one step: Matthew 26.1

When Jesus had finished all these sayings, he said to his disciples, “You know that after two days the Passover is coming, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified.”

The forces of darkness were building to a crescendo of attack. Following these words of Jesus, the chief priests and the elders were plotting how to safely dispose of Jesus. As life as the disciples knew it was about to unravel, Jesus reminds them that He knows what is coming and that His Father is the authority in the story. Despite the dark forces at work, the purposes of God will prevail.

It’s hard to understand the dynamic of the will of evil and the will of God. How can evil seem to prevail using the tools of death and destruction and yet God still comes through with the actualization of His purposes?

In the life and death of Jesus, evil was a pawn used for its own undoing. The more evil came against Jesus, the more Jesus stepped in and walked in His Father’s will. The persecution and death that the enemy planned to silence the mouth of Jesus played into the will of the Father that His Son would die to take away the sins of the world.

In life, it can feel like evil is winning, and it can feel like there is nothing that we can do about it. Jesus shows us that when we obey God through the most difficult and painful of journeys, God will use it all to propel His purpose for our life into completion. What can we do about evil? We can do exactly what God is telling us to do today: obey His words.

Today, take a step.

Maybe today the one step God wants you to take is to remember once again the one thing He told you to do that has been left undone. Perhaps God wants you to see the pain and persecution you are enduring as something that He can use for His purpose in your life that will result in resurrection. Maybe today God wants you to remember His promises of the good that is to come.

Whatever the step, ask God to direct it. Take a moment to take that step. Invite Him to speak. He will.

Life is a long road. Walk it with Jesus. Take a step today… just one is fine.

Feel free to comment at the bottom of this page! We would love to hear from you!

*Leon, Morris, The Gospel According to Matthew. Pillar New Testament Commentary (Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1992), 642–645, and Keener, C. S., Matthew (Vol. 1, Mt Mt 26:1–2).) (InterVarsity Press, 1997).

one step: Matthew 25.3

Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’

The righteous people that Jesus talks to in this story are beautifully unaware that they were doing things for and to Jesus. As readers of these words, we can, out of religious inclinations, seek out those that we feel are needy and help them. Our good deeds for “the least of these” are offered in hopes that Jesus receives them unto Himself. Sadly, and I have been guilty of this, we can see helping people in need as placing a deposit in an eternal bank account from which we will one day receive a return.

The hearers of the words of Jesus in this story did not have the luxury of first reading about it like we do. They were caught by surprise that the ways in which they were helping the needy could impact Christ at all. At the time of Jesus, visiting people in prison was unthinkable. Most wanted to stay as far away from prisons as possible.* This act of love was done for others, but Jesus says that it was done unto Him.

The purity of their service came from a genuine care and love for others. Jesus is not just looking for good works done for those who need them; He is looking for hearts that want to see and help “the least of these.”

Do our hearts ache for the poor? Do we cry when we see the pain in other’s eyes. Does compassion propel us to pray for healing when we see a woman bent over in pain? Does our heart for these people inspire us act?

I think back on a time when I would categorize myself as “the least of these.” Maybe you can too? The Kingdom of God is full of “the least of these.”* They are the ones who Jesus sought out. Finding the fancy and the famous and serving them comes quite naturally.* Seeing the invisible ones and meeting their silent needs even when it’s unpopular does not.

Today, take a step.

Maybe today the one step God wants you to take is to see the unseen for the purpose of reaching out. Perhaps God wants you to remember when you were “the least of these,” and allow Him to increase your compassion to new depths. Maybe God wants you to abandon efforts of serving to be seen.

Whatever the step, ask God to direct it. Take a moment to take that step. Invite Him to speak. He will.

Life is a long road. Walk it with Jesus. Take a step today… just one is fine.

Feel free to comment at the bottom of this page! We would love to hear from you!

*Leon, Morris, The Gospel According to Matthew. Pillar New Testament Commentary (Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1992), 633–641, and Keener, C. S., Matthew (Vol. 1, Mt 25:31–46).) (InterVarsity Press, 1997).

one step: Matthew 25.2

But his master answered him, ‘You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I scattered no seed? Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest. So take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents. For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

What was this guy thinking? To do nothing with what was entrusted to him when he easily could have seen some increase by simply depositing it in the bank is one thing, to lie to his master about his reason for inactivity is another.

