Date: 25 January 2009; Deployment – 17 days
Bible (NT/OT):
Matt 20
Laborers in the Vineyard
20 "For the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. 2 After agreeing with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard. 3 And going out about the third hour he saw others standing idle in the marketplace, 4 and to them he said, 'You go into the vineyard too, and whatever is right I will give you.' 5 So they went. Going out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour, he did the same. 6 And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing. And he said to them, 'Why do you stand here idle all day?' 7 They said to him, 'Because no one has hired us.' He said to them, 'You go into the vineyard too.' 8 And when evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, 'Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last, up to the first.' 9 And when those hired about the eleventh hour came, each of them received a denarius. 10 Now when those hired first came, they thought they would receive more, but each of them also received a denarius. 11 And on receiving it they grumbled at the master of the house, 12 saying, 'These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.' 13 But he replied to one of them, 'Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? 14 Take what belongs to you and go. I choose to give to this last worker as I give to you. 15 Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?' 16 So the last will be first, and the first last."
Jesus Foretells His Death a Third Time
17 And as Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside, and on the way he said to them, 18 "See, we are going up to Jerusalem. And the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death 19 and deliver him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified, and he will be raised on the third day."
A Mother's Request
20 Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came up to him with her sons, and kneeling before him she asked him for something. 21 And he said to her, "What do you want?" She said to him, "Say that these two sons of mine are to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your kingdom." 22 Jesus answered, "You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am to drink?" They said to him, "We are able." 23 He said to them, "You will drink my cup, but to sit at my right hand and at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father." 24 And when the ten heard it, they were indignant at the two brothers. 25 But Jesus called them to him and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. 26 It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, 28 even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."
Jesus Heals Two Blind Men
29 And as they went out of Jericho, a great crowd followed him. 30 And behold, there were two blind men sitting by the roadside, and when they heard that Jesus was passing by, they cried out, "Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!" 31 The crowd rebuked them, telling them to be silent, but they cried out all the more, "Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!" 32 And stopping, Jesus called them and said, "What do you want me to do for you?" 33 They said to him, "Lord, let our eyes be opened." 34 And Jesus in pity touched their eyes, and immediately they recovered their sight and followed him.
Ps 21:13-22:1
3 Be exalted, O Lord, in your strength! We will sing and praise your power.
Sun Tzu:
“Attack when they are unprepared, make your move when they do not expect it.”
“Strike at their gaps, attack when they are lax, don’t let the enemy figure out how to prepare. This is why it is said that in military operations fromlessness is the most effective.”
“The most efficient of movements is the one that is unexpected; the best of plans is the one that is unknown.”
The Intellectual Devotion (Kidder, D. & Oppenheim N. The Intellectual Devotion, Rodale. NY, NY 2006):
Bible (NT/OT):
Matt 20
Laborers in the Vineyard
20 "For the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. 2 After agreeing with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard. 3 And going out about the third hour he saw others standing idle in the marketplace, 4 and to them he said, 'You go into the vineyard too, and whatever is right I will give you.' 5 So they went. Going out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour, he did the same. 6 And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing. And he said to them, 'Why do you stand here idle all day?' 7 They said to him, 'Because no one has hired us.' He said to them, 'You go into the vineyard too.' 8 And when evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, 'Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last, up to the first.' 9 And when those hired about the eleventh hour came, each of them received a denarius. 10 Now when those hired first came, they thought they would receive more, but each of them also received a denarius. 11 And on receiving it they grumbled at the master of the house, 12 saying, 'These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.' 13 But he replied to one of them, 'Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? 14 Take what belongs to you and go. I choose to give to this last worker as I give to you. 15 Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?' 16 So the last will be first, and the first last."
Jesus Foretells His Death a Third Time
17 And as Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside, and on the way he said to them, 18 "See, we are going up to Jerusalem. And the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death 19 and deliver him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified, and he will be raised on the third day."
A Mother's Request
20 Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came up to him with her sons, and kneeling before him she asked him for something. 21 And he said to her, "What do you want?" She said to him, "Say that these two sons of mine are to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your kingdom." 22 Jesus answered, "You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am to drink?" They said to him, "We are able." 23 He said to them, "You will drink my cup, but to sit at my right hand and at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father." 24 And when the ten heard it, they were indignant at the two brothers. 25 But Jesus called them to him and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. 26 It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, 28 even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."
Jesus Heals Two Blind Men
29 And as they went out of Jericho, a great crowd followed him. 30 And behold, there were two blind men sitting by the roadside, and when they heard that Jesus was passing by, they cried out, "Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!" 31 The crowd rebuked them, telling them to be silent, but they cried out all the more, "Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!" 32 And stopping, Jesus called them and said, "What do you want me to do for you?" 33 They said to him, "Lord, let our eyes be opened." 34 And Jesus in pity touched their eyes, and immediately they recovered their sight and followed him.
Ps 21:13-22:1
3 Be exalted, O Lord, in your strength! We will sing and praise your power.
Sun Tzu:
“Attack when they are unprepared, make your move when they do not expect it.”
“Strike at their gaps, attack when they are lax, don’t let the enemy figure out how to prepare. This is why it is said that in military operations fromlessness is the most effective.”
“The most efficient of movements is the one that is unexpected; the best of plans is the one that is unknown.”
The Intellectual Devotion (Kidder, D. & Oppenheim N. The Intellectual Devotion, Rodale. NY, NY 2006):
The Venus de Milo (above) is a famous pure marble sculpture of the Greek God of love, Aphrodite (Roman God Venus). The sculpture stands over six feet tall and depicts the God standing, waist pivoting a bit to the right and eyes looking just over the horizon. Venus stands with only a sheet over her lower body. The Sculpture was discovered in 1820 on the Greek Island of Melos but has been dated to 400BC-300AD. The artist is of course unknown but a base found near by Identified a previously unknown Alexandros of Antioch of Menander (Greek). One of the arms was found nearby holding an apple. According to myth, Paris of Troy had given Venus a golden apple to identify her as the most beautiful woman in the world.
Events:
I’m home for the weekend and enjoyed yesterday around the house. Marla and I got up, read, wrote and went to Yoga (awesome as usual). We went to see Slumdog Millionaire yesterday afternoon which was one of the best movies that I have ever seen. Pizza last night and another movie…the waitress. Slow and relaxing day. This section reminds me of how comfortable (and sort of boring) my life is here, guess that’s about to change. Sure gonna miss these days.
Thoughts:
1. 12 saying, 'These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.' 13 But he replied to one of them, 'Friend, I am doing you no wrong…15 Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?' 16 So the last will be first, and the first last." A good approach to difficult sayings in the bible is to first look at the verses and topics immediately before and after the verse (it was put there for a reason), then consider the immediate and broader audience/culture that the verse addresses, then consider the verse as it relates to the purpose of the Book (Matthew’s purpose was to prove Jesus to be the Prophesied Messiah to the Jews then Gentiles), then in the context of the Gospel. In this way we can avoid “farming” the bible for quotes. Everything must be taken in context if we wish accurately understand the Bible.
In it’s immediate context, this Parable is set between Matthew 19:27- “7 Then Peter said in reply, ‘See, we have left everything and followed you. What then will we have?’” and the following plea from James and John’s mother that they sit at Jesus right and left in heaven. In its immediate context, it seems to be a warning to the disciples not to become too secure or proud of their position. Taken in the broader context of Matthew, the New Testament and the Bible, I do not feel that this one parable can teach that there are not varying positions in heaven against so many other verses in the bible that seem to. Thus, it must be meant to illustrate another truth. This parable seems to illustrate the meaning of the verses immediately before, “Matt 19:30 But many who are first will be last, and the last first,” and immediately following it, Matt 20:26-27, “ But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever would be first among you must be your slave." Reminding the disciples that an attitude of humility and submission to God’s authority is what is truly valued in heaven. In the context of the Book of Matthew, this verse may be pointing to the fact that the Gentiles (you and I) were soon to be grafted into the salvation of Israel (Jew’s). Just yesterday, Marla and I were discussing the meaning of Matthew 15:22-28, the story of the Cannonite (Gentile) woman who pleads with Jesus to heal her daughter, the dialogue goes: Jesus: “I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 25 Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me. 26 But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it to dogs. 27 And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters' table. 28 Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour. We must remember that we do not reward/bless God with our salvation but he blesses us with salvation. Too many today forget our place and think that God helplessly awaits our return as the father did prodigal son. God becomes much more an object of pity in such a relationship than a King. To be sure, God does rejoice when his Prodigals come home but it is not a joy born of helplessness. No, as the lost sheep, our shepherd carries us home…that no sheep could boast that we found salvation on our own. Remember, we are Gentiles serving the Unchanging Old Testament God of Israel. The fact that God has adopted us as sons and daughters and “grafted” us into his plan of salvation is not something to brag about but something to humbly rejoice in. This Cannonite woman rightly understands her position; first as a Gentile next as a servant thus Christ praises her highly. Though after the dialogue, we gentile’s are left to wonder, “Am I somehow less as a Gentile ‘dog’ than the true children of Israel?” Today’s parable of the Laborers in the Vineyard is greatly reassuring to us gentiles, it seems to say that even as those “hired in the last hour”, our reward (salvation) is no less than that of the messianic Jews whose lineage is of Abraham, salvation is of Christ and faith has been strong for centuries.
2. 18 "See, we are going up to Jerusalem. And the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death 19 and deliver him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified, and he will be raised on the third day." This is the third time that Matthew documents Jesus fortelling his death. It is amazing that the disciples (like us) forget the gospel message and doubt it’s power so quickly when adversity comes (Chapter 26).
3. She said to him, "Say that these two sons of mine are to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your kingdom." Like any good mom, James and John’s mother pleads for her son’s to sit on thrones with Jesus in heaven. Jesus response is interesting, he does not deny that there are positions for a saint to his right and his left, instead he asks, “Are you able to drink the cup that I am to drink?” This is a clear reference to the cup of God’s wrath that Jesus refers to again in Matt 26:39-43 as he prays about his imminent crucifixion,
"My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will." …Again, for the second time, he went away and prayed, "My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done."
Indeed, Jesus affirms that they will “drink of this cup” as James was martyred and John was exiled for their faith. However, Jesus then says, “but to sit at my right hand and at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.” In his divinity Christ knew who would sit at his right and left but that sure would take away from the excitement if he revealed the identity here. Maybe he was just letting them down softly. As a young believer, I used to hope that maybe one of those thrones was reserved for me (just being honest). As I have matured though, I have come to a different understanding of what it takes to occupy a seat of honor in Christ’s Kingdom. The facts that we know about these seats from this context are, 1) the last will be first and 2) the servant of all will be first. So the Christian janitor who receives nothing in this world but serves quietly his entire life, that’s the secret right? What poetic justice this would be, a come from behind victory, real Cinderella story. Still probably a bit off the mark. I discussed this yesterday but let's rehash it today. In my opinion, what Christ values most in his people is faith, wholehearted reliance on himself, wholehearted satisfaction in his glory, and wholehearted obedience to his law. I do not feel that there will be any sort of surprise honor. I feel that the proximity that we enjoy to Christ in heaven will be a direct extension to the proximity with which we lived with Christ on earth. As I said yesterday, people end up getting what they want. For those who have lived their lives in opposition to Christ, they will no longer have to tolerate Christ or his people in the afterlife, all common grace will be removed from their life and they will suffer in it’s absence. For those who, while believers, never lived for Christ or found their satisfaction in his glory, the will likewise occupy a more distant seat in heaven. But, for those in this life who picked up their cross and followed Christ everyday of their lives, found their self-worth in his love for them, found their satisfaction in his glory and forsook all others for their first love (Christ), to them belong the thrones at Jesus side.
4. 28 even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." Here is the gospel at it’s simplest. Jesus lived a life without sin, was punished as a sinner thus paying the ransom that we owe as sinners to save many. Notice the usage of the term many. Sadly, Jesus did not come to save all (universalism) but many (his chosen).
5. We will sing and praise your power. People seem to diminish God’s power as science advances. There is a feeling among the laity that science can now explain God out of the universe. As one inclined to science let me say that far from driving God out, science proves God’s power. Science gives us a glimpse of how God has intricately, ingeniously, weaved this universe together through billions of miraculous physical laws that keep it 70 degrees outside my house today as opposed to -100 degrees just a few miles above earth’s surface and 500 degrees on Venus. Far from arguing for random, meaningless, existence, the intricacies of the universe argue for an intelligent designer. With every question science answers it provokes hundreds more. It is easy for the uneducated person to look at the human eye and say “we see because we have eyes.” But when you begin to study the eye and quickly come to the end of all human explanation for sight, you realize that you now have millions more questions about how we see then when you simply said, “we see because we have eyes.” This is when you see God in science. Far from diminishing God’s power, science magnifies it. Don’t trust in the power of science, it merely explains and magnifies the power that set the universe in motion and gives sight to our eyes, the power of God.
