Devotional Thoughts for Today
Lk. 19:12, 14, 27 (NIV): He said: “A man of noble birth went to a distant country to have himself appointed king and then to return. . . . [14] But his subjects hated him and sent a delegation after him to say, ‘We don’t want this man to be our king’. . . . [26] He replied,. . . ‘But those enemies of mine who did not want me to be king over them—bring them here and kill them in front of me’”
Lk. 20:9-16 (NIV): He went on to tell the people this parable: “A man planted a vineyard, rented it to some farmers and went away for a long time. [10] At harvest time he sent a servant to the tenants so they would give him some of the fruit of the vineyard. But the tenants beat him and sent him away empty-handed. [11] He sent another servant, but that one also they beat and treated shamefully and sent away empty-handed. [12] He sent still a third, and they wounded him and threw him out. [13] “Then the owner of the vineyard said, ‘What shall I do? I will send my son, whom I love; perhaps they will respect him.’ [14] “But when the tenants saw him, they talked the matter over. ‘This is the heir,’ they said. ‘Let’s kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ [15] So they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. “What then will the owner of the vineyard do to them? [16] He will come and kill those tenants and give the vineyard to others.”
Israel’s Davidic monarchy was broken when Babylonia destroyed Jerusalem and its temple in 586 B.C., and exiled its king (1 Chron. 36). When a remnant returned some 70 years later, their hope of restoring the Davidic monarchy never materialized. But they never gave up hope, especially because Israel continued to suffer the indignity of being conquered by foreign invaders for the next 400 years; at the time of Jesus’ earthly ministry, Israel had been under the Roman’s control for 100 years.
Now, when Christ came and did amazing miracles, like feeding thousands of people with just five loaves and two fish, the Israelites said, “‘Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world’. . . . [Then] they intended to . . . make him king” (Jn. 6:14-5). This means that the subjects themselves wanted the nobleman to be their king; the tenants initially welcomed the heir of the owner.
Then, what went wrong? It was a case of an unfulfilled expectation. After Jesus had been crucified, a disillusioned Israelite said, “We had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel” (Lk. 24:21), meaning to defeat the Romans and then restore the world order with Israel on top (Is. 14:2). But, instead of plotting to defeat the enemy, they heard Jesus talk about “Bread from heaven.” “At this the Jews began to grumble” (Jn. 6:41), became offended (61), and finally, “many . . . turned back and no longer followed him” (66), presumably to look for another king who will do their bidding. That’s how the subjects ended up rejecting their king; and the tenants, the son.
Do you expect Christ to do for you what you want? If so, you will be disappointed. Instead, align your life to God’s plan; that’s the secret to happiness in life as well. What are you struggling with at the moment? Submit to Christ’s lordship today.
Prayer
Hear my prayer, O LORD; do not let me disappointed or disillusioned by my false expectation of You. Help me to set my eyes on You and your plan for me; remind me that true satisfaction in life is found in You and You only. You are my King and I shall submit my will to yours. I love You! Amen.
Bible Reading for Today: Isaiah 55
Lunch Break Study
Read Lk. 20:19 (NIV) which identifies to whom the Parable of the Tenants was initially given: “The teachers of the law and the chief priests looked for a way to arrest him immediately, because they knew he had spoken this parable against them. But they were afraid of the people.”
Matt. 9:33-4, 27:18 (ESV): “And when the demon had been cast out, the mute man spoke. And the crowds marveled, saying, ‘Never was anything like this seen in Israel.’ [34] Bt the Pharisees said, ‘He casts out demons by the prince of demons’ . . . . For [Pilate] knew that it was out of envy that they had delivered him up.”
Jn. 3:26-7, 30 (NASB): “And they came to John and said to him, ‘Rabbi, He who was with you beyond the Jordan, to whom you have testified, behold, He is baptizing and all are coming to Him’ . . . . [27] John answered and said, “A man can receive nothing unless it has been given him from heaven. . . . [30] ‘He must increase, but I must decrease.’”
Question to Consider
- Why did the Pharisees end up disliking Jesus so much? How did they handle this situation?
- In what sense did John the Baptist face a similar situation which the Pharisees faced?
- What can we learn from John’s handling of the situation? How do you plan to handle your envy?
Notes
- The Pharisees envied Jesus because people were more impressed by Jesus and his ministry than their ministry. Once, “the Pharisees said to one another, ‘See this is getting nowhere. Look how the whole world has gone after him!’” (Jn. 12:19). So, they resorted to publicly defaming him and ultimately to kill him.
