Matthew 8 - Stormy seas

24 Suddenly a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. 25 The disciples went and woke him, saying, "Lord, save us! We're going to drown!" 26 He replied, "You of little faith, why are you so afraid?" Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm.

It must have felt really odd to the disciples that Jesus was able to catch some sleep in the middle of such a ferocious storm. I would definitely be sitting down somewhere holding on for dear life. These verses give great insight into the human side of Jesus as it shows us that He needed to take time to rest after a busy schedule.

It is also a beautiful picture of Jesus almighty power. How awesome would it have been to be a fly on the wall on that one, just one word and the seas calmed completely.

Matthew 8 - More miracles

14 When Jesus came into Peter's house, he saw Peter's mother-in-law lying in bed with a fever. 15 He touched her hand and the fever left her, and she got up and began to wait on him. 16 When evening came, many who were demon-possessed were brought to him, and he drove out the spirits with a word and healed all the sick. 17 This was to fulfil what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah: "He took up our infirmities and bore our diseases." 18 When Jesus saw the crowd around him, he gave orders to cross to the other side of the lake. 19 Then a teacher of the law came to him and said, "Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go." 20 Jesus replied, "Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head." 21 Another disciple said to him, "Lord, first let me go and bury my father." 22 But Jesus told him, "Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead." 23 Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him.

Firstly - Peter was a married man. Its not very often you think about a disciple and their family unit, but this image of Jesus coming into Peters house and healing his wife's mother gives a little insight into the family life of one of the first apostles.

Some scholars would say that all the apostles were married apart from John and Paul. Marriage is one of the first divine institutions and moreover a positive command from God.

I praise God for my wife....wives are good.

Matthew 8 - The Centurion with great faith

5 When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help. 6 "Lord," he said, "my servant lies at home paralysed, suffering terribly." 7 Jesus said to him, "Shall I come and heal him?" 8 The centurion replied, "Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. 9 For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, 'Go,' and he goes; and that one, 'Come,' and he comes. I say to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it." 10 When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him, "Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith. 11 I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. 12 But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." 13 Then Jesus said to the centurion, "Go! Let it be done just as you believed it would." And his servant was healed at that moment.

There is much that can be taken from this passage, Jewish customs for entering Gentile houses, the chain of command with Master and servant, the centurion's character...so much, but I read something great from Spurgeon on one verse in particular that really excited me.

He looks at verse 11 and gives us a wonderful picture of heaven amidst the thought of sitting at a feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob -

'But ye shall hear those loved voices again; ye shall hear those sweet voices once more, ye shall yet know that those whom ye loved have been loved by God. Would not that be a dreary heaven for us to inhabit, where we should be alike unknowing and unknown? I would not care to go to such a heaven as that. I believe that heaven is a fellowship of the saints, and that we shall know one another there.' (Spurgeon)

That sheds a lot of light on the glorious riches that are still to come.

Matthew 8 - A not so modern leper

When Jesus came down from the mountainside, large crowds followed him. A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.”

Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” Immediately he was cleansed of his leprosy. Then Jesus said to him, “See that you don’t tell anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.”

Really interesting to note that when you compare the events here in Matthew with Mark and Luke's accounts there is a different order and chronology. I can imagine lots of people starting to raise eyebrows, muttering discontent about inaccuracy and grounds for contradiction within the bible. Not really. When you dig a little deeper it seems that Matthew arranged his material according to topics and themes, not according to chronology. D. A. Carson writes that “Matthew does not purport (maintain) to follow anything other than a topical arrangement, and most of his ‘time’ indicators are very loose.” It’s hardly a case for claiming wrongness; He just had a different writing style.

Leprosy was and continues to be a terrible and destructive disease. Jewish laws and customs would state you had to keep your distance and some would say if the wind was blowing in your direction from a leper you had to stand almost 50 metres away. Many would have placed lepers in the same category as those that were already dead. It’s interesting then, understanding the severity of this man’s illness, that he came ‘worshipping’ Jesus. He wanted to be healed and cleansed but he also wanted to worship. I know sometimes if I have a cold I don’t feel like worshipping never mind a destructive disease, I can learn a lot from this mans attitude.

“Those who call Jesus ‘Lord,’ and do not worship him, are more diseased than the leper was.” – Spurgeon

Jesus healed the leper, what was interesting was that the leper doesn’t have any questions on Jesus ability to heal. He seems to take it for granted that Jesus would have no problem cleansing him from his disease, he just asks if Jesus is willing to heal him. Having faith is much more endearing than having doubt.

John Wesley

Matthew 7 - towards the end

13 "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. 15 "Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. 16 By their fruit you will recognise them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus, by their fruit you will recognise them. 21 "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?' 23 Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!' 24 "Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. 26 But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash." 28 When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, 29 because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.

So there is a right way and a wrong way, verse 13 & 14 describe these alternate routes as the broad and narrow roads. It seems pretty simple, choose the narrow road for it leads to life, things are surely never that simple though. It's difficult and that must be why Jesus tells us that there are few who actually find it.

I don't feel like I want to pray that God helps me to find the more difficult path to walk along, but that seems to be what I should be doing. Its difficult to comprehend with our own human reasoning how this could bring any proper joy and happiness, but through the grace and love of God it will. I pray God will help me to understand that.

Verses 15-20 - 'It is not merely the wicked, the bearer of poison berries, that will be cut down; but the neutral, the man who bears no fruit of positive virtue must also be cast into the fire.' (Spurgeon)

Verse 21, its such a massive verse, the difference between your lips and your lifestyle. I pray that God will help me to honour him in every aspect of my life.

There is so much more in these verses than I can do justice. I pray you can write them on your heart and truly understand them.

Matthew 7. Still judging and the bit about the dogs.

6 "Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces. 7 "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. 9 "Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! 12 So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.

The dogs and pigs verse has to be about discernment, we can't judge anyone but we should still discern that there are things that are precious that should not be thrown to people who might treat those precious things with contempt. Its quite a bit more serious than giving a die hard Liverpool fan your Man Utd shirt but its along those lines. I have never really thought about that before.

I think today I will pray to be more discerning, in every aspect but especially with respect to the pearls of the kingdom.

Some would say that Godly correction is a pearl and it shouldn't be thrown at those who aren't going to receive it. Interesting. The problem comes with discerning who those people are - in the end that will most likely not be up to us.

Matthew 7. Judging Others

1 "Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2 For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. 3 "Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 4 How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.

These aren't my thoughts, but I read this earlier which really got me thinking about verse 1.....

Among those who seem to know nothing of the Bible, this is the verse that seems to be most popular. Yet most the people who quote this verse don't understand what Jesus said. They seem to think (or hope) that Jesus commanded a universal acceptance of any lifestyle or teaching.

 

Just a little later in this same chapter (Matthew 7:15-16), Jesus commanded us to know ourselves and others by the fruit of their life, and some sort of assessment is necessary for that. The Christian is called to show unconditional love. But the Christian is not called to unconditional approval. We really can love people who do things that should not be approved of.

 

So while this does not prohibit examining the lives of others, it certainly prohibits doing in the spirit what is often done. An example of unjust judgment was the disciples condemnation of the woman who came to anoint the feet of Jesus with oil (Matthew 26:6-13). They thought she was wasting something; Jesus said she had done a good work that would always be remembered. They had a rash, harsh, unjust judgment.

 

- We break this command when we think the worst of others.

- We break this command when we only speak to others of their faults.

- We break this command when we judge an entire life only by its worst moments.

- We break this command when we judge the hidden motives of others.

- We break this command when we judge others without considering ourselves in their same circumstances.

- We break this command when we judge others without being mindful that we ourselves will be judged.

Background beats.....

Ok so i love a bit of music on in the background when i am trying to do something productive, or sometimes just to have a little wordless excellence hovering around you as you try to chill out. Here are my top 10 at the moment.....

• Yann Tiersen - Comptine d'un autre été: L'après-midi
• Penguin Cafe Orchestra - Perpetuum mobile
• Michael Nyman - Dreams of a journey
• Thomas Newman - Any other name
• Bonobo - Eyesdown
• Rodrigo y Gabriella - Ixtapa
• Olafur Arnalds - ljosia
• Amina - Rugla
• James Yuill - Wild goose at night
• Explosions in the sky (how predictable, couldnt be left out though) - Your hand in mine

Awesome stuff.

Friday - Matthew 6:16-34

Mmm, just before noon, just.

Fasting

¹⁶ “When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. ¹⁷ But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, ¹⁸ so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

Treasures in Heaven

¹⁹ “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. ²⁰ But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. ²¹ For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

²² “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. ²³ But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!

²⁴ “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.

Do Not Worry

²⁵ “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? ²⁶ Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? ²⁷ Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?

²⁸ “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. ²⁹ Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. ³⁰ If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? ³¹ So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ³² For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. ³³ But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. ³⁴ Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Digging deeper - an action plan

So, I want to dig deeper into my bible. Here is my action plan - each morning I am going to post a passage onto the blog and read it, I’ll try to use the five steps I outlined last month to understand the passage a little better, if anyone wants to join me in this regularly (every day would be sweet) please do and leave your comments regarding what God is saying to you through it. Hopefully we can encourage each other in some spiritual productivity. If I don’t manage to post the passage before noon you can assume I haven’t read it, so you can keep me accountable, I think this could be useful for me.

Here are the five steps:

• What words or sentences stand out to me as I read?
• What does this passage say to me about the character of God?
• What is God trying to say to me?
• How do I act in response to what God is saying to me?
• How will what God has said impact or change me?

‘I am ready, I am ready, I am ready, I am.’

Matthew 6

¹ “Be careful not to do your ‘acts of righteousness’ in front of others, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. ² “So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honoured by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. ³ But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, ⁴ so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

Prayer

⁵ “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. ⁶ But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. ⁷ And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. ⁸ Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

⁹ “This, then, is how you should pray:

“‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
¹⁰ your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
¹¹ Give us today our daily bread.
¹² And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
¹³ And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.’

¹⁴ For if you forgive others when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. ¹⁵ But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.