Oh, grant us help against the foe, for vain is the salvation of man!
With God we shall do valiantly;
it is he who will tread down our foes. Verses 11-12
How true this is! Any help that man can offer is truly vain.
This is a great example of what can happen when people take Scripture out of context and try to build doctrine on it. Another example is Revelation 3:20. "Behold I stand at the door and knock..." This verse has been abused so much. It is not an evangelical verse! This is part of the 7 letters of Jesus to the churches. Jesus is speaking to a church when he says this. It does not support the horribly un-Biblical idea that there is this door in your heart that only has a handle on the inside. That analogy makes me want to scream.
The point is, don't take Scripture out of context. It makes for very bad theology.
Ok. Down from that soapbox.
More important and central in the message of Matthew 18, is Jesus' statement that we must forgive our brother an unlimited number of times. Whether he said "seventy times seven" or "seventy-seven" times is unimportant. He is teaching that our forgiveness for each other must be unlimited.
The debtor in this passage owed what would amount to around a trillion dollars in modern currency. An amount that could never be repaid. The picture of grace in this passage is beautiful. We can never repay what we owe to God. But the King has forgiven us. He has wiped the debt clean. It's not just postponed, or even trimmed down to an affordable level. It is gone! Paid in full!
Therefore, we must forgive each other! How can we possibly be Christians if we, whose unpayable debt has been erased, refuse to pardon those who have wronged us??
(Taken from today's reading in Tabletalk Magazine.)
Matthew 11:28-30
Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me--watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly. From The Message
How many ways does Jesus invite us in this passage? Come to me, get away with me, walk with me, work with me, keep company with me... Which one is most appealing to you?
For me, I think it is "walk with me." That presents a picture of a leisurely stroll down a garden path with Jesus. What would that be like? He promises that he won't "lay anything heavy" on us, so we can rest assured that the work won't be hard. I picture this nice walk with deep conversation that would help me to understand why I am the way I am and how that fits in with his plan. It would also involve admonition to do some things better, and promise of help and strength from him.
I have never feared that a walk with Jesus might require "heavy or ill-fitting" things. Sometimes, sadly, church activities become heavy and ill-fitting. But that is because, sometimes, church activities have nothing to do with Jesus. That's really sad.
But if the "work" is really Christ-centered, it will not be hard.
As we walk, show me where I fall short. I pretty much know already, but there are probably some areas that I'm not as aware of as others. Let me not shy away from this knowledge.
Grace and peace, friends!