Thursday, December 14, 2023

EVERY WORD MATTERS

Today, I was tempted to gloss over and skip a biblical passage because it was hard to understand. Then, I was tested; I was challenged by God in my mind to sort through it because all of His Words are essential doctrine.

Some things in the Bible are vague. I approached today’s passage trusting that although I have yet to understand it, that God will guide me through it.

Since Jesus spoke those things, they are pertinent, if not for the heavenly realm, but in human affairs. One vaguery follows: 

Verily I say unto you, “Whatsoever you shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever you shall loose on Earth shall be loosed in heaven.” (Mat 18:18)

 What did Jesus mean? The subject at hand is about disagreements between brothers (verse 15) and how to resolve those differences by establishing the truth (verse 16). If that fails to reconcile, then the Church should be consulted (verse 17). With those things said, the context is about reconciliation after there has been a disagreement among individuals.

To reconcile is “to restore to friendship and harmony” (Merriam-Webster 2023). It may be that there was no friendship before to reconcile!

The context is much about friendship, so Jesus was surely speaking of friends, or two who should be friends.

He used the two words, ‘bind’ and ‘loose.’ The former is a bond between something. Perhaps Jesus was speaking of friendships — two Christian brothers in harmony — in accord with one another. (Yes, there can be discord between Christians that should be resolved.)

Christians were of one accord when the Holy Spirit of God came upon them (Acts 2:1). They were bound together by the Spirit of God. As it is on Earth, so it will be in heaven, Jesus implied. Conversely, if Christians are expected to be in accord in heaven, the expectation is that they must be of one accord on Earth.

The other key word is ‘loosed” which means unbound or dissolved. Then, whatever is dissolved on Earth will be dissolved in heaven.

Next Jesus presented a hypothetical situation wherein one manservant trespassed against another one. Jesus likened heaven to a certain king, obviously that would later be Himself (verse 23).

One of the King’s servants owed his Lord quite a sum of money. That servant, “in heaven” would have the account settled; “His Lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made” (verse 25).

That same servant worshipped his Lord and out of mercy, “The lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt” (verse 27).

The same servant approached the other servant who owed him and asked for payment right then. He “cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt.” His Lord pointed out to the first servant that He had had compassion on him but that he had no compassion on his fellow servant (verse 33). As it turns out, the Lord was just in His judgment: 

His Lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him. So, likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if you from your hearts forgive not everyone his brother their trespasses. (Mat 18:34:35)

 The ‘economy’ in Paradise in heaven prohibits trespassers. It is God’s Estate and only the righteous will be there. However, Jesus was speaking of Earth and heaven. ‘Heaven’ is not a place but another realm. ‘Paradise’ is a certain place in the realm of heaven. Scripture refers to Paradise as a Kingdom, not of this world, but a heavenly Kingdom.

The Book of Enoch separates heaven into two places: Paradise and Hell with a barrier in between. Luke chapter sixteen also divides heaven into two places: (1) comfort in the bosom of Abraham (Paradise) and (2) torments (Hell), with the two separated by a great gulf (Luke 16:23-26).

Jesus spoke in general about two brothers. The story of the rich man and Lazarus is about two who should have been brothers but failed to reconcile while on Earth. However, when he was already in torments, the rich man endeavored to justify himself to God and for God to have mercy on him, as he had mercy on Lazarus.

Their acts followed them to heaven. The rich man should have been a friend who showed patience rather than disdain for the poor man Lazarus.

Jesus, in his parable of the two servants, was encouraging reconciliation while here on Earth because the case would follow them to heaven. Both would go to heaven but because things were not reconciled on Earth, the case against them would be decided in heaven.

Abraham’s bosom was like a ‘placeholder’ until Jesus would ascend; then it would be the Bosom of Jesus wherein the righteous dead would rest. Hence, Abraham’s bosom was comfort in heaven until the Jesus would be there to comfort them.

Before Jesus died, Abraham was the ‘Lord’ of which Jesus spoke in heaven. The Book of Jasher reveals that Abraham was a king in his own domain who lived in Canaan land. Abraham was the king and lord in heaven and certainly the ‘Lord’ of whom Jesus spoke with an eye on Himself very soon.

Jesus was explaining to His disciples that they should resolve their differences here on Earth, or He would resolve them in Heaven; that the rules in for entering heaven and the rules here are harmonious; that you cannot be one thing here and another thing in heaven.

Jesus was speaking of the first day in heaven — Judgment Day — when judgment will be based on acts here on Earth.

The rich man was much different when he was in heaven. He had been merciless on his estate but when on God’s Estate, he was contrite. He should have reconciled with the servant, Lazarus, and the LORD GOD while on Earth because although he was not bound on Earth, as he should have been, he was bound in heaven. He could not escape justice! Justice should be served here, and a trespasser or debtor here should not expect reprieve after it is too late.

How would the dead be expected to reconcile if the living cannot?

You can prepare for heaven! Heaven is God’s Estate and to live in harmony while there (forever as the case may be), we should be able to live in harmony for a short time while on Earth. A heartless person is not expected to be kind and friendly in heaven if they were not while on Earth. The grace of Jesus is patient; even if a person changes at the last moment before dying, it is never too late to be kind and considerate.

The malefactor on the cross was a thief. He could not pay off his debt to those from whom he stole. Even with that, he could pay homage to Jesus, and that was the acceptable sacrifice; to give his person to God for God redeeming his soul, even if it was at the last moment. Everything needs to be reconciled here, in heaven it is too late!

On a personal note, I learned that lesson before it was too late. I had a woman at work who hated me. To be truthful, I was unkind to her as well because we were competitors for the same job. We felt that we had to outperform each other rather than work together!

Then her young mother died unexpectedly. I empathized with the pain that she must have been experiencing. God led me to send her a sympathy card. To be truthful, I did that because I am a Christian. As a Christian, I am expected to be kind to my enemies.

When my adversary returned to work, she thanked me. She said that I was the only one from work who sent her a card or expressed sympathy. The Lord was patient with me and with her! We reconciled and were no longer enemies, but good friends who thereafter worked well together.

Neither of us waited until it was too late. We resolved our differences here; judgment day would be too late. We loosed our animosity here, so that we would be free in heaven.

My hope is that you get the point; that to be with Christ in heaven, we must be in Christ on Earth.

This scripture was hard to understand, but I must say that the Lord guided me through it very well, hopefully to His satisfaction!



 

No comments:

Post a Comment