In today's section, we read about:
The Sermon on the Mount
Jesus' healing, including the faith of a Roman centurion and a woman from Tyre
Jesus speaks of the costs (and benefits) of being a disciple
Jesus and John the Baptist
Parables of the sower, the wheat and the weeds, the mustard seed, yeast, the hidden treasure and the pear, the fishing net
Jesus is rejected at Nazareth and encounters opposition from the Pharisees and religious leaders
The feeding of the 5000 and the 4000
Jesus (and Peter) walks on the water
Some thoughts from today:
There is so much here in the Gospels, that I'm not really sure what to cover. This is the first time that I have read it in the NLT and this has made quite of few really well-known passages come across differently from the way I'm used to. For example, the Beatitudes all start with the phrase "God will bless"; 5:41, "if a soldier demands that you carry his gear for a mile, carry it two miles".
5:14 - Jesus tells his disciples, "you are the light of the world", which is exactly what he says about Himself in Jn 8:12. It is an amazing thing that Jesus equates us with himself, and encourages "let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father." In Jn 8:12, Jesus says of himself, " I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life."
5:18 reads "until heaven and earth disappear, not even the smallest detail of God’s law will disappear until its purpose is achieved," to emphasise the continuity with the Old Testament revelation. Interestingly, those ignore God's commands and teach others to do the same will still be in the kingdom, albeit called as the least.
A common theme from today was that God values relationship more than ritual - 5:23; 12:1-8
5:42 cf Prov 3:27-28
Jesus fulfils the law, but not just in the sense of literal fulfilment, but in the sense of the spirit behind it - 5:21-22; 5:27-28; 5:33-37; 5:43-45. We can also see this when Jesus heals the leper in 8:3, and tells him to follow the rules set out in Lev 14.
Another common theme is motives for what we do - is it to please God or for show and the approval/admiration of men (6:4,6,8,16-18)
6:31-33 offers such liberation - "So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need."
7:7-8 - "Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened."
7:2, the standard we use in judging is the standard by which we will be judged is reflected in 7:21-23. The choice is ours. (Also 10:32-33). The people's response in 7:29 reflects the truth of 7:20.
8:21 contrasts unfavourably with the response of James and John in 4:22.
I'm struck by the contrast in response to the two storms on the lake. In 8:27, the disciples were amazed and wondered who Jesus was. In 14:33, the disciple worshipped Jesus and exclaimed "You really are the Son of God!"
The response of the people in 8:34 in the region of the Gadarenes was the same of the demons in 8:29!!
Ch 10 is very sobering - Jesus hasn't come to promise an easy life, but tells his followers not to be afraid, not to worry and trust God who knows what they will go through and will reward everyone accordingly. There is harmony between faith and actions throughout - we are called to believe in God, a God who saves, while at the same time demonstrating that faith by the way we live.
11:14 - I hadn't been sure whether John the Baptist was "Elijah" promised in Mal 4:5. Jn 1:21 says " “Well then, who are you?” they asked. “Are you Elijah?” “No,” he replied. “Are you the Prophet we are expecting?” “No.” Chris, can you help?
We can see the opposition growing - muttering to themselves (9:3), questioning Jesus directly (9:11), accusations of being possessed (9:34), and then plots to kill him (12:14). "Anyone who isn’t with me opposes me, and anyone who isn’t working with me is actually working against me."
There is the contrast between the Pharisees who saw themselves as the most rigorous upholders of the law (referred to obliquely, and possibly ironically in 5:20) and Jesus who is the ultimate fulfilment of the law. The Pharisees make it impossible to approach God and wear people out and down, Jesus says "Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light” (11:28-30).
It is only against the backdrop of the criticism of the religious authorities that Jesus asserts himself and talks about who he is - someone greater than Jonah someone greater than Solomon (12:41,42)
I like the picture from the parables of the mustard seed and the parable of the yeast - the Kingdom of Heaven may seem very small and insignificant but it will permeate everywhere.
13:58 - "he did only a few miracles there [Nazareth] because of their unbelief." Doesn't this show the amazing humility of God, that what He does is in some way contingent on us. Mind-blowing.
In 15:25, the NIV says the woman knelt before Jesus, but the NLT says "she came and worshipped him". Which is the more accurate?
One verse from today - "Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you." (Matt 7:7)
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