The Donkey's Burden

 

Before Jesus’ birth in human form to Mary, she and He rode on a beast of burden to Bethlehem. That beast, a donkey, did not know where he was going until Jospeh led him there. He did not recognize the heavy prize he carried. The donkey plod under the weight of pregnant Mary going to where Joseph led him. He became one of the first in creation to witness the newborn King.

Skip forward thirty-three years to Jesus’ triumphal entry to Jerusalem. More happens than a donkey found, cloaks laid on the donkey, and cloaks and palm branches laid on the ground. Consider what each of the people in these verses consider and call Jesus. This comprehension will lead to an understanding of Jesus’ authority to cleanse the temple and die for each person.

As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and, at once, you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, say that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away” (Matt. 21:1-3, NIV).

Matthew chapter twenty-one tells of Jesus and His disciples going to Jerusalem for the Passover. The disciples had seen Jesus heal people, give sight to the blind, welcome the lowly and poor, and eat with the outcasts. They saw Jesus teaching with power and authority. When Jesus instructed the disciples to fetch a donkey and told them how to respond to inquiries about it, Matthew's readers grasped that the disciples acknowledged Jesus' authority. To the disciples, Jesus was more than just a teacher. He was more than a rabbi. The disciples recognized Jesus for who He is, the sent One from Yahweh, the God who is, was, and always will be. They followed Jesus’ instructions assured of the truth of what Jesus said. Yahweh and Jesus have authority.

This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet: “Say to Daughter Zion, ‘See, your King comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey’” (Matthew 21:4-5).

Jesus, to the disciples and other followers, was more than a rabbi. He showed He had authority over life, death, sickness, and health. Jesus spoke truth with power and gave His authority and power to His disciples. In verses four and five, Matthew reminded his readers and hearers of what Zechariah prophesied at God’s command in Zechariah 9:9. He foretold this King. This King of which Zechariah spoke foreshadowed the Messiah. Zechariah prophesied, “Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout in triumph, O Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your King comes to you, righteous and victorious, humble and riding on a donkey.” Matthew agreed with what Zechariah wrote and proclaimed it happened when Jesus entered Jerusalem just days before His betrayal, arrest, and crucifixion. He reiterated what Zechariah said and pointed out Jesus is the King. As one who has authority, Jesus is the King, Matthew declared. He was the one riding on a donkey that day. As the proclaimed King, Matthew attested to and declared Jesus is the sovereign leader in governance, military, and religious life. Jesus is ruler over all life, Matthew made sure the people understood. Jesus is the one who came to fulfill God’s foretold prophecy, of which Zechariah spoke. Matthew declared Jesus the divine King from God. Jesus has all authority, sovereignty, and power. He is more than an earthly king. In exercising His authority, the people had seen, heard, and realized, Jesus is humble, humble enough to fulfill the prophecies foretold by each prophet. He, the one Yahweh promised, will save humanity from sin and death.

Jesus, Matthew wrote, has authority and power, and is sovereign over all that is. Verse nine tells Matthew’s readers more about Jesus. He described non-disciples' reactions to Jesus, revealing their viewpoint of Him.

The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. They brought the donkey and the colt and placed their cloaks on them for Jesus to sit on. A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The crowds that went ahead of Him and those that followed shouted, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heaven” (Matthew 21: 6-9).

Matthew recorded the disciples’ obedience, the donkey owner’s recognition and permission, and a large crowd's acknowledgement in these verses. The disciples and donkey owner recognized Jesus’ authority and honor. The crowd’s reaction to Jesus entering Jerusalem shouted of who Jesus was in their minds. Potentially, this perception took hold in the people’s hearts. The authority the crowd inferred and the words they proclaimed about Jesus as He rode the donkey into Jerusalem declared who they believed and wanted Jesus to be. They called Jesus the Son of David, the One whom the LORD sent.

So far, in Matthew 21, the disciples and the donkey owner affirmed their belief in Jesus’ authority, power, and sovereignty as the King who came to fulfill the prophecies. Now, the regular people, the Jews, exclaimed “Hosanna,” which in Hebrew meant, “Lord save us”. By the New Testament time, hosanna meant to praise and exalt. More interestingly, the crowd referred to Jesus as the Son of David. King David is an ancestor of Jesus, as a son of Mary and Joseph. This exclamation by the crowd meant more than that. A son in Jewish understanding brings with it a covenantal relationship with God. Mary and Joseph’s firstborn son was a fulfillment of God’s prophecy to them and to humanity, as the angel told them. When the crowd declared Jesus as the Son of David, they recognized Him as fulfilling the prophecy. Jesus was the direct blood descendent of their beloved King David, the covenantal son between God and Mary and Joseph, the covenant God had with Israel, and the fulfillment of God’s promises to send a Messiah. Jesus is the physical and spiritual fulfillment of God’s covenant and prophecies. As the Son of David, the people declared Jesus as the Son of God, the prophesied Messiah from God.

