Jesus

The Eye Of The Needle {Matthew 19}

5:25 PM

 



Matthew 19


While Jesus was teaching in Perea, east of the Jordan river, a rich young man approached the Lord and asked, “Teacher what good thing shall I do that I may obtain eternal life?” (vs. 1) Now the fact that the man called Jesus teacher shows that he must have heard of Jesus and maybe even heard Him preach. And yet he still believed that he could earn salvation on his own, without Jesus and the free gift He offered. Yet, patiently as always, the Lord didn’t chastise the man. Instead He showed how no one but Himself could perfectly keep God’s Law.


In His answer, Jesus tells the young man, “If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.” (vs.17) He then goes on to list six of the ten commandments, finishing with, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” The man assured Jesus that he did in fact keep God’s Laws. But Jesus was about to expose the truth. For next Jesus says, “If you wish to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” (vs. 21) The man’s response? He went away grieving, for he wasn’t willing to let go of his wealth. Instead of loving others as he loved himself, the man put his greed before for the needs of others, and walked away from the One he should have run to. And as the man left, Jesus turned to the disciples and said, “It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” (vs. 24)


Some Biblical scholars believe there was an actual gate in Damascus called “The Eye Of The Needle” During the day the main gates to the city were left open. But at night, when the gates closed, the only way to enter was through a small side gate. This small “Eye Of The Needle Gate”, was narrow and only tall enough to let a person walk through. For a camel to enter, the cargo it carried had to be unloaded, and the camel had to crawl through on its knees. Whether true or not, it is the perfect analogy of the Christian life. For to truly follow Jesus and pass through the gates of heaven, we need to unload our earthly treasures and enter into His presence on our knees. 


The unwillingness of the rich man to part with his wealth, shows how not even he could keep the Law of God. So then in the words of the disciples, “Who can be saved?” (vs. 26) Through our efforts, no one. But with God all things are possible, including , and especially, salvation. In His infinite goodness, God sent His only begotten Son Jesus Christ who, “though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich.” (2 Cor. 8:9) Jesus vacated His glorious throne along with all of the majesty and splendor of heaven, to come to earth and become the perfect fulfillment of the Law. The Lord left His wealth on the Cross and took on our poverty so that we in turn could receive the riches of His blessing. (Prov. 10:22) And on this Christmas holiday as we celebrate the birth of our Savior, my heart is overflowing with thankfulness for love of Jesus, our mighty King who came in humbleness to be born in a stable and laid in an animals feeding trough.





future

Commending a Crook {Luke 16}

5:00 PM





Monday Jan. 27, "Walking in Wisdom”


Jesus often taught earthly stories with heavenly meanings, called parables. And usually the stories He told were clear in meaning. But the parable of the “Unjust Steward” upon first glance appears to find the Lord commending a crook. For in it we find Jesus seemingly condoning the dishonesty of an unrighteous manger. Yet in truth, Jesus uses the story to teach the importance of caring about our futures, and to warn against the worship of wealth above God. 

The story begins with a wealthy man who hires a steward to manage his finances. When accusations arise against the steward, the wealthy man fires him, asking for a final account of his records before the steward leaves. Panicked because his hands are too soft for physical labor and his pride too big to beg, the steward concocts a plan to secure his future and ensure that, “when I am removed from the management people will welcome me into their homes.” (vs. 4) He calls together those who owe the rich man money. And after asking what each one owed, he made new, fraudulent bills reducing the amount due. So what does the wealthy man do when he discovers he’s been cheated? He gives the “unrighteousness steward” a pat on the back for being so clever. To which Jesus follows with, “And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by means of the wealth of unrighteousness, so that when it fails, they will receive you into the eternal dwellings.”(vs. 9) Wait...what? Did Jesus just say that we are to model the behavior of a thief? Well...yes and no.

