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

GO BACK- Little Ones - Matthew 18:1-20 - Fifteenth Week after Pentecost

 

Matthew 18:1-20 NIV

18 At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”

² He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. ³ And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. ⁴ Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. ⁵ And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.

⁶ “If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea. ⁷ Woe to the world because of the things that cause people to stumble! Such things must come, but woe to the person through whom they come! ⁸ If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life maimed or crippled than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into eternal fire. ⁹ And if your eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell.

¹⁰ “See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven. ^[11] 

¹² “What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? ¹³ And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. ¹⁴ In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should perish.

¹⁵ “If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over. ¹⁶ But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’ ¹⁷ If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector.

¹⁸ “Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.

¹⁹ “Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. ²⁰ For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”

GO BACK- Little Ones

I wrestle with just what the Kingdom of Heaven will be like. The disciples wrestled with this image as well. Even after we hear Jesus plainly tell us that He will suffer, die and rise again; we tend to think of the Kingdom of Heaven in some earthly way, at least I fall into that thinking trap, I admit.

Here in this passage, it appears, to me, that the disciples are still using their human, earthly, thinking caps, and visualizing the Kingdom of Heaven as a place of ranking the powerful, influential, or even the most-godly of people, ahead and above one another.

In Luke they even fall into the trap…

Luke 9:46-48 NIV

⁴⁶ An argument started among the disciples as to which of them would be the greatest. ⁴⁷ Jesus, knowing their thoughts, took a little child and had him stand beside him. ⁴⁸ Then he said to them, “Whoever welcomes this little child in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. For it is the one who is least among you all who is the greatest.”

Here Jesus, points out the position of “Humility.” And that’s, just NOT QUITE, what we want to hear. Throw servant-hood into the mix, and the whole idea gets kind of tough to fathom, as to why the Kingdom of Heaven would be this way.

To be like a humble, serving, child; just doesn’t add up.

Jesus even went as far as pulling a little child into the mix, before the disciples, to see for themselves, just what He is speaking about.

This is a purposeful action on Jesus’ part, to direct their attention AWAY from greatness, and power, and ranking in the Kingdom of Heaven. You see, a child has an air of innocence, humility and dependence, of those assigned to care for her or him.

And then Jesus reveals that to be in the Kingdom of Heaven, we all need to change and BE LIKE this child. I like this image! I always have. I know that I’m a simple man in need of understanding. I know I’m a simple man in need of the gift of faith. I know that I’m a simple man that just loves to be in the presence of Jesus and those He chooses to wander around with. I know that I’m a simple, childlike man, and the thought of “Playing” with, or going out to “Play” with, Jesus in this world, and in my life, brings me joy. For this simple-man that I am, I know that I place all of my trust and hope and life, into the hands of Jesus.

Being an adult in this world, can stink, for the most part. At least that’s how I feel. Yet, I must be adult, in some ways, and not be negligent in my duties within this society that I live, and work, and play in.

Jesus carries this thinking beyond what seems normal. He makes this humble child to be the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven. Well, that just tosses out the “Ways of the world,” as we see it, before our eyes in our societies.

So, to be truly great, it’s not about how much you know, how much power you have over others, how much money, or prestige, and how great your ego is! NOPE! To be great; be humble, trusting, and show a faith in your Creator, Savior, and Redeemer.

Don’t you just love a child that comes to you, and is honest? A child that openly depends on what you have to offer, in order to live? That’s why, I think, I want to be like what little Billy was. Think back and remember, those good memories. People being glad to see you, and having fun with you. All the great teasing, of older sisters, brothers, uncles, aunts, and even grand-parents. This is NOT the teasing that hurts feelings. This is the kind of teasing that evokes laughter and play. That’s the “good stuff” of childhood.

Jesus goes on, in this text, to emphasize how we influence, not only children, but new believers. It’s important that we show humility before children, and, really, anyone else that we may have some influence over, in their lives. It’s so easy to make a mess out of another disciple’s way of life, if you set a seriously “bad” example. And boy oh boy, I can do this so often.  I can sure set some bad examples! I hate that! I must see this failure, and turn to God, and my neighbor for forgiveness, and then move on. I really DON’T want to lead anyone astray, or off the path that God has set them on. Yes, I have a responsibility for my sinful actions, and need to face those actions, and the consequences of my sin, on the other, AND, for my neighbor.

It’s a serious offense to God and my neighbor, if, and when, my actions cause someone else to sin. It’s my responsibility to face into my sin, because, most of the time, my sin has some societal influence, or effect, on those I care for the most, and even with those I’m not aware of, that my sinfulness impacts. Seems like that kind of sin, that sin, that causes harm, in some way, to someone that I’m not aware that I have harmed; is the worst kind of sin.

I think that’s why this whole hand and eye thing, that Jesus speaks of in this passage, is used. Huh? Well, the impact of my sin on another person, IS, a BIG deal and brings BIG consequences to others, as well as those I love, and myself. So, the consequences, SHOULD BE extreme, just as Jesus expresses with the whole hands, feet, eye thing, He speaks of in this passage. Jesus really drives the point directly home. Sin IS a problem, not only for myself, but also for those MY SIN impacts.

So, in the face of my sin, I must refrain from taking it lightly, and be humbled in the presence of the “Little Ones,” that Jesus speaks of, in this passage. These “Little Ones” ARE children of God and ARE deeply loved by God. Loved in an “Eternal” kind of way.

Loved so deeply that God, through Jesus, came to die for them, in order that these “Little Ones” would be with Him in eternity.

Then this passage of Scripture, takes a bit of a shift. But in some ways, not really. Jesus goes on to express this love that He has for the “Little Ones.” And it’s my desire, yes, even my job, to care and value the love God has for ALL His children. And love these “Little Ones” knowing that God cares to keep them in His fold, like He loves them.

If one of God’s sheep go astray, like these “Little Ones,” God seeks them out relentlessly. And guess what? We all fall into this category. We all become “Little Ones,” at some stage in our life with God. And God will HUNT you down!

Why does God hunt us down? His love is so deep, that He does NOT want any of us to perish, especially perish in our sin. So, fall in humility before your Creator, Redeemer, and Savior! God has a huge heart, and compassion, for those who are lost in sin.

And in the midst of our sinning against one another, and in the midst of the impact of another’s sin against us… FORGIVE one another. Get over yourself, and forgive one another. It’s NOT that important to be over the other person in the face of sin. Be humble in the face of one another, just as YOU TOO are humbled before God in your sinfulness.

Talk to one another, and try with all you can, to bring one another into the fold, that God would have us be together in. We all sin, and need one another, and God, to make us aware of our sinful ways, SO THAT, we can be spun around in our sin to face God’s forgiveness, and the forgiveness of those we have sinned against, or those who are impacted by our own sinful ways. Again! Get over yourself, AND, live in the love and forgiveness of God and fellow disciples.

Just like in a recent past reflection, Jesus states some cold facts about repentance, forgiveness, the Law and the Gospel. Jesus assigns some authority to His disciples to preach Law AND Gospel. Show sinfulness, yet forgive. We all fall to sin. It’s impossible, in this world of evil temptations, NOT, to fall to sin. AND we WILL fall. Yet, reaching out in love to one another, we are free to be honest about our sinfulness, point out our sinfulness to one another, and then to forgive that sin. This is NOT about judging or overpowering another person with your own pride and power. This is, once again, about the humility of a child, in going to one another, in love, to reach forgiveness before God and each other. So, once again, as my pastor states, after corporate confession, before all of the disciples with whom I stand with, on Sunday mornings, Pastor Prin CAN and does forgive us, by the authority that God gives to him.

And guess what? In our lives with one another, we TOO, by this same power granted by God, CAN and SHOULD, forgive one another not through our own power, but by the power of Jesus given TO us. This is the role of the church, and our role, as well. This is the LOVE of Forgiveness. Take it seriously, and give it freely.

The LAW and GOSPEL thing IS something for us to follow, not only in church, but with one another as well. This IS about prayer, compassion and forgiveness, within the church and among the disciples of Jesus.

And in this, we gather together, in Love to God, and in Love towards each other. This is the UNITY in LOVE that God gives, even before the Creation. Stop, pause, and think about a LOVE so deep.

Teach me the “right” from the “wrong,” and if needed, humble me in the presence of a caring friend, friends, or even the church, SO THAT, I can see my sin, and know the power of forgiveness through Jesus. I don’t want to die for my sin. And I know that I can’t save myself. I depend on the Grace of God through what Jesus has done.

As I face my sin, and see Your face, oh Lord, I am blessed by Your forgiveness. As I face my sin, and see the face of my neighbor, I seek forgiveness. Lead me and guide me in my sin, SO THAT, I openly, and freely turn to God, and neighbor, in humility.

Yes, Lord, I see… “Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore, love is the fulfillment of the law.” – Romans 13:10

When I look back on my studies of this Scripture over this past week, I can’t help but to think of how my first reading left me confused. It seemed like Jesus was going all over the place with this one. There was the child, there was the hands and eyes and feet, there was lost sheep, there was this whole forgiveness thing going on; I couldn’t help but to feel how broken up this passage of Scripture was. I even wondered if this passage was just a jumbled-up mix of different messages from different times. I didn’t investigate this possibility, BECAUSE, by the end of the week, the links came out, in my mind.

I couldn’t help but to think back on the Scripture when Nicodemus encountered Jesus at night.

John 3:1-4 NIV

3 Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. ² He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.”

³ Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.”

⁴ “How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!”

As I pondered this present passage from Jesus in Matthew, and thought about Nicodemus dilemma with being born again, from the mother’s womb; I started to ponder all sorts of connections.

Things that connected the child, with the sins, with the lost sheep, with the forgiveness; and all of those things that seemed so disconnected from one another, after my initial reading on Monday.

In the presence of God, I need my, or God’s “GO BACK” machine to kick in. I need to “GO BACK” and be like a child, in the presence of God. I need to “GO BACK” and realize how my whole life and very self, depend on God.

I need to look, and face into my own sin and how it has had an impact on not only God, but on all of those people I have hurt along the way in my life.

As I grew from childhood to adult, I BECAME, a result of this sinful, evil world in which I have lived these past seven decades of life. My sin has piled up and had awful impacts on so many people that I have encountered in my life. I have sinned in power, haughtiness, the bend on success, the awful judgments that I have made, over and above other people. I have piled up a whole bunch of sin in my life. Yep, I deserve to lose my hands, my eyes, my feet, and even my life.

I mentioned earlier that I was a “Simple” man. Well, I am a “Sinful” man as well. I’m lost, just like the sheep that get lost. I’m lost into this evil world, and cannot redeem myself.

And that connects back to that corporate forgiveness thing, that I hear each Sunday through Pastor Prin, and so many other pastors in my life before he came along. I cannot free myself from my sin, but I do KNOW someone who can! And as I reflect on this passage of Scripture, I hear His call to “GO BACK.” “GO BACK,” and stand before Him in innocent, eternal dependance on Him, and what God the Father sent Him to do, in His life, suffering, death, resurrection and ascension. In the gift of life freely granted to me, in and through, the Holy Spirit, as I rise from the waters of my baptism. As I encounter Jesus in the Bread and the Wine, in with, and under, His very own body and blood. And As I hear Pastor Prin speak the words of forgiveness. Yep, in all of this, as I’m in the presence of God, I too, “GO BACK.” I “GO BACK” to Billy. Billy in the need of life, love and salvation.

So, I need some friends to be with me. Will you too, “GO BACK” with me, and stand in the presence of all those adults around us, and be in FULL dependance on God to rescue us, each and every day, SO THAT, we may, all together, come out of the womb, along with Nicodemus?

I leave it to you to look up, or recite in your mind, John 3:16. God loves us so much, that He planned a “GO BACK” before the very start of creation.

Come on! “GO BACK” with me, turn to face Jesus, be forgiven, and live in the grace of God, IN His Kingdom… today… tomorrow… and forever. Thanks be to God!

I’m not one to get into “Country” music, but somehow this song spoke to me during this past week of reflection. Enjoy!

“Keep Going Child of God”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvFv807htY4&list=RDcvFv807htY4&start_radio=1