AUGUST 19, 2009 WEDNESDAY SCRIPTURE MATTHEW 22
TEXT http://net.bible.org/bible.php?book=Mat&chapter=22
MESSAGE
“The Story of Choosing”
Jesus continued his teaching with another story what the kingdom of heaven could be compared to. In the story, a king in putting on a wedding banquet for his son sends his servants to tell those who had been invited that the time had come to celebrate, but none of them came, even though he sent his servants out a second time, all of those who had been invited made up excuses for why they wouldn’t be coming to wedding banquet – some were more interested in making money than attending a celebration and the evil ones were so upset they had been bothered by the king about the celebration in the first place that they killed his servants who came to remind them the second time. This made the king so angry that he sent his soldiers out to kill those who had killed his servants and to destroy their city. After this he told his remaining servants that the invited guests had not been worthy of attending the celebration and that they were to go out and find anyone that would come whether they were good or bad to fill the banquet hall. However, when the king arrived at the celebration he spotted a man who was not wearing the clothes for celebrating the wedding he had his servants distribute to those who accepted his invitation to come. And, so he asked him how he had made it into the celebration without wedding clothes, but the man had no response. The king then told his attendants to tie the man up as tight as they could and do to him what had been done to the other evil men who had murdered his servants because he had been an invited guest who had twice refused to come, while those in the wedding clothes of celebration had chosen to come.
“Stunned”
After hearing this story, the Pharisees and supporters of Herod Antipas tried to set Jesus up and trap him with a question that no matter which way he answered it, he would be in trouble. Deceitfully asking him whether it was right to pay taxes to Caesar, Jesus, called them hypocrites and asked them to show him a coin. He went on to ask whose image and words were on the front and back of the coin and they told him they were Caesar’s. He then told them to give to Caesar what is due to him and to God what is due to him, which startled them so much they went away.
“Oh, Brother!”
Later that day, the Sadducees (who don’t even believe in the resurrection in the first place) asked Jesus about a portion of Mosaic law called levirate (or brother-in-law) marriage, wherein the brother-in-law steps in for his brother as a husband to his dead brother’s wife if he dies without children, so that his name can continue and so that his wife will have children to take care of her in her old age and won’t end up a beggar. Their preposterous question was that if a man died without children and all seven of his brothers successively took their place as called for by law but died before any children were born, whose wife would the women be in the resurrection (that they didn’t even believe in!)? Jesus answered by telling them how deceived they were because they didn’t know the scriptures or the power of God because in the resurrection, people, like angels do not marry. He went on to tell them that if they understood what God was really saying (as recorded in Exodus 3:6) when he said “I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob,” they would know that “I am” doesn’t mean “I was” the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and they are dead and gone, but instead that “I am” means that God is the God of the Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob who are alive and with him in heaven. Hearing this the crowds were simply amazed.
“Not Who, But What’s the Greatest”
Despite having been stunned by Jesus themselves, after hearing Jesus had now made the Sadducees speechless, the Pharisees had one of their religious law experts try to test his knowledge and comprehension of the entirety of Scripture by asking him which commandment in the law was the greatest. Quoting from Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18, Jesus responded by saying the first and greatest commandment is, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. And, the second is like it, “Love your neighbor ass yourself.” He told them that these two commandments form the basis for everything else in Scripture.
“Son & Lord”
While still there, Jesus asked the Pharisees a question about whose son the Christ (or Messiah) was and they responded by saying he was the son of David. Jesus then asked them if the Christ was the son of David, how David speaking under the guidance of the Holy Spirit in the Psalms (110:1) would call his own son, “Lord?” He then quoted David’s words from the Psalm to them saying, “God said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand, until I put your enemies under your feet.” When he asked them if David called his son Lord, how it was possible for him to be his son, no one said a word and after this they lost their courage to challenge and provoke him.
TEACHING
Jesus says the kingdom of heaven is like a wedding banquet celebration hosted by a king for his son, but some of the invited guests are too busy making money so they don’t go or and the rest of the invited guests don’t want to be bothered with a wedding celebration in honor of the king’s son so they murder the kings servants the second time he sends them out to let them know everything is ready and they are waiting for them to arrive. Angered by this, the king sends his soldiers to destroy both the murders and the town they live in and sends out more servants, this time to find more worthy guests who will come to the celebration because they want to, regardless of whether they’ve been good or bad. Despite this, when the king entered the celebration he noticed someone in attendance who had originally been invited but who had twice failed to come when his servants announced that everything was in order for the wedding celebration in honor of his son to begin. Knowing what had happened to the invited guests who hadn’t responded to the king’s invitation and had murdered the king’s servants, he had come only out of fear of what the king might do to him if he didn’t show; he hadn’t come because he genuinely wanted to pay honor to the him and his son. He was there for selfish reasons. Realizing this, the king had his guards tie him up tightly so they could remove him from the celebration and destroy him like they had those who had murdered his servants, because like them, he had not chosen to come to the celebration of his son when asked like all of the others in attendance.
