The Parable of the Lord’s Supper

About two years ago I facilitated a class that went through each of the parables of Jesus in an effort to refresh our minds and look for more layers of meaning. It was a pretty good class. The participants were able to help me see things I had never recognized before in the text – and they shared how they could apply the parables to their lives.

I’m pretty sure most of you know, but before we go on, it would be a good idea to make sure you know what a parable is. Simply put, a parable is type of analogy where you can get a deeper meaning about something by comparing it to something else: like we are the sheep and Jesus is our shepherd. … or we are a light that shines and we should not cover up the influence we have in the world … or Jesus is like the son of a vineyard owner whose servants have been mistreated by the vineyard workers who plan on killing the vineyard owner’s son so they can keep it for themselves. The parables of Jesus are brilliant uses of symbolism that tell a story with a hidden meaning.

Maybe it never occurred to you,  but the Lord’s Supper is also a parable!

Much like the parable class I taught, we need to train ourselves to not stop at the first layer of the onion we are peeling. On the surface, the symbolism of the parable has four very simple parts.

Layer 1

A. One body consumes a meal = Followers of Jesus are unified as one person remembering the death of Jesus.
B. Jesus was killed for a reason = Jesus was a sacrifice for our sins much like the sacrifices of the Old Testament.
C. Unleavened bread is eaten = The body of Jesus was never corrupted with sin.
D. The fruit of the vine is drunk = The blood of Jesus was shed for us.

Layer 2

But, let’s not stop at that first layer. In the 26th chapter of Matthew, Jesus “took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.”

Have you ever thought about those verses? Why would Jesus want us to figuratively eat His body and drink his blood? On the surface it sounds kind of creepy. But on a symbolic level, it is beautiful. The Old Testament is full of verses telling people to write the words of law onto the tablets of their hearts.  But in the New Testament, we internalize the Word Himself, not just what was said or written.

Layer 3

Finally, let’s go a little deeper. In John chapter 6 Jesus says, “Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever feeds on me, he also will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like the bread the fathers ate, and died. Whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.”

Because Jesus is immortal God, we will live forever because Jesus lives in us.

The next time you take communion, maybe you could say a prayer similar to this: Holy God, you had a plan for our salvation before the world was created. Thank you Father. You made us yours through the sacrifice of your only begotten son – Jesus. We are grateful even more than words can say. Please bless this bread and cup that represent the sinless body and redeeming blood of your Son. It is because of that sacrifice that He lives in us. And because He lives in us, we will live with You – Father – forever. It’s in Jesus’ name we pray – amen.

The Community in Communion

What do you think about when you take the Lord’s Supper? I don’t know about you, but my mind can focus on a myriad of things based on how I feel that day. They are all part of what we would call “Lord’s Supper” related, but I really enjoy hearing what other people think about as well. I want to soak up every bit of Jesus that I can – and His death, burial and resurrection are central.

So, before I get started on the point of this blog post, I would like to share with you some of the things I think about.

Most often, I think about Jesus and his impact on me. Specifically, I tend to think about his death and what that means for me: He died as a sacrifice for my sins and he willingly submitted to being tortured to death so I could live with him forever. I also think of what it would have been like if I had been dead and buried for three days, or I think about how I would have reacted to seeing the empty tomb on that Sunday morning, or how I wish I could have witnessed him rising to Heaven on the clouds. I wonder what it must have been like to see Jesus performing a miracle or speaking a parable or confusing people by loving the outcasts of society.

But, all of those things have something in common. These tend to be scenes we think about when we focus on Jesus as our “personal” savior.

As an American I find it difficult to see myself as anything more than a “person” or an individual. I am the product of my own self-determination. That’s just part of our culture. But as a follower of Jesus, I also need to see myself as a part of the flock – not just a single sheep. And communion is supposed to remind us of that: the Lord’s Supper is not just vertical in nature – it is also horizontal. Jesus is more than our “personal” savior. Jesus is also our “community” savior.

There are a few phrases the Bible uses when referring to who Jesus died for: his flock (John 10:11-18), the children of God (John 11:49-53), his friends(1 John 3:16), the church of God (Acts 20:28), his bride (Eph 5:25-27) and his body (Col 1:18-22). I think it is interesting to note the corporate nature of those phrases.

And so, it makes sense in 1 Cor 10:17 when the Apostle Paul says, “Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all share the one loaf.” Paul even says in Ephesians 2:13-16 that Jesus died in order to unify Jews and Gentiles as “one new man in place of the two.”

So, while we partake of the Lord’s Supper, remember that it isn’t just you, or your church family, or people in your city, state or the country where you live who are partaking. We, as followers of Jesus, are taking the Lord’s Supper – as a community – with people all over the world.

Somewhere there is a small group of men and women huddled together in a tiny room who are risking their lives by taking the Lord’s Supper. Somewhere there is a gathering of people who are taking the Lord’s Supper in a hut with a dirt floor. Somewhere there is a church who meets outside in the elements while they eat the body and drink the blood of Jesus. Somewhere a person just devoted their life to Christ, and the first thing they want to do is take the Lord’s Supper. And somewhere, someone realizes they don’t have much time left in this world, and the last thing they want to do before they die – is take the Lord’s Supper.

My friends, they are desperately wanting communion not only with Jesus – but with us as well. Don’t deny them that honor as we approach our Father as a family, and consume these elements while remembering Jesus together.

Holy Father, the sacrifice of Jesus has made us your children. We are brothers and sisters who love one another with a bond only siblings can have. Although we may not be in the same room as a family together, we ask you to unite us as we take the Lord’s Supper. Bring to our mind the common joy we have because of your grace. Help us to remember the body and blood of Jesus as He gave Himself for our sins. It’s in His name we pray – amen.

The Courage of Jesus on the Cross

Going on a journey that we know is going to be tough takes courage. Jesus warns us about that in Luke 9:23 when He says: “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me.” I don’t think I’m alone when I admit that I often struggle with denying myself and taking up my cross every single day. And, that makes me pause to consider: what would I do if I lived in a place where following Jesus was met with out-right persecution, prison or death. It would take a lot of courage.

Jesus had courage. The figurative crosses we bear each day are nothing compared to the literal cross that Jesus died on for us. But, the part of His sacrifice that touches me the most is that He knew what was going to happen – and He went anyway. He knew that he would be beaten. He knew that he would be scourged with a whip. He knew that his hands and feet would be nailed to a cross. He knew that a crown of thorns would be shoved down on His head. He knew that He was going to die! Jesus had courage. He knew where He had to go. He knew the suffering He would endure. And He went anyway. Jesus. Had. Courage.

We should keep that in mind when we approach the Communion Table – if that is what your church calls it. We should remember that it has been prepared for all who recognize Jesus as their Savior. And – quite simply – all of us have been called to live a life of courage – just like Jesus did.

Philippians 1:14-21 “… because of my chains, most of the brothers and sisters have become confident in the Lord and dare all the more to proclaim the gospel without fear … And because of this I rejoice. Yes, and I will continue to rejoice … I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.”

Maybe you can use the following prayer to help prepare your mind for the Lord’s Supper —

Holy God in Heaven, we thank you for the sacrifice of Your son on the cross. We thank you for His courage to be tortured to death for us. Please help us, Father, to bring to our minds the magnitude of suffering that Jesus endured because of our sins. We ask you to help us to remember that – not only did Jesus know He was going to die for us – He knew we would one day commemorate his death by eating this bread and drinking this cup. He knew everything that was going to happen – and He went on His journey anyway. Likewise, we know that if we live for You – Lord – we can expect persecution and rejection as well. Lord, grant to us the courage of Jesus. We ask you, Father, to bless this bread and cup which represent the body and the blood of Your Son – Jesus – our Lord and Savior. We pray these things in His name – Amen.

Jesus Introduces the Lord’s Supper Concept

In just a moment you are going to read some scripture (from John 6:48-58 and Matthew 26:26-28), and I would like your undivided attention. Not only because these are from the Bible, but because THESE words – well  – these were spoken by Jesus Himself. And when our Lord and Savior says something, our minds should be focused.

“I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, yet they died. But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which anyone may eat and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world. Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.

Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day. For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them. Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your ancestors ate manna and died, but whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.”

While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.” Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.

As I go through my day-to-day life, I draw a great deal of comfort from these words – and the knowledge that Jesus died for me. And, honestly, that is huge reason for celebration. However, a few years ago my church completed a sermon series entitled “Pray for One” that really did a good job of expressing the importance in unashamedly proclaiming to people we encounter that they should celebrate the fact Jesus died for them too. And so … we take the Lord’s Supper, and celebrate that Jesus died – for us – every follower of Jesus.

I do hope and pray that you – dear reader – worship with a church that truly celebrates Jesus through the Lord’s Supper on a regular basis – and not as some methodical thing to do as part of a checklist of requirements.

Holy God, thank you for the sacrifice of your son. I ask you, Father, that whenever we come together to participate in taking the Lord’s Supper, that You will bless us as we eat and drink the elements that represent the body and blood of Jesus. In His name we pray – amen.

Calling God: Father

My father died a little over three years ago. His obituary (http://nidayfunerals.com/obits/?p=8726) speaks of a life in service to God, his family and strangers. I admire my dad. When I spoke at his funeral, my topic was how everyone seemed to call him a “good man” and how his perception of the term “man” changed throughout his life – culminating with the thought that those who love Jesus and live their lives for Him are what makes someone a “real man” to his family – or at least to me. So, just in case he has an internet connection in Heaven and he’s reading this blog post: Dad, I love you … I can hardly wait to see you again someday.

The topic of this post is the word: father. Specifically, I would like to explore how that word is used in the Bible. Contrast it a little bit with its most common use in the two testaments. And then, I’ll draw a conclusion and suggest a few applications.

Let me begin by saying that I don’t think I was a very good parent to my children. So, I feel awkward writing this post because I don’t want it to come across as if I am giving sage advice from someone “who knows” to those who “don’t know” how to raise their kids. That is NOT the point of this entry. Before moving on, I will say that my sons have been gracious enough to overlook my shortcomings. They’ve all told me individually that they think I did the best I could – to which my response is, “No. I really didn’t do the best I could – that’s why I feel I wasn’t a good parent.” Know what? Every one of them said the same thing to me, “That’s okay.” Ugh – their grace brings tears to my eyes. Thank you, my sons, thank you.

My oldest son, Chris, uses the word “Dad” when he talks to me. My middle son, Aaron, refers to me as “Pop” most of the time. David, my youngest son, uses both terms. When we talk, they don’t say things like, “Hi Bob, my father, I just called to see what you were doing today.” Of course not. The words my sons use towards me are not just descriptive phrases or adjectives. The names they use for me when they speak directly to me are more personal than that.

Since my father passed away, whenever my sons call me “dad” or “pop” I am reminded of the intimacy of our relationship. I am recognized as more than a biological parent. I am recognized as more than an authoritative figure. Their choice of words reveals a connection that, even though we live in different cities, identifies us as being tied together with family bonds and an everlasting love and devotion.

The word “father” is used a lot in the Bible – like – more than a thousand times. The overwhelming majority of those times it is used to simply describe someone’s relationship to another: “Person X was the father of Person Y” or “Person Z told his father about something.” Typically, it is not used as a term of endearment – it is just a way to identify how two entities view each other.

God is referred to as a father several times in the Old Testament.

1. Isaiah 63:16 and Deuteronomy 32:6 declare that God is the father of the Israelites. Yet, this is used in the same way a guy named Richard Baulch is “the father” of my branch of the Baulch name in the United States. Richard arrived on a ship in 1850 in New York. He is, in a way, my father. Yet, if I were able to go back in time, or if he was living today, I would not address him as “father” (or dad or pop) when speaking to him. He might be a type of father, but he isn’t MY father. In other words, most of these verses portray God as a surrogate father and protector … but not necessarily an intimate family member.

2. On rare occasions, less than 20 times, God is identified specifically as an individual’s father or an individual is identified as God’s child – 2 Samuel 7:14, 1 Chronicles 17:13, Hosea 11:1-4, Malachi 3:17. However, looking closely at most of those scriptures, it becomes apparent they are generally referring to either the King of physical Israel (David, Solomon, etc.) or the coming Messiah (the King of spiritual Israel).

3. In Exodus 4:22-23, God, speaking to the pharaoh of Egypt, calls the nation of Israel His firstborn son. This language is used in connection with the infamous threat to kill pharaoh’s firstborn son in retaliation. But, I think it is significant enough to mention here.

Things take a major shift in the New Testament. Of course, it is Jesus who is doing the shifting for us. The number of times Jesus calls God “father” is astounding (more that 150 times). Think back to how many times that was done in the Old Testament. But, let’s not stop there. Jesus actually calls God “MY Father” in several scriptures. Did you get that difference? Jesus uses language that shifts the role of God away from being merely an authoritative father-figure. Jesus not only refers to God as a symbolic father or creator, Jesus specifically calls the God of Heaven … HIS FATHER! Wow! Jesus calls the God of Heaven His personal father. That is huge my friends. That is huge.

But then, Jesus kicks it up to a level that many of us still feel uncomfortable with today. Instead of simply referring to the creator of everything in existence as a real father and leaving it at that, Jesus shows us just how close He is with His father. Jesus uses a term that a son or daughter would only use if they had an ongoing, intimate and warm relationship with their father. In Mark 14:36 Jesus calls God this word: “Abba.” It is not too different from dad or pop. It is a word that is reserved only for those who are truly children of their father. Can you imagine talking to the creator of the universe and calling him your dad? That is ground-breaking.

Well, what does that mean for us? In John 20: 17, Jesus told us what it means as he spoke to Mary Magdalene while she visited His tomb, “… go to My brethren and say to them, ‘I ascend to My Father and your Father, and My God and your God.’” Whoa. The creator of everything is no longer a father-figure for me and for you. God is my Father. God is your Father. We have, as Paul puts it, been grafted-in to the tree of Israel (Romans 11:16-24). Remember them? Israel was God’s firstborn son.

Let’s not stop there. The Holy Spirit (speaking through Paul) is even more direct than that. In Romans 8:12-17 we are told that followers of Jesus who live by the Spirit instead of the flesh are actually sons of God (I think we are safe in saying daughters of God as well). Verse 14 is my favorite though: “… you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, ‘Abba! Father!’”

Praise God my friends! We can have an intimate relationship with the Lord of creation! Yet the even better news is this: not only CAN we see God as our Father … God desires that relationship with each one of us.

OUR God

One of the favorite hymns I used to sing while growing up was written by Aaron W. Dicus. My favorite verse and chorus go like this:

Our God, whose Son upon a tree,
A life was willing there to give,
That He from sin might set man free,
And evermore with Him could live.

There is a God, He is alive,
In Him we live and we survive;
From dust our God created man,
He is our God, the great I Am.

I’ve thought about why I love these words so much. I think, at the core, is because the word “OUR” is used. He is OUR God. OUR God made a sacrifice for us. OUR God wants us to live with Him. OUR God is alive. OUR God is who we live in. OUR God created us. OUR God is the I AM who communicates with us, saved us, and is our father.

That means a lot to me. OUR God is different than other gods. OUR God is real. OUR God isn’t a carved-up piece of wood, or cast metal, or inanimate object. OUR God literally came to earth and lived as a human – a human written about in non-religious historical documents. OUR God knows everything about us, and still loves us. OUR God wants to live inside of us and wants us to live in Him. OUR God is generous. OUR God is kind. OUR God desires a relationship with us. OUR God is so close to us – He works inside us to make us look more like Him … every single day.

But, I don’t want to confuse people either. OUR God is not OUR property. We don’t own OUR God. We don’t somehow possess OUR God in the sense that we control Him. The word OUR is used to annotate an association with Him. Similar to saying OUR galaxy – we are simply identifying ourselves as being unique because of this connection. It is a way to distinguish ourselves from others who have a different god.

If you are part of the OUR that this song speaks of, I am so happy you came across this blog entry. My prayer is that OUR God will bless you, protect you, comfort you, heal you, guide you, and transform you.

For the rest of the words and a good rendition of the song, please follow this link: https://oc.edu/spiritual-life/chapel/great-songs/our-god-he-is-alive

A Big Waste Of Time

I taught in a public school classroom for more than a dozen years. Not only that, I taught grades 6, 7, and 8 for those years. So, I’ve seen the kids who were not making the best decisions of their lives. In fact, many of their decisions resulted in them wasting a lot of their valuable time. Fortunately, many of them grew out of that phase in their lives.

This post is different than most of my entries. It isn’t really about Jesus – although it does focus on something He said. It isn’t really even about Godly living, or evangelism, church, the missions field, sin, Heaven/Hell, or even salvation. In fact, this blog entry can be summed up in five words: “A Big Waste Of Time.”

I grew up wasting a lot of time. I’m still pretty good at it – just ask my wife. When I was little I loved to watch TV. As a teenager I loved reading fiction. I married young and found myself in the work and relax and work some more and relax some more spiral. From my 20’s to my 30’s I played computer games. And even now I struggle with binge watching Netflix, Hulu and Amazon. Literally, decades of my life have gone by with nothing to show for it.

You may be thinking – wow! Bob is pretty lazy!

Hold on there – you might have a point – but that’s not the point I’m trying to make – nor is it very kind to be so blunt.

My point is that we (both of us – you AND me) are supposed to be productive. We are supposed to concentrate on doing things that matter – not on things that just occupy our time. If we refuse to do that – we are sinning.

I know! You’re probably thinking: “Show me book – chapter – and verse ‘preacher man’ – I don’t believe it!”

Well, first – I’m not a preacher. I know preachers – I know elders – I know deacons – I know pastors – I know teachers – I know missionaries. They are all part of a special – wonderful – awesome – and unique group of people who are way more important than me. All I do is make a couple of points and press Enter. They are on the front lines – I am in awe of them.

Second – okay – I will.

In Mark 7:1-23 is the account of Jesus’ critics pointing out that His disciples were not ceremoniously cleansing things (their hands, cups, pitchers, dishes, etc). Jesus then pointed out that the things that come OUT of a person (from their heart) are what makes a person unclean – NOT what they put IN their belly. In doing so, Jesus brought to their attention that the Jewish leaders are actually violating the LAW by implementing their own homemade rules.

One of the things Jesus points out as being a sin that comes from a person’s heart is this: folly.

Folly? Yes – folly.

FYI: *Many versions use the word “foolishness” instead of folly – if that helps you get the idea.*

What exactly is folly? In Mark 7:22, folly or foolishness is the word “aphrosune” in the Greek and it means: senselessness. That gets us started. A more thorough explanation comes by looking at the root word – which is “aphron” in the Greek. Now we’re getting somewhere.

The adjective “aphron” is a good word to study because adjectives are (by their nature) description words. They define or clarify things – and that makes this short little word study memorable for me.

Basically,  “aphron” means someone is doing something without a  reason for doing it. It’s the description of a mind that is engaging in an activity that serves no real purpose. It is a brain that lacks sobriety and prudence. It involves a failure to appropriately prioritize what is really important in one’s life. It is indulging in habits or mental exercises that are reckless, inconsiderate or useless. It is turning a blind eye to the reality that spiritual things have precedence over physical things. (Blue Letter Bible https://bit.ly/2lsX9AJ).

So … what is folly in a short phrase? Simple. It’s anything that is a waste of time.

Think about that for a minute.  If growing spiritually is taking a backseat to numbing mentally – that’s folly. If doing for others is lower on our priority list than doing nothing – that’s folly. If more time is spent interacting with video games than interacting with people – that’s folly. If talking about people takes precedence over helping people – that’s folly. If you engage the TV more than you engage those you love – that’s folly. If you have trouble paying your bills because it is more important for you to go shopping – that’s folly. If you spend more time reading and typing on your phone than actually using it to talk to others – that’s folly. If what we are engaging in has no real results other than making us happy – it’s probably folly because we should be focused on doing things that actually matter.

Please allow me the opportunity to remove my foot from the toes I’m sure I just stepped on … so I can step on some other ones now. Folly is not only foolish decisions regarding priorities. It is also senseless religious acts as well. If the extent of our efforts to follow Jesus are simply going to church, praying, reading the Bible, and trying to not sin – believe it or not – that’s folly.

Would we have ever heard of Jesus if the only thing He did was go to tabernacle, pray, read the law and prophets, and not sin? The answer is – NO! We would not have heard of Him.

Why do we know about Jesus? Because He DID things. He helped. He preached. He served. He scolded. He taught. He was an example. He gave. He testified. He revealed. He humbled Himself. He embraced. He healed. He encouraged. He included the unwanted. He called others. He visited the sick. He ate with the destitute. He spoke with prostitutes. He fed strangers. He reconciled. He loved the unlovable. He forgave. He volunteered. He extended grace. And He did all of THOSE things BEFORE He was a sacrifice for our sins.

How can we truly call ourselves followers of Jesus if we don’t do the things He did? The answer is easy: If we refuse to do what Jesus did – we aren’t His followers.

And if we claim we are His followers while not doing what He did – THAT is folly.

Memorial Day for Christian Soldiers

I decided not to post this on Memorial Day out of respect for those in the United States military who fought and died for the cause of freedom.

However, while Memorial Day is on everyone’s mind, I would like to take this opportunity to share a story about some other soldiers who fought and died for another cause of freedom.

Followers of Jesus belong to a kingdom. It is the same kingdom referred to in the gospels – and Jesus is its king. This kingdom is at war. It is a war that has only one goal: extend the eternal freedom that is only found in Jesus to the ends of the earth. Every single time a person gives their life to Christ, the kingdom gets a little bigger. Each Christian, whether they realize it or not, is a soldier for Jesus in this kingdom.

A little over two and half years ago an enemy of Jesus’ kingdom entered a room and asked a simple question of everyone there: “Are you a Christian?”

Those who confessed their allegiance to Jesus – were shot in the back of head.

Those who did not – were shot in the leg or elsewhere.

In the end, nine Christian soldiers lost their earthly lives. They breathed their last as a martyr, and awoke in the presence of God.

Jesus said that those who confess Him before men, will be confessed by Jesus himself to the Father in Heaven.

Jesus turns everything upside – down. The lowliest on earth will be the greatest in the kingdom. The poor will be rich. The weak will be strong. Persecution of the kingdom makes it grow. Living for today means dying forever. And, thank God, dying for Jesus means eternal life.

It’s Not our Job to Sort Out Who Is “IN” and Who Isn’t

The Bible is like an onion: the more you eat – the more layers you find.

“Jesus told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared. “The owner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?’ “ ‘An enemy did this,’ he replied. “The servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’ “ ‘No,’ he answered, ‘because while you are pulling the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.’ ”

Then he left the crowd and went into the house. His disciples came to him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.” He answered, “The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the people of the kingdom. The weeds are the people of the evil one, and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels. “As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. They will throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears, let them hear.

“Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish. When it was full, the fishermen pulled it up on the shore. Then they sat down and collected the good fish in baskets, but threw the bad away. This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous and throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭13:24-30, 36-43, 47-50‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Matthew 13 contains the parable of the weeds and the parable of the net. Understanding more about the kingdom of Heaven has given these a much deeper meaning for me.

So, what is this “Kingdom of Heaven” spoken of in the gospels? Well, contrary to popular belief, it isn’t Heaven. Jesus came from Heaven. He ascended back to Heaven on the clouds. He reigns over a kingdom right now. The kingdom Jesus reigns over is the kingdom of Heaven.

It includes: 1) those who have been called out of the world (aka the kingdom of Satan) and into service to God (aka the church) – both the living and dead; 2) those who were righteous under the Law and prophets (aka the faithful of Israel); 3) those who were faithful before Judaism.

Today, people who name Jesus as their king are part of the kingdom. Whether they are true citizens or not – we don’t know. But they are, according to these parables, at least living within the borders of the kingdom.

Now, whether they are true citizens or not isn’t for us to determine. Jesus said it isn’t the workers’ job to try to separate weeds from the wheat. That will be taken care of at the end of the age.

While there are several words for “end” in Greek – the one from these passages means the final end – the concluding end – the end of everything. That’s when it hit me – true citizenship in the kingdom of Heaven will be determined when Jesus returns – and it won’t be by us.

Our efforts to “pull weeds” in the kingdom by trying to determine who is and isn’t “in the kingdom” does exactly what Jesus said it would do – it uproots many of the wheat in the process. It is akin to us trying to do the job of angels at the end of time. Is that the unity Jesus prayed for? I think not.

No. We need to be about the business of spreading the gospel. There is a famous line that goes: “Kill ‘em all – let God sort ‘em out.” For followers of Jesus it’s a little different. As we seek more and more people to be added to the church (and thus the kingdom as well), our motto should be, “Bring ‘em all, let God sort ‘em out.”

Application: Stop guessing whether someone in your church is really following Jesus. 1) It’s not your job. 2) It helps Satan in four ways: you lose focus on your real mission, you disrupt the fellowship, you may falsely uproot a citizen of the kingdom because of your own faulty theology, and you may accidentally uproot someone you didn’t mean to. Whew, that’s a load off my mind and a big chunk off my plate. Now – where’s that onion?

p.s. – Please don’t take this post and apply to the necessary action of disciplining those who intentionally and knowingly walk disorderly and refuse to even attempt to change. That said, remember: there is a difference between “disorderly” and “disagreeing” on the meaning of scripture.

The Motivation of Judas

Judas Iscariot was used by God to accomplish the task of Jesus becoming the sacrifice for humanity. No need to play the “what if” game – he did what he did. But, have you ever wondered why?

Was it only greed? Maybe. But, I think there might be something deeper. We are talking only five weeks worth of pay. He was the treasurer for Jesus, 12 Apostles and more than 100 other disciples who were constantly following Jesus, he surely would have been able to take the entire treasury and get more than that.

I don’t fail to recognize the significance of 30 pieces of silver being the price to be paid if someone’s slave dies. But, it seems when he went to inquire how much he would be given that he already had in mind to turn Jesus over. The Jewish hierarchy already wanted Jesus dead – badly! I think Judas could have negotiated way more money. So, I doubt that was it.

But … why? Why would someone who had personally gone on a mission trip, healed people, thrown out demons, spread the gospel, and witnessed Jesus walk on water, raise the dead and tell the weather to calm down want to turn over Jesus to officials? What did Jesus do or not do that made Judas pursue the end of Jesus’ peaceful ministry? I think that greed is absolutely part of it, but I am skeptical that it is the only motivation – especially when the consequences would be so public.

It would be like a bank manager, with access to large sums of money, decides to sell the bank owner’s office furniture. And, he actually unlocks the door to the office – while the bank owner is in there – to let in the people buying the furniture. I mean, he knows he is breaking the law. He knows everyone will know that he did it. He knows he is about to be unemployed and nobody will trust him. Why would he do that? Greed? Sure. But I think there has to be something deeper.

So what was it?

I think Judas might have been disappointed with Jesus’ form of the kingdom. He knew Jesus was the Messiah. But, I think he was just like the other apostles and he thought the Messiah was going to violently and physically restore the nation of Israel to prominence by dominating the world.

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Jesus came into Jerusalem to the cheers of thousands. People thought the revolution was about to begin. And then … nothing. This trip to Jerusalem was supposed to inaugurate the rebellion against Rome and establish Jesus as a conquering king. But … no talk of war … no talk of strategy … no whipping people into a battle frenzy.

Maybe Judas concluded that if Jesus the Messiah was going to overthrow the bonds that Israel was being subjected to by Rome – maybe Jesus needed a little help in starting the war. And – if Judas got a little money on the way to making that happen – I’m sure all would be forgiven once Jesus was on the throne. And, he might be rewarded with way more than 30 pieces of silver for thinking up this brilliant plan.

Maybe this was Judas ‘ plan:

  1. Conspire with the Jewish authorities to bring a small Roman army to arrest Jesus.
  2. Once the authorities and 600 Roman soldiers arrive to arrest Jesus, identify Jesus with a kiss and watch the fireworks.
  3. When they attempt to grab Jesus, watch as the Messiah does whatever he is going to do and kills these 600 Roman soldiers with an angelic army (it seems Peter was willing to start the attack with an act of faith).
  4. With 600 dead Romans soldiers killed via a miracle, watch as hundreds of thousands of Jews join the Jesus Army so they can not only escape Rome’s oppression, they can replace Rome as the dominant power of the world.
  5. Watch Jesus be made king – and proudly take the seat of prominence that Jesus has reserved for Judas Iscariot.

If that was the plan, and it is purely conjecture on my part, it failed.

Jesus healed instead of killed. He acted the part of the Sheep instead of the Lion. The crowds did not come to the rescue, they condemned Him to death. But … why?

Why would people turn so quickly against Jesus? He was quite famous. Why? Because he kept talking about a kingdom and backing up His legitimacy with miracles. But when his entrance into Jerusalem didn’t culminate in a revolution, it was easy to listen to the rulers who were calling for violence.

By the time they were whipped into a crucifixion frenzy, the Jews hated Jesus for disappointing them. They hated Jesus for His love and His lack of hate. Jesus didn’t deserve the honor He had obtained over the last three years. He didn’t deserve the freedom to walk around and talk about a kingdom but never attempt to violently establish one! He didn’t deserve to live.

But someone did. Someone did deserve honor. Someone did deserve the freedom to establish a kingdom. Someone did deserve to live!

Who?

The revolutionary who had already backed up his words with violently trying to start a war – his name was Barabbas.

Application: Sometimes we think our plans are better than the plans God has for us. The toughest thing I’ve ever done is submit to whatever plan the Lord has in store for me. I don’t understand it. It doesn’t work when I write it down on paper. But some how – some way – I look back and I see the progress.

Doors open that wouldn’t,
Things come in the mail that shouldn’t,
Coincidences occur that shan’t,
Contacts are made that can’t,
Opportunities happen that won’t,
People do things they don’t,
In spite of all the impossible I find,
It’s God’s plan working – not mine.