When the crowds of people proclaimed, “Hosanna to the Son of David,” they exalted and praised Yahweh and the Son, Jesus the Messiah. They exclaimed Lord and King, save us! This equating Jesus as the Son of David and anointed Holy One from God was not an interpretive stretch.

The people continued exalting and proclaiming in verse nine by saying, “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.” They recognized Jesus was the blessing from God. He was God embodied. The people exalted and praised God and Jesus, and they exclaimed Jesus came from God. Coming in the name of the Lord meant Jesus came with the reputation, glory, and renown of Yahweh (the LORD) because they recognized God sent Him. Saying Jesus came in the name of Yahweh meant He came with the authority, character, reputation, and identity of God. Jesus came from God and is God; He is the essence of God.

Jesus is Lord, King, and Teacher with authority, power, majesty, renown, and sovereignty. God sent Him to bless and fulfill Yahweh’s covenant with His people, Israel. By people’s trust in what He said and did, Jesus demonstrated He was the Son of David, the King, the Messiah, and the Teacher.

When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?” The crowds answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee” (Matthew 21:10-11).

This recognition by the disciples, donkey owner, and the crowds flocking to Jerusalem for the Passover occurred before Jesus arrived in Jerusalem. When Jesus entered the gate of Jerusalem, the people inside the city heard the crowd/s praises. They wondered who or what caused the stir. The Greek word for “stir” speaks of a metaphorical agitation from an earthquake. This stir shook the people inside the gates and made them ask questions and pay attention. When God enters, people and all creation notice. They ask about the ruckus.

When the people in Jerusalem asked who the man was who rode upon a donkey, the crowds replied. Their answer showed some people had become stirred up by God’s presence; but, they may not have understood who Jesus was. The people who replied to the question Matthew recorded in verse ten called Jesus a prophet from Nazareth of Galilee. They were correct, but did not know the whole truth yet. These people would get to watch the unfolding moments and days in Jerusalem. They would watch the working out of God’s salvation plan. The people would hear, then some would believe, that Jesus was more than a prophet. Jesus was the ultimate prophet, the One who heralded—prophesied—His own coming with the consummation of His life-given sacrifice and life-giving resurrection. Until that time, people referred to Him as a prophet without fully grasping His roles as teacher, prophet, Son of David, King, and Lord.

Understanding who Jesus was, is, and will forever be is the doorway to eternal forgiveness and life. Jesus offers forgiveness because He paid the judgment price for sin with His life given as the sacrifice on the cross. With authority, He spoke to heal people. Jesus speaks even now and stirs each person to action, to seek Him or ignore the conviction. He commands with authority, and people go where He told them, or do not. Jesus, incarnate, lived a sinless life to defeat and offer pardon by His death.

Each person can put their trust in Him, thereby conquering sin and receiving Jesus’ cleansing forgiveness or not. The prophesied King, Jesus came from David’s and accomplished more than people anticipated. People can see and choose to trust in Jesus or not. Jesus carried and fulfilled God’s final covenant through His life, death, and resurrection. Some people choose to see, hear, listen, and understand, and others do not.

Many people proclaim with all creation, “Hosanna, save us, Lord! We praise and exalt You.” Yet many people do not. Jesus is one of the three personages that comprise God. The Jews on the road to Jerusalem that day recognized Jesus had God’s character, is, in His essence, God, the final King, the only Lord, eternal Yahweh, and Redeemer. Each person can choose to believe in Him or not. God never forces Himself on people. He calls each one. God stirs their hearts and minds. He puts people around them who believe and proclaim Him, like the disciples, donkey owner, and people in the crowd.

God had a higher purpose for a stubborn animal of burden. Jesus freed it from its tether. He called it to use for His purposes. Jesus had it walk with Him through the cheering and singing. Each of us is like this donkey. We can receive freedom by the Lord’s command. Given for His purposes. Walk in His parade. See Him work. Feel the weight of Him and His sorrows. And then watch as people accept Him. The Lord can grant us freedom, like this donkey, and use us for His purposes. We need only go to Him.

When Jesus slid off the donkey’s back, the donkey’s burden, though heavy for a moment, was no more. Jesus changed the role of the donkey. His burden became easy. The donkey’s divine burden brought joy, peace, hope, salvation, love, and eternal life to people. Jesus removed the burdensome weight and freed the donkey. He released the donkey for a greater purpose. At day’s end, the donkey’s master probably collected him, but the grandeur and excitement of that day may have never left the donkey or its owner. Jesus changed the donkey’s burden into joy. Each person can have their burdens exchanged for joy by receiving the freeing and redeeming mercy and grace God gives to everyone who believes in Jesus as their Savior.

