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Archives for February 2011

Faith moves Mountains. Matthew 15, Day 45, Feb 14th

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The Syro-Phoenician Woman

Matthew 15

That Which Defiles

 1 Then some Pharisees and teachers of the law came to Jesus from Jerusalem and asked, 2 “Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? They don’t wash their hands before they eat!”
Very interestingly Jesus engages with those who are his relentless critics. He points out their own hypocrisies.
I would have expected him to shrug his shoulders and blow them off. 

 3 Jesus replied, “And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition? 4 For God said, ‘Honor your father and mother’ and ‘Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death.’ 5 But you say that if anyone declares that what might have been used to help their father or mother is ‘devoted to God,’ 6 they are not to ‘honor their father or mother’ with it. Thus you nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition.
They have allowed their traditions (excusing people from the duty of caring for their parents if they have promised to dedicate their wealth to the temple) to supersede the word of God.

7 You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you:
   8 “‘These people honor me with their lips,
   but their hearts are far from me.
9 They worship me in vain;
   their teachings are merely human rules.’”
Words as relevant today as when Isaiah the Prophet spoke them. They are hypocrites because they honour God with their lips, but their hearts are far from him.

 10 Jesus called the crowd to him and said, “Listen and understand. 11 What goes into someone’s mouth does not defile them, but what comes out of their mouth, that is what defiles them.”
What you eat does not defile you. You are defiled by the content of your thoughts, expressed in words. 

 12 Then the disciples came to him and asked, “Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this?”
And what was the answer of the Lord Jesus to this? Essentially, let them be offended.

 13 He replied, “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be pulled up by the roots.
Wait. If God has not planted the Pharisees, they will be uprooted.
14 Leave them; they are blind guides. If the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit.”
 They are blind to God’s will, actions and character. They will destroy themselves, and those who follow them will similarly be destroyed.

 15 Peter said, “Explain the parable to us.”
   16 “Are you still so dull?” Jesus asked them. 17 “Don’t you see that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out of the body? 18 But the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart, and these defile them. 19 For out of the heart come evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. 20 These are what defile a person; but eating with unwashed hands does not defile them.”
Nothing external can defile a person. It is what is in the heart,which will be expressed by the mouth which defiles a person, slander, lies and evil thoughts.

The Faith of a Canaanite Woman

 21 Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. 22 A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is demon-possessed and suffering terribly.”

 23 Jesus did not answer a word. So his disciples came to him and urged him, “Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us.”
 24 He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.”
 25 The woman came and knelt before him. “Lord, help me!” she said.

She is not going to take no for an answer. She has the persistence of the patriarch Jacob.

 26 He replied, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.”

The covenant blessings.

 27 “Yes it is, Lord,” she said. “Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.”

She contradictions and argues with him in her desperation. In response, he essentially changes his mind, as God did in response to Abraham’s prayers. We see here the power of faith.
NIV note–Jesus was pleased with the woman’s reply. It revealed not only her wit, but also her faith and humility.

 28 Then Jesus said to her, “Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.” And her daughter was healed at that moment.

Jesus delays his answer three times–he first ignores her, then seems to refuse her. He is testing her faith. She persists in her prayer with a deep, prescient faith in his identity and power. Because she persists in her prayer–despite the fact that apparently it wasn’t going to be answered–her faith is rewarded.  I

t is done for her as she desires–
and her daughter is healed. 



 Faith brings about the answering of prayers.

ESV note–Though God’s plan was to bring salvation first to Israel and then to the Gentiles, Jesus responds to all who call upon him in true faith. The Gentile woman’s attitude of humble faith allowed Jesus healing ministry to operate.

Faith moves Mountains. Matthew 15, Day 45, Feb 14th, Blog Through the Bible Project

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The Syro-Phoenician Woman

Matthew 15

That Which Defiles

 1 Then some Pharisees and teachers of the law came to Jesus from Jerusalem and asked, 2 “Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? They don’t wash their hands before they eat!”
Very interestingly Jesus engages with those who are his relentless critics. He points out their own hypocrisies.
I would have expected him to shrug his shoulders and blow them off. 

