Yesterday we looked at the feeding of the five thousand. After everybody had eaten and all the scraps were collected Jesus sent His disciples across the Sea of Galilee while He remained behind. Jesus went up on a mountain to pray while the disciples headed west toward Genessaret. Jesus would join up with them later, presumably walking around the lake. It was dark by the time the disciples were in the middle of their journey. This was of no particular concern to them because they often went fishing at night- you have to go after the fish when they're biting! But on this night a monster storm suddenly came down on them. This was one of the dangers fishermen faced on the Sea of Galilee. The surface is about 100 feet below sea level with mountains surrounding it on all sides. A storm could sweep in without warning. The fishermen knew companions who had lost their boats and even their lives. They tried every trick they knew to steer into the storm and ride it out to no avail.
In the fourth watch of the night, which was just before dawn, the disciples saw Jesus. He was walking on the water as easily as they walked on land! The frightened men thought this was a ghost. But then Jesus spoke to them: "Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid." Peter was skeptical and said, "Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water." Jesus said "Come." Peter got out of the boat and found himself walking on the water, just like Jesus! What an amazing thing! Then Peter looked around and realized where he was. He was scared, and he began to sink. "Lord, save me!" he cried. Jesus grabbed hold of Peter and said, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?" They walked back to the boat together and when they boarded the storm subsided. This made a big impression on the disciples. They said, "Truly you are the Son of God." A miracle, you'll remember from yesterday, not only is something that can't be explained naturally. It must also point to God and teach us something about Him. The feeding of the 5,000 showed God's love and care for us and His promise to meet our physical needs. What does this miracle, Jesus walking on water, teach us about God?
This miracle teaches us about faith. The disciples were frightened as the storm threatened to sink them. Then Jesus came strolling along, walking on top of the breaking waves! Peter asked Jesus to prove it was really Him. He asked to walk to Jesus on the water. Jesus told him to come. When Peter stepped out of the boat he didn't sink! It was as if the water was dry land. He took one step, then another, then another. He was doing it! Peter was walking on water, just like Jesus. Just then Peter looked around and realized what he was doing. It was impossible to walk on the water, and especially so during a raging storm. Despite the fact that he WAS walking on water, Peter was scared and began to sink. Jesus rescued him and chided him for his "little faith." The Greek word is oligopistos, a compound of the word for small or tiny and faith. Faith in the Bible is more than just accepting something as fact. Faith is believing with our whole beings, trusting God for everything we need. Jesus used this word five times, each directed toward the disciples.
Remember that Jesus performed miracles not in His own strength or by His right as God. He put aside all the powers and rights of being God and was just as limited as we are. He walked on water by faith. Peter also walked on water by faith. He trusted Jesus when He said "Come." Peter faltered when he took his eyes off of Jesus and looked at his circumstances. Jesus had a big job for the disciples. He told them on His last night with them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father." (John 14:12) The disciples are in training to become apostles, leaders of Christ's body. When we get to the Book of Acts in a couple of weeks you'll see what Peter and his colleagues accomplished. They did indeed do greater works than Jesus, not just with miracles but with the spread of the Gospel throughout the Roman world before the last of them died.
I'll speak for myself now, and if what I say fits your situation you can take it to heart. I realized recently that I've spent my whole life playing it safe. I want to see where I'm going, be within sight of the shore. I'm not fond of change. But God has been convicting me for my little faith. I can look back and see so many missed opportunities, and so many times where I did what looked sensible to me and it didn't end well. I know I need to walk by faith and not by sight. (2 Corinthians 5:7) I want to get out of the boat and follow where He leads! Just about every church I've been around has also played it safe. We see how well that has worked. It's time for the church to get out of the boat, too. There's a community around us with lots of people who need what God has so graciously given us. Let's take some risks and reach out!
Here's a beautiful song from our Aussie friends at Hillsong based on this miracle:
This week we'll look at some of the miracles of Jesus. Before we discuss miracles we should define what is a miracle. The dictionary definition is, "A surprising and welcome event that is not explicable by natural or scientific laws and is therefore considered to be the work of a divine agency." Kris Samons of Probe Ministries adds another important dimension to the definition: "A miracle is a sign that God uses to point to Himself; the same way we follow signs to find a museum or an airport." It's not enough to say that a miracle occurs outside of natural law. It also has to point somehow to God. Every morning for their forty-year sojourn in the wilderness God fed Israel with manna, bread from heaven, in enough quantity to feed over a million and a half people in an inhospitable wilderness. This was a daily reminder of God's love and power. We can see in each of Jesus' miracles a sign that verified His claims to be the Son of God and Messiah of Israel.
Chapter 9 of Luke's Gospel begins with Jesus sending out His disciples to minister without Him. This gave the disciples, who in time would become apostles and lead the church, an opportunity to learn of God's power. It also gave Jesus an extended time when He could be alone in prayer. He "...gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal." The important thing for us to realize here is that the disciples performed miracles the same way that Jesus did, through trusting in God. Philippians 2:6-7 says of Jesus, "...who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant,being born in the likeness of men." Even though He was God He did not use His power as God to do any of His miracles (that's what the devil tried to get Him to do when he tempted Jesus). When He was on the earth, Jesus was like us in every respect and took on our same limitations.
