Matthew 8

The second individual that Jesus interacts with after coming down from the mount upon the completion of His sermon is a centurion.   This man appeals to Jesus on behalf of his servant who is paralyzed and suffering.  Jesus offers to come and heal the man, but the centurion reveals his understanding of the authority that Jesus has over everything.  Jesus commends the man's faith and heals the servant from where He is in Capernaum.

Jesus uses this situation to teach about the Kingdom of heaven.  "... many shall come from the east and west, and recline at the table with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob... "  This Roman centurion, a Gentile, acted in faith, more that "anyone in Israel",  Jesus said.   It is faith that brings us to the Kingdom's table.  ".. But the sons of the kingdom shall be cast out into the outer darkness; in that place there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth." ( v11-12)  It is a lack of faith that casts men out, that excludes them from the Kingdom of heaven.

The centurion had faith to:
come to Jesus
plead with Jesus
intercede for his servant
acknowledge Jesus' authority
obey Jesus' direction to go his way and find his servant healed.

I find myself thinking about my faith.
Do I seek out and come to Jesus with my needs?  Or do I try to find a solution on my own?
Do I plead with Jesus in prayer?  Or do I complain and worry?
Do I  intercede for others?  Or do I ignore or placate them?
Do I really know and believe in the authority of Jesus?
Do I obey His word and walk in His ways?

I like to think that I do those things... but I fall short... way too often.

Father in heaven , You are holy and patient and forgiving.  How many times You must wonder at my little faith! Forgive me Lord!  I do not want to fall short of Your desire for me to be diligent to add to my faith, to grow in faith and in the knowledge of the Savior, Who has been given all authority in heaven and on the earth.  Faith is Your gift to us, Lord.  Thank You for that.  Do in me what You desire that I might live out that great gift until the day that I recline at the table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  I ask this in the Name, the authority of Jesus Christ the Lord. Amen.

Matthew 8  Jesus finishes teaching and comes down from where He was sitting and encounters a multitude of people, yet, He interacts individually with three of them specifically.

The first encounter is with a leper.  This man recognizes the power of Christ to heal him, but appeals to His willingness to do so.  " Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean."  Jesus responds with a touch and a decision, " I am willing;...."  Both the leper and Jesus speak of cleansing instead of healing... " his leprosy was cleansed".  In the Bible, any open or raw wound on the skin might be considered leprosy.  We know it is an actual disease, but until tested, they would not know if it was contagious or not. So, the law required the priest to make the determination of whether or not the person was clean or unclean.  To be unclean would mean that the individual would be contagious, and need to be isolated from others.  Those that came into contact with someone who carried the disease would also be kept isolated so as to not infect anyone else.  The priests were especially vulnerable to the contagions since they had to examine the sores.  Jesus not only healed the man's wounds but freed him from isolation, scorn, fear, and the disgust of others.   Jesus sent the man to the priest so that he would be " a testimony".

Leprosy has been compared with sin. Leprosy starts with a small spot on the skin, it grows, it festers, and it spreads. It is a horrible disease.  Sin starts with a small act of disobedience to God's word - a lie, a theft, a prideful attitude, etc. But, it grows, it festers, and it spreads.. Like leprosy, sin is contagious.  Our acts of rebellion influence those around us.  Like calls to like and before long there is a community of lepers or sinners.

The good news that Jesus brings to us is that He is willing to cleanse us!  He is not afraid to touch us or to come into contact with our sins... in fact, He takes them upon Himself willingly.  Thank You Lord Jesus!  May our cleansed lives be a testimony to others as we walk through this journey of life.

Father in heaven,  Your Word to me today fills my heart with thankfulness.  You are willing!  You will cleanse us from all unrighteousness as we confess our sins to You.   We have to acknowledge that we have an infection.. a serious disease of the soul, for that is what sin really is. We praise You for giving Your Son to be our healer and to take all our "infirmities and to carry away all our diseases." and to pardon all our iniquities. Remove every spot today O Lord that we might have clean hands and pure hearts to worship You.
Amen.

Matthew 5-7  This one sermon, recorded here by Matthew, gives us the core of Jesus's preaching and teaching as He ministered to Israel. I've heard numerous sermons and attended Bible studies that dig deeply into these words of wisdom and truth. I've written about them before in the past.  Today, I am asking the Lord for a new Word from Him through this passage.

My thoughts go back to a book that I am re-reading... A Shepherd looks at Psalm 23.  On the phrase "surely goodness and mercy shall follow me" the author says this:

 " Just as God's goodness and mercy flow to me all the days of my life, so goodness and mercy should follow me, should be left behind me as a legacy to others wherever I go."  He asks these questions:

" Do I leave a blessing and benediction behind me?"
"Do I leave behind peace in lives -or turmoil?"
"Do I leave behind forgiveness - or bitterness?"
"Do I leave behind contentment - or conflict?"
"Do I leave behind flowers of joy - or frustration ?"
" Do I leave behind love - or rancor?"

"For the true child of God, the one under the Shepherd's care, there should never be any sense of shame or fear in going back to where they have lived or been before. Why? Because there they have left a legacy of uplift, encouragement, and inspiration to others. "

And, " The only real, practical measure of my appreciation for the goodness and mercy of God to me is the extent to which I am , in turn, prepared to show goodness and mercy to others. " 
This... the writer says ... satisfies our Shepherd.  He has cared for His sheep with love and tenderness, with goodness and mercy.. and is satisfied when He sees us flourish under His loving care.  He is blessed to see the fruit of goodness and mercy flowing from our lives. 

This is the message of Jesus' s sermon.
"Blessed" - fully satisfied.  "Blessedness is that basic condition created by Christ's indwelling in man's heart which brings a fundamental satisfaction in the life of a believer." ( from my study Bible).

We are blessed as we receive goodness and mercy from our Good Shepherd.
In our spiritual poverty, He gives us His Kingdom.
In our mourning, He gives us comfort.
In our humility,  He gives us an inheritance.
In our hunger and thirst for righteousness , He gives us satisfaction.
As we become merciful, He gives us mercy.
As we become pure in heart, He gives us eyes to see Himself.
As we become peacemakers, He takes us into His family.
As we are persecuted for His sake, He gives us a seat in the Kingdom.
As we are slandered or cursed or falsely accused... He gives us hope and joy!

All that He gives us... will fully satisfy us!
And, as we are satisfied with Him... filled by His goodness and mercy... we in turn begin to produce "good fruit".  We are salt that has not lost its flavor, we are light that is not hidden.
Christ Himself shines through... it is His legacy that we leave behind... one full of goodness and mercy.

Father in heaven,  Hallowed is Your name.
May Your Kingdom come!
May Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give to us today our daily bread.. You know what we need.
Forgive us for the debts we owe You and can never repay.
We let go of all that is owed us by others. We forgive those who have sinned against us.
Do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from all evil.
We praise You, the Sovereign King, the Omnipotent Ruler, the Majestic and Eternal God,
Amen.

Matthew 4

The next 40 days and nights for Jesus were days of fasting.  The Old Testament gives us 2 other men who had spent 40 days without food or water:  Moses "was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights...and he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the Ten Commandments." ( Ex. 34:28); and Elijah "arose in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb, the mountain of God." ( 1 Kings 19:8)  Here, he went into the cave and had an encounter with God in the gentle wind.

Jesus' priority was His time with His Father.  In preparation for the coming test and the ministry ahead, 40 days of complete surrender and reliance on the One Who sits on the throne was essential.
When hunger began to strike, Satan was ready to use it.

Jesus overcame the temptation to turn stones into bread by acknowledging the Word of God which is more vital than food.
Jesus overcame the temptation to prove  Himself by refusing to test the One Who is in control.
Jesus overcame the temptation to receive the kingdoms of the world from the hand of Satan in exchange for worshiping him.. by casting him out and proclaiming His devotion to the Lord alone.

Truths that we can stand on are found here:
God's Word is more essential than any physical need.
God Himself is totally in control of our lives, our futures, and our everything - we can rest in that without trying to make Him prove it!
Only God is worthy of our worship. Anything less... even great power, authority, or honor - is from Satan.

Verses 12-25 give us significant facts:
John was imprisoned.
Jesus moved from Nazareth to Capernaum.
He began to preach the good news that "the kingdom of  heaven is at hand"
He chose his first disciples.
Many multitudes began to follow Him as He preached and miraculously healed all that were brought to Him.

We are told that there was great darkness in the land... "those who were sitting in the land and shadow of death" ( v16) until Jesus came - "a Great Light".  Sometimes we become overwhelmed with the troubles of our world, mass killings, evil threats, or inane politics;  sometimes we become overwhelmed with the troubles a lot closer to home - financial, emotional, or physical trials. Sometimes darkness itself is a struggle - there is a reason that so many people are depressed and suicidal in our land today.  Our culture has tried to snuff out the Light of the World.  But, it cannot overcome!!  Praise the Lord!!

Dear Jesus, may we once again see  "a Light dawn" .  Fill us with Your glorious power, O Spirit of God!  Make us fishers of men and women, proclaiming the good news of the Kingdom.  Father of all glory and might - we want to encounter You, even as Elijah and Moses did at Sinai.  May we know the glory of Your Presence with us now.  May the radiance of Your presence shine in us and through us.   In the Name of Jesus we ask this. Amen.

Matthew 3

John the Baptist "came preaching".    What an interesting man John became.  Filled with the Holy Spirit before he was even born,  John was chosen to be the "voice of one crying in the wilderness".  
Like other prophets before him, his life was not his own.  He wore a camel's hair garment and had a leather belt.  He ate locusts and honey.  Definitely not a "normal" life for one who was the son of a priest.  As we, the chosen of Christ, follow Him... we also will find that our lives are not "normal" as opposed to the world's philosophies.

John preached a message of repentance.  He baptized those who confessed their sins, acknowledging their separation from God. He chastised the religious leaders who came to make a show of their religious positions.  And, John told of the One who was coming... the One who would baptize with the Holy Spirit, the One who was worthy of true worship, the One who would separate the wheat from the chaff.

When Jesus came to be baptized, John was rightly reluctant to do it.  He knew the righteousness of Jesus.  He knew his own need to be overwhelmed with Jesus who would save him.  But, Jesus had a purpose in John's baptism... together they would "fulfill all righteousness".  It was an act of submission, for the purpose of completing, or making full, all that is right and just.   The result of Jesus' submission was the glorious appearance of the Holy Spirit who came in a unique way, and the audible voice of God, the Father saying, " This is My beloved Son in whom I am well-pleased." 

As Matthew writes this gospel, this good news,  he wants to not only record the historical facts of the coming of the Messiah, but to present the way of salvation... which must start with repentance.  This word "repentance" comes from the Greek word - metanoia - a reversal, a reformation, a feeling of compunction - guilt, a pricking of the conscience that results in thinking differently, of regret and shame.

This inward acknowledgement must lead to an outward confession.  Paul writes it this way, "The Word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart - that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved; for with the heart man believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation."  ( Romans 10:8-10)

Father in heaven, You are faithful and loving to us, showing mercy and grace to all who repent of and confess their sins... and then recognize that Jesus Christ is the Lord, the One who takes away those sins and covers us with His own perfectly complete righteousness.  Overwhelm us with Yourself O Lord! Fill us to the full with Your own Spirit! Thank you for the Word of Life that overflows our souls with the truth and brings refreshing joy every time we read it.  Amen!

Matthew 1-2

The Good News, the Gospel, that Matthew wrote begins with a testimony to God's faithfulness and purpose.  Beginning with Abraham, God carefully chose and mercifully led a family, generation to generation, to become a unique nation, that would produce a Man, Who is God's Son and Mary's child...

God chose Mary to be the child's mother.  He chose Joseph to be her husband.
He chose Bethlehem to be His birthplace.
He chose the wise men to come and worship Him.
God even chose Herod to threaten their lives and cause them to go to Egypt.

Nothing happened, the good things, the bad things, and the terrible things... that God did not know about.  From the beginning, our God planned the way of salvation... Jesus, "for it is He who will save His people from their sins." ( 1:21)

Thank You Father, for sending us Your Son. amen

Proverbs 26-31

Peter wrote " Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. " ( II Peter 1:2-3)   He goes on to ask us to diligently add to our faith - moral excellence, knowledge , self-control, perseverance, godliness, kindness, and love - for these qualities will " render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ" ( 1:5-8).

The proverbs are words of knowledge and wisdom that endorse moral excellence, self-control, and all the rest.  We can do well to learn from them.  We learn the positive, rewarding life that will result when we walk in the way of righteousness.  And, we learn the negative, disastrous results of folly, wickedness, and laziness.  The proverbs hit on every area of life - marriage, raising children, work, relationships with friends, family, and neighbors. There are proverbs for the rich, the poor, the kings and the slaves.  There is much wisdom about helping the needy and the oppressed.

Most importantly, the proverbs remind us over and over to have the right relationship with our God. 
We need to magnify the Lord - understand His greatness and our lowliness.  We fear Him, with respect and honor, humbling ourselves appropriately.

Proverbs 30: 4 says " Who has ascended into heaven and descended? Who has gathered the wind in His fists? Who has wrapped the waters in His garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is His name or His son's name? Surely you know!"

Yes, we know- His Name is Yahweh, Jehovah, the great I Am!  And, His son's Name is Jesus, the Christ, our Lord and Savior.  In knowing Him we can know all we need to know, as Peter said... for Life and for godliness.

Father, anoint our heads with the oil of Your Holy Spirit, that we may think upon the things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and praiseworthy.  Deliver us from the evil influences that mold our thoughts, our ideas, our emotions, our impulses and drives,  conforming us to this world.  Transform us by renewing our minds with the Word and the power of Your Spirit.  We pray this in the Name of Your Son, Jesus Christ, amen.