road2answers: July 2017

Monday, July 31, 2017

Trust

Matthew 14:22-33

Jesus walked on water – incredible, hard to believe but true.

People are still talking about it. This event has become synonymous with someone who can do anything.

However, this story contains truth that is essential for our lives and our relationship with God.

If you ever experience turmoil, trouble or perplexing circumstances, the truth we are about to explore can make a difference for you.

Matthew 14:22 starts with “Immediately.” This, of course, points back to what has just happened. In this case, Jesus just fed 5,000 men plus women and children with five loaves and two fish – a huge miracle. To understand the importance of all of this, we are going to have to go back and tell more of the story.

Herod has just killed John the Baptist. This was upsetting for the nation of Israel. Especially since the people thought John was a prophet sent from God. In addition, Jesus had sent the twelve out in pairs to preach, heal and cast out demons in the countryside of Judea. Healing and casting out demons caused enough of an uproar that Herod heard about it and thought that Jesus was John the Baptist returned from the dead. Herod was paranoid and anxious to kill any person he considered a threat. When the disciples returned from their traveling, Jesus took them to a desolate place to be alone for a while. However, the people saw Jesus leaving to cross the Sea of Galilee by boat. News quickly spread and a huge crowd raced around the lake, arriving at the far shore before Jesus did. Seeing this crowd, Jesus had compassion on them because they were harassed and helpless like sheep without a shepherd.

This crowd was hungry spiritually long before Jesus fed them physically. As Jesus taught them and healed their sick throughout the long day, He fed their hungry troubled souls. Political and spiritual instability had these people extremely worked up and agitated – harassed. If you want to understand more, compare the accounts in Matthew 14, Mark 6 and John 6.

In John’s account, after Jesus fed the people, they decided to make Jesus king. John 6:14-15 says:

¹⁴When the people saw the sign that he had done, they said, “This is indeed the Prophet who is to come into the world!”

¹⁵Perceiving then that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, Jesus withdrew again to the mountain by himself. ESV[i]

Matthew 14 gives some details about what happened and how Jesus withdrew. Matthew 14:22 tells us the first thing Jesus did was to compel His disciples to get into the boat. The word translated “made” or “compelled” is the word “anagkazo” and it means to compel with urgency or to constrain whether by force or threats.[ii]

This was necessary because the disciples did not understand Jesus’s mission. Later, after Jesus had spent three years teaching them, Jesus was explaining that He had to go to Jerusalem to die on the cross. Peter began rebuking Jesus and Jesus told Peter:

Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man. (Matthew 16:23, ESV)

When Jesus was forcing them in the boat, the disciples were in serious danger of being swept along with the crowd in the passion of the moment.

Too often, we are like Peter. With our minds set on the things of men, we are a hindrance to the work of God.

In the midst of the political turmoil, it made sense to the people to make Jesus king. In the disciples’ understanding of the mission of the Messiah, it made sense to make Jesus king. The timing seemed perfect since the nation was upset with the ruling king.

It seems it is always this way. Isaiah 55:8 puts it in these terms:

"My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts," says the LORD. "And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.” NLT[iii]

The only way to counteract this tendency is to follow the instructions given us in Colossians 3:1-2:

¹If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. ²Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. ESV

The disciples had to trust that Jesus knew what He was doing. They had to trust God’s plan.

God (Jesus) made His plan clear at each step of the way. The problem was not that God’s plan was not clear. The problem was that their minds were on the things of man. The same is true for you and me. God makes His plan clear one step at a time, but so often, His way is contrary to our thinking.

In addition to trusting God’s plan, the disciples had to trust God’s presence.

In Matthew 14:15, it was the disciples’ plan to send the crowds away so the people could feed themselves. Now, after the crowds have eaten, Jesus sends the disciples away and then sends the crowd away.

The word translated "dismiss" in verse 22 and “send away” in verse 15 is the same word. The word is “apoluo,” and it implies the release or annulment of an existing bond.[iv] It is also the word used for divorce. Jesus sent the disciples away while He dealt with the crowd. He had to deal with their Messianic hopes and kingdom aspirations. He had to let the crowd know that their plan was not His plan. He had to send them away.

As a side note, we often get sent away in the same way. Whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. However, often we come to Him with our plan and our agenda and tell Him what to do, how to do it and when to do it. When we come this way, we get dismissed. Calling on the name of the Lord and coming to Him with an agenda for Him to follow are two different things.

