Thursday, March 17 - Matthew 23:1–39 (NIV)

Matthew 23:1-39 

One of the  most caustic speeches of Jesus as he puts the hypocrital religious establishment in its place.  A cautionary section of Scripture to all of us.

Did you know someone in school who was always right, no matter what? Someone made sure that everyone knew they were right—and everyone else was not really right enough? Nasty, weren’t they?

Or maybe you were in the military with some of those people who knew   every regulation in the book and followed the book completely even when it didn’t make any sense. Probably the same ones you knew at school.  They wanted everyone to know that they knew the right regulation and everyone else better look sharp and snap to it.

The Pharisees didn’t start out that way, but they became those people.  They began by wanting to do everything that God told them to do, and of course they wanted to do His will the best they could.  But they got lost in the rules, and they forgot that God was more important than the regulations.

Some of the rules were so complicated that they even outdid government regulations. Barclay’s commentary on Matthew lists some of them, and they are amazing.

For instance: An earthen vessel which is hollow becomes unclean only on the inside and not on the outside; and it can be cleansed only by being broken.  The following cannot become unclean at all—a flat plate without a rim, an open coal-shovel, a grid-iron with holes in it for parching grains of wheat. On the other hand, a plate with a rim, or an earthen spice-box, or a writing-case can become unclean. Of vessels made of leather, bone, wood and glass, flat ones do not become unclean; deep ones do.  If they are broken, they become clean…” You get the idea.  How does this make sense?

Or take the fine art of making an oath. An oath which includes the name of God includes God in the contract and cannot be broken, no matter what.  An oath which does not include the name of God, however, can be broken.  What’s the use of an oath that can be broken? It’s contract law that has cheating as its purpose!

The scriptures gave guidelines for serving God, but the rules stole the whole show and became their own religion. And when the Pharisees kept the rules, they believed that they were doing everything that God required of them, that they were perfectly deserving of Paradise.

Mr. Barclay also says, “To be truly religious is to love God and to love the men whom God made in His own image; and to love God and men, not with a nebulous sentimentality, but with that total commitment which issues in devotion to God and practical service of men.”

Knowing the rules is not enough.  Even obeying the rules is not enough.  When we serve the rule book instead of serving God and God’s children, we become Pharisees: blocking not only ourselves but others from entering God’s kingdom.

God wants us to be clean for Him.  He wants us to obey Him, not because it is in the rules but because we love Him.  Sometimes it’s harder than just  following rules, but our love is what He wants from us.

Stewart Bolerjack

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 1 Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: 2 “The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. 3 So you must be careful to do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. 4 They tie up heavy, cumbersome loads and put them on other people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.

5 “Everything they do is done for people to see: They make their phylacteries  wide and the tassels on their garments long; 6 they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues; 7 they love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and to be called ‘Rabbi’ by others.

8 “But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers. 9 And do not call anyone on earth ‘father,’ for you have one Father, and he is in heaven. 10 Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one Instructor, the Messiah. 11 The greatest among you will be your servant. 12 For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.

13 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to. [14]

15 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when you have succeeded, you make them twice as much a child of hell as you are.

16 “Woe to you, blind guides! You say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing; but anyone who swears by the gold of the temple is bound by that oath.’ 17 You blind fools! Which is greater: the gold, or the temple that makes the gold sacred? 18 You also say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it means nothing; but anyone who swears by the gift on the altar is bound by that oath.’ 19 You blind men! Which is greater: the gift, or the altar that makes the gift sacred? 20 Therefore, anyone who swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. 21 And anyone who swears by the temple swears by it and by the one who dwells in it. 22 And anyone who swears by heaven swears by God’s throne and by the one who sits on it.

23 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. 24 You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.

25 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. 26 Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.

27 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. 28 In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.

29 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous. 30 And you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ 31 So you testify against yourselves that you are the descendants of those who murdered the prophets. 32 Go ahead, then, and complete what your ancestors started!

33 “You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell? 34 Therefore I am sending you prophets and sages and teachers. Some of them you will kill and crucify; others you will flog in your synagogues and pursue from town to town. 35 And so upon you will come all the righteous blood that has been shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Berekiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. 36 Truly I tell you, all this will come on this generation.

37 “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing. 38 Look, 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.’”

Friday, March 18 - Matthew 24:1–51 (NIV)

Matthew 24:1-51 

Jesus predicts the fall of the great city of Jerusalem and the destruction of the temple itself .  He alludes to another day of judgment warning us all to be ready at any moment.

Matthew 24 is one of the most controversial and disputed chapters in all the Bible.  Many have used it to outline a series of events leading up to the second coming even so far as finding current events as fulfillment of this very chapter.  Teachings about the rapture, the millennium, the restoration of the Jewish nation and other eschatological studies usually find their way to Matthew 24.  I've read a lot of them, and frankly I think that many times we miss the forest for the trees.  Although the trees are interesting and important, today I want to step back and look at the forest, and here's what I think we shouldn’t miss from this chapter.

Don’t put your trust in buildings - they fall.

Jesus is clear -- the temple is coming down.  It was a beautiful temple and served a glorious purpose but it had become too much the center of faith and when anything other than Jesus becomes that central to our faith it is better for it to be gone.  Sure enough, in less than 40 years the temple will be nothing but rubble after the Roman armies march into Jerusalem.  Don't put your faith in buildings or things or institutions.  They all fall.

Don’t put your trust in people - they lie.

Some people will use any means to acquire power or prominence and        religion is one of those instruments that has been abused for ignoble          purposes.  God uses people in some incredible ways to bolster our faith but Satan likewise uses people to destroy our faith.  People are people and they fall like buildings.

Don’t put your trust in time - it runs out

Too often we put off doing what is right because we think we have more time.  We might, but we might not.  Jesus says you never know when time will run out.

Bottom line from Mathew 24 is verse 46: When the master comes and finds the servant doing his work, the servant will be blessed. (NCV)

Don’t be impressed with buildings.  Don’t put your trust in people.  Don't assume you have more time.  Just do what you are called to do and the end will take care of itself.

God, help me to be about your work.  I want to be a good servant.  I want to be focused on you, not institutions or people.  They will let me down but you never will.  Help me to put my hope and trust fully in you, my Master.

Todd Catteau

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1 Jesus left the temple and was walking away when his disciples came up to him to call his attention to its buildings. 2 “Do you see all these things?” he asked. “Truly I tell you, not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.”

3 As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”

4 Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you. 5 For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many. 6 You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 7 Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of birth pains.

9 “Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. 10 At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, 11 and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. 12 Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, 13 but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

15 “So when you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination that causes desolation,’  spoken of through the prophet Daniel—let the reader understand—16 then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17 Let no one on the housetop go down to take anything out of the house. 18 Let no one in the field go back to get their cloak. 19 How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! 20 Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath. 21 For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again.

22 “If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened. 23 At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. 24 For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. 25 See, I have told you ahead of time.

26 “So if anyone tells you, ‘There he is, out in the wilderness,’ do not go out; or, ‘Here he is, in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. 27 For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 28 Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather.

29 “Immediately after the distress of those days

         “ ‘the sun will be darkened,

         and the moon will not give its light;

         the stars will fall from the sky,

         and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’ 

30 “Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. And then all the peoples of the earth will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory. 31 And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.

32 “Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. 33 Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it is near, right at the door. 34 Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. 35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.

36 “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 37 As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; 39 and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 40 Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. 41 Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.

42 “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. 43 But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. 44 So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him. 

45 “Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? 46 It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. 47 Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. 48 But suppose that servant is wicked and says to himself, ‘My master is staying away a long time,’ 49 and he then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards. 50 The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. 51 He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Saturday, March 19 - Matthew 25:1–46 (NIV)

Matthew 25:1-46 

Jesus tells three parables each encouraging us to be ready for that day when we will give an answer for our lives.

The Gospel of Matthew records the last teachings of Jesus after he and his disciples left the temple for the Mount of Olives. Two of Jesus’s most thought provoking illustrations (parables) are couched between the last days, or the end of the ages in chapter 26 and judgment day represented in the latter part of chapter 25. These two familiar parables are known as the “Parable of the Ten Virgins” and the “Parable of the Talents”. These two parables have many interpretations but it seems clear that the overriding messages are (1) being prepared, ready and alert for the Lord’s  coming and (2) everyone has been given all they need for being prepared, looking forward with anticipation to that time. With these stories Jesus emphasizes what he has made available to all people everywhere with regard to the kingdom of heaven aka church on earth, a forerunner to what he says in the remainder of the chapter regarding the Day of Judgment.

Of particular note in verses 31-46 is how Jesus separates the righteous from the unrighteous, as a shepherd would separate the sheep from the goats. Also of very significant importance is the criteria he uses to determine righteousness. He does not include the spiritual disciplines we commonly consider as righteous living, e.g., prayer, fasting, singing praises, Bible study, etc. They are not mentioned in this list of what is considered righteousness and welcoming to eternal life. On the contrary, Jesus says the righteous are determined by their desire and actually feeding the hungry, giving water to the thirsty, clothing the unclothed, taking care of strangers and the sick, visiting those that are in prison.

Jesus clearly explains that we can only serve him by serving other people; that our righteousness is manifested when we take care of those who need help. Does that mean prayer, fasting, praising, reading and studying scripture and worshiping together are unimportant to our spiritual walk and desire for righteous living? Absolutely Not! Those are critical to preparing and providing us with resources for service to others. However, we are called to literally and actively serve. That is our spiritual act of worship. Our church has multiple ministries where our members are actively involved in works of service. An opportunity for all to participate in serving is through our Grace Offering where sacrificial giving is being used financially to serve those in the Texoma community and other places in the world.

Billy Martindale

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1 “At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2 Five of them were foolish and five were wise. 3 The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. 4 The wise ones, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. 5 The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep.

6 “At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’

7 “Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. 8 The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’

9 “ ‘No,’ they replied, ‘there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’

10 “But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut.

11 “Later the others also came. ‘Lord, Lord,’ they said, ‘open the door for us!’

12 “But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I don’t know you.’

13 “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.

14 “Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them. 15 To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. 16 The man who had received five bags of gold went at once and put his money to work and gained five bags more. 17 So also, the one with two bags of gold gained two more. 18 But the man who had received one bag went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.

19 “After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. 20 The man who had received five bags of gold brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five bags of gold. See, I have gained five more.’

21 “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’

22 “The man with two bags of gold also came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with two bags of gold; see, I have gained two more.’

23 “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’

24 “Then the man who had received one bag of gold came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25 So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’

26 “His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? 27 Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.

28 “ ‘So take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags. 29 For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. 30 And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’

44 “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’

45 “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’

46 “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”

Sunday, March 20 - Matthew 26:1–16 (NIV)

Matthew 26:1-16 (Click to read)

Jesus again reminds his disciples of what is coming.  He then gets an unexpected and prophetic gift from an unlikely disciple.  Another disciple, Judas, makes his move and sets the stage for the upcoming arrest.

Let’s look in on a dinner party at the home of Simon. Jesus and his disciples were there along with many others. As Jesus reclines at the dinner table and teaches truths to the dinner guests, a woman comes in with a most expensive perfume. Matthew tells us the value of the perfume was about a year’s      wages. She begins to pour all the perfume onto Jesus. Not just ‘okay, you are dusty and dirty and need cleansing’, but ‘you are holy and my love for you compels me to do this.’

In the same room was Judas, the disciple who took care of the treasury for Jesus. Judas must have begun the murmuring, ‘this is wasteful, might as well just pour good money on the ground.  We could have used that expensive perfume to sell and use for the poor. (I also could have taken my cut off the top before using for the poor!)’ He soon betrays Jesus to the Jewish leaders for 30 pieces of silver. In the old testament this was the amount paid for a slave who had been killed by an ox (four month’s wages).

Two life stories collide in the presence of Jesus.

The woman sees Jesus through a heart of love, trust, and gratitude. He is priceless to her.

Judas’ vision of Jesus was filtered through his desire for power and self-worth.

Jesus’ value to Judas is four month’s wages.

One responds in abandoned devotion and gratitude while the other in selfish deception.

Jesus welcomed both and both had a choice in their response to Him. What is your response to Him?

Two life stories collide in the presence of Jesus.

One life story ends in hope.  One in despair.  What is your life story?

Kathy Sturch

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1 When Jesus had finished saying all these things, he said to his disciples, 2 “As you know, the Passover is two days away—and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified.”

3 Then the chief priests and the elders of the people assembled in the palace of the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas, 4 and they schemed to arrest Jesus secretly and kill him. 5 “But not during the festival,” they said, “or there may be a riot among the people.”

6 While Jesus was in Bethany in the home of Simon the Leper, 7 a woman came to him with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, which she poured on his head as he was reclining at the table.

8 When the disciples saw this, they were indignant. “Why this waste?” they asked. 9 “This perfume could have been sold at a high price and the money given to the poor.”

10 Aware of this, Jesus said to them, “Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing to me. 11 The poor you will always have with you,  but you will not always have me. 12 When she poured this perfume on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial. 13 Truly I tell you, wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.”

14 Then one of the Twelve—the one called Judas Iscariot—went to the chief priests 15 and asked, “What are you willing to give me if I deliver him over to you?” So they counted out for him thirty pieces of silver. 16 From then on Judas watched for an opportunity to hand him over.