Section 40Whom do you serve?

The Pharisees were known as money-hungry people. Thus, Mammon was their real God, and no amount of Bible study or synagogue attendance was permitted to stand in the way of that goal. But they put on airs of being religious by observance of many empty formalities. That was what Jesus repeatedly reproved them for: Faking real religion in order to worship Mammon and Self (the two go together like peas in a pod).

So when they heard Jesus rebuke them for being chiselers and shady with money, they scoffed at him.

"You folks may fool people, but you can't fool God, who sees inside your hearts," said Jesus. "The things people look up to are seen by God as disgusting garbage."

To underscore that point, Jesus told the following story:

There was once a rich man who wore luxurious clothing and who ate like a king every day. A sick beggar named Lazarus was laid at the gate of the rich man's estate. Lazarus was covered with sores that were so bad the dogs came and licked them. All Lazarus was hoping for were a few scraps that fell from the rich man's table. 

Well, it so happened that Lazarus died and angel's came and carried him away to Abraham's bosom. The rich man also died and was given a proper burial.

In Hades, the rich man was in torments. Looking up, he saw Abraham a long way off, with Lazarus in his bosom.

He called out, "Father Abraham! Have mercy on me and send Lazarus so that he may dip his finger tip in water and cool my tongue. The flame hurts so much!"

But Abraham declared, "Son, remember that in your lifetime you received the good things and Lazarus received evil things. But now here he is comforted and you are in anguish. And in any case, between us and you a great gulf is fixed so that no one can cross going to you or coming from where you are."

The tormented man said, "Please, father, send Lazarus to my father's house so that he can tell my five brothers to avoid this torture chamber!"

Abraham replied, "They have Moses and the prophets. Let your brothers hear them."

The man said, "No Father Abraham. If one visits them from the dead, then they will repent."

But Abraham said, "If they don't listen to Moses and the prophets, then they won't listen to anyone – even if he returns from the dead."

The name Lazarus means "God has helped." As we can discern from this story, Jesus is talking about himself as Messiah. Was he not rejected and permitted to suffer a humiliating and unjust death? Wasn't he covered with wounds inflicted by the beating and the scourging? Did not cruel people ("dogs") laugh at him while he was on the cross?

Of course, Jesus was also identifying with many a poor person who would turn to Christ and be swooped up to a better place.

And those who won't let go of their mission of Self-Gratification, no matter what, do not even now listen to the gospel, unless it's the fraudulent Materialist Prosperity Gospel.

The gulf that Jesus talks about is a consequence of the person's choice. He or she wanted nothing to do with the Savior. And so, his or her wish is fulfilled. In this world, the Savior is always providing grace, even to the lost and the blind. Once the Savior is no longer present, there is nothing but agony.

As we will see, when Jesus was dying on the cross, he took the pain of every one of us sinners on him. That's why he felt such a terrible sense of abandonment by and separation from God. Where God is not, hell is what you get. 

Jesus tried to get across the point that we should not expect thanks for doing what we are supposed to do, giving this illustration:

Let's say you had a servant who was out in the field plowing or tending the animals. When he comes in from the field, do you tell him, "Have your dinner right now" or do you tell him, "Make me a meal, and serve it to me, and after I've finished eating and drinking, then you can have your dinner"?

Does the master thank the servant for doing what he was told?

That's how you should be once you have done everything you've been told. Say, "We haven't done anything extra. We've only done what we were supposed to do."

These days in a somewhat Christian and democratic America, many of us would let the hired hand eat before we did and thank him for doing his job. But that's because we've learned a lot from Jesus and the Bible about how to treat others. Nevertheless, Jesus is making an important point: We can't give God anything that is worth anything. So we don't really deserve any rewards from God. This teaching should tend to warn those who think that their good deeds will outweigh their sins on Judgment Day. You are not owed anything for doing good. That's what you are supposed to do anyway.

One time Jesus was in the border region between Galilee and Samaria. As he entered a certain village, a band of 10 leprous men approached him – though they kept back the required distance.

"Jesus, have mercy on us!" they shouted.

At this, Jesus said, "Go and show yourselves to the priests."

On their way, they discovered that their bodies were clear of the leprosy. One of them, on seeing his healing, turned around and went back. The healed man fell at Jesus' feet,  loudly glorifying God and giving thanks.

The man was a Samaritan.

Jesus said, "Were not ten cleansed? But where are the other nine? Can it be that nobody except this alien came back to give God glory?"

"You can get up now and be on your way," said Jesus. "Your faith has made you whole."

At another point, some Pharisees asked Jesus when God's kingdom would come.

"This kingdom doesn't come by observation," said Jesus. "And if anyone says, 'Look, it's here' or 'See, it's there,' that's wrong. Understand: The kingdom is in yout midst."

The Greek text gives "in your midst," though the King James translates that as "within you."

The Pharisees were walking around among people who had put their trust in Jesus as God's chosen servant. Anywhere Jesus went or any of his disciples and believing followers went, there was God's kingdom. But, the unbelieving Pharisees could not observe that kingdom. After Jesus' resurrection, the Holy Spirit was given to all those who truly trust him, meaning God's kingdom is within each such follower. We know that the world cannot observe God's kingdom by observing real disciples of Christ. At most, what they see are "Jesus freaks."

Later, Jesus told his disciples, "In future, you will greatly desire to see one of the days of the son of man, but you won't see it. And you'll hear, 'Look, he's here' and 'See, he's there.' Don't leave my path: don't chase after those reports. For just as lightning flashes from one side of the sky to the other, that's how the son of man will be when his day arrives."

Jesus continued, "As it was in Noah's time, that's how it will be in the time of the son of man. People ate and drank, grooms took brides and brides were given away – until Noah entered the ark and the flood came and destroyed everybody.

"Or think of Lot's time. People ate and drank, bought and sold, planted and built – but as soon as Lot left Sodom, fire and brimstone rained down from heaven and killed everybody. That's how it will be when the curtain goes up on the son of man.

"In that day, a man will be on the roof, his possessions downstairs. Don't go back to get them. Or someone who is outside somewhere, don't go back home to get your things.

"Remember Lot's wife  [dys.1]. Whoever tries to gain his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it.

"In that hour, two men will be in a bed. One will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding grain together. One will be taken and the other left.

"If you want to know where the carcass is, look up and see where the vultures are." 

So, not only does God's kingdom come to believers with the gift of the Spirit, but one day Jesus will bring it to humans in full force – ready or not.

"But first the son of man must undergo many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the religious law experts," he told his students.

And, we may notice that Jesus used the story of Lot (Genesis 19) to suggest that once the real Christians have been removed from the earth, the remaining populace faces a very unhappy fate. As for Lot's wife, who turned back to look at her home and as a result died instantly, Jesus is referring, I believe, to the period of grace that we are now in. The Christian who turns back to her former life, who longs for the pleasures of this world, is in danger of being left right here – in this world.

Some have read the statement about the vultures to mean that canny Christians will notice things that point to Christ's imminent return. There is some truth in that idea. But I suggest that he was talking about the present period of grace. That is, his students and potential students would notice major signs once he was resurrected. And surely from the feast of Pentecost (Acts 2), when the Spirit was poured out on all sorts of people, until now, there have been Christian witnesses testifying of Jesus Christ's nearness and willingness to save. The "vulures" are the church in the form of born-again believers. The "carcass" is Jesus Christ.

Jesus used an illustration to underscore the point that this world won't last forever. So watch out!

Once there was a judge who had no fear of God nor any respect for men.

But in that city was a widow who kept coming to him and saying, "Please do something about my lawsuit."

For some time, he paid her no attention. But after a while, he thought, "I really don't care what anybody thinks of my rulings, yet this woman is being such a pest I suppose I'll have to get rid of her and rule in her favor."

