by Dianne Eckermann
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His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’ (Matthew 25:21)
Read Matthew 25:14–30
Like the other parables in the two chapters of Matthew we have been reading this week, this parable about the three servants tells us about how people have behaved while waiting. This parable appears to be about a demanding master, which sounds strange to our modern ears. Similarly, the treatment of the third servant seems unduly harsh in our world, with employment laws intended to protect workers.
The parable also seems to justify giving even more to those who already have a lot and punishing those who have little; however, we know this is not at all how Jesus works. The master going on a journey and promising to return sounds much like Jesus promising to return. Jesus is not harsh or unjust, so this message is not so much about judgement but about using the gifts we have.
When the master in the parable goes away on a long journey, promising to return, he entrusts a great deal to his servants. Each servant is given an amount according to their ability, so the master is not expecting more from the servants than they can deliver. He trusts each of them. What he offers to the first two servants, who use what they have been given for his benefit, is a share in his happiness. The trust the master has given them has been nothing to be afraid of, but an opportunity to share in his joy.
In contrast, the third servant buries his gift from the master. He does not even attempt to use what he has been given, apparently because he fears what has been entrusted to him. In doing so, he is not responding to a share in the happiness his master is willing to share with him.
This parable, therefore, is about looking for opportunities to use what we have been given wisely and effectively for the sake of Jesus, who loved us so much he gave all for us.
Heavenly Father, we thank you for the individual gifts you have entrusted to us, and we ask you to help us to use what we have been given in your service and for your glory. Amen.
Dianne has served in Lutheran education as a teacher, school leader and system leader at Lutheran Education Australia. Now retired from full-time work, she continues to volunteer on several committees and as a school board member. She lives in the Adelaide Hills with her husband, Robert, and is in strong demand as a babysitter for her three grandchildren.
by Dianne Eckermann
Click here to download your printable verse to carry with you today.
Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour (Matthew 25:13).
Read Matthew 25:1–13
The parable of the 10 young women reminds us of just how human we are, even the most organised people among us. We can identify with the young women who did not have enough oil for their lamps because we all, at some time, will have forgotten something crucial. We might have remembered the birthday candles but forgotten the matches, gone on holiday with the mobile phone but forgotten the charger, or arrived at the airport and left the passport at home.
This parable also continues the theme of the readings for this week, namely the need to be prepared and to keep watch because there is much we do not know. Let’s examine the parable in more detail. We realise the young women waiting to light the way for the bridegroom did not have a particularly onerous task. Their role during the whole complex wedding celebration was clear and simple. All they had to do was be prepared with their welcoming lamps to light the darkness. It didn’t matter that they had fallen asleep because they were all awoken in time for the delayed arrival of the groom.
They really only had one task: to light the way to the celebration. And this task only required two things: a lamp and some lamp oil. The arrival of the bridegroom was delayed, but it was certain that he would eventually arrive; therefore, it was important to be prepared when the big arrival finally happened.
The parable tells us that those who were prepared were included, and those who were not prepared were excluded. The bridegroom is Christ; the wedding feast is the promise of his kingdom. This parable is not just about the certainty of Christ’s arrival; it is also about recognising he might be delayed. To be prepared is to anticipate the arrival of Jesus, even though the world has been waiting a long time. It is for this reason that we live our lives knowing the certainty of Jesus’ promise to return.
Dear Jesus, we hope for your return and ask that you keep us strong in faith as we pray, ‘Come, Lord Jesus.’ Amen.
Dianne has served in Lutheran education as a teacher, school leader and system leader at Lutheran Education Australia. Now retired from full-time work, she continues to volunteer on several committees and as a school board member. She lives in the Adelaide Hills with her husband, Robert, and is in strong demand as a babysitter for her three grandchildren.
by Dianne Eckermann
Click here to download your printable verse to carry with you today.
So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him (Matthew 24:44).
Read Matthew 24:32–51
In 79 AD, Mount Vesuvius erupted, catching the population of Pompeii virtually unaware. When the site of the formerly busy city was rediscovered about 1,700 years later, it was as if Pompeii had been frozen at the precise moment of the eruption. Everyday life continued right up until time stopped for those who lived there. Small bread rolls were even found inside an oven, placed there by the baker who never had the chance to remove them.
Just like the people of Pompeii, we do not know when life will change forever. We do not know when Jesus will come again. Over and over again, today’s passage tells us that no-one knows the hour, yet that does not stop some people from predicting the day and the time. God has not set us a challenge to predict the Second Coming. We are not supposed to know. It is enough for us to know with certainty that Jesus will come again, as this is mentioned repeatedly in today’s reading. The timing is irrelevant.
