The Master's Bucket List

What was most important to Jesus in the final days before His death. If He were to make a list of “Things to Do and Say Before you Die,” what would be on that list?

The Biographers of the New Testament all wrote a lot about what went on in the final days just before His Crucifixion. Some of them told of things He said and did between His Resurrection and Ascension.

In one of Matthew’s Chapters – 18 – he recalls several things Jesus said after he’d begun the final trip to Jerusalem.

1. If you want to be great remember that the “greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven” is that one who changes their thinking about what is right and wrong and becomes as humble as a little child.

2. When you treat a Child as someone important Jesus sees it as an act of kindness to Him.

3. If you misguide a Child and they choose a way of life other than what Jesus wants for them you are doomed.

4. Because the world is a sinful place it’s inevitable that people will be tempted to live in ways contrary to God’s intentions for them. Sorrow awaits those who do. Unimaginable sorrow awaits those who promote such evil.

5. There is no pain nor suffering so awful that it could be considered worse than being thrown into the fire of eternal waste.

6. Don’t belittle Children. Their Angels are with the Father constantly.

7. Our Heavenly Father does not want any little one to die without hope.

8. If you see another Christ-follower drifting away from the Lord’s way whether or not, in their deviance, they’re hurtful to you, make every effort to restore them to what is right even if you must withhold Grace in the process.

9. Christ’s Followers have been given authority equivalent to His own. So true is this that when 2 or 3 of His Followers are together in the same room or agreed as to what must be done Christ is with them in it.

10. Forgiveness is a very big deal in the Kingdom of Heaven and must be extended as often as necessary.

11. Our Heavenly Father will deal harshly with anyone who chooses not to forgive.

Jesus and Taxes

It’s April!

In the US of A it’s Tax Month! And midway through it the Tax Man lowers the guillotine! April 15. The day that, year–after–year “lives in infamy”!

What would Jesus do about April 15?

I find it rather surprising that, right about this time, with Passover approaching and the grim realities of His imminent death continually on His mind, Jesus actually deals with the Tax question.

Matthew recalls the incident. “When they arrived at Capernaum, the tax men came to Peter and asked, ‘Does your teacher pay taxes?’ Peter said, ‘Of course.’ But as soon as they were in the house, Jesus confronted him. ‘Simon, what do you think? When a king levies taxes, who pays—his children or his subjects?’ He answered, ‘His subjects.’ Jesus said, ‘Then the children get off free, right? But so we don't upset them needlessly, go down to the lake, cast a hook, and pull in the first fish that bites. Open its mouth and you'll find a coin. Take it and give it to the tax men. It will be enough for both of us.’” (Matthew 17: 24 – 27 THE MESSAGE)

The “tax men” in this story are collecting the Temple Tax; a levy as old as Judaism. From the time the levy was to cover the costs of maintaining the Tabernacle in the Wilderness to Jesus day when it was to cover the cost of sacrifices offered on behalf of people who could not afford their own, all Abraham’s male children paid it. In short it was money levied in the interest of worship. And whom did they Worship. Jesus’ Father, God. By a simple exercise of question and answer Jesus showed Peter that the Children of the King, He and His Followers, were technically exempt from such taxes. But then He established a Kingdom principle which would always stand. “We don’t want to upset them needlessly.”

Who was it He did not want to “upset needlessly?” The very people who would try Him in a rigged proceeding; falsely accuse Him; and intimidate a weak Governor into crucifying Him. Still He chose not to offend them.

In His dying, as in His living, Jesus chose to live graciously. He even washed the feet of a man who would betray Him. For that matter most all of the men whose feet He washed that dreadful night failed Him. Still, after His Resurrection, He went looking for them.

There are and will always be people who disappoint us; who will abuse and treat us rudely. But Kingdom people don’t retaliate. If vengeance is to be they leave that to God who insists that “vengeance is mine. I will repay.” Nor do they insist on privilege or condescendingly overlook those who are marginalized by false measures of worth.

