A Mother’s Request

20Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came to him with her sons, and kneeling before him, she asked a favor of him. 21And he said to her, “What do you want?” She said to him, “Declare that these two sons of mine will sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your kingdom.” 22But Jesus answered, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink?” They said to him, “We are able.” 23He said to them, “You will indeed drink my cup, but to sit at my right hand and at my left, this is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.” (Matthew 20:20-23, NRSV)

I have always found this verse interesting. Because we confess weekly in the Apostles’ Creed that Jesus ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God. Now I know James and John’s mother didn’t know this when she was asking but the one that would be on Jesus’ left would be sitting on the throne of God. I say this to say do we always know what we are asking?

It is not for us to decide who sits where at the heavenly banquet. I mean can you imagine that seating chart!

We are to follow and serve and known that God will always look out for us.

So where do you want to sit?

Upcoming Suffering

17While Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside by themselves, and said to them on the way, 18“See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death; 19then they will hand him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified; and on the third day he will be raised.” (Matthew 20:17-19, NRSV)

Very plainly here Jesus tells the disciples what is going to happen. What happened to the parables? Well this is only the 12 and Jesus wants them to know so they aren’t surprised when it happens.

What would you have done if you were one of the 12 and Jesus said this to you?

What would you have said?

The Laborers in the Vineyard

“For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. 2After agreeing with the laborers for the usual daily wage, he sent them into his vineyard.3When he went out about nine o’clock, he saw others standing idle in the marketplace; 4and he said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.’ So they went. 5When he went out again about noon and about three o’clock, he did the same. 6And about five o’clock he went out and found others standing around; and he said to them, ‘Why are you standing here idle all day?’ 7They said to him, ‘Because no one has hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard.’ 8When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his manager, ‘Call the laborers and give them their pay, beginning with the last and then going to the first.’ 9When those hired about five o’clock came, each of them received the usual daily wage. 10Now when the first came, they thought they would receive more; but each of them also received the usual daily wage. 11And when they received it, they grumbled against the landowner, 12saying, ‘These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.’ 13But he replied to one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong; did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage? 14Take what belongs to you and go; I choose to give to this last the same as I give to you. 15Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or are you envious because I am generous?’ 16So the last will be first, and the first will be last.” (Matthew 20:1-16, NRSV)

Who are we to judge the generosity of others?

This could go along with a picture I’ve seen recently of Bishop Gene Robinso. He talked about how it’s funny we can preach a vengeful God and no one bats an eye but we start saying God is loving and welcoming and we get upset. Because we don’t want that person in and if God is truly all accepting then they will be in and that just can’t be.

We worked longer and deserve more. No, we get what God gives us all. What we receive is not up to us, that is up to God. Those of us who have been here a while should know that God loves us all the same and we need to help others see that love.

All is Possible with God

23Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly I tell you, it will be hard for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” 25When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astounded and said, “Then who can be saved?” 26But Jesus looked at them and said, “For mortals it is impossible, but for God all things are possible.” 27Then Peter said in reply, “Look, we have left everything and followed you. What then will we have?” 28Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man is seated on the throne of his glory, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields, for my name’s sake, will receive a hundredfold, and will inherit eternal life. 30But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first. (Matthew 19:23-30, NRSV)

The first will be last and the last will be first.

Makes me wonder what Peter thought he was going to get by following Jesus?

Do we follow Jesus for what we will be getting when He returns to judge the world? Is eternal life a prize we wait on or a life we enjoy now?

Don’t get me wrong, the benefits to come of life with God forever is great but eternal life is something I’m living now. Walking with Jesus everyday.

We should feel His presence with us all the time and know that is something to share with the world.

Delight in the Lord’s Law

1Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
2but his delight is in the law of the Lord and on his law he meditates day and night.
3He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.
(Psalm 1:1-3, ESV)

This is one of my favorite passages of scripture. There is a reason this is Psalm 1. It focuses us where we need to focus. We should focus on the law of the Lord and where the Lord is leading us and when we do we are like a tree planted by streams of water and are constantly fed and given what we need to grow.

