Author: SFJ Bible

Matthew 20

Laborers in the Vineyard

20:1 “For the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. 2 After agreeing with the laborers for a denarius¹ a day, he sent them into his vineyard. 3 And going out about the third hour he saw others standing idle in the marketplace, 4 and to them he said, ‘You go into the vineyard too, and whatever is right I will give you.’ 5 So they went. Going out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour, he did the same. 6 And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing. And he said to them, ‘Why do you stand here idle all day?’ 7 They said to him, ‘Because no one has hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You go into the vineyard too.’ 8 And when evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last, up to the first.’ 9 And when those hired about the eleventh hour came, each of them received a denarius. 10 Now when those hired first came, they thought they would receive more, but each of them also received a denarius. 11 And on receiving it they grumbled at the master of the house, 12 saying, ‘These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.’ 13 But he replied to one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? 14 Take what belongs to you and go. I choose to give to this last worker as I give to you. 15 Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?’² 16 So the last will be first, and the first last.”

Jesus Foretells His Death a Third Time

17 And as Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside, and on the way he said to them, 18 “See, we are going up to Jerusalem. And the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death 19 and deliver him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified, and he will be raised on the third day.”

A Mother’s Request

20 Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came up to him with her sons, and kneeling before him she asked him for something. 21 And he said to her, “What do you want?” She said to him, “Say that these two sons of mine are to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your kingdom.” 22 Jesus answered, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am to drink?” They said to him, “We are able.” 23 He said to them, “You will drink my cup, but to sit at my right hand and at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.” 24 And when the ten heard it, they were indignant at the two brothers. 25 But Jesus called them to him and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. 26 It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant,³ 27 and whoever would be first among you must be your slave,⁴ 28 even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Jesus Heals Two Blind Men

29 And as they went out of Jericho, a great crowd followed him. 30 And behold, there were two blind men sitting by the roadside, and when they heard that Jesus was passing by, they cried out, “Lord,⁵ have mercy on us, Son of David!” 31 The crowd rebuked them, telling them to be silent, but they cried out all the more, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!” 32 And stopping, Jesus called them and said, “What do you want me to do for you?” 33 They said to him, “Lord, let our eyes be opened.” 34 And Jesus in pity touched their eyes, and immediately they recovered their sight and followed him.

Footnotes

[1] 20:2 A denarius was a day’s wage for a laborer

[2] 20:15 Or is your eye bad because I am good?

[3] 20:26 Greek diakonos

[4] 20:27 Or bondservant, or servant (for the contextual rendering of the Greek word doulos, see Preface)

[5] 20:30 Some manuscripts omit Lord

(ESV)

Matthew 19

Teaching About Divorce

19:1 Now when Jesus had finished these sayings, he went away from Galilee and entered the region of Judea beyond the Jordan. 2 And large crowds followed him, and he healed them there.

3 And Pharisees came up to him and tested him by asking, “Is it lawful to divorce one’s wife for any cause?” 4 He answered, “Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, 5 and said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? 6 So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.” 7 They said to him, “Why then did Moses command one to give a certificate of divorce and to send her away?” 8 He said to them, “Because of your hardness of heart Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so. 9 And I say to you: whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery.”¹

10 The disciples said to him, “If such is the case of a man with his wife, it is better not to marry.” 11 But he said to them, “Not everyone can receive this saying, but only those to whom it is given. 12 For there are eunuchs who have been so from birth, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Let the one who is able to receive this receive it.”

Let the Children Come to Me

13 Then children were brought to him that he might lay his hands on them and pray. The disciples rebuked the people, 14 but Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.” 15 And he laid his hands on them and went away.

The Rich Young Man

16 And behold, a man came up to him, saying, “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?” 17 And he said to him, “Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. If you would enter life, keep the commandments.” 18 He said to him, “Which ones?” And Jesus said, “You shall not murder, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness, 19 Honor your father and mother, and, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 20 The young man said to him, “All these I have kept. What do I still lack?” 21 Jesus said to him, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” 22 When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.

23 And Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly, I say to you, only with difficulty will a rich person enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” 25 When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished, saying, “Who then can be saved?” 26 But Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” 27 Then Peter said in reply, “See, we have left everything and followed you. What then will we have?” 28 Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, in the new world,² when the Son of Man will sit on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29 And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name’s sake, will receive a hundredfold³ and will inherit eternal life. 30 But many who are first will be last, and the last first.

Footnotes

[1] 19:9 Some manuscripts add and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery; other manuscripts except for sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery

[2] 19:28 Greek in the regeneration

[3] 19:29 Some manuscripts manifold

(ESV)

Matthew 18

Who Is the Greatest?

18:1 At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” 2 And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them 3 and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

5 “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, 6 but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin,¹ it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.

Temptations to Sin

7 “Woe to the world for temptations to sin!² For it is necessary that temptations come, but woe to the one by whom the temptation comes! 8 And if your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life crippled or lame than with two hands or two feet to be thrown into the eternal fire. 9 And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into the hell³ of fire.

The Parable of the Lost Sheep

10 “See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven.⁴ 12 What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray? 13 And if he finds it, truly, I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray. 14 So it is not the will of my⁵ Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.

If Your Brother Sins Against You

15 “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. 16 But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. 17 If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. 18 Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed⁶ in heaven. 19 Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.”

The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant

21 Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” 22 Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times.

23 “Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants.⁷ 24 When he began to settle, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents.⁸ 25 And since he could not pay, his master ordered him to be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and payment to be made. 26 So the servant⁹ fell on his knees, imploring him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’ 27 And out of pity for him, the master of that servant released him and forgave him the debt. 28 But when that same servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii,¹⁰ and seizing him, he began to choke him, saying, ‘Pay what you owe.’ 29 So his fellow servant fell down and pleaded with him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you.’ 30 He refused and went and put him in prison until he should pay the debt. 31 When his fellow servants saw what had taken place, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their master all that had taken place. 32 Then his master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. 33 And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?’ 34 And in anger his master delivered him to the jailers,¹¹ until he should pay all his debt. 35 So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.”

Footnotes

[1] 18:6 Greek causes . . . to stumble; also verses 8, 9

[2] 18:7 Greek stumbling blocks

[3] 18:9 Greek Gehenna

[4] 18:10 Some manuscripts add verse 11: For the Son of Man came to save the lost

[5] 18:14 Some manuscripts your

[6] 18:18 Or shall have been bound . . . shall have been loosed

[7] 18:23 Or bondservants; also verses 28, 31

[8] 18:24 A talent was a monetary unit worth about twenty years’ wages for a laborer

[9] 18:26 Or bondservant; also verses 27, 28, 29, 32, 33

[10] 18:28 A denarius was a day’s wage for a laborer

[11] 18:34 Greek torturers

(ESV)

Matthew 17

The Transfiguration

17:1 And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. 2 And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light. 3 And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. 4 And Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.” 5 He was still speaking when, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son,¹ with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” 6 When the disciples heard this, they fell on their faces and were terrified. 7 But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Rise, and have no fear.” 8 And when they lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only.

9 And as they were coming down the mountain, Jesus commanded them, “Tell no one the vision, until the Son of Man is raised from the dead.” 10 And the disciples asked him, “Then why do the scribes say that first Elijah must come?” 11 He answered, “Elijah does come, and he will restore all things. 12 But I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but did to him whatever they pleased. So also the Son of Man will certainly suffer at their hands.” 13 Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them of John the Baptist.

Jesus Heals a Boy with a Demon

14 And when they came to the crowd, a man came up to him and, kneeling before him, 15 said, “Lord, have mercy on my son, for he has seizures and he suffers terribly. For often he falls into the fire, and often into the water. 16 And I brought him to your disciples, and they could not heal him.” 17 And Jesus answered, “O faithless and twisted generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him here to me.” 18 And Jesus rebuked the demon,² and it³ came out of him, and the boy was healed instantly.⁴ 19 Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not cast it out?” 20 He said to them, “Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.”⁵

Jesus Again Foretells Death, Resurrection

22 As they were gathering⁶ in Galilee, Jesus said to them, “The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men, 23 and they will kill him, and he will be raised on the third day.” And they were greatly distressed.

The Temple Tax

24 When they came to Capernaum, the collectors of the two-drachma tax went up to Peter and said, “Does your teacher not pay the tax?” 25 He said, “Yes.” And when he came into the house, Jesus spoke to him first, saying, “What do you think, Simon? From whom do kings of the earth take toll or tax? From their sons or from others?” 26 And when he said, “From others,” Jesus said to him, “Then the sons are free. 27 However, not to give offense to them, go to the sea and cast a hook and take the first fish that comes up, and when you open its mouth you will find a shekel.⁷ Take that and give it to them for me and for yourself.”

Footnotes

[1] 17:5 Or my Son, my (or the) Beloved

[2] 17:18 Greek it

[3] 17:18 Greek the demon

[4] 17:18 Greek from that hour

[5] 17:20 Some manuscripts insert verse 21: But this kind never comes out except by prayer and fasting

[6] 17:22 Some manuscripts remained

[7] 17:27 Greek stater, a silver coin worth four drachmas or approximately one shekel

(ESV)

Matthew 12-16  (4.8.23)

Grab your Bible, and let’s dig into Romans 12 today.

Romans 12:1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.

Paul says, “I appeal … I implore … I call … Therefore!”

In essence, he is saying, “As a result of what has come before this … based on this foundation just laid …” He is referring us back to chapters 1-11.

What is before? What is the foundation? What do chapters 1-11 teach us? In sum, they teach us about the mercies of God. God has been merciful to us through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

So Paul is saying, “If you have Jesus, if He is your holy Sacrifice and therefore you are brothers (or sisters) in Christ …”

“… Then sit back and wait for heaven, doing whatever you want in the meantime.” NO! NO! NO!

He says, then offer or “present your bodies as a living sacrifice.” 

Build your lives on this mercy, and your new life will flow out with mercy.

Just look at the rest of Romans 12 and the life that flows out of those who act upon the mercies of God:

• Show mercy with cheerfulness
• Let love be genuine
• Give to the saints
• Bless those who persecute you
• Weep with those who weep
• Associate with the lowly
• Repay no one evil for evil
• Never avenge yourselves
• If your enemy is hungry, feed him
• Build your lives on mercy, and become merciful

His mercy produces mercy!

Our testimony, our service, our presence will truly change those He puts in our path.

Brothers, we are not here for ourselves; we are here to sacrifice—to give our lives away for the sake of Christ! We are here for the sharing of His gospel for the good of those He intends to save.

We are called by Paul to “PRESENT our bodies as a living sacrifice.”

Not a sacrifice that will be extinguished or consumed, but a sacrifice that will be refined.

The alter we are called to lay our lives on is not a cold slab of stone but the refining fire of God.

Present your bodies = put your lives in the refining fire as a living sacrifice.

We are not sacrificing as those who are dead in sin but as those who are living in Christ and who are now being made more and more in the likeness of Christ.

What this looks like is just as the faithful in the Old Testament denied themselves an earthly treasure (a goat or a bull) and carried their sacrifices to the altar of blood and fire, so we deny ourselves some earthly treasure or ease or comfort and carry ourselves—our bodies—for Christ’s sake to the places and the relationships and the crises in this world where mercy is needed.

This is what causes authentic sacrifice in our daily lives. So I ask you to make it personal today:

How is your submission to the refining fire that produces a living sacrifice?

As God refines you, does it equal more mercies, more forgiveness, more sacrifice in your life?

Do you see more joyful sacrifice in your calendar? 

Do you see more joyful sacrifice in your finances?

Do you see more joyful sacrifice in your actions towards others?

This is the life of the Christian: not one who is sitting around waiting to be asked, but one who is submitting himself to the refining fire so that he is actively living a life that is holy and acceptable to God, which is our spiritual worship.

God has not just saved us from sin and death but to righteousness and life.

How do we live lives that are holy and acceptable to God as our spiritual worship?

Romans 6:13 Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness.

So when Paul says in Romans 12:1 to present a living, holy body to God, he means give your members—your eyes, your tongue, your hands and feet—give your body to do righteousness and not sin.

The refining fire of God produces holiness, obedience to God’s law, submission to God’s will, worship to God’s glory, acts of mercy to the undeserving, acts of sacrifice to the selfish, acts of generosity to the needy, forgiveness to the guilty … This is our spiritual worship. 

Look further into Romans 12 to see this at work:

Romans 12:9 Let love be genuine …

You can also translate this from the Greek to say, “Let love be without hypocrisy!”

Hypocrisy = pretending to be a certain way that is not true to who you are in the core of your being. 

Christians are famous for this, because when we put the grace and work of Jesus on the back burner, we make our work what is important, and to save face and stay in the club, we put on masks and pretend to be someone we are not.

If you struggle with trying to keep face by not being genuine in this family, realize this: It is impossible to receive love if you are hypocritical, because you will know deep down inside that they are loving the fake you—not the real you.

So how do we love each other genuinely? Without hypocrisy?

You have to grow into Christ. He is the One who firms up your identity to be authentic. He is the One who transforms your love from worldly selfishness to godly other-centeredness!

HOW DO YOU GROW INTO CHRIST? You grow by engaging in gospel community who are pressing and reorienting you into Him.

Romans 12:9b Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good.

Because I love my kids:

I don’t let our toddler taste the Windex bottle because it is a pretty blue and think she won’t like it as soon as she tastes it, so she’ll digest the little bit ok.

I don’t let my teenagers have unfiltered and unaccountable access to the internet or a smart phone because the worst of the world WILL find its way to them in the dead of night or the temptation of a peer to defraud their minds and tempt them to sinful indulgence.

But hear me: Is this not what we as God’s family do all too often to each other? 

We stand by idly, watching someone we love struggling and then out of fear and no love at all, we stay distant and say nothing, thinking he or she will figure it out. We think, “I don’t want to cause conflict.”

“Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good.” This means we should grieve what is evil and we HOLD fast to what is good. Our love should cause us to fight for what is good and stand up to what is evil.   

What this means is if we, as club, are not going to be distant and hypocritical, but are going to act in genuine love and mercy, we will pull aside those in our family that are openly practicing sin and say, “I LOVE YOU! I am concerned because what I see you pursuing here, I don’t see in God’s word.”

Realize none of us are immune from this. Eventually, we all are going to need to be confronted. This is life in the body; this is LOVE at work in our family.

You don’t let people you love struggle in things that they can be helped in without at least fighting for them. Realize you are fighting for them! You are not fighting them! You are loving them.

Romans 12:10 Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.

This is not love one another just with deeds. It is saying, “Have feelings for each other.” 

The idea is that our heart would leap a little when we are around each other because we are family!

When we are hypocrites, we can pull off the “do” verses, because we can muster up enough to just do what needs to be done.

But the heart is not as easy to change. To love each other from the heart—with our emotions, with that kind of buy in—is a different thing. It is harder to fake it!

I will tell you this, the only way we get to this is when we quit pretending. It has to be authentic. Genuine love is the only way you have and feel brotherly affection. 

As I write this, I am overwhelmed at the opportunity before us to live lives of mercy and love for all those God puts in our path.

This is a picture of a life centered in Christ—a life of love and mercy! May it be so.

By His grace and for His glory

Joshua “Shepherd” Kirstine

Soldiers For Jesus MC

Chaplain Council

SFJbible.com