Next we read a little blurb about King Herod. He's the one who reluctantly beheaded John the Baptist. Herod was conflicted over John: he disliked hearing that his relationship with his brother's wife was sinful, yet he gladly listened to John and at some level knew he was right. Now word has arrived at his palace about Jesus and the miracles He performed. This was back before TV news, so we can pardon Herod for thinking that John had come back to life. Herod wanted to see Jesus, and indeed he would soon enough.
Now we come to the feeding of the 5,000. This is the only miracle found in all four gospels. The disciples returned from their mission and reported to Jesus what had happened. Luke doesn't record what the twelve disciples said, but I'm sure it was similar to what we read in the next chapter when Jesus sent out 72 followers by twos: "Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!" (10:17) Jesus wanted to take them away to the area around Bethsaida for a time apart. They would need it, just as Jesus did, after ministering to the crowds. Word got out, though, and the people followed. Jesus didn't get angry that His plans were thwarted. Instead He welcomed them and ministered to the people. He taught them about the Kingdom and healed their diseases.
It was past mid-afternoon and the disciples were concerned for the people. These people had missed lunch to come here and it will be suppertime soon. They told Jesus He'd better send them away so that they can go into the towns and buy some food. But Jesus said to the disciples, "You give them something to eat." John tells us that Phillip replied "Two hundred denarii worth of bread would not be enough for each of them to get a little." A denarius was a day's wage for a workingman. That's a lot of money, and it wouldn't buy enough so that everyone could have a little taste. John went on to report that Andrew, Peter's brother, came to Jesus and said, "There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are they for so many?" These were little barley loaves, akin to hamburger buns today, and the fish were probably on the small side, like panfish. Unlike everybody else, this boy had thought to bring some food. But we're told that there were 5,000 men alone, not counting women and children. But Jesus told the disciples to have the people sit down in groups of about 50. Jesus then prayed, thanking God for this food and the disciples began to distribute the loaves and fishes to the people. The baskets never went empty! Everyone ate his fill. They were so full that when Jesus told the disciples to pick up all of the pieces they filled twelve baskets. These were probably fairly large baskets with handles, holding about two bushels (this is the same word used of the basket used to lower Paul over the wall of Damascus). Most of these people existed on the edge of hunger. They were fortunate to eat two small meals a day. Jesus fed them so much food that they couldn't eat another bite and didn't care about taking the leftovers home! Matthew and Mark record that Jesus performed a similar miracle later, feeding 4,000 people with seven loaves of bread. (Matthew 15:38 and Mark 8:9)
This miracle shows Jesus' concern for our physical needs and well-being. Mark's account says, "When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd." In the Sermon on the Mount He taught us that we don't need to worry about what we will eat, drink or wear. Our Heavenly Father will care for us. Jesus taught us to pray "Give us this day our daily bread."
John's account of the aftermath of this miracle is also important to help us keep things in proper perspective. Jesus sent the disciples across the Sea of Galilee at nightfall while He stayed to pray. Then a storm arose and the disciples feared for their lives. Then Jesus came strolling by on the water as if He were out for a Sunday walk! (We'll look at this miracle of walking on water later in the week). It wasn't long before the crowd showed up to see Jesus again! They wanted more of that miraculous and free food. Jesus could feed everyone so that they'd never be hungry again.
But Jesus didn't perform a miracle this time. He said, "Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal." (John 6:26-27) Jesus didn't come just to feed our bodies. He came for a much greater purpose, to show us how to have eternal life. He went on to say, "I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst." (6:35) This confused the crowd, and He went on to confuse them even more when He said, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you." (6:53) That sounded like cannibalism, and the people responded, "This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?" (6:60) At this point those great big crowds started to thin out dramatically. Jesus wasn't going to give away free bread. They didn't understand that He was offering them something much, much better.
Here is the feeding of the 5,000 from the Jesus of Nazareth miniseries from 1977. Overall I think this 600-minute portrayal is the best that's ever been done. I'm not as fond of this scene because Jesus somehow seems other-worldly and doesn't pray over the food. Yet I think it captures the crowd's excitement.
Today we look at another of Jesus' "people parables," popularly known as the Parable of the Prodigal Son. The word prodigal means "spending money or resources freely and recklessly" Tim Keller, the pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City, argues that it is not the son but rather the father, who is the prodigal in this story. His lavish love is a picture of God's love for us.
Chapter 15 begins, "Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him. And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, 'This man receives sinners and eats with them.'" Jesus didn't respond to their charges with a reasoned discourse but rather with a series of parables about "lost" things: a shepherd goes out to look for his lost sheep; a woman goes to great lengths to find her lost coin; and a father welcomes back his lost son.
