Millstone

Matthew 18:6 - But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for them to have a great millstone fastened around that one's neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.

I would go one step further than causes them to sin - I would say causes them needless suffering. Sadly, that is what is going to happen in America very soon - many people, kids included, will lose their health insurance due to the actions of Paul Ryan and the Republican congress. The health insurance companies have begged them not to repeal Obamacare without something to replace it. The GAO has begged them not to repeal Obamacare without something to replace it. They will not listen because they do not care for "the least of these." They only care for their $$ and their ideology and their power.

I am sad for America.
B

Receiving Jesus

Matthew 18:5 - Anyone who receives one such child, receives me.

In other words, we are to not only accept our own powerlessness in the face of God - but also to help each other to do the same. To receive means to be blessed by, to love and to cherish, to nurture. When we are blessing, loving, nurturing and cherishing others, we are blessing, loving, nurturing and cherishing Christ. We become Christ with skin on for those around us - especially the most vulnerable - like children, elderly people, people who are disabled, homeless people, people who are poor in financial/emotional/spiritual resources. The least of these.

I believe that today Jesus would specifically bring a black child (if he were in America). That is how much more vulnerable people who are non-white are in this country. That is injustice and those who fight injustice by receiving these vulnerable people and working with them are blessed to be receiving Christ.
B

Childlike?

Matthew 18:3 - And he said, "Truly I tell you, unless you become like a little child, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven."

Like a little child. Vulnerable, powerless, weak, the least of all people, dependent. I do not think Jesus meant innocent but rather these other traits. And you know, I think it's not so much becoming these things but recognizing that we already are vulnerable, powerless, weak, and dependent. All of us need each other. It is hard to see that in America sometimes, because we focus on being self-made and not needing others.

Yet that attitude will kill our spirit, our soul. It is only through acceptance of our true condition- needy - that we can truly use what power we have. We have to accept our need for God's grace before we can fully receive it.
B

A Child in Our Midst

Matthew 18:2 - And he called a child to come and stood him in their midst.

A child - the classic example of "the least of these." Children are the most vulnerable members of our society. God loves children as much as he loves adults. We often forget - well, I often forget.

So, thinking back to Jesus' answer last time the disciples tried to figure out who was "to be on his right and on his left," we remember the servant/slave. He who leads must be a slave of all. Slaves, too, were very vulnerable in Roman society - which is what Jesus was living in. I need to remind myself of this fact often. Yes, they were Jewish in Israel, yet they were ruled by Romans. Thus there were slaves and slaves were as vulnerable as children. Possibly even more so. I think we can see where Jesus is heading with this child.

Becoming vulnerable is the key to the kingdom.
B

The Disciples Ask the Wrong Question

Matthew 18:1 - At that time the disciples came to him saying, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?"

We really do have an obsession with being the best and the greatest. Trump is that tendency taken to the extreme, but we all have it in us. This kind of thinking leads to idolatry. Not to mention, judgmental. Because, truly, there is only one answer to this question and asking it shows they have really not been paying attention. They seem to think, as we often do, that we are as good or as great as God. We put greatness in God's place in our hearts.

We focus on our own status over the joy of God's presence. Lord have mercy.
B

Not to give Offense

Matthew 17-27 - However, not to give offense to them, go the the lake, cast a hook, and take the first fish that comes up. In its mouth will be a shekel. Use that to pay your and my tax.

Sorry, this is so odd. First, he makes the connection between himself and the spiritual kingdom - he is a son of the King in that kingdom and therefore does not owe the temple tax. Yet he tells Peter to pay it in a miraculous way. We are not told how Peter reacted to this or even if he did it. I would have liked some reaction. How did Peter react to being told that Jesus was a son of the spiritual or heavenly kingdom? How did he react when Jesus then implied that he, Peter, was also a son of that kingdom?

I'll leave the answering to you.
B

Sons are Free

Matthew 17:26 - And when he (peter) said, "From others," Jesus said, "Then the sons at least are free."

This is a curious saying, especially when we consider what follows. Jesus, of course is saying that the sons, the princes are freed from the obligation to pay temple tax. Yet, the temple has no princes - or sons, unless we count the Levites. Yet, Jesus is implying here and this is confirmed that he and Peter at least are freed also from this obligation - being sons. Of what? Of God's kin-dom? Well, then all Jews would then be sons. I'm still thinking this through and will continue tomorrow.
B

The Sons or Others?

Matthew 17:25 - And as he entered the house Jesus spoke to him first, "What do you think, Simon? From whom do the kingdoms of the earth take toll or tribute? From their sons or from others?

Jesus is setting up the distinction between the kingdoms of earth and the Kindom of heaven. The kingdoms of earth take their toll, tax or tribute from their subjects rather than their families. In this regard, the temple operates like a kingdom of earth. The priests do not pay the tax - only the people do.

What about the Kindom of heaven?
B

Temple Tax

Matthew 17:24 - As they were coming into Capernaum, the tax collectors came to Peter and asked, "Does not your teacher pay the temple tax?" and he said, "Yes."

This passage was puzzling to me until I began to think of it not in terms of tithing to the church but to supporting our communities - church, neighborhoods, cities, states, country. We do not pay tithes or taxes just because they are requested or required. No. We pay them because we want to do what we can to pay for those who govern. Even when we disagree. Now, I am not a fan of taxes, but I get that they are the price I pay for civilization. I cannot on my own do church, police my city, tar my roads, bring electricity to my house and the myriad other things our taxes pay to accomplish.

Yet, today we have a reverse situation - the tax collectors (those in power) are and have been lowering the taxes of the rich and raising the taxes of those least able to afford it. In that situation, not paying taxes becomes a radical act. A protest of injustice. If we could do this on a grand scale, it would really send a message to those who govern.

I probably have more thoughts on this.
B

Prediction of death

Matthew 17:22-23 - As they were gathering in Galilee, Jesus said to them, "The Son of Humankind will be betrayed into the hands of people and they will kill him and on the third day, he will be raised." And they were saddened.

Again, they do not ask questions. What does he mean by raised? Did they miss hearing that in their fear over hearing that he was going to die? I'm pretty sure I would have missed that as well.

So, as I was thinking about this this morning, I thought of the Beloved and how God tells everyone that Jesus is the Beloved. And how we include ourselves in that because we too are God's children. Finally, how we tend not to include ourselves in this scenario. No one wants to be under another person's thumb or subject to their whims. No one wants to die at the hands of others. So we - the general we in the West - tend to not include ourselves in this. Yet, we are included in this. This is what it means to take up our cross and follow Jesus. We are to risk our lives, our reputation, our finances, everything.

Why? Because we are not God's only Beloved. All people are beloved of God and when one person is being mistreated, we need to stand up. I confess, I have done this sporadically and poorly. Yet, now, the fate of the world may be in the hands of one person. There is no more time to dawdle, we must protest and speak up and do everything we can think of to mitigate the disaster. That is what it means to follow Christ - to speak up and out for those least able to do so and with those whose lives are at risk.

God grant me courage today.
B

Prayer and Fasting

Matthew 17:21 - But this kind are only cast out through prayer and fasting.

This verse was removed from my copy, suggesting that it's authenticity is disputed. Yet, I think it is important to think about. Prayer is something that is available to us all. Fasting as well. Fasting maybe not in the sense of not eating but perhaps not consuming more than our share of anything - clothes, electricity, gas, and of course food. So, by staying in constant contact with God and by being aware of what and how we consume - and why! - we become closer to God and to our true self.

For me, when I pray about something daily, hourly, every second, ideas come to me as I pray. Sometimes they are shit! Yet, other times, they are good and work. Prayer opens my mind to solutions rather than keeping focused on the problem. If I'm not praying about a problem, I get ideas about my next steps for the day. Prayer and fasting are truly actions for lent - yet we are in a kind of lent. Waiting for the president-elect to take office. We are, as Fred Clark would say, still in Holy Saturday. Yet, we know Easter will come.

What to do while we wait? Pray, fast, help others.
B

Mustard seeds

Matthew 17:19-20 - And the disciples came to him privately and asked him, "Why could we not cast it out?" And Jesus answered saying, "Because you have little faith. For truly I tell you that if you had faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, "move here" or "move there." and it would. Nothing would be impossible for you.

This is truly a humbling passage. I mean if you weren't humbled by the previous passage, this will do it. Mustard seeds are tiny, tiny, tiny. To recognize that my faith is smaller than that forces me to rely on Jesus' faith. I cannot rely on my own resources alone. I need others and I need Jesus. In this, I am like everyone else. Considering the results of the election, I need to keep this in mind. When I take an action, I need to talk to others about also taking action. I need to join with others' actions as well. And maintain that contact with my source - God, Jesus, and Spirit.
B

Faithless

Matthew 17:17-18 - And Jesus answered, "You faithless and perverse generation! How long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him to me." And Jesus rebuked him, the demon came out of him and the boy was cured instantly.

Whoof. This is some pretty serious accusation! It seems Jesus is not being meek and mild here. Haha. This passage points out how far we are from where we could be. All of us. We can do nothing without faith. They could not heal the boy and we tend to fare just as well. Well, at least I can do nothing without faith. I can barely function without saying hi and spending time with God in the morning. I don't know how people do without that quiet time.

But, this passage is also very important for the United States right now. We have propped up similar people in other nations and the chickens have come home to roost. We are now doing it to ourselves. I'm worried about minorities. ... And in some way, we all belong to minorities. This is the time for faith to inform our actions. For faith to give us courage to fight the crappiness - the bigotry, the xenophobia, the unconstitutional plans, the bullying, the rape of medicare and social security for private gain.

