Blog -Bible Daily Bread Devotional (BDBD)

My friend and I, blind men, passed by Herod the Great’s 10-acre, 3-palace garden oasis to the west exit of Jericho. There we waited for Jesus of Nazareth and the exuberant crowd we encountered at the east gate. We had a second chance to receive our sight. We were determined to yell for mercy so Jesus could hear us.

“What is taking them so long? Did we take too long to make it here? Perhaps we missed them,” my friend stated.

Just then, a pair of Pharisees stated as they walked to Jerusalem, “He has gone to be the guest of a ‘sinner’, a chief tax collector. No righteous man would do that.”

I told my friend, “John baptised anyone who repented, even soldiers. Pay no attention to those religious bigots. Jesus is still in Jericho, eating as most pilgrims do.”

Then we heard the crowd again. “He is coming! Shout with me, friend. Be loud. Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!”

Jesus stopped and ordered that we be brought to him. Some came to us and said, “Cheer up! On your feet!. He’s calling you.” We obeyed. I was so full of anticipation, I threw my cloak aside, jumped to my feet, and came to Jesus (40; Matthew 20:32; Mark 10:49-50).

I didn’t think about it then, but now I realize Jesus asked an obvious question: “What do you want me to do for you?”

“Lord, I want to see,” I said.

“Yes, Rabbi, we want to see,” my friend added.

Jesus touched our eyes and said, “Receive your sight. Go, your faith has healed you.” (42; Matthew 20:34; Mark 10:52) Immediately, we received our sight and followed Jesus, praising God all the way to Jerusalem. The greatest day of my life. Surely, the Messiah has come and now he is in his city, Jerusalem. We all expect him to do great things this Passover.

When I heard that Jesus of Nazareth was coming my way, I said to my blind friend across the street, “I believe Jesus can give me sight”.

“You do? Like you believed John the Baptist was a prophet? Didn’t Herod, the builder of this city, kill him?” he replied, pointing to the new city to his left, not the old one to his right, where the lively crowd was coming from. The jubilant noise was growing. Some at the front of the oncoming crowd were saying, “Hosanna. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”

“I believed John was from God, and he believed that Jesus was the Messiah, the Son of David. Our people always kill all the prophets God sends us. Why would John be different? Jesus can heal us!” I insisted and then shouted, “Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me!”

“Shut up, fool,” said the lame man, still sitting on the path’s wall. “No one will give alms if we shout that. John was killed, and if this Jesus has anything to do with him, they would kill him too. Do you want to die with Jesus? Don’t take away my chance to receive money from this large, lively group with your loud, stupid cries.” Those leading the crowd also tried to quiet me.

“Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!” I shouted all the louder. Jesus could not hear me because the crowd was very noisy. “Son of David, have mercy on me!” The main crowd where Jesus must have been located was now past me. I knew because the noise was diminishing. “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!”

“Be quiet. The Lord needs to get to Jerusalem now, for he has many things to accomplish. He cannot stop,” those trailing the large crowd added to the lame man’s rebuke, who said, “Someone help me out of here. I have no association with these two blind fools.”

“Son of David, have mercy on me!” Jesus did not hear. “Friend,” I said to my blind friend who was across the street, “let’s go to the west entrance and get in front of the crowd again. Join me in asking Jesus, the Son of David, to have mercy on us.”

“I will”.

The conclusion is in tomorrow’s BDBD.

Someone recently asked me, “What do you think about a statement I read, ‘Once there is a conflict of will, what you want in life, and what God wants for you, life becomes a struggle.”

This statement has some truth, yet it is misleading. Consider the meanings of “conflict of will” and “life becomes a struggle.” Do you believe that you are in conflict with God’s will for you? What do you want? How does one know what God specifically wants for them?

Jesus said just before his arrest and after he told them that they would scatter, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33) So outward trouble and struggles are a part of everyone’s life, whether resisting God are not. However, the inward life – peace of mind and heart, contentment, happiness, and satisfaction is outstanding if we stay in Christ and thus his will.

For example, looking at Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, he prayed just before he was arrested. He was in turmoil as he prayed. He was struggling to accept his Father’s will, the cross. He was in so much turmoil that his sweat was like drops of blood. (22:44) Yet, he eventually prayed, “Not my will, but yours be done.” (22:42) From then on, his external circumstances were one new hardship after another. Yet, inside, he had amazing peace, stability, and control. When the guards came to arrest him, He said, “I am he” and they drew back and fell to the ground at his word (John 18:5-6). He truly had inner peace and power.

God has a purpose for you and me, for sure. Prayer and meditation is very important in determining his will and messages. But be sure outwardly, “You will have trouble in this world” whether you are in conflict with that will or are in full submission. Yet, in communion with God inwardly exists peace.

Tonight at twilight (sunset) starts the 14th day of the Hebrew month Abib, the first month on the Hebrew calendar (Exodus 12:1). This is when the Lord God commanded all Israel and those who believe in and worship the Lord to keep the Passover meal (Exodus 12:6-8, 14; Leviticus 23:4-5; Deuteronomy 16:1-2). At twilight (sunset) tomorrow night begins the seven day “Feast of Unleavened Bread” (Exodus 12:17-20; Leviticus 23:6-8; Deuteronomy 16:3-4, 8). By Jesus’s time, the two meant the same thing (1).

The Passover, celebrated while Israel was slaves in Egypt, was only held that way once. After that, while at Mount Sinai, the Lord God made arrangements for it to be celebrated differently once they arrived at the Promised Land (Deuteronomy 16:5-8). Jesus would make other significant changes that would further elaborate and update the meaning of the Passover. Some modern congregations have ignored Jesus’s changes, stating that they are celebrating the true Passover and that all other congregations are wrong and thus going to hell.

While reclined at the table, Jesus told them that he had eagerly desired to eat this Passover with them before he suffered (14-15). Jesus had planned this night to be a special beginning since before the Israelites were slaves in Egypt. To this day, Jesus’s disciples celebrate it this way as Jesus said “…whenever we drink it…” (1 Corinthians 11:21), meaning every time we celebrate it, not just on Passover.

After the Passover supper, Jesus took the cup of wine and passed it to his disciples (Matthew 26:27-29, Mark 14:23-25, 1 Corinthians 11:25). He designated the cup the “new covenant in my blood which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins”. And added, “Do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.”

