Week
of 20 Pentecost - B
This is a Three-Year Lectionary based on the Lutheran Book of
Worship 3-year Lectionary (for public worship), "Prayers of the
Day..." (Propers), p. 13-41, Augsburg Publishing House, Minneapolis,
1978. It is based, with only minor variations, on the Revised Common
Lectionary, used by many denominations, including the Episcopal,
Lutheran, Presbyterian, and Methodist churches:
http://www.commontexts.org/
and:
http://www.commontexts.org/rcl/usage.html
The daily readings are the Propers (Lections) for the following
Sunday, so that the daily devotions can prepare us for worship.
Additional Lections are from Common Service Book of the Lutheran
Church, "Scripture lessons for Matins and Vespers," United Lutheran
Church of America, General Rubrics VIII. Scripture lessons for
Matins and Vespers, p. 299 - 304, Philadelphia, 1918.
The previous 2- year Bible Study based on the Lutheran Book of
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Podcast Download: Week of 20 Pentecost - B
Sunday
20 Pentecost - B
First Posted
October 18, 2009;
Podcast: Sunday 20 Pentecost - B
Genesis 2:18-24 -- Man and Wife;
Psalm 128 -- The Blessed Family;
Hebrews 2:9-11 (12-18) -- The Family of God;
Mark 10:2-16 -- Breaking the Marriage Bond;
Genesis Paraphrase:
God created woman to be a partner of man, to
create a family in which to raise children. The rest of Creation
was subjugated and given to mankind for our use. The image of God
taking a rib from Adam to make Eve, describes the relationship God
intended for man and wife to have. Each fits together and
completes the other. There is no other relationship in this world
which can take the place of the relationship of man and wife.
Psalm Paraphrase:
The Psalmist describes the family as a blessing
from God to those who fear (have the appropriate respect for the
power and authority of) God. The labor of those who fear the Lord
will be productive and rewarded by God. Their families will be
happy and contented, and their city and their land will prosper
and have peace.
Hebrews Paraphrase:
Jesus, for whom and by whom all things were
created, became a humble human being, suffered death for our sake
and has been glorified and honored above all because he was
willing to suffer for us. Jesus became spiritually mature and
complete through suffering, and became the “Pioneer” (and author,
and leader) leading the way for our salvation.
Jesus is the sanctifier (who cleanses and
dedicates us to God’s service), and those who are sanctified (who
trust and obey Jesus) have the same origin (in God our Father), so
therefore he calls us his brothers (and sisters), as the scripture
has said (quoting Psalm 22:22; Isaiah 8:17-18).
“Since therefore the children (ourselves) share
in flesh and blood, he [Jesus] himself likewise partook of the
same nature, that through death he might destroy him who has the
power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who
through fear of death were subject to lifelong bondage” (Hebrews
2:14-15). Jesus came and suffered and died for us because he cares
about us, who are the descendants of Abraham (not just Jews, but
all who are Abraham’s spiritual children by faith in God). Jesus
had to become human and experience life in this world so that he
could be “a merciful and faithful high priest” as our mediator
with God, to make payment for our sins and thus reconcile us with
God. Because Jesus has suffered and been tempted he is able to
help us in our suffering and temptation.
Mark Paraphrase:
The Pharisees (a leading faction of legalistic
Jews) tested Jesus by asking him a question about divorce. In
reply Jesus asked them what Moses taught (since they considered
themselves experts in the Law of Moses; i.e. scripture). They
replied that Moses allowed divorce, and then Jesus said that Moses
had allowed divorce because of their hard-heartedness. Jesus said,
quoting Genesis 2:24, that God had made man and woman to leave
their families and be joined to each other in marriage so that
they become one in flesh. What God has joined together mankind
should not tear apart.
Privately, his disciples asked Jesus about his
teaching on divorce and Jesus declared that if one divorces one’s
spouse and remarries, the person commits adultery.
People were bringing children to Jesus to be
blessed by him, and his disciples rebuked them. Jesus rebuked his
disciples and told them not to prevent children from coming to him
because the kingdom of God belonged to such as them. Jesus
declared that anyone who does not receive the kingdom in childlike
innocence and obedience will not enter it. Jesus took the children
in his arms and laid his hand upon them and blessed them.
