Tax Collectors and Prostitutes

“Truly I tell you the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you.” Matthew 21:31

Faith is the center point of our religion. To trust is Jesus is what we believe and what we proclaim. “For by grace are you saved, through faith…” Paul says in Ephesians 2:8. John declares, “For God so loved the world that He gave His Son so that whoever believes in Him will have eternal life.” But true faith produces true fruit. As James reminds us, “faith without works is dead” (James 4:17).

Matthew tells the story of the religious leaders, once again, attacking Jesus and questioning His authority (Matthew 21:23-32). This story gives an outline for true faith.

True faith begins with an authentic assessment of who we are and how we need Jesus. The religious people who challenge Jesus cannot even think of answering his question honestly. They just think about how other people will respond to their answer. They cannot admit who they really are. We are often in the same place. We cannot admit we really need Jesus, so we cannot find true faith.

Jesus tells them a story with an obvious point. Two sons, one says he won’t work for his father but then decides he will, the other says he will work for his father but he never does. Which one really does what his father wants? It’s what you do that demonstrates your faith. We are not saved by faith as Ephesians 2 reminds us but we are saved for “good works” as verse 10 also says. When we really trust Jesus, we do what he says.

One of the things that Jesus calls us to do is to follow Him to the homes of the “tax collectors and prostitutes.” Jesus was friend to these people, his critics saying of him, “The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners’” (Matthew 11:19). If we have real faith we will follow Jesus in reaching out in friendship and ministry to people that the religious people tell us to avoid.

Love in Christ,

Greg

Are You Envious because I am Generous?

“Or are you envious because I am generous? So the last will be first, and the first will be last.” Matthew 20:15-16

Jesus tells the story of the amazing grace of God. In this case, he tells the story of a landowner who pays the workers hired late in the day the same wage – a full day’s pay – as he pays the workers who worked all day. God is like that landowner. Extravagant in His grace.

God’s grace meets our deepest need. As the landowner made sure that each worker had what he really needed, God shows His favor to us. “For by grace you are saved through faith…” Ephesians 2:8. “…and the peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds…” Philippians 4:7. “We have this hope as an anchor…” Hebrews 6:19. “We love because He loved us first.” 1 John 4:19. Salvation, peace, hope and love are ours because of God’s grace.

God’s grace reaches the truly needy. Those laborers who worked only a short time could not get hired early in the day. No one wanted them. We may recognize ourselves in that place, not really valuable or appreciate. But God still wants you! As Paul tells the Corinthians, “Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise…” 1 Corinthians 1:26-27.

“The last will be first..” The kingdom of God will turn the ways of the world upside down. The world says “look after yourself” but God says, “seek first God’s kingdom and righteousness.” God’s ways may seem quite different than your instincts. But in Jesus, God is bringing new creation, born in love and full of hope. God’s amazing grace.

Love in Christ,

Greg

Seventy-Seven Times

Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?” Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.”

Matthew 18:21-22

How often should we forgive? Peter suggested a generous number: seven. Jesus said that was insufficient. He suggested seventy-seven or as some interpreters read it, “seventy times seven.” Everyone agrees that Jesus was not suggesting a literal limit on the number of times. Jesus was saying that there is no limit on forgiveness when you are a follower of Jesus.

Jesus follows this up with the parable of the servant who is forgiven a massive unpayable debt and then proceeds to refuse to forgive a small debt owed to him. When the master to whom he owed the large debt finds out about this, he reinstates the debt and has the unforgiving servant thrown in prison. Then Jesus says that God will treat us the same way if we do not forgive our sisters and brothers.

God forgives. That is God’s character, love and mercy and forgiveness. But God cannot forgive an unforgiving heart. When we insist on holding onto our grievances, God’s life is not in us. That life cannot get into a heart that is locked up with refusal to forgive.

Forgiveness does not mean that you must continue to put yourself into situations that will harm or abuse you. Forgiveness does not mean that you have to reconcile, because reconciliation is not up to one person. But forgiveness does mean that we must let go of any desire for revenge against those who have wronged us. The heart of Jesus does not seek payback. The heart of Jesus longs to see oppressors and abusers become people of love and mercy themselves.

Love in Christ,

Greg

If Two of You on Earth Agree about Anything…

“Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven.”  Matthew 18:19

Life is about negotiation. Kids learn at a very early age that they can get what they want from their parents through crying or pleading or being cute. Our lives often consist of making compromises so that we can live with some degree of comfort while at the same time accommodating others.

So maybe it isn’t so surprising that people do not always agree. In fact, the world seems to be a place where even God’s people don’t often agree.

Jesus did not mean to suggest that His disciples could agree to ask God for anything they wanted, like new houses or cars and they could have it. He was suggesting something deeper. The kind of faith that produces a prayer that God will answer is not superficial. It is the faith of a life, and of a church, surrendered completely to the will of God. With that kind of faith, God’s people will agree to see God’s will be done, and God will answer that prayer.

We can’t negotiate with God. We must give God all or walk away on our own. The life of faith is a life completely guided by Jesus, by the commandments to love God with all your life and to love your neighbor as yourself. There is no compromise faith. God has all of us or God lets us go our own way.

Love in Christ,

Greg