A Dangerous Trend.

Genesis 29-30, Matthew 15

But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person. But to eat with unwashed hands does not defile anyone.  – Matthew 15:18-20 ESV

The pattern of deceit and deception found in the story of Jacob and Esau will follow him as he attempts to escape the wrath of his brother Esau. Jacob's arrival in the land of his uncle, Laban, would appear to be a positive turn in the story of Abraham's descendants. But we continue to see the sin of man polluting the stream of God's divine plan. And yet, in spite of it all, God remains faithful to His covenant promise, providing blessings on and through Jacob.

What does this passage reveal about God?

While God seems to be silent throughout much of this portion of the story, He is always there, behind the scenes, orchestrating the outcomes of Jacob's relationships and circumstances. The men and women in these passages continue to sin, acting selfishly and treating one another contemptuously. Their actions, for the most part, are unrighteous and far from godly. Everyone is looking out for themselves. And yet, in the midst of this competitive and conflict-saturated atmosphere, God is there.

God orchestrates the arrival of Jacob at the well at just the same time that Rachel arrives with her father's sheep. Jacob, whose very name means "trickster" or "deceiver" is himself deceived by his own uncle. It seems that Laban and Jacob were cut from the same cloth, a detail that had not escaped God's plans for Jacob. God would use Laban's deception to bring about the birth of the twelve sons who would make up the future tribes of Israel. All the bickering, bartering, deceit and deception would be redeemed by God for His divine purposes. The passage tells us that "When the Lord saw that Leah was 'hated,' he opened her womb, but Rachel was barren" (Genesis 29:31 ESV). God was in control. Even the very names of the children reflect this fact. Reuben means "sees" and refers to God's recognition of Leah's situation. Simeon means "hears" and speaks of God's awareness of Rachel's hatred for Leah. Judah means "praise" as a reminder of Leah's gratefulness to God for all He had done for her. Each of the names of each of the children in some way reflect a character quality or attribute of God. God "remembered Rachel, and God listened to her and opened her womb" (Genesis 30:22 ESV).

And God blessed Laban. Even though this man had lied to and cheated his nephew, God blessed him because of Jacob's very presence. God had promised Abraham that all the nations of the earth would be blessed through him, and this was a partial fulfillment of that promise. And God blessed Jacob. He prospered him and caused his flocks to increase. Jacob thought his unique attempt at genetic engineering was the cause of his success, but in reality, it was all the work of God. And while Laban once again tried to cheat Jacob, God was blessing him. "Thus the man increased greatly and had large flocks, female servants and male servants, and camels and donkeys" (Genesis 30:43 ESV). God was at work. And while the cast of characters in this story bring little in the way of virtue or redeeming qualities, God is still able to accomplish His divine will – for His glory and the ultimate good of man.

What does this passage reveal about man?

Once again, it is not a pretty picture. In Laban, Jacob met his match. He ends up looking in the mirror and sees himself. This entire story is a virtual repeat of what has happened before. Jacob gets cheated by Laban just as Jacob had cheated Esau. Jacob loved Rachel more than Leah, just as his mother had loved him more than his brother Esau. God opened Leah's womb just as He had Sarah's. Both Leah and Rachel follow the example of Sarah and give their maid servants to their husband in an attempt to provide him with children. Throughout the story there is an unhealthy competition that results in increasing conflict. Leah bargains with Rachel for the rights to have sexual relations with Jacob, using fruit as the currency of the day. Just as Esau sold his birthright for a bowl of stew, Rachel sells her "rights" to have sexual relations with Jacob – for a handful of fruit.

All throughout this story, we see men and women who are controlled by their flesh or sin natures. They respond to one another selfishly and sinfully, with very little regard for the name of God. You see little in the way of remorse, let alone repentance. They acknowledge the hand of God when it works out in their favor, but respond in anger and resentment when things don't turn out well. They fight, feud, deceive, cheat, and constantly strive to make sure that everything works out for their own selfish advantage – all the while, unaware of God's greater plan and the bigger picture He is painting for all mankind.

How would I apply what I’ve read to my own life?

Like Jacob, Rachel, Leah and Laban, I can become so myopic and short-sighted, that I fail to recognize all that God is doing behind the scenes in my life. I can become so self-consumed that I no longer see God's bigger plan for the human race. I want to make it all about me, but it's not. It's all about God and His divine plan for mankind. I find it fascinating that the companion New Testament passage for today's reading is Matthew 15. In it, we read these sobering words from Jesus Himself. "But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person" (Matthew 15:18-20 ESV).

