Scripture

Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers in this world lord it over the people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them. But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave.”

Observation

As Jesus travels towards Jerusalem, He takes the Twelve aside and tell them what is about to happen to Him. He will be betrayed and handed over to the Gentiles to be mocked, flogged, and crucified but then He will rise from the dead.

The mother of James and John comes to Jesus with a request that her two sons sit on Jesus’ left and right in the Kingdom. Jesus says that He has no say in this as the Father has prepared the places of honour.

The Kingdom of God does not work like the kingdoms of this age. People flaunt their authority in all kinds of ways, but in Jesus’ Kingdom the leader must first be the servant of all. Jesus Himself came to serve and not to be served.

Application

Not so long ago, the people who run things in the world were somewhat humble about their role. We have always had the “elites”, people with wealth and influence. It has always been clear that there was an “Old Boys Network” where decisions were made in a kind of parallel universe to the visible systems of government.

Since the Covid scare, the people who used to be behind the scenes have become more obvious, more blatant. The “elites” have made it clear that they regard us deplorables with contempt and will ignore our opinions, desires, and aspirations.

Jesus says that in His Kingdom, there are to be no elites. Yes, we need leaders and people with the spiritual gifts to provide direction to the church, but they are of a different kind of leadership, a different heart. To be a leader in the Kingdom, you first have to be a servant, and to retain the heart of a servant.

Leadership in God’s Kingdom is relational. We love one another and we serve one another. As a pastor, I get to empty the church dishwasher, put out the chairs, and vacuum floors, not because it is my job, but because serving goes with the job.

Prayer

Lord, please give me a humble and submissive heart at all times. Amen.

Scripture

”He said to one of them, ‘ I haven’t been unfair! Didn’t you agree to work all day for the usual wage? Take your money and go. I wanted to pay the last worker the same as you.’”

Observation

Jesus tells a parable to illustrate the kingdom of heaven. A land owner went out early in the day to hire workers. He hires some, but find it’s not enough, so he returns at various times in the day and hires more workers.

At the end of the day, he pays the workers from the last to be hired to the first. He pays them all the same amount, regardless of how long they worked. When those who started early in the morning complain, he says, “You agreed to work for this amount. Take your money and go. Don’t be jealous of my kindness to others.”

Jesus concludes by saying that those who are last now will be first then, and those who are first now will be last then.

Application

Jesus overturns all of our natural expectations. It seems unfair to pay a man who works all day the same as a man who only works an hour. On the other hand, both men need the same money to live on.

When we are tempted to say, “it’s not fair!” to God, we need to realise that God is not about fairness, but about grace. If God gives me enough grace for me, how can I complain when someone else seems to get a better deal? My eyes need to be on God, not on my brother.

Our concept of fairness arises because we live in a world of limited resources. If one person has a lot, it seems to be at the expense of someone who has less.

God is the God of more than enough. He has an infinite supply of everything. So for God to give a billion dollars to one person while giving one million dollars to somebody else, is not a lack of fairness. It is about what we can handle with wisdom and joy .

Prayer

Lord, please forgive me for complaining about fairness, when I should be thanking you for abundance. Help me to focus on what others need from me rather than what I want from you. Amen.

Scripture

Jesus looked at them intently and said, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But with God everything is possible.”

Observation

Jesus tells His disciples that it is hard for rich people to enter the kingdom. In fact it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter God’s kingdom.

The disciples are astounded and ask Jesus how can anyone be saved? He tells them it is impossible by human standards, but with God everything is possible .

He goes on to tell them that in the age to come, these disciples will sit on twelve thrones. Many who are now the greatest will then be the least in the Kingdom, and many who are now unimportant will be the greatest.

Application

It is impossible for anyone to be saved through human effort alone. The disciples were amazed at Jesus’ words that rich people find it hard to enter the Kingdom. There was an assumption that being rich was a sign of God’s favour.

Jesus reminds them that the rich will be poor and the weak will be strong in the age of the Kingdom of Heaven. God overturns all of our expectations.

Nobody can be saved – rich or poor. But with God, the impossible becomes possible Jesus would soon die on the cross to open wide the gates of Heaven to all who would lay down their own lives and follow Him.

With God, all things are possible. The dead come to life; lepers are cleansed; money is provided; incurable diseases are cured.

We should never abandon hope. Rather, we need to trust the God who does the impossible.

Prayer

Lord, thank you for your ability to save people who seem beyond redemption. You truly are the God of the impossible. Amen.

Scripture

But when the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had many possessions.

Observation

Some parents bring their children to receive Jesus’ blessing. The disciples want to send them away, but Jesus says,”Let the little children come to me, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to people like this.”

A rich man comes to Jesus to ask him what he must do to have eternal life. Jesus tells him to obey the commandments. The man says he has done this and asks what else must he do?

