A portion of scripture and a discipleship prompt
by Rev. Herschel E. Moore
DAY TWENTY-EIGHT
Matthew 11:7-15
As they went away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John: ‘What did you go out into the wilderness to look at? A reed shaken by the wind? What then did you go out to see? Someone dressed in soft robes? Look, those who wear soft robes are in royal palaces. What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is the one about whom it is written, “See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.” Truly I tell you, among those born of women no one has arisen greater than John the Baptist; yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and the violent take it by force. For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John came; and if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah who is to come. Let anyone with ears listen!
Prompt
Talk about cryptic statements! The statement about the Baptist's greatness, the one about violence in the kingdom of heaven, and the one about Elijah who "is" to come - all these are mysterious. Was Elijah reincarnated as John? Can the kingdom be taken by force? What is not in doubt is the regard Jesus had for John; beyond that we must pray, "Lord, give us ears to hear."
DAY TWENTY-SEVEN
Matthew 11:1-6
Now when Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and proclaim his message in their cities. When John heard in prison what the Messiah was doing, he sent word by his disciples and said to him, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?’ Jesus answered them, ‘Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them. And blessed is anyone who takes no offense at me.’
Prompt
Some have suggested that John's question of Jesus showed impatience. John was, after all, in prison, and he might have had an inkling that his own neck was on the line if Jesus did not act quickly to take the throne. But the response Jesus gave indicates that what John really needed was not information about what, when, where, and how, but reassurance that his hopes of the Kingdom of God were not misplaced in spite of how bleak his own prospects might seem at the moment. Have you ever had to trust God in gloomy circumstances?
DAY TWENTY-SIX Matthew 10:17-42
Beware of them, for they will hand you over to councils and flog you in their synagogues; and you will be dragged before governors and kings because of me, as a testimony to them and the Gentiles. When they hand you over, do not worry about how you are to speak or what you are to say; for what you are to say will be given to you at that time; for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.
Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death; and you will be hated by all because of my name. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next; for truly I tell you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes. ‘A disciple is not above the teacher, nor a slave above the master; it is enough for the disciple to be like the teacher, and the slave like the master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household!
‘So have no fear of them; for nothing is covered up that will not be uncovered, and nothing secret that will not become known. What I say to you in the dark, tell in the light; and what you hear whispered, proclaim from the housetops. Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather fear him 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 apart from your Father. And even the hairs of your head are all counted. So do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows. ‘Everyone therefore who acknowledges me before others, I also will acknowledge before my Father in heaven; but whoever denies me before others, I also will deny before my Father in heaven.
‘Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and one’s foes will be members of one’s own household.
Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever does not take up the cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Those who find their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it. ‘Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. Whoever welcomes a prophet in the name of a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward; and whoever welcomes a righteous person in the name of a righteous person will receive the reward of the righteous; and whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones in the name of a disciple--truly I tell you, none of these will lose their reward.’
Prompt
Here is the logic of the Health and Wealth Gospel often preached on television: (1) God loves you. (2)Therefore, God wants you to be happy. (3)Therefore, God wants your life to be free of trouble and filled with pleasure.
Some televangelists have said this means God wants them to have a Rolls-Royce - TWO Rolls-Royces, if they want them. Some have thought God's desire for their happiness included liaisons with women other than their wives. "God wants me to be happy. He wants me to have Jessica Hahn," thought Jim Baker.
But the words of Jesus to his disciples leaves us wondering if Jesus himself ever heard the Health and Wealth Gospel. After reading his words in Matthew 10, what would you say is the most important aspect of the discipleship Jesus teaches?
DAY TWENTY-FIVE
Matthew 10:1-16
Then Jesus summoned his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to cure every disease and every sickness.
These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon, also known as Peter, and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother John; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; Simon the Cananaean, and Judas Iscariot, the one who betrayed him.
These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: ‘Go nowhere among the Gentiles, and enter no town of the Samaritans, but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. As you go, proclaim the good news, “The kingdom of heaven has come near.” Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. You received without payment; give without payment. Take no gold, or silver, or copper in your belts, no bag for your journey, or two tunics, or sandals, or a staff; for laborers deserve their food.
Whatever town or village you enter, find out who in it is worthy, and stay there until you leave. As you enter the house, greet it. If the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it; but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet as you leave that house or town. Truly I tell you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town.
‘See, I am sending you out like sheep into the midst of wolves; so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.
Prompt
We might think innocence is easy enough for a sheep to maintain. But in our stereotypes, a sheep's innocence is born of ignorance and perhaps stupidity. Jesus does not want his disciples to be ignorant or stupid. He wants us to be fully aware of the crooked ways of the world without being corrupted by them. That is quite a challenge. We can only hope to be so wise and innocent by the authority he gives us over unclean spirits, not only to resist them, but to overcome them.
