June 29
Matthew chapters 10-12
Holy
cow, it's hot! These are the triple-digit days in Sacramento that
finally are too much for me (that's in the high 30's - mid 40's for my
Euro friends). I like the temperature outside to be between 85 and 95 -
warm enough to open every window in the house and have a cold one while
watching the ballgame.
But I was awake at 4:40am, even though
my alarm clock didn't go off. It's Saturday, and I realize I need to do
my chores early before it gets to be steaming, but really? I managed
to stretch it a couple more hours, but the first thing I thought of when
I rolled out of bed was "How cool is it that I get to take my time to
read and write my quiet time today!"
Sent out, but not without
instruction. He chose 12, but he's talking to all of us. It's still
the message of "Don't worry, I'll take care of you" but this time it's
with specific ministry instructions, not just general life. He tells us
not to worry about everyday life, but what do we fill up our extra time
with? Well, heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out
demons. In other words, there are more important things to be doing
than just the day-to-day issues.
Separation. Most of the rest of
these chapters, to me at least, is about separation. Jesus is telling
us what will happen to us when we obey Him - we will be singled out.
Sometimes, that means we'll be derided, sometimes it even means they'll
kill us, they being everyone else who isn't His. But Jesus doesn't
dwell on that bit - here it is, it will happen, get on with your
ministry.
What the biggest part of the conversation becomes is an
indictment of, well, organized religion. You can become too concerned
with following the rules and not enough concerned about preaching the
Gospel.
Now, what I'm about to say is controversial, just a warning.
I'm
in California. The Definition of Marriage Act that was passed a couple
of years ago was something I did not support. The DOMA targeted a
specific minority group, as opposed to being a general law for the whole
people. The law has to be the law for everyone, or it's meaningless. I
was glad when the Supreme Court kaboshed it, but not for the reason
everyone else was.
However, I don't approve of homosexuality.
God says it's a sin. But there are several people in my life who are
gay. I can't let that stop me from showing God's love to them any more
than I can let vagrancy or fornication (a big word, I know). The
homeless guy, he needs to eat once in awhile - and I have three of them
in my church choir. Two of my children live with their partners, one of
them has two children. Am I going to reject them? No, I'm going to
love my granddaughters and make sure my "in-laws" are well-loved. Am I
going to let his homosexuality keep me from laughing and hanging out
with the guy in the next cubicle at work? No, but I'm going to invite
him to church to hear my choir sing. And in all of this, I'm going to
live my life as a Godly woman, showing without preaching, living without
rejecting. Separated from them, speaking God's love to them.
Even Lot was allowed to live among them, searching for even just 10 righteous men.
The
Pharisees were quite the opposite. They rejected the unknown, accused
Jesus of being the devil, nit-picked at every little thing he did.
Jesus wasn't afraid of that, and he wasn't going to let them get away
with it. "Can a house divided against itself stand?" If the devil is
doing all this, why is he casting out demons? It doesn't make any
sense.
If you are willing to accept it. Jesus tells the Jews
that they listened to the prophets before (and rejected them, mostly)
and that John was the greatest of these men. But even John had no
comparison to the Son of Man. Jesus wasn't a prophet. Oh, he
prophesied, no doubt, but He is God. John was appointed to prepare the
way, but God, in His infinite wisdom and love, sent His Son Jesus to be
the one who would cleanse us from out sins.
Nothing is better
than that. All the healing the disciples did, all the baptisms of John,
all the adoration were nothing compared to the power of God as Jesus.
Jesus, the human who was also Jesus Jehovah. He was separate.
The same God as the Holy Spirit dwells within us too. But we have to be willing to accept it. I do.
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