 3 Jesus replied, “And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition? 4 For God said, ‘Honor your father and mother’ and ‘Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death.’ 5 But you say that if anyone declares that what might have been used to help their father or mother is ‘devoted to God,’ 6 they are not to ‘honor their father or mother’ with it. Thus you nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition.
They have allowed their traditions (excusing people from the duty of caring for their parents if they have promised to dedicate their wealth to the temple) to supersede the word of God.

7 You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you:
   8 “‘These people honor me with their lips,
   but their hearts are far from me.
9 They worship me in vain;
   their teachings are merely human rules.’”
Words as relevant today as when Isaiah the Prophet spoke them. They are hypocrites because they honour God with their lips, but their hearts are far from him.

 10 Jesus called the crowd to him and said, “Listen and understand. 11 What goes into someone’s mouth does not defile them, but what comes out of their mouth, that is what defiles them.”
What you eat does not defile you. You are defiled by the content of your thoughts, expressed in words. 

 12 Then the disciples came to him and asked, “Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this?”
And what was the answer of the Lord Jesus to this? Essentially, let them be offended.

 13 He replied, “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be pulled up by the roots.
Wait. If God has not planted the Pharisees, they will be uprooted.
14 Leave them; they are blind guides. If the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit.”
 They are blind to God’s will, actions and character. They will destroy themselves, and those who follow them will similarly be destroyed.

 15 Peter said, “Explain the parable to us.”
   16 “Are you still so dull?” Jesus asked them. 17 “Don’t you see that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out of the body? 18 But the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart, and these defile them. 19 For out of the heart come evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. 20 These are what defile a person; but eating with unwashed hands does not defile them.”
Nothing external can defile a person. It is what is in the heart,which will be expressed by the mouth which defiles a person, slander, lies and evil thoughts.

The Faith of a Canaanite Woman

 21 Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. 22 A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is demon-possessed and suffering terribly.”

 23 Jesus did not answer a word. So his disciples came to him and urged him, “Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us.”
 24 He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.”
 25 The woman came and knelt before him. “Lord, help me!” she said.

She is not going to take no for an answer. She has the persistence of the patriarch Jacob.

 26 He replied, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.”

The covenant blessings.

 27 “Yes it is, Lord,” she said. “Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.”

She contradictions and argues with him in her desperation. In response, he essentially changes his mind, as God did in response to Abraham’s prayers. We see here the power of faith.
NIV note–Jesus was pleased with the woman’s reply. It revealed not only her wit, but also her faith and humility.

 28 Then Jesus said to her, “Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.” And her daughter was healed at that moment.

Jesus delays his answer three times–he first ignores her, then seems to refuse her. He is testing her faith. She persists in her prayer with a deep, prescient faith in his identity and power. Because she persists in her prayer–despite the fact that apparently it wasn’t going to be answered–her faith is rewarded.  I

t is done for her as she desires–

and her daughter is healed. 



 Faith brings about the answering of prayers.

ESV note–Though God’s plan was to bring salvation first to Israel and then to the Gentiles, Jesus responds to all who call upon him in true faith. The Gentile woman’s attitude of humble faith allowed Jesus healing ministry to operate.

Wikio

“He who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe….Thought for the Day

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Irene in Switzerland

“He who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe,

“

He who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe is as good as dead. His eyes are closed.
                                                               Albert Einstein
                                                                                                                                                

Irene, Zoe and I in Switzerland 

The Interpreter of Dreams, Genesis 41, Day 43, Feb 12, Blog Through the Bible Project

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Joseph interprets Pharaoh’s Dreams


Genesis 41

ESV–Throughout this chapter, Joseph acknowledges God as the source of his special gifting.

Pharaoh’s Dreams
1 When two full years had passed,

Two full years, languishing in prison. Two full years, alone with God! God waits until everything is just right inside Joseph. 
In solitude, in silence, in sensory deprivation, he was shaping and completing Joseph, and making him a man who could be trusted with power, and with the destiny of his people.
Desert times are apprenticeship times. May we never forget it.
The voice of God sounds most clearly in the desert.




 Pharaoh had a dream: He was standing by the Nile, 2 when out of the river there came up seven cows, sleek and fat, and they grazed among the reeds. 3 After them, seven other cows, ugly and gaunt, came up out of the Nile and stood beside those on the riverbank. 4 And the cows that were ugly and gaunt ate up the seven sleek, fat cows. Then Pharaoh woke up.

 5 He fell asleep again and had a second dream: Seven heads of grain, healthy and good, were growing on a single stalk. 6 After them, seven other heads of grain sprouted—thin and scorched by the east wind. 7 The thin heads of grain swallowed up the seven healthy, full heads. Then Pharaoh woke up; it had been a dream.
 8 In the morning his mind was troubled, so he sent for all the magicians and wise men of Egypt. Pharaoh told them his dreams, but no one could interpret them for him.
 9 Then the chief cupbearer said to Pharaoh, “Today I am reminded of my shortcomings. 10 Pharaoh was once angry with his servants, and he imprisoned me and the chief baker in the house of the captain of the guard. 11 Each of us had a dream the same night, and each dream had a meaning of its own. 12 Now a young Hebrew was there with us, a servant of the captain of the guard. We told him our dreams, and he interpreted them for us, giving each man the interpretation of his dream.13 And things turned out exactly as he interpreted them to us: I was restored to my position, and the other man was impaled.”
Because they were from the Lord.
All spiritual gifts are given by God, and used rightly they have a role in the destiny he has intended for us. 
14 So Pharaoh sent for Joseph, and he was quickly brought from the dungeon. When he had shaved and changed his clothes, he came before Pharaoh.
 15 Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I had a dream, and no one can interpret it. But I have heard it said of you that when you hear a dream you can interpret it.”
 16 “I cannot do it,” Joseph replied to Pharaoh, “but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires.”
He has learnt the peace of complete reliance on God. He now has the certainty that God will carry him through.

 17 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “In my dream I was standing on the bank of the Nile, 18 when out of the river there came up seven cows, fat and sleek, and they grazed among the reeds. 19 After them, seven other cows came up—scrawny and very ugly and lean. I had never seen such ugly cows in all the land of Egypt. 20 The lean, ugly cows ate up the seven fat cows that came up first. 21 But even after they ate them, no one could tell that they had done so; they looked just as ugly as before. Then I woke up.
 22 “In my dream I saw seven heads of grain, full and good, growing on a single stalk. 23 After them, seven other heads sprouted—withered and thin and scorched by the east wind. 24 The thin heads of grain swallowed up the seven good heads. I told this to the magicians, but none of them could explain it to me.”
 25 Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, “The dreams of Pharaoh are one and the same. God has revealed to Pharaoh what he is about to do. 26 The seven good cows are seven years, and the seven good heads of grain are seven years; it is one and the same dream. 27 The seven lean, ugly cows that came up afterward are seven years, and so are the seven worthless heads of grain scorched by the east wind: They are seven years of famine.
 28 “It is just as I said to Pharaoh: God has shown Pharaoh what he is about to do. 29 Seven years of great abundance are coming throughout the land of Egypt, 30but seven years of famine will follow them. Then all the abundance in Egypt will be forgotten, and the famine will ravage the land. 31 The abundance in the land will not be remembered, because the famine that follows it will be so severe. 32 The reason the dream was given to Pharaoh in two forms is that the matter has been firmly decided by God, and God will do it soon.
An aside: The destinies of men and nations shift. Times of great abundance can be followed by times of famine. Though I find saving really boring, and always think of the fool who built bigger barns when I think of saving, some provision for a time of “famine,” which is not an unlikely possibility in the lives of men, economic cycles and nations is but prudent.
NIV Repetition of a divine revelation was often used for emphasis.

33 “And now let Pharaoh look for a discerning and wise man and put him in charge of the land of Egypt. 34 Let Pharaoh appoint commissioners over the land to take a fifth of the harvest of Egypt during the seven years of abundance. 35 They should collect all the food of these good years that are coming and store up the grain under the authority of Pharaoh, to be kept in the cities for food. 36 This food should be held in reserve for the country, to be used during the seven years of famine that will come upon Egypt, so that the country may not be ruined by the famine.”

Hmm, Joseph’s suggested portion to save–20%
Pharaoh is deeply impressed by Joseph’s detailed instructions. He immediately recognized Joseph’s god-given administrative ability, and promotes him.

 37 The plan seemed good to Pharaoh and to all his officials. 38 So Pharaoh asked them, “Can we find anyone like this man, one in whom is the spirit of God?”
Joseph had found a friend in prison–the Spirit of God.
ESV note–The early readers of Genesis would have understood Joseph’s divine empowerment as being consistent with what they recognized as a recurring feature within Israelite religion. On various occasions, God empowered people for special service by giving them his spirit.

 39 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has made all this known to you, there is no one so discerning and wise as you. 40 You shall be in charge of my palace, and all my people are to submit to your orders. Only with respect to the throne will I be greater than you.”
So Pharaoh gets his savings plan implemented without troubling his pretty head about it. 
Joseph took a risk, went out on a limb and cared for the baker and cupbearer. His reward is this exaltation.
Joseph in Charge of Egypt

 41 So Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I hereby put you in charge of the whole land of Egypt.” 42 Then Pharaoh took his signet ring from his finger and put it on Joseph’s finger. He dressed him in robes of fine linen and put a gold chain around his neck. 43 He had him ride in a chariot as his second-in-command, and people shouted before him, “Make way!” Thus he put him in charge of the whole land of Egypt.

 44 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I am Pharaoh, but without your word no one will lift hand or foot in all Egypt.” 45 Pharaoh gave Joseph the name Zaphenath-Paneah and gave him Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On, to be his wife. And Joseph went throughout the land of Egypt.
 46 Joseph was thirty years old when he entered the service of Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from Pharaoh’s presence and traveled throughout Egypt.47 During the seven years of abundance the land produced plentifully. 48 Joseph collected all the food produced in those seven years of abundance in Egypt and stored it in the cities. In each city he put the food grown in the fields surrounding it. 49 Joseph stored up huge quantities of grain, like the sand of the sea; it was so much that he stopped keeping records because it was beyond measure.
 50 Before the years of famine came, two sons were born to Joseph by Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On. 51 Joseph named his firstborn Manasseh and said, “It is because God has made me forget all my trouble and all my father’s household.” 52 The second son he named Ephraim and said, “It is because God has made me fruitful in the land of my suffering.”
God can make us fruitful in the land of our suffering, in the land of our periods of greatest loneliness and sense of uselessness, of life passing us by. They are an apprenticeship with Christ, if we but let them be.
 ESV note–The names of the boys suggest that Joseph has not entirely forgotten the past. Manasseh means “making to forget” while Ephraim means “twice fruitful,” recalling the recurring theme of being fruitful.




53 The seven years of abundance in Egypt came to an end, 54 and the seven years of famine began, just as Joseph had said. There was famine in all the other lands, but in the whole land of Egypt there was food. 55 When all Egypt began to feel the famine, the people cried to Pharaoh for food. Then Pharaoh told all the Egyptians, “Go to Joseph and do what he tells you.”
 56 When the famine had spread over the whole country, Joseph opened all the storehouses and sold grain to the Egyptians, for the famine was severe throughout Egypt. 57 And all the world came to Egypt to buy grain from Joseph, because the famine was severe everywhere.

It is I. Why are you Afraid? Matthew 14, Day 43, Feb 12, Blog Through the Bible Project

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Matthew 14

Prophets Without Honour: Jesus is rejected, John the Baptist is beheaded; 

1 At that time Herod the tetrarch heard the reports about Jesus, 2 and he said to his attendants, “This is John the Baptist; he has risen from the dead! That is why miraculous powers are at work in him.”

 3 Now Herod had arrested John and bound him and put him in prison because of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, 4 for John had been saying to him: “It is not lawful for you to have her.” 5 Herod wanted to kill John, but he was afraid of the people, because they considered John a prophet.
Truth-telling can be dangerous.

 6 On Herod’s birthday the daughter of Herodias danced for the guests and pleased Herod so much 7 that he promised with an oath to give her whatever she asked.8 Prompted by her mother, she said, “Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist.” 9 The king was distressed, but because of his oaths and his dinner guests, he ordered that her request be granted 10 and had John beheaded in the prison. 11 His head was brought in on a platter and given to the girl, who carried it to her mother. 12 John’s disciples came and took his body and buried it. Then they went and told Jesus.
ESV–Herodius steps in to eliminate the accusing voice of John the Baptist, a threat to her husband’s reign.
Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand
 13 When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place.
Jesus is practicing what is called “Living with Margins.” He is taking some downtime to process this sad news.

Hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns. 14When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick.
But people appear in the middle of his downtime, and he has compassion on them, and heals their sick.
 15 As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food.”
 16 Jesus replied, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.”
He is a Can-Do Jesus. The God of Possibility.

 17 “We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered.
   18 “Bring them here to me,” he said. 19 And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. 20 They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. 21 The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children.
Be optimistic. Act in faith. Expect miracles. Be surprised. If necessary, start small.
This is the only miracles recorded in all four Gospels. The crowd is stranded in a desolate place. This recalls God’s provision of manna in the wilderness in Exodus.

Jesus Walks on the Water

 22 Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd.

The majestic figure of Jesus is able to MAKE (the Greek word means compel and suggests a crisis) the disciples get into the boat, and is able to dismiss a crowd of perhaps 10,000 (including women and children.) He was a compelling, magnetic figure of great charisma and authority.

 23 After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray.

Again we see the use of margins by Jesus, the bracketing of his life by prayer. Prayer before a demonstration of power. Prayer after it.

ESV note, In preparation for his mission into Gentile regions, and with his trials in Jerusalem impending, Jesus spends the evening and night in concentrated prayer with his Heavenly Father.


Later that night, he was there alone, 24 and the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.
 25 Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. 26 When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear.
 27 But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”
And these are great words he speaks to us in our crises, “Take courage. It is I. Don’t be afraid.”
ESV note, It is I, in the Greek, Ego Eimi, I am, recalls Yahweh’s voice from the burning bush (Exodus 3;14) 

   28 “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.”
   29 “Come,” he said.
Okay, we dream big. We ask God to bless our dreams. We sense he is doing so. And now what? Now, we need to step out of the boat and walk on water. Start acting on what we have prayed for.

   Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. 30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”
And Peter begins stepping out in faith. But then he sees the obstacles, and realizes he is doing what, humanly speaking, is not possible. Once fear overwhelms him, he is no longer able to do what he was doing before. He begins to sink.

 31 Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”
Once he starts doubting the power of Jesus, Peter can no longer do what he did before. Jesus mercifully helps him, while rebuking him.
Oh Lord, strengthen my faith so that I may not be rebuked by you.

 32 And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. 33 Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”
It is hard to realize the majesty of Jesus. And now those who saw them 24/7 realized afresh exactly who it was that they were dealing with.
ESV notes–By walking on water in a furious storm, Jesus demonstrates that he indeed is the Lord over all creation, and so there is no need to be afraid,or to doubt. The only fitting response is to worship Jesus and to acknowledge that truly he is the Son of God.

34 When they had crossed over, they landed at Gennesaret. 35 And when the men of that place recognized Jesus, they sent word to all the surrounding country. People brought all their sick to him 36 and begged him to let the sick just touch the edge of his cloak, and all who touched it were healed. 
It was their faith which healed them, not the cloak, of course.  

Wikio

Absolute Surrender, and the Christian Life

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I am not athletic. At all! During a family trip to the Dunes du Pyla near Bordeaux, the largest sand dune in Europe, I sat on the sand, watching my family climb it, and enjoy the views up the sand-mountain.I have stood at edge of rinks, and watched Roy ice-skate; sat at the edge of pools, and watched Zoe and Irene dive. Last Christmas, I stood on the beach in New Zealand, while Zoe swam up and touched a tame dolphin in Gisborne, New Zealand, called Moko.

This is an extended metaphor for the Christian life without absolute surrender to God. You can get to the dune, to the pool, to the ocean, to the ice-rink but not really experience the views, the swimming, the gliding, unless you enter in through the narrow gate.

Which is absolute surrender to the will of God.

Absolute surrender is the way to live, leaving more and more of the business of our lives in God’s competent hands. An action, an act of will which we might need to go through several times in a day!

It is the narrow gate into life. It is like death to do it. Have I done it fully?

No, alas, not yet, but I do try to bring my life area by area, into sync with the will of God, just as I am decluttering my house, and bringing order into it, room by room, inch by inch.

I have resisted for years, but I now think, like most hard things, the sooner one gets it done with, the better. The sooner one can begin to enjoy life, to experience joy.

It is I. Why are you Afraid. Matthew 14, Day 43, Feb 12, Blog Through the Bible Project

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Matthew 14

Prophets Without Honour: Jesus is rejected, John the Baptist is beheaded; 

1 At that time Herod the tetrarch heard the reports about Jesus, 2 and he said to his attendants, “This is John the Baptist; he has risen from the dead! That is why miraculous powers are at work in him.”

 3 Now Herod had arrested John and bound him and put him in prison because of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, 4 for John had been saying to him: “It is not lawful for you to have her.” 5 Herod wanted to kill John, but he was afraid of the people, because they considered John a prophet.
Truth-telling can be dangerous.

 6 On Herod’s birthday the daughter of Herodias danced for the guests and pleased Herod so much 7 that he promised with an oath to give her whatever she asked.8 Prompted by her mother, she said, “Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist.” 9 The king was distressed, but because of his oaths and his dinner guests, he ordered that her request be granted 10 and had John beheaded in the prison. 11 His head was brought in on a platter and given to the girl, who carried it to her mother. 12 John’s disciples came and took his body and buried it. Then they went and told Jesus.
ESV–Herodius steps in to eliminate the accusing voice of John the Baptist, a threat to her husband’s reign.
Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand
 13 When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place.
Jesus is practicing what is called “Living with Margins.” He is taking some downtime to process this sad news.

Hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns. 14When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick.
But people appear in the middle of his downtime, and he has compassion on them, and heals their sick.
 15 As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food.”
 16 Jesus replied, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.”
He is a Can-Do Jesus. The God of Possibility.

 17 “We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered.
   18 “Bring them here to me,” he said. 19 And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. 20 They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. 21 The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children.
Be optimistic. Act in faith. Expect miracles. Be surprised. If necessary, start small.
This is the only miracles recorded in all four Gospels. The crowd is stranded in a desolate place. This recalls God’s provision of manna in the wilderness in Exodus.

Jesus Walks on the Water
 22 Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd.
The majestic figure of Jesus is able to MAKE (the Greek word means compel and suggests a crisis) the disciples get into the boat, and is able to dismiss a crowd of perhaps 10,000 (including women and children.) He was a compelling, magnetic figure of great charisma and authority.

 23 After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray.
Again we see the use of margins by Jesus, the bracketing of his life by prayer. Prayer before a demonstration of power. Prayer after it.
ESV note, In preparation for his mission into Gentile regions, and with his trials in Jerusalem impending, Jesus spends the evening and night in concentrated prayer with his Heavenly Father.

Later that night, he was there alone, 24 and the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.
 25 Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. 26 When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear.
 27 But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”
And these are great words he speaks to us in our crises, “Take courage. It is I. Don’t be afraid.”
ESV note, It is I, in the Greek, Ego Eimi, I am, recalls Yahweh’s voice from the burning bush (Exodus 3;14) 

   28 “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.”
   29 “Come,” he said.
Okay, we dream big. We ask God to bless our dreams. We sense he is doing so. And now what? Now, we need to step out of the boat and walk on water. Start acting on what we have prayed for.

   Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. 30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”
And Peter begins stepping out in faith. But then he sees the obstacles, and realizes he is doing what, humanly speaking, is not possible. Once fear overwhelms him, he is no longer able to do what he was doing before. He begins to sink.

 31 Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”
Once he starts doubting the power of Jesus, Peter can no longer do what he did before. Jesus mercifully helps him, while rebuking him.
Oh Lord, strengthen my faith so that I may not be rebuked by you.

 32 And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. 33 Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”
It is hard to realize the majesty of Jesus. And now those who saw them 24/7 realized afresh exactly who it was that they were dealing with.
ESV notes–By walking on water in a furious storm, Jesus demonstrates that he indeed is the Lord over all creation, and so there is no need to be afraid,or to doubt. The only fitting response is to worship Jesus and to acknowledge that truly he is the Son of God.

34 When they had crossed over, they landed at Gennesaret. 35 And when the men of that place recognized Jesus, they sent word to all the surrounding country. People brought all their sick to him 36 and begged him to let the sick just touch the edge of his cloak, and all who touched it were healed. 
It was their faith which healed them, not the cloak, of course.  

Prayer and Lists

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The iPhone of course has a prayer list app






I have of late been suffering from what Zen Buddhists call “monkey mind” when it comes to the time of prayer. It’s not that I don’t pray, or don’t switch off screens and sound;it’s just that my mind strolls or darts from thing to thing, and I am finding it harder to focus.


This is annoying as I often get much refreshment, comfort and guidance from prayer.



I am reminded of what Richard Foster wrote, “At times, prayer can seem not just a waste of time, but a waste of self.” When your mind is distracted, and it’s harder to focus on Christ, it can feel like waiting at an interminable red light, or queue. And the green light is when the timer goes off. 


I was brought up Catholic in a boarding school run by missionary nuns, who were regular in prayer, which was timed. They believed (and I believe this is a Catholic belief) that to sustain a spiritual life for the long haul, one should not prolong prayer when it seems sweet, or cut it short when it seems dreary. So I set a timer for half an hour (to be followed by an hour of reading, meditating and sometimes blogging on the four Gospels, in order), and sometimes as I finally get calm and focussed—the timer goes. Drat. I linger a bit longer, of course, but not long.
                                                                       * * *


Prayer Lists. I used them as a new Christian, and then, as I became better friends with Christ, abandoned them. Imagine sitting with my husband, Roy with a timer (We do sometimes use a timer when we are busy, and want to chat—or when we are mad at each other and want to give each person 3 uninterrupted minutes to explain why they might have married the worst person in the world. But if it’s a rendezvous we’re enjoying, we often ignore the timer, and if the other person gets all his facts wrong (pronoun used deliberately) in a epic fight, we sometimes ignore the timer too.) 


However, imagine using a list in a conversation with Roy. Adoration- Roy, you’re handsome. I love your beard. Contrition–Sorry, not up to much of late. Thanksgiving–Thanks for cooking roast duck last night. Supplication–Please sort out the garage. Sorry, can’t go on, there goes the timer.


Actually, it doesn’t sound too bad. And these things need to be said. I had abandoned lists because they seemed mechanical and boring. However, we were talking about it in pastorate last week, and people said that it was the only way they could pray faithfully about things. They talked about staggered lists, different things for different days, as the way to not get bored when you need to pray persistently for people/things/situations.


So that is what I am going to do: have a list, different for each day, so that I do get to pray and move intractable situations in my own life, in the lives of those I care for, and in my world.