The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:14)
1As Jesus looked up, he saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury. 2He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins. 3“Truly I tell you,” he said, “this poor widow has put in more than all the others. 4All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.” (Luke 21:1-4)
24You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel. 25“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. 26Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean. 27“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. 28In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness. 29“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous. 30And you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ 31So you testify against yourselves that you are the descendants of those who murdered the prophets. 32Go ahead, then, and complete what your ancestors started! 33“You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell? (Matthew 23:24-33)
The Tuesday of Passion Week is famous for Jesus’ prophetic teachings on The Mount of Olives (The Olivet Discourse). However, there are other important stories from that day. In the two passages above from Luke and Matthew, we see how Jesus described various classes of people that He encountered on the Tuesday – the rich, the poor, and the religious. As He exhibits God’s glory, we see that He just doesn’t do things the way the world does. His observations say a lot about the people He encountered and they also tell us a lot about Him.
Please prayerfully read the passages and answer the question below.
Question:
From the passages above, what aspects of God’s glory revealed in Jesus strike a chord with you?
April 16, 2019 at 8:25 am
I am always aware that He sees and knows ALL. We are transparent. We can’t hide the truth of our sins even in thought. Stop. He turns us away from wrong doing. Ask for forgivrness when we weaken even before we may do something ungodly.
April 16, 2019 at 11:16 am
Jesus obviously does not care as much about outward appearances. He acknowledges a person who is beautiful and clean on the inside, as well as the person who gives from the heart.
We can give God glory each day as we strive to “clean up” our inward self in every aspect of our life.
April 16, 2019 at 1:01 pm
The widow catches my attention because she gave all she had to live on. A part of me thinks it had nothing to do with her being poor that caught Jesus’ attention. If the wealthy had placed all they had to live on the listen could also had been displayed.
When you give to God all you have to live on you are trusting Him to take care of everything since you have nothing.
Lord, help me to see what I’m holding back. When it is revealed to me give me the strength to give it up to You.
April 16, 2019 at 6:16 pm
God’s righteousness judgement strikes a chord! He weighs our hearts and minds to give us our just deserts – be it a crown of glory or the fiery lake. From what I can see here, in God’s eyes our intentions are more important than our actions. This should give us pause. This is perhaps why as Christian’s we are not to judge others because we have not given power from above to search minds and hearts to understand people’s true motives.
April 17, 2019 at 12:44 pm
Both passages show how God sees what we cannot see, His glory is shown in His omniscience. However he was “truly” impressed by the selflessness of the widow, the fact she would give all, to honour God, despite her poverty. How much of us would really appreciate the little given above the much if we set up a Go Fund Me page? His way of thinking is far above ours. He does not judge according to human standards, He sees the heart. He does not favour the rich, simply because they are rich as many men do.
As a side note, this scripture is so humbling, we should appreciate every little thing we are given. We should also be mindful, as Christians, not to exhalt the rich above the poor, which is often the case in the modern church as it was in Jesus’s day:
My brothers and sisters, do not show prejudice if you possess faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ. For if someone comes into your assembly wearing a gold ring and fine clothing, and a poor person enters in filthy clothes, do you pay attention to the one who is finely dressed and say, “You sit here in a good place,” and to the poor person, “You stand over there,” or “Sit on the floor”? If so, have you not made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil motives?
James 2:1-4 NET
We can see God’s glory, through His omniscience, at work again in the passage in Matthew. He knew what the inside of the cup looked like and judged the Pharisees by their heart rather than the outward religious veneer. The fact that the Pharisees, who were held in high esteem and seen as the pinnacle of righteousness by the Jews, were consistently rebuked as opposed to the tax collectors who the Jews despised, shows how much His thinking and understanding is greater than ours.
For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord . For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.
Isaiah 55:8-9 KJV
What I also find interesting is the link between the two scriptures. The Pharisees were rich but the majority of the early Jewish believers were poor and persecuted by them:
Listen, my dear brothers and sisters! Did not God choose the poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom that he promised to those who love him? But you have dishonored the poor! Are not the rich oppressing you and dragging you into the courts? Do they not blaspheme the good name of the one you belong to?
James 2:5-7 NET
Yet prior to the advent of the Messiah it was believed by the average Jew that the rich would be the ones who would inherit salvation:
Then Jesus said to his disciples, “I tell you the truth, it will be hard for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven! Again I say, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter into the kingdom of God.” The DISCIPLES WERE GREATLY ASTONISHED WHEN THEY HEARD THIS AND SAID, “THEN WHO CAN BE SAVED?”
Matthew 19:23-25 NET
However, we can see from the proceeding verses, that a rich man, who like the Pharisees felt that he wholeheartedly kept the law (the outward appearance of righteousness), but did not have the heart to do what the widow did and give all she had to honour God:
The young man said to him, “I have wholeheartedly obeyed all these laws. What do I still lack?” Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be perfect, go sell your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” But when the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he was very rich.
Matthew 19:20-22 NET
Dig a little and we can so how God’s word links all over the place. The intricacy of His teaching is so amazing. When you receive revelation and put the pieces together it is a ‘wow’ moment. Surely, an addition to His glory.
Look at how He asks the rich man to do something to be perfect. Of course Jesus knows this man did not have the heart to do it at that time at least.
Keep in mind that the Pharisees were seen as the pinnacle of righteousness. Can you imagine the discord the following statements made amongst the crowd:
For I tell you, unless your righteousness goes beyond that of the experts in the law and the Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. So then, be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
Matthew 5:20, 48 NET
It would sound like an impossible feat for most, just like a camel trying to go through the eye of a needle. Is this not the perfect place for a man to be, to humbly realise his need for grace?
Could grace be what the following statement implies?
Jesus looked at them and replied, “This is impossible for mere humans, but for God all things are possible.”
Matthew 19:26 NET
April 17, 2019 at 12:47 pm
Dig a little and we can so how God word links all over the place. The intricacy of His teaching is so amazing. When you receive revelation and put the pieces together it is a ‘wow’ moment. Surely, an addition to His glory.
Look at how He asks the rich man to do something to be perfect. Of course Jesus knows this man did not have the heart to do it at that time at least.
Keep in mind that the Pharisees were seen as the pinnacle of righteousness. Can you imagine the discord the following statements made amongst the crowd:
For I tell you, unless your righteousness goes beyond that of the experts in the law and the Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. So then, be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
Matthew 5:20, 48 NET
It would sound like an impossible feat for most, just like a camel trying to go through the eye of a needle. Is this not the perfect place for a man to be, to humbly realise his need for grace?
Could grace be what the following statement implies?
Jesus looked at them and replied, “This is impossible for mere humans, but for God all things are possible.”
Matthew 19:26 NET