Matthew 20
13 “But he answered one of them, ‘I am not being unfair to you, friend. Didn’t you agree to work for a denarius? 14 Take your pay and go. I want to give the one who was hired last the same as I gave you. 15 Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?’
16 “So the last will be first, and the first will be last.”
There are many time when I let the world shape my views on expectations or my "wants". I need to learn to be content with what God has blessed me with keeping the above in mind.
Matthew 21
18 Early in the morning, as Jesus was on his way back to the city, he was hungry. 19 Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. Then he said to it, “May you never bear fruit again!” Immediately the tree withered.
20 When the disciples saw this, they were amazed. “How did the fig tree wither so quickly?” they asked.
21 Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done. 22 If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”
I wonder why the story of Jesus cursing the fig tree is followed by having faith to move mountains... There are very few instances in the bible where Jesus seems mad and I wonder why he cursed the fig tree. Though I do not understand what Jesus was thinking, I think it is safe to pray that I be fruitful so that I will not be cursed. I think John says that unfruitful branches are cut off and burned. So I need to be fruitful and encourage others to be fruitful as well.
chapter 20
ReplyDeletewe have such a tendency to think our work and our money is ours, when it is purely God's generosity. our hearts so quickly take for granted the grace we've been given and refuse it to others. we question God. it isn't fair, his workers said. this is only when we see things through our own perspective of what is good for us, instead of how Good God is (he rescued those workers from idleness at the end of the day and gave them good work to do and a wage for it. is that not something to celebrate?! does it matter if we worked longer for the same wage? why are we working? is it for a wage alone?)
at the end of chapter 20 jesus heals two blind men, who loudly cried out for mercy. he was deeply moved. instantly he healed them. and they could see.
if ONLY he would/could opened the eyes of his foolish disciples so easily and permanently. i can't BELIEVE how this chapter ends!!!!!!! i am angry. and heartbroken. and yet jesus was patient and persistent.
he was about to die. it was the end. they were approaching jerusalem. he was explaining how he would be betrayed, tortured, and die. he had taken his disciples aside to seriously talk to them. WHEN what do you think? but james and john's momma comes up and says "promise they can sit at the highest places of honor in your kingdom." are you kidding? how many times in the last few days has he had to tell them, that's not even remotely what this thing is all about??? he wants humble people. people who will serve and sacrifice. before answering their mother he asks them if they are "capable" of drinking the cup he's about to drink and they say "sure!" are they just dumb?? he JUST told them minutes before what road he was on, what was in his cup, death betrayal torture. GOD LET US LISTEN AND UNDERSTAND! LET US STOP SEEKING OUR OWN GAIN! MOVE US BY THE MAGNATUDE OF YOUR SACRIFICE AND HOW LITTLE IS REALLY EXPECTED OF US! WE ARE SO FOOLISH TO THINK WE CAN DRINK OF YOUR CUP. IT IS A BITTER CUP. BUT YOU HAVE SHARED WITH US YOUR GLORY EVEN THOUGH WE ARE SO STUPID AND UNGRATEFUL. so then this starts a riot where they are all (The Disciples!) fighting about who's on top and jesus has to break up this ridiculous fight when he was trying to tell them about the sad sad immediate future. they lost their tempers and their focus but he was patient. settled them down and said "You've observed how godless rulers throw their weight around, how quickly a little power goes to their heads. It's not going to be that way with you. Whoever wants to be great must become a servant. Whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave. That is what the Son of Man has done: He came to serve, not be served—and then to give away his life in exchange for the many who are held hostage."
chapter 21
ReplyDeleteuhhhh, was jesus riding on the donkey and colt at the same time???
he wasn't ashamed to be worshiped. even though earlier he made points to tell people not to spread who he was. when they called him King, Lord, Savior, God's Son, he did not flinch or refute this. Because He Was/Is/Forever Will Be GOD! not just a great prophet or a good man.
it angered him that there was no room for the cripples and blind to enter the temple for healing and prayer because the business of buying/selling "forgiveness" had pushed out those who really knew how much they needed God.
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God has had me read several different verses about moving mountains and faith over the last month. besides CONSTANTLY reminding me to be still and let the Lord do the fighting, this concept of extravagant power-filled faith is the next most repeated subject from God to me personally in this season of my life. am i not listening? am i not learning? am i not believing??
you know in reading this tonight, it's the VERY FIRST time i've understood that the parable about the 2 sons is saying that transformation of the heart is the key. i always thought to myself when reading this "i'd be p-o-ed with Both of my sons, but thanks for the parable anyways, jesus." but i was getting it wrong. the reason the first son did what was right, was not because of What he did, but because he allowed his stubborn willfulness (which we are all subject to) to be rejected and is mind to be transformed so that he would become a son of action and more importantly obedience. God! may i be willing to admit how i really feel about things and the willing to let you change me because i know i am nothing without you, not obedient, not good, not strong. crooks and whores are going to precede the pious into heaven.