8 posts tagged “jesus”

Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?

John the Baptist asked this question of his cousin Jesus. It was an important question to John, because he was at the moment a prisoner of King Herod. He was waiting to see the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel and his liberty.

The proverbial light at the end of the tunnel.

John surely wanted to hear Jesus say, John, yes. I am the one you have been waiting for! Now go and walk out of that prison a free man! But that isn't what John heard from his cousin Jesus. It wasn't what he heard at all. Instead of words of liberty for his dear cousin, Jesus spoke words much different, which bear repeating here. He told John's messengers:

Go back and report to John what you see and hear: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor. Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me.

Jesus preached the same message as John, but with an important twist. Oh yes, Jesus called for repentance, just like John, but He also preached that salvation was possible for all, even sinners, tax collectors, and their loathsome Roman overlords.

Jesus surely cared about his cousin John and wanted to free him from King Herod's prison, but He did not intervene to do that. Oh sure, He could have, but Jesus did not work that way. His kingdom was not of this world. His kingdom would come by invitation and response, not by His own divine power and might.

Jesus and the Lamb

Philippians 2:1-11 NIV:

Verse 5: Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus.

Attitude is everything sometimes.

A few years ago two laity and I went from our church to a pre-conference briefing early on a Saturday morning. It was held in the rural western region of our conference, far away from the Conference Center in affluent Columbia, Maryland.

As we drove to the briefing, I suggested that we adopt a different attitude as we sat through the reports that were to be presented all morning. Usually such meetings consist of two groups of people: the presenters, who never know how they will be received, and those who come to be briefed, never knowing what we will hear and see.

"Let's all sit up front and smile at the presenters, as if we are really glad to see them here. And, after each presenter is introduced and again when they're done, let's clap to show our appreciation," I told our little threesome.

So we did. Sat up front. Smiled at the presenters. And when they were introduced and when they were finished, we applauded.

When we changed our attitude about giving up our Saturday morning to drive to a briefing to hear reports, we changed the meeting itself.

When we smiled, we saw the presenters brighten and smile back at us.

When we applauded at their introduction and their conclusion, we found that everyone behind us also did so.

We left the meeting convinced that attitude is everything.

Or at least that having a positive attitude can result in positive things happening.

I don't know if Jesus would have done what we did. I don't know if He would have been smiling at every report and applauding at any of them.

But I do know that Jesus had a great attitude.

Change your attitude. Change your life. Change your world.

We should have the same attitude that Jesus Christ has.

Do you believe this?

I do.

For the past three days I have explored in this space Jesus' parable of The Unmerciful Servant.

Now I am ready to explore it further by considering the question, Am I forgiving? This is a question that every believer must ask, because it is something of vital importance to Jesus.

He taught, simply, that our forgiveness from God is great. Then he linked, forever, God's forgiveness and our forgiveness of others.

If God has forgiven you, you should forgive others. For by the measure of your forgiveness of others, you will be measured by God in the last Day.

The Unmerciful Servant parable should give one pause to ask the question, Am I forgiving? Do I really "walk the walk" of actually forgiving others, repeatedly?

We are to forgive others not just seven times, but seven times seventy. That's a very large number. Who would keep track of each instance of forgiveness? No one would, is the answer. The number of times we forgive others is so large that we can be sure it was Jesus speaking in hyperbole (exaggerated comparison) again, to make his point.

I am still thinking about Jesus' teaching in this parable. I am beginning to soften my harder edges and give people around me more benefit of a forgiving spirit. I am going to need God's help in this, because if I try to do it merely in my own strength, I know I will often fail to be forgiving.

Notice that it is not just the act of forgiveness that Jesus demands, but to be forgiving of others "from the heart."  That means the decision is made in our minds and hearts before it is ever played out in our lives. On the other hand, it is possible to re-train our spirits by just taking action, even if the feeling of forgiveness is not yet in our hearts. At least then we are taking a step in the right direction.

Feelings sometimes follow our actions.

Today, and tomorrow, and for the rest of my life, I pray that God will help me become a more loving and forgiving follower of Jesus Christ, as a pastor, a husband, a family member, neighbor, and fellow believer.

It's a start. God's still working on me.

Will you make a similar commitment, today?

Matthew 18:30-35 NIV:

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

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

"This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart."
_____
Here is Jesus' final act in his Parable of the Unmerciful Servant.

This parable could be called other titles. Consider these:

The Parable of the Terrible, No-Good, Rotten Servant
The Parable of the Other Servant Who Was Very Badly Treated
The Parable of the Master Who Turned the Tables on His Wicked Servant

I am sure you could think of others, too.

In Act I, the master forgives his servant a great debt. The audience thinks, "Oh, isn't that nice of the Master?"

In Act II, the forgiven servant is unforgiving toward his fellow servant. People think to themselves, "Well, that's just terrible the way he acted toward him."

In Act III, the other servants tell on the mean servant. The master calls him to account and sends him to jail, where he will be tortured, until he pays his original, humongous debt.

Clearly, the tables are turned in this final act. It is a satisfying ending, isn't it?

But if the master is God and the servant is you or me in our most unforgiving moments, then do you think that you or I should be sent to jail, tortured, and made to pay a debt we can never repay, like the punished servant?

We often teach that God is love. Here God is a Judge, condemning sinners to torture and confinement. There is no mercy, no love, and no compassion. Seemingly, it's too late for that.

We are all headed toward that Day when there will be no second chances. That is all the reason for us to get it right, now, "on earth as it is in heaven."

I don't know about you, but I don't want God angry with me on that Day or I might end up like the unmerciful servant.

Jesus' Parable concludes with his underlining that what the master has done is what God will do to those who are unmerciful, "unless you forgive your brother from your heart."

If we are to believe Jesus, we should take note and change our behaviors and "heart" to align with His.

After all, wasn't He the one who stretched out his arms on the Cross and said there, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do"?

Matthew 18:27-30 NIV:

The servant's master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.

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

His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, "Be patient with me, and I will pay you back."

But he refused. Instead he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt.
_____

Jesus continues his Parable of the Unmerciful Servant in these verses.

Imagine being there, for the first time, when Jesus told this story.

First, you hear of a king who wanted to settle his accounts with his servants. The king, of course, is God. The servants, that's you and me, in debt to God because of our sins, which are so great that we can never repay them, not in a million years of trying.

Then the king unexpectedly takes pity on the servant, cancels his enormous debt, and sets him free. Nice ending to story, right? Yes, and the hearers think, "How happy he must have felt and grateful to the king."

But then Jesus gives us Chapter 2, found in today's verses, as he continues the tale, with a twist. Now the servant who has been forgiven his debt comes upon a fellow servant who owes him small change. He takes hold of the man by the throat and demands immediate repayment. The man falls to his knees, begs for time, promises to pay, but the servant will have none of it and has him thrown into prison!

What are the hearers thinking now? Probably, "That's shocking! What an awful thing this servant has done to his fellow servant. He didn't learn a thing from the king."

That's exactly what Jesus wants them to think.

Jesus is painting a picture with words of what our God is like, loving and forgiving, and what we are like, unloving and unforgiving toward each other. He lets us connect the dots.

Of course, you see, Jesus is comparing and contrasting God's ways with ours.

If anyone owes you anything today, could you forgive it?

Think about this matter, will you?

Tomorrow I'll be back to discuss the conclusion of Jesus' parable.

Oh, yes. There's more to the story. There always is.

Matthew 18:23-27 NIV:

Therefore the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him. 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.

The servant fell on his knees before him, "Be patient with me," he begged, "and I will pay back everything." The servant's master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.
_____

This is the beginning of Jesus' parable of the unmerciful servant. It's about forgiving, in answer to Peter's question to Jesus: "Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?"

Notice that our Lord answers Peter's question with a parable. Someone has said that a parable is an earthly story with a heavenly meaning. I think it is a heavenly story with an earthly meaning, too.

You see, to me, the king is God, right? The servant with the large debt is you or me. Our sins greatly put us in God's debt, because only God can forgive sins. So we need forgiveness or we will be "sold" off. We are prisoners to our sins and can't get out without His help.

What's our response to God's wanting to settle His account with us? We, like the servant, fall on our knees, and we beg for mercy.

What's God's response to our plea for mercy?

First, God pities us in our vulnerability.

Next, God acts to cancel our "debt."

Last, God lets us go!

Tomorrow: Forgive us our "debts" as we our "debtors"?

Matthew 18:21-22 NIV:

Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, "Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?"

Jesus answered, "I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times."

Peter here asks Jesus about forgiveness. Specifically, Peter asks Jesus how many times we need to forgive someone. Is it seven times?

Peter thinks he is giving a generous number. Forgiving once, anyone can do that. Two or three times, maybe. But forgiving a person who wronged you seven times? That had to be generous, right, Jesus?

Jesus gives a surprising answer. No, not seven times. Not once, not twice, not three or four, or even seven times. No, we should forgive someone 77 times!

I think Jesus gave a ridiculously high number to illustrate that the question itself is ridiculous. It is an exaggerated answer for exaggerated nonsense.

Forgive just a few times? No way! says Jesus.

If someone has hurt you, wronged you, or stepped over your line, then you must forgive him or her, as many as seventy-seven times.

Peter and the other disciples often argued about which one of them was the greatest. They must have stepped on each others' toes often during their years of following Jesus. He must have gotten tired of their mistakes, their arguing, and their foolishness.

I am sure that Jesus forgave them seventy-seven times seventy-seven times [really large number goes here].

Tomorrow: A Parable Jesus Told His Followers about Forgiving Much

Caesurae, caesurae!

That's the breaks, literary-ily.

I've had a lot of breaks in life.

Fourth born out of six sibs (my brother and I, in the "center"), raised in a comfy suburb of the Baltimore area, two loving parents, good moral and religious training at home and church, educational opportunties galore, met the "woman of my dreams" (hyperbole allowed here in matters of the heart), blessed with three "arrows in my quiver" (although right now those arrows are out of my quiver, but that's okay!), and answered a Calling that has brought me great joy and fulfillment, some tears along the way, but even more laughs!

I've had a few pauses, too.

That's good, because we all need our Sabbath times, for rest, recreation, and renewal. In answering this Call, I am in a professional career, a way of life, actually, which allows plenty of time to reflect, re-tool, and re-invigorate. And that's a good thing, always, I've found. I thank God for the pauses which come, or which I invite into my life on this earth.

And along the way, yes, there have been interruptions, a-plenty. 

Thank God for them! We work, we plan, then life happens, all its interruptions ... and God laughs. I know God is a good laugher, because, when I look in the mirror, I'm sure God has an over-the-top sense of humor.

Take Jesus, for instance. When he asked the Pharisees for a coin, to answer their question about paying taxes, they gave him one, a Roman coin. But the joke was on them, wasn't it, for having it? I mean, it does have a Graven Image on it, right? And nowhere does Holy Writ record that he gave it back, either (heh-heh). 

Life's interruptions are occasions to laugh at ourselves and our human condition, knowing that it's gonna be alright ... because we know "the Rest of the Story." That Stone was rolled away, after all .. so there's no stone, no interruption, that God and I can't handle, together. I know this much is true! Yea, verily.

Life is full of breaks, pauses, and interruptions.

Caesurae, caesurae!

Long live such moments. We know they're here, and they're still coming. It's the stuff life is made of, eh?

caesura \sih-ZHUR-uh; -ZUR-\, noun;
plural caesuras or caesurae \sih-ZHUR-ee; -ZUR-ee\:

1. A break or pause in a line of verse, usually occurring in the middle of a line, and indicated in scanning by a double vertical line
2. Any break, pause, or interruption.

Caesura comes from Latin caesura, "a cutting off, a division, a stop," from the past participle of caedere, "to cut."