David Guzik’s weekly devotional, based on a verse or two from the Bible.

Excuses Will Not Work

Then he who had received the one talent came and said, “Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed. And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground. Look, there you have what is yours.” (Matthew 25:24-25)

In the larger context of His return to judge the nations, Jesus told a parable about a master who, before leaving on a trip, gave his servants different amounts of money to be responsible for. When called to account, the servants responsible for five and two talents (amounts of money) made a good return on their master’s money. But the servant given only one talent made his report in these two verses.

Excuses Will Not Work

Note that the master judged each servant individually. If they were taken as a group, they did very well: 8 talents given and 15 talents returned. Yet each one was judged on their individual faithfulness and effort.

This last servant, who merely buried his talent, tried to excuse himself because of his master’s great power. In fact, he believed his master to be in some sense omnipotent (reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed).

The third servant seemed proud of himself. Because the master was so powerful and (in the mind of the servant) didn’t need his help, the third servant thought that the master would be pleased that he did nothing and could say, Look, there you have what is yours. He seemed to have no idea how much he had displeased his master.

We can say of the work of the third servant:

He didn’t think.
He didn’t work.
He didn’t even try.
He made excuses.

The following verses give the master’s rebuke of this third, unfaithful servant. The master called him “wicked and lazy,” and denied the excuse that the master was a man of great power. The sovereignty of the master never excused the laziness of the servant. It condemned that laziness even more.

Those who don’t work for the Lord, or pray, or don’t evangelize because God is sovereign condemn themselves by their laziness. By their actions (or lack of action) they show that they are like the wicked servant in the parable. They do not know their Master’s heart at all. Their excuses won’t help at all. Like this unfaithful third servant, the excuses will make them more guilty, not less.

Many people are good at making excuses. If excuse-making ever became an Olympic event, they would probably win a gold medal. Some excuse-makers even try to do what this third servant did – hope to put the blame of God. They think that God’s sovereignty and limitless power mean they have no responsibility.

It doesn’t work that way. In the parable Jesus told, each servant was judged individually, properly, and with perfect understanding. If you have been successful fooling others, remember your excuses will not work before God.

Click here for David’s commentary on Matthew 25

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Ready for His Return

Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?” (Matthew 24:3)

On Tuesday of His Passion Week, Jesus persevered through a long day of hostile questioning from the religious leaders. Jesus and His disciples were spending their nights in Bethany, and the road to Bethany went over the Mount of Olives. On the way back to their evening lodging, Jesus sat on the Mount of Olives, and they enjoyed the view of the temple mount. Removed from the temple, yet overlooking it, the disciples asked Jesus questions about His bold prediction concerning the destruction of the temple (Matthew 24:1-2).

Ready for His Return

The timing was appropriate. The religious leaders rejected Jesus and would soon deliver Him to the Romans for crucifixion. Jesus knew the bitter fate awaiting Jerusalem, and He wanted to give hope and confidence to His disciples who would soon be greatly tested.

The teaching of Jesus was in response to two (or three) questions from the disciples. (1) When will these things be? – referring to the destruction of the temple. (2a) What will be the sign of Your coming, and (2b) of the end of the age? These questions were obviously related, and the disciples probably thought they asked only one question. In their minds, the destruction of the temple and the end of the age were probably connected. But really, they asked two questions (some say three), and this second question is answered in the remainder of the chapter.

It may also be that this second question was asked as they remembered the events surrounding the first temple’s destruction: Solomon’s Temple was destroyed in the context of national judgment and exile.

As Jesus answered this important second question, He made many specific comments and predictions about the end times. These predictions have been the source of significant disagreement among Christians who have tried to understand them. Why didn’t Jesus simply say it so clearly that there was no possibility anyone could misunderstand Him?

One reason why prophecy may seem vague or imprecise is because God wants every generation to have reasons to be ready for Jesus’ return. We should not think of Jesus’ return as an event far off on a timeline, but something we have been running parallel with since the day of Pentecost in Acts 2.

Other people suggest that God’s intention was to keep the future somewhat vague and clouded to confound the Devil, even as the predictions of the resurrection of the Messiah were present, but somewhat vague in the Old Testament.

Though some prophetic interpretations are different, we are sure of this: He is coming again, and we must be ready. That’s the real test of end-times wisdom. Do we believe Jesus Christ is coming again? Are we ready for His return? Faithfulness in the present is the key to readiness for His return.

