“Are you still so dull?”

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 Canberra winter fog

Gospel of Matthew 15: 10-20

¹⁰ Jesus called the crowd to him and said, “Listen and understand. ¹¹ What goes into a man’s mouth does not make him ‘unclean’, but what comes out of his mouth, that is what makes him ‘unclean’.”
¹² Then the disciples came to him and asked, “Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this?”
¹³ He replied, “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be pulled up by the roots. ¹⁴ Leave them; they are blind guides. If a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit.”
¹⁵ Peter said, “Explain the parable to us.”
¹⁶ “Are you still so dull?” Jesus asked them. ¹⁷ “Don’t you see that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out of the body? ¹⁸ But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these make a man ‘unclean’. ¹⁹ For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. ²⁰ These are what make a man ‘unclean’; but eating with unwashed hands does not make him ‘unclean’.”

I wonder if Jesus wore a smile as he exclaimed, “Are you still so dull?”. The question put by Peter and no doubt silently asked by the other disciples referred to the parable of verse 11: “What goes into a man’s mouth does not make him ‘unclean’, but what comes out of his mouth, that is what makes him ‘unclean’.”

The offence felt by the Pharisees would not have been simply because Jesus seemed to endorse “break(ing) the tradition of the elders” (verse 2) in relation to the washing of hands before eating. They would have sensed he was criticising them with his comment implying that what came out of their mouths rendered them “unclean” – even if they, like the disciples, were in need of further explanation.

The essence of Jesus’ clarification is in his statement: “the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart …”. The heart was not only regarded as the seat of emotion, it was believed to be the centre of a person’s physical and spiritual life, the place of a person’s remembering and of one’s willingness to believe in, trust and obey God.

Jesus knew what was in a person and from whence came all that was of the evil one, all that opposed what the Father wanted of his creatures.

James in his Epistle (3: 6) seems to attribute evil to the tongue: “The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.” He does however, in referring to the source of what is on the tongue, use the metaphor of a “spring”. The tongue or the mouth is really the messenger for what “springs” from the heart.

How do we purify our hearts and render them clean? That requires a deliberate decision to reject former ways. It requires too the strength we gain from faith in Jesus, from a lifestyle characterised by prayer and from an attitude of humility that seeks the help of the Holy Spirit.

James wrote (3: 17), “… the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.” Let us pray for Godly wisdom in all aspects of our lives and especially in the attitudes of our hearts.

 

Righteousness for everyone who believes

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 Eastern grey kangaroos sunbaking

Epistle of Paul to the Romans 10: 4-13

⁴ Christ is the culmination of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes. ⁵ Moses describes in this way the righteousness that is by the law: “The man who does these things will live by them.” ⁶ But the righteousness that is by faith says: “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’” (that is, to bring Christ down) ⁷ “or ‘Who will descend into the deep?’” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). ⁸ But what does it say? “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,” that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming: ⁹ That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord”, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. ¹⁰ For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. ¹¹ As the Scripture says, “Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame.” ¹² For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile – the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, ¹³ for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

Here the Apostle Paul expressed concern for his fellow Jews who continued to live under the Law. In showing that Christ is the culmination of the law, Paul drew on the Hebrew Scriptures. In referring to Deuteronomy 30, Paul intended that the Jews would recall Moses’ challenge in verse 15 and again in verses 19-20: “See, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction,” and “This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life. …For the LORD is your life.”

Just as Moses offered those two alternatives, Paul presented the Jews with two alternatives. According to Paul, there was the Law under which the people of Israel had laboured for centuries without ever being able, through their own endeavours, to satisfy a holy and righteous God. The alternative was Jesus Christ, as Paul said, “the culmination of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes.”

The Jews could opt to stick with the Law and rely on the repetitive temple sacrifices to try to please God or they could accept the once-and-for-all-sacrifice of Jesus Christ as a perfect atonement for sin and could put their faith in him. Paul urged his readers to choose life, to choose to trust in Jesus Christ.

Today some believe that good behaviour and living selflessly for others should be sufficient to earn a place in heaven. That resembles trying to live by the Law, totally obedient always to God’s decrees. Some believe that, if somebody had consistently lived “a good life”, God should honour that person but that is not what the Bible teaches. It is contrary to Paul’s message to the Romans. Trying to earn a place in heaven through “good works” is futile. None of us is without sin; any such effort is doomed to fail.

Paul repeated what God had been saying all along: to be considered righteous, one must turn to the only “righteous one” and put full faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour. Then do good works, not because you need God’s favour but because you already have it!

Jesus feeds the five thousand – why?

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 A burst of winter’s gold

Gospel of Matthew 14: 13-21

¹³ When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. Hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns. ¹⁴ When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick.
¹⁵ As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. Send the crowds away, so that they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food.”
¹⁶ Jesus replied, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.”
¹⁷ “We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered.
¹⁸ “Bring them here to me,” he said. ¹⁹ And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. ²⁰ They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. ²¹ The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children. 

