Save the Date! The King's Wedding!

Here we go!

"The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son. He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come.  

Then he sent some more servants and said, 'Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner: My oxen and fattened cattle have been butchered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.'  But they paid no attention and went off—one to his field, another to his business. The rest seized his servants, mistreated them and killed them. The king was enraged. He sent his army and destroyed those murderers and burned their city.  

Then he said to his servants, 'The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come. So go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.'  So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, the bad as well as the good, and the wedding hall was filled with guests.  But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes.

He asked, 'How did you get in here without wedding clothes, friend?'  The man was speechless.      

Then the king told the attendants, 'Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'  For many are invited, but few are chosen.” (Matt. 22:1-14)

This parable comes right after the two parables about the two sons and the landowner. Jesus first addresses His authority with the parable of the two sons. At first, the one son will not heed his father's wishes, but then changes his mind, and goes about his father's business. The second son says the right thing--that he will be obedient--but then he isn't.

Then Jesus ups the ante by talking of a landowner, who leases his property to some tenants who, because they are farmers, seem to be the men for the job. But the tenants refuse to allow the landowner to collect what is rightfully his: the harvest. He sends his son, thinking he will be received respectfully; instead the tenants kill him, trying to steal his inheritance.

Now Jesus goes one step further, and shows upon whom the Kingdom of God will be built. The Kingdom of God is an invitation. No one is forced in; no one is bullied in. No one is shamed in; no one is cajoled in. You are simply invited. Everyone knows what a wedding banquet was like in this 1st century culture! Think of the wedding at Cana, where Jesus performed His first miracle. Dancing, singing, drinking, fine food and joyful fellowship all around, and all because two people are uniting in marriage. Their union is a visible reminder of how God sees us: He wants us to join Him in a lovely union, creature to Creator, with singing, dancing, and a sense of having been invited to something deeply special.

So, this king has prepared a wedding banquet for his son. He sent out the invitation earlier. Now, he sends his servants out to let the invitees know all is ready and to head on down.

But, the original invitees refuse to come. Why? Do they see the occasion as special? Do they respect the king enough to want to be a part of what he is doing? Do they value the king's son enough to make their appearance and support him? They knew this day would come; yet, they refuse.

Perhaps the invitees are not fully aware of how ready the banquet truly is. So, the king sends out some more servants with instructions to be very specific about how ready is ready: The meat is a-steamin' and the ice is clinking in the glasses as the drinks are being poured. Someday is here. Come on down!

But the invitees have more pressing matters--one goes out to his field and one goes over to his place of business.

The day is here already? Yeah, I know the king's son would show up one day, and ask his dad for a wedding party, but not today! I am too busy! Wish him well, but I just can't be bothered.

Then it gets ugly. The rest of the group are not just busy; they harbor murder in their hearts. Why? Their hatred of the king and his son has lain under the surface for a while, and now it comes boiling up in murderous rage.

The king's son, huh? Who does he think he is? What, we're supposed to stop everything and run gushing to him? Hey, we got lives. We got obligations. This king's son expects way too much from us if he thinks that he's so important that we will just drop everything and show up. Besides, you say you are the king's servants...How do we know that? Any losers could just show up in rented costumes and start throwing their weight around, acting as if they're special 'cause they're on some kind of mission. Sorry, boys, but such arrogance deserves a take-down.

Next thing you know, the servants are killed.

The king then takes action. He sends in his army and gives them a right royal rubbing. Their city fares no better.

Everything the invitees had invested in, their fields, their businesses and their arrogance (they were so sure of themselves) is gone. He destroys "those murderers." The king will not be mocked. It was one thing to refuse the invitation. It is another thing entirely to kill the representatives of the king. Simple refusal, while regrettable, is not a capital offense. Refusal based on anger and jealousy that leads to murder, THAT justifies the king's wrath.

So, what to do? The king sends his servants out to gather new invitees... Anyone and everyone is invited. The servants went and brought in the "good and the bad" and the hall echoes with laughter. The king comes in to see his new guests. He notices one person, not attired correctly.

This would imply that the good and the bad managed to go home first, and out of respect to the king and his son, got into their Sunday best. They didn't just show up. They were shocked no doubt to be invited to such a glorious affair. Their shock soon converted to respectful behavior and they arrived, attired in humility and joy.

One guy, though, slipped in. Was he invited like everyone else? Well, he seems to know about the banquet. He shows no respect, gives no honor to the son nor his father, the king.

He doesn't respond to the king's question of how he got in. He is "speechless."

Does this guy think that because the invitation is given far and wide, that it is no big deal? In other words, because the king extended it to "those people"--the sinners, the cast-aways, the failures--why should dressing up matter? It's, well, those people!

He shows no respect for the king, the son, and his guests.

The Kingdom of God is filled with those whom the King invites, and they deserve respect. Not because of who they are, but because of the One to whom they belong.

These new guests walked in humbly into the banquet. They had enough love in their hearts to be considerate of the king who called them, and the son whose wedding they celebrate.

The king already displayed his wrath on those who murdered his servants; he also displays his wrath on those who may accept his invitation, but don't show him or his son the respect they rightly deserve. Just like the son in the parable who mouths his obedience and then doesn't do it, this guy accepted the invitation and then acts as if it is no big deal.