But it is verse one I truly love. It is where Casting Crowns gets their song slow fade from. You see it says, blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked. He is walking with those who are wicked and getting counsel from them on how to live his life. Or stands in the way of sinners, not that he is standing in the way so they can’t commit sin, he is standing the way sinners stand, he has gone from walking with the wicked to standing around with the sinners. Nor does he sit in the seat of scoffers, not sitting in their way so they can’t scoff, but scoffing along with them. See the progression, and it doesn’t happen overnight, it is slow and happens over time, but it is a fading away from where the righteous man is fed and nourished by God.

So delight in the law of the Lord and follow after him so you will be nourished!

 

 

 

Commandments for Life

12Honor your father and your mother, so that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you. 13You shall not murder.14You shall not commit adultery. 15You shall not steal. 16You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. (Exodus 20:12-16, NRSV)

Honor your father and mother is the only commandment in the 10 commandments that comes with a promise. If you honor your father and mother you will have a long life. Maybe this is because of the other commandments that say if your children disobey you you should take them outside the city and stone them to death!

Or maybe it is because you were a gift to your parents from God and by honoring them you are showing God honor and by following them you are showing God you can follow God.

And all of these commandments help us to love others and that is what God wants us to do. So honor and love.

A Rich Young Man

16Then someone came to him and said, “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?” 17And he said to him, “Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.” 18He said to him, “Which ones?” And Jesus said, “You shall not murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; 19Honor your father and mother; also, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 20The young man said to him, “I have kept all these; what do I still lack?” 21Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be perfect, go, sell your possessions, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.”22When the young man heard this word, he went away grieving, for he had many possessions. (Matthew 19:16-22, NRSV)

What must I do to have eternal life? Seems like a legitimate question. But the rich young man asked what good deed must I do. Like there is one thing, one deed that must be done to earn eternal life. Which if that were the case, would we all be able to do that?

But Jesus says, “keep the commandments.” And this guy wants to know the loopholes and exactly what has to be done. There are a lot of commandments, so which ones do I have to keep, because all of them can’t be necessary.

So Jesus gives him some of the 10 commandments and the greatest commandment, “You shall not murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; Honor your father and mother; also, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” And according to this guy he has done all of these things and wants to know if there is anything more.

And Jesus tells him if he wants to be perfect. Not if you truly want to have eternal life, but if you want to be perfect. To me that says that he has done enough, but if you want to step it up just a little more, then go and sell everything and give the money to the poor and come and follow me. So he left sad because he could not give up his possessions. But if he continued doing what he was doing isn’t that going to help people see the love of God. Sometimes we get hung up on the I haven’t done enough when we have given just about everything. Love others and do not worry about the rest, God will take care of that.

Welcome Little Children

13Then little children were being brought to him in order that he might lay his hands on them and pray. The disciples spoke sternly to those who brought them; 14but Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of heaven belongs.” 15And he laid his hands on them and went on his way. (Matthew 19:13-15, NRSV)

I always think about this passage when I hear that the kids are too loud in the sanctuary, or did you see what those kids were doing during worship?

I understand that we want to worship and we sometimes have issues hearing as we age, but if the children are not in worship, then how will they learn to worship?

And sometimes people worship differently than we do, and that doesn’t make them wrong and us right, it just means that we are different, and that is how God made us.

So be like Jesus and let the little children come and bless them, and I bet they will, in turn, bless you!

