Surrender Daily: 2011

Monday, September 26, 2011

Are You A "Judger" (John 7:53-8:11)

My wife and I have this little poking fun jab we do with each other. Whenever one of us is being judgmental or sanctimonious, the other will form the letter “J” out of his/her thumb and index finger and call the other person a “Judger.” It is our emotion-friendly way of letting the other know that they are steering dangerously close to the land of hypocrisy. Ironically, to pull the “Judger” sign like that requires a little “judging” itself – which both of us realize – but the silliness of it breaks the tension just enough for both of us to return to a more realistic view of the situation.

The oldest and, in the opinion of many scholars, most reliable manuscripts available do not contain John 7:53-8:11. However, most scholars will agree that the events that are recounted in that section of scripture most likely did occur. More importantly, they contain a valuable lesson about the importance of avoiding hypocrisy and judging others.

The Pharisees were as sanctimonious as they come. Thy made it their pleasure in life to judge others, although they made little to no effort at judging themselves. They had already judged Jesus in their hearts, although by the power of God the Father Jesus himself had the authority to judge all men. The problem for the Pharisees is that Jesus had become immensely popular with the people and his teachings were threatening their power base. In their thinking, the only way they were going to be able to stop him would be to turn the people against him. As a result, they were pulling out all the stops to trap Jesus any way they could in order to do precisely that.

Jesus was known for his compassion. He had fed the masses, healed the lame, and he given sight to the blind. In their minds, he had even compromised the law for the sake of compassion. After all, it was Jesus’ healing of the lame man at the Pool of Bethesda on the Sabbath that had finally set the Pharisees against him for the purpose of taking his life.

On the morning of the 8^th day after the start of the Feast of Booths – a day that was no officially a part of the Feast of Booths but was still considered a day of celebration and feasting – Jesus was once again teaching in the temple. The Bible tells us that a large crowd of people came to hear him teach. Perhaps the events of the previous day – when he stood up during the Water Libation Ceremony and claimed to be able to provide the living water to all who believed in him – had drawn a larger than normal crowd.

While he was teaching, the scribes and Pharisees joined the crowd, dragging a woman with them that they claimed had been caught red-handed in the act of adultery. There was no question that the woman was guilty of sin. The law demanded death by stoning for such an act of immorality but in reality it had probably been a very long time since that sentence had truly been carried out. Would Jesus have compassion on her or judge her? If he tried to stone her, that would be the end of his ministry and he would have perhaps gone to a Roman prison for murder. If he let her get away with her act of adultery, they would be able to accuse him of not keeping the law. How shrewd they must have thought themselves to be. Jesus was in a pickle for sure. As they presented this woman to him, they said, “Now in the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?”

Personally, I’m surprised that Jesus didn’t just say something like “Oh, you precious little ones… you think yourselves so wise and yet you are such foolish children!” Of course, that is what I would have said, which would likely have been cause in itself for the “J” fingers – after all, I sit here judging the Pharisees for their hypocrisy! Jesus did not do that.

Of course their plan truly was flawed in so many ways. First and foremost, one has to ask the question how this woman was caught. How were the leaders so lucky as to catch a woman in adultery at this specific point in time? Was she set up? Entrapped?

Second and more importantly, where was the man in this scenario? As usual, the Pharisees had twisted the relevant law to their own benefit. The law did not say that “such women” were to be stoned. The law actually said that both the man and the woman were to be stoned (see Lev 20:10 and Deut 22:22). Where was the man? Wasn’t the woman caught in the act? If so, wasn’t the man also caught? The man had not been dragged into the temple court to be stoned. If a stoning was to take place, it should be according to scripture – both the man and the woman should be accused.

Finally, scripture was very clear about the manner in which the stoning was to take place. The two were to be dragged out of the city (see Deut 22:24) so that the city would be rid of their impurity. Instead, they dragged the woman right into the courtyard of the temple – defiling the temple with her uncleanness.

