Let me get this straight: Jesus asks the disciples what they are talking about and they say “it’s none of your business?”
Actually the text says “they refused to answer” (New Living Translation). But exactly how to you refuse to answer a direct question from Jesus? Jesus didn’t have to ask them what they were talking about, He already knew. The disciples refuse to answer, which tells us they really don’t grasp who Jesus is. And for all the time they have spent with Jesus, they still have some growing to do….like arguing about who is the most important. I certainly don’t throw any stones on this point, because I still have some growing to do myself. They had been with the Messiah for 3 years at the most, and had no prior example of His teaching. I have been with Him for 20(+) years and have the whole Bible and 2,000 years of witnesses and scholars to rely on…and still don’t always get it right. No sir, I cannot condemn the disciples for not getting it right.
I wonder what the balance is between the idea presented here in verse 40 “anyone not against us is for us” and the phrase found in Matthew 7 “depart from me, I never knew you” where Jesus is addressing people who cast out demons in His name. In my mind, you can work FOR Jesus without belonging TO Jesus. In other words, you can DO, and not BE. I shudder at the thought of investing a life in doing things for Christ, only to realize at the Judgment that you didn’t belong to Him.
“Father, may that never be true of me, or anyone reading this passage. Help us to enter into and develop our relationship with You, so that whatever we do for Your Name will be received as from your children. And when we approach your throne on that great day of Judgment may we hear you say of us ‘well done, good and faithful servant’. Amen”
I asked a friend one time if this passage should be understood literally. He chuckled and said “no”. Think about it for a minute. Would you have less lustful thoughts if you were missing an eye? No, your lustful thoughts come from a heart that is tainted by sin. The same could be said for greed or coveting. Would you be less guilty if you cut off a hand because you stole things? No, only the blood of Christ can forgive sin…nothing you do to your body will remove even a single sin. And just as sinful at the act of taking something that doesn’t belong to you, is the desire to have something that isn’t yours without earning it. All of these sins (and many more) begin in the human heart. So what is Jesus talking about? Why mention it if He didn’t mean it?
Jesus is telling us that we need to take radical measures to deal with sin. Whatever causes you to sin must be removed from your life. I can tell you without any hesitation that the number one thing that has to go in your life is your sinful nature. It is our original nature that causes us to WANT to sin. Remove that, and it becomes possible (with the Spirit’s help) to live above sinful practices. This nature cannot be killed or cut out by human hands. It is the work of the Spirit to eliminate it. Our part appears to be the identification and acknowledgement of it’s presence in our life, and to cry out to God in all sincerity to remove it no matter what it takes. Think of it like a cancer that is killing the body. We want it out of us as soon as is possible. We want nothing more to do with it. Kill it, remove it…..get it away from me. This is the attitude of the Christian toward the sinful nature.
Pressing on,
PR