The donkey was just an animal, but each person can be like a donkey, at times. Jesus can free you from the weight of your burden. He wants to do it. Jesus can use you for His higher calling. That does not mean you will not have to labor. Life will not always be easy. You can have joy, peace, and the knowledge that this life on earth is not the only purpose for which we live. We exchange the heavy burdens of the world for God’s. Jesus said in Matthew 11:28-30 that His yoke is easy, and His burden is light. You have an eternity to live with God awaiting you, for which you can look forward. What must you do for Jesus to save you? Paul summarized it in Romans 10:9-10. He wrote,

If you declare with your mouth “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified (made right with God), and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.

This boils down to the ABCs of becoming a Christian:

Admit you are a sinner.

Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior (from your sins and eternal death due to your sins).

Confess with your mouth your sins and your belief in Jesus. Then you will be saved.

Now is your time to allow the stirring in your heart and mind to lead you to Jesus and salvation, or not. You get to decide. You are at a decision point. I pray you follow God’s stirring in your heart and walk in the parade of the saints who preceded you. Join them and proclaim,

Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.

Hosanna in the highest heaven!

The Kingdom can be Yours

 

Scheming or Seeking

The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and in his joy, he went and sold all he had and bought that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls. (Matthew 13:44-45)

When we compare these two verses, we notice differences. By comparing the two men and their actions, we gain a clearer understanding of this passage. If you have read or heard these passages before, you found the moral taught was likely doing what needs done to gain the treasure for yourself. The treasure is salvation and eternal life. Yet, when we dig deeper, other aspects emerge from these two parables. Each verse is not a stand-alone parable. We should study each of them and note their similarities and differences.

While walking, the man in the first parable found buried treasure. We do not know if he pursued treasure or just stumbled upon it. Moreover, this man may have deceived the landowner by concealing the treasure found on his property. He may have paid less for the land than its true value by withholding the fact of the buried treasure. Overall, the man sold what he possessed to gain the treasure for himself. Treasure was valuable to him and to the hearers of the parable.

The man in the second parable was a merchant. He pursued valuable items to buy and resell. When he came upon a very rare pearl, he opted to sell all he owned to buy the pearl. This merchant sought treasures, whereas the first man may have only stumbled upon his find. The merchant looked in each oyster shell that was for sale to find the important and rare nugget—truth. He represents those who seek God and seek to understand Him in deeper ways. The merchant needed knowledge about pearls, their characteristics, and their monetary worth. In the second parable, upon finding the most important thing, he gave up everything else to possess the precious pearl. The pearl symbolizes the gospel truth. In this parable, Jesus taught in His parable that the merchant forsook other knowledge to claim the truth. He firmly grasped what was most important, the pearl of great price—the Truth.

The first man hid the found treasure. He lied by omission to the landowner. The truth he grasped was not God’s truth, but the one he wanted, as shown by the means he took to get it. To him, the ends justified the means. Jesus never taught that. Jesus taught about righteousness, loving God and people, and telling others the Good News. Ends don’t justify means. Honor, respect, relationship, and obedience are more important. The man in the first parable prioritized ownership over godliness and truthfulness. He forsook all he had. The first parable man gained earthly treasure that would decay or rust. He chose earthly treasures, not spiritual treasures—salvation and eternal life.

The second man did not “steal” the rare pearl, but acknowledged its worth, paid the price, and gained it to make it his own. The man stole the treasure by not mentioning it. He didn’t acknowledge the land’s worth. He was more interested in being shrewd than in truth, honor, and righteousness.

Which man are you like? Are you searching for God’s truth and paying the full price for its worth by reading, studying, meditating on, and praying over Scripture daily? Or do you read a verse, then use it to justify your actions without understanding God’s purposes for what you read? For example, because God, in the Bible, allowed servants, you hire servants. Yet you mistreat them and boast about having servants. The Biblical depiction of indentured servants differs from this example. The servants in the Bible sold themselves to be servants so they could pay a debt. God mandated release from servitude after seven years if the servants were Jews. Added to this, masters were to treat servants with respect and provide for their needs. If a person today boasted of having servants, and he mistreated them, his goal would be arrogance and superiority. The purpose of indentured servanthood in the Bible and this example differed; the first helped a person, and the second showed arrogance.

Which of these men represent you today: the schemer or the seeker?

