Monday, 1/26/2015

“End? No, the journey doesn't end here. Death is just another path. One that we all must take.” ~ J.R.R. Tolkien

EXODUS 11,12

God reveals the final plague to be brought to Egypt. The death of the firstborn of each household. God then declares the passover and the feast of unleavened bread as celebrations to commemorate each of these events.  They are to be done every year.

“This is a day you are to commemorate; for the generations to come you shall celebrate it as a festival to the Lord—a lasting ordinance. For seven days you are to eat bread made without yeast. On the first day remove the yeast from your houses, for whoever eats anything with yeast in it from the first day through the seventh must be cut off from Israel. On the first day hold a sacred assembly, and another one on the seventh day. Do no work at all on these days, except to prepare food for everyone to eat; that is all you may do." (12:15-16)

 “Celebrate the Festival of Unleavened Bread, because it was on this very day that I brought your divisions out of Egypt. Celebrate this day as a lasting ordinance for the generations to come. (12:17)

“Obey these instructions as a lasting ordinance for you and your descendants. When you enter the land that the Lordwill give you as he promised, observe this ceremony. And when your children ask you, ‘What does this ceremony mean to you?’ then tell them, ‘It is the Passover sacrifice to the Lord, who passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt and spared our homes when he struck down the Egyptians.’ ” Then the people bowed down and worshiped. The Israelites did just what the Lord commanded Moses and Aaron. (12:24-28)

MATTHEW 18:21-35

Peter asks Jesus how many times is he to forgive his brother when he sins against him.  Peter suggests seven, since the accepted practice was 3, and he assumed he was being generous. Jesus tells him seventy-seven times and then tells him a story of servant who couldn't pay his debt.

“Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand bags of gold was brought to him. Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt. (23-25)

So he begs the King for patience.  Instead of giving him more time the king cancels his debt.  Instead of being grateful the servant went and demanded payment from a fellow servant.

“His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it back.’“But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. When the other servants saw what had happened, they were outraged and went and told their master everything that had happened.“Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’ In anger his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.“This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.” (29-35)

JOURNAL

In this story of Moses and Pharaoh it becomes crystal clear that our lives will either be channels of God's love or examples of what it is not.  If we are opposed we will still be used, but it will be to reveal the opposite of his goodness and grace.  In Jesus' words in Matthew on forgiveness...there is not much I can say here.  This is one of those stories where Jesus' words are so direct and so cutting that it truly reveals my sin and failure to love. Therefore revealing the power, beauty and grace of God's amazing love.  

“Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. (Luke 6:37)