Bernard Gabbott - Sunday, 20 June 2021
How do you handle God's will?
Scripture References: Genesis 27:1-46, Matthew 26:36-46, Acts 4:23-31
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CloseWhat do you do with God’s will, his revealed will? This passage gives us a glimpse at the two most popular and prevalent answers. On the one hand, in Isaac, we have the ‘I know God’s will BUT…’ response – this is the response that acknowledges that God’s will has been made clear but we humans want to do something else. Put simply, this is the response of disobedience. On the other hand, in Rebekah, we have the ‘I know God’s will SO…’ response – this is the response that acknowledges God’s will has been made clear but that we don’t trust God to do as he says, so… . Put simply, this is the response of the ends justify the means, and God cannot be trusted. Both are wrong. Both lead to a mess and both are responses that Jesus avoids, thankfully. Just listen to his prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane – ‘Father, take this cup from me, but not my will but yours be done’.
Scripture References: Genesis 27:1-46, Matthew 26:36-46, Acts 4:23-31
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What is greatness? In particular, what is greatness in the kingdom of God? That is the question addressed in the passage from Matthew today. Jesus is approached by two different groups. First, the family of Zebedee: James and John and their mother. Second, two blind men. Jesus asks both groups the same question “What do you want me to do for you?” What they request is quite revealing. And so is Jesus’ response to their requests. The Zebedees request position, status, reward for effort. The blind men request mercy, for their eyes to be open. Which request lines up with Jesus’ teaching previously? Which request do we tend to go to ourselves?
The Department of Home Affairs has an Australian Values Statement on its website. Visa applicants for residency/citizenship must sign this. And one of its key principles is that we are a ‘fair-go’ country. We would all agree with that. I suspect, too, that we would summarise our ‘fair go’ culture by stating that ‘you get what you deserve/what you work for’. In fact, many of us have established our relational, social and work ethics on this very principle. But is that what the ‘kingdom of heaven is like’? What is its value statement? What is the hallmark of such a kingdom, and its ruler, even its citizenship? Today, after Jesus has assured his disciples that the dependent will be provided for by their king, he now uses the same ideas to issue with them a warning not to abuse, misuse, ignore or become entitled in the face of the kingdom of heaven hallmark—which is grace.
Jesus deals with the question of ‘Who belongs in the kingdom?’ Is it children? Is it the good? Is it the godly? And, how and what does this look like? This question of ‘belonging’ is one that is constant in our lives – where do I belong, do I belong, what does belonging look like? And Jesus is very clear: the kingdom of heaven is made up of the dependent, the reliant, the weak – just like children.
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