WestGate Church Teaching

THE AFTERWORD | Matthew (Season 8) - Week 5 - What is Greatness

Description:

In every culture, the people who get celebrated and honored the most shape that society’s view of what it means to be “great.” For example, the Bay Area’s culture of ladder-climbing and going-public-striking-it-rich inevitably sinks into our souls, and malforms our ideas about greatness. Jay Kim stops by to talk about why Jesus’ redefinition of greatness in Matthew 20 is not only radical but helpful and hopeful. We may or may not also talk for a bit too long about how the Taylor Swift/Travis Kelce situation plays into all of this.

Speakers: David Tieche + Jay Kim

In Matthew 20, the mother of two of the disciples (James and John) comes to Jesus and makes a particular request: can her boys have the seats of honor next to Jesus in His Kingdom. The other disciples are indignant, probably because they wished they’d thought to ask first. But amidst this immature, self-centered bickering, Jesus pulls them all aside and gives them a new definition of greatness. It’s not about power, or prestige. To be great in Jesus’ kingdom, you have to serve. This is good news in a way, because it means anyone can be great because anyone can serve. But Jesus doesn’t just teach a new model and definition of greatness - as we see later in the story, He lives it out.

SPEAKERS:

Jay Kim (Saratoga), David Tieche (South Hills)

Bible Passages:

Matthew 20:17-28

One of the most shocking and provocative things Jesus is ever recorded saying is found in Matthew 19, when Jesus says “it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” Woah. Andy Gridley and Steve Clifford join me to talk through this passage, what it means, and what it doesn’t mean. And we find out that while this passage might seem like it’s all about money, it’s actually about something much deeper: what money *means* and how money can *distort” our hearts. We also compare the Gospel accounts to see what additional information Mark and Luke’s accounts give us, and discuss why this passage is a sobering warning to every Christian.

Speakers: David Tieche + Steve Clifford + Andy Gridley

In most times, in most places, having money opens doors and opportunities. For education, health care, recreation and even more wealth. Most of the time, having a lot of money is a real benefit. But in an astonishing conversation recorded in Matthew 19, we see that for one young man, money is actually a barrier. In an account recorded in three Gospels, Jesus has a conversation and then a confrontation with a young man (Mark says he has power, calling him a ruler) who is wealthy (the NIV says “many possessions”). He asks Jesus how to gain eternal life, and Jesus has a simple prescription: sell all you have and follow me. The fact that this man turns Jesus down on the offer is a sobering reminder to all of us: each of us has a thing that can “get in the way” of following Jesus. And Jesus will always ask us to lay that thing down, and follow Him.

SPEAKERS:

Steve Clifford (Saratoga), Andy Gridley (South Hills)

Bible Passages):

Matthew 19:16-30

SPEAKERS:

Jay Kim (Saratoga), David Tieche (South Hills)

Bible Passages):

Matthew 18

SPEAKERS:

Jay Kim (Saratoga), Steve Clifford (South Hills)

Bible Passages):

Matthew 18

SPEAKERS:

Jay Kim (Saratoga), Corinna Girard (South Hills)

Bible Passages):

Matthew 17

There may be no idea in our culture today that’s more universally applauded and less examined than the idea of vengeance. It’s embedded, almost unquestioningly, in our culture. Our most popular stories are based around vengeance. John Wick. The Equalizer. “My name is Inigo Montoya, you killed my father, prepare to die.” Even the biggest movie franchise in history is called The Avengers. It’s everywhere. Jay and I sit down to discuss Matthew 18 and Jesus’ teachings on forgiveness. And we find that Jesus insists that vengeance and forgiveness are actually opposite things, but that forgiveness and justice are NOT opposite, but are linked and dance together in important ways.

Speakers: David Tieche + Steve Clifford

Speakers: David Tieche + Corinna Girard

In Matthew 18, Peter asks Jesus a critically important question: how many time should we forgive someone who has wronged us? When we are wronged, however significant or slight the wrong may be, we are often overcome by the desire for revenge. In our worst moments, we are tempted to even project the approval of God on our vengeful desire. But Jesus confronts this idea by telling a story. And in that story, we learn that our desires for vengeance, though understandable, are destructive and have no place in the Kingdom of God, that forgiveness is necessary for not only our good, but the good of those who wronged us, and that God is more interested in forgiving and changing humans than destroying them for their mistakes and sins - which is very good news for everyone, especially you and I.

SPEAKERS:

Jay Kim (Saratoga), David Tieche (South Hills)

Bible Passages):

Matthew 18

SPEAKERS:

Jay Kim (Saratoga), Steve Clifford (South Hills)

Bible Passages):

Matthew 18

SPEAKERS:

Jay Kim (Saratoga), Corinna Girard (South Hills)

Bible Passages):

Matthew 17

What does it mean to be great? In the Bay Area, the definition of greatness usually revolves around technological brilliance or perhaps business acumen. The company you started had an IPO and you made millions. Or maybe it’s around fame. In Matthew 18, the disciples ask Jesus a question about what makes a person great. Steve Clifford stops by to discuss how Jesus redefines “greatness” in a way that’s both shocking, disorienting, and deeply hopeful. We also examine what we can learn from Mark’s retelling of this exact same story in Mark 9. And we listen to a man nearly universally regarded as great - Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr - reflect on what it means to be great as he talks about this passage in one of his final sermons.

Speakers: David Tieche + Steve Clifford

Speakers: David Tieche + Corinna Girard

In Matthew 18, the disciples, who are still trying to wrap their minds around the idea of a Messiah who would willing go to a cross and die, ask Jesus about greatness. Jesus responds to the question, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” and redefines greatness by highlighting…children…the most socially insignificant and relationally reliant people present. But in doing so, Jesus is not only changing definitions of what it means to be great, but showing the disciples how to live in this world. And Jesus’ upside-down lesson which made virtues of lowliness and humility, shocked listeners in the ancient world as much as it shocks us still today.

SPEAKERS:

Jay Kim (Saratoga), Steve Clifford (South Hills)

Bible Passages):

Matthew 18

SPEAKERS:

Jay Kim (Saratoga), Corinna Girard (South Hills)

Bible Passages):

Matthew 17

The story of the Transfiguration is one of WEIRDEST moments in the entire Bible. Nothing like this happens anywhere else in the Bible. Corinna Girard stops by to talk about all the hyperlinks in this story that go directly back to the Old Testament. We dig into why Moses and Elijah - who both died a long time ago - show up on the scene and what that means. We break down why Jesus starts glowing, and how the books of Daniel, Ezekiel and Revelation show us something very similar. And we talk about the strange reaction of the disciples – and the incredible response of Jesus. And finally, we talk about why this moment is a big one, and how it can bring us hope and certainty in a world that’s often lacking it.

Speakers: David Tieche + Corinna Girard

As the buzz around Jesus grows, Jesus affirms that He’s the Messiah, but then shocks His followers to their core by revealing that He will be killed, and will die on a Roman Cross, His followers are baffled, wondering, “If you’re going to die, does this mean you’re *not* the Messiah?” The next episode in Matthew 17 removes all shreds of doubt about Jesus’ identity as Peter, James and John see Jesus transformed into a figure, glowing white hot like lightning before their very eyes, with God the Father speaking audibly to tell them “this is my son, with whom I am well-pleased.” This dramatic moment changes the disciples, and it’s meant to change, us too. And if we examine it, we can see some deep truths about not only who Jesus really is, but also where history - and even our lives - are going.

SPEAKERS:

Jay Kim (Saratoga), Corinna Girard (South Hills)

Bible Passages):

Matthew 17