But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you. (Matthew 6:33)

 

Compassion and Reward

“Be careful not to perform your righteous acts before men to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven…But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” (Matthew 6:1, 3-4)

Be careful not to perform supposed godly acts with manufactured and false compassion so that people will perceive you as righteous. If you act with false godliness, you will have no spiritual reward from your Heavenly Father. Your reward will be people's praise.

What did Jesus mean when He said, “Do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing?” Your left hand, in some Jewish teachings, denotes weaknesses. The right had, in some Jewish teachings, denote strengths. Jesus’ phrase here means do not let your baser intentions and emotions attach themselves to your intention of giving to help someone in need. Instead, let honorable intentions and emotions be your motivator. When honest intentions to motivate people occur, the glory and honor go to God. When baser intentions motivate giving charity, the desire of the person is to take the honor and glory for himself, not God. Do charity secretly, to avoid people putting you on a pedestal and not to become prideful. Instead, give honor to God, who told you to help the person and gave you the means to help him.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus warned against seeking greatness and receiving adoration. People should focus on God. Instead of seeking personal adoration, Jesus taught people to give secretly. Help a person discreetly. The heavenly Father, who sees what someone does in secret, will reward him. God’s rewards are heavenly and eternal.

Jesus taught how to give:

·       In secret, privately

·       With righteous intentions, to help the person and not highlight oneself.

·       Not to grow one’s reputation or receive honor.

Why should you give this way?

·       If you act intending to make yourself known as great, then earthly honor is all you will receive.

·       If you act in compassion, which comes from God and is good, and you shine the resultant thanks towards God, the One who gives all good things, then other people see God more than oneself and God receives the honor.

What will occur if you act godly?

·       God will reward you. Jesus doesn’t say in verses one through four what the reward will be. Verses thirty-three and thirty-four do. People, God’s creation made in His image, who revere and follow Him, can be certain that their good God will provide for their needs. Remember, God is always faithful to His word.

·       The reward for God’s people is His care now and forever. This promise is for everyone who believes in Jesus as their Savior and Lord.

Jesus concludes Matthew 6 with a promise. This promise tells of the reward for those who “do not let their left hand know what their right hand is doing.” He said,

“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things (your needs) will be provided to you. So do not worry about tomorrow” (Matthew 6:33-34a).

Do godly acts of charity to help a person and honor God. God gives you the motivation in your new heart. He gives you the resources to help the person. Understand that God will provide all your needs, so follow as He leads you to love others, just as He loved and loves you.

 

Be the City

 

“You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden.” (Matthew 5:14)

I’ve read and heard this verse most of my life. My public high school English teacher quoted it often to her students. She was not shy or ashamed to share the Truth in school.

This verse says we are the light of the world. Do we have anything innate in our being that makes us like a light? This is a metaphorical statement, of course. Let’s ask ourselves that metaphorical question again. Do we have anything within our DNA that makes us shine brighter than anyone else? No. Nothing by which God put in us makes us light—makes us good. 

We are by nature sinful. We are covered by the stains of our sins. People who believe in Jesus as their Savior from their sins no longer bear the stains of those sins. Each confessed sin is wiped away from us and we don’t carry the burden of the guilt. When we believe in Jesus and confess and repent of our sins, Jesus washes the sin stain from our names. His Holy Spirit comes to dwell within us. 

The One who is Light—Jesus—casts His light upon and within us. We, of our own being, are not good, sinless, and light-filled. We are covered—darkened—by the sin into which Satan tricked us. But Jesus, when we believe in Him and He washes us with His sacrificial blood and love, makes us bearers of His Light. We become the light on the hill. 

This light within us cannot be put out. It cannot be denied. As we stand in the darkness of a sinful world, the light of Jesus put within us shines forth. Jesus is eternal and His light, too, is eternal. It will never depart or fade away. 

Jesus has called us to be His city on the hill. To shine bright in the darkness around us so that other people will see the Light (Jesus), be drawn to Him and His love, be saved, and praise Him.

This should make us pause and think. Are we shining the light of Jesus intentionally so others will see Him and come to Him? Are we staying in a daily, moment-by-moment relationship with Jesus so that the light He put within us does not become dim? Are we part of a church of faith who intentionally shines God’s light and calls people to come know Jesus?

Maybe you don’t know Jesus as your Savior. Now is your time to decide. Are you tired of the burden of your sins and the darkness in which you live? Seek the Light, see the Light, and come to the Light—Jesus—for forgiveness, salvation, and eternal life with Him.

Jesus calls each of us to Him, some to be saved and some to draw closer to Him. Draw closer and shine His light brightly so other people will be drawn to Him. In what place do you find yourself sitting now—on a hill or in the crevasses of darkness? You can choose who you follow.

Relationships in the Lord’s Prayer

“For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.”

