OUR FATHER WHO IS IMPOSSIBLE TO PLEASE WITHOUT FAITH

The Lord Jesus, in Matthew chapter 20 verses 1 - 16, gave His disciples a view into the administration, hiring practices and compensation policies of the kingdom of heaven by using a parable.

A landowner, needing work to be done in His vineyard, went out first thing in the morning to the labor pool and made an agreement with a batch of the workers that they would work for the whole day in the vineyard in exchange for a denarius which if converted to todayˋs currency, would about 60 USD.

1 “For the kingdom of heavens like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. 2 Now when he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard.

So far, we see a number of workers on standby and from this pool, at the crack of dawn, the administrator selects those he would use for the day. He formally agrees to the wage for the day and then sends them into his fields.

3 And he went out about the third hour and saw others standing idle in the marketplace, 4 and said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you.’ So they went. 5 Again he went out about the sixth and the ninth hour, and did likewise. 6 And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing idle, and said to them, ‘Why have you been standing here idle all day?’ 7 They said to him, ‘Because no one hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right you will receive.’

After a few hours, the adminstrator, having seen the work progressing satisfactorily in his field, goes back to the labor pool at 9:00 AM and sees workers lingering around so he instructed them to go into his fields in exchange for a wage that was right. 

Seeing that the additions to his labor force were doing well, he left them and brought additional unemployed workers at noon and then again at 3:00 PM. He then made one more trip to the labor pool at 5:00 PM and found some stragglers and he hired them for the final hour of the work day.

At quitting time, some of the workers had done 12 hours of work, other had done 9, others 6, others 3 and the final group had done 1 hour of work.

8 “So when evening had come, the owner of the vineyard said to his steward, ‘Call the laborers and give them their wages, beginning with the last to the first.’ 9 And when those came who were hired about the eleventh hour, they each received a denarius. 10 But when the first came, they supposed that they would receive more; and they likewise received each a denarius. 11 And when they had received it, they complained against the landowner, 12 saying, ‘These last men have worked only one hour, and you made them equal to us who have borne the burden and the heat of the day.’

When the time came to give everyone their dayˋs wages, the administrator got his assistant to summon everyone and starting with the ones who came last, pay them what was owed.

The workers who had worked for the last hour of the day got a denarius for their wage which was 60 USD for the hour of work they did. 

The men who worked all day thought that their own wages would be bumped up because they had sweated through the tough part of the day but when they got paid, they recieved the wage of a denarius to which they had agreed in the morning.

The men felt it was unfair and complained to the landowner that they had been short-changed  having worked for so long only to recieve the same wage as the ones who showed up in the last hour.

The landowner pointed out to the complainants that he was paying them exactly what they had agreed to that morning and so they were not being short-changed. He told them that being the landowner, he had the right to do with his own property what he wanted and in this case, he wanted to give the last worker a denarius.

13 But he answered one of them and said, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? 14 Take what is yours and go your way. I wish to give to this last man the same as to you. 15 Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with my own things? Or is your eye evil because I am good?’ 

The amplified version translates verse 15 in a way that is a easier to understand because the word ˋenviousˋ is more specific than the word ˋevilˋ ;  

15 Am I not lawfully permitted to do what I choose with what is mine? Or is your eye envious because I am generous?’

The landowner asked the complainants to judge between them to conclude who was contravening the law. On his part, the money was his and there was no law that prevented him from giving it to whomever he chose. On the other hand, those who complained were being motivated by envy which was definitely a contravention of the 10th commandment found in the book of Exodus chapter 20 verse 17;

 “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”

There are two conclusions to the parable listed by the Lord in verse 16;

16 So the last will be first, and the first last. For many are called, but few chosen.”

The first is that in the kingdom of heaven, everything is inverted from the systems of this world. Those who would lead must be the lowest servants. Those who would be at the table of honor must go to the childrenˋs table. Those who would be at the front of the line must go to the end of the line. Those who are last, will be first.

The second is that in the kingdom of heaven, a large number of people are called to be in the pool of workers but few are chosen out of that pool to be actual workers in the fields of the Lord. Those who donˋt give up and stay in the pool even when most of the day is done are rewarded with a full days wage. The ability to be tenatious and wait in the face of being passed up over and over again is the ticket that is being looked for in the kingdom of heaven. 

Faith (which the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen), is what the waiting workers are operating on. They hope for wages on which to live and they are waiting at dawn with the rest of the workers but they are passed up. They remain waiting through the 3rd, 6th, and 9th hour and they are assured of things that are not visible from the perspective of the natural realm and so they linger on till the 11th hour when they are finally hired.

This faith is the valuable commodity that the Lord is seeking and compensates those who lived by it and developed it to highest degree.

Just as the landowner used his own discretionary authority to pay the people who clung on to the end of the day a full days wage because he was pleased by their tenacity, the Lord, pleased by the faith of those who are on the sidelines but remain in the hope of being hired, will reward them out of His own goodness.

The Lord mentions this faith that He is seeking in Luke chapter 18 verse 8 Amp;

8 I tell you that He will defend and avenge them quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find [this kind of persistent] faith on the earth?”

Have mercy on us O God.

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OUR FATHER WHOSE KINGDOM IS A PEARL OF GREAT PRICE TO THOSE WHO CAN DISCERN IT

After the rich young ruler had left having asked about eternal life and not getting the answer he wanted, Jesus in Matthew chapter 19 verses 23 - 30 commented on the difficulty of entering the kingdom of heaven when a person was wealthy in this world. He compared the attempt to bring a rich man into the kingdom of heaven with the effort needed to push a camel through the eye of the needle. 

Some people have suggested that the eye of a needle was a reference to a narrow gate in the city wall. The idea is that the narrow gate was like a turnstile through which people could enter the city one at a time with the cityˋs security officers being able to easily track who was accessing the city. This security gate, designed for human pedestrians in single file, would not be easily accessed by a larger creature like a camel but if it was going to be tried, the camel would have to be stripped of all its baggage and saddlery and be physically contorted before being squeezed through into the city

Whether the eye of the needle being referenced by Jesus was a narrow gate or the slot of an actual needle, the concept is that a rich man is often attached to many things that act as hinderances to entry into the kingdom of heaven. 

23 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”

25 When His disciples heard it, they were greatly astonished, saying, “Who then can be saved?”

26 But Jesus looked at them and said to them, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

The disciples, having perhaps themselves perceived wealth as desirable to have, were taken aback at these words. If those who were rich and those who aspired to be rich were excluded from entry into the kingdom of heaven, who then remained as possible candidates?

The apostle Peter, realising that he and the other disciples were already were like the camels who had been stripped of their baggage when they gave up their careers and their family lives to follow Jesus, asked Him what they would be entitled to based on their sacrifice.

27 Then Peter answered and said to Him, “See, we have left all and followed You. Therefore what shall we have?”

 The Lord Jesus assured Peter and the other disciples that their sacrifices would not be in vain and in fact would be renumerated at a 10,000% interest rate.

At the event called the regeneration with Jesus on the throne of His glory, the disciples who followed Him would be ruling the twelve tribes of Israel alongside Him from their own thrones.

28 So Jesus said to them, “Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29 And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My name’s sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life. 30 But many who are first will be last, and the last first.

The Lord, in His assurance, included all of the other people who gave up their lives and treasure to follow Him. 

What they gave up would be returned to them a hundred fold and they would inherit eternal life.

Sadly, had the rich young ruler surrendered his earthly wealth and followed Jesus, he would have been compensated for his exchange at a rate of 10,000% and he would have attained the eternal life he had been seeking all his life but he passed on the trade because he could not give up what he could see to gain what he could not see.

We can contrast the rich young ruler to the merchant described in the parable of the pearl of great price in Matthew chapter 13 verses 45 - 46.  In the case of the merchant, after discovering a pearl of extremely high value (representing the kingdom of heaven), he dissolved all his holdings in order to lay hold of the prize.

Amen.

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 OUR FATHER WHO MADE A WAY TO ETERNAL LIFE FOR THOSE WHO SEEK

The young man, having heard of Jesusˋ spiritual teaching about the kingdom of heaven, recognized that Jesus was an authority on a question that he had pondered all his life so he took an opportunity that arose and he approached Jesus with an honorific of  ˋGood Teacherˋ.

Matthew chapter 19 verses 16 - 22 records this encounter that the Lord Jesus had with the young man who approached Him to ask what righteous actions he could take to gain eternal life for himself.

The Lord Jesus replied to the young manˋ question by first rectifying the error He had made in calling a person whom he thought was a teacher, ˋGoodˋ. Jesus reminded the man that only God is good and so he should not have used the term unless He knew that Jesus was God.

