Matthew 25-26 March 30, 2009
Posted by Sparky in Gospels, Matthew.Tags: faith, Gospels, Jesus, Judas, losing faith, Matthew
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Scripture:
Matt 25:20-25
When evening came, Jesus was reclining at the table with the Twelve. And while they were eating, he said, “I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me.”
They were very sad and began to say to him one after the other, “Surely not I, Lord?”
Jesus replied, “The one who has dipped his hand into the bowl with me will betray me. The Son of Man will go just as it is written about him. But woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man! It would be better for him if he had not been born.”
Then Judas, the one who would betray him, said, “Surely not I, Rabbi?”
Jesus answered, “Yes, it is you.”
Observation
What was going through Judas’ mind in these days and hours? This is what I kept asking myself while reading this chapter, and this passage in particular. Before this, Judas had gone to the chief priests, just after the disciples get all angry over the waste of perfume that Jesus refers to as a beautiful thing. It’s interesting to see those two events side-by-side, as if the one had led to the other in some capacity. Was Judas becoming convinced that he had ended up following a madman? Secondly, it is interesting to note the change of language used by Judas in the passage quoted above. He refers to Jesus as ‘Rabbi’, whereas the others call him ‘Lord’. So can we derive from this that Judas respected Jesus as a teacher, but was no longer sure that he was the Messiah (if he ever had been sure of that), and so his claims of being God’s Son were blasphemous and he needed to be got rid of. It’s possible.
Application
So Judas lost faith in Jesus. Not an uncommon part of Christian life, whether we like it or not. And if our faith wanes, or we lose it completely, we have choices to make, just as Judas did. Do we carry on pretending to keep people happy, but feel an inauthentic fraud, as maybe Judas had done for some time? Do we just get out, probably hurting others along the way but not perpetuating a lie. Or do we hold on, trusting that God will reveal himself at some point in the future, and trusting that the experience of our past and the history of others is a true representation of God’s faithfulness. This, for me, is true faith – holding on and trusting when it seems like madness to do so, when all the evidence is against you, still believing that God is good and real and active and loving.
Prayer
God, you know how personal what’s in this post has become. Please do something. I love you and I trust you!
Matthew 11-12 February 9, 2009
Posted by Sparky in Gospels, Matthew.Tags: forceful men, Gospels, Kingdom of God, Matthew
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Scripture:
Matt 11:12 – From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it.
Observation:
The first thing that I thought when trying to pick a verse for this entry was, “Wow! The words of Jesus in these chapters are full of gold, and so powerful – what do I pick?” Anyway, this verse has lots of different interpretations when you look in different versions, some of which involve the Kingdom of God being attacked by the violent men. I have always taken the ‘forceful men’ to mean men of the kingdom, people who understand what the Kingdom is, going after what they can see because they want to see the Kingdom advance, or they want more of it on the earth. Maybe I shall have to do some more digging around to find out what the Greek might be getting at.
Application:
I’m not convinced there is much in the way of forcefulness in me, in the way that I think Jesus means it here. I can’t claim to be regularly thinking about how to advance the Kingdom of Heaven where I am, though I do want to see it take more ground, obviously, and am delighted when I hear about people becoming Christians or being healed or delivered. I think it’s probably a valid question to ask oneself every now and again, “Is what I’m doing for the Kingdom of God helping it to advance forcefully? Or am I just rolling long with it? Or, even worse, am I hindering its work?”
Prayer:
Holy Spirit, please show me where I can be more forceful / violent / daring / opportunistic in bringing the Kingdom of God to those around me. Never let me be someone who just goes along for the ride.
Matthew 3-4 January 12, 2009
Posted by Sparky in Gospels, Matthew.Tags: action, disciples, Gospels, Jesus, Matthew, sacrifice
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Scripture
Matthew 4:18-22
As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. ”Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.” At once they left their nets and followed him.
Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.
Observation
This will not be a major revelation for anyone who has read these passages before, but this is what struck me tonight. Peter and Andrew left their livelihood and their trade behind, trusting their lives in an instant to this stranger. James and John did the same, and also left their family behind. What was it about Jesus that made these 4 men do this? Had they heard his preaching perhaps, and knew him to be powerful? Had they witnessed healings or exorcisms? Was it simply something he had, some kind of spiritual magnetism through the Holy Spirit that caused them to drop everything? We don’t know, but they did, and we can be grateful! We might not be here now, believing, had the right people throughout history not made the choice to follow Jesus.
Application
But actually, it wasn’t that stuff that I was thinking about when I read it – it was cost. These four men mentioned here by Matthew gave up a lot to go with Jesus and live with him for 3 years, trusting him and God for their next meal or place to stay. And they didn’t have a financial change to deal with, but an emotional one too – James and John left their father in the boat to go with Jesus. Being a disciple involves a lot more than responding to Jesus, saying yes to him. It also demands that we get up and go, do something, be active – and that we give stuff up for him. If Jesus has had this spiritual magnetism effect on us in the past, we need to not forget that, and keep giving up the things that are precious to us, because none of them compare with following him. These disciples understood this in an instant – can we?
Prayer
Jesus, thank you for calling me so many years ago, and thank you for allowing me to walk with you, and for walking with me. Please teach me to be a true disciple, to be willing to be active for you and to give up the things that are or become precious to me – I want to understand your true value, Lord.
Matthew 1-2 January 5, 2009
Posted by Sparky in Gospels, Matthew.Tags: Gospels, Jesus, Joseph, Matthew, nativity, real people
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Scripture
Matthew 1:24-25
When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.
Observation
I think Joseph gets fairly short shrift in our thinking about the nativity story, and this is probably a historical legacy that has been passed down, but in Matthew’s account of Jesus’ birth, he is the most prominent character. Somehow it seems to be forgotten that in the course of these two chapters, he gets four angelic visitations (in dreams), and is perceptive enough to realise that he shouldn’t pass this off as too much cheese before bed. And I just love this verse, for the revelation that it brings that Matthew ACTUALLY spoke to the real Joseph (or someone very close to him) while researching his version of the gospel. It’s obvious, really – how else would he know that Mary & Joseph didn’t have sex until after Jesus was born?
Application
I don’t know what to apply from this to my life today really – Joseph’s obedience to God? Perfectly good, but that’s not what struck me about the verse. It’s the fact that people in the Bible were real people, with lives and emotions not so different from mine. They lived through world-changing events sometimes, and were witnesses to dramatic moves of God, but they still had to eat, sleep, work, go to the loo and make decisions every day. God’s always had relationships with REAL people who make good choices, and who mess up, and that is still what he wants. Praise Him!
Prayer
Thank you Lord for giving us 66 books about you which also feature real humans, who do great things and who make stupid mistakes. I praise you because I don’t need to be ridiculously holy to be used by you – just able to respond when you want to use me, and willing to serve you. Amen.
