When Religion Becomes Toxic (Matthew 12 - P 29)

Our reading today is Matthew 12: 1 - 14.  Remember that the opposition to Jesus is intensifying.  He is still extremely popular with the crowds ... but the religious leaders are no longer just observing ... they are beginning to openly confront.  After you read these verses ... join me again.

Religion is not a dirty word.  It can be beautiful.  It can be affirming.  It can be faith-building.  It can be supportive.  It can help focus.  It can be calming.  It can challenge ... encourage ... teach ... correct ... train.  It can be so good.  But then, it can also turn toxic.  Our passage today gives us two vivid illustrations when exactly that happened.

One example of religion turning toxic is when religion becomes more important than God.  We see that in verses 1 - 8.  For these Pharisees, the rules of the religion were more important than the presence of God.  And nothing, absolutely nothing, was more important than the form of the religion.  Do rules and rituals matter?  I think so.  Are they preeminent over everything?  No.  Jesus reminded these leaders of that when he quoted from the Hebrew prophets - quotes these religious leaders should have known well.  Jesus reminded them of words from both Hosea and Micah.

Hosea 6:6  "For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgement of God rather than burnt offerings."

Micah 6: 6 - 8  "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."

He applied those ancient words from their own revered prophets to the current situation.  Matthew does not record the reaction of these particular Pharisees ... but we can imagine the resentment, the anger ... we can imagine because of what we learn in verse 14.

The second circumstance of toxic religion is in verses 9 - 14.  In this example, religion had become more important to these Pharisees than people.  Religion for them had lost its purpose.   Rather than being an aid to help man touch God, it had become an entity in itself ... existing outside purpose.  Jesus steps in to spotlight the disparity.  In essence Jesus tells them that they bend the 'rules' when economics are concerned, when their livestock are concerned ... but not for a fellow human being?  And then he proceeded to ignore their 'rule' and heal anyway.

So how do we apply these illustrations to our day ... to us?  An extreme reaction would be to decry all religion ... to walk away from it because of the potential for damage and toxicity.  Many in our time are doing just that.  They observe abuse ... they observe misuse of authority and position ... they observe rules taking precedence over people ... they observe lack of purpose ... and they walk away.  I understand that reaction.  But I disagree with that conclusion.

God established religion ... and it was established for a purpose and for good.  Jesus established the church ... and it was established for a purpose and for good.  Its purpose is beautiful and good.  I know things are far from perfect in our day.  I know there has been and still are abuses and self-righteousness and self-serving.  In fact, there still exists the same struggles that we see in our passage today.  Today - religion, or denomination, or form, or tradition can become more important than God.  And that is toxic!  Today - religion, or denomination, or form, or tradition can become more important than people.  And that is toxic!

So - walk away?  No way!  Jesus did not quit going to the Synagogue and Temple.  He did not compromise on who He was or what He knew was His Father's will ... but He did not blast the Temple, or the Sabbath.  He blasted those who would abuse them.  We can learn much from His example.

If you are part of a church body, how can you help it keep its focus and purpose?  How can you help strengthen it?  What part can you play in ensuring that it does indeed encourage and challenge and teach and train?  If you are not part of a church body, why not?  Jesus was.  Is it time to step back into that world - not expecting perfection - you won't find it - but expecting to play a role in being a purpose-driven part of the body of Christ?

May God give us wisdom ...

Privilege (Matthew 11 - P 28)

Read Matthew 11: 20 - 30, making your own observations.  What does God say to you in these ten verses?  After you have listened to Him through His word ... come back and I will share a few of my own observations with you.

Jesus' words are turning hard.  I think He knows His time is growing short.  I think He may be using "it's now or never" kind of language.  Did you wonder what in the world those towns in Galilee that Jesus calls out in these verses could possibly have done that put them in a WORSE place of judgment than Sodom - Tyre - Sidon?  Those very names conjure up images of evil, immorality, wickedness, and deserved destruction.  Can you imagine how His audience reacted when they heard Jesus put them UNDER Sodom - worse than SODOM?  What did these Galilean towns do?  Perhaps ...

From what Jesus says - there had been no repentance and Jesus Himself had been in their presence.  He walked there, talked there, taught there, performed miracles there ... and ........ nothing.  Jesus Himself ............. and nothing.  Have you ever had the thought, "If I just could have been there.  If I could have actually heard Jesus ... then I could believe."  Well, it seems that is no guarantee.  These were privileged towns.  Privilege has a peculiar way of blinding us.  It leads to

• pride
• self-righteousness
• arrogance

Privilege ... to pride ... to arrogance.  THAT, my friends, is a deadly path!  

Then Jesus blasts the wisdom of the world ... worldly intelligence ... and says that God has hidden things from them and handed that wisdom to infants!   Can you see the upper echelon of his audience recoiling?  After all, THEY are the ones with the degrees.  THEY are the ones the peons in the crowd admire and revere.  THEY are the important ones.  THEY wear the robes.  And that can be yet another path to pride.  I truly believe that education at all levels is a great privilege.  Aahh ... there's that word, privilege.  

Privilege ... to pride ... to self-importance ... to arrogance.  

Jesus then closes this discourse with some of the most beloved words in all of scripture.  I am intrigued this time to really notice the context in which they are said.  After the hard words of verses 20 - 27,  He calls out to the searching, honest, struggling hearts that are listening.  He calls out to those who may be wondering, "If those guys can't make it ... if those folks aren't 'doing it right' ... what chance do I have?"  

And He says ... just come to Me.  Tuck yourself under my arm.  It's not hard.  Trust me.  And that is where the path turns.  

Privilege ... to repentance ... to gratitude ... to thanksgiving ... to God.  

Which road are you on?  

Doubts (Matthew 11 - P 27)

Read Matthew 11: 1 - 19

John the Baptist ... the one who was the forerunner for the Christ ... the one who "leaped in his mother's womb" when Mary, pregnant with Jesus, came to see John's mother, Elizabeth.  (Luke 1:41) ... the one who baptized Jesus and saw the dove from heaven alight upon him and heard the voice from heaven announce, 'This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.' (Matthew 3:13 - 17) ... the one who announced to the crowds "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!"  (John 1: 29).  This same John is the one who sent disciples to Jesus in our passage today to ask if he really was the one that John had thought he was.  What has happened?  Was John the one who began to doubt that Jesus was the Messiah - or was it his disciples who had begun to doubt?  And what was the source of the doubting?

It is not difficult to understand what has happened.  We read in verse 2 that John was in prison.  Read Matthew 14: 3 - 5 to learn why John was in prison.  So John's life is not working out very well.  He knew the Old Testament prophecies about the Messiah coming to "set the captives free". - but he was not being set free.  Do you think perhaps he began to wonder, "But what about me?"

It is such a natural response and one that we all know well.  We pray for the healing of one we love ... and the loved one dies.  We cry out to God for a circumstance to be changed ... and it is not.  We read of the miracles, the wonder of Jesus in scripture ... we read the promises connected with prayer ... and we begin to question, "But what about me?"

So even John (or his disciples) began to doubt when life became so difficult - when there seemed to be no relief or resolution in sight - when he just couldn't understand what was happening to him - and he asks, "Are you really the one?"

Jesus' response was gentle and affirming.

What can we learn?  First, it is not only OK, it is best, to take our doubts to the Lord Himself.  And it is OK to voice them - the questions, the misunderstandings, the confusions.  That is the absolute best place to voice them ... out loud when necessary.  Speak them to the Lord.

Secondly, we learn that following Christ is no guarantee of an easy life on this earth.  It is the best life ... but not the easiest life.  John was faithful ... John did what God had prepared for him to do ... John was righteous ... and John was in prison and we learn in Matthew 14 that he is executed.

Why do we expect ease when we follow Christ?  Why do we think we deserve an easy life if we accept Christ?  We must continually remember that "this world is not our home".  We are in enemy territory.  Some days and seasons will be easy ... and some will be terribly difficult.  The bottom line is faithfulness.  John was.  Will I be?  Will you?

Jesus says of John, "I tell you the truth:  Among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist."  That is high commendation from the Lord himself.  John's life was a success ... in all the ways that matter.

The bottom line is faithfulness.  Are you in a hard place right now?  Are circumstances not as you wish they were?   Take your concerns and hurts and confusions to the Lord.  And stay faithful ...

Lord, I want to walk faithfully after you as did John.   I want my life to matter in the important ways.  Forgive me for whining about hard circumstances.  Today I pray that I will stop any whining ... and walk through them with grace and dignity because I know Your Presence is walking with me.  And I thank you ...

The Called - Part 3 (Matthew 10 - P26)

(continued)

We are observing Matthew 9: 35 - 10:42.  This is the third in the series of observations about Jesus' instructions to his disciples as he sent them out for ministry and work.  Let's continue ...

Observation #4

I am completely moved by Matthew 10:25:

It is enough for the disciple to be like the teacher ...

Do you ever wonder what is "enough"?  I'm not speaking about material things and money.  Those "enough" questions follow us all our days also.  I am referring to our walk of faith.  What is enough?  When have you and I done enough?  As women, we often struggle with this sense of "enough".  And we seem to always come up short.

• not thin enough
• not smart enough
• not tall enough
• too tall
• not talented enough
• not pretty enough
• not sexy enough
• not a good enough mom
• not a good enough wife
• not a good enough church member

And on and on and on.  Then right here in Matthew 10, Jesus tells us!  Do you want to be 'enough'?  OK.  Here's what you do ... be like the teacher.  Be like Jesus.  That's enough.  Before you respond with, "How in the world does that help!?  Now I can not be enough like Jesus, too!", think through it.  

It is enough for the student to imitate the teacher.  It is enough.  So what was Jesus' work?  What did he do?  We have a beautiful summation in Matthew 9: 35 - 36.  The copy here is from the New Revised Standard Version:

Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom , and curing every disease and every sickness.  When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.

So - to be like Jesus - to be like our teacher in our world today - as you go about your days, teach when you can in your own environment ... in your family, among your circles, with those you know.  And never forget that teaching is very seldom done in a classroom in front of a silent group of students.  You teach with everything you say and everything you do.  Teach when you can.  And secondly, have compassion on those around you ... whether you understand them or not ... whether you agree with them or not ... whether or not they look or act or think like you.  Jesus had compassion on the crowds ... not just the ones who believed in him.  Our work is to exercise compassion, not judgment.  Thirdly, do what you can.  Help where you can.  You can't do it all.  Actually Jesus didn't either.  And lastly, train those who are following you.  

And that, my friends, is enough.  It is enough for the student to be like the teacher.

Observation #5

After outlining some rather dire predictions about what the disciples could expect from the world,  I love the way Jesus closes this section of instruction.  He wants his disciples to be absolutely sure of a few things ... in spite of rejection and harsh treatment by this world ... they can KNOW:

• They have value in the eyes of God.  Even the very hairs on their heads are numbered - and that discloses incredibly personal and detailed knowledge.  
• Can you hear it?  YOU have great value in the eyes of God.
• As those disciples acknowledge the person of Jesus before those they come in contact with, Jesus, Himself, acknowledges them before Jehovah God.
• Can you hear it?  Jesus speaks to God about the fact that YOU belong to him as we speak on this earth about Jesus and belonging to him.
• He reminded them - if it looked as if they were losing in this life - take heart, you are not.  He reminded them that they would find life, eternal, in his name.
•  Can you hear it?  Regardless of how things look in this world, life comes from God and for those of us who choose to loose ourselves in Him ... there is life!
• Finally, the tasks need not always be daunting!  Even a cup of cold water given in Jesus' name will received reward.
• Can you hear it?  If God calls you to be a missionary in a far off, dangerous, and/or remote place ... go.  But often God calls us to give a cup of cold water to a thirsty soul.  Most likely, a soul you know.  And that is service.  And that is discipleship.  And that receives its reward.  

Thank you, Lord, for these instructions.  Thank you for reminding us that being your disciple is the most thrilling, rewarding thing in life.  Thank you for disclosing to us that it will not be the easy road ... but it will be the road to life.  Help us remember ...

The Called: Part 2 (Matthew 10 - P25)

(continued)

We are making observations from Matthew 9:35 - 10:42.  In Post 24, we looked at the 12 men Jesus called out to continue and spread the work he was doing on earth.  And we noted that Jesus calls us out to be workers in the kingdom of God as well.   Let's continue ...

Observation #2

What was Jesus' motivation for all of the healing and preaching and teaching?   We find it in 9:36.  He had compassion on the crowds ... the people ... the broken ... the distressed ... the incompetent ... the sick.  Compassion.  The Greek word translated, compassion, is splagchnistheis (try pronouncing that!).  It means moved from the deepest places of your being.  We have been reading and watching Jesus as he was moved from the deepest places within himself.

• moved by human loneliness (remember healing the man of leprosy?)
• moved by human pain (the sick and diseased and mute, the blind and the paralyzed - the damaged)
• moved by human sorrow (remember the man whose daughter had died?)
• moved by human fear (calming the terrifying storm)
• moved by human lost-ness (forgiving sins and freeing from the demonic)
• moved by human bewilderment (teaching and engaging in dialogue about fasting and religion, about socializing with outcasts)

Jesus taught and healed, he worked because he was moved by compassion toward people.  So the question arises from the pages ... what moves you?  What is it that stirs your heart and soul and drives you to do something?  I can't answer for you ... only for me.  And I pray that we are honest with ourselves.  Are you (am I) only moved by what is beneficial for me?  What is to my advantage?  What serves me?  Do I only serve those whom I consider important enough?  Deserving enough?  Enough like me?  Belonging to me?  Those I think will return the 'favor'?  

Lord, through your Spirit, help us be moved by the things that moved you.  

Observation #3

Jesus is painfully honest with those whom he calls.  Yes, he has work for them to do.  Yes, it is important work because it is his work.  But Jesus never glosses over the difficulty or the struggles involved with his work.  You can't read Matthew 10 without taking in a deep breath and wondering who in the world would sign up for that ministry?  Jesus' warnings are all about pain and rejection and betrayal and persecution and even death.  What?  Doesn't Jesus know that is not the way to recruit volunteers?!?!  I think he would reply, "It's not the way the WORLD recruits volunteers.  But it is the way I recruit volunteers."  He has already talked with one man about counting the cost of following him in chapter 8.  He does not change his message.

Here is the most striking thing ... the twelve DID sign up.  Even with all the warnings, with all the predictions, with all the knowledge of what could be ... they still signed up!  And all but 1 of them met with ugly, untimely deaths ... due to their faithfulness to Jesus.  

So what questions bubble up from the text?  Are you only wanting ministry that is 'comfortable'?  Do you only want to do what feels good, what gives immediate reward?  Are you waiting to serve until the people are willing to appreciate you and all you do?  We should not be surprised when the world does not rush to our doorsteps with applause and accolades.   Why should it?  It did not rush to Jesus' side ... in fact, it killed him.  These men stepped up.  They responded?  Will you?  Will I?  

Lord, through your Spirit, give me the courage to step up.  Give me the heart that longs to serve you wherever you place me.  Give me eyes to see the tasks you set before me.  Pull me out of my fascination with myself and give me a heart of compassion ... and strength.

(continued ...)

The Called (Matthew 10 - P24)

Our reading today is a bit lengthy ... but there is no good place to break it.  To get the full impact of Jesus' words we need to consider this chapter in its entirety.  The observations and challenges that are presented in this section of text are numerous.  I will choose a few ... but I know that you will glean many more!  I welcome your feedback as you plumb the depths of these instructions from our Lord.  I will break my observations into three posts this week.

Read Matthew 9: 35 - 10:42

The theme of the chapter is obvious ... Jesus is commissioning his twelve chosen and called disciples for their work in the kingdom of heaven.  We have already considered the fact that Jesus calls each of us ... chooses us and calls us for work in his kingdom.  We have different tasks ... different places to serve ... different responsibilities to carry ... but the call on our lives is present and real.  Therefore it seems altogether appropriate for us to consider these words from Jesus as wisdom for you and I as well as instructions for the twelve apostles.  Our task as we read this chapter is to glean wisdom for us in our day ... in our work ... in our service in Christ's kingdom.    So reflect on the following observations:

Observation #1:  Jesus chose his workers.  It was not a random mix of men.  They didn't just "happen" to be together at the right time so Jesus said, "I guess you guys will do".  It was deliberate and intentional.  There are a couple of things I believe are very important for us to recognize.  

First, these were ordinary men.  They were not learned rabbis of the day.  They were not the intelligentsia of Israel.  They were not the socially prominent in Palestine.  They were ordinary.  And Jesus chose them.  So we must NEVER try to excuse ourselves from service in the kingdom of heaven because we are just ordinary folks!  We don't know enough ... we are not smart enough ... we are not important enough.  So what?  Jesus chose these ordinary men.  He specializes in taking the ordinary and transforming that ordinary  into extraordinary.  It is HIS ability ... not ours ... that accomplishes anything of eternal value anyway.  Do you trust Jesus enough to know that when he lays a task out before you ... he will enable you to do it?  Our job?  Follow Him.  

Secondly, these men were an extraordinary mix.  We know very little about them individually.  But what little we do know is striking.  We know 4 of these men were common fishermen.  Laborers.  We know Matthew was a tax collector - making him a collaborator with the Roman occupation forces - a collaborator with the dreaded enemy.  We know Simon was a member of the party of the Zealots - the uber-patriots of the day.  The historian, Josephus, in describing the Zealots, says:  "they were prepared to go to the lengths of secret murder and stealthy assassination to seek to rid their country of foreign rule."  We know that these men came from the region of Galilee - small town guys - none of them from the seats of political and religious power of their day.  I know of no strategy team that would have chosen this particular mix of men and said they were a good fit.  But these men were Jesus followers.  And being a Jesus follower supersedes any human categories or prejudices or groups.  Right?  This group 'worked' because they walked with Jesus.  First priority.

Paul describes it best in Galatians 5: 27 - 28

As many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.  There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.

The personal questions begin to tumble out.  Does my life reflect that kind of cooperative spirit in the kingdom of heaven?  Can I disagree on important issues (aka Matthew and Simon) and still respect and work with others in Christ?  Do I consider the work of the kingdom of heaven as more important than work for any earthly system or "kingdom"?   I am walking with my Lord close enough for human differences to be overcome?  

Lord, help us see ourselves as your followers, your disciples, first.  And as your disciples, we are an ultimate form of a "band of brothers".  May we truly band together ...

(to be continued ...) 

Authority 4 (Matthew 9 - P23)

We are in the middle of an incredible display of the authority of Jesus recorded in Matthew 8 and 9.  The people around him were amazed.  And that is an understatement.  They marveled at a man who carried the kind of authority - both in word and in behavior - as did Jesus.  It is so easy for us to read these encounters with a 'ho-hum' attitude and mind.  Familiarity does indeed dull our senses.  Today, as you read, try to place yourself in the story ... place yourself on the street in the midst of the crowds.

I am writing on the day after Thanksgiving, 2012.  Did anyone watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on television or online?  Better yet, were you in New York and could go in person?  I was in New York one Thanksgiving a few years ago and not the crowds nor the mass of humanity nor the impossibility of getting a good view kept me from being on the streets that morning.  I wanted to experience it.  I wanted to be there ... in person.

How I wish we could read these verses with that same sense of "I want to be there ... in the midst of it all" mentality.  Try ...

Read Matthew 9: 18 - 34

Authority.  We have looked at many different illustrations of Jesus' authority ... but today ... in this reading ... Jesus exercised his authority over death.  Death.  We fear it.  It is Satan's ultimate weapon against us.  Everything about it screams loss and pain and separation and finality and endings and darkness and sorrow and grief and ... and ... and.  Even as believers, we struggle with our fear of death.  

In Matthew's simple description, he merely says, "he went in and took the girl (the dead girl, remember) by the hand, and she got up.  News of this spread through all that region"  I dare say!  

Listen to some of the things that scripture tells us about death ...

Ecclesiastes 7:2 - " ... for death is the destiny of every man ..."

Romans 5:12 - "Just as sin entered the world through one man, (Adam) and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned ..."

Romans 6:23 - "For the wages of sin is death ..."

And that is our destiny ... that is the end of fallen flesh in this world.  

I believe God wants us to know that His Son, Jesus, has authority over death.  He can reverse it.  He can thwart it.  He can bring life.  Therefore we are told about this young girl ... this girl who had died ... and Jesus steps in and says "No, she will live."  

You and I are this young girl.  We are the ones who are on a death march.  

But listen to Paul in 1 Corinthians 15: 50 - 57:

What I am saying brothers and sisters is this:  flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.  Listen, I will tell you a mystery!  We will not all die, but we will all be changed, in a moment in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet.  For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable and we will be changed.  ...  then the saying that is written will be fulfilled:  'Death has been swallowed up in victory.'  'Where O death is your victory?  Where, O death, is your sting?'  The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.  But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Thanks be to God!  Indeed!  Because that final terror is under the ultimate control of our Lord.  His authority will prevail.

When the apostle John was given the Revelation of things to come ... he has a vision of Christ.  John writes:  "When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead.  But he placed his right hand on me, saying, 'Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last, and the living one.  I was dead, and see, I am alive forever and ever; and I have the keys of Death and of Hades.'" (Revelation 1: 17 - 18)

We need not fear death.  That is so much easier to type than to believe.  But our Lord holds the keys.  And He has prepared a place for us where death no longer exists.  There will be no more fathers having to bury little girls.  No more wives loosing husbands or husbands loosing wives. No more friends burying friends.  No more.  No more.

And we see Jesus' complete authority over this most potent of human fears and conditions through a little girl of a synagogue official in Capernaum in Galilee.

Thanks be to God!

Authority 3 (Matthew 9 - P22)

We have been watching Matthew describe the incredible authority Jesus demonstrated over all kinds of illnesses and diseases, over natural forces and demonic forces.  His authority continues ... in fact, his authority knows no limitations!

Read Matthew 9: 1 - 17

Jesus has the authority to forgive sin.  The people who observed this encounter were "filled with awe" (verse 8).  Would you have been?  Or do you tend to be more like some of the scribes who resented what Jesus did because it did not fit their pre-determined interpretations of what was possible, what was right, what was legal?  They called it blasphemy.  Even when Jesus questioned their thoughts, not their words, their THOUGHTS - their prejudices were not shaken.  

O, my friends, I want to be one who sees Jesus and is filled with awe!  I want that kind of vision.  I want that kind of heart.  Pray with me ...

O Lord, be my wisdom.  Give me eyes to see you as I read and study.  Give me a heart that bows in awe over your authority ... your words ... your actions ... your very presence.  Guard my heart from cynicism and criticism.  

All of these miracles recorded in chapters 8 and 9 were happening around the northern edge of the Sea of Galilee.  I suspect that no one living and working in that region was oblivious to the splash being made by this Rabbi!  The people are watching and listening.  I think Matthew was as well.  Matthew was a tax collector.  The Roman system of tax collecting involved local people.  Matthew was a Jew ... but a Jew that was collaborating with the Roman government.  A tax amount was required to be sent to Rome.  The tax collector was responsible for gathering those monies and getting them to the authorities in Rome.  Any monies above the amount required that the tax collector could collect became the possession of the tax collector.  It is not hard to see why tax collectors were hated.  They were not included in "polite society".  They were considered traitors ... collaborating with the enemy.  And there is Matthew.  

So when Jesus approaches him ... it would not have been without Matthew's prior knowledge about him and his activities.  These were small towns.  I wonder how long Matthew had been thinking about him.  I wonder if his sleep had been disturbed by the things he had seen and heard.  We can't know ... but we can know that when Jesus said to this tax collector, "You, follow me", Matthew seized the opportunity and did just that!  He left his profession ... he couldn't do it anymore.  

What about you?  Are you "all in" with the Lord?  If you are reading this blog, you are either a "follower" or one thinking about it.  If you are in the later category ... what are you waiting for?  

Remember, only Jesus has the authority to forgive your sins.  And your sins separate you from God.  Only Jesus has the authority to make you able to "walk" with God.  Only Jesus ... 

Jesus said "follow me" to Matthew.  He offers the same invitation to you.  Do you?  Will you?  Did you follow once but have gotten off the path?  Today is the day you have been given.  Just today.  Can you hear him calling to you?   Let's close our time together today with the words from an old hymn, written in 1880:

Softly and tenderly Jesus is calling ... See, on the portals He's waiting and watching

Why should we tarry when Jesus is pleading ... Why should we linger and heed not His mercies,

Time is now fleeting, the moments are passing ... Shadows are gathering, deathbeds are coming,

Oh! for the wonderful love He has promised ... Tho we have sinned, He has mercy and pardon,

Come home ... Come home.

Ye who are weary, come home.

Authority 2 (Matthew 8 - P 21)

Let's finish chapter 8 today.  Read Matthew 8: 23 - 34.

The lens through which we are observing Matthew 8 is the lens of authority.  We are witnessing Matthew's accounting of Jesus demonstrating his absolute authority over so many things that exist in this natural, fallen world of ours.  We have observed Jesus' authority over leprosy, illness and fevers.  Today our verses give us the opportunity to see Jesus' authority over storms - winds and waves ... and over demons.

This Jesus ... this Lord ... has AUTHORITY over disease - the things that rack our bodies and cause such pain ... over the natural forces - the things that often cause mayhem and destruction in our lives ... over demons - the forces of evil that are unleashed in our world.  This Lord ... I will worship!

Verses 23 - 27 hold a particular fondness for me.  Let  me tell you a story ...

It was January, 1991.  I was teaching a class of Junior High girls on Wednesday nights at my church.  It was a small class.  Rather than use any workbooks, I was hoping to train the girls to read the Bible and make their own applications for their lives.  We were following a simple, 3 step plan for Bible study.  They were keeping a notebook.  The steps are:

1. Facts ... just identify the facts of the story.  It is reminiscent of the old "Dragnet" TV show ... "Just the facts, ma'am."
2. Lessons ... identify any lessons you can learn from the story.
3. Application ... how can you apply the lessons to your own life.

That's the plan.  Simple.  Straightforward. 

In January, 1991, then President George H. W. Bush launched an attack on Iranian forces that had invaded Kuwait.  Remember?  It was a Wednesday.  The radio programs were full of dire predictions.  There was even talk of Armageddon.  Fear was rampant.  The leaders at my church decided to disband the various classes that night and have everyone come to the chapel for a prayer service.  I was told that I could either have my class as usual or join the prayer service.  I decided to keep my little group of girls in class ... some normalcy.  Most people were staying close to television and radio.  That night only 5 girls showed up for class.  And when they came in ... they were scared ... quiet ... anxious.  If you know anything about early teen girls - that is not normal.  

We were at this particular story - Jesus calming the storm.  So we began our process.  Facts, girls ... what are the facts.  And they did a good job of relating the event - just the facts.  Then I asked for lessons they could learn.  These girls responded with ...

When Jesus is present, you don't have to be afraid.

When you are in trouble, go to Jesus.

Jesus is really in control, even when you don't think so.

Beautiful lessons ... profound truths ... without any instruction from me.  So when I then asked for applications, they were obvious.  And I witnessed a miracle that night.  Five young girls turned back into giggling, silly middle school girls - the anxiety was gone!  

As I drove home that night, I was overwhelmed with the wonder of what I had seen.  In the eyes of the world, there would be no more insignificant group than that little band of 5 girls.  But they mattered to God.  He was present.  The Holy Spirit calmed their fears and settled their hearts - through His Word.  I had not "taught" them anything that night ... God, Himself, had taught them.  And I was privileged to witness the transformation.  

Those lessons remain for us today.  In a time when fear and anxiety seem to rule the day, as believers we must remember these truths.  

What do you learn from the knowledge that Jesus has authority over the natural world - authority over the demonic forces in our world?  Why not take a message from 5 middle school girls ... and rest well.  

Pray ... ask Jesus to calm the storms raging in your own heart ... and trust that He will do just that.  

Cost (Matthew 8 - P20)

Jesus was popular ... for awhile.  Everyone wanted to jump on the "Jesus train" ... for awhile.  Jesus was the happening Rabbi ... for awhile.  Crowds rushed to see him ... to be around him ... to hear him ... to benefit from him ... for awhile.  But Jesus, Son of God, was not impressed.  He was not manipulating people to gain the most followers ... more hits on his site than any other Rabbi in Galilee!  In fact, in our reading today, it sounds as if Jesus is putting people off.

Read Matthew 8: 18 - 22

It seems a bit out of place in the chapter.  Chapter 8 is a recounting of miracles ... with example after example of Jesus demonstrating his authority over things in this world.  And right in the middle of this litany of miracles are these 5 verses.  What can we learn?

We can learn that Christianity is not going to be the "popular" choice in the long run.  The costs are too high. Jesus did not want followers who were just swept away with the tide of popular, momentary sentiment and excitement.  Emotions run hot and cold.  We know that.  We experience it almost daily.  Faith cannot belong in that category.  It must have deeper roots than that.  Therefore Jesus makes sure that this scribe in our verses realizes what he is saying.  Jesus lets him know that this world is not his home ... there is no place to call "home" for him here.  And for those of us who desire to be disciples of the Lord ... this world is not our home either.  There is no place to call "home" for us here.  We only occupy temporary quarters for a time.  And some disciples do not even have temporary quarters.  We have already heard Jesus say that his path is small and narrow.  (Matthew 7: 13 - 14)  It is not the broad, easy way.  

Listen to William Barclay:

No one could ever say that the decision to follow Jesus was made under false pretenses.  Jesus was uncompromisingly honest.  We do Jesus a grave disservice if ever we lead people to believe that the Christian way is an easy way.  There is no thrill like the way of Christ, and there is no glory like the end of that way; but Jesus never said it was an easy way.  The way to glory always involved a cross.

Lesson #1?  Count the cost of following Jesus.  You are not joining a club ... you are choosing to follow a Savior and that following involves a death - yours.  Death to self ... life to God.  

Another man came and expressed his desire to be a follower of Jesus.  But ... he had to bury his father first.  When we first read Jesus' reply, it sounds harsh, almost cruel and uncaring.  But since that is not the nature of the Lord ... there must be something else at play here.  

I read the story of a Syrian missionary, M. Waldmeier, and this story is related:

This missionary was friendly with an intelligent and rich young Turk.  He advised him to make a tour of Europe at the close of his education.  The Turk's reply was that he first must bury his father.  Waldmeier expressed his sympathy at the death of the young man's father.  But ... it was explained to him that his father had not died.  But what was meant was that the young man must fulfill all his duties to his family first.  In other words, he could not embark on such a lengthy tour until his father was dead.  And that could be years down the road.

With this Eastern cultural insight, I believe we hear Jesus' words more clearly.  Jesus told this man that the time for following him was now.  Don't put it off.  Jesus knows the human heart.  He knew that if this man did not follow him now, if he let the moment pass, he never would follow.  Life always interferes.

I think I could be the poster child for good intentions - a good word, a note of encouragement, a habit broken, a call to action, etc.  But then the moment passes ... and the follow-through never happens.  

Lesson #2?  When the Holy Spirit speaks into your heart and spirit about something ... do it.  Don't procrastinate, don't rationalize it away ... just do it.  

"May God give to us that strength of decision which will save us from the tragedy of the unseized moment."

                                                                                                                            William Barclay

Authority - Matthew 8 (P 19)

Our focus has been on the teachings of Jesus in the previous 3 chapters.  Today we will begin looking at a section in Matthew's gospel that is more about Jesus' doings, his activities.  Chapters 8 and 9 are full of healings.  They are packed with examples of Jesus' authority.  In fact, remember what Matthew records in chapter 7: 28 - 29

When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.

Yes, his teaching had authority ... and his actions carry authority as well which we will observe as we move into chapter 8.

Read Matthew 8: 1 - 17 ... then return here and join me in a few observations.

First, Jesus had authority over leprosy - that disease that wrecked a person's body, isolated them, and led to their death.  I think leprosy in scripture is a vivid illustration of what sin does to our spirits.  Sin wrecks us, isolates us from God, and leads to death.  And there is no cure ... aside from Jesus.  And so we cry out as well, "Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean!"  And his response?  "I am willing."   His sacrificial death on a cross so long ago was his willingness to cleanse you - his willingness to touch you and make you whole.  Receive it ...

Second, Jesus had authority over sickness.  He healed from a distance ... he healed through touch ... he healed with a spoken word.  We can only bow down in awe of such a one.  Bow down ...

Third, we run across the phrase "great faith" in verse 10.  Jesus uses it to describe the centurion who came to him for his servant.  Jesus honors him ... even sets him at the "feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven."  Wow!  That's quite an honor.  I wonder how the Jewish listeners heard that statement?    So what is "great faith"?  Do you have it?  Do I?  Using this story as an illustration, great faith must be faith that completely trusts in the power and ability of the Lord, Jesus.  Great faith recognizes his authority, his position.  Great faith believes ... 

And fourth, notice Peter's mother-in-law in verse 14.  She, too, was ill.  I love her response when Jesus touched her and took away the fever and sickness ... "she got up and began to wait on him."  Has Jesus touched you?  Has he taken away any sickness of body or spirit?  So what is your response?  I suggest that you and I both, "get up and wait on (serve) him."  Get up and serve ...

The quotation from the Old Testament that Matthew uses is found in Isaiah 53.  Let's close our reflection today by hearing these words again ... through the centuries ... from God's heart ... through Isaiah's lips ... to our hearts and minds ...  Isaiah 53: 4 - 5

Surely he took up our infirmities

and carried our sorrows,

yet we considered him stricken by God,

smitten by him, and afflicted.

But he was pierced for our

transgression,

he was crushed for our iniquities;

the punishment that brought us 

peace was upon him,

and by his wounds we are healed.

Notice the personal and plural pronouns ... our ... we ... our ...we ... that includes me ... and you.  

Thank you Lord.  

Tests for True Righteousness - 3 (Matthew 7: P18)

As we look at the tests for true righteousness as described by Jesus in Matthew 7, we will look at the third test today

Read Matthew 7: 24 - 29

The third way you can determine if your righteousness surpasses the righteousness exhibited by the professional religious leaders of Jesus' day (Matthew 5:20)  ... check your foundation.  

The scribes and Pharisees built their righteousness on their own goodness ... their own ability to make the rules and then keep them ... to the exclusion of things that God had directed.  So it seems that their lives were built on the foundation of themselves.  

Jesus comes along and announces that that foundation won't hold ... not when the storms come ... not when the hurricanes blow in ... not when the floods wash through.  Those lives built upon the foundation of self will fall.  They cannot stand.  Self-righteousness cannot stand.  Ever.  It may look good for awhile.  But it is only a facade.

There are houses in New Jersey and New York right now (November, 2012) that could not stand up under Hurricane Sandy which hit their region at the end of October ...they could not weather the onslaught of wind and rain and water surges.  But some did!  That is the point that Jesus makes in these verses.  Build your "life" so that it can withstand the storms.  There is only one way ...

Jesus tells us ... the foundation for a life that can stand is ... "to hear His words and to act on them."  Place yourself securely "in Jesus" His righteousness is the only righteousness that can stand before God.  I must wear His ... none of my own.  And by placing myself "in Him" ... my foundation is as secure as the very person of the living Lord.  

There is an old hymn that follows a progression through its verses.  It depicts the transformation that we all must take if we desire to build solid foundations upon Jesus.  The progression is:

All of self ..... none of Thee

Some of self ...... some of Thee

until we can reach 

None of self .... and all of Thee.

It doesn't mean you will be spared the hard storms in your life.  They come to both the righteous and the unrighteous.  The difference?  Your life will stand ... your future is secure ... you are wise.  

So build well ...

Lord, please show us where we are building on the false foundation of self.  We choose, again right now, to submit fully to your Lordship.  As we hear you speak to us through your word, give us the will and the courage to act on what you say.  We do want our lives secure in your hands ... and not our own.  No more excuses ... no more rationalizations.  Grant us the grace to build well.  And it is only through your Son, Jesus.

Tests for True Righteousness - 2 (Matthew 7 - P17)

Jesus said in Matthew 5: 20 "For 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."

OK ... so if the Pharisees' righteousness was not good enough, not sufficient, then how can I know if my righteousness is pleasing in the eyes of God?  Jesus does not leave us in the dark about it ... we don't have to guess.  He gives us three tests of true righteousness in Matthew 7.

• the first test was explained in Matthew 7:13 - 14 which was discussed in Post 16 of this study.  It is exercised as the believer walks on the narrow path ... and that path is Jesus himself.
• the second test we find in Matthew 7: 15 - 23.  Pause for a moment and read those verses and then return here .............

The second test?  Check your fruit.  You will know by your fruit - by what is produced in your life.  Jesus used an obvious illustration from nature.  We expect a pear tree to produce pears - fruit that is good for eating.  You can call a pear tree an apple tree ... you can be convinced that a pear tree is really an apple tree ... you can proclaim and argue that a pear tree is an apple tree and try to convince everyone around you ... but then the fruit comes.  

In a similar way, our lives bear fruit.  I think there are two different ways scripture uses the language of "fruit - bearing" in the life of the believer.  

1. There is the sense of off-spring.  These questions come to mind:  Am I contributing to the birth of any new believers?  As my life intersects with others, do I speak about Jesus?  Do I honor God with my lips?  Do I play my part, no matter how small, in the birth and life of others?  Does my life bear fruit?
2. There is the sense of recognizing the things that come out of my life - the things that are produced.  What is the natural produce that comes from a tree of true righteousness?  Paul describes is beautifully in Galatians 5: 22 - 25:

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.  Against such things there is no law.  Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires.  Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.

So these questions come to mind:  Am I seeing a growing sense of joy and peace in my life?  Do I want to practice kindness toward others?  Am I training my heart to value what God says is good?  Am I faithful - to God, to my spouse and family, to my church family, to friends, to employers, etc?  Am I growing in my own gentleness and humility?  What about self-control?  If I struggle with addictions, am I willing to do the hard work to address them?  Do I control my tongue?  Is my life more marked by love today than it was a year ago?  

These are all signs of fruit-bearing in the life of the believer.  Before you begin to beat yourself up, please understand that I believe this to be a growth process.  A fully formed pear, perfectly ripe and ready to eat does not pop out as soon as the pear flower fades .. it takes time.  And so do we!  But, my friends, when the first tiny evidence of a pear pops out on the tree ... we can KNOW that the fully formed pear is coming!  We can rejoice in the anticipation ... but we will not be satisfied until the pear is mature.    

Remember ... "He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." (Philippians 1:6)  

Look for fruit ... the life marked by true righteousness will be producing fruit ...

Tests for True Righteousness - 1 (Matthew 7: P 16)

We have come to the last several verses in Jesus' Sermon on the Mount as recorded in Matthew 5 - 7.  The sermon, this teaching from Jesus, is all about life in the kingdom of heaven; about how citizens of the kingdom of heaven behave and think; about what true righteousness looks like.  For Matthew 7: 13 - 29, let's use the umbrella of "True Righteousness is Proved" as the theme for these verses.  How do we test to see if our righteousness is true or false?  What is the measuring rod to determine genuineness?  Well, Jesus tells us.

Today, read Matthew 7: 13 - 14.  It is a very short reading to consider ... but the ramifications are eternal!

What is the first way we can test our own righteousness - to see if it is true and genuine?  The first litmus test is:  is my righteousness marked by self - denial or self-centeredness?

The wide gate ... the broad path ... is the path of self.  Many find it ... many choose it.  It is more comfortable.  It is easier.  It seems wise.  After all, "if you don't look out for numero uno, who will?" - right?Consider:

• self-sufficiency
• self-confidence
• self-dependent
• self-esteem
• self-centered
• self-made
• self-righteous
• self-ish
• self ... self ... self ... self ... 

Where is God in all this worldly wisdom?  And therein lies the major problem ... the "self" person just doesn't really need God.  There is no dependence.  There is no humility.  All this worldly wisdom violates the very first "blessed" with which Jesus began his description of the citizens of his kingdom ... "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 5:3)

Warning?  Be careful about assuming that the wisdom from the world is the same as wisdom from God.  The wide road of self-focus leads to death.  Paul said it best in 1 Corinthians 1: 18 - 30:  (from those verses)

For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.  ... Where is the wise man?  Where is the scholar?  Where is the philosopher of this age?  Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?  For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was please through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. ... For the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength. ... But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise ... so that no one may boast before him.

The small gate ... the narrow path ... is the path of self-denial.  It is the path chosen by Jesus himself.  It is the call he places on every life that chooses faith in him.  It is the life of true righteousness because it is the life of Jesus.  Paul wrote to believers in Philippi about their attitudes - their view of themselves in Philippians 2: 5 - 11.  We have a strong need to heed these words as well:

Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:  Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.  And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death - even death on a cross!  

Jesus described this narrow path in Luke 9:23 - 24 when he said, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.  For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it."

So the question we all must ask ourselves is:  Which road are you on?  

Lord, God ... you are all wisdom.  Open our eyes to see when we are more consumed with self than with You.  Help us know when our confidence and esteem comes more from self than from our relationship with You.  It is You who have made us ... and not we ourselves.  Today ... may my focus be on You ... live Your life through me.

Judgment (Matthew 7 - P 15)

As we continue in Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, His treatise on life in His kingdom, read Matthew 7: 1 - 12 today.

What is it about being human that so delights in passing judgement on other people?  Why are we so quick to decide other people's motives?  Why do we presume to know the hearts of others?  Does it somehow make us feel better about ourselves?  Is it that old syndrome of putting someone else down in some weird attempt to build myself up?  That's twisted!  And Jesus leaves no room for it.  He is quite clear ... not difficult to interpret ... quit doing it!  Just stop.  Now.

There are very practical reasons why we should not pass judgement.

1. You cannot know everything there is to know about any circumstance or any person.
2. You cannot be impartial - impossible.
3. You are not good enough to take on the responsibility.  
4. You will have enough trouble handling yourself.  

Psalm 9: 7 - 8 says, "The LORD reigns forever; He has established His throne for judgment.  He will judge the world in righteousness; He will govern the peoples with justice."

Oh ... I see ... God is the judge - not you - not me.  He is the judge because He knows how to judge in righteousness.  

James picks up the theme in his little letter to the church.  We hear him in James 4: 11 - 12 say:

Do not speak evil against one another, brothers and sisters.  Whoever speaks evil against another or judges another, speaks evil against the law and judges the law; but if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge.  There is one lawgiver and judge who is able to save and to destroy.  So who, then, are you to judge your neighbor?

In our common vernacular, we perhaps could translate this as:  Mind your own business.  To judge another is God's business.  You will have enough trouble tending to your own business.  

But lest we interpret these words to mean that we are never to discern between good and evil ... never to make 'judgments' between right and wrong, Jesus adds the words of verse 6 - words that may seem strange on the surface.  Walter Kaiser in his book, Hard Sayings of the Bible writes:

It comes immediately after the injunction "Do not judge, or you too will be judged", with two amplifications of that injunction  you will be judged by the standard you apply in the judgment of others, and you should not try to remove a speck of sawdust from someone else's eye when you have a whole plank in your own.  Then comes this saying, which is a further amplification of the principle, or rather a corrective of it:  you must not sit in judgment on others and pass censorious sentences on them, but you ought to exercise discrimination.  Judgment is an ambiguous word.  In Greek as in English, it may mean sitting in judgment on people (or even condemning them), or it may mean exercising a proper discrimination.  In the former sense judgment is deprecated; in the latter sense it is recommended.  Jesus himself knew that it was useless to impart his message to some people; he had no answer for Herod Antipas when Herod "plied him with many question." (Luke 23:9)

Jesus then paints a picture of God as a loving, caring Father - one that longs to give good things to His children.  So take your concerns and cares and longings and hearts' desires to Him ... trusting His care for you.  Trusting Him with your very life.  

Close your meditation time today with the words of verse 12.  William Barclay calls this verse "the Everest of ethics".  And as you consider it yet again ... read the words slowly ... not allowing familiarity to rob them of their power.  And think - would my behavior toward ____ (person) or _____ (circumstance) change if I allow this to be the check-point through which everything I say and do must pass?  May it be ... from Jesus' heart to ours ...

In everything do to others as you would have them do to you; for this is the law and the prophets.

Relationship with the World (Matthew 6 P14)

In the first half of Matthew 6, Jesus' words revolve around religious practice ... and our motives for religious activity and ritual.  The behaviors in and of themselves are good and Jesus even assumes that they will be done ... the giving, the praying, the fasting.  However, our motives for the behaviors are critical ... they make or break the deal!  So we want to stay aware of and sensitive to our own motives.

The second half of Matthew 6 is about our attitudes toward wealth and stuff.

Read Matthew 6: 19 - 34.  

Most of us are "hoarders" to some degree.  Few of us take it as far as the folks that make the TV show about the syndrome ... but we know the edges of the disease!  Our tendency is to stock up ... to pile up ... to keep the "just in case" things.  Is it wrong to do that?  Is it foolish to buy at the warehouse stores in bulk because it's cheaper?  I don't believe that is the point that Jesus is making.  Yes, simplicity has its place and is actually one of the spiritual disciplines ... but Jesus is talking here about a heart attitude ... a priority issue.  It does not seem to me that "storing up" is the problem ... it seems to me that we "store up" the wrong things in the wrong places.  We "store up" with nothing but worldly eyes.

Jesus steps into our lives to remind us of three great truths ...

1. things of this world can wear out
2. things of this world can erode away
3. things of this world can so easily be stolen

William Barclay said:  "Jesus never said that this world was unimportant; but he said and implied  over and over again that its importance is not in itself, but in that to which it leads.  This world is not the end of life, it is a stage on the way; and therefore we should never lose our hearts to this world and to the things of this world.  Our eyes ought to be forever fixed on the goal beyond."

So Jesus wants all of his hearers to understand that we cannot be devoted to both God and this world with its material stuff.  We CANNOT.  Not "may not" ... "cannot".  That means it is impossible.  Why do we keep trying to serve both?  Do we  not believe that Jesus knew what he was talking about?  Do we really think we will be the exception?  

The second problem with wealth and stuff is that they cause anxiety.  Jesus is not advocating a careless, shiftless, cavalier attitude toward life.  He is forbidding a worried fear which takes the joy out of life.  He is forbidding an anxious fear toward clothes and food that has no place for faith and trust.  

Again, Jesus steps into our lives to remind us of three great truths ...

1. anxiety is futile and useless - not to mention unhealthy
2. anxiety is blind - it completely disregards the lessons from nature itself
3. anxiety is a sign of 'little faith' - it walks without trust in God

In a time of recession and high jobless rates and presidential elections and political posturing and international terrorism and ... and ... and ... we need to hear these words from Jesus loud and clear!  We are one week away from the presidential elections, 2012, in my country.  You and I may need to intentionally choose to believe Jesus when he tells us - 

Therefore I tell you,

do not worry about your life ...

May we be faithful with our day ... today.  May we be faithful with our attitudes today.  May we trust God today.  May we believe in the sovereignty of God's hand over the affairs of men today.  And may we sleep well tonight!  

Motives (Matthew 6 - P 13)

We are in the middle of one of Jesus' teaching sessions.  Matthew 5 - 7, commonly called "The Sermon on the Mount", is the first section of 'teaching' that Matthew records.  It is all about discipleship.  Chapter 5 focused on true righteousness.  Chapters 6 and 7 focus on lifestyle issues for citizens in the kingdom of God.

So, today ... read Matthew 6: 1 - 18.  Then join me back here ...

In the Jewish world of Jesus' day there were 3 great works of the religious life.  Those three were:  giving to the poor (alms giving), prayer, and fasting.  So it is no surprise that Jesus addresses each of these three categories as he continues his discourse on true righteousness.  Did you see the common thread that wove itself throughout Jesus' comments in each of these areas?

The common thread is ... don't do any of it to be seen, to impress others, for theatrical appeal.  The focus is God ... not you.  All three areas of work are important.  None are to be neglected.  However ... the temptation to do good deeds ... to practice religion ... to be seen and praised by other people is strong and subtle.  What I learn in these verses is that my motive is of utmost importance!  And aren't motives tricky things?!

First ... don't do your "giving" to be praised by people.  If that is your motivation ... enjoy the praise because that is all there is.  The fact that a person is doing some "giving" to the needy seems to be a given.  Is it a 'given' in your life?  Are you making sure that you are giving of what God has given you to help those who are marginalized?  Those who are in deep need?  Be sure you are doing that ... and as you do it, don't blow your own horn.  Do it because of God ... do it to honor him ...

Second ... don't pray to impress others.  Prayer is a given for a citizen in the kingdom of God ... not an optional activity.  But always remember what it is ... and what it is not.  It is ... communication with God.  It is ... a channel through which we bend our wills to the will of the Father.  It is not ... theatrical.  It is not ... to focus on the pray-er - how intelligent, or spiritual, or holy he/she is.  It is between you and God.  Listen to Philip Yancey:

I have come to see prayer as a privilege, not a duty.  Like all good things, prayer requires some discipline.  Yet I believe that life with God should seem more like friendship than duty.  Prayer includes moments of ecstasy and also dullness, mindless distraction and acute concentration, flashes of joy and bouts of irritation.  In other words, prayer has features in common with all relationships that matter.
     If prayer stands as the place where God and human beings meet, then I must learn about prayer.  Most of my struggles in the Christian life circle around the same two themes:  why God doesn't act the way we want God to, and why I don't act the way God wants me to.  Prayer is the precise point where those themes converge.   (from:  Prayer, Does It Make Any Difference)

Third ... when you fast, when you give something up so that you can better focus on your God ... don't show off to others.  Don't be sure that you work it into conversations so that your friends will be well aware that you are sacrificing.  Don't post it on your facebook page or twitter feed so that your 'people' will be sure and know how spiritual you are.  Keep it quiet ... between you and God.  I am also touched by Jesus' apparent expectation that fasting would be done.  It wasn't "if you fast" but "when you fast".  We can learn something there.

So ... bottom line?  Our motives matter.  In fact, our motives are crucial.  Again, the question is not deciding if you will give to the needy and pray and fast ... you are a citizen of the kingdom of God ... of course you will give to the needy and pray and fast.  The question is how you will do it.

Lord, purify my motives.

  Give me the eyes to see when my motivation is more about me than about you.  

Set alarms off in my mind when I slip into the 'praise of people' arena.  

All glory to you ... all praise to you ... all honor to you.  

Principles of the Kingdom (Matthew 5 - P12)

Matthew presents Jesus as the fulfillment of the "Law".  What law?  The word, "law" can refer to three different things:  it could be the Pentateuch - the first 5 books of scripture penned by Moses, or it could refer to the Ten Commandments, that moral code for the Jews given by God to Moses on Mt. Sinai, or it could mean the scribal law, which was the detailed law that had evolved through the centuries by rabbis.  The Jews in Jesus' day would have heard the word ... and thought scribal law.  Jesus teaches that he is the fulfillment of God's law ... but not the scribal law. 

In the verses we are considering today, Jesus points out ways in which the scribal law has actually abused God's law.  If we are to be citizens in the kingdom of God, we must consider the principles of that kingdom ... the laws of that kingdom. 

Read Matthew 5: 17 - 48 ... noticing particularly verse 20.

Jesus selects a few categories to drive home his point.

• There is the issue of murder.  Jesus says, in his kingdom, one must take the behavior all the way down to its root ... and deal with the root.  That heart anger, that simmering fire, must be dealt with ... it matters!
• There is the ever prevalent issue of adultery and divorce.  Jesus says, in his kingdom, one must take those outward behaviors all the down to their root ... and deal with the root.  It is the lust in the heart, the imaginings of the mind that must be dealt with ... it matters! 
• There is the issue of honest speech.  He is not talking about swearing in these verses.  He is addresses our tendency to use manipulative speech ... to be less than honest in our communications.  The root of such speech is dishonesty, and a citizen in his kingdom must be an honest person.  It matters!
• There is the issue of love - how we deal with people.  Jesus takes it past the easy part - how we treat people we like ... all the way to those whom we consider enemies, and perhaps rightfully so.  In the kingdom of God, a citizen loves even THOSE people.  It matters!

And Jesus closes these comments with an amazing conclusion:  "Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect." (verse 48)  What?!  The word translated "perfect" is a Greek word that means complete, mature, something perfectly fitted for its task (like a Phillips screwdriver is perfect for certain screws)  That is the path toward righteousness... the kind of righteousness that surpassed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees.  Their form of righteousness was anchored in the meticulous adherence to a list of behaviors.  Righteousness in the kingdom of God is anchored in the person of Jesus and our own hearts.  Where are you?

So - let's do a heart-check today.  Prayerfully consider the following questions.  I will, too!

1. What makes you angry and how do you deal with it?
2. Do you feed your anger or defuse it?
3. How do you guard your heart and mind from sexual impurity?
4. What books do you know you can't read?  What movies do you know to stay away from?
5. Do you try to manipulate people with your speech?  Either to make yourself look better or to get your way? 
6. Is your word dependable?
7. How do you extend yourself for the benefit and the good of others?
8. Are there people in your life that you have trouble caring about?
9. How are you choosing to love them?  What are you doing proactively?

And now ... after such a list of questions ... we are sent to prayer:

          Our Lord, we lay ourselves out before you today, longing to be good citizens of
          your kingdom.  And we confess our tendency to enjoy rule keeping more that
         we enjoy heart transformation.  We confess the pride in that and ask that you
         cleanse us yet again.  Do the work of perfecting our fickle, self-centered hearts
         as we choose to submit ourselves to you ... and to your kingship. 

Beatitudes (Matthew 5 - P11)

Jesus is presented to Matthew's readers in chapters 1 and 2 as Messiah and as King.  In chapters 3 and 4 we listen to both John the Baptist and Jesus preaching "the kingdom of heaven is at hand."   The advent of Jesus opens the door for the kingdom of God to enter earth.  Jesus, himself, is king of this kingdom. 

 In the United States, we value citizenship.  We talk quite often about what it takes to be a good citizen of this country.  We are frustrated when citizens abuse their privileges and rights of citizenship.  We are angered when people misrepresent our country.  If citizenship in a country of this world is that precious to us ... should not citizenship in the kingdom of God matter much more?!  Should we not be even more concerned about what constitutes good citizenship in God's kingdom?  One is eternal and one is not.  What are the expectations for citizens of God's kingdom?  What matters most to our king?   How do we best serve him?  The answers to those questions are found in what we have called, the Sermon on the Mount.

In Matthew 5 - 7, the principles, or laws of Jesus' kingdom are described. Jesus teaches his followers and any others who will listen, about what life in his kingdom looks like ... what citizens of his kingdom are to value ... how they are to behave.  The Sermon on the Mount is a collection of these teachings from Jesus about life in his kingdom.  

Some have called these verses the "beatitudes" or the "blesseds" of the Christian life.  They are all about righteousness.  They are all about the character of Jesus.  They are the antithesis of worldly thinking ... the direct opposite of cultural wisdom.  But the statements come from the mouth of our King ... will you believe him? 

Listen to the words of William Barclay as he describes these verses:

"The beatitudes are not pious hopes of what shall be; they are not glowing, but vague prophecies of some future bliss; they are congratulations on what is.  The blessedness which belongs to Christians is not a blessedness which is postponed to some future world of glory; it is a blessedness which exists here and now.  It is not something into which Christians will enter; it is something into which they have entered. ... The beatitudes say, 'O the bliss of being a Christian!  O the joy of following Christ!  O the sheer happiness of knowing Jesus Christ as Master, Savior and Lord!  The very form of the beatitudes is the statement of the joyous thrill and the radiant gladness of the Christian life.  In the light of the beatitudes, a gloom-encompassed Christianity is unthinkable."

O the bliss!   Notice two things ...

1.  There is nothing wrong with rewards!  You are not more spiritual if you think nothing of reward.  These verses are full of beautiful, thrilling rewards.  Is there even one of these rewards that you don't want?  I want them ... so it's important to notice from whence they come.  God rewards His people!

2.  Notice the way the beatitudes are book-ended ... "for theirs is the kingdom of heaven".  These are the characteristics that mark citizens in God's kingdom. 

Now ... read Matthew 5: 1 - 16.  Read slowly.  Don't let familiarity dull the startling words from Jesus.  And pray ...

Lord, we long to look more like you.

  Thank you for this picture of true righteousness.

  Thank you for this description of you and your character.

  And now Lord, transform us into your image ...

give us a heart's desire to have our own lives look more like yours. 

We do want to be faithful citizens of your kingdom. 

 

 

And since we are citizens of the kingdom of God ... two things become evident.

 

First, we are the salt of the earth.  That's important ... that's a high calling ... that matters.  Salt was so important in the world Jesus inhabited.  But it had to be pure salt to be useful.  It couldn't be mixed with any other substance or it was no longer pure.  So do we.  We cannot have a little bit of Jesus and a little bit of the world.  We loose our "saltiness" when we try. 

 

Second, we are light for our world.  That's important ... that's a high calling ... that matters.  Darkness can be frightening.  We stumble over things.  Things look scary in the dark that are ordinary in daylight.  In John 8:12, Jesus said , "I am the light of the world.  Whoever follows me will never walk in dakrness, but will have the light of life."  We provide light in our communitites, our worlds, when we reflect His light ... we have none on our own.  We cannot have a little righteousness and a little worldliness.  We shroud our light when we try. 

 

 

So ... my friends ... be salt and light this week!  How?  By readjusting our value systems to match the values Jesus described in the beatitudes.  By finding "bliss" in being the kind of people that belong to the kingdom of God. 

 

Remember ... "He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day Christ Jesus." (Philippians 1:6)

So It Begins (Matthew 4 - P10)

Today we will finish Matthew 4.  Read Matthew 4: 12 - 25.

God has entered time-space history.  We have observed his birth and the traumatic details that surrounded it.  We know nearly nothing of his childhood ... so perhaps it was an ordinary life for a young Jewish boy growing up in Galilee at that time.  Perhaps it included synagogue school, growing up in a family with multiple siblings, Sabbath observances, apprentice training under his dad and community living in Nazareth.  We watched as he was anointed for his life-work through baptism and was tested and proved righteous in the wilderness of Judea.  It is time.  He is ready.  And so it begins ...

Jesus grew up in Nazareth.  But we see him move to Capernaum.  So when we think of his home town, it is Capernaum.  It is by the Sea of Galilee in a beautiful region of Galilee.  There are mountains, the lake, trees and greenery.  It is a lovely region today and I assume that it was perhaps even lovelier then.  Do you ever wonder why Messiah did not set up "headquarters" in or around Jerusalem?  Jerusalem is the heart of the prophetic hope ... the epi-center of both religious and political power of the day.  But remember Jesus did not come to redeem systems ... he came to redeem humanity.  He came to establish a new kingdom ... a new order.  Michael Wilkins says: 

"It is in Galilee that the hint of the Old Testament hope for all the nations begins.  The incidents unfolding in Galilee require that the people's expectations of the messianic ministry must be adjusted." 

As you observe the events recorded here, the beginning of his public ministry, let's look at two groups of people who respond to Jesus.

First, consider these four men whom Jesus calls to "follow" him.  Two sets of brothers ... fishermen ... living and working on the Sea of Galilee.  They most likely already knew him ... had had interactions with him in Synagogue as well as community life.  But Jesus calls them out of their routine to become 'disciples' of his ... living with, learning from, sharing work with him.  The descriptors in the NIV of their responses encourage and challenge me.  "At once" ... "immediately" ... they respond ... and they follow. 

There is a time for analysis, for hesitancy, for caution.  And there is a time for immediate response.  Perhaps I am so impressed by these words because I tend to be such an over-analyzer!  I can think something to death ... until the moment is past ... the opportunity is gone.  I love the way Peter, Andrew, James and John said, "yes"!  And I want to be more like them.  I want to be so prayed up that when an opportunity to walk with my Lord arises ... the immediate response is "YES"! 

Jesus calls us, too, you know.  He calls us to walk with him, to learn from him, to work with him.  The church, after all, is to 'embody' Jesus to our world today ... to our communities.  Have you responded?  Or are you still thinking about it and analyzing the pros and cons?   We will make mistakes ... so did they.  We will fail sometimes ... so did they.  We will do well sometimes ... so did they.  But their beautiful response was "yes, Jesus, we will follow."  May that be our response as well!

Second, in verse 24 "news about him spread all over Syria" ... and in verse 25 "large crowds from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea and the region across the Jordan followed him."  That's the whole country!  North and south and east (west was the Mediterranean Sea).  Crowds 'followed".  Their following will prove fickle.  Their following was fueled by what he was doing for them.  We can fall into that same category if we are not careful.  We can follow Jesus as long as our lives are going as we choose ... as we prefer ... as we like.  We can follow Jesus as long as he is doing FOR ME what I want him to do.  That's a different kind of following.  That's a following that is born of self interest only.  That's a following that has no eyes to see what his work is all about.  

So the question for you and I becomes ... will I continue to faithfully follow when life is hard ... when the sickness is not healed here on earth ... when financial benefits do not come our way ... when my life does not look like I dreamed it would look? 

Let's be the first type of follower.  Let's be the ones that say, "Yes.  I'm all in!"  And then our names can be added to the list ... Peter, Andrew, James, John, and then Gail, ______ (add your own!)  I want to be in that company. 

FOLLOW ME

 

 

Jesus still calls ... what kind of follower will you be?