MATTHEW: The King in Jerusalem

The disciples are still confused about the road that lies ahead for Jesus. Despite Jesus warning them time-and-time again, they just haven’t truly understood that he must go to the cross in order to save the world. But Mary (who is not named here, but features in John 12:1-3), in this extraordinary act of generosity and beauty, anticipates Jesus’ death much to the indignation of those watching on!

It’s important to understand that carved jars of perfume like this would have been extraordinarily expensive. That’s evident in the response by all of the disciples - they’re indignant, which means that they’re angry at the “waste” that they’re witnessing. But of course they only think that this is a waste because they don’t understand the significance of the act. And so, aware of their response, Jesus says, this isn’t a waste for, “the poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me”. Jesus’ point is of course not that we shouldn’t prioritise the needs of the poor and the use of our resources (that’s evident all throughout Matthew), but that the woman is recognising what is right before them: that Jesus is God’s anointed one who will die in service of God’s mission to the world! The disciples thought that act brought no honour to God, when in reality she has greatly honoured her Lord! The disciples thought that she had done something of no significance, yet Jesus tells them that it's of such great significance that it will be told alongside the Gospel throughout the world.

Jesus’ death wasn’t a failure or an unanticipated outcome. It was God’s gracious and loving plan that has brought us life. As we seek to follow Jesus, he doesn’t require us to always understand, but he does call us to be faithful. I’m so thankful to God for the obedience of Mary, who even at great cost, was willing to recognise the identity and mission of our Lord. AL

Questions

If you witnessed this event, how do you think you would have responded? What makes this action so extraordinary?

Prayer

Heavenly Father, we thank you for your costly and extravagant gift to us through your Son. Please help us to lay our lives down for you, whatever it takes, that we might recognise you for the King who you are. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Whilst the agenda of the religious leaders to kill Jesus has been evident from relatively early on in Matthew (cf. Matthew 12), the time has now come for them to execute their plan. Don’t miss just how intentional this action is. The Jewish leaders, many of whom were Roman puppets, are in the palace of the High Priest, scheming as to how they can now bring their plans to completion. However, there’s just one problem: they don’t want to do it during the time of the festival and run the risk of stirring up the crowds. As has been evident time-and- time again, the religious leaders appear to have no real desire to test the veracity of Jesus’ claims, and are far more concerned with their own self- preservation and maintaining of power!

However, Jesus knows - and has shared with others - that he will indeed be arrested and die during the time of the Passover. That as the Jews had celebrated this festival every year as a reminder of God liberating them from Egypt, this will be a Passover to not forget as the world is liberated from the ultimate enemy through Jesus’ death. That just as the lamb was slaughtered at the first Passover (and each year as a commemoration), Jesus will become the ultimate sacrificial lamb to purchase us forgiveness and victory over sin and death.

The religious leaders will think they’ve put a stop to Jesus of course, but God will use it to rescue the world. AL

Questions

Why do you think the religious leaders were so disinterested in honestly evaluating the claims of Jesus? Why did the religious leaders think that there was a risk of a riot being incited by Jesus’ arrest? What does this say about his popularity? How would then religious leaders avoid a riot?

Prayer

Gracious God, thank you that Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! Thank you that despite the evil intentions of some, that you were bringing your plan for salvation to completion through Jesus’ death and resurrection. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

There are no second chances after death. Punishment is real, death is permanent, and judgment is final. Those who are on Jesus left here in the passage are described as those who are cursed and they are told to depart, to leave the presence of Jesus and into the eternal fire. This fire has been prepared for the devil, for his subjects for their ultimate destruction, and those who aren’t part of the sheep are sent there as well. Why? Because they didn’t turn to Jesus and they didn’t produce fruit. They didn’t have love for God or others, and their rejection of the poor and the least constituted a rejection of Jesus himself. This isn’t about works based unrighteousness but of the condition of their heart towards God. These people will go ‘away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.’