Click here for David’s commentary on Matthew 24

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Heavy Burdens, Hard to Bear

For they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers. (Matthew 23:4)

It was the last week of the earthly ministry of Jesus, and He was hated and hunted by the religious leaders among the Jews. Jesus showed remarkable courage and would not hide or back down before His enemies. Here, Jesus spoke to the multitudes and to His disciples about the scribes and Pharisees.

As Jesus spoke, His hardened opponents listened, but Jesus wasn’t really speaking to them. Instead, he intended to warn the people and His followers about those scribes and Pharisees.

Heavy Burdens, Hard to Bear

According to William Barclay, the Jewish Talmud describes seven different types of Pharisees, and six of the seven were bad.

– The Shoulder Pharisee, who wore all his good deeds and righteousness on his shoulder for everyone to see.
– The Wait-a-Little Pharisee, who always intended to do good deeds, but could always find a reason for doing them later, not now.
– The Bruised or Bleeding Pharisee, who was so holy that he would turn his head away from any woman seen in public – and was therefore constantly bumping into things and tripping, thus injuring himself.
– The Hump-Backed Pharisee, who was so humble that he walked bent over and barely lifting his feet – so everyone could see just how humble he was.
– The Always-Counting Pharisee, who was always counting up his good deeds and believed that he put God in debt to him for all the good he had done.
– The Fearful Pharisee, who did good because he was terrified that God would strike him with judgment if he did not.
– The God-Fearing Pharisee, who really loved God and did good deeds to please the God he loved.

If the leaders among the Jewish people could see so much corruption among the Pharisees, it’s not a surprise that Jesus also saw it and pointed it out.

One big problem with the scribes and Pharisees was they would bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men’s shoulders. The heavy burdens of the religious leaders contrast sharply to Jesus’ burden. His burden is light, and His yoke is easy (Matthew 11:30). These religious leaders were burden bringers; Jesus is a burden taker. Even worse, the scribes and Pharisees often didn’t live by the same standards they put on others (they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers).

This accusation against these religious leaders could apply to many religious leaders today. Many teach as if the essence of Christianity was a set of burdensome rules to follow. There is real cost in following Jesus, but overall, our experience as believers is one of liberation, not one of oppression. Christians should reject the heavy, man-made burdens others try to put on us. Instead, we live in the liberty of Jesus Christ.

Walk in freedom. Don’t accept man-made religious burdens, and don’t put them on others.

Click here for David’s commentary on Matthew 23

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Caesar and God

And He said to them, “Whose image and inscription is this?”

They said to Him, “Caesar’s.” And He said to them, “Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” (Matthew 22:20-21)

The Tuesday before the cross, Jesus spent much of the day at the temple. Jesus taught the multitudes and dealt with the religious leaders who opposed Him. These leaders among the Jews thought they could trap and embarrass Jesus with difficult questions.

Caesar and God

Some of the Pharisees tried to trap Jesus with a question over the paying of taxes. Before the curious crowds, they asked Jesus if it was lawful to pay taxes to the Roman Caesar, or not. They thought if Jesus said “yes, pay the taxes,” then the common people would think He was pro-Rome, and He agreed with their oppressive regime. They thought if Jesus said “no, don’t pay the taxes,” then He would be in trouble with the Romans.

They just couldn’t trap Jesus. He asked them to show Him a Roman coin, and then Jesus asked: Whose image and inscription is this? With His wise answer, Jesus showed that He was in complete control. He rebuked the wickedness and hypocrisy of the Pharisees.

Holding the coin for all to see, Jesus then told the leaders: Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s. What a wise answer!

In this answer, Jesus affirmed that the government makes legitimate requests of us. We are responsible to God in all things, but we must be obedient to government in matters civil and national. It doesn’t mean that everything any government demands of its people is good to be obeyed, but most things – like basic taxes – are to be obeyed.

Yet Jesus added that we must also render to God the things that are God’s. Every person has the image of God impressed upon them. This means that we belong to God, not to Caesar, and we don’t even belong to ourselves.

This means that the government doesn’t own everything – there are limits to what the government may rightly demand, because some things are God’s and not the property of the state. The image of God stamped upon the soul of mankind means that we fundamentally belong to God, not man.

So, we sin when we think we have no obligation to the civil government we live under. We should be good, honest, tax-paying citizens who genuinely want the best for our community.

At the same time, we have an even greater obligation to God. We don’t give our soul to the state, but only to the God revealed to us in the Bible. When the government dares to require things of us that should only be given to God, we obey God first and bear the consequences.

1 Peter 2:17 says it like this: Fear God. Honor the king. Rightly understood, the two complement each other. Give the state its due but give God what belongs to Him alone.

