Daily Manna (Coffee with Jesus)

Growing up in Oklahoma that lies in the corridor of damaging tornadoes, we knew to be ready in case the power went out.  We had a special place for working flashlights with good batteries.  We also had lamps filled with oil that could give us light when the power failed us.  If you are prepared, then it’s not a problem.  If you are not prepared, you will be amazed with how really dark the world is when there is no light at all.  Feeling your way around, groping for the familiar and not finding it, creates anxious moments filled with fear.

Give me oil in my lamp, keep me burning
Give me oil in my lamp, I pray
Give me oil in my lamp, keep me burning
Keep me burning ’til the break of Day

This chorus of my youth popped into my mind as I read Jesus’ story to His followers. In fact, Jesus tells us a series of stories so we can get a better understanding of Kingdom of God thinking and living.  Jesus, the Master Teacher, uses specific stories in which His audience can relate to further explain what will happen when He comes back to earth a second time after dying for our sins and rising again to defeat death forever. 

This information must have been a lot to handle for the followers of Jesus because He has yet to go through the suffering, terrorizing, mocking, and crucifixion—being nailed in our place of punishment to save us from all our sins!  This “coming back” is promised after He rises from the grave in resurrection power.  Rising again in power gives us Hope and assurance for this second coming of Christ that is forever! 

Matthew 25, The Message

The Story of the Virgins

^1-5 “God’s kingdom is like ten young virgins who took oil lamps and went out to greet the bridegroom. Five were silly and five were smart. The silly virgins took lamps, but no extra oil. The smart virgins took jars of oil to feed their lamps. The bridegroom didn’t show up when they expected him, and they all fell asleep.

⁶ “In the middle of the night someone yelled out, ‘He’s here! The bridegroom’s here! Go out and greet him!’

^7-8 “The ten virgins got up and got their lamps ready. The silly virgins said to the smart ones, ‘Our lamps are going out; lend us some of your oil.’

⁹ “They answered, ‘There might not be enough to go around; go buy your own.’

¹⁰ “They did, but while they were out buying oil, the bridegroom arrived. When everyone who was there to greet him had gone into the wedding feast, the door was locked.

¹¹ “Much later, the other virgins, the silly ones, showed up and knocked on the door, saying, ‘Master, we’re here. Let us in.’

¹² “He answered, ‘Do I know you? I don’t think I know you.’

¹³ “So stay alert. You have no idea when he might arrive.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

Consider Jesus’ audience…

The perspective groom of a Jewish family would make his love known to a prospective bride.  During the “engagement” He would then build a home for them, most likely an addition to his father’s home. A wedding ceremony in that day had two parts. First, the bridegroom and his friends would go from his house to claim the bride from her parents. Then the bride and groom would return to the groom’s house for the marriage feast. Ah, now we understand the implications of Jesus’ story, right?

God’s Holy Spirit reminds me that there’s even more to think about as I prepare!  Jesus is preparing a forever home for me and for you—all who believe!  As written later in John, Jesus relates,

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.”  John 14:1-4, NIV

The Groom is preparing a room for His Bride—all who believe in Him and are prepared to move into His Kingdom!

So, the question I must grapple with is, “Am I prepared?” 

Will Jesus, upon His coming back for His own as His final mission, find me waiting, watchful, obedient, serving, loving, learning, yearning to be where He is? 

Most of all, will I be prepared, packed, and ready to go at a moment’s notice when the Groom appears?

It depends…Do I really believe what God says really real?  This is the beginning of readiness. To all believe in Jesus, is knowing to wait with expectation for the return of the “Groom” who is coming for His Bride to take us to our forever home that He is preparing for us.

Our behaviors now will reflect what we really believe in our hearts, minds and souls.  God knows.  Nothing is hidden from God.  May we prepare our hearts by asking for the cleansing that only Jesus can provide.  Don’t wander in the dark when the Light is readily available.

Lord,

Thank you for your stories that clarify what you intend for us to be and do. Prepare my heart for your coming. Cleanse my heart, renew my mind, refresh and feed my soul, remove all that offends you, and restore the joy and peace of your salvation work in me daily.  Thank you, thank you, thank you!  As for me, I’m staying alert!  I believe!

In Jesus Name, by Your Power, for Your Glory, Amen!

Sing hosanna, sing hosanna
Sing hosanna to the King of kings
Sing hosanna, sing hosanna
Sing hosanna, to the King

What an awesome moment ( and not memory) in time when we saw our son get off the plane with hundreds of other military people after his first long deployment overseas. “I think I see him!,” the kids frequently shouted but they did not really see him—yet.  We watched with our son’s wife, his kids, his two sisters and their families.  Yes, we all came to the air base with homemade signs to greet this returning loved one who was greatly missed! 

We waited, not so patiently, for a first glimpse of our returning airman among the crowds of people also waiting to see their loved ones.  Suddenly, his wife shouted, “There he is!”  Once we looked in the direction of her pointing fingers, we saw him, too.  “Yes, it’s him, it’s really him!”  When he was close enough to touch, hugs, excited laughter, along with pure joy mixed with tears of emotion greeted this son of ours who came home.

WYKYK— (When you know, you know) When you know who you are looking for, you will most likely be the first to see Him.

Matthew 24, The Message

The Arrival of the Son of Man

^23-25 “If anyone tries to flag you down, calling out, ‘Here’s the Messiah!’ or points, ‘There he is!’ don’t fall for it. Fake Messiahs and lying preachers are going to pop up everywhere. Their impressive credentials and bewitching performances will pull the wool over the eyes of even those who ought to know better. But I’ve given you fair warning.

^26-28 “So if they say, ‘Run to the country and see him arrive!’ or, ‘Quick, get downtown, see him come!’ don’t give them the time of day. The Arrival of the Son of Man isn’t something you go to see. He comes like swift lightning to you! Whenever you see crowds gathering, think of carrion vultures circling, moving in, hovering over a rotting carcass. You can be quite sure that it’s not the living Son of Man pulling in those crowds.

²⁹ “Following those hard times,

Sun will fade out,
    moon cloud over,
Stars fall out of the sky,
    cosmic powers tremble.

^30-31 “Then, the Arrival of the Son of Man! It will fill the skies—no one will miss it. Unready people all over the world, outsiders to the splendor and power, will raise a huge lament as they watch the Son of Man blazing out of heaven. At that same moment, he’ll dispatch his angels with a trumpet-blast summons, pulling in God’s chosen from the four winds, from pole to pole.

^32-35 “Take a lesson from the fig tree. From the moment you notice its buds form, the merest hint of green, you know summer’s just around the corner. So it is with you: When you see all these things, you’ll know he’s at the door. Don’t take this lightly. I’m not just saying this for some future generation, but for all of you. This age continues until all these things take place. Sky and earth will wear out; my words won’t wear out.

³⁶ “But the exact day and hour? No one knows that, not even heaven’s angels, not even the Son. Only the Father knows.

^37-39 “The Arrival of the Son of Man will take place in times like Noah’s. Before the great flood everyone was carrying on as usual, having a good time right up to the day Noah boarded the ark. They knew nothing—until the flood hit and swept everything away.

