Read the Instructions

Day 216: Matthew 10

The calling of the twelve apostles is such a fascinating story. In Matthew, we aren't given much detail about how any of the apostles but Matthew are called. However, Matthew writes down the name of each apostle and even includes the instructions that Jesus gave them when he sent them out.

1. They were not to go to the Gentiles or Samaritans--only the Jews.

2. They were to announce that the kingdom of God is near.

3. They were to perform acts on people: heal the sick, raise the dead, cure those with leprosy, and cast out demons, to give as freely as they have received.

4. They were not to take any money with them or a suitcase. They were to accept hospitality from people because "they deserve to be fed."

5. When they enter a place, they were to search for a worthy person and stay there until they left the town. They were to bless the home. If the home turns out to be worthy, then the blessing stands; if, however, it does not, they were to take back the blessing. For those households or towns that doesn't welcome them or listen to their message, they were to shake its dust from their feet as they leave.

Jesus was preparing his apostles for the journey. The mission was not an easy one, and the journey would be long, tiring, and hard. These men were going to be like "sheep among wolves (v. 16), and Jesus wanted to warn them what they were getting themselves into--floggings, whippings, hatred, persecution, loneliness. These are not easy things, but Jesus also offers them hope when he tells them:

"But everyone who endures to the end will be saved."
 
"But don’t be afraid of those who threaten you. For the time is coming when everything that is covered will be revealed, and all that is secret will be made known to all. What I tell you now in the darkness, shout abroad when daybreak comes. What I whisper in your ear, shout from the housetops for all to hear!" 
 
“Don’t be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot touch your soul. Fear only God, who can destroy both soul and body in hell. What is the price of two sparrows—one copper coin? But not a single sparrow can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it. And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows.

“Everyone who acknowledges me publicly here on earth, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. 

This journey was not going to be easy, but they believed in Jesus, his teaching, his mission. And they followed him. In spite of all the hardship they would suffer--and they all suffered for their faith--they still obeyed and left their old lives behind. It was all for the sake of Christ. What amazing trust and faith they had in Jesus.

Why don't we act like these apostles did. We don't--at least in America--suffer like these people suffered. We are selfish and individualistic. We may try to be an example and to tell others about Jesus, but our fear of rejection usually reminds us that we're too weak, too insignificant. But through Jesus, we can. When we trust ourselves, we have these feelings of insecurity and inferiority, but God can deliver us from these feelings. He just wants us to trust him. To give our lives to him. It's a lot to ask, and the journey won't be easy, but the reward, oh the reward, will be great.

Thoughts on Psalms

Day 111: Psalm 31 to 35

Psalm 32 is an interesting psalm in the sense that it deals with the Lord forgiving sins. If I'm remembering correctly, so far in my reading of the Old Testament, I don't remember reading anything so far about God and forgiveness. However, this psalm deals specifically with the idea of confession and forgiveness. The writer confessing his sins to the Lord, and the Lord forgiving them.
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Reading the psalms teaches me about the ways of the Lord and the relationship he establishes with his people. I kind of wish the psalms were intermittent throughout the Bible so that we could have narrative and poetry intermixed.
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Psalm 34:18: "The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit." This scripture suggests that God is near those who suffer. He is close to the hurting, offering them comfort and hope.

Bitter or Better?

Day 109: Psalm 22-25

Psalm 22 begins, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" These words, spoken here by David, were also uttered by Jesus on the cross. When Jesus repeated the words of David, he was drawing on his ancestors; he was connecting to people who had felt the same way. But he was also showing that he, too, was suffering. At this particular moment on the cross, he felt that God had left him. That God had forsaken him. This is the worst thing that could happen to Jesus, being left by God. It was also the worst thing that could happen to David, feeling like God has abandoned him. It's the worst thing to happen to us, too. Feeling alone. Abandoned. Neglected. And not just by anyone--by God.

I read a book yesterday about creativity and suffering. The book, Drops Like Stars by Rob Bell, is about the pain we experience and how we can use creativity--which God invented--to imagine a life for ourselves and world in which we live that where suffering is looked at in a positive way--while we're in the midst of it. I encourage each of you to read this book (it's a quick read and written with a postmodern flair, combining images and text in uniquely creative ways).

David would not have been the same person had he not experienced the pain and suffering he went through. Maybe Jesus wouldn't have been either. Not only can he identify with humans in ways that he couldn't before, but he can use this perspective to plead to God about it as well.

Like David and Jesus, we, too, are changed through suffering. The choice we have, according to Bell, is whether we will become "better" or "bitter." How will we use our experiences? How will we be shaped and formed through them? Hopefully, we will become more alive, more able to experience and feel the goodness of God in our lives. Through our pain, we learn. We live.  We empathize with others. We become better not bitter.

We have all felt forsaken by God (I assume, but maybe not). Whether it's because bad things have happened to us or because of our sins, we may have felt distance between us and God, especially at times when we need Him most. It's not a good feeling to be abandoned by God, but both David and Jesus felt this at one point in their lives. They spoke how they felt to God. And so can we. Suffering bonds us together with others. And it also bonds us to Jesus.

The chapter after David utters his words to the Lord comes Psalm 23, the famous psalm where David declares, "The Lord is my shepherd; I lack nothing." and ends with "Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of our life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever."

In your suffering, may we all become better, not bitter.