Matthew 7:15-20
Jesus turns his attention to false prophets. He is concerned that the people might be led astray by teachers with bad motives. Jesus uses two word pictures: a wolf that camouflages itself in wool to trick the sheep and that of a fruit producing tree. He contrasts good fruit and good trees to bad fruit and bad trees. The key words in this section are fruit, tree, good and bad.
The main point that Jesus is making is that false teachers can be recognized by their fruit. In the context of the rest of his sermon, Jesus is likely saying that false teachers will point you to the wrong gate which leads destruction and make you feel good about your choice, so as to make sure that you don't reconsider your choice, right up to the point of destruction. To be able to tell the difference between a false teacher and a teacher of truth, Jesus tells his audience to look at the fruit. His argument is that, just as the tree is judged by the quality of its fruit, the character of the teacher can be judged based on the teacher's life and the results of the teaching in other's lives.
The first question that comes to mind is: how does this fit with Jesus' previous teaching about judging others (7:1-5)? It is clear that Jesus is telling us to be very discerning and to judge a person's character to determine if he is a false teacher or a teacher of truth. I think that Jesus' main point about judging is that we shouldn't be hypocritical in our judgment. We shouldn't expect others to live up to a standard that we ourselves are not willing to live up to. Jesus is clear in this passage: we must learn to be good judges of character especially when it comes to teachers.
The second question is: what kind of "fruit" am I looking for in a person's life? I think there are primarily two. The first is the teacher's own character. What kind of father is he? What kind of wife is she? How does he treat his employees? How does she treat her "constituents"? How does he react to criticism and praise? Etc. The other fruit I think we should look at is the result of the teacher's teaching in the lives of her "disciples". I think I need to be careful with this one since even the teachings of Jesus have been perverted and misunderstood by people who would call themselves his disciples but if there is a consistent pattern that could reasonable be attributed to the teacher then I must be aware of it.
Thankfully I have the help of the Holy Spirit to help me to discern what is good and right. His guidance is invaluable. Thank you, Father, for sending your Spirit!
Monday, December 22, 2008
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Behind door #1: destruction
Matthew 7:13-14
Jesus uses another word picture here: a fork in the road. One fork is wide and well paved, the other fork is narrow and difficult. However, Jesus doesn't leave his audience guessing what the destination of each fork is. The easy path is only temporarily easy for it leads to destruction. The narrow path is only temporarily difficult for it leads to life. However, the narrow path is easy to miss. Lots of people miss the turn off. Wow! That's actually a very contemporary example! I always pictured these roads as ancient roads but as I think about it, we could still use this word picture very easily today.
Jesus is beginning to wind up his sermon about how our righteousness must surpass that of the Pharisees if we want to enter the kingdom of heaven. He is clear that now a choice must be made: are you going to continue on the path that you've always gone down and many people have gone down before and continue to go down now? Or are you going to seek for that narrow path until you find it and knock on the narrow gate until the door is opened to you? The narrow path, while more difficult to find, less popular and more difficult to travel will lead the traveller to the kingdom.
I think there are two cautions for me. First, Jesus is not telling me to disagree with people just for the sake of disagreeing with them. I can't claim to be on the narrow path just because my position is unpopular. Being unpopular does not make it right. Second, and on the flip side, I must carefully evaluate if I am just being swept along by the majority's views and philosophies and miss the turn off for the narrow path without realizing it. Jesus is telling us to choose the right path, the right way of thinking, the right way of viewing the world, the right way of acting and believing no matter how few or how many are thinking, acting, viewing and believing the same thing. The path way is to be evaluated on its rightness or wrongness and not on its popularity. However, he makes it clear that most people will not choose the right path most of the time. I need to pray for wisdom, discernment and courage to know which path leads to life in every situation I face.
Jesus uses another word picture here: a fork in the road. One fork is wide and well paved, the other fork is narrow and difficult. However, Jesus doesn't leave his audience guessing what the destination of each fork is. The easy path is only temporarily easy for it leads to destruction. The narrow path is only temporarily difficult for it leads to life. However, the narrow path is easy to miss. Lots of people miss the turn off. Wow! That's actually a very contemporary example! I always pictured these roads as ancient roads but as I think about it, we could still use this word picture very easily today.
Jesus is beginning to wind up his sermon about how our righteousness must surpass that of the Pharisees if we want to enter the kingdom of heaven. He is clear that now a choice must be made: are you going to continue on the path that you've always gone down and many people have gone down before and continue to go down now? Or are you going to seek for that narrow path until you find it and knock on the narrow gate until the door is opened to you? The narrow path, while more difficult to find, less popular and more difficult to travel will lead the traveller to the kingdom.
I think there are two cautions for me. First, Jesus is not telling me to disagree with people just for the sake of disagreeing with them. I can't claim to be on the narrow path just because my position is unpopular. Being unpopular does not make it right. Second, and on the flip side, I must carefully evaluate if I am just being swept along by the majority's views and philosophies and miss the turn off for the narrow path without realizing it. Jesus is telling us to choose the right path, the right way of thinking, the right way of viewing the world, the right way of acting and believing no matter how few or how many are thinking, acting, viewing and believing the same thing. The path way is to be evaluated on its rightness or wrongness and not on its popularity. However, he makes it clear that most people will not choose the right path most of the time. I need to pray for wisdom, discernment and courage to know which path leads to life in every situation I face.
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
knock, knock, knocking on heaven's door...
Matthew 7:7-12
This section includes a list of actions and results: ask = receive, seek = find and, knock = door opens. Just to be sure we get it, Jesus repeats the same thing in very slightly different words. The section also includes a word picture of a father and son. Jesus asks if a dad would give his son a stone when he asks for some break or a snake when he asks for a fish. The metaphor is that God, our Father, will give us, his sons and daughters, good gifts.
I do wonder how this part fits under the thesis statement for Jesus' sermon: "unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees you will not enter the kingdom of heaven." Maybe Jesus is saying that entering the kingdom will be a process of seeking and asking. It might be a long process but we can be sure that our Father, who is better than any earthly father, will give us the good gift of finding the kingdom of heaven if we continue to ask, seek and knock. However, even in this section of the sermon, it seems to be pretty loosely held together because Jesus' conclusion is, "therefore in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you." Which tells me that this section is actually about loving your neighbour as yourself which is really hard to tie into "ask, seek, knock".
I am learning more and more about the kingdom of heaven. I am learning that it is not just a matter of me having a restored relationship with God but it is helping to extend his right to rule over every area of creation: in my relationships with others, in issues of justice and mercy and in issues of looking after the environment. This is a huge task but as I continue to ask God for his help and for his kingdom to come on earth as it is in heaven, seek justice and mercy and knock down opposition through prayer and effort then I can be sure that God will give the good gift of his kingdom. I pray that I will not get tired of doing the good work that God has called me to do and that I would not move forward on my own wisdom and power but in God's.
This section includes a list of actions and results: ask = receive, seek = find and, knock = door opens. Just to be sure we get it, Jesus repeats the same thing in very slightly different words. The section also includes a word picture of a father and son. Jesus asks if a dad would give his son a stone when he asks for some break or a snake when he asks for a fish. The metaphor is that God, our Father, will give us, his sons and daughters, good gifts.
I do wonder how this part fits under the thesis statement for Jesus' sermon: "unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees you will not enter the kingdom of heaven." Maybe Jesus is saying that entering the kingdom will be a process of seeking and asking. It might be a long process but we can be sure that our Father, who is better than any earthly father, will give us the good gift of finding the kingdom of heaven if we continue to ask, seek and knock. However, even in this section of the sermon, it seems to be pretty loosely held together because Jesus' conclusion is, "therefore in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you." Which tells me that this section is actually about loving your neighbour as yourself which is really hard to tie into "ask, seek, knock".
I am learning more and more about the kingdom of heaven. I am learning that it is not just a matter of me having a restored relationship with God but it is helping to extend his right to rule over every area of creation: in my relationships with others, in issues of justice and mercy and in issues of looking after the environment. This is a huge task but as I continue to ask God for his help and for his kingdom to come on earth as it is in heaven, seek justice and mercy and knock down opposition through prayer and effort then I can be sure that God will give the good gift of his kingdom. I pray that I will not get tired of doing the good work that God has called me to do and that I would not move forward on my own wisdom and power but in God's.
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Judge, Jury and Executioner
Matthew 7:1-6
The key word and idea of this section of the Sermon on the Mount is judging. Jesus uses a pretty ridiculous word picture to describe the absurdity of comparing ourselves to others: trying to pick a speck of sawdust out of someone's eye while we are blinded by a 2x4 in our own. He also uses two other word pictures: giving a dog a sacred object and showing pearls to pigs. I think what he is saying there is even when our motives are good, we must be careful who we hold accountable and who we confront because it might be wasted effort on our part. That person may ignore our good advice and loving confrontation and, because their pride is injured, turn on the confronter to destroy him or her.
Jesus does seem to take a bit of an abrupt turn here in his sermon. His two main points so far have been that in order to have a righteousness that surpasses that of the Pharisees, a citizen of the kingdom of heaven must keep not just the letter of the Law but the spirit of the Law and must not do her acts of righteousness to receive praise from humans. I guess this still fits under the main point: to have a righteousness that surpasses that of the Pharisees, we must not judge on purely external matters and I must not compare myself against anyone else. My standard of righteousness is Christ.
There is an interesting phrase in this part of Christ's sermon: "you will be judged with the measure you use." When I look at my own heart, so much of my judging flows from my own insecurity, guilt and short coming. I am scared that someone might find out about x in my life and feel guilty for having x in my life so I quickly and forcefully focus everyone's attention on x in someone else's life. I've seen this over and over again: the preacher who speaks most loudly against adultery is caught in an affair. The preacher who focuses his wrath against the same gender attracted is found out to be hiring homosexual prostitutes. However, I can't condemn these men too much because I see the same tendency toward self-protectionist judgement in myself. I am holding others to a different standard than I am willing to meet. Jesus makes it clear that I will be held to at least the same standard.
The key word and idea of this section of the Sermon on the Mount is judging. Jesus uses a pretty ridiculous word picture to describe the absurdity of comparing ourselves to others: trying to pick a speck of sawdust out of someone's eye while we are blinded by a 2x4 in our own. He also uses two other word pictures: giving a dog a sacred object and showing pearls to pigs. I think what he is saying there is even when our motives are good, we must be careful who we hold accountable and who we confront because it might be wasted effort on our part. That person may ignore our good advice and loving confrontation and, because their pride is injured, turn on the confronter to destroy him or her.
Jesus does seem to take a bit of an abrupt turn here in his sermon. His two main points so far have been that in order to have a righteousness that surpasses that of the Pharisees, a citizen of the kingdom of heaven must keep not just the letter of the Law but the spirit of the Law and must not do her acts of righteousness to receive praise from humans. I guess this still fits under the main point: to have a righteousness that surpasses that of the Pharisees, we must not judge on purely external matters and I must not compare myself against anyone else. My standard of righteousness is Christ.
There is an interesting phrase in this part of Christ's sermon: "you will be judged with the measure you use." When I look at my own heart, so much of my judging flows from my own insecurity, guilt and short coming. I am scared that someone might find out about x in my life and feel guilty for having x in my life so I quickly and forcefully focus everyone's attention on x in someone else's life. I've seen this over and over again: the preacher who speaks most loudly against adultery is caught in an affair. The preacher who focuses his wrath against the same gender attracted is found out to be hiring homosexual prostitutes. However, I can't condemn these men too much because I see the same tendency toward self-protectionist judgement in myself. I am holding others to a different standard than I am willing to meet. Jesus makes it clear that I will be held to at least the same standard.
Monday, December 15, 2008
worry [part 2]
Matthew 6:28-34
The key to this section is also worry although Jesus focuses on worrying about clothing in this paragraph. He uses the image of the field flowers to remind his audience how trustworthy the Father is and how much he can be trusted to provide. He uses several comparisons: the beauty of the field flowers to the clothes Solomon wore, the way of the pagan to the way of the citizen of the kingdom, pursuing clothing, shelter and food to pursuing God's kingdom and righteousness. For me, this comes down to trust. Will I put my trust in the philosophy that teaches the survival of the fittest and competition for scarce resources? Or will I put my trust in the the Father who promises to look after all my needs? I know which path sounds more attractive. Life is so much more stress free when I can just simply trust the Father, going to him with my requests, my perceived needs and trusting him to provide what I really need for life and godliness. That would free me up to pursue his kingdom with full abandon.
The key to this section is also worry although Jesus focuses on worrying about clothing in this paragraph. He uses the image of the field flowers to remind his audience how trustworthy the Father is and how much he can be trusted to provide. He uses several comparisons: the beauty of the field flowers to the clothes Solomon wore, the way of the pagan to the way of the citizen of the kingdom, pursuing clothing, shelter and food to pursuing God's kingdom and righteousness. For me, this comes down to trust. Will I put my trust in the philosophy that teaches the survival of the fittest and competition for scarce resources? Or will I put my trust in the the Father who promises to look after all my needs? I know which path sounds more attractive. Life is so much more stress free when I can just simply trust the Father, going to him with my requests, my perceived needs and trusting him to provide what I really need for life and godliness. That would free me up to pursue his kingdom with full abandon.
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
why worry?
Matthew 6:25-28
Worry is the key word in this passage. Jesus compares the birds who do not sow or reap yet remain well fed to us. He states that we are more valuable than birds and if they can trust the Father to feed them then surely we can trust the Father to look after our needs. Jesus is specifically talking about food in this passage.
The question at the end is both humourous and shows how ridiculous it is to worry. The translators aren't exactly sure what the question is. Either Jesus asked if we could add an hour to your life through worry or if we could add a cubit to our height. Either way, the answer is an obvious "no". There is added irony if the first interpretation is right because worry is more likely to delete hours from my life than add hours to it.
The point is this: that our Father is in control, he is good and he loves me very much so he can absolutely be trusted to do what is good and right in my life. Can you imagine how much better life would be to live with this confidence rather than to be consumed by worry?
Worry is the key word in this passage. Jesus compares the birds who do not sow or reap yet remain well fed to us. He states that we are more valuable than birds and if they can trust the Father to feed them then surely we can trust the Father to look after our needs. Jesus is specifically talking about food in this passage.
The question at the end is both humourous and shows how ridiculous it is to worry. The translators aren't exactly sure what the question is. Either Jesus asked if we could add an hour to your life through worry or if we could add a cubit to our height. Either way, the answer is an obvious "no". There is added irony if the first interpretation is right because worry is more likely to delete hours from my life than add hours to it.
The point is this: that our Father is in control, he is good and he loves me very much so he can absolutely be trusted to do what is good and right in my life. Can you imagine how much better life would be to live with this confidence rather than to be consumed by worry?
Monday, December 1, 2008
am I blind?
Matthew 6:22-23
The key words in this section are light, darkness, eyes, healthy and unhealthy. Matthew is still recording Jesus' teaching in the Sermon on the Mount. Matthew contrasts having healthy eyes which fills the body with light to having unhealthy eyes which fills the body with darkness. He is obviously using a metaphor for being spiritually blind. I think the key phrase is "the eye is the lamp of the body."
This passage seems to stand on its own in the middle of a section about treasure. Jesus just finished saying that we should store our treasure in heaven and after this he goes on to talk about how we cannot serve both God and money. There are no words - like therefore, but, however, and, etc. - that would connect these verses to the surrounding ones. Some commentaries indicate that "healthy" should be translated "single" and "unhealthy" indicates "double". In this case, there is some connection to the next paragraph where Jesus talks about serving two masters. Jesus would therefore be saying that the person who tries to focus on heaven and this earth at the same time will see neither clearly. Because the eyes were believed to be the windows through which light entered the body, Jesus could be saying that if our spiritual eyes are focused and we are single minded, then our whole being is lit up with the benefits that come from that focuse and purpose. If our spiritual eyes are not focused on one thing, then our whole being becomes confused and infected.
The point, from looking at the previous passage and the next one, is clear: my focus should be on heaven. My heart should find its home there and my purpose must be clear: to serve God and store treasure in heaven. Jesus is combatting the notion that we can have it both ways. This fits with what he says about seeking, above everything, God's kingdom and righteousness. I know that I have been duped by the philosophy of materialism and consumerism. I know that I measure my success and worth by my bottom line and my possessions. I know that my vision is sometimes double. Today I want to focus my spiritual eye on Christ and allow my whole being to be filled with his light.
The key words in this section are light, darkness, eyes, healthy and unhealthy. Matthew is still recording Jesus' teaching in the Sermon on the Mount. Matthew contrasts having healthy eyes which fills the body with light to having unhealthy eyes which fills the body with darkness. He is obviously using a metaphor for being spiritually blind. I think the key phrase is "the eye is the lamp of the body."
This passage seems to stand on its own in the middle of a section about treasure. Jesus just finished saying that we should store our treasure in heaven and after this he goes on to talk about how we cannot serve both God and money. There are no words - like therefore, but, however, and, etc. - that would connect these verses to the surrounding ones. Some commentaries indicate that "healthy" should be translated "single" and "unhealthy" indicates "double". In this case, there is some connection to the next paragraph where Jesus talks about serving two masters. Jesus would therefore be saying that the person who tries to focus on heaven and this earth at the same time will see neither clearly. Because the eyes were believed to be the windows through which light entered the body, Jesus could be saying that if our spiritual eyes are focused and we are single minded, then our whole being is lit up with the benefits that come from that focuse and purpose. If our spiritual eyes are not focused on one thing, then our whole being becomes confused and infected.
The point, from looking at the previous passage and the next one, is clear: my focus should be on heaven. My heart should find its home there and my purpose must be clear: to serve God and store treasure in heaven. Jesus is combatting the notion that we can have it both ways. This fits with what he says about seeking, above everything, God's kingdom and righteousness. I know that I have been duped by the philosophy of materialism and consumerism. I know that I measure my success and worth by my bottom line and my possessions. I know that my vision is sometimes double. Today I want to focus my spiritual eye on Christ and allow my whole being to be filled with his light.
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