^39-44 “The Son of Man’s Arrival will be like that: Two men will be working in the field—one will be taken, one left behind; two women will be grinding at the mill—one will be taken, one left behind. So, stay awake, alert. You have no idea what day your Master will show up. But you do know this: You know that if the homeowner had known what time of night the burglar would arrive, he would have been there with his dogs to prevent the break-in. Be vigilant just like that. You have no idea when the Son of Man is going to show up.

^45-47 “Who here qualifies for the job of overseeing the kitchen? A person the Master can depend on to feed the workers on time each day. Someone the Master can drop in on unannounced and always find him doing his job. A God-blessed man or woman, I tell you. It won’t be long before the Master will put this person in charge of the whole operation.

^48-51 “But if that person only looks out for himself, and the minute the Master is away does what he pleases—abusing the help and throwing drunken parties for his friends—the Master is going to show up when he least expects it, and it won’t be pretty. He’ll end up in the dump with the hypocrites, out in the cold shivering, teeth chattering.”

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

• We learn that Jesus is coming back someday soon to claim His own. 
• Only God knows when.
• Live each day in great expectation of His arrival!  Could be today!
• In the meantime, faithfully keep doing His will for His purposes with our eyes on the skies!
• When He comes, may He find us loving God, loving others, while in obedient service to Him as He leads and guides us.
• May He declare, “Well done, my good and faithful servant.”  Let’s go home.

Wow, just wow.  What a Day that will be…when my Jesus I will see…

Lord,

We will know, yes, we will ALL know, when you come in all your glory!  There will be no mistake that it is you!  I cannot imagine the emotions of pure, inexplicable, ecstatic joy that will overwhelm us when we see you and shout, “there He is!”  “Until then, my heart will go on singing, until then my joy will carry on…” all because of your amazing love, the gift of grace, and new mercies fresh each morning.  Oh, how I love you!

In Jesus Name, Amen

I listen to the trumpet of Jesus
While the world hears a different sound
I march to the drumbeat of God Almighty
While the others just wander around
I’m a member of the Holy Ghost traveling band
We’re moving on up to a better land
I hear the voice of the Supernatural singing
Like only those who know Him can…

(Trumpet of Jesus, by Russ Taft)

Behold He comes, riding on the clouds
Shining like the sun at the trumpet’s call
Lift your voice, (it’s) the year of Jubilee
Out of Zion’s hill, salvation comes…

(Days of Elijah)

There’s No God Like Jehovah!

Some of us are easily impressed by the massiveness of architectural structures by mankind. Some of us are impressed with the great natural wonders of the world and try to imagine and explain how they formed. Some of us are impressed with incredible medical advances that now save lives not possible a few decades ago for our parents and grandparents. 

We are impressed with new inventions of technology that make our lives easier in the kitchen, in our workplaces and even in our vehicles.  (However, this new tech needs a pro tech to repair it!) We are impressed with all the knowledge now poured into our children and grandchildren in the same amount of time that we had in school.  Mm, how does that work? Yes, we humans are easily impressed with what we have not seen before but see and experience right now.  We seem to be impressed only by what we see.

The real question of importance, the difference between life or death, is this: 

Are we merely impressed with Jesus as a great prophet and teacher or is He truly our Savior and Lord of all we think, say, or do?  It depends on what we believe.  What we believe in our hearts is acted upon in our daily lives, without thinking about it, when pushed into a corner of the challenging complications of life. 

So, do we really believe what God says to be really real?

Read how Jesus will draw his disciples closer still to explain the difference between merely being impressed with what they can see, to being sure of what is to come with only the eyes of faith, trust, and hope in Him.  We will take this in two parts.  This is part one.  Truth speaks.

Matthew 24, The Message

Routine History

^1-2 Jesus then left the Temple. As he walked away, his disciples pointed out how very impressive the Temple architecture was. Jesus said, “You’re not impressed by all this sheer size, are you? The truth of the matter is that there’s not a stone in that building that is not going to end up in a pile of rubble.”

³ Later as he was sitting on Mount Olives, his disciples approached and asked him, “Tell us, when are these things going to happen? What will be the sign of your coming, that the time’s up?”

^4-8 Jesus said, “Watch out for doomsday deceivers. Many leaders are going to show up with forged identities, claiming, ‘I am Christ, the Messiah.’ They will deceive a lot of people. When reports come in of wars and rumored wars, keep your head and don’t panic. This is routine history; this is no sign of the end. Nation will fight nation and ruler fight ruler, over and over. Famines and earthquakes will occur in various places. This is nothing compared to what is coming.

^9-10 “They are going to throw you to the wolves and kill you, everyone hating you because you carry my name. And then, going from bad to worse, it will be dog-eat-dog, everyone at each other’s throat, everyone hating each other.

^11-12 “In the confusion, lying preachers will come forward and deceive a lot of people. For many others, the overwhelming spread of evil will do them in—nothing left of their love but a mound of ashes.

^13-14 “Staying with it—that’s what God requires. Stay with it to the end. You won’t be sorry, and you’ll be saved. All during this time, the good news—the Message of the kingdom—will be preached all over the world, a witness staked out in every country. And then the end will come.

The Monster of Desecration

^15-20 “But be ready to run for it when you see the monster of desecration set up in the Temple sanctuary. The prophet Daniel described this. If you’ve read Daniel, you’ll know what I’m talking about. If you’re living in Judea at the time, run for the hills; if you’re working in the yard, don’t return to the house to get anything; if you’re out in the field, don’t go back and get your coat. Pregnant and nursing mothers will have it especially hard. Hope and pray this won’t happen during the winter or on a Sabbath.

^21-22 “This is going to be trouble on a scale beyond what the world has ever seen, or will see again. If these days of trouble were left to run their course, nobody would make it. But on account of God’s chosen people, the trouble will be cut short.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

Jesus teaches us:

• There will be no sign of His coming with the end of all we know now.
• Be watching. Be alert. Be ready.  Expect trouble.
• Avoid lying preachers who tell you only what you want to hear.
• Avoid doomsday predicters—no one knows, not even Jesus!  Only God knows.
• Expect people to hate Jesus-in-you because they do not know Jesus themselves.  Love them anyway.  Pray for them to be saved.

Jesus tells us how to respond:

• Run from evil.  Seek the Light of God’s Presence.
• Stick with Jesus as Savior and Lord. “Staying with it—that’s what God requires. Stay with it to the end. You won’t be sorry, and you’ll be saved.”
• God is merciful to His people who are not merely impressed with Jesus and what He can do, but truly believe in Jesus, as Savior AND Lord in every aspect of their lives. 

Lord,

I love you Lord with all that is in me.  I worship you alone for you have shown me who is real and what is real.  I have lived long enough to know you are with us always.  You are Savior and Lord who guides us to what is right and always good. 

Your Holy Spirit who lives in us comforts, warns, guides, encourages, teaches as we seek you with humbled believing hearts.  Thank you for leaving an impression on me that grew in to a devoted awe of you.  All I am and hope to be I give to you.

Cleanse my heart, renew my mind, refresh my soul, and restore the joy of your salvation at work in me.  I’m yours.  Keep me alert, ready to do your will.   

In Jesus Name, For Your Glory, Amen

For real…Sing with me—”The Goodness of God”

I love You, Lord
For Your mercy never fails me
All my days, I’ve been held in Your hands
From the moment that I wake up
Until I lay my head
Oh, I will sing of the goodness of God

And all my life You have been faithful
And all my life You have been so, so good
With every breath that I am able
Oh, I will sing of the goodness of God

I love Your voice
You have led me through the fire
In the darkest night
You are close like no other
I’ve known You as a Father
I’ve known You as a Friend
And I have lived in the goodness of God (yeah)

And all my life You have been faithful (oh)
And all my life You have been so, so good
With every breath that I am able
Oh, I will sing of the goodness of God (yeah)

‘Cause Your goodness is running after
It’s running after me
Your goodness is running after
It’s running after me
With my life laid down
I’m surrendered now
I give You everything
‘Cause Your goodness is running after
It’s running after me (oh-oh)

‘Cause Your goodness is running after
It’s running after me
Your goodness is running after
It’s running after me
With my life laid down
I’m surrendered now
I give You everything
‘Cause Your goodness is running after
It keeps running after me

And all my life You have been faithful
And all my life You have been so, so good
With every breath that I am able
Oh, I’m gonna sing of the goodness of God
(I’m gonna sing, I’m gonna sing)

‘Cause all my life You have been faithful
And all my life You have been so, so good
With every breath that I am able
Oh, I’m gonna sing of the goodness of God
Oh, I’m gonna sing of the goodness of God

(Songwriters: Jason Ingram / Brian Johnson / Ed Cash / Ben Fielding / Jenn Johnson)

“If momma ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy” is a phrase I knew well and experienced as a child and young adult growing up in a Christian home.  Before I understood the motive for discipline, I would merely do just enough to avoid making mom or dad mad.  (The organic form of people pleasing.)  As a child, I was compliant just enough to avoid trouble as I obeyed the “rules of engagement” set before me for living under their roof.  It never occurred to me that I broke their hearts because of their relentless love for when I disobeyed, wanting the best for me.  Dumb, really dumb.

But then I married and soon became a mom.  When the first child came, I thought how can I love anyone more (besides my husband)?  Our love for this child and two more to follow changed all our thinking with new life perspectives.  This love for a child drove us to protect them at all costs, provide for all their needs so they could grow healthy and strong in all ways.  We wanted to give them experiences that would teach them.  We gave them the story of Jesus and His love.  We tried to live the gospel of salvation and forgiveness out loud in front of them, not perfectly, but showing them the perfect love and forgiveness that Jesus offered.  So, it broke our hearts when they didn’t obey.   

Yes, it wasn’t until I became a parent that I fully understood why it broke my parent’s heart when I disobeyed, totally avoiding what was best for me.  My parents who had the love of God in them loved me deeply.  When you love your children unconditionally, you correct behaviors that might hurt their ability to reconcile to God as they function in the world with others.  Mom and Dad were prayer warriors, asking for wisdom for their inner nature rebellious children. “You just want me to be good so you look good to others” was my battle cry as a child—until I became the parent and discovered it wasn’t that at all. 

Looking back, I learned that my parents loved me enough to confront me in areas that could cause me to crash later—truly for my own good.  They corrected and disciplined me because they loved me and wanted the best for me which was to mature in the love of God and in His ways.  Truth telling was at the top of their chart for behavior.  “Lying just puts off and denies what should have been done in the first place.”  “Lying makes you miserable and weakens your resolve, knowing that you have to work harder to cover up the lies.”  “Telling the truth upfront is easier to deal with and live with in the long run.” “Fake it ‘til you make it” was not ever a part of my parent’s belief system or vocabulary. 

Matthew 23, The Message

Frauds!

¹³ “I’ve had it with you! You’re hopeless, you religion scholars, you Pharisees! Frauds! Your lives are roadblocks to God’s kingdom. You refuse to enter, and won’t let anyone else in either.

¹⁵ “You’re hopeless, you religion scholars and Pharisees! Frauds! You go halfway around the world to make a convert, but once you get him you make him into a replica of yourselves, double-damned.

^16-22 “You’re hopeless! What arrogant stupidity! You say, ‘If someone makes a promise with his fingers crossed, that’s nothing; but if he swears with his hand on the Bible, that’s serious.’ What ignorance! Does the leather on the Bible carry more weight than the skin on your hands? And what about this piece of trivia: ‘If you shake hands on a promise, that’s nothing; but if you raise your hand that God is your witness, that’s serious’? What ridiculous hairsplitting! What difference does it make whether you shake hands or raise hands? A promise is a promise. What difference does it make if you make your promise inside or outside a house of worship? A promise is a promise. God is present, watching and holding you to account regardless.

^23-24 “You’re hopeless, you religion scholars and Pharisees! Frauds! You keep meticulous account books, tithing on every nickel and dime you get, but on the meat of God’s Law, things like fairness and compassion and commitment—the absolute basics!—you carelessly take it or leave it. Careful bookkeeping is commendable, but the basics are required. Do you have any idea how silly you look, writing a life story that’s wrong from start to finish, nitpicking over commas and semicolons?

^25-26 “You’re hopeless, you religion scholars and Pharisees! Frauds! You buff the surface of your cups and bowls so they sparkle in the sun, while the insides are maggoty with your greed and gluttony. Stupid Pharisee! Scour the insides, and then the gleaming surface will mean something.

^27-28 “You’re hopeless, you religion scholars and Pharisees! Frauds! You’re like manicured grave plots, grass clipped and the flowers bright, but six feet down it’s all rotting bones and worm-eaten flesh. People look at you and think you’re saints, but beneath the skin you’re total frauds.

^29-32 “You’re hopeless, you religion scholars and Pharisees! Frauds! You build granite tombs for your prophets and marble monuments for your saints. And you say that if you had lived in the days of your ancestors, no blood would have been on your hands. You protest too much! You’re cut from the same cloth as those murderers, and daily add to the death count.

^33-34 “Snakes! Cold-blooded sneaks! Do you think you can worm your way out of this? Never have to pay the piper? It’s on account of people like you that I send prophets and wise guides and scholars generation after generation—and generation after generation you treat them like dirt, greeting them with lynch mobs, hounding them with abuse.

^35-36 “You can’t squirm out of this: Every drop of righteous blood ever spilled on this earth, beginning with the blood of that good man Abel right down to the blood of Zechariah, Barachiah’s son, whom you murdered at his prayers, is on your head. All this, I’m telling you, is coming down on you, on your generation.

^37-39 “Jerusalem! Jerusalem! Murderer of prophets! Killer of the ones who brought you God’s news! How often I’ve ached to embrace your children, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you wouldn’t let me. And now you’re so desolate, nothing but a ghost town. What is there left to say? Only this: I’m out of here soon. The next time you see me you’ll say, ‘Oh, God has blessed him! He’s come, bringing God’s rule!’”

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

“How often I’ve ached to embrace your children, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you wouldn’t let me…” expresses the love God has for us!

If you have ever prayed the challenge prayer, “God, break my heart of those things that break your heart,” only then can you read with understanding Jesus’ lament against the frauds who teach and live fake lives among His People.  Recalling a parent’s love for their children gives me a greater perspective.  God is our Father who loves us beyond our ability to think or imagine.  He loves all His created.  He loves people so much it breaks His heart when people block others from seeking and seeing Him in full view.  Those who require people who come into God’s church to be and act just like us to be acceptable—also breaks God’s heart.  Jesus, who is God in the flesh, come down to save us and teach us what God’s love is, makes it all crystal clear; Fakes and frauds break the heart of God.  He wants to bless while frauds make a mess!

PAUSE TO REFLECT AND PRAY…

Am I roadblock or a door opener to God’s Kingdom thinking and living?

Do I point people to Jesus as the standard for living or to me?

Do I THINK before I speak?  The acronym teaches us to filter our speech as follows:

This thinking filter comes from knowing God for God is Love.  The fruits of His Holy Spirit are “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” (Galatians 5:22-23) These holy fruits are the characteristics of God, that through discipline, He develops and matures in us!  

“My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.”  James 1:19-25

Lord,

I would rather be blessed than be responsible for making a mess.  So, I confess my messes and pray that you would turn my mess to a message of blessings—of growing and maturing in your love and in your character.  I love you with all my heart, mind, and soul.  Help me to love others like you love me.

In Jesus Name, Amen

Have you ever prepared for a big engagement, celebration, or a big meeting with important people by dressing up in your best clothes?  We are taught to put on our best to impress so that you “fit it” as being just as important or worthy in our thinking.  Men put on that “power suit” with a red tie.  Women wear clothes that accentuate their best features to appear up to date with current styles.  We dress for success.  Admit it.  We dress to impress.  We don’t want to stand out as one who isn’t “in the know” so we put on a show.  Okay, I rhyming way too much. 

What if the celebration or event was suddenly interrupted or cancelled at the last minute.  Here you are, all dressed up with no place to go!  What then?   

Matthew 23, The Message

Religious Fashion Shows

^1-3 Now Jesus turned to address his disciples, along with the crowd that had gathered with them. “The religion scholars and Pharisees are competent teachers in God’s Law. You won’t go wrong in following their teachings on Moses. But be careful about following them. They talk a good line, but they don’t live it. They don’t take it into their hearts and live it out in their behavior. It’s all spit-and-polish veneer.

^4-7 “Instead of giving you God’s Law as food and drink by which you can banquet on God, they package it in bundles of rules, loading you down like pack animals. They seem to take pleasure in watching you stagger under these loads, and wouldn’t think of lifting a finger to help. Their lives are perpetual fashion shows, embroidered prayer shawls one day and flowery prayers the next. They love to sit at the head table at church dinners, basking in the most prominent positions, preening in the radiance of public flattery, receiving honorary degrees, and getting called ‘Doctor’ and ‘Reverend.’

^8-10 “Don’t let people do that to you, put you on a pedestal like that. You all have a single Teacher, and you are all classmates. Don’t set people up as experts over your life, letting them tell you what to do. Save that authority for God; let him tell you what to do. No one else should carry the title of ‘Father’; you have only one Father, and he’s in heaven. And don’t let people maneuver you into taking charge of them. There is only one Life-Leader for you and them—Christ.

^11-12 “Do you want to stand out? Then step down. Be a servant. If you puff yourself up, you’ll get the wind knocked out of you. But if you’re content to simply be yourself, your life will count for plenty.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

We who grew up in the church with parents who required us to put on our best “Sunday clothes” each week to worship with others, wonder if all that was necessary as we read this lesson from Jesus.  But we must go much deeper to what Jesus is really saying to those who dress only to impress and to gain a higher position in His Kingdom work. 

Wanting to take a shower, comb our hair, then putting on the best we have to meet God each day with a grateful heart of praise for the One who loves us most and saved us from our sins is a holy attitude to have and to hold in His Presence.  The greatest of these, however, is the love we have in our hearts for God and for people.  Jesus told us that clearly in yesterday’s passage. He now emphasizes the resulting behavior from a heart filled with love for Him and people.

Jesus is pointing out the difference between those who dress to impress for success in gaining positions of power versus those humbling ask God for a cleansing of hearts, transforming of minds, clothing our souls to be ready to serve—not to be served.  Jesus came to serve—not to be served.  Be like Jesus!  Jesus is our One and Only perfect Example and Life-Leader of service!

Later, Paul the Apostle explains what this desired behavior from a heart for Jesus looks like for us.  It’s not our physical attire but our spiritual attitude that matters to God.  Paul gets specific in the “clothing” we should wear. 

“… as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.  And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.”

^“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” Colossians 3:12-17, NIV

Let’s get dressed, we got places to go and serve!

Lord,

Thank you for this lesson reminding us to dress our hearts, minds, and souls with all that pleases you and prepares us to serve in Your Name for your Glory.  There is power in your Name, our hope of glory!  Cleanse our hearts, renew our minds, refresh and fill our souls, restoring the joy of your salvation at work within us. Grow your character traits in us.

In Jesus Name, Amen

Love and marriage, love and marriage,
Go together like a horse and carriage.
This I tell ya, brother, you can’t have one without the other.

This catchy tune of the fifties comes to mind as Jesus tells of the two most important elements of our healthy, intimate relationship with God.  Wait, what? Simply put we must Love God and then Love Others like He loves us.  Jesus told the pesky, ferocious Pharisees you can’t have one without the other.  Jesus applies this principle to our forgiveness as well, an outcome of our love for God and Others. For Jesus to forgive us our sins we must forgive others who have sinned against us or offended us.  You can’t have one without the other.  (So, is this tune stuck in your mind as it is in mine right now?)  Our new life with Christ, learning to be more like Him, “hangs” on, depends on, these two commands to love.  How revolutionary!

Let’s dive into Kingdom of God thinking and behaving as taught from Jesus, the Master Teacher, who cannot be stumped with questions designed to discredit Him for He is Truth.  Truth is what it is, embodied in the Person of Jesus.  Truth, whether we believe it or not, just is.  Truth, God’s Truth, expressed by His Son, Jesus never changes. Jesus was, is and is to come, Truth—God’s Truth—so who He is and what He says is reliable and trustworthy. 

Please tell me the truth!  Over the few months, I have dealt with sales and service people who fed me nothing but lies, telling me only what they thought I wanted to hear so I would buy their product.  When I found out that every answer to my questions was a lie, they blamed me for not understanding and accepting their lies as truth.  Yep, this is how the world without God thinks and behaves.  It is getting harder to trust people as we barter for goods or services.  Right and wrong is lost somehow in the discussion.  I bring this up to discuss fully what Jesus meant when He said “Love others as well as you love yourself.”  More later…read on…

When we are immature in our love for God by saying we love Him but not others we don’t like to associate with or be around, John, Jesus “Beloved disciple, writes that we don’t know what love really is because we don’t know God.  God is love.  (See 1 John 4) To apply the love commands by Jesus, then is to know God.  We can’t love God like He wants us to love Him if we do not know Him.  AND, we can’t love others as well as we love ourselves if we do not know God. We can’t have one without the other!  Confused?  Read on…

Matthew 22, The Message

The Most Important Command

^34-36 When the Pharisees heard how he had bested the Sadducees, they gathered their forces for an assault. One of their religion scholars spoke for them, posing a question they hoped would show him up: “Teacher, which command in God’s Law is the most important?”

^37-40 Jesus said, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence.’ This is the most important, the first on any list. But there is a second to set alongside it: ‘Love others as well as you love yourself.’ These two commands are pegs; everything in God’s Law and the Prophets hangs from them.”

David’s Son and Master

^41-42 As the Pharisees were regrouping, Jesus caught them off balance with his own test question: “What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is he?” They said, “David’s son.”

^43-45 Jesus replied, “Well, if the Christ is David’s son, how do you explain that David, under inspiration, named Christ his ‘Master’?

God said to my Master,
    “Sit here at my right hand
    until I make your enemies your footstool.”

“Now if David calls him ‘Master,’ how can he at the same time be his son?”

⁴⁶ That stumped them, literalists that they were. Unwilling to risk losing face again in one of these public verbal exchanges, they quit asking questions for good.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

“Love the Lord your God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence,” says Jesus.  (Our more familiar, NIV translation states, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.”)  In other words, love God back with all that is within us!  Everything we are and hope to be is guided by knowing His love for us.  His love teaches us that God is trustworthy and unchanging in His love. God is our Father, Creator, Sustainer, Healer, Provider, and Protector!  As we grow in our love for God; we realize the depth of love He has for us. 

We love Jesus, we follow Jesus, because in believing in Him we are in a bond of loving commitment to Him that He compares to marriage.  We are the “bride” of Christ.  He is our Groom.  We wait for Him to return someday to take us home to live with Him in our forever home that He is preparing for each one of us!  (A huge message for discussion at another time!)

The more we realize the real, pure love God has for us, I have learned that the deeper and greater our love for others grows—if we imitate the kind of love Jesus exemplified!  “Love others as well as you love yourself,” says Jesus as the second greatest commandment.  Wait, are we supposed to love ourselves?  How do we love ourselves without being prideful and boastful? Isn’t that kind of narcissistic?  And how do we love others as well or better? 

In this world, loving ourselves has been confused with self-importance.  We crave self-worth.  We hate feeling less than when around others who arrogantly declare their importance.  It’s in our nature, friends, complements of the greatest narcissist of all—Satan, himself.  Narcissism is a popular word to throw around for people who disagree with us and offend us.  But what is this trait, really?  I looked it up! 

When taken as extreme dominance in our lives, as defined by psychologists, narcissistic personality disorder is a mental health condition in which people have an unreasonably high sense of their own importance. They need and seek too much attention and want people to admire them. People with this disorder may lack the ability to understand or care about the feelings of others. But behind this mask of extreme confidence, they are not sure of their self-worth and are easily upset by the slightest criticism.

A narcissistic personality disorder causes problems in many areas of life, such as relationships, work, school, or financial matters. People with narcissistic personality disorder may be generally unhappy and disappointed when they’re not given the special favors or admiration that they believe they deserve. They may find their relationships troubled and unfulfilling, and other people may not enjoy being around them.  These traits become a “disorder” when taken to unhealthy extremes in behavior.  So be careful using this term.

Seems to me, however that these traits describe our Enemy, the fallen angel who did not want to be like God but demanded to be God!  He as been plaguing us ever since he was kicked out of heaven, tempting us with these tendencies of selfishness.  We may not go as far in having a disorder that cripples us, but just the tendencies of selfishness can be a kink in our armor of God as we live our lives for Jesus.  (See Philippians 2 for Jesus supreme example of laying self down.)

We definitely are tempted to think more highly of ourselves like the Pharisees thought of themselves—maybe that’s why Jesus phrased this second commandment like He did–love people as much as you love yourselves right now!  But remember; loving others begins first with loving God with all that is in our being, relating and living.  God is love.  God teaches us how to love like He does—unconditionally, relentlessly, unselfishly, wanting the best for us. 

Love God.  Love Others.  You can’t have one without the other!

Try, try, try to separate them
It’s an illusion
Try, try, try and you will only come
To this conclusion

Love and marriage, love and marriage
Go together like a horse and carriage                                                             This I tell ya, brother, (and sister), you can’t have one without the other.

Lord,

I love you with all my heart, mind, and soul.  Because of Your love for me, I want to love like you love.  Cleanse my heart of all that offends you.  Renew my mind.  Feed and refresh my soul with your new mercies each morning.  Restore the joy of your salvation at work within me.  Thank you for teaching us what love is—You.  Be my wisdom, strength, and power to love others like you love me.

In Jesus Name, Amen

NOTE: God created doctors to help us when we are overwhelmed.  This advice is helpful in deciding when to see a doctor:

People with narcissistic personality disorder may not want to think that anything could be wrong, so they usually don’t seek treatment. If they do seek treatment, it’s more likely to be for symptoms of depression, drug or alcohol misuse, or another mental health problem. What they view as insults to self-esteem may make it difficult to accept and follow through with treatment.

If you recognize aspects of your personality that are common to narcissistic personality disorder or you’re feeling overwhelmed by sadness, consider reaching out to a trusted health care provider or mental health provider. Getting the right treatment can help make your life more rewarding and enjoyable.

It has been said by many that one thing is certain, well actually two things; death and taxes.  Jesus comes to repute the idea that these are not things that give life eternal.  To those who believe and follow Jesus, only one thing is certain—eternal life.  Above all, God defines Himself, says Jesus, as the God of the living, not the dead.

Those who live without Jesus are dead in their sin as they continue the pursuit all things not God.  The “walking dead” live only for themselves, trying to survive this world of taxes, failed relationships, selfish goals to be most important, denying help from the One who loves them most. They try to figure out life only by what they see it right in front of them without thought to what lies ahead in the heavenly realms.  They don’t know Kingdom of God thinking and wisdom that goes beyond our human understanding.  So, the question to ponder is: Are we bound by earth without the hope of heaven?

Jesus, Son of God, with the wisdom of God, sidesteps the traps set by the religious leaders, and delivers Kingdom of God thinking and behaving which requires higher thinking skills beyond what is in front of them.  The Pharisees try to trap Him with tax evasion.  The Sadducees, who are “sad, you see” because they don’t believe in resurrection of the dead, try to use the Law of Moses to trap the Son of God about marriage relationships.  Both parties have met their match!  God wins.  He always does!