Jesus tells him to sell all his possessions and give the money to the poor. The young man goes away sad, for he has many possessions.

Application

Jesus has a way of putting his finger on people’s addictions and idols. For this man, the idol was his wealth.

Jesus, at the man’s request, gives him a fundamental choice. He could enjoy the benefits of wealth in this life or he could give them up for now in order to enjoy eternal life.

It is a bit like the challenge for young children – have one lolly now sitting in front of you on a plate or wait half an hour for five lollies. Many people, adults and children alike, are unable to exercise discipline and patience to wait for the better thing.

This man was obviously aware he was lacking something. He was looking for the relationship with God that just obeying commandments can never satisfy. Jesus says, in effect, that his wealth was standing in the way.

It doesn’t have to be possessions, of course. People make idols of all kinds of things – power, sexual immorality, approval by others and more.

If we are not prepared to give up the thing that blocks our relationship with God, we will never get to Heaven.

Prayer

Lord, please show me the idols that get in the way of my relationship with you, and please give me the grace to surrender them to you. Amen.

Scripture

“Haven’t you read the scriptures?” Jesus replied. “They record that from the beginning ‘God made them male and female.'”

Observation

Jesus leaves Galilee and travels to Judea. Some Pharisees ask him if a man should be allowed to divorce his wife for just any reason.

Jesus replies that the scriptures teach that God made people male and female, and for this reason a man leaves his parents to be united with his wife. Therefore, no one should separate those whom God has join together.

When pressed by the Pharisees, Jesus goes on to say that divorce was given because our hearts are hard. Anyone who divorces for any reason other than adultery by their partner is themselves guilty of adultery.

Application

In the beginning God created people male and female.

Jesus repeat this passage from Genesis because it is foundational to what it means to be human. It is basic biology.

Western culture at the moment is being assaulted by people who want to tear down all distinctions in nature, but especially those between men and women.

Biology teaches us that our sex is hard coded into our DNA. Every cell in our body carries the code – you are a man or a woman. We cannot overwrite this with surgery, hormones, and feelings.

In the same way, marriage is undermined when people say,”Love is love” to justify a form of marriage in which the sex of the people is irrelevant.

God made us male and female. To deny this basic truths is to make God a liar.

Prayer

Father, please help people to understand the basic truth. I reject the claims of those who deny you and I declare that your word is true. Amen.

Scripture

Then Peter came to him and asked,“Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? 7 times?” “No, not seven times,” Jesus replied, “but seventy times seven.”

Observation

Peter asks Jesus how many times he should forgive a brother who sings against him. He suggests seven times, which was very generous. But Jesus says seventy times seven is the appropriate number.

Jesus then tells a parable of a king who was settling accounts. He discovered that one of his servants owed him millions of dollars. He ordered the servant to be thrown into prison, along with his family. The servant pleads for time to pay, so the king forgives his debt. A fellow servant owes this man a few days wages. The first servant has him thrown into prison despite the man’s pleas for mercy. When the king hears about this, he has the first servant thrown into prison.

Jesus concludes by saying that this is how God will treat those who refuse to forgive their brothers and sisters.

Application

Gods mercy towards us is huge. We think of all the times we have said, “Sorry” to God and received His forgiveness. We should probably add four times that number again of occasions when we should have said “Sorry” but failed to do so.

Forgiveness flows to us from God’s heart because He is love and we are His children.

Part of being a receiver of God’s loving forgiveness is that we forgive those who hurt us. Peter thought he had an idea of God’s grace when he suggested that we forgive people seven times. But Jesus explodes that idea. “Seventy times seven” really means that we do not keep count.

For the child of God, forgiveness should flow freely from our hearts as it does from God’s heart.

“Freely you have received. Freely you must give.”

Prayer

Lord, your love is like an ocean that stretches beyond our imagination. You let my sins sink out of sight and over again. Please let this same grace flow from me to others. Amen.

Scripture

“I also tell you this: If two of you agree here on earth concerning anything you ask, my Father in heaven will do it for you. For where two or three gather together as my followers, I am there among them.”

Observation

If a man has 100 sheep, he will go searching for one that goes astray. When he finds the stray, he will rejoice over the one that was lost more than the ninety-nine who did not go astray. The Father also rejoices when one of His little ones comes to faith.

If another believer offends us, we should first try to resolve it privately. If that does not work, we should take one or two others to meet with them. If all else fails, we must take the dispute to the church to be adjudicated.

If two people agree on earth concerning anything, the Father will do it. Where two or three gather in Jesus’ name He is with us.

Application

There is spiritual power in agreement, for better or worse.

When we agree in prayer, then God sees our combined faith levels and moves to answer our prayer. Agreement brings a multiplication of faith.

Agreement has a negative side also. When we gossip or speak badly of other christians in a group, then the power of agreement releases satan to pull that person down. When we say a particular person is no good or beyond redemption, we give satan the ability to block that person’s access to the grace of God.

