On Line Bible Study - For the week July 28 - August 3, 2008

Lesson 346


How do you define "greatness"?

Matthew 20: 20 The mother of the Zebedee brothers came with her two sons and knelt before Jesus with a request. 21 "What do you want?" Jesus asked. She said, "Give your word that these two sons of mine will be awarded the highest places of honor in your kingdom, one at your right hand, one at your left hand." 22 Jesus responded, "You have no idea what you're asking." (From The Message.)

In the verses just before this, Jesus has explained to his disciples that he is heading for Jerusalem, that he will be mocked, flogged, crucified - and then rise from the dead. That being the case, I don't think the disciples got the picture. Apparently they were still expecting a more conventional kingdom - one with thrones, princes, and some evidence of power over the people.

Is that what you expect from Jesus? An easy life? All material needs met? No worries? Do we "follow" Jesus with the baggage of our expectations, and hoping for some place of privilege? You don't know what you're asking, says Jesus to them - and maybe to us as well.

Matthew 20: 22 He said to James and John, "Are you capable of drinking the cup that I'm about to drink?"

We do not talk about the "spiritually privileged" life; we talk about the "spiritually disciplined" life!

The other disciples became indignant when they heard of this mother's request of Jesus. They undoubtedly felt a streak of jealousy - We want to be at your right and left! And Jesus has to redefine "greatness" for them. He called them all together . . .

Matthew 20: 25-28 Jesus 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."

What are the chances of our achieving such greatness in our lives? It's not a big deal, really. Just serve. Do it joyfully; don't require any thanks or accolades.

Jesus no sooner redefines "greatness" but that he is beckoned by two blind men who hear him passing by. Their request was not to be "great"; all they wanted was to see! Such beautiful irony! The followers of Jesus want distinction and honor; the poor and neglected just want to be seen, and be able to see!

Maybe that can be our prayer - especially when we hear ourselves asking for greatness . . . Maybe we can catch ourselves and change our prayer to that of those blind men - Lord, help me to see what you want me to see today! Isn't that "greatness" - to know God's will for our lives, and then to do it?

For next time we will look at Jesus' entrance - as king - into Jerusalem. Read Matthew 21:1-17 if you get the chance.

On Line Bible Study - For the week July 21-27, 2008

Lesson 345

Matthew 20: 1 "For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire men to work in his vineyard. 2 He agreed to pay them a denarius for the day and sent them into his vineyard. 3 "About the third hour he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing. 4 He told them, 'You also go and work in my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.' 5 So they went.

He went out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour and did the same thing. 6 About the eleventh hour he went out and found still others standing around. He asked them, 'Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?' 7 "'Because no one has hired us,' they answered. "He said to them, 'You also go and work in my vineyard.'

We continue to read what Jesus has to say about the "kingdom of heaven". Did you notice that, while the initial reason for hiring the workers is - presumably - because the landowner had work that needed to be done, later in the day the emphasis seems to shift away from what he needed to the fact that the laborers needed to work?

Also, notice this: while the first group of workers were paid a day's wage (we don't know exactly how much a denarius is, but it is believed to be a days' fair pay), the second group is told something different: I will pay you whatever is right. We assume they were present when the first group had been hired; would they have expected a full day's pay? Probably not. And by the time he gets to the later hours of the day, the wage doesn't even enter into the conversation. But it is when pay time arrives that the story gets interesting:

Matthew 20: 8 "When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, 'Call the workers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last ones hired and going on to the first.'

9 "The workers who were hired about the eleventh hour came and each received a denarius. 10 So when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more. But each one of them also received a denarius. 11 When they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner. 12' These men who were hired last worked only one hour,' they said, 'and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day.'

I guess the question is this: While they are laborers, and their legal status in the community is fragile at best, do they have a fair point? And now comes an even more interesting point. While the complaint is from the group, notice to whom the response of the landowner is directed:

Matthew 20: 13 "But he answered one of them, 'Friend, I am not being unfair to you. Didn't you agree to work for a denarius? 14 Take your pay and go. I want to give the man 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?'

