Mission possible. Matthew 28.

One of my favorite TV shows as a kid was Mission Impossible (not to be compared to the movies of the same name). In the opening scene, the head of the Impossible Mission Force would find a tape recorder in some unusual location, and then listen to his mission while examining a packet of materials: "Good morning, Mr. Phelps. The man you are looking at is ... Your mission, should you choose to accept it... As always, should any of your IM Force be caught or killed... This tape will self-destruct in five seconds. Good luck, Jim."

"Here's your mission should you choose to accept it." Matthew 28 ends with Jesus' instructions to His disciples and to all disciples who follow. He gives them a mission, but one that's possible, although in some ways it must have seemed overwhelmingly impossible to them at the time -- make disciples of all the nations. Here's how Matthew related the event:

“So the eleven disciples went to Galilee to the mountain Jesus had designated. When they saw him, they worshiped him, but some doubted. Then Jesus came up and said to them, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.'” (Matthew 28:16-20 NET)

For the most part, in this blog I've tried to steer clear of the commonly expressed ideas in the passages we're reading -- the ones that you often hear preached on. Instead, I've tried to focus on small pieces, on application and devotion, or sometimes on explaining difficulties in the text of the day. Today, though, I think it's essential to concentrate on this mission given to the eleven, and to us, even if you've heard it before. And I don't have any profound thoughts to give you, just an encouragement to really pay attention to what Jesus said. (How's that for an encouragement to quit reading?)

Let's dispense with the language issues first. One classic way people have viewed this commission of Jesus is to focus on the verbs: go, make, baptize, and teach. That's not a bad way to look at what Jesus said, and certainly has devotional impact. It's just a little imprecise, and there's also impact in the precision of what Jesus said. First, the tense of "go" is better expressed in English as "having gone". That's not nearly as natural as the command we read in most translations, but look at the implication -- within Jesus' command to them and us, is an assumption that we will, that we have, that we are going. Paraphrasing, "once you've hit the road for Me, make disciples everywhere. And you will be hitting the road."

The second language issue is that the commission is about going out and making disciples. Baptizing and teaching are the ways in which we make disciples. Adding to my paraphrase above, the next sentence might read, "Here's how you make disciples. Call them to follow me, and have them express their commitment in baptism. Teach them what I taught you, not just for understanding, but for application to their lives in obedience." Implied in this, of course, is that the eleven disciples are also to obey. And we are to obey, too, because we're those disciples they were to "make".

Let's look at one more aspect of the language, and that is the idea contained in the word translated as "nations". The Greek word, ethnos, has already been defined as a word of the day (see the archive). It carries with it the idea of a distinct group of people, not necessarily a nation as we understand it today. The common description used today is "people group". This word also meant not-Israel, or put another way, all the Gentile nations. Thus contained in Jesus' commission of His disciples is the expressed understanding that His message of the kingdom of heaven, is for every people.

Remember a couple of chapters back, where we read that just before Jesus was crucified, He told a few parables describing what it meant to live in readiness for His return. One of those parables was about the servants who were given money to multiply for the master, as told in Matthew 25:14-30. The task given them, the amount of responsibility they received, was commensurate with their ability. The major point of this parable, like that of the faithful and wise slave told earlier, is that the way we wait in readiness for the Master's return is to apply our abilities fully to the responsibility He has given us. I'd like to suggest that the mission to make disciples is our primary responsibility while we wait in readiness. Each of us can and must apply our abilities, our gifts, our situation in life to this task.

There really is no greater calling for us. And we'll all contribute in different ways, and in varying degrees, just as Jesus taught in the parable. We are commanded to love God and love others, no doubt. But our assignment is to make disciples -- those who will likewise obey those commands to love God and love other, along with all the other commands Jesus gave us. And as we obey Him and His commands, we will also, no doubt, be more productive in the making of disciples. But our assignment remains -- make disciples through baptizing and teaching.

This commission is a topic rich beyond the scope of a blog entry to begin to cover. But here are a couple of thoughts. Before someone takes the step of baptism, they have to understand a number of items -- their need, the solution provided by Jesus, the commitment made in taking that step, and the invitation of God's Spirit. They may not understand this completely, but without some understanding the baptism is meaningless. So a part of making disciples, is to participate in that process, either directly or indirectly, of developing an understanding on the part of those who don't yet follow Jesus. Supporting missionaries, for example, allows the kingdom message to literally go out to all the people groups. More directly, we have an impact on those within our sphere of influence, by how we live, what we say, and in directly sharing our relationship with Jesus.

Once someone has decided to follow Jesus (though it probably begins before then), we can participate in the teaching them the commands of Jesus, and their need to obey them. Again, we may play various roles in this process of becoming mature followers of Jesus.

Regardless of our specific role, we each have a role to play, and it's incumbent on us to take that responsibility seriously. Likewise we are also in the role of the learner and obeyer, so that we also become mature disciples. And as we do, then we'll have the joy of taking on additional responsibilities for Him.

One final thought. We're not on our own. "And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age." Thank God for that.


This is our mission possible, and we choose to accept it.

Good Friday thoughts. Matthew 27.

We're almost finished with Matthew's account of Jesus the Messiah. One of the benefits of our reading program is that each quarter we'll spend time in a gospel, adding to our understanding of the One we follow. In Mark's account we get the basic structure of Jesus' ministry, with an emphasis on the sequence of events and the activities of His life which demonstrated His authority and servant-hood. In Matthew, we see much of Jesus' teaching, and the way in which He fulfilled prophecy, establishing Him as the kingly Messiah. Later, in the accounts of Luke and John, we'll gain additional perspective about Jesus.

But every account will reach this day, the day we call Good Friday, when after a series of bogus trials, Jesus was executed on a cross. Yes, there will be some variations in the accounts, and that is one way to approach the reading for today. For example, Mark gives us the time (the third hour) Jesus was crucified, Matthew does not. Matthew tells us about Judas and his attempt to return the money to the Jewish leaders in remorse.

In the end, though, we are faced with the death of the Messiah. It's a dark day, a day of remorse on our own part, a day to reflect on God's love and sacrifice. A day when the curtain between God and mankind was torn in two. In His letter to the Romans, Paul puts Christ's death at the heart of his theology -- "But God demonstrates his own love for us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us... For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, how much more, since we have been reconciled, will we be saved by his life?" (v.5:8, 10).

All the teachings we've received in Matthew -- the blessings for the poor in spirit, for the meek; the need to come into the kingdom humbly, like a child; the call to live lives in line with the heart of the law; the necessity of being a forgiving community -- all these teachings and more, culminate in Jesus' sacrificial, excruciating, and shameful death on a cross. We can't avoid it. It is a good day to reflect on Jesus' life and death.

God bless you in your reflection.

Failed commitment. Matthew 26.

"Peter said to him, 'Even if I must die with you, I will never deny you.' And all the disciples said the same thing." (Matthew 26:35 NET)

Peter sounds completely ready to die for or with Jesus at this moment. The other disciples agree.

"At that he began to curse, and he swore with an oath, 'I do not know the man!' At that moment a rooster crowed. Then Peter remembered what Jesus had said: 'Before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.' And he went outside and wept bitterly." (Matthew 26:74,75 NET)

What happened to that resolve in the short length of time before the rooster crowed?

And what happens to our resolve when we fail in keeping a commitment to Him?

People get ready. Matthew 25.

This has been an unusual week for me as I've settled down at the computer to write an entry for each day's reading. Most days the process is straightforward: read the passage a couple of times, and write about either what caught my attention, or about what looks like it needs further explanation. Occasionally, I've approached the reading with the intent of sharing resources, tools, and techniques for studying the Bible, such as the sequence on doing a devotional study, or dealing with parables.

