Devotional Thoughts for This Morning
Matt. 13:44-46 (NIV): “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. [45] Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.”
I still remember a story told by a stranger some 30 years ago. It was a dialogue between the merchant looking for a fine pearl and its owner.
“How much?” asks the merchant, to which the owner responds, “It’ll cost you everything you have.” Although the buyer offers all his cash and property, the seller demands even more. Upon being told, “I’ve nothing else except my wife and children,” the owner says, “They become mine too.” Though the merchant is troubled by what this is costing him, he reluctantly gives them up, but the seller isn’t done, saying, “There is one more thing I want.” Feeling indignant, the buyer shouts, “I don’t have anything else!” But the seller retorts, “You become mine, too.” Does the merchant want the pearl that desperately? He must have, since the phrase “sold everything he had” could extend to selling himself as a slave, especially in the antiquity when this was practiced (Gn. 44:16). But as the pearl is being handed over to the buyer, the seller says, “You can take back everything—cash, property, you and your family –I’m lending them to you; when I need it, I’ll take it back.”
On the surface, the two parables in which seekers sell all their possessions to buy treasure and pearl, respectively, appear to suggest human effort to get into the kingdom of heaven. But that’s exactly what Christ paid for—everything—in order to purchase (i.e., redeem) us from the slave master for God.
John writes, “For You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation” (Rev. 5:9 NASB). Subsequently, while we’re now free from the slavery to sin and death (Heb. 2:14), we now belong to God: “You are not your own; you were bought with a price” (1 Cor. 6:19-20).
This parable tells us not to “offer sacrifice to the LORD . . . that cost [us] nothing” (2 Sam. 24:24). Since everything we own belongs to Christ who paid for them with His life, when He calls for them, whether it be our availability, money, career, kids or spouse, we “give . . . to God what is God’s” (Matt. 22:21). What is He asking you for right now?
Prayer
How precious, O God, is the sacrifice of your Son on my behalf so that I may be removed from the kingdom of darkness where hopeless reigns, to the kingdom of light where righteousness, peace and joy reign. Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unending love and grace. I love You. Amen.
Bible Reading for Today: Isaiah 31
Lunch Break Study
Read Lk. 14:25-28, 33: “Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: [26] ‘If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple. [27] And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. [28] Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? [29] For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, [30] saying, ‘This person began to build and wasn’t able to finish. . . . [33] In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples.’”
Question to Consider
- What did Jesus mean by “hating” father and mother for His sake?
- What is a sensible and yet biblical way to approach our commitment to God? If we are not careful, can this approach can backfire or lead to stagnancy?
- What is the hardest thing for you to give up for the Lord? How can you obey God in this area?
Notes
- It simply means that we must love God first, so much so that when compared to our love for anyone else, including parents and children, it is as if we are hating the latter.
- Our commitment level must reflect our present capacity to reach it; setting the bar too high without having been discipled to reach it will lead to personal disappointment and public ridicule. But the bar should be placed a bit higher than our present capacity so that it will take faith to reach it. As the bar is increased incrementally, so will our faith and capacity in Christ to reach it.
- For me, it is my temper. Lord, help me to give it up!
Evening Reflection
During the course of this day, did you sense that God wanted you to do something (e.g., reaching out to a friend, being generous to someone in need, praying instead of doing FB)? How did you respond? Review the day and ask the Lord to give you a better day of obedience tomorrow.
A famous author on leadership (a former pastor) was impressed by how Enron got so huge, very fast (“A decade later . . . the revenues were $101 billion . . . its assets . . . $53 billion”). No one knew then that the heads of this energy company hid, using deceptive accounting methods, enormous debts from bad deals. The oversight made by this author is the kind that some pastors and businessmen make: being mesmerized by anything that grows very fast, and then copying what appear to be impressive methods.
A while back, I met a Vietnamese pastor who suffered for 3 years in prison for his faith. But his church, instead of dwindling during his absence, grew; and some 30 years later, it had 423,213 members in 2,388 churches. In China, after the communists drove out all western missionaries following the Cultural Revolution in 1949, many in the West worried that the church would die out under communist persecution; instead, it flourished throughout China: from 840,000 to 100 million believers by 2007.
During my morning jog in Villahermosa, Mexico, I slowed down to share the gospel with a young man coming my way. After a few minutes into the conversation, he said he’ll return to his former church—“Kingdom Hall.” Then I realized that he was a backslidden Jehovah’s Witness, but knew very little of its teaching (See Lunch Break Study 1/23). So, I was in an awkward position of having to inform him of their beliefs, and then to refute them afterwards.
It seems that many who “love” theology (e.g., “I’m a 5-point Calvinist”) lack love, while others who promote love find doctrine not as essential; yet instead of an “either/or” attitude, we should be balanced and have both doctrine and love: “Speak[] the truth in love” (Eph. 4:15). So, in love, I shared with the young Mexican some guidelines to find a church that preaches the true gospel.
The Samaritan woman mentioned in the verses above has often been described as one of Jesus’ first evangelists. After meeting Jesus, she enthusiastically praised Him and shared about His impact in her life with others; and as a result, many became believers. As people who have encountered Jesus in our lives, we too should praise Him and share about His life-changing effect with others. No doubt we may face barriers, but keep in mind that the Samaritan woman had her own obstacles as well. Her inferior status as a woman in Middle Eastern society and her reputation as an adulterer did not prevent her from sharing about Jesus in wise ways (i.e. using a rhetorical question instead of the declaration “He is the Messiah”, which others might have scoffed at or ignored).
Indeed, one of the many beautiful things about the Gospel is that it is profound enough to study for one’s lifetime but simple enough for a child to understand. And this fact is important as in this passage, Jesus instructs His disciples to become like little children, lest they find themselves outside the kingdom of heaven. When we think of children, many character traits might come to mind (especially for parents or babysitters!) but one appropriate trait is this: vulnerability. Children are vulnerable because they are weaker (physically, spiritually, mentally, etc.) than they will be in the future. They are vulnerable because most of them are dependent on their parents for their sustenance and survival. And they are vulnerable because of their innocent faith; rarely do children refrain from trusting others, even those whom they have just met.
Restaurants can ask people who don’t comply with their dress codes to leave after they have somehow snuck in. Likewise, anyone who enters a ticketed event with a counterfeit one can be removed if found out later. This parable shows that the same applies to an event held just before the ushering in of eternity: the wedding of the Lamb where Christ and his bride, referring to the church (believers), are officially unified. And the dress code for the participants? “Fine linen, bright and clean, was given [to his bride] her to wear” (Rev. 19:7-8). John explains that “fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints.”
Also, this parable isn’t implying that some unbelievers will be mistakenly allowed into the wedding of the Lamb only to be removed later. What it does highlight is that there are some resemblances between the true gospel and the false, where in some cases, their differences won’t be clearly revealed until the end. In the parable of the weeds, when the servants noticed that the wheat and the weeds were growing together, they asked the master, “Do you want us to . . . pull them up?” But the master responded, “No. . . because while you are pulling the weed, you may root up the wheat with them” (Matt. 13:29).
“Kyle” served at our church, then later became a youth pastor at another church and got married. I called him up, one day, in order to catch up; and when I asked about his present ministry, he said, “My present ministry is focusing on my wife.” Since the word ministry comes from the Greek word diakoneō, meaning to serve, Kyle certainly ought to love his wife (Eph. 5:28) and “treat [her] with respect” (1 Pet. 3:7).
When we have a lot on our mind, it’s difficult to think about serving God, much less pray or read the Bible. Thus, the Bible exhorts us to avoid circumstances that sap the desire to grow in our spiritual life. Peter says that husbands should treat their wives with respect (thereby avoiding marital conflicts) “so that nothing will hinder your prayers” (1 Pet. 3:7). On the night of Jesus’ arrest, Peter, John and James failed to stay up to pray along with Jesus because they were “exhausted from sorrow” (Lk. 22:45).
In addition, Paul declared, “Do not be anxious about anything” so as to “present your requests to God” (Phil. 4:6). Adding to the list of things that produce anxiety, it is buying things and then using them. Once, I counseled a newly-wed couple who, despite making over $100,000 a year (in the 1990s), still racked up a debt of $40,000. In contrast, I was making one-third of that amount, with two kids, but without any debt. The source of their problem? They were part of the average American who spend 110% of their income each year, thanks to credit cards and easy loans.
After becoming a believer in 1981, I began praying for my father’s salvation, but he didn’t seem to respond at all. At that time, he was doing well financially operating a cafeteria in an affluent section of Washington D.C. Sensing that his god was his wealth and his mind was set on earthly things, I began praying, “Lord, allow his business to fail if that’s what it’ll take for him to come to You.” Fast forward to 1986, when my parents came to California for my engagement—grabbing my hand, my father said, “I’m so happy right now even though I lost my restaurant because Jesus is in my heart!” No sooner than I was reminded of my earlier prayer, my father added, “Your uncle gave you $1,000 as a gift but I can only give you $100; I need the rest for the engagement.” A bittersweet moment? No, it was all sweet!
In the parable, the first man rejected God’s offer of salvation on account of his business, saying, “I have bought a field, and I must go out and see it.” Either he was lying or wasn’t a good businessman: who buys a field without first seeing it? Ultimately, “whoever loves money never has enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income” (Eccles. 5:10). Meanwhile, he neglects the things of God until the very day when God says, “You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself” (Lk. 12:20). Don’t be a fool by bartering away eternal life in Christ with the momentary enjoyment of earthly things. Take a pause and reflect: are you right with God? Confess. Repent.
When the 4th century monk named Telemachus came to Rome from the East, he was shocked by the gladiatorial combats. So, “stepping down into the arena, [he] endeavored to stop the men who were wielding their weapons against one another” (Theodoret). The spectators, indignant at the interruption, stoned him to death. Emperor Honorius, impressed by the monk’s conviction, officially put a stop to gladiatorial fights at the outset of 404 A.D.
The Civil Rights movement, inspired by Rosa Parks and led by Rev. Martin Luther King, was no different. King, using the biblical narrative of Exodus to inspire African-Americans in their fight for freedom from racial repression, never wavered from the just cause even when batons and fire hoses were used to halt the marchers. The conscience of the indifferent American public was stricken upon seeing on television the images of African-Americans being treated like lambs being slaughtered by butchers. While neither the terrorism of the Black Panther Party nor the radicalism the Nation of Islam melted America’s hardened heart, the valiant and non-violent Civil Rights marchers did.