Back to the account in Matthew… The disciples had been crowd control for Jesus during the meal. They served the food and picked up the leftovers. Now, they had to leave the important stuff to Jesus and slog through a long night crossing the lake. Did Jesus even know what was happening with them on the boat? Did He even care? Once, at a different time, they were in a boat and Jesus was sleeping in the back. When a storm came up they woke Him with the question, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” (Mark 4:38, ESV) In the case before us, Jesus was not even in the boat. And by the fourth watch of the night, which is between 3 and 6 in the morning, they were struggling. They had been rowing all night but the wind was against them. When Jesus came walking to them, they were terrified. (Matthew 14:26)

Have you ever felt abandoned? I think the disciples did at that moment. They thought Jesus was a ghost. They were learning and the lesson was ““I will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:5, ESV)

God taught the Israelites this lesson, saying in Deuteronomy 31:6:

Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the LORD your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you. ESV

How often we panic or are in fear because of circumstances and the storms of life! As God’s people, we are to be strong and courageous. 2 Timothy 1:7 says:

For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline. NLT

Whatever you are facing, let me encourage you with the promise that the Lord Jesus will never abandon you. We, along with the disciples, must trust in His presence.

The disciples had to trust in God’s plan and His presence as they left Jesus and got into the boat, and when they found themselves in a bad situation, they had to trust in His power.

Peter showed audacious faith when he said:

“Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” (Matthew 14:28, ESV)

A moment came when the storm got Peter’s attention. This world is so pressing, so real to us that the thought of walking on water is impossible. Jesus asked Peter why he doubted (verse 31). However, Peter believed his eyes, ears and senses. A lifetime of interacting with water had taught Peter how to swim but not how to trust God over what he was seeing. How many of us truly believe Jesus’s statement:

Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him. (Mark 11:23, ESV)

Matthew 14:32-33 says:

³²And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. ³³And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.” ESV

The heart that has seen the power of God worships.

When the Israelites had crossed the Red Sea on dry land, they worshiped.

When Goliath had been slain by a shepherd boy, Israel worshiped.

When the heavens and earth were created, the angels worshiped.

Whenever a sinner repents, the angels worship.

Whatever storm you are facing, stand still and worship because you will see the deliverance of the Lord.

We live in an age of troubled hearts. Political turmoil abounds. Wars are only increasing. The end is drawing near. We all know it. It is important to remember the words of Jesus:

"Don't let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me.” (John 14:1, NLT)

Trust God’s plan.

Trust God’s presence.

Trust God’s power.

[i] Scripture quotations marked ESV are from The ESV Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version) copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

[ii] http://biblehub.com/greek/315.htm. Accessed July 26, 2017

[iii] Scripture quotations marked NLT are from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation. Copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Steam, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

[iv] http://biblehub.com/greek/630.htm. Accessed July 26, 2017

Tuesday, July 25, 2017

Compassion

Matthew 14:13-21

God cares for His people.

In Jeremiah 31:3, the Lord says:

Long ago the LORD said to Israel: "I have loved you, my people, with an everlasting love. With unfailing love I have drawn you to myself.” NLT[i]

In Deuteronomy 7:7-8, He says:

⁷The LORD did not set his heart on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other nations, for you were the smallest of all nations! ⁸Rather, it was simply that the LORD loves you, and he was keeping the oath he had sworn to your ancestors. That is why the LORD rescued you with such a strong hand from your slavery and from the oppressive hand of Pharaoh, king of Egypt. NLT

The Earth and all it contains is the Lord’s, and yet He has called out a people for Himself.

There are those who say everyone will be saved, but then what do we say about Egypt or Canaan? Acts 4:26 says:

The kings of the earth prepared for battle; the rulers gathered together against the LORD and against his Messiah. NLT

Many have set themselves against the Lord, and although God reaches out to them with mercy and forgiveness, they reject Him.

The incident from the life of Jesus that we are looking at today shows us an example of the compassion which God has for His people in the midst of a world that has set itself against the Lord and His Messiah. The central part of the account is found in Matthew 14:13-21. However, there was a lot happening at that time that is not included in this passage.

Immediately preceding this account is the story of Herod’s execution of John the Baptist.

This was a time of political upheaval and trouble for the nation of Israel. The people thought John the Baptist was a prophet, and were troubled that Herod killed John. Josephus was a historian from that time and he says that the Israelites attributed the troubles Herod suffered subsequent to the execution of John to the judgment of God. In other words, the death of John dealt a heavy blow to the morale and psyche of the nation.