If these verses don’t leave us shaking in our boots or slightly uneasy then we haven’t read them closely enough. We have to acknowledge that the permanent judgment and punishment of those who reject Jesus is a hard truth that we have to face but it is just. Everyone has had an opportunity to turn to Jesus and to bare fruit but rejecting the opportunity, scorning it, and turning away from God’s grace deserves judgment. Moreover, if people claim to be followers of the Lord and don’t demonstrate a life that is in keeping with their claim, then they too deserve judgment. Even though modern society rejects this notion, there are only two ways to live and there is no middle ground. You either live with him as King over the entirety of your life, repent, and submit to him, or you don’t. There is no more important decision in a person’s life than whether to turn to Jesus for it determines our eternal destiny. MC

Questions

What place does Jesus have in your life? Is there an area in your life where you haven’t submitted to him as King? How should this doctrine motivate us to share Jesus on our frontlines?

Prayer

Almighty God, you do not desire the death of a sinner but that all should turn to Christ and live. Lord have mercy and bring our friends or family who don’t know you into a saving relationship with you. Give us wisdom and boldness to speak of you on our frontlines so that others may repent and believe. Amen.

As I am writing this devotional, the clouds are looking a deep grey, the birds are chirping, and Toowoomba is a deep and lush green. However, a few month ago this wasn’t the case. It was dry, dusty, and dirty. The land didn’t stand a chance of bearing fruit. The author to the Hebrews writes, metaphorically, that such a land is in danger of being cursed. Bearing the fruit of good works for Jesus is so very important as we have seen all throughout the week and lives that don’t bear the fruit are in danger of being cursed. The author is reassuring the recipients that there are better things than a fruitless cursed life. He is sure of them bearing fruit that is line with their salvation. In verse 10 he writes that they have done good work and shown love for God’s name in serving other Christians.

What we do for one another should come from an overflowing of God’s love for us but it is also an act of love for God. For when we love one another, we are acting like the church was designed to act and this honours, glorifies, and loves God. Because God is just, we won’t disregard such things. He sees the inner workings of our hearts and our motivations and we will be judged in accordance with our actions and his mercy. So we are urged on to not be lazy or sluggish but to imitate those saints who have gone before us, and this will give us full assurance of eternal life. Our actions give us a reassurance and a confirmation of our election and salvation, they are the fruit of the Spirit that has been planted in us by God’s amazing grace. MC

Questions

At the moment, what does it look like for you to serve your brothers and sisters in Christ? How is our service of each other not just out of love for each other but also an act of love shown towards God? What do good works have to do with assurance?

Prayer

Heavenly Father, you alone are perfectly just and merciful. Thank you for your salvation and love given to us in Jesus and give us the same heart of love towards our brothers and sisters and our neighbours, so that your name will be glorified as a result of our good deeds. We pray in Jesus' Name, Amen.

I wonder if you’ve ever been thanked for doing something you can’t actually recall doing? Maybe you took a meal to them a long time ago, or sent a card, or maybe you smiled and had a conversation with someone who needed it! Needless to say, it’s always surprising when this happens as it does occasionally. As we return to Matthew, the people in this passage are surprised. Jesus has been telling them that they were able to enter into the kingdom and their good works towards him was a testament to that fact. In recognition with their already right place with God, Jesus refers to them as ‘the righteous’. Now they reply saying things along the lines of, “Jesus, when did all this happen? We don’t recall clothing you, feeding you, or visiting you in prison.” The answer is that whatever they did for the least of people, they did for Jesus. When Jesus was on earth, he didn’t live the life of a rockstar but he had no real home, no pillow, and not much in the way of possessions. He also hung out with people who were poor and destitute. He knows what it is like to be hungry and to be thirsty and so whatever we do for people in need, we do it for him.

The surprise of the people is worth noting. If you were really working hard to be selected in the Australian cricket team, you would work on your drills, fitness, accuracy, and much more for a long time. When you are selected you shouldn’t be overly surprised because you put all that hard work in! The righteous are surprised because they weren’t doing good works in order to earn themselves a way into the kingdom, but as a response to being made right with God by his grace. The same goes for us. Our good works come from us following the way of Jesus. Bearing fruit therefore is the result of the Spirit, not out of an intention of earning us a place. We have already been granted a place and so our lives should reflect the way God has dealt with us with compassion and grace. MC

Questions

What has been the role of good works and helping the needy in your walk with God? As a result of his mercy, does this need realigning?

