SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 4/6/2023 10:21 PM
My Worship Time Focus:
PT-1 “The Vindication of Kingdom
Equality”
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Matthew
20:13-16
Message of the verses: “13 “But he
answered and said to one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong; did you not
agree with me for a denarius? 14 ‘Take what is yours and go, but I wish to give
to this last man the same as to you. 15 ‘Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish
with what is my own? Or is your eye envious because I am generous?’ 16 “So the
last shall be first, and the first last.’”
I usually don’t do my devotions this late in the
evening but I had a medical procedure this morning which was done after I was
put to sleep, Endoscopy was the name of it and although it seems that nothing
has changed from the last one that I got a few years ago it is not something
that I look forward to having done.
Now
this SD will probably be a bit shorter than most of the ones that I write, and
this SD begins the last section that has covered Matthew 19:30-20:16. It is not only the last, but it will probably
take the most time to get through.
Another thing that I want to say is that I am having trouble truly
understanding exactly the spiritual meaning of this parable.
At
the end of this section, verse 16 we read something similar to what 19:30 said,
“"But many who are first will be last; and the last, first,”
which shows me that when the chapters were put into the New Testament that I
think that verse 19:30 should have been 20:1.
Verses
11-12, which we looked at earlier, are grumblings that came from the first
group of laborers that the land owner hired, and so in verse 13-15 the land
owner is giving is giving his answer to the grumblings of the first laborers
who were hired. Now as we looked at
their grumblings it probably came from a spokesman from their group and so the
land owner answered and so to one of them, (the spokesman) Friend, I am doing
you no wrong; did you not agree with me for a denarius?” The Greek word for friend is hetairos “is not the term for a close
friend but rather a casual companion.
The owner let them know firmly but courteously that they were out of
line. He was doing them no wrong, because
they had a clear agreement early in the morning at the market place (v. 2) that they would be paid a denarius apiece,
a far wage.” What we get into again is “fairness”
something we have talked about in an earlier SD. The owner then says to them “take what is
yours and go your way.” It should not be
your concern, if I wish to give to this last man the same as to you.” That is a true statement, as it was up to the
owner to pay the rest of those he hired the same as the first group.
I
worked for a long time in a foundry which had a strong union and for over the
first half of my time there I was a union member. This entire section that we have been looking
brings backs memories of working there, and some of those memories were not the
greatest when this type of things happened.
Lord
willing we will continue looking at this section in our next SD. 4/6/2023 10:46 PM
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