In addition to this national crisis, Jesus and His disciples were personally affected. According to Mark 6, around the time of Herod’s execution of John, Jesus sent out the twelve in pairs. The twelve were given authority over unclean spirits and they anointed many with oil and healed them. (Mark 6:13) This got the attention of Herod, and is what is behind the statement of Matthew 14:1-2:

¹At that time Herod the tetrarch heard about the fame of Jesus, ²and he said to his servants, “This is John the Baptist. He has been raised from the dead; that is why these miraculous powers are at work in him.” ESV[ii]

The political upheaval and miracles of Jesus were all part of the motivation for the crowd to seek out Jesus. Herod’s murderous tendencies and paranoia about Jesus were also good reason for Jesus to go to a desolate place. If we place this account as the same one mentioned in John 6, we know that it was also near the time for the Jewish Passover. Everything would have been gearing up for the annual trip to Jerusalem and therefore an unusual number of people would have been available to seek out Jesus.

It was as if a storm was brewing around Jesus. As quoted before, the world and its leaders were raging against the Lord and His Messiah.

If you want to live godly in Christ Jesus, the world and the prince of this world will rage against you. 2 Timothy 3:12 says:

Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted… ESV

In addition, 1 Peter 5:8 says:

Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. ESV

We need not be surprised by the fiery trial that surrounds us. (Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. 1 Peter 4:12, ESV) However, we can take comfort in the compassion of the Lord.

Matthew 14:13 tells us that when Jesus heard about the death of John the Baptist, He withdrew by boat to a desolate place by Himself. Mark 6:30-31 adds detail by telling us:

³⁰The apostles returned to Jesus and told him all that they had done and taught. ³¹And he said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. ESV

While Jesus led His disciples away, the crowds, having heard about it, raced around the lake and arrived at the landing before Jesus and His disciples got there. (Matthew 14:13-14, Mark 6:33) When Jesus saw the huge crowd that waited for Him, the text tells us he had compassion on them. Again, Mark 6 gives us some extra detail when it says, “…they were like sheep without a shepherd.” (Mark 6:34, ESV)

This idea of the crowd being like sheep without a shepherd is repeated in the gospels. Matthew 9 tells us that Jesus traveled through the towns and villages of Judea, teaching in their synagogues and healing the sick. Matthew 9:36 tells us:

When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. ESV

This word harassed is worth noting. Traveling through the towns and villages meant that Jesus was seeing them in their everyday lives, and they were harassed. This word harassed in the original is “skullo” and has as its root meaning to flay. It consequently means to skin alive and thus carries the meaning to annoy in the extreme.

God judged the leaders of His people for not shepherding His sheep. Through Jeremiah the prophet, He said:

"My people have been lost sheep. Their shepherds have led them astray and turned them loose in the mountains. They have lost their way and can't remember how to get back to the sheepfold.” (Jeremiah 50:6, NLT)

Jesus found the crowd on the shore of the Sea of Galilee that day in this condition. This is the condition of so many of the people in the world even to this day. It is helpful for us to see how Jesus showed compassion for these harassed sheep.

First, He taught them.

Mark 6:34:

When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. And he began to teach them many things. ESV

He taught them many things. When God sent His Son to walk among us, His principal ministry was teaching. When God established His Church, He also made teaching its principal ministry.

What is the principal job of a parent?

While there is not going to be agreement on this, it could be argued that one of the main jobs of parenting is teaching.

One of the gifts that God has given the Church is teachers. Ephesians 4:11 says:

Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers… NLT

In Jeremiah 3:15, God promises His people:

And I will give you shepherds after my own heart, who will feed you with knowledge and understanding. ESV

In the midst of the fiery ordeal that assaults us, it is essential that we feed regularly on the Word of God.

So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ. (Romans 10:17, ESV)

Along with teaching the crowds, Jesus also healed them.

This is still part of the ministry of the Church. We are to pray for each other and bear each other’s burdens:

Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. (James 5:16, ESV)

Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. (Galatians 6:2, ESV)

This ministry of healing is also why James 5:14 says:

Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. ESV

Finally, along with teaching and healing, Jesus fed the crowd.

He saw their physical condition and ministered to it with what God provided. A whole book could be written on how God can take what little we have and make it into an abundance of provision if we only give it to Him and let Him bless it.

Every one of us will find ourselves in a desolate place with no visible means of sustenance, and yet God is faithful and provides. Just as He sustained the children of Israel for 40 years in the wilderness, feeding them with Manna, God has promised to meet all of our needs.

Jesus’s compassion made Him aware of the conditions affecting the crowds, their condition and their circumstances, and it also moved Him to address their needs by teaching, healing and feeding them.

He has passed on His mission to us. He has left us to make disciples. As the Word of God says:

¹⁸All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; ¹⁹that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. ²⁰Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. (2 Corinthians 5:18-20, ESV)

This ministry of reconciliation is what true compassion is about. Teaching, healing and feeding have no meaning apart from bringing lost sheep to the safety of the sheepfold. Again, as the Scriptures say, “For the love of Christ controls us…” (2 Corinthians 5:14, ESV) This is why we make an appeal to all to be reconciled to God. Without the message of the gospel, the world leaves people harassed and helpless like sheep without a shepherd. The battle for the hearts and souls of people is not fought in the political arena. It is fought on the streets and corners of our villages and towns. It is fought in the desolate places both literally and figuratively.

Let the compassion of Christ control you. Feed on and offer people the Word of God. Pray for, encourage and help those who are sick. And finally, give what little you have to God and allow Him to bless it to the meeting of many needs.

[i] Scripture quotations marked NLT are from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation. Copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Steam, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

[ii] Scripture quotations marked ESV are from The ESV Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version) copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Wednesday, July 19, 2017

Faith

John 2:1-12

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. (Hebrews 11:1, ESV)[i]

In John’s account of Jesus turning water into wine, we see the practical side of this definition.

John 2:1 says:

On the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there.

Three days before this wedding, Jesus called Nathanael to be one of His disciples. Jesus demonstrated supernatural knowledge to Nathanael by telling Nathanael what he had been thinking about. This was early in Jesus’s ministry and the disciples were still untested in their faith. They had shown enough faith to follow Him and learn more, but they had no experience and knew very little about Jesus. Nathanael, for example, had three days of exposure to Jesus at this point.

John 2:2 says:

Jesus also was invited to the wedding with his disciples.

Jesus, His mother and His disciples were all invited to the wedding. Apparently, this was a close family friend or relative. In addition, when they ran out of wine, Mary knew about it, and was concerned. The master of the feast apparently did not know about the problem. When the wine that Jesus made was brought out, the master of the feast’s only comment was that the bridegroom had saved the best for last. This gives the impression that the master of the feast had no idea of the disaster that had just been avoided. The fact that Mary was one of the few people who knew seems to indicate a more intimate involvement in the happenings of the wedding.

Mary approaches Jesus and says, “They have no wine.”

This is not a question or a request. It is a statement of fact. The request, if there is any, is implied. Jesus responds with:

“Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.” (John 2:4, ESV)

It is worth noting that Jesus does not call her “Mother.” His address to her is polite, even friendly, but it is distant. He then puts even more distance between her, the problem and Himself. He says, “What does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.”

A lot can be learned at this point. It is crucial that we notice a few things.

Mary had as intimate a relationship with Jesus as anyone. She was the only person on earth who could call Him “son.” However, her intimate and privileged position did not allow her to change God’s plan or timetable. Jesus says clearly, “My hour has not yet come.” In another place, Jesus says:

“Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise.” (John 5:19, ESV)

Then again, somewhere else:

For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. (John 6:38, ESV)

Jesus is pointing to the fact that not even He acted independently. If it was contrary to the will of the Father, it did not matter who asked, Jesus was not going to do it. Jesus has told us, “…ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.” (John 15:7, ESV) However, this is not the whole statement. He begins with “If you abide in me and my word abides in you.” Therefore, just because we ask does not mean we will get what we want, even though that seems to be the implication of this statement.

Mary’s response to Jesus shows us much about faith.

She turns to the servants and says:

“Do whatever he tells you.” (John 2:5, ESV)

Here again, as a side note, Mary giving instructions to the servants seems to indicate a close relationship with the wedding party. Her faith is evident in the way she leaves it to Jesus. She does not instruct Him in what to do or how to fulfill the need. She leaves it completely up to Him. I have spent much time telling God how and when things need to happen and explaining why it has to be this way. How differently Mary approaches it! She has done nothing more than state the problem.

I would state a principle here:

Faith asks audaciously.

The size of Mary’s request, if we can call it that, was overwhelming. The text says there were six stone water jars there and each held from twenty to thirty gallons. Therefore, when it was all said and done Jesus made somewhere in the neighborhood of 150 gallons of wine. I am sure Jesus intended there to be leftovers, but 150 gallons of wine can serve a lot of people. However, does it really matter how many gallons or people? Producing wine with no visible means is an audacious request whether it is a little wine or a lot of wine.

How did Mary know that Jesus could do something about this problem?

Of course, she, of all people, knew about Jesus’s miraculous birth. And, she had been saved by the angel’s warning when they fled to Egypt. She had found Jesus in the Temple discussing theology with the doctors at the age of 12. These are the only things the Bible tells us about. John says:

Now there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written. (John 21:25, ESV)

We have no way of knowing what Mary had seen and experienced up to this point. However, we do know that the Scriptures say a few times “Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart.” (Luke 2:19)

The Bible tells us:

So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ. (Romans 10:17, ESV)

Faith is built on the word of God. This is why Jesus says:

If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. (John 15:7, ESV)

The faith to ask audaciously comes from the word of God and abiding in Jesus. Mary lived with the Word of God incarnate. Therefore, she had faith to ask audaciously.