Commentary:
God has intended from the very beginning of
Creation to establish an eternal kingdom of his people who
willingly choose to trust and obey God. In order to provide us the
freedom and opportunity to choose for ourselves whether to trust
and obey God, and to learn from trial and error that God’s way is
our very best interest, God designed Creation with the possibility
of sin (disobedience of God’s Word) and evil (what is wrong
according to God’s judgment). But God is not willing to tolerate
disobedience forever; this Creation and his creatures have a
limited lifetime.
This world was created to be a “garden” in
which to grow children of God. God created a “very good” garden
(Genesis 1:31), but mankind corrupted it by sin. God designed man
and woman to fit perfectly together to form a family in which to
protect and nurture children. The family is to be a garden in
which to raise children of God. Mankind’s disobedience of God’s
will destroys the “garden” which God intended.
Homosexuality is sinful disobedience of God’s
will and purpose for Creation (and procreation).* Homosexuality is
a moral choice and an error that humans choose to make (Romans
1:26-27). Divorce is another sin which destroys family and
conflicts with God’s will, as does single-parenthood, and
absentee-parenting where both spouses work.
In society today, particularly in America, the
effects of sins against the family should be obvious to anyone who
is not stone-deaf and –blind: children conceiving and birthing
children; children murdering children and their parents. Gangs are
the worldly “New Family.”
God wants us to be his children, not children
of Satan. Jesus was God’s ‘first-born” and only “begotten” son. He
is the heir of God’s entire estate. He is our oldest brother, who
shows us how to live in obedient trust in God’s Word. We are God’s
adopted children through obedient trust in Jesus Christ, and Jesus
has promised to share his inheritance with us.
Christians are to have Christian families and
raise Christian children. A Christian is a “born-again” (John 3:3,
5-8) disciple of Jesus Christ (Acts 11:26d). We have to be
born-again disciples to make born-again disciples; we have to know
what Jesus teaches in order to teach our children. Christians are
to grow to spiritual maturity through testing as we live daily
according to Jesus’ teaching and example.
The Church is to be the “Family of God” on
earth. The elder brethren are to disciple the new believers
through spiritual “birthing,” and teach them to trust and obey
Jesus and to grow to spiritual maturity. We are to be an example
of obedient trust in God’s Word.
Jesus came to demonstrate that there is life
after physical death and that he can raise us from physical death
to eternal life. We are freed from thinking that we have to
indulge ourselves in this lifetime because that’s all there is.
Jesus is our “Sanctifier” and we are to be “the
sanctified.” Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross cleanses us from all
sin, provided that we trust and obey Jesus. As we trust and obey
Jesus, we receive the gift of his indwelling Holy Spirit, which
only Jesus gives (John 1:31-34) only to his disciples who trust
and obey Jesus, (John 14:15-17), who cleanses us from sin,
disciples us to spiritual maturity, and guides, dedicates and
empowers us to God’s service. The Holy Spirit is the seal and
guarantee that one is in Christ and has eternal life (2
Corinthians 1:22; Ephesians 1:13-14; Romans 8:9b, 11, 15-16).
Is Jesus your Lord (Matthew 7:21-23; Luke
6:46)? Are you Jesus' disciple (John 8:31)? Are you trusting and
obeying Jesus (John 14:21)? Have you received the indwelling Holy
Spirit since you first truly believed (Acts 19:2)? Are you making
disciples of Jesus Christ and teaching them to obey all that Jesus
commands (Matthew 28:18-20)? Do you know with certainty where you
will spend eternity (1 John 5:11-13; Ephesians 1:13-14)?
*See 1 Timothy 1:10; 1 Corinthians 6:9; Romans
1:24-27; from two Greek words meaning “men bedding (or conceiving)
with men” (Strong’s #730 & 2845; see Strong’s #733); i.e.,
“sodomites,” after the city of Sodom, destroyed by God for its
homosexual practice (Genesis 19:4-5 (24-25); men who have
unnatural sexual relations with men (and, by extension, women who
have unnatural sexual relations with women). The KJV translates
as: “men defiling themselves with men.”