- Before Jesus, people went to John to hear his preaching and to be baptized by him. But after Jesus came on the scene, everyone began to go to him rather than John.
- John knew and accepted the purpose of his life and ministry; he knew he wasn’t the main attraction but just the opening act. So, John didn’t fret over losing out to Christ because he saw that Jesus’ ministry was more important than his. He was content, knowing that his job was completed. .
Evening Reflection
How is your relationship with the Lord? Have you been disappointed because God didn’t seem to come through for you? Reflect on your expectation from the Lord: Is it from God or your own heart? Speak to Him in silence; meditate on this: “Yet not as I will, but as you will” (Matt. 26:39).
Recall that both the servant with a single talent and the other with one mina did nothing with it, even though they were told to put it to work, on account that their masters were unreasonable and unjust. Peeking into the vanity of the human nature, the servant with the one talent probably pouted over the fact that others received more: “Since you don’t think much of my ability, I will do nothing.” What he forgot is that when God judges our works, it isn’t based on how much we have gained; but rather, how much we have gained in proportion to how much we have been given.
The seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were really impressed with Paul when he drove out evil spirits. So, upon seeing a “man who had the evil spirit” (Acts 19:15), they said, “In the name of Jesus, whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out” (13). The evil spirit, instead of coming out, retorted, “’Jesus I know, and I know about Paul, but who are you?’ Then the man who had the evil spirit . . . . gave them such a beating that they ran out of the house naked and bleeding” (15-6). What happened? Without being fully trained and presuming their vision to be 20/20, Sceva’s sons tried to lead a “blind man”; the result was disastrous.
Many of us want to take on a bigger assignment from God, but consider the events in Paul’s life. Soon after his conversion, Paul became aware that he was God’s “chosen instrument to carry [His] name before the Gentiles and their kings” (9:15). Being a competitive and zealous person (Gal. 1:14), Paul might’ve thought that this international ministry was going to start right away. But God had other plans: Paul spent the next three years mostly in Arabia (17) where God trained him for ministry in isolation from everyone. Then he went to Jerusalem where he spoke “boldly in the name of the Lord” (Acts 9:29), but the Jews there “tried to kill him” (29). So, the church leaders had him return home to Tarsus (350 miles) and stay there until the situation calmed down. But, by the time Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Paul and bring him to Antioch (11:25-6), which, in time, would launch his international ministry, he had waited 8 years in anonymity. During those years, instead of looking ahead for his big break, Paul was training hard while no one was looking; he was learning to be “faithful with a few things” (Matt. 25:23).
Many Mexican pastors do not have seminary training; some have barely finished elementary school. One day, a pastor visited my friend who ran a Bible institute in Mexico, begging for an admission. Having preached and taught the Bible for awhile without any formal training, the warning given in James 3:1 suddenly dawned on him: “Not many of you should become teachers, . . . because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly” (James 3:1). Subsequently, this pastor became terrified that everything he had ever taught might have been wrong; instead of treasures, he feared that he had brought out poison. While that is not a healthy attitude, his new found seriousness toward God’s word was refreshing only because too many people take the “teaching of Christ” (2 Jn. 1:9) quite casually.
For instance, do you know why the Mormon Church is not considered as part of the historic Christian faith? One reason is this: While Christ’s atonement forgives the original sin, it is by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Mormon Church (which there are many) that one’s own sins are forgiven. How about the Jehovah’s Witnesses? They certainly believe Jesus as a deity but not as an eternal being; to them, Jehovah created Jesus who, then, created the rest of the world. While some believers are alarmed by this type of doctrinal deviations, too many folks in the church would “put up with it easily enough” (2 Cor. 11:4). Referring to teachers who spew out false teachings, Paul commented, “For such people are false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising, then, if his servants also masquerade as servants of righteousness” (2 Cor. 11:12-5).
At age 16, Patrick, living in England, was captured by marauding pirates who took him to Ireland as a slave. During six long years of captivity, Patrick found God. Fortunately, he escaped and returned home where he eventually became a clergy of the Celtic Church (not Catholic). But one day, an Irish man appeared in Patrick’s dream, saying, “We beseech you to come and walk among us once more.” Despite whatever bitterness he might’ve had, Patrick returned in 432 and spent the next 30 years ministering among the Celtics. As a result, not only was Ireland won to Christ, Western Europe was evangelized by Celtic missionaries who came out of his ministry. Thus, I am still puzzled by how a day honoring a zealous missionary like Patrick has become a day of drunkenness and lewd behavior.