Faith also rests confidently.

I get this from the way Mary left it all up to the Lord. She stated the problem. She did not even ask Him to do anything about it. She did not say, “Can you give me money to go buy more?” She did not say, “Can you send your disciples out to get some?” She did not even make any suggestions. She left it totally in His hands and told the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”

Even Jesus, when He prayed, said, “Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.” (Luke 22:43, ESV)

The Scriptures teach us about faith that prays this way. In James 1:6, it says:

But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.

This kind of praying requires a confidence that God knows what is best, will do what is best, wants to bless us and loves us. Jesus repeatedly told His disciples what great things they would see if they had even a little faith. In Matthew 21:21 Jesus says:

And Jesus answered them, “Truly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ it will happen.

Mary shows this kind of faith when she assumes the problem is dealt with. She shows this kind of faith when she says to the servants, “Do whatever He says.” She told Jesus about the problem and then rested confidently.

One more thing this incident teaches us about faith is that:

Faith grows steadily.

Jesus’s disciples had not seen any miracles yet. At least, John 2:11 says:

This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him.

If you follow the disciples through their journey with Jesus, you will see them experience many miraculous signs. They saw 5,000 men plus women and children fed from only five loaves and two fishes. They saw blind people receive their sight, lepers healed and even the dead raised. Peter walked on water with Jesus. As they journeyed and walked with Jesus, their faith was constantly challenged and it steadily grew. Their faith was far from perfect, but it was growing. This is why one of these disciples, James, says:

²Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, ³for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. ⁴And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. James 1:2-4, ESV

Another of these disciples, Peter, in speaking of trials we suffer says:

…so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 1:7

We all face trials of various kinds.

Running out of wine at a wedding is not life threatening, but it was not too insignificant for Jesus to help with.

There were not any wine merchants available. Jesus used common water pots and water to fill the need.

You may have a problem or challenge that does not seem important enough to bother Jesus with, but He is concerned with every detail of your life, even to the number of hairs on your head. You and I may not see any resources to deal with the challenges, but remember Jesus can use even common water pots to accomplish His work.

Whatever trial you are facing, can you trust that God is good and is looking out for your best interest? Bring your burden to Jesus and leave it with Him.

[i] Unless otherwise noted Scripture quotations are from The ESV Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version) copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Tuesday, July 11, 2017

Whose Vineyard?

Matthew 21:33-46

The whole city of Jerusalem was in an uproar. (Matthew 21:10, NLT)[i] A crowd of people surrounded Jesus. The crowd was shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” (Matthew 21:9, ESV) With the crowd trailing Him, Jesus entered the Temple and began driving out all the people buying and selling. (Matthew 21:12) He knocked over tables and chairs and caused quite an uproar. Blind and lame people came to Him in the Temple and He healed them. This caused even more shouting and uproar. Even the children were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” (Matthew 21:15, ESV)[ii] This was not the normal way of coming into Jerusalem for Passover week, and it upset the chief priests and scribes. They confronted Jesus about what the children were shouting. The next day when Jesus came back to the temple, the chief priests and scribes confronted Jesus again. This time they wanted to know who gave Him authority to do all these things.

Conflict between these leaders and Jesus had been brewing for some time. They had discussed and plotted various ways to kill or eliminate Jesus. In John 11:48, John says they were saying, “If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.” ESV

The conflict between Jesus and the religious leaders grew out of the leaders’ concern for their place and nation. Jesus used a couple of illustrations to point out the reasons for the conflict.

Matthew 21:33-46 is one of these illustrations. Jesus calls on them to listen to a story in order to bring to their attention the source of the conflict.

This story applies to us today, because the source of the conflict between God and man, between God and humanity, between God and me, between God and you has never changed. The source of our conflict remains the same.

The story starts out:

A certain landowner planted a vineyard, built a wall around it, dug a pit for pressing out the grape juice, and built a lookout tower. Then he leased the vineyard to tenant farmers and moved to another country. (Matthew 21:33, NLT)

Who is the landowner? God.

The landowner is God.

Notice that the landowner takes lots of care in building his vineyard. He builds a wall around it. He makes a winepress, and even builds a watchtower. All of these represent an investment of time and resources. They also represent care, thought, planning and energy.

The vineyard represents Israel. God chose Abraham and called him out of Ur of the Chaldeans. He carefully nurtured Abraham and his family, and when the time was right, He miraculously rescued them from slavery in Egypt. He led them across the desert, feeding them with His own hand. Israel was and is God’s vineyard. He has nurtured and kept it for thousands of years.

