Choose for yourself: Mat 27:20

When Jesus was on trial, it was the custom of the governor to release one prisoner to the people during Passover. In jail, along with Jesus, was a man named Barabbas, who had committed murder and insurrection. However, “the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowds to ask for Barabbas and to put Jesus to death.” (Mat 27:20) What is interesting in this verse if the infinitive “to ask.” Each verb in the Greek language can be spoken with one of three voices. There is the Active voice where the subject does the action. For example, “The teacher taught.” The teacher did the action of teaching. There is the Passive voice where the action is done to the subject. For example, “The student was taught.” The act of teaching was done to the student. Finally, there is the Middle voice. This is where the subject does the action for themselves.

In this verse, the people were persuaded to ask “for themselves” to have Barabbas released and for Jesus to be put to death. This was more than political gamesmanship. This was more than a strategic move to have Jesus put to death. This was a personal decision, on the part of the people, for whom they wanted for themselves. For themselves, they wanted Barabbas.

This verse makes me ask the question, “Who do I choose for myself?” Some choose Jesus because others around them do. Some choose him because their parents did. But do they choose him for themselves? This choice of choosing Jesus or choosing someone else is a very personal choice and must be made, not because others do or because of outside influences, but because we choose him ourselves and for ourselves. This is not a decision someone else can make for us; we must make the decisions ourselves for ourselves.

Honor, value, and price: Mat 27:9

In reading the story of Jesus’ betrayal, Matthew writes that, after Judas had a change of heart, he tried to return the money given to him for betraying Jesus. However, because the money was blood money, the priests would not return it to the temple treasury. Instead, they purchased a field in which they might bury strangers. This was to fulfill the prophecy which said, “And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of the one whose price had been set by the sons of Israel; and they gave them for the Potter’s Field, as the Lord directed me.” (Mat 27:9) What is interesting in this passage is that the Greek word translated as “price” is the same Greek word for “honor.” In fact, one might be tempted to translate this verse as, “the honor of the one who had been honored as set by the sons of Israel.”

It is obvious, in this case, that “price” is a better translation than “honor.” However, what is interesting is, in Greek, honor is related to both value and price. Our honor towards people and things is directly related to both the value we assign to them and the price we are willing to pay for them. For example, if we value our wives and are willing to lay down our lives for them, then we will honor them. However, if we see little value in the people around us, and are not willing to be inconvenienced by their needs, then we will dishonor them in both our attitudes and actions. We will never honor anyone or anything we do not value, and if we do not value them, we will never pay the required price demanded by their value.

Understanding the scripture in this way, causes me to ask myself, “How much do I value the people around me? And what price am I willing to pay for their relationship?” Similarly, “How much do I value God, and how much am I willing to sacrifice for him?” Honor is not some subconscious emotion; it flows from an active determination of the value of other things and it moves us to pay whatever price is necessary for having those things in our lives.

Your will be done: Mat 26:36-46

On the night Jesus was to be betrayed, he and his disciples withdrew to a garden called Gethsemane. Taking Peter, James, and John, Jesus told them to wait and pray, while he went a bit further and prayed thus, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will.” (Mat 26:39) Returning, Jesus found then asleep. Waking them, he commanded them to “Keep watching and praying that you may not enter into temptation.” (Mat 26:41) Having said this, he went back and prayed, “My Father, if this cannot pass away unless I drink it, Your will be done.” (Mat 26:42) Coming back a second time, Jesus found his disciples again asleep. Leaving them to sleep, he returned and prayed the same thing.

What is interesting in this passage is that, in the Greek, the phrase, “Your will be done,” is an imperative (a command). Jesus was not just praying, “What every you want father…” or “If it be your will…” or “You're in charge…” Jesus was actually engaging the will of God and commanding it over his life. Even knowing full well what awaited him, he was so fully committed to God’s will that he was not content to passively wait for it. Instead, he commanded its coming into his life.

This same commanding of the will of God is also found in the prayer Jesus taught us to pray, “Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” (Mat 6:10) Often, when I pray this prayer, I think of all the positive things that accompany his will and kingdom, such as, salvation, healing, provision, mercy, grace, love, etc. However, I rarely think about what the establishment of his will and kingdom in my life might cost me. Often, the path to God’s will and plan for our lives pass through times of suffering, trial, and pain. Understanding the cost of having God’s will and kingdom in this light causes me to ask myself, “Am I just as committed at commanding the will of God over my life even if it might mean seasons of trial and suffering?” My hope is that, like Jesus, I would. No matter the cost, there is nothing that would be more beneficial nor a greater blessing to my life than having the kingdom and will of God come fully into my life.

I am desiring but you are not: Mat 23:37

Shortly before his death, Jesus looked over Jerusalem and mourned saying, “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling.” (Mat 23:37) In this passage, Jesus contrasts his will with those of the Jews living in Jerusalem. He does this by repeating the verb translated here as “wanted” and “unwilling”. The verb is thelō and means to actively will or to desire. This was not some remote wish in which Jesus thought it might be nice if he could gather the children of Jerusalem under his care. He was actively desiring and willing to do so. The problem was that they, the people of Jerusalem, were actively desiring not to do so. The contrast here could not be any clearer, Jesus was desiring, but they were not desiring.

In this, we see the root of so many of our troubles. Jesus is desiring to draw us close to him, but we are not desiring. Rather we are desiring to go our own way, to be independent, to live our own life. We are like those in the parable that Jesus taught who said regarding their king, “We do not want this man to reign over us.” (Luke 19:14) It is not even as if Jesus is desiring things that would be harmful, hurtful, or in any way in opposition to our best interests. But we still prefer our own will and continue to seek after the things we desire, not those he desires for us.

Understanding this scripture in this way causes me to ask myself, “Do I desire the things God desires or, like those in Jesus day, am I among those who do not desire; one who desires my own desires and does not desire after the desires of God? The key to desiring the desires of God is to grow in our relationship with him and to learn to delight ourselves in him. If we do, he has promised to “give you the desires of your heart.” (Psalms 37:4) He will not only give us the things we desire, but he will also give us new desires that we might desire after the things he desires for us.

Repentance and Regret: Mat 21:28-31

Jesus spoke a parable of a man who had two sons. He said to the first son, “Son, go work today in the vineyard.” (Mat 21:28) But the son said, “I will not.” (Mat 21:29) However, later he regretted it and went into the vineyard. The same man told his second son to go and work in the vineyard, and he said, “I will, sir.” (Mat 21:30) However, he never did. Jesus said that the son who actually went into the vineyard to work was the son who did his father’s will.

The most common Greek word used to describe repentance is the word metanoeō. For example, when Jesus said, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Mat 4:17) Metanoeō is a compound word that begins with the preposition meta which means with or after. Thus, metanoeō means to think afterward or to think differently. Here repentance is a process where we reconsider our lives and our actions. This reflection leads to a change of mind regarding what we view as being right and wrong.

However, in the above verse, Jesus uses another verb to describe the first son’s repentance to obedience. Here the word is metamellomai. This word is also a compound word and also begins with the same preposition meta. This word means to care afterward or to care differently. While metanoeō is a change of mind, metamellomai is a change of heart. The first son went out into the vineyard, not because his mind convinced him it was the right thing to do, but because his heart convicted him of the sinfulness of his previous decision. Sometimes we repent when we have a change of mind, and sometimes we repent when we have a change of heart. Either way, we are led to a repentance which leads to life.

Reading this scripture in this way causes me to ask myself, “Do I engage God only with my mind only or do I engage him also with my heart and emotions?” God wants us to come to him with our whole person, not just with a part of us.

Say to the daughter of Zion: Mat 21:5

Matthew relates to us the story of how Jesus, mounted upon a donkey, entered Jerusalem to the cheers of the crowd. Matthew tells us that this was the fulfillment of the prophecy of Isaiah who prophesied, “Say to the daughter of Zion, ‘Behold your King is coming to you, gentle, and mounted on a donkey, Even on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.’” (Mat 21:5)

What is interesting in the Greek is the command “Say” is in the second-person plural. In other words, God was not commanding to the prophet to speak to Israel, but rather he was commanding all of us to speak. In southern-speak, this would be “All-you-all say to the daughter of Zion.” This command is to us, not just to the prophet. We are all to be those who proclaim the good news of Jesus coming to those who are searching and waiting for him. We are all to be those who encourage the downcast and lift up the overburdened with the good news of the kingdom.

Understanding this scripture in this light causes me to ask myself, “Do I see myself as the messenger of God, or have I left that work to someone else?” We are all his messengers. We have all be sent and commanded to “Say!” Let us open our mouths and announce to all who will hear the good news of Jesus.

From the beginning? Mat 19:3-8

One day, some Pharisees came to test Jesus. They brought him the question of divorce. They asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any reason at all?” (Mat 19:3) Jesus’ response was to remind them that, in the beginning, God made them male and female and joined them together in marriage. His response to those testing him was, “What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate.” (Mat 19:6) The Pharisees objected, reminding Jesus that Moses allowed husbands to simply give their wives a bill of divorce and to send her away. Jesus responds that Moses permitted it “because of your hardness of heart,” (Mat 19:8) but “from the beginning it has not been this way.” (Mat 19:8)

The Greek word translated here as “has not been” is the perfect tense of the Greek word that means to be or to become. The Greeks had four ways to refer to the past. One form is the Aorist which is an action that happened once in the past. It is a previous point action. If Jesus had used this tense, he would have said, “It was not like that at the beginning.” However, here Jesus uses the Perfect tense. The Perfect tense refers to an action which happened once in the past but whose effect continues to be experienced even to this day. In other words, what Jesus was saying is that what God had purposed at the beginning of time is still in force and still makes demands upon our lives even today. The purpose, plan, and morality of God which he set forth at the beginning has not passed away; rather it is still in force today. Societies morals may rise and fall with the passing fads of the day, but the truth of God remains forever. What God has set forth from the beginning is not ours to change at will, but rather transcends our modern morals and fancies.

