Tell Me a Story: Devotions From Time of Grace MinistryCampione

STORY #2: The last shall be first One of the most curious ironies in the New Testament is that Jesus’ disciples often needed help understanding his parables. They got caught up in the details and couldn’t see where they fit in. It seems as though Jesus’ enemies, the Pharisees, had no trouble grasping it when their ways were being condemned in his stories. “The Pharisees, who loved money, heard all this and were sneering at Jesus. He said to them, ‘You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of men, but God knows your hearts. What is highly valued among men is detestable in God’s sight’” (Luke 16:14,15). Since the Pharisees drew their members from the upper middle class, they all had money. They encouraged one another to conclude that their money proved that they enjoyed God’s favor (self-justification). Jesus added one of his trademark “backward” statements--in God’s eyes, wealth is no guarantee of integrity, nor is poverty a guarantee of God’s punishment. Though the world listens to braggarts, God prefers the humble. Though the world adores the rich and famous, the Lord lifts up the lowly. Though the world admires people with many servants, God prefers those with servant attitudes. So tell me--whose approval are you hungry for?