spiritual work

The works of God

One of the metaphors that Jesus used to describe himself was bread. Jesus told his disciples, “I am the bread that came down from heaven” (John 6:41). The bread that Jesus was referring to was the manna that the Israelites ate while they were wandering in the wilderness for 40 years. The manna was an instrument of God’s will in that it kept God’s chosen people alive until they reached the land that he had promised to give them. In the same way, Jesus keeps believers spiritually nourished until they die and go to be with him in heaven. Jesus told his followers, “For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day” (John 6:38-40).

Jesus explained to his disciples that doing God’s will is the equivalent of work because it results in a reward or what you might consider to be payment for services. Jesus said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal” (John 6:26-27). Jesus’ disciples understood that work was a way for them to sustain their lives, but didn’t know what spiritual work looked like, so they asked him, “’What must we do, to be doing the works of God?’ Jesus answered them, ‘This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent’” (John 6:28-29). Jesus’ disciples were confused about what they were supposed to believe in, “So they said to him, ‘Then what sign do you do, that we may believe you? What work do you perform? Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, “He gave them bread from heaven to eat.”’ Jesus then said to them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world’ They said to him, ‘Sir, give us this bread always’” (John 6:30-34).

Believing in Jesus is not something that we can do on our own. Jesus told his disciples, “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day” (John 6:44). Paul talked about this in his letter to the Ephesians. Paul said, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not of your own doing, it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:8-10). Paul said that we are God’s workmanship, meaning that our salvation is a product of what God did through Jesus Christ’s death on the cross, not necessarily us believing that he died for our sins. Paul indicated that God did this for us so that we would want to reciprocate and do the good works that he wants us to. God wants us to use the faith that he gives us to be saved to accomplish more of the works of God.

Paul struggled with doing good works and explained in his letter to the Romans that there is a conflict that goes on inside of us after we become a Christian. Paul said that even though we have been released from the law by placing our trust in Jesus Christ, the law still produces sin in us. Paul argued:

Well then, am I suggesting that the law of God is sinful? Of course not! In fact, it was the law that showed me my sin. I would never have known that coveting is wrong if the law had not said, “You must not covet.” But sin used this command to arouse all kinds of covetous desires within me! If there were no law, sin would not have that power. At one time I lived without understanding the law. But when I learned the command not to covet, for instance, the power of sin came to life, and I died. So I discovered that the law’s commands, which were supposed to bring life, brought spiritual death instead. Sin took advantage of those commands and deceived me; it used the commands to kill me. But still, the law itself is holy, and its commands are holy and right and good. (Romans 7:7-12, NLT)

Paul indicated that humans have a sin nature that makes us want to do what we know is wrong. Paul also pointed out that there is an unregenerate part of us, the flesh, that still exists after we are saved. Paul asked:

But how can that be? Did the law, which is good, cause my death? Of course not! Sin used what was good to bring about my condemnation to death. So we can see how terrible sin really is. It uses God’s good commands for its own evil purposes. So the trouble is not with the law, for it is spiritual and good. The trouble is with me, for I am all too human, a slave to sin. I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate. But if I know that what I am doing is wrong, this shows that I agree that the law is good. So I am not the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it. And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. I want to do what is right, but I can’t.I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway.But if I do what I don’t want to do, I am not really the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it. (Romans 7:13-20, NLT)

“Paul’s statement ‘So I am not the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it.’ (v. 17) should not be taken as an abdication of the responsibility for his actions. Instead it reveals the extent of the inner conflict between his two natures. He wanted (thelō [2309], v. 15) to do that which was right but was unable to ‘carry it out’ (katergazomai [2716], v. 18). In verse 15, Paul bemoaned that he did not carry out the good that he wanted to do (poiō [4160], stressing the object of the act) but instead practiced the evil that he did not desire to do (prassō [4238]. Emphasizing the means by which an act is accomplished)” (note on Romans 7:15-19).

Paul concluded his statement about his own inability to do the works of God by pointing out his and our need for continual deliverance. Paul stated:

I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. I love God’s law with all my heart. But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God’s law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin. (Romans 7:21-25)

Paul indicated that God not only delivers believers from death, but also makes it possible for us through faith in Jesus Christ to be delivered “from this life that is dominated by sin and death?” (Romans 7:24, NLT). Paul said in Romans 6:6-7 that our old self was crucified with Christ “in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin.” Paul stated in Romans 8:23 that this was made possible through the redemption of our bodies. The Greek word that is translated redemption in this verse, apolutrosis (ap-ol-ooˊ-tro-sis) means “deliverance on account of the ransom paid; spoken of deliverance from the power and consequences of sin which Christ procured by laying down his life as a ransom (lúton [3083]) for those who believe (Romans 3:24; 1 Corinthians 1:30; Ephesians 1:7, 14; Colossians 1:14; Hebrews 9:15 [cf. Matthew 20:28; Acts 20:28])” (G629).

Paul used Jesus’ death on the cross as an example of obedience that believers must follow in doing the works of God. Paul said, “Let each of you look not to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves which is yours in Christ Jesus, who though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (Philippians 2:4-7). Paul said that Jesus humbled himself in order to be obedient to God. The Greek word that is translated humbled, tapeinoo (tap-i-noˊ-o) is derived from the word tapeinos (tap-i-nosˊ) which means “depressed, i.e. (figurative) humiliated (in circumstances or disposition)” and refers to “Low, not high, particularly of attitude and social positions.” When tapeinos is spoken of the mind, its meaning is “lowly, humble, modest, including the idea of affliction, depression of mind (Romans 12:16; 2 Corinthians 10:1)” (G5011).

In the final hours of his life, Jesus encouraged his disciples by telling them that he was going away so that the Father could give them another Helper who would be with them forever (John 14:16). Jesus said, “You know him for he dwells with you and will be in you” (John 14:17). Jesus said it was to his disciples’ advantage that he go away, “for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you” (John 16:7). Jesus explained to his disciples that the Father was greater than the Son (John 14:28), but the Father had given him his authority so that he could accomplish his work on earth (Matthew 28:18), and that the Holy Spirit would speak to them based on this authority (John 16:13). Jesus asked Philip:

“Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves.

Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.” (John 14:10-14)

Jesus indicated that it was the Father who was dwelling in him who was doing the works of God. Jesus added, “whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do” (John 14:12). The challenge that Jesus presented to his disciples was not doing the works of God but believing in him. Jesus said, “Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do” (John 14:13, emphasis mine).

Paul elaborated on his instruction to the Philippians to “have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:5) in his letter to the Ephesians (4:17-24). Paul told the Ephesians that they needed to put off your old self, to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self in order to do the works of God. Paul concluded his description of the new life of a believer with the statement, “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God” (Ephesians 5:1-2). Paul later indicated that the key to imitating God and walking in love was being filled with the Spirit (Ephesians 5:18). The Holy Spirit not only helps us to know and believe the truth, but he also gives us the ability to act according to the truth. Jesus knew that obedience to his commands was so hard that it would be impossible for us to do it on our own. “That is why as soon as he tells us we must obey as proof of our love for him, he promises a Helper in that obedience. One of the central functions of the Holy Spirit is to assist believers to obey Jesus (cf. John 14:21, 23)” (Heath Lambert, A Theology of Biblical Counseling, p. 169). When we are being filled with the Spirit, we are depending on the Spirit to make us more and more like Christ, and as we do this, doing the works of God becomes more natural to us.

Prayer

It might be easy to think that prayer is a quick way for us to get God to do what we want him to. When a fig tree withered at once after Jesus cursed it, Jesus’ disciples wanted to know, “’How did the fig tree wither at once?’ And Jesus answered them, ‘Truly I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, “Be taken up and thrown into the sea,” it will happen. And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive if you have faith’” (Matthew 21:21-22). A potential explanation for Jesus cursing the fig tree may be found in the parable of the barren fig tree which is recorded in Luke’s gospel. Jesus said, “A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none. And he said to the vinedresser, ‘Look for three years now I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and I find none. ‘Cut it down. Why should it use up the ground.’ And he answered him, ‘Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and put on manure. Then if it should bear fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.’ It seems that the incident was a parable of judgment, with the fig tree representing Israel (note on Mark 11:14, KJSB). If that is the case, Jesus’ lesson about prayer would appear to be about believers acting in accordance with God’s will rather than us getting God to do what we want him to. The vinedresser in Jesus’ parable didn’t want to give up on the fig tree, but we know from the parable of the tenants (Matthew 21:33-46) that no fruit was ever produced by Israel, and like the wicked tenants, they killed their master’s son so that they could have his inheritance (Matthew 21:38; Matthew 26:3-4).

