Tangled

Matthew 22:15-22

"Then went the Pharisees, and took counsel how they might entangle him in his talk" (Matthew 22:15, KJV).
"Then the Pharisees went out and laid plans to trap him with his words" (Matthew 22:15, NIV).

"The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth" (John 1:14).

The Pharisees wanted to trip Jesus in his words. Strange that they would try this. He was the very Word of life--how could they trip him in his words? They wanted to tangle his tongue; they wanted to lay a trap. He could see the way out of every trap they set, but when the time was right, he would willing walk into their trap. His final hour would come. He would lay down his life for his followers (John 10:17). The Word of Life would choose silence.

Peculiar Tenants

Matthew 21:33-45

The tenants that Jesus describes in his Parable of the Tenants, could have won the "landlord's worst nightmare" award. You see they didn't pay rent. If that wasn't bad enough, they had this nasty habit of killing the people who came to collect rent. After several instances of the landlord's servants getting killed, he sent his son thinking that at least they would respect him, but they didn't. They killed him too.

What would make tenants behave this way? They could have just been mean, greedy, and selfish. Or maybe they got comfortable and mistook leasing the vineyard for owning it. Ultimately, they forgot who they were and they forgot who the landlord was.

The meaning of the parable could be easily deduced by its listeners. Scripture they were already familiar with (Isaiah 5) described Israel as the Lord's vineyard, and the history of the prophets fit well into the storyline (prophet after prophet had been killed). Also, Jesus wrapped up the parable by saying, "I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit" (Matthew 21:42).  The message could not be more clear--they were the bad tenants. Tragically, the listeners did not take the story to heart. In fact, with no sense of irony they went from listening to the story to discussing how they could arrest Jesus.

Jesus would later say of them, "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing" (Matthew 23:37).

Two Sons

Matthew 21:28-31

The Pharisees had just finished questioning Jesus about where he got his authority from when he told them a parable about two sons. One son told his father that he would work in the vineyard and didn't, while the other son said that he wouldn't work in the vineyard and did. Jesus said to them at the end of the parable, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you.  For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him" (Matthew 21:31).

The tax collector doesn't initally show up as "most likely to be in the Kingdom". His greedy behavior belies that reality. The prostitute doesn't get many brownie points either. She isn't exactly on the list of "most respectable citizens".  But both the tax collector and the prostitute were ahead of the Pharisees in entering the Kingdom.

They were like the son who had told his father that he would not work in the vineyard but did. Their initial lives did not show promise, but they listened to Jesus, and they were open to who he was and willing to folllow him. The Pharisees had been looking pretty good until Jesus showed up. They had been doing all the right things. They were well respected (if not loved) by their community. But they were unwilling to change, unwilling to see that they needed Jesus as well.

I'm closer to a Pharisee than a tax collector. I'm the type of person (I think) that landlords want for renters and people wouldn't mind  having as a neighbor. But my respectabliity (read generally responsible behavior) does not preclude me from being a sinner. I still wrestle with a selfish heart. I still need a Savior.

Prayer

Matthew 21:18-22

The figs leaves withered as soon as Jesus cursed the tree. The disciples wondered how this happened so quickly, and Jesus told them, "I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, 'Go throw yourself into the sea,' and it will be done. If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer" (Matthew 21:22).

"How vast are the possibilities of prayer! How wide is its reach! What great things are accomplished by this divinely appointed means of grace! It lays its hands on Almighty God and moves Him to do what He would not otherwise do if prayer was not offered. It brings things to pass which would never otherwise occur. The story of prayer is the story of great achievements. Prayer is a wonderful power placed by Almighty God int he hands of His saints, which may be used to accomplish great purposes and to achieve unusual results. Prayer reaches to everything, takes in all things great and small which are promised by God to the children of men. The only limits to prayer the promises of God and his ability to fulfill those promises. "Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it" (Ps.81:10).

E.M.Bounds from A 12-Month Guide to Better Prayer

Citizens

Matthew 19:13-14

"Jesus said, 'Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these'" (Matthew 19:14).

The citizens only line at any international airport passport control moves quickly. Immigration officials only ask a few questions of their own citizens. Why should they? The citizens are coming home.

When Jesus rebuked the disciples for sending the children away from him, he did so because "The kingdom of heaven belonged to [children] (Matthew 19:13). Children are the rightful citizens of God's kingdom. They get to stand in the fast line. They get the privileges of belonging to God's kingdom.

I once had an older gentleman in an ESL writing class who was just "a student". He was pleasant, at times funny and other times a little frustrating. One day I learned that he was an important official in his home country's government. I was a little surprised and regretted not treating him with a little more dignity. As a teacher, I never know who is really sitting in my classroom. Children are the same way. Yes, this child is just a child--but do I really know what position she holds in God's kingdom?

Something Missing

Matthew 19:16-29

He knew he lacked something, but he didn't know what it was so he came to Jesus, "Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?" Jesus told him that if he wanted to enter life, he must obey the commandments. The man was curious which commandments so Jesus listed them, "Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honor your father and mother, and love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 19:19). The rich man must have been checking the commandments off as Jesus spoke. "Yes, I've done that and that and..." But he was curious; he still felt like he lacked something. "All these things I have kept? What do I still lack?" (Matthew 19:21). Jesus responded, "If you want to be perfect, go sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come and follow me" (Matthew 19:21).

Jesus finally answered the ruler's question, and he was not happy with the result. "When the young man heard this he was very sad because he had great wealth" (Matthew 19:22). He knew he was lacking something. He wanted change. No doubt, he wanted depth in his spiritual life, but to get what he wanted was too hard, so he left sad.

Most of us do not fit the exact picture of the ruler. We are not particularly wealthy or even have that much power, but other things come in the way: old grudges, fears, self-dependence, pride, lust.

 What do I lack? is a question I want to wrestle with over and over. I want to know what my wealth is. I want to know what holds me back from fully serving  God.

The Time Before

Matthew 19:1-11

It was not this way from the beginning. It was not I-no-longer-love-you-so-I-must-leave-you. It was not you-don't-make-me-happy-anymore. It was not I-need-something-more. It was a promise. It was security. It was the Creator who "made them male and female" (Matthew 19:4). It was "for this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united with his wife", and it was "the two will become one flesh" (Matthew 19:5). It was love given by a Creator and shaped by two humans. It was the time before sin. It was the time before hard hearts. "Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard" (Matthew 19:8). It was creation and God's first plan. It was "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them....And God saw all that he had made, and it was very good" (Genesis 1:27; 1:31).

Seven Times

Matthew 18:21-22

Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, 'Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?' Jesus answered, 'I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times'" (Matthew 18:21-22).

I bet when Peter asked if forgiving someone seven times was good enough that he felt like he was stretching it. Seven times felt like a big number. You know if you forgive someone once it would be pretty virtuous but to forgive them twice would be heading for sainthood--so seven times would definitely qualify you for super sainthood stardom. But Jesus took the wind out of Peter's sails.

"No Peter, not seven times but seven times seven times, you must forgive for eternity." Forgiveness must become present continuous in your life.

I'm not sure that I'm there yet (living a life of constant forgiveness), but each time I ask God for his grace to forgive someone I'm stepping just a little closer to the kingdom.

God's Generosity

Matthew 18:21-35

Jesus told the parable of a man who was forgiven an enormous debt only to turn around and try to get the pitance that was owed him by another man.

When I read this parable, I wonder if I live in the light of God's generosity. The unmerciful servant could have been unmerciful for two reasons. First, he could have rationalized that the debt he owed wasn't that big of a deal (surely, his master was rich and didn't really need the money owed him). He could have not taken his own debt relief seriously and returned right back to his habit of money grubbing since unlike his rich master he really needed the money that was owed him.

Second, he could not really have accepted that his debt was forgiven. Maybe he went looking for the man who owed him money so he could pay back the debt he owed.

Either way, the results were the same. He failed to extend mercy to his fellow servant.

I wonder when I see this story where I am. Do I recognize my need for mercy? And if I do, do I work and live as if I'm not really forgiven? Has God's mercy really penetrated my heart so that it is given to others?

Father, teach me to receive your mercy. Plant your mercy deep in my soul. Let it grow rich in me so that it is given naturally to others.

If You Are Sinned Against

Matthew 18:15-18

"If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over. But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’ If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector" (Matthew 18:15-17).

This might be the most underpracticed text in the Bible.

1. We don't confront privately (it's two uncomfortable).

2. Then we let everyone know about the problem.

3. Then we refuse to practice church discipline.

Ouch, we are in trouble here! Ultimately, we need to be more worried about the sinner then the sin we've experienced. Being concerned about the sinner means doing the hard work of talking privately with the person who has wronged us as well as taking steps toward church discipline if the wrong is not addressed by that individual.

