Thursday, January 30

THURSDAY, JANUARY 30, 2014

Exodus 10:1–12:13

Matthew 20:1–28

Psalm 25:1–15

Proverbs 6:6–11

 

 

Today’s two parables from Matthew touch upon the upside-down nature of the Kingdom, where the last shall be first and “whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant.”  On the surface, the two parables highlight 1) the “righteous” person’s (potential) resentment at witnessing a late-in-time conversion from a supposedly sinful individual and 2) the human desire for self-exaltation vs. the Biblical call for self-abnegation.

 

Looking at the second parable a bit more closely, we read about the mother of Zebedee’s sons, James and John, who approaches Jesus and requests exalted positions for them.  Based on Jesus’s ministry, He had poured out His love and life for Peter, James, and John.  The context suggests that the two men had come to believe they deserved some privileged position, above the other disciples.  Upon hearing of this, the other disciples rightfully appear rubbed the wrong way.

 

This parable raises the comparison between positions and impact.  With 20/20 vision, we recognize that titles don’t transform culture; ordinary people, serving an amazing God and trusting Him to change lives, do.  As soon as we rest on titles or positions, we immediately abandon the servant-hearted mentality that Jesus explains to be normative in the Kingdom.  Indeed, His example of seeking, saving, and serving the lost stands in stark opposition to the position-oriented leadership of the Pharisees and the Roman authorities.  As we have experienced even over the first several weeks of our readings, the Kingdom of God definitely involves un-worldly paradigms and structures.

 

As an aside, Steve and Sheri Wills lent me a helpful book on thinking through questions rather instinctively trying to size up a situation with a judgmental attitude.  I stand guilty as charged on the latter tendency.  Perhaps you too have struggled with this weakness, as demonstrated through assigning condemning labels to yourself or doubting others’ competency or good intentions.  The author points out that asking truth-seeking questions does indeed promote healthy relationships, progress in our work, and peace with ourselves.

 

As a case in point, I tend to berate myself internally for falling short of exacting standards that I have set for myself.  As a result, I often struggle to appropriate God’s grace on a moment-by-moment basis; rather, I submit myself to a sorrowful penance as “rightful” recompense for proving myself a failure.  Author David Seamands discusses this tendency as emblematic of the tension between our sonship as believers and our un-Scriptural striving to prove our worth to God and others.

 

2 Corinthians 7:9,10 explains:  “.  As you may see, I have allowed my prideful clinging to these standards to override God’s adoption.  In response to these realities, I am seeking to re-focus my thinking along questions, such as:  “Lord, I recognize this situation is not turning out as I had hoped.  How may I see Your grace in it?  How would you like me to grow?  Would you please provide Your perspective on this situation?”  While my experience is in its infancy, I praise God for His approachability and willingness to instruct us – and even use us for His purposes – through both positive and negative circumstances.

 

Turning back to today’s passage, we may then re-consider the disciples’ request for greatness vs. Jesus’s Kingdom call.  Their questions had turned to:  “What’s in it for us?”  In turn, Jesus highlights that the Kingdom requires coming, dying, and radically shifting our priorities to God’s purposes and others’ flourishing.  The Kingdom questions fall in this line:  “How may You be glorified in this situation?  How may I serve Your people with the gifts You have provided me?”

 

As Bob Dylan sang in his Gospel period, “you gotta serve somebody.”  Whom are you serving now?  We certainly dither on a moment-by-moment basis.  Yet, may we follow after the heart of Joshua:  “Now fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness.  Throw away the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord.  But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”

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