You Are What You Do

You known what's terrifying about The Parable of the Sheep and the Goats?

Both groups are surprised by what the master says to them.

The righteous say:

"'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you?  When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’"

Matthew 25:37-39

And look what the unrighteous say:

"'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’"

Matthew 25:44

In other words, neither the righteous nor the unrighteous are aware of whom they have become. Over time, their habitual actions in either direction have become part of who they are to the extent that they aren't aware of them anymore.

We are becoming what we're doing. Each choice is making us. (And we're not even aware of it.)

What choices are you making today?

Today’s Scripture:

Matthew 25:31-46

---

***How to Subscribe***

I’m blogging through the Gospels in 2019. Subscribe here to receive a weekday update on that day’s Gospel reading. (There is also an option to subscribe to non-Gospels posts as well through my plain ole Andrew Forrest Newsletter.)

The Parable of the Talents

I'd never considered this before:

Compare the way the one-talent servant views the master with the way the master actually behaves:

• The one-talent servant thinks the master is "a hard man;"
• Whereas the master is actually really generous and joyful.

If people are convinced that the Lord is cruel and hard, it will be very hard for them to accept his gracious gifts. This is what Jesus means when he says, "For 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" (Matthew 25:29).

If you believe God is gracious and good, you'll be open to receive more goodness and grace. If you are convinced God is cruel and hard, Jesus implies that at the end, you'll get exactly what you expect.

Today’s Scripture:

Matthew 25:14-30

---

***How to Subscribe***

I’m blogging through the Gospels in 2019. Subscribe here to receive a weekday update on that day’s Gospel reading. (There is also an option to subscribe to non-Gospels posts as well through my plain ole Andrew Forrest Newsletter.)

Which Jesus?

I just read today's reading to my 8 year-old son, and this is what he said:

"I don't think John the Baptist did a good job telling the people about who Jesus would be because Jesus didn't come with fire...he was gracious to the people, and John kinda gave people the wrong idea."

Is that right? John is certainly a fiery fellow. See how he addresses the Pharisees (a conservative Jewish group who believed that the Jews needed to come back to the Torah and be obedient) and the Sadducees (the ruling group of priests who collaborated with the Romans):

"You brood of vipers....

“I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”

John the Baptist, Matthew 3:11-12

That image of a wrathful judge doesn't fit with our typical picture of Jesus, meek and mild. And, in Matthew's Gospel Jesus does seem gracious and kind in many situations. In that way, my son was right.

But on the other hand, there are elements of the wrathful judge in Matthew's description of Jesus. (To cite one example among many, see the famous parable of the sheep and the goats in Matthew 25.)

As we read Matthew's Gospel, we'll see that Jesus doesn't fit preconceived notions, in his time or in our own. Yes, he is gracious and merciful (particularly towards the weak and downtrodden), but he is also forthright and condemning (particularly towards the religious and arrogant).

Jesus doesn't conform to our expectations, and that's the point:

We don't fit Jesus into what we already think. Rather, we need to fit what we think into Jesus. That's much harder, and much more important.

Today's Scripture

Matthew 3