Monday 20 Pentecost - B
First Posted October 19, 2009;
Podcast: Monday 20 Pentecost - B
Psalm 90:12-17 -- Meaning and Purpose
in Life;
Paraphrase:
“So teach us to number our days that we may get
a heart of wisdom” (Psalm 90:12). Let us pray for and work for the
Lord’s return. Let us begin each day seeking the Lord’s steadfast
love so that we can have joy and gladness all our days. The Lord
will restore us and replace the days and years of affliction and
evil with joy and gladness. Let God’s power and works be
manifested to his servants and their children. “Let the favor of
the Lord our God be upon us” and establish thou the work of our
hands upon us (Psalm 90:17).
Commentary:
The meaning and purpose of this lifetime is to
seek and come to knowledge of and fellowship with God (Acts
17:26-27), which is only possible through Jesus Christ (Acts 4:12;
John 14:6). If we realize that, we will seek divine wisdom, by
which the world was created and sustained; not what the world
falsely calls “wisdom” (1 Corinthians 1:17-25; 2:1-8). Every
believer should start his day seeking God’s loving guidance, so
that we can enjoy life and be useful in God’s kingdom now in this
lifetime.
The place to start finding divine knowledge is
the Bible. As we read and apply the Bible in our lives daily, we
will be “born again” (John 3:3, 5-8) by the gift of the Holy
Spirit as we trust and obey Jesus. The Holy Spirit will teach us
everything we need to know, will remind us of God’s Word at the
right time, and will give us divine wisdom and knowledge to
testify when it is needed (John 14:25-26; Luke 21:15)
The Lord has promised to return to gather his
disciples into his eternal kingdom and to punish with eternal
death those who have rejected and refused to obey Jesus. His
disciples experience suffering and evil now from the enemies of
the Gospel, but the Lord is able and faithful to replace those
days with joy and gladness, not just day for day, but for all
eternity.
Christians are to pray and work for the Lord’s
return. “Born-again” Christians have already experienced the
Lord’s coming within them individually by the gift of the
indwelling Holy Spirit. The infilling of the Holy Spirit is an
ongoing process. We can invite the Lord to fill us, daily, so that
we can experience his love and be guided and empowered by him
daily. That “re-birth” is a foretaste of life with the Lord in his
eternal kingdom in heaven.
The Lord is at work in this world, but we need
to be spiritually alive to see his working, now and eternally. We
need to teach our children and help them grow to spiritual
maturity so that they can also experience the Lord’s power and
love. We need to seek the Lord’s favor, on our families, on the
Church and on our nation, not by “manipulation,” but by obedient
trust (see Conditions for Answered Prayer; sidebar, top right,
home).
We need to seek the Lord’s will for our lives
and be guided by his Holy Spirit to complete Jesus’ mission of
forgiveness and reconciliation to a lost and dying world. When we
seek the Lord’s guidance and empowerment, we can be sure that what
we’re doing with this lifetime will have eternal value. We can
only accomplish that by the Holy Spirit.
Is Jesus your Lord (Matthew 7:21-23; Luke
6:46)? Are you Jesus' disciple (John 8:31)? Are you trusting and
obeying Jesus (John 14:21)? Have you received the indwelling Holy
Spirit since you first truly believed (Acts 19:2)? Are you making
disciples of Jesus Christ and teaching them to obey all that Jesus
commands (Matthew 28:18-20)? Do you know with certainty where you
will spend eternity (1 John 5:11-13; Ephesians 1:13-14)?
Tuesday 20 Pentecost - B
First Posted October 20, 2009;
Podcast: Tuesday 20 Pentecost - B
Amos 5:6-7, 10-15 -- Seeking What is Good;
Paraphrase:
Bethel had been a place of worship, where Jacob
had the dream of the ladder (Genesis 28:10-17), and where God had
spoken with Jacob when he returned from Aram (Syria), and had
changed his name to Israel (Genesis 35:9-15). But Bethel had
become a place of idolatry during the divided monarchy. The
Prophet Amos warned Israel to seek the Lord so that they could
live, rather than being destroyed by God with fire for their
idolatry. Israel had perverted justice so that it had become
bitter poison, and had trampled upon righteousness.
Israel had become unwilling to hear the truth
and accept reproof. Because Israel had prospered at the expense of
the poor, God declared that they would not be allowed to enjoy the
houses and vineyards they had built for themselves. The Lord knew
all their sins; they afflicted the righteous, accepted bribes and
perverted justice, and turned away the needy.
Amos warned Israel to seek good rather than
evil, so that the Lord would be with them, as they claimed. Israel
should hate evil and love what is good, and should practice
justice, so that God might be gracious to the remnant of Israel.
Commentary:
America and the (nominal) “Church,”
particularly in America, are in a very similar position today as
that of the Northern Kingdom of Israel at the time of Amos. God’s
Word warns us to seek the Lord so that we can live eternally in
the “Promised Land” of his heavenly kingdom. In many ways America
has perverted justice and trampled on righteousness. We don’t want
to hear divine truth and we refuse to be reproved by God’s Word.
America has become rich by trampling on the
poor. God warns that those who do such things will not live to
enjoy their accumulated wealth. We urgently need to repent of evil
and start doing what is good in God’s judgment, according to his
Word.
The “Church” has allowed sin and
idolatries among its members and leaders, and has failed to preach
the entire Word of God. The Church has condoned and collaborated
with secular authorities.
The Northern Kingdom refused to hear the
prophets who proclaimed the warning of God’s impending judgment;
they fulfilled the prophecy of Amos that they hated truth and the
reproof of God’s Word. God removed his favor and protection from
them, and they were destroyed by the Assyrians. The ten tribes of
the Northern Kingdom ceased to exist.
God’s Word is absolutely true and trustworthy.
Israel had many opportunities to repent and return to obedient
trust in God’s Word. God was ready to be gracious and have mercy
on Israel, but they refused to repent until the day they were
overthrown by the Assyrians.
God’s Word is eternal and is fulfilled over and
over again, as the conditions for its fulfillment are met. Just
because it was fulfilled once by Israel thousands of years ago
doesn’t mean that it cannot be fulfilled again upon us. God’s Word
is unchanging; if we act like “Israelites” we can expect the same
outcome. How are we doing? Are we willing to be reproved by God’s
Word? Are we willing and seeking to hear truth?
Is Jesus your Lord (Matthew 7:21-23; Luke
6:46)? Are you Jesus' disciple (John 8:31)? Are you trusting and
obeying Jesus (John 14:21)? Have you received the indwelling Holy
Spirit since you first truly believed (Acts 19:2)? Are you making
disciples of Jesus Christ and teaching them to obey all that Jesus
commands (Matthew 28:18-20)? Do you know with certainty where you
will spend eternity (1 John 5:11-13; Ephesians 1:13-14)?
Wednesday 20 Pentecost - B
First Posted October 21, 2009;
Podcast: Wednesday 20 Pentecost - B
Hebrews 3:1-6 -- Christ Superior to Moses;
Paraphrase:
Christians are to be the holy (dedicated to
God’s service) family of God who share a heavenly calling. Jesus
is the apostle (messenger of the Gospel) and high priest of our
confession (what we believe; our “faith”). Jesus and Moses were
each faithful to God. But Jesus is worthy of greater honor than
Moses as the builder of a house is greater than the house. Every
house has a builder, but God is the builder of all things. Moses
was faithful over God’s house as a servant, but Jesus is faithful
as a son. We are the household of God if we treasure and hold fast
to our hope with confidence.
Commentary:
God has always intended from the very beginning
of Creation to establish an eternal kingdom of his people who
willingly choose to trust and obey God. Jesus has been built into
the “fabric” of Creation from the beginning (John 1:1-5, 14).