If a person does not listen, we are to treat him or her as a pagan or tax collector. If we follow Christ's example, that's not a terrifically bad way to treat a person. So if someone sins against you, address it. And if the individual cannot see it, address it with a larger group and still a larger group. Then if all else fails, invite him or her to dinner (that's how Christ treated tax collectors!).

God's Joy

Matthew 18:10-14

It's the joy on his face that I love, the pleasure in his smile--the smile that comes when he says, "I found my lost sheep. I had my 99 but this one was lost and now I have her. It was cold out there--she cried so hard and when I found her--her bleats were so pitiful. I picked her up, cuddled her close to me, and cleaned her wounds. She is home."

I am loved by a shepherd who wouldn't let me wander, who chased after me and called me and heard me and brought me home.

What's Better

Matthew 18:7-9

"If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life maimed or crippled than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into eternal fire" (Matthew 18:8).

The language is getting pretty graphic. We just found out it would be better to take a plunge with a millstone around our neck than to lead a child into sin. Now we're looking at cutting off our food and throwing it away or wacking off our hand and tossing it. "It [would be] better for you to enter life maimed or crippled then to have two hands or two feet and thrown into eternal fire" (Matthew 18:8). Wounded, bleeding, maimed that's how we sometimes come out of our fight with sin. But it's better to get our nicks here than to lose life eternally.

Millstone

Matthew 18:5-6

Usually when we think of someone getting thrown into the ocean with cement we think of the mafia. But this form of death shows up in the Bible first. “If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea" (Matthew 18:6). That wouldn't exactly be a pleasant way to go, but that's what Jesus suggest would be the better fate of someone who causes a child to sin.

Watch out! Those are fighting words. Children are so precious to God that one of the most egregious sins would be to harm them. My first thought is the millstone deserving people must be pedophiles. Yes, please give me the millstone, and I'll toss that person in myself. But I'm not sure this text would be in reference to sexual predators alone.

Leading a child into sin could be much simpler and not has devastatingly obvious. Maybe we set a poor example (like a father who asked his daughter to lie for him), or do as Paul warns against and exasperate children (Galations 6:4). As a teacher, I'm sure I did the latter for some of my students.

This text could get discouraging, but there's a flipside to it. "And whoever welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me (Matthew 18:5). So many times without realizing it we've encountered Christ. We have encountered him in the child we gave a snack to or in the child who fell asleep in our arms. He accepted our love for them as service for him.

Like a Child

At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me. Matthew 18:1-5

I watch Kikki watching me. She's three and doesn't know that's impolite to stare. I watch her dark brown eyes take me in. She must see that I know her mother and her mother's friends.

After awhile her brother needs a place to sit so I plop him on my knee. Seconds later Kikki wants to join, and I plop her on my other knee. We sit in silence for awhile--then she cocks her head just a little and tucks it under my chin. I went from a stranger to friend in under fifteen minutes.

Jesus said that we must become like children to enter the kingdom. I don't think he said that because children are little saints. They can be selfish ("That's mine!") and petty ("If you don't give that to me I won't be your friend anymore!"), but one quality they have is an unguarded openness to love*. They are not protecting their egos nor particularly worried about their image, or even that you'll hurt them. They simply accept love and give love. Jesus said that we must become like them. We must learn to be loved and love over and over again.

*While we live in a sinful world a certain amount of guardedness is normal and healthy but what often happens is that what should be walls to keep the dangerous out becomes a fortress to keep everyone out.

When You Defend God

After Jesus and his disciples arrived in Capernaum, the collectors of the two-drachma temple tax came to Peter and asked, “Doesn’t your teacher pay the temple tax?” “Yes, he does,” he replied.

When Peter came into the house, Jesus was the first to speak. “What do you think, Simon?” he asked. “From whom do the kings of the earth collect duty and taxes—from their own children or from others?”

“From others,” Peter answered.

“Then the children are exempt,” Jesus said to him. “But so that we may not cause offense, 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 17:24-27).

Here's a simple but valuable lesson: be careful when you defend God. I'm not saying not to defend him (I'm pretty sure we need MORE people who will defend him), but walk very prayerfully and very carefully lest in your defense you unwittingly slander him.

I think of a Muslim woman I met at a community college where I was studying French one summer. I enjoyed asking her questions about what she believed. One day after class she showed me a picture book about what Muslims believed. It seemed she felt more comfortable presenting the book to me than discussing her beliefs. While I might not share my beliefs the way she did, I want to have the same spirit that she had. I want to step aside and simply show others where to look.

Down the Mountain

Moses had come down the mountain to find his people given over to idol worship and lasciviousness. Jesus came down the mountain to find his disciples unable to cast out a demon. He said, "Oh unbelieving and perverse generation...how long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy here to me" (Matthew 17:17). The disciples were curious as to why they couldn't cast it out. Jesus told them it was because they had little faith. He said, "I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you" (Matthew 17:20). It sounds like the disciples faith was pretty small since Jesus said that all they needed was mustard seed faith, and they did not even have that. I think I'm with the disciples. I think of Jesus in general terms. But sometimes my abstract idea of him decreases my ability to see that he has power "to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us" (Ephesians 3:20).

Extraordinary

Matthew 17:1-11 Did the disciples ever struggle with Jesus ordinariness? On one hand they saw him perform astounding miracles and watched him live his life in an extraordinary way, but did the fact that they ate with him, slept outdoors with him, and joked with him ever make it difficult for them to realize that they were interacting with God? The transfiguration must have served as a counterbalance to any sense that Jesus was too human to be God. Jesus had invited Peter, James, and John to the mountain with him. While they were up on the mountain, Jesus was changed before them. His face "shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light", and Moses and Elijah appeared with him (Matthew 17:3). Peter was so dumbfounded by this turn of events that he said, "Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will put up three shelters--one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah" (Matthew 17:4). While Peter was still speaking, "a bright cloud enveloped them, and a voice from the cloud said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!'. When they saw this the disciples heard this, they fell face down to the ground, terrified" (Matthew 17:6). If Jesus ordinariness had become to familiar this moment must have burned in their minds. Peter claimed that he believed Jesus was the Messiah. Now he could see even more clearly Jesus as the Messiah. What a gift God gave the disciples!

To Live is To Die

Matthew 16:24-28


"I don't want to gain the whole world, and lose my soul" (TobyMac). I wonder how a soul is lost? I wonder what is the first step to damnation? (Damnation is a strong word, but maybe there are times for strong words.) I wonder if it is in the small things a distraction (a text message from a friend just when the sermon was cutting at your heart), a bitterness cherished (you wanted to forgive once but now it's too late--you're too angry now to even try), a late night on Facebook and no time to pray in the morning or the morning after that or the morning after that.

Christ compares faith to a mustard seed; it is small and grows large. Sometimes it works the other way too. We sow little seeds of small sin or spiritual neglect in our lives and those seeds germinate and sprout and bear terrible thorns, thorns that choke out our walk with God.

"Jesus said to his disciples, 'If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. for whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it'" (Matthew 16:25). Here is the key. Daily we must die to self (maybe hourly at times). We must die, that death is the most unnatural thing in the world--so unnatural it is supernatural. And praise God for his supernatural power in letting our self-centered self-serving natures die so that Christ may be raised in us! "For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain" (Philippians 1:21). "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me" (Galatians 2:20).

Peter's Up & Down

Matthew 16:21-23

There's only five verses between Peter receiving one of Jesus's highest compliments and then one of his strongest rebukes.

First the compliment: Peter states that Jesus is the Messiah. For this Jesus tells him, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but my Father in heaven" (Matthew 16:17).

Later Jesus tells his disciples that he must suffer many things in Jerusalem. Peter's response is to take Jesus aside and rebuke him, "'Never, Lord!. . .This shall never happen to you!' Jesus turned and said to Peter, '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 16:22-23).

There are several lessons from Peter's quick up and down with Christ. First, walking with Jesus is not a tenured position. Whether I've been a Christian for two days or sixty years, I will always experience temptation.

Second, notice how Jesus compliment is that what Peter says has been revealed to him by God, and when Jesus rebukes him, it is because he has allowed Satan to speak through him. This is fairly humbling. The good that comes out of my life comes when I'm connected to Christ; there's not much room for any praise parties.

Third, notice that Peter might have understand Jesus's Messiahship, but he lacks clarity on what the Messiah's mission is. Alexander Pope said, "A little learning is a dangerous thing; Drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring." This applies in spiritual matters too.

Fourth, Peter "said it like it was"*. This admiration might have evoked admiration in some quarters. Peter might have been praised for being the steel eyed realistic keeping Jesus safe. But Peter, as Jesus said, did not have the mind of God. What we consider admirable in our culture, might just be dishonorable in the kingdom of God.

Bless Peter. Despite all the mistakes he makes, Christ still comes after him and he still seeks Christ.

The Most Important Question

There are some pretty common questions out there. What is your name? Where are you from? What do you do for work?

But there's one question that is more important than any other question. The question comes out of the following interchange:

"[Jesus] asked his disciples, 'Who do people say the Son of Man is?'They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets. 'But what about you?' he asked. 'Who do you say I am?' (Matthew 16:13-15).

Who do you say Christ is? That is the most important question.

Peter said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God" (Matthew 16:16).

I want to echo Peter. If Christ asked me, "Who do you say I am?" I hope I would say, "You are Christ, the Son of the Living God. You are my Lord." Not only would I want to say it, but I'd want every act of my life stamped with that reality.

A Little Slow

Matthew 16:3-12

I love the disciples. Their bumbling humanity can come so clearly through the stories in the gospels.

On one of their trips across Lake Galilee they had forgotten to bring bread. Jesus said, "Be on your guard against he yest of the Pharisees and Sadducees".

The disciples weren't really sure what Jesus meant by this so after some discussion they reached the conclusion it was because they had forgotten the bread.

Jesus rebuked them, “You of little faith, why are you talking among yourselves about having no bread? Do you still not understand? Don’t you remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many basketfuls you gathered? Or the seven loaves for the four thousand, and how many basketfuls you gathered? How is it you don’t understand that I was not talking to you about bread? But be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees” (Matthew 16:8-11).

I love the commentary that Matthew adds to this story: "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).

I'm glad to know that I'm not the only one who gets sidetracked. I'm glad to know that I'm not the only one slow in grasping spiritual things.

Thank you Lord for your first disciples and thank you for your patience with them and your patience with your current disciples.

Signs

Matthew 16:1-4

They wanted a sign. No matter that they had already asked Jesus for a sign, and he had said no. No matter that he had healed the sick and miraculously fed the hungry. This was not enough for them. They wanted us a sign.

Give us something more. Prove to us who you are and then we'll believe you. Jesus repeated what he had said the last time the Pharisees had asked for a sign, "a wicked and adulterous generation looks for a miraculous sign" (Matthew 16:4).

The signs were already there in every word he spoke and in every life he touched, but they could not see these signs. "Convince us" they said. But they could not be convinced.

Compassion

Matthew 15:29-39

I was sitting in the back row sniffling during a seminar on music: I wasn't sad--just sick. It didn't take long before a hand reached back, proffering a tissue. Tissue is just one of things my friend has given me. Her Christ-like gift is the ability to recognize a need and meet it.

Jesus life was centered around human need. He often taught the crowds and healed them. One time the crowds had followed him to a remote place, so remote that there was little food available. Jesus could have easily said, "I've done enough for them" (Really healing and teaching are spectacular in their own right.) But instead he said, "I have compassion for these people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat. I do not want them to go away hungry, or they may collapse on the way" (Matthew 15:32).

It's touching to see how the Lord of the Universe was concerned with human need.


So much that he could have closed up shop and said, "I've done enough". But

Do Not Pass Me By

Matthew 14:21-28

A Canaanite woman came to Jesus to ask him to free her daughter from demon possession, and Jesus told her, "It is not right to take the the children's bread and toss it to their dogs" (Matthew 15:26). Christ's response didn't phase her. She quickly replied, "Yes, Lord, but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table" (Matthew 15:27). Her response drew one of the greatest compliments in the Bible. He said, "Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted" (Matthew 15:28).

She had great faith. Why did she have great faith? I suspect there are several reasons. The first is that she must have known something about Jesus. When she approached him she said, "Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me!" (Matthew 15:22). She is calling on him as someone familiar with his ministry. Maybe she has heard him teach and watched him heal others. Her heart is sparked with hope by the way he interacts with the crowd.

Second, she has a great need. Her daughter is demon possessed. The Bible doesn't describe how the demon possession manifested itself in her daughter's life: maybe the daughter threw herself into fires, maybe she yelled in public, maybe she withdrew and huddled in the corner of her house. However the demon possession played out, the mother's ongoing experience of her daughter's suffering must have made the mother cry often. What mother can rest easy when her daughter is struggling?

Two things came together: a knowledge of who Jesus was and an unquenchable longing for her daughter's freedom. So when Jesus indicated that he was not willing to help her, she persisted. She recognized that his capacity to set her daughter free was as great as her longing for her daughter's freedom.

This story is one of the more disturbing stories in the gospels. It's hard to imagine Jesus turning anyone way let alone implying that they are dogs. Some people say that he did it to test her faith as well as to let his disciples think about how they treated outsiders. Whatever the case, what I'm walking away with is that I must know who Jesus is--I must look at the work he has done in other's lives and believe that he can do a same work in me. I must turn to him and say, like the old hymn, "Pass me not oh Gentle Savior. Hear my humble cry. While on others thou art calling, do not pass me by."

The Heart Habit

Matthew 15:1-20

Jesus had this habit. I call it the "heart habit". He had a habit of pulling a conversation back to the condition of people's hearts. The Pharisees complained because Jesus's disciples were not following the Jewish tradition of washing their hands before they ate (not a bad tradition I might say).

Maybe the Pharisees felt like they got Jesus on this. "Ah ha! The disciples are making a mistake!" Jesus replied, "And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition? For God said, 'Honor your father', and 'Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death'. But you say that if a man says to his father or mother, 'Whatever help you might otherwise receive from me is a gift devoted to God,' he is not to honor his father with it. Thus you nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition" (Matthew 15:3-6). Tradition is important but obedience is even more important.

The disciples were confused by Jesus interaction with the Pharisees. Jesus ask them, “Are you still so dull? . . . Don’t you see that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out of the body? But the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart, and these defile them. For out of the heart come evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. These are what defile a person; but eating with unwashed hands does not defile them” (Matthew 15:16-20).

It is the heart that matters. Evil has many manifestations but one source--the condition of our hearts. I like how Joshua Harris in Not Even a Hint: Guarding Your Heart Against Lust connects masturbation to the heart. He said, "The reason this very private act matters to God is not because it involves our genitals, but because it involves our hearts. And God is passionately committed to our hearts belonging to Him. Masturbation isn't a filthy habit that makes people dirty. It only reveals the dirt that's already in our hearts. It's an indicator that we're feeding the wrong desires" (p.101). I feel like this idea can be applied more broadly than just to lust.

It comes back to looking at my daily life. What bubbles up in my ordinary gut reactions? Is it love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control? Or is it sexual immorality, impurity, idolatry, hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions, and envy? (See Galatians 5:19-26). These are all indicators of my heart.

Father, please take my heart. Make my heart yours. Transform me this very moment! I need your transforming power!

The Sweetest Rebuke

Matthew 14:22-34

If awards were given, Peter would mostly get an award for having the worst impulse control, and the best ability to open his mouth and insert his foot. Let's see he suggests building shelters for Jesus, Moses, and Elijah during the transfiguration(Luke even says Peter didn't even know what he was saying), he rebukes Jesus (that's really a bad idea) and gets told "get behind me Satan", he promises undying loyalty and delivers betrayal, and he whacks the ear off the high priest servant during Jesus arrest.

It's not a pretty picture. Peter had problems and one of his problems is made clear in this next story in Matthew. It's the story of Jesus walking on water.

The disciples were alone on the lake since Jesus had stayed behind to pray. It was a difficult night on the lake; the wind was blowing hard and the waves were strong. Around 3 am the disciples saw movement--something was coming toward them--it must be a ghost. It was Jesus, and he immediately identified himself to them. Peter responded by saying, "Lord, if it is you, tell me to come to you on the water" (Matthew 14:28). Jesus told him to come and Peter did. He jumped out of the water, and he walked on it. He was doing a great job until, well, until he realized how big the waves were. He looked at the waves and away from Christ, and he started to sink. Luckily, he knew how to cry for help. He cried out, "Lord, save me!" And Jesus saved him with a rebuke, "You of little faith....why did you doubt?" (Matthew 14:31).

Peter looked away. Actually, this is the heart of Peter's problem. Peter always did his thing when he should have been doing Christ thing. When Peter told Christ that he should not talk about death, Peter was doing his thing. When Peter drew a sword to help Jesus out, he was doing his thing. At this moment I want to go to Peter and say "Peter you are walking on water and that's great, but you have to keep looking at Christ not just in this moment but from now on in every crisis or emergency."
But then it's not Peter I need to really say that to--it is myself that needs that message. In everything, I need to look to Christ.

But coming back to Peter, it is true that Peter got frequently rebuked. But Peter did something that no one else did. He got out of the boat. He jumped out of safety and into the waved tossed lake. Sometimes the people who get rebuked are not the worst off. It's the rest of the crowd still sitting in the boat that might have a bigger problem. Even in Peter's betrayal he was doing something that no one else but John was doing, he was following Christ. Doubting Christ and betraying him are two very big problems, but they grow out of an interaction with Christ--and I'd rather be where Peter is sticking my foot in my mouth then refusing to say anything at all.

Limited

Matthew 14:13-21

I am limited. The friends I wish I can help; I cannot help. The situations I wish I could change; I cannot change. The "help" I do give really isn't help at all; it's just presence. It's just letting the people in my life know that I'm in this life with them. And even this kind of "help" is limited by constraints of time and energy and attention.

So maybe this is why I find Jesus feeding the five thousand so comforting. Jesus had withdrawn to a solitary place, but the crowds had followed him. He saw that their needs were great, and he had great compassion on them. He worked with them until evening and then the disciples suggested that Jesus send them home so that they could eat. But Jesus had another plan. He said, "You give them something to eat" (Matthew 14:16).

Talk about limitations. Do you see those people? 5,000 men plus numerous uncounted women and children? Do you see them? Feed them. The disciples responded to Jesus request for them to feed the crowd with, "We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish" (Matthew 14:17). Jesus asked the disciples to give him what they had. Jesus then blessed the little meal and turned it into a feast for the whole crowd.

I take comfort in this story. I have so little bread so to speak. There's not much I can do in any of the situations around me that concern me, but I do give the little that I have to Jesus and ask him to multiply it. He's the one that can feed the crowd. He's the one who can work a miracle of taking my ordinary life and turning it into something to glorify his Father.

Fear

Matthew 14:1-12

Fear has held a part time job for both good and evil. It has kept people from doing right, and it has kept them from doing wrong. (When fear keeps evil in check, then I'm a fan of it. Go fear!)

Fear kept Herod from killing John the Baptist. "Herod wanted to kill John, but he was afraid of the people, because they considered him a prophet" (Matthew 14:5).
But then it was fear that enabled him to kill John. On second thought, maybe I'm not such a fan of fear. It only kept Herod in check until he found people more intimidating than his constituency: his party guests.

The guests had come to celebrate Herod's birthday. They watched as Herod's step-daughter danced before them. They listened as Herod, flushed with pleasure, promised her with an oath anything she wanted. They waited to see his reaction when she asked for the head of John the Baptist.

Herod saw them; he was fully aware of their precense. He would be a man of his word. (Usually it's honorable to be a man of your word, but if your words are wrong--then by any means, do not be a man of your word.) He had said, "anything" and he would give "anything". He gave the head of the the greatest man who ever lived for a party gaffe. Pride is that powerful.

Too Ordinary

Matthew 13:53-58

Naaman was mad. He had come all the way from Syria to get healed by Elisha, and all Elisha did was send a messenger to tell him to take a bath in the Jordan. Naaman said, "I thought that for me he would surely come out, and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, and would wave his hand over the spot, and cure the leprosy!" (2 Kings 5:11). Naaman wasn't given any pizzazz--just a directive--"go wash in the river".

The leaders of Nazareth were mad. Jesus was at home teaching in the local synagogue. His teachings amazed the leaders, but they wondered,"Isn't this the carpenter's son? Isn't his mother Mary, and aren't his brothers James, Joseph, Simon and Judas? Aren't all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things?" (Matthew 13:55). They knew his family; they knew him, and they "took offense at him" (Matthew 13:57).

Jesus was too ordinary. Namaan almost missed a miracle because the cure was too ordinary. The people of Nazareth missed a miracle because Jesus was too ordinary. "And he did not do many miracles there because of their lack of faith" (Matthew 13:58).

Miracles come in all shapes and sizes. They come in breathtaking form and sometimes they come in very very ordinary ways. What miracle might you be missing because it is too ordinary?

Things Separated

Matthew 13:47-50


"Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish. When it was full, the fishermen pulled it up on the shore. The they sat down and collected the good fish in baskets, but threw the bad away. This is how it will be at the end of the age" (Matthew 13:47-50).

This is the second story I've encountered in Matthew about separation. There was the wheat that was separated from the weeds parable, and now there is the good fish that are separated from the bad fish story. The wheat and the weeds shared a field and the good fish and the bad fish shared a lake. They are given similar opportunities but the results are drastically different.

This makes me think of a quote from Acts of the Apostle that was read tonight at a worship service I attended.

"In striking contrast to the sanctification worked out in the life of John is the experience of his fellow disciple,udas. Like his associate, Judas professed to be a disciple of Christ, but he possessed only a form of godliness. He was not insensible to the beauty of the character of Christ; and often, as he listened to the Saviour’s words, conviction came to him, but he would not humble his heart or confess his sins. By resisting the divine influence he dishonored the Master whom he professed to love. John warred earnestly against his faults; but Judas violated his conscience and yielded to temptation, fastening upon himself more securely his habits of evil. The practice of the truths that Christ taught was at variance with his desires and purposes, and he could not bring himself to yield his ideas in order to receive wisdom from heaven. Instead of walking in the light, he chose to walk in darkness. Evil desires, covetousness, revengeful passions, dark and sullen thoughts, were cherished until Satan gained full control of him.

John and Judas are representatives of those who profess to be Christ’s followers. Both these disciples had the same opportunities to study and follow the divine Pattern. Both were closely associated with Jesus and were privileged to listen to His teaching. Each possessed serious defects of character; and each had access to the divine grace that transforms character. But while one in humility was learning of Jesus, the other revealed that he was not a doer of the word, but a hearer only. One, daily dying to self and overcoming sin, was sanctified through the truth; the other, resisting the transforming power of grace and indulging selfish desires, was brought into bondage to Satan.

The wheat shared a fielSuch transformation of character as is seen in the life of John is ever the result of communion with Christ. There may be marked defects in the character of an individual, yet when he becomes a true disciple of Christ, the power of divine grace transforms and sanctifies him. Beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, he is changed from glory to glory, until he is like Him whom he adores".

Acts of the Apostles, p. 557-559, Ellen White.

Giving all, Gaining All

Matthew 13:44-46

"What are you crazy?!" His neighbors must have said, "Why did you just sell everything you had?" The man just smiled; he could not explain his actions, not yet at least: not until he'd bought the field and not until the treasure was his.

Jesus said, "The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought the field" (Matthew 13:44).

I love that he sold his possessions with joy. He was joyful because he knew how much he was going to gain by selling his possessions. I want the same joy that the man who found the treasure had. I want the same confidence that when I sell all, when I give all--I'm gaining to much more than I could ever give.

The 21st martyr Jim Elliot, "He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose."

Small Things

Matthew 13:31-34

It's just a small thing, the little mustard seed, but Jesus said, "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches” (Matthew 13:31,32).

Then there's yeast: a tablespoon or two will do for a batch of bread. Jesus said,"The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into about sixty pounds[b] of flour until it worked all through the dough” (Matthew 13:33).

This is the way God works: the small things become large things and what seems insignificant is potent. The mustard seed becomes a place of rest; the yeast changes the whole dough.

Extraction

Matthew 13:24-30

My dad would be happy to know that I quote him frequently. One of his daddyism is "never force mechanical things". The funny thing is this is usually my first impulse. If it doesn't work, I push harder. And not just with mechanical things--I do it with cooking: "Hmmm, this dish doesn't taste right, let me add some more garlic and oh a little more garlic". I do it with relationships, "You're upset with me. Well, let me just talk a little more to you."

Jesus warned against us our willingness to force things in the church. He does this by telling a story. He talks about how a farmer went out and sowed seed, but then the farmer's enemy came by and sowed weeds. When the crop started to sprout, the servants noticed the weeds. Their first reaction was, "Hey, lets go out there and pull out those weeds." The farmer held them back, "No, wait until the harvest." If you pull up the weeds now, you might damage the wheat."

The interesting thing about this parable is that it is not the weeds that the farmer is concerned about but the wheat. There are spiritual dangers in allowing the wheat and the weeds to grow together. In fact, the weeds could even interfere with the growth of the wheat, but the greater danger is in forcibly extracting the weeds.

Good Soil

Matthew 13:1-10

I stare at the words; I realize I've been looking at the page for five minutes, but not reading a thing. Or a friend makes a comment while I'm working at my computer. I don't respond, then a few seconds I look up and ask, "Hey," did you say something?" These experiences remind me that my state of being affects my ability to receive meaning.

Jesus gave the same lesson in the parable of the sower. It's the condition of the soil that most affects the outcome. There are rocky places, thick thorns, shallow sod, and good soil. God's word, like the seed is inherently powerful; given the condition of our hearts his word will either flourish and produce fruit in our lives or it will be neutralized.

I usually think of the different categories of soil as belonging to different people. There's the hard hearted person (rocky places), the busy person (thick thorns), the thoughtless person (shallow sod), and the spiritually minded individual (the good soil). But these categories could also be looked at as different times in my life. For example, sometimes my heart is hard, and other times I'm too busy to absorb God's word.

Looking at the text this way brings new meaning to Proverbs 4:23, "Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life." I want to guard my heart so that when the seed lands there it flourishes. The amazing thing is is if I can keep my heart receptive to God's word, I have an incredible promise. The seed does not just produce one little flower, it produces a crop "a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown" (Matthew 13:8).

Mary's Son

Matthew 12:46-50

One of the tenderest moments in the life of Christ was when from the cross he looked at his mother and said, “Dear woman, here is your son,” and to the disciple, “Here is your mother" (John 19:26,27).

But I want to step back and look at a different scene with Jesus and his mother. Jesus is teaching;he's surrounded by people all trying to hear him talk. His mother and his brothers are on the outside of the crowd trying to get through to him. I can imagine the brothers jostling the people in the crowd a little trying to get through explaining, "Hey, look we're his family...Let us in".

Somehow word get through to Jesus. "Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to you” (Matthew 12:47). Jesus responded, "'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 12:48,49).

I wonder how Mary felt just then? I wonder if his words struck a wound through her heart? Simon had warned Mary when Jesus was just a baby, "This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too" (Luke 2:34).

I don't know viscerally what it is like to be a mother, but what I can see there are many 'piercing' that come with motherhood. A child can (without knowing it) hurt a parent in ways that no other person could. Often this hurt cannot be avoided--the act of letting a child grow and mature away from oneself is inherently painful, yet what
parent would stop their child's growth just so they could not experience pain?

And so I imagine Mary hurting at his words and yet realizing the wisdom in them. Hadn't he said as a boy, "Why were you searching for me? Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?"? (Luke 2:49). Didn't he remind her at the Cana wedding feast the priority of God's claim to his life? "Dear woman, why do you involve me?. . . My time has not yet come” (John 2:4).

He would always be a Savior before he was her son. She would ever have to share him with the universe. I think he must have hurt too for her. He who was love must have wished their relationship could come without pain. And yet, love rarely thrives in a an anesthetic world.

Jesus in his infinite wisdom chose his own mother--he chose a woman who would tenderly care for him as a child and who would struggle to understand her relationship to him as an adult, but would never stop supporting him and loving him.

She would stand with him in his last hour, and he would with all tenderness would give her care to the disciple who described himself as "the one whom Jesus loved". His most loved mother would be given to his beloved disciple.

Worse Than Before

Matthew 12:43-45

"When an evil spirit comes out of a man, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, 'I will return to the house I left.' When it arrives, it find the house unoccupied, swept clean and put in order. Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of the man is worse than the first. That is how it will be with this wicked generation" (Matthew 12:43,44).

Here's a brief history of Israel:

In the desert: whiners
During the time of the judges: frequently unfaithful.
During the time of the kings: abandoned to unfaithfulness (with occasional reprieves of genuine revival)

The Pharisees and teachers of the law could feel rightfully satisfied. They were not
like their fathers--they did not worship false gods. They had learned--they had cleaned up their house. They had cleaned up the house, but not filled it. They had straightened out their religion, but not sweetened it.

And Christ declared their state worse then any generation. From them we learn, that it's not enough to clean up our act. We can make breathtaking changes. We can move from alcoholism to sobriety and lust to purity, but if we don't move from selfishness to love we are worse than before.

I understand this movement of leaving behind obvious sins for worse sins. I may have matured out of an obvious sin like anger (I used to have a wicked temper), but then moved on to a worse sin like pride. Pride shows up in the most unusual and (at times) awkward places, like in my religious life. Many times God has woken me in the morning with a gentle, "You weren't really trying to serve me yesterday--you were serving yourself."
This can be frustrating. It's like playing whac-a-mole at Chucky Cheese. I keep trying to whack self down in one area of my life, but she comes up in other areas.

"But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Corinthians 15:57). There's my hope. I don't just clean up my house--I fill it with Christ.

A Sign

Matthew 12:38-42

"Then some of the Pharisees and teachers of the law said to him,'Teacher, we want to see a miraculous sign from you.' He answered, 'A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a sign!" (Matthew 12:38,39).

I've been puzzling over this text since I read it earlier today. What's wrong with a sign? Why did Jesus call the Pharisees wicked and adulterous for asking for a sign?
Didn't the angels tell the shepherds, "This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manager" (Luke 2:12)?

As I thought about asking for a sign, I was struck by a contrast. The Pharisees asked for a sign out of unbelief. They were undermining Jesus ministry and even plotting his death. Why would they ask for a sign? They wanted to draw a line, "We will not believe you unless you give us a sign."

Others who were given miracles didn't even ask for a sign:they asked for help. They wanted a child to be healed or a servant to recover; they wanted to be free from leprosy or the chance to see. They came to Jesus because they believed he could do something to help them.

This is not to say that signs can't be used to build up faith. When John was discouraged in prison he sent his disciples to ask Jesus, "Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?" (Matthew 11:2,3). Jesus responded, "Go back and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the good news is preached to the poor" (Matthew 11:4,5).

The Pharisees were echoing the devil's temptation. "If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread" (Matthew 4:3). Jesus wouldn't give them the sign they wanted, but he told them to look for a sign, he would be in the ground three days. They would provide this sign.

The Overflow of the Heart

Matthew 12:33-36

"But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgement for every careless word they have spoken" (Matthew 12:36).

You might figure that this is a nice text for extreme introverts since they speak so little, they don't stand a chance of saying a careless word. But what about the talkers, the stay-up-all-night-gabbing-until-their-audience-falls-asleep-ers? The can't shut-upers? Do they even have a chance? Will heaven be full of just really quiet people who attained saintliness through silence? I don't think so.

Just a verse before in Matthew 12:35, we learn that "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" (Matthew 12:35). If we are judged by what we are saying, it is because God is measuring our hearts. "For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks" (Matthew 12:34).

In some ways God's measurement of our hearts is startling. Our culture's cure for a former love affair with a "vindictive God" has been to domesticate him--to paint him as only concerned with our happiness and not particularly worried about our holiness. But God's judgement is the same as a doctor's diagnosis or a teacher's honest appraisal of a student's work. It is given to cure. He must tell us who we are. He says, "You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked" (Revelation 3:17).

Thankfully he never leaves us where we are. He said, "I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see" (Revelation 3:18). "And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart" (Ezekiel 36:26).


*I know some people who would find a place full of quiet people paradise.

The Most Dangerous Sin

Matthew 12:22-32

There once were two islands so far away from civilization that ships only passed by them once a year. These islands were connected by a seven mile bridge. One island was lush and full of trees; the other island was barren, but it had a beautiful mansion on it built by a brilliant architect who happened to live in his own mansion. The lush island was owned by a retired lawyer who was mostly a reasonable man, but he had one quirk: he loved lighting fires. Unfortunately, in his passion for setting things ablaze he accidentally burnt down his own house. The architect was gracious and helped the man rebuild his home.

Well, it wasn't long before the lawyer burned down his house down again. He told the architect, "I was just trying to see if I could burn my waste instead of throwing it into the sea." Several months passed by after the second house was built, and then it happened again--in some mad fire experiment the house burned down once more. The architect was a patient man, but concerned. He was especially concerned because it seemed like the lawyer was losing it. All of the house burnings had been accidents but there were pieces of the land that were scorched. It seemed that the lawyer was not just enjoying fire at a small experimental level but that that he was beginning to take delight in destroying the forest. The lawyer even confessed, "You don't understand how exciting it is to watch my forest go up in flames."

The architect told him. "I can keep helping you rebuild your house but the best way I can help you is to stop you from lighting fires completely. My willingness to help you is unlimited, but I need you to know that there is one structure that if you burn down, I will not help you again."

The lawyer listened a little and tried to stop lighting fires, but the temptation got too strong and he gave into it and before he realized it he was compulsively lighting fires. So much so that he burned most of his forest down. With so little wood left on the island he started setting small fires to the bridge then putting them out. One day it happened. A little fire on the bridge toward the architects side of the bridge started to grow into a medium fire, and while the lawyer wanted to put it out he decided to linger just a little and by then the fire grew into a large fire and the bridge was a blaze. The architect tried to help him put it out from his side, but he couldn't do it. Finally, when he realized that the bridge would burn he yelled, "I can no longer help you. I have no wood and no way to reach you. I wish you luck!"

This is the unpardonable sin. It is not unpardonable because God cannot pardon; it is unpardonable because the heart of sinner no longer knows, needs, or wants pardon.

The Pharisees critiqued Jesus for healing a man. They said, "You do it by the devil." Jesus response was a warning he said, "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 the age to come" (Matthew 12:32). They could criticize Jesus, but once they started to criticize the source of his power (the Holy Spirit) they were endanger in cutting themselves off from God. The Holy Spirit is the way that conviction reaches our hearts. Cut off the Holy Spirit and you've just nipped the oxygen supply to your soul.

God's Delight

Matthew 12:15-21

I'm almost half-way through the book of Matthew, and the plot of Jesus life just got tense. This might not seem to be a tense moment in the book, but it is. It is the first wisp of a cloud that will become the storm of the crucifixion.

