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Matthew 25:1-13 and Psalm 135

Clearly Jesus wants to press upon us to BE READY – He gave us so many great teachings on this topic. In a world that is more than ever prepped, organized, and connected…we really seem to have our stuff together on the outside. And social media is such a great place for our highlight reel of all things filtered and cropped perfectly.

Like these ten virgins, we are all prepped, ready and waiting for the party. But when news comes that the party is FINALLY about to start, panic mode sets in. While we have the right dress, the lamp even… half of us do not have the oil to make the lamp burn.   Job Number One: BURN ALL THE LAMPS! It’s more than just showing up appearing put together – you have to show up with the oil!

I have heard different analogies for what the oil represents for Christ Followers. Faith. The Holy Spirit. Obedience. I can’t help but think of the lukewarm that John talks about in Revelation.

We aren’t told why these virgins (think bridesmaids) showed up without the oil. Maybe they were so consumed with doing their hair that they ran out of time. Maybe they were going around worrying about how everyone else’s dress looked that they lost sight of Job Number One. Whatever their reason for not having the oil – the bottom line is, without it, they could not enter the party.

I’ve been in a season of box checking and having so many holy “habits” that I found myself losing sight of holy union.  Sure I had the right dress on, my hair was in place, and I even had my lamp. But when it was time to actually do Job Number One, I had no oil.

In motherhood this looks a lot like stretching ourselves so thin with lots of “good” things (teach Sunday school, weekly BSF, Bible Journal, etc)….but then losing our minds on our kids when they clog the sink with silly putty. Or missing out on quiet moments with them because we have run ourselves so ragged that we collapse in an instant.

What’s keeping you from Job Number One today in your walk with the Lord? Are you walking around appearing to be ready – you’ve got the dress, hair, and your lamp is GORGEOUS… but in secret you’re out of oil? Don’t wait for THE BEST PARTY EVER to start before you announce you’re out of oil.  Get your oil NOW and BE READY!

The Parable of the Ten Virgins

“At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise.  The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them.  The wise ones, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep.

 “At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’

 “Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. ⁸ The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’

 “‘No,’ they replied, ‘there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’

 “But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut.

 “Later the others also came. ‘Lord, Lord,’ they said, ‘open the door for us!’

 “But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I don’t know you.’

 “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.

Today’s reading:  Mathew 24:32-35, Mark 13:28-29, Luke 21:29-31, Psalm 133

How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity (Psalm 133:1).

Did you and your spouse light a unity candle at your wedding? I’m not sure if this is still a wedding tradition or not (it might not have made it past the 1900’s).  Nevertheless, it is still a good illustration – at the beginning of the wedding ceremony, a representative from each family (usually the mothers of the bride and groom) light the two taper candles. Later in the ceremony (usually after the formal vows), the bride and groom use the two taper candles to light the large pillar (unity) candle together.  Lighting the unity candle, and blowing out the separate taper candles, represents two lives being joined together as one.

As I was writing this post, I was thinking about the day B.J. and I got married. I think we lit a unity candle in our wedding, but I honestly can’t remember.  This morning I went downstairs to my storage room to see if I could find a picture.  After nearly breaking my neck trying to navigate the mess that is our storage room, I quickly gave up.  After twenty-four years of marriage B.J. and I are pretty unified whether or not we lit a dumb candle or not.  We both still love Jesus and share a common purpose – to glorify him with our lives.  But you know what?  We still disagree and bicker over a lot of relatively unimportant issues (like a messy rooms).  If not kept in check, our disagreement can take over, and will eventually lead to division.  Even the strongest of relationships are not immune from this risk.

In Psalm 133, as well as many other places throughout the scriptures, the church is called to Unity. It sounds good, but have you ever thought about why it is so important?  As I was reading and preparing for this post, a few key thoughts hit home for me.  These points are relevant to unity in the church as well as unity in our relationships.

Unity is theologically critical –

Jesus Christ is the center of our faith. He is the way.  If we are not united on this foundational truth, everything else we stand for becomes meaningless.

Yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live (1 Corinthians 8:6).

It is a powerful witness –

A church unified around the mission of spreading the gospel is powerful. Satan knows the best way to keep a church from fulfilling its mission is to get people arguing over non-essentials, turning their focus inward, and losing their evangelistic passion.

My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me (John 17:20-21).