That's the story of Genesis. That's the story of man. What we see happening in chapters 29-30 of Genesis is the effects of heart disease. As Isaiah wrote and Jesus quoted, "This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me" (Matthew 15:8 ESV). Jacob may have been a descendant of Abraham and heir of the promises of God, but at this point in his life, his heart was far from God. He was in self-preservation mode. His lived by the code: "every man for himself." And far too often, I can find myself living that very same way. The amazing thing is that God continues to bless me in spite of me. He continues to fulfill His promises to me, not because I deserve it or have earned the favor, but out of His amazing grace. Leah, Rachel, Laban and Jacob all gave God lip service. They tipped their hats to His obvious influence in and around their lives. They gave their children names that reflected God's involvement in their lives. Laban acknowledged God's influence over his life. But their hearts were far from Him. They failed to truly worship and fear Him. They were incapable of seeing His sovereign plan at work among them. I want to learn from their mistakes and recognize my own spiritual shortcomings as I read about theirs. So that I might become a willing participant in God's divine plan, not just an unknowing passenger who is along for the ride.

Father, I see myself in this story. I share so many of the qualities and characteristics of Jacob, Rachel, Leah and Laban. I don't want to be guilty of honoring you with my lips but having a heart that is far from You. Open my eyes and let me see the reality of my own sin nature and my ongoing need for Your Son's saving and sanctifying work in my life. Amen.

You've Got To Be Kidding Me?

Matthew 15:32-39; Mark 8:1-9

“About this time another large crowd had gathered, and the people ran out of food again.’” – Mark 8:1 NLT

Wait a minute! Haven't we already read this story before? Didn't Jesus just do this? Hadn't He fed 5,000 men, plus their wives and children with just 5 loaves and 3 fishes? And weren't the disciples there? Yes, they were and, not only that, they were given the job of picking up all the leftovers and there were exactly 12 baskets of food remaining after everyone had stuffed themselves. So now we find the disciples and Jesus in a similar situation. You would think the disciples would have remembered what had happened before and simply turned to Jesus with whatever meager provisions they had and said, "Do that thing You do!" But no, they seem to be suffering from short-term memory loss. Jesus remarks to His disciples, "I feel sorry for these people. They have been here with me for three days, and they have nothing left to eat. I don't want to send them away hungry, or they will faint along the way" (Matthew 15:32 NLT). Notice that, unlike the first occasion, this time Jesus doesn't ask the disciples to do anything. He doesn't ask them to take care of the problem. He simply mentions His concern for the people. Again, you would think this was a perfect set-up for the disciples to turn around and say, "But Jesus, You fed the 5,000. Why not do the same for these people?" No, the disciples respond, "Where would we get enough food here in the wilderness for such a huge crowd?" (Matthew 15:33 NLT).

They hadn't learned a thing. They were still stuck in a temporal zone, marked by physical limitations and hampered by human reasoning. They looked at the situation in front of them and saw impossibilities. Jesus saw the crowd and their need. The disciples couldn't see past the perceived problem. Even after all the miraculous things they had witnessed Jesus do, including feed a crowd bigger than the one that surrounded them at the moment, they still couldn't bring themselves to think out of the box. Their human nature overpowered their faith, causing them to doubt rather than believe, to question rather than anticipate great things from a great and powerful God. But Jesus patiently led them through yet another lesson in faith. He fed the crowd yet again. And as before, there was plenty of food leftover – another reminder of God's ability to meet needs above and beyond our wildest expectations – even when we don't have any expectations.

When it was all said and done, Jesus sent the crowds home, fat and happy. Then He and the disciples got into a boat and sailed to their next destination. The disciples were learning, slowly but surely. All of these events were being burned in their memories and when Jesus returned to heaven after His resurrection, the Holy Spirit would help them make sense of all the seemingly nonsensical things they had seen happen over their more than three year adventure with Jesus. One day they would be able to look back and see what they hadn't seen before. And their faith would grow stronger as a result. In the meantime, Jesus would patiently teach and instruct them, lovingly repeating some of the lessons over and over again. He knew their day would come. He was preparing them for the future, when He would be gone and the Holy Spirit would take His place. Then these stubborn, seemingly slow to learn disciples would turn the world upside down with their faith and unbridled boldness.

