Matthew 25:14-30 The Three Servants

If we're not careful with parables, we can end up where we weren't intending to go.  For example, I can remember talking with some people about this parable and admonishing the two faithful servants for being so reckless with their master's money, because investing in ventures with 100% returns certainly indicates they were taking on high risks!  (That's the ex-banker in me)  But Jesus was using simple math, probably for simple people not trained in finance.

My commentary did a much better job:  "Each servant in this parable was given money according to his ABILITY ... We have been assigned our ministries according to the abilities and gifts God has given us.  It is our privilege to serve the Lord and multiply His goods."

"The unfaithful servant hid his talent in the earth.  Instead of using his opportunities, he buried them!  He did not purposefully do evil.  But by doing nothing, he was committing sin and robbing his Lord of service and increase."

What does that say to each of us about our involvement (or lack thereof) in ministries of our own churches?  By not participating, we may be just like the servant who buried his master's money.  God assigns us our ministries, and according to our abilities, which He placed within us and fully knows, much better than even we do.  We must trust Him.  

Father, show me what You would have me to do.

 

Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford

Matthew 25:1-13 He IS Coming Soon

My commentary began:  "The church has known for 2,000 years that Jesus is coming again, and yet many believers have become lethargic and drowsy.  They are no longer excited about the soon-coming of the Lord.  As a result, there is little effective witness given that the Lord is returning."  That fairly well describes the bridesmaids in the parable who hadn't bothered to keep their oil lamps filled.  Their duty was to wait and be ready, but they also got lethargic and complacent, probably thinking that it wouldn't happen that night.  Without their lamp burning, they weren't taken to the wedding feast.

We agree on once saved, always saved, yet my commentary did have a cautionary note:  ".... the foolish girls who had no oil suggests that not every professing Christian will enter heaven, for some really have not trusted Jesus Christ sincerely.  Without the Spirit of God and the Word of God, there can be no true salvation."

Father, thank You for reminding me that there is no time for complacency and lethargy in telling others about Christ, particularly those I love.

 

Your Brother In Christ,
Gary For

Matthew 24:45-51 Jesus' Words for Us

My commentary says that these verses apply to the present church age, not to the Jewish nation, because "in this section, the emphasis is on the Lord delaying His return," since that is what He's doing now -- delaying his return.

"In this section, He describes inward attitudes," it said, not outward events.  "While everyone who has trusted Jesus Christ as Savior is going to heaven, not every believer is ready to meet the Lord."

When Christians are judged by Jesus in Heaven, it will not be our sins that are judged, because those have already been judged on the cross.  "But He will judge our works and will give rewards to those who have earned them."  Here He judges obedient vs disobedient servants.  In Galatians and Ephesians, God's people on earth are called a household, and "God has put servants over each household to feed the members ... The purpose of spiritual leadership is that the leaders feed the people, not that the people feed the leaders! ... It is a serious thing to be a pastor or other officer in a local church.  We must take care that our motives are right and that we serve Christ and His people in love ... The servant's task is not to be popular, but to be obedient.  He must feed the family the food that it needs, when it needs it."

"If the spiritual leaders is obediently doing his job when the Lord returns, he shall be rewarded.  But if that leader is not doing his job when the Lord returns, he will be dealt with in a severe way ... The whole picture is one of pain and loss.  This does not suggest punitive measures at the judgment seat of Christ, because there we will have glorified bodies.  But it does suggest loss of reward and loss of opportunity."  

"What caused this servant's downfall?  Something went wrong in his heart ... He mistreated his fellow servants.  Whenever God's servants cannot work together, it is often because somebody has forgotten that the Lord will return ... That should motivate us to be faithful and loving."

Father, please help me to serve where You want and to serve as You taught us.  Remind me often that service requires great responsibility.

 

Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford

Matthew 24:15-44 The Middle and End of the Tribulation

Jesus packs a lot of information into these verses, drawing together things Daniel was shown centuries before and actually spanning a large part of Israel's history.  There's mention of seventy weeks, but my commentary said the Hebrew word for week means "a week of years" or 70 years, and also seventy sevens, meaning 490 years:

1)  "During 7 weeks (49 years) the city of Jerusalem would be rebuilt and worship reestablished.  (That happened in the Old Testament).