In this last parable Jesus told the story of a father who had two sons. One day the youngest asked his father to give him his share of the estate early, so that he can go out and enjoy it now. He is in effect wishing that his father were already dead. This is an absolutely outrageous request! The father had every right to throw his impudent son out on his rear. But, amazingly, the father agrees. The Law of Moses specified that the eldest son receive a double portion. In this case, with two sons, the estate was divided into thirds. The elder received two-thirds and the younger one-third. The father would not have that kind of cash lying around so he had to sell some livestock and maybe even some land. But he got the money together and with a heavy heart bade his son farewell.
Next stop: a far country! He went wild and found out how quickly he could blow through his father's hard-earned money. He was flat broke in a foreign land when a depression struck the far country. He had no money and no prospects for a job. He sank so low that he agreed to herd some hogs. The pay: all the bitter carob husks, the same food he fed the swine, that he could eat. He was absolutely miserable. He came to his senses and realized what he had thrown away. His father took good care of his servants. He knew that he didn't deserve anything from his father, but he also knew his father was a generous man and just might take him back as a servant. He looked toward home and then headed out. The trip back felt a whole lot longer than the trip out. He left full of excitement but is returning in disgrace. He doesn't know if his father will make him a servant. If he does, he knows he'll have to endure whatever his older brother dishes up. Nonetheless he's on his way home, rehearsing his speech over and over and over: "Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants."
Home was within sight! He longed for his father and was ashamed of what he had done. What awaited him? He'd find out soon. The father saw his son on the horizon and ran out to meet him! This is exceptional, because it was not proper for a mature man to run. It wasn't dignified. But the father didn't care about dignity. He hiked up his robes and ran to embrace his son! The son launched into his well-practiced speech: "Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son." That's as far as he got. His father called out to the servants to get a robe and sandals for his son. Then he told them to put a ring on his son's finger. This was the family signet ring, used to authenticate documents. He was giving the checkbook back to his son who had blown through one-third of his estate! Then he told the servants to slaughter that calf he'd been fattening up and get the grill going. Call the neighbors! We're having a party! "For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found."
The older son stayed and worked with his father and the servants. His little brother wasn't much help when he was around, but his absence made more more for everyone else. Day after day he dutifully rose before dawn and worked until after sunset. He never gave his father any problems. Now he comes back from the fields after a hard day's work and hears music and singing! Then he smells the unmistakable aroma of beef roasting on a spit. Nobody told him there was going to be a party! He asked one of the servants what was going on. "Your brother is back! Your father was so happy that he ordered this feast- he even told us to cook up the fatted calf. All the neighbors are here. I'll go and tell your father that you're here."
The older brother was furious! That little weasel came back after nearly impoverishing us. And Dad is throwing him a party the likes of which this town has never seen. It was all too much for him. He refused to go into the party. He didn't want to see his slimly baby brother, and he didn't want to see his father either.
The father came out to check on his older son. His refusal to join the party was a slap in his face, but the father ignored it. He pleaded with his son to come in and see his brother. Years of bottled-up resentment poured out and he spoke disrespectfully to his father. "Look, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed your command, yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours came, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him!" The father's response is so beautiful: "Son,you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. It was fitting to celebrate and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found."
This is where the story ends. Jesus didn't say whether the older brother came to the party, or whether he reconciled with his brother and father. Each listener must come to his or her own conclusion.
Tim Keller points out that there are TWO lost brothers in this parable. The younger son, who left his father's side to pursue worldly pleasures, was clearly lost. All his hopes and dreams turned to ashes and he reaped the consequences of his sin. But what about the older brother? Even though he didn't go anywhere, he was just as lost. He sat at the same dinner table with his father every night, but did he share his heart or listen to his father share his heart? He went through life thinking that his good behavior and faithful service entitled him to his father's love and acceptance. He disdained his wayward brother and resented his refusal to join him in keeping up with all of the responsibilities of the household. It's easy to see that the younger brother represented those tax collectors, prostitutes and other sinners that gathered around Jesus. They were lost. Their Heavenly Father is looking for them and all the angels in heaven rejoice when one of them comes home. The older brother is a picture of the Pharisees and the scribes. They were the church people of their day. They were proud of their piety and devotion. They stayed close to the Father but didn't really give themselves to Him. They were so close, yet so far, from God.
We see the sinners all around us, the people who forsake God and look for meaning in life elsewhere. Like the younger son they reap the consequences. Yet God loves them and calls to them to come home. Where is home? Jesus' sheepfold, His church, where He watches over all of His sheep. Some of us have been in the sheepfold all of our lives, like the older brother. We've been good and obedient. It's easy for us to despise the younger brothers in our world and resent God's lavish generosity to them. We've deferred our hopes and desires so that we can serve God, and we've never had a fatted calf either. Yet we're always with God, and all His blessings are ours. We just don't receive them. This parable gave Jesus' listeners a lot to think about, and it is worth our consideration today.
