Author Archives: Chuck Smith, Jr.

Day Fifty-three – Matthew 15:29-39

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Draw near to God and He will draw near to you
And Jesus called His disciples to Him, and said, “I feel compassion for the people, because they have remained with Me now three days and have nothing to eat; and I do not want to send them away hungry, for they might faint on the way.” The disciples said to Him, “Where would we get so many loaves in this desolate place to satisfy such a large crowd?” And Jesus said to them, “How many loaves do you have?” And they said, “Seven, and a few small fish.” Matthew 15:32-34
 
One morning I quickly read this passage and without time to meditate on it, ran out the door to join several hundred people for worship. I had to walk across campus to reach the chapel where the band was already warming up. The whole way there I noticed that my mind was making critical evaluations of the people whose paths I crossed. Continue reading →

May 8, 2011

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And it happened that while He was praying alone, the disciples were with Him, and He questioned them, saying, “Who do the people say that I am?” They answered and said, “John the Baptist, and others say Elijah; but others, that one of the prophets of old has risen again.” And He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Luke 9:18-20 (read verses 1-27)

INTRO: A question keeps coming up in the story of Jesus

It has to do with his identity–who is he?
– it is asked by everyone who encounters him: the crowds, the disciples, the Pharisees, John the Baptist, King Herod
– in chapter 9, for the first time, God begins to make the answer clear to the disciples

The heart of this chapter is Jesus’ transfiguration (vv. 28-36)
– Jesus’ identity is not hidden here, but bursts forth in heavenly glory Continue reading →

Day Fifty-two – Matthew 15:21-28

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Draw near to God and He will draw near to you

And He answered and said, “It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” But she said, “Yes, Lord; but even the dogs feed on the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.” Then Jesus said to her, “O woman, your faith is great; it shall be done for you as you wish.” And her daughter was healed at once.  Matthew 15:26-28

What a cold response this woman received from the Lord when she first approached him, “This gift I have is not for you. You do not belong to the right race, because I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” His words are chilling because the way we have come to know Jesus through the Scriptures is that he is for everyone and anyone. The promise of God is open to “whoever believes in Him” (Jn. 3:16). But in this instance, Jesus ignored the woman because she was a Gentile.

Then what? Continue reading →

May 1, 2011

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And Jesus said, “Who is the one who touched Me?” And while they were all denying it, Peter said, “Master, the people are crowding and pressing in on You.” But Jesus said, “Someone did touch Me, for I was aware that power had gone out of Me. Luke 8:45-46 (read Lk. 8:40-56)

INTRO: Some stories in the Bible require long explanations

The differences between their time and culture and ours are as so great, without explanation we miss the point of the story
– other stories, the elements are so familiar, we step into them and instantly feel at home
– today we encounter two stories that immediately open to us

A man emerges from the crowd and falls down before Jesus
– he is not the first, nor will he be the last parent to feel helpless regarding a child
– but before his crisis is resolved, a desperate woman sneaks up behind Jesus and steals a touch Continue reading →

Day Fifty-one – Matthew 15:10-20

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Draw near to God and He will draw near to you

Do you not understand that everything that goes into the mouth passes into the stomach, and is eliminated? But the things that proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and those defile the man.  Matthew 15:17-18

In our previous meditation in Matthew, we heard Jesus expose the way Pharisees and scribes neutralized the moral commandments of the law while spiritualizing and meticulously following ceremonial traditions. Jesus broke away from the mind-set of his religious culture so he could help his followers recover the will of God for their lives. Continue reading →

Easter 2011

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Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord.” So when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put his outer garment on (for he was stripped for work), and threw himself into the sea. John 21:7 (read Jn. 21:1-9)

INTRO: For many years, archeologists in the mid-east have been digging up mugs and cups with inscriptions on them

One frequent inscription in particular from the first century has captured the attention of biblical scholars
– four Greek words are inscribed on it that read, “Rejoice, that’s why you’re here”
(at least on scholar translated it as a question, “Why are you here? Rejoice!”)
– perhaps it was intended as a blessing or a first-century toast

What’s so special about these four Greek words? Continue reading →

Day Fifty – Matthew 15:1-9

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Draw near to God and He will draw near to you

Then some Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said, Why do Your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread? Matthew 15:1-2

One of the most difficult obstacles to education is a student’s prejudice. The nature of prejudice is such that it is hidden from those who hold it. They do not realize their prejudice is merely a point of view, but take it to be reality. So to be  educated contrary to their prejudice, they must permit their reality to be broken down so it can be rebuilt in a form that is closer to the truth. Continue reading →

April 17, 2011

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And He said to them, “Where is your faith?” They were fearful and amazed, saying to one another, “Who then is this, that He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey Him?” Luke 8:25 (Read Lk. 8:22-39)

INTRO: How should we read the Bible?

The way we read a school text-book? A novel? A love-letter? A newspaper–reading the headlines and then jumping to our favorite section and skipping the rest?

There are lots of different ways to read scripture
– books like Job and Psalms were meant to be read as poetry
– other parts of the Bible were meant to be read as history, stories, letters, and so on
The best way to get at its message and meaning is to read scripture as it was meant to be read Continue reading →

Day Forty-nine – Matthew 14:22-36

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Draw near to God and He will draw near to you

Peter said to Him, Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.
Matthew 14:28

What a crazy idea! “Lord, if that is really You out there, tell me to come to You.” What if the figure coming towards them had been a ghost, as the disciples first assumed? Could not a ghost as easily reply, “Sure, come to me”? Peter would have quickly realized the logical weakness of his test–under water. Continue reading →

April 10, 2011

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The sower went out to sow his seed; and as he sowed, some fell beside the road, and it was trapmled under foot and the birds of the air ate it up. Luke 8:5 (read 8:1-21) 

INTRO: From the time we were big enough to carry a lunch sack, we were sent off to school every day to learn
– first, to read and write, and then everything else (history, gramar, science, etc.) 

Do you remember ever being taught how to learn?
We were constantly told to pay attention, but were you taught how to pay attention?
– it was assumed from our first day of class that we knew how to learn, focus our attention, and use good study habits 

Jesus taught his autdience how to listen to his teaching Continue reading →