In Matthew 25 Jesus tells a number of “second-coming” parables, one of which is the well-known and oft-quoted Parable of the Talents.
In this parable a man makes an extended trip to a far country so he entrusts his servants with some of his financial resources to invest while he is away. He gives one servant five talents (talent was a unit of weight, about 75 pounds, to measure coinage and now is used to indicate an ability), one two talents, and the other one talent.
If you knew the teaching of Jesus that is repeated the most times in the Gospels, wouldn’t you want to do it? As His disciple, wouldn’t you want to apply it to your life?
Well, here it is: “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it” (Matthew 16:24-25, NASB).
Yes, it’s a familiar verse. You’ve probably heard many sermons and Sunday School lessons preached and taught on these verses.
When Jesus said, “store up for yourselves treasures in heaven” and “seek first His kingdom and His righteousness” (Matthew 6:20, 33, NASB), He identified the connection between what you are and do in this present life to what you will be and will do in eternal life.
In other words, your life in this present age is inextricably linked to your future life, your eternal life.
By “inextricably” I mean that the connection between your present and future is so intricately entangled as to make it impossible to escape from it.
“Honor the Lord with your possessions and with the first produce of your entire harvest; then your barns will be completely filled, and your vats will overflow with new wine…Happy is a man who finds wisdom and who acquires understanding, for she is more profitable than silver, and her revenue is better than gold…Long life is in her right hand; in her left, riches and honor” (Proverbs 3:9-10,13-14,16, HCSB).
Contained in the sagacious advice of Proverbs 3 are two keys for success.
The first key for success concerns how you handle your finances. Before you spend any of your income, first give to God. If you don’t know how much to give, then a tithe or 10% is a good starting place.
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths” (Proverbs 3:5-6, ESV).
This saying from the book of Proverbs is a well-known and oft-quoted Bible memory verse.
Most teaching and preaching focuses on verse 5 about trusting in the Lord rather than one’s self.
But, what’s most interesting to me is the straight paths metaphor presented in verse 6.
“So to pacify the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them. He ordered Jesus flogged with a lead-tipped whip, then turned him over to the Roman soldiers to be crucified.” (Mark 15:15 NLT).
Why was it necessary for Jesus not only to suffer an agonizing death, but to have severe cruelty and indignity inflicted upon Him?
In addition to being flogged with a lead-tipped whip by Pilate’s order, Jesus was also:
“Then they came to a place named Gethsemane, and He told His disciples, ‘Sit here while I pray.’ He took Peter, James, and John with Him, and He began to be deeply distressed and horrified. Then He said to them, ‘My soul is swallowed up in sorrow—to the point of death. Remain here and stay awake.’ Then He went a little farther, fell to the ground, and began to pray that if it were possible, the hour might pass from Him. And He said, ‘Abba, Father! All things are possible for You. Take this cup away from Me. Nevertheless, not what I will, but what You will” (Mark 14:32-36, HCSB).
If the Transfiguration revealed Jesus’s divine nature, then Gethsemane revealed His humanity.
A lot of theological interpretations and explanations have been offered for the anguish expressed by Jesus at Gethsemane. Certainly He was about to bear the sins of all humanity–past, present, and future–and it was a horrific proposition!
“The Lord values those who fear Him, those who put their hope in His faithful love” (Psalm 147:11, HCSB).
In a classic pop song from the late 1960’s, Aretha Franklin demanded some respect from her man: “All I’m asking is for a little respect…”
I have two toddlers that I am trying to teach to mind me, to be respectful by doing what I ask them to do (or not do). We still have a ways to go and I suspect that we will probably be working on it for years to come!
Why do parents spend so much time, even years, training their children to be obedient and respectful?
“They will speak of the glory of Your kingdom and will declare Your might, informing all people of Your mighty acts and of the glorious splendor of Your kingdom. Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom; Your rule is for all generations” (Psalm 145:11-13, HCSB).
The creative and redemptive activity of God in His universe is so inexplicable that we have to rely on figures of speech to communicate it. One of the figures of speech used to describe the reality of God’s rule and reign over the universe is to describe it as a “kingdom.”
A kingdom is a form of government. In the kingdom metaphor God is portrayed as a merciful monarch who loves the subjects of His Kingdom and solicits them to come under His loving care and righteous government. In God’s Kingdom He is both a Sovereign King and a Benevolent King.
“Jesus replied, Your mistake is that you don’t know the Scriptures, and you don’t know the power of God. For when the dead rise, they will neither marry nor be given in marriage. In this respect they will be like the angels in heaven” (Mark 12:24-25, NLT).
The Sadducees based their views on the Torah, the first five books of the Old Testament, and they were fond of debating about Jewish religious teachings. They didn’t believe in the resurrection from the dead and so they asked Jesus a question about resurrection and framed it as a question about marriage.
Jesus recognized their hypocrisy and addressed their real question directly from the very Scriptures they purported to believe.
But, Jesus prefaced His remarks with this piercing accusation: You don’t know the Scriptures and so you don’t know the power of God!