As usual, Jesus was the epitome of cool. As they ranted and raved over the woman’s indiscretions, Jesus merely knelt down and was casually drawing in the dirt. When I think on this, I am reminded of my days playing little league baseball. As I became bored with practice (or sometime even at games), I would often kneel down and play in the dirt. It would make my coach so angry! I have no doubt this seeming act of disinterest angered the Pharisees as well. But in the midst of their rantings Jesus stood up and, as he so often did, answered their charges. He said “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” And then he knelt back down and continued writing in the dirt.

The first to throw a stone? Who should be the first? Deuteronomy 17:17 said that the one who witnessed the sin should be the first to cast the first stone. Scripture is silent on this matter, but I suspect there was no actual witnesses present. In my imagination, I envision that the Pharisees entrapped this woman by convincing someone to have relations with her. He probably reported the success so that they could drag her into public shame. Her accuser was probably not even present. Obviously, I don’t know if this is true, but clearly no one stepped forward to be the first to cast a stone. In addition to the high probability that none of them were witnesses to this indiscretion, none among them were without their own indiscretions either. The Bible says that all have sinned and that the wages of sin is death. We all ultimately deserve death because of our sinfulness and the Pharisees were no exception to that universal truth. One by one, beginning with the eldest, they simply turned and walked away.

Have you ever wondered what Jesus was writing in the sand? No one knows, although many have guessed that he was writing things that reminded them of their own indiscretions. If that is the case, can you imagine what they were thinking? How could he know that? He wasn’t there when that happened! Oh man, I thought I had hidden that! Many have suggested that Jesus was writing down the sins of those who had brought up charges against this woman. Maybe they had also committed sins that were subject to stoning. As best as I can tell from the law, there were 16 different types of sin that demanded stoning. Some of them, such as being an obstinate and disobedient child, could probably apply to all of us. Ultimately, all sin leads to death, which is why all men need a savior – and why none of us should take upon ourselves the mantle of “Judger.”

Perhaps Jesus really did write the names of their sins in the sand, but I am more apt to think that instead of calling out their sins generically he may have written subtle hints into the sand indicating that he knew their most secret sins. It would be too easy for me to ignore the word “disobedient to parents” written in sand and justify that it did not apply to me. However, if something were written that reminded me of a very specific incident in my life, the guilt would be overwhelming. In essence, I think Jesus was holding up the big “J” and saying “Judger!” – except that he did it in a much more sanctified (and more effective) way than we do it in our house!

As a result, all of the accusers left the scene, leaving only Jesus, the woman, and a large crowd of spectators - oh yeah, how could we forget about the large crowd who were there to hear Jesus teach? Can you imagine? You could probably hear a pin drop as the crowd waited breathlessly to see what Jesus would do next. Would he condemn her still? He had forgiven sinners before – what would he do?

Ironically, in dragging this woman to the feet of Jesus the Pharisees had intended evil; but like Joseph’s brothers who sold him into slavery, God meant it for good. After all, what better thing could you do for someone who is lost in sin but to bring them to Jesus? Like the Pharisees, we tend to judge. We all deserve to have the big “J” shown to us. We look at the sinfulness of those around us and we judge them for it. Judging others makes us feel better about ourselves, so we are often as self-righteous, condemning, and sanctimonious as the hypocrites who dragged that poor woman into the temple courtyard. Lest we forget, 1 Timothy 4:1 (among other scriptures) tells us that Jesus is the one who is to judge both the living and the dead. Likewise, we shouldn’t forget (or rather ignore) our own sinfulness the way the Pharisees did. Jesus previously addressed this in that famous Sermon on the Mount when he said “how can you say to your brother ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is a log in your own eye?” (Matt 7:4)

Instead of being like the accusing Pharisees, we should forego whatever condemning and judgmental thoughts we may have about the sinfulness of those around us. They unintentionally did the best thing they could have for this woman – that is, to bring her to Jesus. We should be absolutely intentional about bringing them to Jesus. Only when they face Jesus can they then face their own sinfulness, which is precisely what happened to this woman.

Jesus looked at her and said, “Go, and sin no more.”

God is a God of grace, but he still must address the sin. He is willing to forgive, but we must also be willing to repent. The Pharisees could have repented of their hypocrisy, their hatred, and whatever other sin was keeping them from seeing the truth in Jesus’ teachings. Instead, they walked away in the shame they intended for this woman. At the end of the day, the condemned, sinful woman walked away clean – and the Pharisees were the ones who were judged.