The history of God’s dealing with Israel has
been deliberately intended by God to be a “parable,” a metaphor
for life in this Creation, as well as history. Moses was the
forerunner and illustration of Christ which was fulfilled in
Jesus. Jesus is the “New Moses” who leads the people of God out of
bondage to sin and death in the “Egypt” of this worldly culture,
through the “sea” of baptism, through the spiritual wilderness of
this world, through the “river” of physical death and into the
“Promised Land” of God’s eternal kingdom in heaven.
Moses was a mediator of a Covenant of Law and
sacrifice between God and God’s people. He declared God’s Word to
the people, and he interceded for the people to God. Moses brought
the people to the earthly “Promised Land.”
Jesus is the mediator of a New Covenant of
Grace (unmerited favor; free gift) to be received by faith
(obedient trust) in Jesus (Ephesians 2:8-9). Jesus is the one and
only sacrifice acceptable to God for the forgiveness of our sins
and our restoration to fellowship with God and eternal life. Jesus
is the ultimate apostle (messenger; of the Gospel). Jesus is the
fulfillment, embodiment and example of God’s Word in human flesh
(John 1:1-5, 14). Jesus declared God’s Word, and he is the great
high priest who intercedes for us with God.
Moses and the people were led through the
wilderness by the Holy Spirit in the pillar of cloud and fire
(Exodus 13:21). Jesus was filled with the Holy Spirit at his
baptism, and Jesus is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit
and with fire (Matthew 3:11; John 1:31-34; Acts 2:1-4). Only Jesus
baptizes with the Holy Spirit (John 1:31-34), only his disciples
who trust and obey Jesus (John 14:15-17). The Holy Spirit is the
seal and guarantee that one is in Christ and has eternal life (2
Corinthians 1:22; Ephesians 1:13-14; Romans 8:9b, 11, 15-16). The
Holy Spirit is intended to be our guide through the wilderness of
this lifetime.
This lifetime is our only opportunity to seek
and find God (Acts 17:26-27), and to learn to trust and obey God.
Jesus is the only way to God; Jesus is divine truth in human form,
and the only way to be “born-again” (John 3:3, 5-8) to spiritual,
eternal life (Acts 4:12; John 14:6).
Is Jesus your Lord (Matthew 7:21-23; Luke
6:46)? Are you Jesus' disciple (John 8:31)? Are you trusting and
obeying Jesus (John 14:21)? Have you received the indwelling Holy
Spirit since you first truly believed (Acts 19:2)? Are you making
disciples of Jesus Christ and teaching them to obey all that Jesus
commands (Matthew 28:18-20)? Do you know with certainty where you
will spend eternity (1 John 5:11-13; Ephesians 1:13-14)?
Thursday 20 Pentecost - B
First Posted October 22, 2009;
Podcast: Thursday 20 Pentecost - B
Mark 10:17-27 (28-30) -- Real Wealth;
Paraphrase:
A rich young man came up to Jesus as Jesus was
traveling, and addressing Jesus as “good teacher,” asked what he
must do to inherit eternal life. Jesus asked him why he called
Jesus “good” since only God is good. Jesus said that the man knew
the commandments, and citing the ones concerning our relationship
to other people (and omitting the ones concerning our relationship
with God), told the man that if he did those things he would have
eternal life.
The man told Jesus that he had kept those
commandments from his youth. Jesus loved the man and he told him
that he lacked one thing; he should go and sell his possessions,
give to the poor, and come and follow Jesus. At this, the man
became sad and went away sorrowfully, because he had great
possessions.
Jesus looked around and told his disciples that
it will be extremely hard for the rich to enter the kingdom of
God. The disciples were amazed at this, and Jesus said again,
addressing them as children, that it is hard to enter the kingdom
of God; that it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a
needle than for the rich to enter God’s kingdom.
The disciples were quite astonished and asked
who, then, can be saved. Jesus replied that God is able to do what
is impossible for humans; nothing is impossible for God. Peter
said that the disciples had left everything to follow Jesus, and
Jesus replied that his disciples who leave houses and family to
follow Jesus will receive many times more in this lifetime,
although with persecutions, and in the coming age, eternal life.
But many who are first will be last and the last first.