Click here for David’s commentary on Matthew 22

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Three Ways to Receive Jesus

All this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying: “Tell the daughter of Zion, ‘Behold, your King is coming to you, lowly, and sitting on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey.’” (Matthew 21:4-5)

For most the ministry of Jesus, He did what He could to cool down the heat of Messianic expectation. There was a definite timing to the ministry of Jesus, and He did not want the crowds to gather as a violent mob and champion Him as Messiah and King. All would be done according to the schedule established by God the Father.

Three Ways to Receive Jesus

But on this day – what we call Palm Sunday or the Triumphal Entry – Jesus received and encouraged praise as Messiah and King. He did it in a public, deliberate day, and at a time when thousands of pilgrims came to Jerusalem for Passover.

We should notice how Jesus entered Jerusalem on Palm Sunday.

Jesus entered Jerusalem deliberately. He carefully planned and then carried out the plan. On that day, Jesus no longer told people to keep quiet about who He was and what He would do. He deliberately planned a great event.

Jesus also comes to us deliberately – special times, special seasons, for special reasons. There is a sense in which He is with us all the time, and of course He is. But there are other times when Jesus deliberately, with great care, says to us “Here I am – recognize Me in this time and place.”

Jesus entered Jerusalem unusually. They might have expected that Jesus would come secretly; He was a wanted Man and in a lot of danger – but He came publicly. They might have expected that Jesus would come walking; that was how He normally traveled, yet He rode a young donkey. They might have expected that He would come on a warhorse; many people longed for a Messiah to conquer the Romans.

Sometimes we are so set in our expectation that Jesus must do this or must be that for us that when He comes to us unusually, we miss Him. Don’t let that happen for you.

Jesus entered Jerusalem royally. He fulfilled the prophecy from Zechariah 9:9, saying Israel’s King would come on a young donkey. Receiving the titles and hosannas fit for a king, Jesus presented Himself to Israel as royalty. Their King had arrived.

Jesus came to Jerusalem royally, and He comes to us as a King, with all that implies. God is a Father, a Creator, a Shepherd, a Husband, a Judge – but don’t forget He is a King, and we owe Him royal honor.

We must take care that we don’t simply pick and choose among these titles and ignore the ones we don’t like. When King Jesus comes to us, we can’t simply say, “Can you please come back as a Shepherd? I’m far more comfortable with that.” No, honor and serve King Jesus.

Receive Jesus these ways: deliberately, unusually, and royally.

Click here for David’s commentary on Matthew 21

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A Parable About Grace

But he answered one of them and said, “Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? Take what is yours and go your way. I wish to give to this last man the same as to you. Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with my own things? Or is your eye evil because I am good?” (Matthew 20:13-15)

It’s one of my favorite parables. Jesus told a story about a landowner who hired men at different times during the day. They worked different hours – such as 12 hours, 8, 4, and some just a few. When it came time to pay the workers, the landowner paid the ones hired last first, and he paid them the same amount as those who worked all day. He paid everyone a full day’s wage, whether they worked 2 hours or 12.

Why? Because he wanted to.

A Parable About Grace

The ones who worked all day complained against the landowner. Even though they were paid the amount promised, they didn’t like that the landowner was more generous with the short-day workers.

It is easy to sympathize with these who had worked all day. They worked while the others were idle. They worked in the heat of the day while others shaded themselves. Yet they were paid the same amount.

In response, the landowner reminded them that he had been completely fair to them. He did them no wrong and had broken no promise. The landowner did nothing to explain why he did it, other than simply to say I wish. The reasons for the landowner’s generosity were completely in the landowner himself, and not in the ones who received.

This parable answered Peter’s question, “We have left all and followed You. Therefore what shall we have?” (Matthew 19:27) This was the answer of Jesus: His disciples should expect to be rewarded; but they should not be surprised if, when rewards are distributed, God will reward others in unexpected ways.

This is the essence of God’s grace, when He rewards and blesses according to His will and pleasure, not necessarily according to what men deserve. The landowner did not treat anyone unfairly, though he was more generous to some than to others. God will never be less than fair, but He reserves the right to be more than fair as it pleases Him.

This parable is not a perfect illustration of God’s grace, because the principles of working and deserving are involved. God’s grace does not give us more blessing than we deserve – it gives blessing to us completelyapart from what we deserve.

Nevertheless, living under grace is sort of a two-edged sword. Under grace, we can’t come to God complaining, “I think that I deserve better than this”; because God will reply, “Does this mean that you really want Me to give you what you deserve?”