As we follow Jesus to Gethsemane, and the Praetorium, and finally the Cross we must remember “we don’t want to upset” those we encounter on the way “needlessly.” Jesus could have “called thousands of Angels” to retaliate on His behalf that day. Instead He surrendered Himself to a hostile mob and the pseudo-religionists who’d hyped them into their derision, even praying for mercy on them as He suffered and died. It’s the way of the Kingdom to melt the heart of the enemy with a love that sacrifices its personal interests for his or hers.

Is Your Faith Small Enough?

Has anyone ever accused you of not having enough faith?

Have you wondered if, in fact, you do have enough of this thing so highly rated in the Bible?

Oddly, on one occasion, Jesus told Friends He’d called “unbelieving” that they needed “Small faith,” faith as small as a “tiny seed.” With that miniscule amount of this powerful trait “nothing,” He said, “would be impossible” for them.

What is this powerful substance which, even in such tiny amounts, can accomplish the impossible?

A closer look at the incident which prompted Jesus to say these things to His Friends reveals some clues to what this thing Christ called “faith” is. His Friends had failed to help a Man whose Son was being attacked by an evil spirit. Jesus came along and promptly delivered the boy from the destructive demon.

His Followers asked Him why they couldn’t “drive out” the demon. He answered, “Because you have so little faith.” Then He said, “if you have faith as small as a mustard seed you can say to this mountain ‘move from here to there’ and it will move.”

How’s that for a contradiction in terms? Too “little” of this substance is their problem. A small amount of it can solve their problem.

What’s the difference?

Some ancient copies of Matthew’s biography have an extra sentence following the phrase “nothing will be impossible for you.” It reads, “But this kind does not go out except by prayer, and fasting.”

Usually this is understood to mean, “This kind of evil spirit cannot be driven out unless you pray and fast.”

There is, however, another way to read it. “Faith does not come about except by prayer and fasting.”

Someone might ask, “What’s the difference?”

The difference is that Christ’s faith was not about His powers but His Father and His purposes. His whole life can be summarized in a simple prayer. “Not what I will, but what You will.” His faith was an unshakable belief that what His Father wanted done, no matter how formidable, or how high the price, could be done and would accomplish the greatest good no matter how awful the experience.

THE MESSAGE paraphrase of Christ’s explanation regarding his Friends’ failure is, “Because you're not yet taking God seriously, … The simple truth is that if you had a mere kernel of faith, a poppy seed, say, you would tell this mountain, 'Move!' and it would move. There is nothing you wouldn't be able to tackle.”

This explains the heart of the matter. Jesus is on His way to Jerusalem where He’ll live through the darkest hours ever experienced by any human. His Friends got in His face when He talked about this. They didn’t even understand what He meant. They were busy constructing, in their minds, the Empire they expected Him to establish and quarreling over which of them would be the greatest in His Kingdom. They actually weren’t “taking God seriously.” They “had in mind human things,” not “the things of God!”

“Fasting and prayer,” when undertaken for the sake of power and prestige are idols accomplishing nothing at all except occasional self-aggrandizement. When they are employed, as Jesus used them, in search of the “mind and heart” of His Heavenly Father they provide this very thing; understanding.

Jesus knew, as this incident was taking place, what was ahead. But He spoke not only of the dreadful side of it, His death. He talked, as well, of the triumph that awaited Him. He believed the impossible would be the outcome. He believed He “would be raised to life.”

Through a personal spiritual quest to “know” Our Father, be it “prayer,” or “fasting,” or whatever a passionate love for him leads us to, He will reveal His highest purposes to us one “poppyseed” sized glimpse at-a-time. We will understand how He intends to make it happen and what role He has for us to play in it.

“Without faith it is impossible to please God. Anyone who comes to Him must believe that He is and that it pays to diligently seek Him.” (Hebrews 11: 6) And only a seed of such faith will inevitably accomplish great, even impossible, feats!