Lord, I believe. Help my unbelief. Grant me courage to do what you would have me do today.
B

Mercy

Matthew 17:14-15 - As they came toward the crowd, a man came up to him and knelt before him saying, "Lord, have mercy on my son for he has seizures and often falls into the fire and often into the water."

Thinking about this in light of the recent election: we, too, need mercy. Because we too have seizures - seizures of greed, anger, pride, fear, lust - overall selfishness. Sometimes it leads us into the fire, others into the water. THis is true both of society as a whole and of each of us as individuals. We could all rewrite this using different words for "fire" and "water". What actions get us into trouble with our friends/family/spouses? what habits do we have that take us far from God?

The good news is we too can go to God/Jesus and say Have mercy, Lord. We too can ask for healing and correction. We can ask for guidance when we need it. God is always available to hear us. Today I choose to be available to hear God.
B

John the Baptist

Matthew 17:13 - Then they understood that he was speaking about John the Baptist.

The forerunner of God. The one who was not the light but who pointed to the light. There have been many incarnations of prophets such as John the Baptist. In our day, Jeremiah Wright, Father Michael Pflaeger, John Shore, Fred Clark, urging us and pushing us to resist injustice and oppression. God, grant me the grace to follow their urgings, according to your spirit.
B

Suffering

Matthew 17:12 - Truly I tell you Elijah has come and they (we) did not know him, and they (we) did to them whatever they wanted. So also the sons of humankind must suffer at their hands.

These words to Jesus' disciples are words for all of us. I have changed them because our call is not to peace. Jesus said he came to bring discord, not peace. Discord because the message has been rejected, discord because those who fight for justice will be persecuted. I am grieving because my inaction has in some small way helped Donald Trump be elected president.

Now, I am feeling very strongly the Spirit's wish to put my principles into more action. I am feeling very strongly the call to work against the Republicans' plans to gut Medicare, Obamacare and Social Security. I am feeling the SPirits' call to work against all those who would hurt or harm another. To speak out against violence against women, LGBTQ people, people who are disabled in any way, Muslims, Jewish people, Mexican people. I cannot help but see the parallels to Hitler and I cannot stand by and see people harmed.

Lord, help me in my weakness to hear this call and to follow through. Help me to not become complacent again, to continually turn toward you for sustenance and support when I do become complacent.
B

Restore All Things

Matthew 17:10-11 - And the disciples asked him why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first? And Jesus answered them, "Elijah has indeed come and he will restore all things."

To which I say, Yes, come! Restore us, restore justice, restore peace. And guide me on the path that works for those things as well. Guide my discernment toward your justice, your peace and may it recognize your LOVE in the world today.
Amen

Tell No One

Matthew 17:9 - As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus strictly charged them saying, "Tell no one the vision until the Son of Humankind is raised from the dead."

I don't know how that was for the disciples, but hearing about Jesus raised from the dead after seeing the vision would probably overload my brain. Yet the disciples seem to take this without effort.

Anyway, I'm curious why Jesus didn't want them telling anyone. The one idea that keeps coming into my mind is that they didn't yet understand what Jesus was teaching them. They wouldn't understand until Jesus was raised from the dead. His resurrection would complete their knowledge and their discipleship. Of course, it can be argued that they didn't understand even then. I'm not sure what to think about that.
B

Jesus alone

Matthew 17:8 - And when they lifted up their eyes they saw no one except Jesus alone.

One winter I went on my customary walk to Promontory Point. As I came over the hill, I saw for the first time, the lake frozen over. It was dark and my whole body froze. It just looked wrong. I could almost hear the ominous music in the background. It took me a few seconds to comprehend what I was looking at! It was very creepy.

I think it must have felt somewhat like the disciples in this story: awe, fear, a little weirded out, amazed. I can feel the hollow feel of their stomach when they realize that what they saw was special. And somehow they were aware of their own unworthiness to see such a vision. And yet ... When I was hearing God's voice that is what it was like. People imagine it would be a fantastic experience but there are a lot of other emotions going on too. What were they thinking? In Luke's story, they recognize him as the messiah. Here they do not.

The thing is, God is always speaking. For us to really hear, we need to get really quiet and centered. Sometimes God gets our attention in a big way - like here - but more often in my life, it's the small voice. Where am I/are you seeing GOd today.
B

Arise and Fear Not

Matthew 17:7 - And Jesus came to them and touched them saying, "Arise and fear not."

So easy to say and so hard to trust God. There are so many areas where I fall short of this. I can't even trust my spouse - how can I trust God. In some ways those are the same thing. Trusting God that whatever my spouse does things will be okay. I just see so many people for whom they are not okay. Forgotten people, lost people. It makes it hard for me to trust that I will be okay.

And yet. That is what Jesus asks us to do - fear not. Trust me. I am here. Today I choose to start over - already screwed this up! - and trust, trust, trust. Even if I have to keep going back and starting over. It will come. For me, possibly on my death bed ...
B

Beloved

Matthew 17:5 - While he was still speaking, look, a bright cloud overshadowed them and a voice from the cloud said, "This is my beloved son, listen to him."

Outside of what a bright cloud overshadowing someone would be like, I think we forget that Jesus is not the only beloved of God. Jesus is yes, and we are too. Whether you want to say we're adopted or natural children of God, we are God's beloved - and so is everyone else. There is so much love that we all have it and God still has love left over. Love will never run out. God's love will never run out at least. And we can be grateful and joyful for that!

What are we called to do in response to this abundant, overflowing, overshadowing love? Love God, love ourselves, love others. It always comes down to love.
B

Prolonging the Vision

Matthew 17:4 - And Peter said to Jesus, "Lord it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents; one for you, on for Moses and one for Elijah."

Yes, we want to stay in the power of God, we want to stay in the vision and prolong the communion with God as long as possible. Sometimes I think we are meant to relate to Peter rather than judge him for his obtuseness. We try and fail. We, too, want to prolong joy and comfort rather than be in the world and work for our families and others. We, too, want to leave the world behind sometimes and it's good to do so.

But we cannot live there. We can only take our lives as they come and alter our plans to suit the need of our community and ourselves. Jesus calls us to work - the harvest is ready and the laborers are few.

Yet we cannot always work. And when we sit for a few minutes or meditate or pray, we are gaining strength - as jesus is doing here - for the work ahead. Having a balance is crucial.
B

Moses and Elijah

Matthew 17:3  - And there appeared Moses and Elijah with him, talking to him.

Now, I want to know what they were talking about, right? Were they encouraging him? praying with him? giving him information? Moses and Elijah - friends of God in the person of Jesus.

And what were the disciples thinking? Well, we find out what Peter is thinking but not James and John. I think Moses and Elijah come to underscore the vision as a theophany, in case there was any doubt. Jesus continues to show them who he is in his true self and relation to the prophets. And we are shown this as well.

The question, as always, is what will we do with this information?
B

Transfiguration

Matthew 17:2 - And he was transformed before them, and his face shone like the sun and his robe became as white as light.

In a time and place without electricity or very good laundry (did they even clean their clothes? poor slaves), whiteness and light were symbols of purity. I'm pretty sure this is why we still think of those things as pure. Light gives us eyes, helps us see. This transformation signals to us that Jesus is otherworldly - He is God in the flesh.

They are seeing God/Jesus as he truly is. And they live. They don't yet understand, but they live.
B

Apart

Matthew 17:1 - After six days, Jesus took with him Peter, James and John, his brother, up a high mountain apart.

Apart for quiet time, for teaching known only to those three. Apart. The word pricks our ears to pay attention to what happens in the following verses. We are being let in on the secret.

But also, as always, apart to pray.
B

The coming Kingdom

Matthew 16:27-28 - For the Son of Man intends to come in the glory of his father with his angels, and then he will repay every person for what they have done. Truly I say to you there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.

Aside from the fact that all those who heard him (who were standing there) did die, this is an interesting passage. He is announcing to all that he is coming back and the day of judgment that the Jewish people awaited would include him. He is announcing his divinity. And he is announcing a divine accounting of everyone. Justice will come to Israel and the world.

THe second line could be read as both warning and promise! A warning to those who were on the top and not paying attention to those on the bottom and a promise to the poor, hungry, lame, imprisoned that their suffering was noticed by God and would soon end. And we are still awaiting that judgment - and we are still in need of that judgment - that correction even if we were not standing there.
B

Losing one's soul

Matthew 16:25 - For whoever would save their soul/spirit would lose it and whoever would lose their soul would find it.

Having lost my soul/spirit, I can say that I'd rather find it. The paradox of finding it by losing it or losing it by finding it. See, the thing is, we need to have a sense of self, of our spirit to lose. It took me til my 40s to have such a sense. Then giving it to God - losing it - has given me more and better. Don't get me wrong, life is hard in many ways for everyone. Yet, when I did not have a sense of who I am, life was much harder. I was lost.

Those who would save their spirits/souls as they are - flawed - and not grow will lose even what they have. Those who chose to lose their souls/spirits to God, will grow their spirits, their capacity for love and compassion. Empathy. It requires being vulnerable, willing to lose. It requires making that choice every day. Some days I chose well, others I choose badly. Today, I want to choose well.
B

Take up the Cross

Matthew 16:24 - Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone wishes to come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me."

Jesus is saying here that walking the walk is more important than talking the talk. If I'm honest, I often do not walk the walk. Yet, I continue to try and to do better. Doing things that are difficult, scary or dangerous just for the experience is empty. Doing things that are scary, difficult and dangerous while following Jesus is the essence of our lives as Christians. we all do it well or badly to some degree. The point is to keep trying, to keep denying ourselves things so others might have them, to keep following where we think God is leading.

B

On the Side of God

Matthew 16:23 - And he turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan. You are a hindrance to me since you are not on the side of God but that of men."