But this week I've had the same two reactions to each day's reading. The first reaction is that I see a "sermon" or "lesson" clearly laid out in the chapter. I don't want this blog to be about sermons, even if it's not without sermonizing. And, of course, a sermon would take a while to flesh out and record, and that's time that I don't have, and you probably don't either. The second reaction I've experienced is a reluctance to comment on smaller parts of the chapter. As I think about it, that may be in part because I've seen a big picture for the chapter and so I'm reluctant to break it down further. But some of my hesitation is that the issues Jesus talks about, and the lessons He teaches in these last three chapters, are best wrestled with unfiltered. I didn't know it would be the case for Tuesday and Wednesday, when I wrote on Monday, "No further comment required."

And so I'm tempted today to simply say have at it, and be done with the post. Instead, I'll share a very brief set of points from the lessons in chapter 24, and 25 without fleshing them out at all. Think of them as the starting outline of a sermon or series of sermons about living in expectation of Jesus' return. You get to expand the thoughts, or add to them, or change them, to make this your own sermon(s) or lesson(s) for yourself.

Introduction.
At the end of Matthew 24, Jesus told His disciples, and us, to keep watch. Chapter 25 records His continued description of what it means to live a life where we keep watch. As you read and reflect, keep in mind the audience who heard Jesus initially, and more importantly those who received Matthew's gospel. These folks were anticipating an early return of Jesus and had begun to suffer persecution in the mean time.

The Thief in the Night. Matthew 24:42-44.
Jesus issues the call to live a life that is ready for His return.

The Faithful Servant. Matthew 24:45-51.
The task of the faithful servant while awaiting the Master's return is to take care of the responsibilities assigned to him (or her). Don't slack off from those duties during the wait.

The Ten Bridesmaids (or Virgins). Matthew 25:1-13.
Staying alert doesn't mean that life won't go on (all 10 fall asleep), but it does mean to do all the right preparation so that when called upon you're ready to go.

The Parable of Responsibilities. Matthew 25:14-30.
Carry out the Kingdom responsibilities given to you.

The Evidence of Faithfulness. Matthew 25:31-46.
Serving one another is serving Him.

Endgame. Matthew 25.
If you need any further encouragement to do the right thing, take a look at what happens in the end.

Have some fun getting ready.

Technology. Matthew 24.

As I was driving home from Bend yesterday, I was thinking about how marvelous technology really is. What started me thinking was hearing a voice on the radio from Nigeria, followed by one from Arizona, and then two from France. All of these voices were talking to someone in England who hosts a worldwide radio talk show. Radio and telephone linked all those voices together. I realized that just being able to hear one voice over the radio is pretty incredible, especially while rocketing down the road in the middle of pine trees that were far enough away from my home that for most of human history it would have required a month's journey to see. Later I put a CD in my player and was able to listen to musicians who had performed this music years ago in Africa -- a trip in space and time that was unimaginable until the late 19th century. I listened to that music while driving past a lake that only exists because of technology.

Over the course of that drive I experienced several kinds of climate and geology, seeing sights in a day that might take a lifetime to experience in the past. I talked to my daughter 100 miles away. I learned about how many other travelers were on the road ahead of me in time to make any adjustments to my route. I knew the kind of weather the readers of this blog in the Portland area were enjoying while I was still feeling the chill of mountain air.

What grabbed me the most, though, was that this technology allowed me to see, hear, touch, and taste vast amounts of God's creation. This is a blessing of epic proportion. Again, thinking back through all of the people who have lived on this planet, it's only the most recent, and those who live in areas where the technologies of transportation, communication, and information have advanced this far, who get the chance to have that experience. Next year, a group of people from BCC will walk in the locales Jesus walked in. Others will vacation in places as diverse as Europe, Florida, California, and Montana, while others serve in Haiti, Honduras, or Siberia. In my half day I started in desert, speeding past volcanic outpourings, through mountains and vast forests, and into the wet, fertile Willamette valley. If I had been so inclined, by the end of the day I could have been sitting underneath some of the largest and oldest trees on this planet. Or sitting on a boat in the Puget Sound. Or walking in the sand looking out on the largest body of water on the planet, whose movements are influenced by the lesser light in the sky. Or -- even gone home and looked at pictures of people on that moon!

The flip side of technology is that I could have raced through the drive without paying much attention at all to God's creation, and to the results of the creativity He has given us as human beings. I could have lived yesterday without once considering that there will be many situations in my life, and in our lives, where technology will be no answer. Perhaps never even considering them at any point in my life until they arrive, because technology has provided answers to so many challenges in my lifetime. Technology can be mighty impressive at times, but, in the end, our very existence, every breath we take, is a gift from God.

After hearing Jesus talk about Jerusalem in terms of "desolation", the disciples point out to Him the magnificence of the Temple -- technology. "Now as Jesus was going out of the temple courts and walking away, his disciples came to show him the temple buildings. And he said to them, 'Do you see all these things? I tell you the truth, not one stone will be left on another. All will be torn down!'” (Matt. 24:1,2) In other words, guys, don't be too impressed by what humans have built, it can (and will) be destroyed. The temple's a temporary thing.

There's a larger lesson that Jesus has in mind in these words. He's preparing the disciples for the time when His sacrifice will replace the sacrifices in the temple, His spirit will be present in their lives and they will no longer have to go to the temple to worship, and the understanding that they will become the stones of God's temple (we'll read about this understanding in places like 1 Peter). For the moment, I want to spend just a bit more time on technology and man-made stuff.

During part of my drive I was thinking about what it would be like if this car and I could be plopped down into the midst of first century Palestine. Better than a car, what about a motorcycle that could ride on the trails of the day? If the disciples were impressed with the Temple, imagine someone riding into the court of the gentiles on a Honda. How miraculous would that bike appear, and how much would they be able to grasp about how it worked, using analogs to machines of their day? What would a ride at 35 miles per hour feel like to them? It would all be incredible, wouldn't it? That is, until the tank ran dry.


Technology impresses, there' s no getting around it. The creativity and ingenuity of people reflects God's own nature. We're made in His image. But it can be a trap. The trap is dependence and isolation. These are the reminders I need today -- don't miss the universe God has given us to live in. Don't expect man-made stuff to last forever, or rely on it for ultimate answers. Don't forget that the very resources we shape into technology come from God. And as Jesus says at the end of the chapter, be good stewards of His house, using His resources wisely, and live expectantly in anticipation of His return.

No further comment required. Matthew 23.

“Woe to you, experts in the law and you Pharisees, hypocrites! You give a tenth of mint, dill, and cumin, yet you neglect what is more important in the law – justice, mercy, and faithfulness! You should have done these things without neglecting the others. Blind guides! You strain out a gnat yet swallow a camel!" (Matthew 23:23,24 NET)

Here's my optional comment. Gnats and camels are both on the prohibited foods list.

He passes. Matthew 22.

For some reason, the series of tests that Jesus goes through in Chapter 22, reminded me of a scene in one of our family's favorite movies, The Court Jester. There really is no comparison in terms of importance or application to our life, but sometimes that's the way my mind works. In fact, in the movie scene, there is no merit at all in the fact that the jester, played by Danny Kaye, passes. Whereas, Jesus not only passes with merit, but rebukes and teaches in the process. And even though this is deadly serious business for Jesus, considering what will happen in just a few days, there is also something farcical in the behavior of the various groups trying to trap Jesus.

If you don't know the movie, here's the wikipedia entry. Briefly, in the movie which is a comedic Robin Hood-like tale, Danny Kaye poses as a court jester to infiltrate the castle of the king, who has usurped the throne from the rightful heir. Needless to say, he goofs up and is entangled in a series of misadventures culminating in him being mistaken as the notorious Black Fox. The king can't just kill him outright, because his daughter the princess is in love with him. So he decides that if this jester becomes a knight, then he can be challenged by the grim and grizzly Griswold to a battle for the hand of the princess. Pretty goofy so far, huh? You may remember the dialog just prior to their contest -- "The pellet with the poison's in the vessel with the pestle. The chalice from the palace has the brew that is true."

