Matthew 17 – 19
Sit down, strap in and let’s dive into a lot of subjects quickly. Verse 17:9 is interesting:
The four men hiked back down the mountain, and Jesus told His disciples to stay silent.Jesus: Don’t tell anyone what happened here, not until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.
Interesting here since Peter, James and John first saw Jesus with Elijah and Moses with God and Jesus is saying be silent. Also, notice he says until he has been “raised from the dead”. That would be the first question out of my mouth as to what does that mean. He continues to answer the questions and provide insight into the prophecies that have been fulfilled for Him being the Messiah.
Jesus then heals a man who the disciples could not and goes on to explain to them why this was the case. In verse 17:20 he gives the “mustard seed” analogy and then verse 21 is as follows:
[21 But this kind is not realized except through much prayer and fasting.]
I was curious why it was in brackets so time to explore. The reason is the earliest manuscripts omit this verse which makes one wonder if Matthew revised this text or if it was revised but transcribers to clarify the meaning. Also, could this be a clue there was an earlier text that has not been found that included this verse. I read this as a clue that maybe we need to pray and fast more.
Verse 18:7 starts a series of critical warnings to all Christians:
Beware indeed of those in a world filled with obstacles and temptations that cause people to turn away from Me. Those temptations are woven into the fabric of a world not yet redeemed, but beware to anyone who lures righteous women and men off the narrow path.
I could write a book on this but need to trim down. I implore you to read through verse 14 to really get a flavor on what Jesus is warning them of in this world. I believe the biggest one in this world today is porn. I know more good men that have been drawn into the lure of this world. I know for a while I was caught up in it and fight it constantly to this day. Today it’s easy and dangerous! Men say I’m only looking, but what is though is often acted out upon. These warnings and instructions are critical to this very day!!
The next story is the man in debt who was forgiven by the king and then does not forgive a lesser debt. The king reversed his decision and threw him in jail. In verse 18:35 Jesus ties this together:
And that is what My Father in heaven will do to you, unless you forgive each of your brothers and each of your sisters from the very cockles of your heart.
All over the Gospels, Jesus warns us about forgiveness. The Lord’s Prayer even says forgive us like WE forgive others. Do we really want that? If not we need to change our ways immediately and learn to forgive as we desire God to forgive. God’s grace is not so great He will overlook this detail and we ARE warned!!
The last story is chapter 19 is the rich man who was asked to give it all. Without pointing out a specific verse what is often missed is the rich can join the kingdom as long as they are not worshiping their money over God. I know for a fact that money can be a huge distraction and can easily draw anyone away from following God. We are blessed and then start focusing more on the blessings then serving the one who gave them.
As I move into my next “quarter” of my life I am now searching for significance. My view was I needed riches to help others and that has really changed since riches only help others help others. Let me unpack this, often we donate to charities so missionaries can get their hands dirty and work with the needy. What if God gave us these riches so we could walk away from the rat race and personally help others? Our goal should be serving God to the grave. So as my next “quarter” comes in, I am moving towards significance and less towards comfort. Sure I would love a windfall, but will change direction on how it’s managed.
One last note on yesterday’s reading .. one of the reasons I decided to read the Voice was because of Isaiah 34:14 where the mention Lilith by name … long story but this is from a view that Lilith is one of the angels who were cast from heaven and ties into the porn problem today.