The Wicked Tenant Farmers

Mark 12:1-12.  This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on August 2, 2020.

We live in a day and age where there are difficult tensions on every hand.  The parable that we will read today reminds us that not all who claim to be God’s ministers and His people actually are.  The world takes advantage of this to accuse the Church and project it as irrelevant and non-essential.  Thus, true believers have to wrestle with the reality that not all who say, “Lord, Lord…” belong to Jesus, and yet the only hope for those who don’t believe in Jesus is to hear his Gospel and connect in a fruitful life with him and his people.

Two things must happen in these final hours of our work in this Age of Grace.  First, believers must get serious about having a living connection to Jesus, the Lord of Life.  We cannot afford to superficially participate in the things of God, and this goes for the average Christian and Christian leaders.  Second, we must be more convinced than ever that unbelievers will perish if they don’t hear the Gospel, believe on Jesus, and connect to his people.

This is a day that calls for boldness, but not a boldness in wickedness.  Rather, we need a humble boldness that does the work that Jesus has sent us to do though the whole world (other “believers” included) rails against us.

Jesus teaches with a parable

We are entering a section of Mark that apparently lasts for several days (note that Mark 14:1 says, “after two days”).  During this time, Jesus is teaching in the temple compound and interacting with the incensed religious leaders.  The main point of this parable of the Wicked Tenant Farmers is concerning the religious leaders.  However, if we take this parable and link it with the many other Scriptures that speak of God’s vineyard and spiritual fruit, we will find that it explodes with much more meaning and teaching than what is presented in our passage.

Now, parables teach a lesson about spiritual things by using the natural things of this life.  If Jesus were teaching today, he would no doubt have a parable about wicked property managers, hedge fund managers, or even rush hour commutes.  The natural story provides an illustration to the spiritual message it underscores.  Let’s look at the different elements of this story.

The owner is God.  He is the one who called Moses to co-labor with him in planting Israel in the promised land and setting up its spiritual care.

The vineyard is Israel as a nation.  Israel represented the visible kingdom of God (i.e. what God is doing in the visible realm).  Each person is a branch on the natural vine of Israel, but can only be fruitful if they are connected to the spiritual vine, which is God.

The vinedressers or tenant farmers are the spiritual leaders of Israel.  Vinedresser or tenant farmer translate a Greek word that literally means ground/earth worker.  It is where we get the English name George.  Since this is in the context of grape vines, these are the workers who tend the vines, harvest its fruit, and manufacture its wine.  Everything they do should be about making the vine healthy and fruitful.  The spiritual leaders are, of course, vines themselves.  Israel was not made for them and it did not belong to them.  They were simply serving Israel so that it could bear the fruit God intended.

The servants sent by the owner are the prophets of God.  God had been faithful to send servants who were inspecting the fruitfulness of the leader’s work.  Historically, the prophets were treated poorly and shamefully.  There does seem to be an increase in the wicked treatment of these prophets, but the final statement is that many other servants were sent, some beaten, and some killed.  The point is that this owner has been extremely patient and forgiving with these leaders of Israel, and the leaders have been extremely wicked.

The son of the owner is Jesus.  Here, Jesus presents himself as a unique servant.  The other servants were not biologically connected to the owner, but the son is.  Of course, outside of the analogy, God is spirit and thus, the biological should not be placed upon the relationship between Jesus and the Father.  Jesus is the One and Only unique Son of God.  Yes, we have been given the right to be called Sons of God, but that is in the sense of an adoption, a legal action.  However, Jesus is a Son of God by right of his being.  He alone is of the same being as the Father and has existed with Him from eternity past in an eternal unity.  The owner sends his son with the hope that they would respect him above the other servants.

The killing of the son is the coming crucifixion, only days away.  The parable presents that the spiritual leaders will knowingly kill the heir so that they can have the land to themselves.  Thus, they are greedy, unwilling to surrender their control over God’s people, and wicked.

We should not miss another layer to this parable.  The devil and his angels will also be guilty of this in the crucifixion.  They too are usurpers who attempt to lord their power over humans to the exclusion of God.  They will find themselves in the same boat as the first century leaders of Israel.

Jesus gives the moral lesson

The story ends at verse 8.  In some ways, this story is a moral obscenity that doesn’t need too much explanation.  However, mankind is making the same mistakes today.  The leaders of this world, both religious and secular, are seeking to kill the concept of God so greatly that the only thing left will be for the people of the world to look to them as gods.  In a sense, they desire to harness the people of the world for their own plans and ignore the rightful claims of God who is the true owner.

The main lesson that Jesus intends is brought to the forefront by the question, “What will the owner of the vineyard do?”  God would destroy the spiritual leaders of Israel and get new ones who would do the job righteously. 

Jesus is warning that a destructive event is on the horizon that would wipe out these spiritual leaders who were confronting him.  The priestly tribe of Levi and the high-priestly line of Aaron were going to be rejected with new priests and ministers taking their place.  We should always remember that no one is indispensable among God’s people.  It belongs to Him.  John the Baptist warned his generation that God was able to raise up children of Israel from the stones on the ground if He needed.  If we use God’s people and institutions for our own purposes and abuse the true believers then we too will find a destructive event in our future in which we perish and God raises up others to take our place.

Jesus then reminds them that this had been foretold in Scripture (Psalm 118:22-23).  By the way, this is the Messianic Psalm that the crowds were quoting at the triumphal entry just days before this.  The picture is that the master builders will reject the cornerstone sent to them by God.  However, God will overrule their rejection and make him the chief cornerstone. 

We actually have a different analogy or picture that is one of a stone building.  The Son of God is the critical stone in the building of God, but the project workers are rejecting him.  The spiritual leaders were supposed to help Israel connect to the Son of God as the true vine of Israel.  In a sense, Jesus had always been the spiritual vine of Israel, but now he would walk among them.  Instead, the spiritual leaders were rejecting the true vine and keeping the people connected to them, or even worse, to an evil spiritual vine.

Psalm 118 then pictures believers rejoicing in the marvelous work of God overturning the leaders, and shouting, “Hosanna!  Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD!”  Isaiah 28:16 picks up this same theme and declares that God Himself will set His precious cornerstone in the face of the rebellious leaders.  This also connects with the many passages that refer to a stumbling stone (see Isaiah 8:14).  Daniel 2:45 pictures a stone cut out by the hands of God, which crushes the beast kingdoms and fills the earth.  In 1 Peter 2:4-6, Peter pictures the rebuilding of a spiritual temple upon Jesus with those who believe upon him.

All the prophets had warned of this spiritual malpractice by the leaders of Israel, and the destruction that awaited them.  Thus, the leaders of Israel had no excuse.  God had warned them.  If this is true of them then what about Christian leaders?  If the leaders of Israel were without excuse then we are doubly without excuse because we have the Scriptures and the example of what God did to those first century spiritual leaders.  Christian leaders need to make sure they are not guilty of these same things “in the name of the Lord.”

This parable is also told in Matthew 21.  In verses 43-44, Matthew records some extra statements of Jesus that are not found in Mark 12.  Verse 43 says, “Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it.”  Jesus speaks of a new nation because the problem was not just with the leaders of Israel.  The vineyard analogy goes back to Isaiah chapter 5, where the prophet says that the vineyard itself is bearing wild grapes that cannot be used.  Therefore, the vineyard itself will be destroyed.  The destruction of national Israel within 40 years of the rejection of Jesus becomes an event in which God removes Israel as a nation and raises up a new nation, the Church.  Branches of national Israel who believed upon Jesus were transplanted throughout the world with spiritual leaders that would be both Jew and Gentile, under the everlasting covenant of the Messiah.  This is what Peter is talking about in 1 Peter 2:9, “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light!”  It is a nation that is not of one ethnicity, or of a particular geography, but a spiritual nation connected by the blood of Jesus and our capital city, the New Jerusalem, in heaven.  This new nation would receive the remnant of the old vineyard and increase it.