Hearing this story describing them as the invited guests, who by refusing to Honor God’s Son as the Christ, will be left out of the Kingdom of Heaven, The Pharisees and supporters of King Herod try to deceived Jesus with a question where they can get him into trouble by the either/or answer he has to give. They ask Jesus whether it is lawful for Jews to pay taxes to Rome who occupies and controls their country – thinking they will either discredit him with the Jewish people if he supports paying the tax or they will turn him for rebellion if supports tax evasion. Jesus asks them for a Roman coin with the image of Caesar on one side and the words son of the divine Augustus on the other side and tells them to give to Caesar what is due to him and to God what is due to him – not only a both/and answer but one in which he contrasts the image of Caesar, with the image of God and Caesar as the son of the divine Augustus, with Himself as the Son of God. His answer shocked the Pharisees so much that they went left.
Later the Sadducees took a turn at questioning Jesus, but showed their ignorance and how they had run out of questions to ask when even though it was well known they didn’t believe in the resurrection from the dead, they asked Jesus an outlandish question about who would be a husband to a woman in the resurrection after she died, when she technically had eight husbands during her lifetime because her original husband and all seven of his brothers who stood in for him as a husband under the levirate (brother-in-law) marriage law died before any children were born to them. [The levirate marriage law was to help continue the husband’s name if he died without children and to help protect his wife so that she would have children to care and look after her in old age so she would not need to beg.] Jesus responded by telling the Sadducees that not only didn’t they know Scripture, they had no idea of how powerful God was because if they did, they would know nothing is impossible for God including raising people from the dead. He went on to describe that in the resurrection people are like angels with respect to relationship, in their resurrected state people are psychospiritually whole at that point such that the “one flesh” union of marriage is no longer an issue and their relationships are like that of the angels. Furthermore, he quoted from Exodus where it records God as saying “I am” the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, making the distinction for them that he does not say that he “was” their God, meaning that they no longer exist, that they have died and are no more. Hearing Jesus explain what God was really saying about the resurrection in Exodus like this amazed the people gathered around him.
Not willing to say die, despite being stunned by Jesus’ answer about paying taxes to Caesar and despite the Sadducees being left speechless by Jesus’ interpretation of the what God said with respect to the resurrection in Exodus, the Pharisees put their best religious law expert up to testing Jesus’ knowledge and understanding of everything in Scripture by asking him what the greatest commandment was. He told them that everything is God’s Word is based on and held together by two commandments which are really one and the same. First, he quoted from the Book of Deuteronomy (6:5) that first and greatest commandment is, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.” Then he quoted from Leviticus (19:18) that the second was “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
And, the way they were really the same is that if you aren’t able to love your neighbor as yourself, then you aren’t loving God with all of who you are. In fact, the man in Jesus story who was thrown out of the wedding banquet celebration, was thrown out because instead of loving God with all of his being, he feared God with all of his being because of how selfish he was – he only thought of himself, not the king, the king’s son, not the king’s servants and not all of those who had prepared the celebration for him to come to. And the reason for his fear showed.
Jesus then took the opportunity to ask the Pharisees a question about whose son the Messiah was and when they answered him that the Messiah was the son of David he asked them a further question about how it was possible for this to be the case since in the Psalms, David speaks under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and refers to his son as “my Lord.” In questioning the Pharisees in this way, Jesus was really making a statement to them that he, as the Messiah, was both God and man. In response, no one said a word. This statement by Jesus put an end to the Pharisees and Sadducees challenges against him.
HEALING
Our Father, Your Kingdom has come, Your Son was here and gave his life as a ransom, and we have been invited to accept Him as the Christ, the Son of the Living God – the God who continues to be the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of the Resurrected.
Our Father, Forgive us when we don’t respond with the praise, glory and honor that
You as Father, Your Son, and the Holy Spirit are due. Forgive us when we get preoccupied with our fields and our business and our busyness and spend more of our time with our coins, then in celebration with You for who You are and for what You have done in creating us in Your image and for the Your Word that has Liberated us from Sin through Your Son.
Our Father, Transform our hearts, minds, and souls from our selfish ways to that of love. Help us to accept and grow in Your Love by spending time in celebration with You, so that we are able to love others as selfishly as we seem to love ourselves, and are able to celebrate with them too.