Obviously, the King is God and He extends His invitation to all. He will not tolerate disrespect nor disobedience. God is not a cosmic Santa Claus, jolly and happy to everyone, regardless of what they do or think. This parable reminded the Pharisees and all of us that God is merciful and just.

His mercy swings open the doors to His kingdom, and He invites all near and far to enter and rejoice in Him and His Son.

His justice closes the door on those who reject Him and on those who consider His provision as insignificant.

Jesus, as He tells these parables, is nearing the cross. The banquet His Father will host will serve His Son's body and blood as the meal. Jesus is warning His listeners not to take any of this lightly.

He is telling us, as He nears His return, the same thing: the doors are swinging wide open to all that hear Him and accept His offering of forgiveness and grace. The doors will close to those who chose to ignore or belittle His invitation.

The Grapes of Wrath: The Landowner and His Son

Jesus clearly loved storytelling.  He knew that those who really were seeking would be curious enough to hang out and listen to what He had to say.  Those who were looking for an excuse to dismiss Him or find some phrase or teaching to condemn Him, would listen just long enough and leave.  

Parables are a kind of "sheep versus goats" kind of moment.  So, here we go!

Listen to another parable: There was a landowner who planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a winepress in it and built a watchtower. Then he rented the vineyard to some farmers and moved to another place. When the harvest time approached, he sent his servants to the tenants to collect his fruit. The tenants seized his servants; they beat one, killed another, and stoned a third. Then he sent other servants to them, more than the first time, and the tenants treated them the same way. Last of all, he sent his son to them. ‘They will respect my son,’ he said. But when the tenants saw the son, they said to each other, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him and take his inheritance.’ So they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?’ (Matt. 21:33-40)

Jesus' authority is under fire by the religious leaders. He uses two parables to explore His authority and Who He is.

The first one concerns a father of two sons. (I covered that in a previous blog.)

This second one concerns a vineyard. The landowner, who can do what he pleases with his land, decides to plant a vineyard. Jesus earlier talked of new wine into new wine skins. He will use the wine of Passover to announce the arrival of a new covenant, which is His blood, soon to be shed upon the cross. So, using a vineyard as a place of encounter is not surprising.

The landowner plants the vineyard and then in order to protect his investment, he builds a wall around it. He sets up a watchtower, from which the vineyard can be guarded. It also provides a place to stay.

Now, he could have stayed, but he placed his investment in the hands of the "farmers." He didn't rent it to just anybody; he rented the vineyard to people who knew what they were doing. It would have been irresponsible to do otherwise: The vineyard would have suffered from their ignorance. They would have then feared the return of the owner.

So, from the outside looking in, the landowner hired the right folks for the job. Right?

The gloves come off the day he sends his servants to collect the fruit. Uh-oh.

Remember: He has the right to send anyone whom he chooses to collect his fruit from his vineyard.

The servants come in the name of the landowner to collect what is rightfully his.

The welcome is anything but. The reception is shocking: The servants are met with violence and death.

Why such brutality? Perhaps the tenants were not doing their job. They had the knowledge yes, but they were disobedient. They probably had very little to show for their efforts. The vineyard was not yielding fruit the way it had when the owner left it to them.

What have the tenants been doing? Going out and leaving the vineyard unattended and in disarray? Is the vineyard full of weeds? Are the grapes no longer robust and the wine is lackluster to say the least? Whatever the state of the vineyard was, they are guarding a secret: They have been disobedient tenants.

They would have welcomed the servants and shown them around the vineyard with a sense of satisfaction that it looks much the same as it did when the landowner left, if all had been in order.

Something is wrong.

The landowner, by all rights, could have come storming in and demanded justice for his three servants. But he decided to give the tenants a second chance. This is exceedingly generous.

The next group of servants he sent were treated just as abominably.

The landowner decides to do a curious thing. He will send his son. He believes the tenants will respect his son.

Interesting. Perhaps the angry tenants were responding to these men who showed up in the landowner's name out of mistrust and skepticism.

Who are you and what are you doing here? Right. You represent the landowner. OK, pal, and I represent the Queen of England. You're servants. How can I trust what you say? Where are your credentials? No, your word is not good enough. We were called to take care of this place and we're not handing over the goods to just anyone. The landowner trusts us and gave us dominion over this here vineyard. Yeah, we know it's not ours, but the landowner has been away for awhile. So, we're kind of the owners now, if you think about it.  But if you think we're just gonna hand over the fruit we've labored over, you got another thing comin'. Did I mention Levi here is a blackbelt?

The landowner believes that his son will be seen by the tenants as trustworthy enough to collect what is rightfully his father's.

Wrong. Not only do they seek to kill him right off, but they want to take his inheritance. They want the vineyard all to themselves. If there's no son, then there's no one to leave the vineyard to...The landowner will be forced to leave it in their hands. They don't kill the son in the vineyard. They take him somewhere else. 

How thoughtful.

Hey!  Get a load of that son! All smiles, thinking his daddy will protect him. Ha. He comes in his own name, and thinks we'll just fall into line and hand everything over. Right. But we can't kill him here. We'll drag him out to the back forty and let him have it there. No one will see him. No one will find him. He ain't gonna come back, is he? When the landowner finally shows up--if he ever does--we'll just say we don't know what happened to Sonny Boy. We'll say he never came here. A bunch of  no-nothings  claimed to come in your name, Mr. Landowner, but we made short work of those losers. We'll stick to our story: We did what we did for your sake, Mr. Landowner. 

