Character of God, Consequences of Sin, Discerning / Judging, Disobeying, Rebelling Against, Ignoring God, Greed, Heaven and Hell, Jesus Christ / Yeshua, Parables, Repenting from Sin, Salvation, Satan, Selfishness

Parable of the Vineyard Owner

Jesus is still teaching at the temple in Matthew 21:33-46. His audience is the chief priests, the Pharisees, and the Jewish people who actually came to the temple, those perhaps perceived as more righteous than the “sinners” who did not come to the temple.

33“Listen to another parable. There was a landowner who planted a vineyard and put a wall around it and dug a wine press in it, and built a tower, and rented it out to vine-growers and went on a journey. 34“When the harvest time approached, he sent his slaves to the vine-growers to receive his produce. 35“The vine-growers took his slaves and beat one, and killed another, and stoned a third. 36“Again he sent another group of slaves larger than the first; and they did the same thing to them. 37“But afterward he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ 38“But when the vine-growers saw the son, they said among themselves, ‘This is the heir; come, let us kill him and seize his inheritance.’ 39“They took him, and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. 40“Therefore when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those vine-growers?” 41They said to Him, “He will bring those wretches to a wretched end, and will rent out the vineyard to other vine-growers who will pay him the proceeds at the proper seasons.”

42Jesus said to them, “Did you never read in the Scriptures,

‘THE STONE WHICH THE BUILDERS REJECTED,
THIS BECAME THE CHIEF CORNER stone;
THIS CAME ABOUT FROM THE LORD,
AND IT IS MARVELOUS IN OUR EYES’?

43“Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people, producing the fruit of it. 44“And he who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; but on whomever it falls, it will scatter him like dust.”

45When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard His parables, they understood that He was speaking about them. 46When they sought to seize Him, they feared the people, because they considered Him to be a prophet.

Most of us read this story and immediately recognize that the vine-growers were greedy, selfish, and wicked … refusing to live up to their agreement and willing to kill others who represented the one with rightful claim on the land. They were the ones who rejected the agreement they had made previously. We recognize that the vineyard owner is in fact quite patient with the vine growers who rebel against him, giving them multiple warnings and chances to repent and live by their agreement. Ultimately we recognize that he is within his rights to destroy the vine  growers and rent the land to others. It is a very straightforward story.

However, do we take time to really understand what this means when we apply its meaning to our relationship with God?

The vineyard owner is God. The vine growers represent His people, in particular the rebellious chief priests and other religious leaders who after receiving the offer to be God’s chosen people, reject His ways insisting on ruling themselves. They reject, abuse, and kill His messengers… the prophets. Then, God comes down as Jesus Christ… the son of God… surely they will respect Him… not at all. They reject, abuse, and kill Him also. Now what do you think God will do?

The specifics of this parable refer to God’s chosen people, Israel, rejecting God and then God opening up His kingdom to the gentiles, but the principle of the story applies to each of us even today.

In His grace and out of His great love for each of us, God has made a way for us to be reconciled with Him through Jesus Christ. For those that genuinely accept that offer, it changes their life as they submit all of their life to Christ and live according to His instruction.

But to those who reject Him, they will be destroyed in Hell, by their own choice of rejecting and rebelling against Him. There is righteous judgment for our sin. The penalty is death. Jesus paid the price, but many insist on rejecting His offer and insist they pay the price themselves instead.  Do not be misled by the deception of Satan, who proclaims that there is no judgment, all are righteous, all will go to Heaven. Satan comes to deceive and destroy.

God is love, but God is also righteous, holy, and just. Sin represents rebellion against God and it is ugly. It requires strict punishment. Do not rationalize to accept sin as “not that bad”. How many of us would think it wise for parents to accept “a little rebellion” from their children without consequences? What we inherently know is that rebellion against our parental authority is bad, and if allowed to continue without consequences it will grow and grow into more rebellion. It must not, can not be tolerated.

Note that rebellion is a continuous refusal to obey, often intentional but it can also come out of ignorance of the rules and laziness in refusing to learn the rules that have been clearly provided.  This is different from making a mistake, repenting, and sinning no more. Mistakes can be forgiven. Continuous rebellion must be addressed.

Each of us should study God’s word to learn and understand how He wants us to live… to relate to him and other people… and then change our behaviors to do as He instructs or commands.

In what areas of your life are you refusing to submit to God? Why? Are you going to change that behavior or continue rebelling against God?

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

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Consequences of Sin, False Prophets / Teachers, Forgive Others / Seek Forgiveness, Grace / Forgiveness, Heaven and Hell, Humility, Jesus Christ / Yeshua, Obeying God, Parables, Pride, Salvation, Thankfulness

Who Is Truly Doing the Will of the Father?

Jesus appears to be still talking to the chief priests and elders at the temple, or perhaps to others who had come to the temple to worship and hear God’s word, when he shares the content of Matthew 21:28-32. He has just finished a rather clever rebuke for their effort to question His authority. Then He speaks to show us who is truly doing the will of the father… those with nice words and a good front or those who act on God’s instruction, humbly submitting to Him in repentance of their sin.

