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Reflection on Matthew 13:16-30

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Scripture

“Let both grow together until the harvest. Then I will tell the harvesters to sort out the weeds, tie them into bundles, and burn them, and to put the wheat into the barn.”

Observation

Jesus explains the meaning of the parable about the sower and the different kinds of soils.

He goes on then to give another parable. A farmer plants good seed in his field, but an enemy comes at night and plants weeds. When his workers report this, he instructs them to let the weeds and wheat grow together. He will instruct the harvesters to separate the wheat from the weeds. The wheat will be put into the barn, but the weeds will be tied up and thrown into the fire.

Application

It was not unheard of for someone to contaminate a sown field with a weed such as bearded darnel which closely resembles wheat and cannot be distinguished until both plants are mature. It seems like a very determined and premeditated form of vandalism.

We need to be aware that our enemy is sowing things into our lives to distract us or even remove us from the kingdom.

In the previous parable, Jesus explained that the weeds were the cares of the world which choke out spiritual growth or which lure us away from God’s will.

Satan plants these weeds in our lives in the form of financial and relational pressures, temptations, people who distract us from God’s kingdom, and so on.

We must always be on our guard against satan’s distractions without becoming guilty of ascribing everything in our lives to the devil.

Just as farm workers needed discernment to tell the difference between wheat and weeds, we need spiritual discernment to tell whether people in our lives have been placed there by God or by satan, whether they are opportunities for the Kingdom or distractions.

Prayer

Holy Spirit, please show me how to react to different people in my life. Grant me discernment, Lord to know whether you are stretching me or satan is assaulting me. Amen.

Reflection on Matthew 13:1-16

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Scripture

He replied, “You are permitted to understand the secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven, but others are not.”

Observation

Jesus sits beside the lake, where a large crowd gathers around Him.

Jesus tells the story of the sower. A farmer sows seed, scattering them around the field. Some falls on the hard soil of the path, and birds come and eat them. Some seeds fall on to shallow soil, where the seeds germinate quickly but then wither in the heat. Others fall among weeds where they are choked by thorns and thistles. But other seeds fall on fertile soil and they produce a crop of up to 100 times the planted seeds.

The disciples ask Jesus why He uses parables. He replies that those who listen to His teaching are given more understanding, but those who are not listening will lose the little understanding they have.

Application

If we pursue Jesus with all our heart, we will receive understanding. Some people are permitted to know the secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven, but because they are passionate to serve Jesus, not because they are smart.

Biblical knowledge will only get you so far in God’s kingdom. To move into the deeper things, the “secrets”, you must spend time with the Lord.

Listening prayer gives us God’s insights into the specifics of living for God. Reading the Scriptures while listening to the Holy Spirit will also increase our insight.

Bible College is good, but how much better is it to develop our relationship with the Most High God.

Prayer

Thank you, Father, for the awesome privilege of being your child. Thank you for opening the secrets of the Kingdom to those who pursue you. Please help me to make fellowship with you my highest priority. Amen.

Reflection on Matthew 12:38-50

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Scripture

Jesus replied, “Only an evil and adulterous generation would demand a miraculous sign; but the only sign I will give them is the sign of the prophet Jonah.”

Observation

Some scribes and Pharisees come to Jesus and demand a miracle to prove His authority. Jesus refuses, saying that they are evil and adulterous. The only sign that He will give them is His death and resurrection.

Jesus then goes on to say that the people of Nineveh and the Queen of Sheba will testify against them on the Day of Judgement for failing to see the greatness and the wisdom of Jesus.

Application

The religious leaders demanded that Jesus perform a miraculous sign to prove that He was the Messiah. This was despite the fact that Jesus had already healed many people, delivered many others from demons, calmed a storm , and fed over 5000 people. John’s gospel is explicitly structured around seven signs which Jesus performed to prove He is the “I Am.”

Faith in Jesus is not dependent on miraculous signs. People who demand proof generally are not looking to be convinced.

Our acceptance of the gospel is not a matter of proof or signs. In fact, many people received miracles but did not put their faith in Jesus.

Most people who come to the Lord say that they “knew” it was right. There is a spiritual connection regardless of intellectual assent.

God speaks to us through our spirit. That may or may not have an emotional (soul) or cognitive (mind) resonance. It does not matter as it is our spirit that relates to God.

The Pharisees, like many people today, were hard of heart and refused to repent and believe that Jesus is Lord.