It was all for you, Sir.

So, at the parable's close, Jesus asks His audience that when the landowner returns, what should be the fate of these tenants? Their response is very telling: 

"'He will bring those wretches to a wretched end,' they replied, 'and he will rent the vineyard to other tenants, who will give him his share of the crop at harvest time.'" 

Reasonable. In other words, their utter irresponsibility takes away their privilege of being tenants, and others shall come in and share in the harvest.

Interesting. We need to give the religious leaders credit for their insight. But intellectual prowess is not what the Kingdom of God is built upon. It is built upon Jesus and His work. Jesus immediately takes their response and focuses the discussion back to its origin: By what authority does Jesus do what He is doing?

He responds: “Have you never read in the Scriptures: 'The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes’? Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit. Anyone who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; anyone on whom it falls will be crushed.”

In other words, the very ones who should know the Christ, because of their vast knowledge of the Word of God, are the very ones who have missed the Son. Sad, but so true: knowledge is not enough. 

A sincere heart that seeks God earnestly is what He rewards.

Now, at this point, the leaders could have engaged in a conversation to pursue truth and see what this Jesus was all about. But, if you are sincere about the truth, you have to be willing to pursue it to where it leads. The truth sought by a seeking heart will lead to Jesus, His work and His divinely appointed authority.

The leaders' reaction illustrates their hearts: "When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard Jesus’ parables, they knew he was talking about them. They looked for a way to arrest him, but they were afraid of the crowd because the people held that he was a prophet."

Whoa. They were not interested in pursuing whether or not Jesus' claims were true. They weren't interested in the Kingdom of God. They wanted him out of the way. Period. They wanted to arrest Him and whisk Him off to some jail, where He would languish and not be heard from ever again.

But the parable speaks a deeper truth: Jesus is claiming to be God's Son. How do the tenants react to the landowner's son? Death.

The leaders' hearts will continue to harden to the point where they will ask the Romans for the death of the Son. The end of Jesus' earthy ministry was coming, and sadly these leaders will, out of jealousy and hatred, be involved in ending it.

But, the Good News is: Fruit will come. The Kingdom of God will come. Salvation in His name will come.

The Bad News: The very Temple that the leaders so cherish will be torn down stone by stone by the Romans who earlier had helped the leaders destroy Jesus. The Romans will turn on the Jews and many of them will be thrown to their deaths from the Temple ramparts in 70 AD.

The Kingdom of God is built on His Son as the foundation, with His sacrifice to be the cornerstone. The vineyard will have new tenants whose hearts will open to truth, to the Truth.

Blessings on you, dear readers, and I wish you a very Happy New Year!  

The Light of the World

I have knocked off my feet for the last few weeks by a very nasty flu (as if there is a benign version of it?). I am now just recovering, and grateful to be back among the living.

I live in Idaho, and in the winter, light is a rare commodity.  The sun sinks low and then disappears all too quickly; the light of day is rather diffused, gray and soft.  There are no sharp shadows or harsh lines between where sunlight falls and where it doesn't--it is truly shades of white gray, dark gray and blue gray.

In church on Sunday, we sang "O, Holy Night" and our pastor emphasized the line, "and the soul felt its worth."  What follows quickly on that line is the breaking of a "new and glorious morn."

O Holy Night!
The stars are brightly shining
It is the night of the dear Savior's birth!
Long lay the world in sin and error pining
Till he appear'd and the soul felt its worth.
A thrill of hope the weary soul rejoices
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn!

In other words, light.  But in order to redeem the dark, He must enter that dark.  Think about it:  He was born in a stable, and did Mary and Joseph have candles?  I doubt it.  The star had to provide the light--in other words, God brought through the doorway to the stable His own light, to illuminate the darkness therein.

All the magi had was the star and its light--for night in a desert is profoundly dark.

All the shepherds had was the light of the angels, dancing above them in joyous abandon.

After that night, more darkness--the babies slaughtered by a demented king, and then the flight into Egypt.  More darkness:  a little family holed up in a pagan land, fearful that any day they might be found.

Finally, He is betrayed at night--by a friend, no less.  Darkness again.

The Father provided no star to pierce the darkness as His Son died on the cross.  It was dark.  But Christ redeemed the dark when His light, the light of overcoming death and breathing anew, chased the darkness away and the stone, shoved to one side, had to let the light of Easter morning reach in and illuminate all it touched.

Christ walked in the darkest of dark:  death, abandonment, pain, agony...words are so helpless here before the enormity of the darkness He experienced.

Yet, He is now bathed in light--the Book of Revelation reminds us of this fact.  The darkness cannot now nor never will, overcome the One Who is truly the Light of the World.  

Even in our darkest winter, where gray and darkness threaten to overcome us, we look and see a new and glorious morn is breaking, all because of that Holy Night.

Merry Christmas, friends.

Hello Sonshine! The Parable of the Two Sons

Let's go! 