The old covenant given through Moses to Israel from that point was lesser, and the new covenant Jesus gave to his church (congregation) was greater. Also, because of what was happening in the church at Corinth, Apostle Paul appropriately removed the meal before celebrating the cup and bread. The first disciples, most being Jews at this time, accepted and obeyed Jesus’s new covenant from that Supper, including the first century church, to this very day.

The unleavened bread that Jesus broke and gave to his disciples he designated as representing his body given for us (19; Matthew 26:26: Mark 14:22; 1 Corinthians 11:23-24). Jesus, as with the cup said of the broken and shared bread, “Do this in remembrance of me.” Apostle Paul comments, “For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes” (1 Corinthians 11:26).

On Monday morning at dawn, when the temple gates opened to the public, the day after the Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem (41; Matthew 21:10; Mark 11:11-12, 15), Jesus entered the temple courts (45). This was a large open area, 35 acres (0.14 sq. km), where the Gentiles who converted to Judaism were allowed to pray and worship the Lord God. He had noticed something the evening before that he wanted to take care of first thing in the morning.

Jesus began driving out those who were selling (45). Matthew and Mark record more details, writing, “He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves, and would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts. (Mark 11:15; Matthew 21:12).

Jesus rebuked those doing these things by quoting Isaiah 56:7 and Jeremiah 7:11: “‘It is written,’ he said to them, ‘My house will be a house of prayer’; but you have made it ‘a den of robbers.'” Prayer is a personal, intimate communion with God. How can that be done with animal noises and smells and price haggling? Jesus had taught, “But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you”. (Matthew 6:6) The priests, who controlled the temple and its courts, let greed and convenience get in the way of someone else’s prayer.

According to Apostle John, Jesus had done this before, at the very beginning of his public ministry, when he had only a few disciples (John 2:12-25). At that time, his disciples remembered Psalm 69:9: “Zeal for your house will consume me”. How important is my personal time with God, both prayer and meditation? And what happens when I worship in song? Do I have zeal? Sadly, my head and heart, which are the temple of God in this age, are often filled with noise and smelly things. I find it hard to concentrate.

The Sunday before his arrest and crucifixion, Jesus and his disciples arrived in Jerusalem, traveling from Jericho and passing through Bethaphage and Bethany, two small towns less than two miles east of Jerusalem. (28-29; John 12:1, 12) When he arrived at the Mount of Olive in Bethphage he stopped at a crossroads where one street went to the temple, a distance of less than two miles (3.2 km).

Jesus sent two of his disciples ahead to borrow a donkey with her colt so he could ride it into Jerusalem (30; Matthew 21:2). A donkey then is like an old junk car today. Whereas a horse was like a tank today. Why did he do this? Jesus was making a significant announcement by fulfilling Zechariah 9:9, “Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey”. (Matthew 21:5; John 12:5)

No wonder the disciples began joyfully praising God loudly for all the miracles they had seen (37; John 12:17-18). Hosanna means save now. The disciples were reciting the words of Psalm 118:25-26, which were understood at that time and before to refer to the Messiah.

Jesus and his disciples make the greatest claim yet that he is the Messiah, the king of Israel and Judea, to the people. Everyone knew what he was saying, for kings, including David, rode into the capital city either on a horse (as conqueror) or a donkey (in peace). They joyfully welcomed him into Jerusalem. Will you allow the King to enter your heat?

Jesus answered a certain ruler who asked, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus cited the second half of the Ten Commandments, the ones that concern our interaction with other people. When the ruler heard Jesus’s answer, he replied, “All these I have kept as a boy” (21). Perhaps Jesus was going to cite all ten, but the man, in excitement, cut Jesus off before he finished.

Jesus replied by directly addressing the ruler’s problem. “You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me” (22). The ruler was rich. When he heard Jesus, he became sad. When Jesus saw this, he openly acknowledged the man’s internal struggle and gave him a proverb as a warning. (24-25)

I note that this encounter interchanges “eternal life” (18, 30), “treasure in heaven” (22), “the kingdom of God” (24, 25, 29), and “the age to come” (30). Jesus warned the rich, now-sad ruler with the proverb “The Camel and Needle-Eye” that if he didn’t obey, he would forfeit them. The choice was and is always ours. Jesus’s disciples made the right choice (28-30). Did he? We do not know.

The ruler’s problem was that he loved others and God because he believed he kept the Ten Commandments. He kept the letter of the Law but not the spirit of the law, that is, love. The man loved wealth more than God and others. He could not give his first love away. Thus, Jesus’s prediction in “The Parable of the Shrewd Manager” is proven true: “No servant can serve two masters. 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 both God and Money.” (16:13)

A “certain ruler” came to Jesus as he approached the entrance to Jericho (35, 19:1). He was a ruler (18), most likely Jericho’s synagogue ruler (8:41 is Capernaum’s synagogue ruler). He certainly had the qualifications. He kept the commandments (19) probably including the extra rules created by the Pharisees and teachers of the law, he was wealthy (23), and the disciples recognized his post from the unique religious garbs that synagogue rulers wore (26).

The rich young good guy went out to Jesus to ask him a question that must have troubled his soul for some time. “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” he asked (18). The question of eternity is asked by all, for as Solomon wrote, “He has set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end.” (Ecclesiasties 3:11)

Jesus mentiones eternal life (aka everlasting life) many times in this teaching (Matthew 18:8, 19:16, 29, 25:46; Mark 10:17, 30; Luke 10:25; John 3:15-16, 36, 4:14, 36, 5:24, 39, 6:24, 40, 47, 54, 68, 10:28, 12:25, 50, 17:2-3). The Apostle John records it the most, often taken the place of the term “kingdom of God (or kingdom of heaven)” used in the Synoptic gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke) which treat the following expressions as synonymous (only looking at this passage): 1) eternal life, 2) entering the kingdom of heaven (24-25, 29; Matthew 19:23; Mark 10:24), 3) being saved (26; Matthew 19:25; Mark 10:26), 4) age to come (30; Mark 10:30), and 5) at the renewal of all things (Matthew 19:28).

Jesus answered the man by citing half the Ten Commandments, the ones that deal with interaction with others. He did not cite the ones that deal with interaction with God. Before Jesus quoted from Exodus 20:12-15 and Deuteronomy 5:16-20 he asked an interesting question and made an interesting comment about being good. The reason was that the ruler, like many, had mistakenly believed in salvation in terms of righteousness through good works. Jesus had to correct this misunderstanding first before answering the question more fully.