We know of course that Jesus isn’t telling us to emulate the dishonesty of the steward. But He is telling us to practice the shrewdness of the steward in providing for the future. “The sons of this age are more shrewd in relation to their own kind than the sons of light.” (vs. 8). As wicked as he was the steward, knowing he was going to have to give an account of his actions to his master, was shrewd enough to first secure his future. Jesus instructs us to do the same. Romans 14:12 reminds us that one day, “each of us will give an account of himself to God.” And before that day comes, unlike the steward who set his sights on wealth for earthly gain, we as Christians need to be setting our sights on wealth for heavenly gain; storing up for ourselves, “treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in and steal.” (Matt. 6:20)

“No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.” (vs. 13) Each of us are God’s stewards. And the wealth He blesses us with, whether it be in the form of money, the ability to teach, a tender heart, or a giving spirit, He expects us to be faithful in managing for the glory of His kingdom. Righteously serving God with our riches, also keeps wealth from taking God’s place in our hearts and leading us  into trouble. For as 1 Timothy 6:10 warns, “the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.”

So until the day when we stand before God, may we each, as the Lord’s just stewards, joyfully and faithfully continue to go about the Master’s business remembering, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” (Col. 3:23-24)





God's Blessings

It Isn’t Fair! {Matthew 19:1-20:34}

12:00 AM



After leaving Galilee, Jesus came into the region of Judea where He continued His teaching. After hearing the Lord tell a young man to sell all he had, give it to the poor, and in return he would have treasure in heaven, Peter came to Him saying, “Behold, we have left everything and followed You; what then will there be for us?” (vs. 19:27) In response Jesus not only describes the rewards that await those who sacrifice for his sake, He also makes a very curious statement; “But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.” (vs. 19:30) He then explains what he means by telling the parable of the workers in the vineyard.

A landowner set out very early in the morning to find workers for his vineyard. The first men he hired agreed to work for the usual daily wage of a worker, and went immediately to labor in the vineyard. Throughout the day the man goes out and hires more workers agreeing to pay them whatever is right. At the end of the day the landowner tells his foreman to, “Call the laborers and give them their pay, beginning with the last and then going to the first." (vs. 20:8) The men hired last and who worked the least were not only paid first, they were paid the same wage as the men who had worked the whole day. Now as you can imagine this didn’t set well with the men who had worked from morning to dusk, and so they complained. To their grumblings the landowner replied, “Friend, I am doing you no wrong; did you not agree with me for a denarius? Take what is yours and go; but I wish to give to this last the same as to you. Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with what is my own? Or is your eye envious because I am generous? So the last will be first, and the first will be last." (vs. 20:13-16)

I have to admit that I use to struggle with the meaning of this parable. At first glance it seems a lesson about an unjust landowner, and how life isn’t fair. But when you dig deeper, you find it’s a lesson in grace and how a fair God pays a fair wage to all of His workers.

The group of disgruntled vineyard laborers represent the Israelites, more specifically the Pharisees, who were angered at the thought of God’s kingdom being available not only to them, but to all. Filled with jealousy they grumbled against the Lord for His blessings not being reserved for them alone. Now I have to confess, that I too have had that same attitude. Twinges of jealousy when I saw God bless others while I, His long suffering servant, wait for my own. I too have thought that because I’ve worked harder or longer for the Lord I deserve to be paid first, or more than the next. But such an attitude reveals a heart that has forgotten the meaning of grace. Grace is God’s unmerited favor and mercy. Grace is what He extends to all of His laborers; regardless of when they joined the workforce. Grace is what enables us to all receive the same glorious wage of eternal life. “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as result of works, so that no one may boast.” (Eph. 2:8-9)

As Ruler and Creator of all, God is free to bestow His blessings when and on whom He wills. But we can trust that He is faithful to all the workers in His kingdom. To longtime laborers the Lord promises to reward our perseverance and obedience (Col. 3:23-24). To new laborers He promises that the moment we receive Jesus as our Savior, we are entitled to the same benefit package as those hired before us. (Eph. 1:13-14). So rejoice! For regardless if you are first or last to receive His blessings, we can all celebrate the promise of an eternity spent with Jesus and in the presence of the One true living God!