of Your Word.. for the power of Your Spirit who fills us.. for the Presence of our Lord Jesus, who has made us whole, cleansing us from our sins, and leading us in paths of righteousness for Your Name's sake. May our relationship with You always be the priority of our lives. This we ask in the Name above all other names .. the name of Jesus. Amen. 

 Matthew 21:1-11  Jesus and His disciples.. and the multitude that was following.. all heading to  Jerusalem for the upcoming Passover, approach the city together.  Perhaps they had all been singing those songs of ascent from the Psalms.. as our pastors have been speaking on... but this ascent would be like no other... 

Jesus stops on the Mount of Olives and sends two of His disciples to fetch a donkey's colt.  Prophecy was about to be fulfilled.. "Say to the daughter of Zion, Behold your King is coming to you, Gentle and mounted on a donkey, even on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden."  This prophecy was given to Zechariah (9:9).  The beginning of that verse is not quoted in Matthew.. "Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout in triumph, O  daughter of Jerusalem!" 

It is a "triumphal" entrance.. because the King was coming in to conquer.. to conquer sin and death and hell.. to conquer the enemy who would no longer rule over the earth.  ". (Zech 9:10)  Salvation.. in the form of man..God, the Son... entered Jerusalem to finish the work that He had come to earth to accomplish. 

The disciples brought the young donkey.

The Lord took His place on its back. 

The people laid down their garments to honor the king.

The multitude shouted out their praises.. "Hosanna to the Son of David; Blessed is He who comes in the Name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest!"

And "all the city was stirred.. " 

Father in heaven, all honor and praise and glory and power.. to You, the Almighty God and to the Lamb who is King forever and ever!  We rejoice that our King has come to save. We rejoice at the triumph of His finished work on the cross.. that He conquered death, sin, and hell.  Thank You that Satan has no claim to Your children, for Jesus paid the price of our salvation.  Thank You that our gentle and humble Lord fulfilled every prophecy and every promise.  Hallelujah! What a Savior! 

Amen. 

 Matthew 20:29-34  A "multitude"  of people followed Jesus from Jericho to Jerusalem.  It is a week before Passover.. a week before He would be crucified.. a week full of teaching and preparing the disciples for what was going to happen next.  A lot would happen that last week.. but, Jesus is never in too much of a hurry for people in need... people who cry out to Him. 

"And behold, two blind men sitting by the road, hearing that Jesus was passing by, cried out, saying, 'Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David.'"     These men had heard about Jesus.. they knew that He was the Healer.. they knew that He was "Lord".  They called Him the "Son of David".. acknowledging His kingship.  When told to be quiet they shouted "all the more"... they would not give up their one chance to receive what only Christ could give.. their sight. 

"And Jesus stopped and called them, and said, ' What do you want Me to do for you?'"  What a wonderful question.. 

Their answer was simple, "Lord, we want our eyes to be opened."  And with compassion, "Jesus touched their eyes; and immediately they regained their sight and followed Him." 

This makes me think about our prayer lives.. 

We can call out to Jesus.. acknowledging that He is our Lord and He is the King.

We can continue to pray and call out to Him, even when we are discouraged by others or by our own doubts.

We can trust that Jesus hears us... that He wants to know what we want Him to do for us, too. 

We can make our requests known to Him.. "by prayers and petitions, with thanksgiving".. 

And, we can experience His compassion and grace... 

It is Christ that opens all of our blind eyes.. that we might truly see Him, the Lord and King.. the Savior who went to the cross. 

Compare these two men.. once blind and now with eyes to see.. following Jesus - to the rich young ruler, who had everything money could buy.. but went away blinded to the truth of Who Jesus is. 

Who would we rather be?

Father in heaven, You are our Mighty God and Gracious Father.. thank You for the truth of Your Word, that always challenges.. but always moves us closer to Your heart.  We acknowledge the power of Your Spirit at work in us.. drawing us into deeper faith.. greater love.. and a fuller knowledge of Your Word.  Lord, like the blind men, we ask that our eyes be opened, to see You ever more clearly.. to be led by Your Spirit.. in faith, in obedience, and in surrender and sacrifice.  May Your will be done in us.. in Your church.. to the glory of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  It is in His name that we pray. Amen. 

 Matthew 20:17-28  Jesus and the disciples begin their journey to Jerusalem.. the time was coming near.. and the disciples were not ready for what was coming. 

 "Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem; and the Son of Man will be delivered to the chief priest and scribes, and they will condemn Him to death, and will deliver Him to the Gentiles to mock and scourge and crucify Him, and on the third day He will be raised up." 

There it is.. plain as day. Not the first time that Jesus told them this. But, they still don't seem to be listening.  Instead.. the mother of James and John comes to Jesus to request seats of honor for her boys. Jesus gives an answer that is far more impactful than they realized at the time. "You do not know what you are asking for... " 

They didn't know they were asking for a bitter cup to drink.

They didn't know they were asking for a position reserved for the Father's choice.

They didn't know they were asking to be servants.. slaves.. surrendering everything for His sake. 

But, they would know soon enough.. They would witness the crucifixion of their King.  They would face persecution and imprisonment. James was martyred by Herod ( Acts 12:2)  John would be exiled to Patmos.  Indeed they would "drink [His] cup".  They would serve. They would surrender all.. because they witnessed the resurrected Lord who had given His life as a "ransom for many".

They would finally understand the purpose and the promises of Jesus, the King.. and they would no longer ask for privileged places to rule.. but would lay down their lives.. take up their crosses.. and follow Jesus. 

Father in heaven,  again we are made aware that Your ways are not our ways.. that Your thoughts are not our thoughts.  Your Kingdom economy is nothing like that of the world.  You value service, not power.  You value humility, not pride.  You value sacrifices of obedience and generosity.. mercy and grace.  You have a whole different definition of success and wisdom and worth.  Thank You for teaching us these Truths through a Living example..  our Lord, Jesus Christ who came to serve.. giving His life as a ransom for us.  We are so thankful. We desire to be all that You want us to be.. to trust You with each day as we walk this earth, and to trust You with our eternal future.  May Jesus Christ fill us with the Holy Spirit so that we might be good and faithful servants.  Amen. 

Matthew 20:1-16

Jesus said, "But many who are first will be last; and the last first." ( 19:30)

And, He said, "Thus the last shall be first, and the first last.."  (20:16) 

By this we know that the parable is meant to teach the disciples an important principle of the Kingdom.  This parable is related to Peter's question about leaving behind everything and following Christ. 

The parable begins with a landowner who goes out "early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard." We learn that he made an agreement with some laborers "for a denarius for the day", and sent them to work.  This was a fair wage for a day's work of 12 hours in the vineyard. This is the only group that asks for a specific pay. 

But then, the landowner goes out and finds more workers. Some come at 9:00, some at 12:00 and some more at 3:00.  He offers each of these "whatever is right".  They would probably expect less than a day's wage, but were probably happy to have work that day.  Finally, the landowner goes out at the "eleventh hour" - 5:00.. an hour before quitting time.  Even though the time is short, he sends them into the vineyard too.  Everyone else was probably happy to have some extra hands to work with them.. until... 

The evening came and everyone was done for the day and the foreman was ready to hand out the pay.  The landowner starts with the last group of laborers... and pays them a denarius!  A very generous gift for an hour's work.  Every group is paid the same.. coming to the first group who had worked all day -12 long hours. When they received the same pay.. which they had contracted for.. they grumbled.  It wasn't fair that the others received the same pay for less work..  I imagine most of us might feel the same way. 

But, the landowner was right.. they had agreed to work for a denarius and he did not owe them any more than that.. and he had the right to give the others more than they had actually worked for.. it was his money to use as he wanted.  

The first group was paid last.. and they were envious of the last group that was paid first. So, what does this have to do with the disciples?  The last group of workers had left their pay up to the landowner.. they had no expectation of receiving a whole day's pay. They had no contract. They had no rights for such a generous pay. They received far more than what they would have asked for... But, the first workers had expectations.. they had settled on their "reward" at the beginning.. they had determined their worth.. and then wanted to change their minds when they saw what happened to the others. 

Do we think that God owes us something for the years of service to Him? To we have expectations of our own worth? Are we willing to just trust and obey.. and leave everything in His hands?  Peter wanted to know "what then will be for us?"  Jesus says.. more than you can imagine.. just leave it to Me!  The point is not to work for a certain outcome.. but to leave it all in the Hands of our loving Father who will always do "whatever is right"... He does more than we could ever ask or imagine. 

Father, take my expectations.. my narrow view of life and eternity.. and let me rest in the greatness of Your love and grace.  I am Your servant.. sent into Your vineyard.. to do the work of Your Kingdom.  Let Your will be done, Your Name exalted, and Your Kingdom come!  I put my trust in You.. for now and for eternity. Thank You for every drop of mercy and every ray of grace that You pour out on us. We pray for Your Spirit to fill us with Your great love, that it might overflow from our hearts to those we meet.  In Jesus' name we come.. resting entirely in Your Sovereign will.  Amen. 

Matthew 19:27-20:16   The children came freely to Jesus.. the rich young man turned away.. Peter wanted to know where he and the other disciples stood.. "Behold we have left everything and followed you: what then will there be for us?"  

The kingdom belongs to the children who came to Jesus with nothing to give. The rich young man had much.. but would not give it to Jesus. The disciples had homes and jobs.. they were somewhere in-between the two others... not poor and needy, but not rich either. Still they had left their homes and their livelihoods.. and followed Jesus.  So, what did that mean to Him?

The answer is so remarkable!  "Truly I say to you, that you who have followed Me, in the regeneration when the Son of Man will sit on His glorious throne, you also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel."  Jesus gives His disciples a glimpse of something they couldn't even imagine.. that they had no idea about.. a future that will be more than worth the sacrifice that they made when they walked away from their fishing boats or whatever else they left behind. Thrones in His Kingdom!

But, Jesus was not done.. "And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or farms for My name's sake, shall receive many times as much, and shall inherit eternal life." Everyone who lays down their lives.. takes up their cross. and follows Jesus can trust in this promise from Jesus.  I think of missionaries.. especially in the past.. when they sailed or flew across the ocean to serve the Lord in foreign lands.. before FaceTime.. before Skype.. before email.. leaving behind family and homes, knowing that it would be 4-5 years before they would see their siblings or parents again.  Letters took months to travel back and forth.  I remember it well.. for I was one left behind.. with 2 brothers and 1 sister far away, serving the Lord in Africa and Japan.  So thankful for them and that God used them to start churches.. to teach the Word.. to be faithful and to persevere through the years away.  Have they received "many times as much"?  I think they would say, "yes".  But more than anything they look forward to eternity with Jesus!

"But many who are first will be last; and the last first."  Jesus said to them.  And then He told a story.  Will look at that tomorrow.

Father in heaven, with You "all things are possible".  With You.. sacrifices are possible... and worth every one.   For You are our God and we trust in Your plans and purposes. We desire to serve You and to trust You.. waiting on that day when we will see clearly what You have done with the seeds we have planted.. the gifts we have offered.. the love we have shown. Fill us daily with Your Holy Spirit and lead us in Kingdom work as You have prepared for each of us to do.  Your will be done, Father, to Your glory and honor forever and ever. Amen. 

 Matthew 19: 13-26   "Let the children alone, and do not hinder them from coming to Me; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."   The disciples wanted to send the children away.. but Jesus wanted them to come close to Him.  He laid His hands on them and prayed for them.  The kingdom was theirs... so the King was their king.  Our King does not send away those who come to Him... Oh what wonderful grace!  

In John 6:37 Jesus said, "All that the Father gives Me shall come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out."  

In contrast, the young man who came to Jesus wanting to justify his works.. feeling his lack.. unwilling to let go of his wealth.. "went away grieved.. " 

Jesus said it is hard for "a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven".   The children owned it, but the rich man struggled and did not follow Jesus.  It is astonishing, isn't it?  But, as we have heard over and over again through the teaching of Jesus.. God's economy is not anything like man's.  "Then who can be saved?" the disciples asked...  "With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." 

Andrew Murray wrote this, "Think for a moment of the marks of a true faith. First of all, faith counts upon God to do all He has promised as the only measure of its expectation. It does not rest content with taking some of the promises; it seeks nothing less than to claim every promise that God has made, in its largest and fullest meaning. Under a sense of its own nothingness and utter impotence, faith trusts the power of an almighty God to work wonders in the heart in which He dwells."  ( from Daily in His Presence). 

This is what the children had and the young rich man didn't.. that realization of "nothingness" and "impotence"... They were "poor in spirit".. beggars in need of life.. and they came to the One who would never "cast them out"....  the young rich man was just as poor in spirit..just as much in need of life...  he just didn't know it. 

Father, we come to You recognizing our utter helplessness.. the impossibility to save ourselves.. and we are so thankful that we can come to Jesus and receive life.. hallelujah!  What a Savior!  We pray for those who are lost, like that young man.. thinking they can save themselves.. not realizing their own helplessness and impotence.  Open their eyes, Lord!  We praise You.. the God who does what is impossible! Let Your Kingdom Come! Thank you for giving us Your precious promises.. that You will not cast us out.. that You will never forsake us.. that You are God of heaven and earth and You have provided salvation through Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God.. to all who will come!  Glory and honor and power belong to our Father and to the Son, in whose name we come. Amen!

 Matthew 19:1-9  As Jesus left from Galilee and came to Judea He was followed by "great multitudes" seeking healing.  He was also followed by some Pharisees who were seeking to test Him again.  This time they had a sticky question about divorce.. "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any cause at all?"

 According the the Bible Dictionary .. there was a debate between the Jewish rabbis.. one group said that any reason for divorce was acceptable.. the other group insisted that it could only be legal if the wife was immoral.  The "certificate of divorce" that Moses "permitted" ( not "commanded")... was granted for the sake of the innocent wife who was sent away from her husband.  The Key Word Study Bible commentary suggests that this would clear the woman from the stigma of guilt so that she would not be accused of adultery and then would be free to remarry without be considered an adulteress. 