2)  After 63 weeks (434 years) Messiah would come to Jerusalem and die for the sins of the world.  That totals 483 years.  

3)  The prince will make an agreement with the Jews for one week (seven years) to protect them from their enemies.  (483 + 7 = 490)

The decree to rebuild Jerusalem was given in 445 BC by Cyrus ... There were exactly 482 prophetic years (of 360 days each) between the giving of the decree and the day that Jesus rode into Jerusalem as the King."

The remaining week of seven years was to take place after Jerusalem was destroyed (in 70 AD) and rebuilt.  (From Daniel 9:26)  "The prince that shall come is a name for the Antichrist and at some future date he will make his covenant with Israel and come to the city to permit them to rebuild the temple.  That's  when the final seven years will begin, according to my commentary.

Jesus goes on to talk about the middle and end of the Great Tribulation, which Christians now living will not have to endure, most Bible scholars say.

Father, I'm glad that You pursued me and save me by the sacrifice of Your Son, so that I won't have to worry about any of this ... Help those I love to also accept His sacrifice and join us with You there.

 

Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford

Matthew 24:1-14 Jesus Begins To Discuss The Tribulation

The questions the disciples had asked Jesus about the destruction of the Temple showed that "the atmosphere of this discourse is Jewish... concerning the Jewish people.  The full truth about the rapture of the church had not yet been revealed, for it was a mystery," my commentary began.  

Jesus began discussing in this chapter tribulation events -- the church is taken out, then a time of peace and safety, then the suffering.  Then He will return.

In these verses, He lets us know what the beginning of the tribulation will be like.  It includes religious deception where the Antichrist will make a protection agreement that will be welcomed by Israel.

There will still be wars, as there always have been.  My commentary indicates that it's almost assuring us of the normality of war -- that the time of peace doesn't mean there won't be war.

Famine will skyrocket food costs.  Deaths in increasing natural disasters will be notable, including epidemics.

Christians will face increasing persecution, including deaths, and all nations will be involved, not just a few -- something that hasn't happened before.

Lack of loyalty and lawlessness will reach such a level that law enforcement agencies will not be able to keep the peace.

The 144,000 Jewish evangelists from Revelation 7 will carry the gospel to the ends of the earth.  But my commentary specifically stated, "This verse does not teach that the gospel of God's grace must be spread to every nation today before Jesus can return for the church.  It is the Lord's return at the end of the age that is in view here.

Father, these events are hard to imagine, but the increase in lawlessness we've seen in our own country the past two years sure let's us know it's possible.  Protect us, and help us to bring others into Your fold.

 

Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford

Matthew 23:37-39 Hard Truth And Ridiculous Grace

"Jesus spoke these words of lamentation as a sincere expressions of His love for Jerusalem, and His grief over the many opportunities for salvation that they had passed by," my commentary said.  "God could not force His salvation on the people; neither could He change the consequences of their stubborn rejection."

How incredibly sad it must have been to offer them so much and all they had to do was accept it and conform their lives to God!  Yet people today are just as blinded to the truth and react in the same manner, as if their very life and liberty would be taken away if they did!  Jesus was heartbroken for His own people, who would not accept Him as their Savior and Messiah.

Father, I marvel at Your patience and goodness, and as Tauren Wells puts it, "hard truth and ridiculous grace," combined to become Your love for us!  Thank You for pursuing me until I finally understood and gave in!  Do that for those I love as well, Father!

 

Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford

Matthew 23:13-36 They Weren't Clean On The Inside

My commentary said Jesus did not lose His temper and He wasn't bitterly angry in these verses.  He was angry at the Pharisees' sins and what they were doing to people.  But His attitude was one of painful sorrow that the Pharisees were blinded to God's truth and to their own sins.

Some things it noted:

"It's bad enough when you keep yourself out of the kingdom, but worse when you stand in the way of others."

"Instead of mourning over their own sins and mourning with needy widows, the Pharisees took advantage of people in order to rob them."

"Jesus called them children of the devil -- people who rejected God's way of salvation (righteousness through faith in Christ)."

"They were blind to the true values of life.  Their priorities were confused ... They were not seeking for the righteousness of God; they were greedy for gain.  They worked out a religious system that permitted them to rob God and others and still maintain their reputations."