Matthew 22, The Message

Paying Taxes

^15-17 That’s when the Pharisees plotted a way to trap him into saying something damaging. They sent their disciples, with a few of Herod’s followers mixed in, to ask, “Teacher, we know you have integrity, teach the way of God accurately, are indifferent to popular opinion, and don’t pander to your students. So tell us honestly: Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not?”

^18-19 Jesus knew they were up to no good. He said, “Why are you playing these games with me? Why are you trying to trap me? Do you have a coin? Let me see it.” They handed him a silver piece.

²⁰ “This engraving—who does it look like? And whose name is on it?”

²¹ They said, “Caesar.”

“Then give Caesar what is his, and give God what is his.”

²² The Pharisees were speechless. They went off shaking their heads.

Marriage and Resurrection

^23-28 That same day, Sadducees approached him. This is the party that denies any possibility of resurrection. They asked, “Teacher, Moses said that if a man dies childless, his brother is obligated to marry his widow and father a child with her. Here’s a case where there were seven brothers. The first brother married and died, leaving no child, and his wife passed to his brother. The second brother also left her childless, then the third—and on and on, all seven. Eventually the wife died. Now here’s our question: At the resurrection, whose wife is she? She was a wife to each of them.”

^29-33 Jesus answered, “You’re off base on two counts: You don’t know what God said, and you don’t know how God works. At the resurrection we’re beyond marriage. As with the angels, all our ecstasies and intimacies then will be with God. And regarding your speculation on whether the dead are raised or not, don’t you read your Bibles? The grammar is clear: God says, ‘I am—not was—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob.’ The living God defines himself not as the God of dead men, but of the living.” Hearing this exchange the crowd was much impressed.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

When we ask the Holy Spirit to raise our thinking to His higher place, we understand that everything man has defined does not compare with what God has designed. 

God is working through Jesus to reconcile mankind to God—individually—one relationship at a time.  THIS is how God works.  “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”  Believe Jesus—who is the way, truth, and life! 

“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”  Matthew 6:33

God first.  Be still and get to know God through Jesus.  Begin to learn how God thinks, what pleases Him, and how He works in the lives of His beloved.  Jesus, who was sent to save us, also taught us how to have an intimate relationship with God and each other.

Earthy things are temporary.  God is forever.  This perspective changes everything.  JESUS changes everything!

Lord,

Help us to worry less about paying taxes, broken appliances, appointments canceled, people who misinform and lie to get their way, debating rules, and other earth stuff.  May we center completely on who you are and what you have done to save us and then teach us.  When we get this right, we find we are right with God.  “And the things of earth grow strangely dim, in the light of your glory and grace.” Thank you, Lord

In Jesus Name, Amen

We all start on the outside
The outside looking in
This is where grace begins
We were hungry we were thirsty
With nothing left to give
Oh the shape that we were in
Just when all hope seemed lost
Love opened the door for us

He said come to the table
Come join the sinners who have been redeemed
Take your place beside the Savior
Sit down and be set free

Come to the table

Come meet this motley crew of misfits
These liars and these thieves
There’s no one unwelcome here
That sin and shame that you brought with you

You can leave it at the door
And let mercy draw you near

So, come to the table
Come join the sinners who have been redeemed
Take your place beside the Savior

Sit down and be set free
Come to the table
Come to the table…

(Song by Sidewalk Prophets)

Jesus continues his discussion with the religious leaders with yet another story to clarify what they are really doing along with the consequences. 

Matthew 22, The Message

The Story of the Wedding Banquet

^1-3 Jesus responded by telling still more stories. “God’s kingdom,” he said, “is like a king who threw a wedding banquet for his son. He sent out servants to call in all the invited guests. And they wouldn’t come!

⁴ “He sent out another round of servants, instructing them to tell the guests, ‘Look, everything is on the table, the prime rib is ready for carving. Come to the feast!’

^5-7 “They only shrugged their shoulders and went off, one to weed his garden, another to work in his shop. The rest, with nothing better to do, beat up on the messengers and then killed them. The king was outraged and sent his soldiers to destroy those thugs and level their city.

^8-10 “Then he told his servants, ‘We have a wedding banquet all prepared but no guests. The ones I invited weren’t up to it. Go out into the busiest intersections in town and invite anyone you find to the banquet.’ The servants went out on the streets and rounded up everyone they laid eyes on, good and bad, regardless. And so the banquet was on—every place filled.

^11-13 “When the king entered and looked over the scene, he spotted a man who wasn’t properly dressed. He said to him, ‘Friend, how dare you come in here looking like that!’ The man was speechless. Then the king told his servants, ‘Get him out of here—fast. Tie him up and ship him to hell. And make sure he doesn’t get back in.’

¹⁴ “That’s what I mean when I say, ‘Many get invited; only a few make it.’”

To the thief and to the doubter
To the hero and the coward
To the prisoner and the soldier
To the young and to the older
All who hunger all who thirst
All the last and all the first
All the paupers and the princess
All who fail, you’ve been forgiven
All who dream and all who suffer
All who loved and lost another
All the chained and all the free
All who follow all who lead

Anyone who’s been let down
All the lost you have been found
All who have been labeled right or wrong
To everyone who hears this song

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

The Invitation was to the Jews first.  God Chosen people were invited to feast with the promised Messiah, the Reconciler of Man to God, sent to save them and set them right with God—but the leaders, who haven’t heard from God for centuries, no longer hear His voice—only their own. 

When Jesus speaks, they still do not hear God speaking through Him.  So, when the invitation is given, they refuse to “come to the Table” –to celebrate the Bride (The Redeemed) and her Groom (Jesus).  Their refusal becomes aggressive as they deny Jesus as Messiah sent from God.  These religious leaders gather with a plan to have Jesus beaten, slandered, mocked, and cruelly humiliated before crucifying the Son of God. 

Jesus, who knew no sin became sin and paid the price we all should have paid and deserved to pay.  Jesus bought us back from sin’s hold on us.  We can now come to the Table dressed in His holy righteousness.  All who believe have been made right with God because of Jesus’ sacrifice.  Hallelujah!  Oh, what a Savior!

God’s love is poured out to all who come.  Grace is given to the hopeless.  Our Merciful Father sacrificed His Son so that salvation could be offered to all!  Yes! The Table is set for all who believe with hearts, minds and souls open to receive all the nourishment we need from the Head of the Table.  Jesus changes everything. 

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”  John 3:16

Come join the sinners you have been redeemed
Take your place beside the Savior
Sit down and be set free

Oh
Come to the table

Lord,

Thank you for the invitation to come to the Table where salvation is offered freely. Thank you for cleansing our hearts, renewing our minds, feeding our souls and restoring the joy of your salvation at work within us.  Help us to bring others to your Table where they can be filled with all of you as well.

In Jesus Name, Amen

I have worked with people in my past and present who will tell you anything, especially if it pleases you, just to be heard and trusted as one “in the know.”  They give out misinformation in response readily without truthfully knowing the answer—and they do so with such confidence, you are fooled into thinking that what they say is right.  It is frustrating, when humans skillfully create (lie) answers, responding with words off the top of their heads in order to sound important.  These people are hard to rely on when forming a plan of action or completing a mission.  We cannot depend on their information to be valid.  When they are working against you for self-preservation, it’s even more dangerous. It would be so much better if they would just tell me they don’t know.  I can deal with that.

