On the Way to Wonder

Matthew 20: 20-23

         Matthew returns to the discussion of who is first and who is last.  Wealth does not make you first or necessarily shows God’s favor.  God will reward us ultimately, 100 fold, but we live in the kingdom of this world.  Eternal rewards are not earned but given as gifts.  Matthew now shares another scenario with a slightly different twist.  The mother of James and John, the sons of Zebedee, pleads that her sons might sit at his right and left hand as Jesus establishes his kingdom.  We, the readers, realize the mounting excitement as Jesus enters Jerusalem.  Surely the kingdom of heaven is about to be ushered in and life will be set right.

         From my life in Kenya, I would not be surprised that a third party speaks for the two disciples.  That a woman approached Jesus expecting to be heard is probably worth a sermon.  But what struck me is the question, the request, she made.  A mother’s heart wants her sons honored.  My mother’s heart wants the best for my children.  I want the best for my children and do not wish for any of them trials.  Jesus seems to be answering in two ways.  We don’t understand what we are asking for and we do not understand all the extenuating circumstance.

         Mrs. Zebedee does not know the implications of the honor of sitting at the right and left hand.  She sees the honor but does not see the price to be paid.  Could it be that God does not give us what we ask for because he knows the repercussions of the granting is more than we could bear?  I think so.  Sometimes his “no’s” are a way of protecting us from our misplaced desires and ourselves.  Secondly he seems to be saying that what we are asking for is not the right fit because that specific honor is prepared for someone else.  If he granted our prayer, we would not be happy or fulfilled. My desires for those around me, though, often lack perspective and understanding of their character and extenuating circumstances.

         As we pray today for others, may we present our requests to God “with open hands.”  That means that I look to the giver to know what is best and open my heart with gratitude for what I am about to receive.  James: 5-8 reminds us:

⁵ If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. ⁶ But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. ⁷ That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. ⁸ Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.

May we pray with humility today recognizing our shortsightedness.

Matthew 21:17-19

         During Lent we walk with Jesus to the cross through the eyes of Matthew this year.  We reflect on our humanity with all its blessings and foibles, … ok, sins.  We live in the tension of having a foot in the kingdom of this world and a foot in the kingdom of heaven.  Matthew has related encounters that remind us that we often misperceive who is first and who is last because the two kingdoms work by different value systems. 

         As we walk with Matthew, he now does an aside and shares that for the third time Jesus tells the disciples he is headed to Jerusalem to die and resurrect.

¹⁸ “We are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death ¹⁹ and will hand him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified. On the third day he will be raised to life!”

         This is not narrative.  This is not parable.  This is not preaching.  Jesus is trying to prepare the people he loves for the trauma they are all going to walk through.  Now that I live in Florida, when the weatherman said hurricane Ian is coming, people prepared.  My daughter who had lived here told me to get cash because electronic machines might not work.  I laughed.  I did store some water.  I did bed down with a friend.  But indeed, many Wal-Mart shelves were bare and not fruit!  Indeed gas pumps did not work for several days.  Indeed winds blew.  But until I went through it I was a bit clueless like the disciples.  I hear but I don’t hear. 

         Right now I am living in the reality of a terminal diagnosis with my husband.  I know but I don’t know.  I have never walked through death with a beloved before.  Yesterday the lawyer said to make clear financial streams of what is his and what is mine.  Now?? I thought.

         Jesus has given the disciples the diagnosis for the hurricane, for the terminal situation, for the pattern of life – death and resurrection – but we don’t quite understand.  Lent is a time when we ponder that mystery.  We hurt and terminate relationships with others and God by the sins, the evil, and the shortcomings we do.  Our mouth gets away from us.  We make bad choices.  We know we are not perfect but getting our hearts around resurrection is a lot harder truth to believe.   We see it in the cycles of nature as a glimpse.

         Today let us ponder.  If we prepare for the hurricane and if we prepare for medical eventualities, how are we preparing for the truth of death and resurrection?  Do we laugh at the warnings to keep our faith current and active or perhaps not even believe we need faith?  We need to prepare for the reality of the kingdom of heaven as we prepare for the kingdom of this world.  Blessings as you ponder this!

Matthew 20:1-16

Jesus answers a rich young man who asks what he must do to inherit eternal life that he must sell his wealth, give to the poor, and follow Jesus.  His wealth that many supposed was a sign of God’s approval of his life style was not necessarily a good indicator of salvation.  Wealth can be deceptive.  The disciples ask.  If riches do not indicate salvation, what does that mean for ordinary people?   What is the disciples’ reward for their faithfulness?  Jesus responds that God sees and responds 100 fold.  They will be surprised who is last and who is first in the kingdom of heaven.

         Jesus tells a parable.  A landowner goes to the town square and hires day laborers at a certain rate.  The man goes back to the square every three hours and hires those unemployed.  No reason or justification is given.  At the end of the day, those who worked a little were paid the same as those who worked all day.  The workers object to the unfairness.  We live in a tit for tat world and should be paid more than those that worked a little.  Life is unfair!!!  The kingdom of this world is unfair.

         Not only is this world unfair but also all of us need the mercy shown by the landowner.  God decides how to reward us for our labors.  God sees what man does not see.  He knows what factors impact our lives and drive us.  Secondly God is generous reiterating that rewards are 100 fold.  We do not need to worry about who is last and who is first.  We need to focus on our relationship with God, the giver of good gifts.

         As we sit today and ponder, let us ask ourselves where we are patting ourselves on the back.  What kind of results do we think we deserve?  God might see is it differently.  Next can we think of places where we might come in last.  Is that how you think God sees you?  Thank him for his mercy and patience and love.  Blessings.

Matthew 19: 23-30

         “What then will there be for us?” ask Jesus’ disciples when they are told wealth is not indeed a measure of who is first in the kingdom of heaven, or who is last.  Wealth is not a good indicator of God’s pleasure in us.  For poor fishermen and ordinary people, what is? So if wealth is not the reward for faithfulness, what is, “What’s in it for me?”

         Jesus seems to be saying that our wealth, our talents, and our power bring us acclaim in this world but those are not rewards in eternity.  God handles the impossible, “eternity.”  God sees all that we have left to follow Jesus and we will be rewarded 100 fold. The disciples are baffled and don’t understand any more than we do.  I guess that is why we talk about faith.  Our minds cannot get around eternity and we ask, where am I in this picture of impossibility.

         So the question that comes to mind for today is to ask ourselves if we do what is right because of the immediate reward we will receive or are we willing to look to eternity, the investments that pay off in the long run.  Few of us have lots of money to lock up in a bank for a period of time knowing we will earn interest in our investment, but we do have love that we invest in children who are not appreciative now.  We can store up for rainy days like building relationships that will stand by us in our old age.  We store our treasures in heaven where moths and rust do not eat them up.

         Can you think of a couple long-term spiritual investments that may not have given immediate rewards but which paid off in the long run?  Blessings as you ponder eternal blessings.

         Matthew now tells two stories about “many who are first will be last and many who are last will be first. (Matthew 19:30)”

         When Jesus tells the rich young man, who thinks he has followed the law and who asks what more he must do to inherit eternal life, Jesus tells the man he must sell his property, give it to the poor and follow Jesus.  The man leaves sad for he was wealthy but the disciples are flabbergasted.  Jesus tells the disciples that it is very difficult for the rich to enter heaven.  Wealth was seen as a gift from God and so the disciples respond, “Who then can be saved?”

         Somehow we think the rich, the talented, and the powerful are the blessed people must rate higher in God’s eyes than us.  And for sure few of us would consider ourselves rich.  We need just one more dollar.  Affirmation is always welcome.  Jesus seems to flip the coin and challenges our perceptions.  He confronts the disciples and us with the reality that the kingdom of heaven works differently than this world.  We will be surprised by who is first and who is last if we evaluate people by their worldly assets.

         Lent is a time when we ask ourselves how much we have bought into the world’s values and way of thinking.  Do we evaluate people by the shine of their car, the glitter of their clothes, or the number of professional letters behind their names?  Let us take a few minutes today to write down the name of just one of our favorite people and then list five characteristics that person has that we appreciate.  Thank God for that person and pray a spiritual blessing for the person.

         Lent can be a heavy time of the year as we focus on the journey to the cross, ponder what we might give up or add to sharpen our spiritual disciplines, and read some of the last words of wisdom from Jesus.  It is not easy to focus on our shortcomings and still hold on to the mystery of God’s love for us…while we were yet sinners.  My history of hymns book, Amazing Grace, used the hymn “Jesus Loves Me” for today.  It seems appropriate to listen and remember that is what Lent is about.  God’s love for us broke the barrier of death.

         The background to the hymn is said to be a graduation speech by a brilliant theologian from Princeton who said, “Gentlemen, there is still much in this world and in the Bible that I do not understand but of one thing I am certain—Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so—and gentlemen that is sufficient.”

         Miss Anna Warner wrote a poem with her sister in a children’s book that was popular in its day.  A male character shares the poem with a dying child.

         Jesus, love me! this I know, for the Bible tells, me so.  Little ones to him belong, they are weak but he is strong.

         Jesus loves me! loves me still, tho I’m very weak and ill, that I might from sin be free, bled and died upon the tree.

         Jesus loves me! He who died heaven’s gate to open wide.  He will wash away my sin, let His little child come in.

         Jesus loves me! He will stay close beside me all the way.  Thou hast bled and died for me; I will henceforth live for Thee.

CHORUS:  Yes, Jesus loves me! The Bible tells me so.

