Matthew 23
Reading for February 6

Jesus is standing up against the religious leaders and basically telling them they have it all wrong. Not the message of the scriptures – that was right, but how to go about using God’s word in their everyday lives. The rules had become more important than the Ruler. They used God’s Word for their own benefit.

So Jesus unleashes seven “woes” on the religious leaders.

1.    (13) shutting people out of the kingdom of heaven

2.    (15) converting people away from God to be like them or worse

3.    (16-22) blindly leading people down the wrong path by encouraging them to follow man-made traditions instead of God’s word

4.    (23, 24) paying too much attention to what is trivial, while ignoring the real issues, like justice, mercy, and faithfulness

5.    (25, 26) looking good on the outside, while rotting on the inside

6.    (27, 28) acting holy while actually covering up sin

7.    (29-36) pretending to remember their history in order to not repeat it (for example, killing the prophets) yet Jesus knows they are no different, for soon they will be killing him and his followers

Jesus concludes this chapter with such a heartfelt cry for the people of Jerusalem. If only they would understand, if only they would turn to Him and the truth. Even after all they have done to prevent Him from spreading His message, and even knowing they are plotting to kill Him, Jesus still loves and wants them to come to Him. Such love. It’s hard to imagine, but this love is still available today, no matter what we have done in the past, no matter how far we have wandered away, Jesus is still longing to gather us in His arms.

Side Note:

So you may be wondering what in the world are phylacteries. They are little leather boxes that contain Scripture verses that were worn on the forehead and the arm, making them look very religious. They did this in keeping with Deuteronomy 6:6-9 which say: ⁶ These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. ⁷ Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. ⁸ Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. ⁹ Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.” The problem was, they began to look more at the symbol and the status then at the messages contained in them. They didn’t care about being holy only looking holy.

Jesus points out the hypocrisy of the Pharisees who lived during his time on earth, but what about “Pharisees” who live today? Are they still here? Do we see them in leadership in the church? Looking good on the outside, but leading a life that is far from the holiness Jesus calls us to? My prayer for today is that when God looks upon us, He sees Jesus living in us.

 

Blessings

Pastor Kathy

Matthew 22

Reading for February 5

Jesus teaches several lessons in the chapter. It seems like the Pharisees are trying very hard to trip Him up, but each time Jesus has the perfect response. I think there is a lot we can learn from Jesus in how to combat antagonist who want to challenge our beliefs or disprove the gospel.

 

First and most importantly we need to know our scriptures. If you don’t know what the bible says it’s very hard to convince someone of what it says or you might actually be mistaken yourself. “You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God” (22:29).

 

Another tactic Jesus uses when someone asks him a question is to respond with his own question. This puts you in better control of the conversation. The Pharisees ask, “Tell us then… is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not?” – Jesus asks for a coin then poses this question.  “Whose portrait is this?” (22:17 & 20).  He gets the response he wants and so they walk away amazed. We have to remember to speak all of this in love and with compassion, especially to those who are earnestly seeking the truth.

Jesus responds to the Sadducees about marriage, and to the Pharisees about the Greatest Commandment. Here Jesus is quoting Deut. 6:5 “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and mind… and love your neighbor as yourself.” If you look at the Ten Commandments you will see that they are divided into these two categories. The first four are about loving God and the next 6 are how to treat your neighbor (and parents). We see that relationships are important to God, first with Him and then with others. You can’t love God and fail to love your neighbor. You can’t love your neighbor and fail to love God. The two go hand in hand.

I invite you to add your comments.

Blessings

Pastor Kathy

 

Matthew 21
Reading for February 4

The Triumphal entry into Jerusalem. It always strikes me when I read this passage of how Jesus enters Jerusalem as a “hero”; an honored and glorified King and then before the week is over he is killed. This dramatic entry into Jerusalem fulfills yet another of the Old Testament prophecies. “Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion!  Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”  Zechariah 9:9.

I wonder how many times we get all excited about a “mountain top” experience, close encounter with Jesus where we praise and glorify Him, where we promise to live a life that more closely resembles the life He wants us to live, and then before the week is over, we go back to our old bad habits, our old sinful nature and in effect “crucify” Jesus by our actions.

Jesus spends his last week teaching and preaching and trying to get in those last words before his death. You can almost feel the tension in his actions, the desperation to get across the words that we so need to hear. When Jesus enters the temple (which I’m sure he had done many times before and seen the money changers there) yet this time is different, this time he explodes into a rage throwing the cheaters, and thieves out of God’s house. A good lesson for us to remember that God’s house is a house of prayer. A place where we should never compromise the Word of God or to acquiesce, to concede to the culture around us. 

It is my prayer that we will stay true to God’s Word and not try to change the meaning in order to make it fit into a culture that is rapidly deteriorating into a moral-less society, where there is no more black and white, right or wrong and everything is becoming muddied or gray. A world where “politically incorrect” trumps Scripture. Where we only want to hear what our “itching ears” desire to hear. (2 Timothy 4:3)

This chapter has many other lessons to learn, please add your thoughts as well.

Blessings for the day!

Pastor Kathy

Matthew 20,     February 3

I think I finally have my email change figured out.  Thankfully Verizon didn't delete my account when they said they were going to, which is the only reason I could find a way to change my address and  still be able to post to this blog site.    Hopefully I won't change email addresses again for a while....too stressful.

Matt 20:1-16    I have always looked at these verses as a clue to what heaven might be like.  In some places the Bible says we can store up treasures in heaven, and here it seems like the reward is equal.   I can't imagine that my reward would be equal to Moses, or Elijah, or contemporary heroes of the faith.   Then again, in heaven who would care about status?  Greed, envy and posturing will all be gone.   There will be no more lust for power, or jealousy because of what someone else has.

Isn't it interesting that even though Jesus told his disciples (vs 17-19) very plainly that he would be tortured, crucified and raised to life on the third day they didn't ever seem to grasp it?   If they had, they wouldn't have abandoned him.   And they all would have been at the tomb on the third day.
I wonder what God is telling me very plainly, that I haven't grasped?   "Lord, help me to see and understand clearly everything that you are speaking to me".

Vs 20-28.  Why do mothers always have to get involved in their kids business?  I suppose mom is just trying to help here....but what possible good can come of trying to advance your cause at the expense of the others?  No wonder the other 10 were indignant.  I'll bet satan used the whole thing to try and get a foothold.   Jesus uses the whole event as a teaching moment.   Thinking of that, I realize that when something inappropriate has happened at the church in the past, we tend to appease everyone involved, encourage them to work together, and then put the matter behind us.   Jesus hits it head on, and then reminds them that if you want to be important in the kingdom of God, you must be the servant of all here on earth.  I don' think that James and John were singled out, or made to feel unworthy, and the message of "how to behave correctly" still got across.

vs. 29-34
This account is so wonderful, I love re-reading it.  I imagine opening my eyes for the first time and seeing Jesus.   Someday when my eyes are closed in death, they will reopen for the first time in heaven, and I will experience what the blind men experienced.  Overwhelming joy and love.

These men didn't rest until they had an audience with Jesus.  They refused to be quiet when the crowd told them to settle down.  Jesus didn't respond when they first called....for some reason He waited until they had called for a while.    Maybe that should inform our prayers.   Some prayers may not be answered immediately, but only after we have called out for some time.    Even after our friends encourage us to give up because the "time to be healed has passed" we should continue to call out....who knows, Jesus may turn from his path and ask us the same question  "what do you want me to do for you"?     My first response should always be "Lord, I want to be included in your kingdom"

PR

Matthew 19,     February 2, 2015

Three main themes here:   Divorce, Children and Discipleship Cost

1.  Divorce
we probably divorce too often, just as we marry too soon.  Our forefathers had the same issue.  Back in the days of Moses women were treated as third class citizens, almost the same as cattle.  A man could write his wife a certificate of divorce for almost any infraction.  This would leave the woman without a source of income, no home to go to, and no legal standing to go out and obtain work.
Today women in the United States are far more independent than they were 2,000 years ago.   In fact, women today are just as likely to divorce their husbands as the husbands are to divorce their wives (sorry, no statistic).

But as Jesus says, this is never how it was intended to be.   Once we agree to "marry" someone, it's permanent.  We should really take more care investigating our potential spouses, because if we leave them for anything other than adultery, the blame is on us.   In God's eyes, we cannot remarry, because we are already married.

The reality is that many couple divorce and remarry, and then go on to have happy spiritual lives.   But in order to do that we must first admit our sin to Jesus, and be repentant of it.   Repenting means more than just saying "I'm sorry".  There's an element of grief involved.   Change in behavior is required.    It's not acceptable to think that we will just divorce, remarry and then ask for forgiveness at some later date.    If we try that, I'm not sure we ever really repented.

Obviously there are many who divorce, realize that it was a sin and repent, but cannot turn back the clock to restore the relationship.   I guess they go on to marry other people, and trust that God will forgive their shortcoming.   Divorce isn't the unforgivable sin.   I personally know several people who have divorced and remarried and seem to be operating in the power of the Holy Spirit.

The bottom line:   make every effort to remain in your marriage, and if you are considering a spouse, make very sure that you are compatible and humble enough to live with this person forever.

2.  The Children
As was spoken of in yesterday's writing, children have a special place in the Father's heart.   We must all become childlike in our faith in order to enter heaven.   It was customary for the Rabbi to bless the children who were presented to him as he taught.   It was seen as a special favor to the family....
So Jesus prayed over the kids, placing his hands on them and asking the Father to watch over them.  
I wonder what He prayed?

3.  The Rich Young Ruler
He is willing to serve, to a point.  But he isn't "all in" with Jesus.   Jesus is number two in his book and his great wealth was number one.    Jesus knew this, and that's why he told him to go home and give it away.  It was in the way, and needed to be gone.  Often the Lord will say the same thing to us about something we treasure.   God has no problem with people gaining wealth.  Seriously, He isn't impressed with your wealth or power no matter how much you have.  it makes us little more than one of the most powerful ants in a colony.   God's resources and power are beyond our ability to imagine.  What He desires of us is our obedience, and our love...expressed by our willingness to sacrifice.   If we are not willing to sacrifice, then our love isn't as deep as it needs to be.    The rich young ruler loved Jesus, but he loved money more.

That's too bad, because unless he discovered the error of his ways, we won't be seeing him in heaven...a man who met with Jesus face to face, was loved by Jesus and taught by Jesus.   He'll miss heaven unless he repents.

The Lord tells us that even if we give away all that we have, He has plenty more to bestow upon us at the "renewal of all things".   Therefore, we shouldn't be discouraged if we have sacrificed here on earth, rather we should be encouraged...elated even.   Because every sacrifice is simply an investment in eternal riches.

Moving forward,

PR

Matthew 18,   Jan 31, 2015

Asking who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven is sort of guaranteeing that you aren't going to be considered.   It's like bragging about how humble you are...it doesn't work.
Jesus says that we need to become like children.   Of course, He isn't talking about childish behavior, but rather childlike attributes.   The older we become the less likely we are to learn new things.   We become suspicious and guarded, we don't say exactly what we are thinking, we have learned to hold back our opinion so we aren't embarrassed or out of favor.  We tend to believe that we are wiser as we get older...and in some cases we are, but the idea that we wise enough makes it hard for us to learn from others.   The saying "you can't teach an old dog new tricks" has some truth to it.

But Jesus says that if we want to enter into heaven "we must change".   When it comes to relating to Jesus, we must become teachable, trusting and transparent.  Humility is the only way into the kingdom.  Humbly accepting that Christ has done for us what we could never do for ourselves is the only way to gain entrance.   The proud and arrogant will never enter.   Only those who develop childlike humility.

In verse 5 the topic shifts from the child as a metaphor for behavior to the actual child.   I see Jesus pointing to the children around Him and saying these things.   Since Jesus says that children can sin, and in so doing they can lose their place in heaven, we should take care to make sure that never happens.   We should teach and encourage them to remain faithful with every resource that we have.  Those who lead children astray will be punished, but that doesn't mean the children won't have to pay for their sin.   They will suffer as well.

I think of Judas, or of Pharaoh when I read  verse 7.  Woe to the person through whom sinful things come!   Lord, may I never be the person that serves as a conduit for any evil to be visited upon others.

When I was younger in my faith I thought that cutting off a hand might be literal, even though I knew it couldn't be true.   As I grow older I realize that you could gouge out both of your eyes and still be guilty of sin.  The problem is the heart, and our thoughts.  We need to be cleansed in our hearts, purified of evil desires in heart and mind, that will stop the progress of sin in our lives.    However there is a part that we can do, and that is to ruthlessly eliminate from our lives anything that tempts us to sin.  If it's the computer, then lose it, or limit it's scope.  If it's the TV, do the same.   Maybe it's friends....share your faith and then let them go.   Anything that leads you back into sin must be removed before it causes you to stumble.    Releasing some of these things will be hard, and probably painful.   It may cost something..but it's worth it.

Thinking of the children being able to sin and lose salvation, the next passage balances it a little.   It would seem that the children also have personal angels assigned who are always in the presence of God.   This seems to imply that there is a certain number of years during which a child isn't responsible for their original sin.

I wonder, does the passage about looking for a lost sheep mean that Jesus is looking for children who are lost...meaning that even though the children have angels who see the face of Christ, they must at some point become responsible for their behavior.   Perhaps it's as early as when we can determine right from wrong.   That's pretty early in development.

18:15-20  is often used to mediate church disagreements.  If serving Christ is our primary goal and desire then the guidance offered here will provide sufficient motivation to change behavior.  However, if serving Christ is a secondary goal and pleasing our own carnal desires in our primary desire, then this sequence of events will only lead to disunity.   The selfish person will break communion with the body in order to please themselves.

And then finally the passage regarding the unmerciful servant.   You can sum up this passage simply by saying that "we have been forgiven of much, so we should also forgive others".   Why is it that we complain about the things that others do while we are just as guilty?   We are just as inclined to accept forgiveness and then point our finger at others as was this servant.   It's almost as if once our sins have been forgiven we forget how dysfunctional we were...or still are, in many cases.    Although forgiven we aren't perfect, and yet our critical behavior often would lead you to believe that we believe ourselves to be blameless.   A person once forgiven should become a forgiving person!  Too often the reverse is true.    The solution to the problem is spending more time thanking and praising God for what He has done, and considering our lost state without Him.   This will generate more love for God and for others in our lives.    The more we love, the less likely we are to be critical.

focusing forward,

PR

Matthew 17     Jan 30, 2015


After a long hiatus in my daily readings, I pray that I am returning to some form of normalcy.  I cannot help but replay the words in my head that I spoke to the congregation at the beginning of the year.  I said "I don't care who you are, you can find 15 minutes a day to read your Bible".  That applies to me as well, and I stand convicted by my own words.   Fortunately, our salvation isn't dependent upon our flawless performance.    So today I begin again, and redouble my efforts.   I is still my goal to finish reading and blogging on the whole New Testament by the end of the year.

In Matthew 17 we read about the transfiguration.   I wonder if that's a clue as to what our bodies will look like when we transformed to be like Jesus.   Some scoffers have said that they were delusional, having climbed up the mountain to a great height, in very thin air.   How then do you explain that everyone had the same delusion?  That's even more remarkable!   They all heard the same thing at the same time, and fell to their knees at the same time.  This was no delusion.
Peter was clearly out of his mind, wanting to stay in this wonderful moment, but not knowing how to prolong it.
Jesus warns them several times that He will be persecuted and killed.  He also told them He would rise from the dead.   I wonder why they were so shocked and afraid when it actually happened?   They were listening, but not hearing, I guess.

The demon possessed boy reminds me of several things:  1.  demons are no respecter of people.  They will inhabit whoever they can, and will torture whoever they can.   That includes the people who are watching what the demons are doing to a loved one.  2.  Prayer is an important part of the disciples life.   Without prayer, there are some things that we will never accomplish.   3.  The demon possessed person doesn't call out for himself, another person does it for him.   What a high honor is ours to be able to cry out on behalf of the possessed, that they might be freed from their chains!

Faith as small as a mustard seed can move a mountain.   It's hard to believe that such a small quantity of faith can do such great things, and yet we rarely see evidence of great things.   I wonder, how much faith do we really have?   Based on this our faith must be lacking.   Lord, increase our ability to believe more deeply in you!

Since Jesus tells us to be obedient to those in authority over us, He also provides a way for us to pay that which we owe.   God won't put us in a situation where we cannot pay when He has said that we must.   And if He ever did, it would be because He had a greater purpose in mind.    (I'm thinking of righteous Joseph who was thrown into prison for a crime he didn't commit).    This also reminds me that God has resources that you and I cannot begin to imagine.

I'll bet you some misguided person spent the next several days trying to catch another fish with a 4 drachma coin in it's mouth....missing the point entirely.

God's blessing to you,

PR

Matthew 19            February 2,  2015

Those who have suffered through a divorce know that it always leaves some ragged edges.  I must confess that there are times (when the couple aren't Christians) when it is probably better to divorce than to stay married, but that doesn't make it less of a sin.  Jesus very emphatically said that divorce is sin, unless one of the partners has violated their vow and become unfaithful.   Even then, it is recommended that we stay together if at all possible.    If we were listening to Jesus in chapter 18 speak about forgiveness, then we know that it's possible.

Not everyone should be married.  Some people are better suited to the independent life.  That's certainly not a sin or a shortcoming.  In fact, it can be a great advantage.    So, we should give very careful thought to whether or not marriage is something God intends for us, BEFORE we get deeply involved with the opposite sex.  

A good pre-marital counseling program can help us determine if the person we are dating is the right match for a lifetime commitment.   It's best not to rush the process, make a very good decision up front, that way you avoid many arguments and lessen the possibility of divorce.

Divorce affects children, both sets of parents and friends on both sides of the marriage.   The ragged edges of divorce often create traumatic experiences in high school.   Children lose the benefit of advice from both parents, and even when both parents are involved they often bicker, which makes it even harder for the young person.

God said that he hates divorce in Malachi 2:16.  That doesn't mean He hates us, I think He hates what divorce does to everyone involved.   And when a church leader gets divorced, it seems to be a far larger circle of people affected.    Divorce hurts us, so consider carefully who you marry.   No wonder God said He hates it.

What if you are already married and then realize that the person you married isn't the right one?   Well, unless it's an issue of unfaithfulness or abuse, it's better for you to ask God to change you and your partner to make the two of you more compatible.   Nothing is impossible for God, and He is able to bless and keep you, and fill your life with significance even if you went outside His will to marry someone.    Stay in your marriage, and pray that God will work in you so that you are a better partner.

PR

Matthew 18       January 31

The question "who is the greatest?" is flawed from the beginning.  The greatest is likely the most humble as well, and therefore would never think to ask the question.  However, instead of saying "since you asked...it isn't you.."  Jesus takes the opportunity to teach his disciples (us!) one of the finer points of being a christian.   The practice of trusting obedience.   As we grow into adulthood we tend to become less and less trusting.  With good reason, mind you....we discover along the way that not everyone who says they are looking out for our interests really is.   Occasionally we find out that the "new and improved" product is actually less product for more money, and the person who checked out our purchase also took our credit card number for their own personal use.   The world is a trust defeating place....but heaven is different.   No lie is ever told in heaven.  Every single thing that God has ever said will be exactly as it was spoken.   No one is trying to take advantage in heaven, no one is jealous, boastful or envious there.
And for the Christian, living here on earth is practice for heaven.  If God can be trusted in heaven, then He can be trusted here.  In fact, if we say we believe in Jesus, then we must trust Him here, as proof that our faith is genuine.   You cannot enter into heaven where God's every word is obeyed if you are not willing to obey God's Word.   Enter the Bible.  
The Bible is God's spoken Word for you and I.  As we read it, God is speaking.   As God speaks, we obey.  Not mindlessly, but with the same trust that a child has in his/her parents.   Even if we don't understand why, we know that in the end it will work out for good.

I read verse 10 and consider that if the angels of the children always see the face of the Father, then they must be in good relationship.   Therefore, all children (up to a certain age) enter into heaven.
It's my opinion, not necessarily doctrine.   I would add to that, however, that I believe the age of accountability to be quite low.   Knowing right from wrong is one of the first things we become aware of.   I doubt that we need to have a complete understanding of who Jesus is before we can be accepted into His family.   I have served him many years, and I still cannot completely understand who Jesus is, so that cannot be a criteria.

18:15-17 is often used by the church in helping to settle arguments...I mean discussions... among friends.  The whole idea is that you don't blab to everyone, you go to your friend first.

18:18-20   I'm not sure we completely grasp the significance of this verse.  I suspect that as heirs of the kingdom we have far more power and  authority than we recognize or use.  There is nothing that is beyond the ability of Jesus, and He says Himself that when we agree in prayer on anything, He is there among us.

Finally in this chapter, the discussion on forgiveness.   Undoubtedly many compelling sermons have been based on this passage.  Forgiveness is such an important part of our christian lives.    Since God has forgiven us so much, (and He truly has!) we should then adopt that attitude and begin to forgive others in the same gracious and extravagant way.  In fact, should we choose not to forgive others we deny the very attitude and character that allowed us to become Christians in the first place.  How could we consider ourselves to be saved without reflecting the key tenet of the faith?  
Jesus tells his disciples a story that ends with the unforgiving man being thrown into prison, and then in verse 35 he says very plainly  "this is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart",    Forgiveness isn't always easy, in fact sometimes it's impossible without the Holy Spirit's help.   But God has promised to help us, so we have no reason not to forgive.     If forgiving others is difficult for you, then ask God to help you.   Often it's just a matter of perspective.  When God changes your view of the situation, you will find it easier to forgive.

Be blessed,

PR

Matthew 17,   Friday Jan 30

The mountain of transfiguration is a brief glimpse of eternal reality.  The body of Christ was somehow changed, and yet remained the same.  It's similar to what happened to Moses, on Mount Sinai, but probably not exactly the same.   Speaking of Moses, he was there on the Mount with Jesus, Peter, James and John.   And Elijah, whose life span doesn't overlap Moses's at all is there as well.
This hints that our bodies are not abandoned to the grave, but are alive in another place.  Is it paradise?   I suppose it is.   How wonderful it must be to converse with Moses, Elijah and other personalities from across the ages!   How ill equipped I would be to speak with them!   I wonder, how I could possibly carry on a conversation with one of these spiritual giants?   What could I possibly say that would be interesting to them?   What have I done that compares to parting the Red Sea?

I wonder why Jesus didn't want anyone to know what they had seen on the mountain?   And, how did that conversation go when they arrived at the other disciples?   "What did you guys do up there"?  "Oh, nothing..."    Nobody likes to be kept out of secret.   I wonder if it bothered Judas more than others.  He wasn't as mature as the others, apparently.

Another good piece of information is found in 17:10.  Tradition was correct in saying that "Elijah comes before the Messiah, to announce His reign".  but it was incorrect in assuming that the prophecy was literal.   Sometimes the prophecy is figurative, as it was in this case.   John the Baptist was the "Elijah" that was to come.  Not a reincarnation of Elijah, because the first Elijah was in paradise, chatting with Moses.  He is still alive, and retains all the memories and experiences that makes him himself.   John the Baptist carries on in the Spirit of Elijah, which is the Holy Spirit.

Beginning in verse 14 Jesus teaches his disciples about the power of faith.   I can barely grasp the idea that faith makes all things possible.   That's because my mind has been clouded by a lifetime of science.   Science isn't bad, but it says that some things are not possible...simply because they cannot be proven by humans, or caused by humans.    Any Christian has to believe in miracles, which by definition refute science.  It seems a fools errand to try and make the two compatible.   It's hard to set aside everything that you have been taught to believe in, and accept as truth something that you have never seen in person.   But that's the essence of faith.  And Jesus himself says that those who believe in Him, having never seen Him in person...will be blessed.    Simply by believing in Him, and in His power I receive a blessing.    

I find myself praying for the ability to have greater faith.  I want to be able to ask for spiritually significant things, and receive them.   However, I struggle with the fear that I am asking with impure motives.   I don't want to ask God for anything that will cause me to become proud.   That would be worse than having never received.

Lord, keep us humble, and increase our faith in You!

PR

Matthew 16      Thursday,  Jan 29

The Pharisees weren't looking for a sign to bolster their faith, they just wanted their senses stimulated.   They wanted to be "wowed".    Jesus provided plenty of signs that proved beyond doubt that He had power beyond what is possible here on earth.   Once you accept that, it isn't hard to accept that He is everything He said He was.   Clearly the miracles are being done using power from elsewhere, and Jesus says that He is from there....not difficult to accept.
But the Pharisees weren't hoping to be convinced.  They had already made up their mind.  Jesus wasn't God in their eyes, rather, He was a threat.   So they simply wanted to amuse themselves by seeing Jesus perform miracles.   They learned nothing from it.
In fact, there are people today who see miracles occur right in front of them, and they learn nothing from it.   They seem to be blinded somehow.   Even the disciples were guilty of this.  When Jesus talks about the "yeast of the Pharisees" they think He is talking about their failure to bring bread with them.   Think about that for a minute.  What in the world does Jesus need with bread?   He just turned a sandwich into a meal for thousands.   He isn't worried about bread!   But somehow our day to day, practical needs seem to prevent us from understanding and appreciating miracles as they occur.

The yeast of the Pharisees is their teaching.  They are extremely legalistic.  That means they have laws upon laws, and only they know how they should be interpreted.   The laws make them feel needed and important.  They exercised power over the people by creating more and more laws.   Jesus came and said "the only thing you need to do to enter heaven is to believe in me" which cuts right through all the laws.   Jesus wasn't abolishing the laws He was fulfilling them.   However, the Pharisees had created many extra laws, some that were so ridiculous that they actually violated God's Law, which they were supposed to support!     Jesus did advocate breaking those laws....they weren't from God anyway.

The reason people associate Saint Peter with the "Pearly Gates of Heaven" is because of the conversation he has with Jesus here beginning in verse 13.   Jesus says that He will give Peter the "keys to the kingdom" and the gate is usually how you get in....that's what the keys would be for.    Funny in a way....but so far off the mark that it makes you shudder to think that anyone could believe it.   In fact, the catholic church believes the Pope is the "reincarnation" of the Apostle Peter, since Jesus said "upon this rock I will build my church".   They believe Peter is the rock, and since Peter is said to have died in Rome, that's where the church is based.    It's an ancient belief, probably motivated more by desire for control than by truth.

The rock and the key to heaven is the knowledge that Jesus Christ is God.   Like a rock, that cannot be moved Jesus is God eternally.  The kingdom is built upon Him.   Knowing Him is the way into heaven.  He is the key, and the key is being given to Peter...but not only to Peter, to everyone who believes.

Beginning in verse 21 Jesus is preparing His disciples for what is going to happen to Him in Jerusalem.  This is important to understand:  Jesus never tried to "surprise" the disciples, or spring some event on them without warning.  He mentions his death several times before it happens, and he tells them that he will come back to life.   It's just that they are so distracted they can't see it.   But after it happens they remember being told about it earlier.    If we are paying attention, we will see that God has also warned us about the end of the earth.   It isn't science fiction, it's really going to happen.   We have been warned many times, and should be prepared when it happens.

Looking forward,


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Matthew 15        Wednesday,  January 28

Here's the way I understand it: if we give money to the church as an offering while our parents are in need, we aren't honoring them.  The Bible is very clear: we are to honor our parents.   It doesn't say "honor them if they deserve it"  or  "honor them if they have taken good care of you".     We might be tempted to look good in the eyes of others by making a large donation, while we are actually looking worse in the eyes of the only one who matters.

What the Bible says should always be more important than what our traditions are.

How do people become unclean?   This is really an eye opener.  It's all about what you think about and what you treasure in your heart.   I truly believe that cigarettes are a filthy, unattractive habit.  They harm the body, and should be avoided.   But a cigarette cannot make you unclean.  After reading this passage I wonder if smoking is a sin, or just really bad idea.    I mean, I drink way too much Diet Coke, which is probably bad for my body.   Is that sin?   What if I eat too much chocolate?   And if these things aren't sins....then why did Jesus specifically say "don't get drunk".   Wine goes into the mouth and out of the body.   By this definition it would be okay.

We avoid smoking for the most part because society has convinced us that it is bad for us.   It really is bad for us, and should be avoided.   However we didn't always know that.  There will be people in heaven who smoked like a chimney while here on earth.   I don't think we will smoke in heaven, but I guess you can't be sure.
Societal ques make for enormous pressure.  Teenagers and adults alike want to be "in style" and popular.   They will do almost anything to make it happen.    So avoiding something because it's unpopular isn't the same as avoiding it because the Bible says to.   And, if the Bible doesn't talk about it and Society thinks it's wrong...that doesn't mean it has to be.   Society can be wrong....take abortion for example.

Society would tell us that what we think about is our own business, and we aren't held responsible for it.   It's only once you act that you are punished.    But again, Society would be wrong.   God holds us responsible for our thoughts as well.    Remember, you can't stop temptation, but if you begin to 'let it cook" in your mind, you are in serious danger.   Thoughts count, so face the reality that part of the Christian life is fighting the battle of the mind.

There's much more to see in this chapter, but I'm always doing all the commentary.   What do you see?

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Matthew 14        Tuesday,  Jan 27

Evil people don't want to hear what God says to them through His people.  2 Corinthians 2:16 reminds us that we are the "fragrance of Jesus".   We spend enough time around Him that we begin to "smell" like him.   Just like you can tell if a person has been around a campfire recently.    In this case, the smell of Jesus on John the Baptist is making Herod angry.   He doesn't want to hear that his lifestyle is wrong, and he doesn't want to be told that there is a right and a wrong way to live.   He wants to make up his own rules.    So, when his mistress's daughter asks for something that she shouldn't get, and doesn't deserve....he gives it to her.     He has John the Baptist killed so that he won't be embarrassed in front of his dinner guests...    The man who would be described by Jesus in this way  "of men born of women there are none greater than John"  would be killed so an ungodly man wouldn't be embarrassed.

It just tells me that evil people will continue to do evil things, but they will not accomplish what they want.   The Word of God will still be preached and taught, and in the end those who have been treated unfairly will be rewarded, and those who have taken advantage of them will be punished.
Even though it seems unfair and terrible, John the Baptist accomplished exactly what he was supposed to in his lifetime.   His ministry objective was met, and God allowed him to go home.   The manner of his death is inconsequential, it was the Lord in charge of it.

The very familiar account of the feeding of 5,000 really needs little explanation.  It is one of the most popular stories in the New Testament.   Here are a few thoughts:
1.  This doesn't happen unless the little boy gives up his lunch.   We have to give up our little in order for God to bless it.
2.  The disciples didn't know what God was going to do when they went through the crowd, or even when the returned with one lunch.   Sometimes God asks us to do what is impossible for us...perhaps to see if we trust him enough to do it.
3.  This all happened because Jesus had compassion on the crowd
4.  Later we will learn that there were some in the crowd who followed Jesus just to see if they could get another free lunch.
5.  the 12 basketfuls left over might have been for the disciples.  They were probably small baskets, like an army mess kit size.

And of course, the other very familiar story,...Peter walking on the water.   You have no doubt heard that Peter took his eyes off Jesus and began to sink.   Peter became afraid and began to sink.  Peter was brave in stepping out of the boat, but he began to doubt when he saw the wind and waves.  
We all know the theme here:  Keep your eyes on Jesus, don't be afraid to get out of the boat, ask for help if you think you're "going down"

Here's one thought that I heard sometime ago that was new to me:   In another account of this same story it says that "Jesus was about to pass them by, when they saw him and cried out in fear"  they thought they were seeing a ghost.  Only when they were afraid did Jesus stop and encourage them.    After Jesus fed the 5,000 he told his disciples to go to the other side of the lake.   He went a high place alone and prayed.   There is no doubt that he could see the men struggling in the boat.   From the hills around Galilee you can see the entire sea of Galilee.  So Jesus saw them struggling, and was going to walk past them....allowing them to struggle.

Well!   At first I find myself offended at the idea.  If Jesus sees me struggling, shouldn't He stop and help?   Not necessarily.  The men were never in any danger...until they became afraid.   Jesus never wants us to be afraid, so when that happened He changed His plans.
Jesus never guaranteed any of us an easy path, only that it would be worth it in the end.   He never promised that there wouldn't be struggles and disappointments, or that we would be spared setbacks.   He only says that He will be with us forever.  Even though the men in the boat felt they were on their own, they really were never out of his sight, or apart from His care.....it just felt like they were.

I suspect that  each one of us has had times when we were struggling that we felt alone.   Just remember that you never really are.   God will never leave or forsake you.   He knows what's happening in your life, and is allowing it for a time.

Hang in there!

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Matthew 13          Monday,  January 26

You can really see the different kinds of growth even today.   There are always people who visit the church, or hear the message through a friend but reject it right away.   Actually, I think that the other categories are more common.   It's really fairly common to see someone accept the Gospel and then wander off during their first year.   Actually, that is my testimony as well.   I accepted the Lord, and then just quit thinking about it and drifted off.   I wasn't serious, I guess.     Thankfully I was afforded another chance when I was old enough to appreciate what I was being offered.
I don't know why it's so hard for us to understand that God supplies our needs.   We allow the cares and concerns of this life to choke out the growth of the single most important thing we could possess.   Who cares how much money you have if you're not going to heaven?    What difference does it make how healthy you are?   Best case scenario: it extends your life by 10 or 20 years...but it has no bearing at all on eternity.   What's the big attraction to hanging around here once our bodies begin to fail?      Perhaps we should consider that sometimes God blesses people with a timely passing.

I cannot resist pointing out that in the parable of the weeds God tells the, angels to pull up the weeds first, and then harvest the wheat,    I wonder how we should apply that to our view of the rapture.   Many believe that the rapture comes first, but that doesn't jive with the illustration.   Also note that when both plants are young it's hard to tell them apart.   It isn't until they become fruit bearing that you can observe a difference.  I suspect that Christians are the same way...you can only tell the difference between them and non-christians by their fruit.

verse 58 is the last verse in this chapter.  I wonder if Jesus didn't do miracles there because their lack of faith prevented the miracles from happening, or because he didn't feel compelled to, because of their lack of faith.   I know that Jesus has power to perform miracles regardless of my spiritual condition....it must have been that He simply didn't want to, because they didn't believe in Him anyway.      That would make them like the first type of soil, I suppose.   They heard and didn't believe.


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Matthew  12          Saturday,  Jan 24


1-2  the law said that you could not work on the Sabbath.  The Pharisee's defined that by describing what was "work".  If you walked more than "x" number of steps, or picked up anything that weighed more than "x"...etc.  you were guilty.    Apparently, the process of rubbing raw grain together in your hands and eating the kernels after you blew away the chaff was considered "grinding grain" and that was work....and work was forbidden on the Sabbath.   That seems a little picky to me...
Don't you just love people who seem to make it their life mission to find any little fault they can in what you do?    I wonder why they do that?   Is it to show off what they know, or is it to make you look less competent?   Are they jealous or conceited?   Maybe they're just lonely, and looking for attention.   Whatever the reason, it really makes them more of a challenge to love.
Jesus tries to reason with them, pointing out that they have lost focus on the "main thing".  Jesus is God, He is here with them, and of course can do anything He wants.   How is feeding people who are hungry a sin?   they are missing the point...probably because they simply don't like Him and want to turn the people against Him.

vs 20.   Reeds were used as wicks, they drew oil up from the lamp to the flame.  If the reed is bent or crushed, it doesn't work correctly.  And if it doesn't work correctly, it produces smoke.
Smoke is the last thing you want from your lamp.  It stinks, it burns the eyes, it makes people want to run the opposite direction.     I know, because I have been a "smoldering wick" before.   Thankfully, Jesus loves smoldering wicks and bent reeds.  He doesn't give up on us just because we aren't producing the way that we were intended to.   He never says "you're a lost cause" or "you are too off-putting for me to deal with".   I may have those thoughts and feelings, but Jesus never does.   He always loves and always cares.

Vs 31.  Blaspheming the Holy Spirit as the unforgivable sin is a popular concern amongst Christians.   As followers of Jesus we read this and say to ourselves "I remember before I was a Christian I did some things that might be considered blaspheming the Holy Spirit.   Maybe I'm really not saved."   I assure you that God forgives, and I don't think that's what is being said here.    I believe that what God is saying is that salvation comes through allowing the Holy Spirit to move you, He convicts us, reminding us of sin and guilt, and provides the mechanism by which our prayers reach heaven.   Jesus hears our prayers because of the ministry of the Holy Spirit.   We hear what God is saying to us because the Holy Spirit carries it to us.   Without the Holy Spirit, we cannot interact with God, because the Holy Spirit is God, and is the part of God that connects us with Him.   If we reject or blaspheme the Holy Spirit, there cannot be forgiveness, because to our own shame we cut ourselves off from the only way to be forgiven.    The path to forgiveness runs through the Holy Spirit.

vs 40.   The sign of Jonah is a prophetic proof that Jesus is the person He says He is.   Now we know why Jonah wasn't rescued from the great fish until three days had passed, even though he likely repented the moment he was inside the beast.   God knew that Jonah's circumstances would one day reveal the Savior.   God never wastes an experience.

vs. 43.   We should exercise caution when asking forgiveness...not to leave the task half undone.   If we ask the Lord, he will drive the demons from our lives....but beware!  Demons will try to return.   Unless we fill in the empty place with Jesus the devil will instruct the demons to marshal forces and return in large numbers.    We can actually end up worse than we were in the first place.

Vs. 48.  when we become Christians, we are adopted into a new family.   That's great, because many people haven't ever been privileged to be part of a large family, or a functional family.   The family of God is both large and functional.    I honestly don't know how people who don't have a church family make it through life.   How sad and lonely it must be to try and cope with day to day life without a family!    Jesus was pointing out a great spiritual truth when he directed the crowd to recognize his real family.     This isn't intended as a rebuke of blood relatives, or biological families in any way, it's just that the spiritual family is more enduring and of a better quality than our biological families could ever be.     The perfect scenario would be that everyone in the biological family is also part of the spiritual family, so there would never be any tension between the two.


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Matthew 11      Friday, January 23

Jesus tells the people that the kingdom of God is "forcefully advancing" which means that satan does not want it to happen, and is fighting against it...but it's happening anyway.  Every day Jesus was on the earth teaching and modeling genuine life in God was an affront to the kingdom of satan.   Jesus was (and continues to be) a thorn in his side, and constant reminder to all that he (satan) has no power or ability over Christ.    As christians, we can also "forcefully advance" against satan.   The Bible tells us "resist the devil and he will flee" and "the gates of hell will not prevail against it".   We can take a stand against what the devil is doing and see him fall in the battle.  Praise the Lord!    satan has no power over the christian.

There was a long held belief among the people that before the Messiah came Elijah (the greatest prophet according to the Jews) would return and announce His arrival.    Jesus tells the people that John fulfills that role.  He goes on to say in another place that "among men born of women there is no one greater than John".   That's pretty high praise, and it comes from the Lord himself, no less.

skipping down to verse 25:
God could have presented His plan through wise and learned men, who had great understanding and position in society...but He chose the foolish things of this world "the things that are not to shame the things that are".   God chose people like you and me to carry this timeless message to everyone.   We aren't wise enough to figure it out on our own, or to even understand exactly what it means...but we are privileged to share it.   The message is given in verse 28...
if we are loaded down with problems, sin and effects of it in our lives, God wants to take them from us...lighten our load.  

Hey, are you carrying something that Jesus never intended for you to shoulder?   Are you loaded down with guilt?  Worry?  Fear?  Shame?  Whatever is crushing you, God wants to remove.    He loves us and doesn't want us to burdened in this way.     As christians, we shouldn't try and assign heavy burdens to others, or convince them that if the follow Jesus the cost will be high, the road will be steep and the companions will be few.   Perhaps those things will happen, maybe not.   Our goal should be to remind people of all the things that God has promised to remove from us, not try and make the christian life sound like a different kind of hell than the one we are currently living in.


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Arrrgggg!     How did I get behind again!?!

Matthew 10.    Thursday, January 22

So, here are the names of the 12 disciples (I'll bet you can't name them from memory)
1.  Peter  2.  Andrew  3.  Peter  4. John   5. Phillip  6.Bartholomew  7.  Thomas  8.  Matthew  9. James  10.  Thaddaeus  11. Simon the Zealot  12. Judas

Here's the thing:  Who is Bartholomew?  What have you ever read about Thaddaeus or Simon the Zealot?   I know more about dysfunctional Judas than I do about these other guys!    You could make a case for the idea that these 12 men are among the most important in history...and we don't know anything about some of them.   It just goes to show you that the Bible tells us everything we need in order to accept Christ, and find our way back home to heaven....but it doesn't tell us everything.   There's just too much information to share it all.   So we're reading the highlights and critical parts of the plan of salvation.      I want to remember these names so when I bump into these guys in heaven I don't embarrass myself by not knowing who they are.   There's so much of the story we don't know!   Think of all the stories that we will hear in heaven from people like Thaddaeus, wonderful things that we never knew before.   Whenever stories are told there is a great deal of laughing, and smiling and joking around.  I love that.   I am hoping that in heaven I can listen to and maybe even share a few stories.    Can you imagine walking up to Jesus and saying "Jesus, Thaddaeus was just telling me about the time that you bumped into _________ and they spilled their coffee all over themselves"  Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha!      Heaven is going to be great!

Anyway....let's get back to being serious for a minute:
Jesus sends the 12 only to Israel.  This is important...Israel is first.  They have a right, a privilege really, that is not afforded to anyone else.  The Messiah comes from their bloodline.   Can there be a higher honor?   So they are the first to receive the message and the opportunity to repent.  It doesn't make them better than anyone else, just favored in this case.   God doesn't love them more than you.

When the disciples went out, they took nothing with them.  They were anticipating that people would welcome them in.   When Jesus speaks to the disciples at the last supper, He changes the way they are to prepare.   From now on, they are to take some supplies with them.   I think it's an indicator of how difficult sharing the message is going to become.   What was once accepted will now be rejected.

The Lord also says that He is going to allow them to be arrested and brought into court...for the sole purpose of witnessing to the people there.   It's good for us to remember that sometimes the Lord allows bad things to happen to us so that we will be in a place to witness to others.   The next time you are in the hospital remember that.   The next time your car breaks down in a strange place, remember that.

It's interesting that Jesus says in verse 23 "you will not finish going through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes."   I mean, we finished sharing the message in all the cities of Israel thousands of years ago.   I should say that we shared the message in every city in Israel.....actually, we really aren't finished.    So, if this statement was meant to say "you will always be at this task of sharing until I return" it is true.   If it meant "I'll be back before you get through the cities one time" it could be referring to the resurrection of Christ.   The message wasn't shared with everyone before Christ "came back" from the dead.    I suspect that it's the first idea.

Where Jesus is telling some people to keep what He has done a secret, here He is telling the disciples to "shout it from the rooftops" and not to worry about the consequences of their sharing.   He is saying that nothing bad will happen to them apart from His will...He will take care of them no matter what.   So....don't be afraid.   Don't be afraid to share, to be arrested, or to be persecuted.

I think of verse 32 quite often.  If we don't conquer our fear of sharing our faith, we send the message to the Lord that we are ashamed of telling others about Him.   If God believes that we are ashamed of Him, then He will not stand up for us on Judgement day.   Whatever else you do....don't EVER tell the Lord that you don't accept Him, or believe in Him.   To do so is cut yourself off from the only known way into heaven.   If you don't accept Christ, then He doesn't accept you....and that means no heaven.

vs 40  I think what God is telling us here is that he will lavishly reward anyone who helps others because of their faith.   I receive the reward of the prophet.....just for housing the prophet!   If I were the prophet I would be saying "hey, that doesn't seem fair..."  but the prophet is more humble and wise than that.  He knows that there is no shortage of reward for anyone who serves Jesus.    There is plenty to go around, and God is willing to lavishly pour it out on us.

Haven't you been blessed?   Hasn't God filled your cup to overflowing?   Don't you have far more than you deserve?   What a phenomenal privilege we have to serve Jesus Christ!

Praise the Lord!


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Matthew 9         January 21, 2015

Wait...Jesus is going to forgive this man his sins, and leave him crippled on his mat!   In verse 6 He essentially says "I guess I need to prove to you that I have authority and power to forgive sins, so I'll heal this man's legs".    It worked, because no one is questioning Him after that.     To be forgiven is so much more important than able to walk, or see, or talk.   Better to be granted entrance into heaven as a mute quadriplegic than to be healthy and refused entrance.    Jesus had it right.   Keeping the main thing, the main thing.

When Matthew is called, Jesus offers a challenge to the people.   "go and learn what this means....I desire mercy not sacrifice".    I suspect that Jesus would rather that we were taking care of others (because He loves them) than He would prefer that we avoid others and bring gifts to Him.    The better gift offered to Christ is the one given to someone who is in need.   God values that.   As a church, we take the combined gifts of many people and use them to meet the needs (spiritual, educational, physical, social and emotional) of as many people as we can.   John Wesley said this "do all the good you can, in all the ways you can, to as many people as you can as long as you possibly can"     That still holds true today.      By the way,  it's significant that Jesus has gone to sit with people who wouldn't be welcomed by the religious dead.  (people who attend church but have no life or understanding of God within them)

I often hear people talking about the "new things" that Jesus is doing.  Which if you think about it, is probably not true.   God hasn't changed ever, and sin is the same as it ever was.   I doubt we are creating any new sins...we're just finding new ways of violating the same commands.   In the same way, Jesus isn't doing anything that He hasn't been doing forever...except for his death on the cross.   That was new.    I don't think we can use this passage to draw the conclusion that the last generation cannot possibly accept or appreciate what God is doing now.   In fact, in another Gospel, Jesus says "anyone who has had the old wine knows that it is better".  so this isn't a rebuke of those who are fasting, suggesting that they can't possibly appreciate what God is up to now.    Rather, it seems to me to be a suggestion that everyone has to go through the discipleship process themselves.   The actions and thoughts of new disciples aren't suitable for those who have been serving the Lord for many years.   They are further down the road, and have different needs and challenges.        I don't know for sure, but it seems to me that Jesus is saying "cut them some slack, they're happy now because I'm here, and that's okay.   In time, they will become more like you, but it won't be until after I leave."

Verse 18.   If Jesus were on the way to my daughter's house and some woman who had been sick for 12 years showed up and delayed him I would be furious and impatient.   I think the girl was alive when the ruler left to find Jesus, but died while he was traveling back.   In fact, in another place in the Bible when the ruler gets the news, Jesus tells him not to be afraid, "just believe".
Perhaps Jesus wanted the girl to die first, so that He could reveal the power of God to resurrect from the dead.   We absolutely needed that lesson, and there isn't any better way that to do it in front of many witnesses.    In fact, Jesus doesn't view death as death, because to Him it isn't final.  In fact, we shouldn't view death as final either....it isn't.

Verse 27.  I have to laugh when I think of two blind men trying to go unnoticed once they are healed.   That's impossible.  What was Jesus thinking?  The people inside with the men had to notice..and everyone is going to know within two seconds that the guys who used to be stumbling around are now walking without assistance and making eye contact.   Come on.....don't tell anyone?   Really?
I'll bet when they left Jesus busted out laughing.
Here's a more serious note:  the two blind men don't have any demons cast out.   But the mute did.   Some illnesses aren't demon possession, but it would appear some are.   I'm not sure how you know the difference, unless God has given you the gift of discernment.   Jesus clearly had it.

Vers 35.   So Jesus is concerned for people.  That should be underlined.   And His solution to getting help for them is to send folks like you and I out into the community to share the good news.  To tell the story of Jesus, and the possibility of forgiveness.    Once they accept that, they can confess and receive the Holy Spirit, who is the real source of comfort.   And encouragement. and so much more.

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Matthew 8        January 20, 2015

One of the hallmarks of Christ's ministry was healing.  It's meant to show us what power and authority Jesus has.   The leper is cleansed, but is told not to say anything.  I don't think Jesus meant "don't tell anyone ever"...that would be impossible.  Lepers weren't allowed to live with un-infected people.   Everyone would notice if a man who was leprous yesterday suddenly showed up in the marketplace, handling the food.   Instead, I think Jesus was telling him "obey the law".   If you believed that you were no longer infected, then you had to go the priests, who would pronounce you clean.  (Leviticus 13-14).   Jesus wanted him to obey the Law of Moses as much as was possible.

The account of the centurion is powerful because he isn't even a Jew.   When the centurion calls Jesus "Lord" and Jesus accepts the title without rebuking him, it means that you and I can also address Him as Lord.  How wonderful that people from across the world will be gathered together in heaven, and yet how sad that some of the Jewish people (subjects of the kingdom) will miss it.   This is a new demonstration of Christ's power.  He proves that he doesn't even need to be present physically to work in the situation.

We don't think very much about the disciples being married, but there's no reason to suspect that they weren't.   We know for sure that Peter was, since verse 14 is talking about his mother in law.   I wonder how Peter's wife felt about him being gone all the time.   Did they have children?   What happened to them after Peter's death?    We never think about the thousands of side stories that would make the Gospel seem even more practical and down to earth.    Do you think Peter's children all became Christians?

In verse 18 it is another teacher of the law that says he will follow Christ.   Clearly he has witnessed the power and authority of His teaching to say that he would follow Him.   Generally we hear about the teachers of the law being resistant to Jesus.    In this case, Jesus simply reminds him that to follow Him is to essentially be homeless.   That's because Jesus' home was in heaven, not here.   Just like ours is.    While we are on the earth, we are nomads.
Telling a disciple to "let the dead bury their own dead" seems harsh, but unless Christ has priority in your life, you are always going to be torn between following him and doing other things.   I don't think Jesus meant to be callous.   On the other hand I sometimes wonder why we have funerals and read scripture for people who weren't Christians.    I tell myself it's for the people who remain behind, who still have a choice to make.

Down in verse 28 Jesus has traveled from the west side of the sea of Galilee to the east side, where more Gentiles live.    Gentiles raised pigs, where Jews believed them to be unclean.    Christ is met at the water's edge by two men who were possessed.   He casts out their demons and sends them into town.    But he allows the demons to possess a herd of swine nearby, which upon being possessed immediately rush into the water and are drown.   Such is the fate of anyone who submits themselves to satan...he comes only to steal, kill and destroy.  
The townspeople ask Jesus to leave.    That seems sad to me, that they would be more upset about losing the pigs than they were about saving the people.      I guess to them, the pigs were more important.    No wonder they beg Jesus to go with Him (another Gospel).  But Jesus refuses and tells them to witness in town.   He tells everyone one to keep quiet, and he tells them to share.    Strange.



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Matthew 7

Not judging others is harder than if might first appear.  We are predisposed to make snap judgements about others (judge the book by it's cover).   We are also much more understanding and forgiving of our own shortcomings than we are of those around us.   Add these two together and you have a recipe for problems.
It's hard not to criticize others (especially when they are like us), but it's critical that we stop.   Nothing is more damaging to our christian witness than malicious talk.

7:7-12  I'm willing to bet that this passage of scripture has been more abused than any other passage in the Bible.  We try and make this into a formula for receiving from God whatever you want.   Of course, that's not the way it was meant to be understood.    God will give us anything we ask for....as long as it's in keeping with what is best for us, and not sinful, or against his will.
We know that God loves us, and wants what is best for us, so when we ask we should expect that God will give us what we ask for.   But think about it;  if our 10 year old child asks for a car, or a handgun...are we going to give it to them?   Probably not.   They aren't old enough to appreciate it, or use it without harming themselves.    The same is true for what we ask of from our heavenly father.

7:15-23  If we pay attention to the "fruit" of the people who lead us, we will be better able to qualify their genuine character.   Leaders who appear godly, but have problems controlling their temper, or harnessing their greed should not be followed.
It's pretty hard to imagine how a person could be casting out demons and prophesying and still not going to heaven.   but it has to be possible, if the Bible says it's true.   Therefore, we should make every effort to ensure that our faith is genuine.


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Matthew 6

We are still in the "Sermon on the Mount" where Jesus is giving us a glimpse of the overall view of what it means to be a Christian.   It would be foolhardy to try and separate each of these thoughts out as individual challenges, because they are mutually supporting.   That is to say, you need strength in one in order to gain in another.  

6:1-4  tells us not to show off.  There will be times when you are recognized for what you have done, and sometimes in order to help you have to do it in front of others.   What Jesus is warning against is the motivation behind the activity.   If you only help so that other people will see you, then you aren't going to be rewarded in heaven later.

6:5-15   the same idea is true for prayer.   There's nothing wrong with praying in public, we do it all the time.  But if we pray in public just to be seen by others, then we are in trouble.   As it were, most of our time in prayer should be in a space where we will not be interrupted or distracted.   A second thought offered here is a warning against "prayer nagging".   In another place Jesus himself says that the widow receives help from the unrighteous judge, because she pleads again and again.   Somewhere between what she did, and what we are being told here is the balance.     We should ask, and keep asking if we haven't received.   Paul prayed three times that his "thorn" would be removed, he only stopped when God said "I heard you, and I've got this....don't worry about it".    Then he stopped...even though he didn't get what he asked for.   He received his answer, so he stopped.
We should pray until we receive an answer...but we don't need to repeat the same phrase 100 times in order for God to hear it.   If we are sick, we value the prayers of our friends...but the volume of them doesn't influence whether or not God hears us.   He always hears us.   I know God changes his mind or his course of action based on our heartfelt prayers, but I don't know if volume has anything to do with it.    There are multitudes of saints beneath the altar in heaven crying out for justice.....and God tells them "wait a little longer".  
In any case, our prayers should be plain, and direct.   Flowery language isn't needed when talking with a friend.    Get to the point, and don't flatter.   It won't get you anywhere with God.

6:16-18   same theme.  Don't fast in public only to be seen.  Fasting is good, but showing off and using fasting as an excuse is wrong.   From personal experience I can tell you that for those of us who are in front of others all the time, keeping our motives and intentions pure is a constant challenge.

6:19-24  Now the challenge becomes even more pronounced.  Our real motivation is to be the reward in heaven, not the rewards on earth.    If you are looking for praise from men, then you are storing up treasure on earth.   Listen:  you may receive praise from men, that's fine.  It doesn't mean that you have in some way lost your reward in heaven.  It's the DESIRE for praise from others that's dangerous.    Set your heart on doing good so that your Father in heaven is please with you.   Then you will have treasure in heaven.

6;25-34  The natural flow of the chapter starts with the warning against pride, and then turns to warning against self gratification, and even touches on warning against greed.   Looking at greed from another vantage point, we see worry.   A greedy person can be very worried that they don't have enough.  (or they may just lust after things).   Worrying means that we are:  1.  not trusting in God to provide, or doubting his ability to provide   2.  Failing to be content with what we have been given, and failing to be obedient.   (when we worry, we break the command to "not worry")
I think there are times to be apprehensive, even worried.  I don't think that it should define us.  If we are constantly worried that we won't have food or clothing we are thinking God isn't faithful.
I worry sometimes that my football team won't make the touchdown, or that I will miss something on TV I wanted to watch....that's not what this is talking about.

Keep your priorities straight.   Think about what God wants, and then get busy doing the things that will please him.  Don't show off, just be content to know that God knows what you are doing and why you are doing it.   The future is in His hands, you can't shape it...but HE can and will.   Rest in Him.


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Matthew 5

When first reading the beatitudes you would think that each "attitude" has a different reward...but I don't think that's what Jesus was trying to say.  Look at the rewards for each activity:  they will inherit the kingdom of heaven, be comforted, shown mercy, see God and be called sons of God (just to name a few).   They can't be separated from one another!   You can't be called a son of God and not see Him, or be shown mercy without seeing God.    No, these were meant to be one activity.   We are to be poor in spirit, mourning, meek, hungering for righteousness, showing mercy...etc.    And when we do, we will be blessed by being with God in heaven at the End of Days.    So, as verse 11 says, we shouldn't become too stressed out when people don't agree with us.  We shouldn't become angry when the popular and powerful personalities of the day scoff at our values and belittle us and call us intolerant because we choose to follow the Bible.   Their judgment and our reward is coming.