Unless we view things from the lens of heaven, we will not be able, as Peter is unable, to understand what Jesus is saying. Peter, as we noted, is thinking of his own future in his body. Jesus is thinking of the future of all - and the fulfillment of God's plan. Peter therefore, doesn't understand and cannot condone what Jesus has said about dying and rising. He only see the failure of Jesus' movement.

So the question we must all ask ourselves is what side are we on? What side do we want to be on? Are they the same side? If not, what can we do to be more fully on God's side? There is no one correct answer as people have different callings. Yet, if we are consistent in our contact with God, discernment will come if we allow it. That is the constant: we must open our hearts to God's healing and plan.
B

Peter's Reaction

Matthew 16:22 - And Peter took him aside and rebuked him, saying, "God forbid, Lord, that this should happen to you."

Because what Jesus has just said has dashed Peter's hopes of raising an army to confront Rome. Jesus has just told them that he would be humiliated and die the death of an outcast. How horrifying for Peter to hear that! He left his family and his livelyhood to follow Jesus. It is understandable that he would panic and react. I would too. He is thinking about Israel and Jesus but he is also thinking about himself and his family - what will happen to them?

So, for today I want to think about where I am called and what I am called to do, on the things of heaven. I will admit my panic and feel it and move on.
B

Suffering and Death

Matthew 16:21 - From then on he began to show his disciples how he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders, high priests, and scribes, and be put to death and to rise on the third day.

We are sometimes no more ready to hear that our idols are not what they seem than the disciples were to hear this. He is beginning to teach them explicitly that he is not an earthly messiah come to rescue Israel from Roman occupation. His mission is more far reaching than that. His is a spiritual mission: to turn the people back toward God, to repent and believe that the kin-dom is near. This is so different from what they were expecting that they (and we, really) cannot really wrap their minds around it.

We as humans have a difficult time believing in visions that go beyond what we can see with our own eyes. In the same way, the disciples were focused on earthly matters. Our challenge, today as always, is to refocus our perspective and our attention on God and what God is asking from us today.

Can we believe that God suffers and dies with us? What does this belief require of us?
B

Knowledge

Matthew 16:20 - Then he strictly charged them not to tell anyone that he was the Christ.

This seems odd on the surface. Why wouldn't he want people to know? It seems he would want to convert - and to be able to love - as many people as possible. That is human thinking.

Two things come to me when I think of this passage. First, a little knowledge can be a dangerous thing. If people knew, they would expect more from him than he was able to give; like making him king of Israel and revolting against the Romans. He did not do that! Instead, he advocated working with them. His mission as he saw it (at this point) was to come to the Jewish people and turn them back to God.

Second, it wasn't his time. If people knew, the Roman authorities would know and his mission would not be complete. Might he have had a timeline? It is clear that there were certain things he needed to accomplish before his death. He knew he would be executed - yet, he wanted to make sure his people, his disciples were strong enough to continue. Therefore, it wasn't time. And in the fullness of time, he is indeed revealed.
B

Binding and Loosing

Matthew 16:19 - I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.

So, when I used to read this, I would think about binding prisoners and loosing them; making laws binding on all or loosing them. But I have begun to think about binding and loosing differently: Isaiah talks about binding our wounds - God binding our wounds. What we bind down here is bound in heaven. When we heal others, we heal them for eternity. The same goes with loosing - loosing/loosening the bonds that hold people to addiction, slavery, oppression.

We have a long way to go on both counts. It's time for me to take this verse more seriously. What can I bind or loosen today?
B

The Rock

Matthew 16:18 - And I say to you that you are Peter and upon this rock I will build my church and the powers of death shall not prevail against it.

The thing I especially like about this passage is that the rock that is built upon is part of the foundation; the part that is not shown to the world but rather does the behind the scenes work. I think it is one more way in which Jesus is telling Peter and the disciples and all of us that our own glory is not important. It is the glory of God that is to be proclaimed and shown to the world. Such a different perspective from the world's perspective of "making our mark."
B

Blessed

Matthew 16:17 - And Jesus answered him, "Blessed are you, Simon, son of Jonah, for flesh and blood have not revealed this to you but rather my father in heaven."

This is the problem I have with the so-called "Roman Road" to conversion. It is a reasoning into faith, which in my opinion cannot be done. It represents a surety, a certainty that leaves out all struggle and doubt. Doubt is good for faith, we need to have our faith tested - not that God tests us - untested faith cannot grow. Faith is not a proposition to be explained or agreed to; it is a way of life, a new way of seeing and being in the world. It is not just our minds that have to accept; it is our hearts and our spirits. Without that, as Paul wrote, we are nothing but clanging gongs.

Flesh and blood cannot reveal the truth on their own. No amount of reasoning can convince someone to be a Christian without God's help. Only God can speak to a person in such a way that they begin to get an understanding. If we somehow play a small part in someone's journey to faith, it is God leading us. No one can come to the Father except by the father's will. Blessed is the one who hears God's voice and follows.
B

Son of the Living God

Matthew 16:16 - And Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ! The Son of the living God."

And all Christians must ask whether we agree. You might think it odd that we wouldn't all automatically agree on this point. Yet, I know people who struggle with this, just as with other aspects of our faith. Following God isn't easy. Acknowledging Jesus as the Christ isn't easy. Sometimes, like faith itself, it is a struggle with rather than an agreeing to. It is easy to go back and forth. The centurion's anguished cry speaks for us all, "I believe; help my unbelief."

We cannot come to faith without God's help. However, we can be assured we have that help - God has called us and God will lead us and help us.
B

Who do YOU Say That I Am?

Matthew 16:14-15 - And they said, "Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others say Jeremiah or one of the prophets." And he said, "Who do you say that I am?"

For Christians, this is not a light question. I know for me, it changes on different days. Always God, yet sometimes I doubt. I am okay with doubt. One thing I can say about Jesus is that he, as God, is always faithful. I may doubt, but Jesus does not doubt. i may falter but Jesus is always faithful.

For that I am profoundly grateful today.
B

Who is the Son of Man?

Matthew 16:13 - When they came into the area of Caesarea Philippi he asked his disciples, "Who to people say that the Son of Man is?"

So, the disciples are not around Jesus all the time or Jesus would hear the things the disciples have heard. No, Jesus recognizes that people are talking about him behind his back even to his disciples. He acknowledges these conversation implicitly by asking what is being said about him.

Of course, we also know that Jesus is asking as an introduction to his next question - who do you say that I am? This is the question we are all, as Christians, expected to answer - even if or answer changes daily.
B

Teachings of the Pharisees

Matthew 16:11-12 - "How is it you fail to perceive that I was not speaking about bread? Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees" Then they understood that he was talking about the teaching of the Pharisees and Saduccees.

Teachings - the rules-lawyering of the Pharisees and Sadducees. They have exchanged the ends for the means. The end of the law is the peaceful ordering of society and its relations to God. The Law is the means to that end. Yet, the Pharisees and Sadducees have mistaken the means (the Law) for the end (Peace). There are many today who do the same thing. I do this too.

Discernment is required to distinguish between the two in every situation. There is no one law for everyone that is just. This is another thing about the Ps and the Ss - their laws were often unjust to the poor and outcasts. Spiritual purity was their focus, rather than the flourishing of all Israel. In pursuing it, they lost the true spiritual purity - working for the flourishing of all.
B

Do you not perceive?

Matthew 16:9-10 - Do you not perceive? Do you not remember the five loaves for five thousand and how many baskets you gathered? Or the seven loaves for four thousand and the many baskets you gathered?

No, we do not, nor did the apostles. They were thinking of their bodily needs. They saw the miracles but they gave no thought to their significance or what it might mean for their lives and the lives of the world. Here is a man who can feed many people with a few ingredients and they still worry about bread.

Of course, I get it. I forget to consider the significance of the loaves and baskets gathered myself. Old habits are hard to break and many of us think about ourselves and our meals more than we probably need to. Yet, Jesus will not give up and walk away. Instead, he challenges the disciples to go deeper than they have. He challenges us as well to consider the blessings of our lives and how we too can use them to feed others; whether we feed love, companionship, housing assistance, joy, actual food, health care, worship. We are called to feed Jesus' sheep. Jesus will multiply our efforts just as he multiplied the bread so that even when we think our impact is small, it is greater than we can imagine.
B

We Have no Bread

Matthew 16:7-8 - And the disciples discussed among themselves saying that we have not bread. And Jesus knowing this said, "Why do you discuss among yourselves saying "we have no bread?"

The disciples are focused on their earthly needs, regardless of the miracle they have just witnessed. Changing our mindset is difficult and requires intentional desire to change. It does not just happen. When we pray for peace or for more serenity, we are required to strive to act peacefully and/or serenely ourselves. If we cannot display these qualities in our own lives, we cannot really expect others to display them either.

For me, this includes noticing the times I am judgmental of Peter and others. It requires intentionally accepting what they say.
B

Yeast of the Pharisees

Matthew 16:6 - And Jesus said to them, "Take care and beware the yeast of the Pharisees and the Sadducees."

Yeast - it is what makes bread fluffy. As Jesus notes elsewhere, you only need a little and the entire loaf is fluffy. It influences how the dough will turn out. Jesus has just answered a question about what sign he will do to prove himself. This is a question born from pride and ego, rather than confidence. They challenge him because of their fear that he is the real thing - and they know they are not. They have the words but not the Spirit.

Jesus is suggesting that we use a different kind of yeast - love. Love of father, mother, God, spouse, others. In the same way as pride and hate, only a little changes everything around us. If we were to respond to everyone with love - to the best of our ability - we would see everyone differently. We would need to rethink how we are in every situation. Yes, it is work. That is probably why the disciples are about to miss the point. They do not want to do this work any more than we usually do!

