Month: July 2010

What is the purpose of a Parable?

~ servantone1

 JESUS SPEAKING 

            And the disciples came and said to him, “Why do you speak to them in parables?”

            He answered and said to them, “Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.  For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.  Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they don’t hear, nor do they understand.  And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says:

 

            ‘Hearing you will hear and shall not understand, and seeing you will see and not perceive; for the hearts of this people have grown dull.  Their hearts are hard of         hearing, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, so that I should            heal them.’

 

But blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear; for assuredly, I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it” (Mathew 13: 10-17.)

 

INSPIRED THOUGHTS

            The word parable means ‘alongside.’  The earth is a reflection of what exists in heaven; so earthly things and heavenly things run parallel, or ‘alongside’ one another.  It has been said that “A parable is an earthly story with a heavenly meaning.”  The disciples were curious to know why Jesus used parables, and they themselves were confused about their meaning.  The physical senses and the heart also run parallel.  The true understanding of these parables couldn’t be perceived with the eyes or the ears, but only with the heart.  The ears could hear the earthly story, but only the heart could hear and ponder the deeper heavenly, spiritual meaning.  In this scripture he says, “for the hearts of this people have grown dull; their hearts are hard of hearing.”  He also says, “Lest they should understand with their hearts.”  Those who didn’t understand had made their hearts so hard that the truth had entered their ears, but couldn’t make it to their hearts.  The quoted prophecy used in this scripture is from the book of Isaiah, (written hundreds of years before Christ’s arrival.)  The prophecy foretold that the messiah (the one God would send to save the world from evil) would teach in parables, for the purposes of separating those who wished to understand from those who did not; this prophecy is fulfilled in the ministry and life of Jesus Christ.

            I was what you might call ‘a stubborn child.’  Growing up I wanted to do things my way.  As I grew older, my dad would tell me helpful things like, “You need to get a job,” to which I would reply, “I know, I know.”  Apparently my eldest sister had many of the same problems, and when I would say, “I know, I know” he would remind me that I sounded like her.  What my dad was saying is, “When you say I know, you really don’t know.”  I was giving my dad lip service, and he knew it, and I knew it.  If I had decided to really agree with him, “I know” would have turned in to “I did.”  My heart was hardened.  I was capable of hearing what my dad was saying, but I refused to let it become something I accepted in my heart as true.  Denial is a defense against change; those who don’t want to change will refuse the truth as if it was death itself.

            Nothing changes in a person’s life until they open up their hearts and decide to let the light of God in.  Many people are incapable of hearing from God because they have ruled Him out; they don’t want Him to enter them because they don’t want to change.  Many people don’t spend time in the bible, and don’t try to understand the deeper spiritual things of God that He has provided because they are afraid.  Many people use “I knows.”  “I know I should go to church.”  “I know I should pray.”  “I know I should accept Jesus Christ as my Lord and savior and turn to him, but I’m not ready yet.”  But if anyone decides to let God in to their heart, just a little bit, he opens up and pours his truth and understanding in to them in abundance.  Are you willing to stand and open your heart to the Lord?  Are you capable of letting down your walls? Will you stop saying “I know I should,” and start saying “I want to know him?”  If you are willing, go to a quiet place and ask him in a prayer to come in to your heart, and in to your life, and he will.  You will see with new eyes, and you will hear the truth of God with a new heart; a heart that will beat for with His heart, and “you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” 

            “Lord Heavenly Father, we ask and pray that You open our hearts and make us hunger for Your understanding, knowledge, and truth.  Help us Lord to let down our walls, and hear with our hearts, and understand the spiritual, heavenly things that You have said, and will continue to say to us.  Father, speak to us, show us, come in to us, and make Your home in us.  We ask that you might share Your heart with us.  We love You Father, we praise You, and we thank You, and we ask and pray all of these things, in Jesus Christ’s name, Amen.”  God bless all of you.

Hatred and Reconciliation

~ servantone1

JESUS SPEAKING

            “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.’  But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of judgment.  And whoever says to his brother ‘Raca!’ shall be in danger of the council.  But whoever says, ‘You Fool!’ shall be in danger of hell fire.  Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way.  First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift?” (Mathew 5: 21-24.)

