Category: Good Life Journal

Scripture:

Matthew 26:6 -8,13 6- Now when Jesus was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, a woman came up to him with an alabaster flask of very expensive ointment and she poured it on his head as he reclined at table.  And when the disciples saw it they were indignant saying, “Why this waste?”  13- “Truly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her.”  

Observation:

Jesus was at the home of a leper, someone outcast from society,having fellowship.  The woman had extravagant love in her heart for Jesus and responded with great generosity by anointing Him.  This is in contrast to the disciple’s response who considered her actions a waste as money could be given to the poor.  We learn in the next passage that Judas cares more about money then Jesus as he betrays him for 30 pieces of silver.  The story of the woman anointing Jesus is recorded in the gospels and told as a witness of how valuable Jesus was to her.

Application:

First, I must be available to fellowship with others.  I have to recognize that everything we do needs to point to Jesus and who He is and what He has done for us.  Our response to situations reflects the condition of our heart.  Jesus is worthy and deserving of our praise, resources, time we pour out to serve The Kingdom.  I can’t serve both Jesus and money or anything else that would come before Him.    

Prayer:

Father,

Thank you for your love, grace and mercy.  Let your Spirit guide me to love you and place you first above all else and live, sacrifice according to His will.  May my life be a gospel witness.

Scripture:

Matthew 23:3
so practice and observe whatever they tell you—but not what they do. For they preach, but do not practice.

Observation:

Jesus describes the scribes and Pharisees of preaching without practicing. In the religious leadership world, this is the gravest of offenses.

Application:

What I think is critical in this passage is Jesus never asks less of the people because the leadership fell short. He still called them to obey the law. However, he calls out the religious leadership for burdening the people with the entirety of the law but only selectively practicing it themselves.

A few thoughts…

-Regardless of a leaders behavior, the scripture still stands. We should never excuse ourselves from obedience because a religious leaders acts hypocritically. (Let Jesus and the scripture be our example)

-Leaders are human. The scribes and Pharisees get a bad reputation. However all spiritual leaders have similarities to them. All spiritual leaders are called to both teach and model truth. Sometimes in the attempt to do both, leaders fall short. (Recognize when my behavior is like the scribes and Pharisees and repent)

-Practice what I preach. The challenge is not to limit what I teach to what I actually practice. I must teach the whole counsel of God’s word. Therefore in my own life I must look in the mirror each time I preach, see if I am in alignment and obedience to God’s word. I must preach the message to myself first and respond to the actions steps before anyone else. This is when the ministry is its most healthy. I can teach what I know, but I will reproduce who I am. Therefore my ministry will be capped long term at my level of obedience. (Practice what I preach)

Prayer:

Father thank you for your patience with me. May I do what I preach. May I teach and model your word.

Scripture:  

 “But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only.”

“Who then is the faithful and wise servant…?”  Matt 24:36 and 45a

Observation:  

Chapter 24 is chock full of Jesus speaking of the end times or “That Day.”  There is lots of stuff that can fuel the imagination and prod me into an investigation to find “the answer.”  But, isn’t the Scripture clear that the ‘answer’ isn’t able to be sleuthed out because it is held by the mightiest of secret keepers?

Application:  

I became a Christian in the early 70’s, right about when Hal Lindsey published “The Late Great Plant Earth”, my first book about That Day.  I found that there was an abundance of writing about Jesus’ return.  I was certain that the year 2000 was to herald the Coming of the Lord.

Oops, missed that.  Maybe it is now 2030 or 2033?  Beats me.

It is still curious to me why folks spend days and years trying to figure out an answer, a solution to something that is plainly not available to mortal man.  Not only mortal men, but the complete inhabitants of Heaven, save for the Father Himself.

Am I supposed to look at the times and see the world in light of the plain warnings of Scripture?  Sure, no argument there.  I ignore the signs at my own peril of incompliance with His directive to be aware.  But the question is how should I react?  Scripture is plain and I don’t intend to list out the check points here.

The way I have chosen to act is adopting a saying for my life: “Live as if Jesus is returning today, plan like His is not returning for 100 years.”  This is a delicate balance of saying (and meaning) “Come Lord Jesus, come” and persevering to the End.  Endurance is a gift of the Holy Spirit and it implies that there is a time element that I have to grind out my Christian walk on a day by day basis.  Romans 8:29 plainly indicates that God Himself is “conforming us to the Image of the Son”, another indication of a process rather than an instantaneous result.

