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Matthew 22: "Commitment to Excellence"

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I remember this phrase being the motto of the Los Angeles/Oakland Raiders of the NFL in the ’70s and 80’s. Perhaps it still is their motto, I don‘t know. That is a phrase that crossed my mind after I read about Jesus’ determination to teach the truths of God in Matthew 22. Jesus stayed committed to excelling perfectly in preaching God’s law and proclaiming his wonderful gospel. He stayed committed to excelling perfectly in God’s truths even to his opponents-the Pharisees and Sadducees were the two main religious ruling bodies of Jesus’ time.

Traps were laid. “Experts” were outwitted. The people were astonished. Christ Jesus’ instruction was expert knowledge given to the so-called experts of his time. The Pharisees prided themselves in strictly following God’s commands, even taking their obedience to excess and abuse (they established a set of hundreds of regulations/traditions on top of all of God’s OT commands). The Sadducees followed only the first five books of the Bible (the “Pentateuch”). The Sadducees denied the teaching of the resurrection of the dead, and they didn’t believe in angels either. It is interesting to see how all of these details play a part in Jesus’ real expert answers to them. You see that Jesus uses what they know the best to witness to the real truths of God. You see him still reaching out to them, even knowing that he would be put to death at their hands in a few days’ time. Christ’s commitment to his mission is amazing! His mission vision was “spot on” at the time that was most crucial. He met them where they were.

That’s hard to say about us. So often we become lethargic with Jesus’ mission for us, his disciples today: “You will be my witnesses…” (Acts 1:8). Perhaps a moaning malaise effects our own congregational mission at Victory of the Lamb every once and a while: “To share Christ’s victory with today’s people, loving people enough to meet them where they are.” Jesus’ depth of love and the length of his compassion to witness God’s truth of salvation to his enemies is amazing. So is his love and compassion he has for you when apathy and malaise towards witnessing for him sets in. The Apostle John writes, "This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins..." (1 Jn 4:9,10). Christ's commitment to his mission, even in the face of death, is encouragement to you to excellently commit to his mission that he has for you-using your God-given gifts to serve and witness for him.