Spoiling your Valentine’s Day celebration isn’t the purpose of this blog, but a reminder: “Don’t conform any longer to the pattern of this world” (Rom. 12:1) that shifts with time and always empties your pocket. Instead, hold onto what men like Patrick and Valentine truly stood for: their love for Jesus and their desire to serve Him. So, if you have a hot date tonight, give your waitress an evangelistic tract with a good tip!
It’s the job you’ve always wanted, and you thank the Lord for it. However, after 3 years of the daily grind of meetings, conference calls and business trips, often skipping church on Sundays, you can hardly remember the last time you have prayed or opened the Bible. The present condition is worse than the first!
However, everything changed after Jehoiada died. Joash, after heeding bad advice, “abandoned the temple of the LORD . . . and worshiped . . . idols” (18). When Zechariah, the son of his mentor Jehoiada, spoke out, Joash, “not remember[ing] the kindness . . . Jehoiada had shown him” (22), killed him. Consequently, “because Judah had forsaken the LORD,. . . judgment was executed on Joash” (24). Not only was Judah defeated and looted by Aram, Joash was severely wounded as well. What did him in were his officials who “killed him in his bed” (25). The final condition of Joash was worse than the first.
Here, Jesus, likewise, shows the absurdity of an argument aimed to discredit him. The Pharisees, jealous that “the whole world has gone after [Jesus]” (Jn. 12:19), accuses him of being on the same team as the head of demons. Jesus’ logic is simple: “If the devil and I are partners, why am I casting out his demons? Isn’t that like shooting yourself in the foot?”
So Christ, coming into this world as an intruder to take back what was taken by the devil, must first bind the strong man. He succeeded when his substitutionary death on our behalf “rendered powerless [the devil] who had the power of death” (Heb. 2:14 NASB) since the penalty of sin has been paid.
Serving God is not only important, but it can be quite exciting. Let’s suppose that teaching the Bible interests you, but on what basis will your pastor give you that kind of responsibility? Similarly, in order for a baseball player to move up the ladder to one day reach the Major League, he needs to demonstrate his ability to hit and pitch better than others in the Minor League. One major difference: while God looks for faithfulness and honesty to evaluate, a baseball GM evaluates solely on output.
For that, look at Joseph who had every reason to quit on life. First, after his brothers’ betrayal, he became a slave in the house of an Egyptian official. Instead of pouting, Joseph so faithfully carried out his task that his boss “entrusted to his care everything he owned” (Gn. 39:4). But his life quickly hit rock-bottom when a false accusation landed him in jail. (It’s like going from AAA to A league). But rather than giving up, he continued to work faithfully; seeing this, the warden “put Joseph in charge . . . [of] all that was done there” (39:22). And it was from that pit that God brought Joseph out and “put [him] in charge of the whole land of Egypt” (41:41). What does this show? “Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful” (1 Cor. 4:2).
Nabal from the OT era, described as “very wealthy” for owning 1,000 goats and 3,000 sheep, and this 21st century man have this in common: Not using worldly wealth to gain friends for themselves. During the days when David and his men roamed around to escape from the murderous pursuit of King Saul, they, in effect, protected Nabal’s sheep that were grazing out on the field. In fact, Nabal’s servants told their boss, “These men were very good to us” (1 Sam. 25:15). So, when the festive time of sheep-shearing came, David asked Nabal to share “whatever [he] can find for them” (8). Nabal didn’t gain any friend when he responded, “Why should I take my bread . . . and give it to men coming from who knows where?” (11). David, responding to Nabal’s foolishness with his own imprudence, sought to kill him! Fortunately, though the intervention of Nabal’s wife, Abigail, kept that from happening, Nabal soon died of heart failure upon being told later about David’s plot.
This isn’t the type of illustration that pastors would dare to use from the pulpit. There are several glaring character defects in this manger which no one should emulate. First, he is irresponsible, which got him in trouble with his master who lost money due to the manager’s negligence. Second, he is a lazy freeloader. About to lose his job, he is sure about one thing: “I’m going to neither dig (i.e., work) nor beg” (i.e., swallow my pride). Third, he is a criminal. Changing the numbers around in the accounting ledger so that the debtors appear to owe far less is no different from a desperate student sneaking into the registrar’s office to alter his grade: a reduction of olive oil by 450 gallons would’ve cost the master as much as $5,400 today.