The Cup

I want to illustrate some verses from Matthew’s gospel with a story. Remember that some His disciples once asked Jesus for a prominent place in His kingdom... 

But Jesus answered, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink?” They said to Him, “We are able.”

He said to them, “My cup you shall drink; but to sit on My right and on My left, this is not Mine to give, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by My Father.”

Matthew 20:22-23 (NASB95)

This brings me to the story about the cup. 

Imagine that you are stranded and alone in a tropical jungle. You are dying from exposure to the sun and dehydration. As you search desperately for help, you come upon a mosquito-infested swamp. At the edge of the swamp is a cup almost completely buried in the mud.

You dig up the cup from the slimy mud because you’re desperate for something to drink. This is the first blessing:

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." Matthew 5:3 

Though you had nothing, you realized your desperate need and found this cup. You have found the cup of blessings from heaven!

The cup is completely covered in green algae and full of mud and mosquito larvae. You think “How can I drink from this cup, surely I will die!” You cry out to the Lord “Please help me clean this filthy cup!” Then you hear His comforting voice:

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted." Matthew 5:4

The first thing He tells you is to empty the cup; pour out the mud and wipe it out with your filthy hands. “But Lord, it is still filthy, and there is no clean water to drink!” He tells you to be patient and help will come:

“Blessed are the meek (who wait patiently), for they shall inherit the earth.” Matthew 5:5

Waiting is hard when you are dying of thirst, and now you are hungry. But you cry out “Please Lord, help me to obey and wait for your help.” He answers:

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied." Matthew 5:6 

As you wait, you begin to experience the satisfaction of righteousness that comes from obedience.

But as hours pass, you remember why you are in this terrible place. You remember the people who brought you here and left you here to die. The Lord speaks to you again:

“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy." Matthew 5:7

“Lord, I forgive them because You have forgiven me!”

As you continue to wait, you feel a purifying force in your heart, cleansing you from the bitterness of your past.

Now you not only hear the Lord, but you see Him appear with a large jar of clean water. He sets it down before you and says these words:

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." Matthew 5:8

The first thing you do with the water is to completely cleanse the cup. You now see that it is a precious silver cup and polish it to a shiny finish. Immediately you dip the cup in the fresh water and drink deeply until your thirst is quenched.

But soon some other people emerge from the jungle, rushing toward you. You recognize them as the people who brought you here, whom you have already forgiven.

“Come and drink!” You extend your cup and invite them to share the fresh life-giving water. They come in peace and refresh themselves. The Lord reminds you:

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God." Matthew 5:9

You are truly blessed, not only to survive but to now have friends who share your life-giving water.

But then another mob of people emerge from the jungle, jealous and hostile. They are not interested in your peace or your generosity. They only come to take your cup and your life-giving water, leaving you wounded and dying. Finally, a last word comes from the Lord:

“Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." Matthew 5:10

Now you realize that this precious silver goblet is the cup of the Lord, which was left for you. You drank from the cup, which gave life to you and others. The cup carried blessings and led you and your friends to the source of life. But in the end, you shared the sufferings that came with the cup.

My friend, this is the final blessing - to forgive and give life to your enemies, just as the Lord Jesus did for you. And when you take your last breath you will look up to see the Lord, extending His hands to carry you home.

The Widow’s Plea

Your rulers are rebels And companions of thieves; Everyone loves a bribe And chases after rewards. They do not defend the orphan, Nor does the widow’s plea come before them. Isaiah 1:23

Luke 18 starts with a parable about a persistent widow and her plea to an unrighteous judge. Jesus understood the plight of widows in Israel. Widows and orphans were among the weakest and poorest people in that society. God provided laws to protect them, and pledged to avenge their afflictions with great wrath.

‭‭Exodus‬ ‭22‬:‭22‬-‭24‬
You shall not afflict any widow or orphan. If you afflict him at all, and if he does cry out to Me, I will surely hear his cry; and My anger will be kindled, and I will kill you with the sword, and your wives shall become widows and your children fatherless.

Jesus sometimes used widows to exemplify situations that demand justice. For example, when a woman became a widow, it was not uncommon for a scribe or Pharisee to be designated as executor of the deceased husband’s estate. A corrupt executor could trick or defraud the widow out of her property. Perhaps it was this situation Jesus had in mind when he spoke this parable shortly before He entered Jerusalem for the final week of His earthly life.

Luke 18:2-5
“In a certain city there was a judge who did not fear God and did not respect man. There was a widow in that city, and she kept coming to him, saying, ‘Give me legal protection from my opponent.’ For a while he was unwilling; but afterward he said to himself, ‘Even though I do not fear God nor respect man, yet because this widow bothers me, I will give her legal protection, otherwise by continually coming she will wear me out.’”