  28“But what do you think? A man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, ‘Son, go work today in the vineyard.’ 29“And he answered, ‘I will not’; but afterward he regretted it and went. 30“The man came to the second and said the same thing; and he answered, ‘I will, sir’; but he did not go. 31“Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Truly I say to you that the tax collectors and prostitutes will get into the kingdom of God before you. 32“For John came to you in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him; but the tax collectors and prostitutes did believe him; and you, seeing this, did not even feel remorse afterward so as to believe him.

Jesus is sharing an important message with us. Notice His target audience, by context… those that were religious leaders and those that had come to the temple. (Think of it like this… Jesus came to a church to speak to a congregation that already thought of themselves as obeying and serving God.) He is not speaking to those that did not come to the temple.  It is important to do God’s will, even if we get off to a poor start. On the other hand, it is intentional deception and wickedness (or perhaps sloth), to say we will obey God’s instructions but then fail to do so. Not understanding God’s instruction clearly is a call for us to study it more and seek answers in scripture and in prayer… it is not an excuse to keep living the way we want to… that, too, is sloth.

None of us are “good enough” to meet God’s standard. We are all sinners. Those of us who recognize our sin, who recognize that our sin is so ugly to God that the punishment is death, should genuinely repent and turn from our sins, asking God’s forgiveness and submitting to Jesus Christ as Lord. We do not hide from our sin or deny our sin, but rather ask God’s help to overcome it! God loves us so much that He made a way for us to be reconciled to Him and forgiven of our sins. Jesus died, was buried, and rose from the dead so that those who believe in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life. We come thankfully and humbly before God in the name of Jesus Christ, repent from our wrong behaviors and thoughts, and ask Him to be Lord of our lives. Then we begin to live our lives for God instead of our own way.

Those who put a nice image, or front, of being perfect or good enough are fooling themselves, and perhaps fooling others, but they are certainly not fooling God. In particular, the chief priests and elders had every opportunity to know and follow God’s law, but instead followed traditions of men and looked out for their own power and status. The punishment they receive is great. Many who claim to teach about Jesus even today do likewise, misleading many or living in hypocrisy, teaching about God and living for themselves.

Do not get complacent, taking confidence in your church attendance or even your church leaders. Test what they teach against scripture to confirm it. The wise welcome reproof and correction and get wiser still; only fools despise correction and testing. We should come before God like the tax collectors and prostitutes to whom Jesus referred. Accept and admit to our sins and turn from them. Live like Jesus Christ is truly Lord of our life and turn loose of any pride that we must be righteous on our own… we are not!

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

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False Prophets / Teachers, Jesus Christ / Yeshua, Wickedness / Evil

The Chief Priests Seek To Trick Jesus, Not Learn From Him

There were many that tried to trick Him when asking questions, perhaps many still today who do the same. Even though they approach Jesus with a question, their hearts are wicked and hard as their intent is not to learn truth, but to trap Jesus. Jesus, however, has great wisdom, and will never be fooled or tricked. He often took the opportunity to respond by making a teachable point. In Matthew 23-27, the chief priests challenge his authority following His cleansing of the temple, which had become profaned as a market and “robbers’ den”.

   23When He entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to Him while He was teaching, and said, “By what authority are You doing these things, and who gave You this authority?” 24Jesus said to them, “I will also ask you one thing, which if you tell Me, I will also tell you by what authority I do these things. 25“The baptism of John was from what source, from heaven or from men?” And they began reasoning among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will say to us, ‘Then why did you not believe him?’ 26“But if we say, ‘From men,’ we fear the people; for they all regard John as a prophet.” 27And answering Jesus, they said, “We do not know.” He also said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.

The chief priests are always conspiring and discussing things from a worldly perspective as they try to trap Jesus. Never is there a record of them going before God to pray and seek an answer about Jesus. Instead, always plotting about how to trap Him and manage the people so that they can stay in power and authority. They had become attached to the traditions of men, their own traditions, to the point that they no longer followed the commands of God.  They were far from God, despite the position of religious authority. Many who are perceived as religious authority today are doing likewise. They no longer look toward God.

Jesus answered them by simply showing He could trap them as well, and more effectively. Jesus had wisdom and a sharp wit, which He used to turn away mockers and deceivers, while focusing on teaching those who are teachable in spirit.

We must be careful as well to not spend too much time trying to teach those who are not willing to be taught. Lingering too long with them will prevent us from spending the same time with those who seek truth and want to be taught. We can always respond, even to mockers, but do not spend too much time there… for it is a trap that takes away time and energy from reaching those who want to hear.

[Proverbs 9:7-9]   7He who corrects a scoffer gets dishonor for himself, And he who reproves a wicked man gets insults for himself. 8Do not reprove a scoffer, or he will hate you, Reprove a wise man and he will love you. 9Give instruction to a wise man and he will be still wiser, Teach a righteous man and he will increase his learning.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

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Character of God, Consequences of Sin, Discerning / Judging, Discipline / Correction, False Prophets / Teachers, Hypocrisy, Jesus Christ / Yeshua, Justice / Judgment, Miracles, Prayer, Traditions / Holidays

“No Longer Shall There Be Any Fruit From You”

The context of Matthew 21:18-22 is important to understanding what Jesus was teaching. Without proper context, we will miss the point and walk away scratching our heads. Jesus had just been to the temple the night before and seen how what was holy, God’s temple, was being profaned by those selling animals and making a market out of it… a “robbers’ den”. He was returning again to Jerusalem and took the opportunity to teach His disciples about the coming judgment for those who choose hypocrisy and religion, while rejecting Jesus as Messiah.