— Matthew 6:14

 

Notice, this verse immediately follows the Lord’s Prayer. Jesus didn’t say feed people as God has fed you. He didn’t say keep other people from being tempted as God has you. In the prayer, Jesus acknowledged God—His holiness, supremacy, reign, power, love, mercy, forgiveness, and wisdom. 

 

The only time in the Lord’s Prayer that Jesus speaks about what a person is to do is in relation to forgiving another person. In the rest of this prayer, Jesus speaks about what God does, can do, or will do in relation to us.

 

Why is it significant that Jesus spoke about our action in a prayer to God? Why did He choose to speak to us about forgiving a person?

 

In each of the other parts of this prayer, Jesus teaches us to pray to God recognizing who He is and the most important things we need. He emphasized our relationship to God.  When we pray, we are expressing our relationship with God. Just like when we speak with people with whom we are in relationship, we speak with God through prayer. 

 

Still, why did Jesus include the phrase about us forgiving as God forgives? God created us for relationship. We desire relationship with Him and other people. In every other part of this prayer, Jesus spoke about our relationship with God in recognition of who He is. If we do not forgive people, it disrupts our relationships with God and people. Unforgiveness is like a seismic shift in the earth’s core. We don’t fit together well with God and people if we harbor hatred, anger, or grudges. 

 

In the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus taught us to recognize who God is and who we are in relationship to Him. In doing this, our relationship with God stays intact and not fractured. Jesus, in this prayer, also reminded us God forgives and restores relationship with us, and that we must forgive and restore relationships with people as God forgives us.

 

Jesus emphasized this by pointing it out in verse 14. He said, if you forgive people their wrongs against you, then God will forgive you. Is God’s forgiveness conditional? It’s conditioned on our repentance and confession. When we need to forgive someone, all the fault for the break in relationship is not on the other person. We have erred, too. When we forgive the person, we end up recognizing our part in the fractured relationship. This recognition leads us to confession and repentance to God. Forgiving others renews relationship with the person and with God. Verse 14, then, is accurate; we forgive others, then God forgives us.

 

“Forgive us our sins as we have forgiven those who have sinned against us” (Matt 6:12). 

 

We pray in recognition of who God is. We forgive in recognition of God’s forgiving us. Both are about relationships. God created us for vertical and horizontal relationships. Forgiving renews vertical and horizontal relationships as does regular talking with God and significant people in our lives.

 

Watch and Pray

 

A second time He went away and prayed, “My Father, if this cup cannot pass unless I drink it, may Your will be done.” (Matt 26:42, BSB)

 

Anyone who has been to a Christian church at Easter or when the Lord’s Supper is observed likely will have heard this passage from Matthew’s Gospel. Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemane after serving the Lord’s Supper to His twelve disciples. He was hours away from being led to His crucifixion. Jesus, in His human form, was sorrowful about what He would endure by the Jews and Romans. Yet, because He was wholly God as well as human, He knew what He came to earth to do must be done to save people from the sins and judgment of their sins—death, an eternal separation from God. 

 

Why is this important for us? The foremost reason is that God does not want us to live in eternal hell separated from Him because He loves us. God wants to give us the best life now and forever, a life full of peace, love, and joy, all of which come from Him.

 

Why else is this verse important for us? The example Jesus, the man, gives to us of surrendering to Father for His best plan, His perfect purpose, is what we need to see, understand, and enact. Jesus first approached the Father in verse 39. Matthew wrote, “Going a little farther, He fell facedown and prayed, ‘My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me. Yet not as I will, but as You will.’” Jesus sought the Father for strength for His human self to be brave and to endure the terrible trial He would go through very soon. He sought to be with the Father for closeness and connection, just as a child of any age seeks closeness and connection with his/her parent. One other important point we need to see is Jesus was solely surrendered to the plan the Godhead (including Himself, the Son) made to redeem each person who believes in Him. Jesus surrendered to the Godhead’s will and perfect plan. He sought closeness with the Father. Jesus sought strength to endure the terrible torment He would soon experience. 

 

Why, then, does it seem Jesus said the same thing in verse 42? In the two verses between Jesus’ two statements to the Father, Jesus walked to Peter, James, and John and found them sleeping. He asked if they weren’t able to keep watch with Him for one hour. At first thought, one hour is not a long time. Most people read, watch tv, or talk with people easily for an hour. Consider now what Jesus expected them to do. He expected them to watch and pray. How many people do you know who pray for one hour? What about for thirty minutes? Fifteen minutes? Jesus expected them to do more than stay awake and pray. He expected the three to keep watch. Being watchful is being alert to temptations, temptations to not look at God but self, that potentially lead to sin. Jesus expected the three men to keep watch against coming temptation by praying to have God’s strength to defeat that temptation and continue onward with God. Jesus wanted Peter, James, and John to prepare to face their battles against temptation. They could do this by recognizing their human weaknesses and praying for God’s strength to overcome their weaknesses so they could stay close to and surrendered to Him. When Jesus walked to them in verse 40, He found the three men surrendered to their bodies in sleep. They didn’t see that hour for what it was, one of few hours before their Messiah would fulfill the prophecies to give release to the captives. Instead, the three disciples sought no strength from God to endure through the night, pray for their Messiah, and pray for the people who would hear about Him to believe in Jesus. A lot can happen in an hour. An hour isn’t very long after all. 

 

In verse 42, Jesus said, “My Father, if this cup cannot pass unless I drink it, may Your will be done.” Compare it to what He said in verse 39, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me. Yet not as I will, but as You will.” In these verses, Jesus basically said the same thing. The first time, the three disciples may not have understood what Jesus said at the Lord’s Supper would actually occur. They might not have understood the necessity of praying that night. In verses 40 and 41, Jesus told them for what they should pray. He then returned to His own prayer place to be with the Father as the disciples watched and heard Him pray. Jesus modeled for them again why to pray—to be close to the Father in heart, mind, and spirit. He showed them with this prayer time about asking for God’s strength to do what is God’s will. Most importantly, Jesus showed the three how to submit and surrender to God’s perfect plan. It begins with being in a close relationship with Him. By communing with Him daily, the disciples could get God’s strength and walk His journey for their lives with Him. 

 

Did the three disciples stay awake that second time? No, Jesus returned to them and found them asleep. Jesus asked the disciples in verse 38 to stay at the place He told them and keep watch with Him. His goal was multi-purpose. Jesus wanted to be with His Father. He, as a man, would experience a terrible torment on the cross. Jesus submitted and surrendered to the will of the Godhead to love humanity in this extreme way. He wanted to show the three disciples how to stand against temptation by praying for God’s strength to defeat it. Temptations can come in simple ways like falling to the human weakness of tiredness and not taking time to draw close to God. It can come in sensational ways, too, like tormenting a person’s heart, mind, body, and spirit. 

 

Submitting and surrendering to God can be as easy as asking for more energy and focus to be with God in prayer. The three disciples fell asleep. It appears they didn’t ask for God’s strength to stay awake to watch and pray for themselves, the other disciples, unbelievers, and Jesus. Each of us know what most likely keeps us from praying. Without prayer, it’s hard to submit to God and surrender to His will. Without prayer, we won’t know His will or have His power to surrender our will for His.

 

Instead of Jesus saying to us like He did to the three men, “Watch and pray so that you will not enter into temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak,” may He put His mind into us that willingly says, “My Father, if this cup cannot pass unless I drink it, may Your will be done” (Matt 26:41-42). What do you need to surrender to God today to be able to be with Him in prayer?  Will you take the time to watch and pray?

 

My prayer for you and me is what Jesus prayed in verse 42. “My Father, if this cup cannot pass unless I drink it, may Your will be done.”

Motives Matter

 

 

“But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these things defile a man.”

— Matthew 15:18

 

This parable offended the Pharisees, the disciples expressed. Why is this offensive? Because it speaks to motive not just action. It speaks to a person’s desire and purpose in life. 

 

Jesus said the inner being is what can defile a person. Yet, not just defiles (dirties) but makes the man (the Pharisee with whom Jesus spoke, then the disciples as He explained it—Jews then every person) ceremonially unclean—defiled by sin and unable to enter into God’s presence. 

 

Why insist on human traditions, which are transmitted orally from one generation to the next, or man’s rules and laws, which are just human interpretations from man’s sinful mind and understanding? What comes from the mouth comes from the heart. 

 

What then has greater power in your heart, mind, and spirit—being in a right relationship with God or proving to and getting the “approval” from other people? Consider your heart. What is your desire, purpose, and driving force in your life? What leads you?

 

 Instead of offending God, part with tradition and align your heart, mind, body, and spirit with God. Be not defiled, but cleansed by Him through belief in Jesus.

The Pebble and the Stone

 

 

“And the tempter came and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.’ ”

— Matthew 4:3-4

 

Satan recognized Jesus is the Son of God and has the power and ability to transform stones, which are used for building or putting someone to death by levitical law. Jesus, though, had no need for these stone since He’s the Chief cornerstone, upon whom everything is built, and He’s the bread of life, which He will give to all those who believe in Him. He is the chief cornerstone and the bread of eternal life. Build your life upon Him and be sustained solely by Him. Jesus didn’t need the stone; He is the most important stone and is the bread everyone needs to have and live eternally. Jesus caught Satan in his own philosophical trap.

 

Man does not live on bread alone, the round flat bread a body needs for sustenance in this mortal life. He needs what Jesus gives, the sustenance for eternal life. Satan gives what will pass away. Jesus doesn’t. Jesus gives the word of life, Himself, the Word of life for living in this mortal world and for living eternally. What Satan gives will end. What Jesus gives will last forever. 

 

Do you want bread that will rot or the living bread, Jesus, that will give and sustain your life eternally? Do you want to build your life on many small stones or upon the cornerstone that is immovable? God allows us to choose our life. Will you choose immediate satisfaction or everlasting life, peace, and love with God now and forever? Don’t choose the stones and rotting bread that will kill and separate you from God. Choose the living bread and Jesus as your chief cornerstone and live life to the fullest for now and eternity.

Get Closer

 

 

“Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?”

— Matthew 7:3

 

A speck is just a small particle of something, like chaff, straw, or a splinter. In this parable, it’s a sin but not a flagrant rebellion upon which other sins and one’s life has been founded upon.

 

Often, our sins become a foundation for a way of life we begin to follow or make our life be centered around. It’s not a way of life that glorifies God. It’s self-centered. This way of living becomes quite noticeable to other people. They begin to associate the sinner as the one who does that action, whatever the sin is. Their beam is big and very obvious.

 

Often, a person will find a sin in someone  else so that the focus of other people is on that person instead of him or herself, the beam-blinded sinner. They forget that by pointing their finger at the speck-obstructed person that four fingers point back to themselves. 

 

God’s focus never moves away to another by our pointing fingers. He sees us and knows us. God knows our hearts and our sins. He experiences the pain of our beams and specks. 

 

Confessing of our sins to God and repenting of them provides the pivot point for Him to remove each of these elements of sin. God’s removing the beam and speck only at confession doesn’t mean He cannot remove it before then. It means we’ve gotten closer to Him by seeking Him with our whole being and asking Him to remove our sins by confession and repentance. We’ve returned to the place where we choose Jesus to be our foundation, not the beam.

Your Eyes

 

“The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!”

— Matthew 6:22-23

 

Your actual eyes guide your body and tell you which way to go. In comparison, your mind’s eye, which is informed by reason, desire, and spirit, tells a person what to do, whether good or bad. 

 

If your desires and reason are Holy Spirit led—your spirit agrees with and aligns with the Holy Spirit—then the light of the Spirit will lead you and fill you with His light and you will do good according to God’s will.

 

In contrast, if you desire to live contrary to God (in rebellion to Him and His good will for you), then your eyes—your mind, desire, and spirit—are bad and you will be full of darkness, which is rebellion against God and the good He has for you. Your bad eyes will lead you into darkness. That darkness is sin. That darkness is worse than bodily blindness. 

 

Lord, let me see with Your eyes. Let me not look at a day as bad or blah and then allow myself to be in a bad mood for lack of light. Whether there is light from sun, moon, and stars or not, You, Lord, have created weather, nature, and me to go through season, to change, and grow, and sometimes to die/cast away like the burning of leaves fallen from trees. You, Lord, can use any season and weather for growth in nature and in a person. Lord, grow me closer to you and to be more like you. Let not the weather, people, or circumstances dictate my outlook or mood, but You, Lord, use them to teach and grow me. You can use the sun to grow Your creation, but you also use clouds, rain, and snow to cause growth. Grow me today, Lord, for Your will and good purpose. Make the eyes by which I guide my life be Your eyes, Your Spirit in me and guiding me. Thank you for what You’re going to do today.

Timeless

 

“In everything, then, do to others as you would have them do to you. For this is the essence of the Law and the Prophets.”

— Matthew 7:12

 

Let’s consider this whole passage.

 

“For this is (the essence or summation)” comes from the similar meaning as “now and forever,” i.e. eternally. The verb “is” is time inclusive, present indicative. It has timeless implications. Jesus used it in calling Himself, “I AM.” It speaks of His eternity and self-existent self.

 

So, the teaching of this verse, “do to others as you want them to do to you,” is a timeless command that Jesus used to sum up the previous eleven verses in His Sermon on the Mount and to sum up God’s command about caring for all creation, including human life. This command didn’t go away when the Old Testament period ended or when Jesus ascended to heaven or when the modern or post-modern times began. 

 

This verse, verse twelve, sums up the previous eleven verses. 

       *Don’t judge other people. (Vs 1-5)

       *Don’t continue to teach God’s truths 

         to people who continue to malign   

         and curse you and what you teach.     

