Your Will Be Done - What Did I Just Agree To?

I spent the first ten years of my life growing up in a traditional church. Traditional churches have a reputation for following strictly to a liturgy, so strictly that some liturgy almost has a requirement to appear in every single Sunday worship service. One piece of liturgy recited every Sunday contains reciting the Lord’s prayer. Naturally, I learned to memorize the Lord’s prayer, and quite imaginably, anybody who grew in a traditional church (and maybe even some contemporary and charismatic churches) also memorized the Lord’s prayer in the same rote repetition. Sometimes the danger of the rote repetition could result in somebody reciting the Lord’s prayer without really considering the words spoken or their meaning. If carefully considering the meaning of the words, phrases and sentences, someone might hesitate halfway through, where the prayer says, “your will be done.” What exactly is the believer agreeing to when praying “your will be done”? What are the exact terms and conditions the Christian signs off on when praying “your will be done”? Both of those questions deserve further exploring.

Without further ado, I invite you to turn to Matthew 6:9-13, commonly known as the Lord’s Prayer. The Lord’s prayer does also appear in Luke 11:2-4, but interesting enough, it does omit a few lines, one of which includes “Your will be done.” Now no one should confuse this omission as Luke rejecting the line, as if he didn’t like it or downright hated it, for Luke does record the line (or something similar) elsewhere. For example, when Jesus prays in the Garden of Gethsemane in Luke 22, Jesus closes the prayer in Luke 22:42 with the line “Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.” As another example, in Acts 21:14, when the Christians of Caesarea try to convince Paul not to go to Jerusalem, but Paul will not be persuaded by their attempts, they conclude, “Let the will of the Lord be done.” Clearly, Luke has no objection to the line, so why did he omit it? One of the prominent theories suggest that Luke saw the line “your will be done” as redundant repetition of the prior line “your kingdom come.” According to Luke, if God’s kingdom comes, then God’s will is done, and if the Lord’s will is done, then the Lord’s kingdom has come. Matthew, as a Jew writing to Jews, knew that the Old Testament poetry had something called synonymous parallelisms, in which two lines say the exact same thing/idea with similar yet different words in order to emphasis the idea. What Luke saw as redundancy and repetition Matthew saw as emphasis. Therefore, a proper understanding of “your will be done” first requires the proper interpretation of “your kingdom come.”

Throughout the Old Testament, everybody from prophets to priests to poets, yearned for the Messiah to establish his messianic kingdom (1 Chronicles 16:33; Psalms 96:13, 98:9; Isaiah 13:6, 24:23, 26:21, 32:22, 52:7; Joel 2:1; Micah 1:3; Zephaniah 3:15; Zechariah 14:1&9; Malachi 4:5). By praying “your kingdom come,” and likewise, “your will be done,” in the Lord’s prayer, the person praying shares in the same zeal for the Christ to set up his kingdom. This idea of the Messiah establishing his messianic kingdom finds its basis in the Lord’s covenant promises to his covenant people. Praying God’s kingdom come, and similarly, the Lord’s will be done, means to pray that the Lord will fulfill all his covenant promises. Covenant promises he made to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; covenant promises he made to Moses and the Israelites at Mount Sinai; and covenant promises he made to David.

Praying “your kingdom come” sounds like an odd request in the greater context of Matthew. Earlier in Matthew 3:2 and 4:17, Jesus announces that the kingdom of God is at hand. Later in Matthew 12:28, Jesus declares that him casting out demons proves that the kingdom of God has come. The problem, however, is that not everybody acknowledges and recognizes it. Jesus will later on illustrate this with a series of parables in Matthew 13, most notably the parable of the mustard seed and yeast, which emphasis the explosive expansion of the kingdom of God in the future. Scholars call this tension the “already-not yet” duality. Therefore, the kingdom in mind in Matthew 6:10 would be the eschatological kingdom, or the kingdom of God established in the new heaven and new earth. As foretold by the prophets, this is when the Lord’s plan for future history comes to full completion. Thus, the prayer asks that this fully realized kingdom comes sooner than later. The goal of the prayer is the future of kingdom of God may be just as real as the present kingdom of God. Just like praying “Hallowed by your name,” the person praying does not ask for the petition to become true, for the statement is already true. Instead, the praying person requests for that future kingdom, which everyone does acknowledges and recognizes. If any direct application arises from this line, the line prays that the disciples of Jesus will faithfully and obedient spread the kingdom of God by living out what Jesus taught, including everything from what they say to what they do.

Therefore, it makes sense to think of praying “your will be done” under the same exact “already-not yet” dichotomy. True disciples of Jesus, who call Jesus their Lord and Savior, already participate in the will of the Lord, but praying “your will be done” asks that everybody will contribute to the will of God across the world. Still, the question remains on what it means to pray “your will be done.”

So what does it mean to pray “Your will be done?”

Praying “your will be done” means the person praying asking God’s plan of salvation to come to full fruition. In 1 Timothy 2:4, Paul writes to Timothy that God” desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” Whether your Calvinist and believe this verse only applies to the elect, or if your Arminian and believe that all people means every single person, the truth remains that when people come to the saving knowledge and truth of Jesus Christ, the kingdom of God expands in membership. It only makes sense that the more souls saved, the more souls will contribute to the will of God.

Praying “Your will be done” includes praying the Lord will overthrow the sin that the earth has become enslaved to and returning the world into the very good and sinless creation God originally made. God’s will being done means that he is truly the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, with no other emperor, king, prince or governor competing with him for reign over the earth.

Praying “Your will be done” means for the removal of the sinful. It’s not something we like to think of, but Jesus has promised paradise to his disciples, and it won’t be paradise if evil and wickedness allows for pain and suffering to continue to haunt his followers.

Praying “Your will be done” means, as a disciple of Jesus, learning to submit in humility to the will of God. Throughout the book of Matthew, Jesus correlates the doing the will of the Lord as a marker of a true disciple. According to Matthew 7:21, those who do God’s will are the only ones who call rightfully call God their Lord, or master. In Matthew 12:50, Jesus calls those who do the Father’s Will his brothers, his sisters and mothers. The point of the parable in Matthew 21 is that the true disciple does the Lord’s will. As always, Jesus makes himself the perfect model of a human follower of Jesus by praying he can submit to the will of God, as seen in Matthew 26:42. Therefore, praying “your will be done” becomes an activity of humility and submission. Prayer now becomes a spiritual discipline of aligning the person’s will with the Lord’s will. The believer does not need to pray anything about or for himself or herself, the Christian knows that God has already taken care of sustaining and blessing him or her.

On that note, the cool thing is that the disciples of Jesus testify to already here part of the kingdom of God. While Christians cannot single-handedly usher in the kingdom of God by their own merit, in both preaching the gospel message and living out the kingdom, they proclaim that the kingdom of God is indeed at hand and within grasp. When disciples both preach the gospel and live out the kingdom, it makes the kingdom of God very real here and now. Therefore, when Christians pray “your will be done,” they ask the Father for the strength to be obedient to the calling that they have received. Again, this does not mean that the church will bring out new heaven and new earth themselves, but by living it out here and now, the church testifies to the certainty that Jesus will return and establish his kingdom.

Before diving deep into the last line in Matthew 6:10, a few questions need answering First, does “heaven” refer to God’s throne room, the paradise prepared for his disciples, outer space or the sky, or any place that recognizes Jesus as Savior and Lord? The second question to tackle is whether that last line is “on earth as it is in heaven” or “both in heaven and on earth,” for the Greek could technically translate into both. Third and last, how much of the previous parts of the prayer apply to the last line of Matthew 6:10: just “your will be done,” or “your kingdom come” with it or even the whole prayer up to this point! Theologically speaking, while rebellion can happen in heaven (see Ephesians 6:11&12 and Colossians 1:20), Matthew never depicts heaven containing the slightest bit of opposition to God. Heaven is the Lord’s throne, and from his throne, God rules heaven by his will. The future end goal is, however, that all of creation, both heaven and earth will unite fulfilling the will of God. Everybody and everything will do the will of God. In way, this closing line in Matthew 6:9 paints of picture of this inability to tell the difference between heaven and earth because everyone and everything talks and acts the same way. To conclude, the one praying should pray, “As in heaven, so on earth.”

The last line in Matthew 6:10 further emphasizes this “already-not yet” tension. The angels in heaven already worship Jesus as king, and they already do his will. The goal is to get humanity on earth to act the same way as the angels. The angels in heaven and the humans on earth should share the same priorities and values. Just as the angels in heaven fully, willingly, consistently and joyfully serve and worship Jesus, so should humans on earth fully, willingly, consistently and joyfully worship Jesus. In heaven, all the angels’ lifestyles, practices and traditions, both of a personal and corporate level, conform to the Lord’s standards, but here on earth, they do not. By praying “your will be done,” the person praying wishes that humanity’s lifestyles, practices and traditions, both of a personal and corporate level, will mold to the God’s principles.

When a Christian prays these lines of the Lord’s prayer in Matthew 6:10, the Christian himself or herself commits to contributing to bringing about the kingdom of God and doing the Lord’s will. After all, throughout history, as seen in both the Old Testament and the New Testament, God has chosen his people to achieve his goals.

Therefore, looking back on all three lines in Matthew 6:10, they all pray for the same thing: that the Lord’s plan of salvation will become the end goal of history. After all, it only makes sense, for the Lord’s kingdom coming to earth and the Lord’s will being done on earth all reflect the character of God, especially his holiness, as stated in Matthew 6:9 “hallowed by your name.” Thus, in a way, whatever the meaning of “your kingdom come” or “you will be done,” the prayer expresses awe at the spectacular plan that God has for the future, A true disciples yearns for earth to become like in regard to God’s kingdom and God’s will, and it has such an excitement that the person praying just wants God to bring it now. David L. Turner puts it best, “Such requests come from one whose hunger for righteousness on earth will not be satisfied with a snack, as it were, but only with the eschatological banquet associated with the age to come (5:6; cf. 8:11).”

God the Father is already King of king and Lord of lords on both earth and heaven (Matthew 11:25), and Jesus, as God the Son, shares in that same role and title (Matthew 28:18). Jesus came to establish his kingdom and his will. Thus, the disciples practice and perform the kingdom of God in both speech and action to correctly respond in demonstrating their anticipating to the fully realized kingdom on the New Heaven and New Earth, which Jesus started while ministering on earth (Matthew 13:37–43; 24:14; 28:20)

Thus, the line “on earth as it is in heaven,” closes out the first half of the Lord’s prayer centering entirely around the Lord and the Lord’s plan. Half of the prayer dedicates itself to sharing its appreciation, awe and wonder at God and God’s plan before asking of any petition.

Therefore, it only makes sense that the rest of the prayer consists of supplications, asking God to provide what the disciples need to bring about the kingdom of God and to live out the will of God. Even so, though, these supplications do not come from a selfish heart. These prayer requestions not only withhold from asking for wealthy possessions or lifestyles of the rich and the famous, they also withhold from requesting a need met, a problem solved or vengeance for a wrongdoing. The humble Christian, who really believes and conforms to the lifestyle expressed in this prayer, realizes he or she has no right to demand any of these things, especially if contradictory to God’s kingdom coming on the Lord’s will being done. Instead, the prayer requests center around the concern for the expanse of the Lord’s kingdom and the Lord’s will. Again, the believer does not have to worry about needs or wants because they know God will take care of it, for it’s part of his kingdom and his will. Thus, the disciples do not look forward to a time when they will leave the earthly plane and escape to heaven, but instead, they look for ways to bring God’s kingdom to earth by doing his will.

One last concluding thought. I like to joke with my Christian friends of other denominations (and I caution others when "joking" about this to other people, for somebody without a sense of humor will find this highly offensive) that "Every Christian is entitled to their church denomination of choice. God has given us that liberty, and God loves us all equally and the same, no matter what church denomination we choose. But when you get to heaven, you'll find we're all Mennonite." (See how that "joke" can easily offend?) With every joke, at least half of it finds its basis in seriousness. With so many other Christian denominations, they read the Sermon on the Mount, which the Lord's Prayer is part of, and they will say of it, "That's a nice ideal to look forward to at the New Heaven and New Earth when Jesus establishes his kingdom on earth, but right here right now on earth, that's not possible in this corrupt, fallen world. In this corrupt, fallen world, we must be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves" (see Matthew 10:16). The Mennonites, however, have rejected that answer. They have chosen something different. They have chosen what other Christian denominations call impossible. The Mennonites have put so much emphasis on kingdom living that they say, "You know what? We believe we don't have waiting for Jesus to establish the New Heaven and New Earth. We believe the Holy Spirit has empowered us to live out the kingdom of God right here and right now." Since the Mennonites do live out the kingdom of God, to the best of their ability, right here and right now, they get experience a little bit of heaven, so when they actually do go to heaven, they know how to live it out, whereas the other denominations might need a little bit more time getting use to things. All in all, what I'm trying to say is that the Mennonites' emphasis on living out God's kingdom come right here and now sets up the Mennonites to live out God's will being done. Let the Mennonites be the witness to the rest of the Christian denominations on what it means to live out the Lord's will be done.

Bibliography

Allen, Willoughby C. A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Gospel according to S. Matthew. International Critical Commentary. New York: C. Scribner’s Sons, 1907.

Barbieri, Louis A., Jr. “Matthew.” The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures. Edited by J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck. Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985.

Blomberg, Craig L. “Matthew.” Holman Concise Bible Commentary. Edited by David S. Dockery. Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1998.

Blomberg, Craig. Matthew. Vol. 22 of The New American Commentary. Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1992.

Davies, W. D., and Dale C. Allison Jr. A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Gospel according to Saint Matthew. Vol. 1 of International Critical Commentary. London; New York: T&T Clark International, 2004.

France, Richard T. “Matthew.” Pages 904–45 in New Bible Commentary: 21st Century Edition. Edited by D. A. Carson, R. T. France, J. A. Motyer, and G. J. Wenham. 4th ed. Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: Inter-Varsity Press, 1994.

France, Richard T. The Gospel of Matthew. The New International Commentary on the New Testament. Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publication Co., 2007.

Hagner, Donald A. Matthew 1–13. Vol. 33A of Word Biblical Commentary. Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 1993.

Hughes, Robert B., and J. Carl Laney. Tyndale Concise Bible Commentary. The Tyndale Reference Library. Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 2001.

Jamieson, Robert, A. R. Fausset, and David Brown. Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible. Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1997.

Nolland, John. The Gospel of Matthew: A Commentary on the Greek Text. New International Greek Testament Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI; Carlisle: W.B. Eerdmans; Paternoster Press, 2005.

Spence-Jones, H. D. M., ed. St. Matthew. Vol. 1 of The Pulpit Commentary. London; New York: Funk & Wagnalls Company, 1909.

Turner, David L. Matthew. Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2008.

Weber, Stuart K. Matthew. Vol. 1 of Holman New Testament Commentary. Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2000.

Wiersbe, Warren W. The Bible Exposition Commentary. Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996.

Wiersbe, Warren W. Wiersbe’s Expository Outlines on the New Testament. Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1992.

The Parable of the Landscaper (Matthew 13:44)

Oliver, a man never good at taking commands from a boss, decided he wanted to be his own boss, so he quit his landscaping job to start his own landscaping business. Unfortunately, Oliver decided to do this at the worst possible time: during the 2008 recession. Because of the housing bubble bursting in 2008, not too many people had yards that needed landscaping, and the few that did manage to hold on to their house couldn’t afford any more landscaping than mowing the lawn. Therefore, most of Oliver’s clients hired Oliver to mow their lawn, something Oliver use to do for his neighbors as his high school job. That did bum Oliver out a bit. He viewed his landscaping as a work of art, even naming his business Masterpiece Landscaping to reflect those views. He wanted decorate people’s yards like a work of art, not just mow their lawn, like he did in high school. Nevertheless, Oliver felt grateful that he had enough lawns to mow to keep his business afloat, and he tried to display that thankfulness to all his clients.

 

One of these clients was Alfred Pennybags. Alfred was an elderly man, so old he could barely take care of himself, yet he insisted he would die in the house he built when he was a younger man. Therefore, he hired maids to tend to the inside of the house, and Oliver to tend to the outside of the house. As so many of Oliver’s client, Alfred could only afford to pay Oliver to his mow his lawn, but what Alfred could not pay with hem, he tried to pay with hospitality. Alfred definitely stuck out to Oliver as his most hospitable client. Every time Oliver visit, it seemed like Alfred would attempt to extend him some sort of hospitality. One day it could be “Gee, it looks like I bought way too many cold cuts at the grocery store. If you want to come in and make yourself a sandwich, you can!” Another day could be, “Boy, it is quite a sunny and hot day! I got ice cold water, lemonade and iced tea in the fridge if you need a drink!” Of course, every day Alfred would remind Oliver, “If you ever need to use that bathroom, my doors are always open to you!” Of the three, Oliver only accepted the offer of the third, but only when Oliver forgot to use the bathroom between jobs. Those few times Oliver entered Alfred’s house, he noticed the walls decorated more with paintings of landscapes instead of photos of people. The few photos of people all seemed to have elderly people, around Alfred’s age. From these few photos, Oliver concluded that Oliver was the youngest of his sibling and had no wife or children of his own. By this time in Alfred’s life, all his family and friends had died. Oliver thought of this sad reality for Alfred a bit, and so Oliver would occasionally engage in small talk with Alfred, just so Alfred would feel less lonely.

One morning, as Oliver prepared for work, his phone rang. Looking at caller ID, it read “Susan Hida, Esquire.” At first reaction, Oliver’s heart sank. “Oh no, I’m getting sued! What did I do wrong?” After briefly thinking about it, Oliver concluded he did do nothing wrong, so no one should sue him. He then thought to himself, “Oh! A new client! An attorney, too! As a lawyer, I bet she has a big yard, which needs a lot of work. This could be a big account!” Oliver picked up the phone and answered the call. Clearing his throat, he said in his most professional voice, “Masterpiece Landscaping: Your yard is our canvas, and we will make you a masterpiece. How may I help you today?” “Oh, excellent, I have the right number,” said the voice at the opposite end of the line. “My name is Susa Hida. I am an attorney representing the estate of Alfred Pennybags. I regret to inform you that Mr. Pennybags died in his sleep last night.” Oliver’s heart sank into sadness. Yes, he was a little bit sad that he had lost a client to death, but he was a lot sad that he would never see and hear from such a friendly man ever again. “Oh, I am sorry to hear that,” Oliver spoke up, showing sympathy. “Yes,” the lawyer continued, “sadly, with no heir or next of kin alive, all of Mr. Pennybags’s household possessions, including the house itself, will be auctioned off to pay off any remaining debts, and the rest will be donated to Alfred’s favorite charities. I see on Mr. Pennybags’s wall calendar that your scheduled to mow his lawn tomorrow afternoon. Would you mind mowing his lawn one last time, so the yard will look neat for the property auction the next day? We will make sure you get your pay once the sale is finalized.” “I would be delighted to,” Oliver replied.