The verse that gives me this hint could be easily overlooked. It comes right after the story of Jesus healing a man on the Sabbath. The verse is this, "...The Pharisees went out and plotted how they might kill Jesus" (Matthew 12:14).

I have many pictures of Jesus in my head: I see him working in the carpenter's shop, sitting with little children on his lap, or touching the eyes of a blind man. But here's the picture I often overlook.

It's the picture of the Pharisees turning their back on him. It's the picture of the rulers and the teachers meeting secretly. "How can we kill him? What can we do to rid ourselves of him?" They had made up their minds; he would not be their savior.

So Jesus withdrew. He knew the the Pharisees plots; he knew their plans. But he couldn't stop working. The people kept following him, and if he was in hiding he was having a hard time doing so because "many followed him" (Matthew 12:15). It's pretty difficult to be inconspicuous when you have a crowd following you!

Matthew breaks in here with some commentary about Jesus healing the sick that followed him as he tried to remove himself from the Pharisees. Matthew said, "Here is my servant whom I have chosen, the one I love, in whom I delight" (Matthew 12:18).

Here is the moment. Jesus's life is threatened. Jesus knows that he's starting down a road that leads to Calvary. And in this tense moment we are told that God delights in Jesus. I somehow like to think that this is what Jesus knew when his life was threatened, when he was worn out from ministry, when he was saddened by the lack of acceptance of the religious leaders. I hope he could hear Isaiah's words ringing in his head:

Here is my servant, whom I uphold,
my chosen one in whom I delight;
I will put my Spirit on him
and he will bring justice to the nations.
He will not shout or cry out,
or raise his voice in the streets.
A bruised reed he will not break,
and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out.
In faithfulness he will bring forth justice;
he will not falter or be discouraged
till he establishes justice on earth.
In his law the islands will put their hope.”

This is what God the Lord says—
he who created the heavens and stretched them out,
who spread out the earth and all that comes out of it,
who gives breath to its people,
and life to those who walk on it:
“I, the Lord, have called you in righteousness;
I will take hold of your hand.
I will keep you and will make you
to be a covenant for the people
and a light for the Gentiles,
to open eyes that are blind,
to free captives from prison
and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.

Isaiah 42:1-7

Lord of the Sabbath

Matthew 12:1-13

Jesus is Lord over disease. He is Lord over demons. He is Lord over the storm. No one can question his power, yet Pharisees did.

Oh how they questioned and accused and undermined him. How often they watched for him to make a mistake, and if they couldn't catch him--they looked out for his disciples. (Their spies must have made good money.) The disciples were gleaning grain one day and the Pharisees or their spies caught them. They approached Jesus on this topic.

And Jesus responded in two ways. First he showed them the principle, he desired mercy not sacrifice. He was genuinely concerned with the well being of the disciples. Second, he noted that he was Lord of the Sabbath. He had authority over the Sabbath.

If you have authority over something, not only do you write the rules--but you also value what you have authority over. As Lord of the Sabbath, he is the protector of the Sabbath. He is the husband of the Sabbath.

Rest for the Weary Redux

Matthew 11:28-30

Matthew 11:28--Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest--is too good to be quickly left behind. So I'm going to linger here. I'm going to linger here because I kept coming across a version of this verse in Handel's Messiah ("Come unto him all ye that labor") today as I drove around town. I'm going to linger here because after a walk and good conversation with a friend on her front porch, she prayed with me and said, "As Julie takes your yoke, you lift it from her shoulders". (The image was beautiful--if the yoke is light it is because he carries the other side.)

I'm going to linger here because I know that I need rest. It is the rest that comes from trusting God--the rest that comes from turning to him and finding his gentle and humble heart.

Rest

Matthew 11:25-30

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28).

This is one of my favorite texts in the Bible. It's Jesus's invitation to his followers. "Come to me and rest." Rest from your labor, rest from your struggles, rest from your burdens.

Jesus elaborated, "Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you'll find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light" (Matthew 11:28-30).

I love how he explains himself, "I am gentle and humble in heart". It's as if he is saying, "This is who I am! Gentle, humble, longing to take your burdens, longing to give you the rest you need."

Jesus, help me to come to you tonight. Help me to find that delight that comes from knowing that my soul will find rest in you when I take your yoke upon me.

Woe to You

Matthew 11:20-24

To visit Pattaya, Thailand at times feels like you've landed in Sodom and Gomorrah. During the day lecherous old white men walk down the beach with their "girlfriends" walking behind them. In the evening, hookers loiter on the streets smoking cigarettes waiting for their customers. Nothing is hidden.

If cities are to be judged, I can easily imagine Pattaya at the front of the line, but Pattaya might not even top the list of cities to be condemned. My guess is that there are hundreds of more respectable cities ahead of Pattaya on the list.

The reason I say this is because of how Jesus denounced the cities of his day. He said, “Woe to you, Korazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! 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 up to the skies? No, you will go down to the depths. 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 11:21-23).

Blatant vice is soul-sickening, but missing an opportunity to repent is worse. What if God says woe to you Orlando, Dallas, Wichita? God did miracles--God changed lives in your city and you refused to repent.

No One Greater

Enoch
Samuel
David
Solomon
Elijah
Daniel
Jeremiah

Great men. Honored men of God. But there has been no one greater than John. "I tell you the truth: Among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet he who is least in the kingdom is greater than he" (Matthew 11:11).

What made John great?

First,he was more concerned with Christ's glory than his own success. He said of Christ, "He must become greater; I must become less" (John 30:3).

Second, he was fearless in addressing sin. I wouldn't have advised him to address Herod's adultery, but he did.

Third, he was the forerunner of Christ. He prepared the hearts of Israel for the Savior.

I can only hope to be like John. He is heaven's hero, no one greater born of women. And yet Jesus says, "He who is least in the kingdom is greater than he" (Matthew 11:11).

John is a hero in heaven, but the "least in the kingdom" are greater than him. Heaven is so different from earth--that heaven's math is difficult to grasp. But I suspect it goes like this. There are no less than signs in heaven. Each person will find others "greater than" himself and glory in that "greater than-ness". We will like John say, "He must increase, and I must decrease" (John 30:3)

"Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves" (Philippians 2:3).

Showing and Telling

Matthew 10:40-42

Tomorrow I'll be teaching my students the difference between telling and showing. Telling is abstract; showing is concrete. It's the difference between saying, "He is angry" and "He knocked over his desk and spit at the secretary". Both are needed in writing. Jesus does some telling and showing in Matthew 10:40-42.

First he told his disciples, "He who welcomes you welcomes me, and he who welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. Anyone who welcomes a prophet will receive a prophet's reward, and anyone who welcomes a righteous man because he is righteous man will receive a righteous man's reward" (Matthew 10:40&41).

So if this is what Christ is telling us. What does it look like? How does he show what it means to "welcome" a prophet or a righteous man?

It looks like this: "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).

How can we welcome Christ's followers? We can give them a cup of cold water. Actually it says "even a cup", so I'm guessing a cup of water is the minimum. How about spaghetti? Or stroganoff? Or pumpkin pie? Or a place to sit in our house? Or an hour of our time? Or a ride to the airport?

"Don't forget to show hospitality to strangers, for some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it!" (Hebrews 13:2).

Loving God More

Matthew 10:37-38

It's the morning that Abraham has been called to sacrifice his son Isaac. What is going through his head? Does he remember all the years he waited for a son? Does he remember God's promises written in the stars? Does he remember how soft Isaac's skin was when he first held him?

God has probably asked no greater test than the test he gave Abraham. Do you love me more than you love your son? Do you love me enough to obey me when it means sacrificing him?

Up to this point, Abraham didn't have a very good track record of passing God's tests. He had put his safety above his obedience to God and possibly his wife's safety as well (Genesis 12:14). Imagine him saying, "Sarah, just tell them you're my sister, and they will let me live". He had put his desire to have a son over God's timing for the promised son (Genesis 16). "Yes Sarah, I'll sleep with your maid Hagar if that's what it will take to have a son."

So Abraham is given one more test, an incomprehensible test. "Then God said, 'Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about" (Genesis 22:2). Would he pass the test?

As he and Issac climbed Mount Moriah, Isaac asked, "The fire and wood are here. . .but where is the lamb for the burnt offering? Abraham answered, 'God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son'" (Gen. 22:8).

God would provide the lamb. That was the first sign that Abraham would pass this test. He would move forward in obedience to God because he knew that God would provide for him despite how unfavorable the circumstance looked. If God could make an old woman and an old man have a child, surely God would find away to open both the door to obedience, and a door to Abraham's deepest desires. But like Daniel's three friends, he was willing to obey even if the consequences didn't align with his desires. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednigo had once said, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up" (Daniel 3:16-18).

This is the rawest obedience. It is an obedience that on one hand trusts that "God will provide"; it recognizes on the other hand that obedience may come at a very high cost.

The most difficult cost of obedience is the loss of a relationship. Following Christ might mean becoming estranged from one's parents or children. This painful cost makes shrink back from obedience. Often the attitude is "I will do anything God as long is it does hurt my relationship with _________________."

But Jesus was very clear:"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" (Matthew 10:37).

Christ asks us to be our first priority. The interesting thing is that he would later show where his priority was. What was his priority? Us. He valued us more than his own life. "Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends" (John 15:13). And the Father valued us more than he valued his son's life. "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son" (John 3:16).

While putting Christ above any relationship might come at a terrible cost, often what looks like a loss will be a gain. It comes from a principle also found in Matthew 10. "Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it" (Matthew 10:38). Put Christ over the relationship and discover that relationship that looked shaky has become solid. Christ first means that we start to look and act like him. Add more patience, self-giving, gratitude, generosity, kindness, and prayer to any relationship and often the effect is for the relationship to mature, deepen, and sweeten.

Sparrows and Persecution

Matthew 10:17-34

Right after Jesus commissions his disciples as evangelists, he gives them a reality check. Here's what life will be like as his follower: there will be floggings, trials, betrayals (even betrayals from one's closest family members). Life will be tough.

What I love as I read through the reality check that Jesus is giving his disciples are the pieces of hope that he gives them as well. Yes, you'll be arrested and have to go before judges, but I will give you what to say (Matthew 10:19,20). Yes, you'll be persecuted but you'll not be forced to stay where there is persecution (Matthew 10:23).

Then there is the greatest of all encouragements. The text that the song "His Eye is On the Sparrow" is based on: "Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of the Father. And even the very hairs of your head are numbered. So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows" (Matthew 10:29,30).

I've always derived great comfort from Matthew 10:29, 30, but I never realized that it was spoken in the context of the white heat of persecution. Sparrows will fall and hairs will be lost, but the father knows and cares and values you and see your troubles. You are incredibly valuable to him.

Called and Commissioned

Matthew 10:1-16

I wonder how long it was after Jesus called Matthew to follow him that he commissioned him. "Follow me," Jesus had told him. But now he called Matthew along with the other disciples to a different task. "He called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out evil spirits and to heal every disease and sickness" (Matthew 10:1).

Matthew went from tax collector to evangelist--and not just any evangelist, but an evangelist who had power to drive out evil spirits and heal diseases.

In essence, Jesus gave a practical exam to his students. He had taught them and now he needed them to apply his knowledge. This exam could also be considered the beta run of the great commission. Christ would eventually call them to the world, but first he called them to Judea. "Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans. Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel" (Matthew 10:6).

What a great opportunity this was for the disciples. They would take their practicum and get immediate feedback from the greatest teacher ever. Considering that this was their internship, they were given incredible tools to accomplish it (healing power, power over demons, and even power to raise the dead).

Their full time job would later come, but they would have to see the cross first before the great commission. They would experience bitterness before the joy that would drive them to the ends of the earth to preach the gospel (Matthew 28:19-20).

The Harvest

Matthew 9:35-38

Sometimes it's interesting for me to see the context of a familiar text. I've frequently heard, "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few" text (Matthew 9:37),but I didn't notice the verses that came right before it.

What comes before "The harvest is plentiful" is a description first of what Jesus does:"Jesus went through all the towns an villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness" (Matthew 9:35). Then a description of how Jesus views people: "When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd" (Matthew 9:36).

How do we enter the harvest? We teach, we preach, and we heal. Ultimately, we meet people's needs. And in doing this we gain the perspective of Christ--we understand how often people are harassed and helpless, and we look on them with compassion. We know that the harvest is plentiful then. We see how much work can be done if we simply choose to do it,but in choosing to work we also come up quickly against how little we can do. And like Christ we pray for more workers.

"Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field" (Matthew 9:18).

You Talk Too Much

Matthew 9:31-32

When I was in 5th grade, I learned a song that went like this:

You talk too much you worry me to death
You talk too much you even worry my pet
You taaaaa-ah-ah-ah lk; You talk too much.

This song fits well the end of the story of the blind men receiving their sight. Jesus forbid them strongly not to tell anyone about the miracle. But they did just the opposite; they talked and they talked a lot.

Everyone learned about the miracle. Granted, they probably thought Jesus was just being modest, and they were excited. Good news is hard to keep quiet.

But why did Jesus tell them not to speak? I think there are several reasons. One Jesus was trying to avoid creating a show. If you think about it, his first miracle of turning water to wine was hardly crowd wowing. People barely even knew what he had done. Later in his ministry when his popularity was at its height, he purposely walked away when the people tried to crown him king. He knew his priorities and becoming an earthly ruler who could amaze people was not very high on his list.

I think he also told them not to speak because he knew how people chasing miracles might slow down his ministry. Yes, he wanted to draw all people to him but getting overwhelmed by crowds of people too early in his ministry might limit his capacity to reach out to others.

Jesus often referred to "his time". He knew, like Solomon, that there was a time for everything. By talking too much, the formerly blind men may have rushed the timing that Jesus had for his ministry.

I'm still learning the lessons that Jesus had for the blind men. "Do not discuss this" is very difficult to do in a culture that loves the confessional. I pray that what I say will never hinder Jesus ministry the way that the formerly blind men's talking too much did.

Have Mercy

Matthew 9:27-31

"As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed him, calling out, 'Have mercy on us, Son of David'" (Matthew 9:27).

There's something profoundly touching in this text. It makes me think of the lyrics to the song "Pass me not O gentle Savior".

Pass me not O gentle Savior
Hear my humble cry!
While on others Thou art calling (calling!)
Do not pass me by!

I wonder how they followed him. Did they use sticks? Did they lean on an arm of a friend? Did they simply stumble along crying, "Have mercy on us!"

Have mercy. Are you in need of mercy? Are you in need of a Savior who sees you when you can't see him?

The blind men finally did find Jesus and when they did, he asks, "Do you believe that I am able to do this?" (Matthew 9:28)

They replied, "Yes, Lord" (Matthew 9:28).

"Then he touched their eyes and said, 'According to your faith will it be done to you'; and their sight was restored" (Matthew 9:29).

Your cry for mercy is heard by God. He will not pass you by until he has responded with a touch; he may touch your eyes--or more importantly he may touch your heart.

He says, "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh" (Ezekiel 36:26).

Have mercy on me, Jesus. I have followed you at a distance. Now touch my eyes and touch my heart so that I might see you and serve you.

Two for One

Matthew 9:18-26

I suspect that God loves to give 2 for the price of 1 miracles. He doesn't just want to bless individual X. No, he want to bless X plus X's friends, relatives, coworkers, and maybe even X's dog. He looks for how much mileage He can get out of just one miracle.

The story in Matthew 9:18-23 illustrates just one of those 2 for the price of 1 miracles. It starts with a ruler's request that Jesus heal his dead daughter. "Come and put your hand on her", the ruler says, "and she will live" (Matthew 9:18). The ruler knows the value of Christ's touch.

There's another person in the crowd who knows the value of touch. She's someone who hasn't been touched for years. Her constant bleeding leaves her unclean and untouchable. She wants healing, but she doesn't want to expose herself. She reckons if she can just touch Jesus's garment, she will be healed.

The crowds slow Christ's way to the ruler's house, but maybe his slow progress is providential. It will provide an opportunity for the woman to find Him. She pushes through the crowd. She squirms between two people and gently grabs Christ's garment. Christ stops, "Take heart, daughter...your faith has healed you" (Matthew 9:22).

Christ is on his way to heal one man's daughter, but he takes the time to acknowledge a woman who may not have been acknowledged in years. Not only does he acknowledge her, but he calls her daughter. It is not only her body he seeks to heal but her spirit. "Take heart" he commands her: have courage God has recognized you.

When Christ reaches the ruler's house, he asks the mourners to leave, and he asks the onlookers to go. This is a miracle that will not happen for gawkers. No, this will be a quiet miracle; he takes the daughter's hand and she gets up.

In the course of one day, he has healed two women. He has encouraged one with words, and the other with touch. It would seem that as the Messiah he might have more important business, but his Father's business (the business he told his parents early on that he must be on) was the business of healing.

I hope that the woman who bled for too long and the ruler's daughter met. I hope that their lives were forever intertwined by sharing a day of Christ's miracles.

Spiritual Comparison

Matthew 8:14-15

Then John’s disciples came and asked him, “How is it that we and the Pharisees fast often, but your disciples do not fast?”
Jesus answered, “How can the guests of the bridegroom mourn while he is with them? The time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast. (Matthew 8:14,15)

I suspect that it was the Pharisees who first pointed out to John's disciples that Jesus's weren't fasting like them. Why else would John's disciples point out that they were fasting like the Pharisees? I can imagine John's disciple's discussing this with each other, "Yes, why do we fast and they don't?" On one hand there might have been a little spiritual smugness in their discussion. "We're doing the harder work." There might have also been a little frustration, "But we're doing the harder work!" (Funny, how those often go hand in hand.)

