Matthew 20: 17-34

There are different depths to knowing. I learned about the aeronautical principals of airplane flight from a book. Those principals took on another level of meaning when I made my first solo flight. In our passage today Jesus, for the third time since chapter 16, tells his disciples how his story will end. But, they still don’t get it, and they will not grasp the truth until they behold the Resurrected Lord.

In like manner Jesus has been teaching his disciples about the principals of leadership from a Kingdom of God Servant Leader perspective. They still don’t get it, as evidenced by James and John jockeying for position. Just in case we are tempted to shake our heads at James and John and chastise them for being so crass, Matthew includes the story of Jesus healing the two blind men.

The blind men called out, “Lord, Son of David” a reverent Messianic title for Jesus. How did the crowd respond? The crowd told them to, ‘Shut Up!’

But, Jesus responded, “What do you want me to do for you?” (Remember the landowner from yesterday? (His focus was always on the workers and their needs.) Matthew is asking us to choose which camp we will join: Jesus’ camp of servants (The sign over the camp says, “Lord, Son of David”; or will we camp-out with the crowd? The sign over this camp says, ‘Shut Up!’

Whenever I am prone to put my needs, convenience, or desires ahead of others I am shouting out to the world that I am camping out with the Shut Ups. Every Sunday you hear grumbling from the Shut Up camp, don’t you? (I can hear my own voice from a while back when upon arriving at the church everything was not just as I wanted it to be.)

(If I am not cringing with embarrassment today, I certainly will be in about two weeks when we get to the part of the Gospel where Jesus says, ‘What you have done, or not done, to the least of these, you have done to me.” (Matthew 25:31))

What does today’s reading reveal to you

about God?

What does it reveal to you about yourself?

Think about what God wants you to do

or remember about this passage.

Does God want you to change anything in your life?

6-Sep-11      Matthew 21:1-22

Matthew 20: 1-16

The parable of the vineyard Jesus illustrates the extravagant generosity of God.

Did you notice that the Landowner never justified his seemingly crazy hiring practices because he had such an abundant harvest and thus needed more workers? In the parable the landowner’s focus is always on the workers and their needs.

The parable also reveals the nature of people to control their environment and enhance their sense of entitlement. The workers said they ‘deserved more’ even though they were given exactly what they bargained for. Never is there a mention that those workers did more than they agreed.

Those who agreed to work only for the landowner, as opposed to any specific wage, are like the ones Jesus referred to when we began this Gospel:

“God blesses those who are poor in spirit (We recognize our need); God blesses those who mourn (We repent of our self-sufficiency); God blesses those who are meek (We surrender control to God.)

                             

What does today’s reading reveal to you

about God?

What does it reveal to you about yourself?

Think about what God wants you to do

or remember about this passage.

Does God want you to change anything in your life?

5-Sep-11      Matthew 20:17-34

Matthew 19: 22-30

I saw a bumper sticker yesterday that read: “I am a Trader”. Off to the side there was a citation for Matthew 16. When I looked it up I found:

“All who want to save their lives will lose them. But all who lose their lives because of me will find them. Why would people gain the whole world but lose their lives? What will people give in exchange for their lives?”

That bumper sticker states the conclusion Jesus hopes his followers will reach. In our passage today I see Matthew connecting the dots between chapters 16 and 19. In the story of the rich young man we read about someone who was not willing to make the trade.

The disciples understood that Jesus wasn’t just referring to moneyed rich. The young man represented the basic human longing for self-reliance and self-justification. Jesus makes it clear with his analogy of the camel that laying down our self-interest and trusting only God is exceedingly difficult. And, in keeping with the theme of this part of Matthew’s Gospel I noted yesterday, The Apostle Paul refers to the sacrifice that no one other than Jesus can make: “You know the generous grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty he could make you rich.” 2 Corinthians 8:9.

It is impossible for me to make the sacrifice that will make me right with God. What I cannot earn or buy, Jesus says I will inherit. Inherit! Jesus says that my name is in his last will and testament. There, under the category of eternal life, my name is listed.

But, things that are impossible for me are possible for God.

Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen.

Ephesians 3:19-21

What does today’s reading reveal to you

about God?

What does it reveal to you about yourself?

Think about what God wants you to do

or remember about this passage.

Does God want you to change anything in your life?

Matthew 19: 1-22

On Monday the Gospel of Matthew took a turn. Jesus began to teach his disciples how his story was going to end (Matthew 16:21) and from that point His journey was directed to Jerusalem.

I noted yesterday that Jesus is not the Messiah because he did all the things the Messiah was supposed to do. Jesus is the Messiah because of the incarnation. He is God’s only begotten Son. Jesus is The Messiah because he was a ransom for the sin of the world. As Jesus continues in his journey to Jerusalem, Matthew is showing that there is only one person capable of taking upon themselves the sins of all humans.

The theme in today’s reading affirms that God does not compromise to accommodate the weaknesses of humans. God’s will is peace, righteousness, justice and mercy for all human beings; children; women; and men. God will not compromise, not one bit, on His promises. But, who can say in every circumstance of life, “Not my will, but God’s will”? 

There is but only one person capable of such devotion; Jesus, The Messiah.

Today I join in singing the new song of Revelation 5:

You are worthy to take the scroll

and to open its seals,

because you were slain,

and with your blood you purchased for God

persons from every tribe and language and people and nation.

“Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain,

to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength

and honor and glory and praise!”

What does today’s reading reveal to you

about God?

What does it reveal to you about yourself?

Think about what God wants you to do

or remember about this passage.

Does God want you to change anything in your life?

Matthew 18: 10-35

In this chapter Jesus has been teaching about our life together as the church. Jesus sees each church, each congregation as a microcosm of the Kingdom of God. Jesus is leading us to that place where our congregation reflects to the world what it is like to live under the reign of God. 

Like any good builder, Jesus knows that His church must be built upon a solid foundation. A few chapters ago Jesus laid the first foundation stone for His church. He said he would build His church upon the Confession of Faith that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God. If the first foundation stone is about Jesus, the second foundation stone is about us. The strength of this foundation stone is not so much that we are the children of God, as it is in how we became the children of God.

Jesus is not the Messiah because he did all the things the Messiah was supposed to do. Jesus is the Messiah because of the incarnation. He is God’s only begotten Son.

In a similar way, we are not the children of God because we behave the way the children of God should behave. We are the children of God because we have been forgiven of our sin by the wondrous, overwhelming, amazing, incredible, extraordinary, awesome, marvelous grace of God.

The children of God aren’t meant to shuffle around muttering “I’m just a sinner saved by grace.” Our destiny is to forevermore sing, and dance and shout, and rejoice and celebrate and delight in the truth that we are the beloved of God, through and through, first, last and always, by the wondrous, overwhelming, amazing, incredible, extraordinary, awesome, marvelous grace of God.

When we remember who we are, and how we got here, living together in the way Jesus described is as natural as breathing.

What does today’s reading reveal to you

about God?

What does it reveal to you about yourself?

Think about what God wants you to do

or remember about this passage.

Does God want you to change anything in your life?