"What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work today in the vineyard.’
'I will not,’ he answered, but later he changed his mind and went.
Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing.
He answered, ‘I will, sir,’ but he did not go.
Which of the two did what his father wanted?
'The first,' they answered. Jesus said to them, 'Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him.' (Matt. 21:28-32)

Jesus is having yet another dispute with the Pharisees. He enters the temple courts. He begins to teach the people and then here comes the By What Authority Are You Doing This? crowd. Now, let's stop there and moment and ponder the boys in their linen vestments. Jesus is on their turf, so to speak, and they want to know, “By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?” (Matt. 21:23).  The Temple represents God's dwelling place on Earth. Let's see what their possible motivations are with this question:

1. We are guardians of God's House, here Rabbi Jesus. You come from a hayseed town in Galilee. Where were you trained? Who trained you? We have a reputation to protect and we can't just let anybody set up shop and start teaching.
2. We appreciate your zeal, but we are alarmed at how the people gravitate to you and away from us. WE have been appointed to do God's work. Can you claim the same?
3. You don't look like us or sound like us. You need to fall into line with how we do things around here if you want to teach here.
4. The Romans are always breathing down our necks. If you anger us, that's one thing. Anger them, and we all will pay dearly.

OK, so either the boys are sincerely guarding their turf; they are jealous; they want brand consistency or they're desperate to maintain the status quo. So, how does Jesus respond?

"Jesus answered them, 'I also will ask you one question, and if you tell me the answer, then I also will tell you by what authority I do these things. The baptism of John, from where did it come? From heaven or from man?'
And they discussed it among themselves, saying, 'If we say, "From heaven," he will say to us, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ But if we say, "From man," we are afraid of the crowd, for they all hold that John was a prophet.” (Matt. 21:24-6)

Jesus' rather piercing question is to see what is in their hearts. He wants to expose their motivation in asking Him this question. The question on the surface seems well-intentioned. They seem to take their guardian role very seriously. But do they? In other words, what is the foundation upon which they stand? They claim it's God's holy Word; but is it?

The question takes on epic proportions because it points the debate right back to the Scriptures. The authority of the Messiah's forerunner points to the legitimacy of the One Who comes after. John took on the authority of baptism to prepare the hearts and minds of God's children for the greater One to come:

"In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, 'Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.'
For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said,
'The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
"Prepare the way of the Lord; make his paths straight.’”
Now John wore a garment of camel's hair and a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts
and wild honey. Then Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region about the Jordan were going out to
him, and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins." (Matt. 3:1-6)

John had fulfilled Isaiah's prophecy. "Lord" means "Messiah" (the Anointed One of God) and John is announcing the imminent work of God. Thus, he is a prophet as well as a forerunner. How the Pharisees answer Jesus' question is critical, and they know it. If John spoke the truth, the Pharisees will be held accountable by God for their unbelief in the One Who Has Come. If John spoke falsely, the leaders, while wanting to expose this (and by extension, Jesus) will run the risk of angering the crowd. The crowd sees him as a prophet.

So, Jesus is demanding that they reevaluate their position in the light of the Scriptures. They have studied the Old Testament to the last detail. Does John fulfill the criteria of a prophet?
Instead of going directly to the Word, they decline to respond. They are not even willing to debate the matter. But, if they look to the Word (which they claim to stand on) they would see it being fulfilled right before their very eyes.

Earlier, Jesus rode into Jerusalem upon a donkey, thus fulfilling Isaiah's and Zechariah's messianic prophecies. In fact, the reports of His ministry show that messianic prophecies are being continuously fulfilled and the Pharisees know it.

Jesus is deliberately placing the Scriptures front and center. The criteria for the Messiah is clearly delineated; thus, any discussion as to Jesus' claim should be an exploration of the Word.  

The Pharisees' response? Either we debate the Scriptures with this hayseed from Nazareth and risked looking stupid--he seems to really know his stuff--or we tick off the crowd, who seems to be at a fevered pitch of excitement and support for him.

Sadly, they take the worse tactic possible: "We do not know." (Matt. 21:27) The easy way out, to be sure, but the most telling: they are in the presence of Someone that they cannot understand. But: They equally choose not to pursue the truth in order to understand. They reject the very foundation they claim to represent: the Scriptures. In fact, Jesus says in another place to them, "You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me; and you are unwilling to come to Me so that you may have life." (John 5:39-40)

Jesus, seeing their unwillingness to pursue the truth, responds, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things." (v. 27)  Sadly, no one has ever been won to the Kingdom through argument alone. If one is willing to pursue the truth to wherever it may lead, and be willing to risk having to leave behind one's preconceptions, the Scriptures should be the only arena of discussion. Jesus' method was to always point back to the Word to validate His ministry. Why do we think we can improve on His method?

Jesus will teach on two sons and a landowner. Jesus has entered Jerusalem triumphantly. He is now in the Temple (the Pharisees' ultimate turf) and He is being grilled by them as to His authority to do and to teach what He does. Jesus uses a lot of father/sons parables. If He is willing to call the Almighty, "Father," then He needs to show what that means. His parables are perfect for that, for everyone can relate to family stories. 

The father in this parable gently commands his first son to go to work. Vineyards take a lot of work; as any farmer will tell you, there is always something to do.  The first son is unwilling to be initially obedient. He is honest in his response, but as a son, it is a disappointing response. This is not just any employer; it is his father that he is saying "No" to.

So, the son's response reverberates deeper. Why did he tell his father, "I will not"? He didn't say that he was unable to do the work, or that he is too busy to do it or that he is too good for such labor; he says he won't do it. It is his choice not to do it.

Why do we choose to disobey God? Does this son feel that he can't please his father? That whatever he does will not pass muster? The fact that the father asked him in the first place indicates that the father has confidence in his abilities. Otherwise, the father could go out and hire workers. But, the father gives his son the job: for the father trusts the son, even if the son is unsure of his abilities.
So, the first son, having giving it some thought, changes his mind. Why?

Dad asked me to do the work today. He didn't indicate he was going to show me what to do; he trusts that I know what to do. He trusts that I know enough to do well enough. His vineyard is important to him; he trusts me to go in and work. Wow. I sort of thought he didn't even consider me worthy enough to go out there and do what needs to be done. But he does. I don't want to let him down. I'll go!

Away he goes. Perhaps the father knew that as well--the son's lack of confidence would initially stop him from going, but with a little love shown his way, his son would perk up and go.
The father asks the next son. This son sounds eager and obedient, but his heart is neither. He complies, but then will not go.

Dad asked me to work today. How come? I don't like all that dirt. The bugs drive me nuts, swarming around my head. The sun is hot and I get tired. Isn't being his son good enough? There are workers out there he could hire. I am not just any 'ol worker--I am his son. I sure wish he'd treat me like one. I get certain privileges as his son, and I don't see getting dirt under my fingernails as one of them. So, yeah, I said yes, but why do it? I am a son, not a servant; even if my father forgets, I don't!

Of course, the question is answered correctly by the Pharisees--the first son is the one who did what his father wanted. The son's actions portray his heart. The Pharisees must be happily associating themselves with this first son.

We obey, Rabbi Jesus. OK, we may grumble here and there, but at least we get out and do the work.

Jesus quickly interrupts their reverie by unpacking the parable for them. John the Baptist was clearly chosen as the Messiah's forerunner, to show the people the "way of righteousness." The very bottom of society--the ones who think they are not worthy to go into the vineyard--are going in. Why? They changed their minds. They caught a glimpse of the truth that they are the sons and daughters of God, and that is why he invited them in. Not because of what they have done, but because of who they are.  

The society labels them "sinners."

The Father labels them "sons and daughters." 

These folks took hold of John's words and saw Jesus as the Lamb Who takes away the sins of the world. They came to be baptized by John. They were willing to have their sins cleansed and then enter into a new way of seeing themselves. They went into the vineyard because of their Father's invitation. The Kingdom of God is a place for sons and daughters, and the people's willingness to enter in show their willingness to see themselves as God sees them.

Wow! Now, to the next son, who really sports the attitude of the Pharisees. They outwardly act like sons, but are not willing to see what the Father is really doing. They think they have God figured out; they have boiled the relationship down to rules and regulations. The Pharisees didn't see the people flocking to John as Heaven's gates swinging wide open, but as an affront to their neat and orderly way of serving God. But, God's way was right in front of their eyes. They refused to see this.

Their way didn't include sinners walking in forgiveness and freedom. Their way wouldn't have showered the status of sons and daughters upon such low-lifes...that title was reserved for those He favored, which, of course, meant the Pharisees. 

Let's look at the blueprint of God's Kingdom, found in Isaiah 61:1-2. (Incidentally, Jesus read this very scripture to inaugurate His ministry):

The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me,
Because the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the afflicted;
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to captives and freedom to prisoners;
to proclaim the favorable year of the LORD
And the day of vengeance of our God;
to comfort all who mourn, to grant those who mourn in Zion,
giving them a garland instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness instead of mourning,
The mantle of praise instead of a spirit of fainting.
So they will be called oaks of righteousness,
the planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified.…

Sons listen to their Father. Sons obey out of a sincere heart. Daughters enter His presence with joy and thanksgiving. They serve because of love. They may feel unworthy at first, but they changed their minds. Why? It is the Lord's kindness that leads us to repentance. No one ever entered the Kingdom by rules and regulations...a lesson the Pharisees had yet to learn.

HEY YOU! Me? YES, YOU! The Pharisee and the Tax Collector

 Here we go!

Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’

But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’

I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted. (Luke 18:9-14)

The parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector is an especially powerful one, because sometimes we are the Pharisee, and sometimes, we are the Tax Collector.

What do I mean by that? Luke gives a quick preface to this parable: "To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable..."

Haven't we occupied, at one time or another, both roles?

For example... Today, the my Pharisee mode is in full swing:

I walk out of the door of my nice house, climb into my nice car and buzz down the road, to my nice office. On my way to work, I see some guy standing out in front of a stoplight with the cardboard sign of woe: homeless, moneyless, out-of-work-less and I think (in my heart, of course), "Clueless. I am not giving you dime one. Why can't you be like me and get a job?"

I drive to work. I walk into the office and notice my fellow worker's desk: all askew with sticky notes multiplying on monitors like mold in a cabin shower. I say (in my heart, of course) "Why can't she be like me? My desk is organized. That's why she can never find anything and is always asking me for things."

I head to lunch and notice the heavily-tatted young woman behind the counter. I order my food and notice that she moves at a glacial speed to fill my order. I'm thinking (in my heart, of course) "You're going nowhere sister, with all those tats. Why didn't you spend your money on education, so you don't have to work such a dead-end job? I bet you have screaming kids and your take-home pay won't even take you home."

So...We have our Pharisee mode. We feel so better. We feel so blessed. We go forth with a critical heart for those who don't measure up to our standards; we have contempt and wish those folks could just be like us. Then their problems would go away and they could be, well, like us.

We don't just have a standard; we are the standard.

