Cuav pretenses

Yexus tau hais txog kev thuam ob tus qauv ntawm tus cwj pwm uas, thaum uas tshwm sim zoo thiab Vajtswv, yog kev dag ntxias tiag tiag.

Kev khav theeb ntawm Kev Ncaj Ncees

Hauv nws thawj tsab ntawv Yauhas hais tias txhua tus neeg uas lees tias 'tsis muaj kev txhaum' yog kev dag ntxias lawv tus kheej (1Jn 1:8). Jesus had a similar view of such people. Consider this…

He spoke also this parable to certain people who were convinced of their own righteousness, and who despised all others.”Ob tug txivneej mus rau hauv lub tuam tsev thov Vajtswv; ib tug yog Falixais, thiab lwm tus yog tus sau se. Tus Falixais sawv thiab thov Vajtswv rau nws tus kheej li no: 'Vajtswv, kuv ua tsaug, tias kuv tsis zoo li lwm tus txiv neej, extortioners, tsis ncaj ncees, neeg deev luag poj luag txiv, los yog nyiam tus sau se no. Kuv yoo mov ob zaug ib lub lim tiam. Kuv muab ib feem kaum ntawm txhua yam uas kuv tau txais.’ Tab sis tus sau se, sawv deb, yuav tsis tsa qhov muag mus saum ntuj, tab sis tuav nws ob lub mis, lus hais, 'Vajtswv, ua siab ntev rau kuv, ib tug neeg txhaum!’ Kuv qhia koj, tus txiv neej no mus rau hauv nws lub tsev ncaj ncees dua lwm tus; rau txhua tus uas tsa nws tus kheej yuav raug txo hwj chim, tiam sis tus uas txo hwj chim nws tus kheej yuav raug tsa nto.” (Luk 18:9-14)

The parable is heavy with sarcasm. “The Pharisee stood and prayed to (los ntawm) himself.” He was taking the place of God by setting himself up as his own standard of righteousness. And God wasn’t even listening; because of the arrogance of his claim. This should be a strong warning to anyone claiming to have reached a state of sinless perfection, imagining that their life measures up to God’s standards or just thinking that they are more deserving of God’s favour than others.

But note that Jesus himself was different. On one occasion he actually turned on his bitterest enemies and demanded, “Can any of you prove me guilty of sin?” Evidently, they couldn’t; as they instead resorted to an unsubstantiated claim that, “you are a Samaritan, and have a demon.”(Jn 8:46-48)

Rov qab mus rau cov ntsiab lus

Qhov Tseem Ceeb ntawm Kev Hloov

Some professing Christians have been led to suppose that all they have to do is to welcome Jesus as their Saviour, and they are free from any risk of God’s judgement for ever after. Nyob rau hauv lub siab hais tias tsis muaj dab tsi tshuav rau peb ua kom tau peb txoj kev cawm seej, uas yog qhov tseeb tiag. Tab sis hais tias Yexus tsis xav kom muaj kev hloov pauv ntxiv hauv peb lub neej yog kev dag ntxias tuag taus. Let me illustrate…

Following his rejection at Nazareth, Jesus went to Capernaum (Lk 4:16 & Lk 4:29-31), which became his new home (Mt 4:13). Simon, Pab txhawb, Rab hwj, John and Philip all came from the area around Capernaum and Bethsaida (Jn 1:44; Mk 1:16-29). Jesus performed many miracles in that area (Mt 8:5; Mk 1:30-34; Mk 2:1-12). After the feeding of the 5,000 Jesus was so popular that the people wanted to make him king, by force if necessary: but Jesus left them (Jn 6:14-15). They tracked him down again at the synagogue in Capernaum (Jn 6:24; Jn 6:59), professing themselves to be eager to do God’s work (Jn 6:28). But Jesus started to explain that their priorities were all wrong; that he was from heaven; that following him required a total change of outlook and a constant ‘feeding’ on Him for life and strength that only He could supply; and that he would have to die to make all this possible (Jn 6:27-58). This made no sense at all from their materialistic viewpoint; and they were not willing to change. The immediate result was that most of these professing disciples abandoned him (Jn 6:61-66).

These people had been happy to have Jesus with them while he was blessing them, healing them, setting people free, and supplying their needs: but they were not willing to change their perspective or their priorities. Hauv luv, most of them had never really repented. Jesus knew it: and their failure to do so had eternal consequences.

Then he began to denounce the cities in which most of his mighty works had been done, because they didn’t repent. “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works had been done in Tyre and Sidon which were done in you, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I tell you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you. You, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, you will go down to Hades. For if the mighty works had been done in Sodom which were done in you, it would have remained until this day. But I tell you that it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom, on the day of judgment, than for you.” (Mat 11:20-24)

But please note that the crucial issue here was neither their lack of understanding of Jesus’ message, nor their bad behaviour. At that stage, the disciples who remained with Jesus also had little (Yog tias muaj) idea what Jesus’ talk of ‘feeding’ on him, or giving his life for the world, actually meant (Mt 16:21-23; Lk 18:31-34). And their own conduct still left much to be desired (Mk 9:33-34; Mk 10:13-14; Mk 14:50, Mk 14:66-72). But in spite of their shortcomings, they had been persuaded that Jesus was ‘the Christ, the Son of the living God’ and that he had ‘the words of eternal life.’ Vim tias qhov no, they were committed to following him. (Jn 6:68-69).

