Jesus and His Relationship with the Disciples

Posted on December 4, 2015 by Don Merritt

“The student is not above the teacher, nor a servant above his master. It is enough for students to be like their teachers, and servants like their masters. If the head of the house has been called Beelzebul, how much more the members of his household!

“So do not be afraid of them, for there is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs. Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.

Matthew 10:24-31

As Jesus prepares His disciples to be sent out to the harvest, He now takes the discussion, made up of instructions and warnings so far, and relates it to the relationship He has with the disciples. You will recall that in 9:34, after Jesus drove out a demon and restored speech to the afflicted man, some Pharisees said that He had done so by the power of the “prince of demons”, He is now telling the disciples that when they go out to proclaim the Kingdom, their opponents will say the same things about them. His rationale for this is simple; they are His servants, and the servant will be treated the same way as their master. Since Jesus is (and will be) encountering opposition, so will we.

Oh, and now you know the name of the “prince of demons”.

The disciples need not fear their oppressors; they need not worry that their evil deeds will go unnoticed or that they will get away with anything, for the disciples are under the Father’s protection, and anyone who harms them will be called to account; there is no getting around that fact. Rather than be concerned with their own safety in doing God’s will, they would do better to worry about what might happen if they should work to hinder His will.

Jesus wraps up this thought with the example of a sparrow. Who watches out for sparrows? Actually, we could ask something like: Who cares at all about sparrows?

Jesus gives us an answer: His Father in heaven cares about each and every single insignificant sparrow on the planet, and nothing happens to a single little sparrow that He doesn’t know about.

That is a staggering thought…

So then, if you or I, as God’s servants, on “Official Business” are harmed by a servant of the Enemy, can that happen without note being taken on high?

I really doubt it.

This discussion runs much deeper than the short journey the Twelve were sent on, for it runs through this entire age, from Pentecost until Jesus returns, and Jesus is speaking here to us, just as much as He was speaking to them. They went out and conducted their business; will we?

Next time, we will see even more of Jesus’ comments… see you then.

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O Come, O Come Emmanuel!

Posted on December 3, 2015 by Don Merritt

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This is a Christmas carol that contains the essence of the yearning of a people for a savior.  “O Come, O Come Emmanuel, and ransom captive Israel”

Hold on, wait!  Ransom…?

Yes, Ransom. Israel was in slavery to sin; so are we.  Being held captive to sin, living in rebellion against God because of sin… yes, “ransom” is exactly the right word.

Jesus came to this earth to pay the ransom for our release from this bondage, and He did so by giving His life for us.  By giving His life for us, He paid the price for our redemption, and by doing this, He took away sin.  Yes, I know that this is a familiar story, but it isn’t the whole story…

In a nutshell, we were living in rebellion against God from the time of the fall of Adam.  All of the rest of the Old Testament tells the story of God working to rebuild the relationship that was lost, and progress was made, but fellowship was never restored between man and God until Jesus paid the ransom for our sins.  This is the indispensable act that makes the resumption of fellowship between man and God possible.

Rejoice, rejoice, Emmanuel has come to thee O Israel!

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The Season’s Upon Us

Posted on December 3, 2015 by Don Merritt

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The Christmas Season is one that I may seem to frown on sometimes as I urge people not to get caught up in the season and forget the reason.

Actually, the Christmas Season can and should be a wonderful time.  I was struck the other day by just how many cherished memories that I and most everyone have that are triggered by this season.  You know what I mean, you’re dragging out the Christmas boxes and putting up the decorations and you come across some random object that reminds you of something that happened five years ago that was a great moment.  Or maybe you have family heirlooms in your decoration boxes and you take one of them out and it triggers a childhood memory… or maybe it was a song…

I’ve also noticed lately that when people are talking about their plans, their eyes seem to light up and their mood changes; they become very happy all of a sudden.

Come on, even old Scrooge came around eventually!