Prayer

Loving Lord, thank you for the example of Jesus and your compassion and mercy poured out for us upon the cross. Help us to follow him and imitate him as Lord and King over our lives. In his name we pray, Amen.

If you were to plant seeds that claim to be for an orange tree, you would expect this tree to produce oranges and not apples. If it does produce apples, you’ve got some problems! Likewise, if we have been given the Holy Spirit planted in us then we would expect our lives to reflect what has been given us. This is what Paul tells us in our passage today.

Identifying things that don’t reflect the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives isn’t particularly hard. We know when we have lived according to the sinful desires of our flesh. We know when we have perverted God’s design for our lives and while the list that Paul gives us isn’t exhaustive, it is pretty comprehensive. We have inherited our sinful nature from the original sin of Adam in the garden and if we continue like this, we will not inherit the kingdom of God. If we live our lives constantly in sin and not in line with the Spirit, then we are not worthy of entrance into the kingdom.

But what does a life lived in line with the Spirit look like? It looks like the fruit of the Spirit which are love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. These qualities are what arise from killing off fleshly desires and living a life in step with the Spirit as people who belong to Christ. This isn’t about trying really hard to be joyful or trying really hard to be kind, however this is about rejecting those sinful things which our flesh craves and then investing our time in our relationship with the Lord. Having done these things, the fruit will naturally arise. MC

Questions

Where in your life are you vulnerable to capitulating to the sinful desires of your flesh? What is the antidote? What is the difference between ‘living in step with the Spirit’ and ‘trying harder?’

Prayer

Almighty God, give us the grace and willingness to crucify our desires and cut them off completely. We are sorry for when we haven’t lived according to your standards. Please forgive us. Bring forth in our lives the fruits of the Spirit so that we may live our lives as a testament to your mercy. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

The king has come, the nations have been gathered and separated, and now we await the judgment of the one on the throne. The sheep are on Jesus’ right, the place of honour, and here he addresses them. These people have been blessed by God and are told to take their inheritance, the kingdom that has been prepared for them. Since the stars started shining, the world began turning, and cells became living, eternal life had been prepared for these blessed people. It had all been God’s plan for salvation from the very beginning of creation and it wasn’t a plan B. These people have been blessed already and not because of any merit of their own but by God’s own graciousness. However, these people have also done things. Their lives have displayed evidence of them being blessed with entrance into the kingdom.

The whole of the Bible testifies to the fact that salvation is by grace alone and not by good works but some people have suggested that Jesus is preaching about a works-based righteousness here. This simply cannot be the case here and it isn’t. What this passage shows us is that lives lived in congruence with one’s blessings is critically important. To be called a child of God warrants behaviour like a child of God. The claim to follow the one who cared for the hungry, the thirsty, the poor, the sick, and the imprisoned must be proven by the imitation of this person’s actions. If we claim to be in a relationship with Jesus, to have him as King over our lives, we must back that claim up with evidence. For a life that is lived with good works isn’t a life that warrants or deserves entrance to the Kingdom but is a life which shows evidence of a person’s submission to the gracious and loving King. MC

Questions

How and why are the sheep able to enter the Kingdom? What is the role of their good works?

Prayer

Heavenly Father, thank you for your blessings in calling us your people, in giving us assurance of eternal life through Jesus, and your foreknowledge of us. Transform our lives to be living testaments of our calling to be with your for eternity, in Jesus' Name, Amen.

We don’t often like talking about judgment. It’s not exactly the topic of polite dinner conversation. It can make people feel uneasy and awkward but this shouldn’t be the case. Yes, it should make us fear the Lord and cast ourselves upon his grace, but it shouldn’t make us awkward. Jesus spoke freely about the coming judgment and this week we’ll examine how people are separated at the final judgment. Some people will be put on Jesus’ left, and others on Jesus’ right. We’ve spent a number of weeks looking at what will happen in the lead up to Jesus’ coming again and how we do not know when he will but here in this passage we will see what will happen when Jesus returns.

