great misfortune

Posted on July 11, 2014 by Jefferson Vann

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Matthew 24:15-22

15 “So when you see the abomination that makes desolate spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place ( let the reader understand),

16 then those who are in Judea should escape to the mountains.

17 The one who is on the housetop should not go down to get what is in his house,

18 and the one who is in the field should not turn back to get his cloak.

19 And it will be regrettable for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! 20 Pray that your escape may not be in winter or on a Sabbath.

21 Because at that time there will be great misfortune, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be.

22 And if those days had not been cut short, no life would be preserved. But for the sake of the chosen ones, those days will be cut short.

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great misfortune

The immediate concern the disciples had was the destruction the temple that Jesus had just predicted. When they had asked “when will these things happen,”[1] — that is what they were referring to. So Jesus told them that it would be a terrible time of danger and anyone who could would escape Jerusalem. The rest would undergo horrible suffering.

The siege of Jerusalem from AD 66-70 fulfills this prediction completely. Jesus’ lament about the pregnant women, or those nursing infants is especially relevant, since the siege cut off supplies to the city, so many of those with small children eventually resorted to cannibalism. Josephus estimated that a million people died in the siege, and the battles with the Roman soldiers that ensued.

God’s grace touched even this act of judgment. Jesus tells his disciples that those days were cut short “for the sake of the chosen ones.” Even though the inhabitants of Jerusalem would crucify him, Jesus loved them too much to prolong that punishment.

LORD, your love shines through even in your acts of judgment. May your love shine in us toward those who suffer as well.

[1] Matthew 24:3.

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Don’t get sidetracked

Posted on July 10, 2014 by Jefferson Vann

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Matthew 24:1-14

1 Jesus was leaving the temple and walking away, when his disciples came to point out to him the buildings of the temple.

2 But he answered them, “You see all these buildings, don’t you? Honestly, I am telling you, there will not be left here one stone connected to another that will not be thrown down.”

3 As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things happen, and what will be the sign that you are coming and that the age is ending?”

4 And Jesus answered them, “Make sure that no one leads you off course.

5 For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many off course.

6 And you will hear of wars and reports of wars. Make sure that you are not alarmed, for this must happen, but the end of the age is not yet.

7 Because nation will go to war against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in different places.

8 All these signs are only the beginning of the birth pains.

9 “At that time they will arrest you, persecute you and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because you accept me.

10 And at that time many will rebel and betray one another and hate one another.

11 And many false prophets will appear and lead many off course.

12 And because disorder will be increased, the love of many will grow cold.

13 But the one who endures to the end will be saved.

14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end of the age will come.

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Don’t get sidetracked

The disciples assumed that the destruction of Jerusalem would be the end of the age. Jesus taught that the age would last a much longer time, with many signs appearing and disappearing throughout the age, like labor pains. Comparing all four synoptic Gospels, those labor pain signs include:

  • False Messiahs
  • Wars, rumors of wars, revolutions
  • International strife
  • Famines, earthquakes, pestilences
  • Fearful events, great signs from heaven
  • Apostasy and schism
  • Persecution, false prophets
  • Martyrdom
  • Increased wickedness
  • Love grows cold, family betrayal
  • Gospel preached to all nations

We are living in that age now. The signs do not point to the age’s end, and they will not increase in intensity just before the end. The whole point of the signs is that they come and go throughout the age, just as labor pains throughout labor. They merely show that the labor is happening.

LORD, when these things happen around us, give us the wisdom to not get sidetracked with last-days speculation, and to keep preaching the gospel, because we do not know how long we have, and there is a world to reach.

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visually challenged guides

Posted on July 9, 2014 by Jefferson Vann

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Matthew 23:23-38

23 “Tragedy is coming to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the more important matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others.

24 You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel!

25 “Tragedy is coming to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence.

26 You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and the plate, so that the outside also may be clean.

27 “Tragedy is coming to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you are like whitewashed tombs, which on the outside look beautiful, but on the side are full of dead people’s bones and all kinds of uncleanness.

28 So you also appear righteous on the outside –to others, but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

29 “Tragedy is coming to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous ones,

30 saying, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have joined them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’

31 Thus you testify against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets.

32 Fill up, then, the measure of the works of your fathers.

33 You snakes, you brood of vipers, how are you going to escape being sentenced to Gehenna?

34 For this reason I am sending you prophets and wise men and scribes, some of whom you will kill and crucify, and some you will flog in your synagogues and persecute from town to town,

35 so that upon you may come the guilt for all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of innocent Abel to the blood of Zechariah the son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar.