  18Now in the morning, when He was returning to the city, He became hungry. 19Seeing a lone fig tree by the road, He came to it and found nothing on it except leaves only; and He said to it, “No longer shall there ever be any fruit from you.” And at once the fig tree withered.

20Seeing this, the disciples were amazed and asked, “How did the fig tree wither all at once?” 21And Jesus answered and said to them, “Truly I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and cast into the sea,’ it will happen. 22“And all things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.”

Mark 11:12-14 also records these events, but provides a bit more detail in regards to the fact that figs were not in season, and thus the tree was not expected to have figs.

   12On the next day, when they had left Bethany, He became hungry. 13Seeing at a distance a fig tree in leaf, He went to see if perhaps He would find anything on it; and when He came to it, He found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. 14He said to it, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again!” And His disciples were listening.

Why did Jesus curse the fig tree? Was Jesus just grumpy because there were no figs when He was hungry? Did Jesus not know figs were out of season? Of course not!

Jesus was taking the opportunity to have a teachable moment with His disciples. Having just witnessed how the chief priests had allowed God’s holy temple to be profaned and made common, Jesus was making a point. The religious leaders that were supposed to be serving God faithfully and prayerfully, doing things God’s way, and bearing godly fruit in service to God were instead clinging to traditions of men and living as hypocrites, losing sight of the commands of God. They even refused to recognize Jesus as Messiah despite their knowledge of the coming Messiah and the evidence all around them that Jesus was the Messiah.

Jesus uses the fig tree to illustrate to His disciples the curse that God will put on such a people who reject Him. Yes, God does provide righteous judgment to those who reject Him, even more so when they should clearly know better.

The disciples are, of course, amazed by the noticeable withering of the fig tree. When Jesus tells them that faith enables them to do the same or even cast a mountain into the sea, we must be careful not to take it literally. Clearly, with God, many mighty miracles are possible such as those with Moses and Elijah. However, we must look throughout scripture and test how the disciples understood Jesus’ message to verify what Jesus meant. We never see prophets or disciples of God just going around “moving mountains” literally at their own discretion. That is not the point and that is not what the disciples understood Jesus to be saying, or they would have tried to do so at some point. The point is that when we seek God’s will, and listen to His instruction faithfully and without doubt, He will enable us to accomplish the work He has for us, even if it requires incredible miracles! God’s power is not something that we control for our own use and our own will, but something Gods provides as He helps us accomplish His will.

Each of us should  consider if we are bearing good fruit for God. Is it visible in our lives? Do people clearly know we are serving God? Are we serving God His way, set apart from the way of the world? or are we serving God to the point of comfort and convenience?

Do not expect miracles if you  are only submitted to God to the point of comfort and convenience and are still doing things your way instead of His. So long as you are not fully committed to Jesus, you are still in rebellion against Him. There is no neutral ground. You submit to Him fully or you rebel against His leadership.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

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Abortion, Miracles, Murder, Parables, Selfishness

Are Miracles Rare or Common?

Many are convinced that God’s supernatural intervention into our world and the lives of His people, miracles, is now rare or does not happen at all. Many do not even believe in any miracles at all. For those who are interested to seek out the answers, let us explore this topic by starting with a story.

Not so long ago there lived two women many miles apart. One lived on a rocky hillside near the mountains and one lived in a fertile valley. The first woman, on the rocky hillside, loved flowers. They were rare. They did not grow often near her home, so whenever she found one she rejoiced. She even let them grow right in her pathway so as to enjoy their beauty. Each morning she would look around for the beautiful flowers  and take a few minutes out of her day to stop and enjoy.

Near the home of the second woman, the same flowers were plentiful. They were everywhere. At first she really enjoyed them, but after awhile she tended to just overlook them. She accepted them as normal and ordinary. In fact, she found it frustrating that so many grew in her pathway and complaining in frustration she would often pluck them out to keep her pathway clean and organized.

The fact is that many miracles are impactful to us because they are somewhat rare. They are God’s supernatural intervention to do something that would not normally happen. By definition they are typically unusual. In that way, our human minds better process their wonder and look to God as a result.

Let’s take an example regarding cancer or other serious illness. If God always healed everyone who had serious illness, we would soon come to completely miss God’s miracle when He chooses to heal someone and just conclude that it is normal for people with cancer to heal on their own… like the common cold. If something is common we dismiss it too easily.

We could even take a moment to explore human nature further regarding some very uncommon miracles and how people relate to them today. Just to take a few exceedingly rare miracles as examples, let’s consider:

  • God created the universe and everything in it.
  • God flooded the whole earth during the time of Noah.
  • God performed many miracles leading the Israelites out of Egypt under Moses.
  • God became man, lived, died and came back to life in physical form to show us how to live out God’s word and provide a path to reconciliation with God from our unrighteousness.

