Matthew 20

Pump, Pump, Pump

Posted on by Betsy

Do you believe in the power of prayer? I was recently in a situation that served as a beautiful reminder of what happens when “two or more are gathered in my name.” Take a look at how Eugene Peterson translates Jesus’ words from Matthew:

Matthew 20 (The Message)

18-20 “Take this most seriously: A yes on earth is yes in heaven; a no on earth is no in heaven. What you say to one another is eternal. I mean this. When two of you get together on anything at all on earth and make a prayer of it, my Father in heaven goes into action. And when two or three of you are together because of me, you can be sure that I’ll be there.”

I got to see this first hand a few months ago when I witnessed a man literally come back to life in the parking lot of a strip shopping center where I get my hair cut. It was a horrible, shocking, and miraculous moment. I was pulling into the parking lot and scanning for places to park, looking right and left, when I spotted an open place to my right. As I slowed down to pull into it, I was horrified to see an elderly man lying on the asphalt being given CPR by a young woman and a young man. He looked dead. His skin was a sickening ashen gray, and I could see no movement in his face or body other than the pump, pump, pump of the bystanders’ hands on his chest.

Along the sidewalk I spotted two women who were crying as they watched. I assumed that one was his wife, so I parked my car and approached her. I am a volunteer chaplain for the Southern Shores Fire Department and our role in moments of crisis is to offer prayer and comfort to the family.

I approached the woman and asked her if she was okay. She was surprised at my question and responded “no” in a shaky voice. I asked her if the man was a family member and was surprised when she said no again. It turned out that the two women worked in the store where the man had just been shopping and watched him as he fell out of the open door of his truck onto the pavement. 911 had been called but the two people who were rendering CPR were just passersby who had sprung into action. I was amazed at how well coordinated their movements were, counting loudly and switching off with ease. It turned out that one of them had been an OBX lifeguard for many years. Her incredible training kicked right in. The other had taken CPR classes at his workplace.

I began to pray and watched and waited. Because I had arrived early on the scene, I stood on the sidewalk near the man’s head and prayed loud enough for him to hear me, if he could.

As the fire department, police, and ambulance pulled into the small lot, the two people stepped aside and the first responders took over with the practiced ballet of well-rehearsed movements and calm urgency. Every time they stopped to check for a heartbeat, the results were the same: Unresponsive. They continued their efforts doing manual CPR and then switched to a CPR machine called a Lund University Cardiopulmonary Assist System (LUCAS) that was extremely powerful and absolutely frightening to watch. A metal bracket of sorts was placed over the man’s chest and a metal arm that ended in what looked like a large suction cup pushed down from the center and pumped the chest forcefully and rhythmically, encouraging the heart to restart.

I felt a strong urge to minister to those standing by watching this tragic scene, so I went around and told people I was a fire department chaplain and asked if they would like to join me in prayer. To my surprise, everyone said yes, so I formed us into a circle where we held hands and prayed aloud. The paramedics continued to work aggressively as they tried to get his heart restarted, and a timeline was established. At this point he had been down for close to 20 minutes.

Finally he was transferred to a gurney, and a covering was placed over his head while CPR was continued. The machine was removed, and a pulse and breathing check was performed while an EMT continued with manual CPR. I honestly don’t think anyone thought that he would pull through at this point.

And then it happened. He had a pulse and was breathing again. The relief and jubilation of the crowd was palpable. One of the store owners had gone back into her shop to sit down because she was so upset. I found her crying in the back of the store and we laughed and hugged when I shared the good news that the man was breathing. She told me that she was sure it was all that praying that did it, and I did not disagree.

Yesterday I got my hair cut and my hairdresser, who had been there that day, told me that the man and his wife recently returned to the store where he collapsed and, other than broken ribs from the CPR, he has made a full recovery.

That’s what prayer can do. A yes on earth can move the soul and the heart of God to give a yes in heaven, especially when two or three gather in the name of Jesus to intercede for the life of a dead stranger. Our prayers were loud and unceasing, like the pump, pump, pump of the CPR machine.

There is exponential power in the prayer of agreement. God is pleased to see his children praying in concert with and for one another, aligning their hearts and petitions in harmonious oneness that conveys their trust, faith, and hope that God will hear and respond.

Do you regularly pray with others? Do you have a prayer partner, belong to a prayer group, or attend prayer gatherings? Remember that when even as few as two pray together, God is there.

You wouldn’t want to miss that, would you?

Radiant Life by Rebecca Ziegler

The Great Reversal

Posted on by Betsy

Today we get to dip our toes into the parable pool and see what we can learn. Jesus used parables to teach his listeners about what the kingdom of heaven was like. They probably had a lot of different ideas about that. For example, we can assume that a Pharisee would have a different idea than a pagan. Jesus tried to dispel all the preconceived notions and bring everyone to a singular vision without being confrontational (to the Pharisee) or too vague (to the pagan). When it came to understanding an audience, Jesus was a master of framing a story so that everyone could catch a glimpse of the topic while still keeping it a mystery. Surely, none of us will understand the kingdom of God until we get there. But in this parable, we learn that the kingdom’s version of what is fair will not be what we expect.

Matthew 20:1-16 (The Message)

20 1-2 “God’s kingdom is like an estate manager who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. They agreed on a wage of a dollar a day, and went to work.

3-5 “Later, about nine o’clock, the manager saw some other men hanging around the town square unemployed. He told them to go to work in his vineyard and he would pay them a fair wage. They went.

5-6 “He did the same thing at noon, and again at three o’clock. At five o’clock he went back and found still others standing around. He said, ‘Why are you standing around all day doing nothing?’

7 “They said, ‘Because no one hired us.’

“He told them to go to work in his vineyard.

8 “When the day’s work was over, the owner of the vineyard instructed his foreman, ‘Call the workers in and pay them their wages. Start with the last hired and go on to the first.’

9-12 “Those hired at five o’clock came up and were each given a dollar. When those who were hired first saw that, they assumed they would get far more. But they got the same, each of them one dollar. Taking the dollar, they groused angrily to the manager, ‘These last workers put in only one easy hour, and you just made them equal to us, who slaved all day under a scorching sun.’

Oh, they groused angrily! And who can blame them? Can you imagine how it felt to those who had been picking grapes in the blistering sun since daybreak to see those who sauntered in at sunset get the same wage? Unfair!! Call the Union! Organize a protest!

13-15 “He replied to the one speaking for the rest, ‘Friend, I haven’t been unfair. We agreed on the wage of a dollar, didn’t we? So take it and go. I decided to give to the one who came last the same as you. Can’t I do what I want with my own money? Are you going to get stingy because I am generous?’

What a beautiful response. Can’t I do what I want with my own things? It’s mine to give. Should I not be generous because you are stingy?

You see, the workers were using the wrong measuring stick. They measured fairness by the length of time it took to work. The manager measured fairness by what he was able to give. Grace and mercy always outweigh any other measurement you can come up with.

And it was his to give.

16 “Here it is again, the Great Reversal: many of the first ending up last, and the last first.”

There will be many Great Reversals in heaven. You may be surprised to see who is seated at the great banquet next to you. On the other hand, they may be surprised to see you there, too!

God is the author and creator of fairness. Thank God he thought it was fair to send his son to redeem every single one of us, whether we confess him from birth or with our dying breath.

After all, it is his to give.

Escape Time by Michelle Robertson

Equal Pay

Posted on by Betsy

A man in my church passed away earlier this year. He was gifted, funny, and had a lovely personality. He also had a son who is lost from the world. Drugs and alcohol have controlled his son’s life for years, yet the father wrote his son’s name on a prayer request card every Sunday. He never gave up hope that his son would be saved. Knowing the full measure of blessing that comes from a relationship with God, the father prayed earnestly for his son to receive this fullness for himself even after decades of estrangement. It is never too late to come home.

In our passage today we see a group of vineyard workers who are in the middle of a labor dispute with the foreman. Some worked a long, hard day in the blazing sun for their wages. Others were hired at noon, and still others came in an hour before quittin’ time. Yet they all received the same wage. Unfair! The workers protested.

Matthew 20  (The Message)

1-2 “God’s kingdom is like an estate manager who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. They agreed on a wage of a dollar a day, and went to work.

3-5 “Later, about nine o’clock, the manager saw some other men hanging around the town square unemployed. He told them to go to work in his vineyard and he would pay them a fair wage. They went.

5-6 “He did the same thing at noon, and again at three o’clock. At five o’clock he went back and found still others standing around. He said, ‘Why are you standing around all day doing nothing?’

7 “They said, ‘Because no one hired us.’

“He told them to go to work in his vineyard.

8 “When the day’s work was over, the owner of the vineyard instructed his foreman, ‘Call the workers in and pay them their wages. Start with the last hired and go on to the first.’

9-12 “Those hired at five o’clock came up and were each given a dollar. When those who were hired first saw that, they assumed they would get far more. But they got the same, each of them one dollar. Taking the dollar, they groused angrily to the manager, ‘These last workers put in only one easy hour, and you just made them equal to us, who slaved all day under a scorching sun.’

This is something the man in my church understood. If his son were to give his life to Christ tomorrow, he would receive the same wage as the father who spent his ninety-plus years following Jesus. It’s never too late to receive equal pay. That’s how generous God is and the reason why we should never stop hoping and praying for the unrepentant to turn their lives toward God.

13-15 “He replied to the one speaking for the rest, ‘Friend, I haven’t been unfair. We agreed on the wage of a dollar, didn’t we? So take it and go. I decided to give to the one who came last the same as you. Can’t I do what I want with my own money? Are you going to get stingy because I am generous?’

Is there someone in your life that you’ve almost given up on? Are you praying for a friend or family member to find Christ? Don’t give up. The reward is great. Even those who offer a deathbed confession are eligible to come into the Kingdom at full pay.

16 “Here it is again, the Great Reversal: many of the first ending up last, and the last first.”

This last sentence stands as a warning. If you’ve been “earning your keep“ all your life and think there are categories of people you won’t have to suffer in heaven, think again. All those people you assume won’t get in because of their sin will likely be seated right next to you at the heavenly banquet. God decides to give to those whom he decides to give. He owns the vineyard and determines what is fair. His measure of fairness is weighed in grams of grace, mercy, and unconditional love. Better get ready now. And by the way, they might not be expecting to see you, either.

Somewhere Over by Joe McGraw