Jesus knows the people well who ask for his “credentials”—“by whose authority do you teach”?  As a former teacher who had to wear a tag around my neck always that signified the authority to teach, employed by the company who hired me, I get it.  But this is Jesus!  Jesus, with the wisdom of His Father, handles the authority question brilliantly, “turning the tables” on their goal to discredit the Son of God.

Notice how wise they were to say, “We don’t know.”  That response is probably the smartest and most accurate response they could have given, because they didn’t know.  They had forgotten God and how He works.  They didn’t know God’s will and plan.  These pride filled leaders with man-made power didn’t know Jesus was the Son of God. They didn’t know that the Messiah they have read about from the words of the prophets was standing right in front of them!  They also didn’t know that they would play a role in His sacrifice for their sins and the sins of the world.  They just didn’t know.  They refused to know.

That’s why Jesus follows up this “meeting of the minds” with two stories to reveal just how much they do not know…

Matthew 21, The Message

True Authority

²³ Then he was back in the Temple, teaching. The high priests and leaders of the people came up and demanded, “Show us your credentials. Who authorized you to teach here?”

^24-25 Jesus responded, “First let me ask you a question. You answer my question and I’ll answer yours. About the baptism of John—who authorized it: heaven or humans?”

^25-27 They were on the spot and knew it. They pulled back into a huddle and whispered, “If we say ‘heaven,’ he’ll ask us why we didn’t believe him; if we say ‘humans,’ we’re up against it with the people because they all hold John up as a prophet.” They decided to concede that round to Jesus. “We don’t know,” they answered.

Jesus said, “Then neither will I answer your question.

The Story of Two Sons

²⁸ “Tell me what you think of this story: A man had two sons. He went up to the first and said, ‘Son, go out for the day and work in the vineyard.’

²⁹ “The son answered, ‘I don’t want to.’ Later on he thought better of it and went.

³⁰ “The father gave the same command to the second son. He answered, ‘Sure, glad to.’ But he never went.

^31-32 “Which of the two sons did what the father asked?”

They said, “The first.”

Jesus said, “Yes, and I tell you that crooks and whores are going to precede you into God’s kingdom. John came to you showing you the right road. You turned up your noses at him, but the crooks and whores believed him. Even when you saw their changed lives, you didn’t care enough to change and believe him.

The Story of the Greedy Farmhands

^33-34 “Here’s another story. Listen closely. There was once a man, a wealthy farmer, who planted a vineyard. He fenced it, dug a winepress, put up a watchtower, then turned it over to the farmhands and went off on a trip. When it was time to harvest the grapes, he sent his servants back to collect his profits.

^35-37 “The farmhands grabbed the first servant and beat him up. The next one they murdered. They threw stones at the third but he got away. The owner tried again, sending more servants. They got the same treatment. The owner was at the end of his rope. He decided to send his son. ‘Surely,’ he thought, ‘they will respect my son.’

^38-39 “But when the farmhands saw the son arrive, they rubbed their hands in greed. ‘This is the heir! Let’s kill him and have it all for ourselves.’ They grabbed him, threw him out, and killed him.

⁴⁰ “Now, when the owner of the vineyard arrives home from his trip, what do you think he will do to the farmhands?”

⁴¹ “He’ll kill them—a rotten bunch, and good riddance,” they answered. “Then he’ll assign the vineyard to farmhands who will hand over the profits when it’s time.”

^42-44 Jesus said, “Right—and you can read it for yourselves in your Bibles:

The stone the masons threw out
    is now the cornerstone.
This is God’s work;
    we rub our eyes, we can hardly believe it!

“This is the way it is with you. God’s kingdom will be taken back from you and handed over to a people who will live out a kingdom life. Whoever stumbles on this Stone gets shattered; whoever the Stone falls on gets smashed.”

^45-46 When the religious leaders heard this story, they knew it was aimed at them. They wanted to arrest Jesus and put him in jail, but, intimidated by public opinion, they held back. Most people held him to be a prophet of God.

WHAT DO LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

Ah, the religious leaders know now these stories were about them.  But this knowing did not change their minds.  Sigh.

Be “in the know”!  Believe that Jesus is truly God’s Son.  Believe that Jesus came to earth, born of a virgin and raised by a carpenter as the Son of Man.  Know that Jesus grew in stature and wisdom as Son of Man and Son of God in this devoted Jewish family where He loved and served his family and community until it was time to complete the mission God sent Him to do.  Jesus knew His Father God.  They talked without ceasing.  Jesus always did or said what His Father told him to say and do.  Know that Jesus was without sin.

Because of being Son of God who is love, Jesus expressed this love to the world.  People were drawn not only to His wisdom in teaching that was unlike they had ever heard; but they were enthralled by His love extended to all kinds of people who God had created.  Who is this? What kind of love is this? Where did He come from? How does He do what He does? 

Probably the best “knowing” response comes from a now sighted man whom Jesus healed with just one touch but then berated by these same religious leaders who wanted to kill the Son of God—who they did not know:

“Whether he is a sinner or not, I don’t know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!”  (John 9:25)

Know Jesus.  Know that He loves you enough to die for you so that you will have a home forever with Him.  Know that Jesus left a Helper to guide us on our journey in this life now.  Why?  Because of God and God is Love.  “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16

Believe and be saved for life with the One who is the Way, Truth, and Life!  Then live in the unforced rhythm of His grace here and now.  Get to know Jesus by reading what He says in God’s Word to us. “I want to know Christ”, says Paul, “yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.” (Philippians 4:10-11)

We do not know all there is to know—yet!  But the more we know about Jesus, the more we want to know!  “Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”  Philippians 3:12-14

The gift of a new life with Jesus that leads to eternal life is ready to be opened and enjoyed right now!  Know and believe.  Grow and receive help in the journey to know Jesus more and more each day.  The more we know, the more we can be like Him.

Lord,

Thank you for saving my soul and making me whole.  Thank you for cleansing my heart and making me right with God. Thank you for forgiving me of my sins as I forgive others who merely offend me because they do not know.  Thank you for renewing my mind as I study Your Word.  Thank you for restoring the joy of your salvation continually at work within me.  You are Life.  You are Hope.  You are the peace I seek.  Thank you for your love that is at the foundation of who you are. 

In Jesus Name, Amen

Our Father everlasting
The all creating One
God Almighty
Through Your Holy Spirit
Conceiving Christ the Son
Jesus our Savior

I believe in God our Father
I believe in Christ the Son
I believe in the Holy Spirit
Our God is three in one
I believe in the resurrection
That we will rise again
For I believe in the Name of Jesus…

This I Believe, by Hillsong

I rejoiced with those who said to me, “Let us go to the house of the Lord.” Ps 122:1

As soon as the parade into Jerusalem disbanded, Jesus’ first order of business was to go the Temple.  I wonder if Jesus knew what He would find when He got to the house of the Lord?  Jesus knew He would need to “clean house” and was prepared to do it, but when the Son of Man/Son of God saw how bad it was in person, He knew this was another time that the prophets message would be fulfilled so that the glory of God was seen by all. 