Most of the world denies these miracles ever happened. They are said to not have occurred because they are hard to believe in the absence of God. Instead of acknowledging God, many try very hard to explain them away, in spite of the overwhelming evidence that God left for us to see that these things are real. It is worth noting, however, that these miracles are life changing once one accepts them as real and from God. All we must do is study the facts closely and follow where the evidence leads. Praise God He did these things even knowing most would reject Him!

So we know there are many historical evidences of God’s exceedingly rare miracles… but are there still examples miracles today? Simply put, yes. But we must take care to avoid the trap of the second woman in the story in today’s teaching. She totally missed the beauty in the flowers because they were common. So too is it with many who experience common miracles today all around them. They are so common, they are no longer considered miracles.

Let us consider just one prominent example. People can stare directly into the impossible diversity and uniqueness of every day events and claim it is completely random, dismissing God. Many can wonder that there are so many snowflakes and never two the same. Others miss the glorious miracle of how God creates each child, like a snowflake, unique and unmatched in all the history of mankind across billions of people. God forms each person in their mother’s womb.

God clearly tells us life begins in the womb in Jeremiah 1:4-5

4 The Lord gave me this message:

5 “I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb. Before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as my  prophet to the nations.”

And again in Psalms 139:13-16

13 You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body
    and knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14 Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!
    Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.
15 You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion,
    as I was woven together in the dark of the womb.
16 You saw me before I was born.
    Every day of my life was recorded in your book.
Every moment was laid out
    before a single day had passed.

Yet still people around the world, including many Christians fail to see the miracle and instead have actually taken Satan’s deception that babies are just commonplace and disposable. Over 40 million babies are murdered in their mother’s wombs every year for little more than selfishness and convenience of the mother. The glorious, but seemingly common, miracle of God has become ordinary and disposable to many. They miss the miracle and instead , remove it from their path in frustration that it is even there at all.

To sum up… what is the answer to our question in the title of this teaching… “Are Miracles Rare or Common?” In fact the answer is “Yes, miracles are both rare and common.”. We should take care not to miss the common ones all around us and take equal care not to dismiss the exceedingly rare ones as ever really happening. Let both the common and rare miracles lead us to deeper relationship with our creator.

If you or someone you know has been involved in abortion, help is available. Those involved should acknowledge their sin, repent and genuinely ask forgiveness through Jesus Christ… turning from their sin and encouraging others likewise to avoid abortion. There is forgiveness and love at the cross. Please see our teaching, The Message of the Cross. If you want more information on abortion, please visit our website page, Crisis Help: Stop Abortion.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

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Blessed, Character of God, Family, Greed, Money / Finances / Wealth, Righteousness / Serving God, Selfishness, Sloth / Laziness

Jacob Trusts God’s Promise And Prospers Exceedingly

We continue with Jacob in Genesis 30:25-43 as he lives out his life committed to God, but doing so imperfectly… like all of us who try to serve God. Earlier in Genesis 30 we read about many mistakes, and the consequences of those mistakes on Jacob and his family. God, however, has not removed His blessing or promise from Jacob and Jacob prospers financially.

   25Now it came about when Rachel had borne Joseph, that Jacob said to Laban, “Send me away, that I may go to my own place and to my own country. 26“Give me my wives and my children for whom I have served you, and let me depart; for you yourself know my service which I have rendered you.” 27But Laban said to him, “If now it pleases you, stay with me; I have divined that the LORD has blessed me on your account.” 28He continued, “Name me your wages, and I will give it.” 29But he said to him, “You yourself know how I have served you and how your cattle have fared with me. 30“For you had little before I came and it has increased to a multitude, and the LORD has blessed you wherever I turned. But now, when shall I provide for my own household also?” 31So he said, “What shall I give you?” And Jacob said, “You shall not give me anything. If you will do this one thing for me, I will again pasture and keep your flock: 32let me pass through your entire flock today, removing from there every speckled and spotted sheep and every black one among the lambs and the spotted and speckled among the goats; and such shall be my wages. 33“So my honesty will answer for me later, when you come concerning my wages. Every one that is not speckled and spotted among the goats and black among the lambs, if found with me, will be considered stolen.” 34Laban said, “Good, let it be according to your word.” 35So he removed on that day the striped and spotted male goats and all the speckled and spotted female goats, every one with white in it, and all the black ones among the sheep, and gave them into the care of his sons. 36And he put a distance of three days’ journey between himself and Jacob, and Jacob fed the rest of Laban’s flocks.

