For years I couldn’t understand why Jesus was commending a guy who was ripping off his boss. Then I finally got it…
He’s not saying that what the man did was right, and he’s not saying that the employer was happy about what he did. He’s saying that what the man did was smart FOR THAT MAN. Was it unethical? Yes. And Jesus isn’t advocating that we do unethical things, he’s saying that an unethical person can be smart enough to look out for himself. Now, what about Christians? Jesus wants us to “use what we have” in order to gain friends for ourselves. Of course we can’t be unethical about it, but looking at our resources…what can we do? The goal is to make friends for ourselves in heaven, right?
Think about what Jesus says in Matthew 6 about “storing up treasures in heaven”. What will our money be worth in heaven? Nothing. So, wouldn’t it be wise to spend it on things that will somehow benefit us in heaven? For instance, if I use my money to buy clothing for someone who doesn’t have any I receive a reward in heaven. If I offer a cup of water to someone who is thirsty, I receive a reward in heaven. If I make $50 an hour and keep the money for myself, I have received nothing in heaven. Jesus is telling us here that our resources are a means to an end, and the end state is eternity in heaven with him. This passage also calls to mind the parables from yesterday, the lost sheep, the lost coin and the lost son. The owners of those items put their lives on hold while they searched high and low for what they didn’t have. We have to “search” for heavenly blessings in the same way. Now to be fair, those passages are talking about salvation, not blessing. But the principle rings true.
Think about the parable of the pearl of great price found in Matthew 13. The man sold everything he had in order to obtain the pearl. The line above that story is about a man who found a treasure in a field he didn’t own, so he sold everything he had and bought that field. That makes him smart, not dumb.
Sell what you have in order to gain what you cannot lose in heaven. Store up treasures there instead of here. Your generosity on earth will equal great blessings in heaven…if you give them from a righteous heart.
The second “movement” in today’s reading deals with a topic that once again, I didn’t understand for years. I was taught that Purgatory was something that Catholics believed in, but Protestants (like Methodists, Baptists, Nazarenes, Lutherans, etc) didn’t. As it turns out that isn’t true. Purgatory appears to be a solid biblical teaching, it’s the interpretation of what happens there that is in dispute.
As I understand it, there are two sides to purgatory. The “good side” is called “paradise, or Abraham’s bosom” and the bad side is called “hades, hell, sheol death or the grave” these locations are separated, as the text says by a great chasm that we cannot cross, but we apparently can see each other. Or maybe the conversation isn’t something that always happens, perhaps this was a one time event. Either way, Purgatory isn’t permanent. We know that because in Revelation 20:14 “death and hell” are thrown into the lake of fire. The NIV reads that hell in thrown into the lake, and the NLT says “death and the grave”. That’s because all those words describe the same place. Death is hades, which is hell, which is sheol, etc. If the grave is thrown into the lake of fire, then hell is being thrown in. Hell cannot be thrown into itself, therefore hell and the lake of fire are different places. Hell is temporary bad place, but it’s simply a way station on the road to the lake of fire. Here’s where we differ in our interpretation from the Catholic Church: we don’t see in the Bible any provision for people to move between paradise and hell after death. You can’t be “prayed out of hell” and your salvation from there cannot be purchased. Perhaps the Catholic church would disagree….I am just saying that I find one teaching in the Bible, and that’s the fact that you make your decision about where you will spend eternity while you are alive, and then you “live” with the consequences in the next life. You can’t change your destiny after you die. If you could, there wouldn’t be a person in hell for more than 30 seconds. Think about it. The man in hell wants his family to be warned, but they have already been warned. This man isn’t even asking for himself, he knows his fate is sealed. How terribly sad! Thinking about this will give you nightmares, especially if you have children who aren’t serving the Lord.
The third topic, or “movement” goes like this: From resisting temptation to forgiving others, to having faith and then to serving and obeying.
The whole topic seems to have come about from Jesus seeing something that was tempting a child to sin, or perhaps it was just seeing the child, knowing that the temptations would be there. Either way, the thought begins with resisting sin. Let’s look at those 4 headings as they relate to resisting sin.
1. the best way to avoid sin is to resist temptation. we can’t avoid temptation but we can resist it.
2. If we fail to resist, and then sin…we should be forgiven. And, those who fail to resist and sin in a way that affects us should be forgiven….just like we are forgiven when we sin. All sin comes after we have failed to resist temptation. And, it is possible to resist and not sin. I didn’t say it was probable or likely…but it has to be possible. If it were impossible to avoid sin, then we couldn’t be held accountable for it.
3. In order to forgive, and live a life filled with forgiveness is going to require great faith. When we forgive, we are simply obeying what God told us to do. Therefore,
4. As humble servants of God, we should obey and serve…one way that we do that is to forgive others. When you forgive, you are being obedient and serving God. The disciples had asked how their faith could be increased, and Jesus responds by telling them to obey Him. Therefore, I surmise that the way to have an increased faith is to be obedient to God in the small things that He tells us to do. Maybe forgive the small offenses against us, and then we will be able to forgive the larger ones as our faith grows. Jesus was the greatest model in this: He forgave even those who persecuted Him and put Him to death.
Remember the comment in the illustration of the shrewd manager? It’s in 16:10 “if you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in larger ones”
Resist the small temptations, forgive the small sins, obey the small commands…..and you will increase in faith and be able to resist, forgive and serve better.
Faithfully,
PR