Our Father, We too come away stunned, startled, and silenced by Your powerful Word. Your Word created, Your Word became flesh, Your Word resurrects, Your Word transform us.
You are amazing God!
In Jesus Name, Amen
SONG 'Your Love Oh Lord' by Acquire the Fire @imeem http://x.imeem.com/wyGMC3taME
Showing posts with label Christ. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Christ. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Thursday, August 13, 2009
FACE DOWN
AUGUST 13, 2009 THURSDAY; SCRIPTURE: MATTHEW CHAPTER 17
TEXT: http://net.bible.org/bible.php?book=Mat&chapter=17
MESSAGE
Six days after Peter’s confession of Jesus this was confirmed without doubt by God Himself when Jesus took Peter, James and John up a high mountain where he was transfigured and they saw Him in his Glorified state. Moses and Elijah appeared with Him as the voice of God came out of the bright cloud that surrounded them saying, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him! Petrified, the disciples fell face first to the ground until Jesus came over and touched them telling them not to fear. Getting up, they found they were once again alone with Jesus.
While descending the mountain Jesus tells his disciples not to tell anyone about what they had witnessed until after he is raised from the dead. God having just verified Jesus as the Christ, His Son, the disciples ask Jesus why the experts on the law teach that Elijah must come before Christ appears. Jesus responds by telling them Elijah does come and restore all things and in fact had already come but wasn’t recognized and suffered and died as he too will - which led to the disciples’ understanding that the Elijah who was to come had been John the Baptist.
Coming down from the mountain, a man comes out from a crowd, kneels before Jesus and begs for mercy for his demon possessed son suffering from seizures who the disciples that remained behind were unable to heal. Calling the disciples an unbelieving and perverse generation, Jesus rebukes the demon, it comes out and the boy is healed. Afterwards in private when the disciples ask why they were unable to heal the boy Jesus tells them because of their little faith, i.e. because they were relying on their own strength instead of on the power of God in their attempts to heal the boy. Jesus tells them that God’s power is so great that it doesn’t take a lot of faith to do the impossible if that faith is rightly placed.
Together in Galilee, He again tells his disciples about the path he must follow as the Son of God, that he will be betrayed, killed and rise three days later; which caused them great distress even though they had already heard him say this.
In Capernaum, when Peter is questioned by the temple tax collectors about whether Jesus pays his yearly tax to support the temple he tells them that he does. On entering the house Jesus asks Peter whether earthly kings collect taxes from their sons or others to which Peter replies “others”. Jesus’ point is that the sons are free and that from the standpoint that the Kingdom of Heaven has come, He as the Son of God and King is exempt and Peter as a son in the Kingdom is exempt from paying the temple tax based on the old temple system as opposed to those who do not believe or belong to the Kingdom of Heaven. However, in humility he tells Peter to not offend the temple tax collectors by going fishing at the lake where he will find a coin in the mouth of the first fish he catches that will pay the yearly temple tax for both of them.
TEACHING
Peter, James and John see Jesus in his divine radiant state on a mountain top in the company of Moses and Elijah who he outshines as God, present in a cloud, declares Him his Son. This occurs only days after the Pharisees and Saducees demanded that Jesus give them a miraculous heavenly sign, Jesus was told by his disciples that the people thought he was a prophet like Elijah, and after Peter had confessed Him as the Christ, the Son of the Living God, but then was rebuked for what his human expectations of the Christ should be. The radiance of Jesus as God was so frightening to the disciples they fell to their faces on the ground. A touch from Jesus comforts them as they get up and head back down the mountain pondering out loud their knowledge of Malachi (4:5-6) that Elijah must come first and restore all things before the Christ (Messiah) comes – confused by the Scriptures having just witnessed firsthand that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of Living God. Their confusion is cleared up when they understand that John the Baptist was the Elijah who was to come and thus preceded Jesus.
Coming down from the mountain, there is more confusion amongst a crowd and a man who emerges begging Jesus for mercy for his demon possessed son with seizures who the 9 disciples who remained behind were unable to heal. Jesus expresses his disappointment with his disciples attempts at healing the boy, rebukes the demon, it leaves and immediately the boy is well. In a private discussion that follows Jesus tells his disciples that they have become self-reliant in their approach to healing instead of having faith and relying on the power of God as the source of all healing – something that allows them to do things for the Kingdom that are otherwise totally impossible.
Back in Galilee, Jesus again tells the disciples of the difficult path he must follow, something they all heard from him recently and Peter, James and John heard about on the way down the mountain when discussing Elijah coming before the Messiah. This time, in addition to him telling them about his having to suffer, die and rise from the dead three days later he also tells them of his pending betrayal.
With Jesus’ crucifixion at the hands of the religious leaders of the temple imminent, their representatives in the form of the temple tax collectors come to Peter questioning whether Jesus pays the yearly temple tax. After Peter tells them that Jesus does, Jesus discusses with Peter that His paying the temple tax is akin to God paying a tax to Himself, i.e. Jesus paying the temple tax to God as the Son of God and that in addition Peter is exempt from paying a tax to the old temple system when he is a son of the Kingdom of Heaven (in contrast to those who do not believe in Jesus as the Son of God and do not belong to the Kingdom of Heaven). However, out of humility Jesus tells Peter they will not needlessly offend the temple tax collectors and that there will be a coin in the mouth of the first fish he catches in the lake that will cover the tax for the both of them – again showing Peter his ability to miraculously multiply to provide.
HEALING
Our Father who art in Heaven. Your radiance reflected so brightly off the face of Moses it frightened the people of Israel so that he had to wear a veil to cover his face. How much brighter and radiant did your Son shine as he was seen in His transfigured, glorified state by Peter, James and John next to Moses and Elijah as they heard you speak within a cloud that he was your Son, that you loved Him, that you were pleased with him and that they should listen to Him. He did not reflect glory, He was Glory - a Glory so frightening it brought these disciples face first to the ground. Father, we come to you today in awe of Your Glory, your Son’s Glory, and the Glory of your Holy Spirit. We come face down to You today in humility as we try to comprehend what the disciples were trying to understand about who the Elijah who was to come first was and about what your Son’s difficult path involved and about what rising from the dead meant and means. Forgive us for our lack of understanding and for our lack of faith when we attempt to live for the Kingdom based on our own wisdom and our own strength instead of relying upon the power of the Holy spirit and the wisdom of Your Word that makes the impossible possible. Give us the wisdom and power to do the impossible when faced with confusion, with suffering, with persecution, and with unbelief. Help us to approach all of these situations with the humility shown by Your Son when he avoided creating needless offense by paying the temple tax to those who were plotting to crucify Him. Help us more and more each day to love and listen to Your Son. We ask for his comforting touch as we get up from the floor and return to our day. Help the light we have received to multiply by shining on someone else over the rest of today, lighting in them a spark and bringing them the comfort and touch that we have received from spending this time with you. In Jesus Name, Amen.
SONG: 'We Fall Down' by Kutless @imeem http://x.imeem.com/JJGww0PuQ5
TEXT: http://net.bible.org/bible.php?book=Mat&chapter=17
MESSAGE
Six days after Peter’s confession of Jesus this was confirmed without doubt by God Himself when Jesus took Peter, James and John up a high mountain where he was transfigured and they saw Him in his Glorified state. Moses and Elijah appeared with Him as the voice of God came out of the bright cloud that surrounded them saying, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him! Petrified, the disciples fell face first to the ground until Jesus came over and touched them telling them not to fear. Getting up, they found they were once again alone with Jesus.
While descending the mountain Jesus tells his disciples not to tell anyone about what they had witnessed until after he is raised from the dead. God having just verified Jesus as the Christ, His Son, the disciples ask Jesus why the experts on the law teach that Elijah must come before Christ appears. Jesus responds by telling them Elijah does come and restore all things and in fact had already come but wasn’t recognized and suffered and died as he too will - which led to the disciples’ understanding that the Elijah who was to come had been John the Baptist.
Coming down from the mountain, a man comes out from a crowd, kneels before Jesus and begs for mercy for his demon possessed son suffering from seizures who the disciples that remained behind were unable to heal. Calling the disciples an unbelieving and perverse generation, Jesus rebukes the demon, it comes out and the boy is healed. Afterwards in private when the disciples ask why they were unable to heal the boy Jesus tells them because of their little faith, i.e. because they were relying on their own strength instead of on the power of God in their attempts to heal the boy. Jesus tells them that God’s power is so great that it doesn’t take a lot of faith to do the impossible if that faith is rightly placed.
Together in Galilee, He again tells his disciples about the path he must follow as the Son of God, that he will be betrayed, killed and rise three days later; which caused them great distress even though they had already heard him say this.