Prayer

Thank you Lord for the gift of salvation. May I never grow hard- hearted towards you. Amen.

Reflection on Matthew 12:22-37

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Scripture

“If I am casting out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has arrived among you.”

Observation

A demon- possessed man is brought to Jesus who heals him. The crowd is amazed and asks if He could be the Messiah.

The Pharisees say that Jesus gets His power from satan. But Jesus says that any kingdom divided against itself in this way is doomed.

The only power strong enough to cast out demons is from the one who is stronger than satan, that is God.

A tree is identified by its fruit. The lives of the Pharisees show that there is no good within them. They cannot even tell the difference between good and evil, so they will have to give an account on the day of judgement.

Application

Jesus’ ability to cast out demons was the most obvious sign of the presence of God’s kingdom.

The war for people’s souls is still incredibly strong, but the victory is assured through Jesus Christ. Every time a person, or a group of people, confesses that Jesus is Lord, the kingdom of God is manifest. Every time somebody says “Yes” to Jesus, the kingdom of God grows stronger.

We see satan’s evil shown in all kinds of ways. Lawlessness, violence, lies, betrayal, sin, all represent the power of satan to hold people in bondage.

But just one touch from the Holy Spirit is enough to set free a person who desires liberation. There is no cage that satan can construct that God cannot pull down with just a word.

Prayer

Thank you Lord. Your kingdom is so much stronger than the power of satan. Amen.

Ephesians 4:17

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Here is my commentary on Ephesians 4:17. I am publishing these once or twice a week, but you can read all of the available articles at our web-site, http://www.new-life.org.au

Ephesians 4:17

“Now this I affirm and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds.”

Because of the fact that we as christians are being directed and growing up into the fullness of Christ, we must allow Him to change our way of thinking and living. Paul now goes on to describe the implications of living in the light of Christ.

When religious beliefs remain just beliefs, then our faith becomes ideology or dogma. Faith must impact our lives or it remains theoretical ,and shows that we have not allowed the Holy Spirit to change us.

Paul uses very strong language to introduce his exhortation. The words affirm and testify together mean that a solemn declaration is being made. In English we might make a legally binding declaration with language such as “I affirm and testify,” or “I swear and declare.”

The word translated here as testify is the word from which we get the word martyr. The early church recognised the power of testifying to Christ even to the point of death .

Paul himself can testify to the importance of being changed by Christ. Prior to his conversion he was a strong and violent persecutor of the followers of Jesus. Now, as an apostle, he can testify to the power of the gospel to change a life.

So Christians coming from a Gentile or non-Jewish background, similarly must leave the ways of the pagans.

Paul describes the old Gentile ways as “futility of their minds.” They were deceived by their false religion, and so they lived accordingly. The Gentiles are in darkness; satan has blinded them and they cannot even see that they are deceived.

Wrong thinking leads to wrong actions. Paul goes on to list the ways in which the former Gentiles need to change in order to be more like Christ.

We need to recognise that this is not legalism. Paul does not lay down the law, because he knows from experience that legal ism is as futile as Gentile religions. But he does seek to correct their thinking so that it is productive not futile.

All religion that is not related to Christ is idolatry. These Gentiles who received Christ had previously worshipped a multitude of “gods”, but now needed to follow the way of Christ.

The defining feature of idolatry is that we serve a “god” from a desire to control the “gods”. People worshipped weather “gods” such as Baal because they needed weather suitable for crops, or else they starved.

They gave offerings and performed rituals in the hope that the various “gods” would protect or provide. Apart from that, they could live their lives in anyway they liked.

When we come to Christ, there is nothing we can do to make him more amenable to us. He already did everything necessary to atone for our sins.

This is the reverse of the pagan “gods”. People made offerings in the hope that the “god” would do something good for them. In Christianity, God makes the first move, becoming flesh and dying for us, before we even knew about it.

In paganism, humans act and the “gods” respond. In Christianity, God has acted and we respond to his self offering.

What’s response can we make? Paul tells us in Romans that we must present ourselves as living sacrifices (Romans 12:1).

Gentile believers, then, move from a religion of little demands made by a little “god”, to a God who gives all and expects the same response in return .

It is no wonder that Paul tells us we must no longer live as the Gentiles do in the futility of their thinking.

