In Matthew's Steps: The Greatness Debate

The First Steps: Read: Matthew 18

Focus Verse: At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" Jesus called a little child and had him stand among them. And he said, "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven." Matthew 18:1-3

Meditation: The Greatness Debate

It snowed here! Again! Last week we received a recogrd breaking 18 inches of snow...all in the same night. Even after the first day, the snow was piled up alongside the road. Huge hills of snow can be seen.

As an adult snow at any time is a bit...annoying. But I remember as a kid playing on these huge hills of snow our school would push up on the sides of the parking lot. The hills weren't probably all that big...but as a kid they were huge! And when no one was looking we'd play a game known as "King of the Hill". A game to decide who was the greatest climber and stayer on the mountain of snow.

As an adult I have grown past that childish game...right? Not quite. The question: "Who's the greatest?" is still up for grabs. Only now the question is: "Who's the greatest pastor?" ... "Who's the greatest citizen?" ... "Who's the greatest person...period?" Adults rank greatness depending on social status in the community, salary, influence. Greatness is found for us in how popular we are, how well-traveled we are, or how successful our children are.

The disciples too competed for greatness... greatness in this new "kingdom of heaven" Jesus was talking about. And this chapter in Matthew today highlights just how radically different Jesus' idea of greatness is from ours. Let's see what Jesus says...

"Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven."... One of the ways we determine greatness as adults is by educational level. The more education we have, we figure, the greater we become. Doctors and surgeons are paid so much, not because of what they do, but because of how much education they need to do what they do. The greater the education...the greater you are. Jesus says... NO. Education doesn't measure greatness in the kingdom of heaven. When we must become like an uneducated child to enter it, greatness takes on a whole new meaning. Our worth doesn't depend on the "Dr." in front of our names or on how many degrees we obtained after high school. Becoming humus(dirt) is what helps you achieve greatness in this new kingdom of heaven. Lowering yourself and becoming the servant to others is what makes you great.

"See that you do not look down on one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven."... Think of the ones you "look up" to...and those you "look down" on. You might think of the homeless man on the street compared to, say, Donald Trump. Which one is great in the world's eyes? Trump of course. And which one is looked down on? Jesus says that the little ones looked down on have a special place in God's heart. They are truly great!

"If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you."...Apart from being a celebrity and the educational level we achieve, another way we measure greatness is by our sinlessness. By our perfection. The less we offend others, the less we do wrong, the greater we think we are. The more we offend, the more we risk being seen as weak. Take, for example, the ever common pastoral offense. This happens when your pastor(who is human) does something that offends you. Immediately you feel...strange. The man (or woman) you thought was so great...isn't. Their perfection is flawed. Their sin is apparrent. You struggle with what to do. Do you go to them? Or not? How do you handle their fall from grace? Do you leave? Or do you make them leave?

"'Lord how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?'" Jesus answered, 'I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.'"... Finally Jesus asserts that true greatness is found in forgiveness. We can measure our greatness in this kingdom of heaven by our ability to forgive others. This is a different teaching that what the world teaches us where greatness is found in the justice we can weild against others and the power we hold over their lives, not in our ability to forgive and forget their mistakes. Sin gives the victim power. And that power is a sign of greatness. In the kingdom of heaven, though, that power is dispursed. The sinner is forgiven. And the ability to forgive becomes a mark of true greatness.

To be humble, lowly like a child, forgiving(not grudge holding), to place yourself at the lowest station. That is truly greatness according to Jesus. So... how does your definition measure up? What needs to change...for you to be truly great? Amen!

Questions to Ponder...
1) Imagine a "great" person... What does he or she look like? What is so great about them?
2) We measure greatness with money in our culture. With that said, who is "great" in the world's eyes? Who are the "little ones?"
3) How do you struggle with being great? What would you life look like if you just relaxed and trusted in God like a child?

A Prayer to Pray...
Heavenly Father, your Son comes announcing a new kingdom of heaven that is foreign to everything we know or see. Give us eyes of faith that we might trust in His word, believing in his greatness, and serving him in humility that we might become even as little children in this new kingdom, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

In Matthew's Steps: Finding Signs

The First Steps: Read: Matthew 17

Focus Verse: "...I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but they did to him whatever they pleased." (17:12)

Meditation: The One Behind It All

A few years ago, Halloween, my kids and I dressed up as we usually do. I took out of our Halloween bins a mask, the face of an alien. Our kids were younger then and hadn't actually seen their daddy in a mask like that. Quietly I came up behind my kids and just tapped them on the shoulder.