Jesus, You are still patient today. With us. We can be just as guilty of missing the miracles You perform in and around our lives. We can end up concentrating on our circumstances and seeing only the problem and never expecting You to provide a solution. Thank You for lovingly, patiently putting up with us. But may our faith grow with each passing day and may we begin to expect great things from You, even when everything looks impossible. Amen.

He Healed Them All!

Matthew 15:29-31; Mark 7:31-37

“A vast crowd brought to him people who were lame, blind, crippled, those who couldn't speak, and many others. They laid them before Jesus, and he healed them all.’” – Matthew 15:30 NLT

There are so many recorded incidents of Jesus healing people in the Bible that they can easily become almost non-events to us. We just expect Jesus to heal people. At least we expect Jesus to heal people in the Bible. We're not quite so confident when it comes to real life. But when it comes to reading the Scriptures we have gotten so used to the stories about blind people receiving their sight, lame people suddenly being able to walk, and mute people gaining back the ability to speak, that they no longer shock or surprise us. But in Jesus' day, these miracles were anything but expected, and the people had not become complacent about them. When Jesus showed up, the sick and needy showed up as well. And Jesus rarely, if ever, disappointed. Matthew records an occasion where Jesus, having returned to the shore of Galilee from the region of Tyre and Sidon, sits down on a nearby hillside and suddenly finds Himself surrounded by a crowd. They had brought with them all kinds of people with all kinds of needs, and they laid them all at the feet of Jesus. Imagine the scene. People unable to walk, crippled by disease, birth defects or injury, are hobbling or laying at the feet of Jesus. Some are on mats, some are on crutches, but all are in need. They can't work or make a living. Some are probably in great pain. Next to them are the blind. These people live in a constant world of darkness, unable to see the faces of their own family members or enjoy the beauty of the world around them. There are probably young and old alike. Some have been born blind, while others have lost their sight due to injury, disease, illness or just old age. But each of them suffers the same fate: A life marked by certain poverty, constant darkness and little hope. Mixed in with these two groups were the mute. For whatever reason, these people found themselves unable to speak, trapped in a world where their thoughts, ideas and emotions had to be communicated through hand motions or scribbled notes. They were incapable of expressing words of love, affirmation, encouragement, joy, or praise. They couldn't sing, shout, whisper, laugh or tell another living soul what they were thinking, feeling, or needing.

What a sad scenario. It reminds me of a scene from the recent movie, Lincoln, where President Lincoln tours a makeshift hospital filled with Union soldiers who have been injured in battle during the Civil War. Many have had their limbs amputated. Others have been permanently blinded by the fragments of exploding bombs. None will ever be the same again. Many will not live to see old age. And all the president can do is walk among them, issuing words of thanks and encouragement. How helpless. How hopeless. How frustrating.

But Jesus did not face those same limitations. He could do so much more, and He did. He healed them all. Matthew does not tell us how Jesus did it. He could have made His way among them, touching each one and speaking to them individually. Or He could have simply healed the entire group in one single, magnificent moment. I tend to believe that is what He did. And Matthew tells us that the crowd was amazed. They were blown away! And we would have been too. Suddenly there were people who had never walked before, running and jumping, shouting and screaming for joy. There were blind people covering their eyes from the blinding light of the sun, then slowly taking in the sights around them. They were grabbing the faces of spouses, children, family members and friends, perhaps seeing them for the first time in their lives. Their were tears being shed, sounds of laughter and shouts of joy. But the loudest group was probably those who had once been unable to speak. Suddenly, they are able to shout, scream, sing, and praise God. And I'm sure they did. Most of them probably shouted themselves hoarse!.

What a scene! I think it's safe to say that none of us have ever experienced anything like it. But the truth is, every time we get together with a group of other believers, that is just the kind of experience we should have. Each of us who have received salvation through Jesus Christ have been healed of the greatest disease plaguing mankind – sin. We have been taken from death to life. We have been set free from slavery to sin. It reminds me of the lyrics from that great old hymn, Amazing Grace. "Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost but now am found, was blind but now I see." Our salvation is no less amazing than what happened on that hillside that day. In fact, it is more amazing. Those peoples' conditions, while improved physically, remained the same spiritually. While they praised the name of the God of Israel for what had happened, there is no indication that they believed in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. They received physical healing, but not spiritual healing. They were still condemned because of their sin and lost without a Savior. But for those of us who are recipients of the amazing grace of God through placing our faith in Jesus Christ as our Savior, we have much to shout about. Our lives should be marked by joy, singing, excitement, excitement, anticipation and grateful appreciation.

