5 posts tagged “master”
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.
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.
Take for example Jesus' encounter with the rich young ruler. Remember how He said the man lacked one thing? He told the man, Go, sell all you have, give it to the poor, and follow Me. Sadly, the man, who was actually a pretty good guy otherwise, could not do that. So the man walked away, unable to part with his riches and to enjoy being the 13th disciple of Jesus.
Did Jesus then run after the man and let him keep his materialistic god? No, he did not. He just let him go. He simply let him make his own decision. He respected his free will. Jesus did not really care about the man's money, but he did care about the man. He knew that the man's riches had a hold on him and he offered him a once in a life time opportunity to have true liberty!
I like the term being a non-anxious presence. To me it means what Jesus did here, addressing an issue but also showing he cared about the man. He cared enough to offer him a place in His own troupe of disciples. How sad that this man missed his opportunity for real liberation.
There are many who are weak and poor and need rescuing, but this man was not one of them. He was bound in a prison of his own making. He was possessed by his possessions.
How about you, my friend? Are you generously opening your hand to the poor at this Advent Christmas season and throughout the year? Are you still thinking that you can take it with you? Or, are you dedicating all that you are and all that you have to the Master who still invites you to follow Him today?
Jesus is waiting for you to make your choice.
Do it 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."
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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.
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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.
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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"?
Oh? You noticed my afflatus.
Afflatus (noun) A divine imparting of knowledge or power; Inspiration.
I was hoping you would. After all, I hold a Master of Divinity degree, doesn't that guarantee it? Heh-heh.
Oh, if only afflatus was something you could just turn on and off.
I have found, however, that I can "prime the pump" for afflatus if I spend time in the Word. I love to read my Bible. (If you read three chapters a day and five on Sunday, you can read through the Bible in a year!)
If I pray, really listen to God, keep silent before God in way that is inviting for genuine exchange, I find afflatus. When I listen to God, I hear God say things to me, in my heart and mind. And that's thrilling!
If I go for walks or ride my bicycle, I find God speaking to my senses, in the call of the female cardinal, perched in the high branches of the Bradford pear tree ...
in the laughter of little children spinning round 'n round on the spinner in the playground ... smiling, carefree, and having fun ... just being who God made them to be ...
in the playful, friendly smile of the golden retriever or chocolate labrador taking his master out for a walk in the late afternoon ...
in the serendipity of finding a couple of battered Lincoln pennies along the side of the highway and roads ... (those'll go in the offering plates on Sunday)
in getting waves and smiles from passing motorists in return for mine ...
in the crunchy sound of fallen acorns spilled along the pathways in the park as I stride upon them ...
in fat squirrels rummaging around the ground, twitching, jerking, and swishing their large, fluffy brush-like tails about ...
in the waving branches of the blooming oaks and maples, the blush of many crabapple blossoms cascading along the entrance of the park, miniature flower petals dancing down to earth ...
in the fresh breezes of spring air ... the warm rays of sun upon my face, neck, and shoulders ...
in the blowing leaves, racing along the bright green grass ...
Thank you, God, for afflatus, imparting knowledge, inspiration, and power to me ... to us ... when we seek You.
"Draw near to God ... and God will draw near to you."
Just like that.
