Milo

SLANE

SLANE is an old Irish folk tune associated with the ballad “With My Love on the Road” in Patrick W. Joyce’s Old Irish Folk Music and Songs (1909). It became a hymn tune when it was arranged by David Evans (PHH 285) and set to the Irish hymn “Be Thou My Vision” published in the Church Hymnary (1927).…

1 Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart;
be all else but naught to me, save that Thou art;
be Thou my best thought in the day and the night,
both waking and sleeping, Thy presence my light.

2 Be Thou my Wisdom, be Thou my true Word;
be Thou ever with me and I with Thee, Lord;
be Thou my great Father, and I Thy true son,
be Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one.

3 Be Thou my Breastplate, my Sword for the fight;
be Thou my whole Armor, be Thou my true Might;
be Thou my soul’s Shelter, be Thou my strong Tow’r,
O raise Thou me heav’nward, great Pow’r of my pow’r.

4 Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise,
be Thou mine inheritance, now and always;
be Thou and Thou only the first in my heart,
O High King of heaven, my Treasure Thou art.

5 High King of heaven, Thou heaven’s bright Sun,
O grant me its joys, after vict’ry is won;
Great Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
still be Thou my Vision, O Ruler of all.

“Be Thou My Vision” (Old Irish: Rop tú mo baile or Rob tú mo bhoile) is a traditional Christian hymn of Irish origin. The words are based on a Middle Irish poem that has traditionally been attributed to Dallán Forgaill.

The best-known English version, with some minor variations, was translated in 1905 by Mary Elizabeth Byrne, then made into verse by Eleanor Hull and published in 1912. Since 1919 it has been commonly sung to an Irish folk tune, noted as “Slane” in church hymnals,and is one of the most popular hymns in the United Kingdom.

The original Old Irish text, “Rop tú mo Baile”, is often attributed to Saint Dallán Forgaill in the 6th century.

However, scholars believe it was written later than that. Some date it to the 8th century; others put it as late as the 10th or 11th century. A 14th-century manuscript attributed to Adhamh Ó Cianáin contains a handwritten copy of the poem in Middle Irish, and is held at the National Library of Ireland. A second manuscript is at the Royal Irish Academy, dating from about the 10th or 11th century.

The text of “Rop tú mo Baile”/”Be Thou My Vision” reflects aspects of life in Early Christian Ireland (c.400-800 AD). The prayer belongs to a type known as a lorica, a prayer for protection. The symbolic use of a battle-shield and a sword to invoke the power and protection of God draws on Saint Paul’s Epistle to the Ephesians (Ephesians 6:16–17), which refers to “the shield of faith” and “the sword of the Spirit”. Such military symbolism was common in the poetry and hymnnology of Christian monasteries of the period due to the prevalence of clan warfare across Ireland. The poem makes reference to God as “King of the Seven Heavens” and the “High King of Heaven”. This depiction of the Lord God of heaven and earth as a chieftain or High King (Irish: Ard Rí) is a traditional representation in Irish literature; medieval Irish poetry typically used heroic imagery to cast God as a clan protector.

In 1905, “Rop tú mo Baile” was translated from Old Irish into English by Mary Elizabeth Byrne in Ériu, the journal of the School of Irish Learning. The English text was first versified in 1912 by Eleanor Hull, president of the Irish Literary Society, and this is now the most common text used.

The hymn is sung to the melody noted as “Slane” in hymnals, an Irish folk tune in 3
4 time, first published as “With My Love on the Road” in Patrick Joyce’s Old Irish Folk Music and Songs in 1909. The tune is a more elemental distillation of earlier forms, such as “The Hielan’s o’ Scotland’ and “By the Banks of the Bann,” also compiled in Joyce (1909). The words of “Be Thou My Vision” were first combined with this tune in 1919 (harmonised by Leopold L Dix, 1861-1935), and in a new version harmonised by David Evans in 1927. A further version was harmonised by Erik Routley for the English Hymnal.

In some modern renditions the rhythm of “Slane” is adapted to 4
4.

It was common practice to attribute hymn tune names to the place where they were collected by folk song collectors, such as Ralph Vaughan Williams who co-edited The English Hymnal, published in 1906. Slane is a village in Ireland.

Four more 20th century hymns have been set to the same tune. The first was “Lord of All Hopefulness” written by Jan Struther around 1931.The second was “Lord of Creation, to Thee be All Praise” written by J. C. Winslow and first published in 1961. The third was a popular wedding hymn, “God, In the Planning and Purpose of Life”, written by John L. Bell and Graham Maule and first appearing in publication in 1989. The fourth is “Wake Now My Senses,” written by Thomas Michaelson and published in “Singing the Living Tradition Hymnal” 1994, by the Unitarian Universalist Association.

The original texts of the now-called “Be Thou My Vision” are in Old Irish similar still in style to Modern Irish. The hymn has been translated into Modern Irish many times. The most popular is that by Aodh Ó Dúgain of Gaoth Dobhair, County Donegal. Two verses of his translation were recorded by his granddaughter Moya Brennan – the first time any part of his text has been publicly recorded. Since then, those two verses have been recorded by many artists, including Roma Downey and Aoife and Iona. These verses are very close translations to the first two of the Old Irish text above.

With Old Irish being the ancestor language of Modern Scottish Gaelic, the song was translated by Céitidh Mhoireasdan and published by Sabhal Mòr Ostaig.

Two variants of Eleanor Hull’s 1912 English translation exist; one version, commonly used in Irish and Scottish hymnals (including the Hymnbooks of the Church of Scotland), fits the metre 10.10.10.10, while a paraphrased version that is used in English books (such as the New English Hymnal) is suitable to an anacrucial metre 10.11.11.11.

English version by Eleanor Hull (1912)

Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart;
Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art.
Thou my best Thought, by day or by night,
Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.

Be Thou my Wisdom, and Thou my true Word;
I ever with Thee and Thou with me, Lord;
Thou my great Father, I Thy true son;
Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one.

Be Thou my battle Shield, Sword for the fight;
Be Thou my Dignity, Thou my Delight;
Thou my soul’s Shelter, Thou my high Tow’r:
Raise Thou me heav’nward, O Pow’r of my pow’r.

Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise,
Thou mine Inheritance, now and always:
Thou and Thou only, first in my heart,
High King of Heaven, my Treasure Thou art.

High King of Heaven, my victory won,
May I reach Heaven’s joys, O bright Heav’n’s Sun!
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
Still be my Vision, O Ruler of all.

(The English Methodist version from 1964 omits verse 3.)

Alternative English version by Eleanor Hull (1912)

Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart;
Be all else but naught to me, save that Thou art;
Be Thou my best thought in the day and the night,
Both waking and sleeping, Thy presence my light.

Be Thou my Wisdom, and Thou my true Word;
Be Thou ever with me, and I with Thee, Lord;
Be Thou my great Father, and I Thy true son;
Be Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one.

Be Thou my Breastplate, my Sword for the fight;
Be Thou my whole Armor, be Thou my true Might;
Be Thou my soul’s Shelter, be Thou my strong Tow’r,
O raise Thou me heav’nward, great Pow’r of my pow’r.

Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise;
Be Thou mine inheritance, now and always;
Be Thou and Thou only the first in my heart,
O high King of heaven, my Treasure Thou art.

High King of heaven, Thou heaven’s bright Sun,
O grant me its joys, after vict’ry is won;
Great Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
Still be Thou my vision, O Ruler of all.

English translation by Mary Byrne (1905)

Be thou my vision O Lord of my heart
None other is aught but the King of the seven heavens.

Be thou my meditation by day and night.
May it be thou that I behold ever in my sleep.

Be thou my speech, be thou my understanding.
Be thou with me, be I with thee

Be thou my father, be I thy son.
Mayst thou be mine, may I be thine.

Be thou my battle-shield, be thou my sword.
Be thou my dignity, be thou my delight.

Be thou my shelter, be thou my stronghold.
Mayst thou raise me up to the company of the angels.

Be thou every good to my body and soul.
Be thou my kingdom in heaven and on earth.

Be thou solely chief love of my heart.
Let there be none other, O high King of Heaven.

Till I am able to pass into thy hands,
My treasure, my beloved through the greatness of thy love

Be thou alone my noble and wondrous estate.
I seek not men nor lifeless wealth.

Be thou the constant guardian of every possession and every life.
For our corrupt desires are dead at the mere sight of thee.

Thy love in my soul and in my heart —
Grant this to me, O King of the seven heavens.

O King of the seven heavens grant me this —
Thy love to be in my heart and in my soul.

With the King of all, with him after victory won by piety,
May I be in the kingdom of heaven, O brightness of the sun.

Beloved Father, hear, hear my lamentations.
Timely is the cry of woe of this miserable wretch.

O heart of my heart, whatever befall me,
O ruler of all, be thou my vision.

JESUS’ PROPHECY
Matthew 24–25

“No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father” (Matt. 24:36).

Jesus did make specific predictions about the future. But He emphasized what His servants are to do until the future arrives!

Overview
Jesus answered His disciples’ questions about the end of the age (24:1–28), the signs of His coming (vv. 29–35), and when these things will happen (vv. 36–44). He went on to emphasize the importance of being ready (vv. 45–51), emphasizing the importance of service in two parables (25:1–30). Ultimately Jesus will come again and establish His kingdom (vv. 31–46).

Understanding the Text
“Every one will be thrown down” Matt. 24:1–2. The Jerusalem temple was one of the wonders of the ancient world. Pagans as well as Jews traveled from all across the Roman Empire to see it. No wonder Jesus’ disciples were stunned when Christ said that every stone of the magnificent edifice would be thrown down—a prediction fulfilled by Roman troops inA.D 70, less than four decades after Christ’s crucifixion.
As you and I think about the future, we need to do so with the attitude displayed by Christ. This world, with all its wonders, will come crashing down. Every material thing we hold dear will crumble into dust, or be destroyed with earth itself in blazing fires (cf. 2 Peter 3:10). We can appreciate all man’s accomplishments. But we must fix our hopes on the world to come.

“What will be the sign . . . of the end of the age?” Matt. 24:3–29 Jesus answered the three questions His disciples posed (v. 3), but in reverse order. First Jesus warned against mistaking the ordinary tragedies of war, pestilence, famine, and natural disasters as an indication the world is about to end. All these things are the stuff of which human history has always been woven, ever since Adam’s fall. The world will not improve, nor will Christ’s kingdom come through a gradual uplifting of our fallen race.
The course of human history is downward, not upward. Ultimately it will plunge into the abyss described by Daniel, when one known as the Antichrist desecrates the holy place and the world is plunged into the most dread Tribulation of all (vv. 15–21).
Many have tried to fit what Jesus taught here into a rigid sequence of prophetic events. There is no doubt that Christ’s words are in fullest harmony with those of the Old Testament prophets, and that they “fit” the picture of history’s end drawn in the older revelation. But there is a more important point made here.
Don’t fix your heart on what this world offers. For this world is doomed.
This does not, of course, mean that you and I should not do all we can to promote interpersonal, societal, and international peace. It simply reminds us that mankind requires redemption. Apart from a transforming work of God, no lasting change can or will come.
And, tragically, most human beings will persist in rejecting Jesus and His claims.

“The Son of man will appear in the sky” Matt. 24:30–35. Jesus will return. How will He come? His first coming was quiet. He slipped unobtrusively into our world, a tiny Infant, and grew up in the guise of an ordinary Jewish man. His second coming will be spectacular: all the nations of earth will see Him appear in “power and great glory.”
We need never wonder if Jesus has slipped in among us, unnoticed again. His next appearance will command the attention—and the respect—of all.
We need never be ashamed or embarrassed to witness of the unnoticed Jesus, whom our friends so successfully ignore today. They won’t be able to ignore or overlook Him when He comes again.

“No one knows about that day or hour” Matt. 24:36–44. I can’t imagine how many books and pamphlets have been written, promising to name the date of Christ’s return. How could anyone be so foolish, when Jesus Himself said, “No one knows about that day or hour”?
Yet there’s one positive characteristic in each writing. The authors expected Christ to come back in their own lifetimes.
Ever since the first century, Christians have looked forward to the return of Jesus. I well remember my mother, some 53 years ago as I write this—I was five then—telling me she expected the Lord to come in her lifetime. Today I expect Jesus to come in mine. He may not. But the important thing is that He could.
Why is it important? Because Jesus emphasized it. He said, “You also must be ready, because the Son of man will come at an hour when you do not expect Him.”
If we recognize the perishability of this world, and expect Jesus to come at any moment, how our values and priorities will change! May God give each of us a deep sense of the imminence of Jesus’ return.

“Who then is the faithful and wise servant?” Matt. 24:45–51 This parable is directed to leaders—those responsible for the care and supervision of others. Leaders are to be considerate and concerned with the others’ well-being. The good servant, who treats others in this way, will be rewarded when Jesus comes back. But there are “wicked” servants in leadership who exploit and mistreat others. Ignoring the likelihood of the master’s return, such servants shear rather than feed God’s flock.
As I was writing this paragraph I stopped for a break, and switched on the TV. I saw a news flash. Jim Bakker has just been convicted of 24 counts of fraud: of lying to his TV partners about projects he knew could not be completed, and taking $3.7 million of their contributions for himself and his wife. Later Tammy Faye broke out into song, and told the assembled reporters that this earthly jury doesn’t give the final verdict.
I wonder if she or Jim ever read this parable? Or its conclusion. In the most graphic and severe terms, Jesus speaks of punishment for those wicked servants of God who “beat . . . fellow servants and . . . eat and drink with drunkards” (v. 49).

“Ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom” Matt. 25:1–13. Jewish marriage custom dictated that the bridegroom go to the house of the bride and escort her to his own house. The friends of the bride waited for him to come.
While many fanciful interpretations of this parable have been advanced, the basic point is clear. The bridegroom did not come when expected, but was delayed. And some of the young women waiting to join the bridal party didn’t bring enough oil for their lamps, and the oil ran out.
In this set of illustrations about waiting for the delayed second coming of the Saviour, this parable makes a simple point. Expect Him at any moment. But be prepared for a long wait.
This is the perspective you and I are to adopt as we live our lives on earth. We are to look forward each morning to Jesus’ return, and live as though He were to appear before evening. Yet we are to prepare for a lifetime here, ready to wait as long as it takes for Him to come.

“Entrusted his property to them” Matt. 25:14–30. This familiar parable too focuses on what we are to do while waiting for Christ to return. It makes the point that God has entrusted us with resources—of money, personal gifts, and abilities—and that He expects us to use those resources in His service.
Perhaps the greatest wonder here is that God trusts so much to us, and then gives us the freedom to use what He has given as we choose. God doesn’t stand over us, barking out orders, dotting every i and crossing every t. Instead He steps back. He lets us have the pleasure of taking the initiative, the joy of achieving. He gives us freedom and support, and while He does hold us responsible, He wants us to succeed.
The servant who buried his talent in the ground portrays every Christian who has been afraid to risk stepping out for God, while the servants who made a profit represent each of us who has experienced joy in acting by faith to serve our God.
Like the other parables in this section, this one concludes with a grim picture of the punishment suitable to the failed servant. What we do in this life really does count. We truly must be about our Master’s business.

DEVOTIONAL
Lord, When Did We See You?
(Matt. 25:31–46)
Sometimes it’s best to ignore theology when we read the Bible. Oh, I don’t mean that theological questions shouldn’t be asked. Or that we shouldn’t try to answer them. I just mean that sometimes our earnest study gets in the way, so that we miss something simple that contains a great blessing.
Matthew 25:31–46 is a case in point: the story of the sheep and the goats. The meaning of the story is hotly debated. The “hungry and thirsty” Jesus called His brothers have been variously identified. They are the poor and oppressed, or the Jewish people in the Tribulation era, or the inhabitants of Christendom.
In the same way, the sheep and goat peoples have been taken in a variety of ways. Are they national groups, or individuals? If the passage is talking about salvation, is a “works righteousness” really intended?
While these are important questions, perhaps it’s enough for our devotional reading to note one or two key facts. First, Christ identified Himself with “these brothers of Mine” who live on earth. What we do to meet the needs of others is not just done “for” Christ, but in a significant sense, to Him!
Second, as disciples of Jesus who do hunger or thirst, we can take comfort that Christ shares the experience with us. He does not watch: He participates.
Both the righteous, who help the brothers of Jesus, and the wicked, who do not, were surprised when the basis of their judgment was explained. Just as we may be surprised when Jesus returns to learn how deeply He was involved in our every experience.
Yet, if we tune our hearts and minds to what Jesus teaches here, a great and wonderful peace will come. We truly are not alone, whatever suffering we experience or need we have. Jesus is with us. In His presence we can find comfort and peace.

Personal Application
As you wait for Jesus to appear, remember that He is with you.

Quotable
“Receive every inward and outward trouble, every disappointment, pain, uneasiness, temptation, darkness, and desolation, with both thy hands, as a true opportunity and blessed occasion of dying to self, and entering into a fuller fellowship with thy self-dying, suffering Saviour. Look at no inward or outward trouble in any other view; reject every other thought about it; and then every kind of trial and duress will become the blessed day of thy prosperity.”—William Law

JESUS IN JERUSALEM
Matthew 21–23

” ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment” (Matt. 22:37–38).

Jesus now entered His last week on earth. We see in the events which follow just how deep His love for His Father is.

Overview
Jesus entered Jerusalem hailed as the Messiah (21:1–11), angering temple leaders (vv. 12–17). Jesus condemned a fruitless fig tree symbolizing Israel (vv. 18–22), and told a series of stories which explain the fruitlessness of His people (v. 23–22:14). Jesus turned aside two verbal attacks (vv. 15–33) and silenced His critics (vv. 34–46).
Jesus then pronounced woes on the Pharisees and sages for their spiritual blindness (23:1–36), and lamented over the doomed city of Jerusalem (vv. 37–39).

Understanding the Text
“Your King comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey” Matt. 21:1–11. A fervent desire for the Messiah burned underneath the surface of first-century Judaism, and found expression in a number of short-lived revolts led by pseudo messiahs. Taxes were heavy, and life was hard for the common people. When the crowds acclaimed Jesus, most undoubtedly hoped He would expel the Romans and set up a powerful, independent kingdom.
But Matthew reminded them of Zechariah’s prophecy (9:9). This King came “riding on a donkey.” In the ancient world kings rode horses when they went to war. A visit from a king on a donkey meant that he came in peace!
It’s a helpful reminder for those of us who fear to surrender completely to Christ’s lordship. He came in peace, to bring peace. Surrender to this King will quiet our inner conflicts, not increase them. Surrender to this King offers each of us the gift of perfect peace.

“Jesus entered the temple area” Matt. 21:12–17. Jesus’ coming does not mean peace to everyone. Inside Jerusalem He entered the broad courtyard where merchants licensed by the high priest changed coins and sold animals for sacrifices, and drove them out. This infuriated the chief priests, who made a profit on the trade and, some early sources suggest, were not above extorting more than was fair. But they felt helpless to act against Him because the crowds shouted so enthusiastically for Him.
Not everyone is comfortable when Jesus enters today. There may be a conflict in us as there was in the first-century temple. But God’s house is to be a “house of prayer.” The Christian, who is the living temple of God, is to be completely dedicated to the Lord. Anything dishonest or unholy must be driven out of our lives.

“Found nothing on it except leaves” Matt. 21:18–22. As often happened, the disciples asked Jesus the wrong question when they saw how a fig tree He cursed withered in one day. Their question? “How did You do it?” Jesus in effect suggested the miracle was nothing special. With even a little faith the disciples themselves could perform miracles.
The question they should have asked was, “Why did You do it?” The answer to this question was, “Because the fig tree reminded Me so much of Israel!” Like the fig tree, God’s people seemed to flourish. They were dedicated to God and practiced their religion zealously. But when that religion was carefully examined, there was nothing there but leaves. The tree produced no fruit!
In both Testaments fruit represents the moral product of intimate personal relationship with God. The New Testament summary describes fruit as “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness,” etc. (Gal. 5:22–23). These inner qualities would be expressed socially as the justice and compassion so exhorted by the Old Testament prophets (see Isa. 5:1–7).
What is important to us is that this event introduces a series of stories that explain why the Jews of Jesus’ day failed to produce fruit and alerts you and me to attitudes that will keep us from vital, fruit-producing lives.

“By what authority are You doing these things?” Matt. 21:23–27 It was clear from Christ’s miracles that He was a spokesman authenticated by the Lord. Yet the religious leaders of the Jews refused to accept His authority. Instead, as successors of Moses (see 23:2), they claimed to be religious authorities.
Jesus’ question about John the Baptist, however, revealed their hypocrisy. If they truly had divine authority, they would reveal the truth. Their failure to answer for fear of the crowds showed they really knew the Lord did not stand behind their pronouncements.
We too will be fruitless, unless we acknowledge the authority of Jesus in every area of our lives, and respond obediently to His Word.

” ‘I will, sir.’ But he did not go” Matt. 21:28–32. Jesus’ Parable of the Two Sons drives home an important point. It’s not what we say that reveals our basic attitude toward God. It’s what we do.
I know a number of people who talk religion and holiness very well. And I know that several of them are like the Pharisees, who say they are ready to obey God, but who do not put God’s Word into daily practice. Religious words are the leaves some people use to disguise their fruitlessness.

“Let’s kill him and take his inheritance” Matt. 21:33–46.This story focuses on motives. Why was it that the religious leaders of first-century Judaism refused to respond to Christ’s revelation of His deity and messiahhood? Christ’s analysis is, simply, that they wanted to “take His inheritance.” They did not want to acknowledge His ownership of God’s people, but were addicted to the thrill of running things their own way! And, oh, how the religious leaders hated Jesus for exposing their true motives (vv. 45–46).
All too often we have the same problem. Why don’t we submit to Christ’s lordship? Because we want to run our lives our own way! Never mind that Jesus has every claim to our total allegiance. Never mind that He will make wiser, better choices that are truly for our good. We want to be able to say, with the familiar song, “I Did It My Way.”
What then is Jesus’ prescription for fruitfulness? Three simple steps are given in these three parables. Acknowledge the authority of Jesus. Do what He tells you. Surrender your will to His.
If you and I put these steps into practice daily, we most surely will bear spiritual fruit.

“Everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet” Matt. 22:1–14. One of the most compelling questions that can be asked about Jesus is, “Did He fail?” He came to God’s chosen people, and they rejected and killed Him. What now?
The Parable of the Wedding Banquet answers the question. God’s feast of salvation will have guests aplenty. Since those who were invited first saw fit to refuse, God’s invitation has been extended to street corners and alleys of the whole world, and God gathers “all the people [His servants] can find.” So surely the wedding hall will be “filled with guests.”
But what does the note about an intruder “not wearing wedding clothes” mean? It was common practice for kings to clothe their dinner guests in fine robes. A person who had a right to join the feasting had been clothed by the king.
Many preachers have preached many sermons on this point. Unless we are clothed with righteousness by Jesus Himself we will not be welcome in heaven. And this is, of course, true.
Yet the larger point of Jesus’ story must not be lost. God does not fail when any individual rejects the invitation to be saved. The failure is entirely that of an invited guest, who apart from faith in Christ can never enjoy the good things God has in store for us in eternity. And truly, the invitation is for all. Let’s do our part in sharing that invitation with others, and not be discouraged if of the many we invite, few choose to respond (v. 14).

“Then the Pharisees went out and laid plans to trap Him in His words” Matt. 22:15–46. Jewish writings from the first through third centuries document the contemptuous view the sophisticated leaders in first-century Judea had for the “country bumpkin” people of Galilee. The Pharisees, who were Judeans, could not challenge Jesus’ miracles. But they thought that, in the verbal arena, they could surely show Him up!
The rest of the chapter traces four exchanges between Jesus and these men who spent their lives in study of the traditions of their faith.
Before looking at the first trap, note how the Pharisees used words. The very first thing they did was to try to disarm Christ by a compliment they did not at all mean: “We know you are a Man of integrity and that You teach the way of God in accordance with the truth” (v. 16). They tried to trap Jesus in His words, but their words revealed their deceitful hearts and in fact they trapped themselves! You and I can be sure that what we say is just as revealing about us!
Why did the Pharisees try to get Jesus to either endorse or reject paying taxes to Caesar? In the first century taxes created a heavy burden in the Jewish homeland, actually threatening the survival of some. No wonder this was an incendiary topic. If Jesus did endorse taxes, He must lose favor with the crowds. If He spoke against taxes, the Romans would surely deal harshly with Him!
We can appreciate the cleverness of Christ’s reply. But it’s more important to grasp the principle. We all have a dual citizenship—participants in human society, and at the same time in God’s kingdom. We are to live as good citizens of each, honoring both God and our government.

“The Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection” Matt. 22:23–33. Again, what is striking is the obvious insincerity of those who challenged Christ. They believed there was no resurrection. Why ask a complicated hypothetical question about it?
I suppose the question had been useful in debates with the Pharisees, who did believe in resurrection. In form, the question is reductio ad absurdum.Try to reduce the other person’s position to an absurdity (vv. 24–28).
Christ simply rejected the premise on which the argument rested—that there is such a thing as marriage in the resurrection. And then He went on to expose the Sadducees’ basic unbelief. “You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God.”
Ultimately all our philosophy, all our careful logic, falls short. Our belief rests in confidence in the Scriptures, and assurance in the power of the God who reveals Himself to us in them.

“The greatest commandment in the Law” Matt. 22:34–40. What had led Pharisees and Sadducees astray? These were truly religious men, committed to their beliefs. Christ’s answer to the last question asked Him exposed the flaw. All the Law and the Prophets spoke was intended to nurture love for God and love for one’s neighbor. We pervert the Scriptures if we use them as did the various Jewish parties in the first century to build themselves up and cut their brothers down.
If we come to the Bible to discover how to better love God and others, we will avoid the attitudes which led to the corruption of first-century Judaism, and which were so strongly condemned by our Lord (see Matt. 23).

“Whose Son is He?” Matt. 22:41–46 Jesus then turned the tables and asked His adversaries questions about words. If the Messiah is David’s Descendant, how is it that David acknowledges His superiority (i.e., “calls Him Lord”)? In view of the fact that in Judaism the father is always viewed as superior to the son, there is only one ancestor. Under inspiration David affirmed His deity.
Why is it that “no one could say a word in reply”? It was not because no teacher had ever seen evidence in Scripture that the Messiah would be the Son of God. It was simply that these religious leaders did not want to acknowledge Christ’s authority.
How often this is the issue today. It’s not that people can’t understand the Bible. It’s just that people don’t want to submit to its teachings. What a blessing it is to rid ourselves of such attitudes, and come to Scripture eagerly. What a blessing to love God, and bend every effort simply to please Him.

DEVOTIONAL
Perfect Failures
(Matt. 23)
I suppose almost everyone knows that seven is the number of perfection in Scripture. The Creation was completed in seven days. Each week contains a cycle of seven days. Every seven years Israelites were to rest their fields and leave them unplanted. A seven-branched lamp in the temple represented the illuminating work of the Holy Spirit. And so on.
In view of this, it’s fascinating to note that Jesus’ final words on the Pharisees and teachers of the Law of His day are summed up in seven “woes.” (“Woe” is an expression both of grief and denunciation.) I suppose the fact that there are seven of these “woe” statements indicates that the leaders were “perfect” failures.
So how do we keep from being perfect failures in our own spiritual lives? We avoid their seven deadly sins, each of which is associated with exalting ourselves over others rather than living humble, loving lives. The seven?

1. Shutting others out.
2. Making converts for our own sake and in our own image.
3. Making rules for others despite a lack of personal spiritual insight.
4. Majoring on minor religious issues while ignoring God’s true priorities.
5. Being concerned with appearances rather than personal righteousness.
6. Covering sinful motives with deceitful talk and actions.
7. Professing responsiveness to God as a cloak to hostility.
   Oh, yes. If you want a positive prescription, you might try a simple exercise. Just turn each of these seven around, and make your own list of seven qualities that make for spiritual success!

Personal Application
Be wary, for we too are vulnerable to the attitudes that ensnared the Pharisees.

Quotable
“Humility and self-contempt will obtain our wish far sooner than stubborn pride. Though God is so exalted, His eyes regard the lowly, both in heaven and earth, and we shall strive in vain to please Him in any other way than by abasing ourselves.”—John of Avila

MORE ON GREATNESS
Matthew 19–20

“Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave—just as the Son of man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many” (Matt. 20:26–28).

The world has its own notions of how to achieve greatness in the spiritual realm. But each path the religious recommends is a detour away from the road taken by Jesus.

Overview
Jesus showed the fallacy in paths taken by the legalistic Pharisees (19:1–15) and a rich young man (vv. 16–30). He told a parable to show that greatness isn’t a matter of working harder (20:1–16). True greatness is found in doing the will of God by serving others (vv. 17–26), and putting our own needs aside to meet theirs (vv. 27–34).

Understanding the Text
“Some Pharisees came to Him to test Him” Matt. 19:1–9. As in the earlier dispute of Jesus with the Pharisees over Sabbath-keeping, the real issue here was the Pharisees’ approach to the Law, not the question they raised about divorce.
In the first century two Jewish schools of thought on divorce existed. One school held that divorce should be permitted only in the case of unfaithfulness. The other permitted divorce for any reason at all. What school did Jesus follow?
Jesus did not choose either, but pointed out that God’s ideal was a lifelong partnership. Anything less than the ideal involved sin, for one aspect of sin is falling short of God’s best.
The Pharisees objected. Why then did Moses permit divorce? Jesus said, “Because your hearts were hard.” Understanding the hardness of human hearts, God knew that some marriages would be so destructive and marred by sin that He permitted divorce—even though it was not His ideal!
This answer utterly destroyed the Pharisees’ reliance on Law, for it showed that God’s Law was not the highest spiritual standard at all! The Law itself contained the proof. God’s Law was a lowered standard, evidence of His grace in dealing with the human race.
This lesson was driven home in the next incident. Little children were brought to Jesus, who announced that “the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” In Judaism a child became responsible to keep the Law at 12 or 13. Not even the most strict Pharisee held the “little children” responsible to keep God’s Law! What Jesus said showed that God relates to us in grace, not through Law. God’s children respond to Jesus’ voice, rather than live by rules of “do” and “don’t do.” No Pharisee could achieve greatness, no matter how zealous he was to keep the rules and regulations that were observed as a way of promoting spirituality and pleasing God.
What a lesson for us. Let’s not boast of all we do and do not do for Christ’s sake. Let us simply look into His Word, hear His voice, and respond. As little children, let’s remember that our life with Him is rooted not in what we do for God, but in the grace God showers on us.

“What God has joined together, let man not separate” Matt. 19:6. Doesn’t this verse mean that Christians today are not to divorce? Actually, no. Jesus was responding to an assumption hidden in the Pharisees’ question. They debated divorce because they believed it was the right of an ecclesiastical court to decide who could and who could not divorce and remarry. In Deuteronomy 24 the Law simply said that, when a divorce takes place, the husband is to give the wife a “certificate of divorce.” This written document was proof that she was unmarried, and could (and in most cases did) remarry. In the first century courts of sages, referred to in Scripture as “experts in the Law,” sat in judgment on who could and could not divorce. At times they even forced husbands to grant their wives written bills of divorce. What Jesus meant when He said, “Let man not separate,” was that no ecclesiastical court had the right to sit in judgment on a divorce case. As the Old Testament decreed, this is a matter for the husband and wife alone to determine.
What a reminder to us today, for we too have a tendency to sit in judgment in this most painful and tragic of situations. We cannot condone divorce. But, with Jesus, we must confess that in some cases it is necessary. No pastor, board, or denominational court of inquiry has the right to say to one couple no, and to another yes. And no such ecclesiastical court has the right to authorize one person to remarry, and to deny remarriage to another.
The way of the Pharisee is unacceptable to God—whether in Jesus’ day or in our own.

“What good thing must I do to get eternal life?” Matt. 19:16–22 The rich young man represents another approach people have taken in an effort to achieve spiritual greatness. When questioned, the young man showed that unlike many in his day he had consistently tried to do what is right in every human relationship.
But each of the commands quoted by Jesus (vv. 18–19) came from the “second tablet” of the Ten Commandments. That tablet sets standards for man’s relationship with other men. What about the “first tablet,” and those commands which deal with man’s personal relationship with the Lord?
Jesus’ answer, “Go sell your possessions and give to the poor. . . . Then come, follow Me” (v. 21), was designed to show the young man that his wealth came before God. That individual “went away sad,” for he was wealthy. In a choice between God, in the person of the Son of God, and money, this young man chose money.
The first commandment of the Ten is, “You shall love the Lord your God.” No matter how benevolent or just a person may be in his relationships with others, unless he or she loves God supremely, there can be no spiritual growth or achievement.
Let’s remember this when the humanist praises good works, and assumes all that counts is being or doing good. The best person in the world who does not love God has broken the first and greatest commandment, for our supreme obligation is to love the Lord.

“Who then can be saved?” Matt. 19:23–26 When Jesus remarked that it is difficult for a rich man to enter the kingdom, the disciples were shocked. The ordinary man viewed the wealthy as blessed by God, for they had the opportunity to do good with their wealth and so gain merit with God. Jesus had a different perspective. The more we have, the more our possessions may possess us! The more we may consider how a choice affects our bottom line, rather than how that choice honors God. It is hard for a person with many resources tied up in this world to focus his or her attention on the next.
Thank God that He can do what we cannot. We can be saved for eternity. And we can be saved from slavery to our wealth so that we can instead become slaves of God.

“We have left everything to follow You” Matt. 19:27–30. Peter and the other disciples did not choose to follow Jesus for what they gained. But, like them, we sometimes wonder, “What will there be for us?”
Jesus’ answer is reassuring. No one who follows Christ will lose! What we gain will be a hundred times as valuable as what we may be asked to give up (v. 29). All this . . . and eternal life too!

“He agreed to pay them a denarius” Matt. 20:1–15. This story of Jesus troubles many. It’s obvious that the owner of the vineyard wasn’t fair. Oh, he paid the first workers fairly: we know that a denarius was a day’s wages in the first century. But we can understand why those who had worked all day for the agreed wage were upset when, at the end of the day, those who had labored just a few hours got as much as they did.
So what was Jesus saying? Simply this. Some people want to put relationship with God on a work-for-hire basis. “I’ll work harder at being a good Christian than others. I’ll go to more meetings. Serve on more committees. Be out every night of the week.” And these folks often assume they’ll be rewarded for being so busy.
The problem is, relationship with God is based on His generosity (v. 15). God relates to us in grace, not on the basis of works. The person who serves God out of love will, of course, be rewarded. But the person who serves actively because he thinks this is the way to make points with the Lord is doomed to disappointment. We don’t advance spiritually by being busy.
This too is a lesson we need to learn. God calls us to love Him, and serve others. We can become so caught up in doing things for Him that we forget to simply love Him. And we forget to stop, listen to people, and try to respond to their needs. The person who is so active in church may very well be drying up spiritually, and spending his or her energies in an unproductive way.

“So the last will be first, and the first will be last” Matt. 20:16. This is the second repetition of this saying in our chapters (cf. 19:30). What does it mean? Simply that those who appear to be first in the spiritual lineup, based on their strict religion, their benevolence, or their active involvement in church affairs, won’t be first when Judgment Day arrives. When we appear before the Judgment Seat of Christ to receive our rewards, those at the head of the line will be simple folk who have heard Christ’s message about greatness, and have taken it to heart. Those who, as Jesus taught in Matthew 18, seek out and rejoice with the lost, seek harmony within the body of Christ, and are ready to forgive others because they themselves have been forgiven by God.

DEVOTIONAL
What Do You Want Me to Do?
(Matt. 20:17–34)
Somehow, we can’t seem to get it through our heads, can we? I suppose it’s all right. Even Jesus’ disciples took such a long time to comprehend the simple thing Jesus taught. You want to be great? Then serve.
James and John didn’t understand. They asked their mother (or so the other disciples thought!) to lobby Jesus for the top positions in His kingdom. Jesus just shook His head, and told the two they didn’t know what they were asking. High rank in the kingdom of Jesus calls for drinking His cup (vv. 22–23). And that cup, in Jesus’ case, was death on the cross (vv. 17–19).
Jesus tried to explain. High position in the secular world means having authority: it means lording over people. Jesus on the other hand came to be a Servant and, like a slave, to put the good of another before His own (vv. 25–28). I suspect the disciples still didn’t see what Jesus meant. Perhaps we wouldn’t see it either, if it weren’t for the incident with which this chapter ends.
Jesus led His disciples away from Jericho, up the road that led to Jerusalem and His crucifixion. How heavy His heart must have been, for He knew what lay ahead. As He left, two blind men, hearing from the crowd that Jesus was near, cried out urgently. The crowd tried to hush them. But the men shouted all the louder. And Jesus stopped. He called them to Him, and He asked, “What do you want Me to do for you?”
And at last we understand. Greatness in the kingdom of Jesus is stopping for the needs of others. It is setting aside for the moment our own hurts and concerns, to listen, and then to ask, “What do you want me to do for you?”
We may be little in the eyes of other men. But if we follow Christ’s example of servanthood, we will be great in the eyes of God.

Personal Application
Begin each day asking God for an opportunity to serve.

Quotable
“Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can and as long as you can.”—John Wesley

KINGDOM GREATNESS
Matthew 18

“Unless you change . . . you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself as this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 18:3–4).

The question about greatness is important. Today too Christians need to understand Christ’s answer.

Overview
The mark of greatness in Christ’s kingdom is a childlike responsiveness to the Lord (18:1–5) that guards others (vv. 6–9) by seeking the lost (vv. 10–14), seeking reconciliation (vv. 15–19), and forgiving freely as we have been forgiven (vv. 20–35).

Understanding the Text
“He called a little child and had him stand among them” Matt. 18:1–5. The significance of so many Gospel stories and sayings depends on what has happened just before them. Matthew 16 reported the failure of Israel to respond to Jesus, expressed in the open rejection of leaders and in the failure of the people to recognize Christ as Son of God. Now, in response to a question about greatness, Christ “called a little child.” The child, unhesitating, came in response to Christ’s call and “stood among them.”
The key to greatness in God’s kingdom is to respond just as unhesitatingly to the call of the King. You and I can “change and become like little children.” We can hear and obey Jesus’ voice. In the simple life of obedience we achieve what so many yearn for: greatness in God’s sight.
What a tremendous blessing this is. Not many of us will become famous, or be remembered for notable achievements. Yet the simplest Christian can respond to God’s voice, and in responding be truly great.

“If anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin” Matt. 18:6–9. Outsiders (the “world”) will try to cause “one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin” (v. 6). Outsiders will actively try to cause Christ’s disciples to stumble. It would be better for them to have drowned before doing so (vv. 6–7), or to lose the member of the body used to cause sin (vv. 8–9).
These words underline the importance of encouraging the attitude of “little oneness.” It’s difficult enough to maintain an attitude of childlike trust and responsiveness that is to characterize citizens of Jesus’ kingdom. In fact, one of the most important missions of the church is to nurture this attitude in its members. We must remember that children aren’t thrust out into the world alone. They are kept safe within the warm and loving context of the family. In the Christian family, the church, we can help each other become truly great.
Sometimes Christians hinder rather than help others respond to Jesus in simple faith. One question we need to constantly ask ourselves is: How can I help others love and respond to Jesus Christ?
If we’re uncertain about the answer to that question, then the rest of Matthew 18 is particularly important. Here we are shown just how to help others live in a “little one” relationship with Christ and His church!

“If a man owns a hundred sheep” Matt. 18:10–14. The famous story reminds us that we human beings are very much like sheep. We are prone to go astray. Yet here Jesus pictured the shepherd hurrying off to find the one of his hundred sheep who was lost. Older versions beautifully capture the emotions of the shepherd who finds his lost sheep: he “brings it home rejoicing.”
Nurturing “little oneness” in others means remembering that they too are likely to go astray, and that they too are precious. When one does go astray, we are to take the initiative and seek restoration. Perhaps most striking, when we find the straying little one we bring him or her home “rejoicing.” There are no recriminations. No attempts to make the person who strayed feel guilt. There is simply joy that one lost has been found.
We need to remember and apply this principle in dealing with our children. Yes, they’ll go astray at times. When they come back let’s avoid recriminations. Showing our joy that they are home again will do more to prevent future straying than any punishment in the world!

“If your brother sins against you” Matt. 18:15–20. A new analogy is introduced, to stand alongside that of Christ’s little ones as sheep. Jesus’ people are family. And, as in any family, the children are sure to sin against one another. There will be jealousy. There will be competition. There will be lies. There will be hurts given and received. How do we handle the family spats that are so destructive of Christian “little oneness”?
Jesus gives a three-step procedure. Go to the person and show him his fault. If he listens (and here our forgiveness is implied, cf. v. 21), family harmony is restored. If he does not, bring along one or two others and try again. Finally, involve the whole church family. If the brother still refuses to listen, then “treat him as you would a pagan or tax collector.” This phrase points to church discipline: not one member of the Christian community is to have fellowship with that individual.
How does this preserve “little oneness”? And who is the process designed to help? It helps everyone! It helps the person at fault, for the disciplinary process encourages confession and restoration. It helps the person hurt, for confession removes the obstacle to feeling close again. And it helps the congregation, which has shared in a process that affirms the importance of intimate, loving relationships as the context for our life together as little ones of Jesus. With that fellowship intact, we have a very special confidence in prayer (vv. 19–20).
I know. It’s hard to go to someone and tell him what he did has hurt me. It’s hard to confront. But Jesus commands it. And remember, responding to the voice of the King is the key to greatness in the kingdom of God.

“How many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me?” Matt. 18:21–22 Peter is such an attractive character. He’s a leader. He’s a risk taker. He’s quick to speak up, eager to please, and always very human in his strengths and weaknesses.
This time Peter displayed what he must have thought was a special dedication. “OK, Lord,” he seemed to say. “I’m ready to try it. Why, I’ll even forgive my brother if he sins against me seven times!”
Just how great a dedication this was is illustrated by rabbinic teaching of the time. The rabbis held that a person could be forgiven a repeated sin three times. But the fourth time, there was no forgiveness. Peter was saying he was willing to go further than anyone expected, in order to obey the Lord.
Many times we’re like Peter. When you serve 25 church dinners, and no one even says, “Thanks,” by the 26th you wonder. You begin to feel you’re being taken advantage of, and it’s not quite a labor of love anymore. When you forgive a person for repeated sins, as the offenses mount you become more and more upset. You feel that, if the person were really sorry, he or she wouldn’t do it anymore. Yes, we’re ready to do more than anyone has a right to expect. But there are limits.
Christ’s call for “seventy-seven times” established a totally new principle. In the community of faith, there are to be no limits on mutual forgiveness. There are to be no limits on obedience! We are to continue to live as “little ones,” responding to Jesus whatever others around us may say or do.

DEVOTIONAL
Canceled Debts
(Matt. 18:18–35)
When our Lord called for brothers and sisters in God’s family to extend unlimited forgiveness to each other (vv. 15–22), He didn’t explain how this would help the repeat offender grow in holiness. That was left for the Apostle Paul to explain in 2 Corinthians 5.
What Jesus did do was give us the most compelling reason of all to forgive one an other. That reason is expressed in the story of a servant who owed a king a great debt. When the servant could not pay, the king “took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go” (v. 27). Then the servant met a fellow servant, who owed him a paltry sum, and “had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt” (v. 30). The king was angered when he heard. It was hardly appropriate for one who had been forgiven so much to make such an issue of a debt which was so little.
The thrust of the story depends largely on the amounts of money Jesus mentioned. In the first century, a denarius was a silver coin representing one day’s wages for a working man. A talent was a sum equal to 3,000 denarii, so the first servant’s debt was the equivalent of 30,000,000 days’ wages! If the first servant had labored every workday for 50 years, and given every cent earned to the king, it would have taken him some 2,725 lifetimes to pay his debt! Yet each of us has but a single lifetime to live. By any measure, the debt owed the king was unpayable, and the 100 denarii owed by the second servant was insignificant.
What a reminder when we find our hearts hardening toward a brother or sister after a few repeated hurts. God, the great King, has forgiven us an absolutely unpayable debt. He has forgiven our sins, simply because He took pity on us. In contemplating the forgiveness we have received from God, we find the grace we need to forgive one another.

Personal Application
Next time you find it hard to forgive, meditate on the forgiveness you have received from our Lord.

Quotable
“If you want to work for the kingdom of God, and to bring it, and to enter into it, there is just one condition to be first accepted. You must enter it as children, or not at all.”—John Ruskin