36 Honestly, I am telling you, all these things will come upon this generation.

37 “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that is known for killing the prophets and stoning those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, but you would not!

38 See, your house is left to you desolate.

39 Because I tell you, you will not see me again, until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.'”

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visually challenged guides

There is only one thing worse than blatant wicked living. That is hypocritical living. The Pharisees and scribes that Jesus condemned here were the religious super-elite. They were the heroes of Jesus’ day. But their commitment to God was all a show to impress others. Jesus was not impressed. This section of Matthew’s Gospel, which features predictions of the future predominantly, contains an entire chapter predicting God’s judgment upon the Pharisees and scribes. Hypocritical living is the opposite of righteous living, and it is so dangerous because it appears to be righteous living. People looking for a way out of their sinful lives were looking to these religious leaders for guidance. They were being guided straight to destruction in Gehenna. Their guides were visually challenged but they didn’t know it.

LORD, open our eyes to authentic righteous living according to your words. Keep us real so that those seeking you can find their way to you.

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wrong way

Posted on July 8, 2014 by Jefferson Vann

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Matthew 23:13-22

13 “But tragedy is coming to you, scribes and Pharisees, actors! Because you shut the kingdom from the sky in people’s faces. Because you neither enter yourselves nor allow those who would enter to go in.

15 Tragedy is coming to you, scribes and Pharisees, actors! Because you travel across sea and land to make a single proselyte, and when he becomes a proselyte, you make him twice as much a son of Gehenna as yourselves.

16 “Tragedy is coming to you, blind guides, who say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.’

17 You blind fools! Because which is greater, the gold or the temple that has made the gold sacred?

18 And you say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by the gift that is on the altar, he is bound by his oath.’

19 You blind men! Because which is greater, the gift or the altar that makes the gift sacred?

20 So whoever swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it.

21 And whoever swears by the temple swears by it and by him who dwells in it.

22 And whoever swears by the sky swears by the throne of God and by him who sits upon it.

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wrong way

This passage includes three of Jesus’ seven pronouncements of future tragedy – his famous seven woes upon the Pharisees. They were religious heroes in the eyes of the people. But Jesus saw inside them; he saw their hypocrisy. He also saw the result of all their pious effort. Their proselytes thought they were gaining ground in the goal of reaching God. Instead, they were getting closer and closer to destruction in Gehenna.

The people the Pharisees influenced were being kept away from a relationship with God. They were gaining religious disciplines, and losing eternal life.

LORD, keep us from turning people on to religious work, but off to Christ.

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hypocritical workaholics

Posted on July 7, 2014 by Jefferson Vann

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Matthew 23:1-12

1 Then Jesus told the crowds and his disciples,

2 “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat,

3 so practice and obey whatever they tell you- but not what they do. Because they preach right, but do not practice.

4 They bind up heavy loads, hard to bear, and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move those loads with their finger.

5 They do all their works to be seen by others. Because they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long,

6 and they passionately seek after the place of honor at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues

7 and greetings in the marketplaces and being called rabbi by others.

8 But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all brothers.

9 And do not call any man your father on the land, because you have one Father, who is in the sky.

10 Don’t be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Christ.

11 The greatest among you will be your servant.

12 Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

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hypocritical workaholics

Jesus condemned the religious elite of his day for being hard-working fakes. They worked hard at making it hard to obey God, but did not obey God themselves. All of their exertion was a means of exalting themselves.

Those of us in spiritual leadership and who have access to people to influence them should examine ourselves and our actions regularly. Everything we say and do should be scrutinized to make sure that we are not falling into that trap. If pride is entangling us, it will destroy our ministries, and damage our spiritual lives.

It is OK to work hard. In fact, hard work can be a way of keeping ourselves spiritually fit for ministry. But we have to be careful about the nature of our work, and keep it balanced. Taking short breaks for reflection and assessment is a good prescription for continuing spiritual health. Building a team of co-workers who can keep us accountable and share the load is also a good idea. It is a good reminder that we are all brothers and sisters. We have only one Father, and he created us all equal in his sight.

LORD, thank you for the check in our zeal to produce. May our passion to serve you not turn us into hypocritical workaholics.

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no further questions

Posted on July 6, 2014 by Jefferson Vann

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Matthew 22:34-46

34 But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they assembled together.

35 And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him.

36 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”

37 And he said to him, “You are to love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.

38 This is the greatest and first commandment.

39 And a second is like it: You are to love your neighbor as yourself.

40 All the Law and the Prophets are based on these two commandments.”

41 So while the Pharisees were assembled together, Jesus asked them a question,

42 He said, “What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is he?” They said to him, “The son of David.”

43 He said to them, “Why is it then that David, under the Spirit’s influence, calls him Lord, saying,

44 “‘The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand, until I place your enemies under your feet’?