Clearly, the leaders of the Church have not all learned the lessons of the past, and not all Christians, who are not leaders, either.  Wake up Church of God!

Matthew 21:44 says, “And whoever falls on this stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder.”  There are only two options when it comes to Jesus, God’s cornerstone.  You will either fall upon him broken, or you will be crushed by him and ground into powder.

The first is a picture of a humbled person who is broken by the recognition of their sins.  They are falling on Jesus in repentance and responding to the Spirit of God to follow Him.  Though they are broken, he will be their healer.  The second is the picture of the wicked person who will be broken on the judgment day.  For most, that will be when they stand before him in judgment at the Great White Throne.  For some, that will be at the Second Coming when Jesus comes to cast out the usurpers of the earth and bring in everlasting righteousness. 

How about you today?  Are you casting yourself upon Jesus in humble repentance?  Are you connecting to him as the true spiritual vine, and drawing life?  Are you bearing the fruit that God desires, or is it only wild grapes?  This world needs believers who have the true fruit of God, so that they can have a chance of avoiding the coming day of God’s wrath upon the wicked.  May God help us to live for Jesus!

Wicked Tenant Farmers audio

The Authority of Jesus

Mark 11:27-33.  This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on July 26, 2020.

With the advent of this summer’s protests and the consequent actions, the question of authority is a timely one.  The First Amendment of the US Constitution recognizes the God-given right of every citizen to peaceably assemble in order to give voice to their concerns, and to ask for redress of their grievances- what the Bible would call justice.  Thus, the founding generation saw God as the one who authorizes our right to do so, not the government.

However, if God has authorized the action that you are taking then you had better do it in a way that is pleasing to him because you will be accountable to him.  This is why our founders added the word “peaceably.”  Those authorized by God must work peaceably in this age of his grace.

The same can be said for police officers who are to protect and defend the public good.  It is God who tells men that they are to uphold righteousness within their nations.  Each nation is responsible to set up the means of authorizing individuals to serve as police, and as judges, so that righteousness may flourish.  Thus, there is a divine and human aspect to their authority.  Again, let us not forget that an authorized person must act in accordance with and under the direction of that which authorizes them.  Of course, this all applies as well to protesters as well.

Today, we are going back to the week leading up to the crucifixion of Jesus, and to the question of just what authorized Jesus to do what he did.

The religious leaders question the authority of Jesus

Just the day before our passage, Jesus had driven the vendors and money changers out of the temple compound.  The chief priests, scribes, and the elders of Israel were probably in shock at the time, but they have had their private discussions overnight and they are determined to publicly confront Jesus.  Just who does he think he is?  No doubt, they were watching for him to come into the temple area that day.

When he does, they are quick to confront him with a two-pronged question that is ultimately one.  By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?  Now, the immediate context would suggest that this is not about his itinerant teaching in Israel and the working of miracles.  Rather, they are questioning him about his right to interfere in the operations of the temple and to make it his public place of teaching.  You see, they were the ones who had authorized the vendors and money changers to be there in the first place.  Jesus had not so much challenged their authority, but rather, the particular things that they were using their authority to authorize.  They legitimately sat in the seat of Moses, but they were not making legitimate judgments and decisions.  They were unwilling to receive the public rebuke and were attempting to turn the tables on Jesus, so to speak.

Just because a person holds a position that is legitimately authorized by humans, it does not mean that they are actually authorized.  In Jeremiah 23:32, God rebukes the false prophets of that day. 

‘“Behold, I am against those who prophesy false dreams,” says the Lord, “and tell them, and cause My people to err by their lies and by their recklessness.  Yet, I did not send them or command them; therefore, they shall not profit this people at all,” says the LORD.’ (NKJV)

Whether some of these guys falsely obtained their positions, or they held them legitimately, they were at the least misusing their authority.  God was not pleased with their judgments.  All authority in this world is ultimately answerable to God for its actions.  Those who questioned Jesus did not realize that they should have been asking themselves that question regarding each decision that they were making.  It is precisely their failure in this area that made it necessary for God to send His Son to set things right.

