Matthew 13:36-43

Matthew 13:36-43 
English Standard Version (ESV)

  We all have a lot of questions when it comes to the end times.  There's a lot of uncertainty, and it's very, very important.  The combination of those two things makes it a treasure field for those who like to sow division, or those who are looking to profit through the uncertainty of others.  Also, in today's world, it means that those who calmly remind others that God is in charge are likely to be drowned out by others who are shouting at the top of their lungs.
  So what to do?  For starters, take a deep breath.  Then remember that God is the sower, and the angels (who do his bidding) are the reapers.  And God has proven throughout the Bible to be patient and loving and gracious.  So for those of us seeking God, may we remember that God is more merciful than we can imagine.  And let us also remember this -- there are those who are unaware of what God is doing in their midst.  Let us view the end times as a compelling reason to share the Good News that God is love and God invites everyone into the wonder of his mercy and grace.

Matthew 13:31-35

Matthew 13:31-35
English Standard Version (ESV)

  Try and describe the taste of really good chocolate to someone who has never had chocolate.  It's impossible.   You can try and tell them all the great things about chocolate, but until they've actually tasted it on their own, there is no way to give them that experience.  There may be things that are similar to chocolate, but nothing does a perfect imitation. 
  The Kingdom of Heaven is the same way -- we cannot understand it in this world.  There is simply nothing to imitate the experience.  Jesus tries to help us wrap our human minds around it by describing how certain traits of things here on earth are similar to the Kingdom of Heaven, but ultimately, we can't fully understand it until we enter it. 
  What we can do, however, is whet our appetites for it by devouring as much of God as we can, and by leaning into Jesus' teachings and the work of the church here on earth, we tune our ears and our hearts to what God is doing and to how God works.  By paying attention to what God is doing now, we learn about how God works, and this helps our hearts anticipate the Kingdom of Heaven.  We'll never know fully what it is like, but we can get a good taste of Heaven by joining in God's efforts in the here and now.

Matthew 13:24-30

Matthew 13:24-30 
English Standard Version (ESV)

  I've seen some very beautiful explanations of this passage.  Think of the value of the wheat -- we should do everything we can to protect it.  We should treasure it and do what we can to help it mature and blossom into what God has called it to be.  The wheat is important.
  Well, the enemy has sown some weeds, and it's easy for the church to go charging into the midst of things with hands full of round-up, so eager to exterminate those weeds that it doesn't first consider the impact on the wheat.  We're only just now learning about how some of our best fertilizers and pesticides are impacting the ecosystem -- and we're seeing some collateral damage that may be challenging (if not impossible) to reverse, and we can only do that through concentrated and sustained effort. 
  As the church, we need to think carefully how we approach issues, especially contentious ones.  If we rush in with solutions without bothering to listen to the people and humbly consider the impact of our words and actions, we endanger some of that precious wheat.  We don't have to compromise what we believe or how we interpret, but we do need to remember that each stalk of wheat is highly valuable, and that we should approach it carefully, thinking about the long-term Kingdom and what God is doing, loving selflessly and ensuring that all are cared for while we humbly and joyfully proclaim the Good News of the Gospel.

Matthew 13:18-23

Matthew 13:18-23
English Standard Version (ESV)

  It's easy to look at people and be jealous.  We often fall into the trap of believing that we would achieve what they have done if only we had their looks or situation or gifts.  What we do is think that we're all meant for the same thing, but someone else has achieved it and we haven't because of their gifts.
  Jesus speaks of the best soil here, and some of those yield a hundredfold, while others yield thirtyfold.  It's different for each person, because we're each called to different tasks, to different missions, to different callings.  We're each gifted differently, and so we have a responsibility to live our own life and calling, rather than sit and be jealous of someone else's.
  We're also charged to pay attention to our surroundings.  When you notice the weeds rising up, find a community to remind you of what's vital.  When you notice the rocks in the soil around you, find a way to anchor yourself in the life-giving Word of God.  When the soil is parched and the rains don't fall, find someone to help you drink deeply from the fountain of living water.  God sows the seed -- may we join together to listen to what God is saying to each of us today.

Matthew 13:10-17

Matthew 13:10-17 
English Standard Version (ESV)

  When you have a house, you take it for granted that there will be a roof over your head.  When I see thunderstorms rolling in, I don't worry so much about the rain, knowing that even if I get stuck outside for a time, I have a safe, warm and dry place to go.  Sometimes, I forget what a blessing that is.  At other times, it breaks my heart to think of people being stuck outside in the rain or the cold with nowhere to go.
  Jesus is teaching the disciples here about what a blessing faith is.  It's not something to take for granted, but its a tremendous gift of God, and our hopes should be that all come to know Christ in this intimate way.  Many long for faith, and others may not even know how to desire this relationship, and so our lives should be lived in gratitude, and our prayers should first point outward, so that we remember that we are blessed and we are charged to be a blessing to the world.

Matthew 13:1-9

Matthew 13:1-9 
English Standard Version (ESV)

  I've spent a lot of time looking at this passage.  When I was in seminary, our Greek final consisted of translating this passage from the original Greek.  If you were to put it in front of me now, I'd be lucky to get two words correct!
  In my reflections, I often spend a lot of time trying to figure out what it means for me to picture myself as the sower, or as the environment receiving the seed.  I think I'm probably in the midst of the thorns, and there's a lot I could learn from this -- but think about what Jesus is teaching us.  Jesus is always trying to teach us something about God, and he's trying to make it accessible.  God wants us to know and understand him.  He wants us to wrap our minds around the divine mystery.  We can't, but God enters into our time and space so that we can better understand him and his love for us.  God reaches out, translates himself into our lives, so that we might love and serve him more fully, so that our lives may be better understood.  God doesn't want it to be hard for us -- Jesus tries to teach us how to live well.
  So when you get frustrated, remember that Jesus comes to serve us, so that we may better know and love God.

Matthew 12:46-50

Matthew 12:46-50
English Standard Version (ESV)

  As a society, we have ways to tell who is 'in' or not.  We base our opinions on the way people dress or talk.  At a sports game, we notice what hats or jerseys people are wearing, so we know if they are 'in' with the home team or 'out' in cheering for the other team.  We form our own little tribes, often unconsciously, all too often omitting those who are not like us.
  Jesus, however, is radically inclusive.  He opens his arms and welcomes outsiders, inviting them in.  All those who do the will of God are invited in to his family -- they're not just friends, but family!  They are part of the inner circle, all because they have chosen to follow Jesus.  He welcomes them, and he welcomes us -- we were once outsiders, but now we are family, welcome and safe.
  May we imitate Jesus and welcome others!

Matthew 12:43-45

Matthew 12:43-45 
English Standard Version (ESV)

  I love to snack.  If I'm at home, more than likely, I'm in the kitchen, grazing.  Sometimes, I'm eating something healthy, while other times... well, let's just say I don't keep ice cream in the house anymore.  I used to eat it for breakfast.  But it's not enough for me to just not keep it in the house -- I need something to replace it.  Otherwise, I just get hungry and go to the store and buy more ice cream.  So I try and find some healthy snacks to replace the ice cream -- that takes the edge off and prevents the cravings.
  The same is true of our faith life.  When we have vices or sins that are controlling us, it's not enough to just try and ignore them.  Our willpower is like a muscle -- eventually, it will weaken and we'll return to those prior cravings.  We need to replace those cravings with something good.  Jesus is teaching us that if we fill the holes in our life with spiritual things, that if we allow the Holy Spirit to fill those God-shaped holes in our lives, rather than trying to find pale imitations to fill them, then we can grow in a healthy direction.  Only God can truly satisfy -- so we replace our cravings with times of prayer or small group meetings or Bible study, and slowly we watch as God continues to shape our hearts so that we growing in faithfulness.

Matthew 12:38-42

Matthew 12:38-42 
English Standard Version (ESV)

  We all want a sign.  We want some evidence that what we believe is not some crazy idea that has somehow persisted for thousands of years and isn't actually true.  We want to be certain that this bedrock beneath our lives is actually solid -- that we have chosen wisely, invested in a certain thing, that we have hope beyond this life.  Otherwise, as Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15, we are to be the most pitied.  If our faith does not lead us into a greater life beyond this one, than we are fools.
  So while we want a sign, our faith is just that -- belief in something ineffable that cannot be grasped.  This side of heaven, we will never have certainty.  The scribes and Pharisees were requesting a sign because they doubted that Jesus was truly the Messiah, so they were asking him to prove himself.  We don't need a sign today -- Jesus has already proven himself by dying and rising from the tomb.  The miracles he performed were proof enough -- he wasn't going to show off for the sake of the scribes and Pharisees.  He has shown us enough -- now it is our turn to believe, to put our faith in him and live by faith, trusting that he is who he says he is, and that our lives are safe in his hands.