I found a real treasure, a blast from my past, which I'd like to share with with you. Isaac Airfreight was a trio that performed Christian skit comedy in the 1970s and 80s. I went to see them in Canton when I was in college. This was ripped from a vinyl album and you can hear the pops and crackles. Those of you who are younger than 50 might not get all of the humor, but it's still enjoyable. I present the story of "Prodigal Joe."
Yesterday we looked at the parables that used illustrations from everyday life to describe the Kingdom of Heaven: seed, soil, weeds, fish, etc. Today and tomorrow we'll look at parables that tell stories about people. These stories caught the attention of His hearers and distracted them while He outflanked their defenses. By the time He finished the story everyone knew that He had made His point.
He used object parables to teach the crowds, but used people parables to address individuals. In this instance a lawyer (not an attorney as we know them, but rather a scribe, a scholar of the Law of Moses) came to Jesus with a question: "Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" That's the most important question anyone can ask! Jesus answered this question with another question. You know the Law. What does it say? The scribe had a ready answer: "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself." We often assume that the two great commandments, to love God and others, originated with Jesus. They didn't. The first commandment, to love God, comes from Deuteronomy 6:5. The second, to love neighbor as oneself, is found in Leviticus 19:18. The Rabbis in the generations before Jesus taught these great commandments. This was one of the first things a young man learned in Synagogue School.
Jesus said, "You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live." The scribe knew the answer to the question even before he came to Jesus. But it wasn't the answer he wanted. So he asked a follow-up question: just exactly WHO is my neighbor? We saw how Jesus addressed this question in the Sermon on the Mount: "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you..." (Matthew 5:43-44) Instead of repeating Himself Jesus told a story.
A man was traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho. As the crow flies it's just 15 miles. But as my father pointed out, unless you can fly you don't travel that way. The journey is over twice that far on the ground. Jerusalem is 2,500 feet above sea level, and Jericho is over 700 feet BELOW sea level. The road twists and turns and winds all over. It goes through an inhospitable wilderness, and there are many places for robbers to hide. It wasn't safe to make the journey alone, but this man is all by himself and indeed he met some robbers. They beat him and took everything, even his clothes. Then they left him in the hot sun to die. His only hope is for someone to come by and help him.
He was in luck! A priest came by. Surely he would help. But the priest looked at the man and then walked on. "What if this man dies while I'm helping him? If that happens I've touched a dead body and I would be defiled. I couldn't fulfill my priestly duties for a day. I feel badly for this guy, but I have a higher calling and just can't help him." So the priest went on his way.
Then a Levite, one who helps the priests and administers the tithes, came by. Surely he would stop. But like the priest he went by on the other side. He too had duties to perform and thought he couldn't afford risking defilement. The man's groans went unanswered.
Then a Samaritan came by. You've heard, no doubt, that the Jews and Samaritans hated each other. That simple statement, however, doesn't convey the depth of their animosity. The Samaritans were the remnant of the ten northern tribes of Israel who were left behind when the Assyrians deported most of the population and brought in foreigners to take their place. They tried to preserve their faith, building a temple and carrying out sacrifices atop Mt. Gerizim, near Shechem. Judah later fell to Babylon and went into exile for 70 years. When they returned they were a small minority in their homeland. When they started to rebuild the Temple the Samaritans offered to help. The Jews told them to get lost. The Samaritans then joined with the foreigners around them to hinder the efforts to rebuild Jerusalem, its walls and the Temple. Many years later, when the Maccabees briefly ruled Judah, the Jews destroyed the Samaritan temple on Mt. Gerizim. The Jews thought the Samaritans were no better than pagans, and the Samaritans thought the Jews had ruined the purity of the faith by adding to the Scriptures (the Samaritans believed that only the five books of Moses were authoritative). So yes, Jews and Samaritans hated one another! They each wished ill of the other and if a Samaritan were to find an injured Jew he most certainly would not help him.
But this Samaritan stopped. He got off his donkey and went over for a closer look. He saw that the man was badly wounded but still alive. He treated the wounds with wine (an antiseptic) and olive oil (it promoted healing) and then bandaged the man. The Samaritan put him on his donkey and took him to an inn. He cared for the man through the night, but it was apparent that he wasn't ready to travel. The Samaritan paid the innkeeper in advance for the man's room and board, and promised to pay if the innkeeper had to spend more. Then the Samaritan loaded up his donkey and continued his journey.
Jesus then said, "Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?" There's only one answer. Not the priest or the Levite, but the hated Samaritan, proved to be a neighbor, and the Scribe had to admit as much. Jesus then said "You go and do likewise." Game, set and match! Hours of theological debate reduced to a simple story.
In this parable Jesus taught that everyone we meet is our neighbor. Not just the people who look and think like us. Everyone. We have a duty to love our neighbors as we love ourselves. We appreciate it when others show us kindness, but do we always show that same kindness to others? Jesus spent a lot of time with tax collectors, prostitutes and other kinds of sinners. Where would He spend time today? I believe He'd hang with the same kinds of people, because they need Him and we're afraid to go near them, much less touch their lives. Even though we're not bound by the purity laws of the Old Testament, we still fear defilement.