So why have I found this important?  Looking for a time, a day, a year to stake out doesn’t help me to grow in maturity and wisdom.  How wise is it anyway to search for something that the Father is holding so close to the vest that not even the Son has a clue?  Deut 29:29a says: “The secret things belong to the Lord our God…”  The verse goes on to say that the revealed stuff belongs to us so that we can do all the things of the Law, or in other words, obey His Word.

Therefore, I pay attention but don’t waste my time looking for things that without a doubt cannot be found.  I do, however, want to press into what He has revealed because those particular riches can never be plumbed to the end of discovering something rich in His Word.

Besides, it isn’t like there is an “End of Days” pool going on…

Prayer:  

Lord, thank you for letting me have an imagination but one based on being astonished and amazed at Your Word.  Serving doesn’t come natural-in fact it is downright antithetical to holiness but right in line with my innate sin nature.  I want to mortify selfishness in me.  Please give me insight on how to do this while in parallel empowering me through the Holy Spirit.  Just knocking off the rust on the Armor bit by bit, daily.  AMEN.

Scripture:

Vs 15 Then the Pharisees went and plotted how to entangle (Jesus) in his words.

Vs 16 … saying, “Teacher, we know that you are true and teach the way of God truthfully, and you do not care about anyone’s opinion, for you are not swayed by appearances.

Vs 17 Tell us, then, what do you think …

Vs 22 When (the Pharisees) heard it, they marveled. And they left (Jesus) and went away.

Vs 23 The same day Sadducees came to (Jesus) … and they asked him a question,

VS 29 But Jesus answered them, “You are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God.

Vs 34 But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together.

Vs 35 And … asked (Jesus) a question to test him.

Vs 41 Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them a question …

Vs 42 “What do you think about the Christ?

Vs 46 And no one was able to answer him a word, nor from that day did anyone dare to ask him any more questions.

 

Observation:

The religious authorities were conspiring to trick or trap Jesus in His teachings.

They used flattery and false compliments to get close to Jesus and then set Him up with questions.

They also wanted Jesus to affirm what they already believed or thought about the Law and Prophets.

When they didn’t hear what they wanted to hear, they gathered with like-minded opponents to Jesus … even they disagreed with each other on other issues.

Their common disagreement was with Jesus.

Jesus stated plainly that they were wrong because they did not know the Word of God or the Power of God.

After many questions put to Him, Jesus puts one questions to them: “What do you think about the Christ?”

When they did not hear what they wanted to hear from Jesus, they went away.

And no one dared ask any more questions.

 

Application:

I can be “right” about Jesus and have an accurate description of Jesus … (“true”, “teaching the ways of God”, “not swayed by opinion or appearance”) … and yet, still have an artificial closeness to Him.

I can have a right knowledge about Jesus and a wrong heart about Jesus.

Jesus said the religious authorities did not know the Scripture or the Power of God.

This is fascinating, because they actually had it memorized.

Their confidence, however, was in themselves … their knowledge … their power.

Are my questions of Jesus seeking affirmation of myself or affirmations of Christ?

What motivates my questions of God? … Is it a desire to grow closer to my Savior? Or is it a desire for more knowledge?

When I am wrong … When I disagree with God, do I seek out others who think like me to affirm my own thinking?

Or do I dig deeper into God’s Word to see a change of my own heart? 

What am I swayed by more? … The Power of God’s Word or the power of man’s opinions?

 

Prayer:

Thank you again for your Word, Father.

Help me Holy Spirit to seek answers to my questions from a humble place.

Help me to stay focused on the most important question

What do I think about the Christ

In Jesus name

Amen

Scripture:

Matthew 21:14-15
And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he healed them. But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying out in the temple, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” they were indignant,

Observation:

Though Jesus helped the hurting and healed the sick, the chief priests and scribes were enraged that the people called him the chosen one.

Application:

Expectations are everything. In life when we have expectations or anticipation for an event or a relationship, things rarely go as planned. The event maybe has some unexpected twists and turns and it can overshadow the experience. In relationships a person might say something we weren’t expecting or do something out of the normal and we are left distracted and disappointed. Expectations can create unexpected disappointment.

