Who Do You Think You Are? Mr. Bigstuff? - Matthew 21:23-32 - Eighteenth Week after Pentecost

 

Matthew 21:23-32 NIV

²³ Jesus entered the temple courts, and, while he was teaching, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him. “By what authority are you doing these things?” they asked. “And who gave you this authority?”

²⁴ Jesus replied, “I will also ask you one question. If you answer me, I will tell you by what authority I am doing these things. ²⁵ John’s baptism—where did it come from? Was it from heaven, or of human origin?”

They discussed it among themselves and said, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will ask, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him?’ ²⁶ But if we say, ‘Of human origin’—we are afraid of the people, for they all hold that John was a prophet.”

²⁷ So they answered Jesus, “We don’t know.”

Then he said, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.

²⁸ “What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work today in the vineyard.’

²⁹ “‘I will not,’ he answered, but later he changed his mind and went.

³⁰ “Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, ‘I will, sir,’ but he did not go.

³¹ “Which of the two did what his father wanted?”

“The first,” they answered.

Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. ³² For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him.

Who Do You Think You Are? Mr. Bigstuff?

Jesus didn’t restrict His teachings, His works, His compassion, or anything else that He did, to a particular place. He didn’t avoid places. He even taught in the religious places associated with, not only ordinary folks, but with the religious authorities of His day.

These religious authorities were the people who not only governed areas, in and around the temple, they were the folks that people went to, for instruction, as well.

Now, Jesus was invading “their territory,” with teachings different from their teachings, or even the style of teachings, and mode of governing religious proceedings. So, you can see, how they would feel imposed upon by this man, Jesus, who the crowds were now listening to, learning from, and receiving healing, and witnessing miracles.

So, they wanted to know, directly from Jesus, where does His authority to do all of these things, come from.

Jesus was making decisions that rubbed them the wrong way. He took decisive action on the customs of the day, by driving out those selling sacrificial animals, and the money changers that skimmed a little “off the top”, in order for people to use “Temple” money in these purchases.

So, yea! Who gave you, Jesus, this authority? Like, who do you think you are?

And to pull this inward into your, and my life… consider for yourself… how much authority does Jesus have in your own life? How will you respond to the authority that Jesus has in your life? And how does Jesus change you, or change how you live, day after day? Pause and give all of this some thought, on your own as well.

Jesus’ response with a question to the question, was a typical practice for rabbis of the day. The idea is to make you think. I recall a Lab Instructor, when I was going to Technical School, using this same technique with me. I asked a question, and his response was, “Well, what do you think?” With this he engaged me in conversation to discuss the topic, and come to a conclusion, that he carefully led me to think about. He didn’t give me the answer, but I arrived to an answer on my own, with his guidance.

Jesus question in this passage caused the chief priests and elders to discuss the source of John the Baptists baptism. Who was the source of John’s baptism? Was it of God, or from heaven, or was it from men? The approach of the chief priests and elders, was different from the approach that I took with my Lab Instructor. The chief priests and elders, discussed amongst themselves. My discussion was with my Lab Instructor.

My thinking is that this question would be thought out, WITH Jesus, in asking other, or clarifying questions, TO Jesus, SO THAT an answer would be derived from one another, using the knowledge of Jesus as well. But that’s NOT what happened here.

My response to God would be different. My response would be in prayer, for guidance and direction. But, I’m not sure if the chief priests and elders, wanted to bring Jesus into their own fold at this moment, or perhaps ever. There is a factor of humility, when we open ourselves to the hard questions, to work with one another towards and answer. And for me, this would definitely include Jesus, in this conversation.

It seems to me, that once this conversation turned to the side, not including Jesus, it becomes a bit of a political response. It went the way of IF this, THEN that. At least recognize that the question calls for a discussion with everyone present. At best, honor Jesus’ authority, and bring Him into the answer to the question. But that doesn’t seem what these chief priests and elders are ready to recognize. That is, recognize the authority of Jesus. Here is the rub, and the doubt, present, in this entire conversation and passage of Scripture. What is the “here”? The here is the authority of Jesus.

Now the chief priests and elders have jumped into the “Feelings” of the people, to what their answer alone should mean. What will “Others” think of our answer? It just seems a bit odd to me, to answer a question, with the thinking or opinion of what “Others” may think, as your main consideration.

