G.o.das commandments are undeniably sweet, but they can be hard, too. Fortunately, G.o.d never issues a command without enabling its performance. With one hand he holds out the command, with the other he extends the power. So we trust him for the power as we obey his command. Thatas how the disciple who is disciplined to obey learns to be happy!
December 18
TO READ: Matthew 5:1-16
Fulcrum of Faith, Lever of Love
You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it useful again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless. You are the light of the worlda"like a city on a mountain, glowing in the night for all to see.
Matthew 5:13-14
Archimedes said that if he were given a fulcrum, a long enough lever, and somewhere to stand, he could move the world. But he never did it. Jesus showed that if he was given the wholehearted devotion of an insignificant group of ordinary people, he, too, could move the world. And he did it!
When vast crowds were attracted to Jesus as a result of his dramatic healing ministry, he set about teaching them the message he had come to deliver. But he didnat teach them in the way we might have expected. He started by taking a small group of men off to one side and training them.
At first sight this looks like a slow and c.u.mbersome approach. Jesus could have reached more people, personally, if he had gone to the ma.s.ses rather than spending so much time on a small group. But he knew he had only a limited time on earth, and his technique was to mobilize people who would not only carry on where he left off but would train future generations who would continue the proclamation down through the centuries.
While Jesus was investing in aa few good men,a he was looking for quality and quant.i.ty through them. The quality would be in their blessedness, which would come through their att.i.tudes to the Lord, to themselves, and to others. Jesusa description of blessed att.i.tudes or aBeat.i.tudesa became one of the cornerstones of his teaching and remains to this day a fundamental statement of discipleship.
If the quality would be seen in the disciplesa blessed att.i.tudes, the quant.i.ty would be seen in the way their blessedness was scattered like salt among others and diffused like light in the darkness as they lived out their lives in the world. Jesus didnat call his disciples to be blessed in a box; he told them that they were called to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world. They would be his chosen means to get the Good News out. Men who know G.o.das blessing, who have the ablessed att.i.tudes,a and who band together for the good of the Kingdom become like salt that adds flavor to society and light that lightens the darkness and shows other men the way to go. This way Jesus gets quality and quant.i.ty.
When Jesus takes his stand in the hearts of men, he receives the fulcrum of devotion in their lives. Then, as he wields the lever of his all-powerful love, he moves the world in which his disciples livea"and the movement is always upward.
December 19
TO READ: Matthew 20:1-16
An Honest Dayas Pay?
aHe answered one of them, aFriend, I havenat been unfair! Didnat you agree to work all day for the usual wage? . . . Is it against the law for me to do what I want with my money? Should you be angry because I am kind?a a Matthew 20:13, 15
Discrimination, differentials, and arbitration are hot topics in todayas labor market. We donat have to look far for the reasons! People have a tendency to be selfish, greedy, lazy, dishonest, and a host of other things that make life in the workplace a challenge. So over the years a vast body of legislation has been put in place in an effort to deal with these issues. How successfully it does so is a matter for debate.
Given all these concerns, Jesusa story about working conditions in his day sounds strangely out of date and totally out of touch with modern workplace realities. But what he had to say is relevant nevertheless.
Jesus told the story of a vineyard owner who hired laborers in the morning at the going rate, then hired others later in the day at nine oaclock, noon, three oaclock, and five oaclock, and promised to pay them at a rate that would be fair. At the end of the day, as the law of the land required, he gathered the men together to pay them. The five oaclock crew were paid first and were given a full dayas pay, so the others a.s.sumed they would get a bonus. But none was forthcoming, and they objected. The owner challenged his disgruntled workers to explain why they should be angry simply because he was being kind (20:13). He said that he had paid what he promised to pay, and if he wanted to be gracious to someone it was his prerogative, as he was spending his own money (20:15).
Therein lies the point of the story: G.o.d deals with everybody on the basis of his justice, and as he chooses he adds extra doses of kindness that are totally undeserved. Who can quarrel with that? We can be very thankful that G.o.d does not apaya us what we deservea"that he gives us freely the gift of eternal life (see Rom. 6:23).
A man who sees his work experience as part of his discipleship will acknowledge the validity of the old adage, aAn honest dayas work for an honest dayas pay.a This adage applies to both employers and employees. Employers should make sure they pay their employees fairly for the work they have done, and employees should make sure they do fairly the work for which they are paid! Then justice will be done.
In the workplace, justice must be done. But grace in the workplace should never be far from the believeras mind, and kindness at work will never be out of place.
December 20
TO READ: Matthew 24:37a"25:13
Prognostication and Preparedness
So stay awake and be prepared, because you do not know the day or hour of my return.
Matthew 25:13
Every generation of Christians has expected Christ to return in their lifetime. And they have had one thing in common: They have all been wrong.
The Lord Jesus did promise to return to take his people home. But he did not say when the event would take place. In fact, he told his disciples specifically, aYou do not know the day or hour of my returna (25:13). This has not stopped some prognosticators from saying that they may not know the day or hour, but they have figured out the month and year! Theyave all been wrong, too.
Why did Jesus compare his return to the Flood of Noah (24:37-39), when despite countless opportunities to hear and see that something was going to happen, Noahas contemporaries studiously avoided responding to his warnings and carried on life as usual? Why did Jesus compare his return to the arrival of a thief (24:43-44), explaining that his return would not be advertised any more than the arrival of a burglar is publicized in advance? His multiple ill.u.s.trations were designed to hammer home both the inevitability of the event and the uncertainty of the when.
Supposing Jesus had said, aIall give you three millennia to evangelize the world, and then, on January 1, A.D. 3001, I will return at precisely 9:00 GMT.a What would the promise of his return have meant to generations of believers who lived in the preceding centuries? In the midst of their sufferings, exiles, and martyrdom, what comfort would they have derived from his promise, knowing that he would not come soon? And what would have been the effect on the church if they had known that they still had a little time to do what they wanted to do before getting around to doing what he had told them to do? Where would have been the sense of urgency, the challenge to holiness, and the keen sense of tiptoe antic.i.p.ation?
Jesusa point was that all his disciples should be living in a sense of antic.i.p.ation, actively on the job, working hard to bring about the consummation of his purposes and living consistent lives so they would not be ashamed at his coming. His instructions could not have been more clear: aSo stay awake and be prepared, because you do not know the day or hour of my returna (25:13).
Speculating about Christas return is intriguing but not unproductive. Partic.i.p.ating in preparing for his return is imperative and pays lasting dividends.
December 21
TO READ: Mark 16:1-20
The Empty Tomb
But the angel said, aDo not be so surprised. You are looking for Jesus, the Nazarene, who was crucified. He isnat here! He has been raised from the dead! Look, this is where they laid his body.a Mark 16:6
Practically everybody puts Jesus in the category of abest man who ever liveda; many agree that heas athe greatest teacher the world has knowna; not a few insist he ashowed us how we ought to livea; and some believe he ademonstrated how to face death.a But however true these opinions may be, they all fall short of what the Scriptures say about him.
After Jesusa crucifixion, his body was reverently laid in a tomb. Courageous women realized that his body had not been treated properly with burial spices, so early on Sunday morning, in fear and trembling, they went to the tomb to lovingly administer appropriate care. When they arrived they were confronted with an empty tomb and an angelic messenger who proclaimed, aHe isnat here! He has been raised from the dead!a (16:6). After the angel had given them further instructions and a promise that they would see Jesus, the women left the scene atoo frightened to talka (16:8). But talk they did when they met the disciples. Quickly the word spread, the Lord appeared, and the evidence mounted that Jesus, who had truly been dead, had been literally raised from the dead and was very much alive. Even the disciples, who had forsaken Jesus and were understandably reluctant to believe the womenas report, eventually were persuaded by Christas personal appearances to them, and they awent everywhere and preacheda the good news of the Resurrection (16:20).
Even a momentas reflection will show that this series of events immediately lifts Jesus beyond the opinions mentioned above into a position that only he can occupy. He is infinitely more than revered teacher, glowing example, courageous facer of death, and unimpeachable role model. His resurrection is seen to be the Fatheras endors.e.m.e.nt of all Jesusa claims and the seal of validation that his death takes away our sins. His life after death is a statement concerning the reality of eternal existence, and his conquering of death is a robust reminder that death need hold no fear for those who trust their eternal destiny to Jesus.
The bottom line is that approving opinions about Jesusa life miss the point unless married to joyous belief in his resurrection. Reverence, however sincere, for a dead Christ, however n.o.ble, will do nothing for a sinner headed toward a lost eternity. Only a personal experience of the risen Lord will suffice.
December 22
TO READ: Luke 16:1-18
Street Smarts
I tell you, use your worldly resources to benefit others and make friends. In this way, your generosity stores up a reward for you in heaven.
Luke 16:9
People get uneasy in the pews when preachers talk about money, and many preachers get uneasy in the pulpit when it is time to talk finances. Jesus had no such reluctance. He spoke openly, unapologetically, trenchantly, and not infrequently on the subject! More often than not, he concentrated on showing how the pursuit and possession of money could have a negative effect on a personas life. But he did not always regard money negativelya"while it can become a spiritual trap and liability, it can also be a useful tool and a.s.set. To ill.u.s.trate the point, he told a story that raised both eyebrows and hacklesa"the eyebrows of the modern reader, the hackles of his contemporary listeners.
The story recounts the shady dealings of a rich manas manager. When the manager realized that his embezzlement was about to be discovered, he went about making some deals that would make things easier for him when he found himself out of work. The deals were fundamentally dishonest, and when his boss found out about them and the original embezzlement, he shook his head admiringly and admitted that his manager was nothing if not smart when it came to handling finances to his own advantage. This response, rather than outrage, suggests there is reason to believe the rich man was no paragon of virtue either!
This story raises eyebrows because, while Jesus never endorses the dishonesty of the manager, he does use him as a positive role model for disciples with regard to shrewd money management. He appears to be mourning the fact that his disciples are not smart enough in handling their money. They donat see the positive benefits of proper financial management. The shady manager knew how to use money to make friends. Jesus wants his disciples to use money to make friendships that last for eternity.
But how? Money invested in introducing a tribal group to the gospel, leading them to eternal salvation, will make for a lot of eternal friendships, and money invested in the lives of orphans that leads to their temporal and eternal well-being is money well spent.
Itas a matter of serving G.o.d with your money or serving yourself with ita"and you serving your money! You manage your money or your money manages you. Sure, you can invest in Wall Street, but make sure you invest in the streets of gold, too. Youall be surprised by the friends you meet up there that you never knew down here!
December 23