Jesus told us what it will be like when He returns in Matthew 25:31-40. "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats." He welcomed the "sheep" into the kingdom, "For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me." (25:35-36). They wondered when they saw Jesus in that condition. He replied, "Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me." The goats, however, He dispatched them to the "eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels." Why? Because they didn't help Jesus in these circumstances. "Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these,you did not do it to me." That's a lot to think about!
Today we look at Jesus' favorite teaching method, parables. The word parable comes from the Greek word parabole, which means to throw something out, like throwing out hay to feed animals. When He spoke in parables, Jesus "threw out" truths about the Kingdom of Heaven. He didn't teach like a theology professor in a seminary, with abstract concepts and big words. He used illustrations from everyday life to teach deep spiritual realities. We read, "And he told them many things in parables.." (v. 3) This chapter contains seven parables, two of which Jesus explains at the request of His disciples.
The first parable was the story of a man who went out to sow seed in his field. Some of the seed landed on the hard path and the birds came to eat it. Some landed in rocky ground, where the soil was thin. The seeds sprouted quickly, but they withered under the hot sun because they didn't have deep roots. Other seeds landed among the weeds, which competed with the seeds and choked them out. But some of the seed landed where the farmer intended, in the good soil which was plowed and ready. This seed grew and bore a great harvest, some producing 30, 60, even 100 times as much as was planted. Jesus concluded, "He who has ears, let him hear." (v. 9)
A simple little story, right? And the disciples each had two ears. But they didn't understand, and they knew that the crowd probably didn't understand either. Why teach about the Kingdom in this roundabout way? Jesus' answer is shocking: "To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. For to the one who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away." (vv. 11-12) Didn't Jesus come to proclaim the Good News. Why, then, is He hiding it from His listeners? "This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand." Jesus said that Isaiah foretold His teaching style, so that they would hear yet not understand. Why? This is part of God's judgment of Israel's faithlessness: "For this people's heart has grown dull, and with their ears they can barely hear, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them." (Isaiah 6:9-10)
Jesus then explained the parable of the sower. This explanation will help us to understand the other parables. Jesus said that the seed is the Word of God, the message of the Gospel. For some hearers the Gospel lands on a hard heart. The devil comes and steals it before it can have any effect. The rocky soil is like a person who gladly receives the truth of God, but who gives up when times get bad. The weedy soil represents those beset by the cares of this world. This chokes out faith in God. The good soil represents those who hear, believe and live by the Word. They are fruitful disciples who help the Kingdom to grow. This is a good time to pause and ask yourself what kind of soil am I? What kind of soil do I want to be?
Then Jesus started reeling off more parables:
A man sowed good seed in his field. Afterward an enemy crept in and sowed weeds among the good seed. When the seeds grew up it was apparent that there were weeds among the wheat. A servant asked if he should go and pull up the weeds. The master said no, to do that would also uproot the wheat. Let them both grow until harvest, and then separate the wheat from the weeds, and burn those pesky weeds;
Jesus compared the Kingdom of Heaven to a mustard seed. This is not the whole mustard seed that we use as a spice. He was referring to black mustard, grown mainly for oil. It produces tiny black seeds which can grow into a tree-like shrub as much as 15 feet high. The birds love these oil seed and gobble them up;
Next Jesus said that the Kingdom is like yeast mixed in with bread dough. It caused the bread to rise;
The disciples stopped Jesus at this point and asked Him to explain the parable of the wheat and tares (weeds), and He obliged. The Son of Man is the sower of the good seed, which grows into believers. The weed-sower is Satan, and his seeds produce lovers of evil. The harvest is the end of the age, and angels are the reapers. The wheat is gathered into the barn (the Kingdom) while the weeds are burned. This represents the fiery furnace of hell. "In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." An aside here: Some people think that the early Christians invented the concept of hell, that Jesus was all-loving and all-forgiving. In fact, He speaks of hell far, far more than anyone else in the Bible. Paul never uses the word. James uses it just once. Every other occurrence comes out of Jesus' mouth. That's why Jesus said, "He who has ears, let him hear."
Back to more parables:
The Kingdom is like a treasure that a man finds buried in a field. He goes and sells all he has to buy the field and claim the treasure;
The Kingdom is like a merchant who found a magnificent pearl (the King James Version gives us our figure of speech "a pearl of great price.") He, too, sold all that he had so that he could buy this pearl;
The Kingdom is like a fisherman's net. The net catches all kinds of fish, some good and some not so good. When the net is pulled in the fisherman separates his catch. He keeps the good fish but threw away the bad. Jesus explained that this is yet another picture of judgment day. Angels will separate the righteous from the evil and throw the evil into the fiery furnace. "In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."