Commentary:
Jesus asked the rich man why he had addressed
Jesus as “good.” The rich man needed to understand that Jesus was
not just “good” in a worldly sense. Jesus is God in human flesh;
the man needed to understand that, in order to be “saved” from
eternal death. Jesus didn’t mention the commandments about the
man’s obligation to love and serve God, but a person’s love for
God is revealed his love of his fellow humans.
The man loved riches more than he loved God or
his fellow humans. That one thing was what kept the man from
following Jesus and receiving eternal life. The one thing which
would cure his spiritual illness was to sell his riches and give
to the poor, and then he would be free to follow Jesus. If he had
trusted and obeyed Jesus’ teaching he would have become Jesus’
disciple and would have received eternal life. What would eternal
life in heavenly paradise be worth?
God has given everything necessary for life in
this world to all his people to share. Those who possesses great
wealth while others lack basic necessities are disobeying God’s
commandments to love others. Wealth is their “idol,” which they
love more than God or their fellow humans. Their wealth testifies
against them.
We think that we can accumulate enough
resources to be secure, but the truth is that no amount of wealth
can give us security; it always takes a little bit more. No amount
of wealth can keep us from dying physically and from facing God’s
judgment. Ultimately we can’t keep what we’ve accumulated in this
world. The real security is in trusting and obeying the Lord. If
we trust and obey him, the Lord will provide the physical things
we need as well as the spiritual things which give us eternal
life.
In order to follow Jesus we must give up what
we think we want in order to do what the Lord wants. But when we
put what we want “on the altar” to the Lord, we will discover that
what he wants for us is better, and that he also gives us the
physical, earthly things we need as well. We will also be
“born-again” by the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit, which only
Jesus gives (John 1:31-34), only to his disciples who trust and
obey Jesus (John 14:15-17), and we will have the absolute
assurance of eternal life. The Holy Spirit is the seal and
guarantee that one is in Christ and has eternal life (2
Corinthians 1:22; Ephesians 1:13-14; Romans 8:9b, 11, 15-16).
Is Jesus your Lord (Matthew 7:21-23; Luke
6:46)? Are you Jesus' disciple (John 8:31)? Are you trusting and
obeying Jesus (John 14:21)? Have you received the indwelling Holy
Spirit since you first truly believed (Acts 19:2)? Are you making
disciples of Jesus Christ and teaching them to obey all that Jesus
commands (Matthew 28:18-20)? Do you know with certainty where you
will spend eternity (1 John 5:11-13; Ephesians 1:13-14)?
Friday 20 Pentecost - B
First Posted October 23, 2009;
Podcast: Friday 20 Pentecost - B
Proverbs 2:1-9 -- The Fear of the Lord is Wisdom;
Ephesians 5:15-21 -- Wise Men (and Women);
Proverbs Paraphrase:
Proverbs is a “textbook” of moral and religious
instruction. It teaches that true wisdom is from God and not what
the world falsely calls “wisdom.” Though probably not written by
Solomon, it is ascribed to him, who is the archetype of divine
wisdom given by God to man. The Bible is the Word and wisdom of
God inspired by his Holy Spirit in those who wrote it.
The teacher addresses his student as son and
urges him to be receptive and attentive, to treasure to the
teacher’s instruction, and to be receptive to (divine) wisdom.
Those who beg for wisdom and plead for understanding, who “search
for it as for hidden treasure” (Proverbs 2:4), will “understand
the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God” (Proverbs
2:5).
God is the giver of (true) wisdom and his Word
is knowledge and understanding, which he makes known to the
righteous (those who do what is right in God’s judgment) and those
who are motivated by integrity. God’s wisdom is the shield and
guard of his saints (those consecrated to God's service), and the
promoter and preserver of justice. Those who give heed God’s Word
will know righteousness, justice and equity and every good thing.
Ephesians Paraphrase:
Paul was “discipling” the Ephesian Christians.
He urged believers to be careful about how they were living, not
as unwise people but rather as wise, making the most of our time,
because the times are evil. We are not to be foolish, but instead
seek and know God’s will. We are not to waste the time in
drunkenness and debauchery, but instead be filled with the Holy
Spirit, praising the Lord with one another with all our hearts,
and giving thanks to God for everything through Jesus Christ our
Lord. We are to cooperate with one another in reverence for
Christ.