37Then Jacob took fresh rods of poplar and almond and plane trees, and peeled white stripes in them, exposing the white which was in the rods. 38He set the rods which he had peeled in front of the flocks in the gutters, even in the watering troughs, where the flocks came to drink; and they mated when they came to drink. 39So the flocks mated by the rods, and the flocks brought forth striped, speckled, and spotted. 40Jacob separated the lambs, and made the flocks face toward the striped and all the black in the flock of Laban; and he put his own herds apart, and did not put them with Laban’s flock. 41Moreover, whenever the stronger of the flock were mating, Jacob would place the rods in the sight of the flock in the gutters, so that they might mate by the rods; 42but when the flock was feeble, he did not put them in; so the feebler were Laban’s and the stronger Jacob’s. 43So the man became exceedingly prosperous, and had large flocks and female and male servants and camels and donkeys.

Laban realizes that he is blessed because of association with Jacob, who serves God. Jacob, despite his mistakes, has been a witness to Laban and Laban wishes him to stay. Before we give Laban too much credit, though, his reason for wanting Jacob to stay is selfish and greedy. He has financially prospered with Jacob. Laban shows no interest in worshipping or serving God or even thanking God.

Jacob, however also realized that he needed to begin investing not only in Laban’s flock but also in preparing for his own household for the future.  Jacob was willing to leave without pay other than the wives (and children) he had agreed to previously… even though Laban’s flocks have clearly prospered under Jacob’s care. Jacob demanded nothing extra, and was willing to leave with only his agreed upon wages (e.g. his wives and children) and God’s promise. He did not demand more than he agreed to just because Laban had prospered. He did not resent Laban and wish him ill because of his success.

However, God made a way for Jacob to prosper from his hard work helping with Laban’s flocks for those fourteen years. When Laban suggests Jacob name his price, Jacob finds wisdom in a solution that meets both his need and Laban’s, so he stays. Jacob tends the flocks and prospers exceedingly.

Each of us should consider…

  • Am I planning responsibly for my future needs and those of my family similar to Jacob?
  • Do I trust God to provide for me, adhering to His principles and values?
    • Do I keep my word and live up to my agreements? or do I demand more from someone just because they prosper from the work I agreed to do?
    • Do I resent someone else’s success or am I satisfied with the wages I agreed to?
    • Of course it is also acceptable when our agreements have concluded to negotiate for better terms in the future based on the quality of our work. If all parties agree, we have a new agreement. If not, we should not resent the other, but just make a different choice to pursue our goals… just as Jacob was willing to leave. At no point did Jacob perceive Laban to be his enemy or adversary.
  • Do I recognize that if / when God blesses his people in financial matters it seldom comes overnight or without hard work, faith, and planning? Jacob, like Abraham before him, trusted God and worked hard over many years to generate his wealth. God blessed his hard work and it was fruitful. God does not reward laziness or lack of faith.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

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Bitterness / Resentment, Children, Consequences of Sin, Envy / Jealousy / Coveting, Evidence in Scripture, Family, Love

Doing It Our Way Instead of God’s Way… What A Mess!

Genesis 30:1-24 continues to show us the depth of consequences for doing things our way instead of God’s way. Jacob, who intentionally tricked and deceived his father Isaac, was later intentionally tricked and deceived by his uncle Laban and now finds himself married to two women, one of which he does not love. God has granted Leah several sons because she was unloved by her husband and given Rachel none.

30 When Rachel saw that she wasn’t having any children for Jacob, she became jealous of her sister. She pleaded with Jacob, “Give me children, or I’ll die!”

2 Then Jacob became furious with Rachel. “Am I God?” he asked. “He’s the one who has kept you from having children!”

3 Then Rachel told him, “Take my maid, Bilhah, and sleep with her. She will bear children for me,[a] and through her I can have a family, too.” 4 So Rachel gave her servant, Bilhah, to Jacob as a wife, and he slept with her. 5 Bilhah became pregnant and presented him with a son. 6 Rachel named him Dan,[b] for she said, “God has vindicated me! He has heard my request and given me a son.” 7 Then Bilhah became pregnant again and gave Jacob a second son. 8 Rachel named him Naphtali,[c] for she said, “I have struggled hard with my sister, and I’m winning!”

9 Meanwhile, Leah realized that she wasn’t getting pregnant anymore, so she took her servant, Zilpah, and gave her to Jacob as a wife. 10 Soon Zilpah presented him with a son. 11 Leah named him Gad,[d] for she said, “How fortunate I am!” 12 Then Zilpah gave Jacob a second son. 13 And Leah named him Asher,[e] for she said, “What joy is mine! Now the other women will celebrate with me.”

14 One day during the wheat harvest, Reuben found some mandrakes growing in a field and brought them to his mother, Leah. Rachel begged Leah, “Please give me some of your son’s mandrakes.”

15 But Leah angrily replied, “Wasn’t it enough that you stole my husband? Now will you steal my son’s mandrakes, too?”

Rachel answered, “I will let Jacob sleep with you tonight if you give me some of the mandrakes.”

16 So that evening, as Jacob was coming home from the fields, Leah went out to meet him. “You must come and sleep with me tonight!” she said. “I have paid for you with some mandrakes that my son found.” So that night he slept with Leah. 17 And God answered Leah’s prayers. She became pregnant again and gave birth to a fifth son for Jacob. 18 She named him Issachar,[f] for she said, “God has rewarded me for giving my servant to my husband as a wife.” 19 Then Leah became pregnant again and gave birth to a sixth son for Jacob. 20 She named him Zebulun,[g] for she said, “God has given me a good reward. Now my husband will treat me with respect, for I have given him six sons.” 21 Later she gave birth to a daughter and named her Dinah.

