Matthew 8

Remember, Jesus teaches but there is power in his teaching. We now have Jesus interacting with others displaying the power that goes with authoritative (from God) teaching. Jesus heals people.

The Man with leprosy trust Jesus can heal him. Jesus does but tells him to continue by doing what Jewish law requires when one is heal of a skin disease. Jesus' culture believed that Jesus should have had nothing to do with this man.

Jesus should have avoided the Gentile centurion (who was also a oppressor.) This man says the same as the leper. He KNOWS Jesus can heal his servant. Jesus does. Both of the two healing display the power of trusting Jesus.

Jesus reminds followers that following has a steep price. We know it has a big payout as well. If nothing else, Jesus teaches the power of delayed gratification.

Jesus' closest friends (disciple) now display little faith. You would expect BIG faith from them. They are afraid of the storm even though Jesus is with them. Faith is takes risk and practice.

Even demons know of Jesus' power. Funny that people don't. Pigs are unclean to a Jew. That is why Jesus bans the demons to the pigs. Pigs add emphasis to Jesus' healing. Note that the healing scares the townspeople.

Matthew 7

Stop judging others. You never use the same standard you want applied to you. Besides, we have enough things we ought to look at in ourselves. Ask, God for what you want and trust God will deliver what you need. Jesus is not talking about selfish wants (reread the previous chapters.)

Jesus acknowledges that following him is hard (narrow door) but his way leads to life. The easy way does not. Many will say that they have an easier answer, especially religious types. Pay not attention to them. Look for the real deal, Jesus. You will know it is Jesus if you are asked to follow as Jesus describes. Don't be so foolish as to build something so important as your life on a foundation that will wash away at the first sign of stress.

The people who heard Jesus found this kind of teaching had weight, had authority.

Matthew 6

Jesus continues his rabbinic teaching. Generosity is never done before an audience, only God. Same with prayer. Audiences lead us to impress others.  God cares about where our hearts are when we do things. Jesus gives a model of prayer in what we call The Lord's Prayer. Notice Jesus emphasizes the "forgiving part." Forgiving mans to cancel the debt. It has nothing to do with fairness or getting what's owed you. You make a choice not to be burdened by what you expect from another. Debtor is probably a better translation from the Greek. This apart of the Bible was written in Greek.

Fasting gets the same treatment as prayer and giving. No audience! All three are important. Don't empty their importance by trying to impress others. To summarize, Jesus says that proper prayer, fasting (abstaining, especially from eating, for a period of time in order to devote more time and attention to God,) and giving are all counted in heaven. Earthly impressing of people will pass away. Live a life investing in things which will last!

Money cannot be a rival for God. Many people will do all sorts of things for money and would never dream of putting that kind of effort into God. God last, money doesn't. Jesus knows our next complaint, "But you don't know how…if I don't slave for more money!" Jesus tells us to stop our worrying. God will take care of us. If we go back to the beginning of the chapter, generosity is actually a practice that helps money lose its grip on us.

Matthew 5

Jesus now teaches. Notice that the crowds are present but Jesus is teaching his followers. Maybe what he teaches is a bit to hard for new people to hear? Or maybe he just wanted the crowds to overhear his teaching of his disciples. The Beatitudes ("blessed statements") follow. Notice that the first half of each statement and the second half are not what we would expect to hear together. The Kingdom of Heaven really IS a different place! Here we have Jesus telling us that life does not always word as our intuition tells us. We need a Lord because we will not naturally choose the right way. We must follow. Jesus must lead.

Jesus goes on to use simple analogies to let us know our role as faithful people. We are the salt that seasons life. We are the light that shows others the way to God by our actions.

Jesus makes it clear that he is not overturning what God has already started. Jesus is showing how what God is started should look in the life of a person. It is different than we thought. It isn't just following rules. It is following Jesus. We keep the rules as a byproduct of following Jesus. We wander off away from God when we follow rules because we will bend them to our advantage. You do that, don't you? I do. We need to follow Jesus. Rule-followers cannot find the entrance to the Kingdom of Heaven.