What a wonderful time this can be if we just don’t get so caught up in the busy and crazy aspect of it that it becomes nothing but work.  Be of good cheer, don’t worry about the “stuff” and enjoy friends and family.  Who can argue with that?

And, let’s not forget why we are doing all of this in the first place; to remember the birth of the baby in the manger who grew up to be the Savior of all Mankind.

Glad tidings indeed!

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Photo of the Week: December 2, 2015

Posted on December 2, 2015 by Don Merritt

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God is our Strength

Posted on December 2, 2015 by Don Merritt

1225 037“Surely God is my help; 
       the Lord is the one who sustains me.

 Let evil recoil on those who slander me; 
       in your faithfulness destroy them”

Psalm 54:4-5

How easy it is to think that we can handle everything that comes our way… and what folly!

David wrote this in a time of severe trial when his enemies were closing in.  While all of this was going on, he was looking to God for his strength, as we should.  Let’s face it, we may not be running from assassins or murderers, but we may often feel like we are… that’s when we need to remember who sustains us: God.  We need to get over thinking about how great and strong we think we are, and humble ourselves before God, allowing Him to lead us through life.  If we do, we will be sustained through good times and bad, and we’ll most likely have fewer worries and fewer trials.

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Are You Sure You Want to do This?

Posted on December 2, 2015 by Don Merritt

Matthew 10:16-23

Jesus is about to send His disciples out to proclaim the Kingdom and He has given them unprecedented authority. Yet He has insisted that they take nothing along to help them, no money, no food or supplies, and He told them they are to be depending on the generosity of strangers for their sustenance. That may sound a little rough to us, but now He tells them the hardships they are likely to encounter, and in doing so, He speaks of an age to come an age of battles and violence… the age we live in. As he tells the disciples of the hardships they will face, He might even remind of us of our recent study of Revelation.

I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves. (10:16)

The disciples will encounter more than just those who reject their message, for they will also encounter violent opponents. Jesus likens the situation to sheep among wolves, for they will be without defenses. How should they respond to such dire circumstances? They must be a shrewd as snakes. This is an allusion to Genesis 3:1: “Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made.” In crisis, the disciple must be clear-headed and carefully think through his actions; not rash or impulsive. They must also be as “innocent as doves”, meaning that they must be entirely pure in motivation, seeking only to do what is right. As Jesus would later demonstrate, this purity would often silence His opponents.

Be on your guard; you will be handed over to the local councils and be flogged in the synagogues. On my account you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles. (10:17-18)

These things did indeed take place later as Jesus predicted here. Notice that not only will the disciples be badly treated, but their treatment will bring them opportunity to proclaim the Kingdom to the Gentile authorities, and as we know, this is what they would one day do.

But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. (10:19-20)

Along with this dire message is a message of hope and God’s provision, for God will speak His message in and through you, and thus you will know who is ultimately in control of events, even in the middle of spiritual warfare with a powerful foe. The disciples, soldiers in the front lines of spiritual warfare are assured of their ultimate victory by this; their futures are very bright indeed, even though this world may view them as weak.

Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death. You will be hated by everyone because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. When you are persecuted in one place, flee to another. Truly I tell you, you will not finish going through the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes. (10:21-23)

Persecution is even more ominous in these verses as families are torn apart by the combination of the Kingdom message and the violent reaction of this world, as the spiritual warfare of the heavens is manifested on earth. Yes, this is what will happen in our age; it is what began in Acts. Honestly, this is a message we need to understand today, for it is unfolding all around us in this world of ours; it is as fresh as the morning news, sad to say. Yet the day of the Son of Man is coming… One can only wonder what was going through their minds as Jesus spoke to them; what had they gotten themselves into? Yet, Jesus isn’t quite finished just yet; there is more to come next time.

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A Most Excellent Adventure

Posted on December 1, 2015 by Don Merritt

Matthew 10:1-15

In the prior section, Jesus told His disciples to pray for the Lord of the Harvest to send workers; now, He informs His disciples that they are the workers the Lord of the Harvest has sent. The text doesn’t really say how the disciples felt about this, but if you have ever prayed that God would send someone to meet a need, and then realized that He sent  you, you will have an idea.

In verses 5-15, Jesus gives them a series of imperatives, 16 in all, which serve as a set of “ground rules” for their adventure. First, He tells them to go to the lost sheep of Israel, and not to either Gentiles of Samaritans. Next, He tells them they are to proclaim the Kingdom as he has been doing, and with their authority to heal and so forth, they are to perform miracles as Jesus has done, accepting no payment. They are not to take any cash or supplies with them; they will find people along their way to take them in. They should give a welcoming house their greeting, and if deserving their peace and if no one will welcome them and listen to their message, they are to leave that town to its fate.

It always strikes me that this set of instructions is a paradox: On one hand the disciples have been given unprecedented authority. They bear with them the proclamation of the Kingdom of Heaven, and the ability to heal the sick, give sight to the blind, drive our demons; the whole package that Jesus has used, and essentially, they are taking His place on this road trip. Yet they are completely vulnerable having no money and no provisions. They may not accept payment for healings done miraculously, and they must depend on strangers for the necessities of life; who travels like that?

We need to grasp this picture: They have with them all of the authority of Jesus, and at the same time, they must depend entirely upon God for their sustenance.

In this way, they are just like us, for we have His authority to proclaim the Kingdom and bring healing to those who will listen, and to the extent that we will place our full faith and trust in God, we will build His Kingdom. As was the case with the disciples, the only thing that remains to be seen is our level of faith in God.

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Jesus and the Crowds

Posted on December 1, 2015 by Don Merritt

Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”

Matthew 9:35-38

In these verses, we have a summary of the events in the early Galilean ministry of Jesus that connect several chapters together. In 4:18-22, we saw Jesus call disciples, in 4:22-25, we saw a summary of His activities. Then in 5:1-7:29, we had Jesus’ ministry in words, followed by His ministry in deeds in 8:1-9:34. Now, in 9:35 we have a summary of those deeds and words; this will be followed by action in 9:36-11:1 as the disciples are sent out to replicate what Jesus has been doing.

In order for us to make sense of this series of events, we need to recognize two things: First, Jesus Himself IS the Kingdom in a body, thus wherever He went, the Kingdom went with Him. Second, we must realize that the disciples were not simply along for the ride, they were being taught to become the Kingdom themselves, even though I doubt they understood this just yet. Ultimately, however, they became the embodiments of the Kingdom by the indwelling of the Spirit at Pentecost.

Matthew summarizes the action in verse 35, and then shares what Jesus was seeing in those crowds; a harvest. He had compassion for the people, not condemnation; He loved them and knew that in spite of the constant presence of their religious leaders, nobody was there who could show them the way to God, and so they were helpless and adrift in a harsh world. So there Jesus was; He could make speeches, and He could form relationships with some, but there were simply too many people who needed Him; there simply were not enough hours in the day for Him to heal everyone who needed Him.

That is where His disciples come into the picture. As He tells them to pray to the “Lord of the Harvest” for more workers, little did they know that they were going to be those workers.

Here’s a question to ponder: When we look out at those people “out there”, do we see helpless people who need a loving shepherd, or do we just see “The Wicked”?

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Dealing with New Realities

Posted on November 30, 2015 by Don Merritt

Today is my day to deal with new realities, for there are two things new today around here. First of all, today is the day that the City has chosen to work on the sewer lines, so no running water or flushing. Second is a more long term situation; my wife, over my consistent objections, has procured a New Dog.

I don’t know why that would surprise me; I’ve surely never been called “He Who Must Be Obeyed”!12249575_10208066124999250_7096005697460658006_n

Thus, on Friday last, She Who Must Be Obeyed arrived home with a New Dog. According to the story I heard, New Dog is an orphan, since his original owner sadly passed away a few months back, and since then he’s been in “foster care” with various family members, in need of a “permanent home”. Guess where that is?

Great.

Now don’t get me wrong, I like dogs, dogs usually like me, believe it or not; I’ve even been called a “dog person” and as best I can tell, they meant I get along with dogs… yet I didn’t really want to do this again, but as I have been informed, I am wrong about that… I really do want to do it again, I just don’t know it.

So then, here we are on this wonderful and cold Monday; sewer work and New Dog.

New Dog doesn’t seem to care much for sewer work; they make lots of racket out there; New Dog is kind of freaked out about that. Now I can understand that, new house with new sounds and smells and very strange new people; it’s a lot to get used to. I can also understand that it must be getting very tiresome for the dog to keep having new people to train. I can even recognize that as new people trainees go, I am a handful, with my stupid notions about who is really in charge around here. Yes, I can sympathize with our little friend, but it’s just that so far today, he’s taught me two new rules that I don’t much care for: The first one is that when Cathy isn’t here, it’s OK to poop in the hallway. I was so surprised about that one, that I got it up with paper towels, tossed the whole thing in the commode, and forgot about the poor sewer workers until right after I flushed it… Sorry Guys!

Somehow, I suspect that this new rule doesn’t apply to the rest of us.

The second new rule is that when freaked out by the noise of the sewer work, I am required to have New Dog in my lap at all times.

As for that new rule, I suppose there is an advantage; it’s a cold day, and New Dog is warm… but it sure is hard to type like this!

You may think that New Dog is a stupid name, but in truth it really isn’t his name at all; he actually came with one already, it’s “Taz”. Now I don’t much care for that name, and lobbied with She Who Must Be Obeyed to give him a new one; I’m sure I could do better than “Taz”! Why I give great names to dogs, for instance, last time I got to name a dog, it was “Bill” in honor of my high esteem for our 42nd president. No, I really can’t understand why she suddenly is so fond of the name “Taz”…

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“Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel”

Posted on November 30, 2015 by Don Merritt

Matthew 9:27-34

In this passage, Jesus encounters a blind man and a man who was demon possessed. I need not tell you that He handled the situation in both cases, restoring sight to the one, and driving out the impure spirit in the other. By this time, we have seen these kinds of things before, and yet the people of that day were not reading about His miracles in a book, they were seeing them for the first time, and Jesus was getting their attention.

If you read the verses, you will see that the blind man called Jesus “Son of David” in recognition of His Messianic position. I point this out to you because it would be entirely too easy to read the story of the life of Christ, and when the people reject Him, to simply conclude that nobody recognized who He was. Yet in Matthew chapter nine, verse 27, a blind man recognized Him.

People with sight had no excuse.

Jesus healed the blind man “according to your faith”. We might read this and just conclude that the man believed, but we should notice that there is more than just believing, for this man acted upon his belief, and placed himself in Jesus’ hands, with the result that his sight, already significantly more keen than most, was restored. Today, many “believe” but few are willing to put themselves in His hands, and their sight is not restored.

After this, Jesus came upon a man who was demon possessed and mute. Jesus drove out the demon and the man’s speech was restored; the witnesses were amazed. Naturally, both men told the world what had taken place, even though the once blind man had been told to keep his mouth shut, and the news of the Kingdom spread like wildfire throughout the land. Sadly, however, the story ends on a sour note, for when they heard the news, some Pharisees, always the Pharisees, weren’t pleased at what Jesus was doing, saying that He was able to drive out demons by the power of the “prince of demons”.

So begins the plots to kill Jesus that would ultimately backfire on the “prince of demons” and his little friends.

I can’t help thinking about people I know today, people who are excited about spreading the news of the Kingdom in our time, and people who see healing all around them. Yet as I reflect on such people, I also can’t help thinking about the modern day Pharisees that I know. To be honest, I know many more of these “Pharisees” than the others, and I never cease to be amazed at the creative ways in which they criticize those who are enthusiastic about the Kingdom in our time, for it would seem that tradition and kingdom don’t really mix all that well, even now.

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