Saturday, September 24, 2011

ARE YOU THIRSTY? (John 7)

Imagine the scene. It is a festive atmosphere in ancient Jerusalem. Thousands upon thousands of people have flooded into the city in celebration of the Festival of Booths. This festival, which lasted 7 days, commemorated God’s provision for the Israelites during the time that they wandered in the desert living in tents (or booths). All the inhabitants and visitors to Jerusalem would celebrate the festival events in home made “booths” constructed either in the streets or on the roofs of houses and other buildings in Jerusalem. Included in those celebrations was a daily feast and celebration that occurred nightly while all of Jerusalem was lit from above as four great bowls of fire were raised on each of the four corners of the Temple Mount. These bowls of fire celebrated the pillar of fire by night and smoke by day in which Yahweh led the people of Israel through the desert. It also commemorated the light of God in the midst of the darkness of the world – which at that time the Israelites understood to mean the Nation of Israel itself.

As part of the festival ceremonies, the priests would march out of the temple each day, exit the Temple Mount through the Southern Gate – or Water Gate – proceed down the southern slopes of the City of David to the Pool of Siloam, where they would collect water in a golden pitcher to take back up to the temple to pour over the alter in a Water Libation Ceremony. This ceremony was, in part, to commemorate the water that God provided for the Israelites in the desert. This water, often miraculously provided by Yahweh, gave life to the Israelites who might otherwise have died without it. It was, therefore, the water of life or “living water.” The Water Libation Ceremony was also symbolic of and in anticipation of the time foretold in Ezekiel 47 when the Messiah would set up his Kingdom in Jerusalem. At that time, this same living water would flow out of the temple, out the Eastern Gate, down to the Dead Sea, where it would bring life back to that forsaken valley. The Water Libation ceremony was therefore a celebration of the living water – the water that brings life – a water that can only come from God.

The Pool of Siloam, where the Priests got the water for this ceremony, was significant to the Jews and their concept of salvation. The waters of the Pool of Siloam came from the Spring of Gihon, east of Jerusalem, which King Hezekiah redirected into Jerusalem. This spring is presumed to be the waters from which all the Kings, including King David, were anointed – bringing upon them the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. As a result, the pool became associated with the prophecies by Isaiah, Joel, and others who all promised the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon all peoples. Additionally, based upon Isaiah 12:3, which says “you shall draw water from the wells of salvation”, the Pool of Siloam became known as the “well of salvation.” Water from the Pool of Siloam was by all accounts considered to be “living water.” As a result, the Pool of Siloam and the Water Libation Ceremony – especially during the Second Temple period of New Testament times – became associated with spiritual purification, the coming of the Messiah, and the pouring out of the Holy Spirit on all peoples at his coming.

It is in this context that Jesus had been daily teaching in the temple. This in itself was something of an enigma to those present. Jesus was a wanted man – a religious criminal. He had a price on his head and the religious leaders wanted him dead. He had broken the Sabbath earlier that year by committing the most dastardly of deeds – he healed a crippled man. As he spoke, those around him would whisper among themselves “Is this not the man whom they seek to kill?” Several had approached him to arrest him on these heinous charges. They wanted to kill him then. None, however, could approach him with any other purpose except to be completely astounded at his words. “No one ever spoke like this!” they would say to each other.

Then, on the 7^th and greatest day of the ceremony, perhaps at the conclusion of the Water Libation Ceremony, as water poured freely from the alter onto the floor of the temple, Jesus stands up and boldly proclaims these words:

“If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me as the scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living waters.’”

It was not the first time he had made such a statement. The last time he was in Jerusalem, he had returned to his home in Galilee through the land of the unclean Samaritans and spoke similar words to a low-life loser of a Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well. That encounter resulted in an entire town coming to repentance and faith in his teaching. He had also said similar words recently in Galilee. After feeding 5000 men plus women and children with nothing more than a “Lunchable,” he then shocked the crowd with some pretty scary words about eating his flesh and drinking his blood. What kind of madman was this? But he had promised that those who did this would never hunger or thirst.

