Considering the Bible

Responsibilities and how we relate to them. Let’s get it straight.

Luke 17:7-10

7 “Will any one of you who has a servant plowing or keeping sheep say to him when he has come in from the field, ‘Come at once and recline at table’? 8 Will he not rather say to him, ‘Prepare supper for me, and dress properly, and serve me while I eat and drink, and afterward you will eat and drink’? 9 Does he thank the servant because he did what was commanded? 10 So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.’”

Questions to Consider

Who were the audience?

It appears the reason this parable was given was to respond to the apostles request for increased faith. Luke is teaching of the necessity to forgive a brother is he trespasses seven times in a day, and the responsibility of the disciple to forgive.

Some commentators link this parable with the healing of the demoniac. Although applicable I suppose, I will continue with the flow of thought found in Luke’s telling.

When did the Lord give this parable?

This parable was given within three months of the passion week. For a helpful document, providing a list of all the events in Jesus Life, check out Events of Jesus Life.

Where did the Lord teach the parable?

During the last three months of the Lord’s time in Israel, much of it was spent in Perea, on the eastern side of the Jordan. Since this parable was given to the disciples specifically, it may have been a time when they were simply walking and talking after a general teaching was supplied to the masses. This particular time is more likely in the midst of a dedicated time of teaching for the disciples and likely away from the crowds.

Why did the Lord give this message?

The disciples asked for it. So often we ask for a right or privilege (or even a reward) without considering the responsibilities and labor required to attain it. We so often want the crown before the cross!

The responsibilities of the disciple are to be aligned with reality. Responsibilities prior to reward. As a matter of fact, the parable speaks nothing of reward, and yet the disciples asked for the benefit, the reward of greater faith. Did the Lord avoid the topic of the question?

The disciples realized they did not have it in them to forgive their brothers offense 7 times in a day. (I don’t know about you, but I sometimes struggle with forgiving once!) I can surely identify with these men as the Lord instructs these men to rebuke and forgive a brother of a sin against them.

What was the message for the original audience?

Faith is compared to a mustard seed, yet it is not described as becoming a great tree, as in an earlier parable. This mustard seed is so tiny, and spoken of as simply existing. No growth is referred to, or being used to define an attitude, or a mind set.

Jesus then tells the story of the Master and His servant, emphasizing the responsibility of the servant. The servant works all day in the heat of the sun, and when the day is over, is required to feed the Master. No “thank you” is offered the servant. After all the Masters needs and wants are supplied, the servant can eat and drink. He gets the remains of the Masters supply.

And he is to realign his judgement to realize that he doesn’t deserve the treatment he gets. The treatment of a slave. He is to do his duty and be happy.

There is more than simple forgiveness spoken of in this parable. As if the challenge to forgive an erring brother wasn’t shocking enough for the disciples (and me). Yes he speaks of my responsibility to forgive a brother if he sins against me seven times in a day. And there are other responsibilities that I hadn’t taken notice of previously.

The responsibility to rebuke a brother. It seems the disciples had some practice at this responsibility, at least from thier viewpoint. Often they would argue amongst themselves. This teaching the Lord provides may not be encouraging this type of correction process within the group.

What is the message for us today?

I want to be honest with you – I am struggling with this parable because the intended recipients, the disciples, were later called friends, and not servants.

John 15:13

Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

John 15:15

Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.

Doh – I missed this verse that fits between the two above. I think it is of importance in the consideration of this parable, don’t you?

John 15:14

Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.

You know, my momma used to tell me, especially when I had to cut the lawn when I was a youngin, that “It is not for us to reason why, it is simply for us to do and die.” I realize that is a bit of a stretch for my momma to use that saying in relation to simply cutting the lawn , but there is a similar sentiment in this parable.

My momma loved me and yet she demanded work out of me, and through that work I felt the smile of my momma. She would never disown me, or abandon me. She loved me, yet she “had the nerve” to point to that lawn every Saturday morning.

And when I was done, I felt good! A bit proud of my accomplishment. At peace with my momma, at least in my mind – I don’t think she felt any animosity towards me prior to the “cutting”! But I don’t remember her thanking me.

And there is the rub. The lawn was squarely my responsibility and gratitude wasn’t considered part of the deal. Now don’t get me wrong – I never considered myself a slave to my momma, so the parallel with the parable breaks down a bit – but you get my point.

Get your attitude right Carl. You are not super spiritual, either in God’s eyes, (or more pointedly from this parable even your own eyes) if you forgive your brother for an offence. It is a bare minimum! A responsibility that is a base requirement of the Christian life. Harboring unforgiveness is unacceptable and is to be considered a very serious offence.

But the challenge is greater than simply forgiving a brother. Notice that the Lord, in Luke’s passage, includes the responsibility to rebuke a brother. This necessitates the need to stand firm in your convictions and to be dependent on God (and not to fear the loss of relationship with a brother). It also requires the data needed to know when the offence is simply a personal matter or a biblical matter. Let me explain.

Based on my past experience and personal leanings, I find giving youngsters sugary treats to be non-beneficial. This practice not only provides garbage into the child’s physical body, but creates an erratic pattern of behavior in the child. The child may experience poor health, become a demanding child, requiring another “hit” of sugar, slip into erratic sleeping patterns, and potentially experience separation from social graces in the result of becoming a “picky” eater.

That is my personal bias. I have not found a specific verse that states “Feed no sugar to 2 yr olds”. Do I have the responsibility to rebuke a brother if he feeds his kid sugar?

Based on the Word, if this same brother begins to cheat on his wife, do I have a responsibility to rebuke him?

This difference between feeding sugar to a child and breaking covenant is my way of defining the difference between knowing God’s Word in relation to rebuking a brother. Adultery is sin! Rebuke is non-negotiable. Feeding sugar to a child is preferential (I still think it is wrong!!!)

One on these sins needs to be rebuked, due to the command in the Scriptures. The other is preferential. Each may have different intensities of responsibility, but with each situation my attitude is critical.

A bit earlier I mentioned that the original disciples had no problem rebuking each other as they walked with the Savior.

Yet Jesus teaches them to forgive and rebuke. They are already masters at rebuking!!! Why the teaching?

A rebuke from a believer is to be handled, not from a position of superiority, but from an attitude of gentleness, of realizing we are all in a position of weakness.

Consider

Galations 6:1

Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted.

In all of this, in the forgiving and the rebuking, it is this parables intent to remind us that these duties of the believer are not base level responsibilities. Let us not get puffed up with pride (Remind me to tell you of my first effort at rebuking!), or eaten up with a victim’s attitude of requiring some thank you for performing the task at hand.

He loves us.

Out of His great abounding love toward us, get the work done and be content!

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Another short parable, but I’m gonna warn you that this one also is a bit of a challenge!

Matthew 13:52

52 And he said to them, “Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house, who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.”

Questions to Consider

Who were the audience?

The disciples were the audience. Just previous to this parable the Lord asked His men a pointed question, which brought forth this instruction.

Matthew 13:51
“Have you understood all these things?” They said to him, “Yes.”

The disciples answer prompted this instruction. The Lord then equated them with the title of “scribe”. This is no small compliment and responsibility. But I am getting ahead of myself.

A few posts back I warned my gentle reader that there would be a test, a question regarding the parables that had been explained to the disciples. This test, if you will accept it, can be for you too. These men were learning of the Master. We are learning of the Master. Consider the question for your own possession.

Have you understood all these things?

When did the Lord give this parable?

See Parable Surprises – The Sower of the Seed

Where did the Lord teach the parable?

As noted in earlier posts, this teaching was provided for the disciples “in the house”, after the day of telling parables to crowds. Those that were attentive, that were teachable, they were allowed to hear explanations, get understanding, and with it, receive responsibility.

Why did the Lord give this message?

In short, He gave this parable, not of the kingdom, but of the disciples, (of all disciples?), that are to be considered as scribes trained in the Kingdom of God. He laid a story down (a parable) beside the disciples experience, in describing them as scribes. But – what did that mean for the disciples, to be classified as a scribe?

To be a scribe was to be skilled in the Word of God.

Ezra 7:6

Ezra …. was a scribe skilled in the Law of Moses

Combined with a priestly calling

Nehemiah 8:9

Ezra the priest and scribe.

And a duty to instruct the people, priests and Levites

 Nehemiah 8:13

all the people, with the priests and the Levites, came together to Ezra the scribe in order to study the words of the Law.

To be a scribe was a high calling, and when the Lord mentioned that every scribe, trained for the Kingdom of God (which training these disciples just received), they are to be like a master of a house. But again I am getting ahead of myself. Lets leave the message for the original audience for the next section, and suffice it to say the Lord gave this parable to inform His men of their (and our) responsibility as scribes for the Kingdom of God.

What was the message for the original audience?

The message for the disciples is the responsibility of one who had been trained (lit. in the Greek “who has become a disciple”) of the Kingdom of God, is like one who is in charge of a house, a manger of a house, that is responsible to provide foods, or resources as required for those residents within the house.

But I think there is a bit more than simple distribution to those in the household in a strictly efficient manner being spoken of here. I’m referring to the Lord’s choice of wording when He speaks of the master who “brings out” of his treasure. The manner of providing of his treasure is my point.

This term in Greek is ekballō (G1544) and can be translated (with a notion of violence), as in being cast out, or to draw out with force, (and without the notion of violence) to lead one forth.

I read one study that described the action being described as “flinging out”. To distribute without reservation, to have treasure that is not to be hoarded, hid heaped in the corner, but cast out from the masters treasures liberally and unreserved.

But what are the disciples to “fling out”? Why did the Lord bring up the concept of “new and old”? What is going on here? Is He hinting of two covenants? Of two messages? Of two types of treasure?

It seems obvious (to me) that the reference to old and new would imply to the disciples that what they are hearing from the Lord’s mouth was qualitatively different than the treasure previous scribes were provided to distribute. The old treasure contained truth, yet the new treasure shines light on the old that none could see before. (I’m thinking 1 Peter 1:12)

Remember that the disciples had some training, as children at least, of the Torah and of Sabbath and of the sacrifices. Every Jewish boy learned learned these truths. This “old” treasure would be the basis for the new, yet the new was so much more than expected. And the challenge for the disciples would be to interpret the old to provide teaching in the new. The old applied in a “new” way.

And on top of this task of interpreting of the old, the Lord Jesus was supplying new revelation that hadn’t been hinted at in the Old Testament. This new revelation was to become a portion of their treasure they could and would “fling out”.

What is the message for us today?

With the apostles gone, and with their writings left behind for our instruction, the responsibility of being a “scribe” is just as applicable to us nowadays.

Of course the disciples/apostles gave us examples of the way to look at the old.

One example would be the Passover.

In the old economy, a little lamb was sacrificed to cover the sins of the people (temporarily). The Apostles saw this Old Testament sacrifice fulfilled in the Person of the Lord Jesus, and His death on the cross. The covering of sin became forgiveness of sin, even redemption, and the temporary status was turned to eternality, the granting of everlasting life through His resurrection.

This is, from our perspective, so obvious, since we have their writings and it is so clearly taught in the New Testament. My challenge to present day disciples, who are called out as scribes even today is to search the Old Testament with the attitude of the disciples and pull out truths that reflect the Lord Jesus, and the revelation of the New Testament given by the Apostles. This ain’t no small potatoes as a task, but the rewards are genuine, most enjoyable and a proper response to the teaching of the Lord in this parable.

By the way, how is your treasure increasing?