Thinking of that, it helps me understand the very next passage about salt and light.   When I am humble and meek, etc. I am actually being the salt and light.   Forcing myself to obey the commandments, and fighting against bad thoughts keeps me "salty".   If I succumb to revenge, lust or some manner of perversion, I become just like the world around me, and according to verse 13, I am no longer good for spiritual things.   (of course, I can be forgiven, but that's not the illustration that Jesus is giving here)

A person who behaves in the way Jesus taught will almost certainly be noticed.  Some will cheer them and others will curse, but they will be noticed.

Verse 20 says that our righteousness must exceed that of the Pharisees, which would seem to be a formidable task, given that they were professionals in obeying every part of the law.   They knew things about the law that most people didn't.   How could we ever hope to be better than them?   the answer follows in the next passage.   The Pharisees understood the activity of the law, but not the inner change that it was meant to bring.   They could put on a good show, but their hearts were far from loving God.

The person who truly loves the Lord clearly isn't going to murder other people.   But more than that, they are going to repent of anger.  They will pray for their enemies.  And they won't be praying that lightning would strike them, or that a flood would wash away their home...they will be praying that God will soften their own heart toward this enemy, and that God will also show His love to the enemy as well.    

Verse 23 begins a conversation about settling your differences.  It's a great idea when taken at face value, and even more important when you consider that God is the Judge that we have to appear in front of.   We need to settle our differences with Jesus BEFORE we get to "court" or we will be thrown into prison "HELL". and we won't be able to get out.

In the same way we aren't going to meditate on revenge or let our anger fester, we aren't going to lust, or allow our minds to become focused on pornography.   It's more than not physically taking part in the orgy, it's going a step further and not fantasizing about it.   This is an extremely difficult task for some, and requires much prayer and a fairly rigid lifestyle.    Jesus is saying that we should "do whatever it takes" to make sure we don't sin in our minds.    You can't stop yourself from being tempted, but sin begins when we hang onto the thought and begin focusing on it.

Being meek and humble is part of our christian nature.  I truly believe that Jesus intended for us to be non-confrontational.   Yes, it will mean that many will take advantage of us, and that evil will seem to gain the upper hand.   But much of what we do to resist evil seems only to make it worse.   Is is possible that if we were to follow the teachings of Jesus that there would be less violence instead of more?   Maybe it would take a generation to catch on, and we wouldn't get to see it ourselves....but look at how our current mindset has worked out.   We kill a terrorist, and our actions create more, not less.     Maybe there is a better way.   Maybe loving our enemies is a better way to defeat them.

Just food for thought....


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Matthew 4

I used to think that Jesus was at His weakest when He was tempted by the devil, but now I wonder.   He could well have been starving physically, but at His strongest spiritually.   He was strong enough spiritually to fight off three attacks of satan, who was quoting scripture, no less.    Jesus was hungry, the Bible tells us that, but He had already won the battle of who was going to be in charge of His life.   He could have made bread from stones any day He was fasting, but He chose not to, because He lived in submission to the Father.    By the time the devil brought this temptation, Jesus already had victory over it.     I'm not saying that it was easy, but I am saying that the 40 days were preparation for the test, and Jesus was prepared when it came.     I wonder if we sometimes fail the tests (or challenges) because we haven't prepared intensively enough.

The devil isn't about twisting the Words of the Bible, it takes a person who is familiar with The Word to do battle with him.

Jesus doesn't begin his public ministry until John is taken off the scene.   John could have been upset about this, but he wasn't.   He himself said "He must increase, and I must decrease".   Every ministry, and every minister has a season and purpose.  There is no shame or regret in completing a ministry.  In fact, it's necessary for the next phase to begin.

Two things about the disciples:   1.  When they responded (immediately)  and 2. What they left behind  (possessions, jobs, loved ones....everything)

I wonder what Zebedee thought when both of his sons took off, leaving him in the boat alone?   Maybe he had other sons...I kind of hope that he did.    I hope to see Zebedee in heaven, but I don't know what his reaction was.  Maybe he was happy for them, or he could have resented the fact that Jesus took his boys from him.    How sad would it be to get to heaven and find out that the disciples themselves had loved ones that didn't make it in?    We don't know much about Zebedee, or any of the families of the disciples, for that matter.    Some of them were probably disowned by their families for following Jesus.  He was considered by many to be a heretic.

The same is true today.  When we chose to follow Christ, some rejoice and others are upset.   We gain new friends, and sadly....we lose some old ones.      One thing is for sure:  we gain far more than we lose.  

I also wonder how long it took for the crowds to hear that there was a man preaching and healing in Galilee.   some of these towns were a distance.   I wonder if some families who knew of hurting relatives made special trips to go and get them, and bring them to Jesus.    I think I would have done that.

It makes me wonder why I have such a hard time walking across the street to share the Gospel with someone, which could lead to them spending eternity with Jesus in heaven....and at the same time I believe that I would travel many miles to collect someone with a physical need if I knew they would be healed.    Or even if they had a chance to be healed.     I think if we considered it for more than a moment, we would become more evangelical in our practice.

Lord, help me to be a better witness than I am.   I should share what I know about You more than I do.  In fact Lord, there isn't enough time in the day to share enough about You.   Don't let me leave any opportunity on the table.

Amen.


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Matthew 3

John the Baptist was a cousin to Jesus, but there isn't any indication that they grew up together.   Maybe they visited once in a while, and that's how John recognized Jesus when he came....or maybe it was the Holy Spirit making it obvious to John.   Either way, the events that took place were necessary in order for Jesus to remain perfect.   He didn't need to be forgiven of any sin, but He did need to remain obedient to the law, and to make a good confession at the right time.

John's clothing is described for a purpose.  This is what the prophets wore.  When they say "John were camel hair clothing with a leather belt, and ate locusts and wild honey" they are actually saying "John was a prophet in the pattern of all those who came before".   In fact, in one place John is identified by Jesus as being the second appearance of "the prophet" Elijah.     Tradition had it that Elijah would come before the Messiah.  Jesus said about John "the Spirit of Elijah has come" referring to John.

When John describes what Jesus will do (verse 12 and following) it is a poetic way of saying "the Judge is coming"    Jesus is the one who is able to harvest the earth.   Clearing the threshing floor (which is a large flat place outside) is preparing for the raw grain to be brought in...gathering the wheat into the barn means the threshing has finished, and the grain is now separated from the stalk (the chaff).   The grain is brought inside, and the chaff discarded.   We know that John is speaking about heaven and hell because he describes the "unquenchable fire" into which the chaff is thrown.   That's "end times" language.

Every picture I have ever seen of Jesus being baptized by John shows Jesus standing in the water, and dove coming from heaven to light upon him.    Here it says that Jesus "went up out of the water"  and then the Spirit descended "like a dove" on him.    Jesus wasn't in the water when the Spirit came.   It doesn't mean anything really, it's just interesting.

The important thought here is the three fold manifestation of God.   Jesus is God, and he is standing on the bank of the Jordan River.   The Holy Spirit is God, and He is descending upon Jesus, and at the same moment, there is a third person...not seen, but heard as a loud voice from heaven saying "This is my Son...."      So we understand the concept of the Trinity.   Three persons, but all one God.

You can come up with whatever physical object you want to try and explain it...but God is beyond explanation.   All attempts fall short sooner or later.

Here's my illustration, it's pretty elementary but it works.

Paper dolls are cut from the same piece of paper.   Three dolls, one piece of paper.   The three dolls don't have to be identical, and if you folded the paper just right you might only see one doll.   It might look like a bear wearing a dress, or a woman with bear ears....you get the idea.    The paper illustrates the the "essence" of God.   Three distinct beings all have the same "essence"  all three are connected to one another, and cannot be separated.  They are mutually supporting.      Are there three?   Yes, but there is also one.    One piece of paper, one "essence of God"   To see one is to see them all, because all of them are the same essence.   They are identical (as one piece of paper) and yet distinct and separate.

Hope that helps, and doesn't create more questions that it answers.....

PR