If there is power in agreement, there is even greater power in presence. The presence of Christ, the power of the Holy Spirit, pulls down strongholds, releases healing, and brings people to salvation.

When we gather, even as two or three, the church, the Bride of Christ, the Body of Christ is in session. There amongst us is Christ.

The key is that we meet in the name of Jesus, that is, as His representatives. There is no promise for a couple of christians having coffee together, but when we come together “as my followers”, we can know our prayers will be powerfully answered.

Prayer

Lord, thank you for the power of agreement and the power of your presence. Please help me to believe these words and put them into practise. Amen.

Scripture

“What sorrow awaits the world, because it’s tempts people to sin. Temptations are inevitable, but what sorrow awaits the person who does the tempting.”

Observation

The disciples ask Jesus who is the greatest in God’s Kingdom. Jesus replies that we must turn from our sins and become like children to get inside the Kingdom. Anyone who becomes humble like a child is the greatest in the Kingdom.

Anyone who causes a “little one” (whether a child or a believer in Christ) to fall into sin will be judged so terribly that they would be better off with a millstone tied around their neck and cast into the sea. Temptation is inevitable, but sorrow awaits the one who tempts people.

If we are led Into temptation, we should cut off the offending parts of our body. It is better to enter eternity maned then to be thrown into the flames of Hell.

Application

It is one thing to sin ourselves, but infinitely worse if we cause somebody else to sin.

The world system, and those who participate in it, will be judged harshly by God for this reason.

When we look around at the temptations that our society exhorts us to indulge, it is no wonder that Jesus is so harsh. The world encourages us to lust after people, to engage in sexual promiscuity, to indulge in sexual depravity, to drink too much alcohol, to covet cars, houses, and other goods, to be gluttons, to despise authority, and so on.

Jesus shows us a very different way to live. It is not that we should reject everything the physical world offers, or all that society gives, but that we focus our attention on serving the Lord.

We must, therefore, ensure that we resist the seductions of the world. Above all, we must take care not to lead others into sin.

Prayer

Father God, you call me to live a life of simplicity and trust. Please help me to live in a way that pleases you. Amen.

Scripture

Jesus asked him, “What do you think, Peter? Do kings tax their own people or the people they have conquered? ” Peter replied, “The people they have conquered.” “Well then,” Jesus said, “the citizens are free!”

Observation

Jesus again tells the disciples that He will be betrayed into the hands of His enemies to be killed, but He will rise on the third day.

In Capernaum, the collectors of the Temple Tax ask Peter if Jesus pays the tax. He tells then, “yes”. Jesus then ask Peter whether kings tax their own people or the people they have conquered.

Jesus concludes that the citizens of the kingdom are free. But He sends Peter to go down to the lake where he will catch a fish that will have a coin in its mouth.

Application

Every adult in Israel was required to pay half a shekel each year to pay for the maintenance of the temple. Jesus stated that, as citizens of God’s Kingdom, they were exempt, but He provided the money for the tax anyway.

Christians are required to pay taxes in our society. Our taxes do not go to support the old covenant worship, but to providing services for people. We might argue about Government priorities, but we cannot claim to be exempt from taxes.

Jesus’ death and resurrection brought the old covenant to an end. The new Temple is the people who make up the covenant community. It is no longer a physical building but a spiritual reality.

There is no need for us to pay the temple tax. We are the Temple of the Holy Spirit.

Prayer

Lord, it is an awesome thing to realise that I carry the Holy Spirit in the same way that the temple was once considered your dwelling place. Amen.

Scripture

“You don’t have enough faith,” Jesus told them. “I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it would move. Nothing would be impossible.”

Observation

Jesus and the three disciples come down from the mountain, where a man comes and kneels before Jesus. He pleads for Jesus to heal his son. He asked the disciples, but they could do nothing.

Jesus is exasperated by this lack of faith. He rebukes the demon, and it leaves.

The disciples ask Jesus why they could not remove the demon. Jesus replies that if they had only a mustard seed of faith, nothing would be impossible for them.

Application

Jesus rebukes His disciples for their lack of faith. Even a mustard seed of faith would be enough to move a mountain, much less heal a sick boy.

This is a rebuke for all of us. We just don’t have enough faith.

We fail to experience miracles because our faith is so tiny, so insignificant as to be meaningless.

I think that Jesus is trying to tell us that we need to trust Him more, especially with the big issues in life.

How do we get faith? By believing.

We have to make that decision to walk by faith and not by sight, to believe what God’s word says, not by what our eyes see or a doctor tells us.

This is not to say that we will become a sideshow of miracle workers. No, it is normal Christian living..When faced with opposition or a lack of something, we say to the devil,“You have no authority here. Be gone! “

Prayer

Lord, a mustard seed of faith is all that I need to see you at work. Please plant that in my spirit and cause it to grow in me. Amen