         “Don’t throw pearls to swine.” (Vs 6) 

         They will only continue to twist 

         God’s truths, curse them, and/or       

         speak derisively about them. Obey 

         God then let Him work in the 

         person’s heart.

       *Don’t ignore someone when they 

         seek you, ask for your help, and or 

         plead for something from you. 

         Just as when you ask of something 

          from God, seek Him, and knock on 

          His door to visit with or beseech Him 

          and He responds by providing, 

          opening His door to you, and 

          listening, so you do to others. (Vs 7-

          8). But remember about pearls and 

          swine. 

        *Don’t give what won’t fill the need for 

          what they asked. For example, fry 

          beans to a homeless person, who 

          has no stove, will not give him food 

          to eat. It would be the equivalent of

          stones in his stomach. Giving fruit, 

          vegetables, or meat that is starting 

          to spoil or is spoiled is just as 

          dangerous as giving a snake 

          instead of a fish to eat.

 

In all these instances, do as you want to be done to you. It’s a timeless command, as timeless as Jesus and His love. It never goes away. It’s based on love and care for humanity, the pinnacle of God’s creation. Jesus came to earth because of His love for all people, a love that fed, healed, taught, forgave, and died for them. 

 

Jesus taught His disciples to follow His example. And, the base of it is love for all people. Do as Jesus did and does and will do for you. Do to others what you want them to do to you—love them in action and word and in truth. Teach. Feed. Pray over. Forgive. Help. With the means God has given to you, do to others as He has done for you.

Being Not Babbling

“And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words.”

— Matthew 6:7

 

This can describe prayer that is mechanical; you just say the words, but they have no depth from your being. They are like saying the doxology or Hail Mary prayers.

 

It can also describe praying repetitiously an idea or thought so as to be considered by others as deep and profound instead of actually drawing closer to God.

 

The “babbling” prayer can speak about the  so called prayer of a person who just wants to appear holy. 

 

It can be from a person who prays a sermon or must pray every time he/she is in a group because he/she wants people to notice. 

 

Notice, three of these possibilities arise from vanity and pride. The prayers of these people are manufactured for performance—to be seen and noticed. The first, though different, is also to be noticed, but by God, not people. Rote, memorized, going-through-the-motions praying just to get the “chore” done is the person’s attempt at gaining God’s favor by deception, though God sees through deception. He knows the person’s heart is not in it.

 

Each of these four prayers is to gain undue attention and favor, to be seen as a child of God in good standing. Notice, what happens begins in the heart—a desire to be seen as more godly than other people—then moves to the mind—reason—to deceive people and God. It then becomes action with the actual praying. Jesus taught what contaminates the person is not what he/she puts in the mouth, but what comes from it resulting in thought, words, and action unacceptable by God. Since this is so, why even pray if God already knows your heart’s deceptive intention? People often recognize the deception, too.

 

Instead, let your mind, heart, and spirit seek God and desire to truly speak to Him. Pray because you desire to be with God and have a deeper relationship with Him. For God already knows your needs. He knows your heart. Be with God. Seek Him above anything you can say, you want to be, you what to have, and you want to be considered. Seek first God AND His righteousness. Don’t seek to manufacture your own righteousness.

 

Father, it is so very hard to decide to be still and quiet and to seek only You. We have a list of requests for ourselves and other people. We want to get through that list and get to the next part of our day. We’ve made prayer a chore—a task on our to-do list. Help us to understand what prayer is. Help us to desire to be with You, to desire time with You, to be closer to you, and, thereby, to be made more into the image of Christ by you because of this. 

 

We are taught to make lists, to make prayer lists, and how to pray. Somehow, it’s rarely taught how to be with You. Oh, reading the Bible is easy, but that can become another of those to-dos to be done, then checked off. 

 

Lord, it’s the “to be” part of praying that’s hardest. Teach us how to just BE with you. Teach our hearts how to teach our minds that it’s okay just to sit and be with you in silence, in listening, in thinking on Your words, and in seeking Your heart. Create a stillness in us that teaches our minds to allow our hearts and spirits to take time to BE with You. Just BE with You. Calm our breathing. Calm our minds. Calm our heartbeat and lead us to relax and BE with You. Lord, so many people need prayer; they need You to intervene. How can I still my mind when they need to be prayed for? Ah, Your Spirit knows what needs to be prayed for and will speak with groaning to deep for words. 

 

May the words, which my mind requires me to pray, come through Your Spirit’s groaning so that I don’t focus on words, but on You. Compel me for what and how to speak to You as I am still and quiet before You. Be my next breath. Be my next heartbeat. Be my every thought. All so I focus solely on You, Lord. I am Yours, O Lord. I want to hear Your voice. Draw me to You to just BE with You.