Don’t resent God’s right to give and reward as it pleases Him. His plan of grace is glorious.

Click here for David’s commentary on Matthew 20

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The Poor Rich Man

Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. (Matthew 19:21-22)

A man came to Jesus and asked, “what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?” He thought the entrance to heaven was mainly about doing something, so he asked Jesus about what good thing he needed to do.

The Poor Rich Man

This man is often called, “The Rich Young Ruler.” Matthew, Mark, and Luke say he was rich. Matthew says he was young (19:22), and Luke 18:18 says he was a ruler.

Jesus eventually told this man what to do: Sell all you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me. The call to forsake everything and follow Jesus was a call to put God first in all things. Jesus called the man to full obedience to the first table of the law, which dealt with a man’s relation to God.

We can make two mistakes regarding the answer Jesus gave this man. The first mistake is to believe this applies to everyone, when Jesus never made this a general command to all His followers, but especially to this one rich man whose riches were clearly an obstacle to his discipleship. Instead, many rich people can do more good by continuing to make money and using those resources for the glory of God and the good of others.

The second mistake is to believe this applies to no one, when there are clearly those today for whom the best thing they could do for themselves spiritually is to radically forsake the materialism that is ruining them.

Yet we notice that Jesus simply called this man to be His disciple, in saying, follow Me. He used similar language in calling many of His disciples (Matthew 4:19; 8:22; 9:9; Mark 2:14). Jesus simply called this man to be His follower; but for this man it meant leaving behind the riches he had set his heart upon.

Yet, the man went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. In this, the wealthy questioner failed utterly. Money was his god; he was guilty of idolatry. This is why Jesus, knowing the man’s heart, asked him to renounce his possessions.

The principle remains: God may challenge and require an individual to give something up for the sake of His kingdom that He still allows to someone else. There are many who perish because they will not forsake what God tells them to.

The rich young ruler had a lot going for him: his youth, his wealth, his influence. Yet he knew these things didn’t satisfy. That’s why he asked Jesus the question. Sadly, he refused to put Jesus first in all things and went away sorry and empty.

Don’t be like this poor rich man.

Click here for David’s commentary on Matthew 19

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The Urgency of Forgiveness

So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses. (Matthew 18:35)

Just before this, Jesus presented a parable that showed the urgent need for His disciples to forgive others, especially considering how much God had forgiven them. The parable and its application here end with a warning against failing to forgive.

The principle is clear. God has forgiven us such a great debt, that any debt owed to us by others is insignificant in comparison. No man can possibly offend me to the extent that my sins have offended God.

Jesus here taught an important and often neglected principle regarding forgiveness. There are many sincere Christians who withhold forgiveness from others for mistaken reasons – and they feel entirely justified in doing so.

Their reasoning works like this: We should not forgive another person who sins against us until they properly repent. This is because repentance is mentioned in the context of our command to forgive (such as in Luke 17:4), and because our forgiveness to others is to be modeled after God’s forgiveness of us. Since God does not forgive us apart from repentance, so we should not forgive others unless they properly repent to us. We even have the duty to withhold such forgiveness and to judge their repentance, because it is ultimately in their best interest to do so.

This thinking – even if well-meaning – is wrong and ultimately dangerous. This parable (Matthew 18:23-35) shows one reason why it is incorrect for us to think, “God doesn’t forgive me without my repentance; therefore, I must withhold my forgiveness from others until they properly repent.” That thinking is wrong, because I do not stand in the same place as God in the equation, and I never can. God stands as One who has never been forgiven and never needed forgiveness; I stand as one who has been forgiven and needs continual forgiveness.

Therefore – if it were possible – we should be far quicker to forgive than God is, without precondition of repentance, because we stand as forgiven sinners who must also forgive. We have an even greater obligation to forgive than God does.

It is also important to understand that a distinction can and should be made between forgiveness and reconciliation. True reconciliation of relationship can only happen when both parties are agreeable to it, and this may require repentance on one or both of the parties in the conflict. Yet forgiveness can be one-sided.

Furthermore, forgiveness does not necessarily shield someone from the civil or practical consequences of their sin. On a personal level, forgiveness is required. On a civil and societal level, the man should be punished by the magistrates (Romans 13).

Nevertheless, the principle clearly stands. In context, this parable was given to make us more forgiving, not less forgiving. No one could reasonably read this parable and think the goal was to restrict the forgiveness of His disciples.

Don’t miss the urgency of true forgiveness.