The social and spiritual health of a nation, society, religion, and city can be determined by how their children are faring. Children fare well when they learn love, respect, faith, and discipline from their parents, family, and neighbors (Ephesians 6:4, Colossians 3:21; Hebrews 12:7-11). When children see their parents love and respect God and each other, they have obtained a storehouse full of treasure that no one can steal. When their parents, family, and neighbors point children to Jesus, they are shown the gates to the city of righteousness, well-being, and eternity.

People often brought little children and babies to Jesus to be blessed (Matthew 18:2-4, 19:13-15, Mark 10:13-16). The disciples were busy doing crowd control for the group traveling with them to Jerusalem for the Passover was large (17:11). When they saw the parents bringing babies to Jesus, they strictly forbade (harshly rebuked) them to do that. They believed Jesus had way more important things to do than touch babies. (Look of the meaning of the original Greek word “brephos”. It will surprise you.) The disciples were more like the heartless judge and egotistical Pharisee than the persistent widow and humble tax collector in the former two parables.

Jesus allowed the babies to be brought to him and used the incident as a lesson to the disciples. He had taught them this before, but they had obviously forgotten. Jesus taught that “…the kingdom of God belongs to such as these…. Anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” Simply, Jesus is saying they want to come to the King, the reason for the kingdom of God. Let them come.

David’s short Psalm 131 says, “My heart is not proud, O LORD, my eyes are not haughty; I do not concern myself with great matters or things too wonderful for me. But I have stilled and quieted my soul; like a weaned child with its mother, like a weaned child is my soul within me. O Israel, put your hope in the LORD both now and forevermore.”

Humility is Jesus’s lesson in this parable. The tax collector is the example given of humility before God and men. Humility is a personal quality in which an individual knows his state before God, shows dependence on God, and respects others.

The tax collector did not look up to heaven. He bowed his head because he knew he was unworthy and full of distress at his guilt. Beating the breast was a response of grief and guilt, a form of punishing a sinful heart. The tax collector confessed out loud in the temple for all to hear, including the Pharisee, “I am a sinner”. He asked for God’s mercy.

Jesus Christ’s life provides the best example of what it means to have humility (Matthew 11:28-30; Philippians 2:1-11). Hebrews 2:7-9 states, “You made him a little lower than the angels; you crowned him with glory and honor and put everything under his feet.” In putting everything under him, God left nothing that is not subject to him. Yet at present we do not see everything subject to him. But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.”

“The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector” follows “The Parable of the Persistent Widow”. This is the last parable that is unique to Luke’s gospel. Three more follow. However, they are in another gospel account and thus not unique to Luke.

Luke supplies a comment at the beginning, as he had done with former parables. He states that Jesus gave this parable to some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else. The arrogant and proud were addressed.

The self-righteous are well-defined. They are contrasted with a tax collector. The two have somethings in common. They are men. They are Jews. Most notably, both went to the temple to pray.

Periods for prayer were scheduled daily at the temple in connection with the morning and evening sacrifices. People could also go to the temple at any time for private prayer. This was probably the former time and not the latter. So more would be present than the Pharisee and the tax collector. The Pharisee would be sitting with those like him during the public prayer time. The Parisees would not permit others to be near them, which is sadly often true of congregations today. “Birds of a feather flock together”, as the old saying goes. In this case, the saying can be, “The self-righteous put others in cages.”

A difference between the Pharisee and the tax collector is that the Pharisee stood up by himself to pray about himself. This can also read that he prayed to himself. Though he gave thanks to God, the topic of thanksgiving is how much better he was than others. He specifically mentioned that he was thankful that he was not like the tax collector who was obviously in sight of all those with him.

The Pharisee gave two examples of how he was better than others. First, he fasted twice a week, which was not required in the Law. The only fasting in the Mosaic Law was during the Day of Atonement. Secondly, he gave a tenth of all he got. In addition to tithing earnings required by Mosaic Law to support the Levites (Numbers 18:21), the Pharisee had tithed everything that he possessed, even in the smallest matters like mint and cummin (Luke 11:42). In short, the Pharisee had the appearance of great piety for the sake of bragging rights.

Tomorrow’s BDBD will look at the tax collector and Jesus’s conclusion.

“Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for.” (Hebrews 11:1-2) Jesus’s example of the persistent widow in the first seven verses is a prime example of faith expressed with pleading day after day, even though the odds of being granted her request were very low.

Faith involves time, for how can hope exist and certainty be exposed if time is not involved? Abraham waited twenty-five years for the promise of a son. David waited over twenty-two years from being anointed to becoming king of all Israel. Judah waited seventy years in captivity until the Lord returned them to the Promised Land as he promised through the prophet Jeremiah. Faith is proven true for those who wait with persistent prayers.

Jesus interestingly concluded the parable with, “I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly.” Does this counter the parable’s point, which required time? Or did he mean that when God does answer prayer, justice will be quickly executed? The latter, for time was the opponent that the persistent widow conquered with faithful pleas.

Jesus concluded by asking the rhetorical question, “When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?” As I wait for the quick execution of God on those who neither fear God nor care about others I wonder if my faith will hold to the end.

How do you spot a genius? When someone says, “Chopin was a genius composer,” how do they know? Many claim, “Leonardo da Vinci was a true genius who graced this world with his presence.” Is this true? And why do historians say, “William Shakespeare was the world’s premier genius playwright and poet.” Really? Of all the writers in history? What makes a person a genius composer, artist, or playwright?

Of the definitions for genius in the AHD, two stand out. “A person of extraordinary intellect, inclination, and talent”. And “A person who has great influence over others”.

Therefore, the heroine of Jesus’ parable “The Persistent Widow” is a genius. She was inclined to daily insist on justice from an unjust judge who did not care for others and God nor care what they thought of him. Through persistent faith, she of little social power influenced one of the most influential social elites. That is genius.

Luke notes in verse one that Jesus told this parable to show his disciples that they should always pray and not give up. Jesus had just told them that he would soon leave and that when he did, life would become very hard for them (17:20-37). They would long to see the day of the Son of Man to come day after day after day. So now Jesus gives them a genius’ response to seemingly endless hardship and unanswered prayers for relief. The answer is persistent prayer.

