2 SAMUEL 7-9
18Then King David went in and sat before the Lord, and he said:
“Who am I, Sovereign Lord, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far? 19And as if this were not enough in your sight, Sovereign Lord, you have also spoken about the future of the house of your servant—and this decree, Sovereign Lord, is for a mere human!c
20“What more can David say to you? For you know your servant, Sovereign Lord. 21For the sake of your word and according to your will, you have done this great thing and made it known to your servant.
22“How great you are, Sovereign Lord! There is no one like you, and there is no God but you, as we have heard with our own ears. 23And who is like your people Israel—the one nation on earth that God went out to redeem as a people for himself, and to make a name for himself, and to perform great and awesome wonders by driving out nations and their gods from before your people, whom you redeemed from Egypt?d 24You have established your people Israel as your very own forever, and you, Lord, have become their God.(7:18-24)
LUKE 19:1-28
20“Then another servant came and said, ‘Sir, here is your mina; I have kept it laid away in a piece of cloth. 21I was afraid of you, because you are a hard man. You take out what you did not put in and reap what you did not sow.’
22“His master replied, ‘I will judge you by your own words, you wicked servant! You knew, did you, that I am a hard man, taking out what I did not put in, and reaping what I did not sow? 23Why then didn’t you put my money on deposit, so that when I came back, I could have collected it with interest?’
24“Then he said to those standing by, ‘Take his mina away from him and give it to the one who has ten minas.’
25“ ‘Sir,’ they said, ‘he already has ten!’
JOURNAL
It is interesting that Jesus tells this parable upon his declaration that salvation had now come to the house of Zacchaeus. Interesting that Zacchaeus was a terrible man, a tax collector and hated by most all in his community, yet he was passionate to see Jesus and when in his presence he gave back wealth to those he had wronged, plus half of his wealth to the poor.
Jesus is again not concerned with the past but rather the present. The question to be asked is where is my heart and what have I done today with what he has given me. Passivity is not of God. Jesus never condoned it, in fact he abhorred it. From David to Zaccheaus, the heart of God is one that forgives wrong actions but is drawn to action, not passive double-mindedness.
It is interesting that Jesus tells this parable upon his declaration that salvation had now come to the house of Zacchaeus. Interesting that Zacchaeus was a terrible man, a tax collector and hated by most all in his community, yet he was passionate to see Jesus and when in his presence he gave back wealth to those he had wronged, plus half of his wealth to the poor.
No comments:
Post a Comment