Misunderstanding

Matthew 20:20-22a

Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came to him with her sons, and kneeling before him, she asked a favor of him. And he said to her, “What do you want?” She said to him, “Declare that these two sons of mine will sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your kingdom.” But Jesus answered, “You do not know what you are asking.”

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I'm just a soul whose intentions are good
Oh Lord, please don't let me be misunderstood

"Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" by The Animals

Leave it to a proud Mama to want the best for her boys. Leave it to Jesus to know that what is best is usually not what is easiest. Jesus knows what is best, there is no doubt about this. Yet it is only Jesus who knows where the best is going to lead all of the apostles.

Mama asks, Mama wants Jesus to say that her boys will sit in the greatest places of honor, at the left and right hand of Jesus in his kingdom. The problem is Mama doesn't know the path the kingdom will follow. Jesus knows, he knows so well that he tells her she doesn't know what she is asking.

Jesus asks James and John if they are able to drink from the cup he is about to drink. They boldly say yes, they are ready to drink from his cup. Again, they don't know the cup he is talking about, so he tells them they don't know what they are asking.

We know that the cup Jesus drinks from he offers to his disciples. The cup is the cup of the new covenant sealed in his blood shed for the forgiveness of sin. The cup is a sign of new life, but life that comes at a great cost, the life of the one who offers it to his disciples. They don't understand the cup he drinks, nor the cup he offers.

The last throne Jesus sits upon on this earth is the cross. There are two other men, one to his left and one to his right. It's quite sure that Mama didn't have this throne nor this kingdom in mind when she asked her sons to be at this left and right hand. She didn't understand the cost of the kingdom either.

Their intentions were good, they just didn't understand.

But as Jesus points out, they will know. They will know the joy of sharing the Good News of the life, death, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. They will also know the horror of dying in the name of the Good News of the life, death, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. They will absolutely know what it is like to drink from his cup.

Mama didn't understand nor did her sons. The good news is that they came to understand. They came to understand that what they thought was wrong and what was revealed was right, and better. It just wasn't the easiest.

Innocent Children

Matthew 2:16-18 (NRSV)

When Herod saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, he was infuriated, and he sent and killed all the children in and around Bethlehem who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had learned from the wise men. Then was fulfilled what had been spoken through the prophet Jeremiah:

“A voice was heard in Ramah,
wailing and loud lamentation,
Rachel weeping for her children;
she refused to be consoled, because they are no more.”

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Because Hell, Hell is for children
And you know that their little lives can become such a mess
Hell Hell is for children
And you shouldn't have to pay for your love with your bones and your flesh

"Hell Is for Children" by Pat Benetar from "Crimes of Passion" (1980)

The passage is about a King being so insecure that he forces "the slaughter of the innocents." Yes, this passage is commonly called, "the slaughter of the innocents." The song is about child abuse. In an interview Pat Benetar was asked if this song was written about an experience in her life. She said "No, thank God."

King Herod was the Praetor, the Chief Magistrate, of Judea and he had been in power for over thirty years and you didn’t accumulate and keep that kind of power in the Roman Empire without knowing how to quell a rebellion or two. But Herod was more. On top of his winning personality Herod was angry, vengeful, and brutal.

So when the three wise men tricked him by returning to the east along a different route, Herod knew there was only one thing to do. Kill 'em all. So he consulted his advisors and they figured out the maximum age of the new-born king. He then sent a detachment to Nazareth where any child who even remotely close to the decided upon age was massacred. This is the slaughter, the slaughter of the innocents.

Before he could walk, even before he could take food from beyond his mother’s breast, Jesus of Nazareth, Son of God and Son of Man is surrounded in blood and death.

There are many who walk wounded in life. They are victims of abuse. They are hurt, they are uncertain. Literally, they are gun shy. But we can take one piece from this, even our Lord lived in a time when child abuse existed. Even our Lord lived when children were treated so very poorly that slaughter was possilbe.

This may make no immediate difference, but as Christ was living when this was happening in Judea, He lives today. In this, there is truth.

Much Obliged Indeed

Exodus 2:15b-22

But Moses fled from Pharaoh. He settled in the land of Midian, and sat down by a well. The priest of Midian had seven daughters. They came to draw water, and filled the troughs to water their father’s flock. But some shepherds came and drove them away. Moses got up and came to their defense and watered their flock. When they returned to their father Reuel, he said, “How is it that you have come back so soon today?” They said, “An Egyptian helped us against the shepherds; he even drew water for us and watered the flock.” He said to his daughters, “Where is he? Why did you leave the man? Invite him to break bread.” Moses agreed to stay with the man, and he gave Moses his daughter Zipporah in marriage. She bore a son, and he named him Gershom; for he said, “I have been an alien residing in a foreign land.”