Some days, we go forth in the Tax Collector mode:

I walk out of my apartment, and head for the stoplight. It's degrading but with all of the money I owe the court, begging seems to work. Yeah, I get a lot of flak--jeers, sneers and an occasionally rock or bottle thrown my way. But I do get an occasional smile. If you had asked me two years ago if I'd be standing by a stoplight, begging for money, I would have laughed. A lot can happen in two years. Yeah, I get it. I should get a job, right, lady, sneering at me in her nice car?

I sit down at my desk, with my husband's angry words still ringing in my ears. I forgot about picking up the kids at Grandma's last night. The boss always has some last minute must-do he places on my desk, causing me to walk out each day a little later. The sticky notes are numerous because my work gets broadsided by my boss. Trying to find a new job would take too much time. With my husband's job always on the brink of being outsourced, I have to work this job. Options dwindle while the sticky notes pile up. Why must my co-worker stare at me every time she passes by my desk?

We drop the toddlers off at Mom's; am I pregnant again? I was careful this time. I can't afford to lose this burger job. I am so tired today; Ben was up all night screaming, and Toby seemed to be feverish. I hate this job; I hate being away from the boys. Am I pregnant again? Nate and I were careful...Why is that customer sneering at me? I know I'm slow...

The Pharisee looked around, and measured his goodness by himself. He wasn't a robber, an evildoer, an adulterer, or even like that tax collector over there. He may have gone to the temple to pray, but it turned quickly into a Personal Praise Session, with whom he loves the most at the center. I love the little detail Jesus throws in: the Pharisee stands by himself. He doesn't brush elbows with the average Joes standing in the temple.

He stands by himself, and for himself.

The Pharisee is in his nice world, all sparkly and good. He doesn't know or even care to know the stories of his fellow human beings. He is the standard, and everyone needs to man-up and be like him. He rolls out his righteous deeds as if God needs to be reminded. He probably is not praying quietly; I am sure his "prayer" is a rather loud recitation of his goodness.

Notice the brevity of his prayer. No thanking God for His blessings, His love or for His provision. You might, in the movie version of this, hear "I Did It My Way" playing in the background. He mentions God once, and himself four times. This ratio shows his heart.

The tax collector stood "at a distance." Hmmm...Was he close enough to hear the Pharisee's prayer? Or did the Pharisee pray loud enough to for the tax collector to hear him?

Either way, the Pharisee's words would have reinforced what the tax collector already knows: He is a loser. He isn't even worth the powder to blow himself up with.

The tax collector will not look up to heaven. His heart is weighed down with the burden of his own inadequacy. He knows, according to everyone's scornful looks--with the Pharisee happily weighing in--that he is a loser. He rolls this out to God by saying he desperately needs His mercy, for he is a "sinner."

He mentions God once and mentions himself twice. God can work with this kind of ratio.

Why? Because God wants us to humbly acknowledge our need for Him.

Jesus puts a coda on this parable by saying that "I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

Some days we are the Pharisee, comfy and cozy in our superiority, and seeing God as a divine Master Card, all too willing to meet our needs because of our goodness.

Some days we are the tax collector, so weighed down in our shame and blame that we dare not look up to heaven.

While the tax collector is certainly closer to God in admitting his need, he is also forgetting one important fact: He is a child of the King. "For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, 'Abba! Father!' The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God…" (Rom. 8:14-16)

The tax collector can be akin to the Prodigal Son. He can return home with a repentant heart, and the Father is eagerly awaiting him. But, what if he just stands there, humble but unwilling to embrace the Father? Jesus points out that humility swings wide the gates of Heaven. His humility "justified" or made him right with God. Now what?

God wants our fellowship, so with humility comes community. God wants us to join Him in His work on this planet. Standing there, beating our breasts and crying out that we are sinners is a start, not a finish. He wants to justify us to set us free to do what He has commissioned us to do: win the tax collectors and Pharisees to the Kingdom of God.

The Pharisee is equally a child of the King.

He is akin to the Prodigal Son's older brother. He is so focused on doing good for God, that he has forgotten God and is angry that he needs to remind Him of his works.

Both are equally precious to God. Both can work for the Kingdom.

One needs to humble himself and realize his works should come from his love for God. Pride must be put aside. He needs to bow before God, asking for God's forgiveness. He must now walk as the son that he is. One needs to realize how deeply God loves him. He needs to rise up and accept God's forgiveness. He must now walk as the son that he is. The coldness of this world needs the light of His love.

My pride and my abasement will slam a bushel over His light in me. I must seek His forgiveness and walk as His child.  He died to make this possible.

My "goodness" and my sin were equally nailed to His cross.

He, because of the cross, offers me a crown.

Show Me the Money! The Rich Man and the Beggar (II)

We last left the poor beggar winging his way to heaven, where he now resides, at Abraham's side.  Abraham is the father of the Jewish nation.  Abraham, a pagan, heard God's voice.  He followed in faith and it was "credited to him as righteousness."  He became the founder of the Jewish people, and he stands tall in the Hall of Faith.

So, a beggar, unnoticed in life, is given an honored place with Abraham after his death.  Jesus doesn't add any more detail here--being seated next to Abraham is enough.

Jesus immediately switches to the rich man.  He dies and goes to his reward:  Hell.

