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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organized unbelievers and the real deal

Posted on July 1, 2014 by Jefferson Vann

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Matthew 21:23-32

23 And after he entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came up to him while he was teaching, and said, “What gives you the right to do these things, and who gave you this right?”

24 Jesus answered them, “I also will ask you one question, and if you tell me the answer, then I also will tell you by what right I do these things.

25 The baptizing ministry of John, from where did it originate? From the sky or from man?” And they discussed it among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From the sky,’ he will say to us, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’

26 But if we say, ‘From man,’ we are afraid of the crowd, because they all think that John was a prophet.”

27 So they answered Jesus, “We do not know.” And he said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what right I do these things.

28 “What do you think? A man had two sons. And he went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’

29 But he replied, ‘I will not,’ afterward, however, he changed his mind and went.

30 And he went to the other son and said the same. And he answered, ‘I am going, sir,’ but did not go.

31 Which of the two did what his father wanted?” They said, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Honestly, I am telling you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God before you.

32 Because John came to you following the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him. And even when you saw it, you did not afterward change your minds and believe him.

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organized unbelievers and the real deal

The chief priests and elders of Jerusalem had given their silent approval to Herod’s arresting, and later killing John the Baptizer. Now, they were gunning for Jesus. They had each other’s backing, and so constituted a dangerous thing in any generation: organized unbelievers. Their secret doubts of John’s legitimacy, and fear of Rome — enabled them to overlook the fact that Herod (whom they knew to be evil) destroyed him for selfish reasons. They never dared to ask Herod who gave him the right to do what he did.

Now, the king of kings goes about doing good, and organized unbelievers can only criticize him, question his motives, and secretly seek to destroy him. The tax collectors and prostitutes knew hypocrisy when they saw it. They knew of elders who had property they didn’t claim on their tax forms, and they knew temple officials who had illicit relationships. They also knew the real deal when they saw it. John and Jesus were the real deal, and the broken came to them.

The question for us as we read this text today is “which group do we fit in the most?” Are we more likely to hide our own sinfulness, and criticize those unpopular folk who are genuine? How do we respond when the real deal comes around?

LORD, give us the courage to acknowledge you in spite of the pressure from organized unbelievers.

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faith kills fruit trees

Posted on June 30, 2014 by Jefferson Vann

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Matthew 21:17-22

17 And when he left them, he went out of the city to Bethany and stayed there.

18 In the morning, as he was returning to the city, he got hungry.

19 And when he saw a fig tree by the wayside, he approached it but found nothing on it but only leaves. And he said to it, “May no fruit ever come from you again!” And the fig tree withered at once.

20 When the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, “How did the fig tree wither at once?”

21 And Jesus answered them, “Honestly, I am telling you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ it will happen.

22 And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.”

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faith kills fruit trees

The disciples had seen many miracles. They had even had many miraculous answers to their own prayers during their missions campaigns. So the withered fig tree did not pose a problem for them in terms of its being a real event. Their issue was that even though they understood and accepted the reality of miracles, they were still clueless as to their cause. They asked “How did the fig tree wither at once?” Perhaps they considered themselves to be at a point in their Christian walk when they should have insider information on the power that they had experienced. They wanted to know the secret.

Jesus did not hold back. He told them that the very same ingredient that brought them access to Christ as their teacher and discipler is the ingredient responsible for miracle-working faith. Faith kills fruit trees and removes mountains. That is not much of a secret. When authentic Christians come together and pray in faith, stuff happens. In verses 21-22, all the second person pronouns are plural. Jesus is encouraging cooperation in the manifestation of faith. If there is any secret to power in prayer, that is it. When we gather to pray, he is present to answer. Some of our modern powerlessness is due to our stubborn insistence on going alone to the throne room. “I can handle this” is a destroyer of faith in Christ.

LORD, we confess our lack of faith, and our lack of cooperation in prayer. Make us into people who display your power by cooperating with your will together.

