A soldier stationed in Morocco during World War II chanced upon an anonymous manuscript containing an insertion between Matthew 24:51 and Matthew 25:1. After Jesus warned evil servants that "There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth," the manuscript adds, "And behold, a certain one of his disciples standing by said to him: 'Rabbi' (which is to say, being interpreted, Master) 'how can these things be, if they be toothless?' And Jesus answered and said: 'O thou of little faith, trouble not thyself; if haply they will be lacking any, teeth will be provided.'"
The preceding anecdote makes it painfully obvious that some people worry about the wrong things! Our great concern should not be how the Lord will judge people without teeth, but how to avoid such condemnation.
Jeremiah dealt with similar problems in more than forty years of preaching to hard hearts. "I listened and heard, But they do not speak aright. No man repented of his wickedness, Saying 'What have I done?' Everyone turned to his own course, As the horse rushes into the battle" (Jeremiah 8:6).
Not many today are willing to ask, "What have I done?" In fact, there are at least four ways to ask this question.
What has the Lord done for me? After God had done everything He could do for His people, He compared them to a vineyard that produced wild grapes in spite of its many advantages. He asked, "what more could have been done to My vineyard that I have not done in it?" (Isaiah 5:4). He has even more right to ask lukewarm Christians - what more could I have done for you? I gave My Son to die for you, I revealed My will in words that you could understand, and I gave you freedom to serve Me without fear of persecution, and you still produced only wild grapes!
What has the Lord done to me? Jonah had a problem. God sent him to Assyria; he went the other direction. The problem, however, was not his stubborn will, but God's mercy that he fear would spare a wicked nation. You see, Jonah's sin was someone else's fault. How many times today do we hear of someone who quits serving the Lord because of what some careless brother said or did?
What have you done for the Lord? Jesus pictured the judgment scene in which some would claim great works for the Lord (Matthew 7:22). The Lord did not recognize them as His own. There are many people who think they are doing great things for God; in reality, many of them are practicing iniquity, acting without His permission.
On the day of Judgment, if the Lord reveals that you have neglected your needs, I will care. But if this is the only thing that matters in the Judgment, why should it not be the only thing that matters now?
Instead of complaining about what someone else did to me, why should I not be more concerned about what I may have done to someone else? How foolish it is to forsake the Lord because another person did!
What have I done to the Lord? The purpose of the Hebrew writer is to prevent the complete apostasy of his readers. They were undergoing persecution, and thus had far more excuses to quit than anyone I know today. How ashamed we ought to be when we are tempted to quit serving God because of a minor inconvenience!
~In Gospel Power, Anderson, Alabama, 4/4/99.