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Yes, and when I'm feelin' down and blue
Then all I do is think of you
And all my foolish problems seem to fade away

South city midnight lady
I'm much obliged indeed
You sure have saved this man whose soul was in need
I thought there was no reason
For all these things I do
But the smile that I sent out returned with you

"South City Midnight Lady" by Patrick Simmons recorded by The Doobie Brothers on "The Captain and Me"

Moses has just been run not just out of town but all the way out of Egypt. His very own brother, or a sort, is after him and wants him dead. The Egyptians don't know what to make of him because he killed a soldier. The Israelites don't know what to make of him not just because he saved an Israelite, but because they still know he can have them killed at a whim. Moses is not just a man without a country, he's a man without two countries.

He ends up in Midian, sitting by a well during the hottest part of the day. There he defends the seven daughters of Midian, also called Reuel, against a gang of shepherds who want the water they have drawn for their flocks, and perhaps even more. Leaving Moses at the well, Midian insists he be brought to his tent to break bread. Moses saved his daughters, hospitality only begins to repay the debt in the mind of Midian. He offers his first daughter, Zipporah as a wife. Their first son is Gershom meaning "I have been an alien residing in a foreign land."

Moses was like the man in this Doobie Brothers track, much obliged indeed. He was a man without a country. He had no land to call his own. No people to call his own. He didn't seem to have a plan, but he had a way. Sometimes a way is better than a plan. Moses was alone. He was wanted. His Lord had him, but he did not know his Lord, not yet at least. Then suddenly there was this lady...

Some will speak against an arranged marriage. Some will say he spent a lot of time away from home on this "mission" for "the Lord" who wasn't even his wife's God. Yet, I can imagine a family. Husband and wife and two sons. I can imagine even Moses thinking there was not reason for the things he does. Between the Egyptians and the Israelites he had more than his share of headaches. But in relationship... with his wife... Moses and Zipporah... He even names his first born noting that he was, but is no longer, an alien living in a foreign land.

I thought there was no reason for all these things I do, but the smile that I sent out returned with you. Now there's an image that keeps a man warm on a cold, cold night.

Nothing and No One

Philippians 2:19-24

I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, so that I may be cheered by news of you. I have no one like him who will be genuinely concerned for your welfare. All of them are seeking their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ. But Timothy’s worth you know, how like a son with a father he has served with me in the work of the gospel. I hope therefore to send him as soon as I see how things go with me; and I trust in the Lord that I will also come soon.

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'cause nothing compares
nothing compares to you

"Nothing Compares 2 U" by Prince recorded by Sinéad O'Connor

Paul wrote this letter from Rome where he was imprisoned for the ruckus he raised in Jerusalem. By the time of this writing he had been imprisoned for two years. Prison in ancient Rome is not like America today. In Paul's situation, he was responsible for providing for his own expenses. The better the money, the better his prison experience. This is why churches supported him while he was in prison. In about 62AD, the Philippians sent a man named Epaphroditus to Rome with the church's support. Paul sent him back with this epistle.

In the letter, Paul praised the worth of his fellow traveler Timothy. Timothy was a good friend and a confidant. They were like father and son on the road together. Mentor and protégé. To Paul, no one compared to Timothy.

In our lives, we have a father figure, God the Father. There are many whose father did not give them good gifts. These are victims of abuse and violence. They are victims of emotional and physical terror. These are people who when they are told of "God the Father" have no idea what a good father is like. These are people who may reject the message of the triune God because of an earned bias against fathers in general.

The good news is that there is no one on Earth who compares to God; Father, Son, or Spirit. Nothing compares to the Lord who gives good gifts. Nothing compares to the Lord who gave us his Son to mend a relationship humanity broke to begin with.

Nothing compares to the Lord who sent his Son and who will send his Son again. We cannot know the day or the time, but with confidence in the word of the Father we can say the Son will return.

Paul promises he will return to Philippi. This was a promise he could not keep. But the promise of new life from the Father of us all, this is a promise kept. Nothing compares to the Father who promises eternal presence.

Beware

Matthew 6:25-27

Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life?

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Watch out now, take care
Beware of the thoughts that linger
Winding up inside your head
The hopelessness around you
In the dead of night

Beware of sadness
It can hit you
It can hurt you
Make you sore and what is more
That is not what you are here for

"Beware of Darkness" by George Harrison. This video is from George Harrison's "Concert for Bangladesh."

It would seem right to connect this passage with Bobby McFerrin's "Don't Worry, Be Happy" except that the sentiment and the song are both vapid. Scripture and the work of the Christ are opposite.

"Do not worry" sounds easy enough, but turning on the news or picking up the paper gives ample worries. Tsunami, earthquakes, flooding, tornadoes-there's a lot to worry about and this is just the "natural disaster" category. Pile nuclear meltdowns, terrorism, economic woe, drugs, crime, and the like makes "don't worry" sounds like "put your head in the sand." It makes "don't worry" sounds like "don't be concerned," but I disagree.

When "Don't worry" sounds like "disengage from life" we've missed the boat. Disengaging is the last thing Jesus wants.

Jesus points out that the Father provides for the birds of the air. What Jesus doesn't say is that while God provides the birds have to go collect. They don't sow nor do they reap, but they still have to dig up worms. They still have to peck bark to find insects in trees. They still have to collect twigs to make shelter and then they have to build it. It's a two part process: God provides, and the birds use what God provides. God provides, but God doesn't provide pre-fab.

God has provided us with what we need to be concerned and with what we need to take care of those concerns.

George Harrison tells us that we need to watch out for are the worries linger, thoughts that wind up bringing hopelessness inside our head. He knows that this comes at the dead of night. He warns us that sadness hits and hurts. Sadness makes us sore, but that is not what we are here for. George had concerns, but he did more than rent his clothes and shake his fist at God.

The video footage is from "The Concert for Bangladesh." George Harrison and friends in connection with UNICEF presented this concert in August 1971 to benefit victims of the 1970 Bhola cyclone and victims of atrocities suffered during the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War. George was worried, but he did not put his head in the sand. He did what he does best, play music, and through ticket, record, and movie sales collected nearly $250,000 (in today's dollars that's almost $1.5 million) to help relieve suffering. Doing so, George Harrison invented the first modern benefit concert.

Worry is a waste, but disengaging from life is inexcusable. Being concerned is another matter, but only when we do something about it. God leaves what we need all around us to do His work. We are called to do it.

Best of the Best

John 2:1-11

On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. When the wine gave out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what concern is that to you and to me? My hour has not yet come.” His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” Now standing there were six stone water jars for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. Jesus said to them, “Fill the jars with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. He said to them, “Now draw some out, and take it to the chief steward.” So they took it. When the steward tasted the water that had become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the steward called the bridegroom and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and then the inferior wine after the guests have become drunk. But you have kept the good wine until now.” Jesus did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of Galilee, and revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.

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I'm going, I'm going where the water tastes like wine
Well I'm going where the water tastes like wine

"Going Up the Country" by Canned Heat

The wedding at Cana was the site of Jesus' first miracle. This is where Jesus performed the miracle more people may know than any other, turning water into wine.

First century weddings are the same sort of production numbers we see today. There are wedding planners and banquet masters and pit masters and all manner of servers and clean up crews. What isn't like today is that it was harder to organize a wedding in Jesus' time than it is today. Yes, this is a message to anyone who has ever dealt with a bridezilla, it was tougher 2,000 years ago to put together a wedding.

A part of what was more difficult is that it was impossible to tell everyone "the service starts at 4:30." Yes, not having clocks made that impossible, but more than that, it was nearly impossible to predict when everything would be ready. So in the first century the wedding didn't start until everything was ready. That was the starting time, not some scheduled hour.

As embarrassing as it is today, in the day it was even more embarrassing to run out of food and wine. Beyond embarrassing, it would have been an even worse slap to business concerns, family members, and the church. So when they ran out of wine, the mother of Jesus was very concerned for this new family and their standing in the community. She wanted her son to do something about it.

Jesus objected, but finally took care of this new family. He had the servants draw water into ritual washing jars and told them to take a dipper to the banquet master. There he declared it the best wine.

In his way, the banquet master told a tale of the society. Bring out the good stuff early and when everyone's drunk, bring out the Mad Dog 20/20. So the banquet master was amazed that the wine that was coming out long after everyone was well on their way to three-sheets-to-the-wind, the best wine this catering professional had ever had was being served. He was amazed! He was surprised! He also probably thought it was a waste to give such good wine to a bunch of folks who wouldn't be able to tell the difference.

That's what Jesus does. He gives the best to the best to us, even though because of sin we can never really appreciate it. Even though because of sin we can never really appreciate it he gives us himself. What a gloriously generous gift he gives of himself, only the best of the best.

Money for Nothing

Mark 12:41-44

He sat down opposite the treasury, and watched the crowd putting money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums. A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which are worth a penny. Then he called his disciples and said to them, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury. For all of them have contributed out of their abundance; but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.”

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That ain't workin' that's the way you do it
Money for nothin' and your chicks for free
Now that ain't workin' that's the way you do it
Lemme tell ya them guys ain't dumb

"Money for Nothing" by Dire Straights

It's easy for rich people to make a splash. Press conferences and over-sized checks and loads of appreciation for largess. Now, these are pretty splashy. The folks who benefit from these donations certainly appreciate that someone somewhere cares enough to help out.

The video above is from Live Aid in 1985. It was estimated that around £150m has been raised for famine relief as a direct result of the concerts.

The Pharisees were always happy to see the rich men come in and make a grand spectacle of their offerings. It is always a grand and wonderful sound to hear the sound of coin falling into the treasury. That ain't working, that's the way you do it. They loved the benefits of this too. They loved sitting around the courtyards of the rich drinking good wine and living well. The benefits of being friends with the rich are much better than the benefits of hanging with the widows--if you're only interested in life you hold in your hand and put in your belly that is. If that's all you're interested in then these guys ain't dumb.

Jesus is interested in more though. He wants disciples who are willing to give all they have. The rich guys give from their riches, the widow gives everything. In this she gives more in two mites than the wealthy in their riches. “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury. For all of them have contributed out of their abundance; but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.”

Give thanks to those who give much, but more should be shown to those who give all. Life in Christ never leaves us in dire straights.