Now, we're talking here about a crooked judge. Imagine how God will settle accounts on behalf of his chosen ones, who call out to him day and night, though for now he's being very patient. I am telling you, he will avenge those people all at once!

But, when the son of man comes, will he find believers in this world?

Another illustration:

Two men went up to the Temple to pray. One was a religiously observant person, the other was a taxman  [dys.2].

The observant man prayed inwardly like this: "God, I thank you that I am not like other men – extortioners, crooks, adulterers, or even like this taxman here.  I fast twice a week and I give 10 percent of my income."

But the taxman, standing at a distance, would not even look up toward heaven. He pounded his chest, sobbing, "God, be merciful to sinner me!"

I am telling you: it was that man who went back home right with God, and not the first man.

He who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.

Another time, some Pharisees tried to corner Jesus with a tricky question.

"Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any reason?"

Jesus replied, "What does Moses say?"

"Moses permits one to give her a divorce paper, and send her on her way," came the answer.

The trick here is, I believe, an attempt to trip up Jesus with respect to the meaning of Deuteronomy 24:1-4  [dys.3]. What is meant by "some uncleanness"? Which side of that controversy are you on? Whatever you say, we will be able to use it against you with one faction or another. But Jesus blew their whole set-up away.

"Moses gave that rule on account of your hard hearts," declared Jesus. "But it wasn't like that when time began. God made male and female. That's why a man leaves his parents. So that the two become one person. They are no longer two individuals, but a unified whole. Therefore, what God has joined together, let not man split in two."

Later, when Jesus and his students had some privacy indoors, they asked him about the teaching on divorce.

"Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery," declared Jesus. "Not only that, the man who marries the divorced woman also commits adultery."

The disciples were stunned.

"Well, in that case, it's not a good idea to marry" was the sentiment.

"Not everyone can accept that point," said Jesus. "Only certain people have been given this outlook."

Then he added, "Some people are born without the ability to have sexual relations. Others are forced to abstain. And others forgo sex in order to focus on God's kingdom.

"Whoever can receive that thought, let him do so."

The reason most Americans do not accept Jesus' teaching about marriage is that they do not grasp that a married couple becomes not simply two people living together but a unified whole. Of course, if a person feels that he or she does not love his or her spouse, then that person is in a very difficult situation. The solution is to do one's best to put the other person first, so that one is kind to onself. And you may always talk with Jesus about your problems.

One day some people brought their small children to Jesus so that he could touch them.

The disciples thought that this intrusion was improper. But Jesus was annoyed and said, "Let the little children come to me, and don't forbid them. The kingdom belongs to those who are like them."

Jesus added, "I mean it when I tell you that whoever does not come to the kingdom like a small child can't possibly get in."

Then he took the children in his arms, laying his hands on them and blessing them.

Another time Jesus was walking along the road when a young man rushed up to him, kneeled before him and asked, "Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?"

"Why do you call me good?" Jesus asked. "There is only One who is good. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments."

Jesus here slyly points to his own divinity, the fact that he is one with God. Further, he is suggesting that the man's desire to be good implies his need for union with God.

"Which ones?" the man asked.

"You know the commandments: Don't kill, don't commit adultery, don't steal, don't bear false witness, don't defraud, honor your father and mother..."

Only Mark includes "don't defraud,"  which on on its face is not one of the Ten commandments. But, the commandment not to take God's name in vain originally meant that a person was not to promise to give an offering to God in exchange for a favor and then fail to follow through. That would have meant defrauding God.

In any case, the writer is probably only giving a representative sample of the more important commandments, and not suggesting that Jesus had selected only a few as valid. Matthew adds "Love your neighbor as yourself." But, regardless, it seems quite plausible that Jesus only quoted a few of the laws on the understanding that his hearer would know that he was talking about all the laws customarily seen as necessary, including the Ten Commandments.

"I have done all that since I was a boy," the man replied.