Let's try to sort out what these parables teach us about the Kingdom of Heaven. First, the message of the Gospel goes throughout the world. "The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand. Repent, and believe the Good News!" Some receive the Gospel and thrive. Some even make great sacrifices for the sake of the Gospel, giving up all that they have in this world to gain the Kingdom. Others straddle the fence, trying to keep a foot in both the Kingdom of Heaven and in this world, Others start out enthusiastically but quit when the going gets tough. And some are hardened. The devil has had his way with them and they will not listen to God. Judgment awaits them. The good news is that the Holy Spirit can soften the hardest hearts and bring lukewarm Christians to repentance. Never give up on the people the Lord has put on your heart!
We read in verses 51 and 52: "Have you understood all these things?" They said to him, 'Yes.' And he said to them, "Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house, who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old." That's a beautiful image! The scribes studied the Old Testament, and when they add to that Jesus' teachings you have a great combination!
The chapter ends with the people of Nazareth questioning how their home-town boy could become so uppity. Why, we known Him since He was a kid, and we know His family! Jesus replied, "A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and in his own household." Jesus couldn't minister there because of their unbelief.
Tomorrow we look at a different type of parable, one that uses people instead of objects to teach God's truth.
Here's a catchy little song that I hope will be a holy earworm for you. Once again Blogspot's clunky search engine won't let me pick the video, so here's the link. It's well worth your time:
I'm back! Now on to chapter 7, the last part of the Sermon on the Mount.
Jesus warned His hearers about the dangers of hasty and unjust judgment. Jesus didn't mean that it is never appropriate to judge someone. He said in John 7:24, "Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment." Jesus said that the way some people judge is that they try to remove a speck from someone else's eye while they have beams coming out of their eyes! We see the sins of others far more readily than our own. Deal with your own sins honestly before God and maybe then you'll be qualified to help your brother with his little problem.
"Do not give dogs what is holy, and do not throw your pearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you."
"Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you." Jesus taught us to pray to our Heavenly Father about our situations and our needs. He gives us three steps to follow. First, ask. Philippians 4:6 says, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God." Then seek. it's not enough just to ask the Lord for something. We must then actively seek it. More important, we need to seek Him. God will lead us to the answer if we will look actively. Then knock. Be persistent! Jesus told of a man who had unexpected guests and had no bread. He went over and knocked on his neighbor's door. The neighbor told him to go away, because everyone was in bed. But he kept on knocking...and knocking...and knocking. Finally his neighbor came downstairs and gave him some bread. Jesus said, "I tell you, though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his impudence he will rise and give him whatever he needs." (Luke 11:8) Don't give up when the answer doesn't come immediately. And don't feel that God must not love you if He doesn't answer quickly or in the way you'd like. Jesus asked if there were any among the crowd who, when their child asked for bread would him a stone? Or if he asked for a fish would you give him a snake instead? No! "If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!"
We come now to what we call the Golden Rule: "So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets." We shorten it to "Do unto others as you would have others do unto you." Virtually every religion has the Golden Rule in some form. Nearly all of them state it negatively: don't do to others what you wouldn't want them to do to you. Jesus stated it positively, and that makes it much broader. We must do more than just not hurt others. We must actively seek and promote their good. This is a very demanding standard, and if everyone lived by it our world would be a wonderful place! But Jesus replaced it with a yet higher standard when He told His disciples, "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another." We must now love one another with the same love God has for us. Jesus said that this kind of love will show the world that we Christians are different, and they will want what we have.
Jesus then warned His hearers that there's just one way into the kingdom of heaven, through the narrow gate. That gate is Jesus Himself. Jesus said in John 10:9, "I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture," and in John 14:6, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." This sounds harsh and bigoted today. What about those who haven't even heard of Jesus and the gospel message? God will deal justly with those who haven't heard. He will judge them by what they did with what they knew of God. (See Romans 2:12-16) And what about the other religions? Is one as good as another? Do all the roads lead to the top of the mountain? How God will judge others is beyond my pay grade. But Abraham said "Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?" (Genesis 19:25) I believe He does and He will do what is just. But let us not assume that everyone is heaven-bound. The Bible doesn't teach that. There is a judgment coming and an eternity separated from God waiting for some. That's why we need to share our faith with love and respect.
Jesus then warned of false prophets, whom He called wolves in sheep's clothing. A prophet, you'll recall, is someone who speaks forth God's message. There are some prophets who claim to hear from God who have not. Jesus said that we would know them by their fruits. Does a prophet (or any other religious leader) demonstrate "...love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control?" (The fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23) Or do you see things like "...sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies?" (the works of the flesh in Galatians 5:19-21) Leaders like Jim Jones and David Korresh exhibited the latter, and this should have been a warning to their followers.
"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven." What an important verse! That bears a lot more attention than we can give it in our study. This means that merely mouthing an affirmation of faith, and even doing some good works does not make you a Christian. If Jesus has changed your life, your lifestyle will show that.
