January 27

Genesis 28; Matthew 27

Daily Catechism

QUESTION 3: HOW DO WE KNOW THERE IS A GOD?

Answer: The light of nature in man, and the works of God, plainly declares that there is a God; but his word and Spirit only, do effectually reveal him unto us for our salvation.
Scripture: Romans 1:18-20; Psalm 19:1-2; 2 Timothy 3:15; 1 Corinthians 1:21-24; 2:9, 10; Matthew 11:27.
 
Comment: The question distinguishes two kinds of knowledge: one is natural and comes from conscience (“the light of nature in man”) and from the works of God in nature; the other is spiritual or saving, and comes from the recognition of the true value of God and the beauty of his character. Natural knowledge is possessed by all people and thus makes all people accountable to honor and thank God. Spiritual knowledge is possessed only by those whose natural blindness has been overcome by the Spirit of God. (1 Cor. 2:14-16). Our children must come to see the difference between these lest they think they are saved by much natural knowledge about God—which the devils also have James 2:19).

Genesis 28

Ready:
The stolen blessing was yesterday Lord and your working through the errant and misguided people that you have chosen.

Reading thoughts:
In this chapter Jacob flees from Esau and heads to Haran to find a wife.  He is sent with Isaac’s blessing and Isaac gives no sense of being ticked but seems to be content that the Lord has chosen to pass the blessing to Jacob.  Isaac’s servant had met Rebekah’s family by the providence of God and now Jacob is sent to her family specifically to seek out a cousin for marriage.  This probably would have been done by sending a servant if it were not for the fact that the driving force here was getting away from Esau.  On the way Jacob has an encounter with God where God speaks and tells him that the promise indeed has extended to him and that God will now keep covenant with him.  God now announces himself as the God of Abraham and Isaac…the list of patriarchs is building.  God is advancing his kingdom purposes.

Key Verses:

“1 Then Isaac called Jacob and blessed him and directed him, “You must not take a wife from the Canaanite women.” (Genesis 28:1, ESV)

“3 God Almighty bless you and make you fruitful and multiply you, that you may become a company of peoples. 4 May he give the blessing of Abraham to you and to your offspring with you, that you may take possession of the land of your sojournings that God gave to Abraham!”” (Genesis 28:3–4, ESV)

“13 And behold, the Lord stood above it and said, “I am the Lord, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac. The land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring.” (Genesis 28:13, ESV)

“15 Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”” (Genesis 28:15, ESV)

“16 Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.” 17 And he was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.”” (Genesis 28:16–17, ESV)

“20 Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God will be with me and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat and clothing to wear, 21 so that I come again to my father’s house in peace, then the Lord shall be my God,” (Genesis 28:20–21, ESV)

I take the theme as- God protect and provides for Jacob, his chosen offspring to whom the covenant with Abraham is extended.

Rumination thoughts:
    v1-5.  Most impressive here is that Isaac seems to have just moved on and there is no indication that he has blown up the family over the stolen blessing.  I take it that he realized the hand of God at work and he is trusting in the Lord.  He blesses Jacob and with the prodding of Rebakah (for Jacob’s safety) Isaac agrees to send his son to Haran to fetch a wife.  Jacob should be over 40 years old at this point so not as young as I would picture.
    v6-9.  Interesting here how Esau decides he wants to impress his parents by taking a relative as a wife.  He already has more than one Canaanite wife but he now adds a relative of Ishmael.  So Jacob is taking a wife from the family of Abraham’s brother Nahor while Esau now adds a wife from Abraham’s son’s family (the unchosen son).
    v10-17.  Here Jacob has a dream while on his way to Haran and God speaks to him with an announcement of his identity as the God of Abraham and Isaac.  Later God will announce himself to Moses as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  This is a pivotal point in Jacob’s life because this is where God first speaks and extends the covenant that Isaac told him was to be extended.  So God is faithful and he puts confidence and hope into Jacob here.  v18-22.  When Jacob wakes he builds an alter to the Lord and he commits to be God’s people.  “I will be their God” God had said in Gen 17.  Here Jacob announces with a vow that God shall be his God since he has extended this promise indeed and Jacob now expects that the faithful God of his fathers will indeed provide for him and protect him and bring him back into the land of Canaan to dwell.  Jacob also names the place Bethel (house of God) and decides that he will give to God the first 10% of all that God provides him with (a tithe).  Jacob shows here another way to worship God apart from song and this is by giving of our first fruits and therefore exalting God and giving him thanks for his provision for us.

Meaning, Implications, and Significance
    1.  God is faithful and he has now come to the third generation of his promise to Abraham.  Jacob vows in response to God’s promised faithfulness and he trusts God with his needs.  Jacob’s response to God’s promise to make basic provision is worship.  The implication for today is the same as evidenced by Jesus’ command in Matt 6:33 that we are to seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness trusting all our other needs would be met by God one way or the other (paraphrase).  This is the same message as what Jacob understood here.  So the significance for me is that I too can trust God to meet my needs and I can give generously to his kingdom work and I can trust that he will sustain me and give me what I need…not what I want when I want wrong things, but what I need to be sustained so that my family can seek him and honor him.

Response:
“Private”

Reaction:
“Private”

Matthew 27

Ready:
Coming off of the redefining of the passover and Jesus’ prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane we see Jesus abandoned and questioned before the Jewish council.  They patently reject Jesus and Jesus tells them "from now on you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of power and coming on the clouds of heaven.”  Even Peter denies Jesus three times.

Reading thoughts:
Here is Matthew’s account of the Roman trial and the crucifixion of Jesus.

Key Verses:

“1 When morning came, all the chief priests and the elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put him to death.” (Matthew 27:1, ESV)

“3 Then when Judas, his betrayer, saw that Jesus was condemned, he changed his mind and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders, 4 saying, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.” They said, “What is that to us? See to it yourself.”” (Matthew 27:3–4, ESV)

“13 Then Pilate said to him, “Do you not hear how many things they testify against you?” 14 But he gave him no answer, not even to a single charge, so that the governor was greatly amazed.” (Matthew 27:13–14, ESV)

“17 So when they had gathered, Pilate said to them, “Whom do you want me to release for you: Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?” 18 For he knew that it was out of envy that they had delivered him up.” (Matthew 27:17–18, ESV)

“21 The governor again said to them, “Which of the two do you want me to release for you?” And they said, “Barabbas.” 22 Pilate said to them, “Then what shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?” They all said, “Let him be crucified!”” (Matthew 27:21–22, ESV)

“24 So when Pilate saw that he was gaining nothing, but rather that a riot was beginning, he took water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this man’s blood; see to it yourselves.”” (Matthew 27:24, ESV)

“29 and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on his head and put a reed in his right hand. And kneeling before him, they mocked him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!”” (Matthew 27:29, ESV)

“39 And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads 40 and saying, “You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross.”” (Matthew 27:39–40, ESV)

“42 “He saved others; he cannot save himself. He is the King of Israel; let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him.” (Matthew 27:42, ESV)

“45 Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour. 46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”” (Matthew 27:45–46, ESV)

“50 And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit. 51 And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split.” (Matthew 27:50–51, ESV)

“54 When the centurion and those who were with him, keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were filled with awe and said, “Truly this was the Son of God!”” (Matthew 27:54, ESV)

“64 Therefore order the tomb to be made secure until the third day, lest his disciples go and steal him away and tell the people, ‘He has risen from the dead,’ and the last fraud will be worse than the first.”” (Matthew 27:64, ESV)

I see the theme summed up by Caiaphas- “49 But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all. 50 Nor do you understand that it is better for you that one man should die for the people, not that the whole nation should perish.”” (John 11:49–50, ESV).  His life for mine.

Rumination thoughts:
    v1-2.  With Jesus now in their possession the council determines in the morning that they will take Jesus to the governor and order that he be killed.  The Jews wanting to deflect the killing of Jesus onto the Romans bound him and took him to Pilate.
    v3-10.  Here Judas realizes his error and he declares that Jesus is innocent of any charge and he throw the silver coins into the temple and then proceeds to kill himself.  A right and true assessment of his own guilt and the righteousness of Christ was made by Judas…but not a repentance unto the obedience of faith.  Judas did not turn to Jesus in recognition of his guilt but he saw himself helpless and doomed without any hope.  Judas did not call upon the name of the Lord but he simply gave up.
    v11-14.  Here Jesus meets Pilate and he acknowledges Pilate with an affirmative answer regarding being the King of the Jews (though put back on Pilate as the one making the confession).  This incited the chief priests and elders who then hurled accusations at him.  Jesus does not give any answer to their accusations.  I suppose this is for more than one reason.  Perhaps he knows that his innocence is plain to Pilate and certainly because he knows the mission is to die a sacrificial death on the cross that was planned before the creation of the world.  Perhaps also because he already told the Jews that their next dealing with him would be at his second coming (Matt 26:64)…he was essentially done with them.  Pilate tries to convince Jesus to defend himself probably since he perceives the purity and innocence in the man standing before him.  But Jesus is resolute.  He has a purpose that will not be thwarted by anything whatsoever.
    v15-23.  This section probably happens after Jesus is sent to Herod to be interviewed but only Luke’s gospel records that account.  So now back at the governor’s palace we see Pilate, who seems to believe Jesus to be innocent, make an effort to secure his release.  Pilate figures that is the option of two prisoners to release was a really bad choice then perhaps the crowd would be sensible and release Jesus and then Pilate can rest assured that Justice was served.  Like Solomon declaring that the baby be cut in half and the true mother immediately steps back and tells him rather to give the child to the lying kidnapper, Pilate give the people this choice.  But the people shout as it were “cut the baby in half then”.  The crowd chooses Barabbas to be released!  But to release Jesus would be to condemn the world to destruction and to forfeit the covenant to Abraham so there is no doubt that the Father intends Barabbas to be released.  Pilate, no doubt, is in a pickle of huge proportions because he knows that Jesus is innocent and the Jews are killing him from envy and he perceives some truth in his wife’s vision that Jesus is righteous.  Like Judas who faced the true understanding of his own guilt and Jesus’ innocence now Pilate faces a true understanding of Jesus’ innocence and he must decide what it means to him.  Pilate receives the gospel truth staring him in the face and he must decide whether to sacrifice his post and possibly face death if the mob riots and he is blamed by the emperor for this uproar or if he goes limp and lets the crowd make his decisions.  The crowd is corrupted by the lies of the chief priests and elders (the Jewish council) and they shout for the crucifixion of Jesus.     v24-26.  Pilate fails.  He believes Jesus is innocent but he does not truly have saving faith in the identity of this promised offspring and he does not walk in the obedience of faith but chooses himself.  Recognizing still that he is sending a righteous man to his death he attempts to cleanse his own conscience with a washing of his hands but the washing he needs will not be had.  This was an insurmountable test of the integrity of Pilate and he showed himself ultimately to be like all of mankind, an enslaved sinner.
    v27-31.  Here Jesus is mocked and beaten by the Roman soldiers before being led off to be crucified.  Jesus is now in the midst of enduring hate and rejection and dishonor from the people whom he created and whom he sustains in existence.
    v32-44.  Jesus is put on the cross and mocked and they challenge him to save himself if he indeed is who he claims to be.  Jesus already faced this temptation in the desert after his baptism but this liar has returned again to tempt Jesus as he is in the midst of a greater suffering than he faced while fasting in the desert.  But this temptation and this suffering and this shame was known to Jesus in the moment that he conferred with the Father in Genesis 1:26 when God paused in his creation to converse between the Father and Son “Let us make man in our own image”.  No doubt there is an acknowledgment of the book of life of the lamb that was slain (Rev 13:8) in which the names of the children of Abraham will be written in the moment of this decision to move forward with creating mankind.  I see Jesus without a human body yet but clothed in light “smiling" with a well of glorious submission to his Father as he pictures this scene at Calvary and responds with “Yes Father, let us create him in our image.”  Jesus teaches his would be followers to count the cost…as he did.
    v45-50.  Comparing gospels it seems that Jesus was now on the cross for about three hours when the sky become dark.  I see this next three hour period (12pm-3pm) as the real suffering endured by our King.  I believe the darkening of the sky illustrates the judgement and wrath of God that is being poured out upon Jesus in an unseen suffering.  Jesus endures in 3 hours the wrath what I would have spent eternity under.  2 Cor 5:21 says that Jesus became sin on the cross.  Jesus became on this cross the embodiment of all evil and idolatry and hatred of God and selfishness and wickedness and immorality and murder and lies and the totality of the sins of all the sheep.  R.C. Sproul said that in the cross hung the greatest concentration of evil that the world has ever known.  Jesus became sin in his flesh, though he knew no sin, so that the Father could kill it…destroy it…dethrone it.  And he did…for three hours.  Worse yet than this wrath of the Father came next.  Silence.  No more fury but now an absence.  The Father turns his face away and Jesus is abandoned for the first time in the 33 years of his humanity there is no communion whatsoever with the Father.  Jesus is separated (in his flesh) from his Father.  Now the cry where he quotes the opening verse of Psalm 22  “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”  Of course we know that he was forsaken so that we would never be.  Again the humanity of Jesus is seen as it was in the Garden.  Psalm 22, written by King David, is an amazing glimpse into the cross…give it a read.  The final cry of Jesus is not explicitly described in this gospel but is no doubt the cry “It is finished!” and in Psalm 22 (assuming that it indeed is a view of the entire cross experience of Jesus) it appears that there is a point in the middle of verse 21 where God answers the Son and the relationship is restored.  Perhaps this is the final moments on the cross and Jesus knows that the payment is complete…the job is done and he now has no further use for his earthly life…and so he gives it up by choice.  
    v51-54.  At this point the earth shakes and rocks split and tombs burst open (they were built into the rock of the hills) and greatest of all the curtain of the temple splits.  God announces here that reconciliation is made.  Sin is conquered (and death would be next to fall pretty soon).  The sin that enslaved and separated man from God and caused the need for the elaborate sacrificial system and the annual atonement in the most holy place of the temple behind the curtain is defeated (Col 2:13-15).  Jesus has once for all paid the price…he is the sacrifice (Heb 9:12, Rom 6:10).  Access to God without intermediary priests is now a reality (Eph 2:8 &13, Eph 3:12).  Comparing with other gospels it seems that the raising of the dead from these tombs probably occurred after Jesus’ resurrection rather than immediately after the tombs break open.  There is a Roman Soldier (with other witnesses) here who recognized the significance of what they see and what they heard and they make a confession of Jesus as the Son of God.  Perhaps this guard, who was likely to be closest to Jesus as he hung in the darkness those last three hours, was watching intently.  Perhaps he saw the Son of God suffering and he witnessed the harmony or the creation’s reaction to this author of life.  Perhaps he saw the pain and agony turn to relief and suddenly an earthquake announces the victory!  Could this man have seen the harmonizing of these events and realized that the person on that cross was none other than the creator and sustainer of this earth?  I don’t know but that is one conversation I look forward to!
    v55-56. Here Matthew mentions the women that were at a distance watching this happen.  I take not of the mother of the sons of Zebedee here.  Remember in chapter 20 that she approached Jesus with her sons (James and John) asking if they could sit at his right and at his left and his response was “You do not know what you are asking.  Are you able to drink the cup I that am to drink?”  Wow…now she might have a clearer picture.  To his right and left were dead men.
    v57-61.  Here prophesy is fulfilled (Isaiah 53:9) when a rich man comes and give his personal tomb for Jesus to be buried in.  Mary Magdalene and another Mary (probably not Jesus’ mother) watch as the body is placed in the tomb and it is closed.
    v62-66.  Finally the chapter closes with Pilate agreeing to the request of the Jewish Council in assigning Romans Soldiers to guard the tomb against any foul play that they fear would happen since they recalled Jesus claiming that he would raise again.  They do not believe it will happen but they think someone might steal the body to make it appear so.  Therefore the guards are placed and the tomb is “sealed”.  I take this to mean that they checked the body and closed it back up and stood there with who knows how many guards with the intention of waiting past the “three days”.  But something scares them off...

Response:
“Private”

Reaction:
“Private”

Soli Deo Gloria!

January 26

Genesis 27; Matthew 26

Daily Catechism

QUESTION 2: WHAT IS THE CHIEF END OF MAN?

Answer: Man’s chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy him forever.
Scripture: 1 Corinthians 10:31; Psalm 16:11; 37:4; 73:25-26; Isaiah 43:7.

Comment: “Glorify” does not mean make glorious. It means [to] reflect or display as glorious. Other words you could use for “end” are “goal” or “purpose”.

Genesis 27

Ready:
In the previous chapter you comforted Isaac and you spoke to him to ensure him that the promise to Abraham indeed was being applied and extended to him and you brought Isaac to worship and his trust was in you Lord.  Isaac walked in faith and he was as a virgin taking oil for his lamp and he invested the talents Lord and he was looking for your promises to be manifested.

Reading thoughts:
I see this chapter being about one thing.  That is that God will accomplish his purpose in and through his creation despite our best efforts to thwart him.  The decree of God stand firm and he not only overcomes but makes use of our sin as though Satan and his lies were his lackey and at his service…indeed they are.  I see the Lord in this chapter annihilating any concept that our election by grace is tied to the intentions of our will.  Everyone is jacked up here.  God uses a blind, deceived, dull old man who woefully chooses unwisely and blindly as it were the wrong child by his own foolish delight in food as well as a lying and disrespectful woman with a son who, although he trusts that God is the one behind the blessing to be given and not solely his father, he yet resorts to deception in order to obtain what God has already promised through the vision to his mother in chapter 25.  So none are without fault here and it is clear that God is the prime actor working behind the strange actions of people here that cannot be praised in any final sense.

Key Verses:

“6 Rebekah said to her son Jacob, “I heard your father speak to your brother Esau, 7 ‘Bring me game and prepare for me delicious food, that I may eat it and bless you before the Lord before I die.’” (Genesis 27:6–7, ESV)

“12 Perhaps my father will feel me, and I shall seem to be mocking him and bring a curse upon myself and not a blessing.” 13 His mother said to him, “Let your curse be on me, my son; only obey my voice, and go, bring them to me.”” (Genesis 27:12–13, ESV)

“18 So he went in to his father and said, “My father.” And he said, “Here I am. Who are you, my son?” 19 Jacob said to his father, “I am Esau your firstborn. I have done as you told me; now sit up and eat of my game, that your soul may bless me.”” (Genesis 27:18–19, ESV)

“30 As soon as Isaac had finished blessing Jacob, when Jacob had scarcely gone out from the presence of Isaac his father, Esau his brother came in from his hunting.” (Genesis 27:30, ESV)

“34 As soon as Esau heard the words of his father, he cried out with an exceedingly great and bitter cry and said to his father, “Bless me, even me also, O my father!” 35 But he said, “Your brother came deceitfully, and he has taken away your blessing.”” (Genesis 27:34–35, ESV)

“41 Now Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing with which his father had blessed him, and Esau said to himself, “The days of mourning for my father are approaching; then I will kill my brother Jacob.”” (Genesis 27:41, ESV)

I see the theme as- God almighty keeps covenant and is faithful to his name and he displays his purpose of election that serves to show the glory of God in the salvation of men.

Rumination thoughts:
    v1-4.  Isaac is choosing poorly and it is unknown whether Rebekah ever told him over her encounter with God during pregnancy when God told her that the older will serve the younger.  If she did, then Isaac is clearly choosing to disregard the will of God in his choice.  If not, then Isaac is still making his choice errantly and is probably swayed by his stomach rather than seeking out the will of the Lord.  Or perhaps he sees his duty to be to pass the blessing to the first born irrespective of all other considerations.  Perhaps he would have learned from Abraham that the blessing indeed can be given to other than the firstborn when God decrees such since this is precisely what happened between Isaac and Ishmael.  At any rate, Isaac is attempting (knowingly or not) to thwart the will of God in his selection of whom shall be the one to carry the blessing that was given to Abraham.  But it will turn out the that will of man is not the prime actor in this selection.
    v5-17.  Here Rebekah and Jacob conspire to deceive Isaac and there can be seen a degree of faith and trust in God here where they take great risk to work toward the revealed will of God but they do so by sinful means and they are in no way pure or right in this action.  Rebekah steps right into this and the two of them risk the destruction of this family and disaster for what Rebekah is convinced to be the will of God.  Perhaps it is her own sinful partiality that leads to her evil means.  Paul says in Romans that evil done for the cause of good is wrong and judgement upon this action is right (Rom 3:8).
    v18-29.  Here Jacob completely lies and deceives his father and comes out with the blessing, intended by God, though not intended by the intermediary and sinfully acquired by the recipient.  There are some categories in the actors here.  Two people here act in obedience of faith (though through sinful means) trusting that what God promised shall come to pass.  Two people act with their eyes on earthly factors rather than looking to the promise.  There are enough moving parts here to make deciphering the intended teaching near impossible, but I think God intended to help us by the hand of Paul.  God declared before hand his choice of Jacob and Paul reveals to us that the reason he announced his choice while the twins were still in the womb  (apart from all of my own ideas) was to display God’s purpose of election where the call of his Son unto salvation is the decisive factor apart from man’s work or will (Rom 9:10-16).  I think this means that God elected (chose) without considering what either person would do in the future (like stealing a blessing by deception).  Such a strong teaching this is that Paul in that passage in Romans suggests (knowing the sinful state of all mankind) that the hearer will then question the very justice of God from a misplaced understanding of mercy, which is actually not owed in any sense but freely given.  The right question again is not why does he hate Esau but why does he love Jacob.  Paul refutes this arrogance and presumption of the right (or entitlement) to mercy and defends God’s free right to choose to exercise wrath or mercy as he pleases since it is wrath only that is deserved (entitled).
    v30-40.  Here Isaac realizes that he has been fooled and he accepts it and makes no effort to undo what God has clearly ordained (allowed or determined). Esau’s own sin come out here as well in that unlike Isaac, he does not rest in God’s providence but he wants what he thinks is owed to him.  Isaac intended no blessing for the other son and so here he struggles to come up with what ends up being not much of a blessing except to say that he will break the yoke at some point and be out from under the rule of his younger brother.  Esau will father the Edomites and they end up being an enemy of Israel, despite the fact that Jacob and Esau mend the rift and in the and their relationship is reconciled in tears of joy many years after this bump in the road (Gen 33:4-11), which gets a little worse in the next section.
    v41-46.  Here we find out the Esau planned to kill Jacob out of envy (sounds like Cain and sounds like Satan) but Rebekah intervenes by sending her son off to Haran with the ruse that she wants him to go find a wife there so he doesn’t end up with a Hittite woman like Esau.  This is no doubt true but it also gives cause to get Jacob off to safety.

Meaning, Implications, and Significance
    1.  God is at work to deliver upon his promises and he will accomplish this whether we help or hurt.  The implication for today is that God will do what he says and it depends not upon my will or my actions but upon his mercy alone.  The significance to me is that I can rest in his work and not worry that the outcomes depend upon my willing or working.  Like the virgins waiting for the bridegroom I can bring my oil in trembling anticipation but rest assured that it is God who is willing and working through me (Phil 2:12-13) and he has already declared that I will in the end be ready for his arrival.  I can have assurance of my salvation and of the goodness of God’s plan without relying on the circumstances I see around me.

Response:
“Private”

Reaction:
“Private”

Matthew 26

Ready:
Coming off of the description of final judgement by Jesus I learned that those who are in God's family love God by loving others and pouring themselves out for others and this is what it looks like to trim the lamps and to invest the talents.  A friend of Jesus does not only receive the love of Jesus but returns this love.  Jesus knows my love when I extend it "to the least of these".

Reading thoughts:
This is another massive chapter with much to say to me.  Here the plot to kill Jesus gets put into motion, he is anointed prior to his sacrificial death and he eats a final passover meal that serves to reveal that he himself is the passover sacrifice that secures the unmerited mercy of God for the children of Abraham (remember the four different types of offspring).  I see Jesus explain to Peter that it is none other than the Son of God who prays for him and enables his faith to survive even though failures and hardships (leaning on another gospel to help with this point).  I see Jesus deal with the human nature that he bears and with his aversion to the guilt and shame and the wrath of God that he will bear in his flesh upon that cross.  I see Jesus surrender to the will of the Father and the disciples flee.  Peter faces his worst night ever and yet his betrayal (by denial) turns out different than Judas’.

Key Verses:

“1 When Jesus had finished all these sayings, he said to his disciples, 2 “You know that after two days the Passover is coming, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified.”” (Matthew 26:1–2, ESV)

“3 Then the chief priests and the elders of the people gathered in the palace of the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas, 4 and plotted together in order to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill him.” (Matthew 26:3–4, ESV)

“12 In pouring this ointment on my body, she has done it to prepare me for burial. 13 Truly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her.”” (Matthew 26:12–13, ESV)

“24 The Son of Man goes as it is written of him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that man if he had not been born.” 25 Judas, who would betray him, answered, “Is it I, Rabbi?” He said to him, “You have said so.”” (Matthew 26:24–25, ESV)

“26 Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” 27 And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, 28 for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.” (Matthew 26:26–28, ESV)

“34 Jesus said to him, “Truly, I tell you, this very night, before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.”” (Matthew 26:34, ESV)

“38 Then he said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch with me.” 39 And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.”” (Matthew 26:38–39, ESV)

“53 Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels? 54 But how then should the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must be so?”” (Matthew 26:53–54, ESV)

“56 But all this has taken place that the Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled.” Then all the disciples left him and fled.” (Matthew 26:56, ESV)

“74 Then he began to invoke a curse on himself and to swear, “I do not know the man.” And immediately the rooster crowed. 75 And Peter remembered the saying of Jesus, “Before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.” And he went out and wept bitterly.” (Matthew 26:74–75, ESV)

I see the theme as- An evil human plot unfolds that will fulfill the purpose and plan of God to save his people from the wrath to come, which is so real and so severe that the Lion of the Tribe of Judah himself, in his humanity that is no different than mine, trembles and gropes at alternatives that would be still serving the purpose of God…yet none are found and he resolves to persevere in the obedience of faith.

Rumination thoughts:
    v1-2.  Here Matthew points out to us a shift in the storyline with the phrase “when Jesus had finished all these sayings” and so we know that this is probably another day and a fresh conversation.  Now he tells his disciples again of his coming death but this time he introduces something new.  He links his death with the observance of the Jewish Passover.  This is just a quote of Jesus that Matthew inserts into his narration of the events that next moves to the plotting of his death.  But stopping here for a moment this statement that Jesus makes should get my attention.  Exodus 12 records the original passover and from its very introduction it is planned to be a continued practice for the Jews to commemorate something that is about to happen…it had not even happened yet and God was instructing them about how they will observe this in a certain month each year!  No time for great detail but Jesus is making plain here that he is the actual passover lamb and that the ritual performed in Egypt back in Exodus 20 was merely a foreshadowing of the coming death he will endure.  The Israelites that night in their homes were not protected by the blood of the sacrifice that they saw and ate…but by the death of Jesus.  God did not honor the blood of lambs that night.  He honored the blood of his beloved Son.  The passover celebration that the nation of Israel had practiced for centuries was all a foreshadowing and not a remembrance at all.  1 Corinthians 5:7 calls Christ our passover and he is not a copy but he is the original.  This speaks to how the cross functions with saving authority to people who lived centuries before the death of their savior.
    v3-5.  Here is a weaving of human responsibility and accountability before God with the everlasting decree of God to accomplish his purpose in the sacrifice of his Son for the salvation of his people.  The very plan that was crafted by the Jewish council was serving the precise will of God even though it was completely sinful and they, just like Pharaoh, carry the burden of responsibility for their sin.  See Acts 2:23 and Acts 4:27-28 plus verse 24 in this chapter regarding this plan of God that is carried out through the sinful actions of men.  Rom 9:18-24 sheds light on this work of God in using people’s dishonorable actions still in his good and righteous plan of revealing the riches of his glory to those who will receive his mercy by the abundance of his grace (Rom 5:17).
    v6-13.  Jesus sums up this account in explaining that Mary was unknowingly preparing his body for burial, which implies a death that precedes it.
    v14-16.  Judas is utterly guilty and yet utterly fulfilling the perfect plan and intention of God.
    v17-25.  Here is the passover meal that has been celebrated for centuries since the plague in Egypt being observed by Jesus and we see Judas identified as the traitor (though only John is in the know according to John 13:21-30).  Comparing the gospels it seems that Judas is now under the direct control of Satan (still serving the will and intention of God, however) and he leaves , I think, before Jesus institutes what we now call "The Lord’s Supper" or “Communion”.  
    v26-29.  Here Jesus redefines the passover as was indicated in verse 2 of this chapter.  Jesus now explains that he is the passover sacrifice and that in all future remembrance of the passover it is to be know that his body was broken to pay the penalty for sin and his blood was shed to cleanse the guilt and remove the enslavement of sin.  The ordinance or “rule” is here given that all Christians shall remember Jesus’ work on the cross by taking part in this ceremonial remembrance that redefines the passover in light of the real passover lamb.
    v30-35 No time to develop it but here Jesus explains how the disciples will scatter and hoe even Peter will deny him.  Not included in Matthew’s account is that Jesus encouraged Peter by letting him know that he had prayed for him that his faith would be maintained in spite of his failure and that he would return and he called him to strengthen his brothers when he returned.  This talk should have hopefully comforted Peter and perhaps even contributed to his tears that come in verse 75.
    v36-46.  Here Jesus lays out his dual natures (human and divine) and teaches us that we can come to God asking for comfort and deliverance from suffering and he teaches us about prayer.  How does Jesus’ prayer that God keep this “cup” from him turn out?  Does Jesus receive what he is asking for with faith like a mustard seed?  Does this mountain get thrown in to the sea?  Nope.  So if the Son of God can pray for something and he is turned down perhaps there is certainly more to the earlier teaching about prayer.  I suggest again that we trust in God’s ability to do anything (which Jesus expressed here) and we make a plea for why we think it is to his glory that he answer in the manner we are requesting (I take this from the Lord’s Prayer in Matt 6) and then we leave room for God having a different plan and we let him know that it is his will that we prefer and trust to be for our good and to his glory (which Jesus does here) since in our flesh we do not always know what to pray for (Rom 8:26-29).  No time to develop more of what happened here if the Garden but suffice it to say that Jesus recognized what he was facing and it is bigger than three nails and a crown of thorns and whipping and beating and spitting.  Nothing they could possibly do to him if they were given 10,000 years to continue this beating would come close to the wrath of the Father that he was about to bear on that cross.  Such an amazing endurance of punishment would Jesus take that the earth would quake and darken as he lovingly and compassionately held all of creation (which has assembled against him) in existence yet during his greatest moment of pain and suffering in separation from his Father.
    v47-56.  In the darkness Jesus faces his betrayer and willingly surrenders, though he retains authority to command the armies of heaven should he have chosen (verse 53).  The disciples flee and the Son of Man, the second Adam faces ultimate suffering alone.
    v57-68.  Here in this passage is the culmination of the failure of Israel that Paul speaks of in Romans 11.  Here they plainly reject Jesus as the Son of God come as Messiah to deliver his people.
    v69-75.  Here is the sad account of Peter’s denial but thanks to the great intercessor, who today intercedes for us as well (Rom 8:34, Heb 7:25, Rom 5:10), Peter ends up being restored and Peter’s story does not end like the story of Judas.

Meaning, Implications, and Significance
No time!

Response:
“Private”

Reaction:
“Private”

Soli Deo Gloria!

January 25

Genesis 26; Matthew 25

Daily Catechism

QUESTION 1: WHO IS THE FIRST AND BEST OF BEINGS?

Answer: God is the first and best of beings.
Scripture: Isaiah 44:6; Psalm 8:1; 96:4; 97:9, 1 Samuel 2:2

Genesis 26

Ready:
The previous chapter included Abraham’s death and a description of the line of Ishmael as well as the beginning of the story between Jacob and Esau and the selling of the birthright for a meal.

Reading thoughts:
This chapter is almost a redo of Abraham and his treaty with Abimelech.  It could be that this is a descendent of Abimelech or perhaps Abimelech was much younger than Abraham in their earlier dealings.  A famine takes him into gerar again and by the end he is at Beersheba again in a renewed agreement with Abimelech and more importantly he meets with God and hears the Lord repeat his promise that is clearly extended from Abraham to Isaac. No mention in this chapter of Jacob and Esau but I am sure they are along for the ride and going about their business or hassling one another.

Key Verses:

“23 From there he went up to Beersheba. 24 And the Lord appeared to him the same night and said, “I am the God of Abraham your father. Fear not, for I am with you and will bless you and multiply your offspring for my servant Abraham’s sake.” 25 So he built an altar there and called upon the name of the Lord and pitched his tent there. And there Isaac’s servants dug a well.” (Genesis 26:23–25, ESV)

I take the theme as- The promise is extended as Isaac carries on where Abraham left off...though its not all roses.

Rumination thoughts:
    In Gerar Isaac pulls the whole “its my sister” thing like his dad was known for and again it upsets the ones being fooled.  Ultimately God blesses Isaac and he became wealthy in the land.  So wealthy than Abimelech told him to get lost and make some room.  It becomes apparent that Abimelech had disregarded the agreement about the land and the well at Beersheba because he had all the wells in the valley outside Gerar filled up at some point.  Now Isaac goes about digging out the wells again again and negotiating with the herdsmen over the wells.  Isaac deals graciously with the herdsmen and once it is clear that they have reached an acceptable agreement on the arrangement in the valley Isaac blesses the Lord and gives thanks to God.  Once settled there in Beersheba God speaks to him and this seems to be the first time that God speaks to Isaac directly regarding the extension of the promised blessing and covenant to Abraham.  Beersheba turns out to be an important place as we are seeing.  Here God announces himself as the God of Abraham (suggesting that Abraham lives even though he had died) and repeats the promise to Isaac.  Isaac builds an alter to commemorate this huge moment and then worships God there in Beersheba.  Now Abimelech comes around (seeing Isaac’s success surviving in the valley living in cooperation with the herdsmen) and wants to renew the treaty that he had with Abraham (sort of the same thing God just did).  But in contrast to God’s covenant, Abimelech’s treaty was obviously broken since as they are discussing the treaty Isaac’s men are digging out the well that should have still been functioning if Abimelech gave a darn about his first treaty with Abraham.  As far as Abimelech cared the agreement must have died with Abraham and it seems to be that he was really just interested in Abraham because he saw that God was blessing him and he wanted maybe some blessing by association and here again he does the same with Isaac, once he is convinced that God is also blessing Isaac.  If Isaac did not have evidence of God’s blessing then Abimelech probably would not have cared a lick about him.  The chapter wraps with a new conflict or tension in the storyline.  Isaac’s son Esau marries a Hittite (not cool) and this embitters his parents Isaac and Rebekah.  Hopefully Jacob does better.

Meaning, Implications, and Significance
    1.  I take the meaning to be that only God keeps his covenant perfectly throughout the generations as he promised.  Man is incapable of this and here Abimelech let the promise die at one generation.  The implication is that only God can be trusted to be always true and faithful and good because men will fail and men will often do what serves their own good regardless of the impact on others.  God will keep his covenant and this does not require it to be convenient for him or easy.  Here God lets Isaac, and Abimelech, know that he has indeed extended the blessing of Abraham unto Isaac.  The significance for me is that I know that God’s promises do not depend upon the actions of men who may or may not support me or God’s cause.  I know that the wells may get filled up but God gives the strength to dig them out and the circumstances are not indication of God’s forgetfulness but rather they are a chance for me to show my trust in him.  Start digging, not complaining…the water is there.

Response:
“Private”

Reaction:
“Private”

Matthew 25

Ready:
Picking up Jesus’ teaching of the judgement to come he had just finished teaching on how the day will come as unexpected, though there will be signs of the times.  The teaching is continuous and the chapter break, as with all of them in the Bible, is artificial.  Though I recall referring to Matthew “picking up again” in previous days, I do not mean that Matthew wrote in chapter form.  The original “autographs" as the call them (original writing) did not have chapters or verses and did not even have punctuation for that matter.  These were all added later to make it easier to reference and in some ways easier to read.

Reading thoughts:
This chapter is all about being ready and being ready is something that every Christian will indeed do, because those that do not get and remain ready are thrown into hell.  Jesus uses two parables to cover this topic and then moves into a description of the judgment where he will separate between the people who have indeed loved God above all and loved others as themselves and those that have not.  There is a huge call in this chapter to be ready and then an explanation is given as to what ready looks like…will I hear the call?

Key Verses:

“1 “Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. 2 Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. 3 For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, 4 but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps.” (Matthew 25:1–4, ESV)

“8 And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ 9 But the wise answered, saying, ‘Since there will not be enough for us and for you, go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.’ 10 And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut.” (Matthew 25:8–10, ESV)

“11 Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’ 12 But he answered, ‘Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.’ 13 Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.” (Matthew 25:11–13, ESV)

“14 “For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property. 15 To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away.” (Matthew 25:14–15, ESV)

“19 Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. 20 And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me five talents; here I have made five talents more.’ 21 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’” (Matthew 25:19–21, ESV)

“24 He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed, 25 so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.’ 26 But his master answered him, ‘You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I scattered no seed?” (Matthew 25:24–26, ESV)

“30 And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’” (Matthew 25:30, ESV)

“31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left.” (Matthew 25:31–33, ESV)

“34 Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’” (Matthew 25:34–36, ESV)

“41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’” (Matthew 25:41–43, ESV)

I see the theme as- The judgement is coming.  Some are preparing and some are not.  Those who will be ready are those who love Jesus and these know what it is to love him.

Rumination thoughts:
    v1-10.  Here Jesus lays out a beautiful parable of readiness and anticipation.  The wise virgins knew that they had to put themselves into this task and they needed to do something here.  The others went as though everything would just be handed to them and they needed not to be thinking ahead.  The wise realized that the bridegroom is coming for those who are prepared for him.
    v11-13.  This is an echo of Matthew 7:21-23.  The people in Matt 7 were doing amazing acts and displaying religious fervor and this was the “evidence” that they indeed knew Jesus as "Lord”.  Jesus told them to depart like he does these unwise virgins because he does not know them.  He closes with “you do not know the day or the hour” and the implied message is that we are to be getting ready and staying ready for his arrival.  What does it look like to do this? This comes in verse 31-46.
    v14-30.  Here Jesus presents another amazing, and closely related, parable about people who are entrusted with gifts, resources, abilities, blessings…the precision of what the “talent” represents (beyond the obvious of money) does not matter exactly.  The servants already know that this master is quite hard.  He is righteous and he is good at all he does and he has high expectations.  He is able to reap even where he does not sow!  So when he leaves them behind with some resources there is an implied expectation that they will do well with what they were given and they will get to work.  There is no expectation of waiting around for the master to come back and multiply the talent…not at all.  Except for one of the servants.  One servant claims that he was afraid and even though he received from the hand of this mighty master who reaps where ho does not sow and he seemed to have been given the authority of this master…still the servant feared failure and feared everything…everything but his master.  The master makes it clear that he ought to have invested the talent in some way because the point of receiving it is not to hoard it and to just hide in a hole and enjoy how shiny it is.  The point is to multiply the glory.  The point is to go and to proclaim the goodness of the master.  The point is to be outward and selfless and fearless and to know that we serve a mighty master.  The point was to get busy and to not be selfish and lazy and focused on things other than the return of the master…or the coming of the bridegroom.  Am I asleep?  Do I hear the call?  Am I hiding the treasure?  Am I hoarding the gifts and blessings of God?  The master casts this worthless servant into hell at the end of this story…the unwise virgins were kept from the marriage feast.  But what does it look like to invest the talents and to trim the lamps?  What does it look like to be eagerly waiting for Jesus and to be prepared?
    v31-33.  The word him, his, and he appears quite a bit in these first three verses.  It is Jesus’ glory, Jesus’ throne, Jesus’ story, Jesus’ judgement of all the nations.  The story is ultimately about the bridegroom and not the bride…the master and not the servant, the king and not the sheep.  We get this wrong and it shows.
    v34-45.  Here the King calls the sheep, who are blessed by the Father, to the kingdom inheritance that was prepared beforehand for them and they receive blessing.  Contrast the message he gives to the goat who are cursed and without family membership and inheritance in verse 41.  Then for each of these two distinct groups he gives a description that seems to identify them as evidencing their identity as either blessed or cursed.  Recall that we are all cursed from Adam and that we all come from the same wicked lump of humanity (Gen 3:14-24, Rom 9:21).  But some are rescued from this state and brought near and adopted into the family of God by grace.  So I suggest that verses 35-40 are a description of what the grace of God does to his sheep while verses 42-45 show what we would be like with a lack of this grace in our life.  Looking at this in the context of the two preceding parables I take it that this is a description of what it looks like to get ready and to be ready versus not to.  It gives me a picture of love for God resulting in love for others (righteousness & justice).  The obedience of faith leads to this or it is not there.  I gave thought to this and to some other passages that took my thoughts and I have put my conclusions below into a short devotion about what it looks like to be eagerly anticipating the arrival of the bridegroom.
    v46.  Here is the end result for the virgins or the servants who are prepared or not prepared…who are walking with obedience of faith or who are just expecting the bridegroom or the master to work a miracle with the oil or the talent when he arrives.  The identity (family or not family) drives the way we live and not the other way around but the way we live is the only evidence and it matters because it is the result of the obedience of faith.  Sheep or goat?  Blessed or still cursed?

Meaning, Implications, and Significance
    Translation or Transformation? (to be posted later)

Response:
“Private”

Reaction:
“Private”

Soli Deo Gloria!

January 24

Genesis 25; Matthew 24

Genesis 25

Ready:
The previous chapter was the story of how Isaac came to be married to Rebekah by divine appointment.  God guided Abraham’s faithful servant and he found a virtuous woman to be the mother to carry the promise for the offspring.  Noting the ESV Study Bible (ESVSB) table at the bottom of page 79 I see a description of the four types of offspring the Abraham has and this is helpful to keep in mind as we see the story unfold.  This chapter (and the next two) should be read in comparison with Romans chapter 9 to see the full significance of what is happening in the story.

Reading thoughts:
Most notably this chapter covers the birth if Jacob and Esau as well as their interactions regarding the selling of the birthright and it seems to highlight the fact that Esau connected more with Isaac and Jacob with Rebekah.  Abraham dies when Isaac is 75 and this is 15 years after the birth of Jacob and Esau.  We also learn that Isaac was 37 when his mother died, 40 when he took Rebekah as a wife and 60 when the twins were born.  See timeline at the bottom of page 94 in the ESVSB.  The story also covers the additional descendants of Abraham who took another wife and then also concubines after Sarah’s death.  Ishmael’s 12 sons (as promised in Gen 17:20) are listed and Ishmael dies at 137, although Ishmael had been put out of the camp of Abraham.

Key Verses:

“7 These are the days of the years of Abraham’s life, 175 years. 8 Abraham breathed his last and died in a good old age, an old man and full of years, and was gathered to his people.” (Genesis 25:7–8, ESV)

“16 These are the sons of Ishmael and these are their names, by their villages and by their encampments, twelve princes according to their tribes. 17 (These are the years of the life of Ishmael: 137 years. He breathed his last and died, and was gathered to his people.)” (Genesis 25:16–17, ESV)

“21 And Isaac prayed to the Lord for his wife, because she was barren. And the Lord granted his prayer, and Rebekah his wife conceived.” (Genesis 25:21, ESV)

“22 The children struggled together within her, and she said, “If it is thus, why is this happening to me?” So she went to inquire of the Lord. 23 And the Lord said to her, “Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you shall be divided; the one shall be stronger than the other, the older shall serve the younger.”” (Genesis 25:22–23, ESV)

“28 Isaac loved Esau because he ate of his game, but Rebekah loved Jacob.” (Genesis 25:28, ESV)

“31 Jacob said, “Sell me your birthright now.” 32 Esau said, “I am about to die; of what use is a birthright to me?”” (Genesis 25:31–32, ESV)

“34 Then Jacob gave Esau bread and lentil stew, and he ate and drank and rose and went his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright.” (Genesis 25:34, ESV)

I see the theme as- "Not all are children of Abraham because they are his offspring, but 'through Isaac shall your offspring be named'” (Rom 9:7, ESV)

Rumination thoughts:
    v1-11.  Surprisingly, Abraham takes another wife and has six more kids.  The ESVSB notes suggest that Keturah may have been a maidservant of Rebekah and that the “concubines" mentioned is likely a reference to Hagar and Keturah rather than another group of women.  I am surprised that God grants him six more kids at 137+ years old here since a big deal is made about him bearing kids at "about 100 years old” (Rom 4:19).
    v12-18.  A brief genealogy is given to show that God indeed made twelve tribes from Ishmael and it describes them as settling in what the ESVSB calls Arabia (Muslims claim this is their lineage).
    v19-26.  Here is the birth of the twins and Isaac must pray and wait for God to open the womb of Rebekah to bless them with children.  The twins are recorded as “struggling” within her and she is told by God when she prayed about this that they were two nations and that “the older shall serve the younger” (Rom 9:12).
    v27-28.  Here it is clear that the boys are very different and each gravitates toward the opposite parent.  This plays into the scenario because Isaac plans only a blessing to pass on to Esau and not any for Jacob.  It seems that Jacob come against the odds and without support and thou he is “hated” compared to his brother by his earthly father he is “loved” in comparison to his brother by his heavenly father.  And this God decided prior to Jacob being born or doing anything to please or displease him as happened with his natural parents who depended upon the merits and personalities of the children to draw distinctions (Rom 9:9-13) but God, in contrast, does not show partiality (Prov 28:21, Luke 28:21, Acts 10:34, Rom 2:11, Eph 6:9, Col 3:25, James 2:9) but judges with perfect righteousness and is not constrained to grant his loving kindness to anyone over another (Titus 3:3-6).
    v29-34. Here Moses records the sinful action of Esau selling his birthright to Jacob for a meal.  In this action Esau dishonors God by caring nothing for the promise of the coming offspring and he apparently could not care less about this nation that one of them was supposed to father.  Jacob, on the other hand, seems intent on fathering this people.  Hebrews 12:16 and Prov 28:21 are condemning of Esau in this regard.  The rocky relationship between these two began in the womb.

Response:
“Private”

Reaction:
“Private”

Matthew 24

Ready:
Jesus concluded his seven woes of the Pharisees and seems to now be headed back toward Bethany for evening when he foretells of the destruction of the temple.

Reading thoughts:
This chapter speaks prophetically and is quite difficult to pin down many of the details.  I will reserve much in this discussion because I have yet to study and decide my own position on end times events and there are many differing views on this…

Key Verses:

“3 As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” 4 And Jesus answered them, “See that no one leads you astray. 5 For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray.” (Matthew 24:3–5, ESV)

“9 “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake. 10 And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another.” (Matthew 24:9–10, ESV)

“13 But the one who endures to the end will be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” (Matthew 24:13–14, ESV)

“21 For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be. 22 And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short.” (Matthew 24:21–22, ESV)

“26 So, if they say to you, ‘Look, he is in the wilderness,’ do not go out. If they say, ‘Look, he is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. 27 For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.” (Matthew 24:26–27, ESV)

“36 “But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only.” (Matthew 24:36, ESV)

“44 Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” (Matthew 24:44, ESV)

“48 But if that wicked servant says to himself, ‘My master is delayed,’ 49 and begins to beat his fellow servants and eats and drinks with drunkards, 50 the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know 51 and will cut him in pieces and put him with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (Matthew 24:48–51, ESV)

I see the theme as- The end of this world as we know it will come and there will be a judgment before God that will come at an unknown time whereby those that held out and fought the good fight to live before God with trust and hope in Jesus (promised offspring) will be delivered from the wrath of God upon sin and all others will be justly and righteously condemned to hell for their sin of not honoring and thanking God with their lives.

Rumination thoughts:
    v1-2.  Jesus tells of a destruction of the temple that will be complete and this can be a reference to the destruction of the temple at the hands of the Romans in AD 70.  This introduces a series of statements by Jesus that are looking into the future.
    v3-8.  Here Jesus describes what he sums up as “birth pains” and Paul uses similar terminology as well in Romans 8:18-25 as he speaks about the future revealing of the sons of God that the creation is eagerly awaiting.  Jesus speaks of others claiming to be the Messiah and some have already done this…no doubt more will come.  I personally do not take to the efforts of many to try to point out these “birth pains” and paint pictures of the impending end of time because I think it is too hard to say and it hurts our credibility (in my opinion).  I think being ready at all times and focusing more on living for Christ and helping others to be glad in God is bueno.  This is the main reason I have not yet settled my own position on the various end time views.
    v9-14.  A few things are said here.  The final thing is probably the most significant and that is an indication that the end will be hastened by the completion of the great commission.  This is in agreement with Romans 11:25 and then Rom 11:12-15 may be indicating the the end will be ushered in upon the conversion of Israel after the great commission is completed (though the sequence of final events here is very debatable).  Notable, however, is the fact that the great commission is about reaching all people groups and yet there could still be gentiles that have not “come in” per Romans 11:25 in an already reached group so I don’t think waiting for an announcement that “we have done it..we have reached all the nations” is a magic trigger…but certainly a critical benchmark.  He speaks also of tribulation and persecution and it cannot be too clear if this was some of what happened in the first few centuries of the church or also in our future (also happens in other countries even now).  There is an increasing lawlessness and a growing cold of the love of many so this very subjective sign is given.
    v15-28.  The abomination of desolation here is to find final fulfillment (some prophesies have what is called a typological fulfillment where it happens twice or more and each is a “type" of the previous) in the ends days with the Ant-Christ taking a position in the temple and demanding worship (2 Thess 2:4, Rev 13:14).  Then the great tribulation is spoken of and there is debate as to whether Christians will be present through any or some or all of this period.  Each position makes argument from scripture but since prophetic scripture is quite difficult there remains about 5 major opinions on these events (see page 2456 in the introduction to Revelation from the ESVSB for details).  One thing is pretty clear and that it that the coming of Christ will not be something anyone needs to point out to us…it will be as plain as thunder and lightning in the sky.
    v29-31.  The elect whom are dead already?  All believers?  Heavens referring to the whole of creation or just literal heaven?  I dunno…
    v32-35.  I dunno.  But I do know that the Word of God remains though the world ends!
    v36-51.  Here is a warning to be ready.  It should not take such a warning for a believer to live for the love of God and others but here is a warning to not delay in walking forward in faith and not delaying in getting real with our faith and with the work God has for us.  A wasted life or worse awaits us if we just burn time here and do not live to the glory of God.  Let us be faithful and wise servants and not wicked ones.  Something is said here that indicates the dual nature of Christ as the God-man because here he says that the Son does not know the day or hour of his own return.  This is a detail that the Father has reserved and has not given to Jesus in his mortal mind (human nature).  However, the orthodox teaching is that Jesus retains all the attributes of God in his divine nature simultaneously.  There are therefore two distinct natures in the one person of Jesus that are united in what is referred to as the hypostatic union and it is unbreakable.  Jesus became a human (and still remained God) at the incarnation and will remain so forevermore.  Here is a quick article in this term and the concept from Desiring God.

Response:
“Private”

Reaction:
“Private”

Soli Deo Gloria!

January 23

Genesis 24; Matthew 23

Genesis 24

Ready:
Yesterday’s read was entirely about Sarah’s death and how Abraham acquired land in Canaan from the Hittites as a burial plot.  Isaac is about 36 years old and there was no real interaction with God in the previous chapter.

Reading thoughts:
This chapter presents Abraham’s unnamed servant fetching a wife for Isaac from the area of Haran where God had initially called Abraham.  It seems that because of the account given by the servant regarding the answered prayer and the guidance by God there is no question on the part of Rebekah’s family as to the divine nature of the request.  Rebekah goes and become’s the wife of Isaac without delay and Isaac, who must have been mourning still over his mother’s death was now comforted by Rebekah.

Key Verses:

“2 And Abraham said to his servant, the oldest of his household, who had charge of all that he had, “Put your hand under my thigh, 3 that I may make you swear by the Lord, the God of heaven and God of the earth, that you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell, 4 but will go to my country and to my kindred, and take a wife for my son Isaac.”” (Genesis 24:2–4, ESV)

“8 But if the woman is not willing to follow you, then you will be free from this oath of mine; only you must not take my son back there.”” (Genesis 24:8, ESV)

“12 And he said, “O Lord, God of my master Abraham, please grant me success today and show steadfast love to my master Abraham.” (Genesis 24:12, ESV)

“27 and said, “Blessed be the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who has not forsaken his steadfast love and his faithfulness toward my master. As for me, the Lord has led me in the way to the house of my master’s kinsmen.”” (Genesis 24:27, ESV)

“50 Then Laban and Bethuel answered and said, “The thing has come from the Lord; we cannot speak to you bad or good. 51 Behold, Rebekah is before you; take her and go, and let her be the wife of your master’s son, as the Lord has spoken.”” (Genesis 24:50–51, ESV)

“61 Then Rebekah and her young women arose and rode on the camels and followed the man. Thus the servant took Rebekah and went his way.” (Genesis 24:61, ESV)

“67 Then Isaac brought her into the tent of Sarah his mother and took Rebekah, and she became his wife, and he loved her. So Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death.” (Genesis 24:67, ESV)

I see the theme as- Without specific direction from God, Abraham acts with faith to keep the command of God that he "command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing righteousness and justice, so that the Lord may bring to Abraham what he has promised him.” (Gen 18:19)  Furthermore God is faithful to aid Abraham in keeping this command.

Rumination thoughts:
    v1-2.  Abraham had been greatly blessed and he saw every promise of God before him and as he drew close to death he made use of his oldest and probably most faithful servant, since this man was in charge over all of his things.
    v3-9.  Here Abraham seems to know that the right thing in commanding his family to do righteousness and justice and knowing that the entire nation to come will be from wife of Isaac he does not think for a moment to take this wife from among the heathens in the land.  He has already expressed an opinion that he does not think there is a fear of the Lord in this land and he knows the importance of a God fearing wife to raise up this nation.  So he directs the servant to gain a wife from his old homeland from his family and the servant obliges.  They have discussion about the whole “well what if the one I find doesn’t think its so hot of an idea?” thing and this helps me see that Abraham was acting by faith and he did not have specific direction from God and he didn’t have a prescription for how this was exactly to go down but he knew in general that the Lord would guide them and he trusted this.  The message was clear to the servant.  1.  Do not take Isaac from this land.  2.  Do not take a wife for him from this land  3.  Take a wife from my family back in Haran.  The other details were for the servant to workout and Abraham trusted God to guide him.
    v10-28.  The servant shows a sincere reliance upon the Lord for success on this important mission and he appeals to God according to the promise to prosper Abraham and according to the faithfulness of God (steadfast love).  This kind of prayer is not about the servant or about his interest but it is appealing to the name and reputation of God himself and so the prayer is about the glory of God being shown.  Further he shows wisdom in looking for a wife who takes concern with his welfare and that of his camels.  He is searching for a virtuous woman (and Abraham didn’t need to tell him to do this)!  He finds success and he worships God in response.  This servant is an awesome guy and he fears the Lord…wise choice by Abraham.  I like verse 21 where he is staring quietly at Rebekah and asking considering if God had prospered his journey.  He did not wonder if he was successful or if he had done a good job but his question was in reliance upon God and he does not seem to consider himself much in this scenario.
    v29-49.  So he gets an audience before Rebekah’s family and he first lets them know that Abraham is wealthy so they do not fear that he comes looking to gain access to their wealth but that Abraham’s family is self sufficient and Isaac is a worthy husband (provider).  He then explains the divine intervention of God to get them to this point and the family is moved by this.  It would appear by their response that although Abraham had left the land where they were previously worshiping idols (Gen 12) they now seem to fear the Lord and they trust that this indeed is God’s will.
    v52-61.  The servant worships God at a few points in this story as he is clearly grateful for every step toward success.  He is very eager to return and he negotiates a swifter departure than the family initially wanted but Rebekah agrees and off they go.  He leaves some riches behind in gratitude and maybe as a dowry.
62-67.  The couple meets and Isaac is pleased with the wife that God has provided for him.  He is so pleased that he is consoled of his grief over his mother’s death and he takes Rebekah as his wife.  No doubt the servant worshiped God again at this point but his story now fades because the focus is Isaac and the faithfulness of God to keep covenant.

Meaning, Implications, and Significance
    1.  God provides and he answers prayer even when Abraham and his servant didn’t know exactly what was supposed to happen.  They acted based upon principles and upon what they did know and they left room for the details to be handled by God.  The implication is that today we have much guidance in the Bible to follow and we have many principles to apply and can do similar.  The significance for me is that I can also trust the principles of God’s Word and rest in his faithfulness even when I don’t know exactly how he may get me across the finish line.  So I can pray with faith in God’s ability to put mountains into the sea and I can leave room for my misunderstanding of a specific intermediate outcome (will the first girl agree to come) and I can trust God to work his omnipotent goodness toward me (Rom 8:28, Eph 1:19, Jer 32:41).
    2.  I see a principle, by example, that you would not seek to fulfill the will of God haphazardly with means that are less honorable than the goal.  Could Abraham have ever concluded that the way for him to respond to this promise of God to bring this great nation by Isaac is to take an idol worshiping heathen wife from for his son?  This was his previous manner of thinking, it would seem, when he would lie about his wife’s identity!  He appears in this case to be a better example.  The implication is that the promised end does not warrant disregard for the nature and character of intermediate actions.  To the contrary, the promised end should inspire the high nature of the intermediate actions (Eph 4:1, 1 Thess 2:12, 2 Thess 1:11).  I take the significance of this as it relates to my choices to rout sin from my life vs just letting sin remain and “trusting God” to sanctify me like he promises (1 Thess 5:23-24, Titus 2:11-14, Rom 6:6-7).  Do I daily walk in the direction of the Celestial City (reference to Pilgrim’s Progress- read that book!) or am I circling around in Sodom like Lot?  So I do not need an explicit command of God to know how to do the "right" thing.  What thing works toward the goal and is in accord with his Word?  Now I can pray for his blessing and charge ahead trusting him for the outcome and being patient if I need to look for a second girl (you get the point)!

Response:
“Private”

Reaction:
“Private”

Matthew 23

Ready:
I pick up here after Matthew had recorded Jesus routing the Jewish leaders and explaining the need to receive the bridegroom and to devote myself to loving God and loving others.

Reading thoughts:
Big chapter here where Jesus presents seven woes of the Pharisees and completely dismantles their errant religious system and announces that they are hell bound and that they are taking lots of people with them.  This is a very serious message and Jesus details the reasons that their kind of faith or religious practice is not what results in salvation.  Jesus concludes with a lament that this is the sad state of Jerusalem and references a Psalm about Israel turning to him for salvation after recognizing the faithfulness of the Lord.  All of the cross-references in this lament passage are very interesting (check it out).

Key Verses:

“2 “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat, 3 so do and observe whatever they tell you, but not the works they do. For they preach, but do not practice.” (Matthew 23:2–3, ESV)

“25 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. 26 You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean.” (Matthew 23:25–26, ESV)

“27 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones and all uncleanness. 28 So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.” (Matthew 23:27–28, ESV)

“38 See, your house is left to you desolate. 39 For I tell you, you will not see me again, until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’ ”” (Matthew 23:38–39, ESV)

I see the theme as- Jesus teaches the summary of the law of God (love God and love others) from the previous chapter through the negative example of the Jewish leaders who knew only the letter of the law as an external thing and not the spirit of the law as internal reality.

Rumination thoughts:
    v1-2.  Here Jesus begins a discourse leading up to declaring seven woeful errors of the hypocritical Jewish leadership of the time.  He begins by acknowledging that they actually have a good starting point of relying on the Law of God (the first five book of our current Bible, written by Moses, known as the Pentateuch or the Torah or simply "the Law").  So Jesus says go ahead and listen to the scripture they read you and indeed you should heed it!  But then the problem comes in.
    v3-12.  He then spends a number of verses describing the hypocrisy and correcting their error as follows: 1. They do not follow the Word that they preach and 2. They give out heavy burdens of required obedience and they do not carry it themselves and 3.  They do righteous acts for the recognition and 4. They seek the place of honor and luxury and 5.  They seek recognition and titles as authoritative teachers.  Jesus corrects these things by stating 1. Do not seek recognition as an authoritative teacher but know that you are merely a messenger because Christ alone is the teacher.  2.  The one who is great in faith and who God has gifted mightily will be as a servant and not be seeking honor and luxury.  3.  Those who seek such honor are due to be humbled and yet the one who purposefully humbles himself before God and man will be exalted…though probably in heaven and not here on earth (Prov 25:6-7)!
    v13. Woe number 1. I Take this to be Jesus telling them that they do not teach in a manner that rightly explains the law as a sign post.  They are not teaching people to be on the watch for the divine Messiah to come and to free them from their slavery to sin.  John the Baptist had to do this for them.  They are not teaching a trusting in the coming offspring as a salvation from their sins.  This is the critical element that was required for salvation of OT saints.  They needed to know their sinfulness and trust God that his coming offspring was their salvation from this wretched state.  This was not at all what they taught and sometimes I fear that it is also not what our churches teach.  Too often our focus is on "God’s amazing plan for your life" which sounds like “God is going to free us from these Romans and set us up in a mighty kingdom here and we will have freedom”.  Should our message be closer to “trust in Jesus to have paid for your sins on the cross and walk faithfully with him because he rose from the dead and you can trust that he will empower you to repent and to honor God with your life by seeking first the Kingdom of God and trusting him to meet your earthly needs”?  This is more like the "repent and believe for the kingdom of God is at hand" message that John the Baptist and Jesus gave.
    v15. Woe number 2.  I see this as a slight variation on the false teaching woe.  I think this expresses the fact that when they convert someone to being a Pharisaical law-keeper they give them a sense of arrival and a sense of salvation that is completely false.  Before they knew they were sick and needed God but now they think they are good to go and woefully they are not!  Lord Lord… (Matt 7).  Do we do this by getting people to pray a prayer or get baptized yet they do not have a saving faith based on a right understanding of the person and work of Christ (trusting in the promised offspring)?  Is my trust in my prayer?  Is the trust in my decision?  Do I welcome salvation but not repentance?  What does obedience of faith mean?  Do I see grace as license instead of as a trainer (Titus 2:11-14, Rom 6).  Do I waver then when I un-decide or when I don’t feel so saved?  After-all, why is it that we believe other religions that "believe in Jesus" do not lead to salvation?   Does this relate to how we teach “belief in Jesus" and how we should teach it?
    v16-22. Woe number 3.  I see this as their teaching to rely on what the human brings to the relationship with God.  The temple is the place where we meet with and relate to God and where we are made right with him be sacrifice according to his commands (obedience of faith).  They seem to have been teaching that the more holy thing was our part of the relationship and not God’s temple itself and the integral components of it.  When I take my actions and my obedience and elevate it to be the supreme definer of my relationship or standing with God them I am in error.  The idea is that God sanctifies us and makes us right with him…we don’t do that.  We receive that from him.
    v23-24. Woe number 4.  I take this to be saying that it is wrong to seek out portions of the law that we can easily comply with or that are convenient and consider that to be all hunky dory when we are totally disregarding the parts that are hard.  God is not impressed with my Bible reading or my church attendance if I am cruel to my wife or if I show no generosity and forgiveness to others and if I do not keep my word.
    v25-26. Woe number 5.  Here I see that cleaning up of outward actions and such does nothing to change the desires of my heart.  When I desire selfish gain and I hunger for the world then my external restrictions of not cussing or not lying or not gossiping or not stealing from the government or whatever are not true representation of the state of my heart.  God sees my heart.  Jesus instructs to clean the inside of the plate and this will result in the outside being clean as well.  For this topic of how to get clean dishes I suggest a look at a devotion I prepared some time ago and it can be found at this link: God is not Hiring Dishwashers.  Salvation does not come by the application of a formula or my conformance to a system of belief but by the internal action of the Spirit of God causing me to trust and adore Jesus.  By bringing me into an obedience of faith.  I believe that God has spoken and I act like... by his power.
    v27-28. Woe number 6.  This woe is very closely related to the last but maybe it is more focused on the presentation by the hypocrite.  The previous was maybe more on the actual condition and now on how the hypocrite strives to present a whitewashed and pure image.  The previous may have legitimately been how they thought (by false teaching of their predecessors) they were supposed to do it whereas this is now a disguising of what they know if wrong.  They feel inside and know that they are hypocrites and they know their own lawlessness.  This is repentance time, not keep on going and assume that its all cool time.
    v29-33. Woe number 7.  I take this as Jesus coming against their pride and arrogance to think that they would not have made the errors that their fathers did.  They now honor the prophets who were slaughtered by the unrighteous Israelites who like them, did not hope in the promised offspring to save them from their sins.  I think this is a way of explaining to that when we are guilty we are guilty and that trying to honor the history and the goodness of the religion that I follow does nothing to make me right with God.  Statements about Jesus and church and all that do nothing when my heart is far from God (Matt 15:8).  Jesus here indicates that they have yet some more killing to do…”fill up then the measure of your fathers”...prophetic.
    v34-36. Here Jesus pronounces a condemnation upon them for continuing to reject his messengers.  He seems to indicate future prophets and scribes and wise men.  I take this to be the apostles and others (including some Jewish leaders who convert) who will be persecuted and even killed in days of the early church after Jesus ascends to heaven.  Interestingly he refers to the very first martyr and then to one who was not the very last by chronological order (which would have been John the Baptist or by the existing OT Bible would have been uhh…someone else).  Instead Jesus names the martyr who was the last prophet killed according to the sequence of the Jewish Bible (canonical order).  Meaning in the last book of the Jewish Bible (2 Chronicles) Zechariah was the last prophet killed.  This is helpful in making a case that the Jews of that time indeed held a certain sequence of books and Jesus himself acknowledged it and this reference is said to be confirmation that Jesus considered the Old Testament to be closed to any additional revelation.
    v37-39.  Jesus laments the condition of Israel and he promises that they will yet turn to him.  After-all, God made a unilateral covenant to ensure this!  Take a read of the Psalm that he quotes in verse 39 (Psalm 118) and see if you can tell that he is giving a message that Israel will turn to him and relate this to to Romans 11 where we learn that their sin and failure here was necessary for the salvation of the rest of the world and would eventually come around and lead to the conversion of all of what remains of Israel after the last of the Gentiles “comes in”.

Meaning, Implications, and Significance
I think this is all embedded above well enough.

Response:
“Private”

Reaction:
“Private”

Soli Deo Gloria!

January 22

Genesis 23; Matthew 22

Genesis 23

Ready:
Moses writes now following his description of the near sacrifice of Isaac which was counter to logic and turned out to be a huge foreshadowing of the work God would do in substituting Christ as a sacrifice to redeem us and to give us new life.  He picks up after Abraham and Isaac, uninjured, return to camp and are informed of some births that Abraham had been unaware of.

Reading thoughts:
So Sarah was 90 when God promised to return in about a year and find her with Son so I take it that Isaac was about 36 years old here when Sarah died.  I notice that Abraham is highly respected by the Hittites in the land and this is one of the people groups who God says will turn over their land to Abraham’s offspring.  There is an extended dialogue between Abraham and this council of some sort that seems to be meeting.  It sounds like he went to this meeting of the people of the Hittites and sole before them.  He showed them respect and asked for the right to purchase a place to bury his wife outside of his camp that was now at Beersheba where he has a covenant with King Abimelech to dwell.

Key Verses:

“4 “I am a sojourner and foreigner among you; give me property among you for a burying place, that I may bury my dead out of my sight.” 5 The Hittites answered Abraham, 6 “Hear us, my lord; you are a prince of God among us. Bury your dead in the choicest of our tombs. None of us will withhold from you his tomb to hinder you from burying your dead.”” (Genesis 23:4–6, ESV)

I see the theme as- Abraham’s sadness at the passing of Sarah and the first establishment of Jewish land rights in Canaan.

Rumination thoughts:
    My only thoughts in this chapter really are that Abraham acts in faith to establish a land holding in Canaan at the passing of his wife the mother of Isaac through whom this entire land will come to belong.  I see that he has a good standing with the people there and that he offers them respect.  It turns out that Abraham himself and others after him will also be buried in this location.

Meaning, Implications, and Significance
    1.  Abraham trusts God for the future but knows that the time is not now to take the entire land of Canaan.  The implication is that there is an example of trusting God by investing effort and resources into what I believe to be his plan for me according to his purposes and how I understand the scripture.  I do not take anything in this example to be negative (since I know I need to understand narrative as descriptive and not necessarily prescriptive).  The significance for me is that I should invest in what I know to be God’s will and I should put forward my effort to do his work with patience and with trust that in his time he will bless me.  Certainly this can be harder for me because God did not come to me and tell me his plan…but none the less I know where I can invest in myself and in the world vs in God and his likely intentions for me in this life.

Response:
“Private”

Reaction:
“Private”

Matthew 22

Ready:
We saw Jesus enter Jerusalem and the beginning of Holy Week that culminates with his resurrection.  Jesus has cleansed the temple and established his Messianic authority and set the Pharisees back as being opposed to the kingdom of God.

Reading thoughts:
I see Matthew narrating how Jesus concludes his denunciation of the Pharisees and then faces a few challenges by them perhaps as a backlash to his affront.  In answer to their challenges, Jesus teaches on owing allegiance and devotion to the one whose image we bear.  Jesus then confronts a heretical teaching that there is no resurrection by appealing to the fact that God describes himself as the God of the patriarchs and the implied fact is that they (the patriarchs) are alive and not dead even centuries after their death.  The greatest commandment comes in as the central theme to unite this chapter and lead into the identity of Christ so that the Pharisees might know that to not love him is to fail at the greatest commandment.

Key Verses:

“2 “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son, 3 and sent his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding feast, but they would not come.” (Matthew 22:2–3, ESV)

“8 Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding feast is ready, but those invited were not worthy. 9 Go therefore to the main roads and invite to the wedding feast as many as you find.’” (Matthew 22:8–9, ESV)

“21 They said, “Caesar’s.” Then he said to them, “Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”” (Matthew 22:21, ESV)

“30 For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. 31 And as for the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was said to you by God: 32 ‘I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not God of the dead, but of the living.”” (Matthew 22:30–32, ESV)

“36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” 37 And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew 22:36–39, ESV)

“45 If then David calls him Lord, how is he his son?” 46 And no one was able to answer him a word, nor from that day did anyone dare to ask him any more questions.” (Matthew 22:45–46, ESV)

I see the theme as- Recognize your bridegroom and love him above all, coming prepared to the wedding celebration dressed in his own righteousness having loved God and loved others well and having paid appropriate devotion in this life to each (God and others) according to the authority established by God.

Rumination thoughts:
    v1-10.  Jesus again gives an example of the kingdom to teach us the revelation of God.  He uses a theoretical wedding that is not necessarily tie to the wedding supper of the lamb mentioned in Revelation 19:6-10 although correlations can be found.  There is certainly a general sense of the marriage between the Lord and his people.  Although Jesus has been denouncing the Pharisees and any who are not recognizing his coming as the Messiah the fact is that Israel is the bride of Christ in the New Jerusalem (heaven) and the nations are welcomed in to join her company through the gates that are open only to those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life and are therefore clean and true, purchased by the blood of the Lamb as an inheritance of sheep that were not of the sheepfold of Abraham by the flesh (Rev 21:9-27, John 10:14-16, Psalm 74:2, 1 Cor 6:19-20).  This parable is acknowledged by many to be difficult and is taken in a few ways.  Most simply it is clear that there is a marriage and there is an original group that ignores the invitation followed by another group who mostly accepts the invitation but some do not come prepared as thought they misunderstand what it is they are invited to.  There is a judgement upon those who ignore the invitation and it is clear that although both good and bad are invited (compared horizontally against one another) once they come in they are dressed appropriately (righteousness of Christ).  It seems that perhaps the guest who is rejected may represent the group that Jesus rejects saying that he never knew them (Matt 7:21-23).  It could be that these presume that they are belonging there but yet do not come prepared in any sense and bear only their own works and their own righteousness.  This can be compared to the pilgrim who comes to the gate of the Celestial City in Pilgrim’s Progress having not entered by the gate and having not received a letter of admittance.  This one is likewise bound and carried off to hell rather than being granted admittance.  I would not take this wedding to be heaven itself and it is probably too much to try to place this theoretical wedding party into some exact representation of an actual place or time in the future.
    v11-14.  Now that the room is prepared and the guests are present and all should be right and ready the king enters for what seems to be an inspection.  His attention is quickly upon a man who has not come in prepared for the event and is unclean.  Without having any answer for himself and having no perception of how one becomes worthy of presence at this wedding (by the free gift of grace trusting in the person and work of Christ as my justification with God and acting in the obedience of faith by devoting my life to him, enjoying the process of sanctification by his Spirit whereby I am molded into the likeness of Christ day by day until the future bodily redemption when I am presented to Christ complete and glorified).  This reminds me of Romans 10:1-4 where Paul says that the Jews are zealous for God but not according to knowledge and that they yet need salvation that is found only in Christ because he is the very righteousness of God to be had by all who trust in him and not in their own efforts.  SPOILER ALERT- Included here is the concept of election that we will not all agree on but I suggest it is pervasive in the Bible (However, I don’t look down upon other views that are Biblically grounded).  For this reason, or others, some will take verses 11-14 to be a completely separate parable.  None the less, here is presented a distinction between what some call (and others reject) the "general call” (gospel message given to the ends of the earth) and the "effective call” (internal call of Christ upon a soul that unstoppably turns the heart to see the beauty of Christ) by the terms “called” versus “chosen” in verse 14.  It seems that the guest in verses 11-13 was not chosen to be there (effective call) despite his decision to come along in response to the general call (zeal for God without knowledge…a knowledge that comes only by the Spirit of God shining into my heart).  Don’t take this passage or me as saying that God turns away any that truly call upon him... for this guest clearly did not know the truth.  A "call upon God" without a trust founded upon the person of Christ (true identity as the Son of God come in human flesh) and work (subsitutionary atonement- died in my place to make mercy and reconciliation a just action for God- and then rose bodily from the dead to give me new life and to be my sole mediator and advocate in heaven) apart from any of my own merit (works) is not saving faith.  This is also not to say that a perfect knowledge of how salvation works (or big vocabulary) is required but clearly the hope needs to be rightly placed or as Paul indicates, it does not save.
    v15-22.  Here the Pharisees and Herodians seek to trap Jesus and they talk him up as being a great truth speaking teacher who is not swayed by opinions of men and so they will now try to force him to give an answer that will upset the crowd (opinions of men) by telling them that they must pay the outrageous taxes of the emperor or alternatively the Pharisees could show Jesus to be leading an insurrection against the emperor.  Seem pretty witty and indeed is likely the best they can do.  But the truth is that all governing authorities are instituted by God (Rom 13) and we are to subject ourselves to them and yet it is God to whom we owe our ultimate devotion as we are his creatures.  Jesus masterfully answers with the truth (go figure).  He uses a coin to teach them that there is some authority here given to the emperor to which we are called to submit but that there is a greater authority from heaven to which we owe not only a tax, but our entire being.  We are made in the likeness of God and as the coin is thus the property of the emperor so our soul is the property of God.  Give God your supreme devotion and love and give Caesar his coin, Jesus says.  Completely stumped and in disbelief that they were just so thoroughly routed, they leave defeated yet again.
    v23-33.  Now a second class of Jews come and give a go at trapping Jesus.  These now try to show that the concept of a resurrection from the dead is absurd because of the moral dilemma created by the very law of God that says a man is to marry the widow of his brother.  Jesus dismantles the argument first by explaining a yet unknown reality that in heaven there will be no marriage as we know it but we will be like the angels who do not marry.  The idea here matches with the concept that human marriage exists as a shadow of our marriage to Christ and it serves a purpose therein that is lost when we are joined to Christ as the bride in heaven.  The real substance supersedes the usefulness of the shadow and makes it void (Eph 5:31-32, Hos 2:19-20).
    v34-40.  The law of God is here summed up after the pattern of the two tables (responsibility toward God / responsibility toward man).  The collective group of Jews wanted to get Jesus to speak against the law since they perceived he was coming with salvation by a different way than following the law.  But his answer gets to the spirit of the law as opposed to the letter of the law as they knew it.  This is a huge teaching and relates to the law being spiritual (Rom 7:14) and true circumcision being of the heart, by the Spirit of God (Rom 2:28-29) and how God is looking upon our heart and not merely our actions.  Since the person and work of Jesus are a complete fulfillment of the law and the prophets (Rom 8:4, 10:4) he does not have any message against the law.  He merely came to do what the law was powerless to do (Rom 8:3-4).
    v41-46.  Matthew concludes with the account of Jesus then turning the tables and asking them a question.  Truth itself looks them in the face and gives them a shattering reality check.  Jesus refers to a passage of the Old Testament that would be very familiar to the Jews as speaking about the Messiah in Psalm 110.  It is rather plain here and in Isaiah that the Messiah is himself divine and not just a human to come and “save” Israel.  But the big thing is how Jesus makes it clear to them that King David call the Messiah Lord.  The Hebrew word used is a term divine in nature and so this human Messiah they were expecting is here shown to be greater than David and before David and divine.  They also know Jesus has been claiming to be this Messiah.  Having known this Psalm and never likely drawn that correct conclusion they had no answer and concluded that there was simply no way to out think Jesus.  I take this as a wrap on the chapter (though he keeps teaching by addressing the crowd next in chapter 23) and buttoning up to whom the devotion is owed and who is the bridegroom and to whom is the real marriage and by whom is the resurrection power of God to rest upon.

Meaning, Implications, and Significance
Quickly- I owe the complete devotion of my life to Christ (the Son of God who died in my place), to whom I am truly betrothed, and I am to trust in him alone to give me new life now (Rom 8:11, 6:4) and in a resurrection of my body (Rom 8:23).

Response:
“Private”

Reaction:
“Private”

Soli Deo Gloria!