Author: Bruce

I have been in Japan as a missionary since 1995. I'm currently going to a church called Crossroad Nishinomiya, an international church in Nishinomiya, a city right between Kobe and Osaka. Check out their website: www.crossroad-web.com. #crossroadnishinomiya

１９９５年に宣教師として日本に来ました。　今、西宮クロスロード教会という国際の教会に行っています。どうぞ、そのホームページを見てください：　www.crossroad-web.com. #西宮クロスロード教会

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Luke Luke 13

To set people free

Luke

Old ways of thinking die hard. You’d think that by now, the Jewish leaders would start to understand that healing on the Sabbath was not wrong.

They had tried time and again to argue the point with Jesus, and time and again, they were left speechless by his responses.

But as I look at this passage, two words strike me. They’re words that embody the reason for Jesus’ ministry here on earth. The two words?

Set free.

When Jesus saw the woman, he said to her,

Woman, you are set free from your infirmity. (Luke 13:12)

And when he was defending his actions to the synagogue ruler, he said,

Should not this woman, a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has kept bound for eighteen long years, be set free on the Sabbath day from what bound her? (Luke 13:16)

What can we learn from this? Jesus is more interested in setting people free than us keeping a bunch of religious rules.

Here was a woman who had been bound by Satan for 18 years and living in total misery.

And yet, this ruler had had little sympathy for her during those years. If he had, he probably would have responded with joy at her healing. Instead, he scathingly rebuked Jesus for “breaking the rules.”

Jesus, on the other hand, had compassion on her from the moment he laid his eyes on her.

He saw how Satan had kept her in bondage all those years, and it was his deepest desire to set her free. So he reached out to her, touched her, and she was healed.

How about you? Are you so wrapped up in trying to keep religious rules, that you fail to see the people in bondage around you? That you fail to have sympathy for them even if you do see them? That you fail to reach out with God’s love and power that they might be set free?

You can keep all the rules, but if you have no compassion or mercy in your heart for those Satan has bound, if you are not doing what you can to help set them free, you’re just like that synagogue ruler.

And like that ruler, you will stand ashamed before Jesus someday.

May we each day look with compassion at the people around us who are bound by Satan. May we each day reach out with the love of Jesus that they might be set free.

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Luke Luke 13

Parable of the barren fig tree: Taking a hard look at ourselves

Luke

I suppose it’s only natural that after Jesus talked about the need for being reconciled to God before the coming judgment, that someone would bring up an incident that had just happened.

Apparently, the Roman governor Pontius Pilate had just ordered the deaths of a number of Galileans as they were offering their sacrifices. He then mixed their blood with that of the sacrifices.

The implied question: “Are you talking about people like this, Jesus? They must have been pretty bad to have been judged by God like this.”

But Jesus replied,

Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way?

I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish. (Luke 13:2-3)

He then pointed out another disaster that had recently occurred, this one an accident. He continued,

Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them–do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem?

I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish. (Luke 13:4-5)

What is Jesus saying? We could waste a lot of time trying to figure out why things happen.

“Were these people that perished worse sinners than others? Why did God allow this to happen?”

But ultimately, the real question we need to ask ourselves is this:

“Just like these people who perished, one group at the hand of a wicked man, and the other group in a seemingly meaningless accident, all of us will die someday. And none of us know when.

We may think we have all the time in the world, but our life can be taken in an instant. Am I ready?”

The rich man in Jesus’ parable in Luke 12 was not. The people who had just died in those two tragedies may or may not have been ready. But it’s too late to worry about them.

What about you? Are you ready?

Jesus then told a parable of a man who had planted a fig tree but which after three years had yet to bear fruit.

He determined to cut it down, but the man in charge of the vineyard asked him to give it a bit more time. He would do everything he could to make it bear fruit (fertilize it, etc.) and after another year, if it bore no fruit, then they would cut it down.

We see here two things, God’s judgment and mercy.

God desires to see fruit in our lives, the fruit of salvation that he bought with his Son’s blood. And it would be easy for him to quickly just chop down any tree, any person that does not quickly bear fruit.

But he is patient, continually working in people’s hearts that they might be saved.

But ultimately, the day will come when judgment cannot be put off any longer. And if you are not ready, if you are not bearing fruit, you will perish for all eternity.

So let us not worry about, “Why did this atrocity happen? Or why did this disaster occur?”

Instead, let us realize that our life could be cut short at any time. And let us ask ourselves, “Am I ready?”

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Luke Luke 12

Reconciling ourselves with God

Luke

It’s been interesting going through the gospels and looking at the teachings of Jesus, because as I’ve mentioned before, Jesus often repeats what he says, but in different contexts.

In the Sermon on the Mount, he admonished the people to make things right with others as soon as possible. Otherwise, they might get dragged into court and judged, and at that point, it will be too late to make things right. (Matthew 5:25-26)

Jesus basically uses the exact same words here, but this time, he’s using it on a much higher plane. Here, he is not talking about our relationship with others, but with God.

He first criticizes the people because they could tell what the weather would be like by the signs that they saw.

But when the clearest sign of God’s presence was right there in front of them, Jesus Christ himself, they couldn’t recognize him.

Not only that, they were fighting against the very things he was teaching. But in doing so, they were putting themselves at odds with God, and were in very real danger of judgment.

So Jesus told them,

As you are going with your adversary to the magistrate, try hard to be reconciled to him on the way, or he may drag you off to the judge, and the judge turn you over to the officer, and the officer throw you into prison.

I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny. (Luke 12:58-59)

Here Jesus is warning them, “Make your peace with God now. Because if you don’t judgment is coming.”

How about you? Are you at peace with God? There’s only one way: through a relationship with Jesus Christ.

He died on the cross to take the punishment for our sins, and only if we put our trust in him and his work will we be reconciled with God.

And so as the apostle Paul said,

We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.

God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:20-21)

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Luke Luke 12

The fire of the gospel

Luke

Fire can be a terrifying thing, especially in a forest. The speed with which it can spread and the damage it can cause can be incredible. But fire can also do positive things for a forest.

Among other things, fire can remove debris, opening it up to the sunlight, and thus allowing the soil to be nourished.

It also burns up excess underbrush allowing the remaining trees to take in more of the soil’s nutrients, causing them to become stronger.

In addition, it kills insects that prey on trees, and helps rid the forest of diseases.

In short, fire can cleanse and bring life.

Jesus told his disciples,

I have come to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! (Luke 12:49)

What fire was that? Many people debate on the meaning, but I believe it is the fire of the gospel. How was it kindled?

Jesus tells us in the next verse.

But I have a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am until it is completed! (Luke 12:50)

I think it’s pretty clear that the baptism Jesus was referring to was his death.

He makes another reference to this later when James and John ask to be his right hand men in the kingdom (Mark 10:38).

By his death and subsequent resurrection, the fire of the gospel was lit. And like a fire, it spread rapidly, cleansing the souls of people and giving them life, their sins forgiven, and their relationship with God restored.

But Jesus also knew that fire can burn and cause pain. So he warned his disciples as he did once before,

Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division.

From now on there will be five in one family divided against each other, three against two and two against three.

They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law. (Luke 12:51-53)

The same fire that cleanses is also painful to the touch. And some people don’t want any part of that. When their conscience is singed by the fire of the gospel, they recoil.

Instead of letting it purify them, they run. More, they fight against anyone who tries to bring the gospel into their lives, even members of their own family.

That’s what Jesus is talking about here.

But as much as we may suffer from the rejection we may receive from others, even from members of our own family, remember that Jesus suffered much more when he died on that cross.

So as the writer of Hebrews put it,

Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. (Hebrews 12:3)

And let us carry the torch of the gospel forward that it may cleanse and bring life to those it touches.

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Luke Luke 12

Being ready

Luke

Jesus closes up his warnings against hypocrisy, greed, and desiring the things of this world with one last admonition. Be ready for his return.

He told his disciples,

Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning, like men waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him.

It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes. (Luke 12:35-37)

In other words, we should never be caught unaware when Jesus returns. Our hope should be so set on him, that we are quick to respond to his call when he comes.

I must admit though, that too many times, I am not ready.

It’s so easy to get distracted by the things of this world. And Jesus warns us,

But suppose the servant says to himself, ‘My master is taking a long time in coming,’ and he then begins to beat the menservants and maidservants and to eat and drink and get drunk.

The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the unbelievers. (Luke 12:45-46)

We often say that we believe Jesus could come at any time, but do we truly believe it?

How often, without ever voicing it, do we live like Jesus will never come back. And so we start mistreating our brothers and sisters in Christ, gossiping about them, insulting them, and hurting them.

Or we start getting soaked up in the pleasures of this world. Jesus says that if that happens, we will be judged.

He says,

That servant who knows his master’s will and does not get ready or does not do what his master wants will be beaten with many blows.

But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows.

From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked. (Luke 12:47-48)

Put another way, the more you know, the more you will be held accountable.

But don’t think that just because you don’t know you can plead ignorance. Jesus makes it clear here that you should have known. That you should have made the effort to find out what he expects.

You may be punished less than the person who knew, but you still will be punished.

But that’s the negative. Jesus also says,

Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom the master puts in charge of his servants to give them their food allowance at the proper time?

It will be good for that servant whom the master finds doing so when he returns.

I tell you the truth, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. (Luke 12:42-44)

If we are faithful, if we are doing the things that God has called us to do when he comes back, we will be rewarded.

How about you? Are you doing the things now that God has called you to do? Are you being faithful? Are you ready?

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Luke Luke 12

Parable of the rich fool: What this life is all about

Luke

What is this life all about?

So many people wander about lost because they don’t know. Often times they search for meaning in money, possessions, and things.

That’s what the man who asked Jesus to judge between he and his brother about their inheritance was worried about.

But Jesus told him,

A man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions. (Luke 12:15)

He then told all the people,

Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear.

Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. (Luke 12:22-23)

Why does he say this? For two reasons.

First, life is far more than food, clothes, or anything else you can buy in this world. These things are temporary. They are here one moment and gone the next.

And while buying these things may satisfy your stomach or your heart for a time, eventually, you start to hunger for more.

In other words, the things of this world will never truly satisfy. It always leaves you longing for more.

But second, God cares about you. He knows what you need, and if you will put him first, he will provide for you.

And if that’s the case, shouldn’t we put our priority on other things? What then is life about? God’s kingdom.

What is God’s kingdom? It’s people. People for whom Jesus died. People whom God desperately desires a relationship with. And that’s where our focus should be.

When we see people in physical need, we should do our best to meet those needs. To love these people more than our own money, giving generously as God gave to us, and in so doing, storing up a treasure in heaven that will never be exhausted.

But even more importantly, we need to see their spiritual needs and reach out to them with the love of Christ.

God has given us his kingdom. He’s given us his Son that our sins might be forgiven. He has adopted us as his children.

So let us not waste time chasing things that are temporal. Let us chase what is eternal. Let us pursue our relationship with the God who loves us, and reach out with his love to those around us that they may know him too.

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Luke Luke 12

When our time comes

Luke

Our life is fragile. And in an instant, it can be taken from us. Whether it be in a car accident, an earthquake, or whatever it may be.

And on that day, when we see God, what will he say to us?

Jesus was asked by a man to make his brother divide the family inheritance.

Apparently, there was some dispute on how it should be divided, but the main point was, the man was in love with money.

Perhaps his father was rich, and for years, he had dreamed of the money he would inherit when his father died. But when that day came, he found himself on the short end of the stick, and all his dreams of comfort and luxury were dashed.

And so he came up to Jesus to try to rectify the situation.

But Jesus quickly rebuffed him, saying,

Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you? (Luke 12:14)

In short, “Forget it.”

And then Jesus gave the second warning in this chapter.

Earlier he had given a severe warning about hypocrisy. Now he warns us against greed, saying,

Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions. (Luke 12:15)

What was he telling the man? Life isn’t all about things, and the comfort and luxury they might bring.

He then told a story about a man whose life was all about money and luxury. He had had a very successful crop one year, and wondered what to do with it.

He could have given some to feed the poor. He could have used his profit to help others in need. But instead, he had only one thought: Himself.

He said,

This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods.

And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.” (Luke 12:18-19)

That’s the dream of a lot of people. Retire early, and then live for themselves. Eat, drink, and be merry!

But God told the man,

You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself. (Luke 12:20)

And Jesus said,

This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God. (Luke 12:21)

So we get back to my original question. When your time comes, what will God say to you? Will he say, “You fool. You totally wasted your life on things that were not important.”

Or will he say, “Well done, good and faithful servant. Come and share your master’s happiness!”

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Luke Luke 12

Undercover Christian

Luke

I remember hearing a comedy sketch one time about an “undercover Christian.” Someone for whom his faith was “a personal thing.” Something he kept to himself.

But Jesus has another word for an undercover Christian: a hypocrite. An actor.

Someone who when he walks in the “Christian world,” talks and acts like a Christian. But when he gets out in the secular world, pretends that he doesn’t know Christ at all.

But Jesus says in this passage, sooner or later, your “secret” will get out.

I heard a story of an undercover Christian here in Japan.

He prayed to receive the Lord, but was afraid of what his parents would say. And so he determined to “show his love” for his parents by continuing to offer incense and praying at the Buddhist altar in his parent’s house.

But his secret got out. And when it did, his father went ballistic. He said, “You’ve been a Christian all this time, and you continued to do these things at the Buddhist ceremonies? What kind of Christian are you?”

Instead of “enhancing” his witness by “showing his love,” it greatly damaged it.

Jesus said,

I tell you, whoever acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man will also acknowledge him before the angels of God.

But he who disowns me before men will be disowned before the angels of God. (Luke 12:8-9)

Does this mean that if we’ve ever disowned Jesus before others, that we’ve lost our salvation? No. Peter, remember, disowned Jesus three times in a time of weakness.

I remember as a junior high school and high school student also denying my faith, or at least, being silent about it, even when being asked point blank about it.

But we cannot consistently deny Christ before others and still call ourselves Christians. Either you are a Christian, and you proclaim that fact before others, or you’re not.

One of the main points of baptism is to make that proclamation. To tell the world who you belong to now. And if you refuse to do that, can you really call yourself a Christian?

Let us not be undercover Christians. Instead, let us proclaim him who died for us and rose again.

Some will reject us if we do.

But others will find the joy that we ourselves have found.

Isn’t that worth it?

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Luke Luke 12

Fear, fear not

Luke

Just a brief note concerning this blog: for the teachings of Jesus, if he repeated things (as he often did), I may or may not comment on the things he repeated, depending on if God brings something new to light in my own heart.

In most cases, if the same teaching is repeated, it should have been noted in previous blogs in the title.

As I look at this passage though, something does strike me. Three words: Fear. Fear not. Jesus said,

I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more.

But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after the killing of the body, has power to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him. (Luke 12:4-5)

In other words, “Fear God, not people. People, at worst, can kill you. But God has the power to throw you into hell. Physical death comes in an instant. But spiritual death is forever.”

Does this mean that we are to live in utter terror that God is just waiting to nail us every time we fail? That he takes pleasure in throwing us into hell?

No. For Jesus also tells us,

Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God.

Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. (Luke 12:6-7)

I think there are two things about God’s character that we always need to keep in balance. First, his holiness. Second, his love.

Too often, people focus on the latter while trying to forget the former.

But throughout the Bible, whenever people first see God in his glory, it is always his holiness they see first. And not only his holiness, but their own unholiness.

The result? Fear. Fear because they know they deserve punishment. Fear because they know they don’t even deserve to live.

But the second thing they always see is his love. And time and again, the first words that come out of God’s mouth is, “Fear not.”

Jesus shows us the same thing here.

First he tells us to fear God. God is holy. And his holiness demands that sin be dealt with. Anyone who doesn’t come before God and deal with his sin here on earth, will have his sin dealt with in hell later.

But that’s not God’s desire. He truly does care for us. He wants the best for us. We are not just one of billions of people to him. He knows each of us by name, and every detail about us.

He cared so much for you that he was willing to send his Son to die for your sin. And even if you were the only person who had ever sinned, Jesus still would have died for you.

And when we truly realize that, our initial fear turns into overwhelming love for him.

We no longer need to live in fear of God or anyone else. Because if we have put our trust in him, no matter what happens to us here on earth, our future is secure in heaven.

So let us remember the words of John who wrote,

And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.

God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him.

In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him.

There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment.

The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

We love because he first loved us. (1 John 4:16-19)

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Luke Luke 12

Hypocrisy

Luke

It’s interesting to me how Jesus used the same illustrations to bring out different points. This passage is an example.

Earlier, when he had sent his twelve disciples out, he talked about how everything concealed would be revealed, and how all that was hidden would be made known.

There were many things that he had taught the disciples in private that the multitudes did not have access to. But he was telling them that this was not to be the case forever.

Instead, he told them that what he had taught them in the darkness, they were to bring into the light. And that which he whispered in their ears, they were to proclaim from the rooftops. (Matthew 10:26-27).

Now Jesus uses these same pictures in a different context. He told his disciples,

Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. (Luke 12:1)

He then told them that while they may hide what is in their hearts, it eventually would be revealed.

The things that they said in the darkness, thinking that no one heard, would be heard in the daylight. And the secret things they had whispered would be shouted out from the rooftops.

In short, you can play being the good Christian, but if there is hypocrisy in your heart, if you are saying one thing, but living another, it will come out sooner or later, either on earth or in heaven.

So let us not simply play at being righteous. Let us be honest before God and others. Because if we aren’t, the truth will come out, and we will be revealed for what we really are.

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Luke Luke 11

When actions speak louder than words

Luke

One of the things that the teachers of the law and the Pharisees did was pay lip service to the prophets.

They even built tombs to honor them, basically saying, “We really respect these guys. If it had been us, we would never have treated them as our forefathers did.”

But then came THE Prophet. Not only a prophet, but the Messiah that they had been waiting for all their lives. And they rejected him. More, they wanted to kill him and his followers.

These actions proved what was truly in their hearts. For if they truly had believed the prophets and honored them, they would have believed in and honored Jesus. But they didn’t. Instead, they began to “oppose him fiercely.”

In doing so, they took away the key to true knowledge. And though they thought they would be accepted into God’s kingdom, Jesus said they would be turned away.

Worse, their rejection of Christ would hinder people from coming to Him because so many people mistakenly thought they knew the way to God.

How about you? Do you claim to honor God? Do your actions back up your words?

Or by your actions do you prove that you don’t truly honor Christ? Do they prove that you in fact have rejected him.

It’s not enough to say the right things. You need to live it.

Where is your heart today?

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Luke Luke 11

The problem with legalism

Luke

From blasting the Pharisees, Jesus turned to the teachers of the law. Why?

Jesus told them,

And you experts in the law, woe to you, because you load people down with burdens they can hardly carry, and you yourselves will not lift one finger to help them. (Luke 11:46)

In this one verse, we see the problem with legalism.

First, it loads people with guilt without any remedy in sight.

The experts of the law actually made things more difficult than they had to by adding rule upon rule to the law of God.

When, for example, the law said that you shouldn’t do work on the Sabbath, these experts made countless rules on what “work” actually meant.

For example, women couldn’t wear jewelry on the Sabbath if they went out because it was possible they might take it off for some reason and carry it around with them. And of course, “carrying a burden” was prohibited on the Sabbath.

You also had to be careful how far you walked. If you walked too far (just over half a mile), you were breaking the Sabbath.

There were literally hundreds of such rules on top of the laws that God had given. And if you broke any of them, you were considered a “law-breaker.”

People today may not have the hundreds of additional rules that these teachers of the law did, but how often do we see people put restrictions on others, not because the Bible says it, but because they personally feel it’s wrong.

“Don’t drink” (as opposed to, “Don’t get drunk”).

“Don’t watch movies.”

“Don’t dance.”

All of this leads to the second problem, a judgmental attitude. The idea that “You are not a good Christian because you don’t keep these rules.”

Along with that comes a prideful attitude because, “I keep the rules.”

But often times, while they “keep the rules,” they forget what the Pharisees did: mercy, justice, and love. They think they’re righteous, but in God’s eyes, they are as much a stench as the Pharisees and teachers of the law were.

But perhaps the worst problem with legalism is that all it does is tell you what is right or wrong.

It doesn’t have the power to help you do what is right or wrong. It only judges you when you fall. The result is people who feel the hopelessness of trying to keep all these rules.

The people in Jesus’ time were totally weighed down by these rules of the teachers of the law, and yet, if they asked the teachers of the law what to do when they failed, all they would be told is, “Do better.”

Which is, of course, no help at all.

Even if you get rid of all the additional rules, and stick only to the law Moses gave the people, it still doesn’t have the power to save you. In the end, you end up like the apostle Paul, saying,

What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? (Romans 7:24)

But unlike the people of Jesus’ time, Paul had hope. He said,

Thanks be to God–through Jesus Christ our Lord!

Legalism can’t save you. The Law can’t save you. But Jesus, through his death on the cross, can. He took the punishment for our sin, and so Paul could say,

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. (Romans 8:1)

So let us cast aside legalism and the feelings of pride and condemnation it leads to.

Rather, let us turn to Christ and his cross. And through it, not only will our sins be forgiven, but we will find the power to live the way God intended.

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Luke Luke 11

What’s in the heart

Luke

Here in Luke 11:37-44, Jesus gives a blistering criticism of the Pharisees. And basically what it came down to was what was in their hearts.

The Pharisees looked so good on the outside. They were so careful to keep the law. But inside, they were full of hypocrisy.

One thing Jesus pointed to was the greed that stained their hearts. Oh, they gave their tithes to God, down to the herbs they grew in their gardens.

But when they saw a person in need, they walked by without a second glance. Their love for money far outweighed their love for those around them.

They also were so quick to pass judgment without really looking at the situation through God’s eyes.

One example was their criticism of Jesus’ healings on the Sabbath and the unjust way they not only treated Jesus, but those he healed (John 9).

In so doing, they forgot the words of Micah who said,

With what shall I come before the LORD and bow down before the exalted God?

Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old?

Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousand rivers of oil?

Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?

He has showed you, O man, what is good.

And what does the LORD require of you?

To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. (Micah 6:6-8)

Jesus called them on all of this.

But he also pointed out the stain of pride in their hearts. That the reason they desired these positions of leadership was not to serve the people, but to be seen as important.

And because of these things, he called them unmarked graves which men walk over without knowing.

Why was that so bad? Because graves were unclean by Jewish law. To touch them was to make yourself unclean. (Numbers 19:16)

So Jesus was saying to these Pharisees, “Not only are you unclean, but you make everyone you come into contact with unclean too.

Worse, these people don’t even know that they’ve been made unclean because they think you’re righteous.”

Harsh?

Yes. But the truth often is. And the thing is, these people needed to know that while they were fooling others, they certainly weren’t fooling God, and they were headed for disaster unless they repented.

And so are we if we are merely “clean” on the outside but filthy on the inside.

It’s not enough to do religious things. To go to church. To tithe to the church.

These things are not enough when all the while, you’re filled with pride and greed, lacking the love of God in your heart. And not just lacking love for God, but lacking God’s love for those around you.

God sees beyond the exterior into your heart. And he is looking for people after his own heart.

What’s in yours?

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Luke Luke 10

What Jesus really wants

Luke

This is another one of my favorite stories, I suppose because it shows us something that’s easy to forget.

Martha opens up her home to Jesus, but then promptly neglects him. Why? Because she’s too busy trying to “serve” him.

She then gets agitated because Mary’s doing nothing to help her get things ready, but instead simply sits at Jesus’ feet listening to him.

So after who knows how many hours of this, Martha marches up to Jesus, interrupts his teaching, and loudly complains,

Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me! (Luke 10:40)

Imagine the uncomfortable silence after that outburst.

Mary’s head dropping, and turning red in embarrassment. All the guests first staring at Martha, then Mary, and then at Jesus, waiting to see what he would say.

Perhaps some felt that Jesus would rebuke Mary. After all, she really should have been helping Martha.

Back in those days, it was not very common for women to learn from a Rabbi (although we clearly see through the gospels that Jesus wasn’t one to hold to convention).

Perhaps others felt that Jesus would rebuke Martha. After all, a woman back in those days simply did not interrupt a great Rabbi like Jesus with her petty complaints.

But Jesus did neither. Instead, he looked at Martha, perhaps with pity, and no doubt with compassion, saying,

Martha, Martha… you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed.

Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her. (Luke 10:41-42)

I find those words “only one thing is needed” very interesting.

The question is, “Needed by whom?” Needed by Jesus? Or needed by Martha? The answer is probably both.

Martha needed time with Jesus. She needed time to rest from her work. Time to hear his words. Time to learn from him and grow. And even more than that, time to learn how much he truly valued her.

Mary chose all those things, and Jesus was happy to give them to her.

On the other hand, Jesus didn’t really need the food that Martha was preparing. He didn’t need a perfectly clean house. What he needed was time with Martha.

Here Martha had opened up her house to him, and yet was so busy “serving him,” she didn’t even talk with him other than giving him a cursory hello.

How about you? Have you opened up your heart to Jesus?

And if you have, have you left him in the living room of your heart while you busy yourself with other things.

Or are you taking the time to be with him every day. Learning from him. Talking to him. Spending time with him.

That’s what he wants more than anything else. That’s what he died for. To have an intimate relationship with you.

There’s a small booklet called My Heart, Christ’s Home, which I love. And one passage in there perfectly reflects this thought. In it, Jesus speaks to a man, saying,

“The trouble with you is this: you have been thinking of the quiet time, of the Bible study and prayer time, as a factor in your own spiritual progress, but you have forgotten that this hour means something to me also.

Remember, I love you. I have redeemed you at great cost. I value your fellowship.

Now, do not neglect this hour if only for my sake. Whatever else may be your desire, remember I want your fellowship!”

May we never forget what Jesus truly desires.

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Luke Luke 10

Going beyond the head knowledge

Luke

As I look at this passage, there is one more thing that strikes me.

This is a story about three people that knew God’s word very well. One, of course, was real (the expert in the law), and two were fictional (the priest and the Levite).

Is it any coincidence that Jesus used two people in his story that had the same problem as the expert in the law?

Because though all three knew the law well, though all three could probably rattle off answers to any question about the Bible Jesus gave them, it never went beyond head knowledge for any of them. It never went to their heart as to what it all really meant.

How else do you explain the priest and the Levite in the story passing by the hurt man?

They didn’t truly understand what it meant to love God with all their heart, and to love their neighbor. Rather, they made excuses for their failings, namely, their lack of love.

The expert of the law was the same way. When confronted with the law, and seeing his own failings in the matter, he didn’t repent and cry out, “Jesus, what do I do? I can’t meet the standards God has set up!”

Instead, he tried to justify himself for his lack of love and turn what Jesus meant to be an issue of the heart into an intellectual debate, asking, “Well, what does ‘neighbor,’ mean?”

So when Jesus explained the meaning, and even had the man answer his own question, he brought it back to his heart. “Go and do likewise.”

What did the man do after that? We don’t know.

I’ve mentioned this before, but I think the gospel writers often wrote this way to challenge us. What are we going to do with what Jesus said?

It is not enough to have head knowledge. It is not enough to be able to quote the Bible backwards and forwards. You need to live it. It needs to sink into your heart and change you.

Here’s another question. Did the Samaritan in the story see the actions (or lack thereof) of the priest and the Levite?

This person who only had a distorted view of who God really was, who mixed his religion with false ones, what did he think of the priest and the Levite? Particularly when he acted more godly than they did?

And when people see us, and compare us to themselves, what do they see? Do they ask concerning us, “How can they be so loving? How can they be so merciful? I want to be like them.”

Or do they say, “Is that what a Christian is? I’m better than they are.”

Let us not be merely people filled with head knowledge. Rather let us let it sink into our hearts and live it.

Let us not simply live lives of going to church on Sunday and doing religious things. Rather let us live lives of mercy and grace that others may see Christ in us and desire him too.

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Luke Luke 10

To love in deed and truth

Luke

As I read this passage, the words of John spring to mind when he said,

Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. (1 John 3:18)

We see this in the “Good Samaritan.” How did he love in deed and truth?

First, he overcame the prejudices of his own culture.

One of the most shocking things to any Jew listening to this story was that it was probably Jews that beat up this man, and Jews, a priest and Levite no less, that refused to help this man in need.

But a Samaritan, someone who was absolutely loathed by the Jews for his mixed racial and religious background, sees the need of this Jew, and his compassion overpowers any feelings of prejudice he might have.

Which leads to the second point, his compassion led to action.

It’s one thing to look with sorrow on one who is hurting. It is another thing altogether to actually reach out and touch that person. What did he do?

He went to this man. (Luke 10:34a)

He soothed this man’s hurt. (Luke 10:34b)

He went out of his way to minister to this man’s need, taking him to an inn, and then caring for him through the night. (Luke 10:34c)

He even used his own resources to take care of this man. (Luke 10:35)

And Jesus tells us as he told the expert in the law, “Go and do likewise. Have mercy on those that you see in need around you.”

It’s so easy, though, to make excuses as to why you can’t. You’re too busy. You probably couldn’t help even if you wanted to. Or you’ve got more “important things to do.”

That’s probably what the priest and Levite thought.

Perhaps they thought he might be already dead, in which case, they might become ceremonially unclean (according to God’s law) if they touched him, making it impossible to carry out their duties at the temple.

And so these “duties” overcame any pity or compassion they may have had for the man.

Or maybe they just thought, “It’s not my responsibility. I’m no doctor. What can I do?”

Whatever their excuse, they forgot the words that God had spoken to Hosea.

I desire mercy, not sacrifice. (Hosea 6:6)

How about you? What do you do when you see others in need? Do you see them, but then walk by. Do you pray, but fail to go to them and actually do what you can to meet their needs? Do you make excuses for why you don’t go to them.

Let us live lives of mercy, remembering that that’s the kind of heart God wants to see in us. Let us not simply love with words or with tongue, but in deed and truth.

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Luke Luke 10

Ask…then go!

Luke

In this passage, we see Jesus not only sending out the 12 disciples, but 72 others. And he gives them pretty much the same instructions that he had given the 12 when he first sent them out.

But it’s the first few verses that strike me. First he told them something he had said before. He said,

The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. (Luke 10:2)

Meaning, of course, that there are many people out there that are ready to hear the gospel and would believe if only we had enough workers to go out and reach them.

So Jesus said, “Pray. Pray that God would send people out.”

But Jesus doesn’t stop by saying, “Pray.” He immediately tells them, “Go! I am sending you out…” (Luke 10:3)

And he tells us the same. Certainly, he wants us to pray for more workers. But he wants to start with you. He wants you to hear his call and go out to reach those around you.

Sometimes, as we go out, we fear rejection. But Jesus reminds us,

He who listens to you listens to me; he who rejects you rejects me; but he who rejects me rejects him who sent me. (Luke 10:16)

In other words, remember that if they reject your message, they are not really rejecting you, they are rejecting me. So don’t lose heart. And remember also that there will be those who will listen and be saved.

He then encourages us by saying,

Blessed are the eyes that see what you see.

For I tell you that many prophets and kings wanted to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it. (Luke 10:23-24)

For so long, people like Moses, David, Daniel, and others longed to see the kingdom of God come with power. And now, with Christ’s coming, we have that opportunity to see it come into the lives of the people around us.

But we will never see it unless we go out. If we do, however, we will see his kingdom come with power in the lives of those who believe.

So don’t just pray…go!

Categories
John John 10

The good shepherd

Jesus the good shepherd

Here we see a beautiful picture of Jesus’ relationship with us. And he paints the picture with the imagery of a shepherd and his sheep.

He said,

The sheep listen to the shepherd’s voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. (John 10:3-4)

What do we get from this?

In short, Jesus has a very personal relationship with us.

I teach in a high school, and I have to admit, with 40 students in a class, most of whom I only teach once a week, it’s hard to remember my students’ names.

It’s hard for a lot of the teachers too, as they often keep track of names with a seating chart list.

Think about trying to differentiate sheep, however. For just about anyone, they would probably look all alike. But the shepherd knows each sheep by name.

It’s hard to fathom that in a world full of billions of people, that Jesus would know my name. That he would actually care enough to know my name.

And not only to know my name, but to actually take the time to lead me and care for me. To go ahead of me.

And if that weren’t enough, to be willing to lay his life down for me. Jesus said,

I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. (John 10:11)

Think about the relative worth between a shepherd and his sheep. By any practical measure, there’s no comparison at all.

Now consider the relative worth of the God of the universe, and… you.

Yet Jesus cared enough about you, he loved you so much, that he left everything to become a man, to suffer on a cross, and die for your sins.

I don’t know about you, but to me, that’s mind-blowing. But that’s the love he has for you and me.

Lord Jesus, thank you that you are my shepherd. That though there are millions of other people in this world, still you know my name. And that even if I were the only one who were lost, you would have still died for me.

Your love is so amazing. Help me to truly grasp it. And help me to be a vessel of your love that others may know you and become your sheep as well.

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John John 10

The Gate

John

Many people wonder, “Why does Jesus have to be the only way to God?”

The short answer: because he said so.

Jesus told the people,

I tell you the truth, the man who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. (John 10:1)

There are many people that try to tell us how to go to heaven.

The Pharisees said it was by a rigorous keeping of not only the law, but of the rules and traditions that they held to as well. Even today, many people try to enter heaven through their efforts.

But Jesus tells us that anyone who tries to enter heaven through any other way than the gate, is a thief and a robber.

And not only do they try to grasp what they can never achieve through their own efforts, they will steal your souls and send them to eternal judgment if you follow them. Jesus said,

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. (John 10:10a)

Here, I believe Jesus is talking about the great Thief, Satan. But Satan will use people to try to lead us to spiritual destruction.

This is not to say that these people themselves are aiming to destroy us. Their intentions are generally very good. But they have been deceived themselves, and if we follow them, we’ll follow them right into the pit.

What then is the gate that we are to enter by? Jesus said,

I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. (John 10:9)

The picture Jesus gives us here is very interesting.

When a shepherd went out into the field and put the sheep to rest, he would take them to a temporary fold that had only one entrance. And when the shepherd went to sleep, he would sleep right at the entrance. He literally was the gate.

Jesus is saying here that if you want to enter God’s kingdom, if you want to live a life that is truly blessed, it can only come through him. And anyone who tells you different is a thief who will lead you to destruction.

Again, Jesus said,

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. (John 10:10a)

But then, he concludes,

I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. (John 10:10b)

Do you want a full life? A complete life? There is only one way. There is only one gate. The only question is, will you use it?

Categories
John John 9

When you think you know it all

John

The irony in this passage is very thick.

The man who had been blind could see who Christ really was and worshiped him.

The people who could see all their lives, couldn’t recognize who Jesus was though he was standing right in front of their faces.

Worse, they couldn’t recognize him though they saw all his miracles and all the arguments they tried to bring against him fell to the ground, leaving them speechless.

Why couldn’t they see? Because they already thought they knew it all.

They “knew” what the Messiah was supposed to look like and be like. They “knew” the truth of the Old Testament, the books of the Law and the Prophets.

All their lives, they lived in pride of that knowledge they held. So when Jesus came and shattered all they had thought they knew, they found it hard to let go. They found it hard to admit they were wrong.

Jesus said,

For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind. (John 9:39)

What did he mean? He meant that he is the dividing point. The fork in the road. And those who humble themselves and accept him as Lord and Savior will see and be saved.

But those who refuse to let go of their pride and think they know it all will become blind to who he really is. Not because they can’t see, but because they close their eyes to the truth.

The Pharisees were this way. They asked Jesus,

What? Are we blind too? (John 9:40)

So many people today say the same. “I’m blind? You’ve gotta be joking. I’m an educated man. I’m an educated woman. I’ve experienced life. I know.”

But Jesus said,

If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains. (John 9:41)

In short, “Yes, you are blind. And if you were humble enough to admit it and your need for help, your sin could be forgiven.

But because you are too proud to admit what you don’t know, because you’re too proud to hear the truth that I give, your sin remains.”

And he says the same to people today.

How about you? Do you think you know? Or are you willing to humble yourself, and accept the truth that Jesus gives?

Are you willing to accept that Jesus himself is Truth?

Categories
John John 9

A picture of salvation

John

After Jesus healed this man blind from birth, it caused quite a stir as we see in this chapter. But through this story, we see a beautiful picture of salvation.

We see, first of all, that this man was blind from birth. In the same way, we also were born spiritually blind and spiritually dead.

Then Jesus came for us. It wasn’t that this blind man sought Jesus. Jesus sought him out, and touched him. And though we, like this blind man, were not even seeking God, he sought us and touched us.

The man was then told to wash in the pool of Siloam. This is a picture of baptism, both our spiritual baptism in which God washes us of our sin, and of our physical baptism in which we proclaim to the world what God has done for us.

The man now seeing, the change was so dramatic that people could barely recognize him, saying,

Isn’t this the same man who used to sit and beg? (John 9:8)

Some people said yes, others said it couldn’t be, and the man had to insist that it was really him.

People often respond the same way to us after we become Christians.

Sometimes the change in us is so dramatic, that people can barely recognize us, and wonder, “Is this really the same person,” giving us the opportunity to give our testimony as this man did.

Like the man, however, we often don’t know so much when we first become Christians.

But as time goes on, we start to get a clearer idea of just who Jesus is. To this man, Jesus was first simply, “a man,” then “a prophet,” then finally, “God’s Son.”

But though we give our testimony, and though the change is undeniable, yet some people will reject not only Christ, but us.

And that’s what happened with this man. First, they tried to convince the man that Jesus was a sinner, and not from God.

But when this man could not be shaken, they rejected him.

Even then, this man’s faith was not shaken. And when Jesus found him again, he fell at Jesus’ feet and worshiped him for the new life he had been given.

Let us be like this man. Grateful for the change that God has brought in our lives. Sharing boldly what we know (limited though it may be) with others. Standing fast in the face of opposition. And ever worshiping and seeking our Savior.

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John John 9

Why did this happen to me?

John

Sometimes, bad things happen to people, and they wonder, “Why did this happen to me? Is God punishing me for something I did?”

There are times when God will let us go through suffering because of our sin.

But I would say that most, if not all the time, it’s not so much that God is punishing you, as he is letting you reap the natural consequences of your actions.

Just because you are a Christian does not mean that you can sin and expect to escape the natural consequences of your actions. There is a price to pay for what we do.

We can hardly blame God if he does nothing to keep us from suffering those consequences. It’s how we learn, and it’s part of the process that leads to holiness. A refining by fire, if you will.

But there are times when bad things happen to us through no fault of our own.