45 So if David calls him Lord, how can he be his son?”

46 And no one was able to answer him a word. In fact, from that day no one dared to ask him any more questions.

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no further questions

Two really good questions are asked in today’s text. First, a lawyer from the Pharisee sect asks Jesus what is the greatest commandment in the Law. Doubtless, the lawyer had rebuttal questions already in mind when he asked that one. But Jesus’ reply was immediate and definite. The lawyer found that he could not refute Jesus’ answer. There is something fundamental about loving God and loving others. We all know instinctively that the LORD wants us to do those things.

Now, Jesus approaches the group of Pharisees with a comeback question. He asks why David, in Psalm 110, referred to the Messiah as his Lord, when the Messiah is supposed to be David’s descendant. Actually, Jesus is both. It was at this point of Jesus’ unique qualification that the Pharisees were stumped as well.

Now, the groups who had been trying to catch Jesus off guard and humiliate him with a theological question finally wise up. They do not stop attacking him, but they realize that he cannot be stopped by arguments. The interrogation is over, but the trial is not.

LORD, may we live our lives based on the answers to these important questions. May we focus on loving you, loving others, and witnessing to the uniqueness of your Son.

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the whole package

Posted on July 5, 2014 by Jefferson Vann

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Matthew 22:23-33

23 The same day Sadducees came to him, who say that there is no resurrection, and they asked him a question,

24 saying, “Teacher, Moses said, ‘If a man dies having no children, his brother must marry the widow and raise up children for his brother.’

25 What if there were seven brothers among us. The first married and died, and having no children left his wife to his brother.

26 the second did too and the third, down to the seventh.

27 The woman died after them all.

28 So at the resurrection, whose wife will she be out of the seven? Because they all had her.”

29 But Jesus answered them, “You have mistaken, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God.

30 Because at the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in the sky.

31 And when it comes to the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was said to you by God:

32 ‘I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not God of the dead, but of the living.”

33 And when the crowd heard it, they were amazed at his teaching.

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the whole package

The Sadducees thought that the resurrection was a ridiculous fairy tale. They were sure that they could get Jesus to slip up and admit that. But Jesus not only affirmed the reality of a future resurrection, he implied that to disbelieve at this point was to deny the veracity of the Scriptures, and to deny the power of God.

1. The resurrection is going to change us. It will make us immortal, like the angels, and it will make us different in other ways as well. Like the angels in the sky (not like the ones who fell) we will be totally the Bridegroom, so there will be no marriage. Like other gifts that are part of this present age, marriage is proper at this time, but it will not be proper for eternity.

2. In this context, Jesus brings up a text where God says he is “the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” Jesus is not saying that these Old Testament saints are really alive somewhere. That would be a denial of the very thing that he is asserting. The text is evidence that these three will be raised from the dead because to God they have not ceased to exist. Their future lives are sure because the LORD is their God.

3. The Sadducees claimed to believe in God, but they rejected the resurrection. Like many today, they wanted to affirm some kind of religious faith, but to purge it of all those silly, improvable notions. They were theists, but they had stripped God of any personal significance. Jesus rejected their teachings and exposed their mockery. Real belief in God accepts the whole package – even the things that cannot be observed or proven.

LORD, give us the wisdom to hold fast to all that you have revealed about yourself.

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straddling between kingdoms

Posted on July 4, 2014 by Jefferson Vann

(Note: I do not plan my devotions after national holidays, but this did turn out to be quite appropriate for 4 July, American Independence Day).

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Matthew 22:15-22 .”

15 Then the Pharisees went and plotted how to entrap him by his talk.

16 And they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that you are sincere and teach the way of God truthfully, and you do not care about anyone’s opinion, for you are not influenced by appearances.

17 So tell us, what you think. Is it allowed to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?”

18 But Jesus, aware of their malevolence, said, “Why do you actors put me to the test?

19 Show me the coin used to pay the tax.” And they brought him a denarius.

20 And Jesus said to them, “Whose face and writing is this?”

21 They said, “Caesar’s.” Then he said to them, “So give to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”

22 When they heard it, they were amazed. And they left him and went away.

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straddling between kingdoms

Matthew does not miss an opportunity to share incidents in Jesus’ life that involve his old occupation. He has already shared a number of stories featuring taxes, tax booths, and tax collectors.[1] This one, in which the Pharisees and Herodians seek to trap him with a political question, probably had a huge impact on Matthew’s life and ministry. The antagonists were determined to make Jesus draw the line in the sand and insist on either loyalty to political authority or divine authority. Jesus’ illustration of the coin was brilliant, because it showed that such line-drawing was not necessary. We all benefit from political allegiances, and as long as those allegiances do not encroach upon our duties to God, they are OK.