Jesus had set out to be alone with his disciples, presumably to pray with and teach them. Uninvited crowds followed him. Their presence in this remote place at day’s end presented a logistical challenge: having received spiritual food (Luke 9: 11), how were they now to be fed in a physical sense? Jesus’ way defies natural-world attempts to explain it. Perhaps that is why this is the only one of Jesus’ miraculous signs (other than his resurrection) that has been recorded by all four evangelists.

Why did Jesus provide bread and fish in this manner for “five thousand men, besides women and children”?

It was certainly not a case of self-aggrandisement, an attempt to buy favour with the people! John’s Gospel explains that Jesus would not allow himself to be controlled by the crowds (6: 14-15):

After the people saw the miraculous sign that Jesus did, they began to say, “Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.” Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again into the hills by himself.

I do not think his compassion prompted it, though we read that when he “saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick” (Matthew 14: 14) and that “he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd” (Mark 6: 34). This compassion, I believe, was for their spiritual state.

Could it be that Jesus primarily wanted to teach his disciples? There were other options for feeding these people; the disciples proposed one to Jesus. His reply, “You give them something to eat,” is recorded by Matthew, Mark and Luke.

Having taken the five loaves and the two fish, Jesus looked up to heaven, indicating his communion with the Father. All four evangelists record that he then gave thanks. The glory and the thanks were directed to the Father. What the disciples may have considered to be beyond the limits of possibility suddenly became viable through Jesus’ prayer and gratitude to the Father.

This supernatural feeding of the crowd in a physical sense points to the supernatural spiritual nourishment offered by Jesus, “the bread of life” (John 6: 35).

What do we, his disciples, learn from this? Offer prayer to God in all circumstances with thanksgiving.

The kingdom of heaven is like treasure

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 Overland Track Tasmania: Barn Bluff from the summit of Cradle Mountain

Gospel of Matthew 13: 44-46

⁴⁴ “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.
⁴⁵ “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. ⁴⁶ When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.

Chapter 13 of Matthew’s Gospel presents seven of Jesus’ parables of the kingdom of heaven (the Kingdom of God). Jesus built the seven parables around life situations; those who listened would have known and understood the scenarios even if the underlying message was concealed from them. These two parables were for his disciples only: “Then he left the crowd and went into the house. His disciples came to him …” (verse 36).

Each of the parables above presents an image of something of great value, something one might yearn to possess. As well as intrinsically possessing great value, these two items can be perceived to be of great value but this is not evident to everybody, only to some. In both parables, the person finding these items was prepared to sell everything that he had in order to buy the field or to purchase the pearl.

How valuable to you is the kingdom of heaven? How valuable to you is citizenship in God’s kingdom? Is the kingdom of heaven of such value to you that you would make (or perhaps have made) a significant sacrifice in order to possess it, to be a citizen in it?

Citizenship of God’s kingdom entails owning Jesus Christ as Lord over all in your life: your public image, your private life, your family life, your resources and, perhaps most significantly, your will. It requires total and continuous surrender to his will. It requires an obedience to your king that far outstrips any obedience you might be called to afford to an earthly employer or government.

The Apostle Peter exclaimed to Jesus, “I will lay down my life for you” (John 13: 37b). Peter did not then realise that such a claim would mean that he no longer would have the authority to decide when and in what manner he would lay down his life for Jesus.

The same applies to those who earnestly seek the kingdom of heaven. We do not know what our king will require of us or when his call may come. We do not know whether the call to sacrifice will be once or often. In surrendering to his will, we accept his kingship over us and grant him the authority to require of us whatever he wills.

That is part of the price we pay for the treasure in the field, for the pearl of great price. But be reassured that the treasure or the pearl is worth this sacrifice.

The treasure our Lord offers us is close fellowship with him, in this life and in the next. He offers the promise of sins forgiven. He offers the prospect of a “clean slate”, of a blank record sheet before the judge of all the world and the assurance of our passing from death to life eternal. His love for his creation is assured; he offers us complete confidence in this love and in his uninterrupted presence with us.

“I will open my mouth in parables”

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 Overland Track Tasmania: Mount Olympus from Lake St Clair

Gospel of Matthew 13: 31-35 (NIV)

³¹ He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. ³² Though it is the smallest of all your seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and perch in its branches.”
³³ He told them still another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into a large amount of flour until it worked all through the dough.”
³⁴ Jesus spoke all these things to the crowd in parables; he did not say anything to them without using a parable. ³⁵ So was fulfilled what was spoken through the prophet:
“I will open my mouth in parables,
    I will utter things hidden since the creation of the world.”

In verse 35, Jesus alluded to Psalm 78: 2 and claimed its relevance upon himself. So why did Jesus speak to the people in parables? It could be that matters pertaining to the kingdom of heaven are too difficult to describe in any other, more “concrete”, way. Just as some today reject the concept of any supernatural dimension and cannot fathom a spiritual aspect to life, the people of first-century Palestine may have needed parables to enable their minds to turn to heavenly matters.

The Gospels themselves give a better indication as to why Jesus used parables as he spoke to the people. When Jesus addressed the crowds beside the lake and told them the parable of the sower, his disciples came to him and asked, “Why do you speak to the people in parables?” (Matthew 13: 10).

In replying, Jesus referred to God’s commissioning of the prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 6: 9, 10):

You will be ever hearing but never understanding;
    you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.
For this people’s heart has become calloused;
    they hardly hear with their ears,
    and they have closed their eyes.
Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
    hear with their ears,
    understand with their hearts
and turn, and I would heal them.

Jesus was revealing “things hidden since the creation of the world” (verse 35b, above).

He told his disciples that “the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven (had) been given to (them) but not to (the people)” (Matthew 13: 11). Before he went on to explain the parable of the sower he told them that, by comparison with those whose hearts had become calloused, the disciples’ eyes and ears were blessed because they were able to see and hear. The disciples had accepted Jesus’ invitation to follow him, they were recognising his true identity as Son of God and they were obediently accepting the authority delegated to them by Jesus to preach, to teach and to heal. They were able to hear his message and to understand its meaning and its significance for those to whom they were sent.

The truth of his teaching has been revealed also to us. We, like the first disciples, are entrusted with this wonderful message, with “glad tidings of great joy”, so that we can share this good news with others around us. Let us resolve to do so.

The deceitfulness of wealth

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 Overland Track Tasmania: Castle Crag and Du Cane Hut

Gospel of Matthew 13: 1-9, 18-23 (NIV)

¹ That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake. ² Such large crowds gathered round him that he got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people stood on the shore. ³ Then he told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. ⁴ As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. ⁵ Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. ⁶ But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. ⁷ Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. ⁸ Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop – a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. ⁹ He who has ears, let him hear.”
…
¹⁸ “Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: ¹⁹ When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the seed sown along the path. ²⁰ The one who received the seed that fell on rocky places is the man who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. ²¹ But since he has no root, he lasts only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away. ²² The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful. ²³ But the one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”

Jesus’ explanation of this parable in the Gospel of Luke is explicit regarding the seed: “The seed is the word of God” (Luke 8: 11). In Mark’s Gospel his explanation is is similar: “The farmer sows the word” (Mark 4: 13). “The sower” (or “the farmer”) is not identified in any Gospel. The disciples could have thought of Jesus as the sower however they themselves became sowers. We, too, are sowers.

Some of the seed fell among thorns. Jesus explained it this way: “the one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the (one) who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful” (verse 22).

For those of us who live in the relatively affluent West, “the deceitfulness of wealth”* represents a major obstacle to receiving the word of God and then to remaining in a faith-filled relationship with Jesus Christ. Wealth, comfort, reliance on riches (or on insurance policies, bank accounts, superannuation savings, state-provided health care and the like) can trap people into a false sense of security but these things cannot overcome death. The only source of security for eternity is the God who is revealed to us in Jesus Christ.

We sowers should not be deterred because of the challenge that affluence represents. There will be good soil, likely already prepared by the Father to receive the seed. We are to sow that seed, trusting that Jesus will produce the crop in his good timing.

*Other translations give us “lure of wealth” (NRSV), “delight in riches” (RSV), “love for riches” (GNB) and “deceitfulness of riches” (KJV and NKJV).

My yoke is easy

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 Overland Track Tasmania: Kia Ora falls

Gospel of Matthew 11: 25-28 (NIV)

²⁵ At that time Jesus said, “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. ²⁶ Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure.
²⁷ “All things have been committed to me by my Father. No-one knows the Son except the Father, and no-one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.
²⁸ “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ 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. ³⁰ For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

In my mind I carry two visions of a yoke. One is from rural communities in East Africa where farmers rely on cattle to assist them to plough their small plots of land. Farmers yoke two cattle together to draw the plough. A hand-shaped timber beam across the two beasts’ necks has iron rings to which the plough may be fastened by iron chains so that the plough can be drawn through the dry hard ground.

The other vision is from south-east Asia where human burden-bearers employ a springy beam, up to about two metres in length, across one or both shoulders with equal loads hanging from both ends.

Either example assists me in thinking on Jesus’ comforting words in verses 28-30. Who is not burdened today with the ordinary concerns of living: the raising of children in a rapidly-changing and oft-times hostile society, the care for sick or ageing relatives, the grief of losing close friends or loved ones, the challenges of finding employment or of losing it and the constant barrage of negativity from news and media outlets?

Jesus has promised “rest” or “relief” to those who come to him weary and burdened. The “rest” could possibly refer to “eternal rest” with him though I know from continually relying on him that the “rest” he offers is also in the present. Jesus grants a sense of peace when his followers release the affairs of life to God and are willing to accept God’s control over the affairs of the world – for good in the long term.

Jesus’ urging is not only that his followers accept his yoke rather than any other but also that they learn from him. His followers are to follow his example of being “gentle and humble in heart” (verse 29) which involves not thinking more highly of oneself than one ought. The survival of the world or even of the Christian Gospel is not dependent on any one of us! We are called on to allow God to work things out his way and to ask him to reveal to us what role, if any, he would have us accept in following his will for his creation.

 Yoke for two oxen, Santillana del Mar, Spain

 Single ox yokes, Valencia, Spain