Persistent prayer is the art of a genius. It possesses unchanging faith. It moves God’s heart and propels action of compassion and justice from the most powerful loving judge. Anyone can be a prayer genius, though it may be one of the hardest to continue to the end.

Jesus just told his disciples that he would suffer many things, be rejected by his generation, and then leave them (25). They would desire to see him, but he would not be with them for a long time (22). He would, however, eventually return. The whole world will know when he returns. No one will say to another, “Jesus is over there. Come with me and see” (23), for when he comes, he will be like the lightning, which flashes and lights up the sky. When Jesus comes, he will be a brilliant light like he was on the Mount of Transfiguration (24).

Jesus says that when he comes again, the people will be as the people of Noah’s time when the flood came (26, Genesis 7:11-12, 23) and Lot’s time when Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed (28, Genesis 19:23-25). They were not ready because they did not believe in God. They did not keep watch because they believed in themselves.

Jesus warns of the trap many fall in. He said, “I tell you, on that night two people will be in one bed; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding grain together; one will be taken and the other left.” (34,35)

Jesus wants his people to keep watch and be ready. Jesus said, “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come,” (Matthew 24:42) and “So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him”. (Matthew 24:44)

Jesus, referring to himself as the Son of Man, meaning the Messiah per Daniel 7:13-14 and Psalm 80:17-18, tells his disciples they will long to be with him for he will have left them, but only after he must suffer many things and be rejected by his generation. This was the second time he told them of his coming crucifixion.

During their separation, people will try to deceive them into thinking he has returned or is about to return. Surely, this has happened more than once in my lifetime too. Jesus says pay no attention to them. They are false prophets. No one will need to tell his disciples when he comes, for all will see him in his glory.

When Jesus was on the Mount of Transfiguration, the disciples saw him in his glory. They reported, “As he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning.” (Luke 9:29)

Daniel the prophet saw him and reports, “As I looked, thrones were set in place, and the Ancient of Days took his seat. His clothing was as white as snow; the hair of his head was white like wool. His throne was flaming with fire, and its wheels were all ablaze.” (Daniel 7:9)

John the Apostle reported of his appearance in Revelation 1:12-16. “I turned around to see the voice that was speaking to me. And when I turned I saw seven golden lampstands, and among the lampstands was someone “like a son of man,” dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest. His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, and out of his mouth came a sharp double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance.”

Appearing is such splender will anyone need to tell another, “He is over here. Come and see?” He will be seen by all just as surely as he died and rose from the dead.

A group of Pharisees approached Jesus with a question about the Kingdom of God. It is rather peculiar that a group of them came to ask Jesus when the Kingdom of God would come. To understand their intent I need to understand the popular teachings and understanding about the Kingdom of God at the time.

Luke comments elsewhere on the teachings, thoughts, and hopes of Jews at this time. 19:11 states, “…Jesus went on to tell them a parable, because he was near Jerusalem and the people thought that the kingdom of God was going to appear at once.”

Luke also records in 21:7 the reply of some of Jesus’s disciples when he told them about the temple’s imminent destruction. He said, “As for what you see here, the time will come when not one stone will be left on another; every one of them will be thrown down.” In shock, they asked, “Teacher, when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are about to take place?” Luke records in Acts 1:6 the disciples asking Jesus just before he ascended, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”

The discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls (aka “The Qumran Cave Scrolls”) shows that many in Jewish society believed the Kingdom of God was a territory, the territory of the Covenant at Mount Sinai that would be established when the Messiah came and defeated all of Israel’s enemies and purge all “sinners” from Israel. In one short statement, Jesus counters this ill-gotten idea. “The kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation, nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is within you.”

The Pharisees’ question was a trap meant to put him against Rome and Herod. They thought he would say he was going to Jerusalem to start a rebellion. With this, they could report to Pilate and Herod Jesus’s plans. His answer confounded them because their hearts and minds were far from God’s plan and not in God’s kingdom.

Luke is the only Gentile of the four gospel writers. He is the only one who records the healing of the ten lepers. The emphasis of the passage is that only one of the lepers returned to “give praise to God,” and he was a “foreigner” (18). The other nine were Jews. Jesus often pointed out that Gentiles quickly and forcefully believed him more so than the Jews. This is the main reason why the gospel spread so quickly to the Gentiles, more so than the Jews after his death, resurrection, ascension, and the giving of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.

Jesus embraced and followed the Law given through Moses, as this passage details. He was not against the Jews. Most of his ministry was where Jews lived. Yet, no matter how the good news was revealed, the Jews mostly either rejected it or accepted it on their terms.

The Apostle John explains the phenomenon well in his Gospel. “He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God– children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.” (John 1:10-13)

Even though God works miracles in me, I cannot use that to determine my place with God. For I could be like the nine and not respond to the gift properly.

Jesus’s teaching is concluded by a short, unnamed parable. So I will name it, “The Parable of the Duty of the Unworthy Servants”. The premise is this: 1. Christians are God’s servants. 2. God owns his servants. 3. God gives his servants duties. 4. God’s servants obey his commands, the duties he commits to us. 5. The servants do not merit rewards because we obey. 6. God owes us nothing for duty. 7. If God gives us anything, it is not because he owes us. 8. Servants are to mind their places. 9. Duty is not a job with wages, even if obeyed perfectly. Duty is an expected obligation to our owner.

Calvin commented on “The Parable of the Duty of Unworthy Servants”. “With respect to merit, we must remove the difficulty by which many are perplexed; for Scripture so frequently promises a reward to our works, that they think it allows them some merit. The reply is easy. A reward is promised, not as a debt, but from the mere good pleasure of God. It is a great mistake to suppose that there is a mutual relation between Reward and Merit; for it is by his own undeserved favor, and not by the value of our works, that God is induced to reward them.

“By the engagements of the Law, I readily acknowledge, God is bound to men, if they were to discharge fully all that is required from them; but still, as this is a voluntary obligation, it remains a fixed principle, that man can demand nothing from God, as if he had merited any thing.

“And thus the arrogance of the flesh falls to the ground; for, granting that any man fulfilled the Law, he cannot plead that he has any claims on God, having done no more than he was bound to do. When he says that we are unprofitable servants, his meaning is that God receives from us nothing beyond what is justly due but only collects the lawful revenues of his dominion.” (Calvin’s Commentaries)

When Jesus told his disciples that if a brother or sister in Christ were to sin against them, they were to confront them about it, and if they repented, forgive them, the disciples were like deer staring into an oncoming truck’s headlights (3). Most stunning is that Jesus said they should repeat this seven times a day if need be. SEVEN!

