Matthew 20 – 22

Verse 20:16 is a picture of how God loves his followers:

And that is your picture: The last will be first and the first will be last.

This is the moral of the parable of the workers who all get paid the same, no matter how hard they worked. The ones who labored the most are jealous of the ones who did little work for the same pay. This is key to salvation and is needed to eliminate pride from the equation. Let’s say you just saved a murdering, raping, politician and then the rapture happened. Guess what, both would have the same place in heaven. So even if you have thousands of souls and they have no track record but a lascivious life they are now equal. You’re to have joy and satisfaction that one was saved by your actions, not jealousy that they get the same place as you.

Verse 21:21 is one of those verses that make others question their faith:

I tell you this: if you have faith and do not doubt, then you will be able to wither a fig tree with one glance. You will be able to tell mountains to throw themselves into the ocean, and they will obey.

How many of us have tried to do this? How about walk on water? How many have successfully done it? Sometimes it makes people question their faith, when they feel it’s strong, yet they cannot perform the same miracles that Jesus says only needs faith. I have no idea what to say on this since the scriptures are clear we should be able to do this, yet I know many who have tried and failed. So are we all short of faith or is the supernatural of those proportions not easily obtained? I have no clue, but pray it’s not a faith issue!

Verse 22:14 is another one of those verses that concern me:

For many are invited, but few are chosen.

Where is the line? Is it people who have not accepted the Christ? How about people who have accepted Him at some time, yet back slid? How about people who have been saved who later reject the “Christhood” of Jesus? How about follower who have not confessed their sins recently? How about those not living the message of Jesus? Or is it drawn with those with faith, but not in works? All these positions can technically be justified in scripture. Who are the few and are we part of them?

That is something we must take serious and read to get our own clear understanding. After 4 complete reads of the Bible and this being my fifth, it’s still not crystal clear on what the “rules” are for man.