In Capernaum, when Peter is questioned by the temple tax collectors about whether Jesus pays his yearly tax to support the temple he tells them that he does. On entering the house Jesus asks Peter whether earthly kings collect taxes from their sons or others to which Peter replies “others”. Jesus’ point is that the sons are free and that from the standpoint that the Kingdom of Heaven has come, He as the Son of God and King is exempt and Peter as a son in the Kingdom is exempt from paying the temple tax based on the old temple system as opposed to those who do not believe or belong to the Kingdom of Heaven. However, in humility he tells Peter to not offend the temple tax collectors by going fishing at the lake where he will find a coin in the mouth of the first fish he catches that will pay the yearly temple tax for both of them.
TEACHING
Peter, James and John see Jesus in his divine radiant state on a mountain top in the company of Moses and Elijah who he outshines as God, present in a cloud, declares Him his Son. This occurs only days after the Pharisees and Saducees demanded that Jesus give them a miraculous heavenly sign, Jesus was told by his disciples that the people thought he was a prophet like Elijah, and after Peter had confessed Him as the Christ, the Son of the Living God, but then was rebuked for what his human expectations of the Christ should be. The radiance of Jesus as God was so frightening to the disciples they fell to their faces on the ground. A touch from Jesus comforts them as they get up and head back down the mountain pondering out loud their knowledge of Malachi (4:5-6) that Elijah must come first and restore all things before the Christ (Messiah) comes – confused by the Scriptures having just witnessed firsthand that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of Living God. Their confusion is cleared up when they understand that John the Baptist was the Elijah who was to come and thus preceded Jesus.
Coming down from the mountain, there is more confusion amongst a crowd and a man who emerges begging Jesus for mercy for his demon possessed son with seizures who the 9 disciples who remained behind were unable to heal. Jesus expresses his disappointment with his disciples attempts at healing the boy, rebukes the demon, it leaves and immediately the boy is well. In a private discussion that follows Jesus tells his disciples that they have become self-reliant in their approach to healing instead of having faith and relying on the power of God as the source of all healing – something that allows them to do things for the Kingdom that are otherwise totally impossible.
Back in Galilee, Jesus again tells the disciples of the difficult path he must follow, something they all heard from him recently and Peter, James and John heard about on the way down the mountain when discussing Elijah coming before the Messiah. This time, in addition to him telling them about his having to suffer, die and rise from the dead three days later he also tells them of his pending betrayal.
With Jesus’ crucifixion at the hands of the religious leaders of the temple imminent, their representatives in the form of the temple tax collectors come to Peter questioning whether Jesus pays the yearly temple tax. After Peter tells them that Jesus does, Jesus discusses with Peter that His paying the temple tax is akin to God paying a tax to Himself, i.e. Jesus paying the temple tax to God as the Son of God and that in addition Peter is exempt from paying a tax to the old temple system when he is a son of the Kingdom of Heaven (in contrast to those who do not believe in Jesus as the Son of God and do not belong to the Kingdom of Heaven). However, out of humility Jesus tells Peter they will not needlessly offend the temple tax collectors and that there will be a coin in the mouth of the first fish he catches in the lake that will cover the tax for the both of them – again showing Peter his ability to miraculously multiply to provide.
HEALING
Our Father who art in Heaven. Your radiance reflected so brightly off the face of Moses it frightened the people of Israel so that he had to wear a veil to cover his face. How much brighter and radiant did your Son shine as he was seen in His transfigured, glorified state by Peter, James and John next to Moses and Elijah as they heard you speak within a cloud that he was your Son, that you loved Him, that you were pleased with him and that they should listen to Him. He did not reflect glory, He was Glory - a Glory so frightening it brought these disciples face first to the ground. Father, we come to you today in awe of Your Glory, your Son’s Glory, and the Glory of your Holy Spirit. We come face down to You today in humility as we try to comprehend what the disciples were trying to understand about who the Elijah who was to come first was and about what your Son’s difficult path involved and about what rising from the dead meant and means. Forgive us for our lack of understanding and for our lack of faith when we attempt to live for the Kingdom based on our own wisdom and our own strength instead of relying upon the power of the Holy spirit and the wisdom of Your Word that makes the impossible possible. Give us the wisdom and power to do the impossible when faced with confusion, with suffering, with persecution, and with unbelief. Help us to approach all of these situations with the humility shown by Your Son when he avoided creating needless offense by paying the temple tax to those who were plotting to crucify Him. Help us more and more each day to love and listen to Your Son. We ask for his comforting touch as we get up from the floor and return to our day. Help the light we have received to multiply by shining on someone else over the rest of today, lighting in them a spark and bringing them the comfort and touch that we have received from spending this time with you. In Jesus Name, Amen.
SONG: 'We Fall Down' by Kutless @imeem http://x.imeem.com/JJGww0PuQ5
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