Alabaster Flask

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Alabaster Flask

6 And when Jesus was in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, 7 a woman came to Him having an alabaster flask of very costly fragrant oil, and she poured it on His head as He sat at the table. 8 But when His disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, “Why this waste? 9 For this fragrant oil might have been sold for much and given to the poor.”

Matthew 26:6-9

When you read through the gospels, you quickly realize that Jesus loved nothing more than to be at a home surrounded by friends and strangers. In these moments he could do more at molding and changing hearts than any large gathering on a hill or by a lake. Here he could connect with individual hearts. He could heal people one on one and then share something greater that anything on this earth.

This is a rare occasion when the tables are turned. Instead of Jesus giving a gift, he receives one. In this chapter, a nameless woman comes to him with an experience box and flask of fragrant oil. For this woman to do this, it is because she had already had an experience with Jesus. He did something in her life that filled her with a desire to give something back. You’ll notice that it never says that the woman was rich but that the gift was. The way that she presents the gift however in humbleness points towards someone who wasn’t rich. What she was giving was beyond her means and yet she still felt compelled to give it.

That response shows a heart that truly has connected with God. It shows someone who not only received the love of God, but who was also filled with it and was compelled to give it out again to those around her. This was a person truly changed and converted. It is this character that we should be desiring to have ourselves.

Instead however and unfortunately, we find ourselves not like this woman but like the men around her. Instead of praising her gift, kindness and love, they mock her and the gift. They claim it is wasted and could have been given to better work.

While her heart was filled with love and gratitude, the men were full of envy, judgement, pride and sin. How many times do we only see the negatives in people actions? How many times do we jump over the kind act and seek out something wrong to judge that person?

Let us strive to have the conversion of this woman with the alabaster flask. May we give humbly and with true love.

God bless,

Pr. Steven Couto

Blinded by Sin

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Blinded by Sin

1  Now it came to pass, when Jesus had finished all these sayings, that He said to His disciples, 2 “You know that after two days is the Passover, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified.”

3 Then the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders of the people assembled at the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas, 4 and plotted to take Jesus by trickery and kill Him. 5 But they said, “Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar among the people.”

Matthew 26:1-5

In chapter 26 of Matthew we see two groups of people who are blinded because they are sinful human beings.

The first group are the disciples. Although they lived with Jesus, heard all his sermons and witnessed all his miracles, they still were blinded as to his earthly mission. Being raised Jews, and having their eyes and minds clouded by sin, they still believed that the promised messiah was more about destroying Rome and creating a world dominating Israelite nation than cleansing the world and all in it from sin.

It’s interesting that Jesus says, ‘You know’ before clearly saying that he must be sacrificed at the Passover, showing them that he was the Lamb of God. Really he probably should have said, ‘You should know’ because they clearly didn’t. They were too wrapped up in their own lives, goals and dreams to see what God was truly trying to do.

The second group are the priests, elders and scribes. Sin also clouded their vision, thinking themselves as holy, pure and the keepers of God’s word while at the very same time planning on killing a completely innocent man who was also clearly connected with God himself.

When we are in the act of sinning, we lose our vision, even more than usual. We get so caught up in our own pleasures and desires that we don’t even see when we are knee deep in sin and completely against God. Just like the Jewish leaders, we can still see ourselves as these good holy Christians while being completely against God.

Let us go to God and ask to be cleansed. May our eyes be cleared from sin so we can see the world and ourselves as they truly are. If we don’t, we won’t see a need to fix ourselves. We will be covered in sin and not even be able to see it.

God bless,

Pr. Steven Couto

It Was God

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It Was God

37 “Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? 38 When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? 39 Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ 40 And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’

Matthew 25:37-40

This is the job of the Christian and the gospel message. Everything we do, we do for Jesus, but we must realize that we do it for Jesus through those who are around us. As a Christian, we want to show God and Jesus just how much we love them but they are all the way up in heaven. The simple solution is what these verses here say.

God sees all of the human race as his children, whom he lost to sin. As children, even lost, he feels and experiences a real connection with them. So when we do good to someone here on earth, Christian or not, we are doing it to Christ.

The opposite is also true.

41 “Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: 42 for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; 43 I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.’

Matthew 25:41-43

This should really make us double think our actions towards others. Every time we judge of treat someone badly just because they’re different, we are judging God and badly treating him. How many times have we cursed God? How many times have we insulted him?

Let us see the face of Jesus in everyone that we meet. Jesus was caring and loving to everyone he met. He was always trying to save everyone around him. The only exception was for those experts in the law who knew better. Because of their knowledge, he spoke piercing truth to them, and yet even then it was done out of love and for their salvation.

Let us learn from Jesus. Let us see each other as he sees us.

God bless,

Pr. Steven Couto

I was the Stranger

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I was the Stranger

33 And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. 34 Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 35 for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; 36 I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’

Matthew 25:33-36

Here is a very powerful few verses that we find in the Bible, and in particular, in the words of Jesus himself. In these verses Jesus is showing us what will be the difference between those who are saved and those who are lost. The saved are seen as sheep and go on his right side with the lost are goats and go to the left.

The first thing you notice is that it is intimately related to God. He will decide who goes where. He is the final judge and there is nothing that either forces his actions or impedes them. Whomever he decides to be saved will be and vice versa.

The second thing is that it comes down to our actions. This might sound strange because we keep saying that we are saved by grace and not works but these words are still true and not in conflict.

The good works of giving food, drink, shelter, clothes and visitation are done to people but God points it to himself. In doing this what he is really saying is that it isn’t the actions themselves that save but the reasoning behind it. It’s the love and connection to God, the relationship, where the salvation truly lies. In other words, doing good things for selfish or wrong reasons does nothing for your salvation but your actions done through righteous and good reasons shows the transformation you have experiences through the Holy Spirit to God.

The third thing you’ll notice is that Jesus doesn’t even mention prayer, church, the bible or other things traditionally connected with religion. No. He instead focusses on the everyday actions of life that should be molded by our experiences we learn and grow from our religious experiences.

May we learn from God and be transformed by the Holy Spirit so that our everyday life and actions may be worthy to be put on God’s right side.

God bless,

Pr. Steven Couto

His Glory and Throne

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His Glory and Throne

31 “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. 

Matthew 25:31

This is a very strange and unique verse in Matthew. That is because it’s one of the few verses that Jesus speaks about himself without a connection to his father. Usually Jesus spoke about the Father’s glory and about his throne but here Jesus is talking about his own glory and his own throne.

In this verse, the focus is on Jesus. The angels around surrounding him and it culminates with his seating on a glorious throne. This isn’t the Jesus of the first coming. It isn’t a quiet night in Bethlehem or a small manger hidden away. This isn’t the meek and humble Jesus we read about in the Christmas story. This Jesus is a powerful, ruling Jesus. It is a king surrounded by his angels and ready to judge.

32 All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats.

Matthew 25:32

All nations are under this powerful Jesus. All nations are judged. Each individual of all nations will be judged individually. No one will be missed. No one will be left out. Whether you believe in him or not makes no difference. Whether you accept his authority and power changes nothing.

Jesus allowed people to reject him in his first coming. He allowed people to walk away and have nothing to do with him. He allowed his creations to insult, beat and even kill him. That is no longer the case. Now you are under his rule. Now all decisions, good and bad will come to light. True, unbiased, untainted judgement is given out without exception.

God is love, Jesus also, yes, but that doesn’t negate this side of God as well. Judgement is just as much a part of God as love. We must understand and accept all of who God is if we want to be ready for this final day.

 

God bless,

Pr. Steven Couto

Wrong Image

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Wrong Image

24 “Then he who had received the one talent came and said, ‘Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25 And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground. Look, there you have what is yours.’

Matthew 24-25

Some people have a very twisted view of God. Oddly enough it can go badly in different opposite extremes. The man in this story saw God in one of those extremes. He saw a Lord who is brutal, unjust, cruel and evil. He is a man who fears God and tries to hide and stay as far away from God as he can. In the end he only shows God what he was given. He gives a person, a character that is unchanged. That might not sound completely bad until you remember that our original natures are against God. We all need to be changes to have a better character. In the end, he is lost even though he was within Gods home

The exact opposite person is the one that thinks that God is uncaring, unaware or foolish. They don’t respect God or his laws. They figure that God is such a pushover and foolish that they can live any way they want and God will simply accept them. They put ‘love’ above all but fail to realize that love can come in many forms, both positive, pure and good but also selfish, harmful and evil.

They see God as foolish but don’t realize they are looking in the mirror when they make that claim. They see God as a friend, which is good, but fail to also see his as Lord and Master. This person, like the one in the parable will suffer the same fate. They see the simple laws of God as legalism because it goes counter to their earthly desires which they believe God has to accept in them. They believe that God is love and therefore has to accept all that we do regardless of it being good or bad.

Both extremes occur because we many times create a false image of God. Most times it’s a God we created in our own minds. Only by having a true image of God can we avoid these two extremes. Only in the Bible do we see a clear image of the true God.

God bless,

 

Pr. Steven Couto

 

Blessings

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Blessings

20 “So he who had received five talents came and brought five other talents, saying, ‘Lord, you delivered to me five talents; look, I have gained five more talents besides them.’ 21 His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’ 22 He also who had received two talents came and said, ‘Lord, you delivered to me two talents; look, I have gained two more talents besides them.’ 23 His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’

Matthew 25:20-23

When you use your talents, you receive more. God always has a blessing in store for those who follow his will. Not only does his talents double but is extra blessed by receiving even more from the master.