There are aspects of our lives that are going to align with cultural distinctions, rather than kingdom distinctions. Our identity as kingdom citizens is not harmed by those aspects, in fact they can be a benefit, in that they give us an in-road to others like us, who also need the gospel. For that reason also, it is helpful to keep one foot in this world, and one foot in the next. As long as we never forget to whom we owe ultimate allegiance, that straddling between kingdoms will work.

LORD, help us stay committed to you, and connected the world you want us to reach.

[1] 5:46; 9:9ff; 10:3; 11:19; 17:24f; 18:17; 21:31f; 22:17,19.

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Come to the wedding feast

Posted on July 3, 2014 by Jefferson Vann

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Matthew 22:1-14

1 And Jesus spoke to them in parables again, saying,

2 “The kingdom from the sky may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son,

3 and sent his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding feast, but they would not come.

4 He sent other servants again, saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, See, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding feast.’

5 But they ignored the invitation and went off, one to his farm, another to his business,

6 while the rest arrested his servants, treated them shamefully, and killed them.

7 The king was angry, and he sent his troops and destroyed those murderers and burned their city.

8 Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding feast is ready, but those invited were not worthy.

9 So go to the main roads and invite to the wedding feast as many as you can find.’

10 And those servants went out into the roads and gathered everyone they found, both bad and good. So the wedding hall was filled with guests.

11 “But when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw there a man who had no wedding garment.

12 And he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?’ But he was speechless.

13 Then the king said to the attendants, ‘Tie him hand and foot and throw him into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

14 For many are called, but few are chosen.”

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Come to the wedding feast

The picture Jesus paints is a festive one. A wedding feast has been prepared for the king’s son, and all the important people have been invited. Then something goes wrong. The people invited stood up the king! That’s the first twist in the plot of the story. The embarrassed king sends out a general invitation through his servants. That works: the wedding hall is now filled with guests. But something is still not right.

There, in the corner. Someone has crashed the party. He is conspicuous because he is not wearing the special clothing supplied by the king himself, for the feast. He’s out of there.

The intended target of this parable is the religious elite of first century Judaism. They would recognize themselves in this story because they had rejected the kingdom offered them by John the Baptist and Jesus. They thought that they had enough merit by their own works to get into the coming kingdom. But they had refused Jesus – whose atoning sacrifice is the wedding garment. No shirt, no shoes, no service.

LORD, we enthusiastically accept your gracious invitation to your coming wedding feast. We will be there, properly clothed in your righteousness, bought by the blood of your Son.

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the rightful heir

Posted on July 2, 2014 by Jefferson Vann

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Matthew 21:33-46

33 “Listen to another parable. There was a master of a house who planted a vineyard and put a fence around it and dug a winepress in it and built a tower and leased it out to tenants, and went into another land.

34 When the season for fruit harvest drew near, he sent his servants to the tenants to get his fruit.

35 And the tenants took his servants and beat one, killed another, and stoned another.

36 He sent other servants again, more than the first. And they did the same to them.

37 Finally he sent his son to them, saying, ‘Surely they will respect my son.’

38 But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and we will have his inheritance.’

39 And they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.

40 When therefore the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?”

41 They said to him, “He will put those wretches to a miserable death and let out the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the fruits at the appropriate times.”

42 Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures: “‘ The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; this was the Lord’s doing, and we see it as a marvelous thing’?

43 This is why I am telling you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who are producing its fruits.

44 And the one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and when it falls on anyone, it will crush him.”

45 When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they figured out that he was speaking about them.

46 And although they were seeking to arrest him, they feared the crowds, because they thought he was a prophet.

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the rightful heir

There is a difference between putting on a good religious show and welcoming Jesus into our lives. The difference is respect for him as the rightful heir to God’s universe. The chief priests and Pharisees had no problem with the concept of the Messiah, but there was a difference between accepting an idea and submitting to a leader. Somewhere inside us is a little Pharisee who is comfortable with his own way of running the vineyard. If we don’t run that imposter off, he will crucify Christ all over again in our hearts.

LORD, we choose to submit to your Son, the rightful heir to your universe.

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