Believing they were incapable of obeying this once, let alone seven times a day, they exclaimed, “Increase our faith!” (5) The disciples believed they had a faith problem, for this seemed too hard a teaching for a normal human being to obey.

On the one hand, this is good because they were hearing Jesus continually praising faith and saying, “Your faith has made you well.” (7:50, 8:38, 17:19, 18:42, etc.) They were getting the message that faith in Jesus has the power to heal, and this certainly involved being hurt.

On the other hand, this is not good because faith was not their problem in this matter. Jesus told them that faith as small as a mustard seed can uproot a mulberry tree and plant it into the sea (a silly mental picture, a mulberry tree growing in a sea). Small faith is not the problem to forgiving a repentive brother or sister in Christ. Usually, the problem is my stubborn human ego. I can forgive because the one who forgave my horrendous sins lives in me. It is time to teach a mulberry tree to swim.

Jesus continued to build upon his statement that offenses will come to all; however, those offenses (stumbling blocks) should not come from his disciples. The type of offense Jesus meant is a behavior or attitude that leads another to sin, especially a brother or sister in Christ. I am to watch myself so I am not the cause of another’s sin.

But what if my behavior or attitude causes someone to sin? And what if someone else’s behavior or attitude causes me to sin? Jesus addresses both next and in more detail in Matthew 18:15-17. If my brother or sister sins, and causes me to sin I am to rebuke them (3b). If he repents, then I am to forgive them. This cycle can continue seven times a day and each time I am to forgive them. Jesus says seven times in a day here. When Peter asked him about forgiving on another occasion Jesus told Peter seventy times seven (Matthew 18:21-22).

Some natural impulses when someone sins against me or I sin against another are:

1) Ignore the problem and hope it goes away. This seems righteous, but according to Jesus, it is not.

2) Hold a grudge.

3) Complain to others about that person.

4) Strike out against them and to get even.

5) Wait until they come to us.

6) Publicly criticize.

7) Go to the congregation’s leader and complain about the one who offended me.

These reactions when I am sinned against are because of my hurt feelings and the selfish need for either gratification or personal healing.

Proverbs 11:30 states, “The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who wins souls is wise.” Colossians 3:13 states, “Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.”

After preaching about the Law given through Moses and the writings of the prophets (16:31), Jesus flows through four related teachings (1-3a, 3b-4, 5-6, 7-10). The first is today’s BDBD, where Jesus warns his disciples to be sure that they are not to be the cause of someone else’s sin. He was not teaching this to those who were not his disciples (1), though some may have been present.

Sin is acting out the evil impulses already in our hearts and minds (Proverbs 6:25-26; Obadiah 1:3). Many evil impulses reside in the human soul that are not acted upon (Matthew 5:27-28). For example, a person may hate someone but never do anything to harm them. And for example, someone who could not control their alcohol or drug use suddenly finds the will and ability to resist it for many weeks and even the rest of their life. The impulse is always there, but they never take the poison again.

Jesus warns his disciples to watch themselves so that they do not cause their brother in Christ to lose control and act out the sin in their heart (3a). Jesus says, “who to that person through whom sin comes.” (1) “It would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around his neck than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin.” (2)

A millstone is a heavy carved stone used for grinding grain. No faster way to drown than Jesus’ illustration. The illustration Jesus gave was an ancient mode of punishment. A little one is someone either young in age or in faith in Jesus (10:21; Matthew 18:6; Mark 10:24).

How many seek God and his righteousness? “Seek and you will find,” promises Jesus (Deuteronomy 4:29; Jeremiah 29:13; Matthew 7:7; Luke 11:9). This is true if the Bible and God’s people are but a few minutes away or in a place where they are hours away, even in areas where Christianity is illegal. The promise was true in all Israel during Jesus and John the Baptist’s ministry.

The Lord Jesus will respond immediately if a soul will wholeheartedly seek him. Jesus’ concluding statement in The Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus is not only confirming this truth, but also saying why it is true.

Abraham in the parable said to the rich man in hell, “If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.” A heart that is closed will not accept the truth if they close their heart.

Jesus continued teaching on the subject of riches for before him were Pharisees who loved money and were sneering at him (14) and his poor disciples who gave up everything to follow him (15:1, 3; 16:1). He told them “The Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus”. The parable contrasts the life results of an unnamed rich man and a poor man named Lazarus. The rich man lived in luxury and Lazarus longed to eat what fell from the rich man’s table (21).

Both men died, for whose body can sustain itself forever (22)? Hebrews 9:27 states, “Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment.” Though physical bodies die, the soul continues. The two men’s souls had different destinies. Jesus did not directly state what determined their destination. He does go into great detail about the reasons the soul goes to one of two destinies many times elsewhere (Matthew 23:33; John 5:29, 6:51, 57-58, 11:25-26, 14:19).

The angels carried the poor man to “Abraham’s side”. The original Greek word translated as “side” is “kolpos” which refers to the fold of a Greek garment near the hips where valuables are kept safe. The rich man ended up in hell for the angels did not lift him up. “Hell” is the noun “Hades” in the original Greek. Jesus describes it well in this parable (23-24).

The lack of compassion for the poor man Lazarus shows his soul’s state. He lived in luxury and ignored Lazurus. Being rich does not determine a person’s destiny. However, being rich and keeping the wealth to one’s own well-being shows that the love of God does not dwell in a person’s heart. The rich man failed the test of wealth. He was given, but did not share.

Jesus is not teaching to take from the rich and give to the poor for that is akin to stealing. Rather, he is teaching the destiny of the stingy. He is also giving hope the those who are unable to find all the means necessary to support themselves.

A quick read of the passage could lead a person to say that Jesus’s mention of divorce and adultery is out of place and not connected to the “Parable of the Shrewd Manager” (1-13) nor Jesus’ response to the sneering Pharisees (14-17). However, upon study, it is in the perfect place.

Jesus mentioned that the Law of the Covenant with Israel (which is the first five books of the Bible) is still binding and important even though the good news of the kingdom of God was being preached (16).