In this story, Jesus and his disciples came across a man who had been blind from birth. And his disciples asked,

Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind? (John 9:2)

It was a very common belief in that day that if you were handicapped, it was because God was punishing you. But this man was blind from birth, and so that provided a conundrum for the disciples.

Was this man blind because his parents sinned? Did God see that he was going to sin in the future and so he made him blind from birth? Did he somehow sin in the womb of his mother?

But Jesus answered,

Neither this man nor his parents sinned… but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life. (John 9:3)

What was Jesus saying? He was saying that there are times when bad things happen to us, not because God is punishing us, but because God wants to do something glorious through us.

A woman named Joni Eareckson Tada immediately springs to my mind as an example.

She was a woman who in her teenage years had a diving accident leaving her quadriplegic. Many people have prayed for her healing over the years, and yet God never healed her.

But through her, so many people around the world have been touched, and not just people with disabilities.

God wasn’t punishing her. But through this accident, God’s work was displayed in her life in a way that would never have been done had she not had this accident.

Jesus said,

While I am in the world, I am the light of the world. (John 9:5)

While Jesus may no longer be physically present here on earth, nevertheless, he shines his light on us that God’s glory might be revealed to us. More, he shines his light through us that others may be touched as well.

So if you’re going through suffering, don’t wallow in your misery. Rather ask God, “Shine your light on me and let your light shine through me in the midst of all this.”

And if you do, God will be glorified in you and through you.

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John John 8

Whose child are you?

John

Things get pretty acrimonious in this exchange between Jesus and the Jews. And it came down to this question, “Whose child are you?”

It was a question that swirled around Jesus, and it’s possible that when the Jews protested, “We are not illegitimate children” (John 8:41), they were intimating at the rumor that Jesus himself was an illegitimate child as Mary had gotten pregnant with Jesus before Joseph married her.

There were doubtless many questions about his true father since they had no way to know that Jesus was placed in Mary’s womb by the power of the Holy Spirit.

But to get back to the question, whose child are you?

Jesus talks about the characteristics of a true child of God. First, they would act like Abraham did. (John 8:39)

He believed in God. He trusted God implicitly. (Genesis 15:6)

He acted on his faith. Both in leaving his own homeland to go where God led him. And in being willing to offer his son Isaac as a sacrifice.

He had room in his heart for God’s word. When God spoke, he listened.

Children of God are children of truth. That is, they love the truth, and will hold to it. Though the truth may hurt sometimes, they don’t close their ears because of it. Rather they hear, they listen, and they grow. (John 8:44-47)

The final characteristic of a child of God is that they love Jesus, and out of their love for him, they follow him. (John 8:42)

How can we not love the one who gave up heaven to die on the cross for our sins.

But the Jews in this passage did none of these things, and so proved who their true father was.

How about you? Whose child are you?

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John John 8

The truth that sets free

John

Many times, people look at the “rules of Christianity,” and feel that they are so binding.  That they couldn’t enjoy life if they followed them.

But when Jesus tells us how we should live, he doesn’t do so to bind us up.  He does it so that we may be set free.  He told the Jews here,

If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.  (John 8:31-32)

The Jews reaction is very typical of people today.  They replied,

We are Abraham’s descendants and have never been slaves of anyone.  How can you say that we shall be set free?

Taken in today’s context, many people say, “I’m American,” or “I’m Japanese,” (or whatever nationality they might be).

“I’m no slave.   I’m free to do whatever I like.  What do you mean, I’ll be set free if I follow Jesus’ teaching?”

But Jesus tells us,

I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin.  

Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever.  So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.  (John 8:35-36)

Many people think that if they can sin without being captive to their conscience, that is true freedom.

But the truth is, while they may choose to sin in the beginning, eventually they become its slave and cannot stop even if they try.  Addiction to porn, gambling, drugs, and alcohol are all obvious examples of this.

But we also see people enslaved to their bitterness, or enslaved to their destructive habits that destroy their relationships, their marriages or their friendships.

But when we follow Jesus, he sets us free.  We are no longer slaves to these things.  Instead, he breaks the chains that bind us to the things that are destroying us, and he shows us a better way.

Not only that, he gives us the power to live in this new way.  He doesn’t just say, “Do it.”  He says, “Take my hand.  Let’s take it a step at a time.”

And little by little, change comes, and before you know it, you’re completely set free.

How about you?  Have you given up and said, “It’s hopeless.  I can’t stop these behaviors that are destroying me?  That are destroying my relationships?”

Jesus can set you free.  It starts with one word.  “Yes.”

“Yes, Jesus.  I believe that you love me and that your way is best.  So Lord, I want to do things your way.  Help me.”

As you say yes to him, you will find healing in your life and your relationships.  And then you will know what true freedom really is.

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John John 8

The one who brings light and life

John

A lot of people in this world are lost. They seek a good life. A good marriage. A good job. And most of all, joy and peace.

And yet, somehow, these things elude them. People have been like this ever since Adam and Eve left the garden of Eden.

Then Jesus came. And when he did, he declared,

I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life. (John 8:12)

In other words, “Do you want a good life? A life that works? A life filled with joy and peace? Are you stumbling around because you simply cannot see how to achieve these things.

Look to me. I will give you the light you need to see. You won’t stumble around, lost in the dark anymore. You’ll have life.”

Yet so many people like the Pharisees and teachers of the law question Jesus’ qualifications. Just who is he? What gives him the right to say something like that?

If he were just a man, he wouldn’t have any right. Because none of us is all-wise or all-knowing. But Jesus is more than just a man. He is God himself.

Jesus told the Jews as much, saying,

Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad. (John 8:56)

The Jews responded, “What are you talking about? You’re not even 50 years old and you have seen Abraham?”

Jesus replied,

I tell you the truth, before Abraham was born, I am! (John 8:58)

What exactly was Jesus saying? He was pointing the Jews back to Exodus chapter 3, where God appeared to Moses in the burning bush. And when Moses asked God’s name, God replied,

I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’ (Exodus 3:14)

In short, God was saying, “I am. I have always been. And I will always be. I am the eternal one. And there is none besides me.”

Jesus took that phrase and applied it to himself.

The Jews understood it. They immediately picked up stones to kill him. Why? Because they didn’t believe he was God. And if Jesus wasn’t God, to say that he was God was blasphemy and worthy of death.

How about you? Is Jesus just a man to you? Just a good man? A prophet perhaps? Or simply a great teacher? If he is, then you can take what he says or leave it.

But if he is God, then you need to take what he says seriously. Because if you’re ever going to have light in your life, you can only find it in him.

And if you reject him, in the end, you will find only death. Not just physical death, but spiritual death. Eternity apart from God, and all the darkness, suffering, and sorrow that goes with it.

Jesus tells us,

If you do not believe that I am, you will indeed die in your sins. (John 8:24)

Do you believe Jesus is God? More importantly, are you following him?

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John John 8

You are not condemned…so go

John

This is probably my favorite story in the Bible.

Jesus is teaching in the temple courts early in the morning, and a huge crowd of people are surrounding him, listening to him teach.

But all of a sudden, there’s a commotion in the temple courts, and people are getting shoved out of the way as the Pharisees and teachers of the law push their way through to Jesus, with a woman in tow.

They thrust her in front of Jesus, and as he looks at her, he probably sees tears running down her face, and fear in her eyes.

One of the Pharisees then speaks out and says, “This woman was caught in the act of adultery. Now Moses in the law says that women like her should be stoned. What do you say?” (John 8:5)

Jesus looked at these men, and one thing was immediately clear from the glint of triumph that was probably in their eyes:

They were not bringing this woman to Jesus because they were horrified by her sin. They weren’t bringing this woman to Jesus because they were truly at a loss on what to do with this woman so caught in her sin.

They were bringing this woman to try to trap Jesus. What was the trap?

Well, if he said to stone her, they could probably accuse him before the Romans of breaking the law. According to Roman law, only the Romans were allowed to conduct capital punishment.

Not only that, all these people that had seen the love and compassion Jesus had for the worst of sinners, would probably walk away from him. He could no longer be called, “A friend of sinners.”

If on the other hand, he said “Let her go,” they could accuse him of going against the teachings of Moses whom all Israelites held in high regard as a prophet of God. He would therefore lose all credibility as a teacher.

So after a moment of looking at these men, Jesus stooped down to the ground and started writing in the dirt. Put another way: he ignored them.

This of course, infuriated these men, and so they started badgering him. “Hey! Don’t ignore us. Answer our question! What do we do with this woman!”

Finally, Jesus stood up, looked at them again, and said, “Fine. You want to stone this woman. Do it.”

But just as the smiles started to spread across these men’s faces, Jesus added, “The one person among you that’s never sinned, you get to throw the first stone.”

Then he started writing in the dirt again.

What did he write? I don’t know. But the word “write,” sometimes had the idea of “writing a record against someone.”

So it’s very possible he was writing each of their names, and specific sins they had committed.

What would you do if you saw your name being written and your deepest, darkest sins exposed for all to see? You’d probably do what they did. Get out of there.

And soon, only the woman was standing before Jesus. He said to her,

Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you? (John 8:10)

When the woman looked up, all the people that had been accusing her were gone. And she realized with wonder, “No one accuses me.”

I can imagine Jesus smiling at her as he said,

Then neither do I condemn you. Go now and leave your life of sin. (John 8:11)

A lot of times, we look at ourselves in the mirror, and we wonder, “How can God possibly love me? How can he accept me?”

Because we look at our sin and the mess we made of our lives. But Jesus tells us the same thing he told that woman.

“I don’t condemn you.”

More than that, he says, “Now go. Don’t linger in your regret. Don’t keep looking at your past. It’s forgiven. Leave the past behind. And leave behind the sin that made a mess of your life. Go. I’m making all things new. Live the new life I died to give you.”

Are you trapped by your regret? Are you lingering in doubt about whether God could love or accept you? Remember these words. “I don’t condemn you. Now go.”

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! (2 Corinthians 5:17)

Categories
John John 7

The waters of salvation

John

Yes, we will eventually get past this chapter. In fact, this will be our last look at it as we look at verses 37-39.

On the last day of the Feast of Tabernacles, Jesus probably watched as the priests took water drawn from the stream of Siloah which flowed under the temple mountain and poured it over the altar. With that, a cheer rang out as the people sang,

With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. (Isaiah 12:3)

And perhaps at that moment, the people heard another voice ring out. The voice of Jesus calling out,

If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink.

Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him. (John 7:37-38)

Leave it to the Master Teacher to tell the people exactly what this ceremony they had been performing for years really meant.

For years, as the people saw this ceremony, they thought of their deliverance from Egypt, and how for years, they had traveled through the desert. How God provided water for them when they thirsted, twice bringing water out of a rock.

And through this ceremony, they recalled the joy of their salvation, a salvation that came not through their own efforts, but through the provision of God.

But what they didn’t know was that rock was a picture God was giving them of Christ himself. The apostle Paul wrote,

They (the Israelites) all ate the same spiritual food and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ. (1 Corinthians 10:3-4)

Now Jesus was telling them, “Are you thirsty as the Israelites were in the desert? Do you feel like you’re in a spiritual desert, thirsting for God, and yet somehow not able to find him? Then come to me. Believe in me. (Remember John 6:35)? And if you do, streams of living water will flow through you.”

What did he mean by that? John tells us in the next verse.

By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive.

Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified. (John 7:39)

In other words, God himself, the Holy Spirit would come and dwell in each person that came to Jesus and believed in Him. And because of that, our thirst for God would be filled.

Not only that, the Holy Spirit would flow out of our lives like a never-ending stream of water and touch the lives of the people around us.

And so day after day, with joy, we draw from the wells of salvation, not only blessing ourselves, but all those around us.

That’s how we as Christians are to live. Drawing from the Spirit each day the power to live our lives so that we may be made as Christ is, and to share his salvation with everyone we meet.

And when we do, we’ll find joy.

Categories
John John 7

Judging scripture rightly

John

We looked yesterday at how Jesus warned the Jews against judging against appearances. The first reason was that they were judging him by his education, and as a result, many blew off his teaching.

But the second reason Jesus warned the Jews against judging against appearances was that their interpretation of scripture was wrong.

To the Jews, it appeared that healing people on the Sabbath was wrong because it was “work.”

But if they had looked carefully at all of the scriptures, they would have discovered it is always lawful to do good. (Matthew 12:12)

Sometimes Christians make the same mistake. They look at a scripture and they misinterpret it. Why? Because they miss the context of the passage.

Sometimes it’s the immediate context of the scripture. Sometimes, it’s the context of all of scripture.

What do I mean?

We saw one example of this in John 6, where Jesus talked about eating his flesh and drinking his blood.

Taken out of its immediate context, it sounds very gruesome. Put into its context, we see that Jesus is talking figuratively. That if we come to him (eat his flesh) and put our faith in him (drink his blood), we’ll have eternal life.

I had a friend point out another passage in which Jesus was anointed with very expensive oil. His disciples then sharply criticized the woman who did this (Mary of Bethany), saying she should have helped the poor instead by selling the perfume.

But Jesus told them, “The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me.” (Matthew 26:11)

My friend commented, “How arrogant Jesus was being.”

But he failed to take two things into account.

First, in the book of John, we find that Judas, the main person who criticized Mary, had no actual concern for the poor. He was actually embezzling money from all they collected for the poor. (John 12:6)

Second, Jesus was actually quoting a scripture from Deuteronomy 15:11, which says,

There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your brothers and toward the poor and needy in your land.

Jesus’ point then was not that the poor weren’t important. He was saying, “There will always be poor people and we should help them as we have been.

“But you won’t always have the chance to show love for me. She’s taking that opportunity while she can. So don’t criticize her for that.”

So in the whole context of scripture, Jesus wasn’t being arrogant at all; he was simply defending Mary’s actions against a hypocritical disciple’s criticism.

But when we pull a scripture out of context, it’s easy to make the kind of mistake my friend did.

Let us be careful then, how we read scripture. Let us take in the immediate context of what we read, as well as the whole of scripture.

Only in doing so can we make right judgments about what it is saying.

Categories
John John 7

Judging people rightly

John

It’s a little unusual that I linger on a passage very long in this blog, but there just seem to be a number of little nuggets here that I think are worth thinking about.

In this verse, Jesus told the Jews,

Stop judging by mere appearances, and make a right judgment. (John 7:24)

Why did he tell them this? Two reasons, one of which we’ll look at today, the other of which we’ll look at tomorrow.

The first reason was that the people were saying of him,

How did this man get such learning without having studied? (John 7:15)

In other words, “He’s a simple carpenter. He’s no scholar, what can we possibly learn from him?”

As a result, many turned off what he said as having no relevance or authority.

In the same way, it can be easy sometimes to judge a speaker by their appearance, education, or background.

A person may not look so sharp, may have a humble background, have little or no formal Bible training, and yet God himself can speak through them if we’ll just listen.

But if we are too focused on their age, their appearance, their background, or their training, we can miss the things God wants to say to us through these people.

I’m not just talking about pastors and teachers, by the way. God can speak to us through anyone in whom his Holy Spirit dwells, even the smallest child.

But how often do we miss what he’s saying because we judge the vessel by which he speaks?

On the other hand, a person may be very charismatic, speak very eloquently, and yet say things that would lead us astray from God if we follow what they say.

So let us never judge a person by their appearance whether good or bad. Rather, let us look at the substance of what they are saying, and the evidence of the Holy Spirit working in their lives.

And if we do, we’ll be surprised by how often God uses them to speak to us.

Categories
John John 7

Who are we serving?

John

As I was reading through this passage yesterday, these verses really struck me, particularly as a teacher of God’s Word.

My teaching is not my own. It comes from him who sent me.

If anyone chooses to do God’s will, he will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own.

He who speaks on his own does so to gain honor for himself, but he who works for the honor of the one who sent him is a man of truth; there is nothing false about him. (John 7:16-18)

The question I ask myself is, “Where is my teaching coming from? Is it coming from myself? Or is it coming from God?

“Why do I speak? Is it for my own honor that people might be impressed by me? Or is it for the glory of God?”

As Christians, we are to be people of truth with nothing false about us. Not just the pastors and teachers, but all of us.

But if we are to be people of truth, we need to be clear on who we are serving. We need to be clear about whose honor we are seeking.

Are we simply seeking our own honor? Or are we seeking God’s?

Are we truly serving God? Or are we simply serving ourselves in God’s name?

If we are merely seeking our own honor, if we are seeking the praise of men, we will tend to water down the gospel that God has given us to share…if we share it at all.

Or like the Pharisees, we become hypocrites, pretending to seek God, but in reality seeking the praise of the people around us.

Who are you serving? Whose honor are you seeking?

Categories
John John 7

Who is this Jesus?

John

The question the disciples faced in Caesarea Philippi (Matthew 16:13), the rest of the Jews now faced in Jerusalem.

There was certainly no shortage of ideas.

Some thought he was just a good man. Others thought he was a prophet.

Still others, including the religious leaders, were certain he was a deceiver and demon possessed.

And finally, there were some, like the disciples who thought he was indeed the Messiah.

Why was there such confusion?

One reason was confusion concerning what the Christ would be. Apparently, some thought he would appear from nowhere in spectacular fashion, and yet they knew where Jesus was from and who his parents were (or so they thought).

Not only that, they knew him as an “uneducated man,” at least compared to the great “scholars” of the time.

Another reason was that he shattered the traditions they held dear.

According to the Jewish leaders, he “broke” the Sabbath by healing a man (John 5), when in fact, he showed them it was always lawful to do good on the Sabbath.

But they could not let go of their own way of thinking, more than anything because of their pride. They “knew” the law, and weren’t going to let this uneducated carpenter tell them any different.

A third reason was that the Jewish leaders didn’t know their scriptures as well as they thought they did. They scalded Nicodemus for even considering that Jesus might be the Messiah, saying,

Are you from Galilee, too? Look into it, and you will find that a prophet does not come out of Galilee. (John 7:52)

Yet in Isaiah 9, clearly a Messianic passage, it clearly states that the Christ would come through Galilee.

But perhaps the most important reason is found in verse 17. Jesus said,

If anyone chooses to do God’s will, he will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own. (John 7:17)

The implication is clear. If your chief desire is to seek God, you will find him. And when you look at Jesus, you will see him for who he really is. But if you don’t you will be blinded.

The Pharisees, for all their religious zeal, were all about pride, and were full of hypocrisy.

Though it looked on the outside that they sought God, in truth, they were seeking the approval and praise of men. Because of this, when they saw Jesus, they were blinded to who he really was.

But to the ones who humbled themselves before God and truly sought him, the truth was revealed.

How about you? Are you struggling with who Jesus is?

Then lay aside your pride. Lay aside what you think you know about God and your ideas on what God should be.

Put away anything that gets in the way of your pursuit of God, and start seeking him first, above money, above possessions, above pleasure, above anything else in this world.

When you do, all confusion will slip away and God will reveal himself to you.

Categories
John John 7 Luke Luke 9

A time for judgment, a time for mercy

The gospels

I mentioned in the last blog that there will be people that hate us because of the truth that we represent.

I also said it’s important how we consider how we say it, and the spirit with which we talk to people.

We see the importance of this in this passage.

After Jesus’ brothers went to Jerusalem for the Feast of Tabernacles, Jesus stayed behind for a while. For how long, we don’t know, but finally he went up.

From this time forward, most of his ministry appears to be done in Jerusalem and Judea, and it would be about six months before he would be crucified.

Before he reached Jerusalem, however, he passed one last time through Samaria. He had previously gone through Samaria, and had had great success early on in his ministry. (John 4)

But this time, the reception was much different. When he sent messengers ahead of him to prepare for his coming, the people rejected him because he was headed for Jerusalem.

There was still much antipathy between the Jews and Samaritans, and this was perhaps the main reason for their rejection of him.

The disciples were outraged. Here Jesus deigned to reach out to these Samaritans who, in the disciples’ minds, deserved nothing from him. And yet, they rejected him.

The disciples put up with the Samaritans from the other village (John 4) because they had accepted Jesus. But when this village rejected him, James and John said to Jesus,

Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them? (Luke 9:54)

They were perhaps thinking of Elijah in the Old Testament, and how he had called down fire on those who had showed utter contempt for the prophet of God. (2 Kings 1)

But Jesus rebuked them. The New King James Version and (KJV) adds the words,

You do not know what manner of spirit you are of. For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives but to save them. (NKJV vs. 55-56)

Whether Jesus actually said those words are up for debate, but they do capture his spirit.

There would be a time of judgment coming for the Samaritans who rejected him. But the time was not now. He had come to die for their sins, not to destroy them for theirs.

And that’s the spirit we need to have now. Yes, there will be a time of judgment coming for those who reject Jesus and the truth he gives.

But that time is not now. So until that time, we need to be praying and working for people’s salvation. We need to keep reaching out in love with the truth that Jesus has given us.

And by God’s grace, some will be saved.

By no means should we delight in or desire people’s destruction, no matter how vile their sin. Jesus certainly didn’t. He died so that they wouldn’t have to.

What spirit do you have as you deal with the people around you, even those who reject Jesus?

Categories
John John 7

When you tell the truth

John

As I look at this passage, there is one more thing that strikes me, and so we’ll stay here one more day.

When you tell God’s truth, people will not always take it well. Often times, they respond with disbelief, and other times, they will even respond with hatred.

Jesus faced both. As we saw yesterday, even his own brothers didn’t believe in him, and so they mocked him.

But as Jesus told them his reasons for not going, he also said this:

The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify that what it does is evil. (John 7:7)

I was reading an article today about a man who is being heavily criticized for saying homosexuality is sinful. The truth is, it seems nowadays in America that if you dare to say that publicly, you’re labeled bigoted and intolerant.

It is a perfect fulfillment, in fact, of what Jesus says here. When we testify that what the world does is evil, they will hate us for it, and they will persecute us.

That said, and I’ve mentioned this before, there is a right way to tell the truth, and a wrong way. We are to tell people the truth not because we hate them, but because we love them.

I warn my four-year old daughter all the time, “Don’t run out in the parking lot! Don’t run out in the street! Sooner or later, you’ll get hit by a car if you do.”

Why do I say that? Because I love her. Because I don’t want her to be hurt.

And that’s the same attitude that we should have when we warn people of their sin. It shouldn’t be because we despise or hate them, no matter how despicable their sin. We need to tell them because we love them and want their best.

We need to tell them because our deepest hope is that they be saved, and that they don’t see the consequences of their sin. That instead, they would know God’s grace and mercy in their lives.

But know that if we tell the truth, even in love, people will not always believe us and will even hate us for it.

Jesus was the perfect Son of God. Yet people disbelieved him and hated him to the point that they crucified him. Can we expect any different for ourselves?

Categories
John John 7

Following the Father’s agenda

John

Jesus had been avoiding Jerusalem and Judea for some time after the feeding of the 5000, and the falling away of many of his “disciples” in John chapter 6.

But the time of one of the great Jewish feasts, the Feast of Tabernacles, was approaching when most Jews would make their way to Jerusalem.

So Jesus’ brothers basically said to him, “Hey, you’ve been avoiding Jerusalem for a long time. If you really want to get out into the big leagues, you should go to Jerusalem. Go out. Perform some miracles. You can’t become famous if you’re hiding out here.”

But John makes it clear that this was said sarcastically, as he wrote,

For even his own brothers did not believe in him. (John 7:5)

Jesus replied,

The right time for me has not yet come; for you any time is right…

You go to the Feast. I am not yet going up to this Feast, because for me the right time has not yet come. (John 7:6, 8)

In short, “I’m not following your agenda. I’m not even following my own agenda. I’m following the agenda of my Father.”

So while his brothers went up to Jerusalem, he stayed behind for a while longer.

Often times, people try to follow their own agenda. Or they get pressured into following another person’s agenda.

But as Christians, we need to be like Jesus. Listening to the Father, and following the agenda he sets.

I think there are too many times that I miss out on what God is doing because I’m too set on my own schedule and agenda.

I’ve got things to do but suddenly God brings a person in my path. Yet instead of stopping and talking to them, I just say a quick hello/good-bye, and I’m out of there.

And if they don’t notice me, I won’t even do that. But even as I’m walking away, I’m wondering to myself, “Should I have stopped? Did I miss an opportunity?”

How about you? Whose agenda are you following?

Are you willing to interrupt your agenda to follow the Father’s? Or are you so set on yours, that you miss out on what God wants you to do?

Categories
Luke Luke 9 Matthew Matthew 8

To follow Christ

The gospels

What does it mean to follow Christ?

That’s what three people found out, as they either approached Jesus or were called by him to be his disciples.

A teacher of the law came up to him first, and said,

Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go. (Matthew 8:19)

This is very interesting to me. Most of the teachers of the law opposed Jesus. But this one, despite the opposition of most of his peers, was nevertheless full of zeal to follow Jesus. Zeal is good.

But Jesus warned him,

Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head. (Matthew 8:20)

In other words, “I’m not promising an easy life. Following me is not all fun and games. You’re going to be away from home a lot. You may never have a family of your own if you choose this life. Can you handle that?”

Jesus went to another man, and said, “Follow me.” The man replied,

Lord, first let me go and bury my father. (Luke 9:59)

What was the situation here? Most likely, the father wasn’t dead. I strongly doubt that Jesus had walked up to the funeral and said to the man, “Follow me.”

I suppose it’s possible that the father had a terminal illness. However, it’s also possible that his father was perfectly healthy, and the man simply wanted to wait until his father passed away, whenever that was, before he followed Jesus.

Perhaps his father was opposed to Jesus, and if he found out that his son was following Jesus, the man would be disowned.

But Jesus said,

Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God. (Luke 9:60)

In this case, I think Jesus is talking about the spiritually dead burying the spiritually dead.

I was reading a book about Japan, and it said that some Japanese don’t become Christians, because they don’t like the idea that their family will go to hell if they don’t believe in Jesus, and that there is no hope for those who have already passed away without Jesus.

But Jesus basically says that you can’t control that. Don’t let the spiritually dead determine your spiritual destiny. Either in terms of your salvation or in doing God’s work.

There may be other spiritually dead people who, if you would just go out and tell them about Jesus, would be saved.

But if you don’t go out because you’re afraid of what your family will say, not only will your family go to hell, but also those you never told.

One last man said to Jesus,

I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say good-by to my family. (Luke 9:61)

But Jesus replied,

No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God. (Luke 9:62)

I don’t think there is anything inherently wrong in saying good-bye to your family.

But perhaps Jesus knew there was a deeper problem within this man’s heart. That there was a tie to this man’s family that would hold him back from completely following Jesus.

And if we’re constantly looking back at something we left behind, even something as good as family, it can hinder us as we try to follow Jesus. Jesus wants our whole heart, not just a part.

We have no idea how these three men responded. Perhaps the gospel writers meant to do it that way so that you would have to think about your response.

Are you willing to follow Jesus though it may be hard?

Are you willing to follow Jesus though your family and those you love won’t?

And are you willing to leave behind all that would hinder you from following Jesus?

In short, how will you respond when Jesus says to you, “Follow me?”

Categories
Mark Mark 9 Matthew Matthew 18

Parable of the unforgiving servant: Seasoned with mercy? Or fire?

The gospels

It’s been interesting putting all the accounts of this one discourse into one place.

But let us go back once more to the start of it: an argument between the disciples about who was the greatest. And probably during the argument, there were a lot of words said and feelings hurt.

So after Jesus talked about what to do when a person offends you, Peter asked a question that was very real to him at the moment. One of the other disciples had hurt him.

It wasn’t the first time, and it probably wouldn’t be the last. The question was, how many times was he obligated to forgive?

Peter suggested seven, which at that time, was considered very magnanimous.

Rabbis at the time threw out the number three in forgiving a repeated offense. (Certainly this number is found nowhere in the Bible).

Jesus answered, “Not 7 times, but 77 times (or 70 times 7).”

One wonders if he was referencing the Old Testament, where a man named Lamech issued a curse in which if anyone hurt him, that he would be avenged 77 times. (Genesis 4:24)

But here, Jesus teaches that we are not to look to curse the person who hurts us, but to forgive.

Jesus, by the way, is not teaching that we should forgive up to 77 times or even 490 times. Rather, we are to always forgive.

He then tells the famous story of a king who forgives the huge debt of one of his servants.

The servant promptly goes out, sees another person that owes him money and demands it back. When the person begs for more time, the servant refuses, and has him thrown in prison.

The king, however, heard about it, and called the servant back in, saying,

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? (Matthew 18:32-33)

He then had him thrown into jail to be tortured until he paid all that he owed. Jesus then said,

This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart. (Matthew 18:35)

Some points. To the servant who had his debt forgiven, the amount the other man owed him was huge. Basically it was about 4 months wages worth of debt.

But compared to the debt he had owed to the king, a debt worth millions and impossible to pay, there was no comparison at all.

Sometimes people hurt us, and to us, it is huge. We are hurt and scarred deeply. But what we need to realize is that our debt of sin that we owe to God is so much greater. Sure, our sins may be “smaller,” but what is small adds up.

If you sin 3 times a day, that’s nearly 1000 sins a year. Multiply that by your age and you start to get an idea of just how big your debt to God is. Yet God forgave you. Shouldn’t you forgive others?

If we don’t, what will happen? The servant in the story cast the man indebted to him away from himself to wallow in his guilt. And the man was guilty.

So often, we do the same. We refuse to forgive, and we cut that person off, hoping to make them wallow in their guilt.

But when the king found out, he cut that person off from his presence and handed him over to be tortured by the jailers.

I believe in the same way, when we refuse to forgive, God will hand us over to Satan to have at us. To make our lives miserable. To make us wallow in our bitterness and anger.

Why? Because God hates us? No. Because he loves us and wants us to repent.

I wonder about the order of all that Jesus said in these parallel passages. And I wonder if perhaps things weren’t said in the exact order that Mark places them. Because it fits perfectly here. Jesus said,

Everyone will be salted with fire. (Mark 9:49)

In other words, if you refuse God’s seasoning of grace and mercy, he will salt you with fire. He’ll make your life miserable until you repent.

Jesus then concludes,

Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can you make it salty again? (Mark 9:50a)

Jesus calls us the salt of the earth. To flavor the world around us with his grace and mercy. But if we hold on to bitterness and anger in our lives, we lose that saltiness. So Jesus told his disciples and us,

Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with each other. (Mark 9:50b).

How about you? Are you salt to those who hurt you?

Categories
Matthew Matthew 18

Loosening God’s hand in those who hurt us

Matthew

This passage is similar to what we see in Matthew 16, and I have to admit, both are difficult to interpret within the context.

In Matthew 16, Jesus talks about binding and loosing. That whatever you bind on earth would be bound in heaven, but whatever you loose on earth would be loosed in heaven.

As I look back on Matthew 16, it seems the reference is to God’s kingdom and salvation.

Throughout the New Testament, it seems that God wants to use us to reach people, rather than appearing to them directly.

As Christ’s body, we are his mouth, hands, and feet to those around us. And if we are going out and preaching the gospel, sharing the keys to the kingdom to those around us, God’s hands will be completely loosened to work for their salvation.

But if we refuse to go out, if we refuse to tell others about Jesus, God’s hands will be tied to some extent. Not literally, of course. But most times, he will not work unless we do.

Peter “loosened” God’s hands in two ways.

One was by preaching the gospel. First he preached to the Jews, loosening God’s hand to work in their lives.

Yet by failing to go out to the Gentiles as Jesus commanded in the great commission, the disciples limited God’s work of salvation.

God then had to do what he prefers not to: direct intervention, first talking to Cornelius through an angel, and then through a vision to Peter. But throughout the rest of the New Testament, salvation came only as people preached to others.

Peter also loosened God’s work in the Gentiles’ lives by freeing them from the requirements of the Jewish law. By doing so, it made it so much easier for them to enter God’s kingdom.

In this passage, however, the context of these words are different. Again, Jesus says, “Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” (Matthew 18:18)

What does Jesus mean in this context?

I think the idea is that when we’ve been hurt, and the other person refuses to repent, we are to pray for them, loosening God’s hand to work in their lives.

Too many times, we are bound by bitterness and anger toward the person that hurt us. Too many times, we are not praying for that person that hurt us, we are praying about that person.

“Lord, I am so hurt and angry. Look at what he did! I can’t believe it. Give him what he deserves!”

But when Jesus was on the cross, he didn’t pray about those who hurt him. He prayed for them.

“Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.” (Luke 23:34)

By praying for those who mistreated him, it allowed God to work in the lives of those who hated him. Indeed, it allowed God to work his work of salvation.

When we pray for those who hurt us, rather than simply pray about them, it loosens God’s hands so to speak, and allows him to work in their lives.

Not to say that God can’t work without our prayers, but most times, he only chooses to work because of them.

But if we hold on to bitterness, we stay the hand of God, both in our lives, and in the lives of the people who hurt us.

It’s not easy to let go. But that’s why God has given us brothers and sisters to support us. They can help us in reconciliation with those who hurt us. And they can help us in prayer.

Jesus said,

I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven.

For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them. (Matthew 18:19-20)

How about you? Are you binding the Father’s hand or are you loosening his hand in your life and in the lives of those who have hurt you?

Put another way, are you simply praying about those who have hurt you, or are you praying for them?

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Matthew Matthew 18

Biblical principles: When people repeatedly hurt you

hurt

Dealing with hurt is difficult. Dealing with hurt from those you once trusted is even worse.

What do you do when someone continually hurts you? Do we just take it? What does Jesus say?

Fortunately, we don’t have to guess.

It seems that as the disciples were arguing among themselves about who was the greatest, they had wounded each other, resulting in cracks in their relationships. Jesus knew this, and that’s why he gave them the instruction we see in this passage.

He said,

If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. (Matthew 18:15)

Notice two things here. First, if someone hurts you, you are not to wait for that person to come to you and apologize to you. You are to go to them.

Often times we are so angry at the other person, that we demand that they come to us and apologize for what they did.

But that kind of attitude is not one of peace, but of pride. And God calls us to be peacemakers.

Remember that in the Beatitudes, Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.” (Matthew 5:9).

That doesn’t just mean bringing peace between others that you know. It means bringing peace in your own relationships.

But if there’s one thing that will prevent peace in a relationship, it’s pride.

Furthermore, there are many times when people hurt us, and they don’t know it. As a result, we could wait forever, and they’ll never come. So Jesus says, if someone hurts you, you go to them.

Second, notice that there’s no room for gossip or slander here. Jesus doesn’t say, “If your brother hurts you, go tell the world about it.” He says, “Go to the brother that hurt you and talk about it.”

And hopefully, when they understand the hurt they’ve caused you, they will apologize and your relationship will be restored.

A key point, by the way.

If someone confronts you like this, remember that what’s not important is if you feel your words or actions should have hurt them.

What’s important is that your words or actions did hurt them. And it’s on you not only to apologize, but to make sure you avoid such actions in the future. That’s also what it means to be a peacemaker.

But what if you confront a person who hurts you, and they refuse to acknowledge their wrong?

Then Jesus says bring one or two other people with you. Share with them what happened. Not to gossip or badmouth the other person. But with the hope that with their help, reconciliation will happen.

It’s entirely possible that with their counsel, you realize that you are simply misunderstanding the other person. Or perhaps with their help, the other person will come to understand they were wrong.

Either way, remember the goal of bringing in these people is peace.

If a person still refuses to hear you, then bring in the church. You don’t have to bring in the whole congregation. But perhaps bring in a pastor or another respected person of the church and have them try to mediate.

But if that fails, Jesus says,

Treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector. (Matthew 18:17).

What does that mean?

Basically, it means to change your expectations of them. Don’t expect them to act like a brother or sister in Christ, because they are not acting that way. Treat them as an unbeliever who doesn’t know Christ.

We don’t expect unbelievers to act like believers, and if a person refuses to repent, we should stop expecting them to act like a believer.

Keep your guard up against them. Don’t fool yourself into thinking they’ve changed until they repent, and you see signs of that repentance.

And if at all possible, try to avoid them, much as people avoided tax collectors in those days.

Why?

Because you’re bitter?

Because you’re angry?

No. You need to let go of those feelings because they will bind you up.

Rather, avoid the other person because they are dangerous to you. As long as they can’t see their own wrong, you’re always in danger of being hurt by them. So avoid them.

How about you? How are you dealing with the people who have hurt you?

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Luke Luke 9 Mark Mark 9

Pride in ministry

The gospels

As Jesus taught his disciples about what it meant to be great in God’s kingdom, it must have caused some unease in their hearts. Not only because of how they had been treating each other, but because of how they had been treating people outside of their group.

And so probably with a lot of trepidation, John said,

Teacher, we saw a man driving out demons in your name and we told him to stop, because he was not one of us.” (Mark 9:38)

Jesus replied,

Do not stop him,” Jesus said. “No one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me, for whoever is not against us is for us.

I tell you the truth, anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to Christ will certainly not lose his reward. (Mark 9:39-41)

One problem in the church is that people are often very protective of their “territory.” They have their ministry, and God help anyone who would try to “infringe” on that territory.

That’s what the disciples were doing. They saw someone casting out a demon in Jesus’ name, and the demon actually left. But because the man was encroaching on their “territory,” they told him to stop.

But Jesus makes clear to them, “You’re not in a competition. He’s doing this work out of love for me. Let him do it. Don’t stop him from doing the things I’ve enabled him to do.”

We need to be the same way. We should be happy to let other people into the ministry that we are doing, even if they prove to be better at it than we are.

Why? Because we are not seeking personal glory in our ministry. At least we shouldn’t be. We’re seeking to glorify God. And whenever anyone uses their gifts to glorify God, we should be praising God for that.

Unfortunately, this kind of competition also happens between churches. Churches get into who is bigger than whom. Who is doing the better ministry. Worse, they start criticizing each other because they do things differently.

But that’s not what Jesus wants from us. That’s what Satan wants from us. Because if we’re too busy fighting each other, or looking down on each other, we’ll have no time to fight him and his kingdom.

Let us not get into competitions trying to outdo each other, as churches, or as people. Rather let us work together. Because ultimately, we are on the same team working toward the same goals.

Division brings discredit to the name of God. Unity and cooperation brings glory to his name. Let us be a people that bring glory to God’s name.

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Mark Mark 9 Matthew Matthew 18

How God sees our children

The gospels

In his discourse on greatness in the kingdom of heaven, Jesus also makes it very clear how God feels about children.

First, he gives us a warning. “Don’t do things that would cause a child to sin.”

If that isn’t clear enough, he tells us,

But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.

Woe to the world because of the things that cause people to sin! Such things must come, but woe to the man through whom they come! (Matthew 18:6-7)

He then goes on to say you’d be better off to maim yourself than to do something that would cause a child to sin.

Why is Jesus so vehement about this? Because children are impressionable. They learn from what they see us do.

If they see us losing our temper all the time, that’s what they’ll do.

If they see us taking our spouse for granted, they will learn to do the same when they get married.

And if we abuse them, they will tend to abuse their children when they become parents.

So be careful how you act around your children, because God will hold you accountable for it.

He also warns us, however,

See that you do not look down on one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven. (Matthew 18:10)

God cares so much about children, that he assigns angels to them to watch over them. And if God so cares about them, how can we dare see them as any less valuable. To push them aside as unimportant or insignificant. To see them as anything less than the treasures God has entrusted us with.

He then compares them to sheep that are lost, and how God will do anything to save them. He concludes by saying,

In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should be lost. (Matthew 18:14)

A couple things here. I do believe there is an age of accountability. That there is a point when a child will be held responsible for their sin.

What that age is, I don’t know. My guess is that it would depend on the child. Whenever they become aware of their sin, and that it’s really wrong, that’s when they will be held accountable for it.

Second, just because it says that the Father is not willing that any of the little ones be lost does not mean that they cannot be lost.

It says in 2 Peter 3:9 that God is not willing that any should perish but that all would repent. But in that same passage, Peter makes clear that people will perish if they don’t repent. And so will children if they willfully reject God in their lives.

So let us treasure our children. Let us value them as God does. And let us preach the gospel clearly to them so that they may be saved too.

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Luke Luke 9 Mark Mark 9 Matthew Matthew 18

The greatest

The gospels

I think something that gives me hope as I look at how much I have yet to grow as a Christian, is to look at Jesus’ disciples, and how much patience Jesus had to have with them.

One day, as they were walking down to Capernaum, they started squabbling about who among them was the greatest. Jesus heard them, but kept on walking as perhaps their voices became louder and more heated.

But when they arrived at the house they were staying at, he asked them,

What were you arguing about on the road? (Mark 9:33)

A very embarrassed silence fell in the room, as none of them wanted to admit what they had been talking about. So Jesus told them,

If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all. (Mark 9:35)

Perhaps at that, his disciples traded confused looks with each other. And so to try to get a clearer answer, they asked, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven then?” (Matthew 18:1).

In other words, “Who among us is the greatest?”

At that point, Jesus took a child into his arms, perhaps the son or daughter of the person they were staying with. And he said,

I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 18:3-4)

What was Jesus saying? He was saying two things. First, no one can even enter the kingdom of heaven unless they become like a little child.

What is a little child like? They are humble. They don’t think they know it all. That’s why they’re always pestering their parents with questions. More than that, they are dependent on their parents for everything.

And if we are to enter the kingdom of heaven, we need to be the same way. We need to humble ourselves before God. To admit we don’t know everything and to seek God’s wisdom and his ways.

And we need to learn to rely on him. For our salvation, first of all, but then to rely on his wisdom and strength to live each day.

So often people don’t, however. They think they’re smart enough and strong enough to live life on their own. But as long as they think that way, they’ll never enter God’s kingdom.

Even after they become Christians, people often struggle with this. I know I do. Too often, I live on my own wisdom and strength. And even now, I’m realizing how inadequate I am, and just how much I need him.

But Jesus’ second point is that greatness in the kingdom of heaven is measured not by how many people serve you, but by how many people you serve. He said, “If you want to be great, you must become the servant of all.”

If you think about the great leaders in history, the people who didn’t force others to follow them, but were people that others wanted to follow. These leaders lived to serve.

Jesus told his disciples that meant even serving those who can’t give you any “benefit.”

He said,

Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me. (Mark 9:37).

Let’s face it, serving children doesn’t bring much benefit in itself because children don’t have the power to give you much.

But Jesus says that when you serve them, you’re really serving Christ.

For that matter, whenever you serve anyone because you love Jesus, you really are serving Christ. And that’s the kind of person that Jesus considers great in his kingdom.

Are you looking to be great in God’s kingdom? Then be like a child. Humble. And willing to serve others, looking to their needs above your own, whoever they are, great or small.

Is that you?

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Matthew Matthew 17

Needlessly offending people

Matthew

As Christians, with different values and ways of thinking from the world, it is unavoidable that we will come into conflict with others, simply because what we believe is different from what the world believes.

Simply by believing as we do, we will offend people.

Nevertheless, there is a difference between offending people because of what you believe, and going out of your way to offend people.

One is unavoidable. One is sinful.

In this story, Jesus was in Capernaum, and the tax-collectors for the temple came by and asked Peter, “Does your teacher pay the temple tax?”

Peter, probably flustered, blurted out, “Of course he does.”

Later Jesus asked Peter, “Who does a king exact taxes from? His children, or from others.”

Peter, of course, answered, “From others.”

So Jesus told him, “Then the children are exempt.”

In other words, as God’s Son, he wasn’t under obligation to pay the temple tax.

But then Jesus said,

But so that we may not offend them, go to the lake and throw out your line. Take the first fish you catch; open its mouth and you will find a four-drachma coin. Take it and give it to them for my tax and yours. (Matthew 17:27)

Jesus could have stood on his rights and said, “There’s no way that I’m going to pay the tax,” thus upsetting the tax collectors. But instead he paid the tax.

I think there are two applications we can make from this in terms of not offending people unnecessarily.

First, sometimes we need to give up our “rights” as Christians for the sake of others.

I remember when I was a high school or college student hanging out with other Christians at a camp, and some of the Christians were playing cards.

They weren’t gambling. They were just playing ordinary games. But it upset one of the Christians who felt any kind of card-playing was wrong.

We could have argued with her or ridiculed her beliefs. Or we could have simply ignored her, stood on our rights, and kept on playing.

But in order to avoid offending her, we stopped. To unnecessarily antagonize her would have hurt her, not to mention be sinful.

Second, though it may be inevitable that we offend unbelievers by what we believe, we can still show that we care for them.

I know of Christians that have made it clear to the gay community that they believe that lifestyle is sinful. But at the same time, they work compassionately to help the gays who have been infected by AIDS.

My pastor’s wife’s parents are not Christians. And when they got married, they could have said to her parents, “There is no way we’re having anything to do with Buddhist ceremonies, and if you don’t like it, that’s just too bad. Deal with it!”

But instead, they told her parents, “We’re not going to be involved in any Buddhist ceremonies, or offering incense, or anything like that. But we will help clean the house and serve food after the ceremonies are over.”

In both cases, we see Christians stating their beliefs clearly, and yet showing love.

Let us not confuse offending people because of what we believe, with going out of our way to be offensive.

We’ll offend enough people just by following Christ. We do not need to offend more by taking an offensive attitude on top of that.

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Luke Luke 9 Mark Mark 9 Matthew Matthew 17

Afraid to ask

The gospels

In this passage, we see the second time in which Jesus speaks plainly to his disciples about what was going to happen to him in Jerusalem. He couldn’t have been more clear.

He said, “Listen carefully to what I am about to tell you.” (Luke 9:44).

And he told them specifically that he would be betrayed, killed, and raised to life on the third day.

The way Luke records the disciples’ response strikes me.

But they did not understand what this meant. It was hidden from them, so that they did not grasp it, and they were afraid to ask him about it. (Luke 9:45)

Looking back as Christians, it’s very difficult for us to understand why the disciples would have trouble grasping this. It wasn’t like he was speaking in parables. He told them in a very straightforward manner, “This is what is going to happen.”

Why couldn’t they understand something that Jesus said so plainly? Luke says the reason was that it was hidden from them.

Why was it hidden from them? I think the main reason is they weren’t ready to hear the truth. They were still totally focused on the idea that he would be setting up his kingdom in Israel soon, setting the Jews free from Roman rule.

We’ll see this in a couple of blogs from now.

But because their minds were so focused on their way of thinking, they couldn’t understand the plain words of Jesus. What’s more, they were afraid to ask what Jesus meant.

Why were they afraid? I don’t think they were afraid of Jesus’ rebuke. I think they were afraid that he was speaking plainly.

And they were so focused on the negative parts, that he would be betrayed and die, that they couldn’t see the positive, that he would rise again.

What does this mean for us?

I think that sometimes, we get so set in our way of thinking, that we can’t see what Jesus is saying to us, even when he is speaking plainly.

What he says goes so contrary to the way we’re thinking or feeling, that we think, “He can’t really mean what I think he’s saying, can he?”

Yet we’re afraid to ask because if he tells us that he means what he says, it means we need to change. We need to change our way of thinking, our behavior, or both. And that can be scary.

For example, God says “Don’t be yoked with unbelievers.” (2 Corinthians 6:14)

In other words, we shouldn’t be in relationships where we are tied to people in such a way that they pull us away from God and his ways.

But when many Christians who date non-Christians, or are even engaged to non-Christians see this passage, it scares them.

“It doesn’t really mean what I think it’s saying, is it?”

And they are afraid to ask God, because it might mean they have to break up with that person, when they don’t want to.

Or when God says, “Flee sexual immorality.” (1 Corinthians 6:18), some people think, “Does this mean sleeping with a person before marriage is wrong?”

And they’re afraid to ask because they are sleeping with their partner.

Let’s be frank. Truth can be painful. And change can be excruciating. But sometimes we get so focused on the negative, that we forget the positive.

The same passage that says that we should not be unequally yoked, says that God will be a Father to us, and we his sons and daughters.

The same passage that says that we should flee sexual immorality says that Christ has given us his Holy Spirit to dwell in us. That we are his temples.

These are the things we should focus on.

So let us not be afraid to ask what a scripture means. Let’s embrace it. Let’s live it. And while there may be pain in the short run, in the long run, we will find blessing.

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Luke Luke 9 Mark Mark 9 Matthew Matthew 17

Where is our faith?

The gospels

Where is my faith?

That’s a question I have to ask myself far too often in the sense of, “Why don’t I trust God more?”

But it’s also a question I need to ask myself in terms of “Where am I putting my trust?”

We see both senses of this question in this passage.

Jesus and his 3 close disciples came down from the mountain, and ran into a huge argument between the rest of his disciples and the teachers of the law. What they were arguing about exactly, I’m not sure.

It could’ve been something like, “Your Jesus is not truly from God. Look, you tried to cast out this demon, and nothing happened.”

Or perhaps they were arguing about whether there was a demon at all in the boy that was brought to the disciples.

When Jesus asked what was going on, the boy’s father explained that a demon was in his son, causing him to go into seizures, and even trying to kill him at times. This father was obviously desperate, as this had been going on since his son was a child, and he pleaded with Jesus,

If you can do anything, take pity on us and help us. (Mark 9:22)

Jesus answered,

If you can? Everything is possible for him who believes. (Mark 9:23)

The man replied in a way that I identify with quite well.

I do believe…help me overcome my unbelief! (Mark 9:24)

How did he say that, I wonder? My guess is that he was so desperate that he said he believed just so that Jesus would try to help.

But then Jesus looked into his eyes questioningly, and at his gaze, the father broke down and said, “O Jesus. I want to believe, but this has been going on so long that I find it hard. But you’re my only hope. Help me overcome my unbelief!”

And Jesus healed the boy, casting out the demon.

I find hope in this for all the times that I struggle with unbelief. Because my trickle of belief so often gets overwhelmed by the tidal wave of my unbelief.

That’s how it was with this father. Yet, Jesus showed grace and mercy to this father despite his unbelief, and healed the boy.

I’ve seen this in my own life, at times even questioning God’s goodness. And yet when I cry out, he answers. He shows mercy and grace. And I remember again, he really is good.

Later the disciples asked why they couldn’t cast out the demon. Jesus gives them a lecture about faith, that if you have the faith of a mustard seed, you can do anything.

But then he said something very important,

This kind can come out only by prayer. (Mark 9:29)

Remember that up to this point, the disciples had been casting out demons in Jesus’ name. They had gone throughout the country doing so.

But perhaps as time went on, they had forgotten that it was not really them doing the work, but God. And they had stopped putting their faith in God, but put it in their own powers or formulas for casting out demons.

The result? They forgot to pray and were unable to cast out the demon.

And so the question again comes, “Where is my faith?” Is it in my own abilities? My own talents? My own wisdom? Or is it in God? If it’s in God, the faith of a mustard seed can accomplish much. Without God, I can do nothing.

These are things I struggle with every day. Perhaps you do too. If so, will you pray with me now.

Lord Jesus, where is my faith? Too many times, I look at my circumstances and they are beyond me. And I panic because I just can’t see how you could possibly help me.

Lord, forgive my unbelief. Help me to believe in you, to trust you in everything. And give me your peace and joy as you work in my heart and my circumstances.

Where is my faith? Too many times it’s in myself. And because of that I fail. Forgive my self-reliance. My self-trust. Help me to hear your voice. To trust you. To rely on you each day. In your name I pray, amen.

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Luke Luke 9 Mark Mark 9 Matthew Matthew 17

Listen to Him!

The gospels

This is one of the more interesting passages in the Gospels, and it comes at an interesting time.

Jesus has just shattered his disciples’ ideas of what Messiah is supposed to be, and they’re wondering what in the world does all this dying and being raised from the dead is all about.

For the most part, it seems, all the way until the cross, they kind of shoved it to the back of their minds and tried not to think about it.

Perhaps they convinced themselves they heard Jesus wrong. Or perhaps they thought he was speaking in some kind of parable.

Whatever they thought, they never really came to grips with what Jesus was telling them.

And so about a week later, Jesus tries to drive it home to three of his closest followers.

One quick note: Matthew and Mark say this event happens 6 days later, Luke says it happens about eight days later. Which is correct?

There are two explanations that I’ve seen. One is that the Greek expression “about eight days later” that Luke used was a common expression that meant “about a week later.”

The other is that Luke was counting partial days. He counted the day that Jesus spoke and the day of the transfiguration, while Matthew and Mark only counted the full days in between the events.

We’ll see more of this when we come to the resurrection.

Anyway, Jesus takes Peter, James, and John up to a high mountain, and while he’s praying, they either fell asleep or were on the verge of it. Because of that, they nearly missed what happened next.

Jesus suddenly shines in all his glory, and Moses and Elijah both appear. And as the disciples listen in to their conversation, they hear them talking to Jesus about his impending death and resurrection. (Luke 9:30-31)

By now, the disciples are fully awake, and as usual Peter speaks up first asking if they should build shelters for Jesus and his two visitors.

But at that point, a bright cloud surrounds them, and they hear a voice saying,

This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him! (Mark 9:7)

Hearing this, they fell down on their faces in terror, but then they hear another voice, the voice of their beloved Master who tells them,

Get up…Don’t be afraid. (Matthew 17:7)

And when they look up, only Jesus is there, the glory that had been shining from him faded. And as they went down the mountain, Jesus warned them not to tell anyone what they saw until he had risen from the dead.

Why did Jesus show them all this? Again, I think one reason was to impress to them that his mission was to die.

But I think another reason was to impress to them that death was not the end. They had just seen Moses and Elijah. One had died, the other had been taken away in a chariot of fire, never seeing death. But both were still alive and talking to Jesus.

Even so, the disciples still didn’t understand. And as they continued down the mountain, they continued discussing among themselves what “being raised from the dead” was all about. (Mark 9:10)

But as I look back at this, the words that impress me most were the Words of the Father. “This is my Son whom I love. Listen to him.”

Sometimes, like the disciples, we don’t always fully understand the things that Jesus is trying to teach us.

Later, as with the disciples, we will understand. But though there may be some time between when we hear what Jesus says and when we understand everything completely, Jesus is our Lord, sent from the Father, and we are to hear him, follow him, and obey.

How about you? Inasmuch you understand the things he’s told you, will you trust Jesus enough that you’ll hear him, follow him, and obey him in everything he says?

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Luke Luke 9 Mark Mark 8 Mark 9 Matthew Matthew 16

What’s really important

The gospels

What are you living for? What are you seeking in life?

Comfort? Money? Things?

Here Jesus challenges us to really consider our priorities. He told his disciples and would-be disciples something really difficult.

If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. (Luke 9:23)

The interesting thing to me is that Jesus asks us no less than what he did himself.

He denied himself.

He could have stayed in heaven. He could have let us all suffer in hell for all eternity. But he denied himself.

He gave up all he had in heaven, his glory, the worship of the angels, and he took on human flesh. While here on earth, he gave of himself, surrendering his own needs to meet the needs of others.

He took up his cross.

He suffered greatly, first having to carry his own cross to the place of his death, though he had already been beaten and was weak from the loss of blood. And then agonizing in pain while hanging on the cross. Why?

In order to follow his Father, and the plan he had set in motion for our salvation.

In the same way that Jesus denied himself, we too are to deny ourselves.

This doesn’t mean that we can’t enjoy life. Jesus certainly enjoyed his life here on earth. But there will be times when we need to sacrifice our needs and desires to fulfill the purpose God has for us.

Sometimes, it will require suffering. Our family rejects us because of our faith. We lose our jobs because we refuse to work on Sundays. Or we go through other kinds of persecution because we put Christ first in our lives.

But through it all, we need to keep following after Christ.

Why? Because in him, we find what’s most important. What’s most important? A relationship with him. And to fulfill the purpose for which he has created us.

Some people, however, sacrifice these things for what they want. And if following Christ will require them to let go of what they want, they let go of Christ instead. But Jesus tells them,

For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it.

What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?

For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done. (Matthew 16:25-27)

The bitter irony of letting go of Christ to hold on to the things we seek is that in the end, we’ll lose it all.

But if we let go of everything in order to follow Christ, that’s when we’ll find true satisfaction and peace. For when the day of judgment arrives, Christ will reward us.

And even before that, we’ll catch glimpses of the glory that is to come here on earth. Jesus indeed promised that to his disciples, saying,

I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God come with power. (Mark 9:1)

Though the disciples did go through suffering for the sake of Christ, nevertheless, they saw the kingdom of God come with power, as they saw miracles coming by their own hands, but more than that, the miracle of transformed lives as the gospel spread.

And though many died martyrs’ deaths, they did find reward as they stepped into God’s kingdom.

How about you? Are you willing to let go of what you have, in order to grasp what’s really important?

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Luke Luke 9 Mark Mark 8 Matthew Matthew 16

A stumbling block to Christ

The gospels

A lot of times we hear how we shouldn’t be stumbling blocks to other Christians. And of course, we often hear about how Christ is a stumbling block to those who reject him.

But how often are we stumbling blocks to Christ, and what he’s trying to accomplish? It’s the thought that came to me as I read this passage this morning.

Jesus told the disciples plainly that in order to accomplish God’s plan for him as Messiah, he must die.

All his disciples must have been shocked to hear this. They had never heard Jesus speak like this before, and they could not reconcile what they had just heard with their images of what a Messiah should be.

They thought he would be bringing down the Roman government and setting Israel free from their rule.

They thought that they would be his prime ministers in this new kingdom that Jesus would soon set up.

But how could all this happen if Jesus were dead?

All this must have been running through the disciples’ minds, but as usual, it was Peter who spoke up first, saying,

Never, Lord! This shall never happen to you! (Matthew 16:22)

I think I’ve mentioned this before, but if there are two words that should never go together, they are “No” and “Lord.”

If Jesus really is your Lord, how can you possibly say, “No” or “Never” to him?

Jesus’ rebuke was immediate, and quite harsh.

Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men. (Matthew 16:23)

How would you like to be called Satan? That’s exactly what Jesus called Peter, for it was Satan’s words coming out of Peter’s mouth.

Jesus was set on the cross to die for our salvation. And Peter was dead set against it.

He kept that attitude all the way to the garden of Gethsemane when he tried to attack (quite clumsily) the people who were arresting Jesus.

But in taking that attitude, he was a stumbling block to Jesus and what Jesus was trying to accomplish. He wasn’t shaping his way of thinking to match Jesus’. Rather, he tried to shape Jesus’ thoughts to his.

How about you? As you live your life, do you have in mind the things of God, or the things of men?

Are you shaping your plans to match God’s? Or are you trying to shape God to match your plans?

Are you doing God’s will? Or are you doing your own will in God’s name?

Categories
Matthew Matthew 16

The one on whom all stands

Matthew

This is truly a powerful passage and as such, it deserves another look.

After Peter declares Jesus to be the Messiah, Jesus praises him, saying,

Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven.

And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.

I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. (17-19)

That’s a mouthful. But what does it all mean? What can we get from all of this?

First, salvation comes as God reveals himself to people. Because God is invisible, we can only come to know him if he reveals himself and his truth to us. As such, salvation truly is by grace from first to last.

Lots is made by the Catholics of Peter’s name and how he is the rock on which Jesus would build his church. But that’s not what Jesus is saying here.

The word “Peter” basically means “little stone,” while the “rock” on which Jesus would build his church is a word for “bedrock.”

Peter himself refers to this in one of his letters as he said,

As you come to him, the living Stone — rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him — you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

For in Scripture it says: “See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame.” (1 Peter 2:4-6)

According to Peter, who was the stone on which all stands? It was and is Jesus.

What are we? We are living stones built into the church that God is creating. And through Christ, we have been made his priests. We don’t need other people to be our priests. We are priests who have direct access to God.

And because this church is built on Christ, all of Hades cannot stand against it. Though Satan has sought to wipe out the church from the very beginning, it still stands and will stand until the end of time when Jesus returns.

Was Jesus giving Peter any special authority in this passage?

To some degree, I believe so, although I doubt the disciples, and even Peter truly understood it at the time.

It was Peter who first opened up the gospel to the Jews by preaching to them in Acts 2.

And it was Peter again who first opened up the gospel to the Gentiles by preaching to them in Acts 10-11. In so doing, he used the keys of the kingdom to open the way to salvation for all people, both Jews and Gentiles.

It was also Peter that helped set the Gentiles free from following the law of Moses, loosing the requirements of the ceremonial and dietary laws, while still binding Christians to the moral laws as well as a few other things for the sake of peace between the Jewish and Gentile believers at the time. (Acts 15).

That said, I think it goes too far to say that he was the first pope and that this authority was to be passed on to his successors. Jesus never, ever said that.

To some degree, though, these things Jesus said to Peter apply to all Christians. As his priests, we have been given the keys to the kingdom, and by preaching the gospel to those around us, we open the way of salvation to all those who will listen and believe.

And we have been given authority to declare the forgiveness of sins through Jesus by grace, setting people free from trying to earn their salvation through their works.

So let us use the keys and authority we have been given by Jesus so that those around us may find the salvation we have been given.

Categories
Luke Luke 9 Mark Mark 8 Matthew Matthew 16

The most important question

The gospels

By now, Jesus was about halfway through his ministry, and was starting to look toward the cross.

But as he did, he wanted his disciples to really think about who he was. Was he just a prophet? Was he just a good teacher? Who did they think he was?

And so after asking what the disciples had heard people say about him, he asked them,

But what about you? Who do you say I am? (Matthew 16:15)

This is the question of the ages. It is the question that he asks everyone, even today.

What about you? Who do you say I am?

Do you think he was a prophet? Well, certainly Jesus was a prophet. And through him, we heard the words of God.

Was he a good man? That goes without saying. He lived a perfectly sinless life.

But is he more?

Peter certainly thought so. He said,

You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. (Matthew 16:16)

The disciples and the Jews, at this point, still didn’t completely understand the concept of Messiah. It was something they still had to learn, and that’s part of the reason that Jesus told them not to tell anyone.

It’s hard to teach someone something that you don’t understand yourself.

They had no idea at this point that Messiah had to die for the forgiveness of sins. What they did know was that the Messiah would someday reign, and that’s where all their focus was.

How about you? Do you believe that Jesus is the Messiah? Do you believe that Jesus died on the cross so that your sins might be forgiven? More than that, is he your king? Have you surrendered your life to him?

You see, Jesus is not simply a good man or a prophet. He is God himself.

The Jews themselves recognized this. You could call yourself a child of God in the sense that God created you. But to call yourself uniquely the Son of God was to claim deity for yourself. That was their basis for crucifying him. (Matthew 26:63-66).

As God and king, Jesus is worthy of your worship and your service. But do you believe it? Have you come to the place where you can say as Peter did, “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God?”

If you are, and you have never committed your life to him before, it starts with a simple prayer.

Lord Jesus, I believe that you are more than just a good man. More than a prophet. I believe that you are God. That you died on the cross for my sins, and that you rose again. Thank you.

Be my king. Be my Lord. I want to follow you from now on. Teach me what it means to follow you each day. In your name I pray, amen.

Categories
Mark Mark 8

Blind

Blind man and Jesus

My father lost his sight after an accident in which he fell and his glasses broke into his eyes.

I kind of think that the man in this story also was once able to see, but through some disease or accident lost his eyesight.

For one thing, he seemed to know what trees and people were supposed to look like. For another, it says his sight was “restored,” which seems to imply that he used to be able to see.

At any rate, Jesus went through a very interesting process to heal the man. First, he spit in the man’s eyes, and then he touched them.

Why did he spit first? One commentary (Adam Clarke’s) says that perhaps it was for the practical purpose of separating the eyelids which may have been gummed together, as can happen in some cases of blindness.

After touching the blind man’s eyes, Jesus asked if he could see, at which point the man said he saw people walking around, but they looked like trees. Jesus then put his hands on the man again, and after he did, the man could see clearly.

Just as Jesus gave physical eyesight to this man, so he gives sight to those who are spiritually blind. But as in the case of this man, it can be a process.

He first loosens the eyelids by removing their old, sinful way of thinking. Then as he touches them, they begin to see, but not so clearly at first.

But at his repeated touch, they come to a place where they can see clearly, and the first thing they see is him. And as he transforms their minds and lives, they are made completely new.

What am I trying to say? Don’t get discouraged if the people seem blind to Jesus and his life-transforming truth. It often takes time before they can see.

And remember that you can’t make a person see. Only Jesus can. So keep bringing them before Jesus in prayer, and keep planting the seed.

And by God’s grace, the day will come when they will see clearly.

Categories
Mark Mark 8 Matthew Matthew 15 Matthew 16

Legalism and worldliness

The gospels

I’ve mentioned more than once in this blog the need to test everything that we hear, whether it’s from the pulpit, from the radio or a podcast, from a book, or from wherever you hear people teaching the Word of God.

For that matter, you should be testing everything I say as well.

In these passages we see why.

We see in the first part of these accounts a near repeat of Jesus’ miracle of feeding the 5000. The details are different, however, in terms of the number of people fed, the amount of fish and bread used, as well as the amount of leftovers.

After this event, the Pharisees and Sadducees came to see Jesus.

(It’s not clear whether the Herodians were also there as a separate group, or the Herodians mentioned in Mark were the Sadducees, who were well known as collaborators with the Romans. I take it as the latter).

After arguing with them and rebuffing yet another request for a sign, he told his disciples, “Be careful…Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” (Matthew 16:6).

(Again, it’s possible that when he referred to the leaven of Herod in Mark 8, he was talking about the Sadducees).

The disciples, as usual, were confused and were perhaps wondering if Jesus was forbidding them from getting actual bread from these two groups.

But Jesus quickly corrected them, saying, “Why are you worrying about bread? Don’t you remember how I provided for the 5000 and the 4000? I’m not talking about that at all.”

At which point, Matthew says,

“Then they understood that he was not telling them to guard against the yeast used in bread, but against the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” (Matthew 16:12)

What was the teaching of these two groups? For the Pharisees, it was a very devout legalism. They thought that they could earn their way to heaven by their works.

Because of this, they devoted themselves to studying God’s law and keeping it. There were a few problems, however.

First, they added things to God’s law that God never taught. And in doing so, they put burdens on the people that God never intended. What’s more, they criticized and looked down on anyone who didn’t keep those rules.

Furthermore, as we saw earlier, some of their rules based on tradition flat out contradicted God’s word.

In addition, in focusing on the minutia of the law, they missed its spirit completely, causing them to condemn people unjustly. They forgot things like justice and mercy in their pursuit of legalistic perfection.

All these things, we have already seen or will see in later passages.

The Sadducees, on the other hand, tended to be focused more on wealth and power, thus their collaboration with the Romans. They also didn’t believe in a resurrection, which made it easier for them to focus on the things of this earth, rather than on eternal things.

Thus Jesus warns against both legalistic religiosity and worldliness. Both of them, like leaven, can spread throughout a church, and make it useless to the kingdom of God.

Unfortunately, many people in Jesus’ day didn’t test what they were taught, and as a result, they either lived their lives feeling weighed down and condemned, or they put all their efforts into temporal things, rather than eternal ones.

How about you? Have you fallen into either of these traps?

Categories
Mark Mark 7 Matthew Matthew 15

Bringing people to Jesus

The gospels

In these two passages, we see the great popularity of Jesus because of his healing ministry.

What strikes me as I read them is that most people didn’t come to Jesus on their own for healing. Rather, it was others that brought them to Jesus. And when people brought those who needed healing to Jesus, Jesus healed them.

Just as Jesus opened people’s physical eyes and ears back then, so he does now to those who are spiritually blind and deaf. Just as he healed those who were physically hurting, so he does now to those who are emotionally hurting.

I do believe in physical healing for today as well, but it is people’s souls and spirits that Jesus cares for most, even more than their bodies, as we saw in the case of the paralyzed man and his four friends. (Mark 2:1-12)

So in the same way that these people brought the sick and the hurting to Jesus, we too are called to bring those who are hurting spiritually and emotionally to Jesus.

We in ourselves don’t have the power to heal them, but Jesus can. And we need to go out and bring them to him, rather than just wait for them to come to him on their own.

That said, Jesus always asked the people he healed, “What do you want of me?” or “Do you desire to be healed?”

And only those who were open to his healing touch did he heal.

The same can be said of those we bring to Jesus. Once we’ve brought them face to face with Jesus, they have to make a choice. Do they desire healing or not? Do they desire what Jesus has to offer or not?

We can’t make that choice for them. They have to make it themselves.

How about you? Are you bringing people to Jesus?

Categories
Mark Mark 7 Matthew Matthew 15

Persistence, humility, and faith

The gospels

One wonders exactly what Jesus was thinking throughout this conversation with this woman, and in what kind of tone did he speak to her.

Jesus, after his confrontation with the Jews, actually left the confines of Israel and went to the region of Tyre and Sidon which was north of Israel along the coast.

And while he tried to keep his presence there secret, people in the area heard about it, including this Greek woman born in that area.

Her daughter was demon-possessed, and she no doubt had heard about Jesus, and so she came to him, begging for help, saying,

Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is suffering terribly from demon-possession. (Matthew 15:22)

For all the compassion that Jesus generally showed people, he did not do so here, at least at first. Though he heard her cry, he ignored her.

Undiscouraged (and probably desperate), she continued to plead for his attention until his disciples finally said in short, “If you’re not going to help her, at least send her away. She’s bothering us.” (Matthew 15:23)

At which point, Jesus gave her what seems a very curt answer,

I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel. (Matthew 15:24)

How did he say this, however? Did he say it as curtly as it sounds? Or did he say it almost with a tinge of regret that said, “I wish I could help. But I’m only here for the Jews.”

However, he said it, it only caused her to keep crying out, “Lord, help me,” as she fell at his feet.

Again, Jesus rebuffs her, with what seems to be very harsh words,

It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to their (little — YLT) dogs. (Matthew 15:26)

The word “dogs” were generally used in a pejorative sense in Israel, but Jesus softens it with the word, “little,” which was often used in a very affectionate way in their language.

Even so, to be compared to a dog, even in an affectionate way is not the way most people want to be referred to.

But instead of being offended, she turned Jesus own words in her favor, saying,

Yes, Lord…but even the (little) dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table. (Matthew 15:27)

In other words, “I know that you came for the Jews. And I know that because of that they have priority. But can’t I at least have the crumbs they don’t want?”

At which point Jesus praises her like he praised few others.

Woman, you have great faith! (Matthew 15:28)

There is only one other person that he praises for their faith, and it was another Gentile, a Roman centurion.

And because of her faith, he healed her daughter.

What can we get from this?

Sometimes, we pray and it seems like God is silent. Like he is ignoring us. But as this woman, we should be persistent in our prayer.

This is not to say that we have the right to order Jesus to do something, as some people would have you believe.

But as with this woman, if we come with humility and keep believing that he can do what we ask, more often than not, he will reward that faith.

The key questions we need to ask ourselves are:

  1. Do we trust that he is good and that he truly cares for us?
  2. Do we trust his answers to be good, whether he says yes or no?
  3. Will we persist in prayer until he does answer?

How about you? Are you persistent in prayer? Do you truly trust in him? And are you humble enough to accept whatever answer he gives?

Categories
Mark Mark 7 Matthew Matthew 15

What is truly unclean

The gospels

I think a lot of times, when people look at the laws of Moses, they wonder about why the Jews had all these laws about what is clean and unclean.

For the most part, from a practical standpoint, they seemed to be for health and sanitary reasons.

But I think there was something beyond that which God wanted to make clear to the people: There are things that make you unclean.

And by fixing this idea of clean and unclean in their minds from the physical aspect, he was drawing a picture for them of what it meant to be clean and unclean from a spiritual aspect.

He was impressing the idea to them that they needed to be a people that were completely pure. Not just in body, but in spirit.

Unfortunately, the Jews put so much focus on the physical aspect of the law, that they missed the true point God was trying to get across to them.

And so when Jesus told the people that what goes into the mouth doesn’t make people unclean, it’s what comes out of the mouth that does, his disciples got confused.

All their lives, they had been told, “Don’t eat this. Don’t eat that. If you do, you’ll become unclean.”

And so basically they asked Jesus, “What do you mean? We always thought that certain foods would make us unclean.”

Jesus responded,

Are you so dull? Don’t you see that nothing that enters a man from the outside can make him ‘unclean’? For it doesn’t go into his heart but into his stomach, and then out of his body…

What comes out of a man is what makes him ‘unclean.’ For from within, out of men’s hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly.

All these evils come from inside and make a man ‘unclean.’ (Mark 7:18-23)

I think this passage is fairly self-explanatory, and doesn’t need any further commentary as to what Jesus meant.

The question then becomes, how about you? What is in your heart? Is it love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and self-control? Then these things will flow out of your mouth and out of your life.

But if it’s evil thoughts, sexual immorality, and all the rest, those things too will flow out of your mouth and your life. These are the things that make you pure or impure.

As you examine your life today, what’s coming out of your mouth? What’s coming out of your life?

Categories
Mark Mark 7 Matthew Matthew 15

The standard for our lives

The gospels

On what do you base your values? This is an important question because your values will influence your decisions.

For the Pharisees, the Law of Moses and the words of the prophets were very important.

But for them, something else superseded even these, though they might not have admitted it. That thing was their tradition.

And in some cases, they completely let go of the commandments of God in order to follow their religious traditions, as we saw in the last blog. Jesus condemned them for this, saying,

You nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition. (Matthew 15:6)

Unfortunately, there are a lot of Christians who live that way today. They let go of the commands of God in their lives in favor of something else.

For some people, it’s their culture and traditions.

I know of some Japanese Christians that still offer incense at the Buddhist altar. Some make the excuse, “Well, it’s just a cultural thing. It really doesn’t mean anything. It’s just something we Japanese do.”

But in doing so, they are letting go of the commands of God for the sake of tradition, much as the Pharisees did.

But culture can shape us in other ways.

Nowadays, we see a strong homosexual movement in the United States, where even people who say they believe in Christ say it’s okay.

What’s happened? They are bowing to a culture that is becoming more and more godless every day. They are conforming their values to meet the standards of the culture, and in doing so, they again let go of the commands of God.

Other people let go of the commands of God for their own personal opinions.

They know, for example, that God has said Christians should not marry unbelievers. But they think, “How bad can it be? I love this guy. I’m sure it will work out.”

But by marrying the unbeliever, they let go of the clear teaching of God.

How about you? What is the standard for your life? Culture? Traditions? Your own personal opinion?

There can only be one standard for our lives, and that is the Word of God. Cultures change. Traditions change. Opinions change. But God’s word never changes.

As Isaiah said,

The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever. (Isaiah 40:8)

So let us not base our values on things that change. Let us base our values on the word of God which never changes. And if we do, we will find blessing.

Categories
Mark Mark 7 Matthew Matthew 15

Leaving behind blind guides

The gospels

Here we see another confrontation between Jesus and the Pharisees.

Because Jesus’ disciples did not wash their hands in the ceremonial way prescribed by Jewish tradition, the Pharisees criticized them and Jesus as well for letting his disciples get away with such a “travesty.”

But Jesus tears into the Pharisees because they put their own traditions over God’s law.

He then gave them an example of this. The Pharisees taught that a person could say to his needy parents, “I’ve devoted this money to God, so I can’t help you out financially.”

But they taught this at the expense of breaking God’s law concerning honoring your parents.

He then applied Isaiah’s words to them when he said,

These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.

They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men. (Matthew 15:8-9)

When Jesus’s disciples noted that his words offended the Pharisees, Jesus replied,

Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be pulled up by the roots.

Leave them; they are blind guides.

If a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit. (Matthew 15:13-14)

What can we get from all of this?

Be very careful about who you listen to. A lot of people sound good when they speak. They may sound very authoritative and speak with great power.

But if what they’re teaching contradicts God’s word, eventually their ministry will be exposed for what it truly is, and it will be pulled out. If not in this world, then come judgment day when God will burn all works whose foundation is faulty.

If they are Christians, they themselves will be saved, but all that they “accomplished” will be burned. (1 Corinthians 3:10-15)

So test everything you hear. From your pastor. From any Christian book that you read. From any speaker you hear on a podcast or on the radio.

If what they are teaching is consistent with God’s word, listen and obey. If it isn’t, don’t.

And if they consistently teach things contrary to the Word of God, walk away from them completely. Because if you don’t, you’ll walk straight into the pit they’re headed for.

Categories
John John 6

The One who gives offense

John

I wonder what it is exactly that gave the Jews offense as they listened to Jesus.

It’s very possible that they simply didn’t understand what Jesus was saying and were taking his words literally, instead of figuratively as he meant them.

Namely, when Jesus said,

I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.

Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.

For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink.

Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him. (John 6:53-56)

Taken literally, it would be abhorrent to anyone, but especially to the Jew who had been taught from childhood that to eat anything with blood in it was strictly prohibited.

But of course, Jesus wasn’t speaking literally, he was speaking figuratively as I pointed out in the last blog.

To “eat his flesh” is to come to him, and to “drink his blood” is to believe in him. And if you come to Jesus and believe in him, you will never be spiritually hungry or thirsty again (John 6:35).

At any rate it is possible that the Jews were offended by what he said because they took it literally.

But it’s just possible that they took it as Jesus meant it and were offended by it. It’s possible they understood that Jesus was saying that he was the only way to eternal life.

Even today, people say, “This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?” (John 6:60)

When Christians say that Jesus is the only way to God, people often get offended.

And so I hear some Christians, and worse, even some Christian leaders waffling on the issue at times.

“Well, I’m sure that Jesus didn’t really mean he was the ONLY way. I’m sure there’s an out somewhere.”

But Jesus meant what he said. Apart from coming to him and believing in him, no one will ever see eternal life. There will only be judgment and eternal punishment waiting for those who reject him.

Jesus told the Jews,

The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. (John 6:63)

There are different ways to interpret this verse. (We looked at one yesterday).

It’s possible, though, that Jesus was telling these Jews who were trying to work their way into heaven through the Law:

“All your efforts are meaningless. You can’t do enough to earn your way to heaven.

“In fact, apart from me, all your efforts are like filthy rags before God. Only the Holy Spirit can give you life.

“And he will only give you life if you come to me and believe in me.”

He then said, “All that I have been saying are spiritual words, and if you’ll just accept them, they’ll give you life.”

But as many people do today, many of the Jews rejected them and walked away from Jesus.

And so Jesus asks us what he asks the disciples,

You do not want to leave too, do you? (John 6:67)

May our answer be as Peter’s,

Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.

We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God. (John 6:68-69)

Categories
John John 6

“Working” for true bread

John

This is one of the more powerful passages in scripture, but it is also a somewhat difficult one.

After Jesus fed the 5000, they wanted Jesus to become their king, and so he left. When they found him, Jesus admonished them,

I tell you the truth, you are looking for me, not because you saw miraculous signs but because you ate the loaves and had your fill.

Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. On him God the Father has placed his seal of approval. (John 6:26-27)

In other words, the only reason you’re seeking me is for physical reasons, not for spiritual ones.

I gave you physical bread, but don’t make what’s temporary your priority in life. Instead, work for the food that gives eternal life.

The Jews then said, “What should we do to do the works of God?”

Perhaps, they expected him to say, “Well, memorize the scriptures. Keep the ten commandments, and make sure you keep all the other laws as well.”

After all, that’s the kind of thing they heard all the time.

But Jesus told them something totally unexpected. He said,

The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent. (John 6:29)

In other words, “The only thing you can do to obtain eternal life is to put your trust in me. Eternal life doesn’t come from keeping God’s law. It comes from putting your faith in me.”

I’m sure this must have bothered the Jews to hear this, and so they asked for a miraculous sign to prove what he said, pointing out that Moses gave the Israelites manna in the desert as a sign to them that he was God’s servant.

But Jesus responded that it wasn’t Moses that gave the Israelites bread, but God.

He then taught them that the manna was a mere symbol of the true bread that would come into the world and give people, not a life that was temporary, but eternal life.

His next words, though, truly stunned them.

I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty. (John 6:35)

This by the way is the whole key to the passage. Jesus isn’t talking literally. He isn’t literally a piece of bread. And just because you come to him and believe in him doesn’t mean you’ll never have to eat another meal. All of this is spiritual.

To “eat his flesh,” is to come to him. To “drink his blood,” is to believe in him. And if you come to him and believe in him, you will never be hungry or thirsty for God again.

You see this theme throughout this passage.

He told them that their problem was they had seen him, the true bread and did not believe in him. But all the Father gave him would come to him.

He said if you look to the Son and believe in him you’ll have eternal life (John 6:40).

That everyone who listens to the Father comes to Jesus (John 6:45).

That he who believes has eternal life (John 6:47).

He then pointed out that if you eat physical bread, you’ll eventually die, but if you eat this spiritual bread, if you come to the one who gave his life for the world on the cross, you will live forever (John 6:51, 58).

He goes to say that if you do not come to him (eat his flesh) and believe in him (drink his blood), you do not have eternal life.

But if you do, you will be raised bodily when Jesus returns and you’ll live forever (John 6:53-54).

And if you come to him and believe in him, you will remain in him, and he in you (John 6:56).

Finally, he concludes by saying that physical food in the end counts for nothing because it can’t give eternal life. His words, on the other hand, will impart eternal life if you’ll only believe them. (John 6:63)

What can we get from all this? If you want true satisfaction in life, it only comes in a relationship with God.

And the only way you’re going to have a relationship with God is by coming to Jesus and putting your faith in him and his work on the cross.

Have you done so?

Categories
John John 6 Mark Mark 6 Matthew Matthew 14

Doubting Jesus

The gospels

As I was looking through the three gospel accounts of this story, there are a lot of things that struck me.

First, the balance that Jesus kept in his life. That though he would often sacrifice his needs to meet the needs of others, he nevertheless always made time to get alone to be with his Father. If he needed to do that, how much more do we need to?

But as he was up on the mountain, he looked down and saw his disciples struggling out in the ocean. And yet, though he saw, he waited until 3 to 6 a.m. in the morning to go out to them.

In the same way, sometimes, Jesus will let us go through times of struggles. It doesn’t mean he has abandoned us. He’s still watching over us.

But he does allow us to go through times of testing, and I think the reason is to see just how much we trust him, even when we can’t see him.

Jesus had told his disciples, “I’ll see you on the other side.”

Yet how many of his disciples actually believed his words and thought they’d reach the other side when they were struggling out in the ocean?

And then Jesus goes out to them, walking on the water, and even acts as he is about to pass them by. When they see him they’re terrified thinking he is a ghost. But Jesus tells them, “Hey, don’t worry, it’s me.”

Then we have the famous story of Peter going out to Jesus on the water.

But as he looks at the wind and the waves, and starts to sink, so he cries, “Lord, save me!”

And Jesus, in his love and grace, does so, but asks, “Oh, Peter, why did you doubt?”

But at the end of the story, we see that Peter wasn’t the only one who had a problem with doubt. For as Jesus came into the boat, immediately the wind died down, and it says in Mark that the disciples were completely amazed. Why?

For they had not understood about the loaves; their hearts were hardened. (Mark 6:52)

And that last verse is what struck me the most. They had not understood about the loaves. What didn’t they understand about the loaves? Two things.

Number one, that Jesus cared deeply for them. He cared so much that he would take care of their needs.

Number two, that Jesus had the power to take care of their needs.

As Peter walked out onto that water, he was fine until he took his eyes off of Jesus and started looking at the wind and waves.

How often are we the same? We take our eyes off of Jesus, his love for us, and his power to deal with every situation, and we look only at our circumstances. As a result doubt creeps into our minds and we start to sink.

I’ve got to admit, despite all that I’ve seen God do in my life, doubt still creeps in my heart. So this is my prayer.

Lord, I’ve seen you do so much in my life. I’ve seen your goodness to me. I’ve seen your love. I’ve seen your power. Yet I still doubt, somehow.

It’s so stupid, I know. Lord, increase my faith. Soften my hardened heart. And help me to truly understand about the loaves. About your love. And about your power in my life, if I’ll just trust you. In your name I pray, amen.

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Matthew Matthew 10

The “great” and the “small”

Matthew

It’s interesting to me how Jesus finishes this discourse. He tells the disciples that if people receive them, they are receiving him.

The reverse is also true. When people reject us because of the gospel, they aren’t merely rejecting us, they are rejecting Christ who is in us.

Basically, this means, don’t take their rejection personally. It may hurt, especially if they are people we care for. But ultimately, they’re not rejecting you because of who you are. They’re rejecting you because of who you represent.

But Jesus goes off on this to lay down a principle for the disciples to remember.

He says in the same way, if a person receives a prophet, they will receive a prophet’s reward. And if a person receives a righteous person, he will receive a righteous person’s reward.

Here, I think Jesus is specifically referring to people who provide room and board for others doing ministry, as people would do for the disciples on their mission trip.

Why did Jesus say this? I think he was reminding them that though their work was important, they were not to look down on others who were given other tasks by God to do.

He was telling them that the people who would provide for them were as worthy of as much honor as the disciples themselves.

The disciples may have been doing the “spiritual” work, but these others were taking care of the “practical” work that was needed for the ministry to go forward.

Too often, we look to the pastors, teachers, and worship leaders as the “great people of the church.”

But we fail to look at the other people who work behind the scenes. The ones who run the audio equipment or the ones who set up the room, for example.

These too are worthy of praise, and will be honored by God just as much as the person who is up front speaking or singing.

Since God honors them, we need to remember to honor them too.

But Jesus goes beyond that, saying,

And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is my disciple, I tell you the truth, he will certainly not lose his reward. (Matthew 10:42)

I wonder what Jesus is talking about here.

Did he happen to be holding a “little one,” that is a child, in his lap as he said this? Or was he referring to the disciples and prophets as “little ones?”

If he was talking about a little child, it’s a reminder to us that even caring for the needs of a child because he belongs to Christ is important to God.

If he’s talking about the prophets and disciples, it’s a reminder that they are “little ones” themselves. Certainly not people who should hold themselves over others because of the position they’d been given.

Are you in a “greater” position than others?

Remember that what others do for God’s kingdom, even if it’s “just” supporting your work, is just as important as what you do. So honor them as such.

Are you in a “lower” position? Remember that if you are faithful in what God calls you to do, he honors you just as much as the people in the “higher positions.”

Because when it’s all said and done, God considers us all valuable in his sight and will honor us if we are faithful.

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Matthew Matthew 10

Jesus: A sword that divides?

Matthew

Jesus concludes his discourse on persecution by saying something a bit disturbing.

Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.

For I have come to turn “a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law — a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.” (Matthew 10:34-36)

Jesus is called the Prince of Peace. How can he then say that he didn’t come to bring peace, but a sword that would turn even a person’s own family against him (or her)?

The thing to remember is that while Jesus is the Prince of Peace, that peace will ultimately come when he returns and he reigns over all. That time, however, is not now.

And so he reiterates his earlier warning, that people from your own family may turn against you for following Christ.

Sadly, I’ve seen this happen in Japan more than once. I knew of a girl whose father threatened to disown her and kick her out of the house if she continued with her Christian faith.

Following Christ can lead to discord in a family. The question is, how will we respond?

Do we hide our faith, though continuing to believe? I’ve known people who have done just that…and got into big trouble when they were found out.

But more than that, Jesus said,

Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven.

But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven. (Matthew 10:32-33)

Can you really say that you love and follow Christ if you deny him before the very people that you love?

Can you deny him throughout your life, and still call yourself a Christian?

I’m not saying there may not be moments of weakness. Peter certainly had them. He denied knowing Jesus three times. But in the end, he went to the cross for his faith in Jesus.

Jesus then said,

Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.

Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. (Matthew 10:37-39)

In other words, Jesus needs to be more important to you than family, and you need to put him first, no matter what suffering you may go through.

Because if you try to hold on to your family at the expense of Christ, if you compromise your faith to keep family peace, you’ll eventually lose them all in hell.

But if you are willing to lose them, if you’re willing to break up family peace because of your faith in Christ, who knows if your family and those you love won’t turn around and come to follow Christ?

The words I’m saying are not easy. But know that even if you lose your all your blood relatives, you have another family to help you.

People that will love you. People that will support you. People that will help you through the hard times.

That’s what the church is all about. Not a building. But a family.

So let us not compromise our faith for the sake of “peace,” even among family. Rather let us always put Jesus first. Only in doing so will we ever find true peace.

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Matthew Matthew 10

When persecution comes

Matthew

Persecution.

Not a pleasant word. And not something that I really want to go through. But one thing that the Bible warns us is that it will come. Paul warns us in 2 Timothy 3:12,

In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.

Not might be. Not possibly will be. Will.

Like I said in the last blog, if your goal is to be like your Teacher, some people will hate you for it. Persecution is just the next step beyond that.

Jesus knew that, so he warned his disciples about it. He called them (and us) sheep among wolves. (16)

What instructions does he give about facing persecution?

First, as I mentioned before, be on your guard. Watch out for the people that would hurt you because of your faith.

Jesus was talking about physical harm, of course, but we could extend it to emotional harm as well. There are some people with vile tongues that will try to hurt you because of your faith. Know who they are.

And if you’re in danger of getting hurt either physically or emotionally, Jesus says to flee. Don’t feel like you have to keep preaching to them once you’ve fulfilled your duty.

Rather, Jesus says that if they reject your message to,

Shake the dust off your feet when you leave [them]. (Matthew 10:14)

Jews used to do that when leaving foreign lands because they felt to take the dirt from those lands into Israel would be to make Israel unclean.

And so Jesus was telling his disciples, “Make it clear to these Jews who reject you that they are the ones who are unclean because they have rejected your message, and that their blood is now on their own heads, because you have warned them.”

In the same way, we should let people know, “I’ve done my duty, but you’ve rejected my message, and now you’re persecuting me because of it. I feel sorry for you and love you, but I can’t make you believe.

“You are now responsible before God for what you do with what I’ve told you.”

And then leave. Once you’ve fulfilled your duty, there is no need to expose yourself to further abuse.

It is easy, however, once we’ve been exposed to persecution to become afraid that it will happen again. And because of that, we become hesitant to speak again to others who have not heard the message.

But Jesus tells us,

Do not be afraid of them. There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed or hidden that will not be made known.

What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs. (Matthew 10:26-27)

In other words, “My words that I have told to you in private will eventually get out. Nothing can stop it, not even persecution. So don’t be afraid. Keep proclaiming boldly what I’ve told you.”

He then warns us not to fear those who can kill their body, but the one that can destroy body and soul in hell. (28).

That’s not Satan. Satan is a victim of hell, not the ruler.

But we are to remember that people are dying and going to hell every day because they have rejected God. God has no choice but to send them there, because no impure thing can enter heaven.

That fear for those we hold dear should be more than enough to keep us proclaiming boldly the message of the gospel no matter what persecution we may face.

But then he gives us words of comfort,

Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father.

And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. (29-31)

Jesus tells us that though persecution will come, God will not forget you. He will see you though.

And if the time comes when you must die for his sake (Jesus never says that the sparrow won’t die, only that it never happens apart from God’s will), even in that God will be with you and you will see him shortly on the other side.

So let us not fear persecution. Rather let us proclaim boldly the Word of Life that he has given us.

Categories
Matthew Matthew 10

Trying to be loved by all

Matthew

I was reading Matthew 10 with my wife last night, and I realized that I had meant to come back to this passage in a bit more detail and never did.

So before I move on, let’s go back a bit to the instructions Jesus gave to his disciples when they went out to minister to Israel.

There are many things that strike me here.

First, Jesus’ words in verses 7-8 where he instructs them to preach the kingdom, to heal, raise the dead, and drive out demons, after which he says,

Freely you have received, freely give. (Matthew 10:8b)

In other words, you have received the grace of God freely, so give freely of it. The kingdom of God is not for the purpose of making worldly profit.

This is not to say that people can’t be financially supported for their work, because he says in the next verse, that a worker is worth his keep.

But our goal in preaching the gospel should not be getting something from the other person. Rather, it is to pass on to them what we have received.

But the thing that strikes me most is that Jesus warns them that not everyone will accept them. Not everyone will love them for giving them God’s message and doing his work.

In fact, he specifically warns them that some people would reject them, and hate them for it. And so he warns them that they should be wary of the very people they minister to, even their own families.

Sounds paranoid? In this day and age, it probably is. But in that day and age it wasn’t.

Persecution became very great in the early part of the church, particularly in the time of Saul. And if you trusted everyone, you would be dead.

Even your own family members and friends would betray you, because like Saul, they thought they were doing God’s will.

So Jesus told them, be as wise as serpents. In short, think before you act. Think about who you’re dealing with. Can they be trusted?

But he also told them to be as innocent as doves. Don’t become so jaded to people because of betrayal that you become like them, hating and trying to hurt them back.

What can we get from this? Understand that if you follow Jesus, not everyone will love you for it. You may not have to worry about being killed because of your family and friends, but they may very well reject you.

Jesus told his disciples,

A student is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. It is enough for the student to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master.

If the head of the house has been called Beelzebub, how much more the members of his household! (24-25)

Jesus was perfect love. He was perfect in all his ways. And people still hated him. They called him the devil himself. And then they killed him.

If we follow Jesus, can we expect to be treated better than our teacher?

So don’t make it your goal to be loved by everyone. It won’t happen. Rather, simply make it your goal to be like your Teacher, the one who gave everything for you, even his own life.

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John John 6 Luke Luke 9 Mark Mark 6 Matthew Matthew 14

Though we may have little…

The gospels

I have probably read or heard this passage a billion times, so it’s always exciting when God gives me a new way of looking at a passage.

Jesus’ disciples had just come back from their mission trip, and were probably exhausted. So after they reported back to Jesus, it says in Mark 6:31,

Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.”

There was probably another reason, however, that Jesus wanted to get away with his disciples and we see it in Matthew.

When Jesus heard [that John the Baptist had been killed], he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. (Matthew 14:13)

According to Matthew, another reason Jesus went to be alone was that he had heard that John had been killed.

Now part of this withdrawing was probably for his own safety, as Herod apparently was looking for him. (Luke 9:9).

But why does the passage emphasize “privately?” Why did he only want to be with his disciples?

I think we forget sometimes that though Jesus was fully God, he was also fully human.

I don’t know how close Jesus was to John, but they were cousins. It’s possible they had played together as children.

John had baptized Jesus at the beginning of his ministry, and Jesus had encouraged John at a time when he was in deep depression.

So I don’t think Jesus just thought, “Oh, that’s okay. He’ll be with me in heaven soon enough.”

I think he wanted some time to mourn for John. Remember too, that at least two of his disciples had once been disciples of John as well. (John 1:37). They probably needed time to mourn too.

They didn’t have long to do so, however, because the crowds followed them, and they pressed their needs upon them, not knowing that Jesus and his disciples had needs of their own.

Now if it had been me, I might have gotten upset. I might have said, “I’m hurting, get lost!”

Or at the very least, “You know, I want to spend time with you, but could you come back another time. I need some time for myself today.”

But Jesus not only let them come, he welcomed them. (Luke 9:11). Not only did he welcome them, he spent the entire day with them.

Then evening came. His disciples came up to him, and said, “Hey it’s late. Why don’t you send everyone home so they can get something to eat.”

And Jesus had the perfect excuse to send thousands of people home. But he didn’t. Instead, he said, “You give them something to eat.”

“But Lord, we can’t possibly meet the needs of all these people.”

“What do you have?”

“We have only a little.”

“Give it to me.”

And Jesus took what they had, blessed it, and multiplied it, not only meeting the needs of the people, but of the disciples themselves. Not only were the disciples satisfied, they had much left over when it was all said and done.

The new thing I got from this passage?

Sometimes, we feel like we have little or nothing to give because we’re tired or even hurting. But if God is asking us to do something, not only will he give us enough to meet the needs of others, he’ll give us more than enough to meet our own needs as well.

I suppose the key phrase there is, “If God is asking us to do something…”

God does not ask us to meet everyone’s needs. If we try to do that, we will burn out.

So the question we need to ask is, “Is God giving me compassion to reach out to these people even though I don’t feel like I have much to give? And is God telling me to reach out to this person?”

Or am I simply feeling like ‘I have to reach out. It’s my duty.'”

If God is not giving you compassion, if you are not hearing him speak to your heart, you probably need to pass that person to another.

But if God gives you the compassion and the word to go, he will take what little you have, bless it, multiply it, and not only meet the needs of the other, but yours as well.

Categories
Luke Luke 9 Mark Mark 6 Matthew Matthew 14

I respect you, but…

The gospels

As I look at this passage, Herod is a puzzle to me.

He apparently wasn’t happy with John the Baptist when John condemned him for taking his (that is, Herod’s) brother’s wife and marrying her.

It’s possible, though, that he would never have done anything, even arrest John, if Herodias, his wife, hadn’t prodded him too. She actually wanted Herod to kill John, but even Herod refused to go that far, although he had apparently wanted to at first.

Part of his refusal was his fear of the people. (Matthew 14:5). But perhaps as time went on, he gained a respect for this prophet who was anything but a “yes-man” to the king.

It says in Mark that Herod had come to recognize that John was different, that he was a righteous and holy man. And for some reason, he liked listening to John.

You have to wonder why though, because John probably drilled him for his sin time and again. Whatever John said, it “perplexed him.”

Whether it was John and his courage to condemn the king to his face that perplexed Herod, or whether it was something else that John said, I don’t know. But one thing that never happened was that Herod never repented.

And the day came when, on his birthday, his daughter danced in front of him, probably a very lewd one, and he was so pleased that he promised her up to half the kingdom if she asked. On consultation with her mother, she asked for John’s head.

Her request “distressed” Herod, but out of his pride and unwillingness to look bad in front of his guests, he gave in to her request and killed John.

I don’t know if it happened, at a guess not, but I can just imagine his final conversation with John.

“Sorry about this. Nothing personal, you understand. I really do respect you, and I don’t want to do this, but my daughter asked for your head, so…”

It’s easy to condemn Herod for his actions, but how often do we take that same attitude with Christ. We hear his words. Something in them stirs our hearts.

But instead of following his words, we ultimately turn our back on them and Him. Rather, we put priority on our pride, our family, or other things in our lives.

What about you? Do you go to church and listen to the message, or do you read the words of this blog, and say, “There’s something there. Something about it feels strangely good even though it stings to hear it. I really respect this messenger. He really is someone to be admired.

“But….”

And ultimately turn your backs on what God is telling you?

It’s not enough to respect the messengers God sends you.

It’s not enough to admit they are (hopefully) godly men.

But insofar as they proclaim the words of God, you need to take action. To let those words penetrate your heart and cause repentance and change. Because God will hold you accountable for what you have heard and know.

What do you do with what you hear?

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Luke Luke 9 Mark Mark 6 Matthew Matthew 10

Discipleship: The spiritual and the practical

The gospels

Happy Resurrection Sunday people west of Japan! 🙂 I hope you enjoy yours as much as I did mine. I’m now back blogging after a short one-day break.

Anyway, as I look at how Jesus discipled his men, he versed them in both the spiritual and the practical.

For a long time, he versed them in the spiritual. He gave them the Sermon on the Mount and on the Plain. He gave them the parables and explained them. And he gave them many other teachings as well.

But now as he was sending them out into the ministry, he gave them practical instruction as well as spiritual.

Among the practical, he told them to go to the Jews, not the Gentiles or Samaritans. Why?

Because the gospel was for the Jews first, as Paul mentions in Romans. The time to preach to the others had not fully come yet, although Jesus did do some ministry to the non-Jews as well.

In addition, he told them what to bring and not to bring. (Matthew 10:9-10)

He gave them instructions on accommodations. (Matthew 10:11-13)

And what to do in face of rejection and persecution. (Matthew 10:14, 23)

He was also fiercely practical in warning them not to trust everyone, and that they needed to be shrewd in dealing with people, while maintaining their innocence. (Matthew 10:16-17)

Among the spiritual reminders were to trust in God to provide for them and protect them, and that God loved them more than the sparrows which God cares for daily. (Matthew 10:9-10; 29-31)

He also reminded them that they needed to love him above all else, and that they were to take up their cross daily and follow him. That if they would try to save their life they would lose it, but if they lost it for his sake, they would gain it. (Matthew 10:37-39)

So what am I trying to say?

When we disciple people to do ministry, we need to teach them both the spiritual and the practical.

We of course need to teach them the spiritual principles that apply not just to their ministry but to their lives. But we also need to teach them practically how to do ministry.

Jesus himself let his disciples watch how he did things and then after a while, after giving them further instructions, sent them out.

And when they came back, we see that they reported to Jesus all that they had done, at which point, I’m sure Jesus gave them feedback. That’s what we should do with people we disciple in ministry.

Now this is not to say that people we train are to do carbon copies of our ministry. But we do need to teach them the basics, and then once they have that foundation down, let them build their ministry as God leads them.

The problem with many people that disciple others in the ministry is that they do one kind of training but not the other.

They may give the person spiritual training but not the practical, and as a result the person falls on their face simply because they were not trained practically on what is needed to make a ministry run smoothly.

On the other hand, other people focus exclusively on the practical, only to find that the person they trained falls because of pride, sin, or many of the other spiritual pitfalls ministers encounter. As a result, the “smoothly running” ministry collapses.

Let us not make that mistake as we train others in ministry. Let us be sure to teach both the spiritual and the practical. And as we do, we will see God’s kingdom grow on earth as he uses them and us.

Categories
Luke Luke 9 Mark Mark 6 Matthew Matthew 10

A tare in the wheatfield

The gospels

As I look at this passage, for some reason, Judas sticks out to me.

Jesus called his 12 disciples to go out and minister to the people of Israel. Look at what he did. He gave them the authority to drive out demons, he gave them the ability to cure diseases, and he sent them out preaching the kingdom of God.

And as Matthew lists all the disciples, he notes last of all, “Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.” (Matthew 12:4)

Judas drove out demons. Judas healed sick people. Judas went out and preached the kingdom of God. And yet, he would later betray Jesus.

How could that happen? It’s hard to fathom. But I think he is the perfect example of the tare in the wheatfield that Jesus talked about in Matthew 13.

The thing about tares is that they look very similar to wheat. So if a farmer were to try to pull out the tares from the wheat, many times he would end up pulling out the wheat by accident.

That’s why the farmer in the story said to leave them until harvest time, and at that time, he would separate the wheat from the tares.

Judas, like the tare, looked like a believer. He learned with the other disciples. He cast out demons like the others. He healed the sick like the other disciples. And he preached the kingdom like the others. But in his heart, he never truly gave his life to Jesus.

My guess is that he looked only for what a relationship with Jesus could give him. And when he saw that Jesus’ vision was different from his own, and that he would not get from Jesus what he sought, he turned on him and betrayed him.

Many people are like that today. They look like Christians. They sound like Christians. They may even be involved in ministry. But they’ve never truly given their hearts to Jesus.

How about you? Have you given your life to Jesus? Is your life truly his? Or are you like Judas, simply the tare in the wheatfield.

Don’t pretend. You can fool others, your pastor and the people at church. But you can’t fool God. And the day will come when you will be seen for what you really are.

Don’t be that tare. Truly give your life to him. To merely play the Christian will only leave you empty, and result in judgment and death.

Categories
Matthew Matthew 9

Seeing the harvest

Planting seeds

Lots of things to see in this passage.

Jesus went. He went out to preach the good news, to touch, and to heal those who were hurting.

Jesus saw. So many times we see people, but we don’t really see them. Maybe we’re too wrapped up in our own thoughts, our own lives, or our own agendas. And so fail to really see the people we come into contact with.

Other times, we see them but only see the outside. How they look. How they act. But we fail to see the hurt and utter need in their hearts. But Jesus saw all these things.

Jesus had compassion. He not only went and saw, but his heart went out to them.

He had compassion on them as he saw all the chains that Satan had bound them with. He had compassion on them as he saw how Satan was constantly harassing them.

And as they wandered around completely lost, not knowing the path of life, his heart ached for them.

As disciples of Jesus, this is how we should be. Going out. Seeing. Showing compassion.

Jesus exhorted his disciples, pled with his disciples,

The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.
Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. (Matthew 9:37-38)

There’s an old song I love from the Imperials (anyone still remember them?) that I always think of as I read this passage.

It says,

See the fields,
Ripe and white as snow,
Up from the seeds of faith we planted long ago.

So many the hearts in season,
With every prayer they’ve grown.
He has made them ready,
But we must bring them home.

Time like a free wind,
So quickly slips away.
Too soon today’s tomorrow,
Too soon a yesterday.

So little time for the reaping,
And laborers are few,
Lift your heads to the fields of white,
The work that we must do.

Lord of the Harvest,
Place your fire in me.
Servant you need now,
Servant I will be.

Give me the eyes of your Spirit,
Your heart of compassion to know,
Lord of the Harvest,
Show me where to go.

Wherever you may lead me,
Lord of the Harvest,
Lord of the Harvest, I’ll go.

–Paul Smith, James Newton Howard

Categories
Mark Mark 6 Matthew Matthew 13

When people we love refuse our testimony

The gospels

I mentioned before that there were two times Jesus was amazed. The first time was when he saw a Roman centurion’s great faith. (Matthew 8:5-13)

The second time was here. Jesus, by this point, had become well known throughout the nation. This was, in fact, the second time we see him visit his hometown after he had started his ministry.

But though the people noted his miracles, and they noted his wisdom, they refused to believe.

Why? Perhaps it was because they had the picture of a carpenter in their heads. A person who put together their tables, and all the other wooden things in their houses.

All that time, they had never thought of him as anything special. He was just “the carpenter.”

Or perhaps they still thought of him as that little boy who lived down the street. The one who played with their children, and who had visited their houses and shared their food.

But because of these things, they could not imagine taking instruction from him. They could not imagine that they could learn anything from him. And so they took offense at him when he tried to teach them.

That’s why Jesus said,

Only in his hometown, among his relatives and in his own house is a prophet without honor. (Mark 6:4)

What can we take from this? I think there are two things.

First, God can speak to us through the most unexpected of people. But we can miss it if we’re too busy looking down on them.

Sometimes we look down on them because they are younger than us and less experienced. Maybe we look down on them because they are less educated.

Essentially, what it comes down to, whether we admit it or not, is that we look down on them because we don’t think God thinks much of them. And because we think that way, we do not receive the things that they say.

But God can use the old and the young, the educated and uneducated, to speak to us.

He can use the pastor you respect, and he can use the brother or sister or neighbor that annoyed you when you were a kid (and maybe still does annoy you).

If anyone has given their lives to the Lord, the Holy Spirit is living in them, and he can and will speak through them. The question is, do we have a heart that is humble enough to listen? A heart that can see beyond the person to the Spirit that is in them.

The second thing we can learn is that there will be some people that will reject your testimony simply for the reasons I mentioned above.

If it happened to Jesus, and he was perfect, how can you be surprised if it happens to you when you are far from perfect?

You can’t control that. You can’t make someone believe. All you can do is share what God has given you and done for you. And if they reject your testimony, pray for them.

Because there is only one person who can change the human heart, and that’s God.

So in short, don’t get discouraged when people reject your testimony. Stay humble. And always be on the watch for whenever God may be speaking to you. If you do, you’ll find that he speaks a lot more than you ever realized.

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Matthew Matthew 9

What Jesus can do, and what he can’t

Matthew

I had to do a double-take here as I read through these two stories because they are so similar to two others.

One was another case in which Jesus cast out a demon that caused a man to be mute. (Matthew 12:22-37)

The other was the case with Bartimaeus (which we haven’t gotten to yet) and his companion who was also blind. (Matthew 20:29-34; Mark 10:46-52)

At any rate, as I look at these two stories, it strikes me what Jesus can do and what he can’t.

Jesus has the power to heal the blind and to give speech to the mute.

But what he can’t do, or at least, what he won’t do, is make someone believe.

One thing that he asked the two blind men was “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” (Matthew 9:28)

When they answered yes, he told them, “According to your faith will it be done to you,” the clear implication being that they wouldn’t be healed if they didn’t truly believe. (Matthew 9:29)

This is not to say that Jesus can’t heal apart from our faith. There were times when the person didn’t even know who Jesus was, much less put his trust in him, and yet Jesus healed him anyway. (See John 5:1-15)

But most times Jesus did require faith on the part of the people he healed.

As it was, these two men believed and received their sight.

But as you look at the second story, while many of the people looked in wonder at what Jesus had done for the mute man, it did nothing to shake the unbelief of the Pharisees.

They saw the miracle, but merely said, “It is by the prince of demons that he drives out demons.” (Matthew 9:34)

It didn’t matter what Jesus did, what miracles or signs he showed. The Pharisees refused to believe.

And much as he wanted them to believe, he would not make them believe in him, no more than he tried to make the blind men believe. They either did or they didn’t.

The same is true with us. Jesus has given us his word. He can point to all the things he’s done in your life and how he’s blessed you when you trusted and followed him.

But every day, the question you need to ask yourself is, “Do I trust him? Do I trust him enough to follow him and do things his way?”

If you do, you’ll find healing and blessing in your life.

But if you don’t, you’ll end up like the Pharisees, apart from the healing and blessing in God in your life.

What choice will you make?

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Luke Luke 8 Mark Mark 5 Matthew Matthew 9

The God who cleanses and raises the dead

The gospels

When you look throughout the Old Testament, particularly the law of Moses, you see the concept of “clean” and “unclean” a lot.

This referred to things that the Jews were to avoid and things they were allowed to come into contact with.

Women having their period were considered, “unclean,” as were dead bodies. And if you touched them, you yourself became “unclean.”

I’ve mentioned this before, but the remarkable thing about Jesus was that when he touched the “unclean,” he didn’t become unclean himself, rather he cleansed.

We see this in these two stories.

First, we see this woman who had suffered from a discharge of blood for 12 years.

It’s possible that this was a menstrual problem of some sort. But because of it, she was considered unclean all the time, not just once a month. And though she went to many doctors and tried many remedies, none worked.

So in her desperation, she reached out to touch Jesus’ garment, thinking that if she could only do so, she would be healed.

Why didn’t she ask Jesus directly? Perhaps she was ashamed of her condition. Perhaps she thought Jesus would reject her because of her unclean state.

But after her healing, Jesus immediately asked, “Who touched me?” And he would not let it go until she spoke up.

Why did he do this? I think there were a couple of reasons.

First, he wanted her to know for sure in her heart that she was healed. That this condition would not return.

Second, perhaps it was for the sake of the people who knew her that they could also be sure that she had been cleansed, because for 12 years, she had probably been ostracized by society because of her condition.

After this, he went to the house of a synagogue leader named Jairus, who had asked him to heal his daughter. But after he had healed the woman, messengers came to say it was too late for Jairus’ daughter. She was dead.

But Jesus told Jairus to not give up, but believe. And as he went up to the dead girl’s bed, he said with great tenderness, “Little girl, get up.”

And immediately she got up.

What can we get from this?

All of us are made unclean by our sin. Maybe we feel stained beyond cleansing. We feel it’s too late for God’s forgiveness to come.

Or maybe because of our sin, we feel that our hope is dead. Our marriage is falling apart. Our finances are a mess. Or we feel that we have no future.

But the God who cleansed the woman and raised the little girl to life is the same God who can cleanse us from our sin and give us new life. And he can do it with one word, one touch.

All we need to do is ask in faith, putting our trust in him and Christ’s work on the cross, and he will do it.

So as Paul prayed, so I pray for you now.

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 15:13)

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Luke Luke 8 Mark Mark 5 Matthew Matthew 8

Set free

The gospels

A very bizarre story to say the least. Here, Jesus and his disciples come to the other side of the lake following the storm, and when they do, they immediately come across two demon possessed men.

(One wonders why only one is mentioned in Mark and Luke. Perhaps only one of them came to a saving faith, but that is only speculation).

Perhaps as they first were drawing near the shore, they heard these strange howls and cries, and they wondered what in the world those howls were.

Then when they reach shore, these men come running out naked, and possibly with broken chains hanging from their hands and feet.

And when the disciples look more closely, they notice cuts up and down these men’s bodies, and they can see they’re self-inflicted.

How would you have felt? I would have been frightened out of my mind.

But Jesus commands the demons to leave.

At first, they resisted, shouting, “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? Have you come here to torture us before the appointed time? Swear to God that you won’t torture me.” (Matthew 8:29; Mark 5:7)

But when Jesus continues to demand they leave, they ask permission to go into a herd of pigs, and when they do, the pigs jump off a steep bank and drown in the lake.

When the townspeople come out and see the men in their right minds, however, they are frightened out of their minds at the transformation and ask Jesus to leave.

What can we get from this?

I think the first thing is that demons are real, and are not to be trifled with.

Some people “play” with tarot cards and ouija boards thinking it’s just a game, but whenever you “play” with these things, you’re opening yourself up to a spiritual beings…and they are not from God.

One person put it this way. “There is a door to the spiritual world, and the doorknob is only on our side. But when we open that door, anything can come in.”

Note too that these demons do not mean us any good. Sometimes they disguise themselves as angels of light, but ultimately, they seek our destruction.

You can see that in their treatment of these men, but also in what happened to the pigs when they entered them. Tarot cards and ouija boards may seem fun, but the powers behind them are seeking to destroy you.

The good news is that we don’t have to be afraid of them. Because as powerful as demons are, Jesus clearly shows here that he has the authority over them.

That said, stay as far as possible from anything occultic. You may be forced to encounter demons, but that doesn’t mean you should go pursuing encounters with them.

Hopefully, you’ll never encounter demon possession, but there are other things I think we can get from this passage.

One thing is that while sin may seem fun, in the end, it controls you and will destroy you.

I don’t know how these men came to be demon possessed, but it didn’t come by seeking God. And while they may have opened the door to these demons, once they came in, they were no longer in control, the demons were.

In the same way, we may start out by choosing sin, but in the end, it controls us. Like the men in this story, a lot of the wounds we have are self-inflicted. And apart from repentance and God’s grace, sin will destroy us.

But as with Jesus and these demoniacs, Jesus has the power to set us free. If we will turn to him and repent, he will forgive our sins, and help us to overcome sin in our lives.

Not everyone will be happy with the change, however. The people from their hometown certainly weren’t. They asked Jesus to leave.

As bad and frightening as these men used to be, it seems the townspeople almost wished they had never changed. People may feel the same about you.

But Jesus calls us to minister to them. And like Jesus told these men, so he tells you,

Return home and tell how much God has done for you. (Luke 8:39)

Jesus has set you free. Won’t you share what God has done for you so that he can set free those you love too?

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Luke Luke 8 Mark Mark 4 Matthew Matthew 8

Our faith

The gospels

I look at Jesus’ words, “O you of little faith,” and I can’t help but think that if he were to see me now, he would say the same thing. “O Bruce, why do you have so little faith?”

Think for a bit about the circumstances the disciples faced. They’re taking the boat across the lake just as Jesus told them to.

At first, things are calm, but suddenly, as is often the case in that region, a sudden squall comes in. Now, waves are crashing in the boat, and row as they might against the wind and the waves, they’re not getting anywhere.

Suddenly the thought comes, “Why doesn’t Jesus do something?” They look down and find him fast asleep in the boat. Here they are about to die, and Jesus is sleeping?

So they wake him up and shout, “Master! Master! Save us! Don’t you care we’re about to drown?”

I wonder at that point, what exactly they expected Jesus to do? From their reaction at the end of the story, they certainly didn’t expect him to do what he did. So what then?

My guess, is they had no clue. They asked not truly believing that Jesus could do anything, but at the same time thinking that if there was anyone who could save them, it was him. A strange mixture of faith and unbelief.

How often are we the same?

We’re drowning in our circumstances. We’ve exhausted all efforts trying to keep our boat afloat, and now, we cry out to Jesus, not because we truly believe he can help us, but because we have no other options. We cry, not in faith, but in desperation.

In our panic, we even wonder if he’s asleep on the job. If he really cares.

Yet Jesus in his grace, brings us through the storm as he gently chides, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” (Mark 4:40)

Which brings me back to my original question. How often does Jesus ask that of me? Why would I doubt that he cares, and why would I doubt that he is in control when he has proven himself time and time again? And yet I do.

Would that I could completely trust him. To not let anxiety take over me when I lose control of a situation (as if I ever were in control?).

To ask of him not in panic or fear, but in faith, fully believing that he does care for me, and will meet my needs.

How about you? Is that your heart’s cry?

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Matthew Matthew 13

Sharing what we know

Matthew

What do we do with what we have received?

This is the question that will be asked of us when the day of judgment comes. And I think that’s partially, at least, what Jesus was telling his disciples here.

First, he asks, “Do you understand these things? Do you understand all I have said about God’s kingdom?”

When his disciples said yes, he told them,

Therefore every teacher of the law who has been instructed about the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house who brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well as old. (Matthew 13:52)

I take from this two things.

First, knowledge of the kingdom of heaven is a treasure. It is not to be taken lightly or treated with disdain.

Second, we are to bring these treasures out to meet the needs we face, not just in our own lives, but in the lives of those around us.

We have a treasure in the knowledge of the kingdom.

We have treasure in knowing that God sees each person as a valuable pearl of great price, so much so, that he gave up everything in order to purchase them.

We have a treasure in knowing that the evil that we see will not last. It will be purged, and all evil will be judged.

We have treasure in knowing that God is working in this world even now, and that though the seeds he has planted are small, and though we cannot totally understand how, they will inevitably grow and cannot be stopped.

And they will bring joy and peace to all who take shelter under the work he has done and is doing.

Some of these things will be old news to those who hear, but to some, it will be completely new.

But as we see the people in this world, a people crying for love, a people crying for purpose and meaning, let us bring out these treasures of the kingdom. For only in doing so will their spiritual hunger and thirst be satisfied.

Just as importantly, however, God will hold us accountable for the knowledge that he’s given us.

And he will ask you, “What have you done with what I’ve taught you? Have you shared it with those who are dying around you?”

What are you doing with the treasures God has given you?

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Matthew Matthew 13

Parable of the net: A coming judgment

Matthew

It has been said that Jesus spoke more on hell than he did about heaven. And here we see one of his teachings on the coming judgment.

As I’ve mentioned before, it can get frustrating to see all the evil in the world and wonder why God doesn’t do more about it.

But here, we see the day is coming when he will. All will be caught up and brought before him to be judged, both the living and the spirits of those who have died.

On that day, those who are evil will be weeded out from those who are righteous. While the righteous will be rewarded and go on to live with God forever, it is the wicked that Jesus focuses on here.

And he says of them,

The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. (Matthew 13:49-50)

Why does he tell us this? I think more than anything, it’s to give us hope. It’s to remind us that evil will not last forever, and that it will be dealt with for all eternity. And in a world full of evil, we need that hope.

But I think he also tells us this as a warning. That God’s patience will not last forever.

God does not desire that any should perish, but if they stubbornly reject him despite all his entreaties to them, he will let them have what they desire. A life without him forever.

Unfortunately, what they will find out is that a life without God is a life of despair. And that’s what they will have for all eternity.

So many people run from God because they think he’s trying to kill their joy. But the reality is that there is no joy apart from him.

So as you look at the evil around you, remember a day of judgment is coming. And ask yourself, “Am I ready?”

If you are, if you have received God’s salvation by faith, ask yourself the next question: “Are those I love ready?”

If they aren’t, are you doing everything you can to make sure that they are.

Hell is a reality. Jesus taught it. Do you believe it? Do you believe it enough that you are working for the salvation of those you love?

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Matthew Matthew 13

Parables of the Hidden Treasure and the Pearl: The joy of salvation

gold coins

I read a story recently of a couple in California that were walking through their garden and found a can sticking out from under their tree. When they took a careful look, they found a number of gold coins in it.

They then found other cans with coins in them dating back to the 1800s. In all, they are worth more than 10 million dollars. Imagine finding that in your garden!

That’s very similar to the picture Jesus gives in these two stories.

In the first, a man finds some buried treasure in a field, and when he does, he quickly covers it up and sells everything he has to buy the field (unlike this couple which already owned the property).

In the second, a pearl merchant is searching for pearls, and finds one for sale, but it was worth a great price. Because he didn’t have the money to buy it, he sold everything he had in order to get it.

Two things strike me. First the joy of the finder. Second, how much he was willing to purchase what he found.

A lot of people compare this story to the joy people have in coming to Christ.

In Christ, they find someone of great value, and so they give up everything for him. They give up their homes, their families, and all they possess in order to follow him. (Mark 10:29)

And though there may be pain in doing so, there is also a joy that overwhelms any feeling of sorrow or loss.

But there is another way to look at this parable. We can also see Jesus as the finder with we as the treasure or pearl.

Jesus sought long and hard for us who were lost and dead in our sins. And when he found us, with great joy, he gave up everything he had to purchase us.

He left heaven, giving up his prerogatives as God and his glory, and became one of us. He hungered, he thirsted, he grew tired, he suffered pain. And ultimately, he died a gruesome death on a cross.

Why? Because to him, we are a pearl of great value. We are a buried treasure, that though stained by rust and dirt, nevertheless are of immeasurable worth. And so he gave up everything in order to purchase us.

So how should we respond? The apostle Paul admonishes us,

You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body. (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)

Let us therefore live every day honoring the Savior who valued us so much that he gave up everything in order to purchase us.

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Mark Mark 4 Matthew Matthew 13

The qualities of a good teacher: What made Jesus the master teacher

The gospels

I have been teaching English for the last 19 years, and have been teaching the Bible in some way, shape, or form for the last 27, going back to my high school days.

But as long as I have been teaching, I doubt I’ll ever match the greatness of Jesus as a teacher. He was the true master teacher.

What made him so great? It was the way he taught. How did he teach?

According to this passage, he taught through parables. Why did he use parables?

I’ve mentioned this before, but one reason was to see who really wanted to learn. Those who did asked questions. Those who didn’t may have been entertained, but remained blind to the truth.

But for those who asked, the stories were something that people could easily understand and remember, because Jesus took stories from everyday life and applied them to spiritual truths.

That’s one of the marks of a good teacher. They take a spiritual truth and put it in a way that anyone can understand.

Some teachers are more interested in impressing their audience with their education or spiritual knowledge and use a number of theological words that no one understands.

Or they introduce all these Greek or Hebrew words that no one has heard of before.

At the end of the day, people are indeed impressed, but they end up saying things like, “That was a very deep message. Very scholarly. I wish I knew what it meant.”

But Jesus kept his language simple and basic so that anyone could understand it.

Because of this, and because of the stories he told, he did something else important that a good teacher does. He kept his audience interested.

There are few things more painful in a classroom than a teacher that bores his students to tears. Jesus never did that.

Jesus also understood his audience’s level. It says in Mark that Jesus spoke the word to them as much as they could understand. (Mark 4:33)

He didn’t give them more than they could handle.

In short, as the writer of Hebrews put it, you can’t give solid food to babies. You give them milk until they can handle solid food. Then when they are mature enough, you give them more. (Hebrews 5:11-14)

Finally, he answered questions. Again in Mark, it says that when he was alone with his disciples, he explained everything in more detail. (Mark 4:34)

You see in other passages that he generally did this in response to their questions. Unlike Jesus, we may not have all the answers. But it gives us the opportunity for us ourselves to learn more when we allow people to ask us questions.

You may or may not be a teacher in the church. But all of us have teaching opportunities, with our children especially, but also with the people God brings into our path.

So let us all strive to be teachers like our Master.

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Luke 13 Matthew Matthew 13

Parable of the leaven: Transformed

The gospels

I’m not a baker, but Jesus gives an illustration about God’s kingdom that even non-bakers can understand.

When a baker makes bread, he puts a bit of yeast in the dough. What does the yeast do? Two things.

First, it spreads throughout the dough. Second it transforms the dough. It makes what would be flat, hard, unleavened bread, into a bread that is fluffy and tasty.

The kingdom of God works the same way.

When we plant the yeast of the gospel in people’s hearts and by faith people embrace it, it starts to spread throughout their entire being and transforms them into a whole new person.

Their way of thinking changes, their behavior starts to change, and everything becomes new.

Paul puts it this way,

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! (2 Corinthians 5:17)

The same happens with the kingdom of God at large. We are not going to transform this world by political means, by fighting for changes in rules and laws.

I’m not saying we shouldn’t pursue these things. Certainly, in a democracy, we should take advantage of the rights we have to fight for change in our society.

But we are kidding ourselves if we think that changing the laws are going to change human hearts.

Even if we were to outlaw homosexual marriage, it would not stop people from engaging in homosexual behavior. Even if we were to outlaw abortion, people would still find a way to end their pregnancies.

The kingdom of God comes one heart at a time. As God the Holy Spirit transforms hearts one by one, starting with us, and then the people that we touch, then and only then will we see his kingdom spread, transforming our nations.

The question is, what are we doing with the gospel? Are we letting it transform us from the inside out?

And are we sharing it with those around us that the Holy Spirit may start his work in them as well?

May our prayer always be,

Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. (Matthew 6:10)

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Luke Luke 13 Mark Mark 4 Matthew Matthew 13

Parable of the mustard seed: Starting small

The gospels

I love the vividness of the pictures Jesus paints as he tells stories.

As he talks about God’s kingdom, he talks about how the mustard seed, though it is extremely small, grows into a tree in which birds can find shade from the sun.

What is Jesus’ point? The kingdom of God doesn’t usually start with a bang, it usually starts with something small.

This is especially true in terms of the kinds of people that God uses for his kingdom. Think of Mary, a simple, poor, teenage girl. Think of Joseph, an ordinary carpenter.

And when Jesus came, he didn’t come as a great king surrounded by his armies. He, like Joseph, was a carpenter.

When Jesus chose his disciples, he chose ordinary fishermen, a hated tax collector, and a political radical.

When the Christian movement started, it started in a relatively insignificant city, at least compared to the other great cities of the world.

And yet, through these people in this insignificant city, the gospel spread to the very ends of the earth.

What can we get from this?

You may feel insignificant. Small. Useless to the kingdom of God.

Yet it is because of this very fact that God is so eager to use you. The kingdom of God is filled with such “insignificant” people that others are quick to look down on.

But it is through people like you and me that the kingdom spreads and touches the people around us.

Paul puts it this way,

Brothers, think of what you were when you were called.

Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth.

But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.

He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things — and the things that are not — to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. (1 Corinthians 1:26-29)

Never think that you are insignificant concerning God’s kingdom. It is through the small that God’s great work is accomplished.

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Matthew Matthew 13

Parable of the weeds: Why evil?

Matthew

The problem of evil is one that many people in this world struggle with. They wonder how a good God could allow evil in this world.

In this parable, we see at least part of the reason.

I think the first thing we should note is that God is not responsible for the evil in this world. God is holy. He never does anything wrong. All the seeds he sows are good seeds.

But there is an enemy. And Satan sows his seeds in the hearts of people as well, causing them to grow as weeds in this world, causing much damage to those around them.

God could pull them out, but Jesus says here that if he were to do so, it would be impossible to do so without wrecking havoc with those God has called to salvation.

How is that possible? I’m not sure. But there are, for example, some people that are so indifferent to God, that it takes something painful to shake them up and turn them to God.

It might be a natural disaster. It might be some hurt that another causes to them.

But through these things, they come to God. And God knows that if they never went through these experiences, they would never come to him. And so he allows the “weeds” to remain in the world.

In short, there are many things that God sees that we don’t. There are many things that God knows that we don’t.

But remember this. There will be a day of judgment. For the murderer or rapist. For everyone who rebels against God.

And on that day, people will see the difference between those who serve God and those who reject him.

So as I’ve said before, when you see the evil around you, don’t lose hope. Wait patiently, for the time is coming when all will be made right.

And on that day, God’s justice and wisdom will be known to all.

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Mark Mark 4

Parable of the growing seed

growing seed

I think this parable is very similar in meaning to the last one.

As I said before, while we may plant the word of God in people’s hearts, only God can make it grow. Many times, the growth is happening, and we don’t even notice.

For example, we share the gospel, and the person seems indifferent or even hostile. But unbeknownst to us, the seed takes root.

Through no power of our own, God through his Holy Spirit starts working in that person’s heart, using circumstances, other people, and the word you planted to start pulling that person to himself.

The next thing you know, the person who was so indifferent or so hostile to the gospel comes up to you smiling and says, “Thank you. Thank you for sharing Jesus with me. It was because of you that I am now a Christian.”

But I think we can take this parable another way. Sometimes we get frustrated by this world, and we wonder, “Is God’s kingdom really coming? It sure doesn’t seem like it. Things just keep getting worse.”

But in this parable we see several things.

The seeds of the kingdom have already been planted through Jesus and the apostles. Even to this day, seeds are being planted in the hearts of the people around us. And those seeds are growing. Most times, we don’t even notice it.

But as with a plant that slowly grows over time, we can see just how much it has grown when we look back to its beginning.

Think of how the gospel has spread in 2000 years. From one city, it has spread throughout the whole world. And it is continuing to spread to this very day.

Moreover, the kingdom of God is inevitable. No one can stop its growth completely. Sometimes it can be hindered, but it can’t be stopped.

The U.S.S.R. learned that, as have many other countries that have tried to stamp out the gospel.

Because of this, a time is coming when the kingdom of God will be here for all to see, and Christ will reign.

A day of judgment will come when those who follow Christ will be rewarded, and those who went their own way will be condemned.

So what can we take from this?

First, wait patiently in hope. It’s easy to get discouraged when we see all the evil around us. But take heart. God’s kingdom is coming. It is growing even now, and it can’t be stopped.

So in your frustrations, through your afflictions, wait patiently. It won’t last forever. Know that you will be rewarded.

Second, be prepared. We don’t know when Jesus will come back, but until that day, let us be about our Father’s business.

The key issue is not when Jesus will come back. The key issue is to be ready whenever he comes back.

How about you? Are you ready?

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Luke Luke 8 Mark Mark 4 Matthew Matthew 13

Parable of the sower: Planting the seed

The gospels

As I looked back on the last blog, there was one last point that occurred to me that I want to put here.

So often, I think of the farmer as Jesus. But I think it’s equally if not even more valid to think of the farmer as Christians.

Because while Jesus was here for a short time, planting the words of God in the hearts of people, it is we, here and now, who are planting the seeds in the hearts of people today.

Taken that way, I think there’s one more valuable lesson to take from this parable.

Sometimes, as we plant the word of God in people’s hearts, as we scatter the seed, some seeds fall on hardened hearts. People hear us, but they don’t understand, and Satan quickly snatches that seed away.

Other people hear it, and we’re encouraged because they get excited. Perhaps, they even make a profession of faith. But then trouble or persecution comes, they get discouraged, and they fall away.

In other cases, people receive the word and start to grow. But then work starts to get in the way of their relationship with God. Or they start getting too wrapped up in money or possessions.

Maybe they still go to church every Sunday, but they no longer grow. They bear no fruit.

But for other people, they hear the word of God, and in their lives, they produce the fruit of God, making an impact for his kingdom.

What’s my point? We are not responsible for the results. We cannot shape people’s hearts. What can we do?

Plant the seed. Water it. And then pray. Paul put it this way: one person plants, another person waters, but only God can make the seed grow. (1 Corinthians 3:6-7)

Do you get discouraged because the seeds you plant don’t seem to bear fruit? You can’t control that. All you can do is keep planting the seed. Keep watering it. And leave the rest to God.

How about you? Are you planting the seed in the hearts of the people around you?

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Luke Luke 8 Mark Mark 4 Matthew Matthew 13

Parable of the four soils: The state of our hearts

The gospels

This is the first full on parable we hear from Jesus, although he did give numerous illustrations to explain his points on previous occasions.

Here he gives a picture of a farmer scattering his seed along the ground. It wasn’t, perhaps, the most efficient way of doing things by modern standards, but it was how things were done in those days.

Some of the seed fell on hard ground, and Jesus said that these are the people that hear God’s word but don’t understand it. I think we can add another point here: they make no effort to understand it.

As I mentioned before, the parables distinguished the people who really wanted to learn from those who simply wanted to be entertained.

The ones who really wanted to learn, like Jesus’ disciples, asked questions. Those who didn’t, just went home.

Perhaps they enjoyed their time listening to Jesus, but because they didn’t understand the true message, nor did they try, Satan quickly took those seeds Jesus had planted and they forgot what they heard.

Others fell on rocky ground.

The picture here is not a bunch of rocks on the ground, rather it was a thin layer of dirt on limestone. Because the dirt was so shallow, the seeds quickly sprouted, but because there was no root, they died in the heat of the day.

Jesus said that these were people who heard his words and received them with great joy, even believing them for a short time, but when persecution or trouble came, they fell away.

Were these ever true Christians? Probably not, since they “had no root.”

It’s possible that all they had was an emotional experience. But when the emotion wore off, and trouble came because of their “faith,” they quickly fell away.

Still other seeds fell on thorny ground, and when they grew up, they were choked out by the thorns.

Jesus said these were those whose faith was choked out by the worries of life, and the desire for wealth, pleasure, and possessions.

Too many Christians are like this today. They are so in love with the world, they’ve forgotten their love for Jesus.

Finally, there are those who fell on the good ground, and produced great fruit.

Jesus says these are those who hear God’s word, understand it, accept it, and retain it. Such people bear great fruit for the kingdom of God.

What kind of heart do you have?

When you hear God’s word and don’t understand it, do you just leave it to the side, or do you seek to understand? Do you ask questions?

It’s through questions that we grow. But if we never ask, we never grow, and Satan takes away the seed God wants to plant in your heart.

When you go to church, are you just seeking an emotional experience?

Emotions come and go. They go up and down according to our circumstances. And if you try to build your faith on your emotions, it will not last. Are you instead building your faith on Christ and his Word?

What are you seeking in your life? Is God above all? Or are you so busy seeking money, pleasure, and things, that you don’t have time for God anymore? That you no longer seek his will in your life? That you no longer pursue his kingdom?

Or are you a person that hears God’s word and pursues understanding? Do you accept God’s word, trusting that it is true, and retain it in your heart and mind, bearing fruit as a result?

What is the state of your heart?

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Luke Luke 8 Mark Mark 4 Matthew Matthew 13

Parables of Jesus: Eyes to see, ears to hear

The gospels

One of Jesus’ favorite phrases was,

He who has ears to hear, let him hear. (Luke 8:8)

You see this admonition in the gospels, and you also see it in Revelation.

What did Jesus mean?

When Jesus told his parables, his disciples asked, “Why do you speak this way?” And Jesus answered,

The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them.

Whoever has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. This is why I speak to them in parables:

“Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand.”

In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah: “You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.

For this people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes.

Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.” (Matthew 13:11-15)

It seems a bit unfair for Jesus to say, “I’m giving you the secrets of the kingdom, but not them.”

But here are some things to consider.

First, anyone who wanted to could hear the parables. And while Jesus says that the meanings of these stories were concealed from many, it was not meant to be so in perpetuity.

Rather, Jesus set out these stories to ultimately give light, not to hide the truth. And anything that was hidden from the people would eventually be disclosed and brought into the open. (Luke 8:16-17)

Therefore, whenever anyone asked him the explanations to his parables, he would give them, and the apostles eventually passed these teachings on to everyone they taught.

The question, however, is do people want to know the truth? Are they seeking answers? Or do they just want to be entertained?

That’s what the parables did. It separated those who really wanted to see and hear God’s truth from those who were just caught up in the popularity of Jesus.

The trouble with so many church-going people today is that they’re more interested in being entertained than in hearing God’s truth.

Therefore, though they hear the things the pastor preaches, and sing the songs, the words may “tickle their ears” but never penetrate their hearts.

And when something does strike their hearts and God speaks, they get uncomfortable and stop listening.

Unfortunately, as I’ve mentioned before, if they do this long enough, they’ll stop hearing God entirely, fulfilling Isaiah’s prophecy that Jesus quoted in Matthew.

They see but don’t really see. They hear, but don’t really hear. Rather, they close their eyes (and ears) to God’s truth.

So Jesus warns, “Consider carefully how you listen. Think carefully about what you hear from God.” (Mark 4:24; Luke 8:18).

If you listen carefully and act on it, God will give you more. But if you don’t, not only won’t you be able to hear God’s voice anymore, you’ll forget what things he’s already taught you.

But Jesus told his disciples,

But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear.

For I tell you the truth, many prophets and righteous men longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it. (Matthew 13:16-17)

How about you? Do you have eyes that see and ears that hear what God is teaching you?

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Luke Luke 11

To find blessing

Bible

Everyone wants to find blessing in their lives from God. But how do we find blessing?

As Jesus was speaking to the crowd, a woman called out,

Blessed is the mother who gave you birth and nursed you. (Luke 11:27)

But Jesus answered her,

Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it. (Luke 11:28)

Obedience is not a popular word, even among Christians sometimes. We like to focus on the grace of God.

And certainly, apart from the grace of God, none of us would ever find his blessing because none of us ever deserve it.

Nevertheless, the key that unlocks that blessing in our lives is the obedience that comes from faith.

We can say, “I believe in God. I believe in his Word,” all day long, but if it doesn’t result in obedience, our words are meaningless. If we truly trust him, if we truly believe in him, we’ll do what he says.

The question is, do you trust him? Do you trust that if you obey him, that you will find blessing?

Do you trust, for example, that if you put off sex until marriage, that your sex life and your marriage will be better for it?

Do you trust that if you learn the “grace of giving,” (2 Corinthians 8:7) that your finances will not suffer for it, but instead be blessed by God?

Do you trust that if you submit to your husband as to the Lord, and that you love your wife as Christ loves the church, sacrificing yourself for her, that your marriage will flourish?

Or do you think this is all fluffy words with no real substance to it?

If you want to find blessing, you need to learn to trust God. That he knows what is best. That his way works.

And then you need to obey.

Is it easy? No. But the same grace that God extends to help us believe, is the same grace that gives us the power to obey. All you have to do is ask. As Jesus said,

Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.

For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. (Luke 11:9-10)

How about you? Will you trust God, and obey?

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Luke Luke 11 Matthew Matthew 12

When we refuse to invite the Spirit in

The gospels

With Jesus condemning the Pharisees for saying that he was casting out demons by Satan’s power, the Pharisees then demanded a sign from heaven to prove he was doing it by God’s power.

Of course, even had he done so, they still wouldn’t have believed, so Jesus refused.

How do I know they wouldn’t have believed? Because while he refused to give them a sign right then and there, he did give them a sign to watch for, the sign of Jonah.

He told them just as Jonah was in the belly of the fish for three days and nights and came out, so would the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth, and come out.

This of course was referring to Jesus’ death and resurrection. But when Jesus rose from the dead, the Pharisees still hardened their hearts and refused to believe.

So again, Jesus condemned their hardness of heart.

He told them that the people of Nineveh and the queen of the South (the queen of Sheba) would stand in judgment over them because when they heard the message of Jonah and Solomon, they turned to God.

But now Jesus, who was greater than Jonah or Solomon, was here, and they refused to believe.

He then gave an illustration of what would happen if they refused to believe in him and rejected the gift of the Spirit that he would later give all believers.

When Jesus came to this earth, he overcame the powers of hell, and among other things cast out demons.

But he warned the Pharisees and all Israel, “Though I cast out demons and overcome the powers of hell, though I set all in order in preparation for the gift of the Spirit to come in, if you refuse him, then the powers of hell will return in force and your spiritual state will be worse than ever.”

Why? Because you’ve tasted the power of God in your life, you’ve come into contact with the only one who can save you, and you rejected him.

He then brings back an illustration from the Sermon on the Mount where he talks about how our eyes are the lamp of our body.

Here I think he’s talking as much of our spiritual eyes as our physical ones. And he’s saying, “Are you really seeing? When God speaks, can you see the truth he is giving? When you look at me, do you see me for who I am?”

If you do, Jesus says you will be full of light. But if not, you will be filled with darkness. So he warns,

See to it, then, that the light within you is not darkness. (Luke 11:35)

How about you? Have you put your faith in Jesus as your Lord and Savior? Have you invited the Spirit into your life?

If you harden your heart towards God, you leave yourself vulnerable to Satan’s destructive work in your life. But if you soften your heart and let the Spirit in, you’ll find life.

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Matthew Matthew 12

What comes out of our mouths

Matthew

It always bothers me when people swear. It especially bothers me when Christians swear. Because what we say shows what’s in our hearts. Our words show the state of our hearts.

When Jesus heard the Pharisees saying he was demon possessed, he told them,

“Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit.

You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.

The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him.

But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken.

For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.” (Matthew 12:33-37)

In other words, for such blasphemy to come out of their mouths, their hearts had to be utterly corrupt.

That’s why he says we’ll be judged for every word we speak, even the “careless” ones. Our words show exactly what’s in our hearts.

If our heart is full of good fruit, such words can’t help but flow out of our mouths. But if our heart is full of rot, such words will certainly flow out of our mouths as well.

It’s impossible for us to say, “Oops. How did that come out?”

It came out because that’s what’s in our hearts. And if that’s what’s in our hearts, we need to repent.

If vitriol is in our hearts, it will show in our speech. If bitterness is in our hearts, that’s what will come out. If perversion is in our hearts, that’s what will flow out from our mouths.

Are these things in your heart? What’s coming out of your mouth?

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Luke Luke 11 Mark Mark 3 Matthew Matthew 12

The danger of hardening our hearts

The gospels

In this passage, we see another confrontation between the Pharisees and Jesus. A blind and mute man was brought to Jesus, apparently because of demon possession. Jesus cast out the demon, and immediately, the man could talk and see.

Everyone was astonished, but the Pharisees immediately tried to discredit Jesus’ miracle by saying he did it by Beelzebub’s (i.e. Satan’s) power.

It’s interesting to note here, by the way, that the Pharisees (and all of Jesus’ other enemies) never denied Jesus performed miracles. They only said that it was done by Satan’s power.

It’s only people who lived thousands of years after the fact that ever deny it happened. It’s easy to deny something happened thousands of years after it occurs. It’s much more difficult to do when it happens right in front of you. And the Pharisees never did.

All of this brings us to the main point, and we saw this earlier: some people simply won’t believe, no matter what they see. Not because they can’t believe, but because they don’t want to believe.

And because they don’t want to believe, they harden their hearts to God, and try to explain away anything that God does to show he is really there.

The Pharisees tried to explain away Jesus by saying he had a demon and that he was casting out demons by the authority of Satan.

But Jesus countered that in two ways.

First, Satan’s kingdom wouldn’t be able to stand if he were fighting himself.

Second, by casting out the demon, Jesus was showing he wasn’t on Satan’s side. Rather, he was fighting Satan.

Satan was the enemy, so Jesus was coming against him and making him and his demons scatter. And in binding Satan up, Jesus set people free.

Then Jesus warns,

And so I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven.

Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come. (Matthew 12:31-32)

Mark explains Jesus’ words, saying,

He said this because they were saying, “He has an evil spirit.” (Mark 3:30)

In other words, the Pharisees had so hardened their hearts to Jesus, they couldn’t even see what God was doing anymore. Not only that, they were crediting the Holy Spirit’s work to Satan.

And that’s the danger of hardening our hearts. If we do it long enough, there comes a point where we can no longer hear the Spirit’s voice, nor recognize his work even when we see it. When that happens, all hope of salvation is lost.

This is what Jesus calls “the unpardonable sin.” It’s unpardonable because there is no hope once we’ve hardened our hearts to that point. Pharaoh in the time of Moses was a perfect example of this, and it led to his destruction.

When does a person reach that point? Only God knows. There have been people that seemed to be hardened beyond redemption and yet were saved. The apostle Paul was such a man.

Some Christians worry that they’ve committed the unpardonable sin. But if you are worried about it, it’s almost certain you haven’t committed it.

If you can recognize the sin in your own life and your need for forgiveness, you have nothing to worry about so long as you keep a repentant heart.

It is only those who have hardened their hearts to God that are in danger of the unpardonable sin.

How do we keep our hearts from hardening? Keep a humble and repentant heart before God. And live each day in communion with him as Jesus did: seeking the Father’s will, and following it.

How about you? Is your heart soft or hardened toward God today?

Categories
Luke 8 Mark Mark 3 Matthew 12

Closer than family

The gospels

It can be painful to be misunderstood by those we love. I’ve mentioned before that Jesus experienced that in the temple when he was 12. His own parents didn’t understand him.

Here again, we see his family not understanding him. Because he was so involved in God’s work that he didn’t even have time to eat, his family started to think he was crazy, and so they came to “take charge of him.”

It would be easy to assume that it was just his (half-)brothers and sisters that thought he was crazy, but Mary was there too, apparently. She knew he wasn’t crazy, but she was probably nonetheless concerned about his health.

The crowds were so thick around Jesus, however, that they couldn’t reach him, and so they had word passed to Jesus that they were there.

But when Jesus heard this, probably knowing their intentions to take him away from doing God’s work, he didn’t go out to them. Instead, he looked around at the disciples gathered around him, and said,

“Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?”

Pointing to his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.” (Matthew 12:48-50)

And again,

“My mother and brothers are those who hear God’s word and put it into practice.” (Luke 8:21)

There may be times when those you love will try to pull you away from doing God’s will. Sometimes they think you’re crazy. Sometimes they may think you’re overdoing it.

But what we need to remember is that we are not here to please them. We are here to please God. To hear what God is telling us to do, and to do it.

Now part of what God tells us to do is to honor and love our family. And God certainly doesn’t want us to do more than he’s called us to do because that can lead to burnout.

With that in mind, however, God is to be closer to our hearts than our own family. His desires for us are to supersede even our own family’s desire for us.

Does he have priority in your life? Or is our family pulling us away from the things that God has called us to do?

This is, by the way, one reason why it’s important to marry a Christian. Because when you don’t, conflicts between what your spouse wants and what God wants are inevitable.

Even if your spouse claims to be a Christian, if they are not walking with God and are not sensitive to his voice, conflicts can arise as you seek to follow Him.

So let us give our hearts to people who have given their hearts to God. More than that, let us give all our hearts, souls, and minds to the one who died for us and rose again.

Who has your heart?

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Luke Luke 8

From blessed to blessing

Luke

This is a passage that’s very short, but teaches a very important lesson.

We see Jesus here going out from town to town, preaching the gospel. And along with his disciples, we see three women, Mary Magdalene, the wife of a member of Herod’s household named Joanna, and another woman named Susanna.

We don’t know much about these women. What we do know is that they had all been touched by Jesus.

Mary Magdalene had had 7 demons cast out of her, and Joanna and Susanna either had had demons cast out or been healed of their diseases (or perhaps both). In short, they had all been blessed by Jesus.

Out of their gratitude, they began to follow Jesus, but not only did they follow, they supported his ministry financially.

What can we get from this?

We’ve all been blessed in some way by Jesus. Most importantly, he has blessed us by saving us from our sin by dying on the cross.

But for some of us, he has also rescued our marriages, he has restored our families, he has delivered us from alcohol or drugs, or he has healed our pasts.

But while it’s nice to be blessed, are you also a blessing? Are you always receiving as a Christian, or are you also giving?

Some Christians think, “Why should I tithe? It’s not New Testament teaching.”

That may be true, but we are called as Christians to be givers, even if we’re not told how much to give (2 Corinthians 8:7).

Why? Because God doesn’t simply want us to be a container of his grace. He wants us to be a channel of his grace. He wants his grace to flow through us to touch the lives of others.

Part of that is giving money to support your church, but it goes far beyond that. It means investing your very life in the lives of others.

How about you? Are you simply a container of God’s grace? Or are you a channel of his grace as well?

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Luke Luke 7

Where’s your love?

Luke

As I read Luke 7:36-50, I suppose the question I ask myself is, “How much do I really love Jesus?”

We see in this passage two people.

One was a woman who lived a sinful life. What she did, we don’t know, but considering that everyone seemed to know about her, it would seem to have been a public sin, perhaps adultery and/or prostitution. All this is mere speculation, however.

On the other hand, we have a Pharisee. A person who was publicly “righteous.” He said the right things. He did the right things. He was a person, in short, who had it all together.

This man, Simon, invited Jesus to his house for a meal, and while they were there, this sinner comes in and starts weeping.

Her tears fall on Jesus’ feet as he’s reclining at the table, and she starts wiping her tears with her hair, and then pours some expensive perfume on his feet.

Simon’s reaction was immediate. Contempt. Contempt for the woman. And contempt for Jesus. He thought to himself,

If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner. (Luke 7:39)

But Jesus looks at him and tells him a story of two people who owed a great deal of money, one more than the other, but who were forgiven their debts. Then he asked,

Now which of them will love him more? (Luke 7:42)

Simon, perhaps wondering where all this was going and if this was a trick question, replied,

I suppose the one who had the bigger debt forgiven. (Luke 7:43)

Not the most confident sounding of answers, but nevertheless correct.

Jesus then sticks in the knife, saying, “You know Simon, it’s only common courtesy that a host would give a visitor water to wash his feet, to greet him with a kiss, and to pour oil over his head. But you did none of these things.

“This woman, on the other hand, washed my feet with her tears, and hasn’t stopped kissing my feet since she’s been here. Moreover, she poured this expensive perfume on me.”

Simply put, “Where’s the love Simon? This woman loves me. By her actions, she’s shown the depth of her gratitude for the forgiveness of God in her life. Because she realizes just how much she has been forgiven, her love is deep.

“But you, you have so little awareness of just how much you’ve been forgiven, that your love is practically non-existent. In fact, you take me for granted, and even look on me with contempt.”

He then turned to the woman and said,

Your sins are forgiven. (Luke 7:48)

And while those around buzzed that he would say something like that, he told her,

Your faith has saved you; go in peace. (Luke 7:50)

How about you? How deep is your love? Are you like Simon? Are you so unaware of how bad your sin is, are you so unaware of how much you have been forgiven that you take Jesus for granted?

When we fail to understand God’s forgiveness in our lives, it results in two things. A self-righteous attitude that leads to contempt of others who are “lower” than us. And a love for God that is so shallow as to be non-existent.

But when we truly understand God’s forgiveness, it naturally results in a heart of thanksgiving and love towards God, and a heart of grace and mercy towards others.

What kind of heart do you have?

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Matthew Matthew 11

Learning from Jesus

Matthew

I’ve got to admit, after graduating from university, I never had a real desire to go back to school and get my master’s degree or anything like that.

Looking back on it now, if I had to do it over again, I might do it.

But going to school can be tough. Homework, exams, and of course, tons of reading.

Yet, Jesus does call us as Christians to go to school. No, I’m not talking about going to seminary or Bible college, although God may very well call you to go there. But Jesus is calling us to enter his school.

He said,

Take my yoke upon you and learn from me. (Luke 11:29)

This was actually something that many rabbis said when calling students to study under them.

What do we learn in Jesus’ school? We learn who the Father is. Jesus said,

No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. (Matthew 11:27)

So many people want to know who God is, but don’t know how. How, after all, can you get to know an invisible God. It’s impossible…unless he is revealed to us.

And that’s what Jesus does. He teaches us what the Father is like. More than that, when we look at the life of Jesus, we see what the Father is like. As Jesus said,

Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. (John 14:9)

When we see the character of Jesus, we see the Father’s character. When we hear the words of Jesus, we hear the Father’s words as well.

We also learn from Jesus how God intended us to live. And how God intends us to live goes far beyond obeying a list of dos and don’ts.

That’s what the Pharisees had. They lived by their lists of dos and don’ts. But so many people in trying to follow them, got weighed down by them.

Instead of finding God’s love and grace, they found condemnation. Instead of finding freedom, they found themselves bound up by all these rules that they couldn’t possibly keep.

But Jesus tells us,

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.

Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. (Matthew 11:28-30)

Jesus isn’t about rules and regulations. He’s about drawing near to God. He’s about loving those around us.

And when we are weak, he strengthens us. When we lack wisdom, he gives it to us. When we fall, he picks us up. When we are discouraged, he helps us to keep on keeping on.

Because of this, his teaching is not burdensome. It sets us free.

What is the requirement for entering his school? A humble heart. A teachable heart. Things that the religious folks of Jesus’ day didn’t have, but Jesus’ disciples did.

That’s why Jesus said,

I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children.

Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do. (Matthew 11:25-26)

How about you? Are you ready to join Jesus’ school? Are you ready to learn from Jesus?

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Matthew Matthew 11

Can’t believe? Or won’t?

Matthew

There are a lot of people that say, “I just can’t believe in God.” And they’ll go on to list all the reasons for their unbelief.

But for the vast majority of such people, it’s not really a matter of “can’t believe,” but “won’t believe.”

They can see all the evidence for God in nature, in the lives of others, and at times, even in their own lives, but they don’t want to believe.

Why not? Because it means that their lives are no longer their own. That they can’t just live the way they want to anymore. That they are answerable to someone else besides themselves.

As a result, they keep asking for more evidence. And if it’s given to them, they’ll keep asking for more.

But one gets the impression that even if God himself were to appear to them, they would do their best to convince themselves it was just a hallucination or the result of drinking too much beer the night before.

That’s how the people in Israel were during the time of Jesus.

Though Jesus performed many miracles, though he healed the sick, and though he even raised the dead, still people would not believe.

Instead, they kept asking for more miracles and signs to the point where Jesus told them flat out, “I won’t do it.” (Mark 8:12).

But more than that, Jesus passed judgment on those who refused to believe, saying,

Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida!

For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.

But I tell you, it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you.

And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted to the heavens? No, you will go down to Hades.

For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Sodom, it would have remained to this day.

But I tell you that it will be more bearable for Sodom on the day of judgment than for you. (Matthew 11:21-24)

What is Jesus saying here?

Basically, he’s saying that the more God shows you, the more God speaks to you, the more responsible you will be held if you continue to reject him.

In short, it’s dangerous to keep asking for more signs from God, if all you’re going to do is reject him regardless. And, of course, it’s just as dangerous to reject God despite all you’ve been given already.

The day will come when we will all stand before God. And on that day, he will strip away all our excuses for not believing him and reveal them for what they are. Not an inability to believe. But an unwillingness.

And when all is laid bare, judgment will come.

So lay aside your excuses. Lay aside your pride. Submit to Jesus as your Lord, and you will find blessing. In this life, and in the life to come.

As Peter said,

Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. (1 Peter 5:6)

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Luke Luke 7 Matthew Matthew 11

Trying to please everyone

The gospels

There is an old saying, “You can please some of the people some of the time, but you can’t please all of the people all of the time.”

This was true even for the Son of God. Jesus was perfect. He was perfect in all he did. He was love incarnate. And yet, he could not please everyone.

Nor did he try. Jesus pointed out the hypocrisy of his critics when he said,

To what can I compare this generation? They are like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling out to others: “We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn.”

For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, “He has a demon.”

The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, “Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and ‘sinners.'” (Matthew 11:16-19)

In other words, when John the Baptist hit the scene with his ascetic ways, the Pharisees and others said, “Don’t listen to him. He’s a madman.”

But when Jesus came on the scene, eating and drinking, they said, “Don’t listen to him, he’s a glutton and a drunkard (though Jesus was far from either).”

In other words, the only reason why the Pharisees rejected Jesus and John was not because of their lifestyle, but because they could not accept their message.

And many people today are the same. When we preach the word of Christ, it makes people uncomfortable.

As a result, many people try to discredit the messenger in order to discredit the message. And in trying to discredit the messenger, they will nitpick every single thing they can, making it impossible to please them.

What’s my point? Don’t try.

The wise person won’t waste their time trying to please everyone. The wise person will spend their time trying to please the one person that counts. God. And if they do, they will bear fruit.

As Jesus said,

But wisdom is proved right by all her children. (Luke 7:35)

What did he mean? The actions you take and the fruit you bear from trying to please him will prove that you are right, no matter what criticisms people may throw your way.

So don’t worry about trying to please everyone. Jesus couldn’t. Neither can you. Rather let us focus on pleasing the one who called us.

Categories
Luke Luke 7 Matthew Matthew 11

Rejecting God’s purpose for us

The gospels

We were made for a purpose. God’s purpose. What is that purpose?

First and foremost, a relationship with him.

Second, a relationship with those he has put around us. To touch them and to be touched by them.

And finally, to do his will with the gifts and talents he has given us.

Unfortunately, so many people wander around aimlessly in their lives.

Why? Because they have rejected God’s purpose for their lives and are living for themselves.

The Pharisees and teachers of the law were this way. Though Jesus in this passage validates all that John the Baptist did, Luke says of these people,

But the Pharisees and experts in the law rejected God’s purpose for themselves, because they had not been baptized by John. (Luke 7:30)

John’s message was twofold. First to repent, the sign of which was carried out through baptism. Second, to point the way to the Messiah.

But the Pharisees and experts in the law were so proud of their own “righteousness,” that they couldn’t see their need to repent.

And when God himself appeared in Jesus, they rejected him. More than that, they crucified him. Thus Matthew said,

From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it. (Matthew 11:12)

Though the kingdom of God made great strides during John’s ministry, indeed though the King himself appeared shortly thereafter, the Pharisees and experts of the law did their best to put an end to it, not even knowing what they were doing.

In doing so, however, they totally missed God’s purpose for their lives.

But Luke said of the other people listening,

All the people, even the tax collectors, when they heard Jesus’ words, acknowledged that God’s way was right, because they had been baptized by John. (Luke 7:29)

By humbling themselves, by acknowledging that God’s way was right and repenting of their sin, and ultimately accepting Jesus, they found their way into his kingdom, and a return to the purpose for which God created them.

How about you? Are you in step with God’s purpose for your life?

It starts with repentance. It starts with admitting that you don’t know what’s best and accepting God’s way in your life.

In particular, it means accepting Jesus as the way, the truth, and the life. In short, it means to make him Lord in your life. Is he?

It starts with a prayer.

Lord, I’ve been living my own way, and in doing so, I’ve totally missed the purpose for which you created me. Forgive me.

I believe you died on the cross to take the punishment for my sin, and that you rose again three days later.

Now, be my Lord. I want to do things your way. I want to do the things you want me to do.

Draw me closer to you each day, and show me what you want of me. Amen.

Categories
Luke Luke 7 Matthew Matthew 11

Struggling with doubt

The gospels

It’s nice to know that the “heroes” of the Bible had struggles too. That they had fears. That they had doubts.

I’m sure that’s exactly what John the Baptist was going through in prison. He had been doing a great work for God, calling the people to repentance, and preparing the way for Jesus. Then suddenly, it was over.

John was arrested by Herod for criticizing him for marrying his brother’s wife, and as a result was thrown into prison.

Perhaps at first, John still felt confident and triumphant. “The Messiah is here! He will save us from people such as this so-called king named Herod.”

But time passed. And while Jesus did many things, political change was not one of them. Herod was still on the throne. Rome was still in charge. And John was still in prison.

Day after day dragged by, and perhaps John’s words became less and less certain. Finally, they may have been completely stilled by his doubts.

“Is Jesus really the one? Have I made a mistake? Maybe I heard God wrong.”

Finally the day came when his disciples came and they told him of all Jesus had been doing.

Perhaps after a moment of silence, he told them, “Please pass him a message. Ask him, ‘Are you the one? Are you the one we’ve been hoping for? Or should we ask for another?'”

I wonder how John’s disciples felt as they came to Jesus. Had doubt crept into their hearts as well because of their master’s misery? But they asked.

How did Jesus respond? He didn’t get angry. He didn’t criticize John for his lack of faith.

Instead, he looked at John’s disciples. Then he looked around at all the hurting people around him. And he started to heal. The blind, the lame, the deaf, the lepers.

And having done all that, he turned to John’s disciples and said,

Go back and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor.

Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me. (Matthew 11:4-6)

Sometimes we, like John, struggle with doubts. We wonder if Jesus is really there.

We look at the world around us. We look at our own circumstances. And we wonder, “Is my faith in Jesus just a farce? Or is there real substance behind it? Have I been wasting my life following Jesus? Or is it really worth it?”

I think the nice thing is that Jesus doesn’t blast us for our doubts.

But he does remind us, “Look at what I’ve done. Look how I’ve helped you in the past. Look at the healing I’ve brought to your life. I’m still here. I’m still working.”

But beyond looking at these things, let us look to the cross. Look at what Jesus did there. Because in the cross, we have the ultimate proof of his love for us.

And in the resurrection, we have the ultimate proof that he has the power to help us right here, right now.

May we never stumble because of Jesus. Rather let us stand on him. For he is a sure foundation that will never crumble beneath us.

Categories
Luke Luke 7

The God who has come, the God who is near

Luke

“Where is God?”

In the midst of tragedy, people often ask this question. I’m sure the widow in this story asked the same.

Her husband had already died, and now her only son was gone. Not only were these the people she loved, but they were also her only means of support.

In those days, without a husband or son to take care of her, she was doomed to a life of destitution.

And so as she wept, I would not be surprised if she asked, “God where are you? Do you really care? Why did you allow this to happen?”

Then God came.

One crowd gathered around a dead man came face to face with another crowd gathered around the Author of life. And when Jesus saw the mourning mother, his heart went out to her, and said, “Don’t cry.”

He walked up to the dead man and raised him back to life.

When the crowd saw it, they were stunned, and then exuberant, shouting,

“A great prophet has appeared among us…God has come to help his people.” (Luke 7:16)

Where is God? He has already come. And he is near. You may not see him. You may not sense him. But he is here. He sees your weeping. He sees your sorrow. And he cares.

He proved that on the cross 2000 years ago when he gave his own life for a world that was broken by sin.

And by rising from the dead, he proved he has the power to save us from whatever problem we may face, just as he helped that poor widow in Nain. All we have to do is ask.

As David put it,

The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. (Psalm 34:18)

Categories
Luke Luke 7 Matthew Matthew 8

Grace and faith

The gospels

As I look at these two passages, there are distinct points that I gather from each account.

In the Lukan account, we find that when the Roman centurion asked for Jesus help, he got the support of the Jewish elders who said to Jesus,

This man deserves to have you do this, because he loves our nation and has built our synagogue. (Luke 7:4-5)

Yet though the elders called this man “deserving,” the centurion himself said,

I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. That is why I did not even consider myself worthy to come to you. (Luke 7:6-7)

Sometimes, we think that in order to be saved, or for that matter, to get anything from God, we have to be “deserving.”

But grace says the exact opposite. It says, “Though you are not deserving, though you are not worthy, nevertheless I will give you what you need, eternal life and more. All you need to do is ask.”

The question is, do we have the faith to ask.

Sometimes we get jaded in our faith. I know I do. We ask for something, and for whatever reason, God says no.

And because of that, we wonder, “Is it worth praying? Will God answer? Does he have the power to answer? Does he care enough to answer?”

But faith says, “I will continue to believe in God’s goodness. That he knows what is best for me. Not only that, he has the power to help me. And because of that, I will continue to ask.”

That’s the kind of faith the centurion had.

He thought, “I’m an outsider. A Roman. Jews generally hate Romans. And I am totally unworthy to get help from this Jesus. But I believe that he not only has the power to help me, but the desire. And so I’ll ask.”

And because he did, his servant was healed.

It is rare that you ever find Jesus astonished. You only find it twice in scripture.

One was in the face of unbelief of the very people he grew up with. (Mark 6:6) And the other was in the face of the incredible faith of this outsider, this Roman centurion.

Jesus said of him,

I tell you the truth, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith.

I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.

But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. (Matthew 8:10-12)

And that’s the other point I get from this. It is people like this centurion, who understand their need for grace, and who put their faith in Jesus that will enter God’s kingdom.

No one can inherit God’s kingdom through their bloodlines or by doing works that make themselves deserving.

Rather, we inherit God’s kingdom when we say, “Though I don’t deserve anything from you, nevertheless I believe in you. Save me.”

Paul put it this way,

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith — and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God — not by works, so that no one can boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9)

Categories
Luke Luke 6 Matthew Matthew 7

Sermon on the Mount: What we build our lives on

The gospels

And so we come to the end of the Sermons on the Mount and the Plain.

Both end the same way, with a challenge. Essentially, Jesus sums it up by saying,

Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? (Luke 6:46)

In other words, if you call me ‘Lord,’ but don’t do what I say, can you really say I am your Lord?

One person put it this way, “Either Jesus is Lord of all in your life, or he isn’t Lord at all.”

And it’s very true. Jesus is either Lord of your life, or he isn’t. There is no in-between.

Jesus then gives his very famous illustration of the house built on rock, and the house built on sand.

He tells us that if we hear his words and do them, we are like the person that digs down deep into the ground and lays their foundation on rock. And because we do so, because we have a stable foundation, when the storms of life come, our house will stand.

But if we hear his words and do not obey, we are building our lives on sand.

What is sand like? Always shifting. That’s what the thought patterns of this world are like. Always shifting.

Morals and values in this world are constantly changing. Things that were considered abominable 50 years ago are being celebrated as good. Things that were considered good are now considered passé.

But when we build our lives on shifting sand, our foundation is not stable, and when the storms of life come, our house will collapse.

How about you? Are you building your house on rock? Are you not only hearing the words of Jesus, but putting them into practice?

Or are you instead being conformed to the pattern of this world?

Are you building your house on rock, or on shifting sand?

In short, is Jesus truly your Lord?

Categories
Luke Luke 6

What is in your heart

Luke

One thing that I notice about Jesus is that while he will repeat illustrations, he’ll apply it to different situations.

In Matthew, we see him apply the idea of a good tree bearing good fruit and a bad tree bearing bad fruit to false prophets. And his point is to test the fruit (both the lives and the teaching) of those you listen to.

But in Luke, he uses this illustration to challenge us to test our own hearts. The context of it in Luke is the judging of others, condemning those around us, and forgiveness.

And having talked about that, he then says,

No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. Each tree is recognized by its own fruit.

People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers.

The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart.

For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks. (Luke 6:43-45)

What is Jesus saying here? He’s asking us, what kind of trees are we? What is in our hearts? Is it judgmentalism? Is it condemnation? Or is it forgiveness and grace?

How can we tell what is in our hearts? By the fruit of our words. Because Jesus tells us that from the overflow of our hearts, our mouths speak.

If our hearts are full of condemnation and judgmentalism, that is what will come pouring out of our mouths.

But if our hearts are full of God’s forgiveness and grace, that’s what will come pouring out of our mouths.

A key point to note here is that Jesus associates a judgmental and condemning heart to a bad tree. But he associates a gracious and forgiving heart to a good tree.

So the question we need to ask ourselves is, “What is coming out of our mouths?”

Are we constantly criticizing and judging other people? Or are our words full of grace? Because the fruit of our words show just what kind of trees we are.

What kind of tree are you?

Categories
Matthew Matthew 7

Sermon on the Mount: Testing those you listen to

Matthew

After Jesus tells us to go through the narrow gate that leads to salvation, he gives us a warning.

Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. (Matthew 7:15)

People often associate prophets as those who issue out predictions of the future. But true prophets of God did much more than that. They confronted people with the words of God.

You see this throughout the Old Testament. People like Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel.

You also see in the Old Testament many of the types of people Jesus warns against here. People who looked good. Who sounded good. Who seemed spiritual. But who spoke words straight from hell, leading people down the broad road that leads to destruction.

Unfortunately, there are people like this in the church today. People who claim to speak the words of God but corrupt the very words he says.

The question then becomes, “How do we tell the true prophet from the false prophet when they look so alike.”

Jesus tells us the answer.

By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?

Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit.

Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them. (Matthew 7:17-20)

In short, we need to test the fruit that they produce. There are two types of fruit that prophets and teachers produce.

The fruit of their lives is one. Are they living the things they teach? Or are they mere hypocrites.

This is not to say that they must be perfect in order to teach. But they should be continually growing and maturing in their faith. And hopefully, as they speak, they are honest about what their areas of struggle are.

But there’s another kind of fruit. The fruit of what they teach. What is coming out of their mouths? Is it consistent with the Word of God? Or is it not?

As teachers, they are responsible to teach the Word accurately. To study to show themselves approved, workmen who don’t need to be ashamed, accurately interpreting the Word of truth. (2 Timothy 2:15)

But as hearers of the Word, we are to test what they teach.

That is what the Bereans did in the book of Acts. They did not simply listen to the words of Paul. They tested it by what scripture said when they went home.

And when they found that what Paul said matched up with scripture, they believed. (Acts 17:11-12)

We ought to do the same. Test what the teachers and pastors say. And if their teaching matches what scripture teaches, accept it, and obey. If not, reject it.

Many teachers today claim Jesus as their Lord. And most do. But some will come before Christ someday saying,

Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles? (Matthew 7:22)

But Jesus will reply,

I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers! (Matthew 7:23)

And unfortunately, those who blindly followed these teachers will be swept right along into hell with them.

Why? Because they never tested what they were taught.

How about you? Do you test what you hear? Do you test what you read? Or do you just blindly follow?

Categories
Matthew Matthew 7

Sermon on the Mount: When being broadminded is not such a good thing

Matthew

A common criticism the world has of the Christian is, “Why do you have to be so narrow minded? Why can you be more broadminded? Why does Jesus have to be the only way to heaven?”

But there are some things we simply can’t be broadminded about. We certainly can’t be broadminded when it comes to mathematics.

If a student takes a test, and says that 2+2=10, and the teacher marks it wrong, can the student argue with the teacher saying, “Come on, let’s be broadminded about this. 10, 4, it’s not so different.”

We also can’t be broadminded about medical procedures.

Imagine you have a bad kidney and it has to be removed. The doctor knocks you out and when you wake up, not only is your kidney still there, but one of your teeth is missing.

You ask the doctor, “What happened to my tooth? You were supposed to remove my kidney.”

The doctor says, “Oh, tooth, kidney, it’s all the same. You’ve got to be broadminded about these things.”

Well, if we can’t be broadminded about these things, how much less can we be broadminded when it comes to eternal life. Especially when Jesus says,

Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.

But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. (Matthew 7:13-14)

Jesus makes it clear that you cannot come to God on your own terms. You must come to him on his.

A person once put it this way: “You can either go to heaven God’s way or to hell your own.”

What is God’s way? Jesus tells us,

I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. (John 14:6)

Let’s put it another way.

If there were another way to heaven besides Jesus, would God have forced him to go to the cross? How can we spit on the cross of Christ by seeking another way to God? How can we spit on the gift of God this way?

Being broadminded can be a good thing. But not when it comes to eternal life.

How about you? Are you seeking eternal life on God’s terms? Or your own?

Categories
Luke Luke 6 Matthew Matthew 7

Sermon on the Mount: Doing good, not just avoiding evil

The gospels

I find the placement of the “Golden Rule” a little jarring in Matthew. It doesn’t seem to quite fit, particularly with the “Therefore” at the beginning of it.

I suppose it’s pointing back to the totality of Jesus’ message up to that point.

In Luke, the placement of this rule is much more seamless. It comes right after Jesus talks about loving your enemies, doing good to those who hate you, blessing those who curse you, praying for those who mistreat you, not responding to insult with insult, and being generous.

Jesus sums all of this up by saying,

Do to others as you would have them do to you. (Luke 6:31)

In other cultures, we see a similar rule. “Don’t do to others what you would not like them to do to you.”

What is the main difference between this rule and the one Jesus gave?

Jesus’ rule is much harder to do. It actually requires action. It’s relatively easy not to do evil to another. Just avoid them. If you never deal with them, there’s no way you can do evil to them.

But you can’t do good to another while avoiding all contact with them. You actually have to do something. To reach out. Even though they hate you. Even though they insult you. Even though they try to take advantage of you.

That’s hard. But that’s the kind of people God calls us to be.

As God’s child, it is not enough to just not do evil. God calls us to do good. To be a light, a city on a hill that cannot be hidden. To be salt that flavors the world around us.

And what better way is there to do that than to do good to those who don’t deserve it.

It’s the kind of love that this world finds hard to understand and almost impossible to do (if not impossible).

But a Christian who is plugged into Jesus can. Why? Because the love of Jesus is being poured into their lives to the point that it simply must overflow to those around them.

How about you? Are you simply avoiding doing evil? Or are you going out with the love Jesus has poured into your life and touching the people around you?

Categories
Luke Luke 11 Matthew Matthew 7

Sermon on the Mount: The Father who gives good gifts…generously

The gospels

In America, there are some Bible teachers that say that if you want something from God, just claim it in Jesus name, and he has to give it to you.

For a lot of these people, God is like their personal genie. But God is no genie. He doesn’t have to do anything he doesn’t want to do. And whether people believe it or not, he doesn’t always want to give you what you want.

One key phrase we see in Matthew is that God gives “good gifts to those who ask him.” (Matthew 7:11)

Sometimes, though, we ask for things, and God knows they are not good for us. We ask for something thinking it’s bread, but it’s really a stone. Will God give us that stone?

Other times, we’ll ask for a fish when it’s really a serpent. Will he give us that serpent? Of course not. He is a good Father. He would never do that to us.

With that in mind, we can be bold in asking things of God, knowing that if something is good for us, he will give it to us in his timing. But if something is bad for us, he will tell us no.

So Jesus tells us,

Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.

For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. (Luke 11:9-10)

Too often, we don’t receive because we don’t ask. We worry, “Am I being selfish? Shouldn’t I be praying about other things? Surely there are more important things to pray for than what I want.”

I think there are two points to be made here.

Number one, God is more generous than we realize. He loves us and wants to give his children good gifts.

Jesus talks in Luke of a person who only drags himself out of bed because his neighbor keeps pounding on the door asking for some bread.

Far from saying that God has to be pestered consistently before he will answer, Jesus is contrasting God with the man in the story.

Jesus was saying, “If that man, though he is tired, will drag himself out of bed because his neighbor keeps pounding on the door, how much more will God gladly answer the prayers of those who come to his door?”

The second point is this: God wants us to know him better. To learn to trust him. To know his goodness towards us. And asking is part of that process.

As we ask, we start to find out more of what his will is for our lives. We start to understand from his answers just what is good and what is not so good for us.

And through the yeses and nos and the results that come from his answers, we learn to trust God’s judgment and wisdom.

But if we never ask, we’ll never learn these things.

So ask. Seek. Knock. More doors will be opened than you expect.

And more importantly, you’ll find yourself in a closer relationship with God as you understand him and his will more.

Categories
Matthew Matthew 7

Sermon on the Mount: Wasting your breath

Matthew

I mentioned in the last blog that while Jesus warns us against hypocritical judging, he does call us to rebuke people who are in sin.

But when we do so, we should keep something else in mind: who we’re rebuking.

Jesus says here,

Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces. (Matthew 7:6)

What is Jesus saying here? He’s saying that there are some people you are just wasting your breath with if you try to rebuke them.

They simply don’t want to hear what God has to say, and if you try to tell them, they’ll rip you apart. So Jesus says, “Don’t bother.”

Solomon put it this way,

Do not rebuke a mocker or he will hate you; rebuke a wise man and he will love you. (Proverbs 9:8)

This is also true in sharing the gospel.

There are some people that you share the gospel with, and instead of being receptive or interested, they simply mock you. In that case, leave that person in the hands of God. You did your job.

The responsibility now lies with that person to do something with the Word you’ve given them. You are not required to keep tossing them the pearls of the gospel.

It can be hard to watch a person you love mock the gospel. Or harden their hearts to the word of God.

But once you’ve done your responsibility and shared his Word with them, if they reject it and make it clear that they don’t want to hear it, there’s nothing left to do but pray for them. Because at that point, only God can change their hearts, not you.

Who are you casting your pearls to?

Categories
Luke Luke 6 Matthew Matthew 7

Sermon on the Mount: Hypocritical judging

The gospels

One of my favorite comedy groups when I was growing up was Isaac Air Freight. (Does anyone still remember them?)

They did a lot of Christian comedy sketches, and one that’s always stuck with me was one called “Final Minutes” which was loosely based on “60 Minutes.”

In it, they interviewed a couple called “The Loggers.” They were Christians, who had a very “unique” characteristic. They literally had logs sticking out of their eyes.

Because of that, they were constantly knocking things down with them. And all the while, they’d criticize other people.

When the interviewer asked them about the logs in their eyes, they both asked innocently, “What logs?”

“Well,” the interviewer said, “There are these huge logs in your eyes. You’re constantly knocking things down with them.”

“Hmmm…they never seemed to bother us before.”

And that’s exactly how a lot of Christians are today. They are constantly criticizing others, while failing to see their own faults.

Jesus tells us, “You think you’re the one to help the blind by judging and criticizing them. But you can’t even see the problems in your own life. Their problems are but a speck compared to the logs in your own life.

You’re blind, and you don’t even know it. And if you who are blind try to lead others who are blind, you’ll both fall into the pit.

You think you’re a teacher for the ignorant. But your students will become like you, taking in all the faults that you don’t even know you have.” (Luke 6:39-40)

He caps it by saying,

You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye. (Luke 6:42)

What is Jesus’ point? I think the main point is humility.

One of the biggest planks in people’s eyes is pride.

There are times when we need to confront our brothers and sisters about their sin. Jesus commands us to do that. (Matthew 18:15)

The apostles reiterate it in the epistles. (Galatians 6:1)

But with what attitude do we do it? With pride? With an attitude of, “I am better than you.”

Or with a humble and gentle spirit that realizes that you need God’s grace and mercy as much as they do.

So before you rebuke someone, ask God, “What sins are in my life? What logs are in my eyes? I can’t help others if I myself am blind.

Am I suffering from pride? Am I suffering from unforgiveness? Am I suffering from the very vices the person I’m criticizing is suffering from?”

And as God reveals these things to you, repent.

If you cannot come to a person in full humility at your own weaknesses and need for God’s mercy, you should probably put off confronting them until you can.

Because even if they learn from you to avoid the sin you criticize them for, they’ll also learn pride, hypocrisy, and every other sin you’re carrying with you.

As Jesus said,

A student is not above his teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like his teacher. (Luke 6:40)

What logs are in your eyes?

Categories
Luke Luke 6 Matthew Matthew 7

Sermon on the Mount: When we judge others

The gospels

It is so easy to judge others for their shortcomings. To rail on them for their character or their deeds. It’s especially easy to do so when they’ve hurt us.

I think it’s very interesting that in the Lukan account, Jesus puts this teaching right after talking about loving your enemies and showing mercy to those who curse you or mistreat you. He says concerning them,

Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. (Luke 6:36)

Right after that, he talks about judging others, saying,

Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. (Luke 6:37)

In other words, when people hurt you, don’t condemn them. It’s quite frankly, not your place. That’s God’s place. Instead, God says to forgive them.

Forgiveness, in a lot of ways, is more for you than it is for another person.

As I think I’ve mentioned before, when you hold on to unforgiveness in your life, it chains you to your past. It keeps you from moving into the future God desires for you.

So God says to let go of your hurt and forgive. That the other person would actually change because of your forgiveness would be a bonus but is not guaranteed.

(The Pharisees and Sadducees certainly didn’t change despite Jesus’ prayer for their forgiveness.)

And of course, this comes back to the Lord’s prayer where we say, “Forgive us as we forgive those who sin against us.”

Jesus then tells us exactly what will happen if we don’t. If instead we pour out judgment and condemnation on others for what they’ve done to us.

He said,

Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap.

For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. (Luke 6:38)

A lot of people take this verse and use it in reference to giving offerings. But this is not what Jesus is talking about at all. The whole context of this passage is judging others and showing mercy.

The picture here is of a farmer pouring out grain into a bag to sell it.

It’s a little hard to picture for us nowadays, but think about trash bags. How do we fill them?

Well, first we put some trash in. When it starts getting full, what do we do? We shake it a bit to let the trash settle to the bottom, and then put in more trash.

When shaking no longer works, we push down the trash so that we can get more of it in. Of course the point comes where we can’t put in any more trash and it starts to overflow.

So what Jesus is saying is that if you pour out judgment and condemnation on others, it will be poured out on you.

It will be pressed down and shaken so that more judgment and condemnation can be poured out in your life to the point of overflow.

If, on the other hand, you pour out mercy and forgiveness on others, mercy and forgiveness will be pressed down, shaken, and overflow in your life.

What do you want poured into your life?

Categories
Luke Luke 12 Matthew Matthew 6

Sermon on the Mount: Worry

The gospels

This is one of those passages that I know in my head, but I don’t know if it has truly sunk into my heart. In fact, I’m pretty sure it hasn’t.

I know because I still worry about stuff, most recently about my job and my finances.

So when I read this, my mind says, “That makes sense. God takes care of the birds. He takes care of the flowers of the field. Surely he will take care of me.”

And yet, I still find myself worrying about things. How can I save more money? Will I be able to get a better job?

While some things I worry about are to a degree controllable, other things are, at least to some degree, not.

So again, my mind says, “You’ve done what you can. Now leave it in God’s hands. Be at peace.”

But my heart wars against it and continues to worry.

I can just hear Jesus speaking to me, “O you of little faith! The world runs after these things, but don’t you know that your Father cares about you? Don’t you know he’ll take care of your needs?

So take your eyes off these things and put it on him. If you do, if you seek him and his kingdom above all things, he will take care of you.”

To be honest, because I struggle with this so much, all I can think of to do is to pray. Please feel free to join me.

Father, you said that you love me. That you care for me. I do believe it. But Lord increase my faith. I have so little of it, and that’s why I worry so much.

But Lord, you have been faithful to me in the past. I have no real reason to doubt you. Why do I doubt you now?

Lord, help me to get my eyes off of my worries, and on to you, that “all things that surround [may] become shadows in the light of you.”

You are the only true reality. Help me to focus on you. And to trust. In Jesus name, amen.

Categories
Luke Luke 11 Matthew Matthew 6

Sermon on the Mount: Setting our sights

The gospels

I talked briefly yesterday about how if we set our sights on the sins we want to avoid, saying constantly to ourselves “I have to stay away from this,” we are actually more likely to fall to temptation.

A better way to fight temptation is to set our sights on God and follow him.

But this is true not only in temptation. It’s true in every aspect of our lives.

Jesus here talks about where we set our sights in everyday life, saying,

Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.

But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Matthew 6:19-21)

He then says,

No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.

You cannot serve both God and Money. (Matthew 6:24)

So the question is, “Where are we setting our sights?”

For many people, they set their sights on what is temporary; on money, on things.

But Jesus warns us that these things will not last. That we are to set our hearts on that which is eternal. What is eternal?

Only two things: Our relationship with God, and our relationships with those who put their faith in Jesus.

There is nothing else on this earth that we can take with us into heaven.

And so this is what we need to be setting our sights on here on earth: Developing our relationship with God. Sharing the gospel with those who don’t know Christ. And developing our relationships with our brothers and sisters in Christ.

By doing this, we earn for ourselves treasures in heaven. For what greater treasure is there than a relationship with the God who loves us and with those we love?

But so many people, even Christians, set their hearts on money. On the things of this world.

Jesus warns that we can’t do this. God doesn’t accept half-hearted service. Either we serve money or we serve him.

Jesus asks in this passage what kind of eyes we have. Do we have eyes that see things as they really are? Do we have eyes that see what’s truly important?

He says that if we do, our life will be filled with light. We’ll live a life worth living, the kind of life God intended for us. A life centered around relationships.

But if we don’t, our life will be filled with darkness.

We’ll be stumbling around unfulfilled and never knowing why. We’ll constantly be grasping for money and other things that ultimately leave us empty if we make them our life’s pursuit.

And he laments that if what we think is “light” is truly darkness, how great that darkness truly is. So he warns in Luke 11:35,

See to it, then, that the light within you is not darkness.

How about you? What are your eyes set on?

Categories
Luke Luke 11 Matthew Matthew 6

Sermon on the Mount: A daily spiritual battle

The gospels

Every day, we are fighting a spiritual battle. That’s why Jesus instructed us to pray,

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. (Matthew 6:13)

We’re living in an evil world, in which the prince of darkness dwells. And he is hostile to us. He will do anything to bring us down from within or without.

From within, he tries to get us to fall to our own sinful nature, to give into the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life.

And so we are to pray that God would lead us. That we would keep our eyes on him, following him, rather than our own sinful nature.

Everyone knows their weak points. And to some degree, it’s good to be aware of them. To avoid doing things that would bring you to the point of temptation.

But if we spend all our time focusing on what we shouldn’t be doing, chances are that the temptation will only grow.

If on the other hand, we keep our eyes on God, we’re much more likely to avoid temptation. It’s not enough to just avoid sin. We need to follow God.

But beyond temptations, Satan wants to hurt us. He will attack us, and many times he’ll use the broken people of this world to hurt us.

Other times, he’ll whisper his lies into our mind, saying things like, “You’re no good. God can’t love you. You messed up too badly this time. He can’t forgive you.”

So Jesus tells us to pray, “Deliver us from the evil one.”

We are in a war against an enemy that hates us. So let us remember the words of Peter, who said,

Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. (1 Peter 5:8)

And let us pray that God in his grace would limit his influence on our lives.

Categories
Luke Luke 11 Matthew Matthew 6

Sermon on the Mount: Not an option

The gospels

This is one of the hardest passages in scripture for many people to deal with. Jesus teaches us to pray,

Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors…

For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.

But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins. (Matthew 6:12-15)

Very strong words, and ones that Jesus will expand upon in other passages.

But let’s start with the prayer. “Forgive us our debts as we also have forgiven our debtors.”

Many people pray this so often, that they don’t think about what they’re saying. But imagine praying this.

“I’m really angry at my sister. She said something really hurtful, and I can never forgive her. So Lord, please, please, in the same way that I refuse to forgive my sister, don’t forgive any of my sins either.”

That’s essentially what you’re praying when you pray the Lord’s prayer.

You’re saying, “God, inasmuch as I forgive others, forgive me. But if I don’t forgive others, please don’t forgive me.

Inasmuch as I pour out unforgiveness and ‘ungrace’ in the life of those around me, pour out your unforgiveness and ‘ungrace’ in my life.”

In God’s eyes, forgiveness is not an option. You cannot hold on to unforgiveness in your life and expect God’s grace and mercy in yours.

Why? Because God has forgiven you though you didn’t deserve it, and he paid a massive price in order to do it. It cost him the life of his Son.

You could do nothing to earn his forgiveness. You could do nothing to ‘pay back God’ for all the wrongs that you have done. And yet he extended his mercy to you.

Since God did that for us, how can we possibly withhold forgiveness and mercy from others?

To withhold forgiveness from others means that you truly don’t understand God’s forgiveness in your life. It’s to downplay your own sin and to say, “My sin wasn’t so bad; that’s why God could forgive me.”

Your sin was bad enough to separate you from God for all eternity in hell. Your sin was so bad, that it cost Jesus his life on the cross. How then can you say, “My sin wasn’t so bad?”

If you cannot forgive others their sins, then quite simply, you are taking your own sin too lightly.

No Christian who has a strong sense of just how bad his sin is, and how much God has forgiven them can possibly withhold forgiveness from another.

Two things to meditate on.

First, how seriously do you take sin in your life? Do you realize that it was and is serious enough to send you to hell?

Second, if God forgave you for such serious offenses, how can you not forgive those who have committed serious offenses against you?

Is it easy? No. Depending on the level of hurt you experienced, it’s difficult, if not impossible…in your own strength.

But the same mercy and grace that God poured in your life so that you could be forgiven is the same mercy and grace that he will pour in your life so that you can forgive others…if you’re willing to be changed.

Are you? It starts with a prayer.

Lord, I’ve been hurt, and right now, I don’t even have the desire to forgive. But you forgave me though I didn’t deserve it, and you paid a great price so that I could.

Help me to understand that more. Let it sink into my heart and my mind. And give me the desire to forgive. Change me. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Categories
Luke Luke 11 Matthew Matthew 6

Sermon on the Mount: Praying for our needs

The gospels

One of the most amazing things to me is that the God of this whole universe cares about me, even the simple and perhaps mundane things. Yet he does. And so Jesus tells us to pray,

Give us today our daily bread. (Matthew 6:11)

Jesus will talk about this in more detail later when he talks about anxiety, but God does care that we have what we need to live. Food. Clothes. A place to stay. Of course, all of these things require money. And to have money, we need a job.

So often we worry about these things. It is, I must admit, something that I’m thinking about constantly as I interview for a new job next week.

But God doesn’t call us to worry about these things. To let these things dominate our mind. Rather, he calls us to pray about them and leave them in his hands, knowing that our heavenly Father loves us and will meet our needs.

How often do we worry about things instead of praying? (I’m speaking to myself too, by the way).

I suppose the big question we need to ask is, “Do I really think my Father really cares about me? That he really will give me all I need?”

Because if we would just realize this, all our worries would shrink and disappear.

How about you? Are you worrying about the circumstances of your life, or are you praying?

Categories
Luke Luke 11 Matthew Matthew 6

Sermon on the Mount: His Kingdom, His Will

The gospels

I was in a quandary this morning. I was asked in for an interview for a job that would be higher paying and have better benefits than the one I have now. Whether I’ll get it or not, I don’t know.

My current company, however, seemed to be doing whatever they could to prevent me from going to the interview. They denied me a day off, for reasons that were not clear, and so I was trying to find a way to go to the interview without breaking conscience.

In the end, by God’s grace, everything worked out. With the vice-principal’s and head English teacher’s help (I work at a junior high school), I was able to convince my employer to give me a half-day off for which I’m truly grateful.

As for whether I’ll get the job or not, we’ll see.

What does this have to do with this blog? Well, we’re praying, “Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”

I’ll be honest. I was very stressed this morning. I felt like I was being treated “unfairly” as I mentioned several blogs ago. And as I said then, I couldn’t control my circumstances. All I could control was my attitude, and it was difficult.

But in the end, I had to say, “Lord, your will be done.”

I didn’t know what my current employer would say when I went to work this morning, and even now, I don’t know if I can even get this job I’m interviewing for.

But I’m praying, “Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Your will in heaven is perfectly done. I pray that it would be perfectly done on earth, and especially right now, in this situation.

If you want me to get this job, work everything out. If not, help me to accept your will.”

But another part of this prayer is “Your kingdom come.”

As important as getting this job is to me, my first priority needs to be his kingdom.

Honestly, I feel I can do more for God’s kingdom with this job. I’d have more time to do the things I think God wants me to do, to go along with the better pay and benefits.

I read further than this passage today, I will admit, because I was reading where Jesus was saying not to be anxious about this life.

And the thing that caught my eye was Matthew 6:33, where he says to seek God’s kingdom first. And if we do that, everything will fall in place.

Like I said, I don’t know how things will fall out. But as God gives me grace, my prayer is, “Your kingdom come, your will be done. In my life. And in the world around me.”

Lord, you know my stress. You know my worries. But you are Lord of all. Lord of my employer. More importantly, Lord of me.

Let your will be done. In my job situation. With my future. And let me always keep in focus your kingdom above all things. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Categories
Luke Luke 11 Matthew 6

Sermon on the Mount: The one who is worthy of our honor

The gospels

We now hit the second part of the Lord’s prayer, or as some have correctly pointed out, what’s really the “Disciples’ prayer.”

Jesus said to pray, “Hallowed be your name.”

Although I’ve been a Christian a long time, and I kind of like the word “Hallowed” in the Lord’s prayer, it really isn’t a word we use nowadays. I doubt very many people ever use it outside the Lord’s prayer.

What does it mean? Basically it means to recognize and revere something or someone as holy. Which brings up the next question. What does “holy” mean? Essentially, it comes down to his perfection and purity in nature and character. There is no flaw in either.

This is in contrast to us who are far from perfect and far from pure in our nature and character.

So when we look at God in his perfection and purity, we are to stand in awe of that and honor him for who he is.

But to merely stand in awe is not enough. As we admire his perfection and purity, it should also stir something in our hearts that desires to be like him.

Just as a child longs to be like their father or mother, so we should have a heart that desires to be like our Heavenly Father. That strives to be like him. That desires to please him. And that groans at our imperfections and our impurities.

To pray “hallowed be your name,” leaves no room for us to live a life of sin. To say, “Well, God will forgive me for my sin, so I’ll just do my own thing.”

To pray “hallowed be your name,” if you are a true child of God, is to say, “Lord I so stand in awe of you, and I love you so much, that I want to be like you. Help me.”

And he will. God takes great delight when his children imitate him.

And though we may occasionally fall into the muck and mire of our sin (as we inevitably will), he will lift us out of our brokenness, wash us clean with the blood of his Son, take our hand, and lead us forward, teaching us and giving us the power to become more like Him.

How about you? Do you stand in awe of God, and desire to become more like him?

Categories
Luke Luke 11 Matthew Matthew 6

Sermon on the Mount: Our Father

Father and child

I suppose I could breeze through the Lord’s prayer, but I just felt it might be good to take it a line at a time.

In these passages, Jesus teaches us how to address God. In Matthew, he says, “Our Father in heaven.”

In Luke, he simplifies it to “Father.”

Why did Jesus tell us to address God as Father?

I think the reason is because he wanted us to know it was okay to draw close to God.

It is by no means wrong to call God things like, “Sovereign Lord.” It is in fact appropriate, for that is what he is. Peter himself addressed God that way in the book of Acts. (Acts 4:24)

But to call God that does seem to put some distance between you and him. Certainly, a king and his servant have a relationship, but it almost never is a relationship where the servant can ask for the king’s attention at any time.

But a king’s child can. He has access that a mere servant doesn’t have. More than that, he has the confidence that his daddy loves him and delights in him.

Our Father is a great king. He rules in heaven and his dominion extends throughout the universe and beyond.

Yet he always has time for you because he is not simply your king; he is your Father.

The problem that many people have, however, is they can’t truly understand what it means to say God is our Father.

They can’t understand because their own earthly fathers were imperfect. They never listened. They never loved. They never cared. They never provided. They were never there. Or in some cases, were even abusive.

And we take all these negative images of our fathers here on earth and overlay them on God.

But God isn’t our earthly father. He is our Father in heaven. And all the things your earthly father isn’t or wasn’t, God is.

He cares. He listens. He loves. He provides. And he is always there.

What image do you have of God, when you hear “God is our Father?”

Hopefully you have a positive one that allows you to draw near.

But if you have a negative one, understand that God is different from the father you know.

Pray that God would heal you from the hurts your father caused you. Pray that you can forgive your father. And pray that God could reshape your view of what a father is so that you can truly understand who God is.

Categories
Matthew Matthew 6

Sermon on the Mount: Empty words

Matthew

Prayer is simple. And yet somehow, it is difficult.

At its base, prayer is simply talking to God, just as you would talk to any other person.

If that’s all prayer is, why is it so difficult sometimes then? I suppose it’s because we don’t get audible answers back. It would be so much easier if we could actually converse with God like Moses did.

But because we don’t, we often wonder, “Is God hearing me? Am I even doing this ‘prayer thing’ right?”

So instead of just talking, we often turn to formulas. We turn the Lord’s prayer found here in Matthew and in Luke 11 into our formula for prayer.

But prayer is not a mere formula nor was it ever meant to be.

When we look at the Lord’s prayer, it gives us an idea of what prayer should look like, and what kinds of things we should be praying about. But it’s not meant to be prayed as a magic formula to get God to hear you.

Too often, though, people take the Lord’s prayer and turn it into a formula. They think that just because they say the words, God will hear them. After all, that’s what Jesus told us to pray, right?

But Jesus tells us here in verses 7-8,

And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words.

Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. (Matthew 6:7-8)

In other words, when you talk to God, talk normally. You don’t need special words. You don’t need to pray using long, flowery speech. None of these things impress God. All he wants to hear from you is your heart.

Sometimes people ask, “If God already knows what I need, if he already knows my thoughts, why pray?”

The best reason I can give is he wants to engage with you.

Sure, he doesn’t have to hear our voice to know what we’re thinking. Sure, he could just give us our needs without our asking.

But by praying, we engage with the living God. And that’s what he wants more than anything else.

But it’s impossible to engage with him if we’re just mindlessly repeating words we’ve memorized.

It’s impossible to engage with him if we’re busy trying to figure out the right formula to get him to answer our prayers.

He hears. More than that he will speak if we will just listen.

So let’s stop the formulas and mindless prayers and simply engage with the living God by telling him our hearts and holding nothing back from him.

How about you? Are you truly engaging God in your prayers? Or are you just saying words?

Categories
Matthew Matthew 6

Sermon on the Mount: Why we do what we do

Matthew

The one thing that Jesus often points to throughout this sermon is our hearts. And in this passage, he makes it clear that God not only looks at our actions, but our motivations as well.

He said,

Be careful not to do your ‘acts of righteousness’ before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. (Matthew 6:1)

He then gives three examples. First, he talks about giving.

In those days, people would basically announce to the world when they were about to give some money to the poor. In full view of everyone, they would show their great “generosity” and “compassion” for the poor.

But Jesus said, “You won’t receive any reward from God for this. You have already received your reward: the admiration of others, and the pride that comes from it.”

Then he talked about prayer, how some people prayed these long, loud prayers, showing just how spiritual they were to those around.

I’m sure there have been times when you have heard prayers and you wondered just who the person was talking to.

Finally, he pointed out how many people look like they’ve been sucking on lemons for a week (loose translation) when they fast to show how spiritual they’ve been.

And Jesus makes it clear: God will not reward any of these things. Rather, he rewards the things done in secret. The things that only he knows about. The things not done for show, but out of our love for him.

It’s very easy to point at others and criticize them, but how about you?

Are you constantly concerned about what others think of you? Are you constantly concerned about how spiritual you appear to others?

Or are you genuine?

You may fool others (although I wouldn’t bet on it), but you can’t fool God. It is not enough to do the right thing. You need to have the right motivation.

What’s the right motivation? Again, your love for God. And your love for others. Nothing else matters.

Notice that both of these things are outwardly focused. When we become inwardly focused, constantly thinking about what others think of us, then all the things we do, no matter how good, become worthless in the eyes of God.

I have to admit: I struggle with this a lot. I constantly have to ask myself, “Who am I trying to please?”

When I speak at church, am I trying to impress people with my spirituality, or am I truly letting God speak through me?

Whenever I do anything for God, whose approval am I trying to win?”

Who are you trying to please? Why are you doing what you’re doing?

Categories
Luke Luke 6 Matthew Matthew 5

Sermon on the Mount: Perfect in love, perfect in mercy

The gospels

As Christians, we often come across verse 48 in Matthew 5 where Jesus says,

Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

The context of it is very interesting. Certainly we are to strive for holiness in our lives, but in this passage, it is specifically talking about perfection in one area in our lives. Love.

Sometimes, people take Jesus’, “But I say to you…” statements as him contradicting what God had said in the Old Testament.

This is not true. What he was doing was contradicting people’s wrong interpretation of God’s commands.

We saw this in the last passage. Jesus wasn’t contradicting Moses’ law on justice. He wasn’t saying, for example, it’s okay to kill someone who took your eye or tooth.

What he was saying was, “While it’s civil law that the punishment must match the crime, you’ve taken it to mean that it’s okay to take revenge in the name of justice or fairness.

But I say to you that though it is certainly your right to seek fairness and justice, you can be a greater light in this world, you can be more like your Father in heaven, if instead of demanding justice all the time, you show mercy and grace to those who wrong you.”

And Jesus lived that out in his own life. Had Jesus demanded justice for himself, he would have never gone to the cross.

In this passage, we see another misunderstanding the Jews had about what God commanded. You can easily find in the Old Testament where it says to love your neighbor. (Leviticus 19:18)

You will be hard pressed to find anywhere, however, where it says to hate your neighbor. It’s not there. The Jews added that to God’s command.

So Jesus corrected their way of thinking. He said to love our enemies, to pray for those who persecute us, to bless those who curse us, and to do good to those who mistreat us. Jesus himself did this on the cross.

When his enemies nailed him to the cross and were mocking him, he prayed for them. Note that he didn’t pray about them. He didn’t say “See what they’re doing Father? See how terrible they are?”

He prayed for them. “Father forgive them. They don’t know what they’re doing.”

Despite their actions, he loved and cared for them. And by dying, he gave them and us hope for forgiveness and eternal life.

Jesus then pointed out that anyone can love someone who loves them. Even the worst of people can do that. But it’s very difficult to love those who hate you.

Yet that’s what God does for us. Though we hated him, though we made light of him, though we turned our backs on him, yet he daily gives us blessings we never even credit him for, even the sun and rain.

But more than that, he sent his Son to save us from our sin.

And so he calls us to be like him. To be perfect in our love as he is perfect in love. To be rich in mercy, as he is rich in mercy.

How perfect are you in love and mercy to those around you?

Categories
Luke Luke 6 Matthew Matthew 5

Sermon on the Mount: But it’s not fair

The gospels

There is something in all of us, I think, that screams for fairness. And if something happens that we feel isn’t fair, we scream against it. But is that the best response?

These few verses go against every instinct we have.

Jesus said,

You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’

But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. (Matthew 5:38-39)

Verse 38 comes from the Mosaic law, and it was basically instructions to judges on how people were to be punished for wrongdoing.

The point here is not revenge, but telling the judges to match the punishment with the crime, and not go beyond. If someone cost another an eye or a tooth, for example, you were not to kill the offender for that action.

It should be pointed out, however, that this was never literally carried out. You didn’t actually take out another person’s eye or tooth if they cost you yours. Instead, there was usually some compensation that was paid.

The idea was justice, or put another way, fairness.

But Jesus here says, “Don’t be so concerned about fairness. Instead, be a light, even to those who abuse you.”

The first example he gives is a very interesting one. He says, “If someone strike you on your right cheek, turn the other cheek.”

Now, I’m a lefty (and proud of it). So it would be no problem for me to nail someone on their right cheek.

But for most people, they are right-handed. And the only way for them to lay any kind of forcible blow on the right cheek of another is to slap them with the back of their hand.

In other words, Jesus isn’t talking about someone bullying you; he’s talking about someone insulting you.

In Jewish culture, it was considered a graver insult to slap someone with the back of your hand, than with the palm of your hand.

So Jesus was saying, “If someone insults you, let them. Don’t feel like you have to insult them back.”

Is it fair to just take this abuse? No. But Jesus tells us, “Don’t worry about fairness. Show grace.”

He then says if someone wants to sue you and take your shirt, give them your cloak as well.

In Israel, everyone had many changes of shirts, but generally only had one cloak.

Most people slept in their cloak to keep them warm at night, and Moses’ law said that if you took that cloak as a pledge for a loan, you should give it back to that person before he goes to bed at night. (Deuteronomy 24:12-13)

But again, Jesus says that if someone sues you to take your shirt, don’t worry about fairness. Give them your cloak as well.

Romans could force any Jew to carry a burden one mile because the Jews were under their rule. The Jews balked at that, as would we if we were forced to do something we don’t want to.

But Jesus said, “If that happens, don’t just go the one mile, go one extra. Do more than you’re forced to.”

And finally, Jesus says to lend freely to those around you, not worrying about whether they will return what they borrowed from you.

You might ask, “Are you saying that I should just let people walk all over me?”

No. But if we are only worried about “fairness,” we’re fighting a losing battle because we live in an unfair world.

Life isn’t always fair. We can’t always control that. What can we control?

Our attitude. How we react when life, when people are unfair. We can scream. We can fight.

Or we can show grace. We can show mercy. And if you think about it, that’s what Jesus did for us.

It wasn’t fair that he went to the cross. He never did anything wrong. But he showed grace and mercy to us, and because of it, we can know forgiveness and eternal life.

If Jesus did that for us, shouldn’t we do that for others?

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Matthew Matthew 5

Sermon on the Mount: Honesty

Matthew

Trust can be hard to come by. And in this broken world, people find it so hard to trust, we require oaths.

“I promise…”

“I swear…”

But Jesus says here that we are to be people of such integrity that God or others shouldn’t require such oaths from us.

He said,

Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not break your oath, but keep the oaths you have made to the Lord.’

But I tell you, Do not swear at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne; or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King.

And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black.

Simply let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one. (Matthew 5:33-37)

Back in those days, swearing an oath in the name of God made it binding. But if you swore by heaven, earth, Jerusalem, or by your own head, it was less binding.

But Jesus said, “No, swearing by all these things are just as binding, because heaven, earth, and Jerusalem all belong to God and are reflections of his glory. So if you swear by them, you swear by him.

And even if you swear by your own head, that belongs to God too. You can’t even control when your hair turns white.”

In short, unlike what the Pharisees and teachers of the law taught, all oaths are binding.

But Jesus says, don’t swear at all. The only reason you’d need to swear an oath at all is because you think people might not believe you.

Why would they think that?

First, they might not know you. In that kind of situation, you may need to swear, such as in a court of law.

But second, they know you, and they know you’re not trustworthy, or they have doubts about you. In those cases, you may feel a need to swear.

There is nothing to be done about the first situation. As I said, we live in a world broken by sin. Lack of trust is the norm. Because of this, we may be required to swear oaths.

I don’t think Jesus is casting aside all oaths in this passage. Jesus himself spoke under oath when on trial. (Matthew 26:63-64)

But, the second situation is something you can control, at least to an extent, by proving yourself honest to the people around you. That when people hear you say you’ll do something, that’s all they need to hear.

Can people trust you? From the little things (being on time for a party with friends) to the large (faithfulness at work or in ministry)?

Jesus calls us to be light. And to be a person that can be completely trusted is shining that light brightly in a world where few can.

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Matthew Matthew 5

Sermon on the Mount: Whatever it takes

Matthew

My favorite sports team is the Pittsburgh Steelers, and back in the 70s, their coach was a man named Chuck Noll.

Noll had a saying, “Whatever it takes.” In other words, “We do whatever necessary to win the game (within the rules, of course).”

Well here, we see that same kind of attitude. But it has nothing to do with winning games. It has to do with sin.

Jesus essentially tells us, “Do whatever it takes to get rid of sin in your life.”

He said,

If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.

And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell. (Matthew 5:29-30)

Although some people have taken this literally, Jesus does not mean this literally. He doesn’t want you to literally gouge out your eye or cut off your hand.

What he is saying is to take sin seriously. Too often, we don’t. We just say, “Well, it’s okay. God will forgive me.”

And unlike what Jesus taught in the Beatitudes, we don’t mourn over our sin. Instead, we continue on in our sin.

But Jesus reminds us here that sin is the reason that he went to the cross.

Sin causes people to go to hell. You were going to hell because of your sin before you met Jesus. How then can you take it lightly and continue on in your sin?

And so Jesus says do whatever it takes to get rid of sin in your life. What does that mean practically?

First, it means prayer. We do not have the ability to fight sin on our own. We need the power of God working in us to conquer sin.

Second, it means avoiding problem areas in your life. In other words, if you have a problem with alcoholism, stay away from bars or parties where alcohol is served and you’ll be tempted to drink.

If you have a problem with lust, stay away from anywhere that sells pornography. Cut these things off from your life.

Third, it means accountability. Share with someone you trust your struggles and have them check up on you regularly. Not only that, have them pray with you and for you.

James writes,

Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.

The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. (James 5:16)

But whatever you do, don’t take sin lightly. Jesus didn’t. He went to the cross because of it.

So do whatever it takes to be holy as he is holy.

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Matthew Matthew 5

Sermon on the Mount: Adultery

Matthew

From murder, Jesus moves on to adultery. And in doing so, I think he really pushed a sensitive button in those who thought they were so religious.

As I’ve said, the Pharisees were very proud of how well they kept every minor detail of the law. But as I’ve also mentioned, by merely focusing on the letter of the law, they completely missed the spirit of it.

A perfect example is in the case of adultery. Among the Pharisees, there was a group disparagingly called “bruised Pharisees.”

These were people that were so worried about lust, that they would literally walk with their eyes closed if they were near a woman, and in doing so would actually walk into walls because they weren’t looking where they were going.

But you also had Pharisees that debated about divorce. Moses had written that a man could divorce his wife if he found any “indecency” in her. (Deuteronomy 24:1)

The argument was about what “indecency” meant. Some thought it was sexual immorality. Others thought you could divorce your wife if she was too loud or even just burned your dinner.

In my opinion, the main problem came, however, when a married Pharisee saw a woman that he lusted after.

He might bruise himself trying to avoid looking at her, but perhaps after dusting himself off, he caught a quick glance at her and then perhaps took another glance. Soon, he was thinking of her all the time.

But he was married. As a result, the thought would then come, “How can I get around this law against adultery? I know. I’ll divorce my wife and marry this other woman.”

They literally did this. The frequency of divorce among Pharisees was an open scandal in Israel.

And so Jesus made it very clear: You may be avoiding the act of sleeping around. But that doesn’t mean you’re innocent of adultery.

He said,

But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. (Matthew 5:28)

That did not absolve any of the bruised Pharisees either, because they could go home, bruises and all, and still plot how to divorce their wife to marry this other woman.

So Jesus told them,

It has been said, ‘Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.’

But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, causes her to become an adulteress, and anyone who marries the divorced woman commits adultery. (Matthew 5:31-32)

Considering that he was comparing true righteousness with the “righteousness” of the Pharisees, I think it’s pretty clear what he was talking about.

If you divorce someone because there’s someone else you want to marry, you are committing adultery. It may not technically be adultery by the letter of the law, but in God’s eyes, it is.

How about you? Are you committing adultery in your heart?

Are you lusting after another to the point where you’re planning to get divorced? Or are you encouraging a married person to get divorced from their spouse so that you can marry them?

That’s adultery, and God condemns it.

You may not be sleeping with another person, but are you joined to your spouse, heart, body, soul, and mind?

Or is your heart being pulled to another person? That too is adultery in God’s eyes.

May we always have hearts faithful to the ones we have committed our lives to. Namely, to God, and to our spouse.

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Matthew Matthew 5

Sermon on the Mount: Making things right

Matthew

We read in the Beatitudes, “Blessed are the peacemakers.” Often times, we solely think of this in terms of bringing peace between two outside parties.

But there is another situation in which we are called to be peacemakers. We are called to be peacemakers when we are one of the parties involved, and this is what Jesus talks about here.

He says,

Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar.

First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift. (Matthew 5:23-24)

I think there are two important things to note here.

First, he says, “If your brother has something against you.”

So often, there is a rift in our relationships, and we know that someone is upset at us, but we feel like we did nothing wrong. So we say, “It’s their problem, not mine.”

But when you do that, what you are essentially doing is devaluing them. You’re saying, “This person is not worth my time. If he has a problem, he should come to me.”

Or, “It’s his problem, not mine. He should deal with it.”

But Jesus doesn’t allow any room for this kind of thinking. He says that if someone has a problem with us, we are to do what we must to bring reconciliation.

Many times, it just means a simple apology.

“But I didn’t do anything wrong!”

Maybe you did, maybe you didn’t. Maybe the other person is being too sensitive. It doesn’t matter. You need to value them enough that you take their feelings into consideration. And if you have hurt them, you need to acknowledge that.

If nothing else, you should say, “I understand that when I said that or did that, I hurt you. I didn’t mean to. Will you forgive me?”

And from that point, you need to keep in mind just what you did to cause the problem, and for their sake, and for Christ’s who died for them, you need to avoid those actions or words in the future.

The second thing to note from this passage is that broken relationships with others affects our relationship with God.

God will not accept our gifts or offerings if we have not made every effort to bring reconciliation to our broken relationships.

Peter writes that God won’t even accept the prayers of husbands if they are not living with understanding with their wives. (I Peter 3:7)

Jesus then points out that if you really did something wrong, it’s especially important to get things right as soon as possible. He said,

Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court.

Do it while you are still with him on the way, or he may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison.

I tell you the truth, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny. (Matthew 5:25-26)

But whether you are truly at fault or not, Jesus tells us to do all we can to make things right.

That said, reconciliation is a two-way street. Some people don’t want reconciliation. You can’t control that.

What you can do is control your actions. To first pray for that person. To ask God what you can do to bring reconciliation. And then to do all God has told you to do.

After that, it’s up to the other person. And if they refuse to respond, then all you can do is leave it in God’s hands.

In short, follow the words of Paul who wrote,

If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. (Romans 12:18)

Are you at peace with those around you?

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Matthew Matthew 5

Sermon on the Mount: When we despise people in our hearts

Matthew

Here we see one of the main problems Jesus had with the religious leaders’ interpretation of the law. It was strictly a matter of outward compliance, while totally ignoring what was going on in the heart.

In this passage, Jesus shows us what this means in terms of murder. He said,

You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ (Matthew 5:21)

Many Pharisees and teachers of the law kept this commandment. They never murdered anyone (at least until they had Jesus crucified, anyway).

But Jesus told them,

But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment.

Again, anyone who says to his brother, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell. (Matthew 5:22)

Jesus here goes beyond the outward crime of murder to the attitudes of the heart. Basically he says, “So you have never actually killed anyone? Great! But how about within your heart? Have you ever murdered someone in your heart?”

What does that mean, to murder someone in your heart?

What are you doing when you murder someone? You are basically devaluing that person. You are saying, “You have so little value, you are no longer fit to live.”

Well, what are we doing when we say to someone, “You idiot! You fool! You (fill in the blank)!”

We are devaluing them in our hearts. Essentially that’s what it means to despise someone. To look upon them as someone of little worth or value.

Murder is merely taking this attitude to an extreme. But if we hold on to this attitude in our hearts, it can actually lead to murder. We’ve seen this time and again in our society.

Anger is another problem that Jesus points to here. It is natural for us to get angry. We can’t control when we get angry. It’s an emotion. Something happens, and we get angry.

But we can control what we do with our anger. Do we hold on to it? Do we let it simmer in our hearts? Do we embrace that anger?

Anger undealt with takes us to the next level of murder. We either cut people off from our lives, or we actually take their lives.

And Jesus says that if we do so, we will be liable to God’s judgment, and apart from the grace of God, hell.

How about you? Is there someone in your life that you despise in your heart? That you have devalued?

Is there someone that you have cut off because of the anger you hold toward them in your heart? Then in God’s eyes you have murdered them.

John tells us,

Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life in him. (I John 3:15)

And again,

Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother is still in the darkness…

Whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness; he does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded him. (I John 2:9,11)

So let us start seeing those around us, even those who have hurt us, as people of value. Because they are. And it was for that reason that Jesus gave his life for them…and us.

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Matthew Matthew 5

Sermon on the Mount: Fulfilling the law

Matthew

I think it’s significant that Jesus probably said these things after the controversies with the Pharisees over the Sabbath had begun (although you wouldn’t guess this by looking at the book of Matthew alone).

Jesus had probably already done multiple healings on the Sabbath earning the criticism of the Pharisees.

But Jesus makes it clear here that,

I have not come to abolish the Law or the Prophets but to fulfill them. (Matthew 5:17)

How did Jesus fulfill the law and the prophets? Primarily in three ways.

First, he fulfilled the prophesies of the Messiah to come.

Second, he was the only man to ever perfectly obey the law. Because of that, he was able to take the punishment for our sin on the cross.

As Paul wrote,

For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering.

And so he condemned sin in sinful man in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit. (Romans 8:3-4)

Third, he fulfilled in his death all the sacrifices that God had required of the Jews.

As the writer of Hebrews points out, while God required them, they in themselves could not cleanse us from our sins. What they did do was paint a picture of what Jesus would do for us on the cross.

Now in Jesus, all our sins have been cleansed, and so these sacrifices are no longer required. They are, as Jesus puts it, accomplished in him. (Hebrews 10:1-18)

But while some things in the law were accomplished in Jesus Christ, as was our justification before God, nevertheless, the law still points to the holiness of God and what kind of people God desires us to be.

And so each day, we are to strive to be holy as he is holy. Not in order to earn our salvation, but because now the Holy Spirit lives inside us to help us live it.

Before we were powerless to do what God commanded. But now God himself dwells in us and gives us the power to become the people he originally designed us to be.

And Jesus warns us,

I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5:20)

That probably stunned the people who heard it because the Pharisees and teachers of the law were considered the strongest preservers of God’s law. They had made rule upon rule in order to make sure they kept God’s law.

But righteousness goes far beyond keeping the letter of the law. Righteousness is a thing of the heart. And if your heart is not right before God, nothing you do is right before Him.

Three points that Jesus would lambast the Pharisees and teachers of the law for were lack of justice, mercy, and faithfulness in their lives. (Matthew 23:23)

We’ll see more of what he means by that as we continue through his sermon.

For now, the question is, how is your heart? You may be doing all the right things, but is your heart right before God? What would he say about your heart today?

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Matthew Matthew 5

Sermon on the Mount: Salt and light

Matthew

It is very interesting to me the context in which Jesus talks about us being salt and light in the world.

What was the context? He had just finished talking about persecution. That we are blessed if we are persecuted for righteousness’ sake.

Right after that, he tells us we are the salt of the earth, and he warns us that if we lose our saltiness, we’re no good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled.

How can we lose our saltiness? By giving into pressure from our family, our friends, and the people around us to conform to them, rather than to Christ. To do so because we are afraid of what they will say or do to us.

When we are so focused on pleasing others that we forget that we need to please God above all others, we lose our saltiness.

We are meant to be salt in this world. Salt preserves. It keeps meat from rotting.

In the same way, Christians are to be people that keep our culture from rotting by showing people God’s ways.

Not just by telling them about God’s ways, mind you. But by showing them God’s ways by the way you live your life.

And by showing them God’s ways, they’ll see the contrast between a healthy, fulfilled life and a morally decrepit one.

Salt also flavors. It gives taste to food that has little or none. In the same way, we are to flavor the world around us with the love and touch of Christ.

But we can do neither of these things if we are simply blending in with the world.

God put us in this world to be light. A city on a hill that cannot be hidden. For what purpose? To show his glory to a lost, hurt, and dying world.

How can we then hide that light that God has lit in our lives by giving into the pressure of those around us?

How about you? Have you so conformed to this world that you’ve lost your saltiness? That your light can no longer be seen?

Who are you trying to please? God? Or the people around you?

May we obey the words of Jesus and let our lights shine before men, that they may see our good deeds and praise our Father in heaven. (Matthew 5:16)

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Matthew Matthew 5

Sermon on the Mount: A whole new way of thinking

Matthew

As we look at the Beatitudes one last time, it strikes me that it is an entirely different way of thinking from the way the world thinks.

Many think that it is the ultra-religious who are blessed by God. That you have to be on a special spiritual plane in order to be blessed by God.

But Jesus says, “Blessed are the poor in spirit.” That God looks with favor on those who are spiritually bankrupt.

More than that, he looks with favor on those who realize they are spiritually bankrupt. Because when we do, we realize our need for grace. And it is at that point, that we can be saved.

The world thinks that it’s those who find happiness in this life that are blessed. And so they subscribe the old axiom, “If it feels good, do it.”

But Jesus says that it is when we mourn over the sin in our lives, and over the pain that sin causes in this world that we find blessedness. Because only then can we find his transforming power in our lives and in the world around us.

The world teaches that it is those who take the bull by the horn, who take control of their own lives that are blessed.

But Jesus says, we are blessed when we submit our lives to God in everything, through the good and bad. To trust in his goodness and his judgment. And when we do, we’ll find a life that truly works.

The world says, “Blessed are those who can do whatever they want. Who do whatever they can to bring happiness into their lives.”

But Jesus said, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after what is right.”

It’s not always easy, nor is it always pleasurable. But only in doing so will we find true satisfaction.

The world proclaims, “Look out for number one. Step on whoever you have to in order to achieve your goals.”

But Jesus said, “Blessed are the merciful. Look to the needs of others above your own.”

This can especially be seen in forgiveness, where you stop focusing on yourself and the pain you’ve received, and you focus on the hurt and the needs of the person who hurt you.

And when we do that, we become like Jesus who prayed for his enemies saying, “Father, forgive them. They know not what they do.”

The world teaches that morals are relative. That we can’t judge another’s morals. That all moral codes are equal.

But Jesus said, “Blessed are the pure in heart. For it is only they who understand God’s holiness, who will see God.”

The world says, “Mind your own business. Don’t get involved. Live and let live. All roads lead to God.”

Jesus says, “It is those who go out as ambassadors and preach the gospel, who help bring peace between God and the people around them that are sons and daughters of God.

And it is those who help bring peace between others that prove themselves to be like their Heavenly Father who brought peace between himself and us.”

The world believes that if everyone likes you, you are blessed.

Jesus teaches that we can’t please everyone. That there is only one who is worth pleasing, and that is God. That’s who we need to seek to please.

The kingdom of God has a radically different way of thinking from the way the world thinks. But if we’ll embrace it, we’ll find what life truly is all about.

So as Paul encourages us,

Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.

Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is — his good, pleasing and perfect will. (Romans 12:2)

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Luke Luke 6 Matthew Matthew 5

Sermon on the Mount: Under fire

The gospels

Nobody likes to be persecuted. Nobody likes to be disliked. In an ideal world, everyone would like you.

But this isn’t an ideal world. It’s a world that has been corrupted by sin. And because of that, people’s minds have been corrupted by sin to the point that they can’t distinguish good from evil. Even when they can, they often prefer evil.

John put it this way,

Light has come into the world (through Jesus), but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. (John 3:19)

Because of this, Jesus warned his disciples,

If they persecuted me (and they did), they will persecute you also. (John 15:20)

Think about this. Jesus was perfect. He never did anything wrong. He was love incarnate. And yet people hated him and put him on a cross.

If Jesus was perfect and he was treated this way, what makes us think we’ll be treated any differently?

But Jesus tells us that if we are persecuted for doing what is right, if we are persecuted for following him, we are blessed.

That seems a strange thing to say. Being persecuted is a blessing? I don’t want to be persecuted.

But the blessing is not in the persecution itself. It’s in knowing that we are following in our Master’s footsteps. That we are being like him even to the point of being persecuted as he was.

And the blessing is in knowing that the persecution is not in vain. That God will ultimately reward us for our faithfulness under fire.

So let us not get discouraged when persecution comes our way. When we are rejected by our family or friends or others around us for Jesus’ sake.

As the old saying goes, you can’t please all the people all the time.

Jesus couldn’t. Neither can you.

So let us focus on pleasing just one person: God. And in doing so, we will find true blessing.

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Matthew Matthew 5

Sermon on the Mount: Reconcilers

Matthew

If there is one thing that God has called us as Christians to be is reconcilers. Why? Because Jesus himself was the great reconciler.

When there was a huge gap between God and us because of our sin, Jesus came down and died on a cross, taking the punishment for our sin. Now, because of what he has done, we have peace with God.

So when we can bring peace between two people who are at war, we prove ourselves to be “sons (and daughters) of God.”

God hates it when the children he loves are in conflict with each other. And so he calls us as his children to step in where we can to help bring peace.

This is not to say that we are to step into every conflict we see. Proverbs warns us against getting involved in conflicts that we have no connection with. (Proverbs 26:17)

But when you see people that you love fighting, you should do what you can to bring peace.

To be sure, you need to be careful about the timing, and also you will need God’s wisdom as to how do so.

Above all, you should have the love and respect of the people you’re dealing with. Without a relationship with the warring parties, you’re more likely to do harm than to do good.

But there’s an even more important way in which God calls us to be reconcilers. We are to be people that help bring reconciliation between God and those around us.

The apostle Paul wrote,

All this (i.e. salvation) is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them.

And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. (2 Corinthians 5:18-19)

What an awesome responsibility. Jesus did the work of salvation on the cross. But now God tells us, “I put it in your hands now. It’s your responsibility to reach out as my ambassadors.”

What message do we pass on?

We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.

God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:20-21)

It is, of course, not up to us to change people’s hearts. That can only be done by the Holy Spirit. But we are called to be reconcilers, people who help bring peace between God and the people he loves.

Jesus tells us,

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God. (Matthew 5:9)

Are you a peacemaker?

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Matthew Matthew 5

Sermon on the Mount: To see God

Matthew

There are so many songs that express a desire to see God. Back when I was a kid, we had a song,

Open our eyes Lord,
We want to see Jesus.

To reach out and touch him.
To say that we love him.

Slightly more recently, there was another song,

Open the eyes of my heart Lord,
Open the eyes of my heart.

I want to see you.
I want to see you.

They’re both great songs, and I love them, but if we really want to see God in our lives, Jesus tells us,

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

Why is purity so important? Because God is holy. When the angels sing at his throne, they don’t sing about his love, they sing about his holiness.

(Okay, maybe they sing about his love too, but we never see a song in scripture that says, “Love, love, love, is the Lord God Almighty.”)

God tells us in both the Old Testament and the New to be Holy as he is. (Leviticus 11:44-45; I Peter 1:16).

God hates sin and cannot be near it. And if we are covered in its muck, we will always find ourselves at a distance from God.

This is not to say that we’ll lose our salvation or that God will stop loving us, but we will never have the close relationship that he desires to have with us.

One time, I was talking with a friend in her garage, and her two-year old daughter wandered off.

When she came back, she had a sponge in her hand that her husband had used to clean grease off of their car. So now, the grease was all over her hands and her face, yet despite this, she reached out to my friend wanting to be picked up and hugged.

Needless to say, my friend did NOT want to do that, and so her daughter started to cry. So very gingerly, my friend picked her up from behind and took her into the house to get her cleaned up.

Many times, we wonder why we feel distant from God. We wonder why he doesn’t seem to hear our prayers, or why we never seem to sense his presence.

A good question to ask yourself is, “Am I covered with muck? Is my sin making God keep his distance from me?”

The writer of Hebrews tells us,

Without holiness no one will see the Lord. (Hebrews 12:14)

A couple of notes. First, remember that though we may struggle with sin, God promises that,

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)

The key is that we always seek to keep a clear conscience before God. And to do that, daily repentance is essential.

The second thing is that just because God seems distant does not necessarily mean you are in sin. There may be other reasons (which is a topic for another blog).

But repentance is a starting point. Ask God, “Is there something between you and me?”

And if there is, God will let you know. I strongly doubt God will ever tell us, “Well, I’m not going to tell you what you did wrong because you should already know.”

So if he doesn’t point out any sin in your life, then know that there are probably other reasons for his silence. And in time, he’ll let you know what they are.

But every day, you should ask yourself, “Is my heart clean before God?”

Categories
Matthew Matthew 5

Sermon on the Mount: Mercy

Matthew

I remember having a dream one night about being at some kind of ministry training seminar or something in China of all places (I’ve never been there), and during it, our teacher told us, “You all know your Bibles well, but are you living it?”

He then started to teach about mercy, and he quoted from the passage where Jesus said, “Go and learn what this means. I desire mercy, not sacrifice.” (Matthew 9:13)

At that point, I woke up kind of wondering what it all meant.

I was on vacation at the time, and that night, I visited my brother’s church. As I was waiting for service to start, I was reading over those passages on mercy.

Then when the message started, my brother (an assistant pastor) read from James, after which he started teaching on, of all things, mercy.

Later that week, I visited my home church and my pastor spoke about…mercy.

Which kind of gave me the idea that God wanted me to learn something. And that year, God started to teach me about mercy.

It’s a lesson I’m still learning. I wish I could say I am now a completely merciful person, but I’m not. It’s an area I still need to grow in.

Jesus says here,

Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.

What does it mean to be merciful? One thing I learned that year was to stop putting people on a measuring stick. To constantly demand that they meet the standards of my expectations.

God gave me that lesson one day while teaching English to some Japanese students.

I was getting really frustrated with some of them because of their lack of improvement. I was feeling like, “You should know this already! You learned this! Why can’t you remember?”

But God told me, “Bruce stop putting them on the measuring stick you’re setting up. Yes, they probably should be at a higher level than they are. Yes, they should probably know this by now.

But they don’t. Stop criticizing them and accept them where they are. Look at what their needs are and do what you can to meet them.”

It was a lesson I never have forgotten. So many times, people don’t meet our expectations as friends, as coworkers, as children, as husbands, and as wives. As a result we become very critical of them.

But to be merciful means to stop criticizing and to instead start asking ourselves, “What is their need? How can I meet their need?”

That was a key difference between Jesus and the Pharisees, and you see it throughout the gospels.

Another meaning of being merciful is to forgive. People often don’t deserve our forgiveness. Some aren’t even sorry for the hurt they cause us. And because of that, resentment and bitterness start to build up in our hearts.

The word resent, means “to feel again.” And when we hold resentment in our heart, whenever we think of that person that hurt us, we “feel again” the pain they caused us.

Resentment and bitterness chains us to our past. And God doesn’t want that for us. He wants us to move on and find the purposes for which he created us. But we can’t do that if we keep holding on to our past.

More importantly than that, God showed mercy to us, even though we didn’t deserve it. And because of that, he calls us to show mercy to others and forgive them even when they don’t deserve it.

And Jesus tells us time and again that if we desire mercy from God, we need to be merciful to others. We see that in this passage, in the prayer he taught his disciples, and also in the parables he taught.

How about you? How merciful are you?

Categories
Matthew Matthew 5

Sermon on the Mount: Hungering and thirsting for righteousness

Matthew

I suppose as you look at this passage, you can read it two ways, both equally valid in my mind.

First, Jesus could be talking about having a hunger for holiness in your life. To want to live a life that’s pure and pleasing to God out of your love for him.

Yet so often we struggle. Paul talked about that struggle in Romans 7. Yet in that struggle, we see his desire for righteousness in his life.

In short, he says, “I want to do what’s right, but somehow I can’t. I just keep falling time and again. What a total mess I am!”

I know I feel the same way. I desire holiness and purity, and yet so often I fall. And it’s easy to become discouraged. To just throw in the towel and say, “Forget it. Why keep fighting? I’m just going to fall anyway.”

But Jesus encourages us here to not give up. To keep on hungering and thirsting for righteousness. Because the day will come when those desires will be fulfilled.

Ultimately that will happen in heaven. But even here on earth, God is continuing to work in us, “to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.” (Philippians 2:13)

And until that day when perfection comes, the grace of God reigns. For as Paul writes in those passages in Romans,

But where sin increased, grace increased all the more, so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 5:20-21)

Because of this,

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. (Romans 8:1)

But I think there’s another sense in which our hunger and thirst for righteousness will be filled.

So often we look at the world around us, and we see all the injustice and sin that is so prevalent.

We see the failings of the court systems. The laws that are being passed by politicians that are contrary to the word of God. The way moral values are changing so that what was once considered detestable and wrong are considered right.

And we wonder, “When will righteousness and justice come to our land again? Are we beyond hope?”

To be honest, I don’t think things will get better. Paul gives a pretty bleak picture of what the last days will be like. (II Timothy 3:1-5). And I do believe we are in those last days.

I personally put no hope in the politicians, the justice system, or anything else we have set up in order to make things right.

Yet I have hope. Why? Because the day will come when every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord. (Philippians 2:10-11).

So I refuse to despair at all the evil I see. Justice and righteousness will come. Our hunger and thirst for these things will be satisfied.

So until that day, I will wait and hope, not on the things of this world or the governments and institutions people have set up, but on God.

May we never lose our hunger and thirst for righteousness in our lives or in the world around us. For Jesus promises that we will be satisfied.

Categories
Matthew Matthew 5

Sermon on the Mount: Submitted to the Father

Matthew

I have to admit that whenever I read this, I’m always having to look up the word meek. What exactly does it mean to be meek?

I suppose it would be good to say what it doesn’t mean. It doesn’t mean weak. When you look at Moses and Jesus himself, both were described as meek, but you could hardly call either of them weak. They were both very strong men.

