The Pharisees question the disciples picking grain on the Sabbath. Note how Jesus responds: 1) He appeals to the account of David's actions in 1 Samuel 21, pointing out the King also did the same when he ate the shewbread (see also Mt.12:3-4), 2) The Sabbath law of rest did not apply in every situation (see Mt 12:5) - the law of Moses allowed and even commanded certain works to be done on the Sabbath, 3) Jesus noted that He is greater than the Sabbath (see Mt.12:6), 4) He/God desires goodness over sacrifice (see Hosea 6:6), and 5) Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath. The Rabbis had totally misconstrued the purpose of the Sabbath! Jesus then does healings which go back to prophecies in Isaiah proving He is the prophesied/looked for Messiah.
Next, after spending a night in prayer, Jesus chooses His disciples. He then teaches them, and the crowds who were listening, how their relationship with God and their fellow man should be, in the Beatitudes.
Lastly, Jesus continues to give instructions clearly applicable to the church today regarding judgment. Followers of Jesus are not to use “man-made rules” as the criteria for measuring ones spirituality; the benchmark is the Scriptures as the only proper basis for judging. Although not commonly thought or understood, as Christians, we DO make judgments, but only as we are able to see clearly through the lens of Scripture to do it.
Questions for Reflection:
Which is harder for you to do - love your enemies, or be sinfully judgmental toward other Christians? Why would you say one is harder for you than the other? Ask for God's help today to help you love others with both Grace and Truth.
Advent Day 6
The Beatitudes
December 6, 2019
Advent Day 20
December 9, 2019
In chapter 20, the attacks on Jesus continues, focusing on where His authority comes from (v.2). The answer should have been obvious since the miracles He was doing came right out of the Prophets and Rabbinic teachings of His time. Jesus turns it around on them and asks by what authority was the baptism of John, through human authority or divine authority. The Pharisees and Sadducees are now caught in a dilemma! John the Baptist’s martyrdom caused people to consider him a true prophet. So, if the leaders said “from human authority”, the masses would turn on them; if they said “from God”, Jesus could then say that John declared Jesus to be the Messiah, since at His baptism John said “Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” Either answer would discredit or humiliate them! In the parable of the householder and vinedressers, the Jewish leaders were the vinedressers responsible for stewarding the vineyard and giving God His due. God sent three sets of slaves/workers – many believe these were the Prophets God sent through the centuries. God finally sends His Son and they conspired against Him also. The Owner (God) would come and destroy these vinedressers and give the vineyard to others. Jesus then quotes Psalms 118 and applies it to Himself, and the Pharisees and Scribes understood that He spoke this parable against them. This was also predicted in Isaiah 8:14. Then Jesus’ accusers tried to trap Him concerning taxes. The Lord asked whose image was on the coin and to pay tribute to the Image. The principle Jesus addresses here already found in the Hebrew Bible. More than one authority exists, but they must always be in proper order. The first is Divine authority (see Genesis 9); the second, for Israel at this point in time, was Caesar, who ran the government. So, it wasn't either/or, but both/and. After clarifying the marriages in Heaven question (regarding Resurrection, the Pharisees believed in a future resurrection; the Sadducees did not), Jesus quotes from Psalm110. The significance of Jesus quoting this passage is that David was king of Israel, who didn't have a human Lord. Normally a father doesn't call his son Lord! David, in the Spirit, saw the Messiah sitting at the right hand of God, and because of the Davidic covenant, knew he was going to be Jesus’ son. Questions for Reflection: The attacks against Jesus are becoming more frequent and severe as we move towards the cross. In spite of His enemies conniving, Jesus shuts them down, to the point they no longer ask him any questions (see v. 26 & v. 40). Have you been in a spiritual conversation with someone who, like the Pharisees, isn't actually interested in truth, but only in airing their own opinions? How can we be like Jesus in answering those who are sincere in their questions, discerning where we should engage or not? Pray for God to give those whom you interact with a spiritual hunger for Jesus.
Advent Day 19
December 9, 2019
Chapter 19 deals with personal faith. Jesus emphasized that Zacchaeus was a son of Abraham, pointing to the individualization of salvation versus national salvation. After the people heard about Him speaking to Zacchaeus, He addressed the misconception about the literal Kingdom coming now and that it would be postponed – they still failed to understand His purpose of the death and atonement. In the parable of the ten servants, Jesus emphasizes that all have been given gifts to invest in His Kingdom and eternity. It’s how we use these gifts that matter to God, because the Messiah will leave and the servants will be left behind to carry out the ministry. He will return and reward according to how we invest what God gave us to do, and the citizens will be judged. With the triumphal entry, Jesus had rescinded the offer of the Kingdom to “that generation,” who had committed the unpardonable sin (Lk 12:10), causing the Kingdom to be postponed. Hence, the purpose of this ride into Jerusalem was not to officially present Himself as the King. The calendar date was the 10th of Nisan, the day of the month on which the Jewish people were to set aside the Passover Lamb, importantly from the 10th to the 14th, and the lamb was tested to ensure that it was spotless and without blemish. Jesus’ ride into Jerusalem occurred on the same day of the month that the Jewish people picked out a spotless lamb. When John the Baptizer introduced Jesus as the Messiah, he could have chosen from numerous titles; but the one he chose was “Behold the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world.” The Messiah wept over Jerusalem for not recognizing the time of her visitation – which if the Shepherds of Israel of that time had taught the Scriptures instead of the Talmud (additional teachings on the Hebrew Bible), they would have recognized Jesus as the Messiah, but instead will experience judgment from God (see Daniel 9:24-27). Questions for Reflection: Meditate on the parable of the ten minas (v. 11-27). Do you believe you are using the gifts that God has given you to serve others and the church? What steps do you need to take to be a good steward of what God has entrusted to you?
Advent Day 18
December 9, 2019
After instructing His disciples in eschatological issues, Jesus teaches two principles concerning prayer. The first principle is of persistence, exemplified in the persistence of the widow. The judge in the story wasn't too concerned about being righteous before God, nor did he care about the widow, but he finally gave in because of her persistent requests. Jesus’ point is that if an unloving, unrighteous judge responds because of persistence, how much more will God, being righteous, respond to perpetual prayer! In context of the passage, Son of Man is mentioned in the second coming, thus, hinted is that we should be praying always for the Lords return. The second principle of prayer is humility. In Jesus’ second story, we see two people at opposite ends of the culture - one a supposed spiritual leader, and the other a publican, or tax collector, at the bottom of the ladder. The publican approached God based on his personal need and God's mercy. His humility before God was obvious in four ways - he kept his eyes down, he beat his chest (a sign of repentance), he stood far away from the front of the temple, and he pleaded for mercy, desiring atonement (or propitiation). The principle for this section is in the second half of verse 14 - those who exalt themselves shall be humbled; those who humble themselves shall be exalted. Jesus then teaches that entrance into His Kingdom must be through a childlike faith. Afterward, we see Jesus interact with a rich young ruler. There are two Greek words for “good” that we see in this story; “kalos” means externally pleasing; “agathos” means intrinsically good, therefore referring to the Messiah's very character. Since Jesus claimed to be the Messiah, He claimed to be intrinsically good - a character trait that would only apply to God. For the young ruler, the problem wasn't his wealth; the problem was his tendency to trust his wealth as a sign of God's blessing and thus his own righteousness, resulting from Pharisaic teaching. To close out the chapter, Jesus gives more detailed instructions concerning his death, which the disciples did not understand. He also heals a blind begger, who, interestingly, recognizes Jesus as the Messiah, calling Him the "Son of David". Questions for Reflection: As we've already done in this Advent series, reflect on your own prayer life. As per Jesus' two parables that illustrate the two principles listed above, which does your prayer life struggle with more? Lack of persistence (questioning God's goodness), or humility (self-sufficiency)? What action steps can you take to address this in your life?