In his commentary on Matthew, John Nolland suggests that the lessons of the kingdom can not be appropriated in general; they are intensely personal. So, the response is given to ... one of them ....

While God calls us to be in community together, there is also something very personal about our relationship with God. We speak of a "personal relationship" with Jesus.

Another interesting point - that last sentence that speaks of being envious might be better translated: Or is your eye evil because I am good? There was a belief that some people could curse others with an "evil eye" - a look from such a person could bring you down. (It's the same phrase found in Matthew 6:23 - If your eye is unhealthy . . .) Do we look down on God's generosity when it is directed toward others?

For Jesus, perhaps he was trying to let people know that sinners who came to faith in him lately were just as much "in the kingdom" as the disciples who had followed from the beginning. For Matthew, perhaps he was underscoring the fact that more recent converts to the faith were every bit as much "in the kingdom" as those who had been there from the church's inception.

For us, it means we should remember to celebrate the extravagant generosity of God - not only when we are the recipients, but when it is directed toward others as well!

For next time we will consider a mother's request. Read Matthew 20:20-34.

On Line Bible Study - for the week July 14-20, 2008

Lesson 344

For the week July 14-20, 2008

Matthew 19:16 Another day, a man stopped Jesus and asked, "Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?" 17 Jesus said, "Why do you question me about what's good? God is the One who is good. If you want to enter the life of God, just do what he tells you."

18-19 The man asked, "What in particular?"

Jesus said, "Don't murder, don't commit adultery, don't steal, don't lie, honor your father and mother, and love your neighbor as you do yourself."

20 The young man said, "I've done all that. What's left?" (The Message, Eugene Peterson.)

Matthew has Jesus speaking of domestic affairs in the first part of chapter 19. Before that he was addressing the needs of the Christian Community. So, there is a progression – from community, to home – and now, the issue is our possessions.

Maybe you remember a time when you were a child and you were asked to do some chore. You got it done, only to have your mother or father come in and point out all the things you had left undone. If the man in the story had actually kept the commandments, perhaps he would not have been asking Jesus about eternal life! Entering the “life of God” is as simple as doing what God tells us to do! But notice that Jesus doesn’t debate whether the man had truly accomplished all that he said he had. Jesus moves on. To the question: “What’s left?” Jesus says this:

Matthew 19: 21 "If you want to give it all you've got," Jesus replied, "go sell your possessions; give everything to the poor. All your wealth will then be in heaven. Then come follow me."

The “life of God”, or “eternal life”, or what Jesus will refer to in verse 23 and 24 as the “kingdom of heaven” – that life requires our all! It’s an “all or nothing” kind of commitment. There is a moment of suspense here. Can you imagine in your mind’s eye this man pondering the choice that Jesus has just put before him?

Matthew 19: 22 That was the last thing the young man expected to hear. And so, crest-fallen, he walked away. He was holding on tight to a lot of things, and he couldn't bear to let go.

Here’s where the story gets personal. What are we holding on tight to?

I recently heard a man who designs roller coasters talk about how to ride these things – “Don’t hold on tight,” he counseled. “Relax, let your body go with the ride, and don’t fight it.”

Is that sound advice for living the spiritual life as well? Perhaps; but it’s not easy advice to follow! The man in the story walks away. It is only at this point in the story that we learn that he was “holding on tight to a lot of things”. Other translations put it this way: “When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great possessions.” Then Jesus tells us how difficult it is for rich people to “enter the kingdom of heaven” – to experience the “life of God” – to enter “eternal life”.

Does giving everything to the poor suggest a radical generosity that defines the essence of the kingdom of heaven? In any event, what Jesus is suggesting is, by his own admission, impossible!

Matthew 19:23-24 As he watched him go, Jesus told his disciples, "Do you have any idea how difficult it is for the rich to enter God's kingdom? Let me tell you, it's easier to gallop a camel through a needle's eye than for the rich to enter God's kingdom."

25 The disciples were staggered. "Then who has any chance at all?"

2 6Jesus looked hard at them and said, "No chance at all if you think you can pull it off yourself. Every chance in the world if you trust God to do it."

