Author: Chris Marshall

Today we turn to the Apostle Paul’s letter to the church at Ephesus.  Biblical scholars believe he wrote it around 60 AD while in prison in Rome.  The first three chapters focus on what we believe as those who have been redeemed by Jesus.  The final three chapters focus on how we live out those beliefs individually, as a church family and in our biological families.  The letter comes to a close with the powerful message of our need to put on the “whole armor of God” in the spiritual war we face against the devil.

In Ephesians 1, Paul greets the believers in Ephesus, reminds them of God’s providential hand in choosing him and them for salvation, and gives thanks and praise to God for them.  This salutation is much different from the Paul offered the Galatian Church.  Here Paul offers a much more affirming and even affectionate tone, because the believers in Ephesus have been faithful from the time they heard the good news of Jesus to the current time.  While the letter does contain points of correction, it is far more positive in its tone than the letter to the Galatians.

In Ephesians 2, Paul reminded the Ephesians they were once under the control of the devil, as was everyone at one point.   Now, though, by God’s great grace they (and we) get to sit with Christ in the heavenlies.  The great Bible teacher and pastor of the last century, Watchman Nee, summed up the letter to the Ephesians in a book he wrote about it by titling it Sit, Walk, Stand.  As we see here, we are to sit with Jesus in our position as His children.  In chapters 4-5, we will read what it means to “walk” in Jesus’ ways.  Then in chapter 6, we will read what it means to “stand” firmly against our enemy, the devil.  Paul reminded the Ephesians in the powerful words of Ephesians 2:8-10, that we are all saved by grace and not works, so none of us get to boast.  As we read the remainder of chapter 2, Paul reminds the Ephesians it doesn’t matter what they once were (pagan Gentiles), because now God has brought the two (Jews and Gentiles) together as one.

In Ephesians 3, Paul tells of how God called him to bring the good news to the Gentiles. He admits he wasn’t worthy of the task, but God gave it to him, and he carried it out faithfully.  Midway through the chapter, Paul breaks into a prayer for the Ephesians, which concludes with a recognition of God’s. He concludes the prayer with the often quoted statement,“²⁰Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, ²¹to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. Ephesians 3:20-21 (NIV)

As we return to Matthew 28, we return to the best news ever: The tomb couldn’t hold Jesus!  While the women came to the tomb to “finish” the task of embalming Jesus early on that first Easter morning, Jesus had already risen.  The tomb was empty, and the soldiers left to “guard” the tomb were frozen like stone out of fear of the angel who came to open the tomb.  Jesus met the women and sent them to tell the disciples He was alive and would meet them on the mountain in Galilee where He told them to go.  Meanwhile, the soldiers woke up, realized what had happened, and went to the Jewish authorities to tell them.  (They went to the Jewish authorities, because had they gone to their own superiors and told them they fell asleep at their posts, they would have been executed immediately.)  The leaders came up with the ludicrous story that Jesus’ disciples had come in the night and stolen His body, while the guards slept.  The story is ludicrous for two reasons: 1) if they were sleeping, how would they have known what happened? And 2) If they had fallen asleep, their lives would have been forfeit, which is why Roman soldiers didn’t fall asleep on the job!  In any case, the story continued to circulate, because as is often the case, people will believe what they want to believe, regardless of evidence at times.

This amazing account concludes with Jesus meeting the disciples.  They worshiped Him, but some doubted.  We don’t know why they doubted other than people don’t die and then come back to life three days later.  In any case, Jesus gave them their marching orders before He returned to heaven. He told them He held all authority in heaven and on earth, and He was giving it to them, so they could make disciples of all the nations, while they went from that place to the ends of the earth.  He commanded them to baptize these disciples in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and to teach them to do everything Jesus had commanded.  He also told them He would be with them to the end of the age.  What a powerful final message.  It must have been so difficult to “lose” Jesus through death, then to have Him return only to “lose” Him again as He returned to heaven. Thankfully, upon His return to heaven, Jesus came to His followers again through sending the Holy Spirit to live in them (and us) and to empower us to carry out His commands to the ends of the earth!

