What stood out most to you?

Today: Matthew 27-28

"What stood out most to you?" is probably one of the best questions for starting a discussion. (Try it some time after a movie, art exhibit, vacation or at a small group meeting).

After I read today's passage, I asked myself that question. I can't think of a specific theme today, so this will be a somewhat random collection of things that stood out:

• What would it be like to be infamous--marked by history as part of something evil? I'll admit--this is a really odd question. But I thought of it after reading about how the Pharisees purchased a field with the money Judas was paid to betray Jesus. Their actions were prophesied by Jeremiah--but a priest part of the situation probably felt like he was just "part of the crowd."
  
  
• The actions of one generation impact the next...and beyond. The people who demanded Jesus' death pleaded with Pilate to crucify Him. They said, ""We'll take the blame, we and our children after us." What kind of actions are we taking today that will impact the next generation?
  
  
• The patient love of Jesus. It baffles my mind to think of what He endured--unjustly--on the cross. He was beaten, mocked, misunderstood, and tortured by people who just didn't see Him for who He is. Yet through it all, He remained strong, kind, compassionate and determined. Wow.
  
  
• Something I never noticed before--people who came to life as Jesus died. This was an interesting thing to discover. What would it have felt like to be one of those people or one of their family members? What would be like to suddenly come to life again because someone else lost His? How would your life be changed?
  
  
• The resurrected Jesus first appeared to women. This is kind of interesting to me because of the culture at the time--women were second-class citizens. Why would God in the flesh show up first to them? Why would He entrust the message of His resurrection to them? Maybe it's just because they were there and they were faithful. I honestly don't know--but I think it's interesting.
  
  
• Some of the disciples missed out on seeing and worshipping Jesus after He came to life. I never really noticed this before, either. It says, "Some, though, held back, not sure about worship, about risking themselves totally." Hmm...this reminds me of the "What kind of investor is God?" post from a few days ago. All of Jesus' friends and followers weren't ready to go "all in" or live "all out" for Him.
  
  Can you imagine being one of those people...a few days or a few years later? I think I would have always wondered, "What would have happened if I would have been there? What if I could have seen Jesus one more time? What if I had lived on the edge and worshipped Him?"
  
  
• Before He left for heaven, Jesus made a promise. When I started reading Matthew, one of my first posts was about how God keeps promises...and how the writer of Matthew continually reminded us of them. It's interesting that as Jesus left the earth, His last recorded words in Matthew are a promise to us, "I'll be with you...day after day after day, right up to the end of the age."
  

Tomorrow: Mark 1-3

What kind of investor is God?

Today: Matthew 24-25

In the world of investing, there's a "risk and return" principle. Typically, investments like bonds offer lower risk, but less opportunity to earn return (sometimes they don't beat inflation, for example). On the flip side, investments like stocks usually have higher risks (as anyone invested during 2008 knows!), but greater odds for higher returns.

Financial planners often assess their clients' levels of "risk tolerance." So here's my question of the day: What kind of investor is God? What is His risk tolerance?

In today's passage, The Message includes "The Story About Investment" (commonly referenced as the Parable of the Talents). In the story, the Master gives three servants various amounts of money to invest while he is away. Two of the servants double their investments. The last servant buries the money in the ground because he was afraid to disappoint the master.

However, the master is absolutely furious with this decision. He says:

'That's a terrible way to live!
It's criminal to live cautiously like that!
If you knew I was after the best,
why did you do less than the least?
The least you could have done
would have been to invest the sum with the bankers,
where at least I would have gotten a little interest.
"'Take the thousand and give it to the one who risked the most.
And get rid of this "play-it-safe" who won't go out on a limb.
Throw him out into utter darkness.'

Hmm...so it sounds like God definitely isn't a "play-it-safe" investor. But this passage is about so much more than money.

Most of this chapter talks about the coming of God's kingdom, what it will look like and how He will judge mankind. I believe this passage is talking about life (again!)--God is looking for people who live and give their best for Him. He's looking for people who don't just play it safe--but who are willing to take risks and step out on a limb for His purpose.

I've heard my pastor say it like this, "God went 'all in' for us--He wants wants us to live 'all out' for Him."

Tomorrow: Matthew 26