Notice that the disciples do not separate themselves out from the “rich”. The implication here is that wealth represented God’s blessing; and if God’s blessing so understood did not assure the rich of a place in heaven, who could possibly aspire to it?

In other words, we can’t let ourselves off the hook here by convincing ourselves that we are not “rich”, so Jesus must not be talking about us. Rather, Jesus is implying that the ones society thought most worthy of heaven were not getting in – that’s why the disciples are “staggered” by what Jesus is saying.

The point is this: We can’t do it alone. Not only is the kingdom of heaven God’s gift to us; but the means to get there is just as much a gift as well.

Jesus then assures his disciples that, for their having left all to follow him, they will be rewarded. However, there is this interesting tag at the end of the chapter – just after Jesus offers them this assurance. He says:

Matthew 19:30 But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first.

It’s almost as if to say: “Don’t get too cocky!”

Jesus will have more to say about the kingdom of heaven. Read Matthew 20:1-16 for next time.

On Line Bible Study - For the week July 7 - 13, 2008

Lesson 343

Into Judea . . .

Matthew 16:21 says: From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.

This is an indicator – a “marker”, if you will, that a new section of the Gospel has begun. It happens again in Matthew 17:22 - When they came together in Galilee, he said to them, "The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of men. 23They will kill him, and on the third day he will be raised to life." And the disciples were filled with grief.

Jesus’ prediction of his death sets the tone for where this story is going. By the time we get to Matthew 19, we don’t need the prediction of the death anymore; the mere mention of “Judea” is enough to make the point. Jesus is heading into the lion’s den.

1 When Jesus had finished saying these things, he left Galilee and went into the region of Judea to the other side of the Jordan.

Although the location is more treacherous, the work of his ministry takes up right where it left off. Recall in Matthew 12:15, we read: A large crowd followed him, and he healed all who were ill.

In Matthew 19:2 we read: Large crowds followed him, and he healed them there.

Then, the “tests” begin again, but the anti is raised as Jesus is in closer proximity to Jerusalem. The first test – a question from the Pharisees - has to do with divorce. Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any and every reason?

In last week’s lesson we spoke about the importance of community for Jesus. This week, the “test” brings it home. While the Hebrew Bible certainly upheld faithfulness in marriage, there were apparently a number of reasons why a marriage could be dissolved by divorce. It may be helpful to remember that divorce – and more broadly speaking, the relationship between husband and wife - was a hot topic. You might recall back in Matthew 14 reading about the trouble John the Baptist got into because he told Herod it was unlawful for him to have married Herodias. The issue for John was both divorce and a form of incest. But . . . recalling what happened to John, we now can appreciate the seriousness of the threat in this “testing” of Jesus!

Jesus appeals to Genesis – to the unity that exists, or that God means to exist, in a marriage. A man leaves his parents; he cleaves to his wife; the two become “one flesh”. Obviously there is a sexual connotation; but there is a larger social implication as well. This relationship between husband and wife is part of the creation plan. It has to do with the larger community – with children (“fruitfulness”); and “unity” is about more than sex. It is about commitment and covenant. The idea of dividing the two-become-one has a touch of violence to it – almost like an amputation.

And note this part of the test: “. . .for any and every reason . . .” Where does that come from? It comes from Deuteronomy 24:1-4, and an interpretation of that text that allows for great latitude in terms of the reasons for divorce. For Jesus in Matthew’s Gospel, only sexual immorality is a cause for divorce. So amazing is this to the disciples that they say:

Matthew 19: 10 "If this is the situation between a husband and wife, it is better not to marry."

11 Jesus replied, "Not everyone can accept this word, but only those to whom it has been given. 12 For some are eunuchs because they were born that way; others were made that way by men; and others have renounced marriage because of the kingdom of heaven. The one who can accept this should accept it."

Marriage is what most people long for; but it should never be thought of as the “easy way out”!

Jesus passes the test; the Pharisees are silenced, at least for now. Next week Jesus encounters a rich man. Read Matthew 19:16-30 if you get the chance.