This is one of the first songs we learn as children and is still a favorite.  William Bradbury, a renowned contributor to the development of children’s music composed the tune in 1861 and added the chorus.  Let us just take a few minutes to enjoy this old favorite with all four verses.

I love the song at the beginning of Fiddler on the Roof when Tevya enters the barn and reflects, “If I Were a Rich Man (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBHZFYpQ6nc ),” and asks God, “So what would have been so terrible if I had a small fortune?”  Perhaps your thing is not wealth but maybe beauty or talent or power.  How would you like God to bless you? 

         A young rich man came to Jesus and asked him what he must do to inherit heaven.  The man approached Jesus as “good teacher,” and Jesus corrects him because only God is good and God is the one who knows the hearts of men to answer his request.  But Jesus continues and tells him to obey the commandments.  The man believes he has.  Most of us would feel that we have not committed big sins like murder and we try to lead a good life.  We are not as bad as some but we live better lives than many.  Jesus tells the man to sell his possessions, give the money to the poor and follow him.  The man left sad because he was wealthy. This is a blunt answer and the disciples are shocked (Matthew 19:16-26).

         I see two ways of understanding this.  Jesus is reminding the man that our wealth comes from God and is meant to be shared.  We are blessed to be a blessing.  Secondly, Jesus may be redirecting the young man to the first commandment that says we are to love God with our whole heart, more than our blessings.  Jesus is challenging the young man’s gratefulness to God as the provider of his blessings.

         During Lent we would be wise to check our attitude of gratitude for our many blessings.  We are to look up to God as our source and not look at the “other” and be thankful we are not as needy as them.  Comparing ourselves to others often leaves us feeling like we have drawn the short straw.  Thanking God opens our hearts and challenges us to hold our blessings in open hands.  Let us pray today, “Thank you Lord for…

         Matthew now turns to the next question.  The Pharisees come to “test” Jesus and ask him about divorce.  Ouch.  That is a topic that has touched most all of our lives.  We live in days when commitment phobia is very common.  Marriage is often seen as an unnecessary piece of paper.  Jesus points to creation and says that the original plan was that a man and woman would be united, to be a committed support team to face life.  To take something apart that has been superglued together, will leave scars on both.  We talk about “friendly divorces” where the partners work together for the sake of the children but that does not change the fact that a vow has been broken and serious discussions have occurred.  The Pharisees point to Moses who allowed divorce but Jesus says that is only because of hardness of heart and adultery.” We call it incompatibility.

         During Lent we bow our heads and admit that we have failed to live up to our commitments, our promises, our values, or our expectations.  Maybe we personally have not gone through a divorce but we have failed our important others at some point.  Interestingly Jesus does not end on a harsh condemning note.  He says that the plan is for a permanent union and “the one who can accept this should accept it. (Matthew 19:12)”

         It makes me think of the case of the little boy the disciples could not heal and then Jesus comes and says prayer can only heal it – by the power of God.  Not all of our problems can be solved by will power, by trying a new product or a different doctor.  The ideal, perfectionism, is seldom reached.  We need the cross because we fail.  In church services we kneel at the alter for communion, and we have the opportunity to sit quietly and pray, those confessional times are often followed by absolution when the pastor says,

“Almighty God in His mercy has given His Son to die for you and for His sake forgives you all your sins. As a called and ordained servant of Christ, and by His authority, I therefore declare unto you the total forgiveness of all your sins in the name of the Father and of the T Son and of the Holy Spirit.”

These are powerful words.  Because of the cross we are forgiven.  Let us spend a couple minutes this morning reflecting on ways we have not lived up to our promises and then read the absolution again.  We are forgiven all our failures – divorce, failed diets, gossip – because of Jesus.  Thank you, Lord, for your mercy.

         Matthew next highlights a question by Peter about forgiveness.  During Lent, as we travel with Jesus and the disciples to the cross and examine our own hearts, forgiveness is often a rock that needs to be dealt with.

^“21 Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?” ²² Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times. (Matthew 18: 21-22)”

Jesus tells a parable to explain.  A master forgives his servant a huge debt when the servant pleads for mercy.  But then the servant leaves and goes out and harasses a fellow servant who owes him a small debt. The other servants report this to the master who is furious.  How can someone who is forgiven a huge amount turn around and be cruel?

We who have been forgiven so much and promised eternity often turn around and keep petty grudges with others.  These feuds in churches and in families ruin relationships and can cause huge rifts that never heal.  The ugly examples we have today are those who feel offended, let the issue boil within them, and then commit mass shootings. 

Lent is a time when we look for cobwebs in our souls.  Let us spend time reflecting today and asking the Holy Spirit to show us any areas where we need to forgive or seek forgiveness.  This is not to condone continual abuse but it is an attempt to not allow roots of bitterness to grow in our hearts.  God has forgiven us so let us try to be forgiving to others.  Blessings.