Yet there is no other way. Gracious God, give me the courage to use the yeast of love in my bread today.
B

Bread, Again

Matthew 16:5 - And when the disciples reached the other side, they had forgotten to bring bread.

This is an odd detail and a telling one. First, Jesus has just fed 5,000 people with a few loaves of bread and some fish. Why would they worry or even think about bread? They have seen this great miracle and it has not changed them in any way.

It seems we are often like the disciples! Thinking that all the decisions are up to us and forgetting to leave room for our God to act. We want to fix everything in our lives that causes us discomfort whether we are able to do so or not. We forget that sometimes, we need to let God take over. Jesus just fed 5,000 people and the disciples are now worried that they forgot bread. How often do I/we make this same error? How much am I willing to let God take care of today?
B

Proof or Guidance

Matthew 16:4 - "An evil and adulterous generation asks for a sign and the only sign they will be given is the sign of Jonah." And he turned away from them and left.

I've given this verse more thought because I have spent a lot of time this summer asking God for a sign of what I should do next. Asking myself as well. It stopped me short when I saw this and I began to wonder whether I'm just stalling ...

Then I came to realize that the Pharisees and Sadducees here are asking for a sign as proof that Jesus is legitimate. That is what makes them evil ad adulterous. Am I asking for the same reason? Or am I taking the need for a sign too seriously? Should I be acting and waiting on the 'no' like Socrates claims to have done? I'm not sure. However, I think asking God for guidance is okay as long as I don't sit around and wait for the answer. I need to be busy doing what I think is the next right step.
B

Signs of the Times

Matthew 16:2-3 - And Jesus answered and said to them, "When it is evening you say, "It will be fair," for the sky is red. And when it is morning you say, "It will be stormy," for the sky is red and threatening. You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky but you cannot interpret the signs of the times?

Our knowledge is indeed usually limited to what we can see and have experienced in the past. Or, at least, other have experienced. We fail to read the signs of the times because our knowledge of the world and how people are and our knowledge of God are lacking. Especially, I think in the age of the internet, Fox News and their lies, and the greed of racism, sexism and heterosexism prevalent in America today.

How do we read the rise of Trump? How do we respond? Where can we act that will make a difference.
B

A Sign

Matthew 16:1 - And some Pharisees and Sadducees came and asked him to show them a sign from heaven.

We all want a sign. Sometimes God grants it and sometimes God does not. I suspect though that the Pharisees and Sadducees had ulterior motives for their desire to see a sign. I suspect that they were trying to trap him, like the lawyer. Sometimes our desire to see a sign comes from this place - a desire to prove something not true.

What signs am I looking for? How will I know what is a sign and what is not? What are my motives for looking for signs?

All good questions to think about today.
B

Feeding the sheep

Matthew 15:38-39 - And those who ate were four thousand men besides women and children. After sending the crowds away he got into the boat and went to the region of Magadan.

Jesus here has shown true hospitality by feeding the crowds both spiritually and literally. He took their needs into account and took care of them without hesitation. How I could use this example in my own life!

And as one of the sheep, I too am fed spiritually and literally by God's abundance. In this time of uncertainty for Peter and I it is hard to remember that God's love is everlasting. God will not abandon us just as Jesus did not abandon the crowds.
B

Abundance

Matthew 15:37 - Everyone ate and was satisfied. And they took up seven baskets full of the broken pieces leftover.

Even when it seems there is not enough, there is enough. In our world, many take more than their fair share and creates a false sense of scarcity. Yet, in God's world, there is always enough. This is about food and resources and yet it is also about vision.

When I look at the circumstances of my life, am I seeing not enough or abundance? Why? Can I make plans not knowing where the money will come from? Do I want to? These are questions I'm asking because Peter wants to make plans based on our receiving the loan back from GNP soon. I would prefer to wait until we have the money to include it in our plans. It could take a long time. Who is right? This tension between our outlooks makes me profoundly uneasy and fearful. Fearful that we are not working together and uneasy that this will result in our becoming homeless or worse. How to see our situation as one of abundance?
B

Blessed and Broken

Matthew 15:35-36 - And he had the crowd sit down on the grass. Then he took the seven loaves of bread and the fish and blessed them, broke them and gave them to his disciples. His disciples gave them to the crowd.

I like this. Before he did anything with his assets, Jesus blessed them. Only then did he put his plan in place. I think I can use this advice in my own life. Asking for God's blessing - then doing what I think best or what I think God is calling me to. Bless then act.
Amen
B

Inventory

Matthew 15:34 - And Jesus said to them, "How many loaves do you have?" They replied, "Seven and a few small fish."

Jesus has a plan. Like any good plan, he begins by taking inventory of the assets he has to work with. Asset-Based Community Development works on the same principle - take stock of what is available. Al-Anon, too suggests taking an inventory of our character assets and defects. Without knowing as much as possible about the current situation, it is often unwise to take action.

Something to think about today as Peter and I look forward to his time without a job and to the possibility of moving to Cleveland.

B

Lack of vision

Matthew 15:33 - And the disciples said to him, "Where are we to get enough food for such a crowd?"

Yet another example of how we see what is in front of us yet God sees the possibility of betterment. That is the vision I want - to see the possibilities of the moment as well as the reality. Both exist at the same time.

Jesus gives them the vision that feeding them might be possible. Yet, they cannot see how. How many times do I give up just because I cannot see every step? All I need is the next step.
B

Table for 5,000

Matthew 15:32 - Jesus called his disciples to him and said, "I have compassion for the crowd because they have been with me three days and they have nothing to eat. I am unwilling to send them away, lest they faint on the way."

Hospitality is rooted in compassion. Compassion is rooted in love. Jesus loves his people and wants to care for them. So much so that he does not want them to leave after three days without making sure they have all eaten.

How often do I have to send someone away lest they faint?
B

Recognizing God's Work

Matthew 15:31 - So the crowd were amazed when they saw the mute speaking, the maimed whole, the lame walking, and the blind seeing; and they glorified the God of Israel.

The crowd was able to see God's hand in the healing touch of Jesus. They recognized - as we (I) tend to overlook today - God's touch, God's care for us all. Today I choose to focus on the miracles, great and small that surround me.
B

All were healed

Matthew 15:29-30 - Jesus went on from there, passing along the Sea of Galilee. And he went up on the mountain and sat down there. And great crowds came to him bringing with them the lame, the maimed, the blind, the mute, and many others, and they put them at his feet. He healed them all.

The thing that strikes me about this passage today - after several weeks of violence around the world is that Jesus did not ask whether these people deserved to be healed. He healed them. He loved them. I am striving to be like that in my ministry. All are worthy of being thought of respectfully - even if I am not able to do so because someone has hurt me. We are all doing the best we can. My feelings of anger around Kim are because i do not want to feel the fear of jumping - again - into the unknown of Cleveland. My supervisor can take care of Kim just fine. I do not have to do anything today.

Open my heart Lord to love as you loved, remind me this day that all are worthy to be healed.
Amen
B

Great Faith

Matthew 15:28 - And Jesus answered her, "Great is your faith! It will be done for you as you wish!" And her daughter was healed in that hour.

Faith - it's what leads us to persist in a course even though there are small or large obstacles in our way. Faith in ourselves, faith in others, faith in God. It's what gets us through the shitty days of Brexit and xenophobia here in the US and in the UK. It's what sustains us through loss of jobs and uncertain futures. Faith in God's faith in us to be able to work through the next steps, to keep persisting in seeking justice although it doesn't seem forthcoming or we won't see it in our lifetime.

When reading things like this all I can think is, "I believe! Lord help my unbelief." Help me to have your faith in me.
B

Go with the Flow

Matthew 15:27 - And she answered, "Yes, Lord, but even the dogs eat the scraps that fall from their master's table."

Lovely. She uses the energy of Jesus' argument against him. Rather than fighting his words, his declaration that she is no better than a dog, she agrees with him. Then she argues in that context giving him nowhere to go. I believe this is the premise of judo - use the energy of your opponent against them.

How might this work in our lives? How might our relationships be better if we were to agree for the sake of argument with our opponents' premises and give them no where to go?

In my own life, I am wondering how we can use the opportunity afforded us by Peter's losing his job in two months for momentum rather than letting it stall our walk with God. How might Peter and I go with that flow?

A Dog?

Matthew 15:25-6 - But she came and prostrated herself before him saying, "Lord, help me." He answered her and said, "It is not right to take the children's food and throw it to the dogs."

This is one of the hardest passages in the bible, especially for those who wish to think of Jesus as always meek and mild. The fact that in refusing her help he also calls her a dog is just twisting the wound unnecessarily. It is hard to read and think about. Yet, it gives us an idea of how Jewish people thought about themselves and others. They may or may not have felt that all others were "dogs," yet, there was the separation of themselves and outsiders as clean and unclean. There was a sense of superiority over others.

It also gives a glimpse into Jesus' human side! He has just told the disciples that he has only been sent to Israel and thinks he is somehow not allowed to help this woman. Clearly it is a crisis for his ministry. The disciples are not concerned about her daughter, only about the attention. Jesus is concerned about his mission. It seems that by calling her a dog he may be hoping she will go away. At any rate, he has chosen his side - err on the side of caution, staying within the rules, and keeping a focus.

A Crisis

Matthew 15:24 - He answered, "I have been sent only to the lost sheep of Israel."

This is one of the most intriguing passages in the New Testament to me. Here is Jesus, whom we see from our perspective as savior of the world, ignoring someone asking for help he could easily provide and in fact has provided others. Saying only that he is not allowed to help her. How many times have we used a similar excuse when confronted with pain that we were able to alleviate? Answering for myself, too many times. So, this passage makes Jesus very human. He is undecided - or rather decided but not in the way we have come to expect. it is, or should be, jarring to us. This Jesus is someone we can relate to, not some ultra perfect ideal that we are expected to somehow live up to.