Here's the scene I was thinking of this morning. The king wants the jester to be a knight, but to become a knight requires successful completion of a series of arduous tasks, which could take years to accomplish. Frustrated, the king decides to speed things up:

King Roderick: Rules of Chivalry be hanged! Ravenhurst, take that nincompoop, and knight that nincompoop by noon tomorrow!

Here's the screenplay for the scene (Hawkins is Danny Kaye):

Captain of the Guard: [Hawkins is being tested for Knighthood] He must scale a wall in full armor.
[Hawkins is tossed over the wall]
Captain of the Guard: Candidate passes!
[later]
Captain of the Guard: He must bring down a hawk in full flight.
[a hawk with an arrow is tossed on the ground]
Captain of the Guard: Candidate passes.
Hawkins: But I didn't even shoo...
Captain of the Guard: [shouts] Candidate passes!
[later]
Captain of the Guard: He must capture a wild boar with his bare hands.
[a piglet comes out of a chute followed by sound effects of splashing in the mud]
Captain of the Guard: He passes!

If you know the movie, you're probably at least smiling. If not, you can borrow my copy. The knighting ceremony that follows is hilariously slapstick.

Back to the Bible. Jesus is in Jerusalem after His entry into Jerusalem on what we celebrate as Palm Sunday. After teaching about the Kingdom of Heaven, Jesus is challenged in turn by the Pharisees' disciples (under direction of the Pharisees and accompanied by supporters of Herod), some Sadducees, and then one particular Pharisee described as an expert in the religious law. And in each case -- He passes!

Each of these verbal tests was designed to trap Jesus into either saying something the leaders could object to or something the people would object to. Not only does Jesus work His way out of these tests, but He incorporates a useful teaching in the process. This is the teacher that I want to be like! He passes. Quickly. Elegantly. Truthfully. Even compassionately, when you take into account all who would be hearing the lesson.

And He'll pass the harder test that lies ahead.

The peril of theology. Matthew 21.

For this reason I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit.
(Matthew 21:43 NET)

The conclusion to Jesus' parable of the tenant farmers provides an interesting lesson in the interpretation of Scripture. Let's spend a little time looking at this. As we begin, I'll just say up front that I'm going to disagree with some men (didn't find any women in error) of great learning and ability, which is not meant to disparage them. In fact, my disagreement may stem from a misreading on my part of what they've written. But in my opinion, their interpretation is colored by their theology, and that's the point I'd like to look at closely today.

When you read Jesus' conclusion in v.21:23, the natural questions to ask are:

1. Who is "you" that the kingdom will be taken from?
2. Who are "a people" (nation in other translations) it will be given to?

Some commentaries answer these questions based on their theology. Here's what it says in the Bible Knowledge Commentary:

"Two interpretations of this verse are often presented. One is that Jesus was saying the kingdom had been taken from the Jewish nation and would be given to Gentile nations who would produce the proper fruit of genuine faith.
...
A better interpretation is that Jesus was simply saying the kingdom was being taken away from the nation Israel at that time, but it would be given back to the nation in a future day when that nation would demonstrate true repentance and faith."

In this commentary, while two interpretations are given, the first interpretation is made to align with the second one, with qualifying statements about it such as, "the kingdom has not been taken away from Israel forever," and "the church is not now inheriting the kingdom."

Explaining theological bias.
Are you following this? I didn't really at first glance. What the commentators are saying is that even though this looks like Jesus is saying that Israel has forfeited their right to the Kingdom, it's only temporary. And they're making sure both interpretations come to that conclusion. The reason they do, I think, is because their theology insists that this is how the end times will work out. Their belief is that God's covenants with Israel will be fulfilled in the end times. The answer to question #2 above can't be that the church has succeeded Israel's role in the world or that Gentiles are the people identified by Jesus as the ones to whom the Kingdom will be given.

It's important to realize that this theology (called dispensationalism) is based on a whole reading of the Bible, and it is the dominant theology in evangelical circles today. You may well ascribe to the basic teachings of this theology whether you realize it or not. And it's not my argument here that dispensationalism is an incorrect big picture of the message of the Bible, or a correct one. What I am saying is that I think the commentaries miss the true or reasonable interpretation when they let dispensational-colored glasses influence their interpretation, as above. Here are some other examples:

• Exploring the Gospel of Matthew: An Expository Commentary. The author spends a couple of paragraphs arguing that Jesus can't be referring to a permanent removal of the Kingdom from Israel, including this statement: "The nation cannot be the church, for the church is not a nation; it transcends all nations."
  
  
• The Holman New Testament Commentary seems to get this a little better, not emphasizing the dispensational concerns with this statement of Jesus, but still showing the concern is there. The author says, "the stewardship would reside in the hands of the church. but God was not finished with Israel. He grafted the church into Israel's roots, but he will set to it that his covenant with Israel and his calling of the nation will be fully realized upon a day yet future..." He then goes on to apply other Scripture to make the point.
  

The same criticism can be made of those who disagree with dispensationalism when they let their viewpoint color their interpretation.

When theology helps and hinders.
While it is important to consider the whole of Scripture as a part of a passage's context, it is the outer edge of context. Context begins with the verses next to the passage in question and works outward, from paragraph to chapter and so forth, eventually including the entire Bible. It is also important to harmonize what you might think is the meaning of a given passage with other teachings of Scripture. Theology is, in part, an attempt to apply both those principles, using the context of the whole teaching of the Bible to harmonize specific teachings. The weakness in a theological viewpoint shows up when theological concerns override a simple, clear understanding of a passage, often because the passage is one that's difficult to reconcile with tenets of the theologian. That's especially true if the passage is one that those who disagree with a particular theology use to bolster their arguments. Apparently, this passage in Matthew is one of those passages for dispensationalists.

A reasonable interpretation.
If we stick with the parable itself and the immediate context, it seems pretty clear that just as we talked about when discussing this parable in Mark, the villains in the parable -- the tenants -- are the leadership of Israel. Israel is the vineyard. And so, when Jesus says, "the Kingdom of God will be taken from you," he's referring to those leaders. That's really as far as we need to take this lesson.

Therefore, in answer to the two questions I posed at the outset, the "you" in question #1 is Israel's religious leaders. The people who will receive the Kingdom in question #2 are those who produce the fruit of faith. It may be possible to be more specific about the answer to #2, but I don't see it as essential. I'll come back to that in just a minute.

In the Bible Knowledge Commentary the author seems to recognize the pointedness of the parable toward the religious leaders, but then gets busy defending a dispensational point of view when it comes to answering the two questions. When he makes the answer to #1 the nation of Israel, not just its leaders, he has to spend time explaining why the answer to #2 then, isn't the church or the Gentiles. They can't be the successors to the covenant promises given to Abraham and David according to his theology.

If we were to extend this lesson any further, to see if there is more specificity in the the answer to question #2, it's certainly possible, maybe even probable, that Jesus had His followers in mind, as the "people" to whom the stewardship of Kingdom would pass to. That is, the apostles and their successors, the leaders of the church would replace the religious leaders of Israel. If that is a correct understanding of what Jesus meant we would expect to see it confirmed in other Scripture. Certainly if we look at 1 Peter 2:9, there is some validation in the idea that Jesus had the church in mind as stewards of the Kingdom message. We can definitely say that the criticism earlier quoted ("The nation cannot be the church, for the church is not a nation; it transcends all nations.") is incorrect. Peter uses the same word as Jesus did, ethnos, to describe the church as a holy nation, singular. And he uses it when talking about the stone that was rejected that became the cornerstone or capstone, just as Jesus did.

Beyond that extension, I suspect we're treading on thin ice if we want to add to the interpretation of verse 43. Clearly the Pharisees understood that in both parables of chapter 21, Jesus was talking about them, and not the nation of Israel. Matthew points that out in verse 45, "When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they realized that he was speaking about them." It seems sufficient to simply leave the lesson there. The leaders of Israel have rejected the Son of David and disputed His authority in the same way the leaders in the past rejected the prophets. But in rejecting the Son, they have rejected their rights to have anything further to do with the Kingdom of God and its promises. It's those who accept the Son who are now the stewards of the Kingdom and the recipients of the promises. And we know who their are, because they bear the right fruit.