The Master entrusted three servants with three large amounts of money. A talent was a measurement of weight at the time, so knowing if it was a talent of gold, silver, or copper would help in determining the value today. Unfortunately, we don’t have this information. We are to understand that the sums were large enough to invest and see return on.*

The wicked servant who was lazy and did nothing with the talent he was entrusted with lied. He claimed that he was afraid that the Master would punish him for losing the money. This wasn’t true, and even if it were, it was unnecessary. The Master diversified his portfolio enough to win under most circumstances. Think about it:

The Master began with eight talents. He desired to invest these eight talents through his servants. Should the servant with the one talent invest and lose everything while the other two doubled their investment (as they did in the parable), the Master would end with fourteen talents, six more than He started with. If the wicked servant lost everything and the most-trusted servant lost almost half of all he had while the one with two doubled his investment, the Master would have seven talents, only losing one talent in the risk. Had the most trusted servant doubled his talents while the other two lost everything, the Master would end with ten talents, two more than He began with. There are others scenarios to be considered, but I think you get the point that the Master knew what He was doing while testing His servants.

How many times do we bury the opportunities that God gives us to invest the things that He has entrusted us with? How many times do we fail to invest because we are lazy or scared? The wicked servant in this parable was more lazy than scared, but what about us?

Even if we fail and lose all that God has entrusted us with, God already has us; the Kingdom will not crumble. His portfolio is diversified.

While this is a helpful reflection, this parable isn’t just about a moment of failed investment. It’s about a failure of life. If we fail to invest the things that God has entrusted us because we are lazy, the request is too great, or we feel overwhelmed, we must realize that eternity is at stake.

To clarify, the Lord does not count our failures so that we must earn eternity with Him. It’s not about trying hard enough up until the day the Master returns. Assuredly, a day will come when the Master will come to account for what He gave each of us - an opportunity to partner with Him in His Kingdom. A failure to invest in the Kingdom is the fruit of a life that claims to be a follower of Jesus but does not actually follow Him, and we can’t successfully lie to God.*

Today, take a step.

Maybe today the one step God wants you to take is to say “yes” to the Master’s invitation to invest your life in His Kingdom as a genuine follower of Jesus. Perhaps God wants you to be encouraged today with His words to the servants that invested: “well done good and faithful servant.”

Whatever the step, ask God to direct it. Take a moment to take that step. Invite Him to speak. He will.

Life is a long road. Walk it with Jesus. Take a step today… just one is fine.

Feel free to comment at the bottom of this page! We would love to hear from you!

*Leon, Morris, The Gospel According to Matthew. Pillar New Testament Commentary (Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1992), 626–632, and Keener, C. S., Matthew (Vol. 1, Mt 25:14–30).) (InterVarsity Press, 1997).

one step: Matthew 25.1

Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps.…

Understanding the historical context for the Gospel of Matthew is an important strategy for understanding what Jesus was trying to communicate to His audience. The parable of the ten virgins is no exception. When read in it’s entirety (and I encourage you to do so), some questions arise that require historical context to understand.

1) Why would Jesus call half of the virgins foolish for not having enough oil?

In the time of Jesus, a wedding included a procession of the bride to the bridegroom. This procession would only start once the bridegroom summoned the bride, letting her and her party know that He was ready. Often at night, this procession would include torches to see. Historical context tells us that these torches most likely were constructed of a stick with cloths on the end and dipped in oil. The burning oil could be expected to last around fifteen minutes before needing to be refreshed.* Knowing this information presents more specific questions: is not bringing extra oil really foolish? Should they have expected the bridegroom to be late?

To the ears of those original listeners to Jesus, the answer is an unequivocal yes. They were very foolish.

