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July 16, 2021

7/16/2021

Disgusting Parables Are for Peters

        But many that are first will be last, and the last first. Matt. 19:30, RSV.

        So the last will be first, and the first last. Matt. 20:16, RSV.

    Yesterday we began to examine the parable of the farmer and the laborers. We left the scene with those hired grumbling because they received the same amount as those brought in near the end of the day.

    The farmer replies that he had done them no wrong. After all, he had paid them what they had agreed to. The problem in the laborer's eyes was that he had been generous with those hired later. "Am I allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?" the landowner asks (Matt. 20:15, RSV).

    The issue at hand is one of grace--giving people more good things than they deserve. Thus the laborers hired first were really complaining about God's graciousness. They are upset because the farmer is generous.

    In our Scripture reading for today we note that Jesus bracketed the parable with a repetition of the "first will be last." It is a subtle warning and rebuke to Peter and his fellows.

    Jesus had already told them what they wanted to hear--that they would have thrones and riches and importance in the kingdom. Now He presents to them what they need to hear--that they shouldn't get puffed up with their importance just because they were the first disciples.

    Here we have a highly practical teaching with implications for us modern-day disciples. A very real implication of the parable is that the first won't be in the kingdom at all unless they get over their grumbling about God's graciousness and move away from too much concern with their position and rewards.

    Certainly Jesus aimed His first-shall-be-last statements at Peter and the disciples. But in our day they could apply to those who have served Jesus all their lives in contrast to those who are converted in old age, or longtime members of a congregation who helped finance and build the local church in contrast to later members who may be rising to positions of leadership.

    In the end we need to see the message of the parable as universal. None of us are so good and holy that we can grumble about God's grace to others. Doing so may leave us in the unenviable position of being last, even if we started first.

July 15, 2021

7/15/2021

A Disgusting Parable

        And when evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his steward, "Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last, up to the first." And when those hired about the eleventh hour came, each of them received a denarius. Now when the first came, they thought they would receive more; but each of them also received a denarius. And on receiving it they grumbled at the householder. Matt. 20:8-11, RSV.

    Some of Jesus' parables are more disgusting than others. Near the top of the list in this category is the one about the farmer in Matthew 20:1-16. It tells about a householder (God) who goes out to hire day laborers for his vineyard. (Scripture often refers to Israel as God's vineyard--see Isa. 5:1-7). At the beginning of the 12-hour workday the landlord makes a formal agreement with the available workers to pay a denarius for a full day's labor.

    But the farmer is desperate because when grapes ripen they must be harvested immediately or many of them will spoil. So he returns repeatedly to hire more laborers. His last trip is at the eleventh hour, when the day is almost over. The implication is that the later workers can't be too ambitious or they would have been employed earlier. But they must eat, so they show up for work anyway.

    The story's irritating aspect begins in verse 8 when at the end of the day the landlord lines the workers up in the reverse order from which he hired them. Thus the last get paid first. Then, in plain view of the others, he pays those one-hour laborers one denarius--a full day's pay.

    Now what do you think is going on in the minds of those who spent all day in the vineyard? Arithmetic! "If those guys got a full day's pay for one hour's work," the logic runs, "we deserve 12 days' pay--that is two weeks' earnings, if you subtract the Sabbaths. At last," they rejoice, "we have discovered an employer who will allow us to get ahead."

    Then comes the bombshell. Everyone gets exactly the same pay! No wonder they complain. I was a young construction worker when I first read Matthew 20, and I grumbled with them. To me, it was a travesty of justice.

    And Peter undoubtedly had the same reaction. We need to remember that Jesus gave the parable in response to his question of Matthew 19:27: "What do we get?" His mind had been on extra-special honors. He liked the first part of Christ's answer in which he and the other disciples were to have thrones and riches. That is what he wanted to hear. But in Matthew 20 he gets what he needs to hear. And that wasn't so pleasant.

July 14, 2021

7/14/2021

Another Pregnant Peter Question

        Then Peter said to him, "We left everything to follow you. What will we get out of it?" And Jesus replied, "When I, the Messiah, shall sit upon my glorious throne in the kingdom, you my disciples shall certainly sit on twelve thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And any one who gives up his home, brothers, sisters, father, mother, wife, children, or property, to follow me, shall receive a hundred times as much in return, and shall have eternal life." Matt. 19:27-29, TLB.

    What do I get out of this?" "What's in it for me and those who have given up everything and followed you?" If I had been Jesus I would have been tempted to tell Peter to shut up and get his act together, that he didn't have the slightest idea what following Me meant.

    I guess we can be thankful that I am not Jesus. Our Lord used Peter's self-centered question to provide instruction needed by both those first disciples and His followers 20 centuries later.