That is how God works. I know sometimes it feels like God is distant, or not listening or seeing you but realize that nothing could be farther than the truth. Most of the time we don’t realize just how much God is actually helping us even in dark times.

What we don’t see is that things could be a hundred times worse if it weren’t for God protecting us and blessing us. It doesn’t mean we won’t feel pain or suffering- that is never promised in the Bible. But you will not suffer more than you can take.

13 No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to [d]bear it.

1 Corinthians 10:13

Try to see the positive in moments. Try to see how God might be working in even the bad times. Sometimes it can be hard to do but it’s worth the struggle. You will see that you are never alone.

God bless,

Pr. Steven Couto

The Talents

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The Talents

16 Then he who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents. 17 And likewise he who had received two gained two more also. 18 But he who had received one went and dug in the ground, and hid his lord’s money. 19 After a long time the lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them.

Matthew 25:16-19

So what are these talents that these servants were given. From the parables point of view, it was the lord’s money. Now you have probably heard several different explanations on what those talents mean in our context. Some say it’s talents in terms of abilities that God gives us. Others talk about it being influence or opportunities. Others claim that it is exactly what it claims to be- the lord’s money or the riches that the Lord gives us in our lives.

When you look at the context of the chapter you see that there are three main parts. The first is about the ten virgins where the lesson there is about making sure we have the Holy Spirit in our lives. The second is the talents and the third is about the judgement day where the focus is on helping the poor, hungry, imprisoned and sick.

Although you can see different focusses between the three stories, you can also see a general connection. It’s all about the gifts that God gives us and how we use them- or don’t.

In that way, the talents can mean different things. It can symbolize the gift of the Holy Spirit, something of great value that God expects us to gain and grow. It can also symbolize our goods, resources, abilities and opportunities as we see in the third story. It can be as simple as a cup of water or a meal. It can be a kind word or an act of compassion.

In the end, I believe that it is everything that God gives us. It is the breath of life as we wake up for the day, the food in our fridges, our jobs, families, friends and joys. God is up in heaven, far away from us, but he has not left us with nothing.

What are we doing with all of those blessings? That is the question that this story asks. As we burying our precious gifts of God. Are we being greedy and not allowing anyone else to benefit from our gifts?

God’s talents in your life are many and varied. Take some time to think about all that God has given you and continues to provide. I guarantee that it will be more than what you are lacking.

God bless,

Pr. Steven Couto

His Own Ability

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His Own Ability

14 “For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them. 15 And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey.

Matthew 25:14-15

The story of the talents is a favorite for pastors. It is used so many times in sermons. Usually the focus is on the growth of the talents, which we’ll get into in the future but today I want to focus on these two verses.

In this story there is a man, wealthy enough to have talents and servants. He decides one day to leave his home and travel to a far country. He leaves several servants in charge of his affairs at home and then goes off.

The first thing I notice is that it says that he gave talents based on each person’s ability. This man knew what each servant was able to do.

We are not all the same. We all have different abilities. God created us unique and special. You’ll notice that the servant with the most ability didn’t receive everything but simply more than the others. Likewise, the servant with the least ability wasn’t left out completely but still received a talent.

God has something for all of us. It is never God’s plan that one person does everything while another does nothing. Some might have more responsibilities than others, but all make up a grand machine, with each person a part of that machine. The bible uses the idea of a body, some parts are more than others, but all are part of the one body nonetheless.

As we’ll see, when we read on, the one with more ability, and therefore talents as well, is able to and expected to have greater results. God doesn’t expect five extra talents from the one who only got two or one. Each will be judged individually and not on what others were able to do or not do.

Look at your own life and see. How much does God expect from you? Are you accomplishing the growth of talents he’s looking for?

You might be asking- what exactly is the talent here? What does it symbolize? We’ll look into that next week.

God bless,

Pr. Steven Couto

I Do Not Know You

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I Do Not Know You

10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut. 11 “Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’ 12 But he answered and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.’ 13 “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.

Matthew 25:10-13

The ending for the foolish virgins is terrifying. They were so close to being saved and yet find a locked door between them and salvation. What is even scarier is what the bridegroom, Jesus, says to them. ‘I do not know you.’

That is the last thing I would ever want to hear from Jesus. What it shows is that no relationship with him was ever created. You can have the name of Jesus in your mouth all the time, like singers and actors who thank God at every awards show, but not have any real relationship with him.

It’s not the only time that Jesus expresses this idea.

Later on in the chapter Jesus says, 41 ‘‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: 42 for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; 43 I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.’

Knowing Jesus is seeing him in others. Helping those in need, in and out of the church, is part of knowing God and Jesus.

Let us build our faith and relationship with Jesus. Let us not be shut out of salvation. Let us never hear the words, ‘I do not know you.’

God bless,

Pr. Steven Couto