One of the Ten Commandments states, “You shall not commit adultery.” (Exodus 20:14). Deuteronomy 24:1-4 mentions the certificate of divorce (though when it was first introduced to Israel is not known for that is not given in the Bible). So it is considered part of the law, though that was debated in Jesus’ time (Mark 10:2).

Jesus mentions divorce and adultery because they are still binding to Israel. The good news is preached, but adultery is still unlawful and still sinful. (Matthew 5:31-32, 19:8-9; Mark 10:2-12; 1 Corinthians 7:10-11)

The reason why divorce is such a serious matter to God the Father and Jesus is because marriage is a covenant relationship between one man and one woman, no different than the Lord’s covenant with Abraham and Israel. This was true with Adam and Eve at the beginning of creation (Matthew 19:8-9; Mark 10:2-12). And marriage was made to reflect the relationship between God the Father and the Son through the binding of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus divided Israel’s history into two covenant periods (though more can be found like God’s covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob who became Israel.). The former Jesus called “The Law and the Prophets.” The present he called “The Good News of the Kingdom of God.” God supplied words for both covenants, words to live by. Both have messages that were and are proclaimed and preached.

John the Baptist was the last of the prophets and the first to preach the good news (Luke 3:18) though Jesus was the first to say he preached “The Good News of the Kingdom of God” (Matthew 4:23; 9:35, Mark 1:14-15). Jesus said, they “…were proclaimed until John.”

Jesus was not downplaying the Law, the Prophets, nor the Psalms. No, for he said that came to fulfill the Law and the Prophets (Matthew 5:17; Luke 24:44). They are the foundation that pointed to Jesus. He said, “It is easier for heaven and earth to disappear than for the least stroke of a pen to drop out of the Law.”
John, Jesus, and the apostles preach the good news of the kingdom. Studying, obeying, and preaching their words is just as important, perhaps even more important than Israel’s need to study and obey the Law, the Prophets, and the Psalms. I am glad that God has revealed to me his splendid good news and ask they he keep revealing them to me.

Jesus was addressing his disciples (1). However, it appears that some Pharisees were also in the crowd (14). They were wolves in sheep’s clothing, sneering as Jesus taught.

Jesus stated, “No servant can serve two masters. 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 both God and Money” (13). Oh, they did not like that. Why? Because they loved money. They self-justified their love of money. Jesus pointed out that God knew their heart. While they loved money, God detested it for people like the Pharisees love money more than God.

How can I tell what I love? Where is my zeal? What is my passion? Where are my thoughts? What do I desire? What do I spend my time doing? Self-deception is easy? Will I be honest with myself? Or will I be like the Pharisees and justify myself?

The words of the prophet Malachi are true about people who love money. They say to themselves, “It is futile to serve God. What did we gain by carrying out his requirements and going about like mourners before the LORD Almighty? But now we call the arrogant blessed. Certainly, the evildoers prosper, and even those who challenge God escape.” However, those who feared the LORD talked with each other, and the LORD listened and heard. A scroll of remembrance was written in his presence concerning those who feared the LORD and honored his name. ‘They will be mine, my treasured possession, in the day when I act’ says the Lord Almighty…” (Malachi 3:14-17)

The quantity of valuables do not determine if a person is trustworthy with someone else’s possessions. Trust is earned by being faithful in small matters, for whether it is a small amount or a large amount, if a person is untrustworthy with one, they are untrustworthy with billions. If a person is untrustworthy with something that has no true value, then they are not worthy of something truly valuable.

Wonder why God has given so little? In part, he is determining what we will be worthy to be given at the resurrection of the dead. If proven unfaithful with a small amount of worldly wealth, which has no value in the kingdom of God, then why give what is really valuable as property of our own for eternity?

President Ronald Reagan international introduced the Russian proverb “trust but verify” when negotiating with Russia concerning nuclear treaty disarmament. That proverb is the way of the worldly wise, not the deeper wisdom and eternally valuable way of Christ.

How does Christ determine if one is loyal and trustworthy? He determines if they serve him or money by giving them money. Money is the most coveted worldly wealth because it can be used to gain power, control, freedom, and luxury in this world. Since the human soul can only covent and serve one entity all the time, if they are given money, they will eventually need to decide if they will use it to glorify God or to glorify themselves. Who am I serving right now?

The “Parable of the Shrewd Manager” (aka “The Parable of the Unfaithful Steward”, and “The Parable of the Dishonest Manager”) can distract a person’s attention to side debates and thoughts till one loses the main point of the parable. This is a difficult teaching to comprehend. The details, though interesting, seem mostly to support the main idea. Therefore, they only find importance in support instead of being a main point to consider.

Jesus’ main point is in verse 9, “I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.” An ill side point to consider is that the manager was not using his own wealth to secure his future in this world. He was using someone else’s. What is Jesus saying? Another distraction would be how could Jesus use an unscrupulous man as the hero of the parable. Did he gain eternal life?

The first question I have is, “What worldly wealth do I have?” Worldly wealth is things that God has provided me that I can use to make friends, for in doing so, I have eternal dwellings. I am not saying that by good works I am saved. I am saved by grace through faith. Rather, I just want to know what can I do to obey Jesus’ teaching here. What did God give me that I can use to help others know Jesus?

The proper use of worldly wealth (which is more than money) is the point. Christians should use it so well here on earth, by expending it not selfishly on their own pleasures, but unselfishly for the good of others, and for the advancement of God’s kingdom, that instead of hindering them from reaching heaven, it will help them to enter there. The foresight of the steward is commended in this parable, not his dishonest use of someone else’s stuff.

Jesus concluded “The Parable of the Prodical Son” by revealing God’s love for both sons. Perhaps a better title would be “The Father’s Love for Sons Who Reject Him.” Yet, that is too long. How about simply “The Father’s Love”?

When the Father addresses the older son, Jesus does not say that the older son repented. We are left wondering. This seems to indicate that the parable and the former two address the Pharisees and teachers of the law more than those they labeled as tax collectors and sinners. They are given the choice to accept the Father’s love for their younger son or reject it.

The father explained his actions toward the younger brother to the older brother. I paraphrase here, “You have not lost anything upon his return. You sill have all that is mine. However, he did gain something. You gained younger son who has changed. He was dead when he left here. No love. No life. He was lost to the truth. He has returned full of life and love. He has repented.”

The father’s love is a beautiful picture of the return of the younger son, which also pictures Christian conversion (Romans 6:13; Ephesians 2:1,5) The words “lost and is found” are often used to mean “perished and saved” (19:10; Matthew 10:6, 18:10-14)

How many times does something happen in my life and I ask, “Why?” “Why did God allow this to happen?” I try to do the right thing, knowing that I will fall short of perfection. Yet, I believe that I have done enough of the right things to live a life where goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life. Yet, they do not. These deplorable events happen. How I react displays my character.

The day his younger brother returned was such a day for the older brother. He had been busy in the field doing what was expected of him. He returns home to the sound of laughter and music. A party was commencing, and he was not informed. When the older brother learned the reason, he became angry. Nothing seems to come his way except toil and trouble, and now this.

The older son had a problem and was not aware of it. He was bitter with life. He did not know his Father’s love. Trouble and deplorable things happen to everyone. Knowing and adhering to righteousness does not guarantee happily ever after.

When a sinner returns to the heavenly Father, I can rejoice with the Father, or I can be like the older brother. The forgiving love of the father symbolizes the divine mercy of God, and the older brother’s resentment is like the attitude of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law who opposed Jesus.

The younger son “came to his senses” (17, literally “came to himself”), meaning he had given himself over to experience stimuli, a type of madness of the soul (heart, will, and mind). Now, he retook control of his soul. He decided to return to his father, knowing not what awaited him. He hoped to experience the presence of his father, for he knew his father was good and loving.

When the father first caught sight of his younger son, he was filled with joy (20b), a response Jesus taught about in the previous two parables. This is a beautiful description, the image of his father’s happening to see him clad in rags, poor, and emaciated, and yet he recognized his son, and all the warm feelings of a father prompted him to go and embrace him.

The comfort of the embrace of a forgiving heavenly Father warms the soul and delights the spirit. Rest is His name. Peace is His presence. Love is his heart. The energy in the kiss of our passionate heavenly Father straightens the bent back and washes the soiled soul. Everlasting Father is His name. Power is His presence. Holy is his heart.

“Father, I have sinned,” is the only anticipated response. “I was worthy to be your son. I no longer am worth. Through my submission to sin and darkness, I died.”

“You are now alive again.” The Father has the power to raise to life, that which is dead.

Jesus continued his teaching to a mixed crowd. Luke notes two differences to those who were present. One personality type was the social outcasts and sinners who gathered around to hear Jesus (1). The other personality type was the self-righteous socially accepted religious leaders who came to destroy God’s work through Jesus’ ministry (2). Jesus told them “The Parable of The Lost Sheep” and “The Parable of The Lost Coin”. Now he would tell all a third, “The Parable of the Lost Son.”

The two previous parables had several mutual components. One aspect easily overlooked is that they compare an owner’s response to two identical elements, except one has more value than the other; one sheep in contrast to ninety-nine, and one coin in contrast to nine. “The Parable of the Lost Son” would do likewise. Jesus would compare a father’s response to two sons.

The younger son abandoned his place in his father’s house. He left his responsibilities. He abandoned his father’s lifestyle. He wanted nothing to do with anything about his father, except his wealth. He decided to enjoy life by doing whatever he wanted to do. He represents the social outcasts and sinners. They, like the younger son, had abandoned their place in their heavenly father’s house.

The oldest son remained with his father. He watched as his younger brother dishonored their father. He said nothing to his younger sibling when their father gave his younger brother a share of the inheritance. The parable will show that the older brother, though with his father, did not agree with all his father’s beliefs and lifestyle choices, especially when dealing with this younger brother. Jesus exposes that the older brother did not love his rebellious younger brother as his father did. The older brother represents the self-righteous socially accepted religious leaders who came to destroy God’s work through Jesus’ ministry. Unlike their father, they hated the tax collectors and sinners.

The Parable of the Lost Coin is similar to the Parable of the Lost Sheep. However, Jesus’s conclusion is slightly different. The difference is in the Lost Coin. Jesus says, “…rejoicing… over one sinner who repents.” In the Lost Sheep, Jesus says, “…more rejoicing…over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.” The point of the Lost Coin is that one person repenting is very important.

Many in my society do not consider individuals important. However, Jesus considered each person important. He especially takes note when they change their ways and thinking to righteousness.

The drachma, worth a day’s wages that was lost, is an expressive emblem of a sinner who is estranged from God and enslaved to habits of iniquity. The longer a piece of money is lost, the less probability there is of its being again found. It may not only lose its color and not be easily observed but will continue to be increasingly covered with dust and dirt. Its value may be vastly lessened by being so trampled on that a part of the substance, together with the image and superscription, may be worn off. So the sinner sinks deeper and deeper into the impurities of sin, loses even his character among men. Still, Jesus finds it valuable and worth rejoicing when found.

Jesus receives lost rejected souls and socially scorned people, those who have rebelled against God and selfishly hates others. He compares them to lost sheep. He receives them cordially and affectionately. He embraces them, taking them in his arms to his bosom, near his heart, as the word implies. What mercy! Jesus receives sinners in the most loving, affectionate manner and saves them unto eternal life!

Jesus is telling this to tax collectors who, of their own accord, joined what their society considered their enemy, Rome. He is telling this to the religious elite, those who publically labeled people “sinners” because they did not keep their erroneous religious rules. He is telling this to the Pharisees and the teachers of the law (scribes) who, while being the religious elite and social leaders, were rejecting the Messiah. All of them have gone astray – lost, wandering the dangerous valley alone.

Those Jesus addressed some 2,000 years ago are no different than us today. We are like Isaiah the prophet wrote, “We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:6)

Jesus gives away a secret of heaven. He opens the curtain to see what they consider a reason to party. “I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.”

Jesus concludes his teaching to the large crowds that followed him. He had been expounding on his claim, “And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple” (27). His concluding remark is, “Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile; it is thrown out.”

Salt has a large number of positive uses. It is used as a food preservative, to improve and empasize food’s taste, and to give food a distinctive taste. It is also used to clean, sanitize, deodorize, and heal. Similarly, when a person follows Jesus and takes up his personal cross, then the Holy Spirit enters that person, and they change. With the Spirit inside, the converted soul becomes a positive influence on those around them. They have the characteristics of salt.