Jesus ended His Sermon on the Mount with a story of two homeowners. One dug down below the sand to build his foundation on the rock below. The other opted for quick and easy construction and built his house on top of the sand. When the storms came the house on the sand washed away but the house on the rock stood. Jesus said that those who listen to His words and keeps them have built their lives on the rock, and they will not be moved.
Jesus blew His listeners away! They had never heard anything like this before. "...he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes." The scribes and Pharisees never made any claims of their own. They always pointed to past teachers to support their teachings. In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus said over and over "You have heard it said..." and "But I say to you..." He spoke with authority because He was THE authority!
Sorry this took so long. When looking for pictures I saw a PowerPoint slide that said this was the beginning of a 27-sermon series on the Sermon on the Mount. 27 sermons worth, in these two posts! On to today's lesson!
Yesterday we left off with Matthew 6:4. Jesus was teaching on true spirituality vs. a piety that's merely for show. He said that if we draw attention to ourselves when we give we have already received our reward in the acclaim of men. Instead, He said, we should give secretly so that God is glorified, not us.
Today we pick up with Jesus' teaching on prayer. First He taught us how NOT to pray, and then how TO pray. Like giving, praying is something best done in private. Jesus spoke of the hypocrites who stood to pray in the synagogues and on the street corners in order to be seen praying. Their prayers are not communication with God but a pretense, and they already have all the reward they will ever receive. Jesus said that we must shut ourselves up in our rooms and seek the Lord in secret. It is in our prayer closets that we truly commune with God. He hears and takes note. He will hear our sincere prayers.
Jesus also told His listeners to pray simply. He pointed to the gentiles, who thought that their gods would hear them if they prayed over and over again. Our God hears us the first time- He assures us of that. Further, He doesn't need us to tell Him what we need. He already knows.
After how not to pray, Jesus went on to teach His audience how to pray. He gave them what we call The Lord's Prayer. He said, "Pray then like this." The Greek words indicate that Jesus does not intend a slavish repetition, which He's already warned against. He said to pray like this, in this manner. The Lord's Prayer provides us with an outline that we can follow as we pray. Let's look at each of the six petitions.
"Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name." Jesus taught us to address God as our Father. Yes, God is great, infinitely great beyond anything we can imagine. And yes, we are less than ants, even less than atoms, in the vastness of God's universe. Yet He cares for each one of us as a father cares for his children. He loves us and is delighted to commune with us. He is our Father in Heaven, unseen yet so very real. We pray that his name might be hallowed. That means that His name, which reflects His character, be praised and exalted. We praise Him for who He is- He is holy, perfect and pure in every way. We praise Him because He is worthy. As we saw earlier, our word worship comes from the word worthy. He is worthy because of what He has done. He created everything and saw that it was all good. And He is worthy because He redeems His people. He saves us from our sins and assures us of eternal life. Though our praise will always be a faint shadow of what it should be while we're this side of heaven, God nonetheless enjoys our worship.
"Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven." Both of the verbs in this sentence are in the imperative. That means our desire for God's kingdom to come and His will to be done is so strong that we are practically ordering God to make it so! We long for His righteous reign and His loving presence. God's will is carried out perfectly in heaven. Not a thing is out of place there. We can't say the same about our sin-scarred world. As we long for the coming of the Kingdom of God we must also work toward its coming. 2 Peter 3:12 says that we must "look for and hasten the coming day of God." We ask first and foremost that God's will be done in our own lives. We give Him our hearts and bend our wills to His. Then we pray for His will to be done in others' lives. We pray for healing and provision of needs. We ask Him to draw our loved ones to Himself. We pray for our leaders as Paul commanded us to do in 1 Timothy 2. We pray for the whole world to know Him.
"Give us this day our daily bread." We ask Him to give us what we need for this day, our food and whatever else we need. In the next chapter Jesus teaches us how to live day to day trusting in our Heavenly Father. We get into trouble when we worry about more than today. He promises that He will take care of us, so we can go day to day with Him.
"...and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors." Let's deal with a minor matter first before we delve into the meat of this phrase. Debts or trespasses? Really the answer is both. In verse 12, the actual prayer, Jesus used same word that refers to owing money. But then in His explanation of this petition He uses a word that means to go off the path, or trespass. Presbyterians take their version of the Lord's Prayer straight from the King James Bible, while Methodists, coming out of the Anglican (Episcopal) tradition, uses the language of the Book of Common Prayer. A minor issue, I know, but I've had lots of questions over the years.
Forgive us, as we have forgiven those who have sinned against us. As I said, this is the only petition that Jesus elaborates. "For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." (6:14-15) Our forgiveness is conditioned on our forgiving others. When we accept the forgiveness of our sins by grace through faith in Jesus Christ we forfeit any right to withhold forgiveness from others. Jesus expanded on this because this might just be the hardest thing God asks of us. It's hard to forgive someone who has really hurt you, and maybe you just can't do it. That's OK. Jesus will help you. I've had to pray "Lord, I want to obey You and forgive _____, but I just can't. Please help me to do what I must but cannot do." There's an old saying that's really true: "Not forgiving someone is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die." Forgiveness is far more for you than for the one who has sinned against you.