Offer a prayer of thanksgiving for the authority Christ gives us to encounter and overcome corruption.
DAY TWENTY-FOUR
Matthew 9:18-38
While he was saying these things to them, suddenly a leader of the synagogue came in and knelt before him, saying, ‘My daughter has just died; but come and lay your hand on her, and she will live.’ And Jesus got up and followed him, with his disciples. Then suddenly a woman who had been suffering from hemorrhages for twelve years came up behind him and touched the fringe of his cloak, for she said to herself, ‘If I only touch his cloak, I will be made well.’ Jesus turned, and seeing her he said, ‘Take heart, daughter; your faith has made you well.’ And instantly the woman was made well. When Jesus came to the leader’s house and saw the flute players and the crowd making a commotion, he said, ‘Go away; for the girl is not dead but sleeping.’ And they laughed at him. But when the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took her by the hand, and the girl got up. And the report of this spread throughout that district.
As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed him, crying loudly, ‘Have mercy on us, Son of David!’ When he entered the house, the blind men came to him; and Jesus said to them, ‘Do you believe that I am able to do this?’ They said to him, ‘Yes, Lord.’ Then he touched their eyes and said, ‘According to your faith let it be done to you.’ And their eyes were opened. Then Jesus sternly ordered them, ‘See that no one knows of this.’ But they went away and spread the news about him throughout that district. After they had gone away, a demoniac who was mute was brought to him. And when the demon had been cast out, the one who had been mute spoke; and the crowds were amazed and said, ‘Never has anything like this been seen in Israel.’ But the Pharisees said, ‘By the ruler of the demons he casts out the demons.’
Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and curing every disease and every sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.’
Prompt
Of all the explanations they could have come up with for the miracles of compassion Jesus had performed, I wonder why the Pharisees seized on this one: "His power is demonic." If they just could not bring themselves to rejoice in the miracles they had witnessed, they could have explained them away as easily as you and I do: "It was about time for that woman's hemorrhage to dry up, anyway." "Those blind guys? They were faking." "The little girl was just having a cataleptic seizure." And so on.
But for some reason, it was not enough for these religious leaders merely to deny the significance of what they had seen. They were compelled to go a step farther and use these very miracles against Jesus. "He is empowered by the ruler of demons."
No doubt this story is where our expression "to demonize" comes from. It is a tactic we human people have honed to perfection in international relations, party politics, and even religion. Demonizing our enemies makes destroying them much easier. Thus, the chief priest could later say with a clear conscience, "For the sake of the nation, this Jesus must die."
Have you demonized any enemies you could be loving as Jesus told his disciples to do (Day Thirteen)? Loving enemies has never been more crucial than it is in today's harvest.
DAY TWENTY-THREE
Matthew 9:14-17
Then the disciples of John came to him, saying, ‘Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but your disciples do not fast?’ And Jesus said to them, ‘The wedding guests cannot mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them, can they? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast. No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old cloak, for the patch pulls away from the cloak, and a worse tear is made. Neither is new wine put into old wineskins; otherwise, the skins burst, and the wine is spilled, and the skins are destroyed; but new wine is put into fresh wineskins, and so both are preserved.’
Prompt
What would it have done to this fired-up band of born-again believers if they had been forced into the old religious mold of the Pharisees?
People apparently noticed that Jesus and his disciples were not as austere as religious people ought to be. The Pharisees went so far as to accuse Jesus and his entourage of gluttony and winebibbery (Mt.11:19). Jesus suggested that it was his presence that made the difference. The presence of Jesus inspires joyous celebration, while his absence would bring mourning and fasting - the austerity to which people were more accustomed.
So where does that leave us? Is Jesus with us, or is he gone away? Is Christ not present with us to inspire that liberated, joyous celebration the first disciples knew? Yet do we not experience a painful awareness of his absence that moves us also to grief and fasting on behalf of a lost world as well as for our own sin?
DAY TWENTY-TWO
Matthew 9:9-13
As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth; and he said to him, ‘Follow me.’ And he got up and followed him. And as he sat at dinner in the house, many tax collectors and sinners came and were sitting with him and his disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, ‘Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?’ But when he heard this, he said, ‘Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means, “I desire mercy, not sacrifice.” For I have come to call not the righteous but sinners.’
Prompt
Why did these political/religious right-wingers care whether or not Jesus ate with sinners? It was because of that purity thing we talked about on Day Eighteen. Jesus readily admits there is something wrong with these "sinners" he is eating with - else why would they need a "physician?" But he quotes Hosea 6:6 to remind these Pharisees that even their own tradition should have taught them that true religion is about compassion rather than ritual.
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