"Tight lines" is a blessing fishermen offer each other, a wish for lines taut with the weight of good fish. May God grant that the lines written here be taut with His blessings.
Wednesday, 24 September 2008 | |||
|
Promise or Performance? | |||
|
Some legal contracts include the phrase "promise or
performance." When you join a book club and receive their
"special offer" of 10 books for $10 or whatever, you offer
either an actual performance (like buying 5 more books at the regular
price) or a contractual promise to do so (like buying those 5 books
sometime in the next 2 years). Either buying all the books at once or
promising to do so satisfies the "contract." Ultimately,
however, promise is meant to be satisfied with performance. Our text for this week, Matthew 21:23-32, is about promise versus performance in spiritual life. It begins with the chief priests and elders questioning Jesus about His authority. Jesus' response feels non-responsive. He poses a counter-question about John the Baptist, which on the surface merely evades the inquiry about authority. But Jesus' question is designed to show that the question of the leaders is insincere. Even if He provides His heavenly credentials, they will not follow through, they will not believe. The promise of their question will not be satisfied with an actual performance of trust in Him. Jesus' question about John the Baptist is revealing of the leaders' lack of faith because as they say themselves in their discussion in verse 25, they did not believe John. So with regard to John the Baptist, Jesus is telling the leaders, in the words of a Charlie Daniels song, "If you don't like him, you won't like me neither." On the gap between their question and their willingness to receive the answer, in verses 28-31 Jesus offers a parable with wider application regarding the gap between spiritual promise and performance. For us the question starts with our supposed acceptance of Jesus' authority, but failure to follow through by allowing that authority to change the way we live and behave. Have our promises to Jesus been satisfied with performance? Your comments are always welcome. | |||
|
Profile |
I am the pastor of Valley Covenant Church in Eugene, Oregon. I love to flyfish and hike along the beautiful rivers in our area. I welcome your comments as I share sermon work in progress and occasional other thoughts.
Thank you for visiting this blog. I invite you also to visit my web page.
|
Blog Posts |
Archives |
|
|
SurgeMail - Blog Server Software |
Windows Mail Server Software |
UseNet News Server Software