What's the point.
Two points, really. The first is that you need to be careful when consulting commentaries, because sometimes their theological viewpoint may be reflected in their interpretation. The more important point, though, is that you can do the interpretation, and you should do the interpretation, to the best of your ability.

I'm going to guess that before you began to read this post, you had a pretty good understanding of the nature of these two parables Jesus told. Do your best to stick to the text and exercise your own judgment before consulting others. And when you do, remember that every teacher has his or her own biases, which may color the interpretation they give.

Even me.

Kingdom values. Matthew 20.

The parable in today's reading is pretty transparent, isn't it? Our discussion last week might have left the impression that parables are always difficult to understand, and that they always need to be explained. Jesus said this, "You will listen carefully yet will never understand, you will look closely yet will never comprehend." This parable reminds us that it may not be the parable itself, but the lesson of the parable that we won't understand. Let's see how that works in the case of this parable.

Jesus tells us that this parable is about one of the values of the Kingdom. The Kingdom operates according to God's choice, and His choice is to reward everyone who works in the Kingdom without regard to length of service, or position, or type of work. Because I'm using the word work, don't mistake this for our earning something. The only step needed on our part is to decide who's Kingdom we're going to work in, not the work itself. That's really the point. It's God's merciful and gracious choice to reward everyone, not the work we do.

What might incomprehensible to a listener, hearing but not understanding, is that this truth is contrary to how we think life works or how it should work. The world says, "We earn our keep. The more valuable the work, or the longer we do it, the greater the reward. Work hard, get ahead." (And the lesson of the parable isn't that these are values we should discard. Jesus also talks about rewards from our labor.) But God also says, "In my Kingdom, 'I want to give to this last man the same as I gave to you. Am I not permitted to do what I want with what belongs to me? Or are you envious because I am generous?'"

Our joy is to serve Him. His joy is to be gracious beyond all expectations. If you hear this lesson but can only think of the world's viewpoint that the Kingdom values don't make sense, then you are listening without understanding. To put it in contemporary language, Jesus tells you something that is the opposite of how you've always thought, and you respond by thinking, "What? Just what?"

This lesson isn't told in a vacuum. Remember from our discussion about story parables that they are intended to provoke a response. This story comes at the end of Jesus' teaching about hierarchy in the Kingdom after John and James have asked (through their mother according to Matthew) to sit at Jesus' side in His Kingdom. Perhaps they thought they had some special claim to those positions because of length of service or the work they had performed. Perhaps all the disciples who then jumped into the argument were upset, not because this request was just wrong, but because they might have wanted those positions too.

Jesus then tells them that they shouldn't view the Kingdom like the rest of the world, and illustrates that teaching with this parable. The unstated ending is, "Guys do you get it now? God makes the choices about reward. Why in the world would you be unhappy that others get the reward you were also promised? Isn't it just a tremendous result to receive the reward? And not to worry about how generous God is?"

Lord, let me always have ears that hear and eyes that see.

Busy being adults. Matthew 19.

I'm indebted to Janell Struckmeier for the inspiration behind today's post.

One day some parents brought their children to Jesus so he could lay his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples scolded the parents for bothering him.

But Jesus said, “Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to those who are like these children.” And he placed his hands on their heads and blessed them before he left. (Matthew 19:13-15 NLT)

In these three short verses, something of significance took place. Stop for a minute and think about the fact that out of all the incidents that must have occurred in Jesus' life, all three synoptic gospels record this one. Once again Jesus used the present moment to both do something that needed to be done, and to teach His followers something that needed to be learned.

The blessing of children by the elders and rabbis was a custom in first century Palestine. While typically, this was done formally on the Day of Atonement, it seems likely that it was a common practice whenever a special teacher came into the area. The placing of hands on head, was a way to show acceptance and identification with the children, and affection, too.

The disciples saw this request as an intrusion into their adult stuff. "Hey, the teacher's busy teaching us. We've got Kingdom business to attend to. Perhaps another time. Parents, surely you've seen how many adults need the Rabbi's time.? And keep the kids quiet while you're leaving!"

I see Jesus' response as primarily one of affection and joy. Of course He'd want to take the time to touch and bless each one coming to Him. It would be a pleasure, not a chore. At the same time, when He saw the disciples' response, He knew they need to learn something too.

The first lesson He taught them is that the children are significant. Just because we're busy talking about life in the Kingdom, doesn't mean that these children shouldn't be allowed to receive Kingdom blessings too. They are significant on their own. "Let them come. Don't stop them."

One of the implications of this lesson is that the children have value and needs of their own, right where they are. Not just as "the future." Not just as we sometimes say in church, as "a way to appeal to the family", or as "a way to reach the parents for Jesus." Right now in their life, right where they are, they need the blessing of Jesus just like adults need that blessing.

The second lesson flows out of the first. We can understand what the Kingdom is about, what is valuable and what isn't, in the example of these children. "The Kingdom belongs to such as these." Not only did Jesus treat the children as significant, He said that it was their insignificance and powerlessness in their society, that made them significant in the Kingdom of Heaven. They were the example of who is important in the Kingdom -- those who come in trust, who come as outcasts, as powerless, as insignificant -- those are the ones who will receive full acceptance and new importance in the Kingdom. Jesus overturned the commonly held values of society, just as surely as He later would the money-changers' tables in the temple.

Who are the children seeking God's blessing in your life? Who are the invisible, the powerless, the ones who are kind of a bother when we're busy doing our adult stuff? Who do we need to see as significant today? And does our attitude need any adjustment when it comes to our position in the Kingdom?

1 / 600,000. Matthew 18.

I've read different opinions on the value of talents and denarii, the money Jesus used in His Kingdom parable recorded in Matthew 18:23-35. The large amount owed by the first servant is an impossibly large amount, and the amount owed to the first servant is about 100 days wages. The figure that seemed most authoritative was that the first servant owed 600,000 times as much as he was owed. Or as Jesus put it, the first servant wouldn't forgive an amount that was 1/600,000th of the amount he had been forgiven.

Why not?

That's really the question Jesus presents to His followers and to us. When you step into His Kingdom, you've been forgiven an impossibly large amount. Gratitude alone ought to guide your thoughts and actions. Mercy and forgiveness are the pathway into the Kingdom, and the tell-tale signs you live in His Kingdom.

Why couldn't they do it? Matthew 17.

I've been thinking quite a bit about what Jesus has to say in Matthew 17:20 - He told them, “It was because of your little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; nothing will be impossible for you.” This saying is a challenge to my own understanding of my faith, and continues what Jesus had to say earlier in phrases like "keep on asking and you'll receive." Whenever I think I have a handle on the meaning of Jesus' statements about prayer and faith, I'm brought up short by verses such as this one, as I encounter them again.

What I'd like to do today, is take you through the process that I've gone through in trying to discover the meaning of Jesus' saying. Especially since it may not match your idea, and certainly runs against the grain of a lot of the teaching I hear in Christian media.

First, let's take care of the literal/figurative thing. The language in this saying of Jesus is clearly a parable in the sense that I wrote about earlier this week. In this case, it's a couple of metaphors put together, and I would loosely paraphrase it as, "if you have any faith at all, impossible looking tasks are possible."

Next, let me disclose some things about me and the text. When I'm reading the New Testament, I start from this viewpoint: I'm probably not really getting it. That is, I want to be very cautious about what I think it means, and aggressively dig into the text, the language, and the culture, to make sure I bridge the gap between 1st century Palestine and today.

I also know that over time, there are certain theological points of view that seem evident to me, and I will tend to read a text from that point of view. Realizing that I do this, is also cautionary. It's important not to let our assumptions color the text, but to let the text inform our understanding. (This is one of the theological viewpoints that I hold, so in making the statement, I'm paradoxically contradicting the statement.) My "theology" isn't systematic in any sense, and within it I have some beliefs that are seemingly contradictory, but I hold in tension with one another. For example, I believe that both these statements are true: God's will is sovereign and He is all-knowing; humans make free will choices. Sometimes I may spend time thinking through the implications of these statements, especially in discussion or argumentation with others. But most of the time I'm content to let those statements stand on their own, confident that the Bible teaches both of these truths, and that I don't need to resolve them.