So, in the end, the chief priests and elders, are too afraid to take a stand. Sort of funny, to a simple man like myself. It’s a bit “chicken shit”, in my book.

So, Jesus presses on with the conversation with further questioning. Back to my Lab Instructor… “But what do you think?”

And then Jesus creates a scenario for more discussion.

This question revolves around a couple of sons, called to work in the Father’s vineyard. Go and work today? Think back on last week’s reflection, a bit, about the workers in the marketplace, called at various times of day, to work. Go, or no go? Now or later? Make a decision!

Here we, must reflect on our own call, to respond to God, when He calls us, now, later, or in the future. Go, or no go?

But God is patient for us to give a response. Another gift from God, is some time to consider. But at some point, the discernment needs to stop, and a decision needs to be made. It sort of comes down to being faithful to God’s call in life. Will you serve God or self?

You may answer one way, but be sure to pray. Pray to God for direction, for the gifts needed to carry out the call. Pray to God, why? Because we NEED God. We can’t fulfill His call, on our own, without Him involved. We need His gifts to carry out His will in His way.

And then Jesus speaks plainly, once again, as He often does. Tax Collectors and Prostitutes, known for their sinful lives, are the very ones who came to John the Baptist to be baptized. And here is the kicker… they believed. Yes, these sinners, just as I too am a sinner, came to John the Baptist, repented of their sin, AND believed.

Some of the Chief Priests and the Elders did NOT go to John the Baptist, in their own sinfulness, to repent of their sin, and believe the message of John the Baptist.

So, what’s the difference between the Tax Collectors, the Prostitutes, and the Chief Priests and Elders? Some repented and believed, and others did not see the need to repent and believe. In one way or another, these people judged John the Baptist, and his message. What message? Repent, and receive forgiveness of sin.

If you refuse to repent, or even to acknowledge your sin, in front of others… well then, just maybe you think you are better than the other. Who is the other? The “Other”, are those who acknowledge their sin before God, and one another, and turn to seek forgiveness of the sin in the face of God, and neighbor.

Sometimes leaders, like the Chief Priests and the Elders of this passage, think, wrongly by the way, that they are self-righteous. You are NOT righteous in yourself!

Titus 3:5

He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.

You are not saved by the things you do, that you think make your righteous. You are only saved by the mercy of God, through washing and rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit. This isn’t your work. It is the work of God.

Think of what John the Baptist was doing. He was calling people to him, in the presence of God, and one another, to repent of their sin, and be washed in the waters of baptism, and cleansed in the forgiveness of God. We ALL have sinned!

Listen to the words of Paul in the letter to the Romans…

Romans 3:23

²³ for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

And yep! That’s Tax Collectors, Prostitutes, Chief Priests, Elders, Me, and You too! So REPENT and face God seeking forgiveness and salvation. Why? So that we can live WITH Him and one another in the Kingdom of God, NOW and FOREVER.

Spin me around, in my arrogance, TO SEE Your face, TO SEE Your way in my life; that I may hear YOUR WORD of forgiveness. I’m a haughty man, and I NEED you to humble me in my sin, SO THAT, I can be saved from myself, TO follow Your will and Your way… NOT mine! Help me, save me, I plead!

O Lord, make me humble. In Your presence I need You. I need Your advice, I need Your direction, I need to know Your ways. I turn to You in prayer. Speak to me through Your Word, that I may discern Your call and understand.

Lord Jesus, as I come to You, as I pray, put Your mind in me. Forgive my sinfulness. Take away my pride and make me humble before You, and my neighbor. May I love, like You love, and do Your will.

This weeks’ time of reflection on this Scripture passage, along with a Bible verse assigned to me by a Ham Radio friend to memorize and learn in the mode of CW or as most would think, Morse Code, brought me to humility in the will of God through prayer.

How’s that? Well as I reflected on the “attitude” that I perceived in the Chief Priests and the Elders towards questioning Jesus’ authority, to be doing what He was doing in the presence of the people of His day; I saw a lack of humility in the presence of God. I really think that they knew, or at least heavily suspected, that Jesus, WAS the Messiah. But they weren’t ready for this. So, they attempted to show Him up in their own presence and the presence of the people. But it all backfired.