In Galatians 4, Paul reminds the Galatian believers again of how important it is for them to live into their freedom rather than subjecting themselves again to the Law.  He uses a couple of illustrations, the first about an “heir” being the same as a slave until reaching the age of maturity, and then of the difference between Sarah and Hagar.  Again, Paul uses mainly Jewish images, even though the Galatian believers came primarily from a Gentile background. He wanted them to understand how important it was for them not to align themselves with the Judaizers, because to do so would be to give up the freedom they received through being born anew in Jesus.

Galatians 5 offers us an important qualification to what Paul has been writing.  While he wanted the Galatians to live in freedom, he reminded them not to let that freedom become an opportunity for the flesh or the sinful nature.  In other words, we are set free from the Law by the blood of Jesus, and our new life in the Holy Spirit is a life of freedom, but that freedom is not to do whatever we want to do.  It is a freedom to live in alignment with the Holy Spirit’s leading.  Paul went on to tell the Galatians, and through them, us of the struggle we face as Jesus’ followers.  The struggle is a war between the Holy Spirit and the flesh or sinful nature.  That battle continues throughout our lives and means we aren’t free to do what we want.  Paul concludes by saying when we are led by the Spirit, we are not under the Law, that is we don’t need the Law to guide us, because the Holy Spirit leads us to do what Jesus wants.  Paul concludes the chapter by listing the deeds or “fruits” of the flesh, which includes a long list of sinful behaviors. He tells us when we live this way, we will not inherit the Kingdom of God.  He then says the better way is to live according to the “fruit” of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.  As Jesus followers, we have “nailed” the sinful nature to the cross and are now free to live in the Spirit’s power.

Galatians 6 offers Paul’s closing reminders of what it means to live in fellowship with one another as Jesus’ followers who are led by the Holy Spirit: we are to help each other out of sin; we are to sow goodness and blessing, because we will reap what we sow; and we are to persevere in doing good, because we will reap a harvest if we don’t “faint.”  Paul offers one more closing volley against the Judaizers, reminding the Galatians that circumcision of the flesh means nothing, and to remain faithful to doing God’s will.  Paul reminds the Galatians he bears in his flesh the marks of Christ, that is the scars from the beatings he received as a result of proclaiming Jesus.  This is one final reminder of Paul’s credibility and evidence they ought to trust him rather than the Judaizers.

As we return to Matthew 27, we read again of Jesus’ trial before Pilate, of Judas hanging himself, of Pilate finding Jesus not guilty, but listening to the crowd and turning Jesus over to be crucified.  We read of Jesus going to Golgatha and being crucified.  People mock Him, Jesus cries out at being abandoned by His Father, and dies.   Jesus is buried in Joseph’s tomb, and the religious leaders ask Pilate to post a guard so no one could steal Jesus’ body.   If that were the end of the Gospel of Matthew, we would have the tragic story of a Jewish martyr, a good man, but nothing more.  Thankfully, we will read Matthew 28 tomorrow! 

Today we turn to the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Galatians.  In this letter, Paul reminds the Galatians they received freedom from sin and death through Jesus.  We might wonder why Paul needed to remind a group of pagans (most of the Galatians were Gentile idol-worshipers, before they were born again) to remember their freedom in Jesus Christ.  The short answer is a group known as the Judaizers came after Paul and told the Galatian believers they needed to follow the Jewish law to follow Jesus.  The Judaizers caused problems wherever Paul went, because they couldn’t let go of the past, and their Jewish heritage.  Paul reminded the Galatians they didn’t receive freedom by following the Law, and they wouldn’t keep it that way either.  This is a helpful reminder to us, because we don’t gain the freedom of Jesus in our lives by grace through faith in Jesus, and then keep it by adhering to a rigid set of laws.  We do good works after our salvation, but not to keep our salvation.  We do them because we have salvation, and we want to demonstrate our gratitude for it.

In Galatians 1, Paul’s greeting is brief, and he moves right to the point of his letter: he wants to know why they are trusting a “different gospel.”  He reminds them he was once a zealous proponent of the Jewish faith, but after trusting Jesus as Savior and Lord, and being sent by Him to be a messenger of the gospel, he no longer trusted in his heritage, but in Jesus.  The implication is they needed to do the same.

In Galatians 2, Paul notes he was received by the apostles in Jerusalem, and they did not seek to have him change his message to the Gentiles. Indeed, Titus who was with him was not made to be circumcised as a sign of being a Jew.  The leaders in Jerusalem gave their blessing on Paul’s ministry to the Gentiles.  Their only charge was that he remember the poor, which he writes he was eager to do. Paul also tells of Peter coming to Antioch and living among the believers there as a Gentile, but when some of the Jewish believers came, Peter drew back from them.  Paul’s response was to rebuke Peter to his face, for this change of behavior.  Paul shows us both that he was of equal standing with Peter, and that when we have a problem with a brother or sister in the Lord, the proper way to address it is face-to-face.

In Galatians 3, Paul reminds the Galatians they were saved by the blood of Jesus Christ, and received the Holy Spirit through Him, and not through the Law.  He asks them if they received the Spirit and the power to do miracles through the Law or through faith in Jesus?  The answer is obvious.  Paul goes on to point out Abraham is the father of those who believe through faith, because God promised to bless the nations through Abraham.  Abraham lived hundreds of years before the Law came into existence.  The Law itself was given only to keep us on the right path until Abraham’s “seed” that is Jesus came to fulfill the promise God made through Abraham.  Paul reminds the Galatians in Christ there is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, but we are all one in Christ Jesus.  Paul was not denying individual differences exist among us as Jesus’ followers, but all those differences break down in our common salvation through Jesus!

As we return to Matthew 26 the beginning of the end has come for Jesus.  He was anointed at Bethany, by a woman who used an expensive jar of perfume to anoint Him.  While some complained the perfume could have been sold and the money used to feed the poor, Jesus affirmed the woman’s act and said wherever the gospel is preached she would be remembered.  Judas then goes and agrees to betray Jesus to the Jewish leaders.  After this, the disciples eat the Last Supper with Jesus, and Jesus tells them one will betray Him, Peter will deny Him, and all will desert Him.  After the meal, they go to the garden of Gethsemane where Jesus prays, and the disciples sleep.  Eventually, Judas comes with soldiers from the priests and they arrest Jesus.  Jesus is tried by the religious leaders and found guilty.  Peter is accused by a servant girl and others of being one of Jesus’ followers and he denies it.  As Peter hears a rooster crow, he remembers Jesus’ prediction and goes out and weeps bitterly.  The chapter reminds us, none of us is without fault when it comes to our relationship with Jesus.  We do well not to be too hard on the disciples, because had we been with them, we would have been among those who deserted Him, or denied Him. 

In 2 Corinthians 12, Paul tells of a heavenly vision God gave him.  He offers the testimony to demonstrate his authenticity as an apostle.  He tells the believers he was given a “thorn in the flesh,” to humble him when he was tempted to pride because of God’s showing him the amazing vision. Three times Paul asked the Lord to take the thorn from him, but the Lord said, “No, my grace is sufficient for you. For my power is demonstrated in your weakness.”  Paul’s thorn reminds us, when we suffer, God’s grace is sufficient for us as well, and His grace is our empowerment to make it through the suffering.  We don’t often think of God’s grace as power, but in addition to being God’s undeserved favor, His grace is also power for living through difficulty! 

As 2 Corinthians 12 closes and we move to 2 Corinthians 13, Paul offers final reminders of what will happen when he comes to visit, and how important it is to live faithfully before the Lord.  He also offers closing greetings as the letter ends.

As we return to Matthew 25, we read three powerful parables Jesus tells concerning His return.  The first is the Parable of the Ten Virgins.  Jesus divides them into two groups: five wise virgins, and five foolish virgins.  The wisdom or foolishness comes down to their being prepared or unprepared for the bridegroom’s coming.  The wise virgins bring extra oil for their lamps, so if the bridegroom is delayed, their lamps won’t go out.  The foolish virgins fail to bring extra oil.  The bridegroom was delayed, so the foolish virgins had to go looking for extra oil in the middle of the night.  When the bridegroom came, they weren’t there, so they missed entering the feast.  We can take many lessons from this parable, but the chief one is to be ready. The “bridegroom,” Jesus, is coming, so be ready!

The second parable is the Parable of the Talents.  In this parable a master leaves and entrusts his wealth to three servants.  They receive differing amounts based on their ability.  When the master returns, the first two servants have doubled what was entrusted to them.  The first servant has two and a half times as much as the second servant, but each was equally faithful, so each receives the same reward: a commendation from the master, and an invitation to join him in his kingdom.   A key point for us to note is Jesus equates faithfulness with multiplication.  We are to multiply whatever “talents” Jesus gives us in our lives.  The third servant “buried” his master’s treasure, and gained nothing, not even interest.  The master condemns the servant for being wicked and lazy. Consider this: the servant didn’t lose anything his master gave him.  He maintained His master’s wealth, yet he was considered wicked and lazy, because he didn’t multiply what he received!  In the same way, we are called to be faithful with whatever Jesus has entrusted to us, so that it multiplies when He returns.

In the final parable, the Parable of the Sheep and Goats, Jesus offers us a clear message of what it will be like when He returns.  People will be divided into two groups: sheep and goats.  The sheep are those who steward their lives faithfully by carrying out faithful actions on behalf of Jesus.  The goats are those who do not.  While we are saved by grace through faith in Jesus, and not by our works, this parable reminds us once we are saved, we will live lives of good works out of gratitude for our salvation.  As James reminds us in his book, which we will read soon, “Faith without works is dead.”  Jesus reminded us the same thing in this powerful illustration.

In 2 Corinthians 8, Paul urges the believers to give generously to a special offering being received to help those going through difficulty.  Paul’s point is giving generously is a sign of our commitment to Jesus.  So often, people tend to play the “we’re under grace not under Law” card when it comes to the area of financial giving.  Paul reminded the believers in Corinth God had blessed them, and the reasonable response to that is generosity.  It’s as natural for those who are blessed to give, as it is for those who are alive to breathe.  The challenge is giving is a supernatural aspect of our lives.  We are born as “takers”, and when Jesus takes over our lives, we become “givers”.  While we all know folks who aren’t Jesus’ followers who are givers, they have learned or have a natural tendency toward generosity.  Once we are born again, our “nature,” which is now a supernatural nature, is to give, to be generous, to share in the nature of our new family: God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Paul continues to speak about giving in 1 Corinthians 9. Here he points out the principle of sowing and reaping: those who sow generously reap generously, and those who sow sparingly reap sparingly. Paul also reminds us God loves a “cheerful” giver.  Our motive for giving is to be the joy we have in our new natures, because we get to give, rather than giving because we have to give.  Paul reminds us when we give God blesses us, and those who receive the blessings of our giving also celebrate us before God and pray for our blessing.  The outcome of our generosity is blessing, because as Jesus reminded us in Acts 20, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”

In 1 Corinthians 10-11, Paul defends his ministry.  In these chapters, we see Paul’s ministry has been undermined in Corinth by a group of “super apostles,” who claim to have more authority than Paul.  Paul reminds the Corinthians he did not come to them with eloquent speech but with the power of God.  He reminds them the battle is spiritual and not merely carnal or fleshly.  He reminds them of his sufferings on their behalf and on behalf of the gospel.  The challenge to Paul’s authority was real, and he wanted the believers in Corinth to remember the sign of authority in the church isn’t how “great” we are, but how much we are willing to humble ourselves, to suffer, and to serve.

As we return to Matthew 24, Jesus tells His followers the signs of His return.  While He hasn’t yet died and risen, Jesus offers testimony about what will happen in the future.  He doesn’t tell us when He will return.  He does tell us He will return. Throughout His testimony, Jesus reminds us how important it is for us to be ready.  While many in these troubled times are spending their time scouring the pages of the prophetic books, Revelation, and passages such as Matthew 24, in Jesus’ own words, to determine when He will return, my goal as a leader in the Church is to tell those who don’t know Jesus about Him, and to prepare those who have trusted Him as Savior and Lord to be ready when He comes.  After all, Jesus has entrusted us with the message of His salvation.  He expects us to be multiplying it on the earth.  That is the best way for us to be found faithful when He returns! 

In 2 Corinthians 4, Paul reminds the Corinthians how important it is for us to live out our faith, and to shine His light on others.  Sometimes it is hard to see the “treasure” of Jesus in our lives, because we are “jars of clay.”  What an appropriate image.  Even when we are at our best, we still have leftover sin in our lives, and people might now see Jesus clearly.  Nevertheless, we continue to live in the power of the Holy Spirit, submitting ourselves to Him, and showing the world the new life available to all through Jesus.