22 Then God remembered Rachel’s plight and answered her prayers by enabling her to have children. 23 She became pregnant and gave birth to a son. “God has removed my disgrace,” she said. 24 And she named him Joseph,[h] for she said, “May the Lord add yet another son to my family.”

The first observation I will make is this… what a mess! Surely the scriptures must be true. If someone were willing to change them they would have started by removing the family failures like this one which reflects poorly on Isaac and Jacob. It reflects poorly on Isaac because he raised Jacob and Esau in a family environment where each parent clearly had their favorite child and was content to let the other be loved less or not at all. Thus that sin and failure became part of Jacob’s “inheritance” and he continued it into his family by failing to love his wife, Leah. He clearly embraced Rachel as his favorite.

How could doing things God’s way have helped avert this situation?

  • God intended marriage to be between one man and one woman, not a man and several women. Man can not properly demonstrate love to more than one woman and perhaps even if he could, even the appearance of favorites leads to jealousy, bitterness and division.
  • Jacob having married Leah, should have loved her. Love is not just an emotion, it is conscious act of will as outlined in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7.
  • Jacob surely must have known or had the opportunity to know  the bitterness between Rachel and Leah, yet he did nothing as the leader of his household to resolve it. He was not dwelling with understanding with his wives as called for in 1 Peter 3:7.  (7You husbands in the same way, live with your wives in an understanding way, as with someone weaker, since she is a woman; and show her honor as a fellow heir of the grace of life, so that your prayers will not be hindered. )
  • When Jacob was confronted directly by Rachel, he still did not turn to God in prayer or insert himself more deeply into the situation between Rachel and Leah. He basically dismissed Rachel in anger as shown in verse 2. (2 Then Jacob became furious with Rachel. “Am I God?” he asked. “He’s the one who has kept you from having children!”) What would have happened if Jacob would have listened to Rachel, repented and asked God for help, changing his own behaviors to do things God’s way?
  • There were still yet other opportunities to avert total family meltdown… either Rachel or Leah could have returned good for evil and just smothered the other in kindness and grace as called for in 1 Peter 3:9. (8To sum up, all of you be harmonious, sympathetic, brotherly, kindhearted, and humble in spirit; 9not returning evil for evil or insult for insult, but giving a blessing instead; for you were called for the very purpose that you might inherit a blessing.) Though this verse is intended in context for husband and wife, a similar approach helps between any two people.

Instead of doing things God’s way, they continued to fight and scheme, trying to “win” by doing things their own way. This is clearly a failure of Jacob as leader of the family and we will see this failure continue on into how his sons treat Joseph, who becomes his favorite.

Both Rachel and Leah propose… and Jacob agrees… that Jacob sleep with their maids. The sinful failures of the father continue to the next generation. Abraham and Sarah already went down this road earlier in Genesis and it did not end well. They chose to “help” God provide a son for Abraham through Sarah’s maid. If they made any attempt to share this mistake and its implications with their children, it is not evident. Isaac witnessed the failure through tension within the family regarding Ishmael. Jacob knew of Ishmael… in fact his brother, Esau, went to visit Ishmael at one point. None the less, Jacob and his wives fail and have children through their maid servants… once again doing things their way instead of God’s way.

There are no number of sons that can be had to end this bitterness as having children is not the root of the issue. The root is Jacob’s failure to love Leah and Rachel both. It is their failure to live God’s way.

We clearly see demonstrated that there are natural consequences for our sin and failures when we do things our own way, even if we have God’s blessing as Jacob had.

Each of us should seek to know God’s ways and follow them. When we are faced with trials, we should seek answers in His word and in prayer. Do things God’s way, not our own.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

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Character of God, Compassion, Miracles, Righteousness / Serving God

Jesus Heals Two Blind Men And They Follow Him

How appropriate, that after teaching His disciples that true leadership is demonstrated by serving others, Jesus stops along His journey to heal two blind men in Matthew 20:29-34. Let us never take for granted the inspiring and life changing miracles Jesus performed even while just traveling between two locations. He was busy, He had places to go and people to see as it were… but He listened for and had compassion for those who cried out to Him for help while He passes by. He took time to stop what He was doing and meet their needs.

29 As Jesus and the disciples left the town of Jericho, a large crowd followed behind. 30 Two blind men were sitting beside the road. When they heard that Jesus was coming that way, they began shouting, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!”

31 “Be quiet!” the crowd yelled at them.

But they only shouted louder, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!”

32 When Jesus heard them, he stopped and called, “What do you want me to do for you?”

33 “Lord,” they said, “we want to see!” 34 Jesus felt sorry for them and touched their eyes. Instantly they could see! Then they followed him.

Once again, we see an example of the crowd… the majority… being wrong. Even in this simple example, the ways of men tried to quiet down the people in need so they would not be a distraction to the event. How clearly this reveals that they did not truly understand Jesus. Jesus takes this opportunity to stop what He is doing and with compassion heal the two men who were calling out for His help. I am glad for those men that they were not discouraged to call out to Jesus, but instead only called out louder.