It gives us pause and hopefully also gives us a moment of grace. Jesus was human and thought like a human being. If even Jesus can ignore someone's need, we can be forgiven for being less than thoughtful. Yet, we must remember always, that Jesus is about to change his mind. He had been interpreting his call very narrowly. Now, it seems God is calling him to broaden his call, broaden his ministry to others. This is a Jesus who must decide whether to follow his original call or change course to follow his new call. We are also called to discern whether we are still following God's direction. Jesus demonstrates the possibility of growth - growth in empathy and growth in grace and faith. He has come to a crossroads, a crisis of faith.
B

No Response

Matthew 15:23 - But Jesus did not answer her a word (at all). The disciples came up to him entreating, "Loose her, for she is crying out behind us."

Lots of questions! Why doesn't Jesus answer? Does he acknowledge her at all? Are they walking or has he stopped? If walking, is she following them? The disciples are clearly uneasy about Jesus reaction. And ask him to take care of it - not for her sake - no, for they are embarrassed that she is calling attention to them. They do not give "because she is hurting" as a reason; only that she keeps calling out.
What would I do in their place?
b

A Woman

Matthew 15:21-22 - And Jesus withdrew from there to the region of Tyre and Sidon. Behold, a Canaanite woman came crying out, "Have mercy on me, Lord, son of David. My daughter is badly possessed by a demon."

The Canaanite woman is bold. I'm not sure but she may be the only woman to come to Jesus rather than him initiating contact. This would have been bold even if she had been Jewish. Her cry along with her actions signals the depths of her despair. She knows who Jesus is and knows he can help her. She boldly does what she must for the benefit of her daughter.
How am I advocating/pleading for others or myself?
B

Unclean hearts

Matthew 15:18-20 - But it is what proceeds from the mouth, from the heart that defiles a person. For out of the heart proceeds evil thoughts, murder, adultery, fornication, theft, false witness, slander; these are what defile a person. But what goes into the mouth can never defile a person.

So, this seems obvious to me. Rather than talk to much about the mechanism, I want to take it further. Jesus says it is in our hearts that we are defiled. I would argue that for a great many of us, it is in our subconscious hearts. Most of us, and maybe I am giving a lot of credit, understand that racism is bad and yet we still sometimes say racist things or think racist thoughts. Even though our conscious minds are not racist. I think it is our unexamined thought that bring troubles. We like to think, like the Pharisees, that we have all the answers, that we have it all figured out. We even watch news tailored to how we have discerned our world. Yet, all of us have unexamined thoughts and feelings that give rise to defilement. I think the Jewish people understood this. We have all fallen short, we none of us can do the 10 commandments on our own. We need help.

This is what Jesus was saying about being blind - we are blind to our own faults. We need to listen to others and examine our lives in order to discover these hidden faults. Sometimes we are the hiders, we hid them and only we know where they are. It is part of maturing both in our faith and in our world. Without this examination, we remain functional children. This examination starts with being honest about the fact that we have bad impulses sometimes. It starts with that recognition that we are fallible and that is okay! That is what amends are for - when our fallibility rears its head.

Today I choose to keep an open mind about the direction I am being called toward and my faults, my fallibles, that keep me from going there joyfully and eagerly.
B

Clean

Matthew 15:17 - "Do you not understand that every thing that goes into the mouth and into the stomach passes and is cast out into the sewer?"

Here Jesus is redefining cleanliness. The Jewish idea was ritual purity, meant to remind them that food was God's gift and they were to be pure while eating. Jesus flips this idea and states that food is not unclean. What is put into the mouth is not unclean. Tomorrow he will state that it is our attitudes - shot through with original sin - that are unclean. We may get sick from not washing our hands before we eat, but not washing our hands does not make us unclean.
B

Understanding

Matthew 15:15-16 - But Peter answered and said to him, "Explain this parable to us." And he answered him, "Are you also still without understanding?"

It is the also thrown in there that is important to me. Jesus, in adding that word, that also, places Peter on the same level with the Pharisees. Here is a man who several chapters/verses ago walked on water by Jesus' command and yet, he too, cannot understand what Jesus has been saying.

I am not ragging on Peter, only pointing out how difficult it is for us to understand that which will radically change our lives. I went to a film about climate change recently and was struck by how putting the deniers - not the businesses but the individual people they pay - in context made them somewhat sympathetic. They are afraid of the word socialist because they are cold-war warriors who are still concerned with the bogeyman of communism. They have been told that socialism and communism are the same. Spoiler alert; they're not. They are still objectively wrong about climate change. They know this - however, they cannot countenance communism or anything close to it. Therefore anything that involves regulation is right out.

The problem is that, like the Pharisees in Jesus' time, they are abetting the duping of ordinary Americans and the (now) Republican desire to get rid of regulation on things they don't want regulated - they're fine regulating being gay or transgender and abortion. They lie to people who have very few means of researching the truth. And because they have cast into doubt the media - any news that actually gets reported is not believed. They have taken an issue that is 100% true and by casting doubt have created teams. It is the same with the Pharisees. Both groups are all about winning. They don't care about anything else, even human lives or hardship. They just want to win. It is just as dangerous an attitude now as it was then.

So today my prayer is for better understanding - not just of Jesus' parables but also of those who would use lies and distortions to get what they want. They are just as much loved by God as I am. I pray for ways to find the common ground.
B

Blind leaders

Matthew 15:14  - "Let them go; they are blind leaders of the blind, and when a blind person leads a blind person, both will fall into a pit."

Let them go - think no more of them or their feelings on this matter. It seems the disciples are still set on making the Pharisees and scribes authorities. Jesus advises them against it. I feel the disciples here. All their lives they have looked up to the Pharisees as authorities. Giving that up isn't easy. It must be somewhat like finding out my parents did not know everything ... It shook my world as this must have shaken the disciples's world. Jesus is telling them that everything they thought they knew must be examined again. Who wants to do that much work? And it is work, necessary work for each of us to separate ourselves from parental authority in order to gain our own. IN the same way, we need to separate from religious authority (and rules) in order to struggle with what we believe. It is work and in the end it is worth it because that is the only way our faith can be authentic and grow.

Jesus says that much more succinctly of course - "they are blind." They have not done their work and are hanging on to the artificial tradition they inherited rather than struggling with God's word. Jesus then tells us the end of that endeavor - falling into a pit or a ditch. If they're lucky it will be a wake up call.

So letting them go, let us look at our own lives and ask, 'Where am I blind?" Now, we cannot answer this question on our own, of course. If we knew where we were blind, we wouldn't be blind. So, how do we find the answer? We could ask our friends and family. However, they may not tell us or they may tell us too much! We could seek therapy but that might get expensive and may not be the answer for everyone. We could also seek spiritual direction. That would be a good start as well. In fact any of these approaches might work as long as we don't forget to ask God. In my experience, asking God about these things gets results. Usually results I don't like. I asked for patience once, thinking I needed peace in my life. What I got was opportunities to practice patience. So be warned! When we ask God where we are blind, the lessons are not automatically pain free. If they were we wouldn't hesitate to do the work. But without lessons, pain-free or not, we cannot grow our faith. Their must be struggle, even a short one as we adjust our eyesight.
B

Offended

Matthew 15:12-13 - The disciples came to him and said, "Do you know that the Pharisees were offended by your words?" And he answered them and said, "Every tree that is not planted by my father in heaven will be rooted up."

Offended. The Pharisees were offended I get  offended when people tell me the truth about how they perceive me and I don't want to face it. The Pharisees knew that Jesus, in talking about uncleanliness coming from within was talking about them and their traditions. They were offended and angry! Angry because they were caught. The word used is skandalizo, which means to cause to stumble but has the idea of being caught, being offended or becoming angry in the tense used. The Pharisees were probably all three: Caught, offended, and angry. They were trying to follow as best they knew and Jesus showed them, over and over, how hollow that way had become.

Then Jesus tells his disciples that every tree not planted in the good soil of God, the father, will be uprooted. Unless we, too, are rooted in the word and root our actions in GOd's love and mercy, we will feel uprooted. Our actions become willy-nilly rather than thoughtful. Our hearts become greedy and envious rather than grateful and joyful. We lose our strength, the living water is rejected for the stagnant water of our own wills. I am reminded of the tree that the gardener pleads for. The owner wants it cut, but the gardener has faith and nourishes the tree. The story doesn't say what the end result is and i believe that the tree lives - because Jesus' love gives life rather than death. Which brings us back to the origin of the offense - Connecting with God rather than performing rituals without thinking or feeling is what brings us life. Mindless rituals bring only death of love.
B

Unclean Mouths

Matthew 15:10-11 - And he called the crowd to him and said, "Listen and understand. It is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth."

Jesus is turning the Jewish Purity Laws regarding cleanliness on their head. Ritual purity is not enough is a good encapsulation of this passage. However, it also seems to imply that other forms of uncleanness - sickness, bleeding, being near death - are also not defiling to people. I'm not sure if one could look at it like that though. He is expressly talking about not washing hands before eating. How far does he take this idea? How far can we in the 21st Century take this idea?

Here I am reminded of the Good Samaritan. Jesus clearly advocates following that example and helping even though one will be ritually unpure. In fact, the actions of the priest and the levite are denigrated rather than being held up. So, there is some chance that uncleanness in other ways falls under this rubric.

I'll have to think about this in relation to disabilities. So only men who were perfect in body were allowed to be priests in Israel. I do not think they thought of those not perfect as unclean.
B

Hypocrisy

Matthew 15:7 - "Hypocrits! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you when he said, 'This people praises me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.'"

Ouch. I know in my own life I am as often as not far from God. It is we who turn away however, not God. It is we who praise with our lips and our actions show the true desires of our hearts. Yet, God accommodates us. He comes to us where we are and gives us grace in the struggle. Here Jesus is confronting the Pharisees and scribes with their behavior, showing how it is not a reflection of their words. Their behavior says they (we!) are far from God, but their lips say otherwise.

Today my prayer is to have my thoughts match my words and both be oriented toward following Christ. I know I will fail, yet I know I will have grace anyway. Grace to try again. Grace to make amends.

B

Dishonoring God's word

Matthew 15:5-6 - But you say, "Whoever says to his father or his mother, 'Whatever profit you might have had from me is given to God' need not honor his father." For the sake of your tradition you invalidate the word of God.

Here we have a clue as to how we honor our father and our mother - supporting them as they get older and can no longer work. However, for some of us this is not an issue yet. How do we support them when they need no financial support? Again, what about those of us whose parents are toxic and dangerous to our welfare? How do we honor them? These are questions that each of us must answer for ourselves. It might be a daily struggle or one we have already answered. Yet this passage makes clear that no matter how bad our parents were, we must come to some way to honor them as our parents.

And, if we can help them and it is not dangerous for us physically, mentally or spiritually to do so, helping them out financially and with other things as they age is what God and Christ call us to do.

Obligatory reminder: it does not say we must love them. For many of us that is not a realistic goal.
B

Parents

Matthew 15:4 - For God said, "Honor your father and mother." and "The one who speaks ill of their father or their mother shall surely die."

Jesus has just asked the Pharisees why they do not follow God's commandments. Here are the commandments he has in mind. In what way are the Pharisees not following? We'll see. Right now the more important question is: are we honoring our parents? Or are we putting our own traditions (concerns) above God's commandments?

There may be good reasons why we have no contact with our parents; Jesus doesn't say to love them. If so, how can we honor them and protect ourselves?
B

Upside Down

Matthew 15-3 - And he answered them and said, "Why do you transgress God's commandments for your tradition?"

In so saying, he refuses to play on the same level as the Pharisees and scribes. Rather than making distinctions about doctrine and practice, he points to God, reminding his audience that the ways of men are less important than God's commandments. We are all on the same level in relation to God. There is no "us" and "them" for Jesus. There is only we. And we are called to follow God, not the traditions of people.
B

Skeptism

Matthew 15:1-2 - Then some Pharisees and scribes came to him from Jerusalem asking, "Why don't your disciples practice the traditions of the elders? For they do not wash their hands before eating bread."

Jerusalem, where the main temple was. These scribes and Pharisees were "authorities." They were sent to determine whether Jesus was one of them or not. They asked a test question, pointing out a difference in practice between his disciples and the elders. In effect, they are asking "are you one of us?" This question exposes their focus on the rules and traditions of the elders rather than on love and compassion.

Compare this response to the response from the townspeople of Genessaret. They recognized him immediately, whether they recognized him as a healer or the Son of God is not clear. They responded out of compassion for their neighbors. They do not care whether Jesus is one of them. They want to be with him because he has something they want. They do not care that he does not abide by every jot and tittle of the Law. He loves them and they respond to that love with love in return. They welcome Jesus into their community and their pain. They welcome him into their hearts.
B

Knowing and Healing

Matthew 14:34-36 - And crossing over they came to the land at Genesaret. When the people of that land recognized him, they sent to the neighboring countryside and brought to him all that were sick, beseeching that they might only touch the fringe of his robe and all who did so were made well.

One thing stands out to me immediately - how did they recognize him? There are so many ways this could play out. He could have started preaching, or someone knew him from before, or even they could just tell. Jesus must have been very charismatic and people like that attract people without really having to try. Or a combination of all three. In any case, they did not ask for him but he came to them and they recognized him. That is how my coming back to the church happened - I didn't ask, but God came anyway and I recognized him.

The verb that is translated "recognize" is the verb to know. In fact, it means to know completely. The implication is that they recognize his face but also who he is. They also recognize how he can help them. And they act accordingly! They let the whole region know that he is there and they brought all the sick people. They respond out of love for their neighbors.

I think that's a good example for us. God comes to us every day. Do we recognize her? Do we know and understand as completely as the people of Genesaret? Do we feel the love God offers us? Do we then act on that love? Do we then love our neighbors?

My second observation flows from this - healing happens in community. If the people who recognized him had done nothing, no one would have been healed. They would not have been healed. Yet they did and we do an'd we are healed by doing the least that we can for others, by touching Christ's garment. IMagine what could happen when we open ourselves up to Jesus touching our hearts.
B

Wind and Worship

Matthew 14:31-32 - And when they got into the boat the wind stopped. And they worshiped him in the boat saying, "Truly you are the Son of God."

So all that time Peter was in doubt, the wind was blowing and the waves were still high. We know why he doubted. It seems like my life is a little like that right now. Yet, Jesus comes, grabs me, stills the wind and brings me to mental safety when I call him. The overarching point of this passage, in addition to Jesus being powerful and the Son of God, is Jesus' compassion for us. And by extension, God's passion for us. When I regularly pray and worship, I feel Jesus beside me, I hear him asking me why I doubted, and I sense the peace when the wind stills.

Jesus cares about God's creation and I must also care if I choose to follow him. My question for today is how can I follow and care as I go along my way?
B

Faith and Doubt

Matthew 14:31 - Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him up saying to him, "You of little faith; why did you doubt?"

Why, indeed? We doubt even though we have faith! Jesus commends Peter's faith, even though it's "little." We, too, have faith even when we also have doubts. In this case, doubt helped build Peter's faith! When he doubted Jesus rescued him immediately. He risked, doubted, and was saved. His faith, and that of the others grew. I do not think there is no room for doubt in faith. Our doubts are important and need to be voiced and struggled with. Israel means one who struggles with God. The meaning and mystery are revealed in the struggle. Let's not quench our doubts but rather examine them, struggle with them, and work our way through them with God's help and grace.
B

Doubt

Matthew 14:30 - But seeing the wind, he became afraid and began to sink, crying out, "Lord, save me!"

This is me with regard to doing a PhD. I see that I am doing it or I feel energized and then I go back to my old concept of self - I cannot do it. THis is what Peter does. He sees what he is doing and his brain cannot compute this new reality. It is too foreign. He made a good start only to let his own doubt get in the way.

Doubt is neither good nor bad; it depends on how we use it. A good question to ask is why. Why are we doubting? and what are we doubting? Was Peter doubting himself or God or both?
B

Jesus calls

Matthew 14:29 - And Jesus said, "Come," so Peter got out of the boat and walked toward Jesus on the water.

I guess this is a continuation of yesterday's thoughts in many ways. Peter not only asks Jesus to call to him, he answers that call right away. Despite the waves and the wind, he takes his first steps in following Jesus by walking on the water. How many of us can say that? I can't.

How is Jesus calling me today? How will I answer?
B

Following across the water

Matthew 14:28 - Peter answered him saying, "If it is you, Lord, call to me to come to you across the water."

I remember the first time I had experience with this. I was working as a receptionist and I knew my time was limited at the company, that they would replace me with a phone tree. So, I asked God for help in what to do. Within a week I had a phone call asking if I wanted a job.

Then, when I was feeling like I might be called to ministry and tired of wrestling with whether this was real or not, I told God that I would know if I heard it from some other person. I wanted to be sure before I pursued this. The next day, my Al-Anon sponsor and I were talking and she, out of the blues, asked if I had ever thought about becoming a minister. Um ...

So, yes, we test God and I'm hoping God doesn't mind. However, there is another lesson here besides not quite trusting our eyes or ears. Peter tests Jesus yes, but then he begs Jesus to call him to come to him. He wants to be with Jesus, even on the water. With the waves swamping the boat and the wind blowing wildly, Peter wants to follow Jesus. He wants to follow even though he is afraid, even though he might fail, even though he might die. He asks to be called.

I am struggling this morning with my future plans. I have money toward graduate work and I am so torn what to do with it. I keep putting it off. Just last week, I realized I needed to get serious. Well, Ted did too because when he replied to my email asking for another extension he added that it would help if they knew my plans. So, I am feeling a little like Peter; swamped by the waves of doubt and deluged of the wind of confusion. Lord, call me to follow you across the water.
B

It is I

Matthew 14:27 - Immediately, Jesus spoke to them saying, "Take heart. It is I, do not be afraid."

This reminds me this morning of the many theophanies in the Bible. When angels or God come down they always say, "Fear not." (Because the supernatural terrifies us!) Here is Jesus repeating the formula along with the words, It is I. Ego eimi. It is the first part of the translation of God's name, "I AM WHO I AM." The One who Is is here with us.

Take heart. Do not be afraid.
B

Seeing and Accepting the Unexpected

Matthew 14:26 - When the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, saying, "It is a ghost!" and they cried out in fear.

So like us! When we see the unexpected we cry out in fear or laughter if it is funny. We, too, try to categorize what we have seen into words or images from our experience. We tame things with our labels. If we are afraid of said thing, we use negative words - terrorists, rapists, criminals, thugs. We gain psychic power by naming and categorizing.

And, like the disciples, we are often wrong about those snap categorizations. Jesus wasn't a ghost, Mexican people are not all rapists, Middle Easterners are not all terrorists, Black people are not all thugs. Yet we cling to these categories beyond reason in order to feel good about ourselves. We break relationship with our brothers and sisters so that we do not have to change or see them as they really are. And we imagine this makes us safe.

It does not. It divides us and makes us vulnerable to powerful messages that reinforce our biases, which in turn makes us vulnerable to those in power. Our fear makes us easy to manage by those who would exploit it. And it breaks our relationship with the God who created us. Yes, and who created those we would relegate to second-class citizenship.

My prayer for today is that I and we can have the courage to accept the unexpected and see Jesus rather than the ghost of our imaginations.
B

The Struggle

Matthew 14:24-25 - The boat by this time was many furlongs distant from the land, beaten by the waves; for the wind was against them. And in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the water.

Two things: first of all, every painting I have ever seen of this story has Jesus walking across calm water. Secondly, The disciples' furious actions to save themselves and the boat are left out. Most likely because the people listening at the time would have filled in that detail on their own. So, let's revise our mental image of this scene. The boat is in the middle of a vast lake - say Lake Michigan - and the winds are whipping the waves and the boat is struggling. The disciples would be very active, doing everything they can to ensure their survival. There is no mention of praying but perhaps they are doing that as well. In the midst of this stormy struggle, Jesus comes walking across the water. The water that is being whipped by the wind and waves. How different is that from our usual image!

So, two things about this new image. Again, there is no mention of praying and if this were my life that would be accurate. I, a minister, tend to turn to prayer when all other help seems gone. I struggle against the winds and waves of life thinking I need to do it all alone, without God's help. This will be a life long struggle for me to remember prayer.

Secondly, Jesus comes anyway. Jesus comes in the midst of our struggles whether we pray or not! Because that is who Jesus is. Not only does he come to the disciples, he comes in their struggle. The wind and the waves do not cease for several verses. Jesus is with them in their struggle AND helping them through it. When we wonder where Jesus or God are when we are struggling, we have assurance that they are with us; even, or especially, when we cannot sense their presence.
Hallelujah!
B

Alone to Pray

Matthew 14:22-23 - Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side while he dismissed the crowds. After dismissing the crowds, he went by himself to the mountain to pray. When evening came he was there alone.

Finally! As you remember that was his original objective - to have time with his disciples and with God. Surely some of that time was also to be spent alone. And this is a model for us. That we do not always have to be busy, busy, busy - even when we're doing God's work. Self care is important and spending time with God in prayer and meditation is an important part of self care.

I worked full time last week and it took a lot out of me. I made sure that my travel time was not spent reading or staring off into space but in prayer and meditation. Don't neglect either the person in front of us or ourselves. That's a challenge to me.
B

Abundance

Matthew 14:20-21 - And all ate and were satisfied. They took up twelve baskets of the broken pieces that were left over. And those who ate were about five thousand men, not counting women and children.

The abundance of God's gifts of food, shelter and warmth are not always obvious to us. i think this might be because we get greedy in our own ways and sometimes take more than our share. The end result is, of course, less for others. So, God's abundance is not obvious to us. Yet, walk into any grocery store or farmer's market and we can see a piece of it. Fruits and vegetables, bread and meat are all there. It is when we are lowest that we need to remember this.

I see this abundance at The Night Ministry. There is always food around. If it is not a meal, we almost always have snacks. Not always healthy snacks. Theirs is a ministry of abundance. Yet, it should not fall to charitable organizations to provide this kind of help. In America at least the theory is that government can provide on the necessary scale. Yet the greed and lies of the powerful lead to less for those who are in the most desperate straits. It is hard to see God's abundance.

Yet, here in this story it is evident. Once someone shares, they all share. The real miracle in this story is that no one interfered and all ate and were full. The Greek word means "full" rather than satisfied and that tells us that there was no need to take more. There was even some left over! I will go about my day thinking about the ways I get in the way, take more than my share.
B

Sharing

Matthew 14:19 - He ordered the crowds to sit (lay) down upon the grass. Then he took the five loaves and two fish; looked up to heaven; blessed, broke, and gave the bread to the disciples and the disciples to the crowd.

One thing about human beings is we all have great ideas and good natural impulses. Many of us as we grow learn to inhibit our good impulses. I think this may be why seeing homeless people begging on the street (or just existing on the street) makes us angry. Are we angry at the person? Or are we sad that the problem is so big and that makes us angry? I think for a lot of us it is the latter.

Anyway, Jesus, in sharing the loaves and fish the disciples have, gives the crowd permission to share - if only so as not to look bad in the eyes of others. We often need permission to take steps. Many of us think about our friends or family without letting them know. Jesus gives us permission to let them know when we are thinking about them! It is hard to risk being rejected but that is really what loving ourselves and others is all about. Risking our feelings, our sense of self-worth to let another know that we see them and we care. Jesus sees the crowd, he cares, and he shares what he has and all are satisfied. 

Is there something I need to share in my life that I am holding onto instead?
B

Apostles are us

Matthew 14:17-18 - But they said, "We only have five loaves and two fish." Jesus replied, "Bring them to me."

The apostles cannot see the possibilities that Jesus can. They can only see what is in front of them. Like Sarah laughing at the thought of having a child, the apostles are limited by the current situation. They cannot see how to get around it - and often we are like them. We cannot see the way through whatever is blocking us or standing in our way. For me, it is indecision - a letting things happen rather than working for what I want because I do not want to want anything.

Yet, Jesus has no such limitation. Neither does God. Yet, we often act as if God cannot do what we cannot do. I carry this attitude even though I have seen many times in my life when God has astonished me, when God made a way out of no way.

Rather than saying "only" today, I will choose to acknowledge what I have as enough. And rather than limiting myself, I will ask myself how I can build on what I have today. I am reminded here of the writing prompts I have been working on. Recently, we were prompted to write 25 positive character traits. That in itself was a task for me, yet we were then asked to write 250 words on one of them each day for 25 days. This can only make me more confident and loving. Today I have enough.
B

Community

Matthew 14:15-16 - When evening came, the disciples came to Jesus and said, "This is a lonely place, and the day is now over; send the crowds away to go into the villages and buy food for themselves." But Jesus said to them, "They need not go away. You give them something to eat."

So props to the disciples who were compassionate and wanted to make sure everyone had food. I know had I been there I would have worried about this myself. It would have distracted me from listening, in fact. Especially if I were hungry also.

They go to Jesus with their proposed solution. But Jesus does not respond the way they think. He challenges his disciples to be more than they are - individually and corporately. His response must have confused them! Yet, their solution kept each family apart from the others and created competition among them. Can you imagine the stampede? The subways are similar here in Chicago. People rushing to get their preferred seat. In this atmosphere, there is no community, no family. There is only competition and every person for themselves.

Jesus challenges us to think in a new way. Rather than competing with others, maybe we could try cooperation and community building? Maybe we could solve everyone's problem at once rather than having individuals solve their own problems. This is why we have government and when those in government do their jobs, all our needs get filled. But sometimes we have people who have not yet learned Jesus's challenge to think communally. And people get hurt.

How am I resisting thinking in terms of community and how is that harmful in my life today?
B

One of the Crowd

Matthew 14:13b-14 - When the crowd heard of it, they made their way to him by foot from the towns. When Jesus got out and saw the crowds, he had compassion on them and healed all their sicknesses.

I often think about Jesus's reaction when reading these kinds of stories. I think about the vast chasm that exists between Jesus' compassion and my own. I recognize that I could always do better. Yet, today I want to talk about being one of the crowd. Am I willing to follow Jesus to "the other side of the lake?" And what does that lake represent for me? Is it trouble at work? Is it feeling lost? Is it grief? Is it illness? Is it death of a loved one or even our own ...? So many lakes! My lake today is discernment of my next step in ministry. What to do? Go for a PhD? Go for the Greek classes? Go for another CPE unit? Join with Dudley? So many things. That is my task today.

What does it mean to follow Jesus in our context? Does it mean praying more often to stay connected? Does it mean reaching out to that one person we least want to reach out to? Does it mean forgiving others or ourselves? Each lake will have a different path around. We know we need healing and we know where to get it. How to get to a place we can receive it?

For me, I think it is just sitting with myself and asking hard questions: questions about what I want, where i feel led, what is my goal for each of my choices, do I have to choose or can I do them in sequence. Is there someone I can talk with for clarification?

Once we have an idea of our path, we can ask Jesus to inspire us to follow him around the lake as he inspired the people in our story.
B

Jesus' Reaction

Matthew 14:12-13a - His (John's) disciples came and carried away the body and buried it and went and told Jesus. When Jesus heard this, he went away to a secluded place alone.

What do we/I do when I hear tragic news? I get sad and maybe even angry. I often forget to bring my sadness and pain to God. God cannot fix it, yet God shares it and that lessens my burden. This is just what Jesus did - he went away to be alone with God, to pray, to lament and to mourn.

I think the key is that he acted with intention instead of reacting out of his emotion. I need to act intentionally today as well.
B

John's Head

Matthew 14:10-11 - He sent and had John beheaded in prison. And it was put on a platter and brought to the girl, who brought it to her mother.

Life was cheap then and it is still cheap today. Especially in some areas of the world - like Chicago. Especially in America if one is black or brown. In the Middle East, Europe, Latin America. The world is struggling with labor pains as Paul said. Sometimes we go backward.

John was beheaded in prison, yet his head was displayed to the company. How gruesome was that? Were these people used to such gore in their lives? Or was it just business as usual?

What about Herodias' daughter? Clearly she is not innocent in the ways of the world and the court. She would have grown up in such surroundings. How does she feel about being used in this way by her mother? She is a pawn and yet she had the power in that moment. In what ways have I used my own power for cruelty rather than encouraging life? How can I then move from violence to life in my actions and words?
B

Ruled by Others

Matthew 14:9 - The king was grieved; on account of the oath and the guests, he ordered that it be given.

So to being ruled by fear of the crowd and the prophet we have added the opinions of others. On account of the guests who heard his oath, he orders John to be beheaded.