Click here for David’s commentary on Matthew 18

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No One But Jesus

When they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only. (Matthew 17:8)

Jesus gave Peter, James, and John a remarkable experience. Following Jesus to a high mountain, they saw Jesus transfigured, revealed in bright glory with Moses and Elijah beside Him. At Peter’s suggestion of building three tabernacles, God the Father spoke from heaven: This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him! God the Father wanted to highlight the truth that Jesus was unique, not to be equated with even great men like Moses and Elijah.

No One But Jesus

At this, Peter, James, and John all fell on their faces and were filled with fear. Jesus spoke to them, assuring them to not be afraid. Then, looking up – they saw Jesus and Jesus only. Moses and Elijah had vanished.

It’s a wonderful phrase: they saw no one but Jesus only. It is significant that their entire focus was forced upon Jesus once again. The cloud was gone; Moses had left, and Elijah had disappeared.

It might have been that after the events of the transfiguration, no one remained for the disciples. Theoretically, when the experience was over, there would have been no Moses, no Elijah, and no Jesus. This is exactly the experience of many. They have some spiritual experience or receive some ministry from the Holy Spirit of God; but when it is over, it is over – done and gone. Nothing remains.

It might have been that only Moses remained for the disciples. Theoretically, when the experience was over, there would have been only Moses. Though Moses was a great man, compared to Jesus he was like the moon is to the sun. It would be sad to exchange the grace and truth that came by Jesus for the law that came by Moses; but there are those sad ones who see Moses and his law only.

It might have been that only Elijah remained for the disciples. Theoretically, when the experience was over, there would have been only Elijah. Elijah was a man great for the power of his word and the boldness of his national reforms. Yet all this doesn’t compare to the person and work of Jesus only.

It might have been that all three remained. At first, this might have seemed to be the best – why not all three? Yet now that Jesus has come, Moses and Elijah can fade into their supportive roles and never be put on the same level as Jesus.

Instead, they saw only Jesus. Him alone.

Brothers and sisters, ultimately we serve no one but Jesus Christ. He is our Master, and we don’t bow down to even the great men and women of Christian history. As wonderfully as God has used them, Jesus stands above and alone compared to them all. We thank God for those men and women but are more grateful that in some sense they fade from the scene, and we see no one but Jesus only.

Click here for David’s commentary on Matthew 17

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How to Have Great Faith

Then Jesus answered and said to her, “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed from that very hour. (Matthew 15:28)

Jesus went out of His way to leave the land of Israel for the only known time in His ministry. He went to Tyre and Sidon, and the only thing we know Jesus did there was meet with a woman whose daughter was demon possessed.

Great Faith

The woman asked Jesus to deliver her daughter from torment, but Jesus began by putting the woman off. Yet, she seemed to push back against any apparent reluctance in Jesus, and the Savior was impressed by her determination.

Then Jesus answered the woman with this encouraging word: O woman, great is your faith! In the gospels, Jesus never said these specific to another person. He complimented the great faith of the Roman centurion who asked Jesus to heal his servant (Matthew 8:10), but He said those words to the crowd, not to the centurion directly. This Gentile woman heard it from Jesus directly.

Significantly, the only two people to receive this compliment from Jesus were these two Gentiles. Great faith may be found in unexpected places.

This unlikely woman’s faith was so great that she had her prayer answered, and Jesus delivered her daughter from demonic torment.

– Her faith was great, even compared to her other virtues – humble, patient, persevering, love for her child. Jesus didn’t compliment any of these good things, but only her faith.
– Her faith was great because it was unlikely. No one might have expected a Gentile to trust Jesus so much.
– Her faith was great because she worshipped Jesus answered her need.
– Her faith was great because it had been tested so severely. It’s hard to think of a greater test than having a demon-possessed child; but her faith was also tried by the seeming indifference or coldness of Jesus.
– Her faith was great because it was clever. She turned Jesus’ word inside-out and made what might have been taken as an insult as a door open for faith.
– Her faith was great because it concerned a real need right in front of her. Many people have faith for everything except those things that are right in front of them.
– Her faith was great because it would not give up. She did not stop until she got what she needed from Jesus.

You could say that her faith conquered Jesus. He not only healed her daughter, but Jesus did so immediately, something she had not even asked for.

We read of nothing else that Jesus did during His time in Tyre and Sidon. It would seem that His only divine appointment was to meet the need of this woman of faith and her afflicted daughter.

That’s how much Jesus loved and cared for her – and how much He will do for all those who come to Him with great faith.

Click here for David’s commentary on Matthew 15

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