This time, however, he was interrupting a very important religious ceremony and speaking to the most righteous of the righteous. Imagine if you were right in the middle of your Easter cantata and a known criminal stood up in the congregation and started preaching. I’m thinking the ushers might have something to say about that.

The implications of Jesus’ words were not lost on those who heard. They were familiar with the messianic words of Isaiah 55:1 which said “Come, come to the waters, everyone who thirsts…” The most learned among them were probably also familiar with the Proverb (Proverb 18:4) that said “The words of a man’s mouth are deep waters; and the fountain of wisdom is a bubbling brook.” And living water? Everyone present knew that living water meant salvation – and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on all men just as promised by the prophet Joel (Joel 2:28) – and to make matters worse, the prophet John, who had only recently been beheaded by Herod, had already told the masses that Jesus would be the one to baptize them with the Holy Spirit – and with fire!

Furthermore, they knew he was not speaking of physical thirst. They knew he was talking about righteousness and spiritual cleansing. Most of them probably had heard about – if not actually heard themselves – the sermon he preached where he said “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied!” This must have infuriated the priests. How dare this criminal, this man who ate with sinners, who spoke with low life Samaritan women, who regularly blasphemed (or so they thought) by claiming equality with God, speak to them about being righteous. They were righteous. They kept the law. On what authority was he making such bold claims?

There was no question what this madman was saying. The Water Libation Ceremony, Isaiah’s well of salvation, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit – this rabble-rouser was offering the fulfillment of these promises. Jesus was claiming nothing less than the title of Messiah – the Holy one of God!

As is always the case when Jesus reveals his true identity to people, those who heard were divided. Some acknowledged that he was, indeed, the Messiah and placed their faith in him. Those who did so received eternal life – for as Jesus told the Pharisee Nicodemus, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

Others rejected him outright. Some were even hostile to his words. After all, scripture was clear that the Messiah would come from Bethlehem, not Galilee (or Nazareth his hometown). Had they stopped to ask, they might come to realize that Jesus was, in fact, from Bethlehem – of the House and lineage of King David, no less. Unfortunately for them, they were too incensed to look into such detail. This Jesus\ had to be stopped – at all costs! A confrontation was coming and this faker would come to his demise – or so they determined – and so they plotted. Little did they know that they were playing right into his hands, so that all scripture might be fulfilled and his words of eternal life could be accomplished.

What about you? Do you hunger and thirst for righteousness? Said differently – do you desire to be clean? Do you desire to be right before a Holy God? Are you ready to stop trying to BE good and let the blood of Jesus Christ make you good? Only Jesus can quench the thirst. Only Jesus can wash away the filth of who we are in our sinfulness. Believe in him, for “Everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Joel 2:32, Acts 2:21, and Romans 10:13).

Monday, August 22, 2011

Do You Love God?

Do you love God?

Of course you do, right? We all love God, do we not? Well, maybe not all of us, but certainly in our American culture most of us would at least claim that we love God wouldn’t we? Deuteronomy 6:5 says that we are to love the Lord our God with all of our heart, soul, and strength. This command is an important part of the Jewish Shema (Shema is the Hebrew word for “hear,” which is the beginning of Deuteronomy 6:4 – “Hear O Israel…”) and represents Israel’s commitment to Yahweh. However, in Matthew 22:34-28, Jesus identified this as the most important command of scripture – effectively providing the means by which we accomplish not only the first of the ten commandments – You shall not have any other god’s before me – but all of the other commandments as well. Exactly what does it mean, though, to love God with all of our heart, soul, and strength.