However, if a believer walks away from Jesus and their cross they lose their saltiness. They lose their peace within and without. They become argumentative and bitter. They become stubborn fools who have rejected God and reject others. They negatively affect those around them. Jesus asks, “How can they be made salty again?” If they go from being a good influence to repulsing others, can their errors be corrected?

Jesus provides two illustrations to explain and support the truth that I must carry my cross as Jesus bore his cross. The first example illustrates the important preconstruction practice of considering the cost before building. Making and keeping a budget at the get-go with milestones is important for any project. If I do not have enough money, I should either not build or not build so big and elaborate.

Jesus is saying, “Following me is not going to be easy. You will, at times, have to sacrifice your ambitions, hopes, and dreams when following me or doing good for others. Are you willing to give up what you love to obey me and carry your cross?”

The other example Jesus provided is the preemptive tactic of war. If a king has ten thousand troops and his opponent has twice as many, he needs to consider if he can win. If he can not, it is best to ask for the price of peace when the invader is far off.

Jesus concludes the illustrations, “In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.” The cost of following him, Jesus warned, is complete surrender to him. Can you still say, “I love Jesus,” while not complying with complete surrender?

Jesus had something to say to the large crowds following him. They needed to know that following him came at a high price. Tolls did not exist on Roman roads. Jesus did not charge a fee to listen to him. No record exists showing he took an offering from anyone. However, there was a price to be paid to follow Jesus. They needed to be prepared. The price was full dedication and allegiance.

According to Matthew 10:37, Jesus said almost the same words when he sent the twelve out. “Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me…” To the large crowd, he used hyperbole, “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters- yes, even his own life- he cannot be my disciple…” (26) Jesus is to be our first love.

Jesus continues, “…and anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.” Jesus said this before, when Peter confessed that Jesus was the Christ of God (9:23). The cross was an instrument of death and torture. Here, it symbolizes the necessity of total commitment -even unto death- on the part of Jesus’s disciples. These dramatic words coincide well with 13:24, “Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to,” except here Jesus says all his disciples have hard and dangerous kingdom work assigned to them. Following Jesus sometimes is not light and easy labor.

Jesus continued his parable, “The Great Banquet,” explaining what was happening right before the established elite’s eyes and repeating the ancient prophets’ words concerning what was to come.

The servant in the parable had just reported to his master the absentee excuses of those who were invited to the banquet. The master, who owned a great house, became angry. The master’s words to his servant, Jesus picked directly out prophecy. (Isaiah 29:18-10; 35:5-6; 61:1; Deut. 18:15 and Psalms 72:2,4,12,13)

Jesus gave these words before to John the Baptist while he was in prison. John, through his disciples, asked Jesus, “Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?” Jesus replied, “Go back and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor.” (Matthew 11:3-5) The servant in the parable is describing Jesus’ last 3 years, his ministry unfolding right in front of the established elite’s eyes, those who had rejected Jesus’ invitation to the Great Banquet.

Jesus concluded his parable with a prophesy. Because there was still room, the master of the great house instructed his servant to go on a road trip until his house was filled. Jesus had been preparing his disciples to be his messengers to the Gentiles after he ascended. The prophecy is being fulfilled today. Best to be sure that one accepts the invitation before the guest list is closed.

The people invited to the banquet initially accepted the invitation. But when the time came to attend, all had excuses for why they couldn’t. Their excuses were ridiculous. The first said he just bought a field and must go to see it. Who buys a field without seeing it? And couldn’t seeing a field wait for one day? It was not going anywhere.

The excuse of the man who bought five yoke of oxen was also not genuine. Who buys a farming team of five oxen without inspecting them beforehand?

The man, whose pretext was that he just got married, was also not sincere. Why plan to be married on the day of a banquet you knew was coming?

The man who invited these guests was God. The servant delivering the invitations was Jesus. The invited guests were the Jews of Jesus’s day. Most made excuses for why they rejected Jesus and his kingdom. They would not eat at the feast in the kingdom of God.

Many in my day also have reasons why they put other things before getting to know Jesus. They sleep late rather than pray, meditate on the word of God, and commune with God the Father. Sports are more important than generosity and servitude. Self gain is put in place of self sacrifice. I know that I need to prepare for the coming seventh trumpet call to the banquet. The time is now. No excuses are accepted.

Jesus and his disciples were invited to dinner at the home of a prominent Pharisee. Jesus had been discoursing with the host, teaching him a better way of thinking and life. He concluded a parable about the reward that goes with covert generosity by saying, “But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.” (13-14)

Picking up on “the resurrection of the righteous” one of those at the table with him said to Jesus, “Blessed is the man who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God.” Sounds like the great Messianic banquet to come was one of the person’s favorite subjects. The association of the future kingdom with a feast was common then and is still so now. (13:29; Isaiah 25:6; Matthew 8:11, 25:1-10, 26:29; Revelation 19:9)

Jesus used the person’s remark as the occasion for a new parable warning that not everyone would enter the kingdom. The parable’s characters were a host of a coming banquet, his servant, and some invited guests. It was common in those days to send out an early invitation, make arrangements for the banquet, and when all was ready send a servant to tell the guests to come for the banquet is ready.

God is the host of the future Messianic banquet. The prophets, Jesus, and the apostles are his servants who tell others that they are invited to attend. Now I am one too. A great banquet is coming. Are you ready and willing to attend?

Acts of kindness do not go unnoticed nor unrewarded. Jesus continued teaching the host who disapproved of Jesus’ kind act of healing a man with dropsy on the Sabbath. Jesus switched the subject from humility to being rewarded for acts of kindness.

The host, a prominent Pharisee invited Jesus and his disciples to a dinner on the Sabbath. He wanted to investigate whether Jesus would violate one of his laws. Jesus began teaching the error of the leader’s laws, customs, and ways. Now he would teach about the secret blessedness of living servitude.

Apostle Paul told Jesus’ people, “In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.'” (Acts 20:35) Why is it better?

Jesus’ answer is, “You will be blessed (when you do so). Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.” The resurrection of the righteous is distinct from the resurrection of the unrighteous. The unrighteous will be judged. The righteous will be rewarded. (Daniel 12:2; John 5:28-29; Acts 24:15; 1 Corinthians 15:23; 1 Thessalonians 4:16; Revelation 20:4-6) The righteous are those who have been pronounced so by God on the basis of Christ’s atonement and who have evidenced their faith by their actions. (Matthew 25:34-40) I need to act on compassion and love when I see the need for a random act of kindness.