Key points in this verse:

  • Faith in Christ must result in changed behaviour, or else it is just a theory
  • Paul can testify to this because of his own experience of changed life
  • The Gentiles (i.e. non-believers) are trapped by the futility of their minds
  • Pagan religion demands little and gives little
  • God gave everything in order to save us, and we must give Him our whole lives in response

Reflection on Matthew 12:9-21

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Scripture

Then he said to the man, “Hold out your hand.” So he held out his hand, and it was restored just like the other one. Then the Pharisees called a meeting to plot how to kill Jesus.

Observation

Jesus goes to the synagogue where He sees a man with a deformed hand. The Pharisees ask Him if the law allows a man to be healed on the Sabbath. Jesus replies that it is fine to rescue a sheep from a well on the Sabbath. He then heals the man.

The Pharisees start to plot how to kill Jesus, so He leaves that area. He heals all the sick, fulfilling Isaiah’s prophecy about the servant who brings justice for the oppressed,

Application

Jesus brings life, but religion brings death.

It is after Jesus heals on the Sabbath, bringing joy and new life to a man with a deformed hand, that the Pharisees start to plot His death.

As the cynical saying goes, “No good deed goes unpunished.”

The Sabbath was given to protect labourers from being oppressed, not to stop people from enjoying God’s life. But the Pharisees and other religious leaders took the law to an extreme so that what was meant to bring freedom in fact brought misery.

The fruit of a life dedicated to the Lord is life- spiritual renewal, hope, joy, love. Where these things are present, the Spirit of God is moving.

Where there is misery, condemnation, death and fear, we can be sure that the spirit of religion is active.

Our worship, family life, work and leisure should all be opportunities for life.

Prayer

Thank you Lord for setting us free from deadly religion. May I always know the joy of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Reflection on Matthew 12:1-8

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Scripture

“But you would not have condemned my innocent disciples if you knew the meaning of this Scripture: I want you to show mercy not offer sacrifices.”

Observation

Jesus and His disciples walk through some grain fields on a Sabbath. They begin to break off some heads of grain to eat them, but some Pharisees criticise them for harvesting on the Sabbath.

Jesus points out that the priests work on the Sabbath. It is more important to show mercy than to offer sacrifices.

Application

There is a constant battle in every human heart between the Holy Spirit and the religious spirit.

The Holy Spirit wants sons and daughters to freely celebrate the power and presence of God shown in love and relationship.

The religious spirit demands a joyless conformity to the rules.

The Holy Spirit tells us that we are loved by God.

The religious spirit tells us that God is mad at us, and our only hope is to obey the rules.

Righteousness is not a status to be earned; it is a gift from a holy and loving God.

When Jesus was criticised by some Pharisees for picking grain on the Sabbath, His reply was that God is not so much interested in what we do for Him as in us allowing Him to change our hearts towards Him and others.

Religious law is never about conformity and legalism, but about giving space for our spirits to grow into God.

Prayer

Holy Spirit, please help me to find your way for me. Amen.

Reflection on Matthew 11:16-230

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Scripture

“O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, thank you for hiding these things from those who think they are wise and clever, and for revealing them to the childlike.”

Observation

Jesus compares the people to children playing a game in which they complain to their friends, “We played wedding songs and you would not dance. We played funeral songs and you would not mourn.”

Jesus denounces the towns where He did miracles but they refused to repent and turn to God. He then prays, thanking God the Father for hiding these things from those who think they are wise and revealing them to the childlike.

Application

Humility is the key to the kingdom of God.

We must realise that, when it comes to sin and judgement, we are totally dependent on God’s mercy. We have to recognise firstly that we are sinners who fall short of God’s standards for us. Secondly, we have to recognise that Jesus has done for us what we could not do for ourselves, that is, to pay the price for our sins.

As we approach the Easter season, we remember the awful facts of Good Friday. We crucified the one person who had never sinned. This awful fact contains the awesome truth that in one sacrifice the sins of the world were taken away.

The “wise” and the arrogant people can never see this because they think they are good enough. Their learning, money or personal achievements will get them through with God.

It doesn’t work that way. Just as Jesus emptied Himself of all divine power in order to meet with us, so we have to empty ourselves of every form of self-righteousness in order to meet with Him.

As the old hymn says, “Nothing in my hand I bring, simply to thy cross I cling.”

Prayer

Thank you Jesus for dying in my place. Amen.

Ephesians 4:16

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Here is my commentary on Ephesians 4:16. I am publishing these once or twice a week, but you can read all of the available articles at our web-site, http://www.new-life.org.au

Ephesians 4:16

“From him [Christ] the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.”

