"Now when Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowd were astounded at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority, and not as their scribes." (Matt 7.28-29)
During chapters 5, 6 and 7 Matthew has led us through Jesus' ethical teaching in the 'Sermon on the Mount'. Here though, Matthew is ready to lead us into a new section, driving home a different emphasis. The key word is found in verse 29 and regularly over the following chapters. It is 'authority'. In the above verses Matthew is showing us that the authority of Jesus' teaching was unmatched, as was recognised by those gathered to hear him (verse 28). But Jesus' authority does not end with teaching. He is not merely the mouthpiece of God. Jesus in fact is here to heal as well as to preach. In his ministry these two elements are indivisible. Tragically, his disciples (i.e. us) are the ones who have separated teaching and healing and do so to this day.
To illustrate this point Matthew leads us through a series of healings, which demonstrate to us that Jesus has authority over physical sickness where he is present (Matt 8.1-4) and even when he is absent (8.5-13). Where there is faith present great things can be done in his name. In verse 23 we see that his authority does not merely extend to the physical realm. He is also Lord over nature itself and so he is able to still a storm.
Moreover, he commands opposing demonic forces to do whatever he pleases. This Jesus is Lord of all things and the word that keeps cropping up in Matthew's account is 'authority'. What does it take to participate in this authority? Faith. This was the key ingredient to see Jesus' authority at work then and nothing has changed. Faith can be interpreted in many ways but what I would suggest it is pointing towards here is a 'reliance on the authority of Jesus'. So to see Jesus work in the world simply need to believe that he can and will work in the world - indeed he is working in the world.
The church is in desperate need of this sort of faith in this present age. We need to come to see Jesus for who he is again. We have, I believe, spent far too long concentrating on the problems in the world and far too little time looking at the solution, the Lord of all, even the Lord of death. There is no crisis, economic, spiritual, physical or otherwise that he does not have Lordship over. Let us ask him to show us who he is once again.
Saturday 24 January 2009
Some things I realised this morning...
1) The world does not revolve around me.
2) My life is not about me; it is about God.
3) I am not in control of anything.
4) I am fragile.
5) How much would I give away if I knew I could die anytime?
6) If my life is not about me there is absolutely no need to worry about anything.
Thank God!
2) My life is not about me; it is about God.
3) I am not in control of anything.
4) I am fragile.
5) How much would I give away if I knew I could die anytime?
6) If my life is not about me there is absolutely no need to worry about anything.
Thank God!
Saturday 3 January 2009
Matthew 3.1-12
A figure arrives out of nowhere at the beginning of chapter 3. His name is John the Baptizer. He comes to fulfill what Isaiah had pointed towards in Isaiah 40.3, namely 'to prepare the way for the Lord', the one who was to come and sort out the mess Israel found itself in (messiah). He was to make Jesus' paths straight, which is to say that his job was to get the people to a place where they could recognise the messiah when he came. His method for doing this was calling people to repent and be baptised. That is to say he led people to begin afresh, to turn their lives around in readiness for the appearance of the Kingdom of God (3.2). This coming near of the Kingdom was the mission of the messiah.
What strikes me about John most of all is that he is so clear in his understanding of what he has come to do, so much so that he does not deviate from this path in any way. John is not a people pleaser - just look at what he is wearing! In fact he is so free of the need to please others that he is able to tell the religious leaders of the day to their face that their time has been and gone, their 'kingdom' has come to an end. In his own language 'the axe is lying at the root of the tree' (the tree is an OT metaphor for Israel here employed to refer to the current leadership of Israel). These guys had been instrumental in making the mess and they needed to know they could not be part of the solution in their current state.
But in John's criticism comes a challenge in verse 10; that those who want to carry on in the new Kingdom God is building must not only turn back from the ways of the old kingdom, the old power based structures and such, but must also example this by bearing good fruit. This is an instruction to prove it or lose it. All that do not will be thrown into the fire. Perhaps the fire is for purification as much as destruction, but certainly it will be a painful experience.
The fire metaphor is carried over to verse 11 to talk about Jesus where we discover that Jesus is the one who will be bringing the fire. Indeed, the fire is his Holy Spirit given to those who repent and bear good fruit. This is another type of baptism which only Jesus can bring. Those that do not choose to receive this will instead be choosing fire of a different kind, which seems to refer to judgment (3.12).
John makes me ask the questions; am I too comfortable to be of any use in announcing Jesus? do I care too much about what other people think of me to really be able to follow Him? how can I prepare the way for Jesus? what is standing in the way of me doing this?
What strikes me about John most of all is that he is so clear in his understanding of what he has come to do, so much so that he does not deviate from this path in any way. John is not a people pleaser - just look at what he is wearing! In fact he is so free of the need to please others that he is able to tell the religious leaders of the day to their face that their time has been and gone, their 'kingdom' has come to an end. In his own language 'the axe is lying at the root of the tree' (the tree is an OT metaphor for Israel here employed to refer to the current leadership of Israel). These guys had been instrumental in making the mess and they needed to know they could not be part of the solution in their current state.
But in John's criticism comes a challenge in verse 10; that those who want to carry on in the new Kingdom God is building must not only turn back from the ways of the old kingdom, the old power based structures and such, but must also example this by bearing good fruit. This is an instruction to prove it or lose it. All that do not will be thrown into the fire. Perhaps the fire is for purification as much as destruction, but certainly it will be a painful experience.
The fire metaphor is carried over to verse 11 to talk about Jesus where we discover that Jesus is the one who will be bringing the fire. Indeed, the fire is his Holy Spirit given to those who repent and bear good fruit. This is another type of baptism which only Jesus can bring. Those that do not choose to receive this will instead be choosing fire of a different kind, which seems to refer to judgment (3.12).
John makes me ask the questions; am I too comfortable to be of any use in announcing Jesus? do I care too much about what other people think of me to really be able to follow Him? how can I prepare the way for Jesus? what is standing in the way of me doing this?
Matthew Chapters 1-2
I had never before realised how prominent a figure Joseph is in the early gospel story, as recorded by Matthew. He is, in fact, significantly more prominent than Mary who is only mentioned explicitly twice (vv18 & 20) and twice more implicitly (vv21 & 22). Even when Mary is mentioned explicitly she is always referred to in relation to Joseph or in relation to her task. In verse 18 she is 'engaged to Joseph', in verse 20 she is Joseph's 'wife'. There is no doubt that Joseph is the hero of this early story. He is the recipient of the vast majority of the divine interaction; he is witness to two Angelic apparitions (1.20 & 2.13) in his sleep and two further instructive dreams (2.12 & 2.22), which guide this fledgling family on their way.
Perhaps the fact that he is the recipient of such divine help is only an indication that he needed it more than the others. Putting myself in his shoes I can see why that might be the case. What would he be feeling? His wife-to-be had only 9 months previously broken the news to him that she was pregnant and he was not the father! Since then he had travelled to Bethlehem, Egypt and now to Nazareth, a backwater town, in fear of his life and the life of his family. He had the responsibility of caring for his young wife and his young son Jesus, who is to 'save his people from their sins' (2.21). I would imagine he was asking some serious questions of God; what did I do to deserve this? Why choose me? He is in awe. He must be frightened, terrified in fact. This must have been something akin to a waking dream, perhaps a nightmare at times. But yet in the face of all of this he consistently makes the right decision, to be obedient to God.
Much has been made in the history of the church of the heroism of Mary, and yes, she is worthy of much of it. But Joseph is without doubt a hero too. On him rested the massive responsibility of keeping this vulnerable troupe alive and he responded with great courage and distinction. But the same thing that marked Mary out as a heroine marks him out as hero - he was obedient. He said yes. Again and again and again, he said yes.
And that is the challenge for each of us too. Will we be people who say 'yes'? People who surrender our agenda to God and in so doing allow Him to make something more of our lives than we could ever make under our own steam? If we do we can be certain that this will lead us into a story far bigger than us, the same story that Mary and Joseph stepped into when they said yes to receiving the Messiah Jesus, the Saviour of the world.
Perhaps the fact that he is the recipient of such divine help is only an indication that he needed it more than the others. Putting myself in his shoes I can see why that might be the case. What would he be feeling? His wife-to-be had only 9 months previously broken the news to him that she was pregnant and he was not the father! Since then he had travelled to Bethlehem, Egypt and now to Nazareth, a backwater town, in fear of his life and the life of his family. He had the responsibility of caring for his young wife and his young son Jesus, who is to 'save his people from their sins' (2.21). I would imagine he was asking some serious questions of God; what did I do to deserve this? Why choose me? He is in awe. He must be frightened, terrified in fact. This must have been something akin to a waking dream, perhaps a nightmare at times. But yet in the face of all of this he consistently makes the right decision, to be obedient to God.
Much has been made in the history of the church of the heroism of Mary, and yes, she is worthy of much of it. But Joseph is without doubt a hero too. On him rested the massive responsibility of keeping this vulnerable troupe alive and he responded with great courage and distinction. But the same thing that marked Mary out as a heroine marks him out as hero - he was obedient. He said yes. Again and again and again, he said yes.
And that is the challenge for each of us too. Will we be people who say 'yes'? People who surrender our agenda to God and in so doing allow Him to make something more of our lives than we could ever make under our own steam? If we do we can be certain that this will lead us into a story far bigger than us, the same story that Mary and Joseph stepped into when they said yes to receiving the Messiah Jesus, the Saviour of the world.
Matthew's Gospel
Over the coming weeks and months I am hoping to write some observations on Matthew's gospel as I read it for myself. Last year I did the 'Bible in a Year, which was a good discipline but did not leave room to let the bible breathe. I am hoping to go deeper into the New Testament this year - particularly the gospels - as I am embarrassed by how little I know of what Jesus actually said.
There won't be any real scholarship behind what I'm doing - you can get that elsewhere - but hopefully something will grab your attention and provoke your thinking.
There won't be any real scholarship behind what I'm doing - you can get that elsewhere - but hopefully something will grab your attention and provoke your thinking.
Friday 2 January 2009
Where is the life?
This is nothing new I know, but it has struck me again this week that growth and life are always to be found on the margins of the institutions and organisations; on the margins of society - perhaps even on the margins of the human self.
This observation clearly has implications for how we structure our churches, our businesses, perhaps even our society. In terms of our churches, increasingly we will need them to be more fluid and focussed towards those who are not currently members. (FYI - I am not talking about implementing 'seeker services' so much as ridding ourselves of services as we know them. Who is getting served after all?) It also has clear implications for how we should be living. Namely we must people who are ready to make our home on the borders of our society. As Christians we have seen this kind of life in action in Jesus. He was born on the margins and in disgrace, he lived on the margins, even died on the margins outside the walls of the city.
Let the church once again find its place on the margins of society (disestablishment?). Let us give up the search to be in with the 'in crowd'. Let's instead spend our time getting in with the wrong crowd and building communities there. Let's spend less money on new church buildings and more on building homes for the homeless. Less time working out how to best 'worship' God and more time doing it. Maybe then we will rediscover our prophetic witness to the world, which I would argue we have almost completely surrendered.
I don't pretend to be living this kind of life by the way. But I would love to try. Are you interested? It can't be done alone. It will certainly cost us the life we dreamed we might live. But I believe Jesus on this one, I think the rewards will more than compensate for the loss.
This observation clearly has implications for how we structure our churches, our businesses, perhaps even our society. In terms of our churches, increasingly we will need them to be more fluid and focussed towards those who are not currently members. (FYI - I am not talking about implementing 'seeker services' so much as ridding ourselves of services as we know them. Who is getting served after all?) It also has clear implications for how we should be living. Namely we must people who are ready to make our home on the borders of our society. As Christians we have seen this kind of life in action in Jesus. He was born on the margins and in disgrace, he lived on the margins, even died on the margins outside the walls of the city.
Let the church once again find its place on the margins of society (disestablishment?). Let us give up the search to be in with the 'in crowd'. Let's instead spend our time getting in with the wrong crowd and building communities there. Let's spend less money on new church buildings and more on building homes for the homeless. Less time working out how to best 'worship' God and more time doing it. Maybe then we will rediscover our prophetic witness to the world, which I would argue we have almost completely surrendered.
I don't pretend to be living this kind of life by the way. But I would love to try. Are you interested? It can't be done alone. It will certainly cost us the life we dreamed we might live. But I believe Jesus on this one, I think the rewards will more than compensate for the loss.
Thursday 1 January 2009
Being one of the kids
I have been thinking a bit recently about my own childhood. About how I became who I am, both for good and for ill. I have realised that many of my fears and worries now come from my erroneous belief that I am the one who has to be in control of my life; that I have to make things happen. After all, if I am not working to make life happen, who will?
Who knows when I started to think like this? All I know is that it is the root of much of my anxiety. I am noticing more and more that it also saps me of real hope. When I look at the world, the church and my life with my controlling mind I cannot help but feel hopeless. How could this mess ever come to any good? The answer of course is that it cannot as long as I am in control. But true hope rests not on the created order, of which I am a paltry part, but on the Creator who never changes.
My trouble is that I think way too much like an adult. In fact I think way too much like I am a god. I put myself in God's shoes and then spend all my time trying to control the world around me so that I can remain unharmed. As Bruce Almighty should have shown us - if not the 10 commandments - we were not cut out to be Gods, but kids.
And this is the secret to gaining access to both hope and peace. As with most of Jesus' teaching it is both simple and very difficult. See Mark 10.13-16 (NKJV).
"Then they brought little children to Him, that He might touch them; but the disciples rebuked those who brought them. 14 But when Jesus saw it, He was greatly displeased and said to them, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God. 15 Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it.” 16 And He took them up in His arms, laid His hands on them, and blessed them."
It seems to me that Jesus is saying that the only ones who will enter the kingdom of God are those who are willing to become children. This seems to echo something of what he was saying to Nicodemus in John 3. Children are those who are willing to lay down control of their lives, allowing God to be the parent. These ones will be taken up into Jesus' own arms and cared for by him (v16).
Children trust in the goodness of their reality even to the point of naivete, living their lives in radical dependence on their parents. This can get them into trouble but it is the right sort of trouble to be in. There is a certain risk to living this kind of trust-filled life and it is certainly not for the faint of heart. Children are the courageous ones! But they are also lighthearted, hopeful, joyful, playful, kind and generous. This is the kind of life I want to pursue in 2009. May this new year be the year of radical dependence on God, the year of becoming a child once again!
Who knows when I started to think like this? All I know is that it is the root of much of my anxiety. I am noticing more and more that it also saps me of real hope. When I look at the world, the church and my life with my controlling mind I cannot help but feel hopeless. How could this mess ever come to any good? The answer of course is that it cannot as long as I am in control. But true hope rests not on the created order, of which I am a paltry part, but on the Creator who never changes.
My trouble is that I think way too much like an adult. In fact I think way too much like I am a god. I put myself in God's shoes and then spend all my time trying to control the world around me so that I can remain unharmed. As Bruce Almighty should have shown us - if not the 10 commandments - we were not cut out to be Gods, but kids.
And this is the secret to gaining access to both hope and peace. As with most of Jesus' teaching it is both simple and very difficult. See Mark 10.13-16 (NKJV).
"Then they brought little children to Him, that He might touch them; but the disciples rebuked those who brought them. 14 But when Jesus saw it, He was greatly displeased and said to them, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God. 15 Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it.” 16 And He took them up in His arms, laid His hands on them, and blessed them."
It seems to me that Jesus is saying that the only ones who will enter the kingdom of God are those who are willing to become children. This seems to echo something of what he was saying to Nicodemus in John 3. Children are those who are willing to lay down control of their lives, allowing God to be the parent. These ones will be taken up into Jesus' own arms and cared for by him (v16).
Children trust in the goodness of their reality even to the point of naivete, living their lives in radical dependence on their parents. This can get them into trouble but it is the right sort of trouble to be in. There is a certain risk to living this kind of trust-filled life and it is certainly not for the faint of heart. Children are the courageous ones! But they are also lighthearted, hopeful, joyful, playful, kind and generous. This is the kind of life I want to pursue in 2009. May this new year be the year of radical dependence on God, the year of becoming a child once again!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