Now Jesus drives home his point! If you hate a person enough, you have murdered him. Make up, even before you worship. Don't take it to court. Take it to God.

If you lust after a person, that's the SAME as committing adultery. What's in our heart is very important. Jesus wants to clean house.

Divorce is not God's will. Rather than divorce, what is the marital impediment?

Just say "yes" or "no." Any more will lead us to trouble because it makes us harder to understand. People usually say more than "yes" or "no" because they want to hid behind words and not face up to what they need to face up to.

Revenge is a waste of time. Serve the evil person instead. Love your enemies. Now there's a new teaching! Be perfect (as in a perfect reflection of) like God is. Jesus knows that none of us can be perfect. It is a goal to strive for. We may get angry or divorced. All is not lost! These are God's standards. We need to try to measure up. But God also forgives. We need to take him up on that.

Imagine a world where people said what they meant, had lofty standards and quickly admitted when they did not meet them and then changed their minds and tried again to follow Jesus again. It is the Kingdom of Heaven!

Matthew 4

Jesus is now driven by God's Spirit into the desert, where he is tempted by the devil. Deserts are considered places of wandering and spiritual vulnerability (and the possibility of spiritual growth.) The devil makes three challenges to "be like God." This was the sin of Adam and Eve. Jesus, unlike Adam and Eve, turns the devil down. The devil is a person, not equal to God, but who tempts or deceives faithful people, usually with rationalizations to dump God and run their own life.

Jesus goes on to teach. Matthew wants Jewish Christians to believe in Jesus, so he often casts Jesus as a rabbi (teacher) in the best Jewish tradition. The beginning of Jesus' teaching time is seen by Matthew as the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy that a new era will someday come. Jesus inaugurates the new era. Jesus preaches (teaches) that the Kingdom of Heaven is now coming. The KOH is not a place but is life the way God intended it to be. This life was impossible for us to achieve/experience until Jesus paved the way.

Jesus calls disciples or followers. He asks them (us) to follow him. In other words, do what he does and says. Notice their eagerness to follow.

Jesus also heals. Healing is a sign to Matthew that Jesus has the power of God with him. Healing is a fruit of a faithful person. Demons could be all sorts of mental illnesses. Notice, Jesus starts out teaching in synagogues.

Matthew 3

John the Baptist is introduced as a person expected in the Old Testament to prepare the way for the coming Messiah (means "anointed one," the OT was the anointed one.) John is Jesus' cousin. Matthew 3:3 is referencing Isaiah 40:3. John was calling for people to turn from their sins and be baptized as a sign of new life. Baptism was a new idea at the time. This is different from your baptism, which is for forgiveness and empowerment by Jesus. John's only offer forgiveness. John specifically targets the religious leaders of the day as most needing this baptism.

Jesus is baptized, not because he sinned but because God asked of this for all. God tells all present that he is pleased with Jesus. Notice that Jesus went up out of the water. No one knows if baptism was full immersion of the person or that Jesus was just standing in water when he was baptized. The importance is that water is used. How wet we get is not really addressed in this passage.

Matthew 2

The Magi (wise men) visit. This is after the birth of Jesus. King Herod is threatened by the rumor that a new "king" has been born. He solicits the wise men in a lie to help him worship the baby, too. They do not trust Herod and fail to let him know Jesus' whereabouts. The wise of this earth bow down to the ruler of Heaven and Earth, Jesus. I am sure Mary was surprised and confused by the attention.

Another dream for Joseph and he is warned to flee Herod who will kill Jesus. The family goes to Egypt. This move also fulfills a Old Testament prophecy. Herod has all newborn Jewish boys killed so he can be rid of a rival ruler. He is outwitted by God!

Herod dies and the family returns but not after another dream that directs the family to Nazareth (and not Bethlehem.) Another Dream and another prophecy fulfilled. Do you pay attention to your dreams? Might God be speaking to you?