How often do we tell ourselves we are too busy to notice or stop and help someone who is in need… crying out for help? “Maybe when I have more time.“, we say. “Surely someone else will help them.” While I am subject to fail in this regard as do most of us, I strive to do better to notice and respond to the needs of those around us. I am not content to say I am “good enough” and will help when I have more time. I want to follow Jesus’ example and help when people need it and call out for it, not just when it is convenient to me.

It is almost easy to miss the fact that the two men followed Jesus. The miracle, performed to change their lives when they were in need of help and unable to help themselves led them to Jesus… and they followed Him.

While I do not know what it is like to be physically blind, I have a clear picture of what it is like to be spiritually blind. For most of my first 25 years I did not know or understand the ways of God clearly or correctly. In the words of the inspiring song, Amazing Grace… I once was lost, but now am found. Was blind but now I see. It is indeed through the grace of God that my eyes have been opened. I can not even say that I was seeking it, but rather I was comfortable in the teachings of the church in which I was raised… go to church on Sunday, no need for the Bible, live your life according to the ways taught you by your parents and grandparents before them. In my case this amounted to … “be good”, “do what’s right”, but no clear definition of what that meant or how to seek it out in scripture. I was lost. Praise God that now I am found.

The more God reveals to me, the more He allows me to see clearly, them more passionately I want to follow Him, to submit to Him, and to proclaim Him! He gave me sight (spiritually) and I now follow Him as the two blind men in this scripture in Matthew.

I pray you would never grow complacent in your relationship with Jesus. I challenge you to seek to know, love, and serve God more every day, every year of your life. This takes conscious effort and time and it means God must be a priority in your life, not something to do for an hour on Sunday and call it done for the week.

On our journey to know, love, and serve God… just as on any journey… once you feel you have arrived, that is as far as you will ever go. We must recognize that we should be avidly seeking Him more as long as we live. If we can not recognize change in our walk with Him over time, than likely we are no longer walking with Him, but rather we have stopped somewhere along the journey to rest… perhaps without even realizing it. When we see this, we must get up and follow Him again, continue on the path.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

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Jesus Christ / Yeshua, Parenting, Righteousness / Serving God, Suffering / Adversity

A True Christian Leader Must Be A Servant

Matthew 20:20-28 continues directly after Jesus has once again predicted His death and resurrection. With this in mind, the words of the mother of James and John exchanges with Jesus should not be taken lightly. She may not know what she is asking, but she clearly does not expect the road to be a care free one for her sons given what Jesus has just said about His own impending suffering.

20 Then the mother of James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Jesus with her sons. She knelt respectfully to ask a favor. 21 “What is your request?” he asked.

She replied, “In your Kingdom, please let my two sons sit in places of honor next to you, one on your right and the other on your left.”

22 But Jesus answered by saying to them, “You don’t know what you are asking! Are you able to drink from the bitter cup of suffering I am about to drink?”

“Oh yes,” they replied, “we are able!”

23 Jesus told them, “You will indeed drink from my bitter cup. But I have no right to say who will sit on my right or my left. My Father has prepared those places for the ones he has chosen.”

24 When the ten other disciples heard what James and John had asked, they were indignant. 25 But Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers in this world lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them. 26 But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever wants to be first among you must become your slave. 28 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

The mother of James and John may not have understood how greatness is defined in the kingdom of heaven… it is almost contradictory to say we will be a servant of all just to sit in power and authority by Jesus. Instead we should be motivated to follow the example of Jesus and focus on serving others. However, the mother clearly wants her boys to be with Jesus, even if the path is difficult and filled with suffering. I give her lots of credit for that. As parents, it is important to support and direct our children to Jesus.

Note that although Jesus submits to the Father’s will as to who will sit on his right and left, He clearly accepts the offer of their service and confirms that the road will be difficult… “You will indeed drink from my bitter cup.”

There is not surprisingly a bit of a ruckus as the  other disciples hear about this request. Jesus settles them down by clearly defining the difference between worldly leaders who flaunt their authority and demand to be supported by the people, taking what they want and the follower of Christ who wants to be great… wants to be a leader.

“26 But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever wants to be first among you must become your slave. 28 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Jesus did not just say this… He lived it! God Himself became man… and a humble man at that rather than one characterized by great wealth and worldly power. His life, ministry, and death were all acts of service to those whom He leads. What a glorious example of how God wants our leaders to behave… really all of us to behave.

For those of us who have an opportunity to influence who is selected for leadership roles in community, region, or country… we must take it seriously. Do not vote or support someone based on what they will give you or whatever group of people you identify with, for even the pagans do that. Instead look for someone of godly character who will truly be a servant leader in the model of Jesus Christ.

For those of us who already have ungodly leaders in power, pray. Pray for them to lose their spiritual blindness and see Jesus Christ clearly in all His glory. Pray they would repent and then prosper in the Lord.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

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Consequences of Sin, Courage / Fear, Heaven and Hell, Jesus Christ / Yeshua, Obeying God, Salvation, Selfishness, Suffering / Adversity

Jesus Predicts His Death And Resurrection – He Went Willingly

As we read on in Matthew 20:17-19 we see where Jesus once again predicts and warns his disciples that He will be killed but that He will rise again on the third day. Jesus wanted His disciples to be prepared for this important event. He wanted them to understand it as best they could so they could respond properly and recognize too that Jesus went willingly… He was not defeated or trapped or fooled.

To evaluate the full context, let us revisit some of the prior warnings or predictions Jesus shared with His disciples about His upcoming death and resurrection.

Matthew 16:21-28

21 From then on Jesus[j] began to tell his disciples plainly that it was necessary for him to go to Jerusalem, and that he would suffer many terrible things at the hands of the elders, the leading priests, and the teachers of religious law. He would be killed, but on the third day he would be raised from the dead.

22 But Peter took him aside and began to reprimand him[k] for saying such things. “Heaven forbid, Lord,” he said. “This will never happen to you!”

23 Jesus turned to Peter and said, “Get away from me, Satan! You are a dangerous trap to me. You are seeing things merely from a human point of view, not from God’s.”

24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me. 25 If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it. 26 And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul?[l] Is anything worth more than your soul? 27 For the Son of Man will come with his angels in the glory of his Father and will judge all people according to their deeds. 28 And I tell you the truth, some standing here right now will not die before they see the Son of Man coming in his Kingdom.”

Matthew 17:22-23

22 After they gathered again in Galilee, Jesus told them, “The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of his enemies. 23 He will be killed, but on the third day he will be raised from the dead.” And the disciples were filled with grief.

Matthew 20:17-19

17 As Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside privately and told them what was going to happen to him. 18 “Listen,” he said, “we’re going up to Jerusalem, where the Son of Man[b] will be betrayed to the leading priests and the teachers of religious law. They will sentence him to die. 19 Then they will hand him over to the Romans[c] to be mocked, flogged with a whip, and crucified. But on the third day he will be raised from the dead.”

I find it telling that as you progress through time with Jesus’ communication of His death and resurrection to His disciples, you can see they may not understand fully but are starting to accept it. When first it was shared, Peter reacted in denial and took Jesus aside to reprimand Him. Before we give Peter a hard time for it, let’s consider how often we do this in our lives as well… “I can’t believe you let that person die from cancer, God.” or lose a job and so on. Jesus quickly rebuked Peter in telling him that he was too focused on the ways of man rather than the ways of God. Most of us are as well. Jesus reminds us we cannot be selfish and hold on to our own life tightly and serve God fully.

By the second prediction, the disciples react in grief, but not denial.

By the third prediction, there is no documented reaction at all. All three records are from same gospel account and thus the same author. It is significant that they were differentiated in this way. Jesus was preparing His disciples… even though we see later that they did not fully understand yet, nor did they handle Jesus’ death with a ‘perfect’  response. None the less, they would at least be able to look back and clearly remember that Jesus went willingly.

One last point I find significant… at what point did Jesus first feel it was the right timing to tell his disciples of His coming death and resurrection? The first prediction followed an exchange with Peter.

Matthew 16:13-20

13 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”[c]

14 “Well,” they replied, “some say John the Baptist, some say Elijah, and others say Jeremiah or one of the other prophets.”

15 Then he asked them, “But who do you say I am?”

16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah,[d] the Son of the living God.”

17 Jesus replied, “You are blessed, Simon son of John,[e] because my Father in heaven has revealed this to you. You did not learn this from any human being. 18 Now I say to you that you are Peter (which means ‘rock’),[f] and upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell[g] will not conquer it. 19 And I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven. Whatever you forbid[h] on earth will be forbidden in heaven, and whatever you permit[i] on earth will be permitted in heaven.”

20 Then he sternly warned the disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.

Jesus shares the prediction of His death and resurrection starting after Peter realizes and proclaims that Jesus is “…the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” This truth, not Peter as a person, is the rock upon which Jesus builds the church. We see quickly that Peter will fail (denying Christ three times) as all men fail. But the truth of Jesus as Messiah, the Son of the Living God… Jesus will never fail. That truth will stand against all effort and power from Hell.

Do you truly accept the physical suffering and death of Jesus for our sins as a real event in history? or are you still in denial as the disciples were at first?

When you think of His suffering and death, have you ever felt grief that your sins (and mine) are why Jesus suffered and died? If not, we may be led back to the first question.

Knowing that Jesus submitted to God’s will perfectly, even willingly going into certain suffering and death… are you willing to fully submit to God and follow where He leads? or are you holding back some areas of your life to your own plans or comforts?

Do you proclaim Him boldly to others? or keep your “faith” to yourself? James said faith without works is dead [James 2:14-26]. Paul said part of the evidence of a saving faith is to proclaim Jesus as Lord [Romans 10:9-10]. Jesus said if you deny me before men, so I will deny you before the Father [Matthew 10:32-33].

Again I ask… Do you proclaim Him boldly to others? or keep your “faith” to yourself?

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

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