Jesus, You have healed my life and made me whole. You have taken away my sin and replaced it with Your righteousness. I was once dead, but You have made me alive and well. I was once helpless and hopeless, but You have given me eternal life and a life free from condemnation and the fear of death. Thank You! Thank You! Thank You!. Amen.

Needy. Persistent. Humble.

Matthew 15:21-28; Mark 7:24-30

“But she came and worshiped him, pleading again, ‘Lord, help me!’” – Matthew 15:25 NLT

Jesus makes a rare journey with His disciples into the predominantly Gentile region called Tyre and Sidon. Once there, He is approached by a Gentile woman who has a desperate and pressing need. Her daughter is possessed and tormented daily by a demon. This woman, a non-Jew, comes to Jesus, the Messiah of the Jews and begs, "Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David!" (Matthew 15:22 NLT). She knows who He is. She is fully aware that He is the Jewish Messiah and she is a Gentile. But her need is great and she has heard about His power and authority over the demonic world. So she takes advantage of His appearance in her "neck of the woods" and pleads with Him to heal her daughter.

The following exchange is a fascinating one. Especially to our western minds. Matthew records that Jesus made no response whatsoever. That would have been normal for most Jews. They would have had little or nothing to do with any Gentile, especially a woman. Evidently, His silence did not deter her. She continued to beg. It was the disciples who finally spoke up and urged Jesus to send her away. You hear no mercy. You sense no compassion. Why? Because they had none. She was a Gentile. These men had experienced what it was like to cast out demons and see people set free from spiritual torment. But that had been among their own people. This woman was a "dog" in their eyes. Jesus knows what they are thinking, so He tells the woman, "I was sent only to help God's lost sheep – the people of Israel" (Matthew 15:24 NLT). And Jesus is simply telling the truth. He was sent initially to the people of Israel, His own people – the chosen people of God. But they were going to reject Him and His message of hope, redemption and restoration would be made available to all people – in keeping of God's promise to Abraham that through him He would bless all the nations of the world. Jesus was a descendant of Abraham and it would be through Jesus that all those who accept His invitation would be blessed – regardless of their nation of origin. This was still hidden from the disciples at this point. He is their Messiah. He is going to be their Jewish king. Any relationship He is to have with Gentiles will be like that that David, His predecessor had – as a conquering king.

Jesus, knowing what the disciples are thinking about this woman, tells her, "It isn't right to take food from the children and throw it to the dogs" (Matthew 15:26 NLT). I can see the disciples nodding their heads in agreement. They're thinking, "You tell her Jesus!" Even the woman agrees with His statement. She knows her place and the prevailing Jewish sentiment about her kind. "That's true, Lord, but even dogs are allowed to eat scraps that fall beneath their masters' table" (Matthew 15:27 NLT). This woman's response is humble and incredibly wise. She knows she has no right to come begging Jesus for help. She isn't even a Jew. But her desperate need drove her. She could not demand Jesus to do anything. But she could humbly and persistently ask. She acknowledged her place as a humble slave, no better than a common dog beneath the table of its master. She knew Jesus could help her. She believed He had the power to set her daughter free. Like the woman with the issue of blood, she took a risk and reached out to the only one who could help her. And He did. Jesus responds, "Dear woman, your faith is great. Your request is granted" (Matthew 15:28 NLT), and her daughter was instantly healed.

It's interesting that some of the greatest examples of faith were displayed by those outside the nation of Israel. It seems that they needier the person, the greater their faith. The more desperate their circumstance, the more determined they became to seek help from Jesus. Even among the Jews, prostitutes and others like them – those the community labeled sinners – made their way to Jesus. They were outcasts and rejects in their society, but they found help and hope in Jesus. Gentiles who had nowhere else to turn, knew that they could turn to Jesus and not be rejected. It was their need that motivated them. It was their need that humbled them. It was their need that drove them to go out of their way to seek help from Jesus. And it is still that way today. Needy, humble and persistent. That is how we need to remain in our relationship with Jesus. We must never lose sight of our tremendous need for Him. Our powerlessness and hopelessness apart from Him should constantly humble us and cause us to return to Him with renewed hope and gratitude for His help. We must be persistent and passionate in our pursuit of Him. This woman was.

Jesus, I want to remain needy, humble and persistent. I want to keep my eyes focused on You, but also never lose sight of my daily need of You. I don't want to feel so confident in my relationship with You, that I fail to see my need for You. I bring nothing to the table that makes me worthy of Your love or attention, other than my belief that You are who You are and that You alone can make a difference in my life. Amen.

Silly Rituals. Serious Business.

Matthew 15:1-20; Mark 7:1-23

“These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship is a farce, for they teach man-made ideas as commands from God.” – Mark 7:6-7 NLT

The Pharisees took themselves way too seriously. But in reality, they were silly. They had become so wrapped up in their "age-old traditions" that they lost sight of just how ridiculous it all appeared. They had all kinds of cleansing ceremonies they went through before they could eat. Mark tells his primarily Gentile audience just how silly it all was. "The Jews, especially the Pharisees, do not eat until they have poured water over their cupped hands, as required by their ancient traditions" (Mark 7:3 NLT). Notice he makes a point of saying that this was required by their ancient traditions, not God. He goes on to say that "Similarly, they don't eat anything from the market until they immerse their hands in water. This is but one of the many traditions they have clung to – such as their ceremonial washing of cups, pitchers and kettles" (Mark 7:4 NLT). They had convinced themselves that all this madness somehow made them clean and acceptable before God. They lives in fear that they could have somehow become defiled by coming into contact with something unclean of unholy. But they gave no thought to what was going on in their own hearts. Jesus makes this distinction quite clear. When they confront Jesus and demand to know why His disciples don't follow their traditions, Jesus pulls no punches. He quotes the prophet Isaiah who was quoting God Himself. "These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship is a farce, for they teach man-made ideas as commands from God" (Mark 7:6-7 NLT). This was God speaking against the city of of Jerusalem and the people of Judah. Their religion had become routine. They were going through the motions. They thought that offering sacrifices was enough. But God was more concerned about their hearts than their offerings. And Jesus was more concerned about the hardened hearts of the Pharisees than He was their silly ceremonies for staying clean.

Their real problem was that they gave more credence to their own rules than God's commands. They came up with all kinds of convenient work-arounds and loop holes that allowed them to ignore God's commands and do what they wanted to do. And Jesus made it clear what they were doing. "And so you cancel the word of God in order to hand down your own tradition" (Mark 7:13 NLT). Their rules trumped God's laws. Their silly rituals held more sway in their lives than the righteous demands of a holy God. And not only that, their rituals were worthless. They didn't even accomplish what they hoped they would. Because the only impurity God is concerned about is that which is on the inside. God is obsessed with clean hearts, not clean hands. Jesus tells the crowd, "It is what comes from inside that defiles you" (Mark 7:20 NLT), not what comes from the outside. It is that which comes from a person's heart that defiles him, and no amount of ceremonial hand washing is going to fix that problem.

These men had focused on the wrong thing. They were wasting their time obsessing over the externals, when inside they were corrupt, selfish, self-centered, egotistical, and in direct opposition to the will of God. They refused to acknowledge Jesus as the Messiah. They credited His power as having come from Satan. They called Him a drunk. They ridiculed Him and tried everything in their power to discredit Him and, ultimately, would go out of their way to see that He was put to death. Their example of ceremonial hand washing and ritualistic cleansing was sending a wrong message to the people, and Jesus cleared it up. He made it painfully obvious that these men were far from pure and anything but holy. And the list He gave was more than likely one that applied to these sanctimonious religious leaders. "For from within, out of a person's heart, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, wickedness, deceit, lustful desires, envy, slander, pride and foolishness. All these vile things come from within; they are what defile you" (Mark 7:21-23 NLT). Interestingly enough, there is no recorded response from the Pharisees. No rebuttal. No defense. No denial. The conversation simply ends. Which speaks volumes. Jesus knew their hearts better than they did. And while they were content to play their silly games and pretend that they were holy, Jesus was letting them know that God takes holiness seriously and saw the true condition of their hearts.

Father, You can see into our hearts and You know things about us that we don't even know ourselves. Forgive us thinking that the silly religious rituals we go through somehow make us right with You. Keep us focused on our own hearts and never let us forget that only You can cleanse the heart. We simply need to confess our sin and allow You to forgive and cleanse. You are in the heart transformation business. Don't let us settle for the anything less. Amen.