INSPIRED THOUGHTS

            The focus of evil no longer resided only in the actions, but also within the human heart.  Hatred within the heart and murder were now made equals.  The hate-filled religious leaders despised Jesus because he pronounced judgment upon their hearts.  They were called “hypocrites” by the Lord, because their actions did not match what was in their hearts; he saw into a place that no man could hide from him, and he saw evil.  This Scripture is broken in to two parts.  The first part addresses the person who feels hatred toward a brother or sister.  The second portion addresses the person who refuses to be reconciled to the one they have harmed.  Any hatred for another without a cause is murder.  Any person who refuses to apologize for a wrong they have committed can be causing a person to hate them, and therefore they are guilty of causing another to commit murder.

            Jesus also breaks contempt in to two different categories or courts.  The first is the Sanhedrin, or Jewish Council.  The second is the court of ‘The Almighty God.’  The Jewish council judges the action; God judges the heart, and the one that judges the heart is able to punish to a far greater extent.  The earthly court judges matters that are petty, but the heavenly court, judges matters that are very serious.  The term ‘Raca’ was a verbal show of contempt; if used, the user was liable to be hauled in to court as a result.  The term ‘you fool’ referred to a person’s level of Godliness, rather than to the persons own poor character, implied by ‘Raca.’  Today, to say ‘Raca’ could be compared to calling someone ‘a liar.’  To call someone ‘Godless’ could be compared to calling someone ‘a fool.’  In first century Jewish culture, saying ‘Raca’ could result in a fine, but saying, ‘you fool’ was punishable by having the tongue cut out, or by having red hot mettle pushed into the mouth.  Worldly things and Godly things are being compared here for our benefit.  God’s judgment will be far greater than man’s judgment.

            Another truth in this scripture addresses the common practice of separating one’s relationship with God and relationship with others in to two distinct categories.  Sacrifices and gifts brought to the altar were to atone for sins against God, in order to bring one back in to right standing with the Lord.  However, many of these people who brought large sacrifices to the altar, were guilty of refusing to seek restoration and forgiveness with their friends and neighbors.  Here Jesus reminds them to make sure they are first reconciled with those they have harmed, before they can expect to be reconciled to their God.  Also, anyone who has harmed someone without an amends is causing that person to sin if that person hates them as a result.  Jesus wants everyone to be reconciled to their earthly brothers before coming to their heavenly Father for forgiveness.
            A man named Zachaeus was a common thief and tax collector, and had been stealing from the people for many years before he met Jesus Christ.  Yet, he had an experience with Jesus that changed him.  The Lord went to be a guest in his home, and he received Jesus joyfully, and he gave his life back to God.  The scripture reads, ‘Then Zachaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold.”  And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house.”’

            Often times many of us seek to give things to God before we have finished making amends to those we owe.  For instance, many people tithe, but have refused to pay back delinquencies on their credit reports.  Many people attend church for years, and are active in the ministry but refuse to forgive a loved one for some past harm suffered.  Often, there are those who consider themselves to be more Holy than another person in action, but inside of their hearts, they are even more wicked than those they look down upon.  Today, if we are seeking to please God, we should replace hatred with forgiveness.  We should seek to restore anything we’ve stolen, and to ask for forgiveness where ever possible and whenever appropriate.  We should refrain from making any form of ugly statement about a person’s level of Godliness; but most of all, we should focus on our hearts, and make sure that they are free from hate, and filled with love for God, and love for others.

            “Lord Heavenly Father, we come before You now and we ask and pray that You would remove any hatred from our hearts, and help us to forgive others.  Lord, we also would like You to reveal areas of our lives where we need to make restitution and reconciliation for past harms.  Bring to our remembrance anyone who has something against us, and help us to be reconciled to them.  We love You Father, we thank You, and we praise You; and we ask and pray all of these things in Jesus Christ’s name.  Amen.”  God bless all of you.

What is ‘the thing you want the most?’