When the Son of Man comes, when Jesus comes, it will be absolutely glorious. Jesus alone is the one who his holy, who is clean before God, and he has complete authority. This time he won’t be coming in riding on a donkey but on the clouds of heaven and will be seated in his rightful place on the throne. This throne isn’t one of an earthly king that is temporarily used and then put into a museum but an eternal throne. The one who sits on this throne has eternal authority over the whole creation and there is only one person who is worthy of sitting in such a place and that is Jesus. Before him, all people will be gathered. Every person from every nation, from every age, from every century will be brought before the throne for judgment. This judgment is perfect, this judgment will be final, and this judgment is good. MC

Questions

What are some of the ideas of the final judgment that you have heard? Why does the idea of judgment make some people uncomfortable? What makes the judgments of Jesus perfect and good?

Prayer

Heavenly Father, you alone are the one who sees all. Your wisdom is infinite, your justice is just, and your judgements are perfect. Expose our hearts and help us to put aside our pride and submit to your judgment. Give us insight as we examine ourselves, forgive us our sins, and transform our lives to be lived for you alone. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

We explore the Parable of the Growing Seed in Mark 4 to explore further the concept of being faithful workers for God’s purposes. This parable is found between the Parable of the Sower and the Parable of the Mustard Seed, this context revealing the interplay between faith, our own actions and God’s role in growing the Kingdom of God.

In this parable, the farmer is responsible for the planting of the seeds. Regardless of the farmer’s subsequent activities, the seeds sprout, grow and produce grain. In fact, the farmer doesn’t understand how this happens. “All by itself”, rather than the result of the farmer’s skill and hard work, a rich harvest is collected.

As we wait for our Lord’s return, we are called to continue to sow the seed of the Word by sharing the good news of Jesus on our frontlines. However, the success and growth of the seed, and therefore the kingdom of God in this world, does not ultimately depend on us. We plant the seed, but God causes it to grow. Paul reminds the Corinthians of this important fact: “So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow” (1 Corinthians 3:7).

Even though, like the farmer in the parable, we will never fully comprehend how the seed takes root and grows in the hearts and minds of new believers, we must be faithful in sowing the seed. We have the awesome privilege of being co-workers in God’s service. We may not always see the result of our labour straight away, so we must trust that God’s good purposes will prevail. DR

Questions

How do you plant Gospel seeds on your frontlines? How do you feel when you don’t see immediate results from your Gospel work? How could you become a more confident co-worker in God’s service?

Prayer

Almighty Father, we thank-you that are ultimately responsible for the growth of your kingdom. Help us to be faithful co-workers who plant gospel seeds on our frontlines. Give us hope when we encounter cynicism and help us to persevere when we face opposition. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

The conclusion of the Parable of the Talents reveals very clearly the consequences of not being faithful with the work entrusted to us by God. The outcome for the third servant contrasts starkly with that of the first two servants.

The third servant, who received one talent, explains that he was so fearful of not meeting the master’s expectations, that he buried the gold and then returns it to the master. The master is angry, explaining that, at the very least, the servant could have made some interest if he deposited the money with the bankers. The master takes the talent and gives it to the first servant, and throws the third servant outside into the darkness.

The third servant seems to be upset about two things. The first issue, though unsaid, is that he received less than the first two servants. It is unhelpful to compare one’s own gifts with others because these gifts come from God and there will always be someone who is more gifted than ourselves. We need to learn to be content with our gifts and abilities. The second issue is that the master wanted to earn income through the work of others. We are called to be faithful workers for God’s kingdom in response to God’s amazing generosity and Christ’s saving work on the cross.

On a positive note, those who are faithful workers will be rewarded with more responsibility and more opportunities to work for the Gospel. It is important to remember that this reward does not bring glory to themselves, but is meant to glorify God. DR

Questions

Do you fear that God’s expectations are too high for you to meet? Have you identified the gifts and talents given to you by God? How can the church encourage you to identify your gifts and talents and enable you to use them on your frontline?

Prayer

Loving God, we are sorry for the times we don’t trust in your kindness and generosity. Help us to recognise our gifts and abilities...help us to not bury them in the ground and forget them. Instead, help us to be faithful with all that you have entrusted to us. In Jesus' Name, Amen.