Matthew 17

I actually read this passage last night, on schedule, but didn't end up having a chance to write about it until now. I just re-read it to be safe, but for some reason I don't have many thoughts about this section.

Matthew 17 covers the account of Jesus' transfiguration - being revealed in His glory to a few of the disciples - as well as the healing of a demon possessed boy and a story about Jesus paying taxes. I'm just not in a place mentally where I am drawing anything interesting from these sections... maybe I need to just go pray for a bit. Its been a long day.

Matthew 16

For some reason I don't feel like I have a lot to say about this passage. There is some good stuff here, no doubt, but the only thing I want to really bring up is Peter's actions. In verses 15 to 17 he rightly identifies who Jesus is, and is blessed by Jesus - but then five short verses later he goofs up enough to be rebuked quite sternly by Jesus.

To me, this is a good reminder / example for us that we can be spot-on following God one moment and then screw up royally the next. We are still human, after all, and though the grace of God covers us if we have put our faith in Jesus we still make plenty of mistakes. God loves us no matter what, though, and while He may rebuke or correct us we need to learn from it and not get bogged down in depression or self-pity for our errors. We need simply to confess our sins, and repent (turn away from them)... God takes care of the rest!

Matthew 15

Today's passage is a mix of story and teaching, and since the story part is largely the same stuff as the last few chapters (healing, feeding multitudes, etc) I want to focus on the teaching part. Specifically, I am pondering the idea that "It is not what enters into the mouth that defiles the man, but what proceeds out of the mouth, this defiles the man.” (verse 11, NASB)

This stood in contrast to the arbitrary, man-made rules that many of the religious Jews in Jesus' time followed. The example here in Matthew 15 is of the disciples eating with dirty hands - which was a big no-no apparently in that time and place (and would likely be somewhat frowned upon here in our day as well). But what Jesus says is that isn't what you put in your body that makes us unclean in God's eyes... but instead what comes out of us in terms of words - and presumably thoughts and actions as well, from the context.

At the same time, we need to guard our hearts against letting in some things; not food, so much, but ideas and images of sinful behavior. Letting those into our lives is going to make us more likely to integrate wrong ideas into our lives, and then begin to have those things coming out in the forms that Jesus warned against.

Matthew 14

I've missed the last couple of days - to anyone following this blog regularly, I apologize! This blog is here to keep me accountable in my daily Bible reading, and gaps like this are exactly what I am aiming to minimize (ideally) but also to get over when they do happen. Without something like this I would easily have been able to skip more, or just stopped entirely for who knows how long.

Anyway, back to the topic at hand. This chapter in Matthew is entirely narrative-driven - there is no teaching that we are privy to from Jesus, not directly at least. We have John the Baptizer's death, Jesus teaching, healing, and even feeding crowds, and then Jesus walking on water.

That last bit, though famously referenced even in pop culture, is actually a really good learning opportunity for us even today. People tend to focus on this as an example of Jesus' power, and it certainly is, but the more important takeaway is that if Jesus asks us to do something He will provide a way - even if it seems impossible to us. He asked Peter to come to out to Him on the water, and Peter started to walk on it just like Jesus was doing! Peter, only a human, was breaking the laws of physics... through faith in the power and provision of God. Once he was out there, though, he began to doubt - and that is when he started to sink. Jesus rescued him, of course, showing that He doesn't just leave us if we fail.

Lord, may I have the faith to step out into what may seem impossible when You call me! And moreover, may I have the eyes to see You and what You are calling me to do in my family, church, and the world.

Matthew 13

Another lengthy chapter today, mostly filled with parables this time. Each of them is a way Jesus related a truth about His kingdom - which is spiritual, and not (yet at least) a physical empire on this earth. Some of the stories He explained in more detail to His disciples, but the meanings of most of them aren't too hard to decipher... though I suppose we an advantage in that area that those originally hearing Jesus preach did not, in the form of the written books of the Bible (especially the New Testament) which we can study.

Jesus' use of parables here fulfills a couple more prophecies about Him, from Isaiah 6:9-10 and Psalm 78:2. It is cool to see how aware of those scriptures the author, Matthew, was: even though he wasn't a priest or anything like that (he was, in fact, a tax collector - before Jesus called him as a disciple) he had read enough of the prophets to be able to cite Isaiah as well as others. I wonder if that came from his time studying under Jesus, or if he was already familiar with those prophecies beforehand.

Finally, the chapter ends with Jesus returning to his hometown of Nazareth. Because the people who lived there knew Him, though, they had trouble believing that this 'local boy' was truly able to speak with authority and knowledge. Their disbelief led to Jesus performing fewer miracles there than in other places he visited, which is a pity... and a good reminder that we should put out faith and trust in Him, even if things don't seem believable from a human standpoint.

Matthew 12

A lot of varied topics are covered here in chapter 12, enough that I cannot touch on them all in a short blog entry. Instead, here are some of my favorite things from this passage:

More fulfillment of prophecy. Matthew points out that Jesus' healing ministry and the way in which he didn't come seeking direct conflict fulfill Isaiah 42:1-4. I like it so much because hundreds of years before these events God showed Isaiah that we gentiles (non-Jews) would be putting our hope and faith in Jesus.

Jesus foretold of His death and burial. In verses 38-42, Jesus compared what was going to happen to Him to the story of Jonah. This reinforces that Jonah is, in fact, a true story (some would want to paint its supernatural events as just a myth or parable).

Jesus states that those who do the Father's will are His (Jesus') family. This fits in well with a lot of other passages in the New Testament, where Jesus is shown as the firstborn of all those who will be saved - and others where we are called brothers and sisters in Chris, as well as children of God. This imagery is very powerful, especially now that I am a father myself.

Matthew 11

Chapter 11 of Matthew is a bit of a mixed bag. We have Jesus preaching on His own, after sending out the twelve, and some interesting things come up. John the Baptizer, imprisoned at this point, sent some of his followers to make sure Jesus really is the One who they had been waiting for. Jesus didn't answer directly, but made it very clear by His response: the miracles He was doing and His preaching of good news (gospel) was evidence enough of His identity.

Jesus follows that up with a bit of info about John, quoting from a prophecy in Malachi 3:1 which foretold of a messenger to precede the Messiah and prepare the way for him. One very insightful thing from the end of this section is when Jesus points out that those who do not want to see the truth in that generation refused to listen to either John or Jesus, for exactly the opposite reasons.

Following this, Jesus talks about how the cities He ministered in which did not repent will have a harder judgement than pagan cities who never had the chance to see such miracles, signs, and wonders. This is a sobering reminder for those who have the opportunity to hear the truth about Jesus and choose not to act on it!

Finally, the chapter wraps up with Jesus further identifying God as His Father - more proof of who Jesus claimed to be - and inviting those who heard his preaching to come and follow him. May we all hearken to that in our time, and submit to Him.