Instead of trying to predict the time when Jesus will come again, we are instead urged to be ready. It may sound like an impossible task. How can we be prepared for such an important event when we have no idea when it might happen? To be ready is to be like the servant who is serving their master faithfully and wisely, and not like the servant who abuses their position.
While this might sound threatening, even frightening, the emphasis of today’s passage is the certainty that Jesus will return, and it is, therefore, filled with hope. When we pray in the Lord’s Prayer, ‘Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven’, we are filled with hope for the promised return of Jesus. Until that time, our ordinary, everyday life continues to be filled with the extraordinary love and hope we find in Jesus.
Thank you, Jesus, for your promise to come again. Keep us filled with hope, and help us share your love with those who need it most as we wait for your kingdom. Amen.
Dianne has served in Lutheran education as a teacher, school leader and system leader at Lutheran Education Australia. Now retired from full-time work, she continues to volunteer on several committees and as a school board member. She lives in the Adelaide Hills with her husband, Robert, and is in strong demand as a babysitter for her three grandchildren.
by Dianne Eckermann
Click here to download your printable verse to carry with you today.
So when you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination that causes desolation’, spoken of through the prophet Daniel – let the reader understand – then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains (Matthew 24:15,16).
Read Matthew 24:15–31
Whenever we board a flight, we are taken through what to do in the ‘unlikely event of a flight emergency’. In today’s reading, we hear about a devastating emergency, which is not an unlikely event but an absolute certainty. However, there is no equivalent to the ‘fasten your seatbelt and adopt the brace position’ safety guide. The only advice is to ‘flee to the mountains’ – if you can do so.
Reading about the events leading up to the end of the world is not an easy read. It sounds like a compilation of every disaster movie ever made. To make it even more difficult to understand, there is no indication of when this might happen, other than that it is a time of what seems like unprecedented uncertainty. False prophets, whose main intention is to deceive, add to the great distress we can expect. Nor does there seem to be a safety guide to help people survive.
However, the advice to ‘flee to the mountains’ contains more depth than it initially seems. Frequently, mountains are a source of refuge in the Bible and are symbolic of being closer to God. Many important events took place atop mountains: Moses received the Ten Commandments, Jesus preached the Sermon on the Mount, the Transfiguration of Jesus occurred, plus more. In Psalm 121:1,2, we read, ‘I lift my eyes to the hills – where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.’ In Psalm 125:1, we read, ‘Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be shaken but endures forever.’
To flee to the mountains, therefore, is to flee towards God. It is God who is our source of help; it is God who endures forever, and it is God whom we can trust. We don’t need a safety briefing. We need only to live in the light of the risen Christ.
Heavenly Father, we ask you to send us your Holy Spirit to help us hold on to our faith in your protection and to flee to you in times of trouble. Amen.
Dianne has served in Lutheran education as a teacher, school leader and system leader at Lutheran Education Australia. Now retired from full-time work, she continues to volunteer on several committees and as a school board member. She lives in the Adelaide Hills with her husband, Robert, and is in strong demand as a babysitter for her three grandchildren.
Click here to download your printable verse to carry with you today.
‘Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them?’ But Jesus turned and rebuked them. Then he and his disciples went to another village (Luke 9:54b–56).
Read Luke 9:51–62
While today’s extended reading has a clear focus on the demands and difficulties of following Jesus, the opening verses direct our focus on the importance of setting our face towards Jerusalem. As Jesus is entering the last stages of his ministry, he is resolutely fixed on Jerusalem. When a Samaritan village is not prepared to host Jesus overnight, James and John’s all-too-human reaction is a dramatic call to totally destroy the village.
In the historical tradition of hospitality, there would be an expectation that the village would host travellers; however, the fiery destruction suggested by James and John for this perceived slight is an extraordinary overreaction. They have now been following Jesus for some time. Following Jesus has meant travelling and eating with him and listening to his teachings. Despite this close contact, they still allow their anger towards the Samaritan village to overrule anything they have learnt from being in Jesus’ constant company. However, before judging James and John, we should look at our reactions.
We live in a world where the reaction to any difference of opinion is frequently extreme. Whether it is a road rage incident, trolling on social media or a disproportionate response to world events, we would do well to follow the example Jesus set for the two disciples. After he rebuked them, he simply moved on – in this case, to the next village.
As we follow in Jesus’ footsteps, we move on from dwelling on the wrongs of others and from the assumption that we must be right. Instead of anger, we can pause, pray and identify what it is, in this moment, that is keeping us from unreservedly following Jesus. Then we, too, can move on.