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house cleaning

Posted on June 29, 2014 by Jefferson Vann

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Matthew 21:10-16

10 And after he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, asking, “Who is this?”

11 And the crowds replied, “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee.”

12 And Jesus entered the temple and cleared out all the sellers and buyers in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons.

13 He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you are making it a den of robbers.”

14 And blind and the lame people came to him in the temple, and he healed them.

15 But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying out in the temple, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” they were very angry,

16 and they asked him, “Do you hear what these are saying?” And Jesus replied to them, “Yes; have you never read, “‘ Out of the mouth of infants and nursing babies you have perfected praise’?”

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house cleaning

Jesus’ little joy ride into Jerusalem had stirred up the whole city, and had gotten them asking an important question: “who is this?”

His actions are his tell. He goes back to the temple courts that he has visited several times before in his life. This time, he finds the people there profiting from other people’s devotion again, and he chases them out. The temple was a symbol of the presence of God. It should be a place where people can go to connect with God, to further their relationship with him. Jesus was disgusted with these merchants and bankers. There is a time and a place for selling and servicing financial needs, but this was not the time, and definitely not the place.

The sound of praise continued to flow from those who dared to believe that Jesus was more than just a gifted prophet. They dared to believe that Jesus was who he had said he was, and were criticized for their faith, put into song. The religious elite were actually embarrassed by this worship. They cringed to hear these ignorant folk singing about deliverance. Jesus soaked in this praise, and he does the same today. When the chief priests and the scribes registered their complaint to him, he told them that these songs were not just legitimate, they were perfected praise.

So, whenever we gather in Christ’s name, as his temple, we have a choice. We can either focus on the things of this world or its creator. We can either set up tables for doing our business or we can do his business. He is all about connecting with God through prayer, and praising God through worship.

LORD, purge our temples of selfishness and inauthentic living. Help us to reconnect with you through prayer, and to declare your praises with authentic worship.

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prisoners of hope

Posted on June 28, 2014 by Jefferson Vann

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Matthew 21:1-9

1 When they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples,

2 telling them, “Go into the village in front of you, and soon you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to me.

3 If anyone asks anything, you should reply, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and he will send them at once.”

4 This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, who said,

5 “Tell the daughter of Zion, ‘See, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.'”

6 The disciples went and did as Jesus had ordered them.

7 They brought the donkey and the colt and put on them their cloaks, and he sat on them.

8 Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road.

9 And the crowds that went before him and that followed him were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!”

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prisoners of hope

The Old Testament prophecies of a coming Messiah dug deep into the souls of the Israelites in Jesus’ day. They were well aware that their political situation was an impossible one. But they dared to believe these prophecies, and thought about them as a way of dealing with the harsh reality of oppression under foreign rule.

So, when Jesus’ disciples borrowed a donkey and her colt, explaining that the Lord needs them, they thought of this prediction from Zechariah:

“Rejoice excessively, O daughter Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter Jerusalem! Lo, your king comes to you; he is triumphant and victorious, humble and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”[1]

The seeds of hope had grown within them, and produced a harvest of excessive joy. They shouted “Hosanna” in direct obedience to this prophecy, which was being fulfilled that very day. His choice of these two meek animals as his means of transportation was not unheard of in the ancient near east. Sometimes a conquering ruler would ride into his newly conquered city on a humble beast instead of his war horse. It would serve as a symbol of his triumph over the opposition. Zechariah predicted that the Messiah’s triumphant entry would be both a symbol of his conquering power and his true humility.

Zechariah went on to declare that the rescue of these “prisoners of hope” would be “through the blood of the covenant.” Their real rescue was not from political bondage but from the “waterless pit” of death itself. Jesus knew that this symbolic triumphal entry must be followed by a humiliating torturous death for himself on the cross. To truly set these “prisoners of hope” free, he had to die in their place.

LORD, inspire us again with the hope for rescue we had when you first showed us our coming king. Remind us again of the victory and the peace that is now ours because of the price Jesus paid for our deliverance. Hosannah!

[1] Zechariah 9:9.

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useless people

Posted on June 27, 2014 by Jefferson Vann

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Matthew 20:29-34 .

29 And as they went out of Jericho, a large crowd followed him.

30 And see, there were two blind men sitting by the roadside, and when they heard that Jesus was passing by, they cried out, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!”

31 The crowd criticized them, telling them to shut up, but they cried out even more, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!”

32 So Jesus stopped and called them and asked, “What do you want me to do for you?”

33 They replied to him, “Lord, let our eyes be opened.”

34 And out of compassion, Jesus touched their eyes, and immediately they recovered their sight and started following him.

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useless people

Jesus had just given his disciples an object lesson on servant leadership, reminding them that in the kingdom coming down from the sky, leaders serve out of love, not for gain or status. Next, another object lesson as they hear two blind men shouting along the side of the road as they leave town. If you had asked anyone in the crowd to describe the scene, they would have said it was annoying. Those blind beggars are such a nuisance. But Jesus stops. Now, the crowd is watching. All the other religious and political leaders just ignored these two useless people. After all, what good are blind followers?

But then, Jesus touches them, and these two formerly useless people become living, breathing, walking, following examples of who he is. This event was an object lesson on faith and God’s power, but it was also an object lesson on servant leadership. If Jesus had not served these two useless people, there would have been two fewer followers. Compassion was not only a leadership trait of Jesus, it was – and is – a means of leading in the sky kingdom. We, who aspire to lead his church need to stop looking for useful people to follow us, and look for broken people we can help. The most amazing saints who have made an impact on this world for Christ were once blind beggars, annoying the crowds with their cries for help.

LORD, open our eyes to the blind beggars. Give us the vision to see the value in those whom the world wants to ignore. Help us to invest our lives in them, as you did.

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grand ambitions

Posted on June 26, 2014 by Jefferson Vann

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Matthew 20:17-28

17 And as Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside, and on the way he was saying to them,

18 “See, we are going up to Jerusalem. And the Son of Man will be arrested by the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death

19 and hand him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and beaten and crucified, and he will be raised on the third day.”

20 Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came up to him with her sons, and kneeling before him she asked him for a favor.

21 And he asked her, “What do you want?” She replied to him, “Announce that these two sons of mine are to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your coming kingdom.”

22 Jesus answered, “You two do not know what you are asking. Can you drink the suffering cup that I am about to drink?” They said to him, “We can.”

23 He said to them, “You will drink my cup, but to sit at my right hand and at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been arranged by my Father.”

24 And when the ten heard it, they were very angry at the two brothers.

25 But Jesus called them to him and said, “You know that the leaders among the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones subordinate them.

26 It is not to be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant,

27 and whoever would be first among you must be your slave,

28 just as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to provide his life as a means of rescue for many.”

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grand ambitions

Jesus was explaining that his suffering cup was coming soon, and he would have to drink it, because he came to provide his life as a means of rescue for many. He thought of others before himself, even though he was the only one who deserves to be put first.

Meanwhile, the disciples were betrayed by their own grand ambitions. James and John wanted to have top billing in the coming sky kingdom, and they had the audacity to get their mother to request it. The other disciples were angry – probably because the sons of Zebedee asked for this favor first – beating them to the punch.

Jesus takes this opportunity to teach his disciples about the nature of sky kingdom leadership.

1. Leadership is sacrificial investment in the lives of others. It is all about serving others and meeting their needs.

2. Jesus is the ultimate example of leadership in the sky kingdom. He gave his life for the lost.

3. The Gentile example of exploitation of subordinates is the antithesis of sky kingdom leadership.

4. There is a way to top billing, but that way is through self-sacrifice, and investment in the well-being and salvation of others.

5. In the end, the sovereign God determines who the top dogs are.

LORD, our eyes are fixed on the prize of your coming sky kingdom. Help us not to get sidetracked by grand ambitions. Help us to invest sacrificially in others, as you did.

Posted in Jesus Christ, kingdom of God, sovereignty of God | Tagged | 1 Comment