The word meek comes from the idea of an animal that has been tamed. A tamed animal has not lost any of its strength, but is submitted to its master, and is willing to be used for his purposes.

Defined this way, Moses and Jesus can definitely be called meek.

Moses, after originally trying to fight for the Israelites on his own strength, and then giving up completely when he was essentially exiled, put himself under God’s authority and went on to accomplish great things.

Jesus, of course, while never ceasing to be God, nevertheless submitted himself to his Father’s will, going to the cross, and accomplishing the purpose for which the Father sent him, our salvation.

Both went through trying times. Both went through times of weakness. But both persevered through those trials, and kept on going until they fulfilled the purpose the Father had for them.

That’s what it means to be meek.

How about you? Are you meek? Have you submitted yourself to the Father?

When times get hard, do you complain, and ask, “Why is this happening to me? I thought I was doing what You told me?”

Or do you humble yourself before him, and continue to do his will?

It is to those people that Jesus says, “They shall inherit the earth.”

We will not go unrewarded if we submit to the Father and follow his will every day.

The question is: Will we?

Categories
Matthew Matthew 5

Sermon on the Mount: Those who mourn

Matthew

I have probably heard hundreds of messages on the beatitudes and seen numerous commentaries, and most of the time, they interpret this verse as meaning, “Blessed are those who mourn over their sin.”

I suppose it fits in well with the idea of being poor in spirit. We see just how spiritually bankrupt we are, and because of that we mourn.

Mourning over sin can be good or bad. Mourning over sin that results in repentance leads to life. But mourning that leads to despair leads to death.

You see that in Peter’s and Judas’ lives. One repented and found life. The other found despair and killed himself.

The key question to ask is where does our mourning take our focus? On God and his grace? Or on ourselves and our utter depravity?

When we focus on God and his grace, we find comfort. When we focus on ourselves and our utter depravity, it will lead to despair.

But I’m not so sure Jesus was totally focused on mourning because of our sin.

Sometimes we mourn not because of our sin per se, but because of the brokenness in this world because of sin.

We mourn because of the sickness and death we see around us. We mourn because of all the hurt that people cause each other.

And as I said, it’s easy to despair because of it. To wonder if there’s any hope.

But again I ask, where do we place our focus when we mourn? If we focus merely on ourselves, it will lead to despair. Because in ourselves, we don’t have the power to change all the awful things around us.

When we place our focus on God, however, it leads to hope because God is above all our circumstances, and he can take what is broken and restore it. More than that, he can take what is dead, and bring it to life.

Dead relationships. Dead marriages. Dead hopes. Dead souls.

Are you broken because of sin? Are you mourning because of all the hurt you see in your life and in those around you?

Take your eyes off of yourself and on the one who gives life to that which is dead. Because when you do, you will find comfort.

Categories
Matthew Matthew 5

Sermon on the Mount: Not for the “spiritual”

Poor in spirit
www.LumoProject.com

We’re skipping back to Matthew 5 at this point, and we’ll be combining the two sermons on the Mount and the Plain, as they have very similar themes.

Jesus’ words here are slightly different from those we read in Luke. Instead of saying, “Blessed are the poor,” he says “Blessed are the poor in spirit.”

While in the former, he seems to be talking to those who were monetarily poor, in this passage, he seems to be saying something different.

There’s no doubt that some Pharisees, teachers of the law, and other religious folk in the crowd were listening to Jesus speak that day.

And when others looked at them, they thought that these people must be the specially favored of God. They were so spiritual. They knew the Bible so well. They lived such righteous lives.

And probably as people looked at themselves, they felt spiritually inferior.

Jesus’ 12 disciples must have especially felt that way. They had no religious training that could compare with the religious elite. They were just fishermen. One was a despised tax collector.

They were a short-tempered, proud, bickering group. A group that Jesus often chided for a lack of faith.

And yet, Jesus said to them, “Yes you are spiritually poor. But the kingdom of God is for people just like you.”

On the other hand, many of the people they considered spiritually rich would find themselves locked out of God’s kingdom when they came to heaven’s gate. Why?

Because the truth is, we are all spiritually poor. None of us have anything we can bring before God that allows us to say, “See, you have to let me in.”

More than spiritually poor, we are spiritually bankrupt.

The Bible says,

“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23)

In fact, all our righteous works are but filthy rags to God. (Isaiah 64:6)

Because of this, we all need Jesus. All of us need his forgiveness and grace, from the Pharisee to the tax collector, from the pastor to the prostitute. And without it, none of us will enter his kingdom.

Do you feel spiritually poor? Know that there is hope for you.

Even if you don’t have a seminary degree, even if you’re just an ordinary person with no special qualifications, and even if you have totally messed up your life, the kingdom of God is for you.

Why? Because whether you’re a pastor, an office worker, or a prostitute, we are all the same. Sinners in need of grace.

The kingdom of God is not for the “spiritual.” It’s for the sinner.

Do you feel you’re not good enough for the kingdom of God? Cheer up. None of us are.

But if you will humble yourself before God, ask his forgiveness for your sins, and if you will receive Jesus as Lord of your life, he promises you eternal life.

And no matter who you are, there are no second-class citizens in his kingdom.

Categories
Luke Luke 6

The problem with self-satisfaction

Luke

After Jesus talked about God’s blessings on those who were poor, he turned his attention on those who were rich and self-satisfied, saying,

But woe to you who are rich, for you have already received your comfort.

Woe to you who are well fed now, for you will go hungry.

Woe to you who laugh now, for you will mourn and weep.

Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for that is how their fathers treated the false prophets. (Luke 6:24-26)

Pretty harsh words. But just as verses 17-21 were not a blanket statement of blessing for the poor, neither is this a blanket statement that condemns the rich.

Rather they were words to people who were self-satisfied. People who were so comfortable, that they gave little if any thought to God, simply because they didn’t feel they needed him.

But for people who feel like that, the time will come when they will realize that all their wealth, all their food, all their comforts, and all their pleasures are fleeting.

One day, they will stand naked before God and he will ask them, “What did you do with my Son?”

And if they have rejected him in this life, they will be condemned for all eternity.

And so will you.

How about you? Do you feel like you don’t really need God. That you have enough to make your life a happy one?

Remember that this life is only 70 or 80 years, if we’re lucky. But after that, we will face eternity, either in heaven, or in hell. And all that you enjoyed here will mean nothing if you have rejected God here on earth.

If you have rejected God here on earth, he will reject you for all eternity in the life to come.

But if you make room in your heart for him, if you give him the throne of your life and make him king, then not only will you have life in heaven someday. You’ll find true life here on earth. For as Jesus said,

I have come that they may have life and have it to the full. (John 10:10)

Where do you find your satisfaction? In yourself? In your possessions? Or in having a relationship with the one who loves you and died for you?

Categories
Luke Luke 6

Good news

Luke

There seems to be some dispute as to whether the teachings from the Sermon on the Mount recorded in Matthew and the teachings from the Sermon on the Plain in Luke were actually the same message or not.

Some think they are, stating that the “level place” in Luke could very well have been on that mountain mentioned in Matthew.

I would guess, however, that these are two different messages, although with repeated themes that at times were altered because of the audiences Jesus was speaking to.

I strongly doubt that Jesus taught completely unique messages wherever he went. As he traveled from place to place, he probably taught variants of the same message.

In this passage, I get the impression that he was speaking to a lot of poor people. Literally poor. People who had little money, and little hope for the future.

Perhaps they were widows. Or disabled. Or immigrants from another land. And as such, Jesus tailored his message a bit for them. In doing so, he fulfilled Isaiah’s prophesy which said,

The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor.

He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor. (Isaiah 61:1-2)

So Jesus said to them,

Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.

Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied.

Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh. (Luke 6:20-21)

This of course is not a blanket statement that all who are poor and depressed will enter his kingdom and be blessed.

The underlying caveat behind all this is that they are people who pursue God. That if Jesus is your Lord, though you may be poor, though you may be hungry, though you may be weeping, there are better times coming.

And in a world that’s less than perfect, that’s good news.

How about you? Is your life hard? Are you struggling because of your circumstances? There is hope. There will be better times. But only if you make Jesus your Lord. Paul wrote,

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28)

Are you in love with Jesus Christ? And are you living for his purposes or for yours? Who are you living for?

Categories
Luke Luke 6 Mark Mark 3 Matthew Matthew 10

Called to be with him, called to go out

The gospels

In these passages, we see the increasing popularity of Jesus, and perhaps it was because of these increasingly great crowds and their needs that Jesus decided to choose 12 people as his trained disciples.

As a man, Jesus was limited to one place at one time. As a result, to minister more effectively, he needed people around him to share in his work.

It truly was a motley crew he chose.

You had fishermen, a former tax collector and collaborator of the Roman government, and a former zealot who was highly nationalistic.

You also had a variety of personalities. You had the brash and bold (Peter), the skeptical (Thomas and Nathanael), and the short-tempered (James and John).

They were all quite different people. But there were three things that Jesus wanted of them. It says in Mark 3:14-15,

He appointed twelve–designating them apostles–that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach and to have authority to drive out demons.

First and foremost, Jesus wanted people that would be with him. People who would spend time with him, and to learn from him.

Jesus still desires that today. He desires that we share in his life. That we might know him. And that we might grow to be more like him.

Second, Jesus wanted people that would go out and share the message he had given them.

So often, people read their Bibles, and they grow in their relationship with God. But it’s not enough to just know the Word. God wants us to share that message with others so that they can share in what you have.

Third, Jesus wanted people who would fight spiritual warfare. You may or may not drive out demons from people as the disciples did, but you will have to fight the spiritual forces that are out there.

As Paul wrote,

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. (Ephesians 6:12)

Jesus calls us to fight. Not against people, but against Satan and his spiritual forces that would blind people and doom them to eternal hell. He calls us to fight for the souls of men and women everywhere.

Every day, people are dying and going to hell. But God doesn’t want that. He wants us to go and fight that they may be saved.

That’s what it means to be a disciple of Christ. To be with Jesus. To go out and share the good news with others. And to engage in spiritual warfare.

How about you? As Christ’s disciple, are you doing these things?

Categories
Luke Luke 5 Mark Mark1 Matthew Matthew 4

Called to follow

The gospels

I do have to back up in time a bit. I just noticed I missed some crucial passages, namely where Jesus first calls the fishermen to follow him. (I’m sure this won’t be the last time I skip something by mistake.)

At any rate, these passages are a little difficult to harmonize, namely Matthew and Mark with Luke.

Any harmonization is purely speculative, but it is my guess that the events in Luke happened first, and that the events in Matthew and Mark happened shortly thereafter, perhaps a day or two later.

One day Jesus was trying to teach, but was getting pressed all the way back to the water by the huge crowds that were surrounding him.

Seeing Peter and his friends washing their nets nearby, he got into one of their boats and asked them to go out from shore a bit, and he taught from the water.

I’m not sure how much Peter and his friends wanted to do that. They’d just had a fruitless night of fishing, were tired, and probably wanted to go home. But they did as Jesus asked.

After Jesus finished teaching, however, he told them to go out further into the water to catch some fish.

At that point, Peter reached his limit. He was tired, discouraged, and wanted to waste no more time fishing this day. He certainly didn’t want to take any advice on fishing from a carpenter.

So he said,

Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. (Luke 5:5a)

But Jesus never wavered and just looked at Peter until he finally mumbled,

But because you say so, I will let down the nets. (Luke 5:5b)

So Peter and his friends went out, probably totally embarrassed. After all, nobody went fishing at that time of day. There were simply no fish to be had, and their friends in the other boat were probably all laughing at them for following Jesus’ advice.

But when they let down the nets, there were so many fish, Peter soon called his friends in the other boat to come help them, and there were so many fish, both boats began to sink.

At first, Peter was probably exuberant. But then it sank down in his heart what had just happened. He realized that this Jesus was much more than just an ordinary teacher.

And so he fell to his knees, and said,

Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man! (Luke 5:8)

But Jesus answered,

Don’t be afraid; from now on you will catch men. (Luke 5:10)

Again this is pure speculation, but I’m guessing that Luke compressed what happened next.

I’m guessing that they all went home that night. It’s possible that Jesus wanted them to reflect on all that had happened and the words he had spoken to them.

And then, perhaps the next morning, or shortly thereafter, while Peter and Andrew were fishing, and while James and John were mending their nets, Jesus made his formal call to them saying,

Come, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. (Matthew 4:19)

And when they heard it, they left everything to follow him.

What can we get from this?

First, Jesus’ grace extends to us and covers all our sins and failures, just like it covered Peter’s. He didn’t condemn Peter for his sin. Rather, he called Peter into a new life.

Second, you don’t need special qualifications to follow Jesus. You don’t need to go to seminary or Bible school. Peter and his friends were simple, uneducated fishermen. But Jesus called them anyway as his primary disciples.

Third, the most important thing for us to do is to trust him and to obey him. We don’t need to understand all the whys for the things Jesus asks us to do.

But we do need a heart that says, “But because you say so, I will.” We need a heart that is willing to let go of everything we hold dear in order to follow him.

Finally, as his followers, we are called to join in Jesus’ work. To bring others into the kingdom of God.

Will you be like Peter and his friends. Will you follow the Master’s call?

Categories
Luke Luke 6 Mark Mark 3 Matthew Matthew 12

What grieves Jesus

The gospels

This is one of those stories where each of the gospels gives us a little piece of the puzzle to what happened. Here’s my take on the whole story taking into account each of the stories.

Jesus was in the synagogue, and he sees a man there with a shriveled hand. But he also notices the scrutiny he’s getting from the Pharisees and teachers of the law, and he knows that they’re waiting to see if he will break their rules concerning the Sabbath and heal the man. (Mark 3:1-2)

So Jesus deliberately calls the man to come up, and as he does, the religious leaders ask,

Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath? (Matthew 12:10)

Jesus, as he typically does, responds to the question with a question of his own.

I ask you, which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy it? (Luke 6:9)

This was of course an unanswerable question for these leaders. They would have sounded stupid if they had said it was wrong to do good on the Sabbath or to save a life. How can you dishonor God on the Sabbath by doing good and saving lives?

But if they had said it was lawful, Jesus would have said, “You’ve just answered your own question,” and immediately healed the man.

On the other hand, there was no way they could say it was lawful to do evil or destroy life on the Sabbath.

So in the face of this unanswerable question, they remained silent. For as the old saying goes, “Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and to remove all doubt.”

Luke tells us that Jesus looked around the room for an answer, but Mark adds a bit more information in chapter 3 verse 5. He says,

He looked around at them in anger…deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts (NASB — “hardness of heart”).

So Jesus probes them further, saying,

If any of you has a sheep and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will you not take hold of it and lift it out?

How much more valuable is a man than a sheep! (Matthew 12:11-12a)

In other words, “You are willing to help your sheep if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath? Which is more important, a person or a sheep? And if people are more important, how can you accuse me of breaking the Sabbath when I heal a man?”

So Jesus concludes,

Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath. (Matthew 12:12b)

He then healed the man.

The irony of all this? Jesus had asked them, “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to save life or destroy it?”

And right after this event, on the Sabbath, the religious leaders started plotting to kill Jesus. (Mark 3:6)

But the verse that strikes me is Mark 3:5. That when Jesus saw these leaders’ hardened hearts, it grieved him.

They were so hardened by their legalism and by their traditions, God’s word and truth could not penetrate their hearts. Even when they had to know deep in their hearts they were wrong (as proven by their silence), they would not admit it.

How about you? You may not be as legalistic as the Pharisees, but are there areas in your life where you’ve hardened your heart to God?

You’re doing something wrong, or your way of thinking is wrong, and God has spoken to your heart and shown you your error and your sin, and you know you’re wrong. You know you need to change.

But instead, you cling to your old way of thinking. You cling to your sin. This kind of hardness of heart grieves God.

It grieves him because he wants so much better for you. It grieves him because by refusing to repent, you not only hurt him, but you hurt yourself, and those around you.

Let us have hearts softened to him. Receptive to his word. May we not bring grief to Jesus who died for us, but let us bring him joy.

Categories
Luke Luke 6 Mark Mark 2 Matthew Matthew 12

Condemning the innocent

The gospels

We have already seen in John the problems the religious leaders had with Jesus for “breaking” the Sabbath. Actually, all he did was break the rules that they had added to God’s original commandment to keep the Sabbath.

Here again, we see another confrontation between Jesus and these leaders concerning the Sabbath.

This time, Jesus and his disciples were walking by a field, and because his disciples were hungry, they took some grain to eat of it.

By the way, it was perfectly acceptable to take grain from another person’s field back in those days, as long as you weren’t taking a sickle to it. (Deuteronomy 23:25)

The problem was not the picking of the grain, the problem was that the Pharisees considered this “work,” which was of course forbidden on the Sabbath.

But Jesus refutes this in two ways.

First, the priests always worked in the temple on the Sabbath, and were not considered guilty of sin.

Second, there are some laws that God considers higher than others. Namely, the preservation of life was considered more important than keeping the letter of the Sabbath law.

Even the Pharisees accepted this to some degree as I’ve mentioned before. (Doctors could save a person’s life on the Sabbath, but could only do enough to keep them alive until the next day, from where they could give full treatment to the patient).

And once again, Jesus quotes Hosea to them, saying,

If you had known what these words mean, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the innocent. (Matthew 12:7)

One mistake that people make about God is that they think he’s most interested in rules. That rules are the most important thing to him, and that he’s just waiting to blast us for every mistake we make.

God is far more interested in people than he is in rules.

But because the Pharisees didn’t understand this, they set up multiple rules around the laws God had made, and they were quick to condemn anyone who didn’t meet the standards they had set up.

But Jesus told the Pharisees,

The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. (Mark 2:27)

I think you could say the same for all the rules God has set up. They were made for us. We were not made for them. God didn’t make rules solely for the sake of making us dance to them. He made them for our benefit.

And if we understand that, we can better understand the purpose for each rule, and what it means for our lives.

But if we fail to understand that, we’ll end up like the Pharisees, misunderstanding and misinterpreting the law of God, and condemning people who are innocent in his sight.

How about you? How do you see God’s rules? Are you seeing them as something God has set up just for the sake of setting them up?

Or do you see them as something God has set up for your benefit? Do you understand the whys for each rule?

If you do, you’ll be far less likely to unjustly condemn others for “breaking the rules.”

Categories
John John 5

When we seek the praise of man

John

When you think about Jesus’ life, the thing that would probably surprise you if you never heard the story before is that the religious leaders, the people that should have been the quickest to embrace him, didn’t.

Instead, they rejected him, and eventually were responsible for his death. How could that possibly happen?

These were people that Jesus said constantly searched the scriptures. Now that in itself is a good thing.

But the problem was they sought the praise of others, namely their peers, rather than the praise of God.

As a result, their study of scriptures was more to impress their peers than to really seek God. Jesus said to them,

I have come in my Father’s name, and you do not accept me; but if someone else comes in his own name, you will accept him.

How can you believe if you accept praise from one another, yet make no effort to obtain the praise that comes from the only God? (John 5:43-44)

When we get so focused on getting the praise from others and the pride that comes from that, we become blind to what God is doing and saying. We may see and hear what God is doing, but we can’t take it in.

You see this with these religious leaders. They heard John the Baptist speak. They heard Jesus speak. And not only did they hear him speak, they saw him validate those words with the miracles he performed.

But for some reason, they couldn’t take it in. As a result, they missed out on what truly brings life.

Because life, true life, is living in accord with God’s purpose.

It’s walking in step with what he’s doing in your life, and the world around you, and joining in with his work. If we truly love God, that’s what our focus will be on.

But these leaders lacked that love for God because they were too focused on themselves. And so Jesus told them,

I know you. I know that you do not have the love of God in your hearts. (John 5:42)

How about you? What would Jesus say about you? Could he say that you truly have the love of God in your life? That your love is such that your main goal is to please him?

Are you seeking the praise of God? Or the praise of man?

As you do ministry in the church, who are you seeking validation from? From your pastor? From the other people at church?

When that starts to become your focus, your ministry becomes as self-centered as these religious leaders’ studies of the scripture. And we become blind to what Jesus is truly trying to do.

I’ll be honest, as a public speaker and teacher in my church, it’s something I have to constantly battle. Pride is a killer to any ministry that we do.

So we constantly have to ask ourselves this question: “Who am I trying to please?”

Whose praise are you seeking?

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John John 5

The one who judges…and gives life

John

Here we catch a glimpse of the relationship between the Father and the Son.

One thing we cannot say, as some cults do, is that the Father is the Son. They are clearly distinct from each other, though they are the one God (along with the Holy Spirit).

We see that while Jesus was on earth, there was a dependency that Jesus had on the Father. He was constantly watching for what his Father was doing and joining in on his work. (John 5:19)

More than that, he was always looking to please his Father, not himself, and all he said and did was based on the Father’s strength and counsel. (John 5:30)

But on the other hand, we see the tremendous power and authority that the Father gave Jesus.

Why was this given? So that all would honor the Son as they honor the Father. To dishonor the Son is to dishonor the Father. (John 5:23)

So in this sense, we also see the equality that Jesus had with his Father. (John 5:18)

What power and authority does Jesus have?

First, he has the power of life. He has the power to raise all who are dead to life. Jesus said,

For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom he is pleased to give it. (John 5:21)

We see this throughout his ministry, most notably in Lazarus (John 11). But not only that, Jesus said,

I tell you the truth, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live.

For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son to have life in himself…

Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and come out. (John 5:25-26, 28-29)

One thing to remember is that Jesus will ultimately raise all people back from the grave, not just the believers. Why? For judgment. And that’s the second point.

Jesus has the authority to judge all people. Jesus said,

Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son. (John 5:22)

What kind of judgment will Jesus pass?

Those who have done good will rise to live, and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned. (John 5:29)

In other words, Jesus’ judgment will have eternal consequences and will determine who will go to heaven and hell.

And he has the right to judge and condemn, because he himself became the Son of Man, and yet never sinned. (John 5:27)

How will Jesus judge who goes to heaven or hell? Jesus tells us.

I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life. (John 5:24)

In other words, we need to hear the words of Jesus, believe them, and put our faith in the Father who sent him.

Those who do, will have eternal life. But those who reject Jesus will be condemned for all eternity.

How about you? Have you put your faith in the person who has the authority to judge and the power to give life?

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John John 5

Who Jesus is

John

Who is this Jesus? That is the question that every single person who encountered him had to face.

It’s the question that people to this day must face in encountering Jesus.

The Jews came face to face with this question when Jesus told them,

My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I, too, am working. (John 5:17)

That statement may seem innocuous to us, but to the Jews, it struck like a thunderbolt. Why?

Nobody in those days ever referred to God as “My Father.” As “Our Father,” perhaps, but not, “My Father.”

And by saying, “My Father,” Jesus essentially made a claim to deity. What was the logic behind that?

Well, think about it. Sons (and daughters) share the nature of their father.

If the father is human, his sons and daughters will be human. If the father is a cat, his sons and daughters will be cats. If the father is an ape, his sons and daughters will be apes.

And if God were to have a Son, that Son would also be God by nature.

Now we are not saying, of course, that God literally gave birth, or that he married and his wife gave birth. Jesus existed from all eternity with the Father and the Holy Spirit.

But one thing is certain. They all share the nature of God. How that works, nobody can truly explain. But that’s how God has revealed himself.

So what? What does this mean for us?

It means that if Jesus is God, we can’t simply dismiss his words as the words of an ordinary man. Of a man who had his opinions, but we are free to disagree with.

Instead, we must hold to his words as truth. And obey them.

How about you? Who is Jesus to you?

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John John 5

Blinded by rules

John

Rules are a good thing. It tends to put order where there is disorder. This is true in the classroom (where I teach), it’s true in our households, and it’s true in society.

But rules can be harmful when people forget that the rules are not there simply for their own sake. There are reasons for rules, and if we forget the spirit of them, we can get into trouble.

What’s worse is when we start making up rules to keep us from breaking other rules.

What do I mean? To take a very modern example, God says, “Don’t get drunk, instead be filled with the Spirit.” (Ephesians 5:18)

Throughout scripture, especially in the Proverbs, you see warnings against getting drunk. Why? Because when you get drunk, you’re no longer in control of yourself. Even more importantly, God no longer is in control in your life.

But some people put a rule around the rule. “Don’t drink alcohol at all. If you drink, you might get drunk.”

Now that rule around the rule is not bad in itself. I basically avoid drinking myself for that very reason (not to mention the fact that alcohol doesn’t taste very good).

But it becomes bad when you start criticizing others for breaking the rule around the rule.

That’s what the Pharisees were like, and you see it in their keeping of the Sabbath. You had the rule: “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.” (Exodus 20:8)

In short, “Don’t work on that day.”

What was the spirit of the law?

First, to take some time to focus on God.

Second, to learn to trust him to provide for you by working only six days a week instead of seven (as the Israelites did when they were slaves in Egypt).

And finally, to relax. Let your body rest.

That was the spirit of the law.

But the Pharisees and teachers of the law built all these rules around the rule.

They had restrictions on how far you could travel or how much you could carry on the Sabbath.

They also had restrictions on doctors. If it was the Sabbath, they could only help someone if they were dying. And even then, they could only help to the point that the person could survive until the end of the Sabbath.

But by putting in place all these laws, they forgot the reason for the commandment and placed burdens on the people that God never intended.

Further, they criticized anyone for breaking their rules, rules that God never gave the people.

Not only that, they became blinded to what God was doing because of their fixation on rules.

You see that in this passage.

They see a man walking with his mat (breaking the rule against carrying “a burden.”)

“You’re working! What are you doing working on the Sabbath?”

“Well, the man who healed me, he told me to pick up my mat and walk.”

Translation: “If this guy had the power to heal me, he must have the authority to tell me to carry my mat.”

Now two things to note here. First, the Jews probably didn’t recognize this man at all as a person who had been disabled for 38 years. They only noticed him when he broke their rules.

How often are we that way? We totally ignore the people who are spiritually needy around us and only notice them when they break the rules.

Second, even when they realized what had happened, they were so focused on the breaking of their rules, that they couldn’t see the incredible thing God had done for this man.

Instead, all their focus was on finding out who broke the rule for healing this man. And when they found out it was Jesus, they persecuted him.

That’s the danger of being too focused on rules. We fail to see the needs of the people around us, and we also fail to see what God is trying to do around us.

How about you? Are you blinded by rules?

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John John 5

Desiring wholeness

John

Sometimes I wonder if people really desire wholeness in their lives.

They often complain about their marriage or relationships, they complain about their jobs or their health, but they never seem to do anything about it.

They almost seem to like complaining about their problems. They seem to enjoy receiving sympathy from others.

But Jesus doesn’t want us to be that way. He doesn’t want us to wallow in our brokenness. He wants to bring healing in our lives. We see this in this passage.

A man was an invalid for 38 years, and probably had to make his living begging.

When Jesus found out about his situation, he asked a simple question: “Do you want to get well?” (Or “be made whole” — KJV)

One would think it’s only natural that the person would want to be healed. But perhaps he was happy not working and just begging for a living. Maybe he enjoyed having people wait on him. It was in that sense, an easy life.

But we see from the man’s answer that this was not the case. He wanted to be healed.

Apparently, there was a belief (true or not, it’s not clear from the passage) that the first person that got into the pool of Bethesda when the water was stirred would be healed.

He always tried to get in, but with no help, someone always got in first.

When Jesus heard his reply, he said, “Well then, get up, pick up your mat, and walk.” (John 5:8)

One wonders what this man was thinking. Apparently, he hadn’t heard of Jesus before, or if he had, he didn’t recognize him, as we will see later in the story.

But here is this total stranger telling him to do something he hadn’t been able to do in 38 years.

Whatever he was thinking, he tried it, and immediately, he was healed.

Later at the temple, Jesus came up to him, and said,

See, you are well again. Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you. (John 5:14)

What can we get from this?

Lots of us experience hurts in our lives. Many of us are broken, and we see no way that we can ever be made whole. But Jesus asks us the same question he asked the man.

“Do you wish to be made whole?”

If you do, you need to do what the man did and obey what Jesus tells you. Don’t question what he says. Don’t complain that it’s impossible. Make up your mind to obey him.

Now this is not to say that wholeness will come as quickly or easily as it came to this man.

When it comes to issues of broken relationships, broken hearts, bitterness, and many other things, it takes time.

You’ll need the help of the Holy Spirit working in you, and the help of Christ’s body, the church. (That’s one reason why going to church is so important).

But wholeness will never come unless number one, you truly want to be made whole, and number two, you make the decision to trust Jesus and do what he says.

And when you do, as he did with this man, Jesus will give you the power to obey him and bring wholeness into your life.

But if you choose not to trust him and continue going your own way, in short, if you continue to live in sin, you’ll find as Jesus warned this man that your life will only get worse. (John 5:14)

What will you choose?

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Luke Luke 5 Mark Mark 2 Matthew Matthew 9

For God to use you

The gospels

One thing that the religious leaders always seemed to be trying to do was to pit John the Baptist versus Jesus. And John’s disciples fell for it every time.

First, these leaders pointed out to John’s disciples that Jesus was baptizing more people than John. (John 3:25-26)

(I should say that it’s not certain whether it was a religious leader that did this, but I think it’s a good guess.)

Then here in this passage, they have John’s disciples questioning Jesus as to why he and his disciples didn’t fast as they did.

Why did the Pharisees and others do this? Probably to rob Jesus of his credibility. John the Baptist, after all, did point to Jesus as the Messiah.

I don’t think it’s coincidence that Jesus brought up the illustration of a wedding. John did the very same thing earlier when told about Jesus baptizing more than him.

John said he was like the best man in the wedding, while Jesus was the bridegroom. Perhaps in using this illustration, Jesus was trying to remind them of that.

John was gone. He was in prison. His work was done. Yet for some reason, his disciples maintained their loyalty to John, and apparently weren’t interested in going after Jesus as Andrew and one other disciple of John had done. (John 1:35-40).

Jesus told them, “John told you I am the bridegroom. Why should people fast and mourn while the bridegroom is there? When the bridegroom leaves, there will be plenty of time for that.

But now is not the time for fasting and praying because I am here. When I leave, that will be the time to be fasting and praying.”

Then he told them a parable, talking about patches and wineskins which the people then could understand easily, but are a little difficult to understand in our day.

But think about it this way, if you put a brand new piece of denim to patch up a pair of old jeans, what will happen if you wash it? The denim will shrink, and ruin the jeans.

Nowadays, people put wine in bottles, but in those days, they used goatskins to make bottles for wine.

As the wine fermented, the skin would expand, so if you ever put new wine into an old wineskin, the wineskin would burst because it had already expanded, and could expand no further.

What was Jesus telling John’s disciples (and for that matter, the Pharisees that were looking on)?

Basically, he was saying, “God is doing something new. I, the Son of God, am here, and I am reaching out to the lost and dying. I’m building a kingdom that will last forever.

But you are like the old wineskins. You are so in love with your old ways, that God can’t use you.”

For the Pharisees, they were in love with all the laws and regulations. To them, that was the most important thing, not people.

As a result, they were looking down on the very people God was trying to save. They were more interested in sacrifices and religious ritual than saving people.

For John’s disciples, perhaps they fell too much in love with their teacher. They forgot what John’s purpose was. It wasn’t merely to baptize people or to call people to repentance. It was to prepare the people for Jesus and get them following him.

But instead of going to Jesus, even after John was gone, they missed out on what God wanted of them.

God was pouring new wine, the work of the Spirit, through the ministry of Jesus. But John’s disciples were clinging to the teachings and practices of John, and saying, “The old is better.” (Luke 5:39)

How about you? Are you open to the Spirit’s work in your life? Or are you clinging to traditions? To legalistic righteousness? Or even to things that were important and effective in their time, but whose time has passed.

In order for God to use you, you need to constantly be watching for what he is doing now, and joining in with his work, even if it’s different from what you’ve done in the past.

Are you an old wineskin, or a new one?

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Luke Luke 5 Mark Mark 2 Matthew Matthew 9

Mercy-givers

The gospels

Here we see a big difference between Jesus and the religious leaders of the day. A heart of mercy.

Matthew was so excited to be called by Jesus, that he immediately invited Jesus to a great banquet with him and all his friends.

Of course, being an outcast of society, all of Matthew’s friends were also outcasts; fellow tax collectors and other people looked down upon as “sinners.”

But Jesus didn’t hesitate. He gladly agreed, and soon he was dining with Matthew and all his disreputable friends.

How often do we do that? To reach out to those others, even those the “religious” among us have rejected?

One could make the case that Matthew had repented, but I doubt you could make that same case for all his friends. Yet Jesus reached out, and spent time with them. More than that, he enjoyed being with them.

How did the religious establishment respond? They were appalled.

If I were to translate it into modern society, imagine a famous pastor hanging out with gays and lesbians, eating and drinking with them. How would many “religious folk” respond?

Probably the same as these Pharisees. “How in the world can you hang out with those kinds of people? Those sinners?”

But Jesus replied,

It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners. (Mark 2:17)

In other words, “It is just these kinds of people that I need to be hanging out with. These are the people that need me because they are spiritually sick, whether they know it or not. And if I isolate myself from them, they will die in their sin.”

Matthew then gives us one more thing Jesus told those Pharisees that Mark and Luke don’t, probably because he was there, and Jesus’ words so impressed themselves on him. Jesus told them,

But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ (Matthew 9:13)

Jesus was telling them, “You guys are so wrapped up in your laws and traditions. You dot every ‘i’ and cross every ‘t’ when it comes to the law, offering every sacrifice that’s required, and acting so religious.

But that’s not the most important thing God desires.

He desires that you be a mercy-giver. A person that reaches out to those who are lost in their sin. Who spends time with them. Who shows love to them. A person who offers them life and a second chance.

Instead, you isolate yourselves from them, leaving them to die in their sin.

How about you? Do you isolate yourself from sinners, looking down on them because of their sin? Or do you see them as Jesus does? As sick people who need a doctor. Who need a Savior.

Let us be mercy-givers today and every day. For that is what God desires.

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Luke Luke 5 Mark Mark 2 Matthew Matthew 9

Never beyond redemption

The gospels

I love these passages because it teaches us one thing. We’re never so far gone that God’s love can’t reach us.

One day, Jesus was walking past the tax collecting booth of a man named Matthew. I kind of wonder what was going through Matthew’s heart as he saw Jesus approaching.

I’m not sure, but at a guess, there was probably regret. Long ago, Matthew had “sold his soul.”

Tax collectors were among the most despised people in Israel. Not only were they considered collaborators for collecting taxes for the hated Roman government, they were also considered cheats for taking more money in “taxes” than they should have, and pocketing the excess.

Why Matthew took this path, we will never know. But perhaps as time went on, he discovered that the money he was making wasn’t worth the price. It wasn’t bringing him joy just having money and things. Instead, it was bringing only despair.

It’s possible that as he saw Jesus was approaching, Matthew felt a sting of jealousy for the throng that was following Jesus. Maybe a part of him wished that he too could follow after Jesus.

He had heard of all the things Jesus taught. He had heard of the miracles. And perhaps in Jesus, he thought there might be a way out from the hell he was in.

But he thought, “There’s no chance. There’s no way Jesus could accept me as a follower. I’m too far gone.”

Suddenly Jesus stopped at Matthew’s booth and looked at him. As he did, Matthew probably felt that everything in his heart was laid bare before that piercing gaze, and his head dropped in shame and guilt.

But then Jesus said, “Matthew.”

And when Matthew looked up, he didn’t see condemnation in Jesus’ eyes. He saw compassion. He saw forgiveness.

And Jesus said to him, “Follow me.”

Two simple words. “Follow me.”

But in those words were a wealth of meaning. “It’s not too late for you. There is forgiveness available to you. There is hope. There is redemption. Just follow me.”

And Matthew left all to follow Jesus. To be sure, there was a lot still that needed to be dealt with in Matthew’s life. But that day, he took a first step into a new life.

How about you? Do you feel that you are beyond redemption? That you’ve gone so far that God has given up on you.

He hasn’t. He still loves you. He looks upon you with compassion. And he offers you forgiveness and mercy. All you have to do is to take that first step and start following after him.

Change will take time. Like Matthew, you will not become perfect overnight. There will be struggles with sin. There will be times you will fall.

But when you take that first step and say, “Jesus I want to follow you. Please be my Lord,” Jesus will give you a new heart that can follow him, and he will change you from the inside out.

Will you take that first step today?

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Luke Luke 5 Mark Mark 2 Matthew Matthew 9

The power to forgive

The gospels

Who was this Jesus? Just a great religious teacher? A good, moral man? A miracle worker? Or something more?

From this passage, we can see that Jesus was something much more.

Jesus was back in Capernaum where he had made his home for the time being. I’m not sure if he was staying in his own house, or was at another’s, but the people so crammed the place he was at that they were literally bulging out the doors.

People were probably jammed around the windows peering in as well as Jesus taught.

And to this house came four men who brought a friend who was paralyzed, hoping that Jesus would heal him. But because of all the people there, they had no conventional way to get him to Jesus.

So they took an unconventional route. They made a hole in the roof, and lowered him down in front of Jesus.

Can you imagine the scene? Jesus is teaching in this crowded room, when suddenly the people notice a strange sound coming from the roof.

Then pieces of the roof start falling down into the room and people are trying to get out of the way, only it’s very difficult because there’s nowhere to move.

Eventually, people start pushing out and opening up a space under which the roof is falling to the ground.

By this time, of course, there’s no way Jesus is teaching anymore. Everyone is just waiting to see what will happen next.

Then the man is lowered in front of Jesus and everyone is waiting expectantly to see what Jesus will do.

Of course, everyone expects him to heal the man. But Jesus instead says something totally unexpected.

Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven. (Matthew 9:2)

Those words probably dropped with a greater thud than the chunks of roof that fell to the ground. Everyone is dead silent.

And the Pharisees and teachers of the law probably voiced what everyone was thinking.

Who is this fellow who speaks blasphemy? Who can forgive sins but God alone? (Luke 5:21)

In other words, “What right does Jesus have to forgive sins? Only God can do that.”

They were half right. Only God can forgive sins. Only the person wronged can absolve another of a wrongdoing.

But what the Pharisees and teachers of the law didn’t know was that God was standing among them. Jesus was himself God, and because of that, he had the right to forgive.

He then proved the man’s spiritual healing by healing him physically.

Jesus is much more than just a great religious leader. Much more than a good moral man. Much more than just a miracle worker. He is God come in human form.

He came and lived among us for a while, and then he died to take the punishment for our sin. And because he did so, our sins can be forgiven.

Just as he delivered this man from his sin, he can deliver you from yours. All you need to do is ask.