It can look like Jesus is avoiding the question, but notice that he actually promises to answer it, if they will answer his question first.  “Was John’s baptism from heaven or men?”  This is essentially the same question that they were asking, but regarding John the Baptist.  Who gave him the authority to do what he had done?  This is a masterful turn of the tables because they are assuming to be the proper authorities and are in judgment of him.  Jesus essentially says, “Let’s see if you can judge the case of John the Baptist before you judge mine.”

Now, John’s ministry was far less controversial than the ministry of Jesus, but it was adversarial to the religious leaders nonetheless.  They had not authorized John to baptize people in the Jordan River.  He seemed to be skipping around their domain at the temple.  John even publicly declared that they were a brood of vipers who needed to flee the wrath that was coming (Matthew 3:7).  John 1:19-28 gives us a picture of these religious leaders examining John the Baptist.  Jesus is merely asking them to publicly declare the conclusion of their investigations into John.  Was following himself, or another man, or had God sent him?

There is another aspect to this.  It was John who publicly declared that he saw the Holy Spirit come upon Jesus, and that he was the one that he had been promising would come after him, the Messiah.  If John was authorized then it was most likely that Jesus was too.

It appears that they have a sort of huddle to determine their answer.  However, they are in a predicament.  If they say that John was authorized by heaven (God) then Jesus will ask them why they didn’t believe him, and embrace his ministry.  Yet, on the other hand, if they say that John was not authorized by God then they feared what the people would say and do because it was popularly felt that John was a true prophet of God. 

Here, we see part of the problem with all authorities and their authorizing mechanisms.  They typically fear people more than they fear God.  They rely upon the power of their position, but they always realize that if enough people reject them then they will lose it.  What do powerful people who do not fear God do in such circumstances?  They operate behind the scenes and in the dark to manipulate the passions of the crowd.  O, Christian, let us not be caught up in the manipulations of wicked people, who have no fear of God, but rather, let us hear the crying of the voice in the wilderness.

“Prepare the way of the LORD; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.  Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill brought low; the crooked places shall be made straight and the rough places smooth…”  (Isaiah 40:3 NKJV)

There are a lot of mountains that are yet to be brought low, and a lot of crooked people, both in leadership and among the people.  God has a day of dealing with such, if they refuse to repent, but let us be about our Father’s business!

The leaders decide to say that they do not know by what authority John did what he did.  Jesus then responds that neither will he answer their question.  Those who refuse to give sound judgments do not deserve an answer because they do not seek truth, but are only serving themselves.  Very few people in our day and age are actually seeking truth.  Those who start out to do so are often hijacked by false prophets and the false wisdom of this age.  If you are hungering and thirsting after righteousness, and if you are in a daily relationship with God through prayer, studying the scriptures and doing the commands of Christ, then you will be able to navigate these times of peril in which we live.

Was Jesus authorized?  Completely!  The Scriptures foretold his coming, and it was even testified by Moses who said that a prophet would come that would be like him, raising up the house of God.  They would need to listen to him.  The prophet John had publicly revealed who Jesus was.  The Spirit of God had powerfully worked through his ministry.  He was the Son of God who had come to that which was his own.  He was the Good Shepherd seeking out the lost sheep of Israel before the wolves would come and have their way.  He is the only way to the Father by which all men must be saved!  Yes, Jesus was authorized, but they refused to accept it because they loved lies rather than truth.

How about me?  How about you?  May God help us to love truth more than lies, even when the truth publicly reveals that I have not been as good as I have pretended before the world.  Such a person will find Jesus and in him find eternal life!

Authority of Jesus Audio

A Fruitful Tree

Mark 11:12-21.  This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on July 5, 2020.

Today, we will look at the Gospel of Mark and follow the actions of Jesus during the days following his Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem.  Jesus was ready to force the point, or rather, the question, “Who do you say that I am?”  Is Jesus truly savior and king, or is he a despised thing to be cast aside?

In reading the scriptures, it is easy to see the faults of Israel and its religious leaders.  However, the lesson is intended for us to search our own hearts and ferret out those inevitable aspects of our flesh that would undermine true worship of God.  This is important because there is a lot of lip-service that is given to justice and righteousness in our society, and yet, they really are important.  Am I just a loud noise that internally has no substance?  Do I cry for justice, but then turn around and abort?  Do I cry for justice, but then dishonor my neighbor?  Do I cry for solutions, but won’t lift a finger to embrace the solution that God has already placed in front of me?  I could go on, but let’s look into our passage and allow the Holy Spirit to search our hearts because God is looking for people who will be a fruitful tree, rather than a thorny bush in these last days.

Jesus comes back to Jerusalem

It is clear that the Triumphal entry happens on a Sunday, or the first day of the week.  We are told that Jesus had retired that evening to a small town called Bethany that was less than a mile east of Jerusalem.  We must remind ourselves that this is the week before the Passover Feast, which means that more and more pilgrims were arriving in the city every day.  Our passage opens on Monday morning, and Jesus is leading his disciples back into busy Jerusalem.

On the way, there is an episode involving a fig tree.  Why did Jesus leave Bethany without eating something?  Why can’t he wait until he arrives in Jerusalem to get some food?  We have no answer to these kinds of questions.  However, the logistics of this episode are not the issue because there is clear symbolism in what happens.  I am not saying that Jesus was faking his hunger just to make a point.  Rather, the situation becomes parabolic of Israel as a nation.  The disciples are recording this for that reason, and not just because it was a spectacular miracle.

This was an area that had many fig trees.  In fact, a nearby village called Bethphage literally means house of unripe figs.  However, it was not yet time for the trees to be ripe.  We are told that Jesus sees a fig tree that has leaves, and that draws his attention.  This is because those trees grow the fruit first and then grow leaves.  In other words, the fact that there were leaves was an indication that there would be some fruit.  Yet, when Jesus gets to it, it has none.

At this point, Jesus curses the tree with the phrase, “Let no one eat fruit from you again.”  This may make Jesus look petulant, but the issue is not really about his hunger.  Israel was created by God so that they could be fruitful for the purposes of God.  It had all manner of outward signs that signaled that it should have fruit, but when God came to inspect, He found none.  Notice that this is not a rejection of the fruit, but the lack of any fruit altogether. 

Other scriptures using the image of an olive tree give a more nuanced picture that recognizes that there was a fruitful remnant within Israel.  This was despite the work of the nation’s religious leaders.

Jesus moves on and enters Jerusalem with his disciples.  They then go into the temple compound.  When we talk about Jesus entering the temple, a word is used here that does not refer only to the inner-most building that housed the Holy of Holies with the Ark of the Covenant.  It actually refers to the whole temple compound, which had a series of courtyards and porches built around it.  For our purposes, it would be good to get a rough sense of where this situation is happening.

The inner-most building could only be entered by the priests with only the High Priest on one day of the year able to go into the Holies of Holies.  Outside this structure was the courtyard of priests where all the sacrifices took place.  Just outside of this was an area that was called the courtyard of men.  This was the closest that Israelite men could approach.  Outside of this walled off area, there was another courtyard called the courtyard of women.  This was the closest that an Israelite female could approach.  Beyond this walled off area, there was a large courtyard that was north, east, and south of the closer courtyards.  This was called the courtyard of Gentiles.  This was the closest that a non-Israelite person could approach.  It is most likely here that the event takes place.

We are told that Jesus begins to drive out those who were buying and selling in the courtyard.  They were selling guaranteed pre-approved animals and birds for the sacrifices.  This would be convenient for people who were traveling longer distances, even some by boat.  Yet, they paid an exorbitant price for the convenience.  It had become a money making scheme most likely given in nepotism, or through bribery.  Thus, a whole industry had been built up that made money off of the activity of religion, just as there were others built around the activity of government.  The trade is not illicit, but the ways in which it was generally being done was.  It doesn’t take a brain surgeon to recognize similar things that exist today. 

Jesus also overturns the tables of the money-changers.  Pilgrims would arrive from all over the Roman world with Gentile money.  All adult males were required to pay an annual temple tax.  This was to be paid with an Israeli Shekel.  This too was exchanged at exorbitant rates that were not fair.  Even if there had been no overcharging, Jesus objects to the location of the activity as well.

Jesus takes time to teach the onlookers why he was doing these things.  He first reminds them of the stated purpose for the temple compound.  It was not just for Israel, even though Gentiles were prohibited from entering into the inner courtyards.  It was intended to be a house of prayer for all nations.  This means that the courtyard of the Gentiles would be would be the closest place where a believing Gentile could come to God’s temple and pray to Him.  This is important.  The religious leaders did not care for the praying of the Gentiles.  They only cared about the money they could make from the convenience to the Israelites that God had required to offer sacrifice.  Making things convenient is not necessarily bad, but when it runs counter to God’s stated purpose, it is.  The Gentiles would have to pray in the middle of a marketplace filled with smelly animals and loud commerce, which is anything but conducive.

Secondly, Jesus uses a phrase from Jeremiah 7 to highlight that they are not only affecting God’s purpose for this area, but they are also robbing people.  He calls it a “den of thieves.”  It is bad enough to squelch a good purpose, but it is inexcusable to also encourage a bad purpose.  God does give us commands, but he does not intend those commands to be over-burdensome.  It is important for us to always keep in mind what God’s purpose is for things, or places, even our own lives.  We must first refrain from that which is counter to God’s purposes.  We must then embrace and perform the good purpose that He does intend.  This is not just about what happens in a church building.  Don’t you know that you are the temple of God?  It all begins with a proper understanding and worship of God within our own hearts and lives.  Everything else flows out of that.

Mark states that this so enrages the chief priests that they seek to destroy him.  It was mentioned prior that the religious leaders had already determined to get rid of Jesus.  However, they did not want to do it during the feast.  There would be way too many people around to witness the distasteful necessity (in their eyes).  Yet, Jesus is clearly forcing their hand by all that he is doing and teaching in the temple.  They are not so much afraid of what Jesus can do to them (though they should have been), but that the people might listen to Jesus and follow him.  They are afraid that they will lose their power over the people, and even that the Romans would step in.

Whether as religious leaders, or as parents with the duty to train our kids to worship God, we must always remember that we are not to dominate the spiritual life of another person.  We are to be a help and a benefit for them to connect with God, but we must be careful not to become a hindrance.  When the heart of an authority figure is not in the right place, they will always be threatened when those under them come into relationship with the Truth.  This is a dynamic that is always at work in the hearts of us all.  It takes humility and repentance to avoid this pitfall.

Again, they retire to Bethany that evening.  They return again the next morning, which would be Tuesday.  At this point, Peter recognizes that the fig tree is completely dead, down to the roots.  Jesus takes advantage of the opportunity to deal with Peter’s amazement at the miraculous effect that the command of Jesus had on the fig tree.  However, we will leave that for our next sermon.

Let us end by recognizing that the picture is for us to see that hypocrisy will not only lack good fruit, but it is destined to be cursed by God.  Jesus reminded Israel that Isaiah had prophesied well about them when he stated that they were a people who drew near Him with their mouths and lips, and yet their hearts were far from Him.  It is not enough to have the outward appearance of a fruitful and worshipful life.  Israel had all the trappings of worship that God had commanded them to have, but most of them did not have a heart that worshipped God.  Let us remember that, in this sense, Israel is no different than the Church, or you, or me.  We are all tempted to hypocrisy because we all have a sinful nature.  It is only through introspection and humility that we can keep our own hearts as a clean house, a place where true worship and prayer can occur.

Am I a fruitful tree or a tree that only promises fruit?  One will be blessed and the other will be cursed.  Humility and repentance is the only way that we can be a fruitful tree.

Fruitful Tree audio

What Are We Doing Here At Abundant Life? Share Part 2

Mark 1:16-18; Acts 1:6-8; Matthew 28:16-20.  This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on Sunday, June 28.

Today, we will finish our series on the purposes that Jesus has given to His Church.  We are presently focused on sharing Jesus passionately with those who do not know him.  When we are faithful to do so, it makes a choice possible for people.  They can either believe on Jesus and connect to the life that he gives, or they can refuse to believe and reject the truth of God’s love for them.  Even then, we must never lose our passion to share the lost with those who have previously rejected him.

The first part of this issue is to remember the horrible predicament people are in without Jesus, but the second part is to remember that we have an obligation before God to help them.  On one hand, it is an obligation of His command to us.  However, on the other hand is the obligation of the love of God that should be growing in each and every Christian.

Let’s look at our passages.

We are to be witnesses of Jesus to others

These first two passages (Mark 1 and Acts 1) show us that from the beginning to the end of his ministry, Jesus had the intention of having us help him to reach the world.  It was not just a job for the original apostles, or for the first century Church.  It was for all who would respond to Jesus and thereby become witnesses of him and the live that he gives.

In Mark 1, the analogy is that of fishing.  Peter and Andrew were fishermen and it was quite natural for Jesus to use their profession as a metaphor for what he had in mind.  Now, we could accuse Jesus of using a crass analogy that abuses fish (people) for the master’s ends, but this is an obscene approach to language and communication.  Peter caught fish for fleshly reasons that had no care for the fish.  However, now he would catch people for spiritual reasons that is all about God’s love for those being caught.  The metaphor has both comparing and contrasting elements.

In Acts 1:7, the believers were wondering if the kingdom would be restored to Israel at that time.  Jesus then points them back to his previously stated purpose.  It is not focused on reigning over the earth, but in sharing the good news of his sacrifice for sinners.  In light of the approaching Pentecost, the image that is connected to this passage is a harvest season.  God has allotted a finite amount of time for people to join his Son Jesus and accept his saving work for them.  However, He has also determined that we would not know how long that is.  We are able to recognize that it is dwindling down and getting close, but we would not actually know the date of its ending. 

Thus, we should have the attitude that Jesus demonstrated for us in John 9:4.

“I must work the works of Him who sent me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work.”

This analogy of a work day has a dark tone to it, and it begs the question, “Exactly what does this spiritual night correspond to?”  It may mean the days after the rapture, and the following rampage of Antichrist, or it may reference the 2^nd Coming and the inability to change one’s fate, or even to the Lake of Fire.  Regardless, it is a serious answer that challenges Christians to focus and do the work that we have been given because we do not know when the harvest season will end.

Though the task is important, Jesus then emphasizes that they should wait until the Holy Spirit was poured out upon them.  We are not to rush ahead of Jesus in this task, but let him lead and empower us by the Holy Spirit.  Part of the reason they waited was that the outpouring of the Holy Spirit had to be associated with the Feast of Pentecost.   It celebrated the natural harvest, but prophetically pointed to the spiritual harvest that Jesus was beginning with his Church.  The harvest is also too great for us in our natural strengths.  Jesus tells them that they would receive power from the Holy Spirit.  Any time the Church forgets this, it descends into a worldly system that merely seeks to perpetuate itself.  We must resist this tendency among all groups, and continually seek the help of the Holy Spirit in this work.  This is a spiritual work that must be done by spiritual people in communion with and empowered by the Spirit of God.  In short, we must wait upon him, and be led by him.

Lastly, Jesus emphasizes that this is to be a global endeavor that reaches the ends of the earth.  The salvation of Jesus is extending to the whole earth, and yet, it will be effective only for those who believe upon him.  This is further defined in Revelation 5:9. There we have the four living beings and the twenty-four elders surrounding the throne of God saying this.

“You are worthy to take the scroll, and to open its seals; for You were slain, and have redeemed us to God by Your blood out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation,”

The individuals are emphasized, but so are the scoping divisions of humanity.  Our task is not just to reach a bulk of people, like miners setting up over the richest spot.  Rather, it also has an aspect of reaching every people group on this planet.  There are many Christians who work in Bible Translation and Missions.  They have sought to create metrics in regards to where we are at in this endeavor.  The website www.Joshuaproject.net even has a status sheet that is quite interesting to think about.  In some ways, the Gospel has gone to the ends of the earth, but in other ways we still have our work cut out for us.  The problem with metrics is that we do not know what God’s metrics are.  All we can do is analyze the problem and do our best to be faithful to the original task that we have been given.

We are to make disciples of all nations

It is not enough to simply put the message of Jesus in the hands of people.  Jesus makes it clear in Matthew 28 that we are to also disciple those who believe.  Today’s new believers become the mentors for tomorrow’s new believers.  However, let’s not get ahead of ourselves.

At the end of Matthew 28, the followers of Jesus have gathered at a mountain in the Galilee area.  The movements of Jesus during the 40 days between his resurrection and his ascension are roughly this.  He first appears throughout the Jerusalem area and tells his disciples to meet him at a pre-arranged mountain in Galilee.  Matthew 28 is the account of that later meeting with his disciples there.  Many believe that this is the most likely place for the meeting that Paul talks about in 1 Corinthians 15:6. There he states that over 500 people saw Jesus at the same time.  A mountain in the Galilee region would allow for a large group to meet without drawing the attention of the Romans.  Jesus is giving his plan to them.  Later, his last meeting (Acts 1) happens on the Mt. of Olives outside of Jerusalem.

In this passage, Jesus emphasizes that the task he is giving us is under his command and by his authority.  There is a long history of Christians coming to new cultures and sharing the gospel.  Many today make arguments against Christian conversion as a destruction of culture.  What gives Christians the right to try and convert Hindus and Pagans?  Ultimately, the Jesus has been made the Lord of all lords and the King of all kings, both in the heavens and on the earth.  He has the authority to require changes in our life.  Of course, a person does not have to completely change all aspects of their culture to be a Christian.  The style of clothing, music, food, etc. has nothing to do with the call to follow Jesus.  That said, all cultures have sinful and rebellious aspects to them that are not good, including the American culture.  So, if you are concerned about the morality of teaching a Native American about the True Great Spirit then Jesus is our authorizing Lord.  However, this does not authorize everything that has been done in his name over the years.  We should recognize that we will be held accountable for doing this task, but also for how we did it.  God’s command is for all men everywhere to repent and believe on Jesus Christ for salvation.  This will not only transform culture, but also transform the individual.

Notice that Jesus does not say for us to go into all the world and make converts.  The grammar of the passage makes it clear that the main work is to make disciples, or better, to disciple those who believe.  Going, baptizing, and teaching are all the things that we do as a part of discipling them.  In order to make disciples, we will need to go to people (the whole earth), we will need to baptize them as a show of their acceptance in the community, and we will need to teach them the commands of Christ. 

Often, the Church has emphasized getting a confession of faith out of people, but not helping them to grow afterwards.  Just as children need parents at birth and beyond, so the spiritually newborn need help from other mature believers.  This should not be done in the way that we come between them and God, taking the place of Jesus, but in a healthy way that is more like an elder sibling helping out a younger sibling.  If an elder sibling forgets that they are not the parent then they will eventually get in trouble with Jesus. 

Many people have made a decision to follow Christ, but then, in the weeks or months following, they gave up on it.  Discipling is not easy, and it takes love and time.  Technically, we are never done learning as a student in this life, but the critical need for another person to help us should diminish because of the spiritual roots that we develop.  Even then, we must never think that we have arrived at a point where we no longer need other believers.  God uses other believers in our lives to keep us humble, no matter how spiritually mature we are.

Jesus ends this command to disciple all nations with the promise that he will always be with us, even to the end of the age.  He is with us through the Holy Spirit.  We may be weary and ready for it all to be done, but Jesus is not done as long as we have breath and are still on this planet.  Don’t be weary in this day of hard labor.  Instead, draw near to Jesus and ask for the Holy Spirit to strengthen you for the task at hand.  Let’s be a people who are passionately sharing Jesus with the lost and helping them to connect to his Abundant Life!

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