Teaching on Divorce

When Jesus had finished saying these things, he left Galilee and went to the region of Judea beyond the Jordan. 2Large crowds followed him, and he cured them there. 3Some Pharisees came to him, and to test him they asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any cause?” 4He answered, “Have you not read that the one who made them at the beginning ‘made them male and female,’ 5and 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’?6So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.” 7They said to him, “Why then did Moses command us to give a certificate of dismissal and to divorce her?” 8He said to them, “It was because you were so hard-hearted that Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so.9And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for unchastity, and marries another commits adultery.” 10His disciples said to him, “If such is the case of a man with his wife, it is better not to marry.” 11But he said to them, “Not everyone can accept this teaching, but only those to whom it is given. 12For there are eunuchs who have been so from birth, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by others, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Let anyone accept this who can.” (Matthew 19:1-12, NRSV)

So is it ok to get a divorce? I struggle with this because when I do premarital counseling my hope is this couple will make it for the long haul, but marriage isn’t about love it is about commitment and sometimes that commitment isn’t there. I also struggle with this because I know several divorced and remarried couples that are very happy and committed to each other. So what is the answer?

Well according to this passage and all of its parallel passages in the gospels, Jesus says that if you divorce and remarry you are committing adultery. In this passage, Matthew adds the except for unchastity, which isn’t in the parallels.  I have a friend from before seminary who had long conversations with me on these passages because she was in the process of getting a divorce then. And because of these passages, she decided not to remarry or even pursue a relationship that might lead to that. She, in a sense, made a “eunuch” of herself for the sake of others. She did not want to make another person an adulterer because of her sin. And for that I applaud her. Not many could do this as Jesus says. But I also tell those I know who are divorced and remarried to own the sin of adultery. We are all sinners and divorced and remarried people can publicly name that sin without shame.

So can we get divorced? Yes and no. But in and through everything that happens in your life God still loves you!

The Unforgiving Servant

15“If another member of the church sins against you, go and point out the fault when the two of you are alone. If the member listens to you, you have regained that one. 16But if you are not listened to, take one or two others along with you, so that every word may be confirmed by the evidence of two or three witnesses. 17If the member refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if the offender refuses to listen even to the church, let such a one be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.18Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. 19Again, truly I tell you, if two of you agree on earth about anything you ask, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. 20For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.” 21Then Peter came and said to him, “Lord, if another member of the church sins against me, how often should I forgive? As many as seven times?” 22Jesus said to him, “Not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy-seven times. 23“For this reason the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves. 24When he began the reckoning, one who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him; 25and, as he could not pay, his lord ordered him to be sold, together with his wife and children and all his possessions, and payment to be made. 26So the slave fell on his knees before him, saying, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’ 27And out of pity for him, the lord of that slave released him and forgave him the debt. 28But that same slave, as he went out, came upon one of his fellow slaves who owed him a hundred denarii; and seizing him by the throat, he said, ‘Pay what you owe.’ 29Then his fellow slave fell down and pleaded with him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you.’ 30But he refused; then he went and threw him into prison until he would pay the debt. 31When his fellow slaves saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their lord all that had taken place. 32Then his lord summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked slave! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. 33Should you not have had mercy on your fellow slave, as I had mercy on you?’ 34And in anger his lord handed him over to be tortured until he would pay his entire debt. 35So my heavenly Father will also do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother or sister from your heart.” (Matthew 18:15-35, NRSV)

Wow. I am in deep trouble. This passage has Jesus telling us if we do not forgive others, that God will not forgive us. God will hold us accountable for every wrong we have done and make us pay back everything we owe God. Which is ultimately everything. Here a slave is forgiven a huge debt. How big was this debt?

Well in comparison the other slave owed the first 100 denarii which is the same as the pay for 100 days of work. so in about 4 months, a person could earn that amount. But 10,000 Talents is a lot more. You see a Talent is a measure of weight for gold. 1 Talent is equal to about 75 U.S. pounds. So just to give an example in today’s values, on February 22, 2019, when I typed this devotional the value of 1 ounce of Gold was $1,323.24. So 1 Talent would equal $1,587,888! and 10,000 would be $15,878,880,000! That is over 15 Billion. And the king forgave the debt when the slave begged! But that slave could not take the forgiveness he was given and give it to others because he needed what was his.

But think about what God has forgiven you. And that is worth way more than 15 Billion so we should forgive others.