Viewing this scripture in this way cause me to ask myself, “How much of what I believe and hold to is a result of the eternal and transcendent truths of God and how much is the result of the passing morals of the society around me?” In the end, only those truths that are eternal will remain — those things which have been so from the beginning.

Binding and Loosing: Mat 16:19

After Peter made his famous confession that Jesus was the Son of God, Jesus gave him an amazing promise, “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven.” (Mat 16:19) Much has been made of this verse over the intervening centuries and, I must confess, this verse has always puzzled me a bit. Is Jesus really saying that, on Earth, we are in charge of binding and loosing? Furthermore, what did Jesus mean by “shall have been bound in heaven?”

In the original Greek, the phrase “shall have been bound” is composed of a form of the verb “to be” and a perfect participle of the verb “to bind.” This particular construction in the Greek is used to emphasize an existing condition. Jesus is not saying that whatever we bind or loose on Earth will be bound or loosed in heaven. Rather, he is saying that the reason these keys work to bind and loose is because the things they bind and loose have already been bound and loosed in heaven. Jesus’s word to Peter is not some blank check for us to actuate our own desires and wills here on Earth. Rather it is, in part, the means by which we partner with God to see his Kingdom and will come to be “on earth as it is in heaven.” (Mat 6:10)

Understanding this scripture in this way causes me to ask myself, “Am I pursuing the establishment of my own kingdom and will, or am I seeking to establish God’s will and kingdom here on Earth?” The only way we can truly answer this question is to get to know God, his will, and the nature of his kingdom.  Only then will we understand the keys we have been given and know how to use them to accomplish here what has already been accomplished in heaven.

Feasting on crumbs: Matthew 15:26-27

In between feeding the five thousand and feeding the four thousand, Jesus was approached by a woman; not a Jewish woman, but a Syrophoenician woman; a gentile woman. She came to beseech Jesus to deliver her daughter who was severely daemon possessed. Upon hearing her request, Jesus rebuffed her saying, “It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” (Mat 15:26) However, while agreeing with him, she reminded him that “even the dogs feed on the crumbs which fall from their master's table.” (Mat. 15:27)

In this passage, the Greek word translated here as “fall,” as in “the crumbs which fall from the master’s table,” is a present participle of the Greek word, piptō, which means “I fall.” What is significant about this word being used as a present participle is that it represents a present and on-going activity. It could equally be translated, “the crumbs which are falling from the master’s table.”

For this gentile woman, the blessing and provision of God was not a mere concept or some sterile theological idea. The blessing and provision of God was something present and ongoing; something she could see and experience in the here and how. From her perspective, the blessing and provision of God was not something in the future. Rather it was a present reality as was being poured out upon the children of God in such superabundance that its overflow was flowing out to any and all who might wish to receive it. Her statement about the crumbs was not a statement of what might be, but a statement of what she saw was happening all around her.

Seeing this woman’s faith, it challenges me to answer two questions about my own life. First, how do I see God’s blessing and provision to day? Do I see it as some remote possibility or a present-day reality? Often, I find myself praying for God’s favor and blessing, but do I really believe that his blessing and favor are already mine presently and continually? Just as this woman, we are living in the age of God’s blessing and provision and his blessings are being poured out upon who will receive it.

Secondly, how do I view the economy of God in relationship to those whom I deem to be “outside” the family and household of God? Do I see God’s blessing and provision as being exclusive or inclusive? Do I perceive his blessings as being limited to believers or do I see it as overflowing to all, whether they be inside or outside of what I perceive as the family of God? Can I see and rejoice when someone “outside” is blessed by God or am I scandalized when God chooses to bless those who are “not a part of us?” It is right that the children should be fed first, but God’s blessings were never meant to be stopped there. They were meant to flow out to a world of hurting and needy people; to a world that needs God just as much as we do.

I hope this encourages and challenges you. I would greatly like to hear your thoughts on this as well.

David Robison

New resource: Should I Love Myself

I've gathered together my posts on this short mini-series into a downloadable paper. You can find this resource under the resource tab on my blog. This paper discusses the popular teaching that we must first love ourselves if we are to love others. This teaching comes from Jesus' words that we should love others as ourselves. But what did Jesus really mean by this command? I would greatly enjoy hearing your comments on my thoughts.

David Robison