Jesus said, “From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near. So also, when you see all these things, you know that he is near, at the very gates. Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away” (Matthew 24:32-35). Jesus said these words in the middle of his Olivet Discourse, which was primarily focused on his second coming and the final judgment of all the nations. The dire need for prayer during this time period and the challenge of exercising one’s faith could be why Jesus used the remarkable example of causing the fig tree to wither at once in order to get his disciples’ attention before speaking to them about this topic. Jesus went on to warn his disciples about being ready (Matthew 24:36-51) and watching for his second coming (Matthew 25:1-13) and then, told them the parable of the talents to illustrate the system of rewards that will be used to compensate God’s servants for their faithful service (Matthew 25:14-30) before concluding his sermon with a description of the final judgment (Matthew 25:31-46).

Matthew’s gospel associates Jesus’ most notable and comprehensive teaching on prayer with his Sermon on the Mount. According to Matthew, Jesus stated, “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly (Matthew 6:5-6). Jesus likened God answering a believer’s prayer to receiving a reward. The Greek word that is translated reward, misthos (mis-thosˊ) means pay for service, in the sense of a reward that will be received in the afterlife (G3408). From that standpoint, prayer can be thought of as a type of work, spiritual work that one is compensated for when you get to heaven. Jesus talked about receiving pay for service in his parable of the laborers in the vineyard. Jesus said:

“For the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. After agreeing with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard. And going out about the third hour he saw others standing idle in the marketplace, and to them he said, ‘You go into the vineyard too, and whatever is right I will give you.’ So they went. Going out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour, he did the same. And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing. And he said to them, ‘Why do you stand here idle all day?’ They said to him, ‘Because no one has hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You go into the vineyard too.’ And when evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last, up to the first.’ And when those hired about the eleventh hour came, each of them received a denarius. Now when those hired first came, they thought they would receive more, but each of them also received a denarius. And on receiving it they grumbled at the master of the house, saying, ‘These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.’ But he replied to one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? Take what belongs to you and go. I choose to give to this last worker as I give to you. Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?’ So the last will be first, and the first last.” (Matthew 20:1-16)

The thing to note about Jesus’ illustration is that everyone received the same wage regardless of the amount of work that was accomplished. Jesus described the master of the house as a generous man who was continually looking for people to hire and one who promptly paid his workers at the end of the day. The interesting thing about the dispersing of the wages was that the master instructed his foreman to begin with the last person hired and end with the first. Jesus concluded his illustration with the statement, “So the last will be first, and the first last” (Matthew 20:16). Jesus seemed to be discouraging his followers from working longer and harder than they might otherwise have, but it seems unlikely that was what he was intending to convey.

The Greek word that is translated last in Matthew 20:16 is eschatos (esˊ-khat-os). Eschatos is a superlative of the Greek word echo (ekhˊ-o). Echo is used “generally and most frequently, to have, to possess externally, to have in one’s possession, power, charge, control: for example property (Matthew 13:12; 19:21, 22; Mark 10:22, 23; Luke 18:24; 21:4). In figurative phrases: to have years means to be so many years old (John 8:57); to have a certain distance means to be a certain distance away (Acts 1:12). Spoken of what is said to have in, on, by, or with himself, i.e. of any condition, circumstances, or state either external or internal in which one is” (G2192). In this context, Jesus’ reference to the last could be interpreted to mean the worst or the farthest away from the kingdom of heaven. The Greek word that is translated first in Matthew 20:16 is protos (proˊtos). Protos is a superlative of the primary preposition pro, which refers to “’fore,’ i.e. in front of, prior (figurative, superior) to” (G4253). In this context, Jesus’ reference to the first could be interpreted to mean the best or the closest to the kingdom of heaven. So, when we think about prayer and the rewards that one will receive for doing it, you could say that those who are the least qualified to do it, will comparatively, receive the best compensation for their work; or that those who pray the most should not expect to get any more than what Jesus has promised them in the Bible.

Jesus’ twelve apostles understood the importance of prayer and according to Luke’s gospel, asked Jesus to teach them how to pray (Luke 11:1). Jesus said to them:

“When you pray, say:

“Father, hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come.
Give us each day our daily bread,
and forgive us our sins,
    for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us.
And lead us not into temptation.”

And he said to them, “Which of you who has a friend will go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves, for a friend of mine has arrived on a journey, and I have nothing to set before him’; and he will answer from within, ‘Do not bother me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed. I cannot get up and give you anything’? I tell you, though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his impudence he will rise and give him whatever he needs. And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” (Luke 11:2-13)

Luke’s abbreviated version of The Lord’s Prayer was likely a paraphrase of what was expressed in Matthew’s account of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 6:9-13). The key points were showing reverence for God and seeking to be aligned with his kingdom, God’s daily provision, forgiveness of sins, and our avoidance of temptation. In his follow-on comments, Jesus emphasized God’s willingness to respond to our requests, but closed with the question, “What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion?” (Luke 11:11:12) as if to point out that God is not only willing to respond to our requests, but will give us exactly what we ask for. But then, Jesus concluded, “If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” (Luke 11:13). Jesus’ statement implied that the Holy Spirit was the good gift that we would be asking God for. Unfortunately, I’ve never heard anyone ask God for the Holy Spirit when they were praying. I think the thing that believers misunderstand about the Holy Spirit is that he has the power to do all the things that we would like God to do for us, but the only way that the Holy Spirit can do them is in and through us.

Fishers of men

Four of Jesus’ twelve disciples were fishermen before they were called to work in his ministry. Mark tells us, “Passing alongside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew the brother of Simon casting a net into the sea for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them, ‘Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men.’ And immediately they left their nets and followed him. And going a little farther, he saw James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, who were in their boat mending the nets. And immediately he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants and followed him” (Mark 1:16-20). Simon, also known as Peter, Andrew, James, and John were all willing to give up their occupation of fishing in order to follow Jesus. Jesus’ statement, “I will make you become fishers of men” (Mark 1:17) seemed to make sense to Peter and Andrew. Mark said they “immediately left their nets and followed him” (Mark 1:18), suggesting that there was not only a willingness on the part of Peter and Andrew to give up their occupation, but also an urgency about their decision to do so. The Greek word that is translated immediately, eutheos (yoo-thehˊ-oce) is derived from the root words eu (yoo), which means “good, brave, noble” (G2095), and tithemi (tithˊ-ay-mee), which used figuratively means “to lay down one’s life. To place something in the heart or spirit, in the sense of to resolve, to purpose” (G5087).

Peter and Andrew took immediate action to secure their position in Jesus’ ministry based on his promise that he would make them become fishers of men (Mark 1:17). In order to understand what Jesus meant by fishers of men, you have to think of it in terms of an occupation. Jesus was inviting Peter, Andrew, James, and John to be a part of the work that he was sent to do on earth. When Jesus healed a woman who had a disabling spirit, the ruler of the synagogue associated what he had done with work. Luke 13:12-17 states:

When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said to her, “Woman, you are freed from your disability.” And he laid his hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and she glorified God. But the ruler of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, said to the people, “There are six days in which work ought to be done. Come on those days and be healed, and not on the Sabbath day.” Then the Lord answered him, “You hypocrites! Does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the manger and lead it away to water it? And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath day?” As he said these things, all his adversaries were put to shame, and all the people rejoiced at all the glorious things that were done by him.

The Greek word that the ruler of the synagogue used that is translated work, ergazomai (er-gadˊ-zom-ahee) means “to toil (as a task, occupation, etc.),” and is metaphorically spoken of the sea: to cultivate the sea, i.e. to ply or follow the sea as an occupation as sailors, mariners (Revelation 18:17), but ergazomai is also used “of things wrought, done, performed, e.g. miracles (John 6:30; Acts 13:41)…To work the works of God, or a good work (Matthew 26:10; Mark 14:6; John 3:21; 6:28; 9:4; 1 Corinthians 16:10; 3 John 5)” (G2038). Jesus’ sharp response to the ruler of the synagogue suggests that spiritual work, releasing the woman from the bond of Satan, cannot be limited to normal work hours because of the life-sustaining nature of this kind of activity (Luke 13:15).

Jesus indicated that the work that he had called his disciples to do would result in spiritual wages (John 6:27), but he cautioned the crowd that wanted to join him in his ministry against pursuing spiritual work without having faith in God. John tells us, “Then they said to him, ‘What must we do to be doing the works of God’ Jesus answered them, ‘This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.’ So they said to him, ‘Then what sign do you do that we may see and believe you? What work do you perform?’” (John 6:28-30). The people of Israel were confused about the role that Jesus was expected to play in the accomplishment of God’s plan of salvation. They thought that their Messiah would be a powerful leader who would conquer the kingdoms that opposed God. Jesus explained to them that the purpose of him coming into the world was to provide spiritual nourishment to those who were spiritually destitute (John 6:32-59). Jesus concluded his discussion on spiritual work with the healing of a man born blind. John stated, “As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. And his disciples asked him, ‘Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?’ Jesus answered, ‘It was not that this man sinned or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him. We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work’” (John 9:1-4). Jesus indicated that the works of God were intended to be done out in the open, on display for everyone to see, but there would come a time when no one would be able to work because the light of the world would be snuffed out (John 8:12-24).

Jesus told his disciples Peter, Andrew, James, and John when they first came to him to not be afraid because “from now on you will be catching men” (Luke 5:10). The Greek word that is translated catching, zogreo (dzogue-rehˊ-o) was used by Paul to describe the activities of Satan in a section of his second letter to Timothy that focused on a worker that is approved by God. Paul told Timothy to:

Flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies; you know that they breed quarrels. And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured (zogreo) by him to do his will. (2 Timothy 2:22-26)

The phrase that Paul used “escape from the snare” (2 Timothy 2:26) has to do with recovering one’s senses after being tricked into doing something that you didn’t want to do (G366/1537/3803). The Greek word that is translated snare, pagis (pag-eceˊ) is spoken figuratively of “a trick or stratagem (temptation)” (G3803). The snare of the devil is obviously something that you would want to avoid. The reason why Jesus used a similar analogy for people getting saved may have been because salvation is not a logical choice, but something similar to a rescue mission that God must initiate.

Paul talked in his second letter to the Corinthians about being caught up to the third heaven (2 Corinthians 12:2-4). The Greek word harpazō (har-padˊ-zo) means to “seize upon, spoil, snatch away” and is “spoken of beasts of prey” and of “what is snatched suddenly away (Matthew 13:19; Jude 23); in the sense of to rob, plunder (John 10:28, 29)” (G726). The violent nature of the word harpazō is reflected in Jesus’ description of Satan’s attack on the kingdom of heaven. Jesus said, “From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and the violent take it by force (harpazō). It makes sense that God’s effort to rescue us from sin would also require force. Jude talked about saving others “by snatching (harpazō) them out of the fire” (Jude 1:23). Paul’s experience on the road to Damascus is an example of how God catches men and uses them for his own purposes. Paul testifies about his conversion in Acts 26:9-18. Paul said:

“I myself was convinced that I ought to do many things in opposing the name of Jesus of Nazareth. And I did so in Jerusalem. I not only locked up many of the saints in prison after receiving authority from the chief priests, but when they were put to death I cast my vote against them. And I punished them often in all the synagogues and tried to make them blaspheme, and in raging fury against them I persecuted them even to foreign cities. In this connection I journeyed to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests. At midday, O king, I saw on the way a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, that shone around me and those who journeyed with me. And when we had all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew language, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’ And I said, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ And the Lord said, ‘I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. But rise and stand upon your feet, for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you as a servant and witness to the things in which you have seen me and to those in which I will appear to you, delivering you from your people and from the Gentiles—to whom I am sending you to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.”

Jesus described Paul’s resistance to the gospel as “kicking against the goads” (Acts 26:14) and said that he would deliver Paul from his people and from the Gentiles (Acts 26:17). Paul’s harsh attitude toward Jesus made it difficult for him to receive God’s gift of salvation, but Jesus said that Paul had been appointed as a servant and a witness to Jesus Christ and that he was being sent to open the eyes of others (Acts 26:16-18). Paul became a very successful fisher of men and was one of the primary authors of the New Testament. Paul was also responsible for the spread of the gospel throughout most of Europe and Asia before he was executed by the Roman government.

Delegated responsibility

The Bible doesn’t tell us why God created the heavens and the earth, but it does explain the reason why God created the first man, Adam. It says in Genesis 2:5-15, “When no bush of the field was yet in the land and no small plant of the field had yet sprung up—for the LORD God had not caused it to rain on the land, and there was no man to work the ground, and a mist was going up from the land and was watering the whole face of the ground—then the LORD God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature…The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.” The Hebrew word that is translated work, ‘abad (aw-badˊ) means “to work, to serve. This labour may be focused on things, other people, or God. When it is used in reference to things, that item is usually expressed: to till the ground (Genesis 2:5; 3:23; 4:2); to work in a garden (Genesis 2:15); or to dress a vineyard” (H5647). Jesus’ parable of the tenants reveals to us God’s intention when he delegated the responsibility of working the land to mankind. Jesus said:

And he began to speak to them in parables. “A man planted a vineyard and put a fence around it and dug a pit for the winepress and built a tower, and leased it to tenants and went into another country. When the season came, he sent a servant to the tenants to get from them some of the fruit of the vineyard. And they took him and beat him and sent him away empty-handed. Again he sent to them another servant, and they struck him on the head and treated him shamefully. And he sent another, and him they killed. And so with many others: some they beat, and some they killed. He had still one other, a beloved son. Finally he sent him to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ But those tenants said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ And they took him and killed him and threw him out of the vineyard. What will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the tenants and give the vineyard to others. Have you not read this Scripture:

“‘The stone that the builders rejected
    has become the cornerstone;
this was the Lord’s doing,
    and it is marvelous in our eyes’?”

And they were seeking to arrest him but feared the people, for they perceived that he had told the parable against them. So they left him and went away. (Mark 12:1-12)

Jesus described the people who had been delegated responsibility for working in the man’s vineyard as tenants. A tenant is “a land-worker” (G1092), as opposed to a land owner. The land was given to the tenants on a temporary basis in exchange for “some of the fruit of the vineyard” (Mark 12:2), but the tenants didn’t fulfill their end of the bargain. Jesus’ parable made it clear that the tenants wanted to own the land themselves. When the man sent his son to collect the fruit that was owed to him, “those tenants said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours’” (Mark 12:7).

Isaiah 5:1-7 provides additional insight into Jesus’ parable of the tenants. “The imagery used in this song to describe Israel as God’s vineyard was used by Jesus in his ‘parable of the tenants (Matthew 21:33-41)” (note on Isaiah 5:1-7). Isaiah began his song with a declaration of the LORD’s love for his vineyard (Isaiah 5:1), and then, he stated, “My beloved had a vineyard on a very fertile hill. He dug it and cleared it of stones, and planted it with choice vines; he built a watchtower in the midst of it, and hewed out a wine vat in it; and he looked for it to yield grapes, but it yielded wild grapes” (Isaiah 5:1-2). Isaiah concluded, “For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah are his pleasant planting; and he looked for justice, but behold bloodshed, for righteousness, but behold, an outcry!” (Isaiah 5:7). With this statement in mind, it makes sense that the tenants in Jesus’ parable wanted to kill the heir in order to obtain his inheritance, but the tenants were operating based on faulty logic. Jesus pointed this out when he quoted the scripture, “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone” (Mark 12:10).

Peter explained Jesus’ quotation of Psalm 118:22 in the context of a spiritual house that is being built out of living stones and reminded the elect exiles of the Dispersion (1 Peter 1:1) of God’s conditional promise to the Israelites (Exodus 19:5-6). Peter said:

So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation—if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.

As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For it stands in Scripture:

“Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone,
    a cornerstone chosen and precious,
and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.”

So the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe,

“The stone that the builders rejected
    has become the cornerstone,”

and

“A stone of stumbling,
    and a rock of offense.”

They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do.

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. (1 Peter 2:1-10)

Peter differentiated between believers and unbelievers and said of those who rejected Jesus, “They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do” (1 Peter 2:8). The Greek word that is translated destined, tithemi (tithˊ-ay-mee) means “To place or ordain someone in a position, to make somebody something; e.g., to make Abraham the father of many nations (Romans 4:17), to make the Son heir of all things (Hebrews 1:2). You might say that the Israelites were set up for failure in that they had the delegated responsibility of establishing God’s kingdom on earth, but they did not have the spiritual capability of doing it.

Jesus’ identified the problem that the Israelites had in his conversation with a man named Nicodemus. John 3:1-6 states:

Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.” Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

Jesus used the term born again to describe what happens when a person is spiritually regenerated; “that free act of God’s mercy and power by which he removes the sinner from the kingdom of darkness and places him in the kingdom of light” (G3824). The Holy Spirit enables this to take place. “In the New Testament, referred to as ‘the Spirit of God,’ ‘the Holy Spirit,’ in an absolute sense as ‘the Spirit’; the Spirit of Christ as being communicated by Him after His resurrection and ascension…The Holy Spirit is everywhere represented as being in intimate union with God the Father and God the Son…As coming to and acting upon Christians, illuminating and empowering them, and remaining with them, imparting to them spiritual knowledge, aid, consolation, sanctification, and making intercession with and for them” (G4151). Jesus told his disciples, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him for he dwells with you and will be in you” (John 14:15-17). Jesus went on to say, “These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you” (John 14:25-26), and then, Jesus concluded, “I did not say these things to you from the beginning, because I was with you. But now I am going to him who sent me, and none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go away, I will send him to you” (John 16:

Jesus told his disciples that it would be beneficial for them if he went away because, “If I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you” (John 16:7). On the day of Pentecost, believers were filled with the Holy Spirit for the first time. Afterward, Peter preached his first sermon “and there were added that day about three thousand souls” to the fellowship of the believers “And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved” (Acts 2:41, 47). In his letter to the Galatians, Paul talked about the fulfillment of the law and the believer’s need to walk by the Spirit. Paul said:

For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.

Look: I, Paul, say to you that if you accept circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage to you. I testify again to every man who accepts circumcision that he is obligated to keep the whole law. You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace. For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love…For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another. But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. (Galatians 5:1-18)

Paul said that neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counted for anything, “but only faith working through love” Galatians 5:6). Faith is necessary for spiritual work to be accomplished and love is the fruit or output of that work. Paul indicated that the whole law could be fulfilled in one word, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Galatians 5:14). Paul went on to identify the fruit of the Spirit and he put love at the top of his list. Paul said, “Against such things there is no law” (Galatians 5:22-23).

Jesus’ parable of the tenants does not mention why the tenants did not want to give the owner some of the fruit from his vineyard. It is possible that there was no fruit or that the fruit was bad and the tenants didn’t want the owner to know about it. Isaiah’s song tells us that the vineyard, the house of Israel, yielded wild grapes (Isaiah 5:2). The Hebrew word that is translated wild, be’ushiym (be-oo-sheemˊ) refers to “poison berries” (H891). Jesus likened bad fruit to the teaching of false prophets and said, “Beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles? So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.