No sugarcoating here:  a man who lived for himself, whose money was his god, and whose life was spent in material pursuits, finds a different set of values in the afterlife.  As Jesus explains in another passage: "But Jesus called them to Himself and said, 'You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them. It is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave…" (Matt. 20:26)

The Kingdom of God is a reflection of God's rule, on Earth as well as in Heaven.  So, if you want to be a leader, you must lead with love.  If you desire to be first, you must allow others to go before you.

This is the Kingdom way.

This is His way.

Why?  His way is an antidote to our pride, which needs little encouragement.  Our sinful nature is all too ready to jump in, demand more and have the best of everything.

Sounds like our rich man, huh?

So, our rich man, now residing in hell, sees Lazarus far away, next to Abraham.

Now, the rich man calls out:  "Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire."

Hmmm...interesting.  A man who could not have been bothered to relieve suffering in his lifetime, now requests relief for his suffering.

"But Abraham replied, 'Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony."  

The afterlife is real.  Judgment is real.  God's ways are real.  You lived, Mr. Rich Man, as if all of this was untrue, or simply didn't apply to people like you.  Wrong.   

Dead wrong:  "And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment, so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him." (Heb. 9:27)

Abraham also reminds Mr. Rich Man that an uncrossable chasm separates Hell from Heaven.

Then the rich man, suddenly realizing the finality of all this, says, “Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my family, for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment."

Interesting.  Mr. Rich Man didn't even notice nor care about Lazarus when he had a chance; why would his brothers?  Would they take Lazarus seriously?

Lazarus who?  Oh right.  You came back from the dead, huh?  Is this a new ruse to get us to give you more money?  Hell and Heaven are real?  Yeah.  Yeah.  We know, but we've got too much going on.  Sorry, gotta go, Mr. Lizard, or whatever your name is.  My broker's on the phone... 

Abraham  goes on to suggest that they have "Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them."  Remember who has a front row seat to this parable?  The Pharisees and religious leaders.  They probably perked up at this point.

You bet we have Moses and the Prophets.  We stand on that foundation with pride and knowledge.  We are educated.  This puts you, Rabbi Jesus from Nazareth, at odds with us.  What are your credentials?  Who appointed you to waltz in and start teaching the masses about God?  We do that.  We are qualified to do that.  You, while you might be sincere, you are sincerely wrong.  The people need us.  Not some storyteller from Galilee.  What we do in our off-hours is none of your business.  We lead and they follow.  It is as simple as that. 

Jesus knew their hearts.  Jesus knew how they pursued worldly wealth and the status it brought.  How they wanted to be first in line, revered and respected, and if they let slip a sneering look at the unwashed masses, so be it.  The masses deserved it.

So, the parable ends on a rather pointed note.  The rich man responds, "'No, father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’  He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’”

This must have caused the Pharisees to startle a little bit.  The murderous rage they nursed in their hearts towards Jesus was still probably only thinking at this point.  But Jesus knew all too well where this jealous thinking would lead them: to collude with the Roman government and seek His death.  

The ironic thing here is, despite the admirable knowledge the Pharisees possessed, they missed a fundamental element:  Moses and the Prophets spoke of Jesus.  He pointed this out to them:  "Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me...And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life...Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father: there is one that accuseth you, even Moses, in whom ye trust.  For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me; for he wrote of me.  But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe my words?" (John 5:39-40; 45-7).  

So, they missed the boat on seeing how the scriptures point to the Messiah, and how that very Messiah was standing right in front of them.  

But Abraham in our parable has quite the response to the rich man:  "And he said unto him, 'If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.'"  

So, turning this parable around, could you argue that Jesus is Lazarus?  He is poor, lowly, not of high status and He lingers at the gates, waiting for those who think they have it all to come and acknowledge Him.  They don't listen to His words.  They continue to "dine" in their pride and arrogant knowledge of who God is, and all the while, they ignore the Beggar at the gate.  

This Beggar will rise from the dead.  

He will rise for the dead.  Death will lose it sting.

He will rise to the dead.  He will rise to bring eternal life to those who seek Him with heart and soul. 

But these dead, sneering at Him while He finishes His story, are not listening.  

Show Me the Money! The Rich Man and the Beggar (I)

Let's dive in!

There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores.

The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.’

But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been set in place, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.’

He answered, ‘Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my family, for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’

Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.’

‘No, Father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’

He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’ (Luke 16:19-31)

If we get a little uncomfortable about money, especially when Jesus is teaching about it, good. It's always good to ponder what bothers us; perhaps we have a stone that needs to be turned over and looked under.

Jesus has just finished teaching the parable of the "shrewd manager" in Luke 16. Jesus then boils down the argument to its essence: Who are you going to serve? You cannot have "two masters." A master demands undivided loyalty; how can you divide your loyalty and serve wholeheartedly? One master will get the short end of the stick.

Notice Jesus says "master" in Luke 16:13? Not "friends," nor "families" nor "neighbors." He says, “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.” [emphasis not in the original]

Wow. In the Kingdom of God, you are a servant. Jesus saw Himself that way, and His followers. He washed the feet of the disciples at Passover, which surprised them no end. The host of the Passover washed the hands of his guests; servants washed the feet. He modeled what this Kingdom servant looks like by doing both.

So, if you are a servant, who is your Master? God Himself, right? Well, the ones listening to Jesus, the Pharisees, are characterized by Luke as loving money. Their divided loyalty was manifested on their faces--as they listened, they "were sneering at Jesus." Jesus, Who had an irritating habit of cutting straight to the chase for those who needed it the most, saw into their hearts and knew of the the two, money and God, which One was not getting the Pharisees' undivided loyalty.