"The Pharisees majored on the minors.  They had rules for every minute area of life, while at the same time they forgot about the important things."

"The Pharisees were careful to keep the outside very clean because that was the part that men would see, and they wanted the praise of men.  But God sees the heart."

"The Pharisees were liars and murderers."

How very different from Jesus they were.  I want to be like You, Jesus!

 

Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford

Matthew 23:1-12 What Was Wrong With The Pharisees

Jesus explained to the common people what was so wrong with most Pharisees and the way they viewed their religion.  According to my commentary:

1)  "They had a false concept of righteousness -- They had assumed an authority not their own.  They had seated themselves in Moses' seat ... There is no record in Scripture that God assigned any authority to this group ... Jesus told the people they were not to obey the traditions and the man-made rules of the Pharisees ... To the Pharisee, righteousness meant outward conformity... They ignored the inward condition of the heart.

2)  They had a false concept of ministry -- To them, ministry meant handing down laws to the people and adding to their burdens ... The Pharisees commanded, but they did not participate.  They were hypercritical religious dictators, not spiritual leaders.

3)  They had a false concept of greatness -- To them, success meant recognition by men and praise from men.  They were not concerned about the approval of God ... They thought that position and titles of honor were a mark of greatness."

1 Peter 5:6 says that if we exalt ourselves, God will humble us.  But if we humble ourselves, in due time God will exalt us.

Father, keep me humble, and keep me serving You.  Don't let me get my priorities mixed up.

 

Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford

Matthew 22:41-46 A Personal Question

"Jesus had to take an indirect approach with His enemies.  He made this sound like another theological question, when in reality it was the most important personal question they would ever face," my commentary began.

"Whose Son is the Messiah?" Jesus asked.  "They knew the answer:  He is the Son of David.'  Once they had given this answer, He asked a second question .... quoting from Psalm 110:1 -- 'The Lord [Jehovah] said unto my Lord [Adonai], 'Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.'"

They knew this referred to Messiah.  "Only the Messiah could sit at the right hand of Jehovah God ... Nobody dared to question the accuracy or the authority of the text.  'If Messiah is David's Son, then how could Messiah also be David's Lord?'  There is only one answer to this question.  As God, Messiah is David's Lord; as man, He is David's Son.  He is both 'the root and the offspring of David' (Rev. 22:16).  Psalm 110:1 teaches the deity and humanity of Messiah.  He is David's Lord and He is David's Son."

Jewish scholars couldn't get their arms around this.  They wondered if there were two Messiahs.  And how could God's servant suffer and die?  (Guess they forgot about the prophets they'd killed.)  They couldn't put together human and divine.  "They dared not ask Jesus any more questions, not because they had believed the truth, but because they were afraid of the truth.  They didn't have courage to believe the truth and act on it.  We dare not make the same mistake today."  

So..... who do you say that Jesus is?

 

Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford

Matthew 22:34-40 An Ethical Question

The Pharisees were likely overjoyed with the way Jesus embarrassed the Sadducees, their enemies, even though they wanted to kill Him, too.  One Pharisee, though, showed respect for Jesus and asked Him a question:  "Which is the greatest commandment?"  Jewish scribes had been debating this for centuries, my commentary said.

Jesus answered, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind ... And the second command is like the first:  'Love your neighbor as you love yourself.'"

My commentary said, "If we have a right relationship with God, we will have no problems with His commandments.  Love is the basis for obedience."

There's that little word 'all' in those verses, and I wonder how often we try to hedge with it or ignore it.  Perhaps we decide to love God with 95% of our hearts, or 92% of our minds.  Perhaps there are commandments that we might have problems with.  Perhaps we have trouble keeping them.  To me, we can have no problems with His commandments (we agree that they are right), yet in our sin, we break them, fully knowing we are wrong, not the commandments.  That becomes a place where our relationship with God suffers, and as it said, "Love is the basis for obedience."  We have to love Him more than we love ourselves.  Ronnie Hill, my friend who is a youth evangelist, always said 95% obedience = 100% disobedience.

Father, help me to continue to have that kind of love for You.  When I'm tempted to love myself more, remind me of where that's gotten me in the past.

 

Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford