Jesus uses some interesting imagery.

Jesus uses some interesting imagery doesn't He?  Check this out.

Matthew 22:1-10(NKJV)

And Jesus answered and spoke to them again by parables and said: 

“The kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who arranged a marriage for his son, 

and sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding; and they were not willing to come. 

Again, he sent out other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, “See, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and fatted cattle are killed, and all things are ready. Come to the wedding.”’ 

But they made light of it and went their ways, one to his own farm, another to his business. 

And the rest seized his servants, treated them spitefully, and killed them. 

But when the king heard about it, he was furious. And he sent out his armies, destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city. 

Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy. 

Therefore go into the highways, and as many as you find, invite to the wedding.’ 

So those servants went out into the highways and gathered together all whom they found, both bad and good. And the wedding hall was filled with guests.

Now I believe the King in the parable is God.  Jesus is describing how God is going to deal with those who reject Jesus.  God isn't singing Kumbaya.  Jesus says God is furious.  Not just a little ticked off.  God is furious.  Look what Jesus says God does to them.  And notice that Jesus doesn't condemn God for doing so.  I believe this demonstrates that Jesus is in agreement with what God has planned. 

Now if Jesus were a pacifist as many seem to believe, why would He use all of this violent rhetoric to describe what will happen to those who don't believe in Him?  And why wouldn't he condemn it?

The answer is pretty obvious to me.  Jesus isn't a pacifist…and I have no problem with that. 

"And whoever falls on this stone will be broken…"

Interesting imagery isn't it?  When we stub our toes we think of it as a minor thing.  It hurts but there usually aren't long lasting consequences.  Maybe this helps explain why so many people just casually and without much thought reject Jesus.  They see it as a minor thing.  Not a big deal.  No long term consequences. 

Scripture says otherwise.

Matthew 21:43-44(NKJV)

“Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it. 

And whoever falls on this stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder.”

One of my favorite parables.

 

Matthew 20:1-16(NKJV)

“For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. 

Now when he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard. 

And he went out about the third hour and saw others standing idle in the marketplace, 

and said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you.’ So they went. 

Again he went out about the sixth and the ninth hour, and did likewise. 

And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing idle, and said to them, ‘Why have you been standing here idle all day?’ 

They said to him, ‘Because no one hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right you will receive.’

“So when evening had come, the owner of the vineyard said to his steward, ‘Call the laborers and give them their wages, beginning with the last to the first.’ 

And when those came who were hired about the eleventh hour, they each received a denarius. 

But when the first came, they supposed that they would receive more; and they likewise received each a denarius. 

And when they had received it, they complained against the landowner, 

saying, ‘These last men have worked only one hour, and you made them equal to us who have borne the burden and the heat of the day.’ 

But he answered one of them and said, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? 

Take what is yours and go your way. I wish to give to this last man the same as to you. 

Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with my own things? Or is your eye evil because I am good?’ 

So the last will be first, and the first last. For many are called, but few chosen.”

"Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with my own things?"  Some people say that Jesus is a Socialist.  Does this look like something a Socialist would say?  :)

There is a difference between love and action

We know that Scripture says we need to love our enemies.  It also says we need to love those around us.  There are some who take this to mean that we always have to be accepting of the things that others do.  That we should forgive people even when they aren't repentant.  If we aren't we are accused of being un-Christian and haters. 

Let's take a look at something that Jesus said. 

Matthew 18:15-17(NKJV)

“Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother. 

But if he will not hear, take with you one or two more, that ‘by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.’  

And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church. But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector.

"Let him be to you like a heathen or a tax collector".  What do you think that means?  My take is this.  Jesus didn't say we shouldn't still love them and pray for them.  Jesus simply says treat them as they deserve to be treated.  Don't waste your time with them.  If at some point their behavior changes and they apologize then by all means accept them back in to your life.  But there is nothing un-Christian about putting them out of your life until then.

How quickly things change and why we always need to be on guard.

Check this out!

Matthew 16:13-19(NKJV)

When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?”

So they said, “Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”

He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”

Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. 

And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. 

And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”

Wow, Simon Peter is in tight with the boss.  It seems to me that Jesus just made Simon Peter the top apostle.  Pretty cool for Simon Peter, right?

So just 4 verses later here is what Jesus says to Simon Peter.

Matthew 16:22-23(NKJV)

Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, “Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!”

But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.”

What the heck?  Did Simon Peter go from being a man of God to being a man of Satan that quickly?  Was Jesus mistaken to name Simon Peter the top apostle?  Did Jesus take that designation away from Simon Peter after calling him Satan?

The answers in my opinion are no, no, and no.

I think this demonstrates what we all face on a daily basis.  Even when we seek God with all our hearts, we are still subjected to human emotions and reactions.  We are still swayed by what is happening in our daily life.

In the case above Simon Peter was acting out of concern and love for Jesus.  Simon Peter certainly wasn't trying to subvert God's plan on purpose.  It is just that in our daily lives we sometimes don't think things through or we lose sight of the big picture. 

The lesson here though is that when that happens, Jesus doesn't reject us.  He understands.  He has said many times it is a heart issue.  As long as He knows our hearts are on him He forgives us the stuff where we stumble.  Our responsibility is to stay in the Word and stay in prayer so that Jesus can bring our stumbles to our attention so that we recognize them and can do better in the future. 

The Pharisees were offended? Did Jesus care?

There is some much attention to people being offended these days.  It's like some people now think they have a divine right not to be offended.  Freedom of speech is being restricted in the quest to never offend a single person.

Matthew 15:12(NKJV)

Then His disciples came and said to Him, “Do You know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying?”

 Here's a question.  "What would Jesus do" in regards to offending or not offending people?  Would Jesus get all apologetic and grovel and promise not to offend again?  Would Jesus change His message so as to not offend?  Or would Jesus say "tough shit.  The truth is the truth!  Deal with it!"

Read the rest of the passage to find out.

Matthew 15:13-20(NKJV)

But He answered and said, “Every plant which My heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted. 

Let them alone. They are blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind leads the blind, both will fall into a ditch.”

Then Peter answered and said to Him, “Explain this parable to us.”

So Jesus said, “Are you also still without understanding? 

Do you not yet understand that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and is eliminated? 

But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man. 

For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies. 

These are the things which defile a man, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile a man.”

"…Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men."

There seems to be quite a bit of this even in the New Testament in my opinion.  Last time through the NT I paid particular attention to what Jesus said in the four Gospels and what is taught in the rest of the NT.  I would recommend you read through the NT with the same approach some time.

Matthew 15:9(NKJV)

    And in vain they worship Me,      Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’” 

There were many example that I pointed out the last time through the NT but the one which I will cite now is one that I found most interesting.  What do we need to do to be saved? 

Paul among others has this whole thing about believe in your heart and confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord.  I compare that with what Jesus said.  Jesus said it was a heart issue…period.  Jesus didn't specify confessing with your mouth.  In fact Jesus went so far as to ask one guy something and after the guy answered Jesus said "close enough.". 

So in my mind Paul adding the confess with your mouth is a great example of the commandments of men.  Now let me be clear that I see nothing wrong with confessing with your mouth.  I have done it many times.  I just don't think it makes a difference of being saved or not being saved.  Make sense? 

Making stupid promises or vows. Are we bound by them?

Matthew 14:1-12(NKJV)

At that time Herod the tetrarch heard the report about Jesus 

and said to his servants, “This is John the Baptist; he is risen from the dead, and therefore these powers are at work in him.” 

For Herod had laid hold of John and bound him, and put him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife. 

Because John had said to him, “It is not lawful for you to have her.” 

And although he wanted to put him to death, he feared the multitude, because they counted him as a prophet.

But when Herod’s birthday was celebrated, the daughter of Herodias danced before them and pleased Herod. 

Therefore he promised with an oath to give her whatever she might ask.

So she, having been prompted by her mother, said, “Give me John the Baptist’s head here on a platter.”

And the king was sorry; nevertheless, because of the oaths and because of those who sat with him, he commanded it to be given to her. 

So he sent and had John beheaded in prison. 

And his head was brought on a platter and given to the girl, and she brought it to her mother. 

Then his disciples came and took away the body and buried It, and went and told Jesus.

Was the king bound by his vow?  Did he have to follow through with it?  This question has a couple of interesting aspects. 

First let me start with a story.  My friend Chuck's father was a truck driver.  One time they needed to put a new engine in a truck and they needed a part that was maybe $500.  Chuck's dad thought that was too much and said he could just make one himself.  The guy at the parts store mocked him and said he didn't have the skill.

So Chuck's dad spent something like two days and $1,000 to make a part to save $500.  :)  Afterwards he looked at Chuck and said "Son, don't ever let your pride get in the way of common sense and a smart financial decision."  :)
 

What stopped the king from simply saying "look, what are asking for is unreasonable and I won't do it.  Pick something else."?  I think it was pride.  He says it was because of the oaths and because of who sat with him….  He didn't want to look bad or weak in front of the others.

There is another aspect of this that occurred to me however.  God has made certain promises and oaths to us and we depend on Him not to change His mind.  What if God found Himself in a situation where He let pride get in the way of common sense?  Should God follow Chuck's Dad's advice and admit to a mistake and change direction or should God stick to His promise so that people are assured that God is the same yesterday, today, and forever? 

Interesting question isn't it?  Something to ponder!

Jesus didn't dumb it down or make it easier for people. He didn't try to be "culturally relevant".

This is the entire 13th chapter of Matthew.  What stands out to me is the difference between the ministry style of Jesus vs. so many churches today. 

Many churches today try to dumb things down and make them more "palatable" to the masses.  You hear churches today saying things like "we need to be culturally relevant".  What I see here in Matthew 13 is that Jesus took the opposite approach. 

Jesus actually said some aren't supposed to get it.  Do you see Jesus changing anything to try and make it easier for those folks?  Nope.  Maybe there is a clue there. 

Matthew 13:1-58(NKJV)

On the same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the sea. 

And great multitudes were gathered together to Him, so that He got into a boat and sat; and the whole multitude stood on the shore.

Then He spoke many things to them in parables, saying: “Behold, a sower went out to sow. 

And as he sowed, some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds came and devoured them. 

Some fell on stony places, where they did not have much earth; and they immediately sprang up because they had no depth of earth. 

But when the sun was up they were scorched, and because they had no root they withered away. 

And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up and choked them. 

But others fell on good ground and yielded a crop: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. 

He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”

And the disciples came and said to Him, “Why do You speak to them in parables?”

He answered and said to them, “Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. 

For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. 

Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. 

And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says:      ‘Hearing you will hear and shall not understand,     And seeing you will see and not perceive;

    For the hearts of this people have grown dull.     Their ears are hard of hearing,     And their eyes they have closed,     Lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears,     Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn,      So that I should heal them.’ 

But blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear; 

for assuredly, I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.

“Therefore hear the parable of the sower: 

When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is he who received seed by the wayside. 

But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; 

yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles. 

Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful. 

But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.”

Another parable He put forth to them, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; 

but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way. 

But when the grain had sprouted and produced a crop, then the tares also appeared. 

So the servants of the owner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?’ 

He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The servants said to him, ‘Do you want us then to go and gather them up?’ 

But he said, ‘No, lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them. 

Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.”’”

Another parable He put forth to them, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field, 

which indeed is the least of all the seeds; but when it is grown it is greater than the herbs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches.”

Another parable He spoke to them: “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal till it was all leavened.”

All these things Jesus spoke to the multitude in parables; and without a parable He did not speak to them, 

that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying:      “I will open My mouth in parables;     I will utter things kept secret from the foundation of the world.” 

Then Jesus sent the multitude away and went into the house. And His disciples came to Him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field.”

He answered and said to them: “He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. 

The field is the world, the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the wicked one. 

The enemy who sowed them is the devil, the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels. 

Therefore as the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of this age. 

The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, 

and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. 

Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, 

who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet that was cast into the sea and gathered some of every kind, 

which, when it was full, they drew to shore; and they sat down and gathered the good into vessels, but threw the bad away. 

So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come forth, separate the wicked from among the just, 

and cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.”

Jesus said to them, “Have you understood all these things?” They said to Him, “Yes, Lord.”

Then He said to them, “Therefore every scribe instructed concerning the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out of his treasure things new and old.”

Now it came to pass, when Jesus had finished these parables, that He departed from there. 

When He had come to His own country, He taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished and said, “Where did this Man get this wisdom and these mighty works? 

Is this not the carpenter’s son? Is not His mother called Mary? And His brothers James, Joses, Simon, and Judas? 

And His sisters, are they not all with us? Where then did this Man get all these things?” 

So they were offended at Him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own house.” 

Now He did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief.

Can Jesus make it any plainer than this?

If you have been reading this blog for a while you know that one of the things I have written about often is what I believe is the mistaken belief in Kumbaya Jesus.  That is, the belief that you can reject Jesus and Jesus will be OK with that.  The belief that you can reject Jesus and still "be friends" with Jesus.

Here is what Jesus himself said about that.

Matthew 12:30(NKJV)

He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad.

Can He say it any plainer than that?

"And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me.”

It always amazes me how people who are offended by Jesus somehow expect to get the same blessings in life as those who believe in Jesus.  Jesus says it doesn't work that way. 

Matthew 11:6(NKJV)

And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me.”

Did Jesus give His blessing to everyone, or only those who deserved it?

There are many who think that Jesus gave His blessing and help to everyone, no matter what, because "Jesus is love".  Those would be the Kumbaya Christians that I have written about so many times.  Scripture however says otherwise.

Matthew 10:5-15(NKJV)

These twelve Jesus sent out and commanded them, saying: “Do not go into the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter a city of the Samaritans. 

But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 

And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ 

Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give. 

Provide neither gold nor silver nor copper in your money belts, 

nor bag for your journey, nor two tunics, nor sandals, nor staffs; for a worker is worthy of his food.

“Now whatever city or town you enter, inquire who in it is worthy, and stay there till you go out. 

And when you go into a household, greet it. 

If the household is worthy, let your peace come upon it. But if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. 

And whoever will not receive you nor hear your words, when you depart from that house or city, shake off the dust from your feet. 

Assuredly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city!

I see two things here.  First Jesus was very specific in telling His disciples not to preach to the Gentiles and the Samaritans.  In today's world Jesus would be accused of being racist, but was he? 

I don't believe so.  He was simply directing His resources to reach God's chosen people first.  He knew God's plan and that was to send Paul to reach the Gentiles later.  There is nothing racist about that just like there is nothing racist about many of the things people today call racist.  The latest one I read is that the material felt is now considered to be racist by some.  :)

But notice the second part.  Even among God's chosen people, Jesus instructed His disciples to withhold their favor from any of God's people who are not supportive of God's mission.  God's favor isn't automatic.  It is earned by following God and doing all you can to support God's mission.   That's is the part that Kumbaya Christians have a hard time understanding.  How could a loving God deny His blessings to anyone? 

I don't know why that is so hard to understand.  As a parent you sometimes withhold your blessings from your kids because they misbehaved.  It doesn't mean you love them any less.  To me it shows that you actually love them more.  You love them enough to discipline them and help correct the error in their ways.  Where do you think we learned that from?  God!!!

Be of good cheer!

As many of you know, one of my foundational Scriptures is Roman 5:3-5.  We are to take joy in our tribulations.  As I have said before, I think taking joy in our tribulations is simply and outward manifestation of our inner faith. 
 

So look at what I noticed in Matthew today.  Words from Jesus.
 

Matthew 9:1-2(NKJV)

So He got into a boat, crossed over, and came to His own city. 

Then behold, they brought to Him a paralytic lying on a bed. When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, be of good cheer; your sins are forgiven you.”

Matthew 9:22(NKJV)

But Jesus turned around, and when He saw her He said, “Be of good cheer, daughter; your faith has made you well.” And the woman was made well from that hour.

Now I realize that the circumstances are a bit different.  Here Jesus is delivering them from a tribulation.  But I just find it interesting the first words he chose to say to both of them is "be of good cheer"!

Never mind faith, what about logic? :)

We are all familiar with this story.

Matthew 8:23-27(NKJV)

Now when He got into a boat, His disciples followed Him. 

And suddenly a great tempest arose on the sea, so that the boat was covered with the waves. But He was asleep. 

Then His disciples came to Him and awoke Him, saying, “Lord, save us! We are perishing!”

But He said to them, “Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?” Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. 

So the men marveled, saying, “Who can this be, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?”

This thought occured to me recently.  Why did they even wake Jesus?  Did they really think God was going to let His son drown? 

"Do not give what is Holy to the dogs;…"

What do you think Jesus meant by this?

Matthew 7:6(NKJV)

“Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces.

Who are the dogs and the swine?  And doesn't it take a judgement to determine that?

Here is my take on it.  We have a couple of competing commands.  We are to share the Gospel with all and yet we aren't to share it with dogs and swine.  I reach that conclusion based on my belief that the Gospel is Holy.  So how do we handle the conflict?

I think we are to share the Gospel with all unless someone makes it clear that they antagonistic towards the Gospel.  In other words they have shown through word and deed that they are enemies of God. 
 

I think essentially Jesus is saying don't waste your time with people who are actively trying to tear down the Gospel and steal other people's faith.  Let God himself deal with those people.

Make sense?