They jumped! High in the air! I tried to talk to them, but my daughter kept pointing up at the face. Finally, I took the mask off and showed them my face. "It's me. It's just me!" I said.

They stared for a moment, back and forth, from the mask to my face before they smiled and laughed.

"You're silly, Daddy!" they exclaimed.

The unveiling is precisely what is happening in this, the seventeenth chapter of Matthew.

At the start of this chapter, Jesus is miraculously revealed as God's Son in his transfiguration. "...his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became dazzling white." Moses and Elijah come and join the party and the three of them are seen chatting together. And then the voice that is repeated in three of the four Gospels. "This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased."

What a marvelous unveiling! What a look at the God who is behind it all. Jesus takes off the mask and reveals who he is. And it is glorious!

Unfortunately only Peter, James, and John get to see this take place. And even they are "...overcome with fear." It's only when Jesus puts the mask back on and touches their shoulder saying: "Get up and do not be afraid." That they calm down.

Still do they know Jesus as Lord? Do they recognize they're in the presence of God's Son? Not hardly! In fact, Jesus says, they failed to recognize the Elijah of their day when he came to warn them. What's to say they're going to recognize Jesus for who he is? No amount of miraculous signs and wonders is going to accomplish this. As if to prove that, in this chapter alone, Jesus does two more signs and wonders to show them who he is. A boy with an incurable demon is cured! The temple tax is paid by a coin in the belly of a fish. But still these signs still don't convince them. Something larger is needed. The life of the Son of Man. Maybe if they see the Son of Man die and rise from the dead. Maybe that will show the world that God loves them. Maybe faith will flourish then...

I've often wondered what it would be like to live back during Jesus' earthly life. To walk with him. To listen to him. To see and experience his miracles first-hand. Would I have understood? What I have seen Jesus for who he was? I think not. For the signs of who Jesus is are present more today than they were then.

True... demons might not be expelled from epileptics so dramatically. Coins might not be found in fish. Elijah and Moses haven't made appearances at church. But signs and wonders of God are all around us, pointing us to Christ and to his love for us.

For starters, adorning most Christian churches is a sign. The sign of the cross. Have you ever wondered why there are so many of them all around? Why people wear them on their necks and churches display them about? They are God's love made real. A cross is a sign of God's love in Christ. Gazing up at it, we see the wonder of God's presence with us and evidence of God's love for us. As sure as any of the miracles Jesus performed we have this as a sign of God's love among us.

We also have with us the least, the little, the lost, the poor. We have those who Christ loved and cherished. They too are signs of God's presence. Christ tells us later in Matthew that "whatever we do to the least of these you do for me." Signs of God's presence can be seen in the faces of the poorest among us. As we minister to them. As we take care of them. We are in the presence of God Almighty. Our care and concern become the love of God made real in their lives.

Signs of God are all around us. We need only open our eyes and look. What signs and wonders has God shown you in your life? How are you sure of His presence here in this place? Amen.

Questions to Ponder...
1) Imagine being a disciple during Jesus life. What would you have liked seeing? What would you have missed? How would your upbringing have influenced your view of Jesus?
2) What signs and wonders is God doing right now in your life? Take a moment and list a few ordinary miracles that are happening now.
3) Would it comfort you to know that Jesus is with you, masked and hidden at times, in everything you do? What might that faith do to your life?

A Prayer to Pray...
Heavenly Father, at the mountain of transfiguration you reveal your Son to be the Beloved, and yet we see his path take him to the cross. Help us follow after your Son wherever He is. Give us eyes to see your Spirit at work in the world around us, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

In Matthew's Steps: Confessing our Huh?

The First Steps: Read: Matthew 16

Focus Verse: "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; for you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things." Matthew 16:23

Meditation: "Huh?"

There's a look. A glance. A sound that all communicates one thing. Confusion. It's common in schools, when a teacher's explanation isn't understood. It's common in political circles, as the media tries to understand what the President has just said. And it's even common in church, when the pastor says something that goes completely over the heads of those sitting in the pews.

That word, that phrase, is really quite simple. It's communicated by opening your mouth just slightly, raising your cheeks just so, shrugging your shoulders, $and saying something that sounds like: "Huh?"

With that simple word, all the confusion in the world is communicated. Misunderstanding takes on a whole new meaning. And the confused realized that, despite their original firm stance on a matter, they really don't understand it afterall.

That sound is what is communicated today by the Pharisees, the Sadducees, the disciples, and even Peter himself.

It is first uttered by the Pharisees who come to Jesus asking for a sign from heaven. Jesus says: "...no sign will be given...except the sign of Jonah."(vs. 4). You can almost hear the Pharisees and Sadducees shrug their shoulders and say... "Huh? What's the sign of Jonah? Jonah performed no signs..."

But Jesus doesn't dwell on their confusion. Instead he goes to his disciples who have, foolishly, forgotten to bring bread with them to eat on their journey to the other side of the Lake of Galilee. Jesus tries to comment on his recent encounter: "Watch and beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees." But the disciples, literalists as they are, think he's talking about bread. "It is because we have no bread!" Jesus has to set them straight, telling them he isn't talking about literal yeast, but still confusion rules the day.

Then, at the apex of confusion in this chapter, Peter gives Jesus the perfect answer. Jesus asks : "Who do you say that I am?" and Peter responds : "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God." Jesus almost jumps up and down. "Yes! Finally you get it! Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah!" (Notice the connection here between the sign of Jonah and Simon Peter's confession? Yeah? Kinda cool...)

Still Peter doesn't get it. After Jesus explains what a Messiah is meant to do, Peter takes him aside and begins to rebuke him saying, "God forbid it, Lord! This must never happen to you!"

He still doesn't get it. Confusion has ruled the day. The "Huhs?" have won. And, though Jesus goes on to rebuke Peter and tell him what a disciple is suppose to do, you have to wonder if Peter ever got it. Did Peter, or any of the others, ever understand just what following this Jesus is suppose to look like? Or were they always confused?

And do we understand Jesus as well? Do we fully grasp what it means to be Jesus' disciples, to be followers of this peasant from Nazareth? Or are we just as confused as the disciples were?

In recent years, books have written challenging what we've always thought about Jesus and his words. Some have dismissed Jesus in one way or another, arguing that Jesus words are more likely the words of the early Christians and not straight out of Jesus himself. Others have challenged how we understand what is written in the Gospels, arguing that Jesus calls us to live a new life few of us have understood or realized before.

On this continuum, I fall in the later camp. I believe, as do many, that we shouldn't dismiss Jesus' words as being those of the early disciples but instead look at how those words have been ignored or misunderstood for far too long. Jesus' call to a new life, to a changed life, have for too long gone by the wayside. They have been dismissed and disregarded. And even the less confusing parts have been ignored. They should be wrestled with and argued with and discussed with the question of : "What does this mean for me?"

In this very chapter, Jesus challenges his disciples then and now: "If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me."(vs. 24) What does that mean... deny ourselves? Does that mean to deny ourselves our wealth or the advantages of our own status? Does it mean denying ourselves what we really want in exchange for what we really need? What does self-denial and sacrifice truly mean for us? Or Jesus' words on taking up our crosses? What's up with all this talk on death?

I can almost hear the collective "Huh?" echo through cyberspace. Confusion is common when it comes to Jesus' sayings. Maybe it's why we have such a hard time putting them into practice. Or why Christians act and look like everyone else. We, like Peter, have definate ideas on what this Messiah is suppose to look like and act like and what we, his disciples, should be able to do. So... when Jesus' life and words don't mean what they think they mean? Well... we get confused just as the disciples were.

Perhaps, though, our confusion can be to our benefit. Our confusion(or rather the confession of our confusion) can lead to better knowledge. We begin to understand what we fail to understand. By taking this stance, this humble stance, we realize that we don't know it all. We don't understand all that he's talking about. And we become as students are to their professor, or as disciples are to their master. We search and dig and discover together with others because we can't understand their meanings ourselves.

May the Holy Spirit inspire humility in each of us that we might confess our confusion, asking Christ to teach us how to live. May we put our lives into his hands, just as he put his life in ours. Amen.

Pondering the Questions...
#1: What confuses you? What makes you say : "Huh?"
#2: What is your reaction when you're confused? Do you press on to learn more? Or do you retreat and forget about it?
#3: What about Jesus' words disturbs you? Confuses you?

A Prayer to Pray...
Almighty God, we are confused. We are confused by the words of your Son. His logic, his wisdom. His very life and mission disturb us. Teach us to walk the way of the cross that, following after our Lord and Savior, we may find life and salvation, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

In Matthew's Steps: Finding Faith

The First Steps: Read: Matthew 15

Focus Verse: “Woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.” (15:28)

Meditation: Faith’s Home

Where does faith reside? In tall cathedrals? In small country churches? In the rules and regulations, the canon law, of the church? Or someplace else?

This chapter of Matthew centers on this question. “Where is faith?”

It begins with a question, posed by the Pharisees and scribes from Jerusalem, who asks Jesus: “Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? They do not wash their hands before they eat!”

It might seem so...petty! Who cares if Jesus’ disciples wash their hands? Right? Except that faith, for some, resides in the keeping of law and, if the disciples aren’t keeping the law...they aren’t too faithful? Right?

Of course Jesus has a different view of the matter and argues that point to the Pharisees. “You hypocrites!” he says. “Your law contradicts the law of God!”

Of course no one understands Jesus. Not the Pharisees and not the disciples. They all think that faith resides in keeping laws. To be faithful means to be obedient to the details of the commandments prescribed, not by God but by men. To be understood better, and to speak of faith’s true home, Jesus must play out a kind of parable.

A Canaanite woman, a foreigner, an outsider, and a pagan all wrapped into one comes to Jesus for help with a problem. Her daughter is tormented by a demon. She doesn’t know where to turn. She’s heard that the “son of David” as she calls him is coming into town. And she needs help.

At first Jesus seems to dismiss her. “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel,” he tells his disciples. And even when she throws herself at his feet he exclaims:“It is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.”

Yet this woman of little note has a great big faith! Even after being dismissed, she still clings to Jesus with the statement: “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table!”

In no law, written or unwritten, does Jesus have an obligation to do anything for this woman. She is an outsider to God’s love. She doesn’t belong to God’s people. If faith resides in keeping commandments, she’s a big fat zero.

But Jesus sees great faith in her! Great faith indeed! And at the pronouncement of such faith, her wishes are fulfilled and her daughter is healed. Faith’s home is shown, not to be in rigid commandment keeping, but in grace-filled relationships. From here Jesus lives out that faith in more grace-filled relationships, healing the sick in the next section, feeding another four thousand in the following section. People are said to have been “...amazed when they saw the mute speaking, the mamed whole, the lame walking, and the blind seeing. And they praised the God of Israel.”

That last section is the most important. For it is the first time that has been said in Matthew. “They praised the God of Israel!” Grace-filled relationships will do that. They will lead us to faith. They will bring us to God. They will change people’s lives.

Our churches are filled with “commandment-based” relationships. That is, relationships commanded and prescribed by someone else. I have instituted such relationships myself. In the past, I have asked those who wish to be married to attend church “at least once” I tell them. They have come, of course, just that once...and never darkened the door of the church again. I had hoped that a relationship might begin and continue, but that was not to be. The commandment was kept...but faith was never planted.

Of course the largest, most prevalent commandment-based relationship we have is confirmation. Though it is never spoken of or commanded in the Bible, we in the Lutheran church have made Confirmation a rite of passage for our young people as they transition from middle school into high school, from being children to adulthood. For two-years or more we demand that our young people participate in service projects, help at worship, and become involved in the life of the congregation. We force them to be involved, telling them that after confirmation is over, it will be their choice. Unfortunately we fail to tell our children that faith takes root, not during confirmation, but AFTER Confirmation. It happens when we don’t HAVE to do anything. When we worship together, sharing grace-filled relationships, regardless of what we get out of them. Faith happens when we reach out to the needy, not because pastor is telling us to, but because we have an itching in our hearts to do so. Faith happens when the commandment has passed and we do it “out of the goodness of our hearts.”

“God shows his love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” These words from Paul remind us of God’s grace-filled relationship with us. God wasn’t obligated to save us. He didn’t HAVE to do anything! He does everything out of grace and love and in the spirit of forgiveness. And we find ourselves believing, trusting, and putting our faith into Christ precisely when we put off our obligations and focus in on grace. We may have commandments and rules and laws that govern most of our lives, but it is only when we step away from those and fall into grace that we will ever find anything resembling faith.

May the Holy Spirit be upon us that He might nurture and foster grace-filled relationships with our neighbors, our friends, and the world that the faith planted within us might be brought to fruition. Amen!

Questions to Ponder...1) What commandment-based relationships do you have? Who do you HAVE to be in relationship with? What is that relationship like?

2) Think of some grace-filled relationships that you are in. What make them unique? Why do you WANT to spend your time in those relationships?

3) Do you want to be in relationship with God? Is God a commandment-based relationship for you(i.e. you HAVE to do it) or is He a grace-filled one?

A Prayer to Pray...
Heavenly Father, you have poured out your grace through the work of your Son. Give us grace that we might want to trust you, love you, and serve you, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.