Jacobs Thoughts and Doings

As Jesus and his disciples were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed him. Two blind men were sitting by the roadside, and when they heard that Jesus was going by, they shouted, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!”  The crowd rebuked them and told them to be quiet, but they shouted all the louder, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!”

 Jesus stopped and called them. “What do you want me to do for you?” he asked.  “Lord,” they answered, “we want our sight.” Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes. Immediately they received their sight and followed him.

Matthew 20:29 – 34

On this, his last Pentecost, Jesus did not pass through Samaria but entered Judea on his way to Jerusalem from the east, through Jericho.  Jesus knew what lay before him – praise, denial, scorn and finally the Cross.  No shoulders ever carried a heavier burden. He was giving his life to ransom sinners, like you and me.

The disciples must have sensed this as they left Jericho in the valley, then up the great mountain to Jerusalem.  Jesus’ hour had come.  Jesus was carrying weight unknown to mankind.  Neither the great crowd nor his disciples knew what lay before him. Jesus knew.

As they left Jericho, surrounded by a large crowd, there along the road two blind men had their own needs.  They were not aware of the load that Jesus was carrying.  Here was their chance so they cried out for healing and they would not be silenced by the large crowd.  Jesus stopped and called them. “What do you want me to do for you?” he asked.  “Lord,” they answered, “we want our sight.” Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes. Immediately they received their sight and followed him.

My heart is touched by the Lord’s compassion.  It is the strongest in the universe.  I, too, was along the way when Jesus touched me, blind but healed.  Why he should have stopped in front of me baffles me, but it was surely because he had compassion on me.  Who can explain that?  I and all believers just know it, experience it and live in its glory.

The Cross declares the compassion of Jesus Christ. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. Isaiah 53:5 It was for me, and you, not for himself.  Those wounds that we peer upon this Lentin Season heals us, now and for all eternity.

Praise God, Jesus touched our blind spiritual eyes and gave us an entirely new way of looking at life.  Jesus’ blessed eyes closed in death a few days later, on the Cross. Because of that we can see!

Because of that we can see!

We have been experiencing a rather snow less winter this year.  Imagine our surprise when,  yesterday, March 9, it snowed about three inches.  A fine day but the snow pretty much melted.  So it is in March. We recalled Alan’s birth on March 9, in New York City in the midst of a six inch snow storm.  A great memory that we could share with Alan at our monthly meal.

Now Jesus was going up to Jerusalem. On the way, he took the Twelve aside and said to them, “We are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death and will hand him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified. On the third day, he will be raised to life!”

Matthew 20:17 – 19

As believers in our Lord Jesus Christ we must get used to things that, from the human point of view, do not make much sense.  This is a good example, I think.  Jesus is talking almost incessantly about the coming of his long-promised Kingdom of Heaven that is now appearing.  Dear reader, who could imagine a king inaugurating his reign like this?  I have never heard the like in all my study of history.  This does not sound like a king at all.

How can this be?  They will condemn him to death and will hand him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified.  His fellow Jews, their most holy people, their chief priests and teachers of the law will condemn him to death!  Kill the king?  That is what we read.  His fellow Jews reject him, with vehemence, not only rejecting him but determined to hand him over to the Roman Gentiles who will mock, flog and crucify him with their gleeful consent and urging.

Who can imagine such a thing?  Is this the way Jesus is establishing his kingdom on the earth?  The answer is a resounding, yes!  Kings conquer and rule, do they not? Jesus is tortured mercilessly and hung on a cross – destroyed.

It is no wonder that so many people find Jesus an enigma.  Kings do not act like that!

Getting back to Jesus’ own words – the cross is not the end of the story but the beginning!  He declares as he faces going up to Jerusalem to be crucified that, On the third day, he will be raised to life!”  God’s ways are not our ways!  We need the help of the Spirit of God to even begin to understand all this.  We stand in awe and worship.  This is new!  New yeast has entered the dough.  It is Lent.

“For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard.  He agreed to pay them a denarius for the day and sent them into his vineyard. “About nine in the morning he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing.  He told them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.’  So, they went.

“He went out again about noon and about three in the afternoon and did the same thing.  About five in the afternoon he went out and found still others standing around. He asked them, ‘Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?’  “‘Because no one has hired us,’ they answered.

“He said to them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard.’ “When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the workers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last ones hired and going on to the first.’

 “The workers who were hired about five in the afternoon came and each received a denarius. So, when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more. But each one of them also received a denarius. When they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner. ‘These who were hired last worked only one hour,’ they said, ‘and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day.’

“But he answered one of them, ‘I am not being unfair to you, friend. Didn’t you agree to work for a denarius? Take your pay and go. I want to give the one who was hired last the same as I gave you. Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?’

 “So, the last will be first, and the first will be last.”

Matthew 20:1 – 16

At first glance, this story about what seems like an injustice seems out of place, we might say. Jesus is facing the Cross, only a few days left.  What is he getting at?  Is this story about wages important?  It must be or Jesus would not have said, “The kingdom of heaven is like (this).”  Once again, he speaks and teaches about this new thing, the kingdom of heaven that he came to establish.

In this kingdom, or scenario, we hear the owner say, “Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?” 

First, if we discern the Lord’s word, his grace does not work like one might expect.  When we think of getting paid, it is for our work.  Grace is different. It is a free gift, based on one’s relationship with God.

We receive our reward without judging others.  I can see the disciples expecting something for their efforts.  They have given up three years of their lives to minister with Jesus.  It seems right that they should be paid for that.

Their thinking indicates that they believe that they should be rewarded for their work.  In the kingdom of heaven reward is in the hands of the One who is full of grace and is not pay for work we have done.

As I read this story I am confused – it seems so wrong to pay one person a dollar, so to speak, for day’s work and another a dollar for only one hour’s work.  Yet, that is exactly what this story wants to make clear.  In the kingdom of heaven each worker is loved by the king.  That love is for all, equally.

The truth of this comes out as Jesus establishes the kingdom of heaven.  Had I been a Jew at the time I would have reminded God that we Jews have labored for two thousand years.  Just read the Old Testament to see that. Is it fair that Gentiles who give their hearts to Jesus are just as beloved as the Jews?

I am not sure if Jesus had this in mind at all, but it is a major issue in his teaching about the kingdom of heaven.  All believers are rewarded, old ones and new ones, Jews or Gentiles, rich or poor.  I believe that is what Jesus is preparing his disciples to experience, which, of course, they did!

I have a soft spot in my heart for the Mennonite Church in Tanzania and am pleased that they will ordain five new bishops later this month. The two on the ends with purple shirts welcome the newcomers.  I understand that the selection of new ones was peaceful and full of grace.  Makes my heart rejoice.  I am not sure but I believe there are maybe 75,000 in the church now and they are spreading into new areas.  When I left Tanzania in 1967 there were about 3,500!  I was their last white bishop!

When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, “Who then can be saved?”  Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”  Peter answered him, “We have left everything to follow you! What then will there be for us?” 

Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first.

Matthew 19:27 – 30

Two questions, two answers.  All difficult.  First, “Who then can be saved?”  The disciples could hardly believe what Jesus was teaching.  We all depend on something that has nothing to do with God, like our abilities and achievements.  Jesus knew that.  Human nature tries to do without God at all, except as a myth or weak hope.  The rich young ruler had all in order.  He needed no help, no salvation.   He had everything a Jewish man could desire, a paragon of what it means to be a Jew.  If he, in the sight of God, is lost, what of all human achievements?  Are we not all like him?  It seems absurd to admit that all those achievements are useless in God’s eyes, that we need to come to him impoverished, poor indeed, crying out for salvation.

The second question follows, “We have left everything to follow you! What then will there be for us?”  In a sense, when they became Christ’s disciples they gave up everything and for three years lived depending entirely on the grace of Jesus.  As disciples of Jesus they did not receive a wage.  That meant that while they were following Jesus their friends were earning good livings.  They were left out.  It is not strange that, as they reflected on that, they asked the most normal question possible, “What will there be for us?”  In a sense, Jesus hired them for three years, now it is time for Jesus to pay them for their services to him.  Not so?

Jesus knew that they gave up three productive years to serve Him.  Humanly speaking, their question was as predictable as the rising of the sun.  The disciples knew that Jesus had no money, no lands to give, no political power to spread among his followers.  That makes their question more compelling because they could see no benefit at all in following Christ.  Their question breathed despair.

What was Jesus’ answer to their gnawing question?  And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life.  We are not told what the disciples thought about that.  My guess is, it stretched them to even think in these terms.  What about now, they must have surely thought.

I am realizing more and more that I am like this rich young ruler.  I hear Jesus say, just follow me, depend on me entirely.   This dejected fellow left Jesus sad.  I praise his name forever for the gift of rejoicing, knowing that he saves me to the uttermost.

Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly I tell you, it is hard for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven.  Again, I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”

Matthew 19:23, 24

Reflecting on his conversation with the young man whose search for wealth was more important than his search for eternal life, Jesus touched a doleful note that he shared with his beloved disciples.  “Truly I tell you, it is hard for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven.”  I am convinced that Jesus is not talking about money and lands, but about the universal human temptation to depend on anything that makes salvation a minor matter.

While I admit that monetary wealth has its problems, the problem Jesus is talking about is anything that keeps me from depending entirely on God.  For me, that may be my self-sufficiency or may be depending on others to help me to survive.

I do not think of myself as having great earthly riches but I do have things that I am tempted to depend on that have nothing to do with forgiveness and the grace of God.   I cuddle “my riches” and use any talents or gifts I have, to enable me to be self-sufficient, hardly needing God or salvation at all.  It is well for each of us to think a bit about what we really do depend on, about “my riches.”  It might surprise us what those riches are.

As this Lenten Season begins, I do well to bow before my Savior and Lord and once again, plead for his grace to embrace me.  All the things I depend on will fall away as I give myself anew to Jesus Christ.