We thank you, Lord Jesus, for showing us your way and example. We ask for help to follow you freely in a world where many obstacles and temptations divert us. Please support us in moving on with you. Amen.
Dianne has served in Lutheran education as a teacher, school leader and system leader at Lutheran Education Australia. Now retired from full-time work, she continues to volunteer on several committees and as a school board member. She lives in the Adelaide Hills with her husband, Robert, and is in strong demand as a babysitter for her three grandchildren.
Click here to download your printable verse to carry with you today.
You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand (Psalm 16:11).
Read Psalm 16
There are some days when I think it would be really nice to have a table-sized map to spread out in front of me that would show the trajectory of my life – where I’ve been, where I am and where I’m going. From that distance, I could see the big picture and have a bird’s-eye view of my timeline. Maybe for the first time, I could see how all the dots of pain and pleasure are connected.
Maybe that’s what David wanted from God?
He recognised God’s power and providence in all things, whether David’s fear or fealty; he knew deeply God’s hand in making him king, conquering his enemies and encountering the delights of existence.
David writes, ‘Therefore,’ or in our more common parlance, ‘Because of all these things, my heart is glad, and my tongue rejoices; my body will also rest secure’ (verse 9). Wouldn’t that be nice to know, to deeply understand that gladness would touch my soul, not just in a brief moment of laughter, but in weighty joy. I could speak and sing the assurance of my salvation – praise is as close to my lips as the ‘good morning’ to my family. My body could finally rest – stress shed like an old skin, and take on the new one that is soft, comfortable and wrinkle-free.
Therefore … because God has been so good, I don’t have to worry about this present moment but believe in my heart, speak with my mouth and feel in my rested body that I will be filled with joy in God’s presence and experience eternal pleasure once this life is done.
And in this trust, I don’t have to worry about spreading the table-sized map to make sure of my path. And I don’t have to stress about where I’m going because it’s already planned. And I don’t have to worry that death will be a finality (verse 10).
This is the good news, friends. God has not abandoned us but is always present.
Therefore, rest securely.
Jesus, thank you for being my portion, my cup and my delightful inheritance. Help me to experience a glad heart, a praising tongue and a body that rests in you. Amen.
Reid Matthias is the school pastor at St Andrews Lutheran College in Tallebudgera, Queensland. Reid is married to Christine, who, together with their three incredible daughters, Elsa, Josephine and Greta, have created a Spotify channel (A 13) where they have recorded music. Reid has recently published his seventh novel, A Miserable Antagonist, and maintains the blog ireid.blogspot.com
Click here to download your printable verse to carry with you today.
As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. ‘Tell us,’ they said, ‘when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and the end of the age?’ (Matthew 24:3).
Read Matthew 24:1–14
If any one subject holds a large swathe of attention in Christian circles, it’s the End Times. Everyone, from pre-Jesus to the 21st century, wants to know exactly what time things are going to wrap up here on this pale blue dot.
Reading this passage through 21st-century lenses, we might approach Jesus and say, ‘When, exactly, are you planning on coming back? You know, setting things right, getting rid of pain and suffering and, like, evil people?’ After a pause, we might say, ‘Can you just text me about an hour beforehand so I can get everything all tidied up?’
We want to know it all, really. We want to know the time, the manner, and our readiness for that moment, just like those first disciples. Jesus had drawn their attention to the buildings around the temple and the huge stones, and he said something shocking: Everything is going to be thrown down. What the temple stood for, the law and its burdens, will be overthrown, and the gospel of the kingdom will be preached (verse 14).
Jesus does not tell them the time but opens their eyes to the temperature of the world at that time: God’s people are persecuted; people will stray from the faith; they will betray and hate each other. False prophets will appear and deceive. Because wickedness will be the currency of the age, love will die out to an ember.
Maybe it’s always been like this, but it sure feels kind of ending-ish right now, doesn’t it?
But for the Christian, that’s not a source of fear or dread, though the end may be both fearful and dreadful; we cling to the life buoy of the gospel of the kingdom. In that gospel circle, we are saved. It is through Christ that we will be rescued even when everything around us, everything we know and may have clung to, is thrown down.
‘Turn your eyes upon Jesus,’ as the song says, ‘look full in his wonderful face. And the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of his glory and grace’ (Helen Lemmel).
Jesus, author of salvation, help us to keep our eyes on you when we are fearful of what is happening in the world around us. Give us your peace and reassurance that you hold all time and space in your hands. Amen.
Reid Matthias is the school pastor at St Andrews Lutheran College in Tallebudgera, Queensland. Reid is married to Christine, who, together with their three incredible daughters, Elsa, Josephine and Greta, have created a Spotify channel (A 13) where they have recorded music. Reid has recently published his seventh novel, A Miserable Antagonist, and maintains the blog ireid.blogspot.com
Click here to download your printable verse to carry with you today.