The world is also God’s vineyard. The Bible begins with the account of creation. The first verse of the Bible is:

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

God has nurtured and cared for this earth for thousands of years. All of nature around us represents His care, thought, planning and energy.

The Church is also God’s vineyard. The Bible says, “For God so loved the world…” With this phrase, we begin to understand the care, thought, planning and energy God put in to calling out the Church for Himself.

You are also God’s vineyard. What did you do to be born? Why were you born? How did you come to be here today and by what means did you learn to understand these words? It all goes back to the first verse of the Bible – “in the beginning God…”

As we continue with our story, we see that the landowner leased the vineyard to tenant farmers.

Israel had some good tenant farmers. Abraham, Moses and David stand out as good tenant farmers. They took care of God’s vineyard, and helped it to grow and prosper. They led it in the ways of the Lord, and nurtured it in a relationship with God.

Israel also had some bad tenant farmers. Sadly, the bad were far more numerous. Ahab and Manasseh stand out as being two of the worst. Ahab killed all the prophets he could get his hands on, and Manasseh was worse. According to tradition, Manasseh had the prophet Isaiah cut in two.

Jesus’s illustration speaks of the history of Israel when it says:

³⁴At the time of the grape harvest, he sent his servants to collect his share of the crop. ³⁵But the farmers grabbed his servants, beat one, killed one, and stoned another. ³⁶So the landowner sent a larger group of his servants to collect for him, but the results were the same.

³⁷“Finally, the owner sent his son, thinking, ‘Surely they will respect my son.’

³⁸“But when the tenant farmers saw his son coming, they said to one another, ‘Here comes the heir to this estate. Come on, let’s kill him and get the estate for ourselves!’ ³⁹So they grabbed him, dragged him out of the vineyard, and murdered him.”

The landowner’s servants represent the prophets and judges the Lord raised up to lead, warn, instruct and help His people.

Hebrews says this about these servants of the landowner:

But others were tortured, refusing to turn from God in order to be set free. They placed their hope in a better life after the resurrection. ³⁶Some were jeered at, and their backs were cut open with whips. Others were chained in prisons. ³⁷Some died by stoning, some were sawed in half, and others were killed with the sword. Some went about wearing skins of sheep and goats, destitute and oppressed and mistreated. ³⁸They were too good for this world, wandering over deserts and mountains, hiding in caves and holes in the ground. (Hebrews 11:35-38, NLT)

In His illustration, Jesus foretells His own death. The nation of Israel was in the process of rejecting their Messiah, the Son of the Landowner.

Lest we are too harsh on Israel, remember the world is also the Lord’s vineyard. How has the world treated the Landowner’s Son? How has the world treated the Landowner’s servants?

With over half of the world’s nations making it illegal to be a Christian, I would say the world is no better than Israel.

What about the Church? It is also the Lord’s vineyard.

According to Gallup statistics released in May of 2017, only 24% of American Christians believe the Bible is the literal word of God.[iii] In addition, at least half of those in the world who go by the name “Christian” have set aside the Word of God for the traditions of men.

Now to get down to you and me personally. What about us? You and I are each separately and individually God’s vineyard. We belong to God and are stewards. Is there anything that we have that we did not receive from Him?

In His illustration, Jesus points out what the issue is with the tenant farmers.

He says the landowner sent his servants to collect his share. The first issue arises because the tenants did not want to give the landowner his share. In other words, they were in it only for themselves.

In another place, Jesus uses the example of shepherds and sheep. He says:

¹²A hired hand will run when he sees a wolf coming. He will abandon the sheep because they don’t belong to him and he isn’t their shepherd. And so the wolf attacks them and scatters the flock. ¹³The hired hand runs away because he’s working only for the money and doesn’t really care about the sheep. (John 10:12-13, NLT)

The problem with the chief priests and scribes is that they were not looking out for the people that were entrusted to them. They were looking out only for their own interests. They were to be shepherds to guide, teach, protect and nurture God’s people, but instead of guiding, teaching, protecting and nurturing, they manipulated, controlled, schemed, stole and cheated.

This problem of being in it for their own interests was closely linked to another issue that Jesus’s illustration pointed out. That is, they did not recognize the landowner’s property rights. They thought it could be their own.

In the story, when they decided to kill the son they said, “…let’s kill him and get the estate for ourselves!” (Matthew 21:38, NLT) Would anybody in his or her right mind even entertain such a thought? As if, the landowner is going to say, “Oh, now that I don’t have a son, I am going to give you my vineyard since you are such wonderful tenants.”

