Matthew 9:35-38, The Workers Are Few

 Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”

This is a mixed metaphor, but Jesus didn’t have Miss Westby for English…

Jesus looks at the teeming mass of humanity and sees us generally as “harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd”.  Why? Because, that’s what happens when people are left alone without someone to steer and guide them. 

The only thing that gives my life focus is that I have found a guide (shepherd) and am following him. I know. Some days…when I get distracted…that nagging sense of helplessness returns.

Jesus also sees us as a crop (wheat is a common biblical metaphor) that needs to be harvested. One thing we know about harvesting…it’s a rather small window of opportunity.

When we combine the two metaphors we get a picture of wandering souls who are in jeopardy of being lost forever…unless they are reclaimed before it’s too late.

Which is where you and I come in. The question is… are we going to be one of the workers God sends out? Or, are we going to sit at the side of the field and watch them wander to their doom? It doesn’t appear there’s a middle ground.

So, what is required of workers? It’s simple. We respond to feelings of harassment and helplessness.  Of course this probably means we’ll actually have to talk with them and find out what makes them feel harassed or helpless.

But, it’s hard work. Harvesting hay may physically be the hardest thing I’ve ever done…but it’s quite simple. Harvesting souls is spiritually the hardest thing I’ve ever done…but it’s also quite simple. We don’t have to be smart, or educated. We have to be available and willing to get exhausted.  

It’s hard…not complicated. What gets complicated is having to explain why the harvest was lost because we were couldn’t find enough workers.

Do we want hard…or complicated?

Live boldly out there today…  

Matthew 9:27-34, Jesus Heals the Blind and the Mute

 As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed him, calling out, “Have mercy on us, Son of David!”

 When he had gone indoors, the blind men came to him, and he asked them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?”

“Yes, Lord,” they replied.

Then he touched their eyes and said, “According to your faith let it be done to you”; and their sight was restored. Jesus warned them sternly, “See that no one knows about this.” But they went out and spread the news about him all over that region.

While they were going out, a man who was demon-possessed and could not talk was brought to Jesus. And when the demon was driven out, the man who had been mute spoke. The crowd was amazed and said, “Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel.”

But the Pharisees said, “It is by the prince of demons that he drives out demons.”

Jesus said “See that no one knows about this…” We’re told “but they went out and spread the news”.

I’m not even sure they’re guilty of babbling about it (although they may have). What are the odds nobody would notice?  Going from blind to “20/20” is no small thing. Furthermore, how would they even hide it? I think somebody would notice…when they didn’t trip over the little boy playing in the park.

So…was Jesus asking the impossible? Maybe

And then, immediately following this, Jesus casts out a demon in front of everybody.

Huh?

I’m going to step out on a limb here and suggest that there are some things that Jesus may not be deeply concerned about (I didn’t say unconcerned). Yet, in his love for us, if we’re concerned…he cares.

Like my grandson Andrew wanting  “Buzz Lightyear.”  How much do we think I care about Buzz Lightyear?

Wrong…less than that!

But I care deeply for my Andrew so he got “Buzz Lightyear”. Everybody’s happy. I could even have said “don’t tell your sister” if I was hoping to prevent the perception that grandpa is a pushover. I’ll bet his sister would find out anyway.

Now, back to the miracles…

In my mind, the significant difference between the two miracles is one was perceived to be purely physical while the other was perceived to be spiritual.

Which do we believe Jesus is most concerned about, our physical needs or our spiritual needs (notwithstanding the fact that he responds to both)…? Exactly!

So I believe the lesson from this passage is simple. Jesus is showing us where His heart is. He is perfectly content to help us with our earthly problems, but that’s between the two of us. However…if he brings our children to faith…he has just performed the exact miracle he came to perform. That’s worth telling everybody.

Hebrews tells us to “come boldly before the throne of grace so we might receive mercy”. We shouldn’t quibble about the worthiness of our request. That’s not the point. There’s just a difference between receiving because Jesus love us (which should induce humility) and receiving because it’s what Jesus does. (which should induce joy).

Live boldly out there today…

Matthew 9:18-26, Jesus Raises a Dead Girl and Heals a Sick Woman

 While he was saying this, a synagogue leader came and knelt before him and said, “My daughter has just died. But come and put your hand on her, and she will live.” Jesus got up and went with him, and so did his disciples.

 Just then a woman who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak. She said to herself, “If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed.”

 Jesus turned and saw her. “Take heart, daughter,” he said, “your faith has healed you.” And the woman was healed at that moment.

When Jesus entered the synagogue leader’s house and saw the noisy crowd and people playing pipes, he said, “Go away. The girl is not dead but asleep.” But they laughed at him. After the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took the girl by the hand, and she got up. News of this spread through all that region.

So…would the woman have been healed if she had not touched Jesus’ garment?

The relationship between faith and works has always been thorny. After all, the great theologian, Benjamin Franklin, reminds us “the Lord helps those who help themselves.”  And so goes American Christianity… 

Had this miracle not occurred at the same time Jesus raised the leader’s daughter I’d probably be conflicted. In truth, what did the girl do to receive a miracle?

Exactly…

Jesus told the woman “your faith has healed you”. Sometimes our faith leads us to act while other times we are not capable of acting. Neither case seems to have affected Jesus’ willingness…and ability…to heal.

Each of us needs something from Jesus today. Some of us know what it is and can pursue it. Others of us do not…and cannot. Either way, Christ is sufficient for our need.

Live boldly out there today…

Matthew 9:14-17, Jesus Questioned About Fasting

Then John’s disciples came and asked him, “How is it that we and the Pharisees fast often, but your disciples do not fast?”

Jesus answered, “How can the guests of the bridegroom mourn while he is with them? The time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast.

“No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch will pull away from the garment, making the tear worse. Neither do people pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst; the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.”

Today’s passage addresses the importance of ritual and tradition. In Christ’s own words, some of it is inappropriate in the “new covenant”.

  I’d like to say a couple of words about fasting…its important.

The Bible injunction to fast is first implied from Leviticus 23:27, 32. "On exactly the tenth day of this seventh month is the day of atonement ; it shall be a holy convocation for you, and you shall humble your souls and present an offering by fire to the LORD. "You shall not do any work on this same day, for it is a day of atonement, to make atonement on your behalf before the LORD your God”.

 “Complete rest” has been understood to mean we abstain from all work, even from preparing meals, so we do not eat. All this is for the purpose of “humbling our souls” in recognition of our sinfulness.

As tradition grew, we see a number of biblical incidents of fasting. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fasting

Eventually we see incidents where fasting no longer serves the purpose of “humbling our souls”, but is intended to display our piety…or to get God to notice us and respond to our desires.

Isaiah addresses this in his 58^th chapter. The Hebrews, in captivity, were grumbling. 'Why have we fasted and you do not see? Why have we humbled ourselves and you do not notice?' Behold, on the day of your fast you find your desire, and drive hard all your workers. "Behold, you fast for contention and strife and to strike with a wicked fist. You do not fast like you do today to make your voice heard on high. "Is it a fast like this which I choose, a day for a man to humble himself? Is it for bowing one's head like a reed and for spreading out sackcloth and ashes as a bed? Will you call this a fast, even an acceptable day to the LORD? “Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—when you see the naked, to clothe them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood? (Isaiah 58:3- 7)

I can hear God. “Really? You’re fasting so I’ll notice you? Where do you think I’ve been?”

If I take Isaiah seriously, “fasting” isn’t simply defined as “not eating”.  It is denying ourselves of something in order to offer it to those less fortunate…to eliminate injustice and oppression.

So...charitable giving is a fast. Donating to the Salvation Army is a fast.

…and Jesus responds to this in Matthew 6. "Whenever you fast, do not put on a gloomy face as the hypocrites do, for they neglect their appearance so that they will be noticed by men when they are fasting. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. "But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face so that your fasting will not be noticed by men, but by your Father who is in secret ; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.

So, John’s disciples ask an honest Question: “Why do we and the Pharisees fast while your disciples don’t?”

And Jesus said…  “How can the guests of the bridegroom mourn while he is with them? The time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast.

A biblical relationship with Jesus should eliminate any need for fasting in the traditional sense. After all, how could we possibly “humble” our souls…in recognition of our need for atonement...when we are in the very presence of the “Lamb of God”?

Furthermore, it seems that the “new covenant” simply doesn’t fit well with the observations of the “old covenant”. In fact, if we attempt to apply “old covenant” traditions to the “new covenant” something has to give. ¹⁶ “No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch will pull away from the garment, making the tear worse. ¹⁷ Neither do people pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst; the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.”

Jesus doesn’t tell us not to fast. What he infers…in the totality of scripture…is that tradition and ritual in the life of believers are intended to be exercised with a joyful and thankful heart…for the benefit of others more than ourselves.

We should always ask ourselves why we are doing the things we are doing…

Live boldly out there today…

Matthew 9:9-13, The Calling of Matthew

 ⁹ As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him.

¹⁰ While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with him and his disciples. ¹¹ When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”

 ¹² On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. ¹³ But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’^[a] For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Ever wonder why Matthew just got up and followed? No questions? No conditions?

And, how do you think Matthew felt when Jesus responded to the Pharisees by saying ““it is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick…for I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”?

So, Matthew is obedient to a fault, yet…Jesus calls him a sick sinner, in front of his friends! Dale Carnegie (How to win Friends and Influence People) would probably have a comment or two on this technique.

Mind you, the theology of what happened is perfectly consistent with the whole of scripture. We are told “God commended his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us (Rom 5:8)”.

It would have taken deep humility for Matthew to simply walk away from his lucrative (although dishonest) business and follow Jesus. It would have taken deep humility to listen while he heard Jesus refer to him as a sick sinner.

But, then, perhaps Matthew already knew the truth about himself. We call this repentance and it is the first step in reconciling our relationship with God. In its simplest definition, repentance means “agreement with God”. Matthew agreed he should eschew his lifestyle and follow Jesus. Matthew agreed he was a sick sinner. Matthew was an amazing man.

Is there anything keeping us from closing up shop and following Jesus today?

Live boldly out there today…

Matthew 9:1-8 Jesus forgives and heals the paralytic man

Jesus stepped into a boat, crossed over and came to his own town.  Some men brought to him a paralyzed man, lying on a mat. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the man, “Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven.”  At this, some of the teachers of the law said to themselves, “This fellow is blaspheming!”


Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said, “Why do you entertain evil thoughts in your hearts? Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the paralyzed man, “Get up, take your mat and go home.” Then the man got up and went home. When the crowd saw this, they were filled with awe; and they praised God, who had given such authority to man.

I went skiing with my niece Lexi. On the way to Monarch she said "I'm going to ski a black diamond".


Big talk for a nine year old! I was skeptical...


Well, not only did she do it, but she did it many times...and did it well. She did exactly what she needed to do to convince all of us. I left the mountain impressed.


Skepticism is natural when we hear big claims. Even more so when the claims cannot be empirically demonstrated. "Your sins are forgiven" is like saying "I'm thinking of a number between 1 and 10". There is no way to prove it...except by the veracity of my character. So, Jesus spent a good deal of time demonstrating his ability to forgive sin. In this case he healed a paralytic man.


But, make no mistake...the healing was not the point. Although, there was clear benefit, at least for one man. There was a lot of "awe" after the miracle but...do you think it was over the miracle or over the claim of forgiveness?


How many times do we miss the point...simply because we want Jesus to prove, once again, that He is faithful? Jesus called it a "wicked generation, that seeks signs and wonders". We might understand the word "wicked" to mean "faithless".


We often get addicted to the pleasure of the miracle and forget the miracle worker. When Jesus does something supernatural in our lives do we know why? It's not about the job, or the health, or the relationship. It's about demonstrating that Jesus is truly all we need. And really...what do we want more? forgiveness of sin or a new job?


Live boldly out there today...

Matthew 8:28-34 Jesus restores the demon-possessed men

When he arrived at the other side in the region of the Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men coming from the tombs met him. They were so violent that no one could pass that way. “What do you want with us, Son of God?” they shouted. “Have you come here to torture us before the appointed time?”


Some distance from them a large herd of pigs was feeding. The demons begged Jesus, “If you drive us out, send us into the herd of pigs.”


He said to them, “Go!” So they came out and went into the pigs, and the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and died in the water. Those tending the pigs ran off, went into the town and reported all this, including what had happened to the demon-possessed men. Then the whole town went out to meet Jesus. And when they saw him, they pleaded with him to leave their region.

When Jesus arrived in Gadera he got two responses...one spiritual and one physical. Both are instructive

The demons were less than pleased. “What do you want with us, Son of God? Have you come here to torture us before the appointed time? If you drive us out, send us into the herd of pigs.” I am sympathetic with the demons. First, before anything else was said, they knew Jesus was after them. Second, they knew it was their destiny to face Jesus at some point anyway. Third, they knew Jesus had all authority in that destiny.

How could they possibly be pleased under those conditions? After all, they were demons.

Yet, Jesus gave them exactly what they asked for...and they were destroyed anyway.

I'm not comparing our spirits to these demon spirits, except to say that it is with our spirits that Jesus wants to commune. And like the demon spirits, our spirits intuitively understand this. Our spirits also know that we eventually will have to get serious with Jesus and our spirits know it will be on Jesus' terms. So...we naturally react with some hesitation when we sense Jesus wants to get serious. Our spirits have constructed a comfortable abode and we're averse to change.

I feel it everyday as I meditate. "what if...?"

On the other hand, I feel less sympathy for the merchants. We're told that after the herd of pigs was destroyed "those tending the pigs ran off, went into the town and reported all this, including what had happened to the demon-possessed men. Then the whole town went out to meet Jesus. And when they saw him, they pleaded with him to leave their region." They saw a threat to their financial livelihood and wanted Jesus gone.

This is embarrassing. No existential threat...as with the demons. Just stuff. And, they had no clue what they were facing in Jesus...as though they could tell him to go away and that would be the end of it. They probably even congratulated each other after Jesus left. Its what happens when we turn the tables...giving our physical lives priority over our spiritual lives.

Pathetic...

The question, I suppose, is simple. How do we respond when we notice Jesus wants to get "up close and personal" in our lives? I'm sure it depends on what we believe the consequences might be. But, be certain of this: Jesus wants our spirits. So, I suggest we have a serious "come to Jesus" moment in our spirits and settle this. Our spirits already know the score...God built it into us. They are only nervous about what the changes might look like. We're going to have this encounter eventually...it may as well be sooner rather than later.

However, let's do ourselves a favor. Let's not allow this decision...under any circumstances...be about stuff. We only embarrass ourselves and delay the inevitable.

Live boldly out there today...