The judge in this parable was part of a corrupt legal system. He didn’t care about the widow’s plight but only cared for his own peace. The widow however was at the point of absolute desperation and kept begging for help.

Jesus compared this situation to the plight of believers who cry out to God day and night for justice.

Luke 18:6-8a
And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge said; now, will not God bring about justice for His elect who cry to Him day and night, and will He delay long over them? I tell you that He will bring about justice for them quickly.”

In contrast to the unrighteous judge, our faithful God is a defender of the defenseless, who cares deeply for the persecuted and afflicted. He will not delay justice except to give the unrighteous a chance to repent and turn from their wicked ways.

The final question is this: “when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?” (v. 8)

This question goes back to the purpose of this parable. He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart… (v. 1)

When we are praying desperately for a particular answer, we must remember this:

1. God knows the future and knows what is best for us. He will always cause all things to work together for good to those who love Him. (Romans 8:28)

2. The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and plenteous in mercy. (Psalm 103:8)

3. The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance. (2 Peter‬ ‭3‬:‭9‬)

We must not lose heart, but keep the faith. God IS faithful. When we are the most defenseless, He is the most compassionate. Thus the question remains…When He comes will He find us faithful to HIM?

God's Plans

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” declares the Lord. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways And My thoughts than your thoughts.”

Isaiah‬ ‭55‬:‭8‬-‭9

One very important attribute of God’s nature is omniscience. God has known me from before time began, and He knows my future just as well as He knows my past. He knows my needs and my prayers before I pray, and He knows what is best for me and for His eternal kingdom.

Compared with this unfathomable wisdom and knowledge-my own understanding is very, very limited. I have very little knowledge of the lives of even those closest to me. I cannot read their minds, understand their background and decisions, much less their unknowable future. I don’t feel their pain, and I can’t do much to solve their toughest problems. But I do know the One who can and does.

Another thing I know more each day is that God has plans for each of us that are nothing like we can imagine. This is why we need faith, to let go of our own plans and seek God’s plans each day.

My Sunday Bible fellowship has been studying the Acts of the Apostles. One thing that is clear from the start of this book is that the apostles of Jesus didn’t have a plan. In spite of years spent with Jesus, they still had a very Jewish worldview when they entered the upper room to wait for the Spirit of God to come. The Lord had a much greater plan than establishing another earthly kingdom in Jerusalem with mortal subjects of flesh and blood.

This plan began to unfold on the day of Pentecost, when the early disciples received the Holy Spirit and began preaching the word of faith in languages that people from other nations could understand. Thousands of people believed the gospel of Christ and received the Holy Spirit that day, but God had even greater plans.

God gave the apostles special power to preach the gospel, to cause the lame to walk and the blind to see, even to cast out demons and bring some who were dead back to life. God also gave the apostles boldness and authority in the congregation of believers, such that even the religious authorities feared them. But God had even greater plans.

"For I know the plans that I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart."

Jeremiah 29:11-13 (NASB95)

The persecution that arose after the stoning of Stephen was another plan of God that was greater than the plans of men. This persecution caused all but the apostles to be scattered around the Roman empire beyond the walls of Jerusalem and outside the territory of Judea. It also brought the chief persecutor into direct confrontation with the Lord Jesus, and after his conversion to be known as Paul-the Apostle of Gentiles.

In Jerusalem, the regional King Herod had plans to kill the apostles, starting with the beheading of James and imprisonment of Peter. But God demonstrated His greater plan by breaking Peter’s bonds, opening prison doors and leading him past squadrons of guards and soldiers to his freedom. 

After this, the apostles continued to preach and lead the church in Jerusalem, while Herod was consumed by worms and died under the wrath of God. Many years later when Paul made his final trip to visit the apostles and fulfill his vow at the temple, there were tens of thousands of Jewish believers in Jerusalem who were also “zealous for the law”.

Paul ultimately became a prisoner of Rome due to the religious persecution that he himself started. But even in this, God had greater plans to make Paul a prolific evangelist and author of much of what we now call the New Testament. Paul’s ministry in Rome left a community of underground believers there to influence the empire and its ruling families. This underground church in Rome eventually led to the conversion of Emperor Constantine and a remnant of true Christianity in the world that continues to this day.

In my own life there have been a few times when my plans were changed by the sovereign plans of God. I know now that God has still more plans for me, and I’m learning to trust and wait for these to unfold in my life. In the meantime I will seek His presence and the foretaste of glory that brings me hope and joy.

Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways! 

Romans 11:33 (NASB95)