He goes on to remind them that in the Kingdom, what is valued by men carries no weight, and actually is "detestable in God's sight" (Luke 16:15). God's economy is so different and Jesus is embodying that difference every day in who He touches and teaches.

Before Jesus launches into His rather famous parable, about a rich man and poor guy named Lazarus, He makes a few more comments: “The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John. Since that time, the good news of the kingdom of God is being preached, and everyone is forcing their way into it. It is easier for heaven and earth to disappear than for the least stroke of a pen to drop out of the Law. Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery, and the man who marries a divorced woman commits adultery" (Luke 16:18)

Jesus is putting the religious leaders on notice. "The Law and the Prophets" is the Old Covenant, outlined in the Jewish people's holy writings. But John's ministry is a demarcation, from Old Covenant to the New Covenant, as now represented by Jesus' teaching. This new Kingdom is so appealing that people are wanting to get in on it now!

Jesus is, however, not preaching spiritual anarchy. The Old Covenant isn't be tossed onto the scrap heap of history. It has its place, for it shows how God's Chosen are to act.

So, adultery is still adultery in this New Covenant, and by extension, all of the commandments will still reflect the Divine design of things. But, and here is an important point: Jesus is showing how the Law and the Prophets, in the hands of the religious leaders, has been drained of its vitality, with no love and no life. That is why the doors of the Kingdom are being busted down by eager people, desperate to feel that they are truly loved by God.

So, what have the religious leaders failed to do? Sure, Jesus could lecture them as to their many shortcoming in the service of His Father, but He chooses chooses rather to tell a story.

So, Jesus uses, as his subjects, a rich man and a beggar. 

Hmmm. It's a subtle message, but a powerful one. I am sure that a few of the Pharisees caught the essence of this story, while a few others just stood there, flummoxed by what they saw as Jesus' deliberate obtuseness.

So, let's see where this story takes us. Remember, Jesus has already made the point about money being a master to many and how it is incompatible with serving God. The Law and the Prophets are still in effect in terms of how God expects His children to act. So, with these two trains of thought, let's get on board.

Two men, two very different lives. The rich man isn't mildly rich...he is RICH. His garments are colored purple, which comes from a very expensive dye, and his linen is "fine." Every day, this man is livin' large.

Everyone knows who this rich guy is and where he lives. How could you not know with someone dressed like this?

Some folks have the brilliant idea of laying a poor beggar, Lazarus, at the rich man's gate. Good move. This rich man has more than enough to give. He has been richly blessed, and the Law and the Prophets teach that those who have must give generously to those who have not. The rich man probably doesn't just walk down the street. He is probably carried in a sedan chair to his various engagements. So, in his comings and goings, he might not even notice this lone beggar on a street corner. To insure that Lazarus gets noticed, his friends/comrades/family place him at the gate, so when the rich guy leaves his abode, he can't help but notice him.

Problem #1: The rich guy doesn't seem to be on the vanguard of philanthropic ventures. The poor have to be brought to him. He doesn't seem to make the rounds and help the poor.

Next, we see Lazarus at the gate, "covered in sores." Malnutrition and deprivation have worked their damage on this poor guy. His hope? He longs to eat what falls to the floor from the rich man's table. He's not even begging outright when the man is dining. He's just hoping that when the floor is swept and the garbage is put outside the gate, he'll be the first to get the scraps. But in his weakened state, he will have to compete with the dogs. He is so weak that they lick his sores. He doesn't seem to have the strength to get away from them, and their licking makes his degradation all the more poignant.

This can only end one way: the beggar dies.

So, this man, this beggar, forgotten on earth especially by those who could afford to care for him, gets a beautiful angelic escort to heaven. He is not forgotten after all. Heaven is all too aware of his suffering. In fact, the overflow of the blessings bestowed on the rich man should have been used to relieve his and others' suffering. Heaven gives so we may give. 

The rich man couldn't be bothered.

Problem #2: The rich man's attitude was not in harmony with the Law and the Prophets. Blessings, especially material, were seen as coming directly from God's hands. Sadly, many took the inverse to be true: If you aren't blessed by God, then you've done something wrong and offended Him. So, you get what you deserve. Right? 

No, Jesus is showing another interpretation: You, with your cup overflowing, are God's hands and feet to a hurting world.

OK, let's review. Line up, Pharisees.

Problem #1: You don't seem to be on the vanguard of philanthropic ventures. You scorn the poor, the needy, the sinners. Do you seek the poor out? Or do you stay behind your self-righteous gate, and even when the poor are brought to you, you ignore them? You are too busy basking in your blessings, thanking God for noticing your wonderful adherence to His law and rewarding you accordingly. Do you even consider that your wealth is not an end in itself, but a means to bless others? Probably not.

Problem #2: Attitude check. OK, you don't seem inclined to spread the love around. You have been blessed by God, but now you love the money more than Giver. You use your wealth to separate you away from the rest of society; you sport a country club mentality with your abundance. You claim to be God's representatives, yet walk right by the Lazaruses all around you.

I can hear you thinking, "How do you know that, Jesus of Nazareth?"

These are the very people who come to hear Me speak, and you are not subtle in the least with your sneering, scornful looks, towards them or Me.

 
Next time, we will follow the rich man, who goes the way of the buffalo...