Matthew 1

Matthew starts out with the Genealogy of Jesus. Matthew was probably the Matthew (tax collector turned apostle) of the Gospels. Matthew, probably writing many years after Jesus' death and resurrection (meaning that he had time to fully understand Jesus,) wrote to a church of Jews who became Christians. This is why here, with the genealogy, and elsewhere, Matthew sets out to show how Jesus was the Messiah in the mold of the Old Testament and was the fulfillment of many OT prophecies.

Note that Jesus' genealogy starts with the Father of the Jews, Abraham, and goes through King David as well. Non-Jews and even prostitutes are in Jesus' family tree.

Jesus was born to a lowly family in the genealogy (Mary.) She is engaged but found pregnant. This was cause for her death. Who would believe that God's Spirit was the father? Joseph, being faithful, receives a dream where he finds that this is God's doing and God's Son and to go along with the marriage. Jesus is the Greek form of Joshua, which means the LORD saves. Many people and places have symbolic names.

James 5

James sounds like Jesus (in Matthew) when he says that riches are a bad investment over investing in Jesus. The rich people have cheated (killed?) others in order to get more riches.

James encourages patience instead. For those who are rich and those who are cheated. He now speaks to the entire church (hearers.) The church must be suffering persecution (economic?) Jesus is coming to right all wrongs and usher in a new day. Do not take out hardships on each other.

I love verse 12 and use it a lot. James believes in simple speech. Say, "Yes" or "No." How many times do we cushion a "Yes" or "No" to someone else with extra words because we feel badly? Or add a lot of words in order to confuse because we don't want to deal with the response to what we have said?

James ends with encouraging prayer and anointing people who are sick as well as honest speech (confessions) between church members.  Note that it is the faith of the person praying that aids healing. We often blame those who are ill with not having enough faith. Finally, don't let people stray away for the truth (the faith.) How often, out of politeness, do we "let things be" and let someone stray into trouble and lose God?

James 4

James tells us that our problems come from within us. We have wrong motives and selfish desires. The problem is that we love the world more than God. The world and its agenda set our priorities. God does and will give good things that come out of a faith relationship with Jesus. Humble people win in the end. Proud people will not. Change your mind (orientation.) Submit to God.

The local community must have really bothered James with its slandering of others within the church and its boasting. Slanderers set themselves up as judge. Only God is judge. James ends with an admonishment to boast about what God is doing. Evidently, the tongue is the major cause of trouble.

James 3

Tame that tongue! Talkers are a shipwreck waiting to happen, an inferno waiting to ignite. If anything gets a person into trouble and takes them away from God, it's the tongue. Do more listening and save the tongue for praise.

The wise person (and one who is content and savors life) lives a life where he or she does not think too highly (or lowly) of himself or herself. It is impossible to be humble if we are talking all the time. Talk (not praise) usually points back to  "me." "Me" is never humble.

Worldly "wisdom" is evil and, ultimately, destructive.

James 2

Favoritism has nothing to do with God. God sees that we favor people with money, fame and status. God sees all people the same and we should too. We tend to ignore or condemn those different from us or who are in need. God can get through to those who have no status and don't play favorites. Those who play favorites place "God-proof" shelters for themselves.

If you break even the smallest of God's commandments, you break the Law. God commands love our neighbors as ourselves. There is no place for favoritism in this. Caring wins out over judgmentalism. The caring person knows God.

You cannot have faith if it does not show forth in Godly action. Holy people are doers of the Word of God. Inert people are not listening to God and there actions are useless. Faith is completed by works. Works are Godly when they rise out of faith. Even the Old Testament whore, Rahab (who is in Jesus' ancestral tree!) was faithful because she acted upon God's prompting.

James 1

We are not completely sure who James was. James could be the brother of Jesus and leader of the Jerusalem church. He starts with the scattered 12 tribes in his salutation, so he probably had Jewish roots and audience. Israel had 12 tribes. The Book of James is a very practical (lots of ethical advice) book.

James knows that trials go with being faithful. An easy faith is no faith at all, just luck. James is encouraging people to persevere. Maybe the worst place to be is not that of an unbeliever but that of a fence sitter, a doubter. You are naturally unstable and you never know where you will land. Trust God to deliver!