Commentary:
King Solomon is the example of one who sought
true, divine wisdom from God, rather than worldly wealth and
power, and he became known throughout the world and through all
time for his wisdom. God also gave him wealth and power; and long
life, provided that he trust and obey God’s Word (1 Kings 3:5-14).
Paul taught that Jesus is the power and wisdom
of God, and that divine wisdom is true wisdom, unlike worldly
“wisdom” (1 Corinthians 1:17-25; 2:1-8). God has given us true
divine wisdom in his Word, the Bible, and in Jesus Christ, the
“living Word” of God (John 1:1-5, 14), by whom all things were
created.
Jesus is the fulfillment, embodiment and
illustration of God’s Word in human flesh. Jesus is the only one
who gives the gift of the Holy Spirit (John 1:31-34), only to his
disciples who trust and obey Jesus (John 14:15-17). The gift of
the Holy Spirit is the ultimate revelation of God’s Word to us
individually and personally.
The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God, the
Spirit of Christ (Romans 8:9) within us; the Spirit of Truth, whom
the world does not know, who will lead Jesus’ “born-again” (John
3:3, 5-8) disciples into all truth and will teach them all things
(John 14:25-26). It is the Spirit of the risen Jesus who opens our
minds to understand scripture (Luke 24:45), who gives his
disciples a voice and wisdom which none will be able to refute
(Luke 21:15).
Believers are to seek the fulfillment of the
Lord’s promise of the “anointing” of the Holy Spirit, and the
knowledge of God’s will for us individually and personally.
Christians are to learn to trust and obey all that Jesus taught so
that we can be “born-again” to spiritual eternal life through the
gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit. It is the indwelling Holy
Spirit who gives us personal knowledge of and fellowship with the
Lord. It is the indwelling Spirit of Christ within us who teaches,
guides us to know, and empowers us to do God’s will. The Holy
Spirit is the seal and guarantee that one is in Christ and has
eternal life (2 Corinthians 1:22; Ephesians 1:13-14; Romans 8:9b,
11, 15-16).
“The fear (appropriate awe and respect for the
power and authority) of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; and
the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding (Proverbs 9:10
RSV).
Jesus has promised to return on the Day of
Judgment and to judge the living and the dead, in both the
physical and spiritual senses (Matthew 25:31-46; John 5:28-29; see
God’s Plan of Salvation, sidebar, top right, home). Those who have
trusted and obeyed Jesus will receive eternal life in paradise in
God’s heavenly kingdom; those who have rejected Jesus and refused
to obey him will receive eternal condemnation and destruction in
Hell with all evil.
Are we making the most of the time we have been
given in this life? Are we seeking God’s wisdom and God’s will?
Are we seeking to learn, trust and obey Jesus’ teaching? Are we
seeking the fulfillment of the promise of the Counselor, the
Spirit of Truth? Are we truly worshiping and glorifying our Lord
in everything we do? Are we proclaiming the Gospel to a lost and
dying world?
Is Jesus your Lord (Matthew 7:21-23; Luke
6:46)? Are you Jesus' disciple (John 8:31)? Are you trusting and
obeying Jesus (John 14:21)? Have you received the indwelling Holy
Spirit since you first truly believed (Acts 19:2)? Are you making
disciples of Jesus Christ and teaching them to obey all that Jesus
commands (Matthew 28:18-20)? Do you know with certainty where you
will spend eternity (1 John 5:11-13; Ephesians 1:13-14)?
Saturday 20 Pentecost - B
First Posted October 24, 2009;
Podcast: Saturday 20 Pentecost - B
Matthew 22:1-14 -- The Marriage Feast;
Paraphrase:
Jesus taught in parables (stories of common
earthly experiences to teach spiritual truth). He described the
kingdom of heaven as a marriage feast given by a king for his son.
