Matthew 18:21-35

Let’s remember to pray for Jim and Marty – Debbie and Julie too (arriving home today)!

“Notice what you notice.” First point, a numbers thing – my Study Bible said that one talent was worth 20 years wages for a laborer. So 10,000 talents would be worth 10,000 x 20 x 365 denarii, equal to 73 million denarii. Or if they don’t work on the Sabbath, then 6/7 times 73 million denarii. Compare either number to 100 denarii!

What I noticed in this reading was the word “torturers” in verse 34 (“torturers” in the NKJV and NASB, “jailers” in the ESV). I wonder how someone in jail or being tortured is able to raise the cash to pay the debt. But when the debt is so huge (10,000 talents), this must have been a well-to-do servant, someone who could find a way to pay off that huge debt if he were given enough time. That is, I imagine a servant with his own vast holdings of property, for which he had borrowed extensively to buy, and he was highly leveraged.

So I’m imagining that the servant had collateral that he would have had to sell in order to pay off his debt to the king. It’s why he asked for delay and he would pay it all. But even if that scenario is true and he could pay it off over time, the king simply forgave him that huge debt sum, with no expectation of the servant having to ever pay it off – which, if this scenario could be true would have made the servant a wealthy man in his own right. That scenario makes his demands for payment of the lesser debt even more troubling – to demand payment of 100 denarii when you’ve just been gifted 73 million denarii!!

But let’s not forget the header to the story. The Kingdom of Heaven is being compared to this generous, merciful king. The King of Heaven can forgive huge wrongs if we are truly repentant. Let’s not forget that first half of the story! The King of Heaven can forgive huge wrongs, period!! The forgiven servant and the second debtor just adds another layer to the story. Our Lord can forgive us anything we have ever done, period!

But maybe, just maybe, that second debtor is ourselves, …if <we> forgive <ourselves> from <our> heart. (v. 35)

Slava Bohu!

Matthew 18:15-20

Let’s remember to pray for Jim and Marty – Debbie and Julie too (leaving today, coming home tomorrow)!

“Notice what you notice.” It seems like I’m running into a lot of confusing statements these days. Today is another. Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. (v. 19) So if a couple of us agree on something, it should be done, yes? But I know that more than a couple of us would agree to ask for complete healing for brother Jim without the need for any surgery or even any more chemo. But I don’t see that kind of healing happening much. And yes, I know that it’s a bigger world out there and I don’t know the full implications of anything for which I might be praying; the Father knows best what is in my or our best interests and will act accordingly. So Jesus’ statement leaves me confused. What is He really saying?

I think the clue is in the next sentence: For where two or three are gathered in My name, there am I among them. (v. 20) If two of us are agreeing with something that we are asking, it must be the case that we are together “in Christ”. And if so, because two or more of us are gathered “in Christ”, then He is in the midst of us. And if He is truly in the midst of us and is speaking to us, then if we hear Him we would most certainly agree with Him. And because He is in the Father and the Father is in Him (John 14:10, 11, 20), He will know the Father’s will and will speak to our hearts accordingly. That’s why we end our “asking” prayers with “…not my will, but your will be done”. We can’t go wrong if we end our prayers with that phrase. My thoughts…

Slava Bohu!

Luke 16:19-31

Let’s continue to remember to pray for Jim and Marty – Debbie and Julie too (coming home Wednesday)!

“Notice what you notice.” This story is so familiar to me that it’s hard to see something new. But there is one thing that I’ve always wondered. Is Jesus telling us in this story of the reality of Heaven and Hell? That these are real places, that they do exist…! Or is it more a parable using then-current Jewish understandings of life after death?

The rich man had five brothers. I also have five brothers and relative to billions of people around the world I am very rich. Immediate ouch…! But three of my brothers are believers – at various levels and in different denominations – while two are not. Carol and I and others of my siblings are actively “working on” one of the brothers, Dickie, while we seldom hear from the fifth (Ron), the one who was absent from the family for a couple of years some 4+ decades ago. If Jesus is sharing a real truth about Heaven and Hell, I fear for the outcome my two wayward brothers might encounter. But from childhood they have known that Someone has in fact risen from the dead and as Paul says in Romans 1:20, “They are without excuse…”. Carol also has two wayward brothers, Roger and Mark. All four are regularly on our prayer list. So the point of all this rambling…? Do you have wayward relatives for whom you need to be praying more intently? They may also be “without excuse”, but they should not be without intervening prayer!

Slava Bohu!

Luke 16:9-18

Let’s continue to remember to pray for Jim and Marty – Debbie and Julie too (coming home Wednesday)!

“Notice what you notice.” “…unrighteous mammon…” (vv. 9, 11) is a confusing construction. The ESV notes say that the Greek word is “mammon”, which means money or possessions and is translated as money in verse 13. The word “unrighteous” seems a bit harsh. Seems like a better translation would be “worldly wealth”. Either way, Jesus does not in any way condemn worldly wealth, but advises us on how best to use it – make friends, but don’t let your quest for money replace your service to God.

Luke writes in verse 14 that the Pharisees were lovers of money and ridiculed Jesus for his treatment of “worldly wealth”. Every one of us has a bit of Pharisee in our hearts. We may not have a major focus on our wealth, but we would rather have more money than less money. And money problems for a single person or a family can lead to a whole host of other problems. I think Jesus is saying that it’s all a matter of perspective – how hard we seek it and what we do with it when we have it. We don’t talk much about money from the pulpit at St. Andrew’s. Our standard is the Biblical tithe and most people understand that. We give generously, especially to needy causes (note our recent experiences with the Odubenas) and typically leave our budget in surplus most years. But even with our generosity, at Vestry meetings we are regularly talking about other things that we would like to do if we had a larger budget. It’s hard to get away from a “love of money”, even when your heart is “right”.

Slava Bohu!

Luke 16:1-8

Let’s continue to remember to pray for Jim and Marty – Debbie and Julie also!

I wonder at why I truncated today’s reading at verse 8. It would have made more sense to read verses 1-13. But I’ll leave my comments to the first eight verses.

“Notice what you notice.” I had the same thought in today’s reading as the notes in my Study Bible. One person owed 100 and the steward said to pay 50; another owed 100 and the steward said to pay 80. My thought was that this happens today when people get in over their head with credit card debt. Debtors can negotiate directly with credit card companies or through agencies and have their debts reduced if they set up payment plans and begin to pay off their debts right away. Much credit card debt is accumulated interest (at 20+%!), so the credit card companies are not really losing anything except that accumulated interest. For them it makes sense to collect at least the original indebtedness and lose the interest instead of losing the entire debt. My Study Bible notes hinted at the same thing, that the original debts may have been overcharged and that the steward was simply asking the debtors to pay the correct amounts.

Verse 8a says The master commended the dishonest manager for his shrewdness. So I wonder if the master changed his mind and kept the steward on, especially given my Study Bible notes and my thoughts above? But that doesn’t really matter – it’s easy to forget that Jesus is telling His disciples a parable to make a particular point; He is not talking about a real-life situation. But His conclusion in this parable in verse 8b is intriguing: For the sons of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than the sons of light. When Jesus talks about “this world”, He is typically speaking of it in contrast to His Kingdom. He seldom has anything good to say about “this world”, so I would think that His phrase, “the sons of this world” suggests evildoers – robbers, cheats, thieves. So effectively He is saying that His disciples (and His future followers?) are not very “world-wise”, especially compared to the worldly connivers. I am really uncertain as to what He means here. Blessed ignorance…

Slava Bohu!

Luke 15:20-32

Let’s continue to remember to pray for Jim and Marty – Debbie and Julie also!

“Notice what you notice.” All too often it seems that I can see the Pharisees’ perspectives when they have difficulties with Jesus. And now today I find myself sympathizing with the older brother. He was probably very angry at his younger brother for demanding his share of the family wealth and horribly offended when his father fulfilled the younger son’s request. So the younger son’s return was not a happy time for him. Even the father’s pleas for the older son to receive the younger might have fallen deaf on my ears. I think I hold resentments too closely within me.

But I also have an unusual perspective on the younger son. For a couple of years (at least two Christmases) one of my (step-) brothers went missing. I can distinctly remember my (step-) mother crying each of those Christmases. Finally another of my brothers found hints of where he might be and went to look for him. He found him and persuaded him to return to the family. He came back to the family some months later, but was never comfortable. He felt like we in the family hated him for his taking off and staying out of touch. He had not “robbed the family’s resources”, but his absence had had a profound effect on his relationships with each of the rest of us. I suspect the younger son shared some of those same feelings. He returned completely repentant, but I doubt that the father’s love and the many “gifts” bestowed to the younger son could overcome his guilt at what he had put the family through. He was probably as afraid to meet his older brother as his older brother was angry at his return.

I agree with Jim R. that it’s a powerful story – probably my favorite parable. There are so many Biblical truths we can bring to bear – especially God’s love and mercy. And even though Jesus told this as a parable, a story, we all know that a similar reality has happened thousands / millions of times in families across the USA and around the world. “Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Thy faithful and enkindle in them the fire of Your love.” (A prayer from my Catholic childhood…)

Slava Bohu!

Luke 15:11-19

Let’s continue to remember to pray for Jim and Marty – Debbie and Julie also!

“Notice what you notice.” Yes, I intentionally split the story of the Prodigal Son into two parts. And yes, it was because I wanted to keep all our readings under twenty verses (even though we’ve already failed in that respect). But it also presents us with a challenge. Reading only through verse 19 and not knowing the rest of the story, we could – as Jesus’ listeners did – wonder how it would end. The son has come to his senses – repented in his heart. Will he carry it through or have second thoughts on his way home? And if he continues, how will his father receive him? With warm affection or anger and judgment…? And what about the older brother? Will he be glad to see his younger brother or will he be angry with him for wasting the family’s resources – his own future! So, let’s read it again, only up through verse 19 and let the Holy Spirit speak to you.

Wealth (NASB), property (ESV), livelihood (NKJV)… Three different translations of the same Greek word, with three different meanings. Although we tend to think of property as something physical, especially land, that doesn’t make sense in this context. In verse 12b (ESV) the father is dividing his property between his sons, which could be land holdings. But then in verse 13b (ESV) the son squandered his property in reckless living. It doesn’t sound like “property” in this verse is land. Wealth could include property, but it is also more general and could easily be precious metals and cash balances that could be more easily divided – and more easily squandered. The third meaning, livelihood, puts the biggest bite on the father. Imagine the father’s livelihood being his flock of sheep, then selling one-third of the flock (the older brother would inherit twice what the younger brother would get) to meet his younger son’s request. Clearly the father’s livelihood has been reduced. Whatever meaning you choose, the son has dealt his father a mean blow.

Slava Bohu!

Luke 15:1-10

Let’s continue to remember to pray for Jim and Marty – Debbie and Julie also!

“Notice what you notice.” Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him. And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled… (vv. 1-2a) I’m trying to picture the dynamic between these sinners and “saints”. I can see the Pharisees and scribes tailing Jesus from a distance, not wanting to appear to be too interested, but more than willing to challenge Him if an occasion arose. Then imagine their increased scorn when sinners throng to Him…!

My Study Bible suggested that Jesus may have been speaking with irony when He said …there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance (v. 7). As I think about it, I can agree that Jesus was speaking ironically – there is NO ONE who does not need repentance. It may be that the scribes and Pharisees had set themselves above the sinners, but in God’s eyes they (and we) are all sinners in need of repentance.

Finally, I always imagine the scribes and Pharisees to be a wealthier lot, people who might be owning 100 sheep, but certainly not tending them. So I can’t imagine they could relate much to the love a shepherd might have for that one missing sheep. Also, I can’t imagine them having only ten silver coins and losing one. Maybe 10,000 silver coins and losing 1,000, but that’s a different perspective. Bottom line – it’s clear to me that this parable was meant for the sinners and not the “saints”. So, fellow sinners, take a lesson!

Slava Bohu!

Matthew 18:10-14

Let’s continue to remember to pray for Jim and Marty – Debbie and Julie also!

“Notice what you notice.” So it is not the will of My Father Who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish. (v. 14) This verse (along with John 6:39) always speaks to me. The Father wants to lose NONE of His little children. My (step-)mother was killed in a car-train wreck, but my 19-year-old younger brother lived. He was not wearing a seat belt and ended up with two broken ribs, a punctured lung, and burns over 25% of his body. Within a week of that accident I was reading John 6:37-40 and was convinced that my mother was in Heaven but that my younger brother was not killed because he was not ready to go. Some twenty years later he did come to the Lord and remains with Him today. Our Father is patient with us. I am (mostly) convinced that He will not take us if we are not already His – until He knows that our heart is stone cold and would never turn.

A second item that touched me was “…their angels in heaven…” (v. 10). I’ve always believed in “guardian angels”. Maybe losing a mother at age 4 locked me into “all things heaven” at an early age. But I think having our own children solidified that belief. Carol and I had an awareness that we were limited in how well we could care for them and protect them and have always trusted in our Lord and His angels to watch over them. The end of that verse is particularly powerful: …their angels in heaven continually see the face of My Father who is in heaven. These guardian angels are in constant contact with our Father. What a blessed thought – a thought that is enormously mind-boggling, to imagine how it all comes together. Guardian angels with us 100% of the time, who are also before the Father’s face “continually”, and He Himself is watching over us 100% of the time. GLORY!!

Slava Bohu!