Jesus avoids any of the debate and goes back to the beginning of marriage.. how it is meant to be.. "Have you not read, that He who created them from the beginning made them male and female; and said, 'For this cause a man shall leave his father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife; and the two shall become one flesh'?"  

God made us - men and women. ( No matter what our culture wants to believe) and  He designed marriage as a permanent covenant. There is beauty and joy and blessing in His perfect plan...   

Yet, He also understands the hearts of mankind.  He knows our failures and mistakes.. our sinful ways are not hidden from Him at all.  No, He doesn't want divorce.. in facts He hates it.. He sees the hurt of the innocent party.. the sorrow of broken homes.. the guilt of immorality..but,  He still wants us to come to Him and find forgiveness and restoration..  Oh how thankful we are for His amazing grace!

Father we live in a culture overwhelmed with immorality of all kinds.  We have called wrong "right" and right "wrong".  We have allowed divorce so much that the covenant of marriage seems to have lost its meaning.  Many don't even bother with legal marriages.  There are "marriages" that are totally immoral according to Your Word. We are a mess of confusion and foolish "speculations".  We have "exchanged the truth of God for a lie.. " ( Romans 1).  We observe with our own eyes more and more depravation.. more unrighteousness.. more "wickedness, greed, evil;... envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice.." and more.  Lord God, we are without excuse in this country.  We know that You will come and "render to every man according to his deeds."  Father, we come to the One who alone can save us from this sin. Help comes from the Lord!  It is in Jesus Christ that we believe and find justification through the redemption He has provided. O, praise the Lamb who was slain for us!  Praise to our God and Father, for You have saved us from every sin by the sacrifice of the Beloved Son.  How can we ever thank You enough? We give You all our praise and glory and honor Your holy Name. Amen and amen!

 Matthew 18:21-35  Peter had a good question.. "Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?"   That was a pretty generous offer in Peter's mind.. surely 7 times would be sufficient for someone who keeps sinning against us.   Most of us wouldn't even be that generous.. would we?  

What if someone we know were to keep stealing from us?

What about an unfaithful spouse who kept cheating?

What about a friend who tells lies about you?

Seven times seems like a lot to put up with... let alone what Jesus says.. "I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven."   Oh boy... that's way beyond our breaking point for most of us...(or am I just speaking for myself?)

"For this reason.. "   Jesus gives us a Kingdom parable... It is about a king who begins to settle his accounts with his slaves.  One in particular owed a debt of "ten thousand talents".  Perhaps an equivalent of  $10,000.000 or more.  How a slave could owe so much we are not told... the point is that it was way beyond anything that could be repaid in his lifetime.  The penalty for not paying that debt was to be sold- along with his wife, all of his children, and all of his belongings.  Even that would not begin to touch the debt owed.  The man begged for mercy.. "Have patience with me, and I will repay you everything." Ha! But, the king had compassion on him, released him, and forgave the debt in full!  Amazing!

Then the fellow goes out to try to gather some of the money owed him.. finds a man who owed him "a hundred denarii" - one day's wages.  Not much in the scheme of things.  He chokes the man, refuses to forgive the debt, and throws him in prison.  It was his right to do that.. but it was definitely not right for him to do it. So when the king hears about it, he becomes so angry that he hands the man over "to the torturers.....Should you not also have had mercy on your fellow slave, even as I had mercy on you?"

"So shall My heavenly Father also do to you, if each of you does not forgive his brother from your heart."   Heaven "sets the standard and earth follows heaven's lead"... Our God has chosen to set the standard of compassion.. mercy.. forgiveness of sins.  The size of the debt.. the number of times one sins  against us.. is not the issue. Again, it is not about us - our rights; our abilities; our sense of justice - it's about God's will and purpose - forgiveness...mercy.. compassion... love that goes beyond our human capacity.. 

 He has shown us the supreme example - "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life."  While we were still sinners.. Christ died for us.  Our debts have been forgiven - our penalty paid in full. How can we not forgive our brother from our heart?

Lord God, Maker of heaven and earth, You are gracious and merciful.. slow to anger.. great in lovingkindness!  Hallowed be Your Name.  We ask for Your Name to be exalted, for Your Kingdom to come, and for Your will to be done on earth as it is in heaven. We pray that You would help us to truly forgive our brothers and sisters from our hearts.. as You have forgiven us.  We struggle with this sometimes, Lord.  You know us full well.... transform our thinking by Your Word that we might be obedient to Your teaching.  Come Spirit of God and renew our hearts, removing anything that would keep us from walking in mercy and love with one another.  We need Your help, Lord Jesus. We ask this in Your Name. Amen.