like a child

27 January, 2009 at 8:38 pm (Jesus)
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Genesis 25, 26 and Matthew 18:1-20

Genesis is so boring to me! These stories are so difficult at times. I see value in them, of course. But it just all seems to me like the same stupid people doing the same stupid things! We pick it up in chapter 25.

It starts out by explaining that Abraham lived forty years more after Sarah’s death, having another wife and several more children, but giving everything to Isaac. Isaac has two sons: Esau and Jacob. They are twins, but very, very different. Esau is outdoors. He’s a man’s man, and has two Hittite wives (You know what those Canaanite women are like, don’t you?). Jacob on the other hand, is more of an indoor, in-book kind of guy. He tricks Esau into giving up his birthright for a bowl of soup when hungry. Chapter 26 tells us that the apple has not fallen far from the tree, for Isaac. He goes into another land and tells the king that Rebekah is his sister so he wouldn’t be killed. Instead of being her protector, he risks her life and the sins of other men to save his own skin. I wonder if he got the idea from his dad?

Returning to the New Testament, in Matthew 18, Jeus says some really cool stuff. The disciples ask him who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. I wondered what they meant. Maybe one or two were considering themselves the greatest disciple or something. Jesus’ response, and solution to the stupid argument, is really cool.

[Jesus] said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”
Matt. 18:3-4

He aslo adds that anyone who causes a little one to sin will suffere severely for it. The next section is interesting. Jesus just continues to talk about temptation, as if he was already. I didn’t see that though. Did I miss it? He says that temptation is necessary, but it still sucks. It’s so true! Then Jesus picks back up about children. They are so precious to him. :D I think he’s just lecturing now. In verse 15, he begins to explain how to settle conflicts. And the verses that were powerful to me were 19-20:

Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.

Its good to know that Jesus shows up whenever I meet with even just one other believer.

Lord, thank you so much for today. Thank you for being patient when I am not, for being gentle when I am not, and for being God, when I am not. Help me to embrace humility, and come to you as a child. Thank you for your Word and your teaching. I love you, Jesus.

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faithful comforter

26 January, 2009 at 3:17 pm (Jesus)
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Genesis 23, 24 and Matthew 17

Old Testament. Genesis. These never really have been that interesting to me. I like the prophets because they’re B.A. and its all about Jesus, but before we knew his name. Abraham just annoys me a lot. I think its because we are so similar. :D

But we’re leaving Abraham behind, and moving onto his sons. Genesis 23 is just showing that Abraham is ending his days honestly and just wants to bury his wife, Sarah.  Then, in the next chapter, we see that he was concerned about his son, Isaac. Abraham wants Isaac to have a good wife, a Jew, from his hometown. So he sends his head servant to go there and get her. The servant is given specific instructions, and does his best, but somewhere along the way there, he got confused. He might have embellished or just got messed up, I don’t know. But compare verses 4-8 to verses 40-41. He was close, and it worked out, but some lies were told there. It just made me laugh. The point of this story, though, is in the last verse. Isaac loved Rebekah, and he “was comforted after his mother’s death.”

New Testament. Matthew. This is one of my favorite sotries, because there isn’t much description. I love to dream about what it must have been like to stand there with Jesus, Moses, and Elijah. Crazy stuff. I noticed in verse 13 that Jesus didn’t have to explain himself, but the disciples understood what he meant. Is it possible that they are catching on? The group encounters, then, a crowd. This woman, whose son is demon-possessed, first goes to the disciples, but they can’t cast the demon out. So she asks Jesus. He seemed kind of pissed about this. The attitude here was so interesting. It reminded me of, after I got my car stuck in a muddy field because I wanted to drive in the field, and I asked my dad for help retrieving it, and he said yes, but with this tone that said to me, “When will you just be able to take care of yourself? What will you do when I won’t be there to bail you out?” And I never drove into a muddy field with my Oldsmobile ever again. The End. So Jesus pulls the demon right out of the kid, after rebuking his disciples’ lack of faith. The answer is no. They still don’t get it.  But Jesus does offer them some encouragement in verse 20: “If you have faith like a grain of mustard seed … nothing will be impossible for you.” That’s cool.

Jesus foretells his death and resurrection again in verses 22-24. It says the disciples were distressed.

The last part is about taxes. Funny, because I was thinking about my taxes today. Jesus tells Peter that we, as God’s children, are sons of the King and therefore do not have to pay the tax. But we don’t want to offend anyone, so we’ll do it anyway. And, I think this is the point of the story, Jesus shows them that, since they can’t pay taxes, God provides.

Lord, thank you for your blessings. Help me to be faithful to you, and to trust in you wholeheartedly. I kow that you are the Comforter, and thank you for giving me someone I can comfort and be comforted by. Thank you for your Word and your teaching. I love you, Jesus.

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selfishness hinders

25 January, 2009 at 2:38 pm (Jesus)
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Job 41, 42 and Matthew 16

Big passage today. Lots to cover. As usual, I’ll start in the Old Testament. Job 41 and 42 are different from each other. Job 41 is God talking about the leviathan. This creature exemplifies God’s power unlike any other. Verses 3-4 and 10-11 were the most powerful to me. God asks Job in verse 10, “Who then is he who can stand before me?” I love that. God is scary! “Whatever is under the whole heaven is mine. Chapter 42 was Job’s response, and God’s consequent reactions to his response. Job reduced himself and asked God’s forgiveness (v6), and God blessed him for it (v17).

Matthew 16 seems to really be answering lots of my questions. For one, why did Matthew record two accounts of Jesus feeding the masses? The two stories were so similar, and seemed so very redundant. Verse 10 gave me some insight. But I’m getting ahead of myself. The chapter opens with Jesus being pressed by the Pharisees and Sadducees [sad-you-see] for some signs to prove his claims. Jesus shuts them right down in verse 4.

An evil and adultrous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given it except the sign of Jonah.

What is the sign of Jonah? I don’t know. But I thought of my generation, how we are always saying “Prove it.” And the biggest issue is that we don’t know anything is wrong.

In 5-12, Jesus uses some figurative language with the disciples, and they totally miss it. But the point was his warning of the Pharisees’ teachings. This was the section that needs the account of the four thousand in chapter 15. Jesus asks them specifically about these two events, saying basically, What do I have to do to show you?!

Verses 13-20 are labeled “Peter Confesses Jesus as the Christ.” This is an honest title, but it seemed to be so much more to me. I loved verse 15. “But who do you say that I am?” It’s always a personal choice, this life. We can’t even go by the fact that it is true. You’ve still got to believe, just as Peter does (eventually). And Jesus blesses Peter’s confession. Big time. Just read the book of Acts. Peter is hard-core (but, of course, flawed). I was kind of confused why Jesus told them not to tell anyone that he was the Christ. It’s not confusing, really, just interesting.

The last part of Matthew 16 is broken into two sections, but I felt like they should be kept together. It is one scene, where Jesus foretells his death and ressurrection, and Peter gets kind of upset about it. He told Jesus he wouldn’t let it happen. Jesus rebukes him, even calls him Satan. Peter was only thinking selfishly and not “on the things of God.” Right after that, Jesus turns to the others, as I see it, and explains to the group that we must die to our own desires and think only what is good in the eyes of God. This message to them seems a response to Peter’s selfishness. Verse 28 seemed odd, again. After praying about it, I think it has something to do with quality of life for evil people. I’ve heard people say, “Why do bad people live so comfortably and have so much when good people are getting screwed over?” And this just says to me, that Jesus will serve them what they’ve earned at the end of our days. Another bit on selfishness.

Lord, thank you so much for just being you. I am so grateful for all that you are. Please stay with me and help me to not think so selfishly. Let my desires die and let me live only for you. Thank you for your Word and your teaching. I love you, Jesus.

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