[Jesus said,] ‘Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean’ (Matthew 23:27).
Read Matthew 23:27–39
In the middle of the acreage where I grew up, there was a little white building next to a large red one. Both buildings were used significantly during the summer when our spring chickens would arrive on the postal truck, chirping away at the top of their voices. My father would take us kids out to the white building, where, after unloading the crates of chicks, we would get them settled into their new life.
Throughout the summer, before they moved from their little white house to the large red one, the chicks spent their days scratching through the henyard, digging for insects and worms. Then, when the day was over, they would retreat into the white house for the evening.
In there, they would sleep, yes, but with 350 of them, they would also deposit plenty of … er … you know … fertiliser.
It is for this reason that I, to this day, dislike chickens because it was the kids’ job to get out the shovel and dispose of said fertiliser.
One summer after the chicks had moved, my father said we were going to paint the white house, but he asked us to muck it out first. Unwilling (and unwanting) to shovel any more fertiliser, I painted the outside first. Unfortunately, as the summer sun came up, an overwhelming stench arose from the unmucked chickenhouse, and what would have been an easier job before the painting was now a trial at best. It was one thing to whitewash the outside but another thing to clean out the shed first.
So Jesus puts it to the hypocritical Pharisees and teachers of the law. What good does it do to make the outside nice and shiny if the inside is full of … fertiliser. Woe to our contemporary Western culture and, in some ways, Christian culture, which has made the visible surface seem beautiful but failed to clean up and clean out the rubbish inside. I could enumerate the ways in which our social media culture has influenced (an ironic word, don’t you think?) the organised religions. Instead, I’ll pose the question to you today.
If Jesus were to inspect Christianity, what things do you think he would say were whitewashed tombs? What kinds of things are we called to clean up and clean out so that God’s holy presence can continue to inhabit the body of Christ?
Jesus, speaker of truth, open my eyes to the beauty of a temple cleaned both inside and out. Give me the strength to be part of change. Amen.
Reid Matthias is the school pastor at St Andrews Lutheran College in Tallebudgera, Queensland. Reid is married to Christine, who, together with their three incredible daughters, Elsa, Josephine and Greta, have created a Spotify channel (A 13) where they have recorded music. Reid has recently published his seventh novel, A Miserable Antagonist, and maintains the blog ireid.blogspot.com
Click here to download your printable verse to carry with you today.
[Jesus said,] ‘Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices – mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law – justice, mercy and faithfulness’ (Matthew 23:23a).
Read Matthew 23:13–26
It’s incredibly difficult to read Jesus’s litany of ‘woes’ without feeling a squeeze of discomfort that I, too, can sometimes be a little teacher-of-the-law-ish. Throughout chapter 23 of Matthew, there are seven woes, ranging from generalised hypocrisy to full-out ignorance of humanity by these leaders of the religion.
As a Christian, despite my best attempts to be faithful to God’s law and the beautiful order of how that word holds things together, I sometimes point to the wrong things and proclaim to God:
But look! See my sacrifice! See the minty goodness of my time spent volunteering and note my diligent attempts not to be a dill. Full disclosure here: I don’t have a realistic understanding of what cumin does, but … come on over to my side and pat me on the back for all the good things that I do so that other people will see what a good person I am.
Woe to the Pharisees. Woe to me.
At times, I am more impressed by these little things than presenting myself as a living sacrifice to God, poured out by his good and pleasing will, for the benefit of these beautiful people around me. Jesus points me and Christian communities back to Micah 6:8: ‘What does the Lord require of me but to act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with your God?’
These things are much more difficult, requiring perseverance and often pain. But woe to us, not just that we don’t do them, but that we miss out on the blessings of being part of God’s work in this world of administering justice and mercy and finding faithfulness.
The good news is this: the seven woes that Jesus speaks can be turned into words of wonder. He actually gives us the communal blueprint for joy rather than woe. As you read through this passage again, focus instead on the latter halves of Jesus’ statements and ponder how they might change your perspective on the life of your community.
From woe to wonder!
Heavenly Father, thank you for your wonderful gifts to me. Help me to live a life of wonder and assistance to others. Amen.
Reid Matthias is the school pastor at St Andrews Lutheran College in Tallebudgera, Queensland. Reid is married to Christine, who, together with their three incredible daughters, Elsa, Josephine and Greta, have created a Spotify channel (A 13) where they have recorded music. Reid has recently published his seventh novel, A Miserable Antagonist, and maintains the blog ireid.blogspot.com