Jesus looked at him lovingly. "You lack one thing. Go and sell everything you own, give the proceeds to the poor, and follow me, and then you will have treasure in heaven."

But when he heard that, his face fell and he left full of gloom, because he was extremely wealthy.

Jesus looked around at his students. "Children, it's already hard to enter the kingdom. But it is easier for a rope to go through a needle's eye than for a rich man to enter the kingdom."

One commentator has argued for the "rope" interpretation of the passage versus the traditional "camel." We note that a rope would have as much trouble as a camel making the passage, unless the rope were unraveled into separate strands. The interpretation makes sense because we see that the rope is too fat (or rich) to slip through, whereas the thin (poor) strand can slide in. If the fat rope is unraveled (made poor) then it can go through. Considering how clever Jesus was, it seems that in this matter the interpretation is probably right. [dys.yy1]

They gasped. "In that case, who can be saved?" they wanted to know.

Jesus looked at them. "That's impossible for people, but not for God. With God, everything is possible."

But Peter said, "Clearly we have left everything and followed you."

Many disciples were attending the "Jesus classes" daily, not only the specially chosen twelve. So we may guess that some of these fellows still retained their property.

In response, Jesus declared, "There is no one who has left house, wife, brothers and sisters, or property for my sake who won't receive back one hundredfold – now in this life – houses, family, children, property, with persecutions, and in the world to come, eternal life.

"But many first will be last and last first."

This promise strikes many as odd. It would make more sense once the Spirit had been given to Jesus' followers. Then, as they loved each other as Christians, they were bonded into a big family, a family whose needs were always met. As they learned to share in a Christian spirit, their property became rather extended.

Anyone who has enjoyed the good fellowship in a truly loving church can identify with that teaching. In addition, those who are committed Christians are likely to face suffering and discrimination as a consequence – which they learn to bear with joy.

Jesus taught further on the upside-down values of God's realm:

The kingdom is like a man who owns an estate and who goes out early in the morning to hire laborers to work in his vineyard. After agreeing to pay them a denarius for a day's work, he went out at about the third hour and saw some men standing idle in the marketplace.

"Go to my vineyard to work, and we'll settle up at the end of the day," he told them. And they headed to the work site.

In about the sxth hour and the ninth hour he did the same thing.

Then, at the eleventh hour, he found some men doing nothing and said, "Why do you stand here idle all day?"

"Because no one has hired us," the men responded.

"Go and join the others in the vineyard."

Then at dusk, the owner told his manager, "Call the laborers and pay them their wage. Start from the last and proceed to the first."

Those who had come at the eleventh hour were each paid a denarius.

When those who had arrived first came up to receive their pay, they assumed they would receive more. But, each received a denarius. They began to complain. "These last men have spent only an hour at work, and you have made them our equals, even though it was we who have worked all day long under a scorching sun."

But, the owner turned to one of the complainers and said, "Friend, I do you no wrong. Did you not agree to work all day for a denarius? Take what belongs to you and go your way. It's my decision to give these last the same as I give you. Aren't I allowed to do what I want with what belongs to me? Or is your eye evil because I am good?"

So, the last will be first and the first last.

The times given refer approximately to our 9 a.m., noon, 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. At 6 p.m., in the story, the work day is done.

Commentators generally agree that Jesus is speaking here of the Jews as "first" since they were to inherit the Abrahamic promises and because they had been schooled in the ways of Jehovah God for many centuries. Thus, "the last" would refer to the Gentiles who had not worked at all in the vineyard of Jehovah. "Last" also refers to those "sinners" – taxmen, prostitutes and others considered dregs of society.

Of course, Jesus' words are seeds which continuously grow and bring forth more fruit.

But, in any case, is not the "denarius" of salvation and eternal life so fantastically wonderful that we should never begrudge someone coming to Christ at the eleventh hour?

---

Next Page: Section 41
https://secretpath108.blogspot.com/2021/01/find-secret-path-dont-follow-blind.html