Herod's fear and worry about appearances - he wants to be seen as a man of his word - make him weak rather than strong. Having no center, no core values, no ethos keeps us reacting rather than responding. I have learned this from my latest round of CPE. Responding requires a center and knowing what that center is and honoring it in ourselves and others.

Herod cannot do that. As a ruler he must be seen as tough and as good for his word. Yet, in worrying about appearances he gives his power, his internal and external power, over to others. First his wife and then the crowd. He doesn't want to kill John yet his fear puts him in the position of having no choice if he wants to keep up appearances.

So, in what ways do I myself keep up appearances? In what ways do I give my power to others rather than using it?
B

Ruled by Emotions

Matthew 14:6-8 - But when Herod's birthday came, the daughter of Herodias danced before the company, and so pleased Herod that he promised an oath to give her whatever she might ask. Prompted by her mother she said, "Give me, now, the head of John the Baptist on a platter."

Fear is not the only emotion Herod is ruled by, although it might be the strongest. Under the emotion of lust and enchanted by her, Herod tells Herodias's daughter that she may have anything she asks for. This is a perfect instance of being careful what you say! Clearly Herod knows his wife is out to get John the Baptist. Why does Herod give her such an opening? Ruled by emotions. Saying in the moment whatever comes into one's mind. Kind of like Donald Trump.

Unlike Donald Trump, Herod's words have consequences. Now he is between a rock and a hard place - his fear of John and his fear of his wife and his fear of what his guests might say. Herod has no center except himself and so he gets himself into trouble by going along with whatever comes into his mind.

Who is my center? Is it me? My best self? God? How do I live that out in my life?
B

Fear - Herod

Matthew 14:3-5 - For Herod had seized John and bound him and put him in prison on account of Herodia, his brothers Phillip's wife. Because John had said it was not lawful for Herod to have her. And he wanted to kill him, and feared the crowd because they held him to be a prophet.

Herod's first two fears. He fears the power of John's voice, his authority. He wants to kill John so John cannot turn people - Rome - against him. His reaction to this fear is violence; get rid of the person causing him trouble.

His second fear is of the crowd - the ordinary people of Israel. They think of John as a prophet and they have enough power to get Herod to think twice about killing John. So he merely puts John in prison. Both are violent actions.

That is the thing about fear; it leads to violence. When our brains are overwhelmed by fear we want to flee and if that is not possible we want to fight. It is a survival mechanism, which is why we teach our children other ways to handle fearful situations. Fleeing and fighting are sometimes appropriate. Yet there are other tools. John was showing people some of those other tools. Jesus too. Herod fears the people having other tools.

In the US, we are living in an environment stoked by artificially exaggerated fears. These fears are stoked by the rich so that they can steal our rights. Bush did this for 8 years and the Republicans continue to stoke the fears of ordinary Americans for political and financial gain. In addition, we are encouraged to give in to the fear and begin to hate those not like us (white, cis, hetero, men). And it is leading to actual violence on top of the violence our police departments are showing themselves capable of. I am not sure about my ability to use those tools and I am sure that I need to learn - we all do. However, I can only control myself.
B

Herod

Matthew 14:1-2 - At that time, Herod the tetrarch heard of the fame of Jesus and he said to his servants, "This is John the Baptist, who has been raised from the dead. That is why thid power is at work in him."

These are the words of fear. Matthew goes on in the next sentence to tell how Herod had killed John the Baptist at the instigation of his wife. So, while others try to keep Jesus in his childhood box, Herod recognizes that these powers are real. His reaction is to focus on himself by making himself the cause of Jesus's powers. If he hadn't killed John, would Jesus still have them? He would answer no.

So, both are reactions of fear. Jesus's fellow townspeople are fearful of Jesus and so refuse to recognize how he has changed. Herod is speaking out of fear and guilt for having killed a holy man. Fear is a powerful emotion that keeps us stuck in ourselves and won't let our love for others out. We all have fears; big fears and small fears. What do we do with our fears? Do we box the fearful thing in or do we take on guilt? Do we obsess like Herod? Or do we open ourselves instead to God's love flowing through us like living water?
B

Limitations

Matthew 13:53-58 - And when Jesus had finished these parables, he went away from there, and coming to his own country, he taught in their synagogue so that they were amazed, and said, "Where did this man get his wisdom and these might works? Is not this the carpenter's son and his more called Mary? And are not his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? And are not all his sisters with us? Where did this man get all this?" And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own house." And he did not do many mighty works there, because of their unbelief.

Oh, how many times I think I know someone and they astonish me with new knowledge? How many times we forget that people grow and change throughout their lives? In Jesus's hometown, where he grew up, they thought they knew him. They had labeled him and then took offense because he chose not to stay in that label. He chose to be himself and follow his father's will.

We label others and we label ourselves. Perhaps the greater offense is labeling ourselves. We label ourselves based on our negative traits - those that create disharmony - rather than focusing on our positive traits - those that create harmony and attract others. Well, speaking for me. This is a form of violence when we do this. We are refusing to hear our own stories and in so doing we cannot hear others' stories.

Either way we forget that God calls ordinary people not exceptional people to do his service. Today I will think about the labels I have put on people and examine all those I meet without those labels.
B

Treasures new and old

Matthew 13:51-52 - "Have you understood all this?" They said to him, "Yes." And he said to them, "Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom is like a householder who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old."

So, I have been focusing on the idea of new treasure and old treasure. And what is the treasure of the scribes? Are they interpreters of the Law, yes? Then their treasure is the interpretation of scripture. "Trained for the kingdom." Since he has been talking about the kingdom of heaven, it seems that is what is referred to.

This is exactly what Jesus did in his day. He was trained for the kingdom. He brought out from the "old" words of scripture new interpretations. Well, interpretations that were new to many people. I find that when I think I have a new interpretation, it is usually only new to me. So, old treasures such as love God with all your soul, might, and strength, and new treasures such as your neighbor is anyone in need.

What is new and what is old and what is of value are important questions for us. What is of value, what qualifies as treasure requires discernment. What do we keep from our childhood understanding of God and the world and what do we let go of? It is a lifelong process of discernment if we are healthy and care about others.
B

Heaven

Matthew 13:47-50 - Again the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea. A person pulls it out, sits down and sorts the good into vessels but throws away the bad. So it will be at the coming of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous and throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

This seems to me to be a parable of protection? Who doesn't hear this and think of themselves as the righteous. When the angels come, we won't have to deal with "bad" people anymore. All will be well, safe and secure. Physical and mental security were sorely lacking back then; even more than they are now. I'll be giving this some thought today.
b

Treasure

Matthew 13:44 - The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, that someone found and covered up. Then in their joy they go and sell all that they have and buys that field.


 Okay, so the point is that the kingdom of heaven is valuable - it means life! That part of the parable is pretty obvious. So, I want to talk about several other aspects of the parable starting with the treasure being hidden.

Of course, parables can be taken too far and I recognize that is what I'm doing here. And yet, how often do i hide that my own treasure, so much more God's treasure within me? How often do I tell people, I don't like writing? How often do I get told that it is my gift. I am like Peter hanging on to his accounting. God's treasure is meant to be used. The parable does not say what the man does with the treasure. Yet, its previous owner tucked it away. What treasure of God's are we tucking away rather than using and sharing with the world?

Secondly, joy in discovering the treasure of heaven. How joyful are we when we worship? How joyful are we when we pray? How joyful are we when we go about our daily life? The Christian life is marked with joy. Of course, there are people who have medical conditions that make joy impossible. I am not talking about that. Yet, if we are not finding joy in our journeying with Christ, we need to look at that! Because it means there is probably work for us to do. Are we resentful, angry, snappy with others, turned in on ourselves, jealous, envious, greedy, lazy, slothful, prideful? All of these get in the way of our relationship with Jesus and with others. I woke up cranky this morning - work to do.
B

Tares and Wheat

Matthew 13:36-43 - Then he left the crowds and went into the house. The disciples came to him saying, "Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field." He answered them saying, "He who sows the good seed is the Son of Humanity; the field is the world; and the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom; the weeds are the sons of the evil one; and the enemy who sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the close of the age; and the reapers are the angels. Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so it will be at the close of the age. The Son of Humanity will send his angels and they will gather out of the kingdom all the causes of sin and all evildoers, and throw them into the fire; there people will weep and gnash their teeth. Then the sons of righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their father. He who has ears, let him hear."

Whew! I like my interpretation better.
B

Another parable of heaven

Matthew 13:33-5 - And another parable he put before them, "The kingdom of heaven can be compared to yeast which she added to three measures of flour and the whole loaf was leavened." All these things Jesus spoke to them in parables to the crowd. Indeed, he said nothing that was not a parable. This was to fulfill the word of the prophet, "I will open my mouth in parables, I will utter what has been hidden since the foundation of the world."

So, about the flour; three measures of flour is enough for a lot of bread. The idea here is abundance. Together, the parables are of health, shelter, and abundance of good things in the kingdom of heaven. They show that the little things we do to promote these things on earth result in little slices of heaven here and now. I have often wondered whether this is how God chooses to bring heaven down to earth - the real meaning hidden in the parables is that following God brings heaven to earth until finally, it actually is heaven. Possibly that is blasphemous.

Parables also serve to keep the hidden, hidden. It must be thought about through our hearts rather than our heads. Sacred things cannot be explained like math. In Spiritual Math, 1+1 might equal 100, because of God's abundance. The Trinity itself is an example of something that we cannot completely understand with our intellect alone. Even with our heart the Trinity may be elusive for most. Yet, parables and sayings and symbols give us ways to talk about what we cannot see with our physical eyes and feel with our physical bodies. They give us another way in.
B