You might be surprised to find out that it may not mean exactly what you think. First and foremost, the first of the three items is the heart. It comes first and therefore holds the pre-imminent place in this command. In American culture, we think of the heart as the seat of emotions and desires. The implication, therefore, is that our emotions and desires should be leading the way in our love for God. That, however, would be inaccurate. In Jewish – particularly ancient Jewish – culture, the heart was not the seat of the emotions. Instead, the heart was the seat of the will and the intellect. The original readers of Deuteronomy 6:5, therefore, would have understood that first and foremost our love for God is an act of the will and an act of the mind. We choose to love (and obey and follow) God. It is first and foremost a matter of volition, not a matter of emotion. Joshua emphasized this same point in Joshua 24:15 when he said to choose whom you would serve. In Jewish culture, the heart was more than just the will, it was also the conscious mind. To love God with our hearts, then, meant not only to choose God, but also to get to know him intellectually. Of course, we can never really know an infinite and holy God because we are finite and sinful. However, one of the primary ways we can demonstrate our love for God is by consciously and actively studying and learning about him – growing in knowledge and understanding of him like Peter suggests in 2 Peter 3:18.

What role, then, do our emotions play? Certainly we can be very emotional when we worship – and shouldn’t we be? The answer, of course, is that yes we should. In fact, whereas the American culture equates the heart with emotions and desires, the Jewish culture actually equated the soul with one’s emotions and desires. Therefore, although not the pre-imminent place in this particular commandment, Deuteronomy 6:5 clearly intends for you and I to love God with our emotions and desires. In what way, though? Emotions are tricky. Sometimes my emotions feel like loving God, but honestly sometimes they do not. How can I love God with my emotions when I cannot even trust my emotions from one minute to the next. The answer comes when we differentiate the reactive aspects of our emotions with the proactive aspects of our emotions. Although as a Christian who has self-control as part of his/her fruit of the Spirit, we should always be able to control our actions, but from moment to moment, it is unlikely than any of us can always control what we feel. That is the reactive component of our emotions. The proactive component of our emotions, however, is always under our control as it represents our deepest and most intense desires. We should – at all times and in all ways – desire God. We should desire the things of God – to know his truth and to experience his will on earth, which is how Jesus taught us to pray. We should desire the presence of God in our lives. Psalm 42:1 and Psalm 63:1 both speak of our soul longing for God as if we were desperate for a drink of water. We should desire to be like God – not in an idolatrous, sinful way the way that Lucifer did and the way we do every time we choose our own will over the will of God - but a deep desire to grow and be transformed into the image of Jesus Christ – who himself was the earthly representation of God (Col 1:19; Hebrews 1:3). To this we have been commanded – Be Holy for I am Holy (1 Peter 4:16). To love the lord our God with all our soul is to desire him above all else.

If we do these things, what else is left? Wouldn’t our entire lives be consumed with God? Probably, but is that necessarily a bad thing? Nothing we do in our lives could not be done or experienced better if it were done or experienced from the perspective of God. Of course if we do these things, what else is left? What does it mean, therefore, to love God with all of our strength? The Hebrew literally means with the exceeding abundance. In other words – with everything and anything else you may have left. If there is any doubt that loving God with all our heart and soul does not capture every aspect of our being and every breath of life we have, we have this final element to remove that doubt. In fact, the apostle John actually tells us in 1 John 2:15 that to the extent we bear any love for the world (the world system and the things in it, not the people of the world), then clearly we have no love for God (i.e., the love of the Father is not in us). As overwhelming as it may seem in the self-centered, materialistic, post-modern culture in which we are immersed on a daily basis, there is literally no aspect of our life that should not be viewed, experienced, or even performed unless it is done through the perspective of Almighty God. That is why Paul says in Colossians that we are to do everything for the glory of God (Col 3:17, 23-24).

So, the question must be asked again… do you love God?