Jesus concluded his parable of the tenants by asking his listeners the question, “What will the owner of the vineyard do?” and then, told them, “He will come and destroy the tenants and give the vineyard to others.” (Mark 12:9). Peter’s identification of believers as “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation” (1 Peter 2:9; Exodus 19:6) suggests that the delegated responsibility of working in the vineyard had shifted from the nation of Israel to the body of Christ. One of the key indicators of this shift is the emphasis Paul placed on believers producing the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:21-26). Paul encouraged the Ephesians to walk in love and instructed them to be filled with the Spirit (Ephesians 5:1, 18). Luke is the only gospel writer who referred to people being filled with the Holy Spirit. Luke indicated that John the Baptist was “filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb” (Luke 1:15), and that his parents, Elizabeth and Zachariah were also filled with the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:41, 67). Luke tells us that Jesus was full of the Holy Spirit when he was “led by the Spirit in the wilderness for forty days, being tempted by the devil” (Luke 4:1-2). The Greek word that is translated full, pleres (playˊ-race) speaks “of the effects of spiritual life and qualities, seen in good works” (G4134). The connection between being filled with the Holy Spirit and the production of good fruit is evident not only in Jesus’ ministry, but also in that of the Apostle Paul.

Paul identified himself with believers who were taking their delegated responsibility seriously and were embracing the inner working of the Holy Spirit. Paul said, “Likewise, my brothers, you also have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to him who has been raised from the dead, in order that we may bear fruit for God. For while we were living in the flesh, our sinful passions, aroused by the law, were at work in our members to bear fruit for death. But now we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the written code” (Romans 7:4-6). Paul talked about the way of love in his first letter to the Corinthians (1 Corinthians 13) and encouraged the Ephesians to walk on love (Ephesians 5). Paul also explained in his letter to the Philippians that the way of love meant that you look not only to your own interests, but to the interest of others (Philippians 2:4). Paul instructed the Philippian believers to, “Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (Philippians 2:5-8). Paul concluded his argument by stating, “Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:12-14).

Spiritual work

Jesus’ parable of the talents illustrated the concept of spiritual work. He began his lesson by stating, “For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods. And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey” (Matthew 25:14-15). In order to convey the point he was trying to make, Jesus used an example that dealt with something his followers were familiar with. The idea that the master of a household would leave his home and go on a long journey was not that unusual in the time period in which Jesus lived. Today we think of business trips lasting no more than a week or two because we have airplanes and internet connections that speed up everything we do. It is likely that the image Jesus was creating was a trip from Israel to Spain or perhaps China, which could have taken months or even years depending on the mode of travel.

Jesus indicated talents were distributed to the man’s servants according to their “several ability” (Matthew 25:15). The Greek words idios (id´-ee-os) and dunamis (doo´-nam-is) have to do with miraculous power that is divided up among individuals with each one getting his particular portion or unique part (G2398/G1411). Jesus was probably referring to the gifts of the Spirit that are identified in 1 Corinthians 12. The Apostle Paul associated spiritual gifts with the Holy Spirit and said, “Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal” (1 Corinthians 12:4-7). The phrase “profit withal” comes from the Greek word sumphero (soom-fer´-o) which means “to bear together” (G4851). Sumphero is derived from the Greek words sun (soon) and phero (fer´-o). “Phero, as a verb, means ‘to bear, carry’ and is rendered ‘being moved’ in 2 Peter 1:21, signifying that they were ‘borne along,’ or impelled, by the Holy Spirit’s power, not acting according to their own will, or simply expressing their own thoughts, but expressing the mind of God in words provided and ministered by Him. It is used also of ‘bearing or bringing forth fruit'” (G5342). Jesus used the Greek verb phero when he talked about bearing spiritual fruit in his parable of the sower (Mark 4:3-8).

Jesus indicated in his parable of the talents that there would come a day when the man’s servants would be held accountable for their use of his resources while he was gone. He said, “After a long time the lord of those servants cometh, and reckoneth with them” (Matthew 25:19). The two Greek words that are translated reckoneth, sunairo (soon-ah´ee-ro) and logos (log´-os) are associated with the collective use of God’s word. It could be that reckoning has something to do with a replay of what Christians have said (or not said as the case may be) about Christ during their lifetimes. Jesus made it clear in his explanation of the parable of the sower that the seed that was being sown in the field was the word of God going out into the world (Luke 8:11; Matthew:13:38). Therefore, the spiritual work of spreading the gospel is what Jesus expected each of his followers to be doing while they were waiting for his return.