Unity sounds easy, but is incredibly hard to achieve and maintain. How do we do it?  While easier said than done, a few key suggestions from God’s word:

Keep Jesus Christ at the center –

There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all (Ephesians 4:4-6).

Be humble, gentle and patient, bear with one another in love –

As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace (Ephesians 4:1-3).

Todays reading: Matthew 22:2-14 and Psalm 132

We recently celebrated a wedding in our family. My step daughter Paige married Ross on 6/16/18. It was perfect. Even though it poured down rain 25 minutes before the outdoor ceremony……it was perfect. And at the end of the day they were married!!! We spent many hours preparing for the ceremony and the reception. Then we waited for people to RSVP to the blessed event. As we waited, I was convicted of all the times I was slow to respond or failed to respond all together to various invitations. Why would I be so slow to respond to an invitation to a banquet with free food and drink, entertainment, and celebration with friends and family?

The parable in Matthew 22:2-14 speaks to an invitation and is an illustration of the kingdom of heaven. There was a king who prepared a great wedding feast for his son. Invitations were sent out but the people were too busy to respond (RSVP). Their minds were on other things. They were busy with work, family, illness, animals. When it came time for the banquet the people that were invited didn’t accept the invitation. They actually got mad and violent towards the servants that were inviting them! So the king, who spent so much time preparing for the event, invited other people off the street to come to the party in place of the ones initially invited. They accepted the invitation and came to the banquet. Once there, the king noticed someone who was not dressed appropriately for the banquet. At that time, when Jewish people  had a wedding banquet they gave the invitation and provided clothing for guests to wear to the event. This particular guest came to the banquet but wasn’t wearing the new clothes given to him. He showed up, but didn’t fully accept the invitation. He was only half present.  The king got rid of him because the guest arrogantly arrived in his own clothes and wasn’t willing to put down his pride and fully commit.

Have you RSVP’d to Jesus invitation?In accepting Jesus invitation have you fully committed by also putting on the new clothing of Christ? God asks us to clothe ourselves in His righteousness, not our own.  It’s part of the celebration of fully accepting the invitation of salvation from Jesus.

Isaiah 61:10 “I am overwhelmed with joy in the Lord my God! For he has dressed me with the clothing of salvation and draped me in a robe of righteousness. I am like a bridegroom in his wedding suit or a bride with her jewels.”

Today’s Reading : Matthew 21:28-32; John :19-20; Psalms 130

Matthew 21:28-32

²⁸ “What do you think? A man had two sons. And he went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’ ²⁹ And he answered, ‘I will not,’ but afterward he changed his mind and went. ³⁰ And he went to the other son and said the same. And he answered, ‘I go, sir,’ but did not go. ³¹ Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes go into the kingdom of God before you.³² For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him. And even when you saw it, you did not afterward change your minds and believe him.

Parables are great teachers of hidden truths and realities.  The message of the “Two Sons” is a direct answer to the direct affront that Jesus was being subjected to by the Chief priest and the elders of the temple. This was a manner in which Christ was redirecting and questioning the true intentions of his accusers.  In the passage before this parable, Christ is questioned on the authority that he teaches in temple and he redirects the elders with the question of John the Baptist’s Baptism.

In this parable, Christ is using a similar style where he uses their own beliefs to hone in to the critical point of the essence of the elders.  In Jewish tradition similar to our tradition of respect and obligation, when a person gives their word or promise, that is the correct manner of respect. But the true essence of respect is not only to commit with words, but also to complete the action.  By completing the action, you have completed your duty to the requestor.  In the parable the chief priest and the elders are the proverbial “second son”. They commit by words, but their actions are not aligned with the request of the father. The tax collectors are the “first son” where they have heard the request of the father and deny at first, but submit to the will of the father later.

Being a father and a son, I can see both aspects of this parable in my life.  There were many times as a child and young adult where I submitted to the request of my parents, but there are also times where I didn’t submit to the request.  As my wife and I raise our three children, there are times that the children comply with our request and at times they submit to their own devices.  But as reading this passage, I have the realization that these two sons’ roles are present in each of us on a daily basis. It is dynamic in nature as well. If we are in Christ, we are ever searching to be aligned with God, but sometimes we may do something that is not aligned with His will. Sometimes we may say, “ God direct my path” and decided to keep our own Mapquest at hand.   Other times we may feel the need to serve and will start wherever we are. These two scenarios are ways that we can see God working in us.  We are imperfect beings with access to a perfect being.  We will not always do the correct choice, but by grace we will have the chance to grow in Him.   Be Blessed.

;  Psalms 130

²⁸ “What do you think? A man had two sons. And he went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’ ²⁹ And he answered, ‘I will not,’ but afterward he changed his mind and went. ³⁰ And he went to the other son and said the same. And he answered, ‘I go, sir,’ but did not go. ³¹ Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes go into the kingdom of God before you.³² For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him. And even when you saw it, you did not afterward change your minds and believe him.

Parables are great teachers of hidden truths and realities.  The message of the “Two Sons” is a direct answer to the direct affront that Jesus was being subjected to by the Chief priest and the elders of the temple. This was a manner in which Christ was redirecting and questioning the true intentions of his accusers.  In the passage before this parable, Christ is questioned on the authority that he teaches in temple and he redirects the elders with the question of John the Baptist’s Baptism.

In this parable, Christ is using a similar style where he uses their own beliefs to hone in to the critical point of the essence of the elders.  In Jewish tradition similar to our tradition of respect and obligation, when a person gives their word or promise, that is the correct manner of respect. But the true essence of respect is not only to commit with words, but also to complete the action.  By completing the action, you have completed your duty to the requestor.  In the parable the chief priest and the elders are the proverbial “second son”. They commit by words, but their actions are not aligned with the request of the father. The tax collectors are the “first son” where they have heard the request of the father and deny at first, but submit to the will of the father later.

Being a father and a son, I can see both aspects of this parable in my life.  There were many times as a child and young adult where I submitted to the request of my parents, but there are also times where I didn’t submit to the request.  As my wife and I raise our three children, there are times that the children comply with our request and at times they submit to their own devices.  But as reading this passage, I have the realization that these two sons’ roles are present in each of us on a daily basis. It is dynamic in nature as well. If we are in Christ, we are ever searching to be aligned with God, but sometimes we may do something that is not aligned with His will. Sometimes we may say, “ God direct my path” and decided to keep our own Mapquest at hand.   Other times we may feel the need to serve and will start wherever we are. These two scenarios are ways that we can see God working in us.  We are imperfect beings with access to a perfect being.  We will not always do the correct choice, but by grace we will have the chance to grow in Him.   Be Blessed.

The Parable of the ten minas.   Luke 19:11-27

In the parable of the ten minas in the gospel of Luke, we read about a man of noble birth who goes to a distant country to have himself appointed king and then to return.  Since he will be gone, he calls ten of his servants and gives them each one mina (about 3 months wages) and tells them to put this money to work until he comes back.  When the king returns home, he sends for his servants to whom he had given the money, in order to find what they have gained with it.  

The first servant showed that his mina had earned ten more.  The king was pleased, saying, “Well done, good and faithful servant!…Because you have been trustworthy in a very small matter, take charge of ten cities” (verse 17).  

The next servant’s investment had yielded five additional minas, and the servant was rewarded with charge of five cities (verses 18-19).  

Then came a servant who reported that he had done nothing with his mina except hide it in a cloth (Luke 19:20).  The king commanded that his mina be given to the one who had earned ten.  People in the crowd did not think this was fair.  The king responded, “I tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given, but as for the one who has nothing, even what they have will be taken away” (verses 25-26). 

The nobleman in this parable is Jesus, who left this world but who will return as King some day.  The servants who are given the mina represent you and me, as followers of Jesus.  The Lord has given us a valuable commission, and we must be faithful to serve Him until He returns.  Upon His return, Jesus will determine the faithfulness of His own People.  

We all have the same job – to live for Christ.  I assume you are reading this Bible Journal daily because you have an interest in living for Christ.  This passage today tells us that we must invest the investment that Jesus made in us.  God has invested many things in each one of us.  Our possessions, our time, our lives, and even the Gospel message has been placed in our care.  God has given us these things and said, “Put ___________ to work, until I come back”. So, we have to ask ourself, “how am I using the things God has given me?  How am I spending my money, my time, and my life?  How am I using the Gospel message?”  And…”What kind of return is God getting on His investment in me?  I hope and long for the day when I hear “Well done, my good and faithful servant”!  

Also read Psalm 129