Matthew 15:29-39
The key words are: amazed, compassion, satisfied. I'm sure there is something significant about the disciples having seven loaves, as opposed to the five loaves in the previous miraculous feeding, and there being seven baskets of left overs, as opposed to the twelve in the previous feeding.
I wonder if this ever got old for the disciples. I wonder is they stopped being amazed by what Jesus was doing because they had seen it so many times. I can almost pick it up in their response to Jesus; "Hmmm, I wonder where we could ever find enough bread to feed this many people... Jesus? Here's seven loaves. Do your thing." I prefer to see it that way because otherwise the disciples are just thick. Can't they remember the time that Jesus fed 5000 with a boy's lunch?
Before I am too quick to judge, I must examine my own life. There have been countless times where I have seen the work of God and yet, in a similar circumstance, I stress, worry, plan, etc. and forget to simply have faith in the work of Jesus. How difficult is it to admit that I'm in over my head, there's nothing I can do and I am trusting fully in Jesus to do something? My track record says it is pretty difficult.
Showing posts with label Matthew 15. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Matthew 15. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Was Jesus Racist?
Matthew 15:21-28
This is an odd encounter. First, Jesus does not respond at all to the pleas of this Canaanite woman and then, at his disciples' urging, he tries to send her away. He even compares her and her people to dogs. This doesn't seem like the Jesus we know and love. This doesn't seem like the Jesus we like to portray. In the end he heals the woman's daughter and commends her faith but he certainly made her work pretty hard to get there and seemed to feed, or at least reflect, the racist attitudes of the day in the process.
Perhaps Jesus was holding a mirror up for his disciples and the rest of Jewish society to see. Perhaps he was trying to get them to realize how abhorrent their attitude toward the outsider was. I'd like to think that's what Jesus was doing but I don't see him driving that point home through any kind of teaching coming out of this encounter.
It also raises the question of why Matthew would include this story in his book. I think it's probably to show that Jesus was not just the King of the Jews but that his message of the kingdom was going to spread to people of all races and nations.
Personally, this story makes me evaluate my own attitude toward the outsider. I certainly hold some prejudices about certain races and classes of people. I wonder what I would see if Jesus were to reflect back to me my own prejudices. This has been my prayer for a long time: Lord, help me to see people through your eyes and to love them with your love.
This is an odd encounter. First, Jesus does not respond at all to the pleas of this Canaanite woman and then, at his disciples' urging, he tries to send her away. He even compares her and her people to dogs. This doesn't seem like the Jesus we know and love. This doesn't seem like the Jesus we like to portray. In the end he heals the woman's daughter and commends her faith but he certainly made her work pretty hard to get there and seemed to feed, or at least reflect, the racist attitudes of the day in the process.
Perhaps Jesus was holding a mirror up for his disciples and the rest of Jewish society to see. Perhaps he was trying to get them to realize how abhorrent their attitude toward the outsider was. I'd like to think that's what Jesus was doing but I don't see him driving that point home through any kind of teaching coming out of this encounter.
It also raises the question of why Matthew would include this story in his book. I think it's probably to show that Jesus was not just the King of the Jews but that his message of the kingdom was going to spread to people of all races and nations.
Personally, this story makes me evaluate my own attitude toward the outsider. I certainly hold some prejudices about certain races and classes of people. I wonder what I would see if Jesus were to reflect back to me my own prejudices. This has been my prayer for a long time: Lord, help me to see people through your eyes and to love them with your love.
Monday, May 4, 2009
corrupt heart = corrupt actions
Matthew 15:10-20
The key words in this passage are: mouth, defile, plant, blind. This section is the continuation of the dispute that started by the Pharisees asking Jesus why his disciples did not wash their hands before eating. This had nothing to do with hygiene and everything to do with religious ritual. In fact, the extremely pious would wash their hands after each course of the meal. Jesus' main point is that it is not eating with unclean hands that defiles a person but what comes out through words or actions is an indication of the corruption that is in a person's heart.
So lately I've noticed that I've been swearing a lot - mostly in private and mostly under my breath but it's been coming out. Now I know that I should do some behaviour modification in that I should stop swearing. Jesus would agree that I should stop swearing but I think he would point to something deeper than the words coming out of my mouth. This passage tells me that the words coming out of my mouth are an indication of the condition of my heart. So, I need to ask myself, what is going on inside of me that would cause the increase in swearing? In the meantime, I need to exercise some discipline and gain control of my tongue but I also need to realize that my tongue speaks from the overflow of my heart.
The point, I think, is that none of us can change our own hearts. Jesus is making it clear that observing religious ritual is not enough. It doesn't deal with the heart issue. Self-discipline is very good but it is not enough because it doesn't deal with the heart issue. The question that the disciples should be asking Jesus at this point is: if we can't change our heart by observing the religious rituals or by self-discipline, how can we change our hearts? Jesus' reply would probably be something like: "You can't. That's why I am here because only God (Father, Son and Spirit) can change your heart." Prone to wander, Lord I feel it. Prone to leave the God I love. Here's my heart, O, take and seal it...
The key words in this passage are: mouth, defile, plant, blind. This section is the continuation of the dispute that started by the Pharisees asking Jesus why his disciples did not wash their hands before eating. This had nothing to do with hygiene and everything to do with religious ritual. In fact, the extremely pious would wash their hands after each course of the meal. Jesus' main point is that it is not eating with unclean hands that defiles a person but what comes out through words or actions is an indication of the corruption that is in a person's heart.
So lately I've noticed that I've been swearing a lot - mostly in private and mostly under my breath but it's been coming out. Now I know that I should do some behaviour modification in that I should stop swearing. Jesus would agree that I should stop swearing but I think he would point to something deeper than the words coming out of my mouth. This passage tells me that the words coming out of my mouth are an indication of the condition of my heart. So, I need to ask myself, what is going on inside of me that would cause the increase in swearing? In the meantime, I need to exercise some discipline and gain control of my tongue but I also need to realize that my tongue speaks from the overflow of my heart.
The point, I think, is that none of us can change our own hearts. Jesus is making it clear that observing religious ritual is not enough. It doesn't deal with the heart issue. Self-discipline is very good but it is not enough because it doesn't deal with the heart issue. The question that the disciples should be asking Jesus at this point is: if we can't change our heart by observing the religious rituals or by self-discipline, how can we change our hearts? Jesus' reply would probably be something like: "You can't. That's why I am here because only God (Father, Son and Spirit) can change your heart." Prone to wander, Lord I feel it. Prone to leave the God I love. Here's my heart, O, take and seal it...
Sunday, May 3, 2009
splitting hairs
Matthew 15:1-9
I just published this post and it disappeared. Crazy!! I guess I'll try again:
Jesus contrasts the "tradition of the elders" to the "command of God" and exposes the fact that the Pharisees give more weight to their tradition than to the word of God. He reveals that by creating these traditions, they have created loopholes by which they can escape obeying the law. The specific example he gives is that some people were not providing the help to their parents that they were commanded to give because the tradition of the elders allowed them to devote some of their money (that would have otherwise gone to helping their parents) to God. Matthew (and Jesus) are again making the point that in the kingdom, people are more important than traditions and obedience is more important than ritual. The law really can be summed up as "love God with all you have and are" and "love your neighbour as yourself".
Jesus uses this occassion to remind the Pharisees of the prophesy of Isaiah and to see themselves as the fulfillment of that prophesy: they are the people who practice the rituals and traditions of religion but remain far from the heart of God. I know that I've been in the same boat. It's not that I've done it on purpose for the most part. It's just that the rituals and traditions become so common for me that I sometimes go through the motions without realizing it. Father, forgive me. May I never find more comfort in rituals than I do in you and may I never put tradition above people or obedience.
I just published this post and it disappeared. Crazy!! I guess I'll try again:
Jesus contrasts the "tradition of the elders" to the "command of God" and exposes the fact that the Pharisees give more weight to their tradition than to the word of God. He reveals that by creating these traditions, they have created loopholes by which they can escape obeying the law. The specific example he gives is that some people were not providing the help to their parents that they were commanded to give because the tradition of the elders allowed them to devote some of their money (that would have otherwise gone to helping their parents) to God. Matthew (and Jesus) are again making the point that in the kingdom, people are more important than traditions and obedience is more important than ritual. The law really can be summed up as "love God with all you have and are" and "love your neighbour as yourself".
Jesus uses this occassion to remind the Pharisees of the prophesy of Isaiah and to see themselves as the fulfillment of that prophesy: they are the people who practice the rituals and traditions of religion but remain far from the heart of God. I know that I've been in the same boat. It's not that I've done it on purpose for the most part. It's just that the rituals and traditions become so common for me that I sometimes go through the motions without realizing it. Father, forgive me. May I never find more comfort in rituals than I do in you and may I never put tradition above people or obedience.
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