“My house was designated a house of prayer”, He shouts among the noise of crooked buyers selling “sacrifices” at inflated prices to those who have traveled to the Temple.  The people will pay the price to accomplish their obligation.   The poor who need help the most are left out of the game altogether.  They cannot pay the price.  This is a human system of bartering and exploiting took the place of worship, desecrating the Holy Ground of the Temple.  They have forgotten why the Temple was built and Who it stands for in the heart of the city.  “You have made it a hangout for thieves,” Jesus quotes again from the Scripture—the same Scripture the religious leaders read but do not live.  Their faith has withered.  There is no holy fruit growing for they are no longer attached to the Vine.  They have become useless in helping people reconcile to God.

“Our feet are standing in your gates, Jerusalem.

Jerusalem is built like a city
    that is closely compacted together.
That is where the tribes go up—
    the tribes of the Lord—
to praise the name of the Lord
    according to the statute given to Israel.
There stand the thrones for judgment,
    the thrones of the house of David.”  Psalm 122:2-5

Jesus, He who is without sin, is the One and Only who has the authority to judge in the house of the Lord—God’s Temple.

Matthew 21, The Message

He Kicked Over the Tables

^12-14 Jesus went straight to the Temple and threw out everyone who had set up shop, buying and selling. He kicked over the tables of loan sharks and the stalls of dove merchants. He quoted this text:

My house was designated a house of prayer;
You have made it a hangout for thieves.

Now there was room for the blind and crippled to get in. They came to Jesus and he healed them.

^15-16 When the religious leaders saw the outrageous things he was doing, and heard all the children running and shouting through the Temple, “Hosanna to David’s Son!” they were up in arms and took him to task. “Do you hear what these children are saying?”

Jesus said, “Yes, I hear them. And haven’t you read in God’s Word, ‘From the mouths of children and babies I’ll furnish a place of praise’?”

¹⁷ Fed up, Jesus spun around and left the city for Bethany, where he spent the night.

The Withered Fig Tree

^18-20 Early the next morning Jesus was returning to the city. He was hungry. Seeing a lone fig tree alongside the road, he approached it anticipating a breakfast of figs. When he got to the tree, there was nothing but fig leaves. He said, “No more figs from this tree—ever!” The fig tree withered on the spot, a dry stick. The disciples saw it happen. They rubbed their eyes, saying, “Did we really see this? A leafy tree one minute, a dry stick the next?”

^21-22 But Jesus was matter-of-fact: “Yes—and if you embrace this kingdom life and don’t doubt God, you’ll not only do minor feats like I did to the fig tree, but also triumph over huge obstacles. This mountain, for instance, you’ll tell, ‘Go jump in the lake,’ and it will jump. Absolutely everything, ranging from small to large, as you make it a part of your believing prayer, gets included as you lay hold of God.”

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

To merely read of this act of cleansing the Temple with our smallness of human understanding, we might think, “wow, Jesus was in a mood that day.”  First, he chases away people then he causes a fig tree to completely wither and die. But when we ask God to open our eyes to see His glory at work through Jesus, we begin to understand a bit more.  As always, there is much more to be learned.

Jesus’ compassion for the poor, hopeless and helpless who could not get in drove him to chase the thieves out.  Just as there was “no room at the inn” when Jesus was born, there was no room for those who wanted and needed God most.  The Temple was built as a place of prayer to reconcile with God and to be healed by God.  The Temple of God was designed for praises, thanksgiving, celebrations, and prayers to God.  It was not a place for the carnival types barking their “sacrificial’ wares at prices that changed with each person’s ability to pay, with the poor left out of the equation completely! 

This behavior left not room for compassion, love, mercy, or grace.  Jesus set the Temple right again by turning the thieves’ world upside down!

Since Jesus reconciled us to God by dying for our sins—everything changes when we believe in Him!  We become the Temple of God in which His Holy Spirit has come to dwell.  Trust His Spirit to guide us!  And Jesus’ resurrection is our hope of eternal life with God!  Here’s proof:

 ^“Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.” 1 Corinthians 3:16-17 ESV

What is the depth and breadth of our faith? 

What is happening at the center of our being that houses His Holy Spirit? 

Our “temple” needs to be cleaned daily of all that offends God and does not belong in our hearts, minds, and souls—His House.  Pray like David…

“Create in me a pure heart, O God,
    and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Do not cast me from your presence
    or take your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of your salvation
    and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. (Psalm 51:10-12)

Do we feel a bit withered and less fruitful?  “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23) so all of us need a check up on the production of the Holy fruits of His Spirit growing in us!  (See Galatians 5 for the list of those fruits)

Do we need the cultivate the Vine while allowing Jesus to pull some weeds? 

Is our branch attached firmly to the One, True Vine that gives and sustains Life?

“And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow him. Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness. Colossians 2:6-7  Go deep and nourish those roots!

“And this is the secret: Christ lives in you. This gives you assurance of sharing his glory.” Colossians 1:27

Still wondering about the actions of Jesus, unlike his usual ways of ministry?  Warren Wiersbe helps us to understand what is really going on here…

“Jesus performed two acts of judgment: He cleansed the temple, and He cursed a fig tree. Both acts were contrary to His usual manner of ministry, for He did not come to earth to judge, but to save (John 3:17). Both of these acts revealed the hypocrisy of Israel: The temple was a den of thieves, and the nation (symbolized by the fig tree) was without fruit. Inward corruption and outward fruitlessness were evidences of their hypocrisy.”  (Wiersbe Study Bible)

What then, does God want as the temples of God who come together in One House?

God wants prayer among His people (1 Tim. 2:1), for true prayer is evidence of our dependence on God and our faith in His Word.

Prayer connects our raw humanness to His holiness.  “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” 2 Chronicles 7:14, KJV

Jesus also wants us to help people seeking Him.  The needy should feel welcome, finding the kind of help they seek and need most—Jesus!

Real, authentic prayer, in Jesus Name, is powerful and effective!  (See James 5) There should be power-praying in God’s house, while watching the power of God at work to change all of us from the inside out!

Praise and thanksgiving are also features of God’s house as indicated in this passage.  Jesus quoted from Psalm 8:2.

Avoid being “all show but no go”!  When we consider the time and place of this event, we understand it better. Jesus was near Jerusalem in the last week of His public ministry to His people. The fig tree symbolized the nation of Israel as the prophets Jeremiah, Hosea, and others foretold.  Just as this tree had leaves but no fruit, so Israel had a show of religion but no practical experience of faith resulting in godly living.

Lord,

Cleanse our hearts, renew our minds, refresh our souls with your new mercies each morning.  Restore the joy of your salvation at work within us where you dwell.  Come, Lord Jesus.  Thank you, thank you, thank you!

In Jesus Name, For Your Glory and Praise, Amen