So, it made me think of looking for, or more-so hearing the call of God, or even the will of God in my life.

 

Like the son that responded that he wasn’t willing to go and work in the vineyard, he must have given his response some consideration, and changed his mind. Yet the other son only gave the answer that he presumed his father wanted, yet did not respond with any work.

The first son gave it some thought. In some way he may have thought about what his father needed, and, in the end responded to the will of the father.

This is where I come back to prayer. Maybe prayer as conversation with God. Open, honest, humble prayer in the presence of God, to determine the call of my Father, and a clarification of my Father’s will, IN that very call.

So, as I reflected on my Ham friend’s assigned memory verse, along with this very passage of Scripture for this week from Matthew; I considered the will of God.

Here is my assigned memory passage, to be sent in Morse Code next Tuesday over the airwaves…

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

In this I kept hearing in Morse Code and the language of God, that God’s will is for me, and you and all disciples, to rejoice, pray, and give thanks. And to hear God’s call, to respond to the call to work in the vineyard, I must humble myself, in the presence of God and before one another, acknowledge my sin, and seek God’s forgiveness of my sinful life, SO THAT, I will pray, and seek God’s will in my life, respond to God’s will in my life to work in that vineyard and rejoice, and give thanks for all that God has done for you, and for me, and for all the world, in Christ Jesus.

It seems to me, that this is what the Tax Collectors, the Prostitutes, and the people who went to John the Baptist, in the wilderness were doing. And then, the great thing about it all? These very same people, maybe, just maybe, witnessed Jesus being baptized for their very own sin, BY John the Baptist, SO THAT, Jesus’ ministry and mission to take on God’s call from that moment forward, to march towards the cross, die in our very own sin, defeat death and rise again, and ascend once again into heaven. Why? So, that we too would live our lives with the gifts of the Holy Spirit, SO THAT, we may rejoice, give thanks and have an everlasting prayer, or conversation, or relationship with God in His Kingdom… today… tomorrow… and forever. Thanks be to God!

I couldn’t help but to have a little fun with the music for this one… Enjoy this throw back in time… “Mr. Big Stuff”

https://youtu.be/afhMFK__ZGc?si=VflWiJ8xqn8L9FsA

 

What IS the Deal? - Matthew 20:1-16 - Seventeenth Week after Pentecost

 

Matthew 20:1-16 NIV

20 “For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. ² He agreed to pay them a denarius for the day and sent them into his vineyard.

³ “About nine in the morning he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing. ⁴ He told them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.’ ⁵ So they went.

“He went out again about noon and about three in the afternoon and did the same thing. ⁶ About five in the afternoon he went out and found still others standing around. He asked them, ‘Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?’

⁷ “‘Because no one has hired us,’ they answered.

“He said to them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard.’

⁸ “When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the workers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last ones hired and going on to the first.’

⁹ “The workers who were hired about five in the afternoon came and each received a denarius. ¹⁰ So when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more. But each one of them also received a denarius. ¹¹ When they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner. ¹² ‘These who were hired last worked only one hour,’ they said, ‘and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day.’

¹³ “But he answered one of them, ‘I am not being unfair to you, friend. Didn’t you agree to work for a denarius? ¹⁴ Take your pay and go. I want to give the one who was hired last the same as I gave you. ¹⁵ Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?’

¹⁶ “So the last will be first, and the first will be last.”

What IS the Deal?

I love how Jesus begins this passage! “For the kingdom of heaven is like…”

It’s so nice to learn, to listen, to pause and visualize, Jesus’ words here. To let your mind wander from this world of sin, greed, power and selfishness, TO, thinking of the Kingdom of Heaven AS Jesus describes.

In these next few verses, we get to witness the generosity of God, for ourselves, AND for neighbor. So, for now, put away all of your competitive nature, and just listen to Jesus’ parable of the generosity of God.

We encounter a landowner that is compassionate for ALL workers, workers seeking a wage, who are standing in the marketplace, looking for work. We all need to work. And this work IS a part of what we pray for in the Lord’s Prayer --- “Give us this day our daily bread.”

Here I go again, back in my time machine, to a wonderful Saturday, standing by my classroom desk, before a few friends and Pastor Bergdall… reciting Luther’s explanation from memory… I wish my memory was still as good today… but I’m thankful for these good moments of memory…

What does this mean? – God gives daily bread, even without our prayer, to all people, though sinful, but we ask in this prayer that he will help us to realize this and to receive our daily bread with thanks.

(Here is the part that reminds me of our current passage of Scripture)

What is meant by “daily bread”? – Daily bread includes everything needed for this life, such as food and clothing, home and property, work and income, devoted family, and orderly community, good government, favorable weather, peace and health, a good name, and true friends and neighbors.

See, that bold and underlined part – or the part I emphasized while speaking? God IS generous to provide work and income.

But the question comes to mind… Will you, or I, work?... Will you, or I, accept the gift of work, and whatever income, God provides, for the day? Can we be happy with God’s supply?

So, in this passage, may I ask… Will you respond to God’s call? Or in the case of this parable, the call of the Vineyard Owner, TO, go to work? Or will you leave the marketplace, and either go back to bed, or stay in bed to begin with?

God comes to us with the gift of work! And that work, may just be, to seek work!

For those who accept the call of God to work, YOU WILL be provided for. Provided for in an immediate sense, as to what you need for the day, AND, even better, provided for in an eternal sense, of time. God calls us in the NOW, and HERE, and God gifts us with ETERNITY, in His Kingdom.

And there it is, “in your face.” The gift from God, that He openly gives to you, even in the face of your sinful life, on this sinful world. See it folks! Look at God in the face of the Owner, as He comes to you, in the marketplace of your life, to call you to work in HIS vineyard. God comes TO YOU! And that there is a BIG deal!

Notice how the landowner is the one seeking workers. Were these workers overlooked the first time? I don’t know, but he must have realized that he needed more workers, so he called them into his service.

This makes me think of the many times that God pursues each of us, over and over again. God calls us all our life long, to work in His vineyard. Maybe for this kind of job, or another kind of job. It’s God pursuing us. What would it be like if we pursued God to work for Him? What would it be like if we were willing to work, no matter when, or no matter how God has called others to work in His Kingdom?

And now for this second group of workers, the landowner agrees to pay “whatever is right.” No promises. Would we still be willing to go? Would we trust in this open-ended agreement, without knowing what our pay would be?

I think, when we have trust and faith in the landowner, we would be willing to go. But what if we couldn’t trust the landowner? What if the landowner was known to be a greedy person? Would we go?

But, in this parable, the landowner is God. And we know that God provides for all of our needs. So, the going, is a response to what God has already done.  And God has given us the faith to trust Him.

Well, rinse and repeat, this call to work. For the sixth and the ninth hour. So now we’re up to around 3pm. As the foreman goes back to the marketplace to gather more and more workers, it seems to me, that the need to work is becoming more and more urgent. This job has critical importance to accomplish what the landowner would like to have happen for that day.

This tells me that the work IS vitally important.

Next, we are up to the eleventh hour… that’s about 5pm. Not much time is left. As workers are still available, these workers are more desperate, and the foreman is just as desperate to meet the needs of the day.

I may jump to the conclusion that these workers were less favorable. I may jump to the conclusion that the workers, were perhaps lazy, but that just doesn’t seem accurate here. I also may jump to the conclusion that the foreman just doesn’t know how to plan the day, for the amount of work needed. But, how do I know this?

Each one of these people, the workers and the foreman, are responding to a call from the landowner, to get something done. So, it makes me think that this work is very important.

So, now I must reflect on God’s call. How the response is important. A response, no matter what time of day.

You know, God, or in the case of this parable, the Landowner, was a compassionate and kind person. He paid those who only worked about an hour, what he promised those who went to work at the beginning of the day. That’s generosity. These last workers were sought out just like the first workers, and the need must have been great, since the landowner kept sending the foreman back to the marketplace to hire more workers. And even though there was only an hour left to work, these last workers went to work instead of giving up and going home. So, it’s not like those called last were bad or anything, they were just the last to be called to go to work. I think sometimes, it’s easy to tag these last workers with some unjust label as being lazy.

And as each group comes forward to be paid, in order of the ones that worked fewer hours to the ones that worked all day; each group was paid the same amount. Even to the first hired, who had agreed to work for a denarius. But remember how all of the other workers agreed to be paid “what was fair.”

I suppose the ones who worked the most, but got paid what they agreed to be paid, felt like getting the union steward involved. But, how would that work? They did get what they agreed to be paid. So, the next day, would, perhaps those who worked all day, lay back in the crowd and wait till the end of the day, thinking that they would be paid the same as those who worked all day? I guess that would be the chance they could take, but perhaps the landowner’s need for workers wouldn’t be as great the next day.

Sometimes we look around ourselves, and evaluate our own worthiness as compared to the value of a co-worker, and declare that we are more valuable. But more valuable to whom? To self, or to the boss, or to the company? That’s a slippery slope to get on.

In the eyes of God, it seems to me, that He values ALL His children. Is this fair? Well, I guess, I’m not the one to decide what is fair and what is not, in the eyes of God. Who do I think I am to make that judgment FOR God.

And then when I pause and think of what God gave up, to give me life, I must stop all the comparisons with my neighbor, and live with a thankful heart, that God did what He did for any and all of us, in the giving of Jesus to draw us into eternal life, and eternal love, WITH Him in His Kingdom.

So, if I think about first and last, I can be overjoyed that first OR last, we receive this eternal gift of life. It’s NOT about how much I do, but rather about what God HAS done.

I’m so glad that my thoughts are NOT your thoughts, O Lord! For in your generosity, is mercy, kindness, love and forgiveness. Teach me Your way, that I may treat those You give to me, each and every day, with mercy, kindness, love and forgiveness.

Lord, my life is NOT about me. You alone are my light and my salvation. You alone are the stronghold of my life. And in this I seek to live into eternity from now, till then, WITH you, and in Your house. May I hear Your call, no matter when, in my life, You decide to call me, and respond in the joy and faith, that You give to me, to work WITH You IN Your Kingdom.

I guess, in the finality of it all, for those who receive the joy of working in the Kingdom of God for their entire lives, they are blessed. Likewise, for those who Christ calls at the end of their lives, they are blessed, as well. None of us deserve this gift of work, in the first place. So, be joyful, no matter the circumstances, the pain, the suffering, or even the blessing, that God comes to you, and calls you to work side-by-side, with other disciples and Him in His Kingdom.

When I get up close to this parable, it seems to be an injustice to some people. But when I pull back through all time; I’m so glad that God has the mercy to wait patiently. For, it seems to me, at this time, that I and you are in the later times. What if God had stopped calling people to work in His Kingdom 30, 80, 100 or even 1000 years ago?

But in His grace, love and wisdom, I think, God knows the beginning from the end. I think He knows the first and the last. I think God is aware of the Alpha and Omega.

Revelation 1:8 NIV

⁸ “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.”

 

This whole first and last thing is NOT about me, or where, or when, I think I place in the Kingdom of God. It’s not my decision, or up to me, as to where I belong. All I need to be concerned about is that God CHOOSES where I belong, and God gives me all I need to belong, or go, or work, in His Kingdom, when and where God chooses me to go, when and where. So, first or last, or somewhere in the middle, my obedience to God tells me to respond in the joy and blessing, that God gives me all the work I need, when I need it, and with His gifts that He creates in me, to DO His will, in the way He wants it.

 

It’s easy to get trapped in ourselves. It’s easy to play the comparison game with other people that surround us. It’s easy to fall in the “poor ol me” trap, thinking that MY work, or the sweat of MY brow, deserves so much more attention that the attention that is given to my brother or sister, standing in the workplace at my side.

This parable has reminded me to be thankful for work. For the work God gave me in the past, for the skills God grew in me to perform work, then and now. May my work, your work, and the work of ALL of God’s children, bring glory to God, as we live and work, in the here and now, and as we live and work, today… tomorrow… and forever… in the Kingdom of God. Thanks be to God for work!

This song was like a prayer… I love the idea that God came into time with Jesus, yet also was and is beyond all time with Jesus. So, sit back and pray this song… as you exist in your own time…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJeNUlNY7Iw&list=RDaJeNUlNY7Iw&start_radio=1

Mercy Hug! - Matthew 18:21-35 - Sixteenth Week after Pentecost

 

Matthew 18:21-35 NIV

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.

²³ “Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. ²⁴ As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand bags of gold was brought to him. ²⁵ Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.

²⁶ “At this the servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’ ²⁷ The servant’s master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.

²⁸ “But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred silver coins. He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded.

²⁹ “His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it back.’

³⁰ “But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. ³¹ When the other servants saw what had happened, they were outraged and went and told their master everything that had happened.

³² “Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. ³³ Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’ ³⁴ In anger his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.

³⁵ “This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”

Mercy Hug!

Can you measure forgiveness? Does it have a number? What is forgiveness? When does forgiveness run out? Who decides the beginning and end of forgiveness? Is my ability to forgive someone else, power that I hold over and above that other person? Is the forgiveness I ask for, something I can control? How many times should I forgive someone? Are there some sins that are just beyond forgiveness?

This gets tough, at least in my mind. Jesus seems to be saying that forgiveness can’t be counted, or that it is infinite. Really! How can that be? It seems, to me, that there is a limit to some of this. But then when I’m the one in need of forgiveness, all things seem to change.

I go to God each and every night, think back on my day, pray and acknowledge before God all of those times, that I can see, where I need to be forgiven. And that doesn’t even count the times that I’m not aware of, as to how I have offended another person, and harmed them in some way that I don’t even recall? Well, for me, if there were a counter keeping track, well then, I’m in deep doo-doo! So, yea, for me, before God in prayer, please forgive me over and over and over and over…

So, here Peter wants a bit of a different clarification. How many times should we forgive someone who has offended us, or sinned against us? We want to limit that, after all! This can’t just go on and on. This behavior must STOP! STOP NOW!

And that cycles my thinking back to one of my initial questions… Do I hold the power over forgiveness? Is it mine to decide when, how, or even how many times to forgive? I like to think so, but when I turn forgiveness around, not so much.

My sin is so great, I could never repay God for all of it. So, now what do I do? If I look to justice, my sin brings death, or at a minimum, a prison sentence.

I can only go on with God’s mercy. Sure, I’m accountable before God. I can’t get away with, “The devil made me do it stuff, like Flip Wilson used to say, I think on the “Laugh-in” show of the 70s. Nope, maybe the devil talked me into it, however, I did do it! My sin is too much for me. I stand in the presence of God “guilty.” Therefore, on my own, the Kingdom of God is out of reach for me.

Yet, as I stand in the presence of God, He gives me His grace and love, and forgives me. Why? I’m really not sure why, but I’m assured, through Jesus that I am forgiven. And in this grace is a life transformed, or free, to live anew IN the Kingdom of God. How? Certainly NOT by what I have done, BUT by what God does FOR, and TO, me.

I can’t settle the account of my sin, by extracting the payment from my brother, sister, mother, father, or neighbor, either. This is MY doing, and nothing from them can undo what I have done. So, turning to this world, this people, my family, or anything else to pay the debt that I owe God, is just false, and cruel to the people I love. This is all on me. Yes, I am a slave to my sin, and cannot free myself.

To many this “Slave to sin and cannot free myself,” will sound familiar. This is part of the weekly corporate confession before God, and all God’s people, each Sunday. To admit this IS very important. If we don’t admit, confess, or even announce our weakness to sin before God, and one another, we just may think that we can, with our own efforts be validated before God and receive His grace, because of things we have done. It doesn’t work that way. I could never do enough to earn my salvation, no prayer, no good work, no confession, no anything that I do, earns me the ticket into the Kingdom of God. NOTHING that I do!

I need God to jump in to all of this FOR me!

So, I see how cruel it would be for me to play God with someone who has sinned against me to collect, in my favor, the payment my neighbor owes me for his sins against me. That’s just silly pride, silly ego, and just plain silly, for me to hold someone else’s sin over their heads, when my sin is before God, in His presence.

But look what God did with my sin! When I fall at His feet, He forgives me! Wow!

So, I see, as God forgave me my great debt of sin, I too must forgive my neighbor who sins against me. That’s my response to God’s grace! My response is to freely, and willingly, forgive the debts of others who sin against me. And do it joyfully! Why? Well, look at what God has done for me, or you, or anyone else! Forgive one another, people!

If not! Then be willing to stand and account for your sinfulness, on your own, and receive what you really deserve before God. This parable ends with the reality of death, in the face of God, if you think you can be saved on your own, through your own actions. You CAN’T! Harsh, but honest, words from Jesus, to draw us in love, to, and for, one another, as we live together in this sinful, evil, world, in our sinful, evil, lives.

A tough message that is FILLED with the Grace of God!

Look at Matthew 18:35 once again….

“That is how My heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart.”

What is the “THAT” here? It’s the anger of God! So, take heed, forgive one another over and over and over and over again… again and again and again and again!

Remember?

“Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.”

What does this mean? (Luther’s Explanation)

We ask in this prayer that our Father in heaven would not hold our sins against us, and because of them, refuse to hear our prayer, and we pray that He would give us everything by Grace, for we sin every day, and deserve nothing but punishment. So, we, on our part will heartily forgive, and gladly do good, to those who sin against us.

Mull over that a while. Reread the passage and the parable from Matthew. Let it sink in…

Lord, let me NOT assume that I stand in Your place, regarding forgiveness. I see my sin, I see my neighbor’s sin, yet I see how You forgive. I see how you teach me in prayer to forgive, AS I TOO, have been forgiven. Let me never turn from this, or even turn this AGAINST my neighbor.  I ask that You would NOT hold my sin against me, but rather be gracious to me, for I see and know my sin every day. And likewise respond to Your gracious forgiveness, TO forgive those who sin against me. Over and over and over again…

Father, I rejoice in Your compassion and grace, especially in the face of my sinful self. Give me a heart of compassion and grace towards all those who sin, and have sinned against me. Why do I ask this? So that together with You, in Your glorious Kingdom, we may have fellowship and love, with one another.

Lord, lead me and guide me away from standing in self-righteous judgment, over my brother or sister in this world. Teach me to be compassionate, and graceful, and forgiving. We’re all in the same boat, as the expression goes; and we need you to forgive us daily from sin.

What to make of this week’s study of this passage? First, I think of the humility as discussed in recent past posts. I’m humbled in the presence of God, and I’m also humbled in the presence of my neighbor. I can’t “Lord” anything over anyone else. I may have committed different sins than my neighbor has, but they aren’t any different in the long run. Both myself and my neighbor fall to sin. So, in the presence of God, WE NEED, forgiveness. Forgiveness over and over and over again.

I’m thankful, when God or neighbor point out my sinfulness. I don’t like it. Who would? But I need just that. I need God AND neighbor to spin me around and show me my sin. That’s NOT easy stuff. It seems harder to take in, when my neighbor points out my sin. Pride gets in my way. But somehow, someway, I must depend on God to humble me in the presence of my family, neighbor, brother, sister, whomever, to fall at their feet and seek forgiveness. And that’s NOT the confession part. That’s the realization part that I NEED help!

The Confession part comes when I, in the presence of God, or neighbor, turn for help. I confess that I NEED help! I confess that, in my sin, I’m a lost and condemned person. I confess that my sin, and the destruction it has caused, is BEYOND my own fixing. I confess that I NEED a Savior.

And that’s where, I am so, so, glad that Jesus comes to me and offers His mercy, His love, His forgiveness. How can I not be drawn to Jesus’ own words from the cross…

Luke 23:34 NIV

³⁴ Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.”

That says it all. I don’t realize the impact of my sin. Yet, as Jesus was on that cross, He forgave us. Kind of hard to understand. And that’s the love of God, prepared for all mankind, BEFORE the creation. Fireworks explode and my mind is blown!

So, as I see how God has chosen to forgive me, I TOO, shall follow in that forgiveness for my neighbor. It’s hard stuff here. It’s hard to do, in the presence of my sinful hatred, my BIG false ego, my greed, and need for power, over and above the other. Yep, even in the presence of my neighbor’s request for my forgiveness, for a sin that he committed against me… I AM HUMBLED! And in that humility, God calls me to forgive… over and over and over again. May I heed that call, and be obedient to God, in the presence of my neighbor, AND, FORGIVE… today… tomorrow… and forever. --- Thanks be to God for His forgiveness, grace, and mercy!

I was led to confession this week --- May this piece of music inspire you… “Forgive Me, Lord, for I Have Sinned”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BiYb5PMEijU&list=RDBiYb5PMEijU&start_radio=1