Matthew 9 A Jesus Party

WEEK  9                                            Matthew 9

THURSDAY  Reflections

In verse 9 we see the calling of Matthew. Matthew is sitting at the receipt of customs, the place where taxes were paid. John Wesley points out that he was “in the very height of his business,” when Jesus called him. We can assume that Matthew had heard and seen Jesus before but here in the middle of his workday Jesus gives Matthew a call. Many people would have said, sure as soon as I finish up here. We do see some of that in the gospels, but Matthew seemed to realize this was his opportunity and left everything.

 

God doesn’t always call people in the middle of their workday He doesn’t always ask them to leave it all behind. He does often call us out of our own ideas and plans to follow him. He calls us from the middle of our grudge to forgive. He calls out of the middle of our payday to remind us to be faithful to him. He calls us out of our sin to follow him. In this, there is always a “reason to say” not now. However, God isn’t looking to be put on hold. If we are seeking first the Kingdom of God then we don’t put God on hold, we act when he says. We are to respond like Matthew.

 

However, there is another thing Matthew does (though not clearly pointed out in this chapter), he has a party to invite all his friends to meet the person who called him to a new life. Are we singing the praises of God about what he has called us to or are we trying to slide quietly away so no one will notice?

 

Matthew’s actions do not leave much room for him to return to his old life, in truth it gives him none. He has let everyone know I am going a new way, this wasn’t a party like Matthew might have had in the past, this was a party to introduce everyone to Jesus.

 

So, are you following Jesus? Have you thrown your party to honor Jesus?

Mat 9:1-38
(1)  And he entered into a ship, and passed over, and came into his own city.
(2)  And, behold, they brought to him a man sick of the palsy, lying on a bed: and Jesus seeing their faith said unto the sick of the palsy; Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee.
(3)  And, behold, certain of the scribes said within themselves, This man blasphemeth.
(4)  And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts?
(5)  For whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and walk?
(6)  But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (then saith he to the sick of the palsy,) Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine house.
(7)  And he arose, and departed to his house.
(8)  But when the multitudes saw it, they marvelled, and glorified God, which had given such power unto men.
(9)  And as Jesus passed forth from thence, he saw a man, named Matthew, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he saith unto him, Follow me. And he arose, and followed him.
(10)  And it came to pass, as Jesus sat at meat in the house, behold, many publicans and sinners came and sat down with him and his disciples.
(11)  And when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto his disciples, Why eateth your Master with publicans and sinners?
(12)  But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick.
(13)  But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.
(14)  Then came to him the disciples of John, saying, Why do we and the Pharisees fast oft, but thy disciples fast not?
(15)  And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bridechamber mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them? but the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken from them, and then shall they fast.
(16)  No man putteth a piece of new cloth unto an old garment, for that which is put in to fill it up taketh from the garment, and the rent is made worse.
(17)  Neither do men put new wine into old bottles: else the bottles break, and the wine runneth out, and the bottles perish: but they put new wine into new bottles, and both are preserved.
(18)  While he spake these things unto them, behold, there came a certain ruler, and worshipped him, saying, My daughter is even now dead: but come and lay thy hand upon her, and she shall live.
(19)  And Jesus arose, and followed him, and so did his disciples.
(20)  And, behold, a woman, which was diseased with an issue of blood twelve years, came behind him, and touched the hem of his garment:
(21)  For she said within herself, If I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole.
(22)  But Jesus turned him about, and when he saw her, he said, Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole. And the woman was made whole from that hour.
(23)  And when Jesus came into the ruler's house, and saw the minstrels and the people making a noise,
(24)  He said unto them, Give place: for the maid is not dead, but sleepeth. And they laughed him to scorn.
(25)  But when the people were put forth, he went in, and took her by the hand, and the maid arose.
(26)  And the fame hereof went abroad into all that land.
(27)  And when Jesus departed thence, two blind men followed him, crying, and saying, Thou Son of David, have mercy on us.
(28)  And when he was come into the house, the blind men came to him: and Jesus saith unto them, Believe ye that I am able to do this? They said unto him, Yea, Lord.
(29)  Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you.
(30)  And their eyes were opened; and Jesus straitly charged them, saying, See that no man know it.
(31)  But they, when they were departed, spread abroad his fame in all that country.
(32)  As they went out, behold, they brought to him a dumb man possessed with a devil.
(33)  And when the devil was cast out, the dumb spake: and the multitudes marvelled, saying, It was never so seen in Israel.
(34)  But the Pharisees said, He casteth out devils through the prince of the devils.
(35)  And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.
(36)  But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.
(37)  Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few;
(38)  Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.

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Ecclesiastes 3 Flowers in Winter?

WEEK   9                                         Ecclesiastes 3

WEDNESDAY  Reflections

In Ecclesiastes 3, we are reminded that there is a time and a season for everything. The important thing to see is there are seasons in our lives. Too often people want to stay in the season they are in and this brings difficulty.

 

People want to stay teenagers, stay young adults, or stay behind the wheel of a car. They don’t want to accept the truth that this time in their life has passed. Often this results in missing out on discovering joys or in accidents that hurt themselves and others.

 

I can’t help wondering if our desire for fresh fruits and vegetables out of season is a good thing, but that is a discussion for another day and another forum.   

 

We need to be willing to admit that the seasons in our lives change. We need to adjust to them. Buying baby toys for your twelve-year-old doesn’t keep them a baby it just creates issues. Even so, failing to admit things have changed creates denial or an unhealthy yearning for the past. This causes a person to miss the blessing of the present and saps the strength needed to face current trials.

 

The first step to going anywhere is to admit where you are. So look around, what season of life are you in, Go from there. This is true if you’re a 25-year-old person or a hundred-year-old organization. Denying where you are will only lead to trouble. Setting out flowers in winter doesn’t change the season, it only kills the flowers.

Ecc 3:1-22
(1)  To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
(2)  A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;
(3)  A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;
(4)  A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
(5)  A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
(6)  A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
(7)  A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
(8)  A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.
(9)  What profit hath he that worketh in that wherein he laboureth?
(10)  I have seen the travail, which God hath given to the sons of men to be exercised in it.
(11)  He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end.
(12)  I know that there is no good in them, but for a man to rejoice, and to do good in his life.
(13)  And also that every man should eat and drink, and enjoy the good of all his labour, it is the gift of God.
(14)  I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor any thing taken from it: and God doeth it, that men should fear before him.
(15)  That which hath been is now; and that which is to be hath already been; and God requireth that which is past.
(16)  And moreover I saw under the sun the place of judgment, that wickedness was there; and the place of righteousness, that iniquity was there.
(17)  I said in mine heart, God shall judge the righteous and the wicked: for there is a time there for every purpose and for every work.
(18)  I said in mine heart concerning the estate of the sons of men, that God might manifest them, and that they might see that they themselves are beasts.
(19)  For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them: as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath; so that a man hath no preeminence above a beast: for all is vanity.
(20)  All go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again.
(21)  Who knoweth the spirit of man that goeth upward, and the spirit of the beast that goeth downward to the earth?

(22)  Wherefore I perceive that there is nothing better, than that a man should rejoice in his own works; for that is his portion: for who shall bring him to see what shall be after him?

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1 Kings 7

WEEK  9                                             1 Kings 7

TUESDAY  Reflections

God isn't against us having nice things. If you will recall God blessed many in the Old Testament with great riches. However, riches and the desire for the niceties of life can draw us away from God. I see here that it took Solomon 13 years to make his house, but if we recall the last chapter he spent 7 years on the temple. This causes me to question which was more important to him. 

As we read in Ecclesiastes, Solomon gave himself to building and doing great works but found that even after all of it without God everything he did was meaningless to him. As you read this chapter and consider the great and marvelous things Solomon did, remember when he looked back on them all they didn't bring him any peace or lasting happiness. Wealth isn't the answer to finding meaning or lasting joy.

1Ki 7:1-51
(1)  But Solomon was building his own house thirteen years, and he finished all his house.
(2)  He built also the house of the forest of Lebanon; the length thereof was an hundred cubits, and the breadth thereof fifty cubits, and the height thereof thirty cubits, upon four rows of cedar pillars, with cedar beams upon the pillars.
(3)  And it was covered with cedar above upon the beams, that lay on forty five pillars, fifteen in a row.
(4)  And there were windows in three rows, and light was against light in three ranks.
(5)  And all the doors and posts were square, with the windows: and light was against light in three ranks.
(6)  And he made a porch of pillars; the length thereof was fifty cubits, and the breadth thereof thirty cubits: and the porch was before them: and the other pillars and the thick beam were before them.
(7)  Then he made a porch for the throne where he might judge, even the porch of judgment: and it was covered with cedar from one side of the floor to the other.
(8)  And his house where he dwelt had another court within the porch, which was of the like work. Solomon made also an house for Pharaoh's daughter, whom he had taken to wife, like unto this porch.
(9)  All these were of costly stones, according to the measures of hewed stones, sawed with saws, within and without, even from the foundation unto the coping, and so on the outside toward the great court.
(10)  And the foundation was of costly stones, even great stones, stones of ten cubits, and stones of eight cubits.
(11)  And above were costly stones, after the measures of hewed stones, and cedars.
(12)  And the great court round about was with three rows of hewed stones, and a row of cedar beams, both for the inner court of the house of the LORD, and for the porch of the house.
(13)  And king Solomon sent and fetched Hiram out of Tyre.
(14)  He was a widow's son of the tribe of Naphtali, and his father was a man of Tyre, a worker in brass: and he was filled with wisdom, and understanding, and cunning to work all works in brass. And he came to king Solomon, and wrought all his work.
(15)  For he cast two pillars of brass, of eighteen cubits high apiece: and a line of twelve cubits did compass either of them about.
(16)  And he made two chapiters of molten brass, to set upon the tops of the pillars: the height of the one chapiter was five cubits, and the height of the other chapiter was five cubits:
(17)  And nets of checker work, and wreaths of chain work, for the chapiters which were upon the top of the pillars; seven for the one chapiter, and seven for the other chapiter.
(18)  And he made the pillars, and two rows round about upon the one network, to cover the chapiters that were upon the top, with pomegranates: and so did he for the other chapiter.
(19)  And the chapiters that were upon the top of the pillars were of lily work in the porch, four cubits.
(20)  And the chapiters upon the two pillars had pomegranates also above, over against the belly which was by the network: and the pomegranates were two hundred in rows round about upon the other chapiter.
(21)  And he set up the pillars in the porch of the temple: and he set up the right pillar, and called the name thereof Jachin: and he set up the left pillar, and called the name thereof Boaz.
(22)  And upon the top of the pillars was lily work: so was the work of the pillars finished.
(23)  And he made a molten sea, ten cubits from the one brim to the other: it was round all about, and his height was five cubits: and a line of thirty cubits did compass it round about.
(24)  And under the brim of it round about there were knops compassing it, ten in a cubit, compassing the sea round about: the knops were cast in two rows, when it was cast.
(25)  It stood upon twelve oxen, three looking toward the north, and three looking toward the west, and three looking toward the south, and three looking toward the east: and the sea was set above upon them, and all their hinder parts were inward.
(26)  And it was an hand breadth thick, and the brim thereof was wrought like the brim of a cup, with flowers of lilies: it contained two thousand baths.
(27)  And he made ten bases of brass; four cubits was the length of one base, and four cubits the breadth thereof, and three cubits the height of it.
(28)  And the work of the bases was on this manner: they had borders, and the borders were between the ledges:
(29)  And on the borders that were between the ledges were lions, oxen, and cherubims: and upon the ledges there was a base above: and beneath the lions and oxen were certain additions made of thin work.
(30)  And every base had four brasen wheels, and plates of brass: and the four corners thereof had undersetters: under the laver were undersetters molten, at the side of every addition.
(31)  And the mouth of it within the chapiter and above was a cubit: but the mouth thereof was round after the work of the base, a cubit and an half: and also upon the mouth of it were gravings with their borders, foursquare, not round.
(32)  And under the borders were four wheels; and the axletrees of the wheels were joined to the base: and the height of a wheel was a cubit and half a cubit.
(33)  And the work of the wheels was like the work of a chariot wheel: their axletrees, and their naves, and their felloes, and their spokes, were all molten.
(34)  And there were four undersetters to the four corners of one base: and the undersetters were of the very base itself.
(35)  And in the top of the base was there a round compass of half a cubit high: and on the top of the base the ledges thereof and the borders thereof were of the same.
(36)  For on the plates of the ledges thereof, and on the borders thereof, he graved cherubims, lions, and palm trees, according to the proportion of every one, and additions round about.
(37)  After this manner he made the ten bases: all of them had one casting, one measure, and one size.
(38)  Then made he ten lavers of brass: one laver contained forty baths: and every laver was four cubits: and upon every one of the ten bases one laver.
(39)  And he put five bases on the right side of the house, and five on the left side of the house: and he set the sea on the right side of the house eastward over against the south.
(40)  And Hiram made the lavers, and the shovels, and the basons. So Hiram made an end of doing all the work that he made king Solomon for the house of the LORD:
(41)  The two pillars, and the two bowls of the chapiters that were on the top of the two pillars; and the two networks, to cover the two bowls of the chapiters which were upon the top of the pillars;
(42)  And four hundred pomegranates for the two networks, even two rows of pomegranates for one network, to cover the two bowls of the chapiters that were upon the pillars;
(43)  And the ten bases, and ten lavers on the bases;
(44)  And one sea, and twelve oxen under the sea;
(45)  And the pots, and the shovels, and the basons: and all these vessels, which Hiram made to king Solomon for the house of the LORD, were of bright brass.
(46)  In the plain of Jordan did the king cast them, in the clay ground between Succoth and Zarthan.
(47)  And Solomon left all the vessels unweighed, because they were exceeding many: neither was the weight of the brass found out.
(48)  And Solomon made all the vessels that pertained unto the house of the LORD: the altar of gold, and the table of gold, whereupon the shewbread was,
(49)  And the candlesticks of pure gold, five on the right side, and five on the left, before the oracle, with the flowers, and the lamps, and the tongs of gold,
(50)  And the bowls, and the snuffers, and the basons, and the spoons, and the censers of pure gold; and the hinges of gold, both for the doors of the inner house, the most holy place, and for the doors of the house, to wit, of the temple.
(51)  So was ended all the work that king Solomon made for the house of the LORD. And Solomon brought in the things which David his father had dedicated; even the silver, and the gold, and the vessels, did he put among the treasures of the house of the LORD.

1 Kings 6

Temple Mound Jerusalem

WEEK  9                                            1 Kings 6

MONDAY  Reflections

Solomon made a great temple for God. What did God say concerning the temple? It wasn't thanks. It wasn't a promise of blessing. God said concerning the temple (and I paraphrase), none of this matters, I will bless you only if you obey me(verses 11-13). Other gods in ancient times supposedly gave great promises of riches, protection, and the like for making temples to them. Men in myth promised to make temples after the god or goddess blessed them during a quest. God, however, is never impressed by sacrifices or gifts. God is interested in obedience.

 

When you study God's law you see obedience isn't for God’s benefit but for ours.

1Ki 6:1-38
(1)  And it came to pass in the four hundred and eightieth year after the children of Israel were come out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon's reign over Israel, in the month Zif, which is the second month, that he began to build the house of the LORD.
(2)  And the house which king Solomon built for the LORD, the length thereof was threescore cubits, and the breadth thereof twenty cubits, and the height thereof thirty cubits.
(3)  And the porch before the temple of the house, twenty cubits was the length thereof, according to the breadth of the house; and ten cubits was the breadth thereof before the house.
(4)  And for the house he made windows of narrow lights.
(5)  And against the wall of the house he built chambers round about, against the walls of the house round about, both of the temple and of the oracle: and he made chambers round about:
(6)  The nethermost chamber was five cubits broad, and the middle was six cubits broad, and the third was seven cubits broad: for without in the wall of the house he made narrowed rests round about, that the beams should not be fastened in the walls of the house.
(7)  And the house, when it was in building, was built of stone made ready before it was brought thither: so that there was neither hammer nor axe nor any tool of iron heard in the house, while it was in building.
(8)  The door for the middle chamber was in the right side of the house: and they went up with winding stairs into the middle chamber, and out of the middle into the third.
(9)  So he built the house, and finished it; and covered the house with beams and boards of cedar.
(10)  And then he built chambers against all the house, five cubits high: and they rested on the house with timber of cedar.
(11)  And the word of the LORD came to Solomon, saying,
(12)  Concerning this house which thou art in building, if thou wilt walk in my statutes, and execute my judgments, and keep all my commandments to walk in them; then will I perform my word with thee, which I spake unto David thy father:
(13)  And I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will not forsake my people Israel.
(14)  So Solomon built the house, and finished it.
(15)  And he built the walls of the house within with boards of cedar, both the floor of the house, and the walls of the cieling: and he covered them on the inside with wood, and covered the floor of the house with planks of fir.
(16)  And he built twenty cubits on the sides of the house, both the floor and the walls with boards of cedar: he even built them for it within, even for the oracle, even for the most holy place.
(17)  And the house, that is, the temple before it, was forty cubits long.
(18)  And the cedar of the house within was carved with knops and open flowers: all was cedar; there was no stone seen.
(19)  And the oracle he prepared in the house within, to set there the ark of the covenant of the LORD.
(20)  And the oracle in the forepart was twenty cubits in length, and twenty cubits in breadth, and twenty cubits in the height thereof: and he overlaid it with pure gold; and so covered the altar which was of cedar.
(21)  So Solomon overlaid the house within with pure gold: and he made a partition by the chains of gold before the oracle; and he overlaid it with gold.
(22)  And the whole house he overlaid with gold, until he had finished all the house: also the whole altar that was by the oracle he overlaid with gold.
(23)  And within the oracle he made two cherubims of olive tree, each ten cubits high.
(24)  And five cubits was the one wing of the cherub, and five cubits the other wing of the cherub: from the uttermost part of the one wing unto the uttermost part of the other were ten cubits.
(25)  And the other cherub was ten cubits: both the cherubims were of one measure and one size.
(26)  The height of the one cherub was ten cubits, and so was it of the other cherub.
(27)  And he set the cherubims within the inner house: and they stretched forth the wings of the cherubims, so that the wing of the one touched the one wall, and the wing of the other cherub touched the other wall; and their wings touched one another in the midst of the house.
(28)  And he overlaid the cherubims with gold.
(29)  And he carved all the walls of the house round about with carved figures of cherubims and palm trees and open flowers, within and without.
(30)  And the floor of the house he overlaid with gold, within and without.
(31)  And for the entering of the oracle he made doors of olive tree: the lintel and side posts were a fifth part of the wall.
(32)  The two doors also were of olive tree; and he carved upon them carvings of cherubims and palm trees and open flowers, and overlaid them with gold, and spread gold upon the cherubims, and upon the palm trees.
(33)  So also made he for the door of the temple posts of olive tree, a fourth part of the wall.
(34)  And the two doors were of fir tree: the two leaves of the one door were folding, and the two leaves of the other door were folding.
(35)  And he carved thereon cherubims and palm trees and open flowers: and covered them with gold fitted upon the carved work.
(36)  And he built the inner court with three rows of hewed stone, and a row of cedar beams.
(37)  In the fourth year was the foundation of the house of the LORD laid, in the month Zif:
(38)  And in the eleventh year, in the month Bul, which is the eighth month, was the house finished throughout all the parts thereof, and according to all the fashion of it. So was he seven years in building it.

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Jeremiah 45

WEEK  8                                             Jeremiah 45

SATURDAY  Reflections

Don't bother even trying.

 

At least in America, there is an attitude that if you want it and are willing to work hard you can get it. The amazing thing is that in many areas it is true. Getting wealth, notoriety, and position can come easier here than in any place in the world. So saying that you shouldn't even try seems completely wrong.

 

The truth is that in some places and definitely during the time of Jeremiah trying to get "great things" (45:5) is an exercise in futility. God was not being cruel to Baruch (Jeremiah's scribe). God was trying to save him from the pain of even more loss.

 

In Ecclesiastes chapter 3, it says there is a time to give up. This was that time. Trying to fight against it wasn't going to help. Yes, we shouldn't give up just because things are hard, but there is a time to walk away. There is a time to run away. Don't give up too early, but when God says to let go, it will save you a lot of disappointment.

Jer 45:1-5
(1)  The word that Jeremiah the prophet spake unto Baruch the son of Neriah, when he had written these words in a book at the mouth of Jeremiah, in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, saying,
(2)  Thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel, unto thee, O Baruch;
(3)  Thou didst say, Woe is me now! for the LORD hath added grief to my sorrow; I fainted in my sighing, and I find no rest.
(4)  Thus shalt thou say unto him, The LORD saith thus; Behold, that which I have built will I break down, and that which I have planted I will pluck up, even this whole land.
(5)  And seekest thou great things for thyself? seek them not: for, behold, I will bring evil upon all flesh, saith the LORD: but thy life will I give unto thee for a prey in all places whither thou goest.

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