Monday, April 11, 2011

The Narrow and Wide Gates

In Matthew 7:13-14, Jesus is beginning to bring his Sermon on the Mount to a close. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus takes the time to re-establish the true meaning of how a believer is to apply the Old Testament law in his/her life and how that should affect his/her relationship with God and with others. As he brings the sermon to a close, however, the tone changes dramatically. Jesus now begins to provide a few crucial warnings to his disciples. The first is a warning to be sure that his disciples stay on the straight and narrow road. The path that Jesus desires for his disciples begins through entry in a narrow gate. That gate is none other than Jesus himself, which he declares in John 10:7. This gate is not just narrow, it is exclusive. Jesus says in John 14:6 that he is THE way, THE truth, and THE life and that he is the ONLY way to the Father. The warning is a stern one, because in contrast to the narrow gate, the road leading to destruction is broad, its gate is wide, and there are many people on it. A number of theologians argue that there is no hell or that hell will be sparsely populated. Most recently, there has been uproar in the media over a book published by popular evangelical pastor Rob Bell that supposedly questions the existence of hell. The argument that such doubters provide is that a loving God would never send so many people into destruction. Indeed, Rob Bell reportedly makes the pronouncement that “Good news, Love Wins” (Love Wins is the name of his book). As a result, either God will honor the faithful effort of all religions, will provide post-mortem opportunities for repentance, or will simply forgive our sinfulness on the basis of Jesus’ work without the requirement of faith. Jesus, who is God incarnate, says exactly the opposite in these verses. The way to destruction that Jesus speaks of is none other than the way to hell and he is very clear that not only is it the easy path, but that many people will be on it.

By contrast, path leading to life is not only narrow, but it is also difficult. Although Jesus just finished promising that God will provide the basic needs for all of his children, he now counters that with a reminder that the way of life will be hard. Too many “easy grace” evangelists attempt to “sell” Christianity as something that will solve all of their problems. Certainly, Christianity solves the most important problem that all humans have – the penalty of sin. However, there are no promises that Christianity will result in an easy life. In fact, this verse is only one of several places where Jesus teaches clearly that the Christian life will be anything but easy. A narrow road would be difficult to follow simply because it is narrow, but Jesus says this particular narrow road is especially difficult. Paul echoes this in Romans 8:17 when he says that we must suffer with Christ in order to be glorified with Christ. This is a warning, therefore, not to embark upon the journey lightly. However, it should not dissuade a true believer from embarking on the journey. The way does, after all, lead to life. Furthermore, while Jesus tells his disciples in John 16:33 that they will have difficulty in the world, he also reminds them that he has overcome the world. Most importantly, Jesus promised his disciples in Matthew 28 that he would always be with them on the journey. A Christian can be assured, therefore, that even though the journey will be difficult, Jesus will be there to help us overcome those difficulties and carry us to the end. As Paul says in Philippians 1:6 “I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”

Friday, April 8, 2011

A Discussion on Matthew 7

In my Greek Class this week, I was translating and studying the first 6 verses of Matthew 7. Verse 3 says "Why do you see the speck in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log in your own eye."

It is natural for humans to see the error in the lives of others while being blind to the error of their own ways. Matthew Henry tells us that this is due to the fact that the devil blinds us to our own faults (Henry, public domain). That tendency to see faults in others while ignoring one’s own faults can lead to a judgmental attitude. In his book on the Sermon on the Mount, D.A. Carson uses the example of the Prophet Nathan’s confrontation of King David to make this point (Carson, 109-110). David clearly saw the error in the parable that Nathan told and was angered by the injustice to the point of taking action against the offender. However, he was blind to the fact that he was the man who had done the offending. In this verse, Jesus uses hyperbole to make the same point, asking why the disciples are looking for the small speck (literally a speck of sawdust or a small splinter) in another person’s eye when there is a log (literally a plank of wood or beam) in their own eye. There may have possibly been an element of humor involved in this analogy as one imagines the ludicrous prospect of a log stuck in a person’s eye. As is generally the case with hyperbole, however, the point was painfully clear. Every person has faults, but Jesus is speaking here to the person who is “looking for” the faults of others. The Greek, "blepo", in this case is most likely referring to looking out for or paying attention to rather than simply seeing. Rather than seeking out the fault of others, Christians should be painfully aware of their own sinfulness before God. When a person’s focus is always on the faults of others, they cannot see their own sinfulness. Carson says “the more I reflect on this passage, the more I find I am self-condemned” (Carson, 111).