"And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil." The word temptation is literally trials or ordeals, like Job's time of testing. Jesus told us to ask God to spare us from trials and temptations. He does protect us from many, maybe most, of the temptations that the devil could throw at us. 1 Corinthians 10:13 says, "No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it." We will face temptation, however, and we must resist it with all the resources God gives us. If we fail, however, He assures us that He will not cast us aside, and we can ask for forgiveness and start over again. The last phrase, "but deliver us from evil," reads literally, "rescue us from the evil one." That's Satan, of course. As Martin Luther noted in his great hymn "His craft and power are great/ and armed with cruel hate/ on earth is not his equal." Satan is far stronger and smarter than us. We can't take him on alone. But we don't have to! We have a champion, Jesus Christ! Just like David took down the giant Goliath, so Jesus crushed Satan's power over us.
You'll notice something missing in the English Standard Version's translation. Here's the explanatory footnote: "Some manuscripts add For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever. Amen" I think they understate the case for that last petition. Yes, the very oldest manuscripts don't have it. But there are a few who are nearly as old that do, and the petition has always been in the majority of the Greek manuscripts. I believe it to be part of what Jesus taught. We end the prayer by praising Him and recognizing that He is Lord of all. That's a good thought to carry with you through the day! He is Lord, and He is in control,
After teaching the crowds how to pray, Jesus turned to the subject of fasting. That's something most of us don't do. To fast means to abstain from food for a designated period of time. Fasting tells our flesh, which wants what it wants when it wants it, that it's not in charge. God rules our lives. Fasting was a common practice in Jesus' time. Again He warns of external devotion that's just for impressing others. Jesus said to clean yourself up and keep the fast between you and God.
"Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal." The wealth of this world is fickle and fleeting. Fortunes are made and lost. Proverbs 23:4-5 says, "Do not toil to acquire wealth; be discerning enough to desist. When your eyes light on it, it is gone, for suddenly it sprouts wings, flying like an eagle toward heaven." Jesus told us to put our true riches in heaven, where they will be safe when we arrive. "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." What you value most will have your heart. Choose God and His kingdom rather than rely on this earth's treasures. There are no pockets in shrouds- we'll all leave behind whatever worldly goods we have. But we can never lose our riches in heaven.
"The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!" The urologist who diagnosed my father's prostate cancer was Chinese, and much of his technique was intuitive. He would take my father by his shoulders, square him up and look into his eyes. He said that told him more than anything about the patient's condition. The eye is a window that lets us see out but also lets others see into our beings. We've all known people whose eyes sparkled. You didn't need to see their mouths to know that they were smiling. And we've all known people whose eyes indicate something dark within them. You've heard the expression "cast an evil eye." I've known people who do just that. Their glance sends chills down your spine. May the love of Christ shine from our eyes and light up this dark world!
"No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money." As they say down south, now Jesus has quit preaching and gone to meddling. He's getting personal. We don't like to talk about money in church. It's true that we cannot serve two masters. That's why the same lawyer can't represent two defendants in a criminal trial. He might sell one out to save the other. We can't keep a balance between the two. Jesus said we can't serve both God and money. I'm sorry that the ESV didn't use that wonderful King James Version word, mammon. It's an ancient word, going back at least 4,000 years. It refers not just to wealth, but the confidence that people put in wealth. I haven't seen the movie The Wolf of Wall Street, but I've seen the trailer. The main character is a man obsessed with money. His life revolves around it. He decided to go all in with mammon, and there's no hint that he acknowledges God except to take His name in vain. You can't serve both God and the wealth of this world. You must either choose God and give Him control of your wealth, or choose mammon and make your own decisions. Choose life! Choose Christ!
Jesus finished out this discussion of material resources by telling us not to worry about them. God takes care of the lilies of the field. I've seen them. They pop up every spring with the bright red flowers that you see in the picture at the top of the page. But no picture can do them justice- they almost glow in the bright sunlight. Jesus was right that Solomon, the richest man who lived, couldn't compare even in His very best clothes. They don't work, and neither do the birds. Yet God takes care of them. Jesus said that likewise our jobs, our work, aren't really the things that provide for us. God is the one who provides all that we need. He uses our work, and He provides for us apart from our work. There's no point in worrying! That's a lesson I have to learn over and over again. God has always met my needs. Someone once said, "God is always on time, but seldom early." He likes to take us to the brink sometimes before He provides for us. That teaches us to depend on Him. If we're not supposed to worry, then what should we do? "But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness,and all these things will be added to you." Keep your eyes on Jesus! Walk with Him as a disciple and learn from Him each day. And don't look too far down the road. Concentrate on today. God holds the future.
This has ended up being a long post, and we haven't looked at chapter 7. I'm going to post this now and pick up the rest of the Sermon on the Mount in another post this afternoon. I leave you with one of the first choruses I learned as a young Christian in college:
