Matthew 20:1

Verse of the Day Devotion Matthew 20:1 

“For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard.” – Matthew 20:1

Today we will look at the Parable of the Laborers in the Vineyard.  Here is this parable as found in Matthew’s gospel.

“For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. And when he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius for the day, he sent them into his vineyard. And he went out about the third hour and saw others standing idle in the market place; and to those he said, ‘You too go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you.’ And so they went. Again he went out about the sixth and the ninth hour, and did the same thing. And about the eleventh hour he went out, and found others standing; and he said to them, Why have you been standing here idle all day long?  They said to him, Because no one hired us. He said to them, You too go into the vineyard. And when evening had come, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last group to the first. And when those hired about the eleventh hour came, each one received a denarius. And when those hired first came, they thought that they would receive more; and they also received each one a denarius. And when they received it, they grumbled at the landowner, saying, These last men have worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden and the scorching heat of the day. But he answered and said to one of them, Friend, I am doing you no wrong; did you not agree with me for a denarius? Take what is yours and go your way, but I wish to give to this last man the same as to you. Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with what is my own? Or is your eye envious because I am generous? Thus the last shall be first, and the first last.” Matthew 20:1-16.

This long parable is found only in the Book of Matthew.  He tells them in response to a question asked by Peter. “Behold, we have left everything and followed You; what then will there be for us?” Matthew 19:27.  He begins His answer with, “Truly I say to you, that you who have followed Me, in the regeneration when the Son of Man will sit on His glorious throne, you also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or farms for My name’s sake, shall receive many times as much, and shall inherit eternal life.” Matthew 19:28-29.  Then He answers them, and follows it with this parable that answers it more explicitly. 

As our focus verse starts, this parable speaks of a landowner who hires seasonal laborers to work in his field.  Planting, maintaining, and harvesting vineyards in first-century Israel was strenuous work requiring hard physical labor in the heat of summer. Often, additional laborers were required to get all the work done.  Here, more were obviously needed, so he went out to the marketplace to hire workers.  He went out four times, as he saw more workers were needed than were hired.  He went out at 6:00 AM, 9:00 AM, 12 Noon, and 5:00 PM.  And each worker was promised a denarius for their labor, a Roman soldier’s pay for a day, which was generous indeed. The workers in the first group were more than happy to work for the generous wage.  When the time came for the wages to be paid, the first group of workers saw the last group being paid a denarius and were naturally thinking they would be paid more since they had worked the longest. Their anger against the landowner spilled forth when they saw they would all be paid the same, even though they had worked longer. And even though they received exactly what they had agreed upon when they were hired.  His decision to pay everyone the same, regardless of time worked, was an act of mercy, not injustice. The landowner represents God, whose mercy and grace are given to all those of His choosing. And he gave them generously what he had promised them.

Now, there are three main points in this parable.  First, “But he answered and said to one of them, Friend, I am doing you no wrong; did you not agree with me for a denarius? Take what is yours and go your way, but I wish to give to this last man the same as to you.” Matthew 20:13-14.  It focusses on the first group of workers and demonstrates God’s justice with all His people.  He told them he was not depriving them of anything but was paying them what was promised.  And just because we think we deserve more, or others deserve less, is not up to us, but it is up to God to decide what we deserve.

The second point was regarding the last groups getting the same as the first, demonstrating God’s amazing and wonderful grace.  If God treats no one unfairly, he also deals with many far more leniently than they deserve. God alone in his sovereignty freely chooses whom he will favor and in what ways.  And due to who He is, it is always the right thing. And He concludes this idea with, “Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with what is my own? Or is your eye envious because I am generous?” Matthew 20:15. God has the right to do as He pleases.  And the phrase “Or is your eye envious because I am generous?” speaks of the heart of the people. The “evil eye” was often viewed as a diabolical look that could cast a wicked spell on a person. The idea of this phrase is, ”Are you envious because I am generous?

And the third describes God’s ultimate perspective of things. “Thus, the last shall be first, and the first last.” Matthew 20:16.  No matter how long or how hard a believer works during his lifetime, the reward of eternal life will be the same given to all—an eternity of bliss in heaven in the presence of God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. The thief on the cross whose life of service was limited to a moment of repentance and confession of faith in Christ, received the same reward of eternal life as the apostle Paul. Of course, Scripture also teaches that there are different rewards in heaven for different services, but the ultimate reward of eternal life will be achieved by all equally.

So let us not look at ourselves as special or as deserving more than others.  “For through the grace given to me I say to every man among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith.” Romans 12:3.  We should not think the work we do for God makes us deserve more blessings than others. God will make that decision, and we will definitely be blessed by what He chooses to confer upon us.

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries. 

Matthew 13:33

Verse of the Day Devotion Matthew 13:33 

“He spoke another parable to them, “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three pecks of meal, until it was all leavened.” – Matthew 13:33

Today we will look at the Parable of the Leaven.   It is one verse long, which we have as our focus verse, therefore we will not put it here again. He repeats the formula of verses 24 and 31 where He says, “The Kingdom of Heaven is like”. This time He gives us a picture of a woman at work preparing food. Bread was commonly made at home and was not purchased from a store or bakery, and therefore Jesus uses this idea, describing a woman working at home to perform this task.

This parable of Jesus is similar to the Parable of the Mustard Seed, and in fact comes right after it.  There are some who look at leaven as always describing evil or sin, however, to use the phrase “The Kingdom of Heaven is like leaven” discards this idea.  In this parable it refers to the unperceived power and efficacy of the gospel, pervading, transforming, and renewing the mind, heart, and life of people. In fact, Moses refers to it as used in sacramental bread. “‘With the sacrifice of his peace offerings for thanksgiving, he shall present his offering with cakes of leavened bread.” Leviticus 7:13. That in some contexts it may be used as a symbol for evil forces does not mean that in others it cannot stand for what is good.

Jesus speaks of the woman as putting her piece of leaven into three measures of flour until the whole was leavened. The leaven was but a small amount, but in time it changed the large quantity of flour by causing it to rise; just as the mustard seed, which is smaller than all other seeds, “when it is full grown, it is larger than the garden plants, and becomes a tree, so that THE BIRDS OF THE AIR come and NEST IN ITS BRANCHES.” Matthew 13:32b.  This parable, as does the parable of the mustard seed, brings out the contrast and the continuity between the small beginnings of the kingdom and its great consummation. The little group of disciples might be despised as preaching a kingdom too insignificant to be noticed, but as surely as a tiny piece of leaven had its effect on a large mass of dough, so surely would the kingdom have its effect throughout the world. The parable also makes the point that the power that effects the change comes from outside the dough; the mass of dough does not change itself.

What we can take from this parable is that the effect of God’s Kingdom will be complete, just as the leaven works until the dough has completely risen. The nature of leaven is to grow and to change whatever it contacts. When we accept Christ, We grow in the grace of God and our heart is changed from the inside out. As the gospel transforms lives, it exerts a pervasive influence in the world at large. As we reflect the Lord’s glory, we are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. “But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.” 2 Corinthians 3:18.

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries. 

Matthew 13:24

Verse of the Day Devotion Matthew 13:24 

“He presented another parable to them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field.” –  Matthew 13:24

Today we will look at the Parable of the Weeds.   Here is this parable as found in Matthew’s gospel.

“He presented another parable to them, saying, The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed tares also among the wheat, and went away. But when the wheat sprang up and bore grain, then the tares became evident also. And the slaves of the landowner came and said to him, Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares? And he said to them,  An enemy has done this!  And the slaves  said to him, Do you want us, then, to go and gather them up?  But he  said,  No; lest while you are gathering up the tares, you may root up the wheat with them. Allow both to grow together until the harvest; and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers,  First gather up the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them up; but gather the wheat into my barn.” Matthew 13:24-30.

The parable of the wheat and weeds speaks of two different kinds of seed sown by two different individuals, a farmer, and his enemy.  First, the field is a picture of the world, not simply the Jewish nation.  The good seed is the children of the Kingdom of God sowed by God, essentially the true Christians, while the bad seed are those who are not of this Kingdom that were sowed by the enemy.  Now some time later both seeds sprouted.  “But when the wheat sprang up and bore grain, then the tares became evident also.” Matthew 13:26. Now, as they grew, the slaves of the landowner noticed that not everything that sprouted up was wheat. “And the slaves of the landowner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?”  Matthew 13:27.  They were diligent servants who questioned him regarding how this could have happened.

He then answers them saying that an enemy has sowed these weeds in the field.  Then the slaves asked, “Do you want us, then, to go and gather them up?” Matthew 13:28b. But the landowner says, “No; lest while you are gathering up the tares, you may root up the wheat with them.” Matthew 13:29. Just as the wheat and weeds were often superficially similar in appearance and if sown too close to each other were too intermingled in their root systems to be pulled up separately, so too God’s people are sometimes outwardly hard to distinguish from his enemies. They can be too interconnected with them in society for anyone to try to purify the world from evil without hurting those who are good. Unfortunately, during that time many Zealots, and at times even his disciples, were often eager for precisely this to happen. We see an example of this in the gospel of Luke.  “And it came about, when the days were approaching for His ascension, that He resolutely set His face to go to Jerusalem; and He sent messengers on ahead of Him. And they went, and entered a village of the Samaritans, to make arrangements for Him. And they did not receive Him, because He was journeying with His face toward Jerusalem. And when His disciples James and John saw this, they said, Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them? But He turned and rebuked them, and said, You do not know what kind of spirit you are of; for the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them. And they went on to another village.” Luke 9:51-56.  He then tells them, “Allow both to grow together until the harvest; and in the time of the harvest, I will say to the reapers, “First gather up the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them up; but gather the wheat into my barn.” Matthew 24:30.

There are definitely bad/evil people intermixed in this world with the people of God.  However, can we really tell the difference in all cases?  It is not our place to judge people by what we see for many times we cannot see their heart, nor can we see where they will be in the future. I have known many who were looking into the Christian life before excepting Him while still living a worldly life. But also, there are people who wish us to believe they believe. “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven; but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven. Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’  And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.” Matthew 7:21-23.   

In closing, it is not our place to make judgements one way or another. Our job is simply to go out and live the Christian life openly so that all can see it, while declaring the truth of the Gospel. We may be able to help them give their lives to Jesus. And we are called to disciple Christians to understand this life more clearly. “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:19-20.

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries. 

Matthew 13:45

Verse of the Day Devotion Matthew 13:45 

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls,” – Matthew 13:45 

Today we will look at the parable of the Pearl of Great Price.   Here is this parable as found in Matthew’s gospel.

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls, and upon finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had, and bought it.” Matthew 13:45-46.

This is one of a series of parables Jesus speaks to the crowd; therefore, He uses “Again” as the first word here.  This parable is similar to the parable of the Hidden Treasure with one distinct difference.  In the parable of the Hidden Treasure, the one who found it was not looking for it but stumbled across it by accident.  In the parable of the Pearl of great price, he knows what he is looking for and then finds the best pearl, one of incredible price. 

Why is this significant?  Because it shows God is reaching out to everyone, both the spiritual seekers and the apathetic atheists.  Those who are not looking for truth are like the man who stumbles upon the treasure.  He finds it and realizes this is valuable and he needs to possess it.  Similar to an atheist who happened to hear the gospel and he becomes open to the truth.  He was not looking for it, but when he came across it, he realized this was important as well as a valuable truth that he needs to have.  So, he leaves it there and sells everything he has and with this money he buys the property wherein lies the treasure.

On the other side, those who are looking for truth are like today’s verse of the day.  He looks and looks and suddenly comes across a pearl that is excellent and of great value.  Similar to someone who knows there is more to this life then he has explored, he begins looking for the truth.  He looks and looks and finds this amazing pearl that he knows is incredibly valuable.  So, he also sells everything he has and buys it. 

In these two stories we have two people who have sold everything they have for a significant find.  And Jesus, in both parables, is speaking of the Kingdom of God.  And specifically, our ability to join Him in His eternal kingdom.  He is telling those listening that whether they are looking for God or not, they have the opportunity to enter into His kingdom, for He is presenting the truth to them and it is up to them to, in the words of the parables, buy it or not.

What Jesus was saying in this parable is that if we are seeking for the truth, honestly and deliberately seeking, we will find it.  For the man was seeking for a treasure of great price and in his diligence, found it. In the similar parable of the Hidden Treasure, we see that sometimes we are not looking for truth, but when we stumble upon it, we see the value regarding its truth and we accept.  But what is most important is in both of these, they valued what they found enough to sell everything they had for it.

God calls would-be disciples to give up everything to obtain the treasure He is offering.  Sometimes He calls them to literally sell everything, such as with the rich young ruler. “Jesus said to him, If you wish to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” Matthew 19:21.  But in all cases we must let go of anything that would stand in the way of wholehearted allegiance to Christ and the priorities of the kingdom.  I will close with this question.  Have we given all to follow Him?

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries. 

Matthew 13:47

Verse of the Day Devotion Matthew 13:47 

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet cast into the sea and gathering fish of every kind.” – Matthew 13:47 

Today we will look at the parable of the net.   Here is this parable as found in Matthew’s gospel.

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet cast into the sea, and gathering fish of every kind; and when it was filled, they drew it up on the beach; and they sat down, and gathered the good fish into containers, but the bad they threw away. So it will be at the end of the age; the angels shall come forth, and take out the wicked from among the righteous, and will cast them into the furnace of fire; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Matthew 13:44.

In Matthew chapter thirteen, Jesus is sitting by the sea and teaching crowds through the use of parables. There were probably fishermen there which would have been able to understand the intent of the message. Starting with our focus verse we read, “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet cast into the sea and gathering fish of every kind.” Matthew 13:47.  This parable addresses the intermingling of good and bad at that time, in our present time and the certainty of their separation at the end of the age upon Christ’s return.  The net referred to here was a large dragnet spread out over a considerable area of water. A good catch of fish would require strenuous effort to haul to shore.  This parable though does not focus on the net, but on the catch. The idea regards bringing all the people together, comprised of both what is valuable and what is valueless. There is no discrimination about netting fish; everything in the area, good and bad alike, is caught up.

Now, putting out the net is the first process, but then comes the gathering of the net to the shore with all the fish enclosed. The net is said to be filled, which was denoted as a good catch. It is drawn up on the beach, so Jesus is speaking of the hauling in of the fish at the end of the operation. Then they would sit on the beach and sort out the fish. The good ones would be put into baskets.  The bad fish were thrown away, for they had no value and there was nothing else they could do with them.

Now in the last two verses, Jesus explains what He meant in the first two verses. He starts by saying in the same way. In other words, this was a picture of the end times. It speaks of two very distinct groups of people.  Just as the net is drawn up with every type of fish in the sea, both good and bad, so will all the people be gathered together for judgement, both the righteousness and the evil.  It is important to remember that the division has nothing to do with merit, based on our own efforts.  The righteous are those who follow Jesus and depend on God’s mercy for they know their shortcomings can only be addressed through the shed blood of Christ. In contrast, the wicked are those who rely on their own merit and believe they can do enough to be saved. Jesus then says that the angels will come and take out the wicked from the righteous, just as the fisherman separated the bad fish from the good.  And just as the bad fish was discarded, the evil ones, those who did not accept the work of Christ and relied on themselves and other ways to be made right with God would be cast into the lake of fire, where it says there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

It is important that we do not rely on our goodness to save us. Just as a bad fish cannot become a good fish by what they do, wicked and unrighteous people cannot make themselves righteous based on what they do.  Only God, through the shed blood of Christ, can turn us from evil to good.  And He wants to do this for all people. But we must rely on Him to make it happen.  This message must be spread to all so they understand this truth.  And that is where we come in.

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries. 

Matthew 13:44

Verse of the Day Devotion Matthew 13:44 

“The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid; and from joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.” – Matthew 13:44 

The parable we will look at today is of the Hidden Treasure.  Here is this parable, which is also our focus verse as told in Matthew’s gospel.

“The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid; and from joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.” Matthew 13:44.

Jesus here equates the kingdom to a man who finds treasure, one that is buried in a field. Treasure could denote where valuables are stored, as is found earlier in Matthew. “And they came into the house and saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell down and worshiped Him; and opening their treasures they presented to Him gifts of gold and frankincense and myrrh.” Matthew 2:11. However, in this verse it denotes the valuable item itself.  In a day when places for keeping things safe that we take for granted (like the safe deposits in banks) did not exist people had to make their own arrangements. One method they employed was to bury their valuable possessions (as did the unprofitable servant who hid his talent instead of investing it). If anyone did this before going off on a journey and failed to return, the possessions remained there and might be found later through a chance discovery like that in this parable. And what kind of field this was unknown.  Could have been anything, however many believe it was a field for crops.

And there have been questions as to the morality of finding a treasure there, and then hiding it so he can purchase it. However, this is irrelevant in the meaning of the parable.  Jesus is not dealing with the morality or legality of the man’s action but making the point that there can be treasure such that it is worth selling everything in order to possess it, such as with membership in the kingdom.

Jesus says that the man was very happy over his discovery; finding treasure must surely be a joyful experience.  And the man’s joy leads him to go off and buy the field, even though this meant he must first sell all he has.  The man realized this treasure far surpassed the value of the sum of everything he has.  Therefore, he determined living with this treasure was better then living with what he had.

Jesus is not saying that a man may buy his way into the kingdom; that would fly in the face of all his teaching. The selling of all he has is rather a way of bringing out the truth that one should count all we have as lost for the sake of the kingdom, for this treasure is the grace and forgiveness of God, through the death of Jesus Christ, whereby we will live for all eternity with Jesus.  This parable thus begs the question.  Do we view salvation and eternity with God worth giving up everything we have?  Are we willing to give to give it all up, including our things, property, friends, reputation, etc. to follow Christ? This is what He cal of us.  He is asking us what we value more, the treasures of this world, or the treasures of God? The answer is very clear to me, God’s riches. It may not appear to be riches from the world’s point of view, but membership in the kingdom has infinite value which all the worlds wealth could never come close to matching.

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries. 

Matthew 13:31

Verse of the Day Devotion Matthew 13:31 

“He presented another parable to them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field”. – Matthew 13:31

The parable we will look at today is the Mustard Seed.  Here is this parable as told in Matthew’s gospel.

“He presented another parable to them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field; and this is smaller than all other seeds; but when it is full grown, it is larger than the garden plants, and becomes a tree, so that THE BIRDS OF THE AIR come and NEST IN ITS BRANCHES.” Matthew 13:31-32.

Jesus continues his parables with one that brings out the thought of growth.  This parable is important because over against the mighty numbers of the worshipers of heathen gods, along with the Jews who acknowledged the true God but not the Christ, those who proclaimed the kingdom Jesus spoke of were a small minority. He teaches them not to be convinced by size or numbers. These tiny beginnings would grow into something greater by far than any of the religions found in the disciples’ contemporary world.

The formula Jesus uses is one contrasting the smallness of the seed with the greatness of the plant.  He begins this parable by saying “The Kingdom of Heaven”.  This refers to the kingdom in which He, Jesus, is the King.  He predicts the amazing growth of this kingdom of heaven. The mustard seed is quite small, the plant that comes from it is quite large, up to ten feet in height, and Jesus uses this is a picture of kingdom growth.

The point of this Parable is that something big and blessed, the kingdom of God, had humble beginnings. Many were thinking, how significant could the short ministry of Christ be? He had but a handful of followers, He was seen as a man of no rank and without means, and He lived in what everyone considered a backwater region of the world. The life and death of Christ did not catch the world’s attention any more than a mustard seed would lying on the ground by the road. But God had an amazing plan. What seemed inconsequential at first grew into a movement of worldwide influence that no one could stop.  Gamaliel, speaking to the Council in Jerusalem said, “Men of Israel, take care what you propose to do with these men. For some time ago Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody; and a group of about four hundred men joined up with him. And he was slain; and all who followed him were dispersed and came to nothing. After this man Judas of Galilee rose up in the days of the census, and drew away some people after him, he too perished, and all those who followed him were scattered. And so, in the present case, I say to you, stay away from these men and let them alone, for if this plan or action should be of men, it will be overthrown; but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them; or else you may even be found fighting against God.” Acts 35-39.

And the kingdom is prophesied in the same way in Ezekiel. “Thus says the Lord GOD, “I shall also take a sprig from the lofty top of the cedar and set it out; I shall pluck from the topmost of its young twigs a tender one, and I shall plant it on a high and lofty mountain. On the high mountain of Israel, I shall plant it, that it may bring forth boughs and bear fruit, and become a stately cedar. And birds of every kind will nest under it; they will nest in the shade of its branches. And all the trees of the field will know that I am the LORD; I bring down the high tree, exalt the low tree, dry up the green tree, and make the dry tree flourish. I am the LORD; I have spoken, and I will perform it.” Ezekiel 17:22-24.

The influence of the kingdom of God would be such that everyone associated with it would find a benefit, pictured as the birds perched on the branches of the mature mustard plant. And in comparing the picture in Matthew with the prophesy in Ezekiel, we see that even large mustard bushes pale in comparison with the lofty cedars ; still Jesus may be employing deliberate irony. What may not look like much to the world will in fact fulfill all God’s promises.

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries. 

Luke 9:62

Verse of the Day Devotion Luke 9:62 

“But Jesus said to him, No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” – Luke 9:62  

After spending some time speaking about the twelve with the disciples, Jesus now enters into conversations with three would-be followers.  These three brief exchanges differ from the classic ‘call to follow’ stories as laid out in the synoptic gospels.  In these earlier stories each call is issued by Jesus to named persons, and each individual follows without resistance or delay.  Here, contrary to the former stories, the first and third conversations are initiated by those desiring to follow Him, while the second is called by Jesus.  Let us look at each of these incidents and see what occurred, namely what Jesus laid out as the conditions of discipleship..

The first candidate, whose name is unknown tells Jesus He will follow Him anywhere He goes. However, Jesus’ response is, “The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” Luke 9:58. Jesus was essentially telling him that animals can adapt to nature and survive and accept this lifestyle.  However, the Son of Man has not been sent into the world to adapt to it. And therefore, His followers should not adapt to it either.  How foreign this Jesus to the domesticated Jesus of nineteenth-century liberalism so comfortably conventional. The world may claim shelter as an inalienable human right, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head; it may claim the right to a better future, but the Son of Man offers hope only in the coming kingdom of God; it may claim the right to rest, peace, and justice, but the Son of Man finds only tribulation in the world.

The second man was invited by Jesus to follow Him; however, his response was, “Permit me first to go and bury my father.”  The question raised here is, was his father already dead, or was he in danger of dying soon?  We do not have an answer regarding this, but Jesus’s answer regards the aspects of the Law covering the burial of the dead. Jews regarded proper burial of the dead among the “decrees and instructions” commanded in Torah. Burial was a paramount example of a “work of love,” enjoining tears, mourning, and fervent wailing. To not neglect burial was for all ancients, Jews and Greeks, a virtually inviolable duty.  However, what He was telling him was the keeping of the law, and in this case the burial laws, must become secondary to following Him and His ways and work. 

And finally, another one comes to Jesus. “I will follow You, Lord; but first permit me to say good-bye to those at home.” Luke 9:61. Jesus would later speak on this idea that anyone who chooses to follow Him must put Him above everyone else in their lives. “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple.” Luke 14:26.  Basically, His message is if you love anyone or anything more than me, than you are not worthy to be my disciple.

We must also remember that, as Christians, nothing else can take precedence over Jesus and the work He has called us to. And we should not look and think about how things could have been like.  And this is the basis of our focus verse, which is, “But Jesus said to him, “No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” Luke 9:62. Jesus now points to commonsense farming wisdom to portray discipleship as single-minded detachment from the life and social systems one has known. A farmer who is plowing a field had best look ahead rather than backward. And Jesus means now; the field is already being readied for planting.  To look back at your former life can put us in a position of regret regarding what could have been.  We must believe that following Christ is the best life we could possibly have and want in the present and future, and what is in the past has no comparison.

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries. 

Matthew 24:14

Verse of the Day Devotion:  Matthew 24:14  

“This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.” – Matthew 24:14

Jesus, who when He came out of the temple, pointed out to the disciples the temple buildings and told them these would be totally destroyed to the point that not one stone shall be upon another.  Then when Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately saying, “Tell us, when will these things happen, and what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?” Matthew 24:3b.

Jesus then refers to several issues in His answer, for instance false Christs, wars and rumors of war and nations rising against other nations.  He mentions famines and great tribulation against Christians.  He goes on to say, “At that time many will fall away and will betray one another and hate one another. Many false prophets will arise and will mislead many. Because lawlessness is increased, most people’s love will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved.” Matthew 24:10-13.  In other words, many Christians will fall away from the faith, however, whoever fights through the deception and remains true to the faith, those will be saved and receive eternal life.  However, He ends this section with the following as found in our focus verse, “This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.” Matthew 24:14. 

If there is any work that is absolutely necessary today and in the times to come, this is it.  The world needs to hear the truth of the gospel in a way that they can receive it.  And it must be preached in all four corners of the world.  Jesus said there will not be a place where it is not taught and defended.  In fact, this is commanded to the disciples.  Mark puts it this way.  “And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.” Mark 16:15. Jesus told His disciples, aside from Judas who left, to go everywhere.  Matthew goes even farther in declaring what He said.  “And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:18-20.  Jesus said the disciples were to make disciples in all nations.  And guess what.  We are His disciples and we became a disciple because of another Christian, who became a disciple because of another Christian, who also became a disciple because of another Christian.  And we can keep going back.  And what are we called to do, make disciples.

And one last thing.  We do not have to go to a foreign country to be a missionary.  We are called simply to make disciples.  If God calls us to go to Peru or Pakistan or any other county other than where we live, ­then we are to go.  However, if not then our mission field is where we are.  We must never think just because we are not going to a foreign county to share the gospel that our mission on earth is less valid.  There are people in every continent, country, city, town and neighborhood  that are lost and need to hear the gospel so they can be saved.  If we are not called to go somewhere else, then we are called to preach where we are.  We Christians are the church, and therefore we are the ones called to make disciples everywhere.  Note, the church is.  And since where we live is part of the world, then we are called to do His work either where we are or where He sends us.  So, I want to encourage everyone to go out to that place in the world you are and present the gospel through every means you can.  The lost need to be found, and the only we that is possible is if we tell them how to be saved and help them take this step.  And after this, help them to find a church body where they can grow in the faith and become another disciple who makes disciples for Christ.

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries. 

Matthew 13:44

Verse of the Day Devotion: Matthew 13:44 

“The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid again; and from joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.” – Matthew 13:44

This verse addresses the idea of the importance this Christian walk has in our lives.  It speaks of a hidden treasure in a field.  A man discovers this treasure while walking. This treasure is no doubt far more than just a bag or pot of coins.  The idea is of a gold or silver mine which was found under the field, wherewith the only way to access it is to buy the field.  He considered this treasure so great and valuable and was filled with such joy, he left it as it was and goes back and sells everything he has and purchases it. 

This parable of Jesus speaks of the kingdom of God; but more specifically, salvation provided by the death of Christ.  This treasure is seen through the gospel presented, either directly by someone bringing the word to us, or via some other medium.  We all, in one way or another, have heard the  gospel.  And this gospel is of inestimable worth, having a value beyond anything we could ever imagine. But the question is do we see the value of this treasure?     

The basic idea is, are we willing to give up everything for the cause of Christ?   This can be a difficult question.  In our past lives, we all had many things that were important or of great value to us.  The question is, stated more specifically, are any of these things more valuable to us than our service and devotion to God?  Jesus in this parable states that we should be willing to sell everything, or put another way, to give up everything for Christ.  This has nothing to do with our means of salvation, since this is completely the result of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus the Christ.  Works has no part in our salvation however, it is the proof of our salvation.  “But someone may well say, “You have faith and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works.” James 2:18. 

There is a phrase I use to denote this idea in my life of selling all I have to attain the treasure.  “If we are not all in, then we are not In at all.”  We must be willing to put God first in every area of our life.  We must be willing to give up those things, ideas or activities that are not honoring to Him.  Also, we must make all things secondary that gets in the way of our service to God.  Now, I am not saying we cannot relax, enjoy a good book / movie or spend time with friends and family.  Jesus himself would relax in the company of His disciples and others.  He does not prevent us from enjoying these times.  However, these things must not be ungodly nor take precedence over our calling from God. 

Now, I want to close this with a message of encouragement.  God wants us to enjoy life.  His desire is that we will draw closer to Him each and every moment.  And if we put Him first, this will be the life we will lead.  He is the one who helps us be content in our service to Him and our lives in this world.  “But godliness actually is a means of great gain when accompanied by contentment. For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either. If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content.” 1 Timothy 6-8.  Godliness and obedience to His will brings contentment which is the source of God’s peace.  God wants us to enjoy our lives here, and contentment is the means by which it happens.  Give your all to God and hold back nothing.  You will be amazed at how rich and beautiful your life will become.

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries.