Draw near to God and He will draw near to youThis is a strange story and, at first, we might ask whether the gospels need it. What does it teach? What does it prove? But its strangeness is the very reason we should suspect its importance.
In the previous episodes, Jesus had been challenged by his opponents to provide them with a sign from heaven. In effect, they were demanding that he show them his credentials or produce something to identify himself as someone sent by God. A short time later, Jesus asked the disciples what people thought of him. In their minds, who was he? He followed that question by asking them, “But who do you say that I am?” read more…
Draw near to God and He will draw near to youWhat did Peter do after Jesus hit him with these harsh words? Did he hang his head in shame and slink away to some dark corner and hide himself? Was there a moment when he assumed he had failed at discipleship and Jesus did not want him tagging along with the rest of them? After all, Jesus called him Satan!
Can you imagine how you would react if Jesus called you Satan and said you were an offense to him? read more…
All things have been handed over to me by My Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal him. Luke 10:22 (read Lk. 10:1-24)
INTRO: Can you think of someone whose words and actions made God beautiful to you?
Has there been anyone whose words and actions made God seem terrible, oppressive, or abusive?
For me, the development of my own mature knowledge of God generated some resentments
– I found myself feeling anger towards people who had misrepresented God to me
– Sunday school teachers, youth leaders, camp counselors, and pastors who gave me the impression that God was unloving, always angry and disappointed, that every day he had to be won over-again, yet was impossible to please read more…
Draw near to God and He will draw near to youIn Matthew 16, we revisit themes from the beginning of Jesus ministry, perhaps because from this point on, Jesus is looking toward its end (e.g., v. 21). For example, in both chapters 4 and 16
- Jesus’ identity is placed in the spotlight (4:3, “If You are the Son of God” & 16:13-17, “But who do you say that I am?”)
- Jesus is challenged to prove who he is by performing a miracle (4:3 & 16:1)
- Jesus experienced the challenge as a temptation (4:1 & 16:1 where “testing” translates the same Greek word for “tempting”)
- Bread is an important issue (4:3 & 16:5-12).
- Jesus responds to temptation with the command, “Go, Satan” (4:10 & 16:23, where he says, “Go behind Me”).
- Jesus defines the role of his disciples (4:19, “Follow Me” & 16:24, “deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me”) read more…
When the days were approaching for His ascension, He was determined to go to Jerusalem; and He sent messengers on ahead of Him, and they went and entered a village of the Samaritans to make arrangements for Him. But they did not receive Him, because He was traveling toward Jerusalem. Luke 9:51-53 (read verses 9:51-62)
INTRO: In the last few months, I’ve been asked a couple of times, what I thought of Harold Camping’s predictions of a May 21 rapture
– I didn’t really know anything about it
– since I could not force myself to get interested in it, I never looked into it
But now, after it didn’t happen, I am interested
– what is he doing the day after? How is he handling his failure?
- is he blaming God? Satan? The media? His calculator?
- is he coming up with rationalizations–why he wasn’t wrong?
- or is he sitting in humility admitting he made a mistake, that he let his excitement get the best of him and now he’s learned important lessons about the mystery of scripture and letting God be God? read more…
And while He was praying, the appearance of His face became different, and His clothing became white and gleaming. And behold, two men were talking with Him; and they were Moses and Elijah, who, appearing in glory, were speaking of His departure which He was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. Luke 9:29-31 (read verses 28-50)
INTRO: Do you find it irritating when non-Christians try to explain, define, or describe Christianity?
– inevitably they miss something important and usually it is the essence of knowing Jesus
– they make this mistake because they stand outside of Christianity and are trying to prove a point
It is equally irritating when some Christians try to define contemplative prayer
– because they stand outside of it, they have only a superficial understanding of it
– that is why their observations sound nonsensical to those who take waiting on God seriously
(For example, “The purpose of contemplative prayer is to enter an altered state of consciousness in order to find ones True Self, thus finding God”) read more…
Draw near to God and He will draw near to youAnd 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 read more…
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? read more…
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 read more…
Daily Meditations From the Scriptures