The scribes and chief priests had been longing for the messiah their whole lives. However their expectations and anticipations were different than who the messiah actually was. It wasn’t that their version was better, but maybe just “better for them”. In other words, they expected Jesus to say and do what they agreed with. They had assumed He would be cut from the same cloth. Instead Jesus spent his time with the people the scribes and chief priests overlooked, healing the sick and hanging with sinners. Their expectations weren’t realized because their expectations were misguided. So how can I avoid misguided expectations?

-Ask myself where the expectation came from. In this circumstance the expectation of the religious leadership came from Old Testament prophecy AND their own personal preferences. This is what messed them up. When it comes to God, my own flesh can play tricks on me. It is easy to create a version of God that is “salted” with my own seasoning. The problem with this is that as time goes on my flesh morphs my understanding of God into something and someone He just isn’t. The scripture then becomes the “salt”. I create a version of God I want and then “season” him with carefully selected scriptures to make him just right for me. This is a perfect recipe for unmet expectations and frustrations. (God made me. I didn’t make God.)

-See what God is doing instead of expecting Him to do what I want. The religious leadership waited for Jesus to behave as they expected and missed what He was actually doing. Instead of celebrating the miracles, they critiqued them. When I allow my expectations of God and other people drive me, I spend my life criticizing instead of celebrating. (Celebrate instead of criticizing)

-Jesus’ ministry ultimately pointed to His greatest work; the cross. When I study the life of Jesus I will spend a whole lot less time offended by what He said or baffled by what He did if I look to the cross and resurrection first. Once the cross and resurrection becomes my baseline I can study the life and ministry of Jesus in context. So when His teachings confuse or offend me, or when my prayers seem to go unanswered, or when He allows something to happen that hurts me or someone I love, I already know His heart through the cross and resurrection. I know He already met my greatest need. I know that this life is temporary. I know He loves me and everyone else I meet today. Jesus was the answer to the cries, Hosanna! He is still the answer to this same cry. He is my rescuer, my redeemer, my savior. (Make the Cross and resurrection my baseline for all expectations and anticipations)

-Expectations and anticipations can ruin my relationships with other people. Many of these come from a lack of feeling fulfilled in my relationship with you. May I stop placing misguided expectations on others. This only leads to a life of frustration and disappointment. May I find myself satisfied fully in you and have the peace to relate and celebrate others instead of being distracted when they miss the mark of my expectations. (Find fullness in Jesus first)

Prayer:

Father I am thankful. I don’t want to miss what you are doing in my life because my expectations are misguided. I don’t want to miss celebrating what you are doing in other people’s lives because I am distracted. I don’t want to forget that you already met my greatest need.

 

Scripture:   

But Jesus called them to him and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them and their great ones exercise authority over them.  It shall not be so among you.  But whoever would be great among you must be your servant and whoever would be first among you must be your slave even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.”  Matt 20:25-28

Observation:   

What Jesus said above came on the heels of James’ and John’s (Zebedee) mother vying for an honored position in Jesus’ Kingdom.  While answering James and John, Jesus took the opportunity to remind the Disciples that leadership and authority starts with servanthood…

Application:  

I think I would be embarrassed to come before the King of Glory and have my mother plead for a “position” for her tender sons in the coming Kingdom-not only a “position” but on the immediate either side of Jesus as he sat on the throne.

“Mom, mom-don’t do this.”  “Nonsense.  If you two won’t stick up for yourselves I will stick up for you.  You never get anywhere in this world if you don’t go after it…besides I always knew you were destined for greatness.  This will show all the neighbors that your investment in this movement wasn’t for vain.”

And so, under the leadership of their mother, James and John fell right in line…and got smacked (figuratively speaking).

Leadership and servanthood: Hard to reconcile.  “I lead by serving; I serve by leading.”  Doesn’t come naturally for me.  Take for instance being a husband:

I lead by serving my wife.  Ok, I confess it is hard to wrap my mind around this principle in my marriage.  There are times where I think “this is getting me nowhere; I am being taken advantage of…”  Then I realize that isn’t what Jesus is meaning for me. Paul writes that husbands are to love their wives like Christ loved the Church and gave Himself up for her (Eph 5).  So then, learning how to become servants like my Lord is just like His objective for me: being conformed the image of the Son (Ro 8:29).  As I lay down my life (wants, desires, objectives, plans, etc.) unto Him for what He wants me to be for my wife, as He says: “…all these (other) things will be added to you…”  The point is not what I gain but what I do in worship to Him.  Note that I stop here, none of that nonsense about “if I do this now, I get what I want later.”  That particular trail of thought is stinking thinking.

Living to serve is a mindset based upon wanting to serve my Lord and be obedient to the Scriptures.  If I love Him, then I obey His word-easy as that.

Yeah, right.  I need the Holy Spirit every day.  No doubt about it.  I remind myself that living in Christ is a journey; I must have the long view about things.  Every race is run one step at a time.

Prayer:   

Lord God, help me to run this particular race with endurance.  I get icky with my wife when my expectations run at cross-purposes and I recognize that servanthood is far over the horizon from me.  It’s a good thing that results aren’t a measure of Your grace towards me, but granting me the ability to repent is.  AMEN.

Scripture:

Matthew 19:17, 21 – And he said to him, “Why do you ask me about what is good?  There is only one who is good.  If you would enter life, keep the commandments.”  21- Jesus said to him, “If you would be perfect, go sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come follow me.”

Observation:

The rich young man comes to Jesus and asks Jesus what good works he must do to inherit eternal Life.  Jesus transitions the conversation to let the rich young man know that it is only God who is good and gives eternal life.  Absent from the list in the commandments Jesus questioned the ruler about was you shall have no God before me and love God above all else.  Jesus knew the man loved money and that is where his devotion was, not a devotion from the heart to God through Jesus.  

Application:

I must remember to put God first in all aspects of my life.  There is no amount of good deeds I can do to inherit eternal life.  It is only through the grace of God and the saving work of Jesus on the cross at Calvary that I am saved and will inherit eternal life.  It doesn’t have to be just money, is there anything I value before God.  Whatever it is, I need to surrender it from my heart and follow Jesus.  Jesus doesn’t say follow me and it will be all good here on earth.  Quite the opposite, Jesus tells us people will hate us and we will be persecuted for his name but our reward is in heaven.    

Prayer:

Father,

Thank you for your love, grace and mercy.  Help me put you first, to receive your love and share it with others.  Let your spirit guide me to have nothing before you and follow you, Lord Jesus.  

Scripture : 

Matthew 18:2-3 “And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.””

 

Observation : 

Matthew chapter 18 begins with a conversation between the disciples and Jesus over who is the greatest in the kingdom of God. The example that Jesus chooses to use is that of a child. The greatest in the kingdom of heaven is to become like a child.

 

Application :

Having faith like a child can be difficult as we get older. The challenge of Jesus is to not lose our childlike wonder and faith. To be humble and to trust. Today, my faith look like a child more and more.

Prayer :

God thank You for being a good Father to us. Help me today to live out childlike faith as I pursue You.

Scripture:   

When they came to Capernaum the collectors of the two-drachma tax went up to Peter and said, “Does your teacher not pay the tax?”  He (Peter) said “Yes.”

And when he (Peter) came into the house, Jesus spoke to him first saying, “What do you think, Simon?  From whom do kings of the earth take toll or tax?  From their sons or from others?”  And when he (Peter) said, “From others”, Jesus said to him “Then the sons are free.”

“However, not to give offense to them go to the sea and cast a hook, and take the first fish that comes up.  And when you open its mouth you will find a shekel.  Take that and give it to them for me and for yourself.”  Matt 17:24-27

Observation:    

“Come, let us reason together…” is the first thing that comes to mind.  This is not so much about “who is to pay what and when” or even “sovereign provision” but Jesus saying “Come on, Petey-let’s think about this a little bit and see if we can unravel the situation and discover the Word of the Lord…”

Application:  

Here is a situation that doesn’t get done a lot these days: Let’s talk about the Purpose of God; let’s talk about the Word of the Lord; let’s wrangle and tussle with the Bible and see if we can dive deeper and discover “pearls of great price.”

I don’t do it much, anyway.  I tend to think by myself and, if I share my thoughts with someone else, I can’t talk through it well enough to make sense as it comes out of my mouth.   It’s something, isn’t it?  There is a stirring in the heart, a wonder in the mind, and the words are just not there.  Huh.

A couple of things to take notice of:  It takes an imagination to see the humor in the Bible.  Take for instance this situation: Tax collectors say “Hey, does your master not pay the tax?”  And Pete says “Yes.”  What is Pete answering?  Does Jesus pay the tax or does Jesus not pay the tax?  Saying “Yes” answers which question?  I get a kick out of these small jokes.

On a serious note Jesus beckons to Peter:  “Come over and sit with me.  What do you think of this tax question?”  and He leads Peter to the understanding between Children of God and those that aren’t-a little glimpse anyway.  Did this instance come to mind in Peter writing later “You are a chosen generation…a people of God’s own possession…” (1st Peter 2:9)?  Maybe.

I am pointing this out to myself to remember that it is the little lessons the Spirit teaches that piles up on one another, layer by layer, brick by brick, keeping us on the road to maturity and understanding.  But I can’t do it alone or just talking to the guy in the mirror-I have to be vulnerable, transparent, open with my comrades.  I have to do my part in cultivating a god-focused vision and mind.  This is different than evangelizing the way we may know evangelizing.

It is being absorbed.

Prayer:   

“How can I thank You, O Lord, for taking my sin on the Cross?” the song goes.   Thing is, God, that anything that comes out of my mouth is inadequate.  What is neat is that You know it is inadequate but you don’t consider it inadequate.  In my mouth You have put Your praise and are glorified in it.  Pretty cool.

I ask for cultivating friends, O God.  AMEN.

Scripture:

Matthew 16:21
From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.

Observation:

Jesus asks the disciples the famous question, “Who do you say I am?”, and Peter answers “the Christ, the Son of the Living God”. From the moment on, Jesus began to be very clear with them what his mission was and what was going to happen. The passion week of Jesus is in fact the exact reason He came to earth.

Application:

I love to study the teachings of Jesus. I love to read the scriptures of his interactions with the poor, sick and hurting. I love to see the way he treated the sinners and tax collectors. I love to hear stories of Jesus. However, my relationship with Jesus is most shaped by Matthew 16:21. Jesus’ Life on earth had a specific mission. This mission is the only reason I am spiritually alive and have hope. It is also the only reason I have a song in my heart and story to tell.

A few things…

-The problems and pains Jesus experienced through His ministry and furthermore during his final week leading to the cross, were the plan. They weren’t hiccups along the way, or unexpected. These were all part of the plan. (Hard/Painful doesn’t mean unexpected or bad)

-Jesus knew His mission, and it was still hard to accomplish. He knew the whole reason He was on earth and what He had come for, but He still asked the Father for another way if possible. In life, even if I know the plan, it doesn’t mean it will be easy or fun. (Don’t be immature and expect everything to fun and easy)

-“On the third day be raised”. I don’t care what I accomplish in ministry or what I learn theologically. I don’t care what accolades I receive or positions I hold. May my life never be about anything above this fact, Jesus is alive! This is in fact the greatest news and the story I have to keep telling. May I never pursue anything more than I do the embracing and celebration of your resurrection and the victory it provides. (Jesus is Alive, May this fact shape my life)

Prayer:

Father thank you for this insight this morning. You are so good to reveal the simplicity and power of the message of the gospel. Don’t ever let me get over it! May I prepare for the difficult and not expect my life to be designed for my comfort and temporary security. May I remember my life and experiences are to build faith and to believe and share the story and life of Jesus!

Scripture:

Matthew 15

Vs 1 Then Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said,

Vs 2 “Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat.”

VS 3 He answered them, “And why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition?

Vs 4 For God commanded, ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘Whoever reviles father or mother must surely die.’

Vs 5 But you say, ‘If anyone tells his father or his mother, “What you would have gained from me is given to God,”

Vs 6 he need not honor his father.’ So, for the sake of your tradition you have made void the word of God.

Vs 7 You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, when he said:

Vs 8 “‘This people honors me with their lips,
    but their heart is far from me;

Vs 9 in vain do they worship me,
    teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’”

 

Observation:

Jesus and the Pharisees debate the “traditions of the elders” versus the “commandments of God”.

The “traditions” argued for by the elders were about trivial matters such as hand washing. This was a concern regarding outward appearance.

The “commandment” mentioned by Jesus was about something much more significant … and internal.

First, it was the clear word of God. Second, it was about the family relationship between parent and child.

So, both contexts were about “honor” (God & parents) and the elders were destroying this honor for the sake of their own.

They wanted to honor their own traditions, which elevated their own status.

 

Application:

What are my traditions? … Not in the sense of what do I do annually or each year on a certain occasion.

But what do I do on a regular, repeated basis? What are my behavioral patterns that I fall into?

What are my daily “habits”? This will show me what I “honor”.

Do I honor the “commands” of God? Or do I honor the “demands” of the day?

What am I inclined to? What elevates me and my status or recognition among my peers or colleagues?

Or am I inclined to what elevates God?

When I make intentions to honor God … is it “lip service” or is it true “worship”?

It’s easy to talk about doing the things I’m doing as if it’s for God … but is it … really?

I can make almost anything seem “holy” and “honorable” if I sprinkle the right language on it.

The Pharisees made ignoring their parents seem like it was honoring to God!

Who am I ignoring? …

What “tradition” or “habit” or “behavior” am I honoring over God and the people He puts around me?

Oh God … call me out like Jesus did the Pharisees when I’m lying to myself like that!

 

Prayer:

God, thank you for your word and commands.

Open my eyes to where I fail

Thank you for your forgiving

Thank you that you see Jesus when you see me

Remind of your command when I am inclined to my traditions

In Jesus name

Amen 

Scripture:

Matthew 14:14
14 When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick.

Observation:

After hearing his good friend and relative has been killed, Jesus withdraws to a lonely place to be with the Father. However, people remain close by Him because they have needs. Jesus see them, has compassion on them and heals them.

Application:

Wow. In a painful moment that justified selfishness and isolation, Jesus instead rejoined the crowds and continued working. Afterward he miraculously fed 5000.

4 things…

-Life is hard and there are times when we have to get alone and be with the Father. However, we can’t stay isolated. The life of a believer is not staying isolated, but being with the Father and then having that intimacy impact others. (Is my intimacy with the Father impacting others?)

-Jesus sees the people. He didn’t overlook people. He didn’t get too busy for people. He didn’t get too preoccupied to notice people. (Am I seeing people today?)

-Jesus has compassion on them. When Jesus looked at people, he didn’t respond in frustration or anger or disappointment. He instead was moved to compassion because they needed help. Jesus saw and had compassion. (Does my awareness lead to compassion?)

-Jesus healed them and met their needs. Again, Jesus was justified in dismissing everyone and spending a season of mourning over his lost friend. However, a night of prayer was enough. He then got back to work. The intimacy with the Father led to impact in the lives of others. (Does my compassion lead to caring for people?)

Prayer:

Father I want to be like Jesus. I want to run to you in my times of pain and sorrow. I want to experience your power and comfort. But I also want to see what I receive in intimacy impact the lives of other people. I want to see people be moved with compassion and care for their needs. Forgive me for enjoying isolation a little too much. May I know that the rest and comfort I find in isolation with you has a purpose… impacting others. Let me see and help others today. May my intimacy this morning impact others!

Scripture:  

Then the disciples came and said to Him: “Why do you speak to them in parables?”

And He answered them: “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven but to them it has not been given…this is why I speak to them in parables because seeing, they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.  Indeed in their case the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says:

“You will indeed hear but never understand and you will indeed see but never perceive.  For this people’s heart has grown dull and with their ears they can barely hear; their eyes they have closed lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart, and turn, and I would heal them.”” Excerpt from Matt 13:10-15 and referencing Is 6:10

Observation:  

This section is subtitled: The Purpose of the Parables.  The puzzling thing is that Jesus teaches in parables on purpose-why doesn’t He teach plainly instead of these head-scratchers?

Application:   

Here are the disciples: “Uhh, Master?  Could we have a moment?” “Sure-go ahead.”  “You know that there aren’t many that understand Your stories, right?  We’re hanging with You and sometimes we don’t get them either until later…Not complaining (much anyway) but why do you teach this way?” “Glad you asked, listen up…”

It makes me wonder why Jesus intentionally can be obscure.  Actually, according to Isaiah, this obscurity is inherent in Man-my dullness of heart is directly related to me not being able to see, to hear, and to understand.

It is this principle that I can encounter every day.  I can speak of the Kingdom of Heaven, I can present the Gospel point by point, I can present the points of the Gospel that convicted me and, I can get blank stares to open hostility.  Why?  It is because only the Holy Spirit can open a heart to understand the Mystery of the Gospel.

If there is one thing I can identify that is discouraging it is the lack of positive response or achievement to a goal when I put an effort in to do a thing.  I want to see some feedback, positive feedback preferably.  When I was in sales if I made a presentation I wanted to see it close in my favor-“Make the close, seal the deal.”  It isn’t like that concerning parables.

I have to be comfortable with Mystery.  I have to be comfortable with patience.  I have to be comfortable taking the long view.  I have to be comfortable that Jesus has the responsibility for results-I have the responsibility only for presentation to others and personal execution in my own life (the guy in the mirror).

Prayer:  

So, Lord God, speaking as a guy who frequently flirts with being deaf, dumb, and blind, please open my heart and all of my senses to understanding.  The Psalmist says: “Make me understand the way of your precepts…”(Ps 119:27a) If the Psalmist is asking for this, I couldn’t do any better than piggy backing on his prayer.  Hear my cry for understanding, O God. AMEN.

Scripture:

 

Matthew 12:34 – 37    You brood of vipers!  How can you speak good, when you are evil?  For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil.  I tell you, on the day of judgement people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned. 

Observation:

 

Jesus is speaking to the Pharisees, after they say that Jesus’ ability to cast out demons comes from demons.  The Pharisees’ speech as with everyone reveals the true condition of one’s heart. The Pharisees had evil hearts and therefore, spoke evil directed at Jesus.  Jesus tells us that we will be judged for every word we speak to be either justified or condemned.

 

Application:

 

Jesus words lead us to throw out the old playground saying, “sticks and stones may break my bones but words never hurt me.”  More importantly, my words are a spiritual reflection of the true condition of my heart. I can’t be a “good person” and have evil speech towards others or that would be out of line with the scriptures. There are many polarizing things that we are presented with in our world daily.  If I lead with evil from my tongue, I better quick check myself as there is malice in my heart.  My speech, while loving and true, should give grace and encouragement that we received in the gospel.   My speech along with everyone’s is important as Jesus tells us there are eternal consequences on the day of Judgement.

 

Prayer:

 

Father,

Thank you for your love, grace and mercy.  May your Spirit fill my heart and my words be a reflection that is good and honoring to you.  Let me repent of any evil speech in my life.  

Scripture:

Matthew 11:28-30

28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

 

Observation:

Jesus discusses John the Baptist, pronounces judgment on unrepentant cities and thanks the Father for giving Him authority to reveal Him to people. Then He calls out to others, come to me. I will give you rest. This seems out of place, however if you look closely, Jesus is providing a safe place in an environment of turmoil. 

 

Application:

No one wants bad news. No one wants to discuss judgment. No one wants to discuss commitments made to God that are later broken. No one wants to discuss the theology of Jesus choosing who to reveal the Father to and who not to. Yet each of these topics are discussed in this chapter by Jesus. However, He doesn’t leave the listener or the reader there. He provides a better way, a way out of the mistakes, turmoil and coming judgement… Come to me.

A few things…

-God judges unrepentant sinners. There is no getting around this or ignoring it. It is not healthy to act like this is not true. This must motivate us to tell the world about Jesus. Jesus calls cities, entire cities out by name. In today’s world our cities could be inserted for the ancient ones. (I must not forget that unrepentant sinners are judged.)

-Jesus chooses who the Father is revealed to. (vs. 25-27) I only have a problem with this if I don’t trust Jesus. From a theological standpoint, do I feel more comfortable with people’s vision and reception of God being shaped by them or by God. Do I trust the mysteries of heaven to be revealed to man by God Himself or by our ability to understand on our own. The truth is mankind, including me, has a hard enough time understanding physical realities that are tangible and right in front of us. How much more difficult to grasp spiritual realities on our own. (We need Jesus to see the Father)

-Jesus both points out the problem and provides the solution. Sometimes I get uncomfortable with the hard truths of Jesus. Judgment, shaking dust off of feet, cutting down the tree, throwing it in the fire, etc. are all hard to hear. But Jesus’ truth is necessary. I need to know the severity of the problem in order to fully embrace the solution. I need to understand the reality of the danger in order to fully embrace the rescue. Jesus offers a way out of the trouble. “Come to me and I will give you rest.” He doesn’t simply spit truth and walk away. He provides a way out through grace. He offers a close relationship in which we can learn from Him, trade in our burdens for His light yoke and draw near to His gentle heart. The mystery of heaven is the great grace and truth of God. He is both my judge and my defense. My warning and my rescue. He is truth and grace fully at the same time. I need both truth and grace. The world needs both truth and grace. (As I follow Him I must embrace both and share both with the world.) 

 

Prayer:

I find rest for my soul in you today. I trade in the burdens of my life today and take on your light yoke. I want to learn from you today. Thank you for your gentleness with me Lord.