In today's section, we read about:
Peter's declaration that Jesus is the Son of God and the transfiguration
Jesus predicts his death
Teaching on the nature of the kingdom, forgiveness and reconciliation
Jesus comes to Jerusalem and confronts the religions teachers
Jesus speaks of the end times, the hour not being known and the judgment that will come
The last supper, the plot to kill Jesus and his arrest in Gethsemane
Some thoughts that occurred to me:
The focus in today's section was very strongly to me about who Jesus is (rather than what he does), the nature of the kingdom and the coming judgment. There is a step-by-step revelation of the fact that Jesus is the Messiah, that the Messiah must die, that this death is necessary for the Kingdom to be made open to those who would receive it, but that the ultimate fulfilment will be when Jesus comes again.
The transfiguration comes after Peter has confessed in 16:16, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” After belief, came seeing. And what a sight it was that he saw - "Jesus’ appearance was transformed so that his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as light. Suddenly, Moses and Elijah appeared and began talking with Jesus." This made such a mark on Peter that it was the only historical event he refers to in his letters (2 Pet 1:16-18). That was the only time Peter saw Jesus as He truly is, something that awaits us in the future.
The Pharisees and Sadducees and religious leaders thought they knew the Law inside out, yet Jesus rebukes them for not knowing the Scriptures and not knowing the power of God (22:29). Instead in the parable of the tenants in the vineyard, 21:33-41 (titled in the NLT, 'Parable of the Evil Farmers'), Jesus clearly shows that his view is that they are setting themselves up as the new owners of the Kingdom, rather than God. No wonder they were so livid.
There is a repetition of the fact that when the day of judgment comes, it will catch us by surprise. We should live our lives expecting Jesus to come back at any minute, but we are not to know the time.
The thrust of 18:15-20 is that the real strength available to us as believers comes through acting together, not in isolation. 18:19 says "if two of you agree...", v20 says "where two or three gather together as my followers, I am there with them".
Jesus gives another example of the working out of 7:2 - the standard we use, being used against us too - with the parable of the unforgiving debtor (18:23-35). I find this parable incredibly salutary when considering how to get along with other people, as the "millions of dollars" (18:24, NLT) of my faults is so much more than anything that other people could possible owe me. This also gives perspective when considering what my response should be to the parable of the vineyard workers (20:1-15).
The contrast between the self-serving disciples in 20:20-27, and Jesus is so stark and humbling - "even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
When I read 21:42-44 about the stone that the builders rejected and that "anyone who stumbles over that stone will be broken to pieces, and it will crush anyone it falls on", I though of Nebuchadnezzar's vision in Daniel 2.
Micah 6:8 tells us that what God requires of us is "to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God". Jesus reinforces this teaching when he talks about the need to serve one another (23:10-11), to act justly (23:23) and be merciful (25:34-44).
One verse from today - "With God everything is possible" (Matt 19:26)
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