Matthew 12:33-37

Matthew 12:33-37 
English Standard Version (ESV)

  Ever watch someone erupt over an issue that you feel isn't worth shouting over?  It's interesting to observe -- I'm usually left wondering exactly what else is going on in that person's life, because whatever they're exploding over is usually not worth such anger. 
  Jesus is teaching us here that our words often reveal what is in the depths of our hearts.  The way we speak is a natural outflow of how we feel about the world.  Those around you who are consistently speaking words of kindness and love have that within them.  Those who are biting and short probably don't have much patience in the depths of their hearts.  There are circumstances that often dictate how we act in the short-term, but over the long-term, our words paint a picture of what kind of person we are. 
  What do your words and your tone say about you?  Do they celebrate you as a person grateful to God for the blessings that you have been given?  Do they tell of joy and hope and peace?  Do they speak of how love has overcome tragedy in your life?  Maybe they testify to the presence of God in the midst of struggles. 
  May we pray for wisdom in how we speak, and may we pray for God to lead our hearts to places that allow our words to reflect hearts that are captive to our Creator.

Matthew 12:22-32

Matthew 12:22-32 
English Standard Version (ESV)

  You can tell a lot by a person by their response to insults.  Here, Jesus is offering to forgive anyone who speaks a word against him.  He offers to forgive every sin and blasphemy save an offense against the Holy Spirit, which is an outright rejection of God.  He is willing to set aside his own ego in order to ensure that there is still a path to grace and forgiveness for those with an interest in pursuing it.  The Good Shepherd is leaving a path open to pursue every sheep.
  A lot of us, when insulted, shut a person out.  We might ignore the one insulting us, or we might put up our defenses and react with meanness, fighting fire with fire.  While this satisfies our need for revenge, Jesus shows us a different one -- one filled with humility that is far more challenging to walk.  Jesus' way accepts the hostility in the hopes of preserving the relationship over the long term.  Jesus has hope for each of us, and he pours himself out to demonstrate the lengths to which God will go in order to forgive and redeem.  No price is too great to save us from sin!

Matthew 12:15-21

Matthew 12:15-21
English Standard Version (ESV)

  Some people may have the misconception that Jesus was plan B -- when the Old Testament didn't work out, God sent Jesus to finally straighten the people out. 
  What Jesus spends a lot of his time teaching is that he has always been plan A -- God has always intended to send his Son to die on the cross and cancel out the debt humanity owed.  The Old Testament prophets pointed forwards to Jesus, telling anyone who would listen that a Savior was coming, Christ the Lord.  He would come and proclaim justice, lifting up those who are downtrodden and reminding all of the greater power of God.
  So God has planned to send Jesus, and God has plans to rescue you as well.  In the midst of the dark nights of our lives and the struggles we go through, it's easy to think that God has forgotten about us.  He hasn't.  He never will -- God loves you and is with you through it all, always planning to save you from the storm and point you towards new life in Him.

Matthew 12:9-14

Matthew 12:9-14 
English Standard Version (ESV)

  It's easy to look for excuses not to do the right thing.  For as long as humans have been quarreling or prioritizing other things over the care for their fellow humans, we've found ways to justify it.  Here, the Pharisees see a man with a withered hand, and rather than be concerned with his suffering, they are so laser-focused on the rules that they don't even notice his pain.  The plight of a fellow human has become secondary to a system that they have set up. 
  And so it goes in our modern world.  We brush aside our fellow humans in the name of progress.  We leave behind those who cannot keep up, because we are pressing forward with such urgency that we don't have time to slow down and care for those in need.  We get caught up in our agendas to the point that others become a distraction.
  Jesus tells us to care for, to selflessly love our fellow humans.  He doesn't give us exceptions, but rather calls us to care for them all, at whatever cost to ourselves.  Loving the other is always the right choice.

Matthew 12:1-8

Matthew 12:1-8
English Standard Version (ESV)

   I enjoy watching football, and one thing I've always found odd is the way we celebrate when the opposition misses a field goal.  I understand that they're prevented from getting three points, but it's usually through no good work by the defense -- it's simply a matter of the ball coming off the foot of the kicker wrong.  So while the defense celebrates, they didn't really do anything to prevent the other team from scoring -- they benefited from the mistake of the other team.  The outcome is the same, but I feel much better about the result when the offense manages to score three points than when the other team blunders their way out of three points.
  When Jesus addresses the Pharisees, he's often trying to make a point to them that they're trying to arrive at the endpoint via the wrong path.  Their stated intention is good -- to honor God -- but the convoluted way they're getting their ends up trying to bring honor to themselves and tear down the works of others.  They've got it all backwards, where they spend more time attacking others than trying to do their own good works.  They aren't building up, they're tearing down, and as a result, Jesus confronts their hypocrisy.
  As you can imagine, the Pharisees don't take kindly to this correction.  I also have a hard time hearing correction, because I like to think I'm usually right, and that the intentions of my heart are always pure.  They're not.  I need to hear Jesus confront the idols I have built, and I need to recognize that tearing down someone else doesn't build me up -- it only weakens the community.  We're here together, and wherever I can encourage and lift up, God is honored in that.

Matthew 11:25-30

Matthew 11:25-30 
English Standard Version (ESV)

  There have been times in my life when I have been confronted with a difficult problem.  In these times, I have poured myself into the problem and sometimes managed to figure it out.  At the completion of such problems, I am usually overjoyed and somewhat thrilled with my ability to find a way through.  I take pride in my ability to find the solution.
  When it comes to sin, we cannot find our way through.  Our own ingenuity and perseverance will never find a solution, no matter how doggedly we pursue it.  It's a problem we cannot solve, for our sin has created a gulf between ourselves and God, and only God can repair that. 
  And so it takes a childlike understand to accept that this is something the Father must do.  Children accept that only their parents can fix some things, and we, too, must have the spirit of a child and accept that only our Father can repair the gulf.  Only the love of God can bring us back into the golf, and so we rejoice.
  We who are tired and heavy laden, we who are exhausted from trying to find our own way home -- we rejoice at the relief God offers, at the healing and the initiative God offers.  God loves us, and he calls us to set down our attempts to fix the breach on our own, our attempts that were only exhausting our soul, and to pick up the yoke of discipleship, the one that calls us to accept what Christ has done, that calls us to lay down our own efforts to be Savior and accept Christ as Savior, and washed in his Love, we are freed to live in peace and grace.

Matthew 11:20-24

Matthew 11:20-24 
English Standard Version (ESV)

  To revisit an earlier discussion, Jesus did not come simply to be a kind and gentle teacher, hoping to say nice things to everyone to encourage us to be kinder to one another.  Jesus came with a vision of heaven in his heart, and the desire to encourage everyone to share that vision.  For those who turned a indifferent heart towards Jesus, he warns that there will be dire consequences in the future. 
  It's easy to put future things in the back of our minds.  This is what makes discipline so challenging -- we much prefer the present pleasure, even if it's less rewarding than the future may be.  But since the future reward is distant, we underestimate it and choose not to put in the hard work now to reach it.  We settle for a lesser present reward, and miss out on the future gain.
  To grow into the type of people who love Jesus, to grow into the faithful life you imagine, it often means sacrificing now.  In this passage, Jesus warns those who refuse to sacrifice any present pleasure in order to grow towards a future and eternal relationship.  May we recognize the wisdom of aiming towards the eternal goal, and may we do whatever it takes to grab hold of that future vision!

Matthew 11:7-19

Matthew 11:7-19 
English Standard Version (ESV) 

  There was a story the other day about a theater filled with families who fled the theater when a trailer for a horror movie came on, scaring the daylights out of every child in the theater.  If such a thing happened with our kids, they wouldn't sleep for days, and three years from now, we'd still be talking them out of being terrified of whatever they had seen.  When you go to a children's movie, you expect things to be a certain way -- no one is expecting a horror movie.
  The question for the Pharisees was this:  were they willing to set down their expectations and accept that God was doing a new thing in Jesus Christ?  The Scriptures had pointed forwards to Christ, but their minds and hearts had become so certain of what they expected that they were unwilling to accept him as King.  Jesus was warning them that he had come to confront sin and idolatry, and that accepting him as Messiah would not be easy -- there was transformation to come.
  Are you willing to change?  Am I willing to change?  Popular religion today often follows a "Jesus plus" method -- people want Jesus on top of their lives, but they don't really want to change anything.  They only want the rewards, not the challenge (not realizing they miss out on the growth). Whatever you're holding on to, whether it is your idea of success or your reputation or perhaps fears that have come to shape your life, we have to be willing to give those up, for to accept him as King means to reject all the other false Kings we've established in our life.  It's a hard road to walk, but the view is beautiful, and it is eternal, and it is what we were made for.

Matthew 11:1-6

Matthew 11:1-6 
English Standard Version (ESV)

  There are so many times that I simply want a straight answer, an easy answer, a yes or no answer.  I think I may have something figured out, but rather than close the loop, I want someone to tell me the right answer.  While the request to figure it out for myself often makes me better in the long run, it's frustrating in the short term, as all I want is a straight answer.
  Jesus is concerned about our long-term development.  This means that we may not get too many easy answers in the short-term, but that we'll grow over the long-term.  We'll mature into the faithful disciples he wants us to be, through the challenge of daily discipleship.  Rather than give us the direct and easy answers we crave, he tells us to look around and see what God is doing -- the evidence of his Lordship is all around us.  Christ is King, and the world is shouting this, but sometimes, it's hard to see in the midst of everything else going on in life.  Jesus is helping us to open our eyes to see through all the distractions, and he's calling us to see how God is at work, that we might see and believe, and all the while invite others to see that he is Lord of all.