They were foolish for four reasons: 1) they lived in a society that did not value punctuality in the same way that America and other time-conscious cultures do; 2) weddings often started late in their culture as the groom finished preparations which could include negotiations for the value of the gifts . These gifts reflected the value of the bride to the bridegroom; 3) the torches only last 15 minutes. To think that this would be enough is ridiculous considering the high chance of waiting and the fact that the procession itself through the darkness of night would take time; and 4) the risk was quite high. To be left in the dark mid-way through a wedding procession is an extreme cultural embarrassment, and to not have enough oil to even begin was a high insult to all involved (bride, bridegroom, and their friends and family included). Involvement in a wedding is an extreme privilege, and to fail at this effective practice run of one’s own wedding is unthinkable. To not mitigate the risk of the torch is absolute foolishness.*

2) Isn’t it kind of mean that the wise virgins share their oil? Being wise, these five women understood that the only thing worse than what had already transpired would be if all of the lamps burned out, leaving no honor and celebration for the bride and bridegroom. They could not take the risk of failing the family and friends further. Their choice was not out of contempt for their fellow bridesmaids, but out of love for the bride and groom.*

3) Shouldn’t the groom have had mercy and let them in? The answer to question one should allow us the understanding that their actions served as great insult, disrespect, and lack of care. To the hearers of Jesus’ parable, the actions of the bridegroom were merited and understandable. The preparations and readiness that the groom expected was not harsh and lofty, but his expectations were normal and understandable given the context of what all understood as a normal wedding activity.*

Where does this leave us?

As believers, Jesus invites us to be ready. Each and every one of the bridesmaids fell asleep that night, exhausted from the waiting. Jesus is not concerned with their humanity and inability to hold onto consciousness. Jesus wants each of us to know that when He calls, we should simply have a readiness that is normal and understandable in preparing for meeting the groom.

Today, take a step.

Maybe today the one step God wants you to take is to allow Him to examine your readiness. Perhaps the simplicity of surrendering to Him and keeping the oil of His Word and His Spirit fresh is what He is asking of you today. Maybe He wants you to take the nap that you need to let yourself refresh while you wait.

Whatever the step, ask God to direct it. Take a moment to take that step. Invite Him to speak. He will.

Life is a long road. Walk it with Jesus. Take a step today… just one is fine.

Feel free to comment at the bottom of this page! We would love to hear from you!

*Leon, Morris, The Gospel According to Matthew. Pillar New Testament Commentary (Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1992), 619–625, and Keener, C. S., Matthew (Vol. 1, Mt 25:1–13).) (InterVarsity Press, 1997).

one step: Matthew 24.6

Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions.

Most people who desire to be good also desire to be faithful. We want to be faithful friends, spouses, and employees. Followers of Jesus want to be faithful servants to Him. What must we do to be faithful servants of our good Master?

The simple answer is that we must simply be obedient to do the things that Christ has asked us to do in preparing the way for Him. Why is this so difficult? Because this preparation must be done during a time of waiting.

Waiting is so hard. I’m about to have to renew my driver’s license, and I am not looking forward to the wait. Doctors’ Offices, traffic lights, and even the line at the ice cream shop can serve as places of testing. We are waiting for our King to return. In this difficult place of waiting, Christ expects that we will do the things that He has asked us to do to prepare the way for His return.

Jesus shows us in the following verses of Matthew 24 that those servants that fail to prepare, that get carried away by the cares of this world, and extend cruelty to their fellow servants, will find out the hard way that they were playing pretend all along.* These hypocrites will find themselves sharing the fate of those religious leaders of their day that played the role of Pharisee but had hearts far from God.* Calling Jesus Master isn’t enough if it’s just a game that we play. The waiting will expose what’s in our hearts. The produce of obedience will prove our posture toward Him.

It’s important to remember that while we are waiting for Jesus to return, He has not left us alone (John 14:15-27). The Holy Spirit is with us to comfort us, lead us, and empower us so that we can successfully prepare for the returning King.

Today, take a step.

Maybe today the one step God wants you to take is to remember the simple things that He asked you to do in preparing the way for Him. Perhaps He wants you to feel the tension of the absence of Jesus in the waiting so that you can respond with expectant preparation. Maybe God wants you to allow Him to look into your heart today. Perhaps God wants you to remember that you have His Spirit with you.

Whatever the step, ask God to direct it. Take a moment to take that step. Invite Him to speak. He will.

Life is a long road. Walk it with Jesus. Take a step today… just one is fine.

Feel free to comment at the bottom of this page! We would love to hear from you!

*Leon, Morris, The Gospel According to Matthew. Pillar New Testament Commentary (Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1992), 616–618, and Keener, C. S., Matthew (Vol. 1, Mt 24:45–51).) (InterVarsity Press, 1997).