One of my theological viewpoints is that the Bible does not teach what I'll call a "health and wealth" gospel. Characteristics of this false gospel include: poverty is a sin; levels of faith are needed for levels of blessing (can't ask for a $10K item with a one dollar faith); we were healed not just spiritually, but physically on the cross and we just have to receive that healing by faith.

Because of that viewpoint, passages such as Matthew 17:20 are particularly important for me to understand. I don't want the pre-judging of my viewpoint to get in the way of really understanding what Jesus is saying. So, as I said at the outset, I've been doing a lot of thinking about this passage.

Let me add a third disclosure and then move onto some sort of understanding of what Jesus has to say about faith. I hold an opinion that as American Evangelicals our faith is influenced by this "health and wealth" gospel and also the culture of America which includes some myths and some realities from the American experience, perhaps best expressed by the term "the American Dream." In part, this is why I begin with the assumption that in my first reading of a passage, I'm really not getting it. I'm a part of that American experience.

It's this last opinion that has informed my thinking about Matthew 17:20 this time around. Going back to the context of the passage, it seems pretty clear that Jesus is talking to His disciples about accomplishing the tasks and mission He commissioned them to do. It has nothing to do with getting stuff, or even with miracles. It's about how they are to approach the mission they have been given. In faith. Think back to all the instructions Jesus gave these men in chapter 10: He gave them authority; they were to take nothing with them but to be dependent on God working through the hospitality of people; give freely as they were given to; remember they may be persecuted; be innocent but shrewd; spread the message quickly, lingering in the places where you are welcomed; heal, raise, cleanse, cast out; and most of all announce that the Kingdom has arrived. It's all about the advancement of the Kingdom message.

They've returned, and even after doing miraculous things during their mission, they seem to be unable to do it one more time. Maybe it's because they're trying to do it, not (as it says in Mark) relying on God to do it. Maybe it's because once they returned from their mission, they were unclear about whether they still had this authority. Maybe it's because when they encountered difficulty, instead of persisting like the Canaanite woman, they were overcome by doubt -- unbelief. Jesus says to them, 'it doesn't take much faith guys, and God will give you the ability to do what He asks you to do.' (My paraphrase.)

... 'to do what He asks you to do'. I like that. Our problem is that we want to turn that around and make it 'to do what we ask Him to do.' This is not to say we're not encouraged to ask God for His favor and mercy, for our daily bread. We are. But the lesson here is that if God calls us to something, He can do it, and we can put our confidence in this.

I used the google to see what others teach about this passage, curious to know whether or not this cultural influence is simply in my mind. The results were interesting, and the sampling is based on google ranking, not chosen for agreement to my opinion.

• A devotion from "Our Daily Bread" - concentrated on the object of our faith, not on faith itself. (hook says, "Nicely done, and nicely devotional.")
  
• Sermon - made the distinction between faith and unbelief; had this to say when applying the passage - "There are many mountains in life: problems, trials, difficulties, disabilities, disease, heart-aches, worries, money problems, fights and quarrels, and the like. (hook says, "I see this as evidence of that subtle coloring from our culture.")
• Antique Jewelers - "Celebrate your precious faith with this vintage mustard seed charm, circa 1960's, which features the bible verse from Matthew 17:20 engraved on the back and an encased mustard seed on the front." (hook says, "No comment.")
• Teaching - Take the first step of trusting, God will honor and faith will grow; we are able to release more of our life to God; He will do things humans consider impossible. (hook says, "I think these are truths, but this seems to combine other teachings with the one from this passage.")
• Teaching - "If your problems are stacked up like a mountain before you, with faith that mountain can be moved." (hook says, "Cultural influence.")

I removed the particulars of who said what above, and if something isn't quoted, then it's my summary of what they said. I need to add that I don't think that any of these teachings are completely wrong, or even unhelpful. But I thought it was interesting to read what Matthew Henry had to say in his commentary on this passage written sometime between 1705 and 1710.

"The faith here required, is that which had for its object that particular revelation by which Christ gave his disciples power to work miracles in his name, for the confirmation of the doctrine they preached. It was a faith in this revelation that they were defective in; either doubting the validity of their commission, or fearing that it expired with their first mission, and was not to continue when they were returning to their Master; or that it was some way or other forfeited or withdrawn."

Henry doesn't provide an application of this sort: 'what about me and my life?' in his extended commentary, although there is this application: we need to pray hard in our opposition to the power of Satan. I think this is a bit of an indication of the change in the church over the last 300 years, and the church in America in particular.

In re-reading this post, I realized that my conclusions about the passage are somewhat similar to Matthew Henry's. Cool... I'll take that as validation that I'm not totally off base.

Pivot points and hard truths. Matthew 16.

The pivot point of each of the first three gospels is Peter's confession of Jesus' identity - "you are the Messiah." From that moment on, Jesus changes the nature and content of His teaching to include what will happen to Him, and sets His face toward Jerusalem. "From that time on Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests, and experts in the law, and be killed, and on the third day be raised." (Matthew 16:21 NET)

That's a hard truth to comprehend, and Peter doesn't. Almost immediately after his confession that Jesus is Messiah, Peter demonstrates his total misunderstanding of what that means, by denying Jesus' authority when He describes what will take place. Peter is unable to put aside his own conception of what the Messiah is supposed to be, and listen to the guy who is Messiah. Couple that with his love of Jesus, and it makes sense that this was a hard truth that he wanted to deny. Who wouldn't?

Jesus then teaches another hard truth -- following Him means putting aside our own ambitions and picking up a cross to follow. To any person of the time, the cross means humiliation, shame, agony, and death. Jesus explains how this truth works by adding: "For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it." At least that is somewhat promising.

Jesus' next words are a continued explanation of what He has been saying, but I want to treat them as a separate hard truth. "For what does it benefit a person if he gains the whole world but forfeits his life? Or what can a person give in exchange for his life?"

While these words come from Jesus, the truth contained in them isn't particularly tied to being a Christian or following Him. They are a hard truth of life. We see this truth demonstrated every day in the broken lives of celebrity, in the bitter divorce of people who were committed to values outside their marriage, in the relentless pursuit of more toys, in the faces of drivers in the morning commute.

The recognition of the reality of this hard truth is a pivot point too. When the moment arrives in which a person has to look really hard at the sum of their life, they are most open to understanding the message of Messiah, to recognizing who Jesus really is. He understood this truth. He knew of the emptiness in a life lived for self only. He taught it. In the midst of any crisis, we need to remember this truth, too. Whether it's so we can share it with someone else, or be reminded that we have given our lives to the greatest cause, the greatest One.

Peace.

Fed. Matthew 15.

Imagine a three-day healing and teaching meeting in the hills by the sea. People gathering from the small villages in the area, excitedly seeking the Master, the healer, maybe even the Expected One. After three days 4,000 men are there, and it's likely that well over 10,000 people in all have gathered. Imagine the joy celebrated in the healings, the thinking and talking about the teachings they heard. Is it any wonder that, "they praised the God of Israel"? Imagine a group of people so hungry for God's blessing that they ignored their physical hunger for 3 days.

It's intriguing to think about the possibility that the 4,000, who were fed included Gentiles. According to Mark's account, it's likely that Jesus was in an area of mixed Jews and Gentiles. He was returning from an encounter with a Canaanite woman in the region of Tyre and Sidon, who was absolutely a Gentile. During that encounter, the woman demonstrates her faith, by asking only for the crumbs from the family table. That is, even though Jesus has come on a mission to the children of Israel who are the family, she, a Gentile, was willing to take whatever was left. Some interpret this exchange as Jesus' way of revealing and encouraging the faith of this woman, before performing the healing she asked for.

But it's possible that her entreaties changed something in Jesus' understanding of His mission, and that when the 4,000 show up, both Jews and Gentiles, His compassion is more quickly engaged. We can't know for sure, except that we always know He did the will of God. But one difference between the two feedings, is that in the case of the 5,000 it's the disciples who come to Jesus with the problem of feeding them, and in the case of the 4,000 it's Jesus who initiates the feeding out of compassion.

Something else we do know is that even if there are no Gentiles involved in the actual feeding of the 4,000, the sequence of incidents and where they take place as described in Matthew, hint of an enlarged mission that will ultimately reach the Gentiles, even if Jesus' part of delivering the arrival of the Kingdom of Heaven was largely restricted to the children of Israel.

And so... we were fed.

Object lesson. Matthew 14.

This will be short, so you can read yesterday's post which was very late. Something that struck me this morning is how Herod is forced to do something he really doesn't want to do (kill John the Baptist) because of the oaths he made. Remember Jesus' teaching in Matthew 5 about oaths?

Eeek! Parables! Matthew 13.

For anyone teaching the life of Jesus, the parables are one of the expected moments of challenge. For some people parables are tricky. Maybe that's true for most people. While they may not understand what Jesus means in a particular parable, they do understand when Jesus says, "You will listen carefully yet will never understand, you will look closely yet will never comprehend." (Matt. 13:14 NET) I should probably change this from third person to first person -- there are parables that I find tricky to understand.

In thinking about why this is the case, I'm aware of several reasons we wrestle with parables. One reason is that we have been taught inconsistent or misleading definitions about what a parable is. A second reason we wrestle is that parables are closely tied to their context -- both the immediate context in which the parable is told, and the more general context of life in first century Palestine. That context is a long way off from us in space and time. A third reason we wrestle is that parables are intended to be wrestled with. When a parable is told to make a point, not to illustrate a point already made, the listeners have to extract the message from the story, and it may be concealed even as Jesus said.

We need to start with a clear understanding of what a parable is and is not. Here are two common definitions which I think are inadequate:

• A parable is an earthly story with a heavenly meaning.
• A parable is a short, fictitious story that teaches a moral or religious principle.

One of the problems with those definitions is that in some cases what Jesus calls a parable isn't really a story. A second problem is that we may not be able to narrow down a parable to a single meaning or principle. (I say this, even though in the past I have taught to search for one meaning per parable.)

Let's build a definition of a parable. First there is the definition of the Greek word - parabole - which carries with it the idea of placing things beside one another for the purpose of "comparison". In our language, as well as Greek, the two most common forms of comparison are a simile and a metaphor. In a simile the comparison is explicitly stated while in a metaphor it is implied. By way of example, Shakespeare wrote this metaphor, "All the world's a stage." If he'd written it as a simile it would have been phrased this way, "The world is like a stage." We can string together or expand similes and this form is called a similitude. Stringing together metaphors creates an allegory. We're still just talking about various forms of comparison and their labels. Another term of comparison is analogy, which is probably the best understanding of the Greek use of parabole. As classical Greeks we would have said that a parable is usually an analogy used in an illustrative way.

This is a good starting point, but let's add the Hebrew understanding of parables, since Jesus was a Hebrew. The Old Testament equivalent is the Hebrew word mashal. This word is defined as "to represent" or "to be like" and is usually translated as proverb or parable, and also as riddle, story, and allegory.

We should add to our understanding of parables the idea that they are memorable. The description "good Samaritan" is still understood to this day to mean someone who helps out a stranger, even for people who don't realize that this story and concept comes from Jesus' teaching, let alone that being a Samaritan is not what makes someone good.

Finally, we need to look again at the idea of parables as illustration. Jesus explicitly said that sometimes when He spoke in parables it would have precisely the opposite effect. Therefore, not every parable is an illustration. As I noted earlier, I like to distinguish between a parable when it's told to illustrate something said earlier, and when the parable is told as the actual teaching, which may or may not be explained later. In the latter case, the parable may ultimately be illustrative, but it usually takes some work on the part of the listener to get it, or some further explanation from the speaker. For example, the parable of the sower told in Matthew 13:3-9, is not an illustration as it's told. After Jesus explains it to His disciples (and us), then we are able to see it as an illustration.

With all that in mind, let's take another stab at a fairly loose definition. A parable is a form of teaching that uses one of several forms of comparison to make the teaching memorable, rich, and incisive. These forms of comparison include: proverbs, similes, metaphors, and similitudes, as well as story parables and allegories.

The category of story parables is the one that we typically think of when considering Jesus' parables, and that's the form of the first couple of parables in Matthew 13. The distinction between a story parable and a story allegory is whether every element of the story should be interpreted symbolically or not. Some parables have allegorical elements in them, but there are only one or two parables of Jesus that are (possibly) complete allegories. If the distinction between parable and allegory is unclear, take a look at how Augustine interpreted the parable of The Good Samaritan. He treated the story as an allegory which meant every part of the story had some metaphoric meaning. Thus the man going down to Jericho was interpreted as Adam, the man's wounds were sins, two denarii meant knowledge of the Father and Son, and so forth. Treating the story as having allegorical elements instead of as an actual allegory, means that we recognize that Jesus was making a point by casting the priests and Levites as the bad guys, and the Samaritan as a good guy. These characters are representative or symbolic of the category of people they are, but not a symbol of some metaphoric meaning. (Augustine thought of them as representing, respectively, the Law, the Prophets, and Christ.)

My thinking about parables has changed somewhat over time. Some of the change is due to the fact that I'm not particularly adept or comfortable with this form of teaching, although I do like it quite a bit. Some of the change is due to a broader reading of other teachers about parables. Most of the change is due to the increased amount of experience I have reading and then discussing the parables. If parables are still tricky for you, then just keep at it, it'll get better.

I'll write more about parables in another chapter, but for now, let's take a look at what is a parable of the similitude form, in Matthew 13:31,32. In this extended simile, Jesus compares the kingdom of Heaven to a mustard seed, which is small when planted, but huge as a grown plant. There's nothing particularly trick about this parable except to remember that the comparison isn't between the kingdom of Heaven and a mustard seed. The comparison is to the whole concept -- a small seed planted and growing into a very large, bushy bush. So it is, that the kingdom of Heaven (where Christ reigns) began humbly in Jesus' teaching over 3 years, and the training of the 12. Out of that a mighty realm would be established, which we see in the worldwide church, keeping in mind that the church is all those who are Christians.

Which parable did you like?

Week of Devotions (5). Matthew 12.

Latest post ever!

If you've followed along this week, you have seen all the steps for doing a devotional study of a passage from the Bible. The techniques that you've learned are useful for any kind of Bible study, because every study should lead to some reaction to what you've studied. They help you to answer the question, "so what?" I used the word reaction instead of application, after reading about this step in Dr. Ray Lubeck's book, Read the Bible for a Change. He makes this distinction from what we usually call the application stage of study, to make the point that application is so often expressed as things to do, or outward actions to take. By using response, we enlarge the scope of the "so what?" to include inward attitudes, not just outward actions. In today's reading, for example, Jesus quotes the Old Testament a second time in verse 7, "If you had known what this means: ‘I want mercy and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the innocent." He's talking about an inward attitude, that of desiring mercy, that leads to an outward behavior. Later in the chapter Jesus teaches precisely the linkage between inward attitude and outward behavior, "For the mouth speaks from what fills the heart."

With that in mind, let's review the steps in doing the study, and then look at a a simple format for recording everything during your devotional study. Later this weekend I'll post a PDF that you can print and use if you'd like. Here are the steps.

1. Prepare (find a time and pray)
2. Select (note initial ideas, themes, interesting verses, narrowing focus to a verse or two)
3. Meditate (record what surfaces in your deep thinking on the passage)
4. Respond (personal, practical, possible, provable)
5. Cement (write a prayer, memorize a verse)

(Note that I've changed step four from "apply" to "respond" to reflect the thoughts at the beginning of this post.)

