Pastor Steve Richards

The longer things stay the same, the more we expect them to stay the same. That’s tradition. There is much to be valued and cherished about tradition. “Remember,” sings King David. “Remember the wonders the LORD has done.” God remains faithful to the Covenant and the promises made. The problem, according to Psalm 106, is that the people “soon forgot what the LORD had done and did not wait for his plan to unfold” (verse 13).

So, we come to Matthew 19 where the Pharisees are the keepers of traditional ways that will keep the people focused on God so that God will remain faithful to what God had promised. These were challenging times when the oppressive power of the Roman Empire threatened to eliminate Israel once and for all. If the Pharisees could just keep everyone focused on traditional ways, they could keep Rome at bay.

But then there is Jesus. Jesus who challenges traditional ways with a new way. Consider divorce. Tradition taught that since Moses included a law that permitted divorce that must mean that divorce was acceptable. But Jesus makes clear that Scripture does not encourage divorce. The new way that Jesus offers is focused on what it means to be loyal to God and to other people, especially to your marriage partner, – so start living that way. The question is not what circumstances make divorce acceptable, rather how can we live in relationships that value each other while seeking God’s direction.

In a culture where children were not valued, Jesus embraces the children and says “the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these” (verse 14). In a culture where the traditional understanding held that a wealth person is the most blessed by God, Jesus says that it is not wealth but charity (“sell your possessions, and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven”) that is to be valued.

Many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first. For first century Israel that’s not the conventional, the traditional way. I don’t think it is any easier for us today. It may appear no more easy to live this new way of Jesus than it would be for a camel to fit through the eye of a needle.

With human belings this is impossible, but with God all things are possible. (19:26) We cannot live this new way on our own. On our own, the record of what will happen is clear. Just read Psalm 106. Just listen to the Pharisees and history will repeat itself. Jesus offered a new way. He still does.

As the Ark of the Covenant was carried into Jerusalem, King David danced. He danced before the Lord. His wife, Michal looked out the window and saw what David was doing, and she despised him in her heart.

Every day we have a choice. Will we dance before the Lord? Will we move in God’s direction? We don’t stop before every situation to consider our choice: in this situation will I follow God’s direction or go another way? Maybe we don’t stop, because we don’t realize we have a choice, or maybe the direction we have chosen in life has become automatic and so we don’t have to stop before every situation. Much like walking involves a decision to put one foot in front of another. But we have a choice.

David and “all Israel” honored the Ark and worshipped God. Michal did not. She followed in the path of her father Saul (like father, like daughter). She chose to turn away from God and God’s people. Every one of us has a chance to choose. Michal made the wrong choice.

Matthew 18 points us toward restoration. Even when the wrong choice is made, restoration is available. That, too, is a choice for us.

Your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones (believers of any age) should perish. (Matthew 18:14)

In 2 Samuel 6, David learned an important lesson – a humbling lesson. David was king. He had achieved great success. Israel and Judah were united. Jerusalem was the capitol city. And as the crowning act, the Ark of the Covenant, the very presence of God would be brought to the city. But God is sovereign and almighty – don’t forget that, David. Maybe he thought he was doing the right thing for God, but the Law handed down from God to Moses was very specific on how the Ark must be carried. When David saw God’s power unleashed, David became afraid. For three months, David kept the Ark outside the city and away from David. It was a time in which David learned the lesson of humility and a respect for God and what God wanted. Even when we think we are doing for God what we think would please God, have we really checked with God – have we searched the scriptures to determine what God wants?

In Matthew 17, the disciples have a humbling moment. They try to heal a child, but they cannot do it. They’ve watched as Jesus did it. In chapter ten, they were sent out by Jesus and were able to heal the sick. But this time, they failed. They had an important lesson yet to learn about faith.

“If you have faith as small as a mustard seek, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” (Matthew 17:20)

The size of the faith is not important. What’s important is the God in whom you believe. The disciples were still not in tune with the true God who was calling them (and Jesus) to obedience and the way of the cross. Remember those times when Jesus would go off by himself to pray? Remember Jesus’ devotion to God? Who are we (the disciples) to think we can manage without such discipline and devotion to God? In the end, it is God who heals. The disciples had faith in their ability. They still lacked the faith found in the One who heals.

What message do you find in today’s readings?  Beyond a basic understanding of what is written, what message do you hear for your life?

In the Old Testament, we read of the ongoing struggle to bring Israel and Judah together under the rule of God’s annointed, King David. Just when it appeared that unity would be achieved, Joab killed Abner. In response to this act of revenge, David led with humility. We are gaining insight into the character of this man “after God’s own heart”.

In Matthew, the Pharisees were focused on traditions. Tradition had taken precedence over scripture and their hearts had no intention of discovering what God desired. Unless we are continually being stretched and challenged by what we find in scripture, we won’t be able to distinguish between healthy and hypocritical traditions.

Then we read stories of being fed. Jesus came to reach first, the Jews who had wandered from the heart of God. But the Canaanite woman points us to the future when the Church would reach into all the world. And yes, Jesus would feed them all.

So as I reach the end of today’s reading, I am reflecting on what sort of food I am seeking. This hunger in my soul – what will I seek? And will the food I seek also be the food that truly satisfies? Once again, the scripture helps me recognize that the only food that will truly satisfy the deep hunger in my soul is what Jesus provides.

Like the Canaanite woman, I pray:”Lord, help me!”

Matthew tells us that Jesus went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. Meanwhile the disciples went ahead, attempting to cross the lake in a boat when they were caught in a storm. They panicked, overcome with fear. Jesus said to Peter, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” Perhaps it was because he had not taken time to pray. Jesus took time to pray. The disciples went ahead.

Jesus was often taking time to be alone in prayer. But not the disciples. They have yet to follow the pattern of their Teacher and to discover what happens through a pattern and practice of time alone in prayer. Fear turns to trust. Doubt turns to faith.

According to Matthew, this scene began when “Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him.” Could it be that Jesus knew this would be an occasion to experience what might otherwise be difficult to teach? Jesus could have sent them into their own private time of prayer, but without an understanding of what they were lacking would that private time have been used for prayer? What are we missed as we enter the experiences of this day?

I cry to you, LORD; I say, “You are my refuge”… Listen to my cry, for I am in desperate need. (Psalm 142:6)

Why doesn’t God do something?

It is a question that may never have a totally satisfactory answer in this life. We are not given a direct answer to this question, but the parables in Matthew 13 point us toward the answer. These parables are all about waiting, and waiting is what we find difficult. The last time I had my hair cut, I expressed surprise when I did not have to wait. My hair stylist told me she is surprised by how many people leave when told the wait is just ten minutes. We enter the drive-thru lane and grow impatient when that lane requires a wait. We do not live in a wait and see world. But listen to the lesson from the parables: wait!

The farmer waits for the harvest, watching as the weeds grow alongside the wheat. The birds must wait for the mustard seed to grow into a bush. The woman baking bread must wait for the leaven to work its way through the dough. Jesus’ followers did not want to wait. They wanted immediate change. They were not interested in God’s timetable.

It is not that God cannot act suddenly and decisively. Look to Good Friday and Easter and what God can do. The lesson for today is a difficult lesson – patience. Not only can we not get everything we want when we want it, but we should not. Wait and see. God will act. Wait and see. Learn the lesson of patience.

There is an expression: “don’t bite the hand that feeds you.” In other words, don’t hurt the one who is helping you.

In today’s reading from Matthew, we find this verse spoken by Jesus:anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come (12:32).This verse gets your attention! But isn’t Jesus all about forgiving people? How can there be anything that would be unforgiveable? How do I know if I have committed the unforgiveable sin?

First of all, if you are asking the question, it is unlikely that you have. Jesus is warning about looking at the work of the Spirit and declaring that it is the devil’s work. Do that and it’s not that you won’t be forgiven, you can’t be, because you have just cut off your means to forgiveness. It would be like declaring every bottle of water available to you is poisoned. What would you do? Die of thirst?

If you are looking for clues of what God is doing, then look for fruit. Is the fruit good or bad? The problem with the Pharisees was that they could not see the fruit because they were too busy with their own agendas. Can we see to the heart of what is going on in the life and work of Jesus? Look for the fruit and you will see what God is doing today.

You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water. (Psalm 63:1)

The note in the TNIV suggests the word earnestly means literally “at dawn”. In other words, the first thing in my day, my first waking thought. If I were in a desert, that first thought would be water. Without water, it would be impossible to survive. What if my longing for God in this day is as one waking in a desert longs for water? Maybe the scripture is suggesting that is my longing as I awoke this morning. I thought it was coffee! But the Bible reminds me that there is a much deeper longing within me. I may not realize it, but the only way to satisfy that deeper longing is “You, God”.

I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands.

The word refuge keeps recurring in the Old Testament. To find refuge from Saul who wanted to kill him, David found refuge in a cave. From David’s action in the cave, it became clear that the cave was not his refuge but God was. David left the cave but his true refuge remained. His prayer in Psalm 57: true refuge is the God Most High.

Contrast this with the disciples in the storm. They had given no thought to refuge. All they had was their ability which could not save them or calm them when a storm had overwhelmed their ability. David had a refuge. The disciples had none – until Jesus came on the scene.

Where is your refuge? I need a refuge before I encounter the storm.

Have you ever been in a place beyond your ability to control or even know the outcome and all you could do was lean into your faith? It, of course, presupposes you have a faith to lean on. How terrifying if you were in such a place only to discover you did not have the faith you thought you had. I remember hearing someone say that the one place in the world where it may be most difficult to be Christian is in the United States – because we have so much at our disposal that we may think we don’t need God.

David had been annointed king. Though one day he would be king, there was already a king and that king wanted David dead. Saul had the resources and the resolve to do it. David sought refuge. Psalm 31 tells us that refuge was in God. Trust. Lean into faith. How huge it must have been when David could say: You heard my cry for mercy when I called to you for help (verse 22). To lean into your faith and to know that God has heard you.

In Matthew 7, Jesus teaches that there is aroad that leads to life, and only a few find it (verse 14).Jesus will show us that road and why only a few find it. Every person who ever lived, and will ever live will reach a point beyond his or her own ability to control. Will you have the faith to lean on?

Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the LORD. Psalm 31:24