BEWARE THE YEAST OF THE PHARASEES

The Pharisees added their own rules and ideas to worship and resisted the basic truth that Jesus revealed and now, over 2000 years later, we still face the same danger of our faith being corrupted. It is easy for people to be carried away and misguided by artful speakers; the most outstanding example is Jim Jones and his People's Temple. He was charismatic and attracted over 900 men, women, and children which he poisoned to death with cyanide-laced Kool-Aid in 1978. Jesus warned of this danger in Matthew 7:15 "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves." or 2 Peter 2:1 "But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies..." or perhaps one that fits current times: 2 Timothy 4:3 "For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions.

HEALING OF THE GENTILE'S DAUGHTER

Today we read about Jesus healing the Canaanite woman's daughter (Note: In Mark 7:26 she is described as a Greek, born in Syrian Phoenicia) even though, as Jesus points out, he sent only to the Jews, but because of her faith her daughter is healed demonstrating perhaps that all who have faith in Christ will receive the blessings of God. 

Hypocrite Religious Leaders

Today in Matthew 15 we read about the Pharisees and the teachings they enforced sometimes being nothing more than rules made by men and used to avoid doing what God has instructed us to do. Being jealous of Christ's success, the Pharisees constantly looked for ways to criticize him. Even today some famous religious leaders have lead many people astray; stick to the fundamentals.

JESUS WALKS ON WATER

Over the years I read about all the people Jesus had healed and marveled at the gifts he had but when he walked on water I was stunned, just as the Disciples were stunned. As a Physics major in college I was in a class one day when the professor was explaining electrical fields and how they related to current flow. One of the students asked, "Why does it do that?" and the somewhat exasperated professor started to repeat himself; the student stopped him and said, "I know what happens but WHY does it happen that way?" He and the professor went back and forth until the professor loudly announced, "Because God wants it to.!" At that moment I realized I can never really know anything and I (and I think the professor) realized the truth.  Jesus walking on water confirms the truth that while humans are bound by the rules of physics, God is not. The earth, and probably this galaxy are limited and contained by these rules of physics, but God is not and I realized he is bigger than the galaxy and Christ was bigger than the Galaxy. Further, as Peter tried to go beyond earthly laws, his faith faltered and Christ reached out and saved him - just as he has reached out and saved  

 

JOHN THE BAPTIST - BEHEADED

We discussed the significant role John played for God and some of us were therefore puzzled about his violent end but Matt Sommer pointed out that it demonstrates how much John sacrificed for God compared to the little that most of us risk. John knew that attacking Herod would cost him his life but he did it anyway; what are we willing to do for God?

SPREAD THE WORD

We discussed the parable of the seeds and the message it contained for us; spread the word. Interesting to note that in todays political climate, which seeks to identify and separate people into groups, that Jesus made no reference to race or nationality - some individuals are good and some are bad; some will believe and some won't. Spread the word gracefully and if they aren't interested, move on. The evil will be dealt with at the end of times.

PARABLE OF THE SOWER - CONTINUED

We discussed the different levels of commitment of those who identify as Christians. As children in a Christian family you dress up (I don't think they do that much anymore) and attend Sunday School and you assume you are a Christian but as some of our group said, one day you actually accept Christ and understand his sacrifice. How many actually do that? When the end comes I fear many will still be sitting in Church wondering why they are still here.  

Concerning the end of times, it was comforting to read Matthew 13:29 wherein Jesus said at the end of times the angles would first collect the weeds. 

MATTHEW 13 - PARABLE OF THE SOWER

We reviewed the parables of the sower. A person is aware if they fit into the first parable, they just don't believe. They would also be aware of the second condition as trouble comes up and distracts them but the third parable can sneak up on you; you think you believe but your heart and your attention is someplace else - are you only a Christian on Sunday? How many people have you tried to bring to Christ?

MATTHEW 12 - The Pharisees Demand a Sign

Today we learned that you can't evaluate Christ, you can't insist on proofs, you have to accept Christ by faith or you will be worse off than when you were first taken by his message.

A Tree is Judged by its Fruit

We discussed the metaphor of the fruit that good trees yield. If we are indeed Christians, our actions (the fruit we yield) should show it. Just as we read in Matthew 5:16, "...let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven." But we  have to remember that we are also advised in Matthew 6:3, "But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing." Perhaps the message is, do good but don't do good for a reward or human recognition. 

Salvation Through Peace

It seems the Jews were looking for a messiah who would crush the Romans so when Jesus came riding on the foal of a donkey, he did not fit the image of the hoped for conquerer and many did not understand his message. On the other hand, when he comes again, there will be no misunderstanding; Matthew 13:29 "... first, gather the Tares and bind them in bundles to burn them." -  evil will be crushed and those who believe will be saved.

MATTHEW 11 - SHABBAT

Shabbat Saturday was the Jewish weekly day of rest but over time many rules and regulations were attached to it; rules for cooking and driving and shopping to name only a few of the 39 categories. Many of those rules were adopted by Christians; when I was young, only very essential stores would stay open on Sunday and if you cut your grass, the noise it made was considered rude by the neighbors, but Jesus reminded us that it was to be a day of rest, not a day confining restrictions. 

WISDOM AND THE ACCEPTANCE OF CHRIST

As we continued to study Matthew 11, we read (11:19) "...but wisdom is proved right by her deeds" So unusual to refer to wisdom as HER at a time in history when women were at best second class citizens. This fascinating reference can also be seen in Proverbs 8.

We also talked about the mind set that made people view everything negatively, much like today, they had become jaded. As Jesus said (Matthew 18:3) you have to accept him as a child not as someone who thinks they are clever.

John is Elijah and There is a Hierarchy in Heaven

John the Baptist was languishing in prison and wanted to be sure the Messiah had come and Jesus sent word to reassure him, pointing out that John (essentially as Elijah) had fulfilled the scriptures forecasting the Messiah's coming.

Jesus said that the greatest on earth wasn't as great as the least in heaven. Heaven is populated by God/Christ, the beings God created (i.e. angels and the archangels Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, and Uriel), those who were chosen (like Moses) and those who will be born again; this could suggest at least five levels in heaven. I wouldn't want to guess which Jesus meant when he spoke of "the least in heaven," but a ranking is suggested.

CONFLICTS AND CONFUSION IN MATTHEW 10

MATTHEW 10:34 CONFLICT: While in Jesus' day the spiritual conflict was between Christians and every other religion or lack of belief, now conflict exists within the faith as many Christian churches are driven by rules made by men instead of the fundamentals Christ instructed us to follow. Pick your church carefully.

MATTHEW 10:34 CONFUSION: There was also discussion today about Christ saying that he didn't come to bring peace vs. a previous verse (Matthew 5:9) wherein he said, "Blessed are the peacemakers." If you consider that a Peacemaker is someone who reconciles sinners to God, there is no confusion; Jesus came to make us choose and the peacemakers help people choose God.

MATTHEW 10:40 REWARDS: The rewards mentioned for various acts of faith made us wonder how there could be different rewards in heaven, yet we were reminded of Matthew 11:11 wherein Jesus says that though John the Baptist was the greatest man born of woman, "The least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than him." This does seem to support the idea of different levels in heaven. More to follow on this subject.

Spreading the Word

The French mathematician, Blaise Pascal, described a person's belief in God as a life-defining gamble with the odds in favor of believers. When you share the word and it is not accepted, we are advised by Jesus not to argue but to just "...leave shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them (Mark 6:11)." While we aren't advised to try to convince someone to listen, I find that telling them, "If I'am wrong, no problem; if you're wrong you'll have a very big problem" at least gives them something to think about. 

Our members observed that times seem to be changing in that believers are becoming more public about their convictions and those that don't believe seem to feel the need to openly attack those that do.

Does God Know In Advance Who Will Accept Christ?

Matthew 10:29 Makes reference to God's will controlling the fate of even a sparrow and yet it is clear that we, the Chosen, have free will; we can accept Christ or not. There would be no point in God creating robots to worship him. The question remains; however, does God know in advance who will be wise enough to accept Christ? In Romans 8:29-30 Paul says "those God foreknew he also predestined to be confirmed to the image of his Son," which says God knows who will accept Christ and if you do you are predestined to be like Jesus. Our discussion today wasn't about Predestination, wherein God decides who will accept Christ, we were talking about God knowing in advance who will accept Christ of their own free will. There are many references in the bible to The Chosen, but that can be interpreted as those chosen to receive the word. Part of our group believes God knows everything and therefore knows who is going to accept Christ, others in the group felt that assuming God knows what choice we will make, undermines human responsibility and challenges the concept of free will but either way, one thing is certain, Christ said if you believe, you are saved, and Christ does not lie and if you believe, you are going to try to do what God wants you to do even if you thought he already knew what you would do. If you think that declaring your belief in Christ will protect you from premeditated sinning, you don't really believe in him. 

HOW TO SHARE THE WORD

While you must never deny Christ, he advised us to be "wise as serpents" and if you are persecuted in a city, "flee to another." We are not required to dare others to retaliate against us or even push the gospel when it is not well received; "shake off the dust of your feet" and take the word someplace else. 

Jesus Empowers His Disciples

Of special interest in Matthew 10 is Jesus' instructions to his disciples to move on if those with whom they  share the word aren't interested. It is tempting to argue with unbelievers to try to make your case - to try to save them in spite of themselves; on the other hand, there are so many easy targets - those in need, in pain, in poor heath, in danger... the list goes on. When you approach someone it doesn't take much effort to determine that they are stuggling and will welcome your prayers. 

New Wine in Old Wine Skins

Today we read in Matthew about the Pharisees' refusal to accept Christ even though they witnessed miracles; we were reminded of Matthew 9:16 and the parable of old wines skins. It is difficult to convert people to Christ who have an old religion or tradition in their culture and especially if they are convinced of their own wisdom and understanding. Perhaps that's why so many gentiles have accepted Christ; 31.6% of the world's population is now Christian and only 0.2% are Jewish and 25.8% are Muslim, 15.11% are Hindu and 6.6% are Buddhists...We have a long way to go to save the world.

FAITH

Today we discussed the power of faith as it was exhibited by Christ bringing back a twelve year old girl to life and curing a woman who had been bleeding for twelve years. One of our members pointed out that the faith was exhibited both in the high ranking ruler, the father of the little girl, and the "unclean" women, who was at the bottom of the social ladder. In Matthew 21:21 we can read that Jesus said if we have faith and do not doubt we can move a mountain and in Mark 11:24 Christ said, "...whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours." So easy and so hard; all you need to have is faith.

ARE AILMENTS THE RESULT OF SIN

We accept Christ and our sins are forgive and yet we go on sinning; we now feel bad about it but we still do it. The question arrises, THOUGH YOU ACCEPTED CHRIST DO YOU STILL PAY SOME PRICE FOR CONTINUING TO SIN, perhaps an ailment or misfortune. While Christ cured a man at the Pool of Bethesda and later said to him (John 5:14): "...Sin no more lest, a worse thing come upon you," he also cured a man blind from birth but when asked who's sin caused his blindness, he said (John 9:3): "Neither this man nor his parents sinned," said Jesus, "but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him." Most of our group felt that our continuing to sin did not cause afflictions but some of the group had trouble accepting that there were no penalties for continuing to sin.

We started the new year off by discussing the Roman Centurion's faith in Jesus; Matthew 8:8. It reminded us of Jesus' parable about wine skins, Mark 2:22; "You can't put new wine in old wine skins..." Some of us felt that was a reference to teaching Jews (old wine skins) who had so many man made rules that they struggled to accept Christ vs. the Centurion (a Gentile), who had few preconceptions to overcome and accepted Christ with faith and Jesus said, "Truly, I tell you, with no one in Israel have I found such faith"  This would seem to set the stage for millions of Gentiles accepting Christ while Israel still struggles.

Stumbling Blocks to Faith

Continuing to study Matthew 8 wherein we see Jesus telling those who say they want to follow him that perhaps it would be harder than than they think as they would have to put Christ before their family responsibilities. This same message can be found in Matthew 13 wherein Christ describes the many situations and events that can block your faith and your salvation. Given that no one but God is perfect, we know that we can only be saved through God's mercy, not by any action we take or fail to take.

WHY IS THERE PAIN?

If God wanted to, he could make us all worship him but worship is pointless unless it is voluntary so Jesus told us what to do and, being advised to forsake this World, we did so and are saved; yet many things puzzle us - why do little children and Christians come to harm? All we can do, as one of our members pointed out, is believe Romans 8:28 "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." Also some pain is explained in verses like John 9:3 "...this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him." What complicates our group's evaluation of events is the Book of Job wherein we learn that Satan cannot harm us unless God allows it. Is all the pain and discomfort a test or a way of encouraging us to not love this world? We do take comfort from Matthew 9:20-22 wherein A woman touches Jesus and is healed and he says something we all need to remember: "Take heart, daughter, your faith has healed you." Perhaps we should have more faith in Jesus and less in doctors.  

MATTHEW 8 - THE CENTURIAN'S FAITH

We discussed Jesus not only curing the Centurion's servant but pointing out to those around him that the Centurion had more faith than the Jews and that the Jews were at risk of not being able to enter heaven. What makes this a prelude to Jesus accepting the Gentiles is that this Centurion of extraordinary faith was a Gentile, and his servant was healed at a distance - this was the first instance of someone being healed without coming into physicals contact with Jesus. This story of the healing in Capernaum is also told in Luke 7 with the variation that the Centurion asked Jewish elders to make the request for him.

False Prophets

We discussed false prophets and how to identify them. One of our members described ways to know you are dealing with a false prophet including that they teach a doctrine other than Christ, their behavior isn't Christian, and (most important), they forcaste things that don't come to pass. Some use tricks to get your attention (Matthew 24:23-25) and some try to divide the congregation (Romans 16:17-18).

We also discussed our continuing to sin even after we believe and are saved. 1 John 1:9 says that if we confess ours sins, he will forgive us or, as one member so succinctly put it, "We continue to sin but we feel bad about it and repent."

MATTHEW 7 - Prayer

We discussed God's promise to answer our prayers. The group felt that while you could pray for anything we should, like Solomon (1 Kings 3:11), ask for wisdom rather than wealth. Even Christ said, (Matthew 6:8), that we need not ask for material things, "God knows what we need."

Don't Judge Others

We reviewed Matthew 7:1-5 today and were in agreement that it meant we are not better than anyone else, "no one is without sin" and we are; therefore, not in a position to judge anyone else's morality. Verse 7:6 was a little more difficult. It is clear that you shouldn't waste the word on anyone who isn't going to even consider it, but how do you know who will be receptive? Perhaps you can approach everyone and anyone and turn away if you get a disrespectful (disrespectful of God) rejection. One of our members also suggested that the Holy Spirit may guide you concerning who will not be receptive to the Lord's message.

FOCUS ON GOD

Matthew 6 continued - God wants us to focus on him, not on earthly things and don't worry about those earthly needs and desires, if you believe in God, he will take care of you.