Tag Archives: Matthew 20

Daily Bible Study

October 9, 2023 Bible Study — It Requires Childlike Faith to Enter the Kingdom of Heaven

Today, I am reading and commenting on  Matthew 18-20.

Twice in today’s passage Jesus teaches about what it takes to be great in the kingdom of heaven.   Each time He expresses it somewhat differently, although both convey a similar message.  The first time He tells us that in order to even enter the kingdom of heaven we must become like children and to become great in the kingdom of heaven we must assume the lowly position of a child.  The second time, Jesus tells us that in order to be great in the kingdom of heaven we must serve others.  In between, Jesus tells us that the last will become first and the first will become last, which ties in with His teaching elsewhere that we should not seek honor for ourselves.

However, I want to focus on what Jesus says after telling us to become like children.  He tells us that it would be better to have a weight tied around our necks and be cast into the sea than to cause children, and those who believe on Him like children, to sin.  Further, He warns not to look down on children, or those with childlike faith, because God places a high value on each and everyone of them.  I believe that this passage has double meaning.  First, Jesus applies this to those who follow Him with a childlike faith, which should be all of us, but I believe there is a warning here for those who interact with children as well.  As I read this this morning I think of what is going on in our schools.  Let us be sure that we are not contributing to the corruption of children, and let us seek to help children avoid such corruption.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Daily Bible Study

October 9, 2022 Bible Study — It Is Easier For A Camel To Go Through The Eye Of A Needle Than For A Person To Enter The Kingdom Of God

Today, I am reading and commenting on  Matthew 18-20.

Usually, when I write about different things in a passage I try to do so in the order in which they appear.  Today I want to start with what Jesus said after the rich young man departed.  In particular I want to say something about this statement.

it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.

I have frequently heard speakers say things, and writers write things, which try to explain this in a way which would make the first part of this possible, although difficult (and thus the second part as well).  However, when Jesus’ disciples heard this, they asked who could be saved.  Their logic appearing to be, if the rich cannot enter the kingdom of God, no one can.  Now, one can argue with their logic, but it certainly suggests how those who heard Jesus utter those words understood them.  Finally, I want to point out Jesus’ reply to the disciples

With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.

Which reiterates that nothing we can do can save us and allow us to enter the kingdom of God, but that God can save us and thus bring us into His kingdom.

Now to go back to earlier in today’s passage for a second point.  After Jesus’ teaching about divorce, His disciples say, “Well, then it would be better not to marry at all.”  Jesus then replies with a statement similar to what Paul says about staying single.  It appears that Jesus is telling us hear that it is better to stay single while serving God than get married, but that not everyone is called to that life.  Some are born asexual, some are made asexual by others, and some choose to be asexual.  Jesus says that those who can accept the asexual lifestyle should do so.  Paul goes into more detail, explaining that those who choose to live without a spouse, without sex, can more fully dedicate themselves to serving God.  As Christians we have done a poor job of conveying this teaching.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Daily Bible Study

October 9, 2021 Bible Study — Those Who Serve Others Are Greater Than Those Who Are Served

Today, I am reading and commenting on  Matthew 18-20.

I love today’s passage.  It starts with Jesus’ disciples asking Him who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.  Jesus’ response to that question tells us that they were asking the wrong question.  So, the disciples asked who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven and Jesus replied by saying that unless you become like little children you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.  Later in today’s passage we have the story about the rich man who turned away after Jesus told him to sell everything he had and give it to the poor.  After that happened Jesus said it was easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven.  I have heard many people try to explain this so as to make it something which is possible, however, when the disciples asked Jesus, “Who then can be saved?” Jesus answered, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”  Which gives us another insight into both what it takes to get into the kingdom of heaven and what it takes to be great there.  Finally, near the end of the passage, Jesus tells the disciples that whoever wants to become great among His followers must be the servant of others.

I doubt I can add anything to understanding this than others have said about this passage, but what do I conclude this tells us about being great in God’s kingdom.  First, to even get into it we have to be like little children, trusting and dependent.  Second, we cannot think that we can buy or earn whatever we want.  Finally, we need to put other’s wants and needs ahead of our own.

 

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Daily Bible Study

October 9, 2020 Bible Study Do Not Tempt Others To Sin

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Matthew 18-20

I love this passage, from beginning to end it contains teachings which should guide our lives.  Near the beginning is a verse which I have recently seen taken out of context to claim that followers of Christ do not need to concern themselves with dressing modestly.  People take the phrase, “And if your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away.” And use it to say that it is OK for someone to dress in a manner which inspires lust in others.  Now, they make a point that is relevant: Jesus’ teachings are directed for us to apply to ourselves, not to others.  However, shortly before He says the phrase they like to quote, Jesus says, “Temptations are inevitable, but what sorrow awaits the person who does the tempting.”   So, we should think carefully about how we dress and act so as to not tempt others into sin.

From there Jesus speaks about the lost sheep and what to do if a fellow believer sins.  These all tie together.  Let’s see if I can explain how in a way which makes sense.  The first bit discusses how we should take responsibility for our own actions and go to extreme measures to avoid sin, but also indicates that we, and others, will sin.  Then He tells us of the effort which God will go to in order to redeem those who do sin, and effort which we should also be willing to exert.  From there, Jesus speaks of how we should act when we observe our fellow believer sin.  It is a three step process, go privately, take one or two others with us, and only if we still believe they are sinning after that, take it to the Body of Believers.  I am convinced from Jesus’ choice of words that at each step of the process we should listen to the person’s explanation of their actions while being open to the possibility that they had not acted in the manner which we thought.  The one or two witnesses should not have decided in advance that the person had sinned.  The Body of Believers should not have decided in advance that the person had sinned.  They should listen to what both parties have to say and reach a judgement only after hearing the “sinners” explanation for their actions.

 

 

Daily Bible Study

October 9, 2019 Bible Study — What Jesus Teaches About Temptation and About Human Sexuality

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Matthew 18-20

Today’s passage contains many elements which are worth discussion: child-like faith, God’s desire that all be saved, how to approach those who sin, forgiving others, wealth, reward for a righteous life,  and more.  After Jesus tells us that in order to be great in the Kingdom of Heaven we need to be like a child, He warns us against tempting the simple to sin.  We would be better off dying a horrible death than causing someone to sin.  Further, we should go to extreme lengths to avoid things which cause us to sin.  There are two things Jesus emphasizes here.  We should avoid leading others to sin, and we should avoid anything which leads us to sin.  Do not invite others into situations where they may be tempted to sin.  If you know someone has trouble resisting the urge to drink to excess, do not invite them out for a drink.  If someone struggles with temptation for sexual sin, do not bring them into situations where that temptation will be strengthened.  On the other hand, if you struggle with a particular sin, avoid those places, situations, and people who tempt you to commit that sin.

The other point I want to focus on is Jesus’ discussion about marriage and divorce.  Really, He is teaching about human sexuality.  When asked about divorce, Jesus responds that from the beginning God created humans as male and female.  The result of God’s act of creation is that a man leaves his parents and becomes joined to his wife.  The two become one and once joined by God, no one should separate them (see the above about causing others to sin).  So, Jesus says that divorce is only acceptable in the most extreme, special case scenarios (basically, when one partner in the marriage has already separated themselves from the other).  I find the response of Jesus’ disciples to this teaching interesting, “If you can’t get divorced, it would be better to never get married.”  And Jesus does not correct them on that.  Instead He tells them that they are right, but not everyone can handle remaining single.  We need to make note of how He phrases that as well.  Those who choose not to get married are choosing not to have sex.  Not only is living a celibate life and never getting married an acceptable choice for Christ’s followers, it should be the first choice.  Getting married is for those who cannot handle being celibate.

Daily Bible Study

October 9, 2018 Bible Study — Leading By Serving Others, Calling Others To Repentance By Repenting

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Matthew 18-20.

    At the beginning and near the end of today’s passage Jesus discusses what it takes to be great in the Kingdom of Heaven, what it takes to be a godly leader. I do not think that I can fully express what Jesus meant when He said that we needed to become like little children in order to get into the Kingdom of Heaven. However, He specifically talks about being as humble as a little child. At least part of what Jesus is talking about is the way that children tend to view all adults as more important, more worthy of respect than themselves. There is more to it than that, but, in light of what Jesus says about what it takes to be a godly leader, that is the core.
    In the secular world, leaders tell others what to do in order to accomplish things which serve the interests of the leader. In the Kingdom of Heaven, leaders direct others to do things which further the interests of those who the leader is directing. Yes, the godly leader will direct people to do God’s will, but the godly leader will seek how he can make you better able to perform your ministry, not how you can make him more effective at his ministry. The true leader will seek how he can help others do their jobs better and more efficiently.

    I want to tie together two of Jesus’ teachings which we often separate. The first is Jesus’ teaching on how to deal with those who sin within the Church Body. This teaching is especially important to follow if you are the victim of that sin (or feel that you are). The second is Jesus’ teaching on how often we should forgive those who have sinned against us. Jesus tells us that if a brother or sister has sinned, especially if it is against us, we should go to them privately and discuss it with them. If we cannot resolve the issue privately, we should take a couple of witnesses with us. Now, sometime back it struck me that this means we should go to them for dialogue to discuss what happened. Perhaps we misunderstood and the person had not committed the sin we thought that they had. Then if when we talk to them they fail to show us how we had misunderstood the situation and fail to understand that they had done wrong, we bring in neutral third parties to hear both of our sides to the story. Then, if we cannot resolve the dispute, we take it to the entire Church. Even at this point, people should not prejudge who is in the wrong. When we think we have been wronged we should be willing to forgive, again and again. An important part of that is recognizing that we may have been the one in the wrong (if for no other reason than that we supposed the other person had sinned when they had not). No matter what wrong others have done to us, it does not add up to the wrong we have done, nor does it justify us doing that wrong. Our goal when we confront another sinner should be repentance and reconciliation. And that repentance should be both ours and theirs.

Daily Bible Study

October 9, 2017 Bible Study — What Does It Take To Be Great?

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Matthew 18-20.

    In this passage are two stories about Jesus explaining to His disciples what it takes, what it means, to be great in the Kingdom of Heaven. In the first story, when the disciples ask Jesus who will be the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven, Jesus points them to a little child. But He does not tell them they need to be like a child to be great. He tells them they need to be humble like a child to even get into the Kingdom of Heaven. He then goes on to talk about sinning and temptation so that we generally miss the point. If you are considering yourself a candidate for being the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven you are in danger of not even getting in! Then later, the mother of James and John asks Jesus to do her the favor of making her sons the two most important people in the Kingdom of Heaven after Himself. Jesus immediately turned to them and asked them if they were prepared to undergo the suffering which such a role entailed. When they responded in the affirmative, He told them that they would indeed undergo such suffering, but that He did not have the authority to choose who got those positions. Then HE called the twelve apostles together to explain what it means to be a leader. In this world, those with authority use it to force those under that authority to satisfy their needs and desires (you can see how this works by reading the headlines over the last week). However, Jesus explains that those who wish to be leaders in the Kingdom of Heaven need to use their authority to satisfy the needs and wants of those are under their authority, even at the expense of their own needs and wants.
    The best way I can explain this is by using the example of two managers in the company I work for. The first followed the world’s model. He had lots of great ideas about how to improve the business unit of which he was in charge. Whenever, he had one of these ideas, he would instruct someone to put it into practice. The other manager spent a lot of time getting his subordinates to come up with ideas to improve their area of the business unit of which he was in charge. Then when they did so, he used his authority and clout to empower them to accomplish their ideas. He worked to identify what his subordinates needed to do their jobs and then worked to get them those things. The latter is what we should do if we wish to be leaders. Identify what those we seek to lead need to do God’s will, then work to provide them with those things.