In the previous verse we were told that the church is growing up into Christ, the Head. In this verse the church is growing up “from Him”.

Christ supplies the growth for the church, and He is the objective to which the church is growing .

An analogy would be the growth of a plant. Plants generally grow in the direction of the sun or other light source. At the same time, the sun is the source of energy for the plant which enables the plant to grow.

The church, the whole body, is growing into maturity in Christ, the one who directs and grows the church .

This growth is both in number and in quality of relationship. The church is required to constantly engage in mission, going to the world to share the gospel with others. Out of this mission comes a growth in the number of people who identify with the church.

At the same time, the church is engaged in internal growth or quality growth. This is the process whereby each member and the community as a whole, works at becoming more like Christ .

The whole body grows as “each part does it work.”

Part of this is the ministry gifts of 4:11. As each of these church leaders fulfils the call that Christ has placed on them, they are able to lead the church into greater maturity.

However, for real church health, every part of the body must discover its role, or its position in the household (2:19-22). Each believer needs to find out their part of the mission of the church. This might be such things as works of service, deeds of kindness, sharing the gospel at work, and so on. As each person, each part of the Body of Christ, does their work, the ligaments and joints of the body are strengthened and prepared for greater growth .

In the human body, strength is only possible when the heart delivers blood to the various organs, the lungs deliver oxygen into the blood, the digestive system extracts the various nutrients from food to be delivered to every cell, and so on. The whole body must be healthy and do its work in order for the body to be strong and to grow stronger.

The church also requires every part to do its work in order to grow into Christ .

The whole body is joined and held together by every supporting ligament .

Every congregation needs to develop ways of incorporating its members so that they know that they belong together. This is generally referred to as fellowship or in Greek koinonia.

How can we ensure that a person who is part of the body stays connected? How can we ensure a new person feels welcome?

Every church will have a number of strategies in place to make these things happen. There are both formal and informal processes that take place, and these evolve over time to reflect the size of the church and the culture of its community.

At the heart of this is the desire to grow in fellowship and in care for one another. A church that just operates on Sunday is no church at all .

The body, Paul tells us, build itself up “in love.” Love of God, and love for one another is the supporting ligament that holds the church together and causes it to grow.

The church grows “in love” and builds itself up “in love” because the church is the Body of Christ. We can only do what we do in love because we do it in Christ, and God is love.

We build one another up in love because we love God and want to love his children as we love him.

Love must be the heart of all that the church does. Sometimes we miss this. We become so invested in the programs and in the activities of the church that we forget that these things are secondary. They are there to proclaim and embody the love of God; they are not there for their own sake.

So as we serve one another in love and work in the part that God has placed us, then the church grows in the grace of Christ becoming more like him .

Key points in this verse:

  • We are growing from Christ and to Christ
  • The church is growing in numbers and in the quality of discipleship
  • Every part of the body, not just the leaders, must do its work
  • The church must work at encouraging every member to feel that they belong

Reflection on Matthew 11:1-15

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Scripture

“From the time John the Baptist started preaching until now, the Kingdom of Heaven has been forcefully advancing, and violent men are attacking it.”

Observation

John the Baptist hears in prison about all the things the Messiah is doing. He sends messengers to ask Jesus, “Are you the One?” Jesus replies, “Tell him what you have seen and heard.”

Jesus then asks the crowd what they thought John would be like. He is the one predicted by the Scriptures- the voice of one in the wilderness preparing the way for the Messiah.

Of all who have ever lived before that time, none was greater than John. But the least in the Kingdom is greater than John. The kingdom is advancing forcefully and violent men are attacking it.

Application

God’s kingdom seems like nothing important until you look closely. Consisting mainly of ordinary people living out their daily lives, it is constantly advancing.

It is like a tree that seems weak, but over time the tree can undermine and destroy a great building.

We think the church in the West is weak, and it certainly seems that way. Yet in other places, the church is growing and overcoming those who oppose it. In China, huge numbers are coming to Christ, threatening the might of the Chinese Communist Party.

The church grows, the kingdom grows, as individuals share their love for the Saviour with their friends.

This threatens the violent power- hungry people. They seek to destroy God’s kingdom, but this is impossible.

The same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead dwells in us. Nothing can destroy that power.

Prayer

Thank you Lord for the immense privilege of being in your Kingdom. Show me today how I can best live for you. Amen.