Jesus then explained that to enter into life, he only needed to keep the commandments.

The man responded to Jesusˋ  answer by asking which specific commandments of the one written in the scriptures he needed to keep. 

16 Now behold, one came and said to Him, “Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?”

17 So He said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.”

18 He said to Him, “Which ones?” Jesus said, “‘You shall not murder,’ ‘You shall not commit adultery,’ ‘You shall not steal,’ ‘You shall not bear false witness,’ 19 ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ ”

Jesus narrowed it down for the young man by listing five of the ten commandments and then he summarized this list with the one primal law, ˋYou shall love your neighbor as yourselfˋ. 

The earnest man responded by saying that from when he was a child he had never broken any of those commandments but he knew in his heart that he was still short of the standard and so he pressed Jesus further by asking him what was still missing from the equation that made him feel perpetually unassured of eternal life.

20 The young man said to Him, “All these things I have kept from my youth. What do I still lack?”

21 Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”

22 But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.

The Lord Jesus diagnosed the young manˋs uncertainty problem. He had kept the commandments with the understanding that doing so would acquire the standing to enter eternal life but he had also retained confidence in the material world.

He failed to undertsand that to ascend to the eternal realm, one had to trade away the advantages one had in temporal the realm to gain eternal treasure. 

The Lord then revealed to him that the pathway he had been seeking to find eternal life was actually in Jesus Himself.  To gain eternal life, he would have to follow Jesus to gain salvation.

The young man did indeed have great confidence in his good conduct and great wealth and when he heard that eternal life was gained by abandoning oneˋs stake in the coporeal realm and following Jesus, he went away in sorrow because he had reckoned that eternal could be assured while everything in his present life remained the same.

Have mercy on us O God.

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OUR FATHER WHOSE KINGDOM IS OPTIMIZED FOR THOSE WHO ARE CHILDLIKE

The Lord Jesus encountered a situation in Matthew chapter 19 verses 13 - 15 where parents were bringing their children to Him to pray over them but the disciples, trying to minimize unnecessary or trivial interactions with Jesus, rebuffed the prarents of the children. 

13 Then little children were brought to Him that He might put His hands on them and pray, but the disciples rebuked them. 14 But Jesus said, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven.” 15 And He laid His hands on them and departed from there.

The Lord, however, reassured the disciples that it was OK to let the little children be brought to Him for blessings.

He told the disciples that the kingdom of heaven was designed and optimized for the little ones like the ones being brought to Him.

This interpretation in attested to in Matthew chapter 18 verse 2 - 4 which says,

2 Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, 3 and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

The unassuming innocence and trust that children have is what believers must humble themselves to have in order to be partakers of the kingdom of God.

Amen.

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OUR FATHER WHOSE KINGDOM IS A PEARL OF GREAT PRICE

The Lord Jesus continued in Matthew chapter 19 verses 11 ~ 12 to teach about the standard of conduct in the kingdom of God. In verse 10, the disciples had commented that the standards of divorce in the kingdom of God were so stringent that  it would be better not to marry to begin with.

Jesus responded to this comment by saying that some people were indeed given the ability to accept the conditions of a celibate life. The celibate life is a reality faced by a percentage of the people. Some are involuntarily celibate having been born without sexual function while others are made celibate by accidental or deliberate intervention by other people. 

For those who are able forfeit sexual activity for the sake of the kingdom of God and impose on themselves a celibate lifestyle in the service of God, the Lord Jesus counsels them to accept that path.

11 But He said to them, “All cannot accept this saying, but only those to whom it has been given: 12 For there are eunuchs who were born thus from their mother’s womb, and there are eunuchs who were made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven’s sake. He who is able to accept it, let him accept it.”

This teaching runs parallel to the parable Jesus gave in Matthew chapter 13 verses 45 - 46 where a person seeking a treasure of value found a pearl that he estimated to be of a high price and in response, sold everything he had to acquire it.

45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, 46 who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.

A person who gains an understanding of the value of the kingdom of God would trade everything he had for it and in the case of some people who are able, they can trade a life of celibacy for the opportunity to pursue the kingdom of God unhindered.

The apostle Paul, in 1 Corinthians chapter 7 verses 28 - 35, writes that even though it is not a sin to marry, it is profitable to believers who are able to accept (or withstand) a life of celibacy to remain single. The apostle stresses that this is especially pertinent when the time we have alloted to us on the earth to spend seeking the things of the kingdom of God is so fleeting.

28 But even if you do marry, you have not sinned; and if a virgin marries, she has not sinned. Nevertheless such will have trouble in the flesh, but I would spare you.

29 But this I say, brethren, the time is short, so that from now on even those who have wives should be as though they had none, 30 those who weep as though they did not weep, those who rejoice as though they did not rejoice, those who buy as though they did not possess, 31 and those who use this world as not misusing it. For the form of this world is passing away.

32 But I want you to be without care. He who is unmarried cares for the things of the Lord—how he may please the Lord. 33 But he who is married cares about the things of the world—how he may please his wife. 34 There is a difference between a wife and a virgin. The unmarried woman cares about the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and in spirit. But she who is married cares about the things of the world—how she may please her husband. 35 And this I say for your own profit, not that I may put a leash on you, but for what is proper, and that you may serve the Lord without distraction.

Lord have mercy on us.

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OUR FATHER WHO MADE HUMAN BEINGS MALE AND FEMALE

Matthew chapter 19 verses 1 ~ 10 records Jesus leaving Galilee and travelling south east to a portion of Judah on the east side of the Jordan river. Here, He healed the crowds of people who had followed Him. The religious leaders, still looking to discredit Him because He was becoming an importer center of gravity on spiritual matters, took the opportunity to question Him on the contentious issue of divorce.

1 Now it came to pass, when Jesus had finished these sayings, that He departed from Galilee and came to the region of Judea beyond the Jordan. 2 And great multitudes followed Him, and He healed them there.

3 The Pharisees also came to Him, testing Him, and saying to Him, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for just any reason?”

4 And He answered and said to them, “Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning ‘made them male and female,’ 5 and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? 6 So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.”

7 They said to Him, “Why then did Moses command to give a certificate of divorce, and to put her away?”

8 He said to them, “Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts, permitted you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so. 9 And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced commits adultery.”

 In response to their question about the acceptability of divorce in the law of God, Jesus explained that even though the law of Moses permitted divorce, it was not in the original design specifications of human beings set by the creator of mankind.

Male and female beings, though born separate, are designed by God to become one flesh upon upon marriage and as such, there is no permissisable grounds for divorce except for sexual immorality by one  the partners.

For those who would be citizens of the kingdom of God, Jesus instructs that the original specifications for human beings are in force and as such divorce is disallowed and those who are divorced must stay celibate in order not to commit adultery.

10 His disciples said to Him, “If such is the case of the man with his wife, it is better not to marry.”

The disciples, hearing this high standard being reestablished, concluded that it was better not marry in the first place to avoid the hazards of being so permanently joined to someone in an intolerable partnership.

Have mercy on us O God.

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 OUR FATHER WHO FORGIVES THOSE WHO FORGIVE OTHERS

Matthew chapter 18 verses 21 - 35, in the context of the expected conduct of the citizens of the kingdom of God, the disciple Peter approached Jesus with a question related to how many times a person needed to forgive an offending  brother in Christ before giving up and striking him with retribution. The prevailng culture had set that number at seven.

21 Then Peter came to Him and said, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?”

22 Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven. 23 Therefore the kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. 24 And when he had begun to settle accounts, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. 25 But as he was not able to pay, his master commanded that he be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and that payment be made. 26 The servant therefore fell down before him, saying, ‘Master, have patience with me, and I will pay you all.’ 27 Then the master of that servant was moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt.

28 “But that servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii; and he laid hands on him and took him by the throat, saying, ‘Pay me what you owe!’ 29 So his fellow servant fell down at his feet and begged him, saying, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you all.’ 

30 And he would not, but went and threw him into prison till he should pay the debt. 31 So when his fellow servants saw what had been done, they were very grieved, and came and told their master all that had been done. 32 Then his master, after he had called him, said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me. 33 Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?’ 34 And his master was angry, and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him.

35 “So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses.”

The Lord Jesus responded with a different standard and He set the number at 490 ( 7 x 70 ) which was in effect an endless number of times that a person who offends us and asks for forgiveness should be forgiven.

The parable given by Jesus ( about a servant who has a huge debt forgiven yet refused to forgive a small debt ), illustrated the view that our Heavenly Father had of people who had been forgiven of much debt and yet showed no mercy towards others.

The heavenly Father will readily forgive those who forgive and for those who refuse to forgive, everything they owe will be required of them.

Have mercy on us o God.

Amen.

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