In 2 Corinthians 5, Paul reminds us when we die to this life, when our “earthly tent” is destroyed, we will have a new building, eternal in the heavens.  We live in this tension every day, because as long as we live here on earth, we miss out on our eternal home in heaven.  To be present in the body is to be away from the Lord.  We have the Holy Spirit as a “deposit” of the eternal life we will enjoy.  Paul reminds us we will all appear before the judgments seat of Christ to answer for the deeds of our lives whether good or bad.  This idea of being judged for our actions bothers many, but it reminds us while our salvation is a gift, the reward in heaven comes from the good works we live in our lives in the power of the Holy Spirit. 

In the second half of the chapter, Paul reminds us God has entrusted the ministry of reconciliation to us.  We are new creatures in Jesus, and once we have been made new, we become “ambassadors for Christ,” and God makes His appeal through us.

In 2 Corinthians 6, Paul reminds the Corinthians of all the hardships he went through, because of his life in Jesus.  He then challenges the Corinthians not to be “unequally yoked” with unbelievers. This command is generally considered a command not to be married to an unbeliever, but it can also be thought of more broadly as a command not to enter into significant relationships in an ongoing way with those outside of the believing community.

In 2 Corinthians 7, Paul emphasizes his strong words for the Corinthian believers were intended to produce repentance. He makes a powerful point:  Godly sorrow produces repentance in our lives. Because of this promise, Paul was filled with joy.  In the same way, in our own lives when we have grieved God or one another, and then become aware of it, the same godly sorrow moves us to repentance, restoration and ultimately to reconciliation with God and others.

As we return to Matthew 23, Jesus pronounces seven “woes” over the Pharisees. The Greek word used to describe what Jesus was doing can literally be translated “damn you,” or “curse you,” so Jesus used the strongest language to denounce the activities and ways of the Pharisees.  At the end of the chapter, Jesus laments over Jerusalem, because of what He knows will happen in just a short time–His arrest, trial, conviction, beating and crucifixion.   

Today, we move to 2 Corinthians.  While we would assume the letter follows 1 Corinthians, most biblical scholars believe Paul wrote another letter to the Corinthian believers that we no longer have.  It would fit between the first and second letters.  Their reasoning is Paul seems to address matters that go beyond what we would assume from a reading of 1 Corinthians if 2 Corinthians were, indeed, the second letter.  In this “second” letter, Paul invests much time defending his apostleship and his ministry, which has come into question by the Corinthian believers.  While we often assume the first century church was purer than the church in our day, people have always been people.  The “flesh” continues to struggle with the Holy Spirit for leadership in our lives. The Corinthian believers show us even with a leader such as the Apostle Paul, we can still assume we know better than our leaders.  That ought not surprise us, because the disciples sometimes thought they knew better than Jesus, and He is God!

In 2 Corinthians 1, Paul’s salutation reminds the Corinthian believers of the hardships he has faced for the gospel, and that they have shared in his sufferings. After this “pleasant” introduction, Paul moves to engage the Corinthians over the reason he did not come to visit them as he had planned originally.  He points out his “Yes,” is not “Yes and no,” but “Yes.”  This is the same for Timothy.  This defense of himself continues as we move to chapter 2.

In 2 Corinthians 2, Paul becomes more direct in defending himself by saying he didn’t come when he planned, because he didn’t want to grieve them, or be grieved by them.  He goes on to tell the Corinthians it is time to forgive one of the brothers, because he had suffered enough.  Paul reminded them when they forgave anyone in Christ’s name, those forgiven also received Christ’s forgiveness, and the same was true when Paul forgave someone. In the closing portion of the chapter, Paul reminded the Corinthians they were the “aroma” of Christ.  This is a powerful image, and particularly so, because Paul told them that aroma was either an aroma of life or a stench of death, depending on whether the person breathing it in was following Jesus or perishing.

In 2 Corinthians 3, Paul offers a reminder he didn’t commend himself to the believers there, but his commendation is the Holy Spirit.  He also pointed out the surpassing glory of the Spirit’s presence and power.  He compares it to the glory of God demonstrated in Moses’ life when his face radiated after meeting with God.  He said the present glory would be much greater, because it comes from the power of the New Covenant, not the covenant of Moses, which had passed away.  What a crucial reminder for us.  We must always remember we live on the resurrection side of Easter.  God has done a new thing in and through Jesus.  Therefore, we must always live in that resurrection power through the Holy Spirit.

As we return to Matthew 22, Jesus tells the Parable of the Wedding Feast, followed by the religious leaders offering three “tests” to Jesus.  The chapter ends with Jesus raising a question for them about the Messiah’s relationship to King David.  In the Parable of the Wedding Feast, the master invites guests to come to his wedding, but no one will come.  The excuses offered by the invited guests are ridiculous.  In anger, the master invites those no one would expect, so his wedding party will be full. Jesus’ point is clear: Those one might expect to be part of His kingdom might not be, while many no one would expect to be there will.  The first “test” Jesus faced dealt with the relationship between our commitment to follow God and Caesar.  In that test Jesus responded we must give to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s.  This wasn’t an answer in the basic sense of the word, because it left open for all to interpret what Jesus meant.  What it did, though, was show the religious leaders, they had their hands full.

The second “test” came from the Sadducees, who didn’t believe in the resurrection.  They offered a scenario where one woman was married to eight brothers, one at a time.  Each of the brothers died, and finally the woman died.  The Sadducees’ question was, “Whose wife will she be in the resurrection, because each of the men were married to her?”  Jesus’ response clears up some matters for us.  He said the Sadducees were wrong, because in heaven we are neither married nor given in marriage but are “like” the angels.  He also reminded the Sadducees when God appeared to Moses in the burning bush, He told them, “I am the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,” meaning those patriarchs were alive, because God is the God of the living not the dead.

In the final “test,” Jesus was asked which commandment in the Law of Moses was greatest.  He responded quickly: to love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, soul, mind and strength. This would have been expected.  Jesus added a second commandment, which He said was like the first: Love your neighbor as yourself.  This would have surprised the religious leaders, but they couldn’t argue with it.

Finally, Jesus asked the religious leaders how the Messiah could be the descendant of David, when David wrote in the Psalms that the Messiah was his Lord?  No one had an answer for the question, and the religious leaders decided not to ask Jesus any more questions.

In 1 Corinthians 15, Paul offers one of the longest and most helpful accounts of Jesus’ resurrection and its implications for us as His followers.  Paul reminds us it is the resurrection on which our faith stands.  If Jesus has been raised then He is the Son of God, and our true Savior and Lord.  If He has not risen, as Paul puts it, “We are of all people the most to be pitied.  As the chapter continues, Paul talks about how important it is for us to understand the power of the resurrection, and to live our lives in purity before the Lord.  He also tells us about the new bodies we will receive when we rise from the dead.  1 Corinthians 15 is a chapter worth reading again and again, because of the rich information, and the rich promises it provides. 

1 Corinthians 16 closes Paul’s first letter to the Corinthian believers, and Paul commends certain leaders to the Corinthians for their acceptance and for them to follow.  Paul was never a “one-man-band.”  He constantly and consistently equipped other leaders and gave them both the authority and responsibility to carry out their ministries in ways that would best advance God’s Kingdom.  It is vital for us as Jesus’ followers to follow this model of equipping leaders who will share the good news of Jesus and continue to equip leaders for the following generations.  In this way the church will grow stronger, and the Kingdom will advance.

As we return to Matthew 21, we find Jesus’ ministry coming to a climax.  He enters triumphantly into Jerusalem on what we call Palm Sunday, and the crowds praise Him.  He drives the money changers out of the Temple for making it a “den of thieves.”  Then, the religious leaders press Him wanting to know where He derives the authority to do the kinds of things He does.  Jesus turns the tables on them and asks them where John the Baptist derived His authority?  They realized if they said it was from heaven, Jesus would ask why they didn’t believe him, but if they said it was human authority the crowds would turn on them, because they thought John was a prophet.  As a result, they said, “We don’t know.” Jesus then responded, “Neither will I tell you where I derive my authority.”

The chapter closes with Jesus telling two parables, each of which points out flaws in the religious leaders.  The first was the Parable of the Two Sons.  In the parable a man had two sons, each of whom he asked to go work in the fields.  The first said he would, but then he didn’t, while the second said he wouldn’t but then he did.  Jesus asked which of the sons did their father’s will?  The reasonable answer was the second, the one who said, “No,” but then went and worked in the field.  Jesus compared the first son to the religious leaders and the second son to the tax collectors and other sinners.  In the second parable, the Parable of the Tenants, Jesus told of a landowner who rented his vineyard out to tenants.  When it came time for the harvest, the landowner sent servants to get his share of the revenues, but the tenants mistreated them, and even killed some of them.  Finally, the landowner sent his only son, thinking they would treat him well.  Instead, they killed him, thinking they would keep the proceeds for themselves with the son out of the way.  The religious leaders realized this parable was about them, they were the tenants, and Jesus was the son.  This caused them to be more eager to be rid of Him. 

[A Happy Thanksgiving to you! God’s richest blessings on your lives.]

As we turn to 1 Corinthians 12-14, we read a unit the covers many matters regarding the Holy Spirit. First in 1 Corinthians 12, Paul tells us about spiritual gifts.  He tells us each person who is part of the body of Jesus Christ (One of Paul’s favorite images for the Church!) has been given a spiritual gift or gifts for the common good.  He reminds us as a part of the body we can’t say we don’t belong because we aren’t the part we want to be.  Nor can we exclude someone else, because they aren’t the part we want them to be.  Paul reminds us as a body, when one member suffers, we all suffer.  He also reminds us when one part is honored, the whole body rejoices.  This illustration is so powerful.  While as Americans, we tend to focus on the individual, as the body of Jesus Christ, we are to focus on how we work together.  At the end of the chapter Paul tells us to seek the “greater” gifts, but then tells us he will show us a more excellent way.

That way is revealed in 1 Corinthians 13. That way is the way of love.  Paul reminds us no matter what spiritual gifts we might display in our lives, without love we are nothing.  Paul offers a beautiful description of what the love of God in Jesus Christ is and isn’t.  He closes the chapter by reminding us we don’t have the full picture now, but we must not act as children.  We must live in love as fully as we can, and when Jesus returns, we will understand the fullness of His love.

1 Corinthians 14 starts with Paul’s explanation of the importance of tongues.  Many have misunderstood the importance of tongues, some overemphasizing their use as a sign that a person is a “true” believer, while others say tongues was only for the apostolic age.  Paul makes a powerful statement by saying he wished everyone spoke in tongues as he did, and then adding, but in worship he would rather offer five intelligible words than a thousand words in tongues.  This is crucial: tongues are for the building up of the individual in his or her relationship with God, unless the message offered is interpreted and can be used to benefit the body.  As Paul concludes the chapter he talks about propriety in worship. He offers an example of how worship ought to look. One aspect of His explanation has been misinterpreted down through the centuries. In quoting what had been sent to him by the Corinthians, Paul wrote, “As in all the congregations of the saints, ³⁴women should remain silent in the churches. They are not allowed to speak, but must be in submission, as the Law says. ³⁵If they want to inquire about something, they should ask their own husbands at home; for it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in the church.1 Corinthians 14:33a-35 (NIV) Only the King James Version offers an accurate translation of the next verse. It starts, “What?” As in “Are you kidding?” As we read the remainder of the passage, Paul makes it clear what he has taught about women in worship is what needs to happen.  Back in chapter 11, Paul said women must have their heads covered in worship when they pray or prophesy.  That certainly means they were permitted to speak, so it makes no sense that most English translations leave out the “What?” that starts verse 36.  When we add it, it becomes clear Paul was not prohibiting women from speaking in worship but clearing up the Corinthians’ misunderstanding.

As we return to Matthew 20, Jesus tells the Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard.  In the parable, a vineyard owner hires workers at various times throughout a day, telling the first ones he would pay them a denarius, and those whom he hired later he would pay them what was fair.  At the end of the day, he paid the workers, starting with the ones who had only worked an hour. He gave them a denarius.  When he got to the workers who had worked all day, he also paid them a denarius.  They were upset, because he was “unfair.”  The vineyard owner pointed out he was giving them what they agreed as their wage at the beginning of the day.  He added if he wanted to be generous to those who worked less, what was that to them?  The story points out that some will only serve in the Kingdom of heaven a short time, and yet will receive eternal rewards.  That is because of the generosity of our Master.

Jesus then told the disciples a third time he was going to be crucified.  This time the mother of James and John came and asked Jesus if her sons could sit at his right and left in His kingdom?  What a question!  When the rest of the disciples heard about it, they were furious.  Most likely their fury came because they hadn’t thought of asking, and because they wanted a better position.  Jesus ended the conversation by reminding them all the greatest in God’s Kingdom are those who serve the most.

The chapter ends with Jesus healing two blind men.  Jesus told the men it was their faith that healed them.  As we have noted before, sometimes Jesus heals based on the faith of those being healed, sometimes based on the faith of others, and sometimes as a gift and demonstration of His Kingdom power and authority.  Whatever the reason, His miraculous works demonstrate the reality of God’s Kingdom coming to the earth.

In 1 Corinthians 10, Paul starts by “reminding” the people from Israel’s history the great detriment of sexual immorality.  I put “reminding” in quotes, because the Corinthian believers were mainly from a pagan background.  Paul was incorporating Jewish history into their collective memories and pointing out that as in the past when God’s people had turned to sexual immorality and it ended badly, so would it in the present day.  He concluded this discussion with a reminder God always provides a way out for us when we are tempted.  Next, Paul moved on to comment on the importance of not indulging in idolatry.  He related his comments to the importance of maintaining the purity of the Lord’s Supper, and to being certain we don’t combine it with elements of idolatrous or demonic worship.  Finally, Paul reminded us that our freedoms in Jesus ought never be used to cause another believer to stumble.  Paul reminded us consistently to think of the response of our brothers and sisters to our actions.  Not that we ought to base our actions on what they think, but our actions ought not lead them away from Jesus.

As 1 Corinthians 11 begins, Paul offers a conclusion to his words in chapter 10: Follow my example as I follow the example of Christ.  What a powerful truth.  When we watch other Jesus followers, it is crucial for us to examine whether they are, indeed, following Jesus’ example.  If they are, then we are to follow them.  If they are not, then we must not follow their example.  As the chapter continues, Paul speaks about propriety in worship.  While his comments might seem strange to us, because he tells women they need to have their heads covered in worship, and when they pray and prophesy in worship.  He tells men not to cover their heads.  He then relates all that to the order of creation, and the roles of men and women.  While the details are for the culture of that time, the principle remains: When we lead in worship, we are to be prepared to honor God in what we do and how we do it.  The chapter closes with Paul’s correction of the Corinthian’s behavior in participating in the Lord’s Supper.  Their practices had been shameful.  Because the Lord’s Supper was combined with their eating a meal together, and this took place in meetings in their homes after work, some were arriving early and eating all the food and drinking all the wine, leaving the latecomers without anything.  Paul reminded the Corinthian believers their practices were dishonoring God, and when we dishonor God by eating the bread and drinking the cup in an unworthy manner, the result can be illness and even death. 

As we return to Matthew 19, the religious leaders come to Jesus and ask Him about divorce.  Jesus makes it clear divorce was not part of God’s original plan but was permitted because of human hardness of heart.  He went on to say, the only legitimate reason for divorce is adultery.  He also added, “What the Lord has joined let no one separate.  Next, Jesus had to admonish the disciples for trying to keep parents from bringing children to Him to bless them.  Finally, a rich young man comes to Jesus seeking His answer for how one obtains eternal life.  Jesus tells the man to obey the Law of Moses. The man tells Jesus he has done that since his youth.  Jesus then tells the man he lacked only one thing–he needed to go and sell everything he owned, give it to the poor, and he would have riches in heaven.  Then he could come and follow Jesus.  The man wouldn’t do it.  He went away sad, because he was extremely wealthy.  As the chapter closes Jesus uses this experience to remind the disciples the Kingdom of heaven works on different economics than the world.  When we give up worldly goods, we multiple our blessings in the Kingdom of heaven.  Only when we put God first does that happen, so the best place for us to be is in the will of God, because when we are, He promises to care for our ultimate needs.