When everything was ready the king sent his servants to call the
invited to come to the feast, but they wouldn’t come. The king
again sent his servants, saying that the animals had been
slaughtered and the food was prepared, and urging them to come,
but they disregarded the invitation and continued their daily
routines. Others treated the servants of the king shamefully and
killed them.
The king sent his soldiers and killed the
murderers and destroyed their city. Then the king told his
servants that those who were invited were not worthy, and sent the
servants into the surrounding area to compel those they found to
come to the feast, so that the hall was filled with all sorts of
people, good and bad.
But when the king came in and saw his guests he
noticed that one man wasn’t wearing a wedding garment. The king
addressed him as a friend and asked how he had gotten in without a
wedding garment, and the man was speechless. The king told his
servants to bind the man’s hands and feet and throw him into the
outer darkness. Jesus declared that there people “will weep and
gnash their teeth” (Matthew 22:13). Jesus also declared that many
are called but few are chosen.
Commentary:
Jesus taught in parables to teach spiritual
truth, which is beyond our experience, in comparison with worldly
events with which we are familiar, so that we can understand. He
also taught in parables so that people are free to accept or
reject his teaching.
The kingdom of God in heaven is the marriage
feast of the “Son of the king,” Jesus, and his bride, the Church.
Jesus is also the “lamb” which has been sacrificed, and everything
is prepared. We are all invited, but some are busy pursuing
worldly affairs and some have rejected God’s messengers and
treated them shamefully. Some, they have killed. At the end of the
age, the Lord will send his angels to destroy those who have
rejected his invitation (Matthew 16:27; 25:31-46; 2 Thessalonians
1:5-10).
The “wedding feast” is open to all who accept
the invitation, but those who accept must be clothed in Jesus
Christ who is the “wedding garment.” Our sins are forgiven and we
are acceptable to God, the host of the feast, as long as we are
“in” Christ.
There is no other way to get into the “feast,”
and all those who are not “clothed” in Jesus’ righteousness will
be bound and cast into the “outer darkness” of Hell, separated
eternally from the presence of God and the marriage feast in
heaven. Hell isn’t going to be a wild party with all our friends.
The “party” is going to be in heaven.
The Holy Spirit is the seal and guarantee that
one is in Christ and has eternal life (2 Corinthians 1:22;
Ephesians 1:13-14; Romans 8:9b, 11, 15-16). Only Jesus gives the
gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit (John 1:31-34), only to his
disciples who trust and obey Jesus (John 14:15-17). The Holy
Spirit is the Spirit of God; the Spirit of Christ (Romans 8:9);
the “wedding garment” we need to receive in order to attend the
heavenly marriage feast.
The Lord’s Supper (Communion; Eucharist) is the
foretaste of the heavenly feast (Luke 22:14-15). It is a
participation in the body and blood of Jesus’ sacrifice through
faith (obedient trust) in Jesus, through which we are cleansed and
consecrated, so that we can receive the gift of the indwelling
Holy Spirit. Through the Holy Spirit we have personal fellowship
with Jesus and God the Father now; a foretaste of eternal life in
fellowship with our Lord in heaven. (There is also rich
significance in the relationship of the Lord’s Supper and the
Passover feast.)
In Jesus’ physical lifetime, people believed
that the blood of animals contained their “spirit,” and that
drinking it could give a person the spirit of the animal. Jews
were strictly forbidden to consume the blood of animals (Genesis
9:4), and that injunction was reaffirmed by the Christian council
in Jerusalem (Acts 15:29). But Jesus declared that one must
consume his (spiritual) flesh and blood – in faith (obedient
trust) – in order to receive eternal life (John 6:51-58). The Lord
wants us to be filled with his Holy Spirit; not the spirit of
animals.
Is Jesus your Lord (Matthew 7:21-23; Luke
6:46)? Are you Jesus' disciple (John 8:31)? Are you trusting and
obeying Jesus (John 14:21)? Have you received the indwelling Holy
Spirit since you first truly believed (Acts 19:2)? Are you making
disciples of Jesus Christ and teaching them to obey all that Jesus
commands (Matthew 28:18-20)? Do you know with certainty where you
will spend eternity (1 John 5:11-13; Ephesians 1:13-14)?