True repentance is about being committed to follow Jesus; and to change the way we think and act, so that we can become progressively more like him in both our outlook and behaviour. Anything less is a dangerous counterfeit.

Rov qab mus rau cov ntsiab lus

Yexus ua txhaum li cas

We have seen how Jesus deliberately raised the standard of behaviour expected from his disciples, ultimately telling them that they should “Ua kom zoo tag nrho, Ib yam li koj Leej Txiv Saum Ntuj Ceeb Tsheej zoo tag nrho” (Mt 5:48). Yet he was dismissive of those who claimed to already be good enough (Lk 18:9-14). We have also noted that John acknowledges the possibility of sin whilst reassuring us that those who are seeking to follow Jesus can know constant forgiveness and freedom from a sense of condemnation and failure. Does this tally with Jesus’ own message and example?

Rov qab mus rau cov ntsiab lus

Yexus zam txim ua txhaum

Ib qho ntawm cov yam ntxwv ntawm Yexus’ ministry that most antagonized the religious establishment was his readiness to forgive people’s sins. They recognized this as a claim to Divinity ('Leej twg tuaj yeem zam txim rau kev txhaum tab sis Vajtswv ib leeg?’ – Mk 2:7). Tab sis txawm tias muaj kev pheej hmoo rau nws tus kheej, Yexus tau nrawm tshaj tawm txog kev zam txim.

Four people came, carrying a paralytic to him. When they could not come near to him for the crowd, they removed the roof where he was. When they had broken it up, they let down the mat that the paralytic was lying on. Yexus, seeing their faith, said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven you.” (Mar 2:3-5)

But there were some of the scribes sitting there, and reasoning in their hearts, “Why does this man speak blasphemies like that? Who can forgive sins but God alone?” (Mar 2:6-7)

Immediately Jesus, perceiving in his spirit that they so reasoned within themselves, said to them, “Why do you reason these things in your hearts? Which is easier, to tell the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven;’ or to say, ‘Arise, and take up your bed, thiab taug kev?’ But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins” -he said to the paralytic- “Kuv qhia koj, arise, take up your mat, and go to your house.” (Mar 2:8-11)

Jesus even forgave sins that were punishable by death under Jewish law. Saib Lk 7:37-50 & Jn 8:3-11.

Rov qab mus rau cov ntsiab lus

Yexus’ Cwj pwm rov ua txhaum?

We have already noted that there were occasions when Jesus told people to ‘Sin no more’ (Jn 5:14 & Jn 8:11). But does this mean that he was not prepared to give them another chance? Xav txog qhov no:

Then Peter came and said to him, “Tswv, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Until seven times?” Yexus hais rau nws, “I don’t tell you until seven times, tab sis, until seventy times seven.” (Mt 18:21-22)

Jesus followed this up with the parable of the unforgiving servant(Mt 18:23-35), ending with the words, “Yog li ntawd, kuv Leej Txiv Saum Ntuj Ceeb Tsheej kuj yuav ua rau nej, yog tias koj tsis zam txim rau koj tus kwv los ntawm koj lub siab rau nws txoj kev ua phem.” (Mt 18:35). The parable compares God to a king, who has been deprived of a sum so vast that it must have accumulated over a very long period, with a servant owed a much smaller amount. Jesus is effectively saying, ‘My Father has been far more longsuffering with you than you could ever be with your brother. That is His standard of forgiveness towards you; so you must do the same.’

But there is a caveat here. Jesus also said:

Be careful. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him. If he repents, forgive him. If he sins against you seven times in the day, and seven times returns, lus hais, ‘I repent,’ you shall forgive him.” (Luk 17:3-4)

It is very likely that this was the saying Peter was quoting back to Jesus. Yexus’ response is to say that there is no effective numerical limit: but this saying also makes a point about the place of repentance in this. If a person repeatedly commits the same offence this casts doubt on the genuineness of their repentance. Tiamsis Yexus’ instruction to us is that we should accept their words at face value and forgive. We are not qualified to judge their hearts: but God can and will judge both their hearts and ours.

“Don’t judge, so that you won’t be judged. For with whatever judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with whatever measure you measure, it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but don’t consider the beam that is in your own eye? “(Mat 7:1-3)

Rov qab mus rau cov ntsiab lus

Dab tsi txog nws tus cwj pwm rau nws cov thwj tim’ Kev txhaum?

If we look at the disciples during the time that Jesus was with them, they were far from perfect. They argued amongst themselves about who was the greatest (Mk 9:33-37). James and John tried to trick Jesus into giving them the top two positions (Mk 10:35-45). The same two wanted to call down fire from heaven because they were not made welcome in a Samaritan village (Lk 9:51-56). They told the mums to stop pestering Jesus with their kids; which really upset Jesus (Mk 10:13-16). After a day’s ministry, Jesus was sleeping in the boat during a storm; and they accused Jesus of not caring if they drowned (Mk 4:33-38). Peter became a virtual mouthpiece of Satan at one point (Mt 16:21-23). He bragged that he would never forsake Jesus (Mk 14:27-31) thiab, shortly afterwards, they all did (Mk 14:50). Peter even cursed, swore and denied ever knowing him (Mt 26:69-75).

Jesus did not hesitate to confront these issues as and when they arose. Tab sis, muaj rebuked lawv, he never held it against them. Thiab, in spite of Peter’s failure, Jesus still appointed him to lead the disciples (Lk 22:31-32; Jn 21:15-19).

Rov qab mus rau cov ntsiab lus / Nyeem rau…