The prior verse, verse 2, tells us that with the measure of judgement we have towards others, we will be judged the same. The danger of being judgmental towards others is that the same measure of condemnation one has towards the world, God will apply in kind. This is very similar to the quid pro quo treatment that Jesus discussed about showing mercy in the Beatitudes of chapter 5 and about showing forgiveness to others in chapter 6. Paul echoed this sentiment in Romans 2:1, reminding us that we who judge do the very same things as those we judge. Jesus is clearly teaching that God wants his disciples to view and approach others with the same level of love, affection, and concern that God had with them when they were still sinners – not in justifying or facilitating their sinfulness, but in showing them that God has provided forgiveness. Rather than judge the world in its sinful state, God chose to send his Son Jesus to provide a means of grace and mercy (Romans 5:8). Jesus’ disciples are to have the same attitude. As Carson points out, this does not mean that Christians are to pretend as if sin does not exist (Carson, 108). Indeed, Verse 5 demonstrates that the opposite is true - but only after we have dealt with our own sin. There are times where Christians are to take notice of and, under certain conditions, act when confronted with sin. Eventually, God himself will judge the world for its sinfulness, but his desire is that all men everywhere repent - and be reconciled. The disciple’s responsibility is to encourage others towards repentance, which cannot be done with a self-righteous, judgmental attitude.

Thursday, March 24, 2011

Matthew 6:19-24 Thoughts About Greed

The focus and thrust of this section of the Sermon on the Mount is about maintaining a proper priority on those things that we value and treasure. It is not without design that a number of the previous passages spoke of receiving a “reward” in heaven (Matthew 6:1, 4, 6, and 18). When we think of the words reward, value, and treasure, we automatically think of monetary worth – either money itself or “things” that either have monetary worth or bring us status that reflects monetary worth. There is an American proverb that says “The one who dies with the most toys wins” (unknown). This sentiment is most iconically portrayed in the recent movie “Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps” when the main character says “…I once said, ‘Greed is Good.’ Now it seems that it’s legal because everyone is drinking the same Kool-Aid.”

Jesus is telling us in this passage that worldly, material treasures are only fleeting pleasures that can be taken from us at any time. Jesus’ example of moth larvae eating fabrics and rust destroying material goods spoke directly to a culture that had little defense against such forces of nature. Today, while we have greater defense against these specific forces of nature, over time all things still deteriorate. There are other forces – both natural and man-made – that ultimate bring all material goods to ruin. The stock market crash of 2008, the subsequent bank failures, and the resulting economic downturn all serve as a reminder that there is ultimately no place where our earthly treasures are safe.

Furthermore, Jesus says that what is not destroyed by natural or economic forces is subject to be taken away by thieves. A few years ago, I myself fell victim to a so-called Christian who was a scam artist that stole tens of thousands of dollars from me and cost me more than a hundred thousand dollars in lost property value. Within the past year, I have had two close friends whose homes were burglarized. Their concern was not for the televisions, DVDs, and stereos which could all be replaced by insurance. In both cases, their concern was for Grandmother’s jewelry – an earthly treasure with such sentimental value that insurance could never replace its true worth. When we place our value in such things, we can only come to grief because ultimately they are all temporary.

Having such things is not in itself bad. It is really only a problem when we “treasure” such things. In verse 21, Jesus tells us that whatever we truly value is where we place our heart. If we place our value in monetary things, our heart will be on those monetary things and we are unable to love the Lord our God with all our heart (Matthew 22:37). When we set our eyes on those things, our focus and our worth becomes on those things and we are full of darkness (see verse 23). This is essentially greed. Recently, one of my wife’s friends gave her a plaque that says “The Best Things in Life Are Not Things.” This is what Jesus was trying to say in this passage. The previous sections of Matthew 6 that all speak about ways in which the Father rewards his children are instructive to us about how to store up treasures in heaven. Our treasures in heaven are those things for which the Father rewards us – those things which have eternal, rather than temporary, earthly value. We are to set our eyes on things that bring heavenly reward – this is how our eyes remain healthy (verse 22).

Despite what the movie may say, greed is not good. As Jesus points out in verse 24, worldly wealth can enslave us if we set our hearts upon it – and it is simply not possible to be a servant to God when we are a slave to wealth. For many years, my eyes were dark and I was a very materialistic person. I truly had to humble myself before God and place him as my first heart-priority before I broke that addition of greed and materialism, but today I can honestly say that while “things” are always nice, they certainly aren’t the “best things in life” and they do not hold the mastery over me that they once did.