John's disciples without even realizing it unwittingly played into the hand of the devil. The devil wanted to discourage Jesus and create dissension between Jesus and John's disciples. If John's disciples could have seen what they were really doing, they might have been horrified. Luckily, Jesus didn't take the bait and simply redirected them to his mission, creating new lives prepared to have his spirit poured into them (new wine for new wineskins, Matthew 9:16-17).

The heart of John's disciples question comes from a source that is still alive today: spiritual comparison. We might see someone's incredibly successful ministry, and we compare their ministry to our just-getting-the-car-payments-in-each month. Our lives seem incredibly ordinary compared to those spiritual superstars. Or maybe we have the opposite problem. We see our neighbors who seem to be making bank, and we comfort ourselves with, "I might not have a BMW, but at least I'm not materialistic."

There's a story later in the gospels that offers a solution for our spiritual comparison. Jesus was reinstating Peter when Peter leaned back and asked, “'Lord, what about [John]?' Jesus answered, 'If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me'" (John 21:20-22).

Part of spiritual maturity is leaving behind comparisons to other Christians. If you're trying to be a spiritual superhero, this might get a little disappointing. God's not looking to see how great you are. He's not noticing how much harder you work at being a Christian. He's just looking to make your heart new so that he can pour his new wine into your life.

Matthew

Matthew 9:9-13

I'm not sure I would have liked Matthew. I'm not sure you would have liked him either. He was a tax collector, but not of the IRS* play-by-the-rules ilk. No, he was most likely of the how-much-money-can-I-skim-from-you variety. Think of your local extortioner. You probably can't even think of one, so better yet think of someone who has ripped you off. That's Matthew. Scam artist. Matthew.

Jesus came to call the sinners and sometimes those sinners aren't fun. Sometimes sinners rip you off or cut you off. They say stupid things; they say hurtful things. They gossip behind your back or lie to your face.

Jesus told the Pharisees, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice. For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners" (Matthew 9:12-13).

Right now, what sinners are in your life? Whose unhealthiness is bringing you down? Just remember, Matthew. Jesus called Matthew and he's calling them. Who knows? They might just leave all and follow Christ. Who knows? They might just be the right people for God to use to show His mighty transforming merciful power.



*Not that I love IRS (internal revenue service) agents

Forgiveness

Matthew 9:1-8

This scene rarely has dramatic music in movies, but it does send my heart rate up.
It's a moment one character asks another, "Will you forgive me?" Somehow I'm terrified that the person asking forgiveness will be told, "No." When I ask for forgiveness, I make myself so vulnerable that to watch even a fictional character denied forgiveness makes me shutter.

Remaining unforgiven by another human being is terrible, but just as bad is to remain unforgiven by God. Many of us (myself included) have what I can only call long term guilt. It could come from never getting a chance to apologize to someone, a sin that seems to fit into the too-big-to-be forgiven category, or a circumstance that despite our lack of real guilt we still feel guilty for (such as an accident that we might have caused where someone else got hurt).

Long-term guilt is spiritually debilitating. It distances us from God. It nags, festers, and wounds us. We long for escape from it, but somehow feel unworthy to be released from it.

When Jesus encounters the paralytic, he shows that he knows something about that man's heart (and our hearts as well). He doesn't heal the paralyzed man right away. No, he looks at that man and knows more than anything--this man must be forgiven.
He tells him, "Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven" (Matthew 9:2).

Yes, it's terrible to be paralyzed, but it's even worse to be unforgiven.

Jesus knows our need. He knows the things that we think can never be forgiven. He looks at us and tells us, "Take heart! Your sin is forgiven." This is heaven's stance. This is heaven's home: forgiveness.

Pigs and Miracles

I wrote this on the beach during my camping trip.

Matthew 8:28-34

I wonder when the pig herders first knew that something was wrong? Did the pigs let out a squeal in unison or did they just start to run? I imagine the herders screaming as they tried to block the pigs from running for the cliff. "No! No! No! Turn back!" But there was no hope for the herders. The pigs were mad crazy, running for the cliff.

Then there must have been the aftermath, the sinking reality that they would need to report the loss to their boss. "All your pigs have gone into the sea," they would have told him. Maybe the owner afterward would have walked down to the ocean and watched as one bloated pig carcass after another washed up on shore. Did the owner think about the money, time, and hope he'd put into those pigs? They were his security.

What did the owner think of the rumors he heard coming from the town? The two town crazies had become sane, and they were crediting a man who had sent their demons into his pigs. Why his pigs? He was scared--the townspeople too. "Please," he might have asked Jesus. Please go."

I wonder if the pig owner ever learned that more than one miracle happened on the day his pigs died. Two men were set free and a pig owner engrossed in tie was given a chance to see eternity. Miracles can be costly. May they never be too expensive for us.

The Storm

I went camping this weekend and had no access to the Internet. I wrote the gist of the following post in the campground bathroom. The place we stayed was super windy so the storm that Jesus calmed took on new meaning there.

Matthew 8:23-27

Fog. Rain. Hail. Typhoons. Tornadoes. Hurricanes. There's something helpless in us when exposed to weather. I've seen the outer layer of a tin roof blown off by strong winds from a typhoon. I've seen tree after tree knocked down--flattened by the force of a tornado. There's something helpless in us when exposed to the elements.

We can be so painfully powerless that the story of Christ calming the storm takes on a certain sweetness after being exposed to potentially lethal weather.

The first scene of the story finds Jesus asleep in the boat while his disciples are trying to row across the lake. I imagine flashes of lightening expose his peaceful slumbering face while those same flashes reveal the anxiety ridden faces of his disciples.

The storm rages and worsens and the disciples anxiety turns to pure fear--the boat will be swamped. They will die. They wake Jesus, "Lord, save us! We're going to drown" (Matthew 8:25). Jesus replies, "You of little faith why are you so afraid?" (Matthew 8:26). Then he gets up and rebukes the wind and "it was completely calm" (Matthew 8:26).

I like that Jesus rebukes the wind. He can tell storms to quiet down and those storms will listen!

Jesus is stronger than the waves, stronger than the wind, stronger than storms. He finds us in our most powerless moment. He finds us where we are most helpless and matches our helplessness to his might storm calming power.

The Cost

Matthew 8:18-22

"Beware of the security trap", said Mr. George. I met Mr. George in Palawan, an island in southwestern Philippines. If anyone could talk about avoiding the security trap, he could. He had already spent nine years living off money he had raised through Adventist Frontier Missions and working in a village that was so remote you had to hike two hours just to reach it.

I long for security. Why else would I have health insurance, a retirement plan, car insurance, and a service contract for my car? I want to buy myself out of risk. But sometimes following Jesus means eschewing security. It means leaving behind what is safe and known and walking one step at a time behind my Savior.

A man came and promised that he would follow Jesus wherever Jesus went. Jesus replied, "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).

It is as if Jesus was saying, "Do you really want to follow me? You must understand where that will take you?"

I love singing, "Anywhere with Jesus I can safely go, anywhere He leads me in this world below." In one sense this song is completely true. The safest place to be (spiritually, emotionally, and physically) is where Jesus is. But if I take this song to mean anywhere with Jesus, there is no financial risk; anywhere with Jesus, there is no relational risk; anywhere with Jesus, there's no risk to my reputation; anywhere with Jesus, there's a good car and home; then I am in trouble. In fact, anywhere with Jesus might be very very dangerous.

Just look at where "anywhere with Jesus" landed Paul. He described his sufferings, "Five different times the Jewish leaders gave me thirty-nine lashes. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked. Once I spent a whole night and a day adrift at sea. I have traveled on many long journeys. I have faced danger from rivers and from robbers. I have faced danger from my own people, the Jews, as well as from the Gentiles. I have faced danger in the cities, in the deserts, and on the seas. And I have faced danger from men who claim to be believers but are not.I have worked hard and long, enduring many sleepless nights. I have been hungry and thirsty and have often gone without food. I have shivered in the cold, without enough clothing to keep me warm" (2 Corinthians 11:24-27).

This is not the picture of the American dream. This is not the house with the three car garage, and the pool in the back yard.

But praise God it is not. I once talked with a friend's husband who was in training to be cardiac surgeon. We discussed how incredibly busy he was. But we also discussed how exciting and fulfilling his work was. It seems, we came to the conclusion, that the good things in life are often the hard things.

We may follow Jesus and not have a home. We may follow Jesus and not get all the things that we expect (especially as Americans), but what an incredible reward it is to follow him. We can say like Peter when Jesus asked the disciples if they were going to leave too. "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God" (John 6:67-68).