James lifts up people of humble means. Riches are of little use when the real things that matter in life come along. They get in the way of a relationship with God.

Temptations to fall away from God through bad actions come from within us. We cannot blame anyone else, even God. Temptations given into lead to sin. Sin leads to death. Christians are called to be different, a new kind of being who blesses others (and does not harm or hinder others.)

Listen and stop trying to argue your point. Check your anger. It will not serve God's purpose. Draw on the Christ within you to withstand the temptation to get mad and talk without hearing out your neighbor.

Stop soaking up sermons and Bible reading without applying it to your life. Stop forgetting who you are but hearing the Bible but not doing it. Your identity is not found in the noise of life but in applying the Bible in day-to-day living.

 

If you are a gossip or constantly talking and giving your opinion, you are not Christian. Helping those in need shows you are actually listening to God and applying His Word.

Galatians 6

Paul encourages the Galatian church to recognize sin and gently correct it. How often do we pretend (out of "politeness") to not see sin of our friends? Any one person's burden (sin,) is a burden to all. Help out! Help, however, is not an excuse for anyone taking a "free ride" in the church.

 

Don't look to circumcision or not being circumcised as a sign of anything. The sign of faith in God is a person who is a new creation. It is surprising that there were no personal greetings at the end of this letter. Was Paul too upset to want to soften it by mentioning thanks to his friends?

Galatians 5

Don't give up your freedom in Christ for slavery to a Law you can never keep. Circumcision is the sign of a "law-keeper." To be circumcised now (they weren't?) would mean that they must keep all of the Law to be true to the sign of circumcision. Faith is a better sign of God.

 

Paul tells the agitators to go castrate themselves. Sarcasm (since he was talking about circumcision) abounds. He says, in effect, "If a little cutting helps, why not cut off the whole thing!"

 

Love is the expression faith in Jesus takes. Love is serving each other (not simply a feeling.) Paul then tells what life in God's Spirit looks like. Paul judges, not by works of any law, but by expressions of love. If the negative fruit he mentions are in your life, then you are still trying to justify yourself by working the rules.

 

 

Faith = Love = Service = Good Fruit

 

Works of the Law = Slavery = Self-service = Bad Fruit

Galatians 4

More arguments that Jesus is both the Son of God and the fulfillment of Jewish Law. Paul argues that the Galatians now know God and do not need to be slaves to religious intermediaries. Laws can never be fully kept, so God can never be fully satisfied. However, God's own Son can satisfy for what we lack. Paul describes being ill with the Galatians when he was there. Their joy is gone because their faith is in a dead end if they abandon Christ. Paul likens being a spiritual father to childbirth. He is pained. Paul closes with another Old Testament (which would appeal to Jewish converts) parallel of two paths, only one leading to life. The right one was taken earlier in Jewish history. Take the right one now!

Galatians 3

Galatians are foolish, easily tricked by others to abandon Christ. Paul tells them that they had God's Spirit without observing the Law (remember that they were pagans when they converted.)  Why would they need the Law now? What God gave freely they are trying to do on their own! The Law changes you while you do it. Jesus changes you forever. Our work is inferior to God's. The Law was fine until Jesus came. Now, the Law is just an anchor in the desert. Of no use compared to faith in Jesus.

 

Everyone, no matter what their past or present status is acceptable to God right now for entry into God's offer of a saving relationship.

Galatians 2

 

Paul continues to make his case that he has authority. He states that Jewish customs (Law) is of no effect. It is not about following rules. It IS about following Jesus. Paul even opposed those who want new converts to the faith (the Galatians were probably pagans before converting) to become Jews first by following the rules of Moses. Gentle Christians are complete Christians and not some "lesser" variety. How many times do we judge others because they do not possess the same preparation or past as we do?

Faith in Christ is all that is necessary. We are in a right relationship with God (righteousness) because of what Jesus did and never because of what we do or can do.

Galatians 1

 

Galatia is probably an area of Asia Minor (Turkey today) where Paul started a number of churches (see Acts.) The letter address the question of whether or not Jewish Law is binding on Christians (remember that from Acts?)

Note that Paul starts out by claming apostleship – directly fro Jesus himself! He really is calling as much weight to bear on his letter (or is he being defensive?) as he can. Paul starts out this letter, and many others, with a combination Greek/Roman (grace) and Jewish (peace) greeting.

 Paul gets right into it! His churches are abandoning his Gospel foundation because some false teachers are perverting it. The "new" teaching is worthless. The teachers should be condemned. How easy it is to listen to teachers who tell us the kind of things we like to hear. Right? There is only one Gospel. Everything else is "bad news."

Paul stresses his pedigree again. God's one and only Gospel and Paul is a messenger called by God to proclaim it. He says he was a Jew's Jew, keeping the Law of Moses, but realized that there was more. Salvation (spiritual health) is found in Jesus Christ.  Jesus sent him to Gentiles (the ones now abandoning the faith.)

Hebrews 13

Hebrews now concludes with some practical words of advice and encouragement. Hospitality is mentioned first. When you entertain people, you entertain God. The reference is to Abraham showing hospitality to strangers who turn out to be God.

 

Were the next items areas of problems for the recipients of Hebrews? Sexual immorality. Greediness. Authority issues. Trendy spiritual fads. Undermining leadership.

 

Verse 15 is used as a offertory sentence in our Sunday communion service. See p. 376 in the Book of Common Prayer.

 

Verses 20 and 21 are used in the Book or Common Prayer p. 486 (bottom) in the Burial service.

 

Hebrews seems to come from Italy and the author has some relationship with Timothy (Paul's understudy in Acts.)

Hebrews 12

Notice we start with "Therefore." In other words, all the faith stuff in Hebrews 11 leads us to the following conclusion. We have lots of heavenly encouragers (cloud of witnesses,) do finish the race. Keep your eyes on Jesus who makes up what's lacking in us. Take hardships as discipline and discipline as a sign that God is preparing you for better things.

 

Live a holy life as a result. You are headed towards the Son of the living God. The author tells us that we are not coming to a number of Old Testament images involving Moses, Elijah and Gideon.

 

Don't turn you back on God.

Hebrews 11

Verse 1 is one you should memorize. Faith is not "facts" or "feelings." Faith is hoping-for-certain that God wins out at all times and in all circumstances. Do you believe that? The author then goes on to show faith in biblical persons. It is noted that all died without seeing all the fruit of their faith. They didn't need to. They knew that their destination was a heavenly one, with God. The trip was eternal and death was but a mile marker. All this would be perfected in Jesus Christ.

Hebrews 10

The Law (first 5 books of our Old Testament) pointed to God but Jesus was God. Rituals were performed over and over again because they did not "stick." They did not stick because they were not God. Jesus "sticks" and permanently takes our sins away. It is like the difference between renting a car (it's not really yours and you must rent it over and over again) and owning the car. Jesus' sacrifice (the powerful and permanent one) overtakes the repeated sacrifice of animals that left us in the same prone-to-sin state.

The author encourages the faithful to keep meeting and doing the good of God.  Realize that judgment will come (we don't like that part but it is Biblical) and you don't want to have insulted God by turning your back on his Son who died for your sins, would you? The author may have thought the Day of Judgment was near (because it was rough going for the faithful?)

 The author reminds the faithful of the early days when the confessed Jesus. They were persecuted for it. They did it joyfully because they knew their final destination was assured. Don't forget that, the author says. Persevere.  

Hebrews 9

Chapter 9 starts out with a description of the earthly Jewish worship place. The author explains that the old way (blood sacrifices of animals) of making up for sins just wasn't enough to clear a conscience. "Tabernacle" means to gather with. God resides ("tabernacles") with his people.

 

Christ was a High Priest (and God's Sin) who used his own blood for a once-and-for-all sacrifice for sins. This way works! Christ is our mediator (go between.) Only God's Son could make up for our sins against God.

Hebrews 8

Jesus is the heavenly High Priest of a New (permanent and more powerful) Covenant. The Old one is obsolete.

Hebrews 7

Note that the tithe, giving 10% of your income, is mentioned here, coming from what Abraham did in thanksgiving. The point of the beginning of chapter 7 is to show that Melchizedek had to be greater than Abraham since Abraham gave thanks to him. Jesus is like Melchizedek (remember, the author is writing to Jews who became Christian and uses Old Testament images as a result to prove his/her point) but more! Other priests come and go. Jesus lives forever. No need for a new one. Jesus intercedes for us forever.

Hebrews 6

Another "therefore." It's time to stop being immature and staying at the easy level of Christianity. It's time to grow (which also means "respond.") If you fall away from maturity, it's like crucifying Christ all over again. In other words, "you wasted a perfectly good Resurrection." You become worthless for God's use if you don't mature because you never really accepted God's forgiveness.

This is hard talk, meant to move us from complacency. Complacent people miss out on God's goodies. God has promised good things all the way back to Abraham (a "father" of our faith.) God's promises are permanent. What is shaky is whether or not we really want them. Faith (investment in Jesus) is the sign we want them.

Hebrews 5

More High Priest talk. The earthly high priest had to take care of himself as well. Jesus is different. Jesus was called by God, just like the high priest, but Jesus was like Melchizedek (a priest who had "no beginning" who met with Abraham.) "No beginning" hints at a Godly source.

Obedience and suffer where the hallmark of the Jesus High Priest. This should then be our calling. How obedient (even to the point of suffering are you?) Only God's Son can offer eternal (timeless/above and beyond time) salvation (holy health.)

 Evidently, the intended hearers of Hebrews are pretty dense or proud. They are "slow to learn." The author does not understand. As Jews who became Christians, they should be teaching this. They should be more mature. Does you faith mature? Did you move on to "solid food" (or are you ready to) and offer yourself for a deeper interaction and response with God?

Hebrews 4

Verse 12 is an often quoted passage of the power of Scripture (word of God – Jesus is the Word of God as well.) The power of Scripture is that, in the end, it wins out. No matter what we feel or think, God's will is done.

 

Any time you see a "therefore" in the New Testament, pay attention. The author is tipping you off to an important point. Chapter 4 ends with Jesus being the true High Priest" (not the high priest of the Temple.) Now (remember these are Jews who may be thinking of abandoning Christianity,) you have a High Priest who knows what it is like to be human (in other words "it's doable!") AND a High Priest who has the power (and ability to forgive) of God. What a combo! Jesus will help.

Hebrews 3

Even though Jesus was God, he also was a human and destroyed the devils grip on us. Jesus paid for the sins of all people because on he (a Son of God) had enough to offer to pay God back for the things we did to Him. Jesus remained faithful to the end – for our sake, not his own.

Notice Jesus is THE "high priest" of our faith and greater than even Moses. There is another warning about not believing (taken from Psalm 95.) Unbelief keeps us from the riches of God just like in the case of the Hebrews who wandered in the Wilderness for 40 years. Don't rebel against God! Notice that a group is addressed and this is not an individual who is addressed. Christianity is a group (not private) lifestyle.

Hebrews 2

Listen up, the author says. Do not drift away from faith in Jesus. There are dangerous repercussions if we fall away from the faith. Everything is subject to Jesus. He is the author of our salvation. Salvation and "health" are similar words.

Hebrews 1

Hebrews is more a sermon than a letter. No one knows who wrote it. Some Bibles say Paul did but most scholars think not. Hebrews writes about Jesus as if the author never saw Jesus, which Paul did. The sermon is written to Jewish people who became followers of the way. The encouragement is to not turn back to Judaism but maintain the faith in the superior Jesus Christ. A good knowledge of the Old Testament is evident. You will find the Psalms quoted often. The audience has a working knowledge of the OT as well. There is not greeting as you have in a letter (epistle.) The author gets right into it.

Jesus is proclaimed superior and creator of the universe. He is God's Son.