Study the OT & NT, find the connections and differences, store your findings and then fling ’em around. It is surely a challenge but once your storehouse of knowledge grows, the flingin becomes second nature, since it is a treasure that you want to share.

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Wow – this is a big One. I spent some time yesterday just dwelling on this parable. I hope I can transfer some of the message!

Matthew 13:47-50

47 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and gathered fish of every kind. 48 When it was full, men drew it ashore and sat down and sorted the good into containers but threw away the bad. 49 So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous 50 and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Questions to Consider

Who were the audience?

The audience Jesus is teaching are the disciples, and not the crowds. See Parable Surprises – Growing Seed. Now we have a group of folk hearing a message that are allowed to “get it”. Did they get it? I think the best way to describe their reception of the truth is that they were introduced to it!

If you consider yourself to be one who “get’s it”, that is great. But remember, there will be a test coming up. (See Matthew 13:51)

When did the Lord give this parable?

See Parable Surprises – The Sower of the Seed

Where did the Lord teach the parable?

He left the crowd and entered “the” house. This is no geographical adjustment, other than being within four walls without the crowds being present. See Parable Surprises – The Sower of the Seed, for the geographical location if interested

Why did the Lord give this message?

The Lord is teaching about the Kingdom of God. It is His message.

He is reiterating the coming judgement, the safety of those which are righteous (v 49) and the judgement of those who cause sin, the law breakers and all those that are bad (vs 48). The angels will throw away the bad (fish).

“Bad” is an interesting word, where a number of times the Greek word is translated as corrupt, rotten, putrefied, of poor quality, unfit for use and worthless. “Bad” seems to have a scent of “no value” as opposed to “of evil character”.

(Should I have used the term scent when relating to rotten fish? You get me point!)

Whether this discussion on “bad” is of any consequence in this parable is left for the reader to consider.

No matter – Jesus is speaking of the end of the age and the coming judgement. Two times He brings this subject up, with two parables sandwiched in between, speaking of the value of a treasure in a field or a great pearl. The concept of value seems to be a theme through this passage, don’t ya know?

What was the message for the original audience?

The last two parables (The Treasure and the Pearl) were somewhat similar in theme, that is the purchasing of something valuable. This parable has a twin to it also, in the first parable explained, (Parable Surprises – Tares among the Wheat) which hails back to Matthew 13:24-30.

As a quick refresher, it had to do with an enemy sowing weeds in the wheat field, and the owners method of harvesting the good product.

This parable, as in the Tares parable, speaks of the end of the age, separation of the evil from the righteous, servants/angels doing the harvesting, of burning fire, and and finally, of weeping and gnashing of teeth.

A bunch of parallels, but for the sake of our edification today, I would like to consider some of the differences between the two parables.

But first, I got something gnawing at my thinking.

What is the “end of the age”?

Is the Lord speaking of next month? Next year? Could it be in 2195?

When is this “end of the age”?

Could it be, might it be, a time that the disciples would experience?

This is a very difficult question since I have spent most of my Christian life considering the end of the age as referring to the culmination of the church age. You know, when the rapture hits and we abandon this old world to watch it go up in flames.

The general thought is that we get taken out of the world for our judgement and the world waits a period of time until their judgement comes. But even within this parable, the Lord seems to be directing His disciples to a time when the “bad” will be judged at or before the righteous are rewarded.

Consider

Matthew 13:41-43

The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers, and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.

Notice the “then” there. Golly I never noticed it before. The righteous continue on after the “bad” are destroyed.

The next parable implys the same order of judgement

Matthew 13:49-50

So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

It seems the pile of fish have the “bad” removed from the “righteous” and are destroyed. No mention of the circumstances of the righteous in between. It just doesn’t seem to be important – The fish will simply wait for the evil fish to be taken care of.

But I digress on the relative timing of the judgement between the “bad” and the “righteous”. I started down this rabbit path questioning “the end of the age” concept. So lets get back to the original question.

A couple years ago, I ventured into the topic of eternal and everlasting within the Word and coming up with some interesting finds ( See A Study of Eternal / Everlasting) Two of the Greek words studied in that post is aion (G165), and aionios (G166). Aion (G165) is the word we find in this parable, that is translated as “age”.

If Jesus, before the resurrection speaks of “this age” could He be referring to the Jewish Theocratic kingdom, established at Sinai, and existing (at least in part) through His life, and beyond. Could the Roman annihilation of the nation of Israel in AD 70 be the end of the age Jesus refers to in His message to the disciples? It would allow the disciples to not only understand the message somewhat, but also some may experience the end of the age in AD 70. (At least a few of the disciples made it to AD 70!)

This begs the question as to what the next age would describe, and if “this age” is properly defined as the Jewish age, then the church age may be considered the age to come. Does that ruffle your feathers? It sure did mine when I first studied it out and came to this tentative conclusion.

So the message for the disciples in this parable is that the Jewish age is coming to a close. Later the Lord mentions “another age”, and extending for many many days (Any one want to venture how many days?)

Well, if you are still with me after this rabbit trail, thank you. You are a most tenacious reader!

What was the message for the original audience? Judgement is coming and the bad/worthless will be destroyed. The righteous will be saved. Destruction of the current (Jewish) age is sure to come. Don’t be a part of it!

What is the message for us today?

Eschatology is so interesting. At times I have used it to beat people into submission to my way of thinking. So foolish! I have spent bunches of my time trying to figger it out and I make no claim that any eschatological system is the pure message.

I simply want to remember that the Lord Jesus is the saving God, that He is coming back, that there is a judgement coming and that He is the One who took my sin penalty away.

He is so good!

BUT

If you have a certain fearful looking for of judgement and fiery indignation, repent and believe the gospel. Follow the Messiah and listen for His voice. His death was not to be in vain, but your rejection of His life giving grace will leave you without any answer.

Remember, if a man could save his soul any other way than through the suffering, sacrificial death of the Messiah, God the Father is a fool for giving up His beloved Son.

But if you think you can save yourself without the suffering sacrificial death of the Messiah, you are the fool.

One way or the other, someone is a fool. Wanna take bets who may be the fool? Don’t be a worthless fool!

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In our last parable, I suggested that a short parable is an easy parable. That may have been a bit foolish, since quantity does not necessarily imply quality.

These two tiny parables (Hidden Treasure and Valuable Pearl), although seemingly similar, have important distinctions that are instructive.

Lets take a second to read our parable today.

Matthew 13:45-46

45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, 46 who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it.

Questions to Consider

Who were the audience?

No longer is Jesus teaching the masses, the crowds. Starting with our previous parable, the audience shifts to the disciples only. See Matthew 13:36. Now we have a group of folk that are allowed to “get it”. If you consider yourself to be one who “get’s it”, note that there will be a test coming up. (See Matthew 13:51)

When did the Lord give this parable?

Matthew gives me the impression that this day was a very busy day of teaching for the Lord. See Parable Surprises – The Sower of the Seed

Where did the Lord teach the parable?

The Lord entered “the” house. It is assumed He stayed in the local area and entered a house of a disciple. See Parable Surprises – The Sower of the Seed, for the geographical location if interested

Why did the Lord give this message?

At first blush, this parable and the previous one seems to be identical. But for the estimation of the value of the treasure/great pearl, there are a few items that make this parable a bit different.

With this parable, the “man” is a merchant. A bit more specific. The subject is skilled in the estimation of value and has made a living out of successfully trading items and producing profit.

With this parable, the merchant is searching for treasure. The man in the earlier parable appears to find the treasure without intent, simply “tripping” over the treasure, but he makes every effort to secure the treasure legally. The merchant finds the pearl of great value in the possession of another, and, like the man in the previous parable, sells all that he has in order to secure the treasure.

In the previous parable, the kingdom of heaven was likened to the treasure. In this parable, the kingdom of heaven is likened to the merchant.

This is the big one, the major difference that adds a layer of truth that needs to be considered.

What was the message for the original audience?

The kingdom of heaven is on the hunt. During the days of the Lord’s pilgrimage on enemy turf, He taught us that the kingdom of heaven was in search of fine pearls. For millennium, the kingdom of heaven has been on the search for pearls.

Although nothing in the New or Old Testament gives a direct connection with the Old Testament saints, I would like to suggest that the fine pearls may represent Old Testament saints like Abraham, Isaiah, and Daniel. Men and women that sought to honor God’s name and His loving mercy in their lives. Men and women within the remnant of Israel, hanging on to His promises and living for His glory and honor.

Until One Man came along that completely overshadowed every previous pearl. When this Man came on the scene, the Kingdom of God quit hunting, and realized that all effort could be ceased, for all the potential and realization of the Kingdom could and would be centered on this Man.

He is the Pearl of Great Price. And all that encompasses the kingdom of heaven is found in Him, and not another.

What is the message for us today?

The kingdom of heaven sold all that “it” had in order to pin “its’ hopes on the One who was the Pearl of Great Price. He is the only worthy One and has shown His great worth in the expression of His self sacrificial love not only for those who sought Him but also for those who fought Him, who spit on Him and eventually betrayed Him and crucified Him.

Where are we on the spectrum of self sacrificial love to those we rub shoulders with. Self analysis may be healthy, but staring at the Pearl of Great Price, considering His character and life, His heart is what will transform us.

2 Corinthians 3:18

And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.

Take time to stare.

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A hidden treasure in a field. A parable describing relative worth in a Man’s life, and the natural reaction of the Man who estimates the worth of a treasure greater than all else.

Matthew 13:44

44 “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.

Questions to Consider

Who were the audience?

Up until this parable, the audience Jesus was teaching were the masses, the crowds. See Parable Surprises – Growing Seed.

Starting with this parable, the audience shifts to the disciples only. See Matthew 13:36. Now we have a group of folk that are allowed to “get it”. If you consider yourself to be one who “get’s it”, note that there will be a test coming up. (See Matthew 13:51)

When did the Lord give this parable?

See Parable Surprises – The Sower of the Seed

Where did the Lord teach the parable?

He left the crowd and entered “the” house. This is no geographical adjustment, other than being within four walls without the crowds being present. See Parable Surprises – The Sower of the Seed, for the geographical location if interested

Why did the Lord give this message?

This is always the hardest question for me to try to answer, since it speaks of motive, why a message was given.

I’m thinking Jesus gave this parable to only His followers to communicate their worth. They had left all, had followed the Messiah for months now, and were actively, positively and with intent seeking to understand.

Yes they missed the message much of the time, but they came and asked, showed interest, sought to figger it out.

Have you ever tried to teach an empty chair? No life, no emotion, no passion. Speaking the truth in a prosperous society is discouraging, since so many distractions and deceptions are available. When hard times come, ears open up, at least for a time, and hopefully some accept the truth. It is exciting when there is an interest in the things of God!

Although this may not be perfectly parallel with the Lord’s experience, to have some eagerly follow Him when He knew most rejected not only His message but His own Person, this must have been a tremendous encouragement to Him. They were His treasure, with all the bumps and cuts and bruises they exhibited. They were His.

What was the message for the original audience?

They, the disciples are the treasure. The disciples were a treasure to the Master. He has found them in the world, and will “sell” everything He has in order to purchase the field from it’s usurping prince.

He will purchase the entire field in order to own the few disciples that were following Him.

What is the message for us today?

Of course, this great love that He expressed for His disciples may apply to us today. Are you actively, positively and with intent seeking to understand?

Remember Carl – this Christian thing is a relationship! Show a bit of interest! He definitely has proven His interest!

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