Based on those steps, here's a format you can use to record what happens at each step. You can use the PDF form, or just section of a piece of paper. Across the top, put a date, and the full passage you're studying. Below the date, put a check box with a label that says Prepare, as a reminder to start your study in prayer. Here's how your page might look so far:

Date: April 20, 2007 Reading: Matthew 12:

1. Prepare [ ] (check after praying)

Next, we need a space for jotting down the thoughts we come up with during the selection step, including which verse(s) to concentrate on. Under the check box, then, add step 2, "Select", perhaps with some hints about what goes in this area (see step #2 above). Leave room to write, and then add step #3, "Meditate," again with room to write, and any hints to help you out in this step. Next you need space to write your response/application -- #4, "Respond" Finally, add #5, "Cement," where you can write a prayer and the verse(s) you want to memorize. And here, instead of writing just the reference to the verse, like Matt. 12:50, write out the verse: Matt. 12:50 - "For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother."

Well, this isn't complicated is it? Click on the picture on the left for a larger view of this really simple layout. The PDF file will have a few more hints and helps on it, but once you've done this kind of study a few times, you shouldn't need those helps.

Here's my study for Matthew 12.

Date: April 20, 2007. Passage: Matthew 12.

1. Prepare [ X ]
2. Select Verse: Matt. 12:46-50.
v.1-12 J. does "work" on the Sabbath - confronted by Pharisees. Another fulfillment in v. 15,16 - Is. 42:1+. J. accused of healing by power of Beelzebub. Not sure about v.33-37 - judgment by works? Big passage... come back again another time, but focus on family stuff at end. Big theme -- doing God's will?

3. Meditate
Sitting in the midst of the crowd I hear Jesus treat His family rather callously. And then He says that we can be His family. If we do the will of the Father. Was His family doing the will of the Father? Maybe not, and that's why Jesus did what He did. Shock value? Okay... I need to stay focused on Jesus' point, which He makes very clear by His actions. He wants those around Him, and me, to remember what He's saying. I can be, and am, His brother, when I do the will of the Father. I'm in the family, but do the will. As I write those words, I want to keep in mind that this isn't a conditional and temporary condition -- in a moment when I goof up, I'm not out of the family.

4. Respond
Today I want to remember that I have given my life to Jesus, as the most important step of the Father's will, and that I'm in the family. Throughout the day, I will stop for a moment, and remember who my big brother is, and see if what I'm doing right at that moment is the Father's will.

5. Cement
God, help me to remember I'm a part of your family, and as I interact with my human family today, to remember all my brothers and sisters, and aunts, and especially Jesus.

Memorize: Matthew 12:50 (NLT) "Anyone who does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother!"

Week of Devotions (4). Matthew 11.

One of the distinctive characteristics of Matthew is that he places a heavy emphasis on Jesus' teaching. About 60% of the verses in this gospel contain the words of Jesus. Practically speaking this means we have an opportunity to really get to know Him. To do so however, we have to wrestle with the teachings of a first century Jewish rabbi. (The question about whether Jesus was an official rabbi or not is unimportant, because He certainly teaches like one.) Not just any rabbi, either, but the One who knew the Father perfectly, and taught with authority.

In Matthew then, any given chapter is likely to contain many lessons we can use as the basis of a devotional study. In picking one teaching, we may or may not capture the theme or essence of the chapter, because there are many teachings. That's okay to do, and you can always come back and mine the chapter for more nuggets. But it's a good idea to at least think about the big picture, to see if there's one overarching idea that ties everything together in the chapter.

This morning, the big picture remains pretty hazy for me, and one teaching jumped out above the many teachings in the chapter. Here's what Jesus said in v.11:28-31 -

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." (NIV)

There are two reasons these verses stood out for me. One is that the idea of a light burden appeals to me right now. The other is that what I read in this passage seems to contradict what we just read yesterday about picking up a cross and following. Does this mean it's a cross, but a light one? Well... crosses only meant one thing in Jesus' time, and that was very heavy. I've bumped into the rabbi again, and I know that I need to spend some time studying these two ideas -- the cross and the easy yoke.

Before doing so, let's look at the last step in doing a devotional study. Here's what we've covered so far: prepare, select, meditate, and apply. I'm going to call the last step "Cement". In this step, you develop a prayer that helps focus everything you've thought about and written down up to this point in your study. And then you pray it, seeking God's help in applying His truth to your life. Keep it short, and you can pray it as often as you need to while you're doing the application. For example, if you're working today on temper because of your reading in James 1, and have been doing so ever since we read it two weeks ago, then you may still be praying the same prayer today, and multiple times during the day.

There's something else you can do during this step, and that is to memorize a verse from the passage. Memorizing verses is a really good idea. Think about how often you could continue to meditate on what you read for your study if you can call the key verse to mind anywhere and any time. Using our previous example, think about what it would mean standing in a long line at the DMV, realizing that you're going to be stuck well beyond your allocated time, noticing that everyone in front of you doesn't seem to have the right papers, or doesn't understand what they're being asked, or has some complicated transaction to complete and all you want to do is pay your forty bucks and get new tags. In your mind, maybe even under your breath, you recite, "James 1:19 and 20 -- Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires. James 1:19 and 20. God help me in the moments when I sense anger rising in me to calm down and to desire the same righteous life you desire."

There it is, cemented in place. A prayer and a memorized passage. You did the study, and now you're applying it in every day situations. God will use this to continue the process of life transformation that Paul talks about in Romans 12. The reason you might not memorize a verse or passage every time you do a devotional study is that you're still working on some other passage. You can continue to study devotionally every day, even while you're still concentrating on a previous teaching, and if that means you're still repeating an old memory verse from that study, no problem. Just make sure you're adding to the collection of verses or passages you have memorized.

This last step is simple to describe, but depending on your own abilities and how much recent practice you have, may seem difficult to actually do. It's pretty much a guarantee that if you can go stand in line at the DMV, you can memorize Scripture. Perhaps another time we can look at techniques to help, but you can start by cementing your devotional study by writing down a short prayer to pray, and the text of the verse(s) you want to memorize.

I'm going to wrestle with my passage for the day for a while, and will add to this post later today. But I'll post what I've written so far so that you have this final step of a devotional study in place. Enjoy Matthew 11.
========== UPDATE ==========
Here's a two-minute devotional. I don't care at the moment about the seeming differences between taking up a cross and taking up Jesus' yoke. What counts is that He has promised a light burden, and that's what I desire today. While it appears that this light burden may simply be relief from the constraints of the Law and the extra bits added on by the religious leaders, I'll take that. The rules, at least are simple to understand, if not follow, and since I'll be yoked to Jesus, I'll ask Him to help when it gets tough.

Prayer: Help me to stay yoked to you Jesus, and to be gentle and humble in my heart.

Memorize: Matt. 11:29,30 (NLTse) - "Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke fits perfectly, and the burden I give you is light."

Week of Devotions (3). Matthew 10.

There are two ideas that I didn't emphasize yesterday about meditating on your chosen devotional verse(s). I'm going to rework that post so they're there, but let me begin by stating them here.

• You don't need to use all the different techniques described to help you meditate. Just one will usually suffice, and it should be the one that helps you the most. There are two ways a given technique can help. One way is that it fits your way of thinking. For example, if you're an experiential thinker then visualizing yourself in the scene may work well for you. The second way is that the technique is appropriate for the passage you're reading. For example, if you're in the middle of the letter to the Romans and engaging Paul's logic, the previous visualization technique won't work as well as one of the others.
• The second point about meditation is that the techniques provided are really there to get you started. Remember that meditation is about deep thinking on the truths contained in a particular passage of the text. If you have some other way of going about that, then use it.

The next step in developing a devotional study is to write out an application of your insights. Up to this point you may have been just jotting down information. In this step, you do need to organize your thinking in such a way that you have something very concrete to apply.

Typically, if you asked the nine questions, like "is there a command to follow," in the previous step, then your application is contained the answers you jotted down. If you didn't ask the questions, and you haven't developed a concrete application for the Scripture, then now would be a good time to go back and ask those questions of the passage.

In today's reading of Matthew 10, there are lots of sections we could concentrate on to develop a sound devotional study. There is the really hard truth in v.10:38, where Jesus says that to be worthy of Him, we must take up our cross and follow. There is the hard truth just ahead of that in v.10:34-37, where Jesus says that He came to bring not peace, but a sword. It will be expressed even in hatred between family members. But I want to focus on these few words from v.10:25 -- "It is enough for the disciple to become like his teacher, and the slave like his master." In context, Jesus is providing advice to His disciples about what to expect as they go out on their own, under His authority. It includes this idea of not expecting they'll be treated any better than their teacher.

But in meditating on this sentence, I see a powerful challenge to meet, stated so simply. It's enough to become the like the teacher. Enough? Absolutely. But is it achievable? Apparently Jesus wants us to do so. After further reflection, I've reached the stage where I'm ready to write down a practical way to apply this. Before doing so, let me just say that this verse is so rich that I could meditate on it for a lifetime. But we're going to look at just a small piece of the impact this verse has on me. Here are four facets of practical application that Rick Warren talks about in Dynamic Bible Study.

1. Your application should be personal. Write it in first person singular.
2. Your application should be practical. Plan what you're going to do, create a project, make the application as specific as possible.
3. Your application should be possible. It has to be something you can accomplish.
4. Your application should be provable. Take some measurements, add a time line, so you know you've accomplished it.

Let's apply these facets to the idea of becoming like the teacher. To do that, I need to think more about the teacher. What does the teacher look like? Where don't I look like Him? It could be that my first step is simply to know more about Jesus than I currently do. Not all application is "action" per se. It may be knowledge, it may be attitude, it may be practice. In the New Faith Ministry at BCC we call this "know, do, be", a self-fueling cycle of growth. But if my choice is to learn more about Jesus, then I need to make this a concrete plan. One way to do that would be to write 10 traits of Jesus that I do know, and then commit to read the gospels over the next 3 months and discover 5 more traits. That would be a personal, practical, possible, provable plan.

In a devotional study, we may be looking for something to work on just for the day or the week. This is how most "daily" devotionals work, which is why they're called daily devotionals. They give you something to focus on for that day. The hope is that they will build on one another, transforming you over time. Since Biblical truths are repeated throughout Scripture, and we need to apply them in different ways at different times in our lives this approach should work over time. But in the case described above, once you've built out your big project, you need to focus on it. And you can do so, by applying this devotional technique we've been learning about to your reading of the gospels. You may wind up with smaller applications within your larger goal.

And so it goes. This is how life works, isn't it? Certainly our faith life. We are here to know, love, and serve the Lord. That's a life project. Within it, there will be days when just managing to focus on joy for the day, for example, will be task enough. The advantage of building your own devotional study is that it's unique to you, not imposed from the outside. With that in mind, let's finish today.

"It is enough for the disciple to become like his teacher, and the slave like his master." For Jim, for today, I need to act confidently that God cares more for me than the sparrows. Here we go.

1. Personal: I need to act confidently...
2. Practical: I need to act confidently by shifting my focus from how am I going to earn money, to how is God going to provide for our family.
3. Possible: When faced with anxiety, I'll turn my attention to this reminder to "become like the teacher."
4. Provable: For the rest of this week, every time I'm anxious over material issues, I'll act confidently like the master, by remembering His confidence in God's provision, instead of worrying. I'll keep a count for the day of when this happens.

Your own response to this could be radically different, which is the point, isn't it? Tomorrow, we'll add one more step, and then on Friday, I'll give you format you can use to organize your study. God willing.

Week of Devotions (2). Matthew 9.

You're ready for the next step in writing your own devotion. Just to review, I'm going to summarize the first four practices into two steps.

1. Prepare
   a. Set aside time
   b. Pray
2. Select
   a. Read the big passage (noting where you might want to study)
   b. Think and write (context, themes, reason for interest, initial impressions)

The next step I'm going to call meditation. Are you ready to fold your legs up into a knot, and sit silently, trying to empty your mind? Me neither. Biblical meditation is an active process, not passive. It's more of a filling of the mind, instead of an emptying. Donald Whitney defines meditation as "deep thinking on the truths and spiritual realities revealed in Scripture for the purposes of understanding, application, and prayer." In Joshua 1:8, we read this guideline from God for Joshua as he assumes responsibility for the children of Israel: "Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful." (Joshua 1:8 NIV). This is not only a great verse on meditation, but a great verse to meditate on.

Here are three quick thoughts on what God says to Joshua:

• Be reciting God's Word, memorizing it, repeating it.
• Be thinking or meditating on God's Word. (This is intimately tied to the first thought, in that the Hebrew word translated as meditate, is more like mumble under your breath.)
• Obey God's Word.

In other words, the process of keeping what you read in the Book of the Law on your mind and on your lips, is intended to lead to obedience -- careful obedience because you do know the Word.

So, how do you do this? Here are some tips that may help. As always, write down what surfaces to the top in this process. My devotional study from Matthew 9 is from verses 9-13, which is the calling of Matthew.

1. Put yourself in the scene. How would I feel if I was Matthew? Or one of the outsiders? Or one of those invited to the banquet after Matthew heeds Jesus' call? What might that banquet have looked like? How would Matthew's relationship to the world change? What did Peter, John, and the others think about adding a tax collector to the group?
   
2. Repeat the verse(s), emphasizing different words. In this passage, the particular verse I'm concentrating on is verse 9, and the second sentence, which reads: "'Follow me,' he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him." Here are a instances of changing the emphasis. Notice how the meaning shifts subtly with the change in emphasis.
   "'Follow me,' he told him ...
   "'Follow me,' he told him ...
   "'Follow me,' he told him ...
   "'Follow me,' he told him ...
   
3. Rewrite the passage in your own words.
4. Pray through the text. This is very straightforward to do, and involves taking the text and personalizing it. Two ways to personalize it are to name names (especially yours), and to apply it to your life. For verse 9, I might pray, "Jesus you called Matthew to follow you, and he did, right then. You called me, Jim, too, and I have. But not always, and not always well. Help me today to clearly hear your voice in every situation I'm in today. Let the call to follow you sound loudly and distinctly, and help me to know how to best follow you, and then to do it. As Matthew did, let me get up and follow."
5. Look for applications of the text. This is the goal of any Bible study, but especially a devotional study. Be sure to write one or two of these down, because this will lead to the next step, which we'll cover tomorrow. Here are nine questions from Howard Hendricks that you can ask and then answer from the text that help in finding ways to apply the passage to your life. In a short, devotional study like this, you can quit after finding a couple of applications, unless you're inspired to spend more time as result of your reading.
1. Is there an example to follow?
2. Is there a sin to avoid?
3. Is there a promise to claim?
4. Is there a prayer to repeat?
5. Is there a command to obey?
6. Is there a condition to meet?
7. Is there a verse to memorize?
8. Is there an error to mark?
9. Is there a challenge to face?
   

At the end of my passage for the day, Matthew 9:9-13, Jesus finishes His teaching about what it means to be His disciple, that is to follow Him. For my meditation time, I could easily write down this command to follow: "go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.'" And then I might note that verse 13 would be a good one to memorize.

Collecting my thoughts thus far, and polishing them a little bit, I write this.

Among other ideas, Matthew 9 is about the kind of faith that Jesus taught we should have, and the consequences of that faith. God wants us to have a trusting faith, remembering that He's in control, and can take care of anything, including disease and death. Jesus is the embodiment and perfect example of that faith, which expresses itself in love and mercy. The new way to demonstrate our faith in God, is to follow Jesus, like Matthew did. He desires an immediate and unqualified response, which affects the way we live and the way we think about life. The old way included rules to follow. The new way is to follow Him.

More tomorrow.