Thursday, June 23, 2016

Matthew 7: 21 – 29

Jesus said to his disciples:
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’
will enter the Kingdom of heaven,
but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.
Many will say to me on that day,
‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name?
Did we not drive out demons in your name?
Did we not do mighty deeds in your name?’
Then I will declare to them solemnly,
‘I never knew you. Depart from me, you evildoers.’

“Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them
will be like a wise man who built his house on rock.
The rain fell, the floods came,
and the winds blew and buffeted the house.
But it did not collapse; it had been set solidly on rock.
And everyone who listens to these words of mine
but does not act on them
will be like a fool who built his house on sand.
The rain fell, the floods came,
and the winds blew and buffeted the house.
And it collapsed and was completely ruined.”

When Jesus finished these words,
the crowds were astonished at his teaching,
for he taught them as one having authority,
and not as their scribes.

In yesterday’s reading we were told that you know a good tree from a bad tree from its fruits and you know a good man from a bad man from the fruits of his labor or from the results of his works. Today Jesus teaches us that not everyone who accepts him as Lord will enter the Kingdom of heaven. The word used in scripture for Kingdom is basileia and is more properly understood as God’s royal nature. Not everyone who accepts the Lord will receive his royal nature, his royal inheritance. Not everyone will be considered his adopted children. Only those who do God’s will can inherit his royal nature.

The teaching goes on to tell us that just because you do something and say that it is in the name of Jesus doesn’t necessarily mean that it is. Did Jesus tell you to prophesy? Did he tell you to cast out demons? Did he ask you to do mighty deeds? Just because you can do those things does it mean that you do them with the proper authority. I can come to your house and command you to open the door in the name of the FBI but I do not have the authority of the FBI behind me. We are to do those things we are asked to do and to use the gifts we are given in a way to glorify God.

So what then does Jesus mean by saying we need to do the will of the Father? The simple answer is to follow the Great Commandment –

Love your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your being, and love your neighbor as yourself.

Love God and love your neighbor as you love God. The readings for the past week have taught us how to love one another, how to fulfill the Law. Those who live a sacrificial life are like the man who built his house on the rock. When you are willing to give yourself completely for the other there is nothing that anyone can take from you or do to you to destroy your life.If you live for yourself, live a selfish, self-centered life, you are like the man building his house in the sand. It does not take very much for your entire creation to come crumbling down.

He who tries to save his life looses it but he who loses his life for Jesus will save it. Love God and love neighbor and you will surly inherit God’s royal nature.