The next morning Oliver found it a lot harder to wake up and get ready for work, still dealing with the grief of Alfred’s passing. As Oliver loaded his truck, he got an idea. He would honor the memory of Alfred Pennybags by planting a tree in his yard. Yeah, sure, nobody else would know what the tree meant, but every time Oliver would drive by the house, he would see the tree and remember Alfred. Before driving to the house, Oliver stopped by a nursey on the way, picked out a nice evergreen, and then finished his journey to Alfred’s house. By the time, he got there, the maid staff was packing up, and they waved at each other passing. It gave Oliver the peace and quiet (besides the hum of the tractor) to reflect on Alfred. After finish mowing the lawn, Oliver found the perfect spot for the tree, where everybody driving by could see it. Of course, Oliver called 811, so he would know before he dug, and they assured him nothing existed below that he could hit if he dug. So Oliver began digging. He dug a pretty good size hole in the ground, but upon further inspection, he decided it could be a bit deeper. He plunged his shovel into the ground once again, but this time, it felt different. Shortly after, a black liquid, which had a distinct smell, slowly came bubbling into that hole. Yes, you guessed it. Black gold. Texas tea. Oil. At first reaction, Oliver panicked. “Oh no!” Oliver panicked. “I hit an oil pipeline! Now I will get sued!” but then Oliver realized something. “Wait a minute,” Oliver thought, “I did call 811, and they assured me nothing existed under the ground. Oliver’s eyes opened wide as he realized put it all together. Oliver had the discovered oil! Quickly, Oliver filled up the hole, threw all his equipment back in his truck and drove home as fast as could.

 

When Oliver got home, he barged into his house, so loudly it startled his wife Pearl. “PEARL! PEARL! How much money do we have in our checking account?” he screamed at the top of his lungs, as he ran around the house, looking for the checkbook.  “Why? Why are you asking that?” Pearl asked. “And how much money do we have in our savings account?” Oliver yelled, as he continued to run aimlessly around the house in search of the bank book. “Why are you asking? What happened? What did you do? Oh my gosh, are we getting sued?” An excited Oliver did not hear. “And how much do we have in our 401K or IRA or whatever our retirement plan is? And how much in stocks? And what about CDs? Do we have any of these?!” “Woah there!” Pearl said, stopping her husband in his tracks. “You’re going to slow down and explain to me what happened.” “Ok,” Oliver said, taking a breath. “So yesterday, I got a phone call from a lawyer…” “Oh my gosh, we are getting sued!” Pearl interrupted. “No, we’re not getting sued!” Oliver continued. “The attorney called to inform me that one of my clients died, and she asked if I could mow his one last time, to which I agreed. I decided that, not only would I mow the lawn, but I would also plant a tree in memory of him. I had nearly finished digging the hole for the tree when a black liquid came bubbling from the ground.” “Oh my gosh, you hit a pipeline! Why didn’t you call 811?” Pearl interrupted again. “Of course, I called 811!” Oliver continued. “They assured me absolutely nothing was there. Honey, I discovered an oil field!” Pearl’s face of concern turned into a face of excitement to match her husband’s.

That next morning, Oliver and Pearl marched down to their bank to withdraw all the money in both their checking and savings account and close the accounts. Then they drove down to the house that once belonged to Alfred, registered for the auction, and sat down in the back row, waiting for the auction of the actual property themselves. When it came time to auction off the property, it came very close, but Oliver and Pearl made the winning bid. They were now the owners of this property. The next day, Oliver went online to register “Oliver’s Oil LLC” as his new business’s name.

What you have just read is what I call The Parable of the Landscaper. This is a 21st century version of a parable Jesus told in the 1st century. Back while in seminary, my preaching professor taught us that when teaching a parable of Jesus, a preacher should re-tell the parable in a 21st century context. I agree with his teaching. All the parable Jesus taught Jesus extremely contextualized, so his open-minded audience would understand the message, while the close-minded audience would not understand. Therefore, Jesus used the 1st century culture as his context, a context which would make no sense to the modern-day culture in the 21st century. Thus, a  preacher should study what Jesus intended the parable to mean, and then teach the parable in a 21st century cultural context that the audience could comprehend. Still, because I am not an omniscient rabbi, my parable fails in comparison to the Lord’s parable, so let’s understand the original parable in light of the 1st century context.

Please turn to Matthew 13 in your Bible. Turning to Matthew 13, it becomes apparent Matthew 13 has plenty of parables, 6 in this chapter alone, to be exact. These 6 parables come in 2 sets of 3 parables each. For the first set, Jesus addresses crowds uncertain about his message. Therefore, the first set of parables seeks to explain why some accept Jesus while others reject Jesus. In regard to the second set, Jesus speaks to people convinced of his teaching, like his faithful disciples. Thus, these parables seek to understand how to take Jesus’s message deeper.

44 ⸆ Ὁμοία ἐστὶν ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν θησαυρῷ κεκρυμμένῳ ἐν τῷ ἀγρῷ, ὃν εὑρὼν ἄνθρωπος ἔκρυψεν, καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς χαρᾶς αὐτοῦ ὑπάγει καὶ πωλεῖ °πάντα ὅσα ἔχει καὶ ἀγοράζει τὸν ἀγρὸν ἐκεῖνον.

~Matthew 13:44 (NA28)

The kingdom of heaven is like treasure that was hidden in the field, that having found it, a man hid it, and out of joy he goes away and sells all that he has and buys that field.

~Matthew 13:44 (my translation)

If reading Matthew 13:44 out of the KJV or NKJV, the verse begins with “again.” Modern scholarship has ruled out “again” belonging in the verse. The word “again” probably got added by a scribe copying the text, attempting to show that the Parable of the Hidden Treasure in Matthew 13:44 links back to the Parable of the Leaven in Matthew 13:33, which links back to the Parable of the Mustard Seed in Matthew 13:31 (and even possible the Parable of the weeds in Matthew 13:24. Not only do the earliest manuscripts discovered not have this “again,” but it does not make sense in how Matthew structured his gospel. If Matthew did intend to link all the parables in Matthew 13 as one solid teaching, he would not have interrupted it with an explanation of a parable right in the middle. Most likely, Jesus taught the first 3 parables in Matthew 13 at a different place and time than the last 3 parables in Matthew 13.

In this parable, Jesus uses a simile to compare the kingdom of heaven to a hidden treasure in a field. The kingdom of heaven in Matthew equates to the same kingdom of God in Mark and Luke. The Jewish people held God in such high esteem that they selectively referred to him. Since Matthew, a Jew, writes his Gospel to Jewish people, he uses the same respect and regard to God by calling it the kingdom of heaven. The Greek term θησαυρός (thesauros) literally translates into “treasure,” and its definition stays true for both Greek and English. It refers to something of high value, and it can be anything of high value. The participle used to describe this treasure is κεκρυμμένῳ (kekrummeno). Literally, it translates to “hidden,” but in the context of this verse, it means “buried.”

Simply because Jesus compares the kingdom of God to hidden treasure, no one should think of hidden treasure like a pirate’s buried treasure, like that of Treasure Island (although such stories did exist during the time of Jesus). No one should equate this parable to winning the lottery (although that will be discussed later). For both of those, one can chalk it up to an accident or luck. This parable actually had a very purposeful and very probable likelihood. Remember that banking as known today did not exist until fairly recent in history, around the late Middle Ages. During the time of Jesus, the business of banking solely went to loans. People only used banks to borrow money in the form of a loan and pay back that loan. Banks did not hold people’s money. Therefore, when a person wanted to save or store riches in a safe place away from robbers and raiders, especially in times of uncertainty, they would put their valuables (coins, precious metals, gemstones) in sometimes a wooden box, or more often, a clay jar, and then place it in a secure location, like the innermost closet, a vault under the house or a chosen spot in the field. Those in urban settings could only bury it under the house, while those in rural settings could bury it anywhere on their property, including their fields. Someone at this point may think, “Wouldn’t the treasure be buried safer within the walls in the house?” Maybe, but within the floorplan of the house, the robber or thief only has only a little surface area to cover in comparison to the house and the fields of a farmer, which the robber or thief would have a lot to cover.

Such a process should not sound too foreign, as the New Testament references it many times. When Paul writes “But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us” in 2 Corinthians 4:7 (ESV), he refers to this practice. In the Parable of the Talents, as told in Matthew 25:14-30 and Luke 19:12-27, when Jesus says that the third servant hid his talent in the ground, he refers to this practice.

 

In the late 1940s, the Dead Sea Scrolls, scrolls written by the Qumran community, a people during the intertestamental time (between the Old Testament and New Testament), were discovered. The most important discovery among these scrolls were copies of the Old Testament books, the oldest copies still in existence. The second most important discovery among these scrolls was scrolls recording community living. They have given modern scholars an eye into Jewish life during the intertestamental times and the 1^st century Greco-Roman world. In the third cave, a bronze scroll was discovered. One would think it would have some important Scripture passage on it to be worth of bronze. Nope, it did not any Old Testament Scripture. Rather, the bronze scroll had a treasure map! Ok, that’s a little bit of an embellishment, but in cave 3 the bronze scroll did list the hidden treasures of all the households. Scholars hypothesize that the Romans were encroaching in on this Qumran community (the Essenes of the Qumran community were very much a sect), and the Qumran community feared the Romans would make an example by executing the leaders which would be a problem considering only the leaders knew the burial location of the family treasure, so they wrote it down in case somebody became the new leaders. Again, this scroll proves the regular practice of buried treasures.

 

With this knowledge in mind, this one verse in Matthew 13:44 sets up a detailed setting. A rural man, probably a farmer (because he has a field), has passed away, leaving his home and the land on which it resides to an heir. The heir, either unknowing of the buried treasure or forgetful of the buried treasure, has no personal intention for the land, so he decides to sell it to pocket some extra cash. From here, the setting can diverge into two different scenarios. Perhaps the heir hires somebody to tend to the field, overgrown with weeds, so it looks presentable for sale. Upon cleaning up the field, the employee notices something sticking out of the plowed ground, and thus discovers the treasure (the above modern re-telling of the parable went this direction, as do a majority of scholars). Maybe the heir has invited potential buyers to an “open house” of sorts to inspect the land before buying (cf. Luke 14:18). Upon his inspection of the field, he notices that the recent storm has eroded some ground, revealing something buried in the ground. In either scenario, the man fears he will lose the  treasure, so he acts by hiding it again. Perhaps he fears that the heir may change his mind about selling the field if the hear finds out about the discovery, or maybe he fears it will attract even more people to bid on the land, especially the rich who he could not outbid, or even possibly than a thief will rob the land of the treasure, so the finder hides the treasure again.  In either situation, the man discovering the treasure buries it again until he can buy the land, and thus claim rightful possession of the treasure.

Somebody might question the morality of the man who, upon, discovering the buried treasure, hides it again and buys the land to take possession of it, instead of reporting it to the seller. Even if someone from modern times does not question it, someone from the time of Jesus would have definitely questioned it. Interesting enough, though, as crazy as this sounds, believe it or not, the rabbis highly debated the morally right action for the exact scenario depicted in Matthew 13:44. Since such a highly debated situation had a range of answers from the rabbis, the rabbis did come to a general consensus. Most often, the answer depended on what treasure consisted of. Here, the Pharisees and Sadducees did what the Pharisees and Sadducees did best: nitpick the Law down to the letter to make it more complicated. For example, if the treasure consisted of coins scattered about, it belonged to the man discovering it, but if it the treasure consisted of piles of coins, which the religious leaders defined as three coins on top of each other, it belonged to the owner. Generally speaking, the rabbis went by the age-old saying of “finders-keepers, losers-weepers,” but only in the case when the original owner could not prove possession or died and the discoverer proved he represented himself instead of somebody else. If ever unclear, the disputing parties split the treasure in half. Ultimately, the man’s integrity has no impact on the parable, as it concludes the same way, whether the man acted properly or improperly. If anything, the man deserve praise for his discernment and prudence on the fly to give up his possessions in exchange for this property.

That also leads to another clue about the treasure. Somebody might have wondered why the man who discovered the treasure did not, in the words of the Steve Miller Band, “take the money and run.” If the man did take the treasure without buying the field, the original owning family could ultimately accuse him of stealing it, and rightfully so. If the man who found the treasure purchased the land, then everything on or in the land becomes his possession, including the treasure. Quite possibly, though, the man discovered a large treasure, so large that it does not fit in his pockets or his bag. Such a big treasure would fit the metaphor here. Either way, the only way to obtain the treasure would involve obtaining the field.

Before moving on to what the parable means, let it be clear what it does not mean. No one should mistake buying the field to equate to buying salvation. Rather, the man’s willingness to buy the field at all costs represents pursing the kingdom of heaven at all costs. The pursuit of the kingdom of heaven does not limit itself giving up money and other worldly possessions, it also requires sacrificing time and resources in exchange for spiritual discipline

Notice how the buried treasure in this parable laid deep in the ground the whole time. The heir who inherited the land could have found the treasure himself if he would have just looked for it. In fact, the man who discovers the treasure did not go out hunting for treasure, yet he stumbles upon it. The parable may even go as far to hint that only by divine intervention the man found the treasure. Likewise, the presence of the kingdom of God might be out in the open, but the only ones who can see it are those who actively seek it. After all, “Being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, [Jesus] answered them, ‘The kingdom of God is not coming in ways that can be observed, nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There!’ for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you’”  (Luke 17:20&21 ESV). Through nature, the Lord has revealed his presence, and through the Scriptures, God has revealed his will. Humanity just has to look for it. Some will merely stumble upon him, but others, as seen in the next parable, will seek and find it.  This parable clearly puts emphasis on the man finding the treasure. Likewise, Jesus highlights the importance of seeking the kingdom of God. For those who have found it, they can aid in helping the lost find the kingdom of God. They can help by pointing out the need for salvation or the way to Christ.

Note the man’s heart and mind when it comes to his choice of actions. While the man’s behavior come across as thoughtless, the man actually reveals the decision is a no brainer. The decision to give up all comes with ease and in happiness. The man never feels like he should do it because it ought to do it or it is the right thing to do. He gives up all because he wants to give up all, and he gives up all with joy because he knows the payout is worth it. Anybody pursuing the kingdom of heaven should feel the same way. The kingdom of heaven’s worth far outweighs any earthly riches, so the disciple of Jesus needs to pursue the kingdom of heaven as those of the world pursue wealth. Not only does this pursuit of the kingdom of heaven include giving up worldly possessions, it also requires sacrificing time and resources in exchange for spiritual discipline.

Now here fits the lottery analogy. Back in January 2016, the Power Ball lottery reached an all-time high of $1,590,000,000, setting a record for any U.S. lottery. The odds of winning that Power Ball jackpot is 1 in292,200,000 because there are 292,200,000 possible combinations of Power Ball numbers. Power Ball tickets go for $2.00 per ticket. 292,200,000 x $2.00 = $584,400,000. Not counting taxes, and assuming one sole person won that lottery, if that person bought $584,400,000 worth in lottery tickets, he or she would have spent $584,400,000 to make $1,590,000,000. That’s a 172% profit! For the Christian who finds the lottery sinful, remove the premise, but keep the numbers. If somebody promised someone else $1,590,000,000 in exchange for a $584,400,000, and that somebody could assure that investment wasn’t a scam, a pyramid scheme or a cult (if your business’s motto is “It’s not a [insert name of good/service here]; it’s a lifestyle!” then it’s a cult because the Christian’s lifestyle is Jesus, not some good/service, no matter how effect said good/service is), of course that someone would do everything in his or her power to get that $584,400,000 because of the 172% profit! What would that involve? It would involve liquidating assets. It would involve withdrawing all money. All in all, it would have to mean prioritizing the drive for the money. Anything less, and the person would not achieve the funds needed. If someone would make such a pursuit for worldly wealthy, how much more for the Christian pursuing the kingdom of heaven!

Honestly, Jesus asked for a lot in exchange for the kingdom of heaven. For example, Jesus commanded a man with great wealth to sell all his possessions and donate the money to the poor (Matthew 19:21/Mark 10:19/Luke 18:22). Jesus instructed this command, not because the man with great wealth had to buy his ticket into heaven, but because the man’s wealth got in the way of his full loyalty to God and his kingdom. Jesus instructed his disciples that he had to become a priority over their own family (Matthew 10:37/Luke 14:26). Jesus taught that a human must give us the world and his or her life in exchange for a life that may lead to the cross, or death (Matthew 16:24-26/Mark 8:34-37/Luke 9:23-25). If anyone thinks Jesus asked for too much, that person should not forget how much Jesus gave up for them. Philippians 2:6-8 reminds everyone of the three-fold self-sacrifice Jesus gave. First, Jesus gave up his divine, godly throne in heaven. Second, Jesus gave up the right to have a royal or priestly birth, and in exchange, he took up a birth in a lower-class family. Third, Jesus gave up the right to a long life and peaceful death for a short life and horrible execution. Jesus gave that all up to seek after and chase after humanity, then the least humanity could do in exchange involves sacrificing worldly wealth, family and freedom! If Jesus can give up so much for his contribution to the kingdom of heaven, the kingdom of heaven most definition expects the same self-sacrificing contribution from believers.

In conclusion, the Parable of the Hidden Treasure teaches 4 truths about kingdom living. First, always look out for the kingdom of heaven. Second, the kingdom of heaven costs the Christian everything, yet it profits far exceeds its expenses. Third, pursuit of the kingdom of God must become a priority for the Christian, and any business that gets in the way must be rejected. Fourth, the Christian should appropriately respond to the kingdom of God with joy. In the Greek text, the phrase “out of joy” is fronted. Jesus emphasized that joy is the right emotional response to the kingdom of God.

Bibliography

Barry, John D., Douglas Mangum, Derek R. Brown, Michael S. Heiser, Miles Custis, Elliot Ritzema, Matthew M. Whitehead, Michael R. Grigoni, and David Bomar. Faithlife Study Bible. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012, 2016.

Blomberg, Craig L. “Matthew.” Holman Concise Bible Commentary. Edited by David S. Dockery. Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1998.

---. Matthew. Vol. 22. The New American Commentary. Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1992.

Campbell, Iain D. Opening up Matthew. Opening Up Commentary. Leominster: Day One Publications, 2008.

France, R. T. The Gospel of Matthew. The New International Commentary on the New Testament. Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publication Co., 2007.

---. “Matthew.” Pages 904–45 in New Bible Commentary: 21st Century Edition. Edited by D. A. Carson, R. T. France, J. A. Motyer, and G. J. Wenham. 4th ed. Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: Inter-Varsity Press, 1994.

Freeman, James M., and Harold J. Chadwick. Manners & Customs of the Bible. North Brunswick, NJ: Bridge-Logos Publishers, 1998.

Hagner, Donald A. Matthew 1–13. Vol. 33A. Word Biblical Commentary. Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 1993.

Hughes, Robert B., and J. Carl Laney. Tyndale Concise Bible Commentary. The Tyndale reference library. Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 2001.

Jamieson, Robert, A. R. Fausset, and David Brown. Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible. Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1997.

Keener, Craig S. The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1993.

Knowles, Andrew. The Bible Guide. 1st Augsburg books ed. Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg, 2001.

Mills, M. S. The Life of Christ: A Study Guide to the Gospel Record. Dallas, TX: 3E Ministries, 1999.

Newman, Barclay Moon, and Philip C. Stine. A Handbook on the Gospel of Matthew. UBS Handbook Series. New York: United Bible Societies, 1992.

Nolland, John. The Gospel of Matthew: A Commentary on the Greek Text. New International Greek Testament Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI; Carlisle: W.B. Eerdmans; Paternoster Press, 2005.

Robertson, A.T. Word Pictures in the New Testament. Nashville, TN: Broadman Press, 1933.

Spence-Jones, H. D. M., ed. St. Matthew. Vol. 2. The Pulpit Commentary. London; New York: Funk & Wagnalls Company, 1909.

Stein, Robert H. “Differences in the Gospels.” Pages 1500–1501 in CSB Study Bible: Notes. Edited by Edwin A. Blum and Trevin Wax. Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2017.

Utley, Robert James. The First Christian Primer: Matthew. Vol. Volume 9. Study Guide Commentary Series. Marshall, TX: Bible Lessons International, 2000.

Ward, Wayne E. “Matthew.” The Teacher’s Bible Commentary. Edited by H. Franklin Paschall and Herschel H. Hobbs. Nashville: Broadman and Holman Publishers, 1972.

Weber, Stuart K. Matthew. Vol. 1. Holman New Testament Commentary. Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2000.

Selective seeing, hearing and remembering (Mark 8:14-21)

(This sermon was originally preached on Sunday, February 14, 2021 AKA Valentine's Day)

Sorry, no Valentine’s Day sermon on love today. Yes, Valentine’s Day actually falls on a Sunday, and I have no Valentine’s Day sermon on love. I have nothing against the holiday (well, I do have my reserves). As I have said in the past, all holidays, whether the holiday had a sacred or secular origin, have an important role in the Christian life for spiritual growth. The holiday allows the Christian to reflect on how he or she can improve in that aspect of his or her life. In regard to Valentine’s Day, Christians should not only reflect about the people that love them, but they should also reflect on how they love people and how they can improve on loving people.

This Valentine’s Day, I reflect on how I can love my wife Carrie more. After reflecting, I know how I can love Carrie more. I need to work on actively listening to here. Quite often, more often than I like to admit, Carrie has to call me out for not listening or selective hearing. To be fair to me, however, I think sometimes it is less of selecting hearing and more of selective memory. If she says something to me, and I cannot repeat what she just said, that’s selective hearing. If she tells me something on Monday about something she will do on the upcoming weekend, and she asks me on Wednesday or Friday, “Do you remember what I’m doing this weekend?” and I cannot remember, that might be selective memory (although I’m not sure that selective memory is a much better excuse than selective hearing).

In this account of Jesus’s life, it would seem that Jesus’s disciples have selective seeing, selective hearing, selective remembering or some combination of all of them.

Turn to Mark 8:14-21. Before studying in-depth the passage at hand, the passage needs the context set, especially how Mark 8:14-21 contributes to Mark 8 as a whole. The two accounts found in Mark 8:1-13 set the scene for Mark 8:14-21. Mark 8 begins with the feeding of four thousand. Yes, the feeding of the four thousand, not the feeding of the five thousand. In this narrative, Jesus takes seven loaves of bread and a few fish, breaks them apart, and he feeds four thousand people, with seven baskets full of leftover pieces. Now if Jesus fed the four thousand first and the five thousand second, that would make sense because Jesus would break his own record. Jesus feeding five thousand with less and then feeding four thousand with more does not make sense. It leaves the audience questioning why Mark talked about this miracle of feeding four thousand if the audience already knows Jesus can feed five thousand with little food. For starters, the pericope at hand mentions this miracle by name, so the audience needs to know about it, so they do not feel unaware. Also, without going into a mini sermon within a sermon, the feeding of the four thousand differs from the feeding of the five thousand in the initial action which sets the miracle in action. In the feeding of the five thousand, the disciples have to make Jesus aware of the problem: the people are in a desolate place for a long time, and the people need something to eat. In the feeding of the four thousand, Jesus makes the disciples aware of the problem: the people are far away for a long time with nothing to eat. It is as if Jesus says, “Oh no! Have I been talking all this time in a faraway place? These people must be hungry! What should we do?” Sadly, instead of the apostle answering, “Don’t worry, Jesus, you got this like you got it last time,” the disciples reply with how much of a herculean task feeding four thousand would be. While the numbers may differ, Jesus pretty much repeats the miracle, providing the crowd enough to eat, until they reached satisfaction. Based off of John’s experience of how the people responding to the feeding of the five thousand, I imagine Jesus caused quite the stir, so much so that it required Jesus and the disciples to retreat by getting in a boat and crossing to the other side of the Sea of Galilee.

Jesus feeds 4,000

The second story has Jesus and his disciples arrive in the district of Dalmanutha, where they do not encounter a crowd but Pharisees, who demand a sign from heaven. The reader might wonder why the Pharisees need a sign. The book of Mark has tons of miracles, which should work as a sign enough. The Gospel of Mark even explicitly points out Pharisees present for some of the miracle. Even if the Pharisees did not attend some of these miracles, they are quite possible heard about them from eyewitnesses. Still, they demand some kind of sign from heaven, perhaps sunrays shining directly down on Jesus, or maybe a choir of angels praising his name. Jesus must have felt the same way about the ridiculous request, for he outright denies them their request. He hops back into the boat to sail across to another side of the Sea of Galilee.

The Pharisees demand a sign

Both accounts, the story of the feeding of the four thousand and the pericope about the Pharisees demanding a sign, setup the narrative at hand.

8:14. The conflict of this story appears immediately in the beginning of story. Mark 8:14 ESV reads, “Now they had forgotten to bring bread, and they had only one loaf with them in the boat,” but the Greek text literally says, “And they forgot to take bread, [and] if not [for] one loaf they had, with them in the boat.” The strange wording emphasizes may factors. First, it emphasizes the apostles forgot to bring loaves of bread, for if they did remember, they would have brought more than one. Second, it highlights how much food the disciples lacked. One loaf was so little, the disciples might as well have no loaves. Third, the wording may stress Jesus is the bread of life, making him that one loaf. Speaking of loaf, prior to this narrative, “loaves,” the plural of “loaf,” has only appeared in the feeding of the five thousand and the feeding of the four thousand. This clues the reader into where this account will go. Speaking of the feeding of the five thousand and four thousand, the disciples find themselves with the problem that those crowds had. They find themselves with no bread and far away from the nearest food. With the literary context, it makes sense why the disciples forgot to pack break. Constantly having to leave one place to move on to the next, it became all too easy for the disciples to keep track of their belongings, even their rations.

8:15. Probably over their last contact with the Pharisees, and possibly overhearing the disciples talk about bread, Jesus takes advantage of the opportunity to present a new teaching with a new illustration. Jesus’s warning has a double command of “watch out” (ὁρᾶτε, orate) and “beware” (βλέπετε ἀπό, blepete apo). This double order merely draws emphasis to the warning Jesus will give. In other words, Jesus says to disciples, “Pay attention! This is a warning you really need to heed.”

The metaphor Jesus uses here involves “leaven” (ζύμη, zymē). Ironically, the Greek noun for “leaven” (ζύμη, zymē) in the New Testament is never literal and always figurative. Sometimes the Greek term has positive connotations. For example, in Matthew 13:33 and Luke 13:21, Jesus compares the kingdom of God to “leaven” (ζύμη, zymē) in flour, representing how the kingdom of God can grow like a rising dough. Other times the Greek word for “leaven” (ζύμη, zymē) has negative connotations. For example, in both 1 Corinthians 5:6-8 and Galatians 5:9, Paul uses “leaven” (ζύμη, zymē) to symbolize sin running rampart within the Christian community. Clearly, the common denominator here involves something growing uncontrollably. What makes the illustration good or bad  depends on what grows uncontrollably, whether the kingdom of God or sin. Therefore, what leaven means in Mark 8:15 will determine the positive or negative connotations.

The parallel passages in the other synoptic Gospels may yield clues to the figurative meaning of “leaven” (ζύμη, zymē), which will in turn yield either a positive or negative connotation of it. Matthew 16:11&12 says the leaven is teachings, which is a little more specific but still a lot broad. Luke 12:1 tells the reader that the leaven is hypocrisy, which gets more specific, but hypocrisy in regard to what? The problem with cross referencing the Mark passage at hand with its counterparts in Matthew and Luke comes down another difference, which is who the leaven belongs to. Matthew says the hypocrisy of the Pharisees and Sadducees. Luke just speaks of the Pharisees. Meanwhile, Mark speaks of the Pharisees and Herod or the Pharisees and the Herodians. These seem like three different groups, so Jesus may have used “leaven” (ζύμη, zymē) to describe these three different groups in three different ways.

Even the question to whether Jesus pairs Herod or Herodians with the Pharisees causes problems figuring out the metaphorical meaning of “leaven” (ζύμη, zymē). It seems like an odd pairing, to talk about a religious party and a vassal king in the same sentence. The literary context may help here. Immediately preceding this passage, the Pharisees demanded a sign, and Jesus denied it. Earlier in the Gospel of Mark, Mark introduces Herod in Mark 6. In fact, twice Mark repeats the phrase “Herod heard of it” in Mark 6:14-16. Heard of what? What is “it”? Well, the phrase in Mark 6:16 points back to the phrase Mark 6:14, and the verse prior to Mark 6:14, Mark 6:13, talks about Jesus sending out the Twelve apostles with the power to do what he can do: cast out demons and anoint with oil many who are sick to heal them. What seems unclean now become clear. Just like the Pharisees, Herod got more caught up in the signs and wonders Jesus could do, not the message Jesus proclaimed (cf. Mark 6:12&13 to Mark 8:11&12). Therefore, the leaven of the Pharisees and Herod in Mark 8:15 refers to belief based off signs and wonders. In fact, belief on the foundation of signs and wonder is not real, true belief; it is unbelief. The Pharisees did not believe because they saw the miracles, and they claimed it did not do enough. They declared they wanted more. For Herod, the miracles confused Herod, causing him to think more about John the Baptist and less about Jesus. Both the Pharisees and Herod saw and heard the miracles Jesus performed, yet none of them came to faith in Jesus. For belief to fully mature into faith, it must do so without the aid of signs.

8:16. The conversation shifts from the leaven of the Pharisees and Herod back to the bread, or rather, the lack thereof bread. This conversational shift may have come about in a few ways. First, the apostles could have merely ignored Jesus, focused too much on their provisions than listening to Jesus’s admonishment. Second, the disciples may have thought too deeply. They expect “leaven” to have a deep and complex figurative meaning, when in reality, they can take it more literally. Third, the term “leaven” (ζύμη, zymē) can simply be shorthand for “leavened bread,” which easily aids the transition from talking about leaven to talking about bread. Their “discussion” could have easily evolved into a debate about who to blame for lack of bread. Ironically, this puts the disciples in a worse position than the Pharisees or Herod, for quite a few reasons. First of all, the apostles had more of an insider view of all the miracles, whereas the Pharisees and Herod had to watch things from the outside, yet the disciples from the inside had the same faith as the Pharisees and Herod on the outside. Second, while the Pharisees and Herodians saw the signs and wonders. They wanted more. The Twelve, on the other hand, could not even recall the signs and wonders they had seen for themselves. For if they did, they would know that having one loaf of bread really did not cause that much of an issue.

8:17&18. For the third time in this account, the narrative brings up that the apostles did not have enough bread in the boat with them. Again, Mark here draws emphasis on their lack of supplies. As sharp as Christ’s reproach may seem, the disciples totally deserved it. Despite witnessing everything Jesus had done, they failed to understand what it really meant for the fourth time (see Mark 4:13, 6:52 and 7:18). Thus, this group of twelve disciples could easily belong with the Pharisees or Herod because they too saw and heard what Jesus did, but they could not perceive or understand what Jesus did. The inspiration for Christ’s rhetorical questions in Mark 8:17&18 comes from the major prophets, more specifically, Isaiah 6:9, Jeremiah 5:21 and Ezekiel 12:2. All three major prophets describe those outside God’s covenantal people as people who have eyes yet cannot see and who have ears yet cannot hear. This illustration has a clear meaning. The eyes have the job to see, so an eye that cannot see has no use. The ears have the job to hear. Ears that cannot here have no purpose. As a matter of fact, Isaiah does the best job with this wordplay in Isaiah 6:9. In Isaiah 6:9, Isaiah pretty much says, “They can see, but they can never say, ‘Oh, I see’ (as in “Oh I get it”); they can hear, but they are not listening.” In essence, the major prophets prophesy to their original audience, who are the people of Israel and Judah who are about to go into exile, that they have become a useless people in their covenant with God. Now Jesus uses the same words to describe the apostles. They have become useless disciples if they cannot perceive and understand what Jesus does. This must have pained Jesus, who had intentions for his disciples to both see and perceive and hear and understand, even if the outside crowd could not (see Mark 4:12&13). Jesus desired to make the disciples the inside group, yet they acted like the outside group.

8:19&20. Just in case the disciples truly forgot what they saw and heard, Jesus quizzes them on two miracles, more specifically, the feeding of the five thousand and the feeding of the four thousand. Jesus hopes that by knowing the facts, the apostles can comprehend what happened and apply it to their lives. Clearly, the disciples have not forgotten, as they ace their test! In reality, though, the Twelve did not ace their test; they actually failed it because they did not get what the miracles meant! Remember that this narrative centers around the lack of bread. Jesus precisely picks the miracles of feeding the five thousand and feeding the four thousand because they too deal with bread. If Jesus can feed five thousand men with five loaves and have twelve baskets of leftovers, and if Jesus can feed four thousand with seven loaves and have seven baskets of leftovers, then Jesus can feed thirteen adult men (the twelve disciples plus Jesus) with one loaf of bread. The clear moral of the story for both the feeding of the five thousand and the feeding of the four thousand is that Jesus is Yahweh Yireh (you probably know it as “Jehovah Jireh”), the Lord who provides, yet the disciples did not get that because they act like they will run out of provisions. Again, the disciples act just like those outside. They got caught up so much in what Jesus did that they did not get what Jesus meant. More specifically, they got too caught up in what Jesus did and missed who Jesus was.

8:21. This account on the life of Jesus concludes again with a rhetorical question, and it also addresses the apostles’ ability to understand. Thus, the rhetorical question becomes a call for the Twelve to deepen their discipleship with Jesus. They should not merely see and hear what Jesus does; they should perceive and understand who Jesus is. Note also how the rhetorical includes the two words “not yet” in the middle. This wording provides hope that the disciples will eventually and ultimately understand.

Exiting this account of the life of Jesus, the context brings even more light to the narrative. This pericope takes place between two miracles: one in which Jesus makes a deaf man hear (7:31-37) and the other in which Jesus makes a blind man see (8:22-26). This context gives the reader hope that Jesus can make the spiritually deaf disciples hear and the spiritually blind disciples see. Even more fitting, Mark 8 closes with Peter’s confession of Jesus as Christ, for it will demonstrate that the disciples did take that call to perceive and understand who Jesus is seriously.

After studying this story, the question remains, “How do modern-day disciples of Jesus make sure they do not fall into the same mistake as Jesus’s twelve disciples back then?” Three applications will help safeguard twenty-first century disciples of Jesus from becoming like the first century disciples of Jesus.

First, see and hear what God has done! Unfortunately, no Christian today can see and hear firsthand the works of Jesus like the twelve apostles did. Fortunately, today’s Christians do have a very reliable account of the works and words of Jesus, the four Gospel books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Nobody can perceive unless that person first sees, and no one can first understand unless that person hears. Anybody who wants to perceive and understand what Jesus does in this world must start will seeing and hearing what Jesus did, as found in the Gospels. That not only applies to Jesus in the Gospels, but it also applies to God in the whole Bible. Take some time out of the day, whether in the beginning of the day before breakfast or at the end of the day before bed or any time in between, to read about what the Lord has done. The sixty-six books of the Bible are sixty-six love letters from the Lord. If you do not take the time to read those love letters your loving God gave you, then shame on you!

See and hear what God has done!

Second, marinate in the Word of God. Maybe I am just hungry for a nice steak, but I really think marinate is the best verb to describe what the Christian should do with the Bible. Sure you can quickly throw juices and spices on a piece of meat and throw it in the oven, but if you really want the most flavorful meat, you will let the meat sit in those juices and spices for hours, even days, before cooking it. The most professional chefs have marinating meat down a science to get the most flavorful meats. Believers need to have the same approach in their Bible study. Before I go on any further, let me quickly include a disclaimer. I know many brothers and sisters in Christ who do the read through the Bible in year, and they do it every year. Because they do it every year, their knowledge and wisdom on the Bible matches anybody who has graduated from a seminary. My only problem with reading through the Bible in a year comes down to the fact that it comes with a very strict schedule, and it can sometimes force a reader to move on to the next passage without making sure the reader has fully grasped what he or she had read in the prior passage. Bible quizzing, on the other hand, has the quizzer read over the same section over and over again for a whole week. This repetition leads to what I call “subconscious memorization.” Repeating the same chapter over and over again result in “accidently” remember it. Anyone inexperienced with Bible quizzing will watch one of the top quizzers quiz and think, “Wow, that quizzer must have memorized all those chapters!” Nope. The quizzer has merely repeated those chapters over and over again until it sunk into memory. That’s what happened to me. When I quizzed as a quizzer, I learned and memorized so much through mere repetition. Not only did I read the Scripture passage daily, but I also listened to it daily on an audio version of the Bible, which further cemented what I wanted to learn. I found this memorization by repetition so beneficial, even though I no longer quiz as a quizzer, I still practice it. Yes, from the beginning of the new year to the end of March, I read and listen to the same Bible passage over and over again. No matter how many times I see or hear the same Bible passage, I always pick up on a new detail. Try it yourself. The Holy Spirit may teach you things you never thought about in Bible stories quite familiar to you.

Marinate in the Word of God!

For a third application, read Mark 4:25. In Mark 4:25, Jesus says, “For to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.” Christians, like the Pharisees, sometimes wish that the Lord would just reveal God’s will for the Christian life from heaven, perhaps sun rays shining down from the sky, or maybe a choir of angels. Getting visions and dreams does sound cool, too, but the Lord will not hand out that kind of revelation unless the Christian has proven himself or herself faithful in the revelation God has provided for all people, the Bible. I will tell you that I have had dreams, in which the Lord wanted me to know something. For example, in 2019, I kept having a recurring dream that I missed the invitational Bible quizzing tournament in Ohio. Those dreams felt more like nightmares, often waking me up in night sweats or even tears. Back in 2019, I merely dismissed those dreams, but now that both the 2020 and 2021 invitational Bible quizzing tournament have been cancelled, I wonder if God wanted to warn me about the cancellation to prepare me for it. For certain, every time I had a dream in which the Lord wanted me to know something, it happened when I was on top of my Bible study and devotions. It all goes back to Mark 4:25. For the one who has Bible study and devotions, the Lord deems it fit to be given even more revelation. For the one who has no Bible study or devotion, not only does God take away unique revelation, that person will also miss out on what God wants to reveal to him or her in the Bible. Do not miss out on what God wants to speak to you. Cherish your devotional time, and you will find the Lord speaking to you.

Prior to Mark 4:25, in Mark 4:24, Jesus says, “Pay attention to what you hear: with the measure you use, it will be measured to you, and still more will be added to you.” The Bible has revealed so much about God the Father and his Son Jesus. May believers all around the world prove themselves worthy to have it, not by merely seeing or hearing it, but by perceiving and understanding it.

Bibliography:

Guelich, Robert A. Mark 1–8:26. Vol. 34A. Word Biblical Commentary. Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 1989.

Lane, William L. The Gospel of Mark. The New International Commentary on the New Testament. Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1974.

The Parable of Factory-Made Homes (Matthew 7:24-27)

Drew and Scott, 2 co-workers, were both shocked and surprised to see each other at Big Al’s Factory-Made Home Sales. After chatting in the waiting room a bit, the two men realized it made sense for both of them to be there. Both men worked for the same company, under the same job title with job description. Both of them worked the same shift and hours, and both got paid the same wages. Both of them put aside a little of each paycheck in a savings account to put towards a house, and now both of them had saved enough to purchase a house, so they could move out of their small apartments. It only made sense that they both went to Big Al’s Factory-Made Home Sales, the most affordable homes in the area.

After a short while, Big Al invited both men into his office to finish signing and initialing papers, so they could officially become home owners. As both men signed here and initialed there, Big Al spoke up in his southern draw, “Now I’m going to give you boys a tip. I know my houses look so fine that they look like you can move into them day one, but these houses need a foundation. Heed my advice and build a foundation for your home before moving into them.” Drew and Scott paused and looked at each other. They knew they both thought the same thing, but only Scott bravely spoke. “Are you kidding me?! You know how much money I’ve poured into this home! Now you want me to spend even more money by building foundation?! I think not! I suppose I could save some by cutting labor costs and providing my own labor, but I already burned enough of my free time working overtime in order to save up for this home, and I’m not about to waste anymore free time by building a foundation. Please deliver the home to the address I provided in the paperwork and place it on the cinder blocks. It will be good enough for me.” With that, Scott signed his last signature, initialed his last initials, snatched his keys and walked out of the office.

Drew leaned back in the office chair. He thought about what Scott said, and he could definitely relate. He too worked a lot of overtime and spent a lot of money on his home. Big Al, on the other hand, made a good point, too. Al had worked in the business so long, he must knew what he was talking about. After signing his last signature and initialing his last initials, Drew asked Big Al if he could kindly hold on to the home until Drew had a foundation in place on his lot. Big smiled and agreed. Drew then went back to his apartment and called his landlord to see if he could extend the lease a bit longer. The landlord understood and agreed to extend the lease another month. Then Drew began laying his foundation. It might have taken him a few more weeks to move in his new home than Scott, but finally, Drew could move into his new house.

Shortly after Drew moved into his new home, meteorologists buzzed on the news about Hurricane Damion. “Hurricane Damion is on its way! Just because this hurricane has been downgraded from a category 5 hurricane to a category 3 hurricane does not mean it should be taken lightly! Gather up supplies. You may go days without power or water. Board up your houses. When the hurricane comes, remember to stay in the center room of your house on downstairs floor.” Everyone listened the meteorologists. Anyone who attempted to go to a grocery store within a 5-mile radius of their home found all the bottled water and batteries sold out! Both Drew and Scott prepared for the storm, buying extra supplies and boarding up the houses. Both felt confident in their new homes. Drew felt especially assured with his newly laid foundation. Scott did feel confident, but as the hurricane got closer, Scott thought about how his father and mother complained that he never visited enough, so Scott decided now would be a good time to visit his parents out in the Great Plains.

The day came when the Hurricane Damion arrived. It only took 1 day to pass through, but it left its mark, from the uprooted trees to the down power lines. When Drew heard the hurricane passed over, he walked out the front door, took a few steps out into the front lawn, and he looked back at his house. The hurricane’s winds had ripped off a few shingles and a strip of siding, but besides that, the home stood intact. Drew smiled, glad he took Big Al’s advice. A few days later, Scott’s flight home touched down in the airport. From there, Scott drove home…or at least he thought he did. When Drew got there, he found an empty lot. He went to go look at the house number on the mailbox, but the mailbox had disappeared, too. He checked the GPS on his phone, and yes, he had the write address. Where was his house? After driving around a bit, in the nearby trailer park, Scott found his home…or what he believed to be his home. In reality, Scott found a pile of wood, drywall and insulation. Scott pulled out his cell phone, dialed up his mother, and said, “Hey mom, you know how you always complain that I never visit enough? Well, guess whose coming back to visit?”

What you have just read is what I call The Parable of the Factory-Made Homes. This is a 21st century version of a parable Jesus told in the 1st century. Back while in seminary, my preaching professor taught us that when teaching a parable of Jesus, a preacher should re-tell the parable in a 21st century context. I agree with his teaching. All the parable Jesus taught Jesus extremely contextualized, so his open-minded audience would understand the message, while the close-minded audience would not understand. Therefore, Jesus used the 1st century culture as his context, a context which would make no sense to the modern-day culture in the 21st century. So preacher should study what Jesus intended the parable to mean, and then teach the parable in a 21st century cultural context that the audience could comprehend. Still, because I am not an omniscient rabbi, my parable fails in comparison to the Lord’s parable, so let’s understand the original parable in light of the 1st century context.

I invite you to turn Matthew 7:24-27. Recall that Matthew is a Jewish man, writing to a Jewish audience, convincing them that Jesus was the long-awaited Jewish Messiah. Matthew does so by stocking his Gospel account full of Old Testament references. Old Testament references does not merely refer to quoting Old Testament Scripture. Matthew constantly paints Jesus in light of the Old Testament heroes of faith, like Abraham, Moses and David, to display HIM as like these men, but better. This parable comes from the Sermon of Mount. Just as Moses taught the Israelites the Law on Mount Sinai, so Matthew paints Jesus, on the Mount, teaching the Law, just like Moses. In accordance with covenants, after listing the laws and stipulations of the covenant, Moses would then pronounce blessings to those who obey and denounce curses on those who disobey. In the same way, Jesus ends his teaching with promises to bless the obedient and curse the disobedient, in the form of a parable. More specifically, this famous parable concluding the Sermon on the Mount. This context gives a stronger meaning to the Sermon on the Mount itself. Jesus just finished teaching believers about kingdom of heaven living. This parable challenges the audience to follow the teaching Jesus just laid before them. Jesus knows the crowd heard his teaching, and now he challenges the crowd to listen to his teaching. The choice does not lie within which teachings to accept and reject, but rather, the crowd can only choose to either follow the teachings presented before them. If the people put the teachings of Jesus into practice, the people have accepted them, but if they don’t put Christ’s words into practice, the people reject them. As commentator R.T. France states, “The teaching of the Sermon of the Mount is not an ideal to be admired, but a law to be obeyed.”

“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.” ~Matthew 7:24

Following the pattern of Proverbs (see Proverbs 10:8&14), Jesus parallels a wise man and foolish man, only with a slight different, demonstrating that the contrasting decisions result in contrasting consequences. For the first simile, Jesus compares those who listen to his words to a wise man who built his house upon the rock. In the Greek, Jesus emphasizes the word “mine,” demonstrating that his teaching is not another rabbi’s interpretation but the truth from God himself. Up to this point, the Jewish people put their hopes in the traditions and interpretations of the Pharisees, which were like shifting sands. Jesus called the crowd to put their trust in his truth, which came from God, the same God they knew from the Old Testament. In the parable, the wise man builds his house on the rock. Jesus took advantage of his setting, and this statement would have made sense to all the locals. In Galilee, a man building a house on a rock foundation would not have to dig far, and sometimes did not have to dig at all. A Jewish audience would immediately know the rock refers to God. The Old Testament refers to God as the rock numerous times because the metaphor illustrates the strength, security and stability of the Lord (see Deuteronomy 32:4, 1 Samuel 2:2, 2 Samuel 22:3, Psalm 18:2 and Isaiah 17:10).

“And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.” ~Matthew 7:25

What Jesus describes in Matthew 7:25 is your typical Galilean autumn storm. Most often, Galilean autumn storms would cause flash flooding. Galilee can become quite dry in the autumn. The dry ground cannot speedily absorb the torrential downpour, resulting in flash flooding. Not only would the heavy rains themselves cause the land to flood, but the rains would cause nearby rivers to overflow, adding to the floods. Pretty, during these Galilean autumn storms, it would appears as if the waters came from both down and up. Jesus uses 2 action verbs to describe the winds, emphasizing that the winds came from every direction and that suck winds have the power to knock over buildings. Those listening to the story would expect the house to collapse, yet it does not. The Galilean homes built on a rock foundation would survive such storms. In the last independent clause of verse 25, the Greek text emphasizes “stood firm,” but past perfect indicative passive state. This tense emphasizes that the house stood firm because of its rock foundation. Likewise, those who hear the words of Jesus and put them to practice will survive the storms of life, both literally and metaphorically.

“And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.” ~Matthew 7:26,27

The Jewish audience, familiar with the Proverbs, expect Jesus to provide a counter example to contrast the fates (see Proverbs 10:25, 12:7 and 14:11). For this counter example, Jesus describes someone who does not apply his words as a foolish man who builds his house on sand. The Greek word used here for foolish is μωρός (moros), from which we get the English word “moron.” Scholars have attempted to locate where the sandy lands might be, but the consensus seem to be that Jesus means the land that’s not the rock foundation. Notice the words Jesus used to describe the storm that hit the house with the sandy foundation matches the words used to describe the house with the rock foundation. The floods caused by the Galilean autumn storms would wash away sands and destabilize any house built on the sand foundation. While a home built on the rock might receive some wear and tear from the story, a house built on the sand would face utter destruction. Likewise, anyone who does not pay attention to the words of Jesus lead themselves down the road of utter destruction.

In both Christ’s parable and my re-telling of Christ’s parable, the reader will see the main characters had many similarities. Both men wanted to build a house. Both men got a house which looked ready to move into and settle. Both men might have even used the same design and the same materials to build the house. The variance, however, was the foundation. That variance resulted in impacting the men differently. When the storms came, the wise man still had a house, but the foolish man had a pile of rubble where the house one stood. To bring the parable up to its meaning, in the same way, multiple will hear the words of Jesus numerous times. The only thing separating those people is whether they apply, or do, those words.

Rabbis during the time of Jesus actually debated if hearing or doing was more importance. Although the consensus seemed to be both hearing and doing, a lot of them actually concluded hearing was more important than doing. They figured that a believer cannot do unless the hear, and thus, hearing had to be more important. Jesus, however, says contrary. If someone hears his teaching, he or she now has a duty to follow them. Perhaps Jesus might have intended to call out the Pharisees nearby, who knew what the Law had to say, but they did not obey it. If I may roughly paraphrase the words of commentator A.T. Robinson, “If a Christian wants to live dangerously, the Christian should listen to sermons with no intention of following them.”

Readers tend to think of the storms representing hardships in life, and rightfully so, but the storms could also represent God’s justice. Think about it. In the parable, those who built their home on the rock find themselves rewarded with a safe and secure home during storms, while those who build their house on the sand find themselves cursed with a destroyed house. In the same way, everybody who hears and does the words of Jesus will find themselves blessed on the day of judgment, while everyone hears the words of Jesus and does not do them will find themselves cursed. In the end, at the final judgment, it will all come down to what God thinks, not what other people think, nor what we think of ourselves. Therefore, the best application of this parable is to prepare ourselves for the final judgment by doing what Jesus has taught us.

While the final judgment will be the last and greatest judgment of all, the Christian should not focus solely the great, final judgment that will come in the future. Judgment can happen in the present, just as much as it will in the future. Judgment will sometimes come from God, but judgment can also come in forms from the world and from life in general. Until the day of the great, final, judgment, the Christian should interpret the storms on the trials and tribulations that will lead up the eschaton. The trials and tribulations, although small in comparison to the great, final judgment, will prepare and test the Christian for the great, final judgment. Those who deny their faith when the trials and tribulations on this earth come will not pass the great, final judgment. Those who will survive the trials and tribulations of life, as well as the great, final judgement, are those who heard the words of Jesus and put them into practice. Just like in the parable, many will hear the words of Jesus, and many will go through trials, tribulation and judgment. Those who put the words of Jesus into practice will survive all trials, tribulations and judgments, but those who did not practice Christ’s words seal their fate. And what’s the number 1 test and trial? Time. False apostles, prophets and teachers stop speaking of the faith in a matter of time, but the true children of God live act out the Word of God until their final breath.

This parable teaches Christians 3 lessons.

First, the parable leaves Christians to ask themselves, “What do we really believe?” Clearly, this parable teaches that true belief doesn’t simply profess. Belief does not simply parrot the words of Jesus, either. True belief leads the believer to act. If believers really believe something, it will cause the believer to act in a certain way. If Christians proclaim the Lord has omnipotent, or all-power, Christians should depend on him when they feel powerless, rather than on their own strength. If Christians proclaim God as omnibenevolent, or all-good, Christians should blame him for when evil happens in their life. If Christians act contrary to their doctrine, or don’t act at all, do they really believe their doctrine?

Second, this parable instructs Christians to work hard on their faith. I took this parable of out Matthew because most Christians recognize the parable from Matthew, but Luke also records Jesus teaching this parable during his Sermon on the Level Plain. While the two variations of the parable have slight differences (some of which probably account to the location), one sticks out in particular. Luke records Jesus mentioning that the wise man dug deep into his foundation on the rock. Foundations take hard work to build. When the bedrock of Galilee sits on or near the surface, to make it function as a sturdy foundation, the builder has to dig deep into it. One of my ancient sources comes from a Greek historian. He records that once he visited an Arab man in Galilee. The Arab man knew of the earthquakes and floods that hit the land, so he dig 10 meters (or 30 feet) deep into the bedroom to make sure the pillars would not move during a natural disaster. The Greek historian looked on in amazement, not at the elegance of the pillars, but rather, at the how deep the Arab man dug just to make sure the pillars stood still. I understand this amazement. I assisted on an archaeological dig when I visited Israel. For this archaeological dig, I had to wake up at 3:00 a.m. to get ready for a dig at 4:00 a.m. Just like a typical work shift, I ended at noon. An archaeological dig need to happen so early in the morning because the sun is brutally unforgiving. Temperatures could easily rise 100 degrees Fahrenheit by noon. I carried around a half gallon jug of water every day, and every day, I finished it by the end of the day. Even with an awning over the dig site, working outside, even washing pottery, becomes unbearable. This is the 21^st century, with digital alarm clocks and light bulbs. Imagine living in Galilee in the 1^st century A.D. Digging requires the sunlight to see, so the digger of a foundation has work in the heat of sun. The builder faces temptation to build in the sand because of ease. The builder has to spend less time in the sun and doesn’t have work as building his home on a sandy foundation. The rock foundation requires the builder to spend all day out in the hot sun and requires extra work. As the parable demonstrates, however, the hard work pays off in the long run because it creates the house that stands firm in the storms.

Do Christians work that hard at their faith? Human nature tends to lean to easy route, but the Bible calls Christians to move than the easy route. Jesus did not take the easy route, but instead, he took the route to cross. As Christians, the Bible calls Christians to follow the path of Jesus. Christians must not succumb to the easy route. As the parable shows, the easy route leads to shaky foundations in the faith. On the flip side, the Christians who work hard on their faith will find themselves on the firm foundation of Jesus. The new nature the Holy Spirit provides all Christians the strength to endure these hardships. May Christians embrace this gift the Holy Spirit has given them to build up their faith.

For the 3^rd application, if someone asks for a one-word summary this meaning of this parable, the answer is “Choose.” If someone asks for a two-word summary this meaning of this parable, the answer is, “Actively choose.” I believe this parable teaches that if you’re not on the foundation of the rock, that automatically places you on the sand. Unless you actively choose to listen and follow the words of Jesus, then by default, you face utter destruction. If you have not actively chosen Jesus, I urge you to do so, confessing your sins and believing in Jesus. If you have actively chosen, trust in Jesus to help you stand firm during hardships and judgments.