From Matthew 21:33-42 / Seeing The World as it really is.

Continuing Jesus’ challenge to the priests and elders in the Temple, He now puts forth a most ominous parable.

Ominous to those He is confronting, and at the same time, assuring to the regenerate and wonderfully broad in its profound expression of a true, Biblical worldview.

Note first: As we have mentioned already, but what Jesus now puts the finest of points on, the bottom line issue with most (if not all) who reject Jesus is this: They do not want to relinquish personal authority to Jesus. They want to serve self, not anyone else, even God.

We want to be lords over self. More, we want to be lords over everything we cast our eyes upon. But mostly, to usurp the rightful place of God and His Christ. To view our lives, our bodies, our goods, our influence, our all – as solely our own – owning nothing to the one who made us for His pleasure and purposes. The supreme idolatry – self.

If God is out of the picture, if the “heir” is disposed of, then everything which rightly belongs to Him and which He rightfully comes to rule over and receive His just due from – will be ours. This is the damning delusion. That if we erase God from our minds, we will be left alone with what we want.

The failure in this thinking of course is, that all still belongs to God, and someday, He will possess it all again, and those who thought to have it for themselves, will be judged most harshly.

A prime example of how this works is in the world of Psychiatry and Psychology. Think back to the work of Freud for instance. And even though so much of his theories are discarded today, his primary thrust still permeates mental health though. Eliminate guilt. Eliminate it either by convincing oneself that guilt is simply a social construct, or that loving self is our true duty and thus we are to ignore anything which makes us think less of ourselves at all cost, or medicate the conscience by some means. If we owe nothing to anyone above self, we can live guilt free.

And it is a lie. For the guilt remains, there, under the surface. It never really goes away. We just suppress it, along with any true thoughts of God. Or re-make Him so as to not annoy us.

Note second: What a wonder the Gospel is. For in Christ, there is true forgiveness of sin, and a genuine cleansing of the conscience which leaves the Believer free and clean and not needing a false remedy which only masks our sinful guilt.

Christians can run back to the Cross over and over and over and see their just penalty truly paid, not ignored. Justice fulfilled on our behalf. Washing from all our former defilement. And if “we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.” (1 John 1:7). Continual, sweet, cleansing.

No need to re-create reality. No need to ignore the truth about self. No need to try and overthrow God so as to have our own way. Freedom! Freedom from guilt. Freedom from shame. Freedom from walking in blindness to the truth. Freedom. He whom the Son sets free, is free indeed.

Those who have the imaginary freedom of a seared, deceived or medicated conscience – are in the worst of prisons. For they do not even know they are still bound in their trespasses and sins, and still abiding under the wrath of God.

Note third: This most wonderful and wonderfully concise articulation of the Christian and Biblical worldview framework.

God made everything.

God prepared a wonderful world for mankind to inhabit.

God committed the world into the hands of mankind, so as to produce the fruit of what He had begun.

But when God began to demand from us what was rightfully His, we rejected Him.

In His mercy, He sent prophets and teachers and leaders to bring us back to the truth.

Lastly, He sent His own dear Son to receive at our hands His just due. The fruit of His own image created within us.

And we murdered Him, rather than submit to Him and surrender our imagined personal sovereignty.

Thus it is, that in due time, He will judge all for what we have done.

The One we thought we could eliminate – will at last be the very One who is our Judge.

This is the state of affairs, the context in which the world exists.

And this then is the call of the Gospel – repent, and flee to Christ. Own Him as Lord, and He will also be your Savior from the coming wrath. He calls to you today. And if you still have breath in you – it is not too late.