already & not yet

Reading for Tuesday, July 3: Matthew 17

The Transfiguration is intended to increase faith. It’s a foreshadowing of Christ’s glory to come when all is fulfilled — when He fulfills the Law and the Prophets through His supreme act of loving God and loving others. But the disciples struggle with understanding it’s full import. Peter stands amazed, yet he asks to build three tabernacles in an attempt to contain this glory, to soak in it for a while. But that doesn’t seem to be the nature of God’s glory, at least not in Scripture. It’s a fleeting thing, for our sake. We’re capable of witnessing it only in small doses. And so the voice of God drives them to fall prostrate. But when they open their eyes — at the touch of Jesus (v7-8) — the Transfiguring moment has passed.

But I would argue that what was intended to increase their faith will take some time. On their way down the mountain, Jesus tells them not to share the news of this with anyone until His resurrection. But the disciples want to fixate on Elijah — is he coming back? What was that all about? The cat is right there, out of the bag, and they miss it. So a little bit later (v22), he says it again, very clearly: “The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him, and he will be raised on nthe third day.” (v22-23). But Peter gets caught up in a debate about taxes; the disciples fail to heal a young demon-possessed boy. And Jesus sees the chief problem as a matter of faith.

I wonder what He’d say about my faith.

Or lack thereof.

Reading for Friday, June 29: Matthew 15

Matthew 15 begins with the Pharisees questioning Jesus yet again. They questioned Jesus about His Sabbath practice in ch12, culminating in an accusation that He operated by the power of Satan rather than God. Of course, this leads to the double-barreled response from Jesus about judgment and the sign of Jonah. You’d think these guys would learn their lesson, but they’re back again, this time questioning Jesus about hand washing.

Yes, you read that right. Hand washing.

Apparently this was a really big deal back in the day. Ceremonial cleanliness was very important in Jewish culture. Still is. But it seems as if the whole thing just exasperates Jesus. Here he is, feeding the hungry, restoring sight to the blind, teaching these shepherd-less people about the nearness of God’s Kingdom for them…and these Pharisees show up with their nitpickiness about His lack of hand washing.

So, in essence, Jesus decides to address them on their own terms. “You want nitpicky? Okay, how about the way you get around God’s command to honor your father and mother?” It seems that it was a common practice to avoid this additional expense by claiming that you’d devoted that portion of your income to the Lord. Jesus sees this for the ruse it really is. “You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you: ‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me!'”

The disciples, in all sincerity, I believe, come to Jesus with an interesting question: “Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this?” (Um, yeah. Pretty sure that was the intent.) Jesus replies with a teaching about what comes out of a man’s heart, not what he takes in through the mouth. “For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. These are what make a man ‘unclean’; but eating with unwashed hands does not make him ‘unclean’,” (v19-20).

Matthew contrasts the attitudes of the Jewish religious leaders with the faith of the Canaanite woman. Jesus seems to be testing her with some of his statements: “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.” And, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.” But she is undeterred. She continues to ask Jesus for help. She’s at the end of her rope, nowhere else to go. Wouldn’t we do the same thing on behalf of our children? Or our dear loved ones? Finally, Jesus turns to her and says, “Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.” And with this, Matthew winks to us. This is what faith looks like.

Reading for Thursday, June 28: Matthew 14

In Matthew 14, we learn of the fate of John the Baptist. This bold prophet is struck down because of his condemnation of a member of Herod’s family. Philip, Herod’s brother, is involved in some sort of illicit relationship with Herodias. Spurned by John’s denouncement of their union, Herodias and her daughter eventually force Herod’s hand. The prophet is beheaded, his disciples bury his body and bring word to Jesus.

With John’s fate foreshadowing what is to come for Jesus, the Nazarene’s ministry continues. The remainder of the chapter provides two well-worn paths in our remembrance of Jesus: the feeding of the 5,000 and the walking on water episodes. Matthew tells us that Jesus had compassion on the people (v14), healing their sick and meeting their needs. “They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over,” (v20). On the heels of this miracle, Jesus amazes his disciples by walking on water. Note what happens afterward: “And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, ‘Truly you are the Son of God.’ (v32-33)” Doubt – palpable as Peter sank into the water just moments earlier – is now replaced by faith and heartfelt devotion. This is the greatest miracle of all. This is what happens when our hearts find true satisfaction, when we find that which we have instinctively been looking for all along. Nothing else will suffice. Our hearts were made for worship.

It’s also interesting to note that Jesus withdraws from the crowds here at the height of his ministry. We looked at this in our study of Luke, too, but note the way Matthew records this:

• When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. (v13)

• After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. (v23).

We cannot ignore the importance of solitary prayer in the life of Jesus. As much as He cares for the crowds, He also strikes a balance, quietly communing with God on a regular basis. In our noise-saturated culture, we would do well to follow this same practice.

Reading for Wednesday, June 27: Matthew 13

Matthew 13 could be called the chapter of parables. The longest of these parables is the parable of the sower. Not only does Jesus teach this parable publicly, but Matthew records some “behind the scenes” information: an explanation of this specific parable and a defense of Jesus’ parabolic teaching in general. According to Jesus, the parables cannot be understood apart from ears ready to hear (v9, 43). “The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them,” (v11). But the aim here isn’t the creation of a secret society. The disciples of Jesus are commissioned with the charge to expand the borders of God’s Kingdom, that even greater numbers might partake in the wonders of His love.

Sadly, some will inevitably reject this message. Some will receive the word with “rocky” hearts; others will have the message thwarted by the enemy and his weeds. Those who receive this message will bear witness to the mustard seed quality of the Kingdom: starting small, in the heart, expanding deeper and wider, until the whole person – even all creation – is taken in by the grandness of God’s love.

What are your thoughts on these parables Jesus delivers in Matthew 13?

The chapter closes on a low note. Jesus returns to Nazareth, only to find scoffers. “Where did this man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers? Isn’t this the carpenter’s son?” And it says that they took offense at him. As a result, Jesus did not perform any miracles in Nazareth “because of their lack of faith” (v58).

Reading for Monday, June 25: Matthew 11

In Matthew 11, John the Baptist asks an interesting question, one that belies his expectation of the Messiah: “Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?” It seems that Jesus’ ministry hadn’t quite met up to John’s expectation. I wonder how many of us would be in the same place if we were to come face to face with Jesus. He seems to have an uncanny way of defying our expectations.

Jesus sends word back to John. “Go back and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor.” In a clear allusion to Isaiah 61, Jesus tells John, in essence: “Make up your own mind. My identity is rooted in my actions.”

Jesus then launches into a series of woes against the cities and generation of his day. The miraculous deeds that have been performed in these cities have not produced faith. Jesus laments these circumstances, which prompts Him to pray: “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children,” (v25). Only those with eyes to see are privy to the glory of this message. Clarity of vision comes through faith. In all of this, Jesus bids the faithful to Him: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”