June 30 - I Desire Mercy, Not Sacrifice

In Matthew 9, Jesus heals a paralyzed man, a girl is restored to life, a lady is healed from a 12 year illness, two blind men see, and a mute talks. All wanted mercy; Jesus had compassion and healed.

In this chapter, there's also the scene of Jesus reclining for dinner with Matthew, who he recently called to leave his work behind and be his disciple. Matthew was a tax collector, a group usually lumped in with the most rotten and shameful of sinners. Jesus and Matthew are sharing a meal with other "tax collectors and sinners". The religious folks observing Jesus whisper to his disciples, asking why he's dining with such people. Another bible translation says they asked "why does your teacher eat with such scum?" Jesus overheard them. I wonder if the "scum" overheard them as well?

It occurs to me that not only is he dining with them. Maybe more interestingly, they are dining with him. They saw in him compassion, they were with a man that wanted to be with them because he cared about them. It's probably fair to say that today's "scum" wouldn't associate with many Christians today, because they wouldn't likely feel what they felt in the company of Jesus. Instead, they might feel looked-down-upon. Who were these people at dinner? Imagine today's drug-users, gang members and prostitutes.

The religious folks were more interested in their rituals, and less concerned with mercy to others. Jesus asked them to go and learn what it meant that he desires mercy, not sacrifice.

Jesus Heals a Paralytic
9:1 And getting into a boat he crossed over and came to his own city. 2 And behold, some people brought to him a paralytic, lying on a bed. And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven.” 3 And behold, some of the scribes said to themselves, “This man is blaspheming.” 4 But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts? 5 For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’? 6 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he then said to the paralytic—“Rise, pick up your bed and go home.” 7 And he rose and went home. 8 When the crowds saw it, they were afraid, and they glorified God, who had given such authority to men.

Jesus Calls Matthew
9 As Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he rose and followed him.

10 And as Jesus reclined at table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were reclining with Jesus and his disciples. 11 And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” 12 But when he heard it, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. 13 Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”

A Question About Fasting
14 Then the disciples of John came to him, saying, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?” 15 And Jesus said to them, “Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast. 16 No one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch tears away from the garment, and a worse tear is made. 17 Neither is new wine put into old wineskins. If it is, the skins burst and the wine is spilled and the skins are destroyed. But new wine is put into fresh wineskins, and so both are preserved.”

A Girl Restored to Life and a Woman Healed
18 While he was saying these things to them, behold, a ruler came in and knelt before him, saying, “My daughter has just died, but come and lay your hand on her, and she will live.” 19 And Jesus rose and followed him, with his disciples. 20 And behold, a woman who had suffered from a discharge of blood for twelve years came up behind him and touched the fringe of his garment, 21 for she said to herself, “If I only touch his garment, I will be made well.” 22 Jesus turned, and seeing her he said, “Take heart, daughter; your faith has made you well.” And instantly the woman was made well. 23 And when Jesus came to the ruler's house and saw the flute players and the crowd making a commotion, 24 he said, “Go away, for the girl is not dead but sleeping.” And they laughed at him. 25 But when the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took her by the hand, and the girl arose. 26 And the report of this went through all that district.

Jesus Heals Two Blind Men
27 And as Jesus passed on from there, two blind men followed him, crying aloud, “Have mercy on us, Son of David.” 28 When he entered the house, the blind men came to him, and Jesus said to them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” They said to him, “Yes, Lord.” 29 Then he touched their eyes, saying, “According to your faith be it done to you.” 30 And their eyes were opened. And Jesus sternly warned them, “See that no one knows about it.” 31 But they went away and spread his fame through all that district.

Jesus Heals a Man Unable to Speak
32 As they were going away, behold, a demon-oppressed man who was mute was brought to him. 33 And when the demon had been cast out, the mute man spoke. And the crowds marveled, saying, “Never was anything like this seen in Israel.” 34 But the Pharisees said, “He casts out demons by the prince of demons.”

The Harvest Is Plentiful, the Laborers Few
35 And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction. 36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; 38 therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”

June 27 - Blind to Greed

Matthew 6:19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

22 “The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, 23 but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!

24 “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.

So in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus turns to a discussion on money. In these six verses, the two sandwiched in the middle seem out of place. Jesus says not to lay up treasures on earth, but in heaven, for where your treasure is, there your heart will be. He also says no one can serve two masters - we can't serve God and money. But sandwiched in the middle, He says the eye is the lamp of the body - a healthy eye will be full of light, but the bad eye your whole body will be full of darkness.

One of my favorite pastors is Tim Keller of Redeemer Presbyterian in New York. I recently heard him talking about this passage, explaining the peculiar discussion about the eye. What I learned from him:

Materialism has the peculiar effect of blinding you spiritually and distorting the way you see things. Materialism has the power to blind you to materialism.

Keller was going through a monthly breakfast study, each month talking on one of the seven deadly sins (lust, pride, envy, anger..and greed). His wife asked if he was advertising the to-be-discussed deadly sin in advance of the breakfast. He said yes, to which she said she'd expect attendance to drop dramatically. She was right. It was the worst attended of all sessions. In reflecting on why, he doesn't believe it was because people didn't want to hear about greed. Instead, he expects attendance was low because everyone was so absolutely sure it wasn't a sin they struggled with.

Greed is a different sin than the others, which is why Christ says it's an "eye" sin. Jesus never said "watch out! you might be committing adultery." If you are committing adultery, you know you are committing adultery. However, he does say, "watch out, you might be greedy." Why? Because greed hides itself. It blinds you in a way other sins don't.

Over the years, he's had people come to his office and confess their sins. They'll talk about bitterness, anger, lust, pride and just about everything. But he doesn't recall anyone ever coming to him to discuss their sin of greed or materialism.

We're not greedy. Rich people are greedy. All it takes is knowing one person greedier than us to to dismiss the idea that we could be greedy or materialistic.

A symptom of materialism is that we're sure it's not true of us.

June 26 - True Religion

I suppose there's a lot of false Christianity, especially in the bible belt of the south. Go to church and try be a good person - that's the depth of Christianity for many. In Isaiah 58, the prophet Isaiah tells the people of Israel (and me) what God would call pure religion. I've copied it below from The Message translation (a readable translation in common english language).

1-3 "Shout! A full-throated shout! Hold nothing back—a trumpet-blast shout!
Tell my people what's wrong with their lives,
face my family Jacob with their sins!
They're busy, busy, busy at worship,
and love studying all about me.
To all appearances they're a nation of right-living people—
law-abiding, God-honoring.
They ask me, 'What's the right thing to do?'
and love having me on their side.
But they also complain,
'Why do we fast and you don't look our way?
Why do we humble ourselves and you don't even notice?'

3-5"Well, here's why:
"The bottom line on your 'fast days' is profit.
You drive your employees much too hard.
You fast, but at the same time you bicker and fight.
You fast, but you swing a mean fist.
The kind of fasting you do
won't get your prayers off the ground.
Do you think this is the kind of fast day I'm after:
a day to show off humility?
To put on a pious long face
and parade around solemnly in black?
Do you call that fasting,
a fast day that I, God, would like?

6-9"This is the kind of fast day I'm after:
to break the chains of injustice,
get rid of exploitation in the workplace,
free the oppressed,
cancel debts.
What I'm interested in seeing you do is:
sharing your food with the hungry,
inviting the homeless poor into your homes,
putting clothes on the shivering ill-clad,
being available to your own families.
Do this and the lights will turn on,
and your lives will turn around at once.
Your righteousness will pave your way.
The God of glory will secure your passage.
Then when you pray, God will answer.
You'll call out for help and I'll say, 'Here I am.'

9-12"If you get rid of unfair practices,
quit blaming victims,
quit gossiping about other people's sins,
If you are generous with the hungry
and start giving yourselves to the down-and-out,
Your lives will begin to glow in the darkness,
your shadowed lives will be bathed in sunlight.
I will always show you where to go.
I'll give you a full life in the emptiest of places—
firm muscles, strong bones.
You'll be like a well-watered garden,
a gurgling spring that never runs dry.
You'll use the old rubble of past lives to build anew,
rebuild the foundations from out of your past.
You'll be known as those who can fix anything,
restore old ruins, rebuild and renovate,
make the community livable again.
13-14"If you watch your step on the Sabbath
and don't use my holy day for personal advantage,
If you treat the Sabbath as a day of joy,
God's holy day as a celebration,
If you honor it by refusing 'business as usual,'
making money, running here and there—
Then you'll be free to enjoy God!
Oh, I'll make you ride high and soar above it all.
I'll make you feast on the inheritance of your ancestor Jacob."
Yes! God says so!

June 23 - The Difference A Year Makes

June 23 - Asking God to Incline Our Hearts

In Psalm 119: 1-48, notice all David is asking God to do. They are things we don't typically ask, thinking instead we should do them ourselves. We should muster up a heart for God - we should incline our hearts toward God. In verse 36, David instead asks God to "incline my heart to your testimonies". He's asking God to do it. Lesson: If I'm not asking God to incline my heart toward Him and His Word, it's probably not happening. God is powerful enough to stir a heart; we're not.

Psalm 119 can be read by clicking here, but below, I want to isolate just the requests from David to God in the Psalm.

Let me not wander from your commandments!
Teach me your statutes!
Deal bountifully with your servant, that I may live and keep your word.
Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law.
Hide not your commandments from me!
Give me life according to your word!
Make me understand the way of your precepts, and I will meditate on your wondrous works.
Strengthen me according to your word!
Put false ways far from me and graciously teach me your law!
I will run in the way of your commandments when you enlarge my heart!
Teach me, O Lord, the way of your statutes; and I will keep it to the end.
Give me understanding, that I may keep your law and observe it with my whole heart.
Lead me in the path of your commandments, for I delight in it.
Incline my heart to your testimonies, and not to selfish gain!
Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things; and give me life in your ways.
Confirm to your servant your promise, that you may be feared.
Turn away the reproach that I dread, for your rules are good.
Behold, I long for your precepts; in your righteousness give me life!
Let your steadfast love come to me, O Lord, your salvation according to your promise.
Take not the word of truth utterly out of my mouth, for my hope is in your rules.

June 18 - Cowards

After my read this morning, I went for a jog. On that jog, something I read stuck with me. It's Revelation 21:8.

8 “But cowards, unbelievers, the corrupt, murderers, the immoral, those who practice witchcraft, idol worshipers, and all liars—their fate is in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.”

So there's a list for you. You've got your murderers, witchcraft practicers, idol worshipers, the Hitlers of the world. What doesn't fit in our mind? A softer, more respectable type: the coward.

Throughout my readings this year, one thing is very clear. We are to fear the Lord. However, all else, we are not to fear. We are not to fear other people; not to fear poverty, suffering, death, nothing.

Peter showed a fear of man and of death when He denied knowing Christ. The rich man showed a fear of poverty, a fear of lack of power, etc. when he walked away from Christ when asked to sell everything he had.

What am I afraid of? What are you afraid of?

June 18 - Revelation

I'm nearing the end of the last book of the New Testament, The Revelation to John. The book starts as follows: "This is a revelation from Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants the events that must soon take place. He sent an angel to present this revelation to his servant John, 2 who faithfully reported everything he saw. This is his report of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ."

It's a book that most people avoid due to its complexity and heavy symbolism. However, toward the end, the revelation of things to come is quite clear and readable, yet very sobering. Test yourself: What emotions do you feel after reading the below:

Revelation 20:11 And I saw a great white throne and the one sitting on it. The earth and sky fled from his presence, but they found no place to hide. 12 I saw the dead, both great and small, standing before God’s throne. And the books were opened, including the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to what they had done, as recorded in the books. 13 The sea gave up its dead, and death and the grave gave up their dead. And all were judged according to their deeds. 14 Then death and the grave were thrown into the lake of fire. This lake of fire is the second death. 15 And anyone whose name was not found recorded in the Book of Life was thrown into the lake of fire.

1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared. And the sea was also gone. 2 And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.
3 I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. 4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.”

5 And the one sitting on the throne said, “Look, I am making everything new!” And then he said to me, “Write this down, for what I tell you is trustworthy and true.” 6 And he also said, “It is finished! I am the Alpha and the Omega—the Beginning and the End. To all who are thirsty I will give freely from the springs of the water of life. 7 All who are victorious will inherit all these blessings, and I will be their God, and they will be my children.

8 “But cowards, unbelievers, the corrupt, murderers, the immoral, those who practice witchcraft, idol worshipers, and all liars—their fate is in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.”

9 Then one of the seven angels who held the seven bowls containing the seven last plagues came and said to me, “Come with me! I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.”

10 So he took me in the Spirit to a great, high mountain, and he showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God. 11 It shone with the glory of God and sparkled like a precious stone—like jasper as clear as crystal. 12 The city wall was broad and high, with twelve gates guarded by twelve angels. And the names of the twelve tribes of Israel were written on the gates. 13 There were three gates on each side—east, north, south, and west. 14 The wall of the city had twelve foundation stones, and on them were written the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

15 The angel who talked to me held in his hand a gold measuring stick to measure the city, its gates, and its wall. 16 When he measured it, he found it was a square, as wide as it was long. In fact, its length and width and height were each 1,400 miles. 17 Then he measured the walls and found them to be 216 feet thick (according to the human standard used by the angel).

18 The wall was made of jasper, and the city was pure gold, as clear as glass. 19 The wall of the city was built on foundation stones inlaid with twelve precious stones: the first was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, 20 the fifth onyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, the twelfth amethyst.

21 The twelve gates were made of pearls—each gate from a single pearl! And the main street was pure gold, as clear as glass.

22 I saw no temple in the city, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. 23 And the city has no need of sun or moon, for the glory of God illuminates the city, and the Lamb is its light. 24 The nations will walk in its light, and the kings of the world will enter the city in all their glory. 25 Its gates will never be closed at the end of day because there is no night there. 26 And all the nations will bring their glory and honor into the city. 27 Nothing evil will be allowed to enter, nor anyone who practices shameful idolatry and dishonesty—but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.