Sunday, 2/8/2015

“I think the key indicator for wealth is not good grades, work ethic, or IQ. I believe it's relationships. Ask yourself two questions: How many people do I know, and how much ransom money could I get for each one?” ~ Jarod Kintz

LEVITICUS 4-6

These 3 chapters deal with the sin, guilt and grain offerings.  Chapter 4 is all about the sin offering, whether it is intentional or unintentional sin and how the offering is to be performed as a result.  5 and 6 discuss the guilt and grain and again the sin offerings.

14The Lord said to Moses: 15“When anyone is unfaithful to the Lord by sinning unintentionally in regard to any of the Lord’s holy things, they are to bring to the Lord as a penalty a ram from the flock, one without defect and of the proper value in silver, according to the sanctuary shekel.^d It is a guilt offering. 16They must make restitution for what they have failed to do in regard to the holy things, pay an additional penalty of a fifth of its value and give it all to the priest. The priest will make atonement for them with the ram as a guilt offering, and they will be forgiven. (5:14-16)

MATTHEW 25:1-30

Jesus tells two more parables in this text.  The first is the parable of the virgins and the bridegroom, it emphasizes the point of not being lazy and unprepared.  It ends with the bridegroom refusing to let the unprepared virgins in because...12“But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I don’t know you.’...

The second parable is the parable of the talents...A Master goes on a journey and gives bags of gold for three of his servants to manage.  The first two take the bags of gold and double the amount.  When the Master returns they present him with double the amount he initially gave them.  The third servant is fearful of losing the money and doesn't want to risk having the Master angry with him, so he buries the gold and when the Master returns....

24“Then the man who had received one bag of gold came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’26“His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? 27Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.28“ ‘So take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags. 29For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. 30And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

JOURNAL

This parable is one that I have wrestled with for as long as I can remember.  What is Jesus saying here?  Is this just about laziness, or fear or commanding people to go out and be productive?  The more I think on this and the more I take Jesus' comments in context as a whole, I think it is all about relationship and knowing the heart of God.

Had the servant really known the heart of his Master, he would have known what was truly important to him.  The Master valued his servants being industrious and working the money in order to make more.  The last thing the Master would have ever done would be to stick his money in the ground.  Therefore the actions of the servant were completely contrary to the desires of the Master.  As a result, he threw him out of the kingdom because the servant did not know, understand or obey.  This parable therefore has nothing to do with money management or calling people to be thrifty and take risks.  It is about knowing the heart of God and obeying through faith.

I know many times in my life I have done things with great intentions.  I have rationalized my actions by telling myself my intent was good.  However, reality is that I did not obey and my actions were rooted in fear and selfishness.  My chief concern was how things would affect me, not whether or not I was being obedient to the heart of God.  My error was in failing to know and trust.  

21“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ 23Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ (Matthew 7:21-23)