    Jesus' answer to Peter's question has two levels. The first is what he wants to hear (Matt. 19:27-29). The second illustrates what Peter needs to hear (Matt. 19:30-20:16). He used the same twofold approach to the rich young ruler. What the man wanted to hear was that entrance to the kingdom is based on obedience (Matt. 19:17). But what he needed to hear was that it took total dedication (verse 21).

    We need to read Peter's question of what he will get in the context of the young ruler: He failed to give up everything, but Peter and the rest of the disciples had done so.

    Jesus' answer in Matthew's Gospel is fourfold. First, those who have had to relinquish their earthly families receive the larger fellowship of God's family of believers here on earth. Second, they have the promise of eternal life. Third, they will be made prosperous. Along that line, Peter must have been all ears when Jesus told him that he and the other 11 would each get a throne to sit upon that would presumably be quite near to Jesus' own throne. Thrones were important to Peter. And as we shall soon see, he wanted his as close to Christ's as possible.

    Last, Jesus' answer contains a cryptic warning to Peter and the other disciples not to become overconfident in their position in the kingdom just because they were the first of His followers. It is that lesson that Peter needs to hear in a mind crowded with thrones.

    Lord, help me to hear what I need to hear as I read Your Word and not merely what I want to hear.

July 13, 2021

7/13/2021

Human Impossibilities = God's Possibilities

        Then Jesus said to His disciples, "Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." When His disciples heard it, they were greatly astonished, saying, "Who then can be saved?" But Jesus looked at them and said to them, "With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." Matt. 19:23-26, NKJV.

    After the rich young ruler turns from Jesus and His claim of total surrender, Jesus tells His disciples that "it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven," just as difficult as it is for a camel to go through the eye of a needle.

    The camel going through the needle's eye imagery has had several interesting interpretations. One of them holds that walled cities had two gates. One was the great main gate through which all traffic moved. In addition, the wall often had a little low and narrow gate. The theory suggests that when the main gate was locked, the only way into the city was through the little gate through which even an adult person could hardly pass erect. It is said that this little gate was called "the needle's eye." Needless to say, if a person had to squeeze getting through it, it would really be tough for a camel, the largest animal in Palestine.

    According to that questionable understanding, it was difficult for the camel to make it through the gate, but not impossible if it expended a great deal of effort. Such an analogy would make entering the kingdom of heaven for a rich person possible if they worked hard enough at it.

    But that is not what Jesus was teaching. By the camel and the needle's eye illustration He was not saying that it is difficult, but that it is impossible--just as impossible as for the largest of animals to go through the smallest of holes.

    That teaching caught the disciples off guard. Like other Jews, they viewed the wealthy as blessed by God. Who, they ask, can make it into the kingdom if it is impossible for the blessed rich?

    "With men," Jesus replies, "this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." And with those words Jesus sets the stage for His parable of grace in Matthew 20.

    God, help me to move beyond my misconceptions of Your kingdom, including those related to our impossibilities and the possibilities of Your grace.

July 12, 2021

7/12/2021

A Side Lesson on Wealth

            Jesus said to him, "If you would be perfect, go sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me." When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful; for he had great possessions. Matt. 19:21, 22, RSV.

    It is easy to draw the wrong conclusion from these verses. The rich young ruler's problem was not money itself but the love of money.

    Jesus was not categorically condemning wealth in His confrontation with the ruler. After all, He did not make the same request of Nicodemus or Zacchaeus or other people of means that He dealt with. But wealth was the danger for this man. It was his idol, the thing that kept him from God.

    Halford Luccock points out that "Jesus was not laying down poverty as either a requirement or an ideal for everyone. He was a Good Physician, and did not prescribe the same pill for every patient. He looked on this patient and loved him with an individual love, a love which saw him as a person with a specialized need. Then he prescribed the action that would free him from the thing that was holding him back. In this case, it was wealth."

    For you or me it may be something different. But we all must meet the same requirement--total surrender of all that we are and all that we have to God's will so that He is truly Lord of our life.

    When I read the story of the rich young ruler, another rich-young-ruler type comes to my mind. But what a difference in their responses. Both had power, prestige, and money. Both received the invitation to discipleship. Both had to make a decision to give up their past. But what a difference.

    In Paul we get a glimpse of what the young ruler could have been like as he used his gifts for God. But the latter chose to use his gifts for himself.

    With such individuals in mind, the apostle would later write that "the love of money is the root of all evils" (1 Tim. 6:10, RSV). But for those who have been able to put wealth in its right place, God has utilized their gifts across the history of the church to sustain His work and help those in need.

    Wealth is tricky. It can be either a curse or a blessing. As with all gifts, it is up to each of us as to how we will use them.

July 11, 2021

7/11/2021

Jesus Provides the "Real" Answer

        "Teacher," he declared, "all these things I have kept since I was a boy." Jesus looked at him and loved him. "One thing you lack," he said, "Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." At this the man's face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth. Mark 10:20-22, NIV.

    Apparently not at all embarrassed by his claim, the young man confidently replies that he has kept all of the commands that Jesus had listed. He truly did seem to be a shining example of a certain type of moral person who prided himself in his obedience to God's stipulations. But he will soon discover that mere morality is not enough to gain entry into the kingdom of heaven. Jesus will probe a bit further, demonstrating that the individual's obedience was outward and legal rather than inward and spiritual.

    Before moving to that examination, we should note that Mark tells us that Jesus "loved him." Obviously He saw something special in the young ruler. Perhaps it was a heartfelt appreciation of his evident sincerity, fearlessness, and enthusiasm. Here was a person, Jesus may have thought, who could truly do something for the kingdom.

    It was at that point that He extended to the young man an invitation to become a disciple. "Come," He said, and "follow me."

    But there was a condition: "Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor." With that unexpected command Jesus cut to the heart of the rich man's problem. Mark tells us that "he was saddened, and he went away grieving, for he was one who owned much property" (NASB). It would be just as true to say that his property owned him. The center of his life, his possessions were the one thing that he would not give up, even for the kingdom.

    One of the most persistent memories of my experience at Pacific Union College is of a large painting of Jesus and the rich young ruler that hung on the wall behind the pulpit in the chapel. In a meditative mood, the young man was deciding what was really of most value to him.

    We are each deciding that same question every day. Some of us, like the man confronted by Jesus, will opt to play church without total surrender and dedication. But Jesus is not interested in partial Christians. He desires all of me.

July 10, 2021

7/10/2021

Jesus Provides the "Correct" Answer

        "What must I do to inherit eternal life?"...Jesus answered,..."You know the commandments: 'You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, you shall not defraud, honor your father and your mother'." Mark 10:17-19, NIV.

    The rich young ruler expected a behavioral answer to his question about salvation, and Jesus gave him what he wanted, telling him that if he desired eternal life he should "keep the commandments" (Matt. 19:17). Then Jesus listed several of the Ten Commandments.

    The list itself helps us to understand the young man's problem. We should note at least four things about the list. First, the commandments cited all come from the second table of the law and deals with the way people treat others. That selection provides a hint that his problem probably centered on his relationship to other people rather than on his dedication to God.

    Second, Jesus lists the commandments in order: the sixth, seventh, eight, and ninth. But then, to our surprise, he lists the fifth after the ninth. Why? Undoubtedly to call attention to it. The rich young ruler may have been among those Jesus condemned in Mark 7:11-13 for using the human tradition of corban to avoid caring for his parents' material needs in their old age.

    Third, we find an injection that is not one of the Ten Commandments: "You shall not defraud." The term is used of keeping back wages from laborers. The implication is that he may have gained at least some of his wealth at the expense of the poor.

    Fourth, Jesus does not mention the tenth commandment (dealing with covetousness) at all. It will soon be evident that covetousness stands at the very center of the man's spiritual problem.

    In Matthew's account Jesus adds a quotation from Leviticus 19:18 ("love your neighbor as yourself" [RSV] to the commands that one should obey (Matt. 19:19, RSV). Once again, Jesus uses a text that was important in Judaism and at the core of the young man's problem.

    In closing our reading today, let us use our imagination. Picture yourself talking with Jesus about the Ten Commandments. How would He arrange them to meet your special "issues" as you deal with God and other individuals? Your honest answer will be revealing.

July 9, 2021

7/9/2021

A Man With the Right Question

        As He was setting out on a journey, a man ran up to Him and knelt before Him, and asked Him, "Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" And Jesus said to him, "Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone." Mark 10:17, 18, NASB.

    The most remarkable thing about this individual is that he approached Jesus at all. Matthew tells us that he was young and rich (Matt. 19:20, 22, 23), while Luke says that he was a ruler (Luke 18:18). It is that very class that Jesus had the most difficult time with. The poor and the prostitutes and the tax collectors flocked Him, but not the Jewish aristocracy of either the religious or political realms.

    The man not only came, but he "ran." And not only that, he knelt before Jesus. Here was a person who defied his social class, someone willing to face the scorn of his peers. Now other rich men of the ruling class found themselves drawn to Jesus. One thinks of Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea. But they were discrete. Nicodemus, for example, came to Jesus secretly "by night" (John 3:2). And Joseph quietly went to Pilate to request permission to bury Him (Matt. 27:57, 58). One can hardly imagine running up to Jesus and publicly kneeling before Him in the dust. This young man had something special about him, a zeal that is refreshing.

    The aristocrat also had a concern, one that blinded him to everything else. He was in earnest about salvation. Addressing Jesus as "Good Teacher," he inquired what he had to "do" to inherit eternal life. Obviously he saw behavior as the key to religion.

    Before giving an answer, Jesus questioned him on why he had described Him as good. After all, Jesus noted, "no one is good except God alone." Apparently Jesus was seeking to get the young man to be explicit as to where he stood on His identity. Was He merely a teacher or was He God, as the use of the term good implied? The rich young ruler had undoubtedly heard Jesus before. But he was still in the valley of decision on his identity. Jesus' question was a gentle nudge to force him to come to grips with the issue.

    In the face of this remarkable young man I need to ask myself anew, "How is my enthusiasm quotient for Jesus?" And beyond that, "Is my interest in eternal life the dominating aspect of my life." Good questions to meditate upon today.

July 8, 2021

7/8/2021

Jesus on Marriage

        The Pharisees also came to Him, testing Him, and saying to Him, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for just any reason?" And He answered and said to them, "Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning made them male and female," and said, "For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh"? So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no man separate. Matt. 19:3-6, NKJV.

    Two of the greatest sources of Jesus' teachings are His responses to the questions of Peter and those to the queries of the Jewish leaders. It is in the context of an attempt by the Jews to trap Him that Jesus provides us with five central ideas on marriage.

    First, God Himself designed marriage. It is a God-given institution, rather than a social contract. Second, marriage is an ordinance between the sexes. God "made them male and female." God's intention was not a unisex world. Michael Green notes that "there is a God-ordained difference and complimentary between the sexes. That is so obvious that it only needs to be stated in this late twentieth century when homosexuality has come to be seen as an equally valid alternative to marriage." Third, marriage is intended to be permanent: "the two shall become one flesh." The Creator never intended in His perfect creation that the marriage relationship should ever shatter. Unfortunately, in a less-than-perfect world every union does not fulfill God's goal. But divorce is never His ideal.

    Fourth, marriage is exclusive. The two--not three, four, or five--are to become one flesh. One man and one woman form a marriage. That ideal rules out the convenient "affairs" of so many people today and the polygamy of the ancients. Apparently, God's allowance for polygamy in the Old Testament was a less-than-ideal concession to entrenched custom and human weakness. Fifth, marriage creates a nuclear family unit. It includes both leaving one's parents and uniting with a spouse. Thus marriage becomes the strongest and most important of all human relationships.

    Today is a good moment to stop and thank God for marriage. It is also an excellent time for those who are married to renew their vows to each other and for those who are contemplating marriage to think seriously of the sacred implications of this divine gift. We have a God who desires to make good marriages even better, to heal broken relationships, and to forgive those who have fallen short of His ideal.

July 7, 2021

7/7/2021

The Limits of Forgiveness, Part 2 Yet Again

            When his fellow servants saw what had taken place, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their lord all that had taken place. Then his lord summoned him and said to him, "You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you besought me; and should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?" And in anger his lord delivered him to the jailors, till he should pay all his debt. So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart. Matt. 18:31-35, RSV.

    Scene three brings Jesus' answer to Peter on the limits of forgiveness to a climax. The moral of the story: we need to be just as forgiving to others as God has been to us (verse 33). The same lesson appears in the Sermon on the Mount, in which Jesus said, "If you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins" (Matt. 6:15, NIV).

    Many have attempted to moderate the parable or explain why its sharp contrast cannot be genuine. But it is those very contrasts that help us to understand not only the wideness of God's mercy but also the mercy He expects in us as Christians.

    The 10,000-talent debt is unbelievingly large. A talent equals 6,000 denarii. Thus the debt is 60,000,000 days' wages. One could work the 100-denarii debt off in 100 days, but it would take more than 164,383 years to erase the 10,000 talents if one labored seven days a week.

    Alternately, one could carry the 100-denarii debt in one pocket. But the 10,000-talent debt would require an army of approximately 8,6000 porters, each transporting a 60-pound bag of coins, forming a line five miles long if spaced a yard apart.

    William Barclay sums up the meaning of the contrast nicely when he pens that "the point is that nothing that men can do to us can in any way compare with what we have done to God; and if God has forgiven us the debt we owe Him, we must forgive our fellow-men the debts they owe us. Nothing that we have to forgive can even faintly or remotely compare with that which we have been forgiven."

    So Peter has the answer to his question regarding the limits of forgiveness. For both him and us today, the answer lies not in counting or in some sort of extreme moral exertion, but rather in tilting your head toward the cross and beholding the Christ who paid your debt that you might go free.

    Help me, Father, to have Your heart and Your love as I deal with others today.