Remember John 11:48 that I quoted earlier?

“If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.” ESV

These chief priests and scribes thought it was their nation. They did not see themselves as tenants. They saw themselves as landowners.

What about the world?

God created it and then told man to have dominion. We are tenants. We do not own it. But, how do we treat it? We first look out only for our own interests and then we think we are the landowners. We think it is ours. We do not recognize the landowner’s property rights. God made it. It is His. He asked us to take care of it, nurture it and protect it. How are we doing?

What about the Church?

God built it. He gave His Son to redeem it, and then commissioned us to carry on the work. But, we think it is ours. We do not recognize His property rights. We think we know better how to do His work than He, because we replace His word with our traditions. What is more, we often fight and claw to get our own way, looking out for our own interests rather than caring for those God has entrusted to us.

What about you and me on an individual basis?

God gave us life and entrusted us with its use. How are we doing? Are we looking out for our own interests or are we nurturing what God has entrusted to us?

Two spiritual principles that we must take away from Jesus’s illustration are:

1. It is all God’s. Your body is not your own. Stop treating it as if it is. Your eyes are not your own. Stop using them as if they are. Your money is not your own. God gave it to you. Use it like it is His, because it is. You do not have a house. God has provided one for you to live in. Take care of it as if it is His, because it is. And, thank Him for it. I am sure He wants you to enjoy it. That is why He put you in it.

2. Second principle, “Consider others as more important than yourself.” Taken directly from Philippians 2, this is what Jesus did. He sacrificed Himself for us, and He is our example. Stop looking out for only your own interests. My goodness, how many of the world’s problems could be fixed if we just did this one thing?!

Review quickly:

1. It is all God’s.

2. Consider others as more important than yourself.

[i] Unless otherwise noted Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation. Copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Steam, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

[iii] http://www.gallup.com/poll/210704/record-few-americans-believe-bible-literal-word-god.aspx. Accessed July 7, 2017.

Wednesday, July 5, 2017

Humility

Luke 18:9-14

What is the Gospel?

Gospel means “good news.”

We, the Church, have “good news” for the world. This good news is summed up in the verse from Scripture that says:

For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16, NLT)[i]

Jesus spoke these words when He was explaining why He had come. As He explained, He continued with:

God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him. (John 3:17, NLT)

A central part of this message is the fact that the world needs saving. The truth that accompanies the good news that believing saves one from perishing is that those who do not believe are condemned.

The good news is good partly because there is also some really bad news. The bad news is found in places like Romans 3:23 that says:

For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. (NLT)

With the fact that the central message of the Church’s message starts out with us all being sinners, it is astonishing how much today’s message applies to me and to all of us.

Today’s passage starts out with the following statement:

Then Jesus told this story to some who had great confidence in their own righteousness and scorned everyone else: (Luke 18:9, NLT)

Jesus is addressing a human problem. We all tend to have this problem. Jesus lays out the problem in two parts. First, His story is addressed to those who had great confidence in their own righteousness. The second part of the problem flows from the first and it is that they scorned everyone else.

The human tendency is to despise those that are different from ourselves. For example, Christians are divided along almost every conceivable line. Some worship without instruments and tend to condemn those who use instruments. Of course, many who believe we should worship without instruments are full of grace and do not condemn those of us who believe differently. However, the human tendency is to condemn or judge those who are different. We who use instruments are tempted to judge as legalistic those who do not use instruments, and those who do not use instruments are tempted to judge as unscriptural those of us who do use instruments. This is why Jesus says:

¹“Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. ²For you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged. (Matthew 7:1-2, NLT)

This is also the problem addressed by the Apostle Paul in Romans 14 when he says:

¹Accept other believers who are weak in faith, and don’t argue with them about what they think is right or wrong. ²For instance, one person believes it’s all right to eat anything. But another believer with a sensitive conscience will eat only vegetables. ³Those who feel free to eat anything must not look down on those who don’t. And those who don’t eat certain foods must not condemn those who do, for God has accepted them. ⁴Who are you to condemn someone else’s servants? Their own master will judge whether they stand or fall. And with the Lord’s help, they will stand and receive his approval. (Romans 14:1-4, NLT)

We all tend to justify ourselves, and will have varying degrees of confidence in our own righteousness. To help us understand, Jesus uses a story.

His story starts out with two men going to the Temple to pray. Immediately, “two men” suggests a contrast, and what a contrast. A Pharisee would have been the most righteous of the righteous. They had more rules and kept more rules than anyone else. Contrasted with this, the tax collector was the most despised class of sinner Jesus could have chosen for His comparison.

However, you will notice that both of these men were going to the temple to pray. Thus, they were both going to meet with God. At least, on the surface, it appeared that they were going to meet with God. However, some go to the Temple, or the church, for appearances sake. Although the Temple, or the church, is the house of God, for many it is just a place to go in order to be respectable and seen as good. Everybody knows this, and so some use it as an excuse to avoid going to church. Obviously, they must not want people to think they are good. Or, by not going, they are professing that they could not go without pretending themselves. (Avoiding church attendance because of hypocrites is itself hypocritical.)

This is where the contrast of the two men in Jesus’s story begins. While they were both going to the place set aside for meeting with God, they both came with different heart attitudes.

As we look at the Pharisee, we will see him begin to pray. It is said of the Pharisee that he “stood by himself to pray,” while it is said of the tax collector that he “stood at a distance.” Since the story is a contrast, the understanding of their stance is best understood as a contrast. The Pharisee is independent and confident, while the tax collector is more shameful or reticent. Of course, since Jesus means to address those who were confident in their own righteousness, it only makes sense that the very stance of these individuals would point out the difference.

It is necessary for us to be independent. Taking responsibility for one’s self and carrying those responsibilities is both necessary and good. Confidence is also necessary for this. However, Jesus is addressing the arrogance that considers one’s self to be better than others or scorns others.

The problem with the Pharisee is seen in his stance in that it is a self-righteous independence. The house of God is a place for corporate worship. The place to be by one’s self is in a private prayer closet.

The difference here with the tax collector who stood a distance away is that the tax collector shows a desire to approach but does not consider himself worthy to approach.

This difference in stance or attitude is very important to our understanding of our relationship with God. None of us, not a single one, approaches God by any merit of our own. In other words, not one of us is worthy to approach God. Isaiah tells us that all our righteous works and goodness is as filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6), and the language used for filthy rags is extreme. Let’s just say we might as well try to approach God with an offering of dirty diapers.

The Pharisee is self-righteously independent because he is better. We have to be careful when we see somebody standing apart from the group because we can tend to think that they think they are better than everybody else. Often, this is not the case, but for this Pharisee, it is the case that he thinks he is better. In addition, he shows he thinks he is better by the content of his prayer.

Of course, his thanks to God is transparently just for show. This is obvious because the entire prayer is one of comparison. He is comparing himself to others.

We all compare ourselves to others, and some of it is unavoidable. However, there is just one person that you will answer to God for and that is you. I will answer to God for one person: me. However, we must never forget that one of the main things we will answer to God for is how we treated other people. We will not answer for how we compared to other people, but God’s second greatest commandment is to love our neighbor as ourselves.

In the illustration, Jesus makes the arrogance of the Pharisee as obvious as possible. Most of us would blush to hear such a prayer in public. However, most of us have harbored such thoughts in our hearts. And, this is what this illustration is meant to point out in us.

Compared to this, the tax collector’s prayer is more clearly addressed to God, deals only with what the tax collector is responsible for and addresses a real concern.

All of us are faced with the dilemma of how do we as sinful individuals approach a holy and righteous God. If all our righteousness is as filthy rags, how can we be right with God?

Before God, we are all much more like the tax collector, but in our hearts, we all have enough pride to be more like the Pharisee. This is why Jesus gives this example. He says:

“I tell you, this sinner, not the Pharisee, returned home justified before God.” (Luke 18:14, NLT)

Jesus concludes by clearly stating the spiritual principle He wishes to convey. He says:

“For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” (Luke 18:14, NLT)

This is something taught consistently throughout Scripture.

When the nation of Israel grew too proud of their temple and all their national accomplishments, God said:

“Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. Could you build me a temple as good as that? Could you build me such a resting place? My hands have made both heaven and earth; they and everything in them are mine. I, the LORD, have spoken!” (Isaiah 66:1-2, NLT)

He then says one of the most remarkable things. I will use a more literal translation for the last part of Isaiah 66:2. The ESV translates it like this:

“But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word.”

Do you see this? God has regard for the humble and contrite. The word translated contrite means crippled or broken, like crippled or broken legs. The tax collector is a picture of a crippled spirit. Listen to what God says in Isaiah 57:15:

For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: “I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite. (ESV)[ii]

God dwells not just in heaven but also with the contrite and lowly.

The Scripture warns us not to think more highly of ourselves than we ought (Romans 12:3), Philippians 2 lays out some clear teaching for us Christians.

³Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. ⁴Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. ⁵Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, ⁶who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, ⁷but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. ⁸And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

Are we willing to sacrifice ourselves for the sake of our neighbor? Let’s remember the spiritual principle that Jesus taught: