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Do what you’ve come to do (Matthew 26:50) June 27, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Leviticus 7-9

see the whole year’s plan [here](http://www.bible-reading.com/bible-plan.pdf)

Today’s Devotional

Matthew 26:50
Jesus: My friend, do what you have come to do.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

We know the scene well. Judas’ name is more familiar than Hitler’s. He followed Jesus and was part of the inner circle, one of the twelve. He knew Jesus better than most as the Master shared intimate information with those twelve. But something went wrong. Judas let greed or idiology or something get to him and he sold out his loyalty to the Master for just thirty pieces of silver. Despite all he had seen and heard from this man he traveled side by side with for three years, Judas betrayed Jesus to the chief priest who wanted Him dead.

Jesus knew he would do it. He identified him as the one, though the other disiciples had no idea it was Judas until it was too late to stop him. Judas slipped out of the Passover supper with the Jesus and the other disciples thought he was going on some mission as the treasurer of the group. Instead, he headed to the chief priest and gave him the sign he would use to betray Jesus in the garden. A company of soldiers accompanied him to the garden where Jesus prayed. Judas approaches Jesus and places the kiss of betrayal on His cheek. The greeting between friends. The betrayal that would begin the most excruciating ordeal of Jesus short life.

Jesus greets Judas with just a few words, “My friend, do what you have come to do.”

There are a couple of things to notice in this very short exchange between Jesus and Judas. First, Jesus called Judas friend. Jesus knew what he did and why. He knew his heart. He knew all that was about to transpire because of that betrayal. Yet Jesus still called him My friend, and I’m sure Jesus meant the words. He counted Judas as His friend.

That tells me Jesus loves us all. Saint and sinner alike, Jesus loves us. He gave His life for all of us. If He calls Judas His friend, He calls all of us friend. We are part of His creation and so He cares for us. He loves us and would do anything for our good. In fact, He did. He gave Himself to pay the penalty we should pay for our sins. Jesus doesn’t count anyone as His enemy, only His friend.

So what does that say to us? How can we spew the vitriol that sometimes comes from the mouths of so-called Christians against this group or that group when Jesus taught us to love our enemies? Does that mean Jesus condoned their actions? Never. Does it mean we condone a sinner’s actions? Never. But how can you win someone to Jesus unless they understand that you see them as a friend, not an enemy? Jesus gave us the example to follow when Judas came to Him in the garden and placed the betrayal kiss on cheek.

Is it easy for us to call everyone friend or to treat everyone as a friend? No. It’s not something we can do in our own strength. We need something beyond ourselves to demonstrate that kind of love. We need God’s Spirit living in us to enable us to love like He loves. We can’t do it alone. We need the resurrection power of that first Easter morning helping us see others as God sees them before we can truly call every person our friend. But it’s possible to do so and Jesus teaches us by His example in the garden with Judas.

The other thing I see in this short exchange is Jesus’ desire that we not procrastinate in our business with Him. Judas was a betrayer and would give His identity to those who would carry Him away to be humiliated, flogged, and crucified. We would probably want to delay the betrayal. Buy ourselves time to avoid the pain and the cross. We would try to push away the agony that was coming. But Jesus just said, get on with it. Stop playing around. Quit trying to pretend things are okay. Stand up and be counted. You are either with Me or against Me. Just own up to who you are. See, it’s only then you can see yourself and let God change you. It’s only then you can truly repent and turn toward Him for forgiveness.

For those who have come to know Jesus as Savior and asked for forgiveness of sins past, for those who have given themselves to Him as Lord of life, His words still carry an important message. Don’t procrastinate in our business with Him. He gave us a mission to do. Go make disciples. Baptize them. Teach them. Don’t wait around for all the stars to align before you do something about it. Get to it. Do His work and don’t dawdle.

Remember His words, “My friend, do what you’ve come to do.” He’s talking to all of us.

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.

Stay alert! (Matthew 13:24-30) March 25, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

Subscribe in: iTunes|Download

Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Jeremiah 1-6

see the whole year’s plan [here](http://www.bible-reading.com/bible-plan.pdf)

Today’s Devotional

Matthew 13:24-30
Jesus told them another parable.
Jesus: The kingdom of heaven is like this: Once there was a farmer who sowed good seeds in his field. While the farmer’s workers were sleeping, his enemy crept into the field and sowed weeds among all the wheat seeds. Then he snuck away again. Eventually the crops grew—wheat, but also weeds. So the farmer’s workers said to him, “Sir, why didn’t you sow good seeds in your field? Where did these weeds come from?”
“My enemy must have done this,” replied the farmer.
“Should we go pull up all the weeds?” asked his workers.
“No,” said the farmer. “It’s too risky. As you pull up the weeds, you would probably pull up some wheat as well. We’ll let them both grow until harvesttime. I will tell the harvesters to collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned, and only then to harvest the wheat and bring it to my barn.”

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

Well, I have another confession to make. I don’t know how many times I’ve read this passage. I’d have to look up the number of sermons I’ve preached on this passage and used it to talk about the fact that Christian life in a sinful world. God doesn’t take us out of the world, but leaves us here among the thorns and weeds until His harvest-time comes. Then He will separate the wheat from the weeds. He will sort out the good from the bad. Until then, we just put up with some of the evil around us because it’s not going away until He comes again.

I’ve talked in the past about the fate of the two types of plants. The wheat is gathered into bundles and taken into the farmer’s barn to be enjoyed by the farmer and his family. The weeds are bundled and burned. Sounds a lot like the two kinds of punishment meted out at the final judgment, doesn’t it?

I’ve talked about how Satan, God’s enemy does everything he can to spoil the good work God does and sows evil wherever he can. Sometimes Satan even sows evil in the institutional church with its gossip and dissension, its politics, jealousy, and greed. He makes many look more like the world than Christ and so weeds are sown in the middle of God’s field.

But that’s not the confession I need to make today. For the first time, I noticed two important phrases I’ve just passed over time after time as I focused on other parts of this parable. Did you see them? The first one says, “While the workers were sleeping,…” Ouch! The enemy came in while the workers slept! Did you know the Uniform Code of Military Justice carries a punishment up to death for sleeping while on guard? There’s a good reason for that. If you are on guard duty, you are responsible for alerting the rest of the unit if an enemy is on the perimeter and being the first defense to keep the enemy out. If you’re asleep on the job and the enemy breaks in and kills your buddies, you’re essentially an accessory to murder because of your failure to carry out your responsibilities.

So here are these workers sleeping on the job. When they should be watching for the enemy and protecting their boss’ land, they are snoozing under a tree and let the enemy creep in and sow weeds in the field. But that’s not all that happens in the story. Did you catch the second phrase? The workers said to the farmer, “Sir, why didn’t you sow good seeds in your field?”

So here they are blaming the farmer for their negligence. Isn’t that just like too many of us? Oops, I messed this one up, who can I blame! I know, let’s blame God for all the bad things that happen to us. We’re good at that, aren’t we? When in reality, if we would just wake up and keep watch the enemy would never have the opportunity to sneak in and destroy the way we let him. Notice I said we let him! See it’s our choice.

We are not strong enough to stand up against Satan, but God is. The sentry on duty isn’t strong enough to stand up against an attack when the enemy begins to rush the perimeter of a unit. The commander knows that, too. But his job is not to defeat the enemy. His job is to give the warning, alert the rest of the unit, make sure everyone knows the enemy is about to attack. That’s the sentry’s job. So if we will just recognize the enemy is on the perimeter, God will take over and help defeat the enemy. He has already defeated him anyway. Satan just doesn’t know it yet.

All we have to do is stay awake, stay alert, watch for the temptations that Satan sends our way. Then we sound the alarm and bring in the big guns. Call the artillery. Send for reinforcements. Let God deliver us from the attacks that Satan might bring our way. What happens then? Victory! That’s what! Don’t sleep on the job. Stay awake. Stay alert. Sound the alarm. You won’t be sorry when God keeps Satan and his minions outside the gates of your life.

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.