~ servantone1

JESUS SPEAKING

            And he said to them, “Which of you shall have a friend, and go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves; ‘for a friend of mine has come to me on his journey, and I have nothing to set before him’; and he will answer from within and say, ‘Do not trouble me; the door is shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give to you’?  I say to you, though he will not rise and give to him because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will rise and give him as many as he needs.  So I say to you ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you.  For everyone who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened” (Luke 11: 5-10.)

 

INSPIRED THOUGHTS

            During the days of our Lord, there were no phones, no text messages, and no emails; there weren’t even telegraph machines.  Scary, isn’t it?  This made it impossible to prepare for someone’s arrival from a distant place.  There was no way to call your family or friends in a different town to let them know you would be dropping by.  Many guests and visitors simply showed up unannounced.  First century Middle Eastern culture was one of extreme hospitality.  There were very few ‘hotels’ because it was desirable to take guests and strangers in to one’s home.  Commonly, travelers would simply go to a public place, and wait until someone invited them in to their home for the evening.  If you were lucky enough to have a guest in your home, you were required to take care of them like they were your own family.  A visitor was the responsibility of those who were hosting them; they provided food, shelter, and protection.  To be without food to set before a guest was a very serious dishonor.

            The average first century Jew was not wealthy.  A Jewish home consisted of one main room, in which everyone in the household slept.  Fathers, children, in-laws, and even important livestock were gathered together in this room, and the door was locked until morning.  To knock at a man’s door at midnight would rouse an entire household from a previously settled state of sleep.  This was no minor inconvenience, which is why the man refused the initial request for bread.  The one knocking received the bread he asked for, simply because he refused to take ‘no for an answer.’  Jesus is using this illustration to bring to light the necessity for persistence in prayer, and diligence in tirelessly seeking God.  The Lord is also drawing a parallel between Godly desires and worldly desires.  A man sought after bread with such fervor he was willing to forgo manners and etiquette and wake up an entire household to get it; he ‘refused to take no for an answer.’  This is paralleled with the hunger to satisfy the need for God’s Spirit in the lives of those who desire it.  How many people seek after God Zealously?  How many people would put the need to satisfy their hearts with God above the need to satisfy their stomachs with food?  Those who seek God are seeking what is most important. 

            In the movie, ‘The Pirates of the Caribbean,’ there is an interesting Pirate named ‘Captain Jack Sparrow;’ this captain possesses what appears to be a broken compass.  The compass doesn’t point North, South, East or West, but instead point’s to the thing the person holding it wants the most.  For instance, a pirate holding the compass might be lead toward some buried treasure, if that is what they desired the most.  A person who desired property might be lead to a new home.  A person who desired beauty might be lead to a beautiful man or woman to marry.  The number of things to desire and seek after is seemingly endless.  How many though, would hold the compass and be pointed toward God?  How many would find that in their hearts God was ‘the thing they wanted most’?

            Today, the majority of people in this world are not seeking God first; most don’t even have God on their ‘top ten list of things to chase after.’  If they were holding ‘Jack’s magic compass’ it would point them to a woman or man; a job; a car; a drug; a home; a family; the list could go on forever.  What is God’s greatest desire?  God desires to be the number one thing in each person’s heart.  He wants to be ‘the thing you want the most.’  He gave His only Son on a cross to make that possible.  Commonly, many people profess to be seeking God, but are more concerned with a job, or a relationship, or a lifestyle.  Many start off seeking God, but after the road becomes difficult, they replace their want for Him with a want for something fleshly.  The question is, to what length are you willing to go?  Are you a person who would knock on your neighbor’s door, but who has stopped knocking on God’s door?  Are worldly things more important to you than Godly things, or are you willing to make God ‘the thing you want the most’?  Today, you have the chance to search your heart, and to make sure that your compass is leading you toward eternal life with Christ.  May the Lord help you in your search?     

            “Lord Heavenly Father, we ask and pray that You would open Your door to us and give us Your Holy Spirit.  Father we’re standing at the door and we’re not walking away, not until You give us what we ask for.  Give us patience, endurance, and persistence to follow Your Son, and to finish the race that we have started.  Help us to not be divided, and help us to search our hearts, so that we may see and know what we are truly seeking.  We love You Father, we praise You, and we thank You, and we ask and pray all of these things in Jesus Christ’s name.  Amen.”  God bless all of you.