Matthew 13:36-45
I know that I jumped ahead. I'm going to jump back to the parables of the mustard seed and yeast tomorrow. When I studied the parable of the weeds yesterday, I forgot that this was another parable that Jesus had explained to his disciples. I thought it made sense to look at the parable and the explanation together. So, here is a look at Jesus commentary on the parable of the weeds:
the sower = Jesus
the field = the world. Some people will say that the the field = the kingdom of heaven and what Jesus is saying here is that there are two kingdoms: the kingdom of God which is made up of those who truly believe and the kingdom of heaven which is made up of those who profess that they believe. So the point of the parable, according to them, is that we might not be able to tell who is in the kingdom of God and who is just in the kingdom of heaven but Jesus can and the true nature of each person will be revealed at the day of judgement. Differentiating between the kingdom of heaven, which is the phrase that Matthew uses primarily, and the kingdom of God, which is the phrase that Luke uses primarily, is splitting hairs in my opinion - they are different words for the exact same thing - but it would dramatically influence a person's understanding of the parables in this passage: if the kingdom can be corrupted by evil and incorporate those who are children of the devil, then it is easier to see how the parables of the mustard seed and the yeast could be interpreted as parables about the influence of evil amongst those who profess to believe (but may not actually believe) rather than about the subversive influence of good. However, Jesus clearly says that the field is the world and not the kingdom.
weeds = people of the devil
enemy = the devil
harvest = the judgement
harvesters = angels
Jesus says that this is a parable about what will happen in the day of judgement: the angels will weed out of the kingdom everything that causes sin and everyone who does evil. They will be punished forever but the righteous will enter the kingdom of the Father.
I think Jesus told his disciples this parable for two reasons: 1) to remind them that they (and we) are not to be the ones who sort the people. That is the job of the King and his angels. 2) to give a sense of urgency. If I really love my neighbour as myself and if I really believe what the Bible teaches about the judgement, then I will be very motivated to share the gospel in every way and at every time possible.
Showing posts with label judgement. Show all posts
Showing posts with label judgement. Show all posts
Monday, April 13, 2009
Thursday, April 2, 2009
the sign
Matthew 12:38-45
The key words in this passage: sign, greater than, this generation, judgement, condemn. Jesus draws from two OT stories: that of Nineveh who repented at the preaching of Jonah and that of the Queen of Sheba who was so taken by Solomon. Jesus' point: that the response of these people to Jonah and Solomon will condemn the present generation because Jesus is greater than they are and the present generation is not responding to him.
Jesus also includes a parable about an evil spirit being driven out of a person but returning to find that person's soul clean but empty so the evil spirit invites others to join him in that person's soul. At first reading it seems like this is a warning to the individual - it's not enough just to get rid of evil but you must replace it with good or, by implication, the Holy Spirit. However, Jesus makes the applicational point at the end of the parable: That is how it will be with this wicked generation. This ties back to the previous paragraph (Nineveh and the Queen of Sheba rising to condemn the present generation), indicating that the warning of the parable is meant for a generation, not just the individual.
So, what is Jesus talking about? The one thing that he continually blasts the religious leaders for is the emptiness of their religion. Perhaps he is warning the whole generation that if all they do is look after the externals that eventually the internal will rot and their spiritual condition will become worse. The Pharisees were so pre-occupied with evil that they never really pursued what was good. They were defined more by what they stood against than by what they stood for and perhaps Jesus is warning them that, while it is good to get rid of evil, the focus must be on the pursuit of what is good - bring to mind Jesus' statement in his sermon on the mountain: seek first God's kingdom and his righteousness. It's not just about not doing bad but pursuing good.
Thoughts?
The key words in this passage: sign, greater than, this generation, judgement, condemn. Jesus draws from two OT stories: that of Nineveh who repented at the preaching of Jonah and that of the Queen of Sheba who was so taken by Solomon. Jesus' point: that the response of these people to Jonah and Solomon will condemn the present generation because Jesus is greater than they are and the present generation is not responding to him.
Jesus also includes a parable about an evil spirit being driven out of a person but returning to find that person's soul clean but empty so the evil spirit invites others to join him in that person's soul. At first reading it seems like this is a warning to the individual - it's not enough just to get rid of evil but you must replace it with good or, by implication, the Holy Spirit. However, Jesus makes the applicational point at the end of the parable: That is how it will be with this wicked generation. This ties back to the previous paragraph (Nineveh and the Queen of Sheba rising to condemn the present generation), indicating that the warning of the parable is meant for a generation, not just the individual.
So, what is Jesus talking about? The one thing that he continually blasts the religious leaders for is the emptiness of their religion. Perhaps he is warning the whole generation that if all they do is look after the externals that eventually the internal will rot and their spiritual condition will become worse. The Pharisees were so pre-occupied with evil that they never really pursued what was good. They were defined more by what they stood against than by what they stood for and perhaps Jesus is warning them that, while it is good to get rid of evil, the focus must be on the pursuit of what is good - bring to mind Jesus' statement in his sermon on the mountain: seek first God's kingdom and his righteousness. It's not just about not doing bad but pursuing good.
Thoughts?
Friday, June 8, 2007
judge, jury and executioner
Romans 2:1-4
Observe:
The word that gets repeated here a lot is "judge" or "judgement". Paul contrasts the hypocritical judgement of humans against the righteous judgement of God (v. 2). He also makes some comparison between the quickness of humans to judge and the patience and kindness of God which leads to repentance.
Paul uses the phrase "without excuse" again (1:20 and 2:1) in conjunction with the judgement of God. It seems like this passage is addressed to people who have some knowledge of the law - possibly Jews or Jewish Christians - whereas chapter 1 was addressed to the barbarians who had no knowledge of the law. .
Interpret.
Both groups are without excuse - the barbarians because they can see the attributes of God in creation and the Jews because they know the requirements of the law, the consequences of breaking the law but continue to sin anyway (1:32) while passing judgement on everyone else. This was very typical of the Pharisees and Paul's words echo the words of Jesus.
Paul (echoing Jesus again) is not saying that we should not judge other people's actions but that we should not do so from a hypocritical place. Our judgement must be based on truth, like God's is. In fact, in other passages, Paul tells us to judge others.
Paul is saying that those who are quick to judge are impatient with God. God's slowness is not because he is hesitant or weak but because he is kind and patient and wants to give people every chance to repent before he judges them.
Application:
I am too quick to be judge, jury and executioner. I am too quick to pass judgement and condemnation. I need the Spirit to change my attitude to make me more merciful and patient - content to let God judge. I still have the responsibility to point out sin but my goal should not be making people feel shame but to bring them to repentance and back on the right path.
I am a hypocritical judge - often condemning people for the very same things that I do. I think that this is a function of my guilty conscience: if I can point it out in others, I don't have to attend to it in my own life.
This passage shows me that God's judgement will be based on truth. It won't be based on whether or not he got enough sleep that day, whether someone cut him off in traffic or anything like that. God is just and his judgement will be just.
God is also patient which is a very good thing. Sometimes when I look around at all the injustice and sinfulness in the world, I get impatient with God. So many people are suffering and God could step in at any time. The truth is that I want him to step in quickly to cut off others but I want him to be patient with me. I can't have it both ways.
I am glad that God is rich in kindness and I am sorry for showing contempt for that.
Observe:
The word that gets repeated here a lot is "judge" or "judgement". Paul contrasts the hypocritical judgement of humans against the righteous judgement of God (v. 2). He also makes some comparison between the quickness of humans to judge and the patience and kindness of God which leads to repentance.
Paul uses the phrase "without excuse" again (1:20 and 2:1) in conjunction with the judgement of God. It seems like this passage is addressed to people who have some knowledge of the law - possibly Jews or Jewish Christians - whereas chapter 1 was addressed to the barbarians who had no knowledge of the law. .
Interpret.
Both groups are without excuse - the barbarians because they can see the attributes of God in creation and the Jews because they know the requirements of the law, the consequences of breaking the law but continue to sin anyway (1:32) while passing judgement on everyone else. This was very typical of the Pharisees and Paul's words echo the words of Jesus.
Paul (echoing Jesus again) is not saying that we should not judge other people's actions but that we should not do so from a hypocritical place. Our judgement must be based on truth, like God's is. In fact, in other passages, Paul tells us to judge others.
Paul is saying that those who are quick to judge are impatient with God. God's slowness is not because he is hesitant or weak but because he is kind and patient and wants to give people every chance to repent before he judges them.
Application:
I am too quick to be judge, jury and executioner. I am too quick to pass judgement and condemnation. I need the Spirit to change my attitude to make me more merciful and patient - content to let God judge. I still have the responsibility to point out sin but my goal should not be making people feel shame but to bring them to repentance and back on the right path.
I am a hypocritical judge - often condemning people for the very same things that I do. I think that this is a function of my guilty conscience: if I can point it out in others, I don't have to attend to it in my own life.
This passage shows me that God's judgement will be based on truth. It won't be based on whether or not he got enough sleep that day, whether someone cut him off in traffic or anything like that. God is just and his judgement will be just.
God is also patient which is a very good thing. Sometimes when I look around at all the injustice and sinfulness in the world, I get impatient with God. So many people are suffering and God could step in at any time. The truth is that I want him to step in quickly to cut off others but I want him to be patient with me. I can't have it both ways.
I am glad that God is rich in kindness and I am sorry for showing contempt for that.
Tuesday, June 5, 2007
Futile Minds and Foolish Hearts
Romans 1:18-23
Observe:
God's wrath is being revealed in the present. He doesn't just wait for the "end times" to pour out his righteous judgement against sin and wickedness. The judgement is actually quite similar: at the end of days he will abandon people to the choice they made to live without him, honouring and enforcing that choice for all eternity; in the present he also abandons people to the choices they make to live without him - abandoning the wicked to their sins (v. 24).
I notice also that Paul uses the language of exchanging and concious choices: humans knew the truth but supressed it with wickedness (v. 18-19), the knew God but exchanged his glory for created things.
There is also a contrast between the eternal power and divine nature of God (v. 20) and the futile thinking and foolish hearts of humans (v.21). The issue is that in their folly, humans think that they are wise.
Interpret:
We sometimes think that people are victims of their circumstances, even blaming God for their not being in a position to know and respond to God. Paul disagrees with this view: he says that everyone has the opportunity to know God through his creation (his qualities are clearly seen) and that people have chosen to take the knowledge and truth of God and suppress it with their own choices.
This decision to suppress truth with wickedness and exchange the glory of God for the glory of the created thing is as old as humanity. Adam and Eve made the same choice (in fact, Paul could be talking about Adam and Eve. They knew God but suppressed the truth of God with their choice to eat the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil. They exchanged the glory of God for their own glorification - "you will become like gods...").
I believe that Paul is actually talking about Gentiles - people who, at that time, do not have God's truth as revealed in Scripture. His thesis is that righteousness comes from God and is received by faith. He is showing the depravity of those who never had access to the Word of God and proving that they are just as guilty because they could see the nature of God through creation and their conscience.
Interpret:
God is holy and is just. He cannot stand sin and while he appears to be patient in that he is not actively judging the world right now, he is also active in that he is revealing his wrath against the sin and wickedness of humanity. Admittedly it seems strange that he would judge the sinfulness of people by abandoning them to their sin (sort of like trying to get someone to stop smoking by giving them more cigarettes) but maybe God's judgement and patience are intertwined. Maybe he is trying to get people to see the emptiness of their choices - they are being punished because their sin is not ultimately satisfying to them but that dissatisfaction actually draws them to God at the same time.
Personally this serves as a warning - I can't take my knowledge of God for granted. It's possible for me to know God and still exchange the glory of God for lesser things. In fact, because of my sinfulness and brokeness, I prefer the lesser things to the great glory of God. Paul tells me that my depravity can only be overcome by the righteousness that comes from God and I can only receive that righteousness through faith. "The righteous will live by faith."
Observe:
God's wrath is being revealed in the present. He doesn't just wait for the "end times" to pour out his righteous judgement against sin and wickedness. The judgement is actually quite similar: at the end of days he will abandon people to the choice they made to live without him, honouring and enforcing that choice for all eternity; in the present he also abandons people to the choices they make to live without him - abandoning the wicked to their sins (v. 24).
I notice also that Paul uses the language of exchanging and concious choices: humans knew the truth but supressed it with wickedness (v. 18-19), the knew God but exchanged his glory for created things.
There is also a contrast between the eternal power and divine nature of God (v. 20) and the futile thinking and foolish hearts of humans (v.21). The issue is that in their folly, humans think that they are wise.
Interpret:
We sometimes think that people are victims of their circumstances, even blaming God for their not being in a position to know and respond to God. Paul disagrees with this view: he says that everyone has the opportunity to know God through his creation (his qualities are clearly seen) and that people have chosen to take the knowledge and truth of God and suppress it with their own choices.
This decision to suppress truth with wickedness and exchange the glory of God for the glory of the created thing is as old as humanity. Adam and Eve made the same choice (in fact, Paul could be talking about Adam and Eve. They knew God but suppressed the truth of God with their choice to eat the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil. They exchanged the glory of God for their own glorification - "you will become like gods...").
I believe that Paul is actually talking about Gentiles - people who, at that time, do not have God's truth as revealed in Scripture. His thesis is that righteousness comes from God and is received by faith. He is showing the depravity of those who never had access to the Word of God and proving that they are just as guilty because they could see the nature of God through creation and their conscience.
Interpret:
God is holy and is just. He cannot stand sin and while he appears to be patient in that he is not actively judging the world right now, he is also active in that he is revealing his wrath against the sin and wickedness of humanity. Admittedly it seems strange that he would judge the sinfulness of people by abandoning them to their sin (sort of like trying to get someone to stop smoking by giving them more cigarettes) but maybe God's judgement and patience are intertwined. Maybe he is trying to get people to see the emptiness of their choices - they are being punished because their sin is not ultimately satisfying to them but that dissatisfaction actually draws them to God at the same time.
Personally this serves as a warning - I can't take my knowledge of God for granted. It's possible for me to know God and still exchange the glory of God for lesser things. In fact, because of my sinfulness and brokeness, I prefer the lesser things to the great glory of God. Paul tells me that my depravity can only be overcome by the righteousness that comes from God and I can only receive that righteousness through faith. "The righteous will live by faith."
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