Craig’s Kitchen: Chicken Enchilada Casserole
Quick, simple, and easy to make in about an hour!
Too many recipes SAY that’s the case, but this one really is. It’s also more like assembling a robot than actual cooking. You’ll see what I mean. This tasty dish is simple but delicious and can easily feed a family of three. To make more, just double the recipe and use a 9″x12″ casserole dish instead. The key is to use quality ingredients. You can make this on the cheap but you pretty much get out what you put in. When I cook it, it tastes quite yummy with a nice blend between sauce, corn tortilla, gooey cheese, and hearty chicken to fill your stomach.
Ingredients
- 1 pre-cooked whole roasted chicken
- 6 corn tortillas
- 8oz Monterey Jack cheese
- 2 8oz packets of Frontera Red Chile Enchilada Sauce or Green Chile Enchilada Sauce
Equipment
- Cutting board
- 8″x8″ casserole dish
- Cheese grater
- Bowl wide enough to dip corn tortillas in
Directions
- Shred your chicken into manageable strips.
- Grate your cheese using medium sized holes. Set aside.
- Pour enough sauce to cover the bottom of the casserole dish.
- Pour the rest of the sauce into a bowl for dipping
- Take each individual corn tortilla and dip it in the sauce. Make sure both sides are lightly covered. Put it on the cutting board.
- Put a generous amount of chicken and cheese inside remembering you are filling up 6 enchiladas
- Roll up the enchilada and place it in the dish, seam side down.
- Repeat steps 4-7 until the dish is full!
- Pour the rest of the sauce left in the bowl over the enchiladas evenly so it’s nicely coated.
- Add the rest of the cheese to the tops of each enchilada generously.
- Bake in a 350 degree oven (or toaster oven) for abut 30 minutes or until the cheese is nice and melted
Director’s Cut Commentary
- Chicken! – I usually get a pre-cooked whole roasted chicken from Whole Foods because I love that they use Mary’s air-chilled chicken and because they taste great. Typically I get the classic roasted because I don’t want the lemon or bbq flavors competing in the dish. You can be adventurous and cook up your own chicken though! I love making fajita chicken and it would work great in this recipe so be adventurous.
- 6 Corn tortillas – This ingredient is the KEY to me. Get a good one. Not the kind that will fall apart as you roll it, but one that has some durability. Also, you want one that TASTES good. So many corn tortillas are bland and unfulfilling. If possible, get some homemade corn tortillas. Many local restaurants will make them so grab them if you can.
- 8oz block of your favorite cheese (or cheeses) – We love both pepper jack and cheddar. Typically, you’d go with Monterey Jack cheese so if you want to go the traditional route, that’s the best way. But here again you can mix it up. Experiment with what you like. Jack cheese is nice and mild with a tiny tang to it which pairs well with the sauce (whether you use red or green). Cheddar is more of a red sauce pairing. It’s bite goes well with the flavors of the red sauce. And if you’re going the cheddar route, make sure to use sharp cheddar rather than mild.
- 2 Packets of Frontera Red Chile Enchilada Sauce – I’ve tried different ones, and like this one the best. Their Green Chile Enchilada Sauce is also great. You can get it from Whole Foods, Amazon, or your local grocery store. If you want to make your own, go for it! But if you’re in a hurry and don’t want to sacrifice quality, this one is the one I use. However, go with what your taste buds crave! Lots of Mexican restaurants sell their sauces, too or you can find sauces at your local grocer that are often homemade.
I shred the chicken into manageable strips to make it easy for the person who is eating it to cut through the enchilada with just a fork or at most a butter knife, and also so the sauce and cheese mix in during cooking more effectively, spreading around that awesome goodness. For the cheese, I like using the medium holes to give it more PUNCH! No need for the fine delicacy of the tiny holes. Also, please don’t buy pre-shredded cheese. While it’s edible, freshly grated cheese tastes way better. Plus, the pre-shredded cheese is coated with something so it won’t stick to each other but that fine coating messes up the flavor profile when cooking (at least it does to me). And I found that pouring sauce on the bottom just to lightly coat it makes it not only taste better, but helps prevent it from becoming sticky.
You are DONE! See how easy that was? And so delicious. This recipe is like building a robot because you’re basically assembling the parts and making something great out of the pieces. You CAN cook each individual part and I’m sure it would taste even more delicious, but sometimes you don’t have a week to cook the chicken, make fresh tortillas, milk the cow and turn it into cheese, and create your own sauce. I hope you’ll enjoy this favorite of mine! You can also add other stuff like green ortega chiles (again, I use the stuff out of a can for convenience because I like them cooked already) or top it with tomatoes, your favorite salsa, etc. Go nuts!
Craig’s Kitchen: Chocolate Chip Pan Cookies
The smell of these alone will make your saliva glands start to flow!
The rich, chocolate goodness melts in your mouth. The brown sugar batter dances around on the tip of your tongue. And as you bite into each cookie, the buttery flavor swirls around and you can feel each morsel of chocolate explode. Overall, it’s a dynamite cookie! Kind of like a brownie (or a blondie if you’re familiar with those) it has a more pillow-like feel and is much thicker and softer than the average chocolate chip cookie. This was another favorite from my days as a child. My mom introduced me to this heaven-sent bite and since then I’ve worked on adding my own little touches to it. I’ve also included a gluten-free version which tastes great. I hope you will enjoy it as much as I have!
Ingredients:
- 1 cup all-purpose flour (if doing this gluten-free use gluten-free flour)
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup softened, unsalted butter plus 1 tbsp butter
- 3/8 cup bakers granulated sugar
- 3/8 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
- 6 oz chocolate chip morsels
Equipment:
- 8″ x 8″ glass baking pan
- Two mixing bowls
- Wire rack (if you have one)
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Into the first mixing bowl mix together the flour, baking soda, and salt
- In the second mixing bowl, mix together the softened butter, both types of sugar, and vanilla extract
- Add in the egg, beating the mixture until well combined
- Mix in the dry ingredients from the other bowl about 1/3rd at a time, incorporating it fully before adding the next amount
- Once combined, add the chocolate chips (at this stage, if you choose to add nuts this is when you would do it) mixing until well incorporated throughout the dough
- Coat bottom and sides of pan with butter
- Spread dough evenly from edge to edge and place in oven
- Cook for approximately 25 minutes or when top springs back and turns golden
- Remove and let cool on a wire rack for about 15-20 minutes (unless you can’t wait anymore and need to dig in)
Director’s Commentary
Ingredients – as always, what you put into it usually determines what you get out.
Flour – If you’re making this gluten-free, there is no better flour than Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour. It’s literally 1-to-1 unlike some substitute flours. And it tastes really good. It comes out slightly drier than regular all-purpose flour, but still darn good! I’ve tried other gluten-free flours and they just don’t come out as tasty or as simple.
Sugar – For sugar, you can use regular granulated sugar, but I’ve found that C&H Baker’s Sugar is the best! Now, I don’t use it for everything, but for baking it’s great because of how tiny the sugar crystals are. When cooking, they dissolve so easily it has a more even flavor. I don’t know if scientifically that’s true, but I do know it tastes better.
Chocolate Chips – And of course, it matters which chocolate chips you use is of VITAL importance. While you can’t go wrong with the original – Nestle’s – the best for our family is a local baker, Guittard’s Extra Dark Chocolate Chips. These 63% dark chocolate morsels are SO heavenly. I believe Nestle’s Semi-Sweet is 57%, but the extra dark adds more depth of flavor and a better contrast to the lovely brown sugar.
That’s pretty much it. When you bake it, just make sure the dough springs back before you take it out to cool. Once you start the cooling process that’s pretty much it. By “spring back” if you touch it and there’s no resistance at all, it’s too mushy beneath and you need to let it cook some more. I know the edges will look more cooked than the middle – because it is. But there’s only so much you can do. If you want to double the recipe, just bake it in a 9″ x 12″ glass casserole pan. Oh, and “softened” butter really does work better than “melted” butter – believe me I’ve done that before. I usually put the butter in a microwave safe bowl for about 30-45 seconds and once the middle starts caving in, that’s soft enough. If it’s all liquid, it loses something in the mix and doesn’t quite hold up as well. Plus, the chocolate chips seem to collapse to the bottom of the pan. You will love this cookie no matter what, though. I hope it puts a smile on your face like it does for mine every time!
In Search of the Perfect Doughnut
A pillow of sugary softness.
That’s what donuts are like for me. If they are done right, they are soft, not greasy, with just the right amount of icing / frosting, and if they have filling, it is enough for you to have some in every bite, but not so much that it stains your shirt or clouds the rest of the doughnut flavor. The perfect donut would have all of those qualities and leave you wanting more at the end.
I think I love donuts because of my dad. My earliest doughnut memories were the Sunday morning doughnuts. Dad would go out to this local doughnut place – a hole in the wall, family-owned shop – and would buy us each a Tiger Tail (chocolate and vanilla twist). It was so good. Not too much icing, but enough that every bite was a little sugary heaven. And the mix of chocolate and vanilla was terrific. Each one was cooked so there was a tiny crunch feel in your mouth as you bit into it, but so pillowy soft. It was a simple doughnut but delicious. While I love the new concoctions, at its heart it still has to be a GOOD DOUGHNUT!
I don’t know if that doughnut place is still there. I haven’t had one in AGES! But I think the reason I love doughnuts so much is because it takes me back to those happy memories. I mean there are a million great desserts out there, yet I gravitate to ones that link me back to my childhood – chocolate chip cookies, ice cream sundaes, and doughnuts (although pie is up there…I’ll have to think about that one). Plus, I love doughnuts. They are SO good.
So here’s my current list of Top 5 Doughnut places. Yes, I know. I probably left your favorite off of the list. There are many quality doughnuts and I may not have tried your favorite yet. Those that came REALLY close: Top Pot – Seattle, WA; VooDoo Doughnuts – Portland, OR; Mr. T’s Donuts – Modesto, CA; King Pin Donuts – Berkeley, CA. Special mention shout out to Third Culture Bakery – Berkeley, CA for their gluten-free mochi doughnuts and Milkbomb Ice Cream – Berkeley, CA for their doughnut ice cream sandwich. If you have others, let me know so I can try them and see how they compare!
1. Pinkbox – I mean look at these! 
2. Hello Sugar – Donuts made for you right in front of your eyes! And mini donuts even 
3. Glazed and Confused – No matter what you get here, it’s all delicious. 
4. Kimura-ya – These an-pan are Japanese mini donuts and are yummy 
5. Doe Donuts – So hard to go wrong with this solid doughnut shop that happens to be vegan. Wowza.
Top 5 Doughnuts
- 5. Doe Donuts – Portland, OR: This is where it gets tough. There are so many good doughnut places, but I gave the edge to Doe Donuts not only because they are delicious, but because they are vegan and delicious and I could not tell. They really care about the environment and about the quality of their product and what goes into it. Plus, they are a woman-owned business and big shout out to them for their level of excellence. Specializing more in cake doughnuts, you can’t go wrong with the S’mores or Key Lime Pie Donut.
- 4. Kimura-ya Bakery – Tokyo, Japan: Specializing in mini-anpan, these treats are Japan’s equivalent of a filled doughnut. I don’t know if these are technically doughnuts, some might argue they are more of a pastry, but they look like doughnuts to me and are little pillows of baked delights. These in particular I believe were fried which definitely puts them in the doughnut category. They were so good that although I was alone in a country where my language skills were barely passable, I went BACK to this place to get some more and bring it home to my family. Wow. If you’re ever there, ask for koshi-an (smooth beans)!
- 3. Glazed and Confused Tahoe Donut – South Lake Tahoe, CA: Just barely on the CA side of the line, this doughnut shop was even featured in a Hallmark movie! They have both fancy doughnuts and regular doughnuts and the amazing thing is BOTH are tremendous. Pretty large doughnuts and generally of the yeast variety, it’s their frosting that wins them a spot in the top 5. Freakin’ delicious. An A+ doughnut even without the frosting, that’s how good they are. My recommendation: Crunch Berries and Animal Cracker
- 2. Hello Sugar – Spokane, WA: Home of the tiny doughnut! Now, that in itself is no big deal. You can get tiny doughnuts at almost every state fair. But will they customize them for you? Put on your favorite toppings? Glaze them or sugar them or put dollops of jam on them? Not only are their tiny doughnuts delicious all by themselves, they have multiple flavors and combinations. And they literally make them on the spot just for you! Can’t get that at a state fair.
- 1. Pinkbox Doughnuts – Las Vegas, NV: This local doughnut shop is the absolute bomb! A great combination of classic doughnuts, fancy doughnuts, and croissant doughnuts. Known for their trio of frosting-laden concoctions (Pooh, Pinky, and Minty), you are sure to find one you love. Every bite of a Pinkbox Doughnut is heavenly. My recommendation: Cherry Bomb! If you love cherry pie or cherry filling, this one is for you.
An Ode to Doughnuts Long Gone: One of our all-time favorites which would have been number 1 or 2 was Crumbs Donuts in Fullerton, CA. Specializing in gourmet croissant doughnuts, they were masters of balancing all the different elements of a donut – taste, flavor, mouth-feel, texture, grease-level, and creativity. For some CRAZY reason, the owners decided to change directions completely and go the boba route and quickly closed down. It was delicious though. A nod to their S’mores Doughnut with a real toasted marshmallow in the middle.
Craig’s Kitchen: Fried WonTons
A New Year’s family favorite.
Seems weird to have fried wontons be a New Year’s family favorite in a family of Japanese heritage, but it’s been a staple in our home since I was a little kid. You know how at family get-togethers you have that dish your family seems to be known for? That was this dish for us. I don’t remember exactly when my mom started making it, but we made it every New Year’s Day and we still do. All of us have lent a hand at one time or another in the wonton production line. The more hands the merrier!
It can be quite labor intensive. The process of putting together each pocket of pillowy goodness is one that simply takes time. But oh, is it worth it! When you bite into that first one and hear the crunch of the wonton skin and then it pours into your mouth that nugget of juicy goodness from the middle – yum! The savory pork filling dripping down your throat, the crunch of the water chestnut tantalizing the feel of your mouth, and the rich umami from the blend of flavors in the middle is enough to make you grab for another.
Equipment: You must have a wonton press! I know you can probably do it all by hand, but it would take even longer and unless you are someone used to making dumplings, would also be so labor intensive to get it right you’d never do it again. The press helps in creating a uniform seal without bunching up the wonton skin (a bunched up skin means you could have a lot of dough – some of it not quite fried – and it could pop in the oil when frying). You can get it online from places like Amazon or at your local Asian market. They come in all sorts of styles, but the best one for me is the one with straight handles. Makes it easier to grip closed.
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground pork
- 1 pkg wonton skins/wrappers (50 count)
- 1 can sliced water chestnuts
- 1 bunch green onions
- 3 tbs ponzu (lemon soy sauce) or to taste
- 1 egg white per person making wontons or 2-3 overall needed to press 100 wontons
- 4-5 thin slices of ginger (for flavor)
Directions:
- Peel the ginger and cut off just 4-5 razor thin slices (if you like the taste, you’re welcome to add more, but our family likes it with just a subtle hint of the ginger)
- Cut green onions into small pieces about 1/8″ to 1/4″ wide depending on how you like it. Set aside
- Cut sliced water chestnuts into small cubes about the same size and set aside
- Cook ground pork in a 12″ skillet, breaking apart so the pork is crumbly, adding ponzu which will help give it more of a brown color and a slight umami, tangy taste. If you like it more tangy, add to your taste palette. Add the thin slices of ginger for flavor
- Once pork is nearly cooked, add water chestnuts and green onions to the mixture, add more ponzu if desired (this is where I usually do a taste test to see if my ponzu is at the right level)
- Once finished cooking (usually just 3-5 more minutes at this stage), turn off heat and let cool
- Prep your wonton station! Put one egg white in a bowl and mix with just a bit of water to add volume without taking away too much stickiness. We like to use brushes to spread the egg white on the wonton skins, but you can always use your fingers (wash your hands!). Pull out a jelly roll cookie sheet and place wax paper or parchment paper at the bottom. As we line up the wontons, we’ll stack them with additional pieces of wax or parchment paper
- Set your skillet of wonton filling near you
- Place a wonton skin/wrapper on the wonton press
- Brush the egg wash along just two edges of the wonton skin
- Scoop about 1 tbs of wonton filling into the middle of the press (the key here is not to overstuff the wonton! Overstuffing, while making for a more filling piece, also lends itself to having oil leak in and then causing lots of popping and snapping of the oil when frying)
- Press together FIRMLY, making sure all the areas are sealed
- Repeat steps 9-12 until done, should easily make 50 wonton and could be stretched to about 75. It all depends on how much filling you like to put in each one
- Fry in heated oil until it turns light brown / golden in color.
Don’t wait for it to look completely done because the carry over heat will darken the wontons more and could burn it! It might take a little bit of practice but you can do it. Also, be aware that the heat of the oil will continue to rise over the time it takes to cook so the first wontons will likely take longer to fry up than the later ones. Just keep an eye on the temperature of the oil. You don’t want it so hot that it burns it as soon as it gets in the oil. I usually cook five at a time and by the time I put in the fifth one, I start to flip the first one until all five are flipped and then can usually remove them. The first few batches, like I said, will take a little longer but you can just keep flipping them until they are done to your liking.
I love to eat these plain, but they taste great with some sweet and sour sauce. Our family favorite is La Choy Sweet and Sour. It has a great blend of sweetness with the thickness a sauce like this should have. Kikkoman Sweet and Sour Dipping Sauce is also good for the same reasons. I would say La Choy is a bit sweeter so it just depends what you enjoy, but either way, it should have that thicker consistency both of these have. No matter which one you use or if you don’t use any, I’m sure you’ll love to eat these pillow pockets of goodness.
Craig’s Kitchen: Mom’s Tagliarini Casserole
At some point, it must have called for tagliarini pasta.
Tagliarini is the name for “egg noodles cut in long, flat, slender pieces, narrower than tagliatelle.” That’s the definition I found online at Dictionary.com. I had to look it up because I wondered where the name for this dish came from, and lo and behold it came from the type of pasta that at one time was used in this recipe. But no more. The version I’m sharing with you today is the one made famous by my mom. It was so good, I would ask her to make it for me at least once a year for my birthday. When others would go out for their birthday, I would ask mom to make this dish for me. Seriously still one of my favorites.
It’s pretty simple and straight-forward, but don’t feel bad if it doesn’t come out perfect. It took me years to get it right and many times I overcooked or burnt it. But now, I’ve got it down to a science – a tasty science, but a science nonetheless. I’ve substituted different items to see if I could improve the flavor, but the simplest is the best. I love the contrast in textures between the savory ground beef and the crunchy corn niblets and the squishy whole tomatoes. And make sure you use plenty of sharp cheddar cheese. It’s a cacophony of flavors, but it tastes so good.
Ingredients
- 1/2 small onion, diced
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 1 lbs 85/15 ground beef
- 3/4 to 1 pkg of shell pasta
- 1 small can tomato sauce 8oz (Muir Glen is my fav, but Hunt’s is great, too)
- 8oz of water
- 1 medium can whole tomatoes 14.5 oz (I like to use Muir Glen again)
- 1 small can corn niblets
- salt and pepper to taste
- 8 oz cheddar cheese sliced into strips
Directions:
- Heat neutral oil in large skillet (I usually use canola oil) and add onion, garlic, and ground beef all together
- Add salt and pepper to taste (you want the ground beef to have enough salt to definitely be flavored but not so much that it drowns out the natural meaty taste)
- Saute until browned – meanwhile heat oven (or toaster oven) to 350 degrees
- Add all other ingredients except cheese and mix well (at this point use your best judgment about the corn and whole tomatoes or feel free to add your own creations – I don’t usually use the entire can of whole tomatoes or corn niblets)
- Pour all ingredients well mixed into an 8″ x 8″ casserole dish and cover with aluminum foil (I like to use heavy duty for this, but I’m sure regular will work)
- Cook in oven for about one hour until most of the liquid is soaked up into the pasta
- Take out dish and add cheese slices on top so it covers it completely, cover again with foil
- Bake for another 5 minutes or until cheese melts nice and bubbly
- Remove from oven and let cool a bit before serving – but if you can’t wait, I understand
I love the mix of flavors in this dish! I’ve tried using other pasta, but the shell pasta holds on to the juice from the ground beef and the tomato sauce better than other types. I’ve also tried sausage rather than ground beef, but like the ground beef flavor better. It’s a better balance. I’ve used 90/10 and 80/20 ground beef but 85/15 has the right blend of fattiness without being too fatty. Have fun and enjoy this Craig favorite!
The Pick-Up Cart
Who knew that impending doom had four wheels and a canopy?
When we signed up for the Disneyland 5K, I did not know there was a limited amount of time to finish the race. I probably should have guessed it since obviously they weren’t going to let it go on forever. But in order to ensure the race finished in a certain amount of time and they could open the park to guests, there was a pick-up cart that trailed behind all the runners. Like a snail, it kept a slow and steady pace, ever creeping forward. And if you we’re not quite fast enough, it would carry you the rest of the way to the finish line. Now, overall that sounds great! Regardless of what happened, you wouldn’t be abandoned in the middle of nowhere. But it also meant you didn’t finish. And to me it was really important to finish the race. This was my first official 5K and I wanted to make it count. I didn’t want the pick-up cart to finish the race for me. You can guess with my body type and super flat feet, it was a challenge, but I was determined to make it across that line. So even though it was difficult, I trudged on as best as I could. Ultimately running and walking with a lot more walking than running. But when I got to the end I was able to say I made it! The pick-up cart was not going to get me.
When it comes to the COVID pandemic, we need to get to the end.
We can almost see the end in sight, a day when our lives can return to something like normal. I don’t think things will ever be truly the way they were prior to last March, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. We’ve learned a lot. We’ve grown in our abilities and in our faith. And we’ve seen both horrific stories of people dying of loneliness that motivates us to never go there again, and stories of hope and innovation that gives us confidence we can overcome these obstacles no matter how dangerous or deadly. But we’re not there yet. And to think we are is to let up right before the goal. Speaking of “Lett”-ing up right before the goal, I can still remember Leon Lett’s failed run for a touchdown in Super Bowl XXVII. Lett played for the dominating Dallas Cowboys who had a “commanding 52-17 lead”[1] in the 4th quarter. He had recovered a fumble on the 35-yard line and ran it back toward the goal. He was ALMOST there when he decided to let up and prance around in celebration, showing off to the crowd. And he was stripped of the ball, turning it back over to the Buffalo Bills. While it didn’t stop them from winning the game, it was certainly a lesson for those of us who want to celebrate before crossing the goal line. Literally.
The CDC’s recommendations for the fully vaccinated are a huge step toward the goal.
But they don’t tell the whole story. While it might be safe for MOST people who are fully vaccinated to interact like normal, what we don’t realize is only about 1/3rd of Americans meet that criteria. Less than half have received one dose.[2] Children under the age of 12 still can’t get vaccinated, and while it’s true most of them will not get seriously ill from the virus, the long-term effects of COVID are still unknown and don’t look promising. There are about 50 million children under the age of 12 who are vulnerable. 50 million. While we can’t do much for those adults who refuse to take the vaccine despite all the evidence and encouragement in the world, we must do something for those who haven’t yet been able to or cannot get it. And at least by data provided by the CDC, that’s still over 50% of the population. Then there’s the case of the New York Yankees. Eight members of the team tested positive for COVID despite all of them being vaccinated. The team’s star shortstop, Gleyber Torres not only received the vaccine, but had also already had COVID last December and STILL got infected.[3] Even though none of them have any severe symptoms, it begs the question, “Is now the time to let down our guard?”
We all miss aspects of a pre-pandemic life.
For some of us, we miss being in large gatherings like church or concerts or massive theme parks. For some, we miss giving hugs to our parents and grandparents, our nieces and nephews, our grandkids and even great-grandkids. For some, we miss traveling and the experiences that come with it. And after a year, we’re pretty tired of it all. But there’s something bigger at stake. The costs are higher if we falter. We’ve already seen what happens when we let up too early. Last summer we thought we had turned a corner controlling the infection rate, only to watch it explode and multiply like never before. The United States, even with all of its technological advances, its wide-spread access to the vaccine, and scientific breakthroughs still has by far the largest number of people who have died due to COVID – over 580,000 people and growing. It’s estimated we are still losing about 600 people a day due to COVID and while that’s the lowest number since last April, it’s a reminder we aren’t out of the woods just yet.[4]
Paul’s perseverance is a lesson for us all during the pandemic.
If you have a Bible or a Bible app on your computer and would like to follow along, please got to Acts 20:17. His circumstances were certainly different, but his life was in danger every day like us. Unlike us, his perseverance meant he was putting himself MORE at risk instead of less. He wasn’t wearing a mask or staying socially distant, he had to deal with getting thrown in prison or possibly death for sharing the good news of Jesus. But Paul felt so compelled by the love of Christ, he ignored what would have been easier for him to do and did what he knew would help others. Hear now the Word of God.
17 From Miletus, Paul sent to Ephesus for the elders of the church. 18 When they arrived, he said to them: “You know how I lived the whole time I was with you, from the first day I came into the province of Asia. 19 I served the Lord with great humility and with tears and in the midst of severe testing by the plots of my Jewish opponents. 20 You know that I have not hesitated to preach anything that would be helpful to you but have taught you publicly and from house to house. 21 I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus.
22 “And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there. 23 I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me. 24 However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace…”
The Word of God for the people of God and the people said, “Thanks be to God.”
Paul could easily have called it a day.
By the time we get to this story in Paul’s life, he’s already gone to Pisidian Antioch, Iconium, Lystra, Derbe, Philippi, Thessalonica, Corinth, and Ephesus creating new believers in each place. He’s already done a stint in prison, been threatened with his life in numerous places, and started a bunch of new churches, so if Paul wanted to hang up his hat, even at that point people would have looked at his ministry as a huge success. But now he felt like God was calling him back to Jerusalem where he was sure to face more opposition by the Jewish leaders who were already plotting against him. Still he wanted to see it through. He wanted to as he put it “finish the race.”
Paul is an inspiration to us to persevere.
If he can keep going under his extraordinary circumstances, surely we can see this pandemic through to the end (or as close to “the end” as we can ever get). We can stay vigilant in wearing our masks where we are supposed to, in respecting other people’s space, and allowing people time to adjust to yet another change in our culture as we shift back toward a vaccinated life. And if you haven’t been vaccinated yet, please do so. It’s free. And what it can do for you and your life far outweighs any side effects from getting the vaccine. Plus, if you consider yourself a Christian, it’s the neighborly thing to do. Christ calls on us to love our neighbor and this is certainly one way for us to live out that calling. We didn’t start wearing masks to prevent us from getting COVID. We did it for other people. We did it out of concern for our neighbor – literally – to prevent the spread of the virus. At the time, no one knew for sure if it helped us at all. But we did know it could stop the disease from spreading. Getting a vaccine is the same. Yes, it definitely protects you. But studies have shown it also helps stop the disease from spreading and that is really important. It protects our elderly. It protects those who are immunocompromised. It protects our children. The more of us that are vaccinated, the better it is for everyone.
It would be so easy to relax.
After all, the CDC says fully vaccinated people can pretty much do anything. Sure they still have to wear masks while taking public transportation or in hospitals, but short of that there’s nothing we can’t do! But as Paul wrote in another letter, just because we have the freedom to do something doesn’t mean we SHOULD do it. He wrote to the church in Corinth, “Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible (1 Corinthians 9:19).” There are still 16 states with mask mandates including California (at least for now). There are still major retailers and national companies like Target, Starbucks, and Home Depot asking you to keep those masks on in their stores. And there’s no way to verify if the company you keep has had their vaccine. In the near future, as we continue to find ways to live with this new reality, more restrictions will be lifted, and life will seem much more like it was a little over a year ago. But until then, practice patience for those who may not be ready to abandon all precaution. Show love for one another by encouraging those who haven’t yet been vaccinated to get it done. And be in prayer for how we can finish together. In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leon_Lett#Super_Bowl_XXVII
[2] https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#vaccinations
[3] https://news.yahoo.com/yankees-breakthrough-covid-19-infections-235707184.html
[4] https://abc7ny.com/covid-vaccine-european-union-pfizer-coronavirus/10631792/
Craig’s Kitchen: Mochiko Chicken (Japanese Chicken Nuggets)
Flavor comes in bite-sized nuggets.
Chicken nuggets to be precise. Japanese chicken nuggets. I loved these savory bites of goodness for a long time but never knew how to make them until I started to serve at United Japanese Christian Church in Clovis, CA. This historically Japanese church had some of the best lunches anywhere and they did it virtually every week. They also served the homebound once a month with free homemade bento box lunches. They were delicious. What these church chefs could cook up was astounding and it was these ladies that taught me the technique for making these scrumptious Japanese nuggets. I looked up different recipes online and most are similar, but with slight tweaks. Mine is the same. I tweaked it for our taste and added some instructions to help you understand the choices I made.
The nuggets have this lightly sweet, umami-laden juiciness with enough of a crunch to give it just the right texture in your mouth. Just thinking about it makes my mouth start to water! Pairs great with some Japanese sticky rice and the cool thing is you can use the fried crumbs from the batter to flavor your rice (kind of like furikake). The key to the flavor is in the ingredients. While chicken thighs are vastly superior to chicken breast for this recipe (I’ve tried both), it’s the soy sauce that is the star. The right soy sauce will heighten that umami flavor and give it that “umph” you need.
Ingredients
- 4-5 lbs of boneless, skinless chicken thighs – we like to use Mary’s because it’s air-chilled which seems to make a difference. Plus, Mary’s tends to have less fat on it, thus making for more nuggets per thigh.
- 1/4 cup Mochiko sweet rice flour – makes no difference if it’s organic or not, but the Mochiko brand is what you are looking for.
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 1/4 cup white granulated sugar
- salt to taste (I use about 1 tsp)
- 2 large eggs
- 5 tbsp soy sauce – this is the KEY for me! We use Kikkoman Gluten-Free Soy Sauce. Not tamari. Not regular. Not Aloha Shoyu – all of which I have tried, but the Kikkoman Gluten-Free Soy Sauce. Even if you’re not gluten-free, the taste is richer and deeper and gives it more UMAMI. Of course you can use regular soy sauce, too.
- 2 tsp minced garlic (the kind from a jar, but you can also use fresh garlic)
- 1 bunch of green onions sliced into about 1/4 inch pieces
- sesame seeds to taste (I use about 1 to 2 tbsp and now I like to mix it up with both black and white sesame seeds but either works)
Directions
- Cut green onions and set aside (I do this first to minimize the number of cutting boards I have to use)
- In a bowl big enough to hold your chicken, mix together the Mochiko flour, cornstarch, sugar, and salt
- In a little bowl mix together the eggs, soy sauce, and garlic
- Whisk the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until smooth and combined well
- Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces – about 1/2 inch to an inch square and add them to the marinade
- Fold in green onions and sesame seeds then cover and refrigerate
- You CAN cook them immediately, but I’ve found if you let them rest at least 1-2 hours, you get better results. You can marinade it overnight if you like also for a deeper, richer flavor
- Deep fry the chicken until golden brown. They will darken slightly more after you pull them out of the oil. I use a non-reactive oil like canola oil but peanut oil works great too. Don’t use olive oil unless you REALLY like that taste because it will absorb
- Remove and let dry on a paper towel coated plate
When prepping the chicken the ladies at UJCC taught me to use a small knife and whittle away the fat. You don’t have to be perfect at it, but cutting the stringy fat especially makes it more meaty and flavorful. Make sure to flip over thigh as you can find fat everywhere. Take note of any pockets of fat too. They like to hide sometimes. While cooking, I like to skim the top of the oil for all those flavorful crumbs to put on my rice afterward. The onions do double duty here – both as part of the flavor in the marinade AND as a rice topping. When all is said and done though, you’ll have a very flavorful and tasty main dish to serve friends and family! Enjoy!
A Mother’s Heart
Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2 “Honor your father and mother”—which is the first commandment with a promise— 3 “so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.”
Moms are people, too.
That might seem obvious but take a moment to think about when you finally realized that simple fact. Moms are people, too. When we’re kids, we don’t often see our moms as being like other people. We don’t imagine them with vulnerabilities or feelings like the rest of us. They’re more like SUPERMOM! Able to leap large stacks of toys in a single bound! Then at some point in our lives, our moms seem out of touch. They just don’t understand. Suddenly they transform from knowing pretty much everything to knowing nothing at all. But eventually as we grow and mature, we come to realize mom had a pretty good head on her shoulders the whole time. At least that’s how it was for me. Looking back, I don’t know how much I appreciated my mom until I became a parent myself and all of a sudden that veil over my eyes was lifted and I could empathize with her in a whole new way. I also realized how tough it must have been at times to put up with me.
“Honor your father and mother.”
We all know that commandment, whether you’re religious or not. But how well do you do it? How well do you honor your mother? And not just your biological mom, but the parent figures in your life who acted as a mother to you? Because if you think about it, this mandate to honor your father and mother isn’t exclusive to biology and isn’t just talking about your own mother. It includes the mother of our children, too. Paul writes in Ephesians husbands are supposed to love their wives as Christ loved the church – and since Christ was willing to sacrifice everything including his life for the church, it seems we owe our wives and parenting partners an awful lot.
But what does it mean to honor your mother?
If you read the Bible with this lens in place, different things are revealed under the spotlight, especially when we look to Jesus for a model of what it means to do this. When reading the Bible, we tend to focus on Jesus as the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of God. But what if we were to also look at Jesus as the Son of Man and specifically the son of Mary and Joseph. We don’t read much about Joseph outside of Jesus’ birth, but with Mary we have a lot more to pull from. There were three distinct incidents of Jesus throughout his life that made me realize what it meant to honor your mother. Each one took place at a different moment – when Jesus was a child, when he first began his ministry, and on the cross before he died.
The first was when Jesus was in the temple.
By the way, this is the only incident we read about Jesus’ life as a kid. The only one. His family traveled from his home in Nazareth to Jerusalem for the Passover Festival and after it was over, the whole family was headed home, a journey of about 75 miles.[1] After the first full day of travel, Joseph and Mary realize Jesus isn’t with them and immediately head back to Jerusalem to find him. You might wonder why his parents didn’t notice before, but at his age it was just as likely he was walking with some of his other relatives instead of his parents. Any of you with pre-teens or teenagers can probably empathize with that. I imagine they assumed he was with his cousin John or someone else in the family because the Bible tells us they were all traveling together. But at the end of that first day when they are setting up camp for the night, they can’t find him and immediately Joseph and Mary head back to Jerusalem.
I can’t imagine how worried Mary must have been.
I still have nightmares about the time Emma was trapped on the school bus headed to Visalia and I had to drive after it like a mad man. The bus driver forgot to let Emma off the bus at her usual spot and just started heading out of town. We drove after her, finally catching up to the bus, frantically honking and waving to try and get him to pull over. Finally some kids noticed us and the driver stopped and we got Emma out safely. The next day we bought her a phone – and she stopped taking the bus. We were only missing Emma for a few minutes and that shook us to the core. Imagine how worried Mary must have been to leave her 12-year old all alone in another city overnight, not knowing what was happening to him or if he was even alright. When Joseph and Mary made it back to Jerusalem, Jesus was like a rock star in the temple, dazzling people with his wisdom and insight. But Mary didn’t care about that. She was probably panicked and relieved at the same time. She went up to him and said, “Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you.” Jesus was bewildered and said, ‘“Why were you searching for me? Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?” Of course, they didn’t understand at that time what he meant, but then Luke writes what happens next, “…he went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. But his mother treasured all these things in her heart.And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man (Luke 2:51-52).” The only passage we have about Jesus’ childhood is one where we focus on Mary and how proud she was of her son.
Then there was that time at the wedding.
It’s the first recorded public miracle in the Bible and it happens because of his mom. Jesus and Mary were at a wedding and the family runs out of wine. Mary turns to Jesus and simply says, “They have no more wine.” Now, I don’t know if Jesus has done this sort of thing before, but I imagine he must have because that’s all she has to say to him and he knows what she expects. Jesus responds with “…why do you involve me? My hour has not yet come.” I guess that’s the 1st century version of “Ah, gee, mom. Do I have to?” But Mary knows Jesus will do it, despite his remark and he tells the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” And they do. Even though Jesus knows it isn’t time for him to reveal himself openly to the world, he does what his mother asks and he turns water into wine. The first recorded miracle happens because of his mother. He honors her by being dutiful.
And then there’s the moment of his death.
As he hangs on the cross, about to die, his mother, along with John the disciple and some of the other women who were close to Christ come to stand with him and give him their support. And right before he dies, he tells John to take care of his mother and asks his mother to adopt John as her own. Why Mary didn’t go to stay with one of her other children or what happened to Joseph, the Bible isn’t clear. But Jesus wanted to make sure before he died that his mother would be taken care of. In those days, a woman without a husband wouldn’t have the means to take care of herself and would end up destitute and alone so Jesus before he dies asks John to take care of her and he does. Only then does Jesus allow himself to die.
In each stage of his life, Jesus honors his mother.
It’s funny because we have no other story about Jesus’ childhood except this moment in the temple. And while most people remark on Jesus’ wit and wisdom, the bulk of the story is about Mary and Jesus. Not about Jesus’ time in the temple but about the relationship between mother and son. And we read that Mary’s heart becomes full watching her son. Then we see Jesus honoring his mother by doing as she asks despite the fact that it wasn’t time for him to reveal himself. Still, he does what she wants and Mary doesn’t have to say any more. And even at the moment of his death, Jesus makes sure that his mother is taken care of. He doesn’t die before he knows she will be alright. Throughout his life, Jesus never disrespected her, always cared for her, and lived a life that brought her honor. Jesus is the very model for how we should treat the moms in our lives.
I hope the life I have lived fills my mother’s heart.
I know my mom’s proud of me, but I hope I have honored the many sacrifices she has made for me in my life. I hope I properly show my appreciation and love because I know it’s so easy not to. Not on purpose. Not because I mean to disrespect her. But because as a human being, I’m bound to make mistakes. The same is true for my love and appreciation for Cassie. I hope I am the husband she needs me to be, to show her honor and respect for what she does for our family. I hope she knows that even when we disagree, I still love her and am proud she is Emma’s mom. And although I can’t possibly expect to be like Jesus, I can try. Jesus is the model for our lives. He exemplifies for us what we should strive for. On this day, most of all, we should honor the women in our lives who have given so much of themselves to us. And hopefully, we will fill their hearts as they have filled ours.
[1] http://www.christianitytoday.com/history/issues/issue-59/on-road.html
It’s Not Fair!
God isn’t fair. And it’s a good thing he isn’t.
We’ll get back to that. We like it when things are “fair.” It makes us feel like all is right in the universe. But what is “fair?” In the words of one of my favorite characters, Inigo Montoya, “You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.” The textbook definition of “fair” is “in accordance with the rules or standards; legitimate,”[1] but for us we intertwine that definition with a sense of justice or righteousness. The practical application of “fairness” goes beyond the literal meaning of what is fair. Have you noticed we only call things “unfair” when something doesn’t meet our expectations? When we get MORE than we’re hoping for, we have no problem with “fairness.” It’s only when things don’t go our way we feel life is unfair. Has anyone in the history of America ever complained the IRS gave them back TOO much money? Or demanded an umpire reverse a call that won their team the game? Or complain the grocery store was unfair when they gave you extra change? No. Fairness is only called into question when things don’t go our way. And that’s what we see in this passage from Matthew:
“For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. 2 He agreed to pay them a denarius for the day and sent them into his vineyard.
3 “About nine in the morning he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing. 4 He told them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.’ 5 So they went.
“He went out again about noon and about three in the afternoon and did the same thing. 6 About five in the afternoon he went out and found still others standing around. He asked them, ‘Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?’
7 “‘Because no one has hired us,’ they answered.
“He said to them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard.’
8 “When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the workers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last ones hired and going on to the first.’
9 “The workers who were hired about five in the afternoon came and each received a denarius. 10 So when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more. But each one of them also received a denarius. 11 When they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner. 12 ‘These who were hired last worked only one hour,’ they said, ‘and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day.’
13 “But he answered one of them, ‘I am not being unfair to you, friend. Didn’t you agree to work for a denarius? 14 Take your pay and go. I want to give the one who was hired last the same as I gave you. 15 Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?’
16 “So the last will be first, and the first will be last.” – Matthew 20:1-16
It’s hard not to feel empathy for the people who were hired first.
Working in a vineyard is not easy labor, and if we had been working all day long and a group of people came at the last instant and got the same pay, we would probably be pretty ticked off, too. The first thought through my mind wouldn’t be, “Oh, what a generous guy.” It would be, “Are you kidding me?” It’s hard not to get self-righteous in those instances. We think to ourselves (and sometimes out loud) they didn’t “deserve it.” And whether that’s true or not, does it matter? Why are we complaining? As long as we get what was promised to us, why do we get so concerned over what someone else gets? It goes back to our sense of expectation. If someone gets a full denarius for one hour of work, we think in our heads our labor should be worth eight denarius. So even if we got exactly what we were promised, we are no longer satisfied. We feel cheated! Someone else got away with working a whole lot less for the same amount of money. But the truth is, the owner was fair to us. We accepted the deal as is and we got exactly what was promised. And if you were one of the guys who came last and received a full day’s wage, you WOULD think the owner was generous. You would even think he was fair. In fact, more than fair.
So why not just goof off until the last minute?
Why put in the time, the hard work, the effort if it doesn’t matter? Some people approach faith with just this attitude. Why bother trying to be GOOD, going to church, and praying if all I have to do is say I’m sorry and I’m instantaneously forgiven? Why not live it up? Party hard. Be selfish. Look out for number one. And then at the end of your life, repent. By the way, that’s not a new idea. A long time ago, people actually did this. It was commonly believed you were only allowed to repent once and if you blew it after that, you would be condemned to an eternity in hell. So people would wait until they were on their deathbed before confessing their sins so it wouldn’t be held against them in the afterlife. But there are two flaws in that logic. The same two flaws that are in my plan for surviving a plane crash. When I was little, I figured out all I needed to do to survive a plane crash is wait by the door as the plane was plummeting and then at the last possible moment I would jump out because then I’d only fall a few feet instead of the thousands I would fall if I jumped out earlier. But there are flaws in that logic. The primary one being, “What if I don’t jump out in time?” That’s the problem with deathbed confessions, if you wait too long, you might be waiting forever. And then there’s the problem of gravity. Jumping at the last second doesn’t account for the speed you are already traveling at. Even if I jumped in time it wouldn’t negate the velocity I had built up by plummeting with the plane. I don’t negate the speed built up by falling thousands of feet, just because I jump at the last second and the same goes for our lives. Asking for forgiveness right before you die doesn’t negate a lifetime of sin if you don’t mean it. It’s just a hollow gesture if you haven’t spent time working on building your relationship with God. Thankfully, we don’t believe that repentance is a one-time thing. And when you realize you need it, it’s best to start as soon as possible.
Because of how we grew up, we get stuck on this work/reward concept.
The amount of work you put in should equate to what you get out of it. That’s why we feel like the people who started working at the beginning got a raw deal or ripped off. But that’s missing the point. Jesus’ point here is not you have to work to get into Heaven, but instead it’s never too late to receive God’s forgiveness. No matter when you come to realize you need it, the reward is the same. Jesus is also trying to impress upon us God is fair – in fact, more than fair. It’s only our perception of “value” holding us back from realizing the reward we are receiving is more than generous already. It’s like salaries for professional athletes. When Alonzo Mourning was playing for the Charlotte Hornets, he was bitter because the team didn’t offer him $13 million a year – which at the time would have made him the second highest paid player in the league.[2] It wasn’t because the money wasn’t enough. I mean let’s get real – does anyone DESERVE even a million dollars a year for putting a basketball through a hoop? What he was bitter about was not the actual amount of money, but the money IN COMPARISON to what other players were making. By the way, that $10 million a year would have still made him the second highest paid player in the league. But Mourning isn’t alone. You could say the same for any number of people from movie stars to YouTubers. It’s not the actual value of the service they provide, but their perception of what they deserve and what we are willing to pay. Let’s be honest. If we were paying people by what they contributed to society, teachers, doctors, and 1st responders would be getting endorsement deals by Nike instead. This concept of “value” the workers in the story are pushing back against is a human concept of self-worth instead of anything to do with God’s fairness.
God is unfair. And I’m so glad he is.
Because God looks at us like we look at our own children. We love them, even when they make mistakes. We hope they don’t repeat them, not because we get anything out of it, but because we want them to live life to the fullest! We are willing to pay the price for our children’s mistakes because we love them and want them to succeed. And that is exactly what God has done for us. Christ paid the price for our salvation, not because we deserved it but because he loves us. If our relationship with God were like a business, we wouldn’t survive because what God has to offer is worth more than we could ever afford. Not just in the afterlife but in this one, too. The workers in the parable don’t realize it, but being a part of the work that God is doing IS a reward in itself. Knowing Christ is its own reward. We are often just too blind to see it.
In the book, Andy tells a story that brings all of this home.
He talks about a time when his children were very young and he had bought a new car. It was a used Infiniti but it was the nicest car he had ever owned. It was in mint condition and he had every intention of keeping it that way. His daughter, however, thought it could use some improvement. He was taking out the trash and as he passed his car, he noticed a big letter “A” scratched into the hood. He was furious! He looked around and demanded to know who had done this! His two sons were standing next to him and suddenly got quiet, so Andy looked at them and his son Garrett, all of five years old, said to him, “Allie did it.” He looked over at Allie, his youngest child and only daughter who was just three and a half at the time and pointed to the car. “Did you do that?” he asked her. “Yes, Daddy” she said. Suddenly, all of these different thoughts went through his head. Would a three-year-old even understand what she had done? Would she understand labor cost, renting a car while this one was fixed, the amount of money it would take to fix it, why having the letter “A” scratched into the hood wasn’t a good thing? Of course not. He could demand she repay him for the damages, because that would be fair. Absurd but fair. So what did he do? This is what he wrote, “I did the only thing I could do for someone I loved as much as I loved her. I knelt down and said, ‘Allie, please don’t do that anymore.’ She said, ‘Yes, sir, Daddy.’ Then she hugged me and went back inside. I continued to love her as much as ever. And I paid for the damage she caused. I wasn’t concerned about fairness. It wasn’t appropriate to figure out what was fair. What was more important was grace and mercy. Even if it meant that I had to pay for what she had done.” That’s what God has done for us. God has paid it all so that we can live a life of love and peace in his company. And it’s not about fairness and it’s not about reward, but about the grace and mercy of God’s love.
[1] https://www.google.com/search?q=definition+of+fair&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a
[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Highest-paid_NBA_players_by_season#1995-1996 – that was even higher than Michael Jordan that year
Good People Don’t Go to Heaven
How good is “good enough?”
How good do you have to be to get into Heaven? What’s the bare minimum we have to do to sneak into the pearly gates? Because we believe in a good God, its easy for us to believe in the Good Person Theory – that all you have to do to make it in the afterlife is BE a good person. But as we’ve come to discover, there are some serious problems with that theory. There isn’t a standard or rubric God has given us to know how good you have to be or how we can calculate how good we are. Our internal barometer of good and bad isn’t reliable and changes from culture-to-culture and from time-to-time. And the only standard we DO have is to be perfect as Christ is perfect, which is too high a bar for any human being. But Andy Stanley shared something interesting in his book about this topic. He said, “Good people don’t go to heaven. Forgiven people do.”
What does it mean to be a forgiven people?
To showcase this standard of forgiveness and to give us some understanding of the forgiveness of God, we’re going to read a passage from Matthew’s account of the gospel. Right before our passage, Matthew recounts Jesus telling the disciples about resolving conflict with one another. He talks about how important it is to heal those relationships and Jesus gives a step-by-step guideline for how to do that – confront one another personally, bring a friend to help resolve the conflict, bring the matter before the church. Jesus says we must do what we can to bring healing to our relationships. But this gets Peter thinking. And that’s always trouble. He asks Jesus, “Seriously, though. How often do I need to forgive someone? I mean, isn’t there a limit when we just write the guy off?” And that’s where we pick up Matthew’s account of what happened between the disciples and Jesus next.
The Parable of the Unmerciful Servant
Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?” Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.
“Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him. Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.
“The servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’ The servant’s master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go. But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii. He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded. His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.’
“But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. When the other servants saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed and went and told their master everything that had happened. Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’ In anger his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.
“This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart.” – Matthew 18:21-35
Forgiveness is powerful.
Think about a time when you’ve been forgiven when you didn’t deserve it, when a simple, “I’m sorry” was able to mend a relationship. More than anything, you probably remember the feeling of gratitude you had when it happened. Because forgiveness is powerful. It can change your life. When I was young, we used to go to Shi’s Fish Market every week right after Japanese school. My parents would go to shop for Japanese groceries and to talk to friends, but I was in it for the Star Wars cards behind the counter. I would spend my chore money every week filling up on those treasured pieces of cardboard and then would borrow money from my mom to get extra packs, $1.00 here and there. As I got older, my allowance grew bigger but so did the cost of everything else. By then I was collecting comic books, going out with friends to the football game, playing arcade games at the bowling alley, and over and over again I’d “borrow” from my parents. By the time I graduated from high school, I had amassed a debt of about $700 dollars. $700 dollars. My first summer job at Disneyland would mean I was basically working for free to pay back my mom. Which meant the big end of summer trip my friends had planned was something I wasn’t going to be able to join. I was pretty bummed, but I didn’t see any way out. I had after all, promised my mom to pay her back and I hadn’t for way too long. Then one day, my mom calls me over to her desk and asks me when she’s going to see the money I owe her. I tell her I’m working on it but only have about half so far. She looks up at me and says, “That’s okay. You keep it. Consider it a graduation gift from me and dad.” I was SO grateful! By every measure, my mom deserved to get that money. She had every reason to ask for me to repay it. And there was no way I could argue. But she forgave my debt anyway. As a kid, $700 seemed like a vast fortune of money, especially for me. But that debt was gone in an instant. I’m still grateful to her for that tremendous gift.
Naturally, when I read this parable from Jesus, it struck a chord with me.
How similar Jesus’ message was for the disciples as was my mother’s act of forgiveness for me. Peter starts off by asking how many times are we to forgive someone? Seven times? He must be thinking, “Seven? That’s pretty generous.” You can imagine Peter was pretty surprised at Jesus’ answer, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times,” Not seven times but seventy-seven times! In fact, some translations say “seventy TIMES seven times.” (For you math whizzes, that’s 490 times – way more than 77). And then Jesus tells them the Parable of the Unmerciful Servant where God is like a king who forgives his servant’s debt of 10,000 talents. But instead of being grateful, instead of being merciful and forgiving like the king was to him, the servant goes out and squeezes someone else who owes him a pittance in comparison and ends up throwing the other guy in jail. As if that wasn’t bad enough, it gets worse when you consider what a “talent” is worth. The king had forgiven the servant the equivalent of $9 BILLION dollars today. Imagine that. Nine BILLION dollars. Forgiven. Just like that. The king knows, as God knows, the servant could NEVER pay back that money and in an act of kindness forgives him his debt, as God forgives us our sins. But instead of remembering the mercy and forgiveness the king just showed him, the servant instead goes out and immediately pesters a fellow servant for what amounts to $40,000. Compare that. Nine BILLION. $40,000. And that’s why God is so angered at the servant. Was the man owed that money? Sure. But given the debt he had just been forgiven, the king was angered the servant couldn’t show the same mercy to a fellow human being. That’s what it looks like to God when we can’t forgive those around us. We look like this unmerciful servant who quickly forgets how much we have been forgiven and we fail to forgive those who need it.
We don’t “deserve” to go to Heaven.
That would be saying somehow we can earn it. But as this parable points out, we have done more to separate ourselves from God than we can ever make up. Like the $9 billion dollars the king forgave the servant, it is really because of God’s grace, mercy, and forgiveness we are able to repair that broken relationship. Without it, we would be lost. We tend to think as long as we aren’t doing anything TOO bad, it’s not a big deal, but we nickel and dime our sins and rack up an unpayable debt sooner than we realize. And we know when we are doing something wrong because we sit there and justify our actions to anyone who will listen. With my mom, that debt hung over me like a weight. I knew I had not done right by her. Whenever the issue of money was brought up, even if it wasn’t about the debt I owed, there was this pang of guilt I felt each and every time. It felt uncomfortable and made me anxious. I needed her forgiveness to make it right. And that’s what happens to us when we turn toward God and ask for forgiveness. God repairs that broken relationship and makes it right so that we can be close to him again. And God calls on us to do the same thing with others. We need to forgive those around us. Whether it’s something small and insignificant or large and difficult, God calls on us to be a forgiving people in the way he has been forgiving toward us. The challenge for us this week is to forgive someone who does something against us. To really let it go. Maybe it’s something small like when your kids forget to put their clothes in the hamper. Maybe it’s something you’ve complained about over and over again like leaving the toilet seat down in the bathroom. Or maybe it’s something big. An argument you had with a sister or brother. A fight you had with a close friend that left you not talking to each other. This week I want to challenge you to let go of the small stuff and forgive all of these minor transgressions like socks and toilets. And I want you to pray about forgiving the big stuff. Because when we fail to forgive, we harbor bitterness, and bitterness grows like a disease. And the longer it grows the harder it is to let go of, and none of us need that in our lives. When we wonder if we have the strength to do that, to forgive as God has forgiven us, remember this story Jesus told